“It’s alright, dear,” she pressed her hand softly against Eva’s shoulder. “You look a little flushed. Are you alright?”
“I’m actually not feeling very well,” she replied honestly. “That’s why I’m rushing back to my room, to lie down a little…”
But, she didn’t manage to finish her sentence. She felt like she had suddenly lost all control of her body. Her hands weren’t hers anymore. They belonged to an invisible puppeteer who decided to take them away from her, as if out of punishment. Her legs suddenly refused to hold up her weight and she came down with a loud crash. The gravel scraped her soft cheek but she didn’t feel it. Her eyes were getting heavier and heavier. The last thing she saw was Amelie’s worried face as she heard her calling out her name.
When she came around, she felt a heavy pressure inside her temples again. Opening her eyes was painful. She quickly closed them again. She smelled something weird, something unfamiliar. Her breathing quickened and she opened her eyes immediate
ly, despite the sharp pain that followed.
“Just relax,” she heard the voice of Amelie talk to her from somewhere in the room but not very close.
It took a few seconds for Eva’s eyes to adjust themselves. The light inside the little hut was soft. Several candles, scattered throughout the room, flickered softly. Small carpets of all colors and shapes lay prostrate on the floor. On the walls, there were all sorts of paintings. Eva recognized a small drawing which seemed to be done by copying Picasso. Then, right next to it, a painting resembling the works of Monet. Eva loved the art of painting. It was one of the many interests her parents had instilled in her. She was always taught to respect all forms of art, because true art came from the heart and, as she was coming to realize, not many had it. Many pretended to have it but not many were truly blessed with it. That was why such artistic treasures were all the more precious.
The hut was small but neatly arranged. It seemed that every inch was used to its full functionality. No inch of space was wasted. Eva preferred these small cozy homes to large villas, where people could get lost looking for each other.
“Here.”
Amelie walked over to her, bringing a little silver tray with her. It was wonderfully shiny, gleaming under the light of the candles, though Eva could tell it was old. On it, there was a cup of steaming hot tea, and a little container of honey, with a wooden spoon.
Eva propped herself up a little. Her body felt heavy, like it still wasn’t fully hers. She coughed a little. The pain in her head was dull now and she didn’t feel it as much but it was still there. She couldn’t figure out what had happened, or how she’d ended up here.
“Drink this,” Amelie offered her the tea. “It’ll do you good.”
“Thank you,” Eva smiled gratefully.
She took a sip. It was so hot, she almost burned her tongue.
“Watch it,” Amelie warned her. “It’s still very hot.”
“What is it?” Eva asked.
“It’s red clover tea, with a dash of ginger. It’s good for blood purification.”
“That’s funny, drinking that in a school for vampires and me being a Halfling,” Eva laughed, immediately feeling her body reject that action as too painful.
“It is?” Amelie wondered. “I never thought of it that way. We’ve all been drinking it for ages. Actually, ever since I got it from dear Florence Balcombe, when she and Bram visited us, one time.”
“Bram?” Eva asked. “As in, Bram Stoker?”
“Yes, dear,” Amelie nodded.
“The author of Dracula?”
“The one and the same,” Amelie kept nodding proudly. “We gave him some of the best ideas for his novel, you know.”
“Are you serious?” Eva was amazed to hear that.
She almost didn’t believe that but then again, why wouldn’t she? It made perfect sense.
“We just told him not to reveal our location, because, as you already know, we need to keep it away from the prying eyes of humans.”
“How did he end up here?”
“Oh, their carriage got lost,” Amelie continued, taking her cup of tea and holding it in her hand, enjoying the warmth it oozed. “It was a horrible evening, thunder and lightning. Heavy rainfall. I told Sorwyce we needed to save them, otherwise they would either starve to death here in the mountains before they found their way back, or they would fall prey to some wild animal. So, we went and fetched them back here.”
“Did you show them the school?”
“Oh, no, dear. That was after Sorwyce disappeared. I mean, we arranged it all, so that no one knew where he was but, in fact, he’s been alive and well all this time. He is still with your father.”