Melatiah DeCuir, Chp. 3, Gen. 3, 1742

    TWO YEARS LATER:

     Aphrodisia's pale, moon-dusted skin flashed in the light.  Her dewdrop eyes gleamed with willpower and evil.  After her two years of hard work, she was finally going to get what she wanted...
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     Aphrodisia gazed out the window, waiting.  Her stomach felt like it was bubbling.  She was weary of the bland, disgusting taste of farm animal blood.  Her mouth watered.  In just a few moments, her desires would be quenched, fulfilled to the top, overflowing.  She considered letting the wet saliva pool out from her mouth onto the ground, just for extra evil effect, but decided against it. 

     Emilie whimpered in her sleep.  

     Aphrodisia beamed.  It was happening.


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     It was so bright.  Emilie could barely see straight.  Her young son stood behind her.  Emilie could not help but realize how much he resembled both her and her husband.
     "Mother," Melatiah started, and Emilie turned around to face him. 

     To Emilie's great surprise, it was not Melatiah she was facing.  It was a strange woman.  In fact, it was the strange woman that Emilie had been haunted by for the last two years.  The woman had drifted into Emilie's thoughts and attacked her mind.   The woman Emilie had painted on the easel.  And now, Emilie realized, regretfully, that this was the young woman who had plagued Melatiah's peace as well.  And Emilie wanted to cry, for she did not believe her own son's truthful words.  She believed that he was ill of mind, crazy.  She had no faith in her son when she should have.

     And now this strange woman grasped Emilie's shoulders and smirked at her. 
     "What do you want from me?" Emilie asked boldly.  She did not waver from the weight of the arms on her shoulders.  In truth, she stood even taller.

     Emilie stared straight into Aphrodisia's eyes.  Her gaze did not lower, nor did her courage.  Emilie thought of her mother.
     "Well, in fact," Aphrodisia paused to let out a few loud, girlish giggles.  "I want my hunger to be... well, gone.  And you're the only one who can help me do that.  That's why I'm here.  And that's why you're here, too."
     "You're going to stop at nothing to get what you want, isn't that so?  Is there a chance that I die?"
Aphrodisia chuckled, showing her fangs.  "I suppose you could put it that way, yes."

     A silence erupted.  Emilie closed her eyes for a few moments, then opened them.  
     "Must you?  Must you take me from my loving family?  Must you leave two boys motherless?  Must you leave my husband without his wife?  Must you separate childhood friends?  Must you take me without letting me say goodbye?"

     Aphrodisia laughed, as if Emilie had spoken of something very amusing.  "I must!  You need food to live, don't you?  Well, I need blood!  It doesn't mean you'll die!  "  
     Emilie struggled to remain her composure.  She willed herself not to cry.
     "You see, Emilie, I've a great need to drink.  And cattle, and noble steeds -- they just aren't doing it for me.  I need human blood.  That's what I live on.  I would have drank from your son, but he's only a child.  Once he is eighteen, he'll be next.  I just cannot wait!" 
     "But... but why?" Emilie whimpered.  "Why us?"
Aphrodisia became silent and solemn.  "Your family appeals to me greatly.  I wish to say no more about that.  Not a word more."
     "Well," Emilie said confidently, "this is only a dream.  You cannot hurt my family.  You cannot hurt me."  

     "My dear, dear friend," Aphrodisia laughed, taking Emilie's arm, "you are quite mistaken.  This is truly the opposite of a dream.  This is your real life."

     Emilie braced herself for the pain.  And Aphrodisia plunged into her long-awaited wish come true.

     It was quite a bit of time before Aphrodisia was finished.  Normally, a vampire needed to be careful, as many victims perished due to loss of too much blood, but Aphrodisia had pushed that thought to the very end of her mind.  She thought she deserved a little more indulgence -- just this once.  She licked her lips with greed, and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
     To the weakened, dazed Emilie, she said, "You've no idea how wonderful that tasted.  I cannot remember the last time I've tasted blood as good as that."  Aphrodisia smiled.  "Thanks for all of your help.  Every drop of it."

     Emilie felt faint and dizzy as Aphrodisia left.  She felt like she couldn't hold on much longer...


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     Emilie awoke with a start.  She was sweaty and shaking.  Head throbbing, Emilie sat up in bed.  She felt a strange feeling, compelling her to walk outside.  Quickly, she got dressed. 

     Emilie felt weak, like in her nightmare.  Just thinking about it made her shiver,  as she tiptoed down the steps, still managing to wake up Melatiah.

     The dream had felt so real...

     ... and Emilie found herself at the same place where the woman bit her: right outside the privy.  Her headache pounded so loudly that she was worried it would wake up her family.
     Suddenly, Emilie felt a feeling of great pain tear across her chest, leaving her in a shroud of darkness.  Her eyes were open and searching, and yet she could not see a thing.

     Emilie's world, at first full of light and hope, darkened.  She fell to her knees reaching out to the sky in a call of help, since her mouth would not form words.

     Emilie thudded to the ground.  Her last wish was to not be alone.  Her last thought was that she had to save her family somehow.  Her black vision lightened and she caught a glimpse of her handsome son, who had followed her out of the house and was now shouting at her with words she couldn't hear, images she couldn't well comprehend.

     Emilie reached out to her son, willing him to not leave her side.
     "Mother!" Melatiah yelled, desperately.   "I won't leave you!"

     The last thing Emilie saw was the midnight sky.

     "Mother!" Melatiah wailed.  "Mother, why did you have to die?  Why?"  
     Aphrodisia hesitated.  "There, there, Melatiah.  She really loved you," she said, biting her lip.

     At that moment, the consequences of Aphrodisia's actions dawned on her.  She had taken too much blood.  She should have been more careful!  She had only meant to scare Emilie, and just have a little wicked fun!  For the first time in her life, Aphrodisia felt a new feeling: regret.



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*The Antique Legacy*

Melatiah Beaumont