1875
Annabelle breathed deeply as her eyes opened. With a level of vigor she never thought she would ever feel again, she sat up in bed. Impulsively, she began to laugh. She felt... strong. Revived. Alive. The fever that had ailed her for days, that had already claimed the rest of her family, was gone. She was herself again.
No, that wasn't quite right. She felt better, stronger now, but not necessarily like herself. It was more like she felt like someone else. It didn't matter. By all rights, she should have joined her family in the afterlife by now. She hadn't. And as much as she would miss them, she was grateful for that.
All that had happened over the last few short weeks felt so far away now. It had started when her brother Peter had contracted the fever. Before long it had started to spread. One by one, each of her family had fallen ill. Annabelle herself had remained free of the disease long enough to see Peter die five days after he had been stricken, but it wasn't long after that she had fallen victim to the fever herself. They had contacted the doctor in town and he had been busy making medicine, but it had taken time to make and more time to reach him; and in that time, the fever had managed to kill off a good portion of her family.
By the time it had come down to her father, her sister, and herself, they began to realize the doctor was late. A few short days later, Annabelle had been the only one left. She knew she was staring death in the face when suddenly that woman arrived. Such a lovely woman was she, with hair like red silk, and her eyes... those beautiful, sparkling violet eyes that were so difficult to look away from. She'd said she was a nurse, and that the doctor had been robbed and murdered before he could complete the medicine. Then she'd started saying she had a way to save her, but she could only save her life by giving her a new one. Annabelle didn't care what that meant; she wanted to live.
After that was just a blur.
Annabelle looked quickly around the room in search of the mysterious nurse who had saved her. She appeared to be alone, but she did find what the nurse had left her. Smiling, she picked up the lovely red rose that had been placed on her pillow and gave it a sniff. Her senses felt stronger than she remembered them. The sweet fragrance of the rose seemed amplified, reminding her again of how grateful she was to be alive.
"Awake at last?" Annabelle instantly recognized the silky voice and proud English accent of the mysterious nurse as she stepped in through the door. Her gait was as graceful and weightless as before, even as she carried a bowl in her hands. Whatever was in that bowl, it smelled delicious.
"Yes," Annabelle breathed, smiling. "Thank you."
"At last. I waited all day for you to wake." Annabelle took a look towards the window, and found it dark. She hadn't even realized it was nighttime; everything seemed so bright. "How do you feel?" the woman asked.
"Alive again, thanks to you. Whatever you did, God bless you." It wasn't until she stood up that she felt the mild pang in her gut. "Though I am feeling a little hungry... no, not hungry exactly..."
"Here," the woman stepped forward, holding out the bowl in her hands for her. "I have what you need."
Annabelle took the bowl, and only looked for a moment at the dark red liquid in it before bringing it to her lips and starting to drink. Ah, the thick rich taste that ran down her throat was utterly exquisite! She slowly leaned back as she drank, emptying the bowl, savoring every last drop.
When she was finished, she brought the empty bowl down with a loud sigh. The woman stepped forward with a smile on her face and a handkerchief in her hand. "My, you were hungry," she grinned, wiping at the corner of Annabelle's mouth. It wasn't until she saw the deep red that came off on the white handkerchief that Annabelle began to grow suspicious.
"Was that... blood?"
The woman looked her square in the eyes. "I warned you that you would be giving up one life for a new one. This is merely an adjustment you will have to make. You made the choice to live by embracing the Darkness; now I want to show you how to make the most of that choice."
Annabelle eyed her suspiciously. "Who are you?"
The woman smiled again. "My name is Electra. Now come with me. You have much to learn."
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Elizabeth seated herself down on the bed. Damn, it was a comfy bed, too. "What exactly is the Blood Rose?"
"Put simply, a discipline," Annabelle explained. "It's something I've been teaching vampire girls like yourself for several decades now. It involves total communion of the mind and senses, and an amplified awareness and intimacy with the world around you."
Elizabeth tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. Annabelle laughed, and said, "Don't rack your brain over it now, you'll get the idea eventually. You're welcome here anytime now, anytime you wish, but I do have particular times when I hold my sessions."
"I suppose I'm supposed to get some kind of memo then?"
Annabelle shrugged. "Something like that. But you should really try to think of this house as a second home of sorts, because I encourage the girls who come here to socialize as much as possible, and there are plenty of ways to do that here. Trust me, you'll be making plenty of friends here." She paused a moment, getting a particular look in her eyes that got Elizabeth a bit anxious. "In fact..."
Annabelle began moving towards the door. "I'll be right back. And I won't be coming back alone." She stepped out through the door for a moment, then leaned back in and added, "Oh, and don't even think about getting dressed!"
Elizabeth hadn't even noticed until Annabelle said that that she was still stark naked. Come to think of it, so was Annabelle, and she was going off to get someone that way. That should have seemed a little stranger than it actually was.
Elizabeth stood up and took a good look at herself in the mirror. She took a look at her youthful face, at her long dark hair, at her light hazel eyes. She looked up and down her body, and for the first time in her life began to realize something: she was actually attractive. If the girl looking back at her was actually a person standing in front of her, she might actually be tempted to touch her.
Light footsteps at the door a few moments later heralded Annabelle's return. And true to her word, she did not return alone. There was now a third girl in the room with them. And just as naked, too. She was tall, thin, and blonde, and she didn't look a day over seventeen, but something in her eyes presented a feeling of age and wisdom.
