|
A Gypsy's Curse (random short story) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The night was cold, bitter cold, and bleak. A typical French winter's night. There had been no snow of late...Just the bone-chilling cold. It was on this night that the world of the vampires was going to change.
Liza awoke in Caius's palazzo in Venice, as usual. It was something she hated. She believed he forgot who she was. She was no longer his slave. He made her return to the palazzo every, single night. And every, single night he would be up waiting for her, even if the sun began to rise. Her crypt was hidden from the others. There was a secret door built into the stone slabs of the main crypt that opened into hers. Surprisingly, it was a decent size. It was ironic that her coffin, which was entirely made of stone, had the sign of the old gods' prophet etched into the stone. Stone lily's and roses surrounded the fluid etching of her name. This was a bit of a shock to her when she first was given it. She thought Caius would give her something plain. She smiled as she looked at her coffin. Cara must have persuaded him to do it. She looked at the ceiling of her crypt and said a prayer to her beloved, late sister
She looked through the chest that held her clothes. What to wear? After a few moments, she pulled out a dark blue and black gown. Simple yet pretty. She slipped the gown on over her small frame. She ran a brush through her long, blond hair and pinned it up halfway. Now all she had to do was wait. She was always the first to wake. Caius forbade her to ever be seen, even by her own son...Lucio. She had to wait till everyone left the crypt. That was many years ago. The crypt was now only occupied by Caius, Rosa, and their daughter, Luna. Many, many years earlier, Caius sent her son and his wife, Spina, away to Paris. He also sent the b*****d Aldo and his student, her nephew, Angelo off to Kiev. But it was to Paris that she escaped to every night, to visit her son. He kept her alive. But even he couldn't keep her spirits up lately.
Liza and Caius always argued should their paths cross. They would always end up going into their tirades in the old language, Latin. Should Cara be in the room, Liza either shooed her away or Caius would grab Liza's arm and disappear with her to some remote location. Neither wanted Cara to be witness to these arguments. Not only did they spit venomous words at each other, but Caius was also abusive. He always struck Liza, half always drew blood. She happened to be the only woman Caius ever laid a hand on in such an abusive manor...that she knew of. She began to feel more and more like a prisoner and slave again. She had to escape. She couldn't return here.
She grabbed a few treasured belongings and put them in her handbag. On her way out, she grabbed a black shawl, draped it over her shoulders, and left her crypt. With caution, she crept through the silent halls of the palazzo. Not even her skirts made any sound. Though she hated Caius's rules and him in general, she found she could obey the rules.
Before she opened the main door, she stopped and pulled something from her handbag. It was a coronet made of jet black beads. From this coronet hung a black veil. She sighed and fixed it into her hair, the veil lightly draping over her face. She took up this custom after Cara had died. She would allow no one to see her face clearly. People seemed not to notice or care. They must have made the assumption that she was a widow in mourning. Correction, she only allowed her son to see her clearly. Now that her sister was dead, Lucio was the only family she constantly saw. Though there was a face, a man she believed was close to her heart. A man she saw many a strange time. Kin...
Now that she was finally ready, she pushed open the palazzo door and stepped out into the night. People, mortal and immortal alike, greeted her. She returned their greetings with a slight nod of her head. There were whispers around the vampiric community. They all wondered who this woman was. They only knew of Spina and Rosa to be the only women to ever reside in Caius's home, besides his daughter Luna. Barely knew who Liza was. For that, she was more than grateful. She preferred to be unknown.
After taking a victim, one whom she couldn't find it in herself to kill, she disappeared to Paris. Upon entering the city, she couldn't help but smile. She could feel the auras of her son and his wife pulsating. This was their city. The vampires, most anyway, in the city knew very well that this was where the Lunettes "ruled." Since she came to this city every night for over a hundred years, she purchased a flat not far from the Opera House. No one ever suspected anything. It was sheer fate that this place was so near to her son. She pulled the shawl tighter around her shoulders as she walked the Parisian streets.
Though she was a vampire, she could feel the changes in temperature and have it effect her as if she were human. That was a trait that rarely any of the vampires possessed. It was something that threw her further and further from those of her kind. The vampires who knew of her or knew her in general feared her for her visions, dreams, prophecies, etc. Even if anyone knew her, she wouldn't give them her real name. She lived under the false name of Madame Rue Lalonde. The reason they feared her was that she could touch a single hair on someones head and know their entire life in a matter of seconds. Caius had called her a curse, a plague. "A nightmare in the flesh" happened to be her favorite.
Something was amiss with her and her life. Caius had been fighting with her quite a bit lately. He used many words that dug deep scars into her heart and soul. Their recent arguments seemed to last from dawn till about midday. That was where Caius would force his last word or words and retire to sleep. He couldn't stay up so "late." Liza, on the other hand, never really had to sleep. But she did anyway. After these arguments, she found herself even more depressed then she already was. For her normal night, she would go to the Opera House to meet up with her son after one of his shows. It seemed easier, to her, to go to him then the other way around. But for the past few months, he had to go to her. She would, as she did this particular winter's night, arrive in Paris and walk right to her flat.
It happened to be around ten p.m. when she passed the Opera House. The concert had begun only half an hour ago. She found that slightly odd. But she just shook her head and continued on her way. When she entered her darkened flat, the large, bay window in the sitting room was wide open. Her paranoia set in. She glanced around the room as she slowly went to close it shut again. This wasn't right. She vividly remembered securing it tightly the night before. She turned and walked into her bedroom. She immediately froze in her spot and let out a sharp scream. Sitting at her desk was a man. A man who she had seen in her thoughts and dreams far too many times. Not to mention that she even spent some time with him on a rare occasion. He had dark hair and fair skin. His lean body was dressed all in black. His eyes were soft and kind. But when she screamed, he jumped to his feet, terrified, and began pleading to her.
"Soror! Soror, placere! Sedare declivis. Sum miser, soror. Ignoscere mea?" Her eyes doubled in size. Sister! Sister, please! Calm down. I am sorry, sister. Forgive me? This man spoke in fluid Latin. It was also the exact dialect she spoke. Wait, did he just call her sister? She lit a few of the candles and a oil lamp in her room and moved to her bed. She looked at the bed cover and shrugged off her shawl and placed it on the bed with her handbag. Soror... It finally clicked. His voice...How he spoke...His scent and aura...
"Stephano? My gods, brother, why are you here?!" She turned to him as she spoke then flung her arms around him, hugging him tightly. He let out a soft laugh and hugged her back.
"I should have let you know I was going to be here tonight. I would have saved you a heart attack." It was now her turn to chuckle. Typical Stephano. He always had surprised entrances. It seemed like ages since she saw the man in her thoughts, her dear brother, last. Every night she would get visions from her past with him. Back when they were in Rome, when they were slaves and lived just because the other was there to keep them going. This surprise visit made her feel a bit light hearted.
He let go of her and stepped back to look his sister up and down.
"You haven't changed at all. Except..." He gently lifted a hand to her head and removed the coronet. Her eyes immediately fell to the floor as he placed the veil on the bed beside her handbag. He looked back at her and smiled.
"Now that's better. It has been awhile since I've seen you. Last I saw you, Cara was alive...You still look like you did when you lived in the days of the Romans with me. You've no idea how glad I am that the gods saw fit to give you another chance at life. I've really missed you..." She looked up at him as a sad smile broke her lips. She forgot how calm and soothing her brother's voice was. She nagged herself for ever forgetting him.
She sat on the bed and patted the spot next to her.
"And I you. I always felt that something was missing from my life. There was a void. I could barely figure out what it was that was missing. But your sporadic visits finally made everything in my mind fit together. I was missing a brother...you." He smiled and sat beside her, placing an arm around her narrow shoulders. Though she was a year his senior, there were times he had to play the older sibling. Her visions made her weak and frail. They were always too real, too vivid, for her liking. They caused her to lose sleep, to not eat, for days. To Stephano, she was supposed to look so young and fresh. But because of her psychic "gifts", she couldn't. Her jade green eyes held a haunted stare. Even when she was happy, her eyes told that she was greatly troubled. She had slight crow's feet as well at the corner of her eyes. She was not old! More often than not, dark circles lingered under her eyes. But the scars ALWAYS made Stephano cringe. He now and then caught a glimpse of a scar that was either on her neck, arm, or back. He knew where those scars came from. But they shouldn't have been on her body in this lifetime. They should have died with her back in the older days. They were constant reminders of how hard their life together use to be. Both of them were abused.
Time and time again he blamed himself for the way Liza was treated. He felt she shouldn't have gone through what she did. He looked at her and playfully flicked her chin, a gesture he use to do to her all the time to cheer her up. She smiled, so it obviously still worked. She nudged him in the ribs with her elbow, her usual response.
"It seems neither of us want to grow up and change. Especially you," she said smiling. He leaned over and hugged his sister yet again. It was more then common knowledge that Stephano loved his sister. She was all he had left in this world. The two of them were always at eachother's side back in the Roman days. His blood would boil when his sister would return to the slave quarters, in tears, barely able to keep her ripped clothing to her body, and to see her riddled with pain and new marks. Marks that would be scars. He would pull her into his arms, covering her with a blanket, and do his best to console her. It was on one of those times that he saw that her right shoulder blade had been branded. It was this brand that he could slightly see as she sat beside him. His heart ached at the sight of the scarred mark...the mark of a whore.
"You weren't like that..." he whispered, not knowing that he spoke aloud. Her soft gaze me his sad eyes. Seeing him upset just broke her heart.
"No, I wasn't. But that was what was expected of me...what I was used for. Any man who saw that mark knew it was my "purpose", to lie on my back and let them defile me as they willed. The more I screamed to have them stop, the more they...hurt. They always laughed at my pain and always used it to their advantage." Her voice trailed off. She looked away from him, not wanting to see his pained gaze. As he watched her, he saw the faint tremble that shook her body. She was never good at hiding her pain, from him at least. His sigh broke the silence as he pulled her close to him. She clung to him like a lost child. This is how it always was. He always took care of her. Always.
Before he could say something, her voice drifted to his ears.
"The gods be praised that I had you, that I still have you. I could not have survived those times were it not for you." He ran his hand lightly through her hair; just as their father had done to calm him down. That was their father wasn't so...monstrous.
"Liza...Your death hurt more then anything in my entire life. More then Allia's death even. It was because of our bond. We were inseparable since we were still babes. Then her took you from me. If only I could have broken those bonds and ran to you, pulled you away from the sun, saved you." She felt his tears drift from his face and lightly land on her hair. The memory of her death hit her like a ton of bricks. The image was clearer then the clearest crystal.
Their master, Caius, was to leave his home for a few days with his "family." Out of all his servants, he trusted Stephano and Liza the most. Being such, he let them stay in the main house and keep it up. The two siblings thanked him and bid their master farewell through gritted teeth. It just so happened that the three of them had a grand argument the night before.
The day was still young, possibly around ten o'clock in the morning, and Liza and her brother could actually relax. They "gossiped" as they headed to the back veranda of the house. But of course, relaxing wand not worrying wasn't on the menu today.
They walked out back and instantly froze in their places. Reclining oh so comfortably in one of the master's chairs was their older brother, Callic. He gave them a smile that made Stephano pull Liza protectively to him. Just as he expected, she was shaking with sheer terror.
Callic was the one who made them slaves. He had quite a few debts to payoff, so he took away the freedom that belonged to Liza and Stephano and flung them head first into slavery. But his younger siblings wouldn't last long with masters. They were always returned to Callic with the message exclaiming that they were "useless." This translated to how Stephano would react to certain things and how Liza would fight and not consent, having it turn into rape. Hence Stephano having a freak out and go against the master. Their older brother would always punish them with good whippings. He would then lock Stephano, sore and bleeding, in his and Liza's room in the slave quarters and drag Liza away to abuse her some more. Her screams always echoed through the "master's" wing above her older brother's heavy breathing as he thrusted harder, and harder into her. She never let him have his satisfaction, but it seemed he enjoyed it none the less. He enjoyed is so much that Liza ended up pregnant twice. She hid it from Stephano for the first three months then preformed self abortions. Stephano never found out.
It seemed on this day, Callic had an evil look in his eye. He came to his siblings to cause more harm. He stood and slowly began to approach the two. Stephano shoved Liza behind him. He'd rather have Callic hurt him then her. It was always like that. When Callic was near enough, the two brothers ended up in a small fight, Stephano ending up the loser. Callic kicked him into a chair and tied him there. With a smirk, he knocked Stephano, with force, in the head. Instanly, Stephano was knocked unconscious.
Liza turned and tried to flee, but sadly, Callic was faster and stronger. He grabbed her with both hands around her waist. She instantly screamed and flailed in his iron grasp. Tears began to pour down her face. Callic, though, was merciless. He wouldn't let her go. Oh no...
He dragged her, literally, over to one of the pillars and lashed her there. She fought the whole time, trying not to let him tie her there. She screamed for Stephano, hoping he would wake up. But, alas, he didn't. Callic dragged his gaze up and down her body with evil and greedy eyes. She knew that look all too well. She knew what he was going to do to her. With this, she only struggled to free herself more. She would not let him defile her again. She knew he would make sure it really hurt this time. Sure enough, she was right.
In the course of two hours, he had done this to her quite a few times. Each time the pain grew for her. It was during Callic's last time that Stephano came to. He was dazed for a few moments, but then he began to hear something. He heard Liza's labored cries for help and Callic's ragged breath and groans and knew what was happening. His adrenaline rose in an instant. He called out Liza's name as he fought his bonds. They wouldn't budge.
When Callic was done, he turned to Stephano with a malicious grin on his face. He walked to the chair he was first seated in and picked up a black cloak. During this time, Stephano got a good look at his sister. Tears streamed down her face and her body screamed pain. Her skirts were still slightly bunched and ruffled around her hips, the ropes pulled tight around her stomach and arms. She was slightly bleeding from various places on her neck and on her exposed breasts.
He looked at his ruined sister with eyes full of pure pain for her. Her head hung slightly, only her eyes looked up. Callic walked back over, draped head to toe in the black cloak. Stephano's gaze turned to sheer fury and hatred upon seeing him. Callic looked at the sunny ground beyond the covered veranda and smirked. He moved to Liza and untied her, pulling her in front of him so Stephano could see her. He grabbed her hair and pulled her head back a bit.
"Take a good, long, last look at her, dear little brother. This is the last time you'll ever see our beloved sister again." Stephano struggled even more now. He saw the sadness on terror in Liza's eyes and felt a pang run through his heart. She no longer had any tears left to cry. She now knew her fate.
Callic moved to stand between her and Stephano, his gaze looking her frail form over again. It happened like lightning. He thrusted a sword right through Liza's stomach. Her eyes doubled in size as a gasp left her lips. Stephano screamed for her. Callic was forcing her to move backwards...off the veranda...out into the high noon sun. The quick kill time.
She tripped on the single step and fell on her back with a sickening thud. Callic shoved the sword deeper into her so it impaled her to the ground. He then walked back to the shadows on the veranda with a smile of triumph. She screamed an unearthly, ear-shattering scream. The sun was already burning her body away to ash.
Stephano now sobbed as he struggled. All he could do was cry out her name over and over. Her screams of pain gradually began to quiet down. Callic disappeared with a laugh and let his brother sit and watch the last few moments of his sister's life tick away.
Stephano finally was able to break through his bonds. But he was too late, his sister was gone. He ran to her, not caring about the sun. He felt no physical pain now. He tore the sword from her and threw it away. He fell to his knees beside her, sobbing uncontrollably. He lifted a shaky hand to her own ashen hand and lightly touched it. It fell away to dust. She really was gone. His best friend, his partner in crime, his sister, his life, was gone...
Liza shook her head and the vision disappeared. She tilted her head and looked up at Stephano. Both had tears streaming down their faces. He pulled her closer, if possible, and kissed her forehead, his tears falling onto hers.
"You saw it too, didn't you?" she asked in a broken whisper. She looked into his eyes as he sighed, barely nodding his head.
"Yes. You know I can see your visions as clear as you when I'm in physical contact with you. Don't leave me again, Liza. Please. I need you..." She only hugged him tightly in response. She could not promise him such a thing. Not on this night.
They sat, arms around each other, in silence for a few moments, their tears finally ceasing. He then gently pulled away from her and stood. She watched him remembering his every move. He stood before her and took hold of both her hands. She tilted her head to look up at him, their eyes meeting.
"My beautiful sister. You are an amazing woman and mother. Your son should be here to see you in about an hour. You look like you need some alone time and rest before you see him." He kissed her hand like she was royalty then her cheek.
"I'll see you another night. You have my word. I'll make sure I let you know before hand to save you from a heart attack." She stood and hugged him, then walked him to the door.
"Thank you for coming tonight, dear brother. You have my thoughts and my love as always." He opened the door and smiled at her.
"Take care, sister." He then turned and left her flat. She closed the door and leaned up against it, new tears falling down her face.
"If only you knew...Oh Stephano..." She wrung her hands in her skirts. How could she possibly go through with her plan now? How?! She swallowed hard and went back to her bedroom. In the ill lit room, she paced like a wild cat trapped in a cage. She looked at the bare skin of her arms that her sleeves exposed and sighed. Scars. She never wanted anyone to see them. Ever. She walked to her mirror and stood with her right shoulder facing the glass. She pulled the fabric of her dress down a bit to epose her shoulder blade. Upon seeing the brand she bit the inside of her mouth, her fangs digging into the soft flesh. Whore...
She fixed her dress and sat at her desk. The words of her most recent fight with Caius rang through her head as if it were actually happening before her. He truly hated her. Despised her. But with what she was planning, he would win the battle, but he would forever lose the war. She would make certain of that. Being the psychic she was, her curses always seemed to work. She pulled open a drawer of her desk and took out a small and slim dagger. She looked the blade over with a clear gaze. The flames of the candles reflected in the polished metal. She placed it to her right and pulled out from the same drawer an ink pot and quill. Paper was already neatly placed on her desk. She took a deep breath then began to write. half hour later, she was done with her feverent writing. Two letters now sat before her in neat white envelopes, sealed with wax, and waiting. She took the letter to her left and wrote a name on it: "Lucio" She placed that letter aside and did the same with the letter to her right, but wrote a different name: "Stephano" She then placed both envelopes in the center of her desk, side by side, and reclined in the chair a bit. Tears began to sting her eyes again.
Pain.
Sadness.
Fury.
Regret.
All these emotions were colliding inside her, raking through her fibers. A loud clap of thunder brought her back to reality and made her jump slightly. She looked to her window as the rain began to pound against it. There was a higher clink on the glass. Hail. Rain and hail. A smile without emotion quirked her lips.
"How fitting...Rain and hail, a bad omen." She walked to every window and pulled back the curtains, flooding the rooms with the gloom and flashes of the storm outside. She pulled the pins from her hair, letting it tumble down her back, in frustration. Time was ticking. She cried out in anger as the thunder crashed, louder than before. She went back to her room and lifted her handbag from the bed. She picked up Lucio's letter and laid her handbag under it. These meager treasures were his now. She felt a pang inside her. She knew now was the time, she had had enough. In a sweep of anger, she grabbed the dagger from the desktop and held it over her left wrist, the blue veins reflected slightly in the blade.
"Caius de Notte..." She nearly spit out his name with poison that festered in her heart.
"This is the night I curse you! I send the fury of the old world gods upon you and your beloved! I damn you. May any love you have fail and lead you to ruin. From now to the very end of your life may this curse rot you away. With my powers and life I destroy you and all you hold dear!" With a motion as fast as lightning, she sliced open her wrist, wincing at the pain.
"The gods hear me this night and do accept my sacrifice. I give my life to them. As you destroyed both my lives, I intend to destroy yours. Burn, Caius! Let the fires consume you and your love!" With the same quick motion, she sliced open her right wrist. Her blood glistened off her gown. The adrenaline in her pumped her blood out of her faster then normal. Panting for breath, she fell to her knees. Her eyes fell to the crimson pool before her. A smile of pure sadness painted her lips as she collapsed to the floor. The blood on the ground seeped through her hair, turning parts red. First, her body went numb. She could not move any part of it if she tried. Next, went her vision. Her eyes slowly went dark before her. The pain was slowly disappearing from her. She felt herself dying. The last sense to go was her hearing. The last thing she heard was her flat door opening as Lucio walked in, starting to talk happily about the concert that just finished. Her hearing faded as he screamed her name. With that, Analiza died.
What she didn't know was that her son cradled her close and wept. He called out to her brother who returned in seconds. He fell to his knees beside Lucio, sobbing just as hard. It killed him. he had just seen her, alive, an hour ago. Both men wept over her, not caring about the blood that stained them. A third man was called, but this man was a mystery.
At some point, Stephano and Lucio saw the letters that were left for them. It just so happens that before she sealed Stephano's letter, Liza tucked a small pin in there for him...one that lasted from their early childhood. Of course, they both blamed themselves, silently. They both felt they had let her down, failed her. That was far from the truth. It so happens, that there was another man present. A man who too had a past with Liza. Together, they took care of her body. What they did, only they know.
Together, Stephano and Lucio took their letters and set her flat on fire, causing the whole building to burn to the ground. The third man had left after they took care of her body. Stephano and Lucio each read their own letters in their own homes. Every word stabbed into their hearts. But apparently, Liza's curses still, truly worked. The next evening after Liza's death, Caius's home was attacked and all was set a flame, even him. He really did burn. From then on, his luck and life was not too good. A gypsy's curse lasts forever.
 ~The~Blackest~Rose~ · Mon Jan 19, 2009 @ 08:10pm · 0 Comments |
|
|
|
|
|
