Tales of the Parodyverse

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ag
Thu Sep 02, 2004 at 07:20:56 pm EDT
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Roland and Annabelle, part 2
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It has been fifty-seven years since I left my home for Europe. The year was 1735. I was wealthy and had amassed a great house complete with servants. I considered them my friends. My favorite, a man named Andrew, kept my secret.
When I had returned to Boston and found the children in that alley it was the year 1792. After I bit them at the child Annabelle’s request I brought them to the house. Andrew had long since passed away, but his grandson was now in his place, apparently waiting for the day I would return.
That day was finally here as I stepped through the door with both children passed out over my shoulders.
I can since his fear as I enter. “Andrew must be gone. You are?”
“Richard sir. I ..I can’t believe you’re here! Sir, my grandfather and father told me you would return but…” He falls into mute silence as I laid the children on the bed.
“It’s alright Richard. These children are only sleeping. Go, turn down the light. They will be sensitive to it. Is there still chickens out back in the coup?”
“Y..yes sir. I’ve kept a supply like my grandfather told me. In case you returned.”
“Go fetch five please.”
To his credit he does just what he’s told. I realize he must be frightened out of his wits but he’s doing a top job despite this fact.”
I sit by their side silently for a half an hour until the time is finally up.
“GASSSP!” Annabelle sits up in shock. She is no longer sickly, but instead her features are refined and perfect. Her eyes are sharp, her face white and her dirty straggly hair is now curly and red as blood. She looks like a living porcelain doll. As she opens her mouth I see her fangs glinting in the moonlight coming from outside.
“Mama? What happened? I don’t remember.”
”My name is Anthony and you are in my home. It might take time to remember.”
“I do remember something. My mommy and daddy…they…”
“Yes. They passed on.”
Her face reflects her pain but her innocent eyes gaze upon her brother’s still form.
“My brother? Is he alright?”
“He’s resting the sleep of death. Little one. He will be rising very soon. I bet you’re hungry.”
“Yes! Please!”
Richard brings in a wooden box containing the chickens and sets it down. He doesn’t make eye contact with me or Annabelle. I dismiss him then I remove one of the birds. It twitches around in my hand, panicking, but I snap its neck.
I then puncture a vein on the bird and put it under her mouth. Her vampire senses kick in and she drinks greedily.”
“Gently little one. You don’t want indigestion.”
She finished and wiped her little mouth. “More?”
“Yes. Right here.”
GASSSP!
Her brother Roland wakes up. He’s just as radiant. His eyes glowed, his red hair was curly like his sister’s and his whole body had the same unearthly look that Annabelle and I have.
“What? Where’s mother? Father? Annabelle! You’re better! But…what are you doing to that chicken?”
Her eyes glowed with an eerie delight, “Try it Roland! I’m not hungry anymore!”
He looked at her, then at me suspiciously, then back to the bird. I knew the cravings within him would be strong.”
I nodded towards the bird, “Go ahead. This is how you feed. The blood of the living will make you strong and keep you alive.”
He grabbed the chicken and drank from it, only asking for more when the bird was drained.
I gave him another and he grunted a thank you but continued to drink. I could see he was uncertain as to who I was so I began to explain. I told him of her request and how they would’ve died like their parents if I hadn’t done what I did.
“But..what ARE we now?” he asked as he wiped blood from his young ten year old lips, “I’m craving blood like some kind of monster. To save us you turned us into vampires?”
“It was the only way Roland! Mommy and daddy were dead and we were dieing! Mr. Forsight HAD to turn us or we’d both be dead by now.”
“Maybe that would’ve been better.” He mumbles under his breath. “Alright so where do we go from here?”
“You are welcome to stay here, with me. I will do everything in my power to teach you, take care of you and be your guardian.”
“You’re not our dad.” Roland snarled.
“I understand that, but considering he is dead maybe I could help you. I could show you how to feed, how to live at night, what to watch for. I could school you on everything you would’ve learned in mortality too. I promise to give you the kind of educated, refined life you never could have had.”
“Oh please Mr. Forsight, please do!” Annabelle enthused. Despite her vampric look she’s still a little girl of six years old.
“You can call me Anthony if you wish.”
“Roland I want to stay with him. PLEASE!” she pleads.
The boy is silent for a moment, and then he finally says, “Alright Anthony. But you’d better not hurt my sister.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it. I would consider you my own children and take care of you.”
Annabelle moves very quickly into my arms and gave me a deep hug, “Please be our daddy. We need one really bad.”
She sobbed as she held me tight. I could see Roland’s defiant expressions melt. He needed a parent just as much. While she clinged onto me like a frightened child I held out my arms and he moved into them as well.
I have been a vampire for a long time now. I have fought Dracu and his ilk in many a battle. I have suffered pain and strife. But this, this was an emotion I thought I’d never feel again. Not since my wife’s death. I felt love for these two children.



The days and weeks that followed were very busy. I had two spare coffins and they used them. I was grateful for the darkness of my basement because in the middle of the day Annabelle would get scared with a nightmare and open her coffin, walk towards mine and crawl in. As time past she felt more confident and stayed in hers.
I tried to keep an endless supply of poultry and other animals with which to feed. She was quite fine with this but Roland would complain that it was never enough. If it weren’t for my inherited fortune we would’ve run out.
I brought in a school teacher to teach them English, math, history, science, art, music and whatever else I could. It must’ve been a side effect of their new immortal vampric identities but they seemed to soak up knowledge like little sponges. They soon became masters at everything. There were times when things didn’t go as smoothly.
One evening when I was absent on an errand, Ms. Flabberdasher, their teacher, was giving them a lesson when she had made a mistake.
Annabelle corrected her, “Excuse me Ms. Flabberdasher but that’s not what I got when I add those numbers up. I got 6,923.”
“Children should be seen but NOT heard Annabelle! My word. You two have the brightest minds but to teach you like this, in the evening after dark, well it’s just not right.”
“But like our father said,” Annabelle explained properly, “We have a rare aversion to sunlight.”
“But little children need their rest!”
“We GET our rest during the day. Now if you would please stop commenting on our lifestyles and keep educating us...” Roland interjects.
While his sister has kept her sweet spirit he has grown more daring, aggressive and even a little rebellious.
“How DARE you speak to me like that Roland! Such open aggression! And the words you children use!”
“What words?” Roland asked.
“Brother, don’t encourage it! Let it go!” Annabelle whispered.
“You are little children but you use words that are far above you. I almost wonder if you know more then I could teach. Maybe it’s just that I am upset about the dim lights. I try to get your father to let me teach you with more light or during the day but as always he seems blind to your needs.”
“Do NOT talk about our father that way.” Roland warned.
“And you DO NOT speak to your betters THAT way young man!”
That was all it took. If I was there I would have stepped in at that moment. I wish I had been. While Roland and Annabelle may have been young, eager minds they were also two other things. They were still little children prone to a fit or two and they were immortal, powerful creatures of the night.
In the blink of an eye Roland was at her right arm. He dug deep with his small fangs and drew deeply of her life essence. She screamed and fell to the floor in shock. He couldn’t get enough. He kept drinking.
“ROLAND! NO! Remember! Father said we don’t feed on mortals!”
With blood gushing from his mouth he replied, “She said she was our better and she insulted father. Besides, she tastes so sweet! You’ve got to try some Annabelle!”
“I… no. No! Father said...”
“Father wouldn’t want you to hunger.”
Imagine if you will little children who crave the things they do and then imagine if that which they craved was blood. I’ve already made my point about the incredible lure of human blood. It’s hard for a full grown vampire to hold it off. At least not without years of practice. My beloved little ones didn’t have those years at that time so it was impossible to hold back.
She stared at the warm, flowing essence for a minute, “A...all right. Just a taste.”
When Richard, the only servant I kept on, responded to Ms. Flabberdasher’s scream he found her corpse completely drained.
He was distraught when I had arrived. It took me hours to pacify him but it wasn’t enough. Finally I had to mesmerize him to sleep. Then I spoke with the children. Annabelle explained everything to me. She was very disappointed in herself. Roland was also sad he went against my word but still he wanted more. I could tell his conflicting natures might cause trouble later but I did nothing to stop it. That was my fault.
“But father, what do we do about Richard?” he asked. “He called us little monsters. I’ve always liked him but he’s always been afraid of us.” Roland pointed out.
“He won’t tell about us will he?” Annabelle feared.
“He won’t if we feed on him father.” Roland replied with a hunger in his eyes.
“No. He’s the grandson of a dear, loyal friend of mine. He is NOT food. We can’t feed from mortals. If we do we’ll be no better than those I … we just cant.”
“But father, when he wakes he’ll tell the other mortals. They’ll try to kill us.”
Annabelle was scared at this concept.
It had been six months since I brought these two into my life. I couldn’t imagine what life would be like without them. I weighed that fact on the fact of Richard’s life.
“Alright. Do it. Feed upon him. But do not, I repeat NOT do this again.”
“Yes father.” They replied.
They drank greedily as children do.



No one cared about the disappearance of either Richard or Ms. Flabberdasher. In those days a simple disappearance was common. I hired a different day-helper and another teacher. Annabelle and Roland were careful from then on not to feed from too many humans. I won’t say there wasn’t the occasional bully they might run into on their evening walks through town…

Obnoxious Boy: “Hey paste-face! What’s the matter? Not enough sun?”
Roland smirks.
Five minutes later they are wiping their mouths as they continued their walk.

…or the occasional rude adult…

Mean spirited store owner: “Where’s your parents you two? Leave at once! I doubt your parents would be able to afford those toys you have anyway. Get your dirty little urchin fingers off them!”
Annabelle: “Roland!”
Roland: “Come on Annabelle! He’s fat enough for both of us!”

…and then there was the frequent loose house pet…

Annabelle: “He’s a fierce one.”
Angry dog: RRRRRRRRRYYYIIIPE!
Roland: “Yes, fierce, but oh so delicious!”

…but despite these occasions they did mind me. Children will be children after all.

Days passed to weeks, weeks passed to months and months passed to years. I could tell they were growing up mentally and spiritually but as for their physical appearance, well that stayed at ages 10 and 6 respectfully. I knew it was only a matter of time before they asked questions about this. With each passing of time they grew farther and farther from their past lives and grew to love and cherish their new ones.
Things remained quite peaceful for our little family for thirty years, until Count Dracu arrived.


To Be Continued…



a.g.
Amazing Guy






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