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“One last horrible thing–”
Cleo awoke with a jolt. Their frantically beating heart drowned out any other sounds; oppressive heat surrounded them. She tore off the suffocating blanket as she sat up, hoping to feel the cool night air on her skin, but found no relief. Their surroundings looked odd. Where were they?
Cleo lowered her gaze from the strange shadowy room to her lap. Their hands were still red. They stared at their trembling fingers. Still bright, still fresh. This had to be a permanent reminder. A punishment. Cleo’s throat tightened. She lifted them to her face, pausing in confusion when the colour slid off. They stared, trying to understand what was happening. Their eyes followed a beam of dancing dust motes upwards. High on the wall, moonlight filtered in through a pane of crimson glass. She took a deep breath, and let it out as a sigh. Of course. This was the castle. She and Pearl had left that little house years ago. The vampire shivered. The heat had faded now, and in its place was an unpleasant clammy cold.
Cleo turned towards Pearl’s side of the bed, hoping they had not woken her. At least one of them should get a decent sleep. They tried to maintain a normal human sleep schedule so as not to arouse suspicion in the townsfolk, though it wasn’t always easy. But instead of familiar unruly hair sprawled across the pillow, there was only a small indentation.
A new surge of panic washed over Cleo and shook off the remaining fog of sleep from her mind. Her stomach twisted. It wasn’t a full moon, was it? No, Pearl would have let her know it was coming up. What if something was wrong? Maybe she was just… getting something to eat, or something just as harmless. Even so, it wasn’t worth the risk to wait for her to come back. Plenty could happen in a short amount of time. They had to find Pearl.
Cleo swung her legs over the side of the bed, the frigid stone a shock to her bare feet. Would they need a lantern? They could see fine at night, but it couldn’t hurt, right? If need be, they could use it as a weapon. She fumbled around on the small wooden table next to their bed, lifting up a rusted old lantern before she had a good grip, and immediately dropping it to the ground. Cleo winced at the loud clanging. They wiped their hands on their nightgown and crouched down to pick up the lantern up again, as well as the box of matches that had been knocked off the table. Before standing fully and approaching the door, she lit the candle inside.
She set off down the hallway towards the staircase, still cold despite the flickering flame keeping her company. The knot in their stomach grew tighter, like a weed desperately trying to take root. As they reached the end, footsteps sounded from below. Pearl appeared out of the darkness, taking the stairs by two.
“You alright? I thought I heard something fall, did–”
Cleo was unable to speak, the lump in her throat returning. They let out a small sound.
“Hey, hey…” Pearl approached her and gently took the lantern from her hands. Her Pearl. Standing before her, without a scratch, just messy hair and a concerned expression. With relief washing away the tension that had been holding them up, they sank to the floor. Pearl sat beside them and cupped their cheek, wiping away tears they hadn’t noticed. “What’s wrong?” she questioned.
“I had a dream again, the dream, the dream where…” Cleo trailed off, turning her head away. Pearl nodded. “And then you were gone and—It’s… it’s stupid, I’m sorry–”
“None of that now,” Pearl interrupted. “I was just taking a stroll because I couldn’t sleep. I can leave a note next time, or, I don’t know…”
Cleo wasn’t sure what to say. She glanced back at Pearl. Pearl who was still here, Pearl who was safe. Of course she was safe. It’s not like the two had anyone after them. Why couldn’t they have stopped to think for just one moment? It had been years since they'd arrived in Oakhurst. She should–
Pearl’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “C’mon. Are you hungry? Let’s get you something to drink.” She paused. “I can even carry you if you’d like,” she added, offering her hand and waiting for a reply.
“That… would be nice.” They took a moment to switch into their bat form and stepped onto Pearl’s palm. They were lifted up to her shoulder, where they grabbed onto the soft fabric and rested against her neck in the cocoon of her hair. After checking to make sure they were comfortable, the two began their descent, footsteps on the stairs considerably slower this time.
Pearl hummed as they walked. Cleo leaned more fully against her and allowed the gentle vibrations to quiet her mind. These past years, while Cleo had started a flower garden, Pearl had taken up singing to pass the time. Her voice echoing throughout the large halls of the castle always made it feel a little less imposing, and a little more like home. They hung on to each slightly strained low note, each breath taken between phrases, each small waver in pitch, and before they knew it, they had arrived in the kitchen.
“You still awake, love?” asked Pearl, offering up her hand again.
Cleo chirped in response and hopped on. Pearl held out her arm to give them space for their wings. They took off, found a nice empty patch of floor, and switched their body back to a human one. She looked back at Pearl when she was ready to see that she had set the lantern down on a counter and grabbed a couple of small bottles of blood. It had been a while since she’d eaten. Cleo took one of them, and a comfortable silence fell over the room as both her and Pearl drank.
“Thank you,” whispered Cleo.
Pearl threw her a smile and wiped her mouth. “So, do you wanna talk about it? Your dream?”
“Maybe tomorrow? I’m just tired right now.”
“Alright. Tomorrow. Why don’t we go back to bed then?”
“I… don’t really want to. What about the library?”
“Okay. Whatever you need.”
They trailed behind Pearl, almost afraid that if they were in front, they would glance back and see only air. She still held up the lantern. The flame inside flickered, and the centre shone with a nearly white light, not unlike a pearl. She hadn’t even asked why Pearl couldn’t sleep. They still found themself wondering what they had done to deserve this sometimes. Their thoughts circled back to what they had done. Those choices certainly weren't deserving of– Stop. Stop it. They had said they were going to stop doing this.
The library came into view, and Pearl guided them towards a plush couch against the left wall. Cleo fell onto the couch beside her, tucking her legs up to get off the cold floor.
She took another sip from her bottle. “I should have asked earlier. Why couldn’t you sleep?”
“Oh, I don’t really know,” Pearl answered. “It seems like I just woke up for no reason. And then I thought it might help to talk with you, but I didn’t want to wake you up. But it kind of worked out! Anyways. Nothing to worry about, really. Are you worrying again?”
Cleo sat in silence. They supposed they had been.
“Can you do your mindfulness exercise?"
“Alright, but first… Do you promise you’re fine? You don’t need anything?”
“I promise.”
Cleo brought the bottle to her face. They tried to focus on the colour of the dark liquid inside, then the smell, and finally the taste and feel. Pearl finished hers too. They offered to take the bottle, and placed them both on the floor. The two of them got more comfortable, Pearl curling her legs up as well and leaning on the armrest, and Cleo leaning on Pearl. Their breathing slowed. But there was one thing missing.
“Pearl?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you think you could hum some more?”
She started up the same tune as before. As Cleo’s eyes drifted shut, she felt Pearl’s arm wrap around her. They were surrounded once again by a wonderful resonance. She both heard and felt the melody spiral upwards, unfurling like a rose. Every small breath Pearl took was water and sunlight, feeding the music. Cleo let themself sink into the darkness behind their eyelids. The world became distant, and she was enveloped by the shroud of sleep.