Transforming
That couldn’t be possible, I couldn’t have to drink from Dracul…I couldn’t have to kill Dracul! “No, you’re lying! You’re lying!” Nausea was building up in my stomach, tears starting to slide down my face. “I won’t do it! I’ll find some other way, there has to be another way. The prophecy says that I’ll have to sacrifice love to save my life…maybe I have to kill myself! Or-or leave! I will not kill you though Dracul. I won’t kill anyone.”
The world started to get a bit hazy, my vision focusing in and out. “I won’t…” I whispered, and then felt the world go black.
---
Time grabbed me in its clutches, pulling me away from the present, away from Dracul, away from my mother. Back, back, back, until before Time even existed. Before Life even existed.
“Tammy, you’ve come,” a voice murmured, Her voice.
“Atiyana, that’s you, am I correct?” I answered back, feeling excitement build up where the nausea had left.
“Yes, my dear, you are correct. I’ve come to talk to you, I hear you have questions on the Transformation you’re soon to incur.”
I looked around the diamond room, searching for a face to put with the voice, but there was none.
“Yeah, I mean I don’t even know what the Transformation is! Everyone keeps going on and on about it, on and on about my eyes changing color, about the Energy…it just doesn’t make sense to me. None of it.”
The room warmed, and I felt a smile take place on my face.
“Yes my dear, I know it makes no sense to you. If I was in your place, I’d feel just as confused. You see, you’re special Tammy. Very special.”
I sighed, biting my lip softly. “How am I special? I’m just like any other Amatores,” I said, a soft sigh escaping my lips.
Atiyana laughed, a sound that was like the heavens opening up above me, so warm and lighthearted, I couldn’t help but join in.
“Oh Tammy, you are nothing like the other Amatores, nothing at all. They can easily share their blood; it is no problem at all. You though, you cannot do so. Other Amatores cannot manipulate time; they cannot manipulate the Energy around them. You can do that. Other Amatores are not going through the Transformation; in fact, you are the first to ever do so.”
Immediately the laughter inside of me fell away, replaced with an agony that one could only describe as their body slowly getting ripped apart, an agony even worse then the Change from human to Amatores. “What is happening,” I gasped out, falling to the floor in pain.
“The Transformation my dear, it will hurt for a while. You’ll feel like you can do nothing but give up. Don’t give up Tammy, keep fighting. Win the battle raging within you.” Atiyana’s voice petered off as my vision dimmed, until I could hear no more, see no more, feel no more.
---
“-starting. Give her an IV, and place her in the bed. Carefully, there we go,” my mom’s voice commanded, waking me from my sleep.
A scream came from somewhere; no it came from me, as the pain found its’ way back into my body.
It was worse then before, feeling as if each inch of me was burning in flames, my body almost to the point of combustion.
“Tammy, it’s alright, I’m right here,” a voice murmured, pushing my hair from my face. His voice, Dracul.
His touch was like water falling onto my corpse, giving it a break from the fire, from the battle. All too soon he let go of me though, allowing the pain to find its way back into all the crevices of my body.
Another scream flew out of my already raw throat, and hot red tears poured from my eyes. It hurt, it hurt so badly.
“Do something!” a voice yelled, piercing my eardrums and causing another scream to erupt.
“What do you think I’m doing! I’m trying, I’m trying! What am I supposed to do though? All we can do is wait, wait and hope to God that she doesn’t give up.”
“Tammy, listen to me, listen to me! Just hold on alright, hold on,” a voice begged, and I felt my body calm at his touch, Dracul again.
“Do you see that?” my mom asked, and I felt my thoughts start to clear. “Dracul, don’t let go of her. It seems like your touch is taking the pain away. It’s calming her.”
I smiled, feeling the calm settle deeper within my bones, relishing in the short moment of happiness before the eventual pain when Dracul let go of me.
“Do not worry, I would never think of letting go again. Do you know…how much longer?” he whispered, his voice causing confusion to taint my calm.
“Till what? She has to feed? Soon…very soon. Are you-are you prepared?” my mom asked back, and I felt the grip Dracul had on my arm tighten.
It was like I was on painkillers, floating through clouds of bliss, all thanks to Draculs touch.
“I have been prepared for a long, long time. Do not worry about me. I made my choice the minute I met her, the minute I saw her, the minute I fell for her. It will be hard for her though, we may have to…force her to drink from me. She’s kindhearted, your daughter, and after I die…she won’t take it well. You’ll have to protect her, protect her from herself. At least until she becomes strong enough to visit me in the past. Do you promise to do that for me?” Draculs’ voice was a soft caress against my cold skin, and I heard a giggle come from my mouth.
So beautiful, he was so beautiful. The light shining in from the tiny window, made the room sparkle like diamonds. Beautiful diamonds.
“She’s going,” a male’s voice yelled, and I laughed at that. Going, going, going. Where to go in such a small, cramped place? Where to go?
Once again my vision started to dim, dim until everything was dark. Dark, dark, like midnight. Dark as night, a beautiful night.
---
“Tammy, I’ve been looking everywhere for you! I went to the Unseelie Queen, and then was brought to the Fire, but you were nowhere to be found. Where the hell are you?” Duke’s voice reverberated in my ears, making a smile light up on my face.
“Duke! I’m with my parents, it’s okay! Don’t worry, don’t worry at all. I’m okay, okay, just fine, perfectly fine,” I slurred, another goofy grin sliding into place.
“Tam…what’s wrong with you?” Duke asked, eyebrows creased with worry. Worry, worry for me! Me, me, me. Oh Duke, poor Duke, worried for me.
“Nothing, nothing at all. I’m fine, fine as a dime! That rhymes! Fine, dime, lime, time, time, time, time. Time is taking over Duke, Time is taking over! Just like little Alice, little, little Alice.”
“Tammy, what’d they do to you? Did they-no you can’t drug Amatores, that’s absolutely impossible.” Duke was muttering to himself now, lost in thought, thought, beautiful melody of thoughts.
“Dracul, Dracul, Dracul! He did it; he did it with a touch, a simple touch. So soothing, so warm, where is he? Where is Dracul?” I heard a whimper come from my mouth, turning toward Duke with confusion. Dracul wasn’t here, no he wasn’t. Where’d he go?
The air turned dark around me, and I whimpered again. Dark, dark, dark. Not good, not a good dark.
“Did you say that Dracul did this to you?” Duke roared, his eyes a burning red in the dark.
I smiled, feeling myself light up at the thought of Dracul. My wonderful Dracul. “Yes, yes, yes. Dracul helped me, saved me, stopped the pain. Happy, wonderful, amazing,” I sighed out, and giggled once again.
“Where are you Tammy?” Duke snapped, the anger lacing his words like poison, stinging me from all sides.
“Ater, Ater. Ater Council. I’m with my mom and dad, and Dracul, and everyone! Everyone, everyone, everyone. So wonderful, so, so wonderful.”
“The Ater Council? Damn it, I should have known. Don’t worry Tammy, I’ll save you.”
I smiled at the thought, the dream already starting to fade. “Save me? Save me from what? What, what, what?” I whispered, just as the dream ended, and the pain began.
---
My body was ripping itself apart again, ripping, ripping, ripping, and leaving me in pieces
. Bloody, broken, burned up pieces.
I gasped at the pains sudden arrival, craving the bliss I’d had with Dracul’s touch. Tears started to pour as I began to sob, my body shaking with the pain the Transformation was causing.
“I’m sorry Tammy, we had to wake you somehow. I’m so sorry,” my mom said, crystalline tears falling from her own face.
Dracul stepped forward as if to touch me once again, but my mom stood in his way. “No, we can’t do that anymore. She’s too vulnerable when in that state. Didn’t you see it? He got to her,” she hissed, her eyes darkening until they turned more black then brown.
I gasped as another bout of pain hit me, and reached blindly for Dracul. “What do you mean he got to her? Who is he?” Dracul asked, his voice hard and grating at my sensitive hearing.
“The King of the Lucis Council, the Second Amatores, Duke, whatever you’d like to call him. He got to Tammy, and is now coming to try and ‘save’ her. It’s disgusting really, how hard he works for that Council. He doesn’t even see the darkness lying beneath all the…”
In all of a second the pain disappeared, instead being replaced with something much worse.
The Red.
“Dracul?” I heard my mom whisper, her voice sounding far off.
“Yes?”
“It’s time.”