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Ariana edged closer to me and shyly hooked one of her arms through mine. “What does the story say, Glynis?”

I took comfort in her affectionate gestures. It made me feel a little less alone. Unfolding the magazine, I settled down on the floor. Ariana huddled close, watching as I flipped through the pages of the magazine until I found the beginning of the story.

“The Vampyre by Lord Byron. Though, according to my brother, it is by John Polidori. Shall I read it to you? It is in English. ”

Ariana nodded her head. “I will understand. Read it. Please. ”

“All right then. ” I laid the magazine on my lap and drew my shawl around Ariana’s shoulders. Snuggled into each other, I began. “’It happened that in the midst…’”

I read the entire story with great intensity, my voice rising and falling with dramatic flair. I love to read and I love stories. I was swept up in the melodrama of the story and only for a moment did I allow myself the painful recognition that in some ways, it mirrored my own. Finally, I finished with the breathless words “‘. . . Aubrey's sister had glutted the thirst of a Vampyre!’”

Ariana smiled at the gruesome ending. “We always win!”

I could not help but laugh. “You are supposed to be upset, Ariana. Lord Ruthven outwitted Aubrey and killed his sister. It is supposed to be a tragic ending. ”

“How could it be if the vampire succeeded?” She frowned at me, confused.

“We are not supposed to cheer on the vampire, Ariana. He is the villain!”

Ariana furrowed her brow. “Oh, do not be silly! He was quite grand! Do you think he is real? This Lord Ruthven? Do you, Glynis? Do you think he could come visit us here at the castle?”

I shook my head and folded up my magazine. How ironic that the story I had once loved so much now seemed a mockery of my own fate? “No, Ariana. He is not real. He was created for the story. In England, they do not even know we exist. We are just figments of someone’s imagination. ”

Ariana pouted, lowering her eyebrows over disenchanted eyes. “How could they not know? We do not only exist here. ”

“Perhaps, but in England we are considered mere creatures of imagination or madness. ” I hurriedly tucked my magazine and the clipping of Byron into the box and placed it back in my chest. I did not even want to consider the horror with which my brother would view my new visage. He would gaze upon me and know I was no longer human, but something monstrous. I knew it in my so

ul.

Ariana wandered away and began rummaging through a battered chest nearby.

“What are you looking for?”

“I want you to read something else to me. I found it in this chest a long time ago. ”

I moved among the traveling cases and slowly came to realize that these were all that remained of the poor travelers who had the misfortune of coming across the castle in their journeys. All sorts of things littered the floor around us: clothes, shoes, toiletries, hats, and various other items.

“This is terrible,” I whispered.

Ariana tossed a wedding gown to one side and burrowed deeper. “I know it was in here. It was a book. ”

The door opened and Elina stood in the doorway. Her long straight black hair flowed around her like a mantle and her keen eyes narrowed as she gazed upon me. “The Master is calling for you, Glynis. He wants to see you in his library. ”

“She was reading the most delightful story to me, Elina. It was about a vampire that outwitted this mortal man and killed his sister before escaping! It was so wonderful!”

I lifted a dress from my own chest and held it against my body. It was my favorite gown made of fine Italian silk in the prettiest shade of blue. Without a second thought, I pulled the gauzy concoction I was wearing over my head and dressed in my own gown. I did not bother with a corset and felt quite better in my own clothing.

“I really do not care what she was reading to you. Our Master wants to see her. Now. ” Elina’s voice was quite nasty as she pulled Ariana’s hair sharply.

Ariana danced free, whirling about. “His name was Lord Ruthven! He was quite ruthless and cruel. So marvelous he was!” Ariana gaily plunged into a retelling of the story, avoiding Elina’s frustrated looks.

I pulled out a pair of my slippers and placed them on my feet. I wrapped a scarf about my neck, tucking it into the low neckline of my gown. Reaching back into the trunk, I found a pair of gloves and my favorite bonnet. In just a few minutes, I had transformed myself from a vampire Bride into a fine English aristocrat. Twisting my hair up into a proper style, I topped it off with my bonnet.

“I am telling you to be quiet now!” Elina tried to catch Ariana, but the younger girl easily evaded her, leaping over a trunk.

“…and it was too late, of course! Because Aubrey could not tell until midnight…”

I smiled sweetly at Elina as I brushed past her. “I am sure she will tell you all the details!”