CHAPTER NINE – DROPLET

Slayer stood, alone, in an infinite desert of golden white sand. The horizon was pale and bright, and the sky directly above her was so blue she felt as though she was looking at the ocean from an immeasurable distance. She could feel the texture of the sand beneath her feet; but more than that she could feel its heat. It was warm against her bare toes, and she stared down at them in awe. The wind brushed past her, tugging gently at her wispy blonde hair, and she felt a chill.
Elation flooded her heart, and poured out through her entire body like a river of rich, sweet smell flowing from a shy, budding flower as it opened for the first time. She knelt down to pick up some of the sand between her slender fingers, and watched with a smile as it flowed down between them. She knelt down and looked over the small mound where her sand had landed; it seemed to be the only imperfection in the wide, flat plains of sand around her.
Suddenly she felt a presence, familiar and welcoming. It stood over her naked body, coating her in a bright, thick energy like honey. She soaked up that energy, standing and closing her eyes. She breathed it in through her nose, which felt abnormally clear and sensitive. Every pore in her body opened to welcome in the light and power that surrounded her.
It was Venus, her Goddess. She stood all around Slayer, in the air and the sand and the sunlight.
The glorious, balmy sunlight which warmed her back; it was a gift from Venus. In this world she could feel the sensations she’d missed, the ones she’d known over thirty years ago. She realized it had been close to thirty years to the day since she became a Vampire; there was a week left until the anniversary of her siring. She’d forgotten all about it.
But Venus reminded her, with a voice like thick, warm silk that spoke no words at all, that she was no longer a Vampire and that there was no anniversary to celebrate. She was a Venus now, a higher being with a higher purpose. Slayer opened her eyes, and Venus stood in front of her. The Goddess’ body was made entirely of light, with no defined features at all. Her fingers seemed to blend into one seamless rectangle instead of a hand, her eyes were non-existent. She had no lips, only a slight bump for a nose. She didn’t seem to have any hairline at all, but long tendrils of hair floated around her body as though she were submerged, all made of soft golden light.
Without saying a word, Slayer reached out her hand and Venus took it. The Goddess’ skin felt like the smell of cinnamon; it was ecstasy. Slayer’s entire body quivered, and she soaked up her Goddess’ power.
She knew somehow that Venus was giving her a gift. When she Goddess finally released her hand she knew that upon awaking that a vast change would have taken place. With that in mind she nodded, and thanked Venus silently. The Goddess seemed to accept that thanks, though she made no movement of recognition. There was an unspoken understanding between them.
Slayer closed her eyes, and when she opened them the desert of sand was gone, as was the blue sky, and her Goddess. She could once more feel no warmth, no cold, and no light. The world returned to the infinite whiteness she’d seen in death, and then gradually it all became black.
She woke to a room steeped in thick, rich darkness. Her eyes, sharper than those of any cat, pierced right through it and accustomed to the darkness before she had time to realize that they weren’t adjusted properly. She drew in her first breath since falling asleep; breathing was only necessary for Vampires when they needed to move.
Across the room she noted movement from Cerberus’ bed; a small brown beanbag taken from the lounge area. Cerberus had quite happily claimed that as her own, and she was now curled up in its mighty, comfortable form. She held in her tiny hands a vial, in which was stored holy water. Slayer watched, interested, as Cerberus uncorked the lid.
She sniffed it, examining it in curiosity, before she turned it upside down onto the skin of her left wrist. Slayer heard her whisper under her breath the words ‘test two’. She held the vial there for some time, waiting for some kind of response or reaction from her skin…but none came.
She finally took the vial away from her skin and corked it again, wiping the wet patch on the beanbag she slept on. She put the vial in the corner, folded her arms and rested her head back on the bag, staring at the roof as though confused. Slayer was impressed; the holy water had not damaged her skin.
“Why did you do that?” she asked, finally, unable to contain it any more. Cerberus’ gaze shifted to her, but she didn’t jump, or react with any surprise at all. It was as though she’d known Slayer was watching, but did not care.
“I wanted to see if it would kill me.”
“Of course not, you only held it on your wrist,” Slayer smirked, pleased. “If you wanted to die you should have put it on your chest, so it would burn to your heart.”
“But it didn’t burn me at all,” Cerberus held up her wrist. There was no mark.
“That’s good to know,” she shook her head. “How long have you been a Vampire?”
“Only a little while.”
“Then it makes sense you wouldn’t know,” Slayer sat up. She brushed her hair out of her face absently with her hand. It fell in a dead straight curtain, like gold, around her head. “Holy water actually doesn’t kill Vampires.”
“Oh,” Cerberus frowned. “That was a waste…what about Silver?”
“Yes, that works,” Slayer smiled, rubbing her eye. Something had made its way in, and while not painful it was irritating. She cursed the ability to feel textures; whatever this was, it was spiky. “It poisons the blood of Vampires.”
“How long does it take to work?”
“That depends how much. A bullet made of silver can poison a Vampire’s blood in less than a few hours. They can die from it…the same goes for Iron, but only once it’s been purified with a spell.”
“I see…what about a needle?”
“Made of iron or silver?”
“Silver,” Cerberus looked at her fingertip, where the small black mark had been. It had disappeared.
“If it were a needle made of silver and it were placed inside the Vampire’s body, it would undoubtedly be absorbed…it would probably cause the Vampire to be sick, but not deadly sick. It would take maybe half a day to work,” Slayer shrugged. “Why?”
“I put a needle made of silver in my finger yesterday,” Cerberus held up her finger to Slayer. “It’s gone.”
“Interesting,” Slayer grinned. “You’re quite the little scientist…Venus are resistant to Silver.”
“I thought Werewolves were the ones who were hurt by Silver.”
“In truth, any magical being can be harmed by Silver. It’s a poison to anything that feeds on human blood, like Werewolves and Vampires. It’s the only physical thing that can harm Wraiths, and Witches are usually a little sensitive to it; like an allergy. Silver is kind of like…an anti-magic.”
“Oh,” Cerberus nodded. “So what does it mean that we’re not affected?”
“Well, it could mean one of two things,” Slayer furrowed her eyebrows, thinking for a moment. “It means, either, we’re more human than any other magical being…or we’re more God than any other magical being.”
“God?” Cerberus’ eyes widened.
“It’s not so hard to believe, is it?”
“Slayer!” Hellfire’s voice pierced the darkness. Without a moment’s delay Slayer flew up from the bed, literally, and rushed to the door with Cerberus in close pursuit. They dashed down the hallway moving faster than most creatures found possible and appeared at the door to the bathroom. The light was on inside, and Hellfire stood in front of the sink, wrapped in a towel and staring at her reflection. The shower was running, white steam rising from the bottom of the tiled bath below the showerhead.
“What is it?” Slayer looked around the bathroom, checking for traces of blood or any signs of a struggle. Her immediate thought was that a Wraith summoned to protect the dispatched tenants had come to attack her, but there was no signs of even that. She approached Hellfire’s side, and Hellfire looked at her. The girl’s eyes were filled with excitement.
“You’re not going to believe me if I tell you,” Hellfire grinned.
“What happened?”
“This,” Hellfire reached into the shower. She cupped her hands until they filled with water, and then she came back to Slayer’s side. She held the water up, and Slayer stared at her for a moment. A shiver ran down her spine, and slowly she lifted her hands. Her heart began to race; she had a suspicion of what was going to happen, but she didn’t want to race into it in case she was disappointed.
She sank her fingers into the water in Hellfire’s hands, and felt nothing but the texture of water.
Her heart sank.
“What?”
“Don’t you feel it?” Hellfire’s face dropped, and she frowned. “Don’t you feel the heat?”
“You do?” Slayer’s eyes widened.
“I thought…we all would,” Hellfire mumbled. Suddenly, Slayer pushed past her and stepped underneath the showerhead. The water poured down over her, drenching the jeans and button down shirt she’d slept in. She felt nothing but the wetness of the water, and growling she turned the cold tap madly.
“You’re turning it up,” Hellfire shook her head, reaching for it. She turned the tap the other direction, and Slayer batted at her hands.
“You had better not be lying to me…”
“I swear!” Hellfire cried, angrily.
Slayer turned the cold tap down more and more, until finally it was complete off. The scalding hot water ran down her body, and slowly a smile began to creep across her face. The steam rose off her body, gradually filling the air. Her smile became a grin, and her grin became a mask of wicked laughter. She howled with joy, wrapping her arms around her body and soaking in the warmth.
“Thank you,” she whispered under her laughter, collapsing against the wall of the shower. She slid down, rubbing her arms, her chest; she moved her hands through the water and massaged it into her skin. She touched her face, overjoyed at the subtle warmth. The warm grew to be hot, and she felt every drop stinging her skin but she didn’t care.
“Thank you, thank you!” she said, louder, actual tears forming in her eyes, thick and salty, and rolling down her cheeks. She laughed, as did Hellfire and Cerberus, who had turned on the hot tap in the skin and were massaging the hot water into their arms and faces.
Cerberus didn’t care that her beloved pink pajamas were getting wet, and Hellfire couldn’t care less about the heat burning her skin; they could feel again. The world seemed full of colour and light.
For the first time in a long time, they felt alive.