Fall of a Deity .x. Prologue Part 1

She might as well have been a corpse floating in the Arctic Ocean, for the chilled waters did not consume her. Even if they could force her under, they could not take life from her. Danae had already lost that pleasure long ago. Migrating penguins and seal meat had not been enough to drive off her hunger pangs. It was not the flesh that she yearned for from the creatures, but for something else to soothe her exotic tastes. The salty ocean water had parched her lips as she waited amidst the waves. The passing of time meant nothing to Danae. She could remain so for weeks, as the rays of the sun did not touch the Arctic Circle at this time of year. She was a predator of the finest kind, patient and deadly. Her large golden eyes were the only lights in the dark waters. Danae was no longer like the others of her kind, centuries beneath the Arctic Ocean had evolved her into a creature beyond nightmares.

She continued to tread water. The body numbing chill that would have affected most people was easily ignored. In the distance she could already hear the bitter sweet symphony of laughter. It was still long before the cruise boat Lucretia was in sight, yet she could already sense its presence leaping over the waves. Tonight she would feast, and for the first time in ages Danae had a feeling it would not be alone. There was a haunting darkness no human could provide that stung the back of her mind. A knowing smile touched her lips. For once company didn’t seem so bad. She was rather looking forward to it actually.

The sweet melody of music and neon lights on the cruise boat glowed atop the surface of the ocean. The Lucretia swayed back and forth in a hypnotizing way atop the waves. It was a vessel of mirth and delight amidst a barren icy wasteland. The waves rocked, and drew her towards it. They knew of her ravishing hunger, and were happy to oblige. As Danae closed her large golden eyes she could already imagine the scene atop the cruise boat. There was dancing and talk. The thought made her smirk gently. They had little idea of the danger they were passing into, and wouldn’t for sometime. It was tantalizing

He leaned against the railing atop the deck of the Lucretia. Nathan gazed out into the waves of the Arctic Ocean with a sigh. It was times like these that the all consuming waters made him feel helpless. Though on land he was a man few could match, he never had taken a proper liking to the ocean. It was a wonder he had remained on board as head of security for the Lucretia for so many years. He was growing right weary of it, but life hadn’t held promises for any better future. It was pointless now to try and change for something better. Lady luck never smiled down on him anymore. Nathan felt someone bump into him from behind. The tall man turned around. His navy eyes fell on a young lady. Delphine smiled back at his subtle glare. She popped pink bubblegum between her teeth almost daringly. She knew how it annoyed him so.

“You’re as cold as the ocean tonight.” Delphine commented with a frown. “Not cold, just thinking.” Nathan responded as he glanced away. She put a finger to his chin, and turned Nathan’s head. “I care to differ.” She added with an empty smile. He only pulled a cigarette from his pocket in response. He clenched it between his lips as he fished through his pockets for a lighter. When he glanced up in a frustrated manner, Delphine was already holding a lighter out casually in the palm of her hand. He arched an eyebrow. “I like the pretty fire, I don’t smoke.” She lied. Nathan only nodded. Her thumb ran over the lighter and a small flame erupted. He leaned closer towards the flame to light the tip of his cigarette. Nathan took a long drag, and only exhaled when Delphine pulled it from his lips. He glared at her through the cloud of smoke. “Take it slow, you give a girl the feeling you’re trying to drown your sorrows.” Delphine commented. Her eyebrows furrowed. “I’ll smoke how I like.” He snapped. A moment later he gave an apologetic smirk and the shrug of his shoulders. She hadn’t been expecting the actual words, he never usually said them. She handed him back the cigarette.

Nathan held the cigarette between two fingers as he took another drag. This time it was short. He exaggerated the motion of exhaling the thick smoke. Delphine didn’t cough as the intoxicating smog lingered around her pretty facial features. She didn’t even cringe. Her stormy grey eyes flashed instead, but Nathan hadn’t noticed. He was terrible at picking up on the less than human attributes his companion had. He was gazing out at the ocean again instead. Delphine tilted her head to the side. She drew up beside him against the railing. “The ocean croons. It’s only precious child will be leaving the depths soon. It fears she will not return.” She drawled as if she were under a trance. Nathan as usual did not make any sense of her words, and only chuckled dryly. Delphine pouted, she was aware he did not understand. She looked like a stubborn child now, distraught and annoyed. He took another slow drag on the cigarette. Even though Nathan was no longer paying attention to her, there was someone else on the deck of the Lucretia that was. For the time being she was unaware though.

“How much longer are we in the Arctic for?” Delphine questioned. Nathan glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “We’ll be drifting around this place for another week and a half before heading back to Canada.” He responded. “A week and a half out here just looking at glaciers and polar bears?” she exclaimed with a pout. He lowered the cigarette from his lips as he turned to stare at her directly. “Some people like the ice, they find it enchanting. If you don’t, why are you even on this cruise in the first place?” He asked with an arched eyebrow. “I have other intentions on this cruise, much more interesting ones.” She said. Delphine flashed him a suggestive grin. “Care to enlighten me?” He asked almost casually.

He glared at Nathan through shadow. His startling cobalt blue eyes narrowed to reptilian slits. It sickened Cairo to watch the man flirt with Delphine. He hadn’t the wildest dreams to imagine what he was getting into. It was for that reason he figured Delphine was drawn to the man so. His innocence must have been alluring. Delphine herself had experienced that innocence not long ago, and witnessed it with envy now. She never spoke of it, but Cairo knew. He knew how the drawbacks of being a vampire weighted down on her more than they ought to. Cairo saw beyond her childish pouts and riddled trances. It unsettled even him what he witnessed within the barricades of the naïve vampire. She was struggling with immortality; however the purpose of their cruise had not been to help Delphine, but to seek another. He had baited the trap; Danae would come to him soon.

Cairo’s pink tongue darted over elongated fangs. He was famished, yet he knew he had to wait. It wouldn’t do to alarm the passengers of the Lucretia that they had vampire accompaniment on board. The chaos was something they could do without, for now. It was a rare circumstance that Cairo wanted the entire situation to remain controlled, however this was of course an extraordinary circumstance. Even Delphine had to be unaware of what was going on. It almost panged him to lie to his vampire companion, but if anyone was aware of what Cairo was trying to stir up, he wouldn’t be able to call his life immortal anymore. These were deadly dealings. Trying to dethrone the deity of the largest vampire cult in North America wasn’t trivial. To do that though, he needed aide. As he squinted through the gloom, it seemed his aide had just arrived. It was a pity she wasn’t informed, yet.

He strode out of the shadows upon the edge of the deck. Cairo walked up behind the other man, and backhanded Nathan in the back of the head. “Bite your tongue so the lady doesn’t have to do it for you. Sickening it is, to watch head of security flirt about with the passengers. I’d report you if we had the time.” Cairo spoke. His voice was perhaps almost as startling as his eyes. It had a rough feminine edge, although it was definitely demonic. The vampire gestured out beyond the deck, into the chilled waters of the Arctic Ocean. Nathan only gaped at the man. He had appeared literally out of nowhere. Cairo hadn’t been surprised, to a human it would have looked as if he had. Delphine was glaring gently at him now. “She’s like a doll, tossed about in the waves. Can I play with her?” She cooed. Nathan’s eyes widened. Sure enough there was a woman struggling in the waves. Her ghastly white skin illuminated against the black waters around her.

Nathan simply stood there, staring blankly at Danae in the water. The aquatic vampire was offering her best acts of pathetic drowning as she floated effortlessly in the waves. “You’ve got a lady overboard. Pull yourself together man, do something!” Cairo screamed for effect. A twisted smile tugged at his lips. Delphine stamped her feet. She shook her head violently. Her feathered silvery hair fell into her face as the ignored vampire slowly became enraged. Neither man noticed as her usually grey eyes flashed with crimson fury. Cairo began to tap his foot gently, hypnotically. “No? You won’t do anything? Fine security you are.” He snarled at Nathan. Though anger pulsated through his voice, only Delphine knew it wasn’t genuine. The female vampire had drawn back to leaning against the railing of the deck. For now she would be a patient little girl and wait and see how this all played out.

Cairo surged towards the edge of the deck. For such a nimble man, he had incredible speed. He snatched at a rope that was hanging upon the edge. He quickly knotted it to the deck. Cairo leapt onto the railing of the deck in a single motion. He knelt there crouched, his knees bent as his cold blue eyes contemplated the ocean. It would have been a fatal dive for any human. It was lucky that the demon like creature didn’t believe in the word fatal anymore. Cairo arched his back, and his hand gripped firmly to one end of the rope. He pulled his arms back and fell into the ocean like a falling angel.

Cairo hit the paralyzing water. He was surprised that as the cold surged around him he felt numb. His blue eyes snapped open underwater. The depths were an endless abyss of black. Not a fish frolicked within; he figured they must have been much deeper. Danae continued to splash about upon the surface. Cairo found it rather amusing that she was still keeping up the charade. He tilted his head beneath the waves to stare up at her in a calculating manner. Beneath the surface his chest did not rise and fall, the vampire didn’t bother pretending he needed to breathe anymore. “Help!” She shouted, her melodic voice disappearing as the aquatic vampire went under the surface. Her voice came out in a gurgled manner as if she had just gotten a mouthful of ocean water. She resurfaced moments later with the splash of her hands breaking the surface of the frigid waters. Her silvery mass of opal hair swung around her face as she turned to search for the rescuer she knew had dove into the water after her.

Danae spun around as she tread water. The surface of the ocean was barren. She couldn’t see anyone else, she was alone. She didn’t bother to hide the puzzled look that overtook her bewitching facial features. Her brilliant golden eyes narrowed in annoyance. Danae’s eyebrows furrowed. She released an exasperated sigh. Danae tilted her head back as she gazed up at the Lucretia. By now a crowd had gathered around the edge of the deck. They were blurred by the distance. It was then that the predator struck. Danae felt a firm grip latch hold of her leg beneath the surface. She lashed out, her legs kicking wildly as her arms scrambled to stay on top of the water’s surface. Danae was afraid. The emotion was alien to her now, and it made the vampire irrational. She continued to struggle. The grip tightened, and with a single motion wrenched her under the surface. Her fear turned to fury as Danae’s luminescent golden eyes snapped open underwater. Massive fangs brimmed over her lips as she realized the source of her fear had only been a man.

Cairo was still holding onto her leg. She hadn’t recognized him through the murky black waters. Danae kicked out. She knocked Cairo in the head. As his hands went to his nose to stop the flow of blood, he released her. Danae spun around in the water. He had pushed the aquatic vampire beyond her limitations of fury now. Her hands grabbed at Cairo’s throat. Her fingers tightened around his neck. Her grip crushed into solid bone around his shoulders. Danae strangled him lividly. Her golden eyes narrowed to slits. As of yet she hadn’t gazed up at him. Though Danae’s strangling acts were pointless, Cairo’s neck was growing numb with pain. He struggled within her fierce grip, before sufficiently knocking the vampire’s head up. Danae finally glanced at him, her deadly features riddled with a glare. Cairo flashed her a grin. Danae’s grip instinctively loosened, as her lips pursed in recognition. It was the single second of hesitance he had been waiting for. Cairo punched her in the face. It was a clean solid hit to the temple.

Danae’s pain was momentary before she lost consciousness. Beneath the waves Cairo quickly swept her limp body into his arms. Danae was weightless, for now. Cairo dragged her up to the surface. His startling blue eyes squinted to glare up at the deck of the Lucretia. There was a crowd of people still milling about. The vampire could almost imagine Nathan on board, still dumbstruck as he gazed into the abyss like waters. The thought only made Cairo quicken pace in anticipation.

Cairo waded closer towards the large cruise boat. His gaze scanned the side for a ladder, or any other type of aide. Unfathomable strength or not, it would be a difficult climb. Cairo cursed shrewdly as he spotted the closest ladder. It rested a decent thirty five feet above the ocean’s water level. He tugged roughly on the rope that was still clenched in one hand. It felt numb against his raw fingers. Even though the paralyzing chill of the Arctic Ocean wasn’t fatal to Cairo, it was rather uncomfortable. He was quite oblivious as to why Danae had decided to remain in this barren wasteland until her end. It was a wretched place, even for a vampire.

Cairo gave another rough tug on the rope. This time he could feel slight resistance. Hopefully it was still knotted tightly to the railing. If not, he was in for a terrible fall. Cairo waded closer towards the massive cruise boat. Just as he reached the edge, he gently swung Danae’s limp form partially over his left shoulder. He immediately felt her weight hinder him. Cairo wrapped the rope around his wrist, as the vampire forced himself upwards. The first few upwards steps were daunting. The waves tore at him, forcing the rope to sway back and forth. The vampire didn’t have much of an option though, and he continued to climb through the darkness.

Cairo couldn’t help but glance out of the corner of his eye at Danae. She appeared almost peaceful, as she leaned helplessly against his shoulder. It was a wondrous change. It was in such a peaceful way that Cairo needed her to arrive on deck. Knocking her out had most likely been the only wise action to keep her in check. Though the crew would question her presence out in the frozen Ocean, the violent beast would be subdued. It was Danae that could bring forth the greatest flaws, in his otherwise foolproof plan. Cairo made the transference between rope and ladder with little difficulty when the need arose. He swung his body to the side, and latched hold of the ladder with one hand. Once again he felt the full weight of Danae on his shoulder, and the vampire hesitated. It was a momentary lapse before he continued to climb.

Cairo didn’t have any track of time; however it was ages later when his hand finally gripped at the wood of the deck floor. The vampire carefully hoisted Danae over the railing, before leaping over himself. His feet hit the ground in a crouch. Cairo tilted his head back and straightened up to stand. A taunting grin found his lips as usual. Delphine was staring pointedly at Danae’s drenched body. Unlike the humans crowding around them, her look of surprise was recognition. Cairo would later classify the rest as mere stupidity. Nathan cleared his throat to speak. “Well, I guess we couldn’t have done anything. It’s already too late.” The man said grimly. Cairo stared at him, bewildered. “What?” He snapped. Cairo glanced down at Danae. His cold blue eyes ran over her limp body. She wasn’t breathing. The vampire hid a smirk. She was perfectly fine, for a beyond human creature. If she had been a human though, she would have been dead as they all assumed.

“Oh, she’s fine.” Cairo assured the crowd. His voice was uncharacteristically patient and coaxing. Delphine chuckled lightly at the act. It was the first sound she had made in some time, and the vampire received some curious stares because of it. “She’s not breathing, how can she be fine?” A woman muttered in a disbelieving voice. “Poor soul, I can’t imagine how she came to be in the water!” Another woman gasped. A chorus of agreement followed. “She must have died long before we found her.” A man chimed in gruffly. Nathan stepped forwards. “She’s deathly pale, no point staring now. All of you, off now to your own business. Let’s not make a ruckus out of this.” The head of security said with a sigh. He made motions to shoo them away with his hands, however the crowd of people remained rooted to the spot.

“Even the white rabbit is pale, but he still comes to tea.” Delphine retorted gently. She closed her eyes slowly, ebony eyelashes fluttering over her stormy grey eyes. Cairo grinned wickedly. For once he thought he understood her strange banter. The vampire gently put an arm around her waist and pulled Delphine out of the crowd. Most of the humans continued to watch her though. “Not now love; we’ll discuss her and all the other nasty things that come to drink tea with you later.” Cairo whispered as he bent close to her ear. Delphine gave a slight pout. “The white rabbit is nasty.” She agreed loudly with a scowl. Most of the attention was no longer upon Danae by now. Even Nathan was staring strangely at Delphine. She childishly tugged on the hem of her dress, and swayed it back and forth with her hips. “He shouldn’t be allowed to come to tea; he angers the queen of hearts.” Delphine protested. Cairo arched an eyebrow in query. Perhaps he could only understand so much of her nonsense, as it came through his ears as gibberish once more. “That he does pet…. with his, long ears and large feet.” Cairo ventured, hoping to satisfy her with the answer.

“His feet have nothing to do with it! Although his ears are questionable, for he will rarely tell me the wonders he hears with them. That must be it, the queen grows jealous.” Delphine retorted. She stared up at Cairo with large grey eyes. “Is it the queen that’s jealous, or this princess before me?” Cairo teased, momentarily understanding the purpose of her riddle. She was simply yearning for attention, or at least he thought so. Cairo had no idea if Delphine truly believed in all this white rabbit nonsense, or if she was just making it up. “It’s time for the grownups to chat pet, why don’t you go back to our room and have a little nap?” Cairo coaxed her. He grinned gently. Delphine chuckled. She found the joke in his words, and her laugh was silvery and delicate. It was ironic, as excluding Cairo and Danae, Delphine was the eldest present. To the crowd of humans, she merely looked as if she were a teenager though. Though time would pass and they would age, Delphine would remain the same forever.

The vampire tapped her foot as she glanced at the ground innocently. Eventually Delphine looked up and nodded, a soft smile tugging at her pretty features. Cairo leaned forwards to kiss the top of her head gently. Delphine drew away from him quickly. It left her companion with a frown, especially as Cairo noticed that her gaze lingered on Danae’s limp body. Delphine’s facial features tensed in concentration for a moment. It wasn’t long before she smiled again, however the emotion was hauntingly empty. Delphine squeezed Cairo’s hand. Her fingers traced over his palm. Her smile etched into a grin as she stepped away. Her stormy grey eyes flashed dangerously. Delphine turned to walk away. Her locks of golden curls flowed with the movement as they swirled around her head delicately. She left the deck, without a final glance in his direction. Cairo’s startling blue eyes remained upon her for some time. Delphine was not going to bed. He could tell the vampire was on the prowl. Cairo resisted the temptation to follow her into the shadows.

Cairo’s full attention returned to Danae. He crouched down beside her soaking wet body. He brought two fingers towards her neck. The vampire pressed them gently beneath her jaw line, where her pulse would be. Cairo didn’t expect to feel one; the motions were only carried out for effect. The crowd of passengers seemed to all be staring curiously down at him. He faked a grave look. “Blankets, she’ll need warmth immediately. There’s a heart beat, but it’s faint. Anything we can do to keep her body working… we need it now.” Cairo said. His voice carried out the lie carefully with a perplexed edge. The crowd remained still around the crouched vampire. Cairo glanced up at the humans with a glare. “Do you want a corpse on your hands? For that is what she shall be, if you don’t hurry and get something to warm her up. I know I won’t be the one that will have the heart to throw her back into the frigid Arctic waters when she is dead, dead because we could not preserve what life she had.” Cairo snarled dramatically. It was his darkened tone that scared the crowd into action. Many of the people scampered away. He secretly doubted that most of them would return.

Nathan regarded the corpse like female with wide eyes. He doubted that she had any chance of survival, the other man was simply mad! Just as the head of security turned to go, he felt a hand latch onto his own. Nathan turned to see Cairo release him with a grin. “Oh no, you won’t be going anywhere. Not just yet at any rate.” The vampire said brazenly. There was something hypnotic about his voice that caused Nathan to smile as well. “We’ll need a spare room for her, perhaps a few doors down from my own.” Cairo said, pausing slightly to stare up at Nathan. The vampire rose to stand. Though his full height was not towering, there was definitely a dominating edge to his presence. Nathan nodded slowly. “She’ll need warm food, blankets.” Cairo listed coolly. “Haven’t you already sent a few people to go get some blankets already?” Nathan ventured. His voice cracked out of uncertainty. The man coughed gruffly in an attempt to mask it. Cairo’s cold blue eyes narrowed at the interruption. “Never send a hired hand to do something that actually needs to be done.” Cairo muttered darkly. Nathan pulled away at the true demonic voice that had emitted from the vampire.

A laboured sigh of frustration left his lips. Cairo closed his intoxicating blue eyes as he shook his head slowly. “Go, do it.” The man muttered, his voice barely over a whisper. There was a raw intensity towards it that caused Nathan to feel the blood within his very veins freeze up. He was sprinting out of sight before the vampire’s eyes had even reopened. A jester like smirk curved over Cairo’s lips. His cold hands went down to stroke over Danae’s opal tresses of hair. “My little water demon. Don’t you worry, for when you wake, things will return to as they should be.” Cairo spoke gently as he picked her limp form up into his arms with a curious ease. The vampire swung Danae around like some morbid puppet, all the while a light symphony of bitter laughter rising from his throat.

Her feet were like the pointed shoes of a ballerina. Her skirt was like the petals of a flower, billowing in the breeze as she twirled and twirled in continuous circles. A lifeless grin had stained Delphine’s child like features as the young vampire leaped into the air. She flashed a glimpse of lethal alabaster fangs as if she were performing for some imaginary audience in the hallways of the cruise boat. Delphine landed in silence upon the toes of a single foot. The other one shot out perpendicularly with it, as the rest of her slender form lowered into a bow. Delphine’s stormy grey eyes flashed with a contaminated amusement. Inside her mind, the vampire was aware that the very walls were watching her. The creaking sound of the floorboards as her feet danced soundlessly over them was the applause to her unaccompanied act. In her mind Delphine was a little girl again, young and innocent. To the curious stares of the passengers of the cruise boat that peered fearfully out of their doors, Delphine was a possessed doll.

She took a single step forward, balancing on the point of her toes. Delphine’s other foot swung around to follow. Her hands rose and fell in awkward motions. She was constricted, like a marionette with tangled strings. Nevertheless, Delphine slinked towards the wall of the cruise boat. The vampire’s hand shot out quickly, her palm smoothing over the scratchy peeling wallpaper. What once had been perhaps white daisies, were now yellowed and torn with age. Even the black outlining of the pathetic flowers had greyed over time. Delphine’s long skeletal fingers traced over the depressing flowers. Her pink reptilian like tongue darted out from between her lips. “But my love, shall we not face this dream together?” The vampire purred softly. Delphine blinked. As her stormy grey eyes reopened, they were lack of the usual stubborn focus. Delphine’s gaze was abstract, as if she was trying to peer into what was beyond the wall. A curved jester like smirk caught her lips, faint tints of red flushing into her cheeks for at least several seconds. Delphine seemed alive with her amusement.

The vampire’s fingernails drummed over the surface of the wall. The drumming soon fell into a melody. For close to a minute the melody seemed almost like some recognizable tune, perhaps only a little off from the original. Gradually, it began to become faster. After it seemed that her fingers could not possibly drum any faster, Delphine rested them gently upon the wall of the cruise ship. Her entire body became still. No longer was air inhaled from her parted lips, for in death, even Delphine’s lungs were still. The vampire had no need to pretend anymore that she was still locked in mortality. She did not notice the gazes of wonderment and fear she was still receiving from passengers that peered out curiously from the cracks of their open doors. To Delphine, they did not exist. In her mind, she could only see the humans if she wanted them to be present. Now, they were insignificant.

She slowly brought her head closer towards the wall of the cruise ship. Her lips pressed gently over the peeling wallpaper in a brazen kiss. Delphine drew away with a grin. “With this kiss, I betray.” She whispered. Even at a whisper though, the vampire’s voice was thunderous. Her palms were gently placed upon the wall again. Delphine’s long fingers curved inwardly into the decaying wall. It was through the silence that the deafening sound of the wall being torn apart erupted into. A sheer sound of tearing metal surged through the hallways as Delphine ripped through the wall with her bare hands. The moulding wall paper came off as her palms rubbed against it. It was the tips of her fingers though that dug the enormous gap in the wall that she left behind. Delphine’s head tilted to the side, the silvery blonde curls bouncing around her pretty face. The dust of demolition took only moments to settle. A jack-o-lantern like grin tore at her facial features as she managed her first true glimpse at the inside of the room. Yes, the vampire was definitely satisfied.

Delphine raised a single foot, and pointed the toes. She gently leaned beyond the wreckage of the wall, and into the room beyond. Delphine placed her foot down, and balanced upon it as she raised the other leg. It was in a silent dance that the vampire made her way through the gap in the wall, and into the musty room beyond. Her grey eyes did not need to adjust to the dim lighting of the room. The darkness appealed to the vampire. Delphine wrinkled her nose as she inhaled the stagnant scent of decay. There was something in the room that caught her attention. It had been the original reason of her intrusion. There was a teenaged boy standing in the corner. Though he could not see Delphine, she could clearly note the outline of his form against the shadows beyond. The beat of his heart had been loud enough to give the teenager away, even if the vampire’s sense of sight had not been infamous. Delphine closed her stormy grey eyes as she began to listen to the rhythmic pounding. She concentrated on the increasing pace of his racing heart. Though the teenaged boy could not see Delphine in the room with him, he was aware he was not alone. Something had to have torn through the solid wall. He was certain of that much at least.

She closed in on the teenaged boy. Cairo had been right, Delphine was very much so on the prowl. Even with eyelids covering her magnificent eyes, the vampire was aware of exactly where her prey was. She could smell him, and the fear that he gave off. It was enticing. The vampire stalked towards the human amidst the cover of darkness. Primal instinct washed over Delphine in a raw manner that she had failed to feel for quite some time. The life of an innocent flickered before her, and it was in her power to reach out and blow that very life out. Though Delphine did reach out into the darkness, it was with her hand. She carefully gripped a hold of the teenaged boy’s shoulder, and spun her around to face her. As the vampire’s malevolent eyes opened, she was close enough for the boy to see the dim outline of her bewitching features against the darkness of the room beyond. Delphine was practically illuminated. The boy’s eyes widened in fascination as he gazed up into the satanically expressive eyes of death.

She slowly slid her hand from around the boy’s shoulder, to grip firmly to the side of his neck. Delphine’s long black fingernails dug into the soft exterior skin that just barely covered his spine. The vampire’s hand slipped up. Just under his chin, she could feel the beat of the boy’s pulse. It urged Delphine on. The teenaged boy was paralyzed in pure astonishment. Fear gave away into longing. In some twisted sense, he wanted the death that literally seeped out of her. The teenaged boy wanted to embrace the darkness, and rejoice in what would be his final breathe. He was the perfect victim, willing Delphine to create the perfect sin in his murder.

The very air in the hallways of the cruise ship was tense. The vampire was dimly aware of his surroundings. Startling cobalt blue eyes allowed their listless glare to wash over the path ahead. Even though his facial features did not betray him, Cairo was clearly livid. What plans had seemed so simple earlier that evening were crumbling apart. It was beyond the vampire’s control now, yet he would not believe it. Cairo was not prepared to surrender. He had envisioned his own possible demise, yet he had not foreseen that it would occur before the game had even begun. The sound of his heavy boots thumped over the floor boards. Cairo’s eyebrows furrowed in anger. Delphine had played the innocent victim for too long. Her reckless nature threatened to jeopardize everything Cairo had worked to achieve. He could not afford a wild card; he needed to tame the beast.

It was not long before he reached the site of her destruction. Cairo’s eyes narrowed as he peered through the gap in the wall, into the room beyond. He could clearly see Delphine sitting on the ground. The vampire’s white party dress was speckled with blood. The silvery blonde curls around her face were soaked in the clotting liquid. Delphine looked like the macabre version of a fairy tale. Cairo leaned back against the wreckage of the wall to admire her. What fury had pounded through the vampire was slowly evaporating. It did not take long to be replaced by intrigue as he caught sight of the teenaged boy in her lap. Delphine cradled his head gently in her hands. The boy’s breathing was shallow and rough. He coughed gruffly, and his entire body quaked. Blood frothed from his lips as he gasped. Out of pained eyes the dieing boy could see what Delphine had not. He wasn’t sure if the form of Cairo lingering in the doorway would be his angelic saviour or damnation. Either option was welcomed through the pain.

“You’re not going to die.” Delphine’s matter of fact voice slipped past her lips. The vampire seemed almost annoyed that the teenaged boy was so open in revealing his pain. The blood that seeped from the massive tear in his neck was willing to contradict the vampire’s words as it stained her peach skin. “You’re not going to live though either.” Delphine continued. Her stormy grey eyes stared down at the teenaged boy in her lap. “It’s more of an adaptation, in between, so you get neither. The pain goes away when you wake up and realize that until this moment, you’ve only been dreaming.” Delphine reasoned. Her voice seemed too silvery and childlike to hold the true wisdom of her words. Delphine was a puppet, playing out the actions of some unknown ethereal force. The vampire hesitated as she brought her wrist to her lips. Then her jaws parted to reveal elongated fangs. Delphine tore into her own wrist. As soon as she had snagged a vein and caused blood to spill, she offered her wrist to the teenaged boy.

At first, Cairo was too shocked to spring into action. With her blood, Delphine was attempting to turn the teenaged boy in her lap into a vampire. It was these actions that were making his companion a liability. The vampire lunged forwards. Cairo tore the teenaged boy away from Delphine. His hands easily tossed him into a wall. The teenaged boy’s body slammed into it, and crumpled to the floor as he fell. Delphine simply stared up at Cairo with wide grey eyes. At first she seemed unwilling to move and acknowledge her anger. Within moments though, the young vampire was on her feet. She struck out at Cairo. Delphine tried to punch him. Her first collided with mid air, as the other vampire easily moved his head away. Delphine swung with the opposite fist furiously, yet missed again. As the vampire aimed for his chest, Cairo rose a hand to block her attack. Then Delphine leaned into the other vampire, and began to weakly hit him in the chest. She fell into his arms, and amidst his embrace continued to hit him like an angry little child.

Regardless of the fact that Cairo’s relationship was all a lie with Delphine, he felt pity towards the younger vampire as she continued to beat him with her fists. It was the first time in a while that the vampire had felt the draw back of his wrong actions. Cairo acknowledged the guilt. “You can’t have the boy Delphine, you know that. You can look at him, you can follow him, and you can even feed on him. You can’t keep him though. He’s not some pet you can groom, and pamper with pretty girls he can have his way with every night. You’d be making him a wild animal; you’d be making him a beast. You can’t expect to keep him in check. This isn’t a game, and he’s not just another of your dolls. You can’t put him in a corner, and expect him to stay there and wait for you to come around, and feel like using him again.” Cairo spoke. His voice was perplexed as he tried to reason with the naïve vampire. Delphine stopped hitting him. She stared up at Cairo with empty grey eyes. “Well I’m glad you think you understand all of that, but what am I to you? Aren’t I the same thing you say he can’t be to me? Aren’t I just a doll that you put in a corner, and scold like a child if I don’t wait around until you want me again?” Delphine spat coldly. She slapped him across the face.

Delphine moved to back away, yet Cairo held her fast around the shoulders. “There are no similarities there.” Cairo responded in a distraught tone. “Stop pulling the hat over your eyes. It doesn’t make you look mysterious when they can’t see your eyes; it just stops you from seeing everything around you!” Delphine snarled. She tried to push him off, yet failed miserably. Cairo was clearly stronger. The young vampire stopped struggling. She glared up at Cairo. “What is this to you?” Delphine questioned in a monotone. All the childlike innocence was gone from her voice, yet darkness barely lingered either. Her voice was barren, almost desperate for an answer. “What do you mean, what is this? I love you.” Cairo answered quickly. Delphine’s lips pursed into a straight line. “So we’re still going to dance in a masquerade. Aren’t you getting tired of the ball, don’t you think it’s time to take off the mask? Or, are you still a little too new at this symphony of deceit? Raw, are we? A little too afraid of what you’ll see if we stop for a little self reflection?” Delphine almost taunted coldly. The younger vampire blinked. She shook her head gently as her eyes reopened. “Alright then. I’ll be your doll. I’ll sit in the corner, and hope you want me again. I know there are things you won’t tell me, lies you conceal. We dolls have eyes; I won’t be blind until you rip them out of my head. Blindfolds don’t work, take a step up baby, and try out real mutilation when you’re ready.” Delphine growled.

When she pulled away from him, Cairo didn’t stop her. His blue eyes flickered as he watched Delphine leave the room. The vampire’s face was empty. He had been surprised that she knew something was up, and that she was not part of the plot. Cairo decided he would let the young vampire be angry. He anticipated that she would go out for another hunt on the ship, yet he knew she only wanted a brutal murder now. She was too flustered to turn any unfortunate victim into a vampire. By the time he would return to their room in the early hours of morning, Cairo was certain Delphine would be over their little spat. The childlike vampire would pretend that it had never happened, and Cairo was just as ready to forget it. Her innocence caused him pain to acknowledge each time he wronged her. The vampire arched his back. He rolled his shoulders forwards until a light snapping sound was heard as he cracked his spine. The vampire turned around slowly, his glare flickered over to the unfinished business that lay sprawled out upon the floor. The teenaged boy lay there, just barely conscious, just barely alive.

The vampire prowled over to the limp form of the teenaged boy. Cairo crouched down in front of him. “She lied you know. Nothing can save you now.” The vampire spoke coldly. His voice was bitter. Cairo wanted the teenaged boy to hate him; he wanted him to feel loathing in his last few moments. It would make his passing easier. The teenaged boy was too weak to even properly understand what the vampire was saying anymore. The room around him was his last glimpse, before his eyes shut. The teenaged boy’s breathing was shallow and laboured. The vampire leaned forwards. His nimble fingers traced over the contours of the boy’s face. Cairo couldn’t help but admit to himself that Delphine had made some fine choice in him. There was something that drew the vampire towards the boy, yet he couldn’t risk allowing him to even exist. He was a casualty. In one quick motion, Cairo snapped his neck.

The vampire picked up the corpse of the teenaged boy. He was lighter than Cairo had expected. With a single swing of momentum, the carcass was over his shoulder. Cobalt blue eyes peered out of the gap in the wall into the hallway beyond. They were a curious sight, and not one Cairo desperately wanted any human to see. The boy’s head limply hung to the side, and even after death his own life force continued to stain the vampire’s clothing. The thick crimson liquid glistened in the dim lighting. Cairo had the appearance of an unsatisfied serial killer as he stepped out into the hallway. It was skill rather than luck that managed to get Cairo down the hallway, up an ancient stair case, and onto the main deck before he had been noticed. The vampire’s sleek form nonchalantly leaned back against the rusting railing that lined the deck. The railing seemed more of a hazard than a safety precaution. With a single toss, Cairo threw the lifeless body over the edge of the deck. He hit the surface of the Arctic waters with a splash. By the time any human had glanced over the railing into the frothing depths below though, the corpse had sunk below sight.