The Vampire's Ball:
Act 6
As she cautiously opens the tattered and moldy book a hand roughly grabs her shoulder and viciously pulls her back. She screams and drops the book to the floor as papers scatter everywhere. The book sails across the carpet down to the hardwood floors smashing against the bookcases. She is spun around frozen in terror only to face the angry stare of her sister. “What are you doing,” she scolds her breath is as cold and harsh as the air in the vast room! Katalina is speechless as her sister’s grip tightens. “Let go of me,” she finally musters the courage to speak and swipes her sister’s hand of her shoulder. The two face off, fear replaced by rage, curiosity by guile.
“We aren’t supposed to be in here,” Felicity scowls, “you know this!” “I don’t care,” Katalina retorts, “there is something strange going on around here and I want to know what it is!” Their argument resonates like thunder within the large office, neither care. “It’s all in your head you silly girl,” Felicity continues, “Now get out!” “I will do no such thing,” Katalina refuses, “what are you hiding?” “What, what,” Felicity steps back, “what in the world would I be hiding?” “Whatever was in that book for starters,” Katalina answers as she points to the path of stained and aged parchment now littering the floor.
“That is father’s book,” Felicity scolds! "If he had wanted us to see it, he would not have had it locked up in his desk, in a place where we are forbidden to go!” Katalina huffs and then quickly stoops down maniacally collecting the papers, “well I have to know!” Felicity drops down top stop here, but Katalina pushes her to the floor; it is painfully obvious by her expression that she was a lot stronger than Felicity had expected her to be. Katalina continues to swiftly collect the remnants of the book. “Stop, Kat,” Felicity demands, “just stop!” She is ignored, and even the small intonations that she hears only fuels Katalina’s pure determination.
Within literal seconds, she has gathered every scrap and shuffles them back into the remains of the book. She stands and faces her sister again. “You won’t like what you see, trust me,” Felicity warns. “So, you have seen it, you have been in this forbidden place,” Katalina growls in disgust, “you lie too well, dear sister, you always have!” She slams the book on the desk and blows the hair out of her face. “You won’t understand,” Felicity continues! “Just shut up,” Katalina screams and opens the book speedily but thoroughly scanning its contents. Her breath begins to increase in labor with each passing moment. Each article and picture even as disheveled and unorganized as they begin to tell a story, one that spans time and reason.
The pictures and etchings of an ageless man, revealing a soul unencumbered by the heavy hand of years and decades, pure and nubile as nature moves forward altering all but his form. With each word read whether, by newsprint or the hiccups of ancient inks, she realizes who her savior truly is. Her mouth drops as does the book from her trembling hands. It slides back to the floor; its contents ooze out yet again. Eyes vacant as her mind, she is lost, unable to process the truth, like trying to digest cork or sawdust. She glances over to her sister; a smug smile washes across Felicity’s face. “Well, now you know, child,” Felicity snickers, “you never did listen to me, that’s why you have to learn so many lessons the hard way!”
Katalina is still unable to garner the wherewithal to respond to her sister’s surprising and disconcerting arrogance. “And what do you think that precious juice was,” Felicity continues to purr, “that lifesaving nectar you are now unable to resist, to live without!” It is all coming together; Katalina is overwhelmed with a horrifying mixture of fear and nausea. “You had to know,” Felicity giggles, “or are you just that stupid!” Her mind racing; the equation now as clear as two plus two, but her spirit still refuses to accept it. “We are no longer those weak little things haunting the streets of this cursed and simplistic city,” Felicity continues! "We are so much more, more than we could ever have been without him!”
“Are we dead,” Katalina is finally able to mumble. “No fool,” Felicity snaps, “we have been reborn!” “But they are supposed to be dead,” Katalina continues to murmur quietly, “That’s what the stories say.” “Fables told by superstitious fools, “Felicity scoffs, “bedtime stories to scare children into obedience.” “This is the truth,” she continues her scornful lecture, “and this truth has truly set us free!” Katalina vomits violently, her chest feels like it is going to explode. “Grow up, Kat,” Felicity backs up, the putrid smell filling the air and assaulting the senses! "The quicker you wrap your feeble mind around this, the sooner we can move on.” Katalina vomits again, it burns her throat like acid, “Move on to what,” she sputters?
“To what our destiny has always been,” Felicity announces, “the fate that shame and poverty kept us from it.” Katalina continues to dry heave, bent over, her small frame riddle by the pains of cramping. She falls to her knees clutching her stomach; her arms wrap tightly around his abdomen. “Don’t you see, dear sister,” Felicity bloviates, “he gave us an amazing gift, and we have to use that gift, it would be a sin not too.” Katalina looks up, eyes drenched in tears, “you call this a gift!” “Yes, Kat,” Felicity answers without a pause, “the greatest gift!” Katalina spits a few more times to free her burning throat from any remaining vile sludge. “And we are no longer alone,” Felicity continues, “in this gift, in anything!”
Katalina tries to stand; her legs are weak, body shivering nearly uncontrollably. “We will never be alone again, “Felicity cackles as she raises her arms high towards the ceiling. Her incessant eerie laugh haunts every inch of the room. Katalina finds her feet and stands defiantly; she forces the shaking to stop out of sheer will. Before she can speak a word, the room comes alive in light as dozens of candles appear illuminating the faces of all of the missing orphans. Katalina is frozen again.
“You see sister,” Felicity stands upon the desk, “we have a new family now!” “One that will never leave or betray us for all eternity!” Their eyes glow red brighter than a candle flame. They smile all at once, in some great visceral chorus, their fanged teeth tickling their pale lips. “And this is just the beginning,” Felicity announces, “our family has will only grow larger!”
Katalina searches the room as the ominous figures stare blankly back at her. They are all vampires. She is a vampire. But how? Why? And where is father?
Felicity jumps down from her perch and gently places her sister’s pale chin into her cold hand. “He didn’t share our vision,” Felicity whispers, “he would have only gotten in the way.” Katalina shutters. “It had to be this way,” Felicity callously consoles, “you need to trust me, trust me just like you did on those wretched streets not so long ago.” Tears stream down Katalina’s tired eyes. “His death has guaranteed our immortality,” Felicity wipes the tears away with her finger as she carefully strokes Katalina’s cheek like she is a lowly pet.
“And now his death,” Felicity hums, “will ensure that they pay, every last one of them.” “Those who couldn’t find the care to feed us will become our greatest feast!” Katalina’s eyes widen; the revelation comes swift and harsh, piercing her thoughts and soul like a steel blade.
She looks into the eyes of her sister, but what stares back is a dangerous stranger who radiates of hate and death.
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