Snippet #2241939

The sapphire wings of these beautiful butterflies Isabella had remembered seeing as a child, in her dreams, suddenly appeared through the green gloom that was the forest. The grey was dissipating with the sun as it rose in the sky, only the dew on the grass and damp earth left in its wake. So entranced was the girl that she followed almost mindlessly these little heavenly creatures, pushing through shrubbery and low branches until she came to a small clearing. A violet hood and crimson stained individuals fell into her line of sight, immediately evoking her disregard for the butterflies and instead instilling fear.

At first, it seemed the two were kissing passionately, but at second glance she could see that this deeply injured man was sucking on the girl's neck. She was not fighting him, and instead seemed to be nursing him like an infant, stroking his hair and kissing him tenderly as though he were so. He moaned, much like an animal, and sloppy noises were distinguishable among the girl's cooing. Isabella instinctively covered her mouth, stifling the horrified scream that was threatening to erupt from her little voicebox. Her golden eyes were wide with terror; at least, that was the most reasonable word she could use to describe what she felt.

Her heart seemed to skip a beat, almost as though it had frozen as well, then sped up its eager pace. Her breaths became shaky as she took a tentative step backward, unsure if she should hide and leave them to be privately, or to stay and render aid. She could see that his hand was mangled, almost unrecognizably so, but that it was curiously piecing itself back together like the severed tail of a lizard. Isabella was undeniably curious; who were these atrocious, her beautiful monstrosities? They were dressed like two regal ancients, as though they belonged to a different time; a time that Isabella had only read about in her storybooks.

"A-Alek...Aleksei?" Isabella stammered, noticing his feral scarlet eyes had locked themselves on her retreating form.

Her tiny hand flew to the golden skeleton key that was currently chained around her neck, as though she were inquiring of his knowledge of it through some kind of charadial telepathy. Her dark hair wavered about her pretty face like smoke, though the brilliance of her topaz irises sparkled with dawn's heavy light. When Mina opened the parasol above them, something clicked in the girl's mind- they were so frightfully pale, and there was blood everywhere; now they were shielding themselves from the sunlight. Could it be...?

A quivering gasp escaped through Isabella's trembling lips. It was all she could muster with the grasp of fear around her throat, which canceled any coherent words that might try to roll from her tongue. She was completely still, her feet planted unwaveringly in the spot where she stood, gazing at the purebloods with a mixture of sheer horror and fearful curiosity, as well as an inexplicable tinge of awe. Would the man approach her? Was this really the man that her beloved grandmother had entrusted her life to?

A blue butterfly settled quietly on her shoulder, its wings gently flicking. Her heart was a wild Indian battledrum pounding against her ribcage, as if ready to burst from her chest like an angry lion. She felt her muscles tensing like springs, ready to run if one of them showed even a sign of wanting to harm her.