Vampire Wares pt 25

When Madalina’s three roommates, Dorina, Nicoleta and Mirela, saw Madalina, later that day they told her what Sister Oana had told them.

“If you get punished, we get punished with you,” Dorina complained.

“We’re not going to let you get us into trouble,” Mirela insisted.  She then grabbed Madalina’s hair and gave it a good yank to emphasize her point.  “We’re going to watch you at night from now on, to make sure you don’t leave”

The three girls then turned their back on Madalina and walked away.  They had never been particularly apt to be nice to Madalina, but it had all been comparatively mild until now.  Mean comments passed between the three girls as they walked away.

“She’s always so conceited,” Mirela said, starting it off.

“I heard her parents left her here because they couldn’t stand to have her around,” Dorina said, “It’s not surprising, is it?”

“No they probably abandoned her hear because she looks like a giant ferret,” Mirela said, and the three girls laughed.

“That explains how she’s so good at climbing,” Dorina said, and the girls laughed again.

Knowing her roommates would be watching her tempted Madalina to cancel her planned excursion.  But it did not tempt her enough.  She wanted to go, more than anything.  She’d been left here at the convent by her parents to finish off the rest of her life in resignation, but she simply couldn’t stand to let the rest of her life be at their disposal: neither the nuns, nor her parents.

When bedtime arrived and the girls settled into their beds, they all sat up staring at Madalina, waiting for her to sleep first.  “You going to sleep, Madalina?” Mirela asked.  Madalina nodded and laid down her head, pulling her covers up over her face and closing her eyes.  Keeping still and silent, she then waited for them to follow her and go to sleep.

The three girls lay down after her, but they didn’t go to sleep either.  After a while, Madalina noticed that they were taking far longer than usual in falling asleep.  In fact, they were waiting for her to sleep first.  Suspecting they were listening to her, Madalina decided to try and actively pretend to be asleep instead of just remaining quiet and motionless.  She didn’t know exactly how she sounded when she was asleep: did she snore?  did she talk in her sleep?  So, she simply began to breath heavily in the way the other girls would when they were asleep.

After a few minutes of this, she heard a whisper from Nicoleta, “Is she asleep?”

“Yes,” Mirela said.

“Are you sure?” Nicoleta asked, “Does she normally snore?”

“Not usually,” Dorina said.

Mirela then silently stepped out of her bed and leaned over Madalina to look at her closely, conceding, “She’s asleep.  Keep your ears open for her tonight, in case she wakes up.”

The girls were not adept at this, though, normally sleeping through even the somewhat loud noises Madalina had on a few occasions accidentally made when sneaking out at night.  In fact, Madalina believed she was the only one who knew that Nicoleta talked in her sleep, even though she sometimes uttered her sleep-talk gibberish at full volume.

Madalina remained patient while she listened for the sound of the three girls falling asleep.  Dorina sounded like the first to fall asleep.  Mirela took a little longer, shifting and squirming a little bit before she finally fell asleep.  And last came Nicoleta, who sighed heavily a few times before she started to snore lightly and settled into her pillow.

Madalina waited for nearly a half hour after they were all asleep before she decided to sneak out.  She quietly raised herself up, pulled out her cloak and put on her shoes, moving even more slowly and quietly than she normally did.  Everything was done with extra care, even her breathing, which she slowed and muted.  She walked slowly across the floor, so that even the touch of her feet and the shuffling of her clothes were barely audible.  When she unlocked the door, she took more than twice as long as she normally would, just to make sure the metal click was as quiet as could be.

When she finally stepped out into the hallway and closed the door, she relaxed and took the first full breath she had in many minutes.  She then rushed down the hall to the courtyard.  She checked to make sure she wouldn’t be spotted by the sentries, looked out for Sister Oana, and squeezed through the hole by the portculis and ever so carefully unlocked and opened the outer door.

Waiting until the coast was clear once again, she ran into the woods and disappeared into the darkness, directly East, as instructed.  She still didn’t know whether the vampires had decided to accept her, or if the wolves had decided to hungrily gobble up this little rabbit.

<-- Go to Part 24         Go to Part 26 -->

You can see what's been written so far collected here.

When Madalina’s three roommates, Dorina, Nicoleta and Mirela, saw Madalina, later that day they told her what Sister Oana had told them.

“If you get punished, we get punished with you,” Dorina complained.

“We’re not going to let you get us into trouble,” Mirela insisted.  She then grabbed Madalina’s hair and gave it a good yank to emphasize her point.  “We’re going to watch you at night from now on, to make sure you don’t leave”

The three girls then turned their back on Madalina and walked away.  They had never been particularly apt to be nice to Madalina, but it had all been comparatively mild until now.  Mean comments passed between the three girls as they walked away.

“She’s always so conceited,” Mirela said, starting it off.

“I heard her parents left her here because they couldn’t stand to have her around,” Dorina said, “It’s not surprising, is it?”

“No they probably abandoned her hear because she looks like a giant ferret,” Mirela said, and the three girls laughed.

“That explains how she’s so good at climbing,” Dorina said, and the girls laughed again.

Knowing her roommates would be watching her tempted Madalina to cancel her planned excursion.  But it did not tempt her enough.  She wanted to go, more than anything.  She’d been left here at the convent by her parents to finish off the rest of her life in resignation, but she simply couldn’t stand to let the rest of her life be at their disposal: neither the nuns, nor her parents.

When bedtime arrived and the girls settled into their beds, they all sat up staring at Madalina, waiting for her to sleep first.  “You going to sleep, Madalina?” Mirela asked.  Madalina nodded and laid down her head, pulling her covers up over her face and closing her eyes.  Keeping still and silent, she then waited for them to follow her and go to sleep.

The three girls lay down after her, but they didn’t go to sleep either.  After a while, Madalina noticed that they were taking far longer than usual in falling asleep.  In fact, they were waiting for her to sleep first.  Suspecting they were listening to her, Madalina decided to try and actively pretend to be asleep instead of just remaining quiet and motionless.  She didn’t know exactly how she sounded when she was asleep: did she snore?  did she talk in her sleep?  So, she simply began to breath heavily in the way the other girls would when they were asleep.

After a few minutes of this, she heard a whisper from Nicoleta, “Is she asleep?”

“Yes,” Mirela said.

“Are you sure?” Nicoleta asked, “Does she normally snore?”

“Not usually,” Dorina said.

Mirela then silently stepped out of her bed and leaned over Madalina to look at her closely, conceding, “She’s asleep.  Keep your ears open for her tonight, in case she wakes up.”

The girls were not adept at this, though, normally sleeping through even the somewhat loud noises Madalina had on a few occasions accidentally made when sneaking out at night.  In fact, Madalina believed she was the only one who knew that Nicoleta talked in her sleep, even though she sometimes uttered her sleep-talk gibberish at full volume.

Madalina remained patient while she listened for the sound of the three girls falling asleep.  Dorina sounded like the first to fall asleep.  Mirela took a little longer, shifting and squirming a little bit before she finally fell asleep.  And last came Nicoleta, who sighed heavily a few times before she started to snore lightly and settled into her pillow.

Madalina waited for nearly a half hour after they were all asleep before she decided to sneak out.  She quietly raised herself up, pulled out her cloak and put on her shoes, moving even more slowly and quietly than she normally did.  Everything was done with extra care, even her breathing, which she slowed and muted.  She walked slowly across the floor, so that even the touch of her feet and the shuffling of her clothes were barely audible.  When she unlocked the door, she took more than twice as long as she normally would, just to make sure the metal click was as quiet as could be.

When she finally stepped out into the hallway and closed the door, she relaxed and took the first full breath she had in many minutes.  She then rushed down the hall to the courtyard.  She checked to make sure she wouldn’t be spotted by the sentries, looked out for Sister Oana, and squeezed through the hole by the portculis and ever so carefully unlocked and opened the outer door.

Waiting until the coast was clear once again, she ran into the woods and disappeared into the darkness, directly East, as instructed.  She still didn’t know whether the vampires had decided to accept her, or if the wolves had decided to hungrily gobble up this little rabbit.

<-- Go to Part 24         Go to Part 26 -->

You can see what's been written so far collected here.

Vampire Wares pt 25