Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Levette
I stood by the river’s edge, watching as the water rippled. Checking the time on my pocket watch, I anxiously awaited her arrival. Too much time had passed since I last saw her and, although I hated to admit such a sensitive emotion, I had missed her.
“Ria, where are you?” I wondered aloud, tapping my fingers impatiently against the box in my hands.
It contained a gift that I knew she would cherish: a book about monsters and the darkness of humanity.
Frankenstein had been written by a strong-willed woman, much like Ria, and I was genuinely giddy about seeing the excitement on her face when she saw the first edition in the box.
Ria and I had stumbled into each other when I was making my way back to America after spending a prolonged period of time in Europe.
We were on board a large steamship bound for the Louisiana coast, both of us alone and anxious about our destination.
Fate aligned our paths when we were placed at the same dining table each night.
When you have no company apart from the voices in your head for so long, you become eager for companionship in any form.
She was a beautiful and timid thing, with her caramel curls and cherubim face.
The first few nights we dined in silence—her eating tiny mouthfuls of food and glancing up with those golden hazel eyes, me pretending to eat and forcing myself to swallow a forkful every once in a while to not arouse suspicion—but on the fourth night, a waiter was being treated poorly by a voyager at the table beside us.
I stood, ready to defend the young man serving us our cuisine, when the quiet girl spoke up for the first time.
“You should speak kinder to the hard working individuals bringing your food. You never know what they may put in it if you continue to be rude.” With a sickly-sweet smile that was both incredible and intimidating, she turned back to her meal like nothing had happened.
“That was impressive,” I commented, offering what I hoped was a kind smile as she looked up at me. “It is rare to see a woman so confident and fearless.”
She narrowed her pretty eyes at me, and though she looked as though she was barely twenty, there was something violent and unseen hidden in her gaze that made me wonder if she was more aligned with the world I knew.
She was not vampyr, yet there was an essence of magic in her blood that made my mouth water and captured my attention.
“You think because I am a woman that I should have no voice?” Her tone was even, but there was a dark edge behind it that I knew well.
“My ability to bear a child does not make me brainless. It is a damn shame that women so often find themselves hiding rather than speaking their mind, and moreover, sticking up for what is right.”
As she spoke, I detected a hint of an accent that had been slowly watered down until only certain vowels were pronounced with an extra inflection. It reminded me of my maker and I grimaced, looking away.
“I apologize if I have offended you, Miss–”
“I am not offended.”
I nodded, inclining my head. “Very well. But I think you may have misinterpreted my comment. It was not so much that I think women are unable to speak their minds, rather that I wish more of them would. What I mean to say is that I am glad you defended that server because I, too, was about to step in.”
She looked at me for a long moment before she smiled, genuine and deadly. “My name is Valeria Radomir.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Valeria.” I held out my hand and shook hers as one does with an equal. “Levette Fortier.”
After our initial meeting, we became fast friends. I wanted to question her about whatever was in her blood that made my mouth water at the scent, but I was happy to finally have a friend after so long alone.
Since we were traveling by ship, it was easy to hide from the sunlight and so we spent our days learning about each other, huddled in the library on board as we compared our favorite literary masterpieces.
It was only after the first week had passed that Ria began to delve further into her life, and I did the same.
There was a familiarity that we found in each other, and when she caught me fangs deep in the same rude voyager that she had reprimanded, we decided to share everything with each other.
Ria was not surprised or fearful to learn of my dark nature, and instead told me her own secrets; a tale of betrayal at the hands of her own family.
They had cursed her to never be with her lover but for fleeting moments, an unimaginable pain I hoped never to experience.
When we had shared all our secrets and our sea voyage came to an end, I helped Ria on her way and promised that we would meet again.
We picked a time and place—New Orleans, where we parted ways, and her birthday—when she would be living her next life.
If all went according to her plan, Ria’s next death would be another temporary pain she had to experience and in her next life, we would find each other.
I would, once again, help her on her way and during our decades apart, I would research all I could in the hopes that I would help my new friend finally end the malediction determining her life and owning her soul.
Anxiety, not an emotion I normally found myself accustomed to, began to sweep over me as time passed by while I waited. I grew increasingly more worried that something had happened to her. Only a month prior, I had received a letter from Ria confirming our meeting and telling me she needed my help.
As the night sky began to give way to the orange hue of the morning, I cursed the idea of having to leave.
If I continued to stand there, I would end up a pile of ash under the blazing sun.
Yet I could scarcely make myself move from the spot, wondering if I would miss her after so much time had passed.
It was a bizarre notion to have connected with someone so strongly after only meeting once.
I hadn’t realized how deeply I had missed having family or someone to call a friend until Ria had so wittily reprimanded the man aboard our ship.
I immediately felt comfortable in her presence and had allowed myself to speak truths to her that I had kept buried away.
Finding a friend only to lose her had felt like a stab to my heart.
And now it felt like it was happening again.
“Mr. Fortier?” A young man with combed back hair and a small pair of spectacles on the end of his nose approached me, looking around him uneasily. I could smell the fear in his pores, and my mouth watered.
“Oui. Who might you be?”
The boy pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose and began to ruffle through his coat. I sighed impatiently and snatched the envelope from his hand when he presented it.
“I am sorry to bring you such news, sir. Ms. Radomir had you listed as her next of kin.”
“What news?” I snapped, ripping the envelope open.
To Mr. Fortier,
It is with our deepest condolences that we write this letter. Sadly we must inform you that on March 2nd, Ms. Valeria Radomir was found deceased in her cell.
Ms. Radomir was committed to our facility two weeks prior after there were reports of behavior one can only akin to mental illness or insanity.
She presented as a deeply troubled woman, citing stories of witches, vampirism, and reincarnation.
Such mentions of occult activities and her heightened paranoia deemed her unfit to be released without a sufficient period of time in our facility with the medical staff on hand.
Her distress continued to grow over the passing days, and she was found deceased by her own hand.
We send our apologies that we were not able to help Ms. Radomir’s psychosis before this transpired.
As with the standard procedure, Ms. Radomir has been buried in our cemetery on the grounds of our institution.
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
Dr. Havencroft
A pained groan erupted from my throat and I crumpled the paper in my hands as I roared.
Ria was dead.
How could it possibly be? I would find everyone who showed their concerned facade and I would ruin them, rip them apart until there was nothing left.
I turned my attention back to the messenger, my fury burning through my body so strongly that my hands were shaking. Who was he? This foolish child had dared to bring me such terrible news like it was nothing.
“YOU!” I growled, grabbing him the collar and yanking him off his feet. “I will rip your throat out and watch you bleed for my own enjoyment. Every morsel of your blood will become my food, and as your life slips from you, I will smile gladly that you are dead.”
“Wait! SIR! Wait, please!” The boy was trembling in my hands and tears sprung free from his eyes. He struggled against my grip, trying to uncurl my fingers to get free. “I was her friend! Ria was my friend!”
My fangs had descended already, but his words halted me in my tracks. He had called her Ria. I highly doubted that my sweet friend would allow anyone to call her something so familiar if they were not well acquainted.
I narrowed my eyes at the boy, setting him on his feet with a rough thud. “The sun is almost up. Come with me, boy. You can tell me exactly how you knew Ria, and if I think you are lying to me, I’ll kill everyone you love while you watch and keep you for last. Do you understand me?”
The boy nodded nervously, swiping at his inflamed cheeks. He sniffled and pulled at his shirt where I had been gripping. “Yes, sir. Thank you. I promise, I will tell you the truth.”
I led the boy to the apartment I was renting for my short stay. It was hidden away in a darkened alley, keeping the daylight safely tucked away behind the towering buildings surrounding it. The boy’s heartbeat continued to be erratic as he followed, but he did so silently and without hesitation.