2. Little Dhampir

Lotti and William make it to London but it's not what she had expected. Too late she realizes she's now in danger.

  I didn't have much to pack. Just a small bag that I could fit my three pairs of clothes in. William waited for me by the front door while Anne hassled him with questions about the so called "Lord Emrick".  The woman had a good heart but this place will be better without me.
   I walked out of that place as quickly as I could, following William to a carriage that waited for us in front of the building. It was taking us to port and from there we'd be on the ship out to London. I could barely contain my excitement as William held the carriage door open for me.
   "How long will the trip take?" I asked William as he took his seat across from me.
   "Approximately twenty five days." He shrugged.
Twenty five days on a ship with this guy? I've never traveled by ship so I didn't know the length of time but that seemed like years away now that I was so excited to arrive. I could feel my heart sink a little at the realization of just how boring this trip was going to be. As far as I can tell the company I'm traveling with isn't the most entertaining.


   The days on the ship dragged by at an agonizing pace. William mostly kept to himself and grew more distant and cold towards me as time went on. I figured out pretty early on he is just an errand boy that really didn't want to take this trip. I was nothing more than a child he was sent to babysit. I was starting to despise him.
   I spent most of my days reading the books from the ships small library and eating to my heart's content. We were staying in the first class section of the ship but I couldn't bring myself to sit with the proper old women and drink tea. It drove me mad. On many occasions I'd slip down to the lower class and watch them play music and dance. They had so little in life but so must life in them. It was beautiful to see them smile and be happy while the snooties sat at their tables upstairs, pretending to laugh and enjoy themselves. I often wondered if they knew how miserable they were or if they thought that's what happiness was.
   
   At long last we docked at our destination. I'd really had my small amount of items packed and ready, as did William. He seemed sad on this day. He didn't look at me with the same annoyance I'd grown used to seeing in his eyes but instead with a kind of sympathy that worried me. I'd asked him if he was feeling alright but he merely said it was sea sickness and offered me a sad smile.
   I'd shrugged it off, of course. My nerves were back to tingling and my heart felt so full of hope and wonder at what life would be like for me now. I'd get to live in a house. William even promised I'd have my own room but again I got the feeling he wasn't very pleased about something.
   As we left the ship the smell of sea air and the rancid smell of fish hit my nose, coming from the local fish market to our left. To my right the cobblestone street was wide, running all the way from the tall buildings to the stone wall that met the ocean.
   The crowds here were just as bad as in New York. It felt suffocating. The air was foggy and felt heavy in my lungs. Buildings were dirty with coal soot, as were many of the people. The smells were still the hardest part to get used to. It was awful.
   "Don't worry," William spoke up, to my surprise. "Your uncle lives on the edge of the city. The smell isn't as harsh there."
Somehow I doubted that.
   A carriage was waiting for us across the street. As we approached it I noted how much cleaner it was than anything else around us. It must have been cleaned recently. My arms were already tainted with the dark soot from the air.
   The ride to my uncles house was long and treacherous with silence. William wouldn't allow me to draw the curtain back so I could at least watch the view pass by. He said it was because it was letting the smell in but it was already clinging to my clothes anyways.
   When the carriage finally stopped William got out first and held a hand out for me. I smacked it away and got down on my own. He sighed and approached the door of a very large beautiful dark gray house. To me it looked like a castle with wood exterior. It must have been three stories tall with wings and bays in every direction. To the right of the large porch was a round, tall tower with a steep, pointed roof.
    My jaw had gone slack as I took in all of its intricate features and intimidating designs. It was magnificent and more than I had really expected.
   "Lotti?" William asked from the doorway. I had just realized it was open and he was waiting, impatiently for me.
   I quickly made my way up the stairs and towards the door that he held open for me. If I had thought the outside was immaculate, the inside was from a whole other world. But not the good one I had expected. It felt dark and hollow. The walls were all the same dark gray as the outside. As beautiful as it is out there it gave the impression of a small, cramped dungeon in here. The air inside felt as stale as the room looked. The furniture looked dusty and unused. It was mid day but large, thick curtains blocked most of the light from trickling in.
   Only too late had I realized my mistake. Something wasn't right. I could feel it.
I heard the door behind me close and spun around to see William lock the door with a key that he placed into his vest pocket. He stood, avoiding my gaze as I felt a cold sense of dread ice its way down my spine.
   "You're finally here." I heard a voice behind me say but I kept my gaze on William for another second before turning around.
   The man that stood before me was tall and thin with short, pitch black hair. His face was angular and ghost white. He wore a long black trench coat but it was a strange style I'd never seen before. His eyes were such a bright blue they practically glowed in the darkness of the room, leaving a haunting feeling in my bones.
   "Who are you?" I asked, my voice barely audible above the pounding of my heart in my ears.
   "I am Lord Emrick," The man said, giving a small bow but keeping his eyes locked on mine. "It's nice to meet you, little dhampir."