Colors Bite Sized Adventures EP6 - Zombie Dance Part II: Maid For Each Other

As I wake up the next morning in my quarters, in the same bed I woke up in after my first big battle, I wipe the sleep from my eyes and give out a huge stretch before I jump out of bed. Since this isn’t my own bed, I decide to actually put the sheets right for once, and I walk towards the window, only to see that while my clock says 10:00, the dark of night is still looming over my head. As my need for a quick smoke becomes too much to bear, I push the window open and light the end of the little piece of heaven with hellish intent, watching as the puffs dance in the air and fade out of sight.

As I lean over the railings on the balcony, I just let my mind wander, watching the people who pass to and from the castle door below. While the people are allowed out of the castle for the holidays, it makes me wonder about what they do for the rest of the year. Does Mandy only summon them from the dead when she needs, only to put them back into the ground after a long day’s work? She really is something else, but since I’m kind of on her good side, and I didn’t wake up with a knife deep within my back, I should just accept her judgement... for now, anyway.

As I look down at the people, my breath suddenly halts for a brief second, as I physically gasp, dropping my cigarette in the process. It is her, that girl I saw last night. She seems to be in a bit of a hurry for some reason, with a look of hurt in her eyes and a bleeding hole in her dress. As she runs towards the castle, I can’t help but notice that there are three others running after her, two girls and one guy, each brandishing weapons. They are all wearing their maids and butler suits, so they must be the clean-up crew for the party. As the girl enters the castle, the chase doesn’t seem to end there, as the others join her and slam the door behind them.

A strange fire burns in my eyes for her plight. Even though it has nothing to do with me, and even though they are all likely as dead as they can get, there’s something about that scene that reminds me of something quite personal to me, and that makes it hard to leave alone. I prepare my guns and run down out of the room to cut them off. It takes me a few seconds to realise that I am still in my black nightie and rocking the bedhead look, but I am too tense to really care. I run down the stairs and open the door just in time for the girl to run right past me. As she runs up the stairs, the others run towards me, but stop at the sight of my guns.

“Hey Mandy. What are you doing? You can’t let that monster escape.” One of the ghoul girls say, with blonde hair and glasses.

“Hah! Look who’s calling someone a monster. Listen, I’m not Mandy, I don’t know what is going on, and I don’t care, but take one step towards those stairs, and things will get even uglier around here.” I say, keeping a close eye on their movements and a itching finger on the trigger.

Tension fills the already dark and dank air, as they stare me down, probably daring each other to make the first move. Eventually, the guy with little black glasses is the first to try me, as I use the butt of my gun to give him a black eye to go with those glasses. It isn’t long until all three of them brandish their daggers and come at me at once. I stand confidently in front of them, dodging and countering each attack with expert timing, if I dare say so myself. I push them all back from the stairs, and manage to land a hit between the eyes of the girl with black hair, as blood drips down her face. The other two look at her, then me in horror.

“What did you do? How could you?” The guy asks me, shouting as he walks towards me with a newfound lust for blood.

“Relax. I know you guys will be back within the hour. You have my sister to thank for that.” I say to them with a comfortable smile on my face, knowing that the training has paid off.

Suddenly, they come at me once again, and one of them manages to cut into my right shoulder, cutting the strap of my nightie and slightly dripping blood down my arm. They seem to be the one smiling now, as my confidence goes back down to earth.

“You’re Mandy’s sister, huh? When she finds out what you’ve done, she’ll be most displeased and-“ The blonde girl says with a stern expression, though I bet they aren’t expecting this.

“Feu!” I shout, as fire shoots out of my finger, frying them to a crisp... plus half of the room. I should probably apologise for that later.

Covering my wound with my hand, missing Poppy’s magic touch more than ever, I continue on my way regardless, like Brooklyn and Bonnie would do in this situation. Hell, I actually miss those two as well. I walk back to the staircase and see that the girl has been watching me from the top of the stairs. She looks shocked, like she had just seen a ghost or something, which for this place, I wouldn’t be surprised. I walk closer to her, as she slowly comes down the stairs, gently creaking as she goes.

“It’s okay, you’re safe now. Are you hurt?” I ask her, as I walk to the bottom of the stairs, looking up at her at a couple of steps from the top.

“Nuh-uh. Thank you, Master Mandy.” The girl says quite shyly, as she runs back to the top of the stairs.

“Don’t worry, I’m not Mandy. I’m-“ I explain to her, but as quick as flash and without leaving any creaks on the stairs, she appears next to me, looking me up and down with a smile on her face.

“Ohh. You must be the famous Eliza I’ve heard so much about. The one who survived the master’s touch. Wow, you do look so much like your sister.” The girl says, standing next to me, so I can see that she is a little bit smaller than I am.

“Hmm, the one who survived, huh? That has a nice ring to it. Anyway, you can call me Lizzie. So, miss...” I say, wanting to get her name without awkwardly asking.

“Claryssa. Claryssa Beauregard. It’s a pleasure.” Claryssa says, curtsying in her dress so courteously, like a bonafide princess.

“Likewise. Could you tell me why those people were chasing you?” I ask, curious to know, even if the damage is already done.

“Oh, that. I... I...” Claryssa says, starting to sob with those big beautiful eyes.

“Hey, hey. Don’t worry. You’re safe now.” I say, slowly putting my hand on her back, which feels warm... warmer than I expected, really.

“For now. More will be here soon, then more, and more after that. I’m just sick of it, is all.” Claryssa says, drying her eyes as her smoky eye make-up stays weirdly intact, even when she wipes her eyes with her sleeve. Just what kind is she wearing?

“Is that so? Listen, I’ll talk to Mandy for you, but first, I must know what it is they are after.” I tell her to lift her spirits a little, though I really have no idea what drama I have got myself into here.

“Come with me.” Claryssa says, leading me up the steps, holding her dress up to see her feet in black cobweb-print shoes.

“Ooh, nice shoes. Where did you get them from?” I ask out loud, probably a little louder than I meant to.

“Oh hehehe. Thanks. I actually made these myself, and this dress too.” Claryssa says, telling me in a manner that makes it seem like it’s no big deal.

“What? Really? Maybe for saving you, you could maybe show me how to make them?” I ask, getting a little excited.

“Sure, one day maybe.” Claryssa says, with a big smile on her face as she turns back towards the stairs.

Once we get back up to the room I am staying in, she sits me on the edge of the bed, as she sits next to me. As she looks at me with those lovely eyes, most of my brain just focuses on suppressing unbecoming thoughts.

“Okay. So here’s the truth. Let me start off by saying that I am not the same as the others downstairs.” Claryssa says, looking down at her hands as she twiddles her thumbs, a shy expression on her face.

“Really? So you’re not really a ghoul?” I say calmly, but in my mind, fireworks are launching and exploding with glee, knowing that this strange feeling in my gut isn’t too weird.

“Kind of. You see, the dead who were not killed by Mandy’s hand, when she brings them back, they keep their organs, their bodies, it’s like they never died in the first place. But what if you were brought back even before Mandy arrives?” Claryssa asks ominously, before pulling her mouth to the side to show me her jagged teeth, and in the centre, a fang that looks sharper than the sword.

“You’re a vampire? Awesome. I thought they were just make-believe.” I say in amazement, laying on the bed, just thinking back to all the times in my youth that I wished so hard that they were real.

“Nope, just really rare. You see, I was a maid for a rich man’s estate, many years ago now. He and his family were in bed, but the horses in the stable were getting spooked by something. They sent me down there to check them, but ran into a girl who seemed interested in the horses. We spoke for a while, but as soon as my back was turned, she attacked me, managing to stick her fang into my neck. I started to feel sick from then on.” Claryssa says, explaining her situation to me as she lays on the bed next to me, making my heart beat slightly faster.

“Oh, errrm... so, you became a vampire then. What’s the big spook with that? I thought this would be the best place for you.” I say, wondering where the hate stems from in this castle.

“Well, you see, my master eventually found out about my little secret, and took it upon himself to smother me in my sleep while I slept. When I woke up again a long time later, I was completely turned. Knowing my fate, I escape the house and into the night. With nowhere to go, and would most likely die in the sunlight, my options were getting thinner and thinner. That’s when I met Mandy in a little town named Arcia. She said she lived in a place wrapped in eternal black, and offered me a place, in exchange for my maid skills. I jumped at the chance. Everything was great, and the people were friendly... that was until I discovered my bloodlust that comes with the change. I didn’t want to hurt anyone, so I just take the occasional weird animal I can find. Those ghouls call me a monster, someone who threatens them, and even Mandy. I would never even dream of such an awful thing.” Claryssa says, finishing her story, covering her eyes in a silent frustration.

As my head is only just getting over the fact that vampires somehow exist, I am trying to collect my thoughts on the rest of her sad story. Before I can come up with a response, I hear the door start to open. I put my head up and see Darius there, smiling.

“Ahh Lady Eliza, there you are. What do you say? Ready for round 2 of finding partners?” Darius asks, coming into the room before noticing that I am still in my nightie, with a cut on my shoulder. “Woah, rough night last night? You tiger, you.” Darius says, giggling to himself, though I’m not sure what he thought could have happened here.

Suddenly, Claryssa sits up on the bed, looking at Darius. “Hello... Darius.”

Upon seeing Claryssa, Darius’ face changes from a jovial glow to a horrified frown, before screaming and running out of the room.

“Darius, wait. You’ve got it wrong.” I shout to him, much too late I’m afraid.

Claryssa jumps off the bed, sighing to herself as she goes to the window.

“See? This is the reason I can’t go anywhere nowadays. You know, outside of Mandy, you are the first one to really show me some kind of kindness recently.” Claryssa says, looking out of the window, though the reflection is completely gone, so at least I can say she isn’t lying to me.

“Of course. You seem like a nice girl. Tell me, are you by chance, going to that dance in a couple of days?” I ask her, taking a total stab in the dark.

“That silly dance? Nah. I’m not setting myself up again, like last year. No guy has ever asked me to any sort of dance, even in life. I try my best for people, and they throw it back in my face.” Claryssa says, smacking the glass with her fist.

“About that. I was wondering if you wanted to go with me, or something. I mean, I don’t have a partner either, so...” I say, feeling a little nervous suddenly, feeling my lip start to shake in suspense.

Claryssa stops moving entirely, her eyes going wide as the artificial moon outside. It takes her a couple of seconds of silence before she slowly turns to me, looking stunned.

“What did you just say? I- I- isn’t it usually a man who asks the girl?” She asks, looking confused, though I can see a smile starting to bubble under the surface.

“Does that matter?” I ask, feeling a little awkward as she mulls it over in her head.

As quick as a flash, she suddenly appears before me, wrapping her arms tightly around me.

“Yes, yes, a hundred times yes. But what about the others? What if they start to hate you too?” Claryssa asks in excitement, holding me even tighter, as I start to lose a little breath.

“Don’t you worry about that. I’ll handle it myself. I’ll tell them that those monster rumours are all fabricated.” I say, trying to gently get out of her vice-like grip.

Claryssa lets me go, as she can’t contain herself, unable to stand in one spot for more than a second, like a child getting excited for Christmas Day.

“Thank you, thank you. Oooh, this is so exciting. I’ll have to make the dress to end all dresses to go in. It was a pleasure meeting you, Lizzie. I’ll see you soon.” Claryssa says, going outside via the window, still beaming from ear to ear.

As she gets to the balcony, she starts to emanate a strange energy, before her body disappears, leaving her dress on the floor. Not long after, a tiny bat comes out of the dress... is that Claryssa? She can also transform? She truly is a box of wonders. I watch as she takes her dress in her little mouth and flies into the night. And with that, I got it, I actually found a date in this dismal kingdom. Though why did the only good one here have to be the town pariah? As I come back down from the excitement, I realise that I am still in my pyjamas... I decide to go change into some clothes and head downstairs to be social for once.

Now in my best black and purple dress, I head back downstairs to see the cleaners still doing their jobs in the main party area, though the other party guests have moved elsewhere, making the room like weirdly empty, especially compared to the ruckus last night. There are way more spooky decorations up on the walls now, including crucified plastic carcasses that drip fake blood down the walls... at least I’m going to assume they’re fake, just so I can eat comfortably here on the night. On the other side of the room, just by the entrance, I see Mandy talking to some of her loyal ghouls. Suddenly, my heart goes into my throat as I reach the lonely dance floor and walk towards my sister. Not only do I have to defend a woman I barely know, but I have to tell her that she is my date. I’ve never been one to see the brighter outcomes, but this time, I have to think positive and sell my case like those top-notch lawyers on television.

Before I can finish my inner-monologue, I am already by Mandy’s side, as she looks a little worried.

“Hey. Hey, you okay? You’ve just been staring into space.” Mandy says, waving her hand in my face, as I follow it with my eyes like a pendulum.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I have to tell you some- something. I... I...” I say to her, starting to feel myself stuttering my words, my tongue tying up and drying up simultaneously.

“Ohh. Don’t tell me, I can see it in your face. You’ve found yourself a date after all. I must admit, I was looking forward to seeing you suffer, just looking for one.” Mandy says, finally letting out the real reason she invited me here... to humiliate me.

As she chuckles to herself, all nervousness is thrown out of the window, replacing it with a quiet anger and a dash of smugness. Come what may, I’m telling her the brutal truth.

“Alright then, you modern day Casanova, what’s the lucky gal’s name?” Mandy asks, as the house band stops practicing with expert timing.

I wait for the band to play again, so I can muffle the incoming drama, but they seem to be done for now, and Mandy seems to be growing impatient. As my lips part, my mind fills in the blanks as I speak only her name. “Claryssa Beauregard.”

Suddenly, everyone stops what they are doing, and start looking at me with hurt expressions on their faces.

“Everyone, I didn’t say stop. Continue with your duties or face punishment.” Mandy says, materialising her staff to bang it loudly on the floor, with a furious look on her face.

The others continue to walk, as Mandy gets up and stands close to me, patting me on the shoulder.

“Claryssa, huh? I must say, the girl seems to have made quite a name for herself here. That little vampiress is a valuable asset to cleaning this castle, but honestly, I keep her here out of protection, her and the rest of us. Take this as a final warning. Stay clear of her by any means necessary. If you bring her to this dance, I’m killing you both. Are we clear?” Mandy asks, grabbing me by the neck with her gloved hands, as I grow short of breath for a second time today.

“Crystal.” I say, in a panic, for lack of a better and safer word to say to get her off me.

“Excellent. There are plenty of other eligible participants here. Why not go and talk to some-“ Mandy says happily, but I have already lost interest in what she has to say, so I walk out of the main door by her and into the courtyard, feeling my eyes grow warm and moist, fighting back the urge to cry right now.

As I walk into the woods just to clear my head a bit, ignoring the spirits that dance through the trees, I feel the pressure building up, completely torn between two scenarios. Either I listen to Mandy and break the news to Claryssa, or ignore Mandy and repeat what happened here last time. My head starts to pound like a jackhammer in my brain as I walk deeper into the woods, hearing the tormented screams of the damned louder and louder as I go. Eventually, I walk towards a strange shed. From the outside, it looks quite ordinary, at least compared to the rest of this dark haunted patch of the woods, but there seems to be a strange air around it. The doors are all locked up, and the windows are blacked out. As I attempt the door, I can see some words, written crudely in black ink over the front door in ominous scratchy lettering.

It reads “Here sleeps the heart that should have never beaten, the one mistake to haunt my dreams forevermore, the part of me that just wont die. Please go away. Please go away!!!”

As a shiver goes from my top to toe, I decide to leave it well enough alone, actually afraid to know what is behind that door. Was that Mandy’s doing? And here I thought I knew everything about what she was. Finally feeling ready to head back to the castle, I travel back the way I came... or at least I think I came this way. Alright, so maybe I’m a little lost, don’t judge me. As I continue walking down a straight path, hoping that I can find something remotely close to light, a bat swoops in on me out of nowhere and perches on my head. With my nerves already hanging off the edge by a tiptoe, I let out a small distressed scream and swat at the bat in a blind panic. Suddenly, the bat lands on the floor and wraps itself with its big wings, like a little cocoon. After a second, the bat grows in size as the wings retract to reveal Claryssa, the wings disappearing into her back.

Claryssa looks at me and smiles her sweetest smile, genuinely happy to see me, it seems. She looks so sweet, yet sultry at the same time. How can anyone hate such a creature? Thinking back to what Mandy said, I can’t really hide the disappointment in my face.

“Sorry Lizzie. I can never stick the landing in that form. Soooo, how did it go? What did my master say?” Claryssa asks, with excitement in her eyes... which honestly makes me feel even worse, like a two ton weight hanging from my neck.

“...I tried. She wouldn’t have it. I’m sorry.” I say, disappointedly, as I watch her face drop as well.

“Oh. Well, thank you for trying anyway. I’d better get going, back to my meaningless existence.” Claryssa says, walking past me with the most hurt expression on her face, like all of her dreams came crashing down at once in front of my eyes.

The more I think about it, the angrier I get at Mandy. Knowing that I might live to regret this, it seems unfair to her to never see her again over nothing.

“Claryssa... I... I don’t care what she says anymore. I’m not going to leave you alone over something as stupid as a rumour.” I say, almost shouting to get her attention, scaring myself a little in the process.

Claryssa stops and comes back to me, wiping her eyes with a small defeated smile curving slightly on her lips. The spirits in the forest come to dance around her as she walks, crunching the red leaves with every step. Since Mandy is going to be suspicious of us, we decide to slowly walk around the forest for a little while, just the two of us.

“Lizzie, do you have any dreams in life?” Claryssa asks me from out of the blue.

“Well, I’ve always wanted to sell my poetry, make enough money to build a publishing company from the ground up. What about you?” I ask, before having to remind myself that she isn’t exactly mortal anymore... I think I might have to get used to it from here on out.

“...I can’t. It’s too stupid.” Claryssa says, shyly as she looks away from me.

“Come on. I told you mine. I promise I won’t laugh or anything.” I say, knowing that she’d want to tell me, since she brought the subject up so brazenly.

“Fine. I wish to see the light of the outside world again. I want a real job outside of cleaning for snooty lords. I want a chance to start afresh and do it all better than before. It all probably sounds stupid.” Claryssa says, looking embarrassed as her pale face turns a little tint of red.

Suddenly, something in my mind clicks. I don’t know why it means so much, but for some reason, I find myself caring about her happiness. Probably because she and I are not so different, we were both dealt a bad hand in life before we find the second to the pair so we can finally win the game. Maybe I’m reading a little too much into it, but I’m allowed a cheesy analogy from time to time.

Ignoring my brain and looking to my heart for a faint light of solace, I take her hand in mine and give a smile, which she reciprocates, emanating a hint of purity behind her dark appearance.

“Doesn’t sound stupid at all.” I say, looking at her, as my heart starts to beat in a strange rhythm, feeling the walls of my foundation come crashing down easier than I expected... I’m such a fool.

Before Claryssa can respond, she grabs her head in pain, falling to her knees as the leaves below cushion the impact.

“Claryssa? You okay? You need any help?” I ask, letting go of her and giving her some space.

“No, no, it’s fine. This happens from time to time. Meet me at the edge of the woods in about 20 minutes, there is something I must show you.” Claryssa says, turning once again into a bat and flying away through the trees and into the night.

And with that, I’m left alone with the spirits again, as I can feel their tiny eyes on the back of my head, like the burning sensation of a magnifying glass in the sunlight. With nothing left to do, I light one of my two remaining cigarettes that I’ve been rationing, and walk towards the unexplored part of the woods, hoping that I don’t get too lost... again. My brain tries to keep my body intact, but inside, I’m truly excited. For the first time in my life, this demon might actually have a real date!

Urgh, I still can’t believe I ran out like that, screaming like a little pansy. I used to be a trained soldier, for lords sake, and here I am, afraid of one little vampire... with powers unlike anything I’ve ever seen. With those rumours floating around, I can’t help but feel worried about Eliza, even if she started off as just a chance to earn brownie points with her sister. As I find myself on the balcony with nothing to do, I declare boredom before I am saved by the literal bell, ringing with a shrill cry, echoing into my soul and etching its way into my sanity, piece by piece.

“Darius! Come to me for a moment.” Mandy shouts to me from the next floor down.

I readjust my suit and make my descent down the stairs, to find Mandy, pacing the floor with a look most troubled on her face.

“You called for me, my lady?” I ask, bending down to kiss her hand, just to make her smile, though it seems to only make her worse.

“Yeah, I did. It has come to my attention that the vampire has enticed my sister with her devilish wiles. I fear that she might be up to something. If anything is to happen to Eliza, my chances of a nice afterlife with Zachary will fade away just as fast. I need to know just what that girl is doing with her, so I want you to keep a close eye on their activities, and report back with anything suspicious.” Mandy says, continuing to pace as she explains, as she ends by patting me on the right shoulder.

“You want me to spy on your sister?” I ask, feeling uncomfortable with the idea of stalking someone.

“You got a problem with that, ex-soldier? Think of it not as spying an ordinary girl, but as monitoring the movements of an enemy troop.” Mandy says, trying to speak my language, though that just makes her look a little more clueless.

“You can count on me, my lady.” I say to her, knowing full well that I really couldn’t say anything else to her.

“Thank you. I would start with the woods, that is where she lives anyway.” Mandy says, going back to raise a few more pawns from the dead.

As I walk out of the door, I can’t help but feel a little powerless. From the ashes of a glorified war hero, rises just a pawn in another faction, just a number. I suppose if I can prove that vampire temptress guilty, my chances for a promotion will skyrocket. You’ll see Mandy, you’ll see how much of a hero I can be.