Wednesday 5 June 2013

Chapter 1.7: Goodbye Old Friend



   Ignatius flung an arm out, draping it carelessly over his wife. The sun had just risen at six in the morning, and he was awake. Awake, but wanting to get back to sleep. His eyes were still stubbornly shut, and he was drowsy; if his alarm was not about to go off, he could have happily rested for several more hours.
   Something was wrong. In spite of being under the warmth of the duvet, there was something cold within the bed. He could feel a kind of chill on his arm, enough to properly rouse him from his slumber. He opened his eyes blearily, rubbing them as he sat up, and looked over at Pandora. Her skin was pale. He wondered if she was sick.
   'Wake up,' he mumbled, giving her shoulder a gentle shake. He hauled himself up out of bed, yawning and stretching all the while, and once she was up and turned to face him, her metamorphosis hit him all at once. 'What the...you're a vampire?!'


   'Oh God, you're going to start whining at me now, aren't you?' Pandora complained.


   'What in God's name have you become a vampire for?!' Ignatius demanded.


   'Maybe I thought it'd be fun! Maybe I though I had the option to do what I wanted with my body without having to ask you for permission!' Pandora yelled back.


   'A little warning would've been nice! What about the boys, what if they get scared of you? Or what if you forget you can't go out in the sun and kill yourself?!'


   'Do you really think I'm that stupid?!' she huffed.



   '...Of course not,' Ignatius lied, as he went into the nursery to tend to the children, 'but most people would probably forget to begin with.' He sighed and lowered his eyes.
   At least she's still got a nice chest, he thought.


   'What're you doing?!' he yelped in surprise, jumping back a bit when Pandora waved her fingers in his face.


   'You'll find out soon enough...!'


   Her hypnotic gaze made her eyes cross a little after they had lost their glowing pink hue and she shook her head. Was that supposed to happen? Ugh, these new vampire powers were so confusing. She made a mental note to ask Wogan if there was anything else she needed to know the next time she saw him. But first, time to test if her gaze had worked its magic on Ignatius.


   'Can I drink from you?'


   'Go suck a plasma fruit! I'm not letting you sink your teeth into me.'


   Ignatius tended to his first born, as Pandora lifted Varius out of his cot. In a moment that could possibly resemble maternal love, Pandora began singing to him. With her back to her husband, she did not spot Ignatius' clear opinion of her voice.



   'Who's wrapped in a tight little blue blanket? Varius is!' she tunelessly droned.
   'And on that, I'm going to the bathroom,' Ignatius grimaced.


   He peered into the mirror, observing his reflection. He frowned at the sight of wrinkles that had settled on his face since his birthday and sighed. At least there seemed to be no signs of greying yet.



   He held up his fists and pulled what he hoped was a menacing face.
   'Still got it!'


   'My teeth aren't so bad either...' he muttered.


   'But still...something should change. I want something new,' he said, contemplating shaving off his beard.


   'Hmm...hmm,' he said, checking out his new facial hair. Not bad.


   'Maybe tame the eyebrows...No, my eyebrows are fine.'


   He came back out again seeing Pandora in her work out gear, attempting her first taste of plasma juice. It was not the best thing in the world; it tasted cheap. The orange plasma juice was like the vampire version of terrible orange juice humans drank, and it had an after taste that she could only describe as plastic.


   She had spent the day working out in front of the television, enjoying the lack of fatigue being a vampire gave her. Once the sun had begun to set, she headed off outside to jog across the city.


   Benedict had skulked into the nursery to investigate his master, apparently oblivious to Renatus watching him in the corner of his eye.



   The cat meowed at Ignatius, when the latter stood beside Varius' crib. Benedict rubbed himself against Ignatius' legs, meowing and purring. Ignatius smiled and still clutching Varius, sat himself down to fuss over all three of his boys.

   It took a few hours, but Pandora had managed to make it over to the other side of Bridgeport, to see Wogan again. But once she entered the lobby area of his high rise apartment, she got a shock.



   She had run into Morrigan. She bit her tongue and forced a smile, which was graciously returning, Morrigan apparently still not realising that she had a perfectly valid reason to claw Pandora's eyes out. A feeling that was mutual, once Pandora noticed the swelling in Morrigan's abdominal region.
   She was pregnant.



   Once Morrigan had left, Pandora hammered at the buttons on the call box furiously.
   'It's Pandora,' she hissed when Wogan answered, 'let me in!'


   Her face set into an expression of utter hatred, she entered the elevator and awaited its arrival on Wogan's floor. She let herself into his apartment, and hurried over to confront him.



   Wogan however, seemed not only oblivious to the fact she was furious, but also to the fact that she was standing right behind him.
   'Hello Wogan.'


   'I just saw Morrigan. She's pregnant?!' Pandora snarled at his back, causing Wogan to clutch a hand to his face.



   'What the fuck are you playing at?!' she carried on, Wogan's face setting into an expression of anger and concern.
   'Be quiet,' he ordered. 'My daughter's nearby.'
   'Why the hell is Morrigan pregnant?!' she demanded again, although more quietly.
   'Because she's my wife?' Wogan retorted. 'It isn't uncommon for a husband and wife to have children together.'
   'What about us though?!'
   '...I'm fairly certain you were still sleeping with Ignatius while we were seeing each other too,' Wogan evenly reminded her. 'Wouldn't I be right in saying that your second child was conceived after the beginning of our... liaisons?'
   'That's different!' Pandora tried to insist.
   'How?'
   'Because...' Pandora faltered. 'Because I thought you loved me, not her.'
   'I...' Wogan began, looking a little alarmed. He had never said anything of the sort to her!



   She shrunk away from him a little, feeling embarrassed. By his reaction, she had realised that he did not feel that way for her, and felt so stupid for saying it. Now he probably thought that she loved him. Maybe he thought she was going to demand they leave their respective spouses for each other. Truth be known, Pandora did not know exactly how she felt or what she had planned. She was simply enjoying the ride for as long as it would go. Now it felt she had fucked things up, and gotten in too deep.
   But it was too intoxicating to stop.


   '...I became a vampire for you,' she whispered, peering up at him.


   'I thought you might like me better if we were both vampires,' she added, when he remained silent.



   'You've taken a lot of liberties and made far too many assumptions. I don't know if we should continue with this. Just...leave. Please.'
   'You're not finishing with me?!' Pandora gasped, her jaw falling slack.
   'Yes. I made a mistake. Now go.'
   She goggled at him, her expression stuck. Wogan had to physically force her to turn around and shove her back into the elevator. She traipsed back home, numb with shock.


   The following morning, Pandora awoke to the sounds of both crying and movement. The babies were tended to, and the other sounds of movement were from downstairs.


   Ignatius had wanted to focus more on his alchemy but without spending half the day tending to his plants and stinking afterwards, so hiring a gardener seemed like the best option in his mind. She seemed pretty damn competent; Ignatius was pleased with her work. 
   Pandora sulked her way to the living room, and saw the newspaper that had already been read and discarded by her husband, but not actually thrown out by the maid yet. She was bored, and after the altercation of the previous night, unmotivated to do anything productive. Maybe trying some reading would take her mind off how she felt. 


   She scanned through the front page, her eyes glazing over. Ugh. The news was so boring. It was either full of crappy things that had been going on in the city, or worse, about politics. Who cared what the Leader of the Free World did? Not Pandora!


   She flipped inside, hoping for something more interesting. Maybe the paper would have some cartoons in it. Instead, she saw something else.

   "It's a girl!
   It's Vera! The healthy baby girl was born weighing 7 lbs, and is the newest and youngest member of the Hemlock clan. The entire family is now resting and looking forwards to the months ahead."

   There was a bit about the Perry-Crewe family having a daughter of their own, but Pandora stopped reading before she even got to the newborn's name, shaking with fury.


   She let out a scream that startled both the maid and the gardener, but wisely, neither of them asked her what the matter was. Ignatius might have wearily asked her what her problem was, but he had gone out to the festival.


   ...Apparently to admire the wild flowers.

   Pandora slumped back down in the armchair when she felt something furry on her leg. 


   'Fuck off, you mangy stray!' she yelled at Benedict, shifting herself to prevent him from jumping up to her lap.

   It was too nice a day to stay stuck inside. 


   Ignatius' travels had taken him to the salon where he popped his head inside simply out of curiosity. One of the stylists was apparently far too interested in Matthew Hamming to pay much attention to him. Although to his surprise, she smiled warmly at him when Hamming meandered a way and she remembered she was meant to be working, not ogling. 
   'I appreciate Sims who take it upon themselves to learn a new craft. Let's get to know each other better,' she grinned.
   'Um...Thank you?' Ignatius said, not knowing how to reply. 



   'Ignatius de Venetia. Nice to meet you,' he said with a bow.


   'Ti Bellino,' the stylist giggled, and clasped his hand for a shake.



   What the hell, Ignatius said to himself. Where's the harm in a little playful flirting?
   Luckily for him, Ti seemed not to mind Ignatius practising his best lines on her. Although the same could not be said for Matthew Hamming.



   Hamming seemed to be devastated on Pandora's behalf, openly weeping. Ignatius rolled his eyes. Actors. If he knew what it was like to live with Pandora, he would be far less sympathetic to her. Besides, it was just a little silly flirting! It was not as though he was actually planning on seducing her.

   He grinned all the way home; taking a day off and just messing around picking flowers and chatting to pretty stylists had done wonders for his mood.
   So perhaps he should not have been surprised when it seemed the universe thought that too much happiness was not allowed.


   Ignatius' heart almost stopped when he noticed the gloomy, ominous figure of the Grim Reaper through the window. He dashed through the house, trying to see who was about to be taken. Please, not the children! Not even Pandora!



   He came stampeding down the stairs again when he realised that his family were safe, his heart dropping to his stomach.
   Benedict.
   Oh please, no...


   He clasped his hands to his mouth, eyes clenched shut as he fought back tears.


   He shot his wife a venomous look when he heard his wife answering a call on her mobile. His beloved pet was dying, and she was about to chat?! How could she be so callous?!


   Ignatius dissolved into sobs, as a tiny little urn appeared on the floor.


   He made an attempt to call out to the Reaper, to beg him to spare his precious cat's life.


   But his words stuck in his throat as the front door flew open, the roped spectre of death floating through.


   'No - you can't,' he wept.



   The emotions in the living room were getting too much for Pandora to be bothered dealing with, and she sought refuge in the nursery.



   'Benedict!' Ignatius yelled, as the Grim Reaper extended a bony hand.


   'Don't go with him...please...I love you,' he sobbed, as Benedict allowed himself to be picked up.


   He felt a surge of hope when Benedict was placed back on the floor, and threw his arms open to take his cat back in a tight hug. 


   But that spark of hope was almost instantaneously extinguished again when a glowing green portal emerged from the ceiling, shining beams of light in the portal's hue surrounding Benedict.


   The Reaper produced a pink toy mouse, filled with catnip, and Ignatius knew that all was lost. 


   Benedict playfully leapt up to try and catch it, and stared at the Reaper when he threw it up and into the portal.


   'Please don't leave me,' Ignatius whimpered. 


   With a final meow, his request was denied as Benedict took a giant leap and soared up after his toy. He and the Reaper shared a look for a second, before the latter faded away in a puff of black and grey smoke.


   He avoided eye contact with the only person left in the living room besides himself; the maid, who to her credit looked misty eyed as well. He wiped his tears away with his hand, sniffling and feeling as though his heart had split evenly in two.
   Carefully, he picked up the delicate little urn, containing the remains of his best friend, and carried them upstairs. He set it down on his bedside table, so that Benedict would always sleep beside him.


   As in life.
   As in death.