The Vampire's Maid

Part 7. The Vampire's Maid

"So I only have two years to live." June muttered for the third time that night as much to herself as to me.

"We don't know that June." I consoled her.

June gave me a half nod which plainly stated that she knew I was just saying that to comfort her. She pulled her blanket tightly around her knees and let her head droop onto them. Her red hair looked like silk as it flopped over the white sheet.

"If you don't want to die then...why don't we escape?" I whispered.

"What?" June hissed loudly.

Abriella made a grunting noise in her sleep and her eyes opened blearily before closing again.

"Elizabeth, there's no way to escape from here." She told me in a quieter voice.

I didn't want to agree with her but I had to admit that the vast expanse of forest that surrounded the house did not fill me with confidence. I was about to discuss this with June when the door to our room opened. I automatically scooted close to the wall imagining Goliath storming in with that cold fury on his face. I relaxed visibly when I saw who it was.

"Hello Olive." June smiled kindly in a gentler voice than she usually used.

Olive smiled wearily and then her eyes flickered to me. She was small and mousey as her voice had suggested with short brown hair and a gentle face.

"Oh, you must be Ashley's new maid."

"Elizabeth." I told her smiling.

"I'm Olive, Lord Goliath's maid. Master Ashley is going hunting tomorrow. He says that you will work in the kitchen and help preparing the feast."

A groan issued from June's bed but I didn't pay a great deal of attention. She'd said hunting. Hunting. My mind was already buzzing, turning over possibilities in my mind.

"I'd forgotten about the feast. Cooking for dozens of vampires..." June moaned.

"Olive?" I said abruptly and all eyes turned to me. "You said that Ashley's going hunting?"

"Well, he is a vampire." June said looking awkwardly at Olive. "Surely you knew that he... he killed people."

"Oh, I know that!" I exclaimed. "The point is that Ashley and presumably Goliath and Dane are leaving the house to hunt!"

"Oh yes. Dane and Goliath go every week. Ashley only once a month." Olive informed me.

"That's not the point! The point is that the vampires are all leaving which means there must be a way out of here!"

A look of realisation dawned on June's face only to be replaced by disappointment.

"I think they take the cars when they go hunting. We've got no chance of getting away from here without them."

"What are you two talking about?" Olive asked, changing into her nightdress.

"Elizabeth wants to escape." June said as if it was a stupid idea.

"Oh, no! You mustn't do that! If the vampires find out they'll kill you!" Olive's voice was full of shock.

"They're going to kill us anyway," June told her gloomily.

Olive's eyes grew wide and launched into a torrent of questions which June answered in the same depressed voice.

"Olive, how many vampires live here?" I interrupted.

"Just Master Ashley, Lord Goliath and Dane."

June tried to disguise a snort which I was sure stemmed from the fact that she'd referred to Goliath as a Lord.

"Goliath doesn't have a wife?" I asked, interested.

"No. I think he used to though. I can't imagine him having Ashley without being married to the mother first."

"So tomorrow, when Ashley's hunting... are Goliath and Dane going with him?"

"No, they wouldn't leave the workers at home alone. Just Ashley's going."

I felt my face drop but the hope I felt was more promising than anything I'd felt since I'd arrived here. As I slumped down into my pillow my bones ached yet I felt no need to go to sleep. Ideas were rocketing around my head. It was possible to escape from this place if the vampires were doing it every week.

I thought of Olive's small form lying in the bed opposite mine. She was nineteen. She or Mark would be the first to die and I doubted that she could put up much of a fight. She was so weak and vulnerable- qualities that she could have perhaps gained from being Goliath's maid. He'd hit me on my first day here and despite my age I was much stronger looking than Olive. I hated to think of what he did to her.

But the thoughts that kept entering my head were of Ashley; Ashley murdering people, Ashley drinking blood, Ashley looking almost guilty when we'd touched on the subject of him being a vampire. Was it possible that Ashley was as savage as the other vampires? I doubted that he was capable of murdering his family like Helena had. I doubted that he was capable of murdering me, although we'd only met two days ago. I had a feeling that the people he killed were complete strangers. Because deep down inside him, I was sure that Ashley had some human qualities

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Things get a little more interesting in the next chapter :) There's no Ashley in it but Joe makes another appearance :D Comments please :D