𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐩𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐦

Act III, Scene I

"Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall."
~ William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure

__________

Lucy slept in blissful oblivion until eight o'clock that night. She had no dreams, at least none that she remembered, much to what she assumed would be Evelyne's disappointment.

After an indulgent bath, Lucy paid an overdue visit to the manor's second floor library. Once inside the impressive assemblage of shelves and volumes, she went to the collection of books Sir Wilhern had given her upon her arrival. All were books thought to be of myth and folklore featuring one common theme: vampires. Had she read these volumes prior to her transformation, she would have thought of them as beautiful and ghastly dark fairytales, rather than the useful reference books that they truly were.

Now she knew better.

Before meeting Dr. Reed, she had been happy to remain in a state of ignorance regarding her new existence. But as things stood now, she knew that information and research were her greatest allies. Knowledge was power. It had always served her well as a human, and she had every reason to believe that would continue in her present state. The more she knew about vampires and their history, the greater chance she had of survival against the trials to come.

For the better part of three hours, Lucy scoured the hefty volumes. There was a plethora of valuable information, most of which was written as lore and in complete disbelief of the writer of the text. She learned that a pinch of garlic mixed in any liquid could decrease her metabolism enough to sedate her appetite for several hours. She learned that ingesting even one drop of another vampire's blood from the vein could allow her to see their memories, almost as vividly as if she had lived them herself.

Centuries of knowledge, yet she found no mention of the Ceremony of Unity, or its rites.

Feeling a mild disappointment, Lucy closed the books and returned them to their shelves.

There would be time for more research tomorrow. Tonight she had an engagement.

The grandfather clock at the base of the staircase had long since struck midnight, and Lucy dressed with a giddy excitement. She donned another of Evelyne's gifts: a satin gown of deep ocean blue with a tapered waist and long, flowing sleeves. She twisted the front of her hair into a complicated roll at the crown of her head, and secured it with a jeweled silver comb. The rest of her hair she left cascading down her back in loose curls.

She gazed at herself in the vanity mirror, and her reflection smiled back at her. She found the result of her efforts to be quite lovely. Hopefully Dr. Reed would agree.

Downstairs, she retrieved her cloak and satchel, and found Dr. Rosencrantz' letter, left on the table where promised.

Placing the letter and beloved handkerchief inside the satchel for safe keeping, Lucy walked out into the night.

She stayed along the main streets, her pace steady and swift.

As she passed an alleyway situated between a bakery and a tailor's shop, Lucy heard the sounds of snarls and slurping. Turning her head, she saw the outline of three white, skeletal figures hunched over a black mass. Lupines, as Virgil called them. They were feeding on a dead dog. Their hairless heads darted and snapped at the poor deceased creature, and they ripped chunks of flesh from its body with their deformed fangs in an attempt to consume every drop of blood.

With a shudder, Lucy turned away from the grotesque display, and hurried down the street. She didn't look back.

She made quick work of the journey across town, eager for the promised reunion. Her skin tingled in anticipation as she hurried along, and soon enough, London Hospital stood before her, still foreboding, but almost regal in the hazy moonlight.