Part 510 – Bonding Over Barnabas’ Problems

Missy absentmindedly rubbed her throat as she watched Raven sleep.

“If I trusted him with my secret…Could I trust him with my secret? He looks like a real nice guy.” She shrugged. “For an active vampire, anyways.”

She checked out his fingers.

“No wedding ring. Well, that’s good. Not that I want to start dating him or what with him, but at least I’m not keeping him from his wife and kids. I bet he has a girlfriend, though. Someone who looks like that…Well, they just can’t be single and straight. Oh. What if he isn’t straight? Well, shoot that. It’s too bad Professor Hrashna isn’t here.”

She settled down into a calmer frame of mind as she thought about the Professor.

Professor Hrashna was a beautiful woman with large eyes and a lovely Scottish accent. She had a slight stutter, but that was a minor scratch in the big mural of  it all.

“St–stay c–c–close to me. I w–w–will p–p–protect you. I c–c–can protect you.” The sunlight shined sharp on her thin-framed glasses.

“I believed her. I thought she was invincible. But I was wrong. I have been wrong so many times in my life.”

She left the classroom and crept into the library.

“I hate going in here. Too many shelves. Too many hiding places. Too dangerous. Too similar to the Institute. I should move some of these books into the classroom.”

She stood still in the young adult’s section and listened.

No sounds.

No alerts.

No dangers.

But her heart was beating too fast.

She grabbed a random book and fled to her safe room.

She hid under the teacher’s desk and waited for her breathing to calm down.

“If only Professor Hrashna were here. If only.”

She crept out of her hiding place and listened.

No sounds other than Raven’s breathing.

No alerts other than Raven’s vampirism.

No dangers other than Raven himself.

She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a Gobstop 3500.

She pressed the red and black bouquet.

The coffin’s cap popped open and a beam of white light broke through the colored lights and the darkness in between.

She climbed on top of the desk and lost herself in a Dark Shadows book.

Probably not the best book to read under such circumstances, but it had been a blind and random grab.

She had no desire to re-enter the library unless she absolutely had to.

So, she fell into Barnabas Collins’ world of Collinwood and Josette DuPres drama.

And time fell away.

***

Raven startled awake from a bad dream.

His back and his neck were stiff.

He sat up and tried to work out the stiffness.

He saw her sitting there, reading a paperback.

Raven rubbed the back of his neck. How old is she? Obviously younger than me. Yet, she is clearly not a child. She is a child compared to me, though.

He winced. That does not quite answer my question.

Besides, what does it matter? I do not want to be with anyone. Not if I cannot be with May Rose.

She leaned forward. Her thick hair shielded her face.

She started to cry.

Raven stumbled out of the bed and came to her. “What is the matter, miss?”

She gave him a stricken look.

He took a step back. He wasn’t expecting her to be that upset.

“Barnabas told Josette I love you but she’s under a spell and she told him off and he thinks she doesn’t love him but she really does but Angelique is trying to control her because she’s jealous and she wants Barnabas all for herself but he doesn’t care a twig for her he even said that right to her face and she got all mad and she put the spell on Josette and Barnabas is leaving and he’s sworn a solemn vow to never return and Josette momentarily came out of the spell but it was too late she called out for him but he just kept on leaving and he’s never going to come back and and  and…” She burst into tears. “It’s just so sad!”

“Oh.” Raven climbed up on the desk and sat next to her.  He caught a hint of her faint lemon cream pie scent. “Can I read it when you are finished with it, miss?”

She rubbed her nose in her coat sleeve. “Mngh-hmm.”