Glacial
"Jonathan!"
Mina's voice cuts through the nightmare, her voice like a candle in the darkness.
Her grey eyes look down with concern at her past love. "I'm fine Mina, just…" Jonathan pauses, a lie on the tip of his tongue. "Just tired."
Mina bites her lip and helps him sit up. Jonathan subtly rubs his stomach, noting how it was now slightly curved under his hand. Mina clears her throat. "We’ve arrived. Lucy was just grabbing our luggage. There's this man here, his name is Arthur Holmwood. He said he knew you."
Jonathan's face blanks out at the name before recognition flashed through his eyes. "You must mean Artie. He's a blueblood from Belgium and a partner at the firm. What is he doing here?"
The two step off the wagon with Mina leading the two and Jonathan winces at the sunlight, but ultimately keeps following Mina. "Lucy said that he was her old beau. He had come because he heard she was arriving back home." Mina stops and adjusts the hat on Jonathan's head.
Jonathan gives her a playfully bothered sigh that had Mina giggling. The woman takes his arm again and the two walk forward past a large garden with a colorful array of flowers. Mina gasps with quiet glee and tightens her hold on Jonathan’s arm. “Johnny, look! She has a Sanguinaria canadensis collection! How deadly!”
Jonathan eyes the white flower warily after Mina’s exclamation. “Deadly?”
Mina moves towards the flowers, her eyes sparkling. “Most people know them as bloodroot. If bloodroot is used in the wrong manner, it can lead to death.”
Mina leans over the flower with a sweet smile. “But if handled correctly, it can become a medicinal herb.”
Taking Mina’s arm, Jonathan steers the two away from the garden. “Where are we exactly Mina?”
The woman casts the garden a final forlorn look. “France. Lucy said that it was easier to hide among the French for now. Something about how they love everybody?”
"I keep telling Lucille that Belgium is lovely this time of year.” Arthur Holmwood says from inside the carriage.
Lucy rolls her eyes and takes the suitcase from his grip. “If I wanted some chocolate, I would just head down to Egypt for their stock.”
Artie makes a sound of protest that sounds awfully like a bird’s squawk. “Excuse you! As a loyal citizen of my country, I must now fight you!”
Lucy grins and removes her coat, showing off her slightly muscular arms. She widens her stance and raises her fists. “Come then, boy! Let me show you how it is done.”
Mina rushes forward to break up the fight as Lucy and Artie slam into each other and knock the other on the ground. “Lucy, no!”
Jonathan stands back and watches as Mina gets swept into the play fighting, her cheeks flushing when Lucy accidentally puts a hand on her waist in the commotion.
Jonathan chuckles quietly at the three as their taunts filled the courtyard with noise. Lucy holding Artie in a headlock and Mina trying to separate them was a good juxtaposition to the depressing ship ride before.
“Truly it is amazing.” A voice starts from his right.
Jonathan flinches badly as Sister Agatha appears from thin air. Her sharp eyes examine the trio playing in the grass, almost like how a cat examines its prey. Jonathan knows he owes this woman his life but deep down, he knew she did everything for her own personal gain Jonathan clears his throat before speaking. “What do you mean?”
Agatha turns her eyes to him.
Suddenly Jonathan feels very small.
It didn’t help that the woman was slightly taller than him, with her ever opposing figure. She looks him over before returning her gaze to the others. “You, Lucille, even Dracula. You all continue to debunk all of my theories. Soon I will have nothing left.” She murmurs.
Jonathan feels an apology on the tip of his tongue but Agatha walks away before he could start. She probably wouldn’t have wanted to hear it anyway, he thinks. Mina lets out a barking laugh as Lucy tickles her sides, the vampire’s face in a wide-tooth smile. Artie moves away to stand next to Jonathan just as the two women realize their positions. Lucy was kneeling over Mina with her hands on her hips while Mina lay in the grass, eyes wide and face beet red. Mina’s blonde hair lay scattered around her head like a halo. The world seems to stop for a moment as the two breathe in sync. “Wilhelmina, my dear I am so sorry! Are you alright?”
Lucy rushes to her feet and brushes her clothes off, trying to hide her panic. She offers a hand to Mina who doesn’t meet her eyes. "I-I'm quite alright," Mina brushes a piece of grass from her head. "Now that we are finished, shall we go in?" Mina walks towards large grandiose doors made with dark wood, only to run face-first into it, making Artie shriek with laughter.
Lucy hisses at him and elbows his side, glaring at the man when he gives her a smug look. "Miss Mina, you do realize that doors must be open before you walk through?" He calls after her.
If the poor woman turned any redder, she would faint from all the blood rushing to her head. She grabs the door handle and tugs the door open before entering the castle with a pout. Lucy strolls after her with a laugh disguised as a cough and after a pause, Artie follows behind her. Jonathan makes way to follow but feels a shiver run up his spine. Resting on top of a rose bush is a black crow with wise eyes. It's feathers were well maintained and shone like black oil except for a small bald spot on its left wing. The crow turns its head towards Jonathan and opens its beak, only to have nothing come out. "Johnny my good man, you coming?" Artie calls out.
Jonathan's gaze lingers on the bird a second longer before following Arthur, the doors shutting behind them.
✪✬✮✬✪
(In my defense, who knew that they were still serious about Brexit?)
Daciana! It was a whole thing!
(I get that, but I figured that it was symbolic in a sense. I mean, how can you break away when you all live on the same peninsula?)
Oh my god...Ana…
(I’m just saying!)
No Ana! Now we have to call Dad to come and get us out! We’ve haven’t had to call him in centuries! Now we have to call him because the UK considers us a terroristic threat! Because of you!
(Listen...I just show them a little ankle and-)
Wrong century!
(Shit.)
Oh, now you’re seeing the problem! I cannot believe you made me be the responsible twin. I’m never the responsible twin! What's the organization going to think when they find out?! What's Dad going to think?
(Who knew they were still such prudes? Tarts, all of them!)
Shhh! Do you hear that?
(Hear..? Oh fuck.)
Fuck.
(Fuck.)