The Vampire's Apprentice

"Then were you somehow inadvertently the cause of his death?" Clancy asked, his voice calm as a windless lake as he followed her. "Did he die right in front of you? Could you have prevented it?"
 
"Stop talking, stop talking, stop talking!" Kitty begged. Her voice cracked, but she escalated in volume each time she had to say it. She did not look
at him, nor acknowledge him. Maybe she wasn't even yelling at him to be silent.
She was visibly shaking; blood drained from her expression. Her knuckles were already snow-white, somehow growing more pale every second she spent clenching her hands tighter around her upper arms. It was becoming harder to breathe, and Kitty had to stop using her voice to prioritize oxygen.
 
Clancy moved around her, forcing himself in front of her, and looked her in the eyes. "Then what happened?" he asked, his voice low and forceful.
 
The girl's mouth had gone bone-dry, the laughter in her eyes erased by heartache and a few stray tears. Even if she had wanted to tell him, she couldn't. There weren't words on her lips to utter. Not even a hoarse "no."
 
Clancy followed her gaze, trying to force her to look at him. "Oh, so you did kill him, hmm? Why? Did you tire of him? Or was he cruel to you? Was he the cruelest brother to ever live? Or were you just irritated that he wouldn't pick up his socks?"
 
"I thought friends don't let friends die, and clearly you are running away from your past, so are you sure it is not your fault?" he taunted, forcing her to stay by moving in her path.
 
"Why don't I need to know?" He put a hand on each arm but did not exactly hold her. It was more like a gentle but firm corral. "Because it will lead up to you murdering me in my sleep?"
 
"No!" Kitty drew away, stifling his nudge best she could. She was still fighting to run. "I don't want to do this again; just let it alone!"
 
"Alright." Clancy took her face in his hands and looked deep into her eyes. As strong as she fought, she had no real defense against his hypnotism when he turned it on at full power. "Peace," he purred. "Peace. You will remember this discussion, but it will not bother you. You will remember it with a neutral feeling, no anger or stress. You will not remember me hypnotizing you. Peace." He let go and stepped back. Oh, if she tried hard enough she'd remember. Hypnotism could not truly erase memories, but it could be handy in burying them deep.
 
Kitty was calm. Her breathing evened. Despite all stubbornness, her mind was weak and easily plied. All he had said, she would listen to; it was not likely of her to recall any memories he had suppressed.
 
"Good night, Miss Kitty. Sleep well," Clancy said, steering her toward her room. "Please do not forget to take out the trash tomorrow." He left her to it and went to his office. He had some work to do... and some research to perform.
 
Kitty made note and went to bed. Not that she slept all that much. On the last small stretch of night, she gave up on trying and set her sights instead on finishing her book. If it wasn't so dark outside, she likely would have been working.

Coffee was an order, the next morning. She made some with a small pot on the stove, brewing it to a deep, opaque black-brown. Staring at it, she felt like she was looking at her own eyes, the steaming liquid coincidentally being the same color as them.

The day seemed more lonely than normal; begrudgingly dragging by on its heels. Kitty stuck inside more than typical, too. The memories of last night... even if she couldn't feel what she had felt in the moment, the words she had spoken to him were still a reminder of the previous incident. She was afraid to have angered him again.

Only way to find out was to wait.

Come evening, she'd be upstairs sitting beside the bookshelf, reading away with another mug of hot coffee gone lukewarm.
 
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