ã€ŠThe Vampire Skullã€‹


 0. Prelude

    Once there was a crow, living all alone in the darkness of The Void, and that was all he had ever known. The Void was a desolate place, no light nor life lingered there. Yet the lonely little crow had seemed to have been born from the dark emptiness itself. He always longed for more, his eyes kept peering into the darkness. The Crow always hoped to perhaps catch a glimpse of another being, another like himself. Yet he was always alone.

    Until one day, when The Universe itself took notice.

    ¡°Are you lonely, little one?¡± The Universe asked.

    The crow was surprised and excited to hear another voice in the darkness, ¡°Of course I am, there is not a single soul but me out here,¡± he replied firmly.

    ¡°Then how would you like to leave? To become a part of me? The Void is no place for one such as you,¡± The Universe said warmly.

    The crow felt his feathers tingle at the thought, until now all he had seen was darkness, ¡°There is nothing I would like more than to be a part of you,¡± he responded with great delight.

    The stars were mesmerizing beyond anything he could have ever imagined. The lights were blinding, illuminating the darkness of the crow. He was sure, he wanted to see what more was out there beyond The Void.

    The Universe wrapped him up and nurtured him, it filled the crow with love, awe, and wonder. Slowly the crow found his place, right at the heart of The Universe. The Void had been such a cold and dark place, here he was always amazed at the vibrancy of it all. Yet the crow kept longing. The Universe could see that his eyes were always fixed on the stars far away.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go? Explore, live, and experience life out there. But one day you must come back and take your place here,¡± The Universe told the crow.

    He listened and flew off, the crow spread his wings and soared across galaxies. Across worlds so strange, worlds so beautiful. He lived many lives in all these places. He felt it all, he experienced everything. Yet he could not shake his longing. It grew deeper and deeper for every life he lived. It threw him of course, into a new kind of oblivion. Tragedy became his ethos, and death always followed. For The Void did not let go so easily, it followed wherever the crow went.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    So far into despair, so many deaths haunting him. The crow decided he would spite death. A crow is ever changing so he decided to change his very nature. He grew new powers, he could reach the dead from beyond the grave. Grab the hands of their soul and pull them back into life again. Yet tragedy remained. His heart kept breaking more and more, he wept tears of darkness. The crow might have changed, but everything else changed with him as well. He might have been able to pull the dead back from the afterlife, but they did not all reach out their hands to him. It all became meaningless when he could not bring back the one he wanted, the one he had longed for all this time. He fell, and he crumbled.

    ¡°Why is life but sorrow and pain? Why did you give me all this?¡± He shouted to The Universe.

    His longing had grown so loud, that it echoed across galaxies before it finally reached The Universe yet again. The crow was given a new chance. One last flight, one more time to spread his wings. To find love, to find meaning, whatever he was searching for. From the first day, it proved to be his greatest tragedy yet. He found what he was looking for, but he lost it. He was lost, so utterly lost. Lost to time, and the world.

    His gaze shifted towards the stars again. He did not realize the gravity of what he had done. Of the destruction laid upon this world called Earth, by his very hands. The lands lay empty, shattered, not even the winds graced the air. Solemn and desolate, this feeling left in his chest. He accepted his fate. He accepted his final resting place to be the place he had come to love the most.

    Silence

    Not a sound.

    Until it all went black.

    His gaze was disrupted, why could he still see? Why could he still call out? Yet no one heard him. Was there anyone left in this world to hear his cries? His pleas? He thought he would be dead. Yet here he was, back in The Void he had been running away from. The darkness engulfed him completely as he cried out.

    And all that remained of him was an echo, a promise:

    ¡°Under the stars and the moonlit night sky, I am here waiting for you. Under this tree, I will wait for you. Forever if I must. Will you wait for me?¡±

 1. The Skull

    ¡°As I lay here in the starless dark, I wonder how it all came to this. How did I end up here laying in a pool of my own blood?¡± She drew a deep breath before coughing, ¡°I know¡­ It all began the day I found him. The best day of my life.¡± She closed her eyes as she found herself back in that familiar forest.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The forest was covered by a blanket of leaves, not much light ever came through, except for near the big old oak tree. It was a lonely old tree in the depths of Everwood¡ª nothing much grew near it, yet it was the largest, most lush tree in the forest. Its branches stretched to the sky as if reaching for something it could not have.

    Ellie was not the kind of child to sit still, nor the kind of child to simply do as she was told. Ellie was an adventurer, an explorer. She knew the forest like the back of her own hand. Actually, she might have even known the forest better than the back of her own hand. She spent every day out there in the wilderness, exploring ancient ruins and lost paths.

    But this day¡ª which was to be the best day of her life according to her. She had her sights set on the big old oak tree at the far end of the forest. If she climbed high enough, she could see Dawn from there. The biggest city in all of Lorelei, it always glittered brilliantly in the distance from Everwood. It was so near, yet so far. Ellie dreamt of exploring the depths of the city, she had heard stories of underground paths, and the curiosity of old Dawn drew her in.

    Five hundred years ago, a cataclysmic event had shook the world, destroying most of it, and about one third of the population had died or simply vanished. Though people were not the only thing to vanish; a great deal of buildings, forests, animals, and just about anything else had also vanished. No one knew what had caused it, yet the strangest thing was how old Dawn had been left untouched by the event. Ellie loved a good mystery and this was the biggest one, which she had vowed to solve one day.

    On this day, she was nearly ten years old, her father was rarely home, so she easily skipped school to be in the forest. Ellie disliked school, too many people, and she had to sit down the whole day. Out there in the forest, she was in charge, she had friends in the crows that seemed to rule the forest.

    ¡°That¡¯s it, Bartholomew, I¡¯m gonna climb the highest branch today,¡± She proclaimed to the crow that was perched on her shoulder.

    The crow cawed loudly and flew up to the top as if he were waiting for her to follow. Ellie¡¯s resolve strengthened as she grabbed the first branch. Her heart beat faster with excitement, she had never made it to the very top, the oak tree was taller than it should be, and there always seemed to be a strong wind around it. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Her long chestnut brown hair fluttered as she started climbing. One branch at a time. She was not scared, rather she was excited. So excited that her heart kept beating fast. Ellie could see the dense forest from where she was, the trees that surrounded the oak tree, and the crows cawed loudly as if cheering her on.

    The forest was too dense to see the ruins from there, the ruins of the old world, from before the cataclysm. The thing that excited Ellie too much¡ª the day the world had ended, well kind of ended. She grabbed another branch, ¡°So close now, I¡¯m starting to see Dawn from here,¡± she exclaimed to the crows watching her.

    The skyscrapers of Dawn appeared in the distance, a perfect city skyline that seemed to be reaching for the clouds. Ellie huffed as she grabbed the next branch¡ª she kept her balance, her hands held tightly onto the wood of the oak tree. She was going to make it. The next branch was within her reach, the crows cawed louder and louder. Ellie grabbed a hold of that last branch, pulling herself up, before hearing a snap.

    ¡°Oh no,¡± Ellie muttered as she suddenly felt herself falling backward.

    She hit one branch after another on her way down, grunting with each bump. Ellie might have had a high tolerance for pain, but she had never fallen from that high before. She hit the ground with a loud thud. Her yellow backpack braced some of her fall, though she heard her glass jars shatter in there.

    ¡°Ow,¡± Ellie whimpered, her eyes fixed on that distant darkening sky.

    She groaned as she sat up and removed her backpack. Scrambling to get onto her knees she saw something strange sticking out from the ground right next to the roots of the oak tree.

    ¡°What is that?¡± She mumbled to herself as she crawled closer.

    The ground there was covered in moss, dead leaves, and mushrooms, yet she saw something white and shiny stick out. Her hands reached out to brush away the leaves, and Ellie¡¯s eyes grew larger as she saw more of what was sticking out from the ground. The crows cawed loudly from up in the tree, yet none of them seemed to want to come down.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be? Can it?¡± Ellie whispered as she started digging her fingers into the moss.

    She pulled out earth and moss, her hands full of dirt, though that was an extremely normal thing for her. Faster she tugged at the moss and shuffled more earth aside. In front of her, a skull started emerging from the ground, Ellie had never seen a human skull before in the forest.

    ¡°A skull? Is someone buried here? Could this be some awesome grave with fancy artifacts?¡± Ellie squealed as she placed her hands on either side of the skull.

    She tugged at it, tearing it loose from the ground and the oak tree. Her eyes widened even further as she noticed two long, pointy fangs on the skull. Her heart beat faster again, and she squealed loudly. She heard the crows cawing even louder¡ª she recognized the caws, the crows were sounding the alarm as if danger was near.

    ¡°A vampire skull? Could it be? Wait, are vampires real?¡± Ellie leaped up and twirled around with the skull above her head.

    She suddenly stopped and examined the skull closer. Ellie turned it around, looking at it from every angle as she wondered if it was real. A cacophony of crows cawing loudly from the tree top. Ellie was too enthralled to pay them any more attention.

    ¡°The fangs look so sharp,¡± Ellie muttered before she poked one of the fangs with her finger, ¡°Ow,¡± she groaned as blood started to pour from her index finger.

    Ellie suddenly heard a male voice. ¡°Keep your hands off me, dirty child,¡± he grumbled loudly.

 2. It Talks

    ¡°Who said that?¡± Ellie exclaimed, her eyes dashing around from side to side, she could not determine the origin of the voice.

    ¡°I said that. Wait, what the fudge do you mean who said that? You can hear me?¡± The voice sounded surprised, yet still annoyed.

    ¡°Y-yes¡­ Who are you? Are you hiding somewhere? Are you a ghost?¡± Ellie asked as she kept glancing around. She saw nothing out of the ordinary, but the crows were cawing even louder.

    ¡°I¡¯m right fudging here in your soil-covered hands.¡± The voice grunted with annoyance.

    Ellie glanced down at the skull in her hands, ¡°N-no, it can¡¯t be? You¡¯re the skull? The skull is talking,¡± she exclaimed with such volume that it made the crows take flight.

    ¡°I am a skull, yes, or at least so it would seem. Fudge. I don¡¯t seem to be able to remember anything,¡± the skull grumbled.

    ¡°You don¡¯t remember anything? What do you mean?¡± Ellie tilted her head and stared down at the skull in her hands.

    ¡°Exactly what I said. Who am I? Where was I before this? I don¡¯t have a fudging clue here,¡± the skull grunted at Ellie.

    ¡°That seems inconvenient. You don¡¯t remember your own name? I can give you a new one,¡± Ellie grinned as she picked up her yellow backpack from the forest floor.

    ¡°I- I don¡¯t remember my name¡­ I don¡¯t remember anything¡­ It¡¯s so distant, and vague.. There¡¯s a city, a tree¡­ a star¡­ I don¡¯t know,¡± the skull mumbled.

    Ellie could feel the sorrow emitting from him. ¡°I¡¯ll call you Skully!¡± She suddenly yelled out.

    ¡°What the fudge? Skully? That¡¯s the best you could come up with?¡± The skull grunted in annoyance.

    Ellie smiled wide and held the skull tightly as she started walking back home. It was beginning to get dark, the crows followed behind her and cawed. She wondered what had gotten into them, the crows all seemed quite agitated. Ellie glanced down at the skull and for a moment she wondered if it had anything to do with him. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Ellie shook her head and kept wandering towards home¡ª she didn¡¯t know vampires were real. What else could be real? Magic? Fairies? Werewolves? She squealed at the thought of all the possibilities.

    ¡°What the fudge are you being so loud for?¡± Skully rudely asked her.

    Ellie giggled, ¡°I¡¯m just excited because you¡¯re a vampire skull. I didn¡¯t even know vampires were real.¡± She leaped over a small creek, her feet finding the soft moss as she kept walking.

    ¡°Hmmm. I somehow know that vampires are real, yes. Maybe because I am one? I¡¯m pretty sure I am one. It¡¯s all so distant though, as if it¡¯s another life,¡± Skully softly told her, his tone less annoyed, he sounded like he was longing for something that was all too far away.

    Ellie¡¯s worn-out, once-white sneakers carried them through the forest. By the time they reached the road, it was night, and stars twinkled brightly above their heads. Ellie looked from side to side to make sure there were no cars.

    ¡°How long has it been since I last saw the stars, I wonder,¡± Skully whispered as Ellie crossed the road.

    A derelict two-story house appeared before them, the paint had all faded from a blue to a grey. Ellie leaped over the short wooden fence and made her way through the tall grass surrounding the house, it all looked as wild as her. The front door made a loud creak as she entered the house, even the stairs creaked as she placed her feet on each step.

    ¡°This is my house, and this is my room,¡± Ellie exclaimed as she swung her room door open.

    ¡°Amazing,¡± Skully grunted sarcastically.

    Ellie¡¯s room was filled to the brim with clutter, books, various animal skulls, and rocks of all shapes and sizes. Most importantly her walls were covered by Nova Blackheart posters, he was a character from her favorite book series, The Violet Cauldron. He never said no to adventure, Ellie wanted to be just like him.

    She threw her yellow backpack to the floor. Ellie tried her best to love yellow, it had been her mother¡¯s favorite color. Yet somehow she wished she had picked a less conspicuous color for her backpack. She placed the skull on top of a bunch of books on her desk and stared at him.

    ¡°Alright Skully, do you remember anything at all? How did you end up there? Do you have a body somewhere?¡± Ellie asked too many questions in her excitement.

    Skully let out a grunt of annoyance, ¡°Listen, kid. I told you I don¡¯t fudging remember anything.¡± He stopped for a moment and became quiet. There was something, something vague, he could almost reach it, ¡°Ugh, I¡ª There is a city¡­ Dawn, I think? It¡¯s fudging vague. There¡¯s a tree and a shooting star. I¡¯m lost at sea here, I can¡¯t remember, it feels like it¡¯s all just out of my reach. Fudge,¡± Skully mumbled mournfully.

    ¡°Aw, I¡¯m sorry, Skully. I wanna help you, I feel like you¡¯re so sad,¡± Ellie told him. She could feel his sorrow engulf the whole room. Like a thick fog, almost suffocating.

    ¡°You¡¯re just a kid, I don¡¯t think you can do much. Maybe you should just put me back,¡± Skully grumbled darkly.

 3. To Adventure

    Ellie lifted Skully into the air, staring right into his empty eye sockets, ¡°You have not met me before. I am Ellie and I love adventure. I might be a kid, but I¡¯m very capable. My dream is to discover why The Cataclysm happened all those years ago,¡± she exclaimed with a huge grin.

    ¡°You¡¯re still a kid. I¡¯m not impressed,¡± Skully grunted as she spun him around.

    ¡°Well, you said you remember Dawn, right? We might have to go there then. It¡¯s not so far, though my dad doesn¡¯t like going there, and I can¡¯t exactly go alone. I¡¯ve been there once before and it¡¯s so big, with so many people,¡± Ellie said with a more serious tone, ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right, I can¡¯t do much since I¡¯m just a kid. But I do know that parts of these woods used to be a part of Dawn before The Cataclysm,¡± she added with enthusiasm and fell back onto her bed.

    ¡°I feel so confident right now,¡± Skully grumbled sarcastically.

    Ellie squealed loudly, much to Skully¡¯s annoyance. She couldn¡¯t help but be excited. A vampire skull. Vampires were real.

    Abruptly there was a knock at the door. Ellie¡¯s eyes widened and she stared at Skully and whispered, ¡°That must be my dad, you better be quiet, don¡¯t let him know anyone¡¯s here.¡±

    ¡°Ellie, are you in there? Do you want pizza or pizza for dinner?¡± Her dad shouted through the door.

    Ellie swiftly opened the door slightly¡ª leaving only a small gap open, ¡°Um, I¡¯m not very hungry, it doesn¡¯t matter,¡± she muttered. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    Her father was a tall man with dark, slightly unruly hair and deep blue eyes. He raised an eyebrow and looked at his daughter, she was usually very hungry at this point of the day.

    ¡°I could go for pizza.¡± Ellie heard Skully yell out from the room. She froze, her eyes shifting to her father, did he hear?

    ¡°You know what, actually I¡¯m very hungry, you should go buy lots of pizza. Like right now,¡± Ellie said nervously, her lips trembled. She didn¡¯t want her father to find out about Skully.

    He raised an eyebrow again, ¡°Alright Ellie bear, I¡¯ll buy the usuals, yes?¡± He asked her.

    Ellie nodded and closed the door. Her father smiled to himself as he started walking down the stairs, had she found him?

    She leaned against the door and breathed out, her heart was beating faster. Did he hear Skully? She wasn¡¯t sure. Either way, she didn¡¯t want him or anyone else to find out about the skull. He was her discovery.

    ¡°I told you not to say anything,¡± Ellie sighed as she glanced at Skully.

    ¡°Relax, I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re the only one that hears me. In all my years calling out, no one has ever heard me before,¡± Skully grunted.

    ¡°So how come I can hear you? Is your body buried in the same place? ¡° She asked Skully.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s buried in the same place, I can sort of feel it, my body. I know it¡¯s not here. And I have no idea why the fudge you can hear me, kid,¡± Skully grumbled. He truly didn¡¯t know why she could hear him. He didn¡¯t know anything.

    ¡°So, we will find your body and your memories. I promise you, I will try my best to find them. I guess the forest is where we start, and then we go to Dawn,¡± Ellie proclaimed loudly before she fell back onto her bed.

    ¡°If you must, then that is where we start,¡± Skully sighed. He felt a small tinge of excitement. Was he finally going to get out of this void?

    ¡°To adventure!¡± Ellie beamed. She could not say no to all this adventure, to all the possibilities, to vampires and all thing supernatural!

 4. The Twins

    Dawn - 9 years later.

    Artemis leaned back on the gray couch, her fingers ran through her bright red hair as she let out a yawn. She never spent much time lazing on the couch, and she was already getting bored. She leaned back all the way, gazing at her brother who was preparing some kind of fancy pasta dish in the kitchen.

    ¡°Luke, when is our new roommate coming again?¡± She asked him.

    He clicked his tongue, ¡°Why are you asking me, you were the one who talked to her.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I must have forgotten,¡± Artemis giggled.

    ¡°Tch, so we don¡¯t know when she is coming? Great. I suppose it does not matter much, she won¡¯t last long. They never do. The last one moved out after one day,¡± Luke remarked as he opened the fridge to find the fresh oregano.

    ¡°And who¡¯s fault was that?¡± Artemis asked as she sat up straight.

    ¡°Do not pin this one on me. You scared the poor guy by flirting too hard.¡± Luke glared at Artemis and stirred the oregano into the pasta sauce.

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who came home all covered in blood, on his first night here,¡± Artemis smirked before wandering into the kitchen and placing herself on top of one of the marble countertops.

    ¡°Oh, yeah, I forgot about that. That was not my fault, blame the vampire who decided to bleed all over me,¡± he muttered and raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°So cynical as always, I¡¯m quite excited for this one though. She sounded like the sweetest girl on the phone, and she already has a job waiting so she can pay. I have a good feeling about her,¡± Artemis smiled gleefully at her brother.

    He clicked his tongue again, he hated it when she smiled like that. Even though they were twins, they could not be more different. Artemis always went with her gut feeling and whims, Luke liked to have all the facts before deciding anything. She smiled too much, he never smiled. Luke preferred a quiet night with a good book, Artemis loved to party in all the loudest places. Yet they somehow got along perfectly well, they even lived and worked together.

    ¡°I will try my best to not scare this one away.¡± Luke¡¯s voice was as monotonous as his expression. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    He pushed his shoulder-length, unevenly cut blood-red hair out of his face. On his left hand, he always wore a black glove, even Artemis wasn¡¯t sure why. She had tried to ask, but he would always change the topic. She was sure it had something to do with magic. Luke was extremely talented with magic, more so than anyone she had met before. Yet considering their history,  she didn¡¯t want to press it.

    Until just a few years ago Luke was not even talking to her. They grew up in different homes, in different cities, but they had made Dawn their home together.

    Artemis dipped her finger into the sauce, ¡°I¡¯m glad. Let¡¯s make her feel welcome, whenever she¡¯s coming.¡±

    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe you forgot.¡± Luke scowled at her as she licked up the sauce from her finger.

    The sharp sound of the doorbell disrupted their conversation. Artemis raised an eyebrow before she jumped off the countertop. She straightened her short baby pink skirt as she opened the door with a big smile on her face. She was expecting to see their new roommate. Instead, she was greeted by an all too tired, older delivery man.

    ¡°I have a delivery. Um¡­ For an Ellie Thorne?¡± He said with a yawn.

    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s not here, yet. I¡¯ll take the delivery for her,¡± Artemis beamed, knowing that this meant their new roommate would probably be moving in soon.

    The tired delivery man pointed to five big boxes outside their door, ¡°The elevator was out so I had to carry them all.¡±

    ¡°Oh no, poor thing. Do you want some water?¡± Artemis stared at him with a concerned look.

    Luke wandered over to the door and stared at the boxes before he narrowed his eyes, ¡°Just give him a nice tip and send him away,¡± he mumbled to Artemis.

    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea,¡± she smiled as she grabbed her purse from beside the door and fumbled around inside it.

    Luke rolled his eyes and pushed the boxes inside without much strain, he noticed how they all had cute little drawings on them. He clicked his tongue, wondering who would take their time drawing such childish things on moving boxes. It seemed ridiculous to him, these boxes were going to be recycled anyway, so why bother?

    ¡°Is our new roommate eight years old?¡± Luke muttered as Artemis closed the door.

    ¡°No? She¡¯s nineteen, didn¡¯t I tell you? Or did I forget? Why would she be eight?¡± Artemis giggled with a puzzled look on her face.

    ¡°These drawings are like a child¡¯s drawings.¡± Luke pushed the boxes all the way to their new roommate¡¯s room.

    ¡°What are you talking about? They are adorable, and look like they would make amazing stickers,¡± Artemis remarked. She wasn¡¯t sure what he was thinking, his expression was as cold as always.

    ¡°It does not matter, I¡¯m going to work, and I will change before I come home if I get any blood on my clothes, alright?¡± Luke sighed, ¡°And don¡¯t eat the food until dinner, it¡¯s not breakfast food.¡± He scowled at Artemis before he walked out the door.

    He felt a heaviness in his chest, he didn¡¯t want a roommate. Yet Artemis had somehow talked him into it, and she wasn¡¯t wrong. There were times when they were both away for longer periods and would need someone to watch their apartment.

    Luke¡¯s face darkened and he mumbled under his breath, ¡°As long as I can still work towards killing every vampire, it does not matter. Nothing matters until they are all gone.¡±

    Artemis glanced at the kitchen, ¡°Did he just leave all the washing to me?¡±

 5. First Dawn

    Ellie had held a small hope that her father would drive her to Dawn, which seemed to have been too much to hope for. He would not¡ª even if she was moving there¡ª even if she needed his help. Ellie clenched her fist lightly as she stepped off the bus. She just wanted him to care, even if it was a small thing like this.

    Her mind was swiftly swept into the sight of the skyscrapers of Dawn. Like giant mirrors, they reflected the sky itself. Illuminated by the sun, it was as if the whole city was shining. Her eyes widened at the sights as she kept turning from side to side. There was so much to see, so much to explore. She pulled up her sleeve and glanced down at her watch, it was still morning. Which meant she had plenty of time to explore the city.

    Ellie excitedly pulled her backpack off her back. The same yellow backpack, though faded and patched up. She opened it up and unearthed Skully from the chaos. Her smile was as wide as it could be and her eyes swiftly shifted from side to side before she placed Skully under her arm.

    ¡°We¡¯re finally here, in Dawn,¡± Ellie squealed.

    ¡°You¡¯re always so fudging loud. Everyone¡¯s gonna think you¡¯re talking to yourself. But yes, it only took you nine years to bring me here, great work,¡± Skully grumbled, clearly annoyed.

    ¡°Oopsie, I just got a bit excited there. Let¡¯s explore and see if this place sparks any memories,¡± she whispered to Skully.

    Skully groaned, ¡°We might as well.¡±

    ¡°You know why it took us nine years anyway, I couldn¡¯t exactly run away from home. I had to finish school first,¡± Ellie remarked softly as she started wandering down the city streets.

    ¡°You could have run away just fine. It¡¯s a fudging miracle that you didn¡¯t fail school, and your father wouldn¡¯t have batted an eye if you did,¡± Skully chuckled.

    Ellie knew he was right, she felt her heart sink for a moment and all the loneliness washed over her. She shook her head and glanced at Skully, she wasn¡¯t lonely. She had the skull, they were gonna find his memories, and possibly his body. Maybe he would even turn her into a vampire. Ellie brought back her smile and looked ahead. She was sure that they would find something in Dawn. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°I have the map in my pocket. I think we should go to Old Dawn first since it seems more like a place a vampire would live and hang out.¡± Ellie reached into the pocket of her washed-out mauve windbreaker and pulled out a tourist map of Dawn.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just use the map on your device? This seems inconvenient,¡± Skully grunted as Ellie unfolded the map while trying to hold onto him.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I like physical maps, it makes it easier to get a feel for the place,¡± Ellie smiled wide while studying the map.

    ¡°Fudge. If I had arms I would have used the device. You¡¯re gonna drop me like this,¡± Skully grumbled loudly.

    Ellie giggled, ¡°You¡¯re such a sourpuss. Seems like we need to go that way.¡±

    Skully sighed as he noticed people glancing at Ellie who was seemingly talking to herself. She started folding the map when she lost Skully out from under her left arm. With a small thud, he fell to the street and rolled a few steps away.

    ¡°Oh no, Skully,¡± Ellie exclaimed as she scrambled to pick him up.

    ¡°You fudging dropped me,¡± Skully shouted.

    ¡°Is this your skull? It looks amusing.¡± A tall man with golden hair picked up Skully and examined him.

    ¡°Uh¡ª Y-yes, it¡¯s a decoration¡ª that I just bought,¡± Ellie stuttered, her heart beating faster. She was not good with strangers, it made her stomach curl up and her words disappear.

    ¡°Well, better be careful then, miss. It looks quite fragile,¡± he grinned and handed the skull back to Ellie.

    ¡°Decoration? Why are you letting this person touch me,¡± Skully hissed as Ellie took him back into her arms.

    She couldn¡¯t help but stare at the man¡¯s intensely sky blue eyes and shimmering hair. Ellie wondered if this was what city people looked like. His suit seemed to fit him perfectly¡ª she had never even seen hair that perfect.

    ¡°T-thank,¡± she stuttered, forgetting her words.

    ¡°You¡¯re most welcome.¡± The man glanced down at the half-folded map in her hand, ¡°Tourist? Or new to Dawn?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡ª n-new, I¡¯m moving h-here.¡± Ellie tried to push words past her quivering lips, her stomach felt like one big knot.

    ¡°Splendid, I think you will love Dawn. I do recommend swinging by Old Dawn, it¡¯s quite the sight. The only place in the world to survive The Cataclysm, I believe the oldest building is two thousand years old. Is that not quite a feat?¡± He grinned and pointed in the direction of Old Dawn, ¡°Ah, but where are my manners? My name is Leon Valentine. See that big tower over there? That belongs to my family, feel free to stop by sometime. It is always interesting to get to know new people.¡± He extended his hand to Ellie¡¯s cheek and smiled.

    ¡°The nerve of this man, placing his hand on your cheek too now,¡± Skully grunted with annoyance.

    Ellie¡¯s face turned bright red, ¡°Um¡ª I E- Ellie, I g-go.¡± She suddenly jolted off towards Old Dawn, leaving Leon Valentine confused and amused.

    ¡°What a curious skull... A vampire skull, huh?¡± Leon smirked to himself as he watched her run off.

 6. Chasing Neon

    Luke stuffed his hands into the pockets of his black biker jacket and headed straight across the bridge into Old Dawn. This was simply another day at work for him, another vampire for him to hunt down. Luke headed down the streets of Old Dawn towards an old back alley between two derelict brick houses. An old neon sign flickered inconsistently even though it was morning as Luke stepped inside the alley.

    ¡°Detective Walker, it would be better if we did this during the night, would it not?¡± Luke clicked his tongue as he made eyes with a rather short grey-haired woman.

    ¡°Luke Dellinger, what difference does it make? You look just as sour whether it¡¯s night or day,¡± she chuckled before her face turned grim, ¡°But in all seriousness, I might have something for you, and I don¡¯t think it can wait.¡±

    Luke placed a finger on his forehead, ¡°Fine, but don¡¯t waste my time. Give me the information I need.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a new nightclub downtown, V, and after doing some digging I found it belongs to a Valentine. No surprise there. We have received quite a few reports of fog-minded people outside of or in the area around the club. You know what that means right?¡± Detective Walker raised an eyebrow and glanced at Luke.

    ¡°It means there is a high likelihood that the nightclub could be catering to vampires,¡± Luke muttered as he pressed his temples.

    He knew exactly what this meant, being fog-minded meant a vampire¡¯s bite. It made people lose all sense of time and place as if a mist was cast around their mind. They would wander aimlessly until they regained themselves, showing no other signs of being bitten. Reckless vampires, Luke hated them all.

    ¡°I trust you¡¯ll look into it. This is more the area of The Geirmund than the police anyway,¡± Detective Walker remarked as she adjusted her dark grey coat and started walking out of the alley.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Yes, The Geirmund will take care of this. At least I will,¡± Luke mumbled.

    He glanced down at his black glove and his eyes darkened.  Killing vampires was all that mattered. That was what The Geirmund was for, right? Hunting vampires and other creatures that posed a threat to humans, though Luke didn¡¯t care about the other creatures. He only wanted to hunt vampires¡ª it was personal.

    Luke tensed his shoulders as he left the back alley and the flickering neon light behind. There was no need to hold back, these were the worst kinds of vampires. Luke clenched his fists with anger, vampires who thought they could do whatever they wanted without a care.

    He soon found himself downtown, gazing up at the giant pink neon V of the nightclub, bright enough to be visible even during the day.

    Luke clicked his tongue and muttered under his breath, ¡°What an ugly sight.¡±

    He placed his hand on the large door, a hesitant moment as he quickly made a plan in his mind. He needed to do a spell first, one to see if there were any vampires there at that moment. He could do it in the bathroom, it would cover the area surrounding the nightclub as well. Luke was confident with his magic, it never failed him. He was more talented than any of The Geirmund in Dawn right now.

    Luke pushed the door open, a muscular man stood inside, a bouncer. Luke could hear the faint music of the club now, even though it was almost noon the club was open. This was Dawn, after all, nothing ever closed. The bouncer opened the next door for Luke, the music grew louder. He stepped inside, pushing his red hair behind one ear, his pale complexion made his hair stand out even more. Luke¡¯s face remained monotonous, not revealing any emotion or reaction. He was here to get a job done.

    People were dancing and drinking as if it was midnight¡ª the lights were so dim it might as well have been. Luke clicked his tongue, he hated clubs; people were so pushy. He didn¡¯t want to deal with all this, so he swiftly made his way into the bathroom. It was quiet and neon-lit as if he had entered a different world altogether. The music couldn¡¯t even be heard from in there. Yet Luke could hear something else, a faint sound from one of the bathroom stalls. He closed his eyes for a moment and he knew¡ª it was a vampire.

    ¡°I just got here and it¡¯s already time for action. I suppose this place is crawling with them. This is perfect,¡± Luke mumbled coldly, his eyes set on that bathroom stall door.

 7. The Mansion

    Ellie made her way across the river¡ª into Old Dawn, it made her feel as if she had entered a new world. Old buildings, cobblestone streets, and cozy cafes on every corner. Ellie smiled brightly to herself and held onto Skully.

    ¡°Fudge. That guy was some piece of work. Though there was something oddly familiar about him,¡± Skully grunted from under her arm.

    ¡°Really? He seemed familiar? Why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡± Ellie lifted him up in front of her.

    ¡°Tch. It didn¡¯t really seem relevant.¡± Skully wasn¡¯t sure if it even meant anything, ¡°These streets somehow seem familiar too, as if I have walked them before,¡± Skully¡¯s tone suddenly changed, he couldn¡¯t help but feel like he had stepped on these cobblestone streets.

    ¡°Really? You remember something?¡± Ellie squealed, all too excited for her skull friend.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I remember anything¡­ Wait¡­ I¡­ Go straight down that wide street,¡± Skully exclaimed.

    Ellie smiled even wider, her long chestnut brown hair swished from side to side as she wandered in the direction Skully wanted¡ª this was exactly why they had come to Dawn. She felt excitement rise in her chest, her heart beat faster as she followed the street. Skully told her to turn left after a while, and another left.

    Skully felt a sense of home as they started walking down a long street full of old mansions and large houses. He told her to keep walking, further down the street. Further and further, the houses became fewer and larger. Until¡ª

    ¡°Stop. This one. This mansion,¡± Skully muttered.

    Ellie stopped and gazed at the old mansion with big eyes. It looked run down, the large iron gate was falling off the fence. The garden full of overgrown grass and shrubs. Windows were boarded up as if no one lived there anymore. Crows had taken over the roof.

    ¡°Wow, look at this place. It looks awesome, we should go inside,¡± Ellie beamed and looked down at Skully.

    ¡°I- I don¡¯t know, I have this feeling. As if I shouldn¡¯t. I don¡¯t want to. Ellie, let¡¯s not.¡± Skully sounded worried, it was not in his usual way of speaking. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. Obviously, there¡¯s something about this place, and I think we should go inside. Maybe you will remember something? Any memories are fine, right?¡± Ellie exclaimed with great confidence. She was ready for more adventure, and this mansion looked like it promised just that.

    ¡°You¡¯re not gonna listen to me, right?¡± Skully grumbled, he knew very well how Ellie would not listen to any of his warnings.

    ¡°Nope. Let¡¯s go,¡± Ellie grinned wide as she pushed aside the half-fallen gate, noticing a large golden V in the middle of the gate, ¡°What do you think the V stands for?¡± She asked Skully.

    ¡°How should I know?¡± Skully grumbled, annoyed at Ellie for not listening to him, ¡°Wait¨C I know¡­ The man just now¡­ Valentine¡­¡± Skully said softly.

    ¡°Valentine?¡± Ellie glanced up at the mansion again, ¡°Isn¡¯t the Valentine family super rich? They have a big tech company, right?¡± She kept staring at the mansion.

    ¡°How should I know? I just¡­ I guess I¡¯m feeling something familiar here,¡± Skully grunted as Ellie started walking up the steps towards the door.

    The crows on the rooftop cawed as Ellie pushed the door open with a loud creak. Inside was darkness, with no light from the boarded windows. She couldn¡¯t even see a light switch in the dark, so she placed Skully down on the floor and rummaged through her backpack. A flashlight was all she needed, her face still full of smiles. She was too excited about this place, what would they find?

    Skully had a bad feeling as they entered, it was not just the darkness. He knew this place, he had been here before. This was¨C this place had been important to him. Ellie¡¯s flashlight revealed stairs going up, and a hallway with many doors. The floors of the hallway were covered by a tattered red rug from wall to wall.

    ¡°I think we should go this way first, we can explore upstairs later.¡± Ellie stepped onto the carpet-covered floors.

    ¡°Fudge. I don¡¯t think we should even be here,¡± Skully groaned, he was still hoping Ellie would leave.

    She shone her light on the walls, old portraits still hung there, covered in dust and cobwebs. She had never seen anything like it, this place felt old. Ellie wondered if somehow it could be older than The Cataclysm. She ran her hand along the wall, feeling the wood underneath her fingertips. Ellie abruptly stopped and for a moment she almost lost balance. She had not noticed a large hole in the floor right in front of them. Skully almost slipped from underneath her arm. She caught him with her hands, but her flashlight slipped out of her grip and fell right down into the hole.

    ¡°Fudge, you almost dropped me? I told you we shouldn¡¯t go in here,¡± Skully aggressively yelled out.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I wasn¡¯t paying attention. That was close though. Maybe we should go upstairs instead?¡± Ellie suggested with a half-smile, it was pitch black now that her flashlight was gone.

    Her smile faded as she suddenly heard a shrill voice cut through the darkness, ¡°Excuse me, miss, I believe you are trespassing.¡±

 8. V

    Luke sighed deeply as he finished his spell. He had killed one vampire, but there might be more. He wanted to be sure, so he whispered the right words in ancient Lore into the air. Magic did not come easy to normal humans, though Luke was not normal. His family had been hunting vampires since before The Geirmund was founded. It was in their blood. M¨¢ni blood, they called it; the ones that had strong magic, and strong arms. Luke had spent his childhood studying magic, he knew exactly what words to whisper and how much intent to place behind the words.

    ¡°Great, there are more vampires here,¡± Luke whispered to himself.

    He was not displeased at all, he was happy. More vampires to get rid of, better that they were all in the same place. His eyes darkened as he walked back into the club from the bathroom, and searched the bar for any suspects. Everyone seemed so oblivious as if they didn¡¯t have a care in the world. Perhaps they didn¡¯t? It was noon, and they were all dancing the day away at a club. Luke could easily imagine his sister Artemis being in this club at noon dancing her life away.

    He clicked his tongue again, his eyes shifted and fixed on a man who had just entered from behind the bar. He knew who it was, one of those vampires he couldn¡¯t touch. Or rather, The Geirmund were too scared to let any hunter touch this vampire. Leon Valentine¡ª a prominent name in Dawn, the Valentines were one of the thirteen main vampire families. True vampires, with powers that could destroy and kill easily.

    Luke clenched his fists and gritted his teeth together. The thought of killing such a vampire¡ª he couldn¡¯t help but look forward to it. There was almost a madness in his eyes as he stared at Leon Valentine, the look of a hunter who had found his prey. The darkness had seemed to grab a hold of him, and for a moment he felt as if he could do it. He could kill Leon Valentine if he wanted to. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Seconds later Luke stood outside of the club and leaned his head against the rough wall; his breath was ragged and his heart beat fast. Despair had gotten under his skin, his expressionless mask had slipped for a moment.

    ¡°Get a grip,¡± Luke mumbled under his breath, ¡°I can come back when he¡¯s not there.¡±

    A sudden gust of wind blew through his red hair as he straightened himself. One dead vampire was better than none, at least that was what Luke told himself. The rest would have to wait. Perhaps early tomorrow morning would be better, right at dawn. Luke breathed out, a sense of relief from the pressure he kept putting on himself.

    ¡°I know, I could have taken him on. But at what cost?¡± Luke whispered to himself as he started walking down the street.

    He knew he needed to be better prepared for this, he needed to make a plan like he always did. Luke had let his feelings get the better of him for a moment¡ª he shook his head and glanced up at the darkening sky. He was better off without feelings, without anything that would get in the way. He needed to remain calm, distant. Killing vampires worked better if he turned off everything.

    Luke pulled out his buzzing device from his pocket, Artemis kept sending him what seemed like a million messages. She was reminding him to buy different things, to be there in case the roommate were to show up. Luke sighed, he did not want a roommate. He wanted peace and quiet. He kept wondering how he could get this new roommate to leave. It was true¡ª he was the reason they had all left, he could not stand any of them.

    ¡°How do we make her leave?¡± Luke clicked his tongue and placed his hands back in the pockets of his biker jacket.

    He needed to see what she was like first, only then could he find the best way to scare her off.

 9. The Butler

    Ellie¡¯s heart started beating faster, ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yeah, who the fudge is there?¡± Skully shouted as if anyone but Ellie could hear him.

    Ellie fumbled through her pocket and grabbed her device, light was what she desperately needed right now.

    ¡°I am the butler of this mansion, and you, miss, are trespassing. This is private property, and quite frankly I am tired of you kids breaking an entry for fun. I am quite cross right now,¡± The butler snapped.

    Ellie swiftly turned on the light on her device and shone it right into his face. It was a long, thin face, pale with a big frown. His eyes glinted against the light, his mouth opened as he bared his fangs. Ellie stepped back for a moment and almost placed her foot into the hole in the floor.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we didn¡¯t know. I- I didn¡¯t know. I thought it was abandoned, I¡¯m new in Dawn. I¡¯m sorry again,¡± Ellie stuttered, her hands clenched around Skully. A knot formed at the bottom of her stomach, she should have listened to Skully.

    The butler hissed, ¡°I am not in the mood for apologies today, and I am also quite hungry.¡± His fangs seemed to grow longer and sharper.

    ¡°Fudge, stay away from Ellie, you fiend,¡± Skully yelled out.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ll just run off and never come back,¡± Ellie pleaded as his long, thin fingers reached out for her.

    His eyes seemed to gleam through the dark, and he wrapped his hand around her neck. His fingers felt hard and cold¡ª like marble. The butler lifted her up into the air as if she weighed nothing. Ellie tried her best to remove his hand, but he was immensely strong. Her heart raced as she tried to catch her breath.

    ¡°Please,¡± she coughed as his fingers tightened around her neck.

    ¡°Let her go, you fudging¡­ Ugh¡­ What can I even do? I am helpless. I can¡¯t even help Ellie when she¡¯s in trouble,¡± Skully grumbled desperately.

    ¡°I am hungry¡­¡± The butler repeated as he held her firmly.

    Ellie felt her head spinning, was this her last adventure? She felt weak¡ª her fingers lost their grip around the skull and he fell to the floor with a thud. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Skully felt a rage rising inside of him, why could he not do anything? A small green flash filled the room, only visible to Skully and Ellie. The butler pulled her closer, ready to tear into her neck with his needle sharp fangs. Ellie closed her eyes, she could feel herself being pulled down¡ª far down. Into darkness. Into nothingness.

    The green light flashed in her eyes and they opened wide, ¡°Fudge, what is this?¡± Skully exclaimed in Ellie¡¯s voice, ¡°Wait, am I in Ellie¡¯s body?¡±

    He stared straight into the fanged mouth that was ready to consume every last drop of Ellie¡¯s blood, and Skully knew at that moment; he could help Ellie.

    ¡°Fudge you, creepy vampire butler,¡± Skully yelled in Ellie¡¯s voice and sent a fist flying toward the butler¡¯s cheek.

    With one hard punch, the butler fell back against the wall. He hissed and reached out his cold hands for Ellie again. Skully clenched Ellie¡¯s fist again, aiming it for the butler¡¯s other cheek. Skully was faster¡ª the butler seemed to be slowed down by his desperate hunger and hit the floor this time. Skully glanced down at him with narrow eyes, he knew this person. Skully had seen him before, he was someone Skully had known well.

    ¡°Fudge. Stay down or I¡¯ll kick you,¡± he shouted at the butler who glanced back up at him.

    ¡°I am sorry, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s come over me,¡± the butler suddenly withdrew his fangs.

    Skully stared at him, it felt eerie. This house. The butler. Why was he even in Ellie¡¯s body? How was that possible? Skully stared down at Ellie¡¯s hands, and he felt a lightness come over him. Before long it all went black, and he found himself in a place utterly dark. Had he been there before?

    He glanced around at the darkness, there was nothing there. He stepped forward and heard water splash beneath his feet. His eyes widened as he realized the whole place was like a sea of darkness.

    ¡°Anyone here?¡± He called out, only to hear his voice echo right back to him.

    He glanced down at the black water only to see a reflection stare back at him. Was this his face? He knelt down to get a closer look, his hair was as dark as the water and his eyes the same green as the flash just now.

    ¡°Fudge. Is this me?¡± He kept staring at his own face.

    ¡°Skully? Is that you?¡± He heard Ellie shouting from the distance.

    ¡°I¡¯m here, it¡¯s me. I think¡­¡± he yelled back at her.

    Her feet splashed in the water as she ran over, and her eyes widened when she realized he was not a skull, ¡°Skully? What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the slightest fudging idea. What¡¯s this place?¡± He asked her.

    Ellie kept staring at Skully, ¡°Is this what you look like?¡± She muttered, ignoring his question.

    ¡°Probably... This doesn¡¯t make any sense though,¡± he grunted as Ellie kept staring at his face.

    ¡°I¨C¡± Her voice faded and something pulled her into the sea.

    Skully reached out his hand to no avail, Ellie was gone. He stared into the void that was left behind, and it seemed to stare right back into him.

    ¡°Ellie?¡± His voice echoed across the sea of darkness.

    He felt alone, the same as he had felt before Ellie came along. An island in the dark. He wanted to go back to Ellie, back to the skull. He didn¡¯t want to be left alone in the dark yet again. He didn¡¯t want to be an island.

 10. Tea With A Vampire

    Ellie slowly opened her eyes, a small oil lamp burned bright on the coffee table in front of her. She was lying on a classic green velvet couch¡ª- she let out a small groan as she sat herself up. What had happened? What was that dark place she had gone to? Was it a dream? Had she passed out? Ellie¡¯s head was filled with questions¡ª which was quite normal for her.

    Her eyes shifted around the room, it was small with a couple of couches and an armchair. The wallpaper was worn and faded, much like the floor beneath her feet. She suddenly realized that Skully was not there, frantically she searched for him.

    ¡°Skully? Where are you?¡± She asked as she peeked under the couch.

    ¡°You are awake, miss,¡± the butler abruptly exclaimed from an adjacent room.

    Ellie swiftly got up on her feet, ready to run away as fast as she could, ¡°I- I¡¯m awake¡­ D- Did you bite me?¡± Ellie stuttered.

    The butler appeared at the doorway between the two rooms with the most apologetic look on his face, ¡°I must apologize. I was not behaving like myself at all. I did not bite you, miss, you have nothing to worry about.¡±

    Ellie kept her eyes on him, noticing Skully in his hands, ¡°T- that¡¯s my skull. Please, give it back.¡±

    The butler glanced down at Skully for a moment, ¡°Ah, of course, miss. I was merely intrigued by this very life-like skull.¡±

    Ellie swallowed hard as the butler came closer, his long slender fingers were wrapped around Skully. He handed the skull over to her, and gently placed Skully into her hands. She felt a sense of relief, Skully was always with her. She could not bear to lose him.

    ¡°T-thanks,¡± Ellie stuttered softly.

    ¡°I must apologize again. Please have a seat, I shall bring some tea,¡± the butler smiled, he seemed a different person from earlier.

    ¡°I guess I could have some tea.¡± Ellie sat back down on the couch as the butler left the room again.

    ¡°Skully? Do you know what happened?¡± She asked, her hands holding the skull tightly. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°What? Huh?¡± Skully said, his voice was full of confusion.

    ¡°I woke up on the couch? I must have passed out, how long was I even out?¡± Ellie wondered as her eyes shifted around the room again.

    Skully didn¡¯t know what to tell her, should he tell her how he had somehow possessed her body? How he was as confused as she was? He had been in the dark until this very moment. What could he even tell her?

    ¡°I don¡¯t fudging know,¡± Skully grumbled, ¡°We should get out of here.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t go now. The butler might know something about you, he¡¯s a vampire. You do realize he¡¯s the first vampire we¡¯ve encountered, and you said the house seems familiar,¡± Ellie exclaimed confidently, feeling less fear now.

    ¡°He might try to eat you again. We should get the fudge out before he actually succeeds. I can¡¯t bail you out of this,¡± Skully grunted, annoyed by her reckless behavior. But truth be told, some part of him didn¡¯t want to find his past, it terrified him.

    Ellie was about to speak when the butler entered the room again¡ª he carried a small tray of tea and biscuits which he neatly pleased down on the mahogany coffee table. He picked up one cup and swiftly poured the tea into it before handing it to Ellie.

    ¡°Where are my manners, I haven¡¯t even introduced myself. I am Bernard Fitz, the butler of this household,¡± he smiled as he let himself fall into the armchair.

    ¡°I¡¯m Ellie, and I have a lot of questions. If you don¡¯t mind?¡± Ellie remained hopeful that she might find something about Skully here.

    ¡°Of course, ask away. I¡­I¡¯m alone here. It gets lonely sometimes,¡± he admitted as he poured himself a cup of tea as well.

    ¡°You¡¯re a vampire, right? I- I found this vampire skull in the woods, and¡­ the skull can talk. He is looking for his memories, which is why we entered this mansion,¡± Ellie told Mr. Fitz without pause.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you telling this fudging guy a bit too much now?¡± Skully hissed.

    ¡°The skull can talk, you say? How peculiar¡­ I have lived a long time, and seen a lot of people come and go. I don¡¯t think I know this person,¡± Mr. Fitz remarked as he stared at Skully.

    ¡°He is a skull now, but I don¡¯t think he was always a skull. Um- I think he had black hair, and green eyes,¡± Ellie exclaimed at the edge of her seat.

    ¡°It- it does not ring a bell, miss. There are a lot of echoes of the past in this mansion, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ve let it fall to shambles lately. I am getting old and life is not what it used to be. I¡¯ve lived through The Cataclysm, and wars before that. I was once the most excellent butler there was, now look at me. I am in shambles as well,¡± Mr. Fitz lamented for a moment, a sad expression in his eyes.

    ¡°Fudge. Listen to this guy¡­ He¡¯s avoiding answering your questions, I know I¡¯ve seen him before,¡± Skully grunted.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad. I mean you could fix this place up, right?¡± Ellie tried to console Mr. Fitz. As she glanced into his weary eyes it suddenly dawned on her what he had said, completely ignoring Skully, ¡°Wait, you were alive to see The Cataclysm?¡± Her voice was full of excitement, ¡°Do you know how it happened? What happened?¡±

    ¡°I do not know anything. Let¡¯s get back to your talking skull¡­ Perhaps my masters would know something.¡± Mr. Fitz took a sip of his tea and glanced into Ellie¡¯s eyes, ¡°But they would never give anything for free.¡±

 11. Secrets

    Mr. Fitz placed his floral teacup back on the coffee table, and his eyes shifted to Ellie¡¯s neck again. He had remained hungry for too long, his fangs elongated inside his mouth and he subtly bit into his own lower lip. He swiftly shifted his gaze to the skull, could it really be who he thought it was?

    ¡°He¡¯s staring at me with his creepy eyes, Ellie,¡± Skully said, annoyed by the fact that they were still here.

    ¡°I believe, miss, that I have a way for you to impress my masters, and perhaps they will talk to you this way,¡± Mr. Fitz spoke as he subtly licked his own blood off his lip.

    ¡°Really? That would be helpful. You think they will know something about Skully?¡± Ellie asked and shifted even closer to the edge of the couch.

    ¡°Yes. They might know something. Though this little mission might be a tad bit dangerous,¡±  Mr. Fitz smiled, he needed to distract her, just enough to investigate the skull. He needed to confirm the skull¡¯s identity himself, because if it was who he thought it was¡ª then this could be the worst possible thing to happen.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind a bit of danger, as long as there¡¯s adventure,¡± Ellie exclaimed a bit too loudly.

    ¡°I mind the danger. Stop putting yourself in danger,¡± Skully grumbled, even though he knew Ellie would ignore him.

    Mr. Fitz smiled wider in an almost sly manner, ¡°Splendid, miss. You see, lately, there have been some strange occurrences¡­ Slumbering vampires gone to dust in their sleep, and strange markings on their resting places. We are all quite baffled by it, perhaps a young mind like yours could see something we cannot.¡±

    ¡°That sounds quite adventurous, I¡¯ll do it.¡± Ellie abruptly stood, her hair fluttered from side to side.

    ¡°No, no, no. This sounds like a bad idea, Ellie.¡± Skully tried to stop her in vain.

    ¡°Very well, miss. I have a map of the underground, I shall mark their crypts and note down the instructions for how to get inside them,¡± Mr. Fitz told Ellie before he too slowly got up. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    He walked over to an old mahogany armoire and opened a small drawer. He unfolded the map that he took out from there, and started writing on it. Ellie watched, full of excitement, Dawn was already giving her so much. She had met a vampire, and now she was getting to go down to the underground. Maybe they could discover Skully¡¯s memories along the way¡ª either way she had to keep herself from squealing in excitement. What had happened earlier was already gone from her mind.

    ¡°There we go, miss. Just follow the instructions, and make note of what you discover. Come back here when you are done with all four,¡± Mr. Fitz remarked while he folded the map back up and handed it to Ellie.

    ¡°Got it. Thanks so much, all I want is for Skully to have his memories back,¡± Ellie smiled.

    Mr. Fitz picked up the oil lamp and stepped towards the door in a calm manner, ¡°I wish you all the best, miss. Let me escort you out of here.¡±

    Ellie followed the butler out of the room, down a long hallway of neverending portraits. Skully couldn¡¯t help but feel like he had been here before, like he had walked this hallway many times. It was all so familiar, yet it filled him with dread. Would Ellie even understand if he tried explaining?

    They made their way down the stairs, back to the front door, ¡°Here we are. Next time please knock,¡± Mr. Fitz smiled and opened the door for them, one last glance down at the skull.

    ¡°Bye, see you.¡± Ellie waved and ran out the door with Skully.

    ¡°That skull better not be who I think it is¡­ Tragedy haunts us all because of that person,¡± Mr. Fitz muttered under his breath as he closed the door.

    ¡°Why the fudge did you sign up for more danger? I think that butler is hiding something,¡± Skully grumbled at Ellie.

    ¡°This could be a chance to find memories or even your body. Maybe it¡¯s underground like these slumbering vampires? You don¡¯t always have to be a sourpuss,¡± Ellie lifted Skully up high. ¡°I¡¯m kind of tired though, let¡¯s go to our new apartment and meet our roommates. I¡¯m so nervous,¡± she told Skully as she started wandering out of the property.

    ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m sure it will be fine. As long as they are human, I guess. And I¡¯m not always a sourpuss,¡± Skully groaned, for a moment he wasn¡¯t sure if he wanted his memories back, perhaps he wanted to go back to the forest. He felt a deep dread, and it kept getting deeper as if the darkness itself was coming for him.

    The crows cawed on the rooftop of the mansion, there were more crows than any other house they had walked by. One crow swooped down, its wings spread out as it flew high and positioned itself directly above Ellie. The crow quietly followed her all the way across the bridge as Old Dawn disappeared behind them. The sound of the fast-flowing river numbed out every distant sound.

 12. Roommates

    Ellie found herself outside the apartment building gazing up at all the windows. For a moment she felt frozen, wondering if she could do this; if the city was for her. She swallowed hard, ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m ready for this, Skully.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine, well¡­ unless your roommates turn out to be serial killers. Fudge, I didn¡¯t think about that until now,¡± Skully grumbled in Ellie¡¯s arms.

    Ellie giggled, ¡°You¡¯re so silly. I¡¯m sure they¡¯re not serial killers. You¡¯re right though, I¡¯m sure it will be fine.¡± She forced her legs forward and hesitantly pushed the large building doors open.

    She spun around as she wandered inside, the arches and geometrical patterns of the entrance all appeared quite grand to her. Gold linings, white and black walls. Ellie rarely saw anything like this, one of the two elevators made a loud ding as it came down, opening up to reveal its marble interior.

    ¡°This place seems luxurious,¡± Ellie remarked to Skully.

    ¡°Whatever, are we gonna go up or are you gonna keep gawking around?¡± Skully grunted, annoyed as usual.

    Ellie smiled, ¡°You¡¯re right, let¡¯s go up. I¡¯m hungry and tired from the day anyway.¡± She swiftly slipped into the already open elevator and pressed floor number nine.

    ¡°It was nine, right? Or was it eight? What if I remembered it wrongly?¡± Ellie asked Skully, half panicking.

    ¡°It was nine. Apartment number thirteen. You got this,¡± Skully muttered.

    ¡°At least I can always count on you,¡± Ellie sighed. Her fingers wrapped around the skull, holding him tighter. He was her safety, without him she would not have done a lot of things. Truthfully, Ellie was terrified of people¡ª talking to anyone she didn¡¯t know made her feel like curling up into a ball and roll away.

    The elevator dinged again as they reached their floor. She felt herself tremble lightly as she walked towards door number thirteen. Her hand clenched into a fist as she faintly knocked the door, she was so nervous that she didn¡¯t even notice the doorbell right beside her.

    Skully chuckled, ¡°I don¡¯t think they would have even heard that knock. It was as if a mouse knocked the door.¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    Ellie felt her face turn bright red, ¡°You¡¯re right, I better knock again.¡±

    As she lifted her hand to knock a second time the door abruptly opened, ¡°Hi, you must be the roommate. You are the roommate, right?¡± A woman with striking red hair and warm brown skin smiled at Ellie.

    ¡°Uh- Y-yes. I- Ellie,¡± she stuttered, words not forming like they should.

    ¡°Very smooth,¡± Skully mumbled.

    ¡°I¡¯m Artemis, we spoke on the phone a few times. Come in, your boxes all arrived earlier today,¡± Artemis beamed and opened the door wide for Ellie.

    ¡°T-thanks. I¡¯m sorry, I-I get nervous.¡± Ellie kept stuttering, but managed to move herself into the apartment.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s adorable. What¡¯s that you¡¯re carrying there?¡± Artemis glanced down at Skully.

    ¡°Um- It¡¯s a decoration¡­ I love spooky stuff,¡± Ellie said nervously, and held onto Skully even more tightly.

    ¡°Are you hungry? I can get my brother, Luke, to make you something. He¡¯s hiding out in his room, that¡¯s where he¡¯ll usually be if he¡¯s home,¡± Artemis smiled, she was all too happy to have a roommate again.

    ¡°Y-yes, I¡¯m very hungry actually,¡± Ellie replied. Her face flustered as she tried to find the words.

    Artemis shouted, ¡°Luke, the new roommate is here.¡±

    Ellie took a moment to take a deep breath, her eyes shifted around the apartment. It appeared so tidy and clean to her. The walls were some kind of light gray and it was all open; the kitchen and living room were one room. Ellie took another deep breath when she noticed someone she assumed to be Luke emerged from one of the rooms, he had red hair like Artemis, but was much paler.

    ¡°He looks like he hasn¡¯t slept for a year,¡± Skully grumbled.

    ¡°Hello, and welcome. I¡¯m Luke, Artemis¡¯ brother,¡± Luke mumbled monotonously as he stared at Ellie with an intense gaze.

    ¡°I- Ellie.¡± Was all she could manage to say. Her cheeks turned bright red as she glanced at Luke and Artemis; to her they were exactly how she had imagined people in Dawn to be like.

    ¡°What is that you¡¯re carrying? A vampire skull?¡± Luke raised an eyebrow and stared down at Skully.

    ¡°Uh- It¡¯s decoration. Spooky¡­ like¡­¡± Ellie stuttered, her lips quivered as she tried to find her words again.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ How strange¡­¡± Luke mumbled as he kept his eyes on Skully, ¡°Can I look at it?¡± he asked Ellie.

    ¡°This guy gives me the fudging creeps, don¡¯t let him look at me, Ellie,¡± Skully hissed.

    ¡°M-maybe later,¡± Ellie stuttered. She needed Skully to remain brave.

    ¡°She¡¯s hungry, Luke. Make her something, don¡¯t bother her too much,¡± Artemis remarked and pulled Luke away towards the kitchen.

    ¡°Why are you disturbing the poor girl so much?¡± Artemis whispered to Luke once they reached the kitchen.

    Luke clicked his tongue and opened the fridge, ¡°There is something weird about that skull, it¡¯s too lifelike.¡±

    Artemis giggled softly, ¡°You know vampires don¡¯t leave skulls, right? They become dust when they die.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Luke whispered before he started cutting a long baguette.

    Artemis sighed and jolted back to Ellie, sometimes she wasn¡¯t sure what her brother was thinking. Luke was often in his own world, with his own ideas about things.

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you to your room while we wait for Luke to make food,¡± Artemis said enthusiastically and pulled Ellie along.

 13. A Meeting

    ¡°Are you sure that it was wise to let the Vampire Council know, Fitz-y?¡± He grinned wide as he stared at the butler, his bright green eyes seemed almost maniacal in their expression as he pushed his short dark brown hair back.

    Mr. Fitz sighed, gazing into those green eyes, how they reminded him of someone else. The wind made his unkempt dark hair increasingly wild. The rooftop terrace of the Mansion had quite a view despite the strong wind.

    ¡°I know that it brought you here, and who better to tell if it is actually him than you?¡± The butler remarked with a slight smile.

    He chuckled loudly, ¡°That¡¯s your logic? I¡¯m a puppy, how do you think I would know if it¡¯s like you said, a vampire skull?¡±

    Mr. Fitz adjusted his tattered coat, ¡°A puppy? You? Wren, you are brothers. You shared a womb, if anyone will know, it is you.¡±

    He chuckled maniacally, ¡°Why do you have to put it like that? It sounds so¡ª so icky¡­ Well, I have to investigate the skull either way.¡±

    ¡°What are you going to do if it is him? Will you obey the Council?¡± Mr. Fitz asked Wren.

    ¡°He is dangerous. If it is him, which I doubt, then I will bring the skull back to the Council,¡± Wren grinned wide before turning to look up at the night sky.

    Mr. Fitz let out another sigh, ¡°Let¡¯s see what you come up with. Though I always do wish things could have taken a different turn. Perhaps I¡¯m looking back too much. I¡¯m at the end of my life, but I miss the times when this place was full of life,¡± Mr Fitz lamented, and his eyes glistened ever so slightly.

    ¡°This is why it¡¯s the end of your life. You look back too much, old man. Your whole life before the Cataclysm was centered around one fudging person. Maybe it still is,¡± Wren said with an offbeat chuckle. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    Mr. Fitz shrugged and leaned on the broken railing, ¡°I will admit that I look back too much. I owe my life to that person, I would not be here if not for him¡­ Yet, what happened¡­ I- I am afraid like everyone else. If he comes back again. It will set off a different kind of cataclysm.¡±

    Wren grinned even wider, ¡°Which is why it¡¯s safer to be sorry than better. Wait? It¡¯s better to be sorry than safe? No¡­¡± He stopped and giggled for a long moment, ¡°You know what I mean. I don¡¯t ever want him to come back. Even if he could. Even if he is my brother.¡±

    Wren¡¯s grin turned into a frown, he scowled out at the city before glancing down at his hands. What was real anymore? Wren couldn¡¯t quite tell, he had been going in and out of slumber for so many years now. Sometimes he wasn¡¯t exactly sure what decade it was. He had lost almost everything that day, the day of the Cataclysm. He remembered it all too well¡ª no matter how much he wanted to forget, and everyone liked to remind him as well. They would constantly remind him of who his brother was, and that he too might deserve the same fate.

    Wren swiftly forced himself to smile wide, a strange uncanny smile. Nothing mattered more than serving the Vampire Council, right? If he could serve them well then he would be useful, they would keep him around. He took a small knife out of his pocket and twirled it between his fingers. It brought him a sense of comfort¡ª the feeling of the steel, the sensation of the coolness between his fingers.

    Mr. Fitz broke the silence, ¡°We all face the loneliness, it seems to be the fate of every vampire at a certain point¡­No matter how much we try to stay together, every one of us are somehow alone in our eternity.¡± He glanced out at the city once more, the night was never dark in Dawn, ¡°I would love to stay and chat, but I have to go see my masters now. They need to know as well,¡± Mr. Fitz remarked as he gave a small bow to Wren.

    Wren glanced at him, raising an eyebrow as he did, ¡°Masters¡­ Sounds annoying¡­ Leon and Juliette are such¡­ such Valentines¡­ I have to go investigate this skull anyway. See you around, Fitz-y. If not, enjoy your eternity,¡± Wren chuckled again as he jumped off the rooftop terrace.

    Mr. Fitz was not sure if he had done the right thing in calling the Vampire Council, but he was worried. He knew his masters would not be as worried, why would they? They had not seen what he had seen, they were younger, much younger. Wren might have been a bit of a maniac, but Mr. Fitz knew that he did care deeply for his brother before everything happened. Most of all Mr. Fitz wished for the skull to simply be a skull and nothing else.

 14. Skully & Artemis

    Ellie opened her eyes as the rays of the sun poured through her bedroom window. She smiled wide and jumped out of bed, a new day full of possibilities. Her eyes found the window overlooking the river and Old Dawn, everything felt unreal for a moment.

    ¡°Finally you¡¯re awake, it¡¯s so fudging boring here,¡± Skully grumbled.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Skully. I think you might be even more bored today, it¡¯s my first day at work. It¡¯s just training, but I can¡¯t exactly bring you,¡± Ellie explained to Skully, her face still full of smiles.

    ¡°What? I have to stay in here without you the whole day? Fudging fudge,¡± Skully shouted out.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine. Maybe I can somehow leave you in the living room? At least you can watch TV if anyone is watching,¡± Ellie giggled before she started rummaging through her boxes for something to wear.

    ¡°I¡¯m starting a riot,¡± Skully grunted, knowing full well that he had no choice but to stay behind.

    Ellie was not one to take long to get ready, she didn¡¯t spend much time on her hair or even bother with make-up. She was looking forward to getting a work uniform so she didn¡¯t have to figure out what was good to wear to work. Ellie was quite clueless about social rules¡ª her father had not been one to teach her such things and she had barely showed up for school. The only one who had thought her anything remotely useful had been Skully. Even though he was always grumpy and didn¡¯t have many memories, he still somehow managed to give some useful knowledge to Ellie.

    Skully was not happy about being left behind, though somehow the apartment was empty and Ellie managed to leave him in front of the TV with a random channel turned on. He had wished she would have left something more exciting than the nature channel, he longed for some juicy drama to sink his teeth into. He couldn¡¯t focus anyway, he kept thinking about what happened yesterday¡ª how he had gone into Ellie¡¯s body for a while. It was strange, yet it had also felt nice to be alive again, to physically feel something again. The darkness that followed kept haunting him, it was as if something wanted to pull him away. He could feel it tugging at him, a low hum wanting him to comply and follow into the deep darkness. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Skully¡¯s chain of thought was broken as the front door slammed open. Artemis strutted inside with a bunch of shopping bags, she looked as if she had just gone to a party. Her short cherry pink dress sparkled with glitter, her aqua eyes were painted in lilac and her sharp red fringe bounced as she walked. She dropped all her bags and fell back onto the couch where Skully was. She glanced to the side and jumped slightly as she noticed Skully on the couch.

    ¡°Oh, Ellie must have forgotten her skull out here. I guess it wouldn¡¯t hurt to take a better look,¡± Artemis muttered to herself as she picked up Skully.

    ¡°I guess¡­ Um¡­ Fudge. I don¡¯t mind if you take a look, it¡¯s cool,¡± Skully grumbled, knowing she couldn¡¯t hear him anyway.

    Artemis looked closely at the skull, she turned him upside down and poked her finger inside his eye sockets, ¡°I don¡¯t know the first thing about skulls. I wouldn¡¯t be able to tell if it¡¯s real or fake,¡± she smiled to herself.

    ¡°Ah, yes, stick your fingers into my eyes. Why do people always do that?¡± Skully grunted as loud as he could.

    Artemis straightened the skull, ¡°These teeth look sharp though, I wonder if they are as sharp as mine?¡± She reached out her finger and poked one of Skully¡¯s fangs lightly, ¡°Ow, I guess it is,¡± Artemis giggled and glanced down at her bleeding finger.

    ¡°Fudge. Why does everyone always do that as well,¡± Skully groaned.

    Artemis¡¯ eyes widened, ¡°Who- who said that?¡± She asked as she glanced around.

    ¡°You could hear that?¡± Skully shouted, almost excited.

    ¡°Who¡¯s there? Show yourself.¡± Artemis got up from the couch and glanced around the empty room.

    ¡°Relax, it¡¯s just me, the skull,¡± Skully grunted.

    Artemis¡¯ aqua eyes widened even more and she looked down at Skully who was still in her hands, ¡°Y- you can talk?¡±

    ¡°I can talk, and¡­ well, that¡¯s pretty much all I can do,¡± Skully said softly, trying to hide his excitement.

    ¡°You¡¯re a talking skull? What? How? Vampire?¡± Artemis asked as she placed herself back on the couch.

    ¡°That part is obvious, I am a talking skull. Vampire skull. Don¡¯t ask me how, because I have no memories,¡± Skully grumbled in Artemis¡¯ hands.

    ¡°I¡¯m not even sure what to say. Does Ellie know? She does doesn¡¯t she?¡± Artemis questioned Skully.

    ¡°She knows. We¡¯re in Dawn to find my memories, and possibly my body. It seems quite impossible though if you ask me, but Ellie is annoyingly optimistic,¡± Skully explained, he felt a sense of relief having someone else to talk to. He felt even less alone, less lost in the darkness.

    ¡°This seems wild, yet I find myself feeling very curious right now. If your skull is around, your body must be too. Vampires don¡¯t leave skulls when they die, and they usually don¡¯t survive getting the head cut off. You must be very powerful,¡± Artemis remarked, a smile formed on her face again.

 15. New Friendships

    Skully hadn¡¯t considered that part before, but he knew Artemis was right¡ª vampires usually die when the head is cut off. Anything would die from that, right? How come he was not dust?

    ¡°Fudge. I¡¯m not even sure about anything here. But you seem to know a lot, you¡¯re a vampire, aren¡¯t you? I can feel it,¡± Skully muttered.

    ¡°Yes, I am. Don¡¯t tell anyone, alright? It¡¯s better if it stays between us. By the way, do you have a name? Or should I call you skull?¡± Artemis glanced at the skull.

    ¡°Ellie calls me Skully, it¡¯s the most annoying name. But I don¡¯t remember my own name, so I don¡¯t really have much choice here,¡± Skully grunted and felt annoyed about being called Skully all over again.

    ¡°That¡¯s adorable, I bet you would look cute in hats. I¡¯m gonna buy you a hat,¡± Artemis remarked and placed Skully on the small glass coffee table in front of the couch.

    ¡°Adorable? I- um¡­ that¡¯s¡­ I guess you can buy me a hat,¡± Skully mumbled, unsure how to respond.

    ¡°I wish I could help you though. I¡¯m not very knowledgeable. Reading takes too long and I wanna get into the action, if you know what I mean? Oh, yeah, I work as a vampire hunter. Which I guess is a bit strange since I¡¯m a vampire, but my mother was a vampire hunter, Luke is human like her, and I¡¯m a vampire like our father. We are like perfect halves, at least that¡¯s what our mother used to call us,¡± Artemis told Skully, her face turned somber for a brief moment before she picked herself up.

    ¡°This is too much for me¡­ Your annoying dead-looking brother is a hunter and a human?¡± Skully exclaimed.

    ¡°I know, right? He¡¯s not very good at taking care of himself, he¡¯s kind of obsessed with killing vampires. You see, he used to live with our uncle when he was a child, and a vampire killed the whole family, leaving my brother alive. After that he¡¯s been obsessed with killing vampires. Except me of course,¡± Artemis half-smiled, almost as if she brushed off the seriousness of it all. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°That- that sounds bad. Fudge. I get it. I would want vengeance too,¡± Skully admitted, darkness was not a stranger to him.

    He knew that feeling, the feeling of wanting to destroy. Yet he couldn¡¯t explain how or what. For a moment they both sat in silence and discomfort, Artemis tried to avoid these topics. Death was not something she felt comfortable talking about. She had barely known her uncle and his family, and the vampire in her didn¡¯t even care that they had died. She wanted to care, simply because Luke cared, and she cared about Luke.

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to be able to talk to someone else,¡± Skully suddenly muttered.

    ¡°We can talk anytime. Though for now, I think Luke shouldn¡¯t find out. He might try to destroy you or something, I don¡¯t really know. Like I said, you must be incredibly powerful to survive getting your head cut off,¡± Artemis remarked as she got off the couch and started picking up her shopping bags.

    ¡°As if I¡¯m gonna tell him,¡± Skully chuckled.

    Artemis laughed, ¡°I¡¯m excellent at keeping secrets, so I think we¡¯re good. Unless Ellie tells him.¡±

    ¡°Fudge. You know, there¡¯s a high chance of that happening. She talks too much sometimes,¡± Skully grumbled, and he heard the hum of the darkness again. It called him, it tugged at him. The depths of the Sea of Darkness always waited for him to fall in.

    ¡°You ok there?¡± Artemis tapped the skull with her finger.

    ¡°What? Yes, of course,¡± Skully grunted in annoyance.

    ¡°You were quiet for a while there, I tried talking to you but you didn¡¯t reply,¡± Artemis said with a slightly worried tone.

    ¡°It- Ugh¡­ I feel it sometimes. A darkness calling me away, it wants me to leave the skull,¡± Skully admitted.

    Artemis furrowed her eyebrows, ¡°Don¡¯t listen to it, alright? At least not yet.¡±

    ¡°There are some things I don''t tell Ellie. She¡¯s a sunny girl, I don¡¯t want to bring her down with my darkness. Fudge. It feels kind of nice talking about it,¡± Skully told Artemis before he continued, ¡°I spend a lot of time in the dark. There is nothing, pure darkness, like a void. I can¡¯t shake it, I am an island in the darkness. Yet I return, I return to Ellie. She keeps me rooted, and gives me hope that maybe¡­ Just maybe¡­ I can get my memories back, and perhaps even a body too.¡± Skully spoke softly, Artemis could feel the sincerity behind his words.

    ¡°I will look into some things too. No guarantees. I want to find out who you were, it¡¯s a nice little mystery,¡± Artemis smiled and gently patted Skully on the head.

    Skully felt a certain ease around Artemis, like he could tell her whatever was on his mind. She felt bright like Ellie. No. A different kind of bright, like a lantern in the ever lasting darkness.