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Interlude: Barcelona

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Page 1: Interlude: Barcelona
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One quiet night, at the mansion by the sea, just a few doors up from the Night household...

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There came a knock at the door.

“Bruges, the door,” the dark witch called, not looking up from her book.

The man rolled his eyes from downstairs and went to answer it.

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“Yes?”

“Hello, I’m looking for Barcelona Wallace? We arranged a meeting?” Red eyes, sickly skin,

fangs—the young woman was obviously a vampire.

“You must be Romi. Ce’s been expecting you.”

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“Follow me.”

Romi hesitated a moment before following the man upstairs.

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“Wait here,” Bruges told her as he walked up the final flight of stairs. “Romi Wallace-Fuchs is

here to see you.”

“Ah, yes, Romi. Send her up.”

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“You realize I’m your brother, not your butler, right?” Bruges asked flatly.

“Bruges, all this talking will only keep Romi waiting. Now, send her up.”

Bruges sighed and turned towards the stairs. “You can come up now, Romi.”

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Bruges moved to his sister’s side and turned away from her.

Romi walked upstairs and tried to swallow her uneasiness. She didn’t scare easily, but when

she’d spoken to Barcelona on the phone, something about her didn’t seem quite right. Despite

her being the daughter of Romi’s sister-in-law, Romi had never actually met her before. As she

entered the room and saw that the girl was a witch, it only worsened her fear.

She was surprised to see the man who had answered the door was staying in the room, but she

said nothing. She was grateful for his presence. He seemed a lot more approachable than

Barcelona. “Hello,” she said, trying to keep her tone even.

“Ah, Romi, good to finally meet you,” Barcelona said, still not looking up from her book.

“Please, come closer.”

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“Oh, come now! You can come closer than that! We’re family, after all!”

“My mother Ariadne was a witch,” Romi said flatly. “I’ve seen what she can do. If that’s the

power of a good witch, I’m wary of what an evil witch can do.”

“No need to be hurtful. I prefer morally ambiguous. But, yes, I do suppose you come from a very

magical background. I was quite fond of Ariadne. She treated me like a granddaughter, even

though I was only the daughter of her daughter-in-law. She gave me my powers. Did you know

that?”

Romi raised an eyebrow.“I didn’t. The magic was supposed to go to the heir of our family.”

“Well, that ended rather quickly, now, didn’t it? You said you had a request for me.”

“Yes.”

“Well, by all means, let’s hear it.”

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“My husband and I are both vampires.”

“I hadn’t gathered.”

Romi clenched her jaw.

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“We’ve recently had a child and are expecting another.”

“Congratulations.”

“As creatures of the night, we must sleep during the day. As a result, I’ve come to realize that we

cannot properly care for our children during the day. Also, we live in a small shack near the

outskirts and don’t have room for another child. You’ve said that we’re...that we’re family...I

was wondering...I mean, I wanted to ask...”

“You want us to give you a home here.”

“...Yes.”

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“I suppose I could grant your wish. We have plenty of room, after all. And Bruges could care for

your children. He has nothing better to do.” Bruges tensed a little, but said nothing. “And, as I

said, we are family and family cares for one another. So, I suppose I can grant your request...but

I’ll expect something in return...”

Romi narrowed her eyes. “And what would that be?”

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“You and your husband are vampires, but from what you told me, your child is not and I will

guess that your next child will not be. This means that vampirism is not genetic. Do you not find

that interesting? If I let you and your family move in, I will request that I be allowed to...observe

your children.”

Romi didn’t like where this was going. “What would that entail?”

“I would like to figure out why they have not been born vampires and what having vampires as

parents means for their genetic make-up. Especially you, Romi. You are not only a vampire, but

the child of a witch and a matchmaker. That’s very interesting. I am quite curious about children

with supernatural parentage. I am also the child of a matchmaker, after all, and an alien.”

Romi’s eye widened. “You want to run experiments on my children?”

“Well, when you put it that way...”

“No! Absolutely not!”

“Romi, please.”

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“There is no way I’m letting you use my children as test subjects!”

“Then, we have nothing left to talk about. Good day, Romi.”

“You sniveling, little—”

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“You don’t want to finish that sentence,” Bruges said suddenly, causing Romi to jump and look

at him. “Insults will only serve to amuse my sister and will get you nowhere. Look, you’re

obviously desperate. This is probably the best offer you’re going to get in this town.”

“She wants to use my children as lab rats!”

“Oh, I’m sure she wouldn’t go that far. She simply wants to find out why your children haven’t

inherited the vampire trait and what effect their parentage will have on their lives and the lives of

others. It’s a matter of safety. After all, a doctor runs tests on a patient in order to figure out the

best way to treat them, right?”

“Are you saying my children are diseased?!”

“You’re missing the point. What I mean is, this is what’s best for your children’s safety. We’re

in the know and will treat them with care. No dissections, no dangerous tests, just enough to

make sure they’re safe and healthy. Barcelona won’t go any farther than that. Right, Ce?”

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Barcelona didn’t answer immediately. Bruges eyes narrowed slightly. “Yes,” she said finally. “I

suppose that is the best way to put it. My brother always was better with words.” She turned to

face Romi. “I will not harm your children. They will be safe as long as they are here. You have

my word.”

“Take it,” Bruges whispered.

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Romi hesitated. They were desperate. She couldn’t care for her children properly, but she didn’t

want to be separated from them either. This was a way that they could be cared for and her

family could still be together. Plus, the two were right. What if the vampirism affected the

children later in life? Would a foster family be able to handle that without hurting anyone?

Probably not.

However, she didn’t trust Barcelona Wallace as far as she could throw her, no matter what she

said about family and the safety of her children. Still, Bruges seemed a lot saner, though how

much control he had in the house, she didn’t know.

“Fine,” she finally said, reluctantly.

“Excellent,” Barcelona said cheerfully. “You and your family can move in right away! We have

rooms already set up for you!”

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“Now, why don’t you give your niece a hug?”

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“You hurt my children and I will murder you in your sleep.”

Barcelona smiled. “Oh, Romi, you give too much away.”

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Bruges shook his head and walked away.

“Now, go fetch your family. My brother will be there to meet you.”

Romi pulled away as soon as Barcelona would let her. “Yes. Of course.”

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Bruges watched as the young vampire walked downstairs. With a hardened face, he turned back

to his sister.

Barcelona grinned. “Excellent. This should be interesting.”

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“Bruges, will you make sure the Fuchs family’s living arrangements are all prepared for their

arrival?”

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“Ce, what the hell are you doing?”

“I’m offering a home to our dear aunt. Well, pseudo-aunt, I suppose. We aren’t related by blood

and we haven’t met until today—”

“Like hell you are! You just offered a desperate woman asylum for her family in exchange for

the right to poke and prod her children to see what makes them tick!”

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“Oh, no, Bruges, you’re taking this entirely the wrong way! It’s like you said. I’m only running

tests to ensure her children’s safety. Weren’t those your exact words?”

“Let’s get something straight, Ce. You are putting those kids in my care and I will do my damn

well best to protect them from any and all threats, including you. Understood?”

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“You always did take your responsibilities seriously, Bruges. Your meaning is quite clear. Now,

go prepare to receive our guests.”

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“You’re sure this is a good idea?” Count Alan asked his wife.

Romi sighed. “No. But what choice do we have, Alan? Louis needs someone to care for him

while we sleep.”

“Then, hire a nanny.”

“We can’t, Alan! We live in a shack with a second child on the way and no money! These

people were raised by my brother! They’re our best chance!”

Count Alan sighed. “You’re right. Let’s go.”

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“Ah, Romi, nice to see you again. You must be Alan Fuchs.”

“Count.”

“Yes, of course. I’m Bruges Wallace. My mother is married to your wife’s brother.”

“Yes, I’m aware.”

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“There is a room upstairs prepared for you and your wife when day breaks. The nursery for your

children is two doors down.”

“Where do you sleep?”

“In the room in-between.”

“And your sister?”

“Across the hall. She spends most of her time in the attic, however.”

“Hm.” Count Alan brushed past the man and headed into the living room.

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“Hello...Bruges, you said?”

“Yes. And this must be...”

“Louis.”

“Of course.”

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“I’m trusting him with you,” Romi said pointedly.

“I understand,” Bruges said as he carefully took the child.

“Do you?” she asked coldly.

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“Romi, I know my sister’s words have frightened you. They’ve frightened me as well. I swear to

you now, I will do everything to protect your children as long as I am alive to. You have my

word. It may not be worth anything to you now, the word of Barcelona’s brother, but to me, my

word is everything and I will never break it.”

Romi searched the eyes of the man in front of her, looking for some trace that he was lying, for

some trace that he was like his sister. But she saw nothing. Bruges looked entirely sincere. Still,

she was wary. “Okay...Thank you, Bruges.”

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“You’re welcome, Romi.”

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“Do you trust them?” Count Alan asked as Romi joined him on the couch.

“Barcelona? Absolutely not. Bruges? No...but he’s definitely not like his sister and he seems

sincere. Still, I’m keeping an eye on him.”

“As am I.”

Romi allowed herself to relax a little. “Despite that, I feel...I don’t know, safer.”

“Yes...I think I do as well.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

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Bruges laid Louis in the crib. “There you go, Louis. I won’t let Barcelona hurt you. You’re safe

with me.”

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Barcelona smiled as she continued her studies. “I always get what I want.”

End of Interlude.