haven’t been out in the sunlight yet, have you?” Polly asked.
The pain was so intense, it was unlike anything Caitlin had ever felt. It was her first experience as a true, full vampire in the sun, and it was oppressive. She tried, but couldn’t open her eyes.
She felt a soft hand on her forehead. “Lean back, dear. This won’t take but a minute.”
Caitlin leaned back, and Polly reached over and put two drops from a small canister into each of Caitlin’s eyes. Caitlin felt the burning sensation, as she clutched her eyes again. She waited several seconds, then she was able to open them.
She breathed deeply, the pain gone.
“You’re one of us now,” Polly said. “You can’t get away with prancing about wherever you please, like a human. The sunlight is a real thing for you now. No joke. You must take these drops every morning,” she said, thrusting a canister into Caitlin’s hand, “and use your skin wraps, too.”
Polly inspected Caitlin’s skin. “I see you’ve already been wrapped, so that will do for now. But you have to replace them, you know, at least every few days.”
Polly took Caitlin’s arm and led her across the terrace, and down a narrow, winding stone staircase. “Come on Rose, we can’t wait all day!” Polly said.
Rose hesitated at the top, looking down at the steep staircase, then suddenly bounded to life, following close behind.
Polly laughed. “Poor thing, she’s probably famished. How long has it been since you fed her?”
Caitlin tried to think. She couldn’t even remember.
“We’ll take care of you, too,” Polly said to Rose, petting her.
As they descended the steps, Caitlin began to feel better, more like herself. She took an instant liking to Polly, and already felt as if she knew her forever. She already had a new friend, someone who clearly cared about her, and she had Rose. She also realized that she hadn’t seen daylight in days, and seeing the sun and sky lifted her spirits.
Not to mention, Polly was right. Rose needed to be fed. Things needed to happen in the real world. Life needed to go on. Yes, she would have to snap out of it, to function again. Life could indeed go on without Caleb, she realized, as painful as that felt.
As they descended the steps, Caitlin thought of all the new friends she was about to meet, and, if they were anything like Polly, she actually looked forward to it. Yes, she needed to meet new people. Anything to get the thought of Caleb out of her mind.
As they descended the stairs, twisting again and again, Caitlin was afforded a bird’s-eye view of the entire island, in every direction. It was beautiful. The stone castle and its ramparts spread out in every direction, some taller, some lower, most of it crumbling, but some of it, especially inside the courtyard, beautifully intact. There were plenty of open courtyards in every direction, planted with vibrant grass and gardens, and there were acres of land beyond the castle walls, all filled with a dense forest. The island seemed to be in a state of ruin, yet at the same time, it felt very comfortable, lived in. And everywhere, in every direction, she could see the river, sunlight glistening off the water. Fresh breezes came from every direction, and cooled her as she descended.
“Where are we?” Caitlin asked. “I mean, this island. What country are we in?”
Polly laughed playfully.
“My dear, you are disoriented, aren’t you? We are still in the good old US of A. In fact, we are still in New York. That water you see all around you, as big as it is, is not an ocean. It’s just a river. The Hudson, actually. You’re right smack in the middle of it. And not even that far from Manhattan. Just 70 miles. Or, in our mode of transportation, a twenty minute flight,” she said with a wink.
A million questions raced through Caitlin’s mind, but before she could ask, Polly began again, in her chipper tone, “This island is named Pollepel. The humans like to call it
The pain was so intense, it was unlike anything Caitlin had ever felt. It was her first experience as a true, full vampire in the sun, and it was oppressive. She tried, but couldn’t open her eyes.
She felt a soft hand on her forehead. “Lean back, dear. This won’t take but a minute.”
Caitlin leaned back, and Polly reached over and put two drops from a small canister into each of Caitlin’s eyes. Caitlin felt the burning sensation, as she clutched her eyes again. She waited several seconds, then she was able to open them.
She breathed deeply, the pain gone.
“You’re one of us now,” Polly said. “You can’t get away with prancing about wherever you please, like a human. The sunlight is a real thing for you now. No joke. You must take these drops every morning,” she said, thrusting a canister into Caitlin’s hand, “and use your skin wraps, too.”
Polly inspected Caitlin’s skin. “I see you’ve already been wrapped, so that will do for now. But you have to replace them, you know, at least every few days.”
Polly took Caitlin’s arm and led her across the terrace, and down a narrow, winding stone staircase. “Come on Rose, we can’t wait all day!” Polly said.
Rose hesitated at the top, looking down at the steep staircase, then suddenly bounded to life, following close behind.
Polly laughed. “Poor thing, she’s probably famished. How long has it been since you fed her?”
Caitlin tried to think. She couldn’t even remember.
“We’ll take care of you, too,” Polly said to Rose, petting her.
As they descended the steps, Caitlin began to feel better, more like herself. She took an instant liking to Polly, and already felt as if she knew her forever. She already had a new friend, someone who clearly cared about her, and she had Rose. She also realized that she hadn’t seen daylight in days, and seeing the sun and sky lifted her spirits.
Not to mention, Polly was right. Rose needed to be fed. Things needed to happen in the real world. Life needed to go on. Yes, she would have to snap out of it, to function again. Life could indeed go on without Caleb, she realized, as painful as that felt.
As they descended the steps, Caitlin thought of all the new friends she was about to meet, and, if they were anything like Polly, she actually looked forward to it. Yes, she needed to meet new people. Anything to get the thought of Caleb out of her mind.
As they descended the stairs, twisting again and again, Caitlin was afforded a bird’s-eye view of the entire island, in every direction. It was beautiful. The stone castle and its ramparts spread out in every direction, some taller, some lower, most of it crumbling, but some of it, especially inside the courtyard, beautifully intact. There were plenty of open courtyards in every direction, planted with vibrant grass and gardens, and there were acres of land beyond the castle walls, all filled with a dense forest. The island seemed to be in a state of ruin, yet at the same time, it felt very comfortable, lived in. And everywhere, in every direction, she could see the river, sunlight glistening off the water. Fresh breezes came from every direction, and cooled her as she descended.
“Where are we?” Caitlin asked. “I mean, this island. What country are we in?”
Polly laughed playfully.
“My dear, you are disoriented, aren’t you? We are still in the good old US of A. In fact, we are still in New York. That water you see all around you, as big as it is, is not an ocean. It’s just a river. The Hudson, actually. You’re right smack in the middle of it. And not even that far from Manhattan. Just 70 miles. Or, in our mode of transportation, a twenty minute flight,” she said with a wink.
A million questions raced through Caitlin’s mind, but before she could ask, Polly began again, in her chipper tone, “This island is named Pollepel. The humans like to call it
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