Trinity Blood Fan Fiction ❯ Children of Tragedy ❯ Is Anyone Out There� ( Chapter 1 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

By: Araven

AN: The story does start off slow but give it time, it's worth the wait. No flaming please. I will just use them to light the bonfire at my “Impaler's Party” so save yourself the effort.

Warning(s): Language

Chapter One: Is Anyone Out There…

(I've fallen and can't get up!)

Gasping breaths, the howling breeze, windswept hair cluttered with leaves, and the echoing sound of branches underfoot breaking through the darkness. The lone figure of a young woman raced like a shadowed wraith through the underbrush. Long legs pumping in escape; a refugee with only one thought echoing through her muddled mind, freedom.

Slowing her steps to a brisk walk she clutched her chest trying to catch her breath in rasping gasps that shook her tall frame. Long, thick, disheveled, redhair hangs down hiding a flushed face constricted in pain, and wildgreen eyes over flowing with conflicting emotions all threatening to spill forth. Her pale skin stood out in the darkness, and against a once elegant looking dress that is now nothing more then a filthy tattered shadow of its former self.

After what seems like an eternity, theyoung woman finally begins to be able to catch her breath looking around trying now to gather her bearings. All around the red head, for as far as the eye could see, were trees covered in a sea of black, so thick that even the stars in the sky failed to penetrate it.

`Good job Kendra, you've gone and gotten yourself lost,' the red head mentally chided herself,already giving up on trying to find her way without the light of the dual moons, or even a faint glow of a star. She was doomed to wander aimlessly and already the mist gathered,signaling that dawn was quickly approaching, which was far from a good thing.

Swallowing all her fear and trepidation she started off in a random direction in hopes of finding shelter. Kendra knew that the quicker she found a place to hide the better of she'd be. So, off she goes wandering her way through the tangle of underbrush and briers, stumbling and cursing at every fallen tree trunk, rock, bush, and virtually anything else that crossed her path, which in her mind was therefore the sole purpose of making her trip and falling face first onto the ground. And after about an hour of this,Kendra gave up counting how many times she kissed the ground as she grumbled along, rubbing her poor battered nose.

"Stupid rock! Stupid bush!You're all apart of some plot of my undoing aren't you?! `Hey! Lets see how many times we can make Kendra eat dirt'that's what you are saying isn't it?! It's all apart of some big conspiracy. Damn them to hell!" she ranted again not watching where she was going,resulting once again in her falling over a rock protruding from the ground just enough to prove an obstacle for the poor girl.

"Oww! What the hell?!," she cursed aloud looking back at the offending rock. Hervoice echoing through the night.

"Another damn rock. What the hell did I do to you?!"

Kendra stood up brushing off her front, grumbling more about some conspiracy theory before she turned and gave the rock a good hard kick. Sheregretted the moment she did,fora sharp shot of pain pierced her foot and she let out another cry of rage into the night.

~*~*~

She sat perched atop a dust cover table swinging her small legs back andforth; humming to herself as she absent mindedlyturned thepages of a well worn book she had read eight times already, not really reading the words as red hued eyes ran across them. Sighing, she tossed it aside grabbing another even more tattered one she had only read five times.

Flipping a tangled lock of black hair over her shoulder she tried once again in vain to alleviate her boredom and loneliness, which had once again come to settle down upon her. The sheer force of it was enough to smother a person, but what could she do? It wasn't like she hadn't tried everything already. But, it had just become a tedious task that reminded her even more of her current situation.

`When was the last time I did something? When was the last time I got up and wandered around? Wonder if I could find something new to occupy my time, even for a bit?' she shook her head,sending her hair tumbling back into her face, `no I've already explored and there isn't anything new. Well, maybe if I go in to …there."

An involuntary shiver shot up her spine, making her skin crawl as she let herself fall into deeper thought. Thankfully, a rustle resonating from the cage directly across the room awoke her from her memories before she could get in too deep. A soft purring sound could be heard just faintly breaking the silence that had plagued the room for far too long, for both girl and her caged companion.

Cocking her head to the side she listened for a moment to the soft purring and rattling before a tiny smile crossed her lips. Placing the tattered volume on the table next to her as she leap down to the floor, her bare feet sending up a puff of dust that covered everything. The girl coughed a bit, waving her hand in front of her face trying to clear her air space.

Grabbing the book she had just setdown, she gathered all the other books strewn about the room and began placing them on an old dusty bookshelf, with the hundreds of others that made ittheir home. At five-foot one she wasn't really very tall, so it came to no surprise that the girl would be forced to stand on her tippy-toes to reach the higher selves where many of the books belonged,which of course resulted in half the shelves contents to come raining down upon her.

"Goddamn it," she cursed throwing her arms over her head to shelter herself.

When all the books were put away again to her liking she proceeded out the tiny room through a broken old door, and out into the faintly moon lit dust covered hall way.

Despite the lack of light, the black haired girl moved fluently down the corridor,avoiding obstacles along the way. She had wanderedthese halls for years and knewevery door, and where they led along with any object that might cross her path. The only thing she didn't know inside and out was where the cobwebs hung. This irritated her so because as her luck would have it, she would run into each and every one along her journey. The stupid web would then insist on getting stuck in her already matted hair, adding to her discomfort. And, sure enough, not even ten feet from the door, she walked straight into her first one.

Sighing, she shook her head knowing then, that this was going to be a long night as she continued along her way.

`Bothersome cobwebs. Always a pain in my ass.'

~*~*~

Kendra stumbled over another rock, falling face first on to the ground yet again.

"Gah! Godforsaken rock! I swear, whatever is up there must hate me or something," she ranted between clumps of dirt and grass she was attempting to spit out of her mouth.

Dragging herself to her feet Kendra continued cursing her dumb luck as she took stock of her new surroundings. Somehow, the enraged red head had managed to enter a large clearing, a much welcome site from the seemingly endless trees that she had been traveling in for what seemed like an eternity, allowing the moons to shine down bathing everything in a silvery glow.

Off to her right lay a battered over grown path that resembled a drive twisting through the waist high weeds along its sides,and the large mansion like structure looming ahead, dead center of the clearing confirmed this theory.

Kendra sighed and started down the path towards the structure if for no more reason then simple curiosity.

To say that the mansion was falling down was a major understatement. Allit really needed was one good gust of wind to take the whole thing out in a single go. The paint was peeling away from the sides. Shuttershanging by their last thread of life. Window panes shattered, and their shards laying scattered in the over grown vegetation that had taken over this once grand estate.

In short it was reminiscent of every haunted house Kendra had ever read about, which she thought was just a little bit cliché but what could she do? It was the nearest thing and would have to do for just one day. And as soon as night fell, she would be one her way again.

As she fought her way through the over grown path, growing closer with each step towards the old house, Kendra slowly began to see it not just as a rotting pile of wood, but as a place of elegant splendor that it once was. She could even envision the insideof its luxurious walls. A wealthy family would have resided there with a number of others as well. The place would be bustling with activity,and people going to and fro about their business, as children raced between their legs in some childhood game. Voices raised in song as they bound up and down thehall, as a couple stands together smiling, and warmly opening their loving arms out to their children.

Kendra shook her head furiously, sending crimson stands of hair into her face.

`What the hell are you doing? Quit daydreaming and get inside already. The faster you go in and rest the faster you can leave.'

She shook her head again as she mounted the front step of the rickety old estate and after a few moments of internal debate she put her hand to the door and pushed. The door gave with a rusty squeak, as its hinges moved letting a gust of stale air come rushing out.

Stepping inside, Kendra was a bit shocked to see that despite its outward appearance the inside was just a little worn and in much better condition then she would of thought. She could make out a once beautiful circular rug in the center of the front entry, as well as a few faded paintings hanging along the walls, and a chandelier hanging from the high vaulted ceiling swathed in cobwebs.

All of this was fascinating in its own right, but it was the thick layer of dustcoating everything that caught Kendra's sharp green eyes. All alongthe dust covered wooden floors were small footprints, fresh ones by the look of them, meandering from the stairs through the room and down a hallway on the right.

`Who in the world would wander around a place like this? Maybe it's a ghost! Wait, do ghost even leave footprints?'

Kendra continued to argue with herself, baffled by the tiny footprints as she followed their trail with out realizing. Her heavy footfall echoed through the otherwise deathly silent house.

Down thehalls, througha richly furnished room, andinto what appeared to be a library she went. Bookcases lined the walls,each shelf overflowing with volumes of varying lengths and subject matter. Every type of book imaginable could be found crammed on each self. Busts and figurines lined the tops of these shelves shrouded in dust. A large globe stood center of the room next to two plush chairs facing each other near a long cold fireplace.

The tiny footprints wandered past these to the back of the room past an old desk littered with yellowing papers to a one bookcase in particular. It was there that it seemed the person had stopped and remained for some time. Kendra could see many of the books that lacked the layer of grime others possessed signaling that it had not been long since they were used.

The red head pondered this for a moment before picking theup the trail again, out of the side door leading out under the stairs and into the front hall once again. They then began the ascent upwards along a deteriorated looking staircase. It was here that Kendra hesitated.

`What am I doing? Those could be the footprints of some psychopathic killer or something, but then again when have you ever heard of a mass murder with a size six shoe?'

She looked up into the darkness that seemed to devour the stairs, and against her better judgment she began to climb, one creaking stair at a time. It wasn't until Kendra was about half way up,when there was an unnerving crack from below her feet.

`Uh-oh,' was the only thought Kendra could muster before her foot careened downward lodging itself into the step below it stopping at her knee.

"Shit! Damn termite infested house. Another damn conspiracy. I wonder what I did in a past life to piss Karma off so bad, but whatever it is I don't deserve this. Damn it," she ranted as she freed her leg from its imprisonment, though not without some trouble from sharp splinters of rotting wood, then she continued her climb.

The trail twisted sharply up another flight of stairs to anattic-like areawith rooms running along its length, thenit turned left and disappeared down another long, seemingly, endless hallway lit only by the light of the dual moons from outside, which was quickly fading. Kendra still followed, but for a reason she could not explain which was far more then simple curiosity. Itwas as if she was fascinated by the tiny prints and something was drawing her nearer with each step she took.

The trail came to a sudden stop outside a half open door into which they appeared to disappear. Even in the fading light Kendra could see two sets of prints all originating from that point. Oneset going in.Anothergoing out. So whoever made those prints was in that room. Kendra could feel her heart pounding rapidly in her chest as she made up her mind. She was going in. Placing her hand against the door she applied a tiny bit of pressure, and the door swung open fully with a rusty creak.

Moonlight bathed the room through two large windows, whose curtains hung limply tattered and worn. The corners of the room were shadowed, but the rest werealight with the silvery glow. Kendra was drawn immediately to the windows which over looked the back gardens, and the woods that lay beyond, as well as the most beautiful view of the moons that had before been hidden from view from her by the thick forest. So calming, and easily the most beautiful thing Kendra had seen in a long time.

`When was the last time I ever actually looked at the moons? When was the last time they were ever that clear?'

A sudden rustle from one of the shadowed corners broke her of her reflections. The clank of metal could be heard as it moved almost as if it paced. Despite better judgment, yet again,temptation got the best of her and she approached this noise with slow steps. Through the darkness she began to make out the shape of a cage as she grew closer.

"What the….,"

Just as she stretched out her hand to touch the metal, a large animal lunged forward ramming the cage, rattling its chain and letting out a furious growl. Kendra yelped, retracting her hand as she jumped back.

"I guess I should have warned you not to do that,"said a small voice from behind her.

Whirling about, Kendra's sharp eyes caught sight of a figure sitting on a table along the opposite wall. It sat swinging its legs back and forth, with what appeared to be a book open upon its lap.

"Yeah thanks for that. Didn't your mother ever teach you that it's rude to sneak up on someone?Wait a minute, who the hell are you anyways and why are you sitting in a dusty attic anyway?"

"I believe it is you who should be answering that," the voice replied in a bored tone as its owner turned the page of the book.

Kendra scowled, taking a step closer to the figure. “I do recall me asking you first," she gritted through clenched teeth,highly annoyed already at the shadow.

"That may be so,but isn't it polite for the guest to introducetheir self upon entering someone's home," the voice retorted,setting aside its book as it slipped down from the table, leaving the shadows behind and coming to a stop before a startled Kendra. Well as face to face as she could.

Kendra was shocked to see that before her stood a short,young woman no older thentwenty, though it could be hard to tell. Her black, dust-covered dress fell just below her knee with its jagged style hem, and black stockings topped it off with tiny-heeled shoes, giving her the appearance of a tiny doll. A child of sorts, though it was her eyes that startled Kendra the most. Looking up at her were the oddest eyes she had ever encountered. Red hued pools that seemed to glint in the moonlight that shined, and intelligence that was not to be underestimated.

Not being one to back down to anyone in any situation no matter what state of shock she wasin, Kendra was quick to respond.

"But, I do remember being taught that it is the responsibility of the host to provide first introductions," the red head barked out.

The girl shook her head sighing,letting a stray strand of dust-tangled hair fall into her face.

"True, but is it not also appropriate for the guest to already know the host before entering ones home," she simply replied, cocking a thin black eyebrow at Kendra.

This floored the red head. Clearly, this little woman was not backing down. No one had ever argued with Kendra much before, and much less winning. Obviously her opponent had bested her, and being the person she was she conceded.

"Kendra."

"Excuse me?"

"Kendra. My name is Kendra," she sighed, admitting defeat.

"Azmaria," the girl smiled, bowing her head in greeting.

Kendra nodded in recognition, as a small smile graced her lips for the first time in what seemed like an eternity to her.

"Please to meet you Azmaria," she said nodding back. "Now that that's out of the way, care to tell me what the hell just growled at me over there," asked Kendra,throwing a thumb over her shoulder to the cage in the corner where the rattling of chains could still be heard.

"Oh that's just my cat. Don't mind him. He just gets a bit cranky when people disturb his nap time," Azmaria stated, nonchalantly returning to her spot on the table.

Kendra's mouth dropped.

"Your cat!" she gasped out, "what the hell kind of cat is it, a cougar or something?"

"No of course not…"

"Whew, I thought it might be something dangerous like a wild cat, or something of the type," Kendra sighed in relief, returning her attention back to the `cute kitty cat', extending her hand out to touch the cage again in hope of maybe getting to pet the little thing.

"He's a panther," Azmariastated, looking up from her book again with a wicked grin, just as Kendra came into rang of the kitty, "or at least I think that's what he is."

Upon hearing those words, Kendra whipped her hand away,flailing her arms back as she fell backwards onto Azmaria, but just as the cat leaped forward snapping at the air that just seconds beforehad been flesh. Behind her she heard a stifled laugh.

"What the hell are you doing?! Trying to kill me or something?"

"Sorry," stifled laughter came forth once again from behind Azmaria's tiny hand. "I just wanted to see if Mr. Whiskers would actually try something."

"Mr. Whiskers? You mean that thing has a name?" Kendra stared at thecat, now clearly seen pacing within its cage, giving her what she saw was an almost evil grin. "Why the hell did you name him Mr. Whiskers? Why not something like demon cat or something more fitting?"

Azmaria sighed, not even looking up from her book this time.

"That's what he told me to call him."

Kendra was left flabbergasted yet again.

"He TOLD you to call him that?! I don't know what the hell you are on, but please tell me you're joking."

Azmaria simply shook her head, "nope."

The red head just stared whipping her head side to side to take in both Azmaria and her cat Mr. Whiskers, trying to figure out when she would wake up from this mad hatter's tea party.

"I won't even ask. But how long have you actually been in this old attic, might I ask?"

Azmaria looked up in thought. She turned her head towards the caged cat across the room,cocking her head as if listening to some unheard voice.

"Personally, I don't know but I believe. It has been twenty so years,or at least that's what Mr. Whiskers thinks."

Raising an eyebrow Kendra stared at her mentally, trying to judge her sanity.

"Twenty years, yet you don't look older then that yourself. What did your parents do, lock you up here when you were a child," she asked.

She instantly regrettedit, seeing that Azmaria lowered her head, but before she did Kendra caught sight of something that made her heart nearly break. A sadnessso deep and complete washed over those red tinted eyes before black strands fell about them, shielding them from view once again. Pain, sadness, and something else Kendra couldn't quite place, but all things she knew well. She shuttered, as tiny bits of her own memory began to creep back into her mind before she shook them away.

"What happened to your parents?"

Sitting completely still, almost like the doll she appeared to be she sighed.

"Father left a long time ago. He told me I had to stay up here till he came back to finish but…"

Kendra waved her hand to silence her. "Don't explain I understand."

It was then that both fell into an almost eerie silence, as each pondered their own nightmares. It was not long before Kendra broke the silence.

"It's settled then. You're coming with me. Grab your cat and let's go," she said, grabbing the girl's thin arm and pulling her up off the floor.

"Huh?"

"You heard me. Grab the demon cat and let's go."

A smile crossed Azmaria's face as she ran over and began to mess with the cage, until with a loud clack, a large yellow eyed cat came strutting out. Kendrajumped, taken aback by the shear size of the beast.

`When she said panther I guess she wasn't kidding.'

"Ready," Azmaria stated with the cat by her side.

"Right, lets go," Kendra cheered turning, beginning the trek downwards.

The journey went about without incident; even for Kendra who carefully avoided the step in which she had fallen through on the stairs. It was not till they had near reachedthe door that Azmaria spoke.

"Hang on I have to get something, be right back," she called over her shoulder, as she raced down the hallway leaving Kendra behind.

"Umm..ok. I'll be outside," she called, walking out the door into the crisp morning air.

Azmaria raced down the hallway turning left and right when ever needed, till she entered the old library where she immediately picked up two large volumes sitting perched behind a large bust of some long forgotten person. These were hers and she would be damned if she left them. She raced back as quickly as she could, praying Kendra hadn't disappeared. When she reached the door step, she stopped.

`What am I doing? Why am I leaving? Father said stay put then he would finish theproject. Besides, thisis the only place I know to be home'

She stood there like a stone, just staring out at the now orange sky debating with herself. Azmaria felt a soft nudge from behind her and when shelooked down she saw Mr. Whiskers,looking up at her with pleading eyes. It was then that she knew what she had to do, and she stepped over that threshold into a world she could not remember.

"Hey hurry up already," Kendra called out.

Azmaria raced to her side as they began to walk towards the now rising sun. Yellow and orange gave the sky a warm glow. The cool breeze blew, whistling through the tress as it passed, and birds chirped in chipper little voices.

Looking about in wonder, Azmaria took it all in. Things she knew but could not name.Things from deep within that forgotten part of her memory. They all collided together,shocking her senses.

"Kendra," she asked quietly, "where are we going, might I ask?'

Kendra stopped for a second in thought. Until that moment, she had never thought of it.She had only been running from everything. Now was the time for her to set forth the wheels of fate, which would give them both the reins to their own destinies.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I've always wanted to go to Rome."