Bethina (Vampire Morsels)



  Vampire Morsels:

  BETHINA

  A short story

  By Joleene Naylor

  https://www.joleenenaylor.com

  [email protected]

  Copyright 2011-2015 by Joleene Naylor

  Cover art copyright Joleene Naylor 2011-2015. All rights reserved.

  Ramblings from the Darkness at https://www.joleenenaylor.com

  You never know what you’ll find in the shadows…..

  * * * * * * * * * *

  GET ALL SEVENTEEN SHORT STORIES IN ONE ILLUSTRATED VOLUME:

  The Vampire Morsels Collection: Tasty Bites from the Amaranthine Universe

  Other books by Joleene Naylor:

  Amaranthine:

  0: Brothers of Darkness

  1: Shades of Gray

  2: Legacy of Ghosts

  3: Ties of Blood

  4: Ashes of Deceit

  5: Heart of the Raven

  6: Children of Shadows

  7. Clash of Legends

  8. Masque of the Vampire

  9: Goddess of Night

  Also:

  Vampire Morsels Collection: 17 Short Stories

  101 Tips for Traveling with a Vampire by Joleene Naylor

  Heart of the Raven Mini Prologue Collection

  Tales from the Island: Six Short Stories

  Thirteen Guests: A Masque of the Vampire companion

  Road to Darkness: A short story companion to Brothers of Darkness

  COMING SOON:

  Tales of the Executioners

  * * * * * * * * * *

  Thanks to Sue Koenig & Bonnie Mutchler for their ninja-like proofing.

  * * * * * * * * * *

  This is the sixth in a collection of short stories, Vampire Morsels. Each story is about a different vampire from the Amaranthine universe who, for one reason or another, didn’t get a chance to tell their tale.

  You can find Bethina in Shades of Gray. This story takes place at the Cotterill Plantation in Virginia in 1947.

  This story may contain violence, strong language, sexual content or other disturbing scenes and is not intended for a young audience.

  * * * * * * * * * *

  Bethina snapped the suitcase shut and gave the familiar bedroom a last look. She could feel her mother standing in the doorframe behind her and imagined the frown on her face and the unshed tears in her eyes.

  “Are you sure about this?”

  Bethina sighed and turned to face her. “Yes, Mom. I’m sure. What else am I going to do?” Her mother started to answer, but Bethina hurried on before she could. “It isn’t like I’m moving to the ends of the earth. It’s just a few miles out of town. I can come home and visit you.”

  That wasn’t enough to silence her mother’s objections. “And what happens when you get too sick to be a nanny anymore?”

  “Would you rather they send me to die in a TB San? Would that be better?” Her mother flinched as if she’d slapped her, and Bethina instantly regretted the words. Regardless, there was truth in them. How much longer could they pretend she wasn’t sick? Eventually, there’d be no choice and they’d have to send her away. Blue Ridge was one of the better sanatoriums, but it was over 100 miles away. That might as well be 1,000. This option was better - so very, very much better. If only she could tell her mother all of it, then maybe she’d understand. But, she couldn’t.

  “I’m sorry, mother, but I’ve made up my mind. They know about my condition and they still want me to come stay full time. And Alexander is so sweet. You can’t look at him without melting. I don’t want to leave him behind. I want to do something with the time I have left.”

  “If you feel that way, then don’t you have a responsibility to that little boy? You’re exposing him to the disease by being there.”

  “And I’m exposing you by being here. And I expose everyone in church on Sundays! The Cotterill’s know about my condition,” she repeated. “And they have still asked me to stay full time.”

  “But those people!” Her mother caught her hands and held them. “Bethy, they’re… they’re not right. They stay isolated in that old plantation and no one ever sees them. They’re-”

  “Different,” Bethina finished for her. “There’s nothing wrong with them, mother.” At least nothing I can tell you about.

  A horn sounded outside and Bethina thanked whatever saint was the patron of interruptions. “That’s Eddie. He’s taking me up there.” She extracted her hands and hurriedly grabbed her luggage. “I’ll be back in a couple of weeks for a visit.” She brushed a quick kiss across her mom’s cheek and then slid neatly past her. “I love you! See you then!”

  “Bethy!”

  Bethina didn’t stop to let her mother finish, and she didn’t look back. Her mind was made up. There was no safer place in the world for her to go than the big brick plantation house with its shadowy corridors, silent rooms, and undead occupants. Occupants that couldn’t catch her disease.

  Eddie was a few years older than her. Though they got along well enough, they had nothing to talk about, so the trip was silent. She could feel his disapproval, but they weren’t close enough for him to comment. However, when he parked the car just inside the large, iron gates, he met her eyes and cleared his throat noisily. The sign something unpleasant would follow.

  She tried to circumvent it. “Thanks, Eddie. I’ll see you later.”

  “Will you?” His question forced her to drop the door handle and meet his gaze. “I know it’s not my business, but are you sure you know what you’re doing? Everyone thought you were crazy enough working part time up here, but to move in? They’re creepy, and this place is about as cheerful as a funeral parlor. You sure you want to live here?”

  Her eyes narrowed at his blunt assessment. “You’re right; it’s not your business.” She opened the door and climbed out with a crisp, “thank you for the ride.” She slammed the door with a satisfying sound, and then marched to the house.

  The large front door opened before she knocked, and Sandra, one of the maids, moved aside to admit her. The entrance hall was a huge room paneled in wood and hung with old, heavy portraits. Light shone through windows around the front door, but it couldn’t chase away the shadows. Technically, Eddie was right. The house wasn’t very cheerful. The interior had been redecorated, but otherwise it was the same as it had been when it had been built over a hundred years ago. That meant no plumbing, and no electricity.

  “You’re staying?” Sandra asked and took a step back. Like the rest of the staff, she could still get sick and, though she was never unfriendly, she was distant.

  Bethina only nodded and Sandra motioned to the curving staircase. “You might as well go on up. They’re not awake yet.”

  Bethina nodded again and climbed the stairs slowly. She made her way down the corridor to what was her new bedroom. Late September sunlight splashed through the windows and brought a cheer to the room that the somber hallways lacked.

  She unpacked a little, rested briefly, then walked downstairs to the basement kitchen where the women were cleaning and preparing what would be their breakfast. Yes, things here were different, including what time their day started.

  Both women glanced up at her, but only Sandra acknowledged her. “Have you eaten?”

  “Yes, but thank you.” She pulled up a chair at the kitchen table and watched Jane add wood to the old cast iron stove. Finished, the woman straightened and mopped her forehead, then rolled up her sleeves. Her arms were wrapped at random intervals with white gauze bandages. A hazard of working at the plantation house.

  As if she felt the scrutiny, Jane turned around and met Bethina’s blue eyes. “I hear you’re going to be here full time?” Bethina nodded and Ja
ne looked mildly surprised. “I can’t imagine your family is happy about that.”

  Bethina shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “No. My mother’s pretty upset about it.”

  “I would be, too, if I were her.” Jane turned back to a bowl of batter, leaving Bethina wide eyed with surprise.

  “But why? You work here.”

  Jane stiffened, but didn’t turn back around. “Just because I’m here doesn’t mean I’d want my daughter to be here. I know what they are, after all. I wouldn’t want my child committed to this enslavement.”

  “Enslavement?” Bethina echoed. The word seemed absurd and out of place. Something antiquated and distasteful. “How can you call it that?”

  “And what would you call it?” Something dark hid under the edges of Jane’s tone. Something angry and challenging. It instantly irritated Bethina.

  “How about employment?”

  Jane laughed, but it wasn’t a happy sound. “You’re young still, and naïve. Employment is something