Beyond This Illusion

Minutes passed. Hours. Days? Mina wasn't sure how long it took her to awaken. When her emerald eyes finally fluttered open, she groaned. "I'm blind," she thought foolishly, then realized there was simply no light in the room she was in. What room was she in? Slowly she lifted her right hand, and let it sweep sideways. It did not meet a solid, like her night table in her bedroom. Where in the hell was she? Mina placed her hand back down. It landed on something soft. A bed? Mina placed her hands palm down, and carefully tried to push herself up into a sitting position. A dull pain throbbed at her neck. "What happened?" she whispered to herself. The voice sounded odd to her, even though it was her own. Far away, as if she was listening to an echo of her voice from mountains surrounding her. Mina blinked several times, seeing vague shapes in the room. She could see the outline of the bed. It was majestic, large, with a Victorian style draping over the sides. To the far right, in the corner, was a large cupboard looking object. Mina couldn't make it out clearly enough to recognize it. Directly to her left was a large lamp, too high for her to reach to turn it on. Mina sighed softly. She groaned again as she shoved herself forward to sit on her knees. The dull ache in her neck returned, more intense as she moved more often. Her left hand reached up now that she was sitting up higher, and her fingers clasped over the turn knob. For a moment nothing happened, then a dull light exploded in the room from the light bulb. Mina winced, her eyes blinking to adjust to the sudden light source. Turning, Mina let her eyes wander over the objects in the room. The large cupboard thing in the corner was a cage, covered with a sheet which had given it a larger size look. It was tall, and from what Mina could see empty. The sheet didn't rustle, and there was no twittering coming from inside the confines.

With cautious movements, Mina pushed herself up from the bed. She stumbled for a moment before her feet found solid ground, and she was able to stand there without trembling. Weakness and exhaustion controlled her body, but the rest she had taken was helping. Mina didn't understand why she was so tired, but it was about damn time to find out. Ahead of her was a solid, dark oak door. The knob was a shiny gold, polished cleanly. She placed her hand on the knob, and turned it left. It didn't move. She tried right. Still nothing. "Fuck..." she cursed under her breath. She was locked in this bedroom. Nothing in here but a bed, a bird cage, a lamp, and as she turned around, a mirror on the right wall. Mina stepped to it, gazing at her reflection. The mirror was dirty, and cracked in several places. Sighing, Mina shook her head. Raven tresses bounced along her shoulders. It took her several seconds of staring to realize she wasn't in her own clothing. Blinking, she looked down at the dress she wore. It was silky black, like a nightgown yet thicker than a normal one. Low cut, but not in a promiscuous way. Laces lined the front, and ties kept it tight around her waist at the back. It flowed smoothly past her waist, and widened around her thighs, then stopped just above her knee. A blush appeared on her cheek, and she noticed she wasn't in lingerie of any sort. Never having gone commando before, this was entirely new to her.

Just like last night. Or whenever that night was. How much time had passed since then? More importantly, where was she, how did she get here, and why was she locked in a bedroom? What happened to her? To Jiresue?

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Mina let her mind wander. She tried to think of that night. The last thing she remembered was...well, the sweet part. The blush burned hot on her cheek. After that, she couldn't remember. As if someone had completely cut that part of her memory out. Mina placed her hands in her lap, and looked down at her feet. The light was too dim, but Mina didn't want to turn it up brighter. In fact she should turn it off. Whoever had taken her here might see it on, and come to see her. Mina knew she would have to face whoever it was, but for now she just wanted to disappear into the comfortable bed and procrastinate. Maybe she should try banging on the door? No, that would call attention to herself. Mina stood, sweeping around the bed and to the lap. Just as her hand lifted to flick out the light, there was a faint knocking sound behind her. Mina jumped and twirled around. The knock returned. It was soft, gentle, at the door. Her lower lip trembled in fear. "Are you awake yet, my pet?" called a sweet, singsong voice. Mina felt her heart fluttering. She couldn't recognize the voice, but she knew it from somewhere. "Y-Yes," she called, wishing immediately she hadn't answered at all. The tumbler of the lock clicked open, and the door swung open. Mina stepped back, her hands clasped together behind her back. She was terrified to see who belonged to such a mystical voice. Where had she heard it before?

In stepped a tall, statuesque woman. Long, waved auburn hair fell to shapely shoulders. Piercing amber eyes narrowed pleasantly as they settled on Mina's terrified form. The woman wore a black tank top, form fitting, and dark wash jeans. Comfortable attire, yet attractive to her figure. Mina gasped sharply. "Jiresue!" she cried, unsure of whether to step forward in happiness or step back again in fear. No, no way was Jiresue the one who had taken her here. After all they had shared such an intimate moment there was no way this woman had such a cruel side.

"Mm, yes, Mina," Jiresue responded, gliding in and shutting the door silently behind her. Keys jangled in her hand, then slipped back into her front pocket. Delicate hands came to rest on her hips; sharp fingernails tapping idly on her pockets. "You should be still in bed. You're exhausted, I know," she laughed, stepping toward her. Mina shook her head gently, stepping back to keep their distance apart. "No...no...what...no!" Mina cried, whimpering softly. "No? My, yes, pet. Let me guess, you want to ask me. Where are you? How'd you get here? What are you doing here? Well, I'll answer those. Sit, now. Relax. You'll use all your energy." When Mina hesitated, Jiresue narrowed her eyes darkly. "Sit," she hissed. Mina winced, and immediately placed herself on the bed near the pillows, still keeping as far as she could away from the woman. Jiresue chuckled softly, her eyes watching Mina's movements like a hawk ready to attack their prey. "Relax. Geez, girl, I'm not going to kill you." The sentence didn't comfort Mina in any way. "So why am I here? You brought me here, didn't you?" Mina snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. Jiresue sighed, and looked sideways for a moment. "Yes, I did," she replied, turning back to Mina. "And I'll tell you why. But for now, you rest. Now." The command only made Mina huff, shaking her head. "No, tell me what I'm doing here. Now!" The cry was louder, angrier. Jiresue hissed with frontal teeth, leaning over with swiftness and grabbing the base of Mina's throat, sending her head backwards. Mina whimpered, wincing when the back of her head hit the head board. "Do not give me orders. You are in no position to think you have control of this situation. I give the commands here, not you. You are just a silly human girl with the attitude of a sailor. It will stop now, or I might decide to lie about not killing you." Mina sniffled quietly, and nodded. Jiresue tightened her grip for a split second as a warning, then removed her hand and brought it to lay atop her other on her knees. Mina glared at her, but made no other sounds.

"Now, I will tell you why you are here. You must promise me to behave though. I will not kill you unless you disobey me. If you go against any of my orders I will punish you. And I do not punish lightly," she warned Mina, staring coldly into the girl's eyes. Unsure of how to answer, Mina only nodded for now. Jiresue noted this, but only sighed and nodded. "All right. You are here because I need food. It sounds cruel, and really, it is. I feed off of the living. Their blood, it keeps me regained." Here she paused, letting Mina absorb that much. "You mean...like a vampire?" Mina asked, feeling this be a sort of familiar conversation between them before, sometime. Jiresue shrugged lightly. "Yes, you could say that. I cannot die. Though some of the myths are very untrue," Jiresue chuckled, "Like holy water. It's nothing to me. Sunlight stings my eyes more so than humans, but I cannot burn. I am extremely cold. I'm surprised you didn't notice that the other night." Jiresue's laughter was cold as well. Mina winced back, the blush darker now. "Yeah..well..." she stuttered, shifting. The other day, huh? "How long have I been here?" Mina asked quietly. Jiresue frowned some, then replied, "Two days. I brought you here shortly after you passed out in your home. You slept that night, the next day and night, and now you woke. It's about two in the afternoon now." Mina sighed. Two days already. Wow.

How was she going to escape this place? There was no window to climb through. Mina shook her head softly, nearly shrieking in pain as the two small wounds on her neck ripped open from her movement. Jiresue's eyes flashed crimson. Small droplets of blood trickled down Mina's neck. Immediately Jiresue flinched toward the girl, but she controlled herself. Mina raised her hand quickly and placed it firmly over the wounds. Jiresue shook her head. "No, you'll get blood everywhere. Come here." Again she shook her head, only to wince again in pain. Jiresue growled, reaching over and grabbing Mina's wrists. "I told you to obey me. Now come here!" she hissed, yanking Mina forward. The pull was so strong that the girl fell completely forward onto her stomach. Jiresue tsked as she flipped Mina over, then held her wrists above her head with one hand, while the other grabbed the girl's throat gently and turned it sideways. "No! Let go of me!" Mina screamed. Jiresue hissed again, nearly spitting in anger. "Stop! You'll get more blood everywhere, and I don't want to have to hurt you. Stop struggling!" The girl did not stop moving, which only made this harder for Jiresue. More blood had begun to trickle down. Without hesitating, Jiresue clamped her mouth around the wound tightly. Mina whimpered, instantly her body stilled. It didn't hurt, for Jiresue was not biting her now but merely cupping the wound with her lips. The woman's tongue glided across the fair skin, licking up every drop of blood, and sealing the wound with her healing saliva. There would be a faint scar, but otherwise it would be healed completely.

Jiresue sat back, straddling Mina's waist and keeping her hands above her head. "I've healed it. This time. I don't like to use my magic on pathetic meals like you. I will not do it again. Next time I tell you to do something you will do it. You're lucky I am not punishing you now." Jiresue hissed at her, glaring for several seconds before crawling off of her. Mina panted on the bed, unmoving until Jiresue stood in the open door frame. "You will rest now. I will come back later tonight to bring you something to eat." Without another word, the woman turned her back to Mina, and slammed the door shut. A second later the tumbled activated. Mina was trapped inside again.

Shivering, it took several minutes for Mina to bring herself to sit up. When she finally did, she found that the dull ache whenever she moved was gone. Her neck was as good as she new. Weakly, Mina stood before the mirror again. She could barely make out two small pinprick scars on the base of her neck. "Hmm..." she hummed, turning toward the bed. She was very tired. The conversation with Jiresue had worn her out. She couldn't believe Jiresue was a vampire, though. It was all a joke, she was sure. Jiresue must have a strong stomach to have been able to lick up her blood. Mina growled angrily, and slipped herself into the bed once more. It was so comfortable, so relaxing. She was asleep within minutes. She lay asleep silently, dreamless.