Littermates

Littermates
by Fannie Feazell

Chapter Forty
1966--Becoming

"Kitten," said Nana, "You have to eat some of the vegetables." Kitten looked at her narrowly, then made her expression angelically innocent and pointed to the half-demolished mound of mashed potatoes and gravy on her plate. "Don't try that with me, young lady. I know that you know better. You're having some of everything." Nana dished a small spoonful each of green beans and carrots onto Kitten's plate.

Kitten stared at them, wrinkling her nose. "Mousie food."

"Mousie?"

Acacia, sounding amused, said, "Same thing as rabbit food to her. Rabbits--mousies--prey."

Nana leaned over and pointed at the food on the plate. "Kitten, I want you to smell those carrots."

Kitten sniffed obligingly, and got a considering look on her face. "They smells sweet."

"That's because they're candied."

"Candy?"

"Cooked with brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon. Doesn't that sound like candy?"

"Ye-ah."

"And those little white bits in the beans? Those are almonds. Nuts."

"I guess maybe I can try them." She poked a carrot with her fork and bit it gingerly. Her face lit up, and she started to gobble.

Clyde looked at Nana admiringly. "I could use you at the hospital. Occasionally we get a stubborn one and end up having to hook them to an IV for nourishment. Granted there are some of them I wouldn't mind making uncomfortable, but the ones who have that problem are usually just pathetic. Kitten, listen to Nana. You need to get your tummy good and full, and not just with cookies."

"How come?" Kitten mumbled around a mouthful of green beans.

"Because you're going to be asleep for three days, and you're going to wake up hungry. Even if you stuff yourself you're going to be hungry, but if you don't do it on a full stomach you'll feel like you're starving."

"I'se getting awful full," said Kitten doubtfully. "I wanna save room for 'zert. Nana gots strawberry shor'cake. I saw."

"Well, why don't you let one of the other girls eat for a little while?" said Nana.

"Nuffin' stoppin' them," said Kitten cheekily.

"Except that you're taking up the chair," said Nareesha affectionately. "I swear, Kitten. Sometimes I think you're porcine instead of feline."

"What's that mean?"

"It means you're a little piggy," said Acacia. Then she snorted several times. There was a giggle that had to be Kitten, then Acacia continued, "Nana, you are without a doubt the best cook ever." She lifted a bite of rosy, dripping beef to her mouth and chewed, groaning with satisfaction. "They cook it till it's gray at the hospital."

Nareesha took over after a few more bites, then said, "Clyde, about this hunger." She drew patterns with her fork in the last smears of gravy on her plate. "You said that the first awakening can be a dangerous time to be around a fledgeling. I can't help but think that our internal beast might make it even more intense. The question is..." she glanced first at Nana, then at Clyde, "will she be safe here? If there's any chance, I'd much rather have this over with at the hospital, where we can be locked away and insure everyone's safety."

"Your concern is commendable," said Clyde, "but I don't think we need to worry. The instances I told you about have always involved people who weren't strong willed in life--ones who had no purpose or direction. They're confused and weakened during the first few minutes, and our nature is opportunistic. The beast part of us will rise up and take control, if we let it. There are some who give themselves over to it all the time..." he scowled. "These are the ones who make it hard on us all. We tend to hunt them down and dispose of them for the common good. In any case, I seriously doubt this will be a problem. You've not only got one strong personality, you've got several, and you have one of the strongest drives I've ever run across. You wouldn't have survived till now if you hadn't. Still, if it will make you more comfortable, I'll come over and spend the last day here, so that I'll be by your side when you wake up."

"Thank you, Clyde."

"Now, about your food supply. I've already put you on our supply list--it'll be billed as part of your upkeep. You'll get regular deliveries, starting tomorrow or the next day." He glanced at Nana. "They'll drop off a pamphlet explaining the proper care. Spoiled blood isn't just nasty, it's unhealthy." He looked at Acacia. "I'm afraid it's going to be mostly cow and pig to start off. The Powers That Be figure that if you're kept on that diet for the first few months you'll be less likely to start depopulating the area. Still, though, it's universally agreed that the first meal should be human."

"I'll do it!" Nana blurted. The others looked at her. "I will. You don't kill the donors--you said that. I'll do it. I want to help my girls."

Clyde blew out a breath, and Nareesha reached over and squeezed Nana's hand. "Bless you, but we can't allow that." Nana's expression crumpled, and Nareesha said, "Darling, it isn't a rejection. It's just that losing blood is never easy."

"And frankly, dear lady," said Clyde, "at your age there could be complications. Oh, don't look at me like that, Nareesha. I'm saying what you thought. I'm crazy--I'm allowed to be rude, especially if it serves a good purpose. Nana, she's right. They're going to need a pint or more of blood, and I'm afraid that losing that much would be detrimental to you. I have a volunteer, though."

Nareesha pushed her plate away. "There's a surprise. Who is it? I know! It's Rita Repeater, isn't it?"

"No, though I'm sure she'd just giggle and nod if I asked." He fell silent, smiling.

"Tell us, you teasing snot," said Acacia.

"Joel."

There was silence again, and Acacia said faintly, "You're fucking kidding, right?"

"Casey, watch your language around Kitten," Nana scolded. "But Clyde, I thought that Joel was your special friend."

"He's my lover. And I didn't ask him--he volunteered." He looked over at Nareesha. "It's a measure of how much he loves Kitten and trusts you girls. You know that he's afraid of most of the world, but he feels safe with you." He shrugged. "Even you, Casey, and you scare me sometimes."

Acacia stared back at him, then said, "I'm not going to ask you if it will be safe for him, because I know you'd let us starve to death before you put him in danger."

He shrugged. "No offense meant, but yes."

"None taken."

"I'd trust Joel to be your first meal before a professional wrestler, or a Marine, or someone else healthy, viril, and full of the good red. You see, I've been feeding Joel my own blood for quite some time now. It strengthens a mortal," he smiled wolfishly, "and freezes them at their current age. As long as I keep feeding him and I'm careful he doesn't meet with some sort of horrible violence--say evisceration or decapitation--I can keep my boy forever."

Acacia looked interested. "Can any vampire do that with any mortal?"

"I suppose there might be cases where it wouldn't work, but I haven't heard of them. Pretty much any vampire who can afford it keeps a full time daylight guardian, and many of the poorer ones have minions who guard them in the daytime and work nights to pay the bills. It's a good thing they have some of the vampiric stamina, but boy--do they still get tired."

"When will you do this?" asked Nana.

"I think it would be better if we did it right away."

"So soon?" There was a hint of disappointment in her voice. "I was hoping we might have a day or two just as we were."

"I really wouldn't advise it, dear lady. Costas has been practically rubbing his hands together like a villain in a comic melodrama. He asked me yesterday how soon I thought she'd be ready for the Embrace. At first he wanted to do it before she left the hospital, but I talked him out of it. Then he suggested that you be brought to his office when it was time. I reminded him that no matter how good we were at hiding things, it would be better if we didn't have what was essentially a dead body on the grounds. He eventually decided that he'd have to come here to do it." Clyde tipped his head at Nana. "I told him I'd enthrall you first." He grinned crazily. "I just love to goof on him."

"You mean," said Nana darkly, "that THAT man thinks he's coming into MY house to enslave MY girls?"

"He has another think coming, doesn't he, Nana? Costas is going to be too arrogant to bring more than his driver with him. As long as you remember to refuse him an invitation and keep all the doors and windows locked, you should be fine." He chuckled. "It it looks like he's going to give you trouble, just call the police and report a prowler. Vampires don't like dealing with the police any more than mortals do. He'll be worried that he might be detained past sun up, so you'll be able to run him off easily enough." Clyde's smile grew sour. "Costly likes to think of himself as ruthless, and he is--to a point. But it's more beaurocratic ruthlessness than anything else."

Clyde tapped his fingers together. "We should do it soon. I don't want to hurry, and I need to leave myself a good amount of travel time. If worse comes to worst--say the car breaks down--I can spend the day in the trunk, but I've done that before, and I really don't like it. I may not need to breathe, but I can still tell when it's stuffy."

"Not before dessert," said Nana, getting up. "I promised Kitten strawberry shortcake, and she's getting it before she goes over to a mostly liquid diet."

"Well, in THAT case," said Clyde, "I wouldn't knock a plate across the room myself."

"You've got it."

"I was happy to find out that we don't have to totally forgo regular food," said Acacia. "Junk food is one of the great joys of my life."

"You just have to remember that though you might enjoy it, it won't nourish you," said Clyde. "Oh, and not to be too nasty, but since you aren't going to use any of it, you're going to get rid of ALL of it. Potty breaks can occasionally become rather uncomfortable."

The only shortcake Kitten had ever known had been with spongy, commercially produces cups of cake, frozen strawberries, and fake whipped cream from a can. Nana's home made version astounded her. She had to be warned to talk BETWEEN mouthfuls, not during, "...because we don't want you choking to death before I can do anything about it," said Clyde.

When they were all finished, Nana sat back, staring at the tabletop, then said, "I put double shutters in the girl's old room--inside, and outside. Will that be safe enough, or do they have to stay in a windowless room?"

"Where is it located?" asked Clyde.

She pointed. "That side of the house, just under the big tree."

"Then it'll catch a lot of shade during the day." Clyde thought about it a moment.

Nana said, "Oh, and there are also curtains--double velvet ones." She smiled at the girl. "Black. I thought Nareesha would like that."

She got up and hugged Nana's neck, kissing her cheek. "You know us so well."

Clyde was nodding. "I believe that will be sufficient, since you won't have to worry about someone trying to break in, at least not right away. Normally I'd insist that they stay in a basement for the first sleep, but I think that being in familiar, comfortable surroundings will help them adjust."

Nana stood, and started gathering dishes. "Then you'd better get on with it. I... I'll get the dishes done."
Nareesha touched her arm, but Nana said firmly, "No, dear. I get the feeling that this is going to be something very personal and private between you and Clyde, and... and... Well, not to put too fine a point on it--you're going to die. I don't want to see that. I'll see you after it's done." She smiled at the girl. "I have a little roll away bed in the closet, so I'll be sleeping with you, and I'll do my reading and knitting in the room."

"Having a corpse in the house won't bother you?" said Clyde curiously.

Nana smiled gently. "Did the girls ever tell you about my mother?"

Clyde thought a moment. "Oh." He smiled. "Yes, I see. Well..." He stood up, rubbing his hands together. "Shall we?"

They left Nana in the kitchen, and Acacia led Clyde upstairs. "I want you to know that you're the first man I've ever willingly taken to my bedroom, Clyde."

"I'd feel honored if I didn't know I was about to kill you--with your permission." He shut the door behind them. "Please realize that I'm not about to make a naughty suggestion--I don't want you to rip my throat out. Lie on the bed." She raised her eyebrows. "Trust me, kiddo, you're going to want to be as horizontal as you can be. There's always some pain involved, unless the one being Embraced is completely unconscious, and that sort of negates the whole purpose."

Acacia stretched out on the bed, folding her hands on her belly. "I feel like a fucking virgin sacrifice."

"Oxymoron. If you're fucking, you can't be a virgin." He sat beside her. "I'd like to speak to Nareesha, please."

The girl's eyes drifted shut for a moment. When she opened them Nareesha spoke in her languid voice. "Yes?"

"Nareesha, I'll reitterate--I have no sexual interest in women. I did at one time, but I outgrew it long ago. I want to tell you, though, that it IS possible for me to make this a sensual-to-the-point of orgasm experience for you," he smiled, "and that's without touching any naughty bits. I know Acacia wouldn't want that--she'd rather have the pain. But I thought that I ought to offer you the chance. You're the personality best suited to enjoy physical pleasure."

"Sounds lovely. Let me just consult with the others." She blanked out for a moment, then said, "Kitten wants to talk to you."

"What's worrying you, Kitten?"

"Dr. Clyde," the girl lisped, "Is it gonna hurt?"

Clyde stroked her hair tenderly. "I believe you WILL feel it. You see, I've never Embraced anyone like you girls, so I can't be sure. I'm making educated guesses. But I think that if you step back into the fog while it's happening, you won't feel much. Um... Kind of like getting a shot..." he touched the side of his throat, "here. If you like, I could try to hypnotize you. That might work."

"It's okay," said Kitten. "I don't like shots, but I knows they's s'posed to be good for me. I'm gonna go see if I can find Kathleen an' tell her what's happening." She leaned up quickly and pressed a kiss to Clyde's cheek, then waved at him and lay back down.

Nareesha opened her eyes. "Milda is going with Kitten, and Acacia is going with them both to be sure they don't get lost. We're alone."

"Good. I think that's best. Now, relax." He reached out, rhythmically stroking her brow. Even without using the vampiric power of persuasion, Clyde was good at calming and reaching what little bit of rationality remained in his patients. Now, though, he let his power and will fill his voice. He spoke slowly. "Listen to me, Reesha. You're going on a journey. You're going on the longest and most important journey any mortal will ever experience. But you're going to travel farther and experience more than most of your fellows do. They just step over into death. You're going to make that trip, stay for a little while--and come back. It's not going to be easy, but your will is strong, and you have an advantage over all others who take this journey. You have the love and support of your sisters. And you know that you will awaken surrounded by love, protected with a dedication that few can match, and I'm going to ease you over as gently as I can."

As he spoke to her Nareesha could feel the doubts and apprehensions she'd been trying to deny melting away. There had been only three men that the sisters had trusted in their life, and two of them had died horrifically, right in front of them. Nareesha and most of all Acacia, hadn't really wanted to trust Clyde, but somehow they did. She gave herself over to his voice, his presence, letting herself sink into it. She felt him unbuttoning the front of her dress, but didn't move. "I'm only doing this because I need room if I'm going to do this with as little pain as possible. Please notice that I'm not taking a single honk of a single boobie." Nareesha laughed, the chuckle bubbling up easily. "Good. I think we're almost ready."

Clyde stroked Nareesha's cheek, then her throat. The touch was sensual, but not sexual. He was enjoying the feel of her skin like he'd enjoy a swatch of silk. "I won't lie to you, dear girl," he whispered. "I'm going to enjoy this on many, many levels. The major one is because when I do this, I make you my family. I can scarcely remember family and, well, I'm sure you'll understand when I say that they might have been family by biology, but not in spirit. The second level," he giggled, "is that I'm SO screwing Costas. And the third, way down the list but still a BIG one..." he licked his lips, "I can tell that you're going to be absolutely delicious."

Nareesha sounded almost asleep as she murmured, "Of that I have no doubt."

"Self doubt is never a good thing for a vampire. You're going to do very well. Stay calm, dear, and try to keep Acacia from getting any glimpse of this." He lifted himself up on the bed, stretching out beside her, then rolling half on top of her. He gripped her shoulders and bent toward her throat, then started laughing as he felt and heard a vibration. "Stop it. I'm not going to be able to do this with you purring at me."

"Okay." Eyes still closed, she arranged her expression in seriousness, then giggled. "No, go ahead. I can do this."

"I know you can, sweetie." Nareesha's scent was warm and sweet, full of life. His hands were still on her shoulders, and he could feel the pulse under her skin. "My saliva can have a little bit of a numbing effect, if I want it." He licked the side of her neck lavishly. "You're purring again."

"It's just that I'm realizing what a loss you are to the heterosexual world, Clyde."

"Flatterer. The spit also acts as an anti-coagulant, with will be important, since I'm going to drain you." He pressed one hand to her forehead, turning her head aside. "Brace yourself, dear." He let his fangs drop, and his eyes faded to yellow. "This is going to sting."

Clyde nestled his face against the side of Nareesha's throat. His lips quested over the smooth skin till he found the place where the pulse beat most strongly. He pressed an open-mouthed kiss, relishing the gentle throb that was the sorce of all life. Then he pressed slowly, opening his mouth farther, and let his fangs slide in almost tenderly.

Nareesha inhaled sharply, and he gripped her shoulders tightly. This moment was critical. If she moved too much she wouldn't have neat little punctures, but large, ragged holes. Clyde might be less than gentle with some of his meals, but that wasn't the case here. This was an Embrace, and he wanted it to be a seduction rather than a rape.

Clyde felt the first moisture, and quickly sealed his lips over the wounds, and sucked. He moaned deep in his throat as the hot, salty-sweet liquid filled his mouth, sending his senses singing. There were some vampires who thought that blood was blood, and any would do. Then there were some humans who could live off of cold, unseasoned oatmeal and not think much about it. Clyde knew very well that each human had their own flavor, and it was influenced by what they were as much as by what they themselves ate. It was one reason why he'd first connected with Joel. The boy had the sweetest, most delicate flavor Clyde had ever come across.

As he drank, Clyde used the mental bond they'd already formed to sooth Nareesha's feelings of apprehension before they were fully formed. His fingers flexed on the girl's shoulders as he drank deeply. He hadn't eaten for two days, and he had to restrain himself from gulping. Normally Clyde tried not to go more than a day or so between meals. A vampire could live a long time between feedings, but their control slipped farther and farther. Wait too long and it was likely that the next meal would result in a fatality, no matter what they intended. But Clyde had fasted because this was going to be an Embrace. That meant that instead of just taking enough to satisfy himself, he was going to have to drain Nareesha to the point of death. True, the vampire's body would absorb the injested blood, but it still took awhile, and their stomach remained the same size as it had been during their life. If he hadn't gone into this on an empty stomach, it was possible that Clyde would have been glutted before he'd taken enough blood to accomplish his goal. He'd heard of one Malkavian who'd made the mistake of starting an Embrace too soon after his last meal. He'd ended up stopping in mid-drain to throw up, so he could continue. Interesting, but disgusting.

Nareesha trusted Clyde more than she'd trusted anyone in her life save her sisters, or Nana. Oh, Clyde bullshitted, but he was always honest about it when he was doing it--at least with the girls. He hadn't lied to her about what was going to happen. It DID hurt. It hurt quite a bit, but she'd experienced much worse pain, inflicted with no promise of benefit. It was hot and cold at the same time--the burning pain when Clyde sucked in a mouthful of blood, and the coolness of his lips and hands.

She started to grow dizzy, and the pain lessened, being gradually replaced by a sensual warmth spreading through her body. Clyde hadn't been lying when he'd said it could be pleasurable. Nareesha could feel her nipples drawing up into hard pebbles, and thought vaguely that this had to be a strong indication of how erotic this was, since nipples hardened when the tissues became engorged with blood, and she gradually had less and less of that.

Clyde had been half lying on her, pinning her body down with his torso. Now he shift above her, straddling her body on his knees. She felt a cynical flash of smugness when she felt the the hardness of his erection pressing against her thigh. The thought passed quickly, though. She realized that it was a purely physical responce, caused by the act of feeding, and only peripherally due to her own charms. Clyde might end up with a raging hard-on, but he'd save it for when he got back to Joel.

Nareesha was even dizzier now. The edges of the room seemed to be pulling away, fading into darkness. She'd kept her eyes closed, and bright lights seemed to flash across the inside of her eyelids. She could feel her breathing becoming more labored. The clinical part of her mind thought coldly that if Clyde was going to stop before he killed her, he'd better stop soon.

As if hearing her thoughs, Clyde lifted his head. His lips and teeth were stained with Nareesha's blood, and a crimson thread oozed from the corner of his mouth. His tongue, looking longer than it should have, flicked out and swiped up the trickle. He gazed down at Nareesha, assessing her condition cooly. "Reesha?" No response. He slapped her cheek lightly. "Reesha! Pay attention. Don't go wandering off, or you won't be able to come back. Open your eyes." Nareesha made a thick mumble. He slapped her a little harder, and his voice was sharp. "I'm not kidding! Come on, I know you can do it."

Nareesha peeled her eyes open a slit. She studied Clyde for a second, then whispered, "Messy eater."

Clyde smiled at her. "You're going to be all right. And if you think this is bad, I hope you never see a Bruja after a feeding frenzy." Clyde pushed himself erect and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small sheathed scalple. He pulled the cover off, saying, "Traditionally this is done either by the vampire's own fangs, or some sort of special dagger. One of them is inefficient, and the other is an unnecessary affectation. Anyway, I'm a doctor, and I have access to medical instruments, so why not use them. Get ready."

Clyde rolled up his sleeve, then held his wrist close to Nareesha. "Get ready, doll. You're fading, so you're going to need to drink deep and fast." He cut his wrist with one quck, deep stroke. Normally his blood would have been thick, sluggish, and dark. But the blood he'd just taken had brought Clyde as close to a semblance of humanity as it was possible for him to get. The blood was bright and thin, and still had a little of the warmth it had owned when flowing through Nareesha. Clyde jammed his bleeding wrist against her mouth and commanded, "Drink!"

Nareesha didn't hesitate. She sealed her mouth over the flowing wound and drew strongly. At first it was salty and bitter, and then... Then it was the most marvelous thing she'd ever experienced. She was tasting Clyde, but she was also tasting herself, and Acacia, Milda, Kitten, and even poor Kathleen. And there was a faint, sweetly shy taste that she knew had to be Joel. Clyde had drunk from the boy for so long that he'd been infused with his lover's essence.

It was delicious. Nareesha swallowed mouthful after mouthful, throat working greedily. She felt Clyde stroking her hair, crooning approvingly. He was whispering. "Yes, yes. Oh, this is going splendidly. I timed it just right. Keep going, dear. Drink for as long as you're able--I can spare it. Right now you don't have the capacity to do me any real damage."

Nareesha could feel herself weaking. It was as if she were hanging on to a ledge by her fingertips, and her grip was slowly slipping. Finally she didn't have the strength to draw another mouthful. She managed to turn her head a fraction and whispered, "Clyde... can't..."

"Sh." Clyde kissed her forehead. "It's enough, Reesha. Listen to me. This isn't going to be like going into the fog. You won't be aware, you won't be able to communicate with your sisters. You're going to be dead. But then, after awhile, you won't be. That's when it really begins." He studied the girl. Her face was so pale it almost looked as if she was wearing greasepaint, and her lips were stained with the blood he'd returned to her. "It's too late to ask this," he murmured, "but... any regrets?"

She swallowed, then, eyes still closed, her lips curved in the ghost of a smile and she breathed, "Silly ass."

Then she died.

For the first time.

~*~

Nana had tried to force herself to remain in the kitchen, but she couldn't. She went upstairs and paced the hallway in front of the girls' bedroom door. After awhile the door opened and Clyde stepped out. He was wiping his mouth with a bandana handkerchief. Nana said, "Red?"

"I know," said Clyde. "Doesn't fit with the doctor image. But it hides the blood so nicely." He noted her tight expression and said, almost kindly, "She's all right. THEY'RE all right." He cocked his head. "Of course they're DEAD now, but that's a temporary thing." He watched her to see if it upset her. If he didn't think she could handle it, he could still wrap Nareesha up in a blanket and bring her back to the hospital. She'd be safe in his own quarters till she woke up, but he thought it would be easier for her if she remained in familiar surroundings.

His last few words didn't seem to affect Nana at all. He might as well have stopped speaking after 'they're all right'. "Oh, thank God." She looked at him. "Um... I hope that didn't..."

He waved away her apology. "Not at all. I was Catholic for the brief time I was still alive, and I most assuredly believe in God." He smiled crazily. "Personally I think he's crazier than any of us."

"Can I see them?"

"Oh, of course! But you'll have to realize this--they aren't going to be aware of you on any level. They're well and truly dead for the next three days. Un-less they go through that whole 'look! There's a light' thing. I hope they don't, because when the time is up they'll just be dragged back, and I imagine that could put you in a truly pissy mood." He wiped his mouth again, then put away the bandana. "Are you going to all right alone? I'd like to get back to the hospital." He smiled wolfishly. "I have something I want to give Joel."

Nana raised her eyebrows, but said, "Yes, we'll be fine. You go on. Will you be coming by before they wake up?"

"I'll spend the day here before it's time. But I won't drop by tomorrow or the next day. I'm going to be busy keeping Costas preoccupied. The only thing that worries me is if he can't wait and tries to rush things." Clyde thought for a moment. "Are you on good terms with the local Catholic church?"

"I've had some very nice nuns drop by now and then to check on me." She shrugged. "One of their acts of charity, I suppose. They've tried to talk me into living at the convent as a cook, but that hasn't been for awhile now."

"Let me suggest that as soon as it's daylight you go to a toy store and buy the largest water pistol you can find. They hie yourself to the nearest church, go to the holy water font, and fill it. You put a blast of that in Costas' face and it'll be as effective as sulphuric acid."

Nana was nodding, totally unconcerned about the greusomeness of Clyde's suggestion. "It won't kill him?"

"No. It's possible to die from holy water, but you'd practically have to bathe in it. It's damn uncomfortable. Would it bother you if it DID kill him?"

"Not really. I've never met him, but I don't like him. The thing is that it could be awkward if a man who looks like I've thrown acid on him is found moaning on my porch."

"That won't happen. If you DO spritz him, his minion will get him home as quickly as possible, so he can start healing. Now, I MUST go." Before Clyde could move away, Nana reached out and gave him a ferocious hug. "Oh. Well. Yes. You're welcome. See you in a couple of days. Oh, and don't forget to eat and sleep. Remember..." he giggled, "you don't have to worry about them wandering off."

Nana followed Clyde downstairs and carefully double-locked the door. Then she made a fast tour of the house, making sure that everything that could be fastened--was. Then she got a package of food and some bottles of water that she had prepared before and went up to the girls' room.

Nareesha... *Or is it Acacia? Or Milda? Or even Kitten? It isn't really any of them. They're gone--this is just the house waiting for them to come back and live in it.* In any case... She was most assuredly dead. Nana knew what death looked like, and felt like. She decided that this was Nareesha, since that was the one who'd come upstairs with Clyde. She sat beside Nareesha and took one of the girl's hands in both of hers. There was still a faint warmth, but it was fading. Nana stroked her hand, flexing the fingers, thinking absently that soon they'd be stiffened in rigor mortis.

Clyde had cleaned Nareesha up before leaving the room, wiping her mouth with his handkerchief, and rearranging her clothes. There was still a smear of blood at the corner of Nareesha's mouth, now drying to tackiness. Nana went to the bathroom and returned with a damp cloth. She carefully wiped the girl's face and throat. Then she bent close and curiously examined the wounds in Nareesha's neck. They weren't very alarming looking. She'd done much worse to herself when she'd let the knife slip while cutting vegetables. She SUPPOSED it could have been fatal, since it was right over one of the large veins, but the girl probably would have had to have been unconscious. Then she'd have bled to death before she woke up. But an awake, aware person could probably have held the wound closed long enough to get help, as long as help wasn't too hard to come by. But in this what could have been a minor wound had been fatal. After all--Clyde had been helping the blood loss along.

Once Nareesha had been sponged down to Nana's satisfaction, the old woman gently combed her hair till it was sleek. She went to the dresser and located a tiny bottle of cologne--one of Nareesha's, which she'd saved. Nana shook it. It seemed to still have a few drops. She sniffed the sprayer experimentally, then smiled, murmuring, "Lilies. Of course." Then she misted a fine spray of scent over the body. Nana didn't think much about it, but she was instinctively acting in a time honored tradition. Since far back into the mists of time, the elder women of any group had taken charge of the dead--cleaning and anointing them for their final journey.

She considered pulling the roll away out and setting it up, but looked at her watch. She decided that now was the time to start adjusting her schedule to match the girls'. By the time they woke up she should be well on her way to trading day for night.

She went to her own room down the hall and returned, lugging her rocking chair, it's seat holding her knitting bag. She pulled the chair up close beside the bed, took her bag, and sat down. She rummaged in the bag and pulled out the piece that she'd worked on last. Nana stared at the piece of material threaded on her needles, and for the life of her she couldn't remember what it was supposed to be. It was nice yarn, though--fluffy angora, rust with gold flecks. With Milda's coloring, it would look beautiful on her. She quickly began to unravel the piece, winding the yarn neatly as she went. Not a scarf, she thought. No, a shawl. Milda was a shawl-type person.