Subj: Love's Familiar Face ch 7
Date: 5/15/99 12:00:19 PM Central Daylight Time
From: miranda
Chapter Seven
"Natalie what are you doing in here?" Andre demanded.
"Please Andre, you can not kill your own daughter," Natalie begged.
"We have already discussed this. She is already dead! There is no other way," Andre retorted.
On and on they argued until Andre gave up the notion of trying to persuade Natalie to see his point of view and repositioned the stake over Josette's heart. "I cannot let her continue to make our town into a hunting ground." Natalie held her breath as Andre raised a wooden hammer grasped in his other hand. He hesitated. Soon his arm began to shake. "I cannot do it," he cried as he began to lower the hammer.
Natalie breathed a sigh of relief.
Josette awoke and in a flash lashed out at the figure standing over her holding a stake at her heart. With one swift movement she opened her father's throat. Andre grasped at his neck and fell to the floor as blood spilled everywhere. Natalie screamed. Josette rose from her coffin and examined the body. She screamed herself when she realized the person she had just killed was her own father. "Father?! Father, no it cannot be!" she cried out as she knelt over his lifeless body.
At this time Josette entered a world of madness. She stayed in the darkness of her room. Natalie would bring her animals to eat. Sometimes Josette recognized her, other times she did not. She would ask for her father, for Barnabas, and even for her mother. Time had no meaning. She would spend days curled up in a ball leaning against the wall or months just lying in her coffin. Every so often she would hallucinate that Angelique had come back to torment her. Josette would beat at the air thinking that she was hitting her.
After many years Josette began to respond to Natalie, who never stopped trying to bring her out of her madness. She would talk to Josette for hours every night. Eventually Josette realized that Natalie was no longer the beautiful woman who had raised her, but was now an elderly lady nearing the end of her life. Natalie made plans with Josette to reintroduce her to the land of the living. She circulated a story that both Barnabas and Josette died suddenly and that their only child, a woman now herself, would come to live at the DuPres plantation. Josette would take on the identity of her own fictitious daughter, who obviously bore a striking resemblance to her late mother.
Very soon Josette was once again in her right mind. One night Natalie brought eight new servants to Josette for the purpose of making them her slaves and protecting her during the day once Natalie passed on herself. She was careful to choose loners and vagabonds whom no one would miss. Josette was eternally grateful for all her Aunt had done for her. She had come to her defense twice to have Josette's life spared. She practically gave up her own life just to tend to Josette. On Natalie's deathbed Josette considered to offer Natalie her own brand of eternal life, but she decided against it. Josette knew that Natalie had seen with her own eyes the torment and destruction brought about by living as one of the undead. Josette did not believe Natalie would accept her offer, but also did not want to give the opportunity to act out in desperation now that it was apparent her life would end that night.
So after Josette was truly alone in the world, she spent her remaining years traveling the world and exploring the richness of its treasures. She often times returned to her home in Martinique claiming to be yet another one of the DuPres family descendants. In all her loneliness and solitude only one thing kept Josette from casting herself in the light of the morning sun and ending it all. That one thing was the dream of avenging herself and her beloved Barnabas. The only thing that would truly bring Josette peace was to find and destroy Angelique Bouchard. For Josette knew that a true witch never dies and Angelique had to resurface in this world eventually.
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"So you have probably deduced my reason for being here Barnabas," Josette said quietly. Over the years I have sought after spiritualists and gypsies who could tell me the whereabouts of Angelique. Years ago I was told that she was reborn into this world again. I knew she would be here in Collinsport, Barnabas. I just knew she would end up here. So after a certain amount of time passed and she grew up into an adult I traveled here to find her. I am here to face and destroy Angelique."
"Angelique can be a formidable foe," Barnabas replied.
"Have you faced her in your own time, Barnabas? Have you destroyed that witch?" Josette inquired.
Barnabas paused for a moment and thought. What should he tell Josette? Could he actually tell the whole truth and say, "Yes, Josette I destroyed Angelique on several occasions, but she always seems to find a way to come back. The odd thing is that now we are allies…and dare I say something of friends?" Barnabas decided to keep his experience with Angelique shielded from Josette as long as possible. "Yes, I have destroyed her. Fire seems to be the best method of killing a witch."
"Yes," Josette said. "Yes, fire it will be then."
"But Josette, let me tell you more of how I came to be cured of my vampirism. I'm sure the same can be done for you and we can be together as we always should have been."