Faustine's Eve (A Vampire Story) - Chapter 9

Marcello and Giselle's house had the same aroma that it did the first and the last time she visited. She still wondered what made it smell like wine and chocolate. After being warmly greeted at the front door by the two of them they were led inside.

"It's good to see you again Eve." Marcello welcomed while flashing her toothy smile. Despite the fact that she didn't know them too well, she could hear the sincerity in their voices.

"I'm glad Faust let you come out and didn't leave you at home alone to clean like a maid." He laughed. Watching him laugh was incredibly interesting because she could see the entire length of his teeth and it was obvious that he was not trying to hide them.

Looking to Faust who was giving him a smile was too cute and Eve laughed along with Marcello. God, it had been so long since she laughed. She couldn't even remember when the last time was. Giselle smiled at the two of them teasing Faust and couldn't help but grin herself.

"All the same, I'm glad you came." Eve got a very comfortable vibe from them. The kind of vibe one would get from meeting someone who you automatically liked.

"Well, if you will excuse us Mio Regazze belle. We have important things to speak about." In her mind Eve thought, yeah so do we.

The two men disappeared down the hall and Giselle took a hold of Eve's arm.
They walked side by side through the house.

"I am very happy and relieved to see you again Fiorella." Giselle smiled. Eve recognized that word and completely forgot to ask Faust what it meant.

"What does Fiorella mean?" She asked.

"Fiorella means the flower in Italian. I see you like a small flower that I hope will grow." She answered. A little confused, Eve wondered what she meant by 'grow'.

Giselle led her into a warm room where the crackling of a fireplace could be heard right as you entered. They sat in two rather overstuffed armchairs separated by a small, round, wooden table that displayed two glasses, a bottle of wine, and a glass bowl of chocolates. Maybe this indulgence of Giselle's is what gave the home such a wonderful scent.

Giselle opened the bottle and poured two glasses of wine for them while they talked. Taking the glass in her hand, Eve took a sip and figured this may help her loosen up. She never really tried red wine before but, surprisingly, she liked it.

"Why don't you tell me what's on your mind Fiorella?" Giselle spoke as she sunk back in the chair.

Eve was surprised that she could tell that there was something she wanted to talk about. Was it a mutual understanding and reading of body language between two women or was it something else?

"I wanted to talk to you about Faust."

Looking more intrigued Giselle smiled and leaned forward a bit.

"What would you like to know?" She asked while giving her a sly smile.
"I want to know more about Faust's past. I was cleaning yesterday and found some old pictures and letters in the closet." Somewhere inside her she hoped Faust couldn't hear her somehow.Taking a deep breath and then sighing, Giselle looked at Eve with a concerned but curious look.

"What did you find?"

"Well, Faust said he was a doctor before and I found some old photos of him working in a hospital." She began.

"Go on." Giselle nodded.

"And I wanted to know what made him stop being one. I know it's personal but I really want to know." It felt good to ask these questions and she truly hoped Giselle would help her. Giselle looked off to the side for a moment as if to gather her thoughts. She looked as if she was trying to decide whether it was alright to tell her or not. The hopeful look in Eve's eyes shone with pure affection for him. Giselle could not deny her.

"Faust used to be a wonderful physician as I told you before. Marcello and I were visiting Munich during an outbreak of yellow fever. The whole time we were in Munich we would see bodies carried away to be burned." Eve could hear a small tremble in her voice as she thought about the many that lost their lives a commonly as the sun rose. Giselle lit a cigarette and continued.

"We were at a café when Marcello read an article in a newspaper about a physician working on a cure for yellow fever. But what made yellow fever so hard to find a cure for at the time was that it didn't even have a proper name or study till the late 1800's. Marcello said he was touched by the kindness and selflessness of this human being. Yellow fever was contagious back then and I think he admired someone who would put themselves at risk to save others. He took an interest in Faust and wanted to meet him. At the time Faust worked in a small hospital in central Munich where he had over a hundred patients under his care. Marcello posed as an investor to meet him and even supplied the hospital with money for research." Then Giselle grew silent.

"What happened?"

Looking down Giselle put her cigarette out and sighed again.

"Faust contracted the very disease he was trying to cure. He never once worried about himself and would work in the lab until he made himself worse. He knew he was dying but didn't want it to be in vain. At that point he would have gladly sold his soul to the devil to save others. Eventually he was on his deathbed. Marcello was there. He told me that Faust's only concern was for the patients." Eve was lost in the story while staring into the fireplace and sipping her wine.

"The hour he was to die, Marcello offered him more time." Giselle's eyes locked onto Eve's for her to understand that this was how Faust was turned. After Marcello changed him he worked fervently on a cure but..." Her voice trailed off as she finished the last of her wine.

"But, it was just too late. He felt responsible for those deaths." She finished.

Eve didn't know what to say. What could she say to the history of a man whose only wish was to save others with a complete disregard for himself? But surely, he couldn't still blame himself could he? Eve thought about the photos in her head and would have never imagined what pressure and responsibility hid behind his clear eyes. She then remembered the photo of the woman on the beach and the letter.

"Giselle, who is Kanon?"
The look in Giselle's eyes spoke louder than words. Whoever Kanon was, she held an important place in Faust's past.

"How do you know that name? Did he tell it to you?" The surprised tone in her voice was a sudden change from her somber expression only moments ago and Eve was taken aback by it.

"An old letter fell out of one of the boxes and I saw the name on there." She honestly explained even though she did not plan to mention what she did read of the letter. Somewhat hesitant and reluctant Giselle decided to tell her. But, she needed another glass of wine first.

"Kanon was one of Faust's patients with yellow fever. Kanon was hospitalized and put under his care halfway through his research. She used to be a lively and caring girl who took a liking to Faust and the feeling was mutual. He already had the drive to find a cure but when he fell in love in Kanon he was desperate to find it."

Eve felt a tightening in her chest that felt almost ridiculous because Faust was unaware of her feelings for him.

"Faust worked himself to death, literally, to save her. He's always felt guilty for not being able to save her. On her deathbed she told him that it wasn't his fault and that he should live to help others and become happy himself. He didn't want to lose her. If he could only save one patient then he wanted it to be her. So that was when he changed her the way Marcello did to him. Eventually when all the patients in the hospital passed away, and Kanon was the only one left, the people of the town accused him of making a deal with the devil. How ignorant, no? They wanted to know how he could save one girl but not anyone else even though he didn't find the cure. He sent Kanon away from Munich when the townspeople came for him and beat him in the middle of town. He sold his soul to save hers."

Eve remembered the scars that marked Faust's back when she saw him sleeping a few days after he rescued her.

"It's a sad story Fiorella."

"And how do you know all this?"

"Marcello told me most of the story because he witnessed it himself. Other than that, the three of us have talked about it many times also." Quietly Giselle took another sip of her wine and let its bitterness sting the back of her throat the way the story did.

"So what happened to Kanon?"

"She changed. After they left Munich she became greedy, violent, and vain. She became so caught in the idea of being immortal that she didn't have any inhibitions left. Men's laws did not apply to her anymore so she went berserk for lack of a better word. She felt no remorse and had no regrets about murdering people like cattle. And just for the thrill of it too. She also started to learn how to charm and manipulate men. When Faust confronted her about it she blamed him for being the way she was and said that he didn't give her a choice. Just like a spoiled child." She spoke the last words of the sentence with disgust.

"And then?" Eve urged.

"And then? She just left. She abandoned him. I know that there were some letters written back and forth since then, but he's really never mentioned much more than that. She destroyed him inside and it's taken a long time for him to heal. After that he lost all the drive he had work as a physician. He won't admit it but I know that he still feels responsible for the deaths in Munich and what happened to Kanon as well." Eve said nothing at first and just let Giselle's story just sink in.

"Please don't take this the wrong way but, what made you decide to tell me all of this? I know I asked but, I didn't think you would tell since you don't know me very well." Eve's words were blunt and honest.

Giselle smiled and set her glass down.

"Since then I've only seen a few girls here and there with Faust. They were never there for long." Scooting herself forward she took Eve's hand and clasped it in her own. "But, I think you may be able to help." Giving her hand a squeeze she understood what she meant.

"I don't know how I can help. He's pretty quiet and reserved. We don't talk a whole lot."

"You need to have more faith. He keeps you around doesn't he?" Eve thought it was amusing to hear a vampire encouraging faith.
After they finished talking about one sensitive subject Giselle had another one that she wanted to bring up in a sort of even trade of information.

"How is your deal going?" Giselle put emphasis on the word deal.

"It's been fine so far. He's only bitten me twice now."

"Good. Be careful. There is a reason why donors are never permanent to their host. I understand that a blood exchange is a deal between the two of you but, do not let it go too far or let it happen too often."

"Are you talking about Renfield's Syndrome?" Giselle nodded and was glad that Eve understood what she was getting at.

"What about your donors?" Eve asked. Giselle's face had a wistful look on it.

"It's a bittersweet thing. They have been with me for quite a while. They have outlasted many others before them. But eventually they will..." Stopping mid sentence Eve already knew what she was going to say.

"It's strange Fiorella. They are here to satisfy a monster's hunger but they are already beginning to try to feed from one another when I am not around. At this point the only way to stop them from losing themselves further is to consume everything from them. It's what you call a mercy kill in English. A man's will is not strong if he is full of regrets. And most donors are full of regrets so that is why they seek acceptance and refuge with vampires." Eve wasn't sure which part of what Giselle just was more shocking. Was it that she referred to what she was as a monster? Was it that Renfield's Syndrome was an inevitable part of being a donor? Was it that being killed was the only way to end it? Or was it her realization that she was full of regrets and emotional damage because she was a donor herself?

"It's weird but Faust has never mentioned anything to me about Renfield's Syndrome and he still accepts my blood."

"He knows about it. This is why he has never had one specific donor. The further apart feedings are from an individual, the less of a chance that a donor will develop the syndrome. At the very least spaced out feedings greatly slow down the process. But there are a lot of gluttons out there who don't care about what happens to their donors. You have to be careful not to feed a monster too often Fiorella."

Eve gulped down the rest of her wine and mimicked the word monster to herself silently. The word stung the tip of her tongue.