VAN HELSING 3: SOUL HUNTERS
(Disclaimers on pages 1-6. It is also official! This story is longer than the Demon's Rising! Whether or not it's a good thing, here's the next chapter!) Chapter 12: Not forgotten anymore What Victoria said put an idea in Gabriel's head. If she was remembering something, how long would it take for him to remember? His thoughts were churning with excitement, but he didn't show it as much as Victoria did. She was bouncing on her heels with a wide grin on her face. "Come on! Let's go check it out!" she said, not hiding her joy. She grabbed her brother's hand and tried to drag him towards the manor, but he wouldn't budge. "Victoria, I don't like the looks of that place." Gabriel said, but his sister wasn't giving up. She was determined that somehow they just had to see it. She puled even harder on her brother's hand. "Don't hurt yourself." he said. Victoria let go of his hand and turned to him. "Gabriel, Merlin sent us here for a reason. What if he sent us here to remember our past?" "It's probably more likely he sent us here to find the location of where the Soul-Hunters are, Furie." Carl said, joining in the two's conversation. "But maybe some of your past is kept here that might help us." "See, Carl's with me!" Victoria put an arm over the friar's shoulder. Gabriel sighed. "You're not going to give up, are you?" "Nope." Victoria said with a smirk on her face. She could tell that Gabriel was just as excited as her, but he was concerned as what kind of memories it would bring back. "You're not scared as to what we might find in there?" Gabriel asked. "Nope." "Not even if it's your worst nightmare?" "Nope." "Are you sure?" "Nope. Come on!" Victoria shouted. She then ran off towards the house, her brother following. As they got closer to the front door, details of the house could be seen. It looked a lot like the Valerious manor in Transylvania. The old door's knocker was the head of a wolf with a ring in its mouth. Victoria raised her hand to it and knocked. "Hello? Anybody home?" she asked. As soon as she said that, the door opened by the wind. It opened up into a massive grand hall. The floor was checkered black and white. Old pieces of furniture were covered in white sheets. Cobwebs were abundant in the corners of the room. Two sets of stairs led to a balcony, and right behind were two hallways. "No one seems to have been here in years!" Isabelle said. Everyone seemed to agree with her, but Victoria seemed too lost in thought. She definitely remembered this place. It wasn't always so gloomy and dark like it was now. It was once full of warmth, joy and laughter. An image played through her mind of a crowd of people wearing bright clothing, dancing and talking to each other. She walked slowly up the staircase, lost in her past. Gabriel watched her and quickly made his way to her side. "Now I think I can remember this place." Gabriel said. Victoria turned to him and smiled. As they made it to the balcony, an old picture hanging on the wall caught their attention. On it was a picture of a woman with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes and a man with dark hair that fell to his shoulders. What was more surprising were their three children, playing at their feet. One had light brown hair and eyes, while the other shared the same characteristics as their father. The youngest was that of a young infant, with hair and eyes like her mother's. Everyone gathered behind them and stared at the painting. "No way..." Antonio whispered. "Gabriel..." Victoria realized, "that's us !" she said. Her hand flew up to her forehead. "I don't believe it! This house is ours! No wonder we remember it!" Gabriel turned to one hallway, some of his memory coming back to him. "Our bedrooms were down there." he whispered. "Pardon?" Victoria asked. "Nothing." he replied with a shrug. "You're remembering something, aren't you?" "Maybe. Isn't that the hall where the bedrooms were?" Victoria's eyes widened, as did her smile. "Yeah! And down the other one was the library! And this room was where we had all those parties!" she said, not hiding how ecstatic she was. Gabriel couldn't help but smile along with her. "If I remember correctly, you kept on rushing into them to see everyone dance, despite what our parents said." he said. "Perhaps." "I also believe that you even tried dancing once." "Now that I don't believe. I have two left feet when it comes to dancing." "I do believe you might have had some talent." he said. He turned to the others. "We should get some rest. There's some rooms we can use down that hallway." he said. "I call my room!" Victoria said as she ran down the hallway. She found her room and peered in. "Wow..." she said. The walls were painted a flame orange, making the room appear to glow. The bed was by a window, letting in the moonlight. The sheets were a rose-red tone. A couch was placed in front of a small fireplace, and beside it was a bookshelf and chest. Overwhelmed with curiosity, Victoria opened the chest and gasped. All of her possessions had been placed inside. She pulled out an old quilt and cocked her head to the side. It was all worn and beat up, but one could still see the vibrant prints. Old childhood memories with this seemed to come back to the young huntress. She smiled at one where she held it behind her and ran down the hallways, yelling "Look, Mama, I'm flying!" Sighing, she placed the blanket at the foot of her bed. She looked to the wall to see a painting of her as a child. Her hair was neatly done and fell past her shoulders. Her eyes seemed to shine, and her face was in a gentle smile. However, one could tell that she held a kind of wildness, a longing to be free of her life. Beside the painting was a mirror, which Victoria peered into. It's hard to believe that the girl in the painting is now a huntress of all forces of evil. she thought to herself. As she slumped back down upon her couch, she noticed something else about the painting. A strange, vast darkness lay behind it. She got up and noticed a crack that extended the full length of painting. She moved her hand into it, soon realizing the portrait of her was actually a door of some sort. "Now what did you find?" came a voice. Victoria whirled around to see her brother, standing in the doorway. "A secret passage, you coming?" Victoria said. She stepped inside, her brother following. The passage led them down a set of stairs to a hallway, and at the end of it was a door. Victoria opened it and couldn't help but smile. The room they found had white walls and floors. In the corner of the room was a piano. Across from it was a fireplace and two chairs. There were doors that led outside, where a fountain lay dormant. Past it lay a field, probably for horseback riding, seeing as a stable was placed not far from the house. Beyond the field was the dense forest they were just in. "That's where you and I played the most, and this is the music room." Victoria said. An image played through her mind, telling her how everything once was. "Dad would be on the piano," she said, pointing to it. "You and Collin were on those chairs." She took Gabriel's hand and sat him down in one. He couldn't help but laugh. "Mom was leaning against the door singing to the music, and I'd be-Oh! Under here." she sat down underneath the piano and folded her legs. Gabriel smirked at her imitation of herself as a child. "Do you remember any music they played?" "I think..." she said. She then saw Gabriel's face and where he was going with this. "Oh, no! I am not singing! I don't have a good singing voice, so stop giving me that look!" "Then I suppose I'll tell Antonio of your security blanket I saw on your bed." he said. Victoria glared at him. "How long have you known?" "For a while. It's not a secret, both Anna and I know you have feelings for him." he said. "So if you don't want to be embarrassed..." Victoria rolled her eyes and sighed. "Fine." she said. The song started quite softly, but it soon rose in volume and confidence. After it was over, Gabriel was taken aback. "Who taught you how to sing like that? That was brilliant!" he said. Victoria's cheeks reddened. "Thanks." she said. She looked and sighed. "This is also the room where they found us." she said sadly. Gabriel's mind reeled to that day. Everyone was inside the room, hiding underneath the piano. A young Victoria watched as her brother got up. "I'll hold them off." he said. Gabriel went to a drawer and opened it, revealing many swords. He grabbed a rapier and attached it to his belt. "No!" Victoria cried. "Don't go!" she gripped his hand tightly. Her older brother knelt down and grabbed her shoulders. "Victoria, I need you to be strong. Father and Mother are upstairs, fighting off those monsters. I need to help them." He handed her two things: a set of dual blades, and hid chain, which Victoria clasped around her neck. "Should they come in, show no mercy. Unleash your fury on them." he said. With that, he left her alone in the room. "Victoria..."Gabriel said breathlessly as he returned to reality. "I left you alone, that's why you got captured. It was my fault." he said. Victoria sighed and quietly sat in the chair next to his. "It's not your fault. Our family was upstairs in danger, I don't blame you. Besides, I chose my name after what you said." "Still, I'm not letting that happen again." he said. He took her shoulders in his arms. "The funny part throughout this is this," Victoria started. "That song I just sang was playing in my head as that happened. And ever since then, it's always been playing in my head. I finally know where it's from now." "Well, the past isn't as forgotten anymore." Gabriel said. He finally found it after five years. The thing he had been desperate to get since he was found at the Vatican's doorsteps. It was right here, in his arms and all around him. (What song do I picture Victoria singing? Stand My Ground by Within Temptation. Read and review please!!)
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