Chapter 8: The Red Chamber

People were stampeding on the elevator door. And blood was splattered everywhere inside the ballroom floor where two werewolves were fighting vampires, crashing items and cutting the adversaries.
Theo and another werewolf known as Ulrica were born pure werewolves who could shift at will and fight fairly. Theo's wolf's claws sliced through every interloper in his path. While Ulrica's wolf immediately found Rakiza on the floor, unconscious and reverted to her human form. She was about to pick up Rakiza when Nikolas appeared in front of her, thrusting his vampire knife into Ulrica's stomach.
Theo heard Ulrica’s agony and pain and was about to run into her, but another group of vampire fighters rushed at him that he must defeat first. With all his fierceness and anger, Theo slammed his claws into their hearts before they could stick their dagger into his furry flesh, and some hit his flesh lightly, some a little deeper, and the next thing Theo saw was a man in a cape carrying Rakiza out of the ballroom.
Theo jumped to pursue Rakiza, but all the doors were closed, and in his mind, he heard Ulrica's suffering, as if she was gasping for air. He reverted to human form and slammed his fist into the wall, which doubled as a secret entrance.
He raced over to Ulrica to check on her and discovered that she was no longer moving.
"Ulrica!" he snarled.
Ulrica whimpered, blood streaming from her mouth. And then more blood on her belly, and she fell unconscious.
Theo knew then that his mission was a failure and that he must take Ulrica away and forget about Rakiza.
***
Rakiza slept in a king-sized bed with an off-white silk bed skirt. The space was furnished with ancient jars filled with various flowers. A huge old painting of a white lotus blossom with a full moon above hung on the wall on the left side of the bed; its antiquity contributed to the painting's rarity, and another enormous artwork of white roses on the right side of the bed. The red velvet curtain and the white lotus flower on the opposite side complemented each other.
After a few moments, she opened her eyes and tried to focus on the ceiling, wondering where she was and seeing Nikolas emerge with a glass of wine in his right hand, smiling at Rakiza.
"How are you feeling?" His deep, compassionate voice was soothing.
"What happened?" Rakiza asked, attempting to recall something.
"What was the last thing you remembered?" Nikolas asked.
"We're dancing, and..." Her memories were foggy.
"Take this and relax," Nikolas said, as he offered her a glass of red wine. "I'll take you home as soon as you're ready."
Rakiza sipped her red wine. She felt the red, bitter-tasting stuff wash down her throat. "Did I pass out?" she wondered.
"Yes," Nikolas said, taking the red velvet-covered chair facing Rakiza and adding, "We were dancing, and you collapsed."
"Where are my friends?" Rakiza wondered aloud.
Nikolas addressed her, saying, "They were in another room and will be sent to your dorm later."
Rakiza said, "I needed to see them," as she headed to the door, still barefoot.
"Please be patient," Nikolas pleaded as he moved fast to prevent her from leaving, adding, "They're being treated comfortably."
Rakiza sensed something when she peered into Nikolas's dark eyes.
"Look at me, Rakiza," Nikolas said quietly.
Rakiza couldn't hold back his words and looked Nikolas in the eyes. Rakiza passed out again and was dreaming that Nikolas cradled her in his arms.
Rakiza awoke the next morning in her bed, wary of what had happened. She was dressed in the same gown, and as soon as she awoke, she remembered a ballroom party and her friends. She quickly stood up and looked for Muriel, and she was relieved to see her on her bed, lightly snoring. She had put on her nightgown. The last thing she remembers is when the audience applauded for her, and then she passed out.
"What happened next?" she pondered. And then she remembered Chin and Susan and dashed to the door of the next room where Chin and Susan were. She knocked three times before pushing the door open and entering, and Susan covered her eyes as the opened door let light into their dark room.
"Raki, could you please close the door?" Susan yelled.
Rakiza was not surprised; instead, she inquired, "Is Chin here?"

"Raki, it's too early in the morning to cause any disturbance; go back to your bed and sleep for a few more hours," Chin grumbled.
She began to relax and returned to their room as soon as she realized her friends had come home safely.

After a few hours, they were on their way to school. And they had all skipped the first subject. Rakiza sat in her art class chair. And they were tasked with painting or drawing a scene from their imaginations, with no physical reference.
Rakiza was deafeningly quiet for a moment. As a result of her lack of sleep, she was experiencing a bang in her head. She had only been in bed for three hours. She was looking for something in the room because the half-baked model wasn't there. And it gave Rakiza a little trouble figuring out how to finish her drawing session with Mr. Monsanto. She needed to finish her drawing of Theo as soon as possible.
She wondered where the conceited would go.
After a few hours, Rakiza had created a beautiful chamber that was walled with red velvet silk cloth and featured a giant bed in the center with a crumpled skirt. And there were two paintings on the wall: one of white lotus blooms on the left side of the wall and one of white roses on the right. She handed it over to Prof. Malden for review.

"It's perfect and anciently beautiful," Prof. Malden said candidly, before asking Rakiza, "Where did you get this idea of a red chamber?" He also asked, "Have you been in this place before?"
Rakiza pondered and replied, "I don't think so; I could just imagine it in my memory."
"Frankly, I like it," Professor Malden agreed, adding, "but I still want your drawing of Mr. Monsanto."
"Yeah, I haven't forgotten about it," she stated flatly, "But your favorite volunteer model was not around today. And how could I finish my drawings if he didn’t want to be involved with me about it? " Rakiza aired all of her grievances with Theo to the professor.
"It’s part of your punishment, Zanier," Prof. Malden said. "Circumstances will follow you in every wrong you've done."
Rakiza nodded, cutting short the sermon she had gained from being a bully for Mr. Monsanto. But if he does not come to our venue, I might submit my drawing to you regardless of whether it was finished or not.
The professor had the impression of Rakiza’s stubbornness, and reminded her once more and said, "You have to humble yourself before him and get his attention without anger."
The bell rang, and Theo still hadn't arrived for the art class. And the thought of going to the venue alone made Rakiza's blood boil again. But she had to finish her Theodulf Monsanto portrait.

Rakiza ran into the forest. And she was already gasping for air as she approached the location where she would meet Theo, the rock by the creek. As she waited for Mr. Monsanto. She pondered the professor's remarks about her most recent painting, "The Red Chamber." She had already tried hard to recall the location, but she couldn't figure out where she had gotten the idea.
*Perhaps I saw it in a magazine,* she concluded, coming to a halt near where Theo had posed for her.
Rakiza discovered that the stream's running water was relaxing. She waited for a while, but not even Theo's shadow appeared. After an hour of waiting, she dismissed the idea of finishing the drawing that day. She then decided to return to school. A rustling sound from behind her startled her. When she turned around, she saw him.
Theo’s face was as white as paper, and his eyes were cold and angry. And he wasn't saying anything; he was just staring at Rakiza. He then moved to the spot where he would pose and stood there silently with the face of a troubled man, and Theo turned his gaze back at Rakiza.
Rakiza saw the terror in his eyes and wanted to flee. She took a step back, but Theo grabbed her hand and engulfed her in his embrace. And she could sense a strange strength that he possessed. She could almost hear Theo's heartbeat and the ferocity of his desire. But he was very angry, really angry.