Chapter 3.5 || Trust

Solus Brittanica

Janus 17, 1923 A.V

St. Solarias Orphanage, Thamesford

Camilla

Light shone through as the cabinet door opened, making the little girl gasp. This is it. This is the end for us. The monsters killed everyone and have come for us next! 

Camilla shrieked, hugging her brother tight. “N-no! Please! J-just take me!  D-don’t hurt Rem!” 

She caught a glimpse of the monster's face. Blood red eyes and pointed ears. Pale white skin and sharp fangs. Her heart pounded in her chest, she could feel her blood rush through her veins. She had to protect her brother. He was the only person she had left. Even if it meant sacrificing herself to the monsters, she had to be brave. Latevia had trusted her to keep everyone safe. If she couldn’t even do that, at least she could save her brother. That was the only thought spinning in her head. 

“T-take me! Just me! Please, don’t hurt anyone else!” she cried out, keeping her eyes shut, too frightened to stare into the creature’s eyes once more. 

Tears quickly streamed down her face as the monster grabbed her by the arms, making her scream. She could hear the monster softly shushing her, trying to get her to calm down. 

“Camilla. Camilla it’s me, don’t be scared. It’s Sister Latevia, please calm down…” The monster spoke. No. That couldn’t be true. The monsters must’ve eaten her and taken her voice! It was the only explanation. There was no way that it was Miss Late. 

“N-No! You’re a monster!” she screamed, trying to break away from the strigoi’s grip. 

“Camilla, listen to me. You’re okay. Everything is okay. Please, open your eyes.” The monster spoke softly. 

Why wasn’t she eating me? Ripping me to shreds? Sucking my blood out from my body? O-or splattering my head on the floor? Was she playing with me? W-was this really Miss Late?

“Camilla. Listen to my voice. It’s me, please. Trust me.” The strigoi woman spoke again. 

The little girl swallowed hard and tried to calm herself. What if it really is her… Maybe I was just seeing things? But how did she survive? She thought. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open to the figure in front of her. 

The woman holding her was wearing the same clothes all the other sisters did, but this time, there was no mask. Only the same face she had caught a glimpse of earlier. The fangs. The ears. The eyes. But rather than a drooling hunger, there was a gentle smile. 

The face of the monster had kind eyes beneath its deep red. Lips pulled into an awkward smile, and her brows curled into a worried look. There wasn’t a hint of malice at all. No snarls or wicked grins came. No hunger in her gaze, no hint of aggression. Only… warmth, worry, gentleness. 

“It’s me, Camilla. It’s really me.”

The voice did belong to her beloved caretaker. The nun she was closest to. Camilla gasped as this  ‘Latevia’ suddenly pulled her into a hug. “I’m not going to hurt you or your brother. It’s okay,” the strigoi said. 

Camilla pushed herself away and backed up a bit, holding her brother close. She stared intently at the woman’s features. They were quite similar to the mask Latevia wore, but now the face behind it—the truth—had been revealed. “M-Miss Late? Y-you’re…” She started. 

Latevia nodded at her. “Yes. I am. I know what I am. But I promise, I’m not going to hurt you, okay?” 

She couldn’t believe her eyes. Her closest caretaker next to Henry, had been a bloodsucker all along. Was this always the case? Was she bitten? Camilla’s thoughts ran through her head a thousand miles an hour, unable to keep up with them. 

Is she a good one? Had she been secretly feeding on us?! Did the other sisters know?!

Panic settled in her bones, wrapping her arms around herself, breathing faster than she could keep up with. She gulped hard, her lips quivering as she thought of the right words to say.  Her eyes flew back and forth from Latevia’s fangs, to her eyes, holding herself tighter.

“I’m dreaming. I’m dreaming. This isn’t real."

“Camilla—”

“O-or I-I’m dead! I’m dead!”

Latevia frowned and slowly reached out. “Camilla you’re not dea—”

“Don’t touch me! D-Don’t touch me! I-I can’t trust you!” Camilla cried out, flinching away. 

Latevia swallowed hard, then nodded, slowly backing away from her. “I understand.”

“Y-you d-don’t… I-I… I don’t even understand m-myself right now. H-how could you?!”

“Honey. Look at me. It’s me. I promise it’s me. You know me. You can trust me, Camilla.”

“D-do I know you?! A-are you really L-Latevia? B-because if you are, then t-this is a b-big cruel joke!”

Latevia frowned, looking down on the floor. 

“W-why didn’t you tell us?! H-how did this happen? Were you lying to us a-all this time?! W-why, Miss Late! P-please… I-I need to know.”

“I’ll answer all your questions,” Latevia said, putting her hands up in the air. “I-I swear to you. Sol strike me down, I won’t hide anything from you anymore, and I don’t plan to.”

Camilla steadied her breathing, staring at her caretaker for a full minute. Her chest rose and fell as she slowly hugged her knees. “D-did you get turned… b-by the monsters?” she asked.

Latevia nodded before shaking her head. “No dear, I was born this way.”

“Y-You told me before that you were raised here… before deciding to join the convent a-and become a nun. D-does that mean the others knew? O-or was that all a lie.” 

“Yes. They knew. I was abandoned at the orphanage’s doors. All of that is true.”

“T-then why—”

“I’ll explain everything, but for now you have to trust me, okay? We need to get everyone someplace safe first. Can you talk to your brother?”

“Y-you really are Miss Late?”

“Always have been.” The strigoi gave a warm smile. 

Camilla looked at the woman once more. Miss Latevia was a strigoi— is a strigoi. However, she didn’t seem openly hostile or evil for that matter. If she wanted to kill them, she wouldn’t have bothered to try and calm them down and help them. 

But what if it’s a trick? Camilla’s thoughts protested. No, why waste the effort? This is Miss Late, the same one who read us stories and put us to bed. The same Miss Late that snuck cookies into our room even when Mother Elizabeth said no. But she’s still a strigoi. She lied to us… she hid this from us. 

Camilla nodded and turned around, reaching for her brother. “R-Remy. I-it’s okay… I t-think we’re okay,” she said, shaking her brother. Remy slowly opened his eyes, turned to her, then to the woman crouching down, looking at them. “It’s… it’s Miss Late,” she said. 

Jeremy, after hearing the name, immediately crawled out and leaped forward, wrapping his arms around the woman. The strigoi looked surprised, her eyes wide. She slowly returned the hug before planting a kiss on the top of the boy’s head. He didn’t seem to mind that their old caretaker’s face betrayed that of a human’s. He continued to cling to her. 

Camilla watched nervously, swallowing hard. She reached out slowly, but retracted her hand back to her chest still unsure whether to trust her old caretaker. The nun soon stood up, carrying her brother on one arm. 

“Come now, little one,” the nun spoke. “We have to go somewhere safe. The kitchen is not the best,” she said. “Now that everyone is accounted for, we need to figure out a way to leave this place. Though, I still think the best course of action is to wait for help, we can’t know how long that is. For now, let’s wait for the commotion outside to die down before we head out.”

Camilla took a deep breath, slowly crawling out of her hiding place. “I-I’m… I’m trusting you, M-Miss Latevai. If y-you really are who you say you are… i-if this has always b-been w-what you are,” she said. “T-the Miss Latevia I know w-would never hurt us. S-so if you’re her… then I t-trust you. Even if you are a-a monster.”

Latvia nodded slowly, seeming to accept her words for now. 

She gathered the children around her, and looked at each one of them, weary faces. Camilla looked around. True enough to Latevia’s word, all of the orphans were accounted for. She couldn’t find a single one who was harmed in any way either. She nodded her head and let out a sigh of relief. She raised her hand, getting the sister’s attention. 

“Yes, Camilla?”

“Uhm… W-where are we going to h-hide Miss Late? The o-other sisters told us the cafeteria was the best place to stay in because it can hold all of us.”

“Yes, but the cafeteria is…” Latevia paused, her words catching in her throat. “I-I wouldn’t recommend looking in there, little one.”

“O-oh…” Camilla nodded, understanding. “They’re d-dead, aren’t they…”

Latevia nodded back solemnly.

All the children suddenly looked terrified, not wanting to leave the kitchen. Some stepped back, cowering at the thought of what they might see the moment they stepped outside. 

Camilla noticed the worried look on Latevia’s face. It was clear she was already having a hard time to get the children to trust her, the mention of everyone else being dead didn’t help at all. Though, they already knew it was the case deep inside, confirming it only made them feel worse about the situation. 

“B-But you’ll protect us! R-right miss Late? Y-you wouldn’t let that happen to any of us…” she suddenly blurted out, trying to plant a seed of hope in the others. 

Miss Late needs help. I need to do what I can. That’s right, I’m a big girl now. I can help! And Henry might still be on his way. We all need to make it… I’m trusting Miss Late. I’m putting my trust in… hope.

“Miss Latevia will protect us. I-I know she will!”

Latevia looked at her. Her eyes filled with surprise, but a hint of relief. She gave a warm smile and nodded. “Of course I’ll protect you. All of you. I won’t ever let anything happen to any of you. I promise. I-I know it’s hard to accept right now, but I need all of you to trust me. We will get through this, we just need to have faith. Pray to Helena that Sol peeks his head again and brings the daylight,” she said. “Remember, you are the children of Sol. His light shines in each and every one of you. You can bask in the light. The monsters… never can,” she gave a bittersweet smile. 

“T-that’s right!” Camilla said. “We just need to wait until day time! We’ll be able to all get out safely!” She nodded profusely. She walked over to the nun and gingerly took her hand. “M-miss Latevia will p-protect us until then. I-I trust her.” 

All the other children looked at her. They nodded in agreement, deciding to go along with the plan of waiting till sunrise, which may take several hours considering Holy Sol had just set a little over  an hour or so. Still, it was the best course of action. The sun would protect them. Everyone knew that bloodsuckers burned up under Sol’s blessing. 

“S-so, where are we going to stay, Miss Late?” she asked.

Latevia smiled. “My room in the basement,” she said. “It’s pretty small, but we might all be able to fit, if we squeeze together. No one will find us there. Now, everyone, form one line an arm apart. I want you to hold on to the person in front of you. Close your eyes and don’t open them until I say so. Just follow the lead of who’s in front. Okay?” 

The children agreed. They all formed a line with Camilla at the very front, holding on to Sister Latevia. Soon, they headed for the basement. Camilla let out a long sigh as they started to move. 

I’m waiting for you, Henry… Dad.