IT HAD BEEN months since the convent incident. When she arrived back at the castle, she stayed up all night waiting for Dracula, yet he never returned. With a heavy heart, Arabella came to the conclusion that she had overstayed her welcome. She packed her bags and summoned the driver.

The driver that drove her and Johnathan to Dracula all those months ago had dropped her off at the same place that he had picked her up from. She stood waiting for the next carriage to drive to her until it finally arrived. She hopped in, resting her temple against the cool tinted glass of her window.

The same small Romanian girl sat before her, resting timidly in the seat opposite her. She seemed hesitant to talk but she went against her shyness and spoke up. "How did you do it?"

Arabella lazily raised her head, looking across from her with a tired look. "Pardon?"

"How did you escape?" The Romanian girl urged, her eyes wide from worry, fear and curiosity.

Arabella's lips quirked up slightly before she turned her head to lean her forehead back on the glass window. A chuckled soon slipped from her lips.

"I didn't."

-------

Arabella ended up in Varna, Bulgaria. She found a nice abandoned cottage to stay in before she travelled again. She had tried to book a place on a ship travelling to England, but the captain said it was a private cruise. But, of course, when Arabella wants something, she always gets it. So when she wanted a place on the ship, she simply clicked her fingers and she got one.

The day of her trip came around. She wore an elegant emerald green gown, embroidered blossoms were scattered across the bodice and fell down the sides of the skirt. Half of Arabella's black hair was thrown up in a high bun, the bottom half was left down, the long tresses scattering across her back and shoulders. A small green lace umbrella rested open against her shoulder, shielding the dim sunlight from her face.

She planted her feet on the unsteady board leading from the dock to the ship. One hand griped her skirt to lift it an inch above the ground so she wouldn't trip, her other remaining around the handle of her umbrella. She stepped on the main deck, cranking her neck to look around the dull atmosphere.

She felt several pairs of eyes land on her. With a mischievous smile, she tilted her head towards the director of the sailors. She saw three young, broad-shouldered men all staring at her. She waved her fingers seductively at them and winked, before turning around at walking to the captain.

"Ah! Captain Yuri!" Arabella exclaimed in Russian as she approached the older man and two sailors. "Thank you again for having me."

"Madam Andrei, it's a pleasure," the captain kissed her hand. "Could you sign your name here, Madam?"

Arabella nodded with a grin. "Of course, and please... call me Arabella," she drawled out with a smile and a raised brow, as she plucked the pen from his hand. The captain and the sailors gulped, before nodding with smiles etched to their faces.

Arabella signed her name, the cursive large and elegant on the tinted paper. She dropped the pen and moved aside so the tall gentleman behind her could do the same. "Captain? How many passengers are we expecting?"

"Oh, 7 more, Madam Arabella," the captain answered before turning to converse with one of his frequent sailors.

A dark-skinned gent dressed in a grey coat and shit with a black bowler hat placed on his head, approached behind the one handed sailor. "Lord and Lady Ruthven," he announced in a bored tone, gesturing to the extravagant couple trailing behind him. The gentleman dressed similarly to his worker - a dark coat and suit with a bowler hat atop his head. The lady linked to his arm however wore a navy coloured gown, buttoned and clasps travelling up the front of the bodice. A large black and blue fascinator rested atop her fawn coloured locks that she let fall down her back. Unlike her partner, she had a genuine smile resting on her features while the man exuded pride and arrogance.

Arabella's gaze lingered on the young girl as the captain welcomed them. "Ah, great pleasure!" Yuri spoke in English yet his thick Russian accent oozed out of his words. "Welcome aboard the Demeter, my lord, my lady,"

"Thank you!" The young woman announced. "We just got married, isn't it wonderful!"

Arabella grinned, approaching the woman. "That's lovely, congratulations!" The young girl smiled, silently thanking the woman in front of her. "Madam Arabella Victoria Andrei, and you are?"

"Lady Dorabella Ruthven," The girl introduced herself. "I'm sure we'll get along splendidly with our time together on this ship,"

Arabella grinned down at Dorabella. "I'm sure we will. After all, are names are very similar."

Dorabella thought for a second. "Dorabella and Arabella! How marvellous! It's like fate, really!"

"Perhaps," Arabella chuckled, linking her arm through Dorabella's and pulling her away from her husband. The two women explored the main deck, careful not to get in the way of the sailors.

Arabella felt a pair of eyes burning in her and Dorabella's direction. She quickly glanced to her left to see a Russian sailor, leaning against a barrier of alcohol, his neck twisted to glance over his shoulder at the two women.

She faintly heard the older sailor next to him say; "You can stop you're dreaming, s-son. They're not for the likes of you."

Arabella smiled, turning back to Dorabella. "So, tell me how you and your husband met, Dorabella."

Dorabella grinned, clearly excited to tell her new friend how she came to be Lady Ruthven. She went on to talk for over 15 minutes about her husband, how they met, the wedding, their plans for their honeymoon in England. Arebella half listened as she watched the young girl.

"What about you, Arabella? Do you have a partner?" Dorabella asked, her arm clutching to the older woman's.

Arabella thought for a second. She didn't know really. She always considered Dracula to be her partner, whether he liked it or not - it was written in the stars, the bond was running through their blood. But ever since she left Transylvania, she hadn't really thought of him, that is until now. "Not anymore,"

"Oh, that is a shame! Was it him?" Dorabella asked, referring to who 'broke it off'.

Arabella chuckled. "It always is the men."

Dorabella laughed along with Arabella. "Oh! You are a delight, Arabella! Are you travelling alone?"

"Unfortunately, yes,"

"Ah! Then you simply must join me and Lord Ruthven for dinner tonight!"

——

Arabella travelled to her cabin. Cabin 10. She dressed in an elegant blue gown, revealing her shoulders. She left her hair down, plainly pinning two strands back with pearl pins. Once she was ready, she glided down to the dining hall. The room only consisted of five people when she arrived. Two Indian passengers - a gentleman and what she presumed was his daughter. Dorabella's husband and their employee. And an elderly woman, dressed in all black. Something about her seemed very familiar but she could not put her finger on it.

Her thoughts were cut short when someone stood up. "Ah! You must be Arabella!" Lord Ruthven exclaimed, walking around the table, to greet the woman with a kiss on her hand. "My wife hadn't stopped talking of you since we got in our cabin. She told me you'd be joining us for supper?"

"Oh, yes. Of course, thank you for having me," Arabella smiled. The lord pulled out a chair for her at his table. Arabella sat down as he pushed the chair towards her. She looked to her left, noticing the empty space. "Where is Lady Dorabella this evening, my Lord?"

Lord Ruthven waves his hand dismissively. "She should be here any moment. She was making a fuss over what dress to wear."

The two made light conversation until someone else walked into the dining room. Twisting her neck with a smile, she was expecting to see Dorabella. But what she saw was far different.

"Dracula?"