"So Nia is the last of your family left?" Ellis questioned quietly, but Nana shook her head.
Then, instead of elaborating on Ellis's question, she simply finished her story, "Lili returned to her village a few days later, and she and two others became the village elders.”
A grieving twinge of laughter left the old woman’s lips, “The elders of a dead and destroyed village... Because there are no people in the village, Lili and the others didn't rebuild, they stay nearby and watch over the remains."
"If there's no one there then they should get on with their lives!" Exclaimed Ellis, somewhat angrily, "It's been almost twenty years, hasn't it?"
Nana gave a soft laugh and nodded, "Yes, but in twenty years the pain hasn't abated, Mister Vampire. The village, though empty, still means very much to them, and it still deserves to have elders presiding over it. One day, maybe survivors might come home."
Ellis didn't argue anymore. His mind was starting to spin and he felt dizzy, so he let his head fall backwards against the rough couch.
"Why don't you two go and rest." The old woman whispered, finally releasing Nia, who was red faced and puffy eyed.
Nana stood and took a few steps away, then began talking once more, though carefully speaking to the opposite wall instead of the pair sitting on the couch, "Oh, and Ellis, you may start feeling the effects of Nia's soul soon, I can't tell for sure how much it will change you, but it will only be temporarily. She is almost out of the woods."
And then she began to move away from them, it was the first time Ellis saw her perfect posture broken, her head bowed down to nearly her chest, old back curved at a strange angle as she escaped down the dark hall towards her own room.
"I think she's right, I don't feel so good." Ellis mumbled, looking away from the sadness of Nia's eyes, "why don't we go lay down?"
They'd been resting so much lately, but Ellis felt exhausted. Nia nodded, following him like a child back into her room. Ellis closed the door behind them and flopped onto the bed, rolling over and opening his arms to Nia, who cuddled up into them obediently, pressed up against his chest – heart to heart.
Again Ellis's chest pounded painfully and it made his head feel even fuzzier, so he squeezed his eyes shut and tried to clear his head.
"Lili's my best friend." Nia whispered, "I don't get to see her much anymore, but when I was little she was always there. She even gave me this ribbon." She pointed at the blue ribbon in her hair and her cheeks struggled to pull back her lips into a minute smile.
"Maybe when you’re feeling better you should go see her.” Ellis said slowly, frowning at the wall above Nia's head, "You could try listening to her whole spiel this time?" He added with a roll of his eyes.
Ellis had his own places that he needed to be. He’d already stayed here too long, no doubt George would be hot on their tracks soon enough. It was a surprise they hadn’t turned up already.
Their time together was waning short, they could both feel it.
Nia nodded slightly and closed her eyes, cuddling more against Ellis. She didn’t want to talk of his departure just yet.
He was warmer than normal, she realized, almost human feeling. She supposed it was the work of her soul in his body. It was a comfy warmth though, and it made Nia feel drowsy.
"I feel really funnyyyy…" Ellis suddenly giggled, squirming a little and cuddling more up to Nia with a nearly drunken grin, "My head's all tingly…"
He held her tight, hands searing through the back of the nightgown that Nia still wore, and the heat of his body seemed to be coming off in waves, enveloping Nia and making a bead of sweat trickle down the back of her neck. His breath was hot against her ear and made her tremble slightly.
It was strange how warm his normally cold body was becoming.
He suddenly flipped her over, body pressed against hers and eyes serious and so close to her face, elbows beside her face.
"Nia…" he whispered.
His eyes made her breath stop. It was not his seriousness that made her lungs go flat, it was not that she had never realized how pretty his eyes were, it was not a sweet, romantic reason – it was because she realized they were not Ellis's eyes.
It was Ellis's face and it was Ellis's features - but this was not Ellis. This was an Ellis who was not really there and it was painful. It was like a stranger.
"…I love you, Nia. I love you, I love you…" He whispered, urgency taking over his tone.
Though this was a cruel, cruel lie that Ellis would believe only for a little while and Nia knew all too well was untrue.
Her heart began to ache and her mind began to buzz with confusion, whose wouldn't when being lied to so determinedly, and she tried to shove him away, but he was stronger than she was and she couldn't bring herself to yell at him or hit him, not when his face was so sincere.