THE VAMPIRE ALPHA

4-THE VISIT

SOPHIA led Aldus inside the museum. She felt the chilly air as they walked from the entrance to the lobby.

"Would you want to have the meeting inside my office or would you want to discuss it while visiting a particular part of the museum?" Sophia asked the visitor as they traversed the hallway of the museum.

"Your office would suffice. I have some specific requests from the museum's sponsor that I would like to deliver to the privacy of your office."

Sophia wondered if it was normal to feel colder despite having her coat on. She looked at the man walking behind her and he was looking around as if searching for something.

"I see. Are you looking for something in particular? I noticed that you were going through the paintings and artifacts that we passed by. If you have something of interest, do let me know. Maybe I can help."

Aldus smiled and Sophia noticed again his sparkly white teeth. It was the whitest set of teeth that she had seen. It made her wonder who his dentist was.

Whenever she looked at him, she could feel something in her bones. It was like he was familiar, but she couldn't pinpoint how or why he seemed to be so.

"To be honest, its just that places like this give me so many memories and I feel nostalgic seeing the relics and paintings of dead people."

Sophia shivered. There was something sinister in the way he mentioned dead people. It was as if he knew those dead people that are in the paintings or he had been with the owners of the relics.

"But that's just my weird tastes in things. Don't mind me too much, Ms. Stark." Then the man grinned, making Sophia forget what she was thinking about the man and the dead people.

When they passed by one of the vases, the man stopped. He approached and squinted his eyes to look at the top part. He sighed and then closed his eyes as if trying to forget something. Perhaps to forget a memory triggered by the vase.

"Mr. Aldus, are you alright?" Sophia asked. Her European accent evident.

The man nodded and he pointed the way with his outstretched hand and arm. He signaled her that he wanted to keep going and perhaps to avoid any more stop overs that would prolong his stay.

"Yes. Let's continue," he said. Instead of walking behind her as they had been doing since they entered the museum, he walked a few paces ahead of her, sometimes blocking her view.

She wondered if he knew the way to her office, as his confident strides seemed to indicate that he knew his way.

They had a few more steps until it was Sophia's turn to stop. They had just passed the main wing. Her forehead creased and she could't help but scratch her head. There was something missing. She swore she had seen a new painting hanging there a while ago. The light flickered and she had to blink several times to ensure that she was not missing anything or that she was not hallucinating. She couldn't be mistaken that she saw a portrait there, the new painting that she didn't know they had, the one with the image of something, something that she couldn't remember.

Sophia stepped back and massaged her forehead. She was startled and then stopped moving when a voice spoke from behind.

"Are you alright, Ms. Stark? Is there something wrong with this blank white empty wall?" the man behind her asked.

When he said the last four words, his voice sounded different.

She shook her head and stared closer. Aldus was right. They were indeed looking at a blank white empty wall.

"I thought I saw a painting here earlier before I came out to the parking lot, but perhaps I saw it in a different wing or part of the museum." She said as she scratched her head once again. She tilted her head to the left while her frown did not leave her face.

"Perhaps you didn't see any painting earlier. Have you had your dinner, Ms. Stark?"

Sophia turned around to look at the man. When their eyes met, she saw one of his eyes gleam as if a light was reflected on it for a second. His voice sounded different, like seconds before.

"Ms. Stark, you were just famished perhaps and might have imagined seeing something."

For an instant she realized that it was indeed the case. She did not see anything new. It would also be impossible, since being the head curator, she should know all the new displays in the museum.

"I think so, too. Sorry for keeping you. Let's go to my office. Just straight ahead."

When they reached her office, she turned the lights on and she led them inside. She saw the papers she was working on earlier but there was something different. She stacked the paperwork neatly and piled it on top of her table. When she walked over behind her desk, she realized that instead of a blank page, the one on top of the stack of papers was now the artifact that they were not supposed to display until further investigation and research.

She looked around the room for any sign of a break in but there was none. Then something white and moving caught her eye. She walked slowly towards it, her heart beating rapidly inside her chest.

"Ms. Stark?" Aldus asked, but she was so busy walking towards the moving object that she did not respond.

She held her chest and walked further towards where she saw the object. When she saw what it was, she sighed in relief and scolded herself for being too paranoid.

It was a piece of paper that might have flown from the top of the pile to the floor and beside her desk. The exhaust and air conditioning unit is centralized and turns on and turns off simultaneously with the light switch. The power of the office is connected to each other per room and wing.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. Sorry for that. The chilly air and hunger might be getting the best of me. Please be seated," she said. He did what he was told. He sat straight and placed his left hand on top of the table with the right hand on top of the other. He looked around the room as Sophia checked the floor around her table for any other misplaced items.

"I see you have several awards and certificates in your name. How did you become involved in archeology? I was just curious how such a young person might be interested in old and worn-down objects."

"Since I was little, I guess I developed a fascination and desire to be an Archeologist and it never wavered. I love history and I love art. This curator job is perfect for me in every way. I couldn't imagine myself doing anything else aside from this job.

"I could see that. So, here are the papers that I was meaning to give you." Aldus took a folder out from inside his trench coat breast pocket.

She took the folder and placed it on top of her table. She sat down straight and lifted the flap of the folder open. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"What is this supposed to mean, Mr. Aldus?"