The Van Helsing Conjecture – Excerpt No. 157

“Fine…” Clara said. “Evelyn is a sultry vampire who knows how to get me off every time.”

“Is that the one who killed Ada?” Jack said.

Clara could not contain her surprise this time, and her mask faltered. Her mouth went agape, because that lined up with a potential future for her eldest sister… Why would Drusilla come here and leave me be?

“Out of all the Grey women,” Jack said. “You were always my favourite.”

It might have been a compliment, but Clara would have preferred a slap in the face. It’s certainly not a comment about my beauty or intelligence…

“You always come up with these wild stories. Did you get that from Dracula? Carmilla?”

a cinematic photograph of a woman with long, dark, curly hair, dressed in layered, earth-toned clothing, standing proudly with her three young daughters, all with striking grey eyes and varying shades of curly brown hair, set against the rugged backdrop of a 1900s Canadian coastal mining town, with worn, wooden buildings, rugged terrain, and misty atmosphere, captured with a warm, golden light, evoking a sense of nostalgia and timelessness, as if taken by a vintage camera, with a shallow depth of field, drawing attention to the tender, joyful moments shared between the mother and her daughters, with subtle, muted colors and a mix of soft, natural textures and worn, industrial elements.

Disclaimer: This novel is an work in progress and readers may encounter grammatical errors and inconsistencies. Please view this a draft and not a published work.