Jorge Joestar

Chapter 5: The Box

In the one photograph of him Mum had, taken at theirwedding, Dad was handsome; not much taller than me, but three times as burly,with thick, straight, strong eyebrows, and gentle eyes. There was a sadness tohim, like a frightened dog, trying to hide his weakness. His mouth was firmlyclosed, and he didn’t seem like he was particularly talkative. His hair seemedsoft and floppy, and tumbled over his ears and down his neck. Mum was standingclose to him as if she could not love him more, and as if she was prepared toprotect this fragile giant from anything that came his way.

When Mum led us into a basement room I had no idea evenexisted, and showed us Jonathan Joestar’s head, he looked exactly like thepicture, except his eyes were closed, and there was nothing below the neck.

When she’d told us she kept the severed head of my fatherfor fifteen years since his death, I’d imagined a skull, with no flesh intact.But this head looked like he’d been killed mere moments ago – no, like he wasstill alive. The color of his skin was normal, with a healthy glow; his hairand eyebrows and eyelashes were black, like they were wet. His lips were pursed– this was an oddly attractive severed head. Mum kept it in a beautiful glasscase that she clearly cleaned often.

“Jorge, this is your father,”

Mum said, but he seemed so alive I was afraid to say helloin case he opened his eyes and answered.

“It…it is dead, right?”

I asked.

“Don’t call him ‘it’!”

Mum snapped, the whip crack in her voice at least twice asstrong as I’d ever heard it. She wasn’t my Mum here; she was this head’s wife.

“Sorry. But…he really looks like he’s still alive,”

I said. Mum didn’t answer. Eh? He was dead, right?“Gracious,”

Lisa Lisa said, her hands at her mouth. This all came as ashock to her, too.

“Then the rest of him…that horrible man who was in the boxwith us, he really…”

“You…remember? Lisa Lisa?”

“Yes. I thought it was a dream. That man was so scary, and youwere so scared that I…I didn’t really understand, but it seemed like youloved each other, and he seemed like Jorge’s father, but Jorge’s father wasnever so fearsome he made the very air around him quiver…”

Like she loved him? What did that mean? Confused, I lookedat Mum, and she looked guilty. This confused me more.

What did it mean? In that box or coffin, while I was stillinside her…what happened? Mum sighed.

“If you saw all that…of course you saw it, the box was sovery small. But to actually remember it? You really are extraordinary, LisaLisa.”

“Sorry……”

“You did nothing wrong. Heh heh heh. I suppose you didremember Jonathan’s final breath, after all.”

“…I was scared, I think. Desperate.”

“Yes. And that fear didn’t end when we escaped the ship.”

“………..”

“Let me start at the beginning,”

Mum said. She had Straits and Penelope go upstairs, leavingonly Lisa Lisa and myself. There was a couch, an easy chair and a table placedopposite the glass cabinet. It was clear Mum came down here sometimes, andspent time with him. Mum sat on the easy chair, and Lisa Lisa and I sat next toeach other on the couch. This did not leave us facing her; the couches werearranged diagonally, like the letter V, so that you could gaze upon my father’shead in the cabinet no matter which you were sitting on. It was clear Mum wouldsometimes lie down on this couch, gazing at father. Just the two of them. Evennow, her eyes weren’t looking at us, but at him.

We sat there a while, but Mum didn’t say anything, so Itried to process the terrifying story I’d just heard. The horrible fate ofJonathan Joestar and Dio Brando. My uncle had become a vampire!

I’d been a naïve fool. The story of my parents and themystery of my birth were something I should have thought about, doubted, askedabout. But I had been too busy wallowing in selfpity to do that. Thinking aboutit now, I should at least have asked how only Mum managed to survive thesinking of a ship with so many passengers, especially when my father, for all hismuscles, didn’t. Passenger ship were equipped with a large number of lifeboatsin case an accident happened. But if the explosion had been so sudden nobodyelse survived, then Mum must have known about the explosion at least a fewminutes before it happened. If she had known, Dad would have. If Dad hadn’tsurvived with her, then he must have died before the explosion, or been closeto death. She must have hidden in the box just before the explosion, with notime to save anyone else. Otherwise Mum would almost certainly have brought hisbody with her. Mum would never leave Dad behind, even if he was dead. Lisa Lisaunderstood that as well, which was why she’d leveled these accusations. Andthis special box.

Why was such a thing conveniently by Mum’s side in asituation so dire only she and Lisa Lisa could escape? Why was it so strong itcould survive a ship exploding? Because someone had needed that box, and Mumwas with that someone. That someone being the vampire Dio. Mum had witnessedhim killing Dad. Dad died, and only his head remained. Even though it was Diowho had been only a head right before the ship exploded.

What happened to my father’s body? There was an obviousanswer, but I was afraid to think it. The terrifying man in Lisa Lisa’smemories explained it. But Lisa Lisa had said Mum and that man seemed like theyloved each other. I had no idea what that meant. I didn’t want to know. But Icouldn’t stand up and run upstairs. Straits and everyone were waiting up there,and they’d laugh if I ran. I’d already shown Straits how pathetic I was fiveyears ago. I don’t want power like Lisa Lisa’s,

I’d said, sniveling. I’d refused to face this stuff. But ifI ran from their scorn and went outside, even more terrifying things awaitedme. The very things I’d incurred shame to avoid might get me. There was nowhereon the island for me to hide. Lisa Lisa grew impatient, and started askingquestions about the very things I didn’t want to hear.

“Mama Erina, did you save Dio from that explosion?”

“……….”

“Don’t think I’m being unsympathetic. Just…if only Jorge’sfather’s head is here, then that must be because Dio stole his body. Right? Ican see why you’d want to protect your husband’s body. You could never haveknown just how terrifying Dio Brando really was. You would have wanted JonathanJoestar’s flesh to survive, even if that meant it was Dio Brando’s body.Nobody’s blaming you for that. But what bothers me is the intimacy between you,so strong I sensed it even as a baby.”

“………..”

“…you and Jonathan were friends as children, right? Whichmeans Dio was, too. I went to England, researching Dio Brando’s life. I went tothe remains of the Joestar manor. I talked to people in town. They told me thatyou and Jorge’s father first became a couple when you were thirteen, but thatDio Brando forced you to split up. Some people even said you cheated onJonathan. I didn’t believe them, but Dio Brando clearly did something that madeit so the two of you couldn’t even look at each other. I’d always assumed theman who murdered Jorge’s grandfather and became a vampire was a violent, evilman, but to my surprise, he was very popular with people around the Joestarmanor. More popular than Jonathan Joestar. He was smart, a gentleman, had manyfriends, both men and women. He was a rugby star but never lorded it overanyone; his teammates trusted him completely, and he always had time for hisfans. He was the most popular person in town. Half of them still believe he wasinnocent! He was quite popular with the ladies, but seemingly never had agirlfriend. Many people seem to think that’s

because he loved you, Mama Erina.

Whatever happened when you were thirteen has become quitethe romantic legend. I guess my point is…if Jorge’s father didn’t tell youanything about Dio Brando, and the vampire’s public image was of a splendidgentleman, then I can understand you being confused on the raft.”

Hmm? What was Lisa Lisa implying? The mood was too tense forme to dare ask.

“Elizabeth,”

Mum said, catching her eye. It was so rare for her toaddress Lisa Lisa by her real name that we both gasped.

“Yes?”

Lisa Lisa squeaked.

“You are only sixteen,”

Mum said.

“A little girl like you should never attempt to speak ofmatters of the heart as if she could possibly understand. You know nothing,yet. At the least, you have no idea what there was between myself and Jonathan,and what remains between us today.”

Yikes! I’d seen her scold Lisa Lisa before, but she nevergot this emotional. I knew this wasn’t because Lisa Lisa had hit the nail onthe head, or because her pride had been wounded, or anything petty like that.Lisa Lisa knew that too. Mum avoided letting bitterness or anger or othernegative emotions show. The angrier she got, the calmer she was, the morechilly her behavior. She never smiled more than when she was faced withunpleasantness or misfortune. But now? Her anger made her act angry. And thiswas clearly because it involved my father.

“…but I suppose there are many things you couldn’t hope tounderstand because I haven’t told you anything,”

she said, her tone gentle again. I was relieved. Lisa Lisamust be as well. Except Mum had one more snap of the whip inside her.

“But that’s no excuse for speculating on puerile rumors.”

Then Mum began her story.

“Dio Brando was evil from the day I met him. Sly, cruel, andmanipulative, he made no attempt to hide his lust for control. But he was socharismatic that many people unreservedly admired

his behavior. The only people not blinded to his true naturewere those who didn’t want his favor, and there weren’t many of them. The vastmajority approved of his brash cunning, and realized instinctively if they evercrossed him he would destroy them. They may not have been conscious of it, butthey were desperate to stay on his good side. Anyone who enraged him would becast out, tormented mercilessly by his lackeys. People saw this, and wereafraid to get involved; they averted their eyes, and refused to even talk abouthim. So the only ones who knew his true evil – who were forced to see the blacknessof his soul – were those not allowed to curry favor, not allowed to avert theireyes. Those he directly and methodically went after. This was primarilyJonathan Joestar. But only for a short period after Dio joined the Joestarfamily. Once he forced me and Jonathan apart, he ceased attacking Jonathandirectly, and turned his focus towards me. Not that he ever did anything – hesimply watched me closely, making sure I never came near Jonathan. At first, Ithought he was trying to force Jonathan further into solitude. After all, whenJonathan and I first drew close, Dio had stolen every friend Jonathan had –except his pet dog. Shortly after I was forced away from Jonathan, I heard thatdog, Danny, had died in a horrible, mysterious accident. Jonathan wascompletely alone now, I thought. But Dio completely changed the way he treatedJonathan, like he was different person entirely. All Jonathan’s old friendsreturned, and he began throwing his arm over Jonathan’s shoulders with afriendly smile, as if there had never been a conflict between them. From adistance, I could tell Jonathan found this disconcerting.

While having his friends back was a relief, he never wasquite able to shake the suspicion Dio’s about face engendered. In other words,Dio had left him dangling on the cliffs of solitude. Being surrounded bypretend ‘friends’ he could never really trust preserved his isolationpermanently. If he’d been left alone, he may well have found a real friendsomewhere else. Dio had saved himself the effort of crushing each new friendindividually. But…while the other boys were allowed in Jonathan’s

company, he kept a close watch on me, keeping me fromgetting close. More than anything, this convinced me of the truth. That nomatter how much Dio tried to prevent it, I alone, if we so much as saw eachother, if we so much as exchanged a glance, I could reach Jonathan’s heart.That’s why he worked so hard to keep that from happening. Knowing how awful itmust be for Jonathan, unable to trust anyone around him, I wondered for a longtime if I should do something. In the end, I gave up. After all, Jonathan couldfight for me, but he could not protect me.”

I was shocked to hear Mum say this. I mean, Dad was rightover there. He may be just a head, but he seemed so alive. Mum saw the look onmy face, and laughed.

“Don’t worry, Jorge. I’ve said as much many a time whiletalking with your father down here.”

Ehhh? What about speaking ill of the dead…? “Heh hehheh. You see, there was something else I knew. I knew Jonathan would never letDio destroy his life. I knew fate would bring us together again one day. Butwhat brought that about what much worse than I had ever imagined. I became anurse, and Jonathan was brought to my care from the fire at the Joestar manor,badly injured and barely alive. A short time later Jonathan left me again,without a word, to continue his fight. I didn’t mind. I kept the faith, and hecame back to me – once again, badly hurt. He had settled matters with DioBrando at last, and we were married. Or so I believed. But as I said earlier,Dio had survived – or at least, his head had. Once again he tried to pry mefrom Jonathan. Heh heh. My husband was a bit of a fool, you see.

What kind of idiot doesn’t bother looking for the body of animmortal vampire?”

Mum looked over at Dad’s head and smiled, not a trace ofsadness or regret, just tenderness and love. She was an amazing woman, Ithought. I heard Lisa Lisa gulp.

“Now we’re getting to the heart of the matter,”

Mum said. Lisa Lisa and I exchanged glances.

“What happened when Jonathan and Dio Brando fought for athird time, and what happened to me,

Lisa Lisa, and Jorge inside me while we were adrift on thatbox.”

She closed her eyes for a minute, then opened them and began.

“The scene on that ship was like something from anotherworld. The dead were attacking the living, and every room, every corridorechoed with screams, horrible groans, and sinister laughter. The smell of bloodand the palpable heat of madness filled the air. And in the middle of all ofthat, Jonathan and Dio Brando fought. It was all over in a flash, right infront of my eyes. Jonathan accepted his death, but when I vowed to die withhim, he pointed to baby Lisa Lisa, where she lay crying, and told me to saveher and live. I could not refuse, so I picked up Lisa Lisa, and climbed intothe box. You could tell at a glance it was no ordinary box. It was a bombshelter, shaped like coffin, large enough for an adult to climb inside. I couldlock it from the inside. Just before I shut the lid, I looked back, wonderingif I could somehow get Jonathan inside, but he had Dio’s head wrapped tightlyin his arms, and no longer had the strength to stand. Jonathan was so muchheavier than me I could never move him in time, not with the machine roomlooking ready to burst at any second. And Jonathan was using his last strengthto hold Dio captive. There was no chance I could have pried Dio lose and savedJonathan’s body alone. ‘Be happy, Erina,’ he said, and his smile pushed me intothe box. ‘Think about it, Jojo!’ I heard Dio cry. ‘I can grant you eternallife!’ I closed the lid, and locked it from the inside. As I did, there was athunderous roar, and an explosion flung the box away. Lisa Lisa was crying inmy arms, and I tried not to scream. I remembered a lullaby I’d heard as achild, and tried singing that. The cushions on the inside of the box were verysoft, and I had an idea the box belonged to Dio Brando, so I wasn’t as worriedas you might think. Dio Brando, for all his faults, was a clever man, and wouldtake precautions. There were several more explosions outside the box, and wewere flung up, down, right, and left, but the sturdy iron frame and thickcushions absorbed most of the impact. In time, the box began to bob gently.

We must have fallen into the water, I thought. If anyoneelse

survived, I would have to try and save them, I thought. So Iopened the box. I knew full well that anything floating on the water might notbe human at all, but one of those moving corpses. But I allowed myself to hopethat Jonathan’s body would be floating nearby, and I had to look. I firstpressed my ear against the lid, trying to catch the cries and laughter of thedead. All I heard was the sound of water lapping, so I turned the key, andopened the lid a crack. There was no sign of any horror. Through the gap Icould see the sky. The sun had just set, and it was a beautiful shade ofpurple. The sea breeze slipped in with the light, and it was if it carried allthe madness and horror away with it. Relieved, I opened the lid, and sat up. Tomy surprise, we were over a hundred meters from the remains of the ship. Ilooked around, but saw no survivors, living or dead. I put my hand in thewater, intending to paddle back to the ship. And then I saw a hand under thebox. It tried to grab my arm. I recognized it. I knew that arm, that hand,those fingers.”

“I snatched my hand out of the water, and tried toclose the lid again…but then I realized Lisa Lisa wasn’t lying next to me.‘Erina Pendleton,’ a voice said. I turned, and the terrifying face of DioBrando was floating on the surface of the water. Below his head was a body thathad not been there a moment ago, and that big, burly body was wearing tattered,burned clothing I knew only too well. Dio must have escaped Jonathan’s grip asthe explosion hit, and stolen his body. The grief and terror were so strong Iwanted to cry, but I could not afford the luxury. Dio had Jonathan’s feetimpaled on a stick of wood embedded in the tattered side of the box. A wave offury crossed me at the thought of him being so rough with my husband’s body,but I did not dare voice my anger. I could not do so because what had beenJonathan’s arms were cradling little Lisa Lisa against what had been Jonathan’schest, and Dio Brando had his fangs bared. ‘Or should I say Erina Joestar?’ heasked. Half his face had been blown away in the explosion, but that

only made his half-smile all the more terrifying. Dio’s headseemed to be barely keeping a grip on Jonathan’s shoulders. He offered me adeal. ‘Your choice,’ he said. ‘Baby Lisa Lisa’s blood, or mine.'”

“I had promised Jonathan I would save Lisa Lisa’s life.I told him if he laid a finger on him, I would pull his feet off the stake andleave him adrift in the sea. I didn’t think he had the strength to fight me,and if he had, he would not have needed to steal Lisa Lisa and try to bargainwith me. ‘Then there is only one answer,’ Dio said. I said nothing, but I knewI had to accept it. Giving baby Lisa Lisa to a vampire was not a choice I couldconsider. ‘If it helps, think of it this way,’ Dio said. ‘You aren’t keeping mealive. You’re keeping your husband’s body alive.’ I let this pass, but made himpromise not to turn me into one of those horrible living corpses. ‘I will dulyhonor whoever saves me life,’ Dio said. ‘The same honor I gave Jonathan JoestarI give his wife.’ But the only honor he’d tried to give my husband on that shipwas a swift and painless death. This was Dio’s arrogance. I held out my arm,and allowed him to feed. Then I took Lisa Lisa, and rested in the box. DioBrando was not a man prone to restraint, and had drunk so much blood I couldbarely remain conscious. Before I shut the lid, Dio said, ‘I thought my meetingwith Jonathan Joestar was fated, but it appears destiny guided the three of ustogether.’ I did not answer him.”

“Dio spent that night struggling, in terrible pain. Iheard him thrashing in the water, climbing onto the lid and dropping back intothe sea, fighting for control of the body. Sometimes he yelled at it, othertimes he screamed like a madman, shaking the lid, and there was nothing I coulddo but clutch Lisa Lisa and tremble. Of course Dio was in pain. He was tryingto merge with a body nothing like his own, not even the same blood type. I wasa nurse, and I knew

that would have been impossible for any normal human. Thehuman body rejects foreign tissue, and attacks it. If the blood type matches, ablood transfusion is possible. But organs and bones are not so easy. Trying toscrew a head onto a different body was unthinkable. After a long time, Istopped hearing Dio’s voice, and he stopped thrashing about. I hoped Jonathan’sbody had rejected Dio’s head, and Dio’s attempt to steal his body had failed. Ihoped to find him reduced to a severed head again. I hoped his silence signaledfailure. But after a long time, I heard Dio laughing, and my hopes were dashed.Jonathan’s body would not be released. Dio shouted, and this time I heard himclearly. ‘The world is mine! OK, OK. The way to heaven? Hmph! I will getthere!’ The pride in his voice made me sick with fear. Trembling in thedarkness of the box, I began wondering how I could possibly bury thisdevil.”

“Before the sun rose, Dio knocked on the lid and wokeme up.

When I opened it, he said, ‘Let me drink one more timebefore the sun rises.’ I held out my arm for him to drink.

When he was done, he said, ‘You must be hungry. It’s hardlyfair for me to gain strength while you dwindle, and I need you to keep makingfresh blood.’ He showed me a fistfull of fish he’d caught. Then he grabbed abit of broken ship floating nearby. A light shot out of his eyes, setting thewood on fire, and he used it to cook the fish, and handed them to me. I knewthat light was the same thing that had stolen Jonathan’s life. Yet now it wassaving mine. I took the fish from him, chewed them, and fed them to Lisa Lisa.From her size, she was only three months old. It was a gamble, but she waslosing strength quickly. I had lost a lot of blood, and had very littlestrength. I was starving, but I couldn’t bear to take food from Dio.

When he saw I wasn’t eating myself, he said, ‘You may notwish to eat what I provide. But if you’ll feed this baby, you should feed thebaby inside you as well.’ At the time, I had not yet realized I was pregnant.But I had been aware of a change in my body. I never

expected to hear such news from him. I was shaken by this,but my feminine instincts told me he was telling the truth.

When I was done feeding Lisa Lisa, I ate the rest of thefish myself. I had no choice. ‘Eat well, make lots of blood – so much I can’tdrink it all.’ I had no intention of dictating how much blood he could drink.Our deal was made, and I had nothing further to bargain with. Dio had recoveredenough that he could easily kill me if the whim struck him. At any rate, thefish were delicious. I ate quickly, chewed, and swallowed. My stomach set towork, and my body started making blood. I could feel my pulse growing stronger.Blood is the power that keeps us alive, and gives us our strength. Notsurprising it gives vampires powers humans could never have. Once I had eatenmy fill of fish, Dio began gulping down sea water. ‘Once it has entered mybody, I can change it as I please,’ he smirked. He turned the water from saltto fresh, then reached out his hands, slipped Jonathan’s fingers into Lisa Lisaand me – just like he did to feed – and injected water into our bodies. ‘Thesun will rise soon. I can’t do anything while it’s out. I can’t have you dyingof thirst. Once the sun rises, close the lid, and avoid exerting yourself inany way. The box is designed to maintain a comfortable temperature no matterwhat happens outside.’ Dio began to move back in the water, to hide under thebox. But I stopped him, and told him to get in the box. Not in the samecompartment as me or Lisa Lisa, of course. I had worked out that this box hadtwo layers. The depth of my berth compared to the height of the outside made itclear there was room below the cushions for another person. An emergency secondcompartment seemed like a precaution any smart vampire would make to avoid thesunlight. Holding Lisa Lisa, I moved onto the open lid, and Dio climbed out ofthe water. ‘Did you think you’d be more likely to get your chance in this boxthan the water, Erina Joestar?’ he asked. He’d seen right through my scheme.There was nothing I could say. Underneath the box, Dio could easily escape. Ifhe swam down a few dozen meters, the sun could never reach him, and he was avampire – obviously he could do that. But if he was in

the box with me, all I had to do was open the lid, and thesun would pour in. Dio knew exactly what I’d been thinking. He shook the wateroff, and said, ‘Let me remind you that I can kill you at any moment. I can tearthat baby to pieces, I can reach into your belly, tear out that embryo, and eatit while you watch. Remember that. Remember it well. The only reason I don’t isout of respect. Like I said. Each tiresome scheme you attempt lowers my respectfor you. If I cease to respect you, I will inflict the greatest indignity uponyou.’ I was frozen with fear. Dio leaned close, and whispered in my ear. ‘Youwanted me in the lower compartment. It was so obvious. Are you really thatstupid? No one that simple-minded has any right to Jonathan’s hand.’ Thosewords went straight to my heart, and tore right through me. ‘You will bepunished. I’ll take back what the fish gave you.’ His shoved his fingers in myneck, and drained my blood again. Our deal had ended.

Whatever pretense we had of equality had crumbled in aninstant.’

“‘Further punishment,’ he said, and snatched Lisa Lisafrom my arms. I was too woozy to resist. He then threw me face down in thesecond compartment. The cushions inside were just as thick, so it didn’t hurtthat much, but Dio must have seen me try and shield my womb. ‘If you really arestupid, that baby will die,’ he said. He replaced the partition, shutting me inthe bottom of the box. I heard a click a moment later, so I assumed he hadclosed the lid to keep the sun out. In the darkness I put my hands on my belly,and tried desperately to stop myself from passing out. If I lost consciousness,I felt my bodily functions would fade so much the baby would die. After wasseemed like a long, long, long time, I heard Dio’s voice through the cushion.‘Don’t you dare die, Erina Joestar. If you die, I’ll have to eat this baby.’The thought of little Lisa Lisa in his hands made me desperate to communicatethat I was still alive down here, but my voice was a hoarse whisper, and therewas nothing hard to tap, just soft cushions that absorbed all sound. ‘You can’tjust make

this easy?’ he growled, and flipped the box, so it wasresting upside down. Now I was lying on my back, unable to move. Right beforemy eyes, a small door I’d never noticed slid open, and I could see the blue skyup above. The white clouds and dazzling sunlight did wonders for my spirit, andI was able to lift myself up to the little window, and peer out. Sitting on topof the box was a bird, its wings torn off, and its body roasted. ‘Eat that.Make blood,’ said Dio’s voice beneath me. I did as he said, wondering as I atehow Dio could open this window, and prepare this meal without entering thesunlight. I was too dazed to think clearly, and no answer came. I understoodonly one thing – that Dio had some power I didn’t understand. And this newpower could grab a bird out of the sky in broad daylight, light a fire, andcook it. None of that could be done while hiding under a box in the water. Noneof that could be done without leaving the compartment beneath me, which Dio hadnot done.”

“I devoured the bird, and once again the fresh bloodcame rushing through my body. At last my mind started working. The firstthought I had was that if there were birds, we must not be that far from land.That improved our odds of rescue, possibly in the near future. I had only tosurvive until then. And somehow protect Lisa Lisa that long. I had given up allhope of killing Dio at sea. I was only interested in survival. Not to save myown life, but for Lisa Lisa, and the child inside of me. But whatever spiritthe new blood brought me was dashed away with a single roar from Dio. ‘Hey!Shut the door and get back inside the box, you awful cow! Don’t let lightinside my box! If you’re done eating, get back in your hole, bitch!’ Nobody hadever spoken to me like that. I’d never associated with anyone who used languagelike that. It was as great a shock to me as being struck by lightning. But Diodid not even allow me time to reel. ‘I’m sick of your dainty bullshit! Youcould have eaten the fish and that bird raw! I could have jammed them

straight into your stomach rather than let you feedyourself! The only reason I didn’t is out of consideration! Yet you can’t evenshow me the same in kind? Cut the damn sunlight off!’ Such a torrent of abuse.I hastily closed the door.

With it shut, all I could do was lie there in the darkness,and listen to Dio rant. I knew nothing of ‘true suffering’; being a nurse justproved I was ‘a hypocrite’; deep down I was really ‘phony’, ‘slow’, and ‘aplague that drags people down the more you try to help’. That’s why Jonathandied, he said. ‘The reason I had to kill Jonathan begins with you.’ ‘When wewere children, I just made a little pass at you, and Jonathan lost his damn mind,attacked me for no reason. That’s why I had to kill him.’ ‘Jonathan was a goodguy. If he’d never attacked me, we would have been real friends. Brothers. Butyou made sure that never happened.’ ‘The reason Jonathan died was because youused him to get at me.’ ‘You killed Jonathan Joestar.’ I could argue with noneof this. I just stifled my voice, and cried as quietly as I could. It wasagonizing. I wanted to yell back, but…I couldn’t. I was so unused to beingtreated like this that in the back of my mind, I started to wonder if maybe hehad a point. After all, I had just lost my beloved husband in a way that hardlyseemed real. I was not in control of my emotions. And Dio took advantage ofthat. He didn’t let me think. He kept the harassment going for hours, violentlychanging his manner to keep me off balance. If I started crying he’d fallsilent for a minute, then change his tone. ‘I said I would show you respect.I’m sorry. I couldn’t control my own emotions. I said things I shouldn’t have.Closing the door was better for you, as well. Like I said, what I can do duringthe day is limited. If you were dehydrated, I’m not sure I could save you. So Iwanted you back in the box as soon as possible, before you started to sweat.’Earlier he’d claimed he could do nothing during the day. But he’d been able toflip the box, cook a bird, and feed it to me. I was too afraid to challenge himon this. His behavior was bizarre, unstable, and unpredictable. The more Diotold me about how everything he did was for me, the more I apologized. Sayingwhat he wanted to

hear. ‘I should have thought of that. I’m so sorry.’ All Iwanted to do was get him to stop blaming me, then explaining how I’d betrayedhis respect and enraged him. But apologizing just made him change tacticsagain. ‘You’re sorry? Sorry for what?’ ‘You don’t even know what you’reapologizing for. Are you mocking me?’ ‘I’m showing you respect, and you’reignoring it!’ The hidden door flew open, and I was dragged out of the box. Howhe did this, I didn’t know. Something grabbed a handful of my clothing, but Icouldn’t see what. This invisible thing threw me into the water.

We’d been on our honeymoon, and I was dressed for dinner. Inan instant, it was soaked through, and heavy, and tangled with my limbs. I couldn’tswim in that, not as weak as I was; I sank like a stone. Dio left me until Ihad nearly drowned, then his invisible power yanked me out of the water again,and put me in the box. I coughed up water, shaking, and he demanded that I show‘remorse’. I said anything he wanted me to say, desperate not to get thrown inthe water again. Then his voice turned sweet again. He explained how worthlessI was, how much I deserved to be drowned, or have him feed on my blood, how allof this was done for my benefit, out of kindness. He fed me enough to restorewhat he drank, and then began screaming at me again over nothing. By noon I wascompletely under his control. I didn’t want him to drown me, didn’t want him todrink from me, and nothing else mattered. Then for some imagined slight Diodemanded I choose between drowning or having my blood drained. Letting him feedwas far less painful, but I was worried about the baby, so I had to choosebeing thrown in the ocean. For most of the day he tortured me with the water.And between he would feed. Either punishment pushed me to the brink of death,but he would always force me back to life. Sometimes I genuinely wished he’dlet me die. But Lisa Lisa and the baby inside me kept me alive. I wanted tosurvive. I had to survive. I would do anything to survive. Before the sun setall traces of my identity had been destroyed, and without even seeing DioBrando once throughout this whole ordeal, I even agreed to marry him.”

“No matter what I did I could not please him. The fear wasso overwhelming I nearly vomited every time I heard his voice, but he’d drop mein the water if he noticed, so I had to put my face underwater and throw up asquietly as I could. Dio’s punishments and assaults continued. I was not allowedto rest safely in the box. I became dehydrated, and then sunsick. I was runninga fever, unable to think, unable to understand what was happening to me. Ididn’t even know who I was. Dio had denied me everything.

When the sun sank below the horizon, Dio opened the lid ofthe box, and appeared before me. He’d been sipping my blood since sunrise, andhis burns had almost completely healed. His skin and hair were glossy, andagainst the clouds of dusk he appeared to be a very handsome man indeed. Myeyes did not see Dio Brando, but someone who owned me completely. I was his toyto do with as he pleased. There was a part of me oddly proud that my owner wasso beautiful. His strange power held me just above the surface of the water.Dio looked down at me, and smiled. ‘You’re wet, filthy, ugly, and good fornothing but your blood.

While I allow you to live, give me all the blood you have.You don’t have my permission to die.’ Beneath that crimson sky, I at last sawDio for who he was. My mind finally realized the man standing there was DioBrando. And I remembered. I was Erina Joestar. My maiden name was ErinaPendleton. And I realized one other thing. During the day, when Dio had beenplacing me under his control, I had wondered if he desired me as a woman, butof course he didn’t. He was Dio Brando. Even when he’d been rough with me totear Jonathan and me apart, he had never actually cared about me. He had simplybeen trying to isolate Jonathan Joestar. I had simply been a tool, a pawn tomake that happen. Even now, he had not broken my spirit because he wanted me.He didn’t care about me. Not ten years ago, and not now.”

“Sitting on the lid, Dio used his mysterious power tobring me closer to him, and turned me upside down, dangling in the air. ‘Giveyour new husband a kiss,’ he sneered. ‘Of your own free will. Make it a goodone and I might give you water and food.’ No sooner had the words left hismouth than my hand shot out and slapped him across the face. I scarcely evenknew that I was smiling. ‘I can’t do that. There’s no muddy water to wash mylips with.’ …I will refrain from explaining what I meant by that, butresisting him like this, as strung out as I was, seemed to catch Dio off guard.He looked surprised, and did not react immediately. It was but a moment, but Ihad time to think. He was the same man he’d been ten years before. His corehadn’t changed. He was doing the same thing. Repeating what had happened tenyears ago. He was dominating me to isolate Jonathan Joestar, to make him feelpowerless. He wanted Jonathan Joestar to see what he was doing to me. SoJonathan Joestar must be close enough to see me. Dio Brando had been a vampirewithout a body. He’d stolen Jonathan Joestar’s body. So what had happened toJonathan Joestar’s head? Had he left it on the exploding ship? With hisobsessive nature? Of course not. He would have taken it with him, and thenhumiliated his wife in front of it. That was the sort of monster he was. And hehad the power to keep Jonathan alive, even as a severed head. Dio Brando was avampire, and he’d turned the ship’s passengers into living corpses. He musthave done the same thing to Jonathan. He’d turned him into one of thosehorrible monsters from the ship. This thought made me shake with sadness andfear, but it also gave me strength. I took my eyes off Dio, and looked aroundme, trying not to betray my intent. There were any number of ship fragmentsfloating near us. The waves had not drawn them away. This seemed odd – oddenough.

Was Dio’s strange power keeping them here? He wasn’t justkeeping them in case he needed a fire. If he wanted that, he could have moved anumber of them into the box, or used his power to pile them on top of the lid,and let them dry. I had watched

him lighting the wet wood, and it took a considerable amountof time. So he wasn’t keeping them floating here for use as firewood, but tohide something underneath. Just has Dio had hidden beneath the box. I lookedagain, searching for something large enough to hide Jonathan’s head. But beforeI could find it, Dio reached his hand out, and wrapped it around my throat.‘Your tongue is sharp, Erina Joestar. Heh heh. So be it. The night has justbegun. I can take my time, and let you know just how dull you are, and just howpathetic your violent outburst was.’ I stared at him in silence, thinking. Afew moments ago I had been so terrified of him. But not any more, not now thatJonathan was at my side. Jonathan Joestar was here with me. That thought alonemade me myself again. It didn’t matter if he was a monster, or the living dead.Jonathan was Jonathan. My husband. I would not allow myself to grovel beforeanother man with him watching. I knew that Dio would continue to torment me.Even if Jonathan had become a monster, if any trace of humanity remained withinhim, he would not want to see me treated like this. But he had no way ofescaping…unless somebody allowed him to die. As his wife, that was my duty.This was an awful thought. But I felt certain Jonathan would not be able tobear turning into one of those ugly monsters I’d seen on the ship. So my firstorder of business became escaping from the grip of whatever power kept mesuspended in the air. That was easy enough, as long as I could bear the pain.

When Dio had this power throw me into the ocean, it oftenleft me to my own devices. Especially if he was sure I was too exhausted toswim. My spirit might have returned, but the fear was still very strong; it wasall I could do not to tremble or throw up. But I managed to look calm longenough to say, ‘Hold your tongue. You are no longer human, and have no right tospeak that way to me.’ Dio’s grin vanished. ‘Not that you had any right tospeak to me when you were human. You spoke and lived and behaved like agentleman on the surface, but you never were one. You have an inferioritycomplex about your impoverished origins, and that prevents you from improvingyourself as a human. Let me

tell you, Dio Brando. Your poverty did not make you avillain. Your relationship with your parents did not make you what you are.Lack of education or wealth had no bearing. You were doomed by your owninability to look beyond the surface of anything, by your shallow mind, and byyour overwhelming self-importance.'”

“As I spoke these words, I realized I wasn’t justtrying to make him mad. I meant every word, and genuinely believed I wasspeaking the truth. And Dio’s reaction made it clear I’d touched a nerve. Forseveral moments, he remained shaken. Then he yelled, ‘Shut up, you bitch!’ andused his mysterious power to shove me under the water.

When I had almost drowned, it yanked me out. He yelled at meagain, and shoved me back under so hard I almost passed out when I hit thewater. But I could not afford to lose consciousness here. I desperately shookoff the blackness, opened my eyes underwater, and looked for Jonathan. Butthere were so many bubbles around my body I could barely see. As soon as thebubbles began to thin, I was yanked out of the water. Dio’s fury – or rather,his consternation – was tremendous, and I was in and out of the water,swallowing it and coughing it up so fast the water coming in and the watercoming up met in the back of my throat and formed a whirlpool. I had no choicebut to endure it, though it was hardly endurable. But I had to keep myselfconscious and alive. I nearly suffocated on the sea water and vomit, but justbefore I did, Dio’s power let go. I was flung a good ten meters away, and hitthe water with a thunderous splash, and sank into the churn of the ocean. As Icleared my throat, I caught a glimpse of something under the debris near thebox. My husband’s head, Jonathan Joestar’s head, bobbing up and down. It wasfar away, and I couldn’t make out what kind of monster he’d become, but peeringthrough the murky waters, I knew I had to do my duty as his wife, and kill myhusband.”

“I knew this was my one and only chance to act. I hadto do it while I was far away from Dio and the box, before he noticed what Iwas up to. My body and mind could not take much more torture; I would notphysically be able to act much longer. Further violence would almost certainlylead me to lose myself again, become Dio’s toy again, and allow myself tosuffer all manner of indignities with Jonathan watching. I wanted to avoid thatat all costs. So I surfaced, coughed violently, emptying both stomach and lungs,and then pretended to faint, allowing myself to sink beneath the water. I knewDio would not pull me out immediately, and I guessed he was so angry he wouldleave me to drown until the last possible moment. Once I was a few meters belowthe surface, I began to swim as fast as I could. I was never the best swimmer,and my dress was heavy and made it hard to move at all, but I thrashed my legsand arms with all my might, desperate to reach Jonathan and kill him. At last Ireached Jonathan…and my resolve proved to be for naught. Floating beneath theremains of the ship, in water still tinged orange from the sunset, was the headof my beautiful, beloved Jonathan Joestar – not a monster, but looking for allthe world like he was still alive.”

“No matter what he’d become, after a day in the water,I expected the head’s flesh to have decayed, his skin nibbled away by fish. Sothis miraculous sight made me gasp. I was transfixed. I had been so focused onlaying my monstrous husband to rest….and he not only wasn’t a monster, hedidn’t even look dead. Hesitantly, I reached out my hand, and touchedJonathan’s head. The living corpses on the ship had growled furiously,attacking anything living indiscriminately, but Jonathan’s eyes remainedslightly open, not looking at me, not trying to bite me, not moving at all. Itook him in my arms, and held him close, feeling the softness of his hairagainst my cheek. My husband was so different from what I’d expected that

I lingered too long, and Dio’s mysterious power found me. Itgrabbed me by the collar, and yanked me out of the water. ‘You knew Jonathanwas down there?’ Dio roared. ‘You fool! Do you want your husband to eat you!?’This, and the panic in his voice surprised me, but Jonathan’s head was cradledin my arms, smiling gently, saying nothing. He did not seem like he would everattack me. Perhaps even more surprising was that Dio tried to yank Jonathanaway from me, as if trying to rescue me from him. ‘No!’ he yelled, and thatinvisible hand of his tried to snatch Jonathan from my arms.

We struggled for control of him for a moment, but he soonstopped trying. The hand let go, I got my arms back tightly around the head,and then I turned around to find Dio staring at Jonathan. ‘What’s going on…?’he whispered. Clearly, Dio found Jonathan’s condition as surprising as I did. Icould never have killed Jonathan with him still looking this beautiful, butfrom Dio’s reaction, it seemed I might not have to. The relief was so great Inearly fainted. But if I fainted, there was no telling what Dio might do toJonathan, so I persevered. Dio set us down on the lid of the box, where he andLisa Lisa stood. ‘Jonathan…how long will you pursue me? How long will ourfates remain entwined?’ he muttered, glaring at Jonathan’s head. I knew thedanger was not yet over; indeed, Jonathan’s arrival had sent Dio into a fit. ‘Iwon’t allow it! He’ll get in my way again! I can leave no part of him! ErinaJoestar! He’s already dead!’ I knew I had to protect my husband’s head untilthis passed. I grabbed a piece of driftwood, and turned to face Dio. ‘I won’tlet you touch Jonathan!’ I cried. I put the sharp end to my throat, and stabbedit into the side of my neck, piercing my jugular. As a nurse, I knew this woundwas fatal. I had dug deeply to ensure it would be. I drew the jagged piece ofwood all the way around, across my wind pipe, and opened the other vein. Ineeded to release a great quantity of blood at once. Blood filled my vision,spraying out in arcs. I could feel it coating my shoulders, warm, and wet.Good, I thought. The wound had to be deep enough to kill me instantly. Dioscreamed. ‘What are you doing!? You stupid bitch!’

Heh heh heh heh. I’m pretty sure I laughed out loud. He wasso predictable. I knew it. I knew Dio couldn’t kill me.”

“The first sign was when he tried to separate me andJonathan – he believed Jonathan was a monster, and tried to rescue me. GivenDio’s obsession with Jonathan, his unnatural fixation on causing him grief,then letting Jonathan eat me seemed like something he would welcome, or atleast not stop immediately. But in that instant, he’d blurted out his truefeelings.”

You fool! Do you want your husband to eat you?

“What with the blood gushing out of my neck, I swiftlylost consciousness, but eventually, I woke up again. Dio had given me blood,and used his mysterious power to heal the wound on my neck. I was woken by thesound of Lisa Lisa crying, and found Dio collapsed next to me. He had injectedme with most of the blood he’d drunk, and while he remained conscious, he wasas weak as he’d been when he first emerged from beneath the box. Perhaps evenworse. This time he didn’t even have the strength to take Lisa Lisa hostage.He’d come close to sacrificing himself to save me, and he looked relieved to seeme awake again. I first checked the condition of my wound. As far as I couldtell, the gash on my throat had been sewn together, the work as fine as anysurgeon. Despite myself, I was impressed. ‘Where did you learn to do this?’ Iasked. Slumped against the corner of the box, Dio glanced at me, and rasped,‘In a book. I liked reading. I read all kinds of things, taught myself anythingthat might be useful.’ For the first time, I felt I understood just how aloneDio had always been. Outwardly, Dio had been surrounded by friends, the life ofthe party. He’d never seemed like someone who would have time to read. But nowI

could imagine him slipping away early. His friendships wereshallow, for appearances only; alone, he had nothing to do but read. Nothing Dio’sambition granted him was real. He had no one he could share his real feelingswith, nothing he’d genuinely accomplished with his own two hands. His life washollow. This, I thought, was why he’d been so fixated on Jonathan. Jonathan wasstuffed full where Dio was empty; he’d grown up to be a man who made genuinefriends he could honestly share his honest emotions with, a man who threwhimself body and soul into everything he did. Growing up in the same house withthat, how could Dio not compare himself to Jonathan? The frustration thiscomparison caused him was perhaps the one genuine emotion he ever felt. Andbecause he was unused to such emotion, he grew confused, and was driven to killJonathan and steal his body. If he wanted to be like Jonathan, he should havejust told people how he felt, and made himself a true friend. The life he’d ledbefore joining the Joestars had made Dio Brando who he was, and true friendshipwas almost certainly an impossibility for him…but Jonathan Joestar was notthe sort of man to push someone away just because they’d committed a crime. Ifhe’d allowed his feelings to show, some solution would have been found.Thinking about it, it occurred to me that Dio had been expression thoseemotions as clearly as he knew how. Hurting Jonathan, trying to kill him –these were a backhanded way of expressing his admiration. Had he felt that foranyone but Jonathan, he would never have admitted it. I had seen the results oftheir conflict myself, and was seeing it now, here on this little box. One hadbecome a severed head, and I could not even tell if he was alive or dead. Theother had become a vampire, and stolen his rival’s body, but had given hisblood to save that rival’s wife, placing himself at the brink of death as well.I hugged Jonathan’s head to me, looked over at Dio, and found myself sheddingtears for both of them. I was overcome with sadness, grief, and pain. I made noattempt to wipe the tears away, letting them roll down my cheeks. His voicehoarse, Dio asked, ‘Are you going to kill me?’ ‘I will not,’

I said. ‘Do you cry because you pity me?’ he asked. ‘You mayhave saved my life, but I could never pity you. I just wondered why you andJonathan had to end up like this, and I couldn’t stop myself.’ ‘It was fated,’Dio said. ‘Does it have something to do with the way to heaven?’ I asked. Hemade a face. ‘You heard that? Damn it…if I could kill you I would.’ ‘Is notkilling me a condition for getting to heaven?’ He did not answer. Instead, hesaid, ‘Do you know what blood is?'”

“When I did not answer, Dio said, ‘Blood is power,Erina Joestar. Make blood to live. This is good for me. And what is good for meis good for you.’ Dio knew. He knew the wicked thought that had entered my headwhen I held Jonathan in my arms.”

Her long, long story drawing to a close, Mum looked at Lisa

Lisa.

“I could have killed Dio Brando there and then. But Ididn’t.

When the night ended, I put Dio in the bottom compartment,and when a ship rescued us, I had them weigh the box down and sink it. This ismy sin. I could not kill Dio. Even though I would have killed Jonathan if he’dbeen a monster. You see, I had hope.”

Hope? What part of this story led to hope? Lisa Lisa’s facewas grim.

“Not hope that Dio would regret his actions and become abetter person. That man is incapable of such a thing.”

Then what kind of hope? Mum turned to look at my father’shead.

“But as long as Dio is alive, then Jonathan’s body is too.”

I felt a bolt of electricity run down my spine. Her eyeslooked on my father, Mum said, “Jonathan is not dead. And I did not wantto lose the chance to get his body back. I

believed that day would come, and I’ve been waiting here inthe hope that it would.”

This was why Mum had stayed living in the Canary Islands,never returning home to England. She wanted to remain with father’s head, nearthe sea where his body slumbered. But this also meant the vampire Dio Brandowas still alive. And…the only way anyone would ever get a chance to getfather’s body back was if they faced him directly. Even if he was locked in abox, on the brink of death, he was a vampire; and from what Mum told us, evenwithout moving his body, he had some strange power that allowed him to do allmanner of horrible things to her. He seemed incredibly dangerous.

“Mama Erina,”

Lisa Lisa said.

“This mysterious power Dio had…it seems to have shown upwhen he stole Jorge’s father’s body. That’s not a power vampires have, and hedidn’t do anything like that when he was fighting Jorge’s father.”

“Then you’re most likely correct. That first night, when Diowas outside the box, he seemed very confused. That might have something to dowith it.”

“Mm. Um. Powers like that…some people are born with them,and others get them after something dramatic happens, an injury or the like.The Hamon masters call these Spirit Hamon, or Stands. A strange name, butpeople with this power can see the power standing next to them, like a ghost.So…I don’t think Dio was just confused that night. You make it sound like hetried talking to it, and tried fighting with it. In other words, he saw thisghost-like thing, and didn’t know what it was. Stands often look likepeople.”

Mum was hardly in a position to know for sure. Her storydone, the three of us went upstairs. Penelope looked terrified, and threw herarms around me, refusing to let go.

“So many people died! Jorge, I’m scared. This island isa scary place.”

Hunh? I was scared too, and the way Lisa Lisa was looking atus was scarier, but what was scariest was a fire that had broken out in the onechurch on La Palma, in which seventy people perished.

Why they were in the church in the middle of the night,nobody knew. But the doctor who’d treated my wounds had been there, and LisaLisa said everyone who’d died there had seen the man with black wings, the manwho looked like a moth. And the walls of the burned down church were covered indrawings of a man with giant wings who looked just like their descriptions.

When the sun rose, we went to the church.

“So this is the Mothman…”

Lisa Lisa said. I shuddered.

“Don’t give it a scary name!”

“I didn’t make it up.”

Still. I couldn’t stop shaking. Every wall of the burned outchurch was covered in pictures of the Mothman. Countless pictures. Before thefire had started, everyone there must have been frantically covering the wallsin drawings. The very thought sent a chill down my spine.

“These are drawn in the ash from the fire. They were usingtheir own fingers as charcoal sticks. These people had been turned intozombies, and drew these pictures before the fire killed them again.”

Even though Penelope was still clinging to me, I’m prettysure I let a drop of pee lose. Just one, I swear! “It may well be thishappened because we’re here,”

Mum said.

“Jorge, let us return to England. You can come too, Penelope.”

Eh!? Seriously!? “Really? I can come too, Erina?”

Penelope cried.

“I’d love to! Jorge, say I can come!”

“Of course!”

I was pleased as punch. I could finally leave this awfulisland.

“But are you sure? About leaving father’s body?”

“I’m sure when the time comes, we’ll be brought together.

Whether I’m living close by, or far away. That’s the powerwe have.”

Blood is power.