The contents of the will had been almost painfully clear. Only one person could inherit, and they had to sign a detailed agreement to keep the house and grounds exactly as they were, and to not sell or change the house in any part. No one in my family wanted any part of that, no matter how much money they would make as Caretaker.

No one except me.

But then, everyone else had other options, other choices they could make. I really did not.

College had turned out to be a bust, in so many ways. I couldn't go back home to my aging mother, depend on her Social Security while I tried to get a job at McDonald's. This was my best option.

I rode on the L.I.R.R, staring out the train window moodily. I had my forehead pressed against the glass and I could see my own sour expression reflected back at me.

There were many things I disliked about my new living arrangement. Some many reasons that I knew it was going to be a nightmare. The first one was that I now had to live in Long Island, out in the sticks.

There was also the fact that I knew next to nothing about my Great Aunt Katrina. I had never met her while she was alive. She had died alone in her big house out in the middle of nowhere. Everyone in the family said that she had been crazy. I could just imagine that huge house she left behind. Doilies covering every available surface, dust everywhere, that old lady smell. Old lady smell was definitely somewhere on my list of things I was going to hate.

Was I supposed to maintain the old lady smell as Caretaker? Being a young woman of nineteen myself, I didn't see how I could.

It wouldn't be so bad if I could have just had Mom with me. But the will stipulated that the Caretaker lived alone. No family, no friends, no lovers. Great. Sounded like a blast.

I could quit whenever I wanted. If no one else in the family wanted the job, someone from outside the family would be hired. But, the job was a good paying one and I could send money to Mom. I would stay with it till I was on my feet and could get my own apartment. Not in the city, but maybe Brooklyn or Queens.

I was so deep into my brooding that I almost missed my stop. I hurried out of the train. I was the only one getting off at that stop apparently, because the station was deserted. I sighed, shouldering my duffel bag.

I exited the station, finding a completely empty parking lot. I went over to the station house thinking I could get the number of a cab company, but that seemed to be deserted as well. What if someone wanted to buy a ticket? This had 'long day' written all over it.

I headed to the parking lot again. This time, there was a truck there. It was an old truck that had seen better days. It could use a new coat of pale blue paint, that was sure.

A young, dark-skinned man was getting out of the driver's seat. He spotted me. "Are you the new Caretaker?" He asked.

I nodded, too busy admiring him to speak. He was tall and well built. He wore carpenter's pants and a worn t-shirt. He smiled, revealing a perfect set of white teeth. "The lawyer told me to pick you up today. I didn't expect you so early. You weren't waiting long, were you?"

I shook my head. "I just got off the train."

He held out a big, calloused hand. "I'm Ricky." He smiled at me again.

Maybe things around here wouldn't be so bad after all.

I held out my own slim, pale hand. It was nearly swallowed by his. "Angie Statton."

"Well, let's get you over to the house. Is this your only luggage?" He indicated the duffel bag. I nodded. He opened the passenger's side door for me. He held my hand and helped me up into the cab, too.

"How did you know Great Aunt Katrina?" I asked once we were on our way.

"I do work on the house every now and then." He said. "Aunt Katrina liked to handle things herself, but after a while, she couldn't move around like she used to."

I nodded. "Is it far?" I asked.

He laughed. "It's way out there." He said. "But you're gonna love it, you'll see. Me and my sister gave it a real good cleaning." He seemed proud of himself.

"Thank you." I told him sincerely. Perhaps I wouldn't have to deal with old lady smell after all.

He smiled again. I liked guys that smiled a lot, especially when they were this genuine. "That's what neighbors are for."

"We're neighbors?" I asked.

"The closest one you have for miles. Aunt Katrina owned a lot of land."

"You called her Aunt Katrina?"

Ricky laughed. "She made me. She liked looking after me and Steve. I don't have a real aunt, so it worked out."

"It must have been hard for you, when she passed away." I said without thinking.

But he didn't seem bothered. "Oh, I'll miss her of course. But she wouldn't want me to be sad."

The rest of the drive passed just as pleasantly. Ricky was right, it was a long drive. Still, I was sorry when it was done.

Ricky stopped the truck next to a mailbox at the side of the road. A narrow path continued off the road, through a small copse of trees.

Before Ricky could open his door I let myself out of the truck, jumping down to the ground. He laughed. He handed me a white card through the window. I looked at the business card. "That's the number for the shop." He told me. I turned the card over, revealing another number written there with pen. "And that's the house." He smiled at me again. "I'll see you later on, Angie."

I waved goodbye as he drove away. I turned to the mailbox. It was surprisingly empty. I headed up the path through the trees.

The trees ended very quickly, the ground under my feet turning to gravel. I looked up at the house, squinting in the morning sun.

The house stood out all by itself in a sea of white gravel. There were no plants, bushes, or trees around for at least fifty yards. Only this fresh, blindingly white gravel.

I was a plant person at heart. I liked taking care of them. One of my dreams was to one day have my own garden. I knelt down and dug around through the gravel for a bit. The layer of gravel was very thick, but I did reach ground. I made a noise of disgust. It was salted. Nothing would grow here.

Well, I wouldn't be doing any gardening, that was for sure.

The house itself was big. Too big for just me. It had two stories and an attic. I could even see a small tower on the south side. A tower! It was painted slate blue and had a wraparound porch. It was very classic looking but not unbearably so, I decided.

I walked up to the front door. It was a huge, steel affair and even though it was painted the same slate blue as the rest of the house, it stood out against the old fashioned exterior.

I pulled out the heavy ring of keys I had been given by the lawyer. It took me a while to find the key to the front door. It was the strangest key on the whole ring. It was cylindrical, with many varying sized notches all over the length of it.

When I inserted the key in the lock and turned it, I heard several heavy clicks before the door swung open. As heavy as the door was, it opened easily, without the tiniest creak. I stepped inside cautiously. This house had proved so far to be somewhat different from what I had expected, and that was only the outside.

The first thing I noticed was that there wasn't a speck of dust in sight. As I stepped in, some automatic sensor went off, and the lights all started coming on. So, I was able to get a pretty good look at my new home. And I was amazed.

The floorboards under my feet were even and smooth. They were the color of honey and waxed to a high gloss. The front door led into a huge space that was half kitchen, part living area and part dining area. The ceiling was high overhead and there was a distinct lack of dividing walls. I could see all the way to the other side of the house, which was mostly a large plate glass window, covered with vertical blinds.

The kitchen was separated from the living and dining areas by a long counter. The floor was made up of heavy-looking stone tiles. The appliances weren't all new, but they looked it. Everything was chrome and shining.

There was a deep double sink as well as a dishwasher. The stove was a six burner and the fridge was a monster. I took a peek inside to see that it was fully stocked. Everything was arranged neatly and leftovers were stacked up in plastic containers. I closed the fridge and continued my exploration to the living area.

A huge wide-screen television dominated one wall. It look at least 54 inches. There was one couch and one armchair and a couple of bookshelves. The wooden floor from the door continued into this room.

I turned around where I stood, taking it all in. It was so spacious, so light. I inhaled deeply. Not one trace of old lady smell either. Just the clean smell of lemon and floor wax.

It was then that I thought 'This might actually be pretty nice'. Little did I know then just how bad things would get.

At the time, the only thought on my mind was checking out the second floor.

Upstairs there were more walls, since this was where the bedrooms were. The first door I saw had a gold plaque on it. 'Katrina's Room' was etched in the gold.

I tried the knob, but it was locked. I pulled out the key ring and after a couple of tries, I got the door open.

The room was extremely tidy. Ricky and his sister had outdone themselves. You couldn't tell at all that someone had lived here. Everything seemed so fresh and new.

The floor was the same honey-colored wood as downstairs. It seemed that Great Aunt Katrina hadn't believed in carpeting. It was nice, but it made my footsteps echo whenever I walked. It would take some getting used to, living by myself in such a big house.

The room wasn't a very large one, probably not the master bedroom. The bed was a single, pushed against the wall and made so tightly that the blankets looked fused to the sheets. There was a desk under the room's one window and a built-in closet on the other wall.

I walked over to the desk. The surface was bare except for one large, red, leather-bound book. I lifted it up with both hands. The spine was gold-tooled. The leather felt smooth and worn, but it was in perfect condition.

I undid a gold clasp holding the book shut slowly, not wanting to cause any harm to what was obviously a treasured antique.

I opened to a random page. It was all handwritten in a long, flowing script. It was hard to make out at first, but I got it eventually.

"From the tower, I can keep watch over the Vault, so that no one, mortal or otherwise, may disturb it."

Tower? Oh yeah, I did see a tower from the outside. I out the book back down on the desk and looked out the window. I didn't see the tower right now, which mean that I was probably under it.

I looked around the room. There hadn't been another door on this side of the house from the hallway, so it must be in here somewhere. I walked over to the closet and slid the door open. Sure enough, behind an empty hanger railing was another door.

This one was locked as well. I was starting to see why I had so many keys.

I unlocked the door, revealing a narrow spiral staircase leading upward. I climbed the stairs, feeling claustrophobic. They led up to a very small room. The ceiling was so low that I couldn't stand up straight. A strong shaft of light was coming from the tower's one tiny window. I bent down a little and peered out, shielding my eyes.

The light was coming from the sloped roof directly across from this window. The light was so bright that I couldn't tell what the roof was made of. It might have been tin, or maybe... glass?

I had to find out. I hurried down the stairs, then out of Great Aunt Katrina's room. I looked around the hallway for a set of stairs leading up to the attic. I couldn't find any.

I looked up at the ceiling. Usually there was a door you could pull down with stairs or a ladder attached to it. I couldn't find anything like that either.

I paused for a moment, thinking hard. This house was becoming more and more of a mystery. Great Aunt Katrina struck me now as being paranoid as well as eccentric. The door in the closet was proof of that. Perhaps there was another hidden door in the ceiling.

I inspected the ceiling again very closely. I soon found what I was looking for. A tiny hole in the ceiling. I grabbed a chair from another room and stood on it to get a better look. I hunted through my key ring and found an old skeleton key.

The key fit perfectly in the hole. I turned it and heard a very loud click. A large rectangle came down out of the ceiling a few inches. I jumped down from the chair and pushed it away. Then I reached up and grabbed the edge of the door. As I pulled it open, a staircase slowly unfolded itself. When I was done, it settled in place with a snap.

I looked up the staircase. There was a lot of light coming in from the attic. I grinned when I realized I had been right. I climbed up the staircase quickly, out into the attic.

The entire space was wide and clear. One wall was full length all the way up to the glass ceiling. The ceiling sloped sharply down to the floor on the other side. The entire space was empty, save for a large stone dais in the center of the room.

I noticed how warm it was up here. Outside it was a very drizzly and chilly November. But in here it felt like summer.

It occurred to me then that this was just like a greenhouse. I couldn't have plants outside, but I bet I could keep a few of them up here. Orchids liked humid places with lots of sun, for instance. I was sure Great Aunt Katrina wouldn't begrudge me a few orchids. It's not like I was really changing anything in the house.

I walked over to the dais in the center of the attic. It was a plain block of gray stone. It was so big that I knew it had to be heavy. Like, extra-supports-erected-on-the-floor-below heavy. I wonder how Great Aunt Katrina had gotten it up here. Perhaps she had it lifted up by crane and put in through the roof and the glass put in after.

I wondered what it was for.

I spotted a small hole on the side. I inspected it closely. Yep, it was a keyhole.

I looked through my keyring again, but couldn't find a key that would fit in the hole properly. I tried every last one with no luck.

I was frustrated now that I was balked. I frowned deeply at the lock. Perhaps Ricky knew how to open it. I would have to call and ask.

I decided I had had enough exploring for now. It had been a long train ride. I would find a room to put my things in, then find something to eat.

The next day I went out and explored nearby civilization. Aunt Katrina had a car, a beat-up Chevrolet, but I didn't have a license. So, I ended up calling a cab company from the phone book.

I found a Lowe's fairly easy, and was able to buy a few orchids, pots and the bark-like potting soil they required. I also stopped at a vintage clothing store to bulk up my scant wardrobe.

When I returned back to the house, there was a car parked by the mailbox. It was a light blue compact. I walked up the path to the house. There was no one on the porch. Was there someone inside?

I set my packages down on the porch and unlocked the door. I stepped inside slowly. I'm not one who is quick to panic, but I was still wary. "Hello?" I called.

"In the kitchen." An unfamiliar voice called casually.

I walked into the kitchen, feeling very confused. A man about my age sat at the large butcher block table in the middle of the kitchen. He had a laptop open in front of him and was typing at the keys.

Even though he was seated, I could tell that he wasn't very tall. His skin was the pale white only little exposure to sunlight could achieve. He was thin and bony, and his hands looked a little too big for him. The fingers were too long. His sand-colored hair was short and tousled. He wore wire-rimmed glasses that slid down his nose.

He looked up at me briefly, long enough for me to see that his eyes were baby blue. "Hey there, Rick said you arrived yesterday. I thought I would come over and set everything up for you."

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Oh, right, sorry." He rose out of his chair a little and held out his hand. "I'm Steven Moire. I maintained the computers and security system for Aunt Katrina."

I recalled Ricky mentioning a Steven in the truck yesterday. "How did you get in?" I asked.

"Basement entrance." He pointed behind him at the broom closet.

"I see." I said, making a mental note to check out the basement later. I hadn't even realized there was one. I suspected another hidden door.

"Nice to meet you." Steven said, holding his hand out again. I realized that I hadn't shaken it the first time.

I did so now. "Angie Statton."

He sat back down again, continuing his work on the computer.

"So, what are you here to set up?" I asked.

"I need to set you as the Primary Resident." He said. "That way the security system doesn't attack you. It's not on right now, but it has to be activated if you are going to live here. That's Aunt Katrina's rule."

What he said brought up several questions I wanted to ask. I settled on the most crucial one. "The security system attacks people?"

"Only people it doesn't know." Steven said, sounding defensive.

"Hello in there!" I heard Ricky's voice from the front door. Then he was in the kitchen, carrying my packages. "I thought you might need help with these." He smiled at me.

"Thank you." I said, smiling back. "Just set them down on the table." I would soon find that I couldn't be anything but cheerful in Ricky's presence. He had an aura about him that just radiated happiness.

Ricky spotted Steven as he set my bags on the table. "Hey, man." He said, his smile growing even wider.

'Ah, so that's how it is." I thought to myself shrewdly.

But Steven was giving my orchids a dark look. "What's the matter?" I asked.

"Probably nothing." Steven said. "But Aunt Katrina hated plants."

"She did indeed." Ricky agreed. "Remember the little cactus we gave her for her birthday?" Steven grimaced at the memory. Ricky turned to me. "So Angie, how are you liking the house so far? Any drafts or creaky floorboards or leaky faucets I should know about?"

I shook my head. "Everything I can see is in perfect working order." I told him. "You and your sister did an amazing job."

"You just let me know about any little thing." He told me seriously. "Aunt Katrina would haunt me for the rest of my life if I let her house fall into disrepair."

I laughed. "There's no danger of that happening any time soon." I reassured him. "Though, there is one thing I wanted to ask you about."

"The Vault." Steven said knowingly.

"Yeah." I turned to him. "How did you guess?"

"Because we want to know what's in there too." Ricky confided.

"She was a crazy old bird. But we know she was hiding something incredible." Steven said. "I mean, she stayed home all day, but she managed to pay to keep the house looking like this." He gestured around with both arms, emphasizing his point.

"So you two don't know where the key for it is?" I asked. They both shook their heads.

"We thought that you might have been given the key." Ricky said. I gave him a helpless look.

"I always thought it was silly, keeping the vault up in the attic." Steven said suddenly. "I asked her about it one time, asked her why she just didn't keep it in the basement where it would be more secure. You know what she said to me? 'That would be too kind.' Weird, huh?"

"We're kind of hoping you'll find out what the big secret is." Ricky smiled. "And maybe share it with us."

"Maybe it's whatever I am supposed to be taking care of." I shrugged.

The next morning after breakfast I went to the attic to see how my orchids were adjusting. In warm weather they would need to be spritzed with water daily.

I ascended the stairs, water bottle in hand. I had set the orchids on the stone dais, thinking that was the most suitable place. I walked over to them.

They were dead.

I was alarmed. How had they died overnight? I inspected the leaves. They were dry and crumbly.

Perhaps I had gotten a bad batch. They had looked fine in the store. I had gotten them off of the bargain rack though, so they must have been on their way out. I would go and get more later that day. Good ones.

But the next day I got the same result. I tried to think of why it had happened again. Perhaps there was something wrong with the room. Perhaps the air was too dry.

I set up a trench on one side of the room, the one with the highest wall as it got the least direct sunlight. I filled the bottom with gravel and poured water in that. Then I set the orchid pots in that.

The next day they were still alive, but the leaves were yellowed. There were also a few black spots on the leaves. I saw it as a step in the right direction. I was determined now to have something else living in this house with me. Great Aunt Katrina's will wouldn't even let me have a pet.

I wasn't spending all my time tending to my plants though. I checked out the door in the broom closet. Sure enough, it led to the basement.

It was a finished basement, the floor was clean and there wasn't a cobweb in sight. It was broken up into three rooms. The one closest to the kitchen was a pantry. It was the largest pantry I had been in, It looked like one a restaurant might have. It even held a giant deep freezer. In her old age, Great Aunt Katrina must not have been able to get to the store very often.

The second room held a few pieces of exercise equipment. It didn't look like it had been used in quite some time, though it was clean.

The last room was barely bigger than a closet. On a low shelf sat a black trunk. I looked it over. It was decorated with a single rose on the top, made out of silver. The lock and fastenings were also made out of silver. I looked at the back. Even the hinges were silver.

I pulled out my key ring. There was a silver key on it that I had yet to find a use for. Sure enough, it opened the trunk.

On top was a set of clothing. Black pants and a black shirt. A black leather belt and matching boots. Both the belt and the boots had silver accents. Under the clothes was a short leather jacket. The jacket was dark brown and very worn.

I looked in the pockets and found a silver lighter and cigarette case, a pair of gloves with the fingers cut off, and a small cardboard box that said 'silver bullets'. I opened the box. It was empty.

Under the jacket was a metal case. I pulled it out and laid it on the floor. I popped the fastenings and lifted the lid. Inside lay a semi-automatic pistol. It was in pieces, each piece fitting into it's own foam cutout. It was made of silver as well.

I felt a shiver go through me. What was this stuff for? It was too elaborate to be a Halloween costume. Maybe something from a movie? Some people collected costumes and stuff like that. I decided it was best to just put it all way and forget about it.

I didn't spend all my time by myself. I would have gone crazy then. As if knowing this, Ricky or Steven came over nearly every day. They moved around the house with such familiarity that it was comforting to me, who still couldn't remember where everything was supposed to go.

Ricky liked cooking, so I let him have the kitchen when he was over. I would sit at the table and watch, trying to memorize where everything was.

I even met Ricky's sister, Cassandra. She immediately made me call her Cass. She was my age and very pretty. She wasn't as dark as her brother, but she had his cheerfulness. She showed me where all of the cleaning supplies were in the house and even how to use some of them. For instance, I hadn't known how to wax a floor before Cass had taught me. I was the Caretaker, and it was my job to keep the house in perfect condition.

Cass even taught me a few things about plants, having a big garden of her own. She suggested I get a few cacti for the attic. Since it was nice and humid up there, I wouldn't have to ever water them, and they were sturdier than orchids. I took her advice, and picked out several rather nice looking ones. I arranged them on the other side of the attic, right under the glass roof where they could get the most sun.

I had decided to sleep in Great Aunt Katrina's room. The Master bedroom was too large for me, my meager possessions seemed lost in it. Besides, I liked having a room with it's own tower.

One night I laid down and took Great Aunt Katrina's book with me. It was getting chillier each night, so I was wearing a thick cotton nightgown. I sat up in the bed and leafed through the pages. Trying to decipher the handwriting was too much for me, so I just looked at the pictures.

I figured that the book was Great Aunt Katrina's diary, and she had had a fair hand at drawing. Better than her handwriting, anyway.

Some of the pictures were just diagrams. Some seemed to be illustrations. There was even a picture of the vault. I saw one of the silver gun, but put together. It had a long chain attached to it. The note underneath said it was to be attached to the belt, so it was harder for someone to disarm you.

I turned another page and stopped, staring at the picture there. A shiver went down my spine. It looked like the picture of a shadow with ragged edges. The only features it had was white eyes and a mouth. The eyes were slanted into a devious expression, and the mouth was fanged. The picture unnerved me, but I found it difficult to look away.

I decided to skip to the end of the diary. I would find out more about Great Aunt Katrina's day to day life before she died. And I would also be many pages away from that picture.

There were quite a few empty pages left in the diary. The last page to have anything written on it was still in the middle of the book. I flipped through the last half quickly, making sure. I ended at the back cover.

There was another drawing on the inside back cover. This one was of a key. At least, I thought it was. It looked very strange, unlike any key that I had ever seen. It seemed to be made up of three different pieces. Maybe three other keys.

I got up out of the bed and went over to the desk. I opened the top drawer and pulled out my ring of keys. I took them back over to the bed.

There were a lot of keys on the ring, so I couldn't see if any of them made up the big key right off the bat. I held up a few to the drawing, but didn't see a match. I flipped through the book again, seeing if I could find the keys separately. I was unsuccessful. I went back to the back cover again.

I inspected the drawing closely. The largest key was cylindrical. It looked like it had many notches carved into it. I picked up the key ring and selected the key to the front door. I took it off the ring and held it up to the drawing. They looked the same.

One of the keys in the diagram was very small. I got the tiniest key off the ring and compared it. Another success. It was the key to the trunk in the basement. I set it aside with the first key.

It took a while, but after comparing all the rest of the keys, I found that the last key was the one to the tower. I pulled it off the ring and set the ring aside.

I held the three keys in my hands. How was I supposed to put them together? I was pretty good at puzzles and I liked the challenge. All thought of sleep had left my mind completely.

I turned the keys over in my hands, feeling with my fingers were all the bumps and notches were. I began fitting them together.

After many tries and a few pinched fingers, I finally got it. I held the completed key in my hands, proud of myself. I knew automatically what it would unlock. I only hoped that I could separate the keys again before I had to go out.

I looked at the clock. It was 1 A.M. I could go to sleep and unlock the vault in the morning, but I was so excited that I decided to do it now. The prospect of having a puzzle solved was more important to me than speculating on the actual contents of the vault, and I was so close to having it completed.

I got out of bed and headed out into the hallway. It was a good thing that the key to the stairs hadn't been used in the big key. That would have been precious time wasted. I unlocked the stairs and hurried up to the attics.

The moon was high overhead. It was round and full and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Out here away from the city the stars were many and beautiful. I should invite Cass over one night for stargazing. I wondered if Ricky or Steven had a telescope.

I walked over to the Vault. At night it had a very ominous look to it. The stone was pure white under the moon, contrasting with the sharp, pitch-black shadows it cast.

I knelt down next to the Vault. The side with the keyhole was in shadow, so I had to feel for it with my fingers. In the silence around me I heard a small sound.

I paused, looking around. It had sounded like something rustling. Perhaps from the plants. I had added a few more up here recently. I looked over them from where I was. One of my orchids was missing a few leaves. I saw them on the floor under it.

That must have been the sound I heard. I had originally thought that the sound was in front of me, but the orchid was behind me, so I must have been mistaken.

I was starting to get a little creeped out, up here all alone in the middle of the night. I decided to get this over with quickly and head back to bed. Sleep was sounding really good.

I found the keyhole and inserted the key into it. It fit. I smiled triumphantly. Then I took a deep breath and turned the key.

2: Chapter 2

Once I turned the key I heard a very heavy click. Then a series of smaller clicks from inside the vault. There was a shuddering noise that grew louder and louder and I backed up hurriedly.

A long seam appeared all around the top of the vault. The top then rose up a few inches and slid to the side, stone grating against stone, sounding like thunder. Then it stopped and the lid tipped down, one corner hitting the floor with a crash. Utter silence fell like a blanket.

The lid uncovered a very wide space. There was a wrapped bundle directly in the middle of it. It was lying on a large box covered with a white sheet.

I reached in and picked it up. It was surprisingly heavy considering it's small size. It was wrapped in layers of black silk. I began unwrapping it immediately; finally this mystery would be solved. I saw a flash of silver in the midst of all that black.

Then the silk dropped to the floor and I was holding a metal glove in my hands. It was a beautiful piece of work. Not bulky, like a knight's gauntlet, but slim and delicate. It looked like it was designed for a woman. It was engraved with curlicues and strange runes and shone with an unearthly light under the full moon.

I turned it over in my hands, puzzling what it was made of. My best guess was silver. But why would someone make a glove out of pure silver?

I couldn't resist trying it on. It certainly didn't look dangerous, only beautiful. I slipped my left hand into it. The inside was lined with an incredibly soft material. I didn't feel the joints chafe or pinch at all. It was as if it had been made for me, it fit so perfectly.

I flexed my fingers. They moved freely, if a little slowly. It would take a while to get used to the weight.

Then I caught myself and giggled aloud, breaking the silence and easing the tension that had accumulated in the room. Like I would be wearing this around town like a new bracelet or ring. Whatever it was, jewelry it was not, no matter how lovely.

As I flexed my fingers again something came loose in the fingertips. Claws extended from each tip. I blinked, startled. The claws looked razor sharp, but I was in no way going to test them. I flexed my hand again, till the claws retracted.

The air in the attic felt suddenly colder. This thing was a weapon. I should take it off. I should put it away.

But I hesitated. It was so beautiful, and it looked good on me. It wasn't frightening, just strange. I would see what else was in the vault, I decided. Perhaps Great Aunt Katrina had a whole suit like this in there. As long as the claws didn't come out suddenly, I would be fine.

I looked back down into the Vault. It was bigger and deeper than I thought. A full grown person could lay comfortably inside. That was a rather unsettling thought, even more so after what happened next.

I pulled back the long white sheet and revealed a wooden coffin. I shrieked and stepped back quickly. I covered my mouth and nose against the foul odor that I knew would soon overwhelm me.

But I didn't smell anything.

I uncovered my nose and mouth and sniffed experimentally. Nothing. Just the faintest hint of dust. I cautiously made my way back to the vault and peered inside.

The coffin had to be extremely old. It looked nothing like the ones I had seen on television and in funeral homes. It was made of unfinished boards crudely nailed together. It seemed to shimmer under the moonlight a bit. I looked closer, carefully.

Under a layer of dust, I discovered a thin silver chain was wrapped around the coffin. I looked down the length of the coffin, the silver was there too. It couldn't all be one chain, there was too much of it. But, I didn't see any breaks in it. It was wrapped around so many times that the coffin was encased in a web of silver threads.

Why did Great Aunt Katrina have a coffin up in her attic? I knew for a fact that she was buried in the cemetery outside of town. This wasn't her coffin. So, who's was it? And why was it up here of all places?

I looked up at the glass ceiling above me. I imagined this room during the daytime, the sun beating down into the attic all day long. The Vault in the center of it, absorbing all that sunlight.

Steven's voice rang through my head. 'She said 'That would be too kind.''

I remembered the shadow in Great Aunt Katrina's diary. It had had fangs.

I began shivering.

Maybe I was just being silly. There had to be a reason for the Vault to be up here, it didn't even have to be a good reason. This box didn't have to be a coffin, either. Whatever Great Aunt Katrina had stored up here could stay up here, I decided, at least till the sun was up.

But I didn't know how to close the vault. Perhaps I just needed to turn the key again. It was still protruding from the keyhole. I put my hand to it.

I looked down at the silver glove I was wearing, contemplating whether I should put it back before I closed the lid. I decided against that. At the very least, I could show it to someone and figure out what it was.

Just when I was about to turn the key, a voice slithered into my mind. It was dark and slippery, cutting through all of my thoughts, silencing them. "Let me out." It hissed.

I froze as an icy sliver of fear slid up my spine. My ears strained in the utter silence, trying to hear what had only been in my head.

I was really scaring myself now. That's what it was. I was too overexcited and it was affecting me. I should go downstairs and get a nice cup of hot chocolate and sit on the couch until I was-

Again my thoughts were cast aside. "Let me out." The voice said again. There was a pressure in my head now, some weight sharing room in my head with my consciousness, squeezing my own thoughts out.

My hand moved away from the key. "Remove the silver." The pressure eased some, now that I was being obedient. I lifted my hand, the silver-clad one and touched the silver chain. The claws extended and I dragged them across the chain. It tore away as if it really was thread.

A small, rational part of my brain was sounding off. I could hear it, but it was very far away. It persisted, trying to make me see reason. I began listening more, and stopped tearing the silver.

"Let me out!" The pressure was back again, heavier than before. I clutched at my little spark of reason, and resisted.

The coffin moved then. Just a small shudder, but enough to make me back away. My legs felt leaden, but I managed to move back, towards the stairs.

The coffin shuddered again. I had backed up far enough that I couldn't see it anymore, but I could hear the sides rattle against the vault walls.

I will admit right now that I was scared. Really scared. Anyone else in my position would have been just as scared, maybe even more so. And they would have whimpered in fright just like I did.

Wisps of smoke rose from the vault. The rattling grew louder, desperate. There was a pause, then the sound of impact. The silver chain burst out of the Vault, raining down onto the floor, reduced to nothing but tiny links.

My legs were useless now. They couldn't hold me up. I slumped to the floor, still unable to tear my eyes away from the Vault.

The lid of the coffin was pushed up and out, clattering against the floor. I flinched at the sound. A dry, white hand gripped the side of the Vault. It had long, black claws.

What had happened to the Fight or Flight instinct that was supposed to be inherent in all humans? I was just sitting there, as weak as a kitten.

He pulled himself to a standing position with difficulty. He looked very old. His hair was snow white and his face was etched with deep lines. He wore an old-fashioned black suit that had seen better days. It was torn and ragged and hung off his thin frame. After a second, he stood straight and tall. He turned to face me.

I whimpered again. Anyone would have, if they saw that face. As aged as it was, it was still terrifying. Ghastly white with deep bruises under the eyes, eyes that were the brownish-red of dried blood. His mouth was a thin line, the lines around it showing that he never smiled.

He took a moment, gathering himself. Then he swept both arms behind him grandly, his clawed fingers raking through the air. With the motion the air suddenly became tighter, almost choking. My eyes widened as all the plants around the attic suddenly withered and died in seconds. Even the cacti shriveled up, some turned to dust.

He raised his face to the moon, his eyes closed, and breathed in deeply. He seemed to grow younger then, from a man in his sixties to a man in his forties. His hair was now black with streaks of white at the temples.

He looked back at me and his eyes glowed the red of freshly spilled blood. "That's better." His expression was ravenous. "But nowhere near as good as blood."

He lunged at me then, the frailty of age gone. He was fast, too fast. I did all that I could in that brief second and put my hands up protectively. Even though I knew it was useless, it was all I could do.

He flew away from me with such a force that he smacked into the wall on the other side of the room and cracked it. He groaned in pain, smoke rising from his chest. He opened his eyes. They were narrowed in dislike, the glow was gone. "The gauntlet..." He hissed.

I turned my hands over and looked at them in confusion. The silver glove, I had forgotten about it completely. It seemed to have saved my life. "You're a vampire." I whispered. Saying it aloud like that made things suddenly so real to me. Horror washed over me in waves. I wish I could have taken it back, had never have spoken.

"Yes." He rose to his feet. He watched me cautiously, gauging how much of a threat I was. "Who are you? You look like Katrina, but your hair is the wrong color." He walked back and forth along the wall as he studied me. He was waiting for me to lower my guard, so he could strike.

I resisted the urge to touch my dark brown hair defensively. There was nothing wrong with my hair. Great Aunt Katrina had been a red head though. Maybe the red reminded the vampire of blood or something. "I'm the Caretaker here." I said firmly. I tried to at least seem like I was in control, though I was shaking on the inside. "Katrina was my great aunt."

"Was?" The vampire's eyes widened. He stopped his stalking. "Katrina the Hunter is dead?"

I nodded, not taking my eyes off of him. I answered his questions without really thinking about it. I was using valuable mental resources trying to think of a way to escape. The glove would help me if I stayed alert and didn't lower my guard, but it wasn't getting me out of this nightmare.

"How long?" He demanded. I could see that he was angry. Rage twisted his face, making it twice as horrifying.

I flinched again as his words seemed to cut into me. "A month." I said quietly.

He drew in a deep jagged breath. I could sense something terrible brewing inside of him, his whole body shook. He threw his head back and a howl ripped from his throat. It was long and pained and angry. Panic shot through me and I slid myself backwards, closer to the stairs. I was still too weak to stand.

After an eternity, that dreadful howl ceased. The vampire was standing over me. I hadn't seen him move at all. "Who was it?" He shouted angrily. "Katrina was MINE to slay! WHO KILLED HER?"

I felt that pressure in my head again, so heavy it was painful. I covered my head with my hands, whimpering again. "She wasn't killed. She- she died in her sleep." I gasped.

That made him even more angry. "In her sleep?! Are you telling me that the most powerful Hunter in the world succumbed to old age!"

I just stared up at him, the pressure in my head was too heavy for me to speak.

Something occurred to him then. The pressure eased, then disappeared entirely. I gasped, nearly collapsing in relief. I braced my hand against the floor to hold myself up.

His anger seemed to be contained for now. He was looking around. "How long was I trapped in there?" His voice rumbled. That rage was barely beneath the surface.

I shook my head. I had no idea.

"Well, what year is it?" He demanded, his anger flaring up briefly before he bottled it up again.

"2009." I said. I held the silver-clad hand up, expecting retaliation of some kind. My whole body was shaking, but I was determined to protect myself despite my fear.

His eyes widened, bugging out slightly. "No." He whispered. His hands gripped into fists, his claws digging into his palms. "No. Are you telling me," His voice was rising again. "I was trapped in that box for 50 years?!"

I looked at him with what I knew was a helpless expression. "Yes?"

His anger seemed to rise up within him. His hands clenched into fists. His body was shaking again. I quailed. With visible effort he managed to keep himself under control. He took a deep breath in slowly, and exhaled.

One random thought floated to the top of my mind. "Vampires can breathe?" It was an inanity. Brought on by fear. If I didn't get out of there, I would be reduced to a babbling moron.

"Of course, why shouldn't we?" He snapped. It was a stupid question, I could tell that by the look on his face, but he had answered automatically.

I cast my mind around for something else to say. Perhaps I could talk my way out of this situation. "How did you know Great Aunt Katrina?" The question flew out of my mouth before I could stop it. That was probably the one question most likely to piss him off again. After all, hadn't she locked him in the Vault in the first place?

Rather than exploding in rage, he became very still. As he looked at him his face grew hard and inscrutable. "She hunted me." He said in his rumbling thunder voice.

So, no fond memories, as I thought. God dammit.

He took a step towards me. I scooted backward a few more inches. His expression was one of intense dislike. "You are just a weakling." He voice was icy. "You are nothing like Katrina, whose blood you share. I detest weak creatures." He looked up at the sky. "You are not worth my time."

He jumped then, shooting upwards powerfully. He struck the glass ceiling with both hands. The impact was deafening, but the glass was unbroken. I reached behind me, feeling the opening to the attic stairs just a few more inches behind me.

I didn't take my eyes off of him. He landed on his feet, then jumped up and attacked the glass again. Still, it would not break. It obviously wasn't ordinary glass. I figured since it was also a roof that it was pretty thick, most likely bullet-proof. Didn't they also make a glass nowadays that was supposedly missile proof?

If I was Great Aunt Katrina and I was hiding a vampire up in my attic, I would have installed the missile-proof glass. With the way the rest of the house looked, she might even have been able to afford it.

He landed on his feet again, staring up at the ceiling. He was getting frustrated. "I'm too weak." He muttered. I wanted to giggle insanely. While he couldn't break the glass, he certainly wasn't weak.

"I need blood." He said, and immediately turned to me.

I pitched myself backwards quickly. I threw myself down the staircase, not caring how bruised I would be as long as I could move fast enough.

I hit the floor below on my shoulder, which reacted with a snap. It was very disconcerting that I didn't feel any pain in it. But I had no time to worry. I scrambled to my feet, grabbing the bottom of the staircase with my good arm and slamming the whole thing closed as hard as I could.

The staircase, like everything else in the house, was in remarkably good repair. It folded together quickly, slamming closed just as I saw the vampire's face at the opening.

After a second, I heard a deafening crash above me. After another second it came again. He was trying to break it open. Knowing Great Aunt Katrina, the lock was probably a really strong one, but it wouldn't hold up forever.

I had to get away. I headed down the stairs as quickly as I could. My right arm was hanging uselessly from my injured shoulder. It was dislocated. I cradled it to my body with my other arm.

I ran for the front door. It was the kind you used a key to open on both sides. I finally understood now why that was. I would escape and lock the door behind me. Then the vampire would be trapped inside the house. Great Aunt Katrina had surely used the same kind of glass for the windows as she did for the roof. I had to hope she did anyway. None of the windows could be opened at any rate, they had no latches.

I ran through the living and dining areas as quickly as I could, the pounding upstairs driving me to panic. I raced through the kitchen and into the vestibule. I reached the door, almost smacking into it. The highly waxed floor was slippery under my socked feet. I was lucky I hadn't slipped and fallen down the other staircase.

I pulled off the silver glove and dipped my hand into my nightgown's pocket for my keys. They weren't there.

Dread settled into the pit of my stomach and took up residence there. I patted both of my pockets twice. No keys. They were still up I the attic, probably lying next to the Vault.

There was a horrible crash from the floor above me. Terror moved in with Dread, making my stomach tighten uncomfortably. I had seconds at the most, before he was downstairs and he spotted me.

There was another exit that led outside from the basement, Steven had mentioned it when I met him. I dove for the broom closet. I pushed open the hidden door and shut it behind me. I didn't waste any time checking if he was behind me. I knew that he was.

I looked around the basement, trying to find the door that led out. I hadn't seen it the last time I was down here. Truth be told, I had forgotten about it. Now that I needed it, I couldn't find it. It was probably hidden, and I didn't have time to look for it.

I couldn't run around any longer. I was making noise that he could surely hear. I ducked into the little closet, closing it behind me and crouching down on the floor. Just then, he burst through the door in the broom closet. I could hear the pieces of wood clattering on the stone floor.

I listened intently, pressing my ear to the closed door. There was no sound. He was being quiet, moving slowly, trying to hear or smell me out.

I scooted back as far as I could and tried to control my breathing, which had been coming in great, gulping gasps. My back pressed into the trunk behind me.

I turned to it at once. Great Aunt Katrina had been a Hunter. The vampire had said so, that she had hunted him. This was probably her equipment. I opened the trunk hurriedly, tossing her clothes aside. I pulled out the smaller case, the one that contained the silver gun.

Not many people know this about me, surely none of my family did, but I knew how to use a gun. I was far from an expert, and I didn't own one myself though. In fact, I disliked them in general. My first boyfriend had been into guns, and he felt strongly that I should know how to protect myself.

Well, I certainly needed to protect myself now.

I opened the case, looking at the pieces in dismay, could I assemble it in time? I had only ever watched other people do it, and I only had one useful arm.

Panic drove me to try. I fumbled with the pieces. They were well made and slid together easily, despite my ineptitude. Finally only the clip was left. I checked it.

There was only one bullet in it. It shone silver under the weak overhead light.

My heart dropped through the floor. I loaded the clip anyway, I wasn't going down without a fight.

I jumped as he grabbed the doorknob. He ripped the door off the hinges, throwing it behind him. I was crouched on the floor in front of him, gun pointed at him. Surprisingly, my hand was steady. My eyes were narrowed in concentration.

His eyes widened, he was taken aback. "Katrina?" He gasped.

I pulled the trigger.

The silver bullet pierced him dead center of his chest. I couldn't have missed at that close range. He was thrown backwards, landing on the floor heavily. Smoke rose up from his chest. His body twitched uncontrollably as he clawed at the wound, trying to remove the bullet.

I got up quickly, running past his prone form. I sprinted for the stairs. I was halfway up when I glanced back, making sure he wasn't getting up.

He was still writhing in pain. He had his jaw clenched shut so he wouldn't dry out. He kept clawing at his chest. But he could not grasp it, it burned him too much. He was going to die.

I couldn't help it. I felt sorry for him. I made a decision then and ran upstairs into the kitchen. I began opening the drawers, until I found a knife that wasn't made of silver. I was praying the whole time that I was not making a mistake.

I took a deep, steadying breath and ran back down the stairs. He was still squirming. I hurried over and knelt beside him, placing the silver gun and glove behind me in easy reach. Pain had made his eyes wide and crazed. His fangs showed as he gritted his teeth.

I didn't think he could see me through the pain. I pushed his hands aside. He fought back, clawing my hand. I put the silver glove back on and tried again. This time when he touched me, the silver burned and his hands fell to his sides. He lay still, but every muscle was tensed.

I could see the wound through his shredded shirt. I waved my hand, clearing the smoke that was still wisping up from it. It looked pretty back, as if the bullet I had shot him with had been searing hot. "This is going to hurt." I said grimly.

The hole was wide and I saw the end of the silver end clearly. I used the kitchen knife to dig the bullet out. The vampire hissed, his body jerking. I wasn't gentle, focusing on getting the bullet out as quick as possible.

As soon as it was out, his body relaxed. He lay absolutely still.

I looked at the small lump of silver in the palm of my hand. It was amazing how something so small had hurt him so much.

He turned his eyes to me. They were dark and hazy. "You're weak, and foolish." He rasped.

"You owe me your life, such as it is." I told him firmly. I reached behind me.

"Do not attempt to apply human rules and boundaries to me." He said darkly. "I will not hesitate to kill you." He made to sit up.

I pointed the silver gun at his head. The clip was empty, but he couldn't know that. I kept my gaze steady.

He gave me a long look. His face was lined again, but his hair still had some black in it. He turned away from me, onto his side. "Leave me alone."

That was gratitude for you. He had attacked me first. I had only been defending myself. I didn't have to save him, but I did.

I got to my feet. I kept my eyes on him as I backed up to the stairs. For all I know, his weakness could be a bluff.

He didn't move. It occurred to me that he must have a lot of pride. He saw me as tiny and weak, but I had saved him. It must have been quite a blow to his ego.

I left him where he lay and hurried up the stairs. It was late, but I didn't care. I ran to the nearest phone.

I was calling Great Aunt Katrina's lawyer.

 

3: Chapter 3

I looked up at the ruined attic staircase in dismay. It was pretty wrecked. Chunks of wood had been ripped right out of it. The rest had collapsed on the floor in a heap. I could just imagine the look on Ricky face if he saw it.

I grabbed the chair I had used earlier and stood up on it. With my good arm I hauled myself up into the attic. My poor, abused muscles ached in protest. I was certainly going to be sore the next day.

I scanned the attic floor, looking for my keys. There were two places that they could be. The attic or on the vampire (I was calling him that till someone proved to me that he was otherwise). I didn't want to go back into the basement unless I had to, so I chanced checking the attic first.

I was in luck. My keys were lying on the floor next to the Vault. I scooped them up and pocketed them. Then I lowered myself back down the hole to the second floor.

I went into my room and changed out of my nightgown. I pulled on a pair of jeans one handed and a sweater with great difficulty. I wasn't even going to attempt to put on a bra and hoped that the sweater was thick enough that no one would notice anyway. I also tucked the silver gun in my jeans and pulled the sweater over it. The thickness would help hide that as well.

I decided against taking the silver glove with me. It was much too noticeable.

I went to the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee. Then I sat down at the table and waited for the lawyer to arrive.

I had only ever met Great Aunt Katrina's lawyer once, but I really didn't like him. To me, he embodied every horrible trait I had ever seen from corrupt lawyers on TV. He was a well-greased talker and oozed false sincerity out of every pore. His hair was slicked back and as dark as his oil-black eyes. He wasn't a tall man, but he held himself in a way that made people misremember him as taller.

He had no qualms at showing up at the house at four in the morning, I had to give him that. He was still on retainer for Great Aunt Katrina, so it probably wasn't out of any genuine concern.

When he arrived, I glanced furtively at the broom closet, with it's destroyed no-longer-hidden door. There was no sound or movement from the basement. I unlocked the door quickly and opened it. The lawyer, Mr. Lucien, stood there. But he wasn't alone. A tall, dark man wearing glasses stood next to him.

I hurried them both inside and shut the door quickly, while also trying not to make noise that would alert the vampire below. "Who are you?" I asked the stranger immediately. I was about at the end of my rope, and politeness was out the window.

"I'm Dr. Andrews." He answered slowly. "You know my son, Rick?"

This was Ricky's dad? "Oh no, he's not here, is he?" I looked out the window. I couldn't have Ricky in danger. I looked over at his dad. I certainly couldn't have his dad in danger, either.

"Rick is home, sleeping." His father was saying as I put my good hand up and tried to lead him to the door. "Mr. Lucien called me, saying you might be injured." He was giving me an odd look. Probably because I looked very odd, with my unbrushed hair and wild eyes.

"You really shouldn't be here right now." I said quickly. "It's not safe."

"But, you are injured." He said with frustrating practicality. "I certainly can't leave you here."

I paused, listening intently. I was positive that the vampire had heard the extra voices by now, but he still did not come up. Hopefully it would be a long while before he recovered. If he did crawl up here, I could threaten him with the gun again. I might be able to buy some time so the doctor and the lawyer could escape.

I was surprised by how calm I was. I mean, I was pretty panicked and jittery, but I hadn't run out of the house, screaming into the night. Yet. Maybe I was in shock. Maybe the screaming would start when it wore off. I had always considered myself good in a crisis, but a vampire attack was a little above and beyond something like a fire, or a flash flood.

While I was musing, Mr. Lucien spoke. "Dr. Andrews will take care of your injuries, then we can discuss your business with me."

I gave him a suspicious look. "You knew I was hurt."

He shrugged nonchalantly. "You sounded quite strained on the phone, and you called at such a late hour. I was merely taking precautions."

I let Dr. Andrews lead me into the kitchen. I sat down at the table and he immediately began inspecting my shoulder. "Does this hurt?" He asked, squeezing gently. I shook my head.

"It's not broken, but it is dislocated." He mused. I had pretty much figured that out on my own. I bit my lip. I knew what was coming next. "This will hurt." He told me grimly. I had said that same thing to the vampire downstairs before digging a silver bullet out of his chest with a knife. I shut my eyes quickly.

I gripped the table with my good hand and gritted my teeth so I wouldn't bite my tongue as Dr. Andrews reset my arm into my shoulder socket. When it was done, I lay my head on the table and whimpered for a bit until my brain released enough endorphins to dull the pain to a deep throbbing.

I looked up, my eyes watering. The lawyer was showing Dr. Andrews out. Dr. Andrews still looked concerned, but the lawyer said some reassuring words before closing the door on him.

Mr. Lucien dropped my keyring on the table in front of me, then prepared two cups of coffee. He set one mug in front of me. Then he took a seat across from me, setting his own mug down.

I glared at him over my mug. "You knew." I whispered accusingly.

He looked unperturbed. "I don't understand what you mean." He said lightly. Yeah, he knew the whole time.

"Was that part of the Caretaker job, too?" I asked icily. "Caring for a vampire?"

He arched a brow. "Vampire?" He said the word like he was trying it out for the first time.

I stood up quickly. "Cut the act!" I yelled, slamming both of my palms on the table. I immediately regretted that as a spasm of pain throbbed in my shoulder. I bowed my head for a moment. I could move my arm now, but it was going to be sore for a while.

"I take it that you have discovered something unpleasant here?" Mr. Lucien asked.

Unpleasant was the understatement of the decade. I tried calming myself so I could talk to him on his own terms. I sat down. "After spending some time here, I feel that I am unsuited for the Caretaker position. I would like to hand it over to a more qualified individual. Immediately."

"You can't." He said it so simply, it made my temper flare up again.

"Why not?" I demanded. "The contract I signed said I could leave the position if I chose."

"And you can." He assured me. "But not immediately. You can leave after ninety days."

"Ninety... days?" I echoed. I shook myself mentally. "What happens if I just leave right now?"

"You mean if you abandon the property?" He queried. I nodded, that was a good way to put it. "If you do that, then I am authorized to seize your assets and funds to replace what you used during your stay." He paused. "It would be quite an amount. Any future wages of yours would be garnished as well."

"I've only been here a week!" I exclaimed, I was on my feet again.. How much money could I have possibly spent in that time? I thought of the damage to the kitchen and attic and winced mentally. Surely I wasn't responsible for those, right?

"Then you only have 83 more days until you can leave."

"So, let me get this straight. I'm facing financial failure..." I began, gesturing with one hand dramatically. "As opposed to staying here with that monster in the basement?" My voice rose up a little high at the end of that last sentence.

"Has anyone ever told you that your voice carries?" An irritated voice said behind me.

I turned quickly, pulling the gun out of my jeans and pointing it at the vampire. He stood in the broom closet, squinting in the light of the kitchen. He looked much less threatening now. His shoulders were hunched and he was holding his forearm pressed against his chest. He looked tired. More tired than even I felt.

I didn't waver, however, and kept my expression firm. The weight of the silver gun was really wearing on my right arm, but I was not showing this monster a hint of weakness.

He didn't seem concerned, or he was beyond caring, because he walked right past me. His eyes focused on the lawyer. "Lucien, is that you?" He asked.

I glanced at the lawyer, he wore an annoyed expression. He kept his gaze on me, ignoring the vampire. "A monster here? Hardly." He was answering my question, pretending no time had passed.

The vampire walked right up to him. I followed his movement with the gun. He was staring at the lawyer's face as if he couldn't believe his eyes. "What have you done to yourself?" To my amazement, he reached out and took the lawyer's jaw between his fingers. He turned his face to him and lifted up a corner of his mouth, exposing perfectly ordinary canines.

Mr. Lucien wasn't taking that sitting down. He smacked the vampire's hands away and stood up very quickly. The vampire's chalky white face was frozen in an expression of deep disapproval. "What happened to your fangs?" He asked quietly.

Finally Mr. Lucien met the vampire's eyes. He wore a determined look as well as his annoyed one. "I had them removed." He said stiffly.

The vampire's eyes narrowed to slits. Now he looked dangerous. I kept my gun trained on him, but now I was becoming very confused. I started to open my mouth to say something, to remind the two men, vampires, that I was still there, and then decided against it. I would wait and see if these two gave up any more information.

They continued to ignore me. "Why would you have your fangs removed?" The vampire asked, looking as if it took a great amount of will to speak in a normal tone of voice.

"Because I don't need them." Mr. Lucien said defiantly. "In fact, they got in the way."

The vampire looked like Mr. Lucien was speaking a foreign language to him. "What are you talking about? We need our fangs." Then he was suspicious again. "You're trying to fit in." He accused. "With them?" He pointed at me, the disgust in his voice made me feel like a piece of trash.

The lawyer held himself straight. "I'm not trying, I do fit in. The world is a much smaller place than it used to be. Humans are much stronger now. It's not just me, all of us are fitting in now. Getting rid of our fangs, finding night jobs. Participating in a strong society rather than riskily picking off it's members. Very few still cling to your ancient, barbarian ways."

The vampire snorted. "Next you will tell me that you eat lettuce and walk around in the daytime."

"I drink blood, but not from humans. I swore off of them forever."

Now the vampire looked absolutely disgusted, and furious. "You drink animal blood?! Don't you know how weak that makes you?"

"Still stronger than a human." Mr. Lucien said firmly. "I prefer not being too strong. I don't catch any undo attention that way."

I was sure now that Mr. Lucien was a vampire as well, but I still kept my gun on the vampire. Mr. Lucien hadn't attacked me. Things were getting weirder by the minute though, and I wasn't sure how long I could stand there in silence. It seemed like the whole world had suddenly gone crazy and I was the only sane one left.

The vampire crossed his arms over his chest. "So, what do you do?" He asked. "What is your job that lets you 'fit in' the human world?"

"I'm a lawyer. I go by the name David Lucien."

A strange expression crossed the vampire's face. I was shocked to see that it was amusement. He was desperately trying to squash it, though rather unsuccessfully. "A lawyer?" He asked, trying to keep his face straight. Mr. Lucien nodded, he definitely didn't look amused. A small laugh escaped the vampire lips. He clamped them down tight. "I see..." He said with difficulty.

Mr. Lucien was not the kind of man to take being laughed at. He moved to the door swiftly. He turned back to the vampire while he walked. "You're not allowed to leave this house." He warned. "Do not harm this young woman, either." He pointed at me. "She is here to protect you."

The vampire couldn't hold in his mirth any longer. "Protect me?" He laughed. "From what?"

David Lucien's expression was deadly serious. "From Nora. She's still alive."

"Nora? She's no threat." The vampire said dismissively.

"She is much stronger now than she once was. Stay here, do not let her discover you." Mr. Lucien looked over at me. "Can you let me out?" He asked.

I picked up the keys off the table with my free hand. The vampire's eyes darted to the keys, watching closely. I vowed then that I wasn't putting the keys down anywhere ever again.

"You can put the gun down." The lawyer told me. I hesitated, not willing to let go of the somewhat imagined protection of the silver gun. It had no bullets, but I bet it would hurt if I hit either vampire with it. "He won't harm you."

The vampire snorted. "Yes I will."

David Lucien turned back to the vampire. "No, you won't." He said firmly. "If you know what's good for you."

I decided to take a chance. The vampire was slow, due to his injury. I put the gun back in my jeans and walked over to let the lawyer out. I wasn't very happy, but what could I do? If Mr. Lucien really was a vampire as well, he could certainly force me to stay here. He knew nearly everything about me, plus he knew where my Mom lived.

I looked at him sourly. I really didn't like him. I wonder if I didn't because I somehow knew that he was unusual right when I met him. Did I not like him because he was a vampire, or because he was a lawyer.

Still, Great Aunt Katrina had trusted him with her entire estate, and she had to have known him for what he was, right? Looks like I would have to trust him too. Whether I liked it or not.

I unlocked the door and let him out. I closed the heavy door tightly and relocked it. I turned and nearly shrieked. The vampire was right behind me. His face was inches from mine.

My heart jack-hammered in my chest. I reached behind me for the gun, but my back was pressed against the door. He was so close that I would touch him if I moved even a little bit. And I really didn't want to touch him.

His expression was scrutinizing, rather than hostile. "How are you supposed to protect me?" He asked. He reached his hand up and placed the tip of his forefinger to my forehead. "Are you special in some way?"

"Not really." I answered honestly, hoping he would back off.

"Can you fight? Are you telekinetic? Are you an athlete?" He asked.

I shook my head. "I'm normal."

He squinted a little, as if he didn't believe me and if he looked hard enough, I would sprout a tail, or horns or something. Finally he backed off. "How's normalcy supposed to protect me?" He asked himself more than me.

I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with air. I had taken small, shallow breaths when he was so close, in case I touched him. I put some thought into his question. "Perhaps I am so normal, this Nora won't think to look for you here." I answered.

He looked mildly surprised. "That's an interesting notion. You seem to have some small amount of intellect." He had an air about him, as if he had complimented me greatly.

Well, I wasn't going to fall over myself to be grateful. In fact I was becoming downright annoyed.

The vampire looked around at his surroundings. "I suppose I could stay here for a few days." He said, talking to himself again. "Until I learn more of what has transpired while I was imprisoned." He looked back over at me. "I will need you to accumulate research materials for me during the day."

I snorted. I might have to make sure he didn't get into trouble, but I was not going to be his servant. "Look things up yourself." I walked over to the desk in the living room and picked up the laptop that was sitting on it. I walked back over to the vampire and thrust it into his hands.

I headed for the stairs. I was going to barricade myself in Great Aunt Katrina's room and try to get a few hours of sleep. Before the sun rose. The vampire could take care of his own sleeping arrangement.

The vampire looked at the laptop in his hands. "What the hell am I supposed to do with this thing?" He asked, irritated.

"Figure it out yourself." I said shortly, and headed up the stairs. I didn't look back to see the expression on his face, but I hoped it was dumbfounded.

 

4: Chapter 4

Hours later, I woke reluctantly. I lay face down on the bed, one arm hanging off and my face buried in the pillow. I was incredibly comfortable, and very reluctant to relinquish that feeling.

I shifted slightly and my shoulder throbbed in protest. The night before came rushing into my head and I jolted. I sat up quickly, rubbing sleep from my eyes.

I looked over at the door, it was still locked, with the desk chair pushed up under the doorknob. The vampire was probably strong enough that the chair was a paltry defense, but when he smashed it to bits, I would have some warning.

But nothing had been disturbed. The vampire had left me alone.

I looked over at the pale sunlight coming into the room from the window. That was defense too, I supposed.

I trawled through my brain, trying to remember every detail I had ever heard or read about vampires. I didn't think taking Hollywood as gospel would be a great idea, but there might be some truths there.

I remembered reading that vampires were compelled to sleep during the day, in their coffins. The vampire's coffin was up in the sunshine-filled attic, so I doubted he was there. But if he really was compelled to sleep during the day, that meant I had some time to prepare.

I got out of bed and picked up the phone off of the desk. I dialed a once familiar number. The type of number that you've dialed so many times, your fingers could dial it in the dark. The type that I'll never forget, no matter how much I'd like to.

A sleepy voice answered on the fourth ring. "Hello?"

"Hey Jake. It's me, Angie." I immediately hated how strained my voice sounded. He was going to get the wrong idea.

"Angie? Why're you calling so early." I looked over at the clock on the wall. It was 10:30.

"I called to ask for a favor." I said, sitting down on the bed. I really didn't want to ask, but I needed his help.

"You're in trouble?" He sounded much more alert now. I imagined him sitting up in bed, his brown hair would be tousled, falling into his eyes. I closed my eyes, willing myself to not think about it.

"Kind of. I wanna know about some stuff your Dad might carry." I told him. Jake's Dad owned a gun shop in Queens. That's where Jake had gotten his love of firearms.

"What's the matter?" Jake demanded. "Is someone being rough with you?"

I felt a familiar stab of pain in my ribcage. I had made him worry, again. "No, nothing like that." I said, keeping my voice light. "I was just curious about some... things."

"Like?" Jake asked, he sounded wary.

"Would your Dad ever sell something like..." I hesitated. "Silver bullets?" There was silence from the receiver. "Jake?" I asked, in case the line had gotten disconnected.

"That's all?" Jake asked. I could hear the relief in his voice and relaxed. "Sure, Dad gets stuff like that in every now and then."

"Really?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, but not too many people go for it. It's more for fetishists and people who like the novelty. I don't think he has anything like that now. I'll see if I can get the number of the guy who supplies him."

"That would be great." I said, feeling my spirits lift. "Thank you."

"No problem." Jake said. I could hear him smiling. Then things got awkward, as they always do. "So, how have you been?" He asked.

"Better." I told him. It was lie, but not for the reasons he might guess. "How's Debbie?" I asked tightly.

"Deb? She's, uh... She's doing good."

"That's good to hear." I said, much too brightly. I wanted this conversation to be over. Now. I couldn't just hang up without being incredibly rude, and Jake didn't deserve that. So I was stuck with my false cheerfulness, and Jake's embarrassment. "Look, I should go. I have something to check up on..." Oh boy, did I ever.

"I'll get that number and call you later." He said swiftly. He wanted the conversation over with too.

"Call me at this number." I told him, knowing his caller ID would have picked it up. "My cell's been turned off." I got up and walked over to the desk.

"All right. Catch you later."

"Later." I hung up the phone quickly. Then I stared at it for a long moment.

I turned away. I had other things to worry about. Bigger things.

I gathered a bundle of clothes together. I didn't pay attention to what I grabbed, just making sure I had a shirt, pants, underwear, and socks.

I unblocked the door and opened it tentatively. I peered out into the hall. Silence was thick in the air. There were no windows in the hall, so the only light was from my window. I stepped out and closed the door behind me, and the darkness was as thick as the silence.

I tiptoed down the hall to the bathroom. I had the silver glove on, the palm pressed against my leg so it wouldn't make any sound. I opened the bathroom door. Sunlight from the tiny window in the shower lit up the white tiles. I sighed in relief and stepped inside.

After a searing hot shower I felt almost normal. Brushing my teeth helped a lot toward that end as well. I took a long time to comb out my long hair. I was reluctant to go back out into the hallway. That dark hallway that had no windows.

When my hair was nearly dry and had not a single tangle or snarl in it, I finally opened the door and went out into the hallway. I decided to check out the other rooms on this floor before heading downstairs. With any luck, the vampire had dug himself a hole in the basement. That way I wouldn't have to see him at all.

But really, did I expect myself to be that lucky?

I opened the door to the other small bedroom on the other side of the bathroom from Great Aunt Katrina's. Sunlight greeted me from the window. I closed the door again. Not in there.

I crept up to the door to the Master Bedroom. I tried the knob. Not locked. I opened it slowly. Darkness greeted me. Damn.

This bedroom being the biggest, it had two windows, but I could not see a single ray of sunlight in the gloom. He was in here.

I stepped inside cautiously. Maybe this wasn't the best thing to do, walking into the vampire's den. Mr. Lucien had told him not to harm me, but I still wasn't going to trust a vampire. What I needed to do was see if the vampire was compelled to sleep or not. It would make daytime more bearable if he passed out stone cold whenever the sun rose.

I flicked on the hall light and ventured into the room. The switch for the bedroom light was right by the door, but I was reluctant to flip it on. I didn't want to startle the vampire. Though, vampires were supposed to have excellent hearing as well as strength, maybe he already knew I was there.

Nothing to do but to go forward. I passed the door to the Master Bath and the closet on the other side of it. The bed was right in front of me now. Someone lay sprawled on it. I ignored him, looking at where the windows were supposed to be.

I walked up to them and found them sealed tightly. Heavy cloth curtains covered them, sealed around the edges with duct tape. I explored the work with my fingers. A lot of duct tape.

I resisted the urge to just rip the tape off and glanced over at the bed. I probably couldn't get the window clear before he stopped me anyway. Besides, it wasn't in me to harm someone while they were sleeping. Even when I was defending myself, I hadn't been able to kill him.

I walked back over to the bed. I would find out now if he was a threat during the day or not. The shock from last night had worn off and instead of my brain going completely bonkers, I wasn't as frightened as before.

But then again, I was going to check on a sleeping vampire, perhaps I was just bonkers in a different way than I had expected to be.

Of course, there was curiosity as well. This was the first vampire I had ever met. And, as hideously dangerous as they were, as a human being I was compelled to find out more about him.

I stayed a coupled of feet away from him and just peered at him. In the dark I couldn't see much more than his outline, and the white streaks in his hair reflecting in the dim light from the hallway. I could hear him breathing, however. He took very slow breaths, with long pauses in between. Something that a human wouldn't be able to do without passing out from oxygen deprivation. I had always heard that vampires were undead. If that was the case, why was he breathing?

"What are you doing?" He asked calmly. "Looking for a place to put a stake?"

I jumped guiltily. Then I realized that I shouldn't feel guilty. This was my house now, and I hadn't been planning anything nefarious. I put my hands on my hips. "Shouldn't you be lying in the ground somewhere, rather than vandalizing the Master Bedroom?" I gestured to the covered windows.

"I'm taking this room while I am here." He said simply. "I like it."

Before I could comment that he'd just taken the room without asking, I spotted a black rectangle lying on the bed next to him. In horror, I moved swiftly, snatching the laptop up off the bed. I checked it, it was still turned on.

"What's wrong with you?" I scolded the vampire, without thinking. "Do you want to overheat it?" I placed the laptop on the nightstand carefully.

He sat up. "Is that why it stopped working?" He asked blithely. "You'll just have to get another one."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I'll have someone look at it, it'll be fine."

He stood up, straightening his tattered shirt as neatly as was possible. "There are still many things that I will need you to get for me." He said matter-of-factly. My admonishments had just rolled off of him. "I'll need new clothes." He reached over to the nightstand and turned on the lamp. I stepped back, keeping a few feet between us.

He walked over to the closet and inspected the contents. His expression was disapproving. He continued. "I'll need some things for the bathroom..." Now I knew he was putting me on. What vampire uses the bathroom? Though, I supposed he'd want a shower after sleeping in a box for fifty years. "And, I'll need blood." He shut the closet doors with a snap.

I held up my hands. "Wait, back up just a minute. I am not giving you my blood." I said bluntly.

"You don't have to give me yours." He said dismissively. "Anyone's will do."

I felt momentarily sick. "Oh no, no way. Not in a million years."

"Well, I can't go and get it myself." His voice was entirely too reasonable. He was using that hypnosis again. I needed to get out of here. I passed him, heading for the door.

"Stop." He said quietly.

My legs immediately stopped moving. I felt a familiar pressure inside of my head. I was so close to the door, just a few feet away. I turned my head and looked back at him. His face was tight and impassive. He was having a hard time keeping me from moving.

Knowing that he was struggling made things easier for me. I found myself able to move again. "Nice try." I said icily. I stalked over to the door. "You survived a long time without any blood, you'll live."

"I won't." I stopped again, this time in the doorway. It wasn't his mind-controlling power this time. It was the way his voice sounded. Sad and needy. I mentally cursed myself for being so soft as I turned back around.

His expression was serious. "Lying in that box didn't take much effort. But, I've been injured." My eyes went to the hole in his shirt. The skin showing through was a raw, angry red. "I'll need blood to fully recover."

His voice was so smooth it made my skin crawl. He was being honest, though. I could see how much he hated admitting any kind of weakness to me.

"Then you can have animal blood, just like Mr. Lucien." I said firmly. I would have to call the lawyer and find out where he obtained his supply. He didn't strike me as the type to hunt down neighborhood strays.

He opened his mouth to protest, but was interrupted by the doorbell. I looked out into the hallway, then back. "Stay in here." I said, pointing at him with the hand wearing the silver glove. I shut the door as I left.

I hurried down the stairs as the doorbell chimed again. I pulled out my keys and sprinted across the kitchen. At the last second, I pulled off the silver glove, hiding it behind my back before I opened the door.

It was a deliveryman. He had four large boxes with him. Stacked up, they would be taller than me. He asked my name, then handed me a clipboard.

I looked at the name of the sender. Mr. David Lucien. I smiled wryly and signed for the packages. I had the deliveryman set the boxes up in the kitchen. "Those two have to be refrigerated." He pointed out two of the boxes before he left. I nodded absently, my eyes on the stairs the entire time.

After I had shown the deliveryman out and locked the door securely, I looked over the boxes. What would Mr. Lucien be sending me at a time like this? Could it be?

I grabbed a box cutter from the junk drawer and cut open one of the cold boxes. Inside were at least twenty plastic bottles. I pulled one out. It was made from white plastic, completely opaque. I immediately guessed what was inside and thanked Mr. Lucien silently. A clear bottle filled with animal blood would have really freaked me out.

I filled up a whole drawer in the fridge with the bottles. That took care of half a box. The rest would have to go downstairs. I hoped this stuff froze well.

I couldn't carry a whole box by myself so I opened up the second box and brought everything down in several trips. While I was at it I cleaned up the mess the vampire had made of the hidden door.

Now there were two boxes left. I opened the first one. Inside were more bottles. But these were made of glass, and filled with a clear liquid. I pulled one out and inspected it. The bottle was a simple one, with no label. I opened it and took a sniff.

It was water. I dipped one finger in and tasted a drop of it. Plain, ordinary water. I took a sip. It was pretty good, actually. Very clean-tasting. Definitely not tap water.

Why had the lawyer sent me water?

I would call and ask him later. In the meantime I put the two boxes under the sink. I broke down the two boxes that had contained the white bottles and put them with the recycling.

The vampire drifted down the stairs just as I had finished all of the work. I tossed him a white bottle. He caught it automatically, with a grace I would never be able to muster. Weak and injured my ass.

"What is this?" He asked.

"Breakfast." I told him shortly. It was then that I thought to look in the living room. Surely the large glass window in there would keep the vampire upstairs. I saw that the window had been covered up like the upstairs windows. I frowned. That wasn't going to stay like that. I liked that big window.

The vampire opened the bottle and sniffed the contents. "This is cold." He complained.

"Microwave's in the kitchen." I told him.

He walked into the kitchen and looked around. "What is a microwave?"

I gripped my hands into fists and marched into the kitchen. I took the bottle from him, capped it, and placed it in the microwave. I was deliberately not thinking about the contents of the bottle, or I was seriously going to freak out. I was never one to be squeamish, but this was a bottle of bl- no, I wasn't thinking about it.

I set the microwave for two minutes and exited the kitchen again. "Take it out when it dings." I wasn't looking at him, instead I searched around the living room for the downstairs phone. I always seemed to leave it somewhere and not remember where I put it.

I was checking under couch cushions when the timer on the microwave went off. I paused, listening as the vampire opened the microwave and took out the bottle. I waited while he opened the bottle. "This smells awful." He said irritably. "And it's still cold."

"Then starve." I said shortly, shoving the cushions back into place. I would just use the upstairs phone.

xxxXXXxxx

I stared down at the white bottle in my hand. It was disgusting. She actually expected me to drink this? Humans. They'd been trying to make us 'safe' for eons, trying to force us onto a diet of this pathetic swill.

Humans couldn't understand. Animals were weak. Some of them had a fair amount of intelligence, some had brute strength. But humans... humans had intelligence and strength. By drinking their blood, you absorbed their strength, their tenacity. The stronger the human, the stronger you became. Drinking something weaker just made you weaker.

I placed the bottle on the counter. I wasn't drinking this.

My chest throbbed in pain, a reminder as to why I needed to feed. That blazing bullet had nearly torn me in two. My skin had just barely healed over the gaping hole that girl had dug out of me. If I exerted myself, it would rip open.

And there was also hunger. It had been such a long time since I last fed. I could feel the years weighing down on me. I looked at my hands, inspecting each tiny wrinkle. Blood would wipe them away.

I walked away from the bottled blood on the counter. She was weak, but she was a human, better than pig's blood. And, she had left her silver glove on the kitchen table.

I climbed the stairs after her. My influence over her wasn't very strong, but if I took her by surprise, stopped her for just a moment... Lucien had told me not to harm her. He had warned me out of concern for me, not the girl. For his sake, I would try not to kill her.

She was in Katrina's bedroom. She must have taken it after Katrina had passed on. Katrina... Her hair had been red as fire, and she had been just as dangerous. Every time I thought I had finally won, had finally beaten her, she would surprise me. How many times had I almost died by her hands?

It had been wonderful. I would always regret that I had never tasted her blood.

This girl that was here now, in Katrina's place, was nothing like her. Katrina was strong, while this girl was weak. They looked similar, enough to have thrown me off guard, but this girl's features were too gentle, too soft.

I wouldn't be thrown off my guard again.

It was still daytime, not quite the afternoon. My internal clock could feel the sun's slow crawl across the sky. I was careful to stick to the shadows outside of the bedroom. I could not enter that room, filled with sunlight as it was. I would wait until she came out.

Soon, the door opened. The small amount of sunlight that spilled out of the room made me squint. It could not burn me unless it fell directly on me, but it hurt to look at it.

It was another reminder of how weak I was. If I was at my full strength, full of blood, then sunlight was much more bearable. It would still burn, especially at the brightest time of the day, but I could survive longer and heal the burns more quickly.

She stepped out of the room, passing right by me without noticing me. I started to move in, but the sunlight glinted off of silver and I paused. She had the silver gun in one hand, the long chain attached to the belt of her pants. I could not risk touching the silver, injured as I was.

I hissed in rage.  She jumped and spun around. Her eyes were wide and frightened. She should be frightened. If not for that gun, her blood would have been mine.

She pointed the gun at me. "Don't make me put you back up in the attic." She warned.

I scoffed at her. "If you could do that, you would have done it already."

She changed subjects quickly. "I'm going out, try not to cause any trouble." She backed away from me, reaching behind her for the stair railing.

I watched her make her way slowly down the stairs, looking for an opening in her guard. She was much too alert. I walked over to the stairs, putting both hands on the railing and peering down. She didn't look away from me. Once she was downstairs, she ran out of sight. I could hear her footsteps as she ran through the living room and kitchen. I heard the front door open and close.

I dug my long nails into the railing, carving deep grooves into the wood.

She didn't return until nightfall. I sat in one of the stools on the other side of the long counter in the kitchen, staring at the bottle of blood. I was also keeping my eyes on the door.

She came in carrying two large bags, filled with books. She had one book open in one hand, reading it while she closed and locked the door. I could not see the silver gun, but the silver chain stuck out from under her sweater, so I knew she was still armed.

"Have you calmed down a bit?" She asked me without looking up from her book. She set both bags on the kitchen table.

"No." I told her honestly.

She looked over at me, finally. "I never thought I would see a vampire sulking." She commented.

That got to me, I could feel my anger beginning to boil. "I am not sulking!" I stood up and pushed myself away from the counter. I walked into the living room, but there was nothing in there that interested me.

She waved her book in the air in front of her. "God, that stinks." She said in a disgusted voice. "If you're not going to drink that, throw it out." She was talking about the bottle on the counter. I had left it open.

I wasn't going to touch it. If the smell bothered her that much, she could dispose of it.

She went back to her book. It was a thick paperback. I couldn't see the title or front cover, but the back cover was black.

"What happens if you go out in the sun?" She asked suddenly.

"I would burn." I answered shortly.

"It would kill you?"

"Of course." Was she stupid?

"That's good to know." She sat at the table, leafing through her book. She was reading up on vampires, of course. I had to admit to myself that I was interested. What had been written about us in the last fifty years?

I walked into the kitchen and investigated the bags. I pulled out a number of books, reading the titles. I read a few back covers as well.

One in particular stood out. I read the back and couldn't believe what I was seeing. I opened it up, starting in the middle. I quickly skimmed over a few pages. I started to laugh. I couldn't help myself, it was so ridiculous. The helpless, brainless, female, looked after by the strong vampire bodyguard who inexplicably loved her. It made me want to gag.

She looked up at me, an irritated expression on her face. "If this is the kind of information you're finding on vampires, then I have nothing to worry about." I chortled. I tossed the book in front of her.

She arched a dark brow, checking out the title of the book. "You should see the TV remake for this one." She remarked. "It's even worse. The vampires are all harmless pretty boys." She gave me a cutting look. "Obviously it's greatly exaggerated. There's nothing remotely attractive about you." She went back to her reading.

I narrowed my eyes. She had stabbed me in my pride. I could feel that deep well of rage inside of me bubbling to the surface again. I looked at the backs of my hands, trying to calm myself. My anger was my weakness. It had gotten me into trouble in the past, and would continue to do so if I let it.

Looking at my hands only made things worse. They were lined with age and paper-white. I knew that the rest of me was as well. I could only wonder about my face, though I wasn't willing to take a look in a mirror.

I looked away from my hands, back at her. There was amusement in her dark brown eyes. She was laughing at me.

My hands tightened into fists. I turned away from her. I was at the counter in one step. I picked up the bottle off the counter downed it in two gulps.

It was truly awful. The blood hadn't been heated up properly in the first place, plus it had been sitting out for hours. It ran down my throat like sludge. It took a great deal of effort not to gag.

I slammed the empty bottle back down on the counter. I tried not to think of the awful taste in my mouth. Instead, I concentrated on the change.

It started inside of me. My body began to heal the bullet wound. A cool feeling spread blissfully from the searing burn, throughout my body. The healing hadn't reached my skin yet. I needed more blood.

I moved to the icebox, taking pleasure in the fact that my movements were fluid and swift once more. I took out two more bottles of the pig's blood. I opened them and drank them cold.

I ignored the flat taste, separated from the body, the blood had little energy in it. It was up to my body to manually process the blood in order to heal the rest of me.

I focused my attention back on my hands. Before my eyes the skin tightened, grew smooth. Color flooded the deathly pale skin, giving it a much more lifelike hue. It was just a myth that vampires are the dead-that-walks. We are indeed living, breathing beings. We just don't have to breathe as much, if at all, and we're a lot harder to kill than humans.

I took a deep breath, smiling when I felt no pain in my chest. I turned back to the girl, smiling triumphantly.

She was looking at me, her book lay forgotten on the table. Her expression had changed. She looked positively dumbstruck. That pleased me greatly. I moved swiftly out of the kitchen, heading for the bathroom and it's mirror.

 

5: Chapter 5

After a long moment, I went back to my book. I couldn't really focus on the words anymore. I'd really done it now, hadn't I?

Before I had irritated him, before he had drunk the blood, he had looked so much older. Weaker. Now, he looked completely different. I could only guess how much stronger he was now, with his restored youth.

I wish I could kick myself. How little time did I have left now that he was well and whole?

I pushed the book away. I had had enough of vampires. I decided to hole myself up in my room until Jake called back about the silver bullets. That way I couldn't dig myself deeper into trouble.

I got up and headed for the stairs quickly. I almost made it.

"You're not going anywhere." He said behind me. His voice had changed as well, had become smoother. Only by the absence of his slight rasp did I know it had ever been there.

I stopped and turned, reaching behind me for the silver gun tucked in my jeans. If I survived the next few days, I would have to get a holster for it. I was surprised there wasn't one in Great Aunt Katrina's gear. Then again, if she had spent a lot of time around this vampire, she probably hadn't had much use for one.

The vampire was so pleased with himself, he was glowing (in the metaphorical sense, not the literal one). His skin had some color now. He was still pale as death, but if he didn't smile and reveal his fangs, he could pass for human. Even with the weird red-brown eyes.

He had gotten a hold of a pair of scissors while he was in the bathroom. His black hair was short now, and combed neatly. The style was old fashioned, and slightly comical to me. He smiled, and I could see his fangs were white. He had brushed his teeth. I wondered why, if he was just going to get them bloody again.

I knew what was coming next, and tried to think of how I could defend myself. Oh, why hadn't Great Aunt Katrina kept a supply of silver bullets somewhere in the house?

"You must buy me new clothes, right now." He said cheerfully.

I blinked at him. "Wha?" I was so taken back, I almost fell over. I gathered myself. "What? Now?"

His expression turned aloof. "I'm assuming you have Katrina's money." He said coolly. "I will not wear these clothes a moment longer. There must be a haberdashery open somewhere." He indicated his suit, frowning deeply.

I could see his point. The suit was fifty years old, possibly older, and the front of the shirt was badly torn from his own failed attempts at clawing the silver bullet out of his chest. Besides, if he wanted me to leave the house, who was I to complain? "Uh... okay. A haberdashery, I'll pretend I know what that is." I checked my jeans for my wallet. Great Aunt Katrina's checking card was in there.

"Excellent. We leave at once." He was so energetic now, so full of life, it was taking me a bit to catch up.

"Wait." I said. "You're not allowed to leave." I bit my lip as his expression grew dark. He crossed his arms over his chest. I backpedaled a bit, speaking swiftly. "Mr. Lucien warned you, remember? About Anna-"

"Nora." He said flatly.

"Nora. He seemed to feel that she was a very real threat to you. If she finds out where you are-"

The vampire waved his hand. "She'll never find me. You're so completely dull, she would never guess that I would associate with you."

I resisted the urge to slap him, deciding instead to switch tactics. "You're going to run off as soon as that door opens." I kept my expression severe. I was angry, so it was easy.

"What if I promise I won't?" He offered lightly.

I rolled my eyes. "Give me one reason why should I trust you?" He had given me more than enough reasons not to.

"Because I never lie." He answered at once. Then his face grew still, calm. He watched me carefully.

"You don't really expect me to believe that, do you?" I asked incredulously.

I was watching his face, so I saw his eyes change color. They became a brighter, deeper red. That really creeped me out and I tried to look away, but found that I couldn't. He took a few steps toward me slowly. I couldn't move either.

When he spoke, his voice was lower. There was a resonance in it that was hypnotic. "Of course you believe me." He said softly.

I could feel him worming his way into my head again. I fought back, but he was stronger than before. My resistance was immediately squashed.

Oddly enough, I felt him retreat on his own. I still didn't take my eyes away from him. I was confused and suspected a trap.

"Shall we go?" He asked, speaking normally again.

"You're going to escape." I said firmly.

"I promise to you that I won't. I will return here with you after we purchase clothing for me."

"You'll kill someone." I countered.

"You want me to promise that I won't?" He asked. I nodded. "I promise not to kill anyone."

"Let me get my coat." I said, resigning myself, and walked to the vestibule. He followed after me silently. "This Nora..." I began as I zipped up my heavy winter coat. "She doesn't like you very much, does she?"

"She hates my guts, actually." He looked amused.

"I can see why." I muttered under my breath as I unlocked the door.

I watched as she unlocked the door and opened it. Convincing her to let me out had been almost too easy. A little pig's blood, and I could affect her mind in ways she didn't even notice. Katrina would have routed me out immediately. I suppressed a chuckle.

I was going to keep my word, I always did, I couldn't help that. This girl was far too suspicious of me, she would never believe I could be honest if I didn't nudge her subtly in the right directions.

I stepped out of the house, breathing in the cool, night air. The sun had not been down for long, and the nighttime creatures were just coming out. It felt good to be out in the open after spending so much time cramped in that prison.

"There's not much choice in town," The girl was saying. "but we should be able to find you something..."

"Manhattan is nearby, isn't it?" I asked quickly. It had been a long time and I wanted to see the city again.

She arched a dark brow at me. "The city? No way. Too many people. And, it'll take forever to get there." I looked around and spotted a garage.

I still had a thin thread of control in her mind. It wasn't much, but I didn't want it to be noticed. I couldn't make her do anything she was dead set against, for instance, but I felt that it was enough to distract her away from any stubborn thoughts. I tugged on the thread gently. "You have a car here, correct?"

She nodded. "Katrina's. But I don't have a license."

"License?"

She rolled her eyes. That was becoming irritating. "Come on, they had to have had driver's licenses fifty years ago!" She exclaimed.

I shrugged. "Did they? What are they?"

She sighed. "It means I don't know how to drive."

"Oh, is that all." I said. "No worries, I do."

She looked extremely skeptical. "You want me to let you drive? You don't even know what a license is."

I tugged on the thread again. "I really do know how to drive. Watch, I'll prove it." I strode over to the garage door and opened it.

The girl was still stubborn though. "I don't think Great Aunt Katrina has used that car in years. I don't even know if it runs." I walked over to the driver's door of the beat up sedan and tried the handle. It was locked. The girl kept talking. "And besides, the only path out of here is overgrown. I don't think the car will fit."

"It will be just fine." I said shortly, hoping to shut her up. It did, but she glared at me. I looked around the garage. I spotted a set of keys hanging on the wall. I snatched them up swiftly and headed back to the car.

I unlocked the door and slid into the driver's seat. The girl was right, this car hadn't been used in a while, but it was clean and there was nothing obviously wrong with it. I scanned the dash, trying to figure out if there was fuel in it. Dashboards had been much simpler before my imprisonment. I found the meter. Half a tank, perfect.

"Come on, let's go." I called out the door as I slid the key into the ignition. I turned it and the car rumbled to life. Looks like they made them quieter nowadays as well.

The girl hurried over to the passenger side. She opened the door and slipped in quickly as I shut mine. She quickly buckled herself in as well. I looked over at my own seat belt. "What are these for?"

"So you don't kill yourself." She said shortly. She reached over to the dash, adjusting one of the knobs. She held her hands out in front of a small vent, warming them.

"Interesting." I said, then ignored it.

"You have to put it on." She said. "It's the law."

"There's actually a law in place forcing people to protect themselves?" I asked. She nodded. I shrugged, pulling the belt down over my chest. "I don't want to look out of place." I murmured.

"Let's get this over with." The girl said tightly, looking straight ahead out the windshield. Her face was grim, like she was facing a firing squad.

I drove out of the garage and steered towards the path in the trees. It was rather narrow, but we made it through with just a few tree branches brushing against the windows. I turned left at the road.

"You know which way you're going?" She asked, curious.

"Unless they've moved the bridge, yes."

"Well, they've added a couple, I think." She replied. "I guess it didn't occur to me you would know where you were."

"Why shouldn't I know where my own house was?" I asked bitterly.

Her eyebrows shot up. "Your house?" She asked.

"You didn't know that?" I asked her.

She shook her head. "Isn't it Great Aunt Katrina's house?"

I snorted. "Most likely, she claimed it after trapping me. I'll bet Lucien helped her with the paperwork, too. He's always been good at that sort of thing." My voice rose a little as I let my frustration out. "I didn't even have it for that long. I had bought it, what, ten years before? And she comes along and seals me up in my own house."

My hands gripped the wheel tightly. The girl didn't say anything and just kept looking straight ahead. "There have been plenty of renovations," I continued, thinking of the glass roof. "but the original structure is still the same. It's still my house. Now that I think of it, she probably took my money, too." I would have to speak to Lucien, so see if I could get any of it back. Most likely it was locked up in various banks somewhere. He would know which ones.

Until then, I would extort what I could from the girl. It shouldn't be too difficult, and there wasn't much by way of material possessions I was interested in. Except for clothes.

So many times in my life, I'd been left with literally nothing but the clothes on my back. I had learned that the right clothing could get you into places you might not otherwise be allowed in. Over the centuries I had become particular about what I wore as it was often the only physical representation of my personality I had.

I let the silence drag on. I had spent a long time in that box, I was used to silence. One would think after so long not talking to anyone, I would be grateful of whatever company I could find. That was not the case with this girl, however. Her personality grated against my own in a way that was nearly painful. I enjoyed the silence, it was more preferable than listening to her at any rate.

Thus we managed to get on the bridge, pay the toll and get off on the other side with little to no speaking. Once we were in Manhattan I had her give me directions. She knew the city a lot better than I did.

So much had changed, as I knew it must have. Manhattan was bigger, brighter, and busier than it had ever been before my incapacitation. But, underneath the shiny exterior I could still see the old city. Many of the buildings I recognized, to my pleasant surprise. It had had a wardrobe change over the years, but it was still Manhattan to me.

We found a parking space and left the car. I watched with interest as the girl put money into the machine on the sidewalk and it fed out a ticket which she then put on the dashboard. I made careful note on how the procedure was done. I would learn everything I could so as not to rely on this human.

I definitely didn't want to rely on her any more than was necessary. No matter what Lucien said.

In times of stress, one likes to be in familiar places, surrounded by people they know. Even if you don't want to speak to anyone and just brood and wallow in your own problems, most people chose familiar surroundings over someplace foreign.

That was probably why I ended up taking him to the Village.

It was utter insanity, I kept telling myself. Most of my friends either lived or hung out in the area, what would I do if one of them got hurt?

I told myself that maybe I chose this area because he wouldn't stand out so much here, but I didn't believe it.

We spent some time walking around. The vampire had his hands in his pockets, unconcerned about his appearance. I saw that even with his ruined shirt he wasn't getting any odd looks. I relaxed, but only a little.

"Do you want to head into The Gap?" I asked, pointing across the street. It was the first clothing store I spotted. I was thinking only of heading back to Long Island as soon as possible.

He turned and inspected the front of the store. His red-brown eyes looked over the display windows. "No, I think not." He turned and continued walking.

I followed him closely, walking right beside him. His stride was longer than mine, so I had to move quickly to keep up. I wasn't risking letting him out of my sight, no matter what he had promised.

We passed by a Hot Topic. I stopped, clasping onto the back of his tattered suit jacket. He stopped as well and turned his head back to me, wearing an annoyed look. "Why are you touching me?"

"What about in here?" I asked. "Don't vampires like this kind of stuff?"

He looked over the storefront. There were display posters up, advertising merchandise from the latest vampire movie out in theaters. He looked back at me. "Hell no." He said, then kept on walking.

I was still holding onto the back of his jacket, so I was half-dragged a few steps before I caught up with him. "Well, what store do you want to go into?" I asked irritably, releasing him.

"Can't we just walk around for a bit?" He asked.

"No." I retorted. "I don't trust you as far as I could throw you."

"Look, I'm not going to kill anyone, okay?" He was becoming agitated. "I just want some fresh air after being trapped inside for so long, is that so hard to believe? Vampires don't just constantly think about ripping open one of you meat sacks and feasting on the innards. Well, some of them do, but I can appreciate a nice night out just as much as you can, all right?"

"'Meat sack'?" I asked, arching a brow.

He sighed in exasperation. "All right, fine!" He looked around quickly. "Let's go in there." He pointed across the street.

I looked across the street. Both of my eyebrows raised now. "The Armani Exchange?"

"What? It looks okay to me." He said, stepping to the curb.

"It's a bit expensive." I said worriedly.

"Knowing Lucien, money is the least of our concerns." The vampire told me. "He's always been good with money. I wouldn't have made it through the crash of '29 without him. He wouldn't have let Katrina squander my fortune."

"But it's okay if we squander it?" I asked.

"Just come on. Do you want to get this done or not?"

I gave up and followed him. We entered the store and I immediately felt out of place. This place was so high end, I could almost smell money sewn into the clothes. I straightened out my winter coat self-consciously. I had bought it at a Rainbow nearly four years ago.

I looked over at the vampire. He looked entirely at ease, his hands back in his pants pockets, tattered black suit, shredded white shirt, old-fashioned hairstyle and all.

A woman walked up to us immediately, smiling that false smile salespeople use when they want to sell you something. I glanced at her name tag: Meg. She stopped short when she took in the vampire's appearance. Her lips tightened into a disapproving line.

I watched him smile charmingly at the woman. To me, it was the most false smile I had ever seen, but surprisingly I saw Meg's expression change completely. She smiled back shyly. "Sir," She began hesitantly. "Are you sure this is the right store for you?"

"I can buy clothing here, correct? Men's clothing?" He asked smoothly. The woman nodded quickly. I could see that she was pretty reluctant to throw him out, even if he looked like a hobo fresh from a fistfight. "Well then, you can see I am in dire need of new clothing." He was using that deceptively reasonable tone of voice of his. I suspected he was using his mind control voodoo on the woman. Mostly because she hadn't freaked when she saw his fangs.

She nodded again. "I can see that, sir, but still-"

He cut her off, coming to a realization. "I think I see the problem here. You look at my disheveled appearance and see nothing but a vagrant."

The woman actually blushed. I gaped at her. She had to be at least ten years older than me, and here she was, blushing like a thirteen year old. "No, that's not it." She said quickly.

Of course it was. Now she was just acting idiotic. I sighed and looked over at the door longingly. Perhaps if I knocked over a display mannequin, security would step in and throw us out. That wasn't likely though, the vampire would probably voodoo his way out of that, too.

"You don't need to worry. I do have money." He reached into his pant's pocket and pulled out Great Aunt Katrina's checking card. "I believe you can access my funds using this?" He showed her the card.

My hand flew to the back pocket of my jeans, which was hidden under my coat. My wallet was still there. I pulled it out and opened it. The checking card was gone. I blinked in disbelief for a few seconds, then turned my attention back to the vampire. I glared at the back of his head while I re-pocketed my wallet.

Not only had he taken the wallet without me noticing, but he'd put it back... When? How?

How had he known to take the card? Maybe I shouldn't have given him the laptop. Who knows what else he'd learned.

"What can I help you with?" Meg asked.

The vampire grinned at her. She didn't even blink at his exposed fangs. Yep, vampire mind voodoo at work. "Oh, I need everything." He answered.

"Right this way." She turned and gestured for us to follow her.

I held back and just kept my eye on the vampire, not really getting involved in his picking and choosing among the clothes. Every now and then I glanced at a price label, though I stopped doing that real quick. It was making me light-headed.

While he was in the changing room I stood right outside, listening to make sure he didn't sneak off somehow. Meg gave me a strange look, but I ignored her.

He exited the changing room wearing a dark-blue velvet military style blazer and black pants. Even I had to admit it was a huge difference from his old clothes, which were lying in a pile on the floor. I gathered them up and handed them to Meg, who placed them in a bag.

We paid for the clothes he was wearing and a few more articles he had picked out. Then we headed out. Meg followed us, holding out the bag that contained his old clothes. The vampire shook his head. "I don't want those anymore."

"What should I do with them?" She asked.

He shrugged. "Burn 'em." Then he turned and we exited the store.

"Hold onto this." He said, holding the bag that contained the rest of what he'd bought out to me.

I shook my head. "Carry your own stuff."

He frowned, but didn't argue. He looked around. "This way." He said, and we headed down the block.

The next store we stopped in was H&M. Which was a relief to me. I didn't feel so out of place in there and there were no annoying salesgirls falling over us.

After he had chosen a few more things, he turned to me. I was checking my watch, which I kept turned around so the face was on the inside of my wrist. I looked at him, his expression was critical, and disapproving. "What?" I asked defensively.

He didn't answer. Instead he grabbed me by the wrist and practically dragged me over to the ladies' section. "Oh, no." I said, pulling my arm out of his grasp. He let me go easily, I wouldn't have been able to get my arm back otherwise. "This is your little trip, remember?"

"I'm not trying to be nice." He said bitterly. "I honestly can't keep walking around with you looking like that."

I felt my temper flare up. "Tough. I'm not leaving you by yourself while I'm in a changing room."

"The coat, at least change the coat. It's a puffy, pea-colored atrocity." He took the faux-fur trimming on my hood between two fingers, his expression one of distaste.

"No." I bristled. "I like my atrocity, thank you very much." I wasn't especially fond of the color myself, but the coat was warm, and comfortable, and perfectly worn in.

He turned to the nearest rack and pulled off a dark brown wool jacket. He held it out to me. "Please, just try it on. I'm begging you." He said in a tone of voice that was more ordering than begging.

Grumbling, I took off my coat and pulled on the brown one. The vampire spotted a passing employee and pushed the coat on him. "Here, burn that."

With an outraged cry I snatched my coat back, retrieving my MP3 player and a few random pieces of paper from the pockets. The vampire handed my coat back to the employee. "Okay, we're done here."

Once we were done in the store, we stood outside for a second while I put my MP3 player into my new coat's pocket. I looked over the bits of paper and tossed them in a trash can. "It's still early." The vampire was saying. "Let's drop the bags off in the car and walk around a bit."

I frowned at him, but decided to go along. We went back to the car and I got another parking receipt from the machine for the windshield.

I wanted to go home as soon as possible, but I knew by now that I had to bear with the vampire until he got bored, or until the sun rose at the very least. "What do you want to do now?" I asked wearily.

"I want to see more people. It would be dangerous to reveal myself to my own kind, until I have learned more of what has happened to them from Lucien." He pondered for a moment. "Humans are good enough for now." He decided. "Do you know a place where I can observe humans? I'm going to need to know a lot more about fitting in before I can venture out on my own."

"Alt's down that way." I jerked my thumb behind me. He walked past me, heading for the cafe. My eyes widened and I ran after him. Why had I mentioned Alt? Too many people I knew hung out there. It's like he had pulled an answer right out of me.

I ran in front of him and stopped him, holding my hands up in front of me. "I can't let you go in there. I know people in there."

"Oh come on!" He said angrily. "You act like I'm going to go on some bloody rampage! Do you see how many humans are out now?" He gestured around him at the crowded street. "Attacking someone in a crowd this size would be suicide, even for me."

Again I noticed that no one was taking any notice of him. Even in New York City people weren't oblivious enough not to avoid a ranting man in the middle of the sidewalk. I wondered if the vampire could use his mind voodoo on a crowd, like a blanket effect. That was an interesting topic to ponder, but not right now.

I shook my head. "That's not it. I can't go in there with you looking like that."

His expression turned to one of surprise. He looked down at his blazer. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"Nothing, it's not that." I steeled myself, preparing for what I was about to do. "Hold still a second." was all the warning I gave him before I reached up with both hands and ruffled his hair.

His expression was outraged. I pulled my hands away quickly, hoping to keep them. He didn't retaliate, instead he tried to fix his hair. I held up my hands to stop him, again. "Trust me, it looks much better this way."

He glowered down at me. "Never touch me again." He warned in a low voice.

"Agreed." I said stiffly. I had been tempted to destroy that awful hairstyle since before we left the house. I was proud of myself for holding back as long as I did.

"We can enter the bar now?" He asked tightly.

"It's a cafe, not a bar, and yes." We continued on down the block and crossed to the next one. I hurried inside, holding the door open behind me.

xxxXXXxxx

I studied the cafe's interior, carefully committing the layout to memory. The furniture was old and of myriad styles. There were a few dilapidated couches and sofa chairs. The tables were just a few coffee tables and tiny tables that held large lamps. The lighting was dim and the atmosphere was somewhat cozy.

The humans here were of various types. One or two business types staring at their portable phones intently, quite a few more casual types lounging around, most of whom looked stoned, and some types that were heavily made up and wore a lot of black.

Fashion had certainly changed a good bit since the 40's. Then again, I had seen great changes over the centuries, so I wasn't too surprised.

I was surprised by one thing, however. A couple in the corner, a young man and woman. They were dressed in black, bright chains hanging from their pants. The woman wore a velvet choker around her neck, a metal cross dangling from it.

A few from the casual group were talking with them, staring at them raptly. Then the woman smiled and I saw the glint of fangs.

I bent down to the girl. She jumped in fright, which I will admit pleased me. "I didn't know you knew other vampires." I said softly in her ear. She had mentioned that she knew the people in here.

She looked around quickly. "Who's a vampire?"

I pointed to the couple in the corner. "Those two."

She looked down my line of sight, then started to laugh. "Those two aren't vampires." She said, stifling her giggles with her hand. "They're goths."

"They're vampires." I said with absolute certainty.

But she stubbornly shook her head. "They just pretend. They wear fake fangs for god's sake. I've seen them take them out."

I shook my head. I could tell by their presence, or aura, what they were. The fangs were irrelevant. "They probably had their real fangs removed the same way Lucien did."

She started laughing again. "Then why wear fake ones?"

My eyes widened as I saw the brilliance of it. "So no one believes that they really are vampires." I quickly amended my statement. "No human. That lot there is so high they probably like being around a 'vampire'." I waved my hand toward the small group with the vampires. "They get off on it, and I'll bet you anything that they even trade their very own blood for the fantasy."

Now she was looking at me, her eyes slowly widening as my words sank in. "Holy crap." She whispered. "That's insane."

"It's genius, that's what it is. It must have taken decades to perfect that plan."

She shivered. "What do we do now? Should we leave? Will they recognize you?"

I studied the pair closely. "No, let's go talk to them." I could sense her body tensing up. I pulled on the thread in her mind gently. "They won't know me, I've never seen them before. Plus, they look very young. They were probably born after my imprisonment."

But she was shaking her head in quick little jerks. "No." She whispered, fear creeping into her voice. "This isn't right. Vampires in Alt. People I've seen before." She turned around and glared at me. "Is this how it's going to be for me?" She kept her voice to a low hiss. "Finding out that you guys are everywhere? Who will be next? One of my friends? Someone I thought I knew? Every since I met you, they're coming out of the woodwork."

"Don't blame me." I kept my voice as low as hers. "It's not my fault you were so blind you never noticed before. Humans have always been like that, never noticing how close we really were. They just go about their day, blithely unaware. People went missing all the time, with no explanation, but they still never saw it. Never saw the ones who were devoured, the ones who were turned."

She was shaking now, and I knew that my control over her had slipped. I had to do my best to repair the situation or I might never gain control of her again. I needed that control, until I had learned as much as I could from her.

"Come on, let's go." I said quietly.

She stopped shivering. "What? Really?" She asked hopefully.

"Unless you've changed your mind." She shook her head quickly. I turned towards the door. "Come on. Let's go home."

It had been a fruitful trip out. I had learned more than I thought I would. I was satisfied in going home. There was always another night to learn more.

6: Chapter 6

We managed to reach the house without any incidents. I was surprised by that. Once I got over the shock of finding vampires in Alt, I realized that the vampire had kept his word.

The temperature had dropped significantly since we left. I fumbled for my keys, my fingers stiff with cold. "Well, our little trip is done." I said, pushing the door open. He slid past me, into the vestibule. "Are you satisfied with your apparel now?" A snicker pushed through my lips.

He turned and gave me a critical look. "The clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society."

I stood there and blinked at him. He was quoting someone, I could tell by the way he spoke, but it was beyond me. I pulled the keys out of the lock.

"Mark Twain?" He offered, in a tone that made me feel about as intelligent as algae.

My eyes narrowed. Then I realized something. I stood next to the wide open doorway for a few more seconds. He stood in the vestibule, unmoving, his expression turned questioning. "Have you given up on escaping?" I asked as I closed the door tightly.

"Of course not." He scoffed. "I still have every intention of leaving here and wreaking some minor havoc and property damage."

"Yet, you didn't leave when you had the chance."

"I told you I wouldn't escape."

An idea was forming in my head. It seemed silly, but a lot of strange things had happened to me lately, so why not indulge in off-the-wall theories while I was at it?

"You're right." I took off my new jacket and hung it up in the coat closet. "You were telling the truth."

He looked relieved. "So you finally find me trustworthy?" He asked as he set his bags down in the kitchen and began pulling clothes out and removing the tags.

"Oh hell no." I replied, walking into the kitchen and setting the kettle on the stove. I turned on the flame underneath, heating the water for some hot chocolate. "I do think that you have to tell the truth, though." I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, gauging his reaction.

Surprise flickered across his face for a brief second. Then his face closed, and I could not read his expression. "What do you mean?" He asked, focusing on his task.

Better to go all in. I took a deep breath. "What I mean is that the only reason you didn't run off is because you told me you wouldn't. You can't lie."

"That's a silly idea." He said, much too carefully.

"But, is it wrong?"

He put down the shirt he was holding a little too forcefully and looked directly at me. I turned and faced him fully. We stared each other down for a long moment. I waited. I was no vampire, but I could be patient.

He broke the silence first. "What in the world would possibly make you think of such a ridiculous notion?" He asked angrily.

I pointed at him. "Ha! You can't say 'no', can you?"

He turned away and headed for the stairs. "This is tiring. I'm going to bed."

I followed him, feeling energized by my triumph. "You really can't do it! You can't lie!"

"Good night." He said firmly, and vanished.

I blinked at the stairs for a few seconds. I heard a door upstairs slam. He could move quickly when he wanted to.

But, I had won over the vampire. Finally! I grinned and hurried back into the kitchen.

The front of the refrigerator had been painted with black chalkboard paint. It was useful for writing a recipe on, or making grocery lists, or just leaving memos. So far, I hadn't had anything to write on it.

I retrieved a box of white chalk from the drawer next to the fridge. I pulled out one long piece and wrote on the fridge:

Angie 1

Vampire 0

Smiling smugly, I put the chalk away. The water on the stove was boiling now. I fixed myself a steaming mug of hot chocolate and brought it up to my room.

A deep, echoing chime roused me from my sleep hours later. My eyes scrunched tightly closed and I rolled over onto my stomach. I was pulling the pillow over my head when I realized that the chime was the doorbell.

I sat up, my eyes reluctant to fully open. I found my slippers by feel and made my way downstairs.

When I opened the front door, Ricky's smiling face greeted me. "Angie, I hope I didn't wake you." He smiled radiantly.

I rubbed my knuckles into my left eye. "No, 'course not." I mumbled, stepping aside to let him in. I yawned loudly. "Whassup?" I asked sleepily.

Ricky was dressed for work. He wore a dark red T-shirt that was covered with black smudges, worn carpenter's jeans, and rugged boots. He was also carrying his toolbox. "Dad told me that the closet door in the kitchen needed rehanging." He walked over to the remains of the broom closet while I stood in the kitchen, waiting for my brain to boot up. Ricky's back stiffened in surprise. "Where's the door?" He knelt down and picked up a long sliver of wood. It was one of the larger remains of the the closet door. I must have missed it when I cleaned up the other day. He looked at me over his shoulder. "Angie, what happened?"

It was then that my brain woke up with a jolt. I jumped guiltily. "uh..." was all that came out of my mouth.

Ricky gave me a sympathetic look. He stood up and walked over to me. "Are you all right, Angie?" He asked seriously.

"More or less." I said weakly. My eyes strayed over to the living room. The large wall/window was still covered. I stepped away from Ricky and hurried into the living room. I began undoing the tape around the blankets that were covering the window.

Ricky followed me, a puzzled look on his face. "Is the window broken too?"

I shook my head quickly. "Oh no, it's fine." I was thinking quickly, my hands shook slightly as I hurried to removed the tape. I didn't relax until a ray of sunlight hit my face. I gripped the tape and pulled the rest of it off. I turned back to Ricky, my smile more sure. "I was just trying to watch a movie." I pointed at the huge TV on the wall. "The glare from the window is a big nuisance."

Ricky nodded, as if what I said made perfect sense. Bless him. "I'll pick you up a thick curtain when I go to get a new door." He said. "It'll be better than those blinds." He pointed to the corner of the room where the vertical blinds had been dumped messily. My hands gripped into fists. I was going to stake that vampire.

"You don't have to bother yourself with the curtain." I told him sincerely. Why should I make things easier for the vampire?

"Don't worry about it. It's no trouble. Is there anything else that needs fixing?"

It looked like he wasn't going to be dissuaded. My answering smile was so forced it hurt my cheeks. I shook my head. "Nope, that's everything." I assured him brightly.

He looked doubtful, but he didn't call me out on my lie. I thought of the attic stairs. They would have to be fixed eventually, but I couldn't have Ricky on the second floor, where there was no protective sunlight.

Ricky looked around, as if making sure nothing else was destroyed. "If I go now, I can get the door and curtain and be back here by tonight."

Tonight? I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost noon. The sun would set just before five. I shook my head quickly. "Oh no, that's okay. Take your time. You can fix everything in the morning."

"Are you sure? I don't mind."

"Trust me, it's fine." I scrambled around in my brain, looking for a plausible lie. "I'm going to be busy tonight anyway.." That was a good lie, and knowing the vampire, it would turn out to not be a lie. The best way to lie was to not give out a lot of information. That way, there were less details to remember later.

I put both hands on his back and steered him through the kitchen and into the vestibule. "I'm a complete mess right now. I need to shower and change. I'll call you later and we can hang out tomorrow. Steven and Cass too. We can go see a movie after you put up the door." When we reached the door I opened it for him.

He gave me a small smile. "All right. I can take a hint." He put one big hand on my head. "Take care of yourself, Angie."

When he was gone, I closed the door and leaned my back against it. I covered my face with both hands. I was shivering all over. Thank God nothing had happened while he was here. Thank God he wasn't hurt.

I couldn't let Ricky come back, but I didn't know what I could say to make sure he stayed away. It wasn't safe here, for anyone.

Not even me.

"What is your name?"

I jumped, looking around wildly. His voice had come from the living room. I walked into the kitchen, looking for him.

Sunlight was still pouring in through the large window. I could just make out his figure sitting at the top of the stairs, where the sunlight could not reach.

I placed both hands on the kitchen table and sat down slowly. Right then, I felt about a million years old. It had taken a couple of days, but the knowledge that I now shared a home with a vampire had finally sunk in fully. There was no way I was going to have a normal life if I couldn't have my friends over without worrying for their lives.

"I asked you your name." He reminded. His voice was very neutral. I couldn't read any intentions or emotions in it. There was probably some scheme of his at work here, but I couldn't figure out what it was.

"Angie." I answered dully, rubbing my face with my palms.

"That's not your name."

"Yes it is. Everybody calls me Angie." I looked over at him. He hadn't moved.

"Exactly. That's the name you give to everyone. It's not your true name. It's just a nickname, a moniker designed to put up with day-to-day wear. Few people actually use their real name. What is yours?"

His voice had an odd quality to it, I couldn't place what it was. A weird buzzing started inside of my head and I couldn't concentrate. "Evangeline." I answered unthinkingly.

The buzzing cleared instantly. I glared at the top of the stairs. It had been his doing of course. Though why he would use his mind powers to get me to answer I had no idea. He had lifted my wallet right off of me just last night. He should already know my name.

"What was the point in forcing me to answer?" My voice was harsh.

"I didn't force you to answer. I just distracted you. You answered automatically because subconsciously you felt no danger in doing so."

"Is there a danger in you knowing my name?" I asked sharply.

His voice was low, I almost didn't hear him. "Oh yes."

"How so?" I demanded. Anger and annoyance coursed through my veins, heating my blood and banishing that shivery, weak feeling I had felt at the door.

"Don't you read?" He asked mockingly. "Everyone knows that giving out your true name to someone gives them power over you."

"Bull. That stuff's from fantasy novels. Fiction."

"Shall we test it out?" His tone turned playful. The shadows obscured his face, so I couldn't make out his expression. "Come here."

I shook my head. "No way." I told him firmly. I wasn't even going to let his freaky mind voodoo draw me out of the sunlight.

"Evangeline, come here."

His tone hadn't changed. It was still playful, casual. I stood up and stepped away from the table.

This wasn't like when he was controlling me. There was no presence in my mind for me to struggle against or repel. Suddenly, I just didn't see any reason not to go over to him.

My mind wandered while I walked out of the kitchen and to the stairs. I paused when my foot touched the bottom step. I looked up at him, waiting in the darkness. He leaned his elbows on his knees and threaded the fingers of both hands together.

"What's your name?" I asked idly.

There was a small pause, he leaned his chin on his hands. "Why do you want to know?"

I shrugged. "Why not? I told you mine."

He stood up, placing his hands in his pant's pockets. Then he started to laugh.

His laugh broke the spell over me. I blinked in confusion as the fear, anger and annoyance flooded back into my body. He walked away, back to his room, laughing the whole time.

xxxXXXxxx

This girl was surprising. She was so infernally stubborn that even using her true name couldn't circumvent her single-mindedness.

I briefly considered that she might have some small grain of the quality of strength Katrina had once possessed, but then dismissed the idea. No, it was definitely the girl's pigheadedness.

I looked around my dark bedroom. What to do, what to do... The hours stretched out long ahead of me. I couldn't go downstairs, because that infernal girl had uncovered the window. The laptop had been amusing, but now it didn't work. The television was utter garbage this time of day. I would rather claw my own eyes out than sit through a sitcom.

My feet carried me around the room briskly. I was pacing. I knew what I wanted. I wanted blood. Human blood.

I wanted that girl's blood.

The thought had entered my mind sometime last night that drinking that girl's blood would be the closest I ever got to drinking Katrina's. The fact that I would never have the opportunity to drain Katrina dry made my chest ache. I had wanted her so much. The strongest human I had ever seen.

My throat burned. My hands twitched, their claws wanting to tear into something. My breathing was quicker, more ragged.

I was hungry.

I heard a small knock at my door.

I was across the room in an instant. But, when I opened the door they only thing that greeted me was a cardboard box, sitting on the floor.

The door at the end of the hall closed.

I smiled. She wasn't slow on her feet, I will grant her that.

I bent down and picked up the box. Hiding behind it was a white plastic bottle. I wrinkled my nose. It was more of that disgusting pig's blood. I picked it up anyway. It was better than starving, if only barely.

After I had drained the bottle, I turned my attention back to the box. It had already been cut open. The shipping label had Evangeline's name on it. I sat on the bed and opened the flaps. Inside I found a note which read: Here are a few things for your new guest. - David I crumpled the note and tossed it in the bin across the room without looking, where it landed neatly.

Inside of the box I found a portable telephone, wait, no, they were called cellular phones. Though I honestly couldn't see what they had to do with cells. I picked it up and turned it over. The battery had been removed. I found it in the box, along with the back, and put it back together.

It rang a few seconds later, as I had expected it to. "Lucien." I answered smoothly.

"Glad to see you got my gift." Lucien answered, keeping his voice just as smooth.

"I thank you for it, though I don't really see how much use it will be."

"You'll find uses. This is a far different world than the one you remember. It's much more connected. If you drop out of the network, you might as well drop off the face of the Earth."

"It's really not that much different." I said. "This new world." I lay back and stretched out on the bed.

"How would you know?" Lucien's voice was guarded.

"Evangeline took me out yesterday." My lips pulled back over my teeth.

"You shouldn't be showing yourself outside." Lucien warned.

My grin widened. "Lucien, I am the strongest vampire that's ever lived. Katrina's dead. There is no one on this planet left that can stand up to me."

"Fifty years is a long time."

"And it would take a hundred for Nora to catch up to my level." I said easily.

"You're not listening. This is why you have to be kept inside. You never listen! Remember Russia? You would have been staked and beheaded if I hadn't-"

I sprang up in my bed, my ire rising. "I was in no danger!" My voice rose. "I had everything under control, until YOU got in the way!"

"You have to stay inside! It's for your own good!" Lucien shouted.

I flopped back on the bed, irritated. "Why do you even care? You helped Katrina lock me up, remember?"

"That was also for your own good." Lucien's voice lowered, but I could tell he was seething. "And I have to look after you, even if you don't want me to. You're the only family I have left."

A cold feeling settled into the pit of my stomach. "Where's your brother?" I asked. There was no response. "Lucien, where's Lucifer?" My voice rose again.

After a long moment, Lucien answered. "He's dead. Nora killed him."

Every muscle in my body tensed. I had to be careful not to grip the phone too hard and shatter it. I needed the phone right now. I had to know. "Nora?" My voice sounded weak, and I loathed it. "Did she...?" I couldn't finish the question, I felt sick.

Lucien knew what I was asking. "She drank from him, till there was nothing left." His voice was solemn, with a deep sadness underneath.

The cold feeling in my stomach spread out to the rest of me. Various emotions crashed together inside of me. Rage and remorse, and fear. Fear had finally found purchase inside of my heart. Lucifer had been a hundred years older than Lucien, and twice as strong. If Nora had drunk his blood, her own strength would have trebled. I drew in a sharp breath.

"Father?" Lucien sounded worried, as worried as he could sound. "Are you there?"

"Yes." I answered, my voice hoarse, but deceptively calm. "Where is Nora now?"

"You can't go after her. She'll kill you. Then she'll drain you, that's what she wants."

"I'll kill her first." I said with cold certainty. I knew I would, without pause or indecision. I would rip her heart out of her chest and get Lucifer's blood back. I would drain every last drop out of her and burn whatever was left.

"Look, I have to be in court in five minutes. I will come over and talk to you later." Lucien said sadly. "Please don't get into trouble before then."

"Fine." I agreed, and hung up the phone. I would wait. Then I would extract every bit of information Lucien had.

Until then, I would wait, and brood.

xxxXXXxxx

I raced down the stairs as the doorbell chimed for the third time, muttering to myself. "I told him to wait until morning..."

When I opened the door, it was Steven who was standing on the porch. He held his laptop bag in both hands, and was wearing his usual jeans and t-shirt. I stepped back in surprise. "Steven, what's up?"

He stepped into the vestibule quickly, as if I might shut the door on him. Which I would have done if he hadn't moved so quickly. It was after dark now and I was Steven's only protection against fanged death. Danny hadn't called me back about those silver bullets yet, so I was a weak defense at best.

"Ricky said you might want some company tonight." Steven smiled tightly. He never smiled much, his face didn't seem suited for it. His usual expressions consisted of neutral, and faint disapproval. Still, he was a good guy. Ricky had been worried by my strange behavior and had sent him by.

"Steven, I'm fine. Honest." I tried to smile warmly at him. It felt weak to me, but that was because my stomach was twisting itself into knots. I stepped back, letting him push past, into the kitchen. If I didn't, he would probably just nudge me aside.

He set his bag on the table. "I'm sure you are." He said as I closed and locked the door. "But Ricky just wants me to make sure. I'm going to check the alarm system real quick, then I'll go. Okay?"

"Fine." I sighed. "But please hurry. I really am busy tonight-"

He raised his hand, cutting me off. "No worries, this won't take a second." He pulled his laptop out of his bag and popped it open.

I leaned one hip against the counter and watched the stairs out of the corner of my eye. Sure enough, the vampire appeared at the top. "Has Lucien arrived?" He asked as he hurried down the stairs.

He slowed to a more human pace when he spotted Steven. Steven looked up in surprise. His glasses slid down his nose as he took in the vampire's appearance. The vampire was wearing black slacks and a white dress shirt. The shirt's top two buttons were opened and he wore a black thong around his neck. A small gold cross hung from it. I guess the allergy to crosses was off the list of 'known vampire weaknesses'.

Steven pushed his glasses back into place, then turned to me. "'Busy'. I see." He went back to his laptop.

I held up both hands. "Whoa, hold on there. You've totally got the wrong idea."

"No, it's okay." Steven assured me as he typed. "You don't have to explain anything to me. I understand."

I glanced over at the vampire, gauging his reaction. He seemed disturbingly amused. I covered my eyes with one hand. "Oh, I feel sick."

"Ohhh, are you unwell?" The vampire crooned at me. He stepped up to me, taking my hand away from my eyes. His dark eyes were laughing. I gave him an ugly look.

His lips pulled back over his fangs. Some people might have confused that with a smile, but I knew he was baring his teeth at me. He snaked one arm around my waist, his hand settling on my hip.

Then he hissed in pain. He yanked his hand away from me. It had been burned by the silver chain sticking out of my pocket. The silver gun it was attached to was of course holstered in the back of my jeans. I smiled sweetly at him. His eyes narrowed into a dark glare as he nursed his injured hand.

He turned his attention back to Steven. He placed his burned hand in his pocket and looked over Steven's shoulder. "How well do you know these contraptions?" He asked curiously.

Steven snorted. "I could put a laptop together in my sleep."

"Excellent." The vampire's expression brightened. "I have one upstairs that has stopped functioning."

"I guess I can take a look." Steven offered reluctantly.

"I'll go retrieve it now." The vampire walked swiftly out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

I walked over to the table and placed both palms on it. "Look Steven, he's not-"

Steven looked over at me seriously. "It really is okay, Angie."

"No really, I can't stand him." I blurted out. "He, uh, knew Great Aunt Katrina a few years ago. He's stopped by to pay his respects, and I can't get rid of him." I gave Steven a pleading look.

"Can't you throw him out?" Steven asked, concerned.

I shook my head. "The lawyer won't let me."

Steven opened his mouth to answer, but the vampire came back just then. He placed the laptop on the table next to Steven's. Steven's eyebrows raised, he had noticed how quick the vampire was. "Let me know if you can repair it." The vampire said brightly. "Angie will take care of any expenses." He flashed his teeth at me again. I gave him an annoyed look back. Then, he headed back up the stairs. "Oh, and let me know as soon as Lucien arrives." He told me before vanishing.

Steven sighed and opened the vampire's laptop. "You know, I think I'll agree with you. There's something about that guy I don't like."

"Thank you." I said in relief. "I'm glad someone agrees with me. Please see if you can fix his laptop, though. I need something to keep him occupied. He's driving me crazy."

"Will do." Steven said, giving me another weak smile. This one felt more genuine, and I smiled back.

7: Chapter 7

It was my wedding day. I had heard that this day was supposed to be the most nerve-wracking, the most tense experience a young woman would ever have. It was also supposed to be the happiest, save for when she bore her children.

I wasn't nervous or tense. I had seen too much in my short time on this earth for something as sedate as my own wedding day to unravel me. This would be a walk in the park compared to every other day before this one.

As for happiness... I would just have to see to that down the road. Charles was a good man; predictable and hard working. My heart did not burn for him, but I liked him.

The scene at the church was absolutely serene. The walls were pale gray stone with large, high windows. Sunlight poured in, making the interior glow. White roses decorated the black pews. Large white banners hung from the rafters.

Charles' family's side of the church was packed, ever pew was full. Mothers, fathers, sisters, cousins, brothers. All were talking amongst themselves. Some where happy, some apprehensive. Charles' mother was especially worried. What was her baby boy getting into, marrying a woman like that?

My family's side was empty. I had family, quite a large one, but I had told no one of my marriage. I had cut off all ties to my family years ago. It was safer for them that way.

My dress was beautiful, pure white and flowing all around me. The train was long, dragging on the floor a foot behind me. Tiny white rosebuds were pinned to the skirt. I held a bouquet of large white blooms in my hands.

I stood just inside the entrance, waiting for my cue. I had no bridesmaids. I would walk down the long aisle alone.

The music started and I got ready. When it was my cue I stepped out into the main hall. Charles waited for me at the end of the aisle. He smiled that warm smile I liked so much. I smiled back at him.

There were gasps all through the gathered guests. They whispered to themselves, amazed by how beautiful I looked. I was not wearing a veil, and my long red hair was loose, trailing down my back, glowing like fire against the white of my dress. I held myself straight and tall as I made my way slowly down the aisle.

When I was halfway down the aisle, the sunlight in the church began to darken rapidly. I paused, turning my head to look out the windows. Dark clouds were gathering swiftly overhead, rumbling with thunder.

There were new gasps and whispers, worried this time. A bad omen, they said.

I turned back to Charles, setting my jaw firmly, holding my head high. I continued my long march.

Lightning flashed, rather close. It illuminated the inside of the church to a ghastly starkness in the brief second it was there. It was followed immediately by a loud crack of thunder.

Lightning and thunder, but no rain. Perhaps this really was a bad omen. I banished the negative thoughts from my mind. I was almost there.

I was less than ten feet away from my soon-to-be husband when he arrived.

He came down from the rafters, landing lightly on the floor between me and Charles. He faced me, grinning widely. Lightning flashed again, highlighting his dark eyes and sharp fangs. "Katrina, I'm hurt." He said in that unbearably smooth voice of his. "You forgot to invite me."

I stood where I was. Any move I made would endanger the people here. My gold eyes narrowed.

He continued to speak, ignoring everyone else in the church, his eyes on me alone. "I was going to wait until the 'if anyone has any reason why these two should not be wed' part to interrupt. But, I thought it was rather cliched."

"How brave of you, coming in the daytime." I said, my voice low and tight. I looked around the church. The guests were unmoving in their seats. Confused and afraid, like so many mindless sheep when under a vampire's influence. Charles cowered behind him, looking at the both of us fearfully. The priest could only stare in astonishment.

The demon's eyes danced in triumph. "You really should have expected me, Katrina. I would never miss such an opportunity as this. Not even sunlight could keep me away."

"Not much sunlight, anymore." Thunder rumbled again, echoing through the church, making the guests flinch. "The storm. It's your doing, isn't it?" I asked.

He thrust his hands in his pockets. It was a habit of his when he was particularly full of himself. "Oh, I can't take credit for that." He said, still grinning. "Nora has become quite adept at manipulating the clouds, hasn't she? It's really very useful."

I arched one red brow. "Nora is here as well? Two demon spawn, I feel honored."

The vampire chuckled softly. "Jealous?"

I shook my head. "Not in a million years."

My insult didn't even faze him. It would take a lot to bruise an ego that size. He continued to bare his fangs at me. "You knew it would happen eventually, didn't you? One day I would surprise you, finally catch you off guard." His voice lowered to a caress. "Helpless."

"One thing you never seen to learn, vampire." I spat. "I am never helpless." I flung my bouquet aside and hurled the silver clasp that had held it together at him.

He dodged it of course, but I had time to retrieve my revolver from the voluminous folds of my dress. He jumped high in the air once he saw it, perching back on the rafters.

I fired up at him. One, two, three, in quick succession. The first one hit the rafter he stood on, but the other two hit him. One in the leg, the other in the arm. He hissed in pain, but his mobility was undiminished. He jumped from rafter to rafter lightly.

I gritted my teeth. "No matter how many bullets I put in you, you just never die."

"Not without you, my dear." The vampire smiled down at me sweetly. He ducked down and a fourth bullet whipped through the airspace his head had been occupying.

He clucked his tongue. "You're a lousy shot when you're rattled."

"You could gouge out my eyes and I would still hit you." I said through gritted teeth. My last shots missed except for the very last one, which got him in the chest. He made a sound somewhere between a hiss and a gurgle and lost his balance. He plummeted down into the empty pews in the back rows. Upon impact the old wood burst apart. A cloud of dust rose into the air.

"You're so slow, you might as well be standing still." I walked up the aisle, emptying my revolver. The empty casings rang like tiny bells on the stone floor. I knelt down next an empty pew in the third row, retrieving a bag I had stashed there. Call me paranoid, but I could never be too far from my gear. Then again, paranoia has it's payoffs.

I walked up the aisle, toward the fallen vampire, reloading my gun as I walked. His spell over the crowd was dispersed. Charles' family was stirring. There were frightened gasps and small screams. "Call the police!" Charles' mother ordered one of her other sons. He got to his feet and ran for the door.

"Don't move!" I ordered, keeping my eyes on the fallen vampire. "His friend is still around here somewhere. Hiding. She could kill a single man in an instant, but she's not strong enough to take you all on. If you want to live, stay in a group."

Charles' brother, Peter I think his name was, turned and looked at me fearfully. He quickly returned to his mother's side. She clasped his hand and pulled him down into the pew next to her.

I stood over the vampire, aiming my gun at his head. He didn't move, he just stared up at the ceiling, his eyes wide and his mouth opening and closing wordlessly. I realized then that I hadn't hit him in the chest at all, but the throat. The wound sizzled, raw and angry. The bullet must had penetrated all the way to his spine. He was paralyzed. I had really gotten a lucky shot.

"Finally." I said. "Time to finish this." I knelt down, pressing the barrel of my revolver to his forehead. I wasn't trusting this shot to anything other than point blank range. The silver burned his forehead and he flinched, but could not turn away.

I paused for the barest second, savoring the moment. Most of my life I had been hunting this monster. He had ruined so many things for me, killed my friends, family, lovers. So many times my life could have been normal, peaceful, if not for him. And now it was finally over.

"Goodbye, my enemy." I whispered. It sounded almost loving, I reflected as I pulled the trigger.

I didn't notice as she came up on my left, leaping over the crowd. She hissed angrily as she tackled me. The shot rang out, but it missed the vampire by a hair.

I had other things to worry about than the fact that I had missed. My gun had been knocked from my hands, lost in the wooden rubble. Nora was on top of me, trying her damnedest to claw out my eyes. Her fangs were exposed as she shrieked in rage and pain.

Nora wasn't as strong as her brethren. Not physically, at least. She was an exceptional weather manipulator, but she was no fighter. I, on the other hand, had been training to fight vampires for years. I grabbed her wrists and held her at bay.

I braced one cream colored high heel in her stomach and kicked her off of me. She recovered quickly and sprang again. She may have lacked brute strength, but even the life of a sloth wouldn't hamper a vampire's natural speed.

I wasn't slow either, by any measure. As Nora attacked again, I was ready for her. I had retrieved my gun from the rubble. When Nora tackled me, I buried the barrel of my revolver in the middle of her chest and pulled the trigger.

She screamed horribly, the sound reverberating harshly in my ears. She threw herself away from me, smoke rising from her chest.

A huge crack of thunder sounded overhead, followed by an explosion in the rafters. It came again, on the other side of the church. The wedding guests screamed in new horror as pieces of the rafters began raining down, some were on fire.

The vampire bitch had struck the church with lightning. Twice. I gritted my teeth, watching as she hurried over to my fallen nemesis. I turned away from the pair, to the crowd. "Get out, now!" I ordered.

They headed for the doors in a herd. I ran over to the group, trying my best to make sure they didn't trample one another to death.

More flaming debris rained down, crashing into the pews, setting the tapestries and carpeting ablaze. I managed to get everyone out relatively unharmed.

Once I had made sure everyone was outside and safe, I turned back to the church. It was really blazing now. The heat from the fire causing several stained glass windows to explode. I climbed up the stairs, but was stopped by a hand on my arm.

I turned to look at Charles. His face showed exactly how frightened he was. He was sweating from heat and terror, and he was shaking, but he held my arm tightly. "You don't have to go back in there." He said. "Those... whatever they are, surely they're dead."

"I have to make sure." I said, softly but firmly. " He'll never leave me alone unless I finish him. I told you about him."

Charles' expression was pleading. "Yes, you told me." He shook his head. "But-"

My expression was cold. "You didn't believe me." I said.

"I know you would not lie." Charles said quickly. "I thought you were merely exaggerating."

I pulled my arm out of his grasp. "I wasn't." I turned away from him, heading up the steps. I could feel his eyes on me, watching helplessly as I walked back into that inferno.

xxxXXXxxx

The doorbell rang just then.

I jumped, looking up from the journal. The lawyer, he was here.

Reluctantly, I closed the journal and slid it under my pillow. I had been so absorbed in the story of Great Aunt Katrina's aborted wedding that I felt out of sorts for a second.

David Lucien was here. I checked the clock on the wall as I walked to the door. Almost midnight.

He came bearing gifts. He handed me a small cardboard box as soon as I opened the door. The box was surprisingly heavy. I hefted it with both hands. "What is this? A brick?" I asked.

"Open it after I leave." He answered in a low voice. "I don't want to be seen giving that to you. You'll need it soon."

I nodded, glancing at the stairs. I opened the closet in the vestibule and put the box on the high shelf, pushing it to the back.

When I had closed the door and turned back around, David was looking at me sternly. "Where is your silver glove?"

"In my room." I answered. "I don't bring it with me when I answer the door."

"You should." David told me. "You never know who might be on the other side."

I suppressed a shiver. "You mean I am going to have to worry about vampires from outside too?"

David nodded. "If he continues to act so recklessly, then yes." He jerked his head in the direction of the stairs.

I thought of Nora, the weather manipulator who had no trouble burning churches to cinders, and shivered. "I always carry the gun." I said defensively.

The lawyer looked me over, then sighed sadly. "I had hoped that there would be more time to prepare you before he escaped. There's so much you need to know in order to do your job." He shook his head. "How did he manage to get out of the tomb?"

I cringed inwardly. "That was my fault." I admitted. "I unlocked the tomb. I had no idea what was inside." I assured him. "If I had, I would never have agreed to live here."

David was confused. "How did you unlock it? There's no key."

I shook my head. "No, I had a key." I pulled out my keyring. "You have to combine these three keys here."

David snatched the keys out of my hand with such speed that I didn't see his hand move, one second I had my keys, the next he did. He stared at the keys in disbelief. "I searched this house top to bottom..." He whispered to himself.

"Great Aunt Katrina never told you about the keys." I guessed.

"No, she trusted me with everything else, but not that."

"She probably thought you would release him." David looked at me strangely. "Well, you're both vampires, who knows what you guys are really thinking."

David turned and walked into the kitchen, lost in thought. I contemplated asking for my keys back, but decided against it.

The vampire was leaning on the other side of the counter. Of course, I hadn't heard him arrive, nor seen any movement. "Lucien." He greeted David calmly. David gave him a small nod in return.

David turned to me. "If you will excuse us." He said politely.

I walked over to the white couch and plopped down, laying back on the cushions. "I'm staying right here with you two." I told them firmly. "Whatever things you two have to discuss I want to be there for. I still feel way in the dark and if I am supposed to do a job here, I want as much information as possible."

David glanced over at the vampire. The vampire gave me a stony glare. "Little girls should be in bed at this hour. The grown ups are talking."

"You need me. David said so."

The vampire scoffed. "You are the very last thing that I need. You wouldn't even make a good midnight snack."

I didn't even blink. "I can see why Nora wants you six feet under. What I can't understand is why she ever liked you in the first place."

The vampire's eyes narrowed. "You don't know what you are talking about." He said dangerously.

"I've done some reading." I replied matter-of-factly. "Did you know that Great Aunt Katrina kept a diary? I know all about how you crashed her wedding. If it hadn't been for Nora saving your ass, Great Aunt Katrina would have probably nailed you to the church roof."

"Stop talking." The vampire's eyes changed, glowing red. His voice took on a deep, feral quality. I sat up in alarm.

David grabbed his shoulder, holding him back as the vampire made to step towards me. The vampire bared his fangs and hissed, not taking his eyes off of me.

I pulled out the silver gun, pointing it at the vampire. This angered him more. "I will tear your tongue right out of your mouth." He growled.

"Calm down!" David ordered sternly. "Before she puts a bullet in you."

"That gun is empty." The vampire snarled. My eyes widened. How long had he known that?

The vampire grabbed David's arm and threw him aside. David landed on the coffee table. All four legs snapped under the force of the throw.

Then the vampire was on top of me, pinning my body to the couch. I did the only thing I could do and smacked him with the butt of the gun.

His skin sizzled where the silver contacted his cheek. He roared in pain and knocked the gun away with the back of his hand.

Everything was happening too fast for fear to set in. Instinct kicked in and I fought, adrenaline pumping through my veins. He was sitting on my legs, but I still kicked and squirmed desperately.

He grabbed the hair at the back of my head with one hand, pulling my head back, exposing my neck.

I dug my nails into his injured cheek, drawing blood. My forearm was braced against his throat, trying vainly to hold him at bay.

Before he could sink his fangs into my neck, David grabbed him around the waist, then threw him into the window. The tough glass didn't break and the vampire landed on the carpet.

"Everyone just calm down!" David shouted. He was breathing heavily as he straightened his suit jacket.

Suddenly the lights overhead glowed red, turning the white carpet and furniture crimson. "Oh what now?" The vampire asked irritably as he regained his feet.

"That's the security alarm." David answered.

I spotted something on the other side of the window behind him and stared. I lifted my hand and pointed. "What is it?" The vampire asked, turning to the glass.

He saw what it was immediately. Three figures stood out clearly in the gravel yard. I knew immediately that they were vampires. Each one was smiling at the vampire in the house. I could see their fangs.

Next to me, David swore.

8: Chapter 8

I glanced at Lucien briefly, not turning away from the window. "You were followed?" My voice was cold, accusatory.

Lucien snorted. "Of course not. I always cover my tracks well."

"Obviously not." I said pointedly, shoving my hands into the pockets of my slacks.

"Perhaps they followed you." Lucien suggested, his voice as cold as mine.

"You think someone in the city recognized him?" Evangeline hissed fearfully.

"I would have noticed if someone had." I snapped sharply.

"Angie." Lucien turned to the girl. "That package I gave you earlier, go retrieve it." The girl didn't answer, her eyes undoubtedly fixed on the danger just outside. "Open it, you'll know what to do. Now, hurry." His voice was urgent. She scrambled to her feet and ran into the kitchen.

I continued watching the trio outside. They appeared to be bantering with each other, smiling broadly. Were they Nora's goons, triumphant in finding their target? Or just a random trio who had spotted Lucien and decided to follow? Knowing my luck, they were from Nora.

The one in the center stepped forward. There was a swagger in his step that said he felt he was the leader of the group. He had platinum blond hair tied back at his neck, and a muscular build. He wore black leather; boots, pants, gloves, and jacket. His attire was an overstatement, an obnoxious one. I wondered what he was compensating for.

I watched him calmly, with my hands in my pockets, as he walked right up to the glass. He rapped on it with his knuckle, his lips moving. A false smile played across them.

His tap made no sound, nor did I hear what he said. Sound proofing. Katrina had put everything into the house that she could think of.

I shook my head apologetically, putting one finger behind my ear. Sorry, can't hear you.

His fake smile fell away. He took a step back, spreading out his hands on either side, palms up. His meaning was obvious: Come out.

I shrugged, shaking my head again, my hands back in their pockets. I didn't feel like it.

The two vampires that had stayed back laughed to themselves. The vampire in front of me narrowed his eyes. He pulled back his arm and punched the glass.

He had obviously expected his hand to go right through the glass, and was very surprised when his fist just bounced off. I couldn't help but grin at him.

That made him angry. He turned to the other two, ordering them to do something, pointing at the trees about a hundred yards away. He then turned back to me, smiling smugly while the other two ran to the trees.

Lucien spoke up then. "What do you think they are planning?"

I shrugged. "No idea. We'll find out soon enough, I expect."

They returned quickly, carrying a very large boulder between them. My eyebrows raised. "You think they could break in here?" I asked Lucien conversationally. I wasn't concerned, merely curious.

"The glass hasn't been tested extensively against vampire ingenuity." Lucien said nervously. "It wouldn't be too demeaning if we took cover right now." I sensed him moving away from me, towards the stairs.

The lead vampire hefted up the boulder that the other two had brought him. He was the strongest of the three, then. I stood my ground, not blinking. Finally, something interesting was happening.

The boulder was granite, so when it was hurled against the glass, it was the glass that gave way. I caught the boulder with both hands, but the force of the blow sent me backwards. My back hit the counter with a crack of broken wood.

The crash through the glass had weakened the boulder considerably. It took nothing for me to crush it into pieces. "This might turn out the be more fun than I thought." I commented dryly.

Movement at my side caught my attention. Evangeline crouched down over the counter, the silver gun in her hands, her focus on the three vampires stepping into the living room. As I watched, she began firing on the group.

Silver bullets ripped through the air, but vampires were fast and Evangeline probably didn't have much practice with fast-moving targets. When she emptied her clip, she had only scored grazing wounds. Still, the vampires were wary now. Silver stung like a bitch.

I admired her form for the few seconds it took her to empty the clip. The physical resemblance to Katrina was uncanny, as long as you didn't count her hair color. After the gun was emptied, she ducked back behind the counter to reload. I pushed myself to my feet.

The living room was fairly destroyed. This angered me, I didn't like my things to be destroyed. I walked slowly over to the trio. They watched me, pleased with their show of strength. "You know, I liked that couch." My voice was low and threatening. The white leather upholstery had bullet holes as well as fragments of glass embedded into it. I spread my arms out. "It tied the whole room together."

The lead vampire snorted. "What kind of fairy are you?" He sneered.

"Ah, I'm just looking for a reason to kick your ass." I admitted.

Evangeline sprang back from behind the counter. "That'll cost us a trip to Ikea." She said conversationally. "That should be fun." She kept her gun trained on the vampires, myself included.

My mouth widened in a grimace. "Perfect. Have any of you three ever been shopping with this woman? It's an absolute nightmare. You'll be lucky if I just kill you."

I sensed Lucien slipping back into the room behind me. I wondered what he had been up to, but I didn't take my attention away from the trio. I just barely sensed him sliding something across the remains of the counter to Evangeline.

"Perhaps we can talk this out civilly." Lucien said calmly. He stepped forward to stand beside me, while making sure not to block Evangeline's line of fire. "Before someone gets hurt." His tone indicated that we wouldn't be the injured party.

The leader shrugged. "I guess we could come to an agreement. We won't harm the meat sack," He nodded to indicate Evangeline. "As long as he comes quietly." He nodded to me.

I opened my mouth to speak, but Lucien cut me off with a stern look. I decided to let that slide, just this once. "Who sent you to retrieve him?" He asked smoothly.

The leader smiled, showing off his fangs. "You must be David Lucien. Lady Nora said you were the smart one." His two lackeys snickered.

It took effort not to roll my eyes. These three were young, The leader looked to be in his early twenties, and one of the lackeys looked barely over seventeen. It wasn't just in physical appearance, they were young to being a vampire as well. I gave them three years, tops. Nora was underestimating me by sending infants to do her dirty work.

"'Lady' Nora?" I asked, quirking up one eyebrow. "Nora always was a century or two behind the times."

All three turned to me at once, their expressions threatening. Nora had gotten to them, I could see. It was the special gift she had over males. Say one word against her and they went insane.

"Look, if you won't come willingly." The leader stepped up to me. "Then we'll just take you by force." His hand shot out, aimed for my shoulder.

I slipped aside easily, grabbing his arm under his elbow. With a twist of my arm I sent him flying into the kitchen. Evangeline dove behind the counter as he flew over her and into the butcher block table. The heavy table stood up under the assault as the vampire hit it with a sickening crack.

My lips widened into a smile. "That sounded like a few ribs broken." I said to the two remaining standing vampires. "Plus a fractured skull."

"You couldn't have thrown him somewhere else, could you?" Evangeline muttered irritably. I ignored her.

The pair in front of me advanced as one, ready to attack. Lucien and I stepped forward to meet them, and the fight really began.

xxxXXXxxx

It was all over fairly quickly, but a lot happened in that few seconds. I didn't see too much of what occurred in the living room. My attention was on the the vampire who was now in the kitchen, thanks to the vampire that lived here.

I wasn't going to give him a chance to recover and heal. I opened fire immediately, pumping his chest with hot silver. He fell back onto the table after I emptied the clip into him, but he was still twitching.

"David, how do I keep one of you bastards down?" I shouted as I reached into the box he had given me. I pulled out a fistful of silver bullets and ejected the clip from my gun. I hurried to refill it, dropping a few bullets on my haste.

"Aim for his head." David answered. I heard a high-pitched scream then, and I cringed even though I knew it wasn't from anyone on my team (this is assuming I had a team in this madness). I didn't dare turn around, afraid of what I might see.

I got to my feet, slotting the clip back into the gun and pulling the slide back, loading a bullet into the chamber. I walked over to the prone vampire.

He was in a lot of pain, I could see that. I had hit him point blank with the entire clip and smoke was rising from his chest. His teeth were gritted against the pain, he was struggling to block it out so he could get to his feet.

I lifted up the gun, pointing it at the vampire's head. A sudden lump rose up in my throat and I tried to swallow it down. I knew I was in danger, that this thing before me was just a monster, but I had never killed anyone before. I didn't think I could.

My hand began to tremble, the point of the gun wavering. I drew in a deep breath to steady myself. That was when he attacked. One fist flying up, aimed for my face.

I blinked as a hand shot out from over my shoulder, grabbing the vampire's fist, holding it firmly just inches from my face. Another hand slid over mine that held the gun, his trigger finger over mine. Without any hesitation, he fired. The vampire on the table jerked once, then lay still.

I exhaled shakily.

The vampire dropped the fist. I could see his profile as he leaned over my shoulder. His expression was one of disgust. "Hesitation is a sign of weakness." He said, and I knew that his disgust was for me.

I swallowed. He wasn't holding anything but my hand, but I could sense him, just barely an inch behind me, almost touching. My skin prickled like a live wire. "I'm not a killer." I said, my voice rough.

"Those that do not kill..." He said softly, pulling my hand up slowly. I tried to pull away but his grip was like steel. He pressed the point of the gun to my chest, right over my heart. "... are doomed to die."

I wanted to scream, to cry and shake, to struggle to escape. I reined myself under control and slipped my free hand into the pocket of my jeans. "Maybe I shouldn't have shown you mercy when I did, then." I said as calmly as I could as I brought my hand up to his, closing it over his wrist.

His skin sizzled as I gripped it with the silver glove. He hissed in pain as I twisted his wrist, pointing the gun away from my chest. He dropped my hand and I released him.

I spun around, stepping away from him as I did. Adrenaline sent blood pounding in my ears. I was angry, but I had no words to put to it, so I just glared at him, breathing heavily.

He held his burned wrist gingerly with his other hand. His own glare could have melted iron. I glanced over at David while he seethed. David stood in the wreckage that was the living room, kneeling over a fallen vampire. "This one's still alive." He called.

"Perfect." The vampire turned away from me. He was next to David quicker than my eyes could follow. I followed at a more human pace.

As I stepped around the counter, I saw the vampire that wasn't still alive. Or, most of him anyway. He was missing his head. I looked away quickly, not trusting my stomach.

David stepped aside as the vampire knelt down to the younger flunkey. He was the unlucky one who was still alive. Unlucky because whatever the vampire had in mind for him wouldn't be good.

He gripped the flunkey by his shirt, lifting him up one-handed. He was in pretty bad shape; one arm dangled uselessly, and his eyes seemed unable to focus. His head lolled to one side like a drunk. "Never... tell you a thing..." He murmured slowly.

"Oh, I'm sure Nora's trained you well." The vampire answered. He pulled the younger vampire close, his face just inches away. "And I really don't want to spend the time and energy I would need to torture information I don't want out of you."

"So kill me..." The younger vampire said. I got the impression that he felt he was being exceptionally brave.

"Trust me, I will." He answered back.

David stepped toward the pair, looking alarmed. "What are you-" Before he could finish, the vampire pushed him back with his free hand. The force of the blow was so strong that David hit the wall under the TV and cracked the plaster.

I consider shooting him, but I couldn't bring myself to raise my gun. I was spellbound, unable to look away as the vampire lowered his mouth to the younger one's throat.

I knew that he was drinking the younger one's blood, I could see his throat move as he swallowed, but no single drop of blood escaped his lips. I guessed it wouldn't look like it did in the movies, with blood everywhere. A vampire wouldn't want to waste it's food by being messy.

My mind fluttered around in my head like a caged butterfly, landing on thoughts randomly, trying to distract myself from the horror in my stomach.

Once he was done, the vampire dropped his victim as if he were nothing. The younger vampire lay still. Dead. My stomach lurched. This was becoming too much too fast.

Still, I couldn't tear my eyes away as he began to change once again. The silver wounds on his cheek and wrist healed rapidly, leaving his skin unblemished. His skin color deepened a few shades, looking much more lifelike. Even his hair looked healthier, a thicker, richer black.

The last change I had seen him undergo turned him from a middle-aged man to a young man. He had still looked gaunt then, almost spindly. Now, that skinny frame was filling out under his clothes, muscle tissue rapidly building over his bones.

He unbuttoned his white shirt quickly, exploring his chest with his fingers. "Not even a scar!" He exclaimed. All traces of the bullet wound I had given him were gone. I finally turned my eyes away from his chest as I felt my face heat up. The adrenaline from the fight must still be in my system.

He turned to David. "Lucien, look at me!" He said, spreading his arms out wide. "I haven't felt this alive in ages!"

David wore a weary expression as he got to his feet. He sighed heavily. "You look good, but you shouldn't have done that." He looked around at the remains of the living room. "Everything is such a mess."

It was then that the vampire did the most surprising thing I had seen that night. He walked over to David and embraced him firmly for a second. Then, he pulled back a little, his hands on David's shoulders. "You fought well tonight." He beamed. "I'm proud of you."

"I'm not proud of myself." David admitted sadly. He was staring down at the body of the headless vampire. "I have not killed in years, human or vampire. I thought I had put it behind me."

The vampire took David's face in his hands and leaned his forehead against David's, forcing David to look at him. It was such an intimate gesture that I cast my eyes to the floor. "You were protecting yourself, and me, the only family you have left. There is no shame in that." I heard the vampire whisper. "I may not agree with the life you've built for yourself while I was gone, but know that as long as you are in charge of your life, that you live the way that you want to, I will be proud of you."

After a few moments I looked up. The two vampires were standing away from each other, facing me, both looking more relaxed. "So, you two are related." I said awkwardly. I had decided that this was the safest subject to talk about, under the circumstances. "Were you brothers, before you... changed?"

The vampire shook his head. "Lucien's my son." He put a hand on David's shoulder. "My only son, now."

I tried not to let my surprise show on my face, but it was hard to control. As I looked back and forth between them, I could see the resemblance. They had the same color hair, the same skin coloring, but it was deeper than that. Their faces were mostly different, but I could see a few little details, the shape of the jaw, the lines of their shoulders, that were the same. "Oh." I said, that being the only thing my mind could think of in response.

"That's what I came to talk to my father about. While he was... asleep, Nora killed my older brother, Lucifer." For a brief second an old pain flickered across David's face.

In contrast, the vampire's pain was fresh. His face flushed in anger. "I will kill her, rip her limb from limb." He vowed. "It's been such a long time, I could forgive her for every other thing she has stolen from me, but not this. I will destroy her."

"Nora is supposed to be a big shot, right, if she can just send goons after us whenever she wants?" I blurted out. "Plus she's your ex, so that has to suck. How are you supposed to take her down by yourself?"

"It's worse than that." David said, smiling grimly. "Nora is my mother."

My eyes widened. This situation was becoming all kinds of weird. "Your... mother." I echoed. "Lucifer's too?" David nodded. Before, I could almost understand Nora. The vampire was a real pain in the ass and I could easily believe that he had done something heinous to her that had enraged her to the point of wanting to take him down. But, a mother killing her own son? That kind of thing I would never understand. "...damn." I said. I certainly was eloquent tonight.

"For now, let's just clean up this mess." David said. He looked around again, as if wondering where to start.

The vampire sighed and bent down. He lifted up the younger vampire's body up over his shoulder as if he were a sack flour. "We can dig a grave in the pines." He suggested brightly. "About three hundred yards north of here. I picked out a perfect spot when I first moved in."

"I bet that's something they don't put in real estate brochures." I muttered as I picked my way through the living room, avoiding the broken glass. "'Lovely grave site on property'."

David gave me a long look. "Perhaps you should go turn in." He suggested. "You look drained."

Actually, I felt like passing out. I wanted to object. I was still hoping to listen in on any conversations, but I knew David was right. I needed some rest, and I really didn't want to clean up the living room. "All right." I said after a minute. I headed for the stairs.

The vampire was halfway through the broken window with his parcel when he turned back. "Hey, no fair. She has to help, too." He objected. "Isn't cleaning her job?"

"I don't think I put 'corpse disposal' in her contract." David said wryly. He hefted up the other vampire corpse. He also leaned behind the couch to retrieve his head. At that point, I hurried upstairs before my stomach gave out entirely.

9: Chapter 9

I sat at the kitchen table, bundled up in a terry cloth robe over a pair of old jeans, my hands wrapped around a mug of coffee, trying desperately to block out the noise.

The living room was filled with workers, all talking loudly over their work. There was the sound of a buzz saw going, and endless hammering. All of the broken glass had been removed from the window. A large piece of plywood covered it now, keeping out the winter chill.

David had left late last night, but not before returning my keys to me. I had been up, trying not to think about what had happened downstairs, while also trying not to get up and eavesdrop on the vampires.

I really didn't spend much time sleeping, and I hoped it wasn't going to become a normal thing for me. In some of the books I read, the humans eventually had to conform their sleeping habits to the vampires, staying up all night and sleeping through the day. I wasn't one for being a night owl.

I took a sip of coffee and cringed. Every movement made my head ache. The noise wasn't helping that any.

The vampire placed a glass bottle filled with amber liquid on the table and dropped down onto the bench across from me. "You look like death warmed over." He said bluntly. "Bad dream?"

"Didn't sleep." I said shortly, taking another tentative sip of my coffee.

"Same here." He opened the bottle and poured some of the contents into my mug. "This will settle your nerves."

"What is it?" I asked suspiciously.

"Bourbon."

I sniffed my coffee gingerly, though I doubt I could detect any poisons if they were present. I decided to take a chance and took a sip. I didn't keel over. I relaxed, but only slightly, and turned my attention back to him. "Explain one thing to me. The one thing that's bugging me the most about all this."

"Shoot."

"How in God's name does a vampire have children?"

The vampire folded his hands together on the table in front of me. "You really want to know?" He asked me, his expression deadly serious. I nodded slowly.

He leaned forward a little and lowered his voice. I leaned toward him, trying to hear over the cacophony in the living room. "You see, little Evangeline, when a boy vampire and a girl vampire love each other very much-"

I shoved him away with both hands, giving him a sour expression. "Grow up." I snapped, hating how he chuckled at my reaction. "Are you going to answer me seriously, or what? I thought vampires couldn't have kids, the whole 'undead' thing. That's why they turn people." I took another sip from my coffee mug. The bourbon settled in my stomach, giving me a warm feeling that was slowly spreading to my limbs. It was a nice feeling, very relaxing.

He gave me a look as if I had insulted him deeply. "Undead? What do you think I am, a zombie?"

"Vampires are undead, everyone knows that." I said at once. "There's no such thing as zombies." Wait, was there? If vampires were real, couldn't other things be real, too? I decided that it was best if I reserved judgment for now, and only believe in the things I saw for myself.

The vampire's face flushed in anger. That surprised me. He had always been so pale, no matter what his expression. Perhaps it was all the blood he drank last night? "I am not a corpse!" He said angrily. He grabbed my hand by the wrist, pulling me across the table. He placed my palm on his chest. He was wearing a thin shirt, so I could feel warmth from his skin.

I tried to pull my hand back, but his grip was like iron. His eyes bore into mine. "Wait." He said.

After a few seconds, I shook my head. "I don't-"

"Wait." He ordered.

Then I felt it. A slight tremor under the skin, echoing though my hand. A heartbeat.

"Okay, I get it." I said weakly.

He released me at once, still finding me quite repulsive. I sat back down in my seat with a thump. I wrapped both hands around my mug and drained the contents nervously.

Okay, so technically, he was alive, at least that was his point. I kept a remark about the fact that he still doesn't breathe normally behind my lips. Instead, I went back to my original topic. "So... vampire children."

He was looking at me with an irritable expression. For half a second, I expected him to cross his arms over his chest and huff. Instead, he launched into an explanation that, to me, felt rehearsed.

"Occasionally, two vampires either love each other enough, or find it convenient enough, to be near each other for an extended period of time, and sometimes you get vampire children." He stared at the bottle broodingly. From his expression, I knew that he was seeing something else, something remembered. "It's hard." He said after a moment. "Being so close to another vampire for an extended period of time. Living together is nearly impossible. The hunger is always there, the desire to kill." He looked at me now, with those odd red eyes of his. "Vampires hunger for other vampires even more than we do for humans."

I felt a sudden chill in my chest. I took a deep drought from my mug to warm me. "So, a vampire child, is it different from a turned vampire?" I asked, unable to squash my curiosity. "And what about half-breeds? There's lore out there about half human / half vampires."

"No half breeds." He answered swiftly. "It's impossible. A vampire is too different from a human, the genes don't match. As for vampire children, they're usually stronger, and better able to deal with the hunger. They have it since they are born, so they don't know anything different. Lucien does well for himself, on pig's blood." The vampire started to laugh. "Do you know what he told me last night?" He didn't wait for me to answer. "He's married. He has a human wife. She doesn't even know he's a vampire."

My eyebrows wrinkled together in confusion. "How can she not know? How does he explain the blood?"

The vampire laughed harder. "He's convinced her that he has some kind of disease. A severe protein deficiency. He even has doctor's notes." His laughter subsided and he stared at the table top, scratching at it with one nail absently. "A human wife." He repeated coolly.

A strange mixture of emotions crossed his face. I could see a flash of annoyance, and confusion, but mostly there was a disconnected, lost look to his eyes. Here was a person who had missed so much, had lost so much time, that he no longer knew how he fit into the world around him.

The bourbon had made me feel so peaceful, that I spared a moment of sympathy for the vampire. I reached my hand forward to place it over his in a comforting manner when my vision suddenly blurred.

My hand missed his by a few inches, my arm slid forward and I let it go. I was more focused on why my head was feeling so heavy to think about my arm. After a few seconds it didn't matter, as everything went dark.

xxxXXXxxx

 

Her head fell forward slowly, till it rested on her arm. After a few minutes, I knew she was out. I stood up, looking down at her. "It's not wise to drink too much alcohol on so little sleep." I said softly. I knelt down, sliding one arm behind her back and another under her knees. I lifted her up easily. She was such a skinny little wraith anyway, I wouldn't have had trouble even if I was human.

I walked through the living room with her in my arms. The workers didn't notice anything, because I didn't want them to. I carried her up the stairs, stopping outside the door to her room.

Sunlight shone out from under the crack at the bottom of the door. I couldn't stow her in there, then. The guest bedroom was the same. No choice then.

I opened the door to my room, closing it behind me with my foot. I considered putting her on the bed, but decided against it. Her scent would be on it for weeks. My nose wrinkled at the thought. I wasn't sure if it was her shampoo or what, but she had a flowery scent that was nearly unbearable.

I dumped her on the small sofa in the corner of the room instead. She didn't stir. She just lay there, in a sleep as deep as death. Weak and helpless. If I was in a better mood I would have played a prank on her. I didn't think I would catch her off guard like this again.

I could have bit her, that would give her a scare when she woke up. Or for a bigger scare, I could undress her. Imagining the look on her face almost made me smile, but I decided against a prank for now. I had more important things to do.

I rummaged through her pockets till I found the keys. As I looked at the large ring it occurred to me that Katrina had forgotten to put some silver among the keys. She had put it everywhere else in the house. Such an amateur mistake...

I dressed with great care, choosing dark wool pants and a matching turtleneck. Over this I wore a long, heavy black coat. After digging around in the closet, I found a black hat with a wide brim, and a heavy wool scarf. I pulled on a pair of leather gloves to complete my outfit. As an afterthought I grabbed a large black umbrella. Then I was ready to brave the outdoors.

The vampire I had drained last night had been young, but full of blood. Enough blood for me to survive the heat of the sun for a little while, provided I covered as much of my body that I possibly could. Normally I wouldn't brave the sun, even if I had enough blood to survive it. It didn't make the burning any less painful. But, I only had a few hours before Evangeline awoke, and I wanted to make the most of the time I had.

I slipped out of the room, locking the door behind me, and drifted down the stairs. I decided to check in on the workers before I left.

The wall under the television had been damaged during the fight. The workers had decided to replace the sheet rock, rather than patch up such a large hole. As I watched, I remembered the fireplace that had once been there. I asked the workers, who told me that the fireplace was still there, behind the wall. I told them to cut it out and have it in working order before I returned. They agreed without protest. The hold I had over their minds was strong, they would work until I came back.

I unlocked the door and stepped out onto the porch. A tall black boy stood in front of me, one hand reaching out for the doorbell. He apologized quickly and stepped to the side. He struck me as a very strange young man. For one thing, he had a door with him.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" I asked, using my influence on him before he said anything.

"Ricky, Angie's friend." He answered immediately, a friendly smile on his face. "I brought the door for the kitchen."

I looked him over. He was certainly no threat. "You're here to put up the door yourself?" I asked. He nodded. "How much is she paying you?"

He shook his head. "I wouldn't charge Angie."

My eyes narrowed just a bit. "Is she special to you?"

"She's nice, but I haven't known her that long. I promised Aunt Katrina that I would take care of the house before she died. She'd skin me alive if I let it fall apart."

"You do know that she's dead, right?" I pointed out.

He grinned."She wouldn't let a little thing like that stop her."

Despite myself, a small laugh escaped me. I put my hand on the boy's shoulder. "I think I like you. You can live." I said pleasantly.

"Uh, thanks. Can I go put up the door now?"

"Go right ahead." I stepped aside, holding the front door open while he maneuvered the kitchen door into the vestibule.

Ricky caught sight of the living room. "What happened?" He asked in concern.

"Car." I said simply. "Drove right through the window."

"But the road is on the other side of the house, how-" Ricky replied as I shut the door and went on my way.

The cemetery was deserted and I had no trouble finding the right grave. The headstone was unusual to me, who was used to large granite affairs. It seems the ones made nowadays were flat little things. From a distance, you might not be able to spot a whole graveyard of these things. That was probably the point. Probably saved on the cost of the stone, as well.

Katrina hadn't been in the ground long before the cold set in, so there was no grass covering her grave site. Just a bare patch of black earth. I stared down at the gravestone for a long time. It read:

Katrina Riley

1931 – 2009

Rage welled up inside of me as I read the name. "How could you do this to me?" I shouted. My voice rang out clear in the cold air. "You trapped me in my own home for fifty years! You claimed my property as my own! You lived your life, ate your meals, worked, slept, and had fun while I rotted up in the attic!"

My hands ached to destroy something, anything. I fell to my knees and began clawing at the dirt under the headstone, tearing it away in great chunks. I would rip her coffin out of the ground and strangle answers from her corpse.

"Why?!" I raged. "You lived your life hunting me! If you were just going to let yourself waste away and die, why didn't you kill me too?!"

I stopped, my eyes wide. A terrible pain, worse than sunlight, burned in my chest. My face was wet. Without realizing it, I had been crying. I bowed my head.

"You stupid woman, how could you die?" I asked sadly. I gripped the earth with both hands, squeezing as hard as I could.

When Katrina had been alive, I could always feel her, hunting me. No matter how far apart we were, her shadow was always around the corner.

Now I felt nothing.

Losing Nora had been tough, but I had always known we would drift apart. Two vampires never stayed together long, and it had been a miracle how long our relationship had lasted.

But Katrina... I thought that her fire would never go out.

I closed my eyes. "I would have turned you eventually." I whispered. "You wouldn't have aged, you could have stayed strong, and we could have hunted each other for centuries. You could have yearned for my blood like I yearned for yours."

I stayed there for a long time in silence. The sky darkened to sunset, casting the headstones in sharp relief, the shadows lengthening, striping the graveyard.

I heard a soft click. My head snapped up, my eyes searching the shadows.

Footsteps, soft and careful, came from ahead of me, slightly to the right. Two young women were walking towards me. They were identical in appearance, down to the clothing they wore. Curled blonde hair, pale skin, electric blue eyes. Twins. Fangs, a dangerous aura. Vampire twins.

Things had certainly gotten interesting. I stood up to my full height, putting out a confident appearance.

Though their looks were exactly the same, their manners and expressions were completely different. One wore a triumphant smile on her face, the other was looking around fearfully, trying not to meet my gaze.

"Nora said you would stop by here eventually." The confident twin called to me. She held a cherry red cellphone in her hand. She turned to her sister briefly. "I knew coming here one more time would be a good idea." The pair stopped a dozen feet from where I stood. "My name is Callisto. This is my sister Calypso."

"I feel honored to meet such a lovely pair." I said politely. "But it is rather rude to lie about your names."

Callisto's smile was very wide. "I'm not lying. You'll discover that you cannot use our true names against us." She glanced at her sister, who was fidgeting nervously. "It would be useless to try."

I reached out for their minds with my own. Vampire minds were more difficult to influence than human ones, but I was strong and full of blood.

I discovered quickly that what she said was true. My influence slid off of the pair, like water down glass. My eyes narrowed.

Callisto held up her hands in mock surrender. "We're not here for a fight." Like her sister, she wore a long black coat that tied in the front, black slacks, and heels. She passed the phone to her sister. "Just a chat."

My eyes were on Calypso as she dialed a number swiftly. She cradled the phone to her ear. "He's here." She whispered.

"That's Nora?" I asked softly, careful not to show any emotion.

Calypso looked up at me, startled. She quickly looked away again, but I saw something in her eyes in that brief moment. She was powerful. In what way I wasn't sure, as she didn't look like a fighter. I guessed that she was stronger than her sister, and was the one protecting them from my influence.

Callisto was definitely the one in charge. When she saw that my attention was focused on her sister, she wrapped an arm around the girl's waist protectively. I focused my attention back to her. "What would you want to talk about with me?" I asked. "Nora is the one that wants me dead, and she obviously knows where I hang out. It looks to me like I'm the one with the questions."

"Lady Nora wants to know why you have not come to see her." Callisto said, ignoring my comments. "After so long, she feels... neglected."

I pulled my lips back over my fangs and let out a short, humorless laugh. "I'm afraid that I love my neck more than I care about Nora's hurt feelings." I confessed. "She seems to have made many strong new allies." My smile turned to a sneer as I remembered how I had dispatched the goons the night before.

I mentioned nothing of Lucifer's death. No point in showing just how much I wanted Nora staked and beheaded. Better to pretend I could care less. For now.

"Lady Nora has said nothing of taking your life." Callisto said, her face showing perfect honesty. I didn't believe her for a second. "She only wishes for you to return to her side."

My hands clenched reflexively. "That was always the thing with Nora, wasn't it? 'Her side'." I jabbed a finger into my chest. "She was supposed to stand by me, at 'my' side." I raised my voice, hoping it carried through the phone.

Calypso's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. She looked at me. She grabbed her sister's sleeve. "We should go." She said hollowly.

Callisto looked over at her sister. "What, why? What did she say?"

Calypso didn't answer her. She stepped back, pulling at her sister. "Lady Nora is very disappointed." She whispered at me.

Overhead, dark clouds rushed to cover the sky. Thunder rumbled ominously. I looked around quickly. "She's here?" I asked. I raised my voice. "Where are you!?"

Lightning crackled among the clouds. I threw myself backwards as a great bolt of it hit the ground, scorching blue. Another bolt came down, hitting the headstone, obliterating it.

Of course she would use lightning. I was out in the open, with no cover in sight. "Coward!" I shouted. My anger slipped out of my control, making my blood boil in my veins. "Show yourself so I can gut you like the sow you are!"

Large figures stepped forward, all around. The twins were gone, replaced by more vicious adversaries. I spat at the ground in defiance. "More cronies, Nora?" I shouted. "I'll rip them to shreds!"

I got no response as the figures advanced quickly, and attacked.

10: Chapter 10

I woke to the unmistakable sound of water hitting tile. I groaned as I sat up. Where was I? And why did it feel like my brain was encased in wool?

As my brain booted up I realized where I was. The shower door was ajar, steam wafting out. A pile of clothes lay on the chair next to the door.

I immediately did a self inspection, making sure my own clothes were intact. I felt on my neck for bite marks, and was relieved to find the skin unblemished. I reached into my pocket for my keys. They were gone, of course.

I watched the shower door for a long moment, making sure the vampire wasn't coming out any time soon. Other than the sound of the water, I heard nothing. I crept silently over to the pile of clothes on the chair. I picked up the pants, checking the pockets, and found the keys right away.

The pants were torn and covered with what looked like mud. There were some damp patches that wet my hands. I pulled my fingers away, and they were stained red with blood.

I dropped the pants and unconsciously wiped my hand down my once-white robe. The terry cloth was no streaked with blood.

He had been outside of the house. Of course he had, that's why he put me to sleep. He had gone out to kill.

I drew in a slow breath, trying to keep myself steady. Anger, rather than fear, was building up inside of me, along with a sting of guilt. It was my fault that he had gotten out. I was supposed to watch him and keep him inside. The lives he took were on my conscious as well as his.

I turned away from the bathroom quickly, marching purposely out of the room. I retrieved my silver weapons and hurried back.

It was my fault that he got out. I should have killed him that first night, then this wouldn't have happened. It was my responsibility. I was going to make sure he never hurt anyone else.

I raised my silver gun up and kicked open the bathroom door. It slammed against the wall with a bang. I stepped slowly into the room as steam poured out, obscuring my vision and making my lungs feel heavy. I kept my gun pointed ahead of me.

I could make his shape out in the shower, as the steam cleared some I saw him more clearly. I could tell right away that there was something very wrong with him.

He stood under the water, his forehead pressed against the tile. His arms hung at his sides limply. His skin was an angry red color, flushed with heat.

He turned feverish eyes towards me slowly. They were completely red, as if the white of his eyes were soaked in blood. He moved his lips laboriously. "You're going to shoot me..." He observed.

"You deserve it." I said firmly, my finger tightening over the trigger. I was preparing myself to pull it, to shoot him, but was having trouble over how completely sick he looked.

"You should do it quick..." He said as he slowly turned so the back of his head rested on the tile wall. "You'll never have a chance like this again..." He turned his red, red eyes up to the ceiling. "I've made such a stupid mistake..."

"Are you ill?" It was obvious to me that he was, but I wanted some explanation as to why.

"I drank too much..." He replied. "Way, way too much..."

A hard lump formed in my throat. "How much?" I forced the words past the obstruction. "How many did you kill?"

He shook his head slowly, then grimaced in pain. "There must have been half a dozen vampires... I couldn't help it... After I was full, I should have stopped... but it had been so long since I really fed..."

Vampires? "You were attacked while you were out?" He nodded slowly. "Did you kill any humans?" I asked very firmly.

"I would have, if I had seen any." He answered, focusing his eyes back on me. "Have you decided against killing me today?"

I lowered the gun reluctantly. "For now. But don't think I won't kill you if I think you've hurt someone. Now, explain to me how you drank so much that you became ill."

His shoulders lifted in a weak shrug. The effort must have been too much for him, because he slid down the shower wall will he was sitting on the floor. He leaned his forehead against his knees. "I didn't notice it at first... and then I didn't care... I thought I would be okay..."

"If the blood is making you sick, can't you just puke it up?" I stared at the stream of water pouring on top of him curiously. I realized then that the water was actually cold, and only turning to steam after it touched his skin. His temperature must be through the roof, hot enough to kill a human definitely.

"The blood is already in my veins, emptying my stomach wouldn't help..."

"Then cut yourself. Bleed it out of you."

He let out a tiny laugh, then groaned in pain. "I don't have the strength." He answered. "My skin is too tough."

"Then I'll do it." I said. Before I could really think about what I was doing, I put the gun in the sink and pulled on my silver glove. I flexed my finger, making the razor sharp blades protrude from the fingertips.

I stepped into the shower. Drops of icy cold water hit my face and neck. I shed my stuffy robe and tossed it aside. I knelt down next to the vampire. "Give me your arm."

He held out his arm, underside up. "Can you really do it?"

I held up my gloved hand, then hesitated. Could I do this? Could I really cut someone? My hand trembled slightly as I pressed the blades to the inside of his wrist. I shut my eyes and jerked my hand.

He gasped in pain and I opened my eyes. Blood dripped from the wound on his wrist as it quickly healed. "It's too small..." He said, gasping again. "Make it bigger or I'll just heal again. And keep your eyes open this time." He snapped.

My teeth gritted together. "I don't have to help you, you know. I should just leave you here to suffer."

He took his arm back and turned his face to the side. "Fine then, leave me here."

I considered leaving him there right then. But I knew that Nora would send more goons to the house. I was almost out of the bullets David had given me, and Danny still hadn't called me back. Without the vampire, I was pretty much a sitting duck.

I took a deep breath. "I'll help you." I said. "But you have to tell me your name."

His mouth cracked in a half smile. "Bloodletting makes us more familiar with each other?" His voice was getting lower. I had a feeling he was going to pass out any minute.

"I'm just tired of having nothing to call you." I grumbled. "How am I supposed to tell you apart from the bad guys?"

"I am one of the bad guys." He pointed out.

"Well, I meant Nora's gang, the ones more likely to kill me."

"Only slightly."

I kept talking, mentally preparing myself for the task ahead of me. "You had me in a vulnerable position earlier, and I'm still alive."

"David would be annoyed with me if I killed you."

"Remind me to send him a fruit basket. So, are you going to keep avoiding my term?"

He still wasn't looking at me. "I don't remember my name."

I felt my brow furrowing. "You mean, from before you got locked up?"

"No, from a long, long time before that."

I frowned. "What am I supposed to call you, then?"

"I have a few aliases. My favorite one was Crowley, Gabriel Crowley."

I shrugged. "It'll do." I took one last deep breath. "Okay, I'm ready."

He held out his arm again. With his other hand, he pointed to the inside of his elbow. "Cut from here to here." He dragged his finger down to his wrist.

"Alright." I placed the silver claws at the inside of his wrist.

The skin began to burn. The vampire, Gabriel, gritted his teeth. "Get it over with."

I pulled my hand down his arm as quickly as I could. The cut wasn't in a straight line. It curved as my hand slipped off of his arm just before I reached his wrist.

Blood sprayed the front of my shirt. I sat backwards heavily, water soaking through the back of my pants instantly. I watched in horrified amazement as blood poured out of his wound, the force of it keeping the wound from healing. It mixed with the water from the shower, so that gallons of red-tinged water went down the drain.

After a moment, his color returned to normal and the steam began to disperse. I looked away then, apparently more uncomfortable with him naked than bleeding.

"It's healed." He said after another moment. His voice sounded stronger.

"You're fine then?" I asked as I stood up and headed for the door, while he shut the cold water off. I wasn't really waiting for an answer. All I wanted was to get out of there, maybe soak in a hot bath, in my own bathroom.

He grabbed my shoulder firmly and turned me around to face him. "Thank you." He said in such a strained voice, as if thanking me was something very hard to do. Then again, with his pride, thanking anyone would be difficult.

"You're welcome." I answered with stiff politeness, my eyes on the wall behind him.

He pushed past me, heading for the door. "You can wash up in here. I don't want you dripping on my carpet." I heard the door open and shut again before I turned around.

I let out a long breath. "Well, glad to see you're taking everything in stride." I said at the blank door. I went over and locked it quickly, not that the tiny lock posed a hindrance at all.

I peeled off my let clothes and wrung them out in the shower. Then I turned the water up hot, searing the blood off of my skin. I washed my hair while I was at it. When I was done I stepped out of the shower and opened the linen closet, hunting for a towel.

Something black caught the corner of my eye. I turned and saw a black robe hanging off of the towel bar. I frowned at it. Had that always been there? I glanced at the door. It was still locked.

I shivered briefly, then decided not to question it. I pulled on the robe, tying it firmly. It was a bit large, so I rolled up the sleeves. The hem came down past my knees, which suited me just fine.

Gabriel was mercifully dressed when I exited the bathroom with my bundle of wet clothes. There wasn't anything I could think of to say to shake the awkward feeling in the air, so I decided to just leave. He pretended not to notice me at all.

Once I was back in my own room, I sighed with relief. Random thoughts floated into my head, ready to be examined.

Gabriel had fought against a lot of vampires, and he had won He would have been fine if he hadn't O. on their blood. How strong did that mean Gabriel was? Stronger than normal vampires, obviously. Unless Nora was sending weak vampires at him on purpose. Though that didn't make sense if she wanted him dead. And why did she want him dead, anyway?

I needed more information. My eyes fell on great Aunt Katrina's diary. I was sure to find some answers there. I walked over to the desk and grabbed the book. I didn't bother changing out of the robe, I plopped down on my little bed and cracked open the book on a random page.

xxxXXXxxx

 

I did not think to keep a log of my experiences in this world until I was well advanced in my years. As such, this record jumps around as I recall moments in my life. One day, I shall go over these memoirs and reorder them more coherently. David suggested I publish it as a fiction novel, he's always full of rubbish like that.

Most recently, my mind wandered down through the years to the beginning. I wasn't always this hardened and bitter, though it was a very long time ago that my heart felt light. Perhaps now is the time to recall my origins.

I was born in a small Irish town. I am hesitant to record the name here. The village no longer exists and I do not want anyone disturbing the spirits of the dead.

My family owned a little shop in the center of town. We sold radios, and my father repaired broken ones. This was back before television, so radios were very popular, and we did okay.

My father was a straight and tall man. He had dark brown hair and wore a thick mustache. Looking up at him I could just make out severe blue eyes from under dark, bushy brows.

My elder sister, Kirsten, was much like my father. Very tall with dark brown hair. She was lean and strong and had a no-nonsense head on her shoulders. She helped Father run the shop.

My mother was pale and slender, with red hair that was very light, almost washed out looking. Her eyes were a soft and tender blue. She spent most of her day looking after the house, so it fell on me to watch Alice.

Little Alice was my baby sister. She was soft and chubby and angelic. Her hair was nothing more than blond fuzz, and she had Mother's eyes. I loved Alice dearly, and felt so grown up when I took care of her.

At the tender age of ten I already knew how to change her. I knew how to keep sharp things up high and out of her reach, and I was the one who taught her how to crawl. And when she smiled her baby smile at me, I felt warm and happy.

We were all relatively ahppy, and lost in our ordinary-ness. But everything changed when Farmer Aiot disappeared.

We were a very small town, surrounded by farmland, so word spread quickly. Kirsten herself had seen Mrs. Aiot walk into the pub across the street, looking quite anxious.

He was found days later, in the river. The only reason I heard about it at all was because I was walking around, showing Alice the shop when a good friend of my father's, Constable Crane, came in to gossip. From the expression on his face, I knew something big had happened. I carried Alice over to the counter and sat her down on the floor. I ducked down with her quietly, and we both listened.

"Dragged 'im out this mornin'." Crane was saying. "Throat sliced right open. Coroner says he bled right out."

I peeked out from behind the counter and watched my father shake his head sadly. "I can't think of anyone who would do such a thing. And to Aiot, of all people. The man was in his sixties and never harmed a soul."

"They think it was an outsider. Though they said they couldn't be sure since there were no fingermarks." 'They' were the detectives from the next town, our town being too small to have any of our own.

"Katrina..." My father said sternly, noticing my red hair from behind the counter most likely.

"I was just fetching Alice's rattle. It fell behind the counter." I picked up Alice and scurried up the stairs.

Farmer Aiot was only the first victim. Widow Dowly's eldest son went missing a week after. Kirsten let slip to me that he was killed in the same way.

The air had changed, a cold, bitter wind blew through. The early spring seeds refused to sprout, and the trees remained bare. The sky turned gray and a somber rain fell.

In town, families locked their doors at night, and traveled in groups when they went out. There were scared shispers coming fro every direction. There was a murderer about, they said.

Father Quinn was the only one in anything like good spirits. The little church was filled up every night, everyone hoping for a little sanctuary. Apparently not even church was safe, as Father Quinn was the third victim.

I didn't hear how he had died, no one woud speak of such an awful thing in my presence. Mother told me that night I was supposed to be home right after school every day, and I wasn't allowed to take Alice outside by myself.

These memories are dim at best, but the next part I remember vividly. It was seared into my mind long ago, and will haunt me until the day I finally die.

Within a couple of weeks, a new clergyman arrived in town, to take over for Father Quinn. I was actually the first one to meet him.

It was early morning, the sun just rising. The sky was overcast, so the sun itself could not be seen. A taxi from the next town dropped him off in front of the church. I was helping Father and Kirsten open the shop by sweeping out front. That was when I saw him step out of the big, black cab.

He was tall, though not as tall as Father, and younger too. His hair was raven-black and worn rather casually for a man of the cloth. His black suit was properly tailored though, and fit his thin frame perfectly.

I rarely ever saw someone new, and there was no one else around, so I openly stared at the man. The cab chugged away and he stood alone on the steps of the church, suitcase dangling from his hand. He stood with his back straight, staring up at the church. As I watched, he inhaled slowly, as if he were scenting something.

He started walking up the steps, and it was at that moment, the handle of his suitcase snapped off and the suitcase tumbled down the steps. I heard the Father swear under his breath.

Before I realized it, I has dropped my broom and hurried across the street. The suitcase hit the street, but didn't pop open. I grabbed it quickly. The priest was already reaching for it. I hefted it up and handed it to him. He had carried it as if it were light, but it was actually really heavy, and very old. No wonder the handle had come undone. "You shouldn't swear, Father." I said quietly.

"You're a strong little girl." He commented with a small smile. His eyes were as dark as his hair, but they twinkled with a hidden mirth.

I frowned at him. "I'm not 'little'." I told him firmly. "I'm ten, and I'm strong from carrying Alice around."

"Alice is your doll?" Again that mirth in his voice and face.

"My sister." I corrected. "She's nine months old, and very chubby."

His eyebrows raised, as if he were impressed, but I suspected it was a false expression. "My apologies, young lady." He said solemnly. "I'm new in town, and I didn't know what was about."

I was suspicious now. "You're not Irish, are you, Father?"

"You are correct. I'm English. I can see now that I will get nothing by you." He wagged a finger at me.

He was English, that explained his strangeness. I had known there was something wrong with him right from the start. I had heard about the English from my father, so I was pretty well versed.

"Is that your shop over there?" He asked, looking across the street. "Riley's Radios?"

"It's my father's shop." I said, my chest swelling with pride. "Do you have a radio, Father?"

"I do, but it's not working."

"Father repairs broken radios, you should bring it by."

"I believe that I shall. Will you give me a discount?" His none-too-well-hidden merriment had returned.

"Of course not." I replied haughtily. "You're a stranger."

He put his hand to his chest. "But I am here to save the lost little lambs who have strayed from God."

I looked him over again. Finally I held out my hand. "I'm Katrina Riley."

He smiled warmly, taking my hand in his briefly. It was like ice, and made me shiver. "Father Crowley, and it's a pleasure to meet you."

11: Chapter 11

 

The gloomy atmosphere did not lift over my little town. The clouds continued to gather overhead, getting heavier as each day passed, casting all of us in an eternal twilight. A light drizzle seemed to fall all the time.

I hated this awful weather. I missed sunlight, I missed taking Alice outside to see the birds. I missed climbing the big tree behind the shop. Now I just sat looking out the window. I watched the little church across the street, and the pub down at the corner. They were both filled due to these troubling times, people drowning out their sorrows one way or another.

"There was a lightning storm late last night." Father told Mother as he lingered over breakfast one morning. Kirsten was already downstairs running the shop, and Alice was asleep in her bassinet.

"Was anyone hurt?" Mother asked in concern as she poured herself a cup of tea.

Father chewed his food slowly. "No people." He said after a moment.

Mother sat down next to him at the table. "What happened?"

Father turned his eyes to me. He wouldn't talk if I was around. I picked up my plate and put it in the sink. Then I left the room, hanging out by the doorway and listened.

"It was over on Dawson's land. The lightning knocked down a few trees. Hit the barn, too."

I heard my mother gasp. "And the horses?"

Father shook his head. "A few managed to escape the fire." His voice lowered and I strained to hear him. "But, they were hit by lightning as they tried to escape. They're all dead. It's as if someone was doing it on purpose somehow. Dawson is ruined."

"I just don't understand." Mother said sadly. "What's going on here? I phoned my cousin, Doris just yesterday. She said the weather has been fine all week. Perfect sunny days, she says. And she's just in the next town."

"There's talk going around, that we're being punished." Father said solemnly.

"For what?" Mother scoffed. "We've always been such a peaceful little town."

"They say that it's God's work."

This only made my mother more skeptical. "God has no reason to punish us. There are no sinners in this town." I heard her chair scrape across the floor as she got to her feet. I hurried away from the door, heading downstairs.

The shop was empty, save for Kirsten behind the counter. She wore a pair of goggles, her dark hair tied back, as she inspected the complicated innards of a radio.

The bell on the door jingled as it opened. I turned to it. Father Crowley stepped into the shop, a large bundle wrapped in paper under his arm. He was whistling a jaunty tune. Well, at least someone in this town was in good spirits.

I walked over to the clergyman. "Good morning, Father Crowley." I said politely, but without much feeling.

"You don't sound as though you are having a good morning." Father Crowley answered. I didn't know what to say, not accustomed to hoisting my troubles on others, so I just shrugged. "How can you look so glum on such a beautiful day?"

I looked past him, out of the big shop windows. The weather was still just as gray and just as wet as it was when I woke up. I looked back up at him, raising one eyebrow. I reminded myself that he was English, and therefore unusual, and to be pitied. "Have you brought your radio with you today?" I asked.

"Indeed, I have." He set the paper package up on the counter. My sister Kirsten scowled at it as it encroached on her workspace. Her expression changed entirely as she looked up at Father Crowley. "Could you take a look at this for me?" He asked her, his voice all funny and soft.

As I watched, Kirsten's cheeks slowly grew red as she stared at Father Crowley. This was an expression I had never seen on my sister before, and it confused me utterly. I studied the priest for a moment, trying to discern exactly what was so riveting about him. He did stand out in our little community with his dark eyes and black hair, but I didn't see anything exceptional in his features. Perhaps it was the way he looked at Kirsten, his gaze piercing, and his soft voice.

Something clicked in my mind. Ah, I thought, this is what Mother calls 'charm'.

Kirsten turned her attention reluctantly to the radio as he unwrapped the rain-spotted paper. Then her professional interest took over. "I don't think I've seen a radio this small before." She remarked. The radio in question was slightly larger than a shoebox. The smallest one we had in the shop was a tabletop model about the size of a lamp.

"I bought it in London." Father Crowley said. "It's the very latest model."

Kirsten was already taking off the back. "The insides are all familiar." She announced. "I think I can fix this."

"Excellent." The priest smiled broadly. "I shall pick it up later today."

My sister glanced at the radio she was already working on. She smiled widely. "All right then."

"Hopefully you will have time for my sermon today." He said. "I haven't seen your family in my church yet."

I frowned at that. Father Murphy hadn't even been dead a month and he was calling it his church already. "Today's Saturday, Father." I spoke up. "We've only ever gone to church on Sundays." In reality, we hardly ever went to church. Father always said he didn't like wasting good working hours sitting in an uncomfortable seat and hearing all the different ways we were going to Hell. That didn't mean we were against the church or God. We prayed at home, and Father read to me and Alice from the Bible. It was true that when we did go to church though, it was on a Sunday, with the exception of Christmas Mass.

"Church is not just for Sundays." Father Crowley turned to me. "It is especially important in these troubling times that the community come together as a whole." He brought his hands to his chest. "Together, we are strong enough to face any adversity."

"You are absolutely right." My father said, behind me. I turned and looked at him in surprise. "Now is the time more than ever for everyone to be united. Dark, terrible things are being done, and it is through the strength of our faith that we will persevere through them."

Father Crowley's lips pulled back across his teeth. "So then I shall see you all there?" He asked.

Father nodded. "We'll be there."

I stared at Father Crowley. There was something wrong with his smile. If you could even call it a smile. As I looked, I saw that he had sharp, wicked fangs. I let out a piercing shriek, stepping backwards away from him. I walked right into a shelf and fell to the floor.

Mother was hurrying down the stairs, she saw me and was at my side at once. "Katrina, what happened?" Father, Kirsten, and Father Crowley were all looking at me strangely.

I pointed at Father Crowley. "Mother, he's-" I looked back at Father Crowley, but I could not see his fangs any longer. He just looked at me quizzically, his face a perfect mask of innocence. I looked back at my mother. "He had fangs, Mother." My voice quavered. Tears filled my eyes.

Mother put her arms around me and soothed me, whispering shushing noises in my ear. "My apologies, Father Crowley." I heard my father say. "Katrina has always had a very active imagination."

"No apologies are necessary. Who knows what stories have been passing over that child's head of late, it's bound to make anyone jump at shadows. All the more reason for a positive experience."

"Quite right." Father agreed as he showed the priest to the door. The bell jingled and he was gone.

I peered over Mother's arm, up at Father. He didn't look at me, and instead went to help Kirsten behind the counter. He was ashamed of me because I had caused such a scene. I bit my lip as more tears threatened.

A faint crying sound came from upstairs. Mother looked up. "That will be Alice, woken by all the commotion."

I sniffed hard. "I'll be okay Mother." I pulled away from her gently. "You tend to Alice."

"If you say so." Mother kissed my forehead and helped me to my feet. Then she drifted up the stairs.

Being in the shop with Father and Kirsten right now was unbearable, so I followed Mother upstairs. I sat by the parlor window with the light off and looked down at the street. I saw Father Crowley standing outside of his church, talking to someone who was under an umbrella. I watched as they talked for a few moments, then the rain picked up and the person with the umbrella left. Then, Father Crowley looked up at me.

I ducked quickly, then felt foolish. How could he see me from so far away, and in the rain? I peered back out the window.

He stood on the steps of the church, hands in his pockets, watching the shop. I could swear he was looking right at my window. The rain beat down on him, but he didn't seem to mind. Drops of water fell from his hair, dripping down his collar. I found him odd and frightening at the same time. I remembered seeing his fangs and shivered. Rather than thinking I had imagined them, I was convinced that he still had them and he was just hiding them somehow.

I don't like you, I thought. Father Crowley smiled.

I blinked, then rubbed my eyes. I was up on the second floor, so maybe I hadn't seen him properly. When I looked again though, he was turning and walking back into the church.

Mother put me in my nice dress for the sermon. "Who holds Mass at night?" I complained irritably. Mother had not heeded my pleas to stay behind. I wanted nothing to do with Father Crowley or 'his' church.

"Nighttime around here has become a dangerous time." Mother said softly. "It should not be so for a small town like ours. Night should be a time of peace and rest. We're going to get that back tonight. Father Crowley is going to help us do that."

My frown furrowed my brows tight. "Everyone seems to like Father Crowley a lot." I observed.

Mother looked me in the eyes. "You don't?" I shook my head. "Why not?" I shrugged. Mother patted my head as she stood up. "It'll be fine, you'll see."

Just as the five of us left the shop, and as Father was locking up, the church tower bell began to toll. It's deep gong blanketed my little village and sent a tremor into my heart. I looked up at the sky and found the clouds that had hung overhead for so long were gone. The moon was bright and full, and to me, it's light was unbearably cold.

We joined a crowd forming across the street. Seeing everyone all together, I realized then just how many people lived in our village. There were even some people that I didn't recognize.

At the top of the steps, the two huge wooden doors of the church opened. Father Crowley was at the left door, and a young man I had never seen before was at the right. He looked to be in his late teens, and had black hair just like Father Crowley's. I looked back and forth between the two of them, and saw even more similarities. Perhaps they were related.

The crowd filed inside and I was suddenly at the top of the stairs. Father Crowley smiled down at me with his perfectly normal, straight teeth. I narrowed my eyes at him before looking away. I focused on the young man, comparing him to Father Crowley.

He was thinner, and much paler. His cheekbones were more pronounced, and his cheeks were sunken in a little. His eyes were a glassy black, and his stare was vacant. Despite all that, I still found him sort of handsome. My parents were chatting with Father Crowley, Kirsten staring at him raptly, so I introduced myself to the young man. "My name is Katrina." I said boldly.

"Lucifer." The young man looked down at me, as if just discovering I was there. My eyes widened a little and he smiled faintly. "Just kidding."

"-my brother, Alex." Father Crowley was saying to my parents, stepping up just now. "He's been helping me in cleaning out the church, Father Murphy was many things, but tidy was not one of them. He chuckled softly.

Father laughed. "I've sat in his parlor, so I know what you mean."

Alex shook hands with my father, both of them nodding to each other in that mysterious way men do. "You're Mister Riley, Sir?"

Father looked mildly surprised. "My fame proceeds me, I see." He said in good humor.

"Gabriel has said much about you." Alex said, the corner of his mouth lifting at some private joke.

Father Crowley shot him a sharp glance. He coughed in that polite way one does to draw attention to himself. "We should start soon."

Alex nodded his head towards my father. "I'll see you inside." Then he turned and vanished into the church.

Father Crowley was excusing himself when a small figure peered out from behind him. It was a boy, a couple of years younger than I. He tugged on Father Crowley's shirt. "Father, I'm hungry." He said pitifully, not looking well at all. His black hair was shiny with sweat. His face was pale and drawn and his movements were sluggish.

Father Crowley turned immediately, kneeling down and placing his hands on the boy's shoulders. He spoke softly, in a reassuring tone. Unfortunately, his voice was too low for me to hear.

The boy looked around Father Crowley at me. I realized then that I was leaning towards them slightly in my attempts to overhear. Father put a hand on my shoulder and steered me into the church. I looked back, over my shoulder. The boy was watching me intently, his eyes a strange dark red. I looked ahead quickly, suppressing a shiver.

Every pew was filled and the hum of many people talking filled the church all the way up to the high ceiling. I slipped my hand into my father's, nervous about getting lost in such a crowd. We found an empty pew and shuffled in.

As we sat down the large doors closed. They made a loud noise that echoed throughout the church. Everyone quieted down and turned to the altar expectantly. Father Crowley stepped up and started speaking to the congregation. I didn't hear a word of it as Alice began to fuss at that exact moment.

Mother tried to shush her without drawing too much attention. Thankfully, everyone's eyes were focused on Father Crowley. "What's the matter?" I whispered to Mother.

Mother shook her head. "I don't know, she won't calm down. If this keeps up, she'll start to cry." She tried bouncing ALice up and down lightly, but Alice continued to fuss.

I held my hands out. "let me take her." I said. "She looks tired. I'll walk around with her for a bit." Mother handed me Alice gratefully. "Where's her blanket?" I asked.

Mother looked around, then sighed. "It must still be back at the shop."

"I'll get it." I said, standing up.

"Hurry back, it's dark out." Mother reached her hands out to take Alice back.

I didn't hand my sister back. "It's only across the street, and I'll be able to walk Alice while I fetch it." I smiled. "She'll be asleep by the time I return." I promised.

Mother had been half listening to Father Crowley. She focused her full attention on his sermon now. "All right, be careful."

Luckily, I was at the end of the pew, so it was easy for me to get into the aisle without disturbing anyone else. Though from the look of everyone, I could have yelled 'Fire!' and they would not have turned away from Father Crowley.

I looked over at him. That man might have just too much charisma, to be able to mesmerize people like this. I guessed it made him a good priest.

Alice tugged at my hair ad I looked away from Father Crowley reluctantly. She looked up at me with her blue eyes, tears brimming the corners. "Let's get you your blanket." I told her.

The large front doors of the church were closed tightly, and I didn't think I could open even one on my own, so I looked around for another exit. Alice laid her head on my shoulder, enjoying the rhythm of my steps. I went through a doorway, down a hallway, and soon found myself in a back room, and I was not alone.

The boy I had seen earlier was in this room, which appeared to be an office. He sat in a large chair behind the desk, his feet not even touching the floor. He swung them lazily till he saw me, then he stopped. "I'm hungry." He told me, staring at me with his dark red eyes.

I backed up quickly, feeling more than a little creeped out. "Excuse me, sorry, wrong room." I blinked and the boy was standing in front of me, looking up, as he was shorter than me by several inches.

"I'm hungry." He said, his tone changing from pitiful to threatening. His eyes glittered dangerously.

I took another step back in alarm. The boy lunged, reaching out for me and Alice. The speed he had just a second earlier failed him now. I sidestepped, dodging him easily. He tripped and fell to the ground in the hall.

He looked up at me and hissed, showing sharp fangs. My eyes widened and I backed up even more. I ran into someone, and looked up.

Alex stood behind me, looking down at me. "What's the rush, little one?" He smiled. Then he caught sight of the boy. "Lucien!" He moved around me and was at the boy's side faster than my eyes could follow. I took my opportunity and escaped.

I hurried down another hallway, trying to figure out which way I had come. Alice kept her head on my shoulder, staring at my face quietly.

Questions buzzed around in my head. What was wrong with that boy? He had obviously been sick, but why the fangs? Was he even human? I had seen Father Crowley with fangs as well. Was Father Crowley even human?

I needed to get back to Mother and Father.

I came to a corner, then stopped before turning. I could hear footsteps coming towards me. I looked around, and saw a door. I opened it and hurried through, shutting it quickly behind me.

I was outside. I blinked in the sudden darkness, my eyes adjusting slowly. I had come out behind the church. There was a lot of land back here, and I could see the cemetery in the distance. Alice had slid down to my hip. I hefted her up to my shoulder again. That was when I heard the screams.

They were muffled, coming from inside the church. I immediately tried to go back inside, but the door I had come out of was locked. I decided to go around to the front, and began sprinting across the lawn.

As I neared the corner, a tall figure stepped around, blocking my way. I skidded to a stop, my feet slipped on the wet grass and I fell on my backside. Alice, frightened, began to cry.

"What's going on!" I cried in a panic. "What are you?!"

"Something you will never understand." I recognized Father Crowley's voice. "We are monsters."

I looked around. There were more shadows on the lawn than there had been a moment before. Inside the church the screams had stopped.

Fear clutched at my heart and my throat, strangling both. "W-why are you doing this?" My voice came out quavering in fright.

"It's simple." Father Crowley answered. "We're hungry."

I was only a child back then, confused and scared. Things were happening too fast for me to cope. I got to my feet with difficulty. I lashed out in anger. "You're the ones that murdered those people, and killed all those poor horses!" I shouted, tears in my eyes. "You could you have gone somewhere else! Anywhere else! Why did you come here?!"

"Why not?"

I glared up at him, clutching my baby sister in my arms. Alice wailed on, her voice carrying over the church grounds, drawing the dark shadows nearer.

Father Crowley's figure blocked out the moon, leaving a silver halo about his head that shrouded his face completely. "Your parents are dead, and you cannot escape. Just quiet her down and come along."

"No." I said, sticking out my chin stubbornly. "I won't ever forget this. One of these days I will kill you."

"A little girl like you, talking of murder?" He whispered. "I've just told you your parents were dead, where are your tears? Your despair?"

The tears were there, just barely held back. Adrenaline and fear kept the despair back. I continued to glare at him, not trusting myself to speak anymore.

He laughed softly. "Very well then." He lifted one hand to his shadowed mouth. He grunted softly, then reached out to me, his forefinger extended. Blood dripped from the tip.

My body did not move, even though I was screaming internally at it. Father Crowley pressed the tip of his finger to my forehead. I felt him draw a small cross in his blood, then he drew away. "The others will smell my blood on you, and they will not harm you unless they wish to challenge me. You are now marked as mine."

"What about Alice?" I demanded, caring nothing about his reasons for sparing me. "Mark her too!"

"No." He said in a dead voice. The wind picked up then, stirring his long black coat.

"Then kill me now!" I shouted. My family, my village, was dead and dying. The only thing I had left was Alice. If she was to be taken from me as well, there was no point in being spared.

"No." His voice was final.

"Then I'll do it myself." I knelt down and sat Alice up on the grass. Her crying petered out to a whimper as I took her face in both of my hands, gently forcing her to look away from Father Crowley, to me. I pressed my still wet forehead to hers, rolling our faces slightly, carefully copying the mark over. I pulled away cautiously, hoping she wouldn't jerk or move and mess it up. She remained still, looking up at me with her blue eyes, under a dark cross of blood on her brow.

Father Crowley hissed. It was a terrible sound, ten times more horrifying than the boy's had been. "You have no idea what you've just done." His voice became monstrous with rage.

I flinched and covered Alice with my body, squeezing my eyes closed tight. I would protect her to the very end, even if my small body only gave her a few seconds of defense.

When no attack came, I cautiously opened one eye, peering around. Father Crowley was gone, as were the dark figures on the grounds. Overhead, heavy clouds gathered, much more quickly than was natural. They soon blocked out the cold light of the moon. A deep mist crawled along the grass, and a light drizzle fell.

Without waiting around to see what had happened, I scooped up Alice in my arms and ran. I ran away from the church, but not into town. I knew that they would be roaming the streets, looking for whomever had missed the sermon.

I reached the cemetery, which appeared to be deserted. While holding Alice, I pushed my shoulder hard against the heavy metal gate. The door opened only a little, but enough for me to squeeze through.

The smell of moss and damp soil filled my nose as I moved quickly among the large headstones. Thunder rumbled overhead, dark and ominous. I came upon a mausoleum and pushed at the stone door. The light drizzling grew to a heavy downpour and Alice started crying again as rain ran down her face.

The mausoleum was shut tight, so I gave up and moved to the next one. Lightning flashed overhead, followed closely by a loud crash of thunder. Alice shrieked in terror, gripping her tiny fingers into my hair tight enough to hurt. I managed to get the stone door opened. I scurried in and shut it behind me.

The sound of the thunder was muffled instantly by the thick walls of the stone crypt. I sat on the floor, leaning my back against the cold, rough wall. I began rocking Alice, making meaningless shushing noises with my mouth, praying that no one or no 'thing' heard her. She eventually cried herself out and fell asleep on my shoulder.

I sat on the hard floor, staring at the door. My body ached too much from the fear, and the running, and carrying my sister that I wouldn't have been able to rest even in my own bed. So I sat there without moving, surrounded by the dead, and I watched that door all night.

Hours dragged on, but I knew not how many. After an eternity, Alice woke, crying weakly for food.

I got to my feet, my muscles screaming in pain and weariness, though some were numb and cramped. I pulled the door open slowly, with what little strength I had left. As the door cracked open, sunlight streamed in.

Alice and I blinked, our eyes dazzled by the light. Warm air kissed our cold and clammy skin. With new strength I pulled the door open and stepped out into the sunlight.

Our rainy and cold spring was over, summer was here. Though my body felt relief in the warmth, it could not penetrate my heart. I took Alice back into town, heading straight home while avoiding looking at the church as little as possible. The streets were deserted, empty of anything living.

I changed and fed Alice, then myself. Afterward, I tore up an old curtain and fashioned a sling out of it. This I used to wrap around Alice, then I tied her to my back. This left my hands free for what lay ahead. I hesitated and waited till Alice napped on my back before entering the church.

I don't remember what happened next anymore. I no longer recall the horror I found inside of that church. My mind has long since buried the images of my parents, my sister, my friends and neighbors, all massacred.

The next thing I remember clearly was when they found me, days later. I was behind the church, digging graves. I had filled the cemetery, leaving stone markers instead of headstones. Some had names scratched into them. Those were the graves for the people who were still together enough to be recognized.

Alice was strapped to my back, and at first they did not believe that she was alive. She had become still and quiet over the days out in the sun. I was half alive myself, more concerned with digging graves and feeding Alice than my own well-being.

They were from the next town. No one had heard from my little village in days, and some had come looking. I hadn't been able to phone anyone myself because, back then, phones routed to an operator, and I hadn't reached Lucielle Byrne's body yet. That I was aware of.

They took Alice and I away that day, though I tried to fight them. My mind was fevered and I wasn't rational, wanting only to finish the job I had started. It was after they took Alice away from me that I went with them. We were both taken to an orphanage, where we were eventually split up.

I didn't put up a fight when Alice was adopted before me. I had realized by that time that she was better off without me. Something inside of me had been broken, and it showed to all who knew me. Alice had a chance to live a happy and normal life, never remembering what had happened to her parents. I let her have that chance, while I devoted myself to other pursuits. I would hunt the dark things that had slain my entire village, for myself and for my sister.

12: Chapter 12

I closed the diary slowly, sliding it over to the nightstand. Looking around me, everything seemed so unreal. I had been so caught up in Great Aunt Katrina's world that my own seemed to be the far off dream. I decided to just stare at the ceiling and let my thoughts percolate.

Great Aunt Katrina had always been the eccentric one in my family. 'Eccentric' was what my mother called her, everyone else used words like 'paranoid' and 'insane'. Katrina never went to any family get-togethers, and she really didn't keep up on family matters. She wasn't even on Facebook.

Still, I had known of her since I was a child, which meant that at one point she did re-connect with Alice, my grandmother. I thought of the Nana Alice I knew, white haired and cheerful, spending her days in a retirement home upstate. It was hard to think of her as a golden-curled baby being protected by her older sister from vampires.

The two sisters had both aged tremendously. Katrina was dead and buried, and Nana only had a few years left in her, holed up in that retirement home upstate. Gabriel Crowley, on the other hand, had stayed the same, strong and whole and young. He stayed that way because of what he did, murdering whole villages. It was his fault that Katrina had been the black sheep in my family.

Even after her death, her paranoia was evident with bullet-proof windows, the fully stocked pantry in the basement, the elaborate locks and all the keys I needed just to get around. I even suspected that the glass bottles under the sink contained holy water. There was also the gym and the elaborate entertainment center, that way she could stay in shape and amuse herself without leaving the house.

One thing that seemed odd were her friends, Steven, Cassandra, and Ricky. All young people, all who had spent much time here with Great Aunt Katrina. All three had loved and respected her a great deal, if their attitudes about her were nay indication. Perhaps in her old age, she had become lonely, I could see that. But... she had a vampire in her attic, and I didn't think she would willingly expose anyone to that kind of threat.

I thought about how Steven had just showed up in my kitchen unannounced, and how Cassandra had been so eager to show me everything about caring for the house. Perhaps under that kind of onslaught, Great Aunt Katrina had had little choice about having them over.

But that vampire... Great Aunt Katrina had wasted her life hunting him down, and all for what? She was dead and gone, and he was walking around complaining about his clothes.

Why hadn't she just killed him when she had the chance? She could have saved herself a lot of grief.

I peered at the diary. The answer might be in there, but I felt I had read as much as I could take for now. I needed to clear my head, focus on the present, before I drowned myself in the past.

xxxXXXxxx

 

I inspected the living room with great care. Those goons that Nora had sent had really made a mess of everything. Though that was mostly because I had thrown them into everything. The corners of my mouth turned up at the memory.

That small elation didn't last long, however. There was a small thought, a tiny annoyance, that had buzzed around in my head since the fight at the cemetery. Nora knew how powerful I was, so why was she sending such weaklings after me?

It couldn't be that she was underestimating me, thinking me weak from being imprisoned so long. From what Lucien could gather, Nora didn't even know I had been imprisoned. So why send the grunts after me, literal lambs into the jaws of the lion? There had to be a fiendishly cunning reason for it. I had known Nora long enough to expect nothing less.

But... that was a matter to dwell over at another time. There were far more important things that demanded my attention.

Back to the living loom. It had been repaired perfectly, and the chimney was once again in working order. The new television had been delivered and was hanging up to the left of where it had once been. The carpet had been professionally cleaned till there was not even a trace of blood left. And the new window was so clear you couldn't even tell it was there.

Everything was just so... perfect.

I took a moment to soak in this peaceful feeling. I loved it when things went exactly as they were meant to.

Still, call it my own pessimism, I felt there was something out of place with this scene. Something was missing...

I looked around and spied the small box on the counter. That's right, I forgot to open the remote control for the television. I hurried to correct this oversight at once.

Evangeline chose that moment to descend the stairs. She spotted the remote in my hand, walked right over and took it from me. "Excuse me?" I said, making my tone just a little threatening.

"Thanks." She said gruffly without even looking at me. Then she walked over to the new couch and plopped herself down on it.

"I wanted to be the first one to try out the new couch." I pointed out to her in what I felt was a reasonable tone.

"Oh well." She said, still without looking at me. She lifted the remote control and turned on the television without another word.

It seemed that Evangeline had discovered whole new depths of being irritating while in her room. I prowled over to the couch, resting my palms gently on the back. "I bought it, and the new television. So it's only fair that I be the first to use them." I kept my voice calm and slow.

"Technically, you used Great Aunt Katrina's bank account." Evangeline said shortly, not taking her eyes off of the television screen.

I was really, really trying hard to be reasonable here. Not even Lucien could fault my manners. After all, I did owe Evangeline some small courtesy after she had helped me and right away she was abusing my generosity. "Technically," I said the word in a very precise manner. "That account has all of my money."

Evangeline shrugged, and put the volume on the television louder. My hands gripped the back of the couch, my nails in danger of sinking into the white leather. But no, I could be the cool one here. I wouldn't fly off the handle just because this little girl lacked manners and respect.

I walked around the couch and sat down next to her, laying my right arm across the back of the couch. "So, what are we watching?" I asked, quite coolly.

Again without even looking at me, Evangeline slid herself down to the other end of the couch. I inspected her profile from the corner of my eye. Her face showed incredible tension, though she was trying to put forth a calm attitude. I could have asked her what was wrong, if I actually cared enough. Asking would probably unleash a torrent of whining and self pity that I didn't have the patience or interest for. I just wanted her to stop taking whatever it was out on me.

Evangeline had turned on a movie, so I might as well watch it. It was a dark one set in a heavy forest. The protagonists seemed to be running from a large, hairy monster. As I watched I started enjoying myself, though probably not in the way the Director had intended for his audience.

I snickered aloud and Evangeline's eyes flickered in my direction. "Have something against werewolves?"

I stifled a full laugh with my fist, shaking my head. "There's no such thing as werewolves."

She frowned deeply. "Oh."

"Is that disappointment I hear?"

She shrugged. "I was just thinking anything would be better than vampires." My eyes narrowed at that. "The vampires in this movie are lame and gimmicky. I guess art imitates life."

Her attempts to insult me were feeble at best, but I really should put her in her place. "There's no such thing as werewolves because they're all really just vampires."

She arched one dark brow at me. "So, do you get all hairy under the full moon, too?"

"Oh ha ha. That's not how it works."

She turned away from the television, folding her hands in her lap. "Then tell me how it works."

"A human being is a very soft creature, mentally." I told her gently. Her expression darkened, which amused me. I continued with relish. "It's very easy to make them see what we want to see."

"So, werewolves are just vampire mind tricks?"

"Except, the fangs and claws are very real."

"Is that where the myth about silver bullets killing werewolves came from?"

It was my turn to shrug. "I suppose."

"What about wooden stakes through the heart? Do those kill vampires?"

I regarded her suspiciously. "Why do you want to know?"

"It might be useful to know, in case I get attacked again."

"And here I was worried you were going to kill me in my sleep." A sly smile spread across my lips.

She frowned thoughtfully, staring into space. "No, I couldn't do it when I had the chance." She turned back towards the TV, but instead of watching the movie, she just stared at her folded hands. The air changed and I could smell a heavy sadness rolling off of her. I couldn't decide if this was better or worse than her earlier mood. I decided to ignore her and went back to watching the movie.

It turns out, I'm not very good at ignoring Evangeline. Almost anyone else in the world, even my own sons, I could block out of my mind, using it's resources for what I deemed important enough to think about. I found that I was fundamentally aware of Evangeline no matter what else I tried to think of. Her scent, tinged with sadness, was in my nose. The sound of her breathing, slow and rhythmic, was in my ears. I could feel the slight movements she made, that everyone makes when they are sitting, echoing through the couch.

It was because she looked so much like Katrina, particularly at this moment. Even despite her lackluster brown hair and dull brown eyes, she had the same weariness that I had always seen and exploited in Katrina. I couldn't shut her out of my mind because that would mean lowering my guard. Katrina had been dangerous, dangerous enough to kill me if I let my guard down. I would never have found myself sitting down with Katrina in a casual setting like this. It would have been the last thing I ever did.

So here I was sitting next to a girl who wouldn't be able to kill a cockroach unassisted, with my instincts keeping my body on edge in case she suddenly sprang and attacked me. I Was glad Lucien wasn't here to see me reacting so foolishly.

The doorbell rang and I jumped to my feet, halfway to the door before the chime ended. "Thank God, I was going to stake myself if I had to spend another minute being nice to you."

"You were being nice?" She asked.

"You couldn't tell?"

She shook her head. "It's that hard, isn't it?" She said sadly. "Being nice."

I turned, walking backwards the rest of the way to the door. "With you? You have no idea."

I pulled the keys out of my pocket and swiftly unlocked the door. Evangeline's acquaintance stood on the porch. The one with the glasses whom I had lent my laptop to. I hadn't asked his name. He had a wrapped bundle under his arm. He was both disappointed and annoyed that I was the one at the door. "I fixed the laptop." He held up the package. "It's started raining and I wanted to make sure it didn't get wet." His blond hair was damp and his glasses were spotted with water. I looked past him, up at the clouds. They were dark and heavy with rain. A chill wind blew, sending a finger of ice down my back. If the temperature dropped just a few more degrees, it'll be sleet that starts coming down.

"Bring it right in." I stepped aside quickly. I did not like the feel of that storm one bit.

The boy was reluctant to come in. He wavered for a second, then turned his expression aloof and walked past me. "Might as well check to make sure no water got inside." He muttered.

Thunder rumbled overhead in warning. There was no lightning, so perhaps I just felt it was a warning. Call me paranoid, but I never, ever trust storms.

xxxXXXxxx

I was so glad to see Steven. Geeky, sometimes snarky, but still completely normal. It had only been little more than a week since I had met the vampire, but I craved the sight of someone normal the way a flower craves sunlight in a dark room. I got up immediately and joined him in the kitchen.

He unwrapped the laptop and opened it up. He looked at me while it booted up. I gave him a grateful look. "Looks pretty bad around here." He said to me.

From the door, Gabriel answered him. "As long as the lightning stays back."

I lowered my voice. "Gabriel can be... difficult to be around." I said carefully.

The vampire closed the door and locked it firmly. I would have to get my keys from him later. I must have left them in the bathroom after I had helped him. A wave of nausea washed over me. I had helped that... that monster. It had just been a few short hours ago, but after reading Great Aunt Katrina's diary, it felt like years.

Steven's brows pushed together in concern. "Are you feeling okay? Have you been getting much sleep?"

"I haven't been sleeping too well." I admitted. Ever since I had let that vampire loose I had been experiencing periods of dreamless unconsciousness rather than sleep. I had read in one of my books from the library that vampires were believed to be able to draw the life force of those around them. It had been used in the old days as a way to detect if a vampire inhabited a particular town.

Gabriel walked through the kitchen, heading for the living room. "It works." Steven told him as he passed, but Gabriel ignored him. Steven closed the laptop with a snap. "Well, I'm gone."

I really didn't want him to leave. "We were watching a movie." I told him. "You could join us."

Steven must have seen the pleading look on my face, because he looked back at me guiltily. "Sorry, it's late and I have to get back to my Gran. If I don't help her to bed, she'll just stay in front of the TV all night."

"I don't think anyone is going anywhere." Gabriel said ominously from the living room.

Panic rose in my chest at his tone. I reached under my sweater for the gun tucked in the back of my jeans. Steven looked into the living room, then groaned. "Is that snow? Seriously?" He walked into the living room to get a better look out the window.

I took a moment to calm myself, making sure to pull my sweater down a bit more to hide the silver gun, then I joined them in the living room. It was indeed snowing, and very heavily. The fat, white flakes were piled up two feet against the window. "That's a blizzard." I said unnecessarily.

"I never, ever trust a storm! They're always out to get you." Gabriel was at the large window, his eyes scanning the clouds intently.

"Does he think he's being funny?" Steven asked me.

"I wish he was." I sighed, then turned to Gabriel. "Nora?" I asked wearily.

"She's here." His mouth became a thin line, and his eyes turned a deeper red.

I wanted to groan and bang my head against the counter a few times. Instead, I retrieved the silver glove from my pocket and pulled it on. "Steven, you should hide out upstairs for a bit." I said, not looking at him.

"Okay, this situation is getting weird. What's going on?" Steven asked. "Why do I suddenly feeling like I'm in a car going top speed towards a brick wall?"

Gabriel looked thoughtful. "That's a good analogy, actually."

"Who is Nora?" Steven asked patiently. He regarded the two of us as a teacher would if they suspected one of their students was misbehaving, but wasn't sure which one.

"You know your worst nightmare?" Gabriel asked Steven, walking over to the middle of the living room. "The one thing on this earth that scares you out of your wits. The thing that makes you hide under the covers no matter how old you get."

Steven's eyes flickered to one side uneasily. He looked back at Gabriel and nodded.

Gabriel stepped up to him, quite close, and lowered his voice to a whisper. "Nora is what your nightmare has nightmares about."

"Y-you're putting me on." Steven said, staring at Gabriel's dark red eyes as if he couldn't look away. He cleared his throat loudly.

There was no point trying to pull the wool over Steven's eyes. Any second from now we would be attacked, and if he didn't know what to expect, he would only die that much quicker. "Nora's a vampire." I said bluntly. I pulled out the silver gun, keeping it pointed at the floor while I checked the clip and sight.

"A vampire?" Steven managed to turn away from Gabriel's gaze and look at me. He saw the gun and the color drained from his face.

I felt bad for doing this to him. "You might want to hide upstairs, things are going to get ugly in a few minutes." I glanced at the window, the snow had piled up even higher.

Steven held up both hands. "Wait just a second here." His voice rose. "You're honestly expecting me to believe that not only do vampires exists, but one is coming right now to get us. Oh, and somehow, she's making it snow?"

"Yes." Gabriel answered. "I am a vampire as well."

Steven backed up a step. "Okay, this really isn't funny." He headed for the door. "I'm getting out of here, blizzard or not."

Gabriel grabbed his arm and turned him around. "You don't believe me?" He asked dangerously.

"Well, where are your fangs?"

Gabriel hooked one finger into the corner of his mouth and pulled back, showing off a razor sharp canine. Steven leaned closer and peered at it, not something I would have done with an agitated vampire. "Aw, you could have had them filed down." Steven pushed his glasses up his nose. "Plus, you have a reflection. I saw it in the window."

"I could drink your blood right now, would that convince you?" Gabriel asked testily.

"Yeah, well, with chompers like those, you really could do some damage, but that doesn't prove that you're not human." He tried to keep his expression firm, but I could see his hands were starting to shake. His glasses slipped back down his nose. "It would only prove you're deranged."

Gabriel drew in a breath that rumbled in his chest, like a growl. Before he could let his frustration out on Steven, I decided to step in. "He was what Great Aunt Katrina was hiding in the attic."

Steven looked over at me. "Come on, Angie." His voice was pleading.

I shrugged. "Hey, I'm telling the truth. He really was up there."

"All right, I believe you." He said to Gabriel. He looked down at Gabriel's hand on his arm. Gabriel left him go. "For now." Steven straightened out his rumpled sleeve. "What happens next?" He pushed his glasses up his nose.

From overhead there came a loud, resounding crash. Steven and I ducked as the whole house shook. The light's flickered, but didn't go out. "What the hell was that?" I shouted once the noise finally stopped.

Gabriel had remained standing. He looked up at the ceiling. "That... would be the glass roof caving in."

"I thought the roof was indestructible." I said in surprise. I got to my feet shakily.

"It's true that I couldn't break out." Gabriel answered. "The glass is very strong, but I don't think the framework could support the weight of all that snow." He looked over at the window, the snow was now piled up six feet. "That's just what's falling off the roof, there must be a ton more upstairs." There was something like awe in his voice.

"So, what's she planning? Is she trying to bury us? Or just make a grand entrance?"

"I don't know..."

"Great." I hurried over to Steven and helped him to his feet. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm not." He said weakly. "I will admit right now that I'm a bit scared." His face was white and he trembled slightly.

"Come on, let's get you into the basement. You might be safe there." I opened the closet door, then the door behind it.

"So... vampires." Steven attempted to sound casual, but failed miserably. "That can control the weather."

"As far as I know, that's just Nora." I told him. We walked through the pantry area, to the room in the back.

"So, if you've been living with a vampire all week. How come you're still alive? How come I'm still alive? Wouldn't a vampire just have killed us?"

"Well, somehow I'm supposed to protect Gabriel from Nora. So, he can't kill me yet."

Steven's eyebrows shot up. "You're supposed to protect him from that?" He pointed up. I nodded. "How?"

"I'm not sure yet."

"Okay, then why am I still alive?"

"He needed you to fix his laptop."

Steven's expression turned blank. "Oh, well I guess that makes sense..."

I gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm going to close this door, you stay down here no matter what you hear, okay?"

"You're going back up there?" He began to look panicked.

"I have to." I said, and shut the door. If I were honest with myself, I would say that it didn't make a difference whether I stayed upstairs and fought, or if I hid int he basement. I would probably die either way. I would just feel better about dying while trying to fight.

I entered the kitchen and closed both doors behind me. I walked over to Gabriel. He stood in the kitchen, standing absolutely still. His body was tense with waiting, straining his ears for any sound of movement from upstairs.

I gripped my silver gun tightly. "In case we don't get out of this alive," I began. "I just wanted you to know something."

He looked at me. His expression tight and expectant. "What?"

"I really, really hate you."

He nodded. "Noted." He looked back up to the ceiling, scrutinizing it as if trying to see through it. Though I doubted he could. "You are risking your pathetic little life to help me..."

"Not by choice." I said grimly. "I don't care what David says, there's nothing I can do to save you from Nora. I'm just hoping to get out of this alive, and you're my best bet. If I see an opportunity to throw you to the wolves, I won't hesitate."

"You won't have that opportunity." He said. "I'll get out of this."

"Really, how?"

"Shh!" He looked to the staircase.

After a moment, I heard steps. I raised my silver gun, aiming it at the staircase. Two sets of slim legs descended, belonging to a pair of twin vampires. Even though I feared for my life, I was still struck by how beautiful they looked, with their curled blond hair and wide, bright blue eyes.

"Angie, this is Calypso and Callisto." Gabriel introduced me. "They work for Nora."

13: Chapter 13

The one called Callisto smiled broadly. It was a wicked smile, marring her beautiful face. "I see you have company. Were we interrupting something?"

"Of course not." Gabriel replied smoothly. "It's a relief to see you lovely ladies again. I was starting to get bored." He had his hands in his pockets again, a sure sign that he was tense.

I studied the twins while the situation still relatively calm. Callisto was pure malevolence, plain and simple. Every subtle movement telegraphed ill intent. Calypso, on the other hand, was scared out of her wits. She stood tall next to her sister, but she trembled worse than Steven had. She held onto her sister's hand tightly.

Callisto appraised Gabriel openly, while ignoring me completely. "What makes you so special?" She asked Gabriel, her voice taking on a hard edge.

"My winning personality and devilish good looks?" Gabriel offered, not missing a beat.

Callisto's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "I'm trying to see why Nora bothered sending us here. I'm failing though, as there doesn't seem to be anything of interest."

"Ah, but that's Nora's way." Gabriel said, his voice gentle but mocking. "She rarely gets her own hands dirty, not when she has such a great gift of attracting others to do her bidding for her." He removed his hands from his pockets and gave the pair a mocking shrug. "And it's not like you are just going toask her what she's up to, right?"

Callisto's lips pulled back over her fangs and she hissed like a cat. I nearly jumped out of my skin, the hairs on the back of my neck standing up.

The next second Callisto threw herself over the counter dividing the living room and kitchen. I dodged to the side, away from Gabriel, whom she tackled to the floor. She had one hand on his throat, her long red nails digging into his skin. She slapped him hard with her free hand repeatedly, scratching his face in the process.

I decided to let Gabriel handle himself for the moment. I turned to the other twin, pulling my gun as I did. She flinched when she saw the gun. "I-I don't want to fight you." She said quickly.

I wasn't falling for anything at this point. "Then why the hell are you here?" I demanded.

Behind me, Callisto and Gabriel continued struggling. "Angie." Gabriel gasped, his voice restricted as Callisto crushed his windpipe. "Little help here..."

I turned and opened fire at Callisto. The problem was, they were struggling on the floor so much that I missed my first two shots. The third actually grazed Gabriel on the arm. "Angie." He said, one hand keeping Callisto's away from his face, the other trying to pry her off his throat. "Stop helping."

I ignored him and fired again. Finally I hit Callisto square in the back, though I had been aiming for her head. The silver bullet however, hand no effect on her. She didn't even seem to notice it. Gabriel managed to swear loudly. Unable to believe it, I fired at her again. This time the bullet grazed her cheek, before embedding itself into the floor about an inch from Gabriel's head.

Callisto hissed in pain as the scratch on her cheek smoked. Her grip on Gabriel weakened and he finally managed to throw her off of him. She recovered quickly as they both regained their feet. She aimed a strong kick in the middle of Gabriel's stomach, sending him flying into the vestibule. There was a crash as he hit the thick iron door.

Callisto spared me just enough of her attention to pick up one of the heavy wooden chairs one-handed and hurl it right at me. I dove over the counter, hitting the floor on the other side. The chair hit the cabinets at the same time. Wood shattered into splinters, some of which rained down on me as I covered my head with my arms.

I felt a light touch on my arm and sat up quickly. "Are you all right?" Calypso asked in concern. She was kneeling over me.

I couldn't even begin to puzzle over what the vampire was trying to pull. "Shouldn't you be worried about your sister?" I asked wildly.

Calypso shrugged. "There's no no need to worry about her anymore." She stood up and nudged my silver gun, which I had dropped when I dove over the counter, towards me with her foot.

I grabbed it quickly. "You don't have any sense of self preservation, do you?" I asked as I stood up and checked the clip.

"There's no point." Calypso answered.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Callisto followed Gabriel into the vestibule. There was a sickening crunch followed by a deep groan. Then Gabriel was thrown into the kitchen, landing on his back on the wooden floor and sliding into the living room. He tried to stand up, but his left leg wouldn't hold his weight. It had been broken at the hip and he was forced to stand on his right leg while his left was completely useless.

Callisto kept up her attack as she launched herself across the kitchen. She kicked Gabriel hard in the side, sending him back to the floor. There was a another crack that told me his arm was broken now as well.

It was at that moment that I lost my marbles. Nothing but complete and sudden insanity could explain why I did what I did in that next moment.

"Hey!" I shouted, pulling up my gun. "Lay off of jerkface!"

When Callisto turned towards me, I opened fire on her. I fired three bullets into her chest with no effect. I sidestepped as she came after me, still shooting till my clip was emptied. A few of my shots scored glancing hits on her arms. Those had some affect, as she hissed in pain. She turned on me fast as lightning, knocking me to the floor with great force. I was stunned, my gun falling from my hand.

Callisto was on top of me in a flash, her face bare inches from mine. She closed her hand around my wrist and pinned it to the floor, keeping my silver glove away. Her other hand was at my throat, slowly squeezing tight. My breaths became shallow as panic made me breathe quicker. I clawed at her hand with my free one, but it was no use.

Her wide smile returned in her triumph while I tried to feel around on the floor for my gun. Where had the damn thing gone? It couldn't have fallen too far. "I would have left you alone, you little vermin." She spat. "But you had to get in the way, and for what?"

"I had to." I gasped, trying to draw in enough air to speak. "I'm supposed to save him. From Nora." Great AUnt Katrina had kept him in stoarge for some reason, I thought hazily, and if she hadn't saved my grandmother, I wouldn't be around. So, I kind of owed her. It was funny what thoughts occur to people just when they are about to die...

Callisto took a moment to gloat over her prey. "You actually think you can save him from Nora?" She laughed to herself. "We can't even go against her, so what makes you believe someone as weak as you could?" Without showing any effort, her hand squeezed my throat tighter. My breath burned in my lungs and I gaped uselessly, my free hand clawing at the floor weakly before dropping. Red tinged my vision and her grinning face blurred.

"She makes a good distraction at least." A strained voice said from very far away. Then there was a deafening bang and a heavy weight dropped onto my chest.

As Callisto's grip on my throat loosened I filled my lungs in great, gulping, breaths. The red receded from my eyes and I struggled to sit up. Callisto slid lifelessly to the side, she had been shot in the back of the head. Her glassy were eyes frozen in shock. I scrambled out from under her quickly.

Gabriel stood over me, his broken arm hung limply from his shoulder. In his other hand he held the silver gun. A flowery dish towel was wrapped around it. "You saved my life." I gasped hoarsely in disbelief, massaging my poor throat with my hands.

"Good, we're even." He said grimly.

I looked around. "Where's the other one?" I asked anxiously, looking for Calypso.

"Just about to take care of her." Gabriel turned and began to drag himself towards the living room.

I got to my feet shakily and followed him. The other twin was cowering on the living room floor. She whimpered as Gabriel stepped over to her, aiming the gun at her head. She had been scared the whole time, and hadn't joined the fight. I remembered her checking up on me when I dove over the counter. I stepped in quickly, grabbing the towel-wrapped gun with both of my hands. "Gabriel, don't. She's frightened out of her wits." My voice was rough, and pain lanced down my throat with each word. I shut up and just looked up at him.

Gabriel made a contemptuous noise in his throat. He handed over the gun, not having the energy to argue with me. He lurched to one side suddenly and I caught him automatically. "You shouldn't be standing on that leg." I rasped harshly. "You need first aid."

He shrugged away from me. "I need something better than first aid." He turned back to the kitchen. "If the other one even blinks funny, shoot her. I have a few questions to ask her in a minute." With great difficulty, he knelt down beside Callisto. With his good hand he gripped her by the hair, lifting her head up. I turned away, not wanting to watch what came next.

Calypso was curled up in the fetal position, rocking herself slowly. Her face was buried in her knees and her whole body shook. The very sight of her nearly broke my heart.

I knelt down in front of her. I wasn't being completely stupid, I kept the silver gun gripped firmly in my hand. She paid me no attention, instead she whispered to herself. I leaned closer to hear. "Have to kill me, too. Have to."

"We're not going to kill you." I told her as gently as I was able, though I was pretty sure Gabriel had other ideas.

She raised her head just enough so that she could look at me over her knees. "He killed Callisto. He's supposed to kill me, too."

I frowned in confusion. "What do you mean, he's 'supposed' to?"

"That's why we were sent here. That's why she sent all of us. We were never meant to kill him."

My head was starting to buzz with all of the confusion that had been subjected to. "Why would she send all of these vampires after Gabriel without any intention of having them win, knowing he was just going to kill them?"

Her bright blue eyes shifted over to Gabriel. My eyes followed her gaze, then I stood up slowly. I walked over to Gabriel reluctantly, knowing what I was about to do next was a really bad idea.

I tried not to look directly at him as he fed. I didn't think I would be able to keep my stomach if I did. The sound alone made it quiver uncomfortably. "Gabriel, you have to stop. Nora's doing this on purpose. She wants you to feed on her, uh, minions."

Gabriel raised his head, dropping Callisto to the floor. I couldn't help it, my eyes went to his face. What I saw there horrified me like nothing else I had seen all day.

His eyes were a bright red, and his fangs were stained with blood. He hissed loudly and sprang at me. His leg and arm were fully healed and he was able to knock me to the floor easily. I landed on my back hard, my head cracking against the wooden floorboards. The gun flew out of my hand. Again. I wished fervently that I hadn't taken it off it's chain, which was tied to my jeans. I hadn't been expecting a full blown attack like this so suddenly.

He held me down with one hand on my collarbone. His eyes were wild with blood frenzy. "This time..." He hissed slowly. "I will have your blood, Katrina."

My stomach clenched in terror. He didn't know who I was. He was going to kill me, thinking I was my great aunt. "Gabriel." I squeaked. "Please don't..."

He was beyond reasoning with. He gripped my hair tightly, pulling my head back and exposing my neck. With the tenderness of a lover, I felt his lips on my neck, then his teeth scraping my skin.

He was off of me the next instant, hurtling into the kitchen. He fetched up roughly against the heavy table. I blinked up Calypso standing over me. She held the remains of a wrought iron lamp stand in both hands. It was badly bent from the force she had used to hit Gabriel.

"T-thank you." I was stunned. This was the second surprise rescue I've had in the last half hour. I briefly wondered if I were doomed to constantly being rescued just in the nick of time. It was a bad trend to get into.

Calypso dropped the lamp stand hastily. It clattered heavily on the floor. "I'm sorry." She said shakily. "But he's not supposed to kill you right now." She held one hand out to me.

"No apologies necessary." I said quickly, taking her hand. I was on my feet the next second.

"He's okay now. Excuse me." Calypso said quietly. She walked over to her sister's body and sat down on the kitchen floor next to her. She put a hand on Callisto's hair, tears welling up in her eyes. She pulled her sister's head into her lap, stroking her hair, crying silently.

Gabriel groaned as he sat up. "What happened?"

I knelt down in front of him, relieved to see that his eyes were back to normal. "You tried to kill me."

He studied my for a moment. "Oh, okay. That's all right, then." He said. We got to our feet. "Why is it you're still alive?"

"She saved me." I pointed at Calypso, who was still holding onto her sister. "She hit you with the lamp stand."

Gabriel looked at the warped piece of iron. "That's interesting."

"How so?"

"I don't remember any of that."

"You thought I was Great Aunt Katrina." I said helpfully.

He looked back at me sharply. "That's absurd. You're nothing like her."

"I know that." I said patiently.

"The two of you might look vaguely similar, under certain lighting." Gabriel went on. "But Katrina is a much better fighter than you are, and much more attractive. And don't get me started on intelligence..."

"Okay!" I said loudly, my in. "Moving on. What do we do now?"

Gabriel paused in his long winded ranting. "What do you mean?"

"I mean Nora! Isn't she still right outside? She's going to realize really soon that things aren't going according to plan." I saw realization dawn in his eyes, mixed with the beginnings of fear.

"Everything is going to plan." Calypso said. We both turned to her as she placed her sister gently back on the floor. She stood up and looked at us, a haunted expression on her face. "We weren't meant to win." She said sadly.

I blinked at her in disbelief. "I'm horribly confused." I admitted openly.

"For once, I agree with you." Gabriel said.

Calypso walked over to him. Her blue eyes were rimmed with red, showing both sadness and pity. "My sister and I are two of Nora's strongest and most loyal servants. We both loved her with all of our hearts, we would die for her. And that's what she asked us to do, all for you. We are just toys to Nora, and she sent us here as a gift."

She stood very close to Gabriel, but he didn't back away. He looked at her, trying to puzzle out the implications of what she was saying. "But, Nora wants me dead." He said. "She hates me."

Calypso reached her hand up and pushed a small lock of hair out of Gabriel's eyes. "As much as she might wish to, Nora could never hate you. You don't remember anything from before, do you? You don't remember why you left."

Gabriel brushed her hand away. "I don't remember how I got locked in a stone box for fifty years." He said bitterly.

"This is all part of her plan." Calypso said simply.

"I think you've said enough, Callie." A small voice said from the stairs. Everyone turned at once to the source of the voice, which was a small girl standing halfway up the steps. She had long, straight brown hair that fell past her waist, and startling bright green eyes. Her small mouth was twisted into a frown.

Though my eyes were riveted on the little girl, I could still feel Calypso grow suddenly still. "Nora, I-"

"That's enough, Callie." The girl's eyes brightened further, a raw energy sparking just barely behind them. The iron lamp stand on the floor suddenly moved, dragging on the floor a few inches before whipping through the air towards the little girl. Before I could call out a warning, the girl caught the stand deftly, holding it at her side like a spear. Even though it was bigger than she was, she held it as if it weighed nothing. As I watched, she pulled it straight, then ripped off the lamp portion, leaving a jagged iron point.

It was starting to creep over me just how much danger I was in. That this was THE Nora I had been hearing so much about. The creature that could control lightning, or bring a blizzard down onto a single house. This little girl was the thing my worst nightmare had nightmares about.

Calypso stepped away from Gabriel, moving slowly in Nora's direction. "Nora, I'm so sorry..." She whispered.

"I know." Nora answered coldly. She hurled the makeshift spear at Calypso, impaling the vampire through the center of her chest. Calypso fell towards the ground with incredible force, the tip of the spear cracking a heavy tile in half and burying itself a few inches into the floor. Calypso's body jerked violently with the impact.

Calypso spasmed uncontrollably. She opened her mouth to speak or scream, and dark blood ran out. After a few seconds, her body went limp.

My heart was cold in my chest. Nora turned her attention to Gabriel next, and I silently thanked God for that. "Drink her blood. She is a gift from me to you."

Gabriel shook his head. "No." He said quietly.

Nora descended the rest of the stairs. "Why not?" She asked. Her voice was calm and soft, but also unnervingly eerie.

"Because you want me to." Gabriel answered. "That's good enough reason for me to not do anything."

"I see you're still being stubborn, despite my generosity." She walked into the kitchen slowly, as a panther prowls around it's prey. "Don't you care for me any longer?"

"You know the answer to that Nora." Gabriel was starting to get agitated. "I've told you thousands of times, I care more about you than anyone else in this entire world. You just never believe me." He closed his eyes, as if in pain. "And this feels really awkward with you looking like that."

Nora shrugged her tiny shoulders. "You weren't around, so I took on a form I'm more comfortable in."

"You are what you eat." Gabriel said tightly.

"Touche." Nora sighed softly. She turned around. "It's time to go."

"I'm not coming with you." Gabriel told her firmly.

She looked over her shoulder at him. "Yes you are."

Gabriel shook his head. "No, this is my home. This is where I belong. I bought this damned piece of real estate fifty years ago, and I have yet to actually enjoy it! As much as I love you Nora, you'll be the death of me."

Nora turned her head back facing front. "Fine." A hint of an edge creeped into her voice. "You can stay... on one condition."

Gabriel was instantly suspicious. "What condition?"

Nora lifted up one small, pale hand and pointed at me, though she didn't look at me. "Kill her, right now." That edge in her voice grew sharper.

Gabriel looked over at me in surprise. My eyes were wide as dinner plates, I knew it, but I didn't speak. "Why?"

"Because, she's an annoyance to me." Nora replied.

Gabriel frowned. "You two have never met before, how could she bother you?"

Nora turned to me then, her bright green eyes filled with venom. "I know her." She said. "She's just like the other one. I want her dead."

A glint of suspicion dawned in Gabriel's eyes. "Why don't you kill her yourself?" He asked. "If she bothers you that much."

Nora glared at Gabriel. "No. You have to do it." She gritted her teeth, and I saw she had tiny fangs. "You say you love me more than anyone else, so kill her!"

"No, Nora. There's a reason you want her dead that you're not telling me." Gabriel said. "I won't kill her for you."

Nora's eyes widened in shock. She looked like he had slapped her in the face. I could see the rage building up in her small form. On the counter, there was a bright flash and the toaster flew across the counter, trailing a charred power cord behind it. There was a spark inside the microwave, and it too rocketed off the counter, falling to the floor. The lights flickered, a few bulbs even shattering.

Gabriel relaxed his stance to a crouch, getting ready for a fight. Before Nora could make the first move, Gabriel lunged at her. When he was just inches away from her, she lifted up one hand and touched his forehead with two fingers.

Gabriel dropped like a stone. Nora caught him easily and lifted him up in her tiny arms. He appeared to be unharmed, but since he was a vampire, I really couldn't be sure.

Nora turned her gaze back to me. By this time, the appliances and lights had stopped going haywire. My silver gun was empty, my silver bullets all gone. The only weapon I had was the glove. Why did the odds always have to be stacked so heavily against me? This is why I needed constant saving, no one fought fair.

"Gabriel belongs to me." Nora said to me threateningly. "You are a mere insect compared to him."

"You can have him." I assured her feelingly. "Really."

Her green eyes narrowed. "You are just like the other one. If you come for Gabriel, I will end you myself." The next second, she was gone, flying impossibly fast up the stairs, Gabriel in her arms.

It was then that my legs turned to rubber and gave out entirely. I fell to my knees, shaking violently. Dear Lord, what the hell had I just survived?

As I sat there, a small movement caught my eye. I sought it out, discovering that Calypso's hand was twitching ever so slightly.

I got to my feet at once and rushed over to her. This vampire had saved my life, and had made no attempt to kill me so far. I had more than enough reason to try to help her.

I grabbed her under her arms and lifted her up off of the spear, which was embedded in the floor at a forty-five degree angle. Calypso slumped against my chest, her head hanging over my shoulder, blood staining the front of my shirt. I set her down on the tile, her back against the bottom cabinets. I then hurried over to the fridge, one of the only things in the kitchen to remain unharmed, retrieving as many bottles of animal blood as I could carry. I dropped them on the floor next to Calypso, and began frantically trying to open one.

Calypso looked like death itself. She wasn't breathing and her face was white as ash. But, that was standard for vampires, wasn't it? How could I tell if she was still... undead?

Remembering something Gabriel had told me, I pressed the side of my face to her chest, the gaping wound bleeding all over my chin and down my neck. I placed my ear over her heart and waited.

After an agonizing eternity, I heard a small, weak thump. I lifted the bottle of blood up to her lips and poured some into her mouth. It leaked from the sides of her mouth, running down her cheeks. I roughly massaged her throat, forcing her to swallow.

Of course, all the blood was just going to bleed right out of her again, I was just praying I was doing some good. I opened anotehr bottle and force-fed her that one too.

I kept this up as best I could. It didn't help much that I was shaking badly. On the third bottle I was so nerve-wrecked that I couldn't open it at all. I grunted in frustration, throwing the bottle onto the floor. Tears bit the corners of my eyes.

The door leading to the basement cracked open, and Steven peered cautiously out. He hurried over to me when he saw me. "Angie, are you all right?" He asked in concern.

My head throbbed, my throat burned, my body ached all over. But, right now I could only think of Calypso. "Help me save her." I pleaded, holding out one of the bottles.

He took the bottle from me without any questions. Together we managed to feed Calypso in a steady stream. As we went, I noticed that she was bleeding less and less. I felt for her wound and discovered to my relief that it was growing smaller. She was still unconscious though. "She needs some rest, help me get her upstairs."

Together, we carried her up to the guest room. We laid her down on the bed and I covered her with a blanket, for all the good that would do. The very next thing I did was lean my forehead on Steven's shoulder, my arms just barely hanging from my shoulder sockets. "I'm sorry." My voice broke on the words. "Great Aunt Katrina did such a good job of protecting you, and Ricky, and Cass. I'm here two weeks, and I've already exposed you to all this."

Steven put a hand on my shoulder awkwardly. "It's not your fault." He said wearily. "Honestly, I always knew Katrina was involved with something. Every now and then, some people would come into town, ask some questions. She had me do all this security work on the house, which apparently is completely useless as I have not heard a single alarm all night. I thought she was running from the mob or something. I never thought it would be vampires. Or that she would have one locked in the attic."

I straightened up and wiped my eyes. "What are you going to do now?"

Steven sighed. "I'm going to go downstairs and make the couch comfortable. You get some rest. You look like death warmed over, plus you can barely stand. I'll keep watch for any more baddies."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded. "No worries, I'll be fine."

I unhooked the silver chain from the back of my jeans. "Take this with you." I told him. "The gun is empty, so it's pretty much useless. But this might help you." I reached up, putting the chain around his neck. I looped it loosely, so as not to strangle him.

We headed out into the hallway and I shut the door softly behind me. We parted at the top of the stairs. "Take care of yourself." I told him.

"Get some sleep." He told me.

"Are you going to be okay with a body lying in the kitchen?"

"I was trying not to think about that."

Then I was in my room. I plopped down on the bed awkwardly, not really having the strength to aim myself. Once the excitement was over, once my body had run out of adrenaline, all of my energy had been sapped out of me. I was a dried husk, and I fell at once into a dreamless sleep.

 

14: Chapter 14

 

I woke to the feel of cool leather under my skin, my head cradled gently on a small lap, and dainty fingers slowly going through my hair. "It was I who turned Cal and Callie." Nora murmured softly. "They were like children to me, and so powerful. I gave them to you, because-"

I sat up quickly, finding myself in the expansive backseat of a limousine. "I know what you've been trying to say Nora." I cut her off as I inspected my surroundings. The interior was dark, bright city lights shining in through the windows. We were in Manhattan, then. "In your own twisted way, you're trying to show me that you still care."

Nora was unperturbed, she merely lowered her hand to her lap. "I am your wife, even now, of course I still care."

I leaned my elbow on the armrest and stared out the window. "Except, I don't believe you." The city outside was vibrant and alive, but everything in the car felt lifeless and flat. I needed to shake Nora off somehow, so that I could explore the city at my leisure. Then I could return home and make sure Evangeline hadn't changed the locks on me.

"Of course you don't believe me." Nora said dully. "You never do."

An old, buried frustration resurfaced suddenly. "What do you expect, Nora?" I turned toward her and snapped. "You always lie."

Her young eyes widened innocently. I didn't buy it for a second. "Gabriel, I have never lied to you, and I never will."

This was true only as far as I knew. From what I could remember, Nora lied through her teeth most of the time, but I had yet to catch her in telling me something that technically wasn't true. "Then tell me why you wanted Angie dead?" I was careful to use her nickname, not as a courtesy to Evangeline, but more as a withholding of information from Nora.

Nora lay her head against my arm. She slipped one arm underneath and laced her fingers in mine. "If you must know, then I will admit to a slight jealousy." I couldn't see her face, but I could hear the pout in her voice.

"Jealousy. Really Nora, that's the best you can come up with? You said the same thing about Katrina, for Christ's sake!" It wasn't until I said it aloud, that I remembered it was true. Nora had always been venomously jealous of Katrina. Those were the only times we had really fought, because I could never understand why she was so jealous.

"They're the same." Nora sulked. "Keeping you away from me for so long, just so she could have you all to yourself." Her voice took an icy edge. "I'll never forgive her."

"I left all by myself." I asserted. My memory was uncertain at best, but I felt it in my bones that I was right. "I had to get away from you, Nora, you know that."

"You're just not remembering right." Nora said dismissively. She straightened up and looked out the window. "I'll tell you everything once we're upstairs."

The limo pulled up in front of a tall, sleek apartment building. The driver was out of the car and at Nora's door in seconds. She was never very far away from her servants after all. He was a big vampire, and very wide. I was sure I could take him, though.

Nora took my hand in her tiny one and stepped out of the car. I resisted and found myself nearly dragged out. I tried to pull my hand from hers, but her grip was immovable. To add insult to injury, she showed no signs of effort. She merely walked up to the glass front doors of the building without a care on her face, dragging me behind like a toy.

None of the passerby gave us a second glance. Ah, New York City, even after all these years, it was still the same. The Doorman opened one of the glass doors for Nora and I without even batting an eye. I saw at a glance that he was vampire too. I took one last look up the tall building before I was dragged inside. It was easily thirty floors. I had a sinking feeling that it housed Nora's entire 'family'.

"Darling, please try to act civilized." Nora said reproachfully as we stopped at the elevator. A security guard pressed the button for Nora.

She released my hand. I immediately straightened up and brushed off my clothes. There was no point in making a break for it now, my only chance had been before entering the building. Now I wouldn't be able to leave without the entire building coming down on me.

The elevator arrived promptly, the mirrored doors gliding open soundlessly. Nora stepped inside, and I had no choice but to follow her. Another servant was inside, playing Bellhop. He was extremely young for a vampire, so much so that he wore dark glasses, even indoors. New vampires were especially sensitive to any source of light. His only purpose for being seemed to be to push the elevator buttons so that Nora didn't have to.

That sinking feeling I had gotten in the car increased as the elevator ascended. Nora's influence had increased exponentially while I was gone. This was what I had always been afraid of. That she would be able to gather a large group of us all together, only held together by her will.

It was unnatural for our kind to be around such a large group of it's fellows for any length of time. Vampires are extremely aggressive towards each other by nature. It is born from not only our territorial nature, but from the desire for cannibalism. The only reason we have survived as long as we have is because we all know to stay away from each other. Sometimes two vampires would be compatible and manage to hunt together without killing each other, but it was an exception. The only ones we didn't have the urge to kill on sight were the ones we turned ourselves, that was one survival instinct we had.

Nora's influence was strong, strong enough to bewitch other vampires. She had amassed dozens back before I had been imprisoned. I had questioned her ability to control all of them at once. If she let her grip slip even once, it would end in a bloodbath. I had cautioned her so many times that such a large group would be noticeable to the humans as well. We needed nourishment, sometimes eradicating whole towns just to feed her brood. Still, she would draw new vampires into her fold.

I looked at our mirror image in the elevator door. I saw the look on my face and realized why I had left her so many years ago. I couldn't be certain whether I truly loved her, or if she was just using her influence over me. In order to find out I had had to separate myself from her.

But, how had I ended up in that box? That answer still alluded me.

The elevator doors slid open, letting out into an impressive apartment that occupied the entire floor. I stepped out and spared a moment to take it all in.

The carpet was black and the furniture stark white, creating sharp contrast between them. There were no outside walls, just huge windows that went floor to ceiling. We had to be on the top floor because the entirety of New York City at night lay just beyond those windows, in all it's brightly lit glory.

The ceilings were high, giving the entire apartment the open feeling of being outdoors. The furniture was sleek and modern, made of metal and plastic painted glossy white. There were many high-tech features as well, such as a large flat screened television, wafer thin laptops and a top of the line stereo system.

I couldn't help but be appreciative, this place made my own home look like a hovel.

I eyed one of the laptops, I would have to have Evangeline check the prices on one of those. The one I had now was rather boxy looking. I had also discovered that my phone was faster if I wanted to look up something on the internet. From the various advertisements I had seen on the television, that was unacceptable.

Thinking of my phone gave me an idea: I could contact Evangeline with it. Though what she would be able or willing to do to get me away from Nora was questionable at best. Still, saving me from Nora WAS in her job description. Though... I doubted I would be allowed any privacy in which to actually make a call, so the idea was out for now.

An elderly couple exited the kitchen when the elevator doors opened and hurried over. They were the first humans I had seen in the building and that puzzled me greatly. They both appeared to be in their sixties, wearing kind and loving expressions.

The woman took Nora's face gently in her hands and kissed her forehead. "You're home! We've missed you so much, Nora."

"You'd better take a rest." The man chimed in. "You have to watch your health."

"Thank you, Father. Thank you, Mother." Nora smiled at the two of them. "I had a very important errand to run, but I'm glad to be home."

The elderly woman hurried over to a couch and began arranging the pillows while the man held out his arm to Nora, who accepted it gratefully. He led her over to the couch and made sure she was settled comfortably. "You had us worried, it was getting so late..." The woman said as she grabbed a fleece blanket and covered Nora's legs. "You know you make us worry so."

Nora smiled at them. "You know you have no reason to worry."

The woman smiled back fondly. "Of course, you're such a good girl." Her face looked so loving and caring, but her eyes were blank and dead. Her husband's were the same, it was eerie on so many levels even I was unnerved.

"I've brought a friend home." Nora announced, and suddenly their blank eyes went to me. "He'll be staying with us for some time."

"How wonderful!" The woman exclaimed happily. "I am so glad to meet another one of Nora's friends."

The man smiled proudly. "She's such a wonderful girl, so bright and gifted."

"Is there anything you need?" The woman asked.

I shook my head no quickly. "I'm fine." They were beyond helping anyone.

"It's quite late, why don't you two go to bed." Nora suggested. "Gabriel will take care of me."

"An excellent idea." The man agreed at once. "We'll see you in the morning." He put an arm around his wife's shoulders and they left the room at once.

I walked over to the couch and sat down in the armchair across from it. I gave Nora a long look.

"What is it?" She asked, a little self consciously.

"You're parent's died during the Crusades." I pointed out to her.

She rolled her eyes in a very childlike manner. "Obviously these are my adopted parents. They own the building, isn't it lovely?"

I placed my hands together and pressed my fingers to my mouth while I thought this over. "You've managed to not only convince these humans that you are an actual child, but you got them to adopt you?"

She nodded. "Brilliant, isn't it? I let myself age gradually, like how a human child grows. In a few years, they'll either die of old age, or accidentally, and I will inherit everything."

"What about school?"

"Since I have a severe allergy to strong light, of course I can't go to school. I'm home tutored."

I arched one brow sceptically. "So, light allergies are real now?"

"As a matter of fact, they are."

I decided to give up that line of conversation. I looked around the apartment, taking in the little details. It was a luxurious and comfortable environment, but I couldn't leave it, so I couldn't appreciate it.

Nora reached over to the low coffee table in between the couch and sofa chair. She picked up a small remote, and with a touch of a button, all of the lights dimmed then went out.

I turned, looking out the window behind me, now the only source of light in the room. The city glowed spectacularly. Colorful neon lights intermingled with pale yellow streetlights, contrasting against large LED screens. The effect seemed to spread right into the room, the black carpet blending with the night sky, so that the couch, table and chair appeared to be floating above it all.

The view was stunning, but I could not appreciate it either. "It's a lovely cage, Nora, but that's all it is." I turned back to look at her, expecting to see her anger. I saw something far worse instead, her tears.

She wiped one finger under her eyes and smiled weakly. "Gabriel, please stay with me. I need you so much."

There was nothing in this universe that could move me as much as the sight of Nora in tears. I struggled against the bitter pang of guilt rising in my chest. A lump formed in my throat that was impossible to swallow down. "I can't..." I said with great difficulty.

"Don't you care for me anymore?" She asked pitifully.

I got to my feet, a sudden anger rising up, rendering me unable to sit still. "You know I do! I love you wil all my heart." I clasped one hand to my chest. "But I'm not one of your possessions, Nora. You can't just keep me!" She too rose from her seat, walking slowly over to me. I knelt down and placed my hands on her tiny shoulders. "Please try to understand. I've spent too much time in one box or another, figuratively and literally. I NEED to be free to don't what I want."

Nora's face was now a cold mask. It startled me how quickly her expression had changed. "That's such a shame, Gabriel." She said, her voice flat. "I think it's time you remember what really happened the night you left." She reached up and touched my forehead with two fingers, and my world went black.

xxxXXXxxx

I slept in fits, my brain trying to sort through the events of the past few days in a way that made sense. My overtired body protested, pulling my consciousness down into blackness. It was hours before I got any real sleep.

After a few eternities, my mind started to drift back to consciousness. I couldn't feel my body so much, except for a sense of heaviness, like I was glued to my mattress while my mind floated freely. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, it was kind of nice.

As my mind drifted, it went past the events of last night, going further back, connecting to the last time I had felt such sheer terror. I went back pretty far back.

Once upon a time, I had been scared of the dark, terrified out of my wits of the things I knew lurked in the shadows of my bedroom. Back then, my mother had tried everything to soothe me. Night lights weren't bright enough, bedtime stories only made things worse, even the TV wasn't any help. The only thing my mother could do was hold me, rubbing my back, till I fell asleep.

My older brother, Chris, still teases me about that.

Right now, when everything in my life is slipping into utter madness, and I am more terrified than I have been in years, I can still feel that sense of peace my Mother gave me. It's warmth spreads throughout my body, easing the aches and pains of my muscles, letting me finally relax.

It was almost as if she were holding me right now.

My eyes cracked open as my consciousness floated to the surface. Strange, I actually did feel like someone was holding me...

I turned over and came face to face with a sleeping Calypso. She had one arm wrapped around my waist, her body pressed against mine. I immediately tried to push myself away from her, but she just tightened her grip. I slipped under her arm and pushed myself back, then immediately fell to the floor.

The noise woke her and she peered over the edge of the bed at me, her eyes half closed in sleepiness. "I'm sorry, did I push you off?"

I sat up, rubbing my injured tail bone. "No, I just didn't expect to see you in my bed. We put you in the guest room." Last night flooded into my brain all at once and I was instantly alert. "Are you okay?" I asked in concern, reaching over and pulling the blanket off of her.

She was perfectly healed, from what I could tell. There was no blood, and she was wearing one of my night shirts. The faded blue one that Chris had worn as a regular shirt ages ago. She put her hand to the hem. "You don't mind that I borrowed it, do you? I had to throw my own clothes out."

"No, it's okay..." I said as I calmed myself. "I can't believe you healed so fast."

"Thank you for helping me." She said earnestly. She wrapped her arms around her chest and stomach. "I'm not fully healed yet, but the bleeding's stopped."

"Why are you in here?" I asked. "Why did you come in here and sleep with me? Aren't you worried about the sun at least?" I looked over at my window and discovered that it had been covered and taped up. The only light in the room came from the lamp on the desk.

Calypso ducked her head shyly. "I'm not used to sleeping by myself." She admitted. "I was scared of being alone."

I hefted myself up and sat down next to her on the bed. I put a hand on her shoulder. "You're the strangest vampire I've ever met."

She smiled at her lap, but it was brief. "I went downstairs and cleaned up. I... I buried my sister outside, if that's okay."

My hand tightened on her shoulder. "Calypso..."

She shook her head. "No, there's nothing you can say." She whispered, and I knew she was right.

"What about Steven?" I asked suddenly, feeling panicky. "Is he all right? Did you..."

Calypso looked up. "I sent him home. He was a nervous wreck." She looked at me. "Is it all right that I locked up his memory? I didn't want him remembering what happened here."

"No, that's fine." I blinked at her stupidly. "You... you didn't hurt him?"

She looked genuinely shocked. "Why would I do something like that?"

"Isn't that what vampires do?" My cheeks reddened. "I mean, you guys have to eat, right?"

Calypso shook her head. "I've never fed from a human. Callisto said it wasn't safe for me, so she fed me herself."

"I see..." I said, not really sure that I did.

Calypso reached over and took my hand with both of hers, a pleading look came over her face. "You've saved my life, so I shouldn't ask for any favors, but... can I stay here with you?" My eyebrows shot up, but she continued before I could open my mouth. "I don't have anywhere to go. Nora thinks she killed me, and I don't want to prove her wrong right now. I'll do whatever you ask, just please..." Her wide blue eyes begged me.

"You can stay for a little while." I told her. "At least until you're completely well. I wouldn't feel right just throwing you out into the cold. You saved my life." I thought for a moment. "But definitely no eating people while you live here." I said sternly.

"Thank you so much." Calypso wrapped both arms around me and hugged me tightly. I grasped her arms and tried to stop her from strangling me. She released me after a moment. "What's your name?"

"Uh, you can call me Angie." I told her. "You're Calypso, right?"

She nodded. "You can call me Callie."

"Then I shall." I got to my feet and checked my alarm clock, which read 2 O'clock in the afternoon. "Is it really that late?" I took a long stretch, loosening the tight muscles in my arms and legs. "I guess you can have Gabriel's room, since Nora took him." David was going to be so pissed at me.

Callie shivered. "No, I don't want to go in there." She gave me a fearful look. "When are you going to go get him back?"

"Never, if I can help it. He was a pain in the neck." I paused and looked at her. "Not literally." Relief flashed across her face, but was soon overshadowed by worry. "What's the matter?"

"If I tell you... You'll try to go and get him back."

My body drooped. "Aw man, I'm not going to like this, am I?" She shook her head. "Well, you better spit it out now."

"Nora's going to kill a lot of people." Callie looked me in the eye, deadly serious. "And she's going to make Gabriel help her."

"You know, I really need some food. Tell me all this after I've had some carbohydrates and protein." I grabbed her hand, pulled her off the bed, and led her downstairs.

She had done a really nice job of cleaning up. Everything that had been broken beyond repair had been removed, so the kitchen looked a little sparse. The heavy table and one chair survived I was happy to see. I gestured for Callie to take the chair while I rummaged around the kitchen. My options were limited without a toaster and coffee maker, so I eventually settled on eggs and untoasted bread. While I was at it I prepared a bottle of pig's blood for Callie. The microwave was gone, so I heated it up in a pot of water like how people used to do with bottles of baby formula.

She wrapped both hands around the bottle and stared at it, lost in thought. I sat on the kitchen counter, plate and fork in hand. "So, out with it." I said around a mouthful of eggs. "How's Nora going to kill a lot of people, other than the usual way?"

"She holds sway over a lot of us, and gathers us all close to her." Callie said. "We don't have to eat as often as humans, but we do get hungry. Nora is having trouble feeding her brood without being noticed." I ate mindlessly while she talked, that way I wouldn't have to speak. "In the past when times were tough, she would find a small town, have everyone settle there, then raze it in one night. So I've heard, she hasn't been able to do that in quite some time. There is too much communication even between very small towns." Calypso continued to stare at the white bottle in front of her. "I haven't been a vampire for very long, by vampire standards, only twenty years, but, I can feel it deep inside. The aggression, the resentment towards the others. Nora's influence keeps it buried, but doesn't make it go away."

"So..." I spoke finally. "Nora is amassing a vampire army, whose soldiers could turn on each other at any minute."

Callie nodded. "Eventually that tenuous thread will snap, and many of us will die."

"With the splash effect meaning a lot of human bystanders going with them." She nodded. "Where's Nora based? Somewhere here on Long Island?"

Callie shook her head. "Manhattan." She cracked open her bottle and began to drink.

"Christ." I dumped my plate in the sink. "This is the last thing I need." I turned back to her, bracing my hands behind me on the sink. "Where does Gabriel fit into all of this?"

Callie drained her bottle. "Gabriel also has the power to influence, though he is not as strong as Nora. She will use him to draw even more of us to her. She'll also have him kill her adopted parents, so she can inherit their estate early."

"And Gabriel's just going to go along with it?" I asked sceptically. "It seemed to me that he wanted to be as far away form Nora as vampirely possible."

"She plans to pull him under her influence as well, that's why she's been feeding him so much. She feeds her servants some of her own blood before she sends us out, then Gabriel drinks their blood, and her blood with it. She can now exercise greater control over him."

"You seem to know a good deal about Nora's inner workings." I commented.

Callie shook her head. "I can never know what she's thinking, just what will happen because of her actions." She looked over at me.. I can see it, just like how I knew Nora sent us here to die for Gabriel. She never told us, but I knew." She looked over at the kitchen floor. "Callisto didn't want to believe me at first."

"So, you're clairvoyant?" I asked, starting to feel excited. "You can see the future?"

Callie gave me a sympathetic look, as if I were a small child asking why the sky was blue. "The future is never certain. I just have a better understanding of what COULD happen."

"Like, what'll happen if I try to save Gabriel and stop Nora?" I asked.

"If you go alone, you'll definitely die." Callie said at once.

"I don't need a psychic to tell me that. What if I got some help?" I asked, thinking of David.

"If you have help, strong help, then the odds of success increase slightly. But, it still doesn't look good for you."

I thought about all of what Callie had said for a long moment. I walked over to the table and placed my fingertips on the surface. "Earlier when you saved me from Gabriel, you said I wasn't supposed to die yet. That's because you know I am going to die going up against Nora, right?" She nodded sadly. "Can you tell me what actions I can take now to ensure the best possible chance of succeeding?"

"You'll need more ammunition for your silver gun." Callie replied. "And preferably something with a longer reach than your glove."

I nodded. "I wonder if Great Aunt Katrina has anything stashed around here. I thought it was odd that she had her gear here, but no ammo. Perhaps she hid it."

"I'll help you look." Callie offered. "I can look in areas you might not be able. I'll help you in any way I can."

"Sounds like a plan. You get started, I'm going to go make a phone call." I pushed away from the table and headed into the living room to find the phone.

15: Chapter 15

Before I had met Gabriel, I had considered myself the impulsive type. I usually act first without really thinking about it, then dwelled on the consequences later on. It was that nature that had carried me through the last few weeks more or less unharmed.

If there was one thing that Gabriel had taught me, it was that I knew nothing at all about impulsiveness. Next to him I looked like a turtle standing next to a squirrel with ADHD.

Callie, I soon found, was worse than Gabriel.

"Have you found anything?" I called loudly, broom in my hands, shivering in the cold. The weak sunlight streaming down was enough to make me squint.

I was standing in the hallway on the second floor, looking up the stairs into what remained of the attic. Callie had insisted on going up there instead of me, citing that all of the broken grass would probably slice me to ribbons.

"Almost..." I heard a thump, then a scraping noise as something heavy was dragged through the snow and glass. "Watch out." was all the warning I had before she tossed a large black trunk down to the floor below.

Thankfully, I had had some coffee after breakfast, so I was able to dodge backwards away from the mini-avalanche of snow and glass that came with the trunk.

Callie hopped down, unrecognizable with a heavy blanket wrapped around her head and shoulders. It was nearing sunset, but even the dim winter sunlight could still scorch her skin badly. She folded the staircase up into the ceiling quickly, then whipped off the blanket. "I found that in the tomb, underneath what was left of the coffin."

"It's big enough to hide another body inside." I said warily.

"Do you think your Great Aunt hid two vampires up there?"

"I'm not sure..."

"Better be careful when you open it, just in case." She grabbed the trunk, and carried it easily downstairs while I swept up the glass and melting snow.

I joined her downstairs right after, where we had made our base of operations. We had mutually decided that we weren't going to be able to help anyone, human or vampire, unless we took some time to prepare. Callie had moved the furniture out of the living room and we had spent the better part of the day gathering as much of Great Aunt Katrina's personal belongings as we could find.

We weren't just looking for weapons. We scoured the entire house for anything Katrina Riley might have had some attachment to. This was a surprisingly small amount of objects. I had brought down her journal and some jewelry (all silver, of course) while Callie had brought up the trunk in the basement. I had also gathered all of the books that looked promising, and the laptop.

The laptop, books, and journal were set up at the kitchen table. Callie was a very fast reader, and, unlike Gabriel, actually knew how to use computers, so she did most of the reading. After she had put the trunks in the living room, I set about opening them and discovering what was inside.

It had turned out that sometime over the last day, Gabriel had stolen my keys, including the special cylindrical one that went to the front door. 'Now I have to get that bastard back.' I thought grimly. 'Or I'm never going to be able to get into the damn house again.'

Without my keys, I was unable to open either trunk without first having Callie break the locks. It was a shame to do it, as they were both carved antique pieces down in silver (Callie had worn gloves).

Inside the basement trunk, I didn't find anything new. Just Great Aunt Katrina's old hunting clothes. I decided to keep the leather jacket. It had a bunch of hidden pockets. I could probably carry a whole arsenal with me.

I tried it on right away. It hung on me rather loosely, Great Aunt Katrina had been much broader in the chest and shoulders. Taller too, the jacket hung down past my waist. She must have been almost as tall as Gabriel.

I paused before opening the second trunk, convincing myself that whatever was in there, it wasn't another vampire. What I did discover were several objects of varying size, each wrapped up in a black cloth.

The first one was small, but heavy. It shifted around in it's cloth with a metallic clinking sound. I unwrapped it, finding it to be a thick silver chain with a weight attached to each end. Each weight ended with a sharp silver spike.

"Huh." I said, holding it up so Callie could see it.

Callie looked over at me from the kitchen. "What's that?"

"I don't know, but it looks like it would hurt to get smacked with it."

"Do you know how to use it without hurting yourself?"

"Nope." I wrapped it back up and put it aside.

The next package was smaller than the first, and much lighter. As I unwrapped it, it sliced my thumb. "Ouch, dammit!" I swore, putting my thumb in my mouth just as a bright drop of blood welled up from the cut.

"What did you find?" Callie asked.

I finished unwrapping the package. "Nintha throwing shtars." I said around my thumb.

"Silver?" I nodded and put the throwing stars aside.

I found a katana next. It was a beautiful weapon, the blade was silver plated and the handle was wrapped in black leather. I stood up and took a couple of practice swings. It was very well balanced, so I barely felt it's weight. I set it in a new pile, for things that we might take with us.

I reached for the largest package next. A brown leather-wrapped hilt sticking out of a massive wrapped bundle. It was incredibly heavy, and I struggled with it vainly. With one great heave, I managed to drag it out of the trunk by the hilt. The black cloth fell away, revealing a wide shining silver blade, carved with indecipherable runes. The sharp tip immediately buried itself into the wooden floor.

"Pretty." Callie said quietly, from right behind me. I jumped in surprise, turning my head to look at her. She reached around me and grasped the sword hilt. I let it go and she lifted it up as if it were a feather. She turned the blade, looking at the inscriptions. "I've never seen anything like this before." She turned away from me and swung the sword through the air. "I like it. A lot." She seemed mesmerized by the shining silver. "What kind of sword is it?"

"Careful." I cautioned her. "You might burn yourself. I think it's called a Claymore."

Callie laughed lightly. "As long as I hold it by the covered part, I'll be fine." She turned to me and grinned.

I frowned at her. "It's awfully big, and looks like it would do a lot of damage. I thought we were trying to stop needless bloodshed."

"I'll take this for the bloodshed that's needed." Callie said simply. She carried the sword back to the kitchen with her, laying it on the counter with great care.

I looked through the trunk. It contained only weapons, of all kinds, including several guns. At the bottom I found Great Aunt Katrina's silver revolver. It rested in a wooden case lined with red velvet, along with a welcome surprise. "Bullets!" I exclaimed. "I knew Great Aunt Katrina had to have ammo somewhere!"

"It's odd that she kept it under the coffin." Callie remarked. She had returned to the living room, flipping through Katrina's journal. "She was a hunter, wasn't she? Wouldn't she need all this stuff?"

I looked down at the unpacked trunk, and the weapons strewn all over the floor. "All this stuff belong to vampire hunters, only the revolver is Katrina's. Still... she buried it all underneath Gabriel. Fifty years ago, she was still fairly young, she could have continued hunting."

"According to this, she didn't."

"I guess once she caught him, she didn't have a reason to hunt anymore."

"She was very kind." Callie remarked.

I looked over at her. "What makes you say that?"

Callie pointed at a passage in the journal. "What could I have done? My age old enemy lay prostrate before me, seeking salvation from an evil that has manipulated his actions for centuries. Here was my chance to finally avenge my parents, my town. What choice did I have?"

I hurried over to Callie, weapons forgotten. I continued reading the passage as Callie fell silent. My eyes widened as a powerful emotion built up inside of me.

"Angie, you're crying." Callie said gently. She reached one hand up and wiped my cheek with two fingers.

I looked up from the book. "We have to bring him back, Callie. For Great Aunt Katrina."

She wrapped one arm around my shoulders. "I don't owe anything to your great aunt, but I owe you my life. If you want Gabriel back, then we'll get him back." She promised.

xxxXXXxxx

 

I woke very slowly, easing into consciousness with the same reluctance of a swimmer getting into a cold pool. My vision swam as if I were already underwater. Where was I?

A dim light glowed overhead. "Nora, I believe he's coming to." A male voice said, very far away.

Small, cool hands clasped the sides of my face, I looked up, but could not see their owner. "He's barely conscious. Continue."

There was a sharp pain at my wrist. I tried to struggle, but my arms were too heavy to move. A pair of soft lips pressed against my forehead. "Shh, Gabriel." Nora soothed. "I'm trying to help you. You want to remember, don't you?"

"Remember what?" I mumbled, not sure it came out coherently. I felt as if I were lying on my back, but the room kept shifting, so I couldn't be sure.

"The night you disappeared, she came and took you away from me."

I wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but there was only one person Nora referred to as 'she'. "Katrina?"

"Yes, she was terrible in her hatred and jealousy. She came and attacked our family, intent only on capturing you. Lucifer tried to fight her himself, but she slew him without remorse."

I tried to frown, but I was having difficulty moving my facial muscles. My head kept spinning, and my body was getting heavier and heavier. "No, Lucien said..."

Nora ran her fingers down my cheek. "You're so tired, so weak. When was the last time you fed?"

"Yesterday." I answered. It was then that I felt a deep, painful hunger growing inside of me. I was ravenous, btu helpless at the same time. It was the same as when I had been trapped in that damned coffin. A figure leaned over me, blocking out the light from the ceiling.

"You don't have to worry." Nora whispered. "I will take care of you, my Gabriel." A drop hit my lips, heavy and warm. The blood hit my tongue and ignited my hunger. I opened my mouth wide, my fangs aching to sink into soft flesh.

Nora offered my her tender wrist and I took it gladly. My mind was fevered, but as I drank her blood, I was calmed. My mind was wiped of all discomfort and anxiety.

Nora laughed lightly. "You're always so eager, Gabriel. Careful or you might kill me."

I stopped at once, sitting up quickly. The room had mercifully stopped spinning, my head was so much clearer now. "Nora, I would never hurt you." I told her sincerely. Her eyes widened as I wrapped both arms around her and held her against my chest.

She wrapped her own arms around my neck. "I'm so glad, Gabriel. I've missed you so much. I'm so glad you've finally returned to me."

She pulled away from me and smiled, tears in her eyes. Her smile was so bright and warm, I knew what sunshine must look like. "I don't know why I ever left." I told her as I wiped her tears.

Angie tugged at a lock of hair in front of her eyes irritably. "What exactly is this supposed to accomplish?"

I cleaned up the bottles in the bathroom, tossing them into the tiny trashcan next to the toilet. "Well, You're great aunt had red hair, right? And Gabriel said you looked a bit like her."

"Well, when he first met me, he confused me for her. Then there was that thing downstairs where he tried to kill me. This color looks so fake on me. I'm surprised it was here, I guess Great Aunt Katrina was going gray in her later years." Angie frowned deeply, but her face wasn't designed for harsh expressions, so she just looked cute.

"This just might give us an edge over Nora." I smiled reassuringly. "She hates Katrina with a passion. You just might throw her off guard."

A vision flashed before my eyes. Angie was lying on the ground, blood pouring from a gaping wound on her wrist. Her newly dyed hair mixed into the blood pooling around her.

I stretched my smile wider, trying to banish the disturbing image. I couldn't escape it, no matter how much I wanted to, but I had to do what I could.

Angie pulled on a black hooded sweater. She tucked her long hair into the hood, hiding it away. "If you say so. Are we ready now?" She pulled on a worn brown leather jacket that was much too big for her. She looked no different to me than a small child, dressing in her mother's clothes.

"As much as we can ever be. The sun has gone down completely, we should leave soon."

"The front door won't open without the key." Angie reminded me.

"That's fine. We'll just go out through the attic."

Angie's brown eyes widened. "That's three stories up! How am I supposed to get to the car?"

"I'll carry you."

She looked worried, but I didn't give her a chance to dwell on it. I picked her up and threw her light frame over one shoulder. With my other hand, I scooped up the black duffel bag full of our arsenal, and my new sword.

Angie started squirming as I unfolded the staircase, but I ignored her protests. I bounded up the stairs and picked through the shattered glass. Large pieces of it lay at odd angles, some even pointing straight up. I kept Angie's frail limbs clear and leaped off the edge of the roof.

We landed lightly on the white gravel and I set her down. I was pretty proud of myself, Angie hadn't received a single scratch. I wasn't used to doing things on my own like this. Making decisions and following them through, it was a nice feeling, very exhilarating.

"Never, ever, do that again." Angie said severely. She frowned cutely again. I could see why Gabriel chose to stay here rather than with Nora.

I smiled at her. "All right."

She leaned in really close, her eyes somehow darker, maybe even a little dangerous. "Promise me."

"Cross my heart." I said, feeling more than a little intimidated.

We headed to the garage, where Angie recovered the car keys. It was so strange, but just looking at her an emotion I had never felt before overcame me. Her dark brown hair had been so richly hued, before I had colored it. It was still just as soft, though. I had brushed it out for her, and I almost hadn't wanted to stop. Her brown eyes were so deep, and they shone in the light, even sparkling under moonlight.

Angie was so pretty. No, she was beautiful. She had saved me from dying, she was so strong and had so much mercy. I felt such warmth just being around her. She was like an angel.

Another vision hit me then.

Angie was hanging onto a ledge, just under the edge of a rooftop. Gabriel was on the roof, he was holding his hand out to her, but she wouldn't take it. She scrambled as her grip weakened, then she slipped, falling into darkness.

I shook my head, clearing it. This is what I had been seeing all night. Angie had died in my head over a dozen times, each a different way. And each time, the sick, heavy feeling in my stomach grew a bit more.

I couldn't let it happen. I wasn't sure why I felt this way, but I didn't want her to die. I had to do whatever I could to prevent it.

While I had been daydreaming, I had packed the car. We both sat in the front seat as Angie drove. "Where in Manhattan is Nora?" She asked.

I pulled out my phone. "I'll put the address on my GPS." I said distantly. I placed the phone on the dash.

"Are you all right?" Angie asked in concern. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this, especially after everything you've been through."

I managed a tight smile, but couldn't keep it up. "I'm not worried about me." I told her honestly.

"You're worried about me?" She looked surprised. Then her expression darkened. "Things don't look too good for me, do they?"

"The situation is not ideal." I hedged.

"I know asking about what's going to happen is pretty much useless. I've seen enough television to know that anything I learn might change my actions, but I still die anyway. I just want to know one thing though." Angie glanced at me briefly. "Do I make it to Nora? Do we square off, face to face, like David planned?"

I didn't know who David was, but I still nodded slowly. "You have a good chance of making it that far."

"Good, that's all I need."

"You have a plan?"

"I plan on not dying." Angie's eyes narrowed slightly. "All I need to do is get to Gabriel."

As I looked at her, a small feeling of hope started to kindle. She looked so determined. But then I saw her lying on the ground again, that gaping wound on her wrist, and the small flame was doused. "That's the best thing you can do." I said carefully.

I wanted to tell her, but I couldn't. Any small plan I came up with would be ruined if I told her. I couldn't tell her that Nora wouldn't be the one to kill her tonight.

xxxXXXxxx

I stopped the car about a block away from Nora's H.Q. "What's the plan of attack?" I asked Callie.

Callie looked up the tall buildings to the night sky. Her blonde hair fell down her back, ending in thick curls. She was wearing some of my clothes, jeans and a T-shirt that said 'free hugs'. We were of the same height and build, but they looked better on her than they did on me. I couldn't say that vampires were automatically more attractive than humans, but all the ones I had seen were fairly fit. "We should head up to the roof of a nearby building, and make our way to the roof of her building. Nora will have less guards placed up there. She's very confident in her ability to influence, and does not suspect a vampire might try to attack her." She turned to me. "Once you meet her, how do you plan on not falling under her influence?"

I shrugged. "If she's like Gabriel, then it shouldn't be impossible. I've seen him influence others, but I usually see right through it."

"Well, the more stubborn the individual, the harder it is to take over. Especially if they know it's coming."

"Oh, one thing I've got, it's stubbornness in spades." I unlocked the trunk and Callie retrieved the bags. "So which building do we go up?"

"This office building looks promising." Callie pointed to a building. There was a light on in the front, illuminating a guard station, but otherwise it was dark.

"All right. How do we get in?"

"The guard will be regretting those three double lattes he had earlier any second now." Callie smiled devilishly.

Sure enough, as we made our way to the glass door, the guard rose from his seat and hurried out of sight. Callie pushed open the door and help it for me.

"That was future telling, right?" I asked. "You didn't force him to have to pee, right?"

Callie smiled. "I'll never tell."

We headed over to the elevators and I thumbed the 'up' button. "I think we might make a pretty good team, Callie." I smiled at her.

In the elevator, we opened the duffel bag and geared up. Callie had the Claymore strapped to her back. It was so huge compared to her somewhat delicate frame I wasn't sure if the effect was bad ass or comical. I strapped the Katana at my waist. "You sure you know how to use that?" Callie asked.

"Somewhat." I told her. "My brother was into a lot of old samurai films in High School. He set up a Kendo club and made me join, to try to attract more members. He used me for practice a lot." I smiled at her, trying to be reassuring. "I know which end is the sharp one. The only thing I'm worried about is how much faster vampires are. I can't seem to shoot one of you unless you're standing still, and I've only got seven bullets." I patted the holster on my other hip. Great Aunt Katrina's silver revolver was already loaded and waiting.

"Our goal is to do as little damage as possible." I reminded Callie. "That means the fewest casualties. Once we get to Gabriel, we can defeat Nora, and Gabriel can influence the other vampires to leave town, go their separate ways. This way, we avoid a massacre in the heart of New York City."

Callie nodded earnestly. "I agree. It would be bad for all concerned to have a bloodbath. But we shall meet resistance if we try to get near Nora."

"Which you look more than capable to handle." I told her.

Callie's blue eyes sparkled, she looked pleased. "You think so? Of the two of us, my sister was the fighter. The silver sword will be what really gives me an edge."

The elevator stopped and Callie and I headed up to the roof. As soon as we opened the door, a chill gust of wind blew, stinging our faces. I turned up my jacket collar as I stepped out onto the roof. "Let's hurry. I don't like feeling so vulnerable to the elements."

We headed to the edge of the roof. The next rooftop wasn't too far away, and just beyond it was the roof of Nora's building. I reached into a jacket pocket and pulled out a pair of mini binoculars. I had found this little gem in Great Aunt Katrina's desk. It was incredible high powered and I was able to see Nora's roof clearly, especially the shapes moving around on it. "I count three."

"Four." Callie was also looking at the rooftop, though she didn't need binoculars. "Once we jump this roof, they'll see us coming. We'll have to move quickly before one of them contacts Nora."

I nodded grimly, pocketing the binoculars. Callie held her arms out to pick me up. "Can you not throw me over your shoulder this time?" I asked. "We're both girls and I don't want to look ridiculous." She scooped me up in her arms, holding me princess style. "Yeah... This probably looks worse."

"You'll have to stifle your embarrassment." Callie told me, she jumped easily to the next rooftop. She was running as soon as he feet touched the ground, speeding along the second rooftop. Then she leaped again and I caught a glimpse of the ground, so very far away. I vowed then and there never to look down again.

We hit the roof of Nora's building just as the four vampires were heading for us. Callie set me down quickly as they formed a semi-circle opposing us.

Callie hissed, drawing her sword and charging at the first one. She was almost faster than I could see. The sword sang through the air and the first vampire was severed in half at the waist.

I turned my eyes to the others, away from the sudden spray of blood. Two of the vampires were rushing Callie, but the fourth hung back. He reached into his pocket for something.

I drew Katrina's revolver as quickly as I could. I fired at the vampire, hitting his hand and destroying the cellphone he was retrieving. He hissed in pain, but didn't attack. Instead he rushed to the door. I held my fire, knowing it would be a waste of bullets to try to hit him when he was going that fast. I swore as he opened the door and disappeared.

I turned back to Callie and found three dead vampires laying at her feet. Her eyes glowed bright red and she hissed loudly. Blood stained her shirt and her sword crimson. She stared at the lifeless bodies before her, her expression vicious.

"Callie!" I called to her. "Snap out of it! We have to go, now!"

Callie blinked, and her eyes were back to blue. She nodded and we hurried to the door. She reached it first and hurtled down the stairs, after the fleeing vampire. I followed as fast as I could, but she was soon out of sight.

I soon found myself in a plushly carpeted hallway. I had no idea where Callie had gone, but where I was seemed completely deserted. Probably all the vampires in the vicinity had chased after her. That left me free to do some investigating.

As I looked around, pondering which door to try first, the first thing I noticed was a song playing, very faintly. I moved towards it slowly. It was a familiar tune, where had I heard it before?

I came up to a door, the song was coming from the other side. I recognized it now. It was 'Invincible' by OK Go. It was also Gabriel's ringtone.

I reached for the knob and turned it. It wasn't locked, which really didn't surprise me. Conventional locks wouldn't be a hindrance to a vampire, so why bother in the first place?

I found myself in a small room. It held a small sofa and a TV. There was another door on the other side. It looked like a waiting room, or a possible guard station.

The song kept playing, the chorus going on and on in an unending loop. I followed it to a large shopping bag next to the sofa, inside I found Gabriel's clothes. The cellphone was in the pants pocket.

The caller ID read 'Lucien'. I answered the phone quickly. "David, I'm trying to save Gabriel, I need-"

"He's in the next room. Hurry." David hissed at me.

"Wait, how do you know-" The line went dead. I stared at the phone dumbly for a second, but this wasn't the time for questions. I could interrogate David later, after I had gotten Gabriel. I hurried over to the next door. I reached out and turned the knob.

This one, too, was unlocked. The room it led to was medium sized, but sparsely furnished. Gabriel lay on his side on a bed in the corner.

I hurried over to him, but he was out cold. "Gabriel!" I hissed sharply. "Wake up, I need to get you out of here!" I shook his shoulder a bit, with no effect. I even slapped him across the face, hard. Still he didn't wake.

As a last ditch effort, pulled on my silver glove. I lifted up his shirt and jabbed him hard in the ribs. His flesh seared and he howled as he awoke. I scrambled backwards quickly. "Gabriel! We have to go!"

He looked at me, and his eyes were red in anger. "What the hell do you think you're doing here? How dare you show your face to me?"

"What are you talking about? I'm here to rescue you from Nora." I told him desperately. "She's going to us you to bring a lot of vampires into the city. Let's go!"

Gabriel got to his feet, his red eyes glittered like rubies. "No more lies Katrina. I know the truth now. You killed Lucifer, you killed my son!"

I reached up automatically to my head. My hood had fallen back earlier and I hadn't noticed it. I barely had time for the horror to sink in before Gabriel attacked.

16: Chapter 16

I jumped backwards as Gabriel sprang towards me. I hurriedly drew my katana, holding it up defensively. He paused, sizing me up warily. "Gabriel, I didn't come here to hurt you." I warned.

He laughed harshly, then reached out for the katana. In the blink of an eye he disarmed me, holding the katana behind his back. With his other hand he grasped my jaw and lifted me up. "Such a vulgar weapon doesn't suit you, Katrina."

"I'm... not... Katrina." I said with difficulty. I held onto his arm with both hands as he continued to lift me up. I couldn't make him release me, but my toes were skimming the carpet and I needed to support myself with something other than my neck. "I'm... Angie."

His red eyes were hard and cold. "I don't know an Angie." He said, then threw me aside.

I landed on a hard sofa chair, both hands on my aching jaw. "This is Nora's work." I said. "She's brainwashed you already." I was too late, but I should have seen this coming. Of course she would put Gabriel under her control as soon as possible. I guess I had just thought he would have held out longer. He was so god damned stubborn with me all the time.

Gabriel held up the katana, inspecting the blade without touching it. He turned and advanced on me. "This won't be quick, Katrina, just so you know. You deserve a long, painful death. For Lucifer."

"You're such an idiot." I said in annoyance. It was odd, I knew that I was going to die, but the fear just drained out of me. I was tired, tired of babysitting a vampire, tired of being drawn into vampire relationships, and tired of being confused for my great aunt. I felt hot, angry, and really, really annoyed. "You forgot all about how Great Aunt Katrina helped you, after you went to her and begged her. You even forgot why!"

He stopped his advancement. "What kind of madness are you spewing now?"

"I'm not Katrina!" I shouted at him. "She wasted all of her life on you! Hunting you down, learning everything about you that she could! Then she wasted her old age making sure you were safe, the only way she knew how! She's dead and left you with the only person stupid enough to take the job! But you just forget everything and go along with the first thing someone tells you!" Hot, angry tears welled up in my eyes.

Gabriel loomed over me, blocking out the light overhead, his face dark. The silver blade seemed to glow in his hand. "Katrina is not so frail as to cry in front of me. Who are you? What did I forget?"

The tears burned tracks down my cheeks. "It's me, Angie. You hate me, remember?" I took a deep breath. "And, you forgot the night Lucifer died."

He held the blade up, pointed at me. He pressed the tip into my chest, I could feel the sharp point cutting through the thick fabric of my hooded sweater. "Tell me."

I scrubbed my cheeks with my sleeves. "It was Nora, she killed him."

A sudden pain at the right side of my face made me cry out. The force of it knocked me out of the chair and I tumbled onto the floor. My cheekbone smarted like hell. I sat up, clutching the throbbing ache. I blinked up at Gabriel though fresh tears, realizing he had smacked me with the sword.

"It's the truth!" I shouted, reaching into my pocket. "You told everything to Katrina, and she wrote it all in her journal. You wanted to get away, you weren't sure about Nora or her intentions, or even yourself. Lucifer wanted to go with you, but Nora stopped him." I got to my feet shakily as Gabriel stepped closer. "She killed him and you ran away!" I shouted.

He paused, the sword tip wavered. I took my opportunity, closing the gap between us, spare about six inches. "You were so horrified, that you couldn't accept it. You wanted to kill Nora for what she had done, but you still loved her too much. You went to Katrina and begged her to kill you." I kept my voice steady.

I was close enough now that I could see his eyes. The bright red glow had dulled to the color of burnt embers. They were wide as horror crept over him. The sword began to shake in his hand. "No." He shook his head. "Nora would never do that."

"But she did." I told him firmly, having no time for tenderness. "Katrina built that box and you crawled into it willingly. You gave her the house, and the money. You didn't trust anyone else to look after you."

Gabriel gripped the sword so tightly that the leather binding the hilt creaked in protest. He shook his head again. "No, I don't believe it."

Anger boiled inside of me. He was running away, again. Running away from the truth of what happened. Katrina had suffered so much because of him, and he couldn't even acknowledge his own truth. "She was so much stronger than you." I said bitterly. I pulled my hand out of my pocket, I had managed to squirm it into the silver glove. I pulled my hand back and punched Gabriel as hard as I could across the jaw.

He flew backwards, landing on the bed on his back. I bent down and retrieved the katana off the floor. I sheathed it before walking over to him. He sat up on his elbows, staring at me in utter shock. "Listen to me, you're coming with me if I have to drag you." I growled at him. "And if you don't get your crap together, I will put you back into that box and bury it so deep you'll never breath fresh air again."

The silver glove had burned his cheek and left a nasty gash, but it healed quickly. His eyes became clearer, recognition dawning. "Evangeline, when did you grow a spine?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Don't start with me. I'm only doing this for Great Aunt Katrina." He got to his feet and I turned towards the door. "Okay, let's go get Callie and get the hell out of here."

I felt a small pressure at the base of my spine, then my sword belt slipped. Before I could grab it, Gabriel grasped the sheath and belt. He fastened it around his own waist, stepping forward, ahead of me. "I'm not leaving yet." His profile was determined, his cheek shone wet under the light. "There's something I have to do first." He reached back and took my hand firmly. "Come on." He half dragged me out the door.

I followed him, half running just to keep up with his swift walk. I watched his back, the lines of it were tensed. My eyes widened as another tear ran down his cheek to his neck.

We reached the end of the hallway, it forked into two paths. Gabriel took the left one without hesitation. I had to trust that he knew where we were going.

He stopped at the bottom of a staircase, leading up to the roof exit. I looked up the stairs warily. The door was open, but I heard no sound. "She's up there?" I asked.

He didn't ask whom I meant, it was obvious. "Yes." He said tightly. "Come on." He started dragging me up the stairs.

"Maybe I should wait down here..."

He didn't look back at me. "I need you with me." He said roughly. "You've come this far, are you going to bail out on me now?"

My heart skipped a beat. "I guess not." I said quietly.

We were up the stairs and onto the roof all too quickly. It was completely deserted except for one small, slim shape, with her back turned to us.

Nora held her hands behind her back. A light breeze played with her long hair. "I can smell the blood lust coming off of you." She said softly. "You're full of my blood, and yet you would still betray me, again, Gabriel?"

"You lied to me Nora. You killed Lucifer, your own son. I remember everything now." I looked up at Gabriel, his expression was unsure. I could tell he didn't fully remember, but the truth was just under the surface, and he knew it.

"What do you remember?" Her voice lowered a little.

"I wanted to leave." Gabriel said firmly. "You tried to make me stay."

"Why did you want to leave?"

Gabriel closed his eyes for a moment, mentally preparing himself. "I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn't just another one of your pawns."

I wasn't sure what exactly I was supposed to be doing at that moment, so I stayed silent and squeezed Gabriel's hand reassuringly. This was his fight, whether he chose to go through with it or not.

Gabriel opened his eyes, but didn't look back at me, his gaze was locked on Nora. "Lucifer sided with me, like he always did. Things became violent, and you killed him." I could sense the gaping holes in his story, I felt he was holding the details back deliberately, perhaps because they were so painful.

Nora turned then, and her eyes fell on me first, then widened with shock. I dropped Gabriel's hand and took a wary step back. My hand was already going to my holster.

"I should have known." Nora's voice rose. "It's always you, isn't it? No matter how many decades go by, I can never be rid of you!" She sprang forward, faster than any other vampire I had seen. She covered the length of the rooftop before I could even draw Katrina's revolver, then she threw herself at me.

Gabriel was frozen, not offering assistance or resistance. Nora and I fell backwards, bouncing and rolling, right to the edge of the roof, and over into blackness.

As soon as I felt the ground disappear under me, I panicked. Nora pushed herself away from me as I scrambled to find something to grab onto. I seized onto a ledge a couple of feet below the edge of the roof. My legs hit the side of the building and pain exploded from my kneecap.

"Evangeline, up here." Gabriel called above me.

I looked up, Gabriel was at the edge of the roof, reaching one hand down to me. He was a few inches short, though. My arms were supporting all of my weight. I tried to find some purchase for my feet, but there was nothing but slick glass. "I can't." I gasped with effort.

"You have to. Don't look down, but Nora's below you, and she's coming up quickly."

I closed my eyes so I wouldn't look down. "I can't." I repeated, shaking my head. "Come and get me."

"Just take my hand!" Gabriel yelled. "It's right in front of you, just try!"

I opened my eyes, focusing on his hand. I summoned up all of my strength, pushing against the glass with my feet, and thrusting myself upwards, reaching out with one hand.

My fingertips just grazed his, then I was falling backwards. Gabriel pushed forward and grabbed my wrist. He hauled me up to the rooftop quickly.

My knee was battered, and I couldn't hold myself up. I leaned against him as adrenaline made my heart race. Relief spread through my body. "Thank you." I gasped, looking up at him.

Rather than releasing me, his grip on my wrist tightened. Behind me, I could hear something scrabbling up the building. "Nora." Gabriel said, then he looked down at me. "Goodbye Evangeline." His eyes were unapologetic.

Sensing sudden danger, I tried to pull away from him. He brought my wrist to my mouth and sank his teeth into the tender underside.

I cried out in pain as his fangs tore through my skin. Then a wave of weakness washed over me, and my legs buckled. Gabriel held me up by my wrist as he drank greedily. When he pulled his mouth away, he didn't look at me, he just threw me to the side.

I landed on the ground in a heap. I couldn't move, I could only watch as Gabriel drew the katana, readying himself to face Nora.

She pulled herself over the edge of the rooftop and leaped like a cat. Gabriel brought the sword up and slashed at her, but missed her by a hair. She landed behind him and he quickly spun around. All trace of beauty, or even humanity, was gone from her features. She crouched down on all fours, her eyes glowing bright red. She shrieked like a wolverine and launched herself at him again.

If she were calm, she would have been able to use her lightning to attack from a distance, but she had lost her grip on rational thought. Her only goal was to try to hurt Gabriel as much as possible. As I lay on the ground, my life draining away from me, tears leaked out of my eyes. She really was pitiful. All of her power, and lies, and pain she had caused, just to hide the wretched thing she was inside.

Gabriel fell back wards as she tackled him, thrusting the katana through her chest. He held onto her shoulder with his free hand, holding her in place as she writhed. "I'm sorry, Nora."

Nora's struggles grew slower, and feebler. Her head began to droop. Gabriel reached up and placed his hands on her cheeks. "I'm so sorry."

Suddenly Nora jerked and hissed. She pulled herself forward, sword still buried deep in her chest, her fangs exposed. She gripped his shoulders, and lunged teeth first, aiming for his neck.

Gabriel reacted quickly, bringing his legs up and throwing Nora off of him. She flew over him, then pitched off the edge of the roof. A strangled scream ripped from her throat as she fell, dying quickly.

Gabriel lay on his back, looking up at the sky. Then he placed his palms over his eyes, grimacing against a pain he could only feel inside. His body shook as he cried silently.

My vision blurred, but it wasn't from my own tears. I was losing touch with my surroundings, sinking into darkness. I was slowly dying. I didn't have time to feel frightened, or panicked. Everything went dark, and I knew nothing more.

"How can I get her to breathe?" Callie's voice was high and desperate.

"Leave her alone, she's dead." Gabriel sounded utterly drained and defeated.

"Just shut up! This is all your fault!"

"...I know."

I felt pressure on my chest, quick compressions of my ribcage. Then a warm mouth covered mine, forcing air into my lungs. Afterwards came the compressions again.

Otherwise, my body was still. I was disconnected from it, my brain slow to die from the lack of oxygen. I felt almost like I was floating.

A tiny splash of warm water hit my face. "She still has a pulse, but it's so faint. Angie please breathe!" Callie begged. One of her compressions was a little too hard, I felt a lance of pain in my ribcage, followed by a snap.

The pain set fire to my brain, burning away the cobwebs. My body struggled for breath. Callie breathed life into my lungs again and I accepted it gratefully. The next breath I drew in was my own, and the pain of it nearly killed me.

I coughed and coughed, doubling up on myself. My whole body shook with it and the pain in my chest was unbearable. Strong hands lifted me up, assisting me. "Gabriel, she's alive!"

Once my coughing fit subsided, I opened my eyes. Gabriel sat about a foot away from the edge of the roof, staring out into the night. "Wonderful." He said dully.

I leaned my head on Callie's shoulder, too weak to hold it up on my own. She held me gently, as if I might shatter. "Don't worry, Angie, we're going to get you to a hospital right away, just keep breathing."

I concentrated on keeping air in my lungs as Callie carried me to the next rooftop. Gabriel got to his feet as well and followed us, his face expressionless. Darkness flooded my vision again as I slipped back into unconsciousness.

xxxXXXxxx

 

In an alley far below the excitement on the roof, I stood in the shadows and waited. Nora had fallen down into this alley, a silver sword through her chest. She lay on the concrete now, broken.

I didn't have to wait long, after a few moments, Nora stirred. She reached up and grasped the sword. Her arms were too short to reach the hilt, so she had to hold the naked silver blade. Slowly, painfully, she pulled the sword out of her chest.

When she got to her feet, I stepped forward. "How does it feel?" I asked softly. "Dying, I mean."

She turned, her eyes widening when she saw me. "What are you doing here?"

"I've brought you a present." I gestured to my side, which was still in shadow. A low hiss emanated from the darkness.

Nora stepped back in fear. "Why are you here? Why are you doing this?" She asked, panic creeping into her voice.

"Because you deserve it, Mother." I said without remorse. "You killed Lucifer, the only person who ever really took care of me."

"Lucien, I love you. You have to know that." Nora continued to back away from me. She looked around furtively, trying to find an escape route.

"I'm sorry, Mother, but in order to love someone, you have to have a heart." I turned to the figure in the shadows. "I created her just for you, Mother. She's still so young, even the streetlights hurt her eyes, but I felt it was... fitting."

There was a flash of red as the figure ran out of the shadows, she overtook Nora immediately. Nora shrieked in terror, but was quickly silenced. Blood spattered the concrete.

I pulled my cellphone from my pocket, putting it to my ear. "Calypso." I said aloud, then it dialed.

"Lucien, Angie's still alive." Calypso said as soon as she picked up the phone. "I was wrong, I managed to save her, isn't that wonderful?"

"That's very good." I said politely. "Where are you now?"

"A hospital, I don't know which one. Angie's getting a transfusion."

I turned away as my creature began to feed on Nora's lifeless form. She was too young to be neat. "When you see her again, tell Miss Stanton that her work is done." I kept my tone neutral.

"Everything worked out all right, then?"

"Indeed, she fell exactly where you said she would. Everything worked out just as I planned. I couldn't have done it without you Calypso, thank you."

"I didn't really do anything."

I smiled softly. "You did very well. I have to go now, but I'll keep in touch if I need you again."

"All right, goodbye Lucien."

I hung up the phone and turned back to the scene in the alley. She had finished feasting and was growing restless, eyeing the crowded street far down the end of the alley. "Come, we should get you indoors and safely hidden away. The world isn't quite ready for you yet."

 

17: Chapter 17

I awoke as the bedroom door opened, opening my eyes slowly. Callie stood over the bed, a tray in her hands. "Can you sit up on your own?" She asked gently.

I decided to try, and found that I could indeed sit up on my own. "What's all this?" I asked as Callie set the tray down in front of me.

"I made you some chicken soup." Callie said. "I can't taste human food, but I followed the instructions very carefully."

I dipped the provided spoon in the bowl, taking in some of the liquid. I blew on it a little, then tasted it. I smiled up at Callie. "Best canned soup I've ever had."

"You're just saying that." Callie sat down cross-legged on the floor next to the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got hit by a bus." I answered before taking another sip of soup.

"The doctor said you'll be weak for a few days, and to take it easy. Your knee's not broken, but it is swollen, and the rib will heal on it's own." Callie gestured to a glass of orange juice on the tray. "He also said to get plenty of vitamin C."

I lifted the glass and drank dutifully. My hand shook a little, the glass a little too heavy, but I managed not to spill it. I set it down and went back to the soup, which right now tasted better than anything else in the whole world.

Callie took a lock of my hair between her fingers, scrutinizing the color. "How did the hair thing turn out?" She asked. "Did it work, or backfire horribly?"

"Kinda both, actually." I said around a mouthful of chicken and noodles.

Callie dropped my hair and made a frustrated sound, banging her hands on the floor. "Oh, I can't take it anymore! I'm going to kill him for doing this to you! I'll stake him right through the heart!" She got to her feet. "I'm going to go make him apologize right now!"

"Callie, don't." I said quietly, staring down at my half empty soup bowl.

She stopped at the door and whirled around. "Why? He should apologize for what he did! He should feel bad!"

I put the spoon back down on the tray. "He doesn't have to. I know why he did it."

Callie was back at my side in an instant, putting a tender hand on my shoulder. "Are you crying? I'm sorry... Why do you say he doesn't have to apologize?" She asked gently.

I could see a distorted reflection of my face in the bowl. I looked up, at the wall. "Well, I remember what you were telling me, about Nora using her own blood to influence Gabriel. And Nora said almost the same thing on the rooftop, that she was surprised he would betray her when he was full of her blood. If I had been Nora, and I wanted to control someone completely, I would have given him a lot of my blood."

"But, he was able to fight it, Gabriel's very strong."

I shook my head. "He couldn't fight it completely, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to. He needed fresh blood to dilute Nora's poison. That's why he brought me up to the roof with him. He told me he needed me." I remembered how my heart had stuttered when he took my hand. I closed my eyes to block the memory out.

"That still doesn't excuse him!" Callie protested. "He didn't think of your feelings at all!"

I smiled weakly. "He didn't have to bring me up to the roof. He could have killed me down in his room, then gone up to fight Nora. I'm slower and weaker than he is, I was just a burden to him... alive."

"Then why didn't he just kill you before facing Nora?" Callie frowned in frustration.

"He didn't want to kill me. Not unless he had to." I turned to her. "He tried to overcome her on his own first. When he knew for sure that he couldn't, he..." My voice trailed off as the memory flashed behind my eyes. I put my hand to my wrist. It was wrapped neatly in gauze.

Callie threw her arms around my shoulders, leaning her head against mine. "I guess he's not completely terrible, but he's still awful. He should have been gentler with you, it would have been easier to rescue you. I won't let him do anything like that to you again, you belong to me now."

I smiled wanly. "Do I?"

"Of course, I love you." Callie said, pulling her head away to look at my face.

I laughed lightly. "I see."

"I do!" She said earnestly. "You're strong, and brave, and very, very stubborn."

I covered my mouth with my hand to stop myself from laughing more. My chest hurt with the effort, and the cracked rib. "Thanks, I think."

"You're also kind, and really cute." Callie added.

My laughter subsided. I gave her a long look. "I don't think I can return your feelings, but I'm definitely going to miss you, Callie." I told her honestly.

"What do you mean?" Callie asked in alarm. Then her face fell. "Oh, I see. You're leaving."

I made my way downstairs, holding onto the railing firmly. Gabriel sat on the couch, watching the fireplace. There had been a roaring fire there an hour ago, but no one had tended it and it was burning itself out.

Gabriel didn't turn to me, or look up, or gave any indication he acknowledged my presence. "How are you holding up?" I asked.

"Fine." He said dully.

"I just wanted to let you know, I'm all right. No permanent damage."

"Okay."

I hesitated. I wasn't used to talking to Gabriel like this, where we weren't bickering at each other. He seemed to be entirely drained of energy. "David called me a little while ago. I'm all done."

Gabriel stirred a little, but didn't turn away from the fireplace. "What do you mean?"

"I don't have to stay here anymore. My contract expired on Nora's death. I get control of the house and the assets, but I don't have to live here. I'm not your Caretaker anymore, Gabriel."

Gabriel was silent for a long moment. Then he seemed to gather himself a little. "I see."

"I think I'll leave the house to you. Callie too, I promised her she could stay here. I told her to keep you out of trouble. A friend of mine has a building in the city, and I can afford the rent now, so..." I trailed off, I was starting to babble.

"That's probably best." Gabriel said. I was starting to feel frustrated, the least he could do after everything I went through for him was look at me.

"Fine then." I said, finding it hard to keep my voice calm. My hands were starting to shake. It was time for me to get out of here. "I'm going to go get my things ready." I headed back to the stairs.

As I passed Gabriel, out of the corner of my eye I saw his head turn to me, but I was past caring. I headed upstairs and back to my room, which was my room no longer.

"The subway station is right down the block and three buses stop right outside of the building." Jackie, an old friend of mine from High School, said. She had inherited the building from her grandfather while we were still in school together. She had switched her major over to business management and had taken pretty good care of the place.

'At least she hadn't found any vampires hiding in it.' I thought sullenly.

"You can get anywhere in the city from here. The bathrooms and kitchens are shared, but the rooms are pretty big, and you should get along just fine with everyone." She smiled at me heartily.

Aloud I said, "That sounds awesome." while forcing a smile.

"Girl, are you okay?" Jackie asked, putting one arm around my shoulders. "Are you still upset about Danny and Debbie?"

I shook my head quickly. "Oh no, that was ages ago. I barely think about him anymore." That was the truth. The only thing I felt towards him now was annoyance that he had never gotten back to me about those bullets. Once upon a time, I had loved him with all my heart. Where had that feeling gone?

She gave me a sympathetic look. "It's only been a couple of months."

"Well, a lot has happened." I said, taking a deep breath. "It's felt like ages."

"You'll have to tell me about it sometime. Want to see your room?" She led me down the hallway.

xxxXXXxxx

 

"It's been a whole week!" Calypso moaned, leaning her head on the kitchen table. "I miss her!"

The microwave dinged and relief washed over me. If I had to stand in the kitchen with her like this any longer...

I pulled two white bottles out of the microwave, sliding one across the table to Calypso. I headed out of there right away.

Not fast enough, though. "You have to go and get her back." I turned and looked at Calypso. She glared at me around her bottle. "She wants you to go and get her."

"That's a lie and you know it." I said as I cracked the bottle open and drained it.

Calypso's blue eyes narrowed. "Fine, it's a lie." She sat up. "I want you to go and get her."

"Get her yourself." I snapped, feeling annoyed. It was bad enough I had to share my living space with another vampire, did she have to be this annoying, too? Even Evangeline knew how to be quiet occasionally. Then again, she slept most of the night.

"She won't come back if I go get her." Calypso's shoulders drooped.

"And why would she if I did?" I tossed the empty bottle into the trash can across the room.

"Well, I would let her say no." Calypso's expression turned sly. "You would kidnap her, like a villain carrying off the princess."

I frowned at her, then walked out of the kitchen. "You're insane, Calypso."

"Thank you!" She called after me.

xxxXXXxxx

I stared up at the ceiling from my new bed. The room was pretty empty, so there wasn't much to look at. The paint on the ceiling was covered in hairline cracks, so at least it was sort of interesting.

The only light in the room was moonlight shining through the one window. I could turn on the light, but then I would feel like I had to be productive and use it for something. I really didn't feel like doing anything productive at all.

The weakness I had felt all week was gone, replaced by a heavy feeling in my chest. Maybe my rib was still healing, but I wasn't sure. I felt restless, like I had left something undone. I also felt displaced, which hopefully would go away as I got used to my new surroundings.

Why did I feel like this? Why did my heart feel so heavy? Is this really how everything was going to end? Why did I care?

I put my hands to my eyes, but they stayed dry. I guess I had used up all of my tears a week ago. The moonlight flickered on the ceiling.

I sat up. Wait, that was odd. Moonlight doesn't flicker. Something had passed my window very quickly.

I got up and walked over to the window, it was an old-styled kind, with no screen. I pushed the panes open and looked out. Perhaps a pigeon had flown past, I told myself. But... there was a sinking feeling in my stomach I couldn't explain.

"Are you going to let me in, or am I just supposed to sit out here all night?" Gabriel's voice came from above me.

I looked up, startled. Gabriel sat perched on a small, decorative ledge above the window. "Can you still come in if I say no?" I asked after a moment.

"Yes." He said, swinging his legs down.

I moved out of the way as he landed lightly on the bedroom floor. My heart thudded in my chest as I watched him. I crossed my arms over it. "What are you doing coming into my room, and through my window? Don't you know how to ring a bell or use stairs like a normal person?"

Gabriel didn't look at me, instead he was searching around my room for something. "Why would I do something like that when I'm kidnapping you?"

I arched a brow. "Kidnapping?" I felt an old annoyance flare up, filling my lethargic muscles with energy.

He crouched down next to the bed, lifting up the cover and looking underneath. He reached under and pulled my duffel bag out. Then he stood up and put the strap on his shoulder. "Yes. Because if I don't, Calypso is going to pester me to death." He walked over to me.

I took a step back, holding my hands up. "Wait just one second, if you think-" I was cut off as he picked me up and tossed me over his shoulder roughly. "Put me down right now, I'm happy here!"

"Too bad, you're coming home with me." He snapped, walking over to the window. "All she does all night long is whine about how much she misses you, it's driving me crazy!"

"She can visit!" I said, punching his back with my fists. "You are not taking me out through that window!"

He didn't listen to me, of course, climbing right out of the window and jumping lightly to the fire escape next door. "Hold on." He said as he ran up to the roof.

"To what?" I asked irritably. I shifted a little, so I could put my arms around his neck. He moved me around so that I clung to his back as he ran across the rooftops. "Can't you kidnap me on the ground at least?" I wrapped my legs around his waist. I definitely didn't want to slip while he was leaping between rooftops.

"I couldn't find a parking spot close by. The car's a few blocks away and this is faster."

I buried my face in his back. "I hate you. I really, really hate you."

"I hate you too." Gabriel said blithely. "But, I figure that you and Calypso can keep each other busy, and leave me in peace."

Through my outrage, I was aware that this was the closest I had ever been to Gabriel, in terms of touch. And if you disregarded his vulgar personality, he was fairly handsome to look at. My cheeks burned, and I hated it. Why did I always think things like this at the absolute wrong time? At least he couldn't see my face. I held onto him tightly as he jumped to another fire escape and headed down.

Once we were on the ground, I let go of him immediately. My poor knee was still sore, and my steps were shaky. I walked over to the car and waited for him to unlock it, keeping my eyes on the ground.

"You could have called and asked." I said quietly.

"You wouldn't have come." He unlocked the back door and tossed my bag inside.

"You still could have tried." I put my hand on the front passenger's door.

He closed the door to the backseat and walked around to the driver's side. He got in and unlocked my door. I opened it, but didn't get in. "If you run, I'll just go and get you again." He warned.

I got into the car and shut the door. The first thing I did was put on my seat belt. Gabriel started the car and drove. There was no talking, just an awkward silence that stretched on for miles.

I stared out the window as I was ferried back to Long Island, like I had been for the first time only a few weeks ago. My heart had been heavy then, too.

I dozed for a little bit, but never fully fell asleep. It was Gabriel who finally broke the silence. "About what happened up on the roof..." He began.

My cheeks flared red until I realized he was talking about the incident with Nora. I turned my head to look at him, curious as to what he was going to say.

He paused a moment, picking his words. "If anyone else had been up there with us, things would have gone differently. I didn't mean to..." He trailed off, then started again. "You didn't have to come and get me, and I just..." He trailed off again.

"It's okay." I told him, turning back to the window. "I don't blame you for what you did."

Gabriel's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "You should be upset." He said. "You should have let me have it by now."

"You want me to be angry with you?"

"Of course not!" Gabriel snapped. "You're supposed to be, that's all. A normal person would be."

"I think the fact that I'm sitting here right now can attest to how normal I am." I said dully. "It's fine, though. I'll heal." I glanced over at him. He frowned deeply at the windshield. "Perhaps you're just looking for a distraction from something that hurts more." I suggested. "After all, you only injured me."

Gabriel gritted his teeth. I could see the tips of his fangs. Our turn was coming up, he nearly missed it, turning quickly at the last second. He braked sharply in front of the house, then cut the engine.

We both sat in the silent car. Gabriel showed no intention of getting out, and I wasn't sure if I should. I knew that he had to be in so much pain. Nora had been his wife, and with as long as Gabriel had lived, that meant something. "Look, if you need to talk about it..."

He waved his hand at me. "No, this is my problem. I'll deal with it. Go greet Calypso before she explodes or something." He leaned his forehead against the steering wheel.

I put my hand on the door handle, but hesitated. I thought about it for a long moment, but there was really nothing I could say to him. I hadn't lived nearly long enough to understand what he was going through. "I'll get my bag later." I said finally, opening the door.

"No worries, I'll bring it in." Gabriel said wearily. "Just give me a minute."

There really was something wrong with him, if he was actually being nice. Perhaps he legitimately felt guilty for almost killing me. Still, he didn't seem the type to let something weigh him down for long. He had gotten over being trapped in a box for fifty years, he would get through this too. Then I would have a whole new set of problems to worry about.

I looked up at the dark, huge house in the middle of a sea of white gravel. The moon shown bright and full overhead, highlighting the lone tower and the shattered roof.

"Well, at least I won't be bored." I said to myself.