by Melody Raven
But it wasn’t as if she were sneaking around, trying to catch someone by surprise. She was told to be here. She was expected. “Hello?” she called out. “Travis?”
Immediately, she heard movement from the back and tensed.
She clutched the pipe in her hand tighter as the footsteps got closer. At first, all she could see were silhouettes coming from the shadows. There were two people. A man and a woman.
This is fine, she repeated to herself over and over again. They just wanted to talk; she’d say no, and that would be that. There was no big showdown about to happen. She just needed to stop being on edge all the time.
“Tela?” asked one—the guy—in a deep voice as he finally came into light.
The guy looked like what a resistance fighter should be: young, strong, scary-looking. The girl wasn’t far off of that image either. She had short hair, a thick build of someone who worked out a hell of a lot and ate nothing but chicken breast and vegetables.
Tela took a nervous swallow and tensed unconsciously. She wanted to appear nonchalant, as if this were no big deal, but knew she wasn’t capable of hiding her fear that well.
“Thanks for meeting us,” said the woman. “My name is Angelique, and this is Sam.”
Tela gave a terse nod.
“Do you want to invite your sister in?” offered Angelique. “We know she’s come with you.”
Tela pursed her lips. “I don’t know,” she said honestly. “Is she safer in here or out there?”
Angelique gave her a soft smile. “I know it’s stupid to ask, but please don’t be nervous. We’re just here to talk to you.”
She was right. It was stupid to ask. But Tela did appreciate that the woman didn’t seem to think she was stupid. Or if she did, at least she was good at hiding it. “I might as well ask her in here. I’m sure she’s listening to everything we say anyway.”
To prove her point, Tela immediately heard glass crunching as Dani climbed through the broken window front and joined them. Of course, Dani didn’t show any fear at all. Thinly veiled excitement was all over her face. Tela supposed she’d rather be afraid than so willing to throw herself headlong into danger like Dani.
“All right. I’m here and I’m willing to hear you out.”
Angelique took a deep breath. For the first time, it occurred to Tela that they might be nervous too. “It’s been four months, two weeks, and three days since the wall went up, and I think we can all agree it’s time it came down. I think you’re our best bet for getting that done.”
Tela let out a snort. If nothing else, to hide her disbelief. “I think you’re greatly overestimating me.”
“Are we? There are plenty of blood donors, but you’re the first one we ever got in touch with through CB. And the relationship you have with your vampire is much different than any of the other blood donors we made contact with.”
Tela crossed her arms in front of her chest. Too late she realized how defensive that seemed, but the action was already done. “What does John have to do with this?”
“He does not have to do anything. He just has to let you in at a designated time.”
“And anybody couldn’t do that? When I want to donate blood, I would just go. I didn’t have a schedule.”
“Yes, but if you get someone new, they’re hungrier. The second you check in and they’re told you are coming up, you have a very narrow window of time to make it to their quarters. But if you’re going to visit John and you took a little detour on the way up, chances are you have a little bit more leeway.”
Well, it made it slightly easier that she could already tell this plan wasn’t going to work. “All right. Assuming that you’re right and I get in, what’s the detour you want me to take?”
“Whenever they need to open the wall to let supplies or people through, there is a certain stone they take with them. Some magical remnant. The last piece of magic they have.”
“What do you mean, last piece of magic? They have a witch on the wall. They have to have a witch somewhere.”
Sam let out a laugh. “You’re assuming they’re more honorable than they are.”
“Soon after the wall was built, the leader, Mikel, killed the witch. He strung her up and slit her wrists so her blood dripped down and his men could feed on her.”
Tela’s heart beat a little bit faster. His men? Had John been in the middle of that? What did it matter? Of course John had probably been there. He killed countless humans during the initial invasion, and he hadn’t lied about that fact at all. Yet somehow the idea of him killing in battle and the idea of him bathing in some poor woman’s blood were very different.
“Did the witch do something to piss them off?” asked Dani with a slightly quivering voice.
Good. At least she seemed to be afraid of something.
“She hadn’t done anything. They were afraid she would change her mind about the wall and they couldn’t risk it. She’s the only one who could break that spell. So they broke her before she got a chance to.”
“All right. So far, nothing you’re saying is really convincing me to put my life on the line.”
“There is another way to bring it down. There’s a piece of the spell, sand from the original stone. It acts like a key. They simply throw a pinch of it at the wall and it opens up a doorway just long enough for people to get through. If you put all of the sand in and leave it for long enough, the whole wall will fall down. It’s the only vulnerability it has.”
“So you want me to go in and find this dirt?”
“Next Wednesday is a delivery day. Mikel will give the rock to his second-in-command, who will oversee the delivery himself. From there, he will put it in a certain room in the Sorenson. And if we hit it at just the right time, we can get to it. According to our source, if you take the elevator to the sixty-fifth floor, you’ll be able to get to the sand without going through any guards between three and four in the afternoon.”
“Who is your source?”
“I’m sure you can understand that we can’t divulge that information.”
Tela shook her head. “I sure as hell do not understand. If you want me to put my life on the line, I deserve some trust.”
“Trust is earned.”
“You’re right. Trust is earned, and right now I don’t trust you. Even if you told me who your source is, your plan is full of flaws. Once I get the sand, I still have to get out of the building and then make it to the wall.”
“That’s why timing is so important. If you get in there during that window, the whole operation will be simple. And if you get the sand and then go make a donation to John, your presence will not seem out of the ordinary at all.”
“This all seems too easy,” said Dani.
Tela raised an eyebrow. Holy shit. Her sister was showing some sense. Maybe there was hope for her after all.
“They don’t have a special keycard? Some armed guard all the time?”
“According to our source, they’ve grown complacent with their domination over the Sorenson Building,” insisted Angelique. “Once you get out of the building, we’ll take care of you.” She reached over and handed Tela a piece of paper. “This is an address of one of our offices in the city. It’s right down the street from the Sorenson. As soon as you get out, go there. We’ll make sure you get to the wall and will bring the wall down.”
“The second the wall falls down, there will be chaos. It will be like the original invasion all over again.”
“But this time, they’re not going to have a witch on their side. There will be no ace up their sleeve.”
“Also, we have allies ready and willing to help on the other side of the wall. Allies who can give the Vopura a run for their money. I’d rather there be fighting than doing nothing in this standstill we’ve been stuck in,” said Sam.
“Me too,” pointed out Tela. “But if I’m going to be separated from Dani, I need assurances that she’d be safe, even if I don’t return.”
“If you do this for u
s, your sister’s safety will be of the utmost importance to us.”
Tela shook her head. “You’d put your own lives on the line if it meant saving the city. And I appreciate that, I do. But my priority isn’t the city. My priority isn’t even myself.”
“Tela, you have to stop holding me up on this pedestal. I don’t mind dying if it means we can save so many people.”
“Dani, I’m so sick of hearing you say that. You don’t know what it was like when Mom... left. Dad was just some husk, a shell of a man, and you were the only thing I had. You were still so young, and you were so sad sometimes and so happy other times and I didn’t know how you’d be both at the same time. I know you think I moved back here to help you, but I needed you. I’ve always needed you, and I cannot listen to you tell me one more time how quickly you’re willing to throw your life away when you’re the only thing I’ve had holding me together. So maybe I’m being selfish. Maybe all of this bullshit I’ve been spewing about protecting you is just my way of protecting myself, but I don’t see why I should feel bad about that.
“So I don’t want to be a martyr? So I don’t want to run in with some half-assed plan that even you agree is total bullshit? Maybe I’m selfish, but the way I see it, I’m the only one thinking straight. Everyone else is so quick to die as long as they can do it in the name of good, and I’m the only one thinking about not only my survival, but the survival of the ones who matter the most to me. So, sorry, Angelique. I would like to help you, I really would. But unless you have something better than probablys and maybes, I don’t see what I can do.”
Angelique’s lips tightened and Tela could see she’d obviously disappointed her. She wanted to apologize, but she couldn’t. She was so sick of apologizing when all she did was say what she meant.
“I understand,” said Angelique. “We’re not going to be here after today. You can get in touch with us on the CB radio, but remember that nothing we say there is private. You’ll still have the address of where we’re located if you need us. We promise we’ll be there for you. No matter what. And if you change your mind, let us know. Even go on the CB and just say that you’re in. That’s all we need. We have someone manning the radio all times of day.”
Tela wanted to say more, but there was nothing left to say. She bit the inside of her lip to keep herself quiet and nodded. The disappointment in the room was palpable but she couldn’t understand why. There had to be hundreds of other blood donors out there. She was sure that even if they all didn’t have CB radios, there would be some way to get in touch with one of them.
She had to swallow back her trepidation and reached over for Dani, leading them both out of the decrepit hardware store and into the bright sunshine. It wasn’t until she was blinking rapidly and trying to adjust to the change of lighting that she realized she was still clutching the pipe tightly in her hand. She debated throwing it away but figured it couldn’t hurt to keep it.
Even though she had no desire to talk, she couldn’t help but notice that Dani was uncharacteristically quiet. “I know you wanted me to help out, but we need to be smart about this.”
Dani looked away from Tela and a streak of shame went through her. She was letting her sister down. Dani wanted her to be a hero, but Tela just wasn’t that person. “I’m sorry,” was all Tela could say. How could she really defend her cowardice? How could she defend her fear?
“I’m not mad at you,” said Dani softly.
Tela snorted. “Let me guess. You’re not mad. You’re just disappointed.”
“No, I’m mad. I’m just not mad at you.”
Well, that was a relief. Maybe? “Who are you mad at?”
“Travis. I’m just.... He sounded so sure of himself. All he needed was you to agree to help and we’d be out of this mess. Like it was no big deal. But according to what that crazy woman just said, they don’t have even half of a plan. An inkling, maybe. They want me to put your life at stake for some half-assed inkling....”
Tela put her arm over her sister’s shoulder. “Maybe we won’t be at the forefront of this new revolution, but there will be a revolution at some point. We will get out of this city, and we’ll be back to our normal, boring lives. I promise.”
“Liar. How can you promise anything?”
“With youthful ambition and blind optimism. Obviously.”
Apparently youthful ambition and blind optimism had their time limits. A limit of about two hours. Tela looked out the window at the sun, which was just starting to go down.
She kept on thinking about what Angelique had said. Could she really get to the stone without any trouble at all?
That couldn’t be right. If she just walked in there, she’d be killed in an instant. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t try.
If Travis and Angelique and their little resistance were going to attempt to bring down the wall next Wednesday, that meant she might never see John again. Her next scheduled blood donation wasn’t for weeks. What if she never had a chance to tell him she was sorry?
Abruptly, she grabbed a sweatshirt and headed for the door. “I’m heading out,” she said to Dani. “Please don’t go anywhere.”
Dani stayed on the couch and looked questioningly up at Tela. “Out?” She knew that even three p.m. was a little late for Tela to leave the safety of the apartment.
“I want to find John. I need to talk to him.” Tela really wanted to lie but knew that if she was out past dark, Dani would freak out. She didn’t need Dani trying to rescue her, and for better or worse, they both considered John a safe space.
She expected some sort of innuendo or encouragement from Dani, but all she did was sit back and cross her arms. “Okay. Be safe.”
She really was upset about the meeting earlier today. It was hardly unexpected. Dani had remained upbeat through so much of the terribleness going on. And now one of her main hopes for escape had slipped through her fingers. Tela was trying her best to protect her sister from the vampires surrounding them, but how could she protect her from reality?
“I’ll be back,” promised Tela. “Why don’t I stop and get us a treat? What are you in the mood for? I’ll see if I can score a chicken. Maybe I can make us a nice roast tomorrow. We can even invite Tiffany over.”
“You don’t have money for a roast,” pointed out Dani.
Sure, usually she didn’t, but she was about to go see her, for better or worse, sugar daddy. He’d dropped hundreds on the dress for that dinner as if it were nothing. Maybe if her apology was convincing enough, she could get him to loan her some cash for a nice dinner.
She could always pay him back in blood, after all....
John was still sleeping when he heard the knock on his door. The sound woke him immediately. Mostly because it was so rare for anyone to actually knock on his door.
If Dante needed him, he’d be called or there’d be a loud pounding on the door. Hell, Dante might just barge into the place like he had last night.
But he immediately knew this was different. He sat up and sped to the door, pulling it open before she could knock again.
Tela’s hand was raised, as if she were just about to knock, and she bit her lip as she looked up at him. “Sorry if I woke you.”
“I don’t mind waking for you,” he said as he took her in. As always, she looked delicious. Even now, when she was wearing a loose pair of jeans and a purple zip-up sweatshirt. Her hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail that should’ve been innocent and unassuming, but it was impossible to look at her and think innocent thoughts.
And damn it if he hadn’t missed that face like crazy. “What are you doing here?”
“I... I really didn’t think they’d let me up.”
That didn’t answer his question, but he didn’t like her standing in the hallway for anyone to see. He took a step back. “Come in,” he said, more as an order than an offer.
Tela stepped inside, seeming more than happy to get out of the hallway as John pushed the door shut behind her. “What are you doing he
re?” he asked again.
She opened her mouth and then closed it. She shifted her weight and crossed her arms in front of herself, her nervous energy palpable.
He glanced back to the door and then to her. “Is there something you want to tell me?” Her mouth opened and closed as though she were fighting with herself. He took a step toward her, closing the distance between them. “If you’re scared of something, let me know. Did they give you any trouble getting up here or—”
“There was no trouble,” she said quickly. “I told them your name and your apartment number and they let me up right away. Your kind really isn’t scared of humans, are they? Just let me wander around unattended. Like I’m no threat at all.”
He narrowed his eyes. She seemed upset that it was easy for her to get to him. “Are you okay? Do you want me to call a doctor?”
“A doctor? Like a human doctor? A vampire doctor? I don’t even know what that means. Besides, I don’t need a doctor. I’m perfectly healthy. That’s why I make a good blood donor. I’m healthy. I’m young, I’m pretty, willing, and able. The perfect candidate.”
Yep, something was definitely wrong. “What’s going on with you, Tela? You can talk to me.” He reached out and set his hands on her shoulders. He knew better than to think his touch would comfort her, but it was pure instinct. He needed to touch her. She was freaking out, and he wanted to calm her any way he could. She tensed beneath his touch, and her eyes went to his, looking at him imploringly from beneath her lashes. He just didn’t know what she was imploring him for.
“I don’t know what to do, John.”
He didn’t know what to do either. She was obviously distressed, and he wanted to help her, but he had no fucking clue how to do that. “I’ll do whatever I can.”
She let out a laugh, but it was clear she wasn’t amused. “Whatever you can? Will you do whatever you can even if it means you’ll die? Will you do whatever you can even when you know it’s stupid? At what point does bravery turn into stupidity? Like, I know there has to be some gray area between the two. That’s obvious. But there’s some point where that gray goes away and it’s obviously brave or obviously stupid, and I can’t figure out when that is. Like right now, here with you. Is it brave? I mean, I’m putting my life on the line to help out my sister. There’s bravery there.
