by Tanja Neise
With regret, I turned my gaze away from her, hurried into the adjacent bathroom and held a washcloth under the ice-cold water. It bubbled down over my hand, but in no way helped to cool my boiling emotions. A smell rose up my nose again. Her smell. A smell that reminded me of something. I just couldn't name it, couldn't really remember it. What was it? And as quickly as the feeling of déjà vu had come over me, it had vanished again.
I quickly wrung out the rag and went back to my office. The confusion in me made me nervous. I had never experienced this kind of feeling before. The woman was still lying on the black leather. Like a fan of fiery flames, her hair, which had come loose from a bun, lay spread out behind her head. She was a true beauty and my heart contracted a little.
Gently, I took off her shapeless glasses and put the cold cloth on her forehead. A single drop of water ran into her hair. I followed the trail with my eyes, wandered further down her neck and wondered what it would feel like to follow that path with my tongue. What did this fiery beauty taste like? A heat rose inside me that I had long forgotten. Which I had considered dead. I had to swallow hard to stop the urge within me. Astounded, I stared at the creature in front of me and grappled at my hair, stirring it up. Who was she? Why was I reacting to her like this? What did it mean?
A groan escaped from her lips, which caught me off guard and I almost groaned as well, given the emotions that were ravaging inside me.
This was unbelievable! For years I had had no interest in the female sex and now this tender, red-haired being lay before me and I had to control myself so as not to jump on her. My groin was ready. Until this moment, I had assumed that I would be impotent until the end of my life.
If someone had told me about this minutes before, I wouldn't have believed a word. My curiosity about her had been awakened and yet I didn’t want to face her like this. So agitated, so... yes, what, actually? I had to admit to myself that I was hot for this woman. Hotter than I had been for decades. And this feeling took me by surprise to such an extent that I preferred to flee.
Before she would open her eyes, I would already have left the office building and she would probably have forgotten me.
I hurried through the lonely corridors and got into the limousine. While the chauffeur then steered the car safely through the almost non-existent night traffic of Seattle, my brain was rattling at full speed.
Olivia Morgan
I felt something soft beneath me. There was a buzzing in my skull, as if I was pressing my ear directly against a megaphone. Nausea was invading me and I felt alone – more than ever before.
The cold spread inside me, I urgently needed a hot tea or something else, preferably something with high alcohol content that would warm me up. What had happened? I felt confused, abandoned, betrayed.
My eyelids fluttered as I opened my eyes. There was too much light in the room. Wait, where was I anyway? Liv, take a deep breath, concentrate, I tried to calm myself down. This was the company owner's office. The guy who only rarely stayed in Seattle and who, today of all days, had got into an argument with Sally. And all because of this annoying Chrissie.
Frantically, I refreshed my memory. I could only remember that I had been extremely annoyed when Sally told me about her dismissal. After that I had stormed straight into Mr Tensington's office and then... Yes, and what then?
He had stood there, looked stunningly good and the next moment everything around me had turned black. It could hardly be more embarrassing. The little cleaning lady fell at the feet of the founder of the empire! He must have thought I was no better than Chrissie. He probably assumed it had just been another ploy to get close to him.
Oh man, no wonder he wasn't here anymore. Unpleasantly touched by the realisation of what had happened here, I rose from the sofa on which the big boss must have laid me. Or had he been too refined for that and had called one of his employees in? At that moment the rag fell off my forehead. Did Mr Tensington have a caring side? No, I couldn't imagine that at all. Ridiculous! The ivory-coloured cushion slipped off the smooth leather and fell to the floor, too. Slowly, I picked up both. There was no way I could tell Sally about this. The fine saviour – my humble self – was not even able to deliver her opinion to the fine man. And I had set myself the goal of fighting for Sally's continued employment and, if necessary, giving up my own job for it. But everything had turned out quite differently and definitely not as I had wanted it to.
I looked around again, but there was nothing more to see of Tensington. The whiff of his aftershave was the only thing in the air. Disappointed with myself and my own inadequacy, I shuffled to the lift and went down to the canteen to help the others clean the machines.
* * *
After the night shift with all its confusing events, I lay down at home and fell into a deep sleep for two hours, but my much-hated alarm clock rang far too early and didn't give me any peace when I grouchily squawked at it. I knew myself well, so the thing stood on the chest of drawers at the other end of the room, otherwise I would have switched it off and would still be sleeping calmly. None of that helped; I had to get up. I shuffled discontentedly to the alarm clock, which I had bought a few years ago, second-hand at a retro market. When it wasn’t just ringing as if an alarm had gone off somewhere, it was one of my home’s treasured possessions. There wasn't much that my heart was attached to. I had learned early enough that material possessions meant loss and so my heart was almost never attached to anything. But this funny item reminded me of the alarm clock my mum had bought me.
Drowsily, I put the thing aside and grabbed a towel. When I stood under the shower, I suddenly became wide awake. Ice cold water pelted down on me and I hectically gasped for air. I hurriedly reached for the shower gel, which smelled wonderfully of lavender. Just at the moment when I had worked up a lather in my hair, no more water came out of the tap. Not a single drop! I was annoyed when I turned the knobs. Nothing!
“Damn it! What a piece of shit!” Cursing, I stepped out of the cubicle. This couldn’t be happening! This old building was the last straw! The aged pipes were constantly seizing up and the water simply stopped running. Today of all days! In less than half an hour I had to take an exam; if it weren't for that I could have headed to the showers on campus, but I simply didn't have the time. That could completely mess things up. As worked up as I was, I didn't know if I would even be able to concentrate at all.
I bit my lip so as not to let any more curses escape from my mouth. With a towel, I removed the soap suds as much as I could, but with my hair it was a hopeless struggle. I had to get out of here, this dump was a real pain! But I couldn’t afford another apartment with the best will in the world. Anything that was anywhere near habitable was also far too expensive.
Feeling a little resigned, I crept back into the room. Necessity is the mother of invention, I thought, and rummaged in my wardrobe. The turban that I wrapped around my head didn't look very fancy, but it served its purpose and hid the disaster underneath. I loved old stories, old films and old clothes. On my days off, I would stroll around flea markets looking for such ancient things. On one of these expeditions I had discovered the turban and the long white dress that I had put on. That had to do.
Other students often mocked me because of my taste, but I didn't care. I didn't care about all those superficial people, like they probably didn’t care about me. Except for the fact that I had to be used for their amusement from time to time, my fellow students ignored me. Sticking my tongue out myself as I passed the mirror, I calmly left the furnished apartment.
* * *
Something contracted in my stomach. That was not a good sign. As soon as I had got on the bus, I could sense something was hot on my heels. I felt a fear that I could not name. I looked around unobtrusively, but couldn’t see anything unusual.
The bus was packed, so I had to stand and was constantly being thrown against the bodies of the other passengers and squeezed between them. It was mainly students who were going to the university and a
few commuters who chose to get to work with this cheap means of transportation. Those who could afford it took the poby, which was clearly quieter and more relaxed. Since a journey in it cost twice as much, I didn’t even consider that. I only took the poby in exceptional cases, if there was absolutely no other way; Ultimately, I had to keep hold of my money. In the past, long before I was born, there were underground trains in many cities – a means of transport that travelled on rails under the ground. But that was aeons ago. The military had bombed out the whole underground system, because vampires had often hidden in it. Somehow I imagined it absolutely creepy to travel in a metal coffin at a furious speed so far down, through dug-out tunnels. Frightening.
For as long as I could think, I’d had a sixth sense for danger and that's why I didn't shrug off this unpleasant pulling. What I was feeling right now was causing my nerves to quiver in alarm. Something was wrong here, I just didn't know what yet. I felt watched, but couldn't spot anyone looking at me for too long. I swayed restlessly from one foot to the other and kept my head down the whole way while remaining alert and scanning my surroundings and the passengers from the corner of my eye. Nothing happened, only the fear could not be denied.
Together with many other students I finally left the station and rushed towards the building that had been built as early as the end of the nineteenth century. Originally, it had been a private university, but the wars had changed that too. The University of Washington had been razed to the ground. Since there were hardly any facilities left intact in which one could offer an adequate variety of teaching, Seattle University was nationalised. You could only study at S.U., as we called it, if you had a scholarship or lots of money. There were only a few universities left in America, so the congestion at the beginning of a semester was huge. Most couldn’t withstand the pressure put on students here, and left before the first semester ended. I was glad to be one of the lucky ones who had been accepted. And I would not give up. If possible, I wanted to graduate with distinction.
The venerable building stood in front of me in its old glory. I raised my head briefly to look at the many pointed gables. This sight impressed me every time. Suddenly, I stumbled on the stairs. Two strong hands caught me before I hit the ground and ruined my white dress. It had been close. Gratefully, I looked up at my helper and looked into a pair of cold blue eyes that looked at me relatively disparagingly.
“Thank you,” I said, with constraint.
“No problem. Next time pay more attention and concentrate on where you’re going.” His gaze briefly flitted, in irritation, towards my head, on which I was wearing the turban. No wonder a deep crease formed on his forehead, but he quickly regained control. Typical Connor, always the cool guy. Secretly, I had adored him for quite a while. He was a high-flyer – good-looking, had good grades and was popular with everyone, including me. My skin burned in the places where his hands had touched my arms.
Pull yourself together Liv, I scolded myself. Only Conner’s back was now visible, as he disappeared into the crowd. Once, just once, he had spoken to me and I hadn't come up with anything to keep the conversation going. I was so pathetic!
Frustrated, I stomped to the exam room and for the next few hours I forgot about Connor, as well as the danger I had felt.
Anne Rumsfield
As soon as I’d finished my training session and showered, I drove to work. We all had flexible working hours, which I really enjoyed.
Before I had my college degree in my pocket, a scout had already noticed me. He had approached me and asked if I wanted to participate in the top secret elite programme. I had agreed immediately because I knew what an honour it was to be able to be there. To this day, I had not regretted the decision once. We could arrive at work whenever we wanted, as long as we delivered results. And I was one of those who always delivered. I was punctual, accurate and full of enthusiasm. From time to time I was appointed to carry out field work, which gave me the variety I needed. This meant that my body had to be constantly ready for action and sport was part of the daily routine of my working day.
My first stop was the office of my direct superior. I pressed down firmly on the scanner, looked into the device and the laser drove over my iris.
“Just a moment, please, Miss Rumsfield. Mr Harrison will call you right away,” the electronic voice sounded from a box that was nowhere to be seen. There were almost no human assistants or secretaries anymore, because good staff were a scarce commodity. Our world was still operational, but much had changed after the wars. Since I belonged to the generation born after the great change, I didn't miss anything either; after all, I didn't know any other way. But many of the older ones demonstrated their resentment in public appearances. I just shrugged it off.
I was too nervous to sit down and stood stiff like a statue, leaning against the wall. In my thoughts I was putting all the arguments in order of which I could convince my boss to give me a few days off. Nobody would be able to dissuade me from my project, as I had already been waiting too long for this chance. Even if I had not been aware until today that I had been waiting for it at all.
Several minutes passed before the voice was heard again: “Mr Harrison has time for you now. Please enter, Miss Rumsfield.” I had to have my iris scanned again, before the hydraulic door to my boss's office opened with a soft hum. Harrison was standing on a treadmill and running at a decent pace while reading an email on the monitor embedded in the treadmill. He wasn’t sweating, not even huffing or puffing. He seemed frighteningly calm. If I didn't know any better, I would doubt that he was even a human being. Instead, I would have guessed that behind his perfect façade was one of those cyborgs that the government constructed for combat missions. But we all boasted this type of physical condition. Walking long distances was as easy for us as going for a short walk was for any normal citizen.
“Ah, hello, Rumsfield. Come closer. What can I do for you?” He slowed down the pace until the device began to beep, then he took a step sideways and came to a stop, smiling in front of me. His eyes, however, remained unaffected by this movement, which made his smile look more like a grimace.
“Sir, I wanted to politely ask for a week's holiday. As soon as, in your eyes, I'm free to go.” We were a military unit, so it was good manners to speak to the superior using ‘Sir’. I stood to attention and looked him in the eyes, just as emotionless as him. Waiting and saving any information that could be gathered.
“You haven’t had a holiday for two years. Of course I’ll approve it. Next week is a good week. Have a great time. Take some time out.” I thanked him and when I was about to turn around, he added: “And relax a little.” Relax? How did he come up with that idea? Why did he say something like that? I just acknowledged this last inappropriate sentence and left the office with a nod. It was one of the unwritten laws that it was nobody's business what the others did in their spare time. That’s why Harrison had gone too far when he’d smacked me in the face with that. Was this guy becoming human after all?
As I entered the empty corridor, a rare smile flickered across my face. My holiday had been granted. Right, I could now put the first step of my plan into action.
Robert Tensington
I had put several of my men on her. Meanwhile I knew what she had been doing all day, what she had been eating and who she had been talking to on the phone. She slept too little, at least if that was her normal daily routine, and that's what I assumed. One of my most capable computer specialists had found out this much about her and yet not enough. I wanted to know everything about her. It almost bordered on obsession. Since yesterday evening I had no longer been able to think clearly. Everywhere and all the time, a redhead whooshed in and stood there enraged, her hands on her hips.
Olivia Morgan was an absolutely blank page, as I came to recognise after reading her curriculum vitae. Born after the vampire wars and raised on a remote farm. Parents had died early and she had grown up with distant relatives in poor circumstances. Excellent school grades, stud
ying medicine, lived in a dilapidated house. She paid the rent, living expenses and the fees for her studies from her job with my company. She didn't own much.
This woman had absolutely nothing to smile about and yet she struggled hard to fulfil her own dream in life. I quietly admired her. Such people were rare. Many let themselves drift and never made a go of it if they came from such circumstances. And this made what I had planned for her easier.
But first I definitely wanted to get to know her better. What was it about her that made me react to her in such a way? That dead feeling had been brought back to life. Since last night I had been thinking of her all the time and hoped to see her again soon. And I would definitely give chance a helping hand, just because I never left anything to chance. A smile spread across my lips as I imagined how I would do it. This woman gave me wings, gave me momentum and was pulling me out of my sadness.
Finally I had a goal again, my hunting instinct had awakened and with it a restlessness that had to be restrained.
* * *
“Mr. Tensington, I need to talk to you for a moment, and apart from that, I've discovered something interesting.” It was the voice of the best computer specialist my company had to offer and it sounded excited, which was an enormous emotion from this man. At that moment I was curious.
“Come up to my office, right away!” Like hell I was going to talk with my employee about sensitive issues on the internal line. Full security measures had been taken for the company, yet there was always a loophole somewhere and no one could find a weak spot with me, especially not a connection to a woman. I was clean, no strings attached. There was nothing that others could use against me. And that is how it should damn well remain.
