by M. Lorrox
Charlie laughs. “She did, and she really enjoyed the activity. Thank you for watching her. I don’t think the FBI would have loved her running around and fiddling with everything.”
Katlyn nods. “It was my pleasure. There are other events this week if she’s free, and there’s the big field trip on Friday. I bet she’d love it.”
Charlie rubs the back of his neck. “Honestly, we’ve seen the sheet about the trip, but Sadie and I have been so busy that we haven’t even discussed it.”
She nods and a curled spring of her hair bounces from chin-height to ear-height. “I can only imagine, with Mrs. Costanza an elder and all.”
Charlie waits a moment. “Yeah. So, it’s to the Museum of Natural History, and it’s a large group that’s going?”
“Yes sir, twenty-three young ones, and another dozen or so chaperones. We’ll have plenty of snacks for the children, a lunch is being catered at the museum, we’ll bring our own beverages, and the group will be using a special entrance that will be shaded.”
Charlie notices Sadie walking his way. “That sounds like it would be a lot of fun. I don’t have any specific questions for you right now, but I would like you to meet my wife.” He melts as he gestures to Sadie, who is approaching Skip and Katlyn from behind.
They turn and look.
Sadie wears black heels, a tight, red mini dress, and a black, sheer gown covering the mini dress. An emerald necklace drapes across her neckline, and her hair is done up into a bun pierced with a set of ruby-tipped ebony chopsticks.
Katlyn does a double-take and then looks at Skip in astonishment. He’s able to pick his mouth up off the floor just in time to smile back at Katlyn.
Sadie’s lip curls just a fraction of an inch with the satisfaction of seeing them mesmerized by her. When she reaches the group, Skip takes a half step toward her. “Sadie! Wow, you look amazing.”
She smiles. “Thank you.” She looks at Charlie. “Oh, and look at you, all dressed up in a suit and tie. Rrrawr.”
“Dear, this is Katlyn, the woman who is organizing the field trip on Friday.”
Sadie extends her hand. “Katlyn, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Sadie.”
Katlyn shakes Sadie’s hand with both of her own. “Elder Costanza, it’s an honor to meet you.”
Sadie laughs. “Call me Sadie, dear.” She lets her arm go a little limp in hopes that Katlyn will let go of it.
She doesn’t. “The Friday field trip will be an amazing learning experience for the young ones, and every detail has been planned out. If you have any questions or concerns, my number is on the activity fliers and schedules, and you can call me any time.”
Sadie pulls her hand out of Katlyn’s grip. “Thank you, so much. Charlie and I will discuss it.” She looks at him. “Where’s Eddy? I wanted to congratulate him as well.”
“I think he was feeling a little overwhelmed, so he disappeared somewhere with June.” He turns and looks for Eddy at the back of the room, but doesn’t find him.
She frowns. “I’ll tell him later.” She looks at Katlyn again and smiles. “It was lovely meeting you, Katlyn.” Without waiting for a response, she steps alongside Charlie. “We need to skip the Q and A. We have to talk.” She starts walking before he can respond.
Charlie watches her walk away for a moment. Damn, she looks great tonight. He turns to Skip and sighs playfully. “What’re ya gonna do? Pretty lady in a dress is tellin’ me to follow her.”
Skip nods. “I think you follow her.”
Charlie follows her down the aisle.
Skip shakes his head and smiles at Katlyn. “So, those are the Costanzas, they may seem a little odd, but they’re the best.”
She nods, then lets a grin creep across her lips. “So, that’s what you do? You follow the pretty lady when she tells you to?”
Skip licks his lips. “Uh-huh.”
“Follow me, Mr. Skip.” She turns and walks toward the exit.
“Mmm-hmm, right behind you.”
June drags Eddy out of the ballroom and into the empty courtyard. “It’s such a nice night. Isn’t it?”
Eddy looks around. “Yeah, it’s a good temperature.”
She turns and points to his tie. “Your tie’s pretty wild. You called that a trinity knot?”
Eddy glances down, but of course he can’t see the knot. “Yeah. Cool, right?”
June nods, reaches her fingers around the tie and takes a step closer.
“June, I’m really sorry about back in there.”
She lets go of the tie. “What do you mean?”
He takes a step to the side, looking out at the ornamental pond surrounded by dark green grass. “The credit, I mean, it should definitely have been you up there on the stage. You took all the risks.” He makes air quotes with his hands. “And were instrumental to the success of the operation, or whatever. I was just helping you.”
“I don’t mind. I’m just glad to have helped, even if it was in secret.” She puts her arm through his. “Hmm. I was a secret helper on a secret mission.”
Eddy laughs. “So, do you think a double secret is like a double rainbow?”
“Duh, of course it is.”
Eddy uses his free hand to illustrate his mind being blown. “Like, whoa.”
“Totally.”
The door to the courtyard opens and a voice disrupts them. “Hey, Leo? Are we interrupting?”
Eddy looks over his shoulder. Jambavan holds the door open, and Sky is standing next to him, waving.
“Oh, hey guys.” Eddy drops June’s arm and turns to her. “Want to meet some vampire squires?”
“Leo?”
“Oh, yeah, that’s a nickname.”
She smiles. “I like it. Sure, sounds fun.”
After some introductions, Sky claps her hands. “So, Mr. Popular, way to go earlier with that op’!”
Jambavan smacks him on the arm—hard, but playful. “Yes, excellent work, Leo.”
Eddy smiles awkwardly at June.
June laughs. “You’d be surprised how shy he can be sometimes.”
Eddy scoffs at her. “Hey!” Then he smiles at Sky and Jambavan. “Thanks, I’m really glad that they stopped them, and that we weren’t blown into a million-trillion pieces before being covered by tons and tons of rubble.”
Sky laughs. “Aye, me too!”
Jambavan motions to Eddy. “The least we could do is take you out tonight as a thank you.”
Sky agrees. “For sure. It’s required.”
Eddy raises a finger. “Only on one condition: June comes along too.”
“Hold your horses, buddy.” June folds her arms in front of her chest and looks up at the taller Jambavan. “Just where exactly might we be going?”
Sky takes a step toward June and whispers, “To get some toe-curling burritos!”
June uncrosses her arms and tips her forehead. “That good?”
Sky rolls her eyes back in her head and drops to her knees on the ground as she lifts her hands in front of her like she was holding something sacred. “They’re sooo good, the perfect combination of fillings and gooey cheese inside an epic tortilla with mouth-watering sauces.” She drops her hands and sighs. “You’ll die a little when you eat one.” She winks.
Eddy looks down at the eccentric and petite redhead. “You had me at burrito.”
Sky bounces straight up and lands on her feet. “Great! Let’s go.”
June clears her throat. “I’ll have to check with my dad; he might have other plans for me.” She frowns and imagines being locked in the suite for a month.
Eddy puts his arm around her. “Right...” He nods to Jambavan. “Tell ya what, we’ll do a little recon upstairs, and if we can come, we’ll meet you in the lobby in fifteen minutes. That work?”
Jambavan nods. “Sure. And grab some blood; we’ll be walking outside.” He glances around. “The real outside.” He laughs.
Eddy and June head to the suite. When they get there, Charlie and Sadie are in the living room.
They look tense—like they’re discussing something important. Eddy notices a bottle of alcohol on the counter and a tall drink sitting on the coffee table in front of his dad. “Hey, we were thinking we’d go out with the squires for burritos. Cool?”
Sadie smiles up at him. “Congratulations, Eddy. That was a nice honor.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
June steps toward her and Skip’s shared room. “Is Dad here?”
“Oh, no dear, he’s not.”
June walks into her bedroom and grabs her phone. She sends her dad a text.
Eddy pulls a bottle of from the fridge and sets it on the counter. He looks at his mom, who silently smiles back. He looks at his dad, who stares in the direction of the powered-off television. Interesting... “I’m gonna grab my bag and then head out.”
Charlie takes a slug from his “health tonic” and sucks the liquid through his teeth, making a squeegee noise.
Yikes. Gotta get the bag and get out of here.
Inside the bedroom, Kimmy and Minnie play. Eddy gives Minnie a hug and grabs his bag. When he walks back out, June is waiting for him.
Sadie takes a sip of water and clears her throat. “Have fun you two.” She grins at them.
“Thanks, Mom. Later, Dad.”
Charlie doesn’t respond.
They leave, and they walk down the hall without talking. When the elevator doors close, June exhales. “Jeez! That was so incredibly awkward.”
“It was...kinda awkward, yeah. Dad’s not happy about something.”
June shakes her head. “No, there’s more going on; your mom was a ball of nerves too.”
“Really? I didn’t notice anything.”
They reach the lobby and June gets as response from Skip.
Meet me in the courtyard.
She sighs and shows Eddy.
In the courtyard, they find Skip standing with Katlyn. They both have drinks. “June, this is Katlyn. She runs the kid’s programs here at the hotel.”
Katlyn extends her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, June.”
“You too. Dad, uh, so what do you think about me going out? The squires wanted to thank Eddy for what he did.”
Skip takes a sip of his drink to buy himself time. He doesn’t buy himself enough though; June and Eddy stand waiting and looking at him while he swallows.
Katlyn takes a step toward Eddy. “I’d like to add my gratitude, Eddy, it sounds like you were a real hero today. Thank you.”
He darts his eyes to June, feeling awkward, then nods. “I really can’t take credit, lots of people helped today. I’m just glad we didn’t get blown up.”
June nods. “Yeah, that would have been a lot worse.”
Skip grumbles.
“I’ll say!” Katlyn places her free arm through Skip’s.
He smiles at her and pulls his arm away. “Just give me one second. June?” He walks a few steps away, and she follows. He leans his head down and whispers, “I actually think you should go out tonight. But don’t think that I’m not still upset; you’re not out of the woods yet.”
“Thank you, Daddy, I love you.”
He hugs her. “I love you too.” As they walk back, Skip keeps his arm around his daughter’s shoulders. “Eddy, don’t make me regret this.”
“No way! Thanks, Skip!”
“Mmm-hmm.” Skip pulls his arm off June, then she and Eddy walk out. Skip holds his elbow out, welcoming Katlyn to take it.
She does. “You know, we vampires have really good hearing.” She hugs his arm close. “You sound like a good dad.”
His eyes water. “These days, that’s all I ever want to be.”
Eddy and June meet up with Sky and Jambavan just outside the front doors of the hotel. Sky leaps in the air. “BURRITOS!”
They laugh.
Eddy clears his throat. “So where’re we going?”
Jambavan points to the northwest, past a tall monument comprising of three curved spires sticking up over the horizon. “Up the Pike.”
In the suite’s kitchen, Charlie mixes another drink of vodka and substitute blood. He takes a sip and checks the label on the alcohol. 151 proof? What is this, the middle ages?
Sadie motions to the drink as he sits back down next to her. “Can I have a sip?”
“It’s a little weak. They don’t sell grain alcohol in the stores here. Apparently, the great state of Virginia doesn’t want vampires to get buzzed.”
She picks up the glass and takes a sip. She makes a face. “Lame.” Then, she takes a big swig.
“So, if I go along with this stupidity, do you really think Mary’s plan will work?”
“It could be a way out for you, but it’ll still be up to the Council to vote on.”
Charlie takes a huge gulp of the beverage and then lets out a great sigh. He looks at his wife. “Do you trust her?”
Sadie snuffs. “You may not like her much, but Mary has always been true to her word.”
“I just don’t like politics, and she’s queen of the Council.”
“I know, and now she’s trying to make me the princess.”
Charlie smiles. “What would that make me?”
Sadie chuckles. “It makes you my knight in shining armor.”
“Oh good.” Charlie finishes the drink. “I was afraid it’d make me a prince or something wimpy.”
She pokes him in the boob.
“Hey, that hurt!”
Sadie feigns sympathy. “Oh, poor baby.” She motions with her head. “Get in the bedroom, and I’ll kiss it and make it all better.”
Charlie blurts out a laugh. “Minnie and Kimmy are in there, and they DO NOT want to see that.”
“I forgot.” She sighs. “Should I go and let Kimmy head out?”
Charlie shakes his head. “No, not yet. She informed me that we bought her services for the night. ‘It’s policy.’ Let’s have another pathetically weak drink, and then we’ll let her go.”
“Good plan.” She grabs the empty glass and stands to mix a fresh drink.
“Oh, and I forgot, we need to do some painting tonight with Minnie, I promised.”
“You’re such a good daddy.” She fills the glass halfway with alcohol, then fills it the rest of the way with the remnants of another bottle. She returns to the couch and raises the glass in a toast. “Here’s to navigating the politics of the oldest and most historically corrupt bureaucracy in the history of the world while trying to survive a zombie apocalypse.” She takes a sip and hands the drink to Charlie.
“Here-here!” He takes a big sip and puts his arm around his wife.
At a cozy corner booth in the hotel’s restaurant, Skip sits beside Katlyn on the plush, velvet cushion. A buzz of activity energizes everyone under the warm, dim lights. In honor of not being blown up, the restaurant gives everyone dining with them a complimentary glass of champagne. He raises his. “To new friends.”
Katlyn smiles and repeats the toast. She can distinctly smell the effervescence; pear with vanilla undertones, and as she brings the glass toward her lips, she closes her eyes. She takes a sip, allows the flavors and bubbles to flow over her tongue, and she rolls her head from side to side. Her blonde hair bobs, dancing against her cheek and neck. “Oh my, so delicious!”
Skip nods. Absolutely.
Jambavan and Sky lead the way up the hill, and Eddy and June follow behind. June points ahead to the monument made from three metal spires that curve into the air. “What is that?”
Sky checks to see what she’s pointing at. “Oh, that’s the Air Force Memorial. It’s supposed to look like smoke coming out of the tailpipes of jet-fighters in formation.”
Jambavan clears his throat. “No, that’s not quite right. They represent three of the four contrails that form from the exhaust of jets performing a bomb-burst maneuver.”
Sky punches him in the arm. “That’s what I said!”
Eddy laughs. “Are contrails different from exhaust?”
Jambavan turns around and walks backward. “The clo
uds that form behind jets are called condensation trails, or contrails for short. They’re actually ice and water droplets that condense along with particulates from the exhaust.”
Eddy nods and pulls the edges of his lips down. “Oh, okay.”
Jambavan starts to turn around, but then stops dead in his tracks. He points to Eddy’s waist. “That bag is interesting. I’m not sure I’ve seen anything like it.”
Sky turns and leans over to look. “Oooh, that is cool. Where’d ya get it?”
Eddy pats the leather bag slung around his shoulder and thigh. Sophia. “It belonged to a friend of mine. I think she made it herself.”
June frowns. Eddy? What’s wrong?
Eddy clears his throat. “My friend’s name was Sophia—she died. I’m putting it to good use for her.”
June puts her hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure you are.”
Sky looks Eddy in the eye. “Was this recent?”
Eddy nods. “Yeah, it was a couple days ago.”
“Want to talk about it?”
He takes a deep breath and allows himself to imagine Sophia’s face, smiling at him. “How far until the burrito place?”
Jambavan tips his head side to side. “Twenty minutes or so.”
Eddy starts walking. “I’ll try to fit it all in by the time we get there.”
They start walking alongside him as he begins to tell the story. June reaches over and takes his hand.
Eddy leaves out a few details as he tells the squires the story of Sophia, her bag, and the zombie hunt he took part in on Sunday. He doesn’t mention that June was bit by a zombie while she was a human, nor that turning her to a vampire was the event that turned the other parents against them. Instead, he plays up the fact that the other parents suspected something of Eddy and his dad, because the other kids had seen the two of them perform—what seemed like to them—superhuman feats of strength and speed. He describes how he was accidentally shot by one of the parents with a shotgun and that his dad cut out all the pellets.
