by Alice Brown
“Everything okay?” Erica asked.
Mary smiled slightly and said, “I’ve had better days, but I’m okay.”
“Let’s get you back to our house and get you settled down and comfortable. I don’t want you leaving until your parents get back, is that clear?” Erica’s voice broke no room for argument.
“Yes, ma’am,” Mary replied, hugging Erica. “Thank you for everything, Mrs. O’Rourke.”
“You’re welcome, sweetie. Any time,” Stephanie’s mom replied as she hugged Mary back.
The women returned home in silence. Erica reached Charles through the earpiece to make sure the coast was clear to use the elevator. Stephanie helped Mary upstairs to her bedroom, and as Mary changed into comfortable clothes, Stephanie could hear her mother downstairs on the phone. It sounded like she was talking with Mary’s parents, telling them about the attack, and the trip to the hospital. Erica also explained that Mary would be staying with them until her parents returned home. From the sound of it, Mary would be staying with them for about a week.
By the time Stephanie had Mary settled in her bed, she was exhausted. Barely able to keep her eyes open, she murmured, “Stephanie, I don’t know how you knew I was in trouble today, but I am so glad you did. I had no idea Richard could even do something so horrible.” A shudder ran down her spine, and she yawned. “What do you think is going to happen to him?”
“I don’t know. Dad and Marshall are not back yet, and I probably won’t know anything until they return home,” Stephanie replied.
“Did you know he was like this?”
“No, I didn’t. But I knew my dad had doubts about him, I could read it in his head. And then, I’ve known all along that Marshall didn’t like him.”
Mary’s eyes popped open wide. “Wait a minute, as long as our shields are up you can’t read our minds, right?”
Stephanie gave her guest a sly smile. “That is usually the case, but I seem to be able to read any vampire’s mind, no matter how strong the shields are.” She stopped and sighed deeply. “It’s just like my astral projection abilities; not many people know about it because we don’t want them scared of me. So, hardly anyone is aware that I could read them like a book if I wanted to. Lucky for them, I don’t choose to do so very often; it is just too much of an invasion of privacy.”
Settling back down in the pillows, Mary asked, “Okay, so what else can you do?”
Stephanie sat down on the side of the bed. “Well, let me see,” she stated a bit dramatically as she pretended to ponder. Mary still had her eyes open waiting for Stephanie to respond, so Stephanie decided to give her a visual demonstration. She spotted a pen on her dresser. Using her gift, she raised the pen off the dresser and brought it over to the bed, dangling it in mid-air in front of Mary before letting it drop.
“You can move things with your mind, too? Way too cool!” Mary laughed.
“Yes, that is called telekinesis. And you already know about the astral projection from this afternoon, as well as telepathy.” Stephanie stopped and smiled as she remembered her past. “The telepathy actually started with animals. When I was a small child, I could communicate with animals. It wasn’t until I was a bit older that I was strong enough to go through vampire mind shields.”
“That’s all? You make it sound like it is nothing, Stephanie. Do you have any idea how gifted you are?” Mary asked.
“Well, I do try to use these gifts to help others. Which, by the way, before I forget to tell you, we have several humans staying with us right now.” Mary needed to be aware of the situation so she would know to be careful with what she said. “Inez and Ramona Garcia are the mother and little girl from the kidnapping that I stopped a few weeks back. Social Services came in and said they were going to put the little girl in foster care because her mother didn’t have a job. Dad stepped in and brought them home with us, and Mom has helped Inez find a job. The second group we have is George Sutton and his grandson, Tim. Tim was the one I found several days ago while he was being beaten. His mother is the one being changed right now, but both Tim and his grandfather think she is at a special burn unit.”
“Oh, okay,” Mary nodded. “How old are the kids?”
“They are actually very close in age. I think Ramona is seven and Tim looks to be about the same,” Stephanie replied. “They get along very well. I introduced them while Tim was still in the hospital.”
Mary’s eyes were becoming heavy, so Stephanie stood to let her rest. “We can talk more about this tomorrow.”
She was asleep in no time, and Stephanie quietly made her way downstairs to see if Marshall or her dad had arrived back home yet. She heard voices coming from her mother’s office and opened the door to find both men there.
“Hey, kiddo, did you get Mary down for the night?” her father inquired as he stood, placing a kiss on the top of her forehead.
“Yes, she is asleep,” Stephanie replied, walking to an empty chair. “Dad, what is going to happen to Richard Moore? Has he actually lost his mind or something? I have never heard of one of our own turning against another, especially not in that way. I shudder every time I think about what he would have done to her if I hadn’t arrived in time to stop it.” She frowned as she looked at her father. “I read his mind when I first got there. He had all intentions…” The remainder caught in her throat. Just the thought made her ill. Without warning, warm tears started streaming down her face. “Why would anyone want to do such a thing? Mary has never done anything to him that I am aware of; it was me he was mad at! How do I live with that? How do I live with knowing that a friend was attacked because of me?”
Kevin stood to comfort his daughter, but Marshall beat him to it. He gently picked her up and sat down with her in his lap, cuddling her close.
As Marshall worked on calming her down, Kevin addressed her concerns. “I don’t know what makes some men do the things they do, Steph. And at this point, I am not totally sure Richard Moore doesn’t have some psychological problems. As to what is going to happen to him, he is being kept locked up tonight to be taught a lesson. His father and I have already been to see the judging committee; they have agreed to dismiss the charges, but the Moore family must leave the society, and they are not allowed to return to it, ever. Mr. Moore agreed to the decision; it was that or the judging committee would hear the case tomorrow morning, and the outcome would depend on whether they thought he was worth going through rehabilitation.”
Stephanie gave her father a confused look. “Okay, so the Moore family is just going to move away, and that is the end of it?” That hardly seemed fair in her book.
“Well, Mr. and Mrs. Moore are not going to want to show their faces out in society once word gets out about today’s events. The judging committee agreed to let the entire family go, on the condition that they do not return to our society. A panel member even suggested finding a vampire psychologist, to have Richard evaluated. What happened today stays on record, so if they decide to go to another vampire community, his record will be available for the authorities if they look it up. What Richard did today has in a sense made his entire family outcasts. Because of our database, today’s incident is not going to be swept under the rug. They won’t be able just to move to another society and start all over again as if nothing happened. Richard’s history will follow them, no matter where they go. So while you might not think of it as a punishment, believe me, it is. The family will more than likely be outcasts the remainder of their lives, and for people as prestigious as they like to be, this is going to be a bitter pill for them to swallow. Plus, if Richard gets out of line whatsoever, no judging panel he may face will go easy on him with this on his record.”
Marshall glanced down to his girl. She was tired; her eyelids were drooping. “Baby, you need to get some rest.” He cuddled her up closer to his chest and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. She sighed as her eyes drifted closed.
Kevin watched as his daughter fell asleep in Marshall’s arms. “She has been exposed
to a lot in the past few weeks. Her mother and I kept her completely sheltered from all of this up until now. Help me keep a close watch on her that the violence doesn’t get to her. I think she has dealt with more violence in her first few weeks at the VCTF than any other new recruit we have ever had.” Kevin shook his head and frowned. “I worry about her. Her gifts seem to be drawing her to violent situations that we would never have known about otherwise.”
“I know you worry, as do I. I’ll let you know if I see any changes in her,” Marshall rumbled softly. Everyone else was in bed, and the house was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. He looked down at his precious bundle and lightly brushed a loose hair out of her face. She slept on.
Stephanie woke up slightly when she felt herself being moved. She cracked open one eye to see Marshall was carrying her to her room. Once he arrived, he went around to the side Mary wasn’t sleeping on, pulled the covers back, and gently laid his precious cargo down. Not trusting himself, he gave her a quick peck on the cheek and told her goodnight as he left.
The following morning Mary was up and awake by seven. She was feeling better, and was ready to hear some answers to her many questions. Lightly bouncing on the bed, she launched into her inquiries. The first was the most important. “Did you get a chance to speak with your dad last night?”
“Yes, the Mr. Moore and Dad met with the judging panel yesterday evening. Richard stayed locked up overnight, but the Moore family is leaving town immediately.” Stephanie, herself, wasn’t all that thrilled with the decision, and she watched Mary closely for her reaction. It just didn’t seem like Richard had to pay for his actions other than spending one night locked up. And even that light punishment had drawn argument from Mr. Moore. “It seems the panel agreed that since this was his first offense they were willing to overlook the charges, provided they all leave and never come back.” Stephanie stopped and watched Mary’s face for a moment. “I know it probably doesn’t sound like enough, but he did spend last night locked up, and the incident is on record. You know as well as I do that other vamp groups have access to that database.”
Mary didn’t think justice had been served at all, but she also knew the family was well off and figured a bit of money and politics had played into the decision. Mary had no hope to stand against that kind of influence. Deciding to leave the bad news alone as there was nothing she could do about it anyway, she decided to try to forget about it and get to the juicy answers she had been waiting for. “How long have you been doing your cool tricks? And why haven’t you ever told me about them?”
“I’ve had a lot of my abilities ever since I was a baby. When I was only a couple of months old a rogue vampire tried to kidnap me. Mom fought him back, but she couldn’t take him down by herself. I picked up her car sitting in the driveway and hurled it on top of him. Dad wasn’t too pleased that I destroyed a brand-new car that mom hadn’t even driven yet, but considering I could have been kidnapped, he got over that one. That was when a lot of my powers came to light. Shortly after that I was supposed to be taking a nap, but I woke up and decided to go see what my father does at his office. I projected myself over to the VCTF office,” Stephanie wore a wide grin as she recalled this event. “The entire team was in a meeting, and at that time my projected form was strictly invisible. I’ve just recently figured out I can make myself appear so someone can see me, but I have to concentrate on that one. Anyway, the team was in a meeting, so I let myself in and tied Marshall’s shoelaces to his chair leg. He didn’t know anything about it until he stood and tried to move, and almost fell on his face. I went back out into the main office and left messages on everyone’s computer and rearranged all the files on everyone’s desk.” Both girls were in a fit of laughter when Stephanie finished.
“Oh, I imagine your father just loved you for that one,” Mary laughed. “But how did he know it was you?”
“Well, I was so young at the time, Mom just point-blank asked me, and I told her the honest truth. It didn’t occur to me at that age to try to hide anything from her.”
“As I grew up, Mom, Dad, Grandpa, Marshall, and Mr. Atkins have all played key roles in teaching me how to use these gifts to help other people. Mom was actually afraid to take me out in public when I was younger, afraid I would try to play a practical joke on some poor human while we were out and embarrass her or, worse yet, expose our secret.”
“So, do you get involved in a lot of cases with children?” Mary asked.
“It seems here recently that is what I am being drawn to,” Stephanie replied. It did seem she had been involved in a lot of cases involving children. “I hear these kids cry out for help, and I just can’t ignore them.”
A knock at the bedroom door stopped the girls’ conversation. “Come in,” both girls chimed.
Ramona trudged in the room, still a little sleepy. She immediately headed for Stephanie’s side of the bed, not knowing the other person next to her. “Good morning, Stephanie.” Her little face brightened as she offered up a smile and a hug.
Stephanie picked the child up and sat her on the side of the bed. Knowing the little girl would want to tell her all about her adventures from the night before, Stephanie gave her the green light. “So how did your evening out go last night?”
“We had fun! We went to McDonald’s for dinner and then went to a shopping center for a little while, and then we went to see a movie,” she exclaimed happily. “Guess what? Mommy bought me two new dresses last night. I can’t wait to show them to you.” She bounced on the bed, too excited to contain herself. As if suddenly realizing they were not alone, she stopped her movement and looked over to Mary shyly.
“Hi,” she offered with a little wave of her hand. “Are you Stephanie’s friend?”
“Yes, my name is Mary. Are you Ramona?” Mary asked her.
“Yes, did Stephanie save you too?” Ramona inquired.
“Yes, as a matter of fact, she did. I had a mean guy trying to hurt me, and she arrived in time to stop him,” Mary responded. She purposely left the details out. This child was too young to understand how ugly people can get.
“Cool!” Ramona responded enthusiastically. She smiled back at Stephanie. As far as Ramona was concerned, Stephanie could do no wrong. She looked up to the young woman; after all, it had been Stephanie who had saved her. “Stephanie stopped a man from kidnapping me and taking me to Mexico. I was locked up in the trunk of a car when she found me.” Ramona was looking to swap stories, probably to see who had bigger bragging rights. Stephanie figured she had probably done the same thing with Tim. She gave a slight shake of her head to Mary, indicating for her not to fall for Ramona’s little trap.
“That must have been so scary for you,” Mary answered her and did a mock tremble. “I hear you have a friend named Tim, who Stephanie helped save also?” Mary inquired, smoothly avoiding the details once again.
“Yes, I do. Timmy is still in bed, and so is his grandfather, but my mom is in the kitchen making breakfast for everyone,” Ramona said.
“Good, because I didn’t get to eat dinner last night, so I’m hungry!” Mary stated, a little theatrically. Mary did eat a fair amount of human food, so at least they would have enough people actually eating the food this morning for most of it not to go to waste.
“Are you going to change your name?” Ramona inquired to Mary. She would make a great detective one day, thought Stephanie. The child didn’t give up when she wanted details of something. This was just her coming at Mary from another angle.
“No, I don’t think so. Did you change yours?” Mary asked.
“Not I. Stephanie and her dad changed my mom’s name and mine. My name used to be Maria, but my new name is Ramona; it means “wise protector”, Ramona replied proudly.
“Well, I think Ramona fits you very well. Stephanie told me about finding you in that trunk, and I think it is really cool that you are staying with her right now. I am going to stay here also until my parents come home next week. They are away in another country right no
w,” Mary told the little girl.
“When I grow up, I want to do something to help other children, so they are not taken from their parents,” Ramona told Mary. Stephanie was glad the little girl couldn’t see her face when she dropped that bomb. She stated it very matter-of-factly and with a great deal of maturity, as if she had made up her mind on a career and that was it.
“I think that is a great idea, Ramona. You know, I’ve been thinking since last night. If it weren’t for Stephanie, I would be in really bad shape right now. I know there are a lot of women and children out there who need help. I’m thinking I need to turn my almost-bad situation into a positive in my life. Opening a shelter for women and children who need help could be my contribution to society, but also pays Stephanie’s dedication and kindness forward to someone else who is in trouble.” Mary stopped and looked at both Stephanie and Ramona as she held her breath waiting for their reaction.
Stephanie was the first to respond. She leaned over and gave her friend a tight hug. “Mary, I think that is a wonderful idea.” Sitting back up, she reasoned with herself that if yesterday’s incident ended up turning Mary’s life around for the good, then maybe it would all be worth it in the end. Stephanie watched Ramona also lean forward and hug Mary.
Another knock on the door sounded, and all three girls chimed, “Come in!” Then, before the door was opened, all three broke down in giggles.
Erica stuck her head in with a huge smile. “So this is where the party is. Inez has breakfast ready.” Erica opened the door wide, knowing that Ramona would be jumping off the bed and running out the door. She was practically off the bed the minute the word “breakfast” had been stated.
“You two come on downstairs. Mary, are you hungry this morning?” Erica inquired. It was a rare thing for them to have so much human food in the house. Usually if Mary spent the night, she would bring plenty of snacks since no one in the O’Rourke house ate very much food.
