Nick leaned back against the couch and sighed. "Yes it has, and I apologize for that. I know I can't make up for the last couple years overnight. And I appreciate that you are at least giving me a chance. I'm not sure that I deserve that."
"Sure you do," Susan replied with shock, twisting her body to face her father which brought her bare leg to rest against him. She hoped the contact would make up for her previous reaction. "You've just been caught up with work so much."
Nick nodded absently before replying, "That's true, but no excuse really. I shouldn't have ignored my responsibilities as a father, and a husband. Look at you. You are all grown up, into a very beautiful woman. I can't imagine the pressures you have been facing at school, and from boys. Then the attack, and losing your boyfriend like that. I'm sure it was absolutely awful. And I wasn't there for you. I'm sorry."
Susan wanted to tell him it was okay. But it wasn't, and he knew it wasn't. Not only had his distance created a gap between them, but it also forced her mother to play the role of both parents. Susan realized now that the resentment she sometimes felt toward her mother for her parenting decisions should actually be directed at him. She didn't know what to say, so they sat there for a minute in silence. Glancing around Susan noticed her father's beers on the coffee table and grabbed one to hand to him.
After a quick swig Nick said, "Tell me about Hunter."
Thus far he had only asked about Hunter in ways that were related to the case. Perhaps he still was. Only he wasn't acting like a detective this time. His body was relaxed as he reclined with a slouch, not sitting far enough back on the seat cushion. And his eyes were genuinely fatherly. Susan allowed her instinctive barrier to drop. "What else did you want to know?"
"Tell me why you liked him so much."
"Ahh, that," Susan smiled. "Do you really want to know?" Taking a long drink of his beer he nodded. "Okay, well, he was really sweet. And not just toward me. He liked animals, and little kids, and really loved his grandma too. He laughed at my jokes and didn't get irritated when I got hyper." Susan leaned back and relaxed, permitting herself to remember, and slowly share her heart with her father. "He always opened the door for me and carried my stuff. He was protective, but not overbearing. Everybody liked him. Football players, teachers, and the girls of course. He was a really nice guy. I think you would have liked him."
"I think I would have, too," he replied. His eyes were looking glassy and Susan couldn't tell if it was the beer or if he was getting emotional. She leaned in to get a closer look as he gazed off into nothingness. When he finally turned toward her he looked very sad, and it broke down the remaining protection of her heart. "I'm so sorry for what happened to him."
"Thank you, daddy," she cried, then leaned in to give him a long overdue hug. He welcomed it and cried along with her. Eventually, he patted her back softly three times. Susan remembered from childhood that was his usual signal for being done with the hug, and slowly pulled back.
"If I was better at my job he would not have died. There shouldn't have even been an attack."
Susan was surprised at the turn in the conversation. She certainly did not blame her father for what happened to Hunter, and didn't know until now that he did. "Why?" she asked. "What could you have done?"
He finished his beer and sat it down on the coffee table, then grabbed the second bottle. "I should have caught those bastards a long time ago, that's what I should have done! It's just so damn hard to figure out where they are, and who they are."
Susan was confused now. "What do you mean who they are?"
Nick shouldn't have said that. He tried to raise his guard, but he was just too tired. And maybe a little drunk. Instead he said, "I didn't mean nothing by that. I'm not sure what I'm saying."
"Please don't," Susan begged. "I've been through so much, and nothing makes sense to me anymore. I've been so confused lately, about everything. Even about who I am. Please tell me what you meant."
Nick stared at his daughter. He was so happy when she leaned in for that hug. That was why he cried. Oh, he was sorry for her loss as well. But the hole in his soul was so deep, his sadness so overwhelming, a hug could break him down. He didn't want the barrier to go back up between them. He had to at least tell her something.
As he looked at his daughter he remembered the first time he saw her in her cheer uniform. She was so sexy, yet so young. He had a weakness for beautiful young women, he knew. He figured that all men did. He would sometimes say and do things he shouldn't. Nothing terrible, just flirty. But this was his daughter. Gazing into her eyes he glimpsed the incredible person that he saw years ago in his wife, when they first met. He desperately wanted to stay a part of her life.
"As you recently found out, my job is kind of top secret. I'm not supposed to talk about my cases with anyone but my boss." He saw the deflated look in her eyes at his response. "So, it's important that you don't tell anyone else about this. Do you understand?"
Susan's eyes lit up as she nodded. She pulled closer and grabbed her father's knee to keep her balance, waiting for some secret information, and some missing pieces to the puzzle inside her head and heart.
"Not your mother, not your sister, not even your best friend Tish. Especially not Tish."
Susan nodded vigorously again. She didn't understand why Tish was singled out like that. Her first impulse was to defend her and the strength of their friendship, but knew that would only make him more cautious.
Nick sat his half empty bottle back on the coffee table and faced his eager daughter. "The people that attacked you kids at the lodge, well, they weren't really people." Susan knew that to be true, somehow, but had no reason to believe it. She waited for him to continue. "Well, that's kind of not true," he said. "Sometimes they are human, and sometimes they are not."
"What do you mean?" Susan asked. It sounded absurd but somehow had a ring of truth to it.
"Well, mostly they were human, but then they changed into those creatures somehow. But sometimes they change back. Back and forth between the two. It's very confusing, I know."
Susan has afraid to say it. She knew it would sound silly coming out of her mouth. Her father would laugh and then the serious conversation would end. But he was obviously waiting for her to say something, and she didn't know what else to say. "Do you mean vampires?" she asked. To her surprise he did not laugh.
"Kind of," he shrugged. "But not like the vampires in the movies. These are way different. For one thing, these are real. It's more like they are body snatchers, because they can change into other humans."
Susan jaw dropped. She remembered the creatures that attacked them at the lodge, but it was a blur. More like a fading memory from a nightmare. She knew in her heart that they were definitely not human. She was even glad to hear her father say it. But body snatchers? That was even scarier! How? Glancing about the room again trying to let the idea register she spotted the half empty bottle on the coffee table. Without thinking she grabbed it and drank down the remainder. Sitting the empty bottle back on the table she realized she just drank alcohol in front of her father for the first time. And it was his beer.
Holding her pose, her hand barely off the bottle she looked out of the corner of her eye at her dad, "Sorry."
Surprisingly, he smiled. "That's okay. I felt the same way when I first found out. In fact, I still feel that way."
She was relieved that he wasn't mad. Gathering her thoughts, trying to form intelligent questions, she watched as her father pulled two more beers from the fridge. Returning to the sofa he handed one to Susan.
"When they are in their vampire form they are very fast, and very strong. But they are always running away, hiding. Or sneaking around. The attack at the lodge was the first time I've ever heard of anything like that. That's when I knew that someone there must have a connection to them. At first I thought it was Hunter, or maybe the other kid that died."
Susan's mind was reeling. The vampires attacked them for a reason. That should have been obvious to her. They didn't
steal anything, or feed on them. They had to be targeting someone in their group. Was it Hunter? How could she know?
"It wasn't, was it? Hunter, I mean. Who was it?" she asked.
Nick took a long swig of his beer and watched as his daughter did the same. He had said too much already. He knew that if his daughter blabbed off about vampires that no one would pay her any attention. They would think she was crazy. But it would damage her reputation and well as his. He could possibly even lose his job. But maybe telling her more would pull her in too deep, preventing her from ever telling anyone. He had badly wanted to tell someone about the things he knew for the last two years. Inside he was delighted to find someone he could. He wanted to tell her.
"It wasn't Hunter. Or the other kid. But it was someone you knew. Are you sure you really want to know this? This will be the biggest secret you will ever have to keep. And it will definitely effect how you view your friends."
"Yes," she demanded. "I have to know now. How could I go on, wondering who it was? Why would you want me to?"
"I don't," he answered. "I've been wanting to tell you ever since I found out. But it would cost me my job if you ever told anyone. The income that pays for this house, all our bills, would be gone."
"I won't tell anyone, dad. Who there was connected to the vampires?"
"Well, let's think about it. I believe the attack was to scare someone."
Susan grunted, "Well they succeeded, for sure! We were all scared."
"They wanted to scare someone into doing something, like leaving town."
It hit her like a punch in the gut. She stopped breathing. It was Aaron. Her best friend's boyfriend. But why? Why did they want to scare Aaron into leaving town? Before she could ask her father answered the question.
"They wanted Aaron to leave town. With them." Nick waited for it to sink in, for the wheels in her mind to get up to speed. He wasn't sure if they even could. "Because Aaron is one of them."
First a punch in the gut, now a slap across the face. Susan gasped. "Oh my God! Are you shitting me? I have to tell Tish. How could you make me promise not to tell her?"
Susan tried to bounce off the couch but Nick grabbed her by the arm before she could. His strength was surprising. It startled her at first, but she realized he just couldn't let her call Tish. His grip was retraining but not hurting her. "Tish has to know," she told her dad. "I can't let her go on not knowing. She could be killed! What if Aaron comes back? My God, dad! I have to tell her."
Nick gestured for her to sit back down, and eventually she did slowly. "How does Tish feel about Aaron now?"
Susan shook her head as if that would make her thoughts all fall into the proper slots. "I think she might still like him a lot, maybe love him, but she never wants to talk about him. She was very angry when he left. But what if he comes back? Tish has to know," she pleaded.
"I think she already does," he said quietly. Susan collapsed in her seat. She instantly believed him. That was what Tish had been hiding. And she could understand her best friend's motives in doing so. Susan finished her beer in one gulp and began to cry. She had thought ignoring her best friend's secret was causing a wedge between them, but in reality it was preventing the wedge. Now she did not know what to think about Tish anymore. The sadness enveloped her, and this time she felt that only her father could truly be of comfort.
25 - What The?
"Mom! Dad!" Tish shouted as she closed the front door behind her. Outside the cab pulled away, taking Susan home next. The panic in her voice stirred her mother from the couch instantly. Pam ran into the foyer, dropping her tablet on the floor. Charlie followed cautiously a few seconds later.
"What's wrong dear?" Pam asked, almost as panicked as Tish. Her eyes searched her daughter's body for any sign of injury.
"I saw one of them," she told her mom. She was out of breath but grateful for the opportunity to tell someone. The ride home beside her unsuspecting best friend was agonizing. It was like they were in the slowest vehicle on the road.
Pam's confusion faded fast. She went rigid where she stood. "A Sanguillen? Where?"
"Outside the restaurant. It must have followed me there. It was hiding in the shadows under a tree."
Pam hugged her daughter, pulling her close she said, "It's okay, dear. You're safe now."
"Are you sure it was a Sanguillen?" Charlie asked, almost accusingly. "Are you sure it wasn't just the shadow playing tricks on your mind? Sometimes that happens."
"Yes, I'm sure." Tish replied, looking her father in eye. Did he know about her hallucinations? If so, how? Had he done something to her to cause these visions?
Charlie turned away before muttering, "Sorry, just had to be sure." He pulled out his phone as he walked into the other room.
"Wait," Tish said, regaining her enthusiasm. "Maybe it was Thomas?" Pam looked hopeful at the suggestion, turning toward her husband's departure.
Charlie's voice could be heard from the other room, "It wasn't Thomas."
"Who is he calling?" Tish asked without thinking.
Pam released the embrace and said, "probably Thomas. He's the best at catching Sanguillen rogues. I don't understand why they would take this chance, though. Getting this close doesn't make sense now, you know, now that they already have Aaron. They usually get as far away from us as possible."
"Mom, what do they want?" Tish was scared. The full memory of the attack came raging back. She realized that the beast could have killed her right there if he wanted. She wouldn't have been able to defend herself or get away fast enough. Only the very public location must have saved her. She might not be so lucky next time. Imagine if the thing followed her home. She could have been slaughtered in front of her own house, while Susan watched helplessly from the cab. With its wicked speed the Sanguillen may have been able to get to her house before the slow, metered vehicle.
"I don't know. But your father will find out. Don't worry. They won't attack here," Pam said confidently.
"Why not?" Tish asked.
"They just won't," Pam answered firmly. "They won't take that big of a chance of getting caught. I'm sorry that you were scared tonight. I told Charlie an agent should still be assigned to you. But he wanted every possible person on the search. It is really uncharacteristic of them to show up here. Now you should avoid your father for the rest of the evening."
Tish was confused. "Why?"
"To be brutally honest, he is probably quite happy that the rogues are in town. It makes them easier to catch. I'm surprised he hadn't tried to use you as bait all along." The fear for her daughter's safety made Pam unusually loose lipped.
"What?" Tish asked. "I was bait?"
"No, dear," Pam responded affectionately, hugging her daughter again. "I don't think so."
Then Charlie stormed back into the room. Taking a deep breath he walked up to Tish and said, "Tell me the truth. Is Aaron back in town? Were you with Aaron tonight?"
"No," Tish answered quickly, completely baffled by the accusation.
Charlie groaned as he spun around. "I can't tell if she's lying, dammit!"
"I'm not lying!" Tish furiously yelled at his back.
Pam pulled her daughter back in her direction, balancing firmness with motherly affection. "Tish, this is really important, so we just need to be sure. Have you seen Aaron?"
"No, mom, I'm not lying. I haven't seen Aaron. I promise."
Always the mediator Pam turned to address Charlie next. "Dear? Would it be a bad idea for us to have Tish call Aaron? Maybe he still has his cell phone. What do you think?"
A weird painful expression crossed Charlie's face as he struggled with the pros and cons of the phone call. It would have been a tough call if he wasn't so desperate to find these rogues. Viewer interest was dropping and so were the ratings for Silver Silhouette. It was a very competitive industry. Jobs were lost by these kinds of decisions. He had to choose correctly. He had overheard his wife when she told Tish that he would be tempted to use her as bait. It was true. H
e had tried several times already, having his agents hang back and leaving his daughter vulnerable. It was for the greater good, he told himself. Besides, they were not likely to kill her anyway. Kidnap her? Maybe.
"Yes," he blurted out. "Make the call." Then he headed into the other room making another call of his own. Pam glanced between the two of them, then followed her husband into the other room.
Tish honestly did not want to make the call. She had considered contacting Aaron before to ask him questions. She was still so confused about everything. And he was the only one she would trust not to call her crazy for her hallucinations. But she couldn't risk drawing him back, with those nasty Sanguillens on his trail. She was reminded once again that he was also one of them. But now, they must already be here. Since it was her mother's suggestion to make the call she decided not to question it. Just make the call. Her mom always had her best interest at heart.
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