by H. J. Lawson
“They got to my house before my guardian did,” she mutters.
At no time did I think that someone else may have been killed tonight.
“When we got home, they were …” She pauses, then closes her eyes and twists her face as if she’s replaying the events in her mind. I place my hand on her hand.
“They were eating my dad. There was blood everywhere,” she says, staring through me like I’m invisible.
“All that blood...” Lakia sits next to me, still staring out as though she’s lost. There is no doubt that the images will haunt her dreams for the rest of her life … just as Aaron will with me.
We both gaze out of the window as everything starts to blur together as the train finally picks up speed. We are out of the city and into the countryside. I have never been this far out before.
A discreet cough makes me jump. It’s Ryder. “Can I join you?” he asks as he stands in the doorway.
I nod.
He takes the seat across from me and Lakia, and takes hold of Lakia’s hands on the table.
I let out a sigh, louder than I thought. Lakia curls her fingers into a fist and starts to move them away from his hands.
I shake my head. “It’s fine, I just …” I pause. “I miss him.” I feel so weak.
“What happened?” Ryder asks. I can tell Lakia shot him a dirty look, because he mouths ‘what?’ to her.
“He was bitten.” The tiny words roll off my tongue like nothing, but they are everything.
“Bitten?” Lakia says, I guess louder than she thought. “Bitten?” she repeats in a lower tone.
“Yeah, my guardian, Blake or whoever he is, has taken him to Sector 207 for treatment,” I explain.
“Will he be all right?” Lakia asks.
“I hope so.” I can feel my lip wobbling. Don’t cry any more, not in front of Ryder. I can’t look weak without Aaron.
“He will be fine,” Ryder says with conviction. I smile over at him, and he nods.
“What’s going on?” Lakia asks as she throws her hands in the air.
“I asked the guards on the train, but they told me nothing, just to stay in my suite and wait for the announcement,” Ryder explains as he shrugs his shoulders.
By the way that he’s acting I can tell that his parents lived through the attack. My guess is they were not even home; they both travel for work a lot. We all used to hang out at Ryders house, but Ryder never liked to leave me and Aaron alone.
Ryder has always been jealous of our relationship. I was getting in the way of his friendship with Aaron.
I turn toward the window, away from my friends, and wipe my eyes dry. When will the tears stop? Only when he’s back by my side …
“So …” Ryder says, clearly not sure what to do with me, but after the silence became unbearable someone had to speak.
“What do you know about what’s happening? Did your guardian say anything to you?” Ryder asks. I’m grateful for something to take me away from what I was thinking.
I tell them everything I know, which is not much. I get ‘ohhs’ and ‘ahhs’ plus the odd nod of the head, especially when I tell them that a vampire only needs to be invited in once to be able to get into our homes. Ryder swears when I tell him that.
I leave the most important piece of information until the end. “Did your parents have problems having children?” I ask them.
They both stare at me blankly. “Yeah,” Lakia replies. I thought she would say yes: she’s an only child like me.
Ryder just shrugs his shoulders; I didn’t think he would know due to the fact that his parents never spare much time for him. I doubt that the subject ever came up.
“Why?” they both ask at the same time, staring at me.
“My guardian, Blake, told me that our parents were given a helping hand,” I say as I try to remember everything he said in case I missed something.
“Helping hand?” Lakia says, puzzled.
“That’s all he said. Well, he did say he’d said too much and we will find out more about it when we get to Sector 105,” I explain.
Ryder pushes his hands together, making a fist. “We’d better find out what the hell is going on soon or I’m out of here,” he states bitterly.
Lakia and I nod, but I fear we will not have much choice but to stay. All I keep remembering is Blake telling me if I want my family to stay alive I should go. But did he say that because he was receiving some kind of payment for delivering me?
Once I get to Sector 105, I will be able to make a decision whether to stay or to go.
“What did your guardian say to you guys?” I ask them.
“He told us that we had to catch the train to Sector 105,” he says. I shrug my shoulders. Nothing new there.
“Like I’m going to just get on a frigging train just because a man I don’t know tells me to. Especially when he shows me his fangs—like that is going to work.” Ryder shakes his head.
“So I told him unless he told me what the hell was going on I wasn’t going anywhere.”
“And?” I say impatiently. Is he ever going to get to the interesting stuff?
“I was just about to tell you,” Ryder snaps. “He told me that kids like us, slayers, are being rounded up by vampires to help bring their army together—or to make it easier to kill us if we don’t want to join them. It’s like they are trying to get to us before whoever runs the training camp can. I guess it must be the government, because there is no way anyone else could get away with this.”
“Bring their army together? That doesn’t sound good. Not good at all.”
“I was thinking the same,” Ryder agrees.
“Why now?”
“I asked him the same question. Something to do with a family war within the vampire world. Don’t know why they had to mix us up in their family arguments.” Ryder lets out a big breath which blows his hair upward.
“Anything else?”
“Yeah, if we stayed there, the vampires would kill or turn us,” he says, frowning, then raises his finger to stop me from speaking. “We had the same guardian as well.” I never thought about that before, but so did Aaron and I.
“Did you two?” Lakia asks.
“Yes,” I respond.
“Weird,” she replies.
“Yeah, I was just thinking that. They must have been watching us.”
“He came to my house first,” Ryder says, dipping his head down with guilt. If he had gone to Lakia’s house first would her dad still be alive? “He was waiting inside the house for us.”
“Had you seen him before?” I ask.
“Yeah, he was the decorator my parents had hired. He’d been coming in and out of my house for years,” Ryder says, shaking his head. “Frigging vampire coming in my house for years, and I didn’t have a clue.” He slumps back against his seat and lets out a sigh.
I’d met him before and never thought twice about him,” Lakia says as she tries to reassure him.
“They just look … well, normal,” I add.
“Yeah, until they show you their fangs,” Ryder says as he lifts his top lip up, revealing his canines. Lakia and I both smile at each other and roll our eyes; it's nice to smile for a moment.
Ryder and Lakia fill me in on what happened when they met their guardian, well, mainly Ryder. Lakia sits quietly, just saying the odd word here and there. The memories must still be too raw for her.
When Ryder starts to speak about when they got to Lakia’s house, Lakia says that she needs the bathroom. She hides in there long enough for Ryder to tell me what happened before she comes out.
They don’t know anything more than me … which I’m disappointed about.
Lakia’s eyes are swollen and red, like she’s been crying.
“Screw this, I’m done waiting,” Ryder says a few moments after we finish filling each other in about the night’s events.
I feel the same as him. I no longer want to be in the train suite.
My legs ache as I stand, not from what happened this eveni
ng but from sitting in the same position for the last hour. Well it feels like an hour—none of us have a cell phone or a watch.
I wiggle my legs to get the blood flowing through my veins. They tingle as they start to get back to normal.
A weird noise emanates from the walls in the suite.
I look around to work out where the sound is coming from, and I spot a speaker in the corner of the room, painted with the same white-gray speckled paint as the walls.
We all freeze as we wait for the announcement. We don’t have to wait long.
“My name is Commander Cheng and I run Sector 105. I understand today has been a horrific day,” she says in a firm, emotionless, matter-of-fact tone. “You will arrive at Sector 105 shortly, and all questions will be answered when you get there. Guards will bring your new uniform. There will be an alarm in sixty minutes to inform you your food is ready. Take this time to prepare to meet your new classmates.” Her voice is replaced with a low buzzing sound and then silence.
There was no background noise on the announcement, as if it was a recording. I cannot help but wonder how many times this announcement has been made.
Chapter Four
As if on cue, there is a thump … thump on the door of the suite. I gasp, then let the breath out. I guess a vampire wouldn’t knock.
I get up and push down on the cool metal handle. Ryder and Lakia stand by my side. The suite is so cramped I can feel their hearts racing.
“Uniform,” a male voice says from behind the door.
I open the door to see a guard standing with a pile of black clothes in his arms, a pair of lace-up black leather boots on top. Guess that’s my new uniform.
“Thank you.” As I take the pile from him, he nods at me.
“You two need to go back to your suite,” he says to Lakia and Ryder—as if it's an order not a request—then leaves.
“I am not wearing that,” Lakia says, lifting up the boots by their laces as if they’re something foul that she doesn't want to touch.
To me they just look like a pair of practical boots, though I hate to think what we will need them for. I know that's why Lakia doesn't like them ... too practical. We will look like toy soldiers in these uniforms, miniature versions of the guards.
Ryder reaches for the next piece in the pile, lifts it up, and stretches it out. It’s a black sports bra. “I hope yours is nicer than this,” he says, frowning at it as if it’s the most awful undergarment he’s ever seen.
I snatch my bra off him. “Go get your own stuff,” I say, waving my sports bra at him.
“Will you be okay on your own?” Lakia asks; Ryder is already leaving the suite.
“Yeah, I'm going to take a shower. Meet you for food?” I say as Lakia hugs me.
“Where do you think food will be?” Lakia asks.
“Your guess is as good as mine. I think the guards will lead us there,” I say.
“Okay, only if you’re sure,” Lakia says.
“She told you she was; come on,” Ryder says.
“Oh, shut up,” Lakia snaps. They sound more like the couple I remember. “Okay then,” she says as they leave the suite. Leaving me alone.
One long beeeep from the speaker takes me by surprise, even though I’ve been staring at it for what must have been at least ten minutes. Guess that means it’s food time.
I look at the table in front of me, where my stake rests. I brought it to the bathroom with me and placed it on top of the toilet lid. Even with the bathroom door locked, I couldn’t help but think there was someone watching me or, at any minute, someone would come in.
The sound of hustling feet moving along the carpet creeps through my suite door; people are starting to move to the dining car.
Anxiety fills my body as I push open the door. A sea of people wearing matching black uniforms passes by; they stare into my suite as I open the door. If it wasn’t for our youthful faces, we would look like an army.
None of them are carrying their stakes, or weapons. I follow suit, and leave the stake in my room.
I blend in with the crowd, hoping they know which way they are going. I clench my stomach inward as I try to stop the hunger groan from escaping my body.
I keep my eyes firmly fixed on the backs of the people in front of me. I’m scared that if I connect with someone’s eyes, they will recognize the fear in mine or turn into a vampire.
“Excuse me.” I can hear a low voice coming from behind me. “I said excuse me.” Her voice gets louder, more urgent. It's Lakia.
I can make out Lakia pushing through the crowd. I’m grateful to see a friendly face. Even the sight of Ryder pushing through puts a smile on my face.
“Sorry we’re late, blame Ryder,” she said.
“What can I say, it's that sexy bra,” he says, smiling.
Lakia rolls her eyes. “You wish. He fell asleep and wouldn’t get up.”
“I hope they’ve got some good food, I’m starving,” Ryder says, rubbing his stomach.
Mine groans in response.
I notice up ahead the sea of black is thinning out—we must be at the dining car.
“Ladies first,” Ryder says as he takes hold of the door handle. It's not like him to be a gentleman, it’s probably because he wants us to walk in first.
Lakia strides forward; our hands brush together and she takes mine, giving it a little squeeze. I know it's to comfort me, but all it does is remind me of Aaron—he’s the only person who holds my hand. I squeeze it back out of good manners.
We stand for a moment as we take in the view: row after row of kids cramped together, dressed in the black uniform, devouring plates filled with scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast. Every few seconds one of them looks up. None of them look into my eyes, they just look us over and then continue to stuff their faces as if they haven’t eaten for days.
The food does look good. The smell of crispy apple-maple bacon dances in the air. Most of the tables are full except a few at the back of the dining car.
Lakia has also spotted the seats and pulls me forward. We hurry past the others, and I place the steaming hot food on the table, then I slip onto the cream leather cushions, different from the ones in my suite but still worn with time. I take a window seat, Lakia sits across from me, and Ryder grabs the seat next to her.
Kids walk past our table and into the next car as directed by the guards. How many food cars are there?
Ryder grunts and snorts as he shovels the contents of his plate into his eagerly waiting mouth. His plate is nearly finished before I start mine. “You eating that?” he says, raising his eyebrows as his fork hovers over my bacon.
Even though I’m hungry, I just don’t have the stomach to eat after the evening I’ve had. “Sure,” I say to Ryder, not even looking at him.
I glance past him to the others in the eating area. At first I thought they were all eating, but maybe that’s because my eyes were drawn to their moving heads. Some of them are just staring into space. I probably look the same as them—tired from being up for the last twenty-four hours.
All the bacon is gone from my place; I glance up at Ryder, but he just shrugs.
Lakia places two slices of toast into a folded paper napkin. No doubt my hunger will return later and I will be starving.
I twist open the cap of the bottle of water and gulp down the crystal clear liquid. I hadn't released how thirsty I was. There is a faint metallic taste. Does water always taste like this? To be honest I cannot remember what water tastes like. It, well, just tastes like nothing. I shrug and take another gulp. No one else seems to be bothered by it.
“I'm stuffed,” Ryder says as he pats his stomach. He reaches out for his water, and drinks it so fast he looks as if he’s trying to drown himself.
Lakia sips her water, then says, “It was good.” She stretches her arms out and yawns.
“Right, time for business,” Ryder says as he pushes his hands down on the table and stands.
Business? I think to myself.
/> Lakia nods. “Time to find out what's going on,” she says as she watches Ryder walk over to one of the guards. There are guards at each end of the car, with guns held firmly in their hands.
Ryder takes a step closer to the guard nearest us and starts talking to him, but with the noise in the car I can’t hear what they are saying. I try to block everyone out. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I can see the other guards coming toward Ryder. Before I know what I'm doing I'm on my feet, Ryder can have a quick temper, and I don't think I can take all hell breaking loose on this train. The train falls silent as others notice the guards approaching Ryder.
I jump into the path of the guards before they can reach Ryder. “Lakia's got some leftovers for you,” I say, pointing back to our seats. He knows she doesn’t have any food because he finished it. Luckily he spots what I was really warning him about, the oncoming guards with their hands hovering over their guns.
“Whatever,” Ryder says to the guard.
“What did he say?” Lakia asks as Ryder sits down.
A smile appears on Ryder’s face from the attention he’s getting. He’s always been like this.
“Just tell us,” Lakia snaps.
“I asked where we were going, and he was like, ‘you will know when we get there ...’ He said we can get in touch with our parents when we get to Sector 105,” Ryder says, leaning back in his seat.
“So basically you got no information,” Lakia says, frowning.
“You see if you can do any better. They are like frigging robots, programmed with the answers,” Ryder says
My train seat pushes up under my butt.
I look to my side as I feel the warmth of a body. It's Roslin, a kid from our school.
He has scratches on his rat-like face, making it appear as if he has whiskers, and there is a painful-looking gash across his overgrown eyebrow.
I’m surprised someone like him was able to survive a vampire attack. He probably got the cut from stumbling as he ran to the train.
“You should get that looked at,” I say, wincing as I look at the nasty gash and dried brown blood matting his eyebrows.
“Yeah, going after breakfast,” he says, wrinkling his too-large nose. “They have a doctor on the train,” he blurts out, as if he’s been chugging energy drinks all night. Roslin’s dark, sunken eyes dart between us.
