by Lisa Olsen
“I don’t know, I have no idea what’s socially acceptable and what isn’t. You left that out of your vampire lessons.”
“I guess maybe we should set some ground rules, huh?” Bishop leaned back to look up at the ceiling as if he expected to see the answers written there.
“I think we should.” I sat a little higher on the couch, ready to get into the nitty gritty of it, but Bishop shook his head.
“I have to get going though, we can pick this up some other time.”
I let out a long breath. “Alright. Let me know if you get anything back on my clothes. Whoever did it is going to get a big fat bill from me after I replace my entire wardrobe.”
“Look on the bright side, it’s an excuse to buy all new things,” Bishop replied, pushing himself to his feet. “Don’t all women love to shop?”
“Easy for you to say, you do all your shopping at Commandos R Us,” I grumbled, following him to the door. “I’m not going to be able to eat for a month after what it’s going to cost me.”
“You don’t eat anymore,” he winked, and I shoved at his arm, not in the mood for playfulness at my expense.
“You know what I mean. I can’t exactly tell my parents all my clothes were destroyed by a vampire and I need new ones.”
“You need money?” His head canted to one side as if he’d only just realized it was an issue. “I can help you there, how much do you need?”
Surprised by the offer, nevertheless I shook my head. “No, it’s fine. I’ll figure something out.”
“It could be a loan if you prefer. I really don’t mind, I think my wallet could stand a fairly serious shopping spree,” he smiled, and I almost caved, having a Pretty Woman moment, except I still clung fiercely to my independent status. Taking money from Bishop, even as a loan, came dangerously close to feeling ‘claimed’ and I didn’t want to start down that road yet, no matter how head over heels I was for him.
“No, I’ll be fine, really. I was being dramatic,” I waved him off. “You know I’m still not happy about those things you said to Bridget about her protecting me at all costs. That wasn’t fair and you know it.”
“Who said I ever claimed to play fair?” Bishop pulled me close for a searing kiss, then left me blinking up at him at his sudden withdrawal. “Goodnight, Anja.”
“Night,” I repeated somewhat dazedly, still feeling the tingles from the all too brief press of lips. Nope, not fair at all.
Chapter Five
I spent the rest of the night cleaning up my room, getting more and more annoyed with every garbage bag I filled with my ruined possessions. In addition to the shredded clothes, everything covering my walls had been ripped down and destroyed, and the framed picture of my family smashed to bits.
Fortunately I did make some happy discoveries. All my shoes were fine, and they hadn’t touched any of my books or cd’s. Luckily, my make up and jewelry were safe in the bathroom, my coats in the hall closet and my laptop was in the living room, a major boon in my books. A simple flip of the mattress temporarily took care of the slashes (I’d never been so glad to be without a pillow top mattress!), and my sweater box of treasures under the bed also survived.
Protests aside, I wasn’t sure how to recoup my losses without crying to mommy and daddy. But as I tucked away the ruined family photo in my box of mementos, I had an idea. I hated to part with it, but I knew my exclusive edition Captain America figure was worth a few bucks. Carefully I opened the box, fingers moving with delicate care over the pretty thing. It was so schmancy, I’d refused to put it up on display even though I loved to look at it, and good thing too, or it might have been ruined along with everything else!
Figuring I could either put it on Craig’s list or maybe sell it on consignment at my favorite comic shop, I decided to look it up on eBay to see how much I could get for him. If it was too much less than what I’d paid for him a few years ago, I might have to seriously rethink Bishop’s offer. Color me surprised when I found a similar figure listed for sixteen hundred dollars! And another for eighteen! “Holy cow…” I breathed, scrolling through the rest of the page. “I love you, Cap, but a girl’s got needs,” I sighed, closing the box up tight again.
I decided to send an email to my buddy Kyle to test the waters and see if he knew anyone who might be interested in buying it from me along with some pictures I swiped from the online listings. Satisfied I’d done everything I could for one night, I slipped into bed wearing all my clothes, just in case. If I had another visitor, I wanted to be prepared.
Before I could fall asleep, my phone flashed an email alert and I already had a response from Kyle, very emphatically (if you could believe all the caps and exclamation points) interested in buying Cap for himself. Instead of emailing him back, I rang him on Skype. After a few seconds of exchanging pleasantries, we got into some serious haggling. Once I showed him the mint condition, the two shields and the interchangeable heads, I knew he was a goner.
We settled on fifteen hundred dollars. I couldn’t bring myself to soak him for any more no matter what eBay said, and besides, he was my friend. Plus, that way I could come and visit Cap whenever I wanted to.
“So, I don’t mean to be pushy, but… how soon can you get the money together?” I asked, tucking Cap back away in his box again.
“I can PayPal you the money right now, if you want,” Kyle beamed, looking every bit as anxious to get his hands on the figure as I was to get the money.
“I don’t suppose you’d consider cash?” I gave him a sheepish grin. “I could swing by and bring him over right now if you like.”
“Oh, um… I don’t have that kind of money sitting around. I could probably get it from the bank when it opens though.”
“That could work,” I considered aloud. “I could bring him over at like ten. Does that sound alright to you?” I’d have to borrow some of Bridget’s stuff to protect me from the sun, but it was worth it to have the money in my hot little hands. In my experience, promises of money were easily broken when some other shiny bauble tempted. I wanted to make sure I got to Kyle’s cash before he decided fifteen hundred dollars was a ridiculous price to pay for a figure, no matter how cool it was.
“Sure, we could do that,” he agreed, and I could practically see the wheels spinning in his head. “Why such a rush for the money? Are you in some kind of trouble?”
There were all manner of ways I could answer that question. In the end I went with something ambiguous, just to keep that air of urgency and pique his curiosity. “It’s complicated, I’ll explain when I see you later.” I disconnected before he could ask anything else.
Bridget shuffled out of her room on the way to the bathroom. “What are you still doing up?” she yawned. “Shouldn’t you be bedding down with Bishop for the day?”
I wish… “He had to go to work, as usual,” my nose crinkled with distaste. “I made a deal with a friend to sell him a collectible Captain America figure.” I grinned from ear to ear, more than a little pleased with myself for finding a temporary solution to my money troubles.
“Yeah? How much did you get for it?” she peered at the box blearily.
“Fifteen hundred.”
“What, pesos?”
“Dollars,” I smiled smugly.
“Shut the fuck up! Are you kidding me?” her mouth dropped open. “We ate ramen and hot dogs for a month last summer when my hours got cut, and you had that the whole time?”
“I paid for those hot dogs and ramen, if you remember,” I frowned back. It’d been tight stretching my budget to fit the both of us, but we’d managed. “Besides, I had no idea he was worth so much. It’s not enough to replace everything, but it’s a huge start. Do you want to go shopping with me tonight? I need to get stuff soon, I don’t want to have to borrow your underwear, that’s … creepy.”
“For you and me both,” she snorted. “Yeah, I can hit the shops with you tonight, I don’t start work until midnight. Hey, since you’re miss moneybags right now, do you think you
could front me the cash to buy these boots I’ve had my eye on?”
“Um… we’ll see,” I hedged, not wanting to make any promises until I saw how far my money stretched. “Maybe if they’re super cool I can buy them and you can borrow them whenever you like?”
“Whatever, so long as they end up on my feet. See you later tonight.” With another wide yawn, she shuffled into the bathroom.
I debated whether or not to try and sleep for a few hours before I had to meet Kyle or stay awake. In the end, I couldn’t be sure I’d wake up again before the sun went down if I went to sleep, so I holed up in my room with my laptop, catching up on my studies.
By the time I left the apartment that morning, the sun was high in the sky, and I moved like the walking dead (okay, so technically I was the walking dead, but you know what I mean). I didn’t want to take any stims since I didn’t have any classes again, and let me tell you, it kicked my behind just to drag myself over to Kyle’s place less than a mile away.
If Kyle thought there was anything strange in my being wrapped from head to toe like a mummy, he didn’t mention it, maybe he chalked it up to the crisp October weather. On second thought, I’m pretty sure he thought I was on drugs now that I think about it. Why else would I need the cash in a hurry?
Not much in the mood to socialize as all I could do was fantasize about my cool, darkened room, I rushed him through the chitchat as quick as I could manage. It was easy to tell it wasn’t how he’d pictured my visit going down. His room was straightened and Kyle was freshly showered and I felt bad for having such a one track mind. In the end, I counted on the figure to distract him and it worked like a charm, his eyes losing their hurt puppy look, instead gleaming with avarice. Once the deal was done, I relaxed a little, pocketing the cash and heaving a tired sigh.
“Anja, I gotta say, you look beat. Are you sure you don’t want to crash here for a while?” Kyle asked, tearing his eyes away from the figurine to frown at me.
“That’s really sweet of you Kyle, but I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” All I needed was to attack him in my half slumbering state because he got a paper cut or something.
“I won’t bug you, I promise. Actually I need to get to work in about an hour, so you’d have the place to yourself.”
It was tempting, but I knew I’d sleep better in my own bed. “Thanks, Kyle, but I’ll make it home just fine.” I knew my limits, and though tired, I hadn’t hit the critical energy level yet.
“Are you sure everything’s alright? I mean between the money and the…”
“I’m fine,” I cut him off, fatigue making me snappish. “I’ll call you later or something, alright? I really do need to get home.”
“Yeah, okay,” he replied, looking somewhat bewildered.
Hopefully I hadn’t botched our friendship too badly, he really was a nice guy. I considered compelling him into forgetting I’d even been there, but in my weakened state it was too possible to do him some mental damage. “Thanks, Kyle, I really do appreciate you coming through for me like this.” I tried to soften my departure by leaning in to kiss his cheek. Big mistake on my part, both for the whiff of fresh blood right there for the taking and the light that came into his eyes at the peck. Damn, I had to get out of there. “Bye!” I sang out before he could say anything else, doing my best to hide the fangs that slid out of their own volition.
The sun was enough to kill my appetite, and it took all of my will to force one foot in front of the other until I made it to the sanctuary of my bedroom. Without bothering to take off my shoes, I collapsed on the bed, slipping into a deep, dreamless sleep.
*
I luxuriated in a long stretch as I awoke with the fall of the sun. Feeling well rested, I nevertheless recognized the pang of hunger making me warm, almost feverish.
I needed to feed.
With a groan I stretched again, delaying the inevitable, brows drawing together when my fingertips brushed against something hard and cylindrical under the pillow. Flipping it back, I stared at the fat roll of money sitting there on my practical flannel sheets. Tightly rubber banded together, it spanned about an inch and a half in diameter.
“Hello, where did you come from?” I asked the empty room. Without pulling the whole thing apart, I could tell the top few bills were hundreds. “Holy crap…” The money fairy had snuck in sometime while I slept and left enough to buy a compact car. Lying back, I brought the roll of money to my nose, trying to see if I could tell anything, the way that Bishop did when he investigated a crime scene. And that’s when I knew where it came from… Bishop. Who else had money to burn and knew I needed it so desperately?
I wasn’t sure what bothered me more, the fact that someone had been in my room while I lay dead to the world, or the idea that Bishop had utterly disregarded my protests and left the money anyway. Typical. I should have realized he’d given up too easily, and that brought a smile to my lips. Replacing the roll under the pillow, I decided to think about it later, heading for the kitchen to eat before my hunger got the better of me.
The taste and texture of bagged blood still left me cold, and I decided to experiment, adding a dash of vanilla extract to the microwaved mug. It smelled marginally better, but didn’t improve the taste one bit. Then again, it didn’t taste any worse, so I added another few drops, pretending I drank a latte instead of stored blood.
Bridget stumbled in a few minutes later, ignoring my blood experiments as she went right for the fruit loops and chocolate milk; her breakfast of choice. “Did you get the money?” she asked, sliding into the seat opposite me.
“Yep, he came up with the cash fair and square. I hope he takes care of Cap,” I mused aloud, the thought briefly crossing my mind that I could probably buy him back now that I had the extra money from Bishop. But that would mean I’d accepted the gift, and Kyle would probably think I’d lost what remained of my mind if I showed up later the same day demanding my figurine back.
“Cool, any idea where we should go shopping? I thought Mac’s or maybe The Garrett, or we could cruise down to the Haight and see what’s shaking.”
I didn’t know where any of those places were, which probably meant they were farther up the coolness ladder than my clothes usually ranked. “Can’t we just go to the Galleria?”
“Yeah, if you want to come home with two dresses and a pair of panties,” she smirked.
“I just need the basics, nothing with designer labels. I’m sure I can find what I need at a regular mall.” And I’d be more in my comfort zone. Then again… the boundaries of my comfort zone had been seriously stretched lately, maybe it was time to try something new? “You know what, on second thought, why don’t you take me where you’d normally go?” Not that I’d get some of the more revealing things Bridget tended to wear, but my wardrobe could definitely use some updating.
“Now you’re talking,” Bridget nodded in approval. “Say goodbye to Sandra Dee, I’m gonna edge you out, girl.”
*
I hadn’t given much thought to my clothes in years. For the longest time I let my mom pick them out, and they suited me fine. Sensible, durable, I still had some pieces from early high school that saw regular use. Well, before someone shredded them beyond recognition. But this gave me a whole new chance to reinvent myself, much like I’d come up with Anja Gudrun’s past.
What would a four hundred year old vampire wear when lounging around her elegant loft apartment? That colored my thoughts as Bridget did her best to steer me towards clothes she wanted to borrow. We went to shops I’d never heard of before, little hole in the wall places that carried second hand designer cast offs right next to flea market bargains.
I let her dress me up in some sexy choices, but overall, it wasn’t my style. I leaned more towards the vintage clothes, cute flowered dresses from the forties, and sweater sets with slim skirts from the fifties and sixties. Clothes I felt comfortable and feminine in for going to school and hanging out at home. An elegant cocktail dress or three for performanc
es, and oodles of great accessories like gloves, hats and scarves to keep me safe from the worst of the sun’s rays on days I had to go to school. But for nights when I was out on the town, I let her pick out some edgier, funky clothes that more closely mirrored the things I found in her closet.
I’d planned on stopping by a more conventional store for the staples like underwear and socks, but Bridget didn’t let me take the safe route. Reasoning that there was a much higher likelihood of someone else actually seeing me in my unmentionables, she dragged me into a store called Temptation, the mannequins in front scantily dressed in lingerie ranging from frilly to fetish. Interspersed among the clothes were sexual aids, fur lined cuffs and the like.
Out of my comfort zone, I followed her around in somewhat of a daze as she thrust scraps of lace in my direction in combinations I never would have thought of in a zillion years. I drew the line at anything made out of leather or PVC though, enough was enough.
Armed with a froth of lace and underwire, I was glad I had Bishop’s money as a back up once I saw the grand total the tiny bits of material added up to. “I can’t believe they have the nerve to charge forty bucks for this thing,” I held up a bra that left less to the imagination that I liked. “I mean, how much do you think this costs to make?” A little satin, a tiny ribbon for the bow, some hooks…
Bridget rolled her eyes at my ignorance. “It’s not about the cost of the materials, it’s about how it makes your boobs look when your guy unwraps you. Trust me, you want that one.”
Would Bishop be unwrapping me anytime soon? That thought alone was enough for me to add it back to the keep pile.
“Don’t forget these.” Bridget added a pair of leather cuffs lined in purple suede, designed to be linked together. I raised a single brow at her adding them to the stack. “What? I totally need these.”
“Are you gonna pay me back?”
“Probably not,” she admitted and I gave a long suffering sigh.
“Okay, fine.”
