by Jeff Hale
I sighed and dropped the note. I still didn’t have the patience for the buses today, and the teleporting didn’t seem to be taking as much as out me as it should, so I teleported myself to the front entrance of the Meadows Mall. Or what I considered the front entrance. It was on the South-west side, and was where the city buses pulled in to pick up and drop off people.
People scattered around me and stared in confusion and fear as I appeared from thin air. Their reaction was overall a little more scared and hostile than it had been at the Flame, but then again, these people were out minding their own business shopping. If I hoped for another excited tourist, I was disappointed. Instead, it was the response I usually got, fear and distrust; people were still getting used to the idea of AEs popping out of thin air. At least this time I managed not to stumble. I glanced around arrogantly.
That’s right, people. The big, bad Sentinel has arrived. Lock up you wives and daughters and other valuables!
The crowd began to mill around again, giving me a wide berth. There were your usual mall-goers, older couples, packs of younger teenage girls, a small group of boys that was trying to look cool and tough, and some middle-class families. Even so, I saw the occasional set of horns, or pair of wings in the grouping, marking the fae for what they were, as well as clothing with runes on them marking the occasional sorcerer.
I proceeded to head into the mall, ignoring the stares I got. People would just have to get used to the idea that magic existed now. If they couldn’t deal, it wasn’t my problem; I had done my public service with the couple from Wisconsin. I just wished more people were like them. I shook my head in exasperation and started to head towards the Sears on the opposite side of the mall, putting thoughts of prejudice out of my head. I might as well enjoy myself while I was here.
As I passed through the central part of the mall, something caught my attention, making me stop. Something was off; the Aetheric energy was incredibly high despite the lack of AEs in the immediate vicinity. When I tried to home in on it, I realized that it was primarily surrounding me, but it also seemed to be tugging at me, guiding me. I felt it pull again, and I turned quickly in that direction, to my right. I looked around, trying to find some reason for it, and that’s when I saw them… and her.
The them in question was a group of people about my age, maybe a little older. Two were guys, both wearing jeans and unbuttoned dress shirts over t-shirts. One t-shirt sported a UNLV logo so I guessed they might be from the college. They were both close to my height, maybe an inch or two shorter, both well-muscled, with attitudes that just screamed jock. Football, or maybe basketball. Either was a safe bet considering UNLV was known for both. One of them had blonde, spiked up hair, and the other wore a backwards baseball cap over his own dark-brown hair.
With them were three girls. Two were brunette, both around five six or seven, and slim. One wore a short skirt, sneakers, and a shirt with a neckline that plunged all the way to her bellybutton. The other was in tight blue jeans and a white button up shirt tied up under her breasts. But it was the last girl that I was focused on, the one who seemed out of place.
She had really pale blonde hair that fell over her bare shoulders, and she was incredibly short, maybe hitting five foot even if she was lucky. She was slim, wearing short denim shorts and a sports bra that did nothing to hide her sizeable cleavage. She was laughing at some joke, her smile making her face even more beautiful, and even from where I stood, I could see the sparkle in her emerald green eyes.
I stood frozen, watching them as they moved right past me, and as they moved away, I caught the scent of the blonde’s perfume. Lilacs. There was no doubt in my mind as I watched her achingly familiar shape walk away; it was Serena. It had to be. The crowd of shoppers moved around me, pushing at me, urging me to move along with it in the opposite direction from her. I couldn’t continue to just stand here dumbfounded, but I had to get out of the throng of people to follow her. I needed to know.
It wasn’t possible of course. It couldn’t be. Serena was dead. It was just a girl that looked a lot like her. But I had to know. I shifted suddenly, flared my shield to get people to move out of my way, and started after the group.
They were already headed out to the parking lot, and as I struggled to get by people, and then finally managed to get through the exit, I saw them at a car near the far end of the lot. Before I could get close enough to even have a chance to confirm whether or not it was Serena, they had gotten in the car and pulled out, leaving me to watch helpless as their car drove away.
But I still had to know.
Was it her?
Dammit.
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I spent the next few days in the mall, hoping to glimpse the girl I had seen. I made every excuse under the sun to go there. I needed a new watch. I wanted a new cell phone. I wanted to get a new issue of Aetheric Monthly. Anything that would give me an excuse to go to the mall.
In the end, that’s all they were. Excuses. An excuse to stalk some poor teenaged girl.
I told myself that it really could be Serena, and that there was a chance that Azryel might somehow be involved, especially given the demonic energy I had felt the other night. I held no delusions about my last encounter with him; I hadn’t killed him. I had merely banished his essence back to where it had come from. To completely eradicate him I would have to go to his realm and kill him. The very idea was not a pleasant one, and the feat itself was likely near impossible.
Either way, what it boiled down to in the end was that I was making excuses to stalk a girl, and as a result I kept questioning myself on whether I should be doing it.
Despite everything, I didn’t see her again, though I kept hoping against hope that I would. I kept spotting girls that at first glance could have been her, but weren’t. I kept thinking that maybe one of those girls was the person I had seen and I had projected my desire to see Serena again onto her, had made myself believe it was really her.
After accidently accosting the wrong girl three different times over the course of a few days, I stopped pestering the local mall girls and decided to just keep an eye out for her. When the weekend came around I had to completely give up my search so I could go fulfill my contract to play as super security for a rock band.
The first night of the job I was reluctant to leave the mall, primarily because I had a feeling that I was going to run into her at any time. It was early in the evening and the temperature had dropped below a hundred degrees, negating my ability to teleport. As a result I ended up late to the Thomas & Mack Center where the Vixens were playing at. When I got off the bus, I hit the ground running. By the time I made it to where I was supposed to meet up with Raven, she was waiting impatiently.
“It’s about time! You’re late!” Raven yelled as I came running down the hall that led to the Vixen’s dressing room. “I took some time to research the Vixen’s attacker and what he had shown himself to be capable of. All I got were vague reports of powers that matched several sorcerer types,” she said, handing me a folder. “And by the way, your girlfriend called the office. I gave her comp tickets and backstage passes to shut her up. You’re welcome. Whatever kept you so busy had better have been worth it.”
“I know, I know. Sorry. Wait. What? What girlfriend?” I asked, coming to a halt on the opposite side of the door from Raven. She was looking good. A business jacket, buttoned with only one button, and nothing underneath, a pair of tight slacks, and sunglasses. I had on a simple black polo shirt and black slacks and some nicer boots.
“You know. Your roommate. Dave?” She opened the door and entered the room.
“Oh, right.” I chuckled despite myself, then saw that the sign on the door read ‘Dressing Room’. “Wait, but that’s…” I began, not sure what to do.
“Yeah, you might see famous babes naked. Deal with it, we have a job to do, and we can’t do it standing out here.”
“Yeah. Point taken,” I said and followed her in. She was referring to
the fact that the person could have teleportation or invisibility abilities we were unaware of, so we needed to be within sight of the Vixens at all times.
I shut the dressing room door behind me and gave the La’Morte sisters a once over. They hadn’t changed much, but then vampires rarely did. Kandee, the lead singer, had shoulder length red hair, blue eyes and was the tallest of the group at around five foot eight or so. The lead guitarist was Kyra, who sported two purple-streaked blonde pigtails, and the bassist was Kaycee with her short cropped silver hair and grey eyes. The two were short, a few inches over five feet. The last was Krysa, the drummer. She was almost as tall as Kandee, but she was a bit butch, with short purple and green hair brushed to one side and dark brown eyes. They all had various tattoos and piercings, though there were two that they all had in common: that of a fierce looking dragon on their right shoulders, and another of a crest of some sort on the upper portion of their left arm that looked more like a brand than a tattoo.
Raven hadn’t lied either. I did get to see famous babes naked. In fact Kyra was topless when I first entered the room. I tried to ignore it, but couldn’t help trying to get glimpses using my peripheral vision whenever possible. In time they all were in various stages of undress as they got ready for their concert. Eventually I just got used to it. That, and the fact that they were vampires kept my eyes from roaming too much as well. I didn’t even want to imagine having sex with one. They were walking corpses after all. I never understood the sex appeal of vampires. I considered it akin to necrophilia. Ew.
They ignored us as they went about their routine. As far as I could tell, I could have been furniture for all they noticed us. Weird considering Kyra had specifically asked about me when they had played at my Senior Prom.
They donned the stage clothing they were all known for now: short leather skirts and leather halters with a design of a silver dragon across the front, and stiletto high heeled boots that came up just over their calves. Once they were ready they headed out the door. As Kyra passed by me, she winked at me. I stood, stunned for a second, before following Raven out the door. As they went on stage Raven and I took up position near the techies and stagehands.
“Well, well. If it isn’t Mr. Kerensky, bodyguard to the Aetheric Stars!” I heard a thick Italian voice call out as the band went through their pre-show routine. I turned and saw Jacob approaching.
“Jacob, I’ll be damned. A job you managed to keep for longer than two days!” I said as I shook his hand.
“Man, I heard you were gonna be here, and I wondered why they’d want some normal perdente like you, but they told me you were the best Aetheric security money could buy. I was like ‘Little Aerick Kerensky?’ and they were like ‘Yep, he’s the one. No one messes with him, he’ll fuck someone up so bad they’ll need a sponge to pick up what’s left of the poor cazzo.’ And so here you are. And this vision of loveliness must be Raven,” he said, taking her hand, bowing, and then kissing it. He was old world Italian, and it showed in how he treated women.
“She’s fae, not that the wings weren’t obvious or anything,” I said simply, but that’s all it took. Jacob backed up and gave her a look of respect mixed with fear.
“Are you always going to do that to me, Rick?” Raven asked in annoyance. “It’s starting to impair my personal life.”
“The only personal life you should have is with others of your kind. It’s safer for us mere mortals,” I responded dryly.
“Whatever. We have work to do. I’m going to check the perimeter.” With that she walked off.
“Whew, you have your hands full with that one,” Jacob said, patting my shoulder in sympathy.
“Nah, we keep it on a professional level and it doesn’t go beyond that.”
“I have no idea how you do it. With her being so beautiful, and working so close by.”
“She’s fae, and that makes her dangerous, especially in a relationship.”
Jacob just shrugged and shook his head. He pointed to one of the tech crews, indicating that he had work to do. I waved as he left, then turned my attention back to the Vixens.
Their show had started, and they were opening with the song they always opened with since their rise to fame: Night Mistress, which had a bit of a pop sound to it. Ever since they had hit mainstream they were sounding more Goth-pop than Goth-alternative, though in some cases the Goth was gone entirely. Some were calling them Aetheric Pop. Ugh.
I decided to do my part and leapt up to just behind where they were performing, but kept to areas where I wouldn’t be seen by the audience. I went through and checked the wiring behind the drum kit to make sure none of it was tampered with then continued to check the electrical system while they were playing. I had a good view of the crowd, so I also kept an eye out for possible rail-hoppers and trouble-makers. I was here for regular security as well as Aetheric protection.
I continued this for about an hour while they played their set. About halfway through Hybrid a couple of rowdy audience members managed to make it up on stage, past normal security. Now my job kicked into high gear. The regular security had been informed to keep out of my way if something like this happened.
I rushed the closest, and went into a low sweep kick as I moved in behind him. My calf connected with his shins and dropped him to the floor quickly and efficiently. I leapt over him, and grabbed the back of the other’s head as he turned and raised his arms in triumph. I misjudged the leap however, and ended up pulling the hapless punk with me as I went off the stage. I called on the Aether to soften my fall, and used the situation to my advantage by slamming the guy’s head into the rail that kept the rest of the crowd back. It was a cushioned rail, so the damage wouldn’t be too bad, just enough to rattle him. I stood quickly, pulling him up with me by his head, then almost let him go as I felt a strange Aetheric pull. It was just like what had happened in the mall, and when I looked around I could have sworn I saw Serena in the crowd. The girl was gone before I had a chance to get a really good look. It was starting to become nerve-wracking, wondering if that girl was her, or if I was just seeing things.
The kid I’d grabbed tried to pull away from me, bringing my attention back to him. I got his hands behind his back, used a zip-tie to restrain him and handed him over to the building security. The other kid had hastily been removed by Raven, who had swooped in, literally, and grabbed the unsuspecting idiot. Most of it went completely unseen thanks to her abilities to make us undetected.
After the concert I got stuck at the door that led to the backstage party in the one of the skybox rooms, with instructions as to who to let in and who to keep out. Anyone with a VIP All Access pass was to be allowed in, as was anyone from Rolling Stone Magazine, Aetheric Monthly, or Mtv. Anyone who just had a backstage pass was let in only if they met specific criteria. I was assuming those criteria were specific to each of the band members as to feeding preferences.
As I let those who made the cut in, I saw Dave, smiling at me as he made his way up the line. He was in his usual jeans and t-shirt, but the shirt was a Vixens of Drakkan shirt rather than his usual rude message shirts. I motioned for him as I waved some emo boys away. They glared at me, then seeing him get motioned up the line, they glared at him as he walked past. One of them swung around unexpectedly, clipping him in the side of the head with an elbow. It was a clumsy shot, and didn’t connect solidly, which was a mistake on his part.
Dave came up abruptly with an uppercut and knocked the kid into a wall. He brought his steel toed boot up and then down in a sudden motion, dislocating the bastard’s knee. That’s when I saw the kid’s friend pull a knife and approach Dave. Dave didn’t even see him as he pummeled the loser in front of him.
I didn’t think, I just acted. I rushed towards the kid with the knife and grabbed him by the throat, lifted him a good foot into the air, swung around, slammed him bodily into the wall, pulled him away from the wall, and slammed him into it again. And again. And Again. The fifth time I held him there as I conjured my ice bla
de. I drew it back with every intention of plunging it into him when I heard Dave’s voice.
“Rick! No!” he shouted, and I felt his hand on my arm, trying to hold it in place.
I knew that if I wanted to, I could break his grip easily and follow through with my original intention. I didn’t. I looked up at the kid as I held him there against the wall, his little knife on the floor below his feet. He was alive still, and conscious, though he was trying in vain to get a decent breath after having the wind knocked out of him several times over. Everyone had stopped what they were doing to watch what was going on.
“You’re lucky he’s more forgiving than I am,” I growled at him as I dropped him. I got down into his face as he sat, slumped against the wall holding his throat. “That guy you just attacked is like a brother to me. You’re lucky I didn’t fucking kill you, bitch. You are nothing to me, another stain on the floor at best. Right now he is the only reason you’re alive.” I gave him a kick as I waved Dave through. I glared at the other kid who was trying to unsteadily get his feet under him after Dave’s beating.
I escorted the kid to the back of the line, stopping when I felt that Aetheric tug that was beginning to become very familiar. I glanced over my shoulder and saw the girl standing in line with her friends from the mall. She didn’t seem to even notice me. I hoped she hadn’t seen the altercation. If it was Serena, I wanted to be able to tell her what I was rather than her finding out by witnessing me trying to kill someone.
Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to have me deal with the people in the line. I headed back to the party room, Dave right behind me, and explained to Raven what had happened. She gave me a knowing nod, then went out and took over determining who would enter and who would go away disappointed.
As Dave and I entered the Party Room, all four of the Vixens quickly turned their attention first to me, and then to Dave, whose expression suggested he had just entered paradise. Kyra quickly moved over to us and put her arm around Dave. She had changed outfits between the concert and the party and was now in a velvet corset and an extremely short, pleated suede skirt. Dave looked like he was about to pass out.
