by K. A. Poe
“You two met at Howard's, you said?” I said, ending the silence.
“Yes,” Eila smiled, “It’s not the most romantic 'How did you two meet?' story, but it doesn't have to be. I was short a few cents and Jason told me not to worry about it, he would pay the extra. It was embarrassing at first.”
“Then I asked her out to eat, and things went from there.”
“How long has this been going on?”
“A couple of weeks.”
“You two seem happy,” I said, wishing I could leave now that I knew she wasn’t any threat to my friends.
“Oh, we are!” Eila chimed in and grasped Jason's hand tightly.
I looked around the house, hoping to catch a glimpse of Mitchell hanging around somewhere. “Where'd your brother run off to?” I asked when I couldn't find him and didn't hear anything upstairs.
“He’s probably outside in his new car. He barely leaves that thing,” Jason laughed.
“I'm going to go talk to him, if you don't mind.” My question was directed at both Jason and Salem.
“Go ahead,” Jason said.
“I will wait here,” Salem replied, staring at Jason with distaste.
I headed out the front door. The lights were bright and shining almost directly in my eyes; however it didn't bother me to look straight into them. I could hear music roaring from the radio, smell the gasoline and oil from within the car. The vehicle was bright red and slick, much more appealing than my dull Alero. It was even more attractive than Jason's metallic blue PT Cruiser. I tapped gently on the driver side window but he didn't roll it down. As I prepared to knock again, I heard the doors unlock and walked to the passenger side and climbed in. The gray leather seat was comfortable and in just the right position to give me the perfect amount of leg room. My ears were overly sensitive to the sound blaring from the radio, so I covered my ears.
“Sorry,” Mitchell said as he turned off the stereo. “What are you doing out here?”
“I came to talk,” I replied.
He looked tense, tired and disheveled. Something was obviously bothering him.
“What about?”
“Well, first I wanted to congratulate you on the car!” I said and smiled, “I’m proud of you for keeping up with those hours for so long. I'm pretty sure I would’ve given up after day two.”
I was relieved to see his lips curve upward in a small, amused grin. “It was well worth it.”
“What kind of car is it?”
“It's a Mustang GT,” he replied, “I saved a lot to afford this baby!”
“Is that why you spend so much time out here?” I asked, my voice growing a little more serious.
“Mostly...”
“It's something to do with Eila, isn't it?”
He sighed. “It isn't that I don't like her. She's really sweet and treats Jason like a king – not to mention she keeps the place clean – but it feels weird being around him now. They're always together...I am wondering if I should just find a place of my own or something.”
“Oh, Mitchell...” I frowned and pulled him into a comforting hug. “Don't say that. They're a brand new couple. Things will settle down eventually and it’ll be back to the way things used to be, just with one extra body. I'm sure you’ll get used to it.”
“Maybe,” he replied stubbornly as our hug ended. “It was nice when it was just the two of us...but I guess that’s how it works.”
“Imagine if it were the other way around. You wouldn't want Jason stuck outside all the time, hiding away from you and your girlfriend.”
“No, but I doubt that would even cross my mind,” he laughed.
“See? It's all new to him, too.”
“And what do you think about it, Alex?”
“Me?” I blinked. “Why would I care?”
“Because for the past sixteen years Jason had feelings for you, and then some new girl shows up and he is suddenly head-over-heels in love with her. He says he doesn’t feel anything for you anymore other than being a friend. Doesn't that make you even a little upset?”
I shrugged, although he was right. “A little...but it's not a big deal. I'll get used to it too. It's better this way,” I smiled, comforting myself with my own words.
“I guess you're probably right,” he agreed and smiled at me. “Thanks for coming out here.”
“Pft, you don’t have to thank me. We’re friends too you know. I’ve missed you both so much.”
“We've missed you, too. You know you can come over any time. I'm not on the graveyard shift anymore, so I'm less of a zombie,” he laughed.
He was less of a zombie, and I was more close to being one than I ever imagined possible. I wondered if this was something I would ever be able to confide in the Banner brothers about, or even Karen.
“I'll keep that in mind,” I said. “I should probably head back now though.”
“Are you sure? You could stay for dinner.”
He seemed eager for company, but I knew I couldn't stay. “I’d love to, but I really can't. My grandpa is visiting and I need to get back home to check on him.”
“Your grandpa? I didn't even know you had any alive.”
“Me either until a few weeks ago,” I laughed. “Now he practically lives with me. So trust me when I say I know how it feels to have your house invaded.”
We both shared a brief understanding smile, hugged again and I left the car. After a quick farewell to Jason and Eila, Salem and I headed back home.
As we were driving back to the Victorian, my phone went off. Salem picked it up and hesitantly answered. A panicked expression slowly developed on his pale face as he listened to the voice on the other end.
“We need to turn around,” he whispered, still listening intently to the person on the other line.
“What? Why?” I nearly shouted.
“Just turn around, Alex,” his voice remained just as quiet and then he hung up the phone. “It’s Paul.”
33. TRAILER 16
“What? What is going on?!” I nearly veered off the side of the road as I yelled at Salem.
“Your phone said it was Paul, but a woman answered. She told me to go to trailer 16, bring no weapons, and don't act suspiciously,” Salem said calmly, which I was certain was only in the hopes of getting me to relax.
“It's the vampire. It has to be. She has Paul. She's going to kill him!”
“We don’t know that Alex. Maybe she just wants to talk to us.”
“That's very likely, Salem!” I shouted. “How often do murderous, crazed vampires want to 'just talk'?!”
“Most likely never, but you need to calm down unless you want to crash and possibly kill someone!”
I turned the steering wheel quickly to the left as I almost rammed straight into the side of a van beside us. With a deep breath, I managed to relax somewhat, although inhaling practically did nothing for me – it was out of habit.
“Now, let's get to Paul's house…carefully,” Salem said once I was more relaxed.
I nodded slowly, pulled into a vacant lot and turned the car around and headed in the direction of the trailer park. I began to wonder how my heart was not racing with fear as I sped along the road, and then it occurred to me that it was impossible. I didn't entirely miss the feeling of an anxious heartbeat. The sky was darkening overhead yet I could see just as clearly as if it were daylight.
“Bring no weapons,” I mused. “Little does she know, I am a weapon. I bet she won't be expecting that.”
“That’s true. But do not act immediately. Wait until we know for certain she is our suspect, and at least give her a chance to explain herself.”
“Why should I give her a chance to explain herself? She has been going around town killing people! For all we know Paul could be next!” I jerked the car into the trailer park and drove through the thin space until I reached the familiar peach-colored mobile home. Leaving my crossbow in the car, I climbed out swiftly and slammed the door shut. Salem followed me up the stairs to the th
in, flimsy door. It was cracked open and I could see a faint yellow glow emanating from within.
“Dad?” I called as I pushed the door open. “Are you here?”
No one answered. I stepped into the cramped place, discovering it was more of a mess than when I last visited. There were papers strewn across the floor, and what appeared to be old photographs. Ignoring the temptation was hard; I knelt down and picked up the nearest picture.
“Oh!” I gasped, nearly dropping the photo.
Depicted in the small square was an infant with very short brunette hair and hazel eyes. She was cradled in the arms of an auburn haired woman who stood next to a much younger version of my father; they were both smiling. I turned the picture over and glanced at a small inscription on the back:
Destiny, Paul and Alexis (1995)
Salem stared at the words along with me, no doubt coming to the same conclusion. This couldn't be real. It must have been some sort of mistake...there had to be another explanation! I reached for the next closest thing, which turned out to be an old note.
'Dear Paul, August, 10, 1994
I can hardly believe we are about to be parents. I am so thrilled! I know it will be tough raising her, knowing...what you are...but we will make it through somehow. You must make me one promise, however – never, ever let Alexis know about your 'side job'. Let her live a normal life. We can protect her from it together, I know we can. Keep this note as a reminder – just in case.
I love you so much, and I can’t wait to hold our baby!
Love always,
Destiny'
I let the paper slip out of my hand.
“My mother...” I choked out. “She's the vampire...”
“You don't know that for certain, Alex. It could be a coin-”
“Don't you dare say 'coincidence'!” I shouted. “You are the one who told me there are none! This is happening! This is real!”
“Let's find your father and make sure he is safe,” Salem replied quietly, averting his eyes for a moment.
I carefully edged down the hallway leading to Paul's bedroom. I had never gone this far into the trailer before, so initially I made the mistake of opening the bathroom door and a spare room. My eyes were fixated on the furnishing of the spare bedroom: a sleek white crib in the far corner of the room with a mobile with white lambs dangling overhead, a quaint dresser beside it in the same color, and a tan glider chair in the other corner beside a small window. I cautiously entered the room, my curiosity getting the best of me. How had Paul not shown this to me after all this time?
Lying inside the crib was a small, dusty, brown bear with a red bow-tie around its throat. I picked it up, rubbing the soft material gently when I felt something prick my finger. A tag dangled from the stuffed animal's left paw. I turned it toward me and read it:
To Alexis, from mommy
I dropped the bear into the crib and stepped away. This was all too much. Salem came up to me with intent to comfort me, but I pushed him away.
“Not now...I need to get out of here...We need to find Paul.”
He nodded with a subtle frown and followed me out of the unsettling room. There was only one more door; it had to be Paul’s room. I shut my eyes momentarily as I eased my fingers around the doorknob.
34. MOTHER
“Welcome, Alexis,” an unfamiliar voice met my ears as I inched the door open. “I’ve been waiting for so long to see you again.”
I gulped and forced the door the rest of the way open, finding the auburn-haired vampire sitting in the center of Paul's queen-sized bed with her legs crossed underneath her. The only other piece of furniture present in the room was a dresser, and atop it I noted something that might come in handy – one of Paul's crossbows. How had she missed it? I avoided looking at it for too long, in case she caught on.
My father was nowhere to be seen. It was remarkable how much she reminded me of myself. Her eyes were the same hazel; the shape of her face was almost a mirror image of my own.
“Come now, don't be shy,” she said with an alluring smile, “come say hello to mommy.”
“You aren't my mother,” I blurted out, “She was killed by a vampire eighteen years ago. This is some sort of trick!”
“Ha!” Her laugh was light and sarcastic. “Had your father made even the slightest attempt to find me, maybe he would have managed to save me. But...he never did. He just assumed I was dead.”
“What? No, he said he saw…he said…” I wracked my brain trying to recall if my dad had said for certain he saw Destiny get killed. He had only said she was taken from him. “What really happened?” I asked, cautiously entering the room with Salem directly behind me.
“It wasn't the vampire's intention to turn me. He was in search of a Waldron, and mistook me as the hunter!” she laughed and shook her head, “you see, his grand plan was to turn a great vampire hunter into a weapon. He wanted to use them to take over families of other vampires and rule them – but when he found that I was only a mere ordinary human, he was furious. He called me weak and useless and offered to sell me as a slave to any other vampire who would take me.”
“A slave?” I asked, wondering just what she had been put through.
“He would have kept me himself to do his bidding, but he had his hands full with some child. We traveled as far as Transylvania – how typical, right!” she burst into a fit of laughter, then resumed her story, “a man named Malik was instantly interested and Raziel bartered with him on a fair price.”
“What could a vampire possibly trade for you?”
“Vampires need money too, Alex! How do you think they travel or afford homes?”
“How did you find your way back here...?”
She smirked and her eyes appeared glossed over. “Come sit with mommy, and she will tell you the whole story.”
“You can tell me from where you are.”
“No, I need you closer, Alex...please...after all of these years, you must understand how much I need to touch you, to hold you.”
With little hesitation, I stepped closer to the bed. Salem was right at my heels with each step until I sat beside the woman. She smiled pleasantly, almost fooling me into believing she was sane and friendly.
She brushed a snow-white hand across my cheek and smiled admiringly at me, “You have grown so much...” Before I had the chance to respond, she gripped my hand tightly. “Malik taught me at least one useful trick,” she said darkly, then swiftly turned my head to face her and look into her eyes.
It was all too familiar. Her eyes became pools of darkness, and then slowly images began appearing within her pupils. I felt myself being dragged in, pulled away from reality and into whatever vision she wanted me to see.
Suddenly I was standing in a courtyard. There was an elegant fountain in the center of the courtyard; however it was not filled with water. Blood trickled down from two holes in the throat of a statue depicting a horrified young child, and filled the pool at the bottom. I shuddered in disgust, and then a sound caught my attention and distracted me from the astonishing sight. To the left of the fountain was a woman hunched over the side of a cement bench. Her bare back was exposed through tears in the thin blue blouse she wore. Footsteps came from behind me, and soon a tall, slender man was in sight. He wore a cloak made of burgundy velvet over a white collared shirt – he appeared almost to be royalty. The hair atop his head was short and black, and he wore a devious smile as he approached the woman. He walked with his arms crossed behind his back.
“I hear that you have been misbehaving again, Destiny,” his voice was soft, yet I detected a hint of malice behind it.
“I haven't done anything wrong!” she cried. “Please, let me go! I’ll get back to work, I’ll do better…I promise!”
“Ah, but what would be the joy in that?” he laughed, “You know the rules. You disobey Lord Malik and you are punished for it.”
“Tell me, then – what have I done wrong?!”
“Guardsmen overheard you discussing
your past with another slave. That is not allowed. You are not to speak to the other slaves, especially not on such topics. There is no friendship here, so don't go seeking it. You are to do whatever job is assigned to you and nothing more. No conversations with anyone beyond myself or a guard. You have no past. You have no future. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” she whimpered.
“Then let this be a reminder for next time.” I watched as Malik unveiled a thick black whip from behind his back. Destiny wailed as the whip lashed at her skin three times, leaving large red gashes.
He laid the whip against the bench and offered a hand to Destiny. She reached out with intent to slap it then shut her eyes, inhaled and took it. I watched with confusion as he leaned toward her and kissed her delicately on the lips.
“You will forgive me, won't you?” he whispered into her ear. “We all have rules we must follow, no?”
She didn't reply, but he didn't appear to expect an answer.
Now I was following behind my mother as she stalked quietly through a crowded city. It was dark and scarcely anyone was seen walking along the sidewalks. She came upon a small house and stopped for a moment, taking a whiff of the air – she was searching for a particular scent. She carried on down the street until suddenly she turned around and gazed up into the window of a two-story brick house.
I watched as she crept along the sidewalk leading up to the house. At first I thought she was going to knock on the door, but instead she burst through the window. My feet led me into the house without me willing them, and I followed her up a short flight of stairs. Down the hall, to the left, and into a small bedroom was a young boy sitting at a desk reading a book.
“Hello, darling,” Destiny said in the sweetest, most alluring voice she could manage.
Startled, the boy jumped up from his chair and opened his mouth to scream. Destiny was at his side at once, her hand tightly sealing his mouth.
