by K. A. Poe
The car jerked suddenly and made a horrendous grinding noise that brought my attention back to reality. At first I was afraid that we had been hit, but we were just slowly skidding along the freeway.
“What’s going on?”
“Not sure, I can’t read car’s minds,” Hannah replied with a smirk. “I think we need to pull over.”
I groaned. This wasn’t good. I couldn’t afford a delay like this – Karen couldn’t afford a delay like this.
Smoke started fuming out from under the hood and we all took that as a sign to mean that we definitely needed to stop somewhere. Hannah slowly drove on the shoulder to the next exit, then coasted downhill to another rest stop. Looking under the hood did us no use as none of us knew anything about cars. There was only one person who came to mind that I knew of that was familiar with every piece and part of a car – and it was the last person I wanted to talk to.
“Let’s just call Paul,” Hannah suggested.
“No!” I shouted. “We are trying to avoid him, remember?”
“Well, how the hell else are we supposed to fix this? Besides he’s probably cooled down by now, and I’m sure if you mentioned Karen he’d be on board to help.”
“I doubt it.” I sighed. “Maybe there is someone here that knows something about cars?”
“Whatever, I’ll poke around,” she said, mumbling under her breath as she walked over to an older gentleman.
I sat on the sidewalk and stared, transfixed, at my old silver Alero. Karen wasn’t the only one in danger. I was quite sure the car was beyond repair. Hannah returned with a grimace on her face and I knew that she had been unlucky – then a grin formed on her face.
“Come on, magic boy, just summon us a car!” she exclaimed.
He laughed and then blinked when he realized she was being serious. “Hannah, you can’t possibly believe that I could manage something like that.”
“Um…sure you can,” she insisted. “If you can summon a piano, then why not a car?”
“You don’t understand how complex it is. A piano is much simpler than a car. Cars have many parts, and if I forgot even one of them…” he shook his head. “Just trust me, it is a bad idea.”
“I have faith in you,” I said. “It can’t be that hard. Pianos have a lot of pieces, too.”
“Yes, however a car relies upon so many pieces that I do not even know the names of. I could do something wrong and get someone injured – if not killed.”
I frowned, and sulked even more. “Well, what are we going to do then? We can’t just sit here.”
“Couldn’t you like…summon something really valuable? Then, you know, trade it for a car?” Hannah said, obviously not overly confident in her own idea.
“How will that help? Do you see a car dealer anywhere around here?”
She groaned. “Just do it, okay? I’ll figure it out.”
“Like what?” he replied with a frown – I knew he was uncomfortable at the idea.
“It’d have to be something worth like…five thousand dollars or so I’d guess,” she said, glancing around the parking lot at potential cars. She looked at me then, and glared. “Don’t say a word.”
“What are you talking about?” Salem asked, looking from me to her suspiciously. “I am not doing this if you are going to get us into any trouble.”
“I’m not going to get us into trouble, I promise. Just trust me.”
He sighed in defeat, made sure no one was looking in our direction, and his eyes illuminated with violet temporarily. A large diamond appeared in his hands and he offered it over to Hannah reluctantly. Without a word, she turned on her heel and headed for the nearest person she could find. I watched her nod slowly, apologize and walk over to the next person. She went to at least three more people before coming across what appeared to be a tall dark-skinned man in a black suit leaning against a very nice vehicle. I eyed the car eagerly.
To my dismay, she turned around and waltzed back over to us. Before I had a chance to ask what happened, she interrupted.
“He seems sort of interested but says there’s no way this rock is worth as much as his car,” she explained, looking back at him and waving flirtatiously.
Salem rolled his eyes, ducked beside the car and summoned a gold ring with a pear-shaped diamond in it. Hannah grinned and took the ring and offered it over to the man. I watched in awe as he handed over the keys and she gave him a peck on the cheek. I heard her melodic laughter as she came striding back to us.
“Couldn’t we have just called a taxi?” I asked suddenly.
“What kind of cabby would sell us his taxi?” she said with a grin and rolled her eyes. “Come on, we got a Prius out of it. So much better than your old piece of crap!”
“Hey! It wasn’t a piece of crap! That was my first car. I’ll kind of miss it, to be honest.”
“You should call and arrange for someone to pick us up at the airport,” Salem instructed, ignoring Hannah and my conversation entirely.
“Right,” I said and grabbed my cell and quickly went to my recent calls and re-dialed Jason’s number.
A tender feminine voice answered and I recognized it at once to be Eila.
“Hey, Eila, this is Alex,” I said awkwardly as I was still not used to her. “Is Jason around?”
“He’s with Karen right now, but I can get him if you want.”
“Please.”
Moments later and I heard Jason’s familiar voice. “Hey Alex, what’s up?” he sounded strained again.
“Would you be able to pick me up at the airport later?”
“You’re coming?” his voice uplifted.
“Of course I am!” I shouted into the receiver, “How could I not?”
He laughed lightheartedly. “I’ll make sure you get here, don’t worry. Karen actually woke up…briefly…” his voice was no longer joyful. “She sounds pitiful.”
“What did she say?” I asked, imagining my friend in a state of misery that I never would have wished upon anyone.
“It’s kind of embarrassing,” he replied quietly and I heard him shuffling around. “Eila is upset about it, but it’s not like Karen could help it. I’m not even sure she was completely conscious at the time.”
I was growing mildly impatient, wondering just what she might have said. “Well, what was it?”
“She said…” he paused and sighed, “She said that she’ll always love me.”
“Oh…” I replied quietly, my mouth falling agape. “That doesn’t necessarily mean anything; she could have meant it in a friendly way.”
“We both know that’s not true,” he mumbled. “I can’t help but wonder if I should have given her a chance…but now that Eila’s in my life…” I heard him sigh again. “I just mean…if she had been with me instead of…instead of him…”
“Jason! Don’t you dare blame yourself for anything for a second! Everything will be okay, you’ll see,” the words came out as if a statement of fact, but in my heart I was still far from certain.
“Thanks, Alex. Just text me when you know your flight info and I’ll make sure someone’s there to get you. It may not be me, but it’ll be someone you know.”
“I will,” I replied and hung up.
10. HOMEWARD BOUND
‘The tragedy of seeing my beloved Eleanor in the arms of another man was too hard to bear. How Joshua had won over her heart was a mystery to me. He was a simple farmhand, while I was the son of a wealthy man. I knew that love did not depend upon ones place in the world, for Eleanor is a servant girl in my father’s home and I have fallen madly in love with her.
She will never know of my infatuation, for not only would it potentially have ruined the romance between her and young Joshua, but word has it her body was found discarded behind the stables…two small puncture wounds at her throat.
It is this night that I confront Joshua for what he truly is. He is responsible for this murder; I have no doubt in mind!’
Dry tear stains dotted the page, barely no
ticeable on the aged paper. I turned the page:
‘Joshua is not responsible. I was mistaken. It is my jealous nature that brought this hatred upon me. Joshua is, in fact, a hunter just as I am. Together, we shall rid the world of this evil.’
Distracted by the stalling of the car, I looked up from the page and realized we had arrived at the airport, but before I shut the book I read the last sentence hastily:
‘To my delight I have learned that the woman whom fell prey to the vampire was not my lovely Eleanor but another of my Father’s servant girls…’
I was relieved to know Eleanor had not been killed, but the loss of the servant girl’s life did not appease me. Although I knew the actions I read were hundreds of years old and it was probable everyone mentioned was now long gone, it somehow still touched me and kept me in suspense.
Salem and I exited the car and stared awkwardly back at Hannah when she stayed in the front seat, unmoving.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“I figured it would be better if I went ahead to Florida on my own and started looking for the fountain. If no one has found it after all this time then who knows how long it’ll take us. If it’s even real.” She smirked. “I’ll call you if I find anything.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, it’s probably best this way. Me in a hospital…with all that blood around. I know it seems easy for me to ignore it already but that’s pushing it.”
“Yeah…I never thought of that.”
She hugged me gently, which was surprising but I appreciated the gesture. Then she turned toward Salem and they formed an awkward hug that would be more accurately called a pat on the back.
“Oh and Alex,”
“Yeah?
“Tell Karen you saw Claire and that she misses her…and that everything will be okay. Okay?”
“She’ll like that.” I smiled. “Thanks. Oh and by the way…I forgot to ask. How in the world did you convince that guy to give you this beautiful car for a diamond and some jewels he had no way of knowing was real? I mean, he is stuck at some rest stop now without anything.”
“Umm...well…” she laughed nervously, gripping the steering wheel. “I didn’t exactly say we’d be keeping it, or using it for a long time. I might have asked to borrow it while I went and got some gas for our car. The ring and stuff was just collateral.”
“Hannah!” I couldn’t believe she had just basically stolen a car, this was the last thing we needed right now.
“I’ll stop back by there. Okay? Don’t worry.” She smiled again with that all too familiar devilish grin, “Ciao,” and sped away.
I had to admit, it was nice being alone with Salem again…and without her probing into my thoughts. There was one problem I hadn’t really thought of however; where were we going to get the money for plane tickets? We had next to no money with us. I hated to have to ask Salem to summon more things to barter with, but it was really going to be our only option.
After some coaxing I was able to convince Salem to summon another bundle of jewelry. I could tell that he was apprehensive about it even as his eyes flickered violet. I again tried to explain that it was scarcely any different from summoning objects for our own use, but he felt that it was somehow stealing or cheating.
It was amazing how quickly we were able to raise hundreds of dollars by selling a necklace here and a ring there. To be honest, I knew we were vastly undercutting the actual value of the jewelry, but I didn’t care. My best friend was lying in a hospital bed possibly dying. I would have stolen my way there if it had really come to it – something I had never done in my life.
After I was sure we had raised enough money from random people in the airport’s parking lot, we headed towards the entrance. Luckily no airport security had approached us about walking up to hundreds of random people outside.
The dread of entering an airport was weighing on me as we passed through the giant glass doorway and headed for the ticket counter. I felt awkward flying home when I just got here, but there were more important things than discovering the fountain – especially if Hannah could handle that part on her own. My mind was flooded with thoughts about Karen and it took me a moment to realize that a man was asking to see my ID at the security line. I absentmindedly plucked it from my wallet and offered it over as I nervously wondered how Salem would get passed this…but it was no surprise that he had summoned an ID for himself that was as real as my own. We had no luggage beyond a small carry-on that I stored my laptop and the journal in, just in case I needed something to read.
Luckily there were a few seats left on a plane leaving in less than thirty minutes to Denver. We paid for the tickets and took off hastily towards the C terminals.
We boarded the plane quickly and sat in two open seats right in the middle. I could plainly see the wings through the window, which I bravely opted to sit next to. I didn’t listen to a single word the flight attendant said as the plane lifted upward and rose up toward the clouds. I found some comfort in looking through the windows as we grew higher and higher, admiring the change of the world as it became distant and smaller. There wasn’t a single flutter of fear in the pit of my stomach this time, even when we experienced a slight rush of turbulence. Flying was a part of who I was now; it was like second nature to me, even at this altitude.
“How are you fairing, Alex?” Salem asked suddenly, gripping my hand comfortingly on the joint armrest.
I turned toward him and smiled bleakly. “I’m okay. Just worrying about Karen.”
“Everything will be fine,” he replied reassuringly, although from the expression on his face I knew that he was also concerned. “You have been through so much, and yet you remain strong and face issues without a single fear.”
I laughed lightly and shook my head. “You have it all wrong, Salem. I am beyond scared – I am terrified. I lost Janet and Destiny, I have almost lost you twice and my own life for that matter…now Karen’s life is on the line and I don’t know if I could face another day knowing she wasn’t alive,” I said as calmly as I could. “It’d be like losing a sister. No. It would be like losing part of myself.”
“I understand how that feels,” he replied.
“At least you have yours back now.”
“I suppose,” he sighed. “She is not at all the person I imagined my little Hannah growing to be.”
“Give her time. She may be way older but I think she still has the mind of a sixteen year old. Unlike you, she spent her time hunting humans and learning to kill rather than studying literature and history. She has a lot of growing up to do still, but there is good in her. I can see it, and I know you do, too.”
Salem smiled at me briefly but before he spoke, a flight attendant approached our seats; I hoped that he hadn’t overheard any of our conversation. It wasn’t ideal to be on a plane discussing the hunting of humans. He offered us peanuts and beverages but we both declined. It would be interesting to feed on normal food and drink regular beverages again – far more so for Salem than me. I had only been on a diet of blood for weeks, while he has had only one food source for the past one hundred and twenty-seven years.
“What’re you looking forward to eating again…you know…after the change?” I asked out of curiosity.
“Blackberries,” he replied fondly as he appeared lost in thought momentarily. “Mom and I often picked them together and she would make jams and pies.”
“That’s a nice memory.” I smiled and almost wished that I could have been there, or that he could share the memory with me.
He had lived in such a different time than me that I wondered how he would react to mortality in this day and age. He lived in solitude during most of his vampiric existence, and soon he would be a teenager just like I had been – just like I would be again. Would he truly be happy with such an ordinary life? That was what he had said he wanted all this time, and he knew how the world was now. Adjusting to the changes of the world was just another thing he had to endure during his ex
istence as a vampire. He had to adjust with the times as they changed, although I was positive that no matter how long he spent around people ‘our age’, he would never grow out of his attire and speech – which was perfectly okay by me.
“As for you, I would assume it is a slice of chocolate cheesecake drizzled in caramel? Right?” Salem said with a sly grin.
I couldn’t help but laugh as I recalled one of our first memories together – the night that everything changed. Back then, I never would have thought I would be where I was today. I would probably be struggling to choose a college, or finding a part-time job while taking a break from schooling. Despite all of the troubles I went through since that night, I would never want to take it back. It completely changed my life and I was thankful, regardless of all that had happened.
“Only if it came from ‘Budwell’s Bakery’,” I smirked. “Mr. Budwell sure makes a good cake – the best.”
Salem frowned temporarily. “I would prefer to have not lied to you about that, but it was for the best…”
I laughed, “Oh Salem, it’s fine. Sometimes you have to lie to protect others, or yourself.”
“Perhaps you are right, but nevertheless I cannot help but feel ashamed.”
“There’s nothing to be ashamed of, so don’t worry about it,” I said and patted his hand then glanced out the window. We were now hovering over what had to be Denver, laid out like a steel blemish atop the otherwise green and mountainous landscape. Somewhere down there was Karen, and I prayed that she was still hanging on.
It wasn’t long before Salem and I exited the confines of the airplane and was struggling to push passed everyone as they, too, rushed out of the terminal. The landing had definitely been the scariest part of the flight, but still not nearly as frightening as my first.
