The Blood That Bonds

by Christopher Buecheler

  Rhes agreed. “Let’s get that microfilm.”

  The reader was a bulky piece of equipment, and skimming through pages of the New York Times took longer than Two would have liked. Still, it was not long before they came upon the article. Rhes scrolled the film so that the entirety of the text was in view.

  Perrault Girl Still Missing

  New developments in the possible kidnapping of Ms. Tori Perrault have police baffled. Daughter of Mona and James, of Fort Shawnee, Ohio, Tori was last seen in her dormitory at Syracuse University on March twenty-fourth. Three days after this last sighting, friends reported her apparent disappearance to college authorities. After cursory investigation, university security turned the disappearance over to the Syracuse Police Department. To date, the young woman’s whereabouts are still unknown.

  “There are few clues,” Says Officer Andrea Leigh, “For all intents and purposes, it appears that the girl simply ran off. The only indication of foul play is that she seems to have taken nothing with her. No clothes, or cash, or anything else of value.”

  “There’s no apparent motive, no ransom demands, no sign of any sort of struggle. We have no indication whether the young lady is even alive or not.” Leigh adds.

  The search continues for information on the whereabouts of Tori Perrault. Parties with any such knowledge are strongly encouraged to contact the Syracuse Police Department.

  Rhes let out a long breath. “That’s her.”

  “Oh yeah. No question. Abraham or Theroen or Melissa showed up, snagged her, and brought her back. Why the hell Abraham chose her, I have no idea.”

  “Strange though. What were they doing in Syracuse?”

  “Who knows? Abraham traveled, not frequently, but he wasn’t stuck in the mansion. Maybe he caught sight of her on a trip. Maybe he was bored. It’s beyond me to guess what his intentions were.”

  Rhes considered this. “I guess it doesn’t matter, at this point. He’s dead, and she’s slowly returning to the point she was at when all of this started. The most important thing now is to find out more about Mona and Frank Perrault, of Ohio, I think.”

  Two agreed. That part was comparably easy. The same computers that had led them to the newspaper article could very quickly find addresses, phone listings, anything else they might need. She and Rhes sat down at a terminal, filling in as many blanks as they could. As expected, there were only a few Perraults in Ohio to begin with, and only one couple in Fort Shawnee.

  They met with Sarah first. Jake was sitting at her feet. He and Sarah looked up at the same time, before either Two or Rhes had spoken, and she asked if they had found anything. Two laughed. It took some time to get used to the fact that Sarah’s other senses had heightened significantly to make up for her lack of vision. She had heard their feet, even on the library carpet.

  “A James and Mona Perrault, of Fort Shawnee, Ohio. It’s them, trust me.”

  “Great!”

  “Yes. Now we need to make a phone call, I guess. But first I need to talk to Tori.”

  They found her where they had left her. Molly was engrossed in a book. Tori, still unable to read very well, was beginning to get bored. When Two walked up to her, she asked if it was time to go.

  “Almost. Tori, do you remember your dad?”

  “I think so.”

  “Was his name James?”

  Tori stared blankly. “Dunno.”

  “Jim?”

  Her eyes lit up. “Yes! Jim! Jim and Mona. Mom and Dad. They live in Fort Shawnee.”

  Two rolled her eyes. “Could’a told me that before, Tori, and saved us some time.”

  “Sorry, Two.”

  “S’okay. You ready to leave?”

  “Sure. Where are we going?”

  “First, a bank.”

  “What’s a bank?”

  “It’s a place where I can exchange ten bucks for a bunch of quarters, so I can make a phone call,” Two replied. Behind her, Rhes laughed.

  * * *

  The phone was picked up on the third ring, and a man’s voice answered. “Hello?”

  “Mr. Jim Perrault?” Two was nervous, playing with the phone cord and tapping her feet. She really had no plan for how to proceed.

  “Yes?” Caution in the voice. He probably thought she was going to try to sell him something.

  “Hi. My name is Ashley Majors.” Her middle name served well when Two didn’t feel like explaining her first.

  “What can I do for you, young lady?”

  “This is going to seem strange, I think, but do you mind my asking you a question?”

  “Go ahead...” Curiosity in his voice, mingled with trepidation. Two thought about asking him if he was interested in a credit card, fighting down a sudden attack of giggles that threatened to overtake her. Now was not the time.

  “Are you the father of Tori Perrault?”

  There was a lengthy pause. “Yes, I am.”

  Mr. Perrault did not sound at all pleased to hear his daughter’s name. “If this is ‘Unsolved Mysteries,’ then no, we don’t want another list of phone numbers. There are a lot of girls who fit Tori’s description...”

  “No, I’m not from a television show. I’ve never even seen it. But I have seen your daughter.”

  “Where?” Perrault sounded exasperated, as if he’d long since given up any hope of seeing his daughter again. Two didn’t blame him. Thirteen years was a long time.

  “She’s standing right next to me.”

  There was another, longer pause. When Perrault spoke again, he was obviously angry. “Do you think this is funny?”

  Two was taken aback. “No. No, sir, I...”

  “Why is that, after thirteen years, there are still sick people out there who won’t have the common decency to let a man get on with his life?” Perrault was shouting by the end of the question.

  “Mr. Perrault, I...”

  “I don’t want to hear it,” He snarled. “Goodbye.”

  Two listened to the dial-tone for a moment, then slammed the handset down into the receiver. “Well... fuck.”

  “What is it?” Rhes was sitting with Sarah and Molly on a bench, a few feet away. Tori was looking into the display window of a jewelry store.

  Two lit a cigarette, dragged at it, rolled her eyes. “The good news is: I found him. The bad news? He thought it was a prank phone call.”

  Rhes sighed. “She’s been gone for over a decade, Two. I’d think it was a joke, too.”

  “Is it a funny joke?” Tori asked, rejoining the group.

  “I suppose it might be, to someone else. Not to me.” Two sat down on the curb, smoked, stared at the traffic.

  Sarah stirred, stretched, then leaned against Rhes. “So, what do we do now?”

  “I buy two plane tickets, I guess. I could keep calling until I wore him down, but what’s it matter? We have to go there. We have to take her home.”

  “Are we going home already?” Tori asked, misunderstanding.

  “No, Tori. I meant that we’re going to go see your Mom and Dad.”

  Tori took in air to protest this, and Two held up her hand.

  “It’s okay. I’m coming with you. I promised you I wouldn’t make you go away, by yourself, unless you wanted to. Right?”

  Tori considered this. Acquiesced. “Okay, Two. I miss my Mom and Dad.”

  Two and Rhes exchanged glances. Two turned back to Tori. “Good, sweetheart. I’m sure they miss you too.”

  “When are we gonna go see them?”

  “As soon as I can order us some plane tickets.”

  Molly spoke up. “Are you really going to fly to Ohio, Two?”

  “Someone has to, kiddo. I could drive, but what’s the point? For once in my life, money’s not a problem.”

  “How are you going to get from the airport to Fort Shawnee, Two?” Sarah questioned. “You could take a cab, I guess, if any run that far...”

  “I figured I’d rent a car.”

  “Two, you’re nineteen, and you have no license.
Most places don’t let you rent until at least twenty-one, even if you’re legal to drive.”

  “I’ll be twenty in March. Also... hang on a second.”

  Two pulled out her wallet, dug through it, laughed. She held up a fake license, expertly crafted. “Here we go. This one says I’m twenty-two.”

  Sarah shook her head, smiling. “Jesus, Two. I’m not sure you should hang around Molly. I think maybe you’re a bad influence.”

  Molly giggled. Two grinned back at her. “I think of all the people Molly’s met in her life, I’m one of the ones you need to worry about the least.”

  Rhes stood up. “Okay. Let’s go do this. I’ve got to be at work in a few hours. Fridays are busy. I know a travel agent down in the village.”

  He started down the street. Sarah held his hand in one of her own, Jake’s harness in the other. Two, Molly, and Tori followed.

  * * *

  Two purchased a round-trip ticket for herself and, after some deliberation, a one-way ticket for Tori. It was hard for her; she had honestly enjoyed Tori’s companionship, and the two had formed a strong bond. Few, if any, had gone through trials like they had, and Two considered Tori her sister, in blood and spirit. Still, she knew that Tori needed time to become reacquainted with her parents. Two expected to spend only a short time in Ohio, and she expected to return alone.

  She had allowed two weeks of time before the flight, as a chance for both of them to get used to idea. Thirteen days had passed since they ordered the tickets, and in that time great pieces of Tori’s mind had returned. She was now in possession of the larger part of her memories from before her conversion at Abraham’s hands, and was anxious to see her parents.

  Tonight they were packing. Tomorrow would bring them to the airport via cab, to fly first-class to Ohio. Their flight left at four in the afternoon, changed over in Detroit, landed at eight-thirty. Two supposed they would spend the night in a motel, and find Tori’s parents the next morning. Tori was clearly excited.

  “I can’t wait to see them again!” She was sitting on the bed, folding clothes.

  Two laughed. “It should definitely be an experience.”

  She wondered what it would be like, presenting the Perraults with a daughter that hadn’t aged in the thirteen years she’d been gone. Two hoped they didn’t think Tori was some sort of imposter. She found it unlikely; parents were capable of telling the difference between identical twins. Two had little doubt that Frank and Mona would recognize Tori for who she was.

  Tori was looking over the plane tickets. As her memory had returned, so her ability to read had improved drastically. She was now in most ways a fully-functioning young woman. The only abnormalities now were not mental weaknesses, but rather physical strengths. She was unbelievably strong, and very fast. These traits did not seem to be disappearing, and Two had begun to doubt they ever would. Whatever changes Tori’s years of vampirism had wrought on her body, not all of them could be undone.

  “Two...” Tori’s voice was hesitant.

  “Yeah?” Two was stuffing clothes into suitcases, not worried about folding them, just wanting to be done and ready to go.

  “One of these tickets is one-way...”

  Two sighed. “Yes. You know why.”

  “What if I don’t want to stay with them?”

  “I think you will, Tori. At least for a while. I think you need to stay there without me, and get used to being normal again.”

  “Are you sure? You can stay there for as long as you want. My parents will think you’re some kind of angel, trust me. They’ll be happy to have you.”

  Two grinned. “No thanks, hon. New York or nothing, for me.”

  “And why should I be any different?”

  “Oh, come on. You might want to move back someday, sure... but right now? You’re dying to see them. You know it, I know it. It’s been thirteen years, and you remember all of those completely, so it’s not like you haven’t had plenty of time to miss them. This is your opportunity to make up for all that lost time. You’re not going to want to leave, Tori. Not for a while.”

  Two liked being able to have a normal conversation with Tori. While she missed some of the wide-eyed innocence that the girl had possessed during her slow return to humanity, overall she was very happy that Tori had regained her mental capabilities. More than that, she was glad to find that even as an adult, Tori was someone whom she liked very much.

  Tori sighed, smiled, nodded her head. “Okay, yes, I’m dying to see them. I miss them so much.”

  “Then stop worrying about what’s going to happen in the future, and worry about what’s happening now.”

  “Which is?”

  Two laughed. “Which is: you’re wasting time. Keep packing.”

  * * *

  They arrived in Columbus ahead of schedule, just past eight o’clock. Two’s fake ID held up under the scrutiny of the young woman at the rental-car counter. “You don’t look twenty-two at all.”

  Two gave her most winning smile. “Thanks!”

  The car was a sedan, well equipped, comfortable. They drove it a few miles from the airport, found a motel, and once settled spent most of the night talking. Tori was scared and excited, unable to sleep. Two was nervous in her own way as well, and had little complaint about being kept up. She wanted this to go well for Tori. After everything the two had been through together, it would be a nice change of pace to have something go smoothly.

  They woke early the next morning, showered, and left the motel. An hour and a half into the drive, Tori began to recognize landmarks, but an hour later was forced to admit that her memory was still not flawless. They were lost. A quick stop at a gas station put them on the right track, and it was only twenty minutes later that they entered the Fort Shawnee town limits.

  “Take that exit, over there.” Tori seemed confident in her memories of the town. Two thought about checking the map, decided she could trust Tori, and took the turn.

  “Turn left. Okay. We’re going to drive up this road for about five minutes, and there’ll be a left. Darrel Drive. Turn there.”

  They drove, and there was Darrel Drive. Two guided the car onto it.

  “Take your next left, and then the first right, and then we’re there.” Tori looked vaguely ill.

  “You all right?”

  “I don’t know. I feel kinda sick. Probably just nerves.”

  Two nodded. She wondered what it would be like to be reunited with her own parents. This was, of course, an impossibility in the case of her mother. The concept of returning to her father was laughable at best. Two hadn’t liked him as a child, and by her teens she’d despised him.

  “Blue house on the left. Oh God.” Tori was fidgeting with her seatbelt, had been doing so for the past twenty minutes.

  “Thank Christ,” Two laughed.

  “Why are you so relieved?”

  “Because if I was forced to watch you twist that stupid seatbelt around for another five minutes, I’d have lost my mind.”

  Tori laughed, gave Two the finger, let the seatbelt fall from her hands. They were there.

  It was eleven o’clock, a Saturday morning in February, cold and clear and grey with tiny snowflakes dancing in the air. The house was light blue with darker blue shutters, a ranch, sitting squat on a patch of dead grass. Small piles of snow had collected in the shaded areas. The scene was far from idyllic, yet there seemed a sense of comfort and welcome to the place. Inside, Two, thought, it would be warm, and there would be the smell of something good cooking. Apple pie, maybe, or fresh bread.

  Tori took a deep breath, left the car, stood staring at the house. Two walked around the car, adjusting her coat against the cold, and Tori embraced her suddenly. “Thank you so much, Two.”

  “What are friends for? Go ring that fucking doorbell, Tori. The suspense is killing me.”

  Tori laughed. “Killing you?!”

  As Tori moved toward the door, Two leaned up against a large tree growing in the front yard, lighting a ci
garette. This was not her moment, and she was comfortable remaining in the background. Tori pressed the doorbell, waited, shifting from one foot to another.

  “Just a minute!” A woman’s voice called from inside the house. Two saw Tori’s breath catch.

  The door opened, and a pleasant-looking woman in perhaps her mid-fifties looked out. She was carrying a plate and a towel. There was a long moment of silence as she looked at Tori.

  “Hi, mom.” Tori’s voice was soft, and shaky, almost scared. Two watched, waited, hoped.

  The dish fell from the woman’s hands, forgotten, to shatter on the doorstep. Neither Tori nor her mother seemed to notice. Mona swayed a little, and Tori reached a hand out to steady her. The moment her hand touched her mother’s shoulder, Mona’s paralysis broke.

  “Oh my God my baby!” She cried, and flung her arms around Tori, who could do nothing more than put her head on her mother’s shoulder and cry. Mona stood there, repeating those words, “My baby. My baby,” and rocking Tori, refusing to let go of her daughter. Two felt a painful, wonderful wrenching in her heart, saw a flicker-flash pass by her vision. Theroen, smiling. Here again was a reminder of what it was like to be loved.

  Two felt tears at her eyes and was unsurprised. Tears of joy for Tori, tears of pain for Theroen, tears of relief for herself. Descent and rebirth. Tori was home, and Two stood now on the very lip of some new life. She had passed through the nightmare and come through to the other side.

  “Can I see Dad?” Tori asked finally, managing to calm herself at least well enough to speak.

  Mona laughed, clapped her hands, called for Jim, nearly jumping up and down in joy and excitement. “Come here! Jim! Come now! She’s back, oh, she’s back! Come see!”

  A man at the door, now. “What the hell’s going on out...” Jim stopped in mid-sentence, the sight of his daughter slapping the words from his mouth. Two laughed at his expression, watching it warm from shock, to awe, to joy.