by Amanda Byrd
“Oh, well okay then. Tag team or you play and I eat?”
“I play,” Teddy responded and Miranda could hear the evil smile spreading across his face.
“Okay babe, I’m gonna go through these now and have to get ready for the next patient. I should be home early today. Like early afternoon early. Any ideas on dinner?”
“We haven’t had a good steak in a while, what do you think?”
“Sure, I’ll stop and pick some up on the way home as long as you’re the one grilling.”
“You got it. I love you. See you when I get home. Probably around four thirty.”
“Love you too. Bye.”
Miranda sat behind her desk and started flipping through the pile of plaything notes until she found the one Teddy mentioned being his plaything. It was her very first patient, William. She found this quite fitting, as she sensed something about William that he had wanted to talk about but was too ashamed to do so. Before calling William to schedule an earlier appointment than one month, she carefully matched the notes back with the files and put them at the bottom of the small stack. There were three other patients today, with the last one coming in at noon. She had five or six minutes to call William and so she did. There was no answer, so she left a voicemail asking him to call her back on her cell phone.
She took a minute to go over the next patient’s forms, then opened her office door to invite her in. This girl was really nervous and Miranda already knew from her questionnaire how severe her anxiety was. What is it with this city? Are we all this tightly wound and abused? Miranda, you can’t possibly- Shut up. I won’t listen to you right now. I’m still pissed. Miranda gave the girl a referral to the psychiatrist and recommended twice-weekly visits, which visibly scared the poor thing to the point of just about wetting herself. She hesitated, not committing to anything, thanked Miranda and left the office, closing the door behind her.
Good to see that went well. I tell a girl who should technically be institutionalized that I want to see her twice a week, which is letting her ease into three times a week, and she about pees her pants. I’m either unintentionally scary as hell or she really does need ‘round the clock care. I’ll let the medication giver decide that one’s fate. She glanced at the clock on the wall, four minutes until the next one. Back to the monotony of first-time patients she went, flipping through the paperwork, calling them in, spending an hour with yet another ball of anxiety who needed medication. This one, though, was to be seen once monthly, to which he reacted with a face of relief, knowing he wasn’t as bad as the girl who left before he was called in. Miranda could sense even he thought the girl needed more than just prescription drugs and outpatient therapy.
She picked up the phone and dialed the psychiatrist’s direct line. She filled him in on the girl from an hour ago and he said she had already scheduled with him for the following week. Miranda filled him in on her initial thoughts about the girl and that she may need intensive inpatient therapy, which was something Miranda rarely recommended. But this girl, this kid, was simply too scared of her own shadow; it was a miracle she was not agoraphobic. The shrink wrote down Miranda’s recommendation and said he would be the deciding doctor but asked her, if needed, would she help get the girl into a highly rated facility. Miranda was only too happy to agree. After all, her life’s work was helping people.
Miranda muddled through the last patients when her cell phone rang just as they were leaving.
“Doctor van Wolfe,” she answered.
“Doctor, it’s William. You asked me to call you. Sorry I was . . .” he mumbled unintelligibly again.
“William, please do stop mumbling. I can’t talk to you if I . . . oh bother. Look, the reason I called is that I’d like to see you again sooner than a month. How soon can you make it?”
“Oh, well, will my insurance cover it?”
“Yes, you’re in outpatient therapy and your insurance covers a certain amount of visits, though I suggest you call them and find out how many. Would you like to call me back to schedule after you’ve talked to them?”
“No, no, I can call them after. I’m actually really glad you wanted to see me before one month because I didn’t get to tell you everything I wanted to anyway. Does next week work for you? I can do any morning, I just have to let my boss know what day I’ll be late.”
“Next week is perfect. How about nine on Tuesday?”
“Perfect. Thanks, Doctor van Wolfe!”
And as Miranda was about to say “You’re welcome” the line went dead. Something was definitely off with this guy. Sure, he was able to hold a full-time job, had a boss who was apparently okay with him giving a few days’ notice of being late, but her werepire senses tingled and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Okay, you two, what are you getting from him? What’s he hiding that now he’s oh so excited to talk about? We think he may be an abuser of sorts. Abuser? How and to whom? We think he hurts children. Pedophile hurts or beats? Well . . . oh you’re not going to like this. We feel there’s one locked up on his property somewhere that he beats and will eventually kill. Jesus! What in the.. And I can’t even go to the cops like I’m bound by law to if someone is a danger to themselves or someone else because I have no proof. Shit. And if he tells me this next week, I still have to go to the cops, but also risk being sued because he’s still alive. Or do I? Nope. Oath bounds me to the law in such cases. Oh moral dilemmas, how I loathe them. Looks like Teddy will get his playtime after all, not that I’d deny him. I know he’s got his own demons.
She put William’s file in her top left drawer. It was not to be filed with the rest of the patient files. In fact, he would be scrubbed from her records and appointments at all. Her current desk twit would be none the wiser and Shiloh would say yes, Miranda knew she would. She would not be happy about possibly being an accomplice to what Miranda’s monsters did, given it was technically murder, but Shiloh had her own scary dark side. Miranda knew about it, but had never seen it and never wanted to.
Miranda picked up her bags from her desk and headed out for the day, telling her twit up front if there were any emergencies to call. The girl knew this, of course, but she was a bubbleheaded moron who forgot and talked like one of those stereotypical “Valley Girls”, as they were called in Miranda’s day. Once outside, she felt the cool breeze of October finally settling in.
“I think I’ll drive home with all the windows open today.”
With those words, she got into Night Chariot, started the engine, rolled down the windows, pulled out, and hit the gas headed for home.
Fifteen
The next few days came and went in a death-like silence. Nothing eventful, not even anything terribly interesting happened. Margot pulled her famous parkour tricks up walls and across furniture, pissing off Will and making him scream for mercy when she bit him, as was their usual play style, but Miranda and Teddy both wanted more action. Maybe to just go somewhere or do something—just to break the grip of boring and dull. They lived a mile from the closest neighbor, so they could not even eavesdrop on an argument between kids or adults. They were bored and so were the monsters. Miranda, we need to play. We need to do something. Maybe hunt small animals out in the woods just beyond the fence? That actually sounds like fun. Let me make sure we have enough bug spray since wolf me attracts mosquitoes almost as much as human me does.
“Hey Teddy, the monsters suggested hunting in the woods behind the fence for small animals to kill time. You game?”
“Meh, why not. It’ll get us out of the house and—do we have enough bug spray?”
Miranda laughed, “I just wondered the same thing,” and she continued laughing.
Teddy went upstairs to check their bathroom and Miranda checked all the guest bathrooms in search of enough bug spray. They met in the foyer, both looking defeated.
“Shit, now we have to go to the store,” Miranda huffed.
“Yeah, but we can make it fun, like usual,” Teddy responded, a smirk on his face.
They raced each other to Night Chariot, Miranda winning by six feet. They laughed so hard it hurt and they both lost their breath. It felt good to still be able to act like children together. Their motto was always if they could not act like kids together, they should not be together anymore. They got into Night Chariot and drove toward the local Target, Miranda’s favorite store. When they got there, they realized the store was close to closing time, so they raced each other again around the store until they found the good bug spray, the one people said caused cancer. Teddy grabbed an armful and so did Miranda. They ran as much as they could, without dropping the cans, to the self-checkout lanes. Thirteen cans scanned later, they paid and headed for home.
Miranda almost got into an accident on the way home because Teddy kept poking her and started a poke battle. They were definitely suffering from a case of cabin fever and it was about to be cured. Two grown people, legally classified as adults, acting like the children they were. Miranda loved every second of it, as did Teddy. Miranda backed Night Chariot into the garage and they did not even bother to put the bug spray in the house, instead choosing to hose themselves with it in the garage. Teddy grabbed one of the rifles he kept locked in a storage crate next to Miranda’s deep freezer, and they walked out, turning right to follow the fence toward the dark woods.
By the time they met with the edge of the fence rounding the back of the house, Miranda realized they forgot a flashlight so Teddy would be able to see in the pitch black of the woods.
“So, uh, Teddy? Did you happen to grab a flashlight? We know I can see, but you can’t.”
“Ummm,” he patted his pockets, “Nope. I’ll go get one,” and he turned back around.
“It’s cool, I’ll just stand here waiting for you,” Miranda yelled after him, giggling because she knew full well she would not.
We’re hungry and since it’s not quite Tuesday yet . . . I get it, you two. Tuesday is still two sleeps away. Calm yourselves. We all know Teddy will do a marvelous job making that William’s blood taste as adrenaline-filled as possible. In the meantime, let’s see what’s living out here, shall we? She trudged through the overgrowth and bramble, tripped over a few tree roots that stuck out, and almost tripped face first into a tree, but she made her way silently, or so she thought. Ten feet deeper into the woods and someone stepped right into her path, causing her to stop abruptly. It was Elisonde.
“For shit’s sake! You- What are you doing here?”
“I came to see you.”
“Why? And would you quit freaking stalking me? You’re one creepy werewolf, Elisonde.”
“I wanted to tell you how you’re part of my bloodline.”
“How old are you, anyway?”
“Two-hundred years, give or take a few decades.”
“Okay, that’s it. I’ve had enough of your relentless bullshit, you old, stinky, hag. Give it up or we end this here and now. Do you even have Interment in hiding out here with you?”
“Interment is . . . close enough to kill your husband.”
“Bitch, leave him out of this. This is clearly between you and I and no one else. What is your issue with me, anyway?”
“You killed my son. Way back in your universe traveling days. That werewolf you saved your friend and her family from, Dylan. You remember Dylan, don’t you? He’s who turned you and he was also my son.”
“What the actual f-” Miranda could not finish, in the state of shock she now found herself.
Taking a moment to digest what Elisonde had just said, she stood there silent, straining her ears for some sign Teddy was still alive and on his way back, hoping Interment had not been released upon him.
“So that’s why you followed me and held that castle. You wanted to meet the woman who out-smarted your precious son?”
Elisonde flicked her hand, as if to brush Dylan off altogether, “No, you silly woman. He was stupid. Everything he did screamed of just how stupid and careless he was. He deserved what you gave him, though, honestly, he truly didn’t deserve such a quick death. In any case, he was still my son and I am here to avenge him. I simply needed to get to know you, the human you, before deciding my course of action.”
“Well then, I guess you’ll be right pissed off to know that it will be me who chooses the battlegrounds.”
“No, not really. I’m okay with that. But I shall choose the date and I already have. It will happen on November the fifteenth.”
“Why that date?”
“It was the same date you killed him. Call me sentimental, but I’d like to roast you alive then stab you in the heart with a silver blade on the same date.”
Hah! If she only knew none of that would kill us! Wait, will it? Guys, a little help? No, Miranda, she can’t kill us that easily. The wolf and human, sure, but not the vampire. You need to catch up on your lore, woman. Okay, okay, either way, she can’t completely kill us because the vampire will keep the human body alive. Sure, silver hurts and slows the healing process, but we’re fine. Just don’t let the old coot stab us. Got it. No stabby.
“As you wish, Elisonde,” Miranda bowed as she would to a queen or king as she spoke.
There was a sudden rustle followed by a crashing sound and a loud, slightly muffled, expletive-filled commotion. Miranda immediately recognized the voice and lunged for Elisonde, who had vanished from sight. How in the seven hells did she do that? I didn’t even take my eyes off her! She’s probably in the trees, Miranda. Remember, we have quite the jumping ability.
Miranda wanted to run to Teddy, but instead spoke his name since he was close enough to hear her. He came up holding the flashlight at an awkward angle in one hand, the rifle slung over his back, and the other hand holding his now bleeding nose. The scent of fresh human blood excited every sense in Miranda and she wanted nothing more than to lick the blood from his hands and face. He was Type O, after all. She resisted, though, which stole a lot of her energy.
“Ted, you okay?”
“Yeah, I’ll stop the flow,” he said, putting the flashlight in his pocket and taking his other hand away from his nose long enough to rip a small piece of his shirt off to stuff in his nostrils.
Miranda could hold it no longer and licked Teddy’s face. Teddy jumped back, caught off guard and a bit worried.
“Please don’t do that unannounced again. You made me think you might start just, I don’t know, sucking my brains out through my nose or something.”
“Well, that’s insulting. I’m not a stupid-ass zombie, jerk.”
“Sorry. Are we still hunting whatever is out here?”
“Oh yes, yes we are.”
Teddy pulled the flashlight out of his pocket and flanked to the left while Miranda just wandered. She was infuriated that Elisonde would even think to threaten Teddy’s life, but all was fair in war and Miranda did kill her son. A son Elisonde did not love, but it was still fair game to threaten the lives of loved ones. Shiloh would want to be here for this battle and Miranda would make it so. She and Teddy found only coyotes that night so they turned around and headed back to the house. Miranda knew Elisonde and Interment had scared anything fun away.
“We’ll do this again soon. But first, William is yours to play with. Shall we take him to the castle or do it here?”
“Here,” Teddy said, a frightfully evil smile spreading and his eyes almost glowing red.
Sixteen
Today was the day. It was finally Tuesday and Miranda would hear what William had been wanting to tell her—what she was afraid she may have already known. She got to the office early to prepare and Teddy had taken the day off work to play. Teddy was home, of course, and the plan was for Miranda to offer William his sessions at her home office. That office would not just be for those who were not stalkers, but for playthings, as well. And William was definitely a p
laything.
William arrived ten minutes earlier than his scheduled appointment time. This was only a fifteen-minute session, after all. Miranda’s plan was to let him talk then invite him to the home office that night for a full hour session. It was too easy. Almost like William wanted to get caught or killed—or both. Miranda let him wait until the agreed upon nine o’clock before opening her office door to allow him entrance. He looked frazzled and upset that she made him wait. He was one of the ones that would follow her home anyway, so why not let Teddy have his way then drink his blood and eat his heart, if he had one.
“William, it’s good to see you,” she said as he walked through the doorway and took his seat.
He did not say much, though Miranda could feel the heat of anger rising in him.
“William, what’s going on? You seem angry.”
“I am,” he spat, and so very clearly. Miranda was sure angry William was the only William she would not have to tell to stop mumbling. He’s mad you made him wait. Like he’s special or something. Hah! Oh and he smells like anger and adrenaline! Can’t we just do it now? No! Teddy deserves his playtime, too. After all I’ve put him through the past few years, this is the least I can help him with. Maybe one day you’ll learn about his demons. We already know, twit. We’re in your head. If you call me a twit ever again, I swear I’ll let Elisonde torture us slowly.
“William, why are you angry? Did something happen at work? At home? Talk to me, this is why you’re here.”
“You! You made me wait until nine o’clock on the dot!”
“I’m sorry, William, I had a few things to get in order before I could see you.”
“Well, I’m not okay with that! This is why I have to find a new therapist every few months! Things start out great, then they’re running late or canceling appointments. It’s unacceptable!”
“Take a deep breath. Good. Take another. Take more until you can stop yelling at me and tell me what you were so anxious to tell me.”
