Lucas sighed loudly. “Like a vampire?”
I wanted to laugh but stifled the urge.
“Can I talk to you guys alone for a minute?” Henry asked. “Tad, give us just a sec.” And with that, Henry pulled the door shut, leaving a very confused looking Tad standing on the doorstep.
“I know you’re pissed,” Henry said. “But he needs to sleep this off. We can’t just let him drive off into the night, drunk out of his mind. Yes, it’s bad, but it can get worse. What if he crashes and kills himself? Or somebody else? They’ll start investigating where he was tonight and it will lead straight back to your quaint little home. Do you want that kind of attention? Can you afford that kind of attention?”
Henry looked at Lucas imploringly, then back at me. “Rory, help me out here,” he said.
“He’s right,” I agreed. “It would be crazy to let him leave in this condition, much less force him to.”
Lucas threw up his hands in surrender. “I guess there’s really no choice when the two of you put it like that!” He opened the heavy wooden door. “Come inside,” he started to say to Tad. But Tad wasn’t there. “Well this is just fantastic. Your drunk friend – who could barely stand up a couple of minutes ago, I might add – has somehow found the energy to stumble off to God knows where.”
I squinted into the night. It was pitch black outside and was near impossible to see anything without a light. “You two stay here,” Lucas said. “Lock the door. I’ll be back as soon as I can find Tad. Sit down and don’t touch anything.” I knew what that last sentence meant. Don’t go nosing around his house or messing things up even more than we already had.
Henry and I dutifully did as instructed. After a couple of minutes, Henry turned to me. “If he wasn’t going to kill us before, he probably is now,” he said sheepishly.
“Hmm,” I said noncommittally. I got up and walked the perimeter of the room.
“What are you doing?” Henry demanded. “He told us not to mess with anything.”
“I’m not,” I assured him. “I promise you I won’t touch a thing.”
I was really thinking what a sad existence this was. And more to the point: was this what I had to look forward to as a monster? As whatever the hell I am, which is obviously not human?
A life where I didn’t age, where everyone I cared about grew old without me, where eventually I forgot the significance – or just quit caring – about owning anything personal or sentimental? It seemed so empty and depressing.
I was still mulling over my all-but-sealed fate when Lucas and Tad burst through the door. Lucas had Tad’s arm in a strong-hold and was effortlessly dragging Tad behind him. Henry had told me that Tad was a big guy, with a football player-type build, but next to Lucas he practically looked scrawny.
I had to slam my hand over my mouth to keep from bursting out laughing. The stress of everything was getting to me and I could tell I was about to get hit with a major case of the giggles; this whole scene was way more comical than it should have been.
Henry jumped up from the couch. “You okay, Tad?” he asked.
“Henry!” Tad screeched. Lucas released Tad from his grasp, and Tad half-stumbled, half-walked over to Henry and wrapped him in a bear hug. “Dude, you saved me!”
“Why don’t you come sit down?” Henry led Tad over to the couch.
“This isn’t a very big party,” Tad commented. “You only have one hot chick here.”
I snorted. “You just missed the others.” I know I shouldn’t mess with him but he’s acting like a total idiot.
“Why don’t you sit down next to me on the couch and tell the Tad-ster your name?”
Eww!
Luckily, Lucas saved me from having to come up with a response to Tad’s suggestion, tempting as it was.
“Julie is my ex girlfriend. Although I don’t share well with others, if you get my drift.”
Tad looked at Lucas dumbly. “I’m telling you, Tad,” Lucas said patiently, “that while Julie here might be my ex, I wouldn’t recommend that you try to hook up with her anytime soon.”
Tad nodded sagely. “I follow, man, and I respect. Always.” He pounded his chest once for emphasis.
But I was still stuck on Lucas’ story. Julie?! How could anyone who agreed that the name Tad was pretty much the worst name in the universe think that I could ever in a million years be named Julie? Julie was one of those names reserved for snippy blond cheerleaders with pointy noses and big doe eyes. The kind of girls who flat ironed their bleached-blond locks and talked about people behind their backs. Julie was the name for girls that were the polar opposite of me.
I was thoroughly offended. For all of his gazillion years on this planet, Lucas knew nothing at all about women.
“I’m glad we understand each other,” Lucas was saying to Tad.
“He’s really wasted,” Henry said worriedly. He turned to Tad. “I didn’t see your car outside. How in the hell did you get here? Please don’t tell me you drove.”
“Of course not!” Tad said incredulously. “Michael drove, and he and Graham went to get more beer.”
“Michael England?” I gulped.
“How do you know Mikey?” Tad looked confused.
“Uh, Julie and I go way back! I guess we all hung out together once or twice.” Henry’s voice was high pitched. “So, uh, when do you think Michael and Graham will be back?”
As if on cue, there was a loud pounding on the door.
“Oh holy hell, not again!” Lucas exclaimed.
“What’s the prob, bro?” Tad wanted to know.
Geez, is this guy always this obnoxious or does the alcohol just bring out the best in him? Oh well, at least he’s stopped hiccupping.
My annoyance at Tad was short-lived. I had bigger problems to deal with. I can’t let Michael see me!
Tad was off the couch, already trying to make his way to the door. “My friends are waiting,” he complained, stumbling. He grabbed onto the wall to steady himself. “Did I tell you they brought more beer?”
“I’m pretty sure you’ve had enough.” Lucas’ anger had subsided and now he just looked bemused, almost resigned.
Tad had regained his balance and was again en route to the door. Do something, Aurora! I commanded myself.
“I don’t feel so well!” I blurted. With a dramatic flounce, I catapulted myself towards the door leading into the hallway and escaped to the bathroom, slamming the door behind me.
Chapter 24
“Is she going to be okay?” I heard Tad ask.
“I think she’ll live,” Lucas replied dryly.
With me safely hidden out of sight, Michael and Graham were let into the house. I pressed my ear against the door, straining to hear their conversation.
“I thought there was a party here tonight?” That’s Michael speaking.
The second I heard his voice, I felt a wave of emotion wash over me. It was so overwhelming that I had to grab the edge of the sink to keep my knees from buckling. I was instantly reminded of that day at school, one of my last memories as a living, breathing human being.
I had been standing at my locker, swapping out books for 3rd period Biology class and 4th period History, when I’d felt a tug on my hair.
When I’d turned around to find myself face to face with Michael England, I’d felt my heart skip a beat. Play it cool, Aurora, I had told myself. Just breathe and don’t let him see how nervous you are. I had willed my face not to blush, another telltale sign I wasn’t calm, cool and collected.
I remember Michael had tilted his head just slightly and flashed that flirty grin.This is it! He’s going to ask me to the dance.
But Michael hadn’t asked me to the dance that day. Instead, after staring at me for what seemed like an insanely long amount of time, he’d said, “Looking good, Aurora,” flashed that I’m-sexy-and-I-know-it grin and walked away.
That night, I had called up my friend Jessica. Don’t get me wrong, Henry has always been my best friend in the entire
world, but I learned a long time ago that when it came to affairs of the heart, he was just not the go-to guy. He had an incredibly low tolerance for listening to me ramble on about who I was crushing on and obsess about whether or not those feelings were reciprocated.
But Jessica on the other hand was great for just that purpose. In fact, that was pretty much the glue of our friendship – we both liked talking about boys and were willing to give the other one honest advice.
So after Michael had almost-but-not-quite asked me out, I had naturally texted Jessica to find out if she was up for a quick powwow to help me decipher his intentions. Is he just playing with me and keeping me on the hook because he knows he has the upper hand? Will Michael England ever ask me out?
Jessica, in her usual helpful way, had offered up some advice on how I could discreetly increase my interaction with Michael at school, and she had even said she would talk to him on my behalf and try to find out if he liked me.
Some friend! I huffed. What a rotten bitch! To find out she had hooked up with Michael, like less than a week after my gruesome death, spoke volumes about the character of both of those jerks. They were obviously shallow asses, and I’d meant nothing to them when I was alive.
But somehow, it still stung. Oddly, the fact that Henry had told me they’d been dating a little over a year made me feel worse than if they’d just gone to the dance together and the relationship had crashed and burned as quickly as it had started.
If it had been some rebound fling on the heels of their beloved friend’s death, I could maybe forgive that. But when days before Michael had been flirting shamelessly with me, and Jessica had been acting like she was trying to help me get Michael’s attention? No fucking way I could forgive that. They might as well have just danced on my grave, fresh with the newly packed dirt.
All of the memories of Michael and Jessica’s betrayal tarnished the feelings that hearing his voice had stirred up. I straightened my knees and let go of the sink. I don’t need any of them. I know who my real friends are.
I could hear them talking in the living room still, but quieter now. Everyone seemed to have calmed down a little.
“I can’t believe you got it so wrong. This is the opposite of a party! No booze, no food.” That must be Graham. I didn’t know Graham personally, but I remembered Michael talking about him before. Michael played bass and Graham was the singer in their band, Afterbirth.
“You can blame Henry for that,” Tad replied. “He texted me the address. This wasn’t my fuck up.”
Nice one, Henry.
“I was confused?” Henry’s excuse sounded more like a pitiful plea, begging for his friends’ forgiveness.
Apparently it worked. “No worries, man,” I heard Michael say. And then, “By the way, where you been this week? Mrs. Dunbar’s been asking about ya.”
Huh? Henry hadn’t been in school? That was news to me.
“You’re losing it, Mike. I’ve been there the whole time.” Henry sounded funny, but I couldn’t tell if it was just the closed door muffling his voice or if something else was going on. If I could see him face-to-face, it would be so much easier to gauge whether or not he’s telling the truth. I immediately felt guilty. What has it come to? Sneaking around, suspecting my friends, not trusting anyone or anything?
I couldn’t go through life – er, my undead existence – without having a little faith, taking a chance here or there. I resolved not to question Henry about his whereabouts today. If he had blown off his classes, so what? I’d known him to do that on occasion; he probably just needed some time to clear his head.
And all this distrust was taking us down a very slippery slope. Henry’s suspicions of Lucas had turned what might have otherwise been a productive night into a comedy of errors. All we had to show for this botched evening was three people who now knew that Lucas existed and where he lived. I would bet money that Lucas had debated even giving Henry and me this information.
The guys were still talking in the kitchen, but I had mostly tuned them out, stuck in my own thoughts. It was getting really late and I also had the added extra worry of a possible blackout, although I hadn’t experienced any of the telltale signs – yet. Fingers crossed I don’t have one tonight. They weren’t nightly, but had become alarmingly frequent.
I was surprised when a moment later I heard the front door shut, then footsteps down the hallway. They stopped outside of the bathroom door.
“You can come out now,” Lucas said.
I swung the door open. Lucas looked wary. “How did you get rid of them?” I asked.
“There wasn’t much incentive to stay. You heard the guy. No food, no booze. When they realized no women were showing up either, they practically tripped over each other trying to get out as fast as possible.”
We walked back into the living room. Henry was sitting on the couch. “Really, really, sorry about all of that,” he said in a muffled voice, head buried in his hands.
“It’s okay,” Lucas replied. I was surprised he was being so forgiving. It wasn’t like him.
Henry looked up at us, also taken aback that the menacing vampire was giving him a break. He had dark circles under his brown eyes and his forehead was wrinkled with lines of worry and exhaustion. “You aren’t mad? But what if they tell someone?” he asked.
“There’s no crime for living in the country,” Lucas said. “Honestly, there’s nothing to tell. I’d rather people not know where I live because I’m a private person. And I don’t like babysitting drunk idiots. But past that, it’s not a big deal.”
“I don’t suppose you want to finish what you started earlier?” Henry wondered.
“You guys look like you could do with some rest first.”
I started to protest and tell Lucas I wasn’t tired in the least, but he gave me a sideways look and I knew the suggestion hadn’t been for my sake. That’s sweet that he’s worried about Henry.
“I’m fine,” Henry tried to assert.
“You’re a guest in my house; I insist. One of you can sleep on the fold out couch and one of you in the bedroom.”
“You take the bedroom,” I said quickly.
“Aren’t you tired? I’m sure you’ll sleep better in the back of the house.”
All this time and you still haven’t figured out that I don’t need to sleep, I just have crazy blackouts! God, men can be so clueless!
“I’m good,” I said breezily. I faked an exaggerated yawn. “I’d rather stay out here and watch some TV anyway before I doze off.”
“Okay.” Henry looked relieved. He trudged off to Lucas’ bedroom.
“Poor guy,” Lucas commented when he was out of earshot.
I snickered. “He looks totally beat. This night has been unreal.”
Lucas nodded but didn’t respond. He sat down next to me on the couch. If I stretched my leg a little our knees would touch.
We sat in silence for a minute until I spoke again. “Thanks for not being mad at him.”
“I meant what I said,” Lucas replied. He paused, looking perplexed.
“What are you thinking?” I asked him.
Lucas sighed deeply. “I was just contemplating my work for the agency. When I took the job, it wasn’t for a true desire to protect mankind. I did so many bad things, for such a long time. You have no idea, Aurora.” Lucas looked at me and raked his hand through his thick mane of black hair.
“I, I..” Lucas’ voice trailed off. I’ve never see him at a loss for words before.
“Go on,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
“It’s difficult to explain. At first, I didn’t give a shit about the people I was protecting. I just had so much self-loathing for the things that I had done, and I had to find a way to stop myself from ever doing those things again.”
“So when the opportunity came up to work for the agency, it seemed like a perfect fit. It got me off the streets, and I could begin to repay my debt to society. I knew I could never truly erase my sins, but devoting eter
nity to protecting the human race from monsters like me seemed like a good place to start.”
“It was also a way to punish myself, if that makes any sense,” Lucas explained.
“I don’t understand. What do you mean?” I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Lucas.
“Before my job with the agency, I was living off the grid. As long as I covered my tracks and never overstayed my welcome, I was invincible. I was just some mysterious creature, doing as I pleased, never caring about or even aware of the consequences of my actions.”
“What changed?” I asked nervously.
Lucas looked at me; his eyes almost looked black in the dim light. I shivered involuntarily. “Are you cold?” he asked, noticing my reaction.
I didn’t want to tell him the truth; I wasn’t cold. I was terrified. So I just bit my lip and nodded.
Without speaking, Lucas got up and walked quietly back into the bedroom, where Henry was already snoring softly. Lucas emerged a few moments later with a small blanket. “Here,” he said, draping it around my shoulders.
Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! He was so close to me now.
Aloud I said, “You were just about to tell me what changed you.”
Lucas chuckled. “Ah, I was hoping you’d forget that. Let’s just say I’m really old and jaded and you’re not, and it’s best if we keep it that way.” I could tell Lucas was trying to keep it light. I knew vampires sucked blood. What the hell else could he have done that was so horrible? My mind could have raced through possibilities all night but Lucas was talking again. I returned my full attention to him, riveted.
“As I was saying,” Lucas continued, “my work with the agency was less than fulfilling – at first. It was a chore, a way to keep myself in check, a way to keep one more monster off the streets. I knew I couldn’t revert to my old habits because now I was on the grid. I would be accountable. They would hunt me down and kill me, if I slipped up even once.”
“And that’s how it’s been for a very long time, although I can still remember the beginning like it was yesterday. It was hard at first – fucking excruciating. The synthetic blood…it’s nothing like the real thing.” Lucas inhaled sharply.
Living Dead Girl (Vampire Hunter Book 1) Page 9
