8/4/2021 0 Comments Chapter TenMonday June 26, 2017TW: SEXUAL ASSAULT Shit shit shit shit shit!
Lilith was beyond stressed, even though she’d tried to hide it as she waited for her chance to talk to Ryker. Not only was the thought of talking to her high school crush at a strip club nerve-wracking enough, but she had a serious case of guilt weighing on her mind as well. About three years ago, on an October night, she’d been out drinking with Venus and some friends at a bar. Eventually, she’d had enough in her system to feel like flirting with strangers. She’d picked out a handsome guy sitting by himself and put the moves on him. By the end of the night, he’d come back to her place for some real fun. She’d been very thankful her parents were at some archaeological dig or another at the time; Lilith was many things, but quiet in bed was not one of them. Things had gone pretty well at first, but then his mouth headed down south, and that’s when the guy had accidentally pricked her thigh with his fangs. One short verbal freak out later, the guy had admitted he was a vampire, and she had admitted she was even more down to fuck than ever. The ensuing sex was easily in her top ten flings of all time, and she’d boasted about banging a vampire to her sister, to Jason, and even attempted to tell her story on the Tales from Rhine City podcast. All this was stressing her out because said vampire she had done practically every conceivable position with that night was Eric, the guy who was now dating her best friend. Under normal circumstances, she probably wouldn’t have been too bothered. It was no one else’s business who she’d slept with. But this felt different. She could tell how Aiden was head-over-heels for this guy—he had basically told her so himself last night. Ever since he’d introduced Eric to her, she’d had an incredibly uneasy feeling that just wouldn’t go away. Literally none of this was any help at all to her nerves, especially as she lingered outside the employees only door, hoping to catch Ryker as he left for the night. Eventually, he walked out looking much more comfortable in a plain dark grey t-shirt and a pair of jean shorts as opposed to the fishnet tank top and very tight black briefs he wore during his shift. He had a maroon backpack slung over his shoulder and despite the energy he’d had while he was working, he looked utterly exhausted. Deep breath, Lilith. You’ve got this. Mustering up all her courage, she stepped forward towards him and let out a drawn-out, “Heyyyyyyyyyy.” Real smooth, moron. Ryker paused and looked surprised, almost like he didn’t expect anyone to talk to him, but almost immediately he smiled. “Hi,” he replied in a deliciously deep voice. Okay, maybe I haven’t fucked this up totally! “Uh, so, this is gonna sound wicked weird, but, uh, do you remember me at all?” He frowned and appeared to be thinking. After a few awkward seconds, he shrugged and looked apologetic. “No, no, no! Don’t worry!” she exclaimed, waving her hands about. “It’s been, uh, a long-ass time, you know? Like what, seven years or something? Uh, it’s… Lilith. Lilith Crowley. We went to high school together.” He smiled again as recognition crossed his face. “Chemistry?” Her face lit up. “Yeah! Chemistry!” He nodded, then pointed at the top of her head. “It’s different. I like it.” “Oh, haha, the hair?” She ran her hand through it nervously. “Yeah, pretty cool, huh? I like… I like your hair. It’s so long and nice, longer than it used to be.” As lame as that was, she really wanted to veer away from talking about why she now had white hair. That would almost certainly kill the mood entirely. He smiled again. “My mom said it was important to her culture. I didn’t want to cut it.” “Well, your mom’s a smart lady!” Lilith gave a thumbs up. Her nerves were still in maximum overdrive, but things seemed to be going well so far. “She was, yeah.” His smile faded slightly, and she immediately picked up on what he didn’t say. Wow, way to go. “Shit, Ryker, I’m so sorry…” He shrugged. “It’s okay. It was a few years ago.” I think this is more than I’ve ever heard him speak in my life, Lilith thought. “Well, still. I’m sorry if I brought up bad memories. That’s not what I came here for at all. I, uh, didn’t come to watch you perform either. Not that you were bad! You were great! I just, well, that’s secondary, you know?” He looked completely confused, and she slapped her face in frustration. “I just wanted to say hi, you know? And, uh, maybe see if you’re busy…” she mumbled through her hand. “Like if you wanna grab a coffee sometime or something…” His smile returned. “Coffee is nice.” Lilith perked up at this. “What days work best for you?” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and glanced at the screen briefly before hesitantly asking, “Now?” “Now?” she exclaimed. Would she even be able to find a place that was open? Well, I’m sure as shit gonna fucking try! “Sure, now works!” He looked past her curiously. “What about your friends?” Shit! “Ok, uh, do you mind if I take them home first? They’re really only here for me; I can get them back quick. Or I guess I can meet you at… a place? Where do you like to get coffee at this time of night?” He shrugged. “I don’t get out much.” “Well, I can change that,” Lilith smiled. “Er, if you want, I mean.” With a small, mysterious grin, he said, “Maybe.” She smiled back when suddenly an idea came over her. “Hey, you know Chastity, right?” He nodded. “Well, hey, she’s dating my sister, so maybe those two could come with us this time. That way if I weird you out, my sister can kick my ass, and Chastity can get you out of there. How’s that?” He laughed and nodded again. “Okay.” Then he lifted a dark eyebrow. “A… date?” “Do you want to call it that?” Lilith asked, feeling uncharacteristically shy. “Is it?” he countered, seemingly interested. “Uh… Yes. It sure is,” she stated, her confidence swelling as things went better than she had anticipated. With a nod, he simply answered, “Okay.” Yes! “Alright, uh, go find Chastity and tell her to wait with you. I’ll be back in like ten, fifteen minutes max, alright?” He nodded and gave her a thumbs up. She gave him a thumbs up back, then hurried to the area where Ryker had been performing where she’d left Aiden and Eric. They were still sitting on the couch, so she excitedly announced, “Uh, hey guys! I got the date!” To her surprise, Aiden, who she thought was simply resting his head on Eric’s shoulder, was actually asleep. “I think this one needs to get home,” Eric said softly. Lilith sighed. “Yeah, that’s why I’m here. I’m running you two home first.” Eric nodded and gently nudged Aiden. “Sweetie, time to go, come on. We don’t want to keep your friend too long.” Aiden groaned, but reluctantly lifted his head. “Oh, did she ask him?” he yawned, his voice sounding groggy. “I sure did! And he said yes! But boy, was I fucking awkward!” With a tired smile, Aiden said, “I’m proud of you. I knew you could do it.” “Well I’m glad someone did because I sure as shit didn’t,” Lilith laughed. “It worked, didn’t it?” He yawned again and stood up. “Time to go?” “Yeah! But let’s drop Eric off first, then I can drop you off on my way back here.” “You’re coming back?” “Yeah, Ryker, my sister, Chastity, and I are gonna grab coffee together. I just gotta figure out where…” She snapped her fingers. “Right! Brightside’s is always open!” The two stood up, and soon they were all out the door and in Lilith’s car, driving down the street. Lilith did her best to focus, driving as fast as she could as she didn’t want to keep Ryker waiting, but the situation with Eric was weighing heavily on her mind once more. The two looked so happy, cuddled up in the back seat together. Was telling Aiden the truth going to ruin his new relationship? Would he hate her? She dropped Eric off at the rear of Hawthorne Manor, her car’s headlights illuminating the rickety old fence surrounding the sad excuse for a backyard as they watched him go inside. Once the back door was shut, she zoomed off to Aiden’s house where she stopped right out front. Her hands were on the steering wheel with a vice grip, and she felt cold and clammy. There was no doubt in her mind: She had to say something. “I’m really glad it went well tonight,” Aiden said quietly from the backseat. “I know things will go well on your… Um, well, is it a date?” Lilith nodded slowly. She was honestly afraid to open her mouth yet. “I know it probably sounds… well, like awful advice, but just be yourself.” “Thanks,” she croaked out. She was starting to feel sick. “You’ve got this. I believe in you.” He gave her a sleepy, confident smile in the rear-view mirror. “Aiden,” she whispered as the nausea increased tenfold, “will you… excuse me for a second?” His smile changed to a confused frown. “If you need a minute, I can go inside. It’s okay.” “No, no. This… will just… take a second.” Before Aiden could reply, she flung open her car door and with a violent retch, she vomited. The buildup of anxiety in her all night made it all the more painful, and she could feel the tears stinging her eyes as she gagged up the last of it. She heard the back car door open, and Aiden was by her side a second later. “Do you need water?” She nodded. “Trunk.” She reached into the front seat and fumbled about, eventually hitting the button to pop the trunk open. She heard his footsteps on the pavement as he went to fetch a water bottle. A short moment later, the trunk slammed shut, and he returned with a room temperature plastic bottle in his hand. “Here. Do you need… uh, a mint or… anything like that?” She shook her head as she guzzled the water. “No,” she finally gasped, “but I need to tell you something, and you’re gonna hate me.” He looked completely confused. “Why?” She looked up at Aiden, her vision still blurry from the tears. “You know how I told you I banged a vampire a couple of years ago?” She saw him nod, but she couldn’t make out his facial expression. “Well… It… It was your boyfriend. He’s the vampire.” “You… and Eric?” She just nodded miserably. She had no idea what else she could even say at this point. Burying her face in her hands, she whimpered, “I didn’t know, man. I didn’t know who he was until I saw him tonight. We never exchanged names or anything… Of all the fucking vampires in that coven, why…? I feel so fucking guilty, dude, I’ve wanted to puke all night on top of the anxiety of talking to Ryker, and it’s… It’s just, I don’t…” She trailed off, her train of thought violently derailing. This whole situation was just insane and confusing. Aiden was quiet as he stood beside her, which only made her feel worse. “You want me to go?” she eventually muttered, trying to break this awkward silence before she got sick again. “I don’t know,” he answered in a near-whisper. “Do you hate me?” “No.” She looked up at him, blinking away the tears. “Are you sure?” He hesitated before nodding. “Yeah.” Cautious relief washed over her. “Well… Good. I guess maybe I’ll stop crying by the time I get back to the Den, then?” she laughed weakly. “You… don’t have feelings for him, do you?” “Dude, I just fucking spent this whole night stressing out over Ryker. You really think I want to steal your boyfriend?” She shook her head. “Besides, you should see how Eric looks at you, dude. Even if I did have feelings for him, I wouldn’t have a snowball’s chance in Hell.” Aiden nodded slowly. “Okay.” His expression was unreadable. He at least seemed to mean what he said about not hating her as he extended a hand to help her up. “Thanks,” she mumbled as she grabbed his hand. “Thank you for telling me.” He sighed and pulled her to her feet. “I shouldn’t have had to hear it from you. But thank you.” She didn’t really know how to reply to this (a running theme that night), so she simply nodded. “I really hope I didn’t fuck things up.” “You didn’t,” he promised. “I should go in.” He gave her a small smile, one that was most definitely forced. “Don’t keep him waiting, okay?” “Y-Yeah, you’re right… Get some sleep, dude.” The uneasy feeling was still there as she said her goodbyes and pulled away. She knew coming clean was the right thing, but she had a bad feeling that wouldn’t go away. Still, she had a date to go on. She breathed deeply as she sped back to Ryker to calm her nerves. By the time she’d returned to the Den’s parking lot, she felt somewhat normal again. She was incredibly relieved to see Ryker waiting patiently, leaning against the side of the building. Lilith rolled down her window and leaned out of it. “Hey there, need a lift?” He smiled and headed towards her car, sliding into the front seat. “Chastity needed to go home. They’ll meet us there.” “Aww, I hope the girl’s ok. She’s a sweetheart.” He shrugged before setting his backpack on the floor by his feet. “She wanted to change. I don’t blame her.” He grimaced, but said nothing more. She picked up on what was unsaid. “Don’t much like the job, huh?” she asked apologetically. “No,” he quietly admitted, fastening his seat belt. “Mind if I ask why you’re still there, then?” she questioned as she pulled out and drove off. He shrugged again. “Money.” “Fuck, you can get money anywhere and in places with way less cum stains.” He shook his head. “Not like this.” She decided not to press further, but she did make a mental note for later. “Well, let’s talk about something more pleasant! What’ve you been up to since school? Aside from, y’know, the Den?” Sheepishly, he answered, “Painting.” “Oh shit! You paint?” He nodded again. “Well,” she continued, “I bet you’re really good at it.” “Maybe,” he quietly replied. “I don’t sell much.” ”You should talk to my parents, they love buying art from independent artists,” Lilith laughed. “My mom would clear out art fairs if she could.” Ryker was quiet for a long moment before softly saying, “Maybe I will.” “I’ll let you know when they’re back in town. They’re off on some big archaeological thing in Mexico right now,” Lilith explained. “Impressive.” She couldn’t see his facial reaction, but his voice sounded surprised. Lilith smiled proudly. “They told me they might have stumbled upon statues of strange, unknown deities. The first one they found is a chick with a horn.” “Do they take pictures?” “Yeah! They sent us a few! I’d show you, but I don’t use my phone while driving.” He laughed gently. “It’s okay.” The conversation continued on with pleasant small talk until they arrived at Brightside’s. Lilith scanned the parking lot, but didn’t see Lady anywhere. “Guess my sister isn’t here yet.” “Should we wait?” “If you want. We can just talk. We do have, what, seven years of catching up to do, right?” “Sounds right,” he chuckled. They continued talking while they waited for Venus and Chastity to arrive, mostly reminiscing about the memorable parts of high school. Lilith found a lot of her anxieties melting away as she shared stories with Ryker, but there was still a lingering fear in the back of her mind she couldn’t shake. Had she ruined Aiden’s relationship tonight? Had she driven a rift between the two men? She couldn’t do anything about it now; she could only hope things would turn out okay in the end. ****** Lady’s engine roared as Venus sped through the city streets to Chastity’s apartment. Sitting on the back with her arms wrapped around her girlfriend’s middle and her hair flying all around her face, Chastity tried to keep her cool. Now that she wasn’t working anymore, she could feel everything she’d suppressed all night threatening to spill out. Thankfully, they arrived quite quickly to the apartment complex. Venus parked and cut Lady’s engine, and the two slipped off of the bike. Chastity pulled off her helmet and handed it to Venus. “Will you come up with me?” “Do you even have to ask?” Venus playfully retorted. “Don’t get any ideas,” she warned with a weak smile. They walked through the parking lot to the back where Chastity unlocked the door. She could hear a few TVs playing in various apartments and at least one baby crying as they walked up the stairs. She’d always heard her neighbors before thanks to the thin walls separating the apartments, but now it was worse. Still, she loved her third floor home. It was cozy, and she’d made it her own little place. She led Venus down the hallway to her door. The old, rusting numbers, likely once a beautiful gold, announced they had reached apartment 312. Chastity unlocked the door and opened it. The comforting scent of her blueberry pie diffuser greeted her upon entering. Unfortunately, it did very little to ease the conflicted emotions she was feeling. “Ok girl, so I’m trying my best to keep up my usual persona, but now that we’re in private…” Venus’s face turned serious. “What’s eating at you? Talk to me.” She shook her head before tossing her keys on the couch and locking her door. Then she gently grabbed Venus’s hand and led her down the short hallway to her bedroom. She knew she could have told her in the living room, but something about her bedroom had always made her feel safer. She waited until they were inside to let go of her girlfriend’s hand, sliding off her backpack and setting it down next to her dresser. She sat down on the edge of her bed with a sigh and ran a hand through her hair. “Some stuff happened tonight.” “What stuff? Remy being a creep as usual?” “Well… Yeah, but… E showed up. And she wants me to join her coven.” “So, uh… What’s her coven like? Cuz, you know, Victoria seemed like a sweet lady. And Lily’s friend seemed to like them.” “I don’t know. But what I do know is I’m so confused. Victoria said E is dangerous, right? But E says Dracula wants to kill her.” She sighed and threw her arms into the air in frustration. “I don’t know what to believe!” Venus put her index finger against her cheek and looked like she was thinking very hard. “So, like… why is Dracula trying to kill her?” “I… don’t really know. But I don’t feel like asking either Victoria or E because… I don’t know if I’ll get a straight answer. Or a truthful one. And I don’t know what to do.” She flopped backwards on her bed and sighed. “But she seemed really mad when I told her I joined Dracula’s coven…” “Okay, let me ask this… If you want to trust E so much, why aren’t you saying her name?” “I… I don’t know… Because Victoria said not to? And Rika said something bad happened when I did?” “Doesn’t that tell you something?” “I don’t know,” she admitted. “What if she isn’t actually bad? Or maybe she is. How am I supposed to know?” Frustrated, she sat up again. “Look, I’m running out of questions to ask, so maybe—“ Venus’s face lit up. “Wait! That hippy dude from the manor, Norman or whatever. You know him right?” Chastity sat up again and nodded nervously. She knew this had been coming, but she still didn’t feel ready to talk about it. “Do you think he’s a good guy? How much do you trust him?” Chastity took a deep breath and very quietly replied, “Enough to raise my children.” Venus went quiet, the excitement draining from her face. “Oh… Well… That explains your reaction yesterday…” “Yeah. I’m… I’m sorry I didn’t tell you then. It was just too much at once to handle.” Venus rushed forward and practically smothered her with a hug. “Babe, it’s ok. You’re not required to tell me every dirty detail of your life.” Chastity hugged her back, feeling both safe and warm in her girlfriend’s embrace. She trusted Venus completely. “I know. But I want to. If anyone else in the world is going to know about this, then I want that person to be you.” Venus leaned her chin against the top of Chastity’s head and laughed softly. “Hey, you know what this means, right?” She frowned. “No, what does it mean?” “It means you’re a MILF!” Venus teased. Chastity burst out laughing. “Oh my God, stop! I don't think it even counts since I gave them up.” “It totally does! You still gave birth to them, so you’re technically a mom!” Venus kissed the top of her head. “I’m glad you’re laughing, though. I know things are shitty, but the fact you can still have a laugh is good.” “You make me laugh, babe.” Quite honestly, she still felt like crap, but having Venus by her side made it easier. “But, um… Yeah, that’s kinda why I freaked out when I saw him yesterday. He and his wife took me in after my boyfriend kicked me out and dumped me, and they adopted my twins. Well… I guess they’re not really mine.” She sighed. “I wanted to keep them… but I couldn’t.” Venus squeezed her. “That fucking blows. I’m so, so sorry you had to go through that.” “I mean, on the bright side, that nice couple has kids now, and I realized how much of an asshole my ex is. So it’s not all bad, right?” “There has to be an easier way to do that. One that avoids all this traumatic stuff.” She sighed. “I should’ve worn protection. I knew that, and I let him convince me anyway that it was better without. I was so naive and stupid.” “Babe, don’t blame yourself because he’s a douchebag.” “But it never would’ve happened if I hadn’t agreed to it.” “That doesn’t mean you’re at fault!” “Aren’t I?” She pulled away from Venus’s embrace to stare into her green eyes. “I ran away and moved in with him. I had delusions about being a happy, perfect family. Isn’t it my fault, too?” Venus shook her head. “When you’re in a situation where you’re vulnerable like that, and someone takes advantage of that vulnerability, it’s not fair to blame yourself.” Chastity knew she was right. No matter how much she told herself it was her fault, Leonard had, in fact, taken advantage of her. “What would I ever do without you?” she smiled. “God, I don’t even know,” Venus laughed. “Date men?” “If I even found one I was interested in enough for that.” She reached forward to kiss Venus’s cheek. “I guess we should get ready to go, huh?” “Yeah, let’s not keep the lovebirds waiting too long!” She rolled her eyes in a good-natured manner and stood up. “I guess I’ll worry about all that coven stuff when we go to the library. But I definitely need to treat myself to some fried potatoes after a night like tonight.” And that’s when she remembered the other part that she’d yet to tell Venus. She could feel a darkened frown set heavily on her face. “Oh, there’s… one other thing.” “What is it, babe?” “I found out some more shit Remy’s been doing, like stealing some of our tips, doing the same thing to Morag he did to me, and…” She swallowed hard. “…putting cameras in the locker room. The women’s locker room.” “Chastity,” Venus began, her voice slow and unnervingly calm, “you are going to tell Morag about this so she can handle it, or I am going to murder Remy with my bare hands. Okay? I’m not kidding.” She nodded. “I will. I promise. I’ll tell her everything about him I know.” Venus let out a relieved sigh. “Good, okay. Take her out and tell her tomorrow or something. I’m not one to give ultimatums but, fuck. This guy is fucking depraved.” She nodded again. “When did it get this bad? Was he always like this? Was I just stupid and blind to it all?” “Who knows? This city brings out the worst in some people and the best in others.” “I hate it here. But I love it here too.” She shrugged with a small smile. “That makes no sense, does it?” “Does anything make sense lately?” Venus laughed. “I guess not really once you think about it. This is all probably some really weird dream I’m going to end up waking up from eventually.” She moved towards her closet. She’d already changed after her shift, but since her excuse for going home was that she wanted different clothes she supposed it would look less suspicious if she changed out of the pastel blue tank top she’d left work in. “This better not be a dream, I don’t wanna be single!” Venus whined. Chastity shot her a sultry smile and purred, “If it is, I know exactly where to find you when I wake up.” Venus shivered. “Babe, please, do that when we have like an hour to spare cuz that’s not helping right now.” “What, you mean tease you?” she giggled. “Yeah, I like being teased,” Venus huffed. “So there, there’s your new bit of trivia about me for the day. Don’t tell my fans.” “You’re giving me too much power, you know,” she warned her as she opened her closet door. “Mmm… What to wear?” “Clothes?” Venus joked. A lightbulb popped up over her head and lit up. She turned around and made direct eye contact with the redhead as she pulled off her shirt. “Or I could wear nothing.” “You could,” Venus admitted, her face nearly as red as her hair. She tilted her head to the right and lifted a brow. “Or maybe… I could wear a really short skirt and ‘accidentally’ forget to wear anything underneath.” “You trying to give me a nosebleed or something?” Venus mumbled. “What? I thought you liked it?” Chastity pouted, barely holding back her amused laughter. “I do!” she protested. “I never should have said I liked to be teased, ugh.” Chastity skipped across her room to where she’d left her girlfriend and gave her a quick, firm kiss. “I’m sorry, babe, I couldn’t resist.” “You’re lucky you’re so fucking cute,” Venus grumbled. She finally let out the laughter she’d been holding in. “I’ll wear something normal, I promise. Then, maybe, when we get back…” She trailed off and lifted a brow suggestively. Venus whispered, “Maybe you can have a drink?” “No promises… but maybe.” She gave her a quick kiss again before returning to the closet. “But first, we need to support your sister like we promised.” No matter how miserable her night had been, she’d given Lilith her word that she’d support her. She rather liked Venus’s sister, so she fully intended on helping make her first date with Ryker go as well as possible. Maybe my night will end on a good note, she thought, trying to be positive. At the very least, she was pretty sure she’d be drifting off to sleep later in the arms of a very attractive redhead, and that alone was enough to put a smile on her face. ****** Aiden knew he needed to sleep, but his brain was too active, likely thanks to what Lilith had told him when she dropped him off at home. Even though he was beyond exhausted and wanted to sleep, he knew it wasn’t an option until he talked to Eric. The second he was in his bedroom, he kicked off his shoes and collapsed onto his bed, his pillow cushioning his head. He couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that Eric and Lilith had hooked up once. He knew it was in the past, and it shouldn’t matter. Eric had told him about his past, and Aiden had understood, but this was different. Lilith was his best friend. And even though he knew she wasn’t the kind of person to prey on someone’s significant other, it bothered him that Eric hadn’t told him. Why did Aiden have to hear it from Lilith? Why hadn’t his boyfriend just told him the truth at any point when they were alone together? But that wasn’t the only reason why this bothered him. Aiden also felt incredibly insecure. He knew he wasn’t good enough for Eric. He couldn’t give him something like that right now even if he wanted to, and this harsh reminder made him feel even more self-conscious. But how was he supposed to explain that to Eric? He hated talking about his situation as it was; how was he going to find the nerve to bring this up? With a sigh, he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He needed to try to resolve this, and the best way to do so was to talk to Eric about it. He nervously typed out a message and sent it to him. “Why didn’t you tell me about you and Lilith?” As usual, Eric texted him back quickly. “What exactly do you mean?” “I know you slept together. Why didn’t you just tell me?” He felt sick. This wasn’t really happening, right? This was all a bad dream, and he was still back at the Den sleeping on Eric’s lap. As he watched the screen, his stomach churned uncomfortably. Eric saw his text, but it took a minute before he sent a reply. “1. This happened three years ago. 2. I have absolutely no interest in her, I’m only interested in you. 3. When exactly would have been a good time to say something? And 4. Am I required to submit my sexual history to you? It’s no one else’s business but mine.” Aiden felt like he’d been slapped. He stared at the screen reading and rereading his words until they morphed into a mess of black text. Why was Eric being so defensive? Did Aiden do something wrong? He had no idea how to answer, so he set his phone down beside him on the bed and rolled onto his side. He laid his head down on the pillow, curled into a small ball, and let himself cry. As much as he didn’t want to, he knew it did no good to hold it in. That was a lesson he’d learned long ago. Eventually, he heard his phone vibrate again. He inhaled slowly a few times to calm himself before he reluctantly grabbed it to read Eric’s latest message. “Sweetie. I promise you that I’m only interested in you. I wouldn’t even think about trying to get with her.” “That’s not the point. Why weren’t you just honest with me? She shouldn’t have been the one to tell me.” “Why does it matter? Why do you need to know who I’ve had sex with?” “I don’t. But this is different.” He felt frustrated. Why didn’t Eric understand? Was it because they weren’t in person? His boyfriend was so good at deciphering what Aiden often struggled to say. Maybe this wasn’t a conversation to have over texting. Damnit, he grumbled silently. Too late for that now... “Maybe. But believe it or not I’m not really comfortable talking about my sex life.” Aiden swallowed back fresh pain before replying. The last thing he wanted to do was lash out at Eric. “So you’re just not going to be honest with me.” He knew that was the wrong thing to say almost as soon as he’d sent the message, but it was too late. Eric had already seen it. Aiden was so tired, and he wasn’t thinking rationally. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to ruin everything. His guilt ate at him as he stared at his screen, waiting for a reply. How long would it take? Would Eric ever answer? What if Aiden had messed everything up with that last message? The sheer thought of it brought new tears to his eyes. He had no idea what he was doing. Finally, a text bubble popped up, indicating Eric was typing a message. Aiden held his breath nervously until it was sent. “What, exactly, wasn’t I honest about? You didn’t ask. I’m not just going to announce to you every person I’ve slept with if we happen to run into them, even if they’re your friend.” His confusion increased tenfold. What was going on? Why was Eric acting like this? It seemed so unlike him that for a short moment, Aiden wondered if someone else had taken his phone to reply in his place. How was he supposed to handle this? What was he supposed to do? I wish you were here right now, Andi, he thought miserably. Even if she would be as clueless as he was about how to fix the mess he’d gotten himself in, she’d be supportive and would try to make him feel better. Unfortunately, his twin sister had been dead for eight years. Aiden had become comfortable with a life without her over time, but no matter how long it had been, there were moments where he wished she was still alive. This, it seemed, was one of them. Andrea Edley was only twelve years old when she was caught in the middle of a gang fight right in front of their house. The two siblings had been outside riding on their bikes. Andrea, or Andi (Aiden’s nickname for her), had been more of a daredevil than he’d been. Their mom had often warned them to be careful and to not ride in the street. Andi hadn’t listened and had done it anyway. “You’re such a scaredy cat!” she’d teased him when he'd refused to follow her lead. But on that day, neither one of them could have predicted what would happen. Aiden had been riding up and down the sidewalk, as usual, and Andi had been riding back and forth between their side and the opposite side of the street. Everything had seemed normal until two male teenagers had started running frantically down the street in their direction. They had been chased by a group of five or six men who had been shouting profanities and threats at them. Neither of the twins had seen anything like it before and had both stopped their bikes to stare curiously. Then things escalated. One of the men had pulled out a gun and had started firing it at the teenagers. Panicked, Aiden had shouted at Andi to flee as she had been on the other side of the street. He’d never been able to determine if she hadn’t heard him or if she’d been too afraid. If she’d moved faster, maybe one of the bullets that had misfired wouldn’t have hit his sister’s chest. Time had slowed as he’d watched his sister. Her eyes had grown wide in fear as she’d fallen over on the sidewalk, her bike toppling on top of her. Startled, the men had stopped and stared in disbelief, but Aiden had hardly noticed. He’d hopped off of his bike and had thrown it to the ground as he’d immediately dashed across the street. Blood had already soaked through her white Rhine City Junior High t-shirt. Her face had quickly paled, and it had been obvious she’d been in a tremendous amount of pain. The rest of that day was hazy in his mind. He remembered his mother had screamed from the front doorstep of their house. He remembered she’d rushed across the street and begged the 911 operator on her cell phone to send someone to save her baby. He remembered the glassy look in Andi’s eyes when she’d taken her last breath. He remembered the paramedics had desperately tried to save her, but ultimately they’d told Aiden and his mom it was too late. Sitting by himself in his bedroom and revisiting the horrid memories of that day brought pained tears to his eyes. It didn’t matter how much time passed or how many days had gone by without thinking about her. Remembering that day always brought back the same sorrow his mom couldn’t overcome. What would you tell me to do, Andi? he thought miserably. Would she tell him to give up? Or would she tell him to try to make Eric understand? Aiden ached for his sister’s help. He needed her more than ever, but he was completely alone, and that made him hurt just as badly. He couldn’t text Lilith for multiple reasons, and he had no other friends to go to. Unfortunately, the only person he could rely on at that moment was himself. His phone vibrated again, pulling him out of his memories and back to the situation at hand. “Sweetie. Please. I don’t want this to be a fight.” He didn’t want it to be one either, but he didn’t know what to do. He was upset, and he’d learned from the old, cheesy romantic comedies his mom watched on television that lying and pretending like everything would be okay would only make things worse. With a small sigh, he slowly typed out a reply. “I don’t understand why you didn’t just tell me.” “Because it’s NOT your business. I’m willing to share so much with you. I’ve told you the hardest thing I could tell anyone already. But I do NOT want to talk about who I’ve slept with. I’m not doing this again. It’s not anyone’s business but mine.” He slowly inhaled and closed his eyes. They were going around in circles, and nothing was being accomplished. Maybe it would have been better to do this in person, but now it was too late. He couldn’t rewind time like Rika could. He’d already messed up, and the lack of sleep was only making things worse. Talking to Eric right now wasn’t going to fix anything. He needed to figure things out on his own. As much as it killed him inside, his next message said, “I need some time alone right now.” Eric’s answer only made his pain worse. It was the first reply in the entire conversation that sounded like him. “Alright. Take all the time you need. I’ll wait for you no matter how long.” Frustrated, fatigued, and distressed, Aiden threw his phone back onto his bed and laid down again. He didn’t want to do this, but he felt like he had no other choice. He needed a break from Eric until he could figure out how he wanted to handle this. He wanted to spend time thinking about the next best step, but he must have fallen asleep because the next thing he remembered was his mom’s voice calling for him from her bedroom. Feeling groggy, he climbed out of bed. Despite his exhaustion, he helped his mom get ready for the day, picking out fresh clothes and guiding her downstairs to the living room. He made her a simple breakfast, helped her get set up on the couch with her food, turned on the television, and trudged back to his bedroom where he collapsed back into bed. Thankfully, his mom didn’t say much about his moodiness which likely would have only made him feel worse. He quickly fell asleep again, though for how long, he wasn’t sure. He was eventually awoken again by a noise that sounded like a repetitive heavy, short humming. Disoriented, he opened his eyes and tried to figure out what it was. Eventually, he realized it was his phone, which he’d abandoned hours ago on his bed. Groggy and barely awake, he grabbed it and glanced at the screen. An unknown number had called him several times repeatedly. “What the…?” Who was trying desperately to get ahold of him? Maybe Lilith had gotten a new phone number? He debated calling the number back, but the decision was made for him when it popped up on the screen again as a new incoming call, his phone vibrating obediently in his hand. Nervously, he answered it and held his phone to his ear. “Hello?” “Was starting to think your phone might be busted, boyo,” came the soft Irish lilt of Eric’s friend, Prim. “Or that you might not want to talk to me. Fair enough, I suppose.” Maybe it was the lack of sleep or the fact that he’d just woken up, but he was beyond confused. “Prim? How’d you get my number?” “Would you believe it was as easy as stealing it out of Eric’s phone?” she laughed. “Oh. Right.” He rubbed his right eye with his free hand. “Um, why are you calling me?” “Well, I was wondering if you were busy today. I figure, you’re dating Eric, might as well get to know you. So did you want to hang out, or are you off with him today?” Aiden was very quiet for a moment, the anguish he’d felt hours ago returning as he remembered the previous night’s events. When he finally replied, his voice was soft and pained. “Um, no, I’m… I’m not really doing anything today.” “Meet me at Rhine Park in about half an hour, then! We’ll have fun, promise.” “I… I don’t know if I’m…” He trailed off and sighed. “Look, I… really appreciate the offer, but… Eric and I… I don’t… I don’t know if…” He swallowed hard and fought the urge to start crying again. “Oh, fuck’s sake, did he do something? No wonder he’s giving Ol’ Ronnie so many holes… You meet me at the park, okay? You definitely need some fun.” Though he knew he needed more sleep, especially if he was ever going to try and figure out whether his relationship would be saved or not, he supposed it would be better not to mope around all day. That wouldn’t accomplish anything whatsoever. Maybe, with any luck, Prim could report back to Eric how upset he was, and his boyfriend would finally understand. With another sigh, he said, “Okay. I’ll be there soon.” “Good! I’ll put on something a bit more modest than the other night, aye? See you soon, boyo.” With that, she hung up. Despite his exhaustion, he pulled himself out of bed and got ready to leave. It took him about fifteen minutes to shower, brush his hair and his teeth, and get dressed, then another five minutes to get lunch ready for his mom as he’d discovered it was nearly noon. When he left the house, he immediately regretted wearing jeans and a black t-shirt, not that he had much of a wardrobe to choose from. It was blazing hot outside, just like any other summer day, and his fifteen minute walk to the park was rough. “I probably should get some shorts,” he muttered grumpily to himself. “Or shirts that are any color but black.” He could practically feel the sweat dripping down his back from the heat. When he finally arrived at the park, he sent a quick text to Prim’s number. “I’m here.” “I know,” Prim said as she suddenly appeared next to him. She was wearing sunglasses, a black tank top with a skull on it, jean shorts, and a wide-brimmed black hat. “Oh. Hey.” He slipped his phone in his pocket and waved awkwardly. “You’re in luck, Aiden!” Prim grinned as she gestured over to a cheerful looking old man with a hot dog cart. “Robert’s here today! You ever meet Robert before?” “I… think I’ve seen him around,” he answered. “Man has the best hot dogs I’ve ever had, bar none. He’ll talk your ear off if you’re not careful, though,” she laughed. “Come on, we’re getting you a hot dog.” Admittedly, he was hungry, so he shrugged and followed her. There was a short line, but Robert seemed to be pretty quick about serving his customers. When it was their turn, Robert, who was a portly middle-aged guy with thinning hair that amazingly wasn’t losing its chestnut brown color, smiled brightly at Prim. “Well, look who it is!” he laughed with a noticeable thick Boston accent. “Hey, you old coot!” Prim beamed. “Here to get my buddy, Aiden, a hot dog! He’s never had one of yours before, so he hasn’t lived yet.” Robert laughed again and, with one gloved hand, reached into his cart. “Hey there, how ya doin’?” “I’m good,” Aiden lied, putting on a small polite smile. “You want the works, Miss Prim?” the hot dog man asked, pulling out a bun. “You know me so well,” she laughed. “You got it! Only the best for my favorite customer!” He let out another good natured laugh as, with a pair of metal tongs, he pulled out a steaming hot dog and nestled it into the bun. Aiden watched as the man applied generous portions of ketchup, mustard, relish, and chopped onions on top, then handed it to Prim. “And how about you, Aiden? How do you like your dog?” “Just ketchup and mustard is fine,” he answered. “Hey, that’s a-okay!” He pulled out another warm bun with his gloved hand, plopped a hot dog inside, and artistically drizzled ketchup and mustard on top. He handed it to Aiden. “Here ya go!” “Thanks,” Aiden replied with a genuine smile. He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket with his free hand to pay. Prim held up her own hand. “Oh no, boyo. Your cash is no good here.” She seemed to produce a few bills out of thin air and handed them to the hot dog vendor. “That’s some pretty good magic there, eh?” Robert chuckled as he took the money. “You two enjoy those dogs!” “Will do, Robert!” Prim waved as she walked away, Aiden walking alongside her. “What a character, aye? Met him on my way home from work one day.” “He’s nice,” Aiden agreed before taking a bite from his hot dog. He was surprised by how good it tasted. It was better than the ones he got at the grocery store. “He’s very nice,” Prim replied as she stepped out of the way of a tall, serious-looking woman who was headed towards the hot dog cart. “And he’s never questioned why, in all the years I’ve known him, I haven’t aged a day. Mortals like that are real sweet.” “How long have you known him?” “A few years after we moved to this shit city,” she sighed. “So, what, 2004? 2005? Was walking home from my job at the Hot Topic downtown and stopped to take a smoke in the park. Ran into old Robert there and started chatting. Man talked my ear off. Probably bought four hot dogs from him, and the man didn’t bat an eye! Love that man, people like him make this city.” “Yeah,” he agreed with a smile as he took another bite of his hot dog. “Sad to say Rhine is still shit, though. No offence, boyo. You’re fine in my book.” He shrugged. “You’re right, though.” “Really, really miss Bedlam,” she sighed again. “It’s so pretty in the wintertime. And Mr. Madden makes the best French onion soup you could get.” Seeing as how he’d never been out of the city, Aiden wasn’t entirely sure what to say so he continued quietly eating his hot dog. He was sure wherever that was, it was far better than Rhine. “Look, I’m not gonna pry, but… I hope whatever’s up with you and Eric, you can work out. Then he can get you out of here, even if just for a little while. Bring you up to Bedlam, show you the sights… Ah, fuck it.” She devoured the rest of her hot dog with frightening speed, then pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. She stuck one in her mouth, then held the pack out to Aiden. “Want one?” He shook his head. “Um, thanks, though.” He’d honestly felt a little normal until he’d been reminded about the fight. With a shrug, she lit her cigarette and took a long drag, letting out a ring of smoke with a satisfied smile. “I’m glad I don’t have to worry about my health anymore, honest.” “I bet that’s nice,” he quietly commented. He only had a little bit of his food left, but he’d lost his appetite. “I didn’t have to quit smoking like I said I would, so it’s definitely a boon,” she nodded. “Now, what would you like to do today, boyo? You need your day brightened, and I’m going to do all I can to make that happen.” “I don’t know,” he mumbled. He kind of wanted to go back in time and stop himself from making a mistake, but that didn’t seem in the realm of possibilities. He also didn’t want to be a downer considering Prim went out of her way to hang out with him. “Well, what do you like to do?” He shrugged. “I don’t know. Watch tv, I guess.” “Like that one, over there?” She gestured over to the nearby grass. There, in fact, did seem to be a TV sitting on the ground. Completely dumbfounded, he stammered, “How…? But where…? Was that always there?” Prim held up a remote. “Wanna see what’s on, boyo? What sorta stuff do you like to watch?” He still couldn’t quite comprehend how electricity was obtainable in the middle of the park, but he decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth. “Just whatever is on, I guess. Movies or talk shows or whatever.” Prim shrugged and pointed the remote at the TV. “Well, let’s see what we’ve got.” With a click, it sprung to life, showing off what looked to be a standard daytime talk show set. A handsome black man in a suit and glasses was sitting at a desk with a large, comfy-looking chair seated nearby. Aiden recognized him as one of the vampires he’d met at the bar the other night. “Hello there. This is your host, Sunny Skye, and we have a very special guest on next. Please, put your hands together for Primrose Beirne!” There was rapturous applause as Prim, dressed exactly as she was now, pranced out onto the set, blowing kisses to the audience before taking her seat in the big comfy chair. “Heyo, Sunny!” “Wow,” Prim said, gently nudging Aiden, “I think I look a bit fat there, aye? Camera really does add ten pounds.” Stunned, he asked, “You were on a talk show? When?” “Oh, right about now, I imagine,” the Prim next to him smirked. “So Prim,” Sunny asked, “what brings you here today? Anything interesting going on you’d like to share with the audience?” The Prim onscreen shrugged. “Nah, not really. I mean, me and my friends are in mortal peril from some evil women and her goons, my best friend did something dumb again, I’m being babysat against my will by someone at least twenty years younger than me who’s watching me from a hundred yards away even as we speak, and my new pal wants to watch TV in the middle of the park.” The Prim onscreen paused. “Well, I did get busy with Eric’s bodyguard the other night.” The crowd oohed and let out another round of applause. “Incredible, Prim,” Sunny nodded. “Is this the beginning of a new relationship, or just a fling?” “Eh, probably a fling. Not much for dating. Too much baggage I’d need to unpack, and who has time for all that shit?” Aiden wasn’t sure if he agreed with Prim or not. On one hand, he’d shared things about himself with Eric he hadn’t imagined he’d ever say out loud to someone else. On the other, he was starting to wonder if “baggage” was part of the reason for their fight (if that’s what it even was). Sunny leaned forward onto his desk, raising an eyebrow. “Baggage? What do you mean?” The onscreen Prim glanced at what was presumably the camera. “Come on, let’s not get into all that. We’re trying to have fun here. No need to get into my tragic backstory right now.” Sunny laughed and sat back up straight. “Ha! I suppose not! You know, though, I’m pretty sure the viewing public might be a little bit confused as to what’s going on right now. Care to explain?” “Of course!” Prim leapt out of the chair and snapped her fingers. The set went completely black save for a spotlight illuminating only Prim. “You see, Aiden, I have a power, as do all vampires. But unlike, oh, say, Eric, my power is actually impressive! You see, I can create vivid, incredible illusions, just like that!” She snapped her fingers, and suddenly she was surrounded by colorful butterflies. “Pretty neat, aye? Though I imagine this must look really odd to anyone walking by right now. They have no idea what they’re missing, really.” His eyes widened. “Oh.” That would explain the random television in the middle of the park of all places. “Man, she’s a bit hammier than I am. People always show off when they’re on camera,” the Prim next to him noted, shaking her head sadly. “Aye, shut it!” the Prim onscreen shouted. Suddenly she was in the middle of an arena, dressed as a gladiator. “Are you not entertained? Do I need to bring in a cameo appearance?” A cat with very fake-looking fairy wings strapped to its back floated down out of the sky. Sounding like a man trying very hard to do a high-pitched feminine voice, the cat said, “Hey there, Prim. I’m ready for my two lines of dialogue. Meow, meow, meow!” “Aha! See! I got that flying fairy coconut cat from that weird hand show! I’m the best!” “Yeah, okay, I’m leaving now,” the cat said as it began to float up out of view. “Have a coconut for the road, meow, meow, meow!” A coconut fell from out of frame, hitting Prim on the head and knocking her out. He snorted. “I have no idea who that is, but I think I’m a fan.” “I’ll take you to the autograph signing when she comes to town,” the Prim next to him smirked, though this was followed by a wince. “Hey, hold the phone, okay? Need to take a drink.” She pulled out a flask and turned around, quickly chugging it before facing him again and wiping something red off of her mouth. Aiden realized what she’d meant almost immediately and felt a pang of guilt in his gut. “Hey, you don’t have to do all this if, um, it makes you tired. We can do something else.” “It’s making you smile, isn’t it?” she asked as she screwed the cap back on. “I guess so…” “It’s worth it, then. If I’m going to have this power, might as well use it to make other people happy, aye?” Sheepishly, he admitted, “I don’t really know if I can even be happy right now.” “You want to talk about it?” Aiden shrugged. “I don’t know… I mean, no offense or anything, but won’t you be kind of biased?” She snorted. “You’d think that, wouldn’t you? But I make fun of Eric all the time. He’s my brother, if he’s being an ass I’ll be the first to tell you.” He hesitated at first, but he realized he needed someone else’s help and advice. If she was willing to listen, then he’d give it a go. “I… found out Eric and a friend of mine, um, got together a few years ago.” “What are the fucking odds?” Prim huffed before taking a drag on her cigarette. “Your friend still crushing on him, then?” “No. She’s into someone else, actually.” He shoved his free hand, the one not holding the hot dog, into his jeans pocket. “I’m not really upset it happened or anything. I didn’t know Eric then, and he told me he used to, um, hook up a bunch. But… But I don’t understand why he didn’t tell me last night when they met for the first time. Or, well, I thought it was the first time.” Prim inhaled sharply on her cigarette, causing her to break out into a fit of coughing. “Aye, fucking shit!” she coughed. When her coughing fit finally subsided, she wheezed, “That’s… quite a pickle, boyo.” “He got mad when I asked him about it later.” He shrugged. “I have a feeling I messed up. I should have waited to talk to him in person. Words on a screen… They’re different. But I was tired and hurt and… I didn’t think it would end up a big deal, but now I don’t really know what to do.” She nodded slowly. “So… I’ll say this. I get you, Aiden. I’d feel weird myself if I dated a girl and found out she and Eric did it. On the other hand… He has his reasons. He does not like talking much about personal matters like that. I was shocked as Hell he told you about… you know. Him almost dying. And his sex life, in particular, is a very sore spot.” “Did I mess everything up?” he asked nervously. “Nah,” Prim reassured. “You’ve just gotta be patient, and he’s gotta be less paranoid. I think we both know you’re his ‘one.’ He’s just scared, even if he doesn’t seem it.” “I’m scared too,” he quietly admitted. Prim gently put her free hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “I think you need to take some time for yourself, boyo. This is moving a bit fast for a mortal, after all.” “Probably,” he sighed. “I already miss him. But at the same time… I need time to figure this out.” “Exactly!” She gave him a wink. “Y’know, if you two can work this out, I think you’ll be an unstoppable pair. Come Hell or high water, pretty sure you’ll be unbreakable.” Aiden frowned. “Are you sure? Cuz it feels like I ruined everything…” “This is your first relationship, and he hasn’t dated anyone in decades. You’re both gonna make mistakes. Trust me though, you’ll never make quite as bad a mistake as he did. You want to see his last boyfriend?” Hesitantly, he replied, “I… don’t know. Do I?” Did Eric want him to? “Oh, trust me, you’ll get a laugh at seeing that stupid cunt,” Prim snorted as she produced a wallet out of thin air. It flipped open and unfolded, showing a ludicrous amount of photos; Aiden guessed this was yet another illusion. There were pictures of Prim and Eric hugging a sweet looking woman with rosy pink hair, pictures of the two posing with a girl with almond colored skin who had what appeared to be bat wings on her back, and pictures of the two with an older couple who looked a great deal like Eric. “Aha! Here we are!” She pointed to a picture of Eric, who was sporting a mullet and shades, with his arm wrapped around an equally-mulleted blonde man with a mustache wearing a ripped jean jacket. “That there is Henry and let me say, I know what you’re thinking: He looks like an utter douche, doesn’t he?” “Maybe,” he murmured in reply, his attention mostly on Eric. That’s really what he used to look like? Prim let out a laugh. “Aye, staring at Eric’s poor choice in hairstyle, are you? Thank god he got a trim before Mimi turned him.” She tapped one of the pictures of the pink-haired woman. Aiden’s eyes moved to the photo she was pointing to. He was curious about Eric’s life back then. Not that he planned on admitting it out loud, but he was honestly grateful for the chance to see a glimpse into his past. “Let me tell you though, this prick…” Her finger moved back to the picture of Henry, and she roughly tapped the image of the man. “…is the root of your problems. I think he’ll tell you the truth, but it’s going to be even harder than telling you about… You know…” She trailed off and looked down at the ground. “Aww, quit the waterworks, you sentimental hag,” came Prim’s voice from nearby. Aiden turned his attention towards the television to see Prim once more on the screen giving the Prim next to him an accusatory look. “Aye, shut up, you.” Prim snapped and the wallet full of pictures turned back into the remote, which she tossed at the screen. The TV exploded in a sparkling mushroom cloud before disappearing completely. I guess we’ve both got secrets locked in the closet, he thought to himself. “Sorry to show off my internalized self-loathing there,” Prim smiled sheepishly. “Sometimes I get a bit carried away with my little shows.” “It’s okay.” “Ah, but I’m a magical creature! You don’t want to hear sob stories!” Prim replied, waving her hands about dramatically. “You want to hear how we’ve met angels, demons, wizards, werewolves, hunters, all that shit! That’s the fun stuff!” Aiden almost questioned whether or not werewolves were real, but he supposed that if vampires were, then it made sense for them to be as well. “Sounds more exciting than my life has been.” She shrugged. “Maybe so, but you know, excitement isn’t always good, is it? I’m sure the night Eric met you was mighty exciting, but I saw his shirt when he got home. Even if thugs aren’t carrying around silver, still hate seeing him get wounded… He’s good at dodging, but he’s a bit of a show-off. Dumbass.” Aiden chuckled. “That… was an interesting night, to say the least.” “Fuck, you want to hear about an interesting night? When you two work this out, ask him about what inspired him to become a wedding singer. He can tell you about our friend, Astarte, too.” He lifted an eyebrow, definitely intrigued, and nodded. Then, hesitantly, he asked, “What if we don’t work this out?” “You will,” Prim stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “No relationship is all sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes there’s shit like this. You just gotta work through it to build something truly great.” He wanted to believe her, but he had his doubts. “I hope you’re right,” he sighed. “Sorry, I know I’m being kind of a downer right now.” “Gives me more of an excuse to flex my powers and try and get you to smile again.” “I meant what I said earlier. You don’t have to tire yourself just to cheer me up,” Aiden insisted. “I’m… actually having fun. More fun than I thought I would, honestly.” “But all you’ve done is watch TV,” she smirked. “Yeah, but… I don’t know. I guess I just like hanging out with you.” Which was true. Prim had a way of making him feel like they’d known each other longer than just a day or two. “And that’s how I know things’ll work out,” Prim nodded with a satisfied smile. “Hate the song, but those girls were right when they said ‘If you wanna be my lover, you’ve gotta get with my friends.’ You’re a sweet guy, Aiden. Eric better realize what he has with you, or I’ll slap him silly.” Aiden had made the right decision hanging out with Prim. It was honestly exactly what he’d needed. But as fun as it was, he was roasting in the sun, which was becoming increasingly unbearable. “Hey, uh, not to completely change the subject but… Do you want to go to the mall or something? Or somewhere with air conditioning?” He laughed nervously. “I didn’t exactly dress for the heat.” “I’m down for that. We can swing by my workplace if you want. You seem the type to shop there.” It didn’t hurt to look, and he did have a little extra money to spend thanks to his job. “Sure,” he nodded. “We can probably take the bus, if you want.” “Well, come on then!” she said, gesturing onward. “If we’re quick we can catch the bus route with this sweet old lady who sings to herself while driving. Another one of the folk who makes this city bearable, if you ask me.” “Lead the way,” he grinned before quickly eating the rest of his hot dog. This was the last thing he’d imagined he’d be doing with his day, but it wasn’t a bad thing. He was having fun and even though he knew he’d need to figure out things with Eric eventually, this was a healthy distraction for the time being. ****** Victoria felt happier than she had in a long time. Finally, after so many long, painful, and lonely years, she was reunited with her beloved. True, his body was not yet restored, but hearing his voice and being able to converse with him once more was enough for her for the time being while the Silverwings tracked down the vampire hunters to obtain their blood. She had spent the night speaking with Dracula, telling him about the coven’s journey and how they had landed in Rhine City. They talked late into the night until both were exhausted and needed to rest. As soon as Victoria awoke the next morning, she gently rubbed the ring. “Do you still sleep, my love?” she asked softly, her voice still hoarse from hours of slumber. “Indeed,” he replied, “to conserve what little energy I have. Although, as I slept for over a century already, I would rather be awake now as much as I can. I have much to catch up on.” “The world today differs from what you last saw,” she agreed. “There will be much to do to ensure you are ‘up-to-date,’ as the mortals say.” “I am certain I will adjust as I always have.” “Oh? Is that so?” She smirked with amusement. “Will you know how to operate a phone? Or how to send an email on a computer? Or perhaps you already know the function of a refrigerator?” “Refrigerator? Email? Computer?” Dracula asked. “Are phones truly far different than they were when I died? They changed so much in my absence?” “Technology has progressed far more than you can even imagine. Do not worry, my love. I will teach you all you need to know. Ah, and of course, it will be necessary to ensure you have a new wardrobe. I fear you will be far too suspicious in your old clothing.” A sigh emanated from the ring. “Fashion changes far too quickly.” “Quite true,” she agreed. “I long to wear my beautiful gowns in the public eye, but alas, they are too elegant for mortals in this day.” “You may have need of one soon, do not worry,” Dracula chuckled. Curiously, she asked, “And, pray tell, what might that mean?” “Oh, you do not understand? I believe you have waited long enough; when I live again, I intend to wed you as we had hoped.” Victoria gasped and covered her mouth in surprise with her ringless hand. “Truly?” “You know I love you and only you. And you love me, unless you have found another?” “There has never been another. My mind and my heart have thought only of you,” she promised. “Well that settles it! When I have a finger, you may finally put a ring on it.” “Then I must insist Harlan retrieve the remaining blood with haste.” She smiled to herself. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she would be Mrs. Victoria Dracula. It didn’t particularly flow nicely, but she didn’t mind it. What truly mattered was their union and how strong the coven would be as a result. “Whose blood do I still require?” “All but one of the vampire killer families as well as Marianna’s.” She bristled at the very name, a gloomy cloud appearing over her head. “Ah… I had hoped, perhaps, she might have found her way to you and repented… Yet it seems her mother still manipulates her,” he said sadly. “I hope we can get through to her.” “Whatever for?” she dryly remarked. “I would very much like if she were to return to our side. Her mother’s manipulation must be taken into account here.” “You do not truly expect me to believe that woman is an innocent in all this?” Dracula sighed. “She was given a choice: Let all of us be killed together, or I die so you and our daughters walk free. She made the right choice, and I told her so. I would die a thousand times for my family.” “I would have rather rested forever by your side than live as I did the past century.” “But I know you would not condemn our daughters to such.” As much as she was still hurting, she couldn’t deny that. “No,” she whispered. “I would not.” She had missed him greatly, but she could not have sent Nadia and Dahlia to their demise. “It pains me how things unfolded, but this way will lead to our family being stronger than ever… Ah, you must tell me, are many from my day still around? I know Grigori and Rose, and Winston and Francis, but Macheath? Amadeus? Camilla? Rex? Are they well?” “Macheath is still with us. They work in a bar, or a tavern if you prefer, owned by one of the current Silverwings. As for Amadeus and Camilla…” Victoria sighed. “…their whereabouts are entirely unknown. Rex, on the other hand, appears to be with the snake’s coven, according to the information I received from the Silverwings. Fortunately, it appears he is not loyal to them. Harlan believes he is there for reasons of his own.” “Rose spoke to me about this when bringing me here, though I could not respond in my weakened state. I am certain he’d leave if given the chance. Rex is a good man, and he loves his sister very much. And as rough as he could be, he was always very respectful to us.” “Yes, I know. I certainly wish he would return to us.” “I am certain he will, in time,” Dracula said. “Now, to lighten the mood a bit, tell me of your coven, and who has joined in my absence. I wish to know them a bit before meeting them in person.” “Are you certain you contain the energy for it, my love?” she asked with a small frown. “Selfish I may be, but I wish not to exhaust you.” “I have rested long enough, I think. I will stay awake for this.” “Very well.” She had been laying down until now, so she sat up and leaned against the headboard instead. “I suppose I shall begin with the man who retrieved the Carter family’s blood. His name is Roarke Higgens, and he joined us in the 1980’s.” She paused before quietly admitting, “He has worried me greatly. He has been very withdrawn since joining, and he has a habit of being quite… promiscuous.” “I see. This certainly sounds familiar... I trust you have done your best to help him through this, yes?” “What was I to do?” she asked weakly, knowing very well she did not do that in the slightest. “Be there for him? Be his guide? Listen to his story and try and give him what he needed to heal? Come now, Victoria, you should know this! You were always a far better teacher than I!” “I was no longer the woman you once knew when you left me.” She hung her head in shame. “I could not endure my grief. How this coven exists still, I am uncertain.” “You are far stronger than you think you are,” Dracula said gently. “It is why I love you so. I think, were our positions reversed, I would not handle my grief so well. Perhaps I’d have become the monster mortals seem to think I am.” “I do not deserve such praise,” she quietly replied. There were many days when she could not gather strength to exit her bedroom, often leaving the members of the coven to rely on each other for survival in her absence. Her loneliness and sorrow caused her to grow bitter over time, resulting in newer members to see her as little more than jaded and narcissistic. If not for Dahlia’s attempts to bring out even the smallest of smiles and her promise to her beloved to lead the coven in his absence, she was certain she’d have stayed in her room for decades. “You deserve all this praise and more,” Dracula said gently. “But, let us continue. This man, Roarke, has allowed us to speak, and I look forward to thanking him personally.” She, too, needed to thank him, but that could be done later. “Very well. Let me think… Ah, I should warn you of one who may not take so kindly to your return. Her name is Gladys Peppin. She does not talk much of her past, but I have gathered she had unfortunate experiences with men prior to being turned. This appears to have resulted in a rather extreme distrust and hatred towards all men, regardless of their personality.” “I dread the answer, but… did you give her help for her trauma?” She bowed her head in shame. “I… did not.” “It pains me that you suffered so, my love. But it pains me as well that our coven was hurting, and you were not able to help them. I hope that, together, we can provide them with what they need.” “I have much to atone for, and I am determined to attempt to make up for the time I spent neglecting our own. They deserved much better; I can see that now.” “And they will get much better, I know this,” Dracula replied. “So, Gladys and Roarke… Those are two members I have yet to meet. Who else is there that will welcome me when I return?” As there were many members of the coven, almost all entirely new to her betrothed, she spent much of her morning describing each in detail, giving their name, their background as she knew it, and what power they possessed. With each, Dracula seemed quite elated, growing increasingly excited to meet them once his body was restored. “They are good people who have cared for each other in my… absence,” she vowed once she was certain she had “introduced” each to him. She sighed once more, her shame returning. She had certainly not been the leader they both needed and deserved. “Do not fret over past mistakes, my love. I am here now, and we can build a better future for this coven as well as for us.” “I wish for nothing more, but I am afraid she will take you from me again.” “My sire will do no such thing. I believe in you and in our allies. And once I am returned, she will tremble in fear of my wrath.” “Are you certain? My heart cannot endure any more sorrow.” “I swear it. I will do all I can to guard your heart from pain as any husband should.” She smiled softly again. As much as she distrusted Eve, she trusted her beloved even more. “I ache for your touch again, to feel the warmth of your skin on mine.” “And I ache to touch you… In fact, I ache to have fingers again,” he joked. “If I had a nose right now, I believe it would be itching.” She laughed, realizing just how much she’d missed doing so. When he had still been alive, he’d brought out the richest laughter and brightest smiles she was capable of producing. She’d done so little of either since his untimely demise which had done her reputation no favors amongst the newer of the coven. “Oh, how I missed that sound,” Dracula sighed. “All I could do was dream, and I dreamed of your laughter, of Nadia’s smile, of Dahlia’s embraces… I missed my family so. You all kept me alive, gave me the strength to hold on for so long. I hope you know that.” Victoria wiped away a stray tear that had escaped from the corner of her eye. “Then let us bring you back to us. Soon, you will no longer need to miss our presence.” “I know you will. My faith always lies in my family and friends.” “Then I shall do my best not to disappoint you, my love,” she vowed. “You never have, and never will. Now, tell me more of this strange world I am to come into… I am tired, and may eventually doze off, but I wish to hear you speak.” She shifted into a more comfortable sitting position on her bed before saying, “Very well.” She knew at some point in the day, she would need to make an appearance as things were slowly starting to revert back to a sense of normalcy among the coven, but for now, she would stay comfortable in her bed and speak with her betrothed. She had waited so long to hear his voice again and to speak with him, and she refused to wait any longer. This was their moment, and Victoria would tell her beloved all he wished to know. ****** Jason was exhausted. Val had informed him Sierra was, in fact, going to come over on Tuesday. He then informed him that the house needed to be cleaned and he would have to wear a French maid outfit while doing so (which he steadfastly refused to do) before dragging Rika out the door and leaving him to do it all himself. Jason would never pretend like he didn’t love his brother, but he couldn’t deny he was a pain in the ass sometimes. He’d managed to get the kitchen, living room, and dining room clean fairly quickly, but next was the room he’d been dreading: The bathroom. It wasn’t that this particular one was all too bad, but he still had nightmares of cleaning up his father’s drunken messes when he was younger. The very thought made him nauseous. Still, it had to get done, and Val was dumping it all on him. As he trudged to the bathroom, he heard a door open behind him. He turned and held up a tired hand in greeting to the only other person in the house. “Hey Anna.” “Someone’s working hard today,” she grinned from the doorway of her bedroom. She was leaning against the wooden frame slowly braiding the left side of her hair. “Yeah, well, someone has to, and it’s not gonna be Val,” he sighed. “Why are you so worried about cleaning? I mean, not that it’s a bad thing, but I don’t think I’ve seen anyone really clean as much as you are since I’ve joined.” “My big sister is coming, and we haven’t seen her since I got out of jail.” Truth be told, he was a bit nervous. He had no idea how this was going to go, but he wasn’t really expecting the best. He loved Sierra, but she could be very temperamental (to put it mildly). Anna’s eyes widened and she paused, her fingers near the bottom of her freshly braided hair. “No kidding? Well, that’s good, right?” “It could be, but it could go south. Sierra… she’s not one to take bullshit from anyone, and she loves Val a lot. She might hit the roof if she finds out we’re vigilantes, and I’m pretty sure Val is going to let that slip. He’s too excited about it.” “Damn. So it really has been awhile, huh?” She slid a hair tie off of her wrist and secured it around the end of her braid. “Seven years,” Jason admitted. “Well, seven since… you know, and six since Val left with me to stay here. He’s wanted to talk to her for a while now, but he’s been too afraid to.” “How come?” Jason turned away. “He… saw it happen. And he was just a kid, so it was traumatic. And even if he smiles all the time, he’s still hurting under there. I think he feels guilty that me and Sierra took most of the abuse.” Anna’s voice was quiet and sympathetic when she spoke. “Oh, shit. I didn’t know.” “Not really a fun conversation topic, y’know?” Jason laughed awkwardly. “Yeah, I can’t even imagine. But, hey, I bet things will go okay with your sister.” “I hope you’re right…” He paused, something occurring to him. I never got back to her about what she was talking about the other night… “So, you busy right now? Cuz if not, I could use someone to talk me through cleaning the bathroom.” “Is it that bad?” she teased before pushing herself off of the doorway. “I guess I can keep you company. It’s not like I was doing much anyway.” “Nah, it ain’t bad unless Val got makeup all over the sink again.” He pushed open the bathroom door, scanning it cautiously. It honestly didn’t seem that dirty, maybe just a touch up here and there, but this was still the last thing he wanted to be doing. “He could probably teach me a thing or two,” Anna laughed from behind him. “I think you got that backwards,” Jason said as he peered under the sink, grabbing the cleaning sprays stored under there. “The most he does is his eyes. I know he’s tried doing other stuff, but he’s kinda self-conscious. Don’t tell him I said that.” “Huh… Really? I figured he’d know more since he’s always watching videos and shit. I could always offer to help him, if you think he’d appreciate it.” With a wink, she added, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell him what you said.” “He watches video game streamers mostly, so I think he’d appreciate someone with your skill helping him out.” He knew his brother would love any help he could get. Rika was not much about makeup beyond hair dye, and Val refused to watch makeup tutorials on the internet. Even after all this time, he was still paranoid he’d be walked in on like their dad had one time. It had taken Jason a long time to coax his brother out from under his bed after that incident. “Might as well put what I know to use! I’ve got a friend who sells makeup at the mall. She can probably help him figure out what’ll be good with his complexion.” “You really are a godsend, popsicle.” He sprayed the mirror down and began wiping it with a rag. Alright, let’s do this. “Y’know, I’ve been meaning to ask you something.” She grabbed the right side of her hair and started twisting it into a neat braid that matched the one already completed. “Hmm?” “The other night, we were having a conversation before the mission cut it off. I never got to ask you what you meant.” “I’m not sure what you mean,” she answered. He spotted a playful smirk on her face through her reflection in the mirror that betrayed any cluelessness she was trying to convey. “Oh, I think you do,” he smirked back. “I’m no fool, popsicle. I think I get what you were saying.” “Do you?” Her reflection stared directly at his and cocked an eyebrow as she tied off the end of her second braid. “Either you were implying you like me, or someone saw me help you kick that guy’s ass and came into the coffee shop the next day asking for my number.” She let go of her braid and crossed her arms over her black Rhine City High School t-shirt, the sly smirk never leaving her face. “Those are two interesting theories, Mr. Leeds.” “Are either of them close, Miss Eckhart?” Her grin grew wider. “Maybe.” Jason tossed the cleaning supplies into the sink and leaned against it, facing her directly. “Well, I think you should clue me in on the right answer before we’re interrupted again.” She cocked her head to the side and seemed to be considering this for a moment. “Well, I can tell you if someone walked in the next day asking me for your number, I’d have probably told them off.” Jason laughed. “Now I wanna see this happen. But at least my question was answered.” Anna was quiet, but her face showed clear interest. He considered this for a moment. Anna was very pretty, and she’d been a big help so far, but would they be able to make things work? It seemed like a really stupid question, but it was one he had to ask himself. “I can’t say I’m not interested,” he finally admitted. Her brows lifted in surprise. “Really?” “Maybe I’m still riding that high from our first big success, but yeah, really.” “So… that means what, exactly?” He folded his arms across his chest and closed his eyes. “Now that’s the million dollar question, huh? I did mean what I said about this vigilantism not leaving me time for romance… But you’re a vigilante too. And we do work well together.” He opened his eyes again. “I got an idea.” "I’m all ears,” she grinned. “The next guy we’re going for is gonna be Arthur Oakley since he’s apparently celebrating his birthday in a couple days. How about we call that our first date, see how it goes? Make sure the other night wasn’t a fluke.” He gave her a confident wink. Her grin grew even bigger. “A date, huh? And a mission? You certainly know how to woo a girl, Mr. Leeds.” “One of the Leeds boys needs to know how to do it, and that ain’t me,” came Val’s voice from the hall. He strolled into view, leaning on the wall behind Anna with a smug smile on his face. “When did you get back?” Jason asked. “Get back? I climbed back in my window with Rika right after leaving. Where is your maid outfit, mister?” “Sorry, Jay!” Rika called from down the hall. Anna burst out laughing. “Wait, you have a maid outfit? Please wear this; I’ve gotta see!” Jason heaved a huge sigh. “Go get the damn thing, bro. But I’m kicking your ass for this.” “Worth it!” Val chirped as he sped off down the hall, returning almost as quickly with the outfit. “Ta-da! You have no idea how hard it was to find something that could fit Jay!” Anna was visibly holding back a giggling fit, but her brown eyes were twinkling with amusement. Jason snatched it out of his hands with a devious grin. “You asked for it.” He withdrew into the bathroom. Once his brother and Anna had moved into the hallway, he shut the door and quickly put the outfit on. He paused briefly to admire himself in the mirror before flinging the door open again. “How do you like it?” Val burst out laughing. “I can’t believe you actually put it on!” “I only didn’t do it cuz I knew I’d look better in this than you ever could,” Jason retorted. “I was trying to spare your ego.” Val’s laughter stopped and he put his hands on his hips and huffed. “You are such a bitch, Jay.” “Takes one to know one,” he winked. “You’re right! I’m the big bitch in this house, so stop stealing my thunder!” “You can clean my room any time,” Anna purred. “Maybe I will,” Jason playfully replied. “I knew leaving you two alone for a little bit would yield results,” Val said. “So take your little victory with the maid outfit! I still won in the end!” He crossed his arms and let out an indignant laugh. “You’re real funny, Valentine,” Jason snorted. Anna took another last, lingering look at him before turning her attention towards Val. “So what would you say to, like, going out and getting some makeup as a thank you for, you know, helping out? Because maybe it’s just me, but I feel like you might be into that.” Val slapped his hands on his cheeks and gasped. “I would love that!” He turned back to Jason and gave him a stern look. “Don’t screw this up, bro. I can already tell she’s a keeper.” Anna grinned and subtly flashed Jason a thumbs up. “You can come too if you want, Rika.” “Sounds like fun,” Rika said as she walked up and glanced at Jason. “That looks good on you, Jay.” “Thanks,” he laughed. Anna snuck another peek and dipped her head to hide a small grin. “I just need to grab my purse and my phone, and we can head out if the bus works okay for you.” “You all have fun,” Jason waved. “I gotta make sure this place is clean for when Sierra comes.” “Wait,” she interjected. “Leave the bathroom for me. I’ll clean it when we get back.” He stared at her in surprise. “You sure, popsicle?” “Positive. I live here now, too. I wanna help out.” He gave her a relieved smile. “You seriously are a lifesaver.” “She’s a keeper,” Val whispered loudly behind his hand. Anna smirked and gave Jason a quick wave before heading to her bedroom. “Be right back, guys!” “Guess I’ll go too. But I’m getting changed because I’m not going as a maid,” Jason said as he headed off to his bedroom. He quickly stripped out of the dress and tossed it onto his bed, casting a glance upward at the top of his wardrobe. Sitting on top was a well-loved stuffed poodle staring dutifully at his bed. “See you soon, sis,” he whispered to the poodle as he pulled on his clothes and headed to rejoin his friends. ****** Fear was not something people usually felt when they visited the Rhine City Public Library, but that didn’t stop Chastity from nearly breaking poor Venus’s hand with how tightly she was gripping it. It was one thing to have seen Mr. Grieves by coincidence. It was another thing to be visiting him intentionally. Despite all Mr. and Mrs. Grieves had done for her, she still felt embarrassed about leaving so suddenly after she’d given birth. They had tried calling her a few times, but she’d never answered them. Now, here she was three years later letting them back into her life. “Okay,” she whispered as she and her girlfriend stood on the top step just feet away from the front door. “Let’s get this over with.” The two quietly entered the library, which was air conditioned (thankfully) and just as peaceful as she had remembered it. For a few months during her pregnancy, she had worked there putting books away and assisting guests by answering their questions. “So the hippie dude looks like he’s at the front desk,” Venus said, gesturing towards Mr. Grieves, who was indeed sitting behind the desk, peering at his computer screen from behind his glasses. Taking a deep breath, Chastity approached it, her hand still tightly holding Venus’s. “Hello Chastity,” he said politely as she got closer. “How are you doing today?” “I’m… okay,” she answered honestly. “Um… Are you busy, by chance?” “For you, I’ll make time.” He stood up out of his seat and stretched. “I’m really just reading through correspondence, checking the news, wishing we had resources to deal with certain individuals…” “Oh, I… I don’t want to interrupt,” she mumbled. “I can come back later.” “Babe, he literally just said he’s not busy,” Venus pointed out. “There are only so many times I can read through old files and see there have been no notable updates before I go crazy,” Mr. Grieves chuckled. “So what can I do for you, Chastity?” “Um…” She shifted nervously from one foot to the other. “I need to ask you something. Something… sensitive.” His jovial attitude turned serious in an instant. “Do you want to go somewhere more private?” She nodded. Then, in a quiet voice, she asked, “They’re not here today, are they?” He nodded. “They’re with Behiti right now. She’s reading to the kids. We don’t have to go over there if you don’t want to.” “Please,” she whispered. She’d never seen them, and she didn’t want to. It hurt too much to even try to come to terms with the reality that she’d never be able to have children of her own. “Alright,” he sighed, coming around to the front of the desk, “then follow me, we’re heading to the basement.” Chastity followed Mr. Grieves through the library, her hand still tightly gripping her girlfriend’s. He brought them into the back, stopping just long enough to ask one of the people there to cover for him, and then walked them down into the basement. He moved over to a mostly barren rack against the furthest wall, populated by only three colorful comic books, and reached behind it, tapping a button and causing the shelf to reveal a staircase. He guided them down further, stopping at a large silver door at the very bottom and knocking three times. “The Unfunnies, One More Day, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Centuries.” The door swung inward and a skinny, freckled man gestured for them to enter. “Hello, Mr. Grieves! Hello, Mr. Grieves’s guests!” “Hello, Gideon,” Mr. Grieves replied as he stepped inside. “They’re just letting you throw the crappiest stuff you can find up there, huh?” “Yep!” the man, Gideon, answered cheerfully. “Already got some Ayn Rand ready for tomorrow!” The man gagged in response. “Doesn’t get much worse than that. Alright ladies, come on in.” Chastity exchanged a confused expression with Venus before following him. She was surprised there was so much under the library. She’d never noticed anything unusual when she’d worked there. “Welcome to the Silverwing HQ of America!” Mr. Grieves explained as they wandered through the base. “This place formerly belonged to the Sons of Salem, another group similar to the Silverwings, but that particular branch of the Sons decided to relocate to Maine in the 70’s and let the Dracula Guard set up shop here! We, unfortunately, don’t have much in the way of resources or majorly skilled personnel beyond a handful of folks who willingly took this job. We’re basically restricted to training whatever newbies they send our way and helping Victoria and the coven.” “Why do you help them?” Chastity asked out of curiosity. “The founder of the Silverwings, Lysithea Silver, was a friend of Dracula’s,” he continued. “So until 1890, they were all about helping Dracula and his coven. But then he was murdered, which Armand Silver failed to stop, and since then, the group has faded in prominence compared to other groups. They tend to just handle issues in Germany these days and even then, they’re usually tied up with the ongoing conflict between the Von Kaiser vampire coven and Noble Clan Fenris, a werewolf pack.” Weakly, Chastity squeaked, “Werewolves exist too?” “Werewolves, demons, you already know about angels from what I hear… It would take too long to list every myth and legend that is actually true in some fashion.” “What about Atlantis? Was that real?” Venus asked excitedly. “My parents would freak if that was real!” “We certainly think so. Not too much evidence, but, uh, Miss Appleseed has certainly claimed to have survived its destruction on many occasions.” He glanced back at Chastity. “You know who I mean, I hope.” “Yeah, I think so,” she muttered. At least Venus was enjoying herself. “Oh yeah! So, is the apple lady actually evil?” Venus asked. “Yes… and no,” Mr. Grieves said, pushing open the door to what appeared to be a lounge. “For much of history it seemed her issue was simply a lack of empathy and a too-trusting nature considering she turned people like Sawney Bean, Elizabeth Bathory, and Gordon Ruthven. Something happened in the nineteenth century, though. She started behaving strangely, which led to the massacre at Dracula’s school, Dracula’s death, and quite a few other tragedies.” Chastity finally let go of Venus’s hand—probably to the redhead’s relief—and sat down on a small brown couch in the room. “Do you know what happened?” “Even the people who were there don’t really know,” he sighed as he sank down into a leather armchair. “She wanted to perform some ritual and sacrifice members of her own Order. Yefim Rasputin and Dracula were able to stop her and strip her of her magic until earlier this year, which didn’t really do much to improve her attitude.” Confused, Chastity interjected, “Wait, how did she get her magic back?” “She gathered the talismans her magic was split into. Rose Milliner—sweet girl, not sure if you met her—says they got the last talisman from Grigori Rasputin a few months ago.” “Hold the fucking phone,” Venus interjected. “You are talking about the Rasputin? Like, Ra-Ra-Rasputin, lover of the Russian queen?” Mr. Grieves nodded. “The very same.” “Ho. Ly. Fuck.” Venus plopped down onto the couch next to Chastity. “Who?” Chastity asked, feeling completely clueless. “It’s a long story, and one you probably don’t want to hear right now,” he interjected, cutting off Venus before she could reply. “I’m curious, what exactly did you come here for?” Chastity nervously wrung her hands. “Um… Well… E wants me to join her coven. She, um, didn’t really seem like she was giving me a choice. And she wasn’t really happy when she found out I joined Dracula’s.” “Of course she wouldn’t be. As far as she’s concerned, Dracula betrayed her.” Mr. Grieves leaned back, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “This is not a good situation. If you say no to her, there’s no telling what she might do. But if you say yes… Well, there are a lot of decent folk in her coven. They tend to keep to themselves, mostly. But it’s dangerous because she’ll expect you to follow her orders.” “Great,” she mumbled, sinking back into the couch. “Just another thing to add on top of an already shitty week.” “Say she did join Dracula’s coven,” Venus asked. “Would you guys be able to keep her safe?” He nodded. “That is our job. But there may need to be some changes.” Chastity continued nervously wringing her hands in her lap. “Like what?” “Well, where does Miss Appleseed know you from?” “The Den,” she answered nervously, avoiding his eyes. Would he think less of her knowing where she worked? “And were you just a patron, or do you work there?” She sunk into the couch further, feeling completely miserable. “I work there.” “Well… We’d have to move you to a new job,” he said. Alarmed, she exclaimed, “What? Why?” “Well, if she knows where you work, she can find you easily, which is bad,” he explained. “It wouldn’t have to be forever if you wanted to go back, just until we can drive Miss Appleseed off.” She shook her head. “If I leave, he’s probably not gonna let me come back.” “Who?” “Her greasy prick of a boss,” Venus snarled. “Ah.” Mr. Grieves sighed. “Well, it’s really up to you, Chastity. We can’t force you to do anything. I recommend considering having us relocate you until it’s safe, though.” “What about the mafia guy? Won’t he be mad at me, too?” “Nah, he’ll be more mad at Remy,” Venus grinned. “There’d probably be a new manager when you went back. Maybe they’ll even promote you!” “Maybe,” she repeated quietly. She was starting to feel like turning into a vampire was a bad decision. She’d done it to protect Morag, but was the cost worth it? Losing the life she knew? Saying goodbye to her chance at ever being a mom? Was that worth protecting her best friend? Venus wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. “Babe, whatever you decide to do, I’m there for you. I’ll fight this apple bitch off myself if it comes down to it.” “Where am I supposed to go if I leave?” “Believe it or not, there are a lot of Silverwing-run businesses in Rhine.” Mr. Grieves leaned forward again. “The Rhyme or Reason Karaoke Bar, Whipped Dream bakery, Amity Everlasting wedding entertainment… And then there are businesses like Kiss of Hermes flower shop or the Rhine City Times that have members of Dracula’s coven working there.” “I don’t know if I’m going to make the kind of money at any of those places that I make at the Den.” Would she be able to pay her rent and her bills without falling into debt? It didn’t help her case at all that rent in the city was often insanely high if you wanted somewhere semi-decent. “That’s what we’re here for,” he smiled. “We’re here to make sure you can survive and thrive!” She nodded slowly. She knew he was trying to help, but it didn’t make her feel any better. She loved her life before, and now everything felt like it was being torn apart. Muttering under her breath in a whisper, she said, “I wish I’d never agreed to this.” “Well, hey, it’s not the end of the world!” Mr. Grieves exclaimed as he clapped his hands. “Things seem rough now, but I promise, we’ll help you get back on track!” She shook her head. Everything that had occurred over the past few days was starting to weigh heavily on her shoulders. How could they help make anything better? Could they keep her from being a useless pawn in a fight she didn’t want to be a part of? Could they ensure she’d have kids of her own again? Could they ensure she wouldn’t be taken advantage of again from people like her ex-boyfriend and Remy? Venus pulled her close. She didn’t say anything, but instead simply leaned her head against Chastity’s. Chastity, in turn, leaned back against her and, for the moment, felt just a little better. Somehow, her girlfriend always knew exactly what she needed. If Chastity didn’t have Venus supporting her, she wasn’t sure how she could handle everything being thrown at her. “Like I said, it is up to you,” Mr. Grieves reminded her as he stood up. “I know it’s hard, but I promise, Behiti and I will do anything we can to help you.” She nodded. “I’ll… I’ll think about it. And call you, if that’s okay.” She sighed and admitted, “I still have your number.” “Good, good! I’m glad you do because, truth be told… I don’t know my phone number off the top of my head!” He chuckled a bit at this, making her crack a small smile. “Thank you for talking to me. Honestly, I was really confused with one person telling me one thing and someone else saying another.” And knowing Eve wouldn’t take a no very well made her stomach churn with worry. “That’s why they keep me around!” he said cheerfully. “Someone’s gotta explain everything to the kids they send here.” Chastity stood up and held her hand out to help Venus up as well. “I… actually do have to go. I’m supposed to meet a friend for lunch. But I will think about all this. I guess it was kinda dumb to assume being turned into a vampire would be so easy,” she joked weakly. “One thing I’ve come to see with vampires is that they all come from hard lives, and it rarely gets easier after.” He gave her a wink. “But that’s what groups like the Silverwings are here for. We’ve got your back.” “Thank you,” she sighed with relief. Once again, the Grieves were helping her through a rough time of her life. This time, though, she didn’t feel like a total failure. Maybe it hadn’t been the best decision, but it wasn’t the end of the world. She’d make adjustments just like she knew she’d have to, and she would continue to thrive. She wasn’t alone, and she wouldn’t have to be anymore. ****** Roarke knew he shouldn’t be bothering Antoinette while she was preparing for her “Grand Opening” (or reopening, really), but he couldn’t help himself. He was in love again for the first time in forty years, and he couldn’t stop smiling. Antoinette was the center of his universe as far as he was concerned. He lived for her smile and craved her touch. Everything about her made him happier than he’d felt in years. “When can I see u again? Miss u already bby” Was he being too clingy? He wasn’t sure. Did she mind it? If she did, she hadn’t said anything. He didn’t want to come off as annoying, but he craved her presence. She texted him back fairly quickly. “Tonight, hun! Very excited! I got a real nice lady call in to apply already! You be good today and we can have some fun 2night ;) XO” “I’ll kiss ass all day if thatll get u in my arms” He grinned to himself. No one made him smile like Antoinette did. “Only ass I want you kissin is mine. Anyway g2g! XO” He hated saying goodbye, but he’d see her soon. With a yawn, he rolled out of bed and slipped his phone into the pocket of his jeans. Lounging around all day until Antoinette closed up shop was appealing, but he figured he should stop being antisocial now that he actually was becoming friendly with other coven members. It was odd to him how, for the first time since he’d joined the coven, he was actively talking to others. It felt good; he’d missed having friends. What surprised him the most was how the majority of his vampiric peers viewed him as an equal and not someone lesser than them (like how Victoria typically treated him). They seemed to enjoy his company as much as he enjoyed theirs. With this in mind, Roarke waved a hello to a few people he saw on his way to the kitchen. If he was going to spend the night with his girlfriend, then he needed to feed to give him an extra boost of energy. “Oi!” came a call from behind him as he approached the kitchen. “Puppy! Where are you off to?” He turned around and was unsurprised to see Rose—her nickname for him gave her away completely. “Just getting a drink. Wanna join me?” Rose skidded to a stop right in front of him, leaning forward on her toes. “I would, I would, I would! And then would you like to join me?” “Uh… Maybe? What would I be joining you in?” “Lunch!” Rose exclaimed. “Yuriko’s going off to this sandwich shop called Jolene’s, and I asked if I could get a ride there, and she said she’d be happy to, she did. So I figured I’d ask if you wanted to come to celebrate!” “Oh, yeah, sure.” He paused before asking, “What are we celebrating exactly?” “You, silly!” she giggled. “You got yourself a girlfriend! Love is always a good reason to grab a sandwich, yeh?” He smirked and shook his head in amusement. “Yeah, I guess so. When’s she leaving?” ”Not for a bit, she’s waiting for her bodyguard to show up. We’ve got time for a drink then!” “Perfect.” They walked together down to the kitchen, which was surprisingly empty considering it was early afternoon. “Looks like we get the place to ourselves,” he joked. “I coulda told you that!” Rose teased. “You know what this means, Puppy?” Confused, he shook his head. “No, what?” She pulled off her hat and reached inside, producing a deck of cards. “I can show you a magic trick!” Rose was a magician? With a shrug, he said, “Okay, impress me.” She held out the deck. “Go on, go on, pick a card!” He had his doubts, but he decided to humor her at the very least. Examining the deck for a brief moment, he reached a hand out and picked one on the left side. “Okay, now what?” “Well, take a good, long look at it!” His skepticism grew, but he did as instructed and held the card up to his face. The eight of spades, nothing special or spectacular. “Okay…” “Alright!” She made a big show of running her hands up her bare arms. “Nothing up my sleeves… Cuz I’m not wearing any!” She quickly plucked the card out of his hand and began shuffling the deck. “I really love magic, I do. I love it so much this man based a character in a comic book after me! You might’ve heard of her, her name’s Za—Oops!” As she went to do a card spring, the deck went flying, the cards all skidding away across the floor. “Clumsy, clumsy, clumsy,” she said sheepishly. “Um, mind helping me pick these up, Puppy?” Roarke sighed and knelt down on the ground. “Sure thing.” Luckily, with the two of them playing 52-Card Pickup, they cleaned up the small mess relatively quickly. Rose hummed to herself as she counted through her cards, pausing to tilt her head curiously as she finished. “Huh, missing one? Where oh where—Aha!” She reached behind Roarke’s head and produced a card, the eight of Spades. “This wouldn’t happen to be your card, would it?” Rose winked. Staring at it dumbfounded, Roarke stammered out, “Y-Yeah, that’s it.” How in the hell had she done that? “Of course it is,” she grinned, tapping his nose. “Not many stage magicians can say they have hundreds of years of experience, they can’t!” “Wait, you’ve been doing magic tricks for hundreds of years?” he asked in disbelief. “Mmmmm, at least since the early 1800’s, yeh?” Roarke snorted. “Damn… And here I thought I was too old for Antoinette. I guess being in my 60’s isn’t all that bad compared to, well, being over 200.” “270, to be precise,” Rose said, holding up a finger. “Geez… Bet you have some stories to tell.” “I do, I do, I do,” she nodded excitedly. “Some of it is scandalous, it is!” “Like what?” he asked as he started for the walk-in fridge. “I did it with Houdini,” she replied cheerfully. His sneakers squealed against the old wooden floor as he jolted to a stop. He spun around with his jaw dropped. “Like, you had sex with him?” Rose smirked and nodded. “I’ve slept with lots of ‘em. Him and David Copperfield were probably the best, but there’ve been lots, lots, lots. Lots of ladies pretending to be psychics, too. Scratched their back, they scratched mine, get it?” “If I’m being completely honest, I didn’t know you had it in you. I’m impressed.” “Tsk, tsk, underestimating me, Puppy?” she chided playfully. He held up his hands in defense. “Hey, look, you never seemed all that interested in hookups. Can you blame me?” “Well, no one here is a stage performer. Well, Eric and Charlene are. Huh, maybe I ought to ask Charlene, never done it with a rock star before…” She rocked back and forth on her heels as if considering this, before shaking her head. “Nah, gotta wait! Next one’s gonna be Charlie Anders, if he ever comes to Rhine! Unlike my brother, I plan my hookups carefully! I’m s-m-a-r-t like that, I am!” “Right…” Roarke shook his head with amusement and continued towards the fridge. “You’re a weird one, Rose.” “Least you mean that endearingly. Lots don’t. You mind grabbing me a blood bag too, p-l-e-a-s-e?” “Yeah, of course,” he called back before opening the door. The cooler air from the inside leaked out and instantly chilled his skin. He stepped inside, grabbed two cold bags, and hurried back into the warmth of the kitchen. “So what’s this place we’re going to?” One of the bags flew out of his hand and into hers. “Jolene’s! J-o-l-e-n-e-apostrophe-s. Yuriko is a big, big, big fan of the owner, it seems.” “Big fan, huh? Kinda like you and Mr. Magician?” he teased, ripping the top of his blood bag open and starting to guzzle it down. “Mr. Hypnotist,” she corrected as she bit into her blood bag. “But yeh! I don’t peek but she tap, tap, tapped her fingers together and got all blushy when she mentioned her. Doesn’t take a mind reader to add two and two!” He quickly sucked down his portion, throwing away the empty bag before replying. “Well, whatever helps a fellow coven member, or something like that, right? So what kinda food does this place have?” “Sandwiches, sandwiches, sandwiches,” Rose listed off. “There’s other stuff, but why go to a sandwich shop if you’re not gonna get sandwiches?” “I guess that’s true.” Truth be told, he was in the mood for a hearty sandwich. “So what’s the plan? She’s gonna go and just stare longingly at the owner for an hour?” “Think so! Us, though, we can eat sandwiches and talk and all that fun stuff!” “Sounds much more fun,” he laughed. “Besides, pretty sure Antoinette would kill me if I started checking someone else out.” “I might have to kill you myself! Antoinette is sweet, sweet, sweet… I’m even thinking about applying to her little shop, I am.” “Really?” he asked, surprised. “You like baking and all that?” She shrugged. “I’ve never much tried it, but… Being in a bakery might be good for my head, yeh? Need to surround myself with nice thoughts, maybe my head won’t hurt so much.” “Hey, at the very least, you’ll probably get to try some of the stuff she makes. Free sweets can’t be so bad, right?” “Nope!” Yuriko leaned into the kitchen. “Oh, there you are, Rose! And hello, Roarke! Are you coming with us today? I know Rose said she was going to ask, but I didn’t know if you were interested or anything…” “Yeah, if that’s okay. I don’t want to intrude.” “Oh, no! It’s no intrusion!” Yuriko insisted. “It’s nice to have someone along. I’d have asked my sister, but I think Carlos took her on a picnic. He’s been acting a lot sweeter lately… I hope this means… Oh, um, I shouldn’t talk about other people’s lives.” She tapped her index fingers together nervously. “You both ready?” “I am, I am, I am,” Rose replied, taking off her hat and twirling it on her finger. “What about you, Puppy?” “Yeah,” he nodded, deciding not to let his curiosity about what Carlos was up to bother him. “Whenever’s good with me. I could probably demolish a sandwich.” “Well then, follow me! We’re taking my car. Uh, I hope you don’t mind, my bodyguard is coming along. He won’t be a bother; he’s rather nice.” “Nah, doesn’t bother me,” he replied as the three left the kitchen and started for the back door. The trip to the restaurant was rather uneventful, though Yuriko spent much of the drive hyping the place up and unsubtly talking about how wonderful the manager was. Even her bodyguard seemed rather amused by how hard she was crushing on this woman. Twenty minutes later, they were all seated, Yuriko and her bodyguard at a small table and Rose and Roarke at another. “Ooooh, they’ve got gyros?” Rose gasped. “This place is… interesting,” Roarke murmured as he looked through the menu. “How long’s it been here? Don’t think I’ve ever heard of it.” “We ought to ask Jolene when she gets over here, yeh?” Rose glanced over to the woman, who was chatting with a nervous, flustered Yuriko. “Might be a bit though by the looks of it.” “Or maybe not considering how much of a mess Yuriko is. Think she’ll ever ask her out?” “S-o-m-e-d-a-y,” Rose nodded. “She still has her last breakup to overcome. Think it’s hurting her more than she let on.” “Yeah, I know how that feels,” he sighed. “Think a lot of us do,” Rose said softly. “Even me.” “Really? Do you, uh, wanna talk about it?” “I mean, I ‘spose you ought to hear it from me, yeh?” she laughed. “I know Vicky won’t talk about it.” “Or talk to me, period,” he muttered sourly. “She wouldn’t want to talk about my ex with anyone so don’t worry. He was a bright student, he was, and he was handsome, charming, a bit promiscuous…” She glanced at Roarke, raising a curious eyebrow as she did. He stared at her blankly, feeling a bit confused. “What? Why’d you stop?” She shook her head before clearing her throat and continuing. “He was a lonely one too, he was. He was hurting inside, and he didn’t let anyone near…” She paused and glanced at him once more. Again, he felt confused. “Am I making a weird face or something?” Rose sighed in frustration and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Oi, you’re a bit dense… I used to call him ‘Puppy’ too.” She paused and stared at him. “Get it?” He lifted an eyebrow suspiciously. “Why’d you call him that?” “When I was a mortal, I was very, very, very lonely. Other kids thought I was weird, and Mr. Hart—that’s my brother’s dad—thought I was a freak. All I had was Rex… until he got me a puppy.” Her eyes began to sparkle with tears. “I loved that puppy, I did, but I had to hide him from Mr. Hart… but he found out all the same. “I tried my best, but what’s a little, little, little girl to do against a grown man? He gave me this for getting in his way.” She pointed to her permanently dilated iris. “Then, when I woke up… my puppy was gone. But I kept his memory alive! When I meet someone who’s lonely and hurting like I was, I call them ‘Puppy,’ and I try and be their friend!” Now he understood. To be frank, it had been an odd nickname that he’d more or less just accepted. Knowing where it came from made a world of difference. “I’m sorry, Rose. You shouldn’t have had to go through that.” She shook her head. “No one should. And that’s why I wanted to be Jack’s friend. He was like you… but he wasn’t sad inside. He was angry.” “Wait, hold on. Like me? Your ex was like me?” He raised an eyebrow again. She had to know how weird that sounded, right? Rose narrowed her eyes. “I don’t mean it like that! I was friends with him first!” “Okay, okay! I believe you!” Even if the similarities between them almost sounded like she had a thing for him, too. Not that it would really matter if she did because there was no one in the world who could take him away from Antoinette. “I wouldn’t date anyone I called ‘Puppy,’ not after Jack. That was a mistake.” “Why?” “When we started dating, it was nice, yeh? He was always so sweet, worshipful even. He was o-b-s-e-s-s-e-d. He was cruel to anyone who was mean to me… and a lot of people were. But I thought he’d be okay, we’d be okay… I was wrong, wrong, wrong…” “Why? What happened?” “The woman after the coven now, he started spending lots of time with her, and she turned him. All that rage inside him exploded out. He came to the school, and he killed every mortal he could find—everyone who ever made fun of me or teased me—all as a big declaration of love.” She looked down at the table. “It didn’t win me over. It didn’t.” Under his breath, he muttered, “I can’t imagine why.” He must have really been corrupted to slaughter innocent people. Well, were they really all that innocent if they were harassing her? he wondered quietly. Did they deserve it? “They didn’t” she whispered. “No one deserves that. And it broke Vicky and Dracula. Those were their students, their friends. That’s why I’ve been gone so long. Vicky would hate me if she knew he did it for me.” “Why would she hate you? It’s not like you asked him to do it.” Then again, she seemed to hate Roarke for no reason so maybe she would actually blame Rose. “I think she was afraid you’d be like him,” Rose said. Roarke felt taken aback. “Wait, what? Why?” “Like I said, you’re like him in a lot of ways. But she didn’t know that you’re different inside cuz she can’t read minds like me. She just sees a pretty, handsome loner who sleeps around, and she remembers Jack the Ripper was the same.” “Then why’d she even let me—” His speech jolted to a screeching halt as his eyes widened. “Wait, hold on. Jack the Ripper?” Rose nodded. “Exactly the one you’re thinking of.” “You dated Jack the Ripper?” He was trying to keep his voice down so as not to attract any attention considering how busy the restaurant was, but this was not the kind of news you heard everyday (or ever, really). “How was I supposed to know he’d go and do that?” she whispered. “I blamed myself for that for a long while, what he did in Whitechapel…” “Rose,” Roarke said sternly. “That’s not your fault. He made the choice to do that shit, not you.” “I know now, but it was hard not to blame myself when the wounds were fresh and he just killed scores of people and said it was all for me.” “That just goes to show you how little he really knew you. Anyone who knows you knows you don’t want people to get hurt. He was clearly unhinged, and he used you as an excuse to hurt others.” “You’re right, you’re right, you’re right…” she sighed. “I’ve always wished it could be different, though.” “Hi, folks!” a chipper voice with a Southern accent interrupted as a woman with a friendly smile and brunette hair tied back in a wavy ponytail appeared at their table nearly scaring Roarke. “Sorry about the wait! Do you know what y’all would like to order?” “I think I’ll have one of those Greek gyros, I will! Please!” Rose chirped. Roarke quickly looked at the menu again. “Uh… I’ll have the roast beef sandwich on white bread with a root beer.” “Sure thing,” the woman (Jolene, presumably) answered. She gently took their menus. “I’ll have those out for you in a jiffy!” With that, she turned around and headed for another table. Roarke couldn’t help himself. He took a peek at her butt, and both of his brows lifted. “Damn.” Yuriko had good taste. “She does, doesn’t she?” Rose snickered. “Quite a woman, yeh?” He turned his head and stared at her in disbelief for a second before laughing. “Please promise me you’re not going to tell Antoinette about this.” She mimed locking her lips and throwing away the key in response. “Your secret’s safe with me, it is.” He felt his shoulders slightly sag in relief. “You’re a good friend, you know?” Rose beamed at him. “I only know it when you say it, Puppy.” “What, no one else has told you that?” “A few people have, but not in a long, long, long while.” “Yeah, I know what that’s like,” he nodded. “Probably not nearly as long as you, though. But, you know, you’ve got friends now. You and me both. It’s kind of nice not to be alone anymore.” “It is, it is,” she agreed. “I wish someone would’ve slapped some sense into me earlier. Didn’t really do myself any favors pushing people away.” “Nope! But you’re better now!” “I hope so,” he sighed. “Antoinette is sure pushing me to be. Not that I mind it. I kinda needed that, you know?” “You’re definitely the sort who needs a woman to whip him into shape, yeh,” Rose teased. “So long as it’s Antoinette doing the whipping,” he smirked back. “Naughty, naughty, naughty,” Rose said, wagging her finger. He shrugged innocently as Jolene returned with two white ceramic plates, one in each hand. “Order’s up! One roast beef sandwich and one gyro!” She set their meals on the table in front of them. A younger man standing beside her gently placed a red plastic cup and an unopened straw in front of Roarke. “Here’s your root beer, sir!” he shyly announced. “Thanks,” Roarke nodded. “This looks amazing!” “If you need anything, just holler!” Jolene grinned before the two left Rose and Roarke to enjoy their food. “I think this is the biggest sandwich I’ve ever seen in my life,” he said as he lifted his food. It was heavy and packed with slice after slice of hot roast beef. “Guess Yuriko really does come for more than just the manager’s bum!” Rose giggled. Curiously, he glanced over at where she was sitting to see she was, once again, talking with Jolene. “Maybe, but I have my doubts.” He, on the other hand, came for the food. For the next ten minutes or so, the two casually chatted while they ate. He was surprised by how amazing the food tasted. Once his sandwich was gone, he wiped the grease from his hands with a napkin. “Is this, like, another place the coven visits? Or is it really just Yuriko?” “Mostly her, but Eric’s the one who told me about it at his party. I hope he’s alright, I do. He was thinking sad things this morning.” “Sad things?” Roarke wiped crumbs and grease off of his face with a napkin. “Like what?” “Relationship d-r-a-m-a,” Rose replied sadly. “Wait, him and… Aiden, right?” They’d seemed head-over-heels the other night. What could have possibly gone wrong? “It’s not my place to say, but his mind was screaming it. Think it’s insecurity, trust, all that.” “Damn.” He felt bad for not even noticing anything being off with him. “Is he going to be okay?” Rose shrugged, a deep frown on her face. “I don’t know…” “That bad?” Had he been so wrapped up with Antoinette that he hadn’t noticed someone he now considered a friend was going through something? Geez, if she knew that, she’d scold me for sure. “Maybe you can talk to him?” Rose offered. “Me? I don’t know, Rose. I don’t want to stick my nose in his business.” “Well, I hope someone does, anyway.” He sighed. “I’ll… think about it. Okay? I don’t want to be known as that nosy asshole. Not when I’m finally starting to do something right.” “Fair enough. That’s what people used to call me, and I hated it.” “Hey, you’re only nosy because you care,” Roarke teased. “Actually, it’s because of the involuntary nature of my telepathy!” she chirped. “But I like what you said better so I’ll go with that!” He shook his head with an amused smirk. He glanced towards Yuriko’s table and saw that she was still talking to Jolene. “Humor me for a sec, will you? What’s she thinking right now?” Rose focused for a moment, and then her eyes widened and her face turned red. “Uh… I’d like to plead the Fifth, I would.” Roarke burst out laughing. “She’s thinking dirty shit while she’s talking to her? Damn. Mad respect.” “Siblings are always more alike than they think,” Rose giggled. “It’s usually Sakura who has thoughts like this, but Yuriko puts her to shame… Ugh. I feel guilty now, I do, this is so invasive…” “Sorry, it’s my fault,” he winced. “I shouldn’t have asked you to do that.” Especially considering how she’d just confided in him about how she hated doing it, whether on purpose or accidentally. “Well, you apologized, and I forgive you, so that’s that,” Rose nodded. “But let’s be nice to Yuriko, she’s a nice lady, she is. She’ll get there on her own, I think. She might just need a little push is all.” “Can’t rush love, or something like that, right?” he agreed. “Nope! Love takes time to build up and all that.” With a small smile, he replied, “Sure does.” Sure, maybe he’d fallen for Antoinette really easily, but he knew she needed time to get to that point, and he was okay with that. Yuriko would get there, too. So would Rose. Yeah, he nodded to himself. She’ll find someone again. Someone way better than fucking Jack the Ripper. ****** Chastity was trying to pay attention to the menu in her hand so she would be ready to order when their waitress returned, but that was hard to accomplish when her mind was full of information and uncertainties. It was only half past noon, and she was already exhausted and ready to climb into bed. Eve was, in fact, dangerous; Mr. Grieves had confirmed this, and Chastity trusted him. Victoria had been right all along. In addition to finding this out, she’d been informed that Eve knowing where to find Chastity when she needed her put not only herself but Venus and Morag in danger as well. This was the heaviest bit of information weighing on her mind. Nervously, she wiggled her foot beneath the table. Focus, Chastity. You’re here with Morag right now. There’s no reason to freak out. Besides, you’re supposed to be strong for her, remember? She inhaled slowly, trying to calm her anxiety. She really wished Venus was here so she could squeeze her hand for comfort, but she’d wanted the lunch date to be just her and Morag. Even if she loved having her girlfriend by her side, she was still her own person, and she wanted her friend to know that. “Ah, dearie, thank you for inviting me here!” Morag beamed. “It’s been far too long since I’ve really indulged in my love of seafood… I’m definitely going for the buffet. What about you?” “Oh, right. I forgot there was a buffet here,” she laughed nervously. Brine O’ Rhine was well-known for its massive seafood buffet (which was all caught fresh thanks to the ports right by the ocean). She wasn’t sure if she could eat that much food, especially considering her stomach felt like a rough night at sea as it was. “I don’t know, I might get something smaller.” “I suppose that’s more for me, then!” Morag laughed. She glanced around the rather empty restaurant. There was only one other table with two elderly women who were animatedly chatting over cups of coffee. “Considering we’re one of the only tables here, I’d say you have a pretty good selection.” “I do hope they have their crab cakes today. They’re absolutely delicious!” “I’m sure they do. That’s one of their signature items, isn’t it?” she asked, recalling how the television commercials always boasted they had the best crab cakes in the world. “They are indeed. But does that necessarily translate to putting them in the buffet? I certainly hope it does!” Morag was practically glowing; Chastity couldn’t recall the last time she’d seen her friend in such high spirits. With a relieved smile, she said, “I’m so glad you’re feeling better. I was so, so worried about you.” “I do appreciate that, dearie, but you needn’t worry any longer! I’m feeling more invigorated than I have in years! I feel I can do anything!” “That’s because you can do anything,” Chastity assured her. “Like how I can apply to a new bakery that just opened?” Morag chuckled. “Yeah, definitely!” “Well, guess what I did this morning?” Morag asked with a cheeky grin. Chastity’s smile faded, and she stared at her friend in disbelief. “You… applied to the bakery?” “I did! I’ve been mulling over what we talked about in the kitchen after my, ah, episode, and I decided there’s no time like the present to pursue a new career! I’m going to ensure things at the Den are left in working order, of course, but hopefully I can move on from that chapter of my life soon.” She nodded again understandingly. If Morag was leaving, then that meant she’d have to leave too (which was probably for the best considering what Mr. Grieves told her). “It’s… honestly the best choice considering what I, um, found out recently.” “Oh?” Morag raised an eyebrow. “What’s that?” Chastity set down her laminated menu before her on the table and placed her hands in her lap. “Well,” she nervously began, realizing how she got this information would need to be altered slightly, “I… got in a fight with Remy last night, and he… started, um, boasting about things he’s done. Like… stealing tips from the girls. Maybe the guys too, I don’t know. And he put cameras in the women’s locker room.” She paused and glanced at her friend, waiting for her reaction before she told her the worst part. Morag nodded. “Oh, I know about all that, dearie, and I’ve taken care of it. I’m no fool. I’ve disabled his cameras, redistributed his money… That man is all bark and no bite, dog that he is.” “Wait…” She frowned in confusion. “If you disabled the cameras… I mean, didn’t he notice?” “Of course he did,” Morag laughed. “I threatened him with Aurelio. What do you think his boss might say if he caught him abusing his employees? I couldn’t go to the police—who knows what Aurelio might do?—but I did all I could to keep the girls and boys safe. And I know Jeanne and Freya will do all they can when they take over, you know them, they’re nice girls, and I was speaking with them over the past few days.” With a sigh, she admitted, “You’re amazing, you know that?” “I’m starting to remember that I am,” Morag winked. “It really is thanks to you, though. You’ve been so sweet and patient with me, Chastity. I really cannot thank you enough.” She shrugged. “You’ve done so much for me. Being there for you through all that? That’s the least I can do.” She sighed heavily. “And not to bring down the mood again, but there’s something else Remy told me. Something you need to hear.” “And what might that be?” Chastity nervously wrung her hands together beneath the table. “When I was… covering for you in the back, Remy told me he… he was one of my, um, customers.” Morag froze, staring at her. “What?” “And…” She swallowed hard. Repeating this wasn’t easy, but Morag needed to know. “…he was one of yours, too. Pretty often, I think.” Morag was silent for a very long time, to the point where the tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Morag finally spoke again. “Dearie, once we’re done eating, would you mind running a wee little errand with me?” “What are you going to do?” she asked in a small, nervous voice. “Well, I just need to make my resignation formal, that’s all.” “Oh… Yeah. Good idea.” She took a deep breath before adding, “And I do, too.” “I do hope you’re not just quitting for my sake, though I would appreciate the gesture,” Morag said. “No,” she assured her. “I mean, that's part of it. I promised I’d stay for you. But… there are other reasons. It’s just…” She sighed. “It’s going to be hard, you know?” “It’s going to be hard for someone, but not us,” Morag insisted. “But I do imagine you have your reasons for wanting to leave… Things are changing very quickly in your life, aren’t they?” “Yeah,” she whispered. “They are.” Chastity was almost certain Morag was going to ask for details, but luckily their server finally returned. “Do you ladies know what you’d like to order, or do you need a few minutes?” “Oh, I am definitely getting the buffet, if you please!” Morag replied cheerfully. Chastity honestly had no idea what she wanted, so she decided to go with an old favorite. “Popcorn shrimp, please.” “Wonderful!” their waitress smiled. “I’ll get that started for you, and please feel free to go up to the buffet whenever you’re ready, Miss!” She grabbed their menus and hurried away to put Chastity’s order in. “Do you mind if I get a plate, dearie? I’d rather wait for you, but the smells…!” “No, go ahead,” she laughed. With a grateful nod, Morag rushed you to the buffet. She returned a few minutes later, her plate piled high with all manner of seafood. “I haven’t had an appetite like this since I was a wee lass! I really do feel twenty years younger lately!” “Be careful working in the bakery,” Chastity teased. “I like to bake more than I like to eat sweets,” Morag said as she forked a large shrimp and bit into it. “It’s the act of creating for others that brings me joy.” “I can understand that,” she nodded. That’s how she’d felt when she was a bartender at the Den (before she’d been promoted to dancing, anyway). “I think you’d be perfect there, really.” “I’m glad you think so, Chastity,” Morag beamed. “I hope I can find something that makes me happy like that.” Her mind drifted while Morag ate. She needed a new job, but she wasn’t sure if the bakery was a good fit for her. Maybe I should talk to Mr. Grieves again, she wondered. He seemed to want to help, and she definitely needed it. It’s not like last time, she reminded herself. She wasn’t homeless and broken, just a little lost. It’ll be okay. And you have Venus with you this time. There’s no way she’d ever leave you like that asshole did. If she ever saw Leonard again, she was going to kick him where it hurt. When their lunch was over (which was delicious despite the small appetite Chastity had), Morag asked, “Shall we head to the Den, then?” “Yeah, I guess so.” She left enough cash on the table to not only cover her bill but also leave a nice tip for their waitress. The two women left the restaurant and piled into Morag’s car, a beautiful violet convertible. She rarely drove it, preferring to take the bus when possible, so this was a special treat for the both of them. It was pristinely clean, probably from the lack of use, and still had a hint of a fresh car smell. As Morag pulled out of the parking lot, Chastity said, “You know, I can’t remember the last time I saw you drive this thing.” “It has been a long while, hasn’t it?” She hit the button to lower the roof. “But I think my new lease on life warrants it.” “Does that mean you’re going to drive it more often?” she asked curiously. “Oh, absolutely,” she grinned as she put in the key and pulled out of the parking lot. The drive to the Den was not nearly the breakneck affair she’d become used to with Venus and Lilith driving, but Morag was definitely courting the speed limit. It wasn’t long before they pulled into the parking lot of their soon-to-be former place of employment. “You ready for this, dearie?” “Ready as I can be,” she sighed. The nervous waves in her stomach were raging as she unbuckled her seatbelt and exited the car. She let Morag take the lead into the building, preferring to follow behind her. Was she really doing this? In order to keep up with her friend, who was rushing through the place, she had to practically jog behind her. Since it was the middle of the day, she didn’t recognize any of the staff (she had always worked third shift), so no one was really staring at them suspiciously as they made their way through the Den. Still, the prospect of coming face-to-face with Remy again prickled her skin. As Morag made a beeline for Remy’s office, she turned once more to Chastity and smiled sweetly. “Here we go!” The idea of being in his office again made her feel sick, but she would be with Morag this time. Even if he tried something, she wouldn’t let him, she told herself. Remy would never take advantage of either one of them again. Morag ran up to the door and kicked it open, the door slamming violently into the wall. Remy, who had been staring out the window at the dancers like he often did, whirled around in shock. “Morag? Chastity? What in the f—” Before he could finish his sentence, Morag grabbed him by the throat and, with one hand, whirled him around and slammed him straight through his desk. As he lay in the wreckage, groaning in pain, she stood over him and snarled, “You foul, pathetic, loathsome little toad! I’ve done so much for you and this bloody club, and how do you repay me and my coworkers? By taking advantage of us?” “I-I paid… tipped, too…” Remy groaned before Morag roughly stomped on his stomach, causing him to yelp in pain. “You disgust me, Remy Delacroix! You are the lowest sort of filth this city has to offer! And while I was going to maybe wait out another week or so, I’ve come to tell you: I quit.” Chastity stared in disbelief. She was speechless and beyond proud of Morag, but where had that come from? Had her friend always been incredibly strong? “Shit, babe…” she gasped. Morag lifted Remy up by his long, greasy hair. “So, anything you’d like to tell him, dearie?” she smirked. There were so many things, but there was likely not enough time in the day to say everything on her mind. Crossing her arms over her chest, she sneered at Remy. “You were supposed to keep us safe, asshole. We trusted you, and you used us. And you know what’s the saddest thing about that?” She rolled her eyes. “You think you’re such tough shit, but you’re going to die alone and miserable. No woman in the world wants a man who treats her like an object instead of a human being who deserves respect. The creepers who lurk around and never tip are better than you.” Remy didn’t even respond, actively looking away. Morag roughly yanked his hair, causing him to yelp in pain, and shouted, “You look at her, you look at her and face the music, Delacroix! Now, I think there’s one more stop I need to make.” She began dragging Remy by his hair out the door, calling over her shoulder, “Chastity, come along!” Chastity followed, but part of her wondered if they were going too far. He deserves this, right? After everything he’s done to us? Morag dragged Remy down the stairs and through the locker room, eliciting shocked stares from their coworkers. She continued until she came to a large, metal door at the back that Chastity couldn’t recall ever seeing before. There was a sign on it that read “DANGER: KEEP OUT!” She knocked loudly on the door, which swung open to reveal a man in a suit not unlike the ones with Aurelio a few days prior. “M’am, this i—“ Morag grabbed the man by the collar with her free hand and leaned into his face. “You are going to take Remy, and you are going to give him to Aurelio and have him explain why two of his best employees just quit. Are we clear, laddie?” The man just nodded in stunned silence. “I—Um, o-of course, Miss, er—“ “Macduff. Morag Macduff.” Chastity stared at her friend with wide eyes. She’d never seen Morag like this before. She wasn’t sure whether to be impressed or be scared. She knew Morag would never, ever hurt her, but seeing her so violent was a polar opposite of the woman she knew. Still, she stayed quiet, even if her thoughts were repetitively screaming, “Holy shit!” The man grabbed Remy by the shoulders and pulled him in, shutting the door behind him. Morag turned towards Chastity and grinned. “So, I believe we are free women now!” “Y-Yeah,” she stuttered, not sure what to say. “Do you have anything else to do, dearie? Want to go down to the docks with me?” “Yeah, sure,” she nodded. Then, hesitantly, she asked, “Are you… okay?” “Chastity, I have not felt so good in ages!” Morag beamed. “Now come, come! We’re wasting daylight!” “Okay, okay.” She gave her a small smile. “Lead the way, babe.” There was likely nothing to worry about. She’d probably been holding in those feelings for a long, long time considering how she had practically run the place for Remy (who, truth be told, was too incompetant to run a business on his own). She felt a small sense of relief in knowing that Morag, in addition to Venus, had her back and would speak up for her when she was too afraid to. I guess I’m not as brave as I thought. Going so quickly from a dungy place like the Den of Sin to the calmness of the docks was a bizarre change, but it was a welcome one, even with the strong fishy odor in the air. The only people who ever came to the docks were mainly fishermen. The odd looks they shot Morag and Chastity weren’t surprising in the least; they likely didn’t see women hanging out very often. “I haven’t visited the sea in a long while,” Morag sighed as she stared out over the water. “When I was little, my dear mum and I would go swimming in the Loch all the time… I miss that. I think I’ve avoided this because I’ve been too sad for too long.” Chastity frowned with worry. “Why are you sad?” “When I was a lass, I lost my mum. I came to America with my father, but he passed away when I was in my twenties. Losing both of my parents… It led to me making some rather poor decisions. For so long, I repressed, ignored, and hid myself away. But now?” She turned to Chastity. “I feel free again. And I believe you have something to do with it.” “Me?” she asked with surprise. “You’ve supported me through my relapse and helped me out of my funk. I’m not sure what I’d do without you, dearie.” “Honestly? I don’t know what I’d do without you either.” She tucked her hair behind her right ear. “Like, you kinda helped me get back onto my feet when I first started working at the Den. Fuck, I was a total mess, but you were always so nice to me…” A sudden realization hit her, rendering her silent. She’d thought she was losing the only family she knew by quitting the Den, but that wasn’t true in the slightest. She still had Morag. The two were so close, they could practically be sisters. For as long as she could remember, her family only consisted of her twin sister and her aunt. Since her parents had died when she was very young, there was no one else. But when she’d left home to live with Leonard, she’d cut contact with them. When Leonard had dumped her and kicked her out, she was too afraid (and too proud) to go back to her aunt’s house. She’d felt completely and utterly alone for a long time. But now, she realized she hadn’t been alone. Without another word, Chastity engulfed Morag in a tight hug. Choking back the urge to cry, she blurted out, “Thank you for everything.” “You don’t ever need to thank me for showing you kindness, dearie” Morag said softly. “It’d be a grave disservice to my parents’ memory if I gave anything less.” “I’m just… really, really glad I have you in my life. You’ve always been there for me, and I honestly don’t know how I would have made it without you.” “You’re a tough girl, you’d have found a way, with or without this old fish,” Morag chuckled. “But I hope you know I’m glad I have you too. And I’m very grateful that now I don’t have to be afraid of losing you.” “Like I’d ever go away,” she laughed. She released her friend and wiped away the light wetness that had surfaced on her eyelids. “You’re stuck with me now, babe.” “And truly, there is nothing better I could ask for.” They sat at the edge of the dock, their feet dangling just about the salty water below. Despite the off-putting smell of the ocean, Chastity found she was rather content to sit beside her friend in silence. After the emotional day she’d had, watching the waves next to Morag sounded like the perfect way to spend her afternoon. ****** Jerrod was lying on his back on a bed in the Silverwings’ basement, trapped in a jail cell staring up at the ceiling. He’d fucked up. Bad. Getting captured was really not on his itinerary and yet, here he was imprisoned by the once-proud organization that was now nothing more than a bunch of errand boys for the Von Kaiser vampires in Germany and a couple of babysitters for what was left of Dracula’s old coven. What a fucking joke, he thought bitterly knowing full well that he wished more than anything he could be a Silverwing. He’d almost considered saying Eve’s real name since that would apparently summon her to the spot—he’d never heard of a taboo spell so powerful before, but then he didn’t exactly know many angels. But after mulling it over, he realized there were multiple reasons why this was a terrible idea. For one, Eve didn’t exactly seem to care about him, which led right into number two: He was pretty sure she’d just as soon kill him as she would any of the Silverwings. But third, and most importantly, if he sold these people out, he knew Charlie, Roxanne, and the others would never speak to him again. Even if things were strained between them, Jerrod did not want to lose the only people who remotely believed in him, no matter how bitter he was. And on top of all that, he wasn’t going to get a bunch of people killed. He was many things, but a killer he was not, and he had been extremely relieved when Eve had told the vampire killers that the mission was a non-lethal one. He stared at a clock hanging on the wall outside of his cell. It was late in the afternoon now, which meant he was probably going to be interrogated soon. An old dark-skinned Italian man he’d recognized as the famous Enrico Luna had told him the big boss himself, Harlan Silver, would be squeezing info out of him. Jerrod couldn’t deny he was absolutely terrified by the prospect. The Silver family name may have been dragged through the mud after failing to save Dracula, but he knew the man who, at age eighteen, was able to brutally wound Eve in battle while only losing an eye and getting a few scars in return was not someone to take lightly. A couple of minutes went by as he mentally prepared himself. Eventually, the sound of a door unlocking in the distance echoed through the dungeon. Alright Jerrod, he thought to himself, time to play up the unhelpful douchebag angle. He didn’t have much care or loyalty for Eve, but he wasn’t going to let them harm Marianna, her kid, or her friends. No matter what anyone said about Marianna, she was a nice lady, and her kid did absolutely nothing wrong. Guess I can at least protect one innocent girl from harm, he thought bitterly. Three people soon walked into view. Harlan Silver he knew by sight, but he didn’t recognize the angry cowboy in the slightest, and he definitely didn’t recognize the albino cutie with the heart-shaped sunglasses. Jerrod sat straight up and slicked back his hair. Time to lay on the charm. It has to work eventually, right? “Hey there,” he smirked at the albino woman. “What’s a girl like you doing in a dungeon with these kinda guys?” This comment immediately earned him a furious scowl from the man standing behind her. “First you try to kill my cousin’s boyfriend, now you’re gonna hit on my girlfriend? It makes sense now why you joined the snake.” He immediately deflated. Of course that’s Levi fucking Travis. “Oh, come the fuck on. You’re the other Chupacabra kid?” “Yeah,” he answered shortly, crossing his arms over his chest. “Well, this is great,” Jerrod muttered. “Look, I wasn’t gonna hurt your cousin, alright?” The albino woman burst out in a fit of giggles. “Like you could’ve even put a scratch on Antoinette, you silly cunt!” “You just wanted a go in the hay with her, that it?” Levi grunted, the glare never leaving his face. “If she wasn’t already with that vampire jock, sure. I’m not one to cuckold anyone.” “Don’t think you’re much her type,” he countered. “She likes her men with both oars in the water.” What the fuck does that even mean? “Well, I ain’t much into blondes,” Jerrod retorted in a mock Southern accent. “Like any man with an ounce of taste, I prefer redheads.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Hope you’re happy with that nugget of info because that’s all you’re getting. I’m not saying shit.” “But you just said shit right now,” the albino girl pointed out with a cheeky grin on her face. This cracked through her boyfriend’s tough exterior, and he smirked and put an arm around her waist. A second later, however, he was back to glaring at Jerrod. “I don’t much care for Roarke, but he’s with my cousin, an’ I respect that. There ain’t no way in Hell I’m ‘bout to turn him over to the snake. So why’d you? Or why’d you try is the question since you failed.” “You know who I am, so that should answer your question,” Jerrod grumbled. The Silverwings here couldn’t be that clueless. Even with how bad communication between the German and Rhine branches were, they had to know about Charlie’s failure of a brother. “I know who you are, which is why I’m awful surprised Antoinette told me you brought Roarke back to her bakery,” Harlan said, the first time he’d spoken so far (as opposed to just standing there menacingly, his arms folded across his chest). “Why not just bring him to your boss and be done with it?” “None of your business,” Jerrod replied petulantly, knowing full well this probably only made him look even stupider. “It’s quite literally my business, mate,” Harlan chuckled. “Probably wanted to make a move on her,” the cowboy grumbled. “We’ve been over this, Hannah Montana. I’m not someone who steals other people’s girls. I may be an asshole, but I’m not a dick.” “Hannah Montana?” giggled the albino woman. “Oy, can I start callin’ you that, babe? That’s pretty fuckin’ funny.” “No.” She pouted in response. “Aw. You’re no fun.” “Ok, seriously, who the hell is this lady?” Jerrod said, gesturing at the albino woman. “That would be my daughter, Marama Silver,” Harlan explained. “Oh,” was all Jerrod could say in reply. Not only had he flirted with the girlfriend of Levi Travis, a pretty well-regarded hunter considering how he was recruited, but said girlfriend was Harlan fucking Silver’s daughter. And he’d flirted with her right in front of him. How he hadn’t been killed yet, he had no idea. At least Levi found it amusing as he stopped scowling and was now fighting to hold back laughter. Jerrod noticed, however, that his grip around his girlfriend’s waist tightened ever-so-slightly. “Well, great. I look like a complete fucking jackass. But you know what? Fine. I’ll look like a fucking jackass all day if it means keeping Marianna and her kid safe. Laugh all you want, but you won’t be laughing when Marianna rescues me, and you’ll be laughing even less when I finally get that woman for myself. We’ll be the power couple who can take any of you pricks down!” Unbelievably corny as it was, maybe they’d buy it. There was a long, awkward silence as his three captors stared at him. Then Harlan suddenly burst out laughing. Next to him, Levi shook his head and ran his free hand over his face, and Mara pulled her glasses down and stared at him incredulously. “You’re fuckin’ with us, right, mate?” the albino woman asked. Jerrod pulled down his own glasses. “Fucking with you? What?” “He ain’t got no idea,” Levi chuckled. “Can I tell him?” Mara exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly. “Oy, Dad, stop busting your gut! Can I break the news to him?” Harlan just waved, unable to stop laughing, and the girl turned to him. “Marianna’s a lesbian, mate.” Jerrod literally had no idea how to respond. It all makes sense! Blowing me off, the lack of interest… If she were straight, how could she have possibly turned me down? I was too blinded by my excitement at being around a hot mom that I hadn’t even considered that we were playing for the same team. He shook his head, clearing out this overly optimistic drivel. Yeah, keep telling yourself that, maybe someday you’ll believe it. Face it Jerrod, you’re just an idiot. “Wait until Antoinette hears about this one,” the cowboy muttered. “I-I, come on, that’s not fair,” Jerrod sputtered. “How was I supposed to know?” “I heard she goes on and on and on about Nadia all the time. That didn’t tip you off?” Mara laughed. “Did you think Nadia’s a boy’s name?” Jerrod turned around. “Well, whatever! I’m a dumbass! But this dumbass still isn’t going to tell you anything! Do your worst!” “Babe,” Mara sighed, “go and hold him still so I can get a look at him.” He heard footsteps approach his cell, followed by a metallic clicking sound. Then, surprisingly, the door heavily slid open. He turned around again to see Harlan standing guard at the opening and the cowboy walking inside. Before he could react, the Southern man grabbed Jerrod’s arm and twisted it behind his back, holding him firmly so he faced Harlan’s daughter. “How’s this?” “Ow! Easy, cowboy!” “Perfect!” The girl smirked and lowered her glasses, and the tell-tale flash in her eyes clued Jerrod in that she was a vampire and was using some sort of power. Shit, he thought. “Care to explain to Mr. Carter what Mara is doing, Levi?” Harlan asked proudly. “Call it leverage,” the cowboy said with a snort. “You ain’t gonna tell us what we wanna know, so she’s gonna find what’ll make you squirm worse than a rowdy puppy.” “Any weakness you got, physical or mental or whatever it is, I’ll find it,” Mara muttered. “I’ll hit you where it hurts. Hopefully not literally cuz I have a mean fuckin’ right hook, mate!” Jerrod broke out in a cold sweat. He knew exactly what Mara was going to see in the darkest corner of his mind. And he knew exactly when she saw it too because the confident smirk on her face faded, and she pulled her glasses back up. “Nah,” she said, her voice shaking. “Nah, fuck that. I’m not that big a bloody cunt. Fuck no.” “You alright?” Levi’s concerned voice came from behind him. Mara shook her head. “Fuck, babe, it’s too much.” Jerrod sighed. “Just say it. You might as well.” He braced himself to hear the very thing he told himself every day and every night he was at the bottom of a bottle, every time he was at his lowest. The biggest load of guilt, one that had weighed heavily on him for his entire life. Slowly, Mara spoke. “If you were better, maybe… maybe Roxanne wouldn’t… she wouldn’t be… She’d never have been taken, mate.” And there it was. He went limp in Levi’s arms. “Yeah. Guess you were right, Silver. That really did hurt. And no matter how many times I tell myself it, it never hurts any less.” He was glad he was wearing his sunglasses because it at least partly obscured the tears in his eyes. Another awkward silence passed, which only added to his misery. It seemed like no one knew exactly what to say. Eventually, though, it was the country boy who cleared his throat and spoke up. “Sir, permission to take ‘im to the lounge to talk?” Jerrod looked up at him with surprise, a sentiment Mara seemed to share. Harlan, however, simply nodded and replied, “Alright. You be careful, Levi.” “I will,” he promised. He released Jerrod and started for the cell’s exit. “Come on. Couch’s more comfortable than that there bed.” “Yeah, sure,” Jerrod mumbled numbly. He had no idea what this guy was planning, but he was just too exhausted and miserable at this point to protest. Surprisingly, instead of restraining him again, Levi simply led him out of the room. Jerrod didn’t pay much attention to his dark and dreary surroundings and simply followed him as they wound their way through the base of operations. Eventually, they stepped into a room even smaller than the one his cell was in. There were couches, a few vending machines, and a television hanging on one of the grey walls. “Sit wherever,” Levi said as he closed the door behind them. “Bet you’re hungry, huh? Want anythin’?” “An explanation for this is what I’d like,” Jerrod sighed. “Ain’t a guy allowed to be nice?” he asked with an amused grin. He sat down on one of the tan couches. “Yeah but usually they’re not nice in a total one-eighty kinda way.” Levi shrugged. “Bet it does look kinda odd, huh? Thing is, Dad taught me to give a guy a second chance.” “I think I used up all my second chances a long time ago, cowboy. I’m a vampire killer. I do mercenary work for people with too much money and too few morals to ask guys like you. Yeah, I never killed anyone, but I’ve done some shady shit.” “Lemme ask you somethin’.” Levi leaned forward, resting his tanned arms on his knees. “Why?” Jerrod sat down on the couch across from Levi and leaned back. “No way. I’m not about to just give you my sob story. The long and short of it is that I need money for booze so I can forget how much my life sucks.” The man laughed again and shifted his position so he was once more resting against the back of the couch. “That’s what I thought. You ain’t as bad as them other killers.” “Literally only two people there have a body count: Moore and the Lovett chick. The rest of them are a bunch of people around your age who probably got strong armed into this. Shit, the younger Quincey doesn’t even look cut out for this job.” “But I ain’t talkin’ to them right now, am I?” he pointed out. “No because they’d either kill you or, uh, do something nasty to you instead of talk to you,” Jerrod muttered. “Fucking hell. I shouldn’t even be here at all. I should have known that whole line of having a ‘greater purpose’ Amon gave me was a load of bullshit.” Levi lifted a thick eyebrow, which was almost difficult to see beneath his shaggy brown hair, and a curious expression crossed his face. “Maybe it ain’t.” “And what’s that supposed to mean, cowboy?” “Maybe you got a greater purpose but you were on the wrong side.” “Look, I’m not helping you kill Marianna, her kid, the German boy, or Rhapsody. Maybe they’re on the ‘bad guy’ side but they aren’t evil. Most of them are fucking depressed. Considering what the German kid had to go through his first night there…” Jerrod shook his head. “And, I mean, you could try killing Rex and Amon but I’m pretty sure that between the two of them, they wouldn’t leave enough for anyone to bury.” There was a laugh before Levi elusively explained, “We ain’t tryin’ to kill no one if we don’t gotta.” “Would have been nice if you could have opened with that,” Jerrod huffed. “I mean, what am I supposed to think? Dracula’s girlfriend is gonna welcome Cross into her coven with open arms?” Levi laughed again at this, apparently agreeing with him. “See? You ain’t all that bad. You just need a hand.” “And let me guess, you’re going to give me one?” There could be worse Silverwings to deal with. He remembered that arrogant bastard from the Five, Drake McAllister, who’d failed him repeatedly during training. Guess it’s not so bad being with someone my brother recruited… he internally mumbled. “If you’ll let me.” He shifted his position on the couch so he was sitting up and not slouching. “My dad got a ranch. Kinda typical Southern guy, you know? Raises cows for milk and beef. Tried pigs once but too much competition.” He shook his head. “Anyway, Dad was lookin’ for help one year when I was a kid. Had a guy come by an’ apply, and he told my dad he’d done some time. Said somethin’ about wantin’ to be honest ‘cause he wanted to live an honest life. And Dad gave him a chance. Hired him on. “Paul worked harder than all the other guys at the time. Dad was so impressed, next time he needed to hire help, he called up the jail an’ asked if they had anyone lookin’ for a job. Got Mom all worried, and can’t say I blame her. What else you gonna be when all the farmhands come with records?” He rubbed his hair, seemingly nervous. “Guess I’m tryin’ to say Dad taught me a lesson. These guys he hired? Sure, a few got caught swipin’ somethin’, but most just wanted to work hard and make somethin’ of their lives. They just ain’t ever get a chance before.” Jerrod nodded, impressed. “Guess your dad understands what the goal of the criminal justice system in America should be better than most. Rehabilitation should be the goal…” He let out a sigh before adding, “And yeah, maybe that should be my goal too. At least if my life is going to fucking suck, I should have it suck in a way that won’t make Charlie, Roxanne, and her, uh, buddies hate me.” “I’m willin’ to speak up for ya, but ya gotta give me some info first.” “Fine,” he sighed. “What do you want to know?” Levi looked serious now that they were getting down to business. Leaning his arms against his thighs again, he asked, “What’s the snake doin’ here?” “Man, you’re really asking the question no one has an answer to,” Jerrod laughed. “Like, I was under the impression she wanted us to kill the vampires here after Germany, but she just wants to kidnap them. Even Amon was blindsided by that one.” “Kidnap? All of them?” “I… guess? I dunno. She wasn’t exactly totally upfront. Kinda funny, huh? You’d think an angel would be more to-the-point.” The cowboy nodded thoughtfully. “So that what you were doin’?” “Yeah, I was just gonna take that pretty boy in. But I didn’t want to fuck up his girl’s breakfast.” “And you don’t know what she was gonna do with him?” “Not a fucking clue. I can’t imagine it was to invite him to tea and biscuits, though. Maybe she just wants to steal Dracula’s entire coven and demoralize Victoria?” He shrugged. “I’m guessing if she was vague to the point Amon was confused, there’s not a snowball’s chance in Hell any of us grunts would be told what she’s up to.” With a sigh, Levi stood up. “Come on. Think Mr. Silver might wanna hear all this.” “Hear what? That we all know literally nothing about what the big lady is up to?” “You got it,” he grinned. “This is just sad,” Jerrod sighed as he and Levi walked out of the room and made their way through the base again. This time, Jerrod actually took in the sights, not that there was really much to see. It looked like a typical underground bunker (nothing particularly special), though this was to be expected when Rhine City’s Silverwings were so drastically underfunded and relatively ignored. It was pretty well known back in Silberstadt that Rhine City was either where recruits went for training or where someone got sent if they weren't wanted around. The fact that talented Silverwings like Enrico Luna and Armstrong were here of their own volition was astounding. They eventually arrived at Harlan’s office. As they entered, they saw him standing by one of his bookshelves, running his hands down their spines, while his daughter sat on his desk cheerily swinging her legs and eating what appeared to be ravioli straight out of a metal can. She waved cheerfully at the men as they entered. “‘Sup, babe?” she said through a mouthful of ravioli. “You do any better than I did?” “Don’t know about that but I sure did try,” Levi replied before turning his attention to the boss. “Sir? Got some news but it ain’t gonna be what you wanna hear.” Harlan turned towards them and nodded gravely. “Well, let’s hear it anyway.” Running his hand through his hair, the cowboy sighed and reported, “No one knows what the snake is doin’. Even Amon himself ain’t clued in. She wants all them in Dracula’s coven kidnapped but no one knows what for.” “Dammit,” Harlan hissed. “We’re always in the bloody dark about everything!” He slammed his hand roughly against the bookshelf causing his daughter to jump and nearly spill ravioli all over herself. A moment of silence passed before Levi spoke again, his voice sounding cautious. “I know it ain’t much help, sir. But Jerrod here’s an honest man, an’ he told me what he knows. And that’s why I think he outta join the mission.” Everyone in the room turned to him and at once exclaimed, “What?” Mara in particular was so shocked she once more almost dropped her ravioli. “You’re fucking kidding me, cowboy,” Jerrod said. “Me? Like, whatever, I’m glad that you’re not gonna kill me, but I’m a total fuckup. Why the hell do you want me on your little mission? Am I supposed to annoy the angel to death or something?” “You’ve seen how the snake operates,” Levi explained. “You know more than anyone here, even if it ain’t much. And you ain’t like them other killers. You got a conscious, an’ you seem like you wanna help.” With a sly grin, he added, “This is your chance to prove what you got.” Jerrod grumbled, once again wanting to point out to Levi that most of the other so-called killers were just a bunch of rookies tossed into this by their families but decided it was better to just nod along. “Fine, fine… I guess you need all the help you can get…” A lightbulb went off in his head a second later. “You know… I think maybe I could be useful after all.” “How?” Mara asked. Jerrod paused. “You gotta let me sleep on that one, honestly. It’s not something I can do lightly.” Haran stared at him for a moment before turning back to his books. “Levi. I’m trusting you to keep an eye on this one, alright?” “Yes, sir!” Levi chirped. “Mind if we set him up somethin’ to sleep in that ain’t the cell?” “Take him to the sleeping quarters, I’d say,” Harlan replied. “Plenty of beds are available, last I checked.” “Yes, sir!” Levi turned towards Jerrod. “You ready to settle in? Got anythin’ you need to get first?” “Yeah, where do you guys keep your booze?” Jerrod asked. The cowboy looked at him skeptically. “That ain’t gonna help you prove you deserve to be here, you know.” “No,” Jerrod admitted, “but it is gonna help me sleep, and the better I sleep, the better I can mull over blowing my big favor on this little operation you guys have going.” “You sure about this one, Levi?” Mara asked. “Like, I get he’s Charlie’s brother, and he’d be real upset if anything happened to him, but he’s a bit of a cunt, y’know?” Levi laughed, but nodded. “Got a good feelin’. Think he’s just what we need.” Jerrod grumbled but quite frankly, it was nice to actually have someone believe in him again, someone who hadn’t known him since he was a kid. Obviously things were incredibly desperate if the Silverwings were willing to give him a shot despite his checkered past and numerous fuck ups, but he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. And though he’d said he’d need to sleep on it, he was fairly certain he was going to call in his favor to help these people out. Maybe they’d finally make him a Silverwing. Maybe he’d be able to look Charlie and Roxanne in the eyes again. Maybe he could finally laugh in Drake McAllister’s face for all the times he failed him. Maybe he could meet some hot ladies that would be impressed by his skills. Maybe he could keep anyone from getting killed. But, most importantly of all, maybe he could ensure Anthony Moore got shot in the nuts a few times. That, itself, was almost more than worth trying to turn over a new leaf. ****** Jemima straightened the pile of papers she had printed with the proposed schedule for the “relationship” between the Countess and herself on the dining room table where she was seated. The plan was set for their first date, but the rest would need to be approved by the woman herself. She was expecting the Countess any moment for their lunch meeting. She glanced at her watch. 11:28 A.M. She didn’t expect her acquaintance would be late as she seemed to respect the value of time as much as Jemima did. The front doorbell rang signaling her arrival. Jemima straightened her back and smoothed the fabric of her black dress slacks. She could smell the pasta with shrimp and tomato cream dish she had instructed Juan to cook which made her stomach growl with excitement. It was sure to taste as delicious as it smelled, and she hoped it would appease the Countess’s palate. A few moments later, one of her servants entered and gave a polite bow. “Miss Shibani is here for your 11:30, ma’am,” he stated before gesturing to allow the Countess to enter. The woman was dressed far more casually today in a red blouse and black skirt, and she seemed to be positively glowing. “Greetings, Miss Mathers! I am glad I was able to arrive in a timely manner; I am not used to such traffic.” “The city certainly is quite clogged during the day,” she agreed. “Please, take a seat. My chef will serve our lunch momentarily.” The Countess sat down across from her with her hands neatly folded in her lap. “I must say, your estate is lovely. I am certain you do not need this explained, but still. I wish you to know my eyes work well.” With a laugh, one that surprised herself by how genuine it felt and sounded, Jemima replied, “Thank you, Countess. It certainly cost a pretty penny, but such comforts are never cheap.” “This is very true,” the Countess nodded. “If only they were. I believe all should laze about in decadent luxury; we are all on this planet to live and love, yes? Should we not all be in comfort as we do these things?” “I suppose this is true,” Jemima nodded, though she didn’t exactly find what the Countess said to be true. “Ah, but a little hard work for such things is quite rewarding, if I do say so myself.” “This, too, is true,” the Countess agreed once more. “It can be rewarding to complete a difficult task and then bask in the glow of the fruits of your labor… And I suppose that is what we shall be doing. I hope that, perhaps, we can sit back and bask in the glow of this when we are done, and share a drink over our successful charade.” “I believe I can make time for that,” she teased. “And a true one, not one staged for the public eye.” “Ah, I would like that! Public appearances… are rather exhausting. I have rarely walked through my villa since what befell my father. This month… it is the first time I have seen my mother and sister in many, many years.” “If you don’t mind my asking, what kept you apart?” “I could not bear to face them. What happened… left me unable to do much of anything for a time, and when I recovered… I felt too ashamed to look upon my family, for I felt responsible for the tragedy that befell. I did not do enough for them, or for Marianna.” “Then perhaps we can rectify that by assisting your family,” she promised. “Truly, I thank you for this,” sighed the Countess. “Now, though, let us move on to that. What have you and your friend, Mr. Amano, come up with?” With their attention on the business at hand, Jemima took one of the printed sheets she had prepared that morning and handed it to Nadia. “I have orchestrated a timeline of events that shall, with any hope, appear to represent a budding relationship. I’ve limited it to a week and a half, but should the need arise, I can adjust it as necessary.” Most of their dates revolved around dinners at the finest restaurants, but she’d also worked in a day at the beach, a late afternoon coffee chat, and several public displays of affection. A small smile appeared on the Countess’s face as she glanced over the paper. “This will most certainly be convincing, I think. I merely hope I will not be an embarrassment to you and that I can recall how to love that I might convince our audience. I cannot afford to seem detached.” “If I am to be honest, Countess, it will be a challenge for myself as well. It has been some time since I’ve been with someone romantically.” “What a way to bond, yes? Two women, learning how to love again through deception. It is almost like a movie of some sort. I do wonder, how will this one end?” “I believe sharing a bottle of finely aged wine would be a lovely celebration of our success,” she commented as Juan gently pushed open the swinging door to enter into the dining room. He carried a silver serving platter with one hand upon which the white glass plate, holding the expertly prepared entrée, had been placed. Behind him was his son who carried a second tray nearly identical to the one his father held. “Lunch is served, Miss Mathers,” Juan said before placing the plate on the table in front of Jemima. His son mimicked him, placing the other in front of Nadia. With a polite bow from both of the men, they retreated into the kitchen. “Perfect timing,” Jemima smiled before picking up her fork. She briefly inspected the stainless steel silverware. She’d instructed her staff to polish each piece in the set that morning, and it appeared they had done a fine job. As expected, she thought before picking up a piece of pasta to carefully place into her mouth. Curiously, Nadia picked up her silverware with a napkin at first, looking it over cautiously before gingerly taking it in her hand. “This meal looks quite exceptional.” Swallowing her food, Jemima promised, “Juan is one of the best. He’s prepared many delicious meals for me.” She paid little mind to the Countess’s peculiar mannerisms, assuming it was related to personal preference since she had done the same at the restaurant the other night as well. “You know, I am something of an amateur cook myself,” the Countess smirked after swallowing another bite. “I would never claim to be this good… but, if ever you wish for a breakfast of cozy little diner quality, I am told I am quite acceptable.” “Well, perhaps that can be our celebration once this is over. A homemade breakfast with mimosas sounds delightful.” She could work it into one of their dates, but bringing the press to her home was not ideal in the slightest. “Mmmm,” the Countess hummed as she leaned back in her seat. “Tomorrow is our big debut… whatever shall I wear…” “If I may, I would suggest something darker in color. I have ensured reservations were made for Gusto del Paradiso at approximately 6:45 P.M. We shall have a private room reserved for our use.” “Excellent, excellent. What sort of food do they have?” She held up a forkful of pasta. “I am guessing food like this?” “Even better,” she smiled. “It is the finest Italian restaurant in the city.” “Fascinating!” the Countess exclaimed. “I do hope they have squid ink pasta or some other odd delicacies from Italy. Italian food, it is a weakness of mine, you see.” “Then I am certain you will quite enjoy it,” Jemima assured her confidently. The two quietly continued eating, their forks gently clinking against their plates occasionally. The plan was set, and they would soon begin to enact their faux relationship to catch the Countess’s ex-lover’s attention. But why, exactly, did she need help from this woman? Curiosity burned within Jemima and, clearing her throat, she inquired, “If you don’t mind my asking, Countess, why is it you need your former lover’s assistance?” “She has something I need to help my father recover,” the Countess explained. “That… and I still hold onto hope that she can be saved from her mother.” “Would I be correct in assuming her mother is a bad influence?” “She is… beyond toxic,” Nadia hissed. “A miserable, heartless old snake with the face of an angel.” “So we need to draw her out away from her mother, then,” Jemima nodded. “Absolutely. And, well… jealousy may be the best course. Paint the target on myself, you know.” Her curiosity heightened, and she briefly considered ending the conversation there so as not to give the impression that she was a woman who enjoyed gossip. However, if they were to work together, then Jemima needed to have a full understanding of the situation. “Perhaps it is too forward of me,” she began, “but how exactly did you two separate?” The Countess sighed. “Poorly. Her mother tricked her into injuring my father. I fell into quite a state of shock after; I am told I was rather catatonic… she tried speaking to me again and I told her, in no uncertain terms, to stay out of my life.” She shook her head. “I was too rash. I do not love her as I did, but I do care for her.” Jemima nodded slowly. Such were, unfortunately, the games of the wealthy. “We all make mistakes when we are hurt,” she assured her. “Would that it were not so,” the Countess said forlornly. “But that is why I am here, to atone for my youthful errors.” “And assist your family,” Jemima confirmed with a nod. “And you are certain this will draw her away from her mother and not create unnecessary tension?” “Oh, I am quite certain.” Nadia scoffed. “I can imagine just how it will go. I recall how she was before betraying my father… She was quite protective of her daughter, and as Marianna pines for me, she will wish harm upon me for breaking her beloved child’s heart even more.” Jemima lifted an eyebrow. “Shall I require more security than usual at our scheduled dates, then?” The Countess chuckled and shook her head. “I would not worry. Even she would not be so bold as to attack me in broad daylight.” “Then what of the night?” It was, of course, in her best interest to protect the Countess in addition to herself. “She would do well to fear me in the dark,” she yawned. “I will not let you come to harm, I swear it.” She didn’t want to come off as distrustful, so outwardly she simply smiled. Mentally, however, she made a note to instruct Macavity to pick the best of her mercenaries to be on guard nearby at all times whenever she and Nadia made a public appearance. “So,” the Countess began as she stretched and stood from her seat, “we have discussed the matters at hand and had a lovely meal… Is there anything else we might do together?” Jemima considered this question as she finished her lunch. She had been uncertain as to whether or not the proposed schedule would need changing, so she had ensured her afternoon was cleared as a precaution. This meant she was free as a bird, though there was still much to do to prepare for their first date. First appearances were everything, especially if she expected the press to believe they were truly engaging in a relationship. “The date is set, the reservation has been made,” she murmured to herself. Besides getting ready for the event itself, what else was there to do? Her eyes lit up beneath her glasses, and a small smile grew on her face. “Ah, perhaps you can assist me in picking out my outfit for tomorrow evening? If we are to ensure your ex-lover believes we are truly together, then it would do well for me to wear something that appeases your taste, yes?” The Countess’s caramel-colored eyes lit up in turn. “Oh, that sounds delightful, Miss Mathers.” “Very well. Shall we proceed to my bedroom, then? I do hope your afternoon is free. I have quite a number of clothing, and I fear this may take some time.” “You need not worry about taking up my time, Miss Mathers. I have far too much of it to begin with.” “If you insist, Countess.” Jemima pushed back her chair and stood up. “Please, follow me. You may leave your dishes there. My staff will take care of them.” The Countess followed her lead, and the two left the dining room and started for the grand staircase. Macavity, who had been standing guard outside while they ate, wordlessly trailed behind. He’d worked for her long enough to anticipate her needs without even so much as a signal. While Jemima didn’t truly believe the Countess had ill intentions towards her, it was better to be safe than to be quite sorry. Though she hadn’t imagined her day would consist of playing dress-up, it did thrill her to spend time with another woman. She had distanced herself for years and preferred to keep men as company—her all-male staff was evidence of this. I suppose this shall be an afternoon I will truly enjoy for once, she thought to herself with a small smile as they reached the second floor where her bedroom was located. No meetings, no deals to be made, and no punishments to dole out. Just two women enjoying each other’s company and the beauty of expensive, elegant clothing. ****** Gabby hummed to herself as she carefully wrapped her mother’s picture frame, now complete with the photo she and Jojo had picked out, in white tissue paper. “I really hope she will like this,” she quietly commented to Flynn, who had opted not to go swimming with Jojo and Rex (which surprised Gabby considering how he felt about the latter). She couldn’t deny that she was glad to have company as she got the gifts ready, even if he was just sitting cross-legged on her bed watching her work. “I think she will,” Flynn said quietly. He seemed a bit less animated and cheerful than he usually was. She paused and glanced up at him with a frown. “I don’t mind if you go swimming. You don’t have to stay here.” “I’m fine,” he mumbled. She could tell he was not actually fine, but what was she supposed to do? Drag him down to the pool herself? “Did something happen?” she pushed gently. “No. I’m just not really feeling up to anything but doing my job today.” Gabby felt clueless. Her gut said something was wrong, but she didn’t know what. Silence fell between them while she finished wrapping the picture frame. She was trying to figure out how to cheer him up, but nothing came to mind. Why wouldn’t he want to swim with Rex? she mentally huffed in minor frustration. He liked him, didn’t he? Then, like being struck by a hot bolt of lightning, a horrifying thought invaded her mind. Wait, what if it’s because of yesterday? She’d been completely unfair to him when he’d needed her support though she still had no idea why she’d reacted that way. Was he avoiding Rex because she’d gotten moody? “I’m sorry,” she mumbled, breaking the tension that had seemed to awkwardly drift over them like a fresh blanket of snow. Flynn stared at her. “For… what?” “For being a terrible friend.” “What?” he exclaimed. “Since when?” “Since yesterday.” She frowned again. “I don’t mind that you like Rex, I promise.” “Where is this all coming from?” he asked. “I… We resolved this yesterday I thought?” “I know, but…” She wrung her hands together nervously. “I wasn’t being supportive. I shouldn’t have gotten so upset. That wasn’t fair to you.” “It’s really not a big deal, I promise,” he muttered, the tone of his voice definitely implying otherwise. “Yes it is,” she insisted. “You’ve been really supportive of Jojo and I this whole time but when you needed me to be supportive of you, I was a big jerk.” He paused and looked down at the floor, quiet for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, he said, “I… It’s fine. I’m supposed to be the one supporting you. It’s okay. Keeping you and Jojo safe is my mission, nothing else really matters.” “You matter.” This seemed to unleash whatever he'd been holding back. “Then why did you get so mad yesterday? I thought maybe you’d be more excited that I had a good experience because I… I know I matter to you. But you just…” Flynn shook his head. “I don’t understand. I don’t get it.” She wasn’t sure what to say because she didn’t get it either. “I wish I knew,” she quietly admitted. “But I don’t. And I know that’s not much help. I don’t know, maybe it’s because I kind of hated Rex for a long time. He’s not as bad as I thought, but…” She shrugged helplessly. “That doesn’t excuse how I acted at all.” “Not really, no,” Flynn admitted. “I don’t get what’s not to like about him, though… He’s strong, he’s handsome, he cares about Jojo, he likes The Handy & Ydnah Show… Okay, I guess that last one appeals more to me than anyone else, but… I dunno. He’s rough, but he’s a good guy.” Before she even realized what she was doing, she rolled her eyes. That’s not going to help! she immediately scolded herself. “See!” Flynn shouted. “You’re doing it again! Why are you getting so irritated because I like him? Are you not okay with a guy liking another guy? Because if you aren’t, I have some bad news about your boyfriend.” “That’s not it,” she promised, feeling completely embarrassed. How could he think that? Her mom was gay, and she didn’t mind. Why would it matter if it was a guy liking a guy or a girl liking a girl? “I’m sorry, I’m really trying…” She reached across the space between them and gently grabbed both of his hands with hers. She squeezed them reassuringly. “I’m sorry. I’m still human, and I guess I’m just going to make really dumb mistakes. I am really, really going to try to be better, okay?” “I just wish I understood what you’re trying to be better at,” Flynn sighed with exasperation. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’m losing my temper again… It’s just really weird for me right now, and I need you there for me, and it just seems like you don’t want to be…” “I do!” she insisted, hating instantly how whiny she sounded. “But you keep giving me this weird attitude if I start talking about Rex,” Flynn said. “That doesn’t really seem like you want to help me.” “Well… Then…” She decided to try a different approach since, once again, she was being an utterly terrible friend. “How can I help?” Flynn took a few deep breaths before replying. “I just need a friend. That’s all I want.” “But I am your friend.” She squeezed his hands again and swallowed hard. “Aren’t I…?” “Yes, you are,” he replied gently, squeezing her hands back. “So I need you to just support me. This is a lot for me to take in, being bisexual and liking a guy and… whatever. I never got to think about this stuff before. It’s overwhelming.” “I promise I will. And I will work really, really, really hard to stop being a butthead.” She gave him a weak, nervous smile. “I don’t want you to feel like you’re alone right now because you’re not. You’re my best friend, Flynn, and I love you.” Flynn teared up a little at this. “I love you too, Gabby. I’m really glad you picked me because I feel… less awful now. Being around you and Jojo is just… really uplifting.” “We’re meant to be together,” she promised. “I think part of me knew that when I first saw you back in the forest. I almost picked Hannah because I wanted to hang out with another girl… but then I saw how your dad treated you, and something told me that I needed to pick you instead.” “You should have heard the things he said on the hike up, you’d have picked me even sooner,” he joked. “I don’t understand why he treats you like that,” she huffed. “He thinks I’m too weak to be a Dangerfield,” he sighed. “After mom died and he took me back, he was even worse because that was after he’d lost his arm and got those scars of his own. I at least took a little solace in karma getting his ass.” She let go of Flynn’s hands and stubbornly crossed her arms over her shoulders. “Well, I guess he went blind, too, because he doesn’t see you the way I see you. He doesn’t see how strong and loyal you are and how you’re an amazing, fantastic friend.” Flynn beamed at her, his eyes sparkling with tears yet again. “You’re really amazing, you know that?” She shook her head and grinned. “Nuh uh. You are. I know we’ve only really known each other for, um, two weeks?” Time had passed so quickly that she’d honestly lost track. “But that doesn’t change that I know, without a doubt, you are the best friend I have ever had.” “You’re about the only friend I’ve ever had,” Flynn sighed. “Growing up around Loch Morlich, I never really got to know anyone really well, aside from a few odd neighbor girls… I just spent a lot of time with my mom while she studied magic, wrote papers for the college, and ate ice cream. God, she ate so much ice cream…” He shook his head sadly, then said, “You want to know something cool, though?” “What?” she asked, feeling genuinely curious. “Okay, uh, stand back a bit, alright?” She gazed at him questioningly, but followed his advice and got off of her bed. She took a few steps in the direction of her door, then turned back around towards him. “Is this far enough?” “It sure is.” He held his hand out by his side. For a moment, his hand seemed to glow faintly, then his sword appeared in his grasp. “Ta-da!” Her eyes widened, and she squealed in shock, “How did you do that?” “It’s not really me,” he admitted. “It’s a simple calling spell Rhiannon enchanted it with when she made it. I think it’s the same one your grandma uses to conjure up apples.” “Really?” She didn’t even know that her grandma could do such magic. “How long have you been able to do that?” “As long as I’ve had the sword,” he answered, waving it about. “Again, it’s not really me… I was never able to do magic—never could see that damn door— so mom asked Rhiannon to put this in so I’d never lose it and always be able to call it.” “That’s still really cool!” she grinned. “I bet your dad can’t do something like that.” “Nope!” Flynn smirked. “He’s really not as good as he thinks he is. He relies way too much on his transforming ever since he got mauled, and I guarantee it’ll be the death of him.” “Ew.” She wrinkled her nose. “I think being a vampire is way better anyway.” “You’ve never been a werewolf, so how would you know?” Flynn snorted. Her cheeks burned lightly as she realized he was right. “Well, I… I don’t have to be one to know!” “I dunno, being able to turn into a big, hairy wolfman might be kinda cool…” Flynn shrugged. “But I think you’re right. I’d rather be a vampire if it came down to it.” “I think you’d be more handsome with fangs than fur,” she giggled. Plus, Rex probably would like him better that way if he was going to be turned by something. Flynn’s cheeks flushed with heat. “Well, thanks. If you say it, I’ll believe it… Oh! Yeah, there was a reason I wanted to show you my sword!” “Oh, what’s that?” “Okay, be careful, but come look at the hilt and the blade.” She cautiously approached, slightly wary of being so close to silver but also being aware that Flynn would never do anything to hurt her. Runes similar to the ones tattooed onto Rhiannon’s arm were engraved up and down the length of the blade. On the hilt where Flynn was pointing, there was something written she didn’t quite understand: “gobaith.” “Is that the spell?” she asked curiously. He shook his head. “That’s the name of the sword. It’s Welsh for ‘hope.’ My mom wanted me to never lose hope no matter what.” He laughed softly, a sad smile on his face. “I like your mom,” she quietly told him. She wished she could have met her as she sounded like an amazing woman. “She would have liked you, too,” he said quietly. “I bet she’s really proud of you,” she smiled. “I think she is now. She’d be happy to see me having friends and finally figuring myself out.” Gabby paused before gently asking, “Do you think she’d like Rex?” He burst out laughing, but still gave a nod. “She saw the best in everyone, even my dad. She’d have been able to tell Rex is a good guy.” She considered this before decisively announcing, “Then I think you should go swimming.” Flynn smirked. “Well, I think you should, too.” Gabby blinked in surprise. “I guess I could. I’d have to dig in my stuff for my swimsuit. It’s, um, been awhile.” “Well, dig it out! I’m gonna need some moral support.” She was curious why she’d have to swim to do that, but she decided not to question him since she promised to be a good, supportive friend no matter what. “Okay, okay. Then you better go change, too!” She glanced at her half-wrapped gifts and shrugged. “I’ll finish that later.” “Alright, I’ll be right back.” With a friendly wink, Flynn darted out of the room. Gabby, meanwhile, headed towards her dresser and started rifling through her clothing. She remembered seeing her suit when they had first arrived and settled into the house, but she’d been tired and couldn’t quite remember which drawer she had placed it in. Eventually, she found it and pulled it out. It only took her a moment to get changed into the floral pastel purple bikini. Feeling quite excited about being able to cool off and have fun with the boys, she skipped out of her bedroom. Flynn met up with her in the hall a moment later wearing a dark green tank top and green swim trunks. Almost as soon as he saw Gabby, he froze, clamping his legs together and smiling nervously. “Uh, wow. Looking good, Gabby.” She smiled brightly, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Oh, thank you! You do too, you know. That’s a good color on you.” She tilted her head slightly to the side and asked, “Do you need to use the restroom before we go outside?” “Actually, uh, yeah! I’ll be right out.” He dashed inside the bathroom and closed the door behind him. “Hello, Gabby,” came a voice from down the hall. She turned to see Mina approaching her wearing a black bathrobe that she was holding tightly against her body. Gabby’s smile faded. “Oh, hello,” she greeted politely. She wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about Mina since Rex had told her about their relationship. She didn’t particularly hate her as she was pretty sure the woman had reasons for what she did, but she didn’t approve at all of it. She had to know how badly it had hurt Rex, didn’t she? “I, well, hate to bother you, but have you seen Mr. Dangerfield about?” “Um, well, yes,” she answered. “We’re about to go swimming.” Mina seemed to perk up at this. “Oh! Good, good! I figured Rex might want him to join him and Jojo, figured I’d ask you, and here you are, a few steps ahead!” She laughed nervously and ran her hand through her frizzy brown hair. Gabby glanced at the bathroom door making sure Flynn wasn’t going to come out before lowering her voice and turning her attention back towards Mina. “Rex wants him to go swimming?” Maybe Mina knew more than she did. Mina nodded. “He’s a bit bad with his feelings but I think he’s taken a shine to him,” she whispered. So he did like Flynn! She tried to hide a smile by nodding thoughtfully. “I knew he wouldn’t ask him himself so figured I’d try and help out… Man’s a bloody handful, I swear,” she whispered. Gabby quickly peeked at the bathroom door again before asking in a hushed voice, “Do you have any tips for, um, helping these two? I think Flynn’s a little shy.” Mina shifted her eyes about, then leaned in close and said, “He acts all tough, but he’s a big softie. If he starts getting all aggressive, let him know Rex is ticklish. It’s a good way to get him to loosen up his tough guy act.” With a massive grin, Gabby nodded. “Thanks, Mina.” She winked and said, “My pleasure. If I can help him out, I will. I want that idiot to be happy more than anything.” She straightened back up and tugged at her robe. “I’ll see you outside, then. Gonna lounge by the pool with Rhapsody, I think.” With a wave, Mina walked off down the hall with a bit of a spring in her step. Maybe she’s not so bad, even if she did do something pretty awful. She seemed to really care about Rex so that already gave her bonus points as far as Gabby was concerned. Flynn peeked nervously out of the bathroom. “Okay, who was that? And is the coast clear?” “It was just Mina,” she reassured him before raising a curious eyebrow. “Wait, is it clear from what?” “I just, uh, didn’t want to run into anyone I guess…” he muttered. “Are you nervous?” “Yes,” he gasped, his face once more turning red. “I’m, um. A bit self-conscious… It’s why I wore this shirt. I’m not sure I’m ready to show off my chest.” “We don’t have to rush outside,” she reassured him. “Take your time. I don’t mind waiting with you. I want you to feel comfortable.” “Thank you, thank you…” He took a few deep breaths, then ran his hand through his hair. “Okay, I’m good, I think.” Gabby stepped towards him and gently grabbed the hand that wasn’t tangled in his red hair. “He‘ll like you no matter what you look like without your shirt on.” “I want to believe that but I still kinda feel like maybe he was just horny the other day…” “Well… Maybe he was. And maybe he just wants… you know, stuff. But… Would that be bad?” She wasn’t entirely sure what Flynn wanted (if he even knew himself). He shrugged. “I dunno. This is all new to me…” “I know.” She squeezed his hand and smiled. “Even if he doesn’t want anything more, you’d get the experience, right?” “I… guess that’s true.” He gave her a grateful smile. “Thanks, Gabby. This is, um, just what I need right now.” “If it doesn’t work out, I know lots of guys I bet would like you! And girls, too.” They started walking down the hallway, hand-in-hand as the conversation continued. “If Grandma lets you stay with us, I can introduce you to them!” “You’re sweet, Gabby.” “Well, I have to help you after everything you’ve done to help Jojo and me,” she pointed out. “You don’t have to but I sure appreciate it,” he laughed. “Now come on, let’s go. No sense in waiting.” They hurried down the stairs and to the backyard. Gabby could hear Jojo and Rex swimming and splashing around, even from inside. It was rather hot outside, which made her all the more glad any sunburn would heal instantly. Oh, wait, but Flynn might need some. Was there anything even around? Hesitantly, she asked, “Do you need sunscreen before we go in?” “Considering my complexion, probably,” Flynn sheepishly admitted. They quickly made a pit stop in the downstairs bathroom where, by sheer luck, Gabby found a bottle of sunscreen tucked in the cabinet hanging over the sink. “Tada!” she grinned, holding it up triumphantly before passing it to Flynn. “Thank you,” he said as he took it and lathered himself up. When he was finished, he announced, “Alright, no more distractions, let’s do this!” “Come on!” she giggled, grabbing his hand again and excitedly running towards the back patio door. The glass on the door that Eve had shattered the previous day had been repaired rather quickly, much to Gabby’s surprise. In fact, it looked like it hadn’t been broken at all. She made sure to carefully open it before they wandered into the backyard, just in case. Jojo and Rex were both in the pool swimming about, though Jojo’s movements were far more graceful than Rex’s. True to her word, Mina was lounging on a chair in the sun with Rhapsody in an adjacent chair next to her sipping a drink nonchalantly. Jojo and Rex both paused and looked them over as they approached the pool. “Looking good, you two,” Rex winked. “I’m glad you both decided to join us!” Jojo added cheerfully. Gabby waved at the boys, then leaned towards Flynn and whispered, “If he gets shy or, you know, Rex-like, just tickle him. It’ll work, I promise.” With a huge grin spreading across his face, Flynn whispered back, “Thanks for the tip.” “You’ve got this!” She gave him a thumbs-up before rushing towards the end of the pool where Jojo was. “I hope you’re not tired of swimming yet,” she smiled. “I had a drink this morning, so no getting tired for me!” he laughed. “Good!” She held her breath and jumped into the water. Her skin chilled from the sudden temperature change but adjusted rather quickly. When she resurfaced, she gasped for air and giggled. “That feels really good!” Jojo wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him, pressing her against his bare chest. “It’s very refreshing, ja?” “Very,” she whispered, grinning to herself. She knew her face was burning hotter than the sun, but she didn’t care. Being so close to Jojo in the way she was at that moment was oddly comforting. “You guys are cute,” Rhapsody called out from her chair. “Think you all can hold your spots? I’m feeling inspired.” “I think I can manage that,” Gabby murmured. She certainly didn’t mind in the slightest, and she was pretty sure Jojo didn’t either. “Alright! Stay in your positions, you four. This might take a bit since I’m not making it move.” She pulled a pad off the table next to her and began to draw furiously, peering over her glasses every now and then. Gabby was insanely curious as she patiently waited. What were Rex and Flynn doing? Was everything going well? She wanted to know and was tempted to peek, but she wanted to be a good model for Rhapsody. After a few minutes, Rhapsody put down her pencil and turned the pad around. “Oh, wait, shit. I’m too far away. Mina, can you help a girl out?” Mina got up and grabbed the pad, walking over towards the edge of the pool. Gabby soon saw the image Rhapsody had drawn. There in front were her and Jojo, cuddled together in the pool. Behind them was Rex, holding Flynn in his arms with Flynn’s arm wrapped around his neck. Gabby felt an uncomfortable twinge in her gut, though she managed a smile. “It looks really nice,” she complimented. “I’ll color it later,” Rhapsody called out, “when I get all my supplies. You guys are real good subjects, gotta say.” Gabby turned her head to peek at the other two. It was exactly like the picture; the two had barely moved. Flynn’s face was flushed, and he had a very shy smile on his lips. Rex, meanwhile, seemed rather oblivious to this, but certainly seemed happy. Once again, she felt a small stab of pain in her stomach, though this time it was accompanied by a very quiet huff. Tears stung the edges of her eyes, and she was immediately confused. This was what she wanted for Flynn, so why was she getting upset? “Am I squeezing you too tightly, liebling?” Jojo asked. “No,” she answered, laying her head on his chest. “You’re just perfect.” And he was. Everything was. She had an amazing boyfriend, the best friend a girl could ask for, a family who genuinely loved and cared about her, and movies and chocolates that would last her for weeks. So why was she so upset that Flynn was finding happiness, too?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorsMichael & Tierney Ford Archives
July 2023
|