“No relation.” He stated.
Again, the car got quiet, the only sound being Dave
Matthews’ voice coming from the radio. Michelle was nervous. Not only had she
found herself pregnant at sixteen, but when her parents had found out, it was
too late to get an abortion. Not that she would have anyway. Still, the
fighting had never stopped from the moment they found out. And when she’d told
them Taylor Hanson was the only boy she’d ever been with, they’d called her a
liar and told her if she didn’t tell them who the father was, they’d disown her,
as they couldn’t afford another mouth to feed. She’d left, deciding to take her
chances in New York City. Taylor’s death had affected her in every way
possible, and somehow, she just felt closer to him there. She’d slept in
Central Park the last couple nights, praying for some way out of the mess she’d
found herself in. Her money was nearly gone and had to go for food. And then,
Kirk had found her. She looked over at him. In the dim lights of the car, she
could barely see his eyes shining, but he had a kind face, and she smiled as he
looked over at her. “What?” He asked.
“Nothing. I guess I’m just sort of glad that we
ran into each other, y’know?” She said.
“Well, I am too. I don’t think it’s good for you
or the baby to be hanging out in the park. You never know who’s gonna be
creeping around there.” He replied. “How long have you been in the city?” He
asked.
She wiggled in the seat, trying to get comfortable,
but she’d gained so much weight in the last few weeks, it was nearly
impossible. The seat belt in the old Mustang didn’t even fit around her. “Um,
well, I guess for like, a month now.” She answered.
He looked at her, “That’s crazy. Have you been
sleeping in the park that long? I can’t believe I didn’t see you there sooner.”
“Oh, I was actually staying with a friend of mine.
Her roommate was out of town, but she came back—getting ready for school and
all…” Her voice trailed off.
Kirk searched her face and he tried to search her
mind, but it was closed to him. Sometimes, he could get snatches of thought
from his victims, so he thought it worth a try. “Well, what were you gonna do?
You can’t raise a baby like that. Were you gonna give it up?”
Michelle felt tears come to her eyes, “I don’t
know. I guess I was hoping that…for some reason…that maybe his brothers would
show up there. I was gonna try and talk to them.” She paused, and then a
bitter smile crossed her lips, “Not that they’d believe me. Nobody does.”
“They’ll believe you. Once you get Sonya to
believe, you’ve made it.” He said, switching the channel on the radio as a
hip-hop rhythm drifted out of the speakers. “I’m sorry, I just can’t take that
crap. I guess that’s a sure sign I’m getting’ old, huh?”
She laughed, “You don’t seem
that old.”
“Well, I am.” He laughed, knowing she had no idea
he was older than her grandfather.
~~~~~
The moment Taylor’s eyes opened, he sensed
something strange in the room. He looked beside him and the bed was empty. He
was certain when he’d laid down the night before, both Melanie and Camille had
been with him. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes, then swung his feet out
onto the cold floor. He wore dark pants and a once-crisp white shirt that was
now marred by brown specks of dried blood. As he stepped into the large living
area, he noticed Beatriz standing, her arms crossed over her chest. On the
couch, Camille and Melanie sat, looking just as grim as her. His mind took in
something unfamiliar though, practically buzzing in the room. He looked over at
Montezuma’s cage to see Daniel standing, poking his finger in the cage, smiling
as the bird backed away. Beside him, stood another man, tall, thin and stern
looking. “At last.” He said, staring at Taylor.
Taylor looked to Beatriz, but her face held no
emotion. “What’s going—“he started.
Daniel stood up straight, “I don’t think anyone
told you to speak, young man.” He said, the smile fading quickly from his face.
“It’s come to our attention,” the other man stated,
walking slowly towards Taylor, “that you took, not one, or two, but four
victims in the park last night.” His icy blue eyes searching Taylor’s face for
any hint of guilt or untruth.
Taylor’s eyes went to both girls on the sofa, and
then to Beatriz before he answered, “Yeah.”
“You don’t deny it, then?” Daniel asked, casually
sitting on the seat across from the girls.
Taylor turned his own steely gaze on the man,
“Should I? Is that not allowed or something?”
“I am Joshua, by the way.” The man answered. “And
while it is ‘allowed’, as you say, it’s just not good form.” His eyes narrowed,
“Particularly when you left a victim quite alive and giving the authorities
and the media, a very clear, description of you, Mister Rock Star.”
“Lucky for you, your girlfriend already killed you.
And lucky for you, you chose a dingy prostitute to make a meal of. Easily
discounted. Still, four seems like a lot, even for a young man with a big
appetite. Wasn’t that a little overkill?” Daniel baited him.
Taylor shrugged, “I was hungry.” Beatriz noticed
the tiniest movement of his eye toward the couch. Neither Melanie nor Camille
had said a word. “I thought I’d made them forget, but I guess I made a
mistake. I’ll be more careful next time.”
“You see, Taylor,” Daniel started, crossing his leg
over his knee, “this is not the first time you’ve “made a mistake”. There’s
still that whole issue of a bar full of people in some Podunk town in the great
state of Alabama where a roomful of patrons witnessed you tossing men twice your
size around like they were rag dolls, and then the nasty little unsolved murder
of the husband of your evening’s entertainment. Another little snafu that your
premature death saved you from.”
Joshua stepped up extremely close to Taylor.
Suddenly, he felt like his father was standing in front of him, having found out
he’d wrecked his car. His eyes went over the man’s shoulder to Beatriz for some
bit of comfort, but none was to be found in her stern face. “Well, that was a
really long time ago, and—“
“There can be no next time. Where is his sire?”
Joshua said, turning towards Beatriz.
“She did not come here last night, I do not know
where she is.” Beatriz answered.
“We’re not comfortable with this set-up, Beatriz.”
Daniel said, standing up. “You’re getting too close to these misfits and it’s
clouding your judgment.”
“What have I had to judge, Daniel? This is the
first I’ve been aware of any transgressions since the situation you mentioned.”
She said evenly.
“So, you’re living with these two,” he said,
gesturing towards Melanie and Camille, “and this young one, and you’ve not seen
anything that you felt needed our input?” Daniel said.
“No. Nothing has happened that I haven’t been able
to deal with.” She answered, her eyes dark and unreadable.
“Well,” Joshua said, turning back towards Taylor,
“how are you going to deal with this?” He asked her. “His sire is absent, it
is up to you.”
Daniel snorted, “I wouldn’t trust
her to
punish him!” He said, moving closer to her. He sniffed her; “I can smell him
on her right now.” He spat.
“Is that so?” Joshua raised an eyebrow. “Well,
then I’m sure she’d rather punish him herself than have one of us do it.”
Melanie’s eyes got big as she watched Beatriz’ hand
fly out towards Taylor and his body slammed backwards into the marble wall, his
head hitting with a painful sounding crack as he slid down to the floor. She
grabbed Camille by the arm, keeping her from leaping over the couch to get to
him. “Is that what you wanted?” Beatriz asked calmly, her eyes taking on the
shine as she looked at Daniel.
He laughed, “Well, I was thinking maybe a few days
down in your basement would suffice.”
Joshua stepped over and looked down at the boy.
“Yes, a little starvation would probably teach him a lesson.” He looked back to
Beatriz, “However, you may punish as you see fit. This time.” He paused, then
looked over at Melanie and Camille, “You know, I have to agree with Daniel, I’m
not certain this is the best situation you have here. This place has become a
sort of…legal center for our kind. I feel these young ones just get in the way
of that.”
Melanie and Camille turned to look back at Taylor.
He lay, slowly pulling his leg up and his hands had gone to his head where a
tiny trickle of blood ran across the floor. Daniel walked over and ran his
finger across the wall, wiping a splatter of red away. For one moment, he
considered licking it, but he changed his mind when he saw Beatriz’ eyes on
him. Reaching down, he wiped it on Taylor’s shirt. “It’s true.” He said,
standing up straight and returning her gaze.
“Nothing has changed. The young still come here
for justice and the old as well. This is my home. I will do with it what I
want. Perhaps it is time the elders took over that job, since you believe my
abilities to be questionable.” She said, looking at both of them.
Daniel snorted, “No, thank you. You may continue
to swim with the rabble yourself. Just be careful.” He said, stepping up
closer to her. “I think your emotions are getting in the way, that’s all.” He
said, placing his finger on her chin. He then looked back at Taylor, “I’d show
him the basement, if I were you. If you don’t put him in his place, he’ll think
he can do whatever he wants.” He then walked away from her and over to the
elevator, pressing the down arrow.
“I believe if there is a “next time” for this one,”
Joshua said, nudging Taylor with his foot, “then we will step in and dole
out some justice. That’s what you called it, right?”
Beatriz stood up straighter, “That is what it is.”
“Very well. Just so you understand. We wouldn’t
want to be called “unfair” or any of the other names thrown around by the
youngsters at that establishment of yours.” He stated. He looked back down at
Taylor, and leaned down a bit, “Rule one—humans can never know we exist.
If you can’t make them forget, then kill them.” He then joined Daniel as the
elevator door slid open.
“Taylor, get well soon!” Daniel said. The doors
closed and the light at the top of the brass doors told them the two men were
gone.
Immediately, Camille was at Taylor’s side, helping
him to sit up and cooing into his ear. Melanie turned away from them and was
met with the evil glare of Beatriz. “Were you not with Taylor last night?”
“Um, yeah.” She answered meekly.
“And how did you manage to let someone escape,
their memory intact?” Beatriz demanded.
“It was just a hooker and three idiots.” Melanie
explained.
“Well, one of those idiots was the son of the
police chief and your ‘hooker’ seems to have been a Hanson fan at one point. Or
at least, she knew of a dead Rockstar that resembled her attacker.” Beatriz
stated, sitting down on the couch. Camille pulled Taylor over to sit down
between her and Melanie. He still held his hand to the back of his head. “When
will you start using your head, Taylor?” Beatriz asked.
He looked up at her, “If you’d stop bashing it in
all the time, maybe it would work better.” He said, shutting his eyes and
rubbing the sore spot.
Beatriz shook her head and leaned across the table,
“Perhaps you’d like some starvation in the basement a little better?” She
asked. “Or to take a little trip back to the Elders’ place? Because that was
what was about to happen.”
“Why didn’t they know I was there too?” Melanie
asked, licking her finger and pushing Taylor’s hand away.
Beatriz rolled her eyes. “Perhaps because Taylor
has learned to shield his thoughts finally. At least from stupid males.” She
looked over at him, finally a look of sympathy on her face. “Or perhaps, they
just wanted to see if they could get him to tattle on you. I have no idea.”
Melanie had sat on the back of the couch behind
Taylor now, administering what first aid she could. “And why didn’t you tell?”
She asked Taylor.
He snorted, “What good would that do? Then we’d
have both been in trouble. Parents don’t cut your punishment in half just
because there’s two of you.”
Melanie threw her arms around him, causing him to
wince, “Aw, I love you!”
“Get off of me.” He growled, unwrapping her arms
from around his neck.
Beatriz sighed, and began to rub her temple. She
then looked at Camille. As usual, she was looking at Taylor with big blue eyes,
running over with love and the healthy respect she’d gained after being
terrorized by him a time or two. “And where were you last night? Usually when
trouble comes knocking, the door is answered by all three of you.”
“I found a guy in Times Square. He smelled good,
too.” She answered, prompting all three of the others to look at her. “What?
He did!” She exclaimed. Taylor shook his head and stood up on shaky legs. “Oh,
are you alright?” Camille asked, standing up and taking his arm.
“Yeah,” he said, looking at Beatriz, “I’ve had
worse things thrown at me.”
“And you’ll have worse yet if you don’t start
watching yourself. Because the elders are obviously going to be watching you.”
She stood up and stepped over to the phone. As she dialed, she directed
Melanie, “Get yourself up from there and help him to the shower. Get him some
clothes. I think you owe him a great deal right now. You’re lucky I don’t suck
your eyeballs out and spit them back at you.” She then began to speak into the
phone, “Sonya, where are you? When you get this message, call me. We’ve had a
very eventful evening here…”
~~~~~
Kirk pulled into a parking spot at a rest area.
Michelle had gone numb in one of her legs, the baby pressing against something
or other, and giving her fits as usual. He stepped around to her side of the
car and pulled the door open. Taking her hand, he gently pulled her out and
placed his arm around her so that she didn’t fall. “God, it’s all funky and
tingly feeling.” She said, shaking her foot. “I guess I just need to walk
around for a minute.”
“That’s cool. It must suck getting all huge and
stuff. But, it’s also amazing.” He said, placing a hand over her round belly.
She smiled, “Yeah. I mean, there’s someone alive
in there, y’know?” She said, spying the vending machines. “Oh man! I’d kill
for a KitKat right now!” She said, pulling away from him and speeding up her
strides.
Kirk smiled, thinking he’d like a bite to eat
himself, and looking around the dark parking lot. When he caught up to her,
Michelle had emptied her pockets of change and had come up with enough for one
candy bar and one bag of Fritos. Opening his wallet, he took out two one-dollar
bills and handed them to her, “That’s the smallest I have. Is that enough? I
can get more.”
She swallowed the chocolaty concoction in her mouth
and nodded her head, “Yeah, this is good. I can get a Milky Way and a Coke to
take with me. Thanks.”
“No problem.” He said, watching her sit on the old
picnic table under the shelter. “Hey, will you be okay if I run to the bathroom
real quick?”
“Sure.” She said, pulling open the bag of corn
chips and tossing some in her mouth.
“Alright, I’ll be back in a jiffy. And then, I
think we better get you some real food.” He said, and he headed down the path.
When he got to the men’s restroom, he looked back at her to make sure she wasn’t
watching him, then he slipped around the corner to wait for the next person to
walk past.
~~~~~
When Taylor stepped from the shower, he was met
with the eyes of both Melanie and Camille. “Oh, don’t worry about me. I don’t
need privacy or anything.” He said, grabbing a towel and covering himself.
“Look at that bruise she left on your chest!”
Camille exclaimed, stepping towards him.
Melanie looked closer, “Ouch.” She said, wiping
off the mirror. “Why do you use hot water? It just steams up the room and
stuff.”
Taylor shook his head and looked down at Camille.
“I don’t know, I’m just used to it. It feels better to me.” He said, smiling
down at her.
Melanie rolled her eyes, “One of these days,” she
said, handing Taylor a blue, oxford shirt, “Beatriz is gonna get pissed at you
two, and it won’t just be your chest she leaves a bruise on.” Camille was
running her fingernail down his chest, kissing his chin as she got up on her
tiptoes.
“Whatever.” Taylor said, picking the girl up and
setting her on the sink. “Beatriz knows everything that goes down here, and
don’t you doubt it for a second.” He stepped up, standing between Camille’s
legs, reaching down and kissing her lips, eliciting a smile from her and another
shake of the head from Melanie. “I gotta shave.” He said, looking into the
mirror. Camille reached behind her and took the can of shaving cream from the
counter. She filled her hand with the gel, then slowly covered Taylor’s chin
and lip with it, rubbing just enough to make a lather. Picking up the razor,
she gazed at the blade, making sure it wasn’t dull. She then proceeded to
carefully run it over his skin. Taylor reached behind her and turned on the hot
water and she rinsed the razor and continued her task.
Melanie had turned her attention to his closet,
pulling out a pair of jeans and a belt. “When you all are done playing beauty
salon, let’s go get something to drink.” She called to them. When she
returned, Camille was wiping away the last of the shaving cream with a towel.
“Very nice.” Taylor said, looking over her
shoulder at his reflection.
“Very.” Camille said, her eyes traveling over his
body.
“Oh, stop it!” Melanie spat, pulling Camille
down. She handed Taylor his clothes, “Next time, just tell on me, so I won’t
owe you anything.” She said, pulling Camille out of the room. “Man, I wonder
when I get to move back out of here into my own place?” She muttered to
herself, closing the door behind her.
Taylor shut his eyes and rubbed the back of his
head again, remembering how effortless it was for Beatriz to throw him into the
wall. And he wondered how powerful the elders might be.
~~~~~
Kirk smiled, watching Michelle tip the bag of
Fritos up to get all the crumbs. “So,” he said, “how much weight have you
gained?”
She wadded up the bag and put it in the one they’d
kept in the car for garbage, “Well, I think I’ve gained like, twenty pounds or
something.” She said, shifting in the seat.
“That’s not so bad.” He said. “I’ve heard of
women gaining sixty before.”
She smiled, “Yeah, me too. God, I hope I don’t do
that, though.”
“Well, on a diet of chips and soft drinks, you just
might.” He chuckled.
“Dude, on my budget, that’s about all I can
afford.” She said, smacking him on the arm.
“I know. But, I also know that Taylor wouldn’t
want that.” He looked over at her, sorry for the look that passed over her
features. “Let’s stop in the Waffle House. We’ll get you some protein. Eggs,
Bacon, all that stuff. You’re eating for two now, so go for it!”
She smiled back, but it was a sad smile. “Okay.
You don’t have to twist my arm, y’know.”
“I didn’t think so.” He replied. They drove on in
silence until the familiar yellow sign called to them from a billboard, telling
them to take the next exit.
~~~~~
“So, where are we going?” Melanie asked Taylor as
they stepped out onto the sidewalk. The rain of the last night had subsided,
and left a humid, murky evening in it’s place.
For a moment, he just stood, taking in everything
around him. People walked passed them, in the way that New Yorkers do, and his
sensitive ears could pick up the sounds of locusts in the trees in Central Park,
across the way. He could smell something on each person that walked passed;
some of them he could tell what they’d eaten for dinner, others that they’d made
love that afternoon, or were on their menstrual cycles. It no longer
overwhelmed him the way it had before, but still, sometimes he wished he really
could just turn it off the way Sonya seemed to. He turned toward Camille, “Hey,
where’s Sonya?” She shrugged, and he turned his attention to Melanie, “I
haven’t seen her since last night.” He said.
“I have no idea.” Melanie answered, looking down
at the hem of her blouse and huffing. “Man, I just bought this thing, and it’s
already falling apart.”
Camille looked at the frayed material, “Well, you
get a little more physical than most girls, and that makes wear and tear on your
clothes.” She smiled, “You need to shop at the Gap. That stuff’s meant to
last.”
“Well, if I had the money, I would.” Melanie said
back.
Taylor looked at her, “It’s not that expensive.”
She wrinkled her forehead, “Yeah, that’s easy for
you to say, Mr. Million Dollars in My Bank Account.”
“I don’t have a million dollars in my bank
account.” He countered, but she was already holding up her hand dismissively.
“Okay, then a half a million. Plus, Mr. Jones buys
all your clothes anyway! So I don’t want to hear it!” She spat.
Taylor slowly turned toward Camille, “Hey, where do
the elders live? I think I’d like to go pay them a visit. I have some
information they might like to have.” He said, glaring back at Melanie.
She placed her hand on her hip, “Ha! If I go down,
you go down with me!” She said, knowing he was joking.
He rolled his eyes. “Hey. Where
do they
live, anyway?” He asked.
Camille looked around her, “I don’t know, and I
don’t want to find out.” She whispered.
“What do you mean, you don’t know? You have to
know.” Taylor said, walking down the street.
Both girls followed him, not concerned about where
he was going. “Nope.” Camille said. She then covered her ears. “And don’t
tell me either.” She said.
“Y’all are just silly.” Taylor said, turning the
corner and heading down the street towards The Living End. “I mean, if they run
the place, then why wouldn’t you know where they live?”
Melanie ran her fingers through her hair,
untangling a knot, “When you find out where they live, that’s the last anyone
hears from you.”
Taylor stopped, “That’s ridiculous!! I’m gonna ask
when we get to the hideout.”
“NO!” Camille gasped.
He started walking again, “Well, I’ll find out. If
anybody knows, I’ll just pluck it out of their head.”
“If I can’t find out like that, I know
you
can’t.” Melanie snorted.
“Oh please.” Taylor chuckled.
“What? You think you can do that little trick
better than me?” Melanie raised an eyebrow.
“Of course.” Taylor baited her.
As they stepped up to the door, she turned to him,
“We’ll see.”
Taylor opened the door for the girls, “Yep, we
will.” Then he followed them inside the dim room.
~~~~~
“Oh my gosh, I think I’m going to burst!” Michelle
said, leaning back in her seat and pushing her plate away from her. “I can’t
believe you didn’t get anything.” She said, looking across the table at his
untouched cup of coffee.
“I ate earlier.” He said, looking at the ticket
and pulling his wallet out of his back pocket. “But, it did me good to watch
you.” He laughed.
She smiled back at him, “That was a lot, wasn’t
it? I don’t think I’ve eaten like that, well, since before I got pregnant.”
“Yeah?” He said, laying a ten dollar bill down on
the table.
“Yeah,” she answered. “I mean, for the first three
or four months, I felt like crap, and I just didn’t want anything, and then,
once I got farther along, I was always fighting with my parents and then I took
off and I couldn’t afford to eat like that, and I didn’t want to eat up all my
friends’ food. Rent is not cheap in New York!”
He stood up and held his hand out for her, “No,
it’s not. Are you ready?”
She took his hand and managed to maneuver herself
back out of the booth, “Yeah, but I better use the bathroom again. What time is
it?”
He looked at his watch, “It’s close to midnight,
we’ve only been on the road for about three hours.”
Placing her hand on her back, she yawned, “Dang,
when are we gonna get there?”
“Well, Tulsa is pretty far from NYC, y’know.” He
said, walking with her toward the women’s restroom. “We won’t make it tonight.
But, we’ll be there by tomorrow night. You can sleep in the car. Sorry I’m a
night owl. I guess it’s the job—you just get used to it.”
“I know,” she said, opening the door as he leaned
against the wall to wait for her, “that’s no problem. I can sleep anywhere
these days.” She disappeared into the room.
~~~~~
Taylor, Melanie, and Camille stepped into The
Living End, causing all heads to turn. “Hey, Sam.” Taylor said, shying away
from all the looks.
“Hello, Master Taylor.” The man said.
Taylor rolled his eyes, “Don’t start that shit,
please.” He said, stepping over to the bar. “Gimme…” He said thoughtfully,
“hmmm, how about water?”
“Of course, sir.” The man said, handing him a
glass after he wiped it ‘til it was sparkling. He then filled it with a cold
bottle from under the bar, rather than the tap water he usually gave the rest of
the patrons.
“Nobody ever gets my humor.” Taylor mumbled as he
took it from him, “Thanks, man.” He said, turning to look around the room.
Melanie and Camille had sat down at a table
already, so he joined them. “Thirsty?” Melanie asked, eyeing the water.
“Always.” He said, drinking down half the glass.
“Yeah, well, that’s because you’re male.” She
said, gazing around the room as he had done.
Camille snorted, “And you’re not? Good grief Mel,
you feed more than anyone I know.”
“Yeah, but it’s not because I’m really hungry for
it, it’s ‘cause it’s fun.” She answered.
Taylor shook his head and finished off the water in
the glass, “You’re a freak.” He said.
Melanie raised an eyebrow, “And once again, the pot
calls the kettle black.”
They sat there in the room, ignoring the looks from
others who were curious about Taylor, or even frightened. Eventually, the stir
they’d caused died down, and they began to play a kind of game, snatching bits
and pieces of thoughts or musings from those in the room whose minds weren’t
closed to them. Camille smiled, “That girl over there,” she said, gesturing
towards a young looking woman dressed all in black, “she thinks you’re hot even
if you did sing that stupid song.”
“Wonderful.” Taylor said, looking over at her.
“Well, that guy over there doesn’t see what the big deal is ‘cause we don’t look
any tougher than anyone else in the room.” He turned to Melanie, “He’s pretty
sure he can kick your ass.” And he laughed.
“Hmph. In his dreams, maybe.” She snorted.
“Well, the guy beside him thinks you’re hot, even if you did sing that stupid
song.”
Camille laughed, as Taylor’s ears turned red, “Some
things never change, Taylor. You know the gay guys always had a thing for you.”
“Whatever.” He said, furrowing his brows together
and grabbing the glass off the table.
Melanie rolled her eyes, “As if you cared. You’re
an attention whore and you know it.”
With a sigh, Taylor stood, “Oh you must be one of
those girls—yeah, I was constantly running across the stage to stand in front of
Ike so no one would see him there. And I carefully planned on Zac playing the
drums so I could hide him behind them. Don’t want anyone looking at anybody but
me.” He said sarcastically.
Camille’s mouth dropped open and she glared at
Melanie, “That’s not true! He’s just naturally better looking than either of
them—“
Melanie laughed loudly, “Yeah, right!” She slapped
the table.
Taylor walked away, not wanting to hear the endless
debate. He’d heard it all before. He sat the glass on the bar and Sam
immediately pulled another bottle of water from under the bar. Hurriedly,
Taylor put his hand over the glass, “Can I just have the bottle, please?” He
asked.
“Certainly, sir.” The man said. Taylor looked at
him again, “Sorry, I can’t help it. The Lady says—“
“I don’t care what she says. That crap drives me
crazy.” He said, and he hopped up on the bar. “Hey, you don’t have a piano in
here, do ya?” He asked the man, tipping the bottle up and swinging his feet
back and forth.
“Oh, no, we don’t.” Sam replied. “But, I’m sure
we could find one before the evening is out.”
Taylor shook his head, “No, that’s cool. I just
thought, you know, if you had a coffin back there, you might have a piano as
well.” He smiled, looking over at the man.
Sam raised an eyebrow, “Oh, there’s no coffin back
there anymore.”
“I know, I know. Dude—you need to chill out a
little. You worry me.” Taylor said, smiling at him. “You’re not one of them,
what are you doing here?” Taylor asked, his eyes suddenly looking deeper into
the man’s.
Sam sighed, “You say ‘one of them’ like you’re
not.” He answered. Taylor didn’t say anything, but Sam saw it in his eyes that
he’d hit home. “I get paid.” He said, changing the subject again.
Taylor leaned over on the bar, placing his hand
under his head, and leaning on his elbow. He gazed around the room, “Alright.
You don’t wanna talk about it, I get it.” He then looked up at the man, “So,
where do the elders live?” He asked.
Sam’s eyes widened, “Oh, you don’t want to know
that.”
“I don’t?” Taylor replied.
“No sir, you don’t.” Sam said, leaning back
against the counter.
~~~~~
Roberto had been asked by a couple of the elders to
meet them at The Palace. It was an upscale restaurant, frequented by the well
off. Beatriz and her peers used it both as meeting place, and hunting ground.
It was odd for them to be late, so he found himself getting a bit nervous as he
glanced down at his watch.
“Well, good to see you here so promptly.” Daniel
said, sitting down in front of him.
“You startled me.” Roberto said, glancing over as
a man he’d not seen often sat down as well. “Joshua.” He said, respectfully.
The man nodded.
“I suppose you are wondering what this is about.”
Daniel said, pushing the silverware and glasses away from him. As the waiter
approached the table, he handed the man a bill and dismissed him.
“Well, yes.” Roberto answered. “Usually you
prefer to meet at The End—“
“True.” Daniel said, interrupting him, “But, I
just felt we needed a little privacy. We’ve just been to see the Lady.”
“Oh?” he said, hoping his face didn’t show any of
the fear that coursed through his body at that moment.
“Yes.” Joshua said, watching him closely. “And
her protégé, Taylor.”
Roberto looked at him, returning his gaze, “And?”
He questioned.
“Robert, I know that I sort of…dismissed your
suspicions about the boy.” Daniel said, leaning towards him, “But, the more I
see of him, the more I am convinced, there may be something to it.”
“We’d like to know more about him.” Joshua said,
picking up a shiny knife and looking at his own reflection for a moment before
looking back at him.
“All that I know is what can be easily found on the
internet.” He answered carefully.
Daniel sighed. “Why were you afraid of him?” He
asked. “He’s very young and obviously inexperienced.”
Robert had to think quickly, “Yes, he is. But, he
also just seemed to have some sort of …extra. It’s hard to explain a feeling.”
He answered.
“What about those girls of yours? Did they not
take him on? The streets were live with the stories.” Joshua asked.
Robert leaned back in his seat, “I had nothing to
do with that, first of all. Sometimes the women, well, you know how they are.”
He said.
Daniel smiled, “Indeed. All too well.”
“Well, they seemed to have taken a disliking to him
for some reason, and sort of…ambushed him one evening.” Both men stared at him,
“And he seems to have done very well for himself. Of course, Beatriz showed up
to help him and that probably had a little something to do with it.” He
reasoned.
Daniel chuckled, “Why does she surround herself
with children?” He said, shaking his head. “Were you not her lover? Is that
why you hate the boy?”
Robert looked at him coldly, “It doesn’t help
matters, I can tell you that.”
“Do they have relations?” Joshua asked,
distastefully.
“Um, well, last I heard, he wasn’t one of the lucky
ones.” Robert answered.
“Well then, what’s your worry?” Daniel asked.
“I don’t ‘worry’ about it.” Robert said, “It just
gets under my skin, if you know what I mean.” He said, anger tingeing his
words. Deciding to see what was up, he asked, “What has happened that has made
you wonder about him?”
Daniel folded his hands together in front of him,
“It seems that he had a bit of an over-indulgence last night in the park. The
authorities were called in by one of his victims and one of our informants told
us.”
Roberto’s eyebrows arched, “How many victims are we
speaking of?”
“Four.” Joshua spat. “One of whom is related to
the chief of police.”
Daniel smiled, “What an idiot. I can’t believe
Beatriz doesn’t teach them better than that.”
“It’s not her job to teach the young ones, it is
their sire.” Robert said.
Daniel shook his head, “Whatever. The fact is, one
victim was a no-no to begin with, and another was released with her mind fully
functioning and her mouth running off about Taylor Hanson attacking her and her
compatriots.”
“He needs to be punished.” Joshua said stiffly.
“Well, I think he’ll have a headache for a while.”
Daniel smiled again. He looked at Roberto’s questioning eyes, “Beatriz slammed
him into the wall very nicely.” He then laughed. “You know, that’s the one
thing I envy the women for—they have a talent for that mental shoving thing that
we just don’t seem to be able to match.”
“Did she hurt him?” Robert asked, smiling back at
the man.
“Not nearly enough.” Joshua answered. “He
deserves time in the basement.”
“Forgive me,” Robert said, “but I don’t know that
starving is a good punishment for a glutton. I mean, the irony is simply
beautiful, but the lesson may be lost on a vampire. Starve him, and he will
lose his mind and not learn the lesson.”
“Exactly.” Daniel said. He then looked over at
the man, “Joshua here likes a bit of torture now and then.” He smiled then
looked back at Robert. “I don’t know that I would have trusted her to follow
through with that anyway. She seems to have some sort of attachment to him.”
He said, with a roll of his eyes. “Not a good situation. Which brings me to
another of the reasons we brought you here; we’d like you to keep a watch on
them. Lucky or not, we don’t want Beatriz handing out too much of herself to
someone like him. Too many kisses, and he’ll eventually gain little bits of
strength that I don’t think he needs. As it is, he seems to have taken a bit of
Sonya’s lovely mental capabilities. I’m not comfortable at all with that.
Still, it’s only good for tricks and getting victims. And obviously, he’s not
that good at it, if some hooker managed to take her brains away with her.” He
said lightly.
Joshua narrowed his eyes, “It’s strange for a male
to do these things. It’s not right.”
“I agree.” Robert said, “And that was why I called
you before.”
Daniel stood, and pushed his chair in, followed by
Joshua, “Yes, I can see that now. He is probably harmless, but we haven’t
survived for centuries by letting young ones become too powerful. And we don’t
intend to start now.”
“I understand.” Robert said, standing now as
well. “I’ll contact you if I see anything worrisome.”
“Yes, I’m sure you will.” Daniel said, smiling.
“Good evening.” Joshua said, following.
“Yes, just fantastic.” Robert muttered, sitting
back down at the table. Things had just gotten a bit more complicated for him,
and for the plans he’d made. He sat, thinking he’d need to be extremely careful
from there on out. As would Taylor.
~~~~~
Kirk looked at the girl beside him. They’d put the
seat back so that she could sleep. 2 a.m. had found her with a full stomach and
heavy eyes. With a sigh, he turned back to the road ahead of him, knowing that
in a few hours, he’d have to get off the road and find somewhere to sleep,
hoping she wouldn’t try to wake him before the sun went down. He’d leave her
money and the keys to his car and a note telling her to go buy some clothes for
herself, and to wake him at 9 in the evening, and they’d be on their way. Tulsa
would surely be a weird scene and he knew he’d need to be prepared for whatever
happened there.
~~~~~
At The Living End, things were heating up a bit.
Melanie looked over at Taylor, lounging on the bar, talking casually, it seemed,
with the bartender. “See?” She said to Camille, “If he didn’t love the
attention, he wouldn’t manage to sex up the bar over there.”
“He’s not doing anything.” Camille retorted.
Melanie rolled her eyes, feeling like she was
speaking to a little child, “But he is!” She huffed. “He’s made an art
out of doing nothing. He’s actually carefully orchestrating how many women he
can get to look at him. And men.”
Camille looked over at him, her eyes glazing over.
She smiled, “So what if he is?” She said dreamily.
Melanie watched as Taylor looked over at the two of
them and she watched his lip curl up into a grin when he caught Camille’s eye.
Melanie shook her head, as Taylor pulled himself up and slid off the bar. “That
just proves my point.” She said, watching him slink over to them, “Hey, isn’t
that girl over there named Nikki?” He asked, his eyes moving over towards the
window where a girl sat with a notebook opened up, her hand scratching furiously
across the page.
“Yeah. We introduced you to her a couple weeks
ago, remember?” Camille said, glancing her way. Taylor smiled, set his bottle
down on the table, then walked over to the jukebox. As he turned back, the
voice of Prince began to ooze out of the speakers.
I knew a girl named Nikki
I guess u could say she was a sex fiend
I met her in a hotel lobby
Masturbating with a magazine
She said how'd u like 2 waste some time
And I could not resist when I saw little Nikki grind
“Dance with me…” he purred to Camille as he stepped back to the
table.
Without a word, she put her hand in his and stood. A look from him
brought Melanie as well. She wasn’t fond of Taylor, but she’d take any excuse
to bring some action to the place, and admittedly, he was easy on the eyes, and
he could dance when he wanted to. Hearing her name over the speakers, Nikki’s
eyes went to the center of the room where Taylor was performing a bump and
grind, flanked on either side by her two friends. Her dark eyes met Taylor’s
blue and in her mind she could hear him singing the song to her.
She took me 2 her castle
And I just couldn't believe my eyes
She had so many devices
Everything that money could buy
She said sign your name on the dotted line
The lights went out
And Nikki started 2 grind
He continued to dance, but he also was pulling her to him. She found
him attractive to begin with, but whatever he was doing to her, she had no
choice but to comply. The pen dropped from her hand and onto the paper. She
stood and found herself in front of Taylor. The crowd now watched as the three
women moved to the sound of the song, the lyrics egging them on almost as much
as Taylor’s movements and urging.
The castle started spinning
Or maybe it was my brain
I can't tell u what she did 2 me
But my body will never be the same
Her lovin' will kick your behind
Oh, she'll show u no mercy
But she'll sho'nuff sho'nuff show u how 2 grind
One by one, those in the room who’s minds Taylor was able to get into
were called to him. The song went on and as it came to its conclusion, there
were only a few still sitting, looking on with curiosity as the rest gyrated in
a sexless orgy.
Woke up the next morning
Nikki wasn't there
I looked all over and all I found
Was a phone number on the stairs
It said thank u 4 a funky time
Call me up whenever u want 2 grind
Oh, Nikki, ohhhh
come back Nikki, come back
Your dirty little Prince
wanna grind grind grind grind grind grind grind grind grind
"Hello, how r u? I'm fine. 'cause I know
that the Lord is coming soon, coming, coming soon."
As the music came to its conclusion, Taylor looked up to see Roberto
standing in the doorway, a dark look on his face. “Mind if I cut in?” He said,
raising an eyebrow and stepping over to stand before Taylor. Immediately, the
girls backed off.
Taylor looked up at him, faced for the third time
that day with a powerful male vampire. “Um, no.” He said, sheepishly. Roberto
grabbed him by the arm as those watching chuckled or stared, wondering what was
going to happen. “Ow…” Taylor said, not really because it hurt, but because he
expected it to. Had it been his father doing it to him a year ago, it would
have hurt. He found himself pulled into the back room of the place looking up
into the man’s green eyes.
“This is NOT the place for those kinds of
displays.” He growled.
Taylor swallowed, “Well, nothing ever happens
here—“
“And that is the way it is supposed to be. This is
not a hot club for all the humans to be dying to get into, excuse the pun.”
Robert spat.
“We were just dancing, nothing happened.” Taylor
defended himself.
Robert crossed his arms over his chest, standing up
to his full height. He was one of the few who were actually taller than
Taylor. “You were dancing, and you were making the others do it with you.”
“Look, Roberto—“Taylor started, finding a little
courage.
“You call me Robert, just as the others do.” The
man said, interrupting him.
Taylor threw his hands out, “Beatriz always calls
you that! And everybody else calls you “the Count”. So, sorry if you wanna get
all bent out of shape, cuz I called you by your name.”
Leaning in close to Taylor’s face, his eyes
narrowed, he replied, “Yes, Beatriz may call me that, because that is who I was
when we met.” He then straightened back up, “And I would suggest you not call
me by that little nickname, because I find it very disrespectful.”
Taylor closed his eyes for a moment, then opened
them, “Fine. No one ever told me your last name, sir. I’ll call you Mr. Smith
or whatever you’d like, okay? And I’m sorry if I livened things up a little.”
He said, his voice almost falling into sadness.
“Taylor…” Robert said, his voice losing its
hardness, “you’re different, alright? The rest of us didn’t leave anything
behind like what you did. I’m sure this is not very exciting to you. But, you must understand. The elders are beginning to see you for what you are; a
threat to them.”
“But I’m not!” Taylor protested.
“Of course you are!” Robert hissed. “If only
because you are more powerful than them.” He said very softly. Taylor barely
heard him. “Change is coming, whether you want to be a part of it, or not.” He
concluded.
Taylor looked at him, “I’m catching all kinds of
crap today, for stuff I had no control over.” He complained.
With a hand on his chin, Robert looked back at the
boy, “Really?” He said. “How so?”
Again, Taylor felt like a twelve year old, faced
with a broken window and a ball with his name on it, “Well, Mel was with me last
night.” He tattled. “And just now, all we were doing was dancing. We weren’t
shaking the windows or raising the roof!”
“Is that your defense? You’re finished?” Robert
asked, holding back the smile that threatened to come across his face.
Taylor looked at him, his eyes shadowed, his
eyebrows nearly meeting, “Yeah.” He said.
“Very well. First of all, Melanie knows better
than to let a victim get away with their memories so clear that they not only
know they were bitten, but by whom.” Taylor looked at him. “Oh yes, I heard about it. The elders paid me a visit today.”
“Those old fuckers.” Taylor muttered.
Now, Roberto couldn’t hold it in, but he covered
quickly, clearing his throat, “That they may be, but, for the moment, they are
your superiors.”
Taylor snorted, “I don’t think so.”
“If you feel that way, then why don’t you want to
help?” Robert asked.
“Because they don’t mean anything to me.” Taylor
said.
Robert shook his head, “I would think that the
warning you got today would have made them mean something to you. But,
whatever.” He said, putting his hands out. “And as for what was happening when
I walked in, you and I both know that wasn’t just girls wanting to dance and
have a good time. I sensed some minds being controlled there, and I feel sure
it wasn’t Sam doing it.”
“Why’s he here when he’s a human?” Taylor asked.
Robert smiled now, “Let’s not change the subject.
I’m not trying to punish you or get you into trouble. I just want you to know,
that if the elders become aware of your powers, you’ll be very very sorry, and
it will mean a great deal to you. And to Beatriz.”
“Y’know, you’re the one that told them I was weird
or whatever to begin with. What’s different now?” Taylor asked.
Robert had turned to the door, but he turned back
to face him, “Because they didn’t believe me. I refuse to put my future, as
long as it is, in the hands of those so power hungry and petty and short sighted
that they’d allow something like you to go on unchecked.” He then stepped back
into the bar, leaving Taylor staring after him, not sure whether he should be
flattered, or frightened by the words he’d just heard.
