Michelle had been trying to get through to her parents all day, but only
got an “all circuits are busy” message.
She sighed and sat the phone down in her lap.
“I’m sure they’re fine.” Diana
said from beside her. She was met
with teary eyes. “Oh, honey,
it’s gonna be alright.” Diana
said, putting her arm around her shoulders and hugging her.
Michelle sniffed, “I know.
I just…I just really wanna talk to them, y’know?
My Uncle works down there. Not
in the towers, but still. I bet my
Dad is freaking out.” She said.
“Mom, have you, y’know, heard
from anybody in New York today?
Did you check your email and stuff?”
Zac asked.
“Your Dad’s been calling, but
he’s had the same kind of luck that Michelle has.”
She said softly.
“I checked email a couple of hours ago, but I didn’t have
anything then.” She turned to
Isaac, “Ike, why don’t you go check it again?”
She watched him stand and nod and go into the other room.
“Do you have relatives there?”
Michelle asked.
“Well, we have some who live in
Brooklyn. I’m not really worried
about them. But, we do have
some…friends, who live in Manhattan…” she stopped for a minute and shook
her head. She then smiled, “I’m
sure they’re all fine.” She
said. Even though she believed what
she said, she still wanted to hear Taylor’s voice, just to know for certain.
Isaac returned to the room and
picked Avery up off the floor, placing her in his lap.
Their eyes met and he shook his head.
She bunched up the blanket in her lap and placed it under her head, lying
back on her brother’s shoulder. The
other children were in the room as well. Mackenzie
sat next to Zac, his new Gameboy untouched beside him.
Jessica sat on one end of the couch with Zoe next to her, dressing and
undressing two overworked Barbie dolls. Suddenly, new excitement on the
television as another building fell; building seven of the WTC Complex
collapsed. “Walk!”
Diana called to her husband. “Something
else is happening!”
He came back in the room quickly,
his cell phone in his hand, “What!?” He
exclaimed, eyes going straight to the TV.
“The guys says it’s building
7.” Zac said.
“This is insane.” Walker
said. He looked at his wife, her
eyes questioning. He looked at the
phone, and shook his head.
Around 7:30 the sound of an email
coming into Diana’s account was heard, Isaac looked up, “I turned it up as
loud as it would go so we’d know…”
He said, sliding out from under Avery. .
He was gone for a few minutes, then they heard the sound of the printer.
He walked in and handed the note to his father, then looked at his
mother, “Everybody’s fine.” He
said. She closed her eyes and
clutched the gold cross around her neck, silently thanking God for answering her
prayer. At her feet, Elijah started to fuss and she reached down and picked him
up. She looked at Michelle, “Is
it okay if I feed him?” She
asked.
“Of course.”
Michelle said. She wiped her
nose and looked down at Isabella, knowing she’d be right behind her brother.
She turned the little seat around and looked at the sleeping
girl, and thought again about her own family, back east.
Diana stood and took the baby into the kitchen, followed by her husband.
With a sigh, she sat down at the
kitchen table and watched as Walker made a bottle for him.
She looked down and was met with the incredible blue eyes of her
grandson, so much like his father’s. It
was a comfort to just be able to see someone so like him.
Walker sat and handed her the bottle and she began to feed him.
“Well?” She
said.
Walker looked out the door, making
sure no one was standing in the hall. “It
was from Mr. Jones. He said
everything was fine. He was right
there in the apartment with him.” He
started to go on, but Mackenzie walked in.
“Hey, Bud.” He said,
folding the paper up and putting it in his shirt pocket.
“Hey, Dad.” The boy
answered. For a moment he didn’t
say anything. “Do you think
anything else is gonna happen?” He
asked.
Walker pulled him close and hugged
him, “I don’t know, son.
I hope not. Probably,
if anything else was gonna happen, it already would have, y’know?
Maybe that’s all they had planned.”
Mackenzie nodded his head, and walked to the refrigerator, grabbed a
juice box and went back into the living room.
Later,
when the television had finally been turned off, and the children all in bed
Diana sat down and re-read the letter:
“Dear
Mr. and Mrs. Hanson—I hope this gets through to you.
I’d have called you, but phone service is nearly non-existent at this
moment. I just wanted you to know that your Taylor is well.
He is upset, as we all are, but he is fine and he is safe.
He and the girls have gone out for the moment.
I shall continue to keep you updated if anything happens you need to know
about.
Hope all is well with you and your family. This day has been
a long one for the entire country, but particularly for those of us here in this
city. Please say an extra prayer
for us-- Sincerely, Jonas”.
~~~~~
Beatriz
and Sonya had gone out and fed, but hadn’t stayed away from the apartment more
than a half an hour; quick, even for them.
The phone had been silenced as New York City tried to keep lines open for
official or emergency calls only. When
the elevator signaled someone coming up, the three of them all stood and waited
anxiously. The doors opened and
Melanie stepped out. Her face was
dirty, her hair had chalky dust in it and her clothes were not even
recognizable. They all looked at
her and she just shook her head. “Unbelievable.
I can’t even tell you what it’s like down there.”
She said softly. She turned
to look back at the elevator. “Come
on, you guys.” She said.
Slowly,
Camille and Taylor came into the room. Both
of them looked every bit as bad as Melanie if not worse.
Camille’s jeans were torn and bloodied at the knee and the cut on her
cheek would have needed to be sewn up if she were human.
The hands that she and Taylor clasped together were raw and scraped and
cut. They’d obviously used their
hands to dig into and out of the rubble. Taylor’s
elbow bled as well as a nasty looking place on his thigh that had gone through
his pants.
“My
Lord…” Sonya said rushing
toward them. “Are you guys
alright?” She asked.
Camille
nodded, “Yeah, it was just…” She
looked over at Taylor, “It’s just messy there.
It’s terrible.”
Mr.
Jones stood, wringing his hands, “Did you find anyone alive?”
Now
Taylor looked up, his eyes haunting, “There isn’t anyone.
We found some parts—“he started.
He raised his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders as a tear rolled down
his dirty cheek, “There just isn’t anyone.”
He said. “They’re down
there, all killing themselves digging. There
are dogs everywhere, sniffing out anything they can find…but there just
isn’t anything to find.” He
turned to Camille and licked his finger, swiping it across the cut to her cheek.
He closed his eyes and took in a breath, “Um, I’m just gonna…go
take a shower, okay?” He said and
he quickly made his way out of the room, toward his own.
Melanie
watched him then turned back, “That is the last place he should have gone.
He’s too gooey in the head for that sort of thing.”
Camille
bent her leg and hissed, “And it’s all sharp and scary, too.
Everything’s just torn to bits. I
mean, you think you smell someone and you dig and all you find is like, a
finger. But, he kept trying.
You know, I guess that’s all you can do, and at least he knows he would
have helped if he could have.” She
sat down on the smooth floor and pulled her knee up to her face and licked the
blood away. “You grab something
and a chunk of metal comes with it and takes a big chunk out of you.”
She said.
Melanie
just listened. She’d been more
affected by what she’d seen than she’d expected.
Blood was a beautiful thing to her, but seeing pieces of people amongst
the ruins of buildings she’d walked passed countless times and knowing it had
all been so needless had been deeply disturbing.
And she found it even harder watching Taylor, knowing how he felt about
humans and how he worried himself about hurting them.
It had obviously been torturous for him.
If they’d just found one person alive, it would have meant the world to
him. Instead, his grief had
multiplied tenfold.
Taylor
stood in the shower, watching as the water ran gray and red off his body.
He’d washed his hair twice, but he still felt the grit and the ash from
the place in it. His fingernails
had blood, his own blood, caked under them.
When he’d find the scent of a human, he’d dig and throw chunks of
debris and metal until he found what he’d been smelling.
The first time, he’d been so excited to find the hand of a
man. He dug farther in and when he
dug far enough he found that it was only an arm.
And the scene was played out over and over.
Camille, as tiny as she was, used her vampire’s strength to
dig the same way he had, and she had come up with the same results.
They found shoes, wallets, any number of personal effects, but no bodies
and no one living.
They made a pile of what they found, knowing someone would
find it. Melanie had watched,
keeping humans and dogs away from them. It
wasn’t easy, some of their minds so bent on what they were doing that she had
a difficult task persuading them to turn the other way.
At times, they’d had to work together to make it happen.
Finally, Taylor had literally been drug away from the scene, the girls
telling him it was useless; that they weren’t going to find anyone and that
they could be discovered.
Their powers worked best on the weak minded and New York City
Policemen and Firefighters, particularly that day, did not fit the bill. And so,
they’d gone back, sometimes walking, sometimes running the many, many blocks
between what would come to be known as Ground Zero and Beatriz’ apartment.
Slowly, he exhaled, letting out the acrid air in his lungs and all the
sadness and frustration he’d endured that day.
Tears stung his eyes now instead of dust and no matter how hard he tried
to hold them back, they came anyway. For
once, he was not sorry he was a vampire, because humans could be just as
inhuman, if not more so. He cried
for all the people who were killed and for all the people who would be left
mourning them. And then he cried
for himself, wanting nothing more than to be with his family in Tulsa.
~~~~~
For
two days, Taylor didn’t leave the apartment.
On the evening of September 14th, he lay in his bed, watching
video of Jessica’s thirteenth birthday. It
had arrived a week before and today he’d decided to watch it.
He smiled as he watched her blow out the candles on her cake,
wishing he’d been there to sing along with his family.
His sharp ears picked out some voices he didn’t recognize and he
wondered if they were friends of hers, maybe even Isaac’s friend Kelly.
He shook his head, thinking his Dad was losing his touch; usually his
videos documented every person present.
“Taylor,
you need to go out tonight. You
can’t lock yourself in here.” Camille
said from beside him. “You
don’t want Beatriz bringing someone up here for you, or getting all pissed off
at you again.”
“I
know.
I will.” He
said, not moving his eyes from the fifty inch image of his little sister pulling
a skimpy bikini from a flowered bag. “I
can’t believe my Dad’s gonna let her wear that…” he complained.
“Why?”
Camille asked, looking at the screen.
“She’ll look great in it.
She’s got a great body for thirteen.”
She mused.
He
shot her a look, “No, she does not!” He
retorted.
She
just looked at the TV, “Yeah she does.”
She said.
“She’s
just a kid!” He spat, standing
up. “She doesn’t have a body at
all.” He said.
Camille
shook her head, “Taylor, you can’t keep her from growing up.”
He
got an odd look on his face, “Yes, I could.
I could keep all of them from growing up, or growing old, or anything
else.
They could just stay that way forever.”
He said.
Camille
sat up, “Um, I think you need to go feed.
And after that, there’s a book I want you to read.
It’s fiction, but it makes a good point.”
“I
saw the movie.” He grumbled and
he plopped back down on the bed. “I
just miss’ em so much.” He
said, falling back on the bed.
She
looked at him with her big blue eyes, “I know you do.”
She said. “Someday, when
you’re the ruler of everything, you can bring them here with you and live all
together.”
He
just looked at her for a moment, then he closed his eyes, “Now you’re
the one that’s getting delusional. Nobody
can be the Ruler of Everything. That’s
just stupid.” He said.
She
shrugged and stood up, “I’m going out and I’m going to forget about
everything for a while.” She went
back to the bed and stooped down, “Let’s go find some really great looking
couple.
We’ll make sure they smell good and have a nice car and
stuff, and we’ll go out and have a great time.”
She said brightly.
“Most
of the roads are closed and there’s fires still burning and the city is still
freaked out. Nobody’s gonna be
out at clubs and hooking up with freaky sex partners tonight.”
He said, sitting up. He
sighed. “I guess we need to go
eat though. My stomach is beginning
to get in a bad mood.”
“I
can imagine.” She said.
The
video ended abruptly and Taylor furrowed his brow, “Man!
This video sucked—it didn’t even show Ike and Zac throwing her in the
pool! I mean, it was like, July,
you know they did! And it was all choppy and stuff…I wonder if he was like,
drunk or something?” He smiled
for the first time in three days.
“Maybe
he’s getting tired of video taping everything they do.
I mean, your parents have a gazillion kids, y’know?
Maybe it’s sort of old hat by now.
Maybe he edited out the nude male dancers because he knew it would upset
you.” She joked, standing up.
He
stood as well, and shook his head, “Yeah right. You don’t get it.
This is Walker. He’s
like…the human cassette recorder. He
doesn’t go anywhere without a video camera and no one is safe from it.”
He said, glancing in the mirror. “Sheesh,
I guess it’s good he’s not here right now.”
He looked closer into the glass, and turned toward her, “I actually
look a little scary.” He said.
She
took in his pale skin and dark eyes. “I
know just the cure for that.” She
said. “Let’s go.”
~~~~~
Michelle
looked down at the face of her son as he fed from her.
His eyes were closed and his long dark lashes rested on his rosy cheeks.
The mouth on her breast was a perfect replica of his father’s.
Tears clouded her eyes as she looked at the bedside table and the photo
of Taylor that gazed back at her with eyes the colour of the Oklahoma sky.
“I’m sorry…” she said, as the tears rolled down her
face.
~~~~~
“The
Prince is coming.” Said one of
the three women sitting across from Robert at The Living End.
“Really?”
He said, his eyebrows raised.
“He’s been laying low lately.”
He said, his eyes going towards the door.
Moments
later, Taylor and Camille walked in and the place quieted.
With a sigh, Taylor stepped over to the bar, “Hey, Sam.”
He said.
“Good
evening, Taylor.” The man said,
respectfully. He looked the boy up
and down, noting his thin frame and the dark circles around his eyes.
“How are you?” He
asked.
“Okay,
I guess.” He answered, “How
about you?” Taylor asked.
“As
good as can be expected, I suppose, all things considered.”
The man answered, sitting a cold bottle of water up on the bar.
Taylor
put his hand on it, feeling the sweat beginning to form, “Yeah.”
He agreed. He then twisted
the cap on the bottle and brought it to his lips.
“You’re
looking rather gaunt this evening.” The
three girls surrounded him, pushing Camille out of the way.
Taylor
turned to face her and pulled Camille back beside him, placing his arm around
her waist, “Why thank you. You
look nice tonight, too.” He said,
sarcastically.
“Would
you like for one of us to bring you an offering?”
One asked. Before he could
answer, another turned to a boy by the door, “Tony, bring the Prince his
supper!” She called, and the boy slipped out the door.
“Hey!”
Taylor tried to stop him, but the boy was gone.
He looked at them, “Why the fuck did you do that?”
He said.
“You
are our leader, you shouldn’t have to go out and find victims like you were
one of the rabble like the rest of us.” She
said. To the untrained eye, she
seemed gracious and respectful. To
Taylor, it was obvious she was not only mocking him, but doing everything in her
power to make him uncomfortable.
“Yes,
well, as your leader, I’d like you to mind your own business.”
He said, turning toward Sam and downing the rest of the bottle.
“Sam, since I’m the Leader, I think we all need to start recycling
around here. I demand a separate
container for empty bottles.”
He said, and he rolled his eyes.
“Of
course.” The man answered and he
started to walk away, but Taylor reached over the counter and took his wrist,
shaking his head. He then turned
back to the girls, “We’ll need a nice clean garbage can.
Do you want to clean that one?” He
said pointing to the large can. “Or
would you rather just buy a new one?”
He asked.
He
was rewarded with a smile, “Whichever you’d prefer, Prince Taylor.”
“Suit
yourself.” He said, tiring of the
game. Ordinarily, he’d relish
calling her on her bluff, but he just wasn’t in the mood for it.
He was tired and hungry, but his heart wasn’t in the hunt.
He took Camille’s hand and pulled her over to a table.
He sat and she sat beside him as the rest of them looked on.
“I think I’m gonna stop coming in here.”
He said to her. “Everybody
clams up and I feel like I’m on display.
It’s worse than me and my brothers going to McDonalds.”
“They’re
just not sure how to treat you.” Camille
answered.
“Whatever.”
He said, his voice sounding strained.
He looked around the room and his eyes landed on the piano against the
wall. Slowly, he stood and walked
toward it. He stood before it and
reached down and touched the keys. It
really was a beautiful instrument, old, but in perfect tune.
His lip curled up as he thought about the elders bringing it in.
It probably cost them a pretty penny, he thought.
But, he figured they had more money than Beatriz, so it was probably an
easy thing to procure.
His fingers began to play a tune, he didn’t know.
It was just something his hands knew as well as his head; some song
he’d heard in church many times in his life.
He smiled when he recognized it—Silent Night. For a few moments, he
just played, forgetting that he was in a room full of vampires.
When
the door burst open, the boy who’d been ordered to bring Taylor his
“supper” rushed in, dragging a girl with him.
His hand was over her mouth and he’d tied her hands behind her back.
“Man! I had to run all the
way down to that Quik Shop place! Luckily,
there’s no cops around though!” He
gushed. “They must all be down at
the disaster area.”
He
then pulled her over to where Taylor stood, his back to them, but his eyes
turned to the commotion. Taylor
sighed and turned. “Thanks very
much.” He said.
“But, really, I prefer to choose my own victims.”
He said, looking at the girl’s frightened eyes.
“Oh,
well, she said—“the boy started, looking over at the three women standing
beside the bar with smiles on their faces.
“I
know what she said. She’s using
you to piss me off.” Taylor said.
“Um, why don’t you let her go?”
He looked at the girl, leaning his face towards hers, “You’re not
gonna scream, are ya?” He said,
gazing into her eyes.
Camille
watched as Taylor’s eyes took on the shine.
She wondered if he’d actually take the girl right here in front of
everyone. The boy removed his hand
and the girl’s pretty face was revealed; full lips and perfect skin.
She smiled, the boy had chosen well.
The shirt she wore had the logo of the store imprinted on it.
No police, and no employee—that store might get shoplifted from
tonight, she thought with a smirk.
Taylor
placed his arm gently around her shoulder and the rope fell from her wrists,
eliciting little gasps of appreciation from his audience. “I’m sorry about
this, it was just a little misunderstanding.”
He said. He could feel her
shaking under his hand as he guided her in the little corner formed by the piano
and the wall. “But, as long as
you’re here, maybe you could help me out?”
He whispered into her ear.
She
looked into his eyes, unable to help herself.
She’d been frightened before, but now, she felt a warm sort of calm
sensation overtaking her. “What
do you need?” She asked.
His
lip turned up into a smile on one side, “Just a little bit.”
He said, brushing her silky hair behind her shoulder.
He then leaned in and kissed her throat, his tongue lightly touching the
hot skin there. She lay her head
back, allowing him to linger there. His
eyes went around the room over her shoulder; he was being watched.
He looked out the window and could see two people walking across the
street toward the place.
His hand went out and the lock on the door clicked into
place. His felt his fangs grow as
the door rattled and the people walked on, assuming the place was closed.
Placing his arm around her back, he pulled the girl closer to him and bit
down on the creamy flesh, smelling of jasmine and shampoo.
She tensed up, but didn’t struggle.
Around him, the others watched as he took the blood of the girl.
The feeling never got old, blood running from their body into his,
filling out all the empty places in him. He
could feel his cool skin warming and his blood beginning to move faster.
It was worth going hungry a day or two for the feeling he got when he let
himself feed again. When he’d taken as much as he wanted, he ran his tongue
over the two small holes he’d left there, then he kissed her on the lips and
waited for her eyes to open. “Can
I walk you back?” He asked.
The
girl looked like she’d just been awakened from a long night’s sleep.
“Um, yeah, I guess so.” She
said, her voice breathy. She looked
around the room as Taylor turned her towards the door.
When they reached it, he turned the lock and he looked back at Camille,
“I’ll be back, if you want to wait for me.”
He said.
“I’ll
wait.” She said, and he turned
and walked out the door.
~~~~~
“What’s
she doing up so early?” The woman
said, looking into Taylor’s window from where she sat, draped across the large
branch of the tree outside the Hanson’s house.
The
man looked down at his watch, “Maybe she just never went to sleep.”
He reasoned.
“I
didn’t hear the babies cry.” She
said.
He
smiled, “You’re not supposed to be listening.”
He said.
She
just gave him a look. “Whatever.”
She said. She watched a
little longer, “She’s packing.” She
said, sitting up.
The
man raised his eyebrow and turned so that he could look in as well.
“Damn, I think she’s going to go out the window.”
He said, and quickly, the two of them went higher in the tree and hid
themselves as well as they could. Human
eyes didn’t see well in the dark and a human nose wouldn’t pick up any scent
of them—hopefully, she’d be no different than most.
Michelle
sat a sealed envelope on the bed, then walked over to the crib and looked at her
two sleeping babies. She placed her hand on Elijah’s face, feeling the silken
skin of his cheek. Then she stroked
the soft, dark hair of Isabella, “Bye Izzy.”
She said as more tears streaked down her face.
“Lij, I love you baby.” She
said softly, then she turned off the lamp, walked to the window and gently eased
it up, hoping it wouldn’t make any noise.
Sliding the screen up, she tossed her bag out onto the roof, then eased
her legs out. She pulled the screen
back into place, then sat for a moment on the roof, looking up at the stars.
In a couple days, she’d be in a place where you were lucky to see one;
here, there was always a sky full of them.
She took a deep breath, threw the bag down onto the ground, then crawled
over to the tree.
Climbing carefully, she jumped the last few feet down to the
ground, picked up her bag and jogged over to Taylor’s car.
Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the keys.
Above
her, the man and woman looked at each other, “Good Lord, she’s leaving.”
He said.
“Yep,
that’s what it looks like.” The
woman agreed, pulling out her cell phone.
“You
calling the lady?” He asked.
“Yes.
I mean, what if she wants her for some reason?”
She asked.
“You’re
right.” He said, and he sighed as
he watched Michelle take the sign out of the window and toss it in the backseat.
~~~~~
Mr.
Jones awoke to see Beatriz standing over him, “Jonas.”
She said.
He
rubbed his eyes and quickly sat up, “Yes?
Is something wrong?” He
asked.
“Michelle
is leaving Tulsa.” She said.
“Or, at least, she’s leaving the Hanson’s house.”
She said.
He
furrowed his brow. “Where is she
going?” He asked.
“I
don’t know. But she left the
babies.” She answered.
His
mouth dropped open, “That’s crazy.” He
said.
Beatriz
sat down on the bed, “I know you took some sort of sample from Taylor.
Did it tell you anything?”
“Well,
I wanted to wait until I could compare it with Kirk before talking to you about
it, but since he’s not been around, I’ve not been able to do that.”
He said. “But, what I saw
was only a little surprising. There
were actually a few swimmers there, but none capable of anything.
All dead.”
“Hmmm…surprising
because you didn’t expect to see any, dead or alive, right?”
She said, cocking her head.
“Yes.”
He said. “It’s
possible, I suppose, that because he was turned in a different way than most,
that it took a while for that particular side effect to totally come on him.
I’d say that before you know it, there won’t be any at all, just like
all the males of your kind.”
He said.
“And
I suppose it’s possible then, that in those first days that he was turned,
which was when he was with her, that there may have been a few ‘swimmers’ as
you so daintily put it.” She
said. The light flickered off her
eyes as she thought.
“I’d
say that’s very possible. A
normal human male his age would have a rather large sperm count ordinarily, so
even if he only had half—hell, a twentieth of what he would normally have had,
it’s very possible that our Michelle managed to capture a couple of live
ones.”
“Alright.
Can those babies make it without their mother?”
She asked.
“Of
course. They’re right at six
weeks old. Ideally, they’d be
breast fed much longer than that, but many infants in our society today aren’t
breast fed at all.” He said.
“What are you going to do?” He
asked.
She
looked at him for a moment, “Nothing. Michelle
knows nothing that could harm any of us. In
fact, I’d say it’s better that she’s not there.”
She stood. “Of course, the
fewer of us who know anything about any of this the better.”
She said. “I’m actually
surprised that Taylor hasn’t managed to take anything from your mind about
this. I know that Sonya has no
problem shielding him from her thoughts.”
“The
young master has no reason to believe there’s any reason to delve into my
mind.
Besides, I don’t particularly trust any of you and I do my
best not to think any deep thoughts around you.”
He stated.
“Is
that so? And here all this time I
just thought you were extremely shallow.”
She said, a twinkle in her eye.
“I
am.”
He answered, then he lay back down and pulled the covers up
around his shoulders.
Shaking
her head, she walked back out of his room and shut the door behind her.
~~~~~
“She
said to let her go. And to make
sure that if the car is reported stolen, that we let her know.”
The woman said, closing her cell phone and clipping it to the waistband
of her pants.
“Ah
yes, without listening in, we’re supposed to know if they report their dead
son’s car stolen.” He groused.
“What if they do that in the daytime?”
He said, stepping down onto a lower branch.
“I
have no idea.” She said.
“This
is, by far, the most irritating job she’s ever given me.
I have to sit out here like a squirrel in a tree, watching the lives of
two newborns. At least with
Michelle here, we could hope for some drama or something of interest to
happen.” He said.
The
woman looked into the dark room, knowing the babies slept in the crib, “Well,
for whatever reason, this feels important to me.”
She said, slipping down beside him.
“Just the mere fact that we sit here night after night, watching for
her, makes me think there’s something extremely out of the ordinary about it
all. And it has something to do
with Taylor.”
“Well,
that much is for certain.” He
said. “What’s going on there,
that she’s frightened for the safety of his family?
I mean, it’s not like she needs us to be watching any family members,
right? Isaac would appear to have
been bitten, maybe once, but I see no effects other than a little paranoia.
His sister is an odd little girl, but nothing to be concerned about.
Everyone else seems perfectly normal and human to me.”
“And
to me.” She answered.
“What I’m hearing from New York, is that the elders are
watching him closely. Perhaps
he’s done something and they’d like to catch him at it and eliminate him.
Maybe she’s frightened the elders will want to use his family against
him.” She said.
“Well,
there’s a lot going down there. I
don’t care for the elders myself, but I have to respect them.
They’ve been in charge for a very long time.”
He said.
“Yes,
well, it’s easy for a male to respect them.
For a female, the chances of being set out in the morning sunshine or
having one’s head removed from one’s body are far greater.
The elders have never forgiven us for being able to do something they
can’t.” She said.
“That
is a handy talent you have.”
He smiled. “Mind control
comes in handy, does it not?” he
said.
“Men
can run down a victim and force them to give him what he needs.
For a woman, it’s not as easy.”
She said.
He
snorted, “Oh please, you’re stronger than a great deal of human men.”
She
shrugged, “I didn’t make the rules. Perhaps
it’s to protect ourselves from vampire men, not human men.”
She said, leaning in close and looking into his eyes.
He
chuckled, “Perhaps it is…” He
said. He sighed, then put his hands
behind his head and leaned back against the trunk of the tree.
“I wish I could be here in the morning when they discover she’s
gone.” He said.
Nodding
in agreement, she leaned forward, her hands under her chin, “I know.
Maybe we could bug the house so we could listen in later.”
She said.
“We’ll
have to ask the Lady about that.” He
said brightly. And so they watched
as the stars dimmed and the clock ticked.
~~~~~
Camille
waited, knowing Taylor would need more that evening than he’d taken from the
girl. She’d already been hungry
when they’d gotten there and the longer he took, the more she thought about
her next meal. It was tempting,
when the three girls sat down at her table, to just get up and leave.
Taylor could make it home on his own, she thought.
But, she stayed, wanting to be there when he got back.
She always enjoyed hunting with him, especially now that he’d gotten
over his silly notions about right and wrong ways to find a willing donor.
“So, why doesn’t the little Prince wear his ID tag anymore?”
One asked, interrupting her thoughts.
“Why
don’t you ask him?” She said,
immediately trying to keep them from prying into her mind.
“We
did.”
One said.
“Well,
what did he say?” Camille said,
reaching into her purse for a deck of cards.
“He
lied.” She was answered.
“How
am I supposed to know?” She said,
laying seven cards on the table.
“Because
you’ve been with him.” The
statement hung there in the air.
Camille
continued to place cards on the table. “He
does what he wants. Maybe he
doesn’t like silver.” She said,
ignoring the comment.
“Maybe
he’s no longer under Beatriz’ protection, because he fucks other women.”
She heard. “That’s
probably where he is now—fucking that human girl.”
She
counted cards, “one, two, three” and turned them over.
“Isn’t
that against the rules?” Someone
asked.
“No,
it isn’t.” She said, looking
up. “We’d starve if we
couldn’t deal with humans.” Camille
said, looking into three sets of cat like eyes.
“Males
wouldn’t.” The tallest woman
said.
Camille
rolled her eyes, “Whatever.” She
said, “one, two, three…” She
placed an ace at the top of the row. As
the door opened, she sighed, thankful that Taylor appeared in the room.
At once, he rushed over to her and picked her up out of the chair.
He sat down himself and allowed her to take her place on his lap.
“You
forgot the seven.” He said,
placing the card on the stack beside it and flipping the card over.
“Yeah,
well, it’s hard to concentrate in here sometimes.”
She grumbled.
He
smiled, “I can imagine.” He
said.
“So
why is she still living, when Beatriz told the rest of us, in no uncertain
terms, that she’d end the life of anyone who touched you?”
One asked.
Taylor
looked around him, “Are you talking to me?”
He asked, his brow furrowed. “Who’s
still living?” He asked, feigning
ignorance. “I don’t see anyone
in this room that’s living. Well,
maybe Sam. I think he’s
living.” He said, picking up a
two of hearts and placing it on the ace.
“Can
we go, now?” Camille asked
silently.
“Of
course.” He answered,
standing and sitting her down. He
gathered up her cards and placed them in a neat stack.
“Hey, aren’t you and Mel supposed to meet some girls here tomorrow
night or something?” He asked,
handing the deck to Camille.
“Yeah.”
She answered, opening her little purse and dropping them in.
Taylor
placed his hand on the small of her back, “Hey, would you all make sure that
everybody knows they need to be here tomorrow night.
We wouldn’t want to keep Melanie waiting,” he said to the three girls
with a grin, “you know how she can get.”
He said, shaking his head. He
and Camille walked towards the door, “Oh, and don’t forget about that
recycling center. I think right
there next to the jukebox would be the perfect spot.
Thanks!” He said, and he
opened the door for Camille and they left the place.
“Damn,
I’m glad you came in when you did.” She
said to him.
“I’m
sorry I took so long. She must have
put up a fight when Tony, or whatever his name is, grabbed her.
Stuff was knocked over all over the place and we had to clean up a bunch
of Pepsi. That stuff is sticky!”
He exclaimed.
Camille
shook her head and looked for cars before pulling Taylor out into the street.
“All you had to do was throw her back in the door and turn
around and come back. For that
matter, all you had to do was get rid of her.
Just get her away from you. She’d
come around and she’d either go home or back to work.”
“Eh,
whatever.” He said, stepping up
onto the curb. “I didn’t want
her to get in trouble or anything. She
got lucky, really. There’s not a
lot of people out on the street right now.”
He said. The neighborhood
seemed eerily quiet. There
weren’t nearly as many taxis on the street and the sky above them was silent,
all air travel being cancelled since two days before.
“Yeah,
I guess she was lucky.” Camille
said, smiling. She looked up and
down the street, “Man, it’s not gonna be as easy as usual to grab a quick
bite.” She said.
Taylor
listened for the sounds of humans near them and didn’t find nearly the variety
he’d expect there. “Nope,
we’ll have to sit back and wait ‘til somebody comes to the right spot.”
He said, guiding her toward the stairs for a subway stop.
“There’s
not gonna be anybody down there, Taylor. The
trains aren’t running.” She
said.
“There’ll
be people down there, there always are.”
He said.
She
lay her head back, “Oooh, I don’t want to drink from a bunch of old
winos.”
She whined.
Taylor
stopped and turned toward her. “Well,
do you want to go back to the park? There’s
probably some people there.”
“Is
it closed too?” She said.
“I
don’t know. I didn’t watch TV
today. Either way, there’s people
in there.” He said, coming back
up the steps.
She
took his hand as he pulled her back the way they’d come, “Yeah, but
they’ll be winos too, probably.” She
complained.
“Ah,
what’s wrong with a little wine now and then?”
he nudged her side. “Hey,”
He said, “let’s go see Kirk. He’ll
know where there’s some good stuff around here.”
He said. “Besides, I
haven’t seen him for a while and I’m sort of missing him.”
He said. “I wanna hear
somebody play guitar, I’m feeling a little homesick, y’know?”
“Yeah,
I’ll bet you are.” She said.
“I wonder how Nashville is holding up?”
She said as they walked along.
He
looked at her, “It’s so funny you’re from Nashville.”
He said.
“What’s
funny about it?” She asked.
“It’s just a town.” She
said.
“Yeah,
but, it’s music city!” He
gushed, only halfway teasing.
She
rolled her eyes, “Yeah, if you’re into country music, which I’m not.”
She said.
“Some
of it’s pretty good.” He said.
“I
guess.” She said, knowing she’d
get nowhere in a musical discussion with him.
He always made his point when it came to music.
~~~~~
When
they got to Kirk’s door, Camille knocked.
“He’s probably out getting some chow like we should be.”
She grumbled.
“We
will, whiner.” Taylor said,
pressing his ear against the door. “I
don’t hear anything.” He said.
She’d
crossed her arms and leaned up against the wall, “He’s not here.”
She said, as he put his nose at the crack in the door.
“Taylor, you look like my old dog Ladybug when you do that.”
She said.
“I
don’t think he’s here.” He
said, sadly.
She
resisted rolling her eyes, “Um, yeah, that’s what I was saying.”
“I
know.”
He said looking down at her.
“I just thought maybe he was in the shower or something.”
He said.
“Why
are you wanting to see him so badly?” She
asked as they walked down the stairs of the old building.
He
sighed, “I don’t know. I guess
I’m just missing Zac and Ike, y’know?”
He opened the door that led to the street.
“All those people who lost their sons and brothers and daughters and
stuff—it just makes you think.” He
said.
“I
know.”
She said. “But,
at least you know they’re safe.” She
said.
“Yeah.”
He agreed. The
wind had picked up a little and it blew his hair out of his eyes, “Wow, look
at that.” He said, pointing up.
“It’s just fire and smoke and stuff, I think, but it almost looks
like a sunset. I haven’t seen one
of those for a while.”
He said.
She
put her arm around his waist, “If you could keep yourself awake, you could
catch a little bit of a sunrise.” She
reasoned.
He
snorted, “I’d love to. It just
never happens.” He answered.
“Well,
why Kirk? You’ve got us.”
She said, poking him in the side.
“Kirk’s
a guy. You aren’t.”
He said, rubbing her hair.
“Hey!
I put frizz-ease in there for a reason!”
She said, swatting his hand aside. “Well,
why don’t you go out with Mr. Jones? He’s
a guy.”
She said.
“Yeah,
but he’s sort of old.” Taylor
whispered.
She
looked around, “Why are you whispering?”
She said.
“I
don’t want to hurt his feelings or anything.”
He said.
She
laughed, “Taylor, he’s human, he can’t hear you.”
She said. “Besides, you do
know that Kirk is older than Mr. Jones, don’t you?”
She asked.
For
a moment he just let that sink in, “Well, yeah.
But, he doesn’t seem like it. Mr.
Jones feels really old to me.”
“That’s
because he’s British.” She said
in a snooty accent.
“Yeah,
I guess.” He said, looking down
at her, “Hey, Kirk likes girls, let’s go by the hotel, it’s on the way to
the park.” He said, and his steps
quickened.
In
no time they found themselves at the familiar intersection where for years,
Hanson fans had gathered to catch glimpses of their idols.
“Where is everybody?” Taylor
said, standing up straight and looking over the top of the cars parked on the
street.
“Taylor,
you’ve been dead for a long time now, and everybody’s at home watching TV
and stuff. The subways are down and
streets are closed…” She said.
“Yeah.
It feels so weird.” He
said, looking around.
“Let’s
just go to the park, then we’ll head home.
Maybe I can beat the pants off you at Scrabble, tonight.”
She smiled.
“Y’all
don’t play strip Scrabble, do you?” He
asked, one eyebrow raised.
“Hmmm…we
should try that.” She said.
Then she grabbed his hand and pulled him down the street towards the
entrance to Central Park.
Once
inside the gates, they walked down a path that would take them to Strawberry
Fields. They hadn’t gone far when
Taylor’s sensitive ears told him someone was coming towards them.
He pulled Camille off the path, and they waited.
Soon, the figure came close enough for them to make out the features of
the man they’d been looking for. “Kirk!”
Taylor exclaimed, jumping out of the bushes.
“Cripes,
man!” Kirk had his hand on his
chest.
“What
are you doing in here?” Camille asked, stepping out into the light.
“Probably
the same thing you’re doing.” He
said. “Slim pickings in the
neighborhood tonight.”
“Yeah,
I know.” She agreed.
“So,
what have you been doing? I
haven’t seen ya for a while, dude.” Taylor
said.
“Oh,
well, I’ve been busy.” He said,
not looking the boy in the eye.
Taylor
cocked his head. “When are we
gonna hang out some time? These
girls are driving me nuts, man.” Camille
slapped him on his arm.
Kirk
looked down at his watch, “Dang, I gotta go.”
He said, walking backwards away from them.
“Um, gimme a call, ok?” He
said, and he quickly walked away from them, towards the gate.
“Hmmm…that
was weird.” Camille said,
reaching down and pulling up the strap of her sandal.
Taylor
stood with his hands on his hips, watching him get farther and farther away.
“I’ll say.” He
then turned to her, “So, do you all have some kinda history or something?”
He said, eyeing her.
She
looked up at him, “What are you talking about?”
She asked.
“I
don’t know. He kept trying not to
think about you.” He said,
crossing his arms over his chest.
Camille
wrinkled up her face, “What? I
don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t
think about ‘er. Don’t think
about ‘er.” Taylor said.
“And you’re a ‘her’.”
Now
she put her own hand on her hip, “So, Kirk’s trying not to think about
somebody and you automatically think it’s me?”
She said. She
waved her hand in the air, “It’s probably Mel.
She’s the one he’s screwed over now and then.”
She said, and she turned back down the path they’d been on.
~~~~~
Zac
listened to the sounds of Isabella. Her
whimpers had turned to cries and now, Elijah had started in as well.
He and Isaac stepped out into the hallway at the same time.
“Guess Michelle needs a hand, huh?”
Zac said, his voice gravelly from sleep.
“Yeah,
I guess so.” Isaac agreed,
running his hand through his curly hair. Jessica’s
door opened as they walked past. “Don’t
worry about it,” Isaac said,
“We got it. But tomorrow, I’ll
stay in bed and you can help.” He
said to her. She nodded and her
door shut again.
Zac
stepped into the room and to the crib. He
picked up Isabella and began to pat her back and turned to the bed,
“Miche—“he stopped. In the
moonlight that came through the window, he could see the bed hadn’t been slept
in.
He turned to Isaac who was picking up Elijah, “She’s
gone.” He said, turning the lamp
on that sat on the table. Taylor’s
eyes looked back at him from the picture that resided there.
“What?”
Isaac said.
Zac
reached down and picked up the envelope. “She’s
gone, obviously.” He said,
holding it up so his brother could see.
“Goddammit!”
Isaac spat as both babies began to cry harder.
“Let’s go downstairs and we’ll read it.
Maybe she just needed a little break and she’ll be back soon.”
He said, walking into the hallway.
Zac
followed and stuck his head in Jessica’s room, “Jess, come downstairs.
I think we need an extra set of hands.”
He saw her sit up, and he followed Isaac down the steps.
~~~~~
Taylor
and Camille walked into the apartment and both sat on the couch.
Taylor flipped on the television and let his eyes glaze over.
Sonya walked in, “How was your evening Taylor?”
She asked, closing the book she was reading.
“Okay.”
Taylor muttered.
“Hmmm…that
good?” She asked.
The boy shrugged. She looked
at Camille and the girl shook her head. She
walked over and sat in the chair next to them, “What’s wrong?”
She asked.
“Nothin’.”
He answered, flipping through the channels.
When he came up with nothing interesting, he turned it off.
“Hey, you wanna play something? Like,
Grand Theft Auto or something?” He
asked Camille.
It
was rare that Camille turned him down for anything, but she drew the line at
video games. “Taylor, I always
lose. I don’t like that stuff.”
She said gently.
He
sighed, “I know.” He lay down
and put his head on her lap, “It’s too quiet here.”
He said. She ran her fingers
through his hair, pushing it away from his eyes.
“Well,
be loud then.” She smiled.
“I
don’t feel loud.” He said.
“Go
play some music.” She said,
pulling the sides behind his ears. He
closed his eyes, loving the feeling, thinking of the times his mother had done
the same.
He
turned over and faced the TV again, “I’m tired of playing by myself.”
He said. “I was really
hoping Kirk would want to hang out and play and stuff.”
He said.
Sonya’s
ears perked up, “Did you see Kirk tonight?”
She asked, immediately shielding her thoughts—hoping he wouldn’t pick
up on anything from her.
“Yeah.”
He said. “But,
he just kinda blew me off.”
“Oh,
well, I’m sure he’s just busy.” She
tried to reassure him. She could
tell his feelings had been hurt. Kirk
had been the closest thing to a replacement for his brothers he’d had.
He’d play guitar to Taylor’s piano at times and help him write those
songs that he needed help with. “He’s
working on some things for the Lady.” She
said.
“Yeah.”
He said, his eyes getting heavy.
He found himself drifting, yet he couldn’t get the feeling out of his
head that he was missing something. That
he’d brushed by something of import and had missed it.
“Taylor,”
Sonya said, “you’re about to fall asleep.
It’s getting late. You’d
better go to bed, or you won’t make it there.”
She looked at him then, and realized, it was already too late.
“Alright, Camille,” She said, “let’s see if we can’t get him in
there in one piece.” She stood.
“How many watches has he had this year anyway?”
She asked, pulling him up by his wrist…
~~~~~
Jessica
stood in the kitchen, waiting for the microwave to stop.
Isabella was already drinking a bottle, being the loudest of the two.
Zac held the baby, feeding her and pacing, “What’s it say?”
He asked Isaac.
Isaac
had Elijah on his shoulder, patting his back.
On the table, the letter lay open. “She
says she just had to go home and that she knows the babies are better off here
with us and to tell them that she loves them and that she misses them.”
He said.
“That’s
all it says?” Zac asked.
The
microwave beeped and Jessica took the bottle out and shook it.
“Here, let me take him.” She
said, and she took the boy from Isaac and began to feed him.
Isaac
looked at Zac, “Yeah, that’s pretty much what it says.
You want to read it yourself?” He
asked. He walked over to the door
and looked out. “Shit.”
He said. “She
took Taylor’s car.”
“Well,
that’s not surprising. Did you
think she’d just walk back to New Jersey?”
Zac said, irritated.
Isaac
glared at him, “No, I thought maybe she wasn’t a car thief and she called a
cab.”
He spat.
Zac
shook his head and put Isabella on his shoulder to burp her.
“Don’t be stupid. What’s
she gonna pay for it with?”
“You
know what?” Isaac answered, “I
don’t care. People don’t just
pack up and leave their newborn babies.”
He said.
“People
leave their babies all the time, Ike. They’re
just usually male.” Jessica said.
“Whatever.”
He said. “How’s she
gonna buy gas?” He said.
“I guess she took a credit card too.”
Zac
and Jessica looked at each other. “She
probably did.” Zac said.
“But, I doubt she’s gonna go on a shopping spree.”
He said.
“Why
are you defending her?” Isaac
asked.
“Because
she was sad!” Zac answered.
“She was sad when she walked in the door.
She wanted to go home from the beginning, she just didn’t think her
folks wanted her there.
I guess with everything that happened, she just thought she
should go and try to make it better.” He
said.
“Maybe
she had like, post-partum depression or something.”
Jessica said, wiping the baby’s mouth.
Isaac
sighed, “Yeah, maybe so.” He
said.
He leaned up against the counter, “What the heck are we
gonna do now?” He asked.
Zac
shrugged, “Nothing we haven’t done before.”
He said. “This time,
there’s just two of them instead of one.”
