Beatriz’ dark eyes glinted in the light overhead, “Scared. Angry. Pretty much what I’d expect.”
“When can I see him? It’s my right after all.” Sonya said.
“I told them we’d want to come tomorrow evening. But, I’m not sure they’re going to allow it.” Beatriz
answered.
“Technically, they have to allow it. It’s the law.” Sonya crossed her arms over her chest.
“Well, they seem to be working outside the law where Taylor’s concerned.” Beatriz furrowed her brow,
“It’s driving me mad. I just don’t know what they’re up to.”
“Maybe they know what we’re up to.” Sonya said. She looked away. “I’m not sure this thing can
work. Especially now.” She mused.
“It has to. If it doesn’t, I can assure you, it won’t matter, because we’ll be executed, each and
every one of us.” Beatriz smiled. “Well, I guess we could hope for execution. It’s more likely they’d make a show of how a mutiny is dealt with in
their realm. Torture, and such.” Her face hardened again, “I can tell you this, if I go down, I’m taking as many of them with me as I can. For years I’ve
had to endure being ordered around by them; doing their dirty work, taking care of their money because they’re too stupid to do it themselves…” She thought
again of Taylor, there alone with them, “They’re going to pay dearly for this.”
“I just don’t want anything bad to happen.” Sonya said.
“I don’t either, but they’re the ones that made the first move. They make all these rules for us to
follow, but they can just do whatever they want and we’re supposed to think it’s their right.” Beatriz was seething. Her upset had turned to anger. “You
know, it was very hard not to just blast them with everything I had tonight. I wish I knew more about them.”
“Yeah well, they don’t want you to know anything about them. Which could be a good thing. Maybe
they’re hiding the fact that they don’t have any powers.” Sonya said.
Beatriz smiled, “Oh, if only that were the way of it… I’ve heard
things. But they aren’t so stupid
as to publicly allow their powers to be seen. Then we’d all know what we were up against.” She sighed, “Well, when are they coming? I thought Melanie and
Camille were here already.”
Sonya spun her chair around, “They are. They were just waiting for a last one to show up.”
“Do we have a good turnout?” Beatriz asked.
Sonya brightened, “I’d say so. The best seem to all be on our side.”
They looked up as the door opened. Melanie stepped in, followed by a group of women and girls. Camille
was the last and she shut the door behind her and locked it. Beatriz stood, “Please, have a seat wherever you’d like. If there are not enough chairs, some can
be brought in.” She said. She watched as they all sat in various places and then turned their eyes to her. “I don’t see any males here this evening.” She stated.
“Kirk said he’d come if you wanted him too, but that he didn’t think it was too good of an idea for
him to know much beforehand.” Camille said. “He thought somebody might try to get information out of him and he’d rather not have any until it was necessary.”
“Kirk is brighter than he lets on.” Beatriz said. “Well, very good then.”
She looked at the women in
front of her. There wasn’t one there that she didn’t trust. “This isn’t about male versus female though, and I want you to all understand that.” She sighed,
“It’s more right versus wrong, I believe.” She paused, letting her words sink in. “We don’t want to rule anyone. We don’t want to live a life with no
rules. We just want things to be fair.” She began to walk slowly around the room as she spoke.
“Taylor is a male. And, it seems that he is set up to be
the new leader. It wasn’t my intention when I took him in to my clan. In fact, frankly,” She stopped, “I believe he is too young and that he doesn’t have
the temperament to lead. But, it seems that the decision has been made for all of us. I don’t know if he is some sort of… chosen one, or if he is
to be some sort of savior, or if there is any mention of any sort of thing in any of the writings. I don’t know if it was prophesied that he would come…
but he has. And the majority of us seem to want to follow him.” She smiled and looked at Sonya, “Of course, those of us that know him know that he has a
certain… charisma that can’t be denied. Is charisma enough to lead? Well, it’s been done before. My point is that no one person is fit to lead all of us.
It will have to be a group of fair minded, organized individuals who can work together. Roberto is more than willing to help…” She raised an eyebrow. “That’s
no surprise to any of us here, I’m sure. But, his intentions, for the moment, seem to be for the greater good.” She lowered her voice, “Once things have
calmed down a bit, his intentions could change, but until that time arises, I believe he can be trusted.” She cocked her head, “Before I go on any farther,
I do want to reiterate to you, the importance of secrecy. I’m not going to ask you if you made sure you weren’t followed here because I’m certain you know it
could mean your death and the death of everyone in this room, including myself, if certain ears were to hear what is being said here. Trust no one. And know that
if your execution is ordered to me, it will take place. And I will expect the same. The elders know that we can communicate silently. It’s certain that
they can detect when you are doing it, and it’s likely that at times, they can hear you. Always — always cover your thoughts. They are men after all; avert
their attention and they will more than likely take the bait.” She stopped, “Any questions so far?” A lovely redhead raised her hand, “Julie?”
“Are we planning on killing them?” She asked.
Beatriz closed her eyes for a moment. “Do they need to be killed?” She asked.
The girl looked at her for a moment, “I don’t know. But, what good would it do to not
kill them?”
Beatriz shrugged. “Perhaps if we don’t kill them, the same mercy would be shown to us if ever we are on
the receiving end of such a plan.” She answered. She looked at them all again, “Actually, I don’t know what the plan is. If they end up dead, it wouldn’t bother
me a bit.” She sighed. “I’d actually hoped that we’d have more time to make this thing happen. And I know that I told you to trust Robert, and in the same
breath told you to trust no one.” She shook her head. “Some things have happened that have sort of… sped up the process.” She looked over at Sonya, then
Melanie and Camille. “The Elders have taken Taylor to live with them.” There were gasps and other reactions and she continued speaking.
“It’s not the way we
do things, as you know, which is what concerns me. I don’t know if they have some inkling what is happening here, or if they are just curious about his powers,
or what they may have in mind. So far, they’ve not told me what their intentions are. But this should definitely be seen as a move of some sort, on their part.”
“What if they kill him?” Camille asked, barely masking her overwhelming concern.
“That is not an option.” Beatriz said. “Without him, we don’t have the support of the others.”
“But they could—“ Camille retorted.
“They would have done it already if that was their plan.” Beatriz said. She took in a deep breath, “Here’s
the thing; Taylor is powerful, we all know it. They’ll find out, and they’ll want that power. I don’t know what that means though. Will they want to drink from
him themselves? Will they want him to do their dirty work?” She paused, “Taylor is not going to cooperate in the ways they want him to. He never does. He’s just
not capable of thinking that way, at least not yet. We have to do something quickly. What do you suggest?” She said, looking around the room.
~~~~~
Taylor shut the book, and carefully placed it back on the shelf. He turned and looked at Victor who
was watching him. “So, whadya wanna do? I’m bored. Can I go back and check out my room or something?”
“You have a short attention span, my young friend.” The man answered.
Taylor snorted, “Whatever. I just don’t think I want to spend the whole night in here.”
“And what would you like to do? You’ve already fed from two victims, and had sex with your paramour.”
Victor noted.
“So, I should sit in here and meditate then?” Taylor questioned.
The man shrugged, “If that is what you’d like.”
Taylor nearly rolled his eyes, “Are you testing me? All I said was that I was bored.” He said.
“Indeed, you did.” He said, smiling. “I’m very sorry, but we don’t have a bowling alley or a soda
fountain here. You shall have to amuse yourself some other way this evening.”
“Oh, I think you’re stuck in the fifties there, dude.” Taylor said, eyeing him. “What would I do with
a soda fountain anyway?” He looked at him, remembering what Beatriz had said, and wondering if he could get himself to do what she’d told him.
Victor crossed his arms over his chest and locked his own blue eyes with Taylor’s, “Well, I don’t know.
Perhaps you’d drink the blood of the man who made your strawberry milkshake.”
“Mmmm… strawberry.” Taylor
oozed." God, I’d kill for a shake…” He closed his eyes, trying to
remember the taste and at the same time, trying to search the mind of the man in front of him.
“I wouldn’t recommend it.” Victor said.
“Yeah, yeah. I know. It’ll turn my insides to mush or something.” He sighed, “So, can I go back now,
or what? I’m not really in the mood to study tonight.” He’d come up empty on the mind reading attempt and he really didn’t want to hang out in the
library any longer. But it had nothing to do with the books around him and everything to do with the hair standing up on the back of his neck.
Victor gestured to the door they’d come in and Taylor stepped out into the hallway. He had no idea
if the man could read his thoughts or if he could break him in half with little or no effort, or if he were no stronger than one of his brothers. That was
unlikely, but he hadn’t really seen or heard of anyone who’d seen them actually show their powers. Daniel had tipped over a glass at The Living End without
touching it, but that was so unspectacular that Taylor was certain he had to have been holding back. He knew that Roberto was certainly able to kick
his butt at times, and he wasn’t an elder. Common sense told him that the elders
had to be more powerful than him. But how much more? His thoughts
continued as he listened to the man walk behind him. “So…” Taylor said, as they walked down the corridor, “how about giving me a tour of the place? I mean,
what happens if I need to use the bathroom, or something?”
“Don’t tell me you urinate?” The man exclaimed.
“Um, no. Not anymore. It’s just a figure of speech… or, an old habit or something, I guess.” Taylor
muttered.
“Good.I was really beginning to think you were something altogether strange for a moment there.”
Victor answered in his slight accent. “Actually, we shall just go back and join the others. I wouldn’t take it upon myself to let you see things that perhaps
they’d rather you didn't." He said.
“Oh, so you have skeletons in your closets, huh?” Taylor said, as they stepped into the large room
where the others were still gathered.
Daniel chuckled, “You might say that…So, did you enjoy the library?" He asked.
Taylor looked at them, “Yeah.Very nice." He replied.
“The young master says he is bored.” Victor stated.
Nicholai turned to face them, “And what do you usually do for enjoyment at…” He looked at his watch,
“3:20 in the morning?”
“Um…” Taylor stammered, thinking. "Well, sometimes, I go out with the girls; to clubs or to the park.”
He said. " Sometimes we just mess around at home.”
“Home, as in the Penthouse?” Joshua asked.
“Well, yeah.” Taylor answered. "We play games and stuff…” Suddenly he felt foolish.
“What sort of games?" Daniel asked.
Taylor knew his cheeks were red and he wished he’d left that part of himself behind. “Like, cards,
or I don’t know…stuff like that.”
“Beatriz plays cards with you?” The man asked.
Taylor snorted, “No. She’s too busy for that kinda stuff. She’s always on the phone or figuring
out who needs to lose a finger for touching someone else’s supper or whatever.” He said, turning to gaze at the monitors on the wall. “So, you guys see
inside everybody’s rooms here?”
“When we need to.” Joshua answered.
“How come you need to? Do people come in here that want to kill you and stuff?” Taylor asked,
knowing there had to be a camera in his own room. If there was, he noted, it was one of the monitors that was black at that moment.
“Not generally. But, you never know, do you?” Nicholai answered.
“Nope.” Taylor turned back to face them again, “I guess you don’t.” In his mind, the familiar phrase
quickly turned into a song he’d sung countless times and he was glad it was there. It made him feel closer to his brothers somehow. He sighed, “Can I just
go back to my room? I’m kinda tired now.”
“Do you tire easily when you use your powers?” Balthazar asked.
Taylor shrugged, “Sometimes. I guess it depends on what I do. Maybe ‘cause I used a bunch of them
tonight.”
Nicholai looked to the others, “Yes, you did.” He said. “Before you go, I’d like to ask a question or
two about that.”
Taylor eyed the man, “whoa whoa whoa, you don’t know…”“Okay.”
“When you speak to Beatriz silently, how close to her do you have to be for her to hear you?” He asked.
“You walk around like baby there’s something you’re missing…” “I don’t really know. Beatriz can
hear everybody.” Taylor answered. Please, please, just let me out of here… he thought.
“Send something to me.” The man said, stepping a little closer.
Taylor instinctually stepped back, but Victor was standing behind him. “Like what?” He asked. He’d
hoped to be able to play dumb with them, but it didn’t appear to be working. At least not on all of them.
“I don’t know.” Nicholai answered. “Sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to me.”
“Oh. Is it your birthday?” Taylor asked.
“Hmmm… I can’t recall.” The man answered, “But, it could be.”
“Asshole.” Taylor thought, almost hoping he’d hear. “Happy Birthday to you—“ he started.
“You know what I mean.” Nicholai interrupted him.
Taylor just looked at him for a moment, wishing his head would fall off his body. He sighed, “Happy
Birthday to you, you live in a zoo, you look like a monkey, and you smell like one too…” “Did you get that?” He asked.
Nicholai didn’t say anything for a moment. “I did.” He said, finally.
“Can I go now?” Taylor asked.
“Yes, you may." He answered. As Taylor turned, the man spoke to Joshua, “Perhaps tomorrow evening, we
could show him the basement. I’m sure he’d enjoy it.”
“Fuck!” Taylor almost tripped over his own feet, but he continued walking, feeling it was worth
it to just get away from them before he fell to his knees in a mass of nerves and fear. He assumed begging not to be taken to the basement wouldn’t
get him anywhere. It was obvious that they were going to try to put the fear of God, or whatever scared them in him, anyway. It may as well be tomorrow.
Still, he thought as he stepped into his room, and shut the door behind him, he’d definitely try to be more respectful. He hadn’t really wanted to be a
smartass to them, but there were a couple of them that just pulled it out of him. He locked the door, not because he thought it would keep them out, but
just because it made him feel better; like how a child will cover their head with a blanket to keep monsters from eating them. He looked around the room. He
had everything he could possibly want, except a telephone. He wanted very badly to call Beatriz or Sonya at that moment…
~~~~~
“I’m surprised you’re letting me take him to the basement so quickly.” Joshua said a gleam in his eye.
Nicholai sighed, “There’s no use putting off the inevitable.” He said, sitting down in a chair in front
of the monitors.
“What makes you think it’s inevitable?” Daniel asked. “I thought he performed fairly well this evening.”
He spun the chair around to face them, “He did. But he is holding back. I’m certain of it. And that
is not going to get us anywhere. The control he showed by not breaking the vase was a dead giveaway. He’s clever, but not clever enough.” He looked
at Joshua, “We shall break him. Literally, if need be, but I hope it doesn’t come to that.” He said.
Joshua furrowed his brow, “What do you want me to do?”
“I believe you have a foolish boy down there right now? I assume he’s still alive.” Nicholai said.
“Yes. He is still alive.” Joshua said.
“Good.” Nicholai answered, “Then let him see what happens to bad boys.” He then reached over and
turned the sound up so that they could hear. Taylor had stepped over to the piano and began to play. You Never Know began softly and soon he’d
worked it up to the tempo the song had been recorded at.
“He’s actually quite talented.” Daniel said, leaning back in his chair. “I suppose I can understand
the girls wanting to let him keep doing that.”
“Well,” Balthazar answered, “we’ve all got talents, but that doesn’t mean we can be out there in
the world displaying them when all it would take is the wrong person to see it and know what we are.”
“Oh, I understand that, of course.” Daniel stated. “He had a close call. It’s a good thing for
him his sires are powerful enough to have taken care of things.” He chuckled, “Do you suppose having three or four sires is what has made him into the
strange creature that he is?”
“I believe he was a strange creature to begin with.” Nicholai stated, watching the boy run his
hands over the piano keys.
~~~~~
The comfort Taylor experienced while making music only lasted for a while. The more he thought
about where he was, and what the days ahead would be like, the more dismayed he became. The songs he played became slower and sadder. Finally, he took
his hands away, looking at the keys and thinking about his family. He’d been frightened when he’d first been changed, but soon, he’d come to realize that
he would still see them. They’d be different from each other, but as always, they’d be there for each
other. With Sonya and then Beatriz, he could make
them understand how important it was for him to be near them, to interact and to be loved by them. Even when he’d decided to cut the ties with them, he
still knew he could see them if he wanted. He went to Tulsa and watched them, smelled them, listened to them. Now, it was very possible that he would
never again see them, ever. These people had no compassion whatsoever. Nicholai was able to seem concerned at first, but it was obviously only to get him
to cooperate, to give him a false sense that someone there cared about him.
He stood and walked over to the desk and sat in the soft leather chair they’d provided. He turned and
glanced over his shoulder, knowing a camera was hidden someplace in the wall, watching his every move. With a sigh, he moved the mouse on the computer
and watched it come to life. He opened up the site of his fanclub, to see what the girls were talking about now, wanting to see what they knew of his brothers.
It was uncanny sometimes how the fans knew things even before they did.
Page after page, he went from the official site to the unofficial. There were still pages dedicated
to the memory of him. There were pages of posts about his brothers and even his sisters, but none about the twins. Relief washed over him. He couldn’t
believe how careful his family must have been about the whole thing. With a sigh, he shut down the computer and he watched as the monitor went dark. It was
4:30 and his eyes were getting heavy. He went to the bed and lay down on it, not bothering to get under the covers or change his clothes; he merely lay
himself down, crossing his hands over his stomach, feeling more than ever like a dead man.
~~~~~
Melanie and Camille stepped out of The Living End. It had been a long night, and the sun was
threatening to make itself known. The meeting at the Penthouse had ended with a great many ideas and suggestions for Beatriz to consider and the girls
had left the building as carefully as they’d gotten in. “I think we have just enough time to catch some early morning morsel in the park.” Melanie said,
threading her arm though Camille’s.
“Yeah, I guess we do." The
girl answered.
Melanie looked at the girl’s sad blue eyes, “Don’t worry about him.” She whispered. “He’s tougher
than he looks. Just don’t tell the jerk I said so.”
“It’s not fair.” Camille said softly. “He doesn’t want anything to do with any of it, but he’s
constantly right there in the middle of it.”
Melanie pulled her along the deserted sidewalk, “I know, I know — the reluctant hero. He was born for
it.”
Camille snorted, “Or the dead hero.”
“Bite your tongue, ye of little faith!” Melanie hissed.
Just then, they saw the weird sisters sitting on the little stone fence at the entrance to the park,
still as could be, almost looking like gargoyles among the leaves.
As they approached, they listened, making sure they were the only vampires around. “We heard they
took the little prince.”
Camille sighed, “Yeah.” She said.
“Why?”
“No idea.” Melanie answered. "Unless they know what’s going down. Which would be a bad thing.”
“Very bad.” They replied.
“Why weren’t you up there?”
Melanie asked.
“Robert told us we should watch.”
“Did you see anything interesting?” Camille asked, breaking the silence. Three heads shook in the negative.
“What about now?” Melanie asked, still listening, and looking with her cat’s eyes as well. The trees
looked sinister to her now that she’d considered that the elder’s watchers could be there.
The tallest spoke, “Not that we can see.”
“But be careful. They know something, or they wouldn’t have taken your brother.”
Melanie snorted, “Yeah, that’s probably the way of it.” She said, as the wind swept her hair off her
face. She looked up at the sky; it was getting purple around the edges. “Camille,” She said, “I’m not really hungry anymore. What about you?”
Camille shook her head, “Naw, not really.” She said, softly.
Melanie looked at the three girls, “Now, don’t go killing any babies or anything, alright?” She
joked.
One girl’s eyes widened and she looked around “Oooh, do you see any?”
With a raised eyebrow, Melanie shook her head, “It’s too early. The best times to get babies are
around six-ish. Don’t you know anything?” She laughed and she and Camille headed across the street to the building they called home.
