Branded

by Neva Bell

  “No offense Beth, but I don’t think the salmon will be enough.”

  Beth laughs. “Next time I’ll give you double servings.”

  Jessica takes the seat beside me and everyone digs in. My tablemates attempt the usual lunchtime conversation. The weather, TV shows and world news. But the conversation is stilted at best.

  While the others try to maintain normalcy, I sit quietly and force myself to eat pizza. It’s delicious and I should be starving, but I can’t seem to get more than three quarters of a slice down.

  “Do you want something else to eat?” Jessica offers.

  I look up and see four pairs of eyes staring at me. I set the remainder of the slice down. “No. I’m fine.”

  Frank starts to say, “Chloe, you need…” but Willa puts her hand up to stop him.

  “If she doesn’t want to eat, she doesn’t want to eat.”

  Frank huffs but says nothing.

  I’m admiring Willa’s ability to shut down my security guard when she turns to me. “If you’re going upstate tomorrow Chloe, you need to leave by 10 a.m.”

  No one asks why I’ll be going upstate. They all know it’s for Chelsea’s funeral.

  “Okay.”

  Frank wipes his mouth with his napkin. “Are we going?”

  I nod.

  He pushes his chair back and stands. “I need to speak with the guys right away.”

  “The guys?”

  “Yes, the Guard. A trip will take a lot of planning. We haven’t set a plan in motion yet. We were waiting to see if you want to go.”

  “I’m going,” I confirm.

  I watch Frank walk off and get into the elevator. He’s left me with three strangers.

  “Jessica,” Willa says, “why don’t you give Chloe a tour of the building when we’re finished eating?”

  Jessica smiles. “I can handle that.”

  A tour? I don’t want to go on a tour. I want to go back to my room. Actually, I want to go home.

  “I’m tired, but thanks for the offer. Maybe another time.”

  Willa will hear none of it. “Walking around will do you some good. Let Jessica show you the place, then you can retreat to your suite.”

  I reluctantly agree. How can I argue with the Verhena?

  ---

  “Don’t worry,” Jessica says as we embark on the tour, “it’s overwhelming at first, but you’ll figure out where everything is pretty quickly.”

  I trudge along behind Jessica. I have no idea what to expect from this tour, but I hope it’s brief. Willa and Jessica mean well, but I’m not up for this.

  Our first stop is the training facility. It is a huge gym with thick black mats covering hardwood floors. I’m thankful to see blue pads on the walls because slamming me into the gym walls at Leviston was one of Frank’s favorite finishing moves.

  I nod my head with approval as Jessica points out the state of the art workout equipment and free weights. “Nice. Very nice.”

  In truth, it’s unlikely I’ll use the treadmill or an elliptical, but I have to at least pretend to be interested. My attention wanes. I’m too worried about my parents to focus.

  Jessica catches my attention though when she says, “In case you’re wondering, we have a room that’s fireproof.”

  Images of the dead werewolves in my apartment flash through my mind. “Great,” I squeak out.

  Next stop is the 8th floor – also known as Guard Headquarters.

  The elevator doors open to a large office space. On the left side is a wall of television monitors. Five men sit in chairs watching them intently. With a quick glance, I can see the traffic moving on the city streets outside the building, as well as every entrance and exit to the building. Beth is walking around in the kitchen on one of the monitors and Willa is sitting on a black leather couch reading a book in another.

  To the right is a row of desks. Men bustle around reviewing documents, sharing information and talking on telephones. One of them looks up and immediately stops what he’s doing.

  He pushes out his chair and stands in front of his desk. “Ms. Chloe, how can we help you?”

  All of the men, including the men watching the monitors, turn to look at me. When they realize who I am, they all stand at attention.

  I want to crawl back into the elevator. “Um…Jessica was just taking me on a tour. Don’t let me interrupt your work.” I turn to Jessica and hiss, “Let’s get out of here!”

  As the elevator doors close, I wave good-bye sheepishly to all of the men staring at me.

  I put my head in my hands. “Wow. That was embarrassing.”

  “No it wasn’t,” Jessica assures me.

  “Yes it was. They were expecting some kind of epic speech.”

  She shrugs her shoulders. “Oh well.”

  When we stop on the 12th floor, I notice the faint smell of chlorine. “Don’t tell me…” I say out loud before the doors open.

  And there it is. A pool. The lighting above is dimmed, making the water the center of attention. Beautiful, Spanish style tiling surrounds the pool and flows over the edge into the pool itself. Underwater lights shine through the crystal clear water. Steam rises from the Jacuzzi in the corner. Several chaise lounges and tables are set up throughout the room. Like my suite, one of the walls is nothing but floor to ceiling glass and showcases the city skyline.

  “Do you like to swim?” Jessica asks.

  “Yes. A lot actually.”

  “Want to go for a swim now?”

  A few laps in the pool sounds wonderful, but there are things I have to take care of first. “Maybe later. I don’t mean to be rude, but I’d really like to go back to my suite now.”

  “Okay. No problem.” Jessica tries to sound nonchalant, but she looks disappointed.

  “It’s nothing personal Jessica, I have to call my parents. I’m worried sick about them.”

  Her eyes soften. “Absolutely. There’s no need to explain. As soon as we get to your suite, we’ll call Frank and ask him to bring you a cellphone.”

  As the elevator ascends, I feel the need to fill the silence. “How long have you worked here?”

  “I haven’t worked here long at all, but I’ve lived here most of my life.”

  “Really?”

  The elevator doors open to my floor and Jessica leads the way to my room. “Uh huh. My mom came to work here when I was five. She was a single mom without any living arrangements, so Willa moved us into a two bedroom suite on the 14th floor.”

  “What about school?”

  Jessica opens the door to my suite. “I went to public school. It’s right around the corner.”

  Interesting. I wonder if it was cool or boring growing up here. I’m about to ask her if she went to Leviston, but she picks up my room phone and punches in three numbers.

  “This is Jessica. I need to speak with Frank.” There is a brief pause before she continues. “Frank, it’s me. Chloe needs a cellphone.” Another pause. “To call her parents.”

  She hangs up a few seconds later. “He’s on his way.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I’ll grab you a copy of the floor guide and the phone extension list.”

  When Jessica leaves, I stand in front of the windows and watch the city below me. I’d love to be down in the chaos shopping, meeting friends for dinner or catching a show. I’ll probably never get to do everyday things like that ever again.

  There’s a quick rap on my open door. I turn to see Frank.

  “Got a few things for you.” He lays out a couple pieces of paper and a cellphone. “I ran into Jessica in the elevator and she gave me the floor guide and phone extension list for you.”

  I walk over and pick up the floor guide. It’s a drawing of the building with each floor labeled.

  B3 – Shelter

  B2 – Quarantine

  “Quarantine? What the heck is that for?”

  “Holding cells,” Frank says casually.

  Of course. Because every proper home needs a jail. I
continue reading the list.

  B1 – Garage

  1 – Lobby and reception

  2 – Supplies and Surplus

  3 – Laundry Facilities/Cold Storage

  4 – Conference rooms

  5 – Guard Housing

  6 – Guard Housing

  7 – Guard Housing

  8 – Guard Headquarters

  9 – Guard Office Space

  10 – Kitchen/Dining/Sitting Room

  11 – Lounge/Living Room/Entertainment Center

  12 – Pool

  13 – Guest Housing

  14 – Staff Housing

  15 – Staff Housing

  16 – Library/Den

  17 – Willa’s Quarters

  18 – Chloe’s Quarters

  19 – Storage

  20 – Storage/Rooftop access

  I’m surprised to see my name is already on the list.

  “I get this whole floor to myself?”

  “Yes.”

  “What in the world am I going to do with it?”

  Frank shrugs his shoulders. “Whatever you want. Willa has an art studio, her office and a guest room on her floor.”

  “Where is your room?”

  “I’m in a room on the fifth floor.”

  I put the guide down. “I want you on my floor.”

  Frank hesitates. “I don’t think that will work.”

  “Why?”

  “Because,” Frank pauses, “I am a member of the Guard and I need to stay with them.”

  “But you’re my friend too,” I plead.

  “I know.” Frank sighs. “It wouldn’t be right Chloe. My job is to protect you. Not to be your friend, as much as I might want to be.”

  Ouch.

  Before I can protest any further, Frank hands me a cellphone. “Here’s a new burner phone. There’s sixty minutes on it. Will that be enough?”

  I nod.

  “Alright then, I’ll give you some privacy.”

  “Thanks,” I murmur.

  I sit down on my bed. Chelsea is gone. It’s not safe for me to be around my parents. It’s too soon to ask Elliott to come here. And now Frank is bailing on me.

  My hand shakes as I dial my home telephone number. Dad answers on the third ring.

  He sounds exhausted. “Hello?”

  “Dad, it’s me.”

  “Chloe! Oh thank God! Are you okay?” I can hear the relief in his voice.

  “I’m okay Dad.”

  “Are you safe?”

  “Yes. About as safe as I can get.”

  He sighs. “Good. Good.”

  ”How are you?” I’m trying not to get hysterical on the phone with him, but tears roll down my cheeks.

  “Awful.” My dad chokes up. “You’re not supposed to lose a child.”

  I squeeze my eyes shut. I don’t know what to say, so I say nothing. I just sit there and listen to my dad cry. The only other time I’ve seen my dad cry was at my grandmother’s funeral.

  “Chloe, sweetheart, please promise me you’ll be careful,” he says when he’s calmed down.

  “Dad, you don’t need to worry about me.”

  “Yes I do. You’re my daughter. I can’t…. I can’t lose you too.”

  This is unfair. My parents have not only lost a daughter, they have to worry about something happening to me. All while fearing for their own lives.

  I should be the one they are burying, not Chelsea. If the wolves had killed me, my family would be safe. They would miss me, but they would move on. No more worries about wolves.

  “How is Mom?” I ask.

  “She’s laying down. We had to give her valium.”

  My poor mom. I wish I could be there for her. “Do you have everything ready for tomorrow?”

  It’s a silly question to ask, but I want to be sure my sister gets the funeral she deserves.

  “I think so. We went to the funeral home and made arrangements. They’ll handle it from here.”

  “What about Rory?”

  So help me if Rory and Chelsea are having joint funerals…

  “His funeral is a few hours after Chelsea’s. I don’t think we’ll go.”

  I’m about to tell Dad they shouldn’t go to Rory’s funeral when I hear my mom’s voice in the background.

  “Is that Chloe?” she asks.

  “Yes, it’s Chloe,” Dad confirms.

  I hear her say, “Give me that!” And suddenly she’s on the phone. “Chloe?”

  “I’m here.”

  “Listen to me. Don’t even think about coming tomorrow. Do you hear me?” Her voice is hard.

  “Mom…”

  “I’m serious. Do not come tomorrow!”

  “You don’t want me to come?” I ask, my voice cracking. Does she blame me for Chelsea’s death?

  “No! Don’t you dare put yourself at risk! I cannot, I will not, lose you. Do you hear me?”

  I relax when I realize my mom is only worried about my safety. “Yes Mom. I hear you.”

  “Promise me!” she yells into the phone.

  I hesitate. I don’t want to lie to her.

  “Chloe! Promise me!” She is frantic.

  “Okay Mom. I promise. You will not see my face at the funeral tomorrow.”

  There, that’s not really a lie. Is it?

  She sighs, relieved. “Good. I love you.”

  “I love you too Mom.”

  My dad gets back on the line. “I love you Chloe.”

  “I love you Dad.”

  I hang up the phone and find myself staring at the ceiling again. I want to call Elliott, I want to hear his voice, but I don’t want to put him in any danger.

  Instead of calling Elliott, I find Jessica’s number on the extension list and punch it into the keypad. While I don’t feel like being social, I don’t want to sit alone in my room either.

  She answers after the second ring. “Hello?”

  “Hey Jessica. It’s me. Chloe.”

  She giggles. “I know it’s you Chloe.”

  “Oh, okay.”

  “What can I do for you?”

  “Do you want to go for a swim?” I ask.

  “Sure.”

  “Cool. I’ll meet you down there.”

  “Wait…” Jessica says before I hang up.

  “Yeah?”

  “I don’t remember unpacking a bathing suit last night.”

  She’s right. I didn’t have a bathing suit with me at Leviston. “I don’t need one,” I say finally.

  Jessica chuckles. “Your call. I’ll see you in a few.”

  I grab a towel and my bathrobe before heading to the elevator. On my way down the hall, I stop and check out the other rooms on my floor. They are identical in size and shape. Giant, empty squares with bare white walls and tan carpeting. Each room has two standard windows, a ceiling fan and a closet. I ponder what I can do with these rooms as I wait for the elevator to take me to the 12th floor.

  If things were different, one of those rooms would have been Chelsea’s. Actually, I would have broken through the wall between two of the rooms and given her a suite like mine. We would have turned the other rooms into a living area with a TV, shelves of books, anything we wanted.

  But that is never going to happen now.

  Jessica beat me to the 12th floor. I find her poolside wearing a cute red bikini.

  “Hey!” she says as I walk down the tiled steps to the pool area.

  “Wow. This is so nice.” I want to say it’s so badass, but I don’t want to offend Jessica.

  “I know, right? Willa had it redone ten years ago and it’s holding up really well.”

  I throw my towel and robe on a lounge chair. “Thanks for coming.”

  “Absolutely. Thanks for inviting me.”

  “I hope I wasn’t interrupting something.”

  “Nope. I was just watching TV.”

  I’m not sure what Jessica’s schedule is, or what she does, so I ask her.

  “I’m glad you asked. My schedule is whatever you
want it to be.”

  I raise an eyebrow. “Doesn’t Willa decide that?”

  “I’m your personal assistant Chloe. I’ll work whatever schedule you want me to.”

  I’m sorry, what?

  “My personal assistant?”

  Jessica smiles. “Yes. Your personal assistant.”

  I must look skeptical because Jessica adds, “Trust me. As the Verhena, you’re going to need a personal assistant.”

  I shrug. “If you say so.”

  I stand up and start to take off my shirt, then stop. I’m not a bashful person, but Jessica might be. “Will it bother you if I skinny dip?”

  Jessica shakes her head. “Not at all. But I should warn you - there are cameras in here.”

  I scan the room. The cameras are hard to spot in the dim lighting, but I finally see one in the corner of the ceiling.

  I walk over to it and stare into the lens. “Frank! Hey Frank!” I shout and wave my arms. “You have thirty seconds to turn that camera off, then I’m getting naked. You got me?”

  I stand under the camera and wait until I see the red light turn off.

  “All of the cameras better be off!” I yell as I walk away.

  Jessica is laughing. “How much do you want to bet one of those cameras is still on?”

  “They’re going to get an eyeful then.” I joke about it, but those freaking cameras better be off.

  I take my shirt off with my back to Jessica. I hear a gasp as soon as my shirt is over my head.

  Startled, I turn around, ready to spring into action. “What?! What is it?”

  Jessica puts her hand up to calm me down. “I’m so sorry. It’s just your tattoo. It surprised me.”

  I glance over my right shoulder. “Crazy, huh?”

  Jessica gets a closer look. “I mean, I’ve seen Willa’s, but yours is a little different.”

  “Really? In what way?”

  Jessica’s quiet for a minute. “Okay, this is going to sound mean. I think the difference is your tattoo isn’t as droopy as hers.”

  I laugh out loud.

  I turn around and Jessica’s hand is on her mouth. “Oh God! Please don’t tell Willa I said that!”

  I’m still laughing. It feels good.

  “Don’t worry. I won’t,” I assure her.

  I strip down and jump into the pool as quickly as I can, just in case the cameras are still on. The warm water doesn’t shock my system as I plunge below the surface. I swim underwater until I reach the opposite wall. I come up for a breath of air, then slip under the water again and swim back toward Jessica.