by Jamie Ott
The very next evening, Ikael urged Starr to join them in a final dinner. Though she would have rather stayed in her room, she brushed her long sleek black hair, and grabbed her sickles and cloak.
Maybe it was silly to bring her weapons to a party, but, lately, she'd been feeling paranoid about some of the clansmen.
She skipped the contact lenses. Wearing them at night, at that time of year, was terrible. When it was especially cold, they stuck to her eyes. Often, she'd have to peel the lenses from her eyes, like peeling a layer of nail polish off her finger. When someone died, the person stopped producing natural lubricant; not even saline drops helped.
When she walked in the door, everyone stared. They weren't used to seeing her without the sterling gray or blue lenses she usually wore.
"Careful, people might begin to think we're related," said Ciaran with a light laugh.
People stood about the room, looking cleaner and happier than they usually did. They all held glasses of beer or wine, and appeared to be genuinely trying to enjoy themselves.
Starr was terrible at schmoozing, so she continued past the men into the back yard where she hoped to find a distraction.
Some men and women she'd never seen before were dressing a table with dishes.
Seth stood across the yard, talking to a younger vampire.
He waved to her, excused himself and walked up to her.
"Listen, I just want to apologize for the other day in the coffee shop. I don't want you to think poorly of me."
"It's alright. I tend to overreact."
"Yeah, well, this soul business is quite fascinating to all of us, vampires. Since I've died, I've felt a certain emptiness inside me. My mind tells me that I should think and feel things, but I don't. Every day, it's a struggle to do the right things; things that the living would do."
He took a sip of his martini.
She sighed, feeling slightly sorrow stricken by his words, for she knew too well what he spoke of.
Spotting a pigeon in the nearby tree, she held her hand out and called it. It flew down into her palm where she, immediately, broke its neck and stuck her fangs in its gut.
"Sorry, but I haven't fed in a while."
She tossed the pigeon across the yard into the large trash can by the fence.
"Can I get you a cocktail?" he asked.
"I'm not much of a drinker."
"Don't be silly," he said, waiving to a lady server in a white blouse.
"I'd never encourage my daughters to drink, but..."
"But I'm not your daughter."
The server came over and handed her a glass of white wine.
After a few more pigeons, Seth walked with her back inside the house.
Druce called them to silence.
"Our final hour approaches, and then we'll tread in the darkness. Some of us may not make it back to the light of life. And some of us have been here before, haven't we?"
A few men murmured and shouted in agreement. Some of them laughed, clapped and hooted. They weren't ashamed of the fact that they liked fighting to death.
Ciaran continued with, "As we, older ones, have learned, sometimes life brings adversity, and while there's nothing wrong with being different, sometimes adversity leads to evil. We must be brave and stand up to these things. You all should be proud that you stand for something. Remember to never fear death. If anything, we know that we'll live again. So let's celebrate life, liberty, and our choice."
He raised his glass and said, "Slainte!"
"Slainte!" the men shouted back.
Everyone downed their drinks.
"Now, let's enjoy this fine meal that our good friend, and head clansman, Keagan, has had prepared for us."
Starr felt her head get warm. She looked to where everyone's head turned, and there, standing in the yard was Keagan with his long white streaked hair and lined face.
He died older than most other vamps.
Keagan raised his glass to her, but Starr stood stiff.
"Come sit with me," Seth said, grabbing her gently by the elbow and leading her.
Starr's eyes never left Keagan.
They sat at the end of the table.
She watched him nod at many of the clansman as he made his way to the other end of the table. Ciaran and Aine sat beside him.
Noticing her displeasure at the sight of Keagan, he asked, "So why did he try to kill you, again?"
"A man he'd taken care of for years, a Primordial, chose me to carry on his legacy. Keagan was livid. I guess I would be, too, after centuries of devotion -taking care of an inanimate body, but then he tried to kill me while I was sick and unable to defend myself."
Servers began to go around the table and refresh drinks and place bowls of soup in front of people.
"If there's bad blood between you, why are he and his clansman here?"
"I don't know," she sighed, holding her glass out for a server to pour sparkling blood wine into. "Believe me, I never wanted any of them here, but they insisted."
"Hi Starr," said Shea, who came and sat beside her.
"Don't worry, I never liked that demon, either. So I thought I'd join you."
"You're a Scamall. Aren't you worried that he'll hear?" asked Seth.
"Oh, he knows I don't like him, and no, I'm not even a Scamall, though people assume I am. I'm just compatriots with a few of these old demons. We fought together against the English at one point."
The servers came around and served them another course. A group of musicians entered the yard, and set up on the grass where they played classical music.
Seth asked her questions about her youth: Where she went to school? How long had she been a vampire? How did she meet her friends? What kind of music did she like? Did she have any hobbies?
By the time the third course came about, Starr was agitated. She wanted to keep her real life private.
Seeing that his questions put her on edge, he stopped.
"What are you gonna do when this is all over?" asked Shea, picking up where Seth left off.
"Go home, of course."
"You and the kids should come here. You'll be protected, and so will they."
"I can protect them just fine."
"Don't you think you should go back to school, though?" he asked.
"What's it with all the questions? Vampires don't usually care about this stuff. What about you? Why don't you tell me something about yourself?" she asked aggressively.
Seth put his fork down, loudly, chinking the china.
"I'm full!" he boasted. "Wanna dance?"
Before she could say no, he scooted out his chair, and was pulling her by the hand, from her seat.
As she stepped onto the dancing platform that'd been laid down by the band, she looked back and saw Keagan eyeing her from across the room.
"You're worried about him, aren't you?"
When she didn't reply, he said, "I'm not perfect, Starr, but you can trust me. What's really bothering you?"
She considered him a moment. Although it was against her better judgment, her need to talk about her concerns won out.
"I wonder if he'll go for the baby when I've gone. I know he's got it in for me; it's just a matter of when he'll surprise me. He hates me and Credenza with a fierce passion.
Also, we've been here for nearly a month. Why haven't we been attacked, yet? Surely, vamps everywhere know where we are, and why we're here."
"When we're gone, the baby will remain cloaked by the essence of the ghost lady. No one outside our circle will know where she is."
"Except us and Keagan."
Starr sighed and watched Ciaran dance with one of the servers.
"If you're really concerned about traitors among us, then after we leave, send the Mitchell's away."
"How do I do that?"
"Well, if you talked to the Mitchell's, I doubt they'd listen. You'll have to do something that will force them to leave, and keep them away for a long while."
"Hmm," she r
eplied. Ideas were already turning in her mind.
After the song, Seth followed her to the bar where they got more drinks. Several men that stood their talking, smiled and nodded, stiffly, to her and walked off.
"See?" she asked. "That's why I don't trust everyone. They go out of their way to avoid me. The way some of them look at me; it's like they're on guard, and they have no reason to be, which can only mean one thing: They're hiding something from me."
"So what are you gonna do?"
"I'm gonna play along for now. I need backup to fight the Council."
"Well, just remember, you've got me. I swear to you, I'm not working against you."
She looked at him and smiled.
Placing her hand on his shoulder and squeezing it, lightly, she said, "Thanks, Seth."
At that moment, Ikael stood before them, and said, "Keagan would like you to join him for a drink."
"I'll pass."
"I think he wants to make amends," he replied.
When she refused, Keagan came to her a few minutes later.
"I know you're angry with me, but I just want to say that I'm behind you on this."
"I think she knows," said Seth smartly.
But Starr didn't believe him. The way his eyes flinched as he offered his support.
She looked at Seth, who looked back at her and winked.
Don't worry, he said into her mind. I saw his face, too. You're right, he's insincere.
They, both, watched him walk back to his companions.
The party ended at 11 p.m. Ciaran urged them to get a good night's rest.
Except Starr, the vampires cleared the house.
She walked Seth to the door.
"I'll walk you home," he said.
"No, I have something I need to do."
The look of wisdom flashed in his eyes, and a smirk pulled at the corners of his mouth.
"Be careful, okay? If you need anything, call me."
He turned and left.
Starr went to the last room at the very back. Someone had placed a pad lock on the door. Focusing her mind, she commanded the lock to release its latch.
The door swung back, revealing the stockpiled launchers and MK 19s. Slightly, she salivated at the sight of the weapons.
A grin forced back her cheeks as she picked up one of the long cylindrical rocket launchers along with two of the mini rockets.
She closed the door and went to the backyard. Turning around and around, she tried to identify a good place to take aim while not making the house a place of suspicion.
Looking up, she noticed a thick blanket of cloud, less than a mile above her head that covered nearly the entire neighborhood. Laughing to herself, she levitated upwards into the cloud.
Once amidst the moist puff, she moved through it to the north side of the street. She couldn't see the condo building from inside the cloud, but she knew it was just right there beyond the white.
On that side of the building, there was one more vacant condo.
Starr stopped where she felt was a good place to target. She, then, took a moment to read the instructions, carefully. Next, she loaded the rocket, pressed the button, and took aim at the vacant condo.
There was a loud hissing noise, as the launcher became hot, heavier, and forcefully erect.
Next moment, the rocket catapulted brightly through the cloud, leaving behind a trail of sparkles that quickly extinguished in the moist cloud.
The sound of the rocket going through the wall was almost as loud as a wrecking ball hitting a building.
Laughing, she loaded the launcher again and pressed the button. Just as she pressed it in, the first set of explosions happened.
Even through the dense cloud, she saw the bright flash and felt a change in temperature.
Her stomach painfully convulsed, as the second rocket hit, setting off more explosions. She hadn't laughed so hard since her time in the cabin, before it burned down.
Judging by the way the bright orange didn't extinguish but got brighter and wider, she assumed the building was on fire.
Eager to see the damage, clearly, she flew back to the house where she stowed the launcher back in the closet. Then she walked down the street.
Outside, nearly everyone in the neighborhood had come out of their houses, and was staring at the condo building, wondering if they should evacuate their own homes.
As she stood there, musing, Ikael came at her lividly.
Are you crazy? What if they figure out it came from here? He shouted, telepathically, at her.
"They won't," she mumbled back.
Starr watched, in her mind, the Mitchells as they grabbed their wallets and managed to get a bag full of things for Meghan. They ran downstairs and across the street, and watched the building burn.
A fire truck turned onto the block, and told everyone to leave or go back in their houses.
Barb and Mike put their things in the van, which was parked just down the street. Starr watched them make a phone call, and then drive off a few minutes later.
When she walked back into the house, shutting the door, everyone looked up at her. Some were angry, but Seth had a look of approval in his eyes.
"She did what she had to do. You would have done the same. Now, let it go," he said to the group.
~~~
The next morning-several hours later, they loaded the U Haul with all the weapons, squeezed themselves into the truck and drove to the airport.
When they got there, it was to find that the army had stationed a troop there. From a few hundred yards away, they observed two armed men with machine guns on their shoulders.
"Damn! They're standing right by the airbus that we want to take. What are they doing here?" asked Aine.
"Probably saw us last time we were here," offered Seth. "They don't want people robbing the airport."
"Here's what we're going to do," said Starr. "There's an old 747 over in the old terminal." She pointed westward. "We'll do a classic diversion tactic by blowing it up, then go in and steal the airbus."
"They might not fall for that, Starr," said Ciaran.
"Yeah, and I need to fuel the plane and do a routine check to make sure it's still safe to fly," said Seth. "These things will take time. I'm gonna need at least fifteen minutes."
"Can you sense where most of the army men are?"Ikael asked Starr.
She took a moment and looked into the surrounding buildings.
"There are a dozen or so in the main terminal, but I can't see if there are others elsewhere."
"Can you see the airbus from the terminal?"
"Yes, but not from where they're sitting. But again, there could be others closer by that I'm not seeing."
"Look, there's no easy way to do this," said Druce. "Either way, we're gonna be out in the open and exposing the plane to the danger of being shot. So I say let's just go up and knock them out. When the shooting starts, we'll do our best to take cover."
"Okay, but if they shoot too close to the plane, I'm gonna move it across the terminal. I may even fly it out of here, without you all, and then we'll have to meet up elsewhere. The last thing we need is to fly a damaged plane across the Atlantic."
When they were agreed, they drove the truck closer to the runway, and parked it behind the closest terminal. Trying not to make too much noise, they each grabbed a large supply of weapons and ammunition, stepped out and ran as fast as they could, towards the men.
A few seconds passed before the army men realized they were under siege. They both shouted into the radios on their shoulders, and pulled their weapons from their backs.
Without verbal warning, they shot mercilessly at them.
"Protect your ammunition," Druce shouted.
Ikael was the first to reach the men. He pulled the weapons from their hands and knocked them, both, out.
Seth ran off in a different direction.
"Where's he going?" asked one of the clansmen.
When Starr and the others reached Ikael and
the two guards, they, immediately, dragged the men out of sight.
A minute passed where they stood there, wondering where Seth had gone. The answer to their question came when a stack of motor stairs bounded towards them.
He fitted the stairs to the side of the plane. Shea, followed by the others, ran up and opened the door.
Suddenly, a rain of bullets came down on them. They were so large that they blew chunks of tar six feet off the ground.
"Hurry, get on!" shouted Seth.
They filed in and scrambled to various seats. Without closing the door, Seth ran to the cockpit and started the plane.
Starr closed her eyes and concentrated on finding the location of the big gun.
She hadn't fastened her seatbelt, so she was briefly distracted when the plane jolted into motion. Seth stepped on it, and Starr zoomed out of her seat as the plane hit 40 knots in less ten seconds.
Lying on the floor, she closed her eyes and searched. A few seconds later, she saw him, clearly. He was there, atop the communications tower. She focused her mind on the machine, the way she focused on the zombies back in D.C. A mere moment later, the entire top of the tower blew outward. Enormous chunks of glass and concrete fell to the ground.
Repeatedly, Starr tried to pick herself up from the floor, but the plane was zig zagging too quickly.
When she'd managed to pull herself nearly up into her seat, the plane came to a hard stop, flinging her into the plastic display on the back of the seat in front of her.
Seth bolted out of the cockpit, down the stairs where he began running around the plane doing what Starr knew not. Then the scent of fuel filled her nostrils.
Her hope that they were nearly in the clear was dashed when she heard, in the distance, a group of men running toward them.
Aine had already run outside to protect Seth - so he could keep fueling; Ciaran followed. "Starr," he called, waiving to her.
She leapt out of her seat and followed them outside. Together, they combined their kinesis, forcing back as many of the bullets as they could.
Finally, Seth had what he needed.
"Let's go!" he shouted, as he leapt up three and four steps at a time.
Aine and Starr followed him up the stairs. Ciaran pushed the stairs away from the plane, closed the door and turned the hatch latch.
Starr barely secured her seat belt when Seth decided to skip using the runaway. Instead, he zoomed the plane straight across the tarmac up to over a hundred miles per hour, and then lifted.
Down below, the army continued to fire, but it was useless.