by Lilly Wilder
“Oh, yeah, sure,” she nodded, jumping to open the door for him.
There was no one here. All the desks were empty, even the lamps were turned down low, so the light was barely there, almost romantic. Renwick put down the books on the table, with a loud thump noise. He put his hands on his back and stretched a little.
“Those were heavy,” he told her. “So, what exactly are you looking for?”
“I have a paper on Rasputin,” Mina replied. “I need to know everything about him, including the little known facts.”
“Lemme see…”
He wandered through the room, looking for something only he knew where to find. He stood on his tiptoes and reached a book on the highest shelf. Mina was surprised to see how far his arms could stretch. He got the book, then handed it to her but not before blowing on it a little and raising a cloud of dust.
“Sorry, it’s been a while since anyone used it,” he apologized.
“Thanks,” she smiled, feeling relieved that the tension between them was left in the dark hallways.
“So, why him?” he wondered.
“Oh, there was a list of people we needed to choose from, so I just chose the name that appealed to me the most.”
“Again, why?” he repeated his question kindly.
“Well, I always wondered if all those things they claim he did were true, and, his death...”
“His death?” he repeated, surprised.
“Yes, the way he died, you know. The cyanide poisoning which didn’t work, the three gun shot wounds, one of which was straight in the forehead, and then dropping him off a bridge…”
“Oh, that!” Renwick laughed. “That was just child’s play. You know he didn’t die, right?”
“Didn’t die?” she asked, in shock. “What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said,” he explained. “He didn’t die. He was a warlock. A very powerful one. I mean, why else do you think the cyanide laced cookies and wine didn’t harm him? And he got up from three gun shots and attacked Felix, the man responsible for this?”
Mina had to admit, she never even considered this possibility. After all, there was a body. Photos even.
“But, okay, not many people know this. First, they kept it a secret. Then, years later, he emerged somewhere, and they discovered his real identity.”
“But, he’d be about 150 years old by now!”
“So?” Renwick gave a dismissive half-shrug. “You know vampires, witches and warlocks can live much longer than that.”
Mina knew this, but she never actually met anyone who was older than 100. Kellam had told her of a few guys who were born two centuries ago but she always thought that was a bit exaggerated. Now, she wasn’t so sure anymore.
“Trust me, you’ll find everything you need in this baby,” he tapped the book in her hands, then smiled. “I guess I’d better leave you to it then.”
“Um, listen…” she started, before he got the chance to disappear.
“Yes?”
His eyes were deep, piercing right through her. It was like he was trying to see behind the mask she was wearing and guess who she really was. For a second, she was frightened that he would actually manage to do it.
“Thanks,” she muttered, barely audibly.
“What?” he asked.
She wasn’t sure if he really didn’t hear her or he just pretended. The grin on his face could mean either.
“Thanks,” she repeated, a little louder this time. She really meant it.
“For?”
Now, he was pushing it, but he was cute. Too cute. She could totally see why Morgan would like him.
“For your help.”
“Well, it’s no apology, but I’ll take it,” he grinned even wider. “I’ll be heading back then.”
But, before he went, he picked up the books that he’d just put on the desk when they got there.
“What are you doing?” she asked, surprised.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
She was still looking at what he was doing.
“Oh, the books?” he replied.
“I thought you were supposed to bring them here,” she wondered, confused.
“Ah, that,” he shrugged his shoulders, with a wicked gleam in his eye. “No. It was just an excuse to come here with you.”
“Really?”
She tried not to smile, but the feeling was overwhelming. He was just too darn cute for her to be upset with him.
“It worked, didn’t it?”
“I don’t know what Morgan would say to this,” she suddenly remembered the reason for her initial hostility.
“Why?” he asked.
“Isn’t she your girlfriend?”
Mina had a weird sensation that she’d already had this conversation with Raphael. Only the roles were different.
“She’d like to be, sure,” he nodded, a little more cock-sure than she would have liked him to be but it suited him so well.
She was only now realizing that there were two sides to this guy. He could be all honey sweet and helpful but he could also be a tease, dark and mysterious. She loved this combo in a guy, especially when there was such a perfect ratio of the two sides.
“What does that mean?” she asked.
“Exactly what I said. She’s been bugging me since last year, not leaving me alone. I can’t breathe, it’s a fucking nightmare!”
He grabbed himself by the throat and pretended to be choking. She laughed. He was even cuter when he was like that.
“Seriously,” he assured her. “I can’t shake her off. I’ve told her so many times to just leave me alone but I can’t get it into her thick head that nothing’s ever gonna happen between us. She just doesn’t get it.”
“She already threatened me to stay away from you and I didn’t even know you. Can you imagine?”
“She did what!?” he almost shouted.
She could see that this pissed him off seriously. She didn’t expect that but, deep down, she was glad.
“She and her sister cornered me in the bathroom and warned me to stay away from you and Raphael.”
“What are you, a succubus and we need protection from you?” he asked and they both laughed.
“Never considered myself one but I guess I’ve got that vibe,” she shrugged her shoulders indifferently. “Better warn me before I try to do anything, right?”
“So, you like Raphael then?” he wondered suddenly.
It was like he wasn’t even asking but just thinking out loud and she happened to overhear it.
“That jerk? Hell no!” she shook her head, disgusted by the mere thought.
“Yeah,” he looked down, scratching his head, “I know he’s a bit crude, but…”
“A bit?” Mina corrected him. “You mean very crude, right?”
“I mean, he has this bully-ish front, and is an asshole sometimes, I’ll give you that, but we’ve been friends for years and, trust me, there is more to it than just this persona that he is showing everyone.”
Mina didn’t need to think about it, not even for a second. Raphael was a bully, plain and simple. Maybe he wasn’t as bad as the twins but he was disrespectful to anyone he couldn’t benefit from and that meant that he was a nasty person. That was all she needed to know to stay away from him.
“I didn’t convince you, did I?” he asked.
“Not really,” she shook her head. “You probably won’t, so just stop trying. The guy’s a douchebag. I’m glad he’s treating you well and all, but I’ll just stay away from him. And not because the creepy twins told me to but just because I don’t want such people around.”
“Well, okay then…” he smiled. “I tried.”
“I don’t see why you’d even try,” she eyed him strangely.
“Oh, nothing... I gotta go. See ya later,” he was quick to go, leaving her alone.
She wondered why Raphael would even come up in conversation. Why wou
ld Renwick play his advocate? She sighed, deciding that it didn’t really matter. She needed to get this assignment done and then she could maybe roam the library a little and see what interesting things she could unearth.
Chapter 11
When she was done with her project, Mina realized that it was much later than she thought it’d be. She wrote the conclusion to her essay and put all the books back. She found her way out much more easily than on the way in, as this time, it was a conscious effort.
The cold mountain breeze chilled her to the very bone as she was standing outside the main building. She rubbed her upper arms a little, trying to warm herself up, but one blouse and a light sweater wouldn’t do the trick. She looked around and noticed that there weren’t many students out on campus. It was Friday, so she figured they were either in their rooms or in the Bunker, at least those who were lucky enough to be invited to join.
The Bunker was apparently just an old bunker-like hole in the ground on campus, which was a makeshift club and bar, only there were no alcoholic drinks, just the stuff you could get at the cafeteria and maybe some snacks someone managed to sneak in, but no one was willing to get expelled over booze. Mina had been planning to go there for a while now but, apparently, you couldn’t just barge in. It was invitation only, which meant that someone who was already a member of this unusual club was your only way in. They’d have to walk you in the first time and vouch for you, then you were in. Also, there weren’t many people invited. She heard that the group was very small. There were about thirty people who were granted entrance to the Bunker, so she was sure that they were all special, one way or another.
Mina had no idea if Reeba was a member or not. She hadn’t gotten the chance to talk to her about that yet. Besides, it was something to be proud of, so Mina was sure that Reeba would have mentioned it, if it was true. Right now, she was too focused on waiting for the Witches’ Sabbath. Mina had big plans for that but there was still time. She tried to figure out if there was anyone else who could get her in to the Bunker so she could snoop around a little, maybe ask a few questions which she couldn’t ask in the hallways but no one popped to mind.
As she was lost in thought, pulling the sleeves of her thin blouse down to her hands, she saw a silhouette approaching her. Illuminated by lamp light, it looked ominous. As gravel crunched underneath his shoes, for a second, she felt threatened, simply because that was her usual state of mind under such conditions. Alone, in the dark - she was usually forced to fight whoever was approaching her in the darkness so menacingly. However, here, she had to think twice and keep her guard up but pretend like she wasn’t scared or anxious.
A second later, the silhouette was a few feet away from her and he raised both his hands to pull down his hoodie. Her heart immediately skipped a beat, when she realized that it was Hendrik.
“What are you doing out so late?” he asked, instead of a greeting.
His earring sparkled as it caught the light. She noticed he didn’t have his sketchbook on him, as he usually did. Where was he headed?
“I was just at the library, finishing my history project,” she explained. “I guess I didn’t realize how late it was.”
“Well, it’s Friday anyway. You should chill a little,” he smiled, raking his raven black hair with his bony, artist’s fingers.
“Yeah, I think I’ll just go to my room, take a quick shower and enjoy a good book,” she nodded, feeling a little fidgety.
“I’m always for a good book,” he continued, “but, this time, I meant something else.”
“What?” she wondered, as they stood there in the same spot, facing each other.
There was still no one around and their meeting almost felt like fate, like she was destined to be in this spot, at this time, with him. Her heart skipped a beat every time he’d start talking, hoping he’d say something nice to her, something nice about her. She couldn’t believe she liked him this much.
“Wanna go to the Bunker?” he asked, casually, as if he was asking about some homework they had.
“With you?” she chirped, a little more joyfully than she wanted to.
“Yeah,” he grinned.
“I’d love to,” she jumped at the opportunity, “I just need to get these books back to my room.”
“Don’t worry about that, there’s a place you can leave your stuff there. Sometimes, we go there right after class.”
“We?” she asked.
“Our group?” he tried to explain. “There’s not many of us. Maybe about thirty.”
So, it was true. Mina had heard it right. But now, she was wondering. Why was he offering to take her there? They’d barely spoken before. The detective in her overpowered the lover. She eyed him a little warily and he noticed it.
“You’re probably wondering why I invited you to come,” he said, simply, as if he was able to read her mind.
“That…” she started, paused a little, just to make sure that he really had said it and she didn’t just hear it inside her mind, then continued, “is exactly what I’m wondering.”
“You’re very mistrustful, aren’t you?” he asked, with a gentle smile on his face.
Of course she was. Wouldn’t anyone in her shoes be? But, she couldn’t just blurt it out to him.
“I call it careful,” she explained.
“I’d say it’s more than just careful,” he laughed, “but, I understand. New place, new people. We’ve all encountered tragedy in our lives, so I guess it’s difficult to trust someone again.”
“Something like that,” she nodded, surprised that his words would make so much sense.
“Well, the reason I invited you is simple. I like you. I want to spend some time with you, hang out, do whatever.”
She wasn’t expecting such a matter-of-fact kind of courting. Even though she’d rarely admit it, Mina was a romantic at heart, and loved the whole lovey-dovey shebang. Flowers, chocolates, candles. But, with her chosen profession, it was difficult finding someone who’d understand why she could just disappear in the middle of a date, because her brother needed her help fighting a vampire. So, at some point, she simply stopped even trying to find someone, and focused on living her life as it was. Flying solo.
“But, you don’t even know me,” she questioned him.
“Silly, that’s exactly why I want to spend time with you,” he laughed.
“But, that makes no sense,” she laughed back. “How do you know you’re gonna like me after you get to know me?” she teased.
“I guess that’s a risk we’ll both have to take,” he articulated. “So, what do you say?”
“Alright then,” she shrugged her shoulders, as if she was indifferent to the whole idea, “but, don’t say I didn’t warn you. They say I’m not very likeable.”
She took one step towards him and they started together. There was only silence between them for a few seconds but it was a pleasant kind of silence, the kind that allowed questions to form inside their minds, so they could get to know each other better and, perhaps, share a few special moments.
“See, that’s just one of the reasons I knew I’d like you when I met you that first time,” he was the first to speak again.
“When I stumbled onto you like a dork?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he chuckled. “That was cute.”
“Maybe to you,” she shook her head. “I was more embarrassed.”
“It sounds like you’re way harder on yourself than you should be,” he spoke softly.
He had no idea how right he was. For a second, she wanted to tell him that but she bit her tongue just in time. She couldn’t risk making him into her confidant. She didn’t trust anyone that much.
“Sometimes, you have to be,” she said, instead.
“I know the feeling.”
They walked on, neither of them saying anything for a while. Mina welcomed the silence. It was a chilly night and she welcomed the clarity of mind it brought. She rubbed her upper a
rms again and he immediately caught up on this hint.
“Are you cold?” he asked.
“Just a little.”
“Here,” he immediately took off his hoodie and offered it to her.
Now, he was in a short sleeved t-shirt and she was able to see the intricate artwork of his sleeve tattoos. They were magnificent. Most of it was vampire related stuff, like ravens, bats, paw prints and blood drops, but she noticed a few things which weren’t. She quickly realized that she’d already spent way more time looking at his arms than she was supposed to, so she quickly grabbed his sweatshirt.