I drove straight back to headquarters, knowing I had to update the Assembly of Seven with the status and progress of my candidate. And Fiona certainly wasn’t favored amongst the other candidates.
I bumped into Aaron on my way to the conference room, Mallory still with him, as smug as ever.
“Has your candidate quit yet?” Aaron asked. “She sure ran out of the room fast when she discovered what you were. You should have known better than to insist on being a coach.”
“She’s not going to quit,” I insisted, trying my best to keep from knocking his head off his shoulders. He was a well-trained fighter from the Society’s perspective, but he obviously needed the tools—the toys the Society provided—to do any damage to me.
“Give her time.” Aaron laughed, glancing over at Mallory, who simply gave an amused smile. “Fencing obviously isn’t her thing. She can’t handle a little blood. It’s well known she has daddy issues. You have to admit, she’s not cut out for this. Everyone here knows it.”
“She’ll surprise you—all of you. Just watch.” I walked off before the urge became too great to keep from picking him up by the neck and slamming his insignificant body against the wall.
I heard Aaron call out from behind me, “We’ll see.” Then I tuned them out completely. I didn’t want to tap into their conversation as we drew further away from each other and they didn’t think I could hear them anymore. The fact that I could hear so much better than a human was a blessing and a curse.
I continued toward the third-floor conference room, where I knew the Assembly of Seven would be waiting. These seven members made up our elite council. Anderson was just finishing up his report on Zelda when I arrived.
As soon as he finished up, I was allowed in. “All yours,” Anderson said as he passed me to exit the room. Anderson closed the door behind him.
“Please take a seat,” President Bolt said, sitting at the far head of the oblong table. She was flanked by three assemblymen on each side.
I claimed the one empty leather seat closest to the door. I knew exactly who wanted me to be here and who didn’t. I’d watched this entire council turn over throughout the years. I’d appointed the first assemblymen to this council, though I’d never appointed myself to one of the open seats. After that, my influence on successors waned. Now, there were only two assemblymen who actively wanted me here, two who continued to see my value but remained neutral, and the assemblymen who detested my involvement in any official capacity—the most vocal of whom was Assemblyman Fiennes.
“It seems Roland’s daughter is having difficulties,” President Bolt said. She was a tall and thick woman with graying hair, which she didn’t try to conceal. She had been on the assembly for three decades, being elected President twelve years earlier. And we all knew there wouldn’t be another election and that she’d guide us into our final days.
“And that’s as most of us foresaw,” Assemblyman Douglas Fiennes added. He was Mallory’s father and my biggest critic, now on the assembly nearly a decade. He’d been appointed when Roland Damascus was relieved of his seat. Assemblyman Fiennes looked like he should be a vampire with his larger-than-life wiry build, tight skin, and permanent scowl. But he detested supernatural beings in all their forms—vampires and angels alike—and pushed to get bylaws passed for us to be removed from the society permanently. So far, that hadn’t passed with a majority vote, but our access and membership was limited.
“It is true, Fiona’s had some difficulties, but nothing she won’t be able to overcome,” I said. “The car accident she was in before the pledging offer was made, shook her up, so she’s had to deal with a lot in a short period.”
“You can’t blame her reaction tonight on a car accident,” Douglas said with a laugh.
“I’m not,” I said, glaring at him. “I’m simply framing her fragile behavior as of late.”
“We shouldn’t be taking in fragile people at all. We need true fighters for the cause.”
“She was guaranteed an opportunity,” Assemblywoman Ashley Degray said. She was a tough woman, now in her early seventies. She’d kept healthy and fit throughout the years, never letting her age slow her down. She was the one other candidate I’d officially coached over fifty years earlier. The difference was that she knew about me—about what I was—before being given the pledge. I’d helped her reach the Assembly of Seven at a time when I carried more influence, and she’d since kept me from losing too much more ground with the ever-changing management of the Society.
“We promised Damascus ten years ago, when he was pushed out of the assembly, but that’s not something we need to honor now,” Douglas said.
“And who led the charge in pushing him out of the Assembly?” I asked.
“I don’t know what you’re insinuating since I wasn’t on the Assembly at the time. You’re supposed to have a far superior memory to us, so I’d think you’d at least remember that.”
“I remember a great deal,” I spat. “I remember building this society and what life was like for us before. No one in this room has that firsthand knowledge but me. Damascus sacrificed his life for our cause. The least we can do is honor our original promise.”
“I didn’t make that pr—”
“Quiet, Douglas,” President Bolt said, raising a hand. “That original promise is the reason she is here. But the promise did not give her—or anyone for that matter—a guaranteed spot within the Society, let alone a spot on the station.”
“This is the final candidate class,” Ashley said. “We have more than four spots that have not been sold yet. And we’ve secured spots for every direct member so far. Our final members should not be denied that privilege now.”
“Why is this even up for contention?” Assemblyman Bruce Roselli said. He was a medium-built man in his fifties with rounded features, a bulbous nose, and thinning salt-and-pepper hair. He was one of the proud-to-be neutrals who didn’t want to make too many waves and simply live the rest of his days in the security the True North Society provided. “We have the census. We know who will be aboard and who won’t.”
“And we know who will be initiated and who won’t,” Assemblywoman Degray added.
“The census and the logs are incomplete. Matthew knows that better than anyone. But with what records we do have, they shouldn’t stop us from doing our due diligence. The records should simply provide a backcheck that we are on track,” President Bolt said.
“And we are on track,” I said confidently. “Fiona has had a rough start; I do not deny that. But that does not mean she will not be a good candidate and asset in the years to come. Some of our best initiates have had similar initial setbacks.”
“What are you going to do differently going forward, to ensure her progress?”
“I can now use myself as that training advantage,” I said. “Now that she’s getting over the initial shock, we can progress leaps and bounds above the rest of the candidate class.”
“Wishful thinking,” Douglas scoffed. “My daughter has been unknowingly training for years, for which she’ll now finally receive acknowledgement. Fiona will not be able to make up for that in just a few weeks. Her body’s fragile and her mind is fragile too; we’re simply wasting our resources on a girl we should have never extended an invitation to in the first place.”
“Fiona’s not as fragile as you all might think,” I said. “I implore you to allow me to continue her training—give her a fighting chance. She’ll be as ready as the others.”
“Doubtful. Very doubtful.”
“She may even save your daughter one day.”
“I hope I’m around to see that,” Douglas laughed.
23
Fiona
The door to my room crashed open as Mom rushed in like she was going to kill someone—like I was under attack. She found me in bed, gripping the covers for dear life, drenched in cold sweat.
Mom stopped and surveyed the room, finding everything in order. She let out a long breath before asking, “Are
you all right?”
I could still hear my screams echoing in my head, not initially realizing at least some of them had also been aloud. Nodding weakly, I loosened my grip on my covers, only to find the portion of the sheet where my left hand had been balled up was covered in blood. Mom noticed the blood as soon as I did.
She sat on the edge of the bed and took my injured hand in hers. Where the cut was healing from the branding ceremony, I’d reopened part of the wound with my nails from squeezing so hard. She unraveled the stained gauze on my hand and found I’d split one of the butterfly band-aids and one of my nails had dug right into the scabbing cut. It continued to bleed and just looking at it was making me queasy.
“Let me fix you up,” Mom insisted and led me to the bathroom, where she redid my bandages with speed and precision. I’d forgotten how capable she was with basic first aid since I usually tried to take care of my own injuries personally. “This is a pretty good cut. You should probably have gotten stitches.”
“It’ll be fine,” I said.
“Just keep it clean and closed.” She placed the excess items under the sink, then stood up and eyed me wearily. “Are you okay to go back to sleep? You can come sleep with me, if you want.”
“I’m fine, Mom,” I said. “But thank you.”
“Do you want to talk about your dream?”
“I—I wish I remembered it,” I lied.
“Okay,” she said and kissed my forehead. “Stop scaring me, kid.”
“I’m trying,” I said, forcing a small smile.
We both went back to our respective rooms and I climbed into bed. I quickly changed the bedsheets, placing the bloody ones in a pile next to my hamper. Before climbing into bed, I peeked out the window at the still dark parking lot. It was almost 4 a.m. and all was quiet, then I noticed a shadowy coyote jogging between the parked cars. I hadn’t seen one around here in years, and now I’d seen two in the past month. At least this one seemed less out of place, hunting at night.
I called to my sister as I tucked myself in, before turning out the light.
“I’m here, Fee,” Becca said. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah; just a nightmare,” I said. “I just wanted to make sure you were here.” Feeling a little safer, I turned off the light and shut my eyes, trying to think of anything other than the monsters I now knew lurked in the dark.
The next night, I woke up in a similar cold sweat, but there was no blood this time, and Mom didn’t come crashing into my room with a baseball bat. I must have kept my nightmare to myself this time. However, my sheets were soaked and I hadn’t washed the bloody set yet, so I had to just deal with it. I threw off the comforter, which helped a little, but it was still hard to get back to sleep.
“Another bad dream?” Becca asked.
“How could you tell?” I asked, sarcastically.
“You were moving a lot and mumbling. I don’t know what you were saying.”
“I don’t either, but yeah—another nightmare.” I could still picture the vampires attacking me. Everyone I knew had been turned into them—into horrible creatures—all of them after me. Matthew had unleashed them all on me. They were surrounding me, fangs bared and glistening, ready to tear me apart and suck me dry, not something I wanted to reenact or try to explain to a six-year-old or even the ghost of one.
“Night, night,” Becca said. “See you in the morning, in the morning.”
“Night, night,” I repeated like a sweet nursery rhyme. “See you in the morning, in the morning.”
On night three, Mom came rushing in again. This time, I was outside my covers and crying uncontrollably.
“What’s going on?” Mom asked, sitting beside me on the bed. “Something’s got you freaked out. School? Work? Friends? College apps? What is it?”
I couldn’t tell her what was really causing the nightmares, but I could give her a nugget of my insecurities. “Everything’s changing,” I said, wiping my nose and eyes on the back of my non-bandaged hand.
“That’s what happens as you grow older,” she said in a soothing voice. “The world changes. The people around you change. You change. It’s the one constant in life. You can fight it, but you can’t stop it. It’s much more beneficial to learn to embrace it.”
“But I want things to stay the way they are—were.”
“I know, kiddo.” She rubbed my back as I lay on my side to face her. “And I wanted you and your sister to remain five forever, back when I felt like I had control and could keep you safe. I know better now—even though I can’t stop trying. And I know I have to let you go out into the world and pave your own path. As scary as it is for you, just remember it’s as equally scary for me. No matter how old you get, you’ll always be my little girl.”
“Enough with the cheesy parenting lines,” I laughed, my breathing finally normalizing.
Before she left, Mom kissed my forehead and tucked me back under the covers like she’d done when I was young—like she’d always done with Rebecca and me when we’d shared this room, her bed once where my desk now stood against the wall.
“I don’t like seeing you like this,” Becca said, her voice always music to my ears.
“I’ll be okay,” I said. I knew I would be, just as soon as I was fully able to accept and embrace my new life—the new world I’d been introduced to. I’d gone eighteen years without being attacked by a vampire, so what made me so afraid I’d suddenly be attacked now? They were either experts at hiding in plain sight or there weren’t many around. I hoped for the latter, but already knew how well they could blend in from my time spent with Matthew.
I still didn’t know how to feel about him. He’d been all I could think about since the first day I met him, but now it was for very different reasons. I couldn’t help being terrified of him now. I didn’t know how I could continue training with him, but couldn’t forget my father was in that building somewhere—or at least, I assumed he was. I owed it to Becca and myself to know what happened to him. Why had he abandoned us? Why had he never come looking for us—until now?
As afraid as I was, I couldn’t quit.
24
Matthew
I stopped by Sisters of Mercy at the height of visiting hours, when the hospital was really alive. It was quarter past 1 a.m. when I entered and greeted the reception nurse. I’d seen her before, but she was relatively new to the staff and I couldn’t remember her name. But she knew exactly who I was.
“Good evening, Dr. Mercer,” she said, cheerfully.
“Good evening,” I said, nodding to her as I strolled past the reception desk. I used my keycard to enter the patient area and navigated the hallways toward the administration management offices.
The hallways were active with nurses and doctors, VIP guests and patients. As much as we focused on training new and transitioning vampires, we also had to pay the bills to remain independent from the True North Society. Before the focus had become vampire training, it had been on the entertainment and pleasure of wealthy vampire patrons. They paid for uncensored access to our patients during visiting hours. The only limitation was keeping our patients alive. I had endured these horrors firsthand when I’d been committed to this institution, thanks to the facility’s original owner, Frederick. When I took over, I wanted to put an end to the barbaric practice, but it was a necessary evil to keep the facility profitable and focused on the greater good.
“I hope I’m not disturbing anything,” I said, knocking on Jack’s door, noticing Ashley Degray was also present. I was surprised to see her at such an hour, but knew she couldn’t stay away from this facility. It had made her into the woman she was today—irreversibly changing her life path. She’d also changed Jack’s life forever and had made a major impact on mine as well. He’d started out there as an orderly, as all transitioning born vampires were prescribed to do, as she was one of his patients, having just turned eighteen. This had been in the winter of 1965.
“Not at all, Matthew,” Ashley said. “We were just reviewi
ng the current patient roster to see how many rooms needed to be filled, and if any of the current patients can be or are on track for repositioning.”
“The assembly doesn’t keep you busy enough?” I said with a chuckle, entering the office and closing the door behind me.
“I still enjoy her company,” Jack said. “What can I say? She’s a very special woman.”
“You don’t have to tell me,” I said, taking a seat on the opposite side of the desk from the two of them. “She’s been fighting for me for years.”
“Fiennes has it out for you,” Ashley said. “Be careful with him. He’s lobbying to get you excommunicated.”
“He’s been trying ever since he got onto the Assembly. I should have killed him then.”
“You can’t easily get away with that now.”
“Which is why he’s still alive,” I said, though I had other reasons for keeping him alive that I wasn’t willing to disclose to them—even if they were some of my closest friends.
“Can I offer you a drink?” Jack asked.
I raised an eyebrow at him.
“You still off human blood?”
I nodded.
“Good; I’ve got you covered,” he said and rolled his chair to a mini fridge and removed a blood bag. He ripped it open and poured the thick liquid into a glass, placing it into the microwave on top of the fridge.
“I’m so proud of you,” Ashley said. “You’ve come such a long way since I first met you.”
“I don’t know about that, but I’m trying,” I said.
“I don’t know how you do it,” Jack said and passed me the warm glass. “I’ve only killed one human in my life, but couldn’t function without human blood. I mean, I mix it up, but I couldn’t live on animal blood alone.”
“Well, you’re going to have to once I’m gone,” Ashley said with a sarcastic grin. “I won’t be around forever.”
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