“Can I stop now?” Tori closed the book. Forty minutes of reading seemed to have worn her out.
New York. Two had been back in the city for three or four days. The mansion had provided her with enough money that she would never need to sell herself again. Jewelry, clothing, cars … Two had sold them for prices so low they were obscene, and still pocketed an unbelievable amount of money. The Ferrari alone had brought her a quarter of a million dollars. Two wondered how much the heavily modified car would have been worth if sold legally.
She had spent the past few days opening safety deposit boxes, speaking with lawyers and accountants, looking for ones who could help her to deal with this sudden influx of wealth. She was not concerned with legality or morals, and soon found counsel that could help her retain the money without any questions as to its origins.
Two and Tori had left the mansion in January. Near the end of February, Two had returned for a final salvage trip, and found only a pile of ashes where once it had stood. Whether the fire had been caused by man or vampire or simply a bolt of lightning, Two could not say. She had not been able to bring herself to search the ruins and see if the sub-basement remained intact. Seeing him again like that, lying there on the stone bier, would have been more than she could bear. Her physical wounds were gone, but those that scarred her soul felt fresh still. She left, choosing to believe that somewhere below the ash, buried in a chamber of stone, was the body of her lover. Would he ever be found? Puzzled over? Dissected?
Two tried not to think about it.
She sighed. “Sure, Tori. You can stop. That’s fine.”
Tori handed her the book. “Do you want to read, Two? You read good, like my big sister.”
Two looked at her, puzzled. Tori had been mentioning this mystery sister for a few weeks now. When asked if she meant Melissa, Tori would shake her head. No. Someone else. A human sister? A mother? Two wasn’t sure. She dragged on her cigarette, exhaled, let the fingers on her idle hand flip through the book.
Tori wrinkled her nose. “Why do you smoke, Two?”
“Because a girl can only give up so many addictions, Tori. I gave up the heroin. I gave up the blood.”
“Is heroin the needle stuff?”
“Yes.”
“That’s bad for you!”
“Yes. Very bad for me, and even worse for Abraham.”
Tori growled at the mention of her vampire father’s name.
“Don’t growl, sweetheart. Dogs do that, not people.”
“Okay, Two.”
Two knew she should call Rhes and Sarah, knew that she should let them know she was not dead. She desperately wanted to know how Molly was doing. She was waiting until she felt safe that she wouldn’t burst into tears at the sound of Rhes’ voice. She thought maybe tonight she could handle it.
“Do you want to go meet some friends of mine, Tori?”
“Sure! who?”
“You remember Molly? The girl we saw when I took you to Darren’s apartment?”
Tori pulled at her hair, miming pigtails, her eyes questioning. Two nodded.
“Yes. Her, and a man named Rhes, and his girlfriend Sarah. You’ll like them, Tori. They’re good people.”
“Okay, Two.”
“Today should be one of Rhes’ days off. They’re probably at home. Should we call, or risk it and try to surprise them?”
“I like surprises!”
Two grinned. “Okay, Tori. Let’s go meet some friends.”
* * *
Rhes opened the door and stood there for a moment peering out at Two. He was tall and muscular, with short black hair and a trimmed mustache-goatee combination. The expression on his face brought tears to Two’s eyes even as it caused her to burst out laughing. Shock, wonder, joy. He stammered for a moment, finally finding words. “Jesus. We thought you were dead.”
Two opened her arms, hugging him tightly, crying into his shoulder. Rhes lifted her up off the ground for a moment, set her back down, still grinning and looking like he might weep himself. He ran a shaky hand through his hair. Tori was looking around, bewildered. There was a dog barking in the background.
“Wow. I mean … I just … wow! Are you okay, Two?”
“I’ll be better when you invite me in off your freezing-ass doorstep, and let me see Sarah.”
Rhes laughed, moved aside, beckoned with his arm. Two walked into the house, a small but tidy Brooklyn brownstone, and looked around. Tori followed.
“Sarah’s upstairs checking on the kid, but she’ll be down in a second. Molly’s fine, before you ask, Two. Well … maybe not fine, but much better. It was a rough couple of months. Killed us to put her through it, but I think she’s crossed over to the easier side of it now.”
“Good. Thank you so much, Rhes. I don’t know how I’m ever going to repay you guys for this.”
“Two, I … listen, don’t worry about it. Trust me. We love her. She’s the sweetest kid I’ve ever met. I hope you’re not planning on taking her somewhere.”
“Hadn’t thought that far ahead, but assuming she’s happy, and you guys want her here, I can’t think of anywhere else she’d be better off.”
Rhes nodded. “Good. Who’s your friend? She okay with dogs?”
“Her name’s Tori, and I have no idea. Guess we’ll find out. Let him in before he pees on the floor, Rhes.”
Rhes opened the door to the kitchen, and the dog, Jake, came bounding out, barking and wagging his tail. Tori took a nervous step backward, but Two knelt down and cried out the dog’s name, throwing her arms wide. Soon, both girls were laughing and petting Jake, who was enjoying the attention.
“Do you like him, Tori?”
“He’s soft! And … eugh!” Jake licked Tori’s face, and she pulled back, grinning and rubbing her cheek on her sleeve. Two laughed.
“And friendly. And smart, although I guess that seeing-eye dogs sort of have to be.”
“Sure do,” Rhes said. “Hey, Jake. Relax, big guy. They’re not going anywhere.”
He patted the dog, then pointed toward the couch. Jake leapt onto it and lay with his head over the arm, watching them with big, dark eyes.
There were footsteps on the stairs, and Two looked up to see Sarah descending them carefully. She had cut her straight, red hair since Two had last seen her, and it now hung just below her ears. She was wearing a pair of dark sunglasses, as always, and was holding the hand-rail as she descended. “There better not be any boots at the bottom of these, Rhes. If the blind lady trips and falls again, she’s going to break your arms.”
Rhes laughed, looking sheepish. “No, hon. They’re in the closet.”
Sarah came to a stop in front of Two. “Damn near killed me last week. Who says love isn’t work?”
Two laughed. “How are you, Sarah? I like your hair!”
“Better for hearing your voice, Two, and thanks. Do I get a hug, or did Jake wear you out?”
Two embraced Sarah, laughing. They broke apart after a minute, and Two looked around smiling. Rhes spoke up. “You look good, Two. I hope you don’t mind my asking but are you still, uh … you know? Staying clean, and all that?”
“Oh, yeah. That’s done. Been done for a while now.”
“Any cravings?” Sarah asked.
Not for that, Two thought. Out loud she said “Occasionally. Mostly no.”
“Good.”
“Yes.”
There was a pause. Two sat down on the couch, and Tori followed her. Rhes took an armchair. Sarah pulled up the piano bench.
Silence for a moment more, and then Rhes tilted his head to one side, looked at her for a moment, asked “You going to tell us where you’ve been, Two?”
Two sighed. “I don’t know if I can. It’s crazy, Rhes. You’ll think I’m crazy.”
There was another silence, then Rhes shrugged. “Okay. I won’t push. Too happy to see you, anyway. You want anything to drink? Beer? Soda?”
“Fuck, yes. Beer. Whatever you’ve got will be great.”
; Rhes stood, moving toward the kitchen. “What about your friend? And Sarah, do you want anything?”
“I’m good, hon, thanks.”
Two turned to Tori. “Do you want something to drink?”
“What’s beer?”
“You wouldn’t like it. It’s a drink that sort of tastes like raw bread dough.”
Tori made a face. “Yuck. Can I have a soda?”
Two laughed. “Sure. Whatever you have, Rhes, long as it’s got sugar in it. She’s not picky.”
Rhes departed. Sarah got up, and stole Rhes’ seat with a sideways grin toward the kitchen. She bit her lower lip for a moment, then spoke. “So, uh … Tori, I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but I can’t tell if you’re five or twenty-five.”
“I’m this many.” Tori held up seven fingers with pride. Two rolled her eyes. Tori picked a random number of fingers each time her age came up.
“Tori, Sarah can’t see that, and it doesn’t matter anyway since you’re making it up. It’s hard to explain, Sarah. She’s sort of both, really.”
Sarah raised an eyebrow. “Don’t suppose you’d care to explain that, either?”
“No, but I figure you’re probably going to make me eventually, so I guess I might as well. Let’s wait for Rhes.”
“I get the impression there’s a lot you’re not telling us, Two.”
“Centuries worth.”
Sarah raised her eyebrows, but Two didn’t elaborate. Rhes returned with the drinks, handed Two her beer, sat down on the piano bench.
“Way to steal my seat, dear,”he said to Sarah.
“Your fault for offering to get the drinks, sweetie.” Sarah was grinning, the slightest hint of sarcasm in her voice. She turned to Tori. “Where are you from, Tori?”
“I came from a big house. It was full of stuff but mostly I lived outside.”
“Outside?”
“Yeah. In the woods.”
“Oh, jeez …” muttered Two. “We don’t know where she’s from. She only remembers the last place she lived, for now.”
“Right. The last place she lived. Out in the woods. What the hell, Two?”
Two rolled her eyes, drank from her bottle of beer, looked around the room for a moment. “You’re not going to let me not tell you this, are you?”
Sarah spread her hands. Waddaya want from me? Rhes said nothing.
Two sighed. “Okay. I … fuck it. Here goes. When it’s done, you can call the loony bin and have Tori and me committed. I’ll start by saying that I can prove this, if I have to. I can take you to where the mansion was. I can show you what I took from there. I can dig down to … to Theroen, and show him to you, if I have to.”
“Theroen?”
“Let me tell it. It’s going to take a while.”
“Okay, Two.”
Two took a breath, gathered her thoughts, and began. “It started on a regular night, I guess. As regular as it gets, anyway …”
* * *
The story took three and a half hours to tell. By the time she finished, Tori had fallen asleep next to her on the couch. Sarah looked pale and shaken. Rhes looked dazed, like someone had hit him in the head with a sledgehammer. Two couldn’t meet their eyes. She was shaking, needed a cigarette, and thought she might very soon begin weeping.
“Questions?” she asked, trying for humor and finding little. Her throat hurt, that muscle ache at the back that comes with holding back tears, or talking through them.
Sarah ran a hand through her hair, exhaled as if just remembering that she needed to breathe, flopped back against the cushions of the couch. “I have approximately seven hundred billion questions, Two.”
“That’s about half as many as I have. I can’t answer most of them, Sarah. I didn’t have very long to learn.”
Rhes spoke up. “I have one. You really believe this, Two?”
“Yeah. Yes. I really do. I suppose it’s possible that I’ve been lying somewhere hallucinating for the past three months, but I doubt it. I don’t have any pictures, but I have the gun, and the stuff from the mansion, and Tori, who’ll back me up as best she can if you ask her.”
Rhes rested his head on one hand, staring at the floor, looking confused. “This is crazy.”
“Yes.”
“It’s … it’s fiction, is what it is,” Sarah said. She heard Two’s intake of breath, held up her hand, cut Two off. “Not your story. I don’t mean you’re lying, or making this up. I haven’t even come close to making a decision on that. I just mean the whole concept. The whole vampire thing. I want to believe you, but this isn’t the dark ages. No one buys into that stuff anymore.”
“I know. I don’t know how to prove it, short of Theroen, and I guess even if I brought you there, he’d just look human. Nothing I can do. All of my witnesses are dead, except Tori. I guess she’s not really that credible … but if you want to take her outside, she’ll happily lift the back end of a car six inches off the ground for you.”
“Actually, I’d say Tori’s proof even without any of that. I don’t think she’s really capable of lying. At best she’d have been hallucinating right along with you, Two … and if that’s the case, then there’d have to be some explanation as to why you both hallucinated the same events.”
Two looked at him, silent. Rhes stood up, stretched, paced back and forth a few times.
“I guess if it comes down to one story that’s as weird as another, I’m going to go with the one that you think is the right one. I’m trying to believe you, Two, because I think you’re telling the truth. My head hurts. It feels like my brain wants to abandon it for safer pastures, and I think I’m going to sleep with the lights on for the rest of my life, now, but I believe you.”
Sarah sighed, but nodded. “Yeah. I guess I do, too.”
Two looked at them both for a moment, then burst into tears. She covered her face with her hands, sobbing, shaking, unable to control herself. Tori woke at the sound, looking worried. “Are you okay, Two?”
Two sniffled, ran a hand across her eyes, tried to regain her composure. “I’m all right, Tori … it’s okay.”
Rhes and Sarah were looking at her. Two gave up on maintaining any illusion of control and let herself cry. She needed it, and it didn’t seem to bother them. Eventually she was able to compose herself enough to speak.
“I never want to tell that story again. I killed people. Victims, vampires … Sam and Melissa and Abraham. I’d do it again. I’d do all of it, and I’d do even more if it would keep Theroen alive. I’d murder everyone between here and there, for that. I never expected you guys to believe me, but if you do, I won’t blame you for hating me.”
“Believing you is pretty difficult. Not hating you is easy.” Rhes brought her a tissue, and another beer. Two thanked him, opened the beer, drank half of it in three quick gulps.
“What now?” asked Sarah.
Two leaned back, thinking. “What now? Good question. Now, I need to try to relax, and pretty soon I’m going to need to sleep. Also, I need a cigarette. Ashtray still on your porch?” Sarah and Rhes were both nonsmokers, and Two was long familiar with having to step outside for a cigarette.
“Yeah. Might be buried under the snow, though. You want company?” Rhes still looked dazed, but he was coming out of it.
“Nah. Stay inside where it’s warm, and finish figuring out whether you think I’m crazy or not.”
“No offense, Two, but I’m not sure I can figure that out that quickly.”
Two shrugged. She still wasn’t sure herself.
Tori stayed inside, playing with Jake. Two, out in the January cold, pulled her jacket closer to her, huddled against the building, smoked and thought.
Two and a half days. An eternity of promise, and it had delivered only two and a half days to her. She had been a half-vampire for several weeks, had in that time known the taste of Theroen’s blood, known his touch and his kiss and above all his simple presence, always there at the back of her mind. As a vampire, though, the events –
it seemed a year’s worth – that had led to her return to humanity had lasted only a scant sixty hours.
Two tried to regret it. It would be so much easier to regret it, that brief taste of immortality, than to live with the loss. She couldn’t, though, despite the worry, the horror, the hate. Her experience as a vampire had been filled with wonder and love and joy. Two hoped she could someday bring herself to embrace her humanity again. It seemed now a cold and hollow shell, a dim reflection of what she once was.
There was a police car rolling down the avenue toward her. Two felt that old, familiar prickling at the base of her neck she’d known during her time with Darren. Cops were trouble, and were to be avoided at all costs. She pushed it away. There was no reason for it now. The car stopped in front of her, window rolling down, and an officer looked at out her.
“Nice night,” he said.
Two nodded. It was. Cold, but clear, without a lot of wind. Tiny, dry snowflakes danced under the streetlights, hovered in the air, caught the lights of the city and turned the night sky brighter than usual.
“Your parents know you smoke, little girl?”
Two rolled her eyes. “I’m nineteen. My friends Rhes and Sarah live here. They don’t smoke, so I have to come outside.”
The cop smiled, amused at her annoyance. “All right, sweetheart. Fair enough. Still, this ain’t the best neighborhood …”
Two gave him a tired smile and put her cigarette out in the coffee can that served as an ashtray.
“I’ve got nothing to be afraid of here, Officer. Trust me.” She gave a small wave, turned back to the door, and made her way inside.
* * *
Rhes was talking to Tori. He’d always been good with kids, and she seemed to be responding well to him. At least, she was answering his questions with enthusiasm.
“Tell me about Melissa, Tori.”
“She was my sister! She had black hair and was tall and sometimes she’d come out walking with me and tell me stories.”
“And what about Missy?”
Tori faltered for a moment. “Missy? She was the same as Melissa. Same thing, Rhes.”
The II AM Trilogy Collection Page 25