by A Lorenzen
I was sitting in my chair, staring into space, when Blake came home. The moment his eyes fell on me, he smirked knowingly.
‘He’s impressive, isn’t he?’ Blake teased.
He let himself fall into the chair next to mine and observed me. ‘Did he answer some of your questions?’
I nodded.
Blake couldn’t stop himself from grinning. ‘A word of advice, don’t think of anything you don’t want him to know when he’s around.’
I raised my eyebrows at Blake, waiting for him to explain further. He kept smiling with his I-know-something look. He leant forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
‘Didn’t you notice?’
My frown deepened and Blake’s delight augmented.
‘Caleb can read your emotions,’ he said in an obvious tone.
I was startled. My horrified face brought Blake more pleasure. He leant back, laying his head on his left hand, enjoying my reaction.
‘He knows what I’m thinking?!’ I repeated carefully.
Blake did not make any sign of acknowledgement, but just kept smiling.
I had risen onto my legs, shocked by this revelation. Now it all came back to me. Caleb had answered my questions without me uttering a word. How could I not have notice before?
‘I’ll let you get used to this idea.’ Blake got up and jogged up to his room, noisily fumbling with his drawers.
I tried to remember everything I had thought about while Caleb was here. Had I inadvertently told him things I didn’t want him to know? No, nothing came to mind, but it was a lucky break; I would have to be careful in the future.
Blake came down the stairs, in a baggy pair of shorts ready for another workout session.
‘Blake, Caleb said you used to be his protégé. Is that right?’
He came towards me while stretching his arms and back. ‘Yes, and when my trainer had finished his sentence, I graduated to his trainer status. When I’m done here in twenty-nine years it will be your turn to train someone.’
‘How did Caleb get here? Is he also here for a second chance in his human life?’
‘No,’ Blake had lowered his voice. ‘Caleb did bad things when he was human and when he was close to his death, he was tormented with guilt and regret. When he died, he got a chance to redeem himself by serving here as a master. At the end of his sentence he will have absolution and can rest in peace.’
‘What did he do that was so awful?’
Blake turned away and walked towards the back of the living room. ‘That you will have to ask him yourself.’
My eyes wandered out the window. It was early afternoon and the sun was high in the sky and beating down on the grey structures of Idolon. The apartment would soon be as hot as an oven.
‘I’m going out for a walk.’ I swung myself out of the chair.
Blake let himself fall from the rails on the ceiling and landed on cat’s feet.
‘Alright, just be careful. Even if you’ll be approved soon, it’s better to be safe.’
His abs contracted as he jumped back up and started pulling himself up. His strength was infinite it seemed.
With a gun and my phone on me, I exited the house and started walking north. I reached a park after about twenty minutes. It was small with large willow and birch trees. The rustling of their leaves invited me closer and I sat in the shade under a smaller willow tree.
I was leaning against the tree with my eyes closed when my phone vibrated.
‘How are you feeling? Are you doing better since the party? Ben.’
A shudder travelled through my body. It would still take me some time to put Vladimir behind me. But I wanted to get over it as quickly as possible. With the approaching council hearing I couldn’t risk being distracted. And Caleb could read my emotions! He could possibly feel my distress! I had to get rid of all this.
I texted Ben my location and asked if he wanted to join me. He responded he would be there shortly.
A cool breeze blew through the park, playing with my hair and making the leaves and branches whirl. The shadow and light game that danced on the ground was soothing.
My butt cheeks were asleep. I opened my eyes and stretched to counter the tingling. Ben was sitting across from me, his legs stretched out, shades on his eyes and his head pointing towards the canopy of the trees above us. He was wearing dark shorts and a fitted blue t-shirt. The t-shirt was tight around his shoulders and pecks.
‘How long was I out?’ I croaked.
Ben smiled at me. ‘About an hour. I didn’t have the heart to wake you.’
I realized I had been completely defenceless lying in plain sight. An open target for any kind of assault. My hand glided to the weapon by my side.
The sun was further down the horizon. With the increased wind the temperature was pleasant.
‘So how are you doing?’
I sat up and sighed deeply. ‘Nervous. I still need to pass my hearing and my master can read my emotions. I can’t hide things it seems, but I don’t want to talk about them.’
‘You feel under pressure. All these… men around you.’
My heartbeat accelerated and a hot wave flashed through my body.
‘Are you afraid of me?’
Ben had not moved. He was still leaning back, a few feet away from me.
‘I don’t want to be… but I don’t know you. Even Blake scares me and I’ve known him for a year. I trust him… to an extent. All of you can suddenly attack me. All of you are very strong.’
‘Do you think Blake would hurt you?’
I pondered his question before answering. ‘No, but I’m still scared.’
Ben stayed quiet for a few moments. ‘Are you… still – in danger?’
‘No.’
‘Are you sure?’
A few tears fell from my eyes, but I quickly shook my head. ‘He’s dead.’
He nodded. ‘Good. I don’t want to ask more questions, but if someone hurts you, you let me know and I’ll take care of it. I like you and I don’t want anyone hurting you.’
Though he was perfectly calm, even I could sense the threat in his tone.
‘Where did you go in January?’
‘I told you, I had to take care of some things.’ Ben became defensive.
‘You say you like me and you’ll take care of things, but you ghosted me for three months and now you’re asking me to trust you.’
Ben took his sunglasses off and cleaned the lenses with the bottom of his t-shirt. He put them back on and adjusted them, before he finally responded.
‘I know I’ve let you down. I… my master and I had a – disagreement, which led to him threatening to report me to the council. I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I had to leave for a while to cool off. I didn’t want to leave you, but I couldn’t stay where Jesper would find me.’
It was strange to me that his relationship with his master was so explosive. I couldn’t imagine disagreeing with Caleb. I wanted his approval, whatever it cost.
‘Where did you go?’
‘I went south, but I kept moving so Jesper wouldn’t be able to sense me.’
‘Why didn’t you tell me before? Why didn’t you text me or call me?’ I couldn’t quite hide the despair in my voice.
Ben bowed his upper body towards me as if to whisper something. He was at about an arm’s distance from me.
‘If we had talked and texted, I would have wanted to come back to spend time with you, but I needed to cool off. If I had returned earlier, I would have ended up in front of the council again.’
I tilted my head. ‘So, you do like me?’
Ben smiled and my heart warmed. ‘Of course I do. I think you’re great.’
The butterflies in my stomach suddenly appeared, buzzing happily. My knees got weak and I was relieved I was sitting and not standing.
‘If I’m supposed to trust you, I need to get to know you,’ I suggested.
We continued talking for hours. He told me he had run away from home at fifteen.
His mother was an alcoholic and he had not known his father. He had a brother but he had gone to jail and he had not seen any of his family for years. Ben loved to race cars as well as boxing. Even though he was eager to leave Idolon, there was not much waiting for him in his human life. He didn’t speak much of his family and mostly talked about his life after he ran away.
We bonded over Canada. I had lived for a few years in Vancouver and he had lived there too. The butterflies in my stomach became a continuous humming. Even though I didn’t feel in danger or in any way uneasy around Ben, there was a part of my brain that knew if he wanted to, he could overpower me and take advantage of me. No matter how many times I told myself he wouldn’t, I couldn’t shake the worried feeling that he still was capable.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, interrupting our conversation. The sun had now disappeared behind the buildings and it was starting to cool down. The blue of the sky was no longer light blue, but a deeper ocean blue. A few white clouds had appeared on the horizon.
‘Where are you? You’ve been gone for hours now.’ Blake had an angry tone.
‘I’m almost field approved, what’s the problem? I’m in a park not far from the house.’
‘What are you doing?’
‘I’m talking with a friend. What do you want?’ My words were a bit too harsh, but I was growing tired of him.
‘Who are you talking to?’
‘None of your business!’
Blake breathed into the phone. ‘Ameerah, I’m still your trainer so I need to know what you’re doing and who you’re with. It’s starting to be late. Come home now. I’ll expect you here within half an hour.’
Blake hung up on me.
I was fuming. What was he thinking? What did it matter to him who I was with?
‘I’ll take you back.’ Ben got up and stretched his hand my way.
Hesitantly, I took it and let him pull me up. His hand was warm and the skin on his fingers rough. He held on to my hand a few seconds longer before letting go.
Ben brushed the grass and twigs off himself and guided me towards his car. It was a short drive back to Blake’s house. He stopped the car three houses before Blake’s.
‘Do you want to get out here or should I drive up to the house?’ Ben turned towards me.
‘Here is better. The way Blake reacted last time I think it’s better he doesn’t get the chance to throw a punch.’
Ben smirked. ‘Not that he has a chance, but I understand. Send me a message later on.’
I nodded and got out of the car. I wanted to kiss him, but I also wanted to wait. He was sweet but I couldn’t shake the fear Vladimir had given me.
‘Who were you with?’ Blake stood at the top of the stairs as I walked up. He had stretched himself to his full length.
‘It doesn’t matter, stop asking me questions.’ I tried to wave him off.
‘It can’t be Kim because you would have told me, so tell me!’ He followed me as I tried to get to my bedroom. Blake positioned himself in front of the door and eyed me with his icy eyes.
‘Fine! I was with Ben!’ I threw my hands in the air.
Blake’s face immediately changed. ‘Ben? You were… you were with Ben? After I told you to stay away from him? After I told you about his recruit being butchered by vampires?’
‘We were just sitting in the park talking, what’s the big deal? And what does it matter to you anyway? I’m a grown woman and I can do whatever I want.’
‘No, you cannot do what you want! We have to work together! I’m your trainer and he cannot be trusted! He’s careless and I don’t want you in any danger! That’s the end of it.’
I took a step back. ‘First of all, I’m always in danger! There are demons running around ready to kill me so don’t tell me Ben will put me in more danger. And secondly, you can’t tell me what to do. I can talk and socialise with anyone I want and you can’t stop me!’
‘Ameerah, I’m serious,’ he warned me. There was a light in his eyes that I hadn’t seen before. The veins on his neck started to show.
‘So am I. Back off Blake.’
I pushed past him and closed the door behind me. My legs were shaking. I was proud of myself for finally taking a stand and not letting myself be manipulated and controlled, but this defiance would have consequences. Blake would find a way to make me pay. That, however, was a problem for tomorrow.
I breathed in deeply and let myself fall onto the bed. Another day gone. Another day closer to leaving.
TERRITORY INFRINGEMENTS
The day of my hearing, Blake and Caleb dropped me off on the steps of the court. I proceeded inside into a dark room. As instructed, I turned to the right and opened the heavy wooden door to the hall where I would present my case. The hinges creaked as I carefully opened it. It was a heavy door and a dozen feet tall.
Once I had slipped inside, the door closed loudly, making me jump. The hall was huge. It looked like it could have been a royal court. The ceiling was covered in frescos, reminding me of the Sistine Chapel. At the far end was a large table at which the five hideous creatures were sitting. They were deathly pale and draped in black robes. Even from this distance I could make out their empty sockets staring through my skin. My nerves instinctively spiked. I tried to recall the warm feeling Caleb’s presence had given me just a few minutes ago and used it to stay composed.
I stopped when I was a few yards from their long wooden table; any further and I worried I would start to gag. The table was on a high podium, making me feel even smaller. It seemed ridiculously unnecessary to lift those creatures higher up; they had to know they scared the living crap out of every person having to stand so close to them.
‘Do you know why you are here, Ameerah?’ the familiar echoes resounded in my head. The white creatures in front of me did not move. With a loud gulp I took a deep breath. I can do this.
‘To tell you about my field test…?’ I hesitated. My voice was no louder than a whisper. Blake had warned me the council had heightened auditory capacities, so I had to hush my responses. Apparently, they were able to hear everything from my heartbeat to the electricity passing between the neurons in my brain. All in all, it enabled them to sense lies. Or at least that’s what Blake and the other ghosts seemed to think. I didn’t know for sure, but I could imagine they had some sort of X-ray vision into my mind. Back when I had first passed over to Idolon, I hadn’t even spoken out loud. I had only thought of my responses and agreed to this visit in hell.
‘Tell us how you defeated the vampire by the name of Viktor,’ their voices echoed. It was spoken as a command. The empty sockets burnt holes in my eyes.
I took another deep breath to calm myself. Take your time. ‘The illusion of my little brother Liam vanished, and I saw Viktor. He was tall. His eyes were red and his pupils vertical. I knew immediately he was dangerous. Viktor revealed himself as a vampire and said he wanted to play with me. I tried to fend him off, but he was too fast.’ I paused to emphasize. ‘So, I tricked him. I showed him my throat and Viktor let his guard down. I managed to smash a glass vase against the side of his head. He lost his temper and threw me around the office and into the walls. I tried to kick him, but he had his hand around my throat and I passed out.’ I explained it all in one go. After Blake had prepped me, I was well versed.
‘Did the vampire named Viktor bite you?’
‘No,’ I hushed under my breath.
‘Did the vampire named Viktor mention another attack involving two other vampires named Tom and Jason?’
Those had to be the ones involved in torturing and killing Ben’s recruit. ‘No. Viktor only mentioned I was not the first ghost he would have the pleasure of killing.’
The white monsters leant closer towards me. It was the first movement they’d made since I had entered the hall. The sudden movement startled me.
‘It seems you are celebrated for defeating the vampire named Viktor without help. Do you concur?’ they stated.
‘I did not defeat him, I onl
y held him off until the other ghosts came to my rescue.’
‘How did you keep yourself alive just in time to be rescued?’
I could feel heat rising in me. Their questioning made me more and more uneasy.
‘Has your trainer named Blake instructed you in the art of combat of a vampire?’
I nodded.
‘Tell us what your trainer named Blake taught you to do when faced with a vampire.’ The white creatures sat motionless.
‘Blake taught me to run away.’
‘Why did you not follow his instructions when faced with the vampire named Viktor?’
‘I… I tried, but Viktor was too fast!’ I raised my voice ever so slightly, making the monsters hold up their right hands.
‘Tell us again your encounter with the vampire named Viktor.’
I repeated my story, changing the words but keeping the same outline. The flow of questions continued, pointing to small inconsistencies. The more I said, the more questions arose. It seemed endless. My feet and back hurt from standing so long in front of those arrogant beings. My eyes were itchy. My brain had trouble forming complete sentences. I wanted to draw my gun and shoot them right in their empty sockets. The questions wouldn’t stop. The more time passed, the less sense I made. Somehow, they managed to twist everything I said and use it against me.
Finally, they had heard enough. I let out a sigh of relief, but it was premature. ‘Ameerah, your second hearing will take place tomorrow. We find your telling to be inconsistent. It is out of character for a vampire to let their prey live so long once trapped.’
That was all they said. In one movement they rose from their chairs and floated off the podium and disappeared through a backdoor, leaving me alone in the great hall.
All I could think of was how much I craved a drink.
When I exited the building, Caleb and Blake were waiting, leaning against the blue truck, having an intense conversation. They both looked up at the same time as I stepped down the marble stairs of the court building. My heart accelerated at the sight of Caleb. I could feel the wave of comfort build inside me. Caleb stretched his dark hands out when I was close enough and I immediately reached for them. The moment I touched his hands the ecstasy transported me into heaven. It was better than smelling my mother’s clothes. I got lost in the happiness.