by L. M. Justus
Sarah turned the knob and pushed the door open. She spotted Nathaniel lurking in the farthest corner of the room, nestled away from the sun’s light. The door swung closed behind them, and Reed’s warm, comforting presence buoyed her when he pressed up against her back.
“You could have done me the courtesy of answering my calls,” Nathaniel said, his voice flat and emotionless. “I did ask that you remain here, and I wondered where you were.”
“Sorry,” Sarah and Reed said at the same time.
“We needed to get Sarah something to eat,” Reed said. “And we were extra careful, I promise. Anyway, I got you something.” He stepped around Sarah and held out his humble gift, wrapped in its small plastic bag.
Nathaniel looked taken aback and hesitated for a moment. Then he reached out tentatively and took the bag. He pulled out the ABBA CD and caressed the cover with his thumb. His expression thawed.
“I have not received a gift from anyone in . . . well, as long as I can remember,” he said. “Thank you.”
Reed shrugged. “When I saw it I thought of you, so you know, no big deal. I thought maybe you could listen to it in the car on our way to Salt Lake City.”
“If I seem overly strict with you,” Nathaniel began, “it is only that I worry about you both. I do not wish to see you come to harm. I apologize for treating you like children, but despite all that has occurred, you still do not seem to appreciate the gravity of the situation. It is frustrating, trying to protect those who do not seem to want protection.”
Sarah felt a stab of guilt and she could understand what Nathaniel meant. As a cop, people probably wouldn’t appreciate her giving them a speeding ticket even though she only wanted to keep all drivers safe. Her goal was to help others, but she realized people might not appreciate her efforts.
“Anyone for a game of cards?” Reed asked, startling Sarah out of her thoughts. He held up a battered deck he’d scrounged up from of one of the dresser drawers.
“Sorry, but I don’t play card games because I have an unfair advantage. Being able to read people’s minds and all,” she said.
“Oh, right,” Reed replied and frowned. “I guess I’ll play solitaire until the sun sets then.” He plopped down on one of the beds and started shuffling the cards.
Nathaniel didn’t say anything.
Sarah curled up on top of the covers on one of the beds for a nap, more to kill some time than because she was tired.
The sun had set, and they were on the road once again. The boys had fed and then dashed into the car for their death sleep. She reflected on the strangeness of her current situation, and then she thought about her sister. They were close and spoke on the phone at least twice a week, but there’d been no answer when she’d called earlier. She imagined Sophie was beside herself with worry wondering where she was. If she only knew!
Nathaniel regained consciousness first, and sat up in the back seat. About fifteen minutes later, Reed awakened and stretched.
“I think we’re about a half-hour or so away from the airport,” she said.
“Excellent,” Nathaniel replied. “We should be there in good time for our flight to New York.”
Reed was lost in his own thoughts and he stared out the window at the darkness. God, I miss you, Sam, Sarah heard him think. I feel so frigging guilty for being such a smart-ass annoying brother. I wish I’d told you how cool you were, even if it sounded lame and you thought I was being weird.
Obviously, Reed was still shaken after seeing that girl earlier in the afternoon who’d looked so much like his sister. “I have a younger sister too,” she said. “Her name’s Sophie. I was just thinking about her.”
Reed turned to look at her, but didn’t say anything. “Sophie and I . . . we’re pretty close,” Sarah continued. “We’ve been through a lot together. When we were kids, one of our mom’s boyfriends . . .” Sarah hesitated. Why was she telling him this? Would it make Reed feel any better, or would it make him feel even worse? Her personal background was irrelevant, but she had an urge to share it. She wanted to get it out in the open.
Nathaniel and Reed both waited without interrupting, so she continued. “Anyway, this boyfriend of our mom’s, he abused my sister when we were little. He . . . he took advantage of her, and Mom didn’t know about it. Not at first, that is. When you’re a kid, you know something’s wrong, but you don’t know how to stop it or that you can and should get help. Anyway, when Mom found out what was going on, she told him to get out. He did, thankfully, but the whole thing obviously influenced us a great deal. To this day, I have a strong motivation to help others and I hate to see people suffering. Which is why I wish there was something I could say to you, Reed, to make you feel better. I know you’ve hardly talked about losing your family, and I understand it’s hard. I can see it’s weighing on you.”
He ran his finger back and forth along the thick, silver chain hanging around his neck. He’d put on the chain she’d bought for him from the antiques shop without question.
“I feel so guilty,” Reed said at last. “Guilty for everything. Guilty for being alive. For surviving when they didn’t.”
Nathaniel reached forward to lay a hand on Reed’s shoulder. “If it is any consolation, I do believe that feeling is quite normal. I have felt my own immeasurable share of guilt as well.” He pulled his hand back and retrieved his new CD, passing it up to the front. “Shall we listen to a little music?”
Reed took the CD and inserted it into the player. He was probably eager to fill the air with noise rather than continue to talk about his recent losses, and Sarah didn’t want to push too hard.
It was difficult to make out much of the scenery in the darkness, but she could see the silhouette of the mountains lining the moonlit sky in the distance. Gradually, lights began to dot the nightscape, heralding their arrival in Salt Lake City. It was a shame she wouldn’t get to tour aroun, but their flight was due to take off in just over an hour and a half. This visit to Salt Lake City would be a whirlwind trip through the airport and nothing more.
Sarah parked the car, and felt almost disappointed at having to stop the ABBA CD they’d been listening to. It had turned out to be surprisingly upbeat and catchy, despite most of the lyrics being about breaking up and being cheated on. They crossed the parking lot and entered the semi-circular airport. It felt a bit weird preparing to board a flight without any luggage except for her handbag, stuffed with the few odds and ends she’d picked up in Nephi. Nathaniel retrieved their boarding passes at the ticket counter and dealt them out while they headed towards airport security.
“Richard Humphrey?” Reed asked after reading the name on his boarding pass.
“Shh!” Nathaniel hissed. “Keep your voice down,” he added in a whisper. When he seemed reassured no one important was within earshot, he explained in a low voice, “You do realize ‘Reed Hennessy’ is wanted as a possible suspect or fourth victim in a triple homicide. I could hardly put your real name on the airline ticket.”
“But we don’t have ID to match these made-up names,” I protested.
“I can easily control the minds of humans to circumvent their security checks,” Nathaniel reminded him.
“Sally Parkers,” Sarah read from her own pass. “I guess that’s close enough to Sarah Perkins that I won’t get too confused,” she said.
“Sally? C’mon, Nathaniel,” Reed said. “No one has named their kid ‘Sally’ in at least a hundred years.”
Nathaniel glared at Reed. “It is not an official or permanent name change; it is only for this one flight. Could we please cease discussing it before we draw undue attention?”
Reed rubbed his hands over his face and continued walking without saying anything else. He’d said he’d never left California except for one school trip to the Grand Canyon, so obviously he’d never been on a plane.
After passing through security without incident, they made their way to the waiting area at gate 23. They sat side-by-side, facing the window. Workers loaded th
e luggage into the baggage compartments of the plane’s belly, as Reed tapped his foot, and opened and closed his fists.
“Reed?” Sarah asked.
“Hmm?” he stopped his foot tapping and turned to look at her.
“You’re a little nervous, aren’t you?”
“Who me? Naw . . . well, okay, maybe a teeny bit. I’ve never flown anywhere before, and you know, if we crashed–”
“We’re not going to crash,” Sarah promised, resting her hand on top of his to stop him from fidgeting.
“Statistically speaking–” Nathaniel said.
“I know, I know what you’re going to say,” Reed interrupted. “That flying is safer than getting into a car, yadda yadda. But the thing is, if you’re in a car crash, you might survive, but if your plane crashes, you’re screwed! And what if I don’t die? What if I end up a mangled mess, but not dead, just hurt and having to snack on the other passengers to replenish my blood supply?”
“Do not be foolish,” Nathaniel scolded. “We are not going to crash. You are not making any sense, and you are going to make the other passengers nervous.”
An elderly couple sitting near them were in fact staring at them and frowning.
“Try closing your eyes and taking a few deep breaths,” Sarah suggested.
“We will be in the air for less than six hours,” Nathaniel added. “The drive to New York would take us at least two days.”
“You can do this,” Sarah said, looking straight into Reed’s eyes to emphasize her point.
“Yeah, I know . . . no big deal. Don’t worry about it,” he replied and turned to look back outside.
A short while later, the flight boarded and they shuffled onto the plane with the rest of the passengers. They’d managed to get three seats beside each other on the left side of the plane. Sarah had suggested Reed take the window seat so his nervousness would be hidden as much as possible from everyone else.
Reed closed his eyes, struggling to take calm, deep breaths while the plane taxied down the runway and took off. His hand tensed and he gripped the armrest. Sarah glanced down in alarm when it cracked audibly.
“Oops,” Reed said, lifting his hand, revealing the broken armrest.
“I should have said the plane won’t crash as long as you don’t tear it apart,” Sarah said.
“Sorry.” He tried to smile, looking very cute and sheepish. The bright blue color of his eyes grew paler. She’d learned over the last few days that was a sign he was losing control of his emotions, which could cause his fangs to pop out if he didn’t calm down.
“Reed, you need to get a grip ASAP or you’re going to give this gig away,” she leaned in and whispered.
His eyes widened in understanding and Sarah thought they couldn’t get to New York fast enough.
Reed
I stepped outside the JFK airport into the cold New York night. My breath puffed out in clouds and a light drizzle sprinkled icy droplets on my warm skin. It was a dreary welcome, but I felt exhilarated to be here and not on that nerve-wracking flight. Sarah had looked almost as relieved as I felt when our plane finally touched down.
A shiny stretch limousine pulled up in front of us, and a serious-looking man in a black suit got out of the driver’s side. He beckoned us over and held the door open for us like a hired chauffeur would have. Not that I’d ever been in a limo before or knew anything about what chauffeurs did or didn’t do. Considering our current circle of acquaintances, I suspected the driver was a vampire.
The driver got back in, and Sarah, Nathaniel and I clambered into the spacious rear compartment. The instant we pulled the door shut we rocked backwards as the limo took off. I sat in the seat facing forward and nestled next to Sarah, while Nathaniel took the seat opposite us.
“Do you have any idea where we’re going?” I asked.
“The King’s estate is located on a property not far from here, in an area called Lawrence which is approximately half way between the airport and Long Beach,” Nathaniel answered. I had no idea where any of those places were. “About twenty minutes from our current position,” he added.
I stared out the window, watching the city lights slide by. I didn’t recognize anything of the New York I’d seen in movies and stuff, but then again, we weren’t driving through Times Square. If I focused on the houses lining the road, it almost seemed like we were still in San Jose, but when I expanded my view into the distance, there weren’t any mountains. Not a palm tree in sight either. We definitely weren’t in California any more.
“This is sort of a homecoming for you, isn’t it?” Sarah asked, looking at Nathaniel.
“Indeed. I spent most of my life here in New York, in service to the King,” he answered, a hint of nostalgia coloring his voice.
The car slowed and we entered a community where the road twisted in majestic arcs and the homes became more opulent, the properties larger. A moment later, our limo turned through a pair of stone half-walls and headed up the curved drive of a sprawling mansion. There weren’t any gates or security guards, but the vampires probably didn’t need that kind of thing. Any poor bastard who tried to rob these guys would end up being dinner.
The car came to a stop outside the front doors of the manor and we climbed out. I lifted my head and scanned the vast expanse of ivy-covered stone, rounded turrets and hundreds of shuttered windows. My keen vampire night vision revealed the perfectly trimmed hedges and manicured lawns that spread out from the estate in all directions. Now this was what I’d thought a vampire lair would look like!
Sarah and I followed Nathaniel up the front steps, and the double doors swung open before we had a chance to knock. No doubt the vamps with their super hearing had known we were coming from a mile away. Another serious-looking guy in a suit, but with a shock of red hair, gestured for us to come in.
“This way, please,” he said in a monotone.
“Nathaniel,” a second vampire said, off to our left. I hadn’t even noticed him there, waiting in the shadows. “Welcome home. If you’ll follow me?”
I darted a glance at Sarah. Were they splitting us up? She shrugged and shook her head.
“If the two of you will come with me, please,” the first vamp said, moving toward the staircase in front of us. “I will show you to your quarters.”
Nathaniel left with the other guy down a hallway on the left side of the stairs. They disappeared into the bowels of the mansion and I turned back to get a better look at the grand foyer where we stood. The stairs rose straight up in front of us, splitting off to both sides half-way up. The twin hallways on the second floor overlooked the large entryway. A massive crystal chandelier sparkled with a gazillion lights above us, and dark hardwood floors gleamed under our feet. The bannisters, columns, and even the ceiling were intricately carved, yet there wasn’t a single painting or picture hanging on the walls, or plant to breathe life into the place. It was like a museum emptied of all its artifacts.
Our escort headed up the stairs, and Sarah and I fell into step behind him. He took the right-hand branch and we followed him down the long hallway. Every door along the hall was closed, and the vampire stopped outside one near the end. He turned the knob and opened the door.
“Your room,” he said, indicating for us to go inside.
I peeked past him at the large bed–the only bed–in the room. “Uh, so we’re sharing?” I asked. It was a mansion after all, and there were probably fifty thousand other bedrooms in the place.
“You are a mated pair, are you not?” he asked.
“M–mated . . . ?” Heat crept up my neck into my face.
“It’s perfect,” Sarah insisted, dragging me by the arm into the room. “Thank you very much.”
“The King will see you in the drawing room in ten minutes. It is the first door to your right at the bottom of the stairs,” the vamp said.
“Great, thanks,” I mumbled. I kicked the door closed behind me with my heel and stuffed my hands in my pockets.
The bed and dres
ser looked like fancy antiques, and the wallpaper and carpet were patterned with complicated-looking swirly designs. The room lacked a homey feel though, and seemed bare without any knick-knacks or decorations.
“I guess you can have the bed because I don’t . . . sleep,” I said.
Sarah bit her lip and stifled a grin.
“What?” I said.
“I think you’re very cute,” she said with a smile.
Cute? “Uh huh.”
“That’s not a bad thing, silly.” She laughed and moved over to sit on the edge of the bed. “I wonder what the King is like?”
“Nathaniel said he was nice as long as you stay on his good side. Who knows what it takes to piss these guys off though? Looking at them the wrong way might do it.” I sighed.
We spent a few more minutes exploring the room and discovered a luxurious en-suite bathroom past the first closed door. A huge, empty walk-in closet was behind the other.
When ten minutes had passed, we headed back down the long hallway to the stairs and found our way to the drawing room.
Sarah knocked twice and a booming voice called, “Come in.”
We pushed the door open and Nathaniel stood at the far side of the room. The door closed behind us with a soft click and I took a deep, calming breath. A stocky man stood facing the windows with his back to us. He had long, blond hair drawn back in a ponytail, and a rich blue cape edged in fur hung from his shoulders and touched the floor. He was dressed like a king from the Middle Ages. Wow, was this guy playing into his role or what?
He turned to face us and my gaze drifted up to his face. I realized with a start that he looked familiar. Was this guy a famous celebrity or something? Where had I seen him before? “I have a bad feeling about this,” I muttered under my breath. Sarah grabbed my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
“Welcome, friends,” the King said, breaking into a hearty grin.
“May I introduce Reed Hennessy,” Nathaniel said. Sarah and I walked closer. “And Sarah Perkins.”