by C. L. Quinn
“When do we just get to be normal?” she whispered, louder this time, easily heard by all the passengers.
Brigitte nodded. “I wonder the same myself, sometimes. But it’s a waste of time, we are who and what we are. Yes, we have an overwhelming destiny, but it is up to us to find the time to make our own memories. That’s why we’re here in this jet. Against orders, no less. Look, we are all adults and while we love our parents and honor them, we choose where we go and what we want. We choose.”
Eras stood and faced his solemn friends. “Hey, how did this turn so serious? We’re on an adventure to help people, to try out our skills, to see the other side of the planet, and rock this shit. So, someone go to the galley and pull out some food, and let’s start this party!”
Caedmon, still seated, leaned forward. “I’m in total agreement. The world is ours, young people, let’s act like it!”
Applause filled the cabin, and several got up to raid Koen’s stores of fine food.
The party started immediately, later filled with impromptu performances since both Mac and Caedmon had brought guitars. Songs and conversations ballooned until the noise in the cabin swelled. Most of the travelers were discussing what they might do first when they arrived in Patagonia.
Stepping into the bathroom to find a quiet place, Brigitte looked through the numbers in her cell phone and punched one that she had never used. Moments passed before a soft voice answered.
“Hi, yes?”
Brigitte cleared her throat. “Hey. Crezia?”
“Yes?”
“I’m Brigitte. From Africa. I’m a child of the moon. Do you know what that means?”
Silence not more than a few seconds seemed to stretch into minutes before the quiet voice spoke again.
“I do.”
“How are you doing?”
“Quite well. Brigitte, I’m okay with small talk, but you might as well get to your point. I’ve felt something in the air now for the past two days. Why are you calling?”
“I think it’s time you meet your team. Strangely, we are probably not too far from you right now.”
“You’re coming to Boston?”
“Not quite, but we’re on our way to South America. Crezia, would you like to come too? We’re on a mission, and I think it’s the perfect time for all of us to be together. Please, come to Patagonia with us.”
Brigitte sat on the toilet seat, her eyes ahead as she watched her reflection in the mirror. More silence. This might not go as she hoped. She heard some rustling and a door close.
“I’ll come. Can you text me the location?”
Relieved, Brigitte nodded to her phone, then rolled her eyes at herself. “Yes, of course. We are all looking forward to meeting you.”
“I am too. And it’s Zia. No one calls me by my full name. God, my parents are going to kill me. I can’t tell them, they’ll forbid me to come.”
Laughing, Brigitte stood. “Join the gang. We’re runaways too. See, it’s just the right adventure. We’ll see you soon.”
Sending a text to the same number, Brigitte stared at herself in the mirror. The ancient vampire’s daughter…this would be really interesting.
Koen’s jet, state-of-the-art, easily made the journey from France to the southern tip of South America, the engines redesigned from those in the first jet he’d bought back in 2001, so no refueling was necessary for that distance. The flight was expected to take about 10 hours, so when Cairine, Fia, and Bryson’s cell phones began to buzz, they looked up at their companions.
“It’s time to rise in France. And they’re up.” Cairine drew a long breath and slowly released it, her finger above the ACCEPT button. “Shit. I don’t know what to say.”
“Just tell the truth,” Brigitte said.
“We aren’t doing anything wrong,” Fia said as she picked up her phone and punched to accept her mother’s call. “Hey, mum. Yeah, we’re somewhere over South America right now. Mum, we’re all fine. We’re doing exactly what we were meant to do. Seriously, Talib has had visions. We were all meant to be here, right now, to rescue these children.”
Fia rolled her eyes while everyone watched as she dealt with the most powerful vampire in the world, even if she was her mother. They all knew they would face similar phone calls as the night continued.
“Okay, here he is. Bryson, Father wants to speak with you. And don’t you dare let him tell you to take care of your sister.” Fia handed her phone to her brother and looked at the collected spectators. “I hate when they do that!”
Cairine’s phone chimed again and she stepped away from Bryson, who was talking loudly and gesturing as he paced in the small space.
“Hi, Father. I hope you guys aren’t worried about us, we’re all well. I’m sorry that we took the jet, but we all agreed that we wanted and needed to do this. Since then, we found out that this is part of our destiny. We are destined to be here and help the Totems.”
The silence on the other end of the phone told her all that she needed to know. Her father was not happy.
IN BOSTON
Carefully, Crezia slipped out of the house, well aware that of everyone in her life, she was the least likely to be successful at something like this. But she’d learned from her father that when you want something, you find a way. This was something she not only wanted, but desperately needed. The day had to come when she would begin her own life. Her parents wouldn’t agree that it was anytime soon, and she imagined that her father would be fine if it never did. But life had a way of happening, and Crezia had been waiting for that day.
That day had arrived. After calling her father’s blood-bond, she’d convinced him to prepare the jet that her parents kept, she was gone before anyone could stop her. There were plenty who could have done so. Her aunt and uncle were human, although blood-bonded, and could easily have seen her sneak from the house.
She breathed easier now that the plane was in the air, although her chest still felt tight. Father, mother, and Niki would be so pissed when they found out.
Pushing back into the plush seat, she sighed and glanced out the window. It had been two years since she’d flown, and she already knew it had been too long. There was nothing more stimulating than feeling the wheels leave the ground, and then watching the earth grow wider beneath her.
“I feel even closer to you when I’m in the sky,” she whispered to Mother Earth. “Look how beautiful you are.”
“Did you need something, Miss Zia?” the pilot called back when he heard her speak.
“No, Jordi. I was just talking to myself. I’m going to head to the galley in a few moments, do you need anything?”
“Water, miss, if you wouldn’t mind.”
“Not at all.”
Crezia released her seat belt and headed down the wide hall to a fully stocked galley. The flight would take about 6 hours, so she might as well relax.
Relax? Hardly. She would meet the other ten young people that, according to Chione, were destined to join with her in some kind of epic ecological battle sometime in the future.
Her pocket began to dance. She’d left her phone on vibrate. Sliding it out, she looked up and sighed. Touching the ACCEPT button, she said, “Hi, Niki.”
“Where the hell are you?” Nikolai spoke quietly, but she could tell he was upset.
Wincing, Crezia reached for a bottle of water. “Didn’t you see my note?”
“You mean the one that says you’re flying to South America? The one that I’m going to take in to your father?”
“Niki, please, understand, I’m an adult now, I can make my own decisions.”
“Adults don’t sneak out like a five year old child and run away.”
“I didn’t sneak.” Yes, she had. “But I knew that you would say no, and that wasn’t an answer I would have accepted. This was the least confrontational way for me to do this. And that’s very adult and responsible.”
“You know what your father is going to do as soon as he gets up tonight, right?”
“I do. Please, try to stop him. I’ve left a message on his cell phone. When you were in your twenties, Niki, what were you doing?”
He was silent.
“You’d gone to university, against your parent’s wishes, right?”
“Da. They wanted me to become a fisherman.”
“You followed your heart and your instincts, and that’s all I’m doing. Please, make my case, okay?”
A different voice came on the phone. “Hi, sweetheart. You go do what you need to do, love. I’ve got your back here.”
Naji, her ever-reliable champion, the one person that Crezia knew would always have her back, even when she did something against the rules or completely outrageous.
“Thank you, Naj. I knew I could count on you. Just let them know that I’m fine and I’ll be with ten other vampire children so I think we can handle anything that comes. And we’ll be helping people, like I said in my note. Naji, you know I need this.”
“I do, and it’s about time. Don’t worry your pretty little head about these dinosaurs back here, I’ll deal with them. I won’t promise that I can stop your father, but I promise I’ll try.”
“Spasibo. I’ll keep you informed, okay? Tell my parents I love them and to have faith in me.”
“Oh, love, they have all the faith in the universe in you. But not in other people. Still, you go out there and kick ass and have a great time doing it.”
“I will. Tell Niki that I love him too. Love you, Naj!”
“Always, my kitten. Now let me get off here and straighten up this man of mine!”
Ending the call, Crezia smiled. It would be fine. She needed to get the water to Jordi, get something to eat, and lie back to rest before they landed.
She was as excited as she’d ever been.
IN SOUTHERN FRANCE
“Those little shits!”
“Koen, stop. I’m as surprised as you are. And proud of them, just as you are, if you’ll stop and let yourself realize it.” Tamesine leaned against the railing and watched the last orange fade from the sky. Night had finally arrived and they had a situation.
“I’m not surprised,” Park commented as she leaned against Bas’s back. “They’re all grown up.” She sighed and threaded her fingers through his. “Wasn’t it just yesterday that we arrived here and had that baby girl? How the hell is she on a plane halfway across this world away from me? When did she grow up?”
Bas’s deep voice filled the covered balcony where they were gathered to “decide” what to do about the “situation.”
“We knew by the time they were a few years old that they would be amazing…and unstoppable. I’m actually surprised they haven’t challenged us long before now.”
“They’re still human, and that makes them vulnerable!”
Koen slammed a fist against a supporting beam and glanced up sharply to make sure he hadn’t damaged it. “I just think that we need to be with them until they’re a little more experienced with the ways of the world.”
Quiet since they’d discovered that their children had stolen Koen’s jet, Eillia lifted a glass of wine and took a long sip. Daniel, behind her chair, kneaded her shoulders. While every parent on the balcony was concerned for their children’s safety, they knew that Eillia and Daniel worried not only for their son’s safety, but also for his ability to even get around in a place as inhospitable as Patagonia. How would he be able to keep up with the others? Would the rough terrain make his condition worse?
Standing, Eillia faced her friends. “They’ll be okay. We know that the universe protects them, so we have nothing to do but keep them in our hearts and be here if they need us. So, let’s get first meal, all right?”
Taking Daniel’s hand, she led him from the balcony, followed momentarily by all the other concerned vampires except Koen. He glanced behind him as the group disappeared into the dining room and waved a hand.
“Come.”
Rodney stepped out, moving to the railing beside Koen. “I’m sorry, sir. For reasons that confound me, standing here earlier today, I do not know how I could have fallen asleep. I did not know they had left until I woke and found no sign of them but the notes that I brought you. I’ve failed you. Failed them.”
Koen looked up sharply at this man he had trusted without question for decades. “Failed them? My friend, that you have been able to keep up with them at all for these many years was a feat. No, you have not failed them or me. They’re skilled and clever. You fell asleep.”
“I am dispirited, sir, ashamed that I did not portend this action, that they are alone. It is apparent that I am no longer the man to serve you.”
“Over the top, Rodney, as usual. You have been in charge of protection for five unruly children for the past few decades, and on occasion, ten. You have seen their power. Why did you fall asleep, young man?”
“Again, I have no defense for my somnolence other than flagging weariness. But that is not acceptable and I deserve no absolution.”
“Think, man. You have ten highly motivated, powerful young people who believe that they know exactly what they need to do. Now, why did you fall asleep?”
Koen’s point sudden struck Rodney.
“Compulsory sleep wrought by inspired youth. They sent me into dreamland so they could tip-toe past me and fly the friendly skies.”
“Bingo, my friend. So now, what do you do?”
“I take my team and shadow my charges, sir.”
“You can take Xavier’s jet. Go, keep an eye on them, keep them safe, let me know if we need to come. I might anyway.”
“Sir, these young people are brilliant and need to find their way unescorted through the jungles of their human lives.”
“I know. I’ve had three women telling me that all night. That’s why I’m not going to overreact and show up in front of those kids faces and prove that I have no faith in them. But you’ll be there, just in case.”
“I will not fail you again.”
“Get the fuck out of here, Rodney. You’d give your life for any one of those kids, I know that. You could never fail me.”
Nodding with a slight bow, Rodney turned to go, but stopped when Koen placed a hand on his forearm. “Keep vigilant. And stay safe too. You will return with them when they come home.”
After a second lower nod of affirmation, and a click of his heels in acknowledgment, Rodney was gone.
Koen faced the now dark sea and sky. The moon had yet to rise, and the sun was long gone. This was not the night he’d had planned. After half an hour and half a bottle of Glenfiddich, he admitted that no matter how hard he tried, he would continue to worry for those kids.
THREE
IN PATAGONIA
Eras took lead leaving the plane. They’d landed twenty minutes ago, the descent harrowing as the plane lowered through dense trees to drop onto a narrow landing strip comprised of hard-packed earth.
“Sorry, guys, we’re coming down in about ten minutes and it’ll be a rough landing,” the pilot had warned them thirty minutes ago. “The locals warned me in advance and I can see that it sure will be. Seatbelts for everyone and make sure all loose items are stowed. You have ten minutes.”
Everyone complied to meet the deadline. He hadn’t been exaggerating. Most of the passengers were trying to adjust to standing again after the rattling landing.
“Holy shit, I’m walking like you now, Caed,” Mac commented as he staggered up the aisle.
“Ha, ha.” Caedmon’s voice showed his lack of concern for Mac’s problem as he carefully pushed out of his seat, his eyes on Cairine when she started toward him. “I’m fine, Cari,” he warned.
Stopping, she smiled. “Of course you are. I’m only reaching for my bag.” Lifting the backpack from the seat in front of her, she moved past him. No, she would not look back to make sure he was still making it on his own. She’d promised, and this was not the time to break his trust. This was a time to show she believed in him.
So she kept her eyes forward and conti
nued until she stepped from the plane and onto solid ground. She scanned the dark landscape to a lit tree line where they could barely see several people moving toward them.
Eras waved suddenly. “Luka! Hey, buddy!”
A large man emerged and moved across the ground quicker than a human could have. Cairine watched him. Vampire, and risking it, to be out so close to dawn.
The children of the moon all moved to meet the vampire, and when everyone hugged him, and laughter broke through the still early morning air, it was obvious that they knew him from Zambia.
After they’d greeted each other, he led them to the plane, his eyes landing first on Cairine, then moving across the other young people he did not recognize. Cairine admitted he had a very engaging smile.
“Children of the sun,” he said, and moved closer, paused, then slowly embraced Cairine, Caedmon, the twins, and a reluctant Maccabee. When he stepped back, his eyes swept over each of the ten to land back on Eras.
“So, you’re our cavalry, eh? Koen called to let us know you were coming and to warn me that if anything happens to any one of you, he’s going to end me. So, let’s get you settled, we’ll discuss the situation, and go from there, okay? Follow me, please.”
Fifteen minutes later, the pilot and all his passengers sat in wide comfortable couches in a huge room below ground, a table in the center of the couches filled with various foods. Everything looked natural, and a lot of it looked raw.
“Try some of it.” Luka stepped into the room, shaking an arm in the air. “Whoa. I’ve got to stop waiting until it’s almost too late before I get out of el sol’s path. Someday he is going to bite me on the ass!” He dropped onto the fourth sofa, still abandoned, to face the ten travelers.