Monday started off great for Allie. Her father programmed his and Kay’s cell numbers into Allie’s phone, along with their home phone number, each complete with custom pictures and ring tones. He left for work before his daughter awakened, and so it was Kay who presented the cell phone to Allie that morning over breakfast.
“Thank you kindly.” Allie took it and began thumbing through the phone’s options. Even though she never had her own phone before, she was quite an expert at working the menus. She played her parents’ special ring tone and looked horrified at her mother, who tried hard not to burst with laughter. “Where is Dad?”
Kay let out a small laugh before getting serious with her daughter. “He had to leave early this morning for another group of meetings with the townspeople. When you get out of school you can take these papers to your boss and work today. You are going to have to wait and see what comes out of your father’s meeting to know if you can continue working.” She handed her daughter the folder with the signed papers in them. “Are you surprised?” she asked as Allie ogled them.
“Honestly? Yeah! I don’t know what to make of you and Dad sometimes. I can work today, but I have to keep in mind it might be for the last time. Does that about cover it?”
“Yes, it does. Your safety is the issue,” her mother said firmly.
“All right, I am not going to argue. I will take what I can get. Do you have my phone number?”
“Of course, and if I or your father should call, you will answer the call immediately or lose the phone. Clear?”
“All right, Mom, Jesus!”
“Watch your mouth.”
Allie went to the cabinet and got her bowl and fixed herself some cereal. As she ate, she continued to play with the phone. When done eating, Allie put the folder in her backpack and was out the door, cell gripped firmly in her hand.
Most of the students had phones and had ridiculed Allie daily on the bus for not being old enough to have one like they did. Now that she had her own, she relished the opportunity to throw it in their faces. Her new phone was top of the line, most popular, and cost twice as much as theirs. Boarding the bus, she called 411 just to hear a voice through the phone’s speaker, holding it up so everyone could see. Many of the students pretended they did not see her out of jealousy. She loved the looks on their pathetic teenage faces.
Allie stepped off the bus, still holding an imaginary conversation on her phone. During her first period, she passed by Mrs. Taylor standing in the door of the classroom and smiled at her. She learned from Malcolm not to acknowledge anyone in public so she simply took her seat as she always did.
Mrs. Taylor was the kind of teacher that looked forward to parent-teacher conferences and would give parents a great deal of information on their child. It was hard to believe this gentle soul was a vampire – and not just a vampire, but an Elder. Allie wondered what the word meant. Did it mean she was one of the oldest? Allie guessed she was maybe about forty-five. Did it mean she was a leader? She had to be a leader; she was the one who came to test her and see if she could work there. That would mean she had authority and power. Allie, unaware of what her teacher said or did, ran through several scenarios in her head as to what Mrs. Taylor’s true role was in the vampire world.
The rest of her morning classes passed in the same fog: most of her thoughts centered on her phone. When it was time for lunch, she went to her table and sat and waited for Sara to show up.
“Hey, girl,” said Sara as she sat with her tray.
Allie smiled. “Hey, Sara. How did your family trip go?”
“Not bad, it was just me and my mom; my dad is on a trip.”
Allie held up her phone and grinned real big. “What do you think?”
“Nice one, girl. It looks just like mine though. I bet you thought you had the only one and you were special?”
Allie put her hand on her hip and showed attitude. “I am special.”
“Yeah!” Sara chuckled. “Special Ed.”
They both laughed hysterically for a moment. Allie remembered her task for the day and became somber. “How do I apologize to Shelby and make her believe me?”
“You don’t make her do anything to start. Tell you what … here is what you need to do. You have to apologize and make it mean something. Her friends will be watching; you have to make her look strong in front of them, meaning you have to look weak. When she gets here you go to her and say you are sorry for any disrespect you have caused in front of her friends. Be sincere and meek. Keep your head bowed and show no emotion. Whatever she does, do nothing and show no reaction. If she doesn’t say anything, walk away slowly, and for God’s sake, don’t look back.”
“Will she hit me?” Allie wiped perspiration from her forehead.
“She can if she wants to, but I doubt it. Word would get back to Bethany and she wouldn’t like it. Bethany told you to apologize and told her to accept your apology. She will accept your apology, but don’t expect to be friends or get invited to her house for a sleepover.”
“Don’t worry about that, if I go to her house I will wind up as the main course for sure,” Allie laughed.
The doors in the back of the cafeteria opened and Shelby and her friends walked in and sat at their usual table. Like always, they wore their same gray jackets. Allie looked at Brad. She had forgotten their night together. A warmness stirred in her as she looked into his face, hoping he would sense her and return her gaze. He did not. After they sat, a thought hit Allie. As she watched them, she noticed they brought their own food with them to eat. After sitting down, one of the girls opened a bag she had and gave some of them a wrapped bowl of food to eat, while the others opened their bags and began to eat.
“Looks like it is that time. You ready, girl?”
“Yeah, I guess so. Wish me luck.”
Allie took a deep breath and began walking toward the table. Her necklace was around her neck as always but she didn’t have her earrings on. When she was halfway to the table she tucked her necklace under her shirt and continued to the table. Allie trudged forward, not wanting to go to the table or even speak with Shelby. As she neared the table, she saw the girl who gave out the bowls of food was Stephanie. Allie moved in closer and watched them while they ate in silence. Being naturally curious, she took the time to look in one of the bowls; what she saw looked like Trail mix.
Shelby sat near the end of the table, bracketed by other vampire girls. Shelby glared at Allie’s approach. Her fist clenched under the table to the point of drawing blood from her fingernails. She closed her eyes tightly to get a grip on her emotions and calm down. She knew if she didn’t, her eyes would change color and give her away to all the students in the cafeteria.
Allie stopped at the table and stood at the end in front of Stephanie, facing Shelby. She looked directly at Shelby and ignored all the others. Someone coming to their table was an unusual occurrence and caused much of the chatter in the room to die down. Everyone in the cafeteria gawked. Allie decided not to waste any more time: she bowed her head and looked as humble as she could.
“I disrespected you earlier and I apologize. Please forgive me. It won’t happen again.”
For a moment she waited, then remembered what Sara had told her and so turned around to leave without speaking another word. She took a step forward away from the table and Stephanie, who sat on the other side of the table at its edge, stuck her foot out and tripped her.
Brad sat at the other end of the table on the same side and saw what Stephanie had done. His face flared, bringing color to a pale complexion. Like Shelby, he put his hand beneath the table and clenched his fist so tightly his hand began to bleed. Just as Shelby had, he forced his eyes shut tight to gain control.
The room filled with silence as the few people who were still talking stopped and looked. Allie was expecting something to happen and had prepared for the worst. Sara and Malcolm had known her so well that they had given her good advice to follow when dealing with vampires, especially females. She had caught herself
as she fell, preventing from banging her head – but as she went down, she felt one of her fingers snap. She slowly picked herself up off the floor and being who she was, did everything humanly possible to avoid speaking or crying out. With her entire being in agony and crying out for justice, she said not a word. Challenging Stephanie would be just as bad as challenging Shelby. Let her have her fun, she thought, I will get what I want and win in the end.
Without turning, she picked herself up and returned to her table, head bowed low.
Sara watched her friend leave and return, and was mortified at her falling. Sara almost cried when her friend hit the floor. With her superior hearing, she heard the snap and knew Allie was in pain. She scanned Allie’s body as she approached the table, trying to figure out where the sound had come from. Sara saw the bent finger and contained her emotions. To anyone who glanced over at her, she would have appeared a statue, but inside she was crying, crying for her brave friend.
Allie sat down in her seat and waited for Sara to give her instructions. “Put your hands under the table and fix your finger. Keep still; they will stop looking soon,” Sara said mechanically, barely moving her head or lips.
Allie placed her hands in her lap and then moved them further under the table. She gripped the finger and pulled it back into position; it snapped into place.
“Good. Are you all right?” Sara asked, knowing the answer.
“I survived,” said Allie.
“It was Stephanie.”
“I know. She will get hers in the end. Are they still watching?”
Sara casually looked back at the table. “No, they are leaving.”
Allie relaxed. “Thank God!”
“She wounded your pride, didn’t she?”
“No, she wounded me. I thought you were paying attention.”
“I did and I am. Let me see your hand.”
Allie brought her hands from under the table and looked at them. Her bent finger had a red ring around it but it wiggled like the rest.
“Your adrenaline is healing you. As long as you remain calm it heals the body. If you were in a fight it would do nothing until you came to a complete stop and relaxed. That is a good reason why you don’t fight. Let your body heal itself and go about your business. My mom will be picking us up and taking us to the Center after school today. Finish the rest of your day and I will meet you out front.”
“Just because they left doesn’t mean we have to leave. Where are you going? We have plenty of time to eat.”
Sara stood up and held five fingers up in front of Allie. She counted down by folding each finger, and when the last fingertip touched her palm, the bell rang. “See ya.” Sara grinned and turned around to go to her next class.
“How do you do that?”
Laughing, Sara gave a backward glance and said, “Magic.” Then, with a wave, she was gone.
Allie got up and hurried to her next class. With no more pressure on her, she had an enjoyable day and waited patiently outside for Sara.
Allie wangled two numbers from schoolmates: Connie Benton and Stacy Roberts. She entered them into her phone while she waited for Sara. She had also downloaded a game; she was playing it as Sara walked up and sat beside her.
“Hey, girl, you ready?”
“Yeah.” She grabbed her backpack and followed Sara to her mother’s car. In what felt like no time at all, she was inside the building, standing outside the secret elevator beside Sara.
“You remember the code?”
“I think.”
It took two attempts, but they stepped inside and descended. The elevator let them out in the main hallway and they walked up to the front desk. Watching camera feeds below the counter sat Bethany. Allie handed her the folder with the signed papers. Bethany opened the folder, checked them, and set it aside – not the reaction that Allie wanted.
“I apologized to Shelby in the cafeteria. She didn’t speak but I think she accepted my apology.”
Bethany checked the monitors before looking up at the two young women. “I need you both to monitor Cecilia’s class; she is sick and her children are being unruly.” And her attention returned to her feeds, dismissing the women.
Sara took Allie by the arm and directed her down a hall to another elevator. They went down another level and exited on a dimly lit floor. Immediately across from the elevator was a storage closet. Sara opened the door and they pulled on white T-shirts. “Put on your earrings if you brought them with you,” Sara instructed.
After finishing, they headed down another hall and entered a room with eight toddlers.
Allie was happy to see all the kids. Sara was not; there were too many of them. Some waved at them; others paid no attention. Four of the kids were running in circles; others were playing with dolls; and a couple was sitting quietly at their desks coloring in a coloring book. Allie went to talk to them but Sara stopped her.
“Hey, you don’t just walk into a room with this many children. Children are our biggest problem: they are unpredictable. Like regular children, they are a handful. Your job is to baby-sit them and not let any of them get behind you. The shirts we are wearing have crests on the front and back but that is not enough protection for children their age. They can come at you from different angles all at once. If that happens, you’re done for.
“We are going to divide them into two groups. I will take the more active ones and you will take the others. I want you to get the two coloring and the two playing with dolls and get them over by the big chair. Your back will be against the wall and you will have a clear view of the door from there. I want you to read them a story; just sit and get a book and read to them. Then keep them occupied by getting them all involved in an activity together, either coloring or playing. I will take the other four to the other end of the room and keep them there. Never… ever… ever let them get behind you, Allie. Just like in the railcars, they are always in the front for your safety. Remember, you are the one in charge. Use your authority like you would with any child their age. Pop the little monsters if you have to!”
“All right, I’m ready.”
Sara clapped her hands loudly to get their attention. “All right! Amanda, Shelly, Joey, and Savannah, this is Allie and she will be reading you a story today.”
Amanda and Shelly were the two children playing with dolls. “Yay!” they said. Together they moved to the area in front of the bookshelf, where they resumed playing. Sara nodded at Allie; getting the other two was her job.
Allie walked up to the two children coloring and tapped the desk. The little boy looked up at her with darkened eyes and growled with full fangs. Her mind flashed back to the testing room and the trick Shelby played on her with Marcus. But she quickly recovered and held her cross up to the boy. He stared at the glowing red jewel and she quickly pressed down on his shoulder with her other hand. The boy’s eyes returned to normal and the girl took him by the hand and they walked to the area with the other two children.
Allie felt better but now was curious about the relationship with the two children. Were they brother and sister, or was she somehow superior to him? Malcolm loved to say, ‘She is female’ – did that mean that women are superior, or just more dangerous and unpredictable? Her query would have to wait, though: her duties demanded her full attention and if she failed she might die.
Allie gathered her wits and walked over to the four children. She thumbed through the books the children were read and came across one she knew. Her thumb stopped on the edge of the book, The Hunter and the Rabbit. She knew that book, but from where? She dismissed the thought, picked a book off the shelf, and sat in a large chair with her back facing the wall. From where she was, she could see all her children as well as Sara and the four children she managed.
Eyes half on the door, Allie began reading while the children hung on every word she spoke, fascinated with her storytelling. Allie chose The Three Little Pigs and took a lesson from her mother by reading the story using different voices for each charac
ter. By the time she was halfway through the book, she already knew what their next activity would be.
Like Allie, Sara sat with her back against a wall. As she told her story, one she made up from the top of her head about a vampire child who had been abandoned by his parents in the forest for being a bad seed, a story about the importance of family and sticking together, she kept watch on Allie to ensure she wasn’t struggling with her duties.
This being a weekday, Allie could only stay for a couple hours, so she spent the day with the children and did not take a break. She did not know if this would be her last day or not so she made the most of her time. It had only taken a short while, but Allie fell in love with all the children, especially the child whose safety she was responsible for: Lila. Looking into each of their faces, she wondered who their parents were. She had never seen any of these kids at school or in the stores or even on the streets. They had been locked away here their entire lives. All they had were people like her, people to look after them and take them outside for supervised exercise. Allie thought of her mother and the story of the Mole People. She knew how easy it would be for the townspeople to shoot and kill these poor defenseless children simply because they were different. Yet she was sure if they knew them like she did, they would change their minds. Allie wanted to make a difference and she wanted to do all that was in her power to help them survive.
After her time with the children expired, she gathered her things to go home. Allie rode up to her usual floor and got off. Lisa had come into the room to take her place and help Sara with the children, which made her happy knowing Sara would not be left alone. Allie regretted that her parents were not understanding or as deeply involved as Sara’s parents were. Depression gripped her as she walked down another hall, turned a corner, and passed by several people on her way to the elevator and home.
Chapter 21
Cavers: A Vampire Tale Page 28