I hobbled through the gym without stopping or saying goodbye. I went back to the suite to shower and change clothes, but even after that, the unsettling feeling didn’t fade.
In class, I couldn’t pay attention. Mr. Matthews impressed upon me that the next day would be very important, should I choose to join them. I barely listened to his lecture and my mind was buzzing from the sudden emptiness.
At lunch, I took more food than usual; I felt exhausted. This time I was the first one there, and sat at our regular table. There were less people than usual, and I remembered Mr. Matthew’s telling me about the “alternate meal” that the vamps had. My stomach squeaked at the thought of the red liquid, and a certain revulsion against the bloodsuckers filled me.
“You look darker than the weather.” Blake drew up a chair, and I glanced at him with no reaction. For some time, we ate quietly.
“Gustavo gave us a go for the tests.”
“Well then, a green light. Soon you can ask Baldur for his consent.”
“Me? What about you?”
I didn’t answer. I hadn’t decided.
“Ah, so today’s the final day,” he said quietly, more to himself.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Julia once compared the last day of trial as pre-wedding jitters, or bridal nerves,” he grinned. I rolled my eyes and then immediately felt guilty: the way I felt wasn’t his fault.
“Sorry, it’s been a bad day.”
“It’s okay.”
“Matthews said there’s neither a book nor a collection on Vocati research. And as far as I figure, there’s not much at all out there on them, plus the things that are known are not very exact,” I said.
“Each of them turned out to be different.”
“Yeah, but we—people—are different too, and yet there are some valid statistics. I find it strange that there’s no sort of summery of this Project so far.”
“As far as I’ve been told, there’s not.” He watched me eat for a while. “You always so business-like when cranky?”
Normally that would’ve been funny, or at least sweet, but at that moment it wasn’t.
“Only when I’m indignant.”
“Anything specific?”
“All and nothing, and one big I don’t know.”
“Sounds very complicated.” He was teasing me, but I took it seriously.
“It is and it isn’t. Essentially, nothing is complicated; the problem only lies in my inability to understand some things.”
“It seems to me that you’re heading the right direction.”
“Not really.” I changed the subject. “Have you ever asked Baldur if there are any studies that could be available to us?”
“Not him. I’ve only spoken with guys like Matthews, and they had told me the same thing that he told you.”
“You could ask him.”
“I will.”
“Who’s the Priest at this compound?”
“They don’t share that info with us. You need a strong reason for them to uncover some things. Honestly, I don’t think any of the Inquirers know, though I’m not sure about Gustavo.”
“I saw a guy who’s a Priest.” I lowered my voice, even though there was no one near. “But I don’t think he’s on duty here. Maybe he came just for the reception.”
“What does he look like?” Blake’s eyes were wide.
“There’s something unusual about him, that’s for sure. As if he could change your first impression of him.”
“Interesting. I’ve never met a Priest.”
“Yeah, it was odd for me too. I thought that vamps hide those things.”
“They do, and I always assumed it was for the security reasons.”
“Could be. Which brings up the question: who would hurt them and why, and has it happened in the past?”
“Is there a way to find out?” he asked, not expecting an answer, but I already had an idea.
Back in the suit, I found Julia sitting on the couch, her hands on her knees. There was something disturbing in her posture.
“Jules?”
Her red eyes turned to me. I sat next to her and placed my hand on her shoulder.
She didn’t cry, she just stared at some spot in front of her.
“I won’t be here for some time.”
“What’s wrong?”
“My mother. She passed away.”
“Oh, Jules. I’m so sorry.”
“They didn’t tell me she was sick.” She meant her family, and there was an edge to her voice.
“They probably didn’t want to worry you,” I tried naively.
“It’s not that.”
“When’s the funeral?”
“The day after tomorrow. I’m leaving in an hour.”
I noticed a red suitcase next to her room.
“Is there anything I can do?”
“No, thank you.”
Silence fell on the room. We sat together, both lost in our thoughts.
“Have you decided?” She finally spoke, and I knew what she meant.
“Not yet.”
After a lot of silence, when the time, came Julia stood and picked up her suitcase. She hugged me hard.
“In a case I don’t find you when I get back,” she said, giving a tiny tired smile, “I’m glad I’ve met you.”
“You are a beautiful person, Julia.”
Then she left.
Would I be here when she returned? I would have liked to keep my memories of her and Doris, but that would probably be unacceptable. Julia had lost her mother and I would lose them, though I wouldn’t suffer afterwards. I just wouldn’t remember that they even existed.
I thought about the way I had felt three weeks ago, and the emotions I had had over these couple of days. . . .There wasn’t much difference in intensity. But I knew the emotional hell I’d left behind, and that I’d return to, and if I took the job, the future was unknown, but it seemed like it couldn’t be worse than the alternative.
I flipped through TV channels for a long time. Then, irritated with their stupidity, I went to bed. The thoughts of loss, the death of Julia’s mother, and irrelevance, multiplied until the whole pile fell on me, pushing me into sleep.
I sat before an antique iron mirror. I was wearing a white buttoned shirt with lace around the collar neck and a burgundy brooch, but I couldn’t see all of that in the mirror. There was no me there.
I gazed through high windows at red and orange shades of clouds passing by. They seemed thick. It was so warm that my face was slightly tingling, and I was sweating. I wasn’t sad or unhappy; I was awkwardly calm. I only felt the serenity and security that comes with the burden of knowledge.
The end of the world had come. It had happened a long time ago, and for some it still lasted; the loneliness was the worst. I looked into the empty mirror for so long, and then an unexpected chill filled the room and my features materialized in the glass.
I smiled at the person I’d forgotten a long time ago.
A knocking noise woke me.
What was that? I looked toward the door, and realized that someone was in the room! Fear filled my body. I went numb.
The shadow ran over the window and I caught a glance of the face in the moonlight. His face. Only after I had finally calmed down did the discovery hit me. Andrei Belun?! Impossible. But the window was still open.
When I gathered the courage, I went to close it, feeling the tingling sensation through my body. It came from the chill, but it was pleasant. I smiled at my thoughts, and silently left the suite barefoot in my cotton nightdress.
Wandering through the halls, I didn’t find any guards. Everything was so quiet; there was only the sound of the flickering lobby light. I sneaked into the tunnel and walked feeling jittery.
Standing in front of his door, I could feel a strong presence from the other side. I lay my hand on the wood and, without my knocking, he opened the door. Belun stood there wearing only his dark jeans, waiting for me. His pierc
ing green look tickled my chest, and then he pulled me to him.
He pulled me closer, caressing my breasts with his hand. My body was on fire. I felt us flow toward the couch and I straddled him, my legs on either side of his thighs. He gently pushed my body down while moving his own toward me. A cry left my mouth, and his lips met mine so strongly that I could feel his teeth. He kissed my neck, his fingers in my hair, holding my body tightly against him. I grabbed his head and licked part of his face. I wanted one thing and one thing only.
My own moaning woke me and I tried to calm my frenzied breathing. I was damp with sweat and freezing. Instinctively, I looked to the window—and it was half-opened. Fear immediately filled me, and I franticly look around the room searching for the intruder. But no one was there, and I laughed aloud. Damn dreams.
Finally, I willed myself to stand up and close the window. Looking through it, I didn’t find anything suspicious, no traces. But I was sure I hadn’t opened it. Before I could realize what I was doing, I had pulled on my sport pants and gym shoes, tucking my nightdress inside the waistband, and was leaving the room. Beside the general direction, I had no idea what was I doing.
Down in the lobby, I came to one of the guards.
“Hi. Could you tell me where your rooms are . . . I mean the vampire dorm?”
The guy smiled at my question. “Who do you need?”
“Andrei Belun. My team leader,” I said, trying to sound as if it was a business visit.
While he was giving me directions, the light started to flicker, which sent a chill through me.
I went down a floor and took the tunnel that lead to the building that housed the gym. From there, I continued through a different tunnel toward a building I’d never been in before. Weirdly enough, I didn’t feel any particular fear, even though I was entering unknown territory, a lair of mythological creatures. There was something thrilling in the feeling, like watching an X-Files episode. The vampire’s mansion was bigger than ours, of course, as there were more of them. I had no trouble finding it. Belun’s room was on the top floor where there were fewer doors than on the other levels.
I stood in front of his door, not knowing what to expect. The longer I lingered, the more my chances to do anything faded, so I knocked before changing my mind.
A few seconds later, he opened the door. His eyes widened at first in confusion and something that looked like fright. He was quiet, so was I; well, it was awkward.
He was barefoot in a red tee and jeans. His gaze fell on my nightdress partly tucked into my pants. His eyes lingered a bit, and then he looked up at me.
“Who is it?” a female voice called behind his half-opened door.
Simona’s voice.
I felt laughter creeping over me so I let it the smile cover my face a little. Sweet irony, we can never beat ya! Then I turned to walk back to my room. After a couple of steps, I felt a light touch on my right arm. Belun stood a step away from me with a perplexed look on his face.
“Now I know what to do with the contract,” I said, letting out a little laugh—and leaving.
Chapter 9
The Facing
Lena delivered me a message:
Dear Miss Young,
Training weeks are over and it‘s time to talk business.
B.
The sight of Baldur’s fangs crossed my mind and I wasn’t too happy to return to the scene of the crime. However, it was time to deal with this thing. I asked Lena to tell Blake to come and see me.
Since the previous night, I had made the decision to stay. I had put a stop to running and avoiding, realizing that I’d rather do this thing under the current conditions than return to being ignorant of it. Besides, leaving was what had brought me to Iowa and consequently to the compound in the first place. I was not going to go back down that road twice. Sioux City was my Ground Zero; this situation gave me more opportunities, and was far more interesting.
Blake finally arrived. “Lena sent me.”
“Aha.” I closed the door behind us. The suite was much bigger without Julia. “We’re going to see Baldur.”
As we walked, I remembered something that had been bothering me for a while.
“Do you have problems with the dreams in this place?”
“No, not really. Why?”
“No reason.”
Blake walked alongside me with his back straight. There was no tension in his lines, but I was blooming with it. I really didn’t want to see those fangs again, and, for the sake of my reputation, I definitely had to stop thinking about it. Also, I was curious about what his reaction would be regarding our tests request. When we got to the high wooden door that I had entered three weeks ago, Blake stayed outside.
“Miss Young!” His joyful, sweet voice came from the same spot where he had stood the last time I was in his office.
“Good morning,” I said, calmly.
“It is so nice to see you again.” More of the sweet talk. “Take a seat, please.”
I did, and not entirely comfortably. It was, after all, the place of the unfortunate event.
“How has your time here passed?”
“On a tight schedule.”
Baldur laughed, and though he probably expected me to elaborate, I didn’t feel the need.
“How did you get along with Belun?”
Was that a trick question?
“Good,” I lied. “He’s a great trainer.”
“The best!” He corrected me with a quick hand gesture. His tone and that glee that he put on started to irritate me.
“I hear that you got close with the Lazar girl.”
“Doris. Yes.”
“And with some of her friends, as well.”
“Yes.” Where was this pointless string of questions leading?
“What do you think of the other Inquirers?”
“They’re fine.”
“I am so glad that you fit well into this . . . .” Baldur waved his bony fingers at the room. I recalled that he was one of the Elders and wondered about his age.
“Do you have any complaints?”
“No, everything was fine.”
“We can get down to business then. I believe you have made your decision?”
“I’ll stay.”
His deep dark eyes widened in excitement, and he clapped once.
“Oh, what an incredible news!” He passed me the contract to sign.
A copy of the same had been given to me several days before, so that I could get familiar with its content and be sure of what I was signing, in the case of an affirmative decision.
“Sign here . . . and here . . . .”
I wrote with the Montblanc pen; my signature had never looked more expensive.
“And here,” he added, meticulously examining each page. “This one is for your bank account.” He then gave me the three credit cards with my name on them.
“The agreed on amount of money will be deposited the first of every month. At the end of this next week, you will receive your first payment. Now, as you have read in the contract, you are becoming an employee of Gazini, Inc. Therefore, you are entitled to a minimum of four weeks of paid annual holidays. Your only obligation is to notify your team leader at least one day before you leave.” The lines of his face didn’t move when he talked, he held his back straight, and he radiated a certain dignity wearing that overpriced suit.
“You will work four days a week: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. At ten a.m. you will go to the cell and stay until lunchtime. After that, you will train. All rooms and places are at your disposal. Today, you will briefly meet the Vocati in his cell. Any questions?”
I listened carefully.
“As a matter of fact, I do have one. Though, it’s not directly related to this.” I maintained my business-like tone as I hit the dial button on the cell phone in my pocket. Baldur’s eyebrows lifted in intrigued surprise, and there was a knock on the door.
“That would be Blake Mason. We’d like to ask you something,”
I said.
Baldur called him in.
“Ah, Mr. Mason, it is always the pleasure.”
“Good morning, sir,” said Blake in a serious voice.
“I assume this is about your little project, Mr. Mason?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And now there are two of you.” Baldur didn’t hide the excitement on his face, which was annoying, as was his sweet tone. Could it be possible that everything was so very interesting to this Methuselah?
“Blake mentioned that he had asked for the Psychology tests but was refused on the basis of privacy invasion. However, if we had the consent of all Inquirers that would change things, wouldn’t it?” My tone betrayed some annoyance, and the both of them looked as if they were between breaths. Blake probably wasn’t thrilled with my approach, but Baldur seemed to be having fun.
“Well, do you have it?”
“From all seven Inquirers, sir,” Blake said in a tone that he probably deemed more appropriate than mine.
“Good then. I will think about it and let you know.”
We thanked him and left the room, leaving him smiling and arranging the contract papers.
“What do you think?” I asked, when we were at a distance. This time, his pace was livelier.
“I think Tibor’s right.”
I gave him a confused look.
“You really did turn into a wolf,” he chuckled.
“As long it’s not a werewolf,” I joked, but it made me wonder. “Are there . . . ?”
“I don’t know,” he laughed, knowing where I was going. “No one has ever mentioned them, but if you ask Matthews, he’ll diplomatically avoid the question.”
“We’d probably need an official request for that, as well.”
“It looks that way.”
“You think Baldur’s going to grant us access?”
“Judging by how much you entertain him with your business-self, he probably will.” He gave me a grin, which I found comforting.
“Was it too much?”
“Almost professional, if not for your exasperation. I’m proud of my partner-in-crime.”
“I find him irritating.”
“Hey, whatever works. Although, when I came in you had such a frown on your face that I thought that the best outcome would be him throwing us out!”
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