by ID Johnson
Cadence had so many questions, but she didn’t feel like he was the right person to ask. He seemed incredibly impersonal and rigid. Despite the fact that he was probably one of the most physically attractive men she had ever seen, she felt completely uncomfortable in his presence, as if he were about to demand she “drop and give him twenty.”
As if he could tell his demeanor was startling her, he suddenly stopped pacing, and turned to face her. He kept his distance, however, both physically and emotionally as he said, “I’m so very sorry we weren’t able to help your friend.”
Cadence thought about that for a moment. There were so many people in black everywhere she looked. None of them were available to help Drew? “Yeah, why weren’t any of you?” she asked, as tears began to stream down her face.
Aaron sighed. He never meant to make her cry, nor was it his intention to start explaining the rules of engagement just now. As she began to cry, he knew he must do something. At first, he looked around the room for a tissue, though he was quickly certain that would do little good as she was beginning to sob uncontrollably now. He wasn’t usually very good at these things, but he decided to give it a try. “It’s okay,” he said, stepping closer to her. She hesitated at first, but then she put her head on his shoulder and finally let her emotions out. He patted her gently on the back and just let her cry for a few moments. “Listen, “ he said quietly into her ear, “There’s only so much we can do in these types of situations. You’ll learn all about that and then you’ll understand my team was pretty helpless to stop this. And you can’t blame yourself. You... you were incredible. I’ve never seen anything like that. So, don’t try to put the responsibility for this on anyone except the guilty party. And that’s the Vampire, okay?” She was still crying a bit, but she was starting to regain her composure and he could feel her nodding her head against his shoulder, confirming that she understood what he was saying. “And you got that bastard,” he added. “You got him good.”
At that Cadence looked up, wiping her face on the back of her hands, “Yeah?” she asked.
“Oh, yeah,” Aaron confirmed.
She began to smile a bit, despite the situation. She wasn’t sure why she was proud of herself for being able to rip the head off of a vampire but she was and the fact that he was also proud of her somehow made her feel like maybe she hadn’t failed Drew after all. Maybe she really had done everything she could.
Aaron realized that his shoulder was fairly wet and, since leather isn’t particularly absorbent, her tears were rolling off of his jacket. He stood there, awkwardly for a moment, not exactly sure what to do about it.
Cadence finally noticed, too. “Oh, I’m sorry!” she said, crossing the bedroom to the attached bathroom and grabbing some tissue. “I’m so sorry,” she said absently wiping at his jacket. “You’re so kind to let me cry on your shoulder like that.” She glanced at him but had to look away, feeling suddenly very embarrassed.
He took the tissue from her and continued to work on his jacket for a moment before tossing them into a nearby trashcan. “It’s okay,” he said still feeling a little awkward. “So, get a bag packed,” he reiterated.
“Right!” Cadence said, coming back to the reality of the moment. “Let me see . . . .” She began to bustle around the room, looking for a bag and for items to place in it.
“And when you’re ready, Eliza will be waiting out front. You’ll have everything explained to you. Alright?”
Cadence realized he was about to leave so she looked up from the dresser drawer she had pulled open. Once again, she found herself feeling extremely out of place. She wasn’t sure if she should thank him again or shake his hand or just let him go. She was, however, quite certain that she shouldn’t hug him. Hugging did not seem to be his thing. She glanced back down into the drawer, trying to gather her thoughts. She finally realized there was one thing she did need to ask. “What’s your name?” She looked back up but the room was empty.
***
Cadence was extremely careful not to wake her family as she snuck back out the front door, locking it behind her. When she turned to walk down the steps, she saw a sweet looking burgundy haired girl propped against an Aventador waiting for her. “Ready to go?” Eliza asked.
The jet black Lamborghini was unbelievable, and Cadence almost didn’t want to get in because she wanted to keep staring at it. She finally managed to pull her eyes away from the exterior and climb inside, as Eliza tossed her bag in the back. “Is this your car?” Cadence asked, rubbing the dashboard.
Eliza snickered. “No, it’s not mine but I get to drive it sometimes. Pretty sweet, huh?” she asked, shifting it into gear and pulling out onto the street.
Cadence agreed. “Amazing. Whose is it?”
Before responding, Eliza hesitated. “Well, we will get in to all of that. Let’s just say it belongs to the team, okay?”
Cadence was familiar with the phrase “the team” but she still had no idea what anyone was talking about. “Okay,” she agreed. “When do I get all of this explained to me? And by whom?”
“When you get to Des Moines, and by someone who used to be in your same position,” Eliza replied. “Now, I need you to send a very specific text to your parents. Say this and only this, ‘It’s happened. I’m on my way.’”
Leaning back in her seat, Cadence sighed. She was so physically and mentally exhausted at this point, she almost didn’t have the energy to argue. Almost. “What? How will they have any idea what that means?”
“They will know,” Eliza replied, pulling onto the highway, going at least twice the speed limit.
“Isn’t there anything at all that you can tell me?” Cadence asked as she finished sending the text. A quick glance out the back glass let her know that Jamie had reappeared and was also accompanying them on his motorcycle. While she felt a little safer, she also felt more annoyed that she didn’t know exactly why he was there or even where they were going.
Eliza shifted her wrist nervously on the steering wheel. She was shorter than Cadence and not as muscular, but Cadence knew she was extremely strong, having seen her handle that bike the way she had. Her long curly hair was almost purple and fell in ringlets down past her shoulders. She had very pretty green eyes and Cadence thought that, given the right opportunity, they could well become good friends.
“Well, I can tell you a few things, I guess,” Eliza finally stated hesitantly. “What exactly do you want to know?”
There were so many things that Cadence wanted to know, she wasn’t sure what to ask first. “What are you?” she asked. The expression on Eliza’s face made her realize she had been fairly impolite. “I mean,” she revised, “You—all of you, people in black—don’t seem to be human. Are you?”
“No, we’re not human. Not in the sense you mean,” Eliza confirmed.
“So, what are you?” Cadence asked again.
The sun was beginning to peak over the top of the horizon now and warm streaks of red, pink, and orange illuminated the road before them. Cadence couldn’t help but think, once again, perhaps this has all been a dream. Eliza’s voice brought her out of that. “We are Guardians,” he said simply.
Cadence shook her head and began to chew absently on her cuticles, a bad habit she had been trying to break, but given the stresses of the day, she was going to have to let it slide. “And what is that?”
Another sigh and a pause. Then, Eliza nodded and slowly answered, “We guard Hunters against Rogue Vampires. And, we guard Conforming Vampires against Rogue Hunters.”
She had to mull that over in her mind for a few moments. “So, you’re saying that all of those people I saw in black today only have the job of protecting hunters from Vampires? You mean, like, deer hunters?”
Eliza laughed aloud. “I’m sorry!” she said waving her right hand in Cadence’s direction. “That was rude! I’m so sorry. You really don’t know anything about this do you? And I thought Aaron was going to explain the basics to you,” she said emphasizing his na
me, as if Aaron was actually in the car.
“Whose Aaron?” Cadence asked, but even as the question came out of her mouth she realized she already knew the answer.
Even though she was going well above the speed limit, Eliza was having no trouble handling the sports car she was so driving. “He’s our leader. He is the one that gives us all of our directions.” Then, she added, “He’s the one that you said was ‘creepy,’” chuckling once again.
As much as Cadence liked Eliza, she was beginning to get annoyed. “How do you even know about that?” she asked. “Were you eavesdropping or something?”
“No! Well, not exactly,” Eliza attempted to clarify. Then to Aaron she said, “Why don’t you just let me explain everything to her? She deserves to know.”
His simple response was what it usually was, “Follow protocol.”
“She’s completely unaware that anyone else can see us or hear our conversations. It’s not fair. She should know that!”
“She will.”
“But not now!”
“Follow protocol!”
“Grrr! You could be a little more flexible!”
“And you could be a little more compliant. Tell her to take a nap or something. You’ll be there in a forty minutes at the speed you’re going.”
“Fine! Whatever you say, Bossman!”
Cadence watched in confusion as Eliza’s expression changed rapidly as if she was having a conversation with someone, which she did not appear to be, and yet, it seemed like, perhaps she really was. Finally she asked, “Are you talking to someone? What’s going on?” she looked around the car as if there might be someone else present.
“See, she’s too smart for this!”
“Follow protocol!”
“I know, I know! I wish I could turn you off!”
“Um, all of that will be explained to you shortly. You’ve had a really long day,” Eliza coaxed, “Why don’t you try to take a nap? We’ll be at our destination soon.”
“And where is that?”
“You’ll see,” Eliza reiterated, flipping the radio on, hopeful that the music would end the conversation.
As much as Cadence wanted her questions answered, she quickly realized that she was not going to get any further with Eliza than she had with Jamie or Aaron. Feeling a bit defeated but even more exhausted, she finally gave in and closed her eyes.
***
It was quite evident when Jack brought Drew’s body into the emergency room that there was nothing the doctor’s could do for her. When the hospital staff began asking questions about what had happened, Jack didn’t know exactly how to respond, nor did any of the rest of Drew's friends. They certainly couldn’t tell them the truth. Luckily, their good friend Elliott showed up shortly after they arrived at Shenandoah Medical Center, and he was able to explain the tragic accident that had resulted in Drew’s death. He carefully explained how she had been rock climbing early that morning and slipped on a loose rock. Her friends had been nearby, but when they reached her, they could easily see that Drew had a gaping gash in her neck. They tried to stop the bleeding, but it was too late. She had died. It was just one of those things that happen. They had all agreed; it had been a tragic accident. When Elliott explained it, it just seemed to make perfect sense. There was no reason to question what had happened, no reason to think anything bizarre or paranormal had happened. They had all been rock climbing, that was true, even though Jack wouldn’t generally wear these shoes while climbing. And Drew was ahead of them, also true. She just fell. They were all very sad to see her go, but this is the sort of thing that happens sometimes. It was not unusual. They all knew that to be true.
When Drew’s parents arrived at the hospital, they were hysterical. But Elliott had been there for them as well, and he explained to them what happened in a way that they could accept and understand. Elliott and Drew had been friends for so long that Drew’s parents trusted him and believed what he had to say. They were so very sad to lose their daughter, but they understood that sometimes tragedies happen, and we just have to accept them and move forward.
As Jack entered his bedroom, he realized just how completely exhausted he was. Taking his jacket off, he mumbled to himself, “We shouldn’t go rock climbing in the middle of the night anymore. It’s too dangerous.” As he went to hang his jacket on his coat rack, he noticed a small tear in the left shoulder. “I must have fallen, too,” he thought. He rubbed his shoulder absently, realizing there was also a small tear in his shirt. His shoulder didn’t hurt and he was too tired to investigate right now so he decided to go to sleep. In the morning, he knew he would feel much better. Elliott had told him so.
***
It seemed like Cadence had only been asleep for a few minutes when Eliza brought the car to a halt. “Cadence,” she said, gently shaking her arm, “We’re here.”
Yawning and rubbing her eyes, Cadence sat up and tried to remember where she was and what she had been doing. At first, the memories that popped into her head seemed so ridiculous that she thought they had to be fragments of a dream. The sound of a motorcycle pulling in behind them as well as the remembrance of being in an extremely expensive sports car, such as the one she found herself in now, were firm reminders that she was, in fact, recalling what had happened correctly. Vampires truly had attacked her, and she had ripped the head off of one of them because he had killed her friend.
Which meant, Drew was really gone.
And now she wished she hadn’t followed that chain of thought quite so far.
“Come on, let’s go,” Eliza exclaimed, flipping her door open and practically dragging her out of the car.
“How can you be so chipper after having been up all night?” Cadence asked, yawning again.
“We’ll explain all of that,” Eliza said, smiling, “Be happy! It’s finally time to learn everything!”
For the first time, Cadence looked up and realized where she was. “Holy hell,” she muttered, “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do.”
The Queen Anne with the buttercream paint and white gingerbread trim was quite familiar. They were standing in the driveway at her grandmother’s house.
Chapter Four
Her grandmother had lived in this house for as long as Cadence could remember. Her parents had tried to make the trip from Shenandoah to Des Moines at least once or twice a month. It took about twice as long in the family car as it had this time, traveling at over one-hundred miles per hour. The trip generally took at least two-and-a-half hours while Eliza managed to cover it in about half that time.
Grandma Janette had been up and expecting them when they pulled in. Cadence wasn’t sure if she should introduce Eliza and Jamie or if she already knew them. However, they seemed to have at least met before because she asked them both, “How have you been?” How is it that her grandma knew these two people that she just met yesterday? She was very much ready to find out what the hell was going on.
As most grandmothers do, Grandma Janette insisted on feeding her first before she said a word. She had already made biscuits and gravy and had it sitting on the warmer. She fixed Cadence a plate but no one else, which also seemed extremely peculiar. “Don’t you guys eat?” she asked of Jamie and Eliza who had followed them into the kitchen but were just standing behind her, leaning against the counters.
Eliza opened her mouth to answer but Janette, signaled for her not to. “Why don’t you kids go sit in the living room, make yourselves comfortable. We’ll be in shortly.”
As they filed out, Janette turned back to Cadence. “Darling, I am so very sorry to hear about your friend. I remember Drew. She was a sweet girl.”
Cadence temporarily gagged on her biscuit. She knew her grandmother meant well, but thinking of Drew instantly made her choke up. She took a sip of water, and after regaining her composure, said, “Thanks, Grandma. I’m just having a really hard time wrapping my mind around all of this, especially the idea that Drew is gone."
Her grandmother just nodded slo
wly, as if she understood exactly what she was saying. “It will all start to make more sense soon, I promise you.”
Cadence was tempted to swallow her breakfast whole so they could get on with the transferring of information, but she knew how much her grandma appreciated a nice breakfast, though, come to think of it, she really couldn’t remember ever seeing her grandmother eat a nice breakfast, so she continued to shovel the food into her mouth as quickly as she could without gorging herself, all for the sake of her grandmother’s happiness.
Neither of them said much while Cadence ate. Her grandmother usually asked a million questions about school, her friends, her boyfriends, etc. but today Janette was leery of saying the wrong thing and she didn’t want Cadence to start asking her questions just yet. She’d been waiting a very long time to have this conversation and she almost thought that it would never happen. Now that it was finally upon her, she was a little nervous about the possible outcome.
When Cadence finished, Janette offered her more but she insisted she was stuffed. Then, she rinsed her plate off and placed it in the dishwasher. “Okay?” Cadence asked. “Can we talk now, please?” she asked.
Janette slowly rose from the table and reluctantly made her way into the living room. Though the sun was up now, it was nearly eight o’clock, the room had heavy curtains and not a lot of light entered the room. Eliza and Jamie were sitting in armchairs on either side of a coffee table, both of them staring intently at the screens of what appeared to be iPhones. As the ladies entered the room, they both put their devices away and gave their full attention to Janette and Cadence.
Gesturing for Cadence to have a seat on the sofa, Janette crossed over to the bookshelf. On the very top shelf, there was a well-worn photo album, one that Grandma had always cautioned the children not to touch. It was too fragile. They would see it when they were older. Now, it seemed, Cadence was old enough at last.