Serpent's Sacrifice

by Trish Heinrich

  “Diana...” She kissed Aunt Diana on each cheek. “I have told you a hundred times to call me Victoria.”

  “Won’t the other ladies be a bit upset by that?”

  Victoria’s dove-gray eyes sparkled. “I should hope so.”

  Aunt Diana laughed and Alice took in the two women for a moment. They looked like they were the same age, even though Aunt Diana was eleven years Victoria’s senior. Where her aunt was statuesque and athletic, Victoria was willowy and had the grace of a dancer. Her aunt’s features were bold and beautiful, but Victoria’s appeared fragile and rare.

  “May I present my niece, Alice Seymour.”

  Victoria’s gaze rested on Alice, who tried very hard to think of something to say, but only managed a whispered, “Hello.”

  “I have so longed to meet you.” Victoria pressed Alice’s small hand in her long one. “Diana has kept me abreast of all your endeavors, including your education. I was impressed to hear that you graduated so near the top of your class.”

  Alice felt her stomach flutter. “Thank you, I...well, I was trying for valedictorian, but missed it by a few percentage points.”

  “Ah yes, something so small can have very large consequences. Even so, top ten is not so terrible,” Victoria said, her voice betraying a hint of longing as she continued. “And you must remember, not every woman has the opportunity to go to college. You have been very fortunate.”

  “Yes, I think so.”

  Victoria smiled. “So, tell me. What are your plans?”

  Alice stared at her for a moment. “My-my plans? Oh, yes, my plans.”

  Aunt Diana laughed. “You have to forgive Alice. She has admired you for years.”

  “Really? How so?”

  Alice felt her face flush. “I...well, yes. I mean you are...your life is extraordinary and I...well, I just...” Alice took a deep breath. “If I may be honest?”

  Victoria nodded.

  “I admire your courage, for daring to be successful in business and life.”

  “You wish to be the same?”

  “Yes, very much.”

  Victoria nodded again, her face becoming serious. “Then, you must have a spine of steel, and never let anyone take what you want in life. No one. Not even someone you love.”

  “You speak as though you are all steel.” Aunt Diana’s voice held a hint of discomfort. “But I’ve seen you act with great compassion and grace.”

  “Well, yes, but you’ve never seen me in a board room.”

  They laughed, but Alice noticed how Aunt Diana’s wasn’t quite genuine.

  “By the way,” Aunt Diana said, as the trio made their way to the table. “I heard the good news about the science complex breaking ground this month. It’s been such a long time coming. Please, tell Mr. Veran congratulations from Logan and I.”

  Victoria smiled. “Thank you, I will. It’s a shame that so many people are afraid of scientific exploration and discovery. Tony and I believe it’s the gateway to a better, a more peaceful, tomorrow.”

  “I suppose their fear comes from the atomic bomb?” Alice asked.

  Victoria nodded. “That is a very common argument, but to blame scientific discovery for how men use it isn’t fair. Science can and should be used to protect us from dangerous men, but that’s not its only possibility. There’s so much good that can come from looking at discoveries with an eye toward building up civilization, not tearing it down. That is what my husband and I believe, at any rate.”

  “Your father would be so proud of both of you,” Aunt Diana said.

  The barest hint of a shadow passed over Victoria’s bright features. “Perhaps. But I don’t think he would’ve had the courage to see such a vision through to the end.”

  “In all I’ve read about you, I don’t think I’ve heard much about him. He was a scientist, then?” Alice asked.

  “Yes.” Victoria’s smile turned sad. “I am sorry, I really don’t like to talk about him. We did not part on good terms.”

  “I apologize for bringing him up,” Aunt Diana said.

  Victoria waved a long, elegant hand. “Don’t trouble yourself.”

  In the span of a breath, the room fell silent, all eyes turning to the door, as it closed with a dull thud behind a short old woman.

  She wore an old-fashioned black dress with a large brooch pinned to the high neck. Her hair was white and pulled in a tight knot at the back of her head. Most would only take in the sagging, wrinkled skin of her face, and the way her thin hand clutched the serpent-headed cane, but Alice noticed something else. The small blue eyes were sharp and alive beneath the hooded lids and her posture was erect, strong.

  Though Victoria Veran was well known, Mrs. Frost was a legend.

  She was already wealthy when she married the only son of a shipping magnate. Their whirlwind romance ended in tragedy five years into their marriage and, overnight, Mrs. Frost became one of the wealthiest women in the country. In the course of her lifetime, she expanded her late husband’s holdings into oil, energy, precious metals, aviation, and government contracts. As of last year, Mrs. Frost had become one of the wealthiest people in the world.

  And yet, with all that, Alice’s admiration for her was muted, as other feelings took center stage.

  More like fear and trepidation.

  Glancing around at the women, who stood rooted to the spot, Alice couldn’t help a little chuckle.

  Looks like I’m not the only one.

  “She does love to make an entrance,” Victoria murmured.

  “Oh yes,” Aunt Diana said.

  As if the comment was a magnet, pulling her gaze, Mrs. Frost’s eyes latched onto Aunt Diana, and then slid to Alice, who expected her gaze to sweep the rest of the room. Instead, Mrs. Frost’s thin lips twitched into a grin and, with determined, fast strides, she walked toward them.

  Alice found herself wanting to flee.

  “Diana.” The woman’s voice was gravely. “I see you have finally brought this niece of yours with you.”

  “Yes, Mrs. Frost, may I introduce—”

  “Alice Seymour,” Mrs. Frost finished.

  The woman’s eyes were so intense on her that Alice felt as if they could see straight through to her soul.

  “Pleasure to meet you,” Alice said, happy that her voice came out strong and not as a squeak.

  Mrs. Frost cackled. “We shall see. Sit, everyone! I am hungry and it is time for tea.”

  Throughout the long, slow tea service, the ladies talked of whose child was at which University, who was engaged, who had become a grandmother, though she looked far too old. They included Aunt Diana as a mere nicety, their bored expressions showing how little they cared about what she had to say. No one spoke to Alice, choosing instead to give her sidelong glances at best, or at worst, bold stares of disdain.

  It was just as well, Alice had very little to say to these women that they’d want to hear.

  At last, Mrs. Frost rapped on the table, silencing the inane conversations.

  “It is time to decide on our annual fundraiser for the Jet City Children’s home and the Park Side clinic,” Victoria said. “The renovation of the new space for the clinic is in need of finishing funds, is that right?”

  “Yes,” Aunt Diana said. “The new equipment is coming in at a higher cost than first estimated. The breakdown is explained in your folders.”

  No one besides Victoria opened their folders until Mrs. Frost did, and then the ladies only gave them a cursory glance. Alice looked around in disgust. She knew this was merely a way to make themselves look good to the society they so cherished, but if these women cared even a little for the people who greatly depended upon these places...

  But, that would be asking too much.

  Mrs. Frost’s eyes shot up from the figures she had been studying, locking her gaze on Alice, who held it for a moment, as if daring the old woman to speak. But Mrs. Frost’s gaze went back to the papers.

  “A further delay would cause the residents to be
without health services through the winter, is that right?” Mrs. Frost asked.

  “Yes,” Aunt Diana answered.

  “Unacceptable. We must purchase the equipment as soon as possible.”

  The ladies around the table sipped their tea and nodded, with the exception of Mrs. Grace, who said, “But if we just purchase the equipment without searching for less expensive options, well, it seems like a waste. Surely, these people can come into the city proper for their medical care for a few months while that’s being done.”

  All eyes swung to Aunt Diana, who Alice had seen stiffen imperceptibly as Mrs. Grace talked. With a gracious smile, Aunt Diana said, “While I am a proponent of shopping around, the prices quoted here are the cheapest we could find to outfit the clinic as it must be. Besides, there is no way for the residents to make it into the city. Many do not have the extra money for taxi fare, and public transportation to that area has been cut in half by the current mayor.”

  “Well, something had to go if we were ever to restore our historical buildings,” one of the ladies said.

  Alice felt her shoulders tighten with the words, her smile disappearing.

  “Of course,” Aunt Diana nodded. “But it makes it more difficult for them to get into the city proper.”

  The words were out of Alice’s mouth before she could stop herself. “Not to mention the fact that many can’t afford the day off from work that going to the city might require.”

  All eyes landed on her, many of them hard with judgment. The only person that was smiling besides Victoria Veran, was Mrs. Frost, though Alice wasn’t sure if it was friendly or not.

  “Yes, Alice,” Aunt Diana said, her voice holding a hint of caution. “That is also true.”

  “But that is not our concern,” Mrs. Grace said. “We must think of what is best for all our charities, not just this one.”

  “And what other charities would you give this money to, Evelyn?” Mrs. Frost asked.

  “There has been a desire among many of us to restore our waterfront, which has been in a sorry state since the war.”

  Alice opened her mouth to speak and felt her aunt’s hand on her knee give a squeeze of caution.

  “The waterfront is in terrible disrepair,” Victoria agreed. “But my husband, along with many of yours around this table, have been in talks for months to bring it to life once again. The formal agreements have yet to be signed, but it won’t be long before they are, especially now that the science complex will be breaking ground so near to the waterfront. The city can’t leave the rest of the buildings in such terrible disrepair while a beautiful new building goes up next to it. I think our money would be better spent elsewhere.”

  Some of the women nodded slowly, looking between Mrs. Grace and Mrs. Frost to see which way the wind would blow.

  “I suppose that’s true,” Mrs. Grace said, her small mouth tight.

  “Then, the new equipment will be purchased,” Mrs. Frost said, her tone closing all further discussion. “Now to decide on the type of fundraiser we will have.”

  Alice endured another hour of talks about what kind of grand party these women wanted to throw. Her opinion of them plummeted further when they became more animated discussing a masked ball than they had when trying to help the poor of their city.

  Finally, Mrs. Frost stood, calling the meeting to an end without a word.

  “I would speak with you, Diana,” Mrs. Frost said, giving Alice a quick, hard glance. “You can stay here.”

  Alice watched as her aunt’s posture became ramrod straight and knew that the conversation wasn’t going to be pleasant. She felt an illogical jolt of guilt, certain that any problem would have something to do with her. Squashing the temptation to march over to them and tell the old bat exactly what she thought of her, Alice decided instead to leave the room. Her new heels clicked on the shiny marble floors of the lobby as she made her way to the overstuffed, Italian leather chairs.

  An older man, who had been seated nearby, got up and left his copy of the Jet City Chronicle on his chair. Alice waited a few minutes to see if he would return, and then snatched it up.

  The front page held another story about the newest drug on the streets.

  THREE MORE MURDERS IN WAREHOUSE DISTRICT

  Police Baffled

  She skimmed the first paragraph to get to the meat of the article, impatient to know what has been discovered.

  Police are still trying to find the source of the newest lethal drug, which has caused a rash of violent murders across the city. Though no official name has been given to the hallucinogenic substance, most simply call it Fantasy. The recent increase of murders in the warehouse district has led some to believe that the main distribution center could be there. Though many of the instances of violence perpetrated by people while under the influence of the drug have been reported from every neighborhood in Jet City.

  The police caution anyone who comes across someone who seems to be speaking to people that aren’t there, or exhibiting violent behavior to get away from them immediately and contact the police. The users of this drug are unpredictable and have shown unusual strength and speed while under the influence of the substance.

  Alice frowned and shook her head. When she was living in Park Side, there was always someone trying to push the latest drug, and she saw plenty of people that didn’t seem to be in their right minds. But this new drug was something altogether different. She knew that the newspapers weren’t allowed to report the true scope of the drug’s effects, the stories being too disturbing for the masses. There’d been rumors that some became so lost in their visions that they bludgeoned their own families to death. In one case, the police found a man under the influence of the drug waving a lighted torch around and screaming about giant wasps. Others said the drug made you see your most cherished dreams fall apart around you, and that’s why some killed themselves. Alice even heard someone at her college graduation say that his cousin had just been committed to a mental hospital from using the drug one time. His psyche was so destroyed that he was intermittently catatonic and violent.

  From a purely business standpoint, it doesn’t make any sense to have a drug that so effectively eliminates your repeat customers. Someone either has the wrong formula, and are using the general populace to test it, or they just don’t care.

  The thought that someone could be that uncaring chilled Alice. She decided it was time to divert her attention onto much more pleasant thoughts and scanned the paper until she found what she was looking for.

  JET CITY VIGILANTES STRIKE AGAIN

  By Logan Miller

  Last night, the vigilantes known as American Steel and Shadow Master were seen saving a woman from a group of delinquents in the Carol Anne neighborhood.

  The woman was walking home from her job at the local grocer, when three men approached her and attempted to steal her hand bag.

  “I owe them my life!” the woman reports. “Who knows what those toughs would’ve done if they hadn’t saved me!”

  The delinquents were left unconscious when the police arrived, presumably by the brute force of American Steel. When they recovered consciousness, all three men reported stories of shadowy nightmares coming at them, a trademark of the Shadow Master.

  “I don’t know how he did it! Devils, demons I haven’t seen since I was a kid, coming right out of the night!” says one of the men.

  Though public opinion about the vigilantes is becoming more positive by the day, the Mayor and Police Commissioner have both issued statements condemning their actions and calling on all good citizens to report any sightings of the vigilantes.

  When asked if there will be a reward offered for information leading to the capture of the vigilantes, the Mayor’s office said it was under consideration.

  “They should be giving them a medal,” Alice said, flipping through the paper to see if there was any other news about them.

  She had a passion for the vigilantes, spending hours wondering who they were and how they
did the things they did. Aunt Diana would sometimes speculate with her, and a light Alice had never seen before would shine from her large blue eyes. But then, Uncle Logan would change the subject, sometimes angrily, and Aunt Diana would leave the room.

  Her aunt and uncle were equals in nearly everything, which had been a startling change when Alice first came to live with them. He never spoke ill of Aunt Diana’s businesses or philanthropic endeavors. In fact, he was almost rabid in his support. Aunt Diana never complained about her uncle’s sometimes bizarre schedule as an investigative reporter, even when he was gone for days at a time.

  But, in this one thing, they were starkly divided and Alice wondered if it was the source of their recent fights.

  A tall man with a nasal voice jolted her out of these thoughts. “Are you Miss Seymour?”

  “Yes.”

  “There is a call for you at the front desk.”

  Alice frowned and went to the front desk, wondering who would be calling her here and why.

  “Hello?”

  “Alice? It’s me, Rose.”

  Her frown quickly transformed into a smile. Rose was Gerald’s daughter and had been her first friend in Jet City.

  Being a bit on the shy side, and a genius when it came to anything scientific, Rose couldn’t find a way to relate to the other kids on her block. In turn, Alice had felt too raw and unsure of everything to reach out to any of the kids on her street.

  The first time they met, Rose had shown Alice a radio she had rebuilt that could get signals from another country. Instead of thinking her weird for not playing with dolls or tea sets, Alice had been hypnotized by her. After that, they practically lived at each other’s houses after school and in the summer.

  Even when Alice went to College and Rose was denied entry because of her skin color, the two of them found a way to see each other every week. Sometimes, Alice would sneak Science and Engineering textbooks off campus for Rose, who would devour them.

  “How did you know I was here?” Alice asked, looking around.

  “I looked through the door and saw you sitting there. I’m on a pay phone around the corner.”