Alex was jumpy, his hands shook at his sides and his eyes darted around the black tinted windows of the building.
“Gabby, I don’t think this is a good idea. I mean, The Coven, their kill us when they find out!” Alex said worriedly, his eyes fanatically scanning the windows of the building.
“What! You heard the Black Orchid, they won’t see us coming we’re be in and out before they even notice we’re there. No one will even know it’s us!” Gabby reassured, but it sounded like her efforts were more for her own doubts.
“I don’t know, Gabby? What happens if someone see’s us? When I agreed to help you find the girl, I didn’t intent to die because of her. We were just following the rules of The Coven! Brendan broke those rules when he told a human about her, we were meant to deal with her and then go home and go to bed, but this? This is crazy! If I knew we were going to go against our family and steal from them, I would have never of agreed to this!” Alex argued, looking helplessly into Gabby’s eyes.
“Then why did you?!” Gabby asked angrily.
“Because… because I thought I was helping you, you are my friend! We are all meant to abide by the code of the Coven. I was trying to do the right thing!” Alex sighed.
“And it’s not because you thought doing this, you will get to bone Gabby?” Andy blurted, a large smile creeping across his lips.
“What! No! Gabby, I never said that” Alex protested innocently, his words were genuine but his eyes lied.
“Ewe….in your dreams” Gabby cringed.
“Stop it all of you! No one’s leaving, we’re in this together!” Trace shouted, speaking for the first time.
Both Alex and Gabby fell silent at once, they looked nervously towards Trace. Even Andy’s satisfied smile which had been spread across his face just a moment ago slowly faded. Gabby threw an angry look at Alex, her bright green eyes piecing through the darkness. The three Vampires followed Trace’s demands with little protest, since he was now showing his dominance. Madison had jumped at the sound of Trace‘s authorial voice and she now eyed him warily.
Trace’s face was softer than before, but he still seemed deep in thought. His long dark brown hair which was pulled back into a pony tail flapped around in the wind. Trace had a rugged handsome look to him, one that Madison might of even been attracted too if he wasn’t trying to help Gabby kill her. Some people might even say he was better looking than Brendan, if you like that dirty biker kind of look. There was a spark of unpredictability with Trace, something Madison had felt from the very first moment she had clapped eyes on him and deep down, this scared her more than Gabby. Madison knew little about Trace which made her feel even more uncomfortable. She had no knowledge of what kind of Vampire Trace was or why he had agreed to help Gabby in the first place. It was becoming apparent why Alex had decided to help Gabby, he had some kind of crush on her and Andy probably agreed because his brother had or because he had nothing better to do. Gabby was the only Vampire that had a real vendetta for Madison and the other Vampires just seemed to be along for the ride. Stephanie and Faye had just been obstetrical in her way, which Gabby removed with her minions. Brendan would surely serve the same fate if he were to stand in her way.
It is human instinct to judge a person of their strengths and weaknesses from their outer shell before even allowing you to get to know someone. In the wild that must be how the animals pick their pray, juggling their strengths and weaknesses to determine which is the best kill. In this instance, Gabby and Trace had made it perfectly clear that they did not like Madison – that they saw her as some kind of threat. When Trace had seen Madison that night in the nightclub, he looked at her like a wild animal weighing up his options.
“Where’s the Black Orchid” Trace asked, his eyes still focused on the glass doors of the building.
“We’re here” said two unnatural voices to the right.
Everyone span around to look towards the two boys who stood in the center of the sidewalk - their postures identical. Their heads arched over towards the floor and their hoods shadowing their facial features.
“Let’s go!” Trace said to the hooded boys.
Both boys nodded together and walked towards the Vampires and Madison.
Trace took the first step, followed quickly by Gabby then reluctantly by Alex and The Black Orchid. Andy stayed behind trying to usher Madison forwards by pulling on her arm, but she protested keeping her feet firmly on the ground.
Andy pulled her again, this time more forcefully causing Madison to be thrown forwards almost losing her footing. She threw a frustrated looked at Andy and allowed him to lead her towards the stone steps.
Madison’s legs wobbled as she took the large steps one by one.
As they reached the two large glass doors, Trace reached inside his jacket pocket and pulled out an electronic swipe card. Gabby and Alex hovered by the door, both of their postures were slightly arched as if they were about to be attacked. Brendan had done a similar pose when he had been attacked by the Skin Crawlers.
Trace held the swipe card out towards the small black box by the right hand side of the door.
“Wait!” one of the hooded boys said in haste, before Trace could swipe the access card.
Trace looked at the boy confused for a second and slowly he lowered his hand to his side.
“Allow me” one of boy said in a husky unnatural voice.
The boy took two steps towards the black swipe card reader, his hand lowered towards the floor. His back arched like a man of eighty instead of a boy of about fifth teen/sixteen. He stretched out his arm towards the swipe card reader, the baggy sleeve of his black hoodie flapped in the wind. Slowly, he lifted up his hand and placed the palm of his hand flat onto the swipe card reader.
Madison watched the boy curiously.
The boy’s head twitched a few times and sparks flew out of the swipe card reader in different directions - the device popped and cracked quietly.
There was a loud clicking sound, and then the two glass doors opened a fraction.
“They won’t be able to trace the intrusion back to your key card” the boy said to Trace.
Trace stared in amazement, nodding with thanks.
Madison stared at the doors in amazement, but a flicker of terror dried out her throat. She was beginning to realise she was about to set foot in The Vampire Coven of London, a place where humans were not meant to go.
She knew she would be going in, but she was almost certainly would not be coming back out.
“All the doors in the Coven are now unlocked. Our master has blocked us from the cameras of The Coven and the Seers” the boy said lowering his hand and twisting to face Trace.
Trace looked confused for a moment; he wasn’t sure whether to trust The Black Orchid or to trust his instincts. The Black Orchid was natural enemies of The Coven, but on occasions, like the night Madison had first met Brendan The Coven worked alongside them.
Trace’s eyes were blood shot and his pupils were huge almost colouring the whole of his Iris black – he was drunk.
A shiver flew up Madison’s spin making her whole body shake uncontrollably. Andy tightened his grip on her arm, pitching the skin.
Trace nodded slowly his eyes lowered, locking onto the boy.
“Gabby, Alex, get rid of the guard” Trace ordered, his eyes still glued to the boy.
Gabby nudged Alex’s arm, gesturing him to go in first. She now seemed happy to follow Trace’s orders, probably because if they got caught Trace’s punishment would be worse if he was seen as the instigator.
Alex did not budge. He stared into space, his face full of hurt and betrayal. He eyes were wide and watery, his head twitched in attempt to restrain himself from being emotional. Gabby hovered at Alex’s side, her eyes hard with disappointment. She stared at Alex then her eyes wandered over to Trace, who also looked disappointed. He lowered his eyes and sighed deeply. The posture of his body tightened and he parted his lips, shaking his head gently.
Trac
e turned to face Alex his movement was extremely fast, causing Madison to jump and resulting in Andy tightening his grip on her arm yet again. Madison whimpered as he twisted her flesh, leaving her upper arm throbbing. Although the burning sensation distracted Madison slightly she couldn’t take her eyes off Trace. His eyes were now a blood red and his pupil had decreased rapidly in size - almost animal like. His posture defensive and his back arched.
Alex jumped back at Trace’s reaction, his body tense, defensive and his back arched over in the same manner of Trace’s. Panic flashed over Alex’s face, he looked from Trace to Gabby, then to his twin brother who looked away in shame.
Andy tightened his grip on Madison’s arm in anger, taking some of his frustration out on her. Madison winced and shot him a remorseful glance.
It was clear that the bond of family and unconditional love that siblings have did not exist in the Vampire world. Andy stared at Alex with just as much hate that Trace and Gabby did.
Alex shifted nervously, his eyes darted to each of the vampires faces.
Gabby took a step towards him, her beautiful bright green eyes staring in an attempt to intimidate him.
Alex’s shoulders relaxed and he straighten up; his eyes hopelessly fell to the floor. He stood for a moment his face ashamed and defeated, his bottom lip withering in sorrow. He took a deep breath and began to walk towards the door his eyes still fixed on the ground. Gabby threw an excitable smile at Trace, exposing her white razor sharp teeth. Her fiery bright, green, eyes reflected the dim light that spilled out from the cracked in the double glass doors. She strode after Alex almost a bounce in her step. Her petite, curvy, body moving with her hips from side to side. Her stiletto’s clicking on the concrete as she walked.
Alex pushed open the glass door and slipped inside, followed quickly by Gabby.
Madison tried to peer around Trace to catch a glimpse of the inside headquarters of The Coven, but Trace’s wide body blocked her view.
“Keep her quiet, I don’t want her drawing attention to us. If she screams, kill her” Trace ordered Andy.
Madison glanced at Trace, his eyes caught hers and they made eye contact for a moment. His blood coloured eyes pierced into her skin, this instantly made Madison’s blood run cold.
“The girl remains under our protection until your part of the agreement is fulfilled” one of the hooded boys said.
Trace held her gaze, his face was cold but there was a spark of amusement on his expression from the hooded boy’s statement. Trace broke his gaze from Madison’s by shutting his eyes, when he reopened his eyes the colour of his iris had returned to their normal colour of dark brown. He refocused his eyes onto Madison’s face, studying her expression and reading her fear.
“We’re see…” Trace muttered, turning away from Madison.
Madison took a deep, her heart pounded against her chest, beads of sweat formed at her hair line and along the top of her lip - her face was now damp and clammy. She prayed that Brendan would turn up and rescue her before she stepped a foot inside The Coven. The Coven was unknown territory and Madison had no idea of what to expect. The end was approaching – she was sure of it. There was a part of her that was terrified about what was going to happen, but another part of her was relieved that the end was drawing near. She felt immense guilt for what had happened to Stephanie and for the pain Stephanie’s Mother would feel at the loss of her daughter.
Madison loved Brendan dearly and there would be no one else in this life or the next that could take his place in her heart – he was her one and only. She cherished every moment she had spent with him and any more moments after this would be a blessing. Although she felt her life was coming to her end, she knew what she had to do - protect Brendan with her last breath. Madison felt no fear at the prospect of death and she only felt fear of what would occur up until that point and who else might lose their life in her mess. The thought that she might soon be reunited with her Mum and all this pain would soon stop, provided Madison with a little piece of comfort, but the guilt and sorrow that hung over her from the loss of Stephanie was too heavy for her to feel any release.
“Let’s go!” Trace said heading towards the glass doors.
Madison felt the panic rise in her stomach and her heart bounced around in her chest – she was pretty sure if the Vampire’s didn’t kill her she would almost definitely die of an early heart attack. Her hands clammy and her face drenched with beads of sweat and her hair clinging to her brow and the back of her neck, she trembled at the prospect of going inside the door before her.
Andy tried to nudge Madison forwards but she refused digging her heels in and shaking her head. He nudged her again, this time slightly more forceful but she shuffled forwards before quickly moving backwards to her original spot.
Andy sighed in frustration and pulled her towards his body, grabbing her left upper arm so he had both arms restrained. He held Madison so her back was pressed again his front and her arms tightly restrained against his chest. She struggled, thrashing her body from side to side trying to release his hold. Madison screamed in desperation – hoping that Brendan was nearby and he might hear her cries.
Andy quickly placed his right hand over Madison’s mouth, stopping her scream mid flow. His other arm spread across her chest stopping her from escaping.
“Shut up!” He spat in her ear, squeezing her chest cutting off the oxygen.
Madison whimpered as a loud crack sounded from her chest, tears spilled out over her cheeks down onto Andy’s arm – he had broken one of her ribs.
He forced her towards the entrance of The Coven. Trace and the two hooded boys had already entered the building while Andy and Madison struggled outside. His hand tightened around her mouth and his other arm wrapped around firmly against her chest. Andy kicked the door of The Coven open and pushed Madison through.
They entered a large, empty reception area. The room was huge and elegant – like the entrance of a Marrot or Hilton Hotel. In the centre of the room was a circle of dark blue corner sofa’s surrounding a glass coffee table with a few magazines in the centre.
At the end of the room a beautifully painted sunset above a calm sea stretched along the wall – quite an ironic thing to be in a Coven of Vampires. The reds, oranges and yellows which bleed together gave the appearance of a hot summer’s day, reminding Madison of the many summer’s she and Stephanie had spent together on the beach in Brighton. The different shades of gray and white made the sea look like a thousand diamonds sown across a blue brink; it was magical, almost drawing you in.
White marble with specks of yellow covered the floor of the entire room. On the left was a dark brown receptionist’s desk with a small flat screen computer screen and keyboard sat behind it, on the left wall was two large golden elevators doors.
Andy didn’t hesitate, he quickly ushered Madison towards a corridor on the left. She shifted uncomfortably in his grip, her rib aching from underneath his grip. Brown doors dotted along the corridor which led into multiple different offices and rooms. The corridor was darker then the reception area, Madison’s strained to see through the dim light. Her boots slid on the marble floor, Andy gripped her more tightly, preventing her from falling out of his grasp.
When they reached the end of the corridor it veered off to the right, muffled voices travelled along the corridor towards them. Madison and Andy had fallen behind and up until now The Coven appeared disserted. Andy stopped before the corner veered off, He lent against the end of the right wall, squeezing Madison tightly to stop her from moving or causing any noise. Slowly he pocked his head around the corner, just enough so he could see what the cause of the muffled voices might be. He jolted his head back against the wall quickly, preventing himself from being seen.
“Shit!” he whispered, panicked.
Madison froze. Whoever was on the other side of the corridor had spooked Andy, which meant that she too should be scared for her life.
Andy rested his head against the wall, his whole body
shook against Madison. He fingers pitched the skin on her shoulder, causing her to screw her face up in pain. She stared helplessly towards the empty space on the wall opposite; her mind whirling with the idea of breaking free from Andy’s restrain. Tears dried on her face making her skin feel tight and sticky. Beads of sweat trickled off her forehead and followed the pattern of the dried tears down her cheeks.
Her breathing was quick and wheezy from the lack of oxygen she was getting from Andy’s hand which still covered her mouth.
The muffled voices carried on for a few seconds then there was a soft click as a door closed. Andy slowly poked his head around the corner again, he searched the corridor, but there was no sign of movement now.
Slowly he relaxed, his grip loosening on Madison, allowing her to take in a deep breath of air. He pulled Madison around the corner with him, his hand still covering her mouth, his other hand now moved downwards to her midriff.
The corridor was longer than the one before, it stretched along the whole length of the back of The Coven – a never ending corridor almost. About half way down on the left hand side of the corridor door was one golden elevator door. Andy pushed her down the corridor towards it. She tripped a few times as Andy trod on her heels.
He gripped her stomach tight, stopping her from falling forward. As they passed one of the offices to the left, the door clicked open. They both froze on the spot, their bodies twisted and their eyes now focused on the open door. Madison caught her breath as she waited for a new threat to emerge from the open office. Andy’s cold chest tightened again Madison’s spine, his finger dug into the flesh on her stomach in anticipation.
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