Two made her way upstairs into the room she had shared with Theroen. Her clothes were still there, in closet and dressers. Bathroom supplies, books of poetry, it was as if she had never left. Two thought of Theroen, lying next to her on the bed, and the ache in her heart leapt to the forefront.
“I could kill you a thousand times, Abraham, and we’d never be even. You took everything I had.”
Two went to take a shower.
* * *
They lived at the mansion for six weeks, and in that time Tori began to show definite signs of returning to humanity. Christmas came and went, the new year began. Two and Tori healed. As her mind changed, Tori began to behave in new ways. She mimicked sounds, and was beginning to understand simple questions that Two asked.
She was still strong. Still fast. Two wondered if the changes that vampirism had made to the girl’s physiology would every truly leave. She wondered if Tori would ever fully regain her mind. She didn’t know.
There were only two moments of unpleasantness left for Two during her stay at the mansion. The first occurred early: the burning of Abraham’s remains. Two had taken care of the head first, out in the yard, dousing it with gasoline and covering it with kindling. She’d taken the machete to the skull, blackened and cracked by the flames, and scattered the pieces around the grounds. She’d repeated the process with the body. If Abraham could somehow heal himself now, then it was beyond her power to do anything more about it.
The second occurrence came a week later. Exploring the mansion, she had come upon Abraham’s study. Even with the vampire lord gone, it had seemed still to pulse with evil, and Two ventured into it with trepidation, lighting candles as she moved down the hall toward the double oak doors.
The worth of Abraham’s collection of ancient manuscripts must have been beyond measurement, Two had thought as she inspected the room, her high-power lantern casting odd shadows that did little to improve the room’s appeal. There were books, scrolls, and even a few stone carvings that she had no doubt were of historical significance. She had wondered what she should pick, if she chose to disturb anything in this room, and to whom she might sell it.
At the far end of the room she had found a set of heavy iron doors and, beyond them, a staircase leading down into darkness. Determined to master her fear and explore the mansion in its entirety, Two had made her way down them, wishing she had thought to bring the gun, or the machete, or both. It had seemed impossible that there would be anything living down here, and yet many things she had seen would have seemed impossible to her just a few weeks before.
The sight upon reaching the bottom had forced a cry of despair from her lips. There, on a stone bier, lay her lover. Theroen, pale and broken, was spread out on the slab. His body had been cleaned. Abraham had perhaps been performing some sort of ceremony. Two had run across the room, bit into her left wrist hard enough to bring blood, barely aware of the pain, and held it above Theroen’s open mouth.
Nothing.
Crying, begging, Two had held her neck against his lips. They were cold and dead. Theroen did not move, did not change, and Two had wrapped her arms about the corpse and wept.
She knew only that she could not bring herself to burn Theroen, and so left him there, returning to Abraham’s study, closing the iron doors and piling objects in front of them. Stone statues, marble tables, anything heavy. Tori helped her move them.
Two hoped Theroen had found peace. She hoped he was somewhere with Lisette, loving her, telling her stories of Two and what fun they would have whenever Two finally joined them. She wondered if she had the strength to go on without him, and could not find an answer.
She wondered if some night she might awaken to find a vampire hovering above her, eyes like fire, bringing retribution for Abraham’s death.
She wondered if any of it even mattered.
* * *
Chapter 7
The Search
An apartment in SoHo. Fifth floor.
“One fish... Two fish...” Tori read haltingly, struggling with the words, anxious to please. She looked up at Two, frustrated. “This is hard, Two! It’s hard.”
Two smiled, nodded, dragged at her cigarette. “I know, sweetheart. You’re doing fine.”
“Can I stop now?” Tori closed the book. Forty minutes of reading seemed to have worn her out.
New York. Two had been back in the city on a full-time basis for three or four days. The mansion had provided her with enough money that she would never need sell herself again. Jewelry, clothing, cars... Two had sold them for prices so low they were obscene, and still pocketed an unbelievable amount of money. The Ferrari alone had brought her a quarter of a million dollars. Two wondered how much the heavily modified car would have been worth if sold legally.
She had spent the past few weeks opening safety deposit boxes, speaking with lawyers and accountants, looking for ones who could help her to retain this sudden influx of wealth. She was not concerned with legality or morals, only that no investigation would occur which might disturb the mansion.
At some point after she left it, and whether by man or vampire or errant bolt of lightning Two could not say, the mansion burned. Two had not been able to bring herself to search the ruins and see if the sub-basement remained intact. If Theroen was still there. It would have been more than she could bear. Her physical wounds were gone, but those that scarred her soul felt fresh still. She left, choosing to believe that somewhere below the ash, buried in a chamber of stone, was the body of her lover. Would he ever be found? Puzzled over? Dissected?
Two tried not to think about it.
She sighed. “Sure, Tori. You can stop. That’s fine.”
Tori handed her the book. “Do you want to read, Two? You read good, like my big sister.”
Two looked at her, puzzled. Tori had been mentioning this mystery sister for a few weeks now. When asked if she meant Melissa, Tori would shake her head. No. Someone else. A human sister? A mother? Two wasn’t sure. She breathed smoke, exhaled, let the fingers on her idle hand flip through the book.
Tori wrinkled her nose. “Why do you smoke, Two?”
“Because a girl can only give up so many addictions, Tori. I gave up the heroin. I gave up the blood.”
“Is heroin the needle stuff?”
“Yes.”
“That’s bad for you!”
“Yes. Very bad for me, and even worse for Abraham.”
Tori growled at the mention of her vampire father’s name.
“Don’t growl, sweetheart. Dogs do that, not people.”
“Okay, Two.”
Two knew she should call Rhes and Sarah, knew that she should let them know she was not dead. She desperately wanted to know how Molly was doing. She was waiting until she felt safe that she wouldn’t burst into tears at the sound of Rhes’s voice. She though maybe tonight she could handle it.
“Do you want to go meet some friends of mine, Tori?”
“Sure! who?”
“You remember Molly? The girl we saw when I took you to Darren’s apartment?”
Tori pulled at her hair, miming pigtails, her eyes questioning. Two nodded.
“Yes. Her, and a man named Rhes, and his girlfriend Sarah. You’ll like them, Tori. They’re good people.”
“Okay, Two.”
“Today should be one of Rhes’s off days. They’re probably at home. Should we call? Bed Stuy’s a long ride from here ... but it would be fun to surprise them.”
“I like surprises!”
Two grinned. “Okay, Tori. Let’s go meet some friends.”
* * *
It was Rhes who opened the door, and the expression on his face brought tears to Two’s eyes even as it caused her to burst out laughing. Shock, wonder, joy. He stammered for a moment, finally finding words. “Jesus. Two! We thought you were dead.”
Two opened her arms, hugging him tight, crying into his shoulder. Rhes lifted her up off the ground for a moment, set her back down, still grinning and looking like he
might weep himself. He ran a shaky hand through his hair. Tori was looking around, bewildered. There was a dog barking in the background.
“Wow. I mean... I just... wow. Are you okay, Two?”
“I’ll be better when you invite me in off your freezing-ass doorstep, and let me see Sarah.”
Rhes laughed, moved aside, beckoned with his arm. Two walked into the house, a small but tidy duplex in a Brooklyn brownstone, and looked around. Tori followed.
“Sarah’s upstairs checking on the kid, but she’ll be down in a second. Molly’s fine, before you ask, Two. Well... maybe not fine, but much better. It was a rough couple of weeks. Killed us to put her through it, but I think she’s crossed over to the easier side of it now.”
“Good. Thank you so much, Rhes. I don’t know how I’m ever going to repay you guys for this.”
“Two, I... listen, don’t worry about it. Trust me. We love her. She’s the sweetest kid I’ve ever met. I hope you’re not planning on taking her somewhere.”
“Hadn’t thought that far ahead, but assuming she’s happy, and you guys want her here, I can’t think of anywhere else she’d be better off.”
Rhes nodded. “Good. Who’s your friend? She okay with dogs?”
“Her name’s Tori, and I have no idea. Guess we’ll find out. Let him in before he pees on the floor, Rhes.”
Rhes opened the door to the kitchen, and the dog, Jake, came bounding out, barking and wagging his tail. Tori took a nervous step backward, but Two knelt down and cried out the dog’s name, throwing her arms wide. Soon, both girls were laughing and petting Jake, who was enjoying the attention.
“Do you like him, Tori?”
“He’s soft! And... eugh!” Jake licked Tori’s face, and she pulled back, grinning and rubbing her cheek on her sleeve. Two laughed.
“And friendly. And smart, although I guess that seeing-eye dogs sort of have to be.”
“Sure do,” Rhes said. “Hey, Jake. Relax, big guy. They’re not going anywhere.”
He patted the dog, then pointed toward the couch. Jake leapt onto it and lay with his head over the arm, watching them with big, dark eyes.
There were footsteps on the stairs, and Two looked up to see Sarah descending them carefully. “There better not be any boots at the bottom of these, Rhes. If the blind lady trips and falls again, she’s going to break your arms.”
Rhes laughed, looking sheepish. “No, Sarah. They’re in the closet.”
Sarah came to a stop in front of Two. “Damn near killed me last week. Who says love isn’t work?”
Two laughed. “How are you, Sarah?”
“Better for hearing your voice, Two. Do I get a hug, or did Jake wear you out?”
Two embraced Sarah, laughing. They broke apart after a minute, and Two looked around smiling. Rhes spoke up. “You look good, Two. I hope you don’t mind my asking but are you still, uh... you know? Staying clean, and all that?”
“Oh, yeah. That’s done. Been done for a while now.”
“Any cravings?” Sarah asked.
Not for that, Two thought. Out loud she said “Occasionally. Mostly no.”
“Good.”
“Yes.”
There was a pause. Two sat down on the couch, and Tori followed her. Rhes took an armchair. Sarah pulled up the piano bench.
Silence for a moment more, and then Rhes tilted his head to one side, looked at her for a moment, asked “You going to tell us where you’ve been, Two?”
Two sighed. “I don’t know if I can. It’s crazy, Rhes. You’ll think I’m crazy.”
There was another silence, then Rhes shrugged. “Okay. I won’t push. Too happy to see you, anyway. You want anything to drink? Beer? Soda?”
“Fuck, yes. Beer. Whatever you’ve got will be great.”
Rhes stood, moving toward the kitchen. “What about your friend? And Sarah, do you want anything?”
“I’m good, hon, thanks.”
Two turned to Tori. “Do you want something to drink?”
“What’s beer?”
“You wouldn’t like it. It’s a drink that sort of tastes like raw bread dough.”
Tori made a face. “Yuck. Can I have a soda?”
Two laughed. “Sure. Whatever you have, Rhes, long as it’s got sugar in it. She’s not picky.”
Rhes departed. Sarah got up, and stole Rhes’s seat with a sideways grin toward the kitchen. She bit her lower lip for a moment, then spoke. “Two... Tori, I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but I can’t tell if you’re five or twenty-five.”
“I’m this many.” Tori held up seven fingers with pride. Two rolled her eyes. Tori picked a random number of fingers each time her age came up.
“Tori, Sarah can’t see that, and it doesn’t matter anyway since you’re making it up. It’s hard to explain, Sarah. She’s sort of both, really.”
Sarah raised an eyebrow. “Don’t suppose you’d care to explain that, either?”
“No, but I figure you’re probably going to make me eventually, so I guess I might as well. Let’s wait for Rhes.”
“I get the impression there’s a lot you’re not telling us, Two.”
“Centuries worth.”
Sarah raised her eyebrows, but Two didn’t elaborate. Rhes returned with the drinks, handed Two her beer, sat down on the piano bench.
“Way to steal my seat, dear,” He said to Sarah.
“Your fault for offering to get the drinks, sweetie.” Sarah’s was grinning, the slightest hint of sarcasm in her voice. She turned to Tori. “Where are you from, Tori?”
“I came from a big house. It was full of stuff but mostly I lived outside.”
“Outside?”
“Yeah. In the woods.”
“Oh, jeez...” muttered Two. “We don’t know where she’s from. She only remembers the last place she lived, for now.”
“Right. The last place she lived. Out in the woods. What the hell, Two?”
Two rolled her eyes, drank from her bottle of beer, looked around the room for a moment. “You’re not going to let me not tell you this... are you?”
Sarah spread her hands. Waddaya want from me? Rhes said nothing.
Two sighed. “Okay. I... fuck it. Here goes. When it’s done, you can call the loony bin and have Tori and me committed. I’ll start by saying that I can prove this, if I have to. I can take you to where the mansion was. I can show you what I took from there. I can dig down to... to Theroen, and show him to you, if I have to.”
“Theroen?”
“Let me tell it. It’s going to take a while.”
“Okay, Two.”
Two took a breath, gathered her thoughts, and began. “It started on a regular night, I guess. As regular as it gets, anyway...”
* * *
The story took three and a half hours to tell. By the time she finished, Sarah looked pale and shaken. Rhes looked dazed, like someone had hit him in the head with a sledgehammer. Two couldn’t meet their eyes. She was shaking, needed a cigarette, and thought she might very soon begin weeping.
“Questions?” She asked, trying for humor and finding little. Her throat hurt, that muscle ache at the back that comes with holding back tears, or talking through them.
Sarah ran a hand through her hair, exhaled as if just remembering that she needed to breathe, flopped back against the cushions of the couch. “I have approximately seven hundred billion questions, Two.”
“That’s about half as many as I have. I can’t answer most of them, Sarah. I didn’t have very long to learn.”
Rhes spoke up. “I have one. You really believe this, Two?”
“Yeah. Yes. I really do. I suppose it’s possible that I’ve been lying somewhere hallucinating for the past three months, but I doubt it. I don’t have any pictures, but I have the gun, and the stuff from the mansion, and Tori, who’ll back me up as best she can if you ask her.”
Rhes rested his head on one hand, staring at the floor, looking confused. “This is crazy.”
“Yes.”
“It’s... it’s fiction, is what it is,” Sarah said. She heard Two’s intake of breath, held up her hand, cut Two off. “Not your story. I don’t mean you’re lying, or making this up. I haven’t even come close to making a decision on that. I just mean the whole concept. The whole vampire thing. I want to believe you, but this isn’t the dark ages. No one buys into that stuff anymore.”
“I know. I don’t know how to prove it, short of Theroen, and I guess even if I brought you there, even he could appear to be human. Nothing I can do. All of my witnesses are dead, except Tori. I guess she’s not really that credible... but if you want to take her outside, she’ll happily lift the back end of your car six inches off the ground for you.”
“Actually, I’d say Tori’s proof even without any of that. I don’t think she’s really capable of lying. At best she’d have been hallucinating right along with you, Two... and if that’s the case, then there’d have to be some explanation as to why you both hallucinated the same events.”
Two looked at him, silent. Rhes stood up, stretched, paced back and forth a few times.
“I guess if it comes down to one story that’s as weird as another, I’m going to go with the one that you think is the right one. I’m trying to believe you, Two, because I think you’re telling the truth. My head hurts. It feels like my brain wants to abandon it for safer pastures, and I think I’m going to sleep with the lights on for the rest of my life, now, but I believe you.”
Sarah sighed, but nodded. “Yeah. I guess I do to.”
Two looked at them both for a moment, then burst into tears. She covered her face with her hands, sobbing, shaking, unable to control herself. Tori woke at the sound, looking worried. “Are you okay, Two?”
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