by ID Johnson
“How is Cadence anyway?” I asked. “When I talk to her, she tries to tell me everything is fine, but I can tell that she’s still upset. Is it all Aaron, or is there something else?” I decided not to mention to him she’d said something about going elsewhere.
He seemed hesitant to talk to me about this topic at all, more so than the others, but I waited patiently, his scent of leather and aftershave pervading the small space, reminding me of safety and that feeling you get when you return home after a long trip. “Listen, Cass, your sister is struggling with a few things right now. She is still very upset about Aaron, as you can imagine she would be. The girl fell hard for him, and the stuff that happened between them wasn’t good on either side. She’ll figure it out eventually, but it’s been rough. There are a few other things going on, things I can’t talk about, and then there’s the fact that she’s still adjusting to this new life. You can imagine it isn’t easy. I don’t manipulate her mind the way I do other people’s, and while Hannah made Jack’s passing a little easier on her at first so she could concentrate on her job, it’s still very difficult for Cadence. She’ll get through it, though. We all just need to give her some time and space.”
The happy vibes from earlier today were dissipating. My heart ached for my sister. I felt embarrassed and ashamed for ever thinking she might’ve been responsible for Drew’s death. My sister loved her friends and family with her whole heart, and that’s probably why she was hurting so badly even though she hadn’t really known Aaron that long. It seemed like she’d given her heart to him, and he’d shattered it into a million pieces. And now, she had to see him with Eliza every single day. “I wish I could go punch both Aaron and Eliza in the face,” I muttered, folding my arms.
“You and me both, lil girl,” he agreed. “I’m pretty sure Aaron sees the error of his ways now, and I know for a fact he was manipulated, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that he believed someone else over your sister, and he shouldn’t have treated her the way that he did.”
Of course, I wasn’t privy to all of the facts, and I was pretty sure Elliott wouldn’t fill me in. But I had to ask. “Manipulated? By Eliza?” He nodded, no longer looking at me. “Does Cadence know that?”
“She knows. But she can’t do anything about it right now.”
“And Aaron knows?” He confirmed that for me as well. I felt rage boiling up inside of me. “And he’s still with her?”
Elliott let out a slow breath. “It’s a lot more complicated than it sounds, sweetie. I can’t tell you anything else. I wish I could. Or that I hadn’t mentioned any of it to begin with.”
“No, it’s okay,” I said, realizing I was prying. Cadence hadn’t really wanted to talk about it, and it wasn’t even fair of me to ask Elliott for information my sister didn’t want to divulge. “I just… wish she was happy.”
“Well, she’s really good at her job, I mean, amazing, and I think she’s happy about that. She just needs to keep focused on training and leave all the drama behind. I think she’s doing that.”
“Good,” I nodded. “I’m glad to hear that at least.”
“We should probably go inside before you mom thinks I’m telling you more than I’m supposed to.”
“Okay,” I agreed, but even before I opened the door, something occurred to me, another burning question I’d been dying to ask. “Elliott—can she die?”
“What’s that now?” he asked, halfway out of the car himself.
“Cadence. She can die, right? I mean, I know she’s got some superhero skills, like she can jump off of the roof and run really fast and stuff, but she’s not immortal, is she?”
“No, Cass. None of us are immortal. Some of us live a lot longer than others, but there’s not a creature on this planet that can’t die at the hand of something, not as far as I know anyway.”
I held his gaze for a moment before I nodded and grabbed my backpack, pulling myself up out of the low-framed car. I closed the scissor door behind me, still reflecting on his words. The way he said it made it sound like the only way my sister, or him, could die is if they were murdered—he’d said “die at the hand of something.” Does that mean they could live on inevitably so long as nothing got to them?
My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of my mom’s overly-chipper voice greeting us from the front porch. “Well, hello there! I thought you were going to sit in the car all day!”
“Sorry, I muttered. We were just talking about my biology project. Elliott was my teacher today. I didn’t even know he could be a substitute teacher, but now I do!” As far as my mom knew, I had accepted all of this just like the other kids; I had already drank the Kool-Aid.
“Isn’t that great?” my mom gushed, playing along with Elliott’s story. She hugged him and welcomed him in, advising him to make himself at home, and I silently marveled at how it seemed like this is where he belonged, like he was part of our family. Since he’d mentioned not having one of his own, I was more than willing to make him the big brother I’d never had if he wanted the job. Unfortunately, there was an opening recently created by either an awful disease or something related to death by vampires, possibly vampire hunters.
I still had no idea what had happened to Jack, but I wasn’t worried about it, and I didn’t know if that was my own thinking or someone else’s. Everything became jumbled up in my head again, and when my mom asked me to go upstairs so she could talk to Elliott, I didn’t even protest. I even decided against eavesdropping since I was pretty sure I either already knew everything they were about to say or didn’t want to know.
In my room, lying on my bed, I thought about the freedom I’d experienced speeding down the highway in the Lamborghini and wondered if that would really be my life someday. Would I transform into a vampire hunter like Cadence had? And if so, could I stand across from a vampire in battle and defeat it? I felt like I would be capable of doing just that, once I’d gone through the same kind of training she was undergoing now. I wondered if I’d also meet a dashing stranger and fall head over heels for him, though I hoped that things wouldn’t go the same way for me as they had for Cadence with Aaron. Maybe I could let Liam know of my new advanced skills, and he’d want to ask me to the homecoming dance coming up in a couple of months.
My mind continued to bounce around between subjects, even as I tried to do the little bit of homework I had, and when my mom called me down for dinner, I was still pondering what it would be like to be a vampire hunter. One thing was for certain; I was more than ready to leave this old life behind and find out for myself, just as soon as they would let me.
Chapter 8
By the end of the week, the cheerfulness had died down a little bit. Though it was no longer the frenzy it had been before, people were still acting strange. I wondered what they would think of themselves in a few months when they were no longer brainwashed to believe every day was the best day ever and saw the videos they’d posted all over social media of themselves during this time of unruly giddiness.
“You coming to my house this weekend, Cass?” Lucy asked, picking the larger chunks of hamburger out of the pasta and meat concoction on her tray. I never understood why she got that when she hardly even ate half of it. “You haven’t been over for weeks.”
It was unusual how long it had been since I’d paid her a visit. I was just having a really hard time hanging out with either of my friends when I couldn’t tell them the truth about everything I’d discovered. Still, I needed to make an effort. “Uh, sure,” I replied.
“Cool. Milo and Wes are coming over Saturday afternoon to watch movies, and then we’ll have a girls’ night. Em’s coming—right Em?”
“Yes. I’m coming.”
The chipperness had worn off of her the quickest of all, I thought. She wasn’t acting paranoid like she had been Monday morning before Elliott got to her, but she was still acting funny, like a rain cloud was hanging over her head. She was never the type to be giddy for no reason, but this was taking it to a whole new level
and it had me concerned. Would I have to stage Elliott interventions every week or so?
Lucy continued to talk about how much fun we were going to have, and I half-listened, half-stared at the back of Liam White’s head. We had an algebra test coming up in a couple of weeks, and I really hoped he’d ask me to help him study again. I remembered the last time. We’d sat at my dining room table, and he’d “accidentally” brushed my hand. It’d been magical.
“Cass? Are you even listening? Or are you too busy trying to see through Liam’s skull?”
Lucy’s voice was annoyed but not loud. “Sorry,” I muttered, returning my attention to my cheeseburger. “I was mostly listening.”
She only made a dejected sound. “Anyway, my mom won’t be there, only my dad, so he won’t care how loud we get.”
“Are we going to use his man cave?” Emma asked. “The last time we were down there, it smelled like… feet.”
I remembered the conversation. Emma had an overly sensitive nose.
“Sandy cleaned it really good this week. Promise.” Sandy was the housekeeper who cleaned Lucy’s ginormous house once a week.
“She better have used something stronger than Febreze,” Emma muttered, picking the crust off of her ham and cheese sandwich.
The two of them continued to spat and I realized my cell phone was buzzing. I pulled it out of my pocket and saw that it was my sister. It was super odd for her to call me during the middle of the day, but then, she knew my lunch time, too. “I’ve gotta take this,” I said, standing up and walking toward the hallway where it would be slightly quieter. “Hello?”
“Hey, Cass, sorry to bother you at school. I only had a few minutes, so I thought I’d give you a buzz. You’re at lunch, right?” Cadence asked.
“Yeah,” I replied, stopping just inside the hallway, nowhere near the classroom doors. The last thing I needed was to get in trouble for disturbing the other students while I was on my phone. “What’s up?”
“Nothing much.” Her voice sounded morose, like she was having a really tough day. “I just needed to hear your voice.”
While it made me happy to know my big sister was missing me, I couldn’t help but ask, “Are you okay? Is it Aaron?”
Cadence let out a really loud sigh. I knew she didn’t like to talk about stuff like that with me. But maybe she felt like she had nowhere else to turn. I couldn’t imagine Elliott was the best person to talk to about this sort of thing. He was good friends with Aaron from what I had gathered. “Yeah,” she said, her tone even more melancholy than before. “It’s just so hard to see the two of them together every day.”
My stomach turned over. “I bet.” It made me angry, thinking of the two of them flaunting their relationship in front of her. “What a jerk face.”
“I mean… he’s been very careful to sort of stay away from her in front of me, which is nice, I guess. But… she’s such a….” Her voice trailed off. I know the word she had settled on, but she wouldn’t say it to me.
I agreed. “Has he at least said he was sorry?” I asked, though I wasn’t sure why I was trying to get him off the hook. Maybe I wasn’t. Maybe I just wanted her to focus on the positive.
“He has. Through Elliott. I won’t talk to him.”
I wondered about that eye thingy he’d told me about. Could Aaron talk to her through her IAC? Did that count? I couldn’t ask that. “I don’t blame you. At least he said he’s sorry. But then… why is he still with her?”
Cadence sighed so loudly I had to pull my phone away from my ear. I saw my algebra teacher, Mr. James, walking down the hallway and took a step back toward the cafeteria so he’d remember I was at lunch. He left me alone. “I don’t know. He says it’s complicated.”
Elliott had said the same thing. “Well, I guess, try not to worry about it. Just focus on your job. I’m sure that’s hard, what with him being your boss and all, but he’s not always there on your hu---missions, is he?” I’d almost said hunts. I’d almost given it all away. Would she notice?
If she did, she didn’t let on. “No, he’s not always there, but he is a lot of the time. It makes it hard. I’ll talk to him while we are in the field, but not any other time. I just… can't.”
I could feel her broken heart beating through the phone and felt just terrible for her. “I’m so sorry, Cadey. Maybe… maybe it’s just not meant to be, you know? But there are lots of other guys on your team.” I didn’t name any names. The only ones I could think of that were even options were Jamie, who was an old man in my mind and one she’d already shot down at my suggestion, and Elliott, who belonged to me, even if it wasn’t in a romantic way. I was not going to suggest Christian as he creeped me out.
“Yeah.” She was quiet for a really long time. “I’m still thinking about transferring,” she said, catching me completely off guard. I hadn’t really taken her seriously when she’d said it before. “There are other offices. My training is done. I’m thinking… maybe I could go somewhere else for a while, learn to do more on my own or from other people. I don’t know….”
For some reason, I almost felt like she was asking my permission. I’m not sure why. “Listen, Cadence, if that’s what you want to do, then do it. If you’re not tied to that office, why stay there?”
“That’s what I’ve been thinking about. But I’ve grown so close to Elliott. I’m not sure I could leave him.”
“Maybe he’d go with you.” Secretly, I hoped not. There was something about my sister being close to him that didn’t sit well with me. I wanted him to myself, though I couldn’t quite put a finger on why.
“He would never go with me. He’s got a life here. He and Aaron are best friends, and he’s like Aaron’s number two, even if technically Hannah out-ranks him. No, he’d never go. But I have a few other friends who might consider it. Or maybe I should go on my own.”
I could tell she was thinking out loud. “Have you talked to Grandma?”
“Not yet,” she replied quickly. “I haven’t talked to anyone but you. I actually called to see how school was going. Sorry to monopolize the whole conversation. I’d call in the evenings, but that’s when we do most of our work—planning and stuff.”
She had no way of knowing I was already aware of most of that. “It’s cool,” I replied, getting back to her original point, about taking over the conversation. “I’m sure things will work out the way they’re supposed to.” I was repeating an oft-spoken phrase even though I no longer believed it. If things always worked out the way they are “supposed to,” why were Drew and Jack dead?
“You’re right,” but I could hear in her voice she didn’t agree with me. “I guess I’ve just gotten a taste of freedom, and I want more, you know? Nobody to tell me what to do or where to go. I choose what I do and when I do it. That… that would be nice.”
I thought back to how I’d felt in the Lamborghini, when Elliott was speeding down the highway. Totally free, without a care in the world, only the open road before me. I longed for that myself. “Hey, maybe I’ll come with you.” I said it like it was a joke, but in my heart, I meant it. What I wouldn’t give to join Cadence as she headed out in search of whatever she was missing.
She laughed. “I wish you could. Maybe in a few years, when you’re done with high school. Or college.”
There was no point in arguing with her. “That’ll be so cool. The Findley sisters, making their way in the world.” Killing vampires and taking names.
“Maybe you could convince Elliott to come with us,” she mused. “He seems to like you a lot.”
I thought I heard a tinge of jealousy in her voice and was glad for it. “I like him a lot, too. He’s a pretty cool dude.”
“Yeah, he really is.”
The bell rang. “Shoot, I’ve gotta go.”
“That’s cool. Just… be good, Cass,” she said, and I assumed that was also her way of telling me to stay safe. I thought she might know something I didn’t know, but I pushed the paranoia away. The last thing I needed was to s
tart acting like Jack or Emma, staring out the window all the time.
“You, too,” I replied, fighting my way upstream, back to our table to clean up my mess and grab my stuff. “Love you, Sis.”
“Love you, too,” Cadence said, and then she hung up.
“Here you go.” Lucy handed me my bag. “Emma got your trash.”
I breathed a sigh of relief and spun around. “Thanks.”
“Sure. How’s your sister? She still upset about Jack?” Lucy’s tone was sympathetic, but I could hear tones of brainwashing in it as well. We were not meant to be sad; Elliott wouldn’t allow it.
“She’s okay.” I didn’t mention what she’d said about striking out on her own or asking for a transfer. I had no idea how any of that would work, and I couldn’t ask anyone either. If I mentioned it to Elliott, it could be a problem for my sister. She hadn’t even been working there for two months yet, and she was already ready to go? It made me realize whatever had happened between her and Aaron must’ve been worse than she’d been letting on. Thoughts of Romeo and Juliet came to mind, but instead of Romeo dying, he rode away into the night with Rosalind.
“See you later,” Lucy said, stopping at her locker.
“Yep,” I replied, trying to focus. How in the world was I supposed to concentrate on school when my sister was out there killing vampires and trying to save the world?
Lucy’s house is humongous, but I was never jealous of her. Our house isn’t exactly small, but hers could probably fit at least one and a half of ours in it. I wondered what it might be like to have to call your mom on your cell phone to figure out what room she was in when she was in the same house as you….
We watched a couple of movies with the boys over and then they headed to Wes’s house for the night. While they were definitely my best guy friends at school, the fact that they were immature almost-sixteen-year-olds was kind of annoying compared to the seventy-five-year-old man I’d been hanging out with recently. Every time they told a fart joke or started talking about some stupid video game, it was all I could do to keep from rolling my eyes. Emma talked about video games, too, but it was different when she did it. That was just part of being Emma, not super annoying like when they began squaring off over levels of games like they were life and death.