Twice Bitten

by Aiden James

  “What do you mean?” I said. “We’re not talking about Ralu again are we?”

  “No…at least not yet,” he said. “And we certainly would never have picked someplace he could easily access. Which is very good for us, since you only need today in order to tie up some loose ends in your life.”

  “Well, if that’s why we came here, why didn’t we fly to Richmond instead?” I couldn’t control my rising sharp tone or the lump of indignation I felt forming inside my throat. “That’s where my family is, and until I see them and introduce them to my daughter, there will always be loose ends—terrible loose ends, especially if Grandma Terese never gets to meet my baby girl before she leaves this life!”

  I looked around the cabin for support, but only found Tyreen’s quivering lips and misty eyes to back me up. Despite her empathy for me, and my situation, I knew her tears and sadness were for her own loss of contact with those she dearly loved and was forced to leave behind. We had briefly discussed this when it became obvious we would have to leave Nepal and be on the run from Ralu once more. Her parents and boyfriend still lived in Atlanta, an hour’s flight south from Nashville—even closer to where we were right then as compared to Richmond.

  “It’s not out of the question that we might find a way for you to see your family, as well as other loved ones on this trip,” said Kazikli, turning off his laptop and closing it when I stood up and moved toward him. He suddenly appeared in front of me, and I almost ran into his powerful chest. “But you’ll need your rest—at least five or six more hours of sleep—for the long and busy day ahead of you, Txema.”

  “But, I’ve slept almost eight hours,” I protested. “Even Alaia doesn’t seem ready for a nap anytime soon. Besides, I’m getting hungry and she will likely be hungry again in the next few hours.”

  I pointed at Alaia as she was busy trying to grab Armando’s face while he gently bounced her in his arms.

  “Your daughter isn’t the one I’m worried about, and if you’d like we can have Racco’s chef fix her another bottle and then we can entertain her until dawn,” Kazikli advised. “Now I want you to lie down once more and try not to fight the urge to sleep. Your desire to eat can wait…you will be fine.”

  As crazy as it sounds, I started to feel drowsy again, and the more tired I got the less I cared about eating. I wasn’t hypnotized, but Kazikli’s words carried some sort of magic. As I looked for my chair, Chanson and Nora had already reclined it and had retrieved blankets from somewhere else on the plane. I was badly outnumbered, and my own body and mind had betrayed me, as well. Like it or not, I was going back to sleep.

  “I have already picked out a…a ‘nice’ outfit for you, cousin, when you awaken,” said Chanson, after she had tucked me in. “It will be waiting for you in the plane’s bathroom when you awaken. Once you have bathed, you’ll find the makeup items you prefer in the vanity. All right?”

  “Okay,” I said, picturing the layout of the bathroom in my mind, although it was getting harder to hang on to consciousness.

  “And, this is your purse,” said Nora, holding up a small beige Bottega Veneta handbag. “Remember that your passport and two thousand dollars in cash is inside. You shouldn’t need to use much of the cash for this excursion, but the passport will be a necessity. A limousine will pick you up outside the hangar we will be staying at, and it will arrive at 11:30 a.m. sharp. Your alarm will wake you to get ready at ten o’clock, leaving you plenty of time to get dolled up.”

  “How did you get a passport without me filling out anything or taking m-my...pic-picture?”

  It was getting harder and harder for me to focus.

  “Unfortunately, the same way dishonest humans do it,” said Kazikli, his image getting dimmer. He was standing next to Nora…I think. “We had it forged months ago for such an occasion as this!”

  He sounded like he was quite pleased and proud of himself, and he chuckled…but I could no longer see him.

  “Rest, Txema…rest and know that we’ll be waiting for you when you come back,” said another voice, Garvan’s, and I could feel his cool touch upon my temples as he gently massaged them. It felt really good, and I wanted to tell him not to stop. “You’ll be glad you did this. Remember, we all feel the same about it…that it will bring peace and closure so your heart can move on….”

  Chapter 15

  I awoke on my own at 9:52 a.m. For a moment, I thought it was still dark outside. But once I saw the dimly illuminated crisscrossing steel beams above us through the windows on either side of the passenger cabin, I remembered that Kazikli and Chanson had told me the plane would be moved inside a nearby hangar until we were ready to resume our trip around the world.

  The overhead lights remained on inside the passenger cabin, and my first priority was to check on Alaia. She was already awake. Smiling as she lay inside a Moses basket, an adorable pink outfit with ruffles had been set out for her on the chair next to the basket. Since I could smell a slight hyacinth scent, I realized Nora was the one to do this. I smiled at the tenderness shown to my baby girl.

  The plane felt deserted. Although I knew my vampire companions were fast asleep in the room next to the passenger cabin, it seemed like all of Racco’s staff had left the airplane. Even as I listened intently, all I could hear was my child’s breathing and her soft coos.

  We were definitely on our own—at least until dusk, unless the staff returned early.

  I played with Alaia until shortly after ten o’clock, and then when my stomach began to rumble, I realized neither she nor I were likely to get fed until we left the plane. I carried her down the aisle toward the bathroom, pausing long enough to steal a peek at the row of expensive caskets I recognized from my brief stay in China months ago.

  I had just stepped into the bathroom when I saw a note taped to the mirror. Well, first I saw how bad my makeup had smudged since yesterday, along with the destruction of Yangani’s efforts to create a lasting hairstyle from the previous afternoon. The note was from Chanson, reminding me about the outfit I was to wear that day along with my makeup, and that everything was waiting for me next to the vanity. She also gave me instructions on how to avoid tumbling down the portable stairs when I exited the plane with Alaia, as well as what doorway to go through in order to meet our limousine. After adamantly reminding me to be outside the hangar door and ready for the limo no later than 11:30 a.m., her last instructions were to make sure that Alaia and I were back inside the hangar by seven o’clock that night at the latest. Beneath her signature was a curious ‘P.S.’ It read, “Enjoy your date”.

  “What in the hell is she talking about, Alaia?” I said to my little girl. I bathed and then dressed her in the precious outfit. She truly looked like a princess in waiting, and seemed almost as intrigued as I was, kicking her legs and waving her tiny arms while she smiled.

  It’s moments like these that make me feel as if I could live through anything and be happy. Just as long as the unconditional love of my daughter remains that way.

  “Mommy’s gonna take a quick shower and get ready to take you someplace special today, Alaia!”

  The water was a little cool, which helped me stay on a mission to get ready quickly. I planned to look for something for my baby girl to eat in the plane’s kitchen area before leaving. After I dried my hair, I was only slightly surprised at the summer pants suit picked out for me. Anne Klein. Not the most expensive thing on the rack, which actually suited me better. The light burgundy top and beige pants were a closer fit for my personality than the crazy-expensive stuff that the vampires seemed to prefer. Even the low heel Hinkles looked great, and this entire outfit still worked well with the expensive handbag from Nora. But it wasn’t your typical ‘date’ thing, which only added to my intrigue about whom I’d be meeting with that afternoon.

  Once I finished my makeup, we still had almost half an hour before our eleven-thirty deadline. That left plenty of time to look for something for my baby. Almost everything was locked up in the kitchen area,
except for a small cooler compartment with a bottle of formula already made. Once I heated it up for thirty seconds in a nearby microwave, at least Alaia’s hunger would be satisfied for a while.

  While feeding her, I turned on a small television set in the kitchen, wondering why there wasn’t a TV of some sort in the passenger cabin. Honestly, I hadn’t even thought of it until that moment, and I couldn’t believe the subject never came up during our flight. Maybe, I reasoned, this was another trick of Kazikli, to make sure this rendezvous with whomever I was supposed to meet went without a hitch. Lord knows the trick of making me fall asleep worked like a charm. I felt fine, with no ill effects from crossing two continents and the Atlantic Ocean to get to Nashville. But it seemed a little odd that no one was interested in the latest news going on—both locally and throughout the world.

  My hunger was beginning to burn a bit, and I was more than a little curious as to who my mystery date could be…. And then it hit me—like a ton of bricks in my face.

  Peter?

  It couldn’t be. Peter had gone back to school in Knoxville. That’s what everyone told me that he’d do. That’s why he was sent back to America from France right after my Relance de sang ended…our Relance de sang, since he had fathered Alaia.

  This suddenly made complete sense, and I felt like such an idiot for not considering it earlier. Granted, jetlagged crazy sleep could make anyone not think straight. Not to mention I had no idea I was coming back to Tennessee until it actually happened.

  So, lunch was going to be with Peter…someplace in Nashville. A limousine was picking me up at 11:30 a.m., and this would be the perfect opportunity to introduce father to daughter….

  The images on the television screen forced me to forget everything for a moment. A news report…talking about the President of the United States and his latest address to the nation concerning the ‘ongoing Marshall law’. The report said it would continue indefinitely until the ‘Chupacabra Menace’ was completely destroyed, and a graph on the screen showed where nearly seventy thousand people had been killed worldwide since last November, with nearly one third of the deaths coming from the U.S.A.

  “No fucking way!” I whispered in utter disbelief and dismay.

  Meanwhile, images of trucks loaded with soldiers and tanks rolling through residential streets in Boston and New York paraded across the screen, and in the foreground was a soldier carrying an assault rifle. For a moment, I was hopeful that places like Richmond and Nashville had been spared, but the report went on to mention the additional deployment of troops in every American city numbering over ten thousand residents. Not only that, but the mandatory seven o’clock curfew mentioned by Chanson was reinforced on the TV screen.

  I was so lost in watching this shit that I nearly forgot about my date. The clock on the wall showed the time as 11:26, which only gave me a few minutes to get Alaia and I out of the plane, and across the hangar to our appointed meeting spot with the limousine.

  Chanson was right, I almost did tumble down the steps. But, I somehow managed not to break my neck or my little girl’s. From there, I hoofed it as fast as I could to the hangar door described by Chanson. Luckily, enough sunlight crept in through the high windows to illuminate my path to the door clearly enough.

  A white stretch limousine—much larger than needed for a single mom and her baby in a basket—idled just outside the door. As soon as I stepped out into the bright sunshine and the mid-south’s May humidity, the driver stepped out of the car to greet me.

  “Txema?”

  He had a gorgeous smile, but with enough devilishness to let any woman paying close attention know that his opinion of himself was more than ours would be. Not bad looking…average height and body. Eyes shaded by mirrored sunglasses and hard to say what his hairline looked like beneath his driver cap.

  “Yes, that’s me,” I said.

  “She’s absolutely stunning…just like her mom,” he said, motioning to Alaia. Without waiting for my ‘why thank you!’, he opened the middle door and motioned for me to climb inside. “My name’s Mitch, and obviously I’m your driver today. You’ll want to strap your baby into the car seat set up for you. It’s fairly easy to use, but if you need my help, I’ll gladly show you how it’s done!”

  Ah, there it was…the lecherous nature I sensed hiding behind his sunglasses. Wrong lady, mister.

  “I believe I can handle it just fine,” I said, sliding past him and gently setting the basket in the car before climbing in after it.

  I half expected him to pinch my butt, or worse, but he waited politely for me to secure my baby in her car seat. Fortunately, I have a niece that I baby-sat in high school, so finding my way around any standard car seat was a snap. I efficiently moved Alaia to her seat and strapped her in, and then fastened my own seatbelt. I offered the driver named ‘Mitch’ a smug smile with a sweet ‘got it done!’ added for good measure.

  “When I spoke to your friend Nora early this morning, she said y’all were going to the Cascades Restaurant at the Opryland Hotel,” he said, as he prepared to shut our door. “Have you ever been there before?”

  “No, I haven’t.” I was ready to get this show on the road. “First time to Nashville for me and my baby.”

  “Now that I think of it, that’s also what Nora said. Well, I’ll get you there right away.” He closed the door. But then he reopened it again. “Sorry about this, but do you have your passport with you? I won’t need to see it, but the soldiers at the airport exit will need to see some sort of I.D. Nora told me that you don’t have your driver’s license with you, so the passport will do. You’ll also need it to get through security at the hotel.”

  “I’ve got it right here,” I said, fishing through my purse, and trying not to feel panicked when I didn’t see it at first. Nora had stashed it inside a hidden compartment for safekeeping. I pulled it out so he could see it, and then he finally closed the door.

  “We should arrive at the hotel in about twenty minutes, if there ain’t a line waiting to get out of here,” said Mitch, once he returned to the driver’s seat.

  I could tell he really wanted to strike up a conversation with me, but I wasn’t comfortable doing it. I’m rarely one to bullshit with someone else, and I usually speak my mind plainly. But what would we talk about anyway? Only things on his mind—which would normally be fine with me. I just didn’t like the vibe he gave me. We sure as hell weren’t going to talk about my world. That thought brought a wry smile to my face. ‘What brings you to Nashville, Txema?’ ‘Oh, my vampire friends decided to fly me from Nepal to the States for a little visit with an old flame. Hey, and those evil vampires that are killing everybody and are the reason for the military’s presence? That’s partly because lil’ ole me has really pissed off their king….’

  Mitch glanced back at me after a slight snicker escaped my mouth. I avoided his mirrored eyes and looked down at my baby girl. Although so young, I had the queer feeling she was somehow listening to the odd assortment of thoughts rolling around in my head. Her mirthful expression that was years beyond her tender age told me as much.

  Before long we reached the exit from Nashville International Airport, and the military checkpoint described by Mitch. A pair of army jeeps sat nearby, and a dozen soldiers guarded the area. All were carrying the same assault rifles I saw on TV a short while earlier.

  I feared being detained. The thought of having my daughter taken away from me while I went to jail for having a false I.D. on my person was enough to make small beads of sweat form along my forehead and my back, despite the limousine’s cold air circulating around me. It didn’t help matters when the guard gruffly demanded to see my passport while studying me suspiciously.

  “Make sure you abide by the seven o’clock curfew, ma’am,” he said, and handed my passport back to me. “Do you understand?”

  “Yes, I do,” I assured him, adding an exaggerated nod to emphasize my agreement.

  He waved us on through, and we were soon on the highway hea
ding for the hotel. The Opryland Hotel apparently is among the most celebrated hotels in Nashville, and once had an amusement park attached to it. That’s what Tyreen had told me about the place last fall. She and her beau, Johnny Ayers wanted to spend a weekend together there, but found the price too exorbitant for their college allowances.

  I’m sure she wishes now they had splurged and pony’d up the cash for a stay at the five star resort. For those unaware, Johnny is now crippled for life after one of Ralu’s warriors threw him down a stairwell at Massey Hall—the University of Tennessee dorm where Tyreen and me were roommates at the time. Not to mention Tyreen will forever be a full-fledged vampire incapable of sustaining a passionate relationship with a mortal human. I’m sure this was part of what had her so upset when our plane arrived in Nashville.

  Once the limousine arrived at the Opryland Hotel, I went through the same verification process as I did at the airport. Mitch advised that he’d return for me by 5:30 p.m., which would give him plenty of time to return me to the hangar in the airport before curfew. It would also allow him time to drop off the limousine, and return to his home in nearby Antioch before curfew time, as well.

  After I got directions on how to find the Cascades Restaurant from the hotel’s front desk, I moved through what looked like a sprawling botanical garden, complete with ponds and fountains galore. The restaurant was located in the midst of this enchanting place.

  As I stepped up to the hostess station, I saw him. I had no idea how I’d react or respond to this moment. He didn’t see me at first, so I had the first opportunity to gaze at him unnoticed. He was beautiful. Perfect. Dressed in a casual navy blue business suit sans a tie, he looked like a movie star talking to an older gentleman who seemed also to be waiting for someone. Even from where I stood, I could see the outline of Peter’s athletic build, his flawless smile and the magical twinkle in his deep brown eyes. And for those who haven’t read my previous journal, Peter is blessed with a regal hairline and thick brown hair that reminds everyone of a young JFK Jr.