by C. J. Pinard
“I heard that,” Angel said through the door.
Jonathan punched a code in and the bolts released themselves as he slowly opened the door with the gun trained on her. She was in a red leather catsuit and had on a lot of makeup. “What in God’s name do you want?”
“Hi, nice to see you, too. Is Malina here?”
Kathryn scowled. “What on Earth do you want with her?”
“Yes or no was the answer I was looking for, chica,” Angel replied.
Jonathan folded his arms with the gun still in his hand. “No. She’s not here.”
“Still missing then?” she asked.
Jonathan looked at Kathryn, then back at Angel. “How did you know about that?”
She smiled. “The other cop told me. What’s his name? Thomas?”
“I’m tired and frankly, I’m getting bored. She’s not here, now get the hell out of here,” he said.
She frowned. “Seriously. I need to speak to her, it’s important. Please just tell me where she is. I mean her no harm, I promise.”
“Okay, this is getting weird…” Kathryn started.
“No, seriously. I just need to talk to her. You can come, too, if you want. It’s important.”
Jonathan narrowed his eyes. “And you can’t tell us, because…?”
“I just can’t,” she whispered, looking down.
He huffed. “Go get my phone,” he ordered Kathryn.
She nodded and walked back to his room and grabbed his iPhone from the nightstand. She handed it to him and he pushed a few buttons and held it to his ear.
“Yeah?” came Thomas’s groggy voice.
“I need you and Malina up in the apartment. There’s a vampire here.”
Thomas sat straight up. “What? I’ll be there, but my wife stays here.”
Jonathan shook his head. “No, she’s asking for Malina. Can you bring her up here so we can get rid of her?” He was staring straight at Angel as he spoke.
“Oh, it’s Angel, right? She came by the other day asking for her,” Thomas said, scrubbing a hand over his face.
Jonathan sighed and ran a hand through his unruly hair. “Just come up here.” He pushed the end button.
“Excuse us if we don’t invite you in,” Jonathan said facetiously.
She laughed. “I’m not Dracula. I don’t need an invite.”
Kathryn crossed her arms. “We know that. We just don’t want you in our apartment. Again.”
The elevator chimed and Angel turned around to see Thomas and Malina exit. He was in a T-shirt and pajama bottoms, and his hair was sticking up. Malina was wearing a long purple robe. He had explained to her earlier that evening before they had fallen asleep that Angel had been asking for her, so it wasn’t too much of a shock when she was asked to meet her.
Angel’s features softened and she walked tentatively over to Malina and eyed her large belly. She looked over at Jonathan. “Can’t we please go inside? She needs to sit down.”
“No. State your business quickly, vampire, so we can all go back to bed.”
She shook her head, then looked back at Malina, who was scowling at her. “Malina, I know I have no right to ask this, but I hope you will hear me out.”
“Okay,” Malina said, rubbing her stomach. Thomas had his arm around her shoulder.
Angel sucked in a large breath and said, “I want to be human.”
The three let out a gasp but said nothing.
Angel continued. “Can you make me some of that stuff and I will drive to the Oregon Vortex myself and take it? I know you don’t owe me anything, but I’m tired of this life. Pascal is gone and I just want a normal life. I want what you have.” She looked down at her belly.
Malina eyed her curiously. “Angel, how old are you?”
“I’m forty-eight.”
“Do you want to look and feel forty-eight? Because you will if I do what you are asking.”
She sighed. “Yes and no. I want children but I know that will probably not happen. I would rather be human at 19 like my body is now and then age normally, but I know that is probably asking too much. I just feel like I’ve been cheated a little bit.” She hung her head.
Malina looked at the group then back at her. “You know the irony is, that I was planning on having Thomas drive me to the Vortex tomorrow.”
She looked up. “You were? Why?”
“Because one of my queen sisters enchanted that place in 1902 and that is how Pascal was able to turn those children into sun-resistant vampires. I believe the Earth is a dangerous place enough as it is, and I was going to go undo what my queen sister did. I do not believe she meant for that to happen, but somehow, Pascal must have figured it out.”
Angel smiled. “He didn’t just figure it out. He saw a sylph there. Or so he says.”
Malina cocked her head to the side. “Is that so?”
Kathryn spoke up. “Are you going to do it, Malina? After this leech kidnapped you and forced you – at gunpoint I might add – to make Enchantment for her boyfriend?”
“Yes, Kathryn, I am going to do this for Angel. You know why?”
Jonathan smiled. “One less vampire in the world.”
She smiled. “Exactly, Jonathan.” She turned to look at Angel. “I will make the same potion I made for Pascal, and I will try to enchant it so it doesn’t cause you to mature to your true age, but I cannot make any promises. There is a large chance you will turn forty-eight physically. Are you prepared for that?”
Angel’s face lit up and tears brimmed in her blue eyes. “Yes. I am. Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my unbeating heart.” She put her hand over her large chest.
She looked at Thomas then back at Angel. “I was going to go tomorrow morning but I suppose that will not work for you, so meet us at sunset at the Vortex and I will give you what you ask for. It’s the least I can do before I am unable to. And if you know any other vampires who want this, bring them along. I’m happy to de-vampire the world.” She smiled.
“I’m the only one. And I will be there. Thank you.” Angel bowed slightly and quickly vanished behind the door that led to the stairwell.
The four stared at each other for a long minute.
“Wow, that was… weird. I’m going to bed,” Kathryn finally said.
Jonathan said, “Yeah, me, too. But we’re going with you tomorrow. I trust that bloodsucker about as far as I can throw her.”
Thomas laughed, “Yeah, that saying really doesn’t count when you say it. See you tomorrow.”
∞∞∞
The next day at sunset, the three Immortals and one very pregnant sylph all piled into the white cargo van. As Thomas was helping Malina step up into it, he said, “Are you sure it’s safe driving three hours away when you’re this far along?”
She waved him off. “First off, I’m not due for another two weeks. Secondly, even if I go into labor, the first stages take hours. Third, I still have my portals.”
He nodded. “Okay, beautiful. Just checking.” He put the seatbelt on for her and took a seat next to her. Jonathan and Kathryn were in the front seat.
Rain was coming down in sheets and the wipers could barely keep up. The three-plus hour drive was done mostly in silence, with some small talk. Most of it centered around the talk of baby names. They had already locked in a boy’s name – Thomas Joseph O’Malley, Jr. (he’ll be nicknamed “T.J.”), but were still debating on a girl’s name. They had a few they were tossing around but hadn’t locked one down. There just weren’t any they loved.
As they reached the Vortex, the gates were locked, as it was off-season, and they parked in front of the small outpost that served as a welcome center. The sun was just beginning to set but was hidden by clouds, which lit up faint gray along the hilltops.
A Lincoln Towncar pulled into the spot next to theirs. The rain had let up and was just a slight sprinkle as they all got out and stood under the green awning that was perched outside the outpost.
Angel came and stood next to them.
She was in a simple pair of jeans and a beaded Couture T-shirt with an unzipped sweatshirt over it. Her platinum hair was pulled into a ponytail and she looked so… normal.
Malina had on a purple tracksuit with a large white T-shirt under it, and she pulled a vial from the pocket of her pants. Jonathan and Thomas flanked her on either side and Kathryn stood next to Jonathan.
“Hi. I’m glad you’re here. I didn’t think you’d meet me,” Angel said, her hands in her pants pockets.
“Let’s walk to the clearing,” Malina said, leading the way. They came across a locked gate. She looked at Jonathan. “I hate to vandalize, but I’m not in any condition to scale a fence.”
He laughed and yanked the padlock and chain off, tossing it to the ground. The gate swung open and Angel smiled, remembering she had done the same thing quite a few weeks before when she was here with Darius. It was much easier for Jonathan to break than it had been for her, though. Then she frowned, being reminded that after today, she would require bolt cutters if she ever wanted to do that again.
After a few minutes of walking, they came upon the clearing where the sylph in blue had enchanted it in 1902. The same clearing Darius had lost his vampirism and became human. The same clearing the witches had all died at the hands of Pascal all those years ago. The same clearing Pascal turned humans into vampires who aren’t affected by the sun.
So much magic, and it was all about to die.
Malina turned to the group. “Please go stand in the trees and don’t come near the circle.”
Thomas looked concerned. “Are you sure I can’t stay with you?”
She smiled sweetly at him. “No, sweetheart. I need to do this alone.” She pulled something that looked like a small milk jug from her satchel and handed the satchel back to Thomas, asking him to take it with him.
They did as they were told. She began to walk in a large circle, dumping a strange-looking blue liquid out onto the ground from the jug around the clearing and chanted over and over:
“Disenchant these lands, disenchant these trees, disenchant this grass, disenchant this rain. Elements of the sun, elements of the day come this way, powers of the night and day, I call thee, unprotect these lands, disenchant these lands, disenchant these trees…”
This went on for about ten minutes as they all watched her curiously, when it suddenly dawned on Angel what she was doing. “Oh, my God!”
The three turned and looked at the vampire.
“What’s the problem?” Jonathan asked.
“She’s removing the spell that causes the magic. The potion won’t work now.”
Kathryn looked enlightened and nodded. “She’s right, actually. How odd. I wonder why she’s doing this now.”
Malina stopped her chanting and walked over to the group. “It won’t matter. This place only caused the vampires to become resistant to the sun. It isn’t what caused the actual reversal of vampirism. It was what I did to the Enchantment.”
Angel bit her lip. “Are you sure?”
Malina pulled the vial from her pocket and said, “Give me your hand.”
Angel held her hand out pensively. Malina took a small switchblade from her other pocket and looked up at Angel with a smile. “This may sting a little.”
Angel nodded and Malina sliced a clean cut into Angel’s palm and dripped enough of her life force into the vial to fill it three-quarters of the way full. She let go of Angel’s hand and popped a small hole in the pad of her left index finger, dripping in five drops. She replaced the stopper and they all watched in awe as the vial began to swirl violently and turn aqua, then a deep ocean blue.
Malina began to chant silently, then aloud, but it was in Latin. When she was done, she opened her eyes and handed the vial to Angel and told her to go stand in the clearing.
Angel looked confused. “I thought you said the land didn’t have any magic?”
Malina smiled. “Oh, it still does, just not the way it did. It can’t hurt anyway, right?”
Angel shrugged and padded over the wet leaves and pine needles and stood in the center.
Nobody was breathing as she pulled off the stopper and looked at the liquid. She glanced at the group and smiled sheepishly. “Cheers!”
She drank it slowly at first, wincing at its bitter taste, then slammed the rest down quickly. She dropped the vial as she fell to her knees and let out a blood-curdling scream.
Thomas’s instincts were to go over and help her, but Malina grabbed his arm and told him to stay put. “Just watch.”
Angel stopped screaming but began moaning as she lay on her side in the leaves and dirt. Her eyes were shut tight and she was curled up in a ball.
“Is she dying?” Jonathan asked.
Malina grinned. “No, she’s already dead, she’s coming back to life.”
Angel grabbed her chest and let out a huge gasp as she felt her heart begin to beat again. Pins and needles tingled her body as the blood began to flow back. She rolled over and sat on her butt. She looked at her hands and shook them. She then stood up and her eyes were wide. “I can feel my heart beating. My body feels warm.” She felt her face. “How do I look?” She got to her feet and walked over to the group.
They were all staring at her in awe. She walked right up to Kathryn, and said, “Tell me, how do I look?”
Kathryn reached out and touched her face. “Angel, you are beautiful. Aside from some color in your cheeks I have never seen before, you look exactly the same.”
Angel tipped her head back and looked up into the sky. The clouds had begun to part and the stars were twinkling overhead. A half-moon peeked out from behind the clouds. She looked back at the group. “I’m human, aren’t I?” she breathed.
Malina grabbed her hand. “It’s warm.”
Jonathan put two fingers to her neck. “I can feel a pulse.”
Angel put her fingers in her mouth and felt for fangs, but only felt smooth, flat teeth. She choked back a sob as tears streamed down her face in black streaks from her eye makeup. “Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Thank you so much.” She launched herself at Malina and squeezed her tight.
Thomas laughed. “Can we go now? Are we good?”
“Yes, we can,” Malina answered as she waddled ahead of the group. She took a look back at the clearing. The moon was shining down on the leaves, tall trees casting shadows. She smiled and tromped back to the van.
“So, what are you going to do now?” Kathryn asked Angel as they walked.
She shrugged. “I don’t know, but I need to tell Darius and Mike. They aren’t going to be happy, but I don’t care. It’s my life and I want to live it as I see fit.”
As they got to their cars, Angel unlocked the Towncar, but paused as she opened the door. “Thank you guys, really. I can’t thank you enough. If there’s ever anything I can do, please let me know. I’ll let you know where I end up.”
Malina nodded. “Of course. Good luck to you.”
“Thanks,” she replied, tears glistening in her eyes. The Towncar backed up and Angel slowly drove away.
As they all began the drive back to Portland, Kathryn turned and looked at Malina. “Did you know that potion was going to work to keep her young?”
She smiled. “No, I didn’t. I had no idea what it would do. I really didn’t want Angel to turn forty-eight. I wanted her to have a chance at life, so I tried a youth spell I found in my mother’s spell book and used that incantation along with the other for the Enchantment.”
Kathryn measured her with a serious look. “That was nice of you, seriously. You have a heart of gold, you know that? You didn’t have to do that after –” She paused mid-sentence at the look on Malina’s face. “What’s wrong, honey?”
Malina had a look of pure terror on her face. There was lightning flashing in her eyes and she gripped her stomach with both hands. “Oh, my. That hurts.”
Thomas’s eyes almost popped out of his head. “Oh, my God, are you in labor?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. Oh, my,
here it comes again.”
Kathryn looked at Jonathan. “Step on it!”
They had about two hours before they reached Portland, and by the time they got there, Malina’s contractions were five minutes apart. Jonathan skidded into the circular drive in front of the Emergency Room. Thomas flashed out of his side of the van and went around to open the door for Malina. As he was helping her out, Jonathan put his hand on Thomas’s shoulder and laughed. “Calm down, man.”
Thomas ran a hand through his hair. He dug into the pocket of his jeans and fished out his keys. “Go to our apartment and get my car and her overnight bag.”
Jonathan looked confused. “Where is it? What does it look like?”
Kathryn snatched the keys out of Jonathan’s hand. “It’s a purple bag, dummy, and I know where it is. I helped her pack it. Let’s go.”
Thomas helped Malina into the ER and she was immediately brought a wheelchair by a nurse who helped them to the elevators. “Fourth floor is labor and delivery,” she said, pushing the button for them.
“Hold the elevator,” said a voice.
Thomas was in no mood for anyone and ignored the voice, but a caramel-colored hand reached through and pushed on the doors, causing them to re-open. Thomas’s eyes got wide when he saw Tyler wearing green scrubs holding a clipboard.
Tyler looked at Thomas then down at Malina, who had her head down and was panting with her hands on both sides of her belly. “Oh, is it baby time?”
“Hey!” Thomas said. “Yes, contractions five minutes apart.”
“Three,” Malina panted out.
“Oh, crap!” Thomas said.
The elevator doors opened on the fourth floor and Tyler wheeled her to the nurse’s station. “Contractions three minutes apart, thirty-eight weeks along, where shall I put her?”
A young nurse, who looked very stressed, peered up from a chart and jerked her thumb to her left. “Triage.”
Tyler shook his head. “No. She needs a room.”
Malina, who had been suffering in silence all this time, let out a yell.