“Who do you work for?”
“I think you know,” he says.
“Maybe I do, but you’re still going to say it.”
I stare him down. I’m not going to give him a thing if he doesn’t budge.
“Luminos,” he says, just one word.
And I sigh in frustration.
“I grew tired of the Luminos games, many lifetimes ago. And if anyone is in danger, it’s you, because you’re not one of them. They consider you expendable.”
Now it’s their turn to look shocked. The man and woman look to each other, as if unsure of what to think. But they continue on, anyway.
“You need to leave the city. Just get in a car and get out of here, if you get the chance. We’re monitoring you, we’ll find you and help you escape.”
I try to remain calm, and stare the man down with a sweet smile.
“I have a message for the General. Do you know of this man?”
The two say nothing, and share a quick glance.
“Tell him that he’s killed me too many times in the past for me to trust him now. I’d rather take my chances with the vampires.”
Staci comes out of the dressing room, looking unenthusiastic about her choices, and I go to her. I take the blouses from her hand, and put them on a nearby rack with little concern as to whether or not they’re out of place.
“Can we get out of here? That man is creeping me out. He asked me to have a three-way.”
“Oh my God!” Staci says, with a laugh. “Let’s go.”
We hurry out of the shop, leaving them behind. And I can’t help but to feel a small triumph at having stood up to them, even if it may have been a mistake. Maybe they’re right, maybe turning to the Luminos might be a good thing, despite my bad luck with them in the past. Maybe I would be better off just getting in a car and running.
But it’s good we’re heading back to the office, to help take my mind off their cryptic warnings. Bad enough that I flaked out on my boss yesterday. The least I can do is return from lunch on time today.
I race home after work to get ready for movie night, and vow not to obsess too much on my wardrobe. I put on the first acceptable pair of jeans I can find and match them with a white T-shirt, and my new bolero jacket. And I wear my hair in a ponytail, which is a mistake. It’s the same style Saga wore, and as I pass a mirror near my front door, I notice for the first time that I look a bit like her in this lifetime.
I leave my building, and instantly think of the Luminos. They’re watching me, I know it for sure now. It’s what the man in the dress shop said, when I forced his hand. And it’s almost as strange as thinking that vampire agents could be spying on me. I wonder if I should be worried. Perhaps the General hasn’t killed me enough in past lives and still wants revenge. Or maybe it’s all a trick on Marion’s part, to see if I’m one of the enemy. I should probably tell Adam about it, but I decide to save it for later, to see if we can at least have a fun night.
When I enter the lobby of the Omnicom building, he’s waiting for me in the little alcove outside the freight elevator, wearing the cocky grin on his face that secretly thrills me, and manages to instantly fill my mind with thoughts of carnal pleasures. And he’s dressed just the way I like him, in a pair of black jeans and a simple T-shirt, with a pair of expensive leather tennis shoes that remind me of cleats. I love Adam like this, disguised as a normal guy. It makes me feel like a sassy city girl with a hot boyfriend, like I’m living the dream, which I suppose I am, in a sense. And I rush to be in his arms.
He quickly pulls me inside the doors that read “Maintenance Staff Only,” away from prying eyes. When we’re inside, Adam hugs me and gives me the sweetest of kisses. I hold him for a moment, not wanting to let go. His shirt is untucked and my hands manage to find their way under it. I run them along his strong muscles, in the same way I would if he was on top of me, having sex.
The effect isn’t lost on him. He smiles, and his cheeks lift up in a way that gives his eyes that crinkled, bedroom look. And it absolutely destroys me.
“I missed you so much. You can’t imagine what torture it is to be away from you.”
“Torture? Mmmm, I have some titanium handcuffs back in my room. You can tie me to the bed and show me how bad it was, if you like.”
“Liar. I can’t really constrain you. You’d break right through.”
“But I’m very good at pretending.”
“You’d better stop talking like that, or we’re going to have to skip the movie.”
“Maybe we can sneak out after the first reel.”
We finally get into the elevator, and the car rises up and stops on a different floor, one I haven’t seen before. Adam leads me down yet another new hallway, and we enter the lobby of what definitely looks like a movie theatre, not an opera house or a place for Broadway shows. It’s gaudy and bright, more so than any other part of the vampire tower, with red carpets and golden hues on the walls, and there are framed posters hanging that advertise future releases. Stairs lead up to a second floor balcony, and I think about asking Adam if we can go there, so we can neck.
As promised, there’s a concession stand with candy behind its glass and bins of fresh popcorn waiting on the counter. But there’s more. Hot dogs roll on a grill, and there are little heated containers with gourmet condiments, like melted cheese, jalapeños and bits of chopped bacon. Plastic containers of fresh fruit rest in tubs of ice at the end of the row, and it all seems absolutely delightful.
The usual couples mill about. Tom and Jennifer are off to one side, speaking with Lina and Angel. And when I see my sister from a past life, I freeze for a moment, getting a little jolt of remembrance. She’s so much stronger now than the woman I saw in the fragments of Saga’s memories, and I long to go talk to her. But I can’t do that right now, and I try to push my thoughts of her away, in case some vampire can pick up on my surface emotions. Instead, I look to the other faces in the room to divert my attention.
The creepy old man I met in the hallway outside Adam’s room is here, Nicolas … no, Nicodemas is his name. A woman with red hair and a tight white dress stands next to him, and I’m thinking she’s his nurse, though not a normal one. She must be a vampire, too. There are others, and I look to Adam, questioningly.
He leans over and whispers to me, even though I’m fairly certain the non-humans in the room can hear us perfectly.
“You remember Nicodemas, from the other night. And that’s his caretaker, Constance.”
It’s repellant, but I’d swear Nico sniffs the air in my direction when Adam says his name, though the woman in white doesn’t react.
“And that’s Arie and Lenore. The Twins.”
When he says “the Twins,” I think of Caroline’s sisters back in England, who I miss for a moment, thinking they’re my own. But they’re not, at least in this lifetime. Instead, I look over and see a pair of beautiful, dark-haired teenagers, or what seem like teenagers, a young man and a woman. They both have curly black hair that falls to their shoulders, though the girl’s locks are teased out wildly, in an almost erratic way. They have exotic features that could be Asian or Mediterranean, or perhaps some exquisite mixture of the two. And though they’re not both girls, they almost could be. They have the same androgynous beauty and look nearly identical, save for the fact that Arie wears a black suit, and Lenore wears a white dress, and he doesn’t have the subtle curve of her breasts.
“They are the youngest of our Inner Circle. It’s rare that anyone ascends so quickly, but they’re quite talented.”
And I’m afraid to ask where their talents lie. But the pair look my direction, clearly hearing what we’re saying, and the boy gives me a small nod of acknowledgement.
I wave in their direction, like an idiot.
“And that’s …”
But before he can give me a brief bio of the other new vampires, Lina’s girlfriend Angel comes bounding up.
“Adam, Meri. Hi.”
“Hi, Angel.”
> “There are hot dogs. The ones on the right are vegan. They’re yummy.”
“Would you like one?” Adam asks.
“I’d love one,” I say. “Regular, though. I had vegan for lunch.”
“Those are good, too. They get them from a special butcher, so they’re not made of all the gross parts of the animal,” the little pixie girl tells me.
“I’ve always dreamed of eating a hot dog without having to worry about what it’s actually made of,” I say, trying to keep my cool. “This place has made so many of my fantasies come true.”
Adam looks back at me and smiles, as he goes to the counter to get my food. When he’s stepped a few feet away, Angel moves closer. My heart sinks for a moment, and I’m worried that she’s going to tell me some secret, confess that she’s a Luminos spy. This place is too full of secrets, and it seems like one always pops up when I least expect it.
“I’m glad I got the chance to see you again, Meridian. Oh my gosh, I love that name, it’s so cool. Anyway, this might be the last time we talk for a while. I’m going to be undergoing the transformation soon. See, they’ve already fitted me with my collar.”
“Your … collar?”
Angel pulls open her shirt, revealing a flat, silver piece of jewelry that hangs low on her neck, which she seems almost proud of. It reminds me of one of the chokers that Lina wears, and I realize I’ve seen it before, on the young vampire we passed when I first visited the tower.
“It’s a kind of tracking device they put on the new vampires,” Angel says. “But it’s more than just that. They can explode it remotely, just in case you get kidnapped by someone. Which is kind of scary, I suppose. But I know Lina won’t let anything happen to me.”
“I’m sure she won’t,” I say, unsure of what to think. And I wonder if Angel even knows about the Luminos, and just how seriously the vampires take threats to their security. But she must, by now.
“Anyway, I probably won’t see you for a few years. They have to keep you isolated for a while, the cravings get kind of bad. But you’re the only one who would tell me what was really going on, Meri. And I wanted to thank you for that.”
“You’re welcome. Though I probably should have kept my mouth shut. It wasn’t my place to let you know.”
“I’m still grateful. And don’t worry, I won’t ever eat you after the change,” she says, letting out a small chuckle.
And I’m surprised, because there’s a certain snottiness to her demeanor.
“Oh, I’m not worried,” I tell her, returning the smirk on her face. “Not one bit.”
Because if she tried, I would use every ounce of my Luminos skills to snap her neck.
It makes me angry for a moment, to see the way this sweet girl is already being corrupted by the vampires. She’s developing their sense of arrogance, and it’s hard to think of it as a good thing, or stop myself from being a bitch about it, even if it means hurting her. But I regret my words just a bit, as Angel looks sad and confused, surprised that I’m being confrontational in my own way. Lina looks over, and she leaves Tom and Jennifer to approach us.
And again, I’m amazed at the way Caroline’s … my journey through past lives has changed me. Because Lina no longer seems like a scary vampire who hates me, even when she’s defending Angel. She feels like a sister, one I care about deeply. It’s different from the cold relationship I had with Marjorie in Caroline’s life, or even the way I interact with my real sister in California, the one who’s so snobby she barely acknowledges my existence. And now, I can’t fight back the pangs of missing Lina that arise. I long to tell her who I really am, even though it would be a mistake. But I have to restrain myself.
“Meridian, we still haven’t gone out for that lunch we’ve talked about,” Lina says.
“Let’s go this week, for sure. To celebrate Angel’s good news.”
“That would be great,” Angel says, brightening. “I want to have pizza before the transformation, while it’s still my favorite food. Just in case that changes.”
And suddenly, we’re all friends again. For some reason, I reach out and touch Lina’s arm. She’s wearing her signature black, a long sleeved T-shirt with the sleeves rolled up, with some tight black pants. And the moment we connect, she looks at me in shock.
And she knows. Somehow, some way, she knows who I really am. It must be something in the touch or the look in my eye. And even worse, the two creepy twins look over for a moment, as they pick out candy from the concession stand. But my sister is good. The surprised expression only flitters across her features for an instant, and her face becomes an impassive mask once more.
She takes another sip of champagne, and gives Angel a sweet kiss.
Adam returns to my side, and hands me a hot dog with just the right amount of ketchup, some drizzled cheese and a dash of bacon, and it’s absolutely perfect. And he’s holding a container of strawberries for me. It amazes me, how he knows exactly what I like. I almost don’t believe him when he says he can’t read my mind, even though I’m fairly certain that it’s true.
I take a bite of the hot dog, and concentrate on its yumminess, trying once again to block out any secrets it might be dangerous for the vampires to discover.
Lina stares at Adam, and smiles wickedly.
“Are you excited to see the movie, Adam?”
“I suppose,” he says, in a non-committal way. “Meri wants to see it, which makes me more interested.”
“I love Cameron Diaz. She’s my favorite,” I say, stupidly.
“Marion’s guest list is quite interesting. It should prove to be a fun night.”
I can feel Adam bristle, though his face shows no reaction. And I worry, at least for a moment. For some reason, I think Lina’s talking about the Elders, because they’ve shown themselves in each of my past lives. And more than anything else in the world of the vampires, they frighten me. But I forget them, momentarily, as Bernard and Marion enter the lobby.
Marion is wearing a knockout dress, and it kills me that I didn’t dress up. It’s bright red and sleeveless, cut just above the knees, with a red and gold belt around the waist that would make me look blocky. Though she’s not much taller than I am, Marion can pull it off with the elegant lines of her physique. I almost think that she coordinated her look to match the theatre, but her outfit has none of the almost cheesy quality of the decor. It looks like it was designed by Chanel.
“Hello, everyone. I’m so sorry I’m late, but we can start now,” Marion announces to the room.
Arie and Lenore rush to her side, and she gives them each a quick kiss.
“My darlings,” she says. “It’s so good to see you.”
They seem particularly close, and I wonder if Marion transformed them. Which doesn’t make sense, because the vampires only get to change one person at a time. And I’m curious how they both were made vampire at once, if it was through some special circumstance. I’ll have to ask Adam about it later.
She likewise turns to Tom and Jennifer, and hugs them both. And finally, Marion turns her attention to me.
“Meridian, it’s so nice to see you again,” she says. “Tell me something, do you like silly romantic comedies?”
“Of course, I do. I’m a woman,” I say.
“We’re all romantics at heart, aren’t we?”
And we both laugh.
It’s funny to me, that a woman who is rich and powerful and immortal can still seem down to earth, in her own way. That a vampire who is thousands of years old can still find joy in such a simple thing, like a romantic comedy. And I can feel it, the part of Marion’s personality that appealed to me, her fun-loving nature. Though my memories are still murky, I know on an emotional level that this is one of the things that fostered our friendship in the past.
And I look to Bernard, and he seems so happy to be with her. But I notice that his hair has a bit more grey than I thought, than what I remember from the night we met, and I know in my heart that he’s past the age where there’s s
till hope that she will ever transform him. I wonder if Marion will drink him to the point of death, to carry him with her forever. Or however long it lasts. The thought is ghoulish, but I know from experience that there’s something tragically romantic about it at the same time.
And I suddenly shudder. Lina said something about the guest list, and I wonder if he’ll be offered to the Elders as a sacrifice if they come here tonight. Or perhaps Jennifer? At least it most likely won’t be Angel, since they’re about to transform her. And the Elders will presumably spare me, since I’m part of their grand plan -- “the one who will lead them.” That is, unless they don’t recognize me. And I wonder if I’ll have to scream out that I’m Saga at the last moment, to save myself.
I try to brush off the chill that sneaks up on me, and pray that I’ll have the good fortune to never meet those foul creatures again.
The guests start to file into the theatre, but before we go in, I grab a tub of popcorn from the concession stand counter, and a Coke.
“Do you want anything?” I say to Adam, who’s still at my side, shadowing me.
“No, I’m fine,” he says, almost wincing in pain. And, again, I know something is wrong. It concerns me, but I can’t address it without tipping our hand. So I link our arms and try to be brave, as we walk into the theatre together.
We go inside and it’s smaller than I thought, like a multiplex theater, maybe one of the bigger screens. For some reason, I was expecting Radio City Music Hall, though this place is still fairly large. There are maybe 100 or 150 seats, perhaps 200 with the balcony, though I can’t say for sure, I’ve never been good at guessing such things. And it’s all plush, with velvety chairs that are a bit more padded and comfy than you would normally find at the movies.
There are two aisles on either side of the middle group of chairs, just like in a real theater, and looking up at the screen, I wonder if it’s digital or the projection kind. I’m guessing digital, I’m sure the vampires’ little private screening room is filled with the latest technology, since they love to have the finest of everything. In fact, I’m shocked that there aren’t priceless paintings on the wall.
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