by Sasha Pruett
“Good to know. Anything else I should be aware of? What about Delphine. How am I doing?”
“Fine, just keep in mind she’s not the confidant type, more like you’re her…”
“Barbie doll? Yeah Lizzy warned me. Hopefully she won’t put me in anything too horrendous, like those platform heels of hers.”
“I wouldn’t worry about that. She only wears those so that she can tower over everyone in the room, it adds to her sense of superiority. She wouldn’t want you on any level even close to her.”
“Well that’s a relief.”
“Other than that, I think you’re good. It seems they’ve told my father they’re impressed with you so there’s that.”
She took a deep breath.
“We shouldn’t stay gone long, at least not yet.” He helped her off the ground and they made their way back to the house. As soon as they left the woods another dog was waiting to follow them back just as it had the day before. They saw no one until they reached the media room where Maximilien was storming a mercenary stronghold and losing… again. By the language he was using he had died many, many times already.
“Always the one to burst in guns blazing and die. You see Calynn, Maximilien’s problem is that he has no patience and in turn gets his head blown off.”
“Like you’d know Drakon. I don’t see you playing.” Maximilien never took is eyes off the screen, and he still got shot; repeatedly.
“He’s right Max, it’s all about timing here. Those mercs there on the left and those up ahead run in a pattern. You can’t just rush them, if you move behind those crates there you can pick two of them off. Then head up and to the right to get the other one, but wait until that one’s back is turned or you’ll be rushed by those others.”
“Yeah, you make it sound sooo easy.”
“It is actually, if you know what you’re doing.” She crossed her arm and stuck out her hip, clearly teasing him.
“Oh really, well I’d like to see you try.” A mad rush of button mashing ensued.
“Fine.” Five minutes later the mercenaries were dead and she had a nice shiny new weapon. “Told you so.” Her smirk firmly in place and well deserved.
Drakon was laughing, “Told you.”
“Yeah, I’d like to see you try it.” Max was glaring daggers at his older, more annoying, brother.
“It’s not that difficult Max, she beat them first time out.”
“In all fairness Drakon I’m kind of an expert in this game. Nothing says venting aggression like whacking a few zombies, the mercs are just part of it.”
“An expert huh?”
“What, is that so strange? A girl that’s into gaming, zombie style?”
“No… it’s just that you don’t strike me as the type that’s all.”
“Oh, and what ‘type’ am I?” She didn’t know if her irritation was put on or real. It didn’t matter either way though.
“Hey hey you two break it up. If you want to battle it out do it on the screen.”
“Sounds good to me, what about you old man? Up for the challenge, or are you afraid of being beaten by a girl?” She was daring him to accept. The irritation was real.
“You’re on.”
Twenty minutes later Maximilien was in stitches as he watched his high and mighty brother lose. “Oh, Calynn you just made my day. No, you just made my year.”
“Two out of three.”
“Really Drakon?”
“I almost had you on that last round.”
“It’s alright with me, I don’t mind beating you again.”
This time Drakon was the victor.
“Oh man, I’d love to see who wins this, but I have a Motocross in Italy I have to get to. Let me know who wins. See ya.” He hopped over the back of the couch and waved, disappearing deeper into the house.
“Now it’s just the two of us, you ready to lose old man?”
Three and a half hours later it was a draw and they decided to call it. “Well that was an evening well spent.” She said as she laid the controller on the table in front of her.
“I must apologize, seems you’re very good at this.”
“Told you so.” A huge smirk playing her lips.
“You did.”
“And Drakon… you’re not so bad yourself.”
“Thank you, and on that note how about we get something to eat. We could put on something to watch and have the staff bring us something?”
“Great I’m starving.” She pulled her legs up underneath her looking around as if the food was already there.
“What would you like, we have anything your heart or taste buds desire.”
“I’d kill for a burger and fries.”
“That sounds good, but how about we get you something a little healthier than fries? I don’t think Dr. Edme wants you eating a bunch of junk food.”
Calynn gave him the most pathetic pouty face she should muster without laughing.
“Okay, okay you win, this time.” He ordered dinner and picked out a movie and they curled up on the plush leather sofa to eat and relax. He’d chosen Roman Holiday, a movie she’d mentioned on their walk through the gardens together.
“Oh you’re smooth.” She peered up at him slyly.
“If you’d like something else…?”
“No no, it’s perfect. Thank you, Drakon.” They finished their burgers and she pulled her feet back up, curling into him as they watched the classic film.
“You know, when I was younger I actually hated this movie.”
“What for?”
“Because of the end. You know, how they don’t end up together, but after I grew up a bit I saw the selflessness in it and it grew on me.”
“I’ve never seen it. They don’t end up together?”
“No, she goes back to her life and he goes back to his.”
He thought about that for a minute, “I think you were right the first time.”
“Why’s that?” She turned to look up at him.
“Because you have to question his love. Their love. How can you truly love someone if you’re not willing to fight for them or sacrifice for them? It must not have meant much to either of them if they could walk away so easily.”
“Not even for a sense of duty?”
“You can find a way if you love someone enough. I won’t say sacrifices wouldn’t have to be made, and the road is rarely easy, but if you truly love them, you’re willing to endure whatever comes your way. Even if it takes your own life in the end. To death do you part, right?” His eyes glistened as he gazed down at her. He was good, she had to give him that and she wondered how many times he’d used that line before.
“Hmm,” she didn’t say anything after that and before the movie was over Drakon could hear the soft steady breathing of a sleeping Calynn curled up against him, her head laid on his chest and he liked it. Maybe a little too much. After all, the plan was to save her then let her go. He had a part to play too, he couldn’t forget that. What had he told her, sacrifice? Good thing neither of them were in love or he’d be a hypocrite, among other things. Once the movie was over he carried her back to her rooms and laid her on the bed leaving Millie to attend her. He had intended to start his visits that night, but this would work out much better in the end.
Chapter Fifteen
The next morning after breakfast, just as she promised she would, Calynn made her way up to the studio to go over the designs Delphine had drawn up. She had been expecting maybe half a dozen, but when she walked in dozens of sketches were taped, tacked, and strewn about. All with swatches of fabrics and many already in the first stages of being cut and pinned together. Didn’t these people sleep she wondered?
“Calynn, perfect I’m so glad you’re here, here look at this.” And for the next so many hours she spent at Delphine’s mercy; that is until Drakon appeared in the doorway.
“Can I steel Calynn, Delphine?”
“How am I supposed to create with all of these interruptions?” She huff
ed, waving swatches of fabric in an over exaggerated show of frustration.
Drakon gave his sister a look that said, ‘Are you forgetting why she’s here’ and she quickly changed her tone.
“Oh very well, I have other things I can focus on. Go take your walk.” Waving her hand in dismissal.
Immediately Calynn reached for his arm, but they didn’t go the same direction as before.
“I thought that seeing as the weather is bad today we could do something else instead. Are you up for another cinema? I found one of your favorites, what do you say? Will you go to the movies with me in the media room?”
“Depends, which movie did you find?”
“One you seemed particularly interested in, Arsenic and Old Lace. That is the one, isn’t it? The one with the killer old ladies?”
“Don’t make that face!” She playfully smacked his arm.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about Calynn. Homicidal geriatrics, sounds like a killer afternoon.”
“Oh no, did you just make a joke? Is the world coming to an end?”
They made it to the media room, but it wasn’t empty. It seemed Maximilien was back from Italy and had decided to make camp in front of the screen.
“Out Max. Go back to the garage or Italy or where ever, but I have this afternoon planned with Calynn.”
“I was here first, Drakon.” He stretched his legs out onto the table and crossed his arms behind his head in the universal sign that he was settling in.
“Why don’t you ever watch this stuff in your room where your system is?”
“Because my screen isn’t this big. Come on sit, there’s room on the couch. You can have it when I’m done. Oh, by the way who won yesterday? She skunked you, didn’t she?”
“If you’d spend some of your money on a proper system instead of those machines in the garage you wouldn’t have to be worry about being run out of here.”
Max ignored him and Drakon mouthed to Calynn, ‘Watch this’. “That’s Red Death isn’t it? I’ve already seen it.”
“Yeah right, you watch a movie? I’ll believe that when I see it.”
“A group of Mars astronauts return to earth bringing with them a virus that spreads like the plague wiping out most of mankind.”
“Yeah it spreads over the entire globe like the common cold.”
“That’s because it was the common cold.” Drakon arched his brow.
“No.”
“Yes, the entire time it was just the cold virus that had mutated in the Martian atmosphere.”
“You didn’t? Spoiler alert! Man, that’s just wrong, blowing the ending. That’s low Drakon; even for you.”
“If you don’t leave I’ll recite who lived and who didn’t.”
“I’m going I’m going.” He threw the remote at his brother and glared at them as he stormed off.
They watched him leave and Calynn cracked up, “Oh that was mean. Pretending to spoil the ending.”
“Yeah, you know what was even meaner?” He smiled wickedly.
“What?”
“That was the ending. Hey, I had to get rid of him somehow. It worked didn’t it? So, shall we watch a family full of crazies?”
“Just give it a chance. It’s not like that, it’s funny. Two old ladies that knock off a dozen old men and has their nephew bury them in the basement that he thinks is the Panama Canal. Then they giggle about it while passing out Halloween goodies; it’s priceless. You can’t beat that.” She curled up excitedly beside him just as she had the night before. Deciding to put the craziness of her life away for a couple of hours and enjoy something that had gotten her through some rough times.
“See, see how he can say so much with just his expression. You don’t see much acting like that anymore. Usually they say the same couple of words over and over again and they’re not even intelligent words.” Calynn was pointing at the screen, a bad habit she’d had all her life. Probably from her brother always pointing things out to her as a baby, she’d copied him from day one.
“There’s a lot to say for being ‘old fashioned’. I come from an age of chivalry, it’s a shame to have watched it die over the years.”
“Agreed.”
The two watched and laughed and snacked on popcorn he’d had brought in. Had she not been a captive in some twisted ploy for world domination, this would have been the best date she’d had in a long time. How sad was that? The credits rolled after one of her favorite lines, ‘I’m not a cab driver I’m a coffee pot’, and a part of her wished she could watch it again, but it was time to return to the real world. Last night she had fallen asleep, that had put a kink in their plan. She couldn’t let that happen tonight, the sooner they got through this the sooner she could be free.
“Well now Calynn, would you like to watch something else, we have an expansive library?”
“No, I’m a bit tired, I wish I could. Playing dress up is more tiring than I would have thought. I think I’ll just have Millie bring me some dinner then read a while before going to bed, but I had a wonderful time. Thank you, Drakon, this little piece of normalcy meant a whole lot to me.”
“Then allow me to walk you back to your room.” He stood up and held out his hand to her as he gave a slight bow.
“Afraid I might get lost?”
“I wouldn’t want you to run away from me… I mean us.”
“Then maybe you’d better.” She placed her hand in his accepting his help.
When they reached her outer door, she turned to face him staring up into his eyes. He looked right back down into hers and slowly brushed her hair behind her ear gently caressing her cheek with his thumb as he did. She knew it was all an act, and he was good at it. Real good.
“You were right about the movie. It’s now one of my favorites… thanks to you.” Then mouthed, ‘see you soon’.
She nodded and slowly turned to go into her room watching him as he walked down the hall. No doubt they gave someone a show and hopefully they bought it.
*****
She was sitting on her bed reading through the book Drakon had sent her when she realized she wasn’t alone. Usually she’d make some sort of quick remark, but she was supposed to be playing a role here and she had to assume they were being listened to.
“Who’s there? You’re not supposed to be here you know.” That should do it.
He stole out of the shadows of the balcony just as she’d expected acting shy and unsure. “It’s just me Calynn, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Drakon? What are you doing here?”
He paced back and forth before leaning in the corner gazing at the floor, unable to look up. “Calynn I… Oh, what am I doing here? I’m sorry Calynn I shouldn’t be here. It was stupid of me.” He started to leave, but she stopped him.
“Drakon wait, it’s okay I’m just surprised that’s all. Stay, please.”
He returned to the corner, rubbing the back of his neck nervously while she watched him curiously.
“Is everything alright Drakon? You seem really stressed, you weren’t like that earlier, has something happened?”
He let out a deep breath and pushed off the wall. Sitting in the chair across from her, he rested his arms on his knees and stared at the floor. “No nothing’s happened. Nothing ever changes and I’m afraid it never will. You know; before you came here I thought I was fine with… how things were. I thought I could handle how things worked, but now I don’t know if I can go on with it.”
“Go on with what Drakon?”
“With this! This life, this… drawing people in just so we can feed off of them to keep living for hundreds of years. These are lives we’re taking. What right do we have to take hundreds of peoples’ lives just to extend ours? If it wasn’t for the fact that I’m the second son of the House of Drake I could be free to choose whether I kill to drink or not, but being part of this clan, I cannot disgrace my father and if I wish to live at all I can’t let on either.” He paused and lowered his voice, reflec
tive and ashamed. Staring at his hands like they were foreign objects. “Twenty-one.”
“Twenty-one?”
“That’s how many lives I’ve already taken and I’ve hated every minute of it, but I don’t see any other option. Maybe I should just let my father tear my throat out and be done with it. What’s one life compared with all the one’s I’d be forced to take anyway. Oh, Calynn I’m sorry I didn’t think. I shouldn’t be unloading all this on you especially now. Forgive me, I’ll go.” He stood to leave.
“No Drakon, don’t leave, please. It’s okay, it’s actually kind of nice knowing I’m not alone. At least I can do some good while I’m here, even if it is just being able to listen.” And she reached out to take his hand raising her eyebrows as if to ask, ‘How am I doing?’. His return smile said it all.
They continued to talk for the next couple of hours, playing their roles perfectly while making faces at each other in a semi-desperate attempt to ease the tension. At times, they found it very difficult not laughing at their antics, before finally bringing the evening to an end. He gave her a hug saying loud enough to be heard, “Thank you, Calynn. I’ve never been able to tell anyone this and I’m glad it could be you. Can I… can I see you again?”
“I’d love that.”
“Until tomorrow, then?”
“Count on it.”
He kissed her on the cheek and left the way he’d come, leaving her to contemplate how things were going. She didn’t trust him that was for sure. It would stupid to, but he was still her best chance of getting out of this place. Then there was that dream. Every night it came, growing stronger and more real until it was more like a memory than a dream now. What wasn’t he telling her? She knew Millie had said that there was no way that he could be the father, but her mind was telling her something different. What if it was a memory; she’d been having it long before Drakon had shown up in her bedroom a few nights back. Sure her memory was Swiss cheese, but that dream had been there for weeks. What if there was something more to him wanting to rescue her? Could he have designs on the child for his own? It could be like jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire with someone even more manipulative and sadistic. It was going to take a while to sort out what was real and who was the one to fear the most, she just hoped she found out who before it was too late.