Mom cooked breakfast a half hour after ten in the morning. Mason slumped his way into the kitchen while his mom was using a wooden spatula to move scrambled eggs and bacon from a skillet onto their plates.
There she was. Mason collapsed into a chair and looked at Hailey. She was fully dressed and didn’t look particularly tired. Of course there was something about her that stood out – a red ascot around her neck, matching her top.
“Nice scarf,” Mason said. “Not particularly hot out for one though.”
“That’s not a scarf, Mason. That’s an ascot,” his mom corrected him.
“Thank you for correcting him, Mom” Hailey smiled.
“I don’t have the time or patience to argue,” Mason said as he propped himself up, his face resting upon his hands on the kitchen table.
After scoffing down a few spoonfuls of eggs, Mason made contact with Ben, Alex, Matthew, and eventually Sebastian. Mason had a strange request; he needed each of them to bring a pocketknife if they had access to one. They were to meet up later at Mac’s Mart, a gas station located on the corner of Ronald Reagan Drive.
He overheard Hailey tell their mom she would be leaving to spend time with her friend Madison for the afternoon.
Mason had a good idea about what she was hiding under that ‘ascot’. Now he had to deal with a larger situation at hand. He grabbed an empty backpack and headed into the cobweb filled garage which is mom never used.
He surveyed the old garage, finding a few old power tools and a few tables and chairs. Perfect. He rushed over to the wooden chair, breaking off each of the legs and stuffing them into his backpack. He did this to two chairs for a total of six wooden legs.
He went back into the house and searched around until he found it – an encased solid gold pocketknife belonging to his grandfather. He found it in a china cabinet in the dining room, hiding among the fine silverware, porcelain plates, and prism wine glasses. He placed it in his back pocket and prepared to leave.
The afternoon arrived. Hailey was long gone and Mason left on his bike with the heavy bookbag slumped over his back. He rode a mile or so down the road until he reached Ronald Reagan Drive. Right on the corner was Mac’s Mart. It was an old gas station with a small store and adjoining mini-diner that served the best burgers in town.
This time, it wasn’t the burgers they came for. It was just a good place to meet up. About ten minutes later, Mason saw Alex arrive. Shortly after, the others trickled in, all by bicycle. Ben was followed by Sebastian followed by Matthew.
“Alright guys,” Mason told him. “We’re gathering here in order to find another place for us to gather.
“Mmmm, I can smell the burgers inside. Be right back!” Ben said. He rushed off into the store, leaving his bike behind.
“Like I was saying,” Mason said. “We need a little privacy. My basement can’t provide that right now. Not considering who or what may be listening with free reign into my damn home.”
“What are you talking about?” Sebastian asked him.
“I’m saying we just need another place to meet for now,” Mason answered.
“I actually know a cool place,” Matthew spoke up. “There’s this old abandoned junkyard not far from here.
“That sounds awesome,” Alex said. “Why’ve we never hung out there before?”
“Because people don’t usually hang out around old abandoned junkyards,” Matthew shrugged.
“Not when there’s arcades and video games,” Sebastian added.
Ben walked out of Mac’s Mart with a burger in his hand. He propped his bike back up with one hand while eating with the other. “What’d I miss?” he asked.
“We’re about to head off to an old junkyard,” Alex told him.
“A junkyard?,” Ben asked. “Not as cool as spending today in the arcade. But I guess there’s worse things to do.”
“The arcade’s not going anywhere. Come on, let’s go,” Mason told them. “Matthew, lead the way.”
They took off down the road, passing a few streets until they reached a long stretch of woods. They rode their bikes through the wooded area on a warm Saturday. The sun was now blocked largely by trees. But not for long. Soon they reached the other end and found themselves in a massive space scattered with old broken cars, RVs, and buses.
“This place isn’t in operation anymore?” Mason asked.
“Nope,” Matthew answered. “Closed a couple years ago. Just scrap metal and useless junk.”
“Actually,” Sebastian added. “I think my dad used to work here a long time ago. Weird.”
Mason threw down his backpack as the wooden chair legs fell out onto the ground.
“Everybody grab one,” he said. “Remember I told you to bring your pocketknives.”
“What do you want us to do?” Alex asked.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Matthew said, “We’re gonna carve stakes.”
“That’s right,” Mason said. “A vampire’s worst enemy. A smart man with a long stake.”
“Firstly, I didn’t bring a pocketknife. I don’t have one,” Sebastian spoke up. “And I’m not doing this. It’s… it’s crazy.”
“Is it crazy, Seb?” Is it? Or are you just hiding something?” Mason questioned him.
Each of the boys turned to face Sebastian. “What?” Alex asked.
“Go ahead, tell them, Seb. For once tell us the truth. No more secrets.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sebastian said, shaking his head.
“It’s my belief that Sebastian here is acquainted with a vampire. I think that he’s been keeping this from us. The new way you’re talking. The way you’re thinking. The amazing way you play basically any game on the court. Just be honest, Seb. Has he turned you?”
“No,” Sebastian said nervously. “You’re crazy, Mason. And you’re obsessed. What you don’t get is that if a vampire wanted to kill you, you’d be dead already.”
“Is that so, Seb? Is that so? Why don’t you just run along. I know where your allegiance lies. It’s not with us, Seb. Is it?”
“Your obsession has driven you mad, Mason. That’s the only thing I’ve really been wanting to get off my back,” Sebastian gnashed his teeth.
“You two must be real close,” Mason said, shaking his head. “What are you waiting for? You don’t want to be here. And as President of the Cool Kid’s Horror Lovers Club I hereby cast you out for being a traitor.”
“Calm down, Mason. We need to vote on something like that,” Matthew jumped in.
“No, it’s okay, Matthew,” Sebastian said. “It’s obvious I’m not wanted here. Not by a zealot.”
Sebastian got back onto his bicycle and rode off, disappearing back through the woods from which they’d just arrived.
“You never believed in the cause, you traitor!” Mason yelled and threw his middle finger in the air.
“Alright,” Alex said, returning their attention to the task. “Let’s make some stakes.”
They each pulled out a pocketknife, picked up a wooden chair leg, and began carving the ends.
“Wonna make ’em as pointy as possible,” Matthew said. “I’m sure they’ve got to be able to actually pierce the flesh.”
“This is all fine and good,” Ben said, steadily carving. “But how are we going to actually find one of these vampires?”
“We’re gonna use vampire bait. Namely… my sister,” Mason said with a dark fire in his eyes.
“You want to kidnap your own sister?” Alex asked with uncertainty.
“Not exactly,” Mason said. “We’ve got to do this somewhere safe. Someplace where we know the layout. But it can’t be in a house because that means you have to invite the vampire in. Gotta be someplace they can already enter. Someplace we know that perhaps they have entered already.”
“Like what?” Ben asked.
“Like our school,” Mason said. “So I’ve been thinking. We’ll lure my sister to the school. Then she can unknowingly lure the vampire show up. Then B
AM! We stake that bloodsucking son of a bitch.”
“And if nothing or no one ever shows up?” Ben asked.
“Eh, I can think of worst ways to waste a Saturday,” Matthew laughed.
Mason, convinced that his plan would work, even considering contingencies along the way. What if the vampire was too fast to be staked? Mason had a plan for that. They’d need something to slow him down – fire, Mason thought. So as the time passed and the stake carving was complete, they left the abandoned junkyard, headed back through the woods, and found themselves back at Mac’s Mart on Ronald Reagan Drive. At Mason’s request, and a great deal of begging, Matthew went into the station, purchased a small canister, and filled it up with a gallon of gasoline.
“Shouldn’t need much,” Mason said. “Just enough to slow him down so we can stake him.”
“Yeah, what could go wrong?” Alex laughed nervously.
“You know, there’s this part of me wondering if we’ve gotten in over our heads,” Ben said anxiously. “That’s not to say I’m backing out.”
“Tonight you’ll be a believer. No skeptic will remain. Not among us,” Mason scorned.
***
Day turned to dawn as Sebastian made the long trek by bike to the street upon which the small church sat. It was the same small church that Gregorious flew him over. The church façade was more visible up close at ground level. There was moss growing on its brick sides. A tall steeple tower with a bell was in the center. Two withered trees were erect on each side of the steep stone steps. And directly in front of the church stood a wooden cross.
Sebastian took in the sight momentarily, yet only in passing. Soon the church was out of sight as he biked further down the road. Beyond a row of trees, Sebastian biked over to the cemetery as the sky began to blanket itself in a landscape of stars. The moon was its centerpiece. Only a sliver of sun could be seen at the horizon and it, too, would soon be gone.
Sebastian got off of his bike, allowing it to fall over near the entrance of the cemetery. He took a seat in the grass, not positioned near any particular gravestone. He looked around, gazing at the headstones beyond him. But his mind’s eye was focused elsewhere.
He thought of Mason and Mason’s totally inability to see beyond the obsessive radical view he wanted everyone else to hold. He thought of how Mason confronted him. How uncomfortable it felt to lie to his friends. Rather, who he thought were his friends. As he denied the most gracious person he’d ever known.
“I’m sorry, Gregorious,” he said, lowering his head.
Lastly, he thought of Gregorious and of the gentle authority he held over him. Tears trickled down his eyes as he sobbed. The wind whispered in the trees as several minutes passed. Sebastian placed his face into the palm of his hands.
“Where are you, Gregorious?” he whispered aloud. “I need you right now.”
“I am here for you, as I promised I always would be,” called a quiet voice from behind Sebastian.
Sebastian turned around and discovered the only person he wanted to see. Gregorious wore a black tunic. But it looked as if he were wearing a cloak.
“Gregorious!” he chanted joyfully as he wiped his eyes.
“I’ve only been awake for an hour now,” Gregorious told him. “What can I do for you, my young friend? I hate to see you so troubled.”
“It’s my friends,” Sebastian answered.
Sebastian attempted to lift himself from the grass. Then he felt Gregorious’s hand upon his shoulder, a gesture that made him remain seated. Gregorious sat next to him, knee to knee.
“You have a differing of opinion with them?” Gregorious asked.
“Yes,” Sebastian nodded, looking him in the eyes.
Gregorious ran a solitary fingernail through the dirt. “I thought so. I always have. Do you truly care for them? The way you care for me?”
“They’re my friends. But Mason thinks he can kill you and Percy and the others. He wants to make stakes and… y’know,” Sebastian said, gesturing his finger across his neck.
“Oh, I know,” Gregorious chuckled. “But if human authorities are of a vague threat at best to us, your young friends shall hardly pose much of a risk. But… if you care for this Mason boy as a friend.”
“Not anymore,” Sebastian answered. “He banished me from his club. He’s become a zealot against vampires.”
“But if you feel his mind is worth changing. Then you must simply change it. He’s young. Impressionable. As you were when we met. All it takes is the right push to make him see as clearly as you do.
“Maybe I should, um, follow them tonight,” Sebastian suggested.
“I suppose it couldn’t hurt. And remember, Sebastian. To find the best solution, ask the best question.”
“To you?” Sebastian asked.
“Whoever’s help you are in need of. One does not live for many hundreds of years without a close understanding of the human and vampire capacity to love and to be loved, and mostly, the occasion to need help.”
“And I just want you to know,” Sebastian said shyly but assertively, “I care about them. But not as much as you.”
Gregorious gently placed his hand against the back of Sebastian’s head. He lowered his own head and their foreheads touched. A silent and brotherly display of closeness.
After a moment, Gregorious straightened his posture.
“I have to leave soon. I will shortly be in a gathering. A quick meeting of the minds at Vampyr Manor.”
“Well, I hope you enjoy it,” Sebastian told him.
“Thank you, Sebastian. For your unfailing piety. Our bond has grown. If you need me, I will always arrive.”
***
Hailey was riding in the passenger seat of Madison’s Cadillac during the night. Moments later they arrived at a diner called Fork and Spoon.
“Why couldn’t we go to Grits ’n’ Gravy?” Madison whined.
“God no!” Hailey laughed as they walked into the diner. “I am not going to eat anywhere my mom works. You’re trying to kill me Madison. Fork and Spoon is just as good.”
“Just the same,” Madison sighed. “Good thing I love breakfast for dinner.”
They took a seat at a table and were greeted by a waitress. Hailey asked for water and Madison wanted orange juice.
“I’ve never seen someone so excited about breakfast at night,” Hailey laughed.
“And I’ve never seen someone not take their ascot off all day long!” Madison shot back with a smile. “How many hickeys do you have under that thing?”
“Oh, there are no hickeys under here,” Hailey said confidently. She decided to unknot her ascot and take it off. She pressed her fingers to her neck and discovered her bite marks were gone. In fact she knew the penetrative marks would heal quite quickly, just as they did on her thigh. The ascot was more about allowing her to feel better about it.
“Guess you’re right,” Madison said, evaluating her friend’s neck. “No hickeys that I can see.”
“Of course I’m right, Madison. Besides, who’d give me one anyway?”
“I can tell you’re seeing someone,” Madison said, raising an eyebrow. “The way you act. Which is a positive thing, by the way. You’ve been really… happy. Except refusing my visit to the Grits ’n’ Gravy Diner. But I mean, no one gets a boyfriend and turns bitchy, right?”
Hailey slammed the palm of her hand on the table and laughed. Before she could respond, the waitress brought their drinks and took their dinner orders. Hailey wanted steak. Madison wanted eggs and pancakes.
“I’ll never get you,” Hailey said as the waiter left them alone. Hailey looked around, noticing how empty the diner was. Only three other tables were occupied.
“Oh, check you out! Mistress of changing subjects!” Madison laughed.
“What on earth are you talking about?” Hailey bemoaned.
“I was talking about you having some new mystery guy that you won’t talk about. Just tell me, is he from our school? Have I ever met him?”
&
nbsp; “Okay, I admit there is someone. And… not exactly. He’s not really in school.”
“Oh my God, you’re dating a boy who isn’t even in school! Is he a dropout? Is he older than you?”
“No, he’s not a dropout. Yes, he’s older than me. But just by a little,” Hailey smiled at an in-joke known only to herself.
“Well, tell me more!” Madison demanded. “Have I ever met him before?”
“Um,” Hailey began, unsure of what to say. She thought for a moment and answered. “If you’ve met him before, I’d bet you don’t remember him.”
“Why? Is he boring as all get-out?” Madison chuckled.
“Yeah, sure,” Hailey exchanged laughs with her. “He’s a super bore. We’ll go with that.”
“Oh, now I know you’re just screwing with me. Just tell me. What’s his name?”
“His name’s Percivell.”
“Hmm, Percivell? I definitely don’t know anyone in Corpus with that name. I mean, if I haven’t met him then I know Tara hasn’t met him. Right?”
“Of course not,” Hailey smiled. “Tara’s only just got here. She’s not met anyone yet.”
“Well, I’m sure your family is dying to meet any boy lucky enough to date you, Hailey,” Madison smiled back, completely unaware of those word’s true meaning.
Chapter 14
Darkness entombed the town. It was always most impressive several miles beyond the school, behind the forest, encasing the iron clad fortification known as Vampyr Manor. Where creatures of the night slept and dwelled.
They slept in the cave under the pink manor during the day. Sometimes from the ceiling. Sometimes in the soil-lined coffins. This was the place they called home. No human had ever successfully penetrated their abode. Several tried. All failed.
They were now at the polished table in the red dining room. All wearing black. All standing. All with a blood-filled chalice in hand.
“Hail the Order of Lilith,” chanted Alobard at the head of the table.
The others said the same chant, one by one moving down and across the table. Jacobus, Percivell, Gregorious, and Gabriel.
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