“Weaklings,” the voice declared with disgust. “That’s good. Watch the girl carefully. You must protect her. She is the one.”
Armando lowered his voice to say, “I realize you think that because she’s an albino-”
“Did you not feel her power?”
“Yes, yes, I did. The power I feel in her is so strong, and yet, she is so young.”
There was a satisfied chuckle. “Then our time approaches. Very well. You know what to do.”
“Yes, Master,” Armando answered as the line was cut off.
Deep in thought, he pushed aside the curtains surrounding his bed. His silk pajamas slid easily under the satin sheets. Settling beside Carlotta, he drew the curtains close. The sun would soon be rising over the horizon, and weariness was settling in his limbs. Carlotta was lying with her back to him, obviously upset, muttering away in Spanish.
“Carlotta,” Armando whispered.
“Was it the Master?”
“Yes, it was. All is well.” Armando rested his hand on her shoulder. “Carlotta, we are not alike in all things, but I do care for you very much.” He kissed the curve of her shoulder.
“You are a bastard!” Carlotta snapped. “But I forgive you.” Rolling over, she snuggled up against him.
Armando kissed her soft hair and held her close, enjoying the coolness of her soft body against his.
“You do care for me very much, don’t you, you rotten Spanish bastard?”
“Yes,” Armando responded.
Carlotta kissed his neck affectionately. “I care for you.”
Armando held his temperamental gypsy lover tight and closed his eyes. They never said the word ‘love’ to each other for they knew that was not what they shared. Love was something Armando had not felt for a very long time and truly did not want to feel its fiery sting again. Love was far too painful and dangerous for a vampire to indulge in. An eternity is a long time to suffer.
“Was Roman handsome?”
“Yes, I suppose. You should like that he is very wealthy.”
“Then maybe we should meet,” Carlotta decided.
“Someday, perhaps. But not now. It’s too soon.”
Carlotta kissed his chin and whispered, “Until tonight, my darling.”
Armando closed his eyes and fell asleep as the sun rose.
* * *
For the first few weeks after Armando’s appearance in their lives, Roman kept the vampire in his study during visits, significantly limiting his involvement with his two sisters. Armando was somewhat amused by Roman’s parental attitude toward Alisha and Vanora.
During their talks together, Roman revealed to Armando the incredible mind of his new-found friend. Roman was a deep thinker, who constantly examined his life, searching for any flaws in his character which needed to be rectified and fortifying his strengths. Roman’s determination to remain as human as possible was impressive. He aspired to live a life that contained honor, love, and a measure of happiness. Armando was surprised to find himself challenged by those beliefs, but he still remained dedicated to fulfilling his Master’s orders.
Roman found comfort in his new friendship. He had not realized the extent of his isolation until he finally had a companion with whom he could share his ideas. Roman enjoyed the challenge of Armando’s questions and found himself sinking many of his new philosophies into his journals. Slowly, a tome he christened Roman’s Law, emerged. When he finally allowed Armando to read the journal, the Spaniard asked for a copy, and Roman complied. Armando transcribed it, then contacted a local printer and requested a hundred leather-bound volumes, the minimum amount the printer would allow him to order. He presented copies to Roman and Alisha as gifts and burned the rest.
But what Armando did not know, was that several botched copies of Roman’s Law were thrown away in a dumpster behind the printing building. A dumpster diver found the books and sold them to a second-hand bookstore.
21
April 2005
Long, skinny legs draped over the armrest, Vanora slouched in one of the leather chairs in Roman’s study reading a book for school. It was a bit difficult to concentrate with the epic shouting match taking place in the hall.
“I can date whoever I want!” Alisha yelled at Roman. “Just because you don’t like Sin doesn’t mean I’m going to stop seeing him!”
“Alisha, his name is Sin! I’m sure that isn’t short for Sinclair, right?”
“No, it’s not! But why should it matter? Besides, you’re not my father!”
The argument shifted away from the study, much to Vanora’s relief. Since Alisha’s career had started to take off and she interacted with the mortal world on a regular basis, Roman had been particularly paranoid and overly protective. He’d been horrified when Alisha actually started dating another artist. Vanora liked Sin. Whenever Alisha took her over to his place to hang out, Sin played Resident Evil with her.
With a yawn, Vanora snuck her Motorola Razr out of her pocket and flipped it open. She was so bored of Little Women she could just die. As far as she was concerned, they all sucked, though Jo was somewhat tolerable. Texting Rhonda, her best friend at school, she tried to keep her action hidden behind the book just in case Roman returned. After her last dismal report card, he was a tyrant about her homework.
“What are you reading?”
Vanora flipped her phone shut, and looked up to see Armando taking the chair opposite of her. “Where did you come from?”
“Ryan let me in,” Armando answered, flashing his white teeth in a broad smile.
Whenever he smiled, she looked for fangs but was always disappointed. Her brother and sister refused to show her theirs. If not for their adherence to living only at night, it was difficult to tell they were vampires. Vanora couldn’t even get them to turn into a bat, though she wasn’t sure if they even could.
Armando lifted his eyes, head tilted, obviously listening to the argument that had shifted upstairs. “They’re fighting?”
“Roman hates Sin.” Vanora shrugged.
“Well, he is a good Catholic.”
“No, he hates Sin, Alisha’s boyfriend.”
Armando returned his gaze to her. She hadn’t really interacted with him since his arrival in their lives, and his attention made her feel self-conscious. Swinging her legs around, she sat up straight in her chair and shoved her feet into her red ballet shoes. Clad in red skinny jeans and a Hello Kitty t-shirt, she felt obscenely childish. Flipping her braids behind her shoulders, she felt her face flush. She knew it was dumb to want to impress a vampire who was hundreds of years old, but a piece of her desperately wanted him to think she was pretty.
“Alisha has a boyfriend named Sin?” Armando was clearly amused. “Is he an artist, too?”
“Yeah. He makes sculptures out of old cars. It’s cool.”
“And he’s mortal?”
“Yep.”
Armando’s expression was thoughtful for a second, then he glanced at the book in her hands.
“So you’re reading Little Women? For school?”
“Uh, yeah. I’m supposed to pick which one I’m the most like and then write what I’d do in her place.” Vanora rolled her eyes. “It’s lame.”
Armando lifted one of his perfectly shaped eyebrows. “Why is it lame?”
“Everyone is going to pick Jo. I mean she’s okay, but everyone in this book is dumb.” Vanora shrugged.
“Actually, they’re very enlightened for that time period,” Armando explained gently. “I lived during that time and those characters were revolutionary. Especially Josephine. Women were tied to very strict gender roles. They often couldn’t make choices for themselves, even who they married.”
Vanora tapped the book with her fingers. Noticing that her blue nail polish was chipped, she curled her fingers to hide them. “I didn’t think of that.”
“Marrying for love was very rare. People married for security, political gain, to satisfy their families...” Armando’s golden eyes lowered, his las
hes casting shadows over his cheeks. “Marrying for love was a luxury afforded to only a few.”
Flipping the book around in her hands, Vanora stared at the cover. “Well, that sucks for them. And those dresses look awful.”
Armando chuckled. “Yes, well, fashion is not always kind.” He gestured to her outfit. “Little girls wearing pants would have been scandalous at that time.”
Vanora bristled under the ‘little girl’ label. “I’m fifteen. I had my birthday.”
“Ah, true. Young lady, then. My mistake. In some eras, you would be married by now.”
The twinkle in his eyes and the amused smile he bestowed on Vanora softened her irritation. “Well, yuck.”
“You don’t want to get married someday?” Both eyebrows lifted, surprised.
Shrugging, Vanora answered, “Maybe. I mean...if the guy is cool, I guess. But he has to be super awesome and not a total spazz.”
“Ah, so thinking about being a career woman?”
“Maybe,” Vanora played with the edges of her book.
“What would you like to be?”
Another shrug. “Something where I could travel a lot. I want to see the world.”
“I see.” Armando leaned forward, studying her thoughtfully. “The world is very beautiful.”
“When I grow up, I’m going to go everywhere. After college, that is.” She lifted her head confidently. “I’m going to dye my hair, too. And maybe my eyebrows and eyelashes. I can get contacts when I’m eighteen. I want blue ones.” She discreetly flipped her phone open, trying not to look at it. She had told Rhonda that Alisha had a new friend that was really hot, so she wanted to provide a picture as proof.
Armando widened his eyes slightly. He didn’t seem to notice what she was doing with the phone. “And why would you do all of that?”
The question surprised Vanora. She tugged on one of her braids. “Because of this.” She clicked the button, snapping the photo.
Armando looked at her quizzically. “I don’t understand.”
Vanora rolled her eyes. “I’m an albino.”
“Yes, I see that.”
“And everyone stares at me. Or makes stupid comments. Or are mean.”
“Who is everyone? I’m not doing any of those things, am I?”
Her teenage hormones felt like they were in overdrive. The warmth in her cheeks was embarrassing. An albino blushing was extremely noticeable. “Well, no.”
“You’re a beautiful little gi—a lovely young woman. Your white hair, lavender eyes, and white eyelashes make me think of an angel. And no one thinks of angels as ugly, do they?”
“Well, no,” Vanora admitted.
“Then whoever this everyone is, they are surely very foolish, or quite blind.”
Pounding footsteps on the stairs coupled with the murmur of agitated voices heralded the arrival of Alisha and Roman. Armando stood up, tucking his hands into his jacket pockets. Roman strolled into the room clearly agitated, but still looking resigned.
“Vanora, you’re going to the movies with Alisha and Sin.” Roman stopped short. “Oh, Armando. I didn’t realize you were here already.”
“I arrived a little early. Traffic was light,” Armando answered.
Roman’s eyes slightly narrowed, darting a quick glance at Vanora. He had made certain to keep her away from Armando, and he didn’t look happy to find them chatting.
“He told me Little Women doesn’t suck,” Vanora said, trying to calm her brother’s fears.
“Ah,” Roman said, clearly confused.
Alisha let out a giggle, hoisting her big purse over one shoulder. “Come on, Snow Pea. Let’s blow this joint. Boring old men talking.”
“I’m not old,” Roman protested.
“Oh, really? I thought you were since you keep acting like my father,” Alisha answered.
Rolling her eyes, Vanora gave her brother a quick peck on the cheek before taking Alisha’s hand.
Armando gave her one of his charming smiles. “Until next time.”
Vanora caught Roman scrutinizing her, so she just gave Armando a short “bye” and hurried out with her sister. The last thing she wanted Roman to think was that she had any sort of crush on Armando. Roman was already paranoid enough about Alisha.
“Sin’s already here,” Alisha said.
“Which movie are we going to see?”
“The newest version of Little Women,” Alisha answered, opening the front door.
“Ha, ha.” Vanora scowled.
“Okay, okay. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.”
“Yes!” Vanora high-fived her sister. She’d been begging to see the movie for weeks.
“So, Snow Pea, you finally got to spend some time with your crush, huh?”
Vanora clenched her hands into fists and gave Alisha her angriest look. “I don’t have a crush on Armando!”
“Sure you don’t.” Alisha laughed as she sprang down the front steps.
Vanora pursued, annoyed, frustrated, and terribly embarrassed.
Sin’s old Mustang huffed and puffed in the driveway, the engine sounding more like an old man coughing than an actual sports car. Sin had bought it off the scrap heap but decided to restore it instead of chopping it up for his art. It was a patchwork of colors that was always changing as he found new replacement pieces for it, but Vanora didn’t mind. He played cool music and didn’t fuss over her like Roman and Alisha tended to do.
“Hey, squirt,” Sin said, grinning at her while popping open his door for her.
“Hey, Sin.” She high-fived him and crawled into the backseat.
Sin dressed like he was in a hard rock band and had a blue Mohawk that Roman hated and Vanora thought was awesome. He’d had thick dreads when Alisha first started dating him but accidentally burned half them off when working on a sculpture. The new mohawk was his solution to the singed hair problem.
Alisha climbed into the passenger seat and kissed her boyfriend, then wiped a bit of her red lipstick off his mouth.
“Nah, leave it. People will see that you like me,” he said, jerking his head away.
“You’re so lame,” Alisha chided him.
They were an unusual looking couple. Sin looked a bit rough around the edges, while Alisha tended to dress in Betsey Johnson dresses and big chunky shoes.
“So everything’s cool now?” Sin waved his phone, covered in Misfits stickers, at Alisha.
“Roman’s being an ass,” Alisha grunted. “Again. But at least our fight let Vanora hang out with her dream guy.”
“Shut up!” Vanora kicked Alisha’s seat. Her cheeks were heating up again and she fidgeted with her phone.
“Armando,” Sin said, rolling it off his tongue dramatically.
“He’s far too pretty and has that mysterious thing going on.” Alisha smirked at her sister.
Vanora ignored her and flipped open her phone to check the photo she had snapped.
“It’s a good thing you don’t find tall, dark and handsome alluring,” Sin said, pulling his car around and heading toward the gates.
“Average height, tannish, and not as handsome as you,” Alisha corrected. “I like them tall, Swedish, and sexy.”
Sin laughed. “Good thing for me.”
Studying the picture of Armando, Vanora scowled. The photo was just a blob of darkness that was blurred around the edges. She must have jerked the phone or something, ruining the shot. Tucking her phone away, she listened to her sister and Sin flirting.
“Alisha,” she said a few minutes later, interrupting their repartee.
“What’s up, Snow Pea?”
“I need new clothes. I look like a stupid little kid and not like a teenager. I want to look fifteen, not ten.”
Alisha and Sin exchanged amused looks as the Mustang hurled down the highway, then burst into raucous laughter.
Vanora kicked both their seats.
* * *
Alisha ignored her phone when it beeped with a new text message. Roman was still sending her
messages, trying to argue his point. She knew she had made a big mistake when she had talked about Roman to Sin, and her brother was trying to reiterate how important it was that his existence be kept secret. Though it was four years since Roman’s death and resurrection, and Sin had arrived in Houston last year and knew nothing about her brother’s death, Roman had been furious over her mentioning him. Alisha had played it off like she had felt that enough time had passed and she could trust Sin, but the reality was that she had been drunk, stupid, and giddy in the afterglow of the first sex she’d had since becoming a vampire.
In all truth, she had been so relieved to finally feel human, she’d just rambled on just to see Sin give her his slow sexy smile of amusement. She’d been dumb, and now Roman was on her case in a way that both pissed her off and made her feel guilty all at once.
“It’s a legit question. What are fifteen-year-old girls supposed to wear?” Sin said to Vanora.
They were nearing the cinema and were a bit early for the next showing. She appreciated that Sin didn’t drive like a maniac when Vanora was in the car with them. Sin had lived in Germany just to drive on the autobahn, which notoriously had no speed limits, so his consideration of Vanora was just one more reason for her to like him.
“Well, not a stupid Hello Kitty t-shirt,” Vanora retorted.
Since puberty had hit, Vanora tended to act surly. Alisha remembered those years oh-too-well and gave her a break, while Roman just tried to crack down or reason with her. No matter how much Alisha told Roman that it was just the insanity of puberty, Roman tried to corral Vanora back to how she had been before her hormones had gone into overdrive.
“I went to this club in Japan where all the hot chicks wore Hello Kitty t-shirts. And thongs,” Sin said.
Alisha hit him.
Vanora sighed dramatically from the backseat. “I’m not a little kid anymore. I’m not a little girl.”
“True. You’re more of a big girl,” Sin agreed.
Alisha smacked him.
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