Phantoms of the Otherworld (In Spiritu Et Veritate)

by Reed, Zoe

  After draping the blanket over Camille, I sluggishly made my way into the kitchen. There was nothing of interest in the pantry or the refrigerator. I wasn’t half the chef Camille was. That, and I was feeling too lazy to really make something just for myself. Finally, I spotted an individual sized pizza in the freezer, and stuck it in the microwave for a few minutes before striding back to the library to sit and eat.

  “How’s she–” Lacey walked in a bit later and stopped, staring when she caught sight of the blanket-covered Camille. “She’s human again,” she observed happily. “Has she woken up yet?”

  I shook my head and swallowed the last bite of pizza. “No, but hopefully the poison is wearing off and she will soon.”

  Lacey plopped down in the chair next to me with a heavy sigh. “You know, the vampires have a hang out in the city. My dad doesn’t want to go, he says it’ll start trouble, but I don’t doubt that someone there knows what’s going on.”

  “Nobody told me that,” I growled in frustration. “What have we been sitting around here for?”

  “I think we should go too, especially since things are getting this extreme.” She pointed to Camille and then clenched her fist in her lap. “I mean, traps on Pack territory? That’s fucking absurd. We need to send the message that we won’t take it lying down.”

  I stared into the fire, which over the last few hours had dwindled to glowing embers, while I thought about our options. We could always go on our own, but that would be dangerous. Not to mention we’d be disobeying Alpha’s orders, which, as I understood it, was the ultimate no-no. “Maybe you can talk to your dad again?” I offered, trying to mind my place as best as possible. “The way I see it, we don’t have many other options.”

  Lacey nodded her agreement. “I’ll try to convince him it’ll be a calm, peaceful visit. Hopefully we could go tonight.”

  I nodded in return, and we sat there for the next few minutes in silence. I hated what had happened to Camille, and it drove me crazy that there wasn’t much we could do. The last time we sat around waiting for the enemy to make a move I’d nearly ended up dead. I wasn’t up for that again, and was pretty sure the others weren’t either.

  After a few minutes Camille started coughing, making both Lacey and I jump as it broke the silence. “Water.” The request was barely audible, and I glanced at Lacey to see if I wasn’t imagining it.

  “I’ll get it,” she said, and hurriedly left for the kitchen.

  I knelt beside Camille to make sure she was really waking up. The coughing had subsided, and while she was now motionless, her eyes were open. “Camille? How you feeling?”

  “Cold, and like someone filled me with concrete.” She blinked a couple times and then strained to roll herself onto her back. Her voice was harsh and quiet, as though every word was difficult to get out. “I can’t really move, could you help me into a chair?”

  “Sure,” I nodded, scooted my arms underneath her body and stood, easily lifting the girl with me. As a human I never would have been able to pick her up like that, but now it was hardly difficult. I couldn’t deny it felt good to have her in my arms, and I was reluctant to put her down.

  When we reached the chairs I set her into one, and after pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders I fell into an adjacent seat. Lacey returned with the water and set it in Camille’s hand, and while Camille seemed able to grip the cup easily enough, she could only lift it halfway before she dropped her arm back down, letting out a tired groan. I reached over, carefully taking the cup from her to lift it to her lips. She smiled her thanks, and sipped on the fluid for almost a minute before pulling her head away.

  “Hey, she’s awake! And human!” David said excitedly, coming into the room and standing in front of us to study Camille. “How you doing?”

  She tried lifting her arm as high as she could to display her weakness. This time she got it about shoulder height before her strength was gone and it fell back down. “Weak. How long was I out for?”

  “Less than a day,” David reassured her. “Now that you’re awake your metabolism will speed up and the poison should wear off faster.”

  “Yeah, I can feel my strength coming back a little bit,” Camille told him, and then rubbed her stomach as it growled hungrily. “I’m starving.”

  “What are you in the mood for?” David asked while I put one of Camille’s arms around my shoulders to help walk her to the kitchen.

  Every movement was sluggish, and when she talked it was even worse, like her energy could only be exerted in one task at a time. “Spaghetti.”

  “Spaghetti it is then,” David laughed, and went ahead of us to the kitchen.

  When we finally got there he had already pulled out the ingredients and started boiling water. I helped set Camille on a stool at the bar and took a seat between her and Lacey. Camille consistently stared at the countertop tiredly while Lacey and I sat in silence, watching David toss noodles into the boiling water. The sauce smelled good, and even though I’d eaten not too long ago my stomach rumbled at the aroma.

  I was debating whether or not I was hungry enough to eat again when I glanced up and caught Camille’s eye. She was watching me closely, an old, familiar and thoughtful look on her face. It reminded me of how she used to look at me before I broke her heart. Before I got a chance to get confused by it or to give her a consenting smile, the vibrating of my phone in my pocket startled me out of it. “Oh crap,” I mumbled when I read the text. It was Abby, checking if we were still going to dinner.

  I began to walk out of the kitchen to call her and explain that I couldn’t make it when Camille stopped me. “What’s wrong?”

  I shook my head, silently scolding myself for forgetting. “I was supposed to hang out with Abby tonight, but I’m just going to call her and cancel.”

  “Oh,” Camille said softly, and there was a flash of angry frustration in her eyes as she looked toward the floor. “You should still go,” she told me calmly.

  “What?” Now I was confused. It didn’t take a genius to see Camille didn’t really like Abby. I’d have never expected her to actually insist that I go.

  “It seems like you were here all night worrying about me,” she said with an indifferent shrug. “You could use a break.”

  “Are you sure?” I checked the time on my cell phone. It was only four. I had plenty of time to get back to the school and probably even to take a shower.

  When she nodded I just stood there awkwardly, trying to figure out the best way to say bye. I felt like I should hug her. Or give some show of affection after what she’d been through and how she’d been looking at me, but none of it seemed appropriate, and now she didn’t seem to want it.

  “I’ll see you later then,” I said, unsurely turning for the kitchen door. “Feel better, okay?”

  Camille simply gave a small wave in return. I still felt guilty for leaving her right after she’d woken up, but I’d already told Abby we could meet. As I left, I told myself that Camille was healthy enough to not need me, and for the most part she seemed okay with me leaving. More than that, it appeared she wanted me to leave. It felt like a long shot, but maybe Abby could help me start to see Camille as Camille wanted to be seen – as a friend.

  He could see the address of the warehouse even through the hundreds of feet of darkness, and by the dim light over the single metal door he could make out the two vampires guarding it. A lot of asking around and a few hundred dollars lost on bribing had gotten him two things – this address and the name of a vampire. A vampire named Benjamin, who would either accept him or see through his bullshit and kill him. If his heart was beating, he imagined it’d be pounding right out of his chest, and while hundreds of years of practice let him wear a cool, calm expression, he was nervous.

  As he neared the three hundred foot mark he could see the two guards stop talking to each other and tense up, catching sight of him nearing. Each moved a pale hand to a weapon on their belts – weapons all of them knew would do no good. He conti
nued his silent walk toward the warehouse, footsteps treading almost print-free through the snow, carefully watching the guards’ every movement, ready to run should they choose to attack.

  He reached the two hundred foot mark, and then at one hundred feet one of the guards stepped forward, crossing his arms over his chest with an intimidating scowl. “Stop there. You’ve got about ten seconds to speak your intentions or leave.”

  “The name’s Rook.” He stopped and let his arms rest at his sides. “I’m here to see Benjamin.”

  The guard scoffed, relaxing at Rook’s seemingly peaceful demeanor but returning his hand to the weapon at his hip. “Benjamin didn’t mention it, you’d be wise to turn away.”

  “He doesn’t know I’m coming,” Rook admitted, and while he spoke he slowly reached into his pocket, holding up his other hand to show he meant no harm. “But surely you’ll find my visit beneficial.” When he finished, he tossed the shiny red stone he’d pulled out of his pocket to the guard. It was a rare occult stone, one it had taken him a lot of time to find and even more money to buy, but it was guaranteed to get him in.

  The guard studied the mineral for a moment before stepping back and whispering to the other man, who after shrugging disappeared into the building. Rook stood there for a couple minutes, hands in his pockets while he waited under the intense stare of the guard. Finally, the door opened, and after a brief exchange between the two men Rook was ushered inside. One of them led the way through the building while the other remained at the door, watching after them.

  He could feel the eyes of the dozen other vampires on him, looking up from their tasks or poker games and staring while he passed. About twenty army-style cots lined a far wall, letting him know not every vampire was present. It wasn’t too large of a number, but it made for more than he’d expected. A quiet whimpering caught his attention, and he looked to his other side where a human girl was tied, no doubt for a snack. Rook held back a grimace at the sight. Sure he fed off of humans every once in a while. Every vampire had to drain lifeblood once a year to maintain immortality. But keeping them like that was cruel and unnecessary. These vampires had less regard for life than he’d hoped.

  As they continued to the back of the warehouse, where a set of stairs led up to an overseeing office, Rook caught sight of what he’d come to find out. A manmade wall sectioned off a smaller part of the building. Over the top where it didn’t quite reach the ceiling he could see a dark light. If the color black could shine, it would illuminate the room like that light did. He couldn’t even look at it directly because the darkness of it was so blindingly bright. Whatever evil was behind that wall didn’t want to be seen, and the overwhelming blackness drained the vitality of his already absent soul. Clearly supernatural, the immorality of it made him shiver. He didn’t know what it was, but it was something big. The something he’d been hearing about, and knew he had to stop.

  They eventually reached the stairs, and the guard let him walk up on his own. When he reached the top he knocked politely, and hearing an answer from within he opened the door and stepped inside. A tall, young looking man was standing beside the door, staring out the window that overlooked the warehouse below. Rook had heard of Benjamin before, the young vampire was notorious for getting into trouble and causing conflict with other supernatural races. From this, he’d imagined someone unsophisticated and rebellious looking. He was proved wrong when the clean dressed, bright blue-eyed, sandy brown haired Benjamin turned to greet him.

  “Benjamin.” The vampire held out his hand and introduced himself.

  “Rook.” He took the man’s hand and shook it, then took a seat at the desk where he was ushered while Benjamin walked around and sat at the other side of it.

  Rook’s eye wandered to the empty mirror behind Benjamin. It had been some four hundred years or more since he’d seen his reflection. If his hair were just an inch shorter he probably would have forgotten its rich brown color. He’d long forgotten the color of his own eyes, though the color brown seemed to revive a certain familiarity.

  Benjamin picked the red stone up off the desk and turned it over in his hands, studying it for a few minutes before tossing it from one hand to the other as he leaned back to finally address Rook. “So, what can I do for you, Rook?”

  “Frankly?” Rook started, leaning forward slightly in his seat, as if telling a secret. “I’ve heard you got something big. I want in.”

  Rook refrained from clenching his jaw in disdain as Benjamin let out a scoffing chuckle. “Why would I let you in? I don’t know you, and I certainly don’t trust you.”

  “That’s why,” he stated simply, pointing to the stone that Benjamin laid softly on the desk. “You know the value of that stone.”

  “Yes, but it’s of no use to me,” Benjamin shrugged flatly.

  “It wasn’t meant to be. It’s an example.” Rook paused and waited for some sign of curiosity from Benjamin, which came in the form of a raised eyebrow. “I acquired that stone with a snap of my fingers. What occult items you need, I’ll get. Definitely at more convenience than whatever route you’ve been taking now.”

  Benjamin nodded slowly as he thought about what Rook had said. It wasn’t hard to see that he was interested. “And what do you want in return?”

  Rook shrugged nonchalantly. “Let me help, let me see this through to the end, and I want what everyone else down there is getting, a piece of whatever you’re supplying when it’s finished.”

  “You don’t even know what that is. What makes you think it’s worth it?” Benjamin asked, a suspicious scowl hardening his face.

  The intimidating look didn’t faze Rook, and he let out a convincingly friendly laugh. “You’ve got a reputation, Benjamin. I’ve gathered enough faith from that to want in on this.”

  “Uh huh.” Benjamin nodded slowly again, his lips moved as he bit at them thoughtfully. A minute passed, and Rook sat there calmly and patiently before Benjamin picked up the stone once more. “Alright, leave a number with the guard. I’ll call you when I need something. You want this back?”

  Rook glanced at the magical stone Benjamin was holding out to him, and stood while he shook his head. “Keep it.” With that, he shook the man’s hand and left back down the stairs.

  On his way down he tried to catch a glimpse over the manmade wall, but it was too tall for him to see down. This meeting had gone better than he’d hoped it would, but these vampires were on high alert. It wouldn’t be easy to figure out what was going on, and he’d have to be more careful than ever so that no one would discover his intentions. But if what he’d been hearing about was true, he couldn’t let them go through it. Couldn’t let the evil be woken.

  I finished throwing on the shirt I’d finally decided on wearing the second I heard the knock come from my dorm room door – five minutes early. So far Abby had been early to everything we’d done together, even if I was just down the hall, and I was starting to get the feeling that she was never late. I smoothed the wrinkles along my torso and then opened the door with a grin. Abby’s smile widened in acknowledgement, and I watched her eyes look me up and down approvingly.

  “Do you need more time?” she asked, waiting outside as I turned to grab my cellphone off the desk.

  I shook my head and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind me. “Nope, I’m ready.” With a smile Abby turned to lead us to the elevator, and I waited until the doors closed before my curiosity got the best of me. “Where are we going?”

  “Nowhere too exciting,” she answered with a chuckle, clearly amused I’d waited so long to ask when she’d already heard me think the question. “Just a little Italian place in town.” She said nowhere exciting, but the smirk on her face and the nicer than casual way she was dressed gave me the impression it was somewhere a little more exciting than she made it out to be.

  The elevator doors opened to the first floor, and we stepped off and started toward the exit. As we made our way to the main doors of the building I wondered if I’d t
old Abby about the poison yet. The way her head shot in my direction at the thought gave me the answer.

  “What happened?” she asked worriedly as we veered left toward the parking lot and to her car.

  “The vampires are getting more aggressive,” I answered, opening the passenger side door to get in the blue sedan. “We were out for a run on Pack territory, and Camille fell into a hole.” As I explained I twisted to pull on my seatbelt. “There was a poisoned needle in the trap, she was knocked out all day.”

  “Goddammit,” Abby muttered in frustration, and then began to talk quietly to herself. “If they want the weakest three, why would they be setting up random traps on Pack territory? It doesn’t make any sense.” I shrugged, not really sure either. “Your Alpha was at the Council office yesterday.” I ‘mhm-ed’ knowingly, waiting for her to continue. Since the Pack had gotten home from meeting with the council I’d been too preoccupied with Camille to ask how it’d gone. Now that Abby was bringing it up I hoped there was good news, but she instantly shot that idea down. “Don’t get excited. My dad’s an asshole, and I’m embarrassed to say he turned them down.”

  I sighed. I wanted to agree with her about the asshole part, but seeing as it was still her father, I didn’t want to offend her. “We’ll have to take care of it on our own then. I’m just getting so worried.” Again I thought back to the last time we’d waited for an enemy to make the first move, and I saw Abby look at me concernedly. As usual I pushed away the thoughts and tried to think of something to change the subject. “Anyway, let’s forget all this vampire stuff. I could use a relaxing dinner.”

  Abby smiled in agreement, but I could still see the tint of worry in her eyes. I could imagine what she was thinking. You shouldn’t keep it bottled up, you should talk to someone about it, all the worried things I purposefully wouldn’t tell myself because I didn’t want to think about it.