by Terry Reid
Alex stood no more than four paces away from the intruder, who remained steadfast in their spot despite Alex’s shocking display of speed. She did not twitch, nor turn – her tilted head allowing the shadows to conceal her face.
“You’re not welcome here.” Alex warned coldly.
“Help the boy...” she muttered, “Help the boy...”
“No. And you can take a message back to his mother...”
“Help the boy...” she repeated, “Help the boy...”
“I’m talking and you will listen.” Alex declared and the intruder fell gravely silent.
Alex stepped closer to the spectre that remained in the doorway, now clearly able to see the shadow’s falling through her hollow form and casting naturally across the floor.
“Tell her that I do not take threats or intimidation lightly and if she sends anymore of her spirits to visit this residence or masquerade as the one I protect, we will be having words.” He spelled out in a chilling tone.
With a snap, the spectre’s head twisted onto its side at an unnatural angle, exposing its hollow black eyes. “Help the boy...” she muttered again, through cracked, pale and dead lips.
Alex stepped closer and stared her in the eye, not flinching at the dead vision of Hayley that had been sent to frighten him. “No.” Thrusting his hand forward into the spirit’s chest cavity, he dispersed it into a glittering cloud of white ashes.
Regretfully, he knew that that would not be the end of the matter. Experience had taught him that people always wanted favours and especially from him if they knew what he was. Deciding that it would be best to put an end to it before things got out of hand, he grabbed his jacket and put it on.
With a blink, he turned to look at another Alex who had appeared beside him. “Watch Hayley.” He said, zipping up his coat.
“Of course.” replied the other, taking a seat on the sofa.
He headed out.
Chapter 4
The thundering knock at the front door resonated through the house; but all inside remained still and silent. The knock came again, this time louder and heavier. A light from the top of the stairs flicked on as the residents within finally woke from their slumber. Stacy was first down the stairs, followed closely by her son.
“Will you go back to bed?” she commanded, stopping half way down the flight of stairs and turning to confront the rebellious teen, who had so far refused to do as instructed.
“Why? Who the hell comes round at this time of night? What if they hurt you?” John protested.
“I don’t care, get back to bed!” she ordered, pointing back up the stairs. Turning away, she continued down her descent. John followed, her wishes going unheeded.
There was another knock as she reached the foot of the stairs. Hurrying across to the door, she cautiously peered through the peep hole to see who it was.
“Oh look we have an eye.” Alex said, as he squinted back at her through the narrow hole.
Stacy jerked back with surprise.
“Who is it?” asked John, dropping his voice to a whisper.
“Go back to bed!” she quietly hissed at him.
“You know I can hear you in there, I’m not deaf.” Alex shouted from the other side of the door.
John stared at his mum in astonishment.
Reluctantly, she opened the door. Alex stood there on the doorstep, his arms folded tightly. It was obvious that he was not pleased.
“You came back...”
“This isn’t a business visit.” He said bluntly. “I’ll say this to you only once.” He pointed at finger at her. “You leave us alone. You don’t send any of your friends around and you certainly don’t send them to do your bidding. If I catch any of them around there again, I will do something which I rather wouldn’t.”
John had no idea what was going on but he took exception to a stranger threatening his Mother. “Fuck you!” he shouted, forcing past his mother.
“John!” She grabbed him by the arm. “I’m sorry...please.”
“I think I better be going.” Alex decided, giving her son a long, lingering stare before her turned away.
“Wait! Please! Can you please speak to my son? You might as well since you are here...”
Alex stopped half way down the steps and turned back to face her, his face was rife with frustration. “The answer is no. He’s your son, not mine and don’t you dare forget about what I said.”
Stacy was too chilled to argue with the raging angel any further. She simply stood there on the cold doorstep with her son as he vanished into the night.
Chapter 5
Hayley was sitting in a cafe having a coffee with her friend and former work colleague Elaine. It had been a pleasant day for the middle of February and the two of them had decided to make the most of it by going shopping. They had been in the cafe for a good while now, greatly appreciating somewhere to sit and relieve their aching feet after four hours of wandering around the large number of shops that the centre of Glasgow had to offer.
“I just think it’s just rubbish to be honest.” Hayley replied in response to Elaine’s question. She had been quizzing her for the past five minutes about her opinion on a new chat show on the telly.
Elaine shook her head. “How could you possibly not like it? It’s far better than that one on channel Five. At least it has people on it with controversial issues. All the other shows have guests who are cheating on their boyfriends and other similar stuff. They are all the same.”
Hayley smiled in amusement and said: “Well the last time I watched it there was a woman on it who was too terrified to stand up to her bitchy sixteen-year-old daughter.”
Elaine’s jaw fell open and her cheeks widened with excitement. “I saw that!” she exclaimed, nearly squealing at the top of her voice. “That was a shocking moment when they started fighting on stage!”
Hayley did not share her enthusiasm. “What?” she asked, peering at Elaine like she had gone mad. “What was so great about it? It was crap. That happens on chat shows all the time.”
Elaine was distracted from answering as she caught sight of Alex walking into the cafe. “Oh look, here’s your flatmate.” She said, suddenly sitting upright in her seat. Her eyes glistened brightly as he headed their direction. “Hiya Alex!” she said sweetly, with the widest, nicest smile she could muster.
“Hey.” Alex replied, somewhat bluntly. He turned his attention directly to Hayley, much to Elaine’s dismay. “We’ve just received two invitations to a ball.” He broke the news in his usual, cheery manner.
Hayley looked at him rather blankly. “And this could not wait until I got back?” she asked, not getting why he was so excited about such a thing.
Alex’s smile faded. “It’s not any ordinary ball...” He trailed off as he saw Hayley’s eyes roll round for a second in Elaine’s direction before returning back to him. “It’s for charity.” He suddenly added, deciding it best to hold off what he was really going to tell her until later.
“Sounds nice.” Hayley replied, playing along badly.
Alex gave a gentle but prolonged nod as he couldn’t think of what to say next.
Luckily though, Hayley came to the rescue. “Here, sit down.” She invited, shuffling up a seat to allow him to join them.
“Thanks.”
“So Alex, how have you been?” He found Elaine asking him, much to his dismay.
It would not be for another forty five minutes until they got away from Elaine and were allowed to go home in peace. For those long-drawn forty five minutes Alex had to endure Elaine’s endless rambling about chat shows and all the other latest celebrity gossip. And having had to quietly listen to it all day long as he stood invisibly by Hayley’s side had left him with a headache and in a foul mood.
Alex walked ahead, his mind grudging every word that he had heard Elaine say – it had all been nonsense, ridiculous, pointless drivel. Who cared what Cameron Diaz wore on the red carpet at her latest film premiere? It wound him up badly tha
t so many people in the world thought about nothing other than celebrities and the latest fashion trends.
His train of thought was interrupted as he heard Hayley running. He stopped to let her catch up. They exchanged smiles as she appeared by his side. They then carried on, Alex making a conscious effort to walk just that little bit slower.
“Are you ok?” She asked.
“I’m fine...just your friend doing my head in again...” He muttered.
“Yeah I know, she can be hard work sometimes. I don’t think she means it. Being noisy is in her nature, I don’t think she realises that she does it.”
Alex did not reply.
“So what were you saying about this ball?” Hayley asked, changing the subject.
Delving into his jacket pocket he produced an envelope which he handed to her. “We’ve been invited to a dance.” He began again.
Hayley’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as she scanned it over. “In Los Angeles?”
“That’s right.”
Hayley squinted at the host’s name curiously. “Who is Jacob O’Leary? Is he a friend of yours or something?”
Alex hesitated for a long moment as he chose his words carefully. “He’s more of an acquaintance to be perfectly honest. He’s a former angel...he’s now a vampire...” He trailed off as Hayley suddenly burst out laughing.
“What’s so funny?” He asked at a loss.
Hayley struggled to hold her laughter behind her wide smile. “That is a terrible joke Alex, even for you.”
Alex’s brow narrowed and his expression grew stern. He had been in a bad mood before, but now he was furious. “You think this is a joke?” He asked harshly.
“Oh come on...vampires, really?”
“Vampires are real, just as real as that demon you saw me kill the other week and just as real as that spirit Stacy Hughes sent us last night.”
“But vampires and Dracula...it’s all just a story that was written a couple of centuries ago, none of it could possibly be real. It’s fiction.” Hayley argued, struggling to comprehend what he was telling her.
“And where do you think the writer got the idea from?”
Hayley shook her head and shrugged. “I don’t know... their imagination? I once saw on a documentary that the Romans believed in vampires, except instead of sucking blood they bit people’s noses off.”
“The stories go back millennia, with slightly different versions throughout history. Demons, angels, God, they’re all the same in that respect.”
Hayley was silent for a long minute, struggling to take in what he had said. “So why are we going to this dance?” she asked, deciding it best not to dwell on such scary revelations.
“No real reason, just to catch up with an old friend.” He finally revealed.
Hayley became even more alarmed. “You are wanting to take me to a party full of vampires?” she asked.
Alex’s eyes widened as he noticed her concern. “Oh don’t worry they won’t suck your blood. They’re no longer that backward.”
“And that is supposed to make me feel better?” She asked, not reassured by his poor efforts to comfort her.
“Excuse me, guardian angel?” Alex said, pointing his hands at himself. “You know I wouldn’t let anyone a mile near you, right?”
“No offence Alex but while I do not doubt or question your ability, I’m still not sure about being stuck in a place full of vampires who might want to make me their dinner.”
Alex rolled his eyes. “Oh you’re worrying about nothing. You’ll enjoy it, trust me.”
******
The clock in the grand hall struck midnight, its chimes echoing through every room and rafter of the mansion. But despite the clock striking the hour to mark the day’s end, the guests continued to dance regardless. The hall was brimming with dancers from the world over, all dressed in the finest Victorian clothing – their careful and deliberate movements complimenting their stunning outfits.
Many of the guests were still arriving and amidst the flow of businessmen and entrepreneurs arrived Hayley and Alex – arm in arm.
“I look stupid in this dress.” Hayley muttered through her patronising smile as they were greeted by other guests.
“You’re fine.” Alex assured her as he peered around the grand hall.
“That’s easy for you to say.”
“Well I don’t know about you, I think I look quite handsome in this outfit.” Alex said with a proud grin, as he plucked at his collar with his free hand.
“Hence why I said that was easy for you to say...” she whispered. She found him staring at her. “What?”
“If you must know, I think you look really beautiful.”
Hayley blushed a little at his comment. “Now I know you’re just saying that...”
Alex was about to say something else when someone shouted his name. A tall, well groomed middle-aged man with short, neat, greying-black hair approached them. It was clear from his precise movements and confident expression that he was quite familiar with high society and likely a member himself.
Alex greeted him with a warm smile. “David.”
David sketched a slight bow to him and Hayley. “You are looking well old friend, how have you been?”
“I’ve been well, thank you. How about you? I haven’t seen you in an age.”
David appeared a little distant for a moment as if he were recalling some unpleasant memory. His focus suddenly returned to Alex and he smiled once more. “I have been in good health and although I have had to endure certain hardships in recent times I feel that I cannot complain.”
His eyes suddenly found Hayley, as if he was seeing her for the first time. “I’m sorry I am being most in polite. You must be Hayley.” He said, offering her his hand.
Hayley politely, but reluctantly, shook it. She had never shaken the hand of a vampire before and it struck her how cold it was. “It’s nice to meet you.” She said with a smile, trying as best she could to hide her fear.
David reflected her smile. “Likewise, you appear to be a fine young lady.”
“So how far back do you and Alex go?” Hayley asked. She wasn’t about to let an opportunity to find out more about her guardian’s mysterious history pass her by.
“Oh we go back centuries. Alex and I used to work together.”
“Really? What kind of work did you two used to do then?”
Alex suddenly cut in before David had the opportunity to say more. “Just your run-of-the-mill business venture, do you know where we can find Jacob?”
“I saw him a little earlier. I believe he and some of the other guests went to the smoking room. He’s been expecting you Alexander. He said if I saw you to tell you that you were welcome to go through and see him at anytime.” He said with a wide, warming smile. If anything it was a little too friendly...
“Thank you, we might as well go see him just now then.”
“Very well.” David replied without objection.
“We’ll see you later David, enjoy your evening.” Alex said with a polite incline of his head, excusing them from his presence.
“Until then.” David replied, giving him yet another pleasant smile and a respectful nod before heading away to mingle among the other guests.
Alex and Hayley made their way down one of the long winding hallways arm in arm.
“I take it you’ve been here before then?” whispered Hayley.
Alex gave a slight nod, but reframed from looking at her.
“Are you ready for this?” she asked under her breath.
“Indeed, are you?” He quietly replied, as the two of them stared straight ahead with warm smiles on their faces, continuing their masquerade as two other guests walked past them heading the other way.
“I suppose...” Hayley mumbled. In truth she was terrified.
They continued onward in silence until they reached the smoking room. Smiling at Hayley, Alex opened the door and held it open, allowing her to enter first. Their arrival was greeted
by quick and curious glances from the occupants of the room. The smoking room was very old fashioned – its mahogany furniture and gothic decor reflected the tastes of upper class society during the late nineteenth century.
Jacob rose from his grand seat in the farthest corner of the room. His pale complexion brightened at the sight of his two guests. “Alexander! Finally you decide to show yourself.” He jeered whole heartedly as he crossed the room to greet him.
“You’re lucky we turned up at all.” Alex replied with a humoured expression. The two of them shook hands.
“And Hayley, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” Jacob said, offering her his hand.
Hayley hesitated for a second. The idea of shaking the hand of yet another vampire was something that she had not been keen on, but she did it any way out of courtesy.
“Please, take a seat.” Jacob gestured to an empty lounger.
“Thank you Jacob, it is good to see that you are still such an exceptional host after all these years.” Alex complimented him as he and Hayley sat down.
“How long has it been this time? Remind me please Alex.” Jacob requested as he sat back down in his own chair.
“Nearly twenty nine years if I’m right.” Alex replied almost instantly, without needing to think.
Jacob smiled in amusement. “It’s been far too long if you ask me.” He suddenly glowed with embarrassment. “I’m sorry, how rude of me, you will not know anyone here.”
Jacob turned to the young woman sitting in the chair beside him. They both stared at each other endearingly for a moment as Jacob gently took her right hand into his own. “May I introduce you to my fiancée, Juliette.”
She smiled at the two guests. “It’s nice to meet you.” she said softly.
It surprised Hayley that no one she had met so far at this ball had an American accent, despite them being on US soil. Juliette, Jacob and David alike, all sounded British.
“Likewise.” Alex replied with an equally polite smile. “Where did you two meet?” he inquired, leaning back in the lounger.
Juliette and Jacob exchanged a warm, embarrassed look. Blushing, Juliette lowered her gaze. Jacob looked back to Alex and smiled. “Juliette and I met two years ago. She was the lost girl that stole my heart.” They peered deeply into one another’s eyes once more.