“I just wanted to ask you more about the curse,” Thomas said. He’d nearly forgotten in all the excitement of meeting Julia what he’d been meaning to ask Lawrence. Lawrence gave Thomas a curious look.
“I’ve already told you everything I know, kid, or is everything I’m telling you leakin’ out of all the holes in your brain?”
Thomas raised an eyebrow in annoyance and was about to throw back a retort when he saw Julia waving to him by the stage.
“You know what, never mind,” Thomas said, hurrying back to the bar. He didn’t need to figure out the secrets of the curse right away. He had plenty of time.
◆◆◆
Thomas’ life soon fell into a comfortable routine. His adjustment to his new life took a lot less time than Thomas had thought it would, and he believed a big part of that was thanks to Julia. While Lawrence, Vivian, and Charles were patient and full of hard-earned wisdom, Julia was taking a more active approach in helping Thomas adjust to the ebb and flow of the changes in his life. She didn’t restrict herself to the ins and outs of being a vampire either. Her vivaciousness was accompanied by years of knowledge and an unending willingness to share it.
Julia helped Thomas clean up the Red Lightning Pub each early morning and showed him how to mix drinks when he tended bar in the evening. It wasn’t as difficult compared to the high-stress experience of working at Stoker Memorial, but Thomas was grateful for the help (and company) she provided.
He didn’t know when it happened, but as days passed he realized he and Julia were not only spending a lot of time together working at the Red Lightning Pub, but they were also sticking together outside of work hours as well.
Thomas had also discovered he didn’t need as much sleep to function, so he spent the extra wakeful hours with Julia. Early morning drinks or coffee after work led to seeing movies together, going out to lunch, and just generally enjoying each other’s company. They were with each other nearly all the time, and Thomas couldn’t have been happier.
In fact, Thomas had been so wrapped up in feeling normal again he hadn’t done more than drop by Artemis’ place for a few minutes to assure her he was alright and ask her to pass on the word. She’d been understandably annoyed with him for being absent for so long, and Thomas hadn’t had much of an excuse. It had been a week or so since the pool hall incident, after all. Artemis had been doing research on the curse during that time, and he couldn’t help but feel guilty for not having more initiative. With his work at the pub and the time he spent with Julia, he didn’t have much time to dwell on the curse—not to mention, Julia was subtlety convincing him it wasn’t much of a curse after all. And, for all he knew, the story wasn’t real.
He needed to go and check up with his friends soon, but it was hard. For all Julia had said about it being important to keep up his ties with humans, she wasn’t too concerned about being the reason why he had so little time to do so.
Today, she was coming over, just for a bit. Thomas spent twenty minutes scrambling around, making sure his apartment was clean. He needn’t have worried. He spent so little time at home there wasn’t an opportunity for it to get cluttered. But he was worried all the same.
A knock on the door announced Julia’s arrival. “I request admittance to the lair of Thomas Spencer, the vampire,” Julia said in an overly formal voice.
Thomas swung open the door and gestured Julia to step inside.
“Please, come in.”
“Why thank you,” Julia said with a laugh as she stepped inside. “But unfortunately, we don’t get the benefits of thresholds like humans do. Keep that in mind. Other vampires might slip in and pay you a visit late one night.”
Julia barred her fangs, and he snorted. Julia might have been decades his senior, but she had a playful personality that made her seem younger. He loved it.
“I brought your new phone, by the way,” Julia said.
She pulled a phone from her pocket and tossed it to him. Surprised, Thomas fumbled and almost dropped it, catching it at the last second. Julia laughed.
“Careful there. You don’t want to break it your first day. I guess I shouldn’t have tossed it to a fledgling.”
“Did it get delivered today?” Thomas asked.
He’d requested his providers to send his new phone to the Red Lightning Pub instead of his own house—he didn’t have a full-sized mailbox and had been worried about the package being taken from his doorstep.
“Yeah. Don’t worry about activating it; I already did it for you. I connected you to the cloud, so your number is the same and all your contacts are still there,” Julia said, walking over to the living room. “You’ve already gotten five calls today, I swear.”
“Uh, thanks,” Thomas said. It was true. There were several notifications of missed calls and texts lit up on the lock screen.
Not ready to face his friends, Thomas pocketed his new phone and closed the door. “Speaking of thresholds, I don’t really understand how that works. I’m kind of new at this thing. How does a house know whether or not to keep us out? Why is it only private residences that keep us out, not public?”
Julia shrugged in response as she collapsed into the couch and sighed as the pillows and cushions sucked her in. “I don’t know. I’m not sure if even Vivian or my mother know why. I don’t think it’s the actual residence that keeps us out because you can enter an apartment building but not an apartment inside the building. It’s probably another part of the curse. There are quite a few things that we don’t understand, but we’ve come to accept it.”
Julia looked up at Thomas and patted the cushion beside her. Not needing to be told twice, Thomas plopped down next to her. This was the first time Julia had seen his place, but she seemed comfortable here, as if she belonged. That was another thing he’d noticed about her. No matter where she went, Julia seemed to fit in, making it feel as if he’d always known her. Her easygoing and carefree energy permeated the air around her, making everyone she met relax.
“So, no one knows much about this curse other than the story that your dad told me?” Thomas asked, genuine curiosity creeping into his voice. He’d be sure to tell Artemis about this.
“Not much for common knowledge. You’d be surprised how much supernatural stuff is actually out there and kept secret. For all we know, the original witch who cursed the brothers is still alive, boiling eye of newt and eating children or whatever. Some of the older vampires used to look for the originators of the curse. Finding out what they could about the curse was kind of like a rite of passage. Most of them never came up with much. Some secrets don’t want to be found.”
“Some of the older vampires?” Thomas asked. “So, none of the younger vampires have gone out there and tried to find the witch or something? You’ve never tried to find a cure?”
“No, I haven’t. Besides, I don’t need a cure. I’m happy how I am, despite the poor fledglings I have to deal with.” Julia glanced at Thomas with a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
“Well, as one of those so-called poor fledglings, I want to say thanks. I’m glad I’ve got you to teach me,” Thomas replied with a chuckle.
A mischievous smile crept across Julia’s lips. She leaned in close to Thomas.
“It’s my absolute pleasure, Thomas,” she said, her voice dropping as she moved close. Her breath caressed his face.
His heart hammered hard in his chest, making breathing difficult. Instead of passing out, Thomas told himself to relax. Julia was all about living in the moment. He’d never been good at that before but being with her made it easier. He leaned in to meet her kiss.
Lips almost touching, Julia’s phone began to ring.
Their breathing stopped as they held each other’s gaze. The music volume increased, drowning their heartbeats, and the tension ebbed away as the cacophony of ringing filled the air then fell silent.
Julia threw back her head and laughed. After a few seconds, Thomas joined in, blushing. The tension was gone.
Ju
lia pulled out her phone but didn’t call back.
“It’s Mom. I think we had plans to go to a spa or something tomorrow,” Julia said, putting her phone away. “This sun block may keep us from burning to a crisp at noon, but it doesn’t do any favors for our pores.”
“You’re busy tomorrow?” Thomas asked, doing his best not to sound disappointed.
“Only for a day. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you at the Red Lightning Pub the day after,” Julia said with a coy smile. “Think you can manage? Or does the thought of not seeing me for a day break your heart?”
Even if he’d been able to make up a lie to the contrary, Thomas knew his pounding heart would have given him away. He decided to tell her the truth—he was a bad liar anyway.
“It does a little bit,” Thomas said, rubbing the back of his head nervously as he forced himself to meet Julia’s eye. “I, I like spending time with you.”
For a moment, Julia’s smile slipped. Then her lips parted into a brilliant grin.
“I like spending time with you, too,” she said, getting to her feet. “Which is why we should go out for coffee, and maybe some shopping, the day after tomorrow. Be sure to ask Lawrence for that day off, okay?”
She headed toward the door, and Thomas had to leap to his feet and sprint to reach the door first.
“No problem,” he said, opening the door for her. “The day after tomorrow it is.”
“Good,” Julia said. “It’s a date then.”
Thomas’ heart nearly leapt into his throat. His surprise must have shown on his face because Julia laughed again.
“Okay,” he said, forcing the words around the lump in his throat. “It’s a date.”
8 Sharp Message
“Come in.”
Effortlessly, the force of the threshold fell and Thomas toppled into Artemis’ apartment.
“I’ll never get used to that,” he muttered.
His friends sat around the kitchen table, enjoying fresh baked cookies. The scents of cinnamon, vanilla, and chocolate were mouthwatering.
“Hey, stranger.I dunno who you think you are, pal, but you can’t just go barging into someone’s house like that,” Sean called around a mouthful of cookie.
“Yeah, whoever you are! It isn’t polite,” Nelson added, brandishing his half-eaten snickerdoodle at Thomas in accusation.
“Very funny,” Thomas replied as he strode over to the table and fell into his usual seat. “It’s not been that long since I’ve seen you.”
Nelson’s smile faded for a moment, and he spoke seriously. “We were all pretty worried after you freaked out at the pool hall. Don’t feel too bad about that, though,” Nelson said with a confident grin as he ran his fingers through his hair. “I still got that waitress’ number and two dates.”
Sean punched Nelson in the shoulder.
“And you never got a new cell phone, so we couldn’t call you,” Penny said, giving Sean a frosty glare. “We thought you’d head back here like you did after your first, um, incident.”
Artemis ran a finger along the rim of a half full glass cup. She was having a hard time keeping still, but everyone politely ignored it.
“You didn’t show up,” she whispered. “And you weren’t home when we stopped by. We were all very worried.”
“I know. I really am sorry about that. I didn’t trust myself around people, so I headed home,” Thomas explained. “But that won’t be a problem anymore. I’ve got it under control, sort of. I managed to draw some blood on a few donors this last week. No problem at all.”
“Hey, that’s great man. Maybe that means you can get your job back at the hospital,” Sean replied as he reached for a chocolate chip cookie.
Nelson, on the other hand, didn’t look satisfied. “I don’t know. He’s only been a vampire for almost two months.”
Thomas paused. “Two months? It’s only been a couple of weeks.”
“No, Thomas,” Artemis said. “It’s been a month and a half. You went to the bar with us a month and a half ago.”
His mind reeled. The days had blended together. Working long hours at the pub, spending time off with Julia. He’d switched to his early spring jacket without realizing it. Without his phone calendar, he’d lost track of time.
Was that what it was like to be eternal?
“How’d you forget? And how come you’re fine around blood now?” Penny asked.
“Julia’s been a big help,” Thomas replied. “She’s actually taken the time to walk me through calming my mind. It’s a lot like that meditation you made us do last year, Art. You’d like it.”
One glance at the excited and confused looks on his friends’ faces was all it took for Thomas to realize his mistake. He groaned and leaned back in his chair.
“Who’s Julia?” Artemis and Penny asked over each other.
Sean and Nelson grinned, nudging one another.
“She’s a vampire I met at the pub,” Thomas muttered, scratching the back of his head nervously. “And kinda my boss’ daughter.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. You’ve been ditching us for your boss’ daughter?” Sean tried to sound angry but looked elated. “That’s more shocking than you being a bloodsucker, dude.”
“Hey,” Thomas said, feigning offense. “I can be just as suave and handsome as lady-killer over there.”
“Wait, are you seeing her, seeing her?” Artemis asked, her eyes narrowing.
Thomas rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know. Maybe? She lives in the moment and does whatever she wants, so it’s hard to tell if she’s really into me. She might just be passing the time till she leaves again. I dunno, I’ve never been good at this.”
“Women? Or being dumb enough to date someone whose father is your boss, vampire coach, and mafia boss all at once?” Nelson asked.
“Both? I don’t know. Besides, Lawrence isn’t really a mafia boss, more like, a community leader.” Thomas sighed. “I’m getting a headache. Can’t we all go back to making fun of Sean for his girl troubles?”
Thomas realized too late it that was a topic he should have avoided, as everyone but Sean let out a groan. Sean, however, raised his head high and squared his shoulders, looking smug.
“Troubles? As it just so happens, I asked her out,” he said, looking pleased with himself. “She’s more gorgeous when we actually talk. Her name is Clara, by the way. Our first date is tomorrow afternoon.”
“What, seriously? Congrats, man,” Thomas said, both genuinely pleased that his best friend had finally worked up the courage to date a nice girl and relieved that he was no longer the center of attention. “Text me and let me know how it goes.”
Everyone at the table frowned at him.
Crap. Center of attention again.
“You aren’t coming over tomorrow night?” Artemis asked.
Thomas reddened, hating that he couldn’t hide.
“Well, I kinda have a thing tomorrow,” Thomas said slowly. “With . . . Julia. . . .”
Again, Thomas was met with stares of bemusement, as if it was the beginning of some sort of joke.
Sean finally broke the silence.
“Dude, you have changed. Forget being able to run a two-minute mile. You got a real live girl to go on a date with you,” he said with a shake of his head. “But hey, I’ll text you mine if you text me yours.”
“Is it a date?” Penny asked, beating Artemis to the question.
Thomas nibbled on his cookie and nodded.
Nelson put a hand on his shoulder.
“I have nothing more to teach you, my son,” Nelson said with mock gravity.
“Is it serious?” Artemis asked.
For whatever reason, Thomas found the intensity in Artemis’ eyes uncomfortable, and he stared at his half-eaten cookie.
“It’s just a date. Like I said, I don’t know for sure if she’s actually into me. I’ll have to wait and see.” Thomas tried to keep his reply casual. He didn’t mention all the non-date time he’d spent with Julia for fear of drawing more u
ncomfortable questions.
“Well, we’re all excited for you, Thomas,” Penny said. “Right?”
Nelson and Sean cheered in response.
“Right, Artemis?”
Artemis started as Penny addressed her specifically.
“Of course.” She turned to Thomas and smiled. “Way to go, Tom. I’m happy for you.”
Maybe he had been spending too much time with Julia, but there was something in Artemis’ expression that seemed less than sincere.
◆◆◆
“A man can’t live off of moonshine and the red stuff alone, Thomas.”
“A man can’t, but a vampire sure can,” Thomas replied. “But if you say so, I’ll take you at your word. Since you are, of course, older and far more experienced.”
“And don’t you forget it,” Julia said with a grin, holding out her coffee cup in a toasting gesture.
“I won’t. I can always count on overpriced, coffee-flavored sugar-milk.” Thomas gently tapped Julia’s cup with his own ridiculously large one.
Julia giggled at Thomas’ description, raising her coffee cup and taking a long sip from it. She let out an exaggerated sigh of bliss. “Ahhh, but it’s worth every penny. This is one of the first places I regularly frequented when I came to Colesbrooke. Of course, back then you could get a pot of coffee for a nickel and a gallon of gasoline for twenty-five cents.”
Despite his teasing, Thomas liked this little coffee shop. It was a quiet, out-of-the-way kind of place where faded posters of long-dead musicians hung on the wall, and mismatched furniture dotted the floor. A single barista behind the counter showed off her extensive tattoos with a fierce sort of pride.
Smiling to himself, Thomas settled back into his seat, feeling content. Everything was going well for once. Lawrence had given him the day off and complimented his hard work. All of his friends had sent him texts wishing him good luck on his date, and now he was spending the day with a beautiful woman. It was relaxing to simply sit back and enjoy her company.
“If you keep giving me that goofy smile, I’ll get suspicious of what’s happening in that devious little mind of yours,” Julia teased him.
Shadows of Colesbrooke Page 14