Chapter Seven - The Decision

Zea was still perhaps about fifteen minutes before her face twitched. Then she looked at her hand that grabbed Josephine’s and flexed it before spitting out a small, thin, crumpled plastic like material out of her mouth. It had covered over one of her back molars and when bit down hard, like she did when she felt the sting on her hand, it released a neutralizing drug. Granted, the drug was still experimental as she was paralyzed far too long to her liking.

She let out a sigh. Josephine was at least a predictable hunter. She had prepared in the scenario the hunter wanted to take her alive. Perhaps in exchange for the other hunter however, given her conversation, she didn’t think that was a possibility anymore.

Zea was aware of the many arrays of weapons, magic and technologies deployed by the Order. House Eagle had been trying to develop counters in case the Order no longer held up the Accords of Sidreal—which was only a matter of time. The ever growing threat of the EC was more of a priority and most of her house research team was more focused on that, however many that were left.

Another door that was close to her desk opened up.

“I like her.” Elizabeth stood in the doorway. She crossed her arms and had a big smile. “Your guest and you sure made a ruckus. I held back the newbies from coming up as you asked.”

“Of course.” Zea turned around and cracked her neck by moving them side to side. “You sound like you don’t approve?”

“Well, I did say it was a stupid plan to let that hunter into the mansion,” said Elizabeth.

“It was a risk well worth it. What of the two with you? Did they agree?” asked Zea.

Elizabeth shrugged. “The sunproof and her witch-boy, who knows? We’ll see in a week,” she answered. She walked into the room and looked around, taking time to sniff the air. “What did you find out with our new friend?”

“She’s a renegade,” said Zea without skipping a beat.

“Oh, this is interesting. Our other new friend didn’t mention this. Anything else?” Elizabeth’s smile grew wider and fluttered her eyelashes at Zea.

“She has an enchanted gun,” said Zea. Oddly named Excalibur, though Zea,but she would not mention that. She wasn’t sure that what she actually read and translated was correct.

Elizabeth sighed. She mumbled something under her breath before looking back up to Zea. “Enchanted guns, enchanted shit. Who cares?” she said tiredly. She noticed Zea’s face expression doesn’t change. “Should we be worried? Do you want the research team to look into this?”

Zea shrugged. “Maybe if the Order have their witches start having their guns shoot out magic bullets that burst into flames.”

“I believe they call those grenade launchers,” laughed Elizabeth but then frowned. “But those annoying gnats do have their blessed bullets.” She got up and clasped her hands. “I only heard that last part in your little tuffle with this hunter. I doubt she’d adhere to it but, judging that you’re not going after her, she agreed to go to the auction?”

“I planted the thought so, yes, she will if the other two would agree. Well, only if that vampire agrees technically.” Zea recalled her observation of Josephine, who herself was spying on that vampire since that night when Aric attacked the pair. “It will work. The hardest part is already done.”

Elizabeth shook her head. “You and your complicated plans. I’d much prefer a more direct way, like kidnapping them and forcing them to go, but I suppose this is better. Saves vampire lives that we can’t afford to lose more now.”

Zea clenched her jaw tight. She thought of Peter and how fucked up that he died so early after joining their cause. So many like him. “Indeed,” she said quietly.

“Cheer up and believe,” said Elizabeth. She walked up and hugged Zea. “We won’t always win the battles but we will win the war. Then we can finally be free.”

For a moment, Zea let her stoic mask slip. Her eyes moistened, and she fought back the ball of emotions, ones that she has locked away for so long, that threatened to rise from within her chest. She buried her head into the slightly shorter vampire’s shoulder, but did not cry. “Thank you,” she murmured.

“No, thank you,” said Elizabeth before releasing herself from Zea. “Shall we go visit our other new friend? I most definitely don’t like how he withheld that information on Josephine.” She briefly took out her phone and looked at it before exiting her room.

Zea followed Elizabeth. There was a short hallway and in the middle was a set of stairs that spiraled down that lead to more areas of the mansion as well as to the grand stairways. As they passed, a vampire woman was coming up with a bucket and some cleaning supplies. She looked quite annoyed and displeased.

“Janet, sweep Zea’s room and her hallway for anything that hunter tainted. Y’know those tricky hunters,” said Elizabeth without even turning her head as they continued with their journey.

Janet squared up her shoulder and saluted Elizabeth. “Yes, Master!” She quickly passed them to Zea’s room.

“Sweep?” Zea bunched up her eyebrows. “I had everything in control.”

“She stole your signed George Washington painting on the way out. Caught her on our rooftop cams moments ago.” Elizabeth tried hard to hold her laughter as she watched Zea slightly twitch. “You’re really getting sloppy,” she commented offhandedly.

They stopped in front of a steel door at the end of the hallway.

Zea said nothing in return, despite being slightly troubled. Robert said the same thing to her in her failed mission in London. She typed a set of codes into a number pad by the steel door. “Get Garret in my room too. I thought it was weird she didn’t shoot me. Probably planted something,” she said.

Elizabeth chuckled. “Good idea considering you were making out with her,” she said amusedly.

Zea coughed into her hand and felt the heat building around her cheeks.

“Hunter’s smell off your lips,” grinned Elizabeth as the door of the steel door dinged open. “How was it?”

Zea took a step into the elevator and followed by Elizabeth, who was still grinning. When the door dinged closed, she answered. “Good,” she answered. Her face was impassive as usual.

“Y’know, I worry about you. Always going out on missions,” said Elizabeth as she hit the bottom most button. The elevator started to move and the G-force could immediately be felt. A few moments later the elevator stopped and opened to a long dark hallway. “Sleep with her next time. Granted you and her don’t kill each other first.”

“Noted.”  Zea coughed again as she followed Elizabeth out of the elevator. They walked down the hallway, lights along the floor glowing with each foot step. Along the walls, spaced about three feet apart, were heavy metal doors. Each with an eerie set of medieval armors at the doors.

They could hear some wailing and pounding as they walked down. Some were even screaming. The sounds echoed down the hallway.

“I do think we should bring back the torturers. Maybe it would keep this place quiet every time I visit,” said Elizabeth.

“It wasn’t effective and only made our people,” hesitated Zea.

They stopped at the last door. It was silent, but peering through the cracks was a soft blue light pulsating.

“Evil? A matter of perspective, I always tell you,” said Elizabeth. “Even if they consider themselves as good, someone will find them evil.”

Elizabeth motioned toward the set of armor, which came alive. The armor then yanked the door open. A half naked man was chained to the wall. His arms spread out as if he was crucified and his bald head hangs low with his eyes closed. A soft blue light glows across his dark skin.

“I was going to say monster,” said Zea quietly.

The man opened his eyes and looked up, his blue light dissipating as he did so. “Indeed, monsters,” he sneered.

Elizabeth sighed. “Hunter Charles, truly, between the Order and vampires you know who the true monsters are,” she said.

They took a step in, with Elizabeth going ahead to Charles and Zea going to the side of the wall.

Zea leaned on the wall as she crossed her arms. Her eyes and Charles’s met. She could see and feel his hatred of her. Even as he spoke, his eyes never left Zea’s.

“Of course, but you lot always twist it to say otherwise. Devil’s tongue for sure,” he spat.

Elizabeth slapped across the face. “You look at me, not her. I am Master of this House,” she commanded.

Charles, blood trickling down the corner of his lips. “Could’ve fooled me,” he said.

“Let’s get down to business, Charles. The other hunter you mentioned before, Josephine, she’s not with you guys anymore. Why did you not mention that?” demanded Elizabeth.

The hunter chuckled as he looked up at Elizabeth, his dark brown eyes brimming with defiance. “Because you didn’t ask,” he said simply.

Slap!

 

Elizabeth’s hand swept across the hunter’s face once more. Charles grimaced this time.

“Then tell me why she’s no longer with the Order?” asked Elizabeth.

“Why interested in her? Do you have her?” Charles' eyes started to brim with a soft blue light.

Suddenly, Charles felt a force smashing him into the wall. A pale, deceptively slender hand was clamped over his throat. He could tell that at any moment that hand can crush his windpipe.

“Don’t even try,” snarled Zea.

A droplet of Charles blood dripped from his lips, down his chin and landed on Zea’s wrist. A hiss followed by a trail of white smoke waffled up from where his blood touched the vampire’s skin. Zea does not move, but she sure felt the burn.

“Go ahead and drink me dry, vampire,” dared Charles.

Zea narrows her eyes, and she was tempted to squeeze her hands before Elizabeth pulled her off Charles.

“Hunter Charles,” said Elizabeth cooly. She motioned to Zea that it is alright and to stand down. “I am very aware of the capabilities of an ordained. After all, we captured you.”

“Zea captured me,” clarified Charles.

Zea bit back a snarl. She remembered watching Josephine’s apartment after Aric’s fiasco and getting showered with a rain of bullets from Charles. It wasn’t easy, and she managed to subdue him, but now she wished she had just killed him.

“Isn’t he talkative?” spoke someone softly from the door.

Zea and Elizabeth turned around to see a thin man. His ghoulish face only exacerbated his larger than normal eyes that twinkled under the remaining light in the cell. He held a tray of food.

“What? It’s dinner time,” said the man.

“James,” relented Elizabeth.

“Oh, Master, it is alright,” said James. He walked into the room with a little bounce in his gait that further pronounced the curve of his spine. He stopped in front of Charles. “Oh no, you are bleeding.” He started taking out a handkerchief from the pockets of his pants.

Zea's heart almost sank watching James. His sister, who had died in the last attack against the EC, had begged Elizabeth to turn her brother who was dying after having a severe seizure.  She watched Elizabeth gently pat James on the shoulder.

“Okay, I’ll come back later. Thank you for taking care of the prisoners, James,” said Elizabeth. She looked over at Zea who was already heading out of the cell. She followed Zea, closing the cell’s door behind her, all the way back to the elevator.

Elizabeth didn't speak another word until Zea had stopped and pushed the elevator button for it to open. “Heartbreaking, isn’t it? He doesn’t even realize his sister is dead,” she said.

Zea said nothing as they walked into the elevator. The elevator’s door closed and they moved upward. The silence continued until the elevator doors dinged opened once more, did she finally speak.

“In the drawer of  my desk I left my letters for him,” said Zea quietly but firm. She walked out of the elevator but Elizabeth did not follow her.

“One day you’re going to need to tell him that instead of leading him on that she’s still on a mission in Japan,” called out Elizabeth.

“Give him the letters,” Zea said, without turning. She continued onto her next mission.

***

Elijah was running.

His breathing and heart were going wild. Sweat formed on his brow and temples, but he didn’t care. He needed to get away. For whatever reason he felt that if he should stop, he would be dead.

Suddenly someone grabbed his arm and yanked him to the ground. Against the backdrop of a starry night sky, a shadow moved towards him. With each step, the shadows pulled back like a curtain to reveal under the starlight Leora.

Was it Leora?

Leora was now taller than him, and she sported gleaming red pupils against the black scleras. The shadow that fell on her usual soft face was angular and they framed a very sinister smile that showed off her fangs. She flared her black nails of her right hand into razor sharpness that could tear flesh with ease.

“Fuck!” Elijah pointed his athame at her.

A bolt of green energy shot out from the tip of his athame and hitted Leora on the chest. Immediately, she fell into dust. Elijah letted out a long relieving sigh.

It was over.

Suddenly, his neck was yanked to the side. A pair of fangs sank into his neck. He screamed and flared his arms, even stabbed--in what for sure felt like flesh--with his athame blindingly, but that did not stop the pain of his blood being sucked out.

Then the sucking stopped and  he was tossed away like trash. He rolled on the ground before his back smacked into the concrete wall, he assumed, of a building. The sickly sensation of blood running down from his neck and down his chest had him put a hand over two fresh piercing wounds on his neck. When he looked up, he saw who had attacked him.

Leora grinning with half of her face covered with his blood launched herself forward, mouth opened and aimed at his throat once again.

“Leora, no!” he screamed.

“No, what?”

Elijah opened his eyes to see Leora standing in her work uniform, arms crossed, in his doorway of his bedroom. For a moment he wasn’t sure if Leora was going to attack him. He looked at his bed stand to see his athame. Then his eyes darted back to Leora.

“Hey man, your door was not locked,” said Leora and then she scratched her head. “Um, yeah, you called my name. Well, screamed it. I kinda thought maybe Elizabeth sent someone to off us or something since we haven’t given her answer for two weeks.”

Elijah shook his head. “Sorry, I was having a bad dream.” He looked back at Leora and wondered why he even had that dream. Was he not over what happened in the museum? “We’re not going to do it. More than likely we would be killed,” he said. Also it was a complete waste of time. He had looked up Abaris and consensus among the scholarly witches was that he was a fake, probably trying to get out of his debt.

Leora rubbed her chin. “Okay, I don’t want to know what that dream was about. So, you’re going to get ready?” She thumbed at the digital clock hanging on the wall over his desk.

“Fuck, I’m late!” yelped Elijah and he made a mad dash to his closet. He grabbed whatever clothes that littered around his room before turning to Leora. “Do you mind, please?”

Leora rolled her eyes. “As if I would be looking,” she mumbled before taking a quick glance at Elijah and then closing the door behind her as she left.

Elijah quickly changed. When he stepped out of his room, Leora was sitting on the breakfast bar’s stool drinking blood. The plastic blood back crackled as she sucked in more blood.

He felt a chill down his spine but he does not show it. Instead, he crossed the room and picked up his backpack that was on the couch. He checked the front most pockets. “Where’s my keys?” he demanded.

“The hell would I know? You threw it somewhere when we came back from my work yesterday,” said Leora.

“Help me find it,” he barked.

“No,” said Leora defiantly.

“Then you’re walking to your work, not that you even need a ride,” grumbled Elijah as he searched the couch.

Leora watched Elijah struggle for a while before walking over to him and then reached down the crevice between two cushions. “Why are you being mean to me today?” she asked as she retrieved the keys.

Elijah didn’t want to tell her, based on his nightmare, he was afraid of her and that frustrated him because he shouldn’t be. Afterall, it was a dream. “Not at you. I’m just fucking late for class,” he said. He snapped the keys from her hands.

Leora pursed her lips. “Hey, just let me know if I am doing something that’s bothering you. I can’t mind read you. I think,” she said.

Elijah caught the end part as she headed for the door. “You think?”

Leora, following him, shrugged. “I don’t really have anyone to teach me how to be a proper vampire. Apparently I am an embarrassment according to Elizabeth,” she said glumly. They exited their apartment and headed for the garage. “In any case, I am not sure what my special ability is.”

“Special ability?” Elijah almost stopped but kept moving until they reached his car. The doors had been replaced. “Isn’t it a little obvious what it is?” he said, astonished.

Leora scrunched up her eyebrows. ”Umm…,” she said. She felt a wave of embarrassment.

“Ai yai yai! It’s the sunlight! It doesn’t hurt you,” said Elijah. He wanted to throw his backpack at her.

“I could have more than one. The forums didn’t say only one per vampire,” said Leora. Then she tapped her chin and frowned. “Unless you were a shitty one. They have zero special abilities, apparently.”

“I said the online crap is wrong.” Elijah went into this car as well as Leora. He continued. “Just read my books.”

“But you lock your room,” lamented Leora.

“Fine, I’ll stick my books in the living room,” said Elijah. He started the car, and they drove off.

They were silent for the majority of the drive. Leora requesting to turn on the radio were the only words that were spoken. When they reached the Golden Arches that Leora worked at, he lowered the music. Leora was busy looking at her phone, but her eyes were not of one busy looking at something. She was hurt.

Elijah felt bad. Despite living together, she wasn’t all that terrible. In fact, her and Marcus were the closest things he’d considered as friends that weren’t forced upon by his mother or fake friendly with him because of his status.

“Hey, sorry, about being an ass to you,” said Elijah softly.

“It’s cool. You said it wasn’t at me,” said Leora as she looked up from her phone with a big smile.

He let out a sigh before shaking his head. “I had this bad dream. It was you, but not you. You were taller and evil looking with red eyes. You bit me. For whatever reason, I can’t shake that. It’s stupid, I know,” he said.

Leora chuckled. “As if! I don’t hurt my friends.”

Elijah nodded. Somehow that relieved him. “Same,” he said.

Leora’s eyes lit up, but before she could say anything, Elijah’s attention was somewhere else.

“Elijah?” Leora followed his line of sight.

Elijah felt the world just stopped, and he held his breath at the sight of the red haired man exiting the Golden Arches. “Nothing. Get out,” he barked. He wanted to get away as quickly as possible.

“Okay, but I you’re going to pick me up--” started Leora.

“Yeah, yeah, at seven. Gotcha,” said Elijah and he pushed Leora out of his car.

Leora just shook her head as Elijah reached over to the passenger’s door and snapped it shut. She watched him drive off, wondering if him admitting they were now friends somehow embarrassed him? She chuckled before turning around and heading into the Golden Arches.

***

Leora entered her workplace through the back. It was protocol that all employees did that.  Once inside, she checked in and then went to the lobby for the usual meeting of employees before they sent off to do their jobs.

In the lobby, she spotted a skinny man with a funny mustache named Lenny, the manager’s assistant, standing in front of the employees. She frowned. Usually it would be Jones. She went to a gap between a man and a woman in the crowd of employees.

“The manager is at an important meeting today so I am in charge,” said Lenny before anyone can ask why Jones wasn’t there to address them as usual. He started to go over the goals for the day.

Leora moaned along with her coworkers. Nobody liked Lenny. He was the kind of dude who didn’t believe anyone was competent and, like a little squirrel, would look over your shoulder to tell you how to do things right even if you were doing them correctly.

Kip, a slender guy with wonderful black hair thick hair, nudged Leora with his elbow and leaned over. “This is gonna be an interesting day,” he whispered.

“Ugh, yeah, how did that guy become an assistant?” drawled Leora. She thought Kip or, as she looked over to the other side of her at a strawberry orange haired woman with freckles named Lacy, should have been assistant manager.

“Ass kissing,” grumbled Lacy. “We should just revolt.”

Leora wasn’t surprised with Lacy’s displeasure. The strawberry head woman had complained to her how her and Kip had been at Golden Arches far longer than Lenny, but somehow the guy got the job. From what she has seen of Lenny, she couldn’t help but wonder that too.

“And that is all. Any questions?” said Lenny. His eyes zoomed at where Leora was standing.

Leora shifted uneasily, and she seriously was thinking of taking the chance and hypnotizing Lenny if he was planning to squirrely over her shoulders all day, but his eyes then went to Kip.

“Good. Kip, today I am going to be watching your performance. You’re not in trouble, but Jones wanted me to make sure everything was going smoothly,” said Lenny.

She was relieved but at the same time felt sorry for Kip whom she saw his eyebrows twitched and Lacy rolling her eyes.

“Alright, everyone knows what to do! Let’s make this the best day at Golden Arches,” said Lenny before clapping vigorously.

Everybody halfheartedly clapped in return and dispersed to their stations. Today, Leora had drive-thru duty again. She went through the day as usual with no Elizabeth showing up at the window again and customers were relatively happy with her service.

The hours passed by and it was one hour until seven when she felt someone tapped her shoulders. She turned around and found Jones was standing behind her. Jones was wearing a hat in the shape of a car with a large popcorn on top.

“Leora,” Jones  as he clasped his hands. “You’re doing excellent services today!”

“That’s the job,” she said.

Jones chuckled. “Of course, I hired you! I have a favor to ask of you.” He rubbed his hands. “You heard of Gimme Munchies?”

“Uhhhhh,” said Leora. She wasn’t sure she was allowed to say what she was about to say, but Jones’ eager eyes pleaded with her to say something. “That’s, um, like you get when you, um, smoke y’know a joint.”

Jones’ laughed and slapped Leora’s shoulder with his thick hand, nearly knocking her over. “No, the company Gimme Munchies!” He pointed to his hat. “They are a food delivery service. Anyway, Golden Arches had bought them. That’s why I was gone for most of the day. I was getting briefed and headquarters graced us with a car. According to our database you—minus myself—has a driver’s license. So, we’re running a beta and we need a driver to deliver the food! Like now.”

Leora got the implication, but Elijah was going to pick her up and they had to leave before the sun went down. “Wait, doesn’t Lacy and Kip have one too?” She protested.

“Technically they do but Lacy got hers suspended for DUI and Kip is NOT a good driver so they both don’t count,” said Jones.

“How do you know Kip is a bad driver?” asked Leora suspiciously.

“It’s a long story,” said Jones with a wave of his hand but his eyes had that look that was all ready to gossip.

Not wanting to be stuck listening to Jones, she recalled sourly Lenny nearly running her over in a brown sedan when she was crossing the parking lot one time. “Well, what about your assistant?” Leora asked.

“He only has a permit. Besides, we aren’t allowed to employ anyone under twenty two. You’re at least over twenty two...,” said Jones.

Leora squinted her eyes. “That’s mighty convenient. Don’t you have a license and aren’t you like fifty something--”

“Hush child! I am forever twenty one!” Jones declared. “I have to go over Kip’s performance before he checks out.” He took out a bulky blue phone from his pockets somehow despite it looking like it didn’t even fit in his pocket. “Look, we got an order from one of our betas!”

“I really can’t. I gotta get home with my aunt suffering albino-ismy and all,” said Leora.

“I thought you said she suffered Albimastocraniumo?” asked Jones suspiciously.

Leora’s eyes went wide. “Uhh….” Shit, my cover is blown! Her eyes flicked red. In her most velvety voice she spoke. “There’s--”

“Whoa, I didn’t know you wore contact lenses like that!” said Jones in awe.

Shit! Shit! Just her luck. Jones was actually immune to her hypnosis, and he noticed her eyes! Panic gripped her. Should I punch and run? Fuck, but I need rent money! What am I going to do? she thought.

“You gotta tell me when you get back where to get them because I have a nephew who’s doing what you youngins like to do: cosplay,” Jones continued.

Leora let out a sigh of relief. Disaster avoided. Jones started to lead her somewhere.

“Anyway, your aunt has one of those hard pronounced illnesses. I totally understand. My grandma had this one disease that I am not even going to try to pronounce,” said Jones.

For once, Leora was glad for Jones' chattiness. She nodded. “Yeah and that’s why I can’t do this. I have to get back by seven,” she said.

They stopped in front of the back door of the Golden Arches.

“Don’t worry, it’s not going to take long,” sung Jones. He took out a set of keys and placed them into Leora’s hand. “I’ll have Lacy go give you the order as you go to the car.”

“Wait, how do I?” Before she realized it, she was out of the door. “How do I know what the car is?” her voice trailed off. She awkwardly turned around and wondered if she had to try each car with the keys in her hand to know which one she needed to drive.

Then she saw it.  A blue car with the Golden Arches logo over the hood parked in the middle of the lot. It’s pristine shine was like that of a tingle sound of a bell and it told her without a doubt this was what the keys were for.

She sighed and looked down on the phone that Jones had given her. On the screen was a mark and a star blinking.

            ***

Leora pulled up to the building. It was a rather sizable building for the area so even if she didn’t google the address, she would have a good chance to find it. She parked and exited her company’s car.

Better get this done and over, she thought.

She entered the building but as soon as the automatic door closed behind her she noticed the star marking on her company’s phone was erratically blink all over the map. She shook it a few times. “Oh for fuck’s sake,” she said. She tapped the phone against her palm. She frowned. “Maybe bad reception here. Now how am I going to find out who ordered this?”

As if on cue, her phone rang. Unknown caller flashed across her phone’s screen. She hesitated to pick it up, but it might be her boss. His number sometimes showed up as unknown on her personal phone.

“Yeah, boss?” she answered.

“No. I am one of the betas for Gimme Munchies. You are in the building,” a young man’s voice answered.

Leora lifted her eyebrows. “How do you know that?” she asked. She hasn’t seen anyone at the moment.

“GPS. You’re in the app,” said the beta.

“What? How come I can’t see you? Trashy company app,” mumbled Leora. Then she realized she shouldn’t have said that in front of the customer. “Forget I said that and you don’t have to tip me!”

The beta chuckled. “Deal. Find me in the room with the door that sparkles.”

“Sparkles? Like glow-in-the-dark?” Leora noticed how dimly lit the building was. Especially the hallway just ahead of her. Something was making her skin crawl, and it didn’t help that she noticed nobody was in the hallway.

“Something like that. See you soon! Oh, and if you’re late by thirty minutes, I get the meal for free.” The beta hung up.

Leora clenched her jaw. “Dickhead. Could’ve just given me the room number,” she grumbled. She really wanted to punch the beta but that would be very bad PR and she didn’t want to get fired.

So she sucked it up and went down the hallway. Was the beta joking? Or, more likely, trying to rip her off? So far, with the lights in the hallway getting dimmer and dimmer, there was no way any door would sparkle.

“I’ll be damned,” she said. She stopped. Just to the right of her was a door and an iridescent glow outlined it. This was some fancy door.

She knocked on it. “Uh, I’m Leora from Golden Arches. I am here to deliver your order,” she said.

The door opened and immediately Leora had to shield her eyes for a second from the light that entered. She could hear the sounds of chairs and desk moving. When the light settled, a group of twenty people were standing up and staring at her. Apparently this was a classroom.

“Oh my, she is cute! Rachel is not going to like this,” said a dark blonde woman who was next to a large desk in front of the room. Her green eyes sparkled with mischief. “Come in, come in.” Then those eyes zoned in on the greasy paper Leora held.

“Your food?” said Leora as she stepped in and lifted up the delivery. She arched an eyebrow. She recalled the beta sounding male but who knows? Like the app, the company's phone was likely trash.

“Oh, no, Marcus ordered it but I’ll take it,” said the dark blonde who swiftly took it from Leora’s hand. “I’m Barbara by the way.”

“Wait, who’s Marcus if you’re not the beta?” said Leora. She was confused.

“Me. I was the one that ordered,” declared a young man in the back of the room. He stood out with his arms crossed despite the only one sitting in his desk. His curly red hair also didn’t help.

“Um, okay. So it’s done. All I need you to do is mark five stars for our app and I will be happily on my way.” Leora smiled.

Marcus wavered at Barbara who then moved to close the door.

“Sure but after you answer me some questions,” said Marcus. He puffed his chest.

Leora’s smile faltered. She wasn’t liking this but if Marcus complained—well, she needs a job. “Okay,” she said with a shrug. “But only for a few minutes. I gotta jet and I just found out about this delivery today. So I’ll answer the best I can.”

The thought of just hypnotizing Marcus crossed her mind but if she failed, like she just did with Jones, she would have a bunch of witnesses and she could see that spiraling into a gigantic hot mess. Considering what transpired these past few days, she was not in the mood.

Marcus scoffed. He was tall so when he looked down on her, his disdain was magnified ten times.  Leora wondered if he was one of those customers who found, much to her confusion, her job as an affront to their sensibilities.

“Come over her. I don’t want to throw my voice across the room,” said Marcus.

Leora looked around. All eyes were glued to her. People were whispering among each other. “Kay,” she said slowly. She made her way to Marcus and with a nudge from his chin, she sat at the desk next to him. “Again, this can’t take long. I need to get back,” she said and made sure her voice was firm.

“Just a few. I have to be quick. The professor can show up any moment,” said Marcus. Then he fired off. “How are you roommates with Elijah and we’ve never heard of you or seen you before?” he accused.

“Oh shit,” whispered Barbara loudly.

Leora scrunched her eyebrows at first. She looked around but now finally seeing the desks, chalkboard and all the books had the same symbols that ran through Elijah’s book. Her eyes lit up. She was in Elijah’s magic class!

“Oh, you guys are all of Elijah’s classmates!” Leora was excited. Elijah had mentioned them in passing and always as if they were an exhaustive burden to him. “Where is he? Is he that late?” She looked around wildly for him.

“Probably but I asked about you?” said Marcus as he positioned himself to sit on the desk platform instead of the chair. He deepened his voice.

“Ah, yeah,” coughed Leora. She finally realized that Marcus was grilling her. She gulped. If she didn’t answer correctly, Marcus might go blab to Elijah’s mom who will at minimum kick her out of the apartment or worse. “Well we met, and I was, uh, telling him about my problem—that I was under the witness protection. So he offered me his place to stay. Of course, I am paying rent,” she smiled, but it quickly went away as Marcus' face hardened.

“Met where?” he asked.

“In the streets,” answered Leora.

“Just out of the blue on the streets?” scoffed Marcus.

“Yeah. But not out of the blue. By the museum,” said Leora, barely hiding her frustration.

“What were you doing?” Marcus' voice started to rise.

“Walking?” Leora raised her voice to match.

“And you decided to tell him your issue even though he was a total stranger? And what is this the witness protection from?” said Marcus in disbelief.

“You’re getting a little too upset over this,” snapped Leora.

“Oh for the love of the Horned God! Are you dating Elijah?” yelled Barbara. “That’s what we all want to know!” She clutched her chest.

“No. We’re friends,” said Leora. She got out of her desk and looked up at Marcus. She repeated. “Friends and you can ask him yourself when he shows up if you don’t believe me. Now I am going to leave.”

“He enchanted your eyes. You wouldn’t be able to find our room if he didn’t,” said Marcus, but it sounded like he was about to cry.

Leora squinted her eyes. Now she realized why Elijah doesn’t talk much about his classmates. They were all crazy. “Uh, he actually d--”

The doorknob twisted.

“Shit, the teacher!” yelped Barbara who quickly went to the door.

***

Elijah slumped his shoulders as he leaned into the wheel of his car. He let out a long sigh. All day long he couldn’t stop thinking about Marcus ever since he possibly saw him when he dropped off Leora this morning.

As far as Elijah knew, Marcus was—even if the red haired man didn’t say it—stayed away from him. Was it because of the museum incident? Or perhaps there was more to it. Marcus was from a lower witch family and associating with him could bring a world of trouble both from the council members and socially.

Elijah took a deep breath. Yeah, that’s probably some other red-haired guy. He thought.  It had been months since he had seen Marcus and he had no reason to see him now.

He looked at the time on his car’s clock. He was late but not that late. Hell, maybe he should have just skipped class, but he knew he couldn’t, really. These teachers report to his mom. Might as well show up, get a check off and then go pick up Leora, he thought.

He got out of his car, taking his backpack with him. In front of him was a building with  a big, red ‘A’ against a white circle sign on the roof. This was the San Francisco Art Academy. Unlike other campuses, the academy was made up of a handful of buildings like this one spotted around Market Street in the financial district.

Also unlike other campuses, the academy also doubled as a secret witch school. Though, It wasn’t the only witch school in the area. There was one other on the other side of the bay that Marcus had transferred to. With a sigh, Elijah made his way to class.

He entered the building and went down a hallway. He looked for the sign—a glimmer radiating around a door. Witch schools had to be careful from rival covens and normal people accidentally stumbling into one of their classes. Each day the rooms change and enchanted in such a way that only those of their coven could know which room.

Elijah found the door. A small iridescent glimmer flowing around the door knob.  The moment he opened it, he was met with his classmate named Barbara.

“For once you’re not late. The teacher is running really late,” said Barbara who also made a half bow.

Elijah ignored Barbara. She always tried to befriend him but not because she wanted to. He noticed that the seats behind Barbara were empty. “Where’s everybody?….” His voice trailed.

To the far back of the room his classmates had surrounded two people. One of them was Leora. The other was Marcus.

***

Leora was stunned, and she didn’t know why. Was it because of the silence? Was it Elijah’s angry eyes?. She felt like she did something bad again, however she didn’t think she did anything wrong. After all, she was just doing her job.

“Oh boy, shit is about to go down,” squealed Barbara as she moved towards the rest of the classmates.

“What are you doing here?” demanded Elijah.

Leora looked at Marcus who gave the same look back to her. They both shrugged. “Um,” she started. “Are you talking to me or him?”

“Both,” snapped Elijah. With a wave of a hand, the door slammed shut behind him. He pointed a finger at Leora. “You start first.”

Leora threw up her hands. “My job. The Golden Arches are running a new delivery service and this douche—dude over here ordered some food. I delivered. Then he started grilling me if I was your girlfriend!”

“Girlfriend?” Elijah had to stop himself from throwing up.

“I did not!” snapped Marcus.

“Uh, you kinda did,” said Barbara.

Marcus shot a hot glance at Barbara who only smirked back at him. “She just seems very suspicious. We thought she was scamming you,” he continued.

“In what?” Leora was indignant.

“I dunno. Maybe some succubus seduction,” said Marcus offhandedly.

Leora scrunched her eyebrows. She opened her mouth to cuss Marcus off, but she stopped. She can clearly see that Elijah’s eyes were getting watery, but they remained angry.

Angry at Marcus.

Feeling relief that Elijah was not mad at her, she took a step back. She felt like she was getting around a heat wave coming off of a lava pit as she walked around Elijah and towards the door. That lava pit being Elijah and Marcus. “I am going back to work. See you later,” she said quietly as she walked past Elijah.

“We’re just roommates. Nothing more and nothing less! Besides it is none of you all’s business whom I roommate with,” said Elijah.  He moved his accusatory finger at Marcus. “Why are you doing here? You told me you transferred. Fuck, you said your parents thought I was putting you in danger. Did you lie to me?”

“No! And I was transferred,” snapped Marcus. “It  just sucked, and I wanted to be here so I transferred!”

“Why?” asked Elijah.

The room went silent. Marcus mumbled something under his breath before crossing his arms and looking away.

“What? You’re going to give me the silent treatment like you have been for fucking months!” said Elijah.

“No, that’s not true and you know that. Remember, not too long ago, you asked me to help you with that essay,” retorted Marcus.

Leora was at the door with a hand on the doorknob. Not wanting to know what was going to happen next, she turned the knob but stopped when she got a whiff of something that made her stomach growl.

Blood.

Blood that seeped out from under her the door. She stepped back. “Uh, yo, why is there blood? Is this one of you guys weird sacrificial stuff?”

Elijah whipped around. “What are you talking about?” he said.

The door swung open and a blooded, middle aged man came stumbling through.

***

Zea entered the cell alone. The chains that held Charles the last time she was here had been lengthened enough for him to sit comfortably in front of a small table with a spoon halfway to his mouth. He grinned at her over a bowl of soup.

“Oh, is it time to go?” he said.

Zea bit back a snarl. “Maybe,” she said.

Charles slurp up the spoonful of soup before putting it down on the table. He wiped his mouth with a napkin he had tucked in the collar of a white shirt James had given him. “Torture? Though the last time was more of a bore-me-to-death kind of torture,” he said.

“No,” said Zea. She placed a hand on the pommel of her sword.

“I doubt you are here to kill me. You would’ve done it the first time I was incapacitated—which you won’t be able to do again,” sneered Charles. He pushed the table away. He flexed his neck from side to side before doing some triceps stretches across his chest.

“Are you sure about that?” Zea drew out her sword.

Charles stood up. “Yes,” he bellowed.

A bright pulsating light laced up from his feet all the way to his head. The pupils of his eyes disappeared only to be replaced by the same bright light. He curled his arms and just like that the chains snapped.

“Then let’s see,” said Zea.

Charles rushed at her like a raging bull of light. She stood staring him down, unmoving. She stared him down to the last second before the lights in the cell flicked. Then she was gone.

Charles bulldozed into the cell’s door, taking it down as well as a good chunk of the wall. When the dust settled, he was curled over the metal door with six large needs sticking out of his back. Zea approached him and knelt down by his side. She pulled out the needles as he began to snore. Had this ordained brute had any sense of tactics she might have believed him that she wouldn’t knock him out again.

“I swear you come up with the most convoluted plans ever,” said Elizabeth’s voice from Zea’s hidden earpiece. “We could just have gassed his cell or just stick a bottle of benadryl in his food.”

“I have to cover why the guards I knocked out  were—well, it’s best they think he escaped on his own,” said Zea. She looked around and nodded at the destruction. This was enough. After taking out the last needle, she hauled Charles over her shoulder. “Keep them looking for him until I am back.”

She zoomed out of the area and into a secret pathway that activated after scanning her eyes from a hidden camera. She continued down the pathway until she hit a door. The door was thick, black with a usually green reflection moving over in waves.

“Verification?” said a computerized voice from the door.

Zea checked the time on her phone before answering quickly, “Alpha Centauri.”

“Access granted,” said the computerized voice.

Whoosh! The door opened up to an isolated dock that led to nowhere. The sun had just set as well. Good. Any of her people who were not guarding or patrolling in the mansion were just waking up. Damage was minimal.

“I’ll start barking orders to go look for him,” said Elizabeth.

Zea nodded as if Elizabeth was standing in front of her. Nearby, up on a hill next to the dock, was a car parked. She shifted her shoulders and rearranged Charles. He wasn’t too heavy for her but when he snored, he spasmed a little so she had to readjust.

“And one more thing. Let me know when you passed off that ordained,” said Elizabeth. “I want to make sure the Order doesn’t try to take you.”

“I’ll be fine,” said Zea. Charles snored again, and she grunted.

“I didn’t think he was that heavy,” chuckled Elizabeth.

“He isn’t. He just takes up a lot of space,” she grunted again as he hit her. He then mumbled her name like a bad cartoon villain.

“Sounds like you have a new fan,” laughed Elizabeth and then she cleared her throat suddenly. “And here comes the cavalry.”

Zea could hear heavy footsteps before the earpiece cut off. Good. She didn’t want to hear orders being passed and the ensuing panic among the recruits. She felt guilty manufacturing Charles' escape.

She went up the hill. When she reached the car, she laid Charles in the back seat before putting a blanket over him in case people—like cops—passed her in traffic and really looked inside. She got into the car. With one final look back to make sure that Charles remained asleep, she then drove off to the rendezvous point.

She went across the city until she ended up at an abandoned warehouse. Then she took out her phone and texted Elizabeth the following:

Phone dying. I am safe. I already passed him off. Enroute to base.

Then she turned off her phone. She also removed her earpiece. She didn’t want to have any chance of Elizabeth to know.

“Well, Charles, it was a matter of time before you broke out or your people decided to come looking for you and I rather not have trouble with the Order just yet,” said Zea.

Charles snored loudly. He mumbled something about admitting a pie James had served him was the best he had. Zea wondered if ordains were all so nonchalant as she recalled her encounter with Josephine.

She got out of the car and once again hauled Charles onto her shoulders. With a grunt, she went into the warehouse. When she entered, a wall of thick thorny vines rose up to cover the open entrance.

“Extra insurance,” croaked a voice. “You can set him here.”

Zea sees that at the center of the warehouse was a woman standing there. Despite the poor lighting, the woman’s white robes glistened with holy sparkles. The woman leaned on a crystal rod that was equally pristine.

“Your Grace,” said Zea as she approached.

“Please, Zea, we don’t have to be formal. Granted I don’t mind it,” winked the woman.

Zea gently placed Charles before the woman. Up close, the woman had a face that looked far younger than her greying hair and creaking voice. If she hadn’t known the woman for thirty years, she would have been confused at the woman’s true age.

“Corrine,” said Zea sternly. She watched the woman knelt beside Charles. “I don’t appreciate the Order coming into my city unannounced.”

Corrine lifted a finger. “Hold that thought,” she said. She touched Charles' forehead and then traced down the side of his face until she was at his pulse on this neck. She nodded. Then she took one of Charles’ wrists and felt the pulse there too. “Good, good. No harm,” she said. She smiled up at Zea before standing back up.

"We kept our part of the deal," said Zea.

"You do, yes, but your friends I can't behold them to the same trust," said Corrine. She nudged Charles with the tip of her foot. "Get up you, fool."

Charles' eyes fluttered open.

Zea narrowed her eyes.  “I didn’t hear you say any incantation nor drew a rune,” she said suspiciously. Normally, that’s what witches did and graces were technically witches that had joined the Order. Was there another grace around?

Corrine’s eyes sparkled. “I said it in my mind. New techniques that I am not supposed to tell you,” she winked.

Zea snorted before crossing her arms across her chest. “Fair enough,” she said but in the back of her mind she put this among her growing list of concerns about the Order.

Charles coughed. “Grace Corrine,” he said hoarsely. Then his eyes fell upon Zea. “Vampire!” He roared. He scrambled to his feet and used his body to shield the older woman. Already a bright light raced up his legs.

Corrine placed a firm hand on his arms from behind. “Zea is not to be harmed, Charles,” she said.

“But she--” blurted Charles

“Did not harm you, treated you well and now you are being returned to the Order safely,” said Corrine. “Stand down Ordained.”

The light around Charles dissipated like a heavy sigh. “I do not agree but I will comply, Grace,” he said. He then moved to be behind the older woman.

Corrine sighed. She leaned into her rod. “Now I must fulfill my part of our deal. The Order was invited to the auction as well but Pope Victicus declined. I am sorry, but we were told that unless we attended a charity event, we would not know when and where it will take place,” she said.

“I see,” said Zea. She figured as much it would be much more difficult after she bombed the last place.

“It’s such a strange auction,” said Corrine but more addressed to herself. “It was the most egregious offer. The pope just outright said it was a scam. He said it was best if we just observed,” she chuckled.

Charles gave a confused look but held his mouth.

“Do you know when and where the charity event?” asked Zea.

Corrine took a long glance at Zea before shaking her head. “All I know is that it’s a charity for clean water for third world countries. Private event in London but you can’t enter without an invitation. Unfortunately, the committee had conveniently lost the invitation before I could glean the address and date,” she answered.

“That is convenient,” said Zea in displeasure.

“I am so sorry. I know it’s not what you were expecting, and it’s incredibly lopsided deal--”

“It’s enough. Thank you, Corrine,” said Zea. She started to turn around to leave.

“Wait. There’s something,” said Corrine.

Zea watched the old woman take out a leather-bound book. Gold lettering glittered across spelling out the words, Holy Bible. Corrine offered it for her to take.

“Your Grace!” Charles couldn’t contain himself. “She is damned for all eternity—ow!”

Corrine smacked him on the knees with her rod. “Charles, shut up,” she said. Then she looked solemnly at Zea. “You must recognize the handwriting.”

Zea said nothing and took the book. She turned it over to see the spine. The initials “S” and “L” were inscribed.

The vines covering the door slithered away. 

“I figured this was a good time to give it,” said Corrine.

Zea nodded her head slightly before turning around and walking away. She could hear a small, fading conversation ensuing behind her:

“With all due respect, this is blasphemy, your Grace. We should at least apprehend her,” said Charles.

“Mercy, Charles. Mercy,” said Corrine as if she was about to tell a story to a fidgeting child.

Zea sped her exit. She didn’t want to hear the rest of the conversation.

***

Zea sat in the car, parked at the dock that led to nowhere. She was just staring from the driver’s seat out to the ocean. Dark waves rolling across. Their peaks sparkling under the light of the full moon.

The book that Corrine had given to her laid on the passenger’s seat.

“What a waste! You’d think they’d at least promise to not have any hunters come illegally roaming into our city,” complained Elizabeth. Her voice was now coming from Zea’s phone that was on the dashboard. There was a huff. “At least we got rid of him. I was getting sick and tired of feeding his ass. Hello? Are you still there?”

“What is the status of our spies at the EC?” Zea asked quietly, still watching the waves roll on by.

“I am going to consider them compromised,” sighed Elizabeth. “But we figured that a long time ago.”

“Any word from those two?” asked Zea. She reached over to the book and flipped the cover over.

“They are overdue with an answer. Taking in all the shits that has been happening over the past two weeks, I am glad they didn’t call in,” said Elizabeth.

The middle of the pages had a gaping hole that held a passport, plane tickets and an egg washed colored card with red cursive lettering.

“I am going to have to say this but maybe we should just let this go. We don’t really know what that scroll truly is. Our research team came up with nothing. They had been grinding hard on that scroll too. And, c’mon, even the Order thinks this whole kill-all-vampires spell is a hoax and you know they would be all over it,” said Elizabeth. “Let’s just focus on what Robert brought back and find the other mole.”

Aric, whom Elizabeth suspected as the mole, was among the wounded that night where they attacked Josephine’s hideout. His wounds were critical but not fatal—at least for their kind. After he recovered, he disappeared.

Soon after, one of their blood suppliers was found in a suspicious sucide death. It was from that, Zea was able to find clues and picked up Aric’s trail. She was closing in on him. However, parts of Aric’s body were found in a creek.

It would have been wonderful news that Aric was no longer useful to the EC. Then their spies in the EC went silent. In addition, some of their cells in Europe also started ceasing communication, adding to their recent woes. Elizabeth concluded that Aric was not alone. There was another mole running around.

“Everyone is low morale at the moment with, y’know, from the escape,” said Elizabeth. “And I really think you should just take a vacation.”

There was a long silence.

“Short vacation then?” said Elizabeth, somewhat pleading.

“Yeah,” said Zea finally. She picked up the card. “How about I watch the renegade hunter and the outsider for now?”

“And I deal with Robert and the mole. Not the vacation I had in mind for you, but if it keeps you in the city where you’ll be safe, I’ll take it,” said Elizabeth. “I am surprised you agreed to this at all.”

“Me too,” she said. “I am heading over to their place. Over and out.”

“Take care,” said Elizabeth before hanging up.

Thank you, Corrine, thought Zea. The card she held was the invitation to the charity.

***

“How are you a savant and you know zero healing spells?” barked Marcus angrily.

Leora entered the classroom with rolls of toilet paper in her arms. “I got all I could carry from the bathrooms,” she said.

Elijah’s eyes narrowed at Marcus. “Look around you dumbass! We weren’t taught yet,” he barked back.

The rest of the students were busy plowing through grimoires looking for anything to help their near dead teacher. The teacher, a sandy haired man with a long face, was on the ground and his head propped under someone’s sweater. Elijah and Marcus were on either side of the teacher.

“I am surprised he is still breathing,” said Leora as she handed a roll of toilet paper to Elijah. She put the rest on a nearby desk.

Marcus pursed his lips at Leora. “How would you know?” he asked.

“Because of the blood and the gash over this artery in his neck. He should be dead,” said Leora. She wanted to bare her fangs at Marcus but knew it would out her as a vampire. She looked at her company’s phone where a flashing message in red indicated how many minutes she was over. In the corner of the phone was the icon for missed calls. She was so going to get fired.

“Then why isn’t he dead then?” snapped Marcus.

“He isn’t dead and stop asking her stupid questions,” interrupted Elijah. He had unrolled a huge pad of paper and had pressed over the gash. He looked at Marcus straight in the eye. “Hold this for me.”

Marcus' eyes narrowed, but he complied. He placed one of his muscle bound, large hands over Elijah’s hand that was holding down the pad of paper. Elijah, pretending that it wasn’t awkward, slipped his hand away to let Marcus firmly press down.

Leora only rolled her eyes at this.

“I’m going to call my mom. She will know what to do,” said Elijah. He stood up and took out his phone.

There was a great murmur among the students. Leora's eyes went big. It was really time for her to leave. She thumbed at the door.

“Alright, looks like everything is good so I am going to jet,” said Leora.

“Grrrgh-FfffA,” gurgled the teacher suddenly.

“What the fuck?” yelped Elijah.

The teacher’s eyes flashed open. Grey eyes dilated for a moment before he rolled over, bloody toilet paper falling off of him, and hacked out a blood clot that looked like horrible attached veins in the shape of a misshapen octopus. He heaved and let out one horrible sounding word.

“Failed,” said the teacher.

The blood that had spilled from the teacher changed color. From dark red to red to pink to really light pink and finally nothing. All that blood that leaked out of his neck was gone.

“Absolutely failed,” said the teacher as he got up. He tossed away white and rose stones the size of marbles from his hands. “Healing magic is essential. What use is magic if we can’t heal ourselves? This is today’s lesson and test. Unfortunately, none of you have taken the last assigned reading seriously so everyone has failed.” The gash across his neck stitched itself before smoothing back to normal skin.

The teacher looked around, adjusting his hair and vest, before setting his attention on Elijah and Marcus whose eyes were bugged out.

“I had so much hope that at least you, Elijah, would have noticed. Not a good look for a savant,” tsked the teacher.

The teacher then shook his head and addressed the rest of the classroom. “Not one of you even noticed except this young lady,” he turned to Leora whose jaw had dropped, “was at least in the right direction. Who are you by the way and what are you doing in my classroom?”

“Oh, uh...hi, I’m Leora! I was delivering food,” she said. Leora took a step toward the door. “And I was on my way out.”

“No, you are no mere delivery person,” said the teacher. “No one except those of this coven can see this room.”

“She’s my girlfriend, Mr. Thompson,” said Elijah through gritted teeth.

It was now Mr. Thompson whose eyes were now bulging out. A loud rumbling of gasps and chatter erupted from the surrounding students. Marcus looked away like he was finally defeated.

Ignoring everyone, Elijah went over and took Leora by the hand. “I am ditching and you tell that to my mom,” he said tartly.

“Elijah,” bellowed Mr. Thompson.

Elijah led Leora out of the class at a quick pace. “Fucking asshole,” he said under his breath. “Shithead, jealous bitching Thompson.”

They were in the hallway. Leora was slack jawed from what had transpired. When they made their way outside of the building, the cool night air of the night hit her with enough sense that she could finally think. “Why did you tell your teacher that?” she asked. She let go of Elijah’s hand.

“That what?” said Elijah, irritatedly. He was already going down the concrete stairs of the academy.

“I was your girlfriend,” said Leora.

He stopped and looked up at Leora who was two steps up. “I lied because we aren’t allowed to let those not in the coven except those were planning to marry to see our places, rituals and whatever. You get the picture.” He shook his head. “This is such a hot mess. Fucking Marcus! He had to let you in. I don’t know what is wrong with him.”

Leora shrugged. “That guy seriously has some issues.” She looked over to her company car parked nearby and a jolt of panic ran through her body. “Ohhhh fuck, I gotta go!” She bolted down the steps. She heard Elijah call out to her, but she didn’t care. She needed to be at her work asap!

***

Leora busted through the back door. She had a plethora of excuses why she was late. She opened her mouth to say one when she was met with a great hug from Jones.

“Oh, I am so sorry,” said Jones.

Jones squeezed her so tight she could hardly peep a word out.

“Take all the time you need to grieve if two weeks isn’t enough. I lost my uncle many years ago and I still am not over it,” he said as he released her. His eyes started to water.

“What?” Leora was so confused.

“Oh, look at you! You’re so strong,” said Jones. He took out a handkerchief and blotched the trails of tears that were dropping out of his eyes. “Don’t worry about the time. I wouldn’t even show up and just called in. You didn’t have to send your friend—may I add she’s a ridiculously beautiful woman—to tell me your uncle had died.” He started bawling.

Leora was now comforting Jones.

“Uncle Bob! Why did you have to leave so soon?” Jones cried out. He buried his round face into Leora’s shoulder.

“There, there,” said Leora as she patted the round man’s shoulders.

She had no idea but figured he was talking about his uncle because she certainly didn’t have one. Her shirt was drenched by his tears. So she led him toward the front counter where the napkins were stashed.

Leora stopped at the counter when she saw a pale white haired woman sitting at one of the dine-in tables. The woman wore a leather, motorbike dark brown jacket, slim dark jeans and leather chelsea boots. She looked to be in her mid-twenties but she could be far older than she looked because the woman was a fucking vampire!

“Leora,” said the woman. She stood up. “We need to get going.”

Leora felt her throat go dry. Elizabeth was going to get them finally and sent one of her minions to off them. Just then she sees Elijah pulled up to the building.

“I gotta go! Check me out,” said Leora quickly. She pulled Jones off of her.

“Of course, of course. Go and I’ll call you later to check in,” said Jones as he wiped his eyes after grabbing a handful of napkins.

Leora, not bothering to run human level, zipped her ass out of the backdoor. Next thing she was clawing at the passenger door of Elijah’s car. He unlocked it and she entered, slamming the door shut.

“What the hell?” said Elijah.

“Drive now! Fast! Elizabeth finally popped,” said Leora. “She sent someone to kill us!”

The white haired woman was now standing in front of the car. They could see she had a sword hanging on her hip.” Get out. I want to talk,” she said calmly but commanding.

Elijah recognized her. Well, he never met her but he saw the videos. There was a video in the archives where it showed Hammer and his blasphemous witches tried to assault his coven. This vampire alone cut down ten of Hammer’s witches in a blink of an eye.

“Fuck no!” screamed Elijah and backed up and sped off as if an army of demons had crawled out of the ground.

They weaved in and out of traffic. Honking at cars to move out of the way. The engine rumbled down as they came to a stoplight. Elijah checked the mirrors. “I think we lost her,” he said.

“Nope, nope, she’s right next to us!” Leora pointed at a blind spot where the woman, now on a motorcycle, was next to them.

The woman was helmetless but somehow her white hair was perfectly swept to one side and not a thread out of place. She narrowed her light blue eyes that glowed under the night light. She signaled them to pull over.

“Oh shit,” said Elijah. He blasted through the intersection, nearly missed getting T-boned by a van with a cartoon image of a handyman on the side.

They continued. Zipping through the city but each time they thought they lost her, she was there right next to them. The car’s wheels screeched and burned rubber as they went up a steep hill.

“Where are we going?” yelped Leora.

“I don’t know!” shouted Elijah. He was too panicked to think of any spells.  In addition, it felt like his nightmare where he was completely powerless to do anything.

There was a pluck sound. Like something hit the hood of the car. Leora eyed a foreign disk on the hood in recognition. The same one that Elizabeth used to cut off the engine at their first meeting. “Oh fucking hell!” she cried out.

The engine went silent. The car stopped momentarily, but the hill was so steep the gravitation started to pull it backward down.

“Brakes!” shouted Leora.

Elijah was slamming his left foot repeatedly. “I can’t! It’s not sticking!”

Leora, no time to yell it out to Elijah, reached over and pulled the manually break. The car jerked for a second. The tires screeched like a rooster stuck on its highest note before there was silence and everything was still.

“I owe you one,” said Elijah breathlessly.

“You better remember,” said Leora.

Then came another sound but like something swishing into the air. Then followed by a popping noise that sent their car falling backward like a roller coaster right about to go on its max speed. Both Elijah and Leora looked at each other.

“Fuck!” They both screamed.

There was nothing stopping the car. The manually break was gone. The car rolled down uncontrollably.

Elijah desperately tried to get the steer. His arms shook like noodles. Leora did the best thing she could think at the time. She unsnapped his seat belt and pulled him over to her seat. She locked him in her arms in a tight embrace.

“What are you doing?” said Elijah. He felt his ribs might break from Leora embrace.

“I can recover. You can’t,” said Leora.

The car rocked from side to side. They hit something, but Leora managed to hold Elijah tight. Then came the topsy-turvy. The car had flipped into the air. They closed their eyes and braced for impact.

Time seems to slow down.

The roar of another engine can be heard but distantly and at a much slower pace. Leora caught in the rearview mirror of the driver side the face of the white haired vampire. Her light blue eyes turned red.

Leora’s door was ripped out of place. The white haired vampire grabbed them both and yanked them out of the car. The world all around Leora was just a swirl of the streetlights, skyscrapers, grey cement and grass?

Boom! They landed, blasting a small crater into the soft ground and sending dirt and clumps of grass into the air. Leora felt herself being gently lowered into the ground.

That’s when Leora’s eyes leveled with the white haired vampire, the latter’s eyes returning to light blue. Then she saw past the white haired vampire’s shoulder, a safe distance away,  Elijah’s car came crashing down. It exploded epically.

“Oh fuck,” said Leora. She didn’t know how they would explain that one and Elijah’s mother barely believed the last one. Elijah had lied to his mom saying he got a letter from the dealer saying the car doors were being recalled for faulty joints that may be a safety hazard so that's why the car’s doors were missing for a while.

“You’re going to kill him. Let him on the ground before his mother decides to call an All Summit and have us purged from the city,” said the white haired vampire.

“Elijah,” yelped Leora. He was unconscious. She quickly unwound her arms. He slid to the side but was caught by the white haired vampire who lowered him onto the dirt.

The white haired vampire checked his body and nodded. “Nothing broken. I don’t have to take him to the hospital,” she said, relieved. She stood up and offered a hand for Leora. “My name is Zea.”

“You aren’t going to kill us?” said Leora. She wondered if this was an Elizabeth trick.

Zea scrunched her dark eyebrows together. “Defeats the purpose of me saving you two,” she said.

“But you chased us,” said Leora, but she took the hand.

Zea lifted Leora up. “I apologized. I should’ve just said this to you from the start. I don’t have much time but I need your help.”

“It’s about that scroll thang that Elizabeth mentioned two weeks ago? I don’t think we’re the best to do that,” said Leora meekly.

“If it meant every vampire in the whole world no longer existing you included,” said Zea with a gravitas that could shake the roots of a tree. “Would you still not consider it?”

Leora made an oh face.

“Elizabeth could have said that from the start,” coughed Elijah. He was awake and propped up on his elbows.

“I admit we have trust issues but given what has transpired between us and the West Coast Coven, can you blame us?” said Zea.

Elijah coughed again. “Alright but why us? You chased us nearly to death so I want to know why so desperately when this sounds super important to you guys that I would think Elizabeth is capable of sending other people instead of waiting for us to answer?” He left the part where he and Leora were never going to give an answer.

Zea’s face was grim and looked behind her at the burning car wreckage.  “It’s embarrassing but House Eagle has a mole problem from our rivals who would want that scroll. We’ve kept a tight lid about your friend here so the mole has no idea who she is, let alone know she would be there.” She turned back to them.“There is also an interesting requirement that would render all vampires but you, Leora, capable of attending the auction.”

“What’s in it for us?” said Elijah. He was getting up.

“For you nothing. For her and I, everything.” Zea drew her sword.

Leora moved in between Zea and Elijah in a protective stance.

Only a gun shot was heard, quite near them. Zea didn’t move and her sword was at the same position as before but a bullet cut in half fell onto the ground next to her feet. “And here comes the last person,” she said.

“I wasn’t aiming for your head or heart,” shouted a voice—a very familiar voice that Leora had heard some two weeks ago. “So that doesn’t count as trying to kill you!”

Near the burning and smoking wreckage, moving out of the smoke with a gun glimmering from the fire, was a tall blonde woman wearing a puffy grey-green nylon bomber jacket.

“Josephine,” said Zea.

“Step away hottie,” said Josephine, still approaching. She stopped until her gun was next to Zea’s head. “I recall you can’t dodge at this distance.”

“True but I am letting you get this close,” said Zea. “I don’t intend to harm your acquaintance.”

“You…Oh my goddamn me! You are that hunter that kidnapped me!” said Leora with sudden clarity. She pointed a finger at Josephine. “And we fucking went on a date!”

“Yep, indeed. My real name is Josephine by the way.” Josephine smirked and winked at Leora. “You suck at hypnosis too.” Then she surveyed the situation. The witch boy was mumbling—a hex or maybe something more exciting—spell and Zea had her sword out. “I think we’re in what is called a Mexican standoff.”

“Or a meeting if we’re quick enough before the police come,” said Zea. She eyed the smoke puffing at the side of the wreckage where Josephine appeared. “And tell your wolf friend to stand down.”

“You got some keen stalker senses,” said Josephine. Without taking her eyes from Zea and Leora, she waved back.

A car engine started and then a van with a cartoon drawing of a handyman pulled through the smoke with the headlights on. Inside was the bartender and Josephine’s friend, Telera, driving the van. She parked and waved back but was frowning.

Zea cleared her throat. “I was hoping Leora and you would go help me stop an apocalypse,” she said.

Josephine arched an eyebrow. “An apocalypse for vampires. Though I would miss the opportunity to bang one of you sexy vamps.”

“Seriously, right now? ” said Leora, eyes rolling hard. She withheld ‘You’re such a pig’ because she was afraid that Josephine would shoot her.

“We witches also have no interest,” said Elijah but he looked at Leora. He did owe her. His dream flashed in his mind but he pushed it back. Leora had saved him three times if he were to count her using her body as an impact shield earlier. “But tell me, is that spell real?”

Zea let go of her sword and it attached itself to a small plate hanging off the side of her hip (later, Elijah would find out there were some sophisticated magnets). “Yes. I wouldn’t have risked all of this if I didn’t confirm,” she said confidently. Then she went onto one knee, her eyes once again meeting Leora’s. “Please. If not for House Eagle or me, at least for yourself.”

“I think this is going to be close to begging,” grinned Josephine.

Elijah screwed up his face and shook his head at Josephine.

Leora nodded slowly. “Okay, I’ll do it,” she said.

“I don’t want Leora vaporized or whatever,” said Elijah offhandedly. “She still owes me the coming rent. So I’m in.”

“Gee, thanks,” said Leora as she looked back at Elijah and flipped him off.

“Well, I guess I’ll be coming along too,” yawned Josephine. She tucked her gun into her holsters inside of her jacket.

Leora and Elijah looked at Josephine with dead pan faces.

“What?” Josephine's hands were on her hips. “Sounds like a fun trip!”

“I need Josephine as well and I will explain soon. Check your emails after getting away from the police,” said Zea.

In the distance were sirens and a long honk from a fire truck that had everyone minus Zea looking into the direction of the sounds. They could see the red, blue and yellow lights flickering closer. It was only a few seconds but when they returned their attention back to Zea, she was gone.

“Shit she’s fast,” said Elijah. He wondered if the only video archive he saw of Zea had been slowed down.

“Yeah, but you and Leora should run along home,” said Josephine as she dashed to the van and waved wildly at Telera who promptly turned on the engine. She turned back momentarily to blow Leora a kiss.

“Eww,” said Elijah under his breath. “I can’t believe she is the same person that kidnapped you and you went on a date with.”

“I have shitty luck,” said Leora. She hunched down. “C’mon, jump on my back unless you want me to carry you like a baby like last time.”

“Just get us far enough so I call an Uber,” said Elijah. He climbed onto Leora’s back despite being much taller and bigger than her. It felt like he was those clowns riding tiny bicycles.

“You got it, buddy!” Leora lifted Elijah. Then they sped off just as Josephine and Telera peeled off in the opposite direction of the incoming emergency vehicles.

Chapter 8 - The Trip Prelude

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