Flicker (14 page)

              Elise studied him long and hard, looking up into his remorseless eyes. As she did so, for the first time she also made a conscious effort to keep her mind separate from his. It meant she had to rely solely on his expression to judge what he was thinking, but it also kept him out of her thoughts, and that was fine with her. She watched his expression transform from unapologetic but sympathetic, to surprised, and then quickly to cold arrogance as he registered what she had done. Suddenly, she just felt tired and a little disappointed.

              “I think you've been manipulating people for a long time-- maybe too long,” was all she said before she turned away and started to walk again.

              For a moment, she thought he wasn't going to come after her, and her throat tightened. If that was all it took... But after a few steps, she heard him behind her, and a second later, he was beside her again.

              “You're not wrong,” he said softly. She didn't look at him, didn't relax her tight clench on her mind, her energy, whatever it was. She just kept walking slowly, looking straight ahead. But after a few more steps, she reached back out and took his hand.

              Manipulative or not, he was still the first person to offer her genuine compassion and understanding. Perhaps she could learn something from his example... on both counts.

5 LOST AND FOUND

              “Whitfield, yes. W-H-I-T-F-I-E-L-D. She went to another high school for ninth grade, it would have been three years ago now-- I want to know where.” Alexander hesitated. “And Gregory? Anything you can find on her-- any files, any records-- from the school and from the town, I want.” He listened for a few moments to the reply from the other end of the line. “Thank you. And depending on how much you come up with, yes, I'll call us even.” He chuckled when the other man responded, bade him goodbye, and ended the call.

              Alexander set the fragile device down with exquisite care, only then allowing his fists to clench with the rage he'd concealed from Elise as she told her story. He'd already come to grips with the fact that he was very protective of her, and was quickly understanding that the emotion made everyday things like patience and composure rather difficult. Alexander hadn't questioned his protective, even possessive impulse at the time, and afterward in examining it, had somehow found the feeling to be completely natural.

              From the moment she had told him what had happened to her, a cold certainty had settled in his chest: he would make those responsible pay. The boys, of course, would be punished like the wild animals that they were. But his fury was directed most of all toward the teacher whose job it had been to protect her; there were no excuses for him. Now all that remained was to find them and execute his vengeance. On the list of terrible things Alexander had done over his long life, he knew these were some of the deeds he would enjoy most.

              In the interest of accomplishing his bloody goal, he had called in a favor from his friend in New York, a vampire named Gregory. Gregory had taken to the reach that new technology afforded him with the fervor of one possessed-- he would have an easy time locating the information Alexander had asked him for.

              Alexander's dark mood lifted for a moment as he recalled with amusement the impression he had given Elise of his weekend visiting Gregory, which had, of course, been very little like the picture he had painted for her. However, at the time it would have been complicated to illustrate for her what had actually taken place. There had been no real way to explain that he and Gregory had gone out to feed, along with Sarah, Gregory's sister, who had flown in from India for the occasion of Alexander's return to the eastern coast of America. They had intended-- after spending a few hours reminiscing over the last five hundred years of history, including several decades of shared experiences-- to spend that night feeding in a few of New York's many wonderful night clubs; the riot had been entirely unplanned. Alexander chuckled, somewhat abashed by the carelessness with which they'd conducted their reunion-- as he'd showed Elise when she interrupted his feeding in the school cafeteria last Wednesday, normally he took pains to ensure that none of his food sources recalled anything out of the ordinary occurring. The riot had been a testament to just how much they had gorged themselves, both that it had gotten so out of hand and that not Alexander, Gregory, or Sarah had remembered to clean up afterward. Ah, well, it happened sometimes.

              Alexander was still lost in thought as he puttered around his rented house's small kitchen, making dinner for himself. He was still a little amazed at how well his day with Elise had gone. He had known, ever since she'd stumbled in on him feeding and he'd promised her an explanation, that he would have to tell her soon. He had, however, had serious concerns about how the revelations would go, particularly given her peculiar ability to put him off balance-- and that had certainly hit him full force today! He had trained numerous members of their kind over the centuries, and had never been so powerfully influenced by a raw beginner: it had taken all of his long years of practice to keep himself in check at several points during their conversation.

              Especially during her breakdown! He tried to push it to the back of his mind, but just the recollection of how much pure power had rushed through her, calling to him, begging him to feed from her-- he shook his head hard, bearing down on his energy to keep himself in check. He was still on a bit of a high from their afternoon of open interaction, with the shields she'd unconsciously erected years ago to keep herself isolated now beginning to crack. Alexander clenched his fists, digging his fingernails into his palms as he carefully restructured his own shields to account for the difference in his power. This was going to take some getting used to. He grimaced wryly; he was actually rather embarrassed by his many lapses regarding Elise.

              But, he reasoned, trying to make himself feel better, when on earth could he have experienced anyone like her before? The Queen and her heirs were the only other omnivores he had ever met, and they had been well trained long before he came into their presence-- the difference between them and Elise was staggering. And yet, despite her latency, her innate power would be enough to knock him around like he was nothing but an untrained child himself if he relaxed enough to allow it.

              And now came the question of what he would do with her. He needed to train her, obviously, and so could put off the bigger questions for a little while. But sooner or later-- and he was betting on sooner-- he would have to send word to the Queen. Sooner or later, as she grew in power, Elise would start to draw others of their kind to her. Other vampires would meet her like he had...

              He stopped cold, staring out the window for a full minute as the realization struck him.

              There was no reason for him to be here. He didn't come to small towns. He had been on his way north to New York to visit Gregory when he'd decided to stop for coffee. But instead of stopping at the nearest Starbucks he'd passed after exiting the highway, he had continued through the tiny towns of South Jersey and stopped here in Willowdale for no apparent reason, without ever questioning the change.

              She had done it. It was so clear to him now. She had reached out, obviously subconsciously, and drawn him to her.

              He was a blur as he crossed the kitchen and grabbed for the phone again. Damn the danger of word getting out-- he had to know for sure what he and Elise were getting into.

              “Gregory?” He demanded when the call connected. “Sit down. We need to talk.”

              Elise got up Sunday morning and went to church with her parents in something of a daze. She felt very isolated and self-contained as she shadowed them, kneeling and standing and sitting and kneeling again, singing hymns and taking communion and sitting quietly with her hands folded. But throughout the monotonous exercise, her mind worked furiously. By the time the service ended, the only conclusion she had reached was that she needed time to think.

              To that end, the moment her parents' car pulled back into the driveway, she made a beeline for her piano. She skimmed her fingers lovingly over the keys, realizing with a start that it had been almost two weeks since the last time she had played-- and immediately had to fight down an irrational urge to apologize to the instrument for neglecting it.

              She idly picked out a simple melody with her right hand, leaning her left elbow on her lap and her chin on her hand. The staccato notes reminded her of raindrops plunking onto wood, the way the rain had sounded when she and Alex had stood in the gazebo on their date last week. She played faster, the keystrokes blurring together from individual notes into a long run of cohesive sound. The frenzied pace brought to mind her panic yesterday, when Alex had purposely manipulated her into losing control. Straightening up, she added her left hand to the fray, balancing the rapidly changing melody with slow, steady chords. Having the smooth, continuous undertone made her melody less frantic and more purposeful, boldly adventuring instead of fearfully tripping. She barely noticed when she deviated from the piece she had been playing, making up something entirely new as she went along.

              Elise lost track of how long she'd been playing, letting her music guide her through her new experiences as she separated the information she'd received from her emotions on the subject. After a while, however, prickling tension in her shoulders and neck told her she was being watched. She glanced up, pausing, and saw her mother standing in the kitchen doorway.

              “This boy really affects you, doesn't he?” Marie asked quietly, her tone somber.

              Without a word, dreading another argument, Elise nodded. From across the room, she heard her mother sigh.

              “Do you feel safe with him? Does he make you happy?” Her mother asked casually, but Elise could tell she was only feigning disinterest-- she practically hummed with tension. Still, Elise appreciated her attempt at calm.

              She shrugged. “I don't know if I'll ever feel safe, really, with anyone. But it feels nice to have a friend. I'm not sure if we are anything else, and even if I do want to be-- I don't know yet-- I'm not sure I know how. But,” she lifted her hands, gesturing vaguely as she tried to express something for which she had no words. “I don't feel like he'll hurt me on purpose. Everyone hurts each other, that's part of life. But I don't think he means me any harm.”

              Her mother nodded slowly, sadly. “You had to grow up too fast,” she said, so softly that Elise barely heard her. Before she had a chance to respond, Marie straightened up. “I'm making egg salad for lunch, if you want any,” she said briskly, turning on her heel and walking back into the kitchen.

              Elise blinked after her mother, surprised by the exchange. Belatedly, she remembered Alex telling her, just yesterday, that both of her parents were latent vampires. From what she understood of his explanation, maybe that meant that as she was more willing to let people-- including them-- back into her life, they would be better able to comprehend how she really felt. Perhaps that made at least her mother more willing to empathize. Elise supposed anything was possible.

              With a slight smile, she closed the lid over the piano keys and went to have lunch with her mom. She even managed not to think too much about Alex for of the rest of the day-- at least, until she curled up in bed that night and abruptly wished he was there to hold her.

              For the first time in years, Elise woke on Monday morning truly eager to go to school. She dressed with care, but hurriedly, and barely paused to eat breakfast before rushing out the door. She knew it was silly, but the excited fluttering in her stomach had her half convinced that if she moved faster, eighth period would arrive more quickly.

              She did, however, slow down as she walked through the park. Mindful of Alex's remarks about spiritual starvation, she thought it might be prudent to give herself as much time surrounded by nature as possible. Her rational mind questioned the things he'd told her-- it did all seem rather remarkable-- but she couldn't deny that much of his revelation rang true in some deep part of her being. With all that in mind, she admitted to a burning curiosity about the abilities he'd told her she could develop. Whether there was something to this whole vampire thing or not, after a few minutes of strolling slowly under the trees, Elise left the park feeling centered and steady. As soon as she got to school, however, she noticed that something was different.

              At first, she just thought it was her mindset. After all, she'd had a very trying weekend even without the possibility of life-altering revelations about the world and her place in it. She hadn't told her story to anyone since her family had moved to Willowdale, and that in itself would be enough to make her feel different, to make her feel like everyone would be looking at her.

              But she wasn't even five minutes into homeroom when she had to admit it: everyone really was looking at her.

              It wasn't her imagination: her classmates, even her teacher, were literally turning in their seats to see her-- and not just lingering glances, either. A boy who sat a few desks to her right didn't seem to have blinked in at least a minute. This wasn't like when she'd first moved here, and people had looked curiously because she was new and different and they hadn't seen her before. Now, they stared like she was a banquet, and they were starving.

              The bell rang for first period, and Elise jumped. Miss Carmine, her homeroom teacher, also taught her first period physics class, so she didn't need to move. Instead, she tried not to watch her classmates dazedly gather their things as they continued to stare at her. They were more furtive now, having been reminded of the outside world, but all the same, they continued. And as they walked out the door, the students in her physics class entered, every one of them glancing at her as well. She shrank down in her seat, wishing desperately that she was invisible.

              What is going on? She thought frantically. This couldn't have something to do with-- and then she realized.

              Alex.

              He must have told them.

              She knew how quickly gossip and rumors could spread, especially when they were this scandalous. She clenched her fists and bit down on her lip until she tasted blood, but it didn't help. She'd finally opened up and trusted someone, and this was what came from it. Without pausing to think, her eyes brimming with tears, she jumped up, nearly knocking over her desk, and sprinted from the room. She could hear Miss Carmine calling her back, could hear the bubble of excited conversation that broke out at her abrupt departure, but she didn't care. Tears spilling freely down her cheeks, Elise dashed out the door and ran for her sanity.