Second Chance (18 page)

T
hat afternoon, Joss sat in a hard blue chair that was bolted to a row of other hard, blue chairs in LaGuardia Airport, waiting for the ominous voice from above to tell him it was time to board his plane, and travel to a place where he ceased to be Joss McMillan, Vampire Slayer, and became Joss McMillan, Invisible Boy. The drastic shift that he was about to experience, not to mention the conversation he’d just had with Dorian, left him sinking down in his seat, unwilling to be the pleasant actor that had flown here just two and a half months before. He didn’t smile, didn’t make eye contact with passersby. He merely sat, his heart breaking over two very different things, and waited for the voice to tell him it was time to go.

He could understand being upset over his parents and their treatment of him—even though he really didn’t get why they’d changed so drastically after the loss of Cecile. But he couldn’t quite understand why Dorian’s admission had bothered him so much. So Dorian had dreams about him in which Joss staked him. So what? Why did that bother Joss? He was a Slayer. And frankly, if Joss ended up staking him sometime in the future, then it probably meant that Dorian deserved it, right? Right.

So why did it trouble Joss so deeply?

Because, the tiny voice in the back of his mind prodded, deep down, whether or not Joss wanted to admit it, he liked Dorian. Despite the fact that Dorian was a monster.

The idea that Joss really liked a vampire, one who’d given him absolutely no reason at all to despise him, sickened Joss. He would have given just about anything at that moment for Dorian to be something else, something other than the bloodsucking monster that he was.

That Vlad was. That Sirus had been.

And Joss was going to kill him. He was destined to kill Dorian, and the truly twisted thing was, he wasn’t at all certain that he wanted to. Maybe that was because he didn’t like the idea of having his actions decided for him. He wasn’t sure. But it certainly didn’t sit well on his mind.

He couldn’t tell anyone, of course. He couldn’t tell his uncle or the other Slayers about any of this—except for maybe Morgan. In fact, Morgan might understand his situation better than anyone, what with having a vampire for a brother. Straightening in his seat just a little, Joss made a mental note to speak to Morgan about it the next time they saw each other and picked up his carry-on bag. The ominous voice from above bellowed out his flight number and his group number for boarding, so Joss stood up and shuffled into line with the other passengers.

He’d just slid his small carry-on under the seat in front of him and buckled up for the ride when his cell phone buzzed inside his pocket, as if reminding him that it was just about time to turn off and put away all electronic devices. Joss withdrew it, and wasn’t at all surprised to see a text from Kat.

I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT YOU THIS SUMMER, JOSS. AFTER I GET BACK FROM SIBERIA, YOU AND I ARE GOING TO FACE OFF. I HOPE YOU’RE READY.—K

Joss took a deep breath and typed in a return message before hitting
SEND
.

READY. NOT WILLING. BUT READY. IF YOU INSIST, KAT.

Before he could put his phone away, it rang. Raising an eyebrow at the number on the screen, he flipped it open, pressing it to his ear. “Uncle Abraham. Did I forget something?”

A strange tightness settled into his chest. He liked his uncle, but was still slightly afraid of him. He never knew what to expect when Abraham opened his mouth. And Abraham never called him. Ever. In fact, if Paty hadn’t added his number to Joss’s contact list last summer, Joss wouldn’t have recognized the number at all. He slid down in his seat a little and waited for the tightness in his chest to subside.

“No, Joss, but I’m afraid that I did.” Abraham’s voice sounded warmer in tone than it had all summer. The flight attendant waved a hand at Joss and pointed to the phone as if to tell him that it was time to put his phone away, but Joss held up a finger in response. He needed two seconds for this phone call. Besides, the guy across the aisle was still using his laptop. Couldn’t she go bug him? “I didn’t get a chance to thank you, nephew.”

Joss didn’t mention it, but there were many chances to say something while they were at the brownstone. They’d shared two dinners after fighting off the vampires in the park. Why couldn’t he say anything then? But then, Joss was feeling a bit shocked that his uncle had called at all, let alone to thank him for something, so his mind was all over the place.

Abraham said, “You were given a task that, to date, none in the Society had been able to complete. And you pulled it off. I’m proud of you. I just wanted to say that.”

Joss sat back in his seat, his jaw dropping into his lap. Compliments and gratitude were two things that just didn’t seem to fit with his uncle’s personality. Being on the receiving end of both combined was enough to send Joss into a state of utter shock. His fingers loosened, sending the phone falling. Luckily, it landed in his lap and was easily retrieved. As he pressed the receiver to his ear again, he said, “Thank you, Uncle. Seriously. You don’t know how much that means to me.”

Abraham paused, as if he wanted to say more, and Joss wondered briefly what that more might have been. Criticism? Further admiration? Did he dare question? “Keep up the good work, Joss. I’m headed to London in the next few weeks. I’ll be sure to pass on details of your triumph to the Society elders. Have a good flight. We’ll talk again soon.”

“Thanks.” The word escaped Joss in a near-whisper. He snapped the phone closed and, much to the flight attendant’s relief, powered it down. A fog of wonder curled in around his mind. He’d left home at the beginning of the summer a divided person: Joss the boy, Joss the Slayer. But he was going home knowing who he was and where he belonged.

He was a member of the Slayer Society. And everything he did, and had done, was for the good of mankind.

And, of course, for Cecile.

T
hat afternoon, Joss sat in a hard blue chair that was bolted to a row of other hard, blue chairs in LaGuardia Airport, waiting for the ominous voice from above to tell him it was time to board his plane, and travel to a place where he ceased to be Joss McMillan, Vampire Slayer, and became Joss McMillan, Invisible Boy. The drastic shift that he was about to experience, not to mention the conversation he’d just had with Dorian, left him sinking down in his seat, unwilling to be the pleasant actor that had flown here just two and a half months before. He didn’t smile, didn’t make eye contact with passersby. He merely sat, his heart breaking over two very different things, and waited for the voice to tell him it was time to go.

He could understand being upset over his parents and their treatment of him—even though he really didn’t get why they’d changed so drastically after the loss of Cecile. But he couldn’t quite understand why Dorian’s admission had bothered him so much. So Dorian had dreams about him in which Joss staked him. So what? Why did that bother Joss? He was a Slayer. And frankly, if Joss ended up staking him sometime in the future, then it probably meant that Dorian deserved it, right? Right.

So why did it trouble Joss so deeply?

Because, the tiny voice in the back of his mind prodded, deep down, whether or not Joss wanted to admit it, he liked Dorian. Despite the fact that Dorian was a monster.

The idea that Joss really liked a vampire, one who’d given him absolutely no reason at all to despise him, sickened Joss. He would have given just about anything at that moment for Dorian to be something else, something other than the bloodsucking monster that he was.

That Vlad was. That Sirus had been.

And Joss was going to kill him. He was destined to kill Dorian, and the truly twisted thing was, he wasn’t at all certain that he wanted to. Maybe that was because he didn’t like the idea of having his actions decided for him. He wasn’t sure. But it certainly didn’t sit well on his mind.

He couldn’t tell anyone, of course. He couldn’t tell his uncle or the other Slayers about any of this—except for maybe Morgan. In fact, Morgan might understand his situation better than anyone, what with having a vampire for a brother. Straightening in his seat just a little, Joss made a mental note to speak to Morgan about it the next time they saw each other and picked up his carry-on bag. The ominous voice from above bellowed out his flight number and his group number for boarding, so Joss stood up and shuffled into line with the other passengers.

He’d just slid his small carry-on under the seat in front of him and buckled up for the ride when his cell phone buzzed inside his pocket, as if reminding him that it was just about time to turn off and put away all electronic devices. Joss withdrew it, and wasn’t at all surprised to see a text from Kat.

I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT YOU THIS SUMMER, JOSS. AFTER I GET BACK FROM SIBERIA, YOU AND I ARE GOING TO FACE OFF. I HOPE YOU’RE READY.—K

Joss took a deep breath and typed in a return message before hitting
SEND
.

READY. NOT WILLING. BUT READY. IF YOU INSIST, KAT.

Before he could put his phone away, it rang. Raising an eyebrow at the number on the screen, he flipped it open, pressing it to his ear. “Uncle Abraham. Did I forget something?”

A strange tightness settled into his chest. He liked his uncle, but was still slightly afraid of him. He never knew what to expect when Abraham opened his mouth. And Abraham never called him. Ever. In fact, if Paty hadn’t added his number to Joss’s contact list last summer, Joss wouldn’t have recognized the number at all. He slid down in his seat a little and waited for the tightness in his chest to subside.

“No, Joss, but I’m afraid that I did.” Abraham’s voice sounded warmer in tone than it had all summer. The flight attendant waved a hand at Joss and pointed to the phone as if to tell him that it was time to put his phone away, but Joss held up a finger in response. He needed two seconds for this phone call. Besides, the guy across the aisle was still using his laptop. Couldn’t she go bug him? “I didn’t get a chance to thank you, nephew.”

Joss didn’t mention it, but there were many chances to say something while they were at the brownstone. They’d shared two dinners after fighting off the vampires in the park. Why couldn’t he say anything then? But then, Joss was feeling a bit shocked that his uncle had called at all, let alone to thank him for something, so his mind was all over the place.

Abraham said, “You were given a task that, to date, none in the Society had been able to complete. And you pulled it off. I’m proud of you. I just wanted to say that.”

Joss sat back in his seat, his jaw dropping into his lap. Compliments and gratitude were two things that just didn’t seem to fit with his uncle’s personality. Being on the receiving end of both combined was enough to send Joss into a state of utter shock. His fingers loosened, sending the phone falling. Luckily, it landed in his lap and was easily retrieved. As he pressed the receiver to his ear again, he said, “Thank you, Uncle. Seriously. You don’t know how much that means to me.”

Abraham paused, as if he wanted to say more, and Joss wondered briefly what that more might have been. Criticism? Further admiration? Did he dare question? “Keep up the good work, Joss. I’m headed to London in the next few weeks. I’ll be sure to pass on details of your triumph to the Society elders. Have a good flight. We’ll talk again soon.”

“Thanks.” The word escaped Joss in a near-whisper. He snapped the phone closed and, much to the flight attendant’s relief, powered it down. A fog of wonder curled in around his mind. He’d left home at the beginning of the summer a divided person: Joss the boy, Joss the Slayer. But he was going home knowing who he was and where he belonged.

He was a member of the Slayer Society. And everything he did, and had done, was for the good of mankind.

And, of course, for Cecile.