Vampire Miami (4 page)

Selah wiped her face with her sleeve and then
nodded. “I think he’s alive. I think somebody took him, arrested
him maybe for what he was going to publish. But nobody will say
anything. I can’t get anybody to admit anything. He’s just missing,
but I think he saw it coming. Like I said, he left me his Omni, and
I read his notes. You heard about Blood Dust?”

Mama returned to her armchair and nodded. “Yes,
a little. The new drug. The vampires here in Miami don’t like it.
Anybody caught using it gets killed.”

“Really?” That was news. “They don’t allow
it?”

“Not that I’ve heard. Doesn’t stop fools from
using it though. Why?”

Selah rubbed at her eyes one last time then
dropped her hands in her lap. “It’s what he was investigating. Most
of his notes were missing, but there was stuff there about the
government or the military being involved. It’s why he got
taken.”

“So wait. What’s his investigation got to do
with your being here?”

“Well.” Selah straightened her back. “Blood Dust
is supposed to be connected to the vampires somehow. If I can learn
what they want to hide so bad, maybe I can blackmail them into
freeing him.” This was it. The idea that had sustained her through
her darkest days.

“Selah. Hold up. Are you telling me you’ve
exiled yourself for life so as to follow some investigation that
got your father arrested? That you came down to Miami in the hope
of learning—what—government secrets that will free your father?”
Mama B shook her head. “Honey, what have you done? There’s no
leaving Miami. And just what were you planning to do? Walk around
asking people on the street if they know military secrets? Where
Blood Dust comes from? Ask the vampires to help?”

“Well, no—I’m not sure. I was going to figure it
out when I got here.” Didn’t her grandmother understand? “I’ve got
to find a way. What else could I do? Just give up on dad? Whatever
it takes, I’m going to get him back.”

“Honey, you don’t know a thing about how this
city works. You don’t know how it runs. You go around asking about
Dust you’re going to get yourself killed.” Selah knew that tone. It
had ended all arguments when she was fourteen.

Selah felt a spark of anger. “I don’t have a
choice. I’m here now, aren’t I? I’m committed. One way or another,
I’m going to find out what happened to my dad.”

Mama B sat forward. “Selah. You are not going to
walk around this city asking about Dust. You’re a brave girl, but
this isn’t Brooklyn. Do you think your father would have wanted you
to die for him?”

Selah felt the spark blaze and rose to her feet.
“You lost the right to tell me what to do when you walked out on
us.”

Instead of matching her anger, Mama B sat back.
“Girl, it is more dangerous than you can possibly understand
outside these walls. There are people out on those streets that
will kill you for what’s between your legs, or for what’s flowing
in your veins, or for no good reason at all. I admire your
motivation to help your father, but getting killed won’t change a
thing. Listen to me. You need to first get wise. Get street smart.
Learn your way around. Then, maybe, you can start asking questions.
Not now.”

“I am not going to wait.” Selah felt blank
refusal rise up within her like a tidal wave, and curled her hands
into fists. “Right now, dad could be hurt, or dying. You think I’m
going to take my time?”

“Yes, I do. You’re under my roof now, and while
you’re here you’ll do what you’re told. If you don’t, you’ll wind
up dead. It’s that simple.”

Selah didn’t know how to respond. Several times
she opened her mouth to say something, to shatter that infuriating
calm, but in her mind all her words sounded whiny and infantile.
Nothing seemed sufficient. Worse, under the fury and fear, Selah
suspected her grandmother was right. She was out of her depth. Had
this all been a huge mistake? Her whole plan? The thought made her
feel dizzy. Panicked. She couldn’t accept that. She simply
couldn’t.

Selah turned and ran out the door. Then she
froze. The music stopped, and people down the hall quickly looked
away, pretending to be doing something else. She stepped to the
balcony and looked down. Even the goats seemed to be staring up at
her. A wave of claustrophobia washed over her, and all she could
think to do was run, to get away.

Looking down, she saw Maria Elena striding along
the side of the courtyard just before she ducked out of sight into
the stairwell. Without thinking Selah ran down the corridor and
back into the stairwell, tumbling down the steps, down to the
ground floor. Maria Elena was gone. Where? Looking around
desperately, she saw an emergency exit door. Her grandmother’s
words hung in her mind, churning up her pain and anger, her fear
and embarrassment, but she had to get out, and Maria Elena was her
only chance. Running forward she yanked the heavy deadbolts back,
kicked the crash bar, and threw open the door. People began to
yell, to chase after her, but she escaped their hands and was gone,
running down the dark street and into the Miami night.

Selah ran. Where was Maria Elena? Had she
already made it down the block? Not wanting to lose her, Selah
sprinted over the broken asphalt, arms pumping. She resisted the
urge to call out, to yell the other girl’s name. Had a car already
picked her up? Down the block she ran, across the street. Right
through the intersection, all the buildings around her dark. Panic
coursed through her, terror, and she looked around desperately for
Maria Elena. She ran with great long strides, sprinting as hard as
she could. No matter that she would only be able to go a short
distance like this. No matter that a stitch was already burning in
her side. Running felt great. Running felt wonderful.

Three blocks, four. She was running now just to
keep going, not wanting to admit that she had missed the other
girl, that she was out here alone. A broader street, a bus
moldering on sunken tires right in the middle of the intersection.
She slowed, ran around it. A few lights on behind shutters in the
building to her left, the sound of music. On down the avenue,
slowing even more, sweat beading her brow, her breath coming in
gasps now. Into the next intersection, slowing as she reached its
middle, stopping.

The sky to the east was dark, a deep, leaden
blue, the sky to the west still smudged the color of drying blood.
The clouds were epic, but already fading to grays, the last of the
color leaching out of them. She stood still, trying to control her
breath. Straightened and looked back the way she’d come, picturing
Mama B striding down the street right after her. But there was
nothing there, just the distant silhouette of the anchored bus.

Selah felt her stomach cramp with fear, and for
the first time really thought about what she’d done. She hugged
herself and whipped her head from side to side, trying to look in
all directions at once. Nothing, just empty streets. Where was
everybody?
Locked away safe
, a voice said in her mind, a
quiet and sensible voice she tried to ignore.
Locked away safe
like you should be. Not walking the streets at night
.

Shivering despite the warm air, she ghosted out
of the intersection and into the recessed doorway of a cigar shop.
Pressed her back against the corrugated iron shutter and edged into
the corner. Listened to the deep, soft darkness as it claimed Miami
as its own.

The big blockbuster movie last summer had been
Nowhere to Run
starring Brad Dancer. He’d played a man who’d
broken into Miami to rescue his girlfriend, only to find that she’d
become a vampire. The last third of the movie had featured his
trying to escape the city during one long, terrifying night. The
movie producers had famously worked a deal with the vampires in
charge of the city and been allowed to film on location. Selah had
seen it once last year, and three times again in the last month.
And now here she was, crouched in a dark corner just like Brad
Dancer had done, but without his shotgun and suicidal bravery.

Somewhere close by a bottle shattered, and
laughter spiraled into the air. Selah stiffened and pressed deeper
into the corner. She should go back to the Palisades. Apologize to
her grandmother, apologize to everybody, slink in and be a good
granddaughter. For a moment she hung in the balance, and then she
recognized a voice and her heart leaped:
Maria Elena
.

Selah peered out from around the doorway in the
direction of the voices. Close, but not yet in sight. She stole
forth and walked as quickly and quietly as she could to the street
corner and peered once more around it. A car was parked to one side
of the street, headlights streaming like twin white conical ghosts
into the dusk. A small group of people had gathered there, talking
as if they had no worries in the world. Maria Elena was amongst
them, leaning against a muscled young man in a white tank and
low-slung jeans. Six people, maybe, handing around a bottle and
talking quietly, rifles and handguns casually displayed to deter
unwanted attention.

Selah bit her lip. All her anger was long gone,
and now all she felt was anxiety and a low-level fear. She stepped
back and bit the inside corner of her lips. Suddenly she felt
ridiculous for having chased after Maria Elena in this way. Would
she be laughed off? Told to go home? She couldn’t hesitate for much
longer. She had to make a move. She took a deep breath, raised her
chin, only then realizing that it was the same gesture her
grandmother always made. That sent a scowl across her face, and a
rose of anger began to bloom in her heart once more. There, good.
Anger was good. Before she could hesitate, she stepped around the
corner, and said loudly, “Hey!”

The reaction from the group was immediate. Two
of the guys dropped into a crouch, spinning around and pulling out
guns. The other four simply turned sharply to stare at her. Maria
Elena half stepped behind the guy with the white tank, and then
squinted and stared. “Selah?”

“Yeah,” said Selah, moving forward, trying to
not let her voice quaver. The guns were
still
pointed at
her. “Just me. No need to be scared.”

“You know this girl?” asked one of the crouching
guys, already relaxing.

“I don’t
know her
know her, but yeah, she
just moved into my building.” Maria Elena pushed away from her guy
and began to walk toward her. “
Chica
, what the hell do you
think you’re doing out here?”

Selah shrugged. “Nothing. Checking out the city,
you know.” She tried to sound cool, indifferent, but one of the
guys laughed and she suddenly felt foolish.

“Check out the city?” asked Maria Elena,
eyebrows raising. She grinned. “Girl, you are crazy. Checking out
the city?” She burst out laughing, and then turned to look at the
guys behind her. They also laughed, and suddenly Selah didn’t feel
so good. Felt really young instead, and out of her depth.

“Honey, you want me to take you home? We’re not
far,” said Maria Elena again. “I can get you back inside. I got
Tyler wrapped around my finger.”

“No.” Selah shook her head. “What are you guys
up to?”

“Us?” Maria Elena sounded surprised. “We’re
getting ready to go to the Beach.”

“The Beach? Like South Beach?” Several of the
guys had lost interest and were already talking amongst themselves
once more.

“Yeah, South Beach. A girl’s got to work.”

Selah tried to process that. “Work? You mean for
the vampires?” She’d known coming in that some people did. Whenever
a reality TV show descended on Miami, whenever a celebrity flew in
to party, whenever the vampires released promotional material,
there were always regular people around. People working the bars,
walking the streets at night, drinking, partying, driving the cars.
Still, she’d never felt that they were
real
people. Felt as
if they were props on a stage, actors who were only pretending.

“Yeah. For the evil horrible vampires.
Whatever,” said Maria Elena. “What, you not going to talk to me
now?”

“No,” said Selah, struggling. “I just thought, I
mean, I didn’t think …”

Maria Elena relented. Moved forward and slipped
an arm around Selah’s shoulders. “Look. There is a lot for you to
learn about this place. It’s not all black or white. But yeah, I
work on the Beach. So do these guys, and a couple more we’re
waiting for.” She curled her hair back from her face and gave Selah
a bitter smile. “I’m not saying it’s safe. But it’s not so bad when
you know what you’re doing. If you’ve got an ID, and are part of
the system. I might even take you one night, if you want. But now,
let’s get you home.”

“No,” said Selah. She suddenly very much wanted
to stay with Maria Elena. Learn from her. This could be the perfect
opportunity to discover the kind of information she needed. “Take
me with you. Tonight.” Maria Elena stared at her skeptically. She
began to shake her head. “I’m serious,” said Selah. “Look, I’m from
NYC. I’m seventeen. If you don’t take me, I’ll go by myself,
anyway. Take me with you. Don’t leave me here.”

Maria Elena looked at her. Really looked at her.
“Girl, you don’t know what you’re asking. But shit. Who am I to
talk? I was hitting the Beach when I was younger than you are. If
you want to come, then come. But I’m not promising anything.”

“Sure,” said Selah, elated. “I understand.”
Maria Elena already seemed to be changing her mind, so Selah
pressed on. “What do you do there?”

“I’m a hostess at Magnum, one of the clubs.
Look, you sure you don’t want to go home and think this over?”

“Maria Elena, I might never go back there. To
Mama B’s.” She felt the truth behind her words, and thrilled at it.
Suddenly felt adult, dramatic, intense. “I came to Miami for a
reason. If Mama B thinks she can stop me and keep me cooped up
indoors, she’s got another thing coming. I know my mind. I want to
go.”