Authors: Jez Strider
“Let her go.”
I ordered and Janet released the girl to me.
She ran crying into my arms.
The teen was Fate, Ashley’s daughter.
She was about my height, which meant she relatively short.
Her hair was always tediously straightened and a different color nearly every time I saw her.
This day it was all black except for the bangs covering one of her eyes.
They were a dark red.
She had many earrings and a beauty mark piercing above her lip.
Ashley had always given consent for the piercings since Fate was still underage.
Her skirt was short and blouse low cut.
Marcus thanked Janet.
“I think we have it from here.”
He closed the door and shot me a questioning look.
I could smell the alcohol and scent of smoke on the young girl.
Cigarettes and marijuana.
It was Friday night, so I figured she’d come from a party.
I just didn’t know why she’d come to me.
“Will you make some coffee?”
I asked Marc as I led the girl over to sit down at the kitchen table.
Marcus didn’t really drink coffee, but he kept some for the occasional guest.
It was just taking a while for him to find it.
Fate sniffled and looked up at me with mascara running down her cheeks.
“I’m sorry Eve.
I overheard mom talking to you so I knew you were here.”
Her sentence came out in broken sobs.
She stole a sideways, uncomfortable glance at my shirtless fiancé. She didn’t seem sure if she should speak in front of him.
The coffee was finally being made.
Marcus didn’t seem like he was going to leave us girls alone to talk.
“It’s okay.”
I reached out and patted her hand.
“What happened?”
“I went to this party that some college kids were throwing.”
She shook her head back and forth.
“It was stupid, but that’s why I went.
I thought maybe daddy would contact me again if I was getting into trouble.”
Her father’s death had taken the greatest toll on her compared to her younger siblings.
The others were too young to remember him well.
My hand went up over my mouth and it took me a moment to keep from crying for the girl’s pain.
“Your mom told me that he spoke to you from the afterlife.
I don’t begin to say I understand how it works, but I doubt it’s easy for him to speak to you just whenever.”
“I know.
It takes too much energy, especially to speak.
That’s why they often manipulate energy.
That’s all many of them can do.”
I could see the shame in her eyes for acting out.
“I just miss him and I’m scared of everything I’m seeing.”
Marcus brought over a cup of coffee for each of us.
He sat down at the table as well, but didn’t try to input anything into the conversation.
“Thanks.”
Both of her shaky hands had to hold the cup to keep from dropping it.
“You still haven’t told me what happened at the party.”
I urged her to continue after she was silent for a few moments.
Fate toyed with one of her bracelets, not meeting either of our inquiring gazes when she started to speak.
“There was this one guy I was making out with and it was all fine.
Then some of his friends came over and they were too aggressive for my liking.
I tried to leave, but they were surrounding me.”
Marcus looked enraged and I mouthed “no” at him.
With his temper, he’d probably put each of those guys into a coma.
“I couldn’t see any escape, when suddenly every light in the place blew out, one by one.
The speakers blasting the loud music popped and emitted a screech before turning to static.
It was enough of a distraction for me to make a run for the door.”
She buried her face in her hands, crying again.
“I got in my car and just drove.
Mom has enough to worry about without me adding to it.”
It was too much for a seventeen year old to have to deal with and I wished I could help.
“She’s going to wonder where you are, Fate.
I have to call her.”
Suddenly, she was on her feet and frantic.
“No, no, please no.
She thinks I’m staying with a friend.
Just let me stay here the night and I’ll tell her in the morning.
I swear, I will.
Mom can’t see me like this.”
I let out a long sigh and looked at Marcus who just gave me a shrug.
“Fine, but you promise me that this behavior stops.
Obviously, your dad is always watching over you.
Who do you think saved you from those drunken frat boys?” I asked her.
Being a disciplinarian was not one of my strong points. Marc stood up and walked over to a closet.
“Dad…. Or one of those ghosts that keep following me around whispering “
Sanuto
” wherever I go.
I think that
Sanuto
person may have killed a bunch of people around here.”
She walked over to the sofa after Marcus returned with a blanket and pillow.
“Thank you both.
I think you and Eve will have awesome kids.
Super cute.”
My fiancé looked at her, blinking a few times at the unexpected statement.
Especially since it was the first time she’d addressed him directly.
I hardly even heard that last part.
What she said about the dead and
Sanuto
was still swirling in my thoughts.
“Fate….tell the dead they’ll be able to rest soon when they mention
Sanuto
.”
She was confused, but nodded.
“Hey, you have a dog.”
Lewis was sleeping on the sofa and she just climbed on beside him, petting the animal.
He opened his eyes briefly, before drifting back off.
Terrible guard dog when he was tired.
“See you in the morning.”
I said as Marc and I headed far across the room to our bed. He flipped off the light.
Marcus and I lay there without speaking for a long time.
Fate’s light snoring told me she was finally asleep.
“Do you think we will have “awesome” and “super cute” kids?”
This was the question Marcus chose to break the silence.
He tried to look serious, but broke into a smirk.
“God, children are too blunt.” I told him with a sigh.
“It’s doubtful, though.
Vampire men can make children relatively easily, but women tend to have cycles that are unpredictable and few in between.
Our bodies practically slow to a crawl, just like how aging stops.
Wait, does that matter?”
It was one of those big topics that we’d never gotten into before the proposal.
I knew for some men it could be a deal breaker.
“Nope.”
He said, adding.
“I have plenty of nieces and nephews.”
Once again, he impressed me.
I wasn’t entirely convinced.
He was too young to know what he wanted, but what did I know?
He seemed sure.
It went quiet not long after and I could tell Marc had fallen asleep by this breathing.
I wished I could drift off without a care, but not this night.
Sighing again, I curled against him until elusive sleep eventually found me.
Fate and Marcus were watching television and having cereal when I finally dragged myself out of bed.
Saturday morning cartoons.
I laughed inside.
As mature as they both tried to be, they were both less than a decade from childhood.
“
Mornin
’!”
Fate called out.
I noticed she’d cleaned off the smeared make-up and looked relatively normal again.
It was a relief.
The previous night had left me upset.
I shouldn’t have been surprised.
She was like her mother in that she could bounce back when life went sour.
“Good morning, you two.”
I said as I walked into the kitchen, pouring myself a glass of orange juice.
That was another thing I loved about the area, other than the ocean.
Fresh oranges.
It was time for Fate to go home I decided as I stood there, but before I could say anything there was a familiar knock at the door.
Marcus glanced over his shoulder.
“Sorry, babe.
I forgot to tell you that he was coming by this morning.
Apparently he has some info about…” He looked to Fate for a moment then said, “You know who.”
“How do you know who it is already, Eve?
Some secret knock?”
Fate asked.
Yeah. She really needed to go home.
Way too perceptive.
I let out a long sigh.
“Enough with the questions.
You’re still in trouble.”
As I headed to open the door she sat on her knees, looking over the back of the sofa to see the guest.
“Is it another vamp, Marc?”
In one ear and out the other with her.
I’d just said no more questions.
“Vamp?
I know you taught her that, Marcus.”
He smirked.
“Maybe.”
Much more of this and I’d have a headache.
All I needed was Fate going home and ranting to Ashley about the “vamps.”
I opened the door during the next impatient knock.
Antonio’s hand was still poised in the air.
“Come in.
I wasn’t told you were dropping by this morning.”
With a small nod he accepted the invitation and walked inside.
It was getting crowded.
Fate stared in awe at Antonio for a long moment before coming across the room and extending her hand to him. “Hi.
I’m Fate.
Eve is pretty much like an aunt to me.”
Her personality was infectious and the serious look on Antonio’s face slipped into a sincere smile.
“A beautiful name for an equally beautiful young woman.”
He took her extended hand and bent down placing a delicate kiss on the top.
“You may call me Antonio.”
The flutter of her heartbeat was audible to me.
“This is my best friend’s
seventeen
year old daughter who was just on her way home.”
I’d hoped Marcus would take the hint, but he didn’t.
“Right, Marc!?”