Authors: Jade M. Phillips
“Oh!” Orie exclaimed, his expression brightening even more.
“That means you’ll be with Cloe!”
I creased my eyebrows at his excitement over the young
vampire.
“She’s so nice,” Orie smiled, his gaze dreamy. “She’ll take
good care of you.”
I don’t know exactly how I knew —maybe using my senses as
Wilson had taught me— but I could tell Orie had quite the hankering for Cloe.
But before I could reply, Jax grunted.
“That’s enough pleasantries, brother. We have a lot of work
to do. I need you to help me clean up the cellar for our… guest.”
So the two were brothers, I thought. It made sense now. Our
steps picked up pace and I noticed the sky growing even lighter. We made our way
alongside the huge chasm running down the center of town and past the
courthouse I had been held prisoner in. I shuddered at the thought of the cold
jails inside, thanking my lucky stars I was no longer there. I wondered if
anyone else was in there and what they’d done to be put in such a grim situation.
I touched the rosary hanging beneath my shirt and sent them my prayers.
My gaze then fell to the group of houses we approached,
their fronts leaning forward drastically. It appeared they would topple into
the great crack in the road at any minute.
“This one’s ours,” Jax said, pointing across the street.
Surrounding the small yellow house, stood a rusted metal
gate with intricate scrolls and patterns. The roof slumped so much that fallen
shingles littered the front lawn, and it was literally falling into the chasm.
I frowned, sadness washing over me.
“Why hasn’t anyone done any renovations?”
Jax shot me an irritated look but Orie chimed in before he
could say anything.
“There are so many buildings here in the werewolf district
and we don’t have enough supplies or man power.”
“What about the vampires?” I asked. “There are thousands of
them. If they helped, then maybe—”
“No,” Jax grunted. “Vampires and werewolves do not help each
other.”
“She’s right,” Orie said. “If we all pulled together we could
repair some of our homes, and maybe some of the businesses too.”
Jax ignored his younger brother and made a huge leap across
the chasm to land in front of the door. Orie and I followed, the younger
brother then turning to me.
“The vampires mostly live in the better parts of the city, the
places that were hardly affected by the cave-in.”
I found it strange how even here in a town inhabited solely
by Unfortunates, equality was such a stretch. It didn’t sit right with me. I
felt the corners of my mouth turn down. “That doesn’t seem fair.”
“Life isn’t fair,” Jax growled, flinging open the front door
and storming inside the house. “Come on Orie. We’ve got work to do.”
After taking a soothing and much needed shower —cold as it
was for the lack of the electricity necessary to heat it— I settled into the
cot Orie and Jax set up for me in the cellar of their house. Orie had lent me a
pair of pajama pants and T-shirt, and though I swam in them, I was thankful for
the clean and comfy clothes. I sighed in relief and glanced around the room, finally
having respite from all of the chaos my life seemed to attract. The floor of
the basement was dirt, there were no windows, and cardboard boxes surrounded me,
but compared to my cell in the jailhouse, it was a five-star hotel. I scanned
the crumbling walls of my temporary home and sighed once again.
It was unbelievable how drastically my life had changed in
the span of just a couple of weeks. The strange and foreign nature of the
situation was not lost on me. In fact, I’d been trying to wrap my mind around
everything that happened since the night I died, or since the night I turned,
rather.
I was constantly reminding myself of how new I was to the
world of the Unfortunates. Only a couple of weeks ago I was human. I had a
normal life, a normal family, and a normal boyfriend. But that was before the
crash, before I died. And I remembered dying now, the cold chill of it freezing
my veins and the desperation to fight for survival. I remembered those last few
breaths of mine and my real father’s eyes before he turned me. I remembered how
I prayed to be taken to a better place where all my questions would finally be
answered.
But now that I lived and was granted a second chance, I had
a whole new slew of questions, ones which I was certain would take time to
answer. I was starting my life over again, but this time I was an Unfortunate,
a creature damned to earth for all eternity. The monstrous notion reminded me
of what Guy had said that night outside the mission. His words I would never
forget.
This could be a blessing, Faith. This could be your path
to right every wrong. This could be your redemption.
My heart pained that I would never see him again, but I
needed to let go and move on like he had. Or had he? Now that he held a bond to
me, would he live a life full of pain which was not his own? I looked down to
find myself gripping the rosary Guy had given me, the point of the cross nearly
cutting through my skin. I dropped my hands to my sides and relaxed my
shoulders. I was here and this… place was now my home. I needed to come to
terms with that and be thankful I still lived.
I took a deep breath to reel myself back in and lifted the
bottom of my shirt to reveal the band of my pajama pants. From there, I slid
out the only tokens I possessed from my human life; the picture of my family
and the letter from Frank. I resisted the urge to read the letter again for the
heart-wrenching words were already permanently etched in my brain. I put the
letter aside and focused on the photo. I gazed into my mother’s bright eyes and
my father’s smiling face, my insides aching. But strangely enough it was not
them whom I ached for most. It was Guy.
“Ugh,” I huffed. “Pull it together, Ruby.” I would never see
him again and I needed to get over it. Yet again, I shook the unwanted notion
from my head and placed the picture and letter beneath my cot. I opened my
mouth to yawn but was interrupted when Orie padded down the stairs with a
blanket in hand. He crossed the room and held it out to me.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s a little tattered, but it’s
warm.” The presence of the young werewolf made me smile. Something about him
that made me feel comfortable and at home.
“It’s perfect,” I said, reaching out to take the soft
blanket. I set it on my lap and noticed Orie scanning the cellar, his yellow
irises glowing in the dark.
“It’s not much, but it will keep the light out.”
“It’s great, Orie, really. Thank you.” After being on the
run and shifted around like old hand-me-downs for the past couple of weeks, it
was nice to finally have a place of my own, even a musty old cellar.
“You’re probably used to living underground anyway, or in a
coffin,” Orie mused. “Being a vampire and all.”
“Honestly,” I replied. “I’m not used to any of this. I don’t
even know how to be a proper vampire.”
His gaze landed on me in disbelief. “Really? I think you did
quite well back at the Crystal Palace with those idiots. You’re probably the
strongest vampire I’ve ever seen.”
I giggled at the compliment, remembering my own shock at how
far I could throw a full-grown werewolf. “Thanks,” I said.
“I’ve always been intrigued by vampires,” Orie said,
shifting his stance. “How they can survive on only blood and with no sunlight.
And the whole living forever thing is pretty cool too.”
“I guess so.” I fidgeted with the fringe on the edge of the
blanket.
“So you’re a Newborn then?” he asked, plopping himself down
on the dirt next to my cot. Even though I wasn’t cold, I tucked the blanket
tight around my feet, reveling in the comfort of the material on my toes.
“Yes,” I answered. “I was turned only a couple of weeks ago
though it feels like forever. But I’m still getting used to my own body. It’s
like learning how to drive a stick shift when you’re used to automatic.”
Orie laughed, his eyes full of life and joy.
“What about you?” I asked. “I don’t know anything about
werewolves. Were you born that way or did someone make you?”
“Oh no, I wasn’t turned like you were,” Orie replied with a
smile. “I was born this way.” He gestured to the upstairs and continued. “Our
father was a werewolf but our mother was not. It’s a luck of the draw type thing.
Jax and I turned out to have the gene but our sister didn’t.”
“I see,” I nodded. “Where is your sister now?”
“She lives with our mother in the human world but I don’t
know where they are. My father sent them away because it was getting too
dangerous to be around us. The humans were out to get us and father tried to
protect Jax and I. But when they ambushed our home, we escaped and he didn’t
make it. That’s how we ended up here.”
A pang of sadness sliced through me, too close to home for
my liking. I knew all too well what it was like to be separated from family. “I’m
so sorry for your loss.”
Orie waved a dismissive hand. “Oh it’s all right. I don’t
remember much of it anyway. I was just a small boy when it all happened.” Orie
leaned forward, picking at a place in the dirt, and I studied the young man’s
face. I had yet to see him in his wolf form, but my senses and his yellow eyes told
me that’s exactly what he was. My curiosity peaked.
“So… I’ve only seen a werewolf in his wolf form twice and I’m
not really sure how that happens. Can you control when you change?”
Orie picked up a pebble and tossed it aside. He turned his
golden gaze to me. “Sometimes yes. Sometimes no. Werewolves always transform
when it’s a full moon, that’s a certainty. Other than that, it has to do with
emotion. I sometimes have trouble controlling myself when I get angry, but Jax
says I’m getting better at it.”
“I completely understand,” I said, laughing. “I can barely
control my anger, let alone my fangs.” I chalked it up to primal reaction,
imagining it was the same for him.
“Well, I’d better get to bed.” Orie stood and brushed the
dust from his pants. “I have to report for guard duty just after sunset.”
“Thanks again Orie,” I said, “For everything.”
He smiled. “No problem.” He climbed up the stairs and shut
the hatch, casting the cellar into pitch black.
I lay down flat on the cot and closed my eyes, hardly
having time to wonder what life would be like in my new home before exhaustion pulled
me into sleep. And in sleep, the shadows of the man I loved whirled through my
dreams.
I awoke in the dark cellar to my stomach rumbling, trying to
recall the last time I’d fed. When realizing it hadn’t been since the goat’s
blood at Wilson’s ranch house weeks ago, that led me to wonder how long I could
actually go without drinking blood. And furthermore, where did the vampires
here get their blood from to begin with. Obviously they had blood here, for I
was offered it every day, but except for the poor woman at The Bird Cage
Theater, I hadn’t seen any humans around and I prayed my ominous blood slave duty
had nothing to do with it— but I suspected it probably did. I ignored my
growing hunger and took a deep breath, needing to ready myself for the coming
night. I sensed the darkness outside and would have to report for duty soon.
I climbed from my makeshift bed and took the stairs up to
the cellar door. I lifted the hatch and poked my head out into the kitchen. A
tarnished candelabra sat in the middle of the table, its glow flickering
throughout the room. The burnished light from the sunset leaked through the
shabby window blinds and Orie sat at the table with a plate full of food in
front of him.
“Good morning!” he exclaimed, his golden eyes glistening. He
laughed. “Or… good evening, rather.”
“Good evening, Orie.” I climbed the rest of the way out and
shut the cellar door.
“I’m still getting used to the curfew,” Orie said as he
shoved a spoonful of mashed potatoes into his mouth. I then remembered Cloe
explaining that even the werewolves and witches had to abide by the curfew and slept
during the day as the vampires did.
“It was different before?” I asked, hiking up the pajama
pants that insisted on making their way to the floor for being so big.
“Yes,” he murmured from behind a mouthful of roasted
chicken. “We used to be allowed to roam during daylight hours. But not long
ago, orders came down from the Patriarch insisting everyone keep the same
schedule. Except, of course, for a few werewolves who keep guard during the day
to make sure there are no intruders. It’s for safety reasons. Word is, FUSE has
been even more active than usual lately.”
“Oh,” I replied, trying to hide my guilty reaction. The word
FUSE immediately had me thinking of Guy.
I wondered where he was at that moment and what he was
doing. I hoped the torment of his bond to me didn’t affect him too badly. I
hoped he could live out his life happily and forget all about me. But that was
a double standard, because no matter how long I lived, I would never forget my
savior; the man who had my heart.
“Have a seat.” Orie patted the chair next to him. “I was
just about to come wake you. This was delivered here for you a few minutes
ago.” Orie pointed to a jug of blood on the table. Human blood. I grimaced, but
my stomach rumbled loudly in response.
“Thank you.” I took the seat next to him and looked around
the empty house. The tiny kitchen held old turquoise appliances and dry wooden
cabinetry that lined the ceiling. It reminded me of my Grandmother’s house. She’d
died when I was very young and I didn’t remember much of her. Reflections of my
Grandmother fled when I noticed the silence of the house. “Where’s Jax?”
Orie took a swig from a chipped mug. “Jax has been busy
lately. There’s a call for heightened security and the legion is now holding
daily meetings down at Vampire Hall. They’re also planning a scouting mission
and Jax is in charge of those. We’re running low on supplies and the vampires
need more humans.”
My gut clenched. “More humans?”
Orie took another gulp of water, studying what probably
resembled a terrified look on my face.
“Yes,” he said tentatively. “You do know that’s how vampires
survive, right?”
My cheeks flushed. “Yes, of course… it’s just…”
I eyed the jug of blood on the table and my stomach rumbled
yet again. I thought back to the one time I’d tried human blood after Guy and I
robbed the blood bank, and could almost taste the metallic nastiness on my
tongue. But I’d never swallowed it, only spitting it back out in disgust. I
didn’t know if it was just in my head, but the idea of drinking the stuff made
me ill. Orie followed my gaze to the jug.
“Have you never drank human blood before?” Orie asked. “You
said you were on blood slave duty?”
“Yes.” I made a face, having the sneaking suspicion where this
conversation was going and it made me queasy. Orie studied me tentatively.
“You do realize your job will be to take care of the humans,
blood slaves if you will, that supply your kind with their blood?”
I shifted in my seat, my insides squirming uncomfortably at
his admission. “So… they keep humans here as slaves?” I asked.
Orie nodded, his expression darkening. “It is quite sad,
really. The vampires aren’t bothered by it, of course. But I know for a fact
the witches and the werewolves find it an uneasy situation.”
I let my mind wander to the dark concept of having slaves
and found it incomprehensible. I knew being a vampire wouldn’t be easy, but it
was proving damn near impossible. Unaware of my inner torment, Orie stood and
set his plate in the sink.
“You’d better drink up and get changed. I’m to take you to
meet Cloe at Big Nose Kate’s. There are some clothes set out for you in the
bathroom. I’ll be back in a minute.”
I nodded and Orie disappeared into one of the rooms in the
tiny house. I studied the blood before me but couldn’t bring myself to drink
it. I’d have to find another way.
I stood and went to the bathroom, finding an old black dress
and petticoat laid out on the counter with a cream pair of pantaloons. Beside
them sat an old pair of lace-up brown boots and stockings. I giggled at the
old-style clothes imagining myself looking like a gothic cowgirl as I put them
on.
I came out to find Orie waiting for me. He wore jeans and a
button-up flannel. A star-shaped pin hung on his shirt, one I assumed signified
him as a member of security.
“M’lady,” he said in a terrible British accent, offering his
arm like a gentleman. I giggled, taking his proffered arm as we exited the
front door.
Orie escorted me through town, the streets bustling with
people, their eyes following us as we went. I ignored the stares, realizing
that even in my new Victorian garb I was still being eyed like some weirdo cat
lady with a bird’s nest in her hair. I shrugged it off, figuring it was
probably something I’d have to get used to, and followed my guide into Big Nose
Kate’s Saloon, the aromatic smells of food and herbs clinging thick to the air.
Werewolves and witches sat at round tables awaiting their
meals while women scurried behind the bar taking orders and filling drinks.
Orie spotted Cloe at the end of the long bar top and I followed him to her. She
piled plates onto a rolling wooden cart and I noticed she still had a
nasty-looking gash on her lip that Horus gave her. I wondered why she hadn’t
healed herself. Wasn’t that one of the perks of being a vampire?
Cloe turned and, when seeing Orie, her face flushed as pink
as a poppy. The way they stared at each other was anything but formal or
unfamiliar and it was clear they knew each other well. Their gazes met and it
was as if time stood still, like they were the only two people in the whole
place.
Thinking of Guy who I could never be with made me smile yet
hurt all at the same time, but I shrugged away my sorrow, the dark reality of
my situation growing heavy as I gazed upon the two lovers. I wondered how Cloe’s
maker, Horus, felt about her affections for the young wolf. But the way her
eyes darted away nervously told me theirs too was a forbidden love.
“Ready for guard duty?” Cloe asked nonchalantly as she
carefully stacked more plates on top of each other. She made sure to avert her
gaze away from him.
“Ready as ever,” Orie beamed, but his smile melted when he
saw her gashed lip. “What is that?” He reached out to touch her face and she
abruptly jerked away. “What has that… blood-sucker done to you now?” Anger
layered Orie’s voice, his face reddening by the second.
“Stop it,” Cloe breathed, continuing her work. “Just let it
be.”
“No,” He gripped her shoulders and turned her to face him.
“Look at me.”
Her downcast gaze drifted upwards, her eyes glistening with
tears.
“That son of a bitch,” Orie cursed. “I’m going to have a
talk with him.”
“Idiot,” she snapped, ripping away from him. Her voice then lowered
to a harsh whisper. “People can hear you. Do you wish me dead, or yourself for that
matter? Leave it be Orie.”
Cloe turned her attention to me and nodded me over,
indicating I help her stack plates which held piles of mush.
“Just because he is a legion leader doesn’t mean he can
treat you this way,” Orie grumbled. “It isn’t right.”
“I made a mistake,” Cloe replied, keeping herself busy. “And
I won’t do it again.”
Orie watched us work for a moment. “I swear, if he does it
again…”
“Orie!” Cloe yelped. “Don’t you have somewhere else to be?”
Orie studied the young female vampire for a while longer
before turning and storming from the saloon.
“God,” Cloe exclaimed, rolling her eyes. “You’d think he was
short a few brain cells.”
“He obviously cares for you,” I said, shrugging, and grabbed
a handful of spoons laid out for us. I wished I had someone who cared about me
like that.
“He’s too caring for his own good,” she murmured.
“Does Horus know?” I asked and Cloe shot me a startled glance.
But after a few moments, she turned away as if I hadn’t said anything at all.
“I… I mean about you two?” I stuttered, realizing I may have
overstepped my bounds. And by the look in her eyes, I knew I’d hit the nail on
the head. She loved Orie, but it was obviously a touchy subject and I shouldn’t
have mentioned it.
Cloe steeled herself and pulled her brown hair behind her
shoulders. “There’s nothing for him to know.” She put the last plate on the
cart and started toward the doors. I followed her outside. “Orie is just a
friend,” she continued. “I’ve watched him grow since he was a young wolf.”
“He seems to think differently,” I smiled.
Cloe stopped and looked at me, her face full of emotion. Her
nose twitched when she spoke. “Even if there was something there, it could
never be. Horus is my maker. I’m bonded to him and not allowed to be with
anyone else.”
I empathized with her, the sadness of her situation hitting
home with me. But what I couldn’t understand was how she managed to be with
such a horrid creature as Horus and not go completely mad.
“You know, I have the same problem,” I admitted. “Loving
someone I can never be with.”
Cloe glanced my way, her eyes brimming with curiosity.
I looked down at my boots remembering the warmth of Guy’s
smile, the safety of his embrace. Sad shivers ran across my body. “Yes. He sacrificed
everything for me and saved my life. But now that I’m this… this creature, it
just cannot be.”
Cloe slid me a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” I reached down and touched my rosary. It rested
against my chest beneath the material of my dress. “I just need to have faith
that maybe one day things will be different. And whether I can be with him or
not, I hope he finds true happiness.”
Cloe slid me a dubious look as though I said something weird.
She tensed her shoulders. “Come on. We need to get this food down to the
Shelter.”
Her quick shift in temperament had me wondering what I’d
said that struck her so odd, but before I could say another word Cloe hustled
down the wooden sidewalk, the cart’s wheels squeaking as she went. I rushed to
catch up.
“The Shelter. Is that where they keep the humans?” I asked,
wariness gripping my chest. “The blood slaves?”
“Yes. Our job is to feed them and clean their cages.”
“Clean their cages?” I gawked, disbelief jolting through me.
“Are you serious?”
Cloe shrugged. “You wouldn’t think so but humans can be
rather messy.”
“No. I mean… I can’t believe they are kept in cages. That’s…
horrible.”
“How else are we to keep them?” Cloe asked honestly.
“Otherwise they would run away.”
I held back my shock, realizing just how different Cloe and
I were. I thought I’d sensed a shred of humanity in her before, but I must’ve
been mistaken. We hurriedly moved down Allen Street and turned down a dark side
road. We stopped in front of a seemingly abandoned building and Cloe pulled a
key from her skirt pocket, unlocking the door. I held it open for her as she
wheeled the cart through and followed her inside to a dark front room.
“This used to be an old boarding house,” Cloe explained. “It
was nearly destroyed during the cave-in, but the vampires turned it into The
Shelter.”
Though I saw no humans, I sensed them, the smell of their
earthy blood quickly filtering into my nostrils. Still, the thought of drinking
human blood made me ill, but I knew my body craved sustenance. I was growing
weaker from not feeding for so long.
Cloe gestured with her head. “It’s back here.”
I followed her through another door, suddenly realizing I
could’ve never prepared myself for what I saw next. At seeing the rows of cages
and the filth within them, my breath caught in my chest, and despair bled
through me like poison.
“Dear God,” I whispered, thinking I hadn’t seen the worst of
Tombstone yet.