Authors: Meg Winkler
Chapter 23
Sophie sat on the black leather
seat, looking at her family as the black limousine sped down the highway. They
all looked like fashion models. Despite her best efforts, Sophie’s clothes from
The Gap didn’t really compare to Armani, Calvin Klein, Yves Saint Laurent,
Versace, and Chanel. She would really have to do some shopping in New Orleans, because if they all dressed like this on a regular basis, Sophie was screwed.
The limousine pulled up to the
terminal, making it to the airport in record time, and other passengers stared at
them as one by one, they piled out of the massive car. There were nudges and
whispers as their driver piled the luggage on a cart and pushed it inside after
them, while the family followed.
Who are they?
Is she a movie star?
Body guards?
The thoughts were endless, and
exceedingly humorous.
“Mr. Jones, Miss Page,” the lady
behind the counter addressed them as they approached.
Did they know we were coming?
Sophie
thought.
Yes,
Alexander answered
silently and smiled at the airline employee.
Amazingly, there were no questions
asked as Sophie and Alexander were handed their boarding passes. They had
boarded the plane ahead of all of the other passengers before Sophie knew what
happened.
“You will get used to it,” Alexander
whispered into her ear.
She smiled to herself but didn’t
say anything. She tried to relax for the short flight as she settled back into
her seat. Granted, her anxiety over flying was eased a bit now that she knew
how virtually indestructible she was—but old habits die hard and she was hugely
inexperienced with air travel. Laney was listening to her MP3 player and Jim
typed away on his laptop. Catherina and Dante huddled closely together, whispering
privately to one another, and Zoey was gazing out the window nearby. Sophie turned
to Alexander.
“So tell me about New Orleans,”
Sophie said.
“What would you like to know?” he
asked.
“What’s it like?”
“Different. There’s much activity
there, and there are many people. It’s unlike anywhere you’ve visited,” he
mused. “There’s an undercurrent of things otherworldly in New Orleans.”
“Meaning…?”
“Well, there is a large amount of
voodoo and occult activity in the city, and there are also many
other
beings there,” he answered enigmatically.
Vampires,
she thought.
Yes.
And…others of…us?
Yes.
“Ah,” she replied to herself.
“We will be meeting up with some very
old friends of Catherina’s,” he said in a whisper so soft that even she could
barely hear, “a group of sisters who are at least as old as she, and who are
especially unique among our people.”
Sophie was admittedly nervous about
meeting more of their kind, after the iffy situation with Celia, but Alexander’s
peace of mind helped reassure her. He was quiet for a several moments as they
pretended to listen to the flight attendant and the best way to survive a crash
over land and sea. They would probably be able to swim away from an ocean
crash.
“What makes them so unique?” Sophie
asked.
Alexander’s eyes narrowed as he
continued to look forward, deliberating. “They are companions,” he finally
answered.
“So they’re…?”
“They’re called sisters because
their relationship is much like that between Jim, Laney, and yourself. However,
it is stronger than that; like the relationship which you and I share. They’ve
each had their share of male companionship, but it is their sisterly bond which
is paramount in their lives. Because of their link, they are exceptionally
strong and intuitive. Just suppose what you, Catherina, and Laney could
accomplish if you were linked as companions are.”
“Wow,” she replied. She sat back,
mulling over what he’d told her. Suddenly, Alexander turned in his seat and
looked at her seriously.
“What is it?” she asked.
“I’ve just realized something,” he
answered enigmatically.
“What’s that?” She asked.
“Well, while you’ve all but cornered
me for story of my life, you have not told me about your own history.”
She looked away quickly.
There’s
not much to tell,
she replied silently and somberly. She looked down at her
hands and folded them together, not wanting to meet his eye. And she knew he
hadn’t just thought of that; it was something that he’d been thinking about for
weeks.
I would like to know,
he
thought, and turned in his seat to face forward. He reached down to grasp her
hand, rubbing the back of it with his thumb.
She continued to look at the floor
and he glanced out the window periodically.
She sighed.
What do you want to
know?
She concentrated on the tiny electric pulses that seemed to radiate
through her skin where he touched her hand – that was a safer thing to think about.
I believe you wanted to know
everything about me, though I would be satisfied with far less. I understand if
you don’t want to tell me; if some of those memories are too painful—I suspect
they may be.
He could hear her thoughts and feel her emotions as if they were
his own, but he rarely delved into her memories and she didn’t think about them
much in any case.
She chuckled under her breath at
the irony and looked casually across the aisle, glancing at the other
passengers.
You’re one to talk, you know? You’re not exactly forthcoming
with your story,
she thought kindly.
That is true. Memories can be
our enemies.
Yeah,
she thought and then
sighing, gave in.
I was raised in the foster care system. I jumped around to
different homes, one every few months or so until I was a teenager and figured
out that if I just kept my mouth shut about hearing everyone else’s thoughts, I
wouldn’t be branded a troublemaker and could gain some permanency.
I guess I was fifteen or sixteen
when I finally made it to my last foster home. My foster parents were really
nice. They were an older couple and couldn’t ever have kids, so they fostered a
whole slew of us.
I finally met my maternal
grandmother once I was of legal age. She was in a nursing home and I don’t know
who paid to keep her there, but she was beyond crazy when I met her…literally
crazy. I asked her about my mom, because I didn’t know about her then. She just
kept calling her a hussy and bemoaned the fact that she’d run away when she got
“in trouble,”—you know, with me.
Her features turned into a look
that struck him straight to the heart. The pain overwhelmed him and he turned to
face her. He cupped her chin in his hand to turn her face toward his. Alexander’s
eyes searched hers frantically as her mind cleared of the previous train of
thought. The dewy vulnerability in her eyes wrenched his heart.
“What is it?” he whispered.
She dipped her face down and looked
away from him, toward the window over his shoulder.
“I don’t want to talk about it
anymore,” she whispered in return.
He nodded, looking straight ahead. “We
don’t have to,” he promised.
There wasn’t much to say about her
childhood, or her life in general before she’d joined her new family. She had
usually been on her own, and it never bothered her; she didn’t know any other
way to be. There were things about that part of her life she’d rather leave in
the past; instead of bringing them all back to the surface. It wasn’t lost on
her that some of the really bad ones had almost gotten out this time.
She’d fallen into the habit of
drifting through life, minding her own business, trying desperately to not hear
anyone else’s thoughts, and to be as normal as possible. Ironically, Sophie had
never felt as normal as she did with her new family—she could be herself,
answer silent questions aloud, and tell others about the flashes of the future she
occasionally received, without being considered a freak. She was finally home. Dredging
up bad memories wasn’t something she wanted to do—now or ever—but especially
not now.
*
They landed at Louis Armstrong
International after about an hour long flight. After claiming their baggage,
they were greeted by another black stretch limo. People around them universally
thought they were part of the mafia, which made Sophie wary of the new city she
found herself in. It seemed to be the knee-jerk assumption from those around
them, and she wasn’t sure that was the best thing.
But she quickly forgot her anxiety
with the thoughts of the suspicious humans around her. If some of those people
had realized that they could all hear what they were thinking…well, it made Sophie
laugh.
“We shall be meeting with some old
friends of mine very soon,” Catherina said once they were all situated in the
limo.
Sophie sat between Alexander and
Laney. Laney laid her head on Sophie’s shoulder and closed her eyes as she held
her hand.
Alexander looked at Catherina. “The
sisters?” He asked quickly.
“Yes,” Catherina replied. “I am
hoping that they will offer to assist us, although perhaps they will not. Regardless,
we owe it to them to make sure they understand the serious nature of our
situation.”
Laney sank against Sophie and began
to breathe slower and heavier. Sophie knew from the images in her head that
Laney was asleep. She slowly lowered her sister so that her head rested in her
lap and smiled at Alexander as he watched her. Laney’s dreams were incredibly
light and airy, but had no plot or real meaning to them. She was so innocent at
times; she seemed so young, and eternally happy.
What I’d give for such peace!
Sophie thought wistfully.
Alexander squeezed her hand.
She looked out the window and
watched the city zooming past them as they sped along.
I guess speed limits mean
nothing to the Leone family,
Sophie thought.
Alexander chuckled under his
breath. He laid his hand on her crossed knee, stroking it absentmindedly and
looked out his own window, seemingly oblivious to the physical impact such a move
had on her. A shiver ran up her leg where he’d touched her, but he was
distracted by his own thoughts: It had been years since he had been back. It
was obvious that he was happy to be returning, even if it was under dangerous
conditions. Those thoughts occupied his mind for the time being, as he
absentmindedly stroked her knee.
She inhaled heavily, trying to
wrestle her blood pressure into submission. He looked at her quickly and
winked.
She narrowed her eyes at him; he
knew what he was doing to her.
Of course,
he thought with a
conspiratorial smile, before turning swiftly back to the window.
The limo drifted down streets lined
with various beautiful homes before coming to stop before a pale grey two-story
home on the corner of two intersecting streets. It peeked out from behind the
giant oaks that stood like sentinels in the yard, just beyond the intricate and
swirling wrought-iron fence. Stately columns lined both the stories, floor to
ceiling windows looked out onto the street below.
Catherina sighed. She was home.
Sophie gently touched Laney’s cheek
where she lay on her lap, and the younger girl immediately woke.
“Oh, sorry, Sophie,” she apologized
sleepily, looking ashamed.
Sophie tucked a stray piece of hair
behind her ear and said, “No, it’s okay. Really.”
She nodded toward the open door and
after a moment, Laney caught on to what was going on. She stepped out, and
Sophie followed her. Alexander was immediately, and eagerly, leading the way
inside. Sophie smiled as she watched him. Walking inside, the beautiful
hardwood floors and light silk draperies greeted them. It was obvious that the
rooms had been freshly cleaned.
“Downstairs,” Alexander began as
Dante and Catherina disappeared off to the left. Sophie looked around, taking
it all in. “Dante and Catherina’s room is there,” he said, gesturing in their
direction.
Jim and Zoey disappeared in an
instant; they’d lived there before, too. Alexander turned on a heel and led the
way through the downstairs part of the house, showing Sophie and Laney the
paneled library; the pale grey dining room with its white silk curtains and
antique table; the kitchen with state-of-the-art stainless appliances and its
wall of wide windows; the two sitting rooms, one with a Baby Grand in the
corner. He was inspecting it all.
“Follow me,” he commanded to Sophie
and Laney, leading the way up the stairs to the second floor.
Laney giggled at his formality
behind his back and Sophie shook her head in disapproval. Laney’s smile faded
as quickly as it appeared. She looked at her sister apologetically. Sophie wrapped
her arm around her shoulders and hugged her as they continued on after
Alexander.