ristian cleared his throat and everyone turned to stare at him. He felt like an outsider interrupting a private moment. “Hey, Cristian.” Billy said greeting him. The others greeted him with a wave or a nod. He looked at Sage awkwardly trying to think of what to say. The others noticed the strain between them. “Sage, I need to speak to you,” he said softly.
“Whatever you have to say to her, you can say in front of all of us.” Anna spat. Cristian stared at her, irritated.
“What is it, Cristian?” Sage asked calmly. “I took the painting back, as you know,” he started, “and I thought that would be the end of it.” “I told you,” Billy said telepathically, looking at Anna, Daniel, and Samuel. Sage braced herself for the inevitable. “But the director wants to hold a celebration of the portrait’s return by having a masquerade ball this Friday.”
He reached out to grab her hand but stopped in mid reach. “He wants me to bring you,” he said sorrowfully, dropping his hand back to his side.
“No!” Anna snapped. “I knew this would happen,” she said angrily. “When you painted her portrait, you exposed her to the whole world even though you knew this was not what she wanted. Are you that hell-bent for money and fame to sell out the woman you proclaim to love?”
Cristian winced. “Rafael will be there,” John said. “Pearson will come look for me no matter where I am,” Sage said. “They didn’t give me a choice, Sage,” Cristian pleaded. “If you have to go, Sage, we’re all going with you,” Anna said, glaring at Cristian in disgust. “We’re not going to stand by like spectators watching the sheep being led to slaughter.” The ominous figure standing at the doorway listened silently.
“Can I speak to you alone?” Cristian mumbled. The ominous figure disappeared when they turned the corner and walked down to the doorway. “Sage I…he paused, “I don’t know how to explain to you,” She lifted her hand to silence him. “I don’t want to hear excuses of what happened at the club,” she said plainly. He dropped his head in shame knowing that she did in fact see him and Tania at the club. “I….I… he stammered.
“Sometimes we blurt things out in anger that would’ve never been said under different circumstances,” Sage said. “I didn’t mean what I said,” Cristian said. “I was just frustrated. You did mean them Cristian,” she said. “You spoke truth.”
“This isn’t really the time or place for this conversation,” he said knowing, that the others could hear him. “I’m going to speak to my mother about how she treated you the other night, and I’d like to continue this conversation but at my place,” he said. He stared at her face, at her lips, wanting to kiss her but knowing that he had no right. With no more to say, he silently turned and went out the door.
Randi decided to stop by the morgue to visit her friend before returning home. She overheard an orderly mention that another John Doe was brought into the morgue. His body was found in an alley drained of blood, and he also had animal-like slashes on his arm. She noticed, as her friend approached, the serious expression on her freckled face. “What’s happening?” she asked. “This is between us, okay?” the assistant said. “A decomposing body was wheeled in this morning and we couldn’t make out their identity.” Randi nodded her head, intrigued. “Was this body drained of blood like the others?” she asked. “Yes,” her friend replied.
“But that’s not all. After checking the dental records, she looked around and leaned into her ear, “This body is that of Robert Scott, the manager of Cristian West, who went missing weeks ago.” “It is!” Randi said astonished. “Yes. Please don’t tell anyone, because it hasn’t been made official yet.” “Okay,” Randi said. “I won’t tell a soul.”
“Did you notice the tension between them?” Daniel asked. “Yes,” Anna replied. “You couldn’t help but notice the sudden chill that crept in the room when they faced each other.”
“Something obviously happened.” Sage came back into the room while everyone stared at her.
“So how were your trips?” she asked, trying to keep an even tone. “Sage, first I need to ask you about the shattered bottle that we found,” Anna said. “I broke the bottle,” she said, “After I felt a presence of a vampire.” “Pedro,” Lisa said. They rushed down the hallway to his room.
The door was closed, the shroud still covering it. Sage opened the door and they all walked inside. John, running behind trying to catch up with them, looked at all the glowing eyes staring throughout the dark room. It was immaculate and the bed looked as though it wasn’t slept in.
His scent, however, was fresh in the room. “Can you smell it?” Sage asked. “Yes,” they said.
“Like fire and ash,” Anna said. “I can’t smell anything,” John said. “You’re not a vampire,” Lisa said. “All vampires have a scent, and Pedro’s is strong in this room.” “He’s been here,” Samuel said.
“I felt his presence strongly the other night and I know he was here,” Sage said. “But he will not make himself known to me. He’s waiting.” “If he tries to come after us, he’s our enemy, and he’ll be treated as such,” Anna said. “One enemy we can expect to see again is Pearson, thanks to Cristian’s utter stupidity.”
“In all fairness, Anna,” Sage said, “he didn’t know I existed when he painted the portrait, and if I hadn’t been at the gallery the night of its unveiling, he would’ve never seen me. I should’ve never.” She stopped mid sentence. “It’s too late to undo things now,” she said somberly.
The others looked curious at her revelation, wondering what happened between her and Cristian.
Cristian arrived at the doorstep to his parents’ home, taking a breath before ringing the doorbell. The housekeeper answered the door. “Good morning, Mr. West,” she said, opening the door. “Are my parents here?” he asked, peering at her through his sunglasses. “They are,” she said. “Come in.” He walked inside and walked over to a glass table that contained family portraits of him and his parents during happier times. He heard whispering. “Are you sure there’s a cure for it?” he heard his father ask. “Yes. I was told that it could cure him,” his mother said. The housekeeper interrupted their conversation to tell them of Cristian’s arrival.
He heard the sounds of footsteps approaching. “Cristian,” his father said, rushing over to him but stopping short of giving him a hug. “Dad,” he said solemnly. His mother walked over stiffly.
“Son,” she said. “Mom,” he replied. “Is she here?” she asked frowning. “No,” Cristian retorted.
“I didn’t want to subject her to anymore disrespect from you.” “I wasn’t being rude, Cristian,” she said defensively. “I wasn’t just going to act honky dory around a person so evil.” “Don’t start this up again,” he said, bristling. “I saw it with my own eyes, Cristian,” she yelled. “She’s a…,” she looked at him as if he was a stranger, “you’re a…vampire,” she whispered in disbelief at what she was uttering. “She saved my life,” he protested.
“Don’t think I’m so old I don’t know how vampires are made,” Jillian snapped. “She destroyed you. Why did you lie to us about her?” his father asked, his eyes brimming with tears. “Because I knew you would react this way,” Cristian said. “You’ve got to get away from her,” his mother said. “She’s evil.” “I love her, Mother!” he shouted. “I’m not leaving her, ever.”
“What has happened to you?” she said. “You just go from bad to worse,” she said, shaking her head, “First, you stop coming to church and start that new age crap with all the chanting.” “Mother, Buddhism isn’t the same as new age,” he said. “And I’m not going to argue with you over it,” he snapped, knowing that she was using that as a cover for her argument.
“You’ve broken one of the Ten Commandments,” Jillian yelled.
He sighed, irritated by her stubbornness. “And that wasn’t bad enough—you lose your soul to become a vampire. I know Robert joked about this, but you didn’t have to take it so literally,” she said dumbfounded.
“I made this choice, Mother,” Cristian yelled. “Don’t make me choose between you or Sage, because you won’t like the results,” he warned.
Randi sat at her kitchen table reading the morning newspaper and eating a blueberry muffin while she waited for Rafael to call. Skimming through the pages, she saw a sketch of a man that the police are looking for in their investigation of the disappearance of Cristian’s manager. The name under the sketch was that of Rafael, named as a person of interest. Also pictured in the article was the director from the gallery. “Why are the police looking for Rafael?” she wondered.
“Am I harboring a possible fugitive?”