The door clicked shut, and after the brief illumination provided by the hall light shining through the open doorway, the room was again cast in dark shadows. The corner shadow shifted, as it was a moment before, and Katie could feel the presence there, watching her. Strangely enough, Meg and Nicole did not notice anything when they were in the room with her. It was enough to make her doubt her own senses, but she knew she wasn’t wrong. He was with her.
Katie smiled softly. She felt comforted, knowing he was there, almost like a guardian angel watching over her. “It’s you, isn’t it?” She whispered, afraid of drawing attention from anyone in the hall, afraid of scaring him away. He was silent at first, and then she felt him moving, as though to go. “No, please don’t leave. I wanted to thank you. You saved my life.” She still hoped he wouldn’t leave yet, but if he did, at least she said what she wanted to say. She could be content in that.
Durante watched the emotions play over her face curiously. She wasn’t guessing or talking to herself. She knew he was in the room. She looked directly at where he was standing. Stepping forward a few steps, he made sure to keep the illusion of shadow cloaked around him. Her eyes followed the movement without fail. “How did you know I was there?”
She watched him step out of the shadows and smiled, glad to finally have the chance to talk to him. “Oh, that? I see things, sometimes. I always have.” She laughed to herself lightly, careful not to aggravate her injuries anymore. “The things I know that no one knows I know,” she trailed off. “Sometimes it seems like everyone in the whole world is keeping secrets. You’re like Nicole and Meg, aren’t you?” she asked, changing subjects without missing a beat.
Durante raised an eyebrow, unaccustomed to anyone talking to him so frankly, without restraint. She was also talking with considerable energy considering her earlier display of fatigue. That must have been for the benefit of the other two girls, he reasoned, so she could be alone with him. It felt strange to think of anyone wanting to be alone with him. Most people who ever knew of him would do anything to get away from him. “You can see me clearly, can’t you?”
“What, you mean ‘cause of the illusion thing you’ve got going on? Yeah, those things never work on me. Why do you hide yourself like that anyway?”
He looked at her closely and saw only curiosity in her expression. She did not fear him. He couldn’t remember the last time he met anyone who wasn’t afraid of him. No, that wasn’t true. It only happened once before, with her Still, it was a bizarre sensation after all these centuries. “It suits my purposes.”
“Uh, huh, you’re one of those ultra secretive, ‘doesn’t let anyone get close to him’ types, aren’t you? I don’t know why,” she continued without giving him a chance to answer, “but that’s not really any of my business. Thank you. I won’t forget what you did for me.”
“I didn’t do anything.” He suppressed a smile at her exuberance and opinions about him. She certainly wasn’t afraid to speak her mind, but that was no reason to encourage her.
“Right, and that’s why you keep checking in on me,” she said with a hint of sarcasm. She sensed his presence around her several times now, but this was the first time she managed enough energy and privacy to actually do something about it. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he found himself saying for the first time in his life. No one ever thanked him before. Feeling the need to regain some control over this strange conversation, he decided to turn her question back on her. “Why do you hide what you can see from everyone?”
Her eyes took a faraway look. “People need their secrets, and they need to choose who they share them with. It would be wrong of me to assume a sense of familiarity or intimacy with people, because of what I can see or know about them, when I haven’t earned their trust.”
“That’s a nice, noble answer, but what’s your real reason?”
She met his gaze, studying him intently. With his scruffy, wild hair and beard and the dark leather jacket and pants he wore, he looked like someone who saw his share of hard times in his life. His appearance was that of someone young in age, but the hard lines of his face and expressions told a different story. There was nothing young about the look in his eyes. They were haunted and closed off to the rest of the world. She knew from a single glance, without taking into consideration the illusions he activated every time she saw him, he was accustomed to showing only what he wanted to show to the people he came into contact with. To him, everyone was motivated by selfish desires and goals. Friendship and trust were foreign concepts that bore no relevance in daily life. “You’re a cynical one, aren’t you?”
“Realistic,” he corrected, returning her gaze unflinchingly. He might be unused to such scrutiny, but he was more than up to the challenge of a simple debate. She might be highly confident and outspoken, but he was accustomed to asserting his own dominance in any and all interactions. It would take more than an unusually insightful girl to undermine his hard won control.
“Okay, if you want to know, when I was a kid, I used to confide what I saw to my sister. I told her about auras or how I knew when someone was sick or injured. I would tell her about the energies of nature and life I would see gathered at the park on a spring morning, as the sun glistened off the spider webs and dew. I told her when I knew someone was lying from looking at them or hearing their voice as they spoke. She was older and thought I was making it up or imagining things. Then I met my first werewolf. He was a kid like me, coming into his abilities. I tried to befriend him, but he was afraid of me, of what I knew about him. He said I was crazy and he didn’t want anything to do with me. I was so upset I ran home crying. I only wanted to be his friend and help him not feel so alone and depressed. I could tell interacting with the other kids was a problem for him, because of how different he was. I told my sister everything, only this time, she didn’t think I was lying. She convinced our parents I needed psychological help. I was seven. After a few months, I learned to say what everyone wanted to hear and to keep quiet about the things I shouldn’t know and the things that weren’t supposed to be real. They took me off the drugs they put me on after a year, and my family relocated here, where no one knew about my mentally disturbed childhood.”
Durante found himself sitting beside Katie’s bed, beginning to actually take an interest in the conversation. She spoke with an honesty and clarity that was very rare. “It’s never easy to be betrayed by those you trust.”
She shrugged, no longer troubled by the pain that followed her for years after the ordeal. “People generally try to do what they think is for the best. They’re not always right. But with everyone always running around keeping secrets, it’s hard to have the facts to make good decisions.”
Durante shook his head. “You give people too much credit. You are too trusting. That’s why you allowed yourself to be betrayed. That is why people keep secrets. They learned you can’t trust anyone. Frankly, I don’t know why you would risk confiding your secret to me.
Un-swayed by his diatribe against the trustworthiness of the human race, Katie continued. “Like I said, people need to choose who they share their secrets with, and you saved my life. I’d say that earns you my trust.”
“You should not give your trust so lightly.” Her propensity to trust easily was going to get her killed someday. Her remarkable willpower couldn’t keep her alive forever. He might have contributed to her rescue in a small way, but he was the last person she should trust. He was the last person anyone should trust.
Katie smiled softly. “Look, I’m not that naive. I know what people are capable of. I see the things they hide from everyone, even themselves. But it also gives me a lot of perspective. I see the evil, but I also see the good.”
Durante shook his head. “Human beings are inherently selfish. Given half the chance, they will ruin their lives for no good reason. Driven by fear and jealousy, they are nothing more than impulse driven puppets, easily manipulated and constantly seeking to displace responsibility for their actions on anyone or anything other than themselves.”
Katie nodded, conceding the point. She couldn’t argue his logic, but she could turn it around on him. “You’re probably right. So why did you save me?”
Durante looked her straight in the eyes, speaking with complete honesty without a moment’s pause. “You’re a fighter. You pushed on long after your body wanted to give up. I respect that.” Looking away, he shrugged. “Besides, I was bored.”
Katie smiled and felt her eyes grow heavy, her pain medication starting to kick in again. She opened her eyes to find herself alone. He was gone. Closing her eyes, again, Katie slept.
* * *
Durante walked away exhilarated. He couldn’t remember the last time he participated in an actual honest conversation with anyone. That was probably because he allowed no one to see his face in over a thousand years. Even Artemis and Tammy only ever saw a shadowy figure, cloaked in mist. You couldn’t be hunted down like a dog in a ditch if no one knew you existed. He only trusted once, and look where that got him.
Looking up at a dimly lit balcony, he saw Mara walk outside. She scanned the dark streets, clearly looking for someone. He felt her mind searching for the person she knew was out here. She couldn’t find him. She knew someone was near, watching her, but she didn’t know who that someone was. Anyone else would be unnerved, not knowing who was watching her, but Mara lived long enough not to be bothered by something out of her control. After all, she faced him without fear. She befriended him, earned his trust, and then betrayed him to what she thought was his death. He admitted it took a lot of guts to betray him. His long recovery was the only thing that saved her. It allowed the worst of his anger to dissipate, replaced with a new understanding of human nature.
Still, it was a shame. Out of everyone on the planet, she was the one person who should understand where he was coming from. She was the only one who existed as long as he. She of all people should know better. Instead she pretended to be one of them, a part of their world. Truthfully, she should be able to sense him, now. She pretended for centuries to be a normal mortal while he was perfecting his skills. She never was able to accept her own superiority. He took to e-mailing her, to see if she would figure it out, but she hadn’t, yet. She was ignorant of the fact he was alive. Of course, he never actually gave any substantial hints away in his messages, but as well as they knew each other, a part of him still thought she would recognize him. A part of him wanted her to recognize him and remember what she did and feel guilty about it, but she never did.
She may not know he was alive, but that did not stop her from interfering in his plans. She kept helping those children, training them, giving them guidance, calling the Council on Artemis. If not for her, he might already possess the pendant. It was no matter. He learned to be flexible. He would move on to another plan, like he always did before. One didn’t live so long without always having a back up plan. Pulling the leather bound manuscript from his jacket, he gently ran his fingers over the ancient lettering. The pages were torn and yellowed with age, and the binding was repaired multiple times, but the text was still mostly intact. How interesting it was to find the manuscript on its way to Billy Cameron, Nicole’s adoptive brother. Then again, that sort of thing always found a way of happening. Coincidences were actually quite commonplace once you learned to see the patterns. After sixty generations of observation, he became very accustomed to seeing the patterns.
Mara gave up trying to locate him and took a seat, legs crossed and arms held up to the night sky. Bathed in the light of the full moon, she began to chant, calling out to her precious goddess. He shook his head. How she could still believe in any kind of god was beyond him. Durante found himself wondering, not for the first time, what was going through her mind. As close as he thought they once were, and she was still a complete mystery to him.
He turned away, leaving her to her meditations, or prayers, or whatever they were. Turning the book over in his hands, he contemplated his next move. Maybe it was time for a little vacation, a change of pace. His lips turned up in a dark grin. It could give him a chance to catch up on his reading. Tucking the book away, he thought of the wonderful mischief he could get himself into. He was going to enjoy getting to know Billy Cameron.
* * *
Mara closed the balcony doors and walked over to the kitchen, pouring a glass of grape juice and picking up an apple. She took a bite of the apple, letting its sweet juices fill her mouth, the favor helping to center her energies and bring her back from her meditations. They yielded interesting results tonight. She was finally able to again sense Artemis without any problem. Whoever was shielding him before was no longer doing so. There was also something cleaner about the aura she sensed around him. Whatever he was a part of in the past, he apparently made a break. It actually gave her some hope for him. Maybe now he could finally begin to redeem himself. No matter what he had done, or who he hurt, there was always the chance he could change his ways. With such a long lived race, she always felt it was better to give a person the chance to change, to learn the error of his or her ways. Centuries of living with guilt could be a powerful motivator for redemption.
She downed the grape juice and wiped her hands clean on a dish rag. The fluttering of a nearby presence drew her attention away from her musings. She felt someone reaching out to her, searching for her. Before answering the call, she closed her eyes, concentrating on who was trying to contact her. With a grimace, she opened her eyes. It was Vardum, the Council head. She contemplated ignoring the call. She could easily mask her presence, remain hidden, if she so chose. When she tried, there wasn’t a single being alive who could find her. Well, none she knew of, anyway. She still wasn’t quite sure about that other she sensed. He seemed to be toying with her at times, evading her at every turn. Until she knew who she was dealing with, she could not say with absolute certainty she could evade his search if she tried.
Vardum called to her again, and she gave in. She might as well see what it was he wanted. She could always decline if he asked her to do something she didn’t want to do. Relief echoed back at her as they made contact. “Yes?”
“Mara, I trust you are doing well.”
She sighed at the useless pleasantries. They were such a waste of time. “I am fine. What was it you wanted?
Vardum ignored her impatience and continued as cordially as before. That was one thing she gave him. He always knew how to remain cool and polite, no matter what the situation. “The Council would like to request your help in locating and recapturing Artemis.”
She squelched her aggravation, hiding it from his perception. Artemis finally freed himself, and he could potentially make a change for the better, but that wouldn’t happen if the Council captured him again. They were decidedly less inclined to grant second chances to those they perceived as deserving punishment, at least not without a few centuries in the catacombs first. Considering the high regard they held Richard in, Artemis would not stand a chance if he were brought before them. At least Artemis was well adept at hiding his presence, even without the aid of the one who was previously helping him. Mara’s ability to find him now did not necessarily affect the Council’s ability to do so. As good as they were she was better. “You seem to be giving a lot of attention to this matter.”
“We were all very upset by the deaths of the couriers who were sent to bring him in. We want to see him brought to justice.”
She noted to herself he was leaving off mention of Richard. It was easier to pretend justice instead of revenge was the true motivation of their search by citing a crime that was more recent and less emotionally charged. “Well, then you can stop looking for Artemis if that is why you are pursuing him. He did not kill those men.”
“Then who did?” For once, Vardum sounded as though he was caught off guard by her comment. He obviously did not expect that reply.
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” The nervousness was evident in his question. Now he was unsettled.
She smiled slightly. The Council liked to think she was omniscient, a resource to be tapped when others failed them, a final wild card in their hand to play whenever they decided it was necessary. It must be quite disconcerting to realize there were some things even she did not know. “I have no idea.”
“But you know someone else committed the crime?”
“Yes.” She didn’t elaborate any further. They could take her at her word, or they could disbelieve what she said. Either way, she wouldn’t justify her knowledge.
Vardum paused for a long moment, gathering his thoughts. “In that case, I shall let you get back to what you were doing. I am sorry to have bothered you. I trust you will let us know if you find out anything else about this individual?”
Instead of agreeing with his assertion, she responded, “I will contact you if I learn anything you need to know.”
He didn’t comment on her choice of words. Instead he broke contact, leaving her again to her empty room and half eaten apple. The ding of her computer speaker signaled a new message, so she went to her study to see what her secret pen pal wrote her this time. The message was as poetic and cryptic as usual.
“How wears your mask today? With this world so full of voices not backed by thought, is it possible to enjoy a silent existence full of thought without voice? Or must one inevitably scream to the empty room, to prove a voice exists after all? For that is what the thoughtless masses are, an empty room dressed up in a loud voice and attractive mask that hides the emptiness of their minds.”
Mara pursed her lips in thought and laughed immediately at her response. Hitting reply, she typed, “There is more than one kind of voice. The written word can carry farther than any vocal tongue. Would your message then be your scream to the emptiness or simply your loud voice disguising the true emptiness within?”
She sent the message and got a response almost right away. He was online right now, same as her. She felt a flicker of awareness and familiarity as their minds unconsciously touched, a fluke of both of them thinking about each other at exactly the same moment. It was gone as soon as they became aware of it. His message was short. “Is there really a difference?” Mara grinned. She could almost hear the humorous tone in his response. He was in a good mood tonight. Mara threw away the remains of her apple and turned off the lights. The past couple of days were busy ones and she was ready for a good night’s rest.
* * *
The night was cool and dark with a slight breeze. It was perfect traveling weather. Tammy thought over her options and decided to walk for the time being. She did not decide on a destination, yet. Once she knew where she was going, she could rethink the best way to get there. The wind kicked up, sending a shiver down her spine. She looked around in aggravation. She shouldn’t endure this. She wanted to be absolutely comfortable so she could fully enjoy every minute of her new life. Being cold did not fit into her ultimate plans. She would need to rectify this situation quickly.
Listening closely, Tammy heard footsteps nearby. Moving forward slowly, she looked past the corner of the building, but the only thing she saw was a man in a city uniform cleaning out a storm drain. She looked around again, this time opening up her senses. The faint smell of perfume clung to the air. She followed the scent to its source, a beautiful, young woman standing outside the back of a club. Music blared loudly from the building. The sound was mixed with the many sounds of patrons coming and going on the street out front. But the woman standing out back was alone, enjoying a cigarette as she pulled her jacket tight against the night chill. Tammy took in the smell of the smoke and smiled appreciatively. She remembered that smell. The woman coughed against the cold and smoke and dropped her cigarette to the ground, smudging it out with her foot against the concrete. She turned to go inside, but Tammy was behind her before her fingers wrapped around the handle. Sensing the movement, the woman turned back around. Tammy snapped her neck before she could make a sound. Removing the coat, Tammy let the body fall. Practically giddy, she examined her new coat and tried it on. It was a sporty little black fur coat with satin lining, and it fit perfectly. Feeling inside the pockets, she pulled out the cigarettes and lighter. This was the good life. Now, it was time to pick out a destination. She always wanted to go to Vegas. She smiled and started walking again. She could get used to this.
Durante watched Tammy walk away, leaving the body of the girl she killed behind. He shook his head. It was plain careless. She did worse before, killing that drug dealer and leaving him in that alley. At least there was no unexplainable hole in the chest of this body. She probably wanted to keep from getting blood on the coat she wanted so badly. This kind of indiscriminate killing and disregard for the bodies was sloppy and irresponsible. Sure, he killed people, but he was smart enough to dispose of the evidence. The last thing any of them needed was a witch hunt to find a supernatural killer. None of them would benefit if the general populous found out an inordinate amount about them. That was a large part of the reason the Council was formed in the first place, to watch and regulate such outlandish behavior for the good of all their kind. On her own, she was a danger to everyone.
He sighed. He could sense the presence of nearby scouts for the Council. They learned of her earlier murder, and by now Mark no doubt informed them, through Mara, about Edmond Marlay’s body. They knew there was someone here, killing people in gruesome ways, and they were looking for him or her to bring before the Council.
The scouts were well trained and highly dangerous. Unlike the couriers, who did simple retrieval missions mostly, scouts were sent out whenever investigation was needed on a mission of unknown danger level. They were fast, strong, agile problem solvers, experts in survival, and in constant mental contact with their team members. They always hunted in a four man team, and one was usually a council member. They would find Tammy within the first hour of searching if Durante was not blocking them. They already found her latest victim and were fanning out to search more quickly. Oh well, Tammy wanted so badly to be in charge of her own destiny, let her face the responsibility for her poor choices. He need not worry about her revealing any of his secrets to the Council. He already wiped any thoughts that could lead the Council to him, and unlike Artemis, when Durante wiped a memory it stayed gone. Not even Vardum would be able to retrieve it.
Pulling back his protection slowly, he noticed the wave of anticipation and excitement grow stronger among the scouts. They could sense the change in the situation and knew now how close they were. He looked at Tammy, completely oblivious to the fact she was being hunted, feeling superior to everyone in every way. She would learn soon enough that wasn’t true. Durante waited an extra second before pulling back the last of his protection. Instantly, Tammy stiffened. Before she could react, run, or scream, or fight, they were on her. They were gone as quickly as they came, only now they obtained their prize. With that, Durante turned and walked away. Maybe now, she would learn to appreciate what her daughter went through. He doubted it.