My dad always dropped me off at school on his way to work, and my mom picked me up. It was nice that she worked at home, or whatever the proper phrasing was these days, so that I didn’t have to walk or ride the bus. I felt like it was the next best thing to having my own driver’s license, which I wouldn’t get until after all of my friends were driving, thanks to my late birthday. Still, that would be next year. For now, I was content to be sitting in my mother’s minivan so long as she didn’t play any embarrassing music too loudly.
I didn’t say much of anything on the way home, only answered my mom’s usual questions like, “Did you have a nice day?” and, “What did you eat for lunch?” I did not mention Dr. Joplin, nor did I ask about Dr. Sanderson.
Turns out I didn’t need to. As we approached the house, I saw a rider-less motorcycle parked out front. It seems my mother had no problem letting this strange man hang out in our house while we were gone. A sickening feeling landed in the pit of my stomach. What if he’d seen my notebook?
“Are you okay, Cassidy?” my mother asked as she pulled into the garage next to Cadence’s car. I hoped that meant my sister was still here but realized it meant nothing; Eliza could’ve picked her up.
“I’m fine,” I managed. I forced a smile. “Just a little nervous. That’s Dr. Sanderson’s bike, isn’t it?”
“It is,” my mom nodded, returning my smile. “Elliott is a very nice young man, though, Cassidy. You have nothing to worry about.”
I swallowed and shoved the van door open, hoping she was right. If he really was a vampire, and he found my notebook, would he do something to make sure I didn’t tell anyone else?
My mom came around the van, and I let her open the door to the house. I suddenly felt incapable of speech. She pushed the door open and I followed. As she stepped out of the way, I saw him standing in our living room in front of the sofa, his hands shoved deep down in his faded blue jeans. He was wearing a green T-shirt beneath his black jacket that made his eyes stand out, and his hair looked slightly more ruly than last time. The smile on his face did a little to ease my nerves, but I still hesitated to step forward.
“Hey, there, Cassidy,” Dr. Sanderson called as my mom gestured for me to give her my backpack so she could hang it up for me. I did, taking very small steps toward the living room. “How was school?”
I shrugged. It took some effort, but I pressed out a squeaky, “Fine.”
“I’ll go get you a bottle of water, dear,” my mother said, clearly aware of my cottonmouth.
I was almost to the living room now. There was no turning back. He didn’t seem to know about my notebook; either that or he was waiting for my mother to leave to destroy me. “Have a seat,” he said, gesturing at the couch.
Looking at it as if I’d never sat on one before, I sidled up to the piece of furniture before slowly lowering myself down, leaving a good foot or two between us. He raised a dark eyebrow but then pulled up his jeans at the thigh and sank back down himself, slightly amused.
My mom returned with two bottles of water. We both accepted them, and I began to drink mine while Elliott sat his on a coaster on the coffee table. I wondered if he wasn’t able to drink liquids that weren’t red and sticky.
“Your parents said you wanted to talk to me again,” he explained, turning slightly to face me.
Readjusting so that I was now basically in the corner of the couch, I nodded. “I had some questions about what happened to Drew, and I thought you were the best one to answer them for me.”
He looked surprised. Perhaps he was of the opinion that his brainwashing should’ve lasted longer. Maybe I should’ve continued to believe everything he said without question, but I really thought he was my best hope for getting any sort of answers at all. Now, sitting across from the hulk of a man, I thought better of it. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked him here at all, especially now that we had evidence that one of his associates was about a hundred and fifty years old.
“You have questions?” He asked it as if no one had ever had any further inquiries after he’d originally spoken to them. “It’s fine that you do, but I already assured you that you don’t need to worry about what happened with Drew.” He looked deeply into my eyes, and I noticed that his seemed to be sparking just a bit, like there was movement within his irises. It was slightly unsettling. “Drew died, Cassidy. It’s a shame, but these things happen. We just need to let it go and move on.”
I stared at him for a long time, and then realized I was nodding along with what he had said. “Right. It’s just one of those things.” I felt my mind starting to slip away from me. It was as if I didn’t know what I’d been thinking all along. Of course, it was fine that Drew had died. It wasn’t a big deal. I needed to let it go and move on.
He continued. “Your sister has to go away for her job for a little while, but everything will be fine with that, too. Just go on with your life. You don’t need to worry about Cadence.”
My head continued to bob up and down. “I don’t need to worry about Cadence. She’s fine. She’s just working.”
He inhaled deeply and held my gaze for a moment, as if surveying his work before he gave a sharp nod. “I think that should answer your questions.”
Feeling relieved, I let a wide smile break across my face. “I feel so much better,” I said. “Thank you so much for coming over.”
“Anytime,” he replied. Elliott also looked reassured. He looked around the room for a moment, like he wasn’t sure what to do with himself now that his work was done.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. With a sigh I pulled it out and glanced at it. It was a text from Lucy. I almost put my phone back in my pocket without even reading it, but something about the fact that the message was in all caps caught my attention. I slid to read the entire text as Dr. Sanderson pulled himself up off of the sofa.
“CASSIDY FINDLEY! DO NOT LET HIM CONVINCE YOU EVERYTHING IS FINE! IT IS NOT!!!”
Lucy’s words brought the wall I’d built around my mind crashing down. How had I just sat there and let Dr. Elliott Sanderson convince me that everything was just hunky dory when Drew was dead, Cadence was weird, creatures were crawling in and out of her window, leaping form the second story at all times of night, and something was up with Jack? I slipped my phone into my pocket and shook my head violently to clear it. “NO!” I shouted.
Dr. Sanderson was standing next to the coffee table. He turned and looked at me as if I was the one who had suddenly turned into a monster. “Beg your pardon?” he asked, his eyes wide.
I grabbed my head between my hands. Before I could say anything else, my mom came rushing in from the kitchen. “Cassidy, are you all right?”
“She’s fine,” Elliott assured her. “I think she just got a text message about something at school that upset her.”
I glanced up at him, wondering at first if that’s what he really thought, but I could see a flicker in his eyes that let me know to go along with it.
My mother said, “Oh, Cassidy is fine. She just got a text message about something at school that upset her,” and spun on her heels and walked out of the room.
Alarmed, I stood, turning to look at her, and then back at the doctor. “So… that works on my mom, too?”
“Why didn’t it work on you?” he asked, and I could see that he was concerned, like he thought I’d broken his secret superpower or something.
I had no idea whether or not I could trust this man. I’d just met him less than a week ago. He had already lied to me more times than I could count, and I’d just seen him brainwash my mom. “Will you please be honest with me?” I asked, avoiding eye contact.
Elliott cleared his throat. He sat back down, this time in my mom’s recliner, a few feet away from the couch. He seemed to mull a few things over before he said, “I’ll be as honest as I can, Cassidy, but there are some things I’m not at liberty to divulge.”
Whether or not that would be good enough remained to be seen. I moved to the far end of the sofa, closer to him, and sank down. “What is going on?” I asked, my voice just above a whisper. “Where is my sister—what is my sister—and what happened to Drew?”
He licked his lips and then bit down on the bottom one, like he was thinking, trying to weigh his answer. His eyes darted back and forth for a few seconds, and I almost thought he was having an internal conversation, debating what he could tell me, with himself. “Cassidy, I really can’t answer any of those questions,” he finally said. I let out a loud sigh of frustration. “But I can tell you everything is going to be fine. That’s not bull this time. It’s a fact. Your sister will probably only be working with us for a few weeks, and then, hopefully, she’ll go back to school, and life will be back to normal for you and your family.”
I really wanted to believe him, but it was hard when I couldn’t trust a word he said. “Can I record this conversation so I can reference it later?”
He laughed at me. “Uh, no. Why would you need to do that?”
“Because you keep lying to me!” I proclaimed, frustrated. I shouldn’t have asked. I should’ve come into the room with my phone set to record.
“Cass, I’m not lying to you, I promise. I have been saying a few things to reassure you that everything’s going to turn out okay. But, for the most part, it’s not been lies.”
“So, Drew really fell rock climbing and cut her throat?” I folded my arms and tipped my head in such a way to get my point across.
“Some of what I’ve told you may be… embellished a bit.”
I pursed my lips at him. “And you can’t tell me what really happened to her.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
He let out a deep breath and ran his hands through that unruly hair, leaving several curls standing up on end. He didn’t seem to mind. “Because my boss won’t let me.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Aaron?”
He nodded. “And your parents. They don’t want you to worry about any of this either.”
“Why don’t you just convince them that they do?”
He laughed again. It was a deep chuckle and it set me at ease, even though I didn’t want it to. I needed to stay on guard with this guy. “It’s not that simple. I could convince them, but it wouldn’t be right.” He reached out with his lengthy arm and plucked the water bottle off of the coffee table. Opening it, he took a long drink while I contemplated that response.
“So, you only convince people of things when you think it’s right?”
“Or when I’m ordered to, yeah,” he confirmed, replacing the lid.
“You just do everything Aaron tells you to do?” I knew his name came out of my mouth like it was poison on my tongue, and I silently wondered when I had become so hostile to the man I’d only met once.
“Well, that’s kinda what being someone’s boss means,” he shrugged.
“Do you like him? Is he your friend?” I needed to know if every single word of what I was saying here would get back to the guy who kept sneaking into my sister’s room.
“Of course,” Elliott shrugged again. “Why wouldn’t I?”
I was frustrated and I huffed, my arms still folded. “You going to tell him everything I’ve said to you?”
He weighed his options. “No, I don’t need to tell him anything about what we’ve talked about so far.”
I was skeptical. “You’re not going to tell him that my brainwashing session didn’t work?”
“Now, why would I go tell my boss that I failed?” He chuckled again. “Besides, I could make it work if I wanted to, Cassidy.”
Feeling bold, I began to speak, not considering the consequences. “No, you can’t. I have my ways of remembering. You could try, but I’d remember the things I’ve seen again. Eventually.”
“Really?” He leaned forward in his chair. “Is that a challenge?”
I’d said too much. He could destroy my phone, raid my room, annihilate the notebook, track down my friends, and brainwash them, too. “No,” I said quietly. I was silent for a long time, the weight of his stare crushing me into the sofa cushions. “I just… wanted to know what was going on with my sister. I feel like she’s in some sort of danger.” Did I dare tell him I thought she was a vampire?
“Your sister is fine.” He wasn’t doing that thing with his eyes when I glanced up at him, but I was inclined to believe him.
“Did she kill Drew?”
“No.”
I believed that, too. “Did one of her friends kill Drew?”
“No.”
“Did someone kill Drew?”
He took a deep breath. “I can’t say.”
That was a yes. Drew had been murdered. I shook my head, not sure what to think about that. “Were you and your associates there when Drew died?”
He opened his mouth and then closed it before he shrugged.
Also a yes. Frustration grew. My hands became fists. “Did you or one of your associates kill Drew?”
“No.” This answer came very quickly.
I stared at him for a long time, making sure I could believe him without any brainwashing voodoo. I did. I believed that none of Elliott’s friends had killed Drew, but they knew who killed her. He wouldn’t tell me that, though. I swallowed hard, trying to determine whether or not to ask him the true question that was burning in my mind. I wanted to know if my sister was a vampire.
“Look, Cassidy, I think this is probably enough Q and A for now. I can’t really tell you anything more, and even if I could, you wouldn’t believe me anyway.”
“I’d believe you.” I jumped on that quickly. I wasn’t sure if I would or not, but I wanted him to think I would.
A smirk broke across his face. “Okay, but… I still can’t tell you anything else. I will come back though, soon, and talk to you again, as quickly as I can.”
“But… I have so many more questions.”
He was still smiling at me. “That’s good. I just can’t answer them. And you need to stop searching for the answers, too, lil girl, because you’re just going to end up going down the wrong path. The answers aren’t out there,” he gestured out the window. “If they were….” He didn’t finish that sentence. I had no idea what he was talking about.
I was frustrated again. A sort of a half-groan, half-growl came out of my throat. “Can I have your phone number?”
He looked surprised again. “What for?”
“So that I can call you.” It seemed obvious. Perhaps the doctor wasn’t as smart as I had given him credit for.
“I know that,” he replied. “But why?”
I ran both hands through my hair. “Because I trust you. Despite your lies and trickery. I think you’re being honest with me now.”
“But I can’t tell you anything else.”
“Sure you can,” I countered. “Aaron can’t prevent you from answering simple questions, can he? Like, when’s your birthday?”
“July tenth.”
“See? And… where were you born?”
“Oklahoma.”
I nodded. Thanks to Emma, I already knew that. “Easy peasy. How old are you?”
“Ha,” he said, standing, “I can’t tell you everything, Cass.”
“Why not?” I asked, following him as he headed toward the door. I found it a bit odd that now I was running him off. I even assumed he’d want to stick around and talk to my mother, let her know the brainwashing had gone as expected.
Elliott paused at the door. “Because… you wouldn’t believe me.”
That was a dare, and I knew it. He wanted to know what I knew. “I would. What are you, like, twenty-seven?”
He couldn’t contain his laughter then as he pulled the front door open and stepped out onto our porch. “Sure. Let’s go with that.”
I stepped out, too, and closed the door behind me. Luckily, I was still wearing my coat. I just realized I’d never taken it off. “Why is that funny?”
“It just is. How old do you think Aaron is?” Elliott took the three steps down to the sidewalk that ran to the porch quickly, but not nearly the speed I’d seen my sister move.
“I don’t know. Twenty-five?”
He stopped and spun to face me. “You think he’s younger than me?” He shook his head and mumbled something under his breath, but all I understood was “pretty boy.”
Elliott continued to walk toward his motorcycle. I followed, undeterred. I had felt the shift in the tides; somehow, I had won him over, and he was going to help me. I could just feel it. He flung one long leg over the bike and rested on the seat, turning back to face me. “Cass, you’ve got to let this go. When you’re older, all of it can be explained to you. For now, just trust us. Trust your parents.”
I stopped next to him on the curb. “How old is Jamie?”
I’d stunned him a few times with my questions, but he wasn’t expecting this at all. “Jamie?” he said, his forehead puckering. “How do you know…?”
A smile crept across my lips. “I have my methods. How old is he?”
Elliott stared at me in such a way that I felt as if my blood began to run backward. I wasn’t afraid of him, necessarily, but I felt like a line had been crossed, like he was no longer able to joke around with his new co-worker’s younger sister. “Cassidy,” he said quietly, “whatever you know… whatever you think you know… you need to be careful. Not everyone is as willing to let infractions go as I am.”
Infractions? What was he talking about. What was it about Jamie that had struck a nerve. My smile was long gone. I took a step back.
Elliott continued. “I don’t want to scare you, Cass. I don’t. But… clearly you know things we didn’t realize you knew. You should try to forget them. For now, anyway. I could take them from you. I’m not going to, not right now, anyhow. But, please, don’t go poking the bear, okay?”
I nodded, slowly, not sure why. I felt like my veins were on fire. “I’m… sorry.” It seemed like the right thing to say.
“Give me your phone.”
I raised my eyebrows. Lucy’s text was still on there—a lot of them, for that matter—if he read what we’d been talking about…. But I didn’t have any choice. I reached into the pocket of my jeans and handed him my unlocked phone.
He didn’t keep it long, only a few moments, before he handed it back. “Cassidy, tell your friends—Emma and Lucy—none of this concerns them. Tell them you talked to me, and you’re no longer trying to figure out what happened to Drew. You understand that your sister is going to be working for a security company out of Kansas City for a little while, but she’ll be back shortly, okay?”
I nodded. He hadn’t brainwashed me. He wasn’t talking to me like I was a silly high school girl. His tone conveyed that everything he’d just told me was for the best, for my safety. “Okay, Dr. Sanderson.”
“It’s Elliott,” he said, managing a small smile. He reached out and patted my shoulder, and I felt like he was my big brother, trying to protect me. “Take care, Cass.”
He started the bike, and I stepped back away from it. He didn’t wear a helmet, but something told me he didn’t need one. As the bike sped away, I continued to gawk after it until he rounded a corner, disappearing from my sight.
The front door creaked behind me, and I turned to see my mom approaching. She didn’t have on a coat, and she had her arms wrapped up against the early December breeze. My feet were still planted in the dead grass between the sidewalk and the street, my phone burning a hole in my palm.
“Did Dr. Sanderson leave without saying goodbye?” my mom asked, coming up behind me.
“Yes,” I replied. “He seemed like he had somewhere he had to be.”
“Hmmm,” she said, she put her arm around me, turning me toward the house. “What did the two of you discuss?”
My answer came naturally enough. “He said that Drew’s death was a tragedy, but these things happen, and I shouldn’t worry about it.” I glanced up to see a satisfied smile on my mom’s face. “He also said I shouldn’t worry about Cadence. She’s working in Kansas City now, but she’ll be back soon.”
We’d reached the front door. My mom pushed it open. “That Dr. Sanderson is a smart fellow,” she said, stepping into the foyer.
“Yes, he is,” I agreed, going inside and closing the door behind me. My mom was headed toward the kitchen, her favorite room in the house. “I have some homework,” I called after her. It wasn’t true, but I did need to go make some notes on our conversation before I forgot everything and get Lucy to back up her texts since I was pretty sure mine were all gone now.
“Okay, honey,” my mom called. She would get back to making dinner, and I would get back to investigating whether or not my sister was a vampire, even though I’d been strictly warned not to do so.
As soon as she was out of the room, I unlocked my phone and looked to see how much damage had been done. I opened my text exchange between Lucy and Emma, expecting it to be eradicated. Shockingly, everything was still there. I flipped to my pictures. The ones of Jamie, which Emma had sent to me, and the ones I’d saved of Eliza were also still there. “What did he do?” I asked aloud, checking my emails and social media. Everything was exactly the same.
It took me a few minutes to find it, but when I did, I almost dropped my phone. In my contacts, I found it. “Elliott Sanderson,” and a phone number.