When we pulled into Boston’s South Station, it was late afternoon. People were hustling through the crowd, pushing their way off the train, so we took our time gathering our belongings before stepping onto the platform. A man with a briefcase came barreling out the train’s exit from behind, shoving his way through and slamming into me as he rushed across the crowded platform. My bag slipped from my hands as my shoulder knocked into some stranger.
“Excuse me,” the stranger said. His voice caused a knot to form in my stomach. “I believe this belongs to you.” Our fingers brushed, making me flinch. My eyes met his, and the world around me stopped. There was no air to breathe. The deep chocolate color of his eyes bore into me, inviting me to sink deeper into him.
I was no longer in a train station. An image of this boy flooded my head. It was like trying to watch a drive-in movie on a foggy night. Were we friends, enemies, lovers? I couldn’t make out the scene that danced through my head.
It took a few moments before I came back from wherever I had gone. He ran his hand through his brown, windswept hair, giving it a little tug. His eyebrows furrowed as he watched me watching him. And those full, heart-shaped lips . . . Snapping out of it, I reached for Emily’s hand and headed away from the train platform, straight into the daylight, without looking back. I didn’t know what trick he’d played in my head, but if our eyes reconnected, I couldn’t guarantee that I’d be able to pull myself out of them again.
“What the heck was that about, Tasi?”
“I don’t know. His touch was icy cold, but warm at the same time. It felt distantly familiar, and like no one existed at that moment except him.” There was no way I would tell anyone about what I had seen in my head. That couldn’t be real.
“Was he like the thing at the motel?”
“Maybe, but I’m not sure. Something about him was different, though. Either way, we aren’t sticking around to find out what it is.”
As we increased the distance between the train station and us, I thought about how his hand felt when it touched mine. Thinking of the electric pulse that wrapped around the chill of his hand made my heart stop all over again. The way he’d looked at me, it was like my presence didn’t shock him. It seemed more like he was in awe of me. I was obsessing, and I needed to stop, so I shook the thought out of my head and focused back on the task at hand: New York.
It would be two hours before the next train came, but since it was already late afternoon, we decided it was best to stay in Boston for the night and pick up another train in the morning. Neither of us wanted to show up in New York City late at night. It would be the ultimate breeding ground for bloodsuckers, I was sure of it.
We stopped for a bite to eat and asked the waiter if he knew of a place to stay that didn’t require a credit card. Luckily, he did, giving us detailed directions.
When we rounded the corner to the place he’d described, before us stood a timeless red-brick building with a cherry-red door and black awnings. Each step on the cobblestone path brought more excitement as we approached the entrance. The boutique hotel was inviting.
Upon entering the building, the first thing I noticed was the cream-colored walls, dark wood furniture, and warm lighting that made my muscles ease. The cozy fireplace was surrounded by other travelers, jovial and conversing with one another over cocktails. It reminded me of home, something I hadn’t experienced in a long time. I certainly hadn’t expected to feel it in a big city like Boston. Just as the waiter had said, the girl at the front desk took care of us, and checking in was a breeze. A two-hundred-dollars-extra-a-night breeze, but hey, at least we weren’t sleeping on the street. We made our way to the fifth floor.
This was my first time using a key card, and I wasn’t any good at it. After five sets of blinking red lights screaming at my inability to open the door, Emily giggling all the while, I finally figured it out. The door clicked open, and serenity overcame me. The walls were trimmed with gray-and-white striped wallpaper. There were white fluffy pillows and a lilac comforter on the bed. The scent of lavender tickled my nose. We dropped our stuff and plopped onto the bed at the same time. This was a room fit for a queen.
“This is how I want the rest of our room experiences to be,” Emily said, pulling the pillow into her face. “It smells so clean.”
“Don’t get used to it.”
“Party pooper.”
I stuck my tongue out at her the way she always did to me. She pressed her hands to her heart, which made me laugh.
“That’s not very adultlike, Tasi.”
“Whoever said I was an adult needs their head examined.” I flung her backpack over to her. “Let’s condense our stuff while we’re here.”
I ended up throwing a ratty shirt with a few pin-size holes in it into the trash. Emily did the same with some of her clothes. Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, I lifted my pants and took off the stake strapped to my right leg. I reached down to my left and pulled one from that leg as well before placing both stakes on the bed. When I went through my change, Eva had given the stakes to me. At first, I’d thought it was a joke, but when training started, I soon understood they would be part of my everyday life.
Emily’s eyes went wide as she looked at the wooden weapons. She inched her way over to me, never taking her eyes off the stakes. I studied her face. Biting her bottom lip, she ran her fingers along one edge of the wood. When she reached the tip, a small breath left her lips.
“I never knew you had such an interest in stakes.” I gave her a crooked smile. She jumped at the sound of my voice, pulling herself out of the daze she’d fallen into.
“That’s because I was pretending I didn’t know you had them.” She continued to touch the edge of one. “I told you I was patient.”
She looked like she had been waiting forever to touch them. There was a hunger in her eyes I’d never seen before.
“Go ahead, pick it up.”
“Really?” she asked, eyes sparkling.
“Yeah, you’ll have to learn how to use one eventually.” There it was again, like a glow radiating through her. She rested it delicately in her hands, almost as if she were offering it to me on a platter. I snatched the stake, surprising her, and put it tightly into her palm, closing her fingers around it. “Tight, Em, hold it tight. Remember, if you have a stake in your hand, then your life depends on it. So that’s the way you hold it.”
She tightened her grip, not taking her eyes off it, almost as if it held the secrets to the universe.
These stakes were handmade by my father from lignum vitae, a hardwood found in South America, and were rather attractive to look at. Toward the top of each stake was a four-inch notch where manila rope had been wrapped flush against the wood. This helped with gripping the stake. Unfortunately, it also left room for ash to become embedded in the crevices. The rope had been impossible to clean, and the ash left the rope black around the edges. It was sculpted with intricate designs from the rope leading down to the point. There was a letter branded into the wood at the top of the stake: V for Vasile, our family name. Whittled into the side of the stake were also the words, One who will be reborn, immortal. It was the meaning of my first name, Antanasia.
“Do you think our father was an evil vampire?”
Flashes of a tall thin man with ebony hair and dark eyes filled my memory. I could still feel his loving touch as he pretended to be my horse, galloping around the house while my mother cooked dinner. He would often take me for long walks in the woods, and carried me on his shoulders whenever I asked.
Emily and I never talked about our parents when we were living in Maine. I had brought them up many times to Eva, and she always changed the topic—probably because she was hiding the fact that they were still alive and was scared she would slip. Bile rose in my throat. I pushed it back down. Now, nothing was holding me back from talking about what I remembered.
“Em, the father I knew wasn’t a monster. He was kind and loving.” I told her stories about things I remembered, like how he was always there when I fell and scraped my knee, and how he would play Candy Land with me over and over because I asked him to. Or how he would always hold Emily and sing her to sleep.
Tears welled in Emily’s eyes. The surrounding skin grew pinkish as she continued to hold back the river from streaming down her face. Her back straightened, and she looked down at the stake she held in her hand.
“I’ll be strong, Tasi. I promise.” There was such conviction in her voice. She meant every word.
I lifted her chin until our eyes met. “You’re already strong. I see it every day. Now we need to get you trained, like Eva did for me.”
The tears trying to escape evaporated. “When do we start?”
“As soon as we get settled in New York, I promise. First, we need to recharge my stakes.”
Emily cocked her head to the side. She may not be training physically yet, but there were still a few things I could teach her. “Let’s take a walk.” Strapping the stakes back to my legs came naturally. It was a part of who I was. I pulled my bag over and rustled through it, pulling a second set of stakes out, crisp and new, along with two leather holders.
“For me?” She took in a deep breath and put out her hands, wiggling her fingers.
“Yes. You’ll need to get a feel for them. I remember how much the stakes annoyed me the first time I put them on. No better time than the present to figure out where you want them. You have two sheaths, one for each stake, and they can be combined to wear on one leg or split to wear them separately, as I do. And, Em, these stakes were made for you by our father when you were born.” Emily’s full name was Daciana Emily Vasile. Pointing to the words etched into the side, I continued, “Daciana means ‘full of strength.’ Father knew you were strong from the day you were born. Now you need to believe it.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh my God.”
“Yeah, pretty cool, right?”
“Yes, extremely cool.” She fastened both of them to her right leg but grimaced as the leather holder slid to the floor. Kneeling, I lifted her pants and showed her how to strap the top part securely, then the bottom. With one more pull against her calf, everything settled into place.
“Do I have to leave them there? It’s very uncomfortable.” She scrunched her freckled nose.
“No, as long as they’re accessible and concealed when you’re in public, then wherever you like is fine. This is what works for me.”
“I’ll try it out.” She wiggled her leg, making sure they wouldn’t come loose.
At the front desk was the same young woman who had checked us in earlier. Her bright smile, peach-colored lips, and warm hazel eyes made her very approachable. I asked the woman if she knew of any churches nearby, and she gave us directions.
The sky was still blue, but I saw the sun pulling in orange hues in the far distance as it set, which meant soon enough it would be sundown. The streetlights had yet to come on, and since we only had to walk a few blocks, I figured we would be back before darkness blanketed the city.
We headed toward the church. The walkway was narrow and lined with red-brick townhouses. There were black wrought-iron embellishments and entry gates throughout. The path itself was made of gray cobblestone. Trees umbrellaed the passageway, giving it permanent shade. Green moss coated the bricks, making some of them slippery. I felt as if I was in a fairy tale.
“What do I need to know, Tasi?” Emily was taking this a lot more seriously than I had at her age. It made me proud.
“Straight down to business. I like it.” I shoved her shoulder. “Okay. Stakes kill vampires. A blessed stake makes cleanup much easier, because the vamp will turn to ash. Otherwise, you are left with a body.”
“Oh, wow.” She paused. “Wait—does that mean we can scare them off with crosses, like in the movies?”
“No, crosses don’t bother them, despite what the stories say. Well, I take that back. Maybe if the cross was wooden and soaked in holy water. Huh, never thought about that scenario.”
Emily giggled. “Is that something you’re going to try now?”
“Nope. If I have one piece of advice, it’s find a weapon you are good at and don’t ever deviate from what works. Don’t play with your life. Vamps are crazy-hard to kill as is.”
“What if I don’t like stakes?”
“Once you start training, you may find something else you like. But give the stakes a try first. I think you’ll find them to be effective.” Emily and I kicked some stones back and forth as we headed down the path. “Now, a vampire can’t go into a church or onto any sacred ground. They ignite, just like if they went out in full sun. A cloudy afternoon won’t fry them, but it tires and weakens them. They will regain their strength in a few hours. But if you catch a vampire out in the day, they’re probably trying to die, or just stupid,” I explained.
“I don’t get it. Why would a vampire walk outside, then, if it wasn’t nightfall?”
“I don’t really know, but they do.” I gave her a side-glance to check in on her. Her posture was relaxed, so I carried on. “Last item is garlic—I’m not sure where that rumor started, but it won’t help you.”
“Got it, I think.”
“It’s a lot to take in, but you’ll catch on.” I wrapped my arm around her shoulder. “Come on, there’s the church.”
Before us stood a large Gothic-style church. As we entered, I knelt respectfully in the foyer. In my periphery, I watched as Emily followed my lead. The church was grand and full of grace. The statues filled the room with a holy presence that made me feel protected. I took a few moments to bask in the tranquility. There was no one in the church, so we headed toward the holy water. The marble bowl was large enough to submerge our stakes, which was always a plus. I pulled out my stakes and dipped them into the water while whispering a prayer. After a few minutes, I removed the stakes, which now glimmered.
“Rinse and repeat,” I said to Emily.
She took out her stakes and looked at me. “What do you say?”
We weren’t religious, but I had been taught to respect all religions. “I ask for the stakes to be blessed and for us to be protected against evil and all it brings to this world.”
Her eyes looked me over, and she mimicked what I’d done. She slipped the wet stakes back into place after allowing the water to saturate them, and then we headed back outside. I knew we’d been in the church longer than planned, and stepping outside confirmed it. Dusk had already come and gone. The blackness of night was upon us. Streetlights lit the area around the church with a soft glow. But the route back to the hotel was short, and I was confident we could make it. My eyes darted around the perimeter, and I spotted a young man nearby.
The familiarity was instant as our eyes met. His eyes were deep brown and almond-shaped with beautiful lashes. His dark brown hair was disheveled, yet stylish. He was tall and . . . well, just perfect. He was leaning against a streetlamp, and my heart beat a little faster. He ran his fingers through his hair, and out of nowhere, anger flitted through his eyes. He bared his teeth as he stepped off the curb and began walking toward us. My eyes remained locked on his.
There was a faint voice in the back of my head calling my name, and then a tug at my arm, and another. Finally, I broke free of his gaze when a stinging sensation coursed through my leg and into my back—Emily had kicked me.
“What the hell was that about?” I asked.
She snatched my arm and tried dragging me back into the church. When I looked back to where the guy had been, he was gone. Emily dropped her hand from my arm in clear defeat. I snapped back into protective mode and pushed her behind me as we retreated into the church. Leaning against the wall, I put my hands on my knees and caught my breath. It was all I could do to keep my body from falling over as I shook uncontrollably. My body was betraying me, as if I were fighting a sickness. Why had I lost my mind that way?
“Can you tell me what just happened? That was the same guy from the train station. Do you think he is following us? Why, though?”
It was obvious some of those questions weren’t directed to me, but to herself. Not knowing why he had such a hold on me, I straightened up, becoming furious with myself. I’d been weak. This guy made me vulnerable. Now I was positive he was a vampire, but what did he want? In my life, I had met four vampires. My father was the only one who had a grip on his humanity, allowing him to act human. All my other encounters prior to today had been savage creatures out to drink my blood. We were food to them, and I’d been forced to put them down like the foul creatures they were.
This mysterious guy was different. Not quite like my father, but it also didn’t seem like he was here to feed on us. But why did my presence make him look so angry?
“Earth to Tasi? Can we go back now before we’re stuck here until morning? I don’t want to sleep in the church . . . unless you think it’s the only way.” There was a tremor in Emily’s voice.
If we headed back to the hotel, we risked running into him. Could I take him in a fight, or would my feet become cement boots? If I couldn’t move, I’d put Emily’s life in danger. The right thing to do would be to camp out and sleep in the church until morning. But, to be honest, I wasn’t looking to do the right thing now. My gut told me he wouldn’t hurt me. Not that my gut had always been a reliable source in the past, but part of me wondered if I wanted to run into him again, which sounded stupid in my head. Either way, we had to hurry if we were going back.
Emily was watching me with a tortured look in her eyes. She saw the fight I was having within and was understanding enough to let me figure it out.
“Let’s go back, but we’ll run the entire way. The faster we get back, the better.” I searched the church for the best way out before pointing to the door on the left. “That way.”
Emily nodded before we took off. It was a ten-minute walk. Running cut the time down tremendously. Emily wasn’t used to running this fast, and I could hear her struggling to keep up. If I hadn’t been holding her hand, she might not have made it. We reached the room unscathed, even though I was still tangled up in my thoughts. This vampire was distracting me as no one ever had before. I dropped onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.
“I’m sorry, Em.” It was all I could say.
“You did nothing wrong, Tasi. Whatever happened, happened, and now we move on from it. We’re both alive.”
She placed a hand on my shoulder before heading off to take a shower, allowing me to work through what had happened alone. What had happened? I knew I hadn’t had a lot of experience outside of my sheltered life, but no one had ever made me feel so stupefied by their presence. All I knew was the faster we got out of Boston, and away from this mysterious vamp, the better.