Vicky offered Blake a polite smile as he approached her post at the drink table. She was filling cups of punch and cola for something to do, and the minor task also gave her an excuse to talk to everyone, including the caterers.

Blake had made his way around to talk to the other members of the coven, though the vampires were doing most of the talking. Blake asked questions, and most seemed intended to provoke long, thoughtful responses. He wasn’t engaged in conversation so much as conducting interviews.

In the process of eavesdropping, Vicky had learned things about her coven mates that she didn’t know. But then, she’d never thought to ask either.

It seemed to Vicky that every time she turned to check up on Blake, he was just turning his head at the same time to glance at her, and he was always smiling. Young or not, Vicky began to regard him as a predator of a different sort.

(more…)

Sunday, June 27, 1998

Vicky opened the door and beamed a wide smile at Bethany and the three people standing behind her. The woman standing directly behind Bethany bore such a strong resemblance that their relation was obvious. Bethany was dressed in tight black jeans and a tighter blue tube top. From Vicky’s lofty perspective, the top offered a great view of the short teen’s cleavage.

Bethany’s mother was wearing the same style of jeans, and her white top was pushed off of her shoulders. She was showing off almost as much of her chest as her daughter.

To a breast fan like Vicky, the twin-twin peaks view was like a kinky all-you-can-eat buffet with a mom and daughter special.

The tall, lanky dark-skinned man standing beside Bethany’s mother had to be the necromancer. The biggest clue was the dead taxidermy-stuffed cat tucked under his arm. His head was shaved, but his cheeks and chin were not. He had a well-trimmed black beard and moustache, and he wore round glasses with thick lenses that magnified his eyes.

He’d chosen to dress appropriately for a visit with vampires with a black dress shirt and black slacks. Even his hiking boots were black. Vicky approved.

(more…)

Friday, June 26, 1998

After the long night she’d had, the last thing Vicky wanted was a cold meal. Calling the house, she spoke with Lucas, who suggested that she visit the Colby sisters. This sounded like a fine idea to Vicky, who took down the address, and then called a cab.

Having a random thought, she told the cab dispatcher, “Oh, and tell the driver I’m a very tall albino. I swear, if he leaves me stranded over my looks, I’m going to sue you for discrimination.”

This threat worked, and she took the cab to the house of the Colby triplets, Lucas’ favorite pets. It wasn’t their taste so much as their odd behavioral quirks that he adored.

But at the door, she was greeted by a male voice who grumbled, “Oh, good Christ. Aren’t you people supposed to hate sunlight?”

(more…)

Thursday, June 25, 1998

Vicky’s training took all of one hour before the trainer left. She had a clipboard of locations to patrol and mark with the time that she checked the rooms. So long as she made circuits every half hour, she was free to use the computer at the front desk to surf the web. It was something to try on another shift, but for the time being, she felt better walking.

This was the beauty of work. She would do nothing, and get paid to do it. In this way, she was doing something useful, even if it was just walking and looking scary.

Yeah, but I don’t look scary, she thought. Snickering, she added, I look like a dork in a rent-a-cop uniform.

Her employers had provided her with the rest of her uniform: a metal badge, a hat and a “holster” containing a long heavy metal flashlight.

Taking out her flashlight, she flicked it on and off down a hall.

She snarled and said, “Freeze, dirt bag! Don’t make me flash you again!”

(more…)

Thursday June 25, 1998

The alarm clock went off too early. Vicky reached out to slap the snooze button, and she was annoyed when her hand found only the empty surface of the nightstand.

She remembered putting the clock in the drawer to keep herself from oversleeping, and she sat up, digging in the drawer to pull out the squawking black box. 6:00 PM, so the sun would still be up when she had to go in for training. Once she was familiar with her job, she could come in at 10 pm and leave at 6 AM, right at the crack of dawn.

Amber rolled over, moaning before she asked, “Work starts today?”

Vicky nodded but got no response.  She looked around and saw that Amber hadn’t opened her eyes. “Yeah, I go in early for training.”

Amber nodded. “M’kay…don’t kill anybody who doesn’t deserve it.”

With sage advice given, she buried one cheek into the pillow and returned to sleep.

(more…)

Tuesday June 23, 1998

Vicky was feeling so good about her interview that she almost forgot why the trip to the tissue center had upset her. But at the front of the building, the sun beaming in through the windows bitch slapped her to jog her memory.

Fumbling her glasses out of her bag, she pulled them on and squinted as she walked outside, almost running right into a cop.

Blinded, she didn’t know it was a cop. She backed up at the same time that he did and blurted, “I’m—”

“I’m—” the cop also said, laughing before he noticed Vicky’s odd skin color. “Oh, Miss, are you okay? You don’t look so good.”

“Yes, I’m okay. Believe it or not, this is a healthy tan for me.” Vicky smiled weakly, but the smile fell when she heard the CB on the cop’s hip squawk. Then the combination of the scent of gun oil and the following radio chatter clued her in that this was not a guard, but a police officer.

(more…)

Tuesday June 23, 1998

The lighting in the back hallway of the tissue center was bright, but without a window to bring in natural sunlight, Vicky’s eyes weren’t being hammered as hard. This meant she only needed to squint to see, and her brow wasn’t knotted down into as tight a knot.

She hadn’t been laughed out of the building upon her arrival to explain her reason for visiting, although one of the staff at the front desk had snickered when they got a good look at Vicky’s cobalt-blue skin.

She was left in a cramped office, sitting in front of an empty desk for close to fifteen minutes before a short, pudgy Hispanic woman came in carrying a stack of folders. The top folder was open, and she was reading from it while she walked.

Half frame glasses were pushed onto her thick nose, the plastic frames a bright red that matched her blazer. Under the jacket was a simple white blouse, and she wore a long black skirt to complete the tasteful but bright outfit. She had grey hair with an occasional strand of dark black mixed in here and there. It was cut short, making her round face seem more severe.

“I’m sorry for being late,” she said without looking at Vicky. “I’ve got so many hats on these days, and interviewer is lower on the priority list.” She still hadn’t looked up as she made her way around Vicky and the side of the desk. “These reports never end, and now I’ve got even more to worry about, with filing theft reports and hiring internal security and whatnot.”

Dropping the stack of folders, she looked over the top of her glasses, her mouth falling open.

(more…)

Tuesday June 23, 1998

Regardless of species, hell is riding a bus with broken air conditioning filled with sweating humans. The heat is one thing, but for a vampire, boarding a crowded hotbox with two dozen foul-tempered humans is either foolhardy or suicidal.

Vicky wasn’t sure which category she belonged in.

To a vampire, being assaulted by the combined aromas inside a crowded bus is like walking into a fast food joint and smelling cooking food. Except the food is alive, pissed off and vastly outnumbers the customers.

And in broad daylight, the vampire is nearly blind and doing some cooking of their own.

(more…)