| Chapter 17 Brian looked around the restaurant that Tracy had brought him to. It was a nice place, candles on each table, art on the walls, soft music in the background. The patrons were dressed from business clothes to street attire. The mood was laid back, relaxing. He sipped his drink while they waited on their order. "So, what do you think?" she asked. He looked into her dark eyes, "I like it. It's nice." She smiled, "They cater to humans too, so don't get to relaxed." He laughed, "Ok." Just then the waiter brought them their food. Both had ordered the vegetable plate. Tracy dug into hers, alternating a few bites with a drink. Brian followed suit, quickly deciding that he didn't like the cauliflower at all. Tracy giggled, "It'll take you a while to figure out what you do and don't like." He nodded, going back to his food. He found himself looking around the restaurant more than he was eating. As the sun had set, the place filled up. Just looking a person would have never known that they were seated in the middle of probably a hundred vampires, but the flock of butterflies in Brian's stomach made it clear. Silently he hoped for a day when he could control that feeling, for it and eating didn't mix well. He picked his glass up and took another drink, feeling someone staring at him. He looked to the side, seeing an older man in a business suit glaring at him. The look was pure hate and disgust. Brian looked down, wondering what the guys problem was. "Brian," Tracy whispered. He looked up and she gestured towards his shirt. He looked over to see that part of his tattoo was showing, and quickly pulled his sleeve down to cover it. The man went back to his dinner as if nothing had happened. Brian looked at Tracy, wanting to ask her about it, but she shook her head. "Later," she said, going back to her food. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Howie sat in the restaurant, gazing at Jennifer. For some reason he couldn't take his eyes off her. She had to be the most beautiful girl he'd seen ever. She grinned at him, "You're staring again." "Huh? Oh sorry," he said, blushing. She laughed, "It's alright. It's flattering." Howie blushed even more, looking down at his plate. He couldn't understand why he was acting the way he was. He'd been on dates with several women, but he'd never acted like a love struck twelve year old before. He cleared his throat and looked back up, right into those marvelous eyes of hers. They literally took his breath away. "S-so Jennifer, what brings you to Chicago?" he asked. "Business," she answered, taking a bite of her salad. "Oh, what kind of business are you in?" he asked. "I'm a sales rep for a pharmaceutical company. I travel around to different places and hock the new drugs coming out on the market," she rattled off. "Oh, that sounds interesting," he said. She laughed, "Not really, but it pays well and I get to travel. So, what do you do, when you're not singing that is?" "Not much, the singing kinda takes a lot of my time," Howie said, taking a bite of his steak. "So you don't have a hobby?" she asked, sounding disappointed. "Not much time for one, but I do like to read," he answered. "Oh? Me too. What kind of books do you like?" she asked. "All kinds really," he said, "How bout you?" She glanced around, then leaned in close, "Well, I don't normally tell people this, but I love Vampire novels. There's just something about them, the dark plots the mysterious characters ... I just can't get enough." Howie almost dropped his fork, his mouth half open, his eyes wide, "You're kidding?" She looked down at the table, somewhat embarrassed, "No, I'm not." He reached over and took her hand, "Don't be embarrassed, I love them too. I have a great interest in the history of the vampire ...it fascinates me." A slow smiled creased her face, "Oh really? Cool." He smiled back, "I have a feeling we're gonna have a lot in common." Jennifer gave him a mischievous grin, as she took a sip of her drink. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Nick for God's sake will you stop jumping around?" Kevin said. "Sorry, I'm just nervous. I've never been to an official meeting," he confessed. "Naw? Really?" Kevin teased, as he grabbed his backpack. Nick picked his up and followed Kevin to the door of his hotel room, "Just stay with me, and don't bring attention to yourself. And pay attention to what they say." "Got it," Nick said, as the two walked into the hall. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The waiter dropped the bill on the table and Brian took it. "Brian, let me get mine," Tracy objected. He shook his head, "No, I got it," he said, pulling out his new Network card and handing it back to the waiter. "I could have paid for my own," she said. He smiled at her, "I know, but this is thanks for letting me stay with you, and for what you've done for me. It doesn't begin to cover it, but it's a start." Tracy looked down, a bit embarrassed by his words of thanks. The waiter brought Brian's card back, had him sign and then left. "Well, we ready?" Tracy asked, standing up. "Yup, where to now?" Brian asked, as they made their way out of the restaurant and onto the street. Tracy took his hand and pulled him down the sidewalk, "I dunno, but I need to walk for a bit. I ate to much." Brian wondered how a plate of vegetables and a drink was to much, but walked along beside her just the same. They turned a corner and Brian stopped dead in his tracks, staring across the street. Tracy looked in that direction, seeing the Cathedral. It was huge and very out of place in the middle of several business and eateries. The stained glass windows where lit from within, making the place seem to glow. Like a colorful night light in a world of darkness. She looked at Brian, seeing tears well up in his eyes. Sadness and shame and utter pain emanated from him. Tracy bit her lip, torn between letting it go, or facing it. She sighed, taking his hand and pulling him across the street. She never was one to run from a problem. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nick looked out the window as the car stopped. "Is this it?" he asked, getting out and following Kevin to the door of what looked like an abandoned warehouse. Kevin checked the address again, "Yup, this is it. Remember what I said, and stay close," he warned, opening the door and walking inside. Nick followed him in, amazed at how many people where there. He scanned the crowd as Kevin found a seat, pulling him down next to him. People of all walks of life filled the room; young, old; male, female; short, tall .....you name it, it was there. "Everyone here is a slayer?" he asked. Kevin nodded, as an older man approached them. "Hello, welcome to the meeting. What region are you from?" he asked. "Western," Kevin said. "Oh great, we don't get many from there. Jarbore's the name," the man said, extending his hand. Kevin took it, "Richardson, and this is Carter. He's my apprentice." Jarbore shook Nick's hand, "Nice to meet you. You been doing this long?" Nick shook his head, "No, not to long, a few months." "Ohh you are new. Any kills?" Jarbore asked. Nick glanced at Kevin. "Go ahead and tell him," Kevin prompted. "Um two," Nick said. The man looked impressed, "Really? Did you help him?" he asked Kevin. Kevin shook his head, "Nope, he got them on his own. I was just there for back up." "Impressive," Jarbore grinned, "Very impressive." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brian dug his feet into the concrete, trying to pull from Tracy's grip, "Tracy we can't go in there." She turned to him, "Yes, we can. Come on, we need to talk," she said, dragging him into the church. Brian could feel his heart in his throat as they walked in and found a seat near the front. No one was there, just them, which made it a little easier. Brian sat down and looked at his lap, fighting the tears in his eyes. Tracy sat next him, trying to think of the right words to say. "Brian, why does coming here make you upset?" she asked. He bit his lip, picking at his fingernails, "It's a church Tracy." "Yeah, and .....?" she asked. He looked away from her, "And it's not part of my life anymore. He can't be part of my life." "Why not Brian?" she asked, seeing a tear fall down his cheek. "Because," he said, wiping it away. She put her hand on his knee, "Because why Brian? Say it," she said. He closed his eyes, a few more tears escaping, "Because I'm a ........a vampire." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A man walked up to the podium, "Welcome everyone. If you'll take your seats, we'll get started." The room quieted down, and Nick pulled out a notebook and a pen from his back pack. Kevin looked over and raised an eyebrow, smiling. "As you all know, this meeting was made mandatory for all the regions. The reason being is we've been given some information that needs immediate attention," the man said, as the lights dimmed and someone in the back turned on a projector. A picture appeared on a screen behind the man, "This is Raven. Many of you know of her, but for those of you who are new let me give you a brief run down. About seventy-five years ago, she and her mate, who's name I can't pronounce, tried to overthrow the vampire ruling council. Seems they were tired of living under their laws, and wanted to rule the vampire world themselves. They wanted to reopen hunting on humans, and they had a huge following. Their attempt failed when her mate was slain. It seems that somehow they had combined their powers, and without him she wasn't strong enough to defeat the council." Nick was frantically taking notes, as the slide changed to another picture of Raven. "After her defeat, Raven went into hiding. Not even the watchers knew of her whereabouts. Some believed that she was dead, but others believed she was trying to regroup. It seems the latter is true. She surfaced a few weeks ago. By the time we learned of her location, she was already gone, but we do know she has been building her family since her disappearance. We believe she will try again to overthrow the ruling council. If she does, people, the world as we know it will be no more. It'll be open season on humans, and we haven't faced that in centuries," he said. The room buzzed with excitement. "If she finds another mate, she will be almost unstoppable. Our job is to find her. Take a good look at this photo," he said, gesturing towards the screen, "It's the most recent we have. Taken from the watchers archives. Imagine her in modern clothing, a modern hair cut. If you find her, do not, and I repeat, do not take her on yourself. Call headquarters and wait for the squad. She's centuries old people, and there's not a one of us in this room that can take on that kind of power alone. So, if there's no questions ........ lets get out there and find the bitch!" the man said, as the room cheered. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tracy sighed, "Brian, why do you believe that because you're a vampire that God want's nothing to do with you?" "Why would He Tracy? I'm a monster!" Brian screamed, his voice echoing off the walls. Tracy glared at him, taking a few breaths to calm down. They didn't work. She grabbed Brian's face and pulled it over, making him look at her, "Is that what you see when you look at me? A monster?" Brian's eyes widened, as he realized what he'd said, "No." "Are you sure?" she asked, not believing him. He shook his head, "No, you are not a monster. You are a kind, loving person." "But I'm a vampire Brian," she said, "Does that not make me a monster?" He shook his head. Tracy took a deep breath, closing her eyes, then opening them back up. Brian jerked from her grip and moved away from her. "What about now Brian?" she asked, her fangs flashing as she talked, "Am I a monster now?" Brian stared into her eyes. They had changed from the dark chocolate he loved, to a golden honey. "Answer me," she said. "No, you are not a monster," he answered. "Then why do you think you are?" she asked. Brian looked down at the floor. Tracy took another breath, returning to her normal state. She scooted closer to Brian, gently touching his knee, "Honey, just because we are vampires doesn't mean we are evil. That is a myth that has survived through the ages. We are the same people as we were before we were bitten. We just have some extra abilities now, that's all. Before I can teach you anything, you have to believe that." "I want to, but I can't," he said. "Why can't you?" she asked. "I just ... I can't feel Him anymore. I pray and He doesn't listen. He's not with me anymore, because I've turned into this ......" Tracy glared at him. "This um thing," he finished. Tracy sighed, "I believe in God Brian, and I believe He hears me and helps me. And I believe that He's doing the same for you, even though you can't see it." Brian stared at her, tears running down his cheeks. She patted his chest, "He's in your heart Brian, where He's always been. Becoming what you are doesn't change that, it never will. You are and will always be His child, and He will always love you." "But if that's so, why are some vampires affected by the cross?" he asked. She shrugged, "Why are some people affected by it? They don't believe in it, and in our state if you don't believe, it affects you. That's why before I can teach you anything, we needed to settle this. You have to believe in yourself, and a part of who you are, is believing in God. If you don't believe in yourself Brian, you are fodder for Raven. She's counting on being able to control you, if you believe in yourself, she wont be able to, no matter how weak you may be otherwise." "If that was true she wouldn't have been able to bite me," he said. Tracy shook her head, "No, she still would have bitten you, but I bet you didn't make it easy for her, am I right?" He shrugged. Tracy patted his leg, "Go and talk with Him." Brian looked towards the front of the church, the huge cross looming over the pulpit. She gave him a comforting smile, "Go on." Brian took a deep breath and slowly rose to his feet. He glanced around the church, as he walked to the front, kneeling at the foot of the huge golden cross. He closed his eyes as fresh tears made a new trail down his face, and he poured his heart out to his God. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Howie held Jennifer's hand as they walked down the street, back to the hotel. It had been a lovely date. Dinner and a movie. It'd been ages since Howie had done that. It turned out that he and Jennifer did have a lot in common. From their large families, to their likes in food and clothes, music and movies, and of course their love of vampires. They entered the hotel, and walked through the lobby to the elevators. "I've had a great time," Howie said. She smiled, "Me too." "Um, are you going to be around tomorrow?" he asked. "Yes, I'm here one more day, then it's off to Vegas," she answered. He looked at her shocked, "You're kidding? Me too!" "So, you wanna do something?" she asked, as they stepped onto the elevator. "Yes, um I mean if you want to," he said. She stared at him, her eyes shining, "I'd love to. So we meet up tomorrow afternoon then?" she asked. "Sure," he said, as the elevator stopped on her floor and she stepped out, holding the doors. "Great, I'll see you then," she said, leaning in and quickly kissing his cheek before letting the doors go, "Night Howie," she called as they closed. Howie leaned against the wall as the elevator took off again, "Night," he sighed, a huge smile on his face. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "So this Raven was a bad character huh?" Nick asked. Kevin nodded, "From what I've read, yeah." "So this is big, like really big," he said. Kevin looked at him, "If you call the end of the world as we know it big, then yeah." Nick bit his bottom lip and looked out the window as the car moved down the street. "What are we gonna do if she gets a mate and it happens?" he asked. Kevin sighed, shaking his head, "I dunno kiddo. Kill her or die trying I guess." Nick looked at his older friend, "I was afraid you'd say that." Chapter 18 |