Mitchell stood in the great room of the mansion. His mind racing. Was he really going to do this!? His journey here began on a beach.
The essence of Herrick was still floating in the Volvo. Finally at peace with his maker he stood at the edge of the water and basked in the warmth of the early morning sun. What now. He'd made such a mess of everything. Should he return to George and Annie? Could he? Would they really welcome him back in? No. As he told Herrick - would they really be sitting around watching The Real Hustle sharing a pizza now that they understood what a monster he was. No. That life was over. Like so many times in the last hundred years he would start over. Only this time he would do it alone. No Herrick. No vampire community.
So he walked.
He didn't care where he was going. He needed to think and walking helped. There were a few stops along the way. Having been Herrick's second for so many years he knew where to find stashes of cash and new identification. It was the vampire way - to take care of their own. Sometimes he traveled by coach or short hops on a plane but never by train. He couldn't bear it…not yet..too soon. Then one day as he stood in Heathrow staring at the departing flights board he saw it - New York. Well, now there was a place you could get lost in. So the next thing he knew he was boarding a flight for JFK.
As he settled into his seat Mitchell noticed her. It was her smell that he noticed first. Not a perfume, more of a scent all her own. Her straight dark brown hair hung mid way down her back. Smooth and glossy in the way that looked carefree and casual but really took a great deal of time and effort to achieve. She was dressed in a loose fitting emerald green cashmere sweater that was cut in a deep V showing the lacy black camisole that she was wearing underneath it. Her dark blue jeans were tucked into knee high black leather boots. Mitchell looked at the empty aisle seat next to him wondering if by some twist of fate she would soon be filling it. He was traveling business class so that would mean that they would have at least six hours completely to themselves. If you could really be completely alone on a plane.
He saw her looking at the seat numbers and suddenly he noticed that she was looking directly at him. As their eyes met her full lips curved up into an easy smile. She stopped right in front of him cocking her head slightly to the right.
"It looks like we'll be keeping each other company for a few hours", she said. "You don't snore do you"?
Mitchell laughed. "Only when I'm really tired" he replied. "Thankfully for you I've gotten a lot of sleep lately".
She stashed her purse under the seat and placed her other bag in the overhead before easing down into the seat next to him. "I'm Laura", she told him as she settled in.
He noticed that her eyes were the same emerald green as her sweater. That scent billowed up around her and Mitchell closed his eyes and took it in. It was intoxicating. A mix of vanilla, amber and fresh grass. She was human, he was sure of that but there was something… just beneath the surface of that scent..
He realized that she was staring at him. "Oh sorry… I'm Mitchell".
Laura looked at him. An amused look on her face. "I'd heard that you preferred Mitchell to John". Her head tilting off to the right again. "Why is that?"
Panic struck him as he realized that they were taxiing down the runway and he was trapped.
She gently touched his arm. "Don't panic I just want to talk to you", her voice lowering to a whisper. "I figured this would be best way to get you to listen."
Anger flared up in Mitchell's eyes. "Who the fuck are you and what the hell do you want", he hissed at her. Suddenly he realized that the mysterious smell under that heavenly scent was vampire.
"I belong to a group that helps people like you" she explained. "We've been watching you for a while now. I'm sorry we couldn't get to you before…the train."
Mitchell's eyes flashed black. "You're human but you smell like a vampire". "Why?"
"Please Mitchell all I ask is for you to listen to me. Hear what I have to say and if when we get to New York you aren't interested we go in separate directions and you will never hear from us again."
"Please",she implored.
"If you know what I am and you've been around my kind you know I could kill you right now".
"Yes, I know", she replied "But just how would you explain that to the attendant?"
"Start talking", he growled at her.
Laura relaxed slightly and gently smiled at him. "Ok let me start by telling you who I work for."
"There are a group of vampires who have figured out a way to co-exist with humans without killing. Unlike the sect that believes that they can completely abstain from drinking blood this group drinks regularly. The reason I smell like vampire Mitchell is because the vampire whose household I live in feeds from me regularly. Before you jump to conclusions I chose this arrangement. There are several of us who live there. We're his menagerie."
"Jaysus that's sick!", Mitchell spewed at her.
"He said you wouldn't understand", she replied. "It's not some twisted vampire ploy. We get some benefit from it too. He takes care of us. A lot of us were lost, abused, discarded and before you get the wrong idea no sex is not part of the deal."
He looked at her. Disgust still lingering on his face. "So he gives you a place to live some food and you let him drink from you. Yeah…yeah that's brilliant!" "Well if you're looking for a new vampire to take care of you you've got the wrong one".
"Oh Mitchell we don't need you to take care of us", she answered sadness evident on her face. "We want to take care of you."
"This isn't something you just do", she continued "You will need to be trained by a master. It takes time to override your instinct and only take what you need. You will live within a household until you are safe. The master of the house will accept responsibility for the safety of those members of the menagerie who agree to feed you".
"So just one question", he asked "Why me. What do they want from me"?
"They believe you have potential and if properly trained you can become a valuable member of their collective. It's been almost 100 years since they have welcomed a new vampire into the fold."
She stopped and looked at him intently. "I'm confused. I thought you didn't want to kill anymore."
"I don't know what I want anymore", Mitchell answered.