The Blind Girl at the Diner

11:15 came around quicker than he had thought. And after Hannah had still not written he had decided that if he didn't hear from her until the next night he would go to her place to make sure she was ok.

He was waiting in front of the diner, just like Beatrix had asked him. She came over and he noticed that she had changed clothes. She was wearing simple jeans and a black t-shirt.

"Hello," he greeted her and watched as a smile spread on her face.

"You really came. I'm glad. Shall we go in?"

"Of course. Have you eaten here before?" he asked, as he watched her take up the stairs and hold the door for him with a self satisfied grin.

"Nope. You'll have to tell me what's on the menu, because I doubt they print that in braille."

She followed him, his footsteps on the floor apparently enough for her to walk with only minimal use of her cane.

He sat down in the back of the diner, tapping the bench opposite to him with his foot. "Have a seat."

It made her giggle. She giggled quite a lot, now that he thought of it.

"You're a natural, already giving me audio cues," she said. Complimented, really.

"Why, thank you." He quickly went over the menu for her.

"I'll take the pancakes. Haven't had any in ages. How about you?"

"The bacon and eggs sandwich."

They didn't have to wait long for the waitress to take their order and their food arrived quickly. As she set down Beatrix's plate, he let her know, "If you manage to eat all of this, I have no idea where you're putting it all." He was quite amused.

"Well, if I don't manage to eat it all, feel free to have yourself some free dessert, namely the rest of my pancakes," she laughed.

"Nah, judging from the amount of food I have on my own plate, I'm pretty sure I will be struggling by the time I finished mine."

"Well either way, enjoy." She probed the pile of pancakes with her fork, then dug in.

"You too."

After a while, Vandal noticed that Beatrix was trying really hard to keep herself from smiling. "What is it? You look like something is amusing you to no end."

"I can hear you eating even over the music." She did smile now. "I don't mind, it lets me know you're still there."

"Have you had people just walk away from you?"

"More than once. And I stood there, talking to nobody, looking like a fool, or a crazy person." There was the slightest hint of sadness in her voice.

"That sucks. I'm sorry to hear that."

She sighed. "Well it can't be helped, I guess it's bound to happen. One of the worse parts of being blind… I prefer focusing on the positive though. It hasn't happened all that often lately. I have gotten better at sensing if someone is still there or not."

"Well, I won't walk out on you, don't worry." He was curious about the dress she'd been wearing earlier. "Did you pick the dress yourself?"

"Yes, I had my friend Janice help me with that. She helps me with picking out clothes in general. If she's not there, I just ask customers at the store for colors and sizes. To be honest, most of my shirts are black, or dark in color."

"Makes it easier when you're washing things, right? That way you don't have to worry about accidentally putting something in there that didn't belong and having it bleed." Something so simple could already pose problems for her. He had never really thought about it before until now.

"Absolutely. Although I would be able to sort shirts by color if they had different textures and textiles used, I just need to memorize what Janice tells me their colors are."

"Do you read?"

"Yes, I brailled the entire Harry Potter series!" she sounded so excited. "Have you read them?"

"Unfortunately, I didn't."

"Pity. They were great. Don't you read at all, or is fantasy just not your kind of genre?" she wanted to know.

"I read, even fantasy, I just couldn't bring myself to start reading the Harry Potter books, because it would take me ages to finish the series."

"Ah, I quite understand."

"So, did Jeanette have anything interesting to say?" he casually asked, steering the conversation down the path he wanted it to go.

"Yes." And none of them she was going to tell to him without him having to pry them out of her.

"For instance?"

It took a moment before she answered him. "That none of them are to be discussed with anyone, if I know what's good for me."

"She 'threatened' you?"

"She did," she spoke quietly. "And I'm not going to make the mistake and talk behind her back. Because she will find out if I did…" She paused, then asked him, "Ever broken a promise and told someone something you were not supposed to just to have it come back and bite you in the ass?"

"No, because I don't usually talk to people. I'm a very private person. All the secrets I keep locked away in the deepest, darkest corners of my heart."

"Good on you. I made the mistake once. I never will again." She hesitated and Vandal thought she was contemplating whether or not to tell him this particular story, but she didn't. "I have a really strange question for you, Vandal."

"Okay."

"Have you ever felt so misunderstood and wrongly judged that you'd rather be alone in the world than have to deal with the people in it? Ever tried to explain yourself, just knowing they will 'never' understand no matter how hard you try?" He heard frustration and sadness in her voice.

"I have."

"Then I'm sure you also know what it feels like when you finally find someone who doesn't judge you and understands, or at least tries to understand you?"

Where was she going with this? "Yes."

"Good. Now imagine that person leaving you for something that happened to you that was out of your control. Something that scarred you. And they left because they couldn't deal with it, because it was too much for them. How would that make you feel? If they left you while you were still going through it. When you hadn't recovered from what scarred you yet."

"I think I would be disappointed. Probably be even more hurt than I already was."

She smiled a sad smile. "I was 'angry'. It made me say horrible things to her. First time I ever realized that words could be even sharper than a knife." Her smile changed, it turned vile. "I don't regret what I said to her. The only thing I regret is not being able to see her face as I said them."

Not what he had expected at all. "You hate her for leaving you. I can see it in your face." It didn't matter that he didn't know who she was talking about. He felt like she had wanted to get this off her chest for a long while and the look of utter hatefulness was something he appreciated.

"Yes. She left me when I was at my weakest. She abandoned me. I still hate her even now. I think I always will. I'm not even sorry she's gone." The amount of spite in her voice rivaled his own.

"And you shouldn't be. If she left you hanging like that she was never a real friend to you in the first place," he said.

"I should have clarified. She's dead. She killed herself a week after." There was no emotion in her voice. She didn't care.

"I still stand by my previous statement."

"You're not even shocked," she noted, surprised. "From the way you said you'd feel about her leaving I would have expected you to feel differently about that fact."

"You don't sound heartbroken, so there's no need for me to offer fake condolences or try to comfort you."

Beatrix rested her chin on her hand. "How refreshing to have someone who's this brutally honest."

He let out a short laugh. "You've heard so many 'sorry's' that you've become numb to them, haven't you? That you stopped believing them."

"Yes. I've also had people call me heartless when I did tell them that I wasn't sorry she's gone. I mean, it's not like I don't get their point of view, but almost no one ever seems to get mine." She sighed. She now looked exhausted.

"I quite understand." What he said next was a rare thing coming from him. "I'm glad you didn't try to make yourself care. I'm glad you didn't try to lie to yourself about how you feel. It would have made you lose yourself and turned you into something that's better off destroyed."

She nodded. "I agree."

Silence fell between them for a while and eventually the waitress came back and they paid their bills.

"Vandal?" She spoke so quietly that he almost didn't hear her.

"Yes?"

"Can you guide me home?" Why was she speaking so quietly? She wasn't raising her voice to a normal volume again.

So now she did trust him enough to let him walk her home? "I can. Should I feel honored?"

"Thank you. Yeah, maybe a tiny bit."

"Well, then let's go," he grinned.

They exited the diner and Beatrix let him know where her apartment was. It wasn't far, not even a five minute walk away from the Asylum.

"Would you like to come in?" she asked when they had arrived. "Bet you're curious about my apartment, aren't you?"

He was. "Yes, I'd like to."

"Well, then follow me." She unlocked the front door and he walked into the hallway behind her.

The first thing he noticed was that the elevator buttons had braille on them. They took it to the second floor and Beatrix led him to the last door on the right.

"Welcome, to my humble home," she smiled and opened the door.

He didn't know what he had expected, but her apartment looked just like any other. Apart from the books she had on her shelves. They were all in braille. She had a lot of them.

"Aren't the books super expensive?" he asked.

"Oh, yes, but it's alright. I'm lucky my friends and family gave them to me." She folded her cane and placed it next to the entrance, then she made her way into the kitchen. "Want something to drink? I could make tea, or coffee."

"I'm good, thank you."

"Okay, well I'm gonna make myself some tea, you don't mind right? Feel free to look around the apartment and ask me if anything peaks your curiosity."

He heard her fill the electric kettle with water and turn it on. "I'll just sit down on the couch until you're done. You live alone, right?"

"Okay, make yourself at home," she chuckled. "I do live alone, yes. Janice comes over once or twice a week though, just to make sure I'm ok."

"Do you like cooking?"

"Yes, I really enjoy it. Do you?" She opened a drawer and got a tea bag out of the package, put it in her glass and poured the boiling water over it.

"I do. Since I'm guessing you're kind of a sweet tooth, ever had banana flambe? It's really good. A friend did that a few days ago for dessert when we were cooking together."

Beatrix sat down next to him with her cup. He took note that she didn't have a small table in front of her sofa like most people he knew. Probably because that would be considered a tripping hazard. "I never had it, it sounds delicious. Obviously I don't use a burner, if I did I would probably set my apartment on fire."

"If you ask me nicely, I could make some for you some time," he teased.

She smiled and turned to him further on the couch. "Would you make me banana flambe some time, please? I would love that! I would get down on my knees and kiss your feet if that's what it took."

It was said as a joke, but he suspected that she really would if he answered yes while making it sound like he thought it was funny. "You don't need to beg me on your knees. If you have a day off during the week, we could arrange something. I work night shifts at the blood bank starting Saturday. 9 PM to 3 AM."

"Great! Text me then, since I'm also working night shifts. I'm sure we can work out a time that suits us both." She gave him her number and he saved it on his phone. Then she took a sip of her tea. He hit the call button. The vibration alarm went off. She had her phone in her pocket still. "That was you right?"

"It was."

"Ok."

"What are you drinking?" He couldn't tell by the smell.

"Jasmine tea." She held out the cup to him. "Wanna try it? It's good."

"Sure, why not." She wasn't lying, it was good. "It's very mild, but I like it."

She took the cup again and her head turned to the side as if she'd heard something. Before he could ask her what she'd heard though, there was a knock on the door. Not the doorbell. Just someone knocking.

"Are you expecting someone?" he asked.

"No. This is unusual. Maybe it's one of the neighbors, but why would they want anything from me at this hour?" She was suspicious now. "Come to the door with me? I don't trust the whole situation."

He did.

"Who's there?" Beatrix asked and she sounded aggressive when she said it too. Better let whoever was out there know that she wasn't too happy about this.

"A little bird told me that you brought a guest to your home."

Vandal immediately recognized the voice.

"Who are you?" Beatrix asked. She turned to Vandal. "Do you know this guy?"

"I met him exactly once before."

"My name is Kevin. The Voerman sisters sent me to speak with you and Vandal. Lucky for me you're both here. Will you let me in, Beatrix? I don't think Jeanette would be pleased if she heard you didn't open your door for me." His voice held the slightest bit of impatience.

"Is there anyone else with you?" she asked him, caution overtaking her.

"I'm alone. Have Vandal check for you if it makes you more at ease."

"No, it's fine." She opened the door.

Kevin walked in straight towards the sofa, stopping in front of it. "Please, have a seat, both of you."

She closed the door and they sat down again, Beatrix still with her cup in hand.

Kevin, as well sat down, cross legged on the floor and his eyes found Vandal's. He had only seen Kevin from across the room at the clinic, but up this close he noted that his eyes with their two strange, different colors were almost translucent. Like last time he had seen him, he was wearing black pants, but this time he had a midnight blue button up shirt on. Vandal had to admit that he looked quite handsome. He could have been a model, no problem.

"Before we start however, I'd like to thank you for treating Heather's injury."

Vandal nodded. "You're welcome."

"I felt sorry after. I don't think I ever told her." There was real pain in his voice. "Did she say anything about the incident?"

He wasn't sure if he could speak freely with Beatrix present. Wouldn't it sound strange if he told him that he had punished her for 'disobeying', like a servant?

"Please, did she say anything at all?" Kevin repeated.

Cautiously he answered, "She said it happened because she didn't listen to you."

"Correct. I shouldn't have left it lying around the house. It was a mistake on my part. I should have just talked to her."

Beatrix didn't speak, she just listened intently and sipped her tea.

"Maybe you should tell her," Vandal suggested.

"I probably should." His eyes flicked around the room very quickly and then settled on Beatrix. "Therese and Jeanette both agreed that it would be best to let the two of you know that you may talk about any matters that regard both of your work freely."

Vandal raised an eyebrow in question.

"Ah, I see." Kevin spoke deflated. He reached out for Beatrix's arm.

"Please, don't touch me. I can feel you moving," she told him. She held out the cup to Vandal to take it from her.

He did.

As Kevin moved his hand closer, she suddenly got up to get out of his reach. He as well, rose from the floor. "What are you gonna do about it? You can't see."

"Hey, leave her alone!" Vandal hissed, forgetting for a moment that who he was speaking to was far more powerful than him. He put down the cup next to the couch.

Kevin ignored him and took a step towards her.

"Fuck off," Beatrix hissed. "I am warning you. If you touch me I'll break both your arms."

He started laughing. "I guess nobody told you who I am, or you wouldn't be talking like that."

"You're wrong. You could be the Archbishop or the Prince and I would still be talking to you like that! I don't care that you're a vampire." Her hands flew up and covered her mouth in shock. "Oh shit."

So she knew who she was truly working for. "Are you a ghoul?" Vandal asked, getting up as well.

"Vandal, please stop asking questions." Now she sounded panicked.

Kevin smirked, "You don't want them to find out."

She shivered. "Please don't tell Jeanette, or Therese."

"You don't work for a pack of Shovelheads, right?" Kevin spoke in a low voice.

"No!"

"I'm just making sure. You're from the Zantosa family?" Kevin questioned.

Vandal had no idea what they were talking about. The only thing he knew was that Sabbat kindred were often referred to as Shovelheads. But she was definitely human.

"I'm a Revenant, Vandal," Beatrix told him, as if she'd read his mind. "I'm a ghoul that produces their own vampiric vitae. I age at a quarter of the rate of a normal human." She turned her attention back to Kevin. "I am. And I'm lucky we are ignored."

"If you weren't, you wouldn't be here…"

"Absolutely, yes."

Kevin changed his stance. He looked like he was about to jump Beatrix. "Let's see if you were bluffing."

Vandal had no time to react. Kevin grabbed her shoulders and jerked her towards him. Beatrix brought both her underarms down on Kevin's elbows with incredible speed and there was a loud crack as both of them broke and Kevin hissed sparply. He was forced to let go of her again. It took a few seconds until his arms had healed.

"I told you," Beatrix spoke matter of factly.

Kevin looked impressed. "You've had a lot of time to train, hadn't you?"

"I did." She walked past Kevin to Vandal. "You ok?"

"Yes," Vandal nodded. He wasn't phased by the sound or sight of broken bones. What had phased him, was the speed and strength with which she had acted and how accurate her aim had been without sight.

Kevin, now completely recovered, spoke again. "I will leave the two of you now that I've delivered my message and have seen what I came here for. Thank you, Beatrix. Don't worry. I will not speak about who you 'really' are with the sisters. Your secret's safe with me." He bowed. "Have a good night." He left Vandal and her standing where they were.

The door fell shut and to Vandal it sounded as loud as a gunshot. The voices were back, whispering in the back of his head.

Beatrix moved towards the sofa again and got her cup with a frown on her face. "Well that's cold now, thanks to Kevin." She poured it out in the kitchen sink, came back and flopped onto the couch like a sandbag.

Vandal came over to her. She looked exhausted. He sat as well.

"Who are you drinking from?" she asked him. "Therese?"

"Yes, from the Queen Bitch herself."

A laugh escaped her. "Oh, don't let her hear that."

"I won't. So, I was right. You were hiding something, and this is what it was. What happens if you drink vampire blood? Are you unaffected?" Therese hadn't told him about Revenant's. Maybe she didn't know about them?

"It affects me the same way it does you. I stop aging, and if I drink 3 times I'm completely bound to whoever I drank from," she sighs.

A thought crossed his mind. "Are you really 'just' a dancer or has Jeanette running you errands too?"

"Well, since I'm now allowed to talk about it I can tell you what we talked about earlier. Kevin was right. They don't know what I am. They think I'm an unsuspecting human. But from Jeanette's questioning tonight, I think she means to blood bind me. And I don't know what to make of that yet. For the extra work she offered me, I'm supposed to meet a guy called Knox during the day, who will give me something for Jeanette from a guy called Bertram."

He didn't recognize either of those names. "I hope that goes down well. Good luck."

"Why, thank you. I'm sure it will." He could hear she was glad that he hadn't offered help. Because she knew how to handle herself. Probably better than most people.

For a while longer, they sat and talked. Beatrix told him a lot of things about kindred and ghouls that Therese had conveniently failed to mention. They only decided to call it a night when Vandal noticed the sun was already rising on the horizon.

Beatrix brought him to the door. "Will you find your way back?" she asked.

It brought a smile on his face. "I will. Don't worry. See you soon."

"Talk to you soon," she chuckled. "Sleep well."

"You too."

The door closed behind him and he made his way back to his own apartment, just to go straight to bed.