Chapter Ten: Why Does She Even Matter?
Christian stood atop of his roof staring at the horizon and thinking. Why he ever decided to let William watch over Amy was beyond him. He supposed that William showed some promise, could keep her under some control. Amy was afraid of William, Christian knew that.
Then again, he hadn't expected Amy to be able to use her gift with such effectiveness. True, he was sure that she would develop it soon. Even William's gift took about a year to kick in. But William had not the slightest idea of how to hone his skills.
"Back so soon?" Christian asked, annoyed.
William appeared at his side, his own expression not the happiest. "I couldn't find her," he said, trying to ignore the acid in Christian's voice.
"Oh really!" Christian's face lit up with sarcasm. "And here I thought that you had found her and just didn't bring her! Oh, how wrong I was. Thank you for clarifying that, William." Christian reached up at the end of his statement and, in one quick movement, ripped William's arm from its socket and sent it skidding across the roof.
William let out a snarl of pain and fell to his knees, cradling the hanging black fabric where his arm had once been. He sent a glare filled with death wishes to Christian, but he had already turned around and was once again staring at the horizon.
"William, you are a Tracker, are you not?" Christian asked.
William bit back swear words, knowing that Christian would rip his tongue out next. So he nodded instead, letting out a barely audible "Mhm."
"So then tell me, why have you not been able to Track Amy?"
William inhaled deeply, picking his next words carefully. "I can track her to a point."
William flinched backward when he found Christian suddenly in his face, afraid of what would happen next.
"Please," Christian said. "Elaborate."
William dropped his eyes as he spoke. "Her scent is...traceable. I followed it to a convenient store, found her clothes in a dumpster, and was even able to go downtown but..."
"But what?" Christian growled.
William ducked away, out of Christian's reach, as he replied. "I just can't do it. I get to a certain point and then...and then I just...just can't follow! No matter how hard I try, or how much I want to, I just can't!"
"Ragh!" Christian snarled, landing a blow to the stucco beside him. The wall cracked, and caved in, making the second-story roof favor one side. "And you can't even get a vision?!"
William slinked away, towards his detached arm. "No; not even a vibe. I'm basically just tracking like any normal vampire would," William explained, his voice liked an abused puppy. Christian stayed silent, growling under his accelerated breath. He ignored William's lame excuse for failure.
"Christian?" William dared as he stooped to reattach his arm.
"What?" Christian snapped.
"Why is it so important that we find her? She's just one, little, insignificant girl. Why does she even matter?"
"Insignificant?" Christian whispered. "Oh no, William. Amy is far from insignificant."
"I don't understand." William hated feeling this way; subordinate. It was so different from the alpha role he assumed when harassing Amy. And now Christian was making him feel just plain ignorant. His arm mended, and he rolled his shoulder, aiding the muscles' repair.
"William, if we do not get Amy back soon, I will be killed. And chances are, you will be killed as well. Amy is...special. I didn't just have us change her so that you could have a play thing. No, you see, I am not that stupid, nor do I care that much about your personal entertainment."
Christian began pacing, resuming his calm disposition once again. "I have...a business partner, waiting for her. I promised this partner Amy in a week or less. As you know, it has been months William. And during those months, you have only been able to follow a scent 'downtown.'"
William wanted to say to Christian that it was better than nothing, that it was getting them somewhere. When he had first began searching for Amy, he had a hard time even leaving the suburbs. Getting as far as downtown was actually a great accomplishment in his eyes. . .
Short, little Christian approached William, grabbing him by his shirt's collar. "Find her." Christian closed the argument and released William. He walked towards the edge of the roof and stepped off.
"Where are you going?" William called after him.
"I am going on a little business trip," Christian replied as he disappeared into the dark night.