You're So Cold But You Feel Alive
I felt my eyes go wide and my jaw go slack with shock. I stared at Alonzo's mistress. Had he just called her Julie Marie? As in Ghost's foster mother? That Julie Marie? It couldn't be . . .
I stared at her, connecting it with my memories of the pictures I'd seen of her. The hair was the same, and the face had the same basic structure. Her skin and eyes were completely altered though, so that made it hard to tell. Not to mention that this woman just . . . didn't seem like the Julie Marie from Ghost's photo or from the vision I had. She didn't seem sweet or kind at all. Even though she hadn't yet said a word.
And there was just one slight problem. Julie Marie was dead. Granted, Angel was a liar so her word didn't mean much. But Hattie was obviously not in on this with them, and even she had said that Julie Marie's neck had snapped on impact. I looked frantically at Hattie for some kind of help, but she looked even more shocked then I had. She looked like she was staring at a ghost.
"You . . . you can't be alive," she whispered, sounding like she was in a trance, "You're dead . . . You-you can't be here."
"I assume of course that you are speaking to me. And I assure you child, that I am very much here," said Alonzo's mistress. Her voice sounded nothing like the sweet motherly tone I'd heard when I visited Ghost's mind. This voice was as beautiful as bells and as sharp as broken glass. Her words seemed to cut through the air like knives.
"I saw you . . ." choked out Hattie, "I saw you die."
"I promise you, I am no ghost. I am quite alive. What you saw holds no truth. You were misled," she said in that patronizingly swift voice, "Alas, I can not feel sorry for you. You who sabotaged a very extensive plan. It was unintentional of course, but the results remain the same."
"What are you talking about?" Hattie demanded.
"Nothing of vital importance to you child," she retorted coldly, "At least not yet."
"How are you even alive . . . I saw you after the accident. You were dead," spluttered Hattie.
"So many things you don't yet understand," she said with a hint of a sigh in her voice, "I would explain them . . . But I don't really feel like it."
"Well I'd hate to inconvenience you," I snarled. Despite my shock, I could never hold back a sarcastic comeback if I had one. And I always had one. It was a knee-jerk reaction.
"Charlotte," she said, nodding and looking at me with steady eyes. I felt the need to shrink away from her powerful gaze but I fought it. I stared back at her, waiting for her to say more. For a long time she didn't. And everybody seemed inclined to wait until she did. Even Alonzo waited in silence for her to speak.
"You are a possible asset to me. But a nuisance all the same," she said finally.
"You are possibly resurrected. But a zombie all the same," I retorted.
The supposed Julie Marie chuckled coldly. I half expected her to throw back her head and cackle. But somehow this laugh had more affect, making my skin crawl. "Oh silly girl," she scolded, smirking spitefully, "Resurrection would imply that I died. I'm as alive as you are."
"I don't believe you," I challenged haughtily, "Show me proof. Make me believe you."
"I won't fall into your little trap Charlotte," she told me, "I feel no inclination to make you believe me. You can believe what you please. The truth remains unaffected."
"And what is the truth," Hattie threw in, "How are you alive?"
"Excuse me, but I didn't bring you here to question my mistress," Alonzo stepped in.
"Then why did you bring us here," Diego demanded.
"Because my mistress wished to question you," he said.
"Why," asked Joseph.
"Because I wish to see if you are fit to join us, as Alonzo says you are," Julie Marie said cooly.
"Can't you just kill us and get it over with?" I groaned and I meant it. I would rather die then join them.
"That can be arranged," snarled Angel, taking a step forward and pulling a silver knife out of nowhere.
"Angel!" Alonzo rebuked sharply.
"They aren't important," she insisted, lifting the knife above her head, "Julie Marie is right. They are pests to be dealt with."
"I will decide how they will be delt with," he told her, "Now stop."
She didn't look happy but she obeyed. She lowered the knife to her side, straightened up, and took a step back to stand faithfully at Alonzo's side.
"You really do need to get a hold on that temper of her's," Julie Marie said disapprovingly.
"I'd thank you kindly to focus on minding your own darkling, and leaving mine be," advised Alonzo, seeming just a tad annoyed.
"As you can see, Xander has been an absolute angel. Isn't that right Xand?" asked Julie Marie, looking down at Ghost and clearly expecting an answer.
"Yes mistress," he mumbled, looking down at the floor so that his hair flopped over his eyes.
"See?" Her smug comment was directed at Alonzo as she patted Ghost on the head approvingly.
"I'd hate to interrupt this beautiful moment," Diego spoke up, "But weren't we in the middle of something?"
"But of course," Alonzo said, clasping his hands together, "My apologies. You must forgive me. We're all just getting settled in this new place. And with all the new arrivals tensions are of course very high."
"Then perhaps explaining would keep things from getting worse," I suggested sharply.
"You aren't in a position to be making threats Charlotte," Julie Marie pointed out.
"My name is fucking Lottie! Not Charlotte!" I exclaimed, stomping my foot. If another god damn person called me Charlotte . . .
"Very well then Lottie," said Alonzo, who for some inconceivable reason was a lot more friendly and reasonable then Julie Marie. But no matter how friendly he was, he was still creepy.
"Are you ever going to explain or are we just going to sit here all day?" Joseph demanded.
"Of course not," he said, "Allow me to explain. The bottom line is that I want, no, correction, crave your powers to be apart of my army. Such talents you have here. The fiery pyrokinetic, x-ray eyes, the phaser, and the witch girl."
The pyrokentic was obviously Hattie. And Joseph was obviously x-ray eyes. The phaser could only be Diego, with his ability to phase through solid matter. Which meant I had to be the witch girl. Fabulous.
"So?" Hattie snapped.
"So you will join me. And I'm not requesting. You will. And I assure you, you will like it," he said, "We are a tight knitted bunch here."
"I'll slit my own wrists," I vowed.
"Go ahead," he said nonchalantly, "Xander here is living proof that vampire suicide is not easily done by such methods."
"Do not speak of my son," snapped Julie Marie venomously.
Alonzo did something that surprised me. He rolled his eyes at her, causing her to hiss protectivly at him. It was strange to see two people who didn't seem like people at all actually interacting.
"Now where was I?" he asked, "Oh yes, you children joining us. Like I said, resistance really is futile. Your powers will be kept under control we can be sure that we can trust you."
"And how do you plan to do that?" Diego challenged.
"I've expressed how much I desire your powers . . . But I have plenty of useful trinkets of my own around here. Like a certain vampire that we have deemed the paralyzer. She is quite useful. Isn't that right girl?"
"Yes master," came a dangerously seductive voice as a woman walked out of the dark corridor off to the side of the alter. Her red eyes were glowing out of the darkness before she came into the light. She had long black hair and was dressed similarly to Angel. Only she didn't have a tiara or a collar. But she had a loose black dress and crosses burned at random intervals along her bare arms. It was Selene.
"Not another one," moaned Joseph.
"Are all of you traitors?" I demanded.
"This is unbelievable . . ." Diego mumbled.
"I hate you," Hattie said without affliction.
Selene ignored us of course, and proceeded to walk around to the front of the alter, so that her back was to us, and kneel before the little royal family. Or maybe she was kneeling to the huge cross hanging from the ceiling. I wasn't quite sure.
"My lord," she said. "My lady."
Alonzo and Julie Marie nodded in acknowledgment.
Selene stood up then and turned around to face us. She seemed just as smug as Angel did. I was disgusted. I had never done anything to make her hate me. Angel at least had some reason to hate me. It was a stupid reason, but it was still a reason. But Selene? I'd been nothing but kind to her.
"Guards," Alonzo commanded, "Please take our newest members to their rooms."
"Wait - you can't do this," I protested as the guards came over and started unhooking us from the seats. I, along with the others, struggled against them but it was no use.
Not only were we in direct contact with silver, but we were also malnourished. Diego was defiantly going too long without blood, seeing as he had gotten abducted on a hunting trip. I wasn't sure about Joseph but it was probably a week or so. I'd gone with Hattie a few days but all the fighting had made me burn energy fast. I was ravenous.
The guards started dragging us toward the back of the chapel. The lot of us struggling the entire time. I was almost out the door when I looked up at the alter, to get another glance at the procession that awaited there.
There was Alonzo, looking like an ancient emperor of a strange nation, sitting there on his throne with faint amusement. There was, the possibly ressurected, Julie Marie looking like some kind of medieval widow in black mourning clothes, smirking over the death of a husband she had murdered for his inheritance. There was Angel, looking like a king's concubine, power hungry and more than eager to satisfy his every need. There was Selene, looking like she was apart of the royal guard, ready to throw down her life for her master.
And then there was Ghost. Sitting on the floor in front of Julie Marie's throne with his head lolled to the side and resting on her leg. He looked tired and drained as she stroked his hair like he was a small child who needed soothing. He didn't seem happy in the slightest though. Really, he just didn't look compelled to care about anything except how exhausted he was.
Looking at him though sparked feelings of protectiveness and anger in me. He was sitting there faithfully by Julie Marie's side, appearing sickly and dressed up in outlandish garb like a life sized doll. I couldn't be sure, but something told me Julie Marie wasn't only interested in being his mother anymore.
He looked up as if he could feel my eyes on him. Under his dark hair, his red eyes looked at mournfully. I wasn't sure what that meant though. I couldn't help but let my eyes flicker down to the collar around his neck for a brief moment. When I looked back at his eyes, he was looking down again, allowing his hair to droop over his eyes.
My eyes moved then back to the supposed Julie Marie. I had once thought of her as the loving foster mother of Ghost who had been taken away from him too soon. But now, assuming this was really here, I thought different. I didn't know the whole story. Like how she was alive or how she was involved with Alonzo, but I did know one thing.
I hated her.