Chapter Five-Opportunity Calls
Maria was gone for weeks.
Joaquin came into the stable to train us now and then, but he was clearly distracted by Maria's absence. He didn't teach us any new techniques, simply reviewed the moves he'd already taught us with ambivalence. He wasn't as harsh in his directives, and mistakes and errors that would usually earn a sharp reprimand slid unnoticed. Joaquin was constantly stealing glimpses at the door as if Maria would arrive at any moment. He'd watch us spar, but I could tell his mind was elsewhere. Feedings were sparse, which had us all on edge. Joaquin almost seemed to forget how often we needed to feed, he was so preoccupied with Maria's departure.
I continued to mourn Clyde.
I wished I had something to remember him by. But he'd had no personal effects, no clothes besides the ones he wore, and his ashes were long since lost to the wind. At least my memory was infallible. I could recall every boyish grin and genial laugh, every quip and joke and jibe. And also every millisecond of his final moments. His face in the flames blazed in agonizingly perfect detail every time I closed my eyes. It was a blessing and a curse.
I missed him terribly. The stable was empty and bleak without his gentle presence. I hadn't quite realized how much I had relied on him for my brief moments of happiness. Sammi and Julissa tried to engage me in games, but it wasn't the same without Clyde. He'd always been the one to suggest them. The games felt hollow without him.
Julissa and Sammi urged me to move on, to forget about Clyde.
"That's battle," Sammi kept reiterating.
I wonder if the constant repetition was Sammi's way of convincing herself. Every so often I'd catch her staring at the wall or off into space. She'd scratched over the designs she'd clawed into the walls and floorboards, sometimes starting a new sketch, other times scraping away the wood to smithereens. Julissa busied herself with braiding new bracelets from her strips of cloth. But I could tell the battle had affected her, too. Sometimes she'd sit and trace the patchwork of crescents on her leg, her eyes glossy and unfocused. Still, neither of them would talk about the battle, or even mention the soldiers-the friends-we'd lost.
The days and nights dragged, blurring into one another with monotony. I'd long since finished all the books I'd snuck into the stable, but the words had brought me little joy or solace. I'd occasionally bring them back out again to re-read, only to find that I'd hold the book open in my hands and stare blankly at the words. I'd turn the pages and my eyes would scan the passages, but there was still no enjoyment. It was simply something to do. I almost longed for Joaquin to add someone new to our ranks for some novelty and companionship, though I knew he'd never do so without Maria's consent, especially after messing up with me. I always felt ashamed and selfish after having these thoughts. I wouldn't wish this existence on anyone.
I barely thought of escape anymore. I knew, in the back of my mind, that now was my greatest opportunity. Maria was gone. The army was reduced to Sammi and Julissa, and I knew how they fought. I'd proven to myself that I could take Sammi down. There'd never be a better chance than this. And yet, I couldn't muster the motivation to leave. I still thought about Renée and Charlie, and wished for their comfort more fervently than ever. I knew that Renée would've been effusive with her sympathy. She would've taken me anywhere, done anything to provide me with welcome distraction. Charlie would've offered me an awkward hug and some sage words. He would've bent a listening ear, if I wanted to share, or simply sat with me in compassionate silence. I imagined myself speaking to them, letting them know about this boy who was kind and reassuring even in the face of such atrocity. Yet, I took no actions to make my fantasies real. Escape seemed...pointless. After the battle, it seemed almost inevitable that I'd perish in a burst of purple flames. I'd had an advantage in being able to see my attackers in that horrible massacre. If I'd lacked that, I would've died as well. And the next battle, I might not be so lucky. There was a numbing peace that came over me. I wouldn't live to make it back to Renée and Charlie. This life was simply too harsh. But I could think of them, hope for a better future for them. I resigned myself to my fate.
That all changed when Maria returned.
It was an early morning in mid-March. We were all sitting around waiting for training, the three of us barely making conversation, when Joaquin burst into the stable.
"Up, up, quickly! Maria is back, and she has valuable information to share."
We scrambled to our feet, standing at attention. Maria sauntered into the stable, proud and haughty with a sly smile spread wide across her face.
"I have been away, searching for an old friend of mine. A soldier. A Major, in fact. He is skilled, lethal and talented. He is just what we need to become a truly unstoppable force. With him here to aid you in your training, no coven will ever defeat us again."
Maria's grin was chilling. Her ruby eyes shone with the gleeful promise of revenge. I heard an encouraging growl rumble in Sammi's chest next to me.
"Last I saw him, he was in Canada. I decided to start my search for him there. But in my travels north, I was lucky enough to come across a small coven that knew of his whereabouts. They had played baseball with him and his coven, of all things," Maria scoffed. "He's in Washington."
Washington.
Forks.
Charlie.
My apathy faded away in an instant.
"I used to live there! I know the area!" The words flew out of my mouth before I made the conscious decision to speak.
Four sets of red eyes shot towards me. I shrunk under their penetrating gazes, and quickly covered.
"I can do reconnaissance. Scope out the area and the coven he's with."
"Oh, I know all about the coven he's with," Maria mused. "Which means they know me well. You, on the other hand...they have no knowledge of." Maria looked me over appraisingly. "You can't go alone. Joaquin will accompany you."
Damn.
Joaquin blinked, startled by the command. "But Maria, you need me here, to watch over the newborns."
"I have handled newborns before, and I will do so again," Maria snapped. "Wait until it's dark to leave. And make sure this one is well fed before you go. I don't want you stopping unless it's absolutely necessary."
"But, Maria-"
"Bella, right?" Maria turned to me sharply. I nodded under her scrutiny. "Come with me. I wish to speak with you."
"Maria-"
"I'll deal with you in a moment, Joaquin" Maria said brusquely. He bristled in response to the dismissive tone. She motioned for me to follow her with a tilt of her head. I heeded her command, hurrying after her, feeling three pairs of eyes burning into me.
Maria led me across the farm, away from the stable, away from the shed, to an area I had never been to before. I had seen the decrepit house on the edge of the property; an old ranch style home with faded paint and boarded up windows. I hadn't realized until now that this was where Maria spent her time, and most likely where Joaquin disappeared to now and then. I'd never given much thought to where they lived when they weren't with us.
The house was sparsely decorated inside. The walls were covered in peeling wallpaper and discoloration left by missing picture frames. There were decorative ceramic tiles on the floor of the entryway, geometric shapes that resembled flowers in rusty oranges and reds. The tiles were surprisingly mostly intact, only a few were chipped. Maria entered a room off to the left of the entryway, what looked to be a formal living room. There was a couch with a dated floral pattern embroidered onto it, and a chair with a high back to match. I was curious about what the rest of the place looked like, but Maria had stopped once we'd entered the living room so I could only take in what I could see.
"This is a special opportunity I am offering you. You understand that right, Bella?"
"Yes."
"I don't normally allow my soldiers such freedom...but you have proven yourself lately."
She paused and I discerned she was waiting for me to accept her compliment. "Thank you," I responded hastily.
"However," Maria continued, almost as if I hadn't spoken, "don't let it go to your head. You must never let your guard down." Her tone shifted, becoming more lecture-like. "Especially when it comes to the Major and his coven. I trust Joaquin will be able to...convince him to return to us, but even so..."
Her forehead creased and an inscrutable expression fell over her face. She pursed her lips in a pensive manner, but there was a sense of fear swimming in her eyes. I'd only seen that look on her once before, after that terrible battle, when Maria had faced defeat.
"You have to be careful with this coven," Maria cautioned after a moment. "They are talented beyond belief, and will use their gifts to play tricks on you. But you might be able to see through all that. Tell me," she peered at me closely, her irises a dark and calculating crimson, "how was it that you saw through the illusion at the battle? How did you know it was a trap?"
"I...I don't know."
"Did you have a feeling? A sense? A pull?"
"No, no, I..." I bit my lip and shrugged my shoulders. "I just could see them. Like normal. I couldn't believe no one else could, it was so obvious to me."
"Hmmm..." Maria circled me, like a lioness stalking her prey. "You don't even try, do you? Like with Joaquin. You don't actively resist him."
She stopped in front of me, and cocked her head to the side. Her lips curled into a contemplative smile as she grabbed my face, her fingers pressing into either side of my chin. I resisted the urge to flinch.
"You have possibility, Bella. We will have to wait and see if you can return with my Major. You could be of great use to me." She let go of my chin and took a step back, her arm dropping down to her side. "You'll recognize the Major immediately. He's tall and lean, covered in scars from head to toe. There's a distinctive one above his left eye, two connected scars that almost look like an 'S.' His hair is long and blond, golden like the sun." She hesitated then, whatever words she was about to say next catching in her throat.
"What of the others?"
"Ah, the others," Maria considered. "There are six others in the coven. Three females, three males."
Six. As large as we had once been. A veritable army. It was a good thing I had no intention of ever seeking out the Major and his coven. I'd get to Washington and find Charlie and forget all about Maria and her missions.
"The males are all tall, taller than Joaquin. One is blond, another red-headed, and the last has curly black hair. Not to mention an abundance of muscle..." Maria muttered. "The females are varied. One is nearly as tall as the men, with blonde hair that hangs to her waist. Another is the exact opposite, a tiny thing-really a wisp of a girl she's so thin-with short black hair. The third stands in the middle of the other two, with brown hair. She looks softer than the others, but don't be deceived. Each member of this coven is vicious, deceptive, and prone to mind games. They are a formidable enemy," she snarled.
"Now send Joaquin over. I want to discuss some of the finer details of this mission with him."
I nodded and left quickly, feeling unnerved by Maria's words. I wiped my hand over my face, removing the lingering feel of her fingers on my skin. I followed our scent trail back to the stable. There was scuffling on the other side of the door and the sound of crunching straw as I approached. I pushed aside the stable door to see Joaquin waiting for me, standing in the middle of the stable, his face stormy. Julissa and Sammi were crouched behind him, brimming over with barely restrained curiosity.
"Maria wants to see you," I told Joaquin, my voice shakier than I intended it to be.
Joaquin huffed and left the stable without a word, dust billowing up in the wake of his exit. As soon as Joaquin was gone, the girls jumped on me with a barrage of questions.
"What did Maria want?"
"Where did she take you?"
"I can't believe she chose you for this mission! Did she tell you anything more about it?"
"Did you really live in Washington?"
"Whoa, whoa." I held up my hands to placate them, and the onslaught of questions ceased immediately.
"Maria just wanted to prepare me for this mission," I began cautiously, choosing my words with care. "She gave me some advice, some warning about this...Major and his coven."
"Did she tell you anymore about them?" Sammi asked eagerly.
"A bit. There's six of them, besides this Major, and apparently they have a reputation. Maria seemed almost...intimidated by them."
"You'll be safe, alright?" Julissa asked quietly, one of her elaborate braids bunched between her hands. She kept twisting and untwisting it. Gingerly, I laid my hand atop hers.
"I'll do my best."
A small smile spread across her lips. She looked down at the braided cloth in her hands and then handed it to me.
"Here," said Julissa. "For your hair." There was the slightest hint of embarrassment in her tone. An apology for all the times she'd used my hair against me in training.
"Thank you," I whispered, accepting the gift with a bit of shock.
Julissa had used multiple scraps of blue cloth, each in varying shades from sapphire to robin's egg, to form her braid. It carried her scent, that hint of berries and cream. The hair tie Maria had given me hung loosely around my wrist. I tied my hair back with it first, then wrapped Julissa's braid around my ponytail.
It was a tender gift, and something twinged inside of me as I ran my fingers over the bumps in the braid. The girls had been kind to me, in their own way, Julissa more than Sammi. I wouldn't be coming back to them. This was the end of our little group. I was going to miss them, I abruptly realized. I felt shameful as I thought over how I'd spurned them these last few weeks.
"I've got several hours before I'll be heading out," I began timidly. "Do you wanna...maybe play a game?"
Julissa beamed.
We played-everything from Concentration to checkers we forged from broken pieces of wood and small pebbles-until the last of the sun's rays dissolved into the evening sky. As soon as twilight was upon us, the stable door creaked and Joaquin stepped into view. He stood in the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest. His mouth was set in a firm line.
"We have our orders. Let's go."
I shyly waved goodbye to Sammi and Julissa. Julissa returned my wave in earnest, and mouthed "good luck" as I headed out the door behind Joaquin. Sammi gave a single shake of her hand without looking at me, which I figured was as good as I was going to get from her.
Joaquin hastily ushered me to the shed. As we drew near, I discerned four heartbeats, pounding tantalizingly inside. Venom flooded my mouth, but I had enough presence of mind to recall that such a feast was unusual.
"Are you going to feed, too?"
"I can manage."
"Then why-"
"Maria wants you full. I do, too. I won't tolerate any frivolous pit stops just because you can't control your thirst. Drink."
Even though I was immune to his gift, there was no disputing Joaquin's assertive command. I killed the first two with ease, but halfway through the third human I began to feel uncomfortable. Bloated. Sloshy. I dropped the carcass with a groan.
"Finish up," Joaquin barked.
"I can't," I moaned. "I'm too full."
Joaquin barged into the shed fuming. "You can and you will."
He grabbed the final human, who was sniveling in the corner, by his neck and tossed him across my lap.
"No matter how full you say you are, you are still a newborn and you are still weak."
Joaquin dragged the nail of his index finger across the man's neck. Blood welled up, and the piquant aroma entranced me once again. I cursed my control as I drank, my stomach protesting with every swallow. I felt the usual euphoria that came with feeding, but it was dampened by the sense that I was about to burst.
Joaquin made sure the man was dead-no use risking an unintended recruit-and then he hoisted me roughly to my feet.
"We're off."
We ran all night, sticking to the desert and away from populated areas. During the day, when the sun would shine unrelentingly, we stuck to the shadows or dove into the ocean and swam up the coast. Sometimes, we took shelter in abandoned buildings. I thought we might run into other vampires, maybe even the ones that had given Maria the information about this Major, but whenever I caught a whiff of something so sweet it could only be vampire, Joaquin steered us away.
Joaquin had started the trip in a sour mood, his lips twisted in a scowl. He barely acknowledged my presence, only giving directions and orders when necessary. Upset with Maria's commands and his glorified babysitter status, I assumed. But after the first day, he started to lighten up. He kept trying to initiate conversation with me, discussing asinine topics like the changing vegetation as we trekked north and the local wildlife. I wanted to have no part of it. I was consumed with my thoughts of escape. I was keenly aware of my dwindling time. Every desert landscape dotted with cactus that became forest and lush, verdant moss, every minuscule change in temperature, every rainfall, was another drop of sand in my hourglass. I knew that I'd have to make a break for it sooner rather than later, but I wasn't sure how to make it happen. Joaquin hadn't left my side since we left Maria. I may not have spoken a word, but my mind was filled with countless ideas.
Joaquin didn't seem to mind my reticence. He continued to chatter to himself, pausing every so often to give me an opportunity to join in, but then continuing on with his own musings whenever I didn't answer.
We were running along the coast of northern California, flitting between the towering redwoods and catching beams of moonlight filtered down from the foliage, when Joaquin started chuckling to himself.
"Our relationship has come so far, wouldn't you say, querida? I'm glad I saw you car on the road that night. Though I never intended to make you crash, I thought you were just going to stop!"
A chill washed over me as I ground to a halt.
"What?"
"What do you mean 'what,' querida?"
"That was you? In the road that night?" Muddy memories flashed in my mind. A shadowy figure in the middle of the road. Losing control of the car. A terrible crash.
"Of course! You didn't know?"
"I thought," I let out a puff of air. "I thought you just found me...after."
The chill in my veins turned to heat as rage overtook me. A red haze clouded my vision.
"You caused all this! You set it all in motion!"
With a livid and raucous growl, I launched myself at Joaquin. But I'd given him advanced warning with my roar, and he countered my attack with ease. I lunged for him again, but he ducked out of my grasp. I whirled around to face him just as Joaquin hurled his fist at me. It connected with my cheek with a crash that reverberated in the forest. He grabbed me by the neck and knocked me back against a redwood. The ancient tree trembled.
"You forget, querida, who you try," Joaquin sneered.
I kicked and clawed at him, trying to grab hold of any part of him and tear it to shreds. He simply strengthened his grasp on my neck and shoved me against the tree with more force. There was a tremendous crack and leaves and branches scattered to the ground around us.
"You will not challenge me again. I can do this mission without you. Maria will believe what I tell her. She may be upset if I lose you, but what am I to do if we come across a hostile coven?" he chuckled with affected innocence.
His fingers tightened around my throat. I drew in a sharp breath and shut my eyes as Joaquin bared his teeth and leaned in close. I prepared myself for the sting of his bite, but it never came. Joaquin released his hold on me with a laugh and I crumpled to the ground. I tenderly rubbed the healing fractures in my neck.
"Get up. I want to make it out of California by sunrise."
Begrudgingly, I rose to my feet, dusting the dirt off my clothes. My head was a flurry of activity as new thoughts surfaced in my mind and crashed into one another, like waves on a rocky shore.
Was I stronger than Joaquin? Yes. But he knew how to fight newborns. He'd trained us all, he knew how we fought. Brute strength and speed alone wouldn't be enough to overpower him. I needed a cleverer, more tactical approach if escape was to be at all possible. I hadn't studied Joaquin like I had the others. That was a misstep on my part, I grumbled to myself. I was so concerned with defeating the other newborns-who would've fought to the death under Joaquin's commands-that I hadn't thought seriously about how to evade Joaquin himself. I was so reliant on my resistance to his gift. I thought it was all that I would need. Of course I'd had my fantasies, but they'd been just that. Fantasies. Daydreams about defeating Joaquin with no feasible plan. I bit my lip, mad at myself for the oversight, and started to think about practical ways to overcome him. Every step brought us closer to Washington, closer to Charlie, but I had no hope of seeing him unless I could lose Joaquin.
