CHAPTER SIX PART ONE

Time is a healer. I've heard that phrase and understood what it meant. But after taking a few days off at the penthouse (Penthouse! Out of all the rooms, Iain saved us the penthouse!), to mull things over, I still felt disconnected from everything. Or rather what I meant is that with time it'll seem less alien to me. How wrong I was.

So here I am at the main building with Mattie beside me and Iain before us in his office just like a mirror of a few days ago, explaining the next steps I had to take.

He was talking about a vampire teacher named Sarah would show me the basics of what an advanced feeder should do and to develop these skills to adapt to real life.

There are two types of feeders. A normal one who, like Iain explained before, allowed a vampire to have their blood but they carried on with their usual lives such as going to university, or continuing to work, so there was minimal vampire interaction.

But an advanced feeder was more like a partner to their vampire. They'd take part in missions, handle guns etc. Overall the bond of a vampire and their feeder would become closer.

But being an advanced feeder has its dangers. No doubt about that.

Caim was an advanced feeder.

I knew it but having that thought to actually say it… it was weird and out of place like I didn't even know my brother and his relationship with the people who work here.

Iain talks about Caim positively but I couldn't help but think he meant here or above ground. He only emphasised my alienation.

Apart from that I had to start writing a will which would be updated every year with a first appointed to be announced in the short future. There was also setting up a regular time to donate blood. This blood would be sent to Rose's blood bank which was just under the bank we went through to get here. The blood would be kept safe and 'fresh' until there was a time when or if something happens to me. It's so Mattie could have a source of something while they look for a substitute… and I have to admit, Iain's reaction to this is like Mattie's. It was a matter of fact that people die in this profession and that people do get desensitised with death. It does make sense but it still seems weird to me as if they just dismissed a death like that.

I sighed. When those two were sorted out it's only then I'd be introduced to Sarah. The teachings will last about two years or so by which case I'd ask whether I wanted to be a feeder or be an advanced one.

"You sure you're okay, Alice?" Mattie said.

Snapped back to reality, I mentally shook myself. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You're not scared of needles or anything like that?"

"I'm not. It's just…" I felt a bit awkward with Iain right in front of me, but he gave me the kindest smile there was. "You were right, Mattie. This is something uni couldn't give me."

He grinned. "Of course."

"Kind of hard to get my head around it and put it into words."

"Most people in your situation say that, it's very common." Iain said. "Mattie and I are here to answer anything."

I nodded.

The next day Mattie helped direct me to the people who would sort out my two new tasks. He said 'it's a good thing just to get it started rather than procrastinate'.

We entered a circular development section of Rose which was a small department considering Paper was the main researchers. Everything was white, glass and in some cases, colourful. Projectors hung from the ceiling camouflaged by the lights which hung in the same way and with the same colour too. There was an island in the middle with a sink and some glass vials. Surrounding it were four other islands packed with experiments with their scientists.

"Daniel!" Mattie called from the entrance. "Got someone for you to meet."

A blond guy turned from the middle island. He was washing his hands off something black. I could tell because his white overalls had varying shades of grey.

He was a thin man with pale skin. Vampire, my mind whispered. I didn't know if it was rude to ask if someone is a vampire or not. I think it is… I'll have to ask Mattie later.

"Hello there." Shit, he's really tall. Daniel smiled making his blue eyes wrinkle at the corners as he took off his overall revealing a check shirt and jeans. He offered me his hand which I took to shake then he nodded a greeting at Mattie. But there was something wrong about his greeting...

Is it just me or every vampire hates Mattie. What the fuck?

"Hello."

"Daniel, this is Alice. She'll be my new feeder from now on. We need you to set her up with a donor id."

"Sure, could you please follow me."

Directly opposite from where we were was a set of double white metal doors which lead to a short hallway. We turned left and headed into the third room on our right.

The room looked like a dentist's office. Cabinets lined the walls in that God awful green colour all except one wall - the one on our right which was covered with a glass cabinet half filled with red liquid I assumed was blood. The other half was just equipment. A seat was behind a small table in the far corner of the room for the 'dentist' and in the middle was a chair that looked like it was more marshmallow than somewhere you could sit.

Daniel gestured to the marshmallow chair. "Would you please?"

I peered at him. "Are you sure? I mean those experiments might need your presence." I nodded out the door.

"They're fine. My team takes over when I'm gone. Please?"

I sat on the chair leaving Mattie leaning against the door frame with his at arms crossed over his chest. Bloody hell, it is like a marshmallow. The padding was like sitting on a bouncy castle or an air bed. At one point I thought I was going to fall flat on my face. Or slide off the chair in an undignified manner.

"We just need a sample of your blood, Alice. And may I add that it's a pleasure to meet you."

I cringed inside but replied, "You too."

He went round to the other chair in the room and pulled out a drawer, taking out a syringe and a small plastic bottle with a screw top that looks exactly what you get when they want you to provide a urine sample. What a lovely thought. He donned a pair of gloves from a tissue box and took a wipe from another.

As Daniel said, the process was fast. I didn't fancy watching what happened as I was concentrating on Mattie's face, but felt a wipe on my arm followed by a prick. Just as I felt the prick though Mattie's eyes turned that blood red colour. The same colour that I saw when he took my blood… in the shower… I moaned inwardly.

From the corner of my eye I saw Daniel get a wipe and was going to clean up when Mattie yelled, "Stop" and rushed to my side - the side that was pricked and just licked it. Licked. My. Arm.

"What the fuck!" I yelled tugging away from him at the same time Daniel shouted, "Jesus, Mattie!"

Mattie snached a bandage that was in Daniel's hand and stuck it over the prick.

"What the fuck was that for, Mattie?" I practically yelled at him because now I couldn't wipe his saliva off. But I also didn't want to touch it and have to reapply the bandage so I ended up flexing my fingers near it.

My head moved like a ball in a tennis court. I stared at Mattie then at Daniel, looking at him like I couldn't believe what the hell even happened. I just couldn't. I mean the tension in the shower was one thing I could handle but Mattie doing something in front of another person is a different thing entirely.

I just got a goofy grin from Mattie for a response.

And great, my arm tingles where he licked it providing me an ongoing reminder that Mattie's lick really did happen.

We left Daniel with his absolute ignorance of Mattie (apart from the let's-taste-Alice scene), to do whatever he needed to do with my blood and headed to another department.

There has to be a perfectly reasonable explanation for his damn lick. Like maybe there was still some blood left. Yeah, I think that was it.

Actually the department was just a few rooms and Mattie introduced me to yet another vampire named Sandra who ran me through the deal with this will.

I probably should have gone to the legal thing first since my mind kept drifting, but oh well! The only things I needed to really know was that I was booked into see her every eleven o'clock every year to update the will on February the first.

"What next, Mattie?" We were sat in the dipped canteen area which happened to be called 'The Dip'. I was about to have lunch - a pasta salad with a drink. Not many people were here compared to the first time but it was still busy.

I was still looking at Mattie like he was going to pounce at me. I was keeping my distance from him but it's hard when you kind of like the guy and deep down because of that, you secretly loved him licking you.

Yeah, get a grip, Alice. What you're thinking is really wrong. But then another part of my brain was whispering, Ah, fucking hell.

"We could go back to Iain after your lunch. You need to meet Sarah and after that…" He shrugged, "it's up to you on when you want to start although I do hear the other teams need help on their cases…" Mattie trailed off when he saw my 'what-the-fuck-are-you-on-about-face' but being in playful mode always intrigued me. At least I think he was in playful mode...

After lunch since I was here already, I decided to pay Sarah a visit. She was a very pretty vampire. She wore a patterned dress that was more suited to special occasions. It was asymmetric with her long black hair cascading down her bare shoulder.

Mattie found her walking to the classroom having just got down the stairs and unlike the other vampires, she greeted, welcomed and hugged Mattie. She hugged me too and damn, she smelt like fresh strawberries. I like her already.

"Hello Alice! I was looking for you now. It's a good thing Mattie saw me." She smiled showing off her teeth and those fangs. It did intimidate me a bit but I don't think Mattie would let her hurt me. "Are you planning to visit later?"

I couldn't say no. "Sure but I think with all this info I'm getting, I won't be that attentive."

"That's absolutely fine. It's mainly induction."

Induction? "I'm not the only person?"

She laughed, "Oh! I meant just introducing me! The introductions are so boring though. I never know what to say!"

Oh my God, screw the 'like', I love her already.

"You could do it now, Sarah." Mattie said.

"Well…" Sarah sat down quite elegantly on the seat opposite me. We all went to The Dip again. "Do you know what you'll be learning about?"

I thought about it. "Iain mentioned it but I can't really remember."

"I'll teach you mainly about vampire society and how it might affect the human society." Oh goodie, history! "You'll learn everything you need to know about vampires as well as how to shoot them."

Did I just hear right? "Shoot?"

"Yes " She put her interlaced hands on the table, leaning ever so slightly. "You learn everything as if you were going to be an advanced feeder."

Shit, shit, shit...

"Don't look so alarmed!" She patted my arm, the one that wasn't licked. I shot Mattie a look who just grinned like he had won the lottery. Damn you!

"It'll be fine!" Sarah said, clasping her manicured hands together. "Also, as your tutor you can ask me anything. You can ask Mattie too if you prefer. I'm sure in our lifetime, have heard absolutely everything!"

They both laughed which got me grinning. I'm not too sure what it is about this place but it feels weird. Feels… too uniform. Or too professional. Then again it could just be this scene that feels... plastic.

"I'm just going to head up to Iain. I forgot I had a question for him." I said standing up.

"Do you need me to come with?" Mattie said the effects of laughing not having worn off yet.

I shook my head. "I remember."

When I saw Iain there were actually two questions I had, one I had remembered when I reached the top of the stairs. I actually knew before the training what path of feeder I wanted to be. But I wondered whether it'll be alright.

My first question was 'if I'm going to be taught here can I please stay back home?' Because despite being in the penthouse with its views of Rose, I think I need fresh air from above not from some ventilator. There was also the strange atmosphere here that I can't put my finger on.

The other was about Ted. Why was Ted used in the first place when you're dealing with vampires and you're in a super top secret organisation.

He replied 'it's fine' to the first and for the second, that vampires have good hearing. They can hear everything a human cannot. Their range too is something that can't be ignored. Having Ted there provided security from humans but also vampires. He also mentioned that if something happens like a mole or what, it narrows the pool of suspects and when working for an organisation just like Rose, it's your team against the whole building.