On my way home, I picked up a newspaper and some yellow pages from a 24 hour news stand. For the rest of the day, I made a small list of errands I needed to run. The loft lacked some basic essentials that I would address as soon as the sun set.
Another thing I noticed about myself throughout the day was that I didn't feel hungry. I couldn't remember the last time I had eaten. I figured I would pick up something while running my errands if I got hungry, but if vampires didn't eat, that would be a big financial help.
During the day, I got around to checking my email and Mercurio sent me one about this blood bank at the local hospital. The blood bank sold blood to vampires who were willing to pay for it. The rest of the email went on to describe the prices and the operating hours. I was immensely relieved that I wouldn't need to kill for blood.
I didn't want to introduce myself to the landlord until I had gotten a job. It would be pretty awkward to tell whoever they were that I don't even have a stable income yet. I still had my job application for the office job I was going to apply for, so I would probably just send it in to anyone that was hiring those with just a high school diploma. I'd also have to ask if a graveyard shift was a available, but I doubted I would encounter much trouble there. I wouldn't think many employees would want to work late in the evening and into the early morning.
After reading through the yellow pages, I only came up with a few stores all the way in downtown that would be open long enough for me to get the things I needed. Were there stores in Santa Monica that carried the things I needed, I'd go there, but oddly enough there weren't any so I've no choice but to go to downtown. When the sun finally set, I went out as fast as I could to run my errands. I didn't think I should bother with bed makings or dish wear, seeing as I don't feel the need to sleep or eat. I bought a trash can, some trash can liner, and cleaning supplies. I wanted to see if I could get the rust and stains out of the toilet and shower stall.
The things I got weren't that expensive, but I was running out of money. It's the beginning of the month, so I wouldn't have to worry about rent for a while. Regardless, I would save the last few hundreds I had for it.
I put everything I bought in the trash can so I wouldn't have to carry so many bags but the cleaning supplies clunked around in the bin as I walked. I tried holding it in different ways so it wouldn't be so noisy. The method that was the most effective was to hug it against me and luckily, no one was around to see how ridiculous I looked, hugging my trash can.
As I rounded a corner on a fairly secluded street, something in the air shifted. It was so unfamiliar to me. It was too tense, too electrified. I slowed down my pace, becoming hyper aware of my surroundings. I had no idea why I was so suspicious of a quiet street but my instincts told me I should be on alert.
Nothing looked strange. Maybe a bit too empty for a city, but it was still very early in the morning and people were likely still asleep. I closed my eyes and listened closely. I heard nothing in my immediate surroundings. As I concentrated more, I began to hear things from a distance. I could hear people talking a few balconies up in the hotel I just passed, something about a financial embezzlement and a lawsuit. A dog began barking two streets down from where I stood. Very faintly, I could even hear a car alarm go off even further away than the dog. I tried smelling the air. Car exhaust, greasy fast food, garbage, cigarette smoke, cheap cologne and perfume. These were the first things I noticed. But eventually, I detected a sour, metallic smell. Blood.
I have absolutely no idea what was running through my head; nothing probably but as soon as I picked up the scent of blood, I made a bee line for it. You'd think any rational person who smelled blood would want to walk away from it, but I just couldn't resist. I'd compare it to smelling fresh baked cookies and eating one out of impulse.
My nose led me three blocks away. The scent became poignant and thick in the air as I drew closer to what I believed the source was. Without thinking, I looked into an ally way and found the source of the smell. I stopped dead in my tracks. A bloody heap of human remains sat at the end of the ally, illuminated by the moth-peppered, florescent street lamp hanging by a back door. Over the heap hunched a man who was at least seven feet tall. His torn clothes hung loosely on his person. As he bent to pick up a severed arm to chew on, I caught more of his profile with the little light available. His nails, no, his claws were menacing, curling around the forearm. His ears were impossibly long and the length of his face resembled a dog's. I watched him bite the arm and fresh blood dripped from the hollow he left.
Mortification. Horror. Jealousy. Shock. Fear. One by one, these feelings paralyzed me as I watched him rip the flesh and meat from the bone like a drum stick. I wanted to run but I couldn't. My internal war created two gravitational forces that pulled me toward the fresh blood and the fear that urged me to run. What's wrong with me? My legs won't move! RUN! I began to feel like my first night as a vampire, when I frenzied. My brain started to burn, smoldering and simmering against the back of my eyes, causing me to become unable to think straight. My muscles tensed and coiled as electrical impulses pervaded my nerves. No. I will not frenzy here, I thought with effort. I summoned what will power I had left and tried to step back, but my knees buckled from the effort.
The monster caught wise to my presence at the sound of my movement. He dropped the stringy bone and began to saunter toward me. Hopelessness and despair settled in a cold lump in my stomach. I was going to die here because my legs refused to move. The monster broke into a sprint only to be pushed back by gun fire. A hand grabbed my arm, hoisted me to my feet, and pushed me out of the way. A woman stepped from behind me and continued to fire at the monster. Finally, it jumped up onto the building beside it and climbed to the top, escaping. The woman eye's followed it as she spoke into a hand-held radio,
"Valkyrie to base. The target has fled. Over." The radio spat static jargon in response. The woman holstered her gun and turned to me. "You. What are you doing here? Are you aware this area is a Sabbat zone?" She waited for an answer but my mouth just hung ajar, still in shock. She sighed and spoke into her radio again. "Valkyrie to base. Civilian found at point of conflict. Bringing the civilian in for questioning." The radio replied something static again.
She continued her conversation for a bit while I found bearings. The almost-frenzy was slowly ebbing, being replaced with a head ache, soreness, and weakness. I guess those are the side effects of frenzing. I realized I had been hugging the trash can for dear life this entire time. I loosened my grip on it and white imprints that resembled my arms remained. The bin had yielded to my shape, almost collapsing into a flattened box. Two of the corners had torn and several holes distorted the side where my nails had dug into it. I looked inside and found one of the metal cans was a little bent but other than that, it was all intact.
The woman finished her conversation and turned to me. "You're not hurt, are you?" I shook my head. "Good. If you don't mind, I'd like for you to come down to the base with me. I'd like to ask you a few questions regarding this incident." She motioned for me to follow her and she led me to her car. It was a red corvette. I had wanted to drop my warped trash can off at home but the temptation to ride in the corvette took priority.
I got in on the passengers side excitedly. The interior was just as sexy on the inside as the outside of the car. I hardly heard the woman say her name was Vivian Weiss because I was so excited. I focused back to reality,
"You're Vivian? I'm supposed to meet with you tomorrow, right?"
"Oh? So that would mean you're my new step-childe. Ebony L'pree was it?"
"Yep. Nice to meet you," Oh whoops, I forgot. "And thank you for saving me back there." She just shrugged.
"That brings me to my first question: Why were you there?" I looked down at the trash can I had placed at my feet.
"Um, I'm not entirely sure. I smelled blood and I just followed the scent. I wasn't really thinking of what to expect."
"Hmm. When was the last time you fed?"
"I had a blood bag two days ago."
"Perhaps you're still unfamiliar with the cravings that largely characterize our plight. If there is one thing you will come to understand regarding the hunger, it's that it will never be sated. The monster within can easily take control and dealing with the beast is the single most valuable lesson a progeny can learn." She thought a moment. "As an extra precaution,you may want to feed directly from a human soon. Blood bags will sustain your unlife for a time, but as they are not fresh, they don't quite give you the satiation you need." A sinking feeling fell on my shoulders. I knew the blood bags were too convenient to be true. "Don't look so glum. I'll teach you how to feed. It's my responsibility as your sire to guide you, after all." She drove us into a parking garage and went to the fourth underground level. When it was time to get out of the car, I debated on whether I should bring my things or not. Vivian noticed my deliberation. "Just leave them. I can send for them when the time comes." I internally sighed with relief at the fact that I wouldn't have to look like a fool hugging my trash can everywhere I went.
I followed her into an elevator that took us further underground. During the ride, she asked, "By the way, you didn't happen to see what had transpired in the ally before I arrived, did you?" I shook my head.
"No, that person was already dead when I got there." My voice shrank near the end of my response. Seeing a dead person blew my mind. I still didn't know what to think of it, to be afraid... or hungry. I closed my eyes tightly. "Vivian?" She looked sideways at me, expectant. I hesitated and shook my head. "No. Nothing, never mind." I was ashamed of the way I felt. I didn't want to feel any more monstrous than I already felt and vocalizing my concerns would just make it worse.
The elevator opened on a basement level and dull, lonely, overhanging lights lit a stark corridor. Faded, white linoleum tile peeled along the bottom lining of the concrete walls of a long hallway, leading to an emergency set of stairs on one end and a right turn in the other. I followed Vivian to the turn and we were met with a metal door that looked newer than it's surroundings. She entered a four digit code on the keypad beside the door and it chirped, unlocking itself. Another stark room on the other side, but more furniture occupied it. It looked like a waiting room.
Vivian went to a mini refrigerator and grabbed a blood pack from inside. She handed it to me,
"That should tide you over for now. Wait here for a while, I need to report our sabbot friend to my superior. I'll explain some basics to you when I return." She left through the only other door in the room. I sat down, thankful for a seat. I was still tired from the almost-frenzy.
Sipping on the pouch, I looked around the room for something to occupy my thoughts. There weren't any decorations or any kind of style to detail the room. Only the basic essentials, like fold up chairs and a portable card table. On one side of the room, a small kitchen area sat. The cabinets and mini-fridge looked dusty and unattended.
I put the empty bag on the card table, refreshed. Using my arm as a pillow, I rested my head on the table and closed my eyes. How long Vivian would be? The silence in the room ringed and echoed in my ears. I tapped my foot to fill the air with some kind of life.
Bored, I got up and went to the door left through and put my ear to it. More silence. I held my breath and decided to chance a peek of what was on the other side. Turning the knob, I opened the door a fraction of an inch. It filled the stagnant room with noise and it almost seemed to echo and I cringed. I probably wasn't supposed to follow her, but I justified my bored venture with the fact that she didn't say I wasn't allowed to.
I swiftly stepped through the door and closed it lightly behind me. I stood there for a moment, leaning against the door with my hands still on the knob, and studied my whereabouts. I was in a large atrium, on a cat walk off to the side of the room. The same stark features that characterized the other room reflected in this one, only on a larger scale. I tip-toed along the catwalk, spotting a small set of stairs stair. I listened closely for any voices or foot falls as I made my way toward the stairs. If I wasn't allowed here, I didn't want to take any chances, so I was on alert. I smirked, feeling like a secret agent infiltrating enemy territory. After stepping down the stairs, the first door to the right mumbled some voices.
"...be pretty important for them to assign you to be her step-sire."
"They want her trained as quickly and thoroughly as possible. I also heard Lacroix is assigning the Chairman and the entire investigation unit to her case." That was Vivian's voice. The other voice chuckled.
"Makes me wonder why they're making a fledgling's case so high priority."
"I believe you and I both know why." Vivian replied darkly. A door slammed on the inside of the room they were in and I flinched.
"There better be a damn good reason for two of my top enforcers to fail a simple interrogation mission and one of you better talk fast because the entire Cover Division is breathing down my neck about the kine casualty right now." A loud, angry voice spat with venom. After a pause, Vivian began.
"After locating the targeted Sabbat, Devin McCormic, I was about to apprehend and interrogate him when Danny alerted to me several cell phone signals closing in on my position. After becoming scarce, I learned that the signals belonged to members of the Sabbot. Their activities suggested they knew of my intentions even though this was an inside mission. By the time I had caught up with McCormic, he had killed the kine and got away. Had it not been for Danny's efforts, we wouldn't have been able to obtain the information we were after. By blue-jacking McCormic's cell phone, Danny was able to assemble the necessary information by reading his text messages. The information was verified by local Nosferatu." After Vivian stopped speaking for a moment, the voice that she had been speaking to before coughed, as if to urge her to keep speaking. "And... The fledgling named Ebony L'pree was found at the point of conflict." I sensed hesitation.
"Interesting. That's the one Lacroix's so interested in, huh? Did you learn why she was there?" The angry voice asked.
"She said she smelled blood and followed the scent, unaware of the Sabbat activity in the area."
"Hmm. Regardless of her inexperience, I don't like that one. If the rumors about her sire are true, she's going to get a lot of unwanted attention and that's going to cause conflict. I want both of you to be quiet about that little tidbit from the Cover Division for a while until I figure out how to deal with her."
"Actually, Sir. I've been assigned to act as her step-sire, so there should be no need to worry." Vivian said. After a moment, the angry voice resumed, becoming slightly empathetic but only slightly.
"I don't envy you, Weiss. But it's probably for the best that you're the one siring her." I hear shuffling.
"Take care that you guide her well. She's going to need as much foresight as she can ge-" The door opened and knocked against my forehead. Surprised, I stumbled back. Oh shit.
A burly man, the one who presumably owned the angry voice, glared daggers at me; he looked about ready to kill me. Vivian stood behind him with her palm against her face, embarrassed no doubt. The one with the remaining voice had to have been Danny. He was was trying to disguise his giggling as a coughing fit.
"Who the hell are you and what the fuck are you doing on my floor?" He grabbed my collar of my shirt and hoisted me up, pulling me right up to his angry glare. Vivian put her hand on his wrist,
"Easy. She's my step-childe, Ebony." That didn't seem to help very much. He glared at me some more before he loosened his grip and finally let go of my shirt.
"Get in here, kid." He hissed. I stiffly shuffled through the door, apprehensive. Jeez, did this guy have a temper on him or what? Sca~ry! "How much did you hear?"
"I didn't hear an-"
"Spare me the bullshit, just tell me how much you heard." He snapped and I hesitated. What's going to happen to me if I say I heard all of it? I really didn't want this guy's fist in my face. I looked over to Vivian and she nodded in encouragement.
"...Since before you came in." I mumbled slowly, squeezing my eyes tightly. I tensed my shoulders and bent my arms a bit, ready to get into a defensive position. After a moment of silence, I chanced a peek at The Hulk. He was pinching the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath.
"Don't do that again." He commanded flatly and I nodded furiously. "So you know about our little mission."
"Yeah." I whispered. He sighed, annoyed.
"Well, since you know so much about it so far, I might as well include you." He thought a little more about it. "Yeah, actually you could be of use to this operation."
"Who are you?" I asked.
"The name's Dale. I'm captain of the Field Operations Unit for the Masquerade Enforcement. In my opinion, it's a thankless line of work. No one up top give's a rats ass about what we do." He took a seat behind an old, rusted table. "But enough of my bitching, we just found a large concentration of Sabbat and we need to get rid of it. It's too close to an important event Lacroix is hosting; something about merging with a smaller company." He waved his hand in small circles, gesturing toward his lack of concern for the whole rendezvous. "Point is, he won't cancel, relocate, or reschedule it. He won't even let any of the enforcers inside, saying his body guards will be enough security and that we'd only cause a ruckus. So all we can do is try to handle the Sabbat hive as quietly as possible and that takes time. With the amount of Sabbat in the area, we're not even sure if we can handle them all. So in case a few get loose, we need someone to get in there and warn the securtiy if trouble is on the way."
"I miss the days when the Sabbot were stupid and unorganized." Sighed Danny, leaning on a wall behind me.
"Don't we all." Vivian lit a cigarette.
"Hold on, who are the Sabbot?" I'm getting so lost right now.
"The Sabbat are a rogue sect of vampires comprised of antitribu from the seven kindred clans of the Camarilla. Their mission statement is to compromise the Masquerade and dominate all kine. They didn't used to be a threat though; they'd just blindly run into firing range and that was that, but ever since a sarcophagus containing an Antediluvian was stolen around six months ago, clan antribu skyrocketed and the Sabbat became more powerful than ever. With all the diablerie going around in the sect, they've been gaining all the benefits each clan has to offer, most notably from Gangrel, Brujah, and Malkavians."
"So the one who stole the sarcophagus is leading the Sabbat?" I assumed. The three shared looks and Danny continued,
"Well, that's what everyone's guessing. There isn't any solid evidence leading to the thief or to a new Sabbat leader, they haven't even been connected yet, but both events happened at the same time so it's pretty safe to assume that's the case."
"We're getting off topic people, focus." Dale interjected quickly. "So Ebony, your role in all this is to get Weiss into the event Lacroix's hosting by getting yourselves invitations so that she can keep the body guards posted if there's any trouble. There probably won't be any trouble but I'm not taking any chances."
"How am I supposed to do that? And didn't you say enforcers weren't allowed inside?"
"Since Lacroix is so interested in you, you'll be able to get the invitations easily, and since Weiss is your new sire, they can't refuse her." I was about to ask what relevance I had to Lacroix when I heard something vibrate. Dale pulled a cell phone from his pocket. "Dammit, now the Kine Data Unit is getting on my back. Weiss, Perry, take the rest of the night off. I need to go deal with some more paper work." Groaning, he got up and answered his cell phone, opening the door on his side of the room and disappearing through it.
"Sorry about the captain's temper. He's really a softie when you get to know him." Danny consoled me. He seemed to be a lot friendlier than Dale.
"I don't think I can picture that guy as anything but intimidating." I said, turning to Danny. He laughed.
"I remember I got the same impression when I first met him." He stuck out a hand. "By the way, I'm Danny. I'm your new sire's partner." I hated how I had already figured his name by eavesdropping.
"Nice to meet you." I shook his hand. "Can you tell me more about this event?"
"From what I've heard, the function is a welcoming ball for the merge of a smaller, but crucial company into the Lacroix Foundation. Anyway, the ball is being thrown tomorrow and unfortunately, it's going to take us all day to prepare for the Sabbat dispersion, so the mission is going to have to occur at the same time as the ball.
"For you though, all you need to do is glam up and go to the party so you might as well just have some fun." He winked.
"But I don't have anything to wear for it, and how do I actually get a hold of the invitations?" I fretted. Vivian finished her cigarette and added,
"Don't worry about that, someone in the unit will call and get them for you. As for the outfit, we can get you a dress and some jewlery to borrow from storage."
"You have things like that laying around?"
"They're for undercover operations." She checked her watchand turned to Danny. "It's getting early, so we'll be on our way. Good work tonight, Danny. I owe you one."
"Now that you bring it up, I do have a favor to ask, but it's for Ebony. That is, if you don't mind, Vivian."
"Not at all."
"Me? What could I do?" I was surprised at how useful I seemed to be.
"The merge of this new company isn't just to gain a business asset; the company that's merging with the Lacroix Foundation has also had a very close financial history with one of Lacroix's rival companies. To prevent any double-dealing, I've been assigned the ever-so-noble task of hacking into their personal data base to see if they've had any recent activity with the rival. Now, I could do that from here in the base, but there's a good chance I'll be detected. So to be on the safe side, I'd like to take advatage of the ball. Key representatives will be attending and if I can hack into their cell phones, I'll be able to get access into their data base. But as you know, enforcers aren't allowed to attend."
"It seems this 'no enforcers allowed' thing is really getting in the way for something as trivial as appearances."
"That's politics for you." He pulled out a small, metal square from his pocket. "This chip, when placed on a local network, will intercept any cellular activity and direct it to me without being traced. I want you to find the network in the establishment and place this chip on it. It's wireless, so you don't have to worry about knowing how to use it. Once I have the connection, getting into their data base will be no problem." He handed the chip to me.
"I'll do it, but why do I, specifically, have to do it?"
"Other than the fact that Vivian will be busy collaborating with security and the enforcers, the network is in a room only accessible with Lacroix's permission and it seems he'll pull all the stops for you so I'm sure he'll let you in."
"But what do I say? How do I approach him?" From the impression I got from him, he didn't seem like the 'Hey! What's up?' type.
"I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure he has a lot more to say to you than you might think. Anyway the sun will be up soon and I don't want to keep you held up so take care."
"Thanks again, Danny. Have a good morning." Vivian opened the door I had come through and I followed after her. As we retraced our steps the way we came, I asked,
"Vivian? Why am I so relevant to Lacroix?"
"Though everyone has been forming ther own assumptions, no one knows precisely why yet. The only indication is that he is setting your case on high-priority."
"Why would he do that?" Vivian hesitated to answer. We got into her car and I was begining to think she wouldn't until she said,
"For the past six months, Lacroix has only focused on one case and that's the search for the antediluvian thief. Now that yours tops the list, rumor has it that your case may be either a lead or..." She narrowed her eyes grimly. "...Or your sire is the thief."
"So my sire might have commited a theft but why would that make me important?"
"I should probably explain what an Antediluvian is before I tell you." She sighed at my ignorance. "An Antediluvian is an elder vampire who has founded one of the thirteen kindred clans. They are vampires of tremendous power and to diablerise one, or in otherwords drain them of their blood, would transfer their power to the killer. There isn't a vampire around who wouldn't want that kind of power and that's one of the reasons why diablerie is illegal.
"Any dimwit knows that the thief diablerised the Antediluvian. That's a given. The Camarilla are on the bloodhunt for him for the public reason being that he stole the Antediluvian but secretly, anyone would love to drain him dry for power and out of everyone, no one wants to more than Lacroix. For more than two centuries, he's been infamous for being hungry for power. He'll stop at nothing to find the thief and drain him. For him to lower the immediacy of the Antediluvian case for yours so soon after your brief meeting with him yesterday must mean there's a connection between the two cases." Her tone lowered and she became very serious. "Ebony. Whatever transpired in that meeting was paramount in swaying Lacroix's attention to your case. In all honesty, can you tell me what may have inspired him to make the change?" I thought back to yesterday's meeting with him.
"Yeah, he started acting strangely after I told him what my sire told me."
"What did he say?" Now Vivian was acting similarly to Lacroix's reaction.
"He said, 'A gift of blood for the Prince'." The car stopped suddenly, so much so that I could hear the tires squeal. I think my face would have collided the windshield had it not been for my seatbelt. I looked to Vivian to see why she stopped the car so suddenly. "What's wrong?" I asked. She was leaning over the steering wheel.
"That confirms it." Her voice shook.
"Confirms what?"
"It confirms that you have the blood of an Antediluvian." She faced me quickly. "Ebony, Lacroix is the Prince of the Camarilla! The fact that your sire said that means that he is giving the blood of the Antediluvian to Lacroix! Your sire is the one that stole the sarcophagus!" She looked away, as if in her own thoughts. "That would also explain why they want you trained so quickly. They want to confirm your blood by having you demonstrate your power." She looked back to me. "Ebony. It's very important that you never let yourself be alone with Lacroix. Now that he suspects you of having Antediluvian blood, there's no doubt that he'll try to diablerise you when it's confirmed. And don't tell anyone about what your sire said to you. Am I making myself clear?"
"W-wha...uh. Okay. Okay, Vivian. I'll stay away from Lacroix and I won't tell anyone what I heard." I was so confused and Vivian was starting to concern me. After I promised, she leaned over and pulled the handle of my car door, pushing it open in the process.
"Good. Now hurry inside; the sun will rise soon." She commanded. I warily got out and shut the car door. She sped off, her tires squealed when she made a turn onto a new street. I could still hear her engine roar as she sped even further away.
A/n: I'm really sorry if it seems abrupt at the end. I'm really tired and hungry and very excited to post it and I did and now i'm rambling and holy sugar mother trucker i'm tired and now i'm going to bed g'night *dies*