The Princess and the Sheriff
I can see my life flashing before my eyes
Dead I fall asleep
Is this all a dream
Wake me up, I'm living a nightmare- Three Days Grace- Time of Dying
Chapter 10: No New Beginning
Shreveport, LA…
Lennie stared out the window of the apartment Eric had arranged for them. Godric had left shortly after arriving; he'd changed to different clothes. Lennie wasn't sure why; but left him to it. She and Eric had spent time moving furniture. He'd left her a short while ago; saying something about business matters not waiting anymore.
She studied the exterior surroundings. The commercial buildings were different; the land was different, and yet it was all the same. It was another town; she'd lost count of all the towns she'd lived in over the centuries.
Dallas had been a home because of Godric. Eventually, she would come to think of this place as home. But only as long as Godric was here. And right now he wasn't. Her beloved Maker was with the Queen of Louisiana. Lennie knew he could handle whatever Sophie-Anne would do. But the question that haunted her- Would there finally be peace here? She had a sinking feeling that peace would still elude them.
She turned away from the window; settling at the kitchen table. Yes there was a kitchen here. The place was normally rented by humans. Eric owned the building so he had been able to get them an empty unit. There were occupied suites above her and below her. The unit to the right of them was empty. And to the left was the exterior of the building.
Lennie had been surprised when she walked in and found it furnished. Everything was ready to go. There were even black out covers over the windows in both bedrooms. There were more window covers in the living room and the kitchen. The locks had timers on them; and at dawn, would seal the unit. The place would be secure as a fortress until sunset. The timer was set to unlock the doors, and release the blackout covers when the sun set. Eric had told them both that the walls, window-covers, doors were bullet-resistant.
She wondered what kind of town this was; if they needed that. But she also realized that Eric had probably built this unit as a backup for himself. He would install things like that for his own safety; and now it was part of theirs.
The building she was staying in was beautiful. It reminded her of a grand old hotel. Brass fixtures were in the lobby complete with ivory accents; two-tone marble flooring; antique furniture in the waiting area. The place had character and charm; reminding her of high life in New York during the 1920's. There were modern touches through out the building: new elevators; fire alarms, close-circuit security cameras, security guards, automatic lights that came after dark. None of it was what she had expected to find in the sleepy state Louisiana. Eric had told them that he rented this building to his human employees; so she and Godric would be safe
The unit its self was nice too. The large apartment was a new construction; everything here had that unused feeling. The floor plan was open and the color palette was warm earth tones. Leather couches and chairs filled the living room. High-end entertainment equipment was encased in black walnut units around the room.
Each bedroom had a kingsize bed and a walk-in closet. There was a private bathroom in each room accessible through the closet. The showers were huge; with multi-spray functions. There was no toilet for obvious reasons. In the event that humans did come over, let alone stay, there was a small half-bath room, across from the kitchen.
Yes, the place was nice; but it didn't feel like home. Lennie shook herself. She sighed; the silence around her was too much. She stood up and moved to the built in stereo unit. Eric had made a point of telling her he had XM Satellite radio. She loved him for it; he knew her love for music. She turned on the unit, scanning until she found music that suited her. The music of Three Days Grace filled the apartment.
The laptop that she turned on when she sat down; was here when they arrived. Eric had arranged for it. There was an extra one for Godric to use. He was surprisingly computer savvy; he had embraced modern technology with open arms. Eric was arranging for cell phones so they could keep in touch. He was even getting them a car; she wasn't sure what kind or how many-but knowing Eric it would be flashy and expensive. Her beloved brother was going all out to make his Maker comfortable here.
The laptop was up and running now.
Bringing up the internet she logged into her secure email. There was a message waiting for her. She was curious. There were only two other people, aside from Godric, who had her email address. She clicked on the highlighted box. The message title intrigued her: Shreveport.
The contents were encrypted. When she opened the message; a key code box opened, asking for a password. Lennie wasn't surprised at that. Her sources always used encryption when sending her electronic information. She typed in the password and waited as the message was unscrambled.
What she saw in the message, however, did surprise her. Had she been human, her heart would have stopped. Lennie sat back from the computer; staring at the words before her. She stood up, she had to move around. Closing the laptop cover, she leaned on the back of her chair with both hands. So much for peace, she thought sadly.
The music of Three Days Grace no longer suited her mood. She shut it off and decided to have a shower. She had to think.
It had never occurred to her that within hours of arriving; she would have to deal with assassination plots.
**
Godric paused as he closed the door to their unit. The air was perfumed with soft herbal scents from custom bath products. Eric had made sure the apartment was fully stocked before they arrived. Music floated out of one of the two bedrooms. Keys in hand, he crossed to the open bedroom door, peering in. He smiled gently as he watched Lennie. She was dancing around the bed in a black silk robe. She hadn't been this at ease in a very long time. As the song played on, he recognized the mournful tune to be How to Save a Life by The Fray. It struck him as amusing that such a song would cause her to dance and sing along.
He leaned his shoulder on the doorframe, resting his head against the painted wood. He kept his hands in his jeans pockets. Watching her dance made him feel not only amused, but happy. She moved about with complete grace. Twirling and spinning with her arms held above her, like a ballet dancer. She swayed like a willow in the wind, from side to side. Only to spin around again; eyes closed. A smile played on her lips. A happy memory played in her mind. He didn't need to know her thoughts to recognize the look. He knew her too well to miss the expression of happiness.
Pushing off the door frame with a shrug of his shoulder; he left her to enjoy the music. The song ended for a moment, only to repeat again. He moved across to the living room. He settled on the Italian leather couch; the cushions welcomed him. He sat facing the black walnut entertainment unit. A large, 52 inch plasma television dominated the wall across from him. The shelves were weighed down by every movie a person could think of. To his right, the uncovered windows allowed for a wonderful view. He stood up, moving to the window he opened one. Allowing the warm breeze to followed him inside.
Godric turned back to the couch. Pausing as he noticed the laptop on the kitchen table. He could hear the soft hum of the machine as it waited for Lennie to return. He wondered what she had found. Her sources had probably already contacted her about their home land. Godric didn't bother to think about it; he had a hunch the information wasn't good. His meeting with Sophie-Ann had alerted him to quite a few things around first and for most being: All three of them were at risk here.
Godric stood at the window, feeling tired. It was close to the kind of physical tired that humans knew. But it was far heavier then anything they could imagine. He had hoped for a new beginning here. It seems he was wrong; and yet not. He had been right when he said vampires couldn't change. Yet his children had argued with him, Lennie especially. She had convinced him there was hope. Her words had inspired him to try again.
After tonight though, he had to wonder if he had the strength to continue on. There was a fight coming. Had he so wanted, Godric could have stopped it all. But he was so tired. He had no will left in him to fight. He had to hope that Lennie and Eric would be strong enough to handle what was coming.
**