Chapter Thirty-Four
Take Me Out
Mika had heard Seba's pleas to get Juliet out of shackles and out and about. He posed the idea to his fellow Prince's, who were surprised to hear she had gone with Seba willingly to the store rooms, and hadn't tried to kill or maim anyone along the way.
"She's growing, I tell you!" Darren shouted, pleased by their agreement to get rid of the shackles. "I don't think she's really a bad person. Crime of passion, you know?"
Paris ran his fingers through his long beard nodding thoughtfully. Arrow simply sat with his arms crossed. "Two guards will be posted outside of her door at all times." He said. "And if she tried anything at all they go back on and we may have to discuss punishment."
Darren and Mika both grew stony at Arrow's words but agreed by nodding.
Seba Nile walked into the hall at that moment and requested an audience with the Princes. Mika, who had been standing before the as was expected when he made his own arguments, moved to sit at his stone throne. As Seba approached he smiled politely at them. "Good evening, gentlemen." He gave a small bow and the Princes gave polite nods in response.
"Good evening Seba," Paris replied. "How can we be of service to you?"
"Well, sires, I have noticed a few strange occurrences in my store rooms of late. I believe I have told you of them previously."
"Strange how?" Arrow asked.
"I have been updating my logs of storage." Seba began, "As you know I keep a small log of monthly usage in the hopes to better understand where our stores go and what is used more often so that I may make sure we have enough in stock." The Prince's nodded, and Larten, standing beside Darren, narrowed his eyes as if in understanding. "But lately, it seems, we are using quite a bit more of our food stores than is to be expected."
"What do you mean, Seba?" Mika asked, leaning forward to place his elbows on his knees.
"Well, keeping in line with the number of Vampires present in the mountain, I have the 'expected' amount we should be using at any given time. It has been a little hobby of mine to see how close we can get to my projected outcomes," he smiled and chuckled. "However for the number of Vampires present in the Mountain we have used about twice what we should."
"What all is included in this list?" Paris questioned.
"Grains, water, ale, and blood." Seba replied.
"You're saying we've used twice the amount of grains and water and ale AND blood than we normally do?" Darren asked, scratching his head. "Everyone must be really hungry."
"Or," Mika supplied. "We have a thief."
"I am afraid that is the conclusion I have come to." Seba sighed. "Since I noticed this trend in the past few weeks I have gone back into my older logs to see if there was anything leading up to this, keep in mind this is simply a projection of what should be used, but there has never been an instance where we have consumed so much with so few in the mountain."
"Do you think, perhaps it was Juliet?" Larten asked.
Mika and Darren both turned to him looking worried, though the elder Prince hid it better. "That's possible," Darren said, cringing. "But that's a lot of food for her to have taken, right? Where did she hide it all?"
"When Seba first told us of these thefts we journeyed deep into the mountain, and that is where we found Juliet. We found a number of her belongings in the cave where we encountered her. Perhaps we should investigate further in?" Mika agreed.
"No," Arrow said, his brows creased in thought. "The woman would have no need of such things." Seba, Larten and his fellow Princes looked shocked at his words. "It's not that I don't believe she may have taken from the stores, it's just that she is one person. Why, and how could she have taken so much?"
As the all mulled over the thought, Darren gasped. "Arrow, you're right. She wouldn't need any of that, especially not the blood!"
Mumbles arose from the other Princes. "Is it possible we have just utilized more than we originally thought possible?" Paris asked.
"Very possible, sire," Seba agreed. "Before I was so flustered at the prospect of missing supplies I never stopped to check my records. My projections are not one hundred percent accurate, they have simply never been this far off. I only wanted to share with you my concern, once more. Juliet has been in our custody for nearly a fortnight, and my records are still off. Perhaps I should ask the cooks exactly how much they have used this month."
Paris nodded. "Yes, do that Seba, and let us know if things are still unclear."
Seba gave a polite bow and turned to leave. Mika looked to Paris. "Juliet could have taken from the stores, but I believe we found uneaten food in her belongings, nothing that looked like it came from our mountain."
Paris frowned, creating deep lines in his aged face. "Someone should ask the young lady about this, then." He said. "Perhaps you?"
Mika frowned. "Not possible. She will not speak to me."
"Oh she'll speak." Darren said. "You just won't want to hear what she says. She's got a dirty mouth." He started to smile but stopped himself at the admonishing looks from Larten and Mika. From around Mika's chair he could see Arrow smirking.
"Consider it, though." Paris said. "She may be willing to defend herself on this account, and it could open up the doorway to conversation."
"Or she could become defensive and despise you for accusing her." Darren stated, ignoring the imploring looks from his mentor. "But you never know."
Mika glared at the young Prince and began wringing his gloved hands as a General approached them. "I will consider it, Paris." He stated, then the subject dropped.
Later that night Darren came to Juliet's room to see her sitting on the floor. She had changed into a pair of thin black pants and a dark blue top that was cut high in the front and low in the back, it revealed her fresh bandages, but somehow Darren felt she didn't mind that. It was probably safer anyhow.. "How are you liking freedom?" he asked, smiling.
"It's not exactly freedom with guards posted outside, is it?" She snapped. "That's like saying 'you're free to leave at any time' and knowing they'll release the hounds the moment you're off property."
Darren cringed at her words. "I see your point. But I've got a surprise." His demeanor changed and he began to smile excitedly. Juliet looked at him, waiting. "Let's go get dinner." He said finally.
"That food hall I've heard you talk about? What is it like a Luby's or something?" she began to stand, careful of her injury.
"I don't know what a Luby's is, but it's just where we eat. Come with me. I'm sure you could use a walk." He offered her his hand. Seba had been careful to tell him about her exhaustion, so he was trying to make sure she ate something.
"Do they have fried chicken there? I've got a craving…" Juliet accepted his hand and reached for her soft black shoes. The youth laughed and shook his head.
"Just come with me, you'll be fine." He said as she stepped into the black flats.
"Fine, fine." She sighed. Darren was excited that she hadn't tried to fight him, or insult him. He was concerned for a second but then as he watched her head for the doorway without him he realized it was because she really was happy to leave the confines of the small room.
The guards at the door blocked her way when they saw her try to leave on her own, but Darren waved them off as he approached her. "Do you need to lean on me?" he asked politely. Juliet took that opportunity to size him up. They stood about the same height which was not flattering for either of him. She had a feeling this boy couldn't support her if she actually fell.
"I'm stronger than I look." He said firmly, offering his arm. Juliet caved and leaned into him as he led her down the halls. "Let me know if you need to rest." Darren said as he heard her pained breaths and felt her palms become sweaty.
"Right…. Back at'cha." She mumbled.
Somehow they made it all the way to the Hall of Khledon Lurt without Juliet collapsing, but when he let her go next to a bench at a table she slumped with a groan that was audible to the whole room. Her long black hair fell before her face, obscuring her from the attentions of those that stared. Darren pat her shoulder and told her "I'll be right back, someone should bring you water soon."
As he walked away, Juliet pushed the hair behind her, tying it into a makeshift knot on the back of her head. She looked around the room and noticed the eyes of a number of Vampires were on her. There was an 8:2 ratio of men to women in the hall, and it wasn't very full, but it seemed many of them were intrigued by her. A tall Vampire came and set a drink in front of her.
"Wine or ale?" He asked. She looked up at him, he was wearing only a pair of brown leather pants and soft-soled shoes, his hair cropped short and spiked in the front. Juliet noticed that, like all the others in the room, this man was amazingly toned and had muscles that could make any woman swoon.
"Do you have a nice red?" She asked.
"We have red. That's it." He replied.
"But is it nice?"
"It's wine."
"Sir," she said sighing. "I'm trying to make a joke, and you're completely ruining it."
The man looked at her questioningly. "Red wine?"
Juliet mentally facepalmed. "Yes, thank you." She said, face blank. He turned and she brought her hands to her head, shaking it.
As he walked away Darren approached and sat down beside her on the bench. "What's with your face?" Darren said before he could stop himself.
Juliet straightened. "Ask me if I want beer or wine." She said.
"Why would I do that, did he not ask you?" Darren turned to flag down the Vampire server.
"No, don't worry about him, just ask me."
Darren turned back to her. "Okay, do you want beer or wine?"
"Do you have a nice red?"
"Uh…" Darren looked around as if to ask the same question.
"Say yes!" Juliet snapped.
"Yes we have a very nice red!" Darren said, smiling oddly.
"Then I'll have his number, and you can keep the drink." She posed flirtily at the end of her statement and Darren stared at her wide-eyed.
"Was that a joke?"
"Yes. And that guy totally wouldn't' let me pull it off!" She groaned, banging her fists on the table.
Darren laughed, he laughed hard and the other Princes, sitting at the table at the front of the hall over looking the rest stared at the two of them. Juliet actually smiled and laughed too.
"You like that one? I've got more!"
"No, it was awful!" Darren laughed. "And the other day with the 'tall, dark and strong'. You have horrible jokes!"
Juliet had the good humor to look mildly insulted and crossed her arms. "Well, I guess I can go back to being rude and imposing, or you can accept my horrible jokes." Darren nodded, hands up in surrender. "I'll have you know that would work all the time on men at the bars…"
"How so?"
"Usually the waiter would bring me wine and his phone number." She smirked. "Or… more often than not he'd just bring me wine and stare at me like I was crazy. Much like that guy." She pointed to the Vampire returning with her wine. "Thank you my good sir!" She said, saluting him mockingly as he set the glass down. The Vampire gave a small bow to Darren then walked away looking confused.
"What else would you say?" Darren asked.
"Looking for pointers, kid?" Juliet eyed him.
"Darren is my name, I'm not a kid," He said and Juliet looked surprised at the tone in his voice. "And maybe I am, or maybe I already have my own moves and this is one of them." He put his elbow on the table in an attempt to copy her flirty look from earlier.
This time Juliet laughed too loud.
Mika watched from his spot at the Prince's table as Darren and Juliet conversed, laughing off and on. A small part of him was furious at the thought that this woman from his past was conversing pleasantly with someone other than him, but more than that he was overjoyed to see her acting as a normal part of Vampire Mountain, that is until Arrow stood from his place and walked over to the table where she was sitting.
"Shan," he said, taking a seat across from the two of them. "Lady."
"You know my name, so why don't you use it." Juliet said, irritated. "I haven't been called lady since I was a little girl, and it's not as flattering now as it was then."
Arrow raised his eyebrows at her tone. Not threatening, not rage-filled as he'd expected, she was simply annerved, perhaps tired as well. "Juliet, then."
"That's me." She sighed. "How can I help you?"
"I'm just here to get to know the woman that's causing us so much trouble." He replied. "You seem to have calmed down since I first encountered you."
"If I spit on you I'm not apologizing. I was dying."
Arrow smirked. "You did not, but I'll keep that in mind. So why don't you tell us about you. We know only what Mika told us of you, and that information seems outdated."
"I suppose I've done a little more than not age in the last five decades," she said sarcastically. "What do you want to know?"
"What is your profession?" Arrow asked.
"World traveler." She replied.
As she answered, Larten and Seba walked in to the hall. Seeing Darren and Juliet, the older Vampire moved toward them, his former apprentice followed suit.
"Good evening," Seba said graciously, sitting next to Juliet. She smiled at him and he returned it. "Two Prince's seated at a table that is not the head, I'm intrigued. Interesting conversation?" he asked.
Larten sat next to Arrow as he answered. "It will get there. We are simply asking Miss Juliet-
"Just Juliet, no 'miss.'" Seba repeated Juliet's words from the day before and she and Darren nearly laughed.
"We were asking Juliet about her life." Arrow corrected, nodding with a small smile. Seba Nile as a notoriously good judge of character, and that the old Vampire had taken a liking to Juliet was a good sign in the tattooed Prince's book.
"World traveler, huh?" Darren asked. "Where have you been?"
Juliet considered the question. "Well I've been to every continent."
"Including Antarctica?" Darren asked.
"I did a stint on a research vessel. The best part was interacting with penguins." She smiled fondly and each Vampire at the table suddenly could not picture this woman with murderous intent. "Worst part was the cold."
"I spent a few decades in Asia. My… father had traveled there before his death and he always came back with stories. I took the opportunity to make a few of my own."
Larten understood this knowledge. From the brief time they'd fought he could tell she'd trained in many East Asian martial arts.
"How is it you can call this your profession?" Arrow asked.
"Well, I suppose I'm actually an investor." She said shrugging. The server Vampire came back to their table with two bowls of broth and two loaves of bread. He gestured to Seba, Larten and Arrow as if to ask if they were hungry and the three nodded.
"You have come from a wealthy family?" Seba asked.
"Nope. I'm an orphan. But they man who raised me was rich and he left me everything." She went to take a drink of her broth but Seba stopped her, pulling the bowl to him and adding some powder from a pouch he pulled from his pocket. He returned it to her with a nod.
"Juliet, is this hard for you to talk about?" Darren asked, suddenly realizing how they were prying.
Juliet stilled for a moment. "The hardest part to talk about is the past ten years." She admit. "Believe it or not, that person you encountered in the cave only came to be in that time. Before that I was relatively normal. Relatively because I'm seemingly ageless. But I dealt with that, in my own way…" she took a sip of the broth. "Really after the fire…." She paused and they realized there was another part that was hard to talk about. "And I was recovered enough I went back to the house and dug for every important thing I could find. Bank information, jewelry, things like that. Things I could use to restore my life. Then I used a fake name to open a bank account, something that was much easier in the fifties, might I add, deposited everything, la dee da, passed it down to my kids la dee da, and as of right now my grandson Jay Gatsby is worth close to 6.4 million."
"Jay Gatsby?" Larten asked.
"Oh yes, Jay is such a good child." Juliet nodded and continued to drink her broth.
The vampires at the table looked around, Darren spared a glance at Mika, sitting with Paris Skyle at the head table and could tell that he was trying not to look interested in their conversation.
"How many children do you have?" Arrow asked.
"None, Jay Gatsby is my fake grandson. Really he's me. And by the way, he's a fictional character from the F. Scott Fitzgerald book 'The Great Gatsby'. I couldn't tell if you guys got that or not." She sat back from her broth and began swirling the wine in her glass. "So yeah, I got oodles of money from my dead father, invested it back in the fifties and now I'm totes rich and I live a life of travel. Or I did. I stopped travelling in the 80's when airport regulations started getting weird."
"So…" Darren didn't want to ask the question, but he knew it was hanging on everyone's tongues.
"So how did I end up here?" she supplied. There were nods all around. "Honestly I'm still trying to figure that out. I was very happy in my house with garden and my cat- FUCK MY CAT!" She stood suddenly, remember the same thing that had jolted her the previous night, and clutched at her stomach. Darren stood too and in the back they could hear Mika jump to his feet. "Oh shit I hope I let her out. Poor kitty… maybe the neighbor noticed. God I hope so." She slumped back to her seat.
Darren looked at his fellow Vampires, all of whom seemed surprised at Juliet's willingness to speak, and apparent concern for her cat. "Why are you opening up all of the sudden?" the young Prince asked.
Juliet froze, elbows on the table, she glanced at each of them from under the shadow of her brow. "Let's be honest here." She straightened and her demeanor was completely changed. Instead of the approachable, albeit wary, countenance they had been conversing with, she was stiff, her gaze cold and face stone. "I'm no fool. You've surrounded me with Vampires, so I'm woefully outnumbered. I have no weapon, save whatever you see fit to put in my hands, like this bowl or this cup, and this is nothing I can use to defend myself or stage an attack against all of you. Let's not forget the gaping wound in my midsection that threatens at any moment to burst open, revealing the entire contents or my body to all those in witness. I am not threat to any of you, not in my current state."
She shook a stray hair away from her face and cleared her throat. "I've been trying my best to hide the fact that every step I take and word I say puts me in excruciating pain, but I just can't do it anymore. So I'm going to be frank. I'm not scared of you. I have every reason to be, but I'm note. At this point in our little journey I am simply anxious. I'm anxious and exhausted and I want you to just get on with it.
If you want to kill me, do it. Obviously you don't want to kill me, since I remember hearing something about a pit of stakes and nothing has happened with that, so tell me, and tell me soon what the hell you all want from me. I'm tired, I'm injured, and I'm in no mood to play games with a bunch of Vampires that don't have the common decency to speak their minds. I'm not someone you can or should try to mess around with. I know you want something, so just fucking tell me!"
Before Arrow could reply, Mika had walked over to their table. "Juliet, I believe we should talk." He said, cutting off his fellow Princes.
"Take me somewhere where I can shower and I'll literally spill my guts to you." She replied, moving to stand. Though her demeanor hadn't changed with the arrival of the Prince she'd nearly killed, she allowed him to help her stand before immediately pulling away. He offered her his arm in the same way Seba and Darren had done but she simply glared at it with an intensity that shook him until he withdrew it.
"Well? Let's go!"