I stifled a yawn, exhaustion raking through me. “It was fine. TSA only frisked me a little, which was nice of them.”
She snorted. “It’s got to be the hair. Unless you’ve dyed it since the last time I saw you. Again.”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about.” I ran my fingers through my hair as I talked. It had always been incredibly pale, even when I was a kid. The first time I colored it was to stop classmates from teasing me about my “grandma hair.” My mom had made sure I stuck to normal colors then. Now, it was cotton-candy pink, and I kept it up because I liked it. “This is my natural color.”
“Right.” Lian chuckled. “Okay, go get some rest, V. We’ll meet up tomorrow, but not too early. I promise.”
My place in Seattle lay fifteen hundred miles south along the cold and rocky coast. Lying in Anchorage in the king-sized bed, it felt like I had stepped onto the set of a Twilight Zone episode—or maybe something just a little more sinister. The cold eye of the moon peered through a sliver in the heavy drapes. I was too tired to get up and pull them shut, but the feeling of being watched made me uneasy as I finally fell off to sleep.
Whatever was out there chased me through my dreams. A shadowy, relentless beast. Not far behind, and always gaining ground.
In the morning, I woke with my head full of fog, unable to recall anything from those dreams other than the barest feelings. My body felt like it had been filled with wet sand. By the time I was dressed and set my brush down, my phone was ringing.
“Morning,” I answered without looking at the screen, secure in the knowledge that Lian was on the other end of the line.
“Hey babe. I’ve sent a car and there will be coffee waiting when you get here. Ten minutes. You good with that?”
“Yep, ready to go.”
“See you soon!” The call ended before I could say anything else, and I launched into preparing my bag now devoid of my schoolbooks. I threw my laptop, a fresh notebook, some pens… and for good measure, my camera and digital recorder.
Last but not least, I grabbed my keys from the corner of the desk beneath the window. The ring wasn’t large, but it was weighted down significantly by one particular item: a slender, silver shape that looked for all the world like a penlight. And it was just that, as long as you only pressed the button nestled in the rounded end.
The keys went into my jacket pocket, and I thought about them the whole way down to the lobby. That secret knife brought memories flooding back into my mind. It looked like a timeless little trinket, the kind of thing sitting at the front counter of souvenir shops. But it was actually years old, a relic of my past.
Grandma gifted it to me shortly after vampires had killed my parents. She insisted I use it to protect myself. Shortly after the attack in the alleyway, I left Anchorage to live with her in Seattle.
My chest clenched at how much I missed my parents. They didn’t turn into vampires but died from being completely drained, and by some miraculous fate, I survived. It shouldn’t be possible and I still didn’t understand why I didn’t change into one of them, why the vampire freaked out after tasting my blood.
It took me years to come to terms with losing my parents, years to embrace the new ability I’d gained from the vampire attack… a strange power to sense death and the supernatural. I still didn’t fully understand why I ended up with such power, but I used it to fight the bastards. Anything to get back at what they took from me.
The vehicle that eventually pulled up in front of the hotel was an Escalade, with its windows tinted so dark they had to be illegal. I got into the back seat anyway and watched the downtown city streets roll past in muted, subdued colors. Apart from confirming my identity, the driver said not a single word. I was grateful for that.
Pulling into the long, curving driveway felt a little bit like coming home. I passed him an extra tip as I hopped from the car. With a thanks, he pulled away less than ten seconds later. I made the journey up to the wraparound porch alone, my footsteps crunching in the loose gravel of their driveway. The house was huge and rounded at the front, and the shadow it cast bathed the grass in darkness. I vividly recalled Lian’s father half kneeling as he replaced the front steps in years past. Before my parents passed, I had spent just as much time here as I did at home. And being here had my stomach turning with a strange feeling. Being in Anchorage brought back heartbreaking recollections about what I’d lost, yet it also held my fondest memories from before the attack. It was a strange thing to feel both anxious and excited about a place.
“V!” The door flung open before I got the chance to reach for the bell. Lian burst out in a flurry of energy and threw her arms around me. She wore black leggings, boots, and a white puffy sleeved shirt with gold buttons down the front that suited her so perfectly. “Oh my God, it’s so good to see you!” She pulled back to look me in the eye. “I can’t believe you’re here again.”
“Honestly, neither can I.” I tried to keep my voice light, but we both heard a somber tinge. The second time she hugged me, Lian squeezed hard, and I hugged her back. There was something comforting and reassuring to visit her, and when we met up , I always wished I’d done it more often.
She pulled back and studied me, grinning. “Damn, how have you been, girl? And did you dye your hair brighter, as it’s super pink and super amazing. Maybe I’ll get these,” she flicked her short hair, “colored. Been thinking of going green.” She’d cut her dark hair into an adorable pixie hairstyle, and it suited her cute face. Lips pouty and cherry red, she smiled wildly at me.
“Do it.” I laughed at how adorable she looked. “How’s life with you, anyway?”
She shrugged. “Okay I suppose. Dad’s been getting me into the business a lot more as he wants me to get more involved in the managing side of things.”
“That’s exciting.”
“Yeah, I guess. Anyway, let’s get inside before we freeze.”
I glanced indoors through the front door. “Are your parents home?”
She shook her head. “They don’t even know you’re here yet. I wasn’t sure if you’d want me to tell them right away.” She grabbed me by the hand and pulled me into the front hall. “Come on in. The coffee’s all ready.” And as I followed my best friend through to the enormous kitchen with the granite countertops, the tension I’d been carrying began to melt away.
“Remember that night we tried to make popcorn and started a small fire on the stove,” I mused.
Lian cut me a narrowing gaze. “Mom still reminds me of that. She didn’t pay me pocket money for months.”
“Which was why, I gave you half of mine.” I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I missed you, babe.”
She blew me a kiss. “I’m so excited you are back. We need to do one of our b-grade movie nights. No one will watch them with me.” She pouted.
“You got yourself a deal. It’s been a while since I’ve watched any movies. College assignments are whipping my ass.”
I sat at the island, basking in the late morning sunlight pouring in from the picture windows with the idyllic view of their lawn.
She served us a cup of steaming coffee with cream, then joined me. “You’re doing incredible, babe. You’ll soon be one of those forensic detectives like on CSI.”