Episode Seven – Of Cabbages and Kings

Episode Seven

Of Cabbages and Kings

Sterling left shortly after delivering his message. I needed time to read it in private—time to make up my mind—and time to explain who and what I was to Patience.

     As soon as the elevator doors slid shut, I went into the kitchen and tossed the magnetic “Days since our last incident” sign into the garbage. 

     I wouldn’t be needing that any time soon—maybe never.

     Patience hadn’t moved from her spot on the corner of the sectional closest to the fire. The television was on—stuck in limbo—we never picked a movie. I suddenly realized how much I missed plays.

     I looked at the name on the envelope again and tucked it into my back pocket—one thing at a time.

     “You probably have a lot of questions,” I started to say as I entered the living room.

     “You’re a vampire, aren’t you?”

     There was a two-second pause before I answered. “Yes.”

     “You kill people,” she said.

     “Yes, sometimes.”

     “You kill people and drink their blood,” she said.

     “Yes, sometimes.”

     “How long?” she asked. Her expression was caught between curiosity and fear.

     “Over two hundred years.”

     There was a pause, and I could tell she was choosing her words carefully.

     “Are you going to kill me?”

     “No.”

     Why?”

     It was my turn to pause. There were many reasons, most of them related to me rather than her.

     “Because I like you,” I said, and I meant it.

     She smiled. “Good, I like you too.” Patience ate a handful of popcorn. “So, now what?”

     “Sterling wants me to leave here and talk to some people, people like me,” I said.

     “I don’t like him,” Patience said. “He reminds me of a guy I knew who pushed his mother down the stairs because she refused to give him any more money.”

     “He does have that vibe, doesn’t he?” I said.

     She nodded, “Why do you have to leave? Don’t vampires have phones like everyone else? You could even have a Zoom meeting if they want to be sure it’s really you.”

     “To be honest, I have the feeling they want to do more than just talk to me. I sense that depending on how the conversation goes, it will determine if I’m allowed to leave or not,” I said.

     “Like a trial, not a conversation.”

     “Yeah,” I said. “I suppose, like a trial.”

     “So, what if you refuse to go?” Patience asked.

     “I have a feeling that would cause more problems than it would solve. One way or another, I need to answer for the things I’ve done.”

     Patience stood and put her popcorn on the coffee table, flicking some stray kernels from her jeans. “It’s a good thing I’m here then,” she said, and I swear she grew a little taller.

     “Really, and why’s that?” I asked.

     “Oh, I guess I never told you then, I’m a lawyer,” she said, a smile reaching the corners of her mouth. “And I’m going to represent you.”

     I just blinked back at her.

     “I thought you were unemployed, homeless. You were crashing at Trista’s place.”

     “I was crashing at Trista’s place, that’s true, but I’m not unemployed and definitely not homeless, not really. Just kicked out for now.”

     “Kicked out?” I asked.

     I live with my boyfriend, Darren Cobb, in Mt. Lebanon’s historic district. He got really pissed when I fell off the wagon for the umpteenth time, so he kicked me out. It’s not the first time, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. The good thing is, I work at my grandfather’s firm, so I come and go as I please. I’m not currently working on any cases, so I’ll give you my full attention. Of course, you’ll have to tell me everything that’s going on.

     “I was wrong about you,” I said.

     “How’s that?”

     “You really can lie.”

     She smiled widely now. “Only about the important things.”

     I looked out the window at the fading night and thought over my options. I didn’t have time to go into vampire law or explain that my reasons for my actions might not be accepted by The Collective, especially with the accusations against me. I also wasn’t sure what to do about her.

     “Look, it’s been a long night, and sunrise is only about twenty minutes away. I need to feed and get to bed,” I said.

     “Who are you going to feed on?” she asked, her hand resting on her throat.

     I couldn’t help but laugh. “Not you,” I said. I went back into the kitchen and opened the fridge, grabbing one of the plastic bags of AB- blood. “I get a supply delivered weekly from Amazon. You really can get everything there.”

     “I thought it might be something like that,” she said, looking almost insulted. “I guess my blood might be a bit—low class for you.”

     “Don’t start,” I said. “It’s not low class, just not that healthy for either of us.” I uncorked the tube and took a sip.

     She shrugged and accepted my answer.

     “You’re probably right,” she said, looking around the penthouse. “I feel like shit most days. Is it okay if I stay here today? I promise I won’t drink and I won’t touch anything.”

     I was more than skeptical, but what else could I do? I had no intention of killing her, at least not yet, and I needed to get some rest. I pulled the envelope back out of my pocket.

    “Fine, you can stay here and watch over things. There’s always a chance they’ll send someone who isn’t a vampire to handle the problem before I even reach The Collective.”

     The idea didn’t seem to sit too well with her, and Patience started to look like she did when I ate a dozen raw oysters in front of her.

     “Relax, there’s always a guard downstairs, and actual humans have a hard time getting in here without a key.” I started to leave the room and head towards my crypt when she stopped me.

     “Candy,” she called out from where I’d left her in the living room. “I won’t let you down. I really can help, I’m not half-bad at the lawyer stuff, and I’ll be here when you wake up—sober as a schoolteacher, no wait, they drink more than me. Sober as a nun!”

     I didn’t have the heart to tell her that no matter how skilled a lawyer she was, nothing she said would change what I knew I’d done. I was guilty regardless of how you look at it, and the only thing standing between me and death was a woman I hadn’t seen in over two hundred years. A woman I thought had died the same year Albert did.

     I moved the wooden shoe rack and placed my hand on the electronic scanner. The door slid open, and cool air washed over me. Lights flickered around the room, casting long shadows in the distant corners. My index finger slid along the top fold of the envelope, tearing it open.

     For a moment, I couldn’t bring myself to take the pages from their hiding spot, but there was nothing left to do except see what Camilla had to say that would make me leave my home and walk right into the waiting arms of The Collective. I unfolded the letter.

     My Dearest Angelica…