the Blue Hour

Andrew drove us to parts of Vancouver I haven’t seen before. It was odd and it made my stomach churn like tides crashing on rocks or Pop-Rocks put in a Mountain Dew. He stopped in front of a ratty building, one that reminded me of places where murders usually happen. “Just stay in the car, I’ll be but five minutes.” As soon as he left the car, I locked all the doors to be safe and held a pocket knife my uncle gave me close by. I pulled out my iPod to look for something to keep me occupied for the remaining four minutes.
He came back, face all clammy and pale, “ready?” he asked. “Yeah, you ok there?” I asked a bit unraveled. He nodded and fastened himself in before pulling out at mock-speed. I dug my nails into the leather interior and looked at him. His eyes as big as black olives, his breath uneven but I could see he was trying to mask it. “You’re high,” I whispered. He whipped his head at me and stopped the car, grabbing at my shirt and pulling me towards hip. I grabbed my knife and with full force, gave him a good strike at the cheek. Tiny streams of blood seemed to trickle down his cheek. The blood was an odd color; a deep blue color; like inky blue but had a red shine in the reflecting twilight sun. I threw off my seatbelt and pushed the door open, not even bothering to close it behind me. I just ran. I ran and ran as far as I could. The blue-like blood was all over my neck and shirt.
As I kept running harder, I began to run into familiar parts of the city, places I knew. I had to get to my aunt’s café. I stopped at cross walk, looking around to see if cars were coming or not, not paying attention to the ‘walk-don’t-walk’ signals. I turned my head back to see if anyone was coming after me, having doing so I bumped into something or someone hard. Falling flat on my back, unable to breathe; a dark skinned man kneeled over me, examining the blue remains on my neck and shirt. “Come with me,” he whispered. “What?” I gasped. “Just come with me now.”
“No!” I struggled as he tried to pull me up to my feet. I stopped struggling as I felt a sharp, numbing pain in my right arm. My head grew heavy and my legs were weak, I couldn’t keep my eyes open and thus I collapsed, admitting my surrender.
 



I lay on the office couch, snacking on some potato chips which tasted like dirt to me. Then again, everything tasted like dirt to me now but it still had some flavoring to it so I ate it anyway. I was still a functioning human and all functioning humans need nutrition to turn into energy and help get through a day. As I lay on the couch, snacking on some chips and flipping through a magazine, Izzy comes through the door, “Dante! Help me!” I heard him shout, I jump up to my feet and turn to see a girl in his arms, the blue spatters on her chest shown the bodily fluid of someone who was in possession of our drug. “Did she get bit?” I asked. Izzy sighed, “They’re not real vampires, Dante, and we’ve been through this.”
“Then explain the blood?”
“She probably cut the person in a struggle,” Izzy carefully examined her making sure she wasn’t cut or scrapped in any way that could get the drug in her stream. I just sat there staring at her, not really looking at her intently but just using her as something to look at while I stared off into space thinking. “Dante!” Shouted Izzy, “What?!” I jumped not paying attention.
“I said I’m going to swab some of the blood off her and see who it belongs to.” I just stared at him as he swabbed some of the blood off of her neck, as doing so she started to move, I jumped to my feet and dashed over quickly to the table. “Where the hell am I?” She murmured as she squinted her eyes slightly from the blinding fluorescents. “Just chill,” I said brushing her hair out of her face, “we’re doctors,” I lied. “You’re the first doctor I’ve ever known to use the word ‘chill’,” she replied smartly. “Well we’re not the kind of doctors you think doll,” I said as she turned her head slightly to the left to see Izzy standing there with a cue-tip of the blue blood on it, immediately she sucker punched him upward and hit him right in the jaw, ‘causing him to fall back. “What the hell is your problem girl?” He shrieked grabbing his jaw while she sat up fast and got off the table to walk out the door.
“Whoa, where do you think you’re going?” I asked grabbing her. “Home,” she retorted suddenly she stopped and looked off with wide eyes, “shit, I was supposed to go to my aunt’s café!” She pulled out her cell phone and glanced at the time. “I was supposed to be there a half hour ago!” She carefully slide the phone back in her pocket and slid down the wall as if she were about to cry. I knelt down, “look, just relax,” I said stroking her shoulder slightly, “I’ll drive you to your aunt’s,” I said trying to act polite while looking back at Izzy in total and udder dismay. Izzy just shrugged his shoulders like he didn’t know what to do either. She looked up at me with teary hazel eyes. The tears only made them sparkle more in the fluorescents. “C’mon,” I said helping her up. “I’ll drive you there.” She didn’t say anything as she stood while I went over to grab the keys to the SUV from the table. “I’ll be back in a little bit,” I assured Izzy.
 



I slid myself into the passenger seat of the giant black SUV. Strange; it looks like something a child-molester would drive to pick up young teenage girls. “Where to?” he asked me. I hesitated at the moment, “East Hyde and Main,” I said slouching down into the seat. “You have family?” He asked me. “Of course, I mean we are going to my aunt’s café after all.” I heard him chuckle and reply, “No, I mean do you have family like, a mum or dad; siblings?” I nodded. “I have a mom back in Denver, no dad, no siblings.”
“The States, eh?” he asked, “To be honest, you’re the first American girl I’ve ever met,” he laughed softly. I looked at him awkwardly. “Why are you here?” he asked me. “What is up with the interrogation?” I asked back. “I’m sorry, I’m just trying to get to know you,” he gawked. “Well it’s weird and I doubt you’re even going to see me again after you drop me off.” I replied coldly. I could sense his grip on the steering wheel was getting a little tight and his turns were sharp. “Well, can I ask you one final question?” I looked over at him, “yes.” I replied.
“Do you have a name?”