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To Be Mortal

You Promised

The Russell family was more than welcoming to me, especially since it was just Jason and Papa around. I think I reminded them of Ciara, the only daughter of the family. She moved to Chicago with her fiancée when Michael was just a little boy, and she disappeared a few years later. Papa never seemed to get over that and even though Jason was so little at the time, he still felt the effects as much as any in the big family.

Jason and Papa worked tirelessly trying to help me find Jeremy. A week had passed without so much as a whiff of the vampire and I was becoming increasingly anxious about the whole situation.

We sat at the coffee table in the living room, Jason and I. I ran my fingers through my hair roughly and rocked my head back and forth. “I just don’t understand. We’ve called every supernatural-friendly hotel, motel and homeless shelter in a 20-mile radius and not a single one of them has caught sight of Jer.”

Jason patted my shoulder comfortingly, “It’s okay. We’ll find him, like Papa said; he wouldn’t have left the city yet. Not without his assets and not without you. Just think, was there anywhere he mentioned you could find him in a state of emergency?”

“No. We never really talked about that sort of thing; he didn’t really consider the idea of being caught so suddenly like that.”

“Well, maybe he is at one of the hotels but he asked the desk clerk to forget about him, he can do that can’t he; Vampire mind control or whatever? Or! O-or we talked to the wrong guy, he just didn’t see him when he came in... Or something…”

“I don’t know, I just don’t know.” I wiped my eyes and buried my face in my hands. “Maybe we should take to the streets, we’ll see if we can find a… a clue or something.” I turned to him with worried, anxious eyes, “I mean- we’re a young, strong vampire and werewolf pair. We could probably… I don’t know… catch a scent or something.”

“Sure, but; I’ll have to wear contacts or something. I’m not registered with the agency like you. Can’t risk getting arrested.” He motioned to my forearm that was now inscribed with the numbers 00667825. I flinched and covered my arm with my sleeve, turning away. I had really tried to ignore the stain on my arm. They had to ruin my arm with the big, black numbers etched permanently into my skin. It was simply sickening.

“Yeah, yeah we’ll do that.” He said, nodding as he thought further. “Tonight, it’s only four now, the sun is still up.”

Papa came in the room carrying coffee and a blood packet. When I was still starving after consuming my weekly ‘vitamin allowance’ he called up some connections and got me some extra supply. It was human blood, taken from the blood bank or something (I assumed). No matter how much I wanted to deny it, I had never tasted anything better in my entire existence.

“I’d come along.” He said while putting the tray down on the table beside our stacks of phone books. “But I’m afraid my senses have deteriorated with age; I would just be loose weight on your shoulders.”

“Don’t worry pa, we’ll get Ava back to Jeremy in no time at all.”

“Okay, well. I’m off to the bistro for business. I won’t be back till after you get back. He gave us each a solid smile, “I’ll be seeing you.”

“Night, pa.”

“Goodnight Papa Russell” I called.

Once he left I turned to Jason and asked, “Forgive me for asking, but is Papa really your father. He is pretty old and you are… well pretty young.”

“Are you calling me pretty?” He joked, giving a smirk that didn’t even come close to matching the handsome Jeremy’s smolder. “I don’t know whether to be complimented or insulted.”

“Both, I suppose.” I laughed, “But really, in all seriousness…”

“Papa Russell isn’t my direct father, more my grandfather… or great grandfather, I don’t quite remember. As alpha and this being the headquarters for the Russell pack, we all have to grow up here. It’s tradition. He’s our… well you could say adopted father. My actual father died long ago when I was a baby, but from stories I hear he didn’t really care for our upbringing much anyway.”

“You guys are way too confusing.” I sighed, “I’m going to go rest before we leave.” I rose to leave and he watched as I left the room.

“See you… Ava.”

---


We walked for hours and hours but couldn’t get a lead. Eventually we ended up passing by the old apartment so we decided to check up there, it was crawling with RCMP and agents, as we had feared.

Standing at the doorway was one big idiot. His hair was well styled and pushed back in a gel. He stood tall and proud, but unmoving. “Ma’am, this property is currently under investigation, I must ask you to step aside.”

“But, I live here.” I said in my most confident voice.

He looked me up and down, scowling at my pale skin and sharp fangs. “Show me your arm.” He snapped.

I narrowed my eyes and let him read the inscription, 00667825. He took out a small tablet and entered the code. “Who’s your friend here?” he asked, pointing to Jason.

“Just a guy, he’s been letting me crash at his place.”

“And he doesn’t mind playing host to a vampire?”

“No, not everyone around here are racist pricks.” He growled, his voice sounding nearly distorted with the sounds of a canine. I turned to him and bit my lip, luckily they didn’t seem to realize he was a werewolf yet, he had to keep cool if we were going to get out of here clean.

“Listen.” I said, turning to the agent, “Just call Agent Patricia Green. She knows me.”

“No one can get past me without authorization.” He said simply, “Even if you did live here.”

“Let them go, Daniel.” a feminine voice said behind the stubborn agent, “She’s fine to come.” Agent Green appeared from behind, “Come, you two.”

“But Agent Gre—“

“That will be enough, Daniel.” She said firmly, causing the poor boy to retreat back and let us through.

Inside Jeremy’s once pristine, glowing apartment was nothing but ruins. Everything was torn to bits by agents searching for something to lead them to him and I knew they were stumped.

“I just need to grab a few things.” I said, moving towards the bedroom.

“What the hell are you doing here?” the elderly vampire growled, taking my wrist. Jason snarled and the agent glared at him. “I said what the hell are you doing here?”

“Let her go!” Jason snarled, his eyes glowing now even through his this color contacts.

“I told you not to go looking for him.”

“I-I’m not. I just need some clothes.” I protested, trying to yank my arm from her grip.

“Don’t lie to me.” She growled.

Jason looked like he was ready to kill with his face all twisted and wild. “Let. Her. Go.” He snarled.

The vampire released my arm and I walked down the hall to the bedroom, ignoring the both of them. “You don’t want to go in there.” She called after me.

When I entered it didn’t take me long until my legs gave way from under me. The entire room reeked of blood; my blood. A giant, deathly pool stained the center of the room and I felt the arms of Jason around me before I could hit the floor. My head spun in more than infinite directions, as if I had taken a blow to the head. Greif and self-pity flushed out all other emotions and I felt like I was weighing several hundred pounds.

“I told you.” I heard the vampire whisper, even though she was across the room.

Jason picked me up without even a grunt. He let me put my arms around his neck and bury my face in his chest. It was like dying all over again, seeing where I had laid… all that blood. It had once been a place of safety, of warmth with my beloved. Now it was something entirely different.

“Mortality and Humanity aren’t things that vampires can loose overnight. We can’t really understand that we’re dead before we can take a life of another, which you have not done yet, little one.” Her voice was practically monotone to my ears as they rang like funeral bells. “When you do, come find me.” She whispered. I heard a growl deep in Jason’s chest and she laughed. “Just take your guard dog and go home. There is nothing for you here.”

Jason carried me home without even a single complaint as I sobbed into his shirt all the way home.

---


The next night Jason agreed once more to take me out to look for my elusive lover. I had recovered from my emotional strike the night before and was determined as ever to find Jeremy.

We took the car this time and Jason drove. We decided to stop by the bistro and check up on Papa who was dealing with some business clients. Sometimes I wondered if they actually owned this restaurant, it was rarely occupied by more than just him. However I had promised Jason to never ask him about his family’s business.

Before we even opened the door loud shouting erupted from the far table. They were speaking Versipelli, an ancient language of supernatural origins dating back before even the 1st Century and very few humans spoke it. Jeremy had taught me a bit of it but I found it very complicated. He explained to me that many supernatural organizations used it as a type of code to stray away human comprehension and interference.

“Ta’as mendax!” an unfamiliar voice cried, “Dete onnes mihi pecunias!”

“Pex, amie.” Papa said calmly, “Non’abemus pecunias.”

“Mendax’as!”

I understood very little. I heard something about a lair, and money. Jason, who would have grown up hearing this constantly, understood it all completely.

“Ava, I think my dad is getting robbed!” he said in alarm. My eyes widened and I entered the establishment without another thought.

Two eyes glared at me and I was frozen to the spot. Nervously, I cleared my throat and said, “Papa, do you need any help?” I asked.

The man looked at me with an expression I had not yet been looked at with, fear. He turned to Papa and whispered, “Non’abetis pecunias sed habetis puel-mors?” his voice was quick and urgent, fear leaking through. “Habetis puel-mors?!” he repeated.

“Puelle es mae’amie.” He said, looking at me with a smirkish smile. “Fortimus. Ella necoque et vos ceno; sed eam Versipelli non’es bene, bonem et poteris vive.” Jason snickered behind me.

The man turned back to me and gratefully spoke English instead. “I’m… sorry… madam I made a mistake. Wrong number-I… I mean place. May I leave?”

I thought it might be fun to play up my vampire fierceness a little so I pretended to size him up and roll my eyes, “Yes you may go.” I sighed. The man nodded and scattered out the door.

Once he was out I turned to Jason with a puzzled look on my face, “What was that about?”

“Oh, nothing, nothing...”

“I don’t know if you ever noticed Ava, but people can be a teensy bit intimidated by vampires sometimes.”

“Yeah but that was…” I trailed off and let the sentence hang. No one wanted to touch that. I mentally shrugged it off and replaced the man’s seat in front of Papa.

“We searched all night, Papa, and couldn’t find anything. Papa, what if he’s left already?”

Jason took a seat beside me and patted my shoulder, “You can always come live with us.” He joked, jokingly smiling toothily.

I turned to him with a soft smile, “I know but… Jeremy changed me. That HAS to mean something, right? He wants me, right? He loves me… I mean he promised, he promised to take care of me.”

I was getting more and more worried as time passed on and I felt anxiety flood my chest. Jason frowned and gave me a side hug from his seat beside me, “Don’t worry, we’ll find him.”

“I mean, he’s looking for me too! Why can’t two vampires find each other?”

“I don’t know, child.” Papa croaked. “But I do know that we should be getting back home.”

I nodded and the three of us headed back out to the car. Jason took me in his arm and I rested my face in the crook of his arm. “You promised, you promised.” I whispered.
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Sorry. I lied. It's the next chapter. Sorry :)