Feed the Flames

-celine’s pov-

On May 25, 2003, pilot and flight engineer Benjamin Padilla took off in a Boeing 727 he'd purchased from American Airlines two years earlier. According to Padilla's family in Florida, he was hired to repossess the plane after Air Angola failed to make lease payments. Alongside side him was a hired mechanic from the Republic of the Congo. Neither of them were certified, but that didn’t stop them from taking off in the plane that normally requires at least three aircrew. It began taxing without communicating with the control tower, entered a runway without clearance, and without its lights on, took off with Padilla allegedly at the helm. All attempts at communicating with the aircraft from the control tower yielded no responses. With the tracking transponder turned off, the plane took off. The two men on board were never heard from again, though their survival is still questioned. Padilla's sister, Benita Padilla-Kirkland, told a newspaper that she believes her brother to be alive. She believes he crashed somewhere in South Africa and the 51-year-old was being held against his will by some unknown person or persons.

In July of the same year, photographs surfaced of a repainted 727 in Conakry, Guinea. Two Pentagon officials reported that the plane had been located by a bad paintjob that had been used to poorly try to cover the old tail number. The same two Pentagon officials told a news source that they had not seized the aircraft, but instead were monitoring it to see what it was being used for. Then of course another government official tied in with the FBI came about saying that the plane found in Guinea was not the 727, and that all statements about it should be disregarded.

But what about Benjamin Padilla?

Maybe he’s in some South African village out in the bush in his mid-sixties with a wife and some kids. Maybe communication with the flight was never cut off and he saw something on that flight so horrendous that government officials have fabricated this entire story. Maybe the plane and its two passengers are both in some government lab being used as human test subjects.

Perhaps it’s just gone and they’re dead in the cockpit as it sails through the skies; no more than a ghost.

Thinking about it now, I thought that perhaps the story would bring me comfort seeing as there is a one-in-eleven million chance this plane will crash and-or go missing, but there was no comfort to be found in government labs. The very plane I was on could currently be diverting its course, flying to fucking Australia, and none of us could be the wiser. In a day’s time every single person on this plane could either be dead, or in some test tube while scientists use us for experiments that didn’t work properly on chimpanzees.

Most people’s biggest concern about flying was how many hours of sleep they’d get, or the plane crashing. Mine was the plane actually being a trap for unsuspecting civilians. It was probably about time the government got a new shipment of ‘volunteers’ for testing. I do not want to be a chimpanzee stand-in.

Staring at the back of the seat in front of me with the corners of my mouth pulling down, I felt someone nudge my arm. Looking over to my left, Ray was looking at me with furrowed brows.

“You look…upset, are you alright?” At his question I pulled my phone from the pocket of my jacket, quickly opening the notepad application, my mind in a haze as I typed. “You don’t want to be a chimpanzee?” At Ray’s statement I snapped out of my daze and looked down at my phone, seeing that was, in fact, what I had written. I backspaced it all quickly, and retyped a sentence.

‘Sorry, I was thinking about missing planes.’ I moved my hand so Ray could see what I wrote, but he only looked a bit more confused, pressing his lips together in a tight line as he nodded curtly.

“Okay, well, that’s probably not the best thing to be thinking about while we’re sitting in a pressurized metal tube thousands of feet in the air.” With his words, he finally offered a smile, and I partially mirrored it as I nodded, letting my phone rest back in my lap. I looked out the window at the wing of the plane, and at the thought of another aircraft demolishing it mid-flight, I turned my eyes back to the seat in front of me. “I-I heard about what happened.” At his voice, I looked back over to Ray. I tilted my head slightly, not sure what he meant, and he gestured to the mark across the left of my neck. I realized what he was talking about then, and I nodded slightly. “I was about to pull you away from him when he…teleported me, or whatever the fuck he did.” That raised an interesting question, and I returned my attention back to my phone.

Backspacing everything out, I posed a question. ‘Where did he send you?’ Frankly, I didn’t even know he had returned until he walked in after Mason disappeared. Then again, I didn’t know who he was to even be concerned with his disappearance.

“I don’t know exactly.” Ray’s tone was almost annoyed as he shook his head. “Somewhere on the outskirts of Dubai. Took me two days to get into the damned city and another few to get some cash and book a flight back here.” I quickly began backspacing and typing again.

‘Dubai? I’ve heard it’s lovely there.’ He quickly read the words and scoffed, a smile on his face.

“Yeah, I’ll give it that, it’s beautiful, but sandy as fuck. I don’t plan on returning.” Ray seemed to quickly let the smile dissipate as he looked over at me, his face almost inquisitive. “What exactly happened, out there in the woods? I asked Frank but he wouldn’t tell me anything before he just trumped off like some angry kid.” The mood seemed to fall heavily on my shoulders, and I looked down at my phone, slowly clearing what little next was on the screen. I glanced back at Ray and then let out a breath through my nose, returning to my phone, beginning to write a wall of text.

‘Mason’s original plan was to use me as bait in order to kill you and the guys because of course, you’re normals. But when we became a little attached to one another, he tried to make a deal with Bob. I was supposed to go with Mason and the other two vampires, and he would let you guys live. Five lives in exchange for one. Bob said yes, but then you all showed up and… I don’t know, I think at first it was just an empty threat against Frank, who was stepping towards us. But…I think it was a panicked moved. Frank took off running at us and I think he panicked.’ I tilted the phone so Ray could read, and when he was done he just furrowed his brows, looking at me.

“Alright, so…what’s wrong with Frank? Is he just bummed you’ve dumped him?” Ray seemed lost on that the most and I sighed shrugging as I went back to notepad.

‘Partially. Maybe. I don’t know, really. Mason proved to me that Frank was manipulating my emotions. I really didn’t want to be around him anymore after that.’

Ray stopped me from typing anymore. “Wait, wait, wait.” I looked from my phone back to Ray as he turned towards me slightly. “You mean he was using his goddamn powers on you?” The question sounded incredulous, and I slowly nodded in response. “That motherfucker…” Ray sat back in his seat, shaking his head. “He told me he wouldn’t. The day I pulled him away from you at lunch- remember that?” I nodded again. “I told him then –I warned him- that if he was using his ability on you that I would tell you to break up with him. I told him that if he deceived any girl with that ability I’d make every single one break up with him.” Ray stared off across the plane for a moment, like he was lost in thought.

I looked back to my phone, holding the backspace to clear all previous text. ‘Mason knew, probably even when I was at his camp. Bob told him about everyone’s abilities; that’s possibly another reason why he turned me. Mason needed some link to me before we were torn apart so he could let me know what Frank was doing. Mason had plenty of time to piece things together.’ I nudged Ray’s arm, causing him to turn back to me, and I held up my phone so he could read the text.

Seemingly, Ray softened a bit at this, nodding. “So Mason may not be the worst after all.” No matter his tone, he still looked up at me with a slightly disapproving gaze. “But he is still a rogue, and…they aren’t exactly the most gentle of our kind.”

With a scoff, I started typing again. ‘He hasn’t hurt me yet. Nothing I can’t handle, at least.’

“I suppose I can approve, then.” Ray seemed even more thoughtful with his words, and I wanted to laugh as I backspaced my previous statements.

‘You approve? What are you, my father?’

Ray smiled wide at that, and crossed his arms over his chest. “Well what would your father say about Mason?”

I didn’t even have to take a second to think. ‘He’d tell me I could do better.’

Mustering a deep voice, Ray turned to me. “You can do better.” At his words, I couldn’t fight the grin that spread across my face, and Ray seemed pleased he’d gotten that out of me.

For a moment, -and only a moment- I expected a smart ass reply from Mason, but when my head was silent, the smile disappeared, and I looked down at the words on my phone. I deleted them all, and Ray noticed the change of mood.

“What’s wrong?” He was serious again now, and I began deftly typing, my fingers moving over the keys before I could think.

‘I can’t hear him anymore.’ I stared at the words, and as they began sinking in again I wanted nothing more than to stop overthinking everything. But that was what I did. I analyzed every situation I was in, my mind buzzing through each and every possible outcome and my subconscious hoping for the most probable with the best outcome. What was the best outcome of this though? Mason alive and well, and the two of us together.

Ray uncrossed his arms, nudging my arm with his elbow softly. “Hey,” At the whisper I looked over to see him wearing a comforting smile. “He’s fine, I’m sure. Rogues are survivors, and they can last up to a day without blood before they begin breaking down. You guys are damn hard to kill, rest assured.” Slowly, I nodded, somewhat understanding what he was saying. Mason was alive. He had to be.
______

After we landed we collected our bags and rented a car. It was a newer model Honda Civic. Gerard and Ronan sat up front while Ray and I took the back seat.

‘Have you ever met Gerard’s family?’ I poked Ray’s arm with my phone, tilting the screen away from the sun so he could see the question.

Shortly, he shook his head, keeping his voice a whisper. “No, all I know is that his mother is on some board of vampires in Australia. His father is who we’re going to see. Donald Way, I think.” I made an ‘o’ with my mouth, glancing at Gerard in the front seat. He looked into the rearview mirror shortly and as our eyes met I was quick to break eye contact. He was rather intimidating and I was not comfortable around such people, though Gerard had a…unique air to him. Mason had put it in the nicest way, I still felt; an ostentatious, hollow moodiness.

“So, do we know why your family kidnapped their own son and a rogue vampire?” Ronan spoke up from the front seat, taking my attention from the next message I was going to write.

“Maybe.” Gerard’s voice left everything to the imagination, his answer hardly an answer. “I know why he took Mason, I think. Mikey…not so much.”

At his words, I sat forward, ignoring my seatbelt. “Why?” I questioned, and Gerard glanced at me in the rearview again. Everyone was silent, and for a moment, I didn’t think I’d get an answer.

“He hunts rogues.” The words were short, and a heavy feeling manifested in my chest.

Ronan seemed a bit shocked, turning in her seat. “You let her come knowing this?” She asked quickly, and Gerard scoffed, glancing at me again.

“Would you have stayed if you knew this beforehand?” The moment the question was posed I already knew my answer. As I shook my head, Gerard nodded. “There’s your answer. He’s part of a group of…exterminators, if you will. Like Mason and his two friends were exterminators of our kind, my father is an exterminator of your kind.” The weighted feeling in my chest grew heavier with each word, and finally I sat back in my seat, staring at the space between the two front seats.

Gerard’s father was a hunter of rogues. He had probably hunted Mason for a while now and… The best possible outcome seemed to sway and change at this. I felt the chances of finding Mason alive were dwindling.

“You said you think you know why he took Mikey. Why?” Ray spoke up now, his voice serious. “Is it possible that he found Mason, and then took Mikey to use as bait in order to get you back?”

For a moment, something that almost resembled a sarcastic smile flickered across Gerard’s face. “It’s not like that. My father’s known our whereabouts for years; he’s simply attempted to respect our decision to leave him and his fucking bullshit alone for centuries.” Gerard sped up a bit as he talked. “I looked in Mikey’s room before we left and…he’s been going through some old books and logs, searching some rather guarded things about vampires. I think he found something he wasn’t supposed to and my father found out. I think that when my father came to get Mikey he felt the presence of Mason and took him too. Mason was no more than a bonus for him, though a casualty for others, it would seem.”

A casualty? A fucking casualty?

“Why didn’t he take Cell?” Ronan asked, curiosity seemingly piquing her. “She’s a rogue; her blood’s the same as Mason’s, so why not just take her as well?”

For a moment things were quiet again, and Ronan’s question hung in the air. Finally Gerard spoke again, but offered no further answers. “I don’t know.”

My fingers were moving over the screen on my phone and with the volume on low each key I pressed made a quiet tap. I didn’t know what I was writing, I just kept typing, the tapping becoming more urgent.

I felt Ray lean over to me, looking at my phone. “He’s not dead, Cell. He can’t be, he’s alive and we’ll find him.” Ray’s words were meant to bring comfort but all I could think about were the odds of finding him alive. Oh how those odds were plummeting.

If he was alive, why couldn’t I hear him?

A sarcastic comment here, a laugh at a random thought there, and an intrusive reply to an action mixed somewhere in between… I missed him.

That’s what I was typing so incessantly. ‘I miss him.’

I had never felt that before. A longing for someone to return from somewhere… To pine over someone; to long for them… That never happened, though I had never quite had anyone to miss. When my brother died I didn’t even miss him because I knew that no matter what happened it was impossible for him to return. Missing him felt illogical, I mean, what was the point in dwelling over something that was impossible?

Although here I was. Mason could be dead. Technically, the odds were currently in favor of him being dead. Yet I miss him. I want him back. I need him to be back with me. I need to see that childish smile; I need those mismatched eyes staring into mine. I need his voice in my head, whispering distractions as I try to read. This feeling…it was a deep, heavy silence that sat in your chest and threatened to break you.

Longing for someone; missing someone when they’re gone, that was a side-effect of love, wasn’t it? The weight in my chest grew heavier then, and I stopped typing. Was that what I was feeling now? Was this my version of love? A heavy mass in my chest that felt like it could crack open my ribs?

Wait.

No, this was the omitted. This was the longing that I felt. A side-effect.

As I blinked my vision cleared, and I noticed the ‘I miss you’s had become nothing more than jumbled characters, my fingers having slowly glided onto different keys, leaving a mess of letters. It looked just about exactly how I felt. A wreck. I needed Mason back. I was drowning in this heavy feeling that demanded to be acknowledged and demanded to be felt.

Loss was such a loud silence.