Jael left Shad standing in the middle of the road. She darted across the yard and around the house to her bedroom window. Climbing back in was a little harder than jumping out but she managed to pull herself over the sill and fall onto the quilt she’d left to cushion the sound of her reentrance. The room was dark, except for the slip of light shining under the crack of the door. She crept across the room, careful to avoid the floorboard that creaked. Her parents would be sleeping by now. They rarely stayed up late to watch television. Only three channels came in clearly even with the help of an antenna on the roof. Cable didn’t exist this far out of town.
The door was still locked, just as she’d left it. She turned the button and slowly twisted the knob. A dim glow shone from the open door of the bathroom across the hall, more of a lack of darkness rather than an actual light source. Her mom always left a tiny plug-in nightlight burning.
She recognized the soft rumble of her Dad’s snore as she moved quickly past the closed door of her parents’ room. Jael avoided obstacles in the dark by instinct. She hurried through the house to the kitchen, intent on one thing. Food. The lingering smell of spicy tacos made her stomach growl eagerly. She hoped her mom had saved leftovers for her in spite of her request to the contrary.
Squinting against the brightness of the open refrigerator, Jael searched the shelves. A foil-wrapped plate sat on the highest rack, obviously waiting for her to feel better. She smiled and reached out.
“Where have you been?”
Jael jerked her hand back and turned to face the darkness. “Who’s there?”
“Settle down. It’s just me.”
Seth’s familiar voice registered with the words and she relaxed…a little. Her grip tightened on the door of the fridge. “What are you doing up?” she asked, more to stall than because she cared.
“I’ve been up. I never go to bed this early. Night time is when we need to be the most vigilant.”
There was that word again. She shrugged and stuck her head back in the fridge, lifted out the plate and a gallon of milk. “I guess,” she said. She set the food on the counter and peeled back the corner of the foil to take a look. Yep. A half dozen beautiful, crispy-fried tacos. Awesome.
“I’m serious. Where were you? I saw you in the yard. You shouldn’t be outside alone unless you’re prepared to fight. You’re not a little girl anymore, Jael. You’re the Chosen One.”
“That’s what you keep telling me.” She found grated cheese and salsa in the fridge and set them on the counter as well. “Sometimes I think you’re more excited about me being a slayer than I am,” she said, adding the toppings to each meat filled shell.
Seth made a low growling sound in his throat and stood up, pushing his chair back with a loud scrape. If he weren’t quieter, her parents would be joining them in the kitchen soon. She didn’t want to deal with more questions tonight.
“I just went outside to get some fresh air. Now I feel much better, but I’m hungry. You mind?” She moved past him, plate of tacos in one hand, tall glass of milk in the other.
He put a restraining hand on her arm. “Actually I do. Sit down.” His voice was firm. He gestured toward the table. “You can eat while I talk.”
She sighed. “Fine.” She sat down and took a big bite of the first taco, ignoring him completely as he took the chair across from her.
He watched for a minute, not saying anything. When she’d scarfed down the first one and started on the second he calmly folded his hands on the tabletop and began. “I’m concerned, Jael. I’ve been talking with friends online. They picked up some chatter today. Stuff that makes me more than a bit worried. I think you’ve been found out.”
She swallowed and pushed the plate back. Suddenly she didn’t feel quite so hungry. What kind of friends did her uncle talk to online? That must be some strange dating site. “What are you saying? That vampires go online and chat? What…do they have Facebook?”
“Who doesn’t have Facebook?” He spread his hands out on the tabletop, drumming his fingertips as though impatient with her questions. “There have been reports that a slayer was discovered by a tracker here in Nevada. It didn’t mention Sunburn specifically, but that report is too close for comfort. I think we need to tell your parents. We may have to go underground for a while. At least until after your birthday.”
She sat back. “It’s just a birthday. I’m turning sixteen, not morphing into Wonder Woman.”
“It’s not just a birthday, Jael. It’s the day you fully become the Chosen One.”
She narrowed her gaze. “I thought I already was.”
“You’ve been chosen by your birth and heritage, but you take on the full mantel on your birthday. I’m not sure exactly how it works. Nobody does. I just know you haven’t reached your full potential.” He sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. “Has anyone told you about the trackers yet?”
Jael glanced down at her uneaten food. “Mom started to tell me but she said to ask Dad.” She didn’t want Seth to know a tracker had just walked her home. He’d definitely have a conniption.
“Well, trackers can smell a slayer from…”
“A hundred yards,” she finished. “Yeah, I know that much.”
“Okay.” He rubbed a hand over his jaw. “Did you know they communicate with wolves?”
She nodded.
“That they can see in the dark almost as well as a wolf?”
“That I didn’t know.”
“They’ve worked closely with bloodsuckers for hundreds of years. Some say they don’t have a choice because of a curse on their family line. Others say they have free will and chose this path themselves.”
“A curse?” she asked. Shadow had said he was changing sides, that the old ways were not his ways. Was it possible for him to change or would he be forced to help them track her down?
“Legend has it that a young Brave was hunting in the desert and got lost. He wandered for days until his water was long gone and his strength dried up. In the dead of night, crawling on hands and knees, he came across a dried up riverbed. After digging frantically at the hard cracked ground, hoping to find a trickle of moisture below to ease his swollen tongue, he passed out. When he came to, he was lying inside the mouth of a cave. The sun was high in the sky but he was shielded under an outcropping of rock. From the dark depths of the cave he heard the steady drip of water. Crazy with thirst, he tried to crawl toward the sound, but out of the darkness a voice spoke. It told him that he could have all the water he needed in exchange for his servitude. Doubtful that he’d ever find his way out of the desert, he agreed.”
Jael snorted. “You’ve got to be kidding. He sold out for a drink of water? That’s worse than the Bible story about Esau trading his birthright to his brother for a bowl of soup.”
Seth shrugged. “It’s just a legend. I don’t know if it’s actually true. Only a tracker could tell you that.”
She met her uncle’s eyes. “So what’s the curse?”
“He survived.”
“I don’t get it.”
“Two braves from his hunting party eventually found him. He was speaking gibberish – gone mad from the desert – or so they thought. When they entered the cave they were attacked by something so strong and quick that they didn’t stand a chance. The surviving brave watched his new master suck the lifeblood from his childhood friends.”
“Why didn’t he do something?” she asked, not sure what this story had to do with her but assuming there was a lesson here somewhere. After all, Uncle Seth was in the orient for many months. Didn’t their stories always come with a lesson?
“He did. He saved his family line by making a pact with the devil.”
“That’s it? Wow. That’s really a depressing story. Thanks.” She got up and put the things back in the refrigerator. Then turned and gave her uncle a thumbs up. “I’ll be sure and ponder that as I go to sleep.”
“You do that. Good night, Jael.”
Chapter 17
Everyone talks
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