Chapter 21
575 Words
Chapter 21Everything was different after that.Aspen and I found a place where we could stay together for a while,until I could make arrangements for a new live-in nurse. She didn’twant anyone just yet. She’d been close to Zelda, and losing her hadbeen painful.
She had nightmares for a long time.She’d seen Zelda get killed, and we never found Claude. After ayear the police suggested that we expect the worst. It didn’t godown well.
Joel recovered and went back to workingfor a company that did their work during daylight hours. He did somepirating business on the side for a thrill, but I had the idea thathe was done with the night world for a while. He was sweet on mysister, and the way she lit up for him was enough for me not to takehis head off for dating her. She deserved a good guy, and if anyonewas a good guy, it was Joel. Their relationship wasn’t very seriousyet, but it would be. I could feel it.
Carl had had a leg broken in threeplaces, two broken ribs and a hell of a concussion, but he’d madeit out alive, and we stayed friends. He came over every now and then,and we pretended to like each other even though we didn’t alwaysget along. What he did for a living was a mystery; he never told us,but I had a feeling we’d all had enough of the darkness. He didn’tlike to admit that he owed his life to a martial arts instructor hedidn’t like, so we didn’t talk about it. Neither of us knew whathad happened to Sonya, but Ruben’s company was closed and anightclub opened in its place. I would never go there again.
I didn’t go back to the ugly side ofthe world. It had been hard enough to deal with as it was. Instead Imanaged to find a job at the Academy, training with Phil and teachingclasses of my own in self-defense and fighting techniques, and wewere thinking of branching out to a shooting range. I spent every daywith Phil, knowing that if it hadn’t been for the mostinexperienced, most human one of us all, we’d all be dead.
Connor and I visited my father a weekafter the incident.
“Who’s this?” he asked whenConnor sat down next to me.
I looked at Connor, and he smiled, hisblue eyes encouraging me to face my past and deal with it.
“He’s my boyfriend,” I said. “Ilove him.”
My dad nodded. “Why are you here?”he asked, the way he always did.
“I came to say…” I took a deepbreath. “I forgive you.”
My father’s face crumpled, and hepinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.
“And goodbye,” I added.
This was the last time we’d see eachother. When he looked up at me again, he nodded.
I got up, and Connor and I walked outinto the night, hand in hand.
“Did you mean it?” he asked.
“Someday, I’ll come to mean it,”I said. “But for now, it was right to say it.”
We walked into the night world thataccepted me now, one that didn’t have monsters and hell wherever Ilooked.
Jennifer disappeared. It was in thenews. Either she’d left the country, or she’d turned. I guessedwe would never find out.
And me?
I didn’t know who I was just yet, butI’d find out. Aspen, Joel, Connor, Phil, Carl and I made a twistedbut fairly happy family. We accepted each other for what we were, andwhat we weren’t.
The only thing I wasn’t willing togive up yet was my bike. I might not have been a vampire slayeranymore, but I was still Adele Griffin. I liked my bike and my gunsand my leathers, and everyone loved me for it, myself included.
Andthose who didn’t, could suck it.
- Writer
