From Prey to Precious

The Rachel File

Brian’s POV:

I can’t honestly remember the last time that I was either excited or nervous for a meeting.  I definitely can’t remember the last time, if ever, I felt this way when the meeting was with a human.  It’s extremely unsettling, but that only makes me more determined to follow through with it.  I know that I have a stubborn streak and on rare occasions it’s gotten me into a bit of trouble.  But the truth is that in the long run, nearly every time that I’ve dug my heels in and seen something through, much to some of my other kin’s chagrin, just because I’m too stubborn to give up, has ended up being beneficial to me.  Now granted, sometimes the benefits don’t outweigh the cost, but the benefits have always been there none the less.  

Be that as it may, I still need to go through with this meeting.  If all turns out as I plan, then I will have successfully wrestled an amazing mechanic away from Vincent and of course added something to my garage that few others can boast of.  But this also means that I’ll have to be particularly careful with this one.  If she draws too much attention from any of the undead clientele that frequent my shop, it could be disastrous for me.  It would completely undo all the benefits I seek to gain.  For I’m sure if any of them understood exactly how much of a prize this one is, they’ll do their best to wrestle her from my grasp.

But I really can’t think about that right now.  There’s no use worrying about the what ifs before I even seal the deal and get her to work at my shop full time. Once I get over that hurdle, then I can make preparations to ensure protection for myself, my shop & of course her talent. All the while making a pretty nice profit.

Throughout my entire existence, and from what I can gather nearly all of history, the golden rule always applies. The one with the gold makes the rules. Now what constitutes as ‘gold’ can be interpreted to be just about anything.  In my case, it’s generally a healthy mix of actual money and vampiric abilities.  But specific skill sets are nothing to be scoffed at either.  Whether I possess them myself, or I am able to obtain someone else who does.  I may have all the time in the world to accomplish my goals, but, vampires, generally speaking, are not patient creatures.  If there is something that they want, they want it now, not in a week a year or the decade it might take themselves to master.

But I digress.  Right now, I need to make sure that I bring all of my charms and manipulations to bear.  I’m not above using everything at my disposal to get what I want.  The longer you live, the fewer scruples most vampires hold onto.

As I waited for Rachel to arrive, I pulled out the file that I had created on her to review one last time.  It was actually a considerably more interesting read that I originally thought it would be.  Since I have to be very careful regarding the humans that I bring into my life, even peripherally, I make sure to do a thorough background check on them.  I’m not talking about just looking at job history and credit scores.  I’m talking about a detailed account of most of their lives.  If they have or had a drug or alcohol problem, I need to know about it.  If they have any trouble with the authorities, creditors, criminal organizations, or close ties of any kind to these organizations, I need to know about it. Each of these things can be both a liability and an asset.  Depending on how you look at it and what your needs are.

Rachel for example was a very interesting mix.  Grew up in Baltimore, MD her whole life with a family of modest means.  Good grades throughout her school career.  She was particularly skilled in fine arts and excelled at mathematics and the sciences. She even managed to get a partial scholarship to MICA but due to the financial burden, even with the scholarship, her family couldn’t afford to send her.  So she attended a year at community college, presumably so she could get her Associates Degree and then transfer to either MICA or another four-year college at less expense in the long run.

Never got into any trouble during school, but she was friends with some very interesting people.  A few minor criminals, some people that ended up getting swept up with a gang, academics, nerds, jocks, goths, punk kids, metal heads, skaters, pretty much anyone with a pulse.  She always managed to stay on the outskirts though.  Never allowing herself to be drawn into a particular group, but always making sure she was on good terms with everyone.  The only time she really started to get into trouble with that, was when she started dating this scumbag, Calvin “Cal” Wilson. 

Now this guy was a piece of work.  He started pursuing her when she was about 15 and he was nearly 19.  She managed to hold off his “affections” for a while, but evidently this guy is a pretty persistent.  Of course, her parents weren’t thrilled with a guy that much older taking an interest in their daughter and tried to warn her away from him.  Unfortunately, as with most teenagers, that was the nail in the coffin that drove her right into his arms.  Where he tried to completely ruin her life. 

The details of their relationship made my skin crawl and for some inexplicable reason filled me with rage.  After reading some of the things he put her through, I had to fight with myself not to fly into a rage and hunt this bastard down and give him what’s coming to him.  Especially when a read the small notes claiming that this has evidently continued to be his M.O. with other women, although he keeps being drawn back to Rachel for some reason.

Due to this relationship, the relationship she had with her family became strained and they ended up breaking off from her altogether when she was nearly 20.  At this point she had failed out of community college and any hope that she had of transferring to another school was flushed down the toilet. In addition, she had gotten her first tattoo, gotten into some minor trouble with the law and alienated not only her family but all her friends. 

So, he had her exactly where he wanted her.  Completely cut off from anyone else and dependent on him for everything emotionally.  He warped her mind over the years that they were together.  She got to the point that she felt as though she deserved the abuse that he heaped upon her, but also that no one else would ever want her.

All the while she held down a wide variety of jobs.  Nothing with any real direction, just whatever she could get that would keep his creditors at bay and a roof over their heads.  But even then, she still managed to put some of her skills with art and also managed to start learning about engines.  By the time she showed up on Vincent’s doorstep, she had a very rudimentary knowledge of cars and motorcycles, but the passion for them had already been ignited inside of her.

The straw that finally broke the camel’s back between Rachel and Cal, was one night about 6 years ago.  Something had sparked and argument and he lost his temper to the point that he put her in the hospital.  A neighbor had heard the couple arguing and things breaking around the apartment.  When things settled down, the neighbor ventured out into the hall to find Rachel’s apartment door ajar and her unconscious on the floor.

After Rachel was discharged from the hospital, nearly a week later, she underwent a radical change.  She kicked Cal out of her apartment, out of her bed and out of her life.  The encounter still left her with many scars, physical as well as emotional and mental.  But she persevered, learned from her mistakes, and never let herself get close to anyone again.

She landed on much harder times after that.  She lost her jobs and her apartment and was thrown out onto the streets.  She was homeless for almost a year before she found her way to Vincent’s shop. Once she got her feet under her again, she got another job at Beans & Things, that cutesy little café in the rundown strip mall where she ran into me for the first time.  It looks like she was fired later that same day and managed to beat her former manager to a pulp in the parking lot.

Of course, I also had all the standard stuff in the file too.  Health history, criminal record, transcripts, and credit history.  By all appearances, she really started to turn her life around after she started working for Vincent.

I’m honestly surprised that Vincent hasn’t sunken his fangs into her neck at the very least.  I know that he really doesn’t like having human servants, but even so, I’m surprised that he’s left Rachel to her own devices for this long.  Then again, it wouldn’t surprise me if he arranged all of this on purpose.  Her training and dangling her in front of my nose, knowing that I couldn’t help but try to acquire her for my shop.  That way I get to take on all of the burden of another human servant, and he gets to reap the benefits as a ‘finders fee’, so to speak.

I can’t help but shake my head slightly as I tuck the file in a desk drawer.  I don’t need to leave it out for her to see while I’m trying to win her over.  I manage to lock up the file, just as I hear a soft knock on my office door, and I sit back in my chair.

It’s showtime.