Dawn's Shadow

Janine scooted out of the truck, holding the door for Anna. "Please have an open mind. Dane is a good man. And Chris will always be here waiting, in case you change your mind."

"I won't," Anna said. She climbed out of the SUV with as much dignity as she could muster and stormed to her car. She'd already checked out of the hotel before meeting Chris for breakfast yesterday morning. Her bags were packed and waiting in the backseat. Someone had returned her purse along with every cent and credit card she had in her wallet. Ok, so they were honest psychos, how refreshing.

She fished out her keys and slid onto the driver's seat. In the passenger side, sat a box. Sickened by her curiosity, she lifted the lid. And inside of the box, she found all her missing pictures and the Christmas and birthday and friendship cards Chris had given her over the years. Angrily, she slammed the box lid down and peeled out of the lot. Determined to forget and leave Chris, her nut job friends, and this dingy backwater town behind her.

Patrick watched in satisfaction as Anna floored it for the interstate. Pleased that no one had gotten attacked today he climbed back into the SUV and started the engine. Janine looked across the console at him, her big eyes filled with alligator tears. Sliding into drive, he grunted and drove in the opposite direction as Anna. "Don't worry. She'll be back." And he was sure of it. Anna would be back.



Chapter 37

John Mark was grateful for the reprieve from his over-zealous student. Alex was a hard worker. Relentless in her struggle to master every challenge he threw at her. And she wore him out. Simply wore him out until he'd finally ordered her to get some rest. He left her in Toby's care and retreated to the dark corner of the mines he shared with Robbie. My god, he hadn't been alone with his wife in over twenty-four hours. Far too long and as far as he was concerned they had twenty-three hours of lost time to make up for. He grabbed Robbie and sat her firmly in his lap. "And what do you want for Christmas little girl?"

He wound his fingers through her hair and played with the springy, ginger colored, curls. He roared with laughter as she whispered her request in his ear. "You can open your present early. Right now, if you want." He shivered with delight as she unfastened his jeans with deft fingers. "No time like the present for a present."

He loved Robbie thoroughly and completely. And she gave him every bit of passion and her love in return. Afterwards, nestled in her arms, he closed his eyes and breathed. Neither one of them spoke of it. They didn't need to torment themselves with the memories. Instead, they clung to one another and sheltered in each other's arms. This was their first Christmas together. And that one fact, they stubbornly grasped with both hands. Letting go of the one unavoidable truth that the holiday season made even more painful. It was their first one without her parents and all the traditions they thought would last forever.

*********

Leigh stared at the blinking lights on the Christmas tree and sipped her tea. In the thick darkness of night, the tree, with its ornaments and twinkling lights, looked almost magical. Would she get to see her daughter before Christmas Day? She wasn't sure. The entire month of December they usually spent laboring in the kitchen. It was a labor of love. Something special that was reserved just for the two of them.

This year, she'd done it alone. Spent hours rolling the dough in silence. Pressed hundreds of meticulously shaped cookies and baked them. Divvied out the goods amongst the long list of intended recipients. Alexander's job was to stay out of her way and deliver the cookies, while Alex and she baked dozens more.

The house was too quiet without Alex. The kitchen still smelled of sugar and vanilla, and spicy cinnamon. But, it wasn't the same. Alexander was as graceful in the kitchen as an elephant on roller skates. Leigh had quickly exiled him to the barn instead of enlisting his help. She was thankful that her little girl had survived the transformation. But, she could still hear her daughter's agonized cries in her ears. Maybe, Alex would be ready sooner than expected. She hoped so. That would be the best gift a mother could ever receive, seeing her daughter happy and strong again.

Alexander puttered in the barn. He had at least a dozen half-finished projects he could be doing. Instead, he sat on an old, weathered chair in the corner and whittled a stick with a knife he'd gotten for his thirteenth birthday. Country music played over the speakers of a radio that was probably older than Alex.

The entire month of December, he was usually exiled to the barn. Fine by him. The only time he dared to go into the kitchen was when Leigh wasn't looking and he could score a handful of those cookies, the ones with the chocolate kisses in the middle, that he loved. He'd figured it out a long time ago, simple mathematics. If he snuck one or two out of each batch, she wouldn't know the difference. For years, his strategy had worked brilliantly. He sat down his whittling and took one from the tin he hid at the back of his workbench. Smelling victory in the scents of chocolate, sugar, and peanut butter, he popped one into his mouth and savored the sweetness on the tip of his tongue.

He missed Alex. Missed hearing her laughter and the smudges of flour on her cheeks. Her mother and she baked like fiends for the holidays. He was the delivery boy. So far, Leigh had made him run into town to drop off tins of cookies to at least two-dozen eager recipients. This year, the cookies were the same, the delivery route and the pecking order in which the cookies were dolled out, the same. But, everything was different.

Leigh labored alone in the kitchen. And he awkwardly handed the cookies out. Usually, Alex would go with him and do the hard part of socializing while he stood back and watched her work the gift of gab the way sculptors molded clay. He wondered how long it would be before he had his little girl back. And with a resigned sigh, knew he never would. He still saw hints of the little girl she had been, here and there. But, a stranger, a grown woman, had taken his little girl's place.

He'd tried so hard to keep Alex out of this world. And he'd failed. Maybe, it was selfish of him and he'd gotten what he'd deserved that night on the bluffs, watching her die and be reborn. She was still the same on the outside and in many parts, on the inside. But, she was and would be so different. Her choice. His sacrifice. Leigh's sacrifice. Leigh and he would grow old and fade away while she could do nothing but stand there and watch it happen. His choice. Leigh's choice. And her sacrifice.

He took the last cookie from the tin and popped it into his mouth, chewing. When he finished, the sweet taste still lingering on his tongue, he got up and headed for the house. Not for more cookies, but to find his wife. Tonight, he'd make love to her. He wouldn't think about Alex. He wouldn't think about the cruelty and inevitability of time. And he wouldn't think about all the choices and sacrifices that he wouldn't wish on anyone. The choices and sacrifices that no one should have the burden of making.

********

Alex stared at the uneven pockmarked surfaces of black walls in front of her. The vision invaded her mind suddenly and with the force of a nuclear bomb. Flashes of unspoiled wild landscape came in spurts. She was barely a day old and already the goddess was speaking to her, not with words, but through images of the long forgotten past. She fumbled for a pen and a pad of paper, scribbling down what she was seeing in her mind's eyes. Tales older than recorded time unfurled, translated into written word by her hand.

Toby leaned back against the entryway to Alex's room. His arms crossed over his chest, wincing as the raw power from the goddess rolled over his skin. Awe struck and a bit intimidated, he watched Alex scribble furiously on the notepad balanced precariously on her thigh. Her pen twitched in her trembling fingers as she tried to keep up with the visions only she could see. He fought the temptation to peek over her shoulder to catch a glimpse of what she scrawled across the pages. He should grab John Mark. But, there didn't seem to be any threat of danger. He stood quietly in the corner and waited for Alex to come to herself, watching history unfold in Alex's chicken scratches and on crumpled sheets of paper.

************

Dane searched Chris's feelings, finding nothing but a blank hole where her friendship with Anna had been. His heart sank. As a guy, it was his job to fix whatever was broken. And that part of Chris was broken. But, he realized that he would have to let it go. Give the wound time to heal on it's own. This was something he couldn't fix. He couldn't change what had happened to Chris and he couldn't force Anna to understand. The best he could do was to let her work it out for herself. And find her happiness wherever she could. Hopefully, he'd make her happy and she'd find it with him.



Chapter 38

The next couple of weeks flew by. Chris was happily occupied. Her attentions split between exploring the mines and Dane's body. Janine, Robbie, and Alex filled any gaps left in between. Slowly, she started to feel at home, as if she belonged.

Chris agreed with Dane and saw no reason to completely abandon the mines. They were perfect. Easily defensible. Isolated. And best of all, the outside world didn't ever remember they existed. Toby had long ago wiped any remnants of a paper trail that might have led anyone here. They were perfect. And over time, the brothers were beginning to accept them as their new home.

But, there was nothing homey about the darkness, the dank, sooty air, and the chill that permeated every centimeter of the tunnels. She believed it was possible to transform the mines into more hospitable living quarters. The mines were barely livable for vampires. For humans, like Janine, they were a death sentence waiting to happen. Janine needed light, fresh air, and warmth. This underground maze was filled with danger, unseen drops in the floor, unexplored shafts, and dark corners that had never seen the light of day and never would.

Chris kept a notebook, scribbling her ideas on the pages as fast as they came to her. It was feasible to turn this place into a home. Solar panels and back up generators would provide them with energy. Improvements could be made to the ventilation system. The black, rocky walls and floors could be disguised with natural stone masonry and concrete. The nearby underground springs could be channeled to provide fresh water. And a septic system wouldn't be too difficult to manage. It could be done.

But, she needed the help of an expert. Someone with a technical and analytical mind, who knew about structural design and how to get things the way they needed to be. Chris knew what the mines needed, but she had no idea of how to do it. How thick would the concrete need to be and how much steel would it take to reinforce the tunnels to keep them from crashing down on their heads? How to get electricity where it was needed. How to run the plumbing. And how to design the air shafts for maximum ventilation. Chris could plan all the posh furnishings and color schemes she wanted. The tunnels and the rooms already there would be pretty enough. But, without a sound structure in which to put them, she might as well decorate a sandcastle. She needed Anna.

She was reviewing her last minute adjustments to her drawings. Her plans included small suites for each of the brothers, plus many extra rooms for guests and future members. She included a sizable computer lab for Toby, knowing his passion for electronic gadgetry. For Patrick, taking his jovial prankster nature, a game room. For Janine, who, although human, was a permanent fixture, a spa area plumbed from mineral springs that ran deep underground was also planned. Her ideas were creative and imaginative. But, without an expert, they were just theories and she had no idea if they'd work or not. She hadn't shared them with anybody, yet. Dane wouldn't have been the first person on her list. Anna would have been.

Chris would have loved for Anna to look over her plans. Anna's eye for detail and function far surpassed hers. Reluctantly, Dane had caved to her demands and returned her purse and cell phone. She checked the display everyday, not a word from Anna. She had been tempted to call, gone as far as to hit the number on speed dial, only to hang up when the call clicked over to voice mail. She couldn't accept that Anna had turned her back on their friendship. And probably never would. What happened to her wasn't her fault. But, she felt that Anna was punishing her for it anyway.

*******

Anna shook a handful of pills into her palm and gulped them down with the last dregs from her vodka on the rocks chaser. She was trying to forget and go on with her life. She went through all the motions, going to work, attending holiday parties, Christmas shopping, even putting up a tree, as barren and dismal as the poor little thing was. But, her life refused to go back to normal.

Every night she awoke screaming and covered in sweat, her body convulsing in terror. She watched people as they passed her by on the sidewalks, in the malls, hell, even the people in her office, most of whom she'd known for years. Wondering which ones were vampires and which ones weren't. Looking for that almost imperceptible hint of otherness she'd seen in Chris. She was so much better off before she learned the truth. Living her life blissfully ignorant and unafraid.

Anna missed her best friend, terribly. By now, she'd come to terms that their friendship was over. She had no choice other than bitter acceptance of the truth that had shattered them apart. Chris was a vampire. What she saw that day in Chris's eyes wasn't the effects of theatrical contact lenses. The fangs weren't porcelain. They were real. There were vampires, undead mingling amongst the living. Pretending to be human for whatever purpose suited their unholy desires. And Anna saw them everywhere. Watching. Waiting.

She turned the small package over and over in hands. The combination Christmas/birthday gift she had bought for Chris months ago and rushed straight home to wrap was an intricately carved, silver photo frame with a 5x7 snapshot taken of the two of them together on summer vacation. Chris had gone off and forgotten her camera. She whined ceaselessly that she'd have no pictures to remember their trip to Florida. Anna had taken enough pictures for the both of them. And out of the whole lot, out of all the fuzzy, out of focus, snapshots of sandy beaches, hot guys in swim trunks, and ocean waves, this picture was the best. In the snapshot, they were happy, grinning like fools at the camera, while some random stranger on the beach, took their picture.

She slammed the box on the coffee table. Covering the present with a stray magazine, she pushed it to the side. Hoping that if she ignored the box she could ignore the feelings of loneliness and betrayal she harbored for Chris. Her eyelids felt heavy as the meds and alcohol took effect, and she felt her mind drift into the dark abyss of sleep.



Chapter 39

Janine spent the afternoon wrapping the plethora of gifts she'd purchased at the Super Center. Patrick had been so desperate to dry the tears in her eyes after the morning they'd spent with Chris and Anna, he'd simply whipped out his credit card and turned her loose in the store. Ah, was there anything a little rampant consumerism couldn't fix? Any emotion the zing of a credit card through the slot couldn't transform to instant happiness? Not in her world. At least shopping, even if she hadn't done it with her own money, especially, since it hadn't been her hard earned cash, made her feel normal again.

Patrick had given her carte blanche and told her to buy anything she wanted. The poor boy didn't know whom he was dealing with, obviously. Gleefully, she'd handed over the receipt, almost as long as her arm, and the smoldering remains of his credit card. It had taken Patrick and three of the brothers two trips to unload the SUV. She would have gladly shown him how thankful she was for the shopping extravaganza. But, that was still off limits.

There wasn't much time left, especially if she was going to pull of a grandiose celebration like she planned. By this time tomorrow night, thanks to Toby's electrical expertise, the main tunnels would be adorned with thousands of twinkling lights. Patrick had let it slip that Chris had a birthday coming up. December twenty-fifth. And Janine had plans, BIG PLANS, to make it extra special. She clapped her hands excitedly as she put the finishing touches on the first of Chris's twelve presents, one for each day until the big, grand finale. She'd ordered Dane to his room until he figured out what he was going to get her. It' d have to be something fantastic to top what she had purchased for the other eleven presents.

Dane grumbled under his breath as Toby scrolled through the web pages, pulling up hundreds of items from the very complex to the plain and understated. Dane was supposed to be a great leader, out on patrols, making complex decisions, not wasting hours, sifting through web pages, shopping for the perfect gift. "What about that one?" he asked, pointing to the screen.

Toby stifled a chuckle and clicked to the next page. "You don't know women very well do you?" he asked. Dane had no idea how to charm the pants off a lady. The ring was the deal maker or the deal breaker. And with the one Dane picked out, Anna might very well kick his ass to the curb.

"I like this one," Dane said, scrolling back to the ring he found. "It is simple, practical, and straight forward."

"Uh, yeah. So is a good pair of boots. Dude, this is your woman. You want something that says how special she is to you. That thing doesn't make a statement. It screams I want you to do my laundry, clean up my dirty dishes, and make me a turkey sandwich. Not, I love you." Toby wrenched the mouse out of Dane's hand and scrolled down the screen, scanning the other selections. He found more of what he had in mind and clicked on the picture to enlarge the image. "Now that makes a statement."

Dane wrinkled his nose at the gaudy display of affection Toby picked out. None of the rings were right. "No, that's not it. Keep going."

"Ok." Toby entered another web address and hit enter. He had been sitting here with Dane for hours. This was an easy thing, picking a ring. But, Dane was making it so hard. He rejected every sample Toby pulled up. He frowned at every ring and grumbled at every suggestion.

"Stop, stop." Dane commanded, frowning, "Keep going." Toby rolled his eyes in irritation at his leader's stubborn refusal to learn something as simple as point and click. At this rate, Dane might be able to give Chris her gift by next Christmas.

******

Chris paced the floor, eager for Dane to finally show up. She'd been working on her plans all day. And had gotten up for a stretch to work off the tightness in her muscles. She heard the heavy scuff of boots down the hallway, getting closer and closer. Dane pushed back the makeshift curtain and stepped inside, collapsing in a heap on the narrow cot. "You've been gone so long. Where have you been?" she asked, puffing out her lip down in a fake, over exaggerated pout. "I had to go hunting with John Mark and Robbie tonight."

"Poor baby," he teased. Reaching out, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into him. "I've been Christmas shopping."

"Christmas shopping?" Chris's eyes widened with dread. How she hated this time of year. All of it. The Christmas music. The rich and sugary food. The forced cheer that nobody really felt. Red and green were her least favorite colors. And the smell of pine made her want to wretch. She thought...well she thought being a vampire gave her some sort of a get out of jail free card and excused her from the depths of Christmas hell for good. "Ah, Dane I didn't realize vampires did the whole Christmas thing."