Ch 5

Blade and Mr. Johnson continue to argue. Meanwhile, Zadie tries speaking with Cree again.

“Cree, can you hear me?” Zadie asks as she pushes with her mind this time; she doesn’t feel a block.

“Yes, it’s nice to hear your voice again. You okay?” Zadie looks at Cree in the container giving him a cheery smile.

“I feel fine now that I’ve had some blood. How are you?”

“They gave me some blood earlier.” Cree glances at Blade and Dr. Johnson. “By the look on all of their faces, they know you're half-human, correct?”

Zadie adverts her eyes with a nod. “Zadie, no one is supposed to know when your father finds out—”

“If my father really cared, he would have helped us by now Cree, we are on our own. Zadie interrupts him. Why is no one supposed to know exactly?”

“I’m going to put my trust in these Slayers and help them in any way I can.” Zadie shifts in the chair. “Why would you trust them after they just hurt you?” Cree asks, baffled. “Because I’m not going back to being a prisoner in my own home.” Zadie declares.

Cree is silent for a moment then stands up.

“Fine, we will try it your way.”

“Fine, let’s all go have a talk with my father right now,” Blade says with his arms crossed.

“That’s the first sane thing you’ve said.” Mr.Johnson looks to his daughter. “You stay here; I’ll be back shortly.”

He then walks back to the elevator. Blade grabs Zadie's hand, pulling her out of the chair leading her to the elevator.

“No, no, she stays here.” Mr. Johnson says, staring at Zadie.

“Fuck that. I don’t trust anyone down here after the stunt Hydie just pulled, so she’s coming with us.” They join Mr. Johnson on the elevator.

Mr. Johnson moves as far away from Zadie as possible in the cramped elevator. Blade pushes number six on the panel. The elevator begins to move, Zadie quickly grabs hold of the bar rail around the inside.

“What’s going on?” She asks, frightened.

Mr. Johnson and Blade both give her a questioning look. “Umm…. It's an elevator; it’s moving up. Have you never been on one before?”

Zadie shakes her head no. Blade smirks, finding it amusing.

“Well, just relax; this is perfectly normal.” He assures her. Zadie slowly relaxes, eventually letting go of the railing.

The elevator stops at floor three. Letting on, a guy with short blue hair.

“Nice to see you back in action, Blade.” He greets.

“Glad to be back. Where you headed?” Blade asks him with a smile.

“To see your father, actually.” The man turns to see Zadie; she gives him a friendly smile.

“Well, hello there.” He moves beside her.

“We are actually going there as well.” Blade trails off; seeing his friend now at Zadie’s side, he rolls his eyes.

“I’m Amell.” The green-eyed male introduces himself with a slight bow.

He appears to be charming, “Nice to meet you. I’m Zadie.”

Amell wears a long navy blue trench coat that goes well with his tan skin. “That’s a beautiful name.”

The elevator stops on the sixth floor. As soon as the doors open, Mr. Johnson rushes out.

“Stop flirting with her, Amell, Zadie, follow me.” Blade walks out with Zadie a few steps behind him.

Amell catches up to Blade, “And how do you know this lovely young lady?” He asks with a wink.

“It’s a long story. I’ll have to fill you in later.” Blade replies.

Blade smiles with a wave at his father's receptionist, who waves back, letting him walk to the door. Mr.Johnson goes in ahead of them.

“Will you keep an eye on Zadie for me?” Blade asks Amell. Who smiles with a nod in response, “More than happy to do so.”

“I can’t go in with you?” Zadie questions, confused.

“Not right now. I’ll come out and get you when things are cooled down.” Blade tells her then opens the office door shutting it behind him.

Three black chairs sit against the wall of the office. Zadie and Amell each take a seat.

“Well, hello, son, Dr. Johnson. What can I do for the two of you today?” The man sitting behind the desk has a rough face with dark blue eyes and short dark brown hair.

“Your son has decided just because he’s related to you, he can tell the people in my department what to do.” Dr.Johnson takes a seat in one of the chairs in front of the desk.

Blade's father puts his elbows on the desk and intertwines his fingers, raising an eyebrow at his son, “Is this true, Blade?”

“Partly, I only did what I did because of the cruelty and lack of knowledge that I witnessed.” Blade explains with a glare pointed at Dr. Johnson at the end of his sentence.

Blade's father turns his gaze to Dr. Johnson. “What is he talking about?”

Dr. Johnson sighs, “ You’re aware that the other day when your son was rescued from the vampires that two of them were brought into custody?”

“Yes, I remember being told this.”

“Well, Angus Hunter. One of those Vampires, if she even is a vampire, can walk in the sun,” Dr. Johnson gets a bizarre smile on his face.

Angus' eyes go round, “Are you certain?”

Dr. Johnson nods, “Hydie, Blade, and a few other slayers saw it with their very own eyes. But, the most amazing thing I have discovered is her blood; when ingested, it can actually heal human injuries.”

Angus stands up, turning around gazing out his large office window. “That is interesting.” He agrees.

“Dad, that’s not the point.” Blade walks over to his father's side. “Hydie was cutting her, starving her of blood, and while I was there, she did electroshock therapy on her. That’s when I stepped in to stop it. Who knows what other tormenting things they have in mind for her next.”

Angus turns to Blade, “Those do sound quite extreme.” Angus glances at Dr. Johnson expecting an explanation.

“We only did these assessments because she refused to tell us what she truly is. So how else are we to find out unless we experiment and run tests?” He justifies his actions without a hint of remorse.

The door opens suddenly. Zadie walks in with Amell right behind her as if he was trying to stop her but couldn’t.

“Hello sir, I am Zadie Commix. I am half Human and half Vampire.” Zadie does a small curtsy out of respect.

“You brought her with you?” Angus looks at his son, anger brimming in his eyes.

Blade is at a loss for words, for he was not expecting Zadie to waltz in without his permission. Blade looks at Amell, who shrugs, shutting the door behind him.

“Please don’t be angry with Blade. He’s only trying to help me. There’s only so much he can do; that’s why I decided to include myself in the conversation.” Zadie smiles at Blade, saying thank you, but I’ll take it from here.

Dr.Johnson stands abruptly, nearly knocking a chair over as he moves away from Zadie, acting as if she has some horrible disease.

Angus relaxes a bit, seeing how she’s polite.

“I will tell you all you want to know about me as long as I get no more experiments done and my uncle is kept alive.” She negotiates with a kind smile on her face.

Blade looks between his father and Zadie, unsure how this is going to play out. Amell leans against the back wall, curious himself.

“Why should we be bargaining with a killing machine?” Dr. Johnson snarls at her. Angus waits for her response, interested in her answer.

“I’ve never killed a human. The blood I drank always came out of a bag.” She shoots back at him.

“How do we know you're telling the truth?”

“Well, it’s not as if I have a video to show you for every day of my life; however, I can tell you the house I was taken from has been my home since as far back as I can remember. I have only left it a total of three times in my entire life, well besides now, of course.” Zadie tells them with honesty in her voice.

“If this is true, then you are technically not a criminal, nor do you have to stay here any longer,” Angus replies, not sure what to think of her.

“We can’t just let her go. She is something we have never seen before. We don’t even know if she’s really a half vampire-half human-like she claims to be.” Nevertheless, Dr. Johnson insists on not wanting to miss out on being the one to discover a new species.

Angus is quite musing it over. The phone on Angus’s desk suddenly rings; he answers it, putting it on speaker. “Yes, this is Angus Hunter.”

“Hello, sir, this is Hydie Johnson.”

Dr. Johnson starts to speak, Angus puts a hand up, stopping him. “I ran a test on the leftover blood we had for the girl we brought in to determine what she is.” Hydie pauses, sounding almost nervous.

“Go on.” Angus encourages her.

“Well, it turns out she is a vampire…..and a human. Like she states.”

“Thank you for this information.” Angus hangs up.

Zadie beams with pride while Dr. Johnson stares at her open-mouthed with shock.

Angus meets Zadie's eyes, “Now with that, this is settled. It’s determined that you are telling the truth.” Dr. Johnson closes his mouth.

“Just because she told one small piece of truth doesn’t mean anything else she tells us will be accurate. She may be part human, but she’s still a vampire, and all vampires are nothing but blood-thirsty monsters who can't control themselves no matter how hard they try.” Dr. Johnson then storms out of the room, not satisfied with the outcome.

Angus sits back in his chair, “Dr. Johnson is correct about one thing.” Everyone looks at Angus. “We do have a responsibility to record all the abilities you have and so forth for future reference. So would you please go back down to the lab so they can put It on record?”

“Dad, you can’t be serious after what they did to her,” Blade says in disbelief. Zadie takes a seat.

“I am terribly sorry for the harm they have caused you, but it is something that needs to be done, then you can be on your way back home,” Angus says regrettably.

“Actually,” Amell speaks up, sliding off the wall lifting up the fallen chair into the seat beside Zadie. “The house she was staying in has been blocked off to everyone except Slayers, detectives, and me, of course, for I was the one who took the barrier down around the house.”

“Why is the house still off-limits? I thought this was a simple kidnapping along with a vampire killing a human case?” Angus questions completely confused now.

Blade also looks at Amell, not knowing anything about this.

“We found traces of the rogue Vampire in that house. They were very faint but still there.” Amell announces.

“The same rogue Vampire we have been trying to capture for fifty years now?” Angus asks, jarred by this new development.

Amell simply nods in confirmation. Then, Angus turns to Zadie, “What’s your father's name?”

Zadie thinks, whenever her father was around her, no one ever spoke to him by name; they either called him sir or boss. She was never allowed to call him dad or daddy. It was either Father or sir. But she faintly remembers someone calling him something else once. That must have been his first name. Zadie closes her eyes, trying to conjure that memory.

Zadie was six and supposed to be asleep in bed. However, she’d snuck downstairs to eat one more chocolate chip cookie that Mrs. Greenhouse had made for her that day. Instead, she hears her father talking with a woman in the living room.

“As my daughter grows older, she becomes more and more curious about the outside world even so no one must find out about her existence. What spells can you offer me to keep her away from the outside world?”

She peeks around the wall seeing a woman with long bright pink hair. She is tall and beautiful. The lady turns away from the fire looking at Zadie’s father with a chilly smile.

“I have all sorts of magic spells I can use on the girl. There’s a memory spell that will make her forget her desires to know about the outside world. A spell that will make her obedient to your every command; of course, she's like a walking zombie with no personality of her own then.” The woman chuckles.

“No, I don't think it has come to that. Is there anything else?” Her father asks, not satisfied.

“There are barriers I can put around the house; Not allowing her to so much as touch the front door doorknob without getting hurt.”

Zadie’s father is silent for a long moment thinking his options over.

“I don’t have all night Ernon.” As soon as she said that name, Zadie's father had her in the air by the throat.

“Never call me by name while in this house, understand?” She nods. He puts her down, the woman holds a hand to her neck with a terrified look on her face.

Zadie opens her eyes, looking directly at Angus, “I believe his name is Ernon.”

“Are you certain?” Angus asks, needing to know.

“My father was never called by name around me, only sir or boss, but I remember a woman calling him Ernon once. He’d gotten furious at her for it.” Zadie explains the situation.

Angus nods, understanding. “Then we have to assume your father is Ernon Drok, the rogue vampire wanted on over one hundred accounts for killing humans along with otherworldly creatures.”

Zadie goes still feeling as if time has frozen, her father is a wanted criminal from killing people? Nothing in her life makes sense now. Why would he kill so many people? Why keep her hidden from the world if he barely comes around?

“Zadie, are you alright?” Blade's voice wakes her from her trance.

“Yeah, I’m okay. I just didn’t know. All my life, I have barely seen my father. The older I got, the less he came around. It’s been almost five years since I’ve seen my father.”

The room is silent. “I’m sorry you had to find out this way, but it’s the truth. How about your mother? Is she someone you could stay with?” Angus turns on the monitor to his computer, ready to search her name.

“My mother isn’t an option. She died shortly after I was born. I don’t even know her name. Cree is the closest thing I have to family, and he’s locked up in the lab.”

Both Blade and Angus look down with sorrow written all over their faces. “I’m so sorry for bringing it up.”

Amell looks at her then, “Where did the name Commix come from, if it isn’t your father's last name?”

Zadie shrugs, “Perhaps my mother’s? I heard my father call me it once. So I assumed it was my last name.”

Amell looks away, placing a hand on his chin.

“Well, since you have nowhere to go, I can’t very well send you out on your way with no place to go. However, if you’re willing to work with the research department, I will allow you to stay here.” Angus offers.

“What about Cree? Zadie asks with concern for his well-being. “I can’t make any promises. It all depends on the crimes charged against him.” Angus explains to her.

The small-spirited girl thinks for a moment, “Sounds like a deal to me. Thank you, sir.” Zadie stands, shaking Angus’s hand in agreement.

“I’ll have someone find you later to help you settle in. For now, Blade will give you a tour.” Blade's father smiles at him.

Blade pinches the skin between his eyes, “Fine, let’s go.”

Blade and Zadie swiftly leave the room, shutting the door behind them.

“It’s sporadic for you to offer a room here to someone who isn’t a Slayer.” Amell points out.

“Well, she’s the Rogue vampire’s daughter; she needs to be watched for when he tries contacting her. He wouldn’t hide his daughter all her life then let some Slayers take her away. He’ll be back for her.” Angus says with certainty.

“And here I thought you found some kindness in your heart,” Amell replies with sarcasm.

“Once a vampire gets a taste for fresh human blood, there’s no turning back. She will kill a human eventually. When that day comes, my son will be right beside her, ready to do his job.”

“This floor is where all conferences and jobs are given. My father is up here most of the time if you ever need to talk to him.” Blade begins the tour as they walk back towards the elevator.

Zadie follows behind him, being unusually quiet.

“Listen,” Blade pushes some hair from his face, “I’m sorry about your mom.” He side glances at her, she smiles.

“It’s okay, I don’t remember her, so it’s not a big deal.” She assures him not too broken up about it.

“To be honest, I lost my mom a couple years ago, so I understand what you're going through.” They stop in front of the elevator. Blade pushes the down button calling for the elevator.

“I’m sorry for your loss Blade, are you okay?” Zadie asks him with concern,

brushing some hair behind her ear watching him with care. Blade rubs the back of his neck, not sure why he brought it up.

“I’m okay now, thanks. Every day gets a little easier.” They both go silent, unsure what to say next.

Zadie moves her long hair over her shoulder, wishing she could braid it. Then, finally, the elevator doors open, they get in. Blade pushes number five on the panel.

“What’s the deal with your hair? Why do you keep it so long?” Blade asks as he watches Zadie messing with it.

Zadie blushes slightly, feeling embarrassed. “Well, no one was exactly a professional hairstylist at home. Besides, my Father never allowed me to cut it, saying it reminded him of my mother’s hair.” Zadie confesses, realizing how stupid it sounds now that she said it aloud.

“How do you feel about it?” Blade asks unexpectedly.

The elevator stops letting them off. “I’ve never really thought about it. It does get in the way a lot, so maybe I’ll cut it.” She decides, feeling free for the first time since she’s left the house, Blade smirks with a slight pink to his cheeks.

“The fifth floor is where we restock, get repairs done and buy new equipment.”

Zadie looks around. Many small shops are scattered everywhere. Some have clothes, stakes, knives, guns, camping gear, and other things you’d need for hunting and killing.

“I actually need to go buy something. You care to just wait here for a minute?” Blade says, remembering the stake he lost the night everything went down. He’d gone back to the alley during his time off yet couldn’t find it anywhere.

Zadie nods; Blade quickly runs over to the stake shop just out of sight. Zadie wanders to the nearest shop, which contains many knives, daggers among other pointed weapons.

She studies the ones on display hanging along the walls. They all look to be made of silver.

“Don’t humans know silver has no effect on vampires?” Zadie thinks to herself. A dagger with a purple hilt catches her attention.

It’s not too small nor too big, the perfect size for hiding it on your person. A short older man walks over to her,

“Hello missy, she’s a beauty, ain't she.” The man takes the purple-hilted dagger off the wall holding it in his hand for her to get a closer look. “This one just came in the other day.” The man meets Zadie's eyes. “Oh my, I’ve never seen eyes like yours before; they’re so beautiful.”

The Man is shorter than Zadie, even with her petite size. “Thank you, sir. Yes, that dagger is quite pretty itself, but I’m just looking.” Zadie informs him not wanting to hold the dagger herself, for she has never held a weapon in her life.

The very thought of holding a weapon causes her stomach to turn. The man puts it back, turning back to her.

“Are you new around here? I’m sure I’d remember those eyes if I had ever seen them before.”

“Actually”— Zadie begins to say before Blade appears out of nowhere, “She’s just a guest here, not a Slayer.” Blade interrupts.

“Oh, Blade, she’s a friend of yours?” Blade glances at the old man nervously.

“I’m just giving her a tour as instructed.” The older man smiles in understanding before walking to another nearby customer.

Blade hurries Zadie out of the shop. “I don’t think it’d be a good idea for you to go around telling people what you’re doing here or your true nature for that matter.” Blade advises her with a hushed voice as he looks around, making sure no one is listening in.

“You're probably right,” Zadie replies, recalling Crees’ warning. She can’t help feeling a tiny ping of sadness.

Blade leads her back to the elevator, not wanting anything like that to happen again.

“Blade,” He looks into her eyes, “do you still not consider me a friend?” She asks with yearning in her eyes.

The elevator door opens. Blade hesitates, not sure what he considers this girl if he’s honest with himself, an unwanted responsibility perhaps? Or an acquaintance? No, that doesn't seem right either.

“We should get going. There are still a couple more floors to see.” Blade steps on the elevator, Zadie follows him, staring at the floor.

Two more slayers also get on the elevator. The ride to the next floor is quiet. They exist once the doors open again. The other slayers stay inside.

“This floor is our training floor, we practice combat skills, lift weights, we even have a pool. For training purposes, of course.”

Zadie continues to stare at the ground, not paying attention to the surroundings. Blade’s eyes wander around the room, not sure what to say. For example, men and women work out as they talk to one another; Blade notices a couple on the combat mats in the back.

“Why is there a shop that sells silver blades when silver has no effect on vampires?” Zadie suddenly speaks up.

Blade looks at her, “That’s because they’re for werewolves, not vamps.”

“You mean Werewolves are real?” Zadie asks ecstatically.

“Yes? Along with a few other not so mythical creatures.” He pauses, “You really don’t know anything about the outside world, do you?” Blade asks, realizing it’s the truth.

“No, I told you that. So what exactly do Vampire Slayers do besides kill vampires?” She says, wanting to learn more.

They get back on the elevator once it arrives, going to the floor below it.

“We aren’t just Vampire Slayers. We’re called Slayers because we slay every kind of non-human creature. Although we don't just kill, we’re kind of like the cops of outer worlders; that’s what we humans call other creatures. When they have problems with other outer worlders or humans they call us to help, it ranges from fights to petty theft to kidnapping and killings.”

“That’s a lot to handle on your own.”

Blade shrugs as the doors open. They step out, “I prefer to work alone, but most Slayers travel in twos. However, I only get help when it’s necessary.”

Zadie glances at Blades’s hand, seeing he has a reddish-orange-colored stake in hand. Zadie backs up a bit, “Listen, I know my father is a killer, and I may be annoying, but that doesn't mean you got to kill me.”

Blade follows her gaze to the stake. He quickly puts it away in the holster around his waist. “Oh, don’t worry about that. I lost my other one, so I had to buy another.” Blade explains with a smile.

Zadie smiles back at him, “Why’s it a strange color? I thought stakes are supposed to be wooden?”

“You read too much fantasy. These stakes are made out of sunstone, which can actually kill vampires, unlike wood.” Blade informs her. “That’s why we have them forged into stakes, handcuffs, and even bullets.”

That explains why the cuffs put on her and Cree looked to be made out of the same material, yet it only seemed to bother Cree, not her.

A woman walks up to Zadie. “You’re Zadie, the half-vampire half-human, correct?” She asks as she approaches.

Zadie looks at her, “Yep, that’s me.” She gives her a smile which the woman ignores.

“I'm here to show you to your room.” She explains with annoyance in her voice.

“Oh, ok, this floor and floor two are the living quarters. Would you like me to accompany you to your room?” Blade offers.

“No thanks, I think I have taken up enough of your time. Thanks for all your help.” Zadie replies, not wanting to be a bother any longer.

“Uh..okay, the cafeteria is on the first floor, and you know where the research lab is.” Zadie nods, waves goodbye to Blade then follows the women down the hall.

Blade stares after her for a moment before getting back on the elevator.

The woman leading Zadie to her new room has dark brown hair up in a tight bun behind her head. She is wearing a gray office suit with a skirt. “Breakfast is served at eight am every morning, lunch is at twelve pm, and dinner is at five-thirty pm. You can eat all three meals free with the card I will be giving you.”

She stops at the door numbered 28. She slides a card in the card reader; it beeps as it unlocks. She opens the door then goes in.

Zadie sees a bed, a dresser, and a couch on one side of the room. A small tv, and a counter with a microwave on it, beside a mini-fridge. There’s another door in the room as well.

“There are snacks and drinks stocked in the fridge. You have your own bathroom that has a shower in it.” She gestures to the other door in the room.

“Clean towels are in there, fresh clothes in the dresser.” She waves her hand to the dresser then turns to look at Zadie for the first time since they have stepped into the room.

She has a sharply pointed nose with dark brown eyes. “When you require…..blood, just ask the research department. They will give you what you acquire.” She then hands Zadie the blue key card.

Zadie gets the feeling this woman doesn’t like being in her presence. “You don’t have to worry. I’m not going to bite you.” Zadie smiles at her trying to ease her conscience.

“Right. Just show that key card to the people in the cafeteria. If you need any further assistance, you can ask me. I am Angus Hunter’s personal assistant. My name is Christina Bloom. I’d prefer it if you didn’t come to me unless it’s an absolute emergency.”

With that, Christina leaves the room, not wanting to be in there a moment longer than need be.

Zadie sits down on the bed staring at the keycard in her hand.

Pushing with her mind reaching out to Cree. “Can you hear me?”

“Are you okay? I was so worried when you didn’t come back.”

“I’m fine.” Zadie lays down flat on her back, explaining to Cree what’s going on.