Ch 11

The front doors to the Slayer Organization swing open, Luna walks in wearing a bright yellow and green sundress. Spotting Zadie instantly, Luna runs over, hugging her tightly. Zadie hesitates in surprise before patting the small child’s back as she continues to hold onto Zadie’s legs.

“Luna, you can’t just run up to people you barely know and hug them.” Cinder scolds her, giving Zadie an apologetic look.

Luna pulls away, looking up at Zadie.

“It’s alright. Your dress is beautiful, Luna.” Zadie smiles down at her.

Luna grins, grabbing the tip of her dress doing a twirl in response.

“Thank you both for coming,” Blade speaks up, both hands behind his back.

“Not like we had a choice. Someone would have come for Luna if we hadn’t.” Cinder and Blade lock eyes knowing it’s the truth.

“Let's get this over with.” Cinder changes her tone, not looking forward to this at all.

Blade nods showing them to the elevator.

When they get to the lab, it’s almost entirely empty. Only a handful of people roam about. Hydie greets them with a friendly smile as they step off the elevator.

“Hello, I am Hydie Johnson. It's nice to meet you both.” Zadie notices Hydies lips have a light pink tint to them today.

Luna waves sheepishly as she hides behind Cinder.

“I’m Cinder, the Alpha of the Night Howlers pack, and this is Luna.” Cinder introduces with a hint of irritation in her voice.

Hydie looks to Blade, not missing it. Blade simply gives her a look of “I told you so.”

“Follow me, and we can get started.” Hydie shows them to a room with a patient bed, along with a round table and chairs.

Everyone files in. Luna takes a seat on the bed with Cinder standing by her side. Blade stands against a wall on guard, ready for anything. You can feel the tension fill the room.

“First, I’ll check Luna’s vitals, then take some blood,” Hydie explains to Cinder, beginning by checking her heart rate.

Zadie sits in one of the chairs at the round table, “How have you been?” Zadie asks, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

“Everything’s fine now that Luna isn’t sick anymore.” Cinder responded, watching every move Hydie makes.

“Yeah, I don’t feel sick at all anymore.” Luna's face seems to glow with happiness as she meets Zadie’s gaze.

“How long ago did the symptoms start?” Hydie questions as she checks Luna's ears.

“A little over a week ago, it started out of nowhere.” Cinder informs her, unsure how this happened.

“Just to confirm, she hasn’t been around anyone else who has Rabisum?” Hydie glances at Cinder for a quick second while taking Luna's temperature.

“No, she nor I have been around anyone who has it.” Cinder glares.

“I don’t mean to question your parenting skills. These are all just standard questions I have to ask.” Hydie explains, not meaning to offend her.

Cinder crosses her arms and sighs, “I understand. But, she’s also not my daughter.”

Hydie freezes for a moment, “Sorry, I just assumed since”- Cinder waves a hand, not upset in the slightest.

“I found her a few months ago on the streets all alone. She said her father had abandoned her, so I took her in.” Cinder explains, letting herself relax, “She didn’t have any bite marks or other injuries that could result in how she got the disease.”

Hydie has Luna stand checking her weight and height, looking at Cinder done with the first part of the exam. “She looks perfectly healthy as far as I can tell. You’re doing a good job. I’ll go grab a couple things, then be back.” Hydie exits the room.

“She seems nice.” Cinder approves, taking a seat at the table with Zadie. “Yeah, she’s a good person. I come here all the time to have tests done.” Zadie lays her hands atop the table.

“Is it because you're like me?” Luna sits beside Zadie.

“Mmhm,” Zadie nods.

“What’s it like living with a bunch of Slayers who hate your guts?” Cinder says with a hint of sarcasm.

“It’s not too bad. I’ve met a couple good people here.” Zadie's eyes land on Blade, who has been silent since they’ve entered the room.

Cinder follows her gaze a sly smile appears briefly.

“Why don’t you join us and stop being so serious?” Cinder teases, glancing over at Blade.

Blade looks at her, slightly confused by her invitation but decides to walk over, taking a seat next to Cinder.

“There, that’s better. Are you afraid to socialize with us since we’re in your territory now?” Cinder questions him.

“No, nothing like that.” Blade assures her, “Just didn’t want to be in the way of anything. I’m only here to do my job.”

Zadie looks between the two of them as she moves a strand of hair behind her ear. Then, out of the corner of Zadie’s eye, she sees Luna pull a doll, seemingly from nowhere, and begins playing with it, completely oblivious to what's going on.

Cinder leans back in the chair, crossing her arms, “I see how it is. Say no more. This is just business to you.” Cinder looks away from him, fixing her gaze on the white door.

Blade stares at her with a muddled expression on his face, unsure of what he said wrong.

` The door opens, and Hydie returns with some medical supplies.

“Sorry, I thought I had everything ready to go.” Hydie sits down beside Luna.

“Don’t worry about it; some things just became apparent.” Cinder growls as she stares at Blade.

Hydie stares at Blade, wondering what happened in the few minutes she left the room. Blade shrugs in response.

Hydie turns back to Luna, getting back on track. “Okay, Luna, this part will hurt a little, don’t worry, we’re almost done. May I see your arm?”

Luna holds out an arm to Hydie with a sweet smile. Everyone falls silent for the last few minutes that they remain in the room.

“Okay, I got everything I need from you, Luna. Thank you both for coming. If we need anything further, we’ll contact you.” Hydie smiles as they stand in front of the elevator.

“Alright, just hope it’s not too soon.” Cinder scoffs.

The elevator doors open, they all begin to get on.

“Can I talk to you for a minute, Blade?” Hydie requests.

Blade gets off, looking at Zadie and the others, not wanting to leave them unattended.

“It’s ok. I’ll see them out.” Zadie assures him just as the elevator doors begin to close. Blade nods in thanks then turns back to Hydie.

“It was nice seeing you two again, even if it was only for a short while,” Zadie says, happy to have made some new friends.

“Good to see you care about making friendships, unlike the Slayer.” Cinder replies while tying her strawberry blonde hair back in a ponytail.

“Blades... a little difficult to get to know.” Zadie scratches her chin while looking at the floor, “But once he trusts you, he opens up..some.” Zadie gazes into Cinder’s beautiful amber eyes.

Cinder smirks, “You’ve got it bad, huh?”

“Got what bad? I’m not sick.”

Cinder bursts out laughing as the elevator doors open. Having reached the first floor, They get off, and Cinder continues to laugh.

“Do you know why she’s laughing?” Zadie asks Luna, completely clueless.

Luna looks at Cinder then back to Zadie with a shrug.

“Can we play now?”

Cinder controls her laughter as they exit the building. “You and I are going home.”

Luna stops in her tracks, crossing her arms with the doll still in hand. “I don’t want to leave yet, we just got here, and we didn’t even have any fun.” Zadie and Cinder stop turning to her.

“I know I’m sorry, kid, but I have a pack to run, so I can’t be goofing off all day.”

The sun still hangs high in the sky as it is just past noon with no cloud in sight. The hot sun feels nice against Zadie's cool skin, warming it up after being in the cold lab.

Luna’s eyebrows crease at Cinder, clearly not happy with the response. Cinder gives a sigh of frustration, not wanting to deal with this right now.

Zadie goes over to Luna, taking one of her hands in hers while kneeling down. “Listen, I know you're upset we didn’t get to play. How about the next time we see each other? I promise to play with you to your heart's content.” A small smile appears on Luna's face, “You promise?”

“Cross my heart,” Zadie promises as she crosses her heart with her finger.

Luna's face lights up, “Okay, you win. Be sure to come play with me soon.” Luna gives Zadie a quick hug, then runs over to Cinder's side, taking her hand. “I’m hungry. When’s lunch?”

Zadie stands up. Cinder waves to her, her eyes saying thanks before they walk away down the sidewalk.

Zadie watches them until they turn a corner. She may have no experience with children. However, Zadie feels proud of herself for having helped Luna advert a tantrum in the streets.

Turning around to head back inside the Organization, a familiar voice whisper,

“Zadie.”

Zadie whips around in search of the person. Across the busy street is a woman in a long coat and a hat.

“It’s me, Angie.” She says as cars race by.

Zadie recognizes the short dark brown bob haircut relief washes over her.

“I’m so glad you're alive! How did you survive without anything to cover you once you left the house?.” Zadie asks with her mind.

“Meet me tonight at three am, and I’ll explain,” Angie responds. Another car goes by then she’s gone.

“Everything alright?”

Zadie looks to see Amell’s short blue hair sticking up in every direction as usual. Zadie hadn’t heard him walk up to her. How long has he been standing there? Did he see Angie?

“Yeah, I just saw Cinder and Luna out.” Zadie smiles at him, hoping he didn’t see anything.

Amell looks across the street to where Zadie was looking a moment ago. Nothing seems out of the ordinary; he glances back at her.

“Okay, let’s head back inside.” Amell lays a hand on her back, leading the way.

“Are you sure you're alright? You look like you just saw a ghost.” Amell studies her pale face.

“I’m fine, I promise.” Zadie smiles at him, trying to shake off what just happened.

She notices he has a small suitcase at his side. “Are you going somewhere?”

Amell looks down at the suitcase then back at her.

“Actually, this is yours. Mr. Hunter had me bring you back some things from your house. Of course, I didn’t actually pack it. I'm just the delivery boy.” Amell gives the handle of the suitcase over.

“Thank you so much!” Zadie takes it from him, their hands brushing for a moment.

“It probably feels strange, wearing clothes that aren't quite yours.”

Zadie grabs one of his hands, holding it in her hands, “I had talked to Mr. Hunter just last night about getting some of my clothes, but I wasn't expecting them so soon.”

“I didn’t have anything to do today, so it’s no big deal.”

“This means more than you can imagine, thank you.” Her eyes begin to shimmer as tears well in them, causing Amell to blush, a sheepish smile playing on his lips.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Blade suddenly appears, eyeing their hands.

Zadie quickly releases Amell’s hand, giving her full attention to Blade. “Amell brought me some of my clothes. I was just thanking him.”

Zadie spots a light pink mark on the corner of Blade's mouth. A mixture of emotions rises up in her, “I’m gonna go put these in my room.” Not waiting for a response, Zadie quickly moves to an elevator that just opened.

Blade watches her leave with a raised eyebrow, “What's up with her?” Blade turns to Amell.

“You got some lipstick, right here,” Amell informs him as he gestures to his mouth.

Blade whips it away, “Hydie kissed me.”

Amell rolls his eyes as he shakes his head.”I thought you were done messing around with her?”

“So did I.” Blade gazes back towards the elevators.

The window opens, letting in a light cold breeze blowing Zadie’s hair back, sending goosebumps down her spine. The clock on the T.V. reads two fifty-eight am. Zadie looks down, three stories to the ground. With cameras in every hallway, the cafeteria, and the lobby, leaving the only option to go out the window.

Butterflies flutter in Zadie’s stomach. “You can do this. It’s not like I’m on the sixth floor.” mutters, encouraging herself, “Besides, I’m a half-vampire. This will be easy.”

Zadie slowly climbs out onto her windowsill, allowing her legs to dangle off. Her heart begins racing in fear. Then, without another thought, she jumps.

Her stomach drops as she free falls, then a few seconds later, her feet hit the ground. She winces in pain, her right foot not landing right.

“Zadie, over here.” She looks up as a dark figure across the streets darts behind a building.

Zadie follows, ignoring her sore ankle, knowing it will heal soon enough.

“Angie?” Zadie whispers as she walks behind the building. A small porch light shines at the back door of the building. Large metal trash can be seen along with a bench without a soul in sight.

Zadie searches around, swearing she’d seen someone come this way. Sighing, Zadie turns around to look down the alleyway. When A figure steps in front of her stopping her.

Startling her into taking a step back.

“I had to be sure you were alone.” Then, stepping into the light, Angie's triangular-shaped face and glowing red eyes come into view.

A calmness settles over Zadie. She smiles.

“How have you been? Where have you been staying?” Zadie asks, stepping closer to Angie.

“I’m fine. Calm down.” Angie replies, then sits down on the bench gesturing for Zadie to join her. Zadie takes the cue sitting down next to her.

“Cree gave me his cell phone and had me put on this ring so I could go in the sun without being hurt,” Angie explains, holding out her hand, showing her index finger held a black marble ring around it.

“I didn’t know something like that even existed,” Zadie exclaims.

“They are very rare, so only a few know about them. The stone it's made from is extremely difficult to find.” Angie sets her hand on her lap.

Zadie leans back, realizing there is still so much she doesn’t know about the world she lives in.

“You cut your hair.”

Zadie touches the ends, “Yeah, does it look okay?”

“It’s cute.” Angie smiles, standing, “We should get going. If we leave now, we should make it there by tomorrow.”

Zadie stands now. “What do you mean?”

Angie turns to her. “Your father is expecting us. He sent me to bring you to him.”

Zadie looks around, struggling to comprehend this. “No, that can’t be true. Why would he want me to go to him now?” Her fists clench.

“Surely you understand just how special you are, Zadie. You come from the true line of vampires, yes you are half-human, but there’s no doubt you have royal vampire blood in your veins as well.” Angie studies Zadie’s confused face. “I can’t go into the details now, although; once you're at your father's side, he will tell you everything. Now let’s go.” Angie orders walking towards the street, expecting Zadie to follow.

“I’m not going.” Zadie refuses, causing Angie to turn back.

“You must come with me. This is not a request. It’s an order from your father.” She hisses, narrowing her eyes at the rebellious teen.

“I don’t care, I have barely seen my father my entire life, yet I have gone by his rules, but I won’t do it anymore.” Zadie's heart pounds with adrenaline from the defiance she’s showing. “He’s a wanted criminal, Angie, one who has killed many people. We can’t go to him.”

Angie sighs, staring up at the starry sky for a moment before meeting her fierce gaze. “I know all that already.”

Zadie takes a step towards her, “Then why are you still willing to help him? Cree is locked up in prison because of his crimes and for working with my father, no doubt. Has my father bothered to help Cree out? No, so tell me why Angie!”

A brisk breeze cools Zadie's hot skin.

“Cree knew what was going to happen once you two were caught. He chose to stay anyway. You still don’t know anything about Vampires, Zadie. Therefore you can’t understand how important you are to your father. If you don't come with me now, he will send others to get you, and they won’t be as nice as me.” They stare into each other’s eyes for a long minute. The only sound being the whooshing wind with the occasional traffic noise nearby.

“I’m staying with the Slayer. That’s my final decision.” Zadie digs her fingernails into her palm as she continues to stare Angie down with determination.

“I wish you good luck then,” Angie then disappears into the night. Leaving Zadie standing there with more questions about herself. Wondering what’s truly going on.