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“What is he doing now?” I ask as the voice of the news reporter on TV echoes through the hall. The live coverage breaks to a commercial right as we get into the family room. Eliza picks up the TV remote.
“He’s trying to legally punish anyone who’s married to or works for a vampire.”Chapter 18“What?” I look at the TV, not blinking. Binx moves around my feet, rubbing against my ankles in an attempt to calm me down.
“See for yourself,” Eliza says and rewinds the live TV, going back to moments before we came, pressing play in the middle of a news anchor’s speech.
“…in a radical move by the notoriously conservative Senator William Martin, comes a new bill—spearheaded by his son and local politician Scott Martin—that would legally forfeit the right to provide both health insurance and overall insurance coverage to anyone married to or willingly employed by a vampire.”
“What?” I echo, staring at the TV. “No. This isn’t real. It can’t be real.” Lucas steps in closer to me, resting a hand on my shoulder. I swallow hard, feeling Elena do another flip in my belly.
“And along with the startling announcement by Senator Martin, comes his proposal of a so-called ‘red tax’ that will dismiss traditional state tax percentages and instead tax a vampire on their overall acquired wealth. When asked about this proposal and whether or not it’s fair, Senator Martin said, and I quote, Why should we give them basic human rights when they stopped being human the day they died? It is unnatural and against God’s will that they are still here, and I, along with many God-fearing, Christian people, feel that vampires should not only have the rights given to them by the dangerous liberals repealed, but should not be allowed to assimilate into American society without heavy repercussions.” The news reporter shakes his head. “Our very own Kelsey Clemmons has taken to the streets, asking fellow Chicagoans how they feel about the proposed laws.”
Eliza clicks the TV off, having heard enough.
“No,” I spit, shaking my head. “No! He…he can’t do this.” I let out an exasperated sigh. “We all know he’s only doing this to go after me. He’s pissed I called him out in front of his friends at dinner, and now he’s trying to punish me. But fuck him, because it actually doesn’t hurt me and in turn is going to hurt a lot of people. Good people, who don’t deserve to be shit on by some holy-rolling asshole.”
The lights start to glow above me, and Lucas moves in, putting both hands on my shoulders.
“Callie,” he says calmly, deep voice usually soothing my soul but doing little at the moment.
“Don’t Callie me,” I tell him and grit my teeth. “He’s doing this because of me. Taking away insurance and healthcare doesn’t even affect me. But it will affect millions of others. It will hurt millions of others,” I press, shaking my head. “I don’t really know how bills and laws form, but my asshole ex-father is a Senator, and if he gets the fucking Senate to vote for his stupid law, then so many people will be shit on.”
“I’m not trying to Callie you,” he says, and I see the glint in his eye. “I’ve said it before, you’ve always been too merciful with them.”
“You have said that.”
“He’s right,” Eliza agrees, holding up her phone. “And look at your former brother’s Twitter account.”
“Do I want to?” I wrinkle my nose in disgust but take the phone, reading Scott’s latest tweet, which was from only an hour ago. “Blood suckers are not Americans,” I read out loud and then scroll down, reading another tweet from two hours ago. “We are one nation under God, and nowhere in the Bible are vampires mentioned. Must be from the devil.”
I give the phone back to Eliza. “That doesn’t even make sense.”
“It doesn’t, and the comments from people who agree with him make even less sense.”
Lucas takes the phone from her and speed-reads through the feed. “It doesn’t have to make sense. People will follow anyone who spews the same hatred they want to display. It’s cult-like mentality, and they will cling to anything to rationalize their hatred.”
“You’re right,” I say as Eliza goes back to live TV. The reporter is back, and though he’s trying to stay neutral as he reports, I can see the what the ever living fuck look in his eyes.
“…one of our representatives is there now, reporting live. Let’s go to you, Melissa.”
“Thanks, Doug,” Melissa says when the camera cuts to her. She’s standing outside an official-looking building that I probably should recognize but don’t. Like I told Lucas, history wasn’t my strong suit in school. “As you can see, Senator Martin has gone inside and has not come out for questions as of yet. I was, however, able to speak with an advisor who told me the reasoning behind the radical proposal, which, if passed, will take away insurance from millions of Americans, is that—according to him—anyone who partakes in any sort of relationship with a vampire is reckless and a liability.”
