I wanted a home and a sense of belonging. I wanted warmth and light and love. I wanted family and friends. I wanted an amazing boyfriend. But the thought of the chaos that swirled inside of me whenever I was around people made me cringe, and made me gun-shy. I’d tried and failed so many times that I’d given up. At least for now. Loneliness was eating at me again, and I knew I’d probably try again soon. There were times I thought I’d accept a feral cat if I could just have someone to talk to.
I didn’t remember my birth parents; they’d died when I was very young, and I spent the early part of my life in foster or group homes. Eventually, at fourteen, I’d been adopted by a kind family, but at age sixteen they’d died in a helicopter accident. I had been stuck at home with the flu and hadn’t been able to travel with them. Which, in retrospect, had saved my life. Who knew the flu could be life saving?
The days following were not so great and still felt like a fevered dream for me. My nanny had been fired, the will and important papers seized, the house claimed, and my sick self ejected from the house in short order.
Some nephew still living had been the heir of their entire estate. It hadn’t mattered at all to him that I was a minor. He’d just kicked me out of the house with no warning. Whenever I thought of him, my teeth ground together. Who did that to a sixteen-year-old girl? What a scuzz.
I still wasn’t sure why my adopted parents had left me out of the will, but I hadn’t quibbled or fought back against Glade. After living with a great family the prior two years, and after having been in the system most of my life, I hadn’t wanted to go back into the system. Technically, my cousin should have gotten custody of me, but he’d felt like a rampaging bull in the short time I’d been around him and I’d had no desire to put myself into his care. I’d just gotten a job at a diner in town that paid in cash, lied about my age to everyone I met, and lived on my own. It had been months before I could scrounge together enough money for a down payment on an apartment. That had been eleven years ago.
For a while after he’d inherited the estate, Glade had had people following me.
At first, I thought I was losing my mind. I would get the distinct and creepy feeling of someone’s eyes lasering into my shoulders or the back of my head. I’d turn and there would be no one there. Other times, I would see a familiar face hanging around outside the diner. Someone I’d seen on the streets in passing, but they would never come in, and they never bothered me.
To say that it had irritated me would be a vast understatement.
He’d kicked me out, dumped me in the rain while I was delirious with fever, and to top all of that off, he’d had people tailing me for months.
I hadn’t known what to make of it.
What was he worried about? That I’d set the house on fire? That I’d make a stink in the media about him stealing my home? I’d been sixteen. Far too young to take him on in court and win. Besides, I’d wanted to avoid him and avoid drawing attention to myself at all costs. I wasn’t about to take on a dangerous man all over money and a big house.
It just wasn’t me.
I huffed under my breath as I flipped the page and looked through theHelp Wantedads. I’d been looking at possible secretarial jobs for the last several months, just seeing what was out there and what they were paying, but I’d been waiting until I had my degree in hand before applying to anything. It was nice to see what the potentials were. But this ad was starting to tick me off. It had been running for a month now, and was still there in big, black and bold-as-you-please font, taking up nearly a quarter page of the paper. And it was completely and utterly ridiculous.
Wanted:Vampire’s Assistant
Duties will include,but will not be limited to: shopping, banking, accounting, making travel arrangements, supplying a daily itinerary, correspondence and communications with all Excelsior acquisitions and its management teams, etc.
The best applicant for the job will be:
Loyal.
Quiet.
Fearless.
Possess the ability to keep the CEO’s affairs private.
In good health.
Flexible.
Dependable.
Somewhat sturdy.
Applicant should also be intelligent and not prone to temper tantrums, moodiness or fits of terror.
Compensation commensurate with applicant’s percentage of match affinity with the job and the qualifications.
If hired, living accommodations will be provided by Excelsior Inc.
All inquiries please apply at:
Draven Leto Industries
P.O. Box 727
