I pushed her thigh out of my way and brought my legs down so I could scoot up to my desk. I began laying my cards out. The Hierophant, The Ace of Pentacles, Seven of Wands. I wasn’t asking anything, so I kept placing them in three piles.
“Do I get to hear about yours now?” I asked.
“They took my memory too. All I know is when I break it, they’ll give it back.”
“How do you break it?”
There was a long moment before she answered.
“I don’t know.”
I paused to look up at her. I didn’t know what to say. “That fucking sucks.”
She scoffed, reached out, flicked my shoulder, then hopped off the desk. “No shit, Loser. Thanks for the help.”
“Anytime, Nerd!”
***
I took the next night off. I don’t think my presence at the theater really mattered. Unless it was busy, I didn’t do anything other than watch movies in my office and call Scout to dissect them.
I got to Arsenio’s early, before Elvie’s friends were due. I wanted to get briefed on anything beforehand. I found him drinking in his office.
“How’s the theater?” he asked when I came in. I raised my sunglasses to my head.
“The only two employees just quit.” I went to his bar on the far side of the room and grabbed a tumbler. I found the cinnamon whiskey he had bought for me and poured two fingers worth.
“Oh? Did they say why?” Arsenio didn’t really care but was making conversation, just like me. I shrugged and brought the glass to my lips.
“Internet girlfriends. Scout’s looking for people now.”
Just then, Arsenio’s phone pinged. I raised an eyebrow as he stood and hurried out of the room. I took a seat in the lounge chair beside him, leaving the couch across from us open for Elvie’s friends.
“Don’t mind, my brother. He worries about our sister just as much, if not more than I do. His bark is worse than his bite.”
That couldn’t be further than the truth.
I snickered as I brought my drink to my lips again.
“Can I get you anything to drink? Warm? Cold?”
“Warm, please. Blood is fine.” A female’s voice said as they walked down the hall. I sat up straight as if doused by water. The voice was almost scratchy, like she was in the process of recovering her voice after a cold. It was familiar. But from where?
I looked down at myself. I should have dressed nicer. I was wearing my black jeans, a plain black shirt, and my duster. Suddenly I felt self-conscious. Who was this woman? I slid my sunglasses over my eyes before they came in.
“Here, Desiderio will entertain you while I go get your drinks.” The three vampires appeared in the doorway then. I stood instantly, and my eyes scanned the group. Arsenio a brunette and a blonde. It was the blonde who I had heard. I just knew it.
“Desiderio, brother, this is Una and Aleida.”
Aleida.
Both smiled, but the blonde stepped forward first. Something about her was unsettling. I was instantly on guard, but not- I wasn’t even sure how to feel. She was pretty, blonde, with red-Bloodborn eyes. Her lips were full, and her body was nice. She was tall.Taller than Scout.
As she extended her hand to me, I compared her to Scout. Both interesting, both pretty, bothtrouble.
Aleida was wearing a burgundy sweater that was tattered and hole-ridden with boots so tall they could be pants, except she was wearing very small shorts. She had a black bowler hat over her messy blonde locks.
“You’re the baby of the family.” She grinned. Her fangs stuck out against the smile.
