Bloodlines: Everything That Glitters (15 page)

“So are you going to give us the grand tour?”

“Sure, why not.” I turned around and led them first to the kitchen, mimicking a game show bimbo I pointed out the area. “This is the kitchen and if you look to your right you will see that there is a stove, an oven and an open island. To your left is the dining area and that door there leads to the backyard. If you care to follow me, I will show you the upstairs area.” I walked out of the kitchen and ran up the stairs in the living room; there really wasn’t much else to see.

Ash was coming out of his room as I entered the hallway. “Hey May, sup Lee,” he said walking past us and down the stairs, his keys dangled loosely on his belt loop.

“Where are you going?”

“Privileged information,” he called behind him.

“Can only mean you’re going to meet a girl,” I said, opening the door to my room and walking in. “I was actually about to leave, so you guys can roll if you want.”

“Where are you going?”

I fumbled around my desk for my keys and looked over at the clock on the nightstand; I still had plenty of time. “I have to go see a man about a job,” I replied.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. When did you become Ms. Responsible? I thought that was what Ash was for?” May laughed as she walked around the room.

Lee came into the room and looked through the mess on my desk then kicked a growing pile of clothes on my floor. “So what are you getting into tonight? Are there any good clubs around this wasteland?” He asked casually.

I picked the keys up from the floor and stuffed them into my pockets, then headed out of the room with May and Lee following closely behind me. When I got downstairs Corey was sitting on the couch staring mindlessly at the television.

“Who is she?” May whispered, pointing at Coco.

“That’s Corey, my parents are her new Guardians.”

A second later my mom walked in from the backyard. “Hey I’m glad I caught you before you left. Would you mind taking Corey out with you, get her some new clothes and whatever else she needs?” Without waiting for a reply she reached into her purse that lay on the kitchen table and pulled out her credit card and some cash before walking over with a smile. “The cash is for gas; use the card for everything else. Get yourself something nice too.”

“What’s the limit?”

She thought about it for a second before saying, “Go nuts,” she replied, flashing a bright smile then turned and walked back outside.

This is a test
, I thought.

Corey got up from the couch and ran upstairs, “Be right back, gotta go get my shoes.” she called behind her.

“Well that’s a pleasant surprise,” I mumbled, folding up the cash before slipping it along with the card into my back pocket.

Corey was now coming down the stairs in the same outfit that I had given her yesterday. “I’m ready. Hello Aliza’s friends, I’m Corey but you can call me Coco.”

May and Lee were not enthused with her at all, Lee even slightly turned his nose up. I walked out of the door and across the lawn to my car, “We’ll go to the place to check on this job situation then we can go get you clothes Corey.” I unlocked the doors and got into the driver’s seat.

“You’ve come with the right people to pick out clothes,” May told Corey from the front seat.

I started the car and pulled my phone from my pocket, looking up Bethany’s last message then plugged the address information into the GPS on the dashboard. After fixing the rearview mirror I backed out of the driveway; the place was less than fifteen minutes away, one thing I was really starting to appreciate about this place. In Hot Springs it would talk at least thirty minutes to get anywhere decent.

“So tell me about any new guys,” May inquired looking over at me. “Well there is this one guy…” I smiled as I trailed off, thinking of the stranger who I only had a name for.

“He better be cute girl, I don’t know what you were thinking when you hooked up with Joseph.”

I thought about what Wade had said about Joseph being thrown into a state of delusion and all; it was definitely something to think about. Would I ever be able to take that next step with anyone without them having those side effects? I drove for a while totally ignoring the car conversation; it was becoming a habit.

Just tell them to leave, or kill them
.

I smiled lightly; the voice was back, but now sounding more like a conscience than a maniacal person hell bent on ruling the world.
Long time no chat, where have you been
? I mentally replied.

You know me, out and about
. It said.

I think you need a name.
I stared at the winds in the road; the GPS said we were close.              

Just call me Sly.

I smiled because it was actually fitting. I rejoined the car conversation just before approaching New Market Barbeque and Bar. “We’re here,” I said loudly, having to talk over Lee’s deep voice.

I quickly examined the outside of the building; it was nicely constructed and had the appeal of a log cabin, I looked at the now hiring banner that draped across the top of the door and shut the car off. “You guys stay in here, I’ll be out in a sec.”

I opened the door and stepped out, my stomach built up with nerves as I walked closer to the door; I had never done anything like this before and I was ashamed of myself.

I walked into the cozy cabin restaurant and smelled everything the place had to offer; my mouth watered as I stepped deeper inside.

“Hello, how may I help you today?” the waitress asked while extending a menu. Since I skipped breakfast this morning I decided I’d get something to go; not really caring if the others had eaten or not.

“What are your specials and also is your manager in? I saw the hiring sign outside and came to inquire about it.”

The waitress ran through the specials they had; everything sounded good. “Right now the barbequed chopped beef baked potato with cheese and sour cream is half off.”

“Sounds delicious. I’ll take that, with a large iced tea.” She led me to a table and I flipped through the menu as she rambled on.

“The manager is in the back, I’ll go get him for you. I’ll take your order when I come back, give you a chance to look over the menu for something else you might like.” she smiled warmly and walked away.

“Hello, I’m Louise. You wanted to know about the job?” a round man maneuvered through a few tables and walked toward me. “Can I sit here?” he asked. Not waiting for much of a response, he took the seat across from me and looked deep into my eyes; I had totally forgot to get the contacts. I cursed myself and looked back at him like there was nothing the matter with these eyes. “You have really amazing eyes, are they real?”

“No sir,” I replied quickly.

“That’s interesting. S
o, what is your name, young lady?”

The way he looked at me now made me slightly uncomfortable; he was truly amazed, he hardly even wanted to look away. “Alizarin Truehart,” I replied, extending my hand across the table and flashing my brightest smile.

During my research about interviews and things of this nature I found that eye contact was critical; looking back into his eyes it was only natural that his thoughts and fantasies overflow into my own mind. I could only look away briefly before looking back at him.

“It’s nice to meet you Alizarin, as I said my name is Louise. The position that I’m looking to fill is that of a waitress, does that interest you at all?”

“Yes it does, what hours do you have available?”

“Mostly afternoon hours, I’m sure you are in school so it won’t interfere with that.” He looked down at a stack of papers he was holding and filed through them with him fingers, “Would you mind filling out this application for me, so that I will have it on file?”

I accepted the application and looked down into my purse for a pen. “Does this mean I have the job?”             

“Honestly, you’re the first person to apply here so the job is yours if you want it. How old are you, Alizarin?” I looked up from the application and smiled, if I would have known it was this easy I would have gone out looking for a job a long time ago.

“I’m seventeen, sir.”

“Please stop calling me sir, it makes me feel old. When will you be eighteen?” he shuffled through more of his papers and pulled out a consent form along with some other stuff.
             

“
In April.”

“That’s fine, but since this is also a bar, have your parents sign this and bring it back to me tomorrow. Technically I should have you get a TABC certificate, but we’re a close- knit family here in New Market, you’ll fine.” He slid the paper across the table, “Get to know Jesse the bartender and Gillie the waitress you talked to earlier; you’ll be working closely with those two.” With that he got up from the table and made his way off to the back of the restaurant.

Gillie walked back over to the table and took out her ticket book; “Did you decide what you want?” She still held on to her smile.

“Yeah, give me the baked potato with chopped beef,” I folded the menu back and handed it to her.

“Would you like the works?”

“Yeah why not, I have a job now.” I replied elated. “Can I get it to go?”

“Sure thing baby doll, be right back.”

I took out my phone and texted Ash and Bethany the happy news then forwarded the message to my parents. Seconds later the replies were in, I’m not sure what my mom’s reply was but I’m assuming it was a happy shriek- she hadn’t exactly mastered the art of texting just yet.

My order was ready within ten minutes. I smiled at Gillie as she walked closer to my table. “Thank you,” I said as I reached out to grab the carry out bag. I waved to the guy at the bar and walked out of the building. Music blasted loudly from the parking lot; May was nodding to the beat and Lee was dancing crazily in the back seat. “They haven’t changed a bit,” I whispered into the wind as I opened the door and got in.

I reached over to the radio and turned the volume down.

“What’d you do that for? I love that song.”

“Well I didn’t turn it off, just brought it down the normal hearing level.” I started the car and backed out of the parking lot.

“When it’s low like that it loses its effect, it never used to bother you before. You’re such a square.” She huffed like a three year old. I ignored her and focused more on the road; it was still retaining water from the earlier showers so I made sure to drive carefully.

Masaya

Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Masaya paces the length of the castle corridor. “I need to find this child!” she yells angrily. The Queen Phlinx has been pressuring her to bring the child in dead or alive. Masaya doesn’t know what she would do if she ever saw the child face to face, but only one of two options are available; bring the girl in or harvest the powers for herself.

Masaya fears the Queen, but with Alizarin’s powers she wouldn’t need too; she could rule Xyonthis herself, daring anyone to cross her.

One of the Queen’s guards steps into Masaya’s path and speaks to her in a hushed tone. “The Queen requests your presence Lord Masaya. It’s of urgent nature.”

“Very well.” She turns around and lifts her feet from the ground and flies gracefully through the corridor and into the Queen’s chamber.

“Please, Masaya, my most trusted companion. Take a seat there.”

The Queen’s voice is as low as a whisper, this could only mean one thing; she’s sending her through another world.

“What is it, my lady?”

“After 236 years, my days are finally nearing an end.”

Masaya pauses, then dismisses the chamber maids from the room. “I’m sorry to hear that, my Queen.” But in fact, Masaya is not sorry to hear it. She’d been hoping she’d hear it sooner.

“This is my rush in finding Alizarin Truehart.” The Queen spoke the name of the child like thick lava, as if it burned her tongue as she spoke it.

“I’m sorry for not finding her sooner, I really am trying as hard as I can. But no one is able to track her, we feel she’s being guarded by a Lookout.” Her heartbeats fast, she feels like a complete failure because she couldn’t locate a seventeen year old. “The fact is, there are too many dimensions that Psenora and the others could have ran into, and they could be traveling.”

Phlinx was no longer speaking softly when she spoke her next words. “How many worlds have you looked into so far?” She looked down into an oval bowl sitting on her nightstand and felt for something that Masaya could not see or make out.

“So far it has only been nineteen. The world of Calladavor being one of them,” Masaya responds with a hint of hesitation in her voice.

Calladavor was the world in which Phlinx had come from to marry late King Barrion and the one that her family belonged to.

The Queen looks up at Masaya then bows her head again. “What of the family of Ives?”

“Resisters. Nine of twelve have fallen to the power.” Masaya knew the Ives family was also the Queens blood. She also knew that killing them would bring her greater consequence than gain. But she did so, purposefully.