Bulletproof (Healer) (27 page)

             
“That doesn’t mean you deserve this, Channing,” I say softly, patting his knee. “You’re a good man.”

             
“How can you say that? After everything you’ve seen,” he is about to cry. “After everything
he
did to you, everything
we
helped him do.”

             
Channing starts to cry, he makes this look beautiful too, so the conversation dies. Justin returns with keys and a concerned expression for his brother. He looks at me as if to say ‘what did you do to him?’ and wraps his arms around his brother in a full embrace. I long for this kind of companionship. I love my brother and sister but I’ll always be estranged from them.

             
We don’t talk much after that. Channing collects his composure. We find the right car and drive off. I can’t help but keep looking behind us. Expecting Maurice’s ugly face, the one from Gabe’s tattoo, to pop up beside me.

             
I try to sleep again but my mind is too busy. When will I know that Rose and Gabe are safe? A minute with Maurice can cost you your life and it’s been hours since we left them.

             
The phone rings. Justin answers it and I listen intently to his voice, “Hi... are you okay?... yes of course... and what about Maurice?... ok...” he speaks solemnly that it doesn’t sound like good news. Was it Rose or Gabe he was speaking to? Or maybe it was Angelica beckoning the brothers back to Toulouse? If that was the case, would I have to return too?

             
“Who was it?” I ask desperately.

             
“Rose...”

             
“Thank God!” at least she’s alive. “What did she say?”

             
We are pulling up to her house. It looks strange to me like it’s somewhere I visited in a dream. I wasn’t the same person when I was last here. I knew nothing of danger. I’ve seen too much now.

             
“She’s okay,” he says, opening my door.

             
“And Gabe?”

             
“He’s alive,” is all Justin says. His words unnerve me. He’s alive but is he okay? Is he safe? I want to see his face for myself and know that he is alright.

             
Channing let us in with the key Rose gave him and once we are all inside locks it again as if a house lock would keep a vampire away. Again, we all just want to feel like we are doing all we can to protect ourselves. Nobody wants to be rendered completely helpless.

             
“Is he okay?” my questions become frantic. “Where are they? Is Maurice alive? Are they with Maurice? Have they escaped? Are we safe here? Where should we go next? When can I speak to my dad?” I’m exhausted by the time the last word leaves my mouth. All the blood loss has beaten me down, I collapsed onto the couch.

             
Channing and Justin are at either side of me making sure I don’t die on them. One fetches water, the other helps me out of the constricting clothes suitable for Melissa Curele and covers me in a fluffy blanket. “Will one of you answer me please,” I say in a whisper.

             
“They’ve managed to escape,” Channing begins and Justin picks up, “They’ve staked Maurice pretty bad, riddled him with wood. They’ve taken all your blood bags so he can’t drink anymore and now they’re driving to find Arrow, a witch, who can maybe help them...”

             
“But they’re okay?”

             
“Rose is. She says Gabe is pretty bad. He’s had Maurice’s blood and it’s poisoning him. It will continue to poison him for about a week until it kills him then he’ll wake up... he’ll be one of them... Who knows what Rose will do then.” Channing shakes his head with despair.

             
I start to cry. My worst fears have been realised. Gabe is going to die then become a creature like Maurice. It’s too late. Justin continues, “Rose has spoken to Arrow on the phone and she says to keep feeding Gabe your blood until they get there. It’s not clear but maybe Healer blood can help him.”

             
“What happens when Maurice wakes up?” Channing asks.

             
Justin shrugs, “He’ll be mad. And he’s got enough of Cassie’s blood so he can walk in the sunlight. He’ll go looking for Rose and Gabe first and then us. We have some time.”

             
“When can I see them? Rose and Gabe.” I want to see Gabe’s face in his last days. Justin and Channing remain silent.

             
I have nothing more to discuss with Channing and Justin for now. I head up to the room where I slept when I was last at Rose’s. It hasn’t been touched since. There is an empty glass sitting on the bed side cabinet, an unread book on the floor. The clothes I’d bought with Rose still lay in the drawers waiting. How long has it been since I was last here? A few days? A few weeks? Or a lifetime? And when will Rose next open the door to her own home? Will she ever get the chance again?

TWENTY-ONE

              Rose’s scent fills every crevice of this home. It encompasses me as I put on a pair of silk pyjamas. I hope they find Arrow soon and can come home. I don’t know anything about witches; they haven’t been publicised anywhere. There has been speculation of their existence, along with werewolves and fairies, but now I know all that was once a fairytale is real life. I just hope Arrow is a competent witch and can perform some sort of extraction spell on Gabe before he turns into a vampire. And find some way to kill Maurice.

             
I take comfort in knowing that Gabe is taking my blood and that is helping somehow. Distance can’t stop me from trying to save him. I will always be rescuing him somehow.

             
Knowing that I’m closer to my family also keeps me sane. I’m only a few hours driving away from a hug from little Jana, from hearing Bruce’s giggle, from watching Shannon dance in the kitchen. Most importantly I am so close to wrapping my arms around my dad’s neck and telling him I’m sorry over and over again. I’ll spend the rest of my life apologising to him for what I’ve put him through this past month. I will never be able to make it okay.

             
I have almost dozed off, thinking about all the things I will do and say when I make it home, when Justin knocks on the door. “Come in,” I croak.

             
He hands me the phone, “It’s Rose.”

             
I stare at the phone in my hand and feel as though I don’t remember how it works anymore. My hands shakes as I bring it against my ear. Justin leaves to give me privacy. “Hello?”

             
“Cassie,” Rose’s voice is so light and airy that it would be impossible to guess everything she’s been through. “Are you alright?”

             
“I’m fine! Are you?” I ask.

             
“I’m good. We managed to leave before Maurice woke up again. We staked him as much as we could. We tried to cut him to drain him of the blood, try to get your blood out his system, but he healed too quickly,” she explains. “Angelica and the rest of the staff have left too so hopefully they can make a good run for it. There’s no way of knowing how long he’ll be down for. It’s pretty much a guessing game but we’ve almost arrived at Arrow’s.”

             
I haven’t soaked in most of what she is saying. It’s selfish but currently I don’t care about Angelica or the rest of the staff at Maurice’s home. I just want to know if Gabe is okay and what is going to happen to him next. “And Gabe?”

             
“He’s with me right now,” Rose says. “He’s asleep.”

             
“Oh I don’t want to wake him then,” I lie. He can sacrifice a moment’s sleep to speak to me. I need to hear his voice.

             
“He’s running low, Cassie, but I’m trying my best,” Rose sounds concerned. If Rose can’t remain positive then what hope do I have?

             
I gulp, “Is my blood working?”

             
“Arrow seems to think it will help fight against Maurice’s blood inside of him. She said it might dilute it enough to slow down the change by a few days. At least that way she has more time to figure out how to fix it,” Rose says.

             
“Can she? Do you think she can stop him from turning?”

             
There is a heavy silence from the other end of the phone then Rose says, “I hope so.” I don’t want to ask Rose what will happen if Gabe turns because I know it will be gruesome and I don’t want to hear it. Maybe she could take him to America where vampires can thrive so much easier. More likely, she might have to figure out a way kill him, stake him with wood or something, so he can’t hurt anyone, so he isn’t a danger. He wouldn’t want to be a vampire. Then I remember that my blood is in his system so for the first few days, weeks, months, he will be an indestructible newborn.

             
“You should stay at my house tonight,” Rose says. “I know it’s hard but try not to worry. We’ll be with Arrow soon and she’s a very powerful witch, Cassie, she’s good at what she does. I’ll phone you in the morning with her verdict.”

             
“Okay,” I say gently. I know that Rose will do everything in her power to keep Gabe alive, to keep Maurice away and to make sure I can return to my family with peace of mind. If she fails, it won’t be for a lack of trying.

             
“Right well sleep tight, Cassie,” she replies. “Everything is going to be fine.” There is another silence. I wonder if she is watching Gabe with fond eyes, hoping her best friend won’t die on her. Gabe understood Rose and she never knew why. He is rude and angry, smokes and drinks, wears grungy clothes. She is bubbly, happy and stunningly beautiful. She’s radiant and people want to be with her yet it is the lonely, brooding boy that she connects with.

             
“Rose?”

             
“Yes, Cassie?”

             
“If all of this goes wrong, I just want to say thank you and want you to know that you’re probably the best friend I’ve ever had, the only friend I’ve ever had I guess,” I warble. “Just know that I love you, Rose and let Gabe know that too.”

             
Rose is crying now. She shouldn’t be crying and talking to me while driving. I want her to at least make it to Arrow’s safely. “Cassie, stop talking like I’m going to die. We will see each other soon I promise,” there is a silence as we both think about whether she is lying or not. “But I love you too, Cassie, you’ve shown me a lot about myself over these past few weeks, shown me the girl I used to be, who I want to be again.”

             
Another silence. “And Gabe loves you too, Cassie,” she says through her cries.

             
We leave it there. I try to sleep but it seems impossible so I go for a shower to wash the blood off of my skin. I check my wounds in the mirror. I am healing better now but there are still scars where Maurice plunged needles into me. It’s odd to see the pink marks . I am so used to endless unmarked white skin but it doesn’t repulse me. I look real now. The way a human should. Flawed.

             
The warm water has soothed me slightly. Channing comes up with food. They clearly have never had to cook for themselves before. The rice is hard and and gritty, sticking between my teeth, and the sauce coating the chicken is lumpy. I have to give them points for trying. They’re out of their comfort zones tonight. Ordinarily Miriam cooks their dinners. I wonder if Miriam has escaped and found a place to hide. Once Maurice has dealt with Rose and Gabe then me, he will turn to the employees who have deserted him. They know too much and can’t be left out in the open for any length of time. I’m surprised they all agreed to leave knowing that it was a death wish. Perhaps they all feel the same: death is better than a life with Maurice. Not even people like Angelica and Chec, people who repulsed me, want or deserve that miserable existence.

             
It takes a while but I eventually fall asleep and I don’t wake up until the blinding sunlight is pouring into the bedroom. It takes me five minutes to adjust to where I am because for the first while I have forgotten all about the last few weeks. Maurice and Gabe and Rose for the first time in a long time are not at the forefront of my mind. Then reality crashes into my like a ten-tonne truck.