Elizabeth and the Vampire's Cabin (5 page)

“I
can take care of myself, Austin! Watch!”

Elizabeth
moved quickly to her nightstand. Before Austin even knew what she had done, she
had grabbed a throwing knife off of it. She whirled around and threw the knife
about an inch past Austin’s head and straight at a target board on the wall.
Instead of sticking to the board, the knife fell to the floor.

"How
is that possible," Elizabeth murmured in disbelief. "These are a new
set of knives. They couldn't be that dull already."

"You
do not throw knives in this house, Elizabeth!" Austin tore the target
board down from the wall and picked the knife up from the floor. "It's dull,"
he said as he felt the blade. "This isn't going to stick to
anything."

"I
can't believe it. And I already got rid of my old knives. This is so disappointing.
I must have ordered a dull set."

Austin
rolled his eyes and handed Elizabeth her knife back. He left the room just as
Arthur entered.

"The
boys and I are finished loading up all the heavy stuff. I've just come up to
see if there is anything small you guys needed to load up."

"No,"
Elizabeth said. "It looks like everything is taken care of. Thanks a lot
for helping me set off. I'll carry my knives. A fat lot of good they'll do me
on this trip. They're all dull." Though Elizabeth was well trained in the
art of knife throwing and knife safety, she was sure her knives were unnerving
to most people. An eighteen year old armed with a whole set of throwing knives
is hardly a comforting thought for your average Joe or Jane. She strapped all
six throwing knives to her right leg, underneath her pants.

Elizabeth
exited her room with Arthur and walked him to the door to say goodbye. When she
finished, Arthur took her hand and she lingered near him. She had told him that
he could stick around until it was time for her to go, but he insisted that he
had things he had to do. As she looked on Arthur, she sensed something
different about him. His body had changed in some inexplicable way that she
couldn't quite put her finger on.

"Elizabeth,"
he said. "There's something I want to give you."

Arthur
reached into his pocket and procured an unexpected gift for Elizabeth. It was a
large silver cross. She looked at it perplexed.

"It's
just something to keep you safe. Call me superstitious."

"Thank
you Arthur. I will treasure it. . She stuck it in her pocket for safekeeping.
Arthur clasped her hand and she was immediately taken aback. Arthur had done
the same thing last night, but it hadn't felt like that. This time, it felt
like his hands were made of steel. Glad to see he's grown a spine since last
night, she thought. Never thought he'd have the balls to grasp me like that. He's
going to be fine.

Elizabeth
watched as Arthur walked away, Mark's men all piled into the moving van, and
Mark himself drove away. She went back into the house and tried to take a nap
for the next few hours. But she was too excited, so she watched tacky daytime TV
until Austin told her it was time to go. Austin drove them to a harbor in San
Diego where his boat, The Argosy, was docked. Elizabeth thought this was an
unusual name for the boat. From what she understood, Mark's boat was not very
large. Maybe one person could comfortably live on it, but that was it. When she
thought of the word argosy, she thought of a large merchant ship, filled with
the most expensive, exotic goods. Its cargo sold to the highest bidder. Do they
plan on selling me to someone? she thought wryly.
 
Am I an expensive, exotic good? She dismissed
this offbeat tangent as she watched Mark and his men from a distance. They were
entering his boat to prepare to leave. Austin gestured for Elizabeth to move
along and they walked to a nearby restaurant called The Harbor. Again,
Elizabeth's mind automatically examined the name before her. This one, to her,
came off as terribly unoriginal. Yes, she thought, you're restaurant is located
at a harbor. Thank you for pointing that out, she sarcastically thought. But
she also had a feeling of some kind of warning being sent down to her from the
universe. Argosies are boats meant to carry off merchandise to be sold. Harbors
are safe havens one may dock at. Images of sailors of the past, fleeing tyrannical
leaders, genocides, etc, and desperate for a safe harbor danced through her mind.
She wondered why she kept seeing danger when there was none to behold. It must
be something from a past life, she thought. Outside The Harbor, waiting for
them, was Austin's personal assistant, Tim. He carried with him a small sack
lunch for Elizabeth. It had all of her favorite snacks in it.

"You
didn't have to do that," Elizabeth greeted him with a sudden tone.
"That's why we're having lunch."

"It's
just some snacks in case you get hungry on the way over to the island."

Elizabeth
would miss Tim. Though he was Austin's personal assistant, he had always looked
after Elizabeth as well. She was glad to have a farewell lunch with him. Though
he was there for the purpose of helping Austin conduct some business in San
Diego after he had seen her off, Elizabeth felt like he was an old friend
joining her for lunch.

"What
is the wait time," Austin asked Tim.

"Fifteen
minutes," Tim responded.

The
trio talked and joked about old times as they waited. And, as was predicted,
they were seated in fifteen minutes. They ordered their food not long after.
Elizabeth was happy about how things were progressing so far. Austin had
mellowed since their fight at the house, and she couldn't possibly feel more
relaxed. As if to confirm her feelings that things were progressing as they
should, their meals were suddenly served. However, their lunch was soon
interrupted by a tap on her shoulder. It was her guide.

"Ma'am,"
Mark began. "It's time for us to go."

Elizabeth
stared blankly at him for a moment. This was highly untoward. She wasn't used
to her employees telling her what to do, especially in front of other people.
It was time to lay down the law. Mark may not have been used to taking orders
from an eighteen year old, but he would have to learn quickly. She was in
charge of this trip. Not him. So, she put on an air of disinterested annoyance.

"I'm
still at lunch with my brother and his assistant. We've just been served, and
there is plenty of time to get to the island."

"The
island is a long way off," he pushed. "It's better to get you settled
before night falls."

Elizabeth
was perturbed by his insistence. She let out a long displeased breath and
crossed her arms.

"We
can always speed it up. I don't need a leisurely trip. I only said we could
take our time, because I thought it would be relaxing. It's not essential that
we spend any more time than necessary out at sea."

"I
really think it's best to leave now. The captain and I were hoping to get back
from the island before nightfall. The movers would also like to be allowed to
leave quickly as well. They can't go home until you've approved the setup of
the cabin."

Elizabeth
looked out the window. She saw the glistening sun and its position in the clear,
blue sky. Barely a cloud and bright as could be. What could make anyone think
it was getting too late? The journey was only to be a couple of hours. Mark and
the captain had plenty of time to get back in time for dinner. And she didn't
like his tone earlier. He had an imperious edge to his voice that would need to
be rebuked quickly. There was one boss on this trip and that was her.

"We
go when I say we go," she said coolly. "I'm your boss. You're not my
boss. I say when I'm ready to go."

She
was surprised to see Mark continue in his defiance. She was accustomed to
obsequiousness from her employees. Typically, they would fret at the mere
thought of not being able to fulfill her orders. But Mark continued to stand in
front of her. He shifted uncomfortably and averted his eyes, but he was clearly
still standing his ground. Elizabeth could not fathom this standoff with her
guide.

"Go,"
she said coldly. She even snapped her fingers sharply. She did not look at
Mark.
 
She would not acknowledge him any
further. He needed to learn that he could not pressure her. She felt him leave
and almost let out a sigh of relief. But she kept herself in check. She wanted
to appear strong in front of her brother and Tim.

"Well
done Elizabeth," Austin praised. "Obviously, I don't have to worry
about you. You have things under much better control than I expected of
you."

Elizabeth
gave a small smile, but she was rethinking her decision inwardly. She glanced
at her watch. Mark may have had a point. She had been on enough trips, camping
or otherwise, to know that these things could take more time than expected. The
boat trip could take longer than planned, or her cabin might be more difficult
than anticipated to set up. She was expecting most of her stuff to be unpacked
when she arrived, but she would still have to direct them to position things
"just so" when she showed up. They were also supposed to have dinner
ready for her, and she didn't want to be late...Oh gosh. Maybe we should leave,
she mentally grumbled. But she put the thought from her head. She had to be
firm and consistent. Anything else would be seen as weakness. She resolved that
she would spend an hour, at least, dining with Austin and Tim. If her new
employees got home late, then so be it. This is what it meant to work for her.
She was always up front about that. Every time she hired someone, they were
warned of the potential long hours. She was nothing if not honest.

She
continued to dine with Austin and Tim for the hour that she had committed
herself to. At the end, they all walked towards the boat to see Elizabeth off.
When they reached the catamaran, Austin turned to Elizabeth. The concern was
suddenly back. The praise and good faith in her that he had shown earlier was
dissipating. His restraint was no longer holding. Something in his subconscious
appeared to be coming to the surface of his being. Austin's character, normally
a dull black jewel with no sparkle or facets, suddenly seemed to glimmer in the
sunlight of her departure. Shades of real, true, brotherly concern appeared to
be emanating from him. Elizabeth was unsure of how she should feel about this
and looked upon Austin with trepidation. There was no remedy for Austin's
feelings that she could think of. In their eighteen years together, she had
never experienced concern from him and so had no idea of how to quell the
disturbance in his mind. She wondered if Austin had any idea of how to deal
with it. Then, with disgust, she reminded herself that Austin was not actually
concerned about her. He had an ulterior motive.

"Elizabeth,
please don't go. I have a premonition. I have this feeling that something
horrible is going to happen to you if you go through with this."

Elizabeth
held firm. She knew that Austin was getting married to a rich Texas heiress,
and he would need her to help make arrangements. He had plans to move to Texas,
and merging households with his soon-to-be new wife would require someone
(preferably, in his mind, not him), to run things and make sure everything was
in order on his end. Tim could see to a lot of that, but Elizabeth was a
bulldog. She ran a tight ship and was an aggressive mistress.

"You
know you only want me to stay with you because you want me to continue
organizing and planning your life for you. But, I can't do that. This is a
cabin on a beautiful island. It's my dream. I've always wanted this. And I have
it all to myself. It's time for me to start planning and living my own
life."

Austin
looked hurt for just a fraction of a moment. Elizabeth thought it was possible
that she imagined the look. But she would never know the answer to that. Austin
said goodbye to her, then turned and walked off without another word. Elizabeth
looked after him and thought, You are selfish. You have planned your whole life
around yourself and never once though about what I wanted or needed. If you
were really concerned, you would go with me.

Elizabeth
marched off to the catamaran and saw the captain and Mark snoozing. Afternoon
nap? Elizabeth smirked with the thought that they could not have been nearly as
distressed as Mark would have her believe. But then she noticed Mark, though in
a reclining position on a deck chair, had his eyes wide open. And he did not
look happy. His face was dark and stormy in the gleaming sun, while glistening
waters, singing their gentle lull, did not seem to calm him at all.

Elizabeth
boarded the boat and ordered them to depart immediately.
 
The captain snapped to it. Mark, who had no
duties on board, kept to himself and fiddled with his cell phone. Not wanting
to get off to a bad start, Elizabeth struck up a conversation with him. Though
she wasn't very interested, she pushed him to tell her all about his past
exploits in camping and hiking. She hoped this would make him happy, and she
was content with the free flow of his voice. To her, it was a sign that
recalling his past was a happy thing for him, and she should expect a marvelous
experience on the island. No one wants to see their wilderness guide become
suddenly sullen and close mouthed when discussing his past work history. Thank
God he had been highly recommended by other female hikers Elizabeth had hiked
with.