10.15 pm 7 hours until dawn. The Crowbar.
Bandolers full of grenades were being donned, and firearms brandished as I opened the door to Mr Giovanni’s office.
“You wanted to see me, Mr. Giovanni?” I asked coolly as I could when Stallion picked up a pump-action shotgun and started loading shells. This wasn’t good. We weren’t expected to do the job until the following night, and I didn’t want to go into a gunfight with Mr. Giovanni angry at me.
“Yes, the schedule has been moved. The Men in Black are in town.”
“Oh, don’t worry about the Men in Black,” I brushed the thought aside and pulled out my phone, “They’re people. That’s what I do.”
I showed him a list of supplies I’d considered for the job. ” Do I still have time to get a few things?” As I distracted him, I slipped four playing cards into his pocket. If I couldn’t have that conversation before the job, then I’d have to make time—hopefully, before he took the opportunity to blow my head off with friendly fire.
“What? Yes, take what you like from the party stores,” Mr Giovanni brushed the list aside with the same contempt I’d shown for the Men in Black, “You have twenty minutes to get ready, and then we’re out of here.”
I did what all great artists do when under constraints of any kind: adapt, make do and move on. I raided the stores and scrounged what I could from the bar and its clients. Luna methodically prepared herself for battle. Leaving her beloved library, she tied her long hair into a bun and took out her piercings. She selected a knife as her weapon and a string of flashbang grenades. Izac watched her, looking for anything to help understand her thinking. He followed suit, picking up a pistol with the blade and grenades. Mr Giovanni took out his favourite, the Beretta, his share of flashbangs and several spare magazines. When I returned with a sports bag full of useful items, I gave everyone an elastic band to help with discerning illusions from real life, and I grabbed a couple of smoke grenades. I tried not to stare at the guns on the table. I did a poor job.
“Hey, you need any help there?” I heard Izac in one ear beside me.”
“Rain. You don’t need to take one,” It was Luna. How long had I been just standing there?
“Want some help there, buddy?”Even Stallion offered help.
“Huh? No, I’m fine. I have everything I need,” I kicked the bag.
“It could be useful,” Mr Giovanni said, grabbing a pistol and two magazines before dropping them into my bag. My bag of tricks tainted, I barely noticed when he dipped his hand into the pocket where the cards lay. Surely now, he’d say something.
He looked at the cards confused, knocked them together and placed them on his table uncommented.
I sighed.
“Everyone ready?” He said, smoothing down his jacket to hide the apparent grenade-shaped lumps underneath.
“Sure,” I replied, swiping the cards off the table into my waiting hand as they walked out the door.
10.55 pm 7 hours until sunrise On route to Haymarket
The Range Rover was the logical car for the job. It wouldn’t stand out like the limousine, and we couldn’t all fit into one of the sedans. Izac was driving again, and Mr Giovanni was in the passenger seat. I’d made a clumsy attempt to push the cards onto Mr Giovanni again as I took my seat behind him, and he noticed the movement.
“What’s this?” He pulled out the cards and showed them to the others: a Joker, a Jack of Spades, a Queen of Diamonds, and an Ace of Hearts, bent and torn.
“What’s this in aid of, Rain?”
“In aid of finally having a conversation about what happened. In aid of explaining that you are respected and that it’s not because the Prince or the Traditions say so. It’s because you have our lives in your hands. I know that. I do respect you, Mr Giovanni.”
“Is that some sort of…apology?”
Did he need another? “Yes. That night was a regrettable mess, and I’m sorry for it.”
“Isn’t someone missing?” he asked, looking at the cards. I made the King of Clubs appear in my hand and slipped it in amongst the others. He looked at them momentarily, then returned them to his pocket.
“We’ll talk later. Right now, we have a fight to get to.”
Great. Good chat. I sighed and leaned back into my seat.
Luna stuck in her ear pods and tuned out of the ominous silence in the car.
“So, what’s everyone’s favourite drink?” Izac asked by way of polite small talk. Just at his mentioning, I could smell the Glenfiddich that Mr Morris would always drink after dinner.
Gone too soon, I silently saluted the old man and answered Izac’s question.
The trip across town was fast and uneventful. Izac found parking just off Little Hay Street when he spotted the four men. Strategically placed around the entrance to the laneway, dressed in black suits, they looked out of place regardless of how casually they acted.
“We need to be careful around these people,” Mr Giovanni warned. They can make you forget whatever they want. So, what’s our plan, everyone? We can try dominating, but I feel that’s a skill only I possess. We could try luring them into the pocket dimension and let them mind-wipe everyone in there. If all else fails, we drag them through and deal with them on the other side.”
“I could try something on them,” Stallion said, probably just as straightforward and violent as Mr Giovanni’s offerings.
No subtlety. No finesse
“Do you think I could try having a chat first?” I winced.
“Yes, that will be Plan A. Plan B is for when that fails.”
Knowing that the man who controls your literal life is fully confident in your abilities is a real boost to the ego.
At that moment, a text from the Prince arrived. I saw Mr Giovanni reach for his phone at the same time.
WE HAVE TALKED TO THE EASTENERS AND THEY HAVE SAID THEY WILL NOT INTERFERE AS LONG AS YOU DON’T TAKE TOO LONG.
“Okay, we’re on a time limit, everyone.”
“Rain the socialite to the rescue, huh?” Izac joked.
“It seems we have the local’s permission,” I said, hinting that I had received the same message.
“As long as we don’t waste time.”
I straightened my suit, picked up my bag and walked ahead of the party. I nodded to one of the men across the road and saluted one sitting at a bench seat as we passed. I felt the blood rush in my veins as all their eyes locked onto me, and I couldn’t resist a tiny smile.
“Should I turn on the Boom Box?” Stallion, somewhere behind, asked.
“Not yet!” Mr Giovanni growled back.
“Hold on,” The nearest man stood, barring my way.
Slowing, I gestured for the others to continue through, “Sorry, we’re late. We’re part of the local division.”
“Oh, we’re glad to have you on the case. We didn’t think there was any local division,” The man looked relieved, even pleased that someone else was taking responsibility.
“Don’t worry about it; we’ve got it sorted,” I smiled, quickened my stride, and caught up with the others as they passed the first neon kewpie doll and entered the alley.
The first thing we noticed was the silence. There was no background noise from the City. There was no traffic passing the alley only metres from where we stood, and there were no sounds or voices from the thousands that lived in apartments throughout the area. Everything was still. The second thing we noticed was the old wooden barn-style door on the nearest wall. It was out of place against the slick modern concrete and glass. This was the place. Without another word, Mr Giovanni opened the door, and we entered…
…an overcast afternoon in a generic city setting. In hindsight, we all should have shrunk away from the light, but none of us were worried about permanent sunburns. Standing fifty metres tall, two monsters fought over, around and through the cityscape. People screamed and ran in all directions, escaping the unmindful feet of the beast. Some didn’t make it. Izac flicked his elastic band, found it all too real, and started looking for shelter. Stallion went to steal one of the hundreds of cars lying idle in the middle of the road, found nowhere to go and left it. I took a moment to plug my ears and breathed in. You could smell the concrete dust, the fumes of cars left idling in the street, and the blood on the footpath. The ground shivered as pieces of masonry and glass rained down. If this was an illusion, it was a good one.
By this time, Izac and Mr Giovanni had noticed the flow of the crowd. They ran in all directions except one spot a few metres away. No one seemed to be looking at that spot, and all the panicked people flowed around it like a pack of prey animals shying from a hidden predator. We moved towards it as I turned on Auspex and scanned for auras.
“Cut! Cut! What do you think you are doing?” Suddenly, like that hidden predator, a surly bearded man in his thirties flanked by a camera, boom operator, writer, catering staff, and even what looked like an actor picking his nails appeared in the forbidden space.
“What have we told you extras about not looking at the camera?!”
“Ur…sorry, we just got here. The agency sent us across,” I adlibbed as the others took in the group who had just appeared before us.
“Have you signed the waiver?” The director-type asked, holding out a hand for the forms.
“We left them with the office,” I gestured back where we’d come.
“Well, you can sign again here,” He pulled out a form, and I signed Antonia Banderas.
I took note of the auras around us. The screaming, running crowd were a universal orange. They were real and genuinely scared for their lives. The monsters were also wreathed in white auras of innocence or at least ignorance and sparkles in what I assumed denoted magic. The director’s aura was red and brown, angry and bitter, probably at our interruption. Beside them, a character with a script in hand oozed the dark blue of suspicion and green of obsession. An assistant director? Behind them, a scruffy grey-haired man glared daggers at us new arrivals. A true believer in the power of story with his black hate for us and his gold spiritual belief, the writer, I assume. The boom operator was envious of us? Maybe he wanted the attention of the director. The cater, a woman in a tidy black hospitality uniform, glowed with a compassionate pink and calm light blue aura while the cameraman was the only one who looked to be enjoying his work. Innocent white, gold of true belief, blue of the lovelorn and vermillion of happiness. The camera, too, glowed with the sparkles of magic.
Hm-hmm.
“Uh, we’ll just organise ourselves over here,” I said, gesturing for the others to withdraw to one side.
“You have ten minutes,” The director ordered.
I quickly told them what I’d discovered, “My bet’s on the cameraman. He’s the only one here who’s enjoying himself. Besides, the camera is magic.”
“But wouldn’t the mage want to be the star of the show?” Izac suggested. I checked the actor and saw only a bubbling aura of angry red. I let Izac know, but I kept my eye on the cameraman.
We split up, mixing with the crew. Mr Giovanni, Luna and Stallion stayed back quietly, watching as Izac sauntered over to talk to the actor.
“Hi, we’re new on set. Can you give us any pointers?”
“So, what’s it to me?” The actor replied, rolling his eyes.
I decided to take an easier path and went to catering. The woman smiled and gestured to the display of food and drinks on offer.
“Hi, what would you like?”
“I’m just trying to get a lay of the land, here. What do you know about this place?”
“I don’t know,” her brow furrowed with concern. I don’t know how I got here.”
“Well, how about the director? Know anything about him?”
“Oh yes, he’s a great man, a master of the craft.”
“And the writer?” I had to point him out.
“Him? He’s a miserable hack.”
“Now the cameraman, he’s famous, isn’t he?”
Again, the confused look and she shook her head, “No, I don’t know him.”
Mr Giovanni silently looked to Stallion and pointed at the huge brick he’d been carrying on his shoulder since leaving the car.
“Now?”
“Yes, it seems an appropriate time.”
Stallion put down the boom box and pressed play on the CD player. Suddenly, the whole area was full of heavy, distorted electric guitar, strumming bass and a man’s raw vocals.
The secret side of me
I never let you see
I keep it caged, but I can’t control it
So stay away from me
“What now?” The director complained as the cameraman turned the camera to face Stallion, Mr Giovanni and Luna. They tried moving out of the way, and found something blocked them from leaving. Invisible wall of force kept them in the camera’s gaze. They were trapped.
The beast is ugly
I feel the rage, and I just can’t hold it
“So, that’s how it is.” Mr Giovanni grabbed one of his flashbangs and threw it at the director. Stallion went to emulate the stunt and dropped the flashbang at his feet.
It’s scratching on the walls
In the closet, in the halls
Mr Giovanni had the presence of mind to jump back out of the grenade’s range. Izac and I turned away and felt only the shockwave of the explosive roll over. Luna failed to react and was sent reeling back, blinded, and her ears ringing. With the flashbang, the background inside the camera’s view disappeared, leaving a white void behind Mr Giovanni, Stallion and Luna.
It comes awake, and I can’t control it
Hiding under the bed
In my body, in my head
With half the party locked to the camera or stunned, I took my chance and hoped that someone would back me up. I ran for the cameraman, grabbed him and bit into his neck. I could hear screaming around us, not for the monsters who had gone silent since the director called cut, but for me.
The monster in their midst.
If Mr Giovanni had cause to destroy me before, breaking the Masquerade would give him all the justification he needed. Fortunately, now the cameraman was focused on fighting me, the camera released its hold on the others.
Why won’t somebody come and save me from this?
Make it end
I feel it deep within
It’s just beneath the skin
From the corner of my eye, I saw Mr Giovanni reach into his jacket and pull out his Beretta. Taking his time, he lined up his shot point directly towards me and the cameraman. For a moment, all I could see was the black hole that was the Beretta’s barrel.
I could see my future down it.
Luna marched over to the actor just as Izac pulled out a flashbang. With only a moment to respond, Izac dropped the flashbang and dived for Luna. He missed. Luna was forced away once more, blind and deaf. Standing quietly to one side, Stallion seemed to focus his thoughts in my direction. I expected him to come out swinging, but he slowly stepped forward.
I must confess that I feel like a monster
I hate what I’ve become
The nightmare’s just begun
The cameraman bucked, and I lost hold of his neck. In that moment, I didn’t know if to stay and keep the cameraman from escaping or to run myself from Mr Giovanni’s gun. A second later, the gun discharged, and I felt the bullet hit, rocking the cameraman.
He wasn’t aiming at me! Mr Giovanni slowly walked in, holding his aim.
Izac was made aware of all the people who were now witnesses to my attack. Pulling out two flashbangs, he threw one into the crowd. The second fell at his feet. He didn’t get away this time, and now he and Luna were stumbling around disorientated. Stallion held his gaze, slowly stepping in. Something was happening. His aura was now a purple static fizzing around him. Nervous and aggressive, like a young lion on its first hunt
I must confess that I feel like a monster
I, I feel like a monster
I, I feel like a monster
I bit the cameraman again and drank. The Beretta discharged again, the cameraman’s body bucked and slowly slumped to the ground. I let him go. Around us, the world was collapsing, crumbling away at the edges.
Had we done it? Was it over?
With the cameraman dead, Stallion gave up his focused pose and charged the camera itself. Like Stallion of old, he picked it up and slammed it into the ground. The magic, gone with its master, split the camera’s casing, the film magazine bounced away, and the lens smashed into a million shards. I nodded my thanks and turned my attention to the remaining crew.
“So? What do you think? A new twist on the old monster genre—a mashup of kaiju and vampires. Brilliant, right?”
Maybe everything we’d done in this pocket dimension was a little too real. Perhaps I still have blood on my lips as I spoke to them. They didn’t buy my idea.
My secret side I keep
Hid under lock and key
I keep it caged, but I can’t control it
‘Cause if I let him out
He’ll tear me up, break me down
Why won’t somebody come and save me from this?
Thankfully, my failure to impress the crew didn’t hinder my chances of living, as Mr Giovanni now turned his attention to the screaming crowds. He threw a flashbang at a group who fell over, disorientated.
“Rain, get the Men in Black in here to help make the crowd forget.”
Stallion had gone back to staring at people, this time the director. Unlike the mage, the director quickly succumbed to Stallion’s control, his aura instantly dropping from a fearful orange to a calm pale blue.
Glancing at Luna and Izac, I realised I could do nothing for either, so I searched the area for auras. Everything was an almost universal orange of fear. The only exception was the actor was still peeved. Heeding Mr Giovanni’s words, I started walking back where we’d come, looking for the old barn door. Crumbling concrete and pavement were all there was to see, though I was sure I was in the right place.
“Hey, fellas! We could use a little cleanup here!” I called, hoping the sound would travel out of the pocket dimension. Then I remembered the silence we’d experienced walking into the alley. Nope, it wouldn’t.
Make it end
I feel it deep within
It’s just beneath the skin
I must confess that I feel like a monster
I hate what I’ve become
The nightmare’s just begun
Mr Giovanni continued to control the panicked crowd with flashbangs as Stallion left the director in a stupor to try the cater. She wasn’t as easy to sway and resisted him. By this time, Luna had regained her senses. Stumbling away from the affronted actor, she pulled out her flashbangs and handed them to Mr Giovanni. She seemed disinterested in the chaos and returned to Izac’s side. Once there, Luna knelt down and rubbed his back comfortingly. Had I seen her be so gentle to any of us?
I must confess that I feel like a monster
I feel it deep within
It’s just beneath the skin
I must confess that I feel like a monster
I, I feel like a monster
I, I feel like a monster
Having failed to find the door, I tried to help control the remaining crowd. This time, I made myself the imposing monster they feared and tried scaring the crowds together, like herding sheep. As much as some vampires may call the kine livestock, they do not flock well, all I did was scatter them further. The flashbang that came hurtling towards me I didn’t take as punishment for failure, just a bad shot at a loose group. I threw myself out of the way of the blast.
It’s hiding in the dark
It’s teeth are razor sharp
There’s no escape for me, it wants my soul, it wants my heart
No one can hear me scream
Maybe it’s just a dream
Maybe it’s inside of me
Stop this monster
I feel it deep within
It’s just beneath the skin
Stallion took out the scattered few with a flashbang, and now all that was left was the crew. The docile director, the angry actor, the caring cater, the irate writer and the boom operator. All around us, the crumbling of the pocket reality was advancing. Luna helped Izac to his feet as the ground shuddered and broke under them. Whole patches of overcast sky fell away, revealing the nighttime alleyway and its kewpie dolls. Now, the Men in Black swarmed in. They efficiently started corralling the crowd and ushering them into black vans parked on the street. Regardless of how many people trooped in, like tiny pocket dimensions of their own, there always seemed room for more aboard. The fifty-plus people quickly disappeared into two vans.
“Good work,” Mr Giovanni said, going up to the man I’d spoken to at the entrance, shaking his hand.
“The same could be said for you guys. Very efficient.” He replied.
“Thank you for your service,” I added, also shaking his hand as Luna and Izac, supporting each other, stumbled by back to the car.
“I’m going to drive, okay?” Stallion said, grabbing the offered keys off Mr Giovanni and racing to get to the car first.
“Time to go before we outstay our welcome,” Mr Giovanni murmured. Side by side, we followed Luna and Izac out of the alleyway and back to the car.
“I should punch you in the face,” Luna grumbled to Izac as she leaned into his side.
“Deservedly so. I’m really sorry, Luna,” Izac said, his head still throbbing.
“So you should,” she replied, helping him into the back seat of the Jeep. Together, they shared her headphones, leaning into each other, blissfully unaware of anything except the music all the way back to the bar.
As Stallion pulled out and turned us west along George Street, Mr Giovanni texted the Prince. Another job completed. I waited until he put his phone away to break the silence.
“Mr Giovanni. When you raised your gun to shoot the mage, I thought you were going to shoot me.”
“Why would you think such a thing?” He seemed genuinely surprised, which I considered comforting. It hadn’t even entered his mind.
“Something Izac said,” I replied cryptically. Izac and Luna may have been obvious, but Stallion was still listening in.
“Oh, we’re not there yet,” He smiled. It had been a good night, “You do some precarious things. You walk a fine line. Just ask in the future before you run off and do something ridiculous.”
Well, better ridiculous than dead, I always say.
“Oh,” He had turned to look through the vanity mirror behind the passenger seat visor, checking for anyone following, “And good work with identifying the cameraman as the mage.”
Redemption.
“That’s what I do.”
As usual, the downtime in the car after an event was quiet. I turned in my seat, my back to the window and watched Izac and Luna as they sat peacefully head to head, a faint buzz of a rock tune surrounding them.
“…just to find that feeling, just to let you know…..just to let it go…”
She, her hair pulled back and her piercings gone looked older than her frozen eighteen years. Izac, who knew how old he was, looked no more than twenty-four. They were comfortable in each other’s space, and finally comfortable with each other. And though I was glad they had finally come to some sort of peace, my happiness was bittersweet.
You idiot. She’s half your age.
In a hundred years, would that gap be as relevant?
Hah, says the man who barely made to his second month without being destroyed.
You have a point.
I watched them, a voyeur, and meditated on their young lives.
11.25pm 6 hours before sunrise The Crowbar
“Those flashbangs really worked. I wish I’d been more useful with them,” Stallion said to Mr Giovanni as he made his way into Leichhardt. They’d been discussing the evening between themselves for most of the drive.
“A trip out to the farm would sort all that out,” Mr Giovanni responded confidently, catching both my and Izac’s attention.
“What…about the farm?!” He started as if awoken from sleep.
“I don’t like the sound of that,” I added my voice of concern. Stallion drove the car into the bar’s underground carpark.
“There’s Nothing to worry about. I own many properties,” Mr Giovanni replied. He didn’t bother explaining further and left the car.
Izac and Luna climbed the stairs back to the library as one. The thought of the library reminded me I still have the small white book, Days of Fire to return. It had been in my pocket all night, but there’d never been a moment I could have returned the book unnoticed. At the same time, I had roused the blood several times during the night, and it was now demanding its reward.
The book first, then we’ll see about a snack, I promised myself and climbed the stairs after them.
I was partway up when Stallion’s heavy tread echoed mine.
“Rain, you wanted to look at the Thaumaturgy book. I was coming up to get it.”
“That is kind of you. I’m sure I can find it…”
“I know where I put it. It won’t take a tick.” He stepped past me and into the room. Great, a whole audience of on-lookers. Then I better give them a show.
Luna was in her usual leather chair, and Izac was at the desk leaning over a tome. Stallion went straight to the shelves. I found the edge of the Persian rug with the toe of my shoe and tripped forward.
“Oops!” Hand cartwheeling, I caught hold of Stallion, slipping the white leather book from my pocket between two others on the shelf as if it had always been there.
Luna glanced up, saw I wasn’t hurt and returned to her book. Izac made a winced, sympathising with my counterfeit pain.
“Sorry, Stallion. I guess tonight’s excitement took more out of me than I thought,” I held my hand over my face, feigning dizziness, “I think I’ll go get a snack.”
Instantly, I knew I’d said the wrong thing. Izac’s face went from sympathetic pain to fuming, almost anger at my throwaway phrase. Out of one fire and into the next? I shrugged and left the room without the Thaumaturgy book and another note to myself to try and mend whatever bridge I’d just burned with Izac.
11.30 pm 6 hours before sunrise, The Crowbar
*****************************************************************************************
Izac’s thoughts:
Two sides of the coin
The prince told him to take them in as their sire. Did I hear that right?
Why?
What reason?
It’ll have to wait; we have something bigger to deal with first… Assuming we survive
Arriving at the site, after our preparation was all set, I noticed the agents that surveyed the alleyway. Our resident socialite did his magic and paved the way. He is a smooth talker and always has an answer for every occasion and convinced them we were from “HQ”. Strolling past them we headed into the alley, the surrounding becoming eerily quiet as we approached the out of place door in the wall.
A monster movie? Really? Turns out this marauder was a film maniac in life and decided to use us as extras in his sick idea of creativity. That is, if he had the chance… before he could even get things ready for a second take, Rain quickly uncovered the identity of the magician and went to work. I, in the meantime, was too busy seeing white and hearing nothing. I’m not as good at throwing flashbangs as I thought. With reality crumbling when I regained my senses it was too late for me to try and find a way out.
The sudden change of scenery was more disorientating than the flashbang. When I could see again, we were in the alley, Luna kneeling over me. Her eyes showed no small amount of annoyance. Can’t fault her for that, I did drop the flashbang right near her feet after all. Something has changed in her though: She helped me to my feet and stuck with me to the car. All around us people were being coddled into unmarked vans left and right, but there she was… The drive back, we listened to the playlist she had made. It was nice…
Rolling in back to the Crowbar, I headed straight for the library. I wanted to read more of the books that found my attention and why they did so. As I began to read into “Addiction and you…” Rain stumbled into the room. It looked like it hurt, his foot caught under the carpet. He recovered well enough and set my jaw tight as he casually called the patrons beneath our feet “snacks.” Is that all these humans are to him? I’m beginning to wonder if his cheerful demeanour is all a façade to ensure his survival.
Everyone walks a fine line, I’m no exception. Everywhere I tie myself to others to try and steady theirs. It endangers my own but part of me feels the need to try. There is a limit to this I know, but I don’t know if I have the conviction to cut them loose if it would save me… How far can one go and be convinced back?
I don’t know…
Favourite Drinks
Giovanni: Cognac
Rain: Glenfiddich, on the rocks
Stallion: Double Black Russian
Luna: “You’re Gonna Go Far”
Fosters myself…
*****************************************************************************************
Luna’s thoughts:
Full House How does a prison feel, when you’ve made it yourself?
‘I’m a student. I will learn.’
The sentiment was true. Though this didn’t feel like learning, it felt like suffering. Like toil, like a testament, like a test. How long can she cheat in this game? How long until the deals, favours and empty promises come to fruition? Is this borrowed life relying on more borrowed time? How long can you cheat death until he comes to find you?
The lecturer’s voice fades into the background. She has a quant desk in the corner of the room where she should be studying. Instead she sits on the rug of her floor with the company of a laptop screen and her notebook and less than an hour until sunrise. Even becoming undead could not change her atrocious sleep schedule.
‘Madness is contagious.’ They’ve skipped a couple (all) of the steps.
“Real magic” Rain had said to her. Everything had a cost. Magic wasn’t an unlimited source one could tap into on a whim. She has an inkling to the power bestowed upon her by the Lord of Flies. In reality, it could truly be a want for him to flaunt a path denied. Though, devils aren’t exactly known for their clarity. Her pen tapped absentmindedly against the letters scribbled on the lined page.
“You can see. I can see. But we do not see each other.” And she can feel the tantalising thought scratch at her throat.
‘But together, we see the world.’ She was gambling. Playing with a deity grander than Dante or John Milton could describe. She wasn’t sure what she was gambling for but she was so close to losing. So close to winning. …
‘We ain’t angry at you, love’
She wishes her music was louder as the single earphone plays in her left ear. But her head was pounding and her other plug was begrudgingly given to Izac. God, how did they get here? One moment the beast wants him dead and the next he’s listening to her playlist. All or nothing is the vampire way, right?
‘And we’ll all be here forever’
She ran a hand across her brows, slightly pressing against the pounding of her head. This is the most she’s been her old self in a long ass time. No piercings, no make up or hair styles. A bare facade in a masquerade ball.
He threw a fucking flash bang, missed pushing her out of the way and she still helped him. Why?
You know why.
God, she does know why. She can’t allow it. Cannot entertain such a thing. It’s too close to reality. Too much of a breech. She needs a shot, a book, a goddamn break. Whatever it is to start running again.
‘You’re gonna go far’ Where is her anger when she needs it?
You are not a monster.
She is she is she is she is she is she is she is she is she is she is she is she is she is
If she isn’t then what is she?
Luna takes a moment to check the corners of her eyes. When her fingertips come back blood free, she refocuses on the book before her. She doesn’t remember what she picked up. Since returning from the pocket reality her ears are still raw and mind slightly scattered. Maybe she should lean against a shelf and sleep. She’s passed out in more uncomfortable places. With a hand around her necklace and knees to her chest, Luna hoped the others would leave her be as she used the facade of sleep to steady herself.
‘You’re gonna go far’
Notable NPCs
Avel: Rain’s mother, a wraith.
Bobby Lisner: Malkavian seer who lives in an old Sewer pipe in The Rocks.
Brendan Virgil: A.K.A. Miss Divine Intervention. Rain’s close friend.
Bruce: Ghoul of Mr Giovanni
Detective Woodman: NSW Policed premiere detective and a sufferer of schizophrenia. He has an assistant currently called Notetaker.
Garcia: Sire. Unknown location.
Giuseppe Giovanni: Ghoul of Mr Giovanni. Some sort of relative of Mr Giovanni.
Lenny: Rain’s Ghoul and artist friend
Madeline Blackwell: Ghoul of Mr Giovanni, working at the State Coroners Court.
Night Rider: Red-haired vampire? Works for the Prince.
Pangea: a Nosferatu (tunnel builder)
Paul: a Nosferatu of the sewer rats
Prince Sarrasine (Sar-ras-seen): Toreador Ruler of Sydney*
Sparrow: a Nosferatu of the warren in Pyrmont, closest to home
Glossary of terms:
Anarchists: a faction of Vampires. Caused issues in Los Angeles recently, killed the Prince.
Antediluvian: from before the time of the biblical flood. The third generation that were the progenitors of the thirteen clans of vampires.
Blood hunt: A process to destroy a vampire who has broken a tradition. Specifically mentioned in the sixth.
Canaanites: Those descended from Cain, the first murderer and vampire.
Camarilla: a faction of Vampires closest to the Princes. Believe in hierarchy and order.
Clan or Bloodline: From one the 13 antediluvians.
Marauder: A mage gone mad. Living in his own pocket dimension that answers to the whim of his broken mind.
Diablerie : the drinking another vampire blood and soul
Favour: How Vampires pay for things they want or need doing.
Fetter: A place, person or thing that binds a wraith to the Shadowlands.
Ghouls: Servants of a vampire who have been fed vitae. They are loyal, stronger, more resilient and sometimes show other powers gained from the blood. They must receive the blood at least once a month or they return to being human. Can be addictive.
Hunter: Members of the Society of Leopold, a branch of the Catholic Church. Fanatical vampire hunters and killers.
Kin: Vampires, a name among themselves
Kine: Humans
Marauder: a rouge mage, often mad. They are likely to act in a way that exposes the Otherworld of the Masquerade to exposure.
Men in Black: An international unit dedicated to controlling supernatural and alien entities.
Sabbat: a faction of Vampires that believe that the progenitors of the clans will one day awake and eat all their young.
Masquerade : The rule that keeps vampire society safe. Hiding ones nature from the world.
Traditions: Six laws that vampires live by.
*Sarrasine, a novella by Balzac. Sarrasine is a sculpture who is infatuated with an Opera Singer, Zambinella. She thinks herself cursed and deflects his advances. At a performance, Zambinella is revealed to Sarrasine to be a castrato. In a rage, Sarrasine attacks the singer, only to be cut down and killed by their bodyguard.
A Strange Life 