Wake Me When the Sun Goes Down (26 page)

It might not
be
everything I wanted or hoped for from Bishop, but as I tipped back the contents of the glass vial, fighting the debilitating rays of dawn, I was filled with something I hadn’t known since becoming a vampire.  Hope.

Chapter
Twenty-one

My older sister Hanna never seemed to get caught up my parent’s ambition.  She did well in school, but never tried out for a single extra curricular activity besides photography.  Hanna preferred the technical to the artistic, and
spurned
the traditional four year college program in lieu of a program at ITT Technical Institute.  For whatever reason she was born with the gene to resist guilt trips in any form, and could care less what they or anyone else had to say about her life.  Mom and Dad could hardly complain though, Hanna made more
money
than the both of them combined after just a couple of years with a software company in
San Jose
. 

As I
waited
for her at my favorite coffee shop, I wished I’d been born with some of that immunity to guilt.  I kept scouring the news for any sign of Stan’s body being found, but there wasn’t a single mention of it on TV or online. 

I still wasn’t sure how I was going to merge my two lives together, even with Bishop’s help.  While the drug he’d given me did the trick and I’d been able to stay awake for both of my morning classes, I couldn’t shake the worry that I might lose control and attack someone again.  The smallest sight or scent of blood unleashed the thirst whether I
felt
hungry or not.  Do you have any idea how easily the human body bleeds?  I was fast becoming intimately aware of that notion.  So far I’d been able to stop in time before actually attacking anyone, but how long would that last?

And the crash… Bishop hadn
’t been kidding about that.  I
barely made it home before passing out on my bedroom floor in a deep, dreamless sleep, waking up just in time to get ready to go see Hanna.  Still, I
looked
forward to catching up with my sister
,
she was the one person I could be myself around without fear of
judgment
.  She appeared at the door, bundled up in a stylish cream colored coat with faux fur trim. 

That was one nice thing, the cold didn’t bother me at all anymore, and I found myself forgetting to wear a coat when going out. 

“
God you look pale.  When’s the last time you got any sun?
”  Hanna sat down, her own skin glowing with good health
as she wrapped her hand around the mocha I ordered for her
. 

“It’s October.  Not all of us can afford a membership to Paradise Tan,” I pointed out after hugging her hello. 

“You look good though, actually… I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look so… polished,” her eyes narrowed, and my palms started to sweat over the scrutiny. 

“Polished?”  I wore a pair of jeans and a button up shirt, casually open at the throat.  My hair was down and I didn’t have any make up on. 
I didn’t feel like I belonged on the cover of In Style or anything.

“Yeah, whatever you’re using for your complexion keep it up, it looks great!” she smiled.  “But there’s something else… oh, I know, you finally got contact lenses!  Good for you!”

I’d almost forgotten she would expect to see me with my glas
ses on, and I was grateful she
supplied her own explanation for it.  “
Right
, I decided to stop being such a baby and do it. 
It t
urns out it’s not as big of a deal as I thought it would be.”

“You see!  That’s what I keep telling you, you shouldn’t be so afraid to try new things all the time.”

“This has definitely been the month for it,” I murmured, blowing onto my hot chocolate. 

“Yeah, about that.  You know mom’s going
crazy
about your absences, right?  She made me promise to check up on you.  If you hadn’t agreed to come to coffee I was going to have to show up at your place with a pry bar and a vat of chicken soup.”

“I’m fine, I swear.”  The last thing I wanted was an impromptu visit from either parent. 

“I can see that.”  Hanna took a sip of her coffee and I could smell the rich aroma of the coffee blended with chocolate and cream.  “Why have you been missing classes then?”

“It’s… complicated,” I stole the line from Bishop, but it didn’t deter her one bit. 

“Yeah okay, so spill
.
”
S
he waited patiently. 

“I’ve been questioning whether or not the path I’m on is the right one for me.”  Class that morning in particular had been incredibly boring, and despite taking the stimulant, it had been hard to stay focused with the sea of bodies around me.  “I’ve ah… been thinking of dropping out of school.”  Actually
,
I hadn’t really voiced that thought even to myself, but I felt a weight lift off my chest at saying it aloud.     

Hanna’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.  “
Are you high?  Mom and dad are gonna go ballistic!
”

“I know, but I have other reasons to consider. 
Things are a little… difficult right now
, and it’s made me think
.
I
s this what I want to be doing for the rest of my life?
”

“
Of course it is.  It’s what you always wanted
.”

I wish I could be as certain of that as she sounded.  “
It’s what they always wanted for me, and now I’m not so sure that’s the same thing
.”

“
That’s crazy
!  You know you’ve been obsessed with music since you first learned how to sing your ABC’s.”

“I can still love music and not want to spend every waking moment gearing up for a profession that’s destined to give me an ulcer.”

“I never got why you get so freaked out before a show.  You have a beautiful voice.”

“It’s not about that, it’s not fear of screwing up or sounding bad, it’s just… fear.”  I couldn’t explain it better than that
. 
Besides, the less attention I drew to myself the better. 

“I still think you’re crazy to walk away now after all the work you’ve put into it your whole life.”

“
Oh come on, what about you?  You’re not doing what
Mom and D
ad tried to railroad you into
,” I pointed out. 

“
That’s because I don’t have your gift.  It’s a crime for you to give this up
.”

“I don’t know, I haven’t really decided what to do yet.”  It was a cinch my parents would stop supporting me if I dropped out of college, and I wouldn’t really want them to.  That meant finding a job, which meant working nights.  At least I lived in a city that had that as an option, instead of living in a little
p
odunk town in the middle of nowhere that shut down at six p.m. every night. 

“
Is this because of a guy?
”  Her head tilted to one side as she regarded me from across the table, and I started to laugh.  If she only knew!  Just as quickly, my laughter turned to tears as I realized how quickly my organized life had upended.  All over a man
,
and
I had absolutely no clue to his identity. 

“You could say that, just not in the way you’re thinking.”  My problems were bigger than whether or not my Sire would ever show his face.  Part of me did wish he’d put in an appearance and carry me off for whatever life he had planned for us.  The reality was
-
I had to
figure it out for myself
.  “I have no idea what I’m doing or where I’m going,” I admitted.  “But there’s a very distinct possibility I might be going away for a while,” I sniffed.  My future was so
uncertain
,
I didn’t want her or my folks to worry if I disappeared suddenly. 

“Oh hey,
s
is… it’s okay.”  Hanna reached out to cover my hand with hers.  “
W
hatever you do, I’ll support you.
  If you need a place to crash, you can always come and stay with me
.”

“Thanks. 
I’ll be fine though
.
”
I smiled as I brushed away the tears.  Despite the offer, I would never put my
sister in that kind of danger
.  The less she knew about my new life, the better.  Unfortunately, someone else had a different idea on that score.

“Hello
,
ladies.”  Mason suddenly
appeared
,
looming larger than life and
helping himself to the seat between us.  “Nice to see you again, Anja
,
fancy meeting you here.”  From the silly grin on his face
,
I could tell it was definitely not a coincidence. 

“
Oh, um
… hi,
Mason
.
”
I gave him a tight smile, more than a little worried about the way Hanna perked up as soon as she saw him. 

“Who’s this?” she asked, her eyes sweeping over him boldly, just the same as he was doing to her.

“I’m Mason, glad to meet you
.  A
nd you are?”

“Hanna, Anja’s sister.”

“Imagine that
.
”
H
is grin grew wider.  “Well, it’s nice to meet you
,
Hanna, Anja’s sister.  I’m keeping an eye on our girl here
.
”
H
e winked at me.

“Why?”

“Y
ou know, after the attack
and all, making sure she’s safe.” 

Oh I could have killed him! 

“What
attack
?”  Hanna’s brows drew together into a single line as she looked to me for answers. 

“
Mason!
” I hissed, trying to get him to stop ogling my sister long enough to look at me.  All at once he seemed to clue in
to the fact that Hanna had no idea what he was talking about, and he backpedaled like crazy. 

“
Oh
,
I didn’t mean attack, attack
.
I meant
,
like ah, attack of the munchies.  I’m her sponsor for overeaters anonymous
,” he lied glibly,
and
Hanna laughed at him.

“
Are you insane?  Anja doesn’t have an eating disorder
.”

“
Mason, stop helping
,” I muttered
.
“Hanna, maybe we should…”

“
Sure she does.  That’s why she’s on an all liquid diet now
.
”
H
is eyes flashed playfully
, and I kicked him under the table, but he didn’t seem to notice.  “
Relax,
” Mason finally addressed me
.
“
I
t’s under control.  Isn’t it
,
Hanna?
”  His eyes swung back to catch hers and I could tell he had her under his sway.  “
It’s
all good
, Anja’s in no danger,
and you’ll forget what I said here tonight.  I
n fact, you’ll forget you ever saw me here with your sister, but you will think about me, especially at night…
”
H
is lips curved into a predatory smile and I kicked him under the table again.  Hard.

“Mason!” I hissed.  “Stop that!”

“
Ow!
” he scowled, reaching down to rub his leg.  “Spoilsport,” he muttered in disgust.  “
Sorry you have to be going
,
Hanna
.  It was nice to meet you.”

Hanna blinked as he released her, “R
ight
.
W
ell
,
it was nice to meet you, Mason
,
but I have to be going.  I’ll ah, I’ll catch up with you later, okay Anja?
”

“
I’ll call you,” I promised, lifting my cheek to be kissed as she picked up her coffee
.  Hanna
left with a last look over her shoulder to Mason
,
who waggled his fingers at her, a big smile on his face.

“
Do you mind?  I’d rather not have my sister’s memory shot full of holes like
S
wiss cheese
,” I begged as soon as she was out of earshot. 

“
Relax, I do this all the time.  She’s in no danger whatsoever, trust me.
”

I tried to take him at his word, she seemed to be no worse for wear and he’d said other things that
demanded
my attention.  “
Did you mean that?  About watching over me?
”