The Practice

Mara lowered her head and pretended to sip soda through a straw. Alex kept his back to the cash register. He was frozen stiff, just like Skyla. Charlotte's eyes swept from Skyla's face down to her toes and slowly rose up again. A smile spread across the caped woman's face. Blood-colored lips pulled back to flash a perfect pair of pointy, sparkling fangs. A jewel glittered on each one. Charlotte cocked her head and fingered an ornate locket that hung around her neck. She began sliding it back and forth on its chain, sending the scent of roses wafting into the air.

"Good evening," Charlotte said. "Ahhh, James, this must be your Skyla, finally coming home to you."

"Yes. Well, we will see." James looked around at the others. "Steve has not returned as of yet. I assume you are looking for him."

Skyla noticed that Charlotte winked. "Well, aren't you the rudest little thing, James. Aren't you going to introduce me properly?"

"My apologies," James said and offered a slight bow. "Madame Charlotte, this is Skyla Jane Judge. Skyla, this is Madame Charlotte Savoie of Madame Charlotte's Book Boutique."

Skyla took a deep breath and nodded a greeting. Charlotte chuckled. It was a deep-throated sound that resembled a growl. Skyla started to shiver.

"You must come in to pick up some history books, my dear. You will find lots of them to be very familiar to you. Also, my little shop is right next door to the Dark Salon. You will surely need to visit there for a fitting. I assume you will want those retractable fangs that Mara so loves. Or, perhaps if Steve is so inclined, you will be growing your own set." Charlotte shot a glance toward James but continued without missing a beat. "Whatever happens, you simply must visit me."

Charlotte stretched out her arm and reached a long white finger under Skyla's chin, lifting Skyla's face up so that their eyes met. For Skyla, there was an immediate reaction. The pain traveled like lighting bolts from Charlotte's eyes through Skyla's, into her head, down her throat, and into her belly. It was an unbearable violation, and Skyla imagined the intruder to be fishing around her skull with an ice pick. She grew as cold as if her body had been immersed in a bucket of ice. Skyla's back began to arch under the strain. She was slipping from her perch, but James grabbed hold of Skyla and spun her away so that she was no longer looking into Charlotte's eyes. Charlotte shifted her focus to James and smiled.

"Charlotte, she doesn't know not to look into your eyes. It isn't fair to torture her," James said.

Alex's mouth opened to agree, but no voice came to his aid. Mara continued to study her glass.

"Well, I just came by to check if you had a plan to go look for Steve. It seems I am out of stock, and Lydia and Sylvia must have their blood. I never wait until the last minute, but Steve is now so late. He must return from Assumption Parish soon. They will begin harvesting the sugar cane early this year. The farmers are preparing for late September, I hear. That doesn't leave enough time for cleanup before the seasonal workers move in. In all our years, Steve has never taken this long." Charlotte paced as she spoke.

"Yes, well, Peter will go out looking for him," James said. "He leaves in a few hours."

"On his own? I could send someone along. Perhaps my Lydia could be an escort?" Charlotte raised her eyebrows. She knew Peter's preference. "Or maybe he would prefer to give Sylvia a try? I just overheard the girls complaining that Peter had not visited the boutique in a few days. I am sure either one would love to accompany him. Why don't you go ask one of them?"

"No. It is fine," James said. "It is all settled. Lucy is going. She and Peter are resting in the den." He nodded.

Charlotte nodded back. She retreated out the door, cape first. Skyla heard the flap of the thick material as Charlotte disappeared into the night. Skyla inhaled deeply. It was her first full breath since Charlotte had entered.

"Who was that? Why is she so evil?" Skyla asked.

James shook his head. "She isn't evil. She is immortal and very old. She and Steve own a house together on Toulouse Street, a few blocks off of Bourbon. It is actually quite beautiful. Lydia and Sylvia are the girls who work for her at the boutique during the day. They will be made immortal soon, but she needs to replace them first. The girls also help with the vampire tours. Madame Charlotte owns a company that does vampire tours at night. That is why she is dressed so formally. The tourists love it. They meet at the boutique and she scares them to kick off the show. Then, Lydia or Sylvia does the tour. You simply have to do it one time. It is lots of fun. In fact, we will also do one of the evening ghost tours. Did you know that New Orleans is considered the most haunted city in the United States? We will visit Steve and Charlotte's house soon after you have been made into your true self." James was growing excited. "Also, you must remember that while you are in New Orleans, you shouldn't look into anyone's eyes. It is truly important that you don't forget that."

"And keep your mind blocked," Alex said. "Do not open up to others. It is fine to let your guard down in here, around us. We are your family. Others will try to harm you if they think you are a threat." He put a possessive arm around Skyla.

James aimed his eyes at Alex, but Alex looked away. James held his place, but his fingers twitched and his body grew rigid.

Skyla closed her eyes and held her head with both hands. There was something else going on here. Some kind of messages had been passed between Charlotte and James. Skyla had not been able to hear them, but she knew. It was the same way she had always just known things when she was younger. She felt it in her bones. Skyla's senses were heightened from the meditation. She could still feel the white glow from the candles surrounding her. She knew something was off. Something did not make sense in the conversation that had taken place between James and Madame Charlotte. Words had been left out.

"I think I want to go back to the hotel and lie down for a while," Skyla said. "Alex, can we please go now? I feel as if I haven't slept in weeks."

James leveled a glare at Alex but remained silent. Alex blinked and shifted his eyes between Skyla and James.

"What is it?" Skyla asked.

"It's just that, with Peter and Lucy gone to find Steve, the den will be vulnerable during the day. There will only be Mara left in the bar. At night, if James or Mara goes to ... find nourishment, someone will always be left alone. It might be necessary for us to stay here for just a few days." Alex stopped to look at Skyla's eyes. "We can talk about it later."

"We would stay at the den while your sister goes off to find ... to track down this Steve?" Skyla looked to James and Mara. She took a breath. "I don't know if any of you have realized, but there isn't exactly a yellow-brick road leading in or out of this place. Did you ever think that maybe Steve did not want to come back to you? Maybe he was going about his business and decided, on the spur of the moment, to leave you. Maybe he has gone on an errand that doesn't even concern you. Maybe you all mean nothing to him now!"

"Enough, Skyla!" Alex snapped. "I said we will talk about it later."

Mara let out a sob. Alex went to her and rubbed circles on her back. She leaned in and buried her face in his chest.

A sigh escaped from James. Someone would need to explain to Skyla that this was her home now. She was going to stay here in the den. Humans could be so frustrating. He did not know how Steve had such limitless patience. He considered grabbing Skyla and biting her before anyone could react. Steve would not want that. James would have to wait.

Once Steve makes Skyla immortal, then I can take her to find a home nearby-out of this den. We would not need to have such an exquisite home like Steve and Charlotte's. Surely we could be happy in an apartment in the Quarter. We would still work the bar for Steve at night, but it will be Peter's turn to deal with and protect the others.

James had been exploring different scenarios for the past few days.

Brooke's flight was scheduled to arrive in Atlanta at 6 p.m. It had been delayed, and the connecting flight took off before her plane had even landed. She squirmed in the hard, scratchy airport chair, trying to get comfortable. On one side a man typed angrily on a computer. On her other side a woman whispered into a cell phone. Brooke put her head in her hands and closed her eyes tightly. She silently prayed that it would turn out to be a good trip.

It had certainly been a rash decision to fly down to New Orleans. Skyla didn't even know she was coming. What if Skyla had left early? What if Skyla's cell phone was dead? She didn't even know the name of the hotel where Skyla and Alex were staying. She shook her head, pulling at her hair. The only thing Brooke knew for sure was that Skyla and Alex had been hanging out at a bar that Skyla called "Steve's Place." Skyla said Steve's Place was strange. If Skyla couldn't deal with it, well, what made Brooke think this was a good idea? She wasn't Skyla. Skyla would get away with something like this, but it could never work out for Brooke.

Brooke fished her cell out of her jacket pocket and decided it was time to call Skyla. It would be a surprise now. She didn't have to wait for a face-to-face meeting. She let the phone ring until it went to voice mail. She called again, but Skyla still didn't pick up.

No problem. Skyla just missed the call. Probably, Skyla was trying to dig the cell out of her bag and couldn't get to it quickly enough. It's fine. Everything will be fine.

Brooke waited a moment for Skyla to call right back. She watched the time on her cell change. She would try to wait two minutes. Brooke was about to call Skyla again when a sharp-pitched voice announced that the flight was boarding.

Brooke slipped her cell back into her pocket and stood up. She looked at the gate. She saw all the passengers crowding and shoving their way toward the stern-looking ticket collector behind the elastic-roped entryway. Brooke felt her cell in her pocket. She hoped it was about to vibrate.

Any moment. Any moment now Skyla will be calling me back.

Brooke really wanted to speak with Skyla before she got on that plane. She stood frozen in her spot as the other passengers were herded through. Brooke had a really bad feeling all of a sudden, the kind of feeling that Skyla called "the shivers." Brooke looked down and noticed goose flesh covering her arms. She could not make herself move forward. She could not get in line. She would not get on that plane.

Skyla bit her lower lip and held her breath. She fought the tears that were about to fall. She swallowed hard.

Alex came out from behind the bar. There was a synchronized nodding goodbye among Alex, James, and Mara. Then Skyla and Alex walked out into the night.

It felt good to walk out of Steve's Place. It was as if little strings were being stretched and snapped free. Skyla experienced a whoosh of clarity-she came back to herself.

Finally there was a taste of fall in the wind. The night wasn't cool, but there was the promise of cool air to come. They had reached the other side of summer.

"Well, I certainly still have a strong reaction to James, don't I?" Skyla said.

"Yes, because of what he is," Alex said. "Don't forget that. It isn't personal. It isn't some electrical connection that you have to him. You fear him because he is to be feared."

Skyla smiled, but she didn't know if she did really fear James anymore. She would have to consider it further, but there was one glaring question that had to be answered first.

"Was he the one in New York? Did you both lie to me?"

Alex didn't answer. He closed his eyes and wished that he had never come back to this place. He shook his head. It was wasted energy to look back like this. The truth: Once Alex had seen Skyla, he could not give her up. He could not hand her over. Another truth: James would have gotten Skyla here one way or another.

"Alex? Please tell me. Was he the one who walked into the cafe that night I met you? It felt like him. It was the same kind of energy. It was the same kind of energy that Charlotte had, too. Only, with Charlotte it was much stronger."

"Yes. It was James in the cafe. He saw you twice in New York. Twice I intercepted, because I didn't want him to introduce you to our world. Steve allowed me to leave the bar because I asked for the mission: Bring Skyla home. He trusted me to bring you back, but then I took too long. I had been watching you for months. I visited you on your college campus, from a distance. Then I moved to New York to wait for you. I really liked it in New York, and I wanted to stay. I wanted to stay and continue ... watching you."

They had wandered over to a bench, and Alex pulled her down next to him. He continued his explanation, and she studied her fingernails. "You looked so pretty reading your book every day in the coffee shop. A few times I ate at the Italian restaurant, but I made sure you never waited on me. I didn't want you to meet me, because I was stalling. I was trying to think of a way out. There is no escaping the pull of the den, though.

"I really had wanted to stay in New York with you. I just took too long to figure out a solution. Then I missed Mara's birthday and James got anxious. He knew something was wrong. It was inconvenient for James to go on this mission. You see, he must stay covered up during the day, and he can only travel at night.

"Steve and James agreed-it was time. James was sent after us. I knew that one way or the other he would get you back to Steve's Place. I didn't want you to have your life taken away like that. I figured that if you must know the French Quarter, then I would show it to you. I would inform you in a way that James would never do it." Alex did not add what he now knew to be true: James would never let Skyla go. She would never be able to leave this place.

"So then was it your idea to take the trip to New Orleans? I thought it was mine, but really it was yours."

"I guess ... I planted the idea. I wouldn't have forced you, though. It was just a subtle flirtatious suggestion." He tried to lighten the mood as he brushed her hair out of her face. "I wouldn't have let James drag you here, Sky, if you didn't want to come. I was trying to find a way to fight him."

"Oh. Thanks, I guess," said Skyla.

"You see, Skyla? I was able to go up North because I told Steve I would get you. I would get you for James. But once I saw you, I just couldn't imagine you with him. I couldn't imagine you with anyone but me. So I just left you alone."

"Get me? I can't just be given away, you know! I make my own decisions in this life. I am not yours or Steve's or James'!"

"Skyla, calm down. There are people around."

"Calm down? You just told me I was stalked, kidnapped, and dragged to this wretched city because the infamous Steve said it was okay!" Skyla jumped up from the bench and started to walk away. She noticed a few stragglers watching her and she turned back around. She did a loop around the bench and came to stand in front of Alex with her hands on her hips. "How dare you do this to me?" Skyla growled at Alex.

"Skyla, I think you are being overly dramatic. I mean, you weren't exactly happy in New York. You weren't content at college either. You are searching just like the rest of us." Alex stood up and tried to escort Skyla back to the bench.

"Don't touch me! Don't pretend like you know me. Just because you watched me sit in a cafe doesn't mean ..." Skyla began to walk away again. Alex grabbed her wrist. "It doesn't mean that I wasn't happy! You scared me! The psychic saw you. She warned me about you. I think you are the dangerous one. James is nothing to me. But you ..." Skyla pulled her wrist away and hugged herself. "You pretended to care for me. You pretended you wanted me-now. In this life!"

"Skyla! You are being unreasonable! You need to relax!"

That did it. Skyla turned on her heel and with a "Ha!" she headed back to the hotel to pack her bags. She had to get out of this city now.

Alex followed behind. He went to reach out for her and then thought better of it. "Skyla, please." He called after her.

"Alex, I have to get out of here. Please let me go. I have had enough. I am not who you think I am. I just want to go home."

"Where is home, Skyla?"

Skyla turned to face Alex. She looked him in the eye. For a brief moment, she wished he would reach out and hold her. She longed to breathe in his scent and bury her head in his chest. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I am going to pack and head back to New York. Please stop following me, Alex," Skyla cried.

People were stopping on the street to stare at Alex. He ran a hand through his hair and turned to go back to the bench.

Skyla watched him for a moment. Then she turned and walked away. She did not look back.