Secrets of the Night
Brenna's body felt achy and sore. She sat up in her bed and looked around. Sunlight was sweeping in through daisy curtains, and she could hear the patter of feet downstairs. Turning her head, she looked at the door and started to call out to Jason to come upstairs. Then she remembered: Jason was hurt, he wouldn't be there, there had been a battle in the backyard, and she had been thrown into the darknessĀ
Auberon had- she blushed.
"You are awake," William said from the door, he was back in his human form, but she still shied away from him instinctively. "I won't hurt you, you have my word."
Brenna nodded carefully and tried to sit up. Her head was throbbing viciously. "What happened?"
"The world changed last night, and you my dear were stuck in the center," he sighed as he sat down beside her. Her hand in his felt small and fragile as he pressed her wrist looking for a pulse.
"I dreamt of vampires, and you were a-" she frowned at him and even that movement of muscle hurt.
"You didn't dream it Dorothy Gale," he said making reference to Wizard of Oz.
"Auberon, -" she whispered his name, wondering if it could possibly have been real, and deciding she wouldn't mind if it had been.
"If we shadows have offended, think but this and all is mended. That we have but slumbered her while these visions did appear and this weak and idle theme no more yielding than a dream." Lily quoted from the door; "I was Puck in last years school pageant. Do you like Shakespeare?"
Brenna shook her head or tried, her brains wobbled around like grapes in juice.
"When you mentioned Oberon, I thought for sure-" Lily's voice trailed off. "Everyone's ok then, we were just waiting for you. There's a man downstairs from the FBI to see you."
"Evan went out this morning and poured Clorox over the grass it'll kill it, but there was a scientists' wet dream in evidence of things most of us would rather keep secret." William whispered to her confidentially. "You fell in the kitchen last night. That's what we've told them. You hit your head on the table- that much is true."
Brenna tried to sit up again, but the only thing that rose from her was a loud groan of pain. She wished that the man would come to her because going to him was no longer an option.
The thought had no sooner crossed her mind than she saw Evan and a stranger coming up the steps. Evan looked worried, almost scared, but he was holding onto himself trying to be a good man imitating William. Lily as always seemed like a butterfly too busy fluttering to notice the mundane things- but Brenna suspected that was an act.
"You look very bad off for a fall in the kitchen," the man who'd identified himself as Agent Coleman said stepping into her little girl room. He seemed to take it all in stone-faced.
"Telling a lady in her bedroom that she looks bad, very insensitive," Brenna said adopting a bit of a drawl.
He paused and gave her a no nonsense look. "I'm here for business, not to pay compliments."
"Yankee," Evan coughed the insult under his breath and when William thwacked his back he continued coughing but the rest were genuine.
Brenna hid her smile under the edge of her blanket. She carefully lowered it to rest smoothly above her breasts. The agent pulled over her little tea set seat, and sat down. He looked like a giant in the little girl chair. It was amusing.
"Brenna, I'm going downstairs to use the phone," William said discreetly and pulled Evan by the elbow down the stairs. Lily remained in the room tidying up and folding clothes.
"You went to the hospital yesterday." The agent said, taking a notebook from his pocket.
It wasn't a question- Brenna didn't respond she stared at him waiting for him to ask her something. He frowned slightly, apparently his questions sounded like statements. His eyes went to Lily who was busy doing maintenance.
"Could we have some privacy?" Agent Coleman asked.
"Heavens no, Papa says that just because Brenna's grandmother is dead doesn't mean she should be left at the mercy of a man in her bedchamber. I'm here to make sure you are a gentleman." Lily said and turned back over the vanity to do her work. Brenna caught her eye in the mirror and saw a very bright twinkle.
Agent Coleman's jaw tightened, Brenna predicted that he was likely getting the same treatment everywhere he went. The south was NOT the place for an inquisition. The good ol' boy mentality extended only to the locals. Brenna was close enough to the locals to count. Agent Coleman's investigations were going to be hindered right and left.
"I have some questions for you." He said darkly.
"Alright." Brenna smiled perhaps too cheerily.
"Why were you in the hospital air-vent last night?"
Lily paused and looked at her directly, her entire body still. Now Agent Coleman had a smile on his face, he seemed to be under the impression that he had gotten somewhere.
"Agent Coleman, I grew up in this town, and I've been climbing in pipes since I could walk. You can check the town record on that. As to why I was in those specific ducts, it was because I wanted to see my boyfriend, and someone said they weren't allowed to let me. I'm not one to make a fuss, so I discreetly tried an old method." Brenna said frankly. "Frankly, I find it disgusting that you are not allowing visitors in to see very hurt patients. I would never have called for medical attention if I thought Jason was going to die alone."
Agent Coleman jotted some notes, but he looked disappointed, he was hoping she would lie, or at least be caught off balance. His hopes and dreams shattered like a glass toy. He was quiet for a long time.
"Are we finished?" Brenna asked.
"Not until I say we are!" he snapped.
"Actually, you are my guest, and a poor one at that. Unless you intend to arrest me, I'm still allowed to ask you to leave." Brenna growled getting tired of his behavior. "Obviously you want me to be your fall guy, and frankly that's not going to happen because I haven't done anything wrong. And if you want to pursue it you are going to have to prove that I did something wrong."
Agent Coleman stood up sharply and snapped his book closed. "We'll see about that then."
"You are awake," William said from the door, he was back in his human form, but she still shied away from him instinctively. "I won't hurt you, you have my word."
Brenna nodded carefully and tried to sit up. Her head was throbbing viciously. "What happened?"
"The world changed last night, and you my dear were stuck in the center," he sighed as he sat down beside her. Her hand in his felt small and fragile as he pressed her wrist looking for a pulse.
"I dreamt of vampires, and you were a-" she frowned at him and even that movement of muscle hurt.
"You didn't dream it Dorothy Gale," he said making reference to Wizard of Oz.
"Auberon, -" she whispered his name, wondering if it could possibly have been real, and deciding she wouldn't mind if it had been.
"If we shadows have offended, think but this and all is mended. That we have but slumbered her while these visions did appear and this weak and idle theme no more yielding than a dream." Lily quoted from the door; "I was Puck in last years school pageant. Do you like Shakespeare?"
Brenna shook her head or tried, her brains wobbled around like grapes in juice.
"When you mentioned Oberon, I thought for sure-" Lily's voice trailed off. "Everyone's ok then, we were just waiting for you. There's a man downstairs from the FBI to see you."
"Evan went out this morning and poured Clorox over the grass it'll kill it, but there was a scientists' wet dream in evidence of things most of us would rather keep secret." William whispered to her confidentially. "You fell in the kitchen last night. That's what we've told them. You hit your head on the table- that much is true."
Brenna tried to sit up again, but the only thing that rose from her was a loud groan of pain. She wished that the man would come to her because going to him was no longer an option.
The thought had no sooner crossed her mind than she saw Evan and a stranger coming up the steps. Evan looked worried, almost scared, but he was holding onto himself trying to be a good man imitating William. Lily as always seemed like a butterfly too busy fluttering to notice the mundane things- but Brenna suspected that was an act.
"You look very bad off for a fall in the kitchen," the man who'd identified himself as Agent Coleman said stepping into her little girl room. He seemed to take it all in stone-faced.
"Telling a lady in her bedroom that she looks bad, very insensitive," Brenna said adopting a bit of a drawl.
He paused and gave her a no nonsense look. "I'm here for business, not to pay compliments."
"Yankee," Evan coughed the insult under his breath and when William thwacked his back he continued coughing but the rest were genuine.
Brenna hid her smile under the edge of her blanket. She carefully lowered it to rest smoothly above her breasts. The agent pulled over her little tea set seat, and sat down. He looked like a giant in the little girl chair. It was amusing.
"Brenna, I'm going downstairs to use the phone," William said discreetly and pulled Evan by the elbow down the stairs. Lily remained in the room tidying up and folding clothes.
"You went to the hospital yesterday." The agent said, taking a notebook from his pocket.
It wasn't a question- Brenna didn't respond she stared at him waiting for him to ask her something. He frowned slightly, apparently his questions sounded like statements. His eyes went to Lily who was busy doing maintenance.
"Could we have some privacy?" Agent Coleman asked.
"Heavens no, Papa says that just because Brenna's grandmother is dead doesn't mean she should be left at the mercy of a man in her bedchamber. I'm here to make sure you are a gentleman." Lily said and turned back over the vanity to do her work. Brenna caught her eye in the mirror and saw a very bright twinkle.
Agent Coleman's jaw tightened, Brenna predicted that he was likely getting the same treatment everywhere he went. The south was NOT the place for an inquisition. The good ol' boy mentality extended only to the locals. Brenna was close enough to the locals to count. Agent Coleman's investigations were going to be hindered right and left.
"I have some questions for you." He said darkly.
"Alright." Brenna smiled perhaps too cheerily.
"Why were you in the hospital air-vent last night?"
Lily paused and looked at her directly, her entire body still. Now Agent Coleman had a smile on his face, he seemed to be under the impression that he had gotten somewhere.
"Agent Coleman, I grew up in this town, and I've been climbing in pipes since I could walk. You can check the town record on that. As to why I was in those specific ducts, it was because I wanted to see my boyfriend, and someone said they weren't allowed to let me. I'm not one to make a fuss, so I discreetly tried an old method." Brenna said frankly. "Frankly, I find it disgusting that you are not allowing visitors in to see very hurt patients. I would never have called for medical attention if I thought Jason was going to die alone."
Agent Coleman jotted some notes, but he looked disappointed, he was hoping she would lie, or at least be caught off balance. His hopes and dreams shattered like a glass toy. He was quiet for a long time.
"Are we finished?" Brenna asked.
"Not until I say we are!" he snapped.
"Actually, you are my guest, and a poor one at that. Unless you intend to arrest me, I'm still allowed to ask you to leave." Brenna growled getting tired of his behavior. "Obviously you want me to be your fall guy, and frankly that's not going to happen because I haven't done anything wrong. And if you want to pursue it you are going to have to prove that I did something wrong."
Agent Coleman stood up sharply and snapped his book closed. "We'll see about that then."