The Order

                                                                                                                                      1

  One thing I'm guessing no one ever really gets is how to be honest. It's sad really, considering it would just make everything that much easier. Life is like that through and through. This is one thing no one ever tells you growing up. From kindergarten up, everyone will judge you, tell on you, lie to you, and hurt you, and so on. From the day you are introduced to society and told to be social and make new friends or such, till the day you retire or die, (whichever comes first). You just need to be successful, even if it means lying. Personally I believe in being up front and honest with everything and everybody. Maybe it's the reasoning for my not having many friends. Maybe it's why the little family I have left hardly talks to me. Whatever the case may be, I honestly don't mind.
  That all being said, today was definitely a first for me, but really I didn't exactly have a choice. It may have been much easier if she wasn't so inviting or intriguing. Hair black as the darkest part of the night with amber peek-a-boos flowing just past her chest, her amber highlights extenuated her jade green eyes, and those cheek bones so prominent, although not enough to distract from plump rose-red lips, all placed on to the most beautiful and flawless olive skin I've seen for about a century. It was intimidating just to look at her, much less talk to her...much less lie to her.
  "October, I'm assuming?" I asked, even though it was blatantly obvious, seeing as she's the only new face I see in the lobby. "I'm Lucretia, your guide for the day. And possible guard from the dogs"
  She smiled "Dogs?” 
  "Yeah, that's my horrible attempt at trying to break the ice and be funny at the same time. I meant the aging and hormonal men who will bark and sniff your way non-stop. “I giggled nervously. Why am I giggling? I don't giggle, I hardly smile.
  "Not bad, honest. Lucretia? That's an interesting but beautiful name you have. As long as it's not the shorter version of your actual name." She smiled when she said it, but I was not sure how to take it. There a was a short pause, and then she added, "That was my horrible attempt at doing the same."
  I gave a grin and offered for her to follow me. Why is this happening to me? Why the hell am I so nervous, why don't I have it all together? What is going on?
  Mrs. Broche put October in all my appointments for the next two days, which made my day a whole lot easier with showing her around. We had finished our first half of the day, and said possibly three whole sentences to each other, (excluding introductions of course). Finally it was lunch, I don't eat often at lunch, but I do get to breathe fresh air and sit amongst the only real excuse for friends I do have.
  I tried escorting October outside to where i usually sit, not only did she hesitate but she almost ran -it seemed- in the other direction.
  "I'm very sensitive to the sun. I'll just hang out in the lounge and we'll meet back in your office?" She was making a statement, but it seemed more like a child asking to stay up a little longer.
  "Sounds good." I reassured her. Some reason it felt necessary.
  In order to get where I sit you have to walk passed gross old men whistling and making kissing noises "mail men" we call them, (guess what their job is). Then walk pass the loud obnoxious squaking hens and the cloud of cigarette smoke that hangs over them. I wouldn't want to come out here either, sensitive skin or not. Bright side, and the light at the end of the tunnel I suppose, is the only people I seem to get along with. Or is it put up with?
  "Rough day Luke?" Jermih so considerately asked. Jermih is a milano male and a very pretty one. From his straight lined hair and perfect smile to his manicured nails. He's always sharply dressed if it’s not name brand it's not worth it, even if it chafes with the 9mm he carries on his belt at all times. Not like he needs it. Jermih sits at about six foot two and not exactly skinny, he's trained in various types of mixed martial arts, and is built "ford tough" he says.
  "Not too bad Jer bear. Just a little tutoring I guess." Me and Jermih came up with these nick names long ago, yes they're stupid but for us they work. It's more of an inside joke, because he's more a teddy bear than scary to me, and its visa-versa to him. "Did you see the girl I'm training?"
  "How could anyone not see her?" Brian exclaimed winking at me and botching a high-five with Shury. At this time she is puffing a cigarette and rolling her eyes at her little brother. Brian is a horny but harmless fellow who has the "Frat-boy" attitude I call it. Swears no one is good enough for him but will sleep with them anyway. He could even pass for a frat-boy. He's not short (taller than me) and athletic, blonde perfect hair, blue eyes. You'd know the cliché. "I almost fell right on my ass when I saw her. You get to train that creature?"
  "She's not an animal Brian! She's a person and you probably wouldn’t know what to do with her if she tried to have an intellectual conversation, much less if she was naked. So don't even contemplate it." I growled. What was with me today? I lose my tongue around my trainee, and now I'm standing up for someone I know nothing about. What if she was a slut and digged guys like Brian? I don't know, so why should I be offended for her?
  "I don't think he could contemplate wiping his own ass, hun. I'm pretty sure she's safe." Shury mocked. Brian’s older sister was the girl’s girl and the guy’s girl all in one. Very conservative, but gorgeous. Curly auburn hair, golden eyes and always wearing a pants suit with little to no makeup. I don't know what she did but it worked. "I have yet to see her but I'm sure I will at some point. If she's nice and you know not bratty, you should ask her to come out tonight." Got to love Shury. Leave it to her with trying to be nice and coming out caddy.
  "I hear she's new to the area, that'd be a nice gesture." Jermih reinforced. See teddy bear, but still not a guy you'd want to run into in an alley.
  "We'll see. I don't even know if-"
  "You're not bailing again Lucretia! When was the last time you came out?!?! I cannot be the designated girl tonight. Do not make me pull a massive guilt trip about me only being able to hang out with my nasty brother and my co-worker slash portable wall! No offense Jer." Not only did she interrupt me mid-sentence, but she yelled and made me feel bad about it. She's very good at being a woman no doubt; in fact she often reminds me how to be one.
  "I'll give you all an hour, but then I'm going home and going to sleep like a good non-nocturnal animal." I mocked, sometimes I'm good at it and sometimes I'm not. This time I'm sure I nailed it.
  Working at a welfare office is not that boring at first and then you get into a sort of groove and it just drags on. After lunch I still had two hours until my next appointment. This gives me time to catch up on paperwork and reflect on certain case's files, make calls, check next appointment times, or re-applying clients. Today is different I needed to do all this plus teach someone else how to as well. Not that boring.
  "No call or show for two weeks after missed appointment and I need to call, but a reminder call two weeks before their next appointment? Pending status doesn't get calls but they can call in and revoked status can set appointments but not call? Um, is it normal to get a headache on the first day?" She laughed. "I swear I'm not slow I'm just confused."
  "You're lucky. I didn’t even catch that much in my first week let alone the first day. We can slow down if you'd like, we're actually a bit ahead of schedule anyway." I didn't realize what I had said until I played it back in my head. "I didn't mean how it sounded."
  Laughing she said "It's alright, I know what you meant. I would actually appreciate that; we could get to know each other a little to pass the time and my headache."
  Me? Me is not a topic I talk about.
  "I do have to apologize for not joining you for lunch. It was rather rude and I do feel terribly bad about it." She started to explain.
  "Oh no worries really. I just didn't know. The funny thing is almost everyone I know is the same way. In fact none of them have jobs in the day because of it." It was true, aside from the guys at work. Almost all my neighbors and everyone in my family besides me is very sensitive to the sun light. Weird right? Not really, but.....wait "So where are you from?" There's no way it could be what I'm thinking.
  "Heh, nowhere really, and everywhere. Make sense? I'm like the wind that changes with the seasons."
  Beautiful I thought to myself. "Well there is a jealous person in this room. Wish I had the option to do something like that. Most recently where did you come from?" I'm still curious, because it is a one in a million chance that I would stumble upon something that isn't even "supposed to" exist anymore.
  "Texas, Livingston Texas. I was there for all of seven months and I could stand it no longer. If it wasn't the humidity constantly annoying me it was the people. Hicks to a T. Nothing better to do there but be drunk and have babies." She wasa adamant, so she must have been telling the truth.
  "Have you ever been out of the US?" Am I seriously interrogating this girl?
  "How about you Lucretia? Are you from Portland Oregon? And what are some night spots?" She switched the subject so politely.
  Was she on to me? "I am, and actually a few of us are going out tonight if you'd like to join." I encouraged. It was a lie, no I am not from here anyone who looked at me could tell I'm not. I'm not exactly the whitest person around. In fact I usually receive comments like "When did you go on vacation?" or "Where did you go?" Apparently being brown and in Oregon raises eyebrows. Who knew?
  "I'd love to; honestly I'd be very appreciative. It's been so long since I've been in a city, and I need to get back into the 'mentality' of it all I guess. Small towns aren't my thing stuff happens and people know about it and start pointing fingers. In a city stuff happens and no one knows about it. Strangely I'm more comfortable that way." It was like she was reading thoughts from a younger me. That's the feeling I've had my whole life, which believe me is a long time.
  "Well I'll give you the address and a time and we'll meet up. I'll have a few friends with me, I hope you don't mind.  But if you want night life these guys know what's up." Not too bad Lucretia keep it up. I couldn't help but reassuring myself, I suck at lying and I know it. I am just begging to believe that she's buying this facade I'm trying to put on.














                                                                                      2

  It was five o'clock, so now we're off the clock. I had to meet everyone at Lotus a club downtown at nine. This means I have to dress for it, but I usually go in what I wore to work that same day. Tonight I needed to keep up this thing I had going with October, even if I was unclear of what that might be. I have four hours to put an actual outfit together, take a shower, put on my face, and put my hair up. Not bad right? Plenty of time right? Wrong, I'm still a female and tonight I was acting like I had a date with a prince of some sort. I tried on seven different outfits in countless combinations only to settle on the first one i tried.
  My phone started ringing in the middle of all the madness, and the ringtone that played was "La Cucaracha". That is only one person, my neighbor Reff, which is actually short for something I cannot pronounce. Reff is like me in some ways but completely different all the way around. He's immortal as I am too, but we are different types of immortals. He is a Vampyre I am not. Why is he calling? Is it what I thought?
  "Reff?"
  "Open your door." Silence fell immediately after he spoke.
  Something is wrong; he doesn't call to come in. I understand he can't barge in, he can't even step foot into my domain or my place of stay or anything unless I invite him in. But why call? Why would he need to barge in?
  "Come in. What's go-"
  "Anything interesting happen today?" Second time in one day that I've been interrupted, better not developed into a pattern. "What am I saying? Obviously something did, look at you! What are you wearing? Where are you going?" He seemed almost as nervous as I had been all day. Except a little more scared than anything else. Reff being scared wouldn't worry me if he wasn't so in control of everything all the time. People went to him if they were scared, not the other way around. Reff is a hit man has been for quite a long time now; it's his "born again human" job. The job fits him truly, he is the epitome of a hit man the size of a boat without being so bulky and yes he's Italian but not greasy looking. A few centuries of being a marksman puts a nice chunk of change in your pocket, so he takes care of himself. Granted we do live in north Portland, but that's just to stay low key.
  "It's a good thing you're already dead Reff or you'd keel over with a heart attack. You're not helping me, really." I had explained to him how the day was in detail. He just sat there and obnoxiously nodded his head like he knew what I was going to tell him already. Which he probably did, just because we have to play human in day doesn't mean we need to with each other.
  "Well I have a feeling that we are on to something here. And I also think you need to change and I am going with you." Not good thing if Reff is agreeing with me, that means I'm probably right.
  "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"
  He just looked at me sideways. He was right it was too much and the others would catch on and probably smell something fishy. Which is not what we need right now.
  Reff went home to get ready and I just changed back into my work clothes. We talked the remainder of the time about October. Our thoughts and assumptions is she's a Vamp gone rogue, or she's and Orphan. We were hoping for the second option. It's virtually the same thing with the exception of one major detail. Rogue vamps are out of order because they choose to be and must suffer the consequences. An Orphan doesn't know any better, meaning the person who changed them didn't mean to, regretted it and left, or had died before the change was complete.
  My immortality is based on my status, I am a Watcher. This job doesn't pay and is rather complicated. A Watcher has all the powers of a Vamp without the negatives. Not to be confused with a Slayer who is human and kills any Vampyre whenever where ever, to them it doesn't matter the status. Slayers, Rogues, and Faeries are what I kill, but not for no reason, it's for The Order. Slayers are humans who kill to humiliate. They are the ones that are pissed because they know humans aren't the top of the food chain but they went off track. Slayers originally hunted Faeries, Vamps with wings and ten times stronger, smarter, and faster. Some Faeries actually made a huge mess a while back and started a war between all three. After almost a millennia of fighting and hunting, Faeries disappeared, just died, fell extinct. Slayers didn't see it like that, they believe all Vamps are the same which is not the case. Rogues don't agree with The Order, and they are not afraid to show it. Some travel in packs or gangs, and others go about on their own thinking they're the badest mother around. Most rogues are just chump punks, but every now and then we come across one or two not to be messed with. But at the same time messing with The Order is a no go with me.
  The Order is simple set of rules set forth about five centuries before the war. Rules that imply that humans are favored. Which they are, because they are a food source. The main food source. The Order and I enforce that no one can go on feeding frenzies, hunt in town, eat/change children, leave bodies in open areas, change more than seven people, and so on. Just simple things so Vamps don't run out of food, everyone gets along, and chaos isn't running everywhere you turn your head. It's a selfish and selfless judicial system and I am Sherriff.
  Now that it's pretty much a sure thing October's not human, I have to figure out why it was I felt the need to lie to this gorgeous being. And I could tell Reff was just as nervous -maybe anxious- as I am that this was not going to be an easy task.