When I walk into the apartment, there's no sign of Rachel. I'm glad, because I don't want to have to explain where I've been, and I'm getting tired of lying.
I plop down onto the couch, put my hands to my face, and moan. I'm beyond frustrated. I wish time would just stop for a few years while I sort out everything. But the gears just keep turning, and I have to keep up somehow.
"Too bad Michael couldn't join us," Vivi says.
We're walking down the dusty streets, the sun high, but in a way it seems just minutes from setting.
"I know it isn't any of my business," Sin says. "But is something going on between you two? I was sparring with him earlier today and he was … off. Like he couldn't focus and was easily frustrated. That's not like him." Even on Saturday, Michael practices his defensive maneuvers, and Sin has obviously become his favorite partner. The best two in the class, steel sharpening steel.
"We're just disagreeing on some things lately," I say, simply to get them off my back. I had called Michael to see if he wanted to go with us, but he spit out an excuse in a frosty voice that chilled me.
"I hope the little wall-walking trip didn't make things worse," Sin says.
Yeah, it did, in a lot of ways. But it'll just annoy Vivi if I find fault with Sin. Besides, Michael is the one who is being difficult.
"We'll be fine," I assure him. "We're both just super-busy."
We turn a corner and then zigzag through an alleyway. In this city, sometimes it's difficult to tell what's a street and what's a shortcut through two buildings. If I'm not familiar with the area, I can get lost easily. Even though Vivi's leading the way, Sin's completely comfortable, and I'm impressed with how quickly he's mastered his new location.
Eventually we reach our destination.
"Ted is the best junker in town," Vivi says. "If it's broken, he can fix it."
The broken item in question is Vivi's cell phone. She dropped it two days ago and it shattered, completely busted. She was almost in tears when Sin offered to pay to have it fixed. Not exactly a cheap thing to do.
We walk into Ted's shop. It's huge, but he has so much worthless junk piled from floor to ceiling, you have the feeling of being caught in a garbage tornado.
Scavengers bring this stuff in from all over the city. Maybe they found an old building with a prewar basement: The broken TV is worthless, but bring it to Ted and he'll buy it from you, then strip it for parts. Same for that half-destroyed microwave and melted laptop. Useless by themselves, but once a good junker gets his hands on them, he can pull the usable bits out and throw the rest away. Like Vivi's cell phone. The body from an old prewar phone, but the electronics inside are from three or four different devices. Wires from a VCR, circuitry from a heart-rate monitor, antenna from an old remote-control car. It's amazing what Ted can do with a little patience and know-how. And a lot of money from his customers.
"Hey, Ted!" Vivi says, approaching the old man. The guy seems to be caked in a permanent layer of dust. He's wearing a headband fitted with multiple magnifying pieces. I know they're to help with his delicate work, but it looks as if he's always prepared for an optometrist's exam. His clothes, like the things he creates, are a hodgepodge of different fabrics, styles, and maybe even centuries.
"You remember me, don't you?" she asks.
"No."
I doubt he remembers anyone. He lives in a world of machines, not people.
Vivi tries to sweet-talk him, butter him up, but stops halfway through the attempt and just hands him her phone. "Kids these days!" Ted says. "Don't take care of nothin'! I break my back finding the right keypad for this thing, and you go and bust it!" Machines, Ted remembers. People, not so much.
"It wasn't on purpose."
"Ahhh, humbug!"
He takes her phone and cracks it open. After muttering to himself for a minute, he turns to a mammoth-sized cabinet behind him with dozens of drawers of different sizes. He goes through them, opening one and then another, closing them with renewed frustration every time.
"Can't find anything in this place!" he shouts.
"Maybe if you kept it a little cleaner," Sin suggests.
"Ahhh, what do you know, young'un?"
Sin laughs.
Eventually, the junker finds what he's looking for and begins outfitting Vivi's phone.
"How much is this going to cost?" she asks.
"How do I know? It ain't fixed yet!"
Ted's the best in the city. He's also the crankiest. And priciest.
I wander through the makeshift aisles of the shop. Here is the closest I can get to the past. I run my hands across the mountains of old things: TVs and computers and phones and car engines. All the stuff that made the world turn. Now they're only good for parts, used to create Frankenstein monsters of technology. A gold pocket watch catches my attention. As I pick it up, I think it would make a nice gift for Victor. I immediately drop it.
"Careful over there!" Ted shouts.
I wave him off. What's wrong with me? Why does Victor keep popping into my thoughts?
By the time I return to the counter, Vivi's phone is repaired and she jumps for joy. Until Ted names his price. Vivi almost has a heart attack, but Sin just puts his hand on her shoulder. He pulls out a thick wad of money. Both Vivi's and my jaws drop. I've never seen someone with that much cash. Even cynical Ted isn't beyond being impressed as he licks his lips at the imminent payday. Here's a tip for your trouble," Sin says, giving him extra.
"Yes, sir. Anytime, sir. You, too, little lady."
As we walk out, Vivi looks up at Sin as though he's a god.
I don't know why I'm so bothered by that wad of cash. The rarity of it is unsettling.
"What does your dad do?" I ask.
"He's involved with the Night Watchmen. I can't say anything beyond that." He winks at me. "You know how it is."
"Yeah, I—" I stop, the words backing up painfully in my throat. The sun has almost finished its descent, and there, in the distant shadows, is a guy in a hoodie. It could be anyone, really, and I tell myself to relax.
But then that blackened hood turns my way and I can feel his gaze. All I can see is the pale flesh of his chin and his lips, which curl into a smile.
"What is it?" Vivi asks.
"That's him. The guy I saw at school, the one who followed me down the halls."
"Sin, he was hassling Dawn," Vivi says. "Do something."
"No—" I begin.
"I'm on it," Sin says, and I hear in his voice that he's going into protection mode. "Hey, you!" he shouts, and starts walking toward Hoodie.
Hoodie waits for just a heartbeat, and I can feel his gaze still focused on me. But when Sin gets too close, he turns and runs.
"No, Sin, let him go!" I yell, but it's too late. He's already taken off after him and rounded the corner. Okay, if my stalker was just some kid sent by Lila as a prank, then why would he be here? That's taking it a bit too far. So maybe he isn't some kid. Maybe my first instinct was right: He's a vampire.
Vivi, as if reading my thoughts, pulls her stake from her backpack and grips it tightly. I realize I'm holding mine as well. I don't even remember taking it from my boot.
"That guy's creepy," Vivi says. "I couldn't see him clearly, but he was giving off weird vibes."
"I wish Sin hadn't gone after him."
"He'll be fine. He's really tough. I can't tell you how safe I feel with him."
"So you really like him, huh?"
She shrugs. "Yeah, I do. It's a little strange just being with one guy, but since I met him, I'm not looking for anyone else. What about you?"
"What about me what?"
"What's going on with you and Michael? Seriously. When I met up with Sin and asked Michael if he was coming, his expression was so cold when I mentioned you that it was giving me chills."
"He thinks I don't have faith in him. And I was annoyed at him for dragging me out beyond the wall. But maybe it's more than that." I give her an earnest look. "You have to promise not to tell anyone."
"Cross my heart. Now spill."
"I've sorta been spending some time with Victor."
"The Night Watchman? Whoa! That's kinda major. So, Michael found out?"
"No, I just… I'm confused. I think I'm starting to like Victor."
"What's not to like?"
Why did I start this conversation? I can't tell her everything.
"I don't know. Victor and I … we're not right for each other"—vamp and human—when has that ever worked out?—"but he just always seems to be there when I need someone. And Michael often … isn't. But I know Michael's better for me." Human, human. No species conflict. No lifestyle conflict. No diet conflict.
"Victor is sexy, so I can't blame you for having an interest in him. But then, so is Michael. Tough call. On the other hand, in some ways, Victor reminds me of Sin. They both project this don't-mess-with-me attitude, which is an additional hotness factor."
"Michael does, too," I say, feeling a need to defend him.
"Yeah, but it's not as … intense. Sin is just… God, okay, I admit it. I'm nuts about him. And it's not just because he's gorgeous and rich and tough. He listens to me. He makes my heart speed up just by looking at me. And he's an amazing kisser. Complete package." And the package is walking back toward us, brushing his hair out of his eyes, only to have it fall back into place.
"The dude was fast. I couldn't catch up with him."
"Were you able to get a good look at him?" I ask.
"No. Sorry. But now I know to keep an eye out for him."
"Thanks."
"Not a problem." He slips his arm around Vivi and she melts against his side. "Let's head to the Daylight Grill."
"I'm not in the mood to be a third wheel," I tell them. "I'm going home."
"We'll go with you that far," Vivi says.
As we start to walk away, I glance over my shoulder. Hoodie's long gone, but I have to wonder why he was following me at all.