Gabriela sat down at the wobbly kitchen table, her fingernail absently picking at the chipped edge. Classic honey oak stain, in the familiar rectangle, she would bet it even wobbled like the one in her grandparent's dining room if she applied any pressure.
The worn and ragged edges of the table matched the rest of the farm house with its thinning carpets, worn and stained tiles, and dingy walls that begged for a fresh coat of paint. Returned from Callum's meticulously maintained apartment only made the farmhouse seem sad and shabby.
"You do realize you could have brought the council down on us with your stunt?" Gabriela kept her eyes lowered as Vincent paced in front of the table. What was the point of protesting? She wouldn't be heard, just dismissed as a silly frivolous woman in this world of nightmares.
"Between your reckless charge at those hunters and falling in with that life stealing demon you are becoming a massive complication." Her gaze flicked up at Vincent, focusing on the small details of his features; a distraction from the lecture that continued to spew since she had woken that evening.
His upper lip was narrower on the right side, his hair appeared slicked back and during the pacing she saw it was swirled as if to hide a thinning patch on the back of his head.
"I did what I had to. I didn't fall in anywhere. Mr. Fox rescued me and tended to me until my wounds were healed sufficiently." Gabriela had repeated the line about a dozen times by now.
Her gaze flicked towards the glass door and the rise of the moon. A good portion of the night was gone to the various elders lecturing her.
The other newlings filed past, giving her sympathetic looks along with tiny smiles of gratitude. Their kindness helped, but did not remove the odd numbness that surrounded her emotions since waking.
Gabriela felt dead, this entire house was dead, after being in Callum's presence, she could feel the absence of life here. The death of hope and humanity trapped within these battered and slowly decaying walls.
"Why do I not buy that, Cupcake?" He loomed over her, his hands placed to either side of the chair she sat on until she was trapped between him and the unyielding wood.
Gabriela didn't shrink back or try to escape, instead she just breathed a sigh of acceptance.
"Because you are too broke?" The quip escaped her without thought.
Suddenly her chair toppled backwards and she gave a surprised squeal as the back of the chair struck the floor, bouncing her head against the wooden backing before she rolled off the toppled chair.
Vincent stood glaring down at her, his hands fisted at his sides.
"I don't know if you are insanely stupid, or stupidly insane.." Bridget sighed as she walked into their little scene.
Gabriela managed to free herself from the chair, her dress, and the complication of gravity. With a huff of annoyance Gabriela tucked her hair back from her face, the unruly tresses having refused any of her attempts of restraining them.
"Little column A, little column B?" Gabriela retorted at Bridget. Her nose wrinkled slightly in a playful expression of her frustration.
She couldn't be angry at her friend, who was trapped in a difficult place, but she could be at the entire circumstance as a whole.
While she would love to blame Jayden and his wandering dick for her problems, she knew that her own impulsive flight nature is ultimately what landed her in a reality so far out of her understand that she felt like she was drowning.
"If you are done, I believe I have my lessons today." Gabriela dusted off her skirt before walking past Vincent, attempting her best pissed off royalty impression.
An amused laugh surprised the trio of them, as Eli walked in from the kitchen. Immaculate in his impression of a 1940' gangster, pinstriped suit and all, the elder of the family's appearance had the three of them paused in place.
His eyes were nearly inky black tonight and the tips of his fangs peaked out from beneath his lips; a sign that he was needing to hunt. Something Gabriela decided to make herself scarce for.
"That demon works fast. I got a call from the council. It seems you have some medical training." Gabriela froze as the question was directed at her.
Her lips parted as she tried to figure out the best response to a question she knew was fully cocked, loaded, and ready to main. Quickly she looked down, the cool weight of the pendant against her chest braced her enough to find her voice.
"Yes, I was going to school to be an RN. I was on my second year." It was a neutral enough of an answer; something easily gathered from public records and clippings from the news that announced her death.
Her mouth felt dry, which was a strange thing to focus on, but her tongue swept around trying to dredge up any moisture.
"Hmm withholding information were you?" Eli walked closer, the click of the tip of his ridiculous cane against the tile a counter for each step.
Gabriela fought the urge to retreat, to curl up, as the cold rounded top of the cane wedged beneath her chin, pushing her gaze upwards.
"Well? How did the demon know this before I?" Gabriela was getting rather tired of them referring to Callum so disrespectfully.
Whatever bad blood that was between them and him wasn't her concern, but respect was due just on basis of his status in the community
"He asked. No one else did." The words escaped her in a whispered rush, his gaze penetrating as he pulled the truth from her, overpowered her will.
"You all just assumed I was some worthless liberal arts student, learning about underwater basket weaving or some other nonsense. Just another damsel in distress, without asking. He bothered to ask." The cane was removed and Gabriela sank to her knees; her energy drained as if the brief battle of wills had taken everything from her to resist even for those few precious breaths.
"Hmm, fair enough. Well, council has decided to offer you a trial for a job at the local infirmary." Eli dropped a heavy manilla envelope onto her lap. Substantial enough to make her wonder just what sort of employment paperwork was needed for monsters?
Was there still an IRS to appease? Some internal affairs that counted out all the unreported and report income of its citizens? The hint of ordinary in the jumbled world made it seem even further far fetched.
"Yes, that is a hiring packet. I have filled out the species details, emergency contacts, and like for you. There are just a few things you need to complete. It is about time you start contributing to the family finances. Unless, you would prefer downtown at night?"
She didn't have to guess at what he was implying her other option was. Gabriela knew that she wasn't exactly drug dealer potential, however a good pair of heels, a short tight skirt, and some make-up and she could be a passible streetwalker; not something she exactly relished the idea of.
"No, this sounds like an ideal situation. Probably will pay better that what I would otherwise bring in." The words rushed from her as she quickly clutched the packet against her chest. She shifted enough to rise to her feet with a little stagger.
" I should just.." She lifted the packet and motioned towards the door.
"You should." Those were the release words she needed to retreat back to the shared room with her sire.
A pen was snatched off Bridget's desk as she stared down at the straight forward paperwork. The first page was the usual, Name, number, address. There was a spot for references which Eli had so consideringly listed himself as.
Another for education where she wrote out the name of her school, address, and GPA. The expected year of her graduation sat blank; a regret from her past as she wrote out for the next school year.
One year away from taking her licensing test and starting a career that would eventually lead to a medical degree.
The brush of thick soft fur against her arm broke Gabriela from her silent reverie. A cold wet nose pressed against her cheek and she blinked in confusion looking at the kitsune; if she didn't know better the little fox appeared smug.
"Shiro?" Gabriela quickly rose to shut the door and flip the lock before returning to the bed. A quick glance up showed the window had been shimmied open just enough to fit the small creature.
"What are you doing here?" She whispered before pressing her forehead against the fox's. The soft musky scent of fox combined with Callum caused her to pause. Her hands steadied she stroked along the animal's ears.
"My favorite pokemon was always vulpix you know.." She confessed before holding up the pile of paperwork she had been working on.
"Callum is responsible I think?" It should have felt silly, whispering soft confessions to the small animal, but something in those dark eyes made Gabriela feel as if the fox understood every word she spoke.
A feeling that was furthered by the swish of the kitsune's tail and the soft trilling yip of affirmation. Gabriela just laughed before searching for a piece of paper that could be spared in the whole packet, the back piece being one of those intentionally left blank affairs, she pulled it out and wrote a quick note to Callum and folded it up to offer Shiro.
"Can you take that back for me?" The request was accepted as the fox took the folded letter in her mouth before scurrying off the bed to slip through the window to disappear into the night.
The existence of creatures like the kitsune somehow made this world just a little more tolerable. The faint hint of good magic where everything else had been so dark; but then predators did survive better against humanity; even in the above world's natural order.
As Gabriela turned back to her work she noticed a small piece of folded stationary on the bed where Shiro had been sitting. Cautiously she lifted it, revealing her name written in fluid calligraphy.
Of course his handwriting would be immaculate too. A half smile tugged at her lips; rueful but not jealous of his many attributes. Quickly she scanned over the letters and the beautiful flow of his cursive. His dry observations earning a bit of a watery laugh.
"Glad to know Shiro cares so much.." She whispered before carefully hiding away the note under a pile of her folded clothing. The rest of the night was spent working on completing the application.
When she reached the forms for tax withholdings Gabriela broke into laughter hard enough she had to temporarily put her pen down.
"Death and taxes... guess even after you are dead the IRS will still find you." She snorted before filling out the few lines. Single, no dependents, and the following.
Eli had printed a number that she didn't recognize in a field that was normally reserved for the social security number; instead it was for registry number along with the date of registry. At least there were some differences then.
The packet completed she opened the door and headed downstairs, pausing to look at Bridget.
"I am not certain where to take this..." She looked around the kitchen for an indication of any place to sit outgoing mail items. Nothing. The counters were bare and clean.
"Hold onto it. Tomorrow Eli will drive you over and you can drop off the packet then as well as collect your uniform." The other woman sounded tired; something beyond the physical but deep into her soul. Regret filled her expression and mixed with something resembling relief.
" Just be careful Gabs. Working outside the family; well it puts you in the public eye."
Gabriela nodded before returning upstairs to put the packet on top of her neatly folded clothing. The rest of her night fell back into the prior routine.
Lessons in martial arts, her cup of warmed bottled blood laced with a tablespoon of Bridget's- as she now learned, along with a brief introduction to their governing system.
Political sciences for the Undead; a topic she hated even more than fighting or weapons.
As the sun rose and she snuggled down onto the small cot wedged into Bridget's room, Gabriela drifted off with the promised hope of something better, of eventual independence starting the next evening.
Promises of a future beyond the constant knife's edge balance of Vincent's barbed glances, Bridget's disappointment, and a sea of stolen lives.