Fanfic Friday

“The Huntress at Sunset”

A continuation from last week's chapter.

Chapter Ten

Days went by and soon it was the end of the month. The days since her encounter with Jamie Madigan had been oddly enough quite uneventful. Too uneventful for Alondra's taste. But perhaps it was just as well.

Two hours after the sun went down on the last day of the month, Alondra started walking. She kept on walking until she reached her father's house. Though it was after midnight and there were no lights on, Alondra did not hesitate to walk up the front steps and knock on the front door.

After what seemed like an eternity to Alondra, the front door eventually opened. Persephone, dressed in a black nightgown, peered out.

"What do you want, Alondra?" she asked.

"You know what I want," replied Alondra.

"You're not one to waste words, are you, Alondra?" asked Persephone. "Very well. Enter freely and of your own free will."

And with that, Alondra entered the darkened house.

The end?

Fanfic Friday

“The Huntress at Sunset”

A continuation from last week's chapter.

Chapter Nine

Apparently Clavo was smoking again. For some reason, that surprised Alondra more than anything else that had happened that night.

Moreover, he really was alive -- if "alive" is the right word to use about a vampire.

Not that it helped. Clavo didn't seem likely to help Alondra with her problem unless she gave in to him and she had no intention of doing that again. On the other side, he did know a lot about Persephone -- and some of it might even be true.

Anyway, Alondra had no time to think any further about Clavo right then. She had another person to think about.

Speaking of which...

XXX

Alondra sat in the visitor's section of the state mental hospital, waiting for an old friend to be released from her cell and taken to the visitor's section. As she sat on the other side of a bulletproof glass window, she glanced around at the guards and the other visitors and concluded that she had nothing major to worry about. True, she wasn't exactly comforted by the way the surroundings reminded her of her visit to Esperanza but still...

Then her friend Jamie Madigan showed up and sat down on the other side of the glass window. Since the only way she could talk through her was through the telephone located near the window, Alondra picked up the receiver on her side and waited for Jamie to do the same thing with the receiver on her side.

She eventually did so but not before she first smirked in Alondra's direction.

"Alondra Verano," Jamie said as she picked up the phone. "As I live and breathe. What brings you here to see me, Huntress?"

"I'm dying, Jamie," said Alondra.

Jamie's face went blank.

"I'm sorry, Alondra, but I thought you said you were dying," said Jamie.

"Well, I am dying," said Alondra.

"What do you expect me to do about it?" asked Jamie.

"Well, you're a witch -- or at least you used to be -- and I was hoping that maybe --"

"I'd be able to cure you?" asked Jamie Madigan.

"Yes," said Alondra, her eyes pointed to the hard concrete floor.

"Well, let me think about it," said Jamie.

Jamie stared into space for a moment and said, "Yeah, I think I can cure you."

"I haven't told you what exactly I'm dying from," said Alondra, feeling a bit puzzled.

"What does it matter, Huntress?" asked Jamie. "Cast the right spell, summon the right demon and heck, I can cure anything. AIDS, cancer, bubonic plague... You name it."

"Oh, good," said Alondra. "For a minute there I thought you'd have a problem with curing me."

"Why would you think that?" asked Jamie. "Just because you testified against me in court and saw to it that I ended up in this wonderful place for the rest of my natural life? Why should I resent you for that? Just get me out here of here and I will cure you of anything you can think of."

"Er, I can't do that," said Alondra.

"Sure you can," said Jamie. "You're the Huntress. You can do anything."

"Yes, but my powers aren't unlimited," said Alondra. "I can petition the judge who sentenced you for an early release but I doubt he'd listen to me."

"Then make him listen," said Jamie.

"Er, I can't do that," said Alondra.

"Oh, right," said Jamie. "I forgot. Your unbreakable ethics code. You were always such an honest person, Huntress. I really do admire you for that. And yet here you are, begging me to use black magic to save your life."

"I'm not begging you to use black magic," said Alondra.

"Oh, yes, you are," said Jamie. "You knew what technique I'd use to cure you the minute you stepped inside this place. And yet you asked me anyway. In a way, I don't blame you. Death can be a scary thing. I was there when my mother passed and that was not an easy death. And hey, you killed my mother."

"She was going to kill you, Jamie," said Alondra.

"And you saved my life," said Jamie. "For that, I am grateful. But all this other stuff that has happened between us since.... I'm not a big fan."

"If you don't want to cure me, Jamie, just say so," said Alondra.

"Oh, I'll cure you all right," said Jamie. "And then I'll make my own way out of this hellhole. After all, they can't hold me here forever, you know. And once I'm out, I'll kill your friends. I'll kill your family. I'll kill everyone who was ever close to --"

"Okay, we're done," said Alondra, hanging up the phone.

As she turned away from the glass window, Alondra noticed that Jamie was still shouting in her direction. And when Alondra stood up and started to walk away, Jamie started pounding on the window.

Alondra could not read lips but she could guess what Jamie was saying. After all, Jamie had shouted similar words at her many times in the past. And while Alondra could not honestly say that she was surprised by Jamie's reaction, she nevertheless felt something like a black hole in her stomach when she thought about it.

Jamie was still pounding on the window when Alondra left the visitor's section. And for all she knew, Jamie was still pounding on the window when Alondra made it out to her car. And though she could no longer hear Jamie when she made it out to her car, Alondra nevertheless felt compelled to turn on the radio when she started the car. And then of course, she turned up the volume real loud and left it that way all the way home.

To be continued...

Fanfic Friday

“The Huntress at Sunset”

A continuation from last week's chapter.

Chapter Eight

Afterwards, Alondra walked to the car and drove as far away as possible, stopping only to throw Ms. Gillian's gun into a nearby river.

Then she drove to a church. But she could not bring herself to leave the car, let alone walk inside.

So she drove to another church. Where once again she encountered the same problem.

Finally Alondra found a church she felt comfortable walking into. Only to find herself immediately falling asleep as soon as she had sat down on a church pew inside.

That makes it official, she thought as she closed her eyes. I'm now a rogue Huntress. That means that it means that it's only a matter of time before the Shepherdess Foundation finds out what happened to Ms. Gillian and sends a team of armed people after her.

"Not necessarily," said a voice in the darkness.

Alondra immediately opened her eyes but could see no one else but her in the church.

Nevertheless, she asked, "Who's there?"

"You know who's there, Huntress," answered the voice.

"No, who are you really?" asked Alondra.

The voice sighed. "I'm Persephone's old friend Clavo. I used to be your old friend too but apparently --"

"You're dead!" cried Alondra.

"Seriously?" asked the voice. "Are you really going to make me quote that tiresome Mark Twain fellow again?"

"Okay," said Alondra. "You're not dead. But you weren't in good shape last time I saw you. So why are you here?"

"I heard a rumor you were seeing my ex," said the voice. "Personally I always thought you two would be the last two to hit it off even if you two did swing in the right direction, but still I had to check it out."

"It's not what you think," said Alondra. "We're not --"

"She's trying to talk you into becoming a vampire, right?"

"Er, right. How did you know?"

"Experience. Persephone's tried this trick on other girls. Some times it even works."

"Well, I'm dying and I thought --"

"I know what you thought," said the man who called himself Clavo. "And yet when you got the bad news, you did not think once about looking me up. After all I have offered to turn you before..."

"That was different," said Alondra. "You see--"

"It's always different with you, Huntress," said Clavo. "That's one of the things that drives me so crazy when I'm around you. You're even more maddening than Persephone ever was -- but in a good way."

"Well, thanks, I think," said Alondra.

"But why choose Persephone of all people?" asked Clavo. "I can't deny the lady has a certain charm but I would have thought that the two of you would have been the last two people to consider any such business together. Are you getting soft in your old age, Huntress?"

"That's none of your business, Clavo," said Alondra.

"Very well," said Clavo. "I feel obliged to warn you that Persephone isn't the easiest person to deal with in these types of matters, but if you haven't figured that out by now, it makes no sense for me to say anything."

"Oh, just go away," said Alondra.

"Very well, I'll go away," said Clavo. "But don't tell me you were never warned. Because deep down you know better."

With that, Alondra faded into a darkness so deep that she remembered nothing until she awoke in time to enjoy the first rays of a rising sun. There was still no signs of Clavo anywhere in the church and Alondra was beginning to think that he and his words had been just a dream. At least that's what she thought until she opened the front door of the church and saw a small trail of cigarette ash just outside the entrance.

To be continued...

Fanfic Friday

“The Huntress at Sunset”

A REVISED continuation from last week's chapter.

Chapter Seven

For a moment, Alondra thought she was dead.

Then she realized that she had merely fallen backwards. Apparently something in the sight of the gun had triggered something in her body that made her faint and fall out of the way of the bullet just as Ms. Gillian fired her gun. Had she had time to operate on her first instinct and leap forward to grab hold of the gun, it might have been a different story, but fortunately, she did not do that.

And yet she was still not out of trouble. Ms. Gillian was already standing up and walking toward her, gun in her hand, to make sure that Alondra was as dead as she appeared to be. Alondra started to get up, felt faint, then rolled the other way just in time to hear a gun shot close to her right side. Apparently Ms. Gillian still hadn't given up on her.

Alondra rolled away again and again Ms. Gillian fired, still determined to make sure her former pupil was dead. Alondra wondered why Ms. Gillian was going through all this trouble to kill a person who was terminally ill, but it didn't matter. If Alondra gave Ms. Gillian time to talk to her, Ms. Gillian was sure to kill her first. Yet if Alondra just lay on the ground and tried to move by rolling, Ms. Gillian was sure to kill her anyway. Unless...

Alondra felt a rock under her leg. She picked it up. She glanced at Ms. Gillian's face. Did she dare --

The Alondra who first trained with Ms. Gillian would have bothered to finish that question. The Alondra who was actually there at that moment already knew the answer even before she threw the rock.

Through a stroke of luck, the rock hit Ms. Gillian in the face and made her drop her gun. Before she could grab it again, it was in Alondra's hand.

"I'm sorry," Alondra said, but only after she fired the gun into Ms. Gillian's heart...

To be continued...

Fanfic Friday

“The Huntress at Sunset”

A continuation from last week's chapter.

Chapter Six

"Alondra," said the grey-haired woman Alondra had once known as her Shepherdess. "So good to see you after all this time. I trust that all is well with the family?"

"Why, yes, it is, Ms. Gillian," said Alondra as she climbed onto the porch of the woman whom she called Ms. Gillian. "And how are you?"

"Not as fast as I used to be, but fortunately, I don't need to be," said Ms. Gillian. "Thanks to you, there are others who are younger and faster who can take over where I left off so right now I'm sorta semi-retired."

"Semi-retired?" asked Alondra, lifting an eyebrow in Ms. Gillian's direction.

"Well, a person in my profession never completely retires, no matter how much she or he may want to," said Ms. Gillian. "Even if we're lucky enough to avoid some of the -- shall we say -- involuntary retirement that takes place in this profession, there is always a need for the more experienced among us to help out the less experienced. As much as I would like to say otherwise, I trust that I will never be truly retired until I'm six feet under. And hopefully, I'll die in such a way that I will not require the services of one of my former students at my burial site."

"Oh, please don't talk so morbidly, Ms. Gillian," said Alondra. "You'll live longer than you think."

"If you say so, Alondra," said Ms. Gillian. "If you say so. But the war never ends and we who have fought in it don't have the option of pretending otherwise, regardless of whether we be huntresses or shepherdesses."

"If you truly believe that, why did you let me retire?" asked Alondra.

"I did not 'let' you do anything," said Ms. Gillian. "You had already made plans to retire once the new generation was able to take your place and I could see no reason to interfere with your plans. After all, you had sacrificed much in the course of the war. It would be petty of me to deny you a privilege you had already earned."

"I'm glad to hear you say that," said Alondra. "Because I have something to say to you."

"Would you like to have a cup of tea first?" asked Ms. Gillian.

"You know I never drink tea," said Alondra.

"Then how about some coffee?" asked Ms. Gillian.

"You make coffee?" asked Alondra.

"Hey, I've actually learned something during my time here in the States that doesn't involve fighting you-know-what," said Ms. Gillian. "Care to have a sip of my humble efforts?"

"No, thanks," said Alondra. "I'll just say what I have to say and go."

"Thinking of coming out of retirement?" asked Ms. Gillian.

"No, not really," said Alondra. "As a matter of fact, I'm soon to be permanently retired. You see, I'm dying."

"Oh, no," said Ms. Gillian. "Are you certain?"

"You know me, Ms. Gillian," said Alondra. "If the doctor tells me I'm dying, I make very certain that he's telling me the truth."

"Has the man given you any options?" asked Ms. Gillian. "Because I know a woman in London --"

"That's sweet of you," said Alondra. "But everyone I turn to in the medical profession says there's no hope."

"I'm so sorry, Alondra," said Ms. Gillian.

"Don't be," said Alondra. "Because I think I have an idea how to get out of this."

"White magic?" asked Ms. Gillian.

"No, I already talked to Laurel about that and I don't think it would work in my case," said Alondra. "Besides, if things go as planned, I won't need white magic. You see --"

"Wait!" exclaimed Ms. Gillian. "What do you mean, 'if things go as planned'? Do you honestly expect your condition to reverse itself or something?"

"No," said Alondra. "But I was talking to this woman about my options and she said --"

"Who exactly is this woman you were talking to?" asked Ms. Gillian.

"It's not important," said Alondra. "Anyway --"

"On the contrary," said Ms. Gillian. "It obviously is important or else you would have told me just now."

"Well, if you really want to know it, it was Persephone," said Alondra. "Anyway, I was talking to her--"

"Persephone?" asked Ms. Gillian. "Of all the people you chose to get advice from, you chose to get it from Persephone?"

"So?" asked Alondra.

"You know Persephone's record," said Ms. Gillian. "You know her character. She has never confessed any guilt over having killed your former colleague Keisha and she never seems likely to. Why should she -- of all people -- want to help you?"

"I don't know but the point is that she does," said Alondra. "She wants to turn me into a vampire so that I won't die and I for one --"

"She wants to what?" asked Ms. Gillian.

It had been a long time since Alondra had seen Ms. Gillian so angry. Even when her best friend was killed by vampires, she showed less emotion about the death than she did now.

But she was definitely angry now. And judging from the way she was staring at Alondra, it was not just Persephone she was angry at.

"Please tell me that you don't plan to go along with Persephone's plan," said Ms. Gillian. "Please tell me that you -- the brightest and most talented of all the girls I've ever taught -- are not that stupid."

"I'm not that stupid," said Alondra. "But I am dying. So I told her --"

"Tell her you changed your mind," said Ms. Gillian. "Tell her you made a mistake. There's still time to make amends for your mistake. Do that and we can both forget this whole thing never happened."

"I can't do that," said Alondra. "I'm dying and she's the one person I've talked to so far who has given me a realistic alternative to death."

"She's fooling you, you know?" asked Ms. Gillian.

"Yes, I suspect so," said Alondra. "But I can't afford to not take the chance. Like I said --"

"You're dying," said Ms. Gillian. "Well, there's only one response I can make to that."

Ms. Gillian opened her purse and fumbled for something. What it was, Alondra did not know. A handkerchief? A tissue? Pills?

Then Alondra saw Ms. Gillian take out a pistol and aim it in Alondra's direction. Before Alondra could move or say anything, Ms. Gillian fired.

To be continued...

Fanfic Friday

“The Huntress at Sunset”

A continuation from last week's chapter.

Chapter Five

"So what brings you here to visit me after all this time?" asked Esperanza as she adjusted the collar on her orange jump suit. "You finally remembered where the prison was located?"

Alondra looked at the bulletproof glass that separated her from Esperanza as she fumbled with the phone and resisted the temptation to look away from the dark-haired woman on the other side of the glass.

There but for the grace of God, Alondra thought.

Then she silenced that thought.

And Alondra whispered, "I'm dying, Esperanza."

"You're what?" asked Esperanza.

"I'm dying," said Alondra.

"Are you sure this isn't a joke?" asked Esperanza. "Because if it is --"

"It's not," said Alondra. "I swear on my mother's grave. I went to the doctor and apparently I have this illness they can't cure. And even Huntress strength can't heal it."

"So you're dying," said Esperanza. "And naturally the first thing you did when you found out was think of little old me. I suppose I should be flattered, but I'm not."

"Please," said Alondra. "I didn't come here to fight."

"Then why did you come here?" asked Esperanza.

"Remember the vow the two of us once made when we were still working together?" asked Alondra.

"How could I forget?" asked Esperanza. "You made me promise that if the vampires ever got you and tried to turn you, I would make sure they didn't succeed, even if I had to kill you myself. And in return you promised to keep the vampires from turning me in the same fashion. I remember that vow just as if it were yesterday."

"Well, you can forget it now," said Alondra.

"Why would I forget it?" asked Esperanza. "Because I'm in prison? Bitch, please. I can probably break out any time I please. And if it meant saving a life from the vampires, I'd be sure to break out. Even if it were you."

"Well, you can forget about saving me," said Alondra. "I'm already dying."

"So you've said," said Esperanza. "But what does that have to do with vampires?"

Alondra replied, "Well, I've been talking with Persephone --"

"You've been talking with who?!" exclaimed Esperanza.

"Persephone," said Alondra. "She's a vampire and --"

"I know who she is," said Esperanza. "What I don't get is why you're talking to her. Are you trying to get her to stake herself or take a long walk in the hot sun? Because those are the only two reasons I can think of for talking to her."

"Well, actually I plan to get her to cure m --" Alondra started to say but Esperanza just laughed.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me!" Esperanza exclaimed. "Persephone ain't no doctor. She's a cold-blooded killer. She killed Keisha, remember? Our former sister-in-arms? Surely you haven't forgotten her?"

"No, I haven't," said Alondra. "But you see --"

"No, I don't see," said Esperanza. "For years, I punished myself because I could never reach your high-and-mighty standards. And now it seems I should never have bothered. Why spend all these years in prison atoning for my crime when you feel perfectly free to sell out and join the opposition."

"You've joined the opposition in the past as well," said Alondra.

"Not to the extent of trying to become a vampire, I didn't," said Esperanza. "And you better not try to do that, either. Because if I ever hear that you went ahead and let Persephone or any other vampire convert you, then I'll break out of this joint and do my damnedest to track you down and kill you! You understand me, Allie? You try to become a vampire and I'll ram a stake into you myself!"

"I guess this call is over," said Alondra as she hung up the phone on her end.

Esperanza put the phone down on her end and just glared at Alondra with an expression that Alondra still felt long after she walked out of the prison.

As she got into her car, Alondra told herself that Esperanza didn't really mean what she had said. That it was just bravado talking, not to mention envy of the fact that Alondra was free to come and go from the prison while Esperanza, of course, did not have that option.

Nevertheless, she felt a chill go down her spine that could not be blamed on the sunny weather...

To be continued...

Fanfic Friday

“The Huntress at Sunset”

A continuation from last week's chapter.

Chapter Four

Alondra was still steaming about her sister's response when she got to the cemetery. Once there, she took a moment to calm down so that her best friend Laurel would not sense anything amiss.

Not that Laurel was likely to be all that alert today. After all, today was the anniversary of her late girlfriend's death and though Laurel had dated many women since then, she still made time to visit her girlfriend's grave at least once a year if not more often.

And yet...

"Hi, Alondra," said Laurel. "I didn't really expect to see you here today."

"I know," said Alondra, suddenly feeling quite awkward. "I always meant to drop by because, hey, I miss her too, but for some reason..."

Laurel suddenly stopped smiling. "You didn't come here to see Teresa, did you?"

"Yes, I did," said Alondra. "I know she was your girlfriend but she was my friend too and --"

"And yet you never seem to find the time to come here till today," said Laurel. "It's okay, Alondra. I get it. I remember what you were like when your mom died. She was very special to us too and she still is. I can't imagine what it was like to be in your shoes that day and so I don't blame you for being less than eager to visit yet another person's grave. But something's wrong. I can sense it. You didn't just come here to pay your respects to Teresa, so for her sake, if not mine, be honest. Why are you really here?"

"I'm dying," said Alondra.

"I see," said Laurel. "What of?"

Alondra told her.

Laurel was silent for a while. Then nodded.

"I'm sorry, Alondra," said Laurel. "Very sorry. I wish I knew of a cure for that, but I don't."

"It's okay," said Alondra. "I got a plan. You see, I was talking to Persephone and --"

"Persephone?" asked Laurel. "Why were you talking to her?"

"Because she knows of a way to save me," said Alondra. "You see --"

"No, she doesn't," said Laurel. "I don't know what she told you but there's no way she could possibly cure you. You're just fooling yourself if you believe otherwise."

"She doesn't plan to cure me," said Alondra. "She plans to turn me."

"Don't be silly, Alondra," said Laurel. "Why should she do that?"

"Because I asked her to," said Alondra.

Something in Laurel's face changed. Alondra wasn't sure what it was but she suddenly sensed she was no longer welcome in Laurel's presence.

"How dare you say that to me!" exclaimed Laurel. "You think I would not have gladly paid a vampire to turn Teresa if I thought it would have helped her? But we both know it would not. And yet now that it is happening to you, now suddenly everything is different."

"You don't understand," said Alondra. "I think this might actually help."

"No, you don't," said Laurel. "You're just so scared of dying that you will listen to anyone who will tell you the right little lie."

"No, I'm not," said Alondra.

"Yes, you are," said Laurel. "You just pretend you aren't so that you can save some face."

Alondra replied, "I don't really want to go this route but if you can't provide me a decent alternative --"

"A decent alternative?" asked Laurel. "I'm sorry, Alondra. You're my dearest friend and I really do not want you to die but I meant what I said when I said I can't cure you."

"And yet you think I'm foolish because I refuse to accept that," said Alondra. "I always thought you were better than that."

"And I always thought you were better than this," said Laurel. "I guess I was wrong."

Alondra just shrugged and left the cemetery.

Surely there was one person among her friends who would understand, she thought. Right?

To be continued...

Fanfic Friday

“The Huntress at Sunset”

A continuation from last week's chapter.

Chapter Three

"So where did you go after your doctor's appointment yesterday?" asked Dusk as she cleaned up the breakfast dishes.

Alondra was tempted to ignore her little sister's question but she knew from experience that Dusk would only repeat it until she got an answer. So Alondra said, "Out."

"I know that, sis," said Dusk. "Out where?"

"I'm guessing she hit the cemetery," said Dusk's husband Leandro. "After all, old habits do die hard."

"No, I don't patrol anymore if that's what you two are hinting at," said Alondra. "I leave all that fun stuff to the younger girls."

"Oh, really?" asked Dusk. "So where did you go? Did you have a sudden urge to attend Midnight Mass or something?"

"No, not quite," said Alondra. "I just found myself in the mood to go out walking and I found myself back in the old neighborhood."

"Er, what old neighborhood?" asked Dusk.

"You know what I mean," said Alondra. "The one in Los Angeles."

"Wow!" exclaimed Leandro. "That must have been some long walk."

"Well, to be truthful, I did take the car at least partway," said Alondra.

"So why did you choose to go there?" asked Dusk. "You haven't gone there in ages."

"Well, last night I found myself feeling nostalgic," said Alondra.

"Oh, really?" asked Dusk. "How come?"

"Do I have to have a reason to feel nostalgic?" asked Alondra.

"No," said Dusk. "I was just worried that you might of got bad news from the doctor yesterday, that's all."

"Well, for what it's worth, I did get bad news from the doctor yesterday," said Alondra. "He gave me a year to live."

"Oh, Alondra!" cried Dusk.

"Don't worry, Dusk," said Alondra. "I got a plan."

"You do?" asked Dusk.

"Yes, I do," Alondra replied."You see I was talking to Persephone last night and --"

"Wait a minute," said Leandro. "What do you mean you were talking to Persephone?"

"Just what I said," said Alondra. "I ran into Persephone last night and we started talking."

"But you always told me that Persephone was your mortal enemy," said Dusk. "That you fully expected to have to kill her the next time you saw her."

"Well, what can I say?" asked Alondra. "I was wrong."

"No, you weren't," said Dusk. "What exactly did Persephone have to say to you?"

"Not much," said Alondra. "Just that she knew I was dying and that she knew a way around that and then --"

"Persephone is not a doctor, Alondra," said Leandro. "And she definitely is not a healer. So what could she possibly mean by --"

"I know what she means," said Dusk. "She was trying to talk my sister here into letting herself get turned into a vampire."

"No, she wasn't," said Alondra. "As a matter of fact --"

"Oh, please don't defend her," said Dusk. "You know as well as I do that Persephone has a way of telling her victims whatever they want to hear so that she can bite them with a lot less fuss than usual. I'm just surprised that you of all people forgot that."

"Hey, I did not forget that," said Alondra. "But after the day I had, Persephone's offer looked pretty tempting."

"Well, I'm glad you turned her down," said Leandro.

"Wait," said Alondra. "Are you saying you're glad I'm going to die?"

"Of course not," said Leandro. "But if you had agreed to let Persephone to turn you, you'd be dead even sooner than you would be if you had let nature take its course."

"You don't know that," said Alondra.

"And you do?" asked Leandro.

"Oh my God!" cried Dusk. "She's actually considering it. That's why she's been so coy about the whole issue."

"No, I'm not -- Hey, would it be so bad if I did go through with it?" asked Alondra. "At least this way I would be alive to see my niece grow up. Maybe see her graduate, get married, start pumping out grandkids..."

"Oh, I get it," said Dusk. "You're doing all this for Grace's sake."

"Well, of course," said Alondra.

"In that case, I should tell you something that will make your decision a lot more simpler," said Dusk. "If you decide to take Persephone's offer and become a vampire, Leandro and I will see to it that you never see Grace again."

"Wait," said Alondra. "You can't do that."

"Yes, we can," said Leandro. "Grace is our daughter, not yours. And even if she were yours, it would not be in her best interest to be exposed to a vampire."

"But I'd be a good vampire," said Alondra.

"Sure you say that now," said Dusk. "But will you say the same thing when you rise from the grave? You've staked enough new-born vampires to know the answer to that question."

"But this is different," said Alondra.

"Sorry, sis," said Dusk. "But you can't have it both ways. You can't turn vampire and still expect to be welcome in this household."

"But I'm dying," said Alondra.

"We're all dying," said Dusk. "You're just a bit ahead of us. Now please leave our house. I don't want to look at you right now."

To be continued...

Fanfic Friday

“The Huntress at Sunset”

A continuation from last week's chapter.

Chapter Two

When Alondra walked into the house, she noticed that almost nothing had changed. Everything was clean and dust-free.

"I have a girl come in twice a week to clean," said Persephone. "She does a pretty good job as far as I can tell."

"Where did you get the money, Persephone?" asked Alondra.

Persephone smiled without showing her fangs. "Investments."

Then Persephone said, "Now it's my turn to ask you a question, Huntress. Why are you here?"

"I told you," said Alondra. "To visit my parents' house."

"No," said Persephone. "Why are you really here?"

"Because I was feeling nostalgic," said Alondra.

"And why were you feeling nostalgic, Huntress?" asked Persephone.

"No reason," said Alondra.

"There's always a reason for the things you do, Alondra," said Persephone. "What is it?"

"It's personal," said Alondra.

"A death in the family, perhaps?" asked Persephone.

"No, of course not," said Alondra quite hastily.

"Your sister ill?" asked Persephone.

"No, she's well," replied Alondra.

"Your niece Grace?" asked Persephone.

"No, she's fine," said Alondra. "Everyone in my family is fine. And all my friends are fine too."

"But you aren't," said Persephone. It wasn't a question.

"I don't know what you mean," said Alondra.

"You don't think that I -- of all people -- can recognize the scent of death when I smell it?" asked Persephone.

"You must be mistaken," said Alondra.

"I'm quite sure I'm not," said Persephone. "How long did the doctors give you? One year? Two? Three?"

"A year," replied Alondra.

"And you think I can cure you?" asked Persephone.

"Can you?" asked Alondra with a desperate tone in her voice.

"No, of course not," said Persephone. "But I can give you what you came for."

"No, that's not necessary," said Alondra. "I didn't come for that anyway."

"Don't give me that, Huntress," said Persephone. "We both know why you came here and we both know what you want."

"But I'm not ready right now," said Alondra. "I just know that I don't want to die."

"None of us do," said Persephone. "And yet we do anyway. Even I will die again some day. But that day of course will be a long way off in the future."

"Will it -- will it hurt?" asked Alondra.

"A little," said Persephone. "But in the end it will be like going to sleep. You'll feel like a new person when you finally wake up."

"That's what I'm afraid of," said Alondra.

"You?" asked Persephone. "Afraid? Perish the thought, Huntress. You are never afraid."

"I kinda wish you'd stop telling me how I feel, Persephone," said Alondra. "I realize now that coming here was a mistake. You're never going to say yes and I'm not sure I'm ready to become like you anyway."

"Who said I was never going to say yes?" asked Persephone. "Are you putting words into my mouth, Huntress?"

"No," said Alondra. "But you just said --"

"I say a lot of things, Huntress," said Persephone. "Not all of them are true. Anyway, you're dying and I'm immortal. I can help you become immortal as well but I'd advise you to think about it first. Go home, talk it over with your family and your friends, and if you still want to cross over and become like me, then come back here in a month and I'll turn you."

"Why a month?" asked Alondra. "Why not now?"

"You're not ready now," said Persephone. "And even if you were ready, it would only be fair to let you become prepared for the way things will change in your life once you become like me."

"Prepared?" asked Alondra.

"Yes, prepared," said Persephone. "I was drafted into this life. You are choosing to enlist voluntarily. Not everyone in your life right now will like that. Also you used to kill my kind for a living. That means that you cannot expect to be Miss Popularity once you cross over because there are many of my kind who will kill you on sight. Am I making myself clear, Huntress?"

"Crystal," said Alondra.

"Good," said Persephone. "Then this conversation is over. For now, at least. I expect to see you back here in a month, regardless of whether your answer is yes or whether your answer is no. If not, I'll come find you and I am very good at tracking down people, Huntress."

"No need to threaten me, Persephone," said Alondra. "I get your point."

"Do you?" asked Persephone. "Very well. Come back to me in a month and tell me how open-minded your friends and family are about your decision. I suspect you'll find quite a few surprises once you start talking to them about it. After all, not everyone in this world is as open-minded as myself."

"Whatever," said Alondra.

And with that, she left.

To be continued...

Fanfic Friday

“The Huntress at Sunset”

Part One of an experiment. If the characters seem familiar despite the different names, well, there's a reason for that...

Chapter One

Her name was Alondra Verano and she was standing on the porch of her childhood home. She had for a long time lived in another house in another city but that house had been destroyed. But there was still her childhood house -- the house that she had lived in until her parents got divorced.

And it was still intact too. Though the curtains were closed, there were no bars on the windows, no signs of broken glass, no sign whatsoever that the house had even been touched since she moved away. Considering how much the neighborhood had changed since she had left, that was really saying something.

And yet Alondra felt like a stranger. Her family no longer owned this house and though Alondra had no idea who owned the house now, she somehow knew that she would not be welcomed were she try to force her way into the house right then.

So Alondra just sat down on the porch and looked out at the sunset.

Sunset, she thought. She had been out later than she thought. She really ought to be on patro -- No, wait, she was retired now and there were many women far younger than her who were taking her place on patrol.

She thought about what she had learned at the doctor's office that afternoon and how she had suddenly felt the need to come here -- of all places -- before she went home and talked to her sister and her husband.

They'll probably ask me to babysit again, she thought, and then I'll get to be the cool aunt who tells her young niece all about her various adventures as a young girl. And yet -- as much as she loved her niece and wished to see her -- Alondra could not get herself to move off the porch.

Then the sun went completely down and the darkness grew. The outside lights came on as if on an automatic timer. Alondra started to think quite seriously about standing up and leaving.

Then the front door that was behind her opened and a familiar voice said, "Why, Huntress. What a pleasant surprise!"

Alondra turned, reached in her pocket for a stake and saw... a tall dark-haired woman dressed in black.

"Persephone," said Alondra, "what are you doing here?"

"I live here now," said Persephone. "In fact, I own the place. I was tired of constantly moving so I finally decided to settle down."

"But this is my father's house," said Alondra. "At least it used to be."

"Yes, I know," said Persephone. "Would you like to come inside?"

"Wait," said Alondra. "You're treating me... as a guest... in my family's own house?"

"It is no longer your family's house and we are no longer enemies," said Persephone, "unless, of course, you want to be."

"No, I don't," said Alondra, feeling funny as she said the words for some strange reason.

"Very well then," said Persephone with a sly smile. "Please enter freely and of your own free will."

To be continued...

Fanfic Friday

“The Demon with My Face”

(One of the first chapters I wrote about Alondra the Vampire Huntress. Any resemblances between any of the characters in this story and more famous pop culture characters should be obvious -- though my first draft of this chapter made the connection even more obvious than it is in this chapter. I hope you all enjoy it.)

Chapter One

There is a demon in the world. It wears my face. I know it is not me because I am not a demon. But it is the demon's face that other people see, not mine. And even when I myself look into the mirror, I never see my face. Only the demon's.

My name is Alondra Verano. I used to be normal.

It’s only when I grew older that I learned that I was different. That I was always different. That I always would be different.

I almost killed myself that day. Instead I took a bottle of sleeping pills from the local drug store and took them all in one gulp, only to find myself spitting them out fifteen minutes later.

My parents came home and found me lying by the downstairs toilet. They sent me to the modern-day equivalent of an exorcist and then they put me in a mental hospital. There the doctors continually told me that I never saw what I obviously saw and that I never heard what I always heard.

It was not until the day that a specialist came in to interview me that I finally learned the truth. That I was a Chosen One.

I kinda laughed at that point because both my parents were cradle Catholics and though there had been rumors of Sephardic ancestry in our family's distant past, few of the younger generation -- including myself -- ever took such rumors seriously.

Then the specialist stopped smiling and said that he did not mean that kind of Chosen One. No, I was of a different kind.

The man came from a distant city -- apparently a city located within my home state -- though his accent told me that he himself had come from someplace far further. Apparently there was others like me in this place. Two, in fact -- though in fact, there were only supposed to be one.

He wanted me to come with him and train with the other two. That it would not be good for me to be alone. I had a special gift but such a gift would be useless to me without training. At least that's what he said.

At that point, I would have agreed to anything to get out of that place.

And yet...

"Let me speak to my parents," I said. "And my sister. And the rest of the family."

The man from far away frowned. "That... would not be advisable. The more your family knows, the more they'll be in danger."

"Bullshit," I said, despite myself. "I want to at least talk to my mother."

"You mean the loving mother who committed you to this facility in the first place?" he asked.

"She had her reasons," I said, feeling somewhat strange because I was actually defending actions taken by my mom that I hated.

And yet something about the stranger made me want to fight back. Almost as if he knew something about me that he had no right to know. And yet it was something that I had to know as well. And if I didn't know it, I'd never be free -- no matter how many times I was released.

"Okay," he finally said. "You can see your mother."