Brandon had only been under anesthesia one other time in his life, when he was eight and he’d had his tonsils out. Waking up from the medicine Jamie had given him after the Transformation Serum was a little like that. He sort-of remembered where he should be, but his brain was foggy, and his body felt funny—tingly, full of electricity. It took him a few seconds to open his eyes once he realized he was awake, and alive. He looked around the small operating room, and seeing the empty chairs near the door, at first, he thought he was alone. But then he turned his head and saw that another bed had been set up near his. He smiled when he realized who was asleep in it.
Whether it was the sensation of someone watching her or the noise of his stirring that caused her to open her eyes he wasn’t sure, but even in the dark of the interior room, he could see her brown eyes looking at him. “Hey there,” she said quietly, leaning up a bit off of the pillow. “Are you awake?”
“I guess so,” Brandon croaked before clearing his throat.
“Oh, here,” Cassidy said, jumping up. “Jamie sat some water next to your bed. I’ll get it.” She retrieved the cup and straw and gently helped him take a sip. “Better?” she asked.
“Yeah, thanks,” he said as she put the cup back down and sat down on the edge of her bed.
“How do you feel?” she asked.
Brandon considered the question for a moment. He raised his hand and stared at it as if it were a foreign object. “Weird,” he finally began. “Like I’ve been electrocuted or something. It’s so bizarre. I feel like my hands are moving a lot faster than they should be.”
“They are,” Cassidy agreed. “Does it hurt at all?”
“No,” he assured her. “It hurt a little bit when Jamie put the first dose in, but I think I was already out by the time he gave me the second one, the pain medicine. What time is it?”
Cassidy grabbed her phone out from underneath her pillow. “It’s just after midnight.”
“Just after midnight Sunday morning, or just after midnight the third week of April?” Brandon asked, scooting up a bit so he could see her better.
Giggling, Cassidy said, “Sunday morning. You really weren’t out that long.”
Brandon was surprised. “Huh. I expected to be out until at least Monday.”
“I know, right?” Cassidy agreed, swinging her crossed legs back and forth slowly. “I did, too. I’m glad you’re up though. You missed some stuff.”
“Really?” Brandon asked, sitting up even more. “Like what?”
“Well, my friends found Giovani at Heathrow getting on a plane earlier today. Aaron thinks he’s on his way to Philadelphia, so they’re checking footage for that right now.”
“Why Philadelphia?” Brandon asked, his brow wrinkled.
With a sigh, Cassidy explained, “They think he’s going to turn the Jogging Path Killer into a Vampire so he can take out my sister.”
“Shut up!” Brandon exclaimed, up on one elbow now. “Why would he need to do that?”
“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “I guess that’s, like, the only guy who would be powerful enough to do it.”
“Unbelievable,” Brandon said laying back down. “So, if they find out Giovani’s in Philly, will they go there?”
“Yeah,” Cassidy assured him. “And my sister will have to kill the Jogging Path Killer—I mean destroy him. I guess he’d be dead already. Or whatever.”
Staring at the ceiling, Brandon contemplated her story. “That sounds kind of dangerous,” he finally said, quietly.
“I know,” Cassidy agreed, tossing herself backward onto her pillow. “She said she’s not worried about it, that she can take anyone. Maybe she can. I don’t know.”
He leaned up on one elbow so he could look at her. Even in the dim light he could see the nervous expression on her face, the way she was chewing on the inside of her mouth. “Hey, Cass, I’m sure she’ll be fine,” he assured her.
She turned her head to look at him. Offering him a small smile, she finally said, “I guess so. I just wish we could go with them.”
“You and me both,” he agreed laying back down. “Maybe they will at least let us go to the planning meeting, you know? Get us some experience that way.”
“That would be good, but not the same as going on the hunt. I really want to be part of bringing Giovani down,” Cassidy replied.
“Why is that again?” he asked peering at her through the darkness.
“He made my sister kill Jack!” she said leaning up quickly and looking at him as if he was an idiot. “I loved Jack. If it weren’t for Giovani, Jack would still be here. He’d be a Vampire, but at least he wouldn’t be dead. I’d rather have a Vampire Jack than no Jack at all.”
“Right,” Brandon remarked, turning his attention back to the ceiling. After a few moments he said, “Remind me who Jack is again.”
“Oh, good grief!” Cassidy exclaimed, pulling her pillow out from behind her head and hitting him with it. “He was my sister’s ex-boyfriend.”
“That’s right,” Brandon replied, still not sure why he was so important to Cassidy. As she readjusted her pillow and threw herself back down, he decided to change the subject. “Well, I don’t think we should ask to go right now. Let’s just focus on getting into the meeting, okay?”
“All right,” Cassidy agreed, yawning. “They said Christian isn’t due back until Monday, so you won’t be able to get you IAC until then.”
“I figured I’d have to wait on him,” Brandon nodded. “You met him?”
“Yes,” Cassidy replied. “At… the last time I was here.”
“At my dad’s funeral?”
“Yes.”
“It’s okay. I know he died. And I know there was a funeral,” Brandon assured her.
“I know,” Cassidy said, stifling another yawn. “I just didn’t want to say anything that might upset you.”
“In my delicate condition?”
She giggled again. “Sorry. I’ve had a lot of people die lately, and people never know what to say to me either.”
“Well, that sucks,” he muttered. “What kind of a guy is he? Christian—I mean.”
Cassidy seemed to ponder the question for a moment. “I don’t know. He’s weird,” she finally admitted. “I mean—I think he’s really good at his job, just seems kind of… out of place, maybe?”
Brandon considered that response for a few moments before saying, “I guess I’m glad he’s good at his job, at least.”
“Yeah, he does all of the IACs, so he’s good at it,” Cassidy assured him. She yawned again and readjusted her pillow.
“You seem pretty tired,” he said, rolling on his side to face her.
“I am,” she agreed. “I’m more of a morning person.”
He laughed. “That might need to change.”
She cracked a smile. “I guess so,” she admitted as she finally let her eyelids close.
“I’m really surprised your sister let you stay in here with me,” he said quietly. She was only a few feet away, and he was tempted to reach over and brush her hair away from her face, but he didn’t do it. He still wasn’t sure what she thought of him, and he didn’t want to press the issue.
Without opening her eyes, Cassidy began, “She didn’t want to, but I’d told you I’d be here when you woke up. So, Aaron said I could stay.”
“I always liked that guy,” Brandon mumbled.
“I didn’t,” Cassidy said, her eyes fluttering open for a moment. “But I guess he’s not so bad.”
Brandon didn’t bother to ask any questions about what she meant by that considering she was nearly asleep, but he did say, “He loves your sister. That’s for sure. He won’t let anything happen to her.”
“I hope you’re right,” Cassidy whispered. As she began to drift off, she added, “Good night, Brandon. See you in the morning.”
“Good night, Cassidy,” he said quietly. As her breathing evened out, he gently leaned over and brushed a few loose strands of brown hair away from her face; her smile was enough to confirm things were moving in the right direction.