Mary: “I cannot believe we’re going to ask this kid for help.”

Emily: “Why not?  We need blood, he has some, and I don’t see why he wouldn’t share.”

Mary: “I can think of quite a few reasons, least of which isn’t that he’s totally bat shit crazy.”

Emily: “You're the one who wouldn't even let me volunteer my own blood.” 

Mary: “What if he’s not home?”

Emily: “I’m fairly sure he is.  Oh, and don’t be alarmed by his Aunt Lois.  She means well enough.”

Markus: “From what he told me, she won’t even really know we’re there.”

Mary: “It’s just my luck to move in next to the crazy house.”

Emily ignored Mary’s complaining, and knocked on the door.  After only a few seconds they heard the sound of footfalls, followed by locks being undone.

Emily: “Jacob, we need your help.”

To Emily, it felt as if Jacob looked right through her.  He instantly zeroed in on Markus, a flicker of surprise dancing across his face.

Emily: “We sort of need to… um.  This can’t not sound completely insane.”

Jacob: “I have blood in the fridge.”
Mary: “Point proven.”

Jacob: “You can sit at the dining room table, but be quiet.  Aunt Lois is sleeping.”

Markus: “Thank you.”

Jacob turned without a word and disappeared into the kitchen, leaving them to follow uncertainly.  After they’d sat down, he came out of the kitchen with a large tumbler full of a liquid so dark it was almost black, and set it in front of Markus.

Mary: “I do not envy you.”

Markus: “I don’t think I can drink this.”

Emily: “You have to, Markus.  Just try not to think about it too hard.”

Markus: “I guess I can pretend it’s something else.  Bottoms up.”

He wrinkled his face up, then took a deep breath.  Mary and Emily leaned forward slightly, watching as he put the glass to his mouth and began to drink.  When he set the glass down again, they relaxed back.

Mary: “Well?”

Markus: “It doesn’t taste like chicken, that’s for sure.”

Emily: “Is it helping?”

Markus: “Actually, yes.  Some of the fog is lifting already.”

Emily slowly became aware that Jacob had been watching Markus with intense interest as he finished off the last of the blood.  He didn’t wait for him to put the glass down before the questions started.

Jacob: “It happened less than three hours ago, didn’t it?”

Markus: “Yes, it did.  How can you tell?”

Jacob: “The amount of healing on your neck and the time of night.  Who did it?”

Markus: “This guy named Nathan Holt.  Any chance you know him?”

Jacob: “No, but his brother used to beat me up in junior high; he stopped after he got hit by a train.  I had nothing to do with that.  Why did he turn you?”

Markus: “He thought TVO would reform if I was a… vampire.”

Jacob: “How did he find you?”

Markus: “He must have followed me from work.  He stepped right in front of my car, and when I was trying to help him, he grabbed me.”

Jacob: “When did that happen?”

Markus: “Friday night.”

Jacob: “Why didn’t you try to escape during the day?”

Markus: “He kept me drugged, something that had me damn near paralyzed.  It’s actually the only reason I was able to get away when I did, because apparently he didn’t think it would affect him when he did the change.”

Markus paused, blinking heavily.  It was only then that Emily realized that Jacob had been able to get more information out of him than either she or Mary had been able to, firing off the barrage questions in a quiet, even tone.  It had been almost hypnotic.

Emily: “We have to do something about this.”

Mary: “What do you mean?”

Emily: “We can’t just let this guy get away with doing this to Markus!  It’s sickening.”

Mary: “What do you suggest we do?”

Markus: “I don’t want either one of you to do anything that could get you hurt.  Leave him be.”

Emily: “You can’t seriously expect us to just sit back and let this guy get away with it, do you?”

Markus: “I damn well can.  What he did to me was wrong, but it would only be that much worse if something happened to either of you.”

Emily: “So, what, we just sort of forget the whole thing happened?  I can’t do that.”

Markus: “Damn it, Emily!  Two wrongs do not make a right!”

Mary: “But three lefts do.  You said yourself he’s more or less drugged right now, so what better time to go and have a free and open exchange of ideas?”

Emily: “Besides which, I don’t think the boys will let him off quite as easily as we will.  Plus you know we won’t give up on this.  What if we just make him leave town?”

Markus: “I’m dead-set against this whole damned thing.  It’s pure idiocy.  I don’t want either of you having any contact with him at all, least of all on your own.”

Mary: “Objection duly noted.  I just wonder how you plan to keep us from hunting him down come sunrise.”

Markus: “Why are you both so set on confronting the guy?”

Emily: “Because you’re our friend, and someone hurt you.  It’s what friends do for each other.”

Markus stared down into the empty glass in front of him.  His expression shifted from melancholic anger to quiet surrender like the transmission in a rusted out Jeep.  Emily couldn’t help but feel bad for him; very few forces in nature could stand up to the girls’ resolve, and he knew it.

Markus: “Fine.  Since you’re so set on getting yourselves into trouble at every possible opportunity, I may as well do what I can to help make sure you come back from this alive.”

Mary: “I always knew you were smart, Markus.  So here’s the plan: since you’re still not doing very well, me and you can go back to the house and you can work on getting your strength back.  Emily can go find the guy who did this to you and see about talking some sense into him.”

Markus: “I don’t want you going alone, Mar—what?”

Emily felt a coldness spread out from the pit of her stomach.

Emily: “You want to stay here?”

Mary: “Whoever goes needs to be in good physical shape; I’m… still getting over this flu bug.  You’ve been training with Tristan, so it’s not like you’re going into this unprepared.  Assuming that you haven’t been using the term ‘training’ as a euphemism, of course.”

Emily: “Not entirely, no.  And I did kick his ass tonight.”

Markus: “Regardless of which one of you it is, I still don’t want you going alone.  Take Jacob.”

Mary: “I don’t know if I approve of that.”

Markus: “Would you rather she went alone?”

Mary: “No, but I don’t see how it’s much better.”

Markus: “He is a vampire.”

Mary: “I don’t trust him.”

Emily: “What else can we  do?  Markus won’t let us get the guys involved.”

Mary looked thoughtful for a moment, her eyes going from Markus to Emily before settling on Jacob.

Mary: “If our house is anything to go by, you are good at breaking into locked places; I’ll give you that much.”

It didn’t escape Emily’s notice that Jacob seemed to brighten somewhat, and she thought she saw the ghost of a smile begin to pull at the corners of his mouth. 

Mary: “So what do you say, kid?  Up for an adventure tonight?”

Jacob: “I find it difficult to believe you suddenly trust me.”

Mary: “No, I don’t, not least of all alone with my best friend on a mission to break into the house of a guy who clearly has quite a few screws loose.  However, I like the thought of her going in alone even less.”

Jacob: “You also think that crazy knows crazy.”

Mary’s cheeks flushed with color.

Mary: “I didn’t actually say that.”

Jacob: “You didn’t have to.”

Mary: “Look, are you going or not?  Because if not, I’ll happily leave you here on your own to do whatever the mentally ill do on their days off.”

Jacob: “I’ll go.”

Mary: “Excellent!  Then it’s all settled.  For god’s sake, Emily, be careful.  And make sure you kick him in the nads at least once for me.”

Emily: “I’m sure we’ll be fine.  Even if he’s only half as out of it as Markus is, I don’t think we’ll have any problems with him.”

Markus: “Just promise me you won’t kill him.  Self defense is one thing, of course, but I really believe that killing him will only make this whole situation that much worse.  At the end of the day, he’s still mostly a human being.”

Emily: “I promise.  Now, where does this guy live?”