A Study of Poisons

TWENTY TWO

      "He is so God awful, I cannot believe your mother is still insisting on you marrying him." Surano scoffed as I flipped through the pages of the grimoire. I've spent all day and the past night reading what I could understand. It's not necessarily a spell book, it's just a magical diary. It tells me the tests and trials that grandmother went through when she first started her magic journey.

I thought about my mother's as my finger skimmed down the pages, "She even left a very timid yet angry message about how I need to side with him and not vampires. She wants me to apologize." I explained to my friend, on the other side of the call. I could hear his aggravation only grow.

Good thing I could always count on Surano for getting angry for me. I usually didn't need to let out my frustration when he was near, "For what? He jeopardized your mission? I would still snitch and tell Nicholson." Nicholson would side with me, but the secrets that I kept now would be in danger and so would my life. I needed to play my pieces smarter if I was going to survive after everything I've done.

"I want to so bad but I think I'm going to use it against next time he touches me." I half lied. I would use it against Santrill incase he tried anything else. However, my safety was more on the topic of my mind.

The boy sighed on the other side of the line, I wondered how his love life had been going. I always forget to ask, I'm sure I'll hear about it when we're in person again. "Well at least it sounds like your mission is going as planned. Over here things are beginning to get better, it sounds like soon we will all be able to go home." Home. Chicago or wherever I would be forced to move with Santrill.

"I miss drive thru meals." I swayed our conversation to a different topic.

That seemed to make him laugh thankfully, "When we get back to Chicago, I want to hit up the first hotdog spot I see and never move." It reminded me of Joey's cart in front of the organization offices. It made me miss acting like a tourist over something so incredibly stupid.

I was homesick, I will admit. However, not for the place but instead the people. I missed Kate and Surano. "Agreed, when we have the time we need to rewatch the Twilight movies again." It was devastating, two Keepers who enjoyed watching Vampire movies a little bit too much. We nearly devote our entire week to binging as much as we can.

"Look at us, we work for Vampires yet our favorite movie makes them look stupid." It was like he was reading my thoughts.

I closed the grimoire, "That's the fun isn't it?"

Surano's silence grew grim, I could tell something had been plaguing his mind. He would tell me soon or later like he always did, "True, don't worry about what'll happen to you once we get home by the way. If I have to, I'll marry you." He mentioned our years old plan, the one we made when we graduated from the Academy and my mother began to send me files of suitors.

"At least I know you won't try to touch me." I snickered. Sliding my feet over my bed as I watched the sun fall and the moon rise. The Vampires should be up right about now.

Surano's voice got sharper. "I might cheat on you though."

"I might too." I laughed.

I would kill to see him again, I thought as I looked into my reflection. "Later Delia." He said as his line cut out, I wasn't in the mood to wear the complete uniform. The July heat of Scotland was becoming almost suffocating.

Here I was, wearing my uniform pants that I rolled up to the middle of my calf. Barefooted without my blouse which I had exchanged for a white tank top. Drawing my hair up into a high ponytail. My sword still strapped to my hip. I had grown comfortable here, it was intoxicating considering when I first arrived to the manor. Afraid to even show a little bit of skin.