10:30, The Day Before Yesterday

Book 1 Chapter VII - In Vino, Veritas

Chapter 7 - In Vino, Veritas

Hazel Sinistrah was less than amused when Dandelion Zeliphiel, his best friend/adopted brother/partner-in-crime, showed up at the party he - Hazel - was invited to and literally dragged him out.

"What's all this in aid of?" he complained when they reached their nearest safe-house.

"Message for you from your sister. I wrote it down," Dandelion - no, that was not his real name, just like Hazel wasn't Hazel's; not even Hazel knew what his friend's real name was - replied, holding out a piece of paper with said message written on it.

Hazel took it.

You're needed on Earth, in New York, at InGEN 24. Is about Loki. Call them before you come. Don't try to find me; I'm in hiding.

It wasn't signed, but the use of "Loki" made it clear who it was from. Only one person called Lucius that; only one person was allowed to call him that. And whatever had happened to him, it was something serious or she wouldn't have bothered contacting Hazel.

He handed the paper back to Dandelion. "Contact InGEN 24. We're going to Earth." He paused before adding, "And let's bring Helena with us. We might need her."

~~~~

Dani stared up at the man who had shouted at her, trying to remember where she'd seen him before. "...Dracula?" Then she noticed the person standing behind him. "Lucius? What are you -" She looked from one vampire to the other, thoroughly bewildered. "What is going on here?"

"It's a rather long story and I'm not clear on parts of it myself," Dracula said, glancing up at the roof Dani had just climbed down from. "But this is definitely not the place for this discussion. I believe we should continue it back at InGEN 24."

He held out his hand. Dani stared at him quizzically before she remembered a certain trip from Romania to Italy, courtesy of David's teleportation.

"Why should I trust you?"

"Miss O'Shau - Miss Tamari, if I were going to kill you, you would be dead by now."

Dani noticed that he had apparently forgotten her name for a moment and filed it away. "That's not very comforting."

"It wasn't meant to be. But I have no intention of harming you in any way; I made a promise and I intend to keep it."

Promise? Who did he promise, and what did he promise them?

That's more than I know, but you can trust him; I can sense enough of his thoughts to know that, Phantom said.

Dani very nearly started with surprise. This was the first time that Phantom had ever said anything about reading someone's mind. For the first time, an uneasy suspicion crept into her mind about the nature of the little voice in her head. Was it possible that he/she/it wasn't a figment of her imagination? That they really existed? That they were another person, who somehow had access to her mind?

She put that frightening train of thought out of her mind and took Dracula's hand. Lucius took his other hand, and the three of them vanished.

~~~~

There were many things in the universe that Hazel simply couldn't understand. Why his adopted niece had decided to get a job as a Grim Reaper was one of them. Maybe she just wanted to carry on where her adoptive mother left off.

Anyway, the good thing about Helena's career choice was that, though there was no way for her family to contact her, she knew when they wanted or needed her and appeared. Hazel could understand where the old saying "Speak of the devil and he shall appear" had come from.