Saturday mornings were usually pancake days at the Findley residence, and while Cadence would have slept past eight if she had been home, Cass was one to get up early and help her dad make a mess in the kitchen. Despite her own exhaustion from being up most of the night, Cadence was up bright and early to give her little sister a call and try to explain what she had seen the night before.
Cadence didn’t use FaceTime because she looked like grim death. Her plan was to talk to her sister briefly and then go back to sleep. She was hopeful that her sibling would comply. The phone only rang once before Cassidy answered. “Cadence?” she asked, her voice much too chipper for the early hour.
“Hey, Cass. You sound wide awake. How’s it going?” Cadence asked, flopping over on her stomach on the bed.
“I’ve been waiting for you to call me for, like, an hour,” Cassidy replied.
“It’s not even eight o’clock yet,” Cadence reminded her.
There was a sigh and Cadence could practically see her rolling her eyes. “I know, but you said you’d call me first thing so….”
“I was up late. Killing a Vampire,” Cadence explained. “Not an easy thing to do and a little taxing on the energy level.”
“I wouldn’t know,” Cassidy said. “So, who is this Brandon guy?” she asked, changing the subject abruptly. “And why does he seem to think he knows me? He hasn’t been hanging out on the rooftop, has he?”
“No,” Cadence assured her. “No one’s been hanging out on your rooftop for a while.” Ever since Elliott had died anyway. They had yet to reassign someone to trail her, relying on the Guardians and Hunters in the area to keep Cadence’s family safe. There were presently no Vampire sightings in Shenandoah, but she made a mental note to talk to Aaron about it. “I guess there’s really no easy way to say this, so I’ll just tell you. He’s Elliott’s son.”
The phone was silent for a long while. Just when Cadence was about to check to see if she was still alive, Cassidy said, “Elliott has a son?”
“Yes,” Cadence affirmed. “He actually has a couple of other kids as well, but they never Transformed, and they’re much older than us. But Brandon is his child from a woman he was dating in the nineties. He never knew she had a baby.” Cadence could see no reason to go into details about Elliott’s relationship with Amanda.
Again, Cassidy was very quiet. “I don’t know whether to be really happy that there’s part of him left or to be really sad that he never knew.”
“I know,” Cadence agreed. “I felt the same way when I stopped to think about it for a few minutes. I mean, don’t get me wrong, the first time I saw Brandon I was elated. He’s like mini-Elliott. And he acts a lot like him, too, Cass. He’s sarcastic and rude. Funny as hell. Oh, and he’s an amazing liar.”
“Okay,” Cassidy said slowly. “I didn’t realize that was an asset.”
“It is when you’re trying to convince humans that they didn’t just see a Vampire,” Cadence explained. “But anyway, that’s who you met last night. He hasn’t committed to Transforming yet, though. I think he wants to finish high school first.”
“And then you think he’s going to come and train with you?” Cassidy asked.
“I hope so. I’m not sure,” Cadence replied, flipping over to her back.
“Well, it’s nice that you’ll have someone there with you who reminds you of Elliott,” Cassidy said with a tone of melancholy in her voice.
“Yep,” Cadence agreed not really willing to elaborate. “So, what are your plans for today?”
“I’m not sure. I think it depends if Lucy and Emma ever wake up. Dad’s going to make pancakes, but I can’t get either one of them to budge.”
“What time did you go to sleep last night? You called me after eleven,” Cadence reminded her.
“I don’t know. One or two, I guess,” Cassidy admitted.
“Well, they’re probably a little tired then.”
“I know. But I was hoping they’d wake up soon so we could eat and they’d go home because….” There was a lilt in her voice as if she was going to say more but she was hesitant.
“Because?”
“Because… I wanted to see if maybe you would come and get me today and let me spend the rest of the weekend with you. We have Monday off for parent teacher conferences, so it would be the perfect time,” she finally spat out quickly, all in a rush, before she chickened out.
“Cass….”
“Please, Cadence? You’re always saying that I can come and spend the weekend with you, and you’ll show me around, but you never do it.”
“I know, but Cass….”
“Please?”
“Cass….”
“PLEASE??”
Cadence groaned. “Fine! But can I please go back to sleep for a few hours? I’ll be there around… noon.”
“Make it ten,” Cassidy bargained.
“Eleven,” Cadence countered.
“Ten-thirty?”
“Never?”
“See you at eleven,” Cassidy said and promptly hung up the phone before Cadence could change her mind.
“Ugh,” Cadence groaned. The last thing she wanted to do was drive to Shenandoah. She missed her family, but there was just so much going on. Now really was not the best timing. Nevertheless, she had made a promise to her sister, and she would keep her promise. Just as soon as she got done with her nap.
* * *
Despite being thousands of miles away, Giovani was capable of using his telepathy to talk to his friend Robert in Iowa from anywhere. Just like the IAC that the Hunters and Guardians used, Vampires relied on telepathy to communicate with each other. While not all of them were as skilled as others, it was one of Giovani’s specialties. He could tune into Robert anywhere in the world, and the two of them could carry on a conversation almost as if they were on the phone.
After a few moments of catching up, Giovani finally got to his primary purpose for making the connection. “I need your help.”
“What is it?” Robert asked, always willing to assist.
“The window of opportunity is quickly closing. If we are to destroy the Hunter Leader, we must act quickly. I have met with an ancient Vampire, and he has given me his advice, but I’m not sure what our next step must be,” Giovani explained.
“What did he suggest?”
“He said that we must find a human so innately evil that, upon Resurrecting, he will be all powerful and able to defeat her single-handedly. Do you think such a person even exists, brother?”
Robert was quiet for a few moments before he finally responded. “I believe there is someone who can do just that. But he may be difficult to access.”
Giovani’s ears perked at the new information. “Who is it? Where can I find him?”
“You need to get to Philadelphia,” Robert replied.
It only took a moment for Giovani to realize whom Robert had in mind. Though he was living underground in a foreign country, he had heard of the Jogging Path Killer. “You’re brilliant!” Giovani exclaimed. “Of course! Why didn’t I think of that?”
Robert didn’t bother to gloat. “Is there anything else I can help you with?” he asked.
“There is one more thing, the main reason I have contacted you. We need some bait, and I need you to collect it,” Giovani explained.
“Tell me more,” Robert insisted, intrigued. He liked the sound of collecting a victim to lure Cadence in. “You know I’ll do whatever I can to assist you in your mission, brother.”
“That’s exactly what I needed to hear,” Giovani replied, a broad smile growing across his face. If this plan worked--no, when it worked--it would just be a matter of time before they had Cadence Findley at last.