Synthetic: Dark Beginning (4 page)

Caleb, who’d grown restless, stomped forward and once again, Kora flew onto her bed.

Ivan reached out and gave the giant’s leg a heavy pat. “You really need to get over this terror of Caleb. He’s like a big bunny. Let him touch you and you’ll see how gentle he is.”

This was the last thing Kora wanted.  “No really I—”

“If you really want to remember, start with Caleb.  He knew you, that's for certain, because he's been here at the castle forever.”

Kora wanted to get back on Ivan's good side after insulting him, so she reluctantly crept up to the giant, put out her hand, and hoped he didn't mangle it.  Caleb stretched forth a lone finger and ran it gently along Kora’s thumb.  It took every ounce of her self-control to keep still. His touch made her stomach churn and a memory rippled through her like the tingling in a limb after years of numbness. She’d spent many hours smothered in those massive arms and struggled for years to avoid the long, inescapable reach of those colossal hands.

When they were both gone, Kora stared at what was left of her dinner on the floor.  The mashed potatoes were lost but some kind of roast had rolled into a dirty corner.  She was so shaken and hungry that she scooped it up, cut off the bad parts, and sat down on a rickety little chair to eat.  It was good.  In fact it was more than good, and she had her own chef to cook for her back at Mirafield. 

Stuffed and emotionally exhausted, Kora stared up at the stone ceiling where several cracks were creeping from two corners.   This castle was her worst nightmare: dark, dirty, and packed with mutant synthetics who talked down to her.   If she ever created anything as disastrous as Ivan, she would immediately put the poor creature out of its misery.  Randall had forced her to dismantle synthetics for much milder deformities, and here Ruby had allowed Ivan to live an astounding eight years during which he'd aged fifty.  He probably only had a few more years to live before he died of old age.   As for Caleb— a wave of loathing swept through Kora when she pictured the giant—he shouldn't just be destroyed, but obliterated. She was surprised at the intensity of her feelings. Usually, Kora felt pity when faced with demolishing a living creature, no matter how messed up, but not Caleb.  More than anything in the world, she wanted the giant dead.

Chapter 4

Vaughn crawled over to his shirt and jeans that lay in a crumpled pile at the foot of the bed. “We overslept, Berta. I have to get going.”

Berta curled herself around him and when that didn’t work, she tried jerking his clothes out of his hands. “I’m sure Ruby already knows you’re gone so what’s the hurry?”

“I don’t want her to come looking for me.”

“And see something like this?” Berta swung out of bed and stood naked before the door.

Vaughn tried to squeeze by, but Berta pulled his head down into a passionate kiss. He struggled to untangle himself, but her arms seemed to grow around him like vines. He finally wrenched himself free and hurried down the stairs into the dining room where Berta’s brother, Ramon, sat eating oatmeal.
Vaughn needed to get the hell out of there before Ramon had a chance to ask questions.

“Did you guys break up like you said?”

“Yeah.” Vaughn sped past him.

“I heard you two arguing. Lots of furniture breaking and stuff getting tossed around.”

“It got a bit violent.”

“Sounded like one hell of a strange fight. You both kept agreeing with each other over and over: Oh God—yes—yes—yes.”

The door was open but Vaughn didn’t walk through. “Okay— I didn't beak up with her.”

Ramon smiled. “I thought so.”

“Can we talk later?” Vaughn slipped out onto the porch where he was attacked by a swarm of children. He lifted Ramon’s little sister, Iris, into the air and swung her around like an airplane. When he set her back down, she took off with her arms out to her sides and all of the younger children did the same as they ran after her.

Ramon joined him on the porch still holding his bowl. “Just think, in about six years you can add my little sister to your harem. That’ll spice things up for you.”

Vaughn knew Ramon was just trying to piss him off because Iris was like a daughter to him. He glared at his friend and then cut across the yard toward the castle that was barely visible through the morning mist.

“Are you and Berta gonna do more breaking up tonight or will I be able to get some sleep?” Ramon called after him.

Vaughn walked down the wet sand to the back of the castle. He studied the dark windows, certain that he’d left the drapes open when he went out the night before. He jumped twenty feet to land on his railing and slipped quietly through the French doors. Vaughn tiptoed past a sleeping Ruby and yanked the curtains open one by one.

“Goddamn it,” said Ruby, shielding her eyes.

“Nothing more cheerful in the morning than sunlight.”

Ruby retreated to the shadows at the back of the room where she took refuge in a chair that looked like a medieval throne. “What sort of vampire are you?”

“The Malibu Barbie kind. I come with a tan.”

“This time I'll make sure the skin stays pale.”

“This time?”
Vaughn froze in the middle of the room.

Ruby daintily arranged her lace skirt across the chair. “Where were you last night?”

“Out.”

“Ivan mentioned a Berta the other day. It pains me to think I’m learning the names of the Food because that means they’ve become pets.”

“Ivan’s a little shit who'll say anything to get me in trouble.”

“Afraid I’ll haul her lovely ass into my dungeon?”

“She’s nothing.”

“You know I wouldn’t mind this sort of behavior if you had the manners to kill them after you’re done eating. It’s easy for me to get more prisoners from Randall.  He seems to have an endless supply of enemies.”

Vaughn wanted to take a shower.  He felt groggy and knew he smelled like sex, but Ruby would probably try to follow him in.  “Murdering them is just so messy. Ivan would complain about all the bloodstains in the laundry and you know how picky he is.”

Ruby let out a long sigh. “I never wanted you to turn the Food into a little village of adoring groupies. You cycle through these stupid girls because you’ll never be satisfied with a mere human. You’re different. Superior.  And very soon, my dark prince, you’ll meet your equal.”

Vaughn darted by her on his way to the bathroom. “Are we done? I need a shave.” He bent down over the sink and splashed his face with water before covering it in a thick lather. He grabbed a straight razor from its stand and drew the blade across his skin, jumping when he caught sight of Ruby in the mirror. “What else do you want?” His body stiffened as she glided up to him.

“Oh, you cut yourself,” said Ruby in a high voice. “Let me see.” She cradled Vaughn’s face between her hands as she gazed at the tiny gash. Before he could jerk away, her tongue curled out and swept across the cut, then back into her mouth. Vaughn pushed roughly by her and grabbed a towel. He could feel Ruby's eyes inspecting him while he wiped off his face.  “I spend thousands every year buying you expensive clothes, and all you ever wear is that dreadful coat and worn-out jeans. The least you can do is try on those handmade shoes that arrived from Italy a few days ago.”

“We live on the beach. I don’t need shoes. Besides, I think Ivan already stole them.”

Ruby’s eyelid twitched. “But that coat,” she continued, “goes with the Victorian suits I had custom tailored for you on Savile Row.”

“Ivan stole those as well. Why don’t you dress him up like Lestat? All that lace would just drive him mad.”

Ruby drew in a ragged breath as she struggled to hold in her anger. “I didn’t come here to fight, but to tell you that I have a new project. You won’t see much of me over the next week. I’ll be very busy.”

Vaughn felt his heart stop in his chest. “What are you up to?”

“It’s a secret.”

“You’ve retired from work, remember?”

“Which work are you referring to?” Ruby swished up to him with a playful look on her face. “I’m not making any new creatures if that’s what you’re worried about. I have enough worthless monsters roaming the castle. I’m simply making an effort to fix myself up a little.  The ultimate spa retreat.”

Vaughn relaxed and felt the blood coursing through his veins once again. Packing Ruby off for a few days of solitary pampering would give him precious hours of freedom. “Sounds like a good idea.”

“I'll also be finishing up a new script for a show I'm pitching to Fox.  Which brings me to ask you for a big favor.”

Vaughn knew from experience that a favor was simply a veiled term for an order. “I want nothing to do with another show.”

“But you're the star, my blood drinking knight.  Let me practice my pitch.”  Ruby’s eyes glazed over and her voice rose as her hands fluttered into the air.   “A gorgeous vampire swims ashore after two hundred years buried at sea. He's starved for blood and wanders into a quiet beach village where he slaughters—”

“I don’t swim and I don’t act.”

“There will be no acting, my dark one. It will all be real. Don’t you see? I’ve written this whole thing for us. We’ll star in it together.”

“The hell we will.” Vaughn headed for the door.

“It’s time you got over this stupid fear of the water,” Ruby yelled before he slammed it behind him.

Halfway down the hall, Vaughn ran his hand over a smooth oak panel then gave it an angry whack. A slender rectangle of wood slid open to reveal a narrow spiral staircase. He wound down two floors and burst through a pantry into a large kitchen.  A line of windows opened out to sea and Vaughn drew in a breath of sea air mixed with the pungent odor of raw meat. Ivan stood on a tall stool behind a brightly tiled counter wearing a silver apron with a large knife in his hand.

“What are you making?” asked Vaughn. He watched carefully as Ivan hacked the leg off a decapitated bird.

“Herb seasoned roasted chicken. It’ll be delicious for those of us who can eat.”

Vaughn hated Ivan’s constant jabs at his eating disorder. He tried not to let it show but as Ivan knew too well, it was the only taunt that really got to him. Vaughn slouched into a chair across from Caleb who was busy feeding two stuffed animals tiny teacups of water. After each sip, the giant carefully wiped their furry faces with a clean napkin. For as long as Vaughn could remember, Caleb had performed this same ritual every afternoon. At one time he’d been curious about the event, but the regularity of it had worked its way into the daily routine so now it seemed as normal as watching Ivan wind up all the clocks in the living room.

“If you’re here to avoid Ruby you better shove off,” said Ivan. “I don’t want her coming in here after you.”

“I’m not hiding. I just came down to ask you something.”

“The answer is no.”

“I need a car.”

Ivan slid the knife under the chicken’s skin, flaying the taut layer from the body in one piece then holding it up before Vaughn on the tip of his knife. “Forget it. You’ve already wrecked five. You’d have better luck asking me for a kidney.”

“If I wanted one of those, I’d just sneak into your room while you were asleep. And I only wrecked three. There are over fifty cars in that garage so I think you can give me one for a few hours.”

“I said no.”

“They’re Ruby’s cars. Not yours.”

Caleb stopped feeding his stuffed toys and looked up like a deer sensing danger. Ivan raised the knife high over his head before plunging it deep into the bird’s breast. “I’m the one who fixes them, polishes them, and protects them from idiotic vampires who can’t drive.”

“I need to go to Santa Barbara. It’s only an hour away and I can be back in three.”

“You want to leave? You want to steal a car and drive off the property?”

“Ruby told me she’ll be getting some kind of spa treatment and working on her script for the next few days. It’s a good time for me to go.”

“She's doing another show?” asked Ivan, his eyes lighting up.

“I had a feeling that would make your day.  Now give me a car.”

Ivan rapped his knuckles against his skull. “You’ll get caught and I’ll be the one with her infernal screaming in my head.  Not to mention she'll write me out of the script. Or worse, give me the role of the ragged maid like she did last time.”

“But you are the maid,” said Vaughn.

Ivan whipped the knife in front of him.  “I'm a renaissance man!  Why can't anyone here see that?”  He lowered the knife, his face suspicious.  “I suppose she's giving you the lead?”

Vaughn shrugged.  “I'm not doing it but, yes.  She and I are supposed to star in it together.”

Ivan groaned. “I was just about to give you a car, but not anymore.”

“You should be grateful I’m even asking.”

Ivan raised his voice. “You’re asking because you have no idea where the keys are.”

Vaughn stood up and knocked his chair backward with a loud bang. “I’m sure if I ripped off both your arms you’d tell me.”

“That might be a difficult to accomplish after I hack off your kneecaps.” Ivan leaped down off the stool and darted around the counter with the knife in the air. He’d nearly reached Vaughn when Caleb lifted him off the floor, and cradled him in the huge bulk of his arms. Ivan screeched like a trapped rodent and struggled against the giant who held him with comical ease.

“My trip has to do with all of us,” said Vaughn, forcing himself to calm down. “I want to go see the woman on the card you found in Ruby’s trash—Debra Kimura.”

Ivan dropped the knife that clanged to the floor.  Caleb bent down and picked it up before allowing him to scramble off his lap.  Ivan straightened his apron and marched over to stand before Vaughn. “I remember that card, but I never thought such a trip possible. Maybe I can find you… something.” He snuck a worried look at Caleb and waved for Vaughn to follow him.

They disappeared through the pantry to the spiral stairs and tromped down ten flights until they reached the garage. Hundreds of gas torches lit the walls, bathing rows of black cars in a rich glow that made the polished surfaces gleam like an oily sea. Near the back, Vaughn spotted a blaze of green and streamed toward it like a moth. A long muscle car with pop-up headlights and an angular fin basked in its own light while all the other cars faded into the shadows.

“There’s no way in hell you’re driving that,” said Ivan. He snatched a cloth from a low hook and chased a streak of dust off the hood.

“It’s brilliant. What is it?”

“A nineteen seventy Plymouth Superbird. The rarest muscle car in the world and it belongs to me, not Ruby.”

“Where did you get it?”

“It was in the garage of a mansion up the road.  I’m sure they won’t miss it.”

“But I come down to the garage all the time and I’ve never seen it.”

“It’s been in my private shop. I just pulled it out yesterday to take it for a spin, but Ruby called me away to unclog her toilet.”

“It’s gorgeous.”

“And unavailable. In fact, you’re not allowed to drive any of these, either.” Ivan swept his stubby arm over the entire garage.

“That doesn’t leave anything.”

“You can have that.” Ivan pointed at a bent pickup, one side completely blackened from where it had been singed during a brushfire.

“That thing will never make it off the property.”