A Fall of Water
Page 15

Still, he waited.
Ben didn’t know why, but recently, the idea of how Beatrice and Giovanni were feeding was starting to bug him. Did they feed on random strangers? Criminals? He was starting to entertain crazy notions of them stalking gang members in dark alleys like modern day superheroes, and he knew he was being ridiculous. He felt awkward asking, so he decided that the easiest way to find out would be to trail them when they went out. It was Friday night, and he knew they would feed, because both of them always looked flushed on Saturday, and Beatrice usually slept a little during the day, which she rarely needed to do.
Ben waited in the shadows until he saw them walk out, hand in hand. They were on foot, so he left his scooter in the alley and prayed that no one would bother it. He followed behind them as they turned the corner and headed toward a clutch of storefronts. They must have walked a mile, both of them strolling at a human pace, chatting and laughing together like any other couple out for a date. Beatrice had her hand tucked around Giovanni’s waist, and his hand occasionally reached up to play with the ends of her hair. Ben envied the easy love he saw between them and wondered if he would ever find someone that loved him like that.
No matter, he thought with a grin. There was plenty of time for that and plenty of interested girls in the meantime.
Ben saw them turn a corner and walk toward a bar where a loud group of what looked like college kids gathered on the patio outside, drinking and smoking. They paused across the street, then looked at each other. Giovanni gave Beatrice a small nod, and they crossed the road.
“What are you doing?”
Ben almost fell over when he heard the voice at his ear.
“Dammit, Tenzin!” he gasped and spun around. “You scared me to death!”
“Why are you following your aunt and uncle?”
“I’m... not. I’m not following them. I’m just...” He cleared his throat and stared into her skeptical grey eyes.
She looked across the street, then back at him. “Yes, you are. And you are a bad liar.”
“You know, I’m actually a really good liar unless I’m talking to a vampire who can hear my heartbeat.”
She shrugged. “Well, it’s too bad that half of your family are vampires then. Why are you following Gio and B?”
“I’m just... I was just... worried.”
“About?”
“Them. You know, with all the danger and... stuff.” He was flailing. Ben could charm his way out of practically any situation imaginable. He could charm the harshest teacher at school with a flash of his smile. He could get any of the girls to do his boring homework for him by batting his long, dark lashes, but Tenzin...
He sighed. Tenzin was uncharmable.
She waited, standing with preternatural stillness that seemed to wrench the truth from his gut.
“I’m just curious, all right?”
“About?”
“How they... you know...”
She furrowed her brows. “Are you one of those strange boys who likes to watch people do personal things? A ‘Peeping Tim?’”
“Tom! It’s ‘Peeping Tom,’ Tenzin.”
“Oh, and you are one of them?” She didn’t look disgusted, just curious as she cocked her head to the side.
“No!”
“Then why are you following them?”
“I’m just curious about... the eating thing.”
“About what?”
Ben flushed to the roots of his hair. “The eating—feeding thing, you know? Who do they eat from? What do they... I mean, do they kill people? Do they... I don’t know!”
She scowled. “They don’t kill people. Why do you think they kill people?”
“I don’t think they kill people.”
“But you just said—”
“I’m just curious, okay?”
“So why don’t you ask them?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. It just seems rude.”
Tenzin curled her lip. “It’s rude to ask them, but following them is not? You are a very odd boy.”
“I’m not—”
“Come on.” She waved at him and started walking back down the street. “I’ll walk back to your bicycle with you.”
He frowned and started to follow her. “It’s not a bicycle, Tenzin.”
“It has two wheels, doesn’t it? Bi. Cycle.”
“You’re so weird.”
“I’m not the one following my aunt and uncle and being a Peeping Tim.”
“Tom.”
“Who?”
Ben reached over to tug at a chunk of her dark hair. “Never mind.”
“Is he gone?” Beatrice sipped a glass of wine and peeked at Giovanni from the corner of her eye as he sat across from her at the small table.
“Yes, she grabbed him. They’re walking back to the warehouse now.”
“Why do you think he was he following us?”
Giovanni shrugged and picked up the glass of Jameson she had ordered for him. “I heard him asking Caspar—in what he probably thought was a subtle way—about what we’re eating. He’s probably curious. He knows we’re not feeding from bagged blood anymore. Do you think he’s worried we’re draining the innocent and wreaking havoc on Southern California?”
Beatrice snorted. “Well, will you have a talk with him tomorrow, so we don’t have a repeat of this?”