25

“Tell me about this vampire perfume of yours,” Amelia said a few hours later, after Dave had grown tired of the card game.

The boy was eager to explain. “Oh, it covers your true scent. Well, it doesn’t work if you’re already a vampire, but for all other species, it does the job.”

“Incredible. How did you do it?”

“Easy. I took a regular perfume and a vampire’s hair, I cast a spell, and it worked.”

“Just like that?”

“Yup! There’s one more thing, but I can’t really tell you – sorry! I will say this, though.” Dave scratched his neck. “No vampire suffered from the making of this perfume.”

“Do you have it with you?” Amelia asked, certain that the answer would be no and her ludicrous plan would never work.

“Always!” Dave pulled out a small vial from his jacket pocket. It was no more than two inches tall, and filled with transparent liquid. “I’m trying to start a business.” He became very serious. “I sell the perfume around the Hospital.”

Amelia stared at her salvation. “And how’s that going?”

“Not too good.” The boy shook the vial, pursing his lips. “Not at all.”

“I’ll buy one,” she said, before realising she didn’t have any money.

“Nonsense! You’re my friend. I’ll give you one for free.” The boy placed the vial in her palm.

The transparent liquid twinkled between her fingers. “Thank you, Dave. Is this enough?”

He perked up. “The vial is small, so you can easily hide it when you’re in danger. All you need is a drop, and then you’re a vampire.”

“How do you know it works?”

“Well, we witches, same as nymphs, don’t have a super strong sense of smell, so we can’t tell the species apart like that. But I asked a lycanthrope friend to help out, and she said it works. We go to school together, since she’s never been as a kid.”

“I see… How do you put it on?”

Dave pointed to the tiny cap. “Take it off and press the vial against your skin for a few seconds, until the liquid soaks through.”

“How long until it starts working?”

“Thirty to sixty seconds.”

“Awesome.”

The boy straightened up and stared at her with a gaze that, in that moment, made him seem older than his actual age. “Promise me something, Amelia.”

Despite her determination to regard him as a creature , her chest once again filled up with sympathy for the boy. “What is it, Dave?”

“If the Tribunal comes after you again, or they find you here, please use the perfume. I’ve heard that many of their agents are lycanthropes with a very strong sense of smell, so this will help throw them off your scent. Promise?”

“I promise, Dave.” What the boy didn’t know was that she intended to apply the liquid much sooner.

Fuck .

She shouldn’t have felt guilty for lying to Dave, but she did. She chose to change the subject, before she reconsidered. “Have you invented other interesting things like that?”

“Well…” He hesitated. “I told you already about the love potion.”

“Love potion? Sounds intriguing.”

The boy smiled sheepishly.

Amelia laughed and leaned back against the couch. “I think you mentioned that you used it on someone and it didn’t go according to plan?”

Dave stared at his feet. “Yeah, but it’s not something I like to talk about.”

Amelia reached out and ruffled his hair. “Don’t worry. We all make mistakes. When I was five, I hit the boy I liked in the face. Guess what happened?”

“What?”

“Not only did he not fall in love with me, but he was so afraid of me from that day on, that he didn’t even want to talk to me.”

“Why did you hit him?” The boy shook his head. “Don’t you know it’s childish to pick on the person you like?”

She chuckled. “No. But it’s good that you know it.”

He looked down at his feet again and murmured, “Do you have a boyfriend, Amelia?”

“…No?”

“When I become immortal, if you’re still alone, do you want to be my girlfriend?”

The seriousness in his tone, the blush of his cheeks, made her smile wide. “Of course.”

Two hours later, Dave returned to his mother, and Amelia stepped into action. She rested on the bed and cried out. “I NEED A DOCTOR!”

One of the twins that Dave had called hybrids rushed into the room. “What’s all this yelling?” She scanned the room until her eyes found Amelia, curled up on the sheets.

“My ulcer…” She gritted her teeth. “It’s probably perforated. It should be checked by… a surgeon.”

The hybrid wrinkled her nose. “Forget it. Nobody comes in except the kid and the maids.”

Amelia bit her lip and twisted further. “It hurts… a lot.”

“I’ll go get you some painkillers.”

“They won’t help… I’m a medical student. I know.”

The woman stared at her a moment – Amelia added a low, pained moan for good measure – then growled. “Fuck! I’ll bring someone over.”

She slammed the door shut behind her.

Ten minutes later, an imposing man in scrubs barged into the room. Amelia shivered for real this time, because she recognised him – it was the man who had pursued the wolf on the day she had tried to escape.

“What’s going on here? Come…” He towered over her, the hybrid following him like a shadow. “I had no idea there was a human here. It’s okay. I’m Doctor Nyavolski. I’m the chief surgeon of the Hospital.” He gently pushed her on her back. “Where does it hurt, sweetheart?”

“Here.” Amelia placed a hand over the upper part of her stomach.

“Is it spreading or staying in one place?” His rushed words told her he wanted to be out of there as soon as possible.

She swallowed hard. “Just here.”

“Dizziness, nausea?”

“I threw up twice.”

“All right. Let me see your belly now,” he explained, leaning over her. “Pull your shirt up. Good.” His hand started moving up and down her abdomen, pressing carefully at first, then a little firmer. “Does it hurt here? How about here? Is it more painful when I push or when I release?”

Amelia intentionally made any diagnosis challenging by moaning and crying with every touch.

“All right.” He faced the hybrid. “I wouldn’t say the abdomen is hard, but I want to check. Take her for blood tests, urine and a contrast CT. I’ll go over the results when they’re ready. Okay?”

“No!” she snapped back. “I’m forbidden from letting her leave this room.”

Doctor Nyavolski was already at the door. “If that’s the case, why’d you call me over and waste my time? Do you have any idea how fucking busy I am, woman?”

“I’m just following Korovin’s orders, but he’s not here. I’ve been trying to reach him and he’s not picking up.”

Amelia knew that he wasn’t at the Hospital, but the confirmation helped her relax further.

“Do whatever you want. I told you what should be done.”

“It really hurts!” Amelia cried out from the bed.

Doctor Nyavolski shot the hybrid an accusatory glance.

She finally relented. “All right, I’ll take her downstairs.”

“I’ll come see you later.” He winked at Amelia and left.

“Can you walk, human?” The hybrid stood beside her, her expression showcasing discontent at the turn of events.

Amelia curled up in pain again. She had to be as convincing as possible. “I don’t think so…”

The hybrid paced to the door and issued orders for a wheelchair to someone in the hallway – probably her sister.

“Sit!” She barked when the wheelchair arrived.

Amelia obeyed and prayed in silence while the woman pushed her to the door. The other hybrid was nowhere to be seen, but as they passed by the statues, Amelia’s heart raced. Glancing at the beautiful figure of Ana, Mother of Nymphs, Amelia realised this was the same Ana from Dave’s story. And now, it wasn’t the statue’s exquisiteness that grabbed her attention – it was the nails resembling weapons. Because that was the nature of all the creatures in this world. Beautiful outside, beastly inside.

“Hey, don’t you die on me! Your pulse is elevating,” the hybrid said.

On their way down in the lift, Amelia managed to deepen her breath while she counted. Numbers calmed her down.

Ten, nine, eight, seven…

They reached the ground floor.

Six, five…

The hybrid pushed her out of the lift.

Four, three, two…

Through the Radiology door.

One.

At the opposite end of the lobby was the reception, just as Amelia remembered it.

The waiting area in the hall was full of creatures. Alas, her intent to not attract attention failed miserably. Every head turned in their direction when they walked in – or, more to the point, in the direction of the hybrid accompanying her.

A striking redhead in a white coat approached them and blocked their path. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Following orders. I’m not allowed to leave her sight,” the hybrid said.

“I see… And yet, you’ll wait outside.”

“She’s human.” The hybrid’s voice was as low as a whisper.

The redhead rested her hands on her hips. “I’m well aware. My husband warned me. Just as you are well aware that you are not allowed down here, frightening the patients.”

The hybrid didn’t move an inch. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but you cannot give me orders.”

Amelia couldn’t see the guard’s face, only the other woman’s eyes. There was a short silence, during which something unspoken and undecipherable passed between the two women.

Whatever it was, it forced the hybrid to take a step back. “I’ll be outside.”

Amelia wanted to hug the redhead in gratitude. The woman sensed her relief and leaned over the wheelchair. “I don’t know who you are and I don’t care, but if you cause me even the slightest amount of trouble, I will pull your nails out one by one.” With a smile, she added, “Slowly.” Then she addressed an elderly man who was passing by. “Get her inside!”

He grasped the wheelchair handles and pushed Amelia down the corridor and into a small room, with a wide chair with armrests, a sink and a cupboard covered in empty test tubes. The redhead didn’t follow them inside. Despite that, a new wave of fear rushed over Amelia.

“Will you be taking my blood?” she asked.

The man, who was unusually old, pointed to his lips. He was mute.

He held his palm up in the universal ‘Wait here’ gesture and scooted off. Amelia counted to three before getting up. She pulled out the perfume, removed the cap and, just when she pressed the liquid to her skin, the door swung open. A plump woman in pink scrubs strode in.

“Who are you?” she asked, waving a tourniquet. “There was supposed to be a hum—”

Amelia wrapped her hand around the vial, hiding it from her sight. “I’m sorry. I was looking for the ladies’ toilet,” she said in her most innocent voice.

The woman squinted at her. “Ladies’ toilet?”

“Yes, I felt nauseous after—”

She clicked her tongue. “You New Generations are so weak. During the fifteenth century, we could go for months without any signs of fatigue, let alone illness.”

The perfume was working! The woman thought she was a creature.

“Washroom’s down the hall to the left.”

Amelia headed for the door.

“Wait a second!” The woman was staring at the wheelchair. “Did you see anyone here?”

“No, sorry.” With that, she rushed out the door.

The next two seconds could be fatal. If the redhead or the hybrid ran into her in the hallway…

Please, please, please…

It was full of creatures, but none of them wore scrubs or leather. Amelia hesitated for a beat. The hybrid was probably waiting for her outside the Radiology Department. And the woman in pink would very soon inform the redhead that the human she had been sent to was missing.

Meaning I’m best off to blend in.

She took off for the bathroom. On the way over, she grabbed a coat from the hanger and threw it on. The dark blue down jacket reached down to her ankles, the sleeves covered her palms, and the hood was enormous.

“Excuse me…” A man stepped into her path, holding a little boy’s hand. “I saw you come out of that room. Could you help us?” Amelia didn’t respond, so he continued. “My son… He fell and hit his knee. He can’t sit still. My wife usually brings him here but she’s tied up today. She told me to bring him for an X-ray to see if the bone is broken.”

Behind Amelia, a door opened and a sixth sense told her it was from the room she’d just been in. She needed a breakout plan. Now.

So she did the only thing she could come up with – she threw on the hood and knelt by the boy. “Does it hurt?”

“A little.” He frowned.

“He never tells us when he’s in pain because he’s afraid we’ll stop him from playing,” the father chimed in.

From under the hood, her peripheral vision caught the woman in the pink scrubs rushing past them. “You should go to the reception area. It’s across the hall. I was just headed that way. If you’d like, I can take you?”

The man let out a huge breath. “I would be very grateful.”

Amelia took a deep inhale and led them to the exit without so much as a glance towards the other patients who were waiting for their turn. What if someone pointed to her, yelling, “There she is! The human!”

They didn’t do it a moment ago, why would they now? Dave’s perfume is working.

A woman marched out of a nearby room, mumbling something to the two children that followed her. Amelia caught up with them as they headed for the exit.

“Let’s hurry. Doctor Hale’s shift is ending soon.” She had no idea if a Doctor Hale existed or not, but she was proud of her quick thinking.

She gestured to the father and boy to follow her, speeding up. Guilt tried to distract her – she was forcing a kid with a knee injury to rush.

Not a father and a boy, Amelia! Creatures.

The mother led her children through the door.

Amelia placed her hand on the boy’s shoulder, gently nudging him to stand in front of her and right behind the woman in front. By doing this—positioning herself between the father and the boy, her hood covering her face—she hoped they would blend in as just another pair of parents with their child.

She passed through the door, keeping her eyes on the ground, well aware that the hybrid was somewhere in the lobby. The mother headed for the reception with her children, unaware of Amelia trailing behind with the father and son. A few seconds later, they all entered the reception and, when the door closed behind them, Amelia lifted her gaze.

They were in a long hallway with waiting areas on either side. Adult voices mixed with crying children. Along the corridor was a big door labelled Examination Room , and if her recollections were correct, at the far end was another exit.

“Sit somewhere and wait. They’ll call you,” Amelia said to the father.

“All right, thank you. And we should ask for Doctor Hale? Is she out front?”

“It doesn’t matter. They’re all great. Good luck!”

With that, she marched to where she thought the front door to the yard was.

Ten, nine…

Dave’s bedtime story had made her realise she’d let herself be fooled. These were not ordinary people.

And she had fallen for his words. His passion for helping.

Eight, seven…

But she wasn’t one of them.

After a few steps, she pulled back the hood and met the indifferent stare of a blonde woman who was waiting in front of the examination room.

Despite his human appearance, Mikhail wasn’t like her. Warming up to him had been a huge mistake.

Six, five…

Mikhail would never let her leave once she had seen his world. Trusting him was risky.

She wasn’t hiding herself anymore, but her nonchalant stride, the unremarkable dark jacket and expressionless face allowed her to blend in. No one paid her attention. There were much more attractive and noticeable characters, like the blonde exposing her cleavage, who had hurt her ankle after her four-inch heel had got stuck in a shaft, or the grumpy nurse who barked at two children for eating chocolate in the reception and touching the seats with their “dirty little fingers.” And their mother, who had been engaged in a lively conversation with a handsome man and remained oblivious to her kids as they had, in fact, smudged chocolate all over the seats.

Four…

‘The obvious answer often remains unnoticed because it doesn’t challenge the imagination.’ Amelia remembered her mother’s words as well as she remembered her face. It was those same words that helped her summon all of the courage and composure she had inherited from her mother, and walk out the door.

Three… two…

The other day in the courtyard with Mikhail, Amelia had observed the cars coming and going from this side of the building, so she had expected a parking lot or a garage of some sort. Instead, she found herself in a short tunnel leading outside. Invisible hairs on her neck bristled as the warm reception air gave way to a cold current. She hurried along doors and an entrance to an underground garage, before reaching the yard. Two vans awaited nearby. A couple of men in winter jackets smoked cigarettes and heatedly discussed a football game.

One.

Amelia sashayed towards them. “Hello, boys. I need a ride to the city. Either one of you headed that way?”

One of the men took a long drag of his cigarette and asked, “You work here?”

“Yes, I’m a nurse.”

Lust and suspicion filled his gaze. “Haven’t seen you around.”

“I’m new.”

He pulled from his cigar and threw the bud in a nearby bin. “I’m headed out for some supplies. I can drop you off.”

“Thanks.” Amelia wrinkled her nose at his demeanour and rough tone.

Without another word, he walked to one of the vans and climbed in. When Amelia didn’t budge, he leaned across the passenger seat and pushed open the door from the inside. “What’s the hold-up? Jump in.”

Amelia forced her legs to move and slid into the passenger seat, shutting the door.

“Where to?” he asked, starting the engine.

In close quarters, his breath reeked of alcohol and tobacco. Some of his teeth were missing, and the skin underneath his red eyes was puffy. Amelia wondered if he was human. Weren’t they the only species dumb enough to poison their lives with alcohol and cigarettes?

“Just drop me off anywhere,” she replied in a cold tone.

He drove down the alley past the Hospital wing, through the yard and to the gate. Reaching it, the van stopped.

A sense of unease rushed over Amelia. “What’s going on?”

“I’m waiting for them to open the gate.”

Five seconds passed, then, twenty, sixty, ninety… The man honked in irritation.

The two parts of the metal gate swung open and the van left the Hospital’s premises.