Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

Mr. DeVito

“H ello, everyone. Thank you for coming today on such short notice.” Mr. DeVito looked straight into the crowd of cameras and microphones. He held his head high with a strong set of shoulders, hair perfectly placed and back ramrod straight. If Mr. Vito was agitated, not a single person in the room knew. He looked confident, brave, and happy to be there. “I’m here to address an article that was released earlier today with a picture of me and a woman.”

The crowd of reporters grew loud and the flashing of their cameras threatened to blind him, but Mr. DeVito maintained an aura of calm. “I attended a lovely HOME-sponsored singles event a couple of weeks ago to show my support for the cause. Unexpectedly, I fell for one of the other participants and have since been dating her. Yes, she is a human woman, but that doesn’t lessen the feelings I have towards her. Love isn’t dependent on one’s physical traits and shouldn’t be frowned upon because we are so different.

“As my running mate, Alexander Hawthorne, has stated, this relationship could not have come at a more unfortunate time. However, I believe we can all agree that no one ever plans on meeting their special person. I do intend to give my professional and social life equal amounts of dedication moving forward.

“I have no ill will toward Mr. Hawthorne or the reporter who released the article that I am sure most of you have seen. Many still don’t understand that supernatural beings have emotions the same as any human would. The last few years, I have spent my time dedicated to bringing supernaturals and humans closer together so that we may live in harmony and benefit from each other’s strengths. This new partnership is a fruit of HOME’s labor and shows the reality of their main goal: cohabitating peacefully together.

“I hope everyone will see how happy we make each other, but I do ask that we receive some privacy as we navigate our budding relationship. I will not be answering any questions today, but I will not keep the media in the dark. I appreciate everyone coming. Thank you.”

Mr. DeVito gave a big smile as the cameras continued furiously snapping. The crowd’s volume rose exponentially as he stepped away from the podium, sticking to his word that he would not answer any questions. Many called his name or yelled questions anyway, hoping to squeeze any information they could from him.

He was guided out of the room by security and taken back to his office as the media cleared out of the press room. But Mr. DeVito had no time to breathe before the PR team dragged him back into another long meeting to go over the release.

* * *

Amber

A s much as she despised the news, Amber’s heart pounded as the face of her boyfriend appeared on the screen. The hoard of reporters could be seen crowding the platform he stood on and flashes of cameras turned the scene into a technological lightning storm. However, Reuben looked calm and composed as he began to speak.

His words were sweet to Amber’s ears, despite knowing they were a work of fiction. “You’re totally convincing,” Amber told the TV, a soft smile on her face. She couldn’t pull her eyes away from that handsome, sharp face that just yesterday had been inches away from her own.

The roar of the crowd as Reuben stepped away blasted through Amber’s computer speakers and she hurriedly muted it. She didn’t want to click out of the tab until Reuben had disappeared from the screen and a sigh slipped through her teeth.

The news station’s reporter appeared on the screen and she unmuted the speakers, curious what they’d have to say. It seemed she only caught the tail end, however. “Whether this is truthful or a publicity stunt by HOME is yet to be seen. This is Cecilia Hope, Channel 5 News.”

All the warm fuzzies that she’d been feeling went out the window. Amber slammed the tab closed and pushed her office chair away from the desk. Publicity stunt?! Okay, well...maybe it was. But they weren’t supposed to say things like that! She paced around her small apartment until the annoyance subsided, then pulled out her phone and opened Reuben’s contact.

Amber

You did really well, handsome.

She waited a long time for a reply before sighing and putting the phone away. Surely Reuben had been whisked away for a never-ending cycle of meetings or something, right? Amber shook the hair from her eyes and headed to the worst possible place to waste time: social media comment sections.

While the comments on the news article had been moderately annoying, Amber had breezed through them unscathed. The press release brought out a different variety of internet troll, however. Each comment of “can anyone make out her face?”, “does anyone recognize the girl?”, and “I bet 4Chan already has the girl’s full doxx” poured fear directly into Amber’s stomach until the whites of her eyes were exposed in panic.

She scoured site after site, digging into the underbelly of the internet to ensure nobody had figured out her identity. Darkness fell over the faded yellow wallpaper and beige carpet, only being kept at bay by the flickering glow of the computer screen as it switched from page to page to page.

* * *

Reuben

I t was well after office hours before Reuben was free to go. He hadn’t had a day at work like that in a while. He usually kept his nose out of trouble, so dealing with PR scandals wasn’t a common occurrence.

Of course, the HOME leadership wanted to go over what would happen in the future and when Reuben could bring Amber into the office. He did manage to get them to back off the idea, though it took all of his debate skills. It was true that nothing bad could happen behind their security, but Amber was her own person. She wasn’t a prisoner.

Reuben tugged his phone out to contact Amber before he left the office.

Reuben

Just finished work. I wanted to talk to you again. It’s refreshing.

I was wondering if you wanted to stop by my house for a movie some time?

It would be private and you could spend the night if it gets too late.

Not that I would be expecting anything because it was private.

Not that I wouldn’t want to…you know, with you.

I mean, not that I want to, either.

I meant private so we wouldn’t feel like the fish at the aquarium.

My apologies. My brain is fried.

The more Reuben typed, the deeper the hole he dug for himself. This was the exact reason his speeches were structured and planned out. He felt like a fool for texting Amber as the sun had already dipped below the horizon. It was late, by human standards.

Reuben didn’t know when Amber’s official bedtime was, but he hoped he could at least talk to his girlfriend over the phone for a few minutes before they both went to sleep. Anything to take his mind off the exhausting day he had at work.

He drove to his house and stopped at the security gate that protected his neighborhood from unwanted visitors. While it was mostly an affluent human area, Reuben felt comfortable in his little slice of the world. He mentioned he might be having company over at some point and wrote Amber’s name on his acceptable visitor list. The gates opened, allowing Reuben to drive through.

The second he got home, he had a small blood bag as a snack and then took one of the hottest showers in his life. The water melted away hours of stress that settled in his muscles. He then spent extra time brushing his teeth and gargling the smell of pennies away. Just because Reuben drank blood didn’t mean he had to smell like it.

Realizing he hadn’t bothered to check his mail for a week or so, Reuben put on a bathrobe and slippers to walk to the corner. He unlocked the door to his mailbox and found a little package inside. Curious, he pulled it out and tucked it under his arm. One more peek showed the mailbox was empty.

Once he was back inside, Reuben placed the package on the counter and went searching for a pair of scissors. “Ah, there you are!” he exclaimed to the inside of a drawer and pulled out the desired tool. He carefully cut open the top of the bubble envelope and pressed the sides so he could see the contents.

And immediately flung himself back, sending the package tumbling into his sink. Light reflected on the sharp metal needle of a syringe, half filled with a cloudy liquid. Written in sharpie on a piece of tape stuck to the syringe were three words: we found you.

* * *

Amber

T he author sat on her couch with her laptop, still feverishly scrolling through social media. Every other post was either the news article, the press release, or some sort of meme created about the situation, but her name still hadn’t been posted anywhere. She wanted to discuss the problem with Reuben, but her text had still gone unanswered.

As she was considering starting a pity-party movie marathon which would inevitably have kept her up far too late, her phone began to vibrate. Amber pounced on it and groaned with relief when Reuben’s name appeared on the screen.

She’d started to type out a reply when another text came in, then another, and another, causing Amber to begin laughing. She waited a couple of minutes after the final message to make sure there weren’t any more coming before typing her own response. They were endearing; the awkward pit-digging was such a juxtaposition to the calm and collected Reuben who had stood in front of all those cameras.

Amber

I’d be happy to come to your house sometime if you are willing to give me your address. I don’t know if I’m ready to stay over yet, but I guess we’ll see what happens.

But speaking of addresses, I really need to talk to you about some of the comments I saw after the press release.

I plead the fifth on wanting anything.

The little ‘typing’ bubbles started and stopped repeatedly at the bottom of Amber’s screen, as if Reuben couldn’t decide what to say. The author reclined on the sofa and watched them dance until the phone began to ring instead. “Hello?”

“Hello, my dear Gem. What did I tell you about reading the comment sections? Nothing good comes out of those. You’re better off not giving them the time of day.”

Amber grew annoyed, shaking her head despite knowing Reuben couldn’t see it. “It isn’t the comments themselves that are the problem. The whole internet is after my doxx, Reuben. I’ve been searching all day for any sign that they’ve figured out who I am and where I live. I didn’t expect that the first day they’d jump to trying to find me! And after the press release, comments started popping up about ‘finding the blood bank and straightening her out.’ I feel like I’m being hunted!” The more she spoke, the more frantic Amber’s voice became.

“Gem. Gem! GEM! Calm down, everything will be fine. Breathe, okay? I will call HOME’s PR team and get them working on a distraction, okay? I promised that your address would be safe and I meant it. Nobody is going to find you. Just turn off the social media before it makes you crazy. I know it’s late, but do you want to meet me at our coffee shop as a distraction? I can get PR activated and then we can talk this out in person.”

Amber felt like the room was spinning. She closed the laptop and her eyes, trying to sip from the fountain of comfort Reuben was offering to little avail. “Not tonight,” she said, trying to stem her anger that he continued to focus on her reading of the comments, not her actual fears. “I don’t dare leave my apartment tonight. Tomorrow?”

“Okay. I’ll make tomorrow work. The earliest I can be there is five-thirty. Would that work for you?”

“Yeah. I’ll see you then.” Without giving Reuben a chance to say anything else, Amber hung up the phone and tossed it to the far end of the couch. “It’s not his fault,” she explained to the empty room. The fear slowly cooled to a glowing ember of anger which she hunkered next to, unwilling to let it go out.