Chapter 270
“Where does—” Cadence started to ask about where the blood Bonnie had just drank from a pouch came from, but Faye interrupted her.
“Donations,” she explained. “We encourage the humans who work at headquarters to donate. We also purchase blood that is about to go bad from blood banks.”
“Fascinating,” Cadence mumbled as Bonnie handed me her empty container and went back to the toys. I saw a trash can and crossed the room to toss it in. “So what happens now?” I asked, glad to see Bonnie playing. She seemed like a carefree child again, at least for a few minutes, but the chill of watching her mother die was still in the forefront of my mind.
“We will keep her in here for as long as she wants to play, and then, when she gets tired, we’ll take her to a room. In the morning, we’ll look at a permanent arrangement for her. As you know, we have Compliants that we work with on a regular basis. It’s possible one of them will be willing to take her.”
I wasn’t sure if I liked the idea of her going out into the world with Compliants or not. Something could happen to her. I took a step toward Dr. Faye, hoping she could understand my concerns. “But I promised I would keep her safe.”
She gave me a reassuring smile. “And you have. Here, she’ll be tagged and properly trained. This is her best chance for reentering the world as a Compliant Vampire, one who will never do anything to get herself into a situation where she has to face any of us again.”
I understood I certainly couldn’t keep Bonnie myself, but I didn’t think that was enough to ensure her safety, and I’d given Mina my word. I rested my palm against my forehead, trying to reason through the situation.
Cadence placed her hand on my arm. “Cass, this is what she needs. You know we can’t keep her.” I knew what she was saying was true. I couldn’t imagine trying to take care of Bonnie, finish school, and my training…. Still, a solitary tear escaped and made its way down my cheek. “You’re sixteen, sweetie,” my sister continued. “You can’t be a…”
“Mother?” I whispered, finishing for her. “No, I know that. I don’t want to be.” I looked at Bonnie who was playing with two dolls now, humming softly, like she hadn’t a care in the world. She seemed so small and innocent, so unaware of the harshness of this cruel world and how badly it longed to snuff her out of existence. “I just want to make sure nothing happens to her.” Thoughts of the men in the RV filled my head again, and I could envision them doing the same thing to this sweet girl as they’d done to her mother, and I shuddered.
“She’ll be fine, Cass,” my sister continued. “Nothing can happen to her without us knowing.”
“That’s not true.” My voice was harsher than I intended, but I couldn’t stop myself. “There are Independents out there, you know?” I crossed my arms and stared Cadence in the eye. She couldn’t argue against that.
She knew I was right. She ran a hand through her long brown hair and turned back to Faye. “What about staying here? Is that an option?”
Suddenly, a thought came to mind. “Yeah—could she stay here?” I asked, also turning to face Faye. “What about that nurse? Does she have any kids?”
Cadence turned and looked at me like she had no idea what I was talking about. “The nurse?”
I didn’t answer her, and neither did Faye. The doctor was nodding her head. “That might actually be a good option. I never would’ve considered that before. Lena works long hours here. But… let me just go have a little chat with her, see if she’ll consider it. I doubt she’ll be willing to commit to anything tonight.”
I could see hope in Faye’s eyes, and for a moment I thought this might be our best option. “Would you?” I asked, and Faye nodded, moving toward the door.
“The nurse?” Cadence asked again. Exhaustion washed over me, and I sank onto a child-sized padded stool near where Bonnie was playing.
I tried not to judge my sister too harshly, but I was shocked she couldn’t tell Lena was a Vampire. “Yeah. The nurse who called Faye. She’s a Vampire.”
“What?” Cadence seemed just as shocked that she hadn’t picked up on it.
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at her. “She seems like a sweet lady. I think I’d be okay with Bonnie going with her.” Lena seemed like a kind, Southern woman who’d make a good mama, and if I couldn’t be that for Bonnie—and I knew in my heart I couldn’t—then she should.
When I mentioned her name, Bonnie turned to look at me. Her voice went sad again as she asked quietly, “Where’s Mama?”
I couldn’t answer her around the lump that formed in my throat. Cadence said, “Mama’s with Papa now, remember?”
Oddly enough, Bonnie didn’t look as sad at that answer as I thought she might. She nodded her head and went on playing with the toys. I thought it was strange, but I know that Vampires’ emotions are different than humans’. Perhaps it should’ve raised a red flag, but I was too tired to think about it.
I watched Bonnie play for a few more minutes, and my mind wandered to Brandon. He hadn’t said anything else to me since we’d gotten to the facility, and then he just asked if I was okay. I hadn’t answered any of his last seven messages. He had to know something was wrong, but I couldn’t deal with it, not now. I was thankful when the door opened again and Faye and Lena walked in.
Lena came in slowly, like a person at the SPCA who has just seen the puppy for them. She covered her hands with her mouth, and I expected to see tears in her eyes until I remembered she wasn’t capable of that. She dropped to her knees next to Bonnie, and in the sweet voice I fully anticipated to hear, said, “Hi there, precious. How are you?”
Bonnie eyed her with caution, but I could tell she knew that they were more alike than different. “Fine.” Her voice was guarded but not unfriendly.
“Well, you sure are a pretty girl. My name is Lena. What’s your name?”
“Bonnie.” The nurse had her attention now as she rocked back and forth.
“Bonnie? What a beautiful name. And what’s this? Is this your dolly?”
The child had assumed ownership as if she’d brought the toy in with her herself. She nodded again.
“Do you like to play with baby dolls?”
Bonnie’s head rocked back and forth.
“And wear pretty dresses?”
The frock Bonnie was wearing was tattered and old, but she nodded her head again, and I could see the longing in her eyes for a prettier dress.
“You know what? My friend Ms. Faye here said if you wanna come visit my home, we can take both of these baby dolls. And… she’s got some pretty dresses for you, too. Can you believe that?” Lena sounded just like a mother trying to coax her child into doing something that she knew would be best, though the little girl wasn’t sure, and I relaxed a bit, thinking this was what needed to happen.
