♣ CHAPTER 6 (KAZE)
“Kaze! Wake up, wake up, wake up!” Someone yells. I groan and sink deeper into my mattress. “Kaze I’m only going to say it once more before I slap that little satisfied smirk off your face.” My eyes flutter open and I squint up at Kasai.
“What is it?”
“Get up. It’s an emergency,” Kasai throws open my wardrobe and grabs a pair of clothes. “Get dressed. And come down to the drawing room. Tell Aisu to get his lazy ass down there, too.”
“What is it? It’s only twenty to three,” I glance at the clock on the wall and frown as I pull the clothes on hurriedly. Kasai hesitates at the door.
“Mizu. Vampire. Bite,” she says before shutting the door closed. Mizu got bitten by a bloody vampire? Oh, no. No, no, no. God, this is bad. I throw my hair into a quick ponytail, before grabbing my bag, dashing down the hallway and stopping in front of Aisu’s room. I knock on the door. No response. I knock again, this time a little louder. No response. Man, this guy was a really heavy sleeper. Like, heck. I clench my hands to fists and start hammering the door like I would to a drum. And then without warning, the door swings open and I box Aisu in the nose.
“Oww! Woman, what’re you trying to do?” Aisu hastily rubs his nose. I snicker.
“Kasai’s calling a big meeting down in the drawing room,” I say.
“Right. At three in the morning. Sure,” he says sarcastically as he leans against the door frame. ”Really, what’s the matter with you?”
“You think I have a psychological problem? Your sister just got bitten by a vampire –”
“What?”
“Yeah,” I nod. “I just learned about this, too. Kasai came crashing into my room. She told me to tell you to – and I quote – ‘get your lazy ass down there.’” Aisu grins for a second before returning to Earth.
“Alright, I’ll be there,” he shuts the door in my face. I turn to the stairs and gallop down at full speed. I see Kasai already at the drawing room along with Chikyu and Master.
“So you’re saying that this vampire girl called you through Mizu’s phone and told you that Mizu spoke non-sense to her and she got mad and bit her?” Chikyu bites her own lip.
“Yeah,” Kasai nods.
“Why would Mizu speak ‘non-sense’?” Master furrows his eyebrows.
“She was probably drunk,” a quiet voice says. Aisu’s standing by the door, one hand jammed into his pocket, the other running through his pale hair nervously.
“Drunk? Wasn’t she supposed to be home from her friend’s house? And–”
“Master,” Kasai glances at Aisu, who sighs in defeat. “She didn’t go to her friend’s house. Mizu clubs. She went to a club.” I hiss in a breath. I was the one that told Master she was at her friend’s house. Master just looks at us. Oh, boy. I knew that look. It’s Master’s ‘he’s-a-gonna-blow’ look.
“Why didn’t you say so?” Master yells. I wince. Jeez. Master never got mad.
“What the heck? Have you all began to party in the middle of the night without telling me? I’m hurt,” Kurume stands at the archway of the drawing room. He’s smirking. Jerk.
“Does this look like a party to you?” Aisu and Kasai glare at him. Kurume holds up his hands to show he means peace.
“Mizu got bitten by a vampire,” Chikyu fills in for him.
“Oh, shit. Does that mean that we’re going to have to their hotel?” Kurume asks.
“Yes, we have to retrieve Mizu. But we’re going to have to go to a holy place for holy water. And since Mizu is an Elemental, we need really strong holy water. That is only found in places protected by angels themselves.”
“And I take it that there isn’t a place like that around here,” I say.
“Yeah,” Chikyu nods slowly. “We have five days to get it and the closest place is a private church with in Brazil.”
“Not a problem,” Kasai says. “I can buy the flight tickets. I’m fine with it.”
“Little Miss Money Bags, are you now?” Kurume grins. Kasai doesn’t answer.
“Are you sure? Because, six tickets to South America won’t have a quiet bill,” Master frowns.
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure,” Kasai says. She looks calm and collected but her eyes are nerve-wrecked. And before Master can protest again, Kasai interrupts. “Really, Master. I’m fine with it.”
Master sighs in defeat. “Alright. To pick up Mizu. Did the vampire girl tell you when and where?”
“Yeah, Miku –”
“Miku?” Aisu and I interrupt at the same time.
“The vampire girl. She told me to come over to this Hotel Dumont A.S.A.P. So, we should go.”
“What do you mean ‘we’? I’m going to go and retrieve Mizu. All of you will stay here.”
“No. I’m coming,” Aisu’s eyes narrow. His lashes created long, feathery shadows on his high cheekbones. Kasai stepped up beside Aisu.
“Yeah. You won’t leave without us.”
“Do you really want to start this fight with me? Because I know I can’t stop you two.”
“Yeah. Good for you, Master. Let’s go,”
Master glares at me and Kurume. “I reckon you two want to tag along?”
“Yeah, I won’t miss that hotel for the world. I’ll be back.” Kurume pushes himself off the doorframe and walks off in the direction of his room. I nod.
“I call shotgun,” I turn to everyone and grin evilly.
“It’s my car we’re going in so I can’t go passenger, can I?”
“Your car? I thought we were using the Institute’s car,” Kurume says, reappearing at the door.
“I’m going in my car. I don’t need followers.”
“Yeah, I’m with Kasai,” Aisu says.
♣♣♣
I look out the window of Kasai’s metallic-blue Thunderbird. Kurume and I accepted her offer for the ride when we saw her car. It was gorgeous.
“So, this is it?” Kasai eases the car to the side of the road behind the Institutes car.
“Yeah,” Kurume says. I looked at the huge hotel once more. The hotel was tall and big. Long ago it was one of the top hotels in the area because of its majestic rooms and excellent service. And then the owner was killed mysteriously (a severe vampire bite). Now, it still had traces of the brilliant hotel it was once, but not really. The big blue letters that spelled ‘Hotel Dumont’ is faded and someone had taken red paint and painted an ‘r’ over the ‘n’ in ‘Dumont’.
“Hotel Dumort. That cute,” Kasai smiles bitterly at the sign. I shake his head.
“‘Du mort’ means ‘of death’ in French, right?” Aisu asks.
“That’s right, Sherlock.” We unbuckle and join Master and Chikyu outside.
“Alright. So we go in, fetch Mizu, and get our asses out. Simple and easy to remember, right?” Aisu asks. Kasai shakes her head. So do I. Actually, everyone does.
Master walks though the over grown weed toward the abandoned building. We follow. Master puts his hand on the rusty handle and gives it a jerk. It doesn’t budge. Kasai steps forward.
“Maybe it needs a more delicate touch,” Kasai says. She picks up a copper pipe from the pile of junk on our right and swings it back. It connects with the handle with a loud clang. For a second, everything is silent and Kasai straightens up.
“It’s going to fall off,” Chikyu says. And as predicted the whole handle collapses to the ground.
“Congratulations, Kasai. You’ve successfully ruined our only way in,” Aisu sighs. Kasai grumbles and lifts the copper pipe once and, this time, takes a swing at the wooden door itself. The door comes crashing down and Kasai smiles in triumph.
“What was that, Aisu?” She smirks and cups her hand behind her ear. And then I see something flicker inside, through the crumpled door. I squint to get a better look and watch as a whole group of vampires step out.
The thing about vampires was that they got me every time. They were so pretty, it wasn’t even funny anymore. All of them had huge eyes, long lashes and shiny hair. And really pale skin. And then slowly, they started recoiling. They were all looking at Kurume. And then it hit me – Kurume was a garlic freak. Of course.
“Oh, sorry about Kurume, here. He’s a garlic addict. But we don’t have any with us now, or anything,” I say, holding my hands up at show that I meant peace.
“Who are you?” One of them asks. Her short red hair gleamed in the moonlight.
“We’re Elementals. We’re here to pick up our friend,” Chikyu says. Kasai drops her copper stick back onto the ground. It lands with a loud ‘clang’.
“Your friend? Who’s that?” Another vampire guy asks.
“Mizu. Miku told us to come here to pick up our friend Mizu,” I say.
“Oh. Yeah, I’m Miku,” the red haired girl steps forward. “Come on in.”
“Um, no,” Aisu shakes his head. “You bring her out and we’ll be on our way.”
“Are you challenging me right now?” Miku crosses her arms and smirks.
“Oh, yeah,” Kasai says as she steps up beside Aisu.
“Hey you guys,” I step in between Aisu, Kasai and Miku. “We’re here for Mizu. Not for your challenge-fest.”
“Yes, we’re here for Mizu and we don’t care about how we get her,” Master says.
“Okay, then come on in.” The vampires make a path and we walk in.
♣♣♣
“Oh, shit,” I say when we arrive at Mizu’s bed. She’s a mess. Her blonde hair is all over her face, wet and matted with blood and sweat. The top half of her shirt is covered in her blood. Aisu hisses in a breath. Kasai winces.
“Here; load her up,” Aisu squats down on the dusty floor. Because vampires were immortal, they’re feet made no imprints on the floor. It was covered in a thick blanket of dust. Gross. Kurume and I pull Mizu from her bed and heave her onto Aisu’s back. Kasai and Chikyu are discussing something with Miku and Master. Aisu stands up and adjusts Mizu on his back.
“Why does she eat so much?” He grumbles.
“Miku’s going to be joining us on our visit to Brazil,” Kasai announces as she walks back to us with Chikyu and Master.
“I thought vampires couldn’t set foot in holy places?” Kurume raises a brow.
“She’ll wait outside, I guess,” Chikyu says and Master nods.
“Why is she coming?” Aisu scowls.
“She knows more than you think, considering the fact that she’s a vampire herself. She’s useful.” Master says. And then Miku walks up to us with a duffel bag in hand.
“So when are we leaving?” She asks. Kasai grins.
“Today, eleven p.m.”
