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get this?”
    He smirked. “I have my
ways.”
    Working well below the edge of the
counter where no one could see, I started fitting the silencer onto
my gun.
    “It will fit.” Chris assured
me.
    Once I saw he was right I took the
silencer back off and slipped it in the pocket of my sweatshirt. I
watched as Jason kept practicing his quick draw.
    “Jason,” I said, “Cut that shit out
before a customer comes in.” Then I turned to Chris. “For real
dude, this is the coolest shit ever. Pick out as many CDs as you
want no charge.”
    Chris spent an hour in the CD racks.
When he left I assured him that we were still on for going to the
firing range.
    Having a gun close under my hoodie gave
me a feeling of comfort and power—like I could take care of
whatever came up. With all the weird stuff happening with the
Quatre, I felt I needed that. Who knew what kind of crap they might
pull. What if they learned that Jessica had caught on to something?
Now I had protection that went beyond my normal vampire powers. I
wanted to try out the silencer as soon as I possibly
could.
    Later on an angel incarnate came in
looking for Jessica. Angel incarnates could restore life to the
dying, heal the sick, or impose a calming effect on anyone nearby.
This one’s golden aura flowed from his mouth as he spoke, and I
felt the soothing reach of his powers. I didn’t like it, preferring
my normal state of mind.
    Though he was immortal like me. I
envied his luck. Angels went through life absent any fear of death,
and without all the crazy diet restrictions that we vampires had to
endure. True, to exercise their powers they had to give up a small
bit of their lives, but when they did no one hated them for
it.
    Demons were the exact opposite. They
could influence humans to do evil, and they could steal someone’s
life, adding it to theirs. Angels and demons did not shift or grow
old. Their bodies and facial features constantly evolved. They were
as old as the earth, and could tell you from firsthand experience
that Darwin’s theory was almost entirely correct. Their strength
was near that of vampires and werewolves, but it was not the same
kind of strength. Though we vampires were considered to be leeches
on society, we were also stronger, faster, and quicker to heal. We
would always be near the top of the chain of command.
    Chris’s gift and the distraction of the
angel made me forget what day it was. When it struck me, I wondered
if the girl with the strange aura would show. Why be so nervous
about it? I wondered. What does it matter?
    My mind careened back and forth between
hopeful expectation and my attempt to not even care. Then I noticed
that my hands were starting to tremble. It was about a half hour
till closing time. As the winter sun set early I relished the
darkness, but this only made me want to see her more.
    My mind picked at my memory of her as
if it were a scab. What was she? The question gnawed at my
thoughts, along with a feeling I couldn’t fathom—I wanted to see
her because I wanted to touch her. I was physically attracted to
her in a way that made little sense to me.
    Jason’s music had been droning on all
day. Finally, I decided to change the CD. I chose a mixed CD that I
had created. I was hoping that a bunch of familiar favorites would
take my mind off her. Though the first song from Muse got my head
bobbing, it failed to erase the girl from my thoughts.
    Every time a car pulled up outside my
heart raced a little faster, but it was never her. Most of the
drivers were heading for the coffee shop next door.
    I watched as two guys from the tattoo
parlor did skateboard tricks until they both grew tired and cold.
With the sun gone, I removed my dark glasses. I looked across at
Chris’s window and saw him at his counter, eyeing a small screen
TV.
    Jason appeared, grinning. “You really
do have it bad for her, don’t you?”
    “What are you talking about?” I asked,
busying myself, straightening up the counter