“What the fuck do you mean, “you’re not renting at this time”? What the hell is the sign for? What, don’t rent to single women? You know what that is- that’s fucking sexism, you prick!” Jodi was screaming at the man, who himself had already re-entered the apartment building and locked door behind him. He was of course still renting places, but to stable, mature, slightly more sober individuals. He had absolutely no problem with women, only a problem with Jodi, whose attire and mannerisms were not that of an ideal tenant. She had no references, no ID, nothing more than a bundle of cash and a nasty attitude.

Pissed right off, Jodi ripped down the “Apartments for Rent” sign from next to the door. She waved it at the landlord who watched in dismay as she bent the piece of metal over her knee and flung it Frisbee-style into the side of the building. To top off the display, she stuck her tongue out and flipped him the bird before storming off.

Son of a bitch is lucky. She thought to herself. Back home she would have beaten his face in with the sign. However here, in her new city, she was still managing a level of control over her darker urges. Unfortunately not so much her need for a good high. She rubbed her arms repeatedly as she walked as her skin crawled like crazy. Last night she had thought she was fine but this morning, waking up with a hangover, it made her realize just how badly she had been addicted to the good times.

She had spent the entire day walking from one apartment complex to the next, and she’d grown angrier after each refusal. She had turned into the alleyway strictly out of habit and stopped a fair distance in. Did she miss home? There, a well-placed alley was ideal for distribution and a quick dip into the supply. This particular alley however, harboured only a homeless man and piles of trash.

Bored, and frustrated, she approached the bum. “Hey baby, you know where it’s snowing?” She did not consider this giving in to her cravings, she was harmlessly asking if said bum knew of somewhere she could buy a little something. It did not mean she actually had to go out and do anything about it.

The old man, coated in grime, did not even bother to look at her. “Outside snowing. Snow’s everywhere.”

Irritated, thinking he was playing her and not actually clueless to watch she was talking about, she kicked him lightly with the toe of her runners. “You know what I’m saying. Snow, blow, little bit of fun time. Don’t hold out on me.” Jodi was not known for her patience, or any semblance of rational behaviour.

The bum responded by cowering and muttering. “I don’t, I don’t!”

Disgusted, Jodi kicked him again, harder this time. “Cut it out!”

“Don’t hurt me! I got nothing!” He cried, whimpering like a beaten animal. Precisely how Jodi saw him.

“I’m not hurting you!” She shrieked, infuriated. Any sane hold over her actions gave up as her foot slammed into the old man again. “Stop lying!” Dropping to her knees, she started shaking him, forcing his head to strike the brick wall behind them. “Stop making noise! I’m not- hurting- you!” She growled through clenched teeth. Her grip on the man tightened and she thrust his skull against the wall again and again until eventually, he did stop making noise. He stopped fighting back. He stopped moving altogether. Jodi, however, was not reasonable enough to even notice this, let alone halt her actions.

At last, she was stunned out of her sadistic trance when a chilled breeze blew between her and her victim. The sun was setting, and it had begun to snow. She stood up, finally acknowledging the blood on her hands and forearms, and mechanically stripped off her white shirt, using the moisture of nearby snow and the fabric of her shirt to scrub her skin. Once suitably clean, she went into her pack and got a fresh shirt out to throw over her bra. She had not thought far enough ahead to bring a sweater or any warmer clothes with her. While rubbing the goosebumps on her arms and scratching at the itch that had returned, she stared down at the mess she had made. So much for controlling herself.

“It’s okay, baby. No one is going to miss you.” She smiled at him reassuringly. Tossing her blood-stained shirt onto the body, she walked further into the alley to cut across to the next street where the bright orange city lights were coming on.

Billy had been standing in a back door further down the alley waiting for the sun to dip further over the horizon so he could venture out of the alley and onto the street. From his vantage, she was unable to see him due to some pallets that were stacked by the door.

He smiled at the twisted nature this young woman seem to possess, clearly a soul in conflict with itself. She appeared to be the kind of girl he used to help by using his connections to get a job or at least provide her with the opportunity to make some money for the night. He supposed that used to were the key words in that thought.

As she changed her shirt, he took in what he saw. The girl had potential. It should be an entertaining hunt.

She began making her way further down the alley, most likely heading for the street where the orange glow of downtown was beginning to emanate from.

As she began to pass the stack of pallets, the cowboy trucker came into her field of vision. With a smile on his face, he tipped his hat up a bit and said, “Its okay darling. No one will miss you.”

He hoped she ran the sunset situation would give her a ten-minute head start.

Jodi halted dead in her tracks, wickedly amused by being caught in the act. Fearing nothing supernatural, she believed she was being confronted by merely another mortal like herself. Someone who could be silenced and erased as easily as the dead man lying not far away. The adrenaline was still roaring through her veins, making the idea of another violent act all too tempting.

A vaguely innocent look covered her features, but a fiendish grin could not be dispelled from her lips. She met the stranger’s gaze, batting her eyelashes as if she were as innocuous as any other girl walking the street alone. “You‘re probably right.” She agreed politely.

“I’m sorry, was he a friend of yours?” Her voice had a impertinent lilt to it, blending with the crazed look in her eyes.

She looked her opponent up and down, a uncommon rational notion occurring to her that he was not necessarily an easy target. Then again, everyone has their weaknesses.

“It was an accident,” she purred impishly. Her eyes were locked on him as she smirked at him playfully, her body tense. She felt ready for anything.

“Yeah, shit happens,” he said with a broad smile.

Looking at the girl that stood before him, tensed and ready more for fight than flight he chuckled to himself at how just a week earlier he had become the living dead because he was to stupid not to pick the fight or walk away when the opportunity presented itself. Even though he really enjoyed being a vampire he did not really feel like creating a fledgling of his own, but on the other hand, he was not necessarily against the idea either.

The last rays of the sun were less than five minutes from being entirely gone from the rooftops, but they were gone in the alley. He stepped out of the doorway he had been waiting in towards her. They were close.

With the phenomenal speed that came from being a vampire, he reached out and ripped open the shirt she was wearing. He looked deep into her face with the eyes that reflected no soul. “Like I said darling, who would miss you?”

Jodi was startled by the display of agility yet not entirely put off. She knew herself well enough that, on occasion, she could imagine things that did not actually happen. Nevertheless, it did not feel like the usual tricks her mind played, and in natural response she stepped back and regarded the man more curiously.

She made no moves to cover herself- never one to feel shame. She did, however, feel the cold.

“Miss me?” She asked with a devious look, staring into his eyes fiercely- wondering idly why it felt so strange to meet his gaze. He did not emanate the warmth of most people, he almost felt cold and it only made her more interested. Most people looked the same, acted the same; people that were unique always had a way of piquing her fascination.

“You might miss me. I’m a hell of a lot less fun when I’m dead.” She glanced down at her torn shirt and back up at him quickly, playfully. There was rarely a better way of getting at a man than through sexual appeal. Rarely a more auspicious weakness.

“Unless you’re into that sorta thing.” She added teasingly.

“Little black bird live will do just fine.”

William moved in on her pushing her against the wall with his hand against her exposed chest. His hand was not warm, as he had fed the previous day. He fully expected a full range of response from a swift knee in the crotch to acceptance of the situation from her.

With his free hand, he began to grope her body. He needed to see if her show of bravado was real or a bluff. This would help him to decide if she was a worthy use of his time or just his next meal.

Jodi debated kneeing him in the crotch. However, it just seemed so predictable a reaction that instead her mind turned to finding something more entertaining to decide upon. This thought process led to her outward self not reacting at all to the situation, her head tilting to the side a little as if she were merely allowing him free roam of her body.

Then suddenly, her eyes sparked back to life, her wicked grin returning. Like a feral animal she bared her teeth at the strange man with his cold hands on her skin, “Like it rough, do ya?”

Her hands snaked into his hair, pulling his head down at her sharply as she pushed her mouth on to his. The kiss quickly dissolved into her dragging her teeth on his bottom lip, pulling at it mischievously.

In the back of her mind, she calculated his obvious strength advantage over her and the debatable unnatural speed. It made for an interesting challenge if she chose to attack, or possibly the safest choice was the current course of action. He had mentioned keeping her alive after all- how generous of him.

She would do just fine, he thought.

The tension of her teeth raking across his lower lip and the aggressiveness she was showing in this unrealistic situation was really becoming kind of a turn on. Moving the hand that was groping around her body, he slid it up to her hair and raked his fingers into its strands, gripping his hand tight.

With a jerk, he pulled her head to her left and back exposing her carotid averting her eyes from viewing what came next.

“So you like to bite little minx? So do I,” William’s fangs extended and with a committed movement, he sank his teeth deep into her neck, causing a sharp pain.

He allowed the blood to flood generously into his mouth draining the girl until she passed out from the loss of blood. When her body went limp, he removed his fangs allowing the wound to seal and her body to fall into his arms. Looking down into her face he said, “I think we could have a lot of fun you and I.”

Four hours later, sitting on the couch in the next room watching television, he heard her stir. She would soon find herself naked, clean and lying, from all appearances, in a bedroom of one of the nicest hotels that the city had to offer.

Her head spinning wildly, Jodi was not sure whether she trusted herself enough to actually get off of the bed.

Fortunately, it was not the first time she had woken up in an unfamiliar place- this time, though, the locale was actually quite nice. She tried to get her wits about her, although that was a challenge on any normal day. Her hand went slowly to her neck, which was feeling more violated than any other part of her. Her fingernails scraped away some dried blood which she looked down at with interest. “Well, that’s something I haven’t tried before…” she murmured.

Still, despite circumstances, she was not dead, nor seriously injured. She did not have a keen sense of her own well-being in practically any situation, so she was willing to take this in stride.

Hearing the television in the other room, she crawled along the bed until her head was at the foot and her feet resting on one of the pillows. She pressed her hands under her chin while gazing out at the other room. “I don’t know what you get your kicks off on, baby, but I usually like to be awake for the proceedings. Just a personal preference.” She said in her insolent manner, loud enough for her strange companion to hear.

William began to laugh. “I thought I would split the difference between alive and dead there baby.”

Getting off the couch, he walked back into the bedroom. He was still naked himself and pleased by the insolence in her voice. She was not at full strength and was in no shape to muster any real resistance, “but since you like to be awake I would be more than happy to accommodate the request.”

Walking over to the bedside, he pushed her back down onto the bed. He plopped down onto bed himself landing on his side and began rubbing her body focusing on basic erogenous areas.

“So tell me. What is a dirty girl like you doing in a nice place like this?” He was not making any effort to hide the fact he was in charge here.

Allowing him to do what he would, not resisting but also not participating, Jodi was no longer looking at him with the curiosity from before. It was more like outright suspicion. Even in the warmth of the hotel room, his hands were still deathly cold- she could tell there was something about him that she was missing.

“Nice place?” She looked around the room in an exaggerated manner, shrugging nonchalantly. “I’ve seen better.” She smirked a little, knowing it was fairly obvious that a girl like her would never get the chance to be in a building such as this. That is, if it were not for mysterious wealthy men picking her off the street in the dead of night.

Her basic human urges finally forced a quiet moan out of her. Irritated that he’d been able to coax response from her, she sidled away from his touch. “So tell me,” she said, mocking his tone. “My memory seems to be blanking out a little. How exactly did you knock me out? Usually takes a little more effort.” She spoke quickly, figuring he’d be demanding the return of her body one way or another and she wanted to get her question out.

Jodi did not like it when people got the jump on her. It was not fair. She was the aggressor not the prey and she was angry at the control this individual demanded. She wanted to fight the struggle for power but she knew, which bothered her most, that she did not have the strong standing here.

The girl was trying to turn the tide. She had to have some semblance of control and power as was obvious by her movement away after he had succeeded in obtaining her unwilling concession to pleasure by this predator.

Her questions were to be the foundation piece of a platform she would need to gain a feel of control. Spinning off the bed, he walked over and picked up his jeans that were sitting on the chair across the room and put them on. Still not speaking to her, he walked over to the balcony door and swung it wide open allowing the small blizzard that had begun while she lay unconscious on the bed two hours earlier to invade the bedroom where she lay naked and exposed. Barefoot and topless he stepped out into the storm as though it were a balmy and sunny day.

Lighting a cigarette he stood there looking at the hazed lights of the city below. Knowing the bitterness of the cold would be flooding onto her he smiled as he took another drag on his cigarette.

What to do with her though, was the prevalent question on his mind. He fucked up and found himself liking this upstart. She had a good body, courage and the right attitudes. This was the first time since turning he did not have the urge to just outright kill his prey. He clarified to himself that he had no problem violating her, draining blood from her, or humiliating her at this point, but he was sure that if he remained around her he would find that he would have a new partner like the old days.

He turned to look at her leaning his bare skin against the freezing rails and muttered to him self, “keeping her around couldn’t be all bad. There was mutual advantage to be negotiated here.”

Smiling, he continued to smoke his cigarette and look at the little blackbird he had caged and was still very aware he was not answering her questions.

Jodi’s playful mood was beyond dead and buried now. She glared openly at him as he moved about the room, ignoring her. Had she her knives she would have gutted him then and there; but she didn’t. She had nothing in her grasp to take that sort of action and just simply by refusing to answer her questions, he retained the upper hand.

Some of her curiosity was sparked again from dead embers however as he flung open the balcony door. Ignoring the cold as he had ignored her, he just stood there in it as if the snow were nothing. Her glare melted into a perplexed stare, until she realized how cold she herself was getting. She wrapped the bed covers around herself and slid over to the far side of the mattress, eyes still locked on the man who was so unaffected by the winter air.

The silence grew heavier as he lounged against the rails, casually smoking as if it were a lovely day. She thought for a second that maybe she was imagining this, such delusions were bound to happen once in awhile with her but again this just did not feel like her own mind fucking with her.

“What the hell is going on?” She demanded at last. Not so much directed at him as instead a question to herself, wondering if maybe she had completely lost her grip on reality.

But no. No, this man was simply impervious to the cold. He had effortlessly caused her to pass out in the alleyway having her retain no recollection of how, and now he was displaying bizarre acts of defying natural law. No, her mind wasn’t fucking with her, he was fucking with her mind.

She shook her head, forcing out the irrational panic that was surging. Losing one’s head in such a situation did not help. Dropping the covers from her, she rolled off of the bed, standing on legs that were not as sturdy as they usually were but with strength enough to suffice. Turning, she too, ignored the cold. It made her shiver uncontrollably but she thought that if he could do it, so could she.

She boldly approached him, her own bare feet freezing at the touch of the snow on the balcony. She stared at him intently, taking the cigarette out of his hand gingerly and taking a drag herself. Her hands were shaking terribly but she stood fast. “So, what now?”

As he stood there looking at the girl who had so much to prove he could not help but like her.

She stood up fully exposing herself to the elements and his hungry, soulless eyes. As she approached the cold, her body reacted as it should, but she controlled her physical response with a will of iron. This young woman had much to offer a man like him, he was positive of that now.

The cigarette transferred from his hand to hers and after taking the opportunity to smoke it she asked the simplest most difficult question.” So, what now?”

His answer flowed out easily and was reflexive. “You become mine.” Though he knew what that meant, it did not occur to him at that time to explain himself as he remained distracted and amused by the girl’s constitution and stubbornness as she stood there in the cold, freezing to prove a point.

Bending down he picked her up in his arms and stepped into the bedroom closing the door behind him with his foot. He carried her into the bathroom and with his elbow engaged the Jacuzzi. With her still in his arms and wearing his jeans, he stepped into the warm water submerging them both in the waters fury.

As gingerly as she had taken the cigarette, he kissed the wound on her neck.

His words rang in her ears as he easily lifted her lithe frame. To her, they only added to the mystery this man was shrouded in; they were as vague as everything else he had said. As her bewildered mind continually struggled to form a more logical grasp of the matter, she allowed herself to be carried without a fight. The night chill had cooled her heated temper. She felt almost calm.

She watched his face as he started up the Jacuzzi, trying to decipher some sort of meaning from his expression. Finding no satisfaction there, she permitted herself to be distracted by the sudden heat of the water.

Every inch of her icy skin was rapidly warmed by the steam and water, adding a sense of relaxation to her unusually tranquil demeanour. She gasped softly at the stark change in temperature, her hand grasping his shoulder out of instinctive reaction.

Her grip tightened, her nails grazing his skin when his lips touched the bruised skin of her throat. Her mind jumped to the conclusion that he was going to attempt again his inexplicable method of forcing her unconscious. Yet, she was not afraid. If anything, she intended to pay attention this time.

She watched him out of her peripheral vision and said demurely, “I’m beginning to think you’re as crazy as I am.”

He did not know why exactly he had chosen to kiss the bite mark, but it was not to continue to feed on her, as it would most likely kill her to continue to drain her.

“Crazy is as crazy does?” It meant nothing really, except to keep her off balance. She continued to search his words, actions, and body language for some sense of who he was. The most difficult thing about that was the initial rush of the turning and overwhelming urges that came with his turning were now being beat down by long patterns of behavior from his mortal life. He was pleased that she was taking this experience in stride and maybe even accepting it a little to well. It was what he did in new situations.

Leaning back against the edge, he moved her body slowly so that he could view all five of the tattoos. As he studied the one her back, he asked, “So tell me Blackbird, what is the theme here?”

Why she continued to allow him to move her around as he saw fit, Jodi could not guess. Perhaps it was just that she was tired, feeling oddly weary. She could not even recall the last time she allowed someone such familiarity with her.

She looked over her shoulder at him at his question, sending him a vacant expression. A number of people had asked her about her birds, why she kept getting the same image over and over again applied permanently to her skin. It had long been a question she loved to avoid answering.

After all, why should she reveal such information to him when he was doing nothing but toy with her?

“The theme is birds. Black birds. There’s five of them, can’t you tell?” She moved around to face him, taking on a similar posture to his. Sliding her arms along the edge and rolling her head back, she spoke up at the ceiling. “Why, I thought that was quite obvious.”

After a moment, she added thoughtfully, “Blackbird… I like it.” Then she laughed, as if amusing herself with some unspoken or incomprehensible joke.

He sat there across from her pleased with his time with her.

“Okay, I guess I have had enough fun for now. What would you like? Your answer does not have to be as short sighted as just the next few hours either.”

It would be interesting to see how she responded. Trying to survive day to day was obviously her lifestyle and it was probably less than clear what he is or had to offer anyone.

How many men in jeans, cowboy boots, a sleeveless flannel shirt and beat up cowboy hat have the means to take his rape victim to a five star hotel? So hearing her answer would be a real tell tale sign of where she would be heading.

Of course, he still had not ruled out the grave.

“I like…” She was not paying close attention, allowing the water to relax her nerves while not listening intently to the conversation. “Pain. The look in their eyes when they know they’re going to die.” She was muttering this idly, her mind fixated on past events, even the so recent one as the alleyway.

Pulling herself back to the present, the realization dawning that she had answered a question he had not asked. “Oh… that’s not what you said. You said…” she frowned, lifting her head up so that she was more focused on the current situation. “What would I like? Food? Drink? Dinner and dancing and a little white picket fence?”

She laughed again, diverging into somewhat manic behaviour. “I want the world at my fingertips, to manipulate and destroy!”

Pausing, she scratched at the skin of her arm suddenly, her mood coming down from its elated level. She wondered if she had just made any sense, as she had some trouble recalling what she had just said. “I don’t want anything. Why would you ask? What choice do I have? I thought I was here for your amusement. What do you want? With me?”

He looked her square in the eye and without a waiver or bit of hesitation in his voice replied.

“I want you to work for me. You are uniquely qualified for my needs. The position would require you to learn many things and do many things. I would expect you to become my protector, lover, and liaison.”

William let the response settle into her ears, he continued, “I am a wealthy man who, if you are loyal, can give you the resources and means to make a destiny for yourself that would give you the chance of putting the world at your fingertips, if not under your thumb.”

She felt like laughing again, but bit her tongue this time. He was wealthy, of course, that was obvious. People with money always think they own the world. Then again, Jodi had no aversion to becoming wealthy herself if that was indeed an option- especially since her bag of clothes and money was no longer in her possession.

She had played the role of protector before and she knew well that she was adept at the position. However, he was not asking for just this, so she took her time in responding. It was difficult, though, to think logically and rationally about a subject she knew very few details about. He was older than her, stronger than her, justifiably more sane than her and he was keeping her in the dark about the true nature of his offered employment.

Then again, she did not really have anything better to do. She could always smother him in his sleep if things went downhill.

She smiled slowly at him. “Well, if I am qualified, then it hardly makes any sense that I should refuse.”

He smiled.

“Good. Get out of the tub,” he said as he as he stood up and moved from the tub to the doorway of the bathroom in what might have appeared in the blink of an eye. The sun would be up in an hour and he wanted to get some sleep.

He walked out of the bathroom to the main living room and opened a door passing through the frame he stood there waiting for her to enter the room.

Jodi obeyed slowly, cautiously. She thought maybe she had closed her eyes and zoned out for a minute, that was possible. What was not possible was how fast he had just moved.

While unsure of what she had just witnessed, she picked up one of the neatly folded hotel towels and wrapped it around her dripping body. She did not actually bother to dry off and left little wet footprints next to the trail her new employer had left. She flicked water from the ends of her spiky hair as she wandered leisurely over to where he was waiting for her.

She eyed the area warily, and satisfied there were no hidden surprises anywhere, she let her focus fall onto him again. She did not speak, as she really had nothing to say, and merely awaited further instruction.

William was standing in another room that mirrored his. It was untouched.

Jodi’s clothes from the alley, her bag and other miscellaneous possession sit fast by on a table by the couch in the living room of her suite.

“Your first task is to buy some acceptable clothing and accessories for your job. Your accessories are just not going to do.” He turned his head to the knives he had found and had laid out next to the television. There was a fat envelope by them. “There should be enough in there to take care of this task.” In truth, there was five thousand dollars in cash. Buying things on and off the radar could be expensive. “Consider it your first week’s pay.”

When he had first seen her, he suspected that she might have the potential to be someone he wanted around him. The worst that could have happened in his view was he would have had killed her and cleaned up both rooms. However, since that did not have to kill her the job, the room and the money were hers. Not to mention he got to show off a bit.

He stepped past her stopping besides her. Taking a deep kiss from her, one free of emotion, he said, “I am leaving this door unlocked. I am tired and will probably sleep most of the day, so wake me up around 5 pm.”

William continued back into his room and closed the door behind him. Taking off the wet pants and tossing them to the side rail of the tub in his bathroom to dry. As he moved about the room making sure that no sunlight would enter while he slept he chuckled to himself. “If she is still here tomorrow, she will be a keeper.

The suite now sunlight proofed he lay down on the bed, pulled the covers over him and drifted off to sleep as the television chattered on in the background.

After he had left, Jodi went over to her belongings. She got dressed, her clothes sticking to her still damp body, then rifled through the envelope left for her. Admittedly it was tempting to just take the money and her things and just disappear. She could retrieve her abandoned car, get it fixed up, get the hell out of this town.

On the other hand, five thousand dollars a week was a pretty sweet deal.

So, he did not like her attire or choice of weaponry. She picked up on of her damasteel knives fondly and quite suddenly realized she did not know exactly what he wanted from her. She should have asked him before he left but the thought had not yet occurred to her.

He could have had the decency to give her some kind of list. Or maybe, he had it set up like this intentionally. Maybe he wanted her to take the money, he could have it marked, it could all be some sort of twisted plan to catch her in the act again. What was he- some dirty cop or was he just bored with all the luxury money could buy? Looking for some amusement with girls from the street that nobody would miss.

Jodi refused to be entertainment. He though he had the upper hand? It was about to be cut out from under him.

Knuckles white on the handle of the knife, she exited the room quietly, she only needed one blade for this kind of work. She passed through the doorways silently, her footsteps muffled by expensive carpets and ornate rugs. Pressing herself against the wall outside his bedroom, she eased the door open carefully, peering in to confirm his unconscious state.

Sleeping soundly, as if there were no danger, positioned with his back to the doorway. Perfect. Entering the room like a wraith, she glided over next to the bed. Even before she struck, she was pleased with herself. He had taken advantage of her and revenge was oh, so sweet. The blade slid into flesh the same way she had felt it to so many times before. But once was not enough for him; twice, three times, a fourth for good measure. He hardly moved, did he even react at all? She had not been watching, nor listening for any scream of pain. It was best to make this quick and simple.

Withdrawing the knife for the last time, she reached over him, pushing her fingers into his throat. Satisfied with no pulse, she wiped the blade on the bed sheets and walked calmly back to the doorway.

William felt the blade enter his back. Fully expecting her to pull this shit, he lay there taking the blows to let her feel her skill was as good as she perceived it. Since breathing was an option for a vampire to maintain appearances, he stopped.

He heard her wipe the blade on the sheets and slide off the bed to leave. Looking at the clock, he had an idea. Since the wounds on his back were already healing, he turned over in the bed to see her cocky walk towards the door.

Propping up on an elbow, he yelled at her, “DAMN IT BLACKBIRD I SAID WAKE ME UP AT 5 PM. SHIT CAN’T YOU DO THAT RIGHT.”

With that, he turned his back on her again and covered up with the blankets like all she did was wake him up early. A smile crossed his face. He thought to himself; let us see how she handles that one.

Inspired he thought of another idea. Without turning over, “Just get some sleep, but wake me at 5 like I said. I will take you to the mall myself tonight. We will do some shopping and put you through some tests.”

Contented he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

Jodi stopped, dropped the knife, spun around on one heel and stared in absolute awe. It was one thing to knock her out and move like some sort of speed demon, but it was entirely out of the question that he had just survived- not just survived but was completely unaffected by… four, five stab wounds?

Her hand, having lost the weight of the knife, clenched and unclenched emphasising her confusion. Her mind was stumbling over half-complete question on how, or what had just happened while her mouth was not quite willing to form the words.

At last, she settled on a reaction: defeat. She had to tip her metaphorical hat to him. If there was a way to beat her at her own game, he had not only managed it but excelled nicely.

Quietly- not out of fear but out of consideration to not wake him up again- she lifted her discarded knife. She left the room just as softly, closing the door carefully, and returned to her own designated quarters. The notion to flee did not occur to her, even if it had, logically if he could endure mortal wounds he could no doubt track her down without trouble.

She set the weapon down next to its twin solemnly. Doing as she was told, she crawled into bed not bothering to undress.

This was as good a time as any to accept her fate. Rolling over, she went to sleep.

The radio alarm he set before going to bed went off, the music escalating until he hit the off button.

Sitting up, he wiped the sleep from his eyes and was looking forward to the day they had in front of them. Reaching around he felt the wounds from earlier and they were gone, for the most part. “I am glad she keeps those knives sharp,” he muttered to himself.

He pulled the sheets off the bed, bundled them up, and flipped the mattress to hide the blood that had seeped into it.

For the next half hour, he showered and dressed in the clothes he had brought up from the truck the night before. Checking the clock, he saw that she should be walking in within the next few minutes. He closed the bedroom door and set everything back to the way it was when he woke up so she would not suspect that he had been about. He never turned on a light, as he did not need one.

Hearing her hand on the handle, he used his new Tarepha ability and scaled the wall to the ceiling to drop behind her from the ceiling when she discovered him missing in the bedroom.

Jodi had woken up in the luxurious hotel bed unusually aware of her surroundings. Often, it would take her a few moments to adjust to reality but this time, she recalled quite well the events of the day before. She rose from the mattress holding on tightly to the feeling of cool composure she had awoken with.

She had a spare few minutes before she had to go and awake her nameless employer and she used these simply to stretch tired muscles. It did help her focus a little but she knew well the moment was fleeting. Raking her nails through her unruly hair, she lumbered into the next room where she slipped on a pair of plain black shoes. She did not put on fresh clothing, feeling no need to look overly presentable.

With five o’clock steadily approaching, she moved herself over to the other hotel room, not being quite as quiet as she had been the previous time. However, upon entering the bedroom, she stopped, frowning. She felt she had had enough shock to last her a good few weeks, but it was evident someone thought otherwise. The room was empty. The bed neat, stainless and also empty.

She had the brief thought that perhaps she had imagined the whole thing and she had just walked into an unassigned room of the hotel. Taking a deep breath, she walked forwards, telling herself that that did not make any sense. If that were the case, the door would have been locked. She glanced around for signs of the occupant.

He watched Jodi pass right under him and as expected paused at the doorway of the empty bedroom.

Dropping silently behind her as she entered he took her by the throat and pulled her back against his body.

“Blackbird, you will die if you are not prepared for the unexpected. In my world the unexpected is to be expected.”

With that, he pushed her forward with a good amount of force. She flew through the air a bit landing on the mattress that lay before them. He spun around and sat down on the couch and started pulling his boots on.

True enough she was unprepared for the stealthy assault but she was learning quickly to adapt to the odd occurrences that she could now associate with him. She did not simply stumble and fall, but used the momentum of his throw to roll herself from the mattress and rise into a fighting stance. She had not brought her weapons as a sign of respect at the very least, although her hands closed into tense fists.

Straightening up and relaxing her posture, she let her hands drop harmlessly to her sides. “I will be more careful next time,” she quipped dryly.

She waited for him to get his boots on before smiling wide enough to be called cheerful, even though it still held her accustomed impishness. “Ready to shop?”

Standing up and putting his hat on, he turned his head and said, “Yeah. Grab those sheets and make them disappear in the dumpster on your way out the back, and do not be caught with them and do not forget your money or stuff. We are not coming back here tonight.”

Picking up his bag and walking into the bathroom to collect the last couple of things he had laying out, “Meet me in the parking lot. You can’t miss my ride.”

With that, he left her in his suite letting the door close behind him. There was no evidence that he had any winter clothing to put on as he left the room. William made his way down the elevators and out the side door to the lot where he left his rig. He started the engine letting the eerie sound echo through the cities alleys.

He waited patiently for his Blackbird.

Jodi rolled her eyes. Being his cleaning woman was not necessarily what she had in mind, even if the mess was her fault. She justified it by believing in her head that he had been asking for it.

Before anything else, she returned to her room and gathered up her things. She stuffed loose belongings such as the envelope and knives into her bag, although she took out her small pocket knife. She rarely used it as it was hardly a satisfying weapon to inflict pain with, but she thought perhaps it was best to have something with her. Her larger, dagger-like duo were not so easily concealed, whereas the little knife was simple to tuck away discreetly.

She then diligently rolled up the sheets as small as they would go, and crammed them into her bag as well, despite it protesting the amount it was being forced to contain. The bag looked bulky and absurd, it did not even close anymore, but this way at least no one would be stopping her for carrying bloodied sheets down the hallway. Finally, just before she left the room, she snatched a couple bottles of liquor from the tiny bar built into the room.

She went out the back, as directed, but instead of just discarding the sheets, she broke the liquor bottles in them, soaking the fabric with a new liquid. Searching around in her bag with some difficulty, she located a bic lighter. Holding the material away from her, she set fire to one of the corners before carefully placing it into the open dumpster. Now that was making them disappear. She closed the lid of the large metal container only partway so that oxygen could still feed the flames.

Walking away casually, she did indeed locate his ride with ease. Hopping into the passenger side, she just smiled pleasantly at him, wiping a bit of alcohol off on her pants.

Jodi hoped up into the cabin and wiped off the liquor from her leg. William could smell the faintness of the smoke that had permeated her sleeve as she manipulated the dumpster lid. He turned his head towards her, “So you opted to burn them. That will do just fine,” he said with a smile remembering that just a couple days before he torched whole rooms to cover up his mess.

Putting the rig into gear, it lurched forward from its resting place and onto the open road. Despite the fact, the city street's construction accommodated vehicles that were significantly smaller than his vehicle; he drove it masterfully through the downtown area as they made their way to the mall that evening.

It was time to take his new protégé shopping for her new look and while they were at maybe he would pick one up too. It was after all a change of life for both of them.

((OOC--Topic continued in Changing More Than Our Clothes))