"Oh yeah, we're going away. "
"Where?"
"Rio. Forsyth said Nan Cutler called a major Conclave meeting, told them your grandfather needed help, and now everyone's going. "
"What kind of help?" Schuyler demanded.
"Hey - don't worry," Bliss said, seeing the panicked expression on her friend's face. "I'm sure he's all right. "
"I haven't heard from Lawrence in a long time," Schuyler admitted. "I've been so caught up with Jack I didn't even notice. What else did Forsyth say?"
Bliss was reluctant to say, but decided Schuyler had a right to know. "I'm not one hundred percent sure, but it sounded like Lawrence was in some sort of trouble. "
"What kind of trouble?"
"I wish I could tell you. All I know is this morning Forsyth told us we were going to Rio. Conclave business. " She pointed the remote control in the direction of the television screen and fast-forwarded through the commercials.
The show came back on, and Bliss reached under her bed and handed Schuyler a bag of her favorite jalape§?potato chips. "Anyway, don't worry about Ollie. He'll come around. You know he will. "
"I don't know about that. I really think he hates me, Bliss. He told me it was him or Jack. That I had to choose. "
"And what did you say?"
"Nothing. " Schuyler blinked back fresh tears. "I can't choose. You know I can't. " She tossed the empty bag and kicked at a pillow. "Everything's rotten. "
Bliss kept one eye on the television and the other on her friend. She heartily agreed with Schuyler's assessment. Everything did feel rotten. Like how Forsyth had never been straight with her about Dylan. Sometimes it felt as if everyone was lying about everything.
After a few minutes of watching the main star of the show break up with her boyfriend for the nth time, Schuyler spoke. "You know, I haven't heard anything from Lawrence since he's been there, except that he wishes the weather were cooler. If he's truly in danger, don't you think he would have said something to me? Maybe sent me a message?"
"Maybe he doesn't want you to worry," Bliss said. "He's probably just doing it to protect you. If there's something wrong with Corcovado, he did say he wanted to keep you away from it," she reminded.
"I guess. " Schuyler played with a tassel on her pillow. "But it feels weird, you know? I mean, Lawrence doesn't trust the Conclave with anything. Not since Plymouth," she said. "Why would he call for them now?"
"What are you thinking?" Bliss asked. She noticed there was a purposeful look in Schuyler's eye. At least the girl had finally stopped crying about those boys. This was the Schuyler she knew and admired.
"I'm going down there. If Lawrence is really in danger, I have to help him. I couldn't live with myself otherwise. "
AUDIO RECORDINGS ARCHIVE:
Repository of History
CONDUIT: Hazard-Perry, Oliver
POSITION: Van Alen family
Personal Report filed 5/19
?Transcript notes two minutes of tape were lost in feedback. Transcript begins as follows:?
Schuyler will tell you that I had no choice in the matter. She believes that I love her because I have to, or because I had no choice, but she's wrong. She gives herself too much credit sometimes.
I knew what we were doing, when we did the Caerimonia. I knew exactly what it meant. I knew what it would do. More importantly I knew she didn't feel the same about me. I've known that for a very long time. Do you think I'm stupid?
So why did I do it?
I don't know. I wasn't going to. In my defense, I had told her no the first time. We were sitting there in that hotel room, and she was sitting on my lap, and it felt nice, you know. Being so close to her. Yeah, I guess it felt great. I don't want to get into it - I'm not a suck-and-tell kind of guy.
She thinks I've been in love with her since we were kids, or since I first laid eyes on her, or some other romantic crap. But it wasn't like that. We were friends. We got along. I liked the way she thinks. Liked the sound of her laugh. Liked how she dressed-in all those dark layers. What was she hiding from?
Did I think she was beautiful? I'm not blind, am I? Of course I thought she was beautiful. But it was more than that - I liked that she used to wear this ugly shade of blue eyeshadow-girls think guys don't notice stuff like makeup, but we do - and it would get all cakey and smudged at the end of the day. She would have these huge blue raccoon eyes, and she wouldn't even notice . . . I don't know. I was charmed.
But I didn't feel that way about her back then. Not even in eighth grade when we had to go to the Sadie Hawkins dance together and she asked me to be her date, and we spent the evening sitting in a corner making fun of everyone. We didn't dance once, and she wore this hideous, baggy dress. No, I wasn't in love with her then.
I fell in love with her when she found out she was a vampire. Just a few months ago. When she accepted her heritage and didn't flinch from her destiny. Because you know who she's supposed to be, right? I mean, Gabrielle's daughter. Heavy stuff. She's so strong it scares me. I wasn't lying when I told her that.
So, yeah - again, you're asking me why I did it. Why I let her take my blood, let her mark me as her own. Do that whole "familiar" thing. All that jazz.
I don't even know why I bother with these reports. Who's listening to them, anyway?
Anyway, I guess the truth of the matter was, I didn't want her to have to do it with someone else. I didn't want to share. She was already so different from me, changing already. She is different. She's going to live forever, while I'm only going to get to go around once.
I wanted to hold on.
Because yeah, I do love her.
I loved her when she came to me that night at The Bank. When she was looking for me and was so relieved to see me. When she accepted everything I told her, and she didn't even freak out that much when I told her I already knew. That I was her Conduit.
That's why I took the next plane out of the city to Rio after hers. Yeah, Bliss told me what was going on. Do you think I would let her go there alone? You're kidding, right?
But if you think I walked into this blind, you're wrong. I knew being her familiar wouldn't change anything. I knew that even if she knew I was in love with her, it wouldn't change how she felt about me.
I knew I would lose in the end.
What do I think of Jack Force? I don't. I don't think much of him. Just another guy who thinks he's God's gift to Earth. In his case, probably literally. But, you know - he's irrelevant to me. He just doesn't factor in. Even if they end up together, which I highly doubt given the strength of that particular bond - Mimi is no joke, I wouldn't mess around with Azrael - but even if Schuyler still loves him, or thinks she does, it doesn't matter.
Because Jack is going to leave her one day. I know he will. He's too much for Schuyler. They're wrong for each other. Anyone can see that.
And when he leaves her, I'll be there.
However long it takes, I'll still be there for her.
Waiting.
So I guess Schuyler's wrong. I guess I'm a pretty romantic guy after all.
Chapter Thirty-two
Just pronouncing the name of Rio's airport - Galeao - could put one in a Carnaval-ready mood, Schuyler thought. Gahhhlaaaeonnn. Now she understood why so many people traveled to this country: even the name of its airport promised sultry and mysterious adventures.
Schuyler, however, felt far from romance of any kind. She couldn't manage to think of Jack without thinking about Oliver. It was too painful. Getting away from the Forces had been easy enough: she just walked out the door. Charles was holed up in his study again, Trinity was away on a girls-only spa vacation, while Mimi was traveling to Rio with the Conclave. Jack was to remain in New York. The other night he had left her another book under the door. A copy of Anna Karenina. But she didn't go to meet him. She didn't even have the heart to take the book along with her on the nine-hour flight.
She didn't sleep at all during the trip, and the cramped coach seat didn't help. Schuyler had only ever traveled with Cordelia or Oliver and his family. With her grandmother they had taken little prop planes to Nantucket, and Oliver only traveled first class. She had once thought of herself as a hardy girl who didn't need life's little luxuries, a common enough mistake made by those who've never experienced life's little inconveniences.
The plane finally landed, and Schuyler retrieved her carryall from the bin and shuffled her way to the front of the line. The airport itself was a disappointment, not at all living up to the magical promise of its moniker. The customs and immigration spaces were large and open, but the decor was cold, utilitarian, dated, and institutional. Not at all beachy, sexy, or whatever it was Schuyler had assumed would greet her when she arrived. It was empty and quiet. She'd expected a party, and was met by the Kremlin.
Schuyler understood that the city was considered pretty dangerous, and kept a wary eye. Lawrence was still frustratingly unreachable. The latest messages she'd sent him had been unreturned, and Schuyler couldn't get a lock on his signal. She followed the crowd out to the front of the terminal. Bliss had advised her to take a taxi, but with the little money she had left, she decided to brave it by taking one of the rickety buses that drove down the central areas along the beaches and stopped around the major hotels.
The bus was full of noisy Australian backpackers, and Schuyler found a seat in the front so she could look out the window. The ride from the airport was confusing, as the highway made various curves and bends, including going through a few tunnels, which left her with little sense of direction. Once in a while Schuyler saw magnificent, moss-covered rock cliffs and hills covered with tropical vegetation, above a coast of yellow-white sand beaches and blue water. She also saw glimpses of the storied favelas - the country's urban slums that dotted the cliffs and hillsides. Evidence of the earthquake's aftermath was everywhere, from the trash-covered lots filled with scavenger birds to the two-story piles of debris that dotted the landscape.
In between the views of mountain and sea she glimpsed towering high-rises, steel-and-glass buildings that were unaffected by the disaster. On the way she also noticed several cars off on the shoulder of the highway, stopped by heavily armed policemen at some sort of ad hoc checkpoint.
Everything was exotic and beautiful and ugly all at the same time. Finally the names on the road signs looked familiar: Ipanema, Copacabana, Leblon. She saw the famous statue of the Jesus with his arms outstretched as if embracing the city, Christ the Redeemer, O Cristo Redentor, on top of Corcovado. She was enjoying the view as the bus chugged along, when its engine suddenly died.
The bus driver cursed profusely as he pulled to the side of the road.
Schuyler was confused, especially when the driver asked the passengers to disembark along the highway, and to take their luggage with them.
"This again," one of the lanky Australians complained.
"Does this happen a lot?" she asked.
"All the time," she was told.
The bus driver advised them to take a break and come back after an hour while he attempted repairs. Fortunately they weren't too far from the main boulevard. All along the shorefront was a paved walkway with inlaid seashells in a mosaic pattern, crowded with joggers, walkers, Rollerbladers, and strollers. Schuyler found a juice stand nearby and bought a drink. The tropical heat was making her feel wilted.
But when she returned to the designated spot an hour later, the shuttle bus, along with the boisterous Australians, was gone. She was alone. Her annoyance was compounded by a flash of uncertainty when she noticed a couple of young toughs - thin, barefoot guys in faded shorts and holey Chicago Bulls T-shirts walking toward her. They looked curiously at the black-clad tourist. "Turista ? "
She knew she had nothing to fear, but she didn't want to blow her cover. The boys came nearer. Only then did she notice one of them was holding a broken bottle.
And just when she thought she would have to start defending herself, a shiny black car pulled up. It looked bulletproof, with darkened rolled-up windows.
What now? Schuyler thought she'd only found more trouble.
Then one of the windows rolled down. Schuyler was sure she'd never felt happier to see the boy inside.
"Took a while to find you. Sorry I lost you at the airport. My flight got delayed," Oliver said as he threw open the back door. Schuyler noticed he had two security men in the backseat, and one in the front, including the driver. "What are you waiting for? Get in. "
Chapter Thirty-three~ Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-three
The Copacabana Palace Hotel was one of Mimi's favorite destinations. She'd traveled to Rio many times for Carnaval and always stayed in the same corner suite. She had no idea why Nan Cutler had brought the Conclave all the way to South America, but she didn't question it. Besides, it wasn't as if she was going to pass up the opportunity to miss school.
Jack had expressed no interest in accompanying her, and she didn't press the issue. Once they were bonded, they would travel the world together. She missed him, but she was also excited to be on her own in a new city.
She put her towel down on the chaise longue located on the private rooftop terrace outside her room. The Conclave had been invited to dine at Casa Alameida, a villa in the hills, later that evening. The Almeidas had been part of the Blue Blood contingent that had moved to Brazil in 1808, when the Portuguese royal family and many nobles had fled from, rather than fight, the red-blooded conqueror, Napoleon. They moved the seat of the king's court to the colonies, making Rio the first non-European capital of a European country.
Of course, once ensconced they never went back, and declared Brazil independent, and the prince, emperor. But when the country declared itself a republic in 1889, the Blue Bloods of the city retreated and concentrated on what they did best: building museums and art collections, grand hotels, and encouraging the cultural renaissance.
Mimi admired what the Brazilian Blue Bloods had done with their city, and reminded herself to invite them all to the Spring Gala. The families should really know each other better, she thought. So many of them lived so far away from each other now. Of course the heads of the various Committees would meet with the Coven's Elders in New York every year, but otherwise they had almost no contact with each other.
She lay facedown on the towel and untied the straps to her bikini top.
A muscular pool boy approached, his dark skin and hair striking against his white swimsuit. "Caipirinha?"
"Sure. " Mimi pulled herself up on her elbows and didn't bother to cover herself.
His nonchalant gaze - almost obnoxious really, the way he stared at her chest, excited her senses. She was always on a hunt for a new familiar, and when in Rio. . .
Chapter Thirty-four
As far as Bliss was concerned she could stay in Rio forever. All afternoon she'd wandered the city's beautiful beaches, wearing a swimsuit she'd purchased at the hotel shop when the one she'd brought struck her as way too puritanical for this city.
They were staying at the fabulous Fasano Hotel on Ipanema, and although Bliss enjoyed sunning on the roof deck, she'd itched to walk the coast on her own. BobiAnne had asked her to take Jordan with her, and the sisters were having fun swimming in the ocean and people watching. Brazilians wore skimpy bikinis, no matter their shape or size; it was liberating and somewhat appalling at the same time. The American in Bliss believed grandmothers should not wear thongs.
Still, she was really starting to enjoy herself, relaxing in the sultry weather and forgetting they were in Rio for some fairly serious stuff. She'd overheard Forsyth talking to Nan Cutler, and it sounded as if Lawrence was in a real mess. Her parents didn't say anything, but it was obvious they were unsettled and anxious. Forsyth kept snapping at every little thing, and even BobiAnne was on edge. Bliss wondered if Schuyler had any luck contactin
g him.
Bliss hadn't been able to convince her family to bring Schuyler with them. ("Absolutely not," her father had said. "She is Charles's ward and I do not think he will give permission. ") She'd done the next best thing and given Schuyler enough money from her personal account to secure a ticket. Schuyler was probably in the city already, but she was supposed to call Bliss when she got in, and so far Bliss hadn't heard from her. She hoped Schuyler was all right. Rio wasn't a place for young girls traveling alone.
She tried calling Dylan again, but there was no answer. The two of them had gotten into the habit of talking every night and checking in with each other during the day. She knew when he had yoga, when he had therapy, and what time he ate lunch. It bothered her he hadn't returned any of her messages. Where was he?
She dialed the main number of the center and asked for his counselor.
"Dylan?" The therapist's voice was cheerful. "He was checked out the other day. "
"Really?" This was news to Bliss. Dylan hadn't even mentioned that he was eligible for release. "Do you know who picked him up?"
"Let's see. . . " There was a sound of papers shuffling. "It says here he was discharged to Senator Llewellyn. "
Bliss felt uneasy. Obviously her father had failed to mention any of this to her. Maybe it was time to confront him about what she knew, but the thought of bringing it up with Forsyth made her stomach feel queasy. Dylan would call her when he got a chance, she was sure that he would. She would just have to wait. Next to her Jordan was huddled underneath an umbrella, covered with towels and layers of sunscreen. Bliss mocked her for it - taking out her unease over Dylan by insulting her sister.
"You don't tan either," Jordan retorted.
"Yeah, but I don't care. I like to burn. "
"B, can I have a coco juice?" Jordan asked, pointing to a seller who was hawking the frosty wares.
"Sure. " Bliss rooted in her bag for her wallet, when everything suddenly went white. She couldn't see a thing. She was completely blind, even though her eyes were wide open. It was the most unnatural, disturbing feeling - almost as if someone else were seeing through her eyes. As if there were another person inside her head.