I ran into Madden once or twice, we said little, he seemed to be working most nights.
'Look he sent hugs.'
It was Wednesday night and I was showing the text message to Miranda at juggling.
'What do you think it means?'
Miranda laughed. 'I don't know Daisi.'
'Do you think he likes me?'
Miranda laughed again, 'I really don't know Daisi.
'It's hugs right? That's good isn't it?'
'Yes, that's what it says. ummm I think I hear Aaron calling me. Excuse me.'
She walked away, quickly.
I looked at the text message and then down at my lonely juggling clubs sprawled on the wooden floor . I didn't feel like juggling.
It was warm inside, so I went out. There was a shining crescent moon and to my right, Ima was talking to a little girl in a pink dress. She looked about the same age as Ima. I smiled, it was nice that Ima had brought a friend to juggling.
I looked at the sparkling stars and sighed, Peter was looking at those stars too. It was so romantic.
About an hour later there was an odd movement near the tombstones. A shadow that grew larger as it slowly approached . A shiver, a fear gripped me as it resolved into a solid form. A stray zombie? A ghost? I was preparing to run inside for help.
'Hi Daisi.' I jumped, it was Madden.
'What are you doing here?
The vampire was dressed in a dark blue hospital uniform, 'Oh I finished work early and thought I'd come down and say hello to Aaron.'
'Really?'
'Yes really.' Why don't you wait and we can walk home together.'
'Really?'
Madden looked down at me and grinned. 'Your vocabulary is very impressive tonight.'
'Oh shut up and hurry up then. I'll wait.'
Madden chuckled as he walked inside and waved at Aaron. They had a brief chat. I watched them closely, they were very serious. This was obviously not a social visit. Something was definitely going on.
'So are you ready to go?' Madden asked as he came towards me.
'Sure'. I packed up my juggling clubs and in a manner which echoed Peter's the Sunday before, Madden stretched out his hand. 'Can I take those for you?.'
Our hands brushed , and his skin was cold to the touch. I shivered.
'What's up?'
'Your hands are really cold.'
Madden gazed at me quizzically, ' I suppose Peter has warm hands?'
'What?' I turned away, but he saw my cheeks redden under the artificial light.
He sighed. ' I know it's none of my business, but I'm your friend. Just be careful Ok?'
'Nothings going on.'
Madden grinned, 'Of course not.'
We walked down King Street in silence. Then Madden asked, 'Are you taking your medication?'
'What are you? My mother?'
'No , like I said, I 'm your friend. Are you?'
'Yes' I snapped.
'Good'. He ignored my anger. 'Actually Daisi, I met you tonight, because we need to have a talk.'
'We do? If you want to talk about Peter, I'm not going to stop seeing him.'
'ummmm No. I wanted to talk about something else.'
'Oh, ummm Ok. But I won't.'
Madden shrugged. 'I need to ask if you want to keep juggling?'
I was surprised, this was totally unexpected. 'Why? Doesn't Aaron want me to come anymore?'
'No. ' Madden was firm. 'It's not that. It's just that it's not safe to walk around here at night any more.'
I peered down King Street in the darkness. It looked exactly as it always did at 9.30 on a Wednesday night. The artificial light illuminated the street like a thousand suns, the red glow of the advertising signs reflected off the footpaths, people, mostly couples dressed in the traditional black, strolled hand in hand down the street, others were sitting on the footpath on plastic chairs eating a late dinner, and all around the sounds of footsteps intermingled with snatches of conversation perfumed the air. The only thing different was the small clump of men dressed in red and white t shirts, standing on a corner looking closely at the people walking past them. They were probably students from the university, doing an initiation ritual.
Madden stopped. He turned towards me , put his hand under my chin and lifted my face so I was forced to look directly into his eyes.
It was the first time I had noticed him in days. He was drawn, thin, underfed, his eyes were bloodshot, sunken and there were tiny lines at their corners.
Funny that. I didn't think vampires aged.
'I thought vampires didn't get lines.'
'What? shhhhh Daisi.' He cast a look in the direction of the red shirted group on the corner.
'Daisi, just listen for a moment. Newtown is not safe at the moment. If you want to continue juggling, that's fine, but either Eliza or myself will pick you up afterwards.'
'You're kidding? You guys are going to escort me home?'
'Well yes.'
'Why?'
'Like I said it's not safe.' He glanced again at the group on the corner.
I freed my head from his grasp and shook it. This was stupid, but he seemed so sincere, and then Madden used words he rarely said. 'Please Daisi.' He was serious. He added, 'Just trust me on this.'
I remembered how he and Eliza had saved me from the exspellers, how Madden had solved the British backpacker crisis, how he'd always been there when I needed him. I looked at his thin frame, his furrowed brow and some rational part of my brain, some part that wasn't wrapped up in thoughts of Peter emerged. I looked at Madden and saw the solidity, the gentleness, the determination, yet the paradoxical, barely restrained, vampiric nature. And I knew there were no lies in this being, that he was, despite his supernatural existence, an honest man, I knew he was my friend and I nodded.
'I trust you.'
There was a short pause. Madden laughed quietly. 'That was a lot easier than I expected.'
'Oh shut up!'
We continued walking, the cogs of my brain were ticking over, 'Madden you're a man or you were a man, What do you think this MEANS?'
I showed him Peter's text.
Madden slowly guided me across the street opposite the group of young red shirted men on the corner, and he read it. 'Really Daisi chain?'
'What do you think?'
'I think it means he'll see you on Sunday.'
'But it says hugs.'
'Yeah I see that.'
'What does that mean?'
'Exactly what it says .'
He was impossible. 'Men!' I snarled and Madden chuckled.
My juggling clubs made a pleasant clicking sound as we walked home and they continued to echo our footsteps until we reached our front doors on the first floor of the Presidio.
There to our surprise, was Eliza. An Eliza I hadn't seen before. She was obviously distressed, her blonde hair unbrushed and untidy, her clothes messy, she looked totally unlike her usual well groomed, elegant self.
Madden dropped my clubs and ran towards her,
'What's wrong.?'
Eliza sobbed, 'It's Anna, there's been an accident, she's.'
"What?'
'She's in hospital.'
Madden grabbed Eliza's hand,' Let's go, tell me on the way.'
They pushed passed me as they ran towards the fire stairs.
I ran after them, 'Wait' I yelled after their departing backs, 'wait, I'm coming too.'
**********************************************************************************
Eliza paced back and forth, back and forth. She was snarling, muttering to herself,
'This is unacceptable, somebody will pay.'
Her shiny, pointy white teeth were showing beneath her lips and the anger was pouring off her in waves. Madden frantically tried to calm her, but it was useless. The ice blonde vampire was angry and impatient and showing it.
Madden was stunned. He watched Eliza pace, following her every footstep with his eyes, every time a doctor walked past, the
vampire rose. Many of them knew him, he worked there most nights. They stopped and said a quiet 'Hello' as they passed, but didn't say any more, it was clear from his expression, that Madden had a relative or friend in trouble, and the doctors knew better than to make small talk at such a time.
I sat watching them, Each step Eliza took echoed painfully in my heart. The suspense was horrible. It was incomprehensible. I texted Peter. I thought he might want to know what was going on.
The three of us were waiting in a room outside a hallway, which hid private rooms. In one of those rooms, our friend Anna, her husband Mark by her bedside, was injured, perhaps dying. Nobody would give us any information. We were ignorant and we did not like it. All we knew was what Eliza had told us. Anna had been attacked in Newtown, she was hurt and in hospital and Mark was with her. That's all we knew and it wasn't enough.
'This is unacceptable. This is outrageous.' Eliza continued to mutter.
Madden stood up, grabbed her arm, 'Sit.'
'I don't want to sit.' She hissed.
'Sit, or they'll throw us out.'
She looked at him carefully, then she sat.
She sat on one side of him. I sat on the other. It was devastating, now I knew why Madden met me after juggling. Newtown wasn't safe any more, and that thought was shattering.
Suddenly, Mark came towards us. His face was a mask of anguish, tears streamed down his cheeks. We stood up, the three of us in unison, the tall dark haired vampire took our hands and held us tightly, there was a rush of air as we all, even the vampires, gasped in horror, expecting the worst.
Mark whispered,
'She's going to be alright' He slumped into a chair, his head in his hands, the tears pouring freely.
'She's going to be alright' he repeated.
We all exhaled as one.
Madden was the first to speak, 'That's great. That's great isn't it Mark?'
The exhausted man looked at him, 'Yes, yes, it's wonderful.'
'Can we see her?' Asked Eliza.
'No, No, she needs to rest. They ..' Mark sobbed once, ' they, hurt her pretty badly.'
'How badly?' questioned Eliza.
Madden put a hand on Mark's shoulder and their eyes met. The vampire shook his head slightly.
Mark hesitated, ' She's going to be alright Eliza.' He tried to be calm.
'What of the child?' Eliza knelt in front of the stricken man and took his hands, ' What of the child she is carrying?'
Mark sobbed, he turned away, he didn't need to answer.
Eliza sat beside him and drew him into her arms, he collapsed there sobbing. She gazed at Madden over his head. It was a look of pure unadulterated ire, it was red hot fury, her eyes burned with vengeance and hate . Madden 's eyes locked onto hers but she didn't flinch.
I cowered in a seat nearby. The air around the two vampires crackled with something that was beyond my experience. It was an other worldy rage, a white surge of pure anger. The atmosphere simmered and I could feel the heat surrounding them. This was frightening.
The four of us went downstairs to the cafeteria. Mark was more composed now, he held a hot coffee between his hands and was flanked on either side by the vampires, who seemed more like bodyguards than friends. I sat opposite, curled in the chair, trying to be inconspicuous
'She just went to the supermarket to buy some pasta. We were expecting some kids tomorrow , Oh I guess I better ring them and cancel. '
'I can do that if you like' I piped up
The vampires glared at me, but Mark smiled gently, ' Thanks Daisi.'
'Anna told me that they were outside the supermarket giving out those Preserve Newtown flyers. She refused to take one. They got aggressive. You know Anna, she's so calm and polite, but she still refused to take one. She feels really strongly about those people, she said they were bigots.'
'They are bigots' said Madden.
'Anyway, they followed her. They followed her down King Street, and then as she turned off, they grabbed her from behind. They dragged her into an alley, and they...'
His voice broke again and Eliza took his hand.
'I'm sorry, it's just. She's such a gentle person, for them to do that to her, and she's in so much pain, I just cant ...' He broke off again and took a few deep breaths.
He stood up, ' I'm just, I just need a second alone, is there somewhere, where I can just, be alone for a second '
Madden gestured to Eliza and whispered something in her ear.
'Come with me Mark' She led him away from the table towards a door.
As they walked away from us, Madden turned towards me, 'Are you OK?'
'Where... Where's she taking him? ' I asked.
'There's a place, a small chapel down the hallway, it's quiet and he can have some time to himself there.' He took my hand.
'Daisi, there's something you should know about these Preserve Newtown people.'
My heart sank. 'It's... it's...' I stammered, I was too afraid to voice my thoughts, ' It's not Peter, he's not one of them is he?'
Madden snorted, 'Peter? No. It's not Peter. It's Louisa, your cousin, it's Louisa and the exspellers, they're responsible for this.'
'Gavin Cloud? You mean him right?'
'No, I mean Louisa. Preserve Newtown is her contribution to the exspellers. They're like her personal army. She's doing it to impress Cloud, but the preservers are all Louisa.'
' No, That's impossible. She couldn't, that's...I don't...' I stopped, I could protest no more, tears started springing from my eyes, they flowed slowly down my cheeks as my head sank in my hands. Of course it was Louisa, of course it was. Louisa who always wanted to impress the nearest man. Louisa who changed her name to Maychild to impress her ex husband. Louisa who never liked Oscar. Louisa, who was, without doubt, as mad as Gavin Cloud. It wasn't surprising, but the guilt was overwhelming. My cousin, my cousin had hurt my friend. I didn't know how I could look either Mark or Anna in the eye again.
'I, I, I have to go home.' I struggled to my feet. Madden grabbed my arm.
'I'll take you, you can't go by yourself, it's not safe.'
'She won't hurt me.'
'Daisi. I will take you home.' He repeated and the look on his face was unarguable.
**********************************************************************************
Life had become serious, there was no more laughter and even thoughts of meeting Peter on Sunday could not cheer me.
I tried to be brave and help. I rang Mark and Anna's clients and sorted out their appointments. I collected their mail, checked that their house was OK, watered their plants, did everything I could to help. And then when I had time between that and the guilt, I thought of Peter, and wished he was there to give me that promised hug.
He texted me again.
'I'm so sorry about your friend. I'll see you Sunday. Lots of hugs'
Unfortunately, texted hugs just weren't enough to overcome my despair.
Anna got better slowly, but was still languishing in hospital. Madden and Eliza were having meetings late at night, Aaron was there sometimes too. But I didn't participate, even though I was awake and being disturbed by the odd noises coming from my ceiling.
I was beginning to believe that possums had somehow infiltrated the space between my floor and the next, but that was impossible. Maybe it was rats.
There was one other thing I tried to do, and I didn't tell anybody about it. I tried to contact Louisa.
She was a lot older than me. Once when I was a teenager, shortly after my father died, I had stayed with her. My mother had been temporarily hospitalised and Louisa had taken care of me. During that terrible period, Oscar had disappeared. It was an horrific time and one I didn't want to remember. But I had an old phone number and I tried to contact her. I even rang mum and asked her to contact Louisa like she did after the affair with the backpackers. Mum had no luck either.
The days seemed to travel faster after Anna was attacked, and soon, before I could quite process what
had happened, it was Sunday and Peter was dancing in my thoughts again.
We met, as before, at the front of the Presidio. And he hugged me, he really hugged me this time. It was a long hug, he wrapped those wonderful warm arms around me and drew me towards his chest and without a word provided all the comfort I needed. I felt safe, secure in his arms, and when we finally parted, he kept his arm close around my waist, and we walked that way along King Street back to the cafe where we had first had coffee.
When we sat, he took my right hand in his and entwined our fingers. I could feel my heart doing the thumping thing again, but this time I wasn't afraid, I was just grateful to have the security of his hands on mine.
'Wow, you've had a terrible week.' He stated. ' how is your friend?'
'She's getting better, but Mark says she won't be coming back to the Presidio for a while. She's going to his parents house to get better. Actually he says they may not come back at all.'
'Really? do they think it's that unsafe ?'
'Oh I don't know. I just think they want to make sure everything's Ok.'
'What about the police? Are they calling the police?'
'Oh.' I knew I had to be careful here. Peter was lovely, he was warm, I think I was in love with him, but he was human. I didn't know if he was ready for stories about vampires, and faeries and exspellers.
' I haven't really asked them about that. ummm I was more worried about Anna you know.'
'Yes, Yes, of course.' Peter said, then he continued, 'Let me tell you about my week. We got a new ape in the exhibit and he was really funny with the others.'
Peter went on and told me the story about the ape. I knew he was trying to distract me from my worries about Anna and although I didn't pay any attention to the content of the story, the tone of his voice was comforting. His face glowed in animation, his thick lips moved lusciously, and his fingers played with mine, emphasising the points of his story, and I felt a warmth and spark of excitement grow within me as I gazed into his deep brown eyes.
We sat there for a few hours. Peter talking all the time, me listening to his voice, enjoying the feel of him, the smell of him, the sound of him. The waitresses were patient, they liked him too.
'What about a walk?' He asked
I smiled up at him.' Sure, let's do that. Where do you want to go?'
'Oh I haven't seen much of south King Street, perhaps we can go down there?'
'Sure'
'I heard there was a good tatt place, I'm thinking of getting one.'
'Really? A tatt? What sort?'
He laughed, 'Maybe I'll get a daisy. What do you think?'