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Chapter 6      Seattle, Washington, 2004
~Callum~
I didn't get out of bed for a long time the next day. Vampire schedules, at least ours, weren't entirely reversed; instead we lived like human partiers – staying up until 3 or 4, and then woke in the early afternoon. I could hear Lori and Holly and that damn kid moving around and talking, but didn't want to join them. So instead, I laid around and smoked a few cigarettes, just thinking.
If I was entirely honest with myself, I was a little bit jealous – or maybe resentful was a better word. Lori was so protective and wrapped up in Isaac I hadn't gotten a single smile out of her in the three days he had been here. Our movie plans had been ditched without so much as an apology, and my entire future had been jerked around so fast I had whiplash. I had four years of her being cranky and overprotective, and then there would be another male vampire to contend with. I'd had guy friends as a human, but being a vampire changed things. When Mikhail and I lived together, it had been all I could do to stop from ripping his head off most days. I wasn't stupid; I knew what my animal instincts did to me. I already hated this kid and I certainly didn't want to live with him.
On top of that, I had heard what Lori said to Holly about instinct. A pull that strong could only mean a couple things – and the most likely was a mate. So after he was changed, that would mean that Lori and him would be holed up in a room together all the time.
I should have been happy for her, knowing that she had found someone, but I had lived with a couple before and it was miserable. I didn't want her to be with him anyway. It seemed wrong. My instincts were telling me that he was wrong for her. Maybe it was just because she had been alone for so long, but there was more to it. I just didn't know what.
I ground my cigarette out with a feeling of resignation. I had to let her do what she wanted, and that was it. We had a theft to plan right now and I knew Holly would drag me out of bed if I stayed here much longer.

~Isaac~
Callum made an appearance around 1:00, slouching in and glaring at me. I wrinkled my nose at the smell of cigarettes coming off him but didn't say anything.
He leaned against the wall, probably trying to look mean, but he just came off as a sullen teenager.
I tried to ignore him, but he kept glaring at me, and I finally had to ask, "What?"
"Well," he drawled. "I'm wondering how badly I can hurt you without Lori caring. I mean, you living here is a hazard on its own." He pulled another cigarette out of his back pocket, lighting it as I glared at him.
"Stay away from me." I said, proud that my voice didn't waver. I was sick of being bullied.
"Yeah." Lori's voice came from the stairs, surprising me. "Stay away from him."
I saw Callum flinch, snapping his head around to look at her as she stood firmly in the doorway. She walked forward angrily, planting herself between me and Callum. "Let's make this clear. You. Do. Not. Touch. Him. Understood?"
"Why?" He snarled. "Why is he so special?"
"Because he's mine." She said, aggression creeping into her voice. "He needed saving, and I need him to live."
"Who do you think you are?" He scoffed. "Some sort of superhero? Helping the helpless?"
"He's mine, and it's not your business to question it."
"Do you realize what you're giving up by keeping this brat around? He's just some worthless little shit and you're willing to sacrifice everything for him!"
Worthless little shit. It was all I had heard, my entire life. Waste of life. Ungrateful. Stupid. I wasn't worth keeping around, Callum was right. It didn't mean I didn't hate him right then.
Lori stepped forward, lifting him by the throat and slamming him into the wall in one smooth motion. Callum didn't say anything for a moment, as we both stared at Lori, wondering what she would do next.
"What are you going to do?" He choked out, laughing. "Crush my windpipe? I don't know if you got the memo, but I don't breathe."
"No." She said, and I was surprised by the venom in her voice. "But it might be nice if you can't talk for a while. How else can I say this, Callum? He matters to me, and no one is going to hurt him. Frankly, I don't give a damn what you think. I meant it when I said I would kill you if you hurt him. I don't see why you can't be tolerant for once–" She jerked him like a dog with a rat. "In your life."
There was a pause while Callum didn't answer, just hissed.
"Got it?" Lori's voice was hard, and for a minute it frightened me. But she was this angry because she was protecting me.
"Got it." Callum choked out. It sounded like he was out of air.
"Good." She dropped him, and he scrambled up, hands at his throat.
"I'm going out." He snarled, exiting quickly and slamming the door behind him.

 ~Callum~
I didn't go back to the house for several hours, and as soon as I did I was reminded why I left. Holly bounced up to me and said cheerfully, "Isaac's coming, just so you know."
"What?" I spluttered. "No!"
"Why not?" Lori asked in the same defensive tone I was beginning to hate.
"He is not coming with us!" I nearly yelled. "I'm not a babysitter!" Him living here was bad enough, he shouldn't be invading every aspect of my life.
"No, Callum, but if you want to call it that, than I am." Lori responded firmly. "If I say he comes, then he comes. It will give us a good idea about how he reacts under pressure. You have to learn to accept the fact that Isaac's staying. Learn to work with others." She was reminding me unsubtly of our agreement. I'd forgotten how god damn stubborn she was when she wanted to be.
"Lori! You're unbelievable!"
Holly cut in. "Callum, you're making it sound like we're going to infiltrate the Whitehouse! We go, Lori talks, you look threatening, and we leave. Isaac can come and stand in a corner with me. Shut up already."
"So, why are you and Isaac even coming? Why not just me and Lori?"
"Wouldn't you like that?" She smirked at me.
I gave up.

~Lori~
The necromancer's house was a huge mansion, sprawling over a several acre estate.  We nervously approached the house, and an extremely pompous butler opened the door. "Do you have an appointment?" He asked disinterestedly, with the slightest accent.
"Yes, we're meeting Mr. Strauss at 2:00 about a business proposition. Please show us in." My confidence and my vampirism made him falter.
"Vell, let me see if he is-" he mumbled, trying to recover his poise.
"We would like to be shown in now." I repeated, adding more force to my words.
"I – vell – very vell." He sighed. "Right this vay."
We followed him through a labyrinth of hallways, and Callum whispered "How can he stand up straight with a head as big as his?" Holly chuckled, and the butler turned and glanced at us, but decided not to say anything.
The necromancer was busy, so we were shown into a waiting room the size of our living room. There were oriental carpets on the floor, and the walls were paneled in solid mahogany. "Stuck up rich old ponce," Holly muttered.
"Be nice," I whispered back. "He is paying us."
"And he's not here."
"He can work magic. The walls are probably listening." I turned, running my hands across the wood paneling, examining the carvings. "And watching."
"What?"
"Look at these animals hiding in the vines, their eyes glitter too much to be natural. It has known magic."
Holly continued examining it. "You're right. This whole place reeks of magic, metaphorically speaking. But I can't find any evidence of listening spells. Maybe he can read lips."
The butler re-entered. "I see you have noticed our sixteenth century carvings. These came straight from Italy. Mister Strauss is ready to see you."
"Thank you." I glanced at Isaac, who was still running his hands over the column, and Holly, who was eyeing a jade statue. Callum was standing awkwardly in a corner, arms crossed and looking out of place. We followed the butler into the study.
"Ah, my mercenaries. Johann, you may leave. Please, sit down." His voice was carefully measured, with just the barest hint of a German accent. He had dark hair, with a slightly receding hairline. His goatee and mustache were pointy and had so much gel on them I could smell it from the doorway. I went over and sat down, examining the rest of him. He had occult rings on every finger and silk robes with moons and stars. He looked exactly like you would expect a necromancer to look, and I was surprised. I had never met anyone who so fully filled a stereotype.
"So, what's the job?" Holly asked, sitting down next to me.
"As you know, I wish for you to steal an Orb of Phylenus. It is a very delicate and rare object and there is no other way for me to procure it. The spell I wish to perform can only be performed once every decade, on the winter solstice, and it is of utmost importance that it is brought to me. You will be awarded $50,000 upon completion of the job." Holly opened her mouth to speak, but the necromancer continued without pausing. "A word of warning, the people who are currently in possession of the Orb, they, ah, don't like me very much. I advise you to be cautious."
Holly and I exchanged a look. This money had better be worth it. Holly spoke first, "It sounds like a dangerous job. We want half up front."
"No."
Callum scowled and deliberately moved into Mr. Strauss' line of sight.
Holly hissed at his superior tone. "We're doing you a favor you-"
I cut across her, before she could finish her insult. "We as for an advance, to ensure that you keep your word and pay us in legitimate cash. It's an assurance that we usually demand our clients comply with."
Mr. Strauss flicked his hand, slamming Callum against the wall. Callum struggled, but it looked like a giant hand was pinning him. "I do not wish to comply."
Isaac leaned over to me and whispered "Can I learn how to do that?"
"Absolutely not!" I whispered back, but I smiled slightly, remembering a golden haired boy who had said in much the same manner, "why don't you teach me Lori? Share!"
He pulled a disappointed face and focused his attention on the necromancer, who continued, "However, I shall pay you $5000 to ensure that you put your entire energy into this job."
I knew that was all we were going to get. "Thank you."
We went over details and addresses than, something that Isaac and Callum were not participating in. Callum was still upset about being thrown into the wall. He kept glowering at the necromancer, but thankfully didn't say anything. The meeting was brief, but I left with a page of information and a forged invitation for a gathering of magical beings the other necromancer was hosting the next night.

~Holly~
We started planning again once we got home, the four of us sitting in a circle and facing Lori. She often acted as leader, not because she wanted to or had any more experience, but because she was more responsible.
The main problem this time was whether or not to break in during the party thing.
"I think that it's ridiculous. We should go in, steal it, and get out. If we go while there's a party, there's more chance we'll be noticed." Callum griped.
"You have all the grace and stealth of an elephant," I retorted. "If we go while there's a party, no one will be on alert. We can get in by saying we're invited, and Lori can create a diversion. If she explodes something, no one will notice two people who are hovering in the back leave the room. Then she can apologize, and wait till they aren't paying attention to her anymore. She'll leave separately and then we can meet up somewhere."
Lori's eyes were far away, thinking. "I like Holly's idea. The best way to steal something is right in front of them. Then they never remember you. Any other night, they would be expecting an attack."
"Someone could see us though!" Callum replied angrily. "There will be too many people."
"Everyone there would just assume we knew someone else." Holly pointed out. "Lori's right, no one will remember us."
"Isaac should come."  Lori said unexpectedly.
Callum turned to look at her so fast he was a blur. "Are you fucking kidding me? There is absolutely no way he should come! He'll just slow us down."
"Callum has a point," I was backing Callum up this time. He glanced at me in shock, but I continued. "This isn't just a meeting. He'd slow us down too much, we need as much speed and stealth as we can get. Isaac's human."
"But he's fourteen."
"All the more reason he shouldn't come," Callum snapped.
I stared at Lori. "What does being fourteen have to do with it?"
"Think about it." She said shortly. "If Isaac does something, no one would ever suspect him. He's only fourteen, and can't do magic. He could cause the diversion, and I could be there in case things got out of hand."
"Oh," I paused, surprised by the sound logic. "That's actually a good idea."
Callum scowled. I could tell he had been won over too, but didn't want to admit it. It wasn't that he had anything against Lori's leadership, but Isaac made him grumpy.
"Ok then, here's the plan. We go to the party, and we wait around. At 9:30, Isaac or Lori explodes something, and Callum and I leave. We all meet up by the window of whatever room the Orb thingy's in. Lori will have her cell phone, so she'll know where to meet us if anything goes wrong. Everyone good?"
"Explode something?" Isaac asked.
Callum said coldly before I could explain, "We've been doing this for ages. Don't just come in and question us."
"I was just wondering." Isaac retorted, barely flinching under Callum's glare. Again, there was no fear in his level gaze.
"It doesn't have to be an explosion." I said. "Just knock something over, or talk to him. You don't even have to do that if there are enough people. You're just there to be back up."
"Oh. Okay then." Isaac nodded slightly. "I can do that."

Description
Chapter 6      Seattle, Washington, 2004
~Callum~
I didn't get out of bed for a long time the next day. Vampire schedules, at least ours, weren't entirely reversed; instead we lived like human partiers – staying up until 3 or 4, and then woke in the early afternoon. I could hear Lori and Holly and that damn kid moving around and talking, but didn't want to join them. So instead, I laid around and smoked a few cigarettes, just thinking.
If I was entirely honest with myself, I was a little bit jealous – or maybe resentful was a better word. Lori was so protective and wrapped up in Isaac I hadn't gotten a single smile out of her in the three days he had been here. Our movie plans had been ditched without so much as an apology, and my entire future had been jerked around so fast I had whiplash. I had four years of her being cranky and overprotective, and then there would be another male vampire to contend with. I'd had guy friends as a human, but being a vampire changed things. When Mikhail and I lived together, it had been all I could do to stop from ripping his head off most days. I wasn't stupid; I knew what my animal instincts did to me. I already hated this kid and I certainly didn't want to live with him.
On top of that, I had heard what Lori said to Holly about instinct. A pull that strong could only mean a couple things – and the most likely was a mate. So after he was changed, that would mean that Lori and him would be holed up in a room together all the time.
I should have been happy for her, knowing that she had found someone, but I had lived with a couple before and it was miserable. I didn't want her to be with him anyway. It seemed wrong. My instincts were telling me that he was wrong for her. Maybe it was just because she had been alone for so long, but there was more to it. I just didn't know what.
I ground my cigarette out with a feeling of resignation. I had to let her do what she wanted, and that was it. We had a theft to plan right now and I knew Holly would drag me out of bed if I stayed here much longer.

~Isaac~
Callum made an appearance around 1:00, slouching in and glaring at me. I wrinkled my nose at the smell of cigarettes coming off him but didn't say anything.
He leaned against the wall, probably trying to look mean, but he just came off as a sullen teenager.
I tried to ignore him, but he kept glaring at me, and I finally had to ask, "What?"
"Well," he drawled. "I'm wondering how badly I can hurt you without Lori caring. I mean, you living here is a hazard on its own." He pulled another cigarette out of his back pocket, lighting it as I glared at him.
"Stay away from me." I said, proud that my voice didn't waver. I was sick of being bullied.
"Yeah." Lori's voice came from the stairs, surprising me. "Stay away from him."
I saw Callum flinch, snapping his head around to look at her as she stood firmly in the doorway. She walked forward angrily, planting herself between me and Callum. "Let's make this clear. You. Do. Not. Touch. Him. Understood?"
"Why?" He snarled. "Why is he so special?"
"Because he's mine." She said, aggression creeping into her voice. "He needed saving, and I need him to live."
"Who do you think you are?" He scoffed. "Some sort of superhero? Helping the helpless?"
"He's mine, and it's not your business to question it."
"Do you realize what you're giving up by keeping this brat around? He's just some worthless little shit and you're willing to sacrifice everything for him!"
Worthless little shit. It was all I had heard, my entire life. Waste of life. Ungrateful. Stupid. I wasn't worth keeping around, Callum was right. It didn't mean I didn't hate him right then.
Lori stepped forward, lifting him by the throat and slamming him into the wall in one smooth motion. Callum didn't say anything for a moment, as we both stared at Lori, wondering what she would do next.
"What are you going to do?" He choked out, laughing. "Crush my windpipe? I don't know if you got the memo, but I don't breathe."
"No." She said, and I was surprised by the venom in her voice. "But it might be nice if you can't talk for a while. How else can I say this, Callum? He matters to me, and no one is going to hurt him. Frankly, I don't give a damn what you think. I meant it when I said I would kill you if you hurt him. I don't see why you can't be tolerant for once–" She jerked him like a dog with a rat. "In your life."
There was a pause while Callum didn't answer, just hissed.
"Got it?" Lori's voice was hard, and for a minute it frightened me. But she was this angry because she was protecting me.
"Got it." Callum choked out. It sounded like he was out of air.
"Good." She dropped him, and he scrambled up, hands at his throat.
"I'm going out." He snarled, exiting quickly and slamming the door behind him.

 ~Callum~
I didn't go back to the house for several hours, and as soon as I did I was reminded why I left. Holly bounced up to me and said cheerfully, "Isaac's coming, just so you know."
"What?" I spluttered. "No!"
"Why not?" Lori asked in the same defensive tone I was beginning to hate.
"He is not coming with us!" I nearly yelled. "I'm not a babysitter!" Him living here was bad enough, he shouldn't be invading every aspect of my life.
"No, Callum, but if you want to call it that, than I am." Lori responded firmly. "If I say he comes, then he comes. It will give us a good idea about how he reacts under pressure. You have to learn to accept the fact that Isaac's staying. Learn to work with others." She was reminding me unsubtly of our agreement. I'd forgotten how god damn stubborn she was when she wanted to be.
"Lori! You're unbelievable!"
Holly cut in. "Callum, you're making it sound like we're going to infiltrate the Whitehouse! We go, Lori talks, you look threatening, and we leave. Isaac can come and stand in a corner with me. Shut up already."
"So, why are you and Isaac even coming? Why not just me and Lori?"
"Wouldn't you like that?" She smirked at me.
I gave up.

~Lori~
The necromancer's house was a huge mansion, sprawling over a several acre estate.  We nervously approached the house, and an extremely pompous butler opened the door. "Do you have an appointment?" He asked disinterestedly, with the slightest accent.
"Yes, we're meeting Mr. Strauss at 2:00 about a business proposition. Please show us in." My confidence and my vampirism made him falter.
"Vell, let me see if he is-" he mumbled, trying to recover his poise.
"We would like to be shown in now." I repeated, adding more force to my words.
"I – vell – very vell." He sighed. "Right this vay."
We followed him through a labyrinth of hallways, and Callum whispered "How can he stand up straight with a head as big as his?" Holly chuckled, and the butler turned and glanced at us, but decided not to say anything.
The necromancer was busy, so we were shown into a waiting room the size of our living room. There were oriental carpets on the floor, and the walls were paneled in solid mahogany. "Stuck up rich old ponce," Holly muttered.
"Be nice," I whispered back. "He is paying us."
"And he's not here."
"He can work magic. The walls are probably listening." I turned, running my hands across the wood paneling, examining the carvings. "And watching."
"What?"
"Look at these animals hiding in the vines, their eyes glitter too much to be natural. It has known magic."
Holly continued examining it. "You're right. This whole place reeks of magic, metaphorically speaking. But I can't find any evidence of listening spells. Maybe he can read lips."
The butler re-entered. "I see you have noticed our sixteenth century carvings. These came straight from Italy. Mister Strauss is ready to see you."
"Thank you." I glanced at Isaac, who was still running his hands over the column, and Holly, who was eyeing a jade statue. Callum was standing awkwardly in a corner, arms crossed and looking out of place. We followed the butler into the study.
"Ah, my mercenaries. Johann, you may leave. Please, sit down." His voice was carefully measured, with just the barest hint of a German accent. He had dark hair, with a slightly receding hairline. His goatee and mustache were pointy and had so much gel on them I could smell it from the doorway. I went over and sat down, examining the rest of him. He had occult rings on every finger and silk robes with moons and stars. He looked exactly like you would expect a necromancer to look, and I was surprised. I had never met anyone who so fully filled a stereotype.
"So, what's the job?" Holly asked, sitting down next to me.
"As you know, I wish for you to steal an Orb of Phylenus. It is a very delicate and rare object and there is no other way for me to procure it. The spell I wish to perform can only be performed once every decade, on the winter solstice, and it is of utmost importance that it is brought to me. You will be awarded $50,000 upon completion of the job." Holly opened her mouth to speak, but the necromancer continued without pausing. "A word of warning, the people who are currently in possession of the Orb, they, ah, don't like me very much. I advise you to be cautious."
Holly and I exchanged a look. This money had better be worth it. Holly spoke first, "It sounds like a dangerous job. We want half up front."
"No."
Callum scowled and deliberately moved into Mr. Strauss' line of sight.
Holly hissed at his superior tone. "We're doing you a favor you-"
I cut across her, before she could finish her insult. "We as for an advance, to ensure that you keep your word and pay us in legitimate cash. It's an assurance that we usually demand our clients comply with."
Mr. Strauss flicked his hand, slamming Callum against the wall. Callum struggled, but it looked like a giant hand was pinning him. "I do not wish to comply."
Isaac leaned over to me and whispered "Can I learn how to do that?"
"Absolutely not!" I whispered back, but I smiled slightly, remembering a golden haired boy who had said in much the same manner, "why don't you teach me Lori? Share!"
He pulled a disappointed face and focused his attention on the necromancer, who continued, "However, I shall pay you $5000 to ensure that you put your entire energy into this job."
I knew that was all we were going to get. "Thank you."
We went over details and addresses than, something that Isaac and Callum were not participating in. Callum was still upset about being thrown into the wall. He kept glowering at the necromancer, but thankfully didn't say anything. The meeting was brief, but I left with a page of information and a forged invitation for a gathering of magical beings the other necromancer was hosting the next night.

~Holly~
We started planning again once we got home, the four of us sitting in a circle and facing Lori. She often acted as leader, not because she wanted to or had any more experience, but because she was more responsible.
The main problem this time was whether or not to break in during the party thing.
"I think that it's ridiculous. We should go in, steal it, and get out. If we go while there's a party, there's more chance we'll be noticed." Callum griped.
"You have all the grace and stealth of an elephant," I retorted. "If we go while there's a party, no one will be on alert. We can get in by saying we're invited, and Lori can create a diversion. If she explodes something, no one will notice two people who are hovering in the back leave the room. Then she can apologize, and wait till they aren't paying attention to her anymore. She'll leave separately and then we can meet up somewhere."
Lori's eyes were far away, thinking. "I like Holly's idea. The best way to steal something is right in front of them. Then they never remember you. Any other night, they would be expecting an attack."
"Someone could see us though!" Callum replied angrily. "There will be too many people."
"Everyone there would just assume we knew someone else." Holly pointed out. "Lori's right, no one will remember us."
"Isaac should come."  Lori said unexpectedly.
Callum turned to look at her so fast he was a blur. "Are you fucking kidding me? There is absolutely no way he should come! He'll just slow us down."
"Callum has a point," I was backing Callum up this time. He glanced at me in shock, but I continued. "This isn't just a meeting. He'd slow us down too much, we need as much speed and stealth as we can get. Isaac's human."
"But he's fourteen."
"All the more reason he shouldn't come," Callum snapped.
I stared at Lori. "What does being fourteen have to do with it?"
"Think about it." She said shortly. "If Isaac does something, no one would ever suspect him. He's only fourteen, and can't do magic. He could cause the diversion, and I could be there in case things got out of hand."
"Oh," I paused, surprised by the sound logic. "That's actually a good idea."
Callum scowled. I could tell he had been won over too, but didn't want to admit it. It wasn't that he had anything against Lori's leadership, but Isaac made him grumpy.
"Ok then, here's the plan. We go to the party, and we wait around. At 9:30, Isaac or Lori explodes something, and Callum and I leave. We all meet up by the window of whatever room the Orb thingy's in. Lori will have her cell phone, so she'll know where to meet us if anything goes wrong. Everyone good?"
"Explode something?" Isaac asked.
Callum said coldly before I could explain, "We've been doing this for ages. Don't just come in and question us."
"I was just wondering." Isaac retorted, barely flinching under Callum's glare. Again, there was no fear in his level gaze.
"It doesn't have to be an explosion." I said. "Just knock something over, or talk to him. You don't even have to do that if there are enough people. You're just there to be back up."
"Oh. Okay then." Isaac nodded slightly. "I can do that."