Chapter 4

Tatyana piled into the airport shuttle with the other passengers. She was grateful for the opportunity to blend in with the group. Her flight from Las Vegas to San Diego was smooth and uneventful, but she didn’t dare relax until she and Charles were safely tucked away at Maggie’s Aunt Elsa’s house.

Tatyana’s only exposure to the United States, since leaving Russia, had been Las Vegas.  She was used to the glitter and excitement of the city and found San Diego to be bland in comparison. Finding nothing to hold her interest, she closed her eyes and buried her face in her sleeping brother’s neck while she cradled him close and tried to relax.

  

****

Maggie had listened intently to Tatyana’s tale of the chain of events that had led up to her discovering her and her newborn brother living in the abandoned car. Although she hadn’t known Maggie for very long, Tatyana trusted her.  Risking Maggie’s shock and ridicule, she left nothing out of her story.  When she’d finished, the silence was so acute she could hear Charles’s faint and steady breathing as he slept in the crib on the far side of the room.

Maggie opened her mouth several times to speak, but shut it before any words came forth. When she finally did have something to say, she spoke with strong determination.

“We have to get you out of here.  Las Vegas isn’t safe,” she said worriedly.  “I can’t believe you stayed here. If I’d escaped what you escaped, I’d be on the other side of the country by now.”

“I do not know where to go,” Tatyana admitted. “I know no one in this country. This place is all I know.”

Her voice was barely above a whisper and was filled with remorse.

“Well, you know me and I know people,” Maggie assured her. “I’m going to make a few phone calls and we’re going to get you and that baby out of here before the morning and that’s that!” She rushed to Tatyana’s side and cradled her possessively. “I’m going to miss you my new-found friend, but you and that baby must be safe. You poor dears.  What a nightmare you’ve been through!”

“So, you believe?”  Tatyana said with a mixture of surprise and relief.

Maggie’s immediate acceptance of her unbelievable story surprised her.

“Of course,” Maggie said, almost absent mindedly, as she rummaged through her handbag for her cell phone.

“In vampires? You believe in vampires?” Tatyana continued.

She may have lived with vampires for the last five years, but she never thought them to be real until that happened.  The fact that her friend, who’d lived in the normal world and hadn’t encountered a vampire, still believed them to be fact and not fiction was surprising.

Maggie pulled her cell phone from the recesses of her handbag and held it close to her chest.  She took a deep breath and looked squarely at Tatyana. 

“Honey, this is Las Vegas.  It’s called ‘Sin City’ for a reason beyond gambling.  I’ve seen so much... experienced so much... more than you’ll ever know or ever need to know.” She squinted her eyes while she searched her contact list and pressed her selection. “If you say there are vampires roaming the streets, who am I to question you?” Tatyana heard the phone ringing as Maggie put it to her ear. “After all... those bedtime stories have roots from somewhere...”

****

The shuttle stopped at the Coronado Island address Maggie provided. Tatyana thought she saw someone peering out from behind the closed blinds as she cautiously eased out of the vehicle, but when she was able to look more closely she saw no one.

She was more than a little surprised with the front door swung open to reveal a large older black woman with striking cheekbones and a high forehead.  Her sky blue and white Jellabiya and matching turban were almost as beautiful as she was. Maggie hadn’t mentioned her aunt’s nationality, but since she was Caucasian, Tatyana assumed Elsa would be the same. Perhaps this wasn’t Elsa. Perhaps this was someone living with her aunt, or the hired help, or something.

The confused look on Tatyana’s face didn’t go unnoticed by Elsa.  She shook her head. Maggie was forever neglecting to warn people she sent to her that she was black.  Not that it mattered in today’s day and age, but it was a bit surprising to the unsuspecting.  The fact of the matter was that Maggie had black blood in her veins.  Somewhere in the mix of generations of white plantation owners bedding their black slaves, a gene was produced that was inherited once every so often.  Maggie just happened to be one of the rare family members to have received that gene. So, although her mother, father, sisters, and brothers were as black as night, Maggie sported pale, creamy skin, and blue eyes.  She could easily be, and often was, mistaken for someone of southern Italian blood.

This wasn’t an easy thing for Maggie throughout her life. Although times had progressed to some degree, prejudice on both sides still existed. That’s why she moved to Las Vegas.  It was close enough to her family to allow a quick visit now and then, while being a melting pot of cultures and backgrounds that were far more accepting of her ethnic heritage; when she mentioned it, that is.

Tatyana adjusted Charles in her arms and grabbed the handle of her rolling bag.  She pulled it behind her as she slowly approached Elsa.

“I am here to see Elsa Prescott. Do you know her?” she asked hesitantly.

“I do,” Elsa replied.

Her tone was quiet and stern.  She knew she should have immediately identified herself, but she needed time to assess the situation. Maggie had told her a great deal about this girl, but she was sensing there was more to learn. Plus, something didn’t feel right. Was it really wise to allow this girl into her home?  If she did, what would she be getting herself into?

“Please,” Tatyana sighed, “can you tell me where she is?” She looked down at the sleeping baby in her arms.  His weight was becoming more and more taxing for her. “We are so tired and just need to rest. Please.”

Compassion filled Elsa to the core as she watched Tatyana shift under the strain of her burden.

“Come,” she said in a tone far softer than her greeting.

Tatyana allowed Elsa to take the handle of her pull bag and drag it behind her as she led her into a house that was grander than anything she’d ever seen.

They were almost to the door when Tatyana stopped, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.  She could smell the ocean.