I hurried out of the building and joined a group of women walking in the right direction, keeping my eyes open for possible danger. I made it safely to the store, got the tampons, and looked for another clump of pedestrians to follow as I exited. My phone buzzed, and I was so keyed up I jumped and squeaked before realizing it was a text alert from Martine: “Noor has been attacked.”
I called Martine, and she picked up immediately. Noor had been attacked and bitten, she told me, on her way home from work. Somebody saw it happen and called the police, and the attacker ran off. The doctors said Noor would recover, but her wound was significant. She’d be in the hospital for a few days. That was all Martine knew. My hand shook as I shoved the phone into my pocket. I couldn’t believe Noor had been attacked. It was so awful and unfair. I didn’t know what to do with myself. I wanted someone totalk to, someone to listen and to tell me how unfair it was. To hug me and tell me it would be okay. I wanted my mom sobad.
When the group I was following reached the corner, a couple of people peeled off. Saint Martin’s was just down the street in the direction they were headed. I’d been gone less than ten minutes, and it was still light outside. I followed them. I could duck into the church for a quick minute and talk to her. I’d be fine.
Inside the church, I went straight to the votive stand and lit a candle. “Hi, Mom,” I whispered, staring into the glow. I waited, watching the steady flame until it flickered under a current of warm air that disturbed the old-church chill and embraced me.
Hello, darling girl.
“My friend just got attacked, Mom.”
Oh, Tosh, I’m so sorry. Is she okay?
“I think so. She’s still in the hospital.” I felt distant from my body: lightheaded and shaky. I sank onto a nearby chair and studied the nave, trying to figure out where to start. Honey-colored light washed the pale bricks and warmed the mosaic murals. Even the shadows had a golden tinge. Mom waited, silent, close, and warm.
“I’m so worried about her.”
What happened?
A man about Dad’s age walked up the aisle, faced the altar, and crossed himself, bobbing as he did, then took a chair in the second row. He sat for a few moments, then lowered himself onto the kneeler, rested his forearms on the chairback in front of him, clasped his hands together, and bowedhis head. He was too far away to hear me, but I dropped my voice to a murmur anyway.
“She was attacked on her way home from work today. Not too long ago.” I paused, then forced the words out. “There’s this guy who’s been attacking women, biting them on the neck. He got Noor.”
Oh, sweetie, that’s terrible. You must be so worried about her.
The floor seemed to undulate, making the guy who was praying look like he was bobbing in the middle of an ocean of chairs. “I am. And it’s not fair, Mom. She’d just gotten interviewed by a magazine everybody reads, and she did a new piece that’s been getting tons of attention. She should be enjoying all the love, not lying in a hospital bed because the cops aren’t smart enough to catch a guy who’s been attacking women for months.”
I’m so sorry that happened to her.Warmth swirled around me like a hug, and I relaxed into it.
“I wish you were here to hug me.”
I do, too, darling girl. I do, too.
The guy who’d been talking with God stood up briskly, like,Well, I can cross that off my list.He walked back down the aisle, throwing me an uninterested glance as he passed. I tensed.
Tell me about that.
“About what?”
You flinched when that man walked by.
“I didn’t mean to.” I watched him till he left the church. “He looked a little like Cole, though, didn’t he?” She didn’t say anything. “Maybe not. I’m just so upset about Noor.”
I wonder why you would notice him when you’re so focused on Noor.
“Oh, you know, Mom. We’re always supposed to be alert for danger. And it’s worse now, with the ‘vampire’ out there. That’s what everyone calls him. Like they have to turn him into a fictional monster because they can’t deal with the fact that he’s a real-life one.”
I wonder why that man reminded you of Cole.
“I don’t know. The suit, probably.” I shifted on the chair, trying to find a comfortable position.
Why is Cole still so much on your mind? Didn’t you come here to forget about him?
“I mean, he really isn’t. He was inappropriate, but he wasn’t dangerous. I shouldn’t even be thinking about him. My friend is in the hospital with bite wounds. Cole doesn’t matter. He was a jerk, but he didn’t harm me.”
Didn’t he?
I shrugged. “Le Bec was the one who tried to harm me. He pretended he was this ‘vampire’ everyone’s scared of and tried to bite me—” Automatically, I reached for Madame Dupuy’s pendant, then remembered I’d broken the chain. I’d have to go buy a new chain first thing tomorrow so she didn’t know I’d been so careless with it.
