B008IFNJZM EBOK, page 11
Tom dropped the bill on the table.
“Are we ready to leave?”
“How long will it take for us to get there?”
“We are fueled and all we have to do is get a departure slot from the tower and a ground crew.., I’d say we could be in Louisville in under four hours.”
“Good then we have a little time.”
“Time for what?”
“Time for me to take my three saviors somewhere.”
The girls looked at each other and smiled. This was a surprise!
“Where are you taking us?”
“I am going to take my three favorite ladies dancing.”
Iolana looked at Tom.
“But I never went dancing…”
Hadiya chimed in.
“Neither have I.”
“Well ladies it is about time you do. It is easy and I think you will enjoy it. We have a few hours before we must depart and a couple of hours away from this jet would do us all some good. You have to learn sometime and it is my treat. Pick some comfortable shoes and we’ll go.”
“Where we going?”
“To ritzy club down on Patterson Street.”
All three were excited. It was seen by them as an adventure, even if it only was for a short time.”
“Give me a minute, I have to check my hair.”
“Me too.”
“Hurry up ladies, I am going to call for a car now.”
All three left the first class cabin giggling like school girls. When they returned they did much more than check their hair, they all looked very sexy in some of their best clothes. It would be an adventure to remember.
Chapter 18 Night Life
Tom sat with his three friends in the back seat of the Limo. The driver had been hired to drive them to the club and wait until they were ready to leave. Tom interrupted the small talk of the trio.
“So Ladies, beside blood is there anything else you can drink or eat? As part of my treat, I might be required to order you a round of drinks.”
Chelsea responded first.
“Actually, if we had to order something to appear human like one of you ‘warm bloods’, we could consume food, but our bodies wouldn’t digest it and the more we would eat, the sicker we would feel.”
“What about alcoholic beverages? I could just order a pitcher of beer and you could all have empty glasses and not actually drink any of it.”
Hadiya chimed in.
“You could order us each a glass of red wine… We could baby that… for the short time we are there. That would be fine.”
“Red wine it is.”
Iolana added her question.
“What made you want to do this?”
Tom looked down at the floor as he responded.
“Actually, it might be the last time for me if you don’t help me find a cure…”
All three of the women could sense how he felt. Hope was not Tom’s strong suit.
“We will help you and you will find a cure!”
Tom looked up at Iolana.
“By the time we get there, I’ll only have two weeks.”
“Tom, we are serious. You will be alright.”
“If we don’t find it, I will need your help. Of all the stories I have read, I will need you to kill me before I harm those I love like my uncle or sister.”
Iolana continued to look at him with tears in her eyes as Tom continued.
“I wouldn’t want to hurt you or your friends either. Promise me you will end my life before I hurt others.”
All three of the women responded at once.
“We will.”
Iolana added to her friend’s concern.
“You are going to be alright… and besides we are going to need a lot more than just one dance lesson.”
The limo pulled up to the entrance and the girls got out first. They were already being admired by other males as they waited for Tom. He smiled.
“Now ladies, no ‘warm blood’ snacks.”
The girls smiled and clinged to Tom as he escorted them into the club and past those who admired them.
***
As the music played on, Tom continued to dance with Iolana. She leaned against him and enjoyed her first slow dance. Neither of them realized that she was very close to his neck as he held her. As instantly by instinct, her fangs did come out and she quickly withdrew them without Tom noticing. It was an involuntary response and she felt bad about what they could have done if she were to let herself go. She was able to control herself. She wondered if even with Tom cured, she could have a normal relationship with a ‘warm blood’.
Tom leaned back slightly and looked at her.
“You know, we really should head back and I should now dance with your friends.”
“No. hurry, they are doing just fine.”
Tom looked back at their table and it was empty. He scanned the dance floor and found both of them dancing with others.
“Don’t worry, they will be on their best behavior.”
The two lads joined Tom and the girls at their table and seemed to be enjoying themselves. He watched them flirt with Iolana’s friends. It was good to see the girls smile and it was obvious the men wanted more and that wasn’t in the cards. Besides, these two men were giving him a window to spend more time with Iolana. She was his choice and by far his favorite.
Tom had figured his time on his excursion to allow two hours to get airborne, and another three for flying to Louisville. This left him time on the ground for his sister, her party and to refuel and prepare for the first leg of their journey to Australia. He looked at his watch and it was now after ten. His plan called for them to leave by ten-thirty. He didn’t want to cut it any closer than that. He hated to interrupt Hadiya and Chelsea, but he knew he needed time in Louisville to pick up the daytime flight crew and their evening out had to be a short one. He looked around the table. It was good to see them talking and laughing.
He had noticed the two young men were friends and that both girls acted like they spoke very little English. It was their way he thought of them glossing over the flirtations both were receiving from these strangers, but now the time was coming to an end.
“Ladies, I think it is time to go. We can’t miss our flight.”
As the party stood up the two men kept begging for Hadiya and Chelsea to stay longer. They definitely enjoyed their company and both wanted to see the girls again. The two followed Tom and the others outside still trying their best to get everything from phone numbers and addresses to emails. Tom placed a call and the limo quickly showed up. Tom held the door and Iolana and Hadiya entered the back. He looked around for Chelsea. There were others walking by and looking at her and not stopping. Chelsea was holding her escort during the evening against the side of the building. She had one hand around his neck and the man’s feet were off the ground. Tom ran over to see what the problem was.
“Chelsea put him down. We’ve got to go.”
“But he made fun of me!”
“Chelsea please.”
The man with a terrified look was released and just stood there as if in shock.
“I wasn’t making fun of her, I rather like her.”
“Her English is not that good. I am sorry this happened.”
Tom turned to Chelsea.
“Everything is fine now Chelsea. Please get in the limo.”
Chelsea finally did turn and left for the limo as her escort still stood next to Tom.
“Honest, all I asked her if she really had to go.”
“That’s all you said?”
“Well I told her I knew a place where I could take her that makes a great Bloody Mary! The thing I remember is she asked me what kind of blood was in the Bloody Mary and when I told her that there wasn’t really any blood in it, she got mad!”
“I’m sure it was a misunderstanding, her English is not that good.”
“But I weigh one hundred and ninety pounds! She lifted me like it was nothing with one hand!”
“She didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
“In her country she is a member of the Olympic Weight Lifting team.”
“Oh.”
“I’m sorry, but we really have a flight to catch.”
Tom left and quickly entered the limo for the return ride back. He did not look back at the man still shook by the encounter. The girls all had a good laugh including Chelsea on the ride back to the tarmac. He was happy they all had a good time. The rest of Tom’s time table proceeded on schedule and the group were winging their way to Louisville.
Chapter 19 The Assembled Team
Elizabeth and Nathan were standing on the tarmac as the black jet arrived. They watched the ground crew set up as Tom opened the door and waved to the pair. Nathan kept watching the cockpit through the window and eyed the two women shutting the craft down. Tom came over with the paperwork.
“Here is all the paperwork you’ll need for your portion of the party.”
Elizabeth took the package.
“Tom, before we go any farther, we want a meeting with you and the three vampires.”
“Well were about to refuel. Sunrise will be here in another hour. The sky is already showing the approaching sunrise.”
Elizabeth spoke first
“This will only take a minute.”
Nathan added his concern.
“We must have this meeting before we allow this extra flight crew we hired to board the aircraft. It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.”
Tom could see a flight crew in a nearby limo.
“Okay, but it must be fast.”
Tom led his sister and Nathan back on board. He stopped at the flight cabin.
“Ladies, we need to have you both in a short meeting before we can proceed.”
Iolana looked at Chelsea in the second seat and back at Tom.
“How about a meeting with just Hadiya and me? She really has to finish a few checks before we begin refueling?”
Tom looked at Nathan behind him.
“That is fine. Two of you can work.”
Iolana gave her thoughts to Chelsea about what still needed to be checked and Chelsea nodded. Iolana stood up.
“Let me go get Hadiya and we will join you in the first class cabin.”
Iolana walked by the visitors smiling and couldn’t help but notice only cold stares greeting her gesture. Tom led the pair back and they now all sat at the round table awaiting the two vampires. Meanwhile, Tom was asked how he felt and several inventory issues were discussed. The girls pulled open the sliding curtain and sat next to Tom.
“Should I?”
Nathan looked at Elizabeth.
“No, I’ll do this. It won’t take long.”
He turned to the two strange women. They did seem normal enough.
“Ladies, if everything we have heard is true then we wish to thank you. However, we have not seen what Tom has obviously seen so we have a few doubts. Please understand that just getting you here and all the equipment we have purchased for this venture so far, means that I have been authorized and spent both Elizabeth and Tom’s money to over two hundred thousand and we are not yet in Australia. We need to see a small amount of proof that all we have been told is true. Elizabeth and I are scientists and we require some form of additional proof. Which one is Iolana?”
Iolana raises her hand.
“I am Iolana and she is Hadiya.”
Elizabeth is constantly scanning the two women.
“Tom believes he is going to turn into a werewolf in what? Two weeks and two days? Do you believe that is true?”
“Yes of course. We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t believe that.”
“Good. Okay, what kind of vampires are you?”
“I don’t understand what you are asking.”
“Are you a Bajang, Dearg-due, Pontianak, Vetala, Yasha?”
“I do not know these words.”
“They are different types of vampires according to the information I have found on the Internet. All we want really is just a little proof that Tom here is in good hands. Do you understand?’
“In other words, you want reinforcement of his story and us?”
Elizabeth is amazed. If these two are really vampires, it was hard to swallow because they look beautiful and so very human.
“Yes. My short study on line indicated many types of vampire…”
“I understand.”
“Tom would you help us?”
“Of course.”
Iolana stood up and told Hadiya to get a large beach towel from in back. Tom stood next to his women. He felt like he was falling in love with this poor girl who just suffers from another type of infection. Hadiya returned through the curtain with a large beach towel. Iolana unfolded and gave one end to Tom.
She leaned close to Tom’s neck and gave him a light kiss. Her fangs immediately came out and she could tell it shocked both Nathan and Elizabeth. She pulled away from his neck.
“Our fangs are extended without our mental thoughts they are an involuntary response. You can check his neck later. Neither I nor either of the girls has bitten him all while he has been with us. As scientists, you should know that these are real. I will let either of you examine them later if you desire.”
Everyone could tell that Iolana had to concentrate to retract her neck spears. She now turned to Hadiya and asked her to stand behind the towel as it was stretched out from Hadiya’s neck to the floor.
“Now I will ask my dear friend to transform into a wolf. On this first transformation we will have a towel here. The remaining transformations will be done without a towel.”
“Why have the towel at all?”
“On her first transformation her clothes will fall off. Unlike in your movies, the clothes do not change size or disappear. The towel is to respect her privacy.”
Hadiya disappears and the towel is removed. There stood a mean wolf. Nathan and Elizabeth shot out of their seats. Iolana knelt next to her friend.
“She won’t attack. Her mind is not affected by this change. Please feel free to pet her.”
Elizabeth shook her head. There was no way in hell she was about to pet such a formidable wild creature. Nathan did come forward and stroked her hair while Iolana slid Hadiya’s pants and panties still on the back half of her body. Once all the clothes were off of the Hadiya, Iolana squatted next to Nathan.
“Okay, now this time, Hadiya will do another transformation. There will be no towel to block your vision.”
Iolana looked up at Elizabeth.
“There is a small pair of scissors in that bowl. Could you pass them over?”
Elizabeth found them and handed them to Tom who passed them down to Iolana with Nathan alongside. Iolana cut a small amount of hair and let the strands fall into Nathan’s hand.
“Even though she is a wolf in front of you, a lab test would show this hair to be closer to human than animal.”
Iolana then guided Nathan to stand up. She signaled Hadiya and Hadiya went from wolf to bat.
Hadiya hovered in front of their guests. Hadiya now flew to a spot just in front of the curtain. This time Tom and Iolana held the towel only waist high as the bat was now once again the woman Hadiya. As she covered her breasts with her hands, Tom and Iolana concealed her body and Iolana wrapped it around her friend. Hadiya then left the first class cabin for the rear of the aircraft.. Nathan and Elizabeth were convinced. Iolana looked at them in a very understanding way.
“I’m sure you have hundreds of questions regarding us and all the vampire powers we have, but time is critical. We need that flight crew and Chelsea must brief them on the flight plan before we can leave.’
The pair stood up and Tom escorted them back to the door and Nathan waved the flight crew over from the limo.
Elizabeth looked at her brother.
“And this Iolana, you see yourself being with her?”
“If she helps me to find a cure, I would try my hardest to make her mine no matter what that takes.”
“But are you really cursed? My next question would be…”
Tom quickly opened his shirt. The sign of the pentagram was there just like the groundskeeper in video form the morgue. He quickly closed his shirt as the two pilots passed.
“It becomes clearer at night more than in the day…. Strange isn’t it? And don’t worry about the crew, they will not be bothered by the women.”
Both Nathan and Elizabeth were now convinced beyond any shadow of a doubt. Both jets would leave before sunrise on their flight to reach southern Australia.
Chapter 20 The Route
The black jet began its decent out of the darkness for a refueling stop at ‘SEII’ airport in Galapagos Ecuador. It would be the only refueling stop in route to Australia. The late night fog was still present and thick and both pilot and copilot were at the controls. There was no beautiful sunset as the men were flying by their instruments.
“Well Frank, we are less than a day from starting what may very well be the best vacation of our lives.”
“Copy that! I am definitely ready.”
“I hear you brother.”
“This bird handles good considering its heavy load.”
“Yes and the weather has been cooperating too.”
“Say Bill, take a stroll through the aircraft and make sure everything is secure. I am sure you will find no problems.”
The copilot unbuckled his seat belt and stood up stretching.
“Oh, I have to warn you the back of this bird is full and don’t freak out if you see caskets back there.”
“Caskets?”
“Yeah, evidently there are salespeople on the other jet who sell them. I think they are planning to sell them ‘down under’.”
