Posted by The Black Knight on July 26, 2000 at 08:26:54:
Chapter 10
Early that evening Luke stood in his office looking out the window watching the sun set.
"I've always loved this time of the day." Charli said as she opened the door.
"I've seen the sun set more times than you could imagine, and it never ceases to amaze me."
"Your appointment is here. Miss Francis agreed to let you go after you interview Donna Miller." Charli said.
"See her in and take the rest of the night off." Luke said.
Charli smiled as she walked back into the outer office. A tiny young woman walked into the room. She had long brown hair, a bright innocent smile, and big deep blue eyes. Luke sat down behind his desk.
"Sit down Miss Miller." Luke said.
"Donna, please call me Donna."
"A woman after my own heart. My name is Luke."
Donna smiled slightly.
"It seems like I've seen you somewhere before." Luke said.
"We've never met as far as I know."
"Do you feel like you're up to a college class, much less five of them?" Luke asked.
Donna lay a manilla folder on his desk.
"My record. I'm sure you can draw your conclusions from that." Donna said.
Luke opened the folder and looked over the paper inside.
"Why Walton State? From your test scores and grades you could easily make it into an Ivy League institution." Luke said.
"I like this area and I want to study under Professor Van Helsing."
Luke smiled slightly and stood up. He walked over to a bookcase beside the window. He pulled a textbook out and lay it on the desk in front of Donna.
"Welcome to European History Donna. I'll expect you to make up the work you've missed and you have a paper on the rise of Roman Empire due no later than this time next week." Luke said.
"Oh thank you." Donna said sarcastically.
"We don't meet tonight, but I expect you in class on time tomorrow night."
"Is that all?" Donna asked.
"Yes. Now you have about thirty minutes until your first class, I suggest you make the best of it."
Donna smiled as she got up.
"You have an unusual way of welcoming someone Mister Drake." Donna said.
"Perhaps, but it gets the job done."
Donna opened the door and walked out as Luke sat back down at his desk. He turned around and faced the window as Madeline walked in.
"A little young isn't she?" Madeline asked.
"A little, but she's smart. She could be one of the greatest minds this world has ever seen when she gets older."
"You're upset, what's wrong?"
"Memories." Luke said.
Madeline smiled.
"I have that problem all the time. I've found that it helps to talk about it."
"Perhaps some other time. Why aren't you helping the others find John?" Luke asked.
"The Count said that you would be able to join us as soon as you were through here."
"I'm through here now. I can't feel him now. He must have left the city." Luke said.
"It's Angie or Alexis, whatever her name is now. You thought she was dead and you found out that she wasn't. It kind of threw you off for a while."
"Sounds like you've had a bit of experience with that." Luke said.
"A little. I knew that she wasn't dead because it's happened to me before."
"How long does it usually last?" Luke asked.
"About a week, but we haven't got the time to wait on you to get back to normal."
"What would you suggest we do about that?" Luke asked.
Madeline closed the door behind her and walked over to the desk.
"We have to do it the quick way." Madeline said as she unbuttoned her collar.
She pushed back her long hair and tilted her head to one side.
"Be serious Matty you're my sister." Luke said.
"I am serious. Just hurry up and get it over with."
Luke stood up and walked over to her. Madeline stiffened as his fangs dug into her neck. He pulled back moments later and wiped blood off his mouth. Madeline buttoned her collar as Luke opened the window.
"Do you think we can find him?" Madeline asked.
"He is our brother, it shouldn't be too hard."
Luke and Madeline flew out of the window faster than the human eye could see.
One hour later Alexis Sweeton landed on the edge of a roof in the city surrounding the University. Several stories below her a young
woman named Mary Sanders walked in a small alley toward the main street. Alexis recognized her as one of Luke's students, but she didn't know her name. Mary stopped as a young man stepped in front of
her. He was dressed all in black and had an odd animalistic look about him. Mary backed away when she saw the hungry look in his bright red eyes.
"Do not struggle my dear. You'll only make it worse for yourself." the man said.
Alexis dropped down behind Mary.
"You're the one who has been searching for me." he said.
"I'm one of them." Alexis said.
Alexis stepped in front of Mary and pushed the slender young woman backwards toward the dead end of the alley.
"We can't get out that way." Mary said.
"You can't get out anyway." the man said.
"You are John Drake, aren't you?" Alexis asked.
"I prefer Jack." the man said.
"I don't know what this is about, but I don't want to be a part of it. Why don't you just let me go ahead and get out of the way." Mary said.
"It is about you my dear. This young lady has the mistaken idea that she can protect you from me." Jack said.
Mary smiled sweetly as she backed against the wall. Jack's mouth opened showing his fangs.
"Oh no!" Mary gasped.
Alexis grabbed his coat and threw him against the wall. She looked back at Mary with her eyes bright red and her fangs clearly showing.
"Go! While you still can." Alexis said.
Jack put his hand on Alexis throat and lifted her off the ground.
"Who are you that you dare interfere with me?" Jack asked.
He growled as he threw Alexis back into the wall. Mary tried to run past him to the mouth of the alley, but he moved in her way. Alexis grabbed his arm and threw him into a stack of trash cans.
"Get out of here, now!" Alexis said.
Jack stood and looked at Mary.
"Stay where you are." Jack commanded.
Mary looked at him blankly as he walked toward her. Alexis grabbed his collar and threw him back into the end of the alley.
"I've seen some of your work, and I will not let you kill that girl." Alexis said.
Jack put his hand on the back of Alexis' head and pushed her face first into a wall.
"As if you could stop me." Jack said as Alexis slowly slid to the ground.
"I can." Karen said as she landed beside Alexis.
"Do I know you?" Jack asked.
"No, but I know you too well brother." Karen said.
"I have heard of you as well little sister."
Karen pushed her jacket back to show her badge.
"You know too well that your badge has no authority over us." Jack said.
"No, but I'm betting that this does." Karen said as she pulled a cross out of a pocket in her jacket.
Jack turned away from it and walked toward the open end of the alley.
"This ends right here Jack." Kim Faulkner said as she stepped in front of him.
"You too. Has everyone turned against me?" Jack asked.
Luke and Madeline landed beside Karen.
"When you kill everything in sight people don't want to be around you." Luke said.
"You call yourself my brother, but you attack me with a cross?" Jack asked.
Luke looked over his shoulder at Karen.
"Put it away." Luke said.
Jack turned as Karen put the cross in her jacket pocket. He ran toward Luke so fast that the human couldn't focus on him. Luke caught him by the throat and lifted him off the ground.
"After seven hundred years you still haven't learned not to do that?" Luke asked.
"Put me down." Jack said.
"It can wait. Madeline would care to attend to Miss Sanders. I'm sure she would rather forget that this whole evening ever happened." Luke said.
Madeline put her hand on Mary's arm and led her out of the alley. Luke slowly lowered Jack back down to the ground.
"I assume that you intend to return me to Transylvania?" Jack asked.
"No, you've gone too far this time." Luke said.
"You know better than to try to kill me." Jack said.
"Does he?" Dracula asked as he walked out of the shadows.
"You can't do that. I'm your son, your blood." Jack said.
"You've become too much of a threat to us Jack. We can't risk having you around." Dracula said.
Jack backed away as Dracula pulled an ancient looking sword from under his cape.
"You can't kill your own son." Jack said.
"You're probably right." Dracula said as he pitched the sword to Luke.
Luke turned, caught the sword, spun, and cut off Jack's head with one motion. Jack's body and head turned to dust before they hit the ground.
"Remind me never to make you mad." Alexis said.
Madeline walked back into the alley.
"Miss Sanders will return home and remember nothing of this night. I assume that you've solved the major problem?" Madeline said.
Luke threw the sword back to Dracula.
"We won't have to worry about Jack the Ripper again." Luke said.
"Catrina is not going to be happy." Madeline said.
"What's new about that?" Luke asked.
Kim looked down at her watch.
"Well I still have enough time to catch my last class, so if you'll excuse me I'll leave." Kim said.
"Don't bother Kim. I happen to teach your last class and I'm not going back so we will not be meeting tonight." Luke said.
"I still have to show up. We can't have anyone getting suspicious." Kim said.