above ground: chapter 20

Chapter 20

The room they walked into was covered with the same dark wood panelling of the porch, the floors dull from repeated scrubbings.  It was a small room, surprisingly so, just barely large enough to serve as a reception.

Straight across from them was a matching wooden counter with a vase of flowers in one corner, flowers too dull and simple to be fake.  Real flowers. Her fingers itched to touch them.

On the left was a second curtained door.  Steam drifted through the gaps between the curtain and the frame, and Lilith could see that the floor beyond was covered with blue tiles.  Clearly the wooden extravaganza was just a front; this place wasn’t as rich as it wanted to appear.

It took Lilith a few seconds to realize that there was a woman behind the counter.  The woman was sitting down, half-bent over as she filed her nails. Her face was obscured by a pair of dark square-framed glasses, and although she had a name-tag pinned to her chest, the writing was too small for Lilith to read.

“We’re full, sorry,” the woman said, hardly glancing up.  Then she took a second look and straightened.  “You guys dogs or wolves?”

Silver looked at her witheringly.

“Right.  Wolves.”  She smiled, a calculating expression.  “The basic showers are full, but we’ve two new rooms upstairs with en suites.”

“How much are they?”

“I’m not accepting cash for those.”

Amber scoffed. “We’re hardly going to give you blood for a shower.”

Lilith tried not to stare, but she couldn’t help but feel shocked. Blood? Was that really a currency above ground?

It had to be, for the woman stood, trying not to look too eager. “You can stay the night as well. The rooms are far nicer than anything you’ll get at the inn, I can assure you of that.”

Silver was already backing out the door as Amber shook her head and said, “We’ll be fine at the inn.”

The woman looked conflicted, eyebrows furrowed together. It was when Amber began to shoo Lilith out the door that the woman came to a decision, taking several hurried steps forward.

“Wait!” The woman sighed heavily. “I’ll tell you what it’s for.”

Amber turned around, looking satisfied. “You tell us what it’s for, and you get us some clothes, Mel.”

“How did you—?” She seemed to remember her name tag and smiled weakly. Then she spread her hands out apologetically. “We don’t sell clothes.”

“You’ll just have to get some then,” Amber sniped back.

Lilith couldn’t help but peer at Amber. Is this how wolves behaved around others? Aggressive, unrelenting? Not that they had behaved particularly warmly towards her, but there seemed to be a hardness to Amber’s face that she’d never noticed before.  Were they only making an exception for Lilith because of her tie to Silver? A tie she wasn’t even sure she understood, or wanted.

Mel relented, tucking her hair behind her ears. “The shop next door sells clothes. I could arrange something with them.”

Amber took a step towards her. “I’ll get to choose the clothes.”

Mel nodded. “But the blood, first.”

Amber glanced at Silver.  They didn’t say a word, but it seemed like they were communicating nonetheless, if their changing expressions were anything to go by.

Finally, Amber turned back to Mel. “Deal.”

Without another word, Mel led them around behind the counter. There was a second door, here, half-hidden, made of the same dark wood as the walls. On the other side of the door was a long, windowless hallway, which ended in a set of stairs.  Only one room branched off of the hallway, and it was in there that Mel took them.

The room was small, bare, and smelt as if it had been overly cleaned, the air making Lilith’s eyes sting a little.

There was a table for two in the middle of the room, and Amber immediately settled down in one of the chairs, waiting while Mel fetched a box on one of the shelves.  Silver settled against one wall, arms crossed, a lurking shadow, leaving Lilith standing smack in the centre, feeling awkward.

When Mel brought everything she needed to the table, Amber held out her hand for the syringe. Was she going to do it herself?

But, no, she simply examined the needle, flicking her nail against the metal as if to determine its quality.

Mel shifted impatiently. “It’s copper.”

“I like to be sure.”  Amber held out the needle, but didn’t let go when Mel tried to take it.

Mel looked up at her. “What?”

“If this blood is for the W.A.W., you’re dead.”

“I said I’d tell you after…” she began, then stopped at Amber’s darkening expression. “It’s not for them. That’s all I’m going to say.”

“Fine.” Amber began rolling up her sleeve. “Didn’t think there’d be a demand for it here, though.”

Mel didn’t reply; she was pulling on a pair of gloves. She wiped the needle clean, then pulled out several glass vials, frowning as she focused. Her nose was flat, her jaw square, but despite it all there was a subtle prettiness to Mel, a hint of womanly sensuality. Perhaps it had to do with how her thick, straightened hair lay heavily on her shoulders, or the faint pink sheen to her lips.

What seemed like seconds later, one of the glass vials was full. Mel withdrew the needle, pressing down on Amber’s arm with one finger.

“Your turn,” she said, nodding at Lilith.

“Me?”  Her voice came out embarrassingly squeaky.

Amber kept her arm on the table.  “If you want a pup’s blood, go ahead.  Won’t do you much use, though.”

“She’s a pup?”  Mel scanned Lilith up and down.  “Looks too old to be one.”

“Late bloomer,” Amber replied dismissively.

Mel didn’t take her eyes off of Lilith. “Your hair is pretty long, too.”

Lilith half-shrugged, unsure of how to respond.  Her hair just reached past her shoulders.  It was probably the shortest she’d ever had it.

Amber sighed. “She gets cold easily. Now, do you want another vial of blood or not?”

******

When she was done, Mel held up a one of the vials of blood and flicked the glass gently.  “You heading over to the Where’s Inn later?”

“Maybe.”

“My sister works there, in the kitchens. Her name’s Alice.” Mel glanced at Amber out of the corner of her eye. “You pass on a message to her and we’ll fix up your clothes, too.”

Amber didn’t seem to need to think about it. “Deal. The message?”

Just at that moment, someone knocked on the room door.  Without waiting for an answer, a young man poked his head in. “How long you going to be?”

Mel stood up, cradling the vials of blood. “We’re done here.” She glanced at Amber, then back to the guy. “Sam, you take the man and girl upstairs and show them were the rooms are. They’ll need towels, and—”

He waved a dismissive hand at Mel. “I know.”

She huffed and turned away from him, back to Amber. “Come with me while your two friends shower. We’ll get the clothes and I can tell you the message away from prying ears.”

Behind her back, Sam had put a hand on his chest, pretending to be deeply wounded by Mel’s words. When he noticed Lilith smirking, he shot her a sly wink.

Lilith smiled back, charmed. At least some people here were normal.  And when she noticed Silver’s disapproving frown she couldn’t help but smile wider. Maybe it was time to have a little fun.