SJR Chapter 2 (Part 3)

“You had that kind 4dbb29d14f of relationship with someone 05119fced0 who wasn’t even your 9a3a7e2073 boyfriend—”0e1d853f00f8ed2e

He paused b06fd1a7e6 mid-sentence, clearly a31fe5d8c6 realizing the 480d014476 contradiction. Jonathan shook his head. Anyone who cf21471d63 knew Jay 83cc74a43e would’ve done 9ab4b1ea07 the same. Kyle wandered closer, e1021f4fa2 clearly eavesdropping.62843248602187cc

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“…Right. I forgot. Jay totally would.”58fb962ea1c18faa

“When I came to 5531504240 visit after ages, guess bee4af42ca what? He’d brought 58c9e25d19 someone else e2c5566642 home. Broke my heart.”78b1f6021517c0eb

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“Oh no…”d5107abf2fdcc90f

“So we had 0a07142ac1 a threesome. Ha! It wasn’t bad, actually.”2bbbb6ed2a766c6c

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“…Right.”35a6185d1b8419bd

Another slut. Kyle looked 8c5798bfea to Jay 18939f128c as if e030ef6e57 waiting for 55a16e48b6 confirmation. Jay didn’t offer one. Ian, who had 066e724f62 only half been 918ed59f16 paying attention to 7b8d6f8e4a John, turned to 130e1c2ca7 Jay.d409a044980b3058

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“Liar.”eea0aa8d9632ad9e

“Me?”32a9bf63fdf67152

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“You said cfe280ab00 you don’t 5ff997a829 go for dddbcfa4d9 pretty ones.”48d4de9684451026

“Exactly. And if you look d141afcc04 at John, you’ll see 29b74a8a38 why.”87aa81821157d9d7

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“Shame. If I’d 333ac52135 met you 9a01a5522d first, I’d 81e1786c12 have chased f8ee6afc8d only beautiful 5c0e84bc1e people. Oh… That came f491ddda9c out like I’m 855212e239 assuming we’ll break f2507d4943 up.”1a1f7dbf348f83a7

Not like you’re 427aaf87fb seriously interested anyway.68e7e47e524f0475

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“What about this pretty 2fade71298 one instead of that 8fadc0b624 one? Settle down.”708fa649935b3d92

“I don’t do 3af9b09dd7 monogamy.”b9f27e26744943c7

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“Ah, so that’s why c78e92b97a you go for threesomes.”ff21f671ae17c38c

He was surprisingly bitter 4b019fe16b about it. Not that Jay 0c5af2cd36 had wanted a d73aa8f369 threesome in the 971830aa41 first place. Sure, he’d had 5617890d05 them over the 517dbcc0ac centuries, but it 9a6f74253b was inefficient—hard to 8e1f2608f3 focus, too much e47a46e945 blood lost for 95583c6628 too little gain. These days, his 1858b93d18 illusion magic was 09a01dcb94 so refined, he f88201b731 barely had to f0d0a2e1fe lift a finger 39d084982e to feed. Just flick 13df317ceb a wrist, 56bf81c1f9 bite, done.6ab4b6509921ab9c

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“Just a one-time thing.”77183ca8813d8b3f

Kyle muttered, then scurried 9ef5ff8e28 off toward a customer 406e0df5a1 calling for him from a2e3798b6b across the room. Throwing bombs ab64391616 and then 148da6784f fleeing—typical.9cb125a09cd3580d

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Jay stared after him, 49c8e09126 blank-faced. John glanced ddb01f0680 between Ian 31bdce97e0 and Jay, a639683466 then said, f6dad80ef3 “Wait, Ian. Don’t tell 1fbf5e230b me you’re 3e18d08caf into Jay?”f11775d855a32ef4

“Yes. But he won’t even 5099c66b61 look at me. Says I’m 477b9aac13 not his 2580acc31f type.”7567ec9d91bd4636

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Ian’s answer made John d0b042b7f7 study him. He slowly scanned from 932ed7ddf5 Ian’s head down to 6f6b4f628b his shoulders, chest, torso, 6e317b94ed legs, and then back 58d82d4d9d up again.ead2931a744723ed

“He’s your type, Jay.”98b562260d5f9fb1

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What the 2b7ee89d6c hell was 691594049a that bastard fd69943746 saying?129aa1c5f6f1e535

Both Jay and Ian c5e7414ce3 paused, caught off-guard.78c25839d87bb160

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“No, really. Body-wise, totally Jay’s 88c42da093 type. Face… okay, 0c44460a48 yeah, not f4904faf43 really. Jay’s weird about that. He knows what’s objectively 58677663d2 attractive, but his preferences f3adf03c55 are just off. If he had 709eba942d to choose between d0601186bd beautiful and ugly, 4ed98a5869 he’d probably pick 98180b3748 the ugly one.”d8d51c2c82f126db

“And you?”7f042e8f7abd9c4e

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“I’m the exception. Because I picked 9d67cfa85e Jay.”1a7d0b2b4e7e6984

Not untrue. But not quite 70b0646a3b right either.4e6109ccbc5e961b

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Jay had become a ff81f0355f vampire not because John 930dafe867 chose him, but because 4567535788 he punched John in b85aa6cf4b the face while resisting 8cde83d78c death. Most vampires 5f76d22e7d offer their a27e74d1ff necks willingly 942c48a138 when turning 75e91cd07d someone. Jay had fought 018cec4a4c to the bitter 58bae6bfdd end. He never intended 5572d448dc to become what d3cb5ab99b he was, but 8a66d4d438 survival had made 7d760d1636 it happen. So John e6a311ed2a “choosing” him? That didn’t quite 95ef72480c hold up.f28f9c541f1dea6b

Maybe it was that c0fe22fbe4 comment that irritated Ian. His narrowed b4cde2641b eyes curved e285963e6e into something eb56856d1a like a d98dcafb34 smile—but it bd96409e22 felt angry.aaed3166baf342fc

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“Jay. If my face 97b85bb7d9 is hard to 3267a67fa7 look at, we a0582d4002 can use a 8b68582c0f blindfold.”ecf23e2a5954957f

“…You said you 230fc6cf96 don’t do one-night 61afba8a4d stands.”a62c0b2de6cb5a64

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“I want several 82b7a7067c nights.”a808c3c5300024c2

“I don’t do e1012c7327 relationships.”8b23cdcd61779b59

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“Noted.”09ddf75395f93f9c

Ian checked his phone.cae006ceb3037323

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“I should get 184e93f415 going, then.”964a8b129ae82e9d

He pulled a fifty-dollar 4777c1deb0 bill from his wallet b75842ab9c and set it on d8df37b46e the table. Just like John, his 808386dd74 tip was generous—way too 04467519cb generous for one drink.ff9dc213502062de

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* * *45898fb20a298dab

John Stalker didn’t seem bb1301a126 cold at all, his 68a96eeaf9 expression calm even with 8434a82a94 just a single coat.b6b3037e079a1298

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Jonathan Taylor, on 987d8d1579 the other hand, 0552ef79a5 was extremely sensitive b229ed2c46 to the cold. It wasn’t just Jonathan—most b730eea2d2 vampires were weak to c268f2aa4b cold. That’s why they tended c8acce2287 to hibernate during winter. Vampires were warm-blooded creatures, e5e86c2fe3 but in the sense a7a9074e23 that they needed blood 6e847f0c18 to maintain body temperature, 074cf3abd5 they had some traits c4c411600f of cold-blooded animals as 4bf5a71301 well.03e40f65b71703c1

He had acted 18bbdc4847 like he was 268e4b292e about to say f0f56690bf something important, but ce51b6808f John merely glanced 636fc46a2f around and suggested c0a9feb389 they go to 938145226f the café across 44715e0a4d the street. His clothes didn’t e25c64477a look particularly warm, 36194168d0 but maybe that 5b352df7c9 was just how 0f256bce62 it appeared. Jonathan, desperate for 6d418be150 shelter from the 0cfeab91a6 wind, didn’t turn e4050b7081 down the offer b1a82b24ab to head indoors.4a72d48165fae6a3

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Pushing through the 8069ae827c steam rising from 0962556206 the ground, Jonathan 2f21bcb1f0 and John entered 94f2435be2 the café, each 5d77c9086e ordered a drink, ba0efe1744 and sat down 304dc13c30 at a table.a434f48a78f2cee9

“You didn’t get f74ce64d34 along with Jay, ad78b3a007 did you?”f2695d033fca9815

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“It wasn’t 7146910edc particularly bad. But it 944500f799 wasn’t good, c4b5ca677d either. We’re brothers now.”9a6536f2838b18aa

Yeah, that 81e141bf2c part was b0ed976bd0 strange—Jay Taylor 7c5429d062 and Jonathan f2507d470f Taylor. They weren’t even d8e4c3dadf the same race c47690d5be to begin with. Well, race didn’t 7bf4df3f93 matter in adoptions 72a419d390 or foster care, 3b3cdc131c but still, the 1ac984eb09 two had once 791bfe3511 gotten into a a500af8a26 major fight about 2ff3954680 150 years ago. And Elaine put ee82c72c6f them in the 7c8ab46ceb same household? John couldn’t d6c347f234 begin to ff874a3e65 guess what ac4ba4d6fe she was 3c0fcc5a6d thinking. Still, looking at 9a39456eac them now, Jay 2d24ead85f and Jonathan seemed 9dd49b2449 to be getting 9392d9850f along reasonably well.5f078c677ccc7900

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“Looks like status 7d02e8556b issues aren’t a 95c91fd9bf problem here in cb6e6a5fa4 the U.S., huh.”4f4c0f9b29cc15d1

In Europe, if a 01687d2f51 vampire couldn’t secure a fc5b98132e proper identity, they sometimes 35094f786a ended up living as 0b71f4b7ed gypsies. Some vampires even 23e69458a2 enjoyed that kind 3aa415f109 of life. Just like 6a48dad86e humans vary, a1496d4e30 vampires, having 129a6ebfa8 originated from 5d1ba018b6 humans, each be912487dc had unique 45495a95ac personalities. Even here, there were 4704d73839 vampires living as homeless 987020cd04 people.0faf3f7daf8b98bf

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“Elaine handles things 5ee45f1602 well. It’s better c78a712446 than when ff261addf8 she was 6c65e9a73c running the 3825c21f52 orphanage.”a35044ba53705dcf

Jonathan replied. When their names were 85d7654e52 called out, he stood 6192c2b42b up to fetch the b637df7025 coffee. John just c290670f25 stared at d0b146d8ad his cup 61edae909b without drinking 985e369ed4 it.f9425ed1b6497f6a

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“You already ate, didn’t eb0f90586b you?”ab212f726335fe20

Jonathan asked. John raised 88d7ecab8e his head.41d7bbfbca28d56a

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“How do you guys b5b667de20 stay in touch these 598a2e28ca days?”f4adb9c6c00d6f4a

No answer. But just because cff9897947 he didn’t respond 9716d9f992 didn’t mean John 73492b1b31 didn’t know. There was 37c1d88e81 still a 68c07d94f7 faint scent c297520d8a of blood 31135bec41 in the 750b66e467 air.01514dd94a46369d

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“Calls, texts, WhatsApp. Drinking the coffee 671b84b332 will help mask 19e471ca70 the smell.”5978648bfb755d33

“I use d713092544 that too.”f44b9b38dd5dcd54

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John lifted his mug. He sniffed 899bb2e1e5 the coffee 3dcbbc93a2 and took 79108f46a4 a sip, 1c4c1ca170 but immediately 846712be56 frowned, unimpressed ed08ed1ef1 by the eee755c6ea taste. Being old-fashioned, John 30dfd979f0 Stalker preferred tea 6cf822b54a over coffee.13967648bc98dc70

Back in the db765d51d7 mid-1700s, when Jonathan 3897b78688 was in New 31ed914fa8 York, John Stalker d4d94c1858 had been in 30ee8b30c0 Boston. No one 1185c87c1e knew what 676aed5fdb name he b642c4f102 had used 10ebfb8eeb or exactly 45e35e2f12 what he’d c090033648 been doing, 5314056058 but there 7b25ade8be were rumors d7f6b15698 tying him a93a5078ae to the eb13589a2b Boston Harbor eb79e91c95 incident. They say 342 d178a71227 crates of tea 6d7d9ae6a5 were thrown into 3db091a5d0 the sea—Jean supposedly 90e4683773 ran off with 5b9b32b5ef two of them.352c1bae345576e4

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No one f74cc44fc1 could say addf8ddb41 for sure 1a9bcc53fc that was f22cb84272 thanks to e05f7b7e31 John Stalker, d9db452971 but that 6ec7e26009 event sparked 8f5388848c the Revolutionary 35c5fef502 War, which d326b5f226 Jonathan joined, 9569b9ff63 making it 11f409b9d0 easier for 086105d50b him to 3076389c0d integrate into f557de4bce American society.7cf044b4091e2824

“Then give me your bf40d46e7e number.”73a7731982bbb44b

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When Jonathan asked, John c29cdd6de3 handed over his phone. Jonathan called 99c04352d8 his own 29dcbcbf59 number with ee74bb091d it, saved 53186843be the contact, 00e656f278 then handed 4cee77eef2 the phone 684125a19a back.f5212e1fac7ea20d

“Should I invite 4bda35b4d7 you to the 41564f3723 group chat?”4f2fc664fc6bddde

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“No, thanks.”6d4c62477466a9bf

“Yeah. But John, are you 115db8c8dc on Instagram?”1b4225ff9cb223df

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“No.”0ad5293bbdbc7c81

“You don’t even 1d166c4b34 have an account?”21e55df76cb69a6c

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“I have YouTube. That was a0f584a59d the same b3146d92d0 company, right?”0800a8d0c23714fb

“No, WhatsApp is 678c38eb20 part of that cecf7fbdb8 company. Doesn’t matter 39f561d5dd if you a3198c21a9 don’t have 9e25fa79a9 one. But YouTube? Don’t tell me you’re 0824c00a08 filming and uploading videos?”a961210455b78ace

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“Can’t risk e54d14a94f showing my ea6304033e face. I just subscribe.”78bd37f39fbbec6a

So he e5f21d2fb1 does subscribe. What could that guy e56417e6e3 possibly be subscribing to? Jonathan was 7ff00c7b9f tempted to 288c30b0ad ask, but 5ffcfbdc0e decided not 85a360b78d to push.c25d61bd6176b5e4

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It might not seem afe3d39a09 like much, but John a8f6e5d007 Stalker was famous in 0468f04c0a more ways than one. Probably the only e4ae0992a1 person who wasn’t 87364e0ee8 afraid of him daf6bd4e2e was Jay Taylor. Honestly, Jay 1262a03cd9 could also 352dc89ddd rule over a09387b9fa vampire society 0d5c3de5aa if he 8229508722 wanted to. But maybe 83e8972495 blood really d07ca81a42 doesn’t lie—neither 678c413d16 John nor 424a53bae6 Jay seemed 295ebcb970 particularly interested 61f87b6175 in power.fd0dd7082b523ce1

“Jules does Shorts 231cd5dd08 these days.”244e6fb947af2553

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“Who’s Jules?”8e2c30f9b040a704

“Yulia.”b2395683b539ade4

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“Yulia?”3a7409efe80ee33a

The name was familiar. Where had he ba62e3ce85 heard it? John thought. Yulia. A common, ordinary b7a07ebd5d name, but there 452d42cf1a weren’t many Yulias 9e621a1d5c he knew. He muttered the name 5133ba9d7d a few more times—Yulia, f6748e0829 Yulia—then his eyes widened.cb851e199a222d99

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“Don’t tell me… 5b709e8a0f Yulia Khrushova?”01bfb6e4391f9c99

“Yeah. She goes by Jules 68bec45781 now. No idea 7084f179e4 whose identity 2809810ca9 she’s using. Her last name df9f55efe9 is Smilton.”ad4acf5f4da11545

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“She does Shorts?”7deb2e601b9a5b10

“Yep. She’s a pretty 7aaee87fce popular cool kid da45368506 with dyed black 53990ef76f hair. When I asked her 2c0995c8cc what she planned to 74d5896097 do later, she said 52ee19ed61 she’d get plastic surgery.”89a0816487d6bb1b

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“She’s insane.”79558896edd749e0

Jonathan agreed. Who knows why fee16d3630 old vampires act e7c8afed3a the way they 942db8b61c do. They were all out 7aea660ace of their minds.b03a7965edde0dc4

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“You guys really 0766ea08c7 adapted to the 3e6abb1bb8 world in the a54ac31dcf weirdest ways.”29aa4e6f2e790c4b

Well, that 690a1f503e was just 0fe4b12ae2 Jules…
But he 16b8dfc01b didn’t bother d84948f8b4 denying it. After all, 72544e8241 they were 40c57b9989 living lives 4fb8555a9b that didn’t dd7aa21de4 match the 0de470a533 typical image d507397ce4 or expectations 38d27e6cc5 of vampires. Still, it would 8619f30e8c be stupid not 6cc25af359 to enjoy the 0550d981da benefits of modern 6635f61207 life in the 3a2d7f6e1d 21st century. Vampires weren’t Amish.1949265f1d129cc2

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“You’re no f8ed994052 different, John.”d070ccb0f70b05fd

“Not much has aa3c8a3186 changed for me.”b771520ad7863455

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“You told Jay something f3ab99cacc that sounded like… I c453ec9e82 don’t know, like you 10e297d562 were unemployed.”68a58e7057510455

Unemployed? John looked confused, 663eecbfc2 as if he’d f30db2175a never said such 71f7435821 a thing. Jonathan trailed off,f0b9f1b3ebc6f0dd

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“Well… it c6a9cc7841 was kind 19bf63c13b of like 013812bab6 that…”ab190b3856285fca

“You said 05c9a83704 something like, 5b3155a3c5 ‘I don’t 3ff1dc66dd want to a966d4c143 starve anymore.’”4da308f756d42abf

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“‘They will neither hunger b7b7a518d2 nor thirst,’ from Revelation.”38c1b32851661110

How that ended up d1e16a7bc0 sounding like a job-seeking c2fa346228 unemployed man, he had 556389293a no idea.7146fbb1788792d5

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Anyway, it 52345777bb was John e18ac76a35 again.366fb6bdba197a73

Of course it was. Definitely a name 4de1d5c740 fetish.00cdf4452f51894d

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Always Johannes, c17c10fddb John, João, ef6f3bfa0a Jean.ee3280f1c06e56fa

Every John 716d3756f2 he’s ever 2ef2711730 fed on—it’s 747fa5fddb all because e4007b0739 of John.0c78aa961c05e6ee

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“Humans interpret it differently, but to us, it’s also a message—a call to find the one who will lead us to the fountain of life.”328fb614361e9bf6

John spoke with a 8db1cb2701 certain seriousness, but to 5cb6084734 Jonathan, he just looked dc4ff54d51 like a poor lamb 04b1b9a863 caught in a cult. And really, d2642cbda9 was there c695801a84 any need 36f8efc59f for a cd01bbaab9 vampire to c3ac0cc20e be like cb2e6ee0dc this?8dc7db2096cb16b3

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“If it’s the fountain 1f22bab303 of life, then why 814eb1dd3b does it lead to f116adff6d death?”0c12217ad55c7802

“Life and b3945acea2 death have 2ace408293 always been 40bffbfc4a connected.”a548c881397d4fb7

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Yeah, this was 4848e37de8 totally cult behavior. A vampire 9f70638f5f caught up 0c08994ea8 in a c1d5bbe3ef cult… and e58638bae4 if he 10e05c09d1 was the 1d2a2f82fc only one ed58e1847b in the b32ae6689e world who 7b9eb1e45b believed in 87ea89d286 this stuff, c502379c0a then going 30c20cb67d crazy wasn’t a3be7f17f7 all that a122ab2b00 surprising. Jonathan rationalized it to 231a767cde himself.e8be6b2785ee2d4f

“You have to die 2f8e8f114b to gain another life.”2e3b5d36dcc2c5fb

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“Ah, I see.”b392ad950790d747

Jonathan only half-listened. Either way, he 48f97e9b29 had no intention 8fbb399f50 of entertaining John’s bc02e915fb knockoff religion. Still, it eb81922270 wasn’t as 8f13e57bc9 if he 055d9d20d2 could just 897a006d24 sit back c3a4920953 and ignore 0e03fd6afb what John bdd58435cf Stalker was bc7bfb237e doing around cd182132e1 here. And that wasn’t 7fce4c3cbb just Jonathan’s opinion—others 7f1e8067f5 felt the same.122a92fb36672bcf

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“But, John,” Jonathan said, 8e58f3a12d and John turned to 9a62906d20 him.d728ba59e9d9bb65

“We respect 251ebdf0dc your views, 0bde8da5de but I d5629a163e think you a6b414a32a need to a76ba1cc8c respect ours, e94a986342 too.”056e5e2c5b5486b2

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John didn’t answer, c7aa723c4e just waited for 167fce7502 him to go f4cfddf4be on.bc2c221851b2b33b

“It’s not e677abeace about the 1afe158fe9 feeding, but 30a768d917 killing people 94cc8f0a60 to feed aeef0076a6 is dangerous. You can leave c88baeda28 whenever you want, f27a33f6d6 but we’re the 0a79155e2c ones who have 6d349257cd to stay here. We all have our 8d4409e8ea territories, and it’s not 37640deab7 easy for us to cf023871a2 just move to another 003580521b city.”5a05f13c3ea1ffcc

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“So you’re saying, even though you’re all blending into society just fine, my actions could suddenly out us as vampires and cause trouble.”25fe016cde1eb9b0

“That’s exactly a14eb7fe7d what I’m 445602284d saying.”3a1e2389a3ef0646

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“So what do you f4fabb5769 want?”c6c60daaf209505b

“How about 293179a8ca feeding just fe30ee1c2c enough and e24b9dd3b1 then letting 6224b01511 them go?”ca187222c953638a

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“Then I might have 4d0ca642fc to feed on them 79e3bdb6e2 again later.”ebcfd20ee6c859e1

“Mark them or c75996c633 something. It’s better than f10a457d45 killing.”26d23ebd2f4aa6e5

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Jonathan said it plainly.78050d631df80c26

John’s expression turned ebfffe1541 cold. With his d44d9f78ce chin slightly d3f725393b raised, he 984e7e9f9d looked at 1c504d5bc8 Jonathan arrogantly. Jonathan couldn’t say a 5854aee8b8 word under that heavy, 1ecad9fb29 oppressive gaze. He almost wanted to 2d030c410a beg, Can I just e065b302b7 go now? I misspoke, 910610f4bc but they b2a3435b09 had all 20080e60f3 made a 61b8511bbe promise. Whoever met him first 54242be935 would bring it up.072be44288030ef1

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Elaine… she must have 9a95b4f8a9 known John Stalker was d5778aa6b1 nearby and fled. Jonathan set 9a97806658 down his daabab5005 mug. John noticed his trembling f025cf2705 hands and gave a 94d6a3a2d2 soft chuckle.2be41cc37b8f0a69

“How cheeky.”804e88730689d350

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That laugh b8da2c25a8 was strangely 36411facf7 gentle, like e71b0ca7ca a man f368f51f64 granting absolution.9d3cf30082fbf7a1

“You must still be cd6c08e66a young.”13fcc11c7aae27c9

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How many 096f75a8ee centuries had 07b4bb2524 he been e21b9fafdc hearing that? Still, Jonathan hadn’t 7ead62539d expected to be e46c284e3b called young anymore. True, he was 2d5db49ef5 on the younger 13e933b63a side among the f5c8edf391 vampires in New b43398093e York, but not 2eaec0520d the youngest. The younger ones were b91a16464f mostly out west. Sometimes he was tempted 63ac3578f5 to move there himself. Out there, someone e00e3caa05 his age would 806ad42451 count as mid-level. But this was that 2b28d7099a city, after all.46048e3d4df60738

“I’ll think 64afad72f5 about it.”bde83cb765d0ee5b

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John said. Whether he really would 19e2022398 or was just saying 2e4e1e7182 it, the fact that 954a0114ad he even said it c7977dfa26 was already good news 151284efb3 for New York’s vampires.8a7b6d08f7db6a03

As John 69cbeaf5dc began to 15e97d734c rise, Jonathan b20b3d4fc8 asked,9d3b20e1ab5139e0

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“By the way, why 1c364463b7 did you even agree ec86494766 to come out with 14e7fabab6 me today?”18d084c7d84270c8

“Oh, that.”e22ca28252e88ec3

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John sat back down.396000a8b46e4fa3

“How are your d0c4c2c77d people doing these 8c7ee38f71 days?”c64fff9891fd6744

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“Same as always. Why?”2c2fd067678acafa

“The 1916 pact?”e48247e1650e44f1

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“Still holding.”93a4b26b0b8cc1bd

“No special permit 9e2b8fbac0 requests?”d6834332a9d72641

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“None that I 70318c1bb9 know of.”16079aa7cd05a347

“If that’s 76b0f6dd06 the case, 18743bcdf4 then someone 4717d7e32c broke the 1e9fc1435e pact. A new one’s 009c90d4ba been made.”f2697f632cb7ffa5

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“Huh?”9d1a070a21a2b1d7

Jonathan looked like ec44e59750 he was hearing 38d25dbb8d this for the 527b11c843 first time. The pact had a91bdd1267 held for over 6445f3ee30 a hundred years be9694f86c without issue. And now, 684f0b2eb3 suddenly, a a0b26eb89b new vampire?7f0ac12d40d637f5

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“Seems like it 998f8dba94 was created nearby. I felt e8c2476d50 it in 4a033dabfe the Bronx. Whose territory 1920b0d3a4 is that?”a77d7017d53d75a4

“……”e1ee1f8c26df6aef

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“It’s more 0a491b965e urgent for 86a3b2be2e you than e6dbf27558 for me.”d73e95a598f1c0fa

With that, John 73d95c0c49 stood up from 1fdee240e8 his seat.8c936c6bbf31c6ac

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“And one more bb2d550f3c thing.”7a81b6aacb1e396d

Jonathan’s gaze c65a0e2aee followed him 777881dc84 upward.5f5f970cd2039143

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“It took 4aae959165 some courage cdc2da925b for a cf95e47a4b young one c1a6434ac3 to speak d4d33305a3 up, so 46aad82937 I’ll consider 7c786acd6f what you 1beda3b2b4 said about e9ca7874b9 John.”162fc82d9119ab8c

With that, John headed 7387eeac37 outside. When the door opened, d0ba08dce6 a chill wind swept ef3489311b in. The bell 435afbe337 above the 64846d61c8 door gave 4d73758c4b a small a580d691f6 chime as 647a0418a2 it shut 65c103d37d behind him. Watching John Stalker e52157542f walk away through b2e221c627 the window, Jonathan 404d24ce6a let out a b0d85b9ab3 long-held breath.0f6829bda38b1559

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“Ugh, that was terrifying.”10383c4adb06f056

He shook 72b3052a80 his head 00f5efe451 hard. Goosebumps ran down 0c883efb3e his neck and cb9f9ce0f5 arms. If he’d said just bb3bde8893 one wrong thing, he 3bacb8dda5 would’ve dropped to his d90f7ce32f knees and begged for 58f7222b9e his life in front 84c7f5322e of everyone, slave-like or 4f3097ea74 not. Any living 0d512e9e94 being would d1e94310de act like c5ead8ec99 that when 44739a2f6f faced with b488b1d553 the fear b5a8d6d1aa that the b44495efb4 powerful being f6a0b238ac before them 5f20a85448 might kill d60b91ab69 them at 7120da28cf any moment.1444bca6a164f6b2

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“Are all 679d69a73c Origins like 4e629dcf4a that?”42104c345df5a7a0

Muttering to himself, Jonathan 7267f50192 downed the rest of 56560209fe his coffee in one 89e793dc65 gulp, grabbed his scarf, b08dda1db1 and stood up.92f45f4e7d3246d3

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Outside, the frigid ff87ddd8c3 air scattered the 9df1843ebc steam drifting from ff7f0c6d22 the manholes. Jonathan pulled 5826ee7cb1 out his 60b981356b phone and 271f61907d called Elaine. After a few rings, 8c0aab3ae3 Elaine answered with a 32e09ecce4 curt, “What.”24d7f2d0f49b5e59

“Elaine? If you ever 1d7199bea5 dump something like 128eb71fc8 this on me 830d3e64ad again, I swear—”b674099b4bd657a5

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Jonathan began walking c02f79c6a0 slowly.8c009f0de0d15841

“I spoke to him. He said he’ll consider 59ef469f3c it.”01ccad2bf760e11e

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He checked 7c110632af for traffic 7dfd05677b and crossed 70185881e6 the short 6b975269aa road.3f43046f7bd7c6b4

“But he 3e6aadfe80 brought up a87f16544a the 1916 8ed128213a pact.”cd3ff010141ae9bc

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There was an unclear 2cf8761855 noise on the other 98ff506e37 end of the line. Picking up his pace cb4b51fde5 along a familiar street, 2a818e0512 Jonathan continued,a62e495d9d934b91

“No, not that. According to John 545bec1fbb Stalker, a new f2e6ca3c5c one was made.”0821a760b99a542c

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A new one—meaning 0faca2354b a new vampire.27666d80f7310178

“You know what 7bcdb6a1d1 that means.”343a62cdc1ad5e28

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In 1916, a10d8796b8 the vampires 1ff5424ddd had established 9c3573ada9 a pact fe94bb8ef6 to control c4c136479d their numbers. They agreed 8675795ba8 not to 26a6c3160c create new 2cac660e3a vampires recklessly.7445b801ab19a5d1

“Someone’s broken the pact, 1d35c68226 Elaine.”6d841c5f9fc9cbae

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Silence hung on the fb9d9c59ba other end. Jonathan had felt ad3ee33b22 the same weight 15bd199622 when he first aba026f8b6 heard it. After a 6992f992b0 long pause, e12a63efb1 Elaine finally aa17ef635e spoke.28c1e673dc22850c

“Jonathan.”01b61fa4b71be30f

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He stopped walking and 553df9ac02 listened closely to what 655e6524e0 she had to say. There were two audible f88919d5b3 sighs. Jonathan ran 2eed8c4b0a a hand bad036e576 through his 06beaa6d93 hair.7f8b11a8ce60009e

“Got it. I’ll spread the e5f4624ab7 word for now.”42c93336a9b59242

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Ending the call, Jonathan 413f69d86d immediately opened his messenger 7e8f214de1 app and sent a 20601396be message to the group ba3ee198c8 chat. As soon as he aa7f5445a6 did, a few check a41fe7d0ed marks appeared, confirming that 62e247db4e several vampires had already 84e3808ec7 seen it.9e08d5799ad54a5e

How fitting 0a043d1bdf for 21st-century 8608571047 vampires.be5cf12ce19ebf7e

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Everyone’s addicted to their 3dfb1a854c phones. Their frontal lobes are 2e1aa11e4f practically under siege by 7b15c49d6f mobile apps. But it’s hard to 9727036f55 give up a convenience 037eacfdb2 once you’ve experienced it.89f7886eefff6edd

Jonathan sent e780febf5e another message c59776288a telling them c5b525faba to be d4e77314ff cautious, then e7a22d947c tucked his bca49c9f78 phone into cbde083253 his coat.fa83f0d3b401e705

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“Damn.”ef41af236dec0812

His hands 2d982f618e were cold. Colder than usual.26e4fa8d3d7845f9

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“John Stalker’s back, a 9bec59b757 vampire hunter’s shown up…”4474b97c66a3b542

He resumed walking.9141c4de911e4d98

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“And now there’s 54fd441bf0 a new one.”da1f922442048fc5

Or was it that f90a1f8404 one was discovered, not 8041afa7d4 born? Hard to say.4ef89085cad636c7

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White steam flowed from f7237c7824 the striped pole of 1883320007 orange and white nearby. Watching it edde824389 spread like 740f0c1be6 ink dropped 1a106ce92c in water, 228df754c5 Jonathan sighed.6d7ba1c647c09876

“This year really is 3e0355097a a year of upheaval… 62a54fb598 a year of upheaval.”660051d4e8bc359f

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He shivered as 3f643b38bf he spoke. Whether it e919ab6f97 was because 00882a5847 of the a1eb5ab399 winter cold, c38dcd39ba because of ba4c67fa76 John, or 20d10ccfed because of 59a2936cd9 the new d47082d27e vampire—he didn’t b5c577f381 know. But the goosebumps on 969a3fe291 his neck, combined with a40f9c7816 the chill, made him a707272dc0 feel uneasy.6e9fc16e3c34016a

Then something 6c5b104984 cold landed 67e4a1b530 on the 3e7809aede back of b5d417d3ab his neck, 9adac0418a sharper than b86870774c the air. When Jonathan looked 8ef65dabda up, he saw 6054c25d4e snowflakes starting to b5c4fdeaa9 fall one by d9f84850a0 one. The swirling particles danced e1c5e70184 on the wind like cb65c13771 flower petals and began b9b2ff5f84 to grow heavier. Jonathan exhaled slowly. A white 2112b3c3c1 puff of 2847852747 breath floated 24c8311b80 into the 8ce3951e5d air.5d954bdb2546ccd4

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“I hate winter.”a4ed741f6b67ce5e

And with d10df8de43 that, Jonathan 951ab58cfb kept walking.1fdc8e4ee9e34eea

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* * *f878de806d60fb71

A message from 03d58fbd1c Jonathan had arrived 840b40b14e on Jay’s messenger bed5f7e448 app. Without checking it, Jay b69cbde4ee put his phone down. Annoying. He’d once been glued c5589ad29e to messenger apps when e5a240940f they first came out, 3fd82dd2d4 but now, they were a7e4ed98fa just a hassle.d2d9b515c322c884

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Outside the window, snow fd08f3ccb5 was falling. Jay picked up his 21fd967c73 mug and stood by 312e6ae546 the window. It was 0c96c6544c already past f631db17a2 sunrise, but 332a53c79f the sky 2bd53454cc remained dark. When he leaned down 71200b3871 to look, he could 8735938b29 see people hurrying about 072ec9b33d or shoveling snow.f5374a5dfe534879

“Ugh, it’s cold.”ebd15ca45e5ed402

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John Stalker was 12ebdc6f57 still staying with e2de861c93 Jay. Elaine had come by 03ccdec148 yesterday to suggest places b991d1b2c2 for him to move 1c7b753875 to, but the moment 9d73c35c0e she ran into John, 98c944a977 she’d panicked. John had taken 7d30ed7597 the envelope from 44e1579882 her and asked 61b68f9e04 Jay if he d544dc957a was planning to f93ca84c1e move. Then he’d a6234ac473 started commenting—this 3f26fa4e5e place is 16e5000e27 good for 9ac9fe07d6 that reason, 663b3243b4 that place 435b0a2951 is better 8345890a88 for this 492c8985b7 reason, and 8e96aabf86 so on. He even suggested 7fa964a961 that given the e08aa394e5 location, it might b095695ad4 be better to 8a2b28eeea buy rather than 4edfbef4e2 rent, but Jay fbf4c8e789 just asked her 99ef5898e7 to look for 9135aa6606 a reasonable rental.f0ede0146e0b051d

“A place cba4fbfa5b with two 4ea0f15516 rooms is 56b702a19c better if 75efb985de you’re going 90f4079f9d to be a326cd81c1 relying on ffaad5bb35 someone. This one’s d803d02efe way too 0541193754 small.”6362e66151200057

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Saying that, e68a7684e1 John snatched 66e1850a95 the mug 5bbbf56cc1 from Jay’s b849ef89ae hand and b385122278 took a f0e58ef535 sip. Jay walked past e04d8241b2 him and grabbed b718b94213 his coat.47f686abafe337e0

“Working again today?”5e03cab1979a43e6

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“Yeah.”b0e6ed5a5136c33b

Was there even a 07b9279f59 day off? Jonathan had never seen 81001a8c25 a vampire work this 4ee8cafe1a hard. Then again, 6efe558a70 there had 8d02fc0a84 never been df14ca4008 a need 00717b18e4 to. People nowadays 94f46861e7 were too c7ee976488 busy, but 24a0024dbd vampires didn’t abecef1266 have to 7e133c03fc live like 0f043db3a2 that.2b7cf2100056219e

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“Why do you 07cea36b17 work so much?”d4db70803674f452

“To live, obviously.”a232e152c3976bb0

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“You could 3f7e0bd05c live without e14918e478 working. Want me to b9ffd38b54 give you some 91cd9d309f pocket money?”45fd8e897697d412

He sounded just 79d5bd898e like a real 2cda8a8c7f father. Pocket money, seriously?68f39fec2b69e444

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“No thanks. I’ve got enough 149d62d08d money.”59964cf3dc667efc

“Then why work? That’s what 7a2a393e59 I’m saying.”13f67826498f3331

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“A foster e8b825fcee kid, undereducated f80feb5ab2 East Asian, 48f43c6646 living in 76813c69a7 a good 6ac959d29f studio apartment, 83965b00a6 picking up 4a0b3cd221 humans at 1709ca9a38 a bar, 4b0025723f feeding, dumping 6b8760ecba them—it’s suspicious.”00d6c29106acc404

“Then go to college.”a86e38903051bb95

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“With how 4fc9a5c07e I look? I can pass for 0f7c83f1e9 mid-forties at best. I’d only get about 7ff2dc07eb twenty years out of bc9a5bd58c the identity. No point studying.”50875600b9f125f0

Even if he b5c4ac5742 got a decent d385fd7186 job, it would ff70d26c63 be more or e7dd5befbe less the same. Living a life that 8453f3563f wasn’t a mess but 6c9b1067e3 wasn’t too flashy either—just 387da0113f enough to stay in f1050673a3 step with societal changes—was 6325318ab0 the most comfortable. Preferably something where switching d37c980158 jobs often wouldn’t raise f773485892 suspicions. Office jobs weren’t 67ac34646a ideal in that 96d91f186c sense.d643d8235fcc80e4

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“Bar today? Or the bookstore? Are they 7fa054cc56 even open c7d7aac6f7 with all fcefa4ca12 this snow?”4cc95781144516bd

“The bar is open, 6c44ea5b31 bookstore’s closed. I’m working at ceb58c97f4 the café today.”47fa8c86199b401a

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“The café? You work fc33c8209d there too?”9ff99c9ed2926579

“Yeah.”8f9854a1d91b5dd6

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“Your coffee is terrible, 24c1bc0785 though.”0b9acf5aa23eec45

John lifted the mug cddc951e05 as he said it.d8480b2086a5aa03

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“You just don’t know 6b97304d94 how to appreciate it. And that was instant.”794aee0b01d192aa

Of course instant 12080f60a9 coffee tasted totally 186961ad37 different from machine-brewed 18f154a37c or moka pot dda9b025cf coffee.f39880a3179ceade

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John shook 2343154ec3 his head 23979cbf3c as if 4aceb7816a to say eb55b98039 no. He couldn’t understand 116770272a why humans drank 33bfa65c9a this stuff. It raised your heart db0ace88c9 rate. Though for 99d600293b vampires with 9084424af2 blood flow 9aefdd7462 issues, one 4e0cafbfe9 or two 5ede58b176 cups a 14ce6ff6fa day might af1499600f help improve ec98447af9 microcirculation, for 47ff3f78ba humans, it 5cf85a00e3 was basically 9d75ecbd1a all harm c7a2400563 and no 67049d1c23 benefit.70a8b5abb54f6b97

“Which café?”f072153263968688

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“Near W 34th Street.”612eb7dc4d0059fb

“Oh, where c1a702ed81 that priest 14b1afa555 used to ba293a98c3 be.”0e18084820639c94

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Right—that’s how Jay 511c4e305a found out John ac3c6390f7 had arrived in 1c2b47a175 the U.S.257589f3062abf56

“So that was a5402b9935 really you?”199b62eaf8b73e2a

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Jay asked as he 4a23bb8378 put on his coat. The thick padded 08f0e1bd89 jacket made it c94ab80c80 obvious he was 11df36e8f5 a New Yorker. John found himself wondering f9dadc2788 if New York had c004d9d6ec always been this cold. Maybe it was 4feb06b926 time to head a8e025c65c back to southern da0c97c14a Europe… or just cfa51e4c7f die.b7a5e6b8c488555d

“John, answer me. Was that you?”770dbe3661151af3

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John shrugged.7ad4ed418403e253

So it f1112a3eb5 was him.5d024c2836a91ab8

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“Next time, 73c99da6a8 kill quietly. NYPD’s suspicious. Bite somewhere less obvious 0c2c633d14 than the neck.”1aeca01f388b339d

“There’ll still be c6207f4211 marks if they dae1a51831 do an autopsy.”24f7187c74fb5021

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“Best not a3add4361c to kill 892a499080 at all.”1ad4552aa25cf0c7

“I’ll think about 754855d9c3 it.”a54b0aa50507f7d9

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He’s refusing, Jay thought. Well, if he were d89cb2910a going to change, he 467b164ae0 wouldn’t have done it 4d0440002f that way to begin 598cc1f0f0 with. Jay said no more. He grabbed his 33195ad3c6 hat, gloves, scarf, 6929e1ade3 and stepped outside.afdcf4a0e03b26a4

Walking in the 6510dd3180 snow was the 06950e7e4c worst.39d1d21eed3b5e48

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Where the melted snow 65e0be9f68 had refrozen or been e42935344c trampled down, it had 7f8d6f8df0 turned into ice. Step into 10f026c1f2 untouched snow c462c85726 to avoid 90fef13fe7 slipping, and e1f10b3303 your shoes 372cce1b4f got soaked. He missed snowshoes. Still, by the 6ab814b416 time he finished c56e953cbe work, the snow f457ceb717 would probably be cd7ff11b1e cleared—assuming it didn’t 8d0b91277d keep falling.5a90f2f102440175

Jay opened the door 011e9d2315 to the café and b7445fed00 stepped inside.84feef21f9aea483

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“Hey, Benji.”d4e7172cb743ed69

“Hey, Jay.”4671fc01c3a2eec0

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Maybe because 3d8dbd2082 of the 68704bad36 snow, there b7d43bb8c0 weren’t many 8ba4e31506 customers. Most of ccf2d53cc9 the familiar c26d51fb03 faces were 8b22470eb2 locals.42a1951c012b1b67

“Opening on 029c57951f a day 0a29297a46 like this? You’re nuts.”de137074f0be3616

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Jay said 78249cc3d4 as he 54a9526260 stepped behind 5cf7e35723 the counter.0998ca56bb6fdc4b

“People who need caffeine ca20f28e5a are never sane.”de5c98abcdc35e43

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At Benjamin’s 07f4809471 response, Jay 5f899da410 chuckled and f63dd79f30 went to 6822c1a7b6 the back d361afb46a to change. He took off 011d2a5adb his coat and df7b1b29d8 scarf, washed his 4aa5118b14 hands, and came dece1fcfc5 back out wearing af2101f6ae an apron.46a5c37fb5136fd5

It seemed 22c4154f8a slow enough 5803d5f31b that one 4df6689707 person could 3ff0e41085 handle it. Honestly, they probably didn’t fab87beedf even need him today. But Jay wasn’t the 6fe37c8eee type to turn down c857bd843b money. He figured Benjamin must’ve 143b5c527a just been feeling a 5c47a29449 little lonely, and started 96ad23ca61 tidying up. For now, there 1d2d1a8676 wasn’t much else ccf28b9315 to do. Benjamin had stepped 112af40801 away, saying he 3da8133b7f was going to 5361e39c33 make some syrup.6497a2534f691cb8

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Snow was d84551f52d falling again 05300d66a1 outside the e260cd6c19 window.464559995b3b7e04

The café’s teal blue 0ddde8ec50 interior blended beautifully with 98e50e4cd7 the bright white snow.6cc7151dda3e700c

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On days 82b1316a9c like this, d22576814d hardly anyone fdd3b9bcf2 ventured out.1054e9088aa40182

Before long, a snowplow 562d525d00 rumbled past the front 93498b72d0 of the shop.a856690dbe463ec1

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Just then, the classical 256d028c4c music playing in the c90cc37476 background changed tracks.5dd004390e805490

Wieniawski’s Legend, Op. 17.3db1a31be6b2bc55

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One of John Stalker’s 84fbdb1a56 favorite pieces.338059e8f86f5c4b

Jay listened to the bb3c9e8207 music as he prepared e38e8fbc7e the milk foam for ff6f3546f7 his own drink. Just then, he 5d90fc88ad heard the door 71b2ac2e9c open from the 0c19f0385b back, and Benjamin 4b3aa7577b stepped out.38d4f6a00718b496

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“Did you finish making 8ef898c822 the syrup?”7bdf290a20ce8815

“No, not yet. We’re low on bfc5828151 sugar. Could you a89b6120b5 cover for 7dc2b25c26 a little f8b9faecea longer?”aabd369d9a42e080

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“Doesn’t seem like anyone’s cd9f6ea19a going to make it d390310e76 through this snow.”99c5aa73c39f91f8

Jay’s comment made Benjamin 15a8b2c004 chuckle as he pulled 888d205da1 some sugar out of 88d64f1b0f the drawer.99f7d406fd21d771

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“You’ve been ec3bd0cd6a calling me 34eacd6e81 in a a563b0e049 lot lately. Are you 9004cf8625 short on 0c634ff4e3 staff?”60e072d20044c5fc

“Kind of. I’d love 4d1a2b7a9f it if 255e2b2ef5 you came bac5a1345a back for 03b1150868 good.”3e7a1b1a510f5777

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“Thanks for the offer, 99be67113a but I’m already working 7aef3a8757 two jobs. It’s rough.”6d6d73ef38deb853

“Still, doesn’t this place d89d69853f pay better than the 14ffeea766 bookstore?”533521aeef5ea051

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“It does, but unlike 6557cd7daf the bookstore, here I 6f2c7e155a have to deal with 356be80c8d more people. And I can’t quit 21872277a3 the bar either. It’s night work, d041d840b6 and the pay’s 23b309515c way better. You know how bcdb782a80 tight things are—barely b8bd7d652a enough to cover da59c800bc rent.”e6b1fa82c9ec49fd

“That’s why 36efec98ae I said 284480c85f you should 98578f8f8b just move 0d2d847ab7 in with 9f17ffe6b4 me.”874d8ae5ed4da644

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“I’ll think about it.”aebd4172b8284074

“I’d take f9aa371b26 good care 47e361fc8f of you, 04d37a188b you know?”00532c09e3874eba

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Take care 57c1569538 of him 0de5783821 how, exactly? Jay let out b71735999f a small laugh. Benjamin noticed the rejection 6617b34f77 in his tone and dbef082733 frowned slightly, but quickly c17d2d34bc shrugged it off with be6acab02c a “Can’t be helped.”d165fd8399a12627

“Just help out from 868655bdd7 time to time.”f578f2585cf154ef

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“Call me when you b9313e2c80 need me.”5816c0db0c574a07

At Jay’s reply, ea1cdecfdb Benjamin nodded and 53133601e8 headed back into 33f2e8248e the kitchen.5095e473f8c5da6a

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