Fledgling (The Vampire Manifesto, Book Two) by Rashaad Bell Page B

sweetie.”
    A few moments later she came bounding down the steps, backpack full of clothes in hand.
    “You got everything you need?” I asked.
    “Not everything.” She admitted. “But enough.”
    “Don’t worry baby, I know a rich dude that likes to spend money on frivolous shit, so it’s okay.” I placed my hand around her waist, ushering her to the door. “Come on lets go.”
    We were heading out when she paused, looking at the only Agent left alive. “What about him?”
    “Don’t worry about him baby, he’ll be dead soon.” I pulled her out the door.
    We were on the front lawn and I looked up and down the block, searching for more Agents, but I didn’t see any. I headed towards the black SUV that was parked in front of Dakota’s residence and let off two shots, one to the front and rear tire. I tucked the gun in my front waistline.
    I looked at Dakota. “You okay?”
    “Sure.” She replied.
    Something was wrong, her voice was all slurred.
    “Why do you sound like a heroin addict?” I grabbed her face with my hands, holding her steady as I inspected her eyes. They were still cloudy, obscure, not the sharp, winter cold ice blue that I remember. “Damn it.”
    I focused everything I was, every ounce of mentality that I could gather inside of me, the complete totality of my soul, mind and heart. All of my determination and ferocity, everything that made me what I am, I pulled it all together in one place in my mind and then I spoke.
    “I want you to act as you were before. I want you to be as you were before, but I also want you to do as I instructed earlier.” I let go of her face.
    She stood there momentarily as if in a stupor, then it was like someone had given her an invisible blow to the chest and she stumbled back, dropping her bag, falling to the ground. She brought her hands up, staring at her palms, a state of confusion on her face. Slowly self-awareness began to flood her features and her eyes began to revert back to their original color. She looked at the house then looked at her palms again, then back at the house.
    “Mommy...” Dakota began crying, her hands at her face in an attempt to conceal her sobs.
    I knelt down and wrapped my arms around her. “It’s okay. Everything is going to be okay.”
    She placed her arms tentatively around me, crying in my shoulder before scurrying backwards from my grasp, not stopping until there was a few feet worth of distance between us.
    “You!” She cried, looking back towards the house, then towards me. “You killed them all!” She was scared, more frightened at this moment than any other time in her life. What she had just been through, what she had just witnessed, it was sufficient to drive even a grown man insane, let alone the delicate flower that she was.
    “I know.” I sat down fully on the grass, Indian style and just waited, not wanting to rush anything. I needed to let it all take its course; I needed to let her absorb what was going on at her own pace, not at mine.
    “You saved my life.” She stretched her legs out on the grass, setting her book bag in between them. She was just staring at it, turning it around, over and over. “Thank you.”
    “You’re welcome.” I said.
    “Who were those men?” She queried. “They said they were from Homeland Security but…”
    “They weren’t from Homeland Security.” Dakota looked up at me when I told her this. “But they were from the government.”
    “They were looking for you.” Dakota said. “They were after you.”
    “Yes.” All this death is my fault.
    “They killed her.” She was starting to cry again. “They killed my mother.”
    “I’m sorry for your loss.” I wanted to hold her in my arms, I wanted to wash all the pain away, but I couldn’t.
    “They shot my mother in the head because of you.” She wiped her eyes. “They almost shot me because of you.”
    “Yes.” My heart just broke. “I’m sorry.”
    Dakota shook her head in disbelief at her situation.