Texting and Driving Don't Mix

"Drinking and driving don't mix." Have you ever heard that one before? Most people have. Well, now it's time for a new one, "Texting and driving don't mix." What will it take for people to stop trying to read and send text messages while they're driving? Does MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) need to reinvent itself and become MADDD (Mothers Against Drunk and Distracted Driving)? And how MADD do they have to become before young people -- and some older ones, too, I know -- realize that your chances of getting into an accident when you're texting and driving are considerably greater than your chances of getting into an accident when you're driving under the influence of alcohol? You shouldn't do either, but taking your eyes off the road prevents you from even attempting to avoid an accident because you have no clue what's coming until it hits you.

I think AT&T should be commended for making this video. May God bless who those who chose to share their stories, and may He rest the souls of those who lost their lives.

Many Americans Support Juan Williams

National Public Radio (NPR) may not have appreciated Juan Williams' comments about riding on airplanes with people wearing "Muslim garb" on Fox News Channel's "O'Reilly Factor," but a quick survey of the general public, conducted by Poll Position, revealed that many Americans believe that Williams should not have lost his job.

Poll Position surveyed 1,017 people across the United States via interactive voice response. Of those 1,017, 46% believed that NPR was wrong to fire Williams. One reason might be because Williams voiced a fear that, regardless of how irrational, many Americans can understand, even if they don't share it. In fact, Poll Position conducted another survey, in which they asked 1,074 people across the country if they felt safe riding on airplanes with Muslims. Overall, 43% said yes, they do feel safe while 37% said they do not.

When the results of the survey regarding Williams' firing were broken down demographically, NPR consistently came out on the losing side of the debate, except with the 18-29 crowd. They were fairly evenly split with 38% believing NPR did the right thing by firing Williams and 37% believing NPR made a mistake. A bomb threat made against the organization within a week of Williams' dismissal could be inferred to mean that some people were violently opposed to NPR's decision, literally.

Most people would agree that Williams' comments regarding people who wear "Muslim garb" would have been better left unsaid, but an impromptu survey by Poll Position found that a clear majority of Americans agree that he didn't deserve to lose his job because of them.

Side Effect of Neulasta

While I never look forward to my chemotherapy treatments, I'm especially loath to go to the one that's coming up. The day after my last treatment, I had to have a shot of Neulasta to boost my white blood cell count. Fortunately, my treatment nurse told me about Claritin. Naturally, I Gogled it and looked at what other people who have used Claritin to cope with the side effect Neulasta had to say about how well it works.

My heart sank when I read about the excruciating pain people suffered because of Neulasta; however, I was encouraged when I read that some people went as long as four days without any pain at all, thanks to taking Claritin. So, I went out and bought a box of Claritin and took it one hour before my shot of Neulasta as my treatment nurse had instructed. It kept the bone pain at bay for two days.

After two days of nothing more than the needling pains associated with my chemotherapy drugs, I started to get extreme pain in my shins, knees and ankles. On a scale of 1-10, the pain ranked a 9. I tried to endure without taking anything but finally gave up and started taking Percoset left over from when I had my hysterectomy. It worked a treat but I only had a few doses left. I called the hospital and one of the doctors recommended using a high dose of ibuprofen. It didn't work at all. The pain didn't abate one iota. So, I called back and requested a new prescription for Percoset, which I received.

When I go in for my next treatment, I will go with the knowledge that I will have something to help me combat the pain caused by the Neulasta. Small victories can mean so much in epic battles.

Second Treatment

It's the day before my second chemotherapy treatment. To say that I dread going would not be an understatement. The one side effect that I had really hoped not to get showed up about ten days after my first treatment.

As a writer, having tingling in my fingers is an unpleasant experience to say the least. I have the same tingling in my feet, which could cause serious navigation problems should it get worse. If the tingling in my fingers gets worse, it could hinder my ability to write. The up side is that if the tingling gets so bad that it hinders my ability to perform normal, every day tasks, then I will be taken off the Taxol and given Taxotere -- a drug I'm already familiar with from when I had breast cancer -- instead.

No one can say that battling cancer isn't adventurous. The trouble with ovarian cancer is that it has a high incidence of recurrence. I'm hoping to get more than two years of cancer free life. If I'm truly blessed, it will never come back.

Awaiting Side Effects

Waiting for other side effects to begin is a study in frustration. I don't know which ones I will have. It can take as much as two weeks for hair loss to begin. That's no big deal but the mouth sores, gastro-intestinal issues, etc. are what I'm waiting for. I should be glad that right now I only have to deal with aching all the time and feeling tired all day. I'm not.

Knowing that other issues could arise is what's making me anxious. I want them to happen so I can have some idea what I'll be dealing with for the next five months. Being unemployed doesn't help matters either. I have trouble staying busy all day and as a result, my days seem to drag on forever. No wonder time seems to be going along at a crawl.

I wish I could find another telecommuting job. That would be ideal, especially now that I'm on chemotherapy.

Battling Ovarian Cancer

When I won my battle against breast cancer two years ago, I thought my battles with cancer had ended for good. I was wrong. Early in August, I learned that I had a tangerine sized tumor on or near one of my ovaries. A skilled surgeon removed the tumor completely but now I must go through chemotherapy once again.

I am only required to take two drugs this time. That's a blessing. Chemotherapy scares me because I have no way of knowing how my body will react until the side effects come. I can handle mouth sores and this constant aching that started yesterday. I can handle hair loss and fatigue. What frightens me more than anything is the low white blood cell count, low red blood cell count and low platelets. Getting sick while getting chemotherapy terrifies me.

After only three days, I am already wishing these treatments could be over with and behind me. I have five more to go, provided I do well with this one and the next. My nurse told me that the first two treatments determine how someone will tolerate the drugs. If I do well this month and next month, then I should be OK.

I hope and pray that my body will tolerate these chemotherapy drugs as well as it did the ones I had for my breast cancer.

Cancer sucks!

You'll be Hooked From the Moment of "Inception"

WOW!

I haven't had a movie experience like the one I had when I went to see "Inception" in almost 30 years. I wanted to stay and watch it again.

Everything about this movie is great, the writing, the directing, the acting, the special effects, even the music, which I usually only vaguely notice, is great. The music is so prevalent that it's almost an additional character.

"Inception" is a movie about corporate espionage to put it as simply as possible, but the way the characters go about getting what they want is so complex and so thrilling that I was almost literally on the edge of my seat as I waited to see what happened next.

Continue reading ...

Loopholes - Part 4

“Moira is unscrupulous.”

“Moira is not your concern. You must tell your beloved friend that in less than two weeks’ time, he is to be executed and you are the one who will do it. That is your concern.”

“I … I … I-I don’t understand.”

Jean-Pierre explained that when Leda turned Sebastian and chose to mentor him, he became her responsibility. Several Council members had warned Jean-Pierre not to allow Leda to mentor Sebastian because she was too lenient with him. Jean-Pierre didn’t listen. Sebastian’s lack of discipline had gotten him into trouble with the Council before but nothing as serious as murder. Each time, Leda helped Sebastian understand where he went wrong and got him under control. He had never matured, and never truly accepted the Council’s authority.

“Sebastian’s crime cannot be excused, Leda. It will not.”

As she rose to leave, Jean-Pierre gave her one last piece of advice. “Read the Council rules on vampire executions. You’ve never performed one before. They are very enlightening,” he added with a wink.

Suppressing a smile, Leda made a beeline to the Council library to retrieve the book she needed. She took it home with her and spent most of the day reading and re-reading the section on vampire executions to make sure she fully understood it. Assured that she’d fully comprehended what she’d read, Leda scheduled Sebastian’s execution date. Afterward, she called Tariq.

Leda told Tariq about her conversation with Jean-Pierre. Tariq was sympathetic but they both knew he couldn’t do anything to help Sebastian. Once the matter went to the Council, human influence ceased.

“When is he scheduled to be executed?” Tariq asked.

“Next Friday,” Leda replied.

“That’s awfully fast.”

“I know. I have no choice. Jean-Pierre had me read the Council rules on vampire executions. Based on what I read, it’s next Friday or never.”

“Why?” Tariq pressed. “Even humans have thirty days to try to clear their names or appeal.”

“Tariq, you know as well as I do that Sebastian’s guilty.”

Tariq remained silent on the other end of the line.

“Listen, I’ll see you tomorrow after work, same as always. OK?”

“OK,” he agreed.

That night, Leda paid a visit to Sebastian in the vampire wing of the prison. She told him that he was to be executed a week from Friday and that she would be the one to perform it. Sebastian studied the ceiling of his cell as Leda explained the process to him.

“I’ll bring you a nice suit to wear,” she told him.

“Yeah,” he snorted, a vamp’s gotta look good when he burns to death.”

“Don’t be a jerk, Sebastian.”

“Why can’t I just be naked?”

“Just do as I say.”

Leda turned and walked away before Sebastian had a chance to respond. She had a human execution to perform at midnight. Besides, she didn’t have the patience to argue with Sebastian in his current state of mind.

Usually when Leda executed a man, he thought she was a last gift before he died. Too late, he would realize the truth. That night’s execution was no different. By the time the man realized that Leda was the bringer of death, she had him in her grasp. His strength couldn’t match hers even a little. Leda had the strength of ten men.

She took no pleasure in draining him dry, though he had taken great pleasure in denying his victims their right to life. His blood told Leda everything she needed to know about him, all the way back to his earliest childhood memories. She drained him quickly, eager to stop seeing that overindulgence, not abuse, led this man to make the heinous decisions that brought him before her. The moment she had drained enough blood from the man to make death inevitable, Leda released her grip. The man sank to the floor in a heap. When his heart gave its final beat, Leda informed the warden. She left immediately, wiping her mouth on a towel. She threw the towel into the trash as she entered her office to complete the necessary paperwork associated with her grim task.

Time seemed to accelerate exponentially as the date of Sebastian’s execution approached. Leda resisted the urge to visit him again. She feared she might betray her secret to him. She hadn’t even told Tariq. On the morning of Sebastian’s execution, she took him a nice suit and pair of dress shoes to wear.

“Put these on,” she commanded. Before Sebastian could give a flippant reply, Leda had disappeared.

In the execution room, she checked to make sure that the drapes hanging over the east facing windows would easily pull loose exposing all but the area directly beneath them to bright sunlight. The distant rumble of thunder alerted Leda of an approaching storm. She had to get this execution over with as quickly as possible.

Sebastian was led into the execution room, flanked by two vampire guards, a 7:25 a.m. At 7:30, Leda pulled the black drapes from the windows. Sebastian’s escorts had joined Leda in the shaded area directly beneath the windows. They would push Sebastian back into the center of the room, should he try to get away from the sun’s burning rays.

Sebastian winced when Leda pulled the first curtain down. He braced himself for the pain and stench of burning vampire flesh as each curtain fell to the floor with a loud whoosh. The burning and pain never came. As he stared down at his hands and touched his face in disbelief, a flash of lightning brightened the execution room. Sebastian flinched instinctively, before realizing that it wasn’t sunlight. He looked up at the windows in disbelief. Steel grey clouds filled the sky as huge raindrops pummeled the earth. He looked at Leda, wondering what would happen next. Her smile caught him by surprise.

“Failed executions result in the immediate release of the prisoner, with the stipulation that he vacate the area where he committed his crime for no less than 200 years,” Leda quoted, still smiling.

“You mean … I can… I can go?”

“Gotta love loopholes,” Leda smiled.

Sebastian hugged her so fiercely, Leda feared he might crack one of her ribs. “Make sure you keep in touch,” she said, breaking Sebastian’s hold.

“Promise,” he vowed.

Sebastian couldn’t get out of the jail fast enough. He gave Leda one last hug before climbing into a cab that had been called to take him home. Sebastian had until sunrise the following day to leave town. If he remained, he would be recaptured and a new execution date set.

Latest Twilight Installment Doesn't Eclipse the First Two

It was easy for me to like this movie because I'm into the horror genre, particularly vampires and werewolves, and because I'm a pretty undemanding moviegoer. What I can honestly say I didn't like about this movie was the lack of vampires doing vampire stuff, i.e. baring their fangs, hissing and sucking blood.

The book may have given more detail in scenes like those where Rosalie (Nikki Reed) and Jasper (Jackson Rathbone) described how they became vampires but in the movie Rosalie's initiation was more verbal than visual and Jasper's was literally over in a flash.

Rosalie's story, like Edward's (Robert Pattinson), is a sad tale of someone receiving a "gift" that she can't return, courtesy of Carlisle (Peter Facinelli), a well-intentioned menace with a heart of gold. Apparently being a vampire isn't as much of a burden to him as it seems to be to Edward and Rosalie -- especially Rosalie. Unless I've forgotten, than leaves Emmet (Kellan Lutz) and Esme (Elizabeth Reaser) as the only two who haven't told Bella (Kristen Stewart) how they came to be vampires. Continue reading ...

Book Review: "Blood Oath"

I just finished reading a new book, "Blood Oath," by Christopher Farnsworth that could hold its own with almost anything written by Dean Koontz. It's definitely on a par with any one of the books in Koontz's "Odd Thomas" series. Continue reading ...

IT'S NOT OVER 'TIL ...

Evelyn arrived home from work early. Her husband, Bryan, had apparently been there ahead of her and placed the day's mail on the kitchen counter. Amid the usual bills and solicitations was a small square box, about the size of a post card, roughly one inch thick, wrapped in plain brown paper and addressed to her.

She looked around to see if Bryan was hiding somewhere nearby. Evelyn opened the package with an expectant smile. Inside the box lay a black eye patch and a folded piece of paper. Still thinking it was a surprise from Bryan, Evelyn opened the piece of paper eagerly and read the message:

If you ever want to see your husband alive again, go to the Oakland Holiday Inn and get an envelope from the desk clerk for Mrs. Jones. And bring the eye patch ... you'll need it. Continue reading ...

Loopholes - Part 3

Tariq stood and waved, swallowing hard, the moment he saw Leda walk in the door of the coffee shop. Coffee cakes and cappuccinos waited on the table before him.

Leda automatically pushed the coffee cake away and started adding sugar to her cappuccino.

"What’s going on?” Tariq asked, covering Leda's small, cold hand with his large warm one. She'd been staring into her cappuccino, stirring ceaselessly, for the past five minutes.

Leda pulled her hand from under Tariq's, before looking up into his concerned hazel eyes. "A friend of mine is in trouble. It's serious ... a Council matter.”

"Anyone I know?"

"Sebastian."

"I see."

"How much do you know?"

"I know that he's wanted in connection with the deaths of a young couple he was seen leaving the Uptown Bar & Grill with last night. He was turned in by another vampire ... a female."

"Really?"

Tariq nodded. "She told us exactly where to find them. They were in an abandoned warehouse out by RIDC Park."

"Did you get her name?"

"No. Anonymous tip."

Leda snorted derisively. She had a pretty good idea of the identity of Tariq’s anonymous tipster, but she kept her mouth shut. This must have been what Tariq had wanted to talk to her about by the river. Since a vampire had turned Sebastian in to the police, it stood to reason the she had also already turned him in to the Vampire Council. Tariq couldn’t help after all.

"I have to go," Leda said, standing abruptly. Her chair crashed to the floor, drawing the attention of everyone in the coffee shop. She picked it up and removed her coat from the back of it in one fluid motion before heading toward the door. "Thanks for the cappuccino and coffee cake," she called back over her shoulder.

"Leda, wait." It was no use. Tariq watched her disappear into the night like a girl in a magic trick.

Once outside, Leda threw caution to the wind and climbed the fire escape of a nearby building, then proceeded to leap from rooftop to rooftop until she reached her own apartment building.

"Sebastian? You here?"

He wasn't of course. What Leda did find was a note that read:

You know better. Come to the Council office in the morning, when you finish your shift. Your pre-dawn rendez-vous with Detective Assad is canceled.

Is there anyone who doesn’t know that Tariq and I meet by the river after work every day? Leda wondered.

Leda ripped the note into shreds. She threw the torn pieces to the floor where they lay on the carpet like confetti after a ball game. As she left her apartment to go to work, Leda slammed the door hard enough to cause the dog in the apartment below to start barking.

She spent a restless night at work. She couldn’t focus on anything. She vacillated between worrying about Sebastian and worrying about herself. When her shift finally ended at 6 a.m., Leda quickly gathered her coat and went to her meeting with the director of the Vampire Council.

Leda entered a board room furnished with a huge mahogany table surrounded by plush beige leather arm chairs. Photos of past council members hung on the interior walls. Directly opposite her were huge windows with the blackout blinds raised to allow the glow of the full moon into the room. The lights were turned off.

At the far end of the table sat the council director and the vampire who had turned Leda, Jean-Pierre. He motioned for Leda to sit in the chair to his left. She did.

“We have much to talk about, my dear,” he smiled.

Leda sat back in her chair, her arms folded across her chest. Jean-Pierre’s black eyes flashed a warning.

“What do you want to talk about?” Leda asked, uncrossing her arms.

“You know what, Leda. Don’t play games with me. I am talking with you alone because I am the only one who knows that you did not bring Sebastian in the moment you knew what he had done.”

“Perhaps this is my first time hearing about it.”

“Don’t insult me,” Jean-Pierre growled. “Sebastian confides in you. He trusts you. I knew exactly where to go when Moira told me what he’d done.”

Leda crossed her arms over her chest again.

Jean-Pierre chuckled. “Moira is not one of my favorite vampires, but she did abide by both human and Council laws, Leda. You did not.”

“I was going to bring him. I just wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help first,” she explained.

Jean-Pierre leaned forward. The pinky ring on his left hand glowed dully in the moonlight. Why does he like sitting in the dark? Leda wondered. He took one of her hands in his, a fatherly gesture that was incongruous with his wrinkle-free face and thick black hair.

“You should have called me right away, Leda. You know the rules. You know there is nothing I would not do to help you.”

Leda nodded, not meeting Jean-Pierre’s eyes.

“You are fortunate that Moira came to me privately. She thought the news would be better received by the council if it came from me.”

Leda snorted. “She has a reputation, Jean-Pierre.”

“How does that change what Sebastian did?”

“It doesn’t.” Leda looked down at her folded hands. “Her methods of getting information have come under question before.”

“Yes. Other Council members believe she wants a seat of her own when we have our next centennial transfer. Fortunately for me, the director’s seat only changes once every thousand years,” Jean-Pierre smiled.

Leda dared to ask the question that had plagued her mind since she received Jean-Pierre’s note. “What’s going to happen to Sebastian?”

Jean-Pierre sat back in his chair and crossed his fingers behind his head. “What do you think will happen to him? He murdered two humans. What would happen to a human who committed murder?”
Leda bowed her head.

“It is absolutely forbidden for vampires to feed on humans, Leda. You know that.”

“Others have gotten away with it.”

“They didn’t encounter Moira.”

“Do you use her to find vampires who break the rules? Is that what you’re telling me?”

“Not at all, but she does have a certain value to us.”

“Sebastian covered up his crime. No one would have ever known.”

Jean-Pierre shook his head. “Don’t kid yourself. He was seen with them. It wouldn’t have taken your capable Detective Assad to figure out that Sebastian was guilty. And then he would have come to me. It was always going to end up this way, Leda. Accept it.”

Is "Iron Man 2" Worth Your Time and Money?

If you like lots of CGI, pyrotechnics and mass destruction of property, which I do, then "Iron Man 2" is definitely the movie for you.

Before going to see "Iron Man 2," I read a review by a local reviewer who felt that the movie had too many subplots. While I agree that there was a lot going on, some of the subplots overlapped and consolidated with each other, keeping the story pretty easy to follow and, I think, thoroughly entertaining. Here's a brief run down of much of what went on in "Iron Man 2":

1. The government, aided by Tony Stark's (Robert Downey, Jr.) nemesis and direct competitor, Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), who was a much nastier character in the comic books, wants to take the Iron Man technology away from Stark put it under government control. This eventually happens thanks to Stark's friend, Capt. James "Rhodey" Rhodes/War Machine (Don Cheadle).

2. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is recruiting - possibly for S.H.I.E.L.D., possibly for the Avengers - and has taken a particular interest in Iron Man. So, he sends Natalie Rushman/Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) - aka Black Widow - to keep an eye on Stark and serve as his bodyguard by having her get a job with Stark Industries.

3. The son of a Russian physicist who helped Stark's father develop the technology used in Iron Man's magnetic core, Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), seeks vengeance against the Starks after his disgraced father dies. When Vanko's first attempt to destroy Stark fails, Vanko is propositioned by - who else - Justin Hammer.

4. Tony Stark's relationship with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) grows more complicated.

5. A chance revelation helps Stark reconcile his feelings about his father and lead him to the answers he needs to save his own life.

I enjoyed "Iron Man" and "Iron Man 2" because I'm not familiar with the Iron Man comic books, though I did see the cartoon series, in which Tony Stark was, to my recollection, darker and more brooding than the way Robert Downey, Jr. played him in the movie. So, I would recommend that any fans of the Iron Man comic books, who are also purists, avoid watching "Iron Man 2" because it seems to deviate more from the comic book version - which I researched before writing this review - than the first film does.

Loopholes - Part 2

She entered her apartment just as the sun began to brighten the sky. She hung her trench coat in the closet and tossed the bag of potato chips on the kitchen counter. Her counter remained bare, but for a block of knives, a blender and a coffee pot. A sunny yellow tea kettle sat at the ready on her gas stove.

Still feeling a little thirsty, Leda opened her refrigerator in search of something more satisfying than mineral water. Besides many more bottles of water, Leda also had a pitcher of lemonade, left over fruit smoothie, left over tomato soup and various bottles of salad dressing. She poured herself an eight ounce glass of raspberry vinaigrette and savored it as she went through her mail.

Her thirst finally quenched, Leda ran a steaming hot bath with lots of bubbles and scented oil. As she soaked, her skin regained some of its original color and felt warm to the touch. Closing her eyes, she sank deeper into the tub, her lips curved up in a contented smile. She soaked for nearly an hour before the water began to lose its luxurious warmth. As Leda began drying herself off, her skin cooled almost immediately and returned to the taupe color Misty had earlier described to her friend.

After putting on a pair of flannel pajamas, Leda checked the blackout drapes hanging in her bedroom to ensure that no stray rays of sunlight could sneak through. Soon after she settled under the heavy bed clothes, she drifted into something like a meditative fugue state. There she remained for the rest of the day.

Shortly after sunset, the soft rustle of clothing disrupted Leda’s rest. She heard the furtive footsteps of someone trying hard not to disturb, like a teenager trying to sneak his sleeping dad's car keys from the bedside table.

He perched on the foot of her bed like some kind of hybrid frog, blond hair dusting his forehead, large brown eyes filled with sorrow and dread.

"Leda, I'm in trouble."

She didn't worry about how he'd gotten into her apartment. She'd given him a key. He'd been her protégé and one of her best friends for the past fifty years since she'd turned him.

He'd met Leda while he was in prison for stealing a car and driving to Atlantic City with his girlfriend ... just for fun. While in prison, he noticed and enjoyed the way people stepped aside for Leda whenever they saw her coming. They all called her Miss Sidney. When he found out why, he made plans to approach her after he got out.
Leda had tried to dissuade him until he told her what had happened during his time in prison. His slight build and movie star good looks made him an easy and likely target. All he wanted, he'd said, was to never be vulnerable again. So, Leda made him a vampire and mentored him as he grew more aware of the realities of his situation.

"What is it, Sebastian? What's the matter?" Leda sat up and turned on the bedside lamp.

"I killed two humans last night."

"How?"

"I met a woman. I only wanted her for sex. Then her boyfriend called me outside to fight. I broke his neck. That's when she started screaming. The place was in a really bad neighborhood so nobody really listened. But I had to shut her up, so I bit her. And once I started, I couldn't stop. I had to finish her."

Leda adjusted her position. "Were you trying to kill the boyfriend?"

"No," Sebastian sighed, shaking his head, "I just punched him."

Leda sighed, too. Sebastian never learned how to control his strength when dealing with humans. When she'd turned him fifty years ago, Sebastian had only been twenty-six, just three years older than Leda had been when she had become a vampire more than two hundred years before. He’d been reckless as a human and he was a reckless vampire. With all that he'd seen and experienced, she thought he'd, at least, have better control over his impulses.

"What did you do with their bodies?"

"I put them in the boyfriend's car, drove it out to an abandoned warehouse and burned it."

"Does anyone else know?"

Sebastian shook his head, running his finger over the pattern in Leda's bedspread. She knew he’d lied.

"You're going to have to go before the council and tell them what happened before somebody finds that car," she advised.

"Why?"

"Because the police will investigate, and they'll find out that you were the last one seen with them. I'll take you before the council tonight before I go to work. In the mean time, stay out of sight. Stay here."

"All right," Sebastian agreed.

He climbed into the bed beside Leda. She gathered him into her arms maternally, gently stroking his hair until his head collapsed against her shoulder and his body settled against hers like a weighted blanket.

Later, Leda rose, without disturbing Sebastian, and took a steamy shower. Afterward, she drank the remainder of her fruit smoothie as she went back into her bedroom to get dressed. She tried on several different outfits before her full-length mirror before deciding a pair of brown corduroy slacks with a cream cable knit pullover.

"He'll like you no matter what you wear," Sebastian said from the bed.

Leda flinched before glancing at him in the mirror - vampires could cast reflections at will. Sebastian had been watching her the whole time with an amused smirk spread across his lips.

"Who are you talking about?"

"You didn't stop being a woman just because you stopped being human, Leda Sidney. Only a man could make a woman obsess that much over what she's gonna wear."

"Don't be silly. I just want to be sure I'm dressed appropriately for work, that's all."

"Right."

"It's true."

"I believe you.”

Leda leaned over to give Sebastian a chaste kiss on the forehead. "I’m meeting someone before I go in tonight,” she explained. “He’s a detective. Maybe he can help."

"I know who you're going to meet." Sebastian smirked again as he stretched out in Leda’s bed. She ignored him.

With a quick wave, Leda was out the door and on her way to meet Tariq. She knew she should have canceled her meeting with him and taken Sebastian before the council, but Tariq really might be able to help Sebastian. She had to try.

Loopholes - Part 1

“You murderer!” she screamed. “You killed my boyfriend! You killed him!”

“Shut up,” he growled, grabbing her just below her shoulders and shaking her. “It was an accident.”

The girl’s eyes widened with terror as she tried to pull away from him. She’d seen his fangs. She knew. He had to kill her.

Somehow she’d managed to pull away from him and began running away across the parking lot, screaming for help. He was on her in an instant. He wrapped one arm around her body, pinning her arms to her sides. He covered her mouth. That’s when he saw it … the enticing pulse in her neck

He knew he shouldn’t. He did it anyway. He opened his mouth and sank his fangs deep into her jugular. Her blood tasted sweet, delicious, warm. Her valiant struggles and muffled screams excited him. He carried her into the shadows of the bar. She kicked and twisted. Her efforts were futile. He ignored them. Soon, he sensed her panic. Panic gave way to terror. When he’d consumed half of her blood, terror became hopelessness … acquiescence … despair. He felt her pulse slow to almost nothing. He released her and watched her body sink to the ground like a rag doll carelessly tossed aside.

He wiped his mouth with his hand and licked her blood from it, savoring every drop. He smiled. As he stared down at the girl, her shiny auburn hair covering her lifeless face like a shroud, reality sank in. I’m a murderer, he thought, just like she said. Now it was his turn to panic. What am I going to do? he asked himself as he looked around to see if anyone had witnessed what he’d done. No one. In that neighborhood, people were accustomed to the sounds of gun shots, breaking glass and women’s screams. It went with the territory. Still, he couldn’t just leave two bodies lying in the parking lot. He knew what he had to do and got to it without delay. As he did, calmness overtook him. Leda will know what to do, he thought. She’ll help me get out of this mess.

Leda sighed. A light smile touched her lips as she watched the moonlight shimmer on the river's rippling current. Soft, leather-clad footsteps and the scent of ultra masculine cologne alerted her to the arrival of her riverside companion, Detective Tariq Assad.

He sat down on the bench next to her, stretching his mile-long legs out in front of him and folding his hands in his lap. Like Leda, Tariq worked the night shift. For several seconds, they sat in companionable silence, watching the water flow by.

"Five homicides tonight," Tariq sighed. "You'd think something like guaranteed execution within 30 days of conviction would make people get a grip on themselves.”

"If it were that simple, you'd be out of a job," Leda smiled.

"So would you, Madam Executioner" Tariq pointed out.

Leda nodded, poking out her bottom lip. "What would you do if you couldn't be a homicide detective?"

Tariq thought for a minute. "I guess I'd start my own PI business. What about you? What would you do if you couldn't be an executioner?"

"I would come and work for you," Leda grinned.

Tariq flashed his dimples. "You’d be insane within a week.”

Leda turned away to stare at the river once more, a small frown creasing her brow.
"I’m sorry." Tariq took Leda's hand, enveloping it within both of his own, and gently squeezed. “Listen,” he said, changing the subject, “there’s something you should know, and I want you to hear from me first.”

"Not now," Leda said. She removed her hand from the warmth of Tariq's grasp and placed it in the pocket of her trench coat.

A pale glow appeared on the horizon. Dawn. Leda stretched, sighing heavily. As she stood, Tariq joined her, his 6'4" towering over Leda's neat 5'4" frame.

"Coffee?" he asked.

"Bed," Leda smiled. "Maybe we can meet for coffee tonight before our shifts start."
"Coffee shop across from the station?"

"I'll even spring for the donuts."

"Oh, ha,ha. Make sure you show up," Tariq said pointedly. He gave a small wave as he and Leda turned in opposite directions. Leda headed toward her Market Place apartment and Tariq toward his car parked nearby.

The sky steadily moved from black to grey as Leda walked into a 24-hour convenience store about a block away from her apartment building. She was thirsty. She had to quench her thirst immediately.

On her way to the refrigerators at the back of the store, Leda passed through a long line of people consisting mainly of twentysomethings dressed in black clothes with coal liner around their eyes and black polish on their nails. One of them, a blue eyed blonde wearing black lipstick to match her polish, stared at Leda hostilely. The guy beside her, who had pitch black hair that hung over one eye, smiled. Leda smiled back, nodding her head slightly in greeting.

"You don't wanna mess wit her," the blonde warned.

"Why not?" her friend asked. "She's smokin' hot and cute, too."

"Didn't you see how pale she is? And the way she moves?"

"Maybe she stays out of the sun," argued her friend with a shrug of his wiry shoulders. "And she moves like a cat. Kinda glides across the floor witout makin' a sound. Meooow." His male companions shared in his laughter.

"Hm," scoffed the blonde. "She stays out of the sun all right. She ain't got no choice."

"Whatchoo talkin' about?"

“Look at her. Her skin ain't right. It should be tan but it's more like taupe. Y'know, kinda greyish. She ain't just pale."

"So?" her friend pressed.

"Soooo, she's a freakin' vampire."

Everyone in the group burst out laughing. Most people went around blissfully unaware that vampires lived in their fair city. Vampires, for the most part, only fed on wild animals and strays or got jobs euthanizing animals in shelters and veterinary clinics. They always burned the carcasses afterward. They burned human carcasses, too, when they allowed themselves to regress and feed on homeless people or ne’er-do-wells who stalked the night. They kept low profiles at all times. Vampire laws strictly forbade them to flaunt their existence. Human laws prohibited even the mention of them outside of certain circles.

"She could suck me dry any day," joked one of the other young men in the group.
The blonde, giving up in disgust, turned her back on her friends. She came face to face with Leda, who had heard the whole exchange. Who hadn't? Leda smiled a winning, fang laden smile before reaching over to pluck a bag of potato chips from the snack cart beside her. The blonde turned away quickly, blushing deeply. No one else saw Leda’s telling smile.

Only one member of the group actually made a purchase so Leda had a much shorter wait than she’d anticipated. As they were leaving, the young man who'd flirted with her when she came in, turned to wave good-bye. Leda wagged her fingers at him before stepping up to the counter.

As soon as she exited the store, Leda opened the bottle of mineral water she'd bought and guzzled it. As she tossed the empty bottle into a recycle bin at the curb, the voices of the twentysomethings she’d just encountered drifted over. They stood at a bus stop huddled together smoking cigarettes and chewing the sugarless chewing gum bought by their companion.

"Gee, I wonder what that 'vampire' was going to do with those potato chips, Misty. Use 'em to lure her next victim?" said the young man who'd flirted with Leda.
Misty gave no reply as her friends laughed again at her expense. Leda almost felt sorry for her ... almost. Silly twit should have kept her mouth shut, Leda thought. If she knows we exist, then she knows no one's supposed to talk about it openly and why. Imagine the panic that would set in if people knew there were vampires living and working right next to them.

Most vampires envied Leda her executioner’s job because she could legally feast on human blood almost every day. The death penalty had become federal law after vampires secretly met with the president and his cabinet to offer several solutions to the United States' criminal justice problems. Although she wasn't the only executioner in the country, Leda was considered to be the most "humane" so those states without vampire executioners of their own would send their death row inmates to be executed by Leda. Their attorneys always accompanied the death row inmates, along with one guard – usually a vampire himself – who stood by in case anything went wrong. No other witnesses attended the executions and no doctor was required. Leda’s acute hearing informed her when the prisoners neared death. At that time, she ceased feeding and allowed them to die naturally.

It would be a lie to say that she liked her job, but Leda definitely appreciated it. Feeding was necessary and human blood far surpassed that of animals. She had started out working interrogations for the police but found it dissatisfying. Only a test tube full of blood was needed to read someone's memories; it was like sampling hors d'oeuvres without the luxury of being able to further indulge in the ones that tasted best. So, Leda approached the Vampire Ruling Council to apply for an executioner's job.