shut cabinets. He came out a few minutes later. “This place is really cozy. I
haven’t been here since it was fixed up.”
“Mr. Mason?” I said and looked up at his friendly face.
“Well, here we are,” he said and sat in the armchair. “The founders of
Greenwood, including those who founded the school, emigrated from Eastern
Europe. They’d been persecuted because they practiced pre-Christian folk
traditions, and they’d developed a habit of secrecy. Funny, how some preChristian ideas, like the Easter Bunny and the Christmas tree, become part of
popular culture and others are despised.”
“Was that a religious ceremony?”
“It’s symbolic, like Valentine’s Day, not religious. The founders came from
farming people, and the ceremonies are based on crop cycles.”
“That man’s hand was cut.”
“It’s a minor surface cut, less than you’d get scraping your knee,” he said,
and I was aware of his eyes on my arm. I pressed my elbow close to my side to
hide the bruise.
Mr. Mason said, “Did you know that tonight is the autumn equinox? That’s
why I was out – so I could watch the ceremony. It’s in honor of the ancient sungod, who was connected to fire and the autumn harvest.”
“That’s why they had the fruits and torches.”
“Yes. Not everyone gets to witness such an ancient rite. Consider yourself
lucky.”
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Lucky. “What language were they speaking?”
“My wife told me it’s thought to be a dialect of Dacien, an ancient Slavic
language. Like the Latin you study, it’s long dead.”
It wasn’t hard for me to piece things together. I said, “The founders moved
here because it was foggy and they’re sensitive to sunlight.”
Mr. Mason took off his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose. “Go
ahead, Jane,” he said encouragingly.
“They used blood in their ceremonies and people thought they were
vampires.”
“You get an A,” he said. “Now, for extra credit, do
you
believe they’re
vampires?”
“I don’t believe in the supernatural. I believe in what can be proved by
science and reason.” Even as I spoke an image of a mysterious green and
shadowy place flashed in my mind.
“You’re a smart girl, Jane,” he said proudly. “Their genetic anomaly makes
them highly sensitive to sunlight and gives them a craving for red foods.”
“Red food like rare meat, tomato sauces, strawberries, blood…”
The tea kettle whistled and Mr. Mason said, “Back in a minute.” He
returned shortly with two mugs. “Sweet and milky for you.”
“Thank you.”
Sitting back down he said, “Yes, they crave blood, but they don’t need it.
There’s a psychological component to their metabolism which requires
considerable protein in their diet. Red foods and drinks can satisfy the cravings.”
“But they
do
drink blood?”
“Generally animal, like many peoples in the world. The Maasai live on
blood and milk. The English have blood pudding and the Italians have blood
sausage.”
“Using animal blood as food may be common, but drinking human blood
isn’t.”
“It’s only done consensually,” Mr. Mason said. “If any of them took blood
without permission, he’d be dealt with seriously and immediately. So now you
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know it all.”
I looked into his eyes and said, “Do I really, Mr. Mason, or is there
anything else you’d like to tell me? Does the genetic anomaly have any other
effect?”
“Nothing significant. They live a slightly longer than other people and
they’re immune to most diseases. They’ve got excellent eyesight and slightly
more muscle mass,” he said.
“That sounds very significant to me,” I said, thinking of how quickly
meningitis had killed Hosea. “Does everybody here know?”
He shook his head. “Only a few of those most trusted – some in town and a
handful of us at the school. I learned about them through my wife’s relationship
with the headmistress’s family. They took her in and gave her incredible
opportunities.”
“Mrs. Mason was a scholarship student, too, wasn’t she?”
“Yes. She wasn’t one of them, though. The condition can only be passed
genetically. We have a few students with the condition.”
I thought of Hattie, so pale, so close to the Monroe family, so helpful to the
new scholarship student. “Harriet Tyler’s one, too.” When he nodded, I asked,
“What do you call them?”
“Most of them avoid using the term vampire, which is too dangerous to use
in a society that prefers superstition to science.” He shrugged and said,
“Superstition is easier because it requires no analytical thought. The Monroes and
most of their kind in this area call themselves Family.”
Family
. The word had a lot of power to someone didn’t have one.
There was a knock on the door and Mr. Mason got up to answer it. Mrs.
Monroe stood there in dark slacks and a light coat. “Hello, Albert, Jane,” she said
and came in.
“Hello, Hyacinth.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Jane was watching
the ceremony and I’ve been telling her a little about the Family.”
She slipped off her coat and said, “May I sit?
I nodded and she joined me on the sofa. I was trying to digest what I’d just
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The Shadow Girl of Birch Grove – Marta Acosta
seen with this proper woman beside me.
“Would you like me to stay?” Mr. Mason asked her. “I’m usually not up so
late.”
“No, go on to bed, Albert,” Mrs. Monroe said. “You’re a dear for helping.”
“Always glad to be of service. I told Jane the basic facts about the Family,
but I’m sure she still has lots of questions. Goodnight, Jane.”
“Goodnight, Mr. Monroe,” I said and watched him leave, closing the door
behind him.
Mrs. Monroe gave me a concerned look. “Well, Jane, I’d hoped to let you
know when you were more settled in at Birch Grove. Well, not everything in life
can be planned. I can’t imagine what you thought!”
“I thought it was a cult.”
“Oh, heavens, we’re not that adventurous,” she said. “We try to carry on
some of the old celebrations. One of our members is a cultural anthropologist,
and she says it’s important not to lose all the old ways even if they’re merely
ceremonial.”
“Mrs. Monroe, why am
I
here?”
She leaned forward with the same kind, intelligent expression that she’d
had when we first met. “Do you know how hard I searched for a bright, ethical,
level-headed young woman who could fully appreciate the opportunities Birch
Grove offers?.”
“There are thousands of smart, ethical girls who would want to come to
Birch Grove on scholarship, ma’am. I was selected because I don’t have any
family.”
“I won’t deny that your isolation was a factor, since secrecy is of the utmost
importance to us,” she said. “However, you do yourself a disservice if you
assume that every compliment is merely flattery, Jane.”
“I prefer information to compliments.”
“I’ll try to explain,” Mrs. Monroe said with a smile. “Our young men have
powerful cravings for blood and like most young men, they lack impulse control.
One mistake and they endanger themselves and expose us all. They need a
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The Shadow Girl of Birch Grove – Marta Acosta
companion, a faithful friend who is intelligent and caring who will help steady
them. These companions become part of our extended family, trusted and cared
for.”
Taking my hands in hers, Mrs. Monroe said, “We would be honored if you
would agree to be Lucien’s companion, Jane.”
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The Shadow Girl of Birch Grove – Marta Acosta
“Birch Grove endeavors to support students as they learn to take on
challenging moral decisions about their personal lives.”
Birch Grove Student Handbook
MRS. MONROE’S HANDS
were soft and pale. “If you say yes, we’ll take care
of you for the rest of your life, Jane. You and Lucky would go to college together
and graduate school. We will pay for your tuition, a comfortable apartment or
house, a car, food, clothing, and incidentals.”
Lucky and security,
I thought.
“You’ll stay close to Lucky,” she continued. “You’ll have to make
compromises, of course, but in exchange, we’ll offer you all of our resources, and
our support so that your life is as enriching and fulfilling as possible.”
I saw it all before me. I would be free from poverty and loneliness. I
would be safe. Lucky would be beside me and I wouldn’t have to hide our
relationship.
“And what would my responsibilities be?”
“Lucky will want to taste human blood now and then,” she said with an
apologetic smile. “Only a few millimeters at each feeding, which won’t endanger
your health at all. He may ask you to act as his assistant occasionally, however, I
don’t want him relying on you to be his housekeeper or to do his schoolwork.
You’ll be a liaison between Lucky and the Family. If anyone gets suspicious of
him, or if you feel that he needs our help, you’ll act to protect him.”
“No one believes in vampires.”
“No one with any common sense, but that leaves the majority of the
population,” she said. “Our people have been treated too brutally in the past –
though those atrocities never made the history books – and we’re very cautious
now.”
“No one would hold a genetic anomaly against you now.”
“New times bring new dangers.” She turned my hand so that the inside of
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my elbow was visible. “Did Lucien do that?”
“Yes.”
“He was supposed to wait and he’s not supposed to…” she shook her head
and looked upset. “He’s not supposed to leave this kind of mark. Have you told
anyone?”
“No. Is Jack…?”
“Jacob’s normal. He knows why we brought you here, though.” She let go
of my hands and stood. “We have things in common, Jane. We’re careful, smart,
decent. You can give me your answer tomorrow.”
“What happens if my answer is no?”
“No one’s ever turned us down,” Mrs. Monroe answered. “However, if you
decided that you don’t want to be Lucien’s companion, we would certainly honor
our agreement to provide you with a Birch Grove education, and we would look
for someone who is interested in my son’s well-being.”
“Just as I was brought in to replace, Bebe.”
“She never turned us down, Jane. She left before we made the offer. And I
like you much better than Bebe. All of us, do. Goodnight, Jane.”
“Goodnight, Mrs. Monroe.”
I didn’t even try to go to sleep that night. I wrote down everything that had
happened, everything I’d been told, in my composition book. I drew a diagram,
thinking that if I organized the information I’d be able to understand it better.
My diagram didn’t help because there was no way to factor in my pleasure
at being with Lucky, and his feelings for me were an unknown quantity.
Eventually, I turned off the light and stared out the window as night gave
way to day.
Shortly after sunrise, I saw Lucky coming down the path. I opened the door
and waited for him on the porch.
“Hi,” he said. “Come for a walk.” He started up the path, then veered off
on a narrow trail that had been hidden by tall shrubs. Leaves crunched under our
feet and birds chirped in the trees.
I studied Lucky as he walked ahead of me. His shoulders looked wide in a
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thin black sweater and his legs looked long in dark jeans. Occasionally a ray of
sunshine pierced the fog and trees and brightened his gold-streaked hair.
Soon we arrived at a small creek that wound around a boulder. Lucky
climbed atop the boulder and reached toward me. I gave him my hand and he
pulled me up to sit beside him.
“Jack and I used to play here. We built dams and had sword fights. He was
Jacob, Defender of the Grove, and I was Prince Lucien, heir to the Throne. He’d
still be happy playing here, but I grew out of that a long time ago.”
The water in the creek pooled down below, the same color as Jack’s eyes,
and the smell here was like Jack, green and fresh.
Lucky said, “My mom’s totally pissed off at me for not waiting.”
“She was calm last night. She told me about all of you like it was
completely normal.”
“She keeps it all in,” he said. “So, you saw them doing their freak show
last night and now everything’s out.”
“You said you weren’t a vampire.”
“I don’t
think
I’m one. I
am
one, only not the imaginary undead,
supernatural kind. I planned on explaining things later.”
“So Bebe was supposed to be here with you.”
“Yeah, I spent two years getting to know her, and then one day she bailed
on all of us,” he said sounding hurt and angry. “Her uncle, someone she’d never
told anyone about, asked her to live with him and his family. I didn’t even get a
fucking goodbye.”
“Were you in love with her?”
“Bebe? No way,” he said. “I could talk to her and she was cool. We were