The codes followed us. But not for some time.
Life in the peninsula colony held an untamed streak. She seemed to like it very much. I pretended to enjoy it, when later, I believed we should have gone North.
Particularly, after the War in which the colonies fought against the Crown and won, I thought it best to go where tempers were apt to be calmer. She assured me war was inevitable, no matter where we went.
As usual, she was right. There were many more skirmishes, rebellions, and truly great horrors. Death hung in the air for some decades. Hunting was made easier because of it, and I know now this is partly why She wished to remain. Human strife made for excellent concealment. Plus, it was pretty.
Then came the War to End All Wars. Funny how humans named their wars, as if there were only a few, as if the violence didn't define their short little lives.
In the interim, we were forced to move from the country and into the city. Or rather, the city moved all around us. Humans encroached on our habitat, and we did our best to encroach back.
My Lady loved the city life, citing the noise and the crowds.
"Ripe hunting grounds," She often said.
Because we were in a colony known for sunny days, many residents had golden skin as a consequence. None as shimmering as She, but close enough that she could blend much better than she had fared in Virginia.
Still, because they couldn't help themselves, the codes followed us. Separate but equal were the epithets. It felt less than equal to me when My Lady was required to use a different entrance, or refused service at all just because She fit the definition of the human and therefore stupid codes.
Quietly, I dispatched store owners who sneered at Her. I drank of white men who spat at her. I loathed these humans, who could not tolerate any sort of difference. I could barely remember being one of them. Had I been so full of hate? Had I been so small?
She advised me against the retaliation, even as she watched, grinning.
"More will come. And they always bring laws."
They did.
YOU ARE READING
The Night Reporter ✔
Mystery / ThrillerZeke, a reporter with schizo-affective paranoia, gets caught up in a vamp-motivated murder. Zeke's best work is drafted during "medicinal vacations," where he uses his condition to aid his writing process, short term memory be damned. However, the l...
