The Vampire's Pastry Chef (ONC 2022)

19 - The Master

Since plans to leave that morning vanished in a puff of gasoline-scented smoke, Jordyn asked Corbin if she could have a tour of his house—since she was now in the know. Unsurprisingly, he was happy to oblige and asked Autumn if she wanted to come, too. Autumn passed, telling him that she had to get everything packed and ready for tomorrow. After they left, Autumn finished cleaning the kitchen and went upstairs to tidy up.

How in two weeks had her life changed so much? she wondered as she cleaned hair out of Jordyn's bathroom sink. She had money to put towards her bakery, got an amazing boyfriend, and found out that vampires existed. Guess working hard does pay off, she mused, looking at herself in the bathroom mirror. Huh. Take that, Mom and Dad.

As she dragged suitcases to the top of the stairs, Autumn paused. What was that bundle of cloth doing sitting on the sofa? She hoped that Corbin hadn't dropped off an extravagant present or Jordyn weaseled her way into getting something from his house.

Putting one hand on the banister, Autumn started walking down the stairs. Wait. She stopped mid-way and stared at the bundle. Beneath the layers of crimson and gold cloth was a person-shaped object.

Icy suspicion trickled down her back as she carefully made her way to the bottom. "Hello?" she called out tentatively, reaching for a slim vase on a nearby table.

And that goddamn bundle of cloth moved.

A high-pitched shriek left Autumn's throat as the bundle began to unfold itself, revealing gold-embroidered sleeves and a pair of little gold shoes. Shoes that were no bigger than a child's.

On pure reflex, Autumn threw the vase. It sailed through the air and hit an ornate mask in the shape of a ram, shattering on contact.

"Well," a soft, genderless voice announced, sounding rather surprised.

Mind blanked by fear, Autumn shoved the table onto the ground and bolted for the door. A pair of tiny, grey hands emerged from the voluminous sleeves and lifted in a "stop" motion.

An invisible force caught Autumn mid-stride, suspending her in the air. Sweat broke out all over her body and her heart hammered so hard against her ribs, she was convinced she was going to have a heart attack. If it wasn't death by an evil vampire, it was by aliens. The goddamn greys were real, too.

"This way, this way," the alien baby said.

The invisible force spun Autumn around and tugged her right back into the living room.

"Sit, please."

Autumn thumped onto the opposite couch and sat there, fingers digging into the fabric. God, she felt sick.

The alien baby folded itself up like a praying mantis; something ancient and unworldly studied her from behind the mask's eyeholes. Autumn gulped back bile and stared into the shadows surrounding the mask. There were eyes back there—red eyes—ones that were far too large for a human face. The hood of its cloak artfully covered everything else; no matter where she looked, she couldn't get a sense of how its head was shaped.

Then there was the ram mask, which was embellished with gold and lapis lazuli, diamonds and rubies; it looked as if the alien had yanked it off of a mummy. Big, curling horns sprang from the mask's brow and disappeared into the black depths of the hood.

Autumn licked her lips. "Corbin will kill you when he finds you here," she told it, feeling bold.

The alien baby hummed, rocking slightly back and forth. "I think not," the voice that was neither male nor female countered mildly. "I am his master."