Devil Inside

The Altar of Sebastian.

“Do you have somewhere you’d rather be?” Marcus was watching his daughter gaze wistfully out of the café window where they were grabbing some precious father daughter time on his lunch break. Things had been very quiet for the last few days; no Vincent, no suspicious deaths, no new vampires. It made him twitchy and kept him on edge; rather than rest he was treating it as the calm before the storm and had been working long hours since Christmas.

Elsa looked guilty, “No,” she said, “Sorry I was just thinking.”

“I could see that,” said Marcus, “As opposed to listening, did you hear a word I just said?”

“Um...you lost track of Vincent in Germany and Elliot was last seen in Munich sooo ...” she shrugged, “That’s all I’ve got.”

Marcus smiled wearily and rubbed the bridge of his nose, “So they’re close to each other, probably in contact with each other again which is not a good thing. We’ve identified some more members of their group but things have gone really quiet. I don’t like it.”

“Why not, quiet’s good surely?” Elsa was trying to remain focused but all she really wanted to do was run out of the café as fast as she could and go to Sebastian. Her body tingled at the thought of him. They had been unsure of each other, after that first kiss, Sebastian was not used to letting people close and Elsa was trying to hold herself back, take it slowly and give him chance to get used to things but it was so very, very hard. She’d seen him once more since that night and it had been awkward, no more kissing and she got the distinct sense that his walls were going up again. It was so frustrating.

“Quiet is never good,” Marcus said, bringing her thoughts back to their conversation once again, “You’ve got to be really aware of what’s going on around you Elsa, something is brewing, I can feel it and I’m worried about you.”

Elsa placed a hand on her fathers arm, “I don’t think you need to be,” she said, “If Vincent wanted to get back at me for what happened at that concert, if he knew where to find me, surely he’d have done it by now? He’s obviously focused on whatever diabolical plans he has been cooking up with the blood movement and besides, Haven are all over that aren’t they? You’ve got eyes on so many factions of that group there’s nothing they could do without you guys knowing.”

“We have no idea how big they are or how far they reach,” Marcus said, “We only know what we know and who’s to say how much of the picture we’re missing?”

“Wow, you really are having a glass half empty kind of day aren’t you?” Elsa said, sitting back, “Are you going to be working all through New Year? All work and no play makes Marcus Shaw a dull daddy.”

He couldn’t help but smile, “Well unless you’re planning to spend New Year with me, I’ll probably work yes.”

Elsa stuttered; did her father want her to spend New Year with him? “I – er ...”

“Relax,” he said, “I am sure you have plans with Kate, don’t you worry about your poor old dad, I never bother with New Year, you know that.”

Elsa still felt guilty, “You shouldn’t always spend it on your own,” she said.

“I won’t be on my own,” he reasoned, “Gray and Hesper will probably be there, neither of them seem to follow traditional holidays anymore.”

Elsa smiled, “Just try and have some fun,” she pleaded.

“I’ll try,” Marcus promised and he stood up, pulling on his coat, “I’d better get back,” he said, “I’ll be working late.”