CHRIS: [nods] I imagine it’s hard on Bastien, too.
MELANIE: [faint smile] It kills you to offer him sympathy, doesn’t it?
CHRIS: [throws up his hands] Yes! I can’t help it! I can’t stand the bastard!
MELANIE: [laughs] Look, I know his past is a little dark…
CHRIS: [gapes] A little? He raised an army of vampires with the intention of destroying the Immortal Guardians!
MELANIE: [waves a hand] That’s all in the past.
CHRIS: I could name several thousand immortals who say it isn’t.
MELANIE: [frowns] Well, you could help us with that, you know. You have a lot of influence with the immortals. If you could convince them to give Bastien a second chance—
CHRIS: I don’t think he deserves a second chance.
MELANIE: Really? After everything he’s done lately?
CHRIS: [grumbles something under his breath]
MELANIE: [leans forward] I’m sorry. I didn’t quite catch that.
CHRIS: I said it’s possible… if he doesn’t open his mouth… and if one examines his actions with a magnifying glass while squinting just so after getting blind stinking drunk… that Bastien isn’t all bad.
MELANIE: I wouldn’t love him if he were.
CHRIS: I’m not even going to—[fumbles in his pocket when his cell phone chirps, then frowns at the display and mumbles] Speak of the devil. [answers the call] Reordon. … [listens a moment] At David’s place, interviewing Melanie. Why? … [tosses her a disgruntled look] What? How many? … Damn it, Bastien! … No, you can’t just leave them there. What if humans see? … No, don’t throw them on the roof! … [growls] All right, all right. A cleanup crew is on the way. [ends the call]
MELANIE: [jumps when her cell phone rings, then answers it] Hello? … [glances at Chris] Hi, sweetie. Everything okay? … Uh-huh. … Uh-huh. … [purses her lips] Sure. Pizza sounds great. … Okay. Love you too. [hangs up and studies Chris] Wow. Your face is really red.
CHRIS: Pizza! Seriously? He just painted Duke University red with blood!
MELANIE: Not the whole university. And it isn’t his fault vampires like to hunt on college campuses.
CHRIS: [rises] I have to go straighten this out, send a cleanup crew. And by the way, we didn’t need a bus before Bastien came along. One or two cleaners at a time used to suffice.
MELANIE: [weak smile] Thanks for the interview?
CHRIS: [grumbles some more and dials his phone as he leaves]
October 2012
Phantom Shadows Blog Tour
SHELDON: Thanks for sitting down with me for an interview, guys.
MELANIE: Thank you for agreeing to do it. I know Chris Reordon was going to conduct the interview. But I didn’t think he would be able to… get past…
SHELDON: The deep-seated hatred he feels for Bastien?
MELANIE: Yes.
SHELDON: His desire to kill him?
MELANIE: Yes.
SHELDON: His—
BASTIEN: We get it. First question.
SHELDON: [clears his throat] Right. So. Melanie, how do you like working with vampires on a daily basis? You’re the first mortal to do so for this length of time.
MELANIE: It’s been an amazing experience. A heartbreaking one, too. The vampires surrendered during Bastien’s uprising and were provided with apartments down at network headquarters.
SHELDON: Right across from your office.
MELANIE: Yes. It was a difficult adjustment for them, but they’ve settled in nicely and have really advanced our understanding of the virus and the madness it causes.
SHELDON: Were you scared?
MELANIE: I was nervous at first. Who wouldn’t be? But after working with them every day and getting to know them… [shrugs] They’re friends now. Family. It kills me that I haven’t been able to help them.
BASTIEN: You have helped them.
MELANIE: I haven’t found a cure. And even if I did and managed to destroy the virus, they would be left with no viable immune system.
BASTIEN: You’ve helped them, Melanie, in dozens of ways. And if anyone can find a solution to this, you can.
SHELDON: [nods] That’s what everyone is saying.
MELANIE: That’s a lot of pressure.
BASTIEN: But you’re handling it beautifully.
SHELDON: [smiles] They say that, too. So what do your colleagues think of your working hands-on with vampires?
MELANIE: I don’t really think about that.
BASTIEN: [snorts] The men are total wusses and make snide comments because they’re too cowardly to do it themselves.
MELANIE: You know about that?
BASTIEN: Yes.
MELANIE: How?
BASTIEN: The walls at the network aren’t soundproof. The vampires hear everything that goes on there and passed it along.
MELANIE: [nibbles her lower lip] You didn’t… do anything, did you? To remedy it, I mean? Because there haven’t been any snide comments of late and I’ve been wondering why.
BASTIEN: I may have held a conversation with Dr. Whetsman and his cronies.
MELANIE: [groans] Bastien, what did you do?
BASTIEN: [innocent look] Nothing… [sly smile] …that they didn’t deserve.
SHELDON: [laughs as Melanie groans again] You’d better hope Chris Reordon doesn’t find out. He already wants your head on a platter.
BASTIEN: I’m pretty sure they won’t tell anyone.
SHELDON: I bet they won’t. Now, Bastien, you seem to spend an awful lot of time at the network visiting the, uh, vampires.
BASTIEN: They’re like brothers to me.
SHELDON: And it’s purely a coincidence that you usually visit during times they’re working with Dr. Lipton?
BASTIEN: Yes.
SHELDON: Dude, come on. I saw you kiss her.
BASTIEN: No, you didn’t.
SHELDON: Yes, I…
BASTIEN: [eyes flash bright amber]
SHELDON: [swallows] No, I didn’t.
BASTIEN: [nods, eyes returning to their customary warm brown]
SHELDON: Okay, off the record, I did. Note I said off the record, so you don’t have to hurt me.
BASTIEN: And?
SHELDON: And she didn’t try to stake you, so she must have been willing. Melanie, when did you first realize you had a crush on Satan?
MELANIE: [laughs] You love to live dangerously, don’t you? [shakes her head] I was intrigued by Bastien before I even met him. The vampires talked about him often in their early days here. Still do, in fact. And I liked what I heard. Once I met him, [sends Bastien a flirtatious glance] I liked what I saw just as much.
SHELDON: Gag. Bastien, when did you first realize you had feelings for Melanie?
BASTIEN: None of your business.
SHELDON: Good enough.
MELANIE: [laughs again] He isn’t what you think he is, Sheldon.
SHELDON: Right.
MELANIE: Bastien is a good man, not the monster so many believe him.
SHELDON: He raised an army of psychotic vampires with the intention of destroying all Immortal Guardians.
MELANIE: That was just a misunderstanding.
SHELDON: Uh-huh. You’re not going to convince me, so I’ll just change the subject. Melanie, rumor has it you can kick some serious ass.
MELANIE: [blushes] Not really.
BASTIEN: Yes, she can. I’ve seen her in action. Melanie can hold her own against vampires, an amazing feat for a mortal.
SHELDON: Really? I thought only Ami could do that.