I had seen the shop around before. Though I had never been inside, I had seen it (and maybe spent a lot of time staring through the windows at night). It was edgy, with sharp black and silver accents and flamboyantly dressed mannequins in the windows. When I was in high school, the girls all fawned over the place during homecoming and prom because Brink's was known for one-of-a-kind dresses. The thought of going to such an upscale local luxury made me wonder what Oliver had negotiated for it. "What's Maria getting out of it?" I asked.
Oliver beamed. "What do any of us get out of it?" he replied. "Blood. Since Botswick's a medical student, he can sneak into labs and get blood bags which is great as they're always chilled and we vamps don't have to worry about causing a panic within the mortal community. Now c'mon, Thorne. Get up and get dressed." He took the laptop from me, shutting it forcefully as he left the room. I rolled off the bed and slid into some graying black skinnys and a flannel shirt before I managed to slink my way downstairs. Val, Nikki, and Oliver were already waiting for me by the door. "Come ooon, Thorne!" Oliver sang, dangling his keys.
"Whose vehicle are we taking?" I questioned.
"Oliver's borrowing his friend's Jeep", Nikki shrugged, following Oliver out. I looked to Valerie who just made a sweeping gesture to the door, as if saying "go ahead". We walked outside and piled into a 1996 Grand Cherokee that Oliver drove to a large strip mall complete with a little cobblestone walk and park benches between the stores, like Bourbon Street if it had any class. Oliver hastily reached into his pocket and pulled out a few wads of cash.
"I'm pretty sure there's a thousand each", the vampire informed boredly despite the awe my siblings and I shared. He gave each of us a neatly stacked pile of bills, put together with a money clip. Even with the bodies and the shop, I don't think any of us had held this much. Where did Oliver get all of this? "Just come see me if you run out but don't spend it on stupid stuff", he grumbled. "Ugh, it's so hot out here. Thorne, come on. We might as well go see Maria first."
"When should we try meeting up again?" Valerie asked quickly.
