Blood Bride

Chapter Twenty-Four: Payment of Demise

SHE didn't even know where to begin looking.

Dialing up Jon, she strode around the mall, waiting for him to pick up his cell phone.

It took a few rings before he answered, his smooth tone responding to the call.

"Ophelia, where are you?"

"At the mall."

Jon was speaking to someone in the background, from the voice it was Tobias.

"I've already run through the plans with Yami, Tobias, and Kiroh. I've sent Kiroh to retrieve you once you are done, and Yami is going on a supply run to retrieve some items for the second half of your task. I've already made the arrangements, so I will discuss them with you once you are back." She already knew the answer to the following question she inquired, asking anyway just to be sure.

"Am I taking care of Kyle's master as well?"

"You can't do half of the job. I expect that much from you." Ophelia had no issues with that. She needed to hurry up and find Kyle so she could return back and complete the given task.

"Do you have any idea where he could be? What direction he ran after he left the mansion?"

On the other end of the line, she heard Jon scoff.

"I'm a vampire, not a hound dog. That is your job."

"How am I supposed to know where he went?"

"Figure it out." She gave a frustrated huff, throwing open the glass doors and leaving the premises of the mall.

Ophelia wasn't sure as to whether or not Jon wanted to remain on the phone. He hadn't hung up or indicated of leaving, nor did he say anything, so she held the phone to her ear in silence.

"Ophelia now probably isn't the best time to discuss this. I keep forgetting to mention it, so while I remember, I will speak to you." Ophelia took in a breath, having a feeling that she wasn't going to like the discussion they were about to have. A gut feeling that made her open her mouth to ask him to talk later, but he had already begun speaking.

"Your mother's body is just sitting in the morgue. I wanted to know when you deemed fit to have a funeral, so I could plan ahead."

There was silence. Ophelia waited for the tears to come hearing those words leave his lips, waiting to feel the heart wrench of the reality setting on her chest like a weight of stones. It never did. She was completely numb, already accepting that her mother had passed. She didn't have the time to grieve, and she wouldn't start now. Not when she had a job to tend to.

"There won't be a funeral." She blatantly muttered, looking around the darkness of the parking lot before crossing through it. "There would be no point. It would be pitiful. I would be the only one who knew her, and I doubt she wants a pity party. I won't do that to her." Stepping out onto the sidewalk, she found a discount store and headed in the direction. "I just want her and my father to be buried somewhere nice if that isn't too much to ask for." At first, she really did believe she was pushing the envelope considering her father was already buried in another cemetery.

"If that's what you want, then I will oblige. That's all I wanted to discuss with you. Be on your way, and call me when the deed is done." That's when he hung up, leaving Ophelia without a lead.

Clutching the phone in her hand, she lowered it from her ear.

She knew in her heart she would find him. She wouldn't miss this opportunity to put an end to him, and she would search every inch of this town if she had to.