The Stars Lie {Myrnin, Morganville Vampires}

When Yesterday Is Missing

Thankfully, Oliver couldn't contain his tongue as usual and provided my first clue. "Get on with it man! I haven't got all day. What did you find out about the alternate heat sensing we discussed yesterday?"

Yesterday? I knew I was sometimes prone to mind addled breaks, particularly after indulging my more primal desires, but this was extreme even for me. Fear began to tug at me, as the possibilities for the break in reality, started to come to mind. But I composed myself in the next instant and began an elaborate — if not entirely fact based — opinion of the heat sensors. Ending with the conclusion they would not be easily functional or overly useful at the present time.

Amelie eyed me suspiciously. She knew me well enough to suspect there was something off in my tone, so I rambled on, "I would happily let Oliver test the new system by running naked across the borders. Of course, I would need to get his base temperature first. Oliver, would you prefer to do that orally or..."

"That's enough!" Oliver roared. His fangs flashed as he propelled himself toward me with a dangerous glint in his eye. The humans in the room scattered to get out of the path of his destruction. But for me, it was like watching someone in slow motion as I effortlessly snaked to the side watching Oliver grasp at the air where I was just standing.

He spun, eyes hard, promising me harm, when Amelie held up a hand. "I agree, I think that is quite enough. You are dismissed, Myrnin"

"Of course, of course" I contained a smile, pleased at my successful distraction, and then hurried out, carefully choosing to take the door this time.

I made it back to the lab and began my mad search for answers.

There were only two real possibilities. First, I had traveled through time when I stepped through the portal. Even to me, that sounded absurd. But the only other possibility filled me with dread — that somehow I was having large breaks in memory loss. Not again. I ran to the dresser and started throwing out drawers, hunting for the small red crystals. I thought we were cured, I agonized, not wanting to think about the ramifications if that were not true.

I felt a wave of horror wash through me as my whole being rejected the thought.

Furiously calculating the possibilities in my head, I paced the floor. Time travel — but if I traveled through time, why didn't I end up at the location I intended, just in another time? No. It had to be option two.

No! I screamed silently in my head.

Spent, I couldn't stop the tears, couldn't stop myself from feeling a loss so strongly that I couldn't bear the weight of my own body. Falling to my knees, I held my head in my hands. Just when I thought I had back the one thing I cherished most — my sanity — it had slipped through my fingers again. After years of struggle, we had finally found a cure, Bishop's blood. What had gone wrong?

"Myrnin?"

Oh shit, was that Claire? How did she get here so quickly? I jumped up to the nearest table and began furiously looking through the resource books I had left there, trying to regain some little ounce of composure before she saw me.

"Myrnin?" Claire called louder. I heard her heartbeat pick up in response to my silence.

"Claire!" I called out. Stall, stall, stall, I thought. I wasn't ready to talk yet and blurted out, "What took you so long? It's been almost twenty minutes!" Had it? I wasn't sure how much time had gone by since I called her.

I could hear her exhale slowly and then silence, for a moment, as she let go of her irritation with me. I still wasn't ready to face her. She had grown quite adept at reading my moods, which sometimes flustered me. Most humans...and vampires... could not discern what I was thinking at any given moment, and I immensely enjoyed the confusion I caused in their expressions. But Claire was different and she didn't even realize how much.