Ordained by Devon Ashley Page B

immortal,” Emily said, befuddled.
    “Join the club,” replied Abby. Truth was, her kind had spent millennia trying to figure it out. It was only with recent advancements in technology that they were able to more clearly define their unique characteristics.
    “I’m not quite sure how it all works, but I’ll tell you what was told to me by our researcher. It has something to do with cellular apoptosis.”
    Emily looked lost, dumbfounded. “Abby, this place taught us how to read and write, but it wasn’t meant to get us into college. I’m gonna need simple terms.”
    “It means cell death. Every cell in the human body has some sort of self destruction button. If the cell is sick there are several possible ways for it to die. If it starts inside the cell, something called p53 is needed. If outside the cell, it’s necessary for lignands to bind to the cell wall. The blood from my line acts like a poison, causing every cell in the body to start the process for cellular death. But our blood also contains decoys in massive numbers. They’re blank forms of p53 and lignands. They attach, and since they don’t actually do anything, the cells can no longer kill themselves. It also seems to keep us from aging further. Noel and I are in what seems to be limbo, neither life or death progress any further.”
    “Wow,” said Emily, looking completely taken aback. “That still went completely over my head.”
    “Took a while for me to get it too,” Abby said reassuringly.
    “Okay, I’m not a science person, but tell me this. You can keep your cells from dying but what about infection? Say your cells get sick and they can’t be replaced because they can’t die?”
    “Look at you,” Abby said brightly. “Smarter than you know. Until recently, we didn’t know this is what our bodies were doing. Our kind rarely gets infections. Somewhere along the line, someone did get sick and decided to drain himself of the tainted blood. He had a transfusion done, pumped himself with some medicine and the infection seemed to go away.”
    “Wouldn’t that kill you? Losing all your blood?”
    Abby grinned. “If it did, that stupid mural in the front lobby would depict it as another option.”
    “So how long have you guys been this way? Were you a pure vampire when you lived here?”
    “I wasn’t, but Noel was turned back in the late 1700’s. He was on his first assignment in Romania when he found me wandering in a forest. I was three and all alone. He understood the mark of the hunter on my shoulder and brought me here. Thirteen years later he returned to collect me.”
    “Why?” asked Emily, confused.
    “He claimed guardianship when he dropped me off. He knew hunters were released into the world without guidance and wouldn’t leave me there to train if they didn’t approve his terms. I spent the next nine years working with Noel…until-”
    “Eraticus,” interrupted Emily.
    Abby nodded her head, her eyes gazing out into the foliage. She remembered it like it was yesterday. She too had the brooding monster seek her out. She could still feel the heavy pressure sitting upon her chest, suffocating her, the cold dark eyes staring down at her from less than a foot away. His breath was rank and hot. Sharp talons cut into her neck as he gripped her tight. She was beginning to lose consciousness from blood loss when she pulled that dagger from her boot and began swiping blindly.
    “I lost,” Abby said solemnly. “Just like everyone else. But not before permanently scarring his left cheek.” Abby drew an imaginary slash mark on her cheek. “In retribution, he left me to die a slow death.”
    “Giving Noel time to come in and infect you before passing on.”
    “Lucky me,” sighed Abby. Damned to life in darkness and solitude.
     
    The thick, old-fashioned curtains in the library had been drawn by Emily to block all natural light. Abby felt relieved that Emily knew. They always had to be careful of their actions, careful not