Chapter 7 Elijah #3
I do, telling him about my blunders at work and how some have been so egregious, the only way out of them has been compelling people to forget and begging Molly to fix them for me.
When I get to the part where Molly laughed at my compulsion, Dylan laughs himself.
He looks gobsmacked, which is coincidentally how I feel about the whole affair.
‘She didn’t look even a little convinced?’
‘No, she looked like she thought I was an odd man attempting to boss her around.’
Dylan whistles. ‘I think I’d like Molly.’
‘Impossible not to,’ I agree. Food plates are deposited on the table in front of us, and the waiter gives me the same wary stare he always does when I smile congenially and don’t eat any of the food ordered.
It’s not that I can’t eat, only that my digestion isn’t suited for it any more.
It does me better to enjoy it in an olfactory way.
‘There’s one person who would know,’ Dylan says around a bite of chicken korma. I narrow my eyes and tilt my head.
‘Do tell,’ I say, but I know who he means. I’m just surprised he’d dare bring her up when I’ve made it very clear how I feel about reaching out to anyone in my family.
‘Your sister.’
‘No,’ I say without considering it.
‘Come on, E, you can’t ignore her forever.’
‘Not forever, but at least for another few years.’
Evangeline–Jellie as she’s more commonly known–has dedicated a great deal of her many years on this Earth to understanding the living things on it.
The mortal, the undead, the supernatural; she’s a scholar on sentient beings big and small, and my favourite vampire.
Her interest in mortals and other non-vampiric creatures would make her another black sheep in the family, if not for her tenure on the Council of Supernatural and Paranormal Beings, an organisation my mother holds in great acclaim.
Unlike the rest of my family, she’s kept in touch, forcing her visits on me every few years and begging me to come home with her each time.
It always leaves me feeling supremely guilty and even lonelier than I’d felt before she arrived.
If I reach out to her now, she’ll probably try to offer me another job on her research team.
Dylan met her on one such visit, and the pair became fast friends. They’ve kept in touch, and Dylan has participated in multiple werewolf studies she’s conducted.
He’s right that if there’s anyone who would know why Molly doesn’t fall victim to my abilities, it’s Jellie.
‘It’d probably make her year if you texted her,’ Dylan tells me. ‘She misses you.’
I miss her, too, but sometimes it’s easier to ignore her than to face her knowing, pitying stares.
‘I’ll think about it,’ I tell him. As confounding as Molly is to me, I’m reluctant to draw attention to myself unneedfully. Not to mention the council case study she would become.
‘And, hey, if she figures out your secret, I guess you could go live with your family. They’re richer than God or whatever.’
That’s one way to put it. They have four centuries of accumulated wealth, and I would too, if not for my self-inflicted isolation before the Second World War.
I have barely spoken to any of them, save for my sister, since.
Mother attempted to keep in touch at first, always soft at heart, but gave up after a decade of unanswered letters.
They could have come to the estate any time–they knew I was holed up there–but I think after a while they didn’t come to me on principle.
I get it. Gregory and I have been at odds for so long that any visit leads immediately to a fight, plus I haven’t been the best of company for the better part of the last century.
‘I want to try my hand at life on my own first,’ I tell Dylan.
He taps the rim of his glass of water to my untouched one and takes a long drink. ‘Cheers to your new life, then.’
‘What movie is up on the re-education of Elijah Thorne tonight?’
Dylan grins. ‘What do you know about the Alien franchise?’
Teams message from Elijah Thorne to Molly Mason on 13 October 2026, 10.14 a.m.
Elijah: Dear Molly,
Elijah: Apologies, I didn’t think that key would send the message, let me begin again.
Elijah: Dear Molly,
Elijah: Apologies again. I will just type the message without proper line spacing before I hit ‘enter’. I will try again now.
Molly: Dude lol.
Molly: What do you need?
Elijah: Dear Molly, Will you please direct me to where I can find an ultra-wide curved monitor? I must find a way to deliver it to a new employee in Minnesota. Their start date is Thursday 22 October.
Elijah: Sincerely,
Elijah: Elijah
Molly: Kenneth takes care of those usually. Assign the ticket to him.
Elijah: Molly,
Elijah: Thank you, I will do this.
Elijah: Sincerely, Elijah
Molly: IMs don’t require the same formality as emails btw
Elijah: What is IM?–Elijah
Molly: Instant Messages?
Molly: When you message me here, it’s an IM.
Molly: How do you even call yourself a millennial?
Elijah: Understood.–Elijah
Molly: No, I know it’s you. You don’t have to sign your name.
Elijah: Of course. Just the message contents required. Thank you.
Molly: np
Elijah: What is np?
Molly: No problem.
Elijah: Oh, that’s good.
Molly: No, like np stands for no problem.
Elijah: Ah, of course. Taking note of this.