Aurora Sky Vampire Hunter - By Nikki Jefford Page 0,11

passing street brought us closer to certain doom. A beige sedan pulled into our lane right in front of us and, instinctively, I threw my right foot forward and pressed it into the mat. My mom pumped the brake and grumbled at the driver.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

I liked the tone of her voice. It was firm and assertive. She never took her eye off the road.

"Yes," I all but whispered.

We drove down the Glenn Highway a short distance before my mom took an exit right and crossed the bridge over the highway to the gated entrance leading into Elmendorf.

The sick feeling in the pit of my stomach returned as we approached the line of cars at the gate. I wasn't aware the feeling had gone until it came back worse than before.

"What if we turned around?" I asked suddenly. "Tell the agents I'm ill. Tell them I'm not ready yet."

"Aurora, you're going to have to get this over with at some point. I think it's best you complete orientation before the new semester starts. You'll feel better once it's done."

We were currently fourth in line. The lead vehicle, a truck, didn't appear to be going anywhere. A young military man leaned outside the booth, took something from the driver, and disappeared back inside.

"Don't worry," Mom said. "I know you'll do fine."

The military man's head reappeared right before the gate went up, and the truck drove forward. The next vehicle went right in.

Now only one car stood between me and captivity.

I turned to Mom. "Talk to them! Tell them I'll pay them back for the operation. I don't care if it takes me my entire life. I'll get their money back."

"They don't want money," Mom said. "I tried that. I would have paid any price to get you back. But we can't buy organs...the government can. We're lucky. The agents chose you. They wanted you to live."

Melcher and Crist didn't want me to live so much as serve. Why did my mom have to try and glorify this?

The car in front of us sped through the open gate. Mom drove forward, right up to the gates of hell.

"Hello," she said with a bright smile. "I'm Dana Sky, and this my daughter Aurora. We have an appointment with Agent Melcher."

The young military man showed no emotion. "IDs."

Mom and I dug out our wallets and pulled our driver's licenses out of their tight compartments. The man glanced at our cards, turned to a walkie-talkie, and spoke into it. "The VH recruit is here. Over."

Static ensued followed by scratchy words saying, "Send them in. Over."

The young man handed Mom our IDs. He tilted his head toward a black sedan waiting just through the gate. "That black sedan is your escort. Follow him."

The gate lifted and we drove onto the base.

My mom and I didn't speak as she followed the vehicle in front of us. The black sedan tuned on its right blinker. Mom did the same. We followed it down a wooded road. If my internal compass was any good, we were now traveling north, adjacent to the now-hidden Glenn Highway.

"Is this where you came to pick me up before?" I didn't recognize anything, but I was in a fog the last time I left here.

"Yes."

We followed the sedan down a quiet road. A parking lot emerged through the trees, leading directly to a building that looked like a bunker with no windows.

The sedan pulled into a parking spot. Mom took the one beside it.

I turned to my mom. "Will you wait for me?"

I'd seen Mom grab the Nora Roberts novel she was reading. That was a good sign.

"I don't know. I need to ask how long orientation lasts."

Agent Crist stepped out of the passenger seat of the sedan. Agent Melcher joined her, and they waited for my mom and me to step out. The agents were dressed in their matching gray suits and wool military coats that fell above their knees.

"Good morning, Mrs. Sky. Good morning, Aurora," Agent Melcher said. "No need to come inside, Mrs. Sky. I'll call you when Aurora is finished."

"When will that be?"

"It could take a few days."

"A few days!" my mom and I said at the same time.

Melcher grinned. "That all depends on Aurora."

I turned to my mother with pleading eyes. She hesitated.

"My daughter needs more time."

Relief washed through me. I wanted to throw my arms around my mom in that moment and kiss her cheeks. Only the scowl on Agent Crist's face stopped me.

"She just