The Cure

Chapter 26 -- S'Right

Recap: Having left a slew of vampire corpses in the Bon Voyage funeral home in Chicago, Bunny, Vendetta (alias Joey V), and their teen companions have come to Boston. They plan to disguise themselves as a family eager to get their daughter into the exclusive private school in which Rose Blood is a student. Their hope is that Rose Blood has a backup copy of the genetic data which can lead to a cure for vampirism.

Chapter 26 - S'Right

From the back seat of the Lexus, Kathy looked bleary-eyed out at Boston's Public Garden, a peaceful oasis in the heart of the city. The sidewalk was wet and early morning sunlight made the night's raindrops sparkle on the bushes and grass beyond the iron fence. She'd slept most of the way from Chicago, awakening only to use the bathroom or buy a quick snack when they'd stopped for gas. At one point, with Vendetta driving, she'd heard Bunny call someone and request "a makeover for a tall co-ed couple and two girls in their teens." Before she could ask Bunny how they'd be made over, Vendetta had begun a rant about the escalating costs of the trip, the loss of his hearse and his practice time with Lionel. Bunny had responded with her complaints about his nasty associates in Chicago and his failure to be there for her when she needed him. They'd sounded so much like her parents that Kathy had sought refuge in sleep.

Bunny steered the Lexus onto a street of trendy shops and renovated brownstones, some with large display windows on the ground floor, others with steps leading down to basement boutiques or up to art galleries.

"Not Newbury Street," Kathy grumbled.

"Is it bad?" asked Soo, sitting next to her.

"It's the center of fashion in Boston," said Bunny. "Chanel, Ralph Lauren, Valentino, Armani - they all have stores here."

From the front passenger seat, Vendetta spoke over his shoulder. "Very overpriced. We had better styles and longer lasting clothes in Padua, three hundred years ago."

"We've seen you wear some at school," said Kathy. "For the 18th century, they're really fab."

"You've been to this street before?" asked Soo.

"My mother brought me here a few times when I was little," said Kathy. "My father sometimes had bank meetings in Boston and Mom would drag me away from the hotel to get her hair done in one of these fancy salons and then parade through the galleries. I'd be bored out of my mind." She turned to Bunny. "Are we safe from the Satanic Legion here?"

"Safer than most places. I have a friend living here." Bunny stopped the car between two metal poles bearing red and white No Parking signs. A wooden signboard at the edge of the sidewalk said S' Right Valet Parking.

"Kathy you can get out," said Bunny. "The rest of us will wait until a valet brings us an umbrella. They're opening early for us."

"It's no longer raining," said Soo.

"I don't want anyone looking down from a window seeing our pretty faces," said Bunny.

Kathy reached for the door handle. "S'Right Fashions? Opening just for us?" The ritzy design house and its upscale shops had surged in popularity because of billions spent on advertising in traditional and social media, with S'Right endorsements from rock stars, athletes, supermodels and brain surgeons. But it was the company's motto that had captured public imagination and debate.

"Go!" ordered Bunny.

Kathy got out of the car and walked toward the display windows. She looked at the mannequins, one in a red sequined dress and another in a white lace gown. Matching shoes, scarves, handbags and jewelry were set on small pedestals against a backdrop that looked like a casino.