Accession of the Stone Born: The Vigiles Urbani Chronicles Read Online Free PDF

me wherever I needed to go. The lack of guards made me feel somewhat lonely and gave me an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. The barracks were full of conversations, laughter, and comradery. It wasn’t as if I’d been included in any of it, but I did miss the sounds. Then there were the smells of the base and people who lived there. That may sound like odd things to miss, but there you have it. Not that I could smell anything, since a few hours after landing, the humidity and mold had me completely stopped up.
    The furniture was so clean. I’d become accustomed to a thin layer of sand coating everything…no matter how hard you tried, it was always there. Shaking my head at the thoughts, I pulled out a clean set of clothes and mechanically pulled them on. I needed to get past this sooner rather than later if I was going to survive in the private sector. I finished dressing quickly and headed out of the room, leaving my dirty clothes in a pile in front of the washer. It was a few minutes to five when I pushed open the door and found Andrew in the middle of preparing breakfast.
    Andrew glanced over at me and cocked his head. “Sleep well?”
    Heading towards the stove, I lied. “Absolutely!”
    Andrew paused, and eyed me again. “If that’s what you look like after a good night’s sleep, then you’re going to either need several more such nights or to learn what a good night’s sleep really is.”
    Ignoring his comment, I shrugged. “Anything I can help you with?”
    Andrew gave me a haughty look. “You can sit your ass down, before I knock you down. You’re in the south now and we take care of our guests.”
    I found myself following his instructions without a second thought. These new sensations I’d been experiencing since my arrival were very unsettling. The voice in the back of my head told me not to worry, which only made me worry more.
    Reluctantly taking my seat, I said, “You don’t have to wait on me. I’m old enough to make breakfast for the two of us.”
    Andrew pursed his lips and sucked in air through his teeth loudly. “The question is, can you cook?”
    I felt my chest swell with pride. Cooking was one of the few talents I possessed that would actually be acceptable in the States. It was unlikely there would be bloodshed or deaths involved, which for me was a bonus. During one of my many recovery periods from a serious injury, they’d taught me to cook as part of my rehabilitation.
    “I’m actually a really good cook.” I said.
    Andrew didn’t appear convinced as he spooned potatoes onto the plates. “We’ll find out tomorrow morning. You’ll be restricted to the basics of what’s in the fridge. If you can make something that I don’t want to scrape off my tongue after, then you have my permission to cook. Otherwise, don’t touch shit!”
    That made me chuckle. It was a good sign that he wanted me to stick around. One of the things that kept me up last night was the fact that my current state of unemployment dictated that I needed a few things. “Uncle Andrew, do you know where I can pick up a cell phone and a computer?”
    Andrew pushed a plate filled with crispy hash browns and two fried eggs in front of me before sitting down with his own. “I’ve got a perfectly good computer in the other room, if you’d like to use it.”
    Grabbing a fork, I was grateful for the offer, but I still shook my head no. “Thanks, but I really need to pick up one for myself. Something portable that I can use wherever I happen to wind up.”
    Andrew chewed his food silently, and absently stabbed a few more bits of potato with his fork before nodding. “There’s an Office Depot on St. Charles not too far away if you need something quick. They should be able to help you with the phone and the computer.” He paused, looked in my eyes, and smiled. “You know you’re welcome to stay here as long as you like.”
    “Thanks,” I replied.
    Andrew continued, speaking between bites. “Is there