"Marie!"
Marie donned her red fur coat with haste, sprinting down the lonely corridor to her secret exit.
The hotel manager leapt in front of her. Marie stifled the sigh in her chest, trying to maintain composure despite the fact she was a full day behind schedule.
She was supposed to be in Miami to deliver the opening speech at the 2050 Trailblazers' Convention tomorrow evening. She had done it for the past nineteen years, and was going to do whatever it took to make sure she didn't miss the twentieth anniversary.
"Marie, listen to me, you shouldn't do this," she begged.
Marie turned to her secretary. The teenager was glued to her side, a slight glimmer of apprehension resting in her eyes.
"Andrew's out there, squeeze by us and go to the car," she directed.
"Yes, ma'am," she said.
Marie hoped Stella would be comfortable enough to ditch the formalities by now, considering she had unintentionally become a full-time resident in her house, but maybe she wasn't trying to press her luck.
"Mona, I can't cancel on them at the last minute. I'm the main keynote speaker," Marie pressed.
"Yes, you can, it's not safe, you could get attacked."
"I've been attacked here and at home three times in the past two weeks. I can't live in fear."
"You're bringing Stella into a hostile, unfamiliar environment. Are her parents okay with this?"
"Stella's parents only contact me when they want a check. She's safer with me than she is with them."
Marie just barely managed to get the girl back up to a healthy weight. She couldn't afford to leave her at home all week to starve.
Marie gently pushed herself past Ramona. "I'm sorry, I really have to go. You know the drill, just make sure everyone does their job at the hotel, and call me if you run into any problems. I can always come back early."
"Marie, I'm worried about you, you've been having dizzy spells, you've been tired and unfocused," she sighed.
Ah, so that's what this is about, Marie thought.
"Ramona, we talked about this, it's only because I'm stressed about all the chaos that's going on. For God's sake, I'm an immortal. Vertigo can't actually hurt me," she insisted.
"A hybrid immortal," she corrected.
Marie knew in the back of her mind that the dizzy spells weren't due to stress. Over the course of Marie's one-hundred and eighty years, three world wars, two depressions and dozens of other historical events had made her unshakable. She had endured the whirling at least once a week for three months now. She just couldn't muster up the courage to investigate them. She didn't want to know what was wrong with her. She had never heard of a sick hybrid immortal.
"I'll be fine," Marie said, adding finality to her tone.
Marie couldn't afford to continue the conversation outside. As much as she loved them, she was in no mood to be seen by fanatic patrons, or haggled by starving citizens on the street.
Marie zipped her coat and tucked her hands into its pockets. A fresh blanket of snow crunched under her boots as she walked to the car.
The chauffeur opened the door, and she climbed into her black Tesla. Ramona stood in front of the hotel and gave her a weak smile. Marie waved back, trying to offer some reassurance as Andrew sped off.
Marie leaned into the warm leather seats, and let out a sigh of relief. She wiped the snowflakes off her white business skirt and untucked one of her strawberry blonde bangs. She was going to make it to the convention after all.
"We don't have to stop by the mansion. I have all the luggage packed, Marie," he said.
Her cheeks filled with pleasure. "Oh, Andrew, you didn't have to do that. I would have."
"You pay me sixty an hour, you're the reason why I don't have to get a second job, plus you gave me a fifty-thousand-dollar advance for this trip. I'm going to do my job," he said.
In this economy, a fifty-thousand dollar advance covered six months' worth of groceries. Marie couldn't bear to watch his children starve. She wished she could help the city. She was the biggest donor at practically every organization in the city, and before anti-immortal sentiment increased, she always made sure she had food on hand to give to the needy.
The first couple hours of the drive were spent plowing through New York City and the northern half of New Jersey. Marie wished she could return to the convenience of commercial air travel, but after the attack she endured a few years ago, she was determined to avoid planes at all costs. Maybe it was time to seek out a private jet.
The night was dark and cold, the road endless. Marie was going to be awake every second of the drive. Half-immortals only could sleep every few days, and she had made the mistake of catching up right before the trip. She couldn't handle the spinning anymore.
The faint sound of skidding tires ripped her out of her mindless stupor. A car was hurdling toward the driver's side at the intersection. It was going to be a direct hit for Andrew. A human.
Marie leapt from her seat and sat on top of Andrew. She would heal. He wouldn't.
The impact pushed her off him, and her ankle twisted as soon as her body hit the floor. Broken glass rained from the window, shards piercing Marie's skin, even as she tried to shelter herself.
Marie masked the pain as best she could, her eyes focused completely on her human assistants.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
"I'm fine," Andrew said.
Marie's sacrifice worked. He had barely moved an inch. And by some miracle, Andrew had only been nicked by a few small pieces. Blood poured from Marie's arm.
Stella leaned against the seat, her breaths coming out in heavy pants as she tried to process what just happened.
"Stella?" Marie asked.
"I'm fine," she stammered.
"Andrew, the car," Marie choked out.
"You're injured," he argued.
"I'm not. It'll be like nothing happened tomorrow," Marie insisted.
Andrew pulled the mangled door open. There was no way they'd be able to drive now, no matter how hopeful Marie was.