Life Sucks

"**Life Sucks**" is the fourth episode of Season 1, the first episode of The Book Club story arc, and the fourth episode of the show overall.

## Synopsis

*Recovering from his injuries, Lee allows Isiah to help him. Polly confronts her brother.*

## Plot

### Part One

#### Flash-Back

Four years ago, Lee sits alone in a kitchen as Polly argues with their mother, Kara in the other room. Lee gets closer, beginning to over hear them talking about him. Polly says that Kara is stifling the both of them and that "since dad died, all you've done is treat us like shit!" Their mother continues to argue with her that she is simply trying to keep them safe, but she has had enough. Polly comes from the room holding two cases. She grabs Lee by the hand and says that "we're going." Kara calls to them, saying that she "can't go!" but Lee doesn't resist and goes with Polly. Later, at a train station, the two sit together and Lee asks what they're going to do. Polly then says that "we can go anywhere. You always wanted to go to New London, right? Let's go there. I'll keep you safe, little brother, I promise."

#### Present-Day

Lee wakes up in a small bedroom. His wound on his side and the cuts on his face have all been healed. He sits up just as a man with burns on the side of his face and an orange eye walks in. Upon seeing Lee recoil, he introduces himself as Heracles, telling him that he is "here to help. Jill and Isiah brought you here. Everything's fine." Lee asks where he is and how long he has been there. Heracles tells him that he is at his apartment and has been there for a few hours. Lee calls him out, motioning to where his wounds should be, but he tells him that "once I set your bones back into place and stitched the flesh back together, your healing factor took over. Relax. I'm not lying to you."

Isiah then walks in as Heracles begins examining Lee. He tells him that he is glad to see that he is okay, to which Lee thanks him. He then tells Isiah that "if...if the offer is still on the table for this...club thing..." Isiah nods calmly, saying that "we'd be delighted." Heracles adds that he is also a part of the book club and looks forward to seeing him there. He then says that Lee is fine and that he can go home. Lee then remembers his sister, grabbing his phone from the table next to the bed. There are multiple missed phone calls and he begins gathering his things quickly. He thanks the two men for helping him and that "I guess I'll see you..." Isiah finishes his sentence by saying "tomorrow. Nine o'clock. The library."

At the AVD, Boris tells Harriet about his encounter with Jill at a meeting room. He calls her "Jess Black" and says that she "was a friend. For a while, at least. Then she just disappeared. I figured she just moved somewhere else, but...I guess not." Harriet asks when this was and he says that it was "about five years ago." She then tells Boris to file a report and they will start looking for her, but she anticipates that she will have changed her name since. Valerie then walks in, telling them that they did well the night before and thanking Harriet in particular for finding the base. She then says that a lot of Blood-born managed to escape and that they should be focusing on that for the time being. Harriet asks to continue looking into the death of Henka as she believes that Lee knows something about what happened, but Valerie tells her that "one vamp's death isn't our priority right now. We're looking at the potential eradication of an entire gang, here."

### Part Two

Lee gets back to the flat, sneaking in quietly. Polly is stood waiting for him in the kitchen, looking furious. He tries telling her that he can explain, but she throws her arms around him and tells him that she was worried sick. She then slaps him across the face and demands that he tell her what happened, saying that "you can't do that! I thought you were dead, I thought...". He says that he went back out and slept over at a friend's, but that his phone died. He apologises profusely, but tells her that he is still tired and wants to sleep. She agrees and goes to leave for work, her face still looking worried. On his way to bed, Lee grabs a drink of water, but as he finishes the glass, he still looks at it thirstily. He catches himself and shakes his head, dropping onto the mattress. He then hugs the pillow with his face, his sobs muffled and quiet as he falls asleep.

Jill goes to Heirloom, where she meets up with a man called Dante. She asks him if he has what she wants and he hands her a file titles 'Boris Anderson'. Dante asks her what she wants with "some random AVD member" but she tells him to "piss off," calling him a "traitor to your own kind." Dante says that the AVD is an easy way to get blood without any hassle and that the information he sells gets him good money. He tells her that he takes no part in killing other vampires, but if she has any problems with his job, he can simply take the file back. Jill gets up and leaves, giving him a dirty look.

Harriet and Boris drive from the AVD. Boris talks about possible secondary locations of Blood-born members, commenting that they didn't get "the one they called The Widowmaker". Suddenly, Harriet stops the car while he is still talking. She tells him that she is sorry, and he looks out the car and sees the alley where Henka was found. He looks back at her and says that she's "not going to let it go, are you." She shakes her head and Boris sighs before agreeing to help, stating that "I have a feeling this is going to get us into more trouble than it's worth, but fine." They climb out and re-enter the alley. By now, every piece of evidence has be documented and cleared away and only the police tape remains. Two dried puddles of blood still remain on the ground and Boris looks at them both, saying that "assuming our guy died immediately and didn't stumble before falling, then maybe this blood's from your witness" he then goes on to ask that if Henka died, who killed him and turned the witness, to which Harriet states that "that's what's bugging me. Who would go out of their way to kill one vampire and create another?" She then tells him that they need to find the witness before turning around and seeing a security camera on the other end of the street.

Polly returns to the flat after work, which wakes Lee up. By now, the sun has set and Lee frantically makes himself look presentable and pretends not to have slept through most of the day. She asks him if he has eaten, to which he says no and she hands him a leftover sandwich from work. As he chews, he frowns at the food but continues eating. Polly tells him that she is worried about him, so she thought that they could get out of the city for a few days. She tells him that she got a few days off on the weekend and suggests spending some time together. Lee nods and says that it sounds nice. Polly smiles as he finishes his sandwich. Lee still looks hungry afterwards.

### Part Three

Later, Lee walks to the library, finding that his eyes can see down dark alleys and he can hear things from multiple streets away. He tries not to act freaked out, but can't help himself. As he walks past a woman, he catches a whiff of her scent and stops in his tracks. His stomach trembles and he licks his lips, looking back at the woman as she turns a corner. For a moment, he considers following her, but catches himself and shakes his head, disgusted. He turns back to the street and sees Jill stood watching him. He says hi and a few moments pass before she replies. He then asks her "does it get easier...to, you know..." She shakes her head silently and tells him that it's the same "even if you're full." She takes him to the library, where Isiah, Heracles, and two other people are sat in a small reading room at the back. The other man and woman introduce themselves as Strepp and Nynaeve, who greet him warmly.

The others begin chatting amongst themselves, Jill sitting on her own and contemplating something while Lee stands around awkwardly. Then, Isiah disappears behind a door and brings out a large plate. On it are several cups filled with dark red. He hands them out, giving one to Lee and nodding at him. Strepp seems to notice this and says that "it doesn't taste great, but it's better than the alternative." Lee looks at the cup grimly. He repeats what Strepp said hesitantly takes a sip. Jill watches on, a passive look on her face as he continues drinking, his eyes squeezed shut. When he finishes, Nynaeve pats him on the back and he avoids everyone's eyes, turning to face the wall as he wipes his mouth and takes a deep breath.

In a dimly lit room at the AVD, Harriet and Boris manage to pull the security camera footage of the night of the accident. It shows a blurry figure being pulled into the black of the alleyway and, minutes later, stumbling out again covered in blood. Boris leans back in his chair and says that "that shows us nothing" but she shakes her head, holding on a frame of Lee, his face too blurred to make out. She quietly whispers that "something's just...not right. How does he walk in a human and walk out a vampire?"

The Widowmaker sits in a chair in a dusty room with boarded up windows. His ear has been bandaged and he drinks form a bottle of whiskey. Nils walks in, asking how he is feeling, but he tells him that he wants to know "exactly who the fuck it was that did this to me" pointing at his ear. Nils then says he'll do it and that "once we find him, he's dead." But The Widowmaker tells him not to kill Lee, but to bring him, saying that "something about that guy stank. How the hell didn't you smell it? He had something else in his blood. Not just human and vampire." He takes a swig of his bottle, then says "once I figure out what it is, *then* I kill him."

## Trivia

* First appearance of Heracles
* First appearance of Dante Young
* First appearance of Strepp Kamura
* First appearance of Nynaeve Linn
* As of this episode, Lee is now a part of the book club.