Hungry as a Barn Owl by Alice Lee-Anne Beckett
Rated: Unknown at this point.
Timing: Uh if you at least read the first three books, you should be fine. It's just a random story with the Characters.
Disclaimer: All the characters belonged to Charlaine Harris, From the Sookie Stackhouse Novels.
Summary: Just another adventure for Sookie.
NOTE: Bill might not be in it. So If your team Bill…Sorry this is a Team Eric story.
Sookie felt restless in her bed and shot up to look what time it was. 2 am. She made a grunting sigh and hit the bed with her hands. She couldn't sleep because she had a cup of coffee at work. She had left work around 9pm which was early for her but they were dead at the bar.
Sookie walked down into her kitchen and felt a cold breeze coming from the window over the sink. She swears she shut it but as she turned on the light and looked over at it, she saw broken glass and blood. Then she saw a shadow under her table and backed up against the wall. Once her eyes adjusted she saw it. It was a brown and gray barn owl. The left wing was covered in blood. Owls were common in Bon Temp but she didn't expect to see one. She pitied the owl and started walking towards it, then she froze mid step. Sookie heard the owl's thoughts, it was a shape shifter. And the next thing that happened she didn't expect.
Slowly the owl turned itself back to the human self, a tiny woman with brown hair and gray eyes. Sookie now saw the girls left arm was covered in bite marks and she was bleeding out. The girl looked up at Sookie with great fear in her eyes mouthed 'help.' Sookie ran to the girl and helped her out from under the table, limped her over to the sofa in the other room. Sookie ran to the cabinet and grabbed a blanket and put it over the girl. Then she took rags and started patting the wounds, except the girl pushed her away.
"What is your name?" Sookie asked as she ran around trying to figure out what to do next. Silence came after that. "Don't be shy." And this time Sookie stared at the girl's face, she mouthed something but Sookie couldn't hear her. Then she entered the girls' thoughts to find out that the girl is mute. My name is Sophia and I know you can hear my thoughts. Sookie stared at the girl for a hard minute then they both jumped from the phone ringing. Sookie looked at the time and it was close to three already. She answered it without thinking. It was Eric, which was hugely unexpected.
"Sorry to wake you but we need your help. Something valuable is lost and needs to be found immediately." He rushed through his sentence and as Sookie looked at Sophia she smiled.
"Is this valuable nocturnal?" she said switching the phone to the other ear. The other end of the phone was silent. "Eric what did you do now?" she said, and then turned to Sophia to realize she was gone. Then the tea kettle went off and a crash came from behind her. Sophia was making tea, with the blanket wrapped around her like a towel. She was using her good arm to move dishes around. "Don't touch that!... Eric?" he hung up on her. She slammed the phone on the receiver and went to clean up after Sophia. Sophia was pacing and when she walked towards the couch she hit the wall.
"Are you ok?"Sookie helped her up and led her to the couch.
Yes, I'm fine. And don't worry about me, I've been in worse.
She then examined the bite marks. They weren't done by an animal, they were done by vampires. Fire stirred inside Sookie, as she guessed Eric did have something to do with this. Right when she thought of this, there was a knock on her door and Eric's voice echoed outside. Sookie hollered at him and he entered the house looking around. When he spotted Sophia he was in front of her in a flash examining her arm.
"Eric what did you do to her?" Sookie yelled, her mind was going twelve million miles per hour from the coffee and the excitement. Eric's fangs were retracted and Sookie guessed he was going to bite Sophia again. Sookie pushed Eric out of the way and cradled Sophia. This whole time Sophia was silent even inside her head
"Sookie let me explain." He reached out his hand which was holding something. Sophia then pushed Sookie away and grabbed what it was. They were thick rimmed glasses, almost like Ray Bands. Sophia pushed them on her face and smiled at Eric.
He didn't do any of this. If anything I did this myself. Sophia's voice was muffled and soft even in her mind. Sookie looked down full of anger and confusion.
"Explain to me why she has vampire bit marks up her arm?"
"She was on sale at a vampire black market. They sell special people you don't usually see every day. Maybe a man who eats only oranges; Or even an owl shape shifter who can let vampires walk during the day." Sookie gasped. Eric yet again grabbed Sophia's arm and started to touch the sores. She made a screeching sound every time he touched one. The sound was just like a bird.
"That cannot be possible! What were you doing there in the first place?"
"Someone told me about her and I just wanted to see. I wasn't interested in it because I knew whoever bought her would drain her dry the first time. But when the queen bought her I was confused. I then went over to speak with her about it and there were four vampires feasting off of her and the pain in her eyes. It reminded me of someone." He paused to look up at Sookie. "I begged the queen to put her in my care, but when she declined she told me why."
Sophia's lips were moving but nothing was coming out of them, yet Eric nodded yes and said of course to her. Could Sophia actually be saying something but human ears can't hear them? And Sookie didn't catch what she was thinking
"What did she want with her?"
"To experiment with her blood, to repeat it, so every vampire can walk in the sun."
"So how did Sophia end up in my kitchen?"
"Long story short: I kidnapped her from the queen during a feeding, except Sophia was scared out of her mind and shifted. She flew away and I told her earlier how I knew someone out in Bon Temp. I guess she lived out here as an owl before." Eric finished his sentence and touched Sophia's cheek with his long white fingers. She backed away a little bit but he just followed her.
"If you kidnapped her from the queen, won't she be looking for Sophia?" Sookie said looking around. She felt her heart pound on her chest. Sophia smiled at Sookie and then giggled yet no sound came out.
"The queen thinks she is dead. Her pet Were found an owl nearby and killed it. Ate it all up. The queen was convinced." Eric looked at Sophia's blanket then up at Sookie.
"Do you mind if she borrows some of your clothes until I can get properly dressed?" Eric stood up and Sophia followed. Sophia was on Eric's heels as they went up stairs. She insisted he stayed in the room as she changed but Sookie refused that and made him wait downstairs.
Sophia was quite smaller then Sookie. Same height, yet smaller features. Sophia fit in one of Sookie's old sports bras even though there was plenty of room in them. An oversized pull over cardigan looked like a dress on Sophia and gave her the smallest jeans she owned and a belt. She poked a whole in the belt so she could wear them. Sookie packed sweatpants and one of Jason's old football shirts with her for sleeping. After Sookie read Sophia's mind she knew she went to bed the same time Eric did and there was no point in putting her in the sleep wear yet. The sun didn't come up for another three hours.
"Where are you going to take her?" Sookie asked. She was concerned. She didn't know if Eric was lying just to take her away somewhere and drain her dry. But Sookie has never seen Eric so gentle with anyone like he acted tonight with Sophia.
"She will stay with me tonight, just in case the queen looks for her." Eric started to the door and Sophia took a few steps then turned to Sookie. Her small nose was wrinkled up and you could see freckles behind locks of brown hair.
I really don't want to sleep in the ground with him. Tell him that you think the queen will come straight to him first if anything and I'm safer here. Sookie listened and in her mind she agreed and disagreed at the same time. But she made up her mind.
"Wait Eric."
*****Not much but I got this idea while reading Dead to the World. Owls are my favorite animal and it will help tie into the story. Comment if you like it please.*****
Alice Lee-Anne Beckett