Alexzander
BANG BANG! Someone was being very noisy.
This is study hall, keep it down I was tempted to yell – studying for end of year exams was hard enough without idiots being stupid in the hall (mainly because I wanted to be one of those idiots). BANG! It was getting louder now. My (stupid) teacher Miss (stupid) Blate made us come to the (stupid) library to do (stupid) studying for the (stupid) exams. This was really S.T.U.P.I.D. I looked up from my (stupid) textbook as there was another loud BANG. I glanced around to see all the nerds looking very agitated and I laughed (on the inside – I'm not that mean really). Suddenly the big double doors to the study hall/library flew open flooding the dark room with the cold sterile light you usually associate with hospitals. Even though I was half blinded by the white light I managed to glimpse the long honey blonde hair of my sister rushing towards me. I felt her plonk herself down in the chair next to me in the very un-ladylike way she does and I looked at her trying to blink the white spots from my eyes.
'Sup Bell?' I asked flashing her the cute little smile I reserve for her (and that really hot chick on the cheerleading squad). She smiled back but her smile was guarded. She's my twin and I love her lots (not that I said it often, you know, I'm a guy – we just DON'T DO THAT). We are both really pale, really slim and really blonde, our eyes are both emerald green and I reckon that our tastes are so similar we may even share a brain cell or two. Her name is Izsabel just so you know (yes, I know it's a weird spelling).
'It's...' she hesitated then dropped her voice to a whisper 'Them'. She clenched her jaw and did the shifty-eye thing like she does after she swears and hopes no one heard. "Them" is what everyone calls the Trackers. Trackers go around and hunt Vampyres – and Vampyres are bad (or so we are told). Everyone gets scared when the trackers come in case they get marked as a Vamp (no one knows if they are one at our age – you usually don't know until you at least come of age – A.K.A turn 18) and being a vamp can be punishable by death if you try to run, or at least a life sentence in a Vamp-proof prison (whatever that is). So you can see why tracker raids are feared.
Recently the Trackers have been very busy raiding schools, offices and even orphanages but so far our school has been lucky – well, I guess not now huh?
I looked into my twins' scared eyes. 'You're not a Vamp sis' I told her trying to sound more confident than I felt.
'But what about Auntie Loraine, are you forgetting about her?', Auntie Loraine had been convicted of Vampirism about ten years ago, she had tried to run and hide but was caught and, one beheading later, found her place in the world – on a pike atop of Maldorf Castle.
'How could I forget Loraine? But don't worry, she's only a distant relli' (I hoped), 'just act natural and you'll be fine'. The words were barely out my mouth when "They" burst into the library.
I had to blink back the little white spots again before I could get a real look at them. I was shocked. They looked just like normal people except for a few things. They all had very angled, white (and I mean WHITE) faces with bright purple eyes. All their hair was sleek, straight and pitch black and they all gave off the feeling of power which scared me more than anything else.
Bell cowered against me as the three Trackers spread out around the room. The middle one came to a stop at the table next to us and a girl with short, extremely curly red hair. She shrunk back into her chair as the Tracker stretched his (white) hand towards her and placed it forcefully on the top of her head. She made a small squeak as the Tracker shut his eyes – his face was expressionless but still hard and intimidating. Suddenly his eyes snapped open and he jerked his hand back like she had electrocuted him but then moved onto the next person.
This pattern continued around the whole table and I could see, out the corner of my eye, the other Trackers (another man and a woman) doing the same. The closest Tracker now turned his attention towards Bell and me. I felt my sis tremble as he moved closer to us, his hand outstretched, but just as he was about to place his hand on my sisters' brow a sharp call broke the stillness of the silent library.
'We got one' said the deep voice from behind me. Everyone turned to look at the back of the study area, near the bookshelves, where the other male Tracker was. He stood beside the last tracker, the female, who had her hand pressed firmly to the head of a terrified looking brunet first year. Her almond eyes were wide with shock and she was staring directly into the deep amethyst eyes of the cockily smiling Tracker.
Our Tracker withdrew his hand then almost glided over to the others where he stood behind the girl and placed his hands on her shoulders. She managed to let out one terrified scream before he squeezed her shoulders and she slumped down in her chair, unconscious. The last man swung her up easily into his arms and began to leave, the other two never relaxing their hold on the girl.
As soon as the Trackers left the room a bunch of nervous, happy and relieved babble broke out amongst the other students. 'It was like ice' I heard one person say. Bell and I just looked at each other with anxious and terrified expressions.
We had both just witnessed our first true marking.
It had been over so quickly I had barely had time to think but in my next class, Spanish, my mind began to wander (and seriously, whose mind doesn't wander in Spanish class?). I saw over and over again in my mind the white hand of the tracker stretching towards Bell and me, I heard the girls' scream and I saw the trackers smug grin at her terror. It made me feel sick. I could tell my sister was still thinking about it too, she was worried for the girl.
As twins we've always been able to kind of tell what the other one of us was feeling. It was cool in a weird, freaky person kind of way. I liked being able to know what was wrong with her when she was upset or angry so I could comfort her (or stay out of her war path). She was also a really good person to talk to about things that all my other 'guy friends' would laugh about. Still, it can be annoying at times (and awkward).
I tried as hard as I could to send her soothing thoughts – let her know it would be ok – but even as I did I knew I was lying so I pretty much gave up straight away.
Before I knew it the beautifully horrid clanging bell rang signalling the end of the double period and the school day. I gladly gathered up my books, shoved them untidily into my bag and wormed my way out into the hall, narrowly avoiding Mrs. Corey my English teacher as she tried to follow up on my Shakespeare essay that I hadn't handed in from last Thursday. The hall was surprisingly subdued. Though there was the usual throng of people; the girls with their non-stop chatter, the guys with their random acts of idiocy and everyone with a sane mind (non-nerdy that is) rushing to get home, everything seemed slightly quieter – even if only by a fragment. Those girls who would normally be squealing, giggling and swapping gossip were doing so in hushed voices and the guys weren't being quite as obnoxious as usual which made me think that by now the whole school knew about what had happened in the study hall.
I met up with Izsabel out the front of the school and we made our way in silence to the bus stop. I could feel she was still worrying but I couldn't do anything about it so I kept my silence – mental and physical.
The bus was late, again, so we sat down to wait. People from school slumped, slouched, skipped and ran past but all a lot quieter than usual. My mind wandered again to the girl and I just couldn't help be glad it wasn't me. I could tell I was completely out of it as the bus pulled up because the sound of the squealing tires made me jump half a mile off my seat.
The bus trip was unusually dull so I resorted to listening to my crappy IPod I got cheap off eBay (and has been nothing but a pain since I might add). I switched it on as we passed James Court, about 25 minutes from home. Even at full volume it's often difficult to hear my music on any regular bus ride so the silence that dominated now meant that when I pressed play I got the full force of high volume, making my ears ring. I turned on one of my favourites (The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance) and slumped further down into the uncomfortable leather covered bench.
After a long boring half an hour (the bus was running even later) I could finally be free of the bus. Bell and I were some of the last to disembark so we left the strange emo guy and the chick wearing fluro on the bus and made our way down the street. My IPod was hidden in my bag again but I saw Izsabel was still listening to hers and humming along, though still with an expression on deep thought on her face.
Mum must still have been at work because the door was locked but at least she had remembered to leave a key this time. Click went the lock and I headed straight for the kitchen. After quenching my thirst I flopped down onto the couch grabbing the remote and a packet of crisps on the way. I felt the thumping bass now emanating from Bells' room, who I knew had plugged her slightly better quality IPod into the DOC the moment we had walked into the house. That girl is completely obsessed with music!
I whiled away most of the afternoon in front of the TV but when it was obvious mum wasn't going to be back for tea me and Bell fed ourselves.
Being the good little boy I am I was in bed by the time mum rolled into the house around midnight (even if I had just launched myself into bed seconds before after hastily signing out of MSN). She was in bed when I woke up the next day so I didn't even get to say hi before me and Bell left for school.
School was the same as the previous afternoon, it seemed no one had gotten over yesterdays unpleasantness overnight. Everyone was very subdued and there was an air of tension hanging around.
I split from Izsabel at the front gates when I spotted a bunch of my friends hanging outside the gym. We went to the lockers together and then continued to our first class. About halfway through the second period I realised I was walking and talking but I didn't really register any of it. It was like I was in some weird daze where my body didn't belong to my mind anymore. The bell was strangely loud in the silent classroom. As we moved off I tried to make conversation determined not to let my brain lose control of my body but no one wanted to talk back.
We sat emotionlessly and ate our snack then moved off as the locker bell clanged abnormally loud again. My locker was next to this second year red-head kid but when I tried to make conversation he seemed very interested in a piece of gum on the inside of his locker door.
The rest of the day passed like this even though I tried to make an effort (for once) to pay attention in class – anything to take my mind off the weird behaviour of my fellow students. In period four we were meant to be researching our end of year assignment but the teacher had moved us from the library to an empty classroom, and I can't say I wasn't glad I didn't have to face that room just yet.
After what had seemed a more longer and agonising school day than usual the home bell rang and I made my way to the lockers. I saw one of my friends a short way down the hall so I sprinted to catch up with him.
'Hey' I said as he noticed me.
'Hi' was all I got in reply.
'Hey you remember its Bell and mines' party Saturday right?'
'Ye.' He didn't even look at me which pissed me off a bit but I kept my temper (most unusually for me).
'Just checking. You're still coming right?' I asked.
'Ye, why wouldn't I?' he finally looked at me but he seemed sceptical, like he thought I might be trying to ditch him. Though I wasn't going to complain – this was the most I'd gotten out of anyone all day (unless you include grunts and the occasional "uh huh").
'Oh, nuthin'!' I assured him as we continued to walk down the corridor. 'Why don't you bring Kara along too?' I asked. I saw his face light up at the mention of his most recent and steady girlfriend.
'Ye, you know, I might just do that!' he smiled at me and I smiled back as we reached my locker bay. We said goodbye then I went to get my bag.
I hadn't seen my twin all day so I was looking forward to seeing Bell but when she turned up to the bus stop with Maddie, one of her friends, I knew I wouldn't get to talk to her at least until we got home.
The bus was only 5 minutes late today so that was a bonus and I moved to the back straight away, taking out my IPod. Once again I had to keep the volume below full because of the silence of the bus. I put on "Bullet for my Valentine" then got as comfy as humanly possible on those most uncomfortable benches.
Maddie got off with us today so I figured she must be coming home with us. We made it to the door which was open. I walked into the scent of burning so I figured mum was trying cook something nice since Maddie was here and it wasn't working out too well. I later found out she had attempted a stir fry but it had gone horribly wrong so we ended up with her speciality – tuna pasta with crunchy bread.
The girls spent most of the afternoon hidden away in Bells' room with the bass pumping slightly quieter than normal. I spent my afternoon doing my already-over-a-week-late English assignment on Shakespeare's plays that Miss Goody-Goody Izsabel had handed in on time making me look really bad.
I decided that by two A.M I had earned the right to sleep even though I had only written 652 words on a 1000 word essay, but if I couldn't do it in seven hours there was no point in trying for more. I printed off my sad attempt. I snuggled down in my squishy bed and, famous quotes still whirring around in my head, I fell asleep.
I was extremely tired – with a capital 'T' – the next day. I had the crappiest night sleep ever. I dreamed I was hamlet and I got a new puppy that turned out to be a guy in a banana costume. Next thing I knew I was standing on a balcony in a dress (with very hairy legs) saying 'Bananao, Bananao, Where for art thou Bananao?' then we both rode off into the sunset on a flying potato.
Having vegies on the mind I decided to have something healthy for breakfast but I just couldn't bring myself to eat the banana (that I could have sworn was smiling at me) so I had a glass of V8 juice and a berry muesli bar instead. I was surprised when Maddie walked into the kitchen with Bell, snagging herself my unclaimed banana, but then I thought that somewhere between dinner and the passionate tale of banana love, Maddie must have decided to sleep over considering she was still in the singlet she had worn the day before.
The heat assailed us as we walked down the street. It was an unusually hot and muggy day so by the time we had reached school we were already dripping with sweat. All I can say is thank god for air conditioning. The classrooms were lovely and cool so at least while we suffered at school we didn't also crisp up.
I was disappointed when I got to school. Nothing had changed. Everyone was still the same weird quiet and I'm sure the heat wasn't helping with that either.
I handed in my Shakespeare essay at the end of fourth period with a disapproving look from Mrs. Corey then headed out to lunch. Just to add to the mugginess it started raining so everyone was huddled together smelling bad and getting just a little bit pissy. By the time the locker bell rang I was ready for the day to end as I walked sluggishly to get my books.
Then I heard a scream somewhere in the distance and a crash. I took one look at Adam, who was walking beside me, then felt a sudden surge of terror that wasn't mine. That was what made me run toward the commotion – and my twin.
Izsabel
The fifth year boy who had just been thrown into the trophy cabinet groaned pitifully. My eyes darted momentarily to his limp, glass-covered body but then I moved them swiftly back to the thing that had thrown him.
It definitely wasn't human, I knew that much for sure, but I couldn't even begin to think what it actually was. Its head was block-like with two large pointed ears sticking out either side. Its skin was a foul shade of grey, with flecks of green around the base of the ears. It didn't seem to have any pupils so its eyes just looked like great disks of dirty water. It had no nose though I had a deep slit over its lipless mouth that I assumed was for breathing. Its muscles bulged under its clothes made of old dirty cloth roughly sewn together.
It was surrounded by half a dozen trackers whose eyes shone brightly through their black hoods but they did not look like they were trying to tame the beast, merely control it and stop it from straying from its target – me.
The girl next to me, Abigail, screamed again as it took a step towards us – a high-pitched, blood curdling screech that made my scalp tingle and my ears hurt. The things' attention turned to Abigail and I used this distraction to look for an escape route. Like they had sensed my wandering gaze the trackers tightened their ranks limiting my options to the classroom behind me or where I was now so I stood my ground (I didn't want to think about what it might do to me if it had me all alone in the classroom).
My gaze moved back to it and we locked eyes. I stared hard into those bottomless eyes and saw nothing but greed, hunger and the thirst to kill.
There was silence all around me; everyone was either staring at it or me. There was a slight scuffle to the right and an audible gasp. My eyes flickered to the right where I saw my brother standing and gaping, his eyes wide. I moved an inch towards him and the thing mimicked me, shifting so that it was still straight in front of me and I was forced to look directly at it.
Its lipless mouth opened into what I could have sworn was a triumphant grin, exposing hundreds of tiny razor-sharp yellow teeth. It lifted its head, pushed out its chest and let out a giant roar that sent the other students screaming and scrabbling around in their attempt to escape the hallway. I was rooted to the spot, paralysed by fear. I suddenly felt warm arms surround me and knew my brother was there beside me – giving me strength.
'SILENCE' a booming voice echoed down the hall and everyone stopped. My head, as well as Zander's and everybody else's, snapped to the left where the voice had come from. There was silence again except for the heavy panting of the creature.
A boy who looked scarcely old than Zander and me was winding his way through the gathered crowd towards the creature. He had a very pallid complexion which stood out greatly again his greasy raven hair. His clothes were simple, jeans and a t-shirt (with SpongeBob on the front), but something in the way he held himself gave him an air of power not dissimilar to that of the trackers. His eyes were brown but slightly yellow but when the sterile school light reflected in them they almost glowed gold.
'Listen to you all! Running around squealing like a pack of baboons, you should be ashamed.' His voice was high but smooth like silk, he spoke with the same confidence that surrounded him and I even saw some people hang their heads like they were indeed ashamed of their actions.
He stepped across the circle that had been made by the trackers towards me and Zander, who still had his arms tightly wrapped around me. He did a sort of half bow to me then gently took my hand, raised it to his lips and kissed it.
'And who may I ask are you fine lady?' he asked in his velvet voice. My heart stuttered and the words became caught in my throat. He smiled charmingly at me and his eyes flashed as they met mine. I looked deep into his eyes and suddenly I was brought out of my reverie.
His eyes were as dark as the creature, or maybe even worse for I saw to my disgust that he was enjoying this situation far too much. I snatched my hand away from him quickly and I saw the trackers take an involuntary step towards us but they greasy boys' smile never wavered.
'Izsabel' I snapped.
'Hmmmm' was all he replied. He turned his back and began walking closer to the creature.
'Well Miss Izsabel, I need you and your brother to come with me now' he said still not looking at me but examining the creature. I looked up at Zander who gave the slightest shake of his head.
'Why?'
'Because' the boy replied simply.
I squeezed Zander's hand then said 'no thankyou I don't think we will'. Suddenly he whirled around to face us and I could see he was angry but he hid it well, smoothing his face in a matter of seconds. He smiled then took a step back towards me.
'I think it would be in your best interests if you were to come with me now' his face was now plastered with a very convincing smile that was quite intimidating. I shuddered but held strong with my brother by my side.
'I don't think so really' I replied feeling my Zander squeeze my hand in encouragement. The boys' smile became more realistic and he turned back to the creature.
'Well that is most unfortunate' he began though he did not seem at all unhappy about my answer. 'I will leave you then but I cannot, of course, guarantee the protection of my guards...' he gestured to the trackers who I saw were all smiling like it was Christmas, and I knew this was not going to end well '...who seem to be the only ones who can control our little friend, Egor here' he flicked the monster on the head and it grunted, 'and as you have seen, that control is not always great at the best of times – and I would hate for anything to happen to you or your brother Miss Izsabel' he smiled when he said my name like he was enjoying some personal joke. I felt Zander stiffen next to me and my body began to tremble. He was threatening us and he was sniggering like he found the prospect amusing!
He turned his back on us and moved towards the crowd again. Stopping just inside the ring of people he turned to look over his shoulder. 'My offer still stands if you'd prefer to come with me' he said still sounding amused.
'No, thank you' I replied stiffly, trying not to let my voice betray my fear. I saw him smile then disappear into the crowd along with the trackers who melted away into the group of teenagers.
There was a moments silence then all hell broke loose.
People began running off in every direction as the monsters horrible head flipped from side to side, an evil grin plastered across its face. It turned its face to Zander and me and I locked eyes with it, those horrible murky, dirty water eyes.
Zander pulled on my hand and we ran.
The mass of people attempting to flee crushed us against lockers and squished us to almost braking point but I never let go of my twins hand – we had to stay together. All around me I saw terrified faces, heard screams and felt hands but I kept running.
I could hear it behind us and I risked a momentary glance back but instantly regretted it. Its eyes caught me for only a second but that second was enough to make me run even faster. Glancing back again I saw it fling a body into the nearest set of lockers denting it so heavily it almost caved into itself then began moving closer to us.
We rounded a corner and I looked forward. There were still people running around us but we left the screaming and crashing behind. Everyone was silently running now.
I could see the double doors ahead which were flung open as the first rush of students pushed through. The car park was just outside and from there we could make our way out into the main road but when we were a few steps from freedom Zander tugged me into the nearest classroom and slammed the door behind us. I whirled around to face him as he pressed his ear to the door. I could hear screaming coming closer now but it was muffled by the door.
'What the hell are you doing?' I shouted at him. What if that thing found us in here? We'd be screwed!
'Shut. Up' he snapped then motioned for me to move to his side. I took a tentative step forward but then froze in place for a hulking black shadow had just reached the frosted glass of the door. Zander stiffened and he could obviously hear it. I motioned for him to come to me but he stayed put. I stared at the shadow which did not move from behind the door. I tore my eyes from it scrambled to Zander who still had his ear pressed to the wood, eyes wide. I did the same and suddenly I could hear it – it was sniffing – trying to smell us out.
There was a step outside and I swear my heart skipped a beat. Then there was another and another. I stayed with my ear pressed tightly against the door until its booming footfalls couldn't be heard anymore and the screaming became but a distant buzz.
I soon became aware of a painful stinging in my chest and realised I had been holding my breath. I let it out in one quick whoosh then gulped in ice cold air. I heard my twin doing the same but even though he was in front of me I could not see him. My vision was fuzzy and though I could hear Zander saying my name it was strangely muffled, almost like I was underwater.
I felt him grasp my hand and we moved out into the deserted corridor. The floor was littered with paper and broken textbooks. Some of the lockers were dented and paint had been scratched away in streaks across the doors. There was a water tap further down the hall that had been destroyed and water was now flowing freely onto the floor. Altogether it looked like a warzone.
We started to walk down the hall away from the door leading outside. There was another exit that came out on the other side of the car park a few corridors away so we headed for that. It was the farthest door from the bus stop so we barely ever used it but for some reason it felt safer to stay inside for a while longer.
The car park was deserted when we reached it but even then we headed straight across the garden beds to the main road. The street was quiet besides a few cars buzzing slowly down the road away from the school and the bus that we would usually catch passing by us. I watched it disappear round the corner, its sign glowing "out of order".
There was a light misty rain coming down as Zander and I began to walk in the direction of home which felt nice against my hot skin. There was no wind, not even a breeze – the air was still – and there was a rainbow in the distance.
We managed to flag down another bus about ten minutes later but by that time the icy rain had managed to seep into our clothes and chill us to the core. The bus was nice and warm and for once I enjoyed the long bus ride, it gave me a chance to warm myself up before stepping outside to walk the road home. I snuggled myself into Alexzanders' chest and closed my eyes, focusing on letting my body relax. Before I knew it our stop had come and we left the warm comfort of the bus.
The rain was now coming down hard and it stung as it bounced off my head and face. I was wearing my skinny jeans and cardigan which meant I was extremely hot this morning but now I was glad I did. We hunched our backs and ran though the painful rain towards the house, still holding each other's hands.
I was the first to notice the door, which was hanging off the frame by a hinge. I stopped dead and Zander did the same not a meter in front. I examined the rest of our tatty red-brick house. One of the front windows was smashed and the curtains in the front windows were missing. Mums car sat in the driveway looking unharmed though very dirty (but that wasn't really unusual).
Mum.
I realised suddenly that mum must be home – inside our ruined home. I ran through the rain to the door where I could vaguely see the contents of our living room tipped on its side. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes but I held them in.
'Mam' I yelled, my voice braking slightly. There was no answer except for the silence. 'Mam' I tried again slightly louder. Zander was now passing by me into the house. I could barely see through the tears and my already cloudy vision. The house was pitch black and I was slightly scared to go inside but I followed Zander anyway.
'Mam' I kept yelling, Zander joining in too but there was nothing, no noise, no reply, just nothing.
I stood now in the centre of the living room. The sofa had been tipped on its side, the lampshade was askew and the TV lay flat on the floor surrounded by a pool of shimmering glass. Suddenly the room was lit up by a flash of lightning making the shattered glass glitter with white light.
Thunder clapped as Zander and I made our way through the house. None of the lights were working so our only source of light was the lightning that flashed at random intervals outside. We searched room by room but still we found no one.
Everywhere there was evidence of the whirlwind that had ripped through our house searching for god only knows what. My room had been trashed. Clothes strewn across the floor, my mattress flipped over and my stereo/ IPod DOC smashed into little pieces across the floor. Zander's room was no better.
By the time we reached mums room I had begun to think she had been at work and her car was here for some unknown but totally normal reason but all hope of that died when I opened her bedroom door.
The floor, bed and even the walls were splattered with blood and a limp body was draped over the bed drenched in crimson that poured off the fingers onto the floor. The haze that had covered me since we left the school instantly lifted and I saw the scene in its entirety, from every tiny splatter of blood to each minute shard of glass littering the carpet.
I couldn't breathe, I couldn't think, I just knew I had to get out.
I ran from the room not stopping, not looking back, until I felt the drenching, icy, stinging rain then I fell to floor screaming and wept.
Katelyn
I stood by the window looking outside into the rain-filled world. The sun just on the horizon glittered on the raindrops and the surface of the lake sending rainbows skidding off the surface here and there. I could see blue sky over the hills and the clouds were steadily passing over us. All in all, a beautiful scene.
The side of the house was panelled in glass with mahogany-stained wood frames. Everywhere you looked the beautiful colour of the stained wood shone against glass and silver making the whole room shine, just like surface of the lake that surrounded us.
Ever since I was a child I had always loved coming to the lake house on the summer school holidays, where we would spend hours in the cool waters of the lake, and at Christmas time, when the fir trees would be covered in snow and the lake froze over so much that, sometimes, we could go ice-skating on it. Dad used to bring us down here all the time when we were little and it was the place where he would always make time for us – no work, no phone calls, no "oh I'll just be a minute honey". Some of our favourite memories were here, up until that tragic summer – the year of our 15th birthdays.
We were walking down the bank on the north side of the house – me in my bathing suit and a tee-shirt that was several sizes too big for me, my brother in nothing but his swimming trunks – when and excruciating pain ran down the length of my spine causing me crumple and fall down the steep embankment to rest on the pebble beach by the water's edge. I looked up at see Lucien laying beside me, writhing in pain, but before I could say anything black spots blocked out my world.
I don't how much later it was when I woke up but the sky was pink and orange streaked and the cold water was now inches from my half-naked, blood-covered body. I tried to sit up but the movement cause my back to flare up in burning pain so I turned my head to search for Luca. There he was beside me, still and silent, also covered in blood though I could not tell if it was mine or his. I called feebly for help but no one came and I eventually slipped back into unconsciousness.
It must have been morning when I woke again. My body was shaking from the cold and the pain but I could finally move again. I sat up and shook Luca awake then, together, we slowly made our way back up to the house. It was empty but I couldn't think about where dad was at that time. We made it to my bedroom and collapsed onto the bed, unable to move any further. Together we slept again, building up our strength.
We slept, and woke, then ate, then slept again but finally I felt half normal again. The first thing I did was go to the bathroom and take a shower to wash away the blood that had dried on my skin and caked in my hair. Luca was still sleeping so I used dads' bathroom. The warm water felt good on my skin and I mainly just stood under the stream and let it cleanse me. When I got out I examined my back in the mirror.
I was shocked. Along my spine was a bright, blood-red cut. The line went from the nape of my neck the whole way down my back. Other lines intertwined the main one twisting around it forming an intricate and beautiful pattern of swirling lines, almost like the way the strands of DNA wrapped around each other. At the base of my spine was a small mark – a six-pointed star laced again with swirling lines and all in the same blood-red. I ran my fingers along the lines wincing; it was obvious that somehow it had been cut into my skin.
I returned to the bedroom to find Luca sitting up on the bed fingering his own back. We looked at each other for we both knew what this meant – we had been marked as Vampyres; feared creatures who had no right to survive in this world.
Of course after that we had to run away. Never again did we spend another summer with our father at the lake house.
Everything was new then – the trackers, the 'Vampyre hype' – before that summer no one really cared about those folk like us that could do extra things, special things, but then he came along and changed all of that. He brought the fear, the hate and he changed us, made us who we are – outlaws.
Even now though, things are different to the archaic methods they had back then. Where ones like us used to be killed for what we were, what we were born to be, now we are safe. The ones who once hunted us are now under our control; they fear us, and for good reason. We are so powerful now but the wounds never heal – those inside and out.
Absentmindedly I fingered the base of my spine where I could still feel the raised lump of my mark that had never repaired. The skin had never closed over it and it was as clear as the first day I saw it in the mirror.
I turned away from the lake as I heard a crunching in the driveway. Heading to the other side of the room I looked out the window to see a large, slick black limo pulling up outside. Gathering myself, I made my way down the steps and opened the front door just as my greasy-haired, pale-skinned, stick of a brother emerged from the back seat of the limo. He didn't look at all happy and I frowned.
He was talking into his Bluetooth earpiece as he passed me into the house but I couldn't really hear what he was saying so I closed the door and followed him inside. The rain that had been hovering over the lake started to pitter-patter on the tin roof of the house. The sun still shone in the distance making the splashes glitter on the windows. His voice was low and he spoke with urgency so I didn't push him to talk to me – yet. I stared out the window where I could see the rain darkening the wood on the deck outside. Suddenly Luca yelled out.
'What!' he shouted into the earpiece, 'how?'
I raised my eyebrows casually at him as if to say "what did you mess up now?" but he just waved his hand at me obviously caring more about the phone call than my curiosity. I made a bit of an effort to look pissed but he blatantly ignored me so I walked back over to my spot by the window in a huff.
'Well effing find them then' yelled the annoying squirt and I heard him snap his phone shut and rip the earpiece out.
'Sorry sis' he said but I kept my back to him.
'Oh, so now I'm good enough to talk to eh?' I said intentionally trying to annoy him.
'Aw cummon Katey don't start effing me around.'
'Language, little brother, language' I mocked turning to face him. He grinned then turned and spread himself out on the couch, putting his feet up.
'Oi! Get your bloody shoes of the couch, I just had it cleaned!' Once again he grinned then he flipped his shoes onto the floor and stared at me. For a few minutes we stayed like that but after a while the silence began nagging at me.
'So?' I asked. I walked over to him, shoved his feet off the couch, and sat myself down beside him.
He cocked his head at me like a confused puppy. 'So what?' he asked beginning to tap his fingers on the back of the leather couch.
'What do you mean so what? What did whoever that was on the phone say to get my normally such well mannered baby bro to almost swear?' He snorted at me but his face was concerned. 'How did it go today little bro?'
'Not so well' he replied quickly and I resigned myself to the fact I would have to drag it out of him.
'And....' I prompted.
'Well we found them alright, just where he said they would be, and it was definitely them, so I cornered the girl said she should come with me and shit like that but she said no, obviously' he gestured around the room indicating the distinct lack of said twins, 'by then her brother was there so I left and set Egor on them'. I could tell there was something he wasn't sharing with me.
'And, the phone?'
'Oh yeh, that. Well, that was one of the trackers' I shuddered at the mention of their name (even if it was only their slave name), 'I left him to watch and to stop it before it killed them, if he could, and if not to bring back the bodies but he said, well, he said they got away. He took the others and searched their house but they weren't there then the mother came home from work so they had to take care of her.' He took in a deep breath and massaged his temples. 'This is not going as planned and he will want to know what happened soon.' I heard him swear under his breath then his head flopped back.
I ground my teeth together. This was actually one of my worst habits and a very annoying one, or so I'm told. Luca drummed on the leather back of the couch, something that annoyed me a lot.
He was right though because this was not going at all as planned. I was very tempted to yell at him but I had to think. They would go home now but they wouldn't stay long if they knew what was good for them, they would run away and hide, which would cause a problem for us. I didn't know where they would go but they hadn't been marked yet – about that I was almost certain – so they wouldn't know why we were chasing them and they wouldn't go into deep hiding, yet. But it was only a matter of time. We needed to get to them and kill them before they were marked otherwise they will be a lot stronger and harder to kill, plus they would begin to discover their powers which didn't bode well for their enemies.
I took in a deep breath. I knew it wasn't smart to take Egor, that dumb animal, and the trackers weren't going to be much good either. But no point in living in the past.
I leant over and picked up my IPhone then scrolled through my numbers searching for the one I wanted. Eventually I found the number and pressed call, after three rings the phone was picked up. A voice came through sounding bored and distracted.
'Hello' I replied to the receptionist. 'I would like to speak to Camilla, please'
'I'm sorry but Madam Camilla is with a client right now, can I take a message?' She sounded like she very much didn't want to take a message.
'I'm sure she wouldn't mind being interrupted for this. Go to her and tell her Katelyn wants a word.' She put the phone down and I head talking in the distance then another voice answered.
'What can I do for Ma'am this time?'
'I can feel something – something powerful'.
I never really liked magical things of any kind but the obscure branch of magic used by witches, and seers in particular, was actually one of the more useful types, and the only one I employed on a regular basis.
As I watched the self-named "Madam Camilla" sitting across from me with a map on the table and her hands spread out on it I wondered about the young girl who had come to me three years ago and had asked to tell my fortune.
'Tell your future ma'am?' she had asked me. The dark bar was almost empty but the night was young and I had only just begun drowning my sorrows in alcohol. This had been when we were on the run and the bad times just seemed to keep on coming (though I was still underage I had managed to procure a fake licence from an unnamed source).
'No thanks' I had said waving the girl away but instead of leaving she sat down beside me, knocking over my glass in the process. I scowled at her but she just ignored me and laid out a bunch of tarot cards. I looked around to see if anyone was watching but the bar was silent besides the music drifting softly through the smoke.
I looked back at the girl and she was staring at me but her eyes had changed, they were yellow with pupils like a cat. She turned back to the cards and her cats pupils became just thin black slits then she spoke. Her voice was eerie, deeper than the squeaky voice she had used before and raspy, she spoke in almost a whisper but it filled my head and echoed.
'You have recently gone through a great change that has made you distant and afraid, as well as feared, but there is much more you will have to do before you can truly live again.'
She looked at me, a slight smile on her lips.
'Do not be ashamed of your scar for it will take you places you could not even begin to think about but be wary for it will also bring you more pain than is meant for anyone. Do not trust the man who walks in shadows for he will lead you down a path that leads to no light. Always trust your instincts but when the time comes you must choose between trusting the light in you or following your shadow into the dark.' She shook her head and her eyes went back to the baby blue they were to begin with. She looked straight into my eyes and I felt a chill run down my spine.
'Your time is coming but for tonight you and your brother must leave this place.' She stood up and gathered up her cards then began to head away. I was still frozen in shock but I managed to call out.
'Wait! What's your name?'
She looked back over her shoulder then said 'Camilla' before disappearing into the night. I noticed something on the bar and picked up a tarot card. The picture was of a boat and in the boat sat a naked girl with black hair and a red tattoo running down the length of her spine ending in a six pointed star.
Now as I looked at the same seer sitting in front of me I drifted.
She hadn't aged, not looking a day over fifteen, though her skin looked tired and her eyes were ancient and knowing. They were once again the cats' eyes but the pupils were now growing to fill in most of her eyes. Her hands lay open over the map of the city and her fingers were tapping on different places on the paper. She wore a terracotta coloured t-shirt covered in gold beads and sequins. Her long skirt reached the floor and was a mess of natural colours also covered in sequins that jingled and sparkled when she moved.
Suddenly she took in a deep breath, shook her head and her eyes returned to their natural baby blue. Luca and I leant forward towards her while she stretched and cracked her fingers.
'Well?' asked Luca, he always was impatient.
'I could feel them, right..... there' she stretched out a long thin finger decorated with gold and orange then pointed to a spot on the map.
'Camilla, are you sure?' I asked.
'When have I ever lied to you?' she responded then packed up the map and headed towards the door. Luca followed her to let her out but I was still sitting at the table remembering what had happened the time she had lied to us.
Alexzander
My clothes were with still soaked with rain and blood.
I had felt Bell run past me and I had vaguely registered her screaming but I couldn't move, or talk, or breathe. I had walked slowly into the room my sister had fled, glass crunching under my feet, and stared straight into the wide, unseeing eyes of my mothers' blood stained face. I didn't cry, or break down shaking – my body wasn't capable of that anymore – I just stood there staring as thunder rattled the walls and my sisters screams turned to sobs.
After a time I had taken her crimson hand and moved her body so it was lying straight on the bed. I covered her body with the quilt then gently closed her eyes with the heel of my hand. After that I turned my back and shut the door.
I found Bell out the front of the house. The rain was still coming down hard and she was soaked to the bone, shaking uncontrollably and quietly sobbing. Somewhere in the back of my mind I was thinking this is the part in the movies where the sad music starts playing and everyone feels sad for the poor girl in the rain. Taking her by the shoulders I lifted Izsabel off the floor and half dragged-half carried her into the house.
Now I was in the living room opposite Izsabel where she sat, curled under a blanket muttering to herself in between choking sobs and violent outbursts of shaking.
My mind was clouded and I don't think it had set in yet. I stared at the wall not really seeing it. Suddenly a thought struck me and I became slightly aware of myself again.
'Bell, we have to leave' I almost whispered. She didn't hear me. 'Bell we have to leave now.' Her head snapped up and the muttering broke off. She looked confused but alert – far more than I was.
'No' she said. 'Why?'
She must have thought this was some weird after affect of the shock but I was actually thinking far more clearly, not remembering, but thinking.
'Because...' I walked over to her and took her hand in mine. Her eyes were manic and terrified. 'If whoever did this was looking for something they didn't find it – they didn't find us. And they will come back! We have to leave before what happened to...'
I broke off. I was about to say before what happened to mum happened to us but I could see it in her eyes that this wouldn't be a good thing to say. Izsabel looked at me strangely, almost like she was searching for something – perhaps some sign of madness – but she mustn't have found anything, or maybe she did, because she nodded.
'We can't just...leave though' I knew what she was talking about. I wanted to bury mum too but we had to go ASAP, I felt it in my bones.
'We have to Bell.'
'Where will we go?' she echoed my thoughts.
'I don't know.'
She nodded and let me lift her from the couch and we went to pack.
Half an hour later, through the light misty rain, I turned back at the end of the street to look at our house. Though I knew what was inside I couldn't help but think it looked calm, even peaceful – but it wasn't, and even though death surrounded it, it was still my home, our home, the one we had lived in since birth.
Izsabel had stopped beside me. Her hair was lank tied back in a rough pony tail, her clothes clung to her body and what little makeup she had been wearing this morning was running down her cheeks. Her eyes were sad and filled with longing so I gently took her hand.
'Let's go' I whispered softly and lead her away.
We ran through the rain to the bus stop and sat to wait. The sky was dark with rainclouds but you could still it was still day. The yellow bus headlights came glowing through the darkness about 15 minutes later and we made our way to the back. We dumped our full-to-the-seams backpacks on the seat beside us then settled in for the hour ride to the train station. I lay against the icy window and Izsabel curled up beside me, leaning her head on my lap. She looked about 6 and it occurred to me how some people reverted back to their younger years after a traumatic experience.
After a while Izsabel, who I thought had fallen asleep she had been so still, sat up suddenly and began rifling through her bag.
'What's up Bell?' I asked sleepily. She didn't answer but continued searching. After she had pulled out a large part of the contents she smiled and emerged with her mobile, an old black Samsung. She packed everything messily back in then studied the phone. She pressed the button on the top and the little bleeping tune played.
'We need to ring Brian' she said and began to search through her numbers. Brian was our step-dad but he worked away most of the time so we didn't often see him at home. Our birth father had died before me and Bell had been born so until the age of 5 we had been fatherless but then mum remarried. It was kind of annoying that e was never around but we go decent Christmas and birthday presents and every so often a free trip to London, where he worked at the British museum, we didn't really complain. A few years ago he had asked us all to move over with him but mum said no – good old mum – so we stayed put but kept in touch and lately he had come to visit more often.
So I agreed to ring him but not to tell him about mum.
Bell found his number and pressed the little green phone. It rang once, twice, three, four, five times. I could see Izsabels' hand shaking so I took the phone away from her and pressed it to my ear. She stared at me with wide eyes but didn't fight and leant against my shoulder to listen in. It rang again then the answer phone picked up and Brian's deep raspy voice spoke at me. '"Hi, you've reached Brian Parker. I can't come to the phone right now so please leave a message after the beep"' the beep went but I had trouble speaking.
'Hi, uh...' I croaked. I cleared my throat then tried again.
'Hi, Brian its Zander. Me and Bell have to go away for a while but everything's alright. We're gonna go stay with one of Izsabels friends up north. Bell has her mobile if you wanna get in touch. Speak to you soon.' I hung up and handed the phone to Izsabel. She was staring at me.
'Everything's alright? Zander everything is not alright!'
'I know Bell but what the bloody hell was I meant to say? "Oh hi Brian, some weird monster thing is trying to kill us so we have to go into hiding and, oh ye, mam's dead! Love ya?" Don't start with me Ok?' I turned by back on her and looked out the window. She didn't reply but I heard her mumbling to herself again while she put the phone away.
By the time we got to the train station night had definitely fallen but the rain still hadn't let up. We were lucky the station was mainly under cover so all we had to do was sprint from the bus stop and up the stairs into the covered bridge that hovered over the tracks and led into the main ticket office. The lights were very bright compared to the pitch blackness of the outside world and the feeble lighting on the bus so it took a while for my eyes to adjust. The station was very modern with clean white lines and lots of reflective surfaces so we very much out of place – me in my tatty jeans and thick raincoat and Izsabel in her black skinnies, skin-tight white singlet and now her black hoddie with the hood pulled right down over her head.
At the desk I bought 2 tickets for the main line then we ran for the next train that was about one minute from the station. At platform 5 we boarded the train then Bell donned her earphone and turned the music up so loud I could hear it on the bench across from her. I put my feet up the chair next to Bell, crossed my arms and drifted.
I still can't remember if I was sleeping or just day dreaming but whatever I was doing I woke with a jolt. There had been nothing there – not even blackness, just nothing. I had floated in time and space, in the nothing, and I was nothing, but then suddenly my whole body had been on fire but I wasn't burning and everything around me caught on fire and the nothing burnt. The dream, or whatever it was, had scared me but not for the reasons you would think. I was scared because it felt true, like it would become true, and I would be the one to make it happen.
Izsabel was still listening to her iPod and obviously hadn't noticed I had drifted off. I looked outside as we stopped at the next station. The bored sounding female voiceover announced the station and I checked the map. I nudged Bell but she ignored me so I pulled out one of her earphones.
She whipped her head around to stare at me. 'What did you do that for?' she snapped. I could hear the bass line of fences from where I held the earphone I'd snagged.
'Two stations' I replied then picked up my backpack and went to stand by the door. I almost fell into the woman next to me when the train stopped again but I saved myself. We were the only ones to get off at the station that took us to Izsabels friends' house. We caught another bus then had to walk the couple of blocks in the rain that took us to Joanne's house. The porch light was on but when I checked the time on Bells' phone (so far I had never managed to save over $50 to get a new phone after I washed my last one) it was close to 2 o'clock in the morning. After walking through the rain and hail I didn't feel too ad for waking them up at this time though I could tell Bell had reservations.
'Do you wanna stay out here in the rain?' I asked as we made our way into the light. She didn't reply so I pressed the doorbell. After a minute or so the hall light flickered on then a black shadow loomed into view through the frosted glass window. The locks clicked then the door swished open.
'Eh?' came the response of the bleary-eyed poofy-haired hung-over-looking teenage girl standing in the doorway. It took a minute or so but eventually Joanne recognised us and invited us in. We traipsed up the stairs into her room where we all collapsed on the bed. Jo and Bell both shifted themselves so they were comfortably curled up under the blanket and I sat leaning against the wall.
Jo sleepily looked between me and Bell then gave a deep sigh.
'So can I ask what you're doing here at...' she squinted at her clock on the bedside table '2:16 in the morning on possibly the wettest day ever?' I glanced over at my sister as she began to sink lower in the bed and I felt myself aching to join her.
'Can we talk about that in the m-m-morning?' I asked stifling a yawn. Jo shrugged then snuggled down next to Bell who had already fallen asleep sitting in the bed. Groggily I slipped under the covers at the bottom of the bed and drifted off into an anything-but peaceful sleep.
I felt the bed move as someone got out but I felt no need to join them so I fell back into my half sleep.
By the time I woke the sun was glaring strongly through the blinds and when I looked at the clock it showed 4:15pm. I tried to move but all my muscles were sore and stiff. It took me a while to finally roll out of bed and clump my way downstairs to where Izsabel, Joanne and her mum were sitting in the living room watching the news. I passed by the door and briefly acknowledged them before I went to the kitchen and got myself a drink.
Refreshed by my OJ I went back to the living room as the newscaster was wrapping up, repeating the main news headlines:
'Our top stories today; three teens killed on railway tracks and another seriously injured, extreme weather in the midlands, teen vandals blamed for the destruction of local high school and a brutal murder in the suburbs. I'm Tim Randall and you're watching Sky News. Stay tuned for the 5 day weather report.'
Everything was silent and everyone turned to stare at me as I sat down, making the chair squeak. The adverts were very loud in the silent living room. Izsabels' face was expressionless but she looked in pain – her fists were clenched so tight her knuckles were white and her teeth were grinding together. I shifted from my squeaky leather chair to sit beside my twin on the couch opposite.
'Bell?' I brushed her hair back so I could see her face. Her cheek bones protruded as she clenched and unclenched her jaw. She flicked her head around to look at me then back to the TV her hair flowing back over her face.
'On the news...' she paused, tears welling up in her eyes.
'Yes?' I asked but it wasn't Izsabel who answered.
'Your mother' said Joanne, 'it was on the news about what happened. Or, well, there wasn't really very much about it.'
I turned my head to Izsabel who was staring glassy-eyed at the television screen. A tear dripped down her cheek as I draped my arm around her and she leant into my chest tucking herself into me.
'Don't worry Bell; I won't let anything happen to you'. I could feel her body shaking as she began to cry.
Izsabel
I heard someone get up then the door slammed as they left the room. My body was shaking as I leant against Zander and cried. I cried for many things; I cried for my mum whose lifeless figure I could still see whenever I closed my eyes, I cried for Brain, our step-dad, who would have by now heard the news and would be on his way home to identify his wife's body, I cried for my home which I would most likely never return to but mostly, I cried myself and my twin, because we just didn't know what to do.
I felt Zander put his hand on my back and just like that I snapped out of it. What was the point in crying? I lifted my head and shook myself. I saw Jo from the corner of my eye staring at us but I looked straight into my twins' eyes. I stood up, not looking away and I felt him squeeze my hand I hadn't realised he had been holding.
I left the room and headed upstairs to the bathroom. I looked at myself in the mirror and frowned. My eyes were puffy and red, my nose was glowing and my skin was blotchy. I splashed my face with cold water then looked at my reflection again.
I jumped as a loud, nails-on-a-chalk-board sound erupted all around me. It rung in my ears and I flicked my head from side to side searching for the source of the sound. There was nothing there then the sound began to change. It became quieter and turned into more of a buzzing with just a hint of that annoying sound that people use as their ringtones that people over 25 "supposedly" can't hear but you know they can. Then I began to hear voices in the ringing-buzzing.
Two women were talking very quietly but they were getting louder. One voice was more distinct than the other but I couldn't make out what they were saying. Yet. The mumbling got louder and louder until it mostly drowned out the buzzing but the ringing was still there, ever-present, like a mosquito lodged inside my ear. Then suddenly the voices cleared up and filled my head.
'Oh, I don't know,' said one of the voices that sounded very familiar. It was so loud and sudden that I accidentally knocked the toothbrush holder off the sink sending it smashing on the floor.
'Well if you don't know how am I meant to?' asked the other voice, yelling something else that was muffled. This voice was slightly quieter than the other.
'Is that Mikey?' asked the first voice, laughing slightly.
'Yeah, the little bugga's trying to climb up onto the TV cabinet for god only knows why.' I heard her yell at someone called Mikey to get the hell away from there or else. The first voice laughed. My mind vaguely registered someone shouting my name but I ignored it focusing on the voices in my head.
'I thought he was at day-care today?'
'Na. I changed him to Thursdays; I was sick of him fighting with that Harry kid.' I listened carefully and I could hear the sounds of a TV in the background as well as clanging at random intervals, like someone was moving around cooking pots. I began to think that it was strange someone was talking in my head about some random kid but then I reprimanded myself – it was weird people were talking in my head, period!
The second voice chimed in again. 'So what are you going to do about the kids Mary? Do they have any relatives?' I remembered Jo's mums' name was Mary because I always thought it was such a pretty name and as the first voice, Mary, spoke I realised why her voice had sounded so familiar.
'Not so far as I know. I think I might just call the police – or maybe social services – I mean they can't both live in Jo's room forever.' It was Joanne's mum and she was talking about Zander and me. Suddenly Zander burst into the bathroom looking concerned.
'Bell, are you ok? What was that bang?' he looked down at the broken toothbrush holder but I paid no attention to him. Somehow I was managing to hear both sides of a conversation but I had to confirm my theory.
'Zander...' I said not turning to look at him, 'is Jo's mum on the phone?' I asked already knowing the answer.
'Well, yeah. She's in the kitchen. What's this all about?' he stared confusedly at me. I whipped around, grabbed his head making him yelp and pressed his ear to mine.
'Do you hear that?' I asked in what must have sounded like a crazy person's voice.
'Ummm, hear what?' he asked his voice vibrating against my cheek.
'You're probably right' came the reply over the phone.
'That!' I shouted. Zander flinched and I pulled away from him, looking him in the eyes. 'Stop looking at me like that, I'm not crazy.' He raised his eyebrows at me and I could see he was going to roll his eyes. 'Well I'm not! Listen to me. I can hear them, Mary and her friend on the phone downstairs. They're talking about us, about sending us away, calling the police! And I don't know how I can hear them but I know I can, please trust me.' He looked sceptical but then he gave me his goofy, lop-sided grin and I knew he did. Then suddenly he frowned.
'What?'
'She can't call the police! You didn't see everything this morning, luckily neither did she, but we're wanted for questioning over....' he hesitated, '...over what happened to mum.'
I was speechless. How could anyone think we could have something to do with the death of our own mother? I felt like all the air had been knocked out of me and for a moment I couldn't breathe. The voices in my head were now yabbering on about something unimportant so I tried to shut them out and they began to melt away into nothingness again. I squeezed my eyes shut with concentration and in an attempt not to start crying again. But now I was angry. Wiping the back of my hand across my cheeks, removing any last remnants of weakness, I turned again to look at my brother. I saw behind him that the door was still swinging open.
'Shut the door' I ordered and went to sit on the toilet. He did as I asked then took up a seat on the bath.
'What are we going to d...' I cut him off with a quick "shhh". I was thinking very hard and he was distracting me. I was thinking about somewhere we could stay, somewhere (a) they don't watch the news (b) we could stay for longer than a night and (c) was not smack in the middle of the city. Requirement (c) ruled out most of my friends and I assumed most of Zanders'. Think think think. Come on Bell think. I kept saying to myself then a though sprung on me.
How didn't I think of this earlier?
'Grandmas'! We could go to Grandma DeLaineys' house.' I said almost bouncing off my seat.
'That's brilliant Bell! I never thought of that – well done you!' he goofy grinned at me again so I didn't mention it had taken me this long to think of it too.
We both loved Grandma's old Victorian house out in the country and it was one of our favourite places to stay in the summer school holidays. The house was on several acres and has its own stables filled with horses I used to ride all the time, all kinds of barn animals that roamed the land and even some old outhouses that Grandma had converted into little houses for me and Zander for when we came to stay. The house (if you could call it a house – more like a mansion) is stunning. When Grandma moved in she payed to have all the beautiful Victorian wallpapers, cornices and architraves restored and now it looked like it did back in its glory times. The house came complete with 7 bedrooms (not including the outhouses) 10 bathrooms an industrial sized kitchen plus butler's pantry and a grand dining hall. It may sound like a lot to handle for a woman of 64 but firstly, Grandma is in great shape and secondly, she runs a sort of hotel out of it so she doesn't really use all the rooms herself.
'And maybe she can explain what's happening.'
'Yeah' replied Zander, 'but I don't think we should tell Jo and her mum where we're going.'
'Why not?'
'Because I don't know about you but I have a feeling that guy from school is still after us and if he came looking we don't want them to tell him where we are.'
'That's a good point. Ok, so when are we leaving?'
'After lunch. We need some food but I think we should leave as soon as possible.'
'Maybe you're right' I sighed then we went back downstairs leaving the smashed toothbrush holder on the floor.
Time passed very slowly over the next few hours. The house was very quiet after Jo left for school.
'It's a Friday' she reminded us as she ran out the door, late for the first bus. Zander and I spent most of the day watching the news looking for any word on the murderers and also, looking for the boy. After what Zander had said in the bathroom I had no doubt in my mind that he would be coming after us again.
Having a plan, something to think about, helped me focus. I kept thinking in my mind about our plan – walk to the train station, catch the train, catch the bus then get a cab the rest of the way – I was very glad Zander had remembered to take some money from the house before we left (mum had about $100 in her wallet because she had just cashed her pay cheque).
Mary was reluctant to be in the room alone with Zander and me so she busied herself around the house. It suited us well because it gave us a chance to talk freely about what we were going to do. When lunch came we went into the kitchen and Mary had laid out some sandwiches for us and was cleaning up the kitchen, not meeting our eyes.
We ate then left the house; not talking to Mary, not leaving a note for Jo – we just turned our backs and walked away.
Then began our seven or more hour trip to the country.
Lucian
Camilla is really weird, I thought to myself, but she's bloody good.
The skin on my arms tingled as Mrs. Peirce bustled into the room with a tray full of food and drink, disturbing the air. She placed the tray on the table and I breathed in deeply the smell of magic.
Magic – they had definitely been here.
The woman sat on the couch across from us next to her daughter, who was quite obviously trying to flirt with me, but my attentions were focused on her mother (one of the good things about vampire-ism is the fact we always seem to attract the attention of the human population – then again, that's not always a good thing). I suppressed a shudder and smiled my most friendly-slash-intimidating smile. Joanne immediately stopped smiling and pushed herself further back onto the couch and my smile became more genuine.
I took one of the strangely rock-looking cakes from the tray and took a bite. Not just rock-looking I thought to myself putting the rock-cake back onto the tray.
'Thank you very much Mrs. Peirce' I said politely and she smiled back but I could tell she was nervous. Good, I smiled inwardly; she knows what we are, even if not who. That should make this easier. 'And thank you for your hospitality.'
I sent a mental nudge to Katelyn.
'Yes. Thank you.' She said and gave a large, teeth-baring grin showing her pointed, almost canine-like teeth (another advantage of the vampire-ism). I saw Joanne shiver.
On the way here I had looked Joanne and her family up on the internet. She and Izsabel were best friends so it was only right she would have come here in her time of need.
'I'm sure you'd like to know why we're here?' I asked – might as well cut the crap and get to the end since the twins definitely weren't here now. All she did was nodded her head.
'Well I heard you had some visitors this morning?' I phrased it as a question but I already knew the answer. Again she nodded. This was going to be easier than I thought.
'Izsabel and Alexzander right?' I continued, 'we really need to find them, do you have any idea where they might have gone?'
'They're not in any kind of trouble are they?' asked Mrs. Peirce.
'No, no, not at all.' I cursed the annoying questions of humans. 'But I'm sure you heard on the news this morning, the terrible news about their mother. We think whoever did it may be after something else so, you see, we really need to talk to them.' I sent a smug look the way of my sister – she would have never been able to come up with that on the spot, she really never was very good with people.
'Well, I'm very sorry. They left early this afternoon without even a goodbye and I don't really know where they would have gone.'
'They don't have any relatives they might have gone to?' I asked, almost pleadingly.
'Not that I know of. I'm sorry I can't be of much more help to you both.' She said, eager to get us out of her house. I had to think hard now. My plan had been pretty dependent on actually knowing where the twins were going but now that was pretty much stuffed.
We could try scrying them again but that lead us here the first time when they had already left so that must have just followed their magical presence that was so strong here. I needed something of theirs, something to follow them by. I needed to excuse myself.
'Could I please your bathroom?' I asked absentmindedly. Mrs. Pierce nodded and I went into the hall, following the stairs up. I didn't head to the bathroom but decided to do a little recognisance so I headed down to the room I knew was Joanne's. I looked very hard for something I could feel the twins on but there was nothing. I sighed and headed back to the stairs and was about to step onto the first step when a wisp of something magical floated towards me and landed on my face, tickling me. This was air magic, just like what I could feel downstairs, only stronger. I followed the sense of magic as it got stronger and stronger until I ended in the bathroom.
So this must have been where she did the magic I thought as I looked around. My eagle eyes noticed something odd, a toothbrush holder smashed on the floor but even more odd, the wisps of magic that floated around it in a little cloud. I almost jumped for joy – I could track her from this, I was sure of it! Taking a large piece of the holder from the floor I went quickly back down the stairs into the living room.
'Well then, we won't take up any more of your time. Thank you for the cakes.' I said trying hard not to frown at the little, hard brown clumps. I turned nice and slowly and headed for the door then turned back to see Kate still perched on the edge of the couch, staring intently at the older woman. Mrs. Peirce began to visibly shake and I could feel the waves of heat and pure energy rolling off my sister. I grimaced.
'Katelyn, come on!' I snarled and all of a sudden the static in the air my sisters powers always caused seemed to dissolve. She stood up far too swiftly and gracefully to look entirely human then, without another word, stalked towards me and we left the house.
'What the hell was all that about?' I snapped as we walked down the front path. She didn't even look at me but I could see in her profile she looked slightly flustered.
'She was hiding something from us' she replied blandly.
I sighed deeply, 'I already knew that.' I pushed the gate open and she stepped through ahead of me. 'And...' I prompted.
'And she hides her secrets well. Did you find anything?' she asked. I held up the piece of the toothbrush holder and she smile another scary smile.
Katelyn opened the door of the limo just as my little phone buzzed in its pocket. I took it out and looked at the number. Crap. It was him.
If I ignored it I wasn't sure what would happen but if I answered I knew exactly what would happen; I would get yelled at, Katelyn would laugh at me, then we would both get into deep shit. This time I decided to ignore it and deal with the consequences, however awful they were.
I slid into the dark interior of the limo beside Katelyn who flinched from my touch. The car slid off silently and again my phone buzzed. Double crap. I sighed deeply then flipped the phone open, pressing it to my ear.
I heard his voice but it didn't come through the phone, it echoed through my head – that was one of the things I really hated about him, he got inside your head.
You lost them he accused. I sighed again, he would know if I lied.
'Yes' I said into the phone. Now Katie was staring at me with her emerald eyes. I could feel her mind, it was pushing towards mine, trying to hear what he was saying. I let the walls around my mind fall and she settled there.
How?
'Well you see I left one of the trackers in-'
No excuses. You messed up, you take the fall. Do you know where they are now?
'We are looking for them but it may take time to-'
We don't have time! You must find them by the solstice or it won't work and if they turn it will be all the harder for you.
'I'm very sorry but if-'
No more buts' or ifs'. I want them dead soon or I will sacrifice you and find someone else to take over. Do you understand?
He did not wait for an answer and I heard the dial tone ring in my ear. Slowly I took the phone from my ear and flipped it shut. Katelyn was staring at me blankly but I could still feel her mind in mine.
This isn't good little brother, we need to find them and fast. The solstice is only a few weeks away. I felt her mind leave mine and I quickly rebuilt the wall around my mind, protecting it from other mind readers. I had to protect my mind; we learnt that early on in our new life. Our new life, the irony, as if you could have called those first three months "life". I shook my head as I remembered.
That first day when Katelyn had come back in from the bathroom, when I had first felt the scar carved into my back, had been horrible. Katelyn had cried – one of the last times I'd seen her cry – I was angry, but, most of all, we were hungry. Not real hunger, not for real human food, but a burning, aching hunger that you felt in the back of your throat that was also a thirst. I knew it mean, so did Kate, it was the type of hunger only a vampire knew. The hunger for life.
About that time was when dad came through the front door laughing and smiling and in his arms was a young woman who was not our mother. Katelyn flipped. She screamed at him as he tried to explain that they were in love and him and our mother had been over for a long time, but it was no use.
After everything the burning hunger that had been growing and growing just took hold. In one quick movement that the humans couldn't even see she had pounced. Katelyn threw herself at our father, pinned him to the floor, and in one swift movement sank her new, canine-like teeth into his throat and pulled. Blood spurted everywhere. The young woman he was with, that he supposedly "loved", tried to run – Katelyn was faster.
She grabbed the woman by her long blonde ponytail and pulled then wrapped her in a strange, embrace-like hold and sank her teeth into the woman's thin, tanned neck. Katelyn dropped the lifeless body to the floor and just looked at me.
Her face was covered in bright crimson blood that began to run down her neck and splash onto her clothes. I stood very quickly, almost losing my balance and went to my sister. I dipped my finger into the fresh blood on her face then put my finger to my lips and tasted.
The blood was like nothing else I'd ever felt before, because it wasn't just a taste; it was a feeling. It was rich like the finest chocolate and smooth as it coated the inside of my mouth, it was warm and velvety and it felt like someone had wrapped my body in the finest fur's in the world then I'd been pumped full of sunshine but at the same time it felt dark and sinful and at the same time I felt myself lift and I became full of energy and I wanted to run and run and never stop. Slowly I turned to look at the pools of blood on the floor.
I don't think humans ever really stopped enough to see the beauty of death. The golden ruby loveliness of just a single drop of blood on the pale cream skin of a dead body. Slowly I bent down and I could smell the rich, welcoming aroma of fresh blood and I knew that if it had been any other day, any other time, before that day I would have disgusted by what I did next, but as I felt the sharp point of my new teeth push against my bottom lip I just wanted to pierce the creaminess of their skin and drink. So that's what I did.
I felt drunk and dizzy by the end of it and I thought to myself "this is what it must be like to be high", because that is all blood is to us really – a drug – and after one bite, one taste, you're hooked and there's no escaping it. No rehab, no one to help you. This is who we are.
Now I stared at the brown piece of pot in my hand and watched as the magic swirled around it like a shining, glittery white mist. I loved watching the remnants of magic, like a signature left behind on a piece of world that was changed. I tightened my hand on the shard then leant forward to tap on the driver's window partition.
'Take us to Camilla's.' The driver nodded and the car turned onto a side street. I sighed again – this was going to be a long week.