I hope you all enjoy this first chapter, thanks for reading, following and favoriting. Stay rad, and don't forget to review,
Z
Disclaimer: True Blood and the Sookie Stackhouse novels belong to author Charlaine Harris and HBO, therefore all characters, trademarks, names and other related indicia are property of the party's afore-mentioned and any other respective owners. This disclaimer is true for the whole of the fic and shall not be repeated.
"Home pulls. It draws you back to tell you, you don't belong."
Glen Duncan
"That's fine, thanks. You can set the boxes down over there."
Her fingers stretched to point by the kitchen counter, as the two movers hefted the over-filled cardboard boxes in the same direction. The place smelt like pine wood, fresh paint and something else; something enchanting,
"Well, Miss. Kolt, that's the last of the boxes. You need us for anything else?"
Finding her things on the counter she opened up her purse, collecting a thick envelope before returning to the front door,
"Nope, I think I'm good. Here you go Remy…"
Gently taking the slip of paper, he sent a charming smile her way, dirty blonde locks falling over his eyes,
"Thanks for the help. Oh, and tell your brother, 'Kat said, Hi'"
His fingers played with the corners of the paper,
"Will do. You have a good day, now Miss. K."
Nodding in goodbye, the teen stuffed the envelope in his jean pocket as he made his way back to the van. She watched from the door as the large vehicle struggled to back out the driveway, before it disappeared behind brickwork and overgrown foliage, leaving a comforting silence in its wake.
Closing the door, Kat rested her weight against it, her lazy gaze trailing over the many boxes, stacked high against the wall; all sorts of junk popping out. With a huff she rolled-up her sleeves and maneuvered over to one of the smaller cases, a big red 'FRAGILE' label separating it from the rest.
Kat plucked out a bottle of red from its depths before rummaging around, hoping to find a matching wine glass. After venturing to stick her head further into the box, she gave up looking and settled on a tall mug with hideous, little cats all over it;
Why do I even have this?
"…well, it'll have to do for now."
Walking over to the kitchen counter, her bare feet slapped against the cold, wooden floor as she uncorked the dark bottle, slowly filling the mug. Pushing it away by its slender neck, Kat let her head flop against the granite surface; sipping every-so-often on the crimson goodness that rested between her fingers. This time, as Kat eyed up the endless cardboard boxes, she felt a little better,
"Right then, let's get started."
The sun was setting by the time she had finished unpacking.
Finally finding the wine glasses a few hours ago, Kat swapped the God-awful mug for something proper; refilling for the third time. As she looked around the room, void of the most notable furniture, she couldn't help but let a small grin escape her lips at the sight of her new home, slowly but surely coming together;
Home.
The word, once sounding foreign to her ears, held a new meaning; a place of comfort and safety and tranquillity. Such things she hadn't the pleasure of knowing over the past few years.
Taking her mind of such thoughts, she wandered over to her speakers, sticking her iphone in and playing the first song that sprung up; the sound flowing through the house, mingling with the evening air,
You taste like the Fourth of July
Malt liquor on your breath, my, my
I love you but I don't know why…
As the beat began to play, she swayed her hips to the soulful rhythm, letting the alcohol take over,
You can be the boss, daddy
You can be the boss
Bad to the bone, sick as a dog
You know that I like, like you a lot
Don't let it stop…
Sashaying over to the stairs as she hummed the tune, Kat had forgotten about her mattress, lying there in wait to be taken to the bedroom. Taking a chance, she placed her wine glass down with a groan and trotted over to the bulky thing, attempting to heave it up the stairs, only to have the damn springs to dig into her back or the fabric sag through her fingers; weakening her hold,
"Why won't you move!"
Kat shifted her weight, hoping to push it further up, squeaking in shock when the thing collapsed with a notable thud, as her backside hit the wooden floor.
"That's it! I've had enough."
Marching over to her abandoned wine, she downed the glass quickly in frustration, rubbing her bruised rear as she did so; the rich liquor flowing straight to her head, numbing some of the pain.
It was near-black outside when she returned to the kitchen to re-fill her glass. In the dimness, Kat noticed a bedroom light on in the house next door, a darkened silhouette outlined against the golden glow.
like an Angel,
her boozy mind suggested.
Though the stranger could see perfectly into her kitchen, she could sense that their gaze was else where. Looking up, she noticed the stars, so much brighter out here than anywhere else. Kat took it as a sign that she'd made the right choice. Smiling faintly, she sipped her wine, when a shooting star lit up the evening sky with a vibrant burst of blue-ish white.
Closing her eyes, like she had when she was a little girl, Kat prayed for true happiness; not for herself, but for someone else, in hope that when they found their happiness they would pray for another's until, in time, such a prayer would be bestowed upon her. Maybe this kind of thinking was selfish, but she liked to put her faith in humanity. Too often were small acts of kindness over looked.
Drawing back from the sight above, her gaze flicked to the neighbouring house, only to find the bedroom light no longer on. Frowning, Kat shuffled back to the stairs regarding her lopsided mattress with disdain;
Maybe her neighbour could help out?
Though the idea seemed reasonable and in keeping with her values of trusting humanity, the non-alcohol ruined part of her brain thought otherwise,
Hello, earth to Kat, your neighbour could be anyone or anything. And though we don't hold any prejudice against vamps, weres, witches or any other creatures, you still don't want to get caught up in that shit. Remember what happened to Freya.
A shudder contorted her body at the memory; Freya, bleeding and broken, begging for Kat to end her life as she desperately crawled across the room. Shaking, she tried to clear her foggy mind in anguish; she could stop the images from coming, prevent them from being seen but the hollow feeling remained and it settled in her gut like a dead weight.
Suddenly, the house didn't feel so much like home anymore.
Making her decision, Kat shrugged on her leather jacked and boots, grabbing her keys and opened the door; never looking back.
The neighbour's place was, well, stunning to say the least. The owner was obviously rich- filthy, dirty rich- enough to own a few expensive looking super cars on the drive way. Gazing at her equally modern but seemingly more inadequate house, Kat thought perhaps she should have taken a left instead of a right and sought out another neighbour. But somehow, in her half-drunken state, her body only wanted to go towards the home of the angel in the window; the figure had looked so distant against the light, like they were waiting- hoping for something that would never happen.
Kat's booted feet thumped softly on the small porch as she reached the front door, fingers stretching to press the ringer, only to find the panel of wood open suddenly. A small yelp left her lips at the startling stranger before her in the shadow of night. With keen eyes, she regarded him somewhat cryptically;
Male, lean build, devilishly handsome; around 5'7 in height with eyes a molten shade of brown like thick treacle. A young face- maybe late teen's- however, the ancient depths of his amber orbs told Kat he was, perhaps, far older than that. Especially with skin as pale as the first snow of winter;
definitely vampire.
Her neighbour merely stared at her, a somewhat cloudy mood hanging over him; features exposing a little surprise at the sight of a human on his porch. So, in a small attempt of neighbourly faith and just because she was tipsy and hazy and somewhat content, she smiled at him without concern or judgement,
"Hi, I'm Kathrine, I just moved in next door and I'm having a bit of trouble getting my mattress up the stairs. Would it be possible- well, could you, if you don't mind that is, too, umm… help me move it up? It wouldn't take long."
The vampire raised an eyebrow at the young human before him. Kat sensed his lips twitch into what she could only assume was amusement, but with most of his face remaining expressionless it was hard to tell. The smile on her own lips faltered a little when her neighbour still hadn't answered and the silence began to grow too uncomfortable for her liking, but she still tried to stay friendly. Perhaps he was expecting someone else,
"You know, you're probably busy and you've just go up, so I'll just leave you be. You have a nice night, err day, umm… evening."
stretching her grin a little further to hide her blush, Kat nodded politely before turning on her heels and slowly making her way back to her house;
Stupid alcohol, stupid brain- Stupid hot vampire.
Repeatedly scolding herself, Kat didn't realise until it was too late of the figure that blocked her path; her body colliding with the immovable force, causing her to stumble a little.
A strong, muscular arm reached out to help stabilise her descending body with ease. Looking up, her breath caught in her throat. His eyes, so beautiful and rich, were smiling down at her with interest,
"You are a strange human indeed."
They were not the first words she had expected. Frowning at his comment, Kat brushed off the arm holding her waist with a shiver, causing the smiling orbs to fade and sadden,
"Does my touch disgust you, little one?"
Shaking her head, Kat chuckled in surprise,
"No, it's just that… you're colder than I expected."
As the smile returned, she rubber her forearms trying to keep the sudden chilly wind from freezing her body. The vampire noticed the gesture, watching her movements with curiosity, as if he had never seen a human try to heat themselves up before.
Looking over past the vamps shoulder to the path that lead to her house and the warm light emanating from it, Kat decided to ask again,
"Well, thank's for catching me and for calling me 'strange'… I think."
To this, his lips twitched,
"Did you… um, change your mind about helping me?"
Meeting her gaze, the vampire spoke up again, his voice like liquid velvet to her ears, mixed with an accent she couldn't place,
"Indeed, I have."
She was so relieved; happiness spreading from her toes to her ears. Enough for her tipsy mind to think that hugging the vamp was a good idea. Kat came to her senses when he froze suddenly in the embrace; her warmth clashing with his coldness. With her head resting in the crook of his neck, for the mere moment the hug lasted, she could feel his harsh intake of breath at her touch; the tickle of his soft brown hair on her cheek and a rather sharp snap of something unknown.
Pulling back with an apprehensive grin, Kat could now see the clicking sound had come from the elongated fangs protruding from his pale gums, an intense look in his darkening pupils. Her lazy smile dropped instantly,
"I apologise, I forgot you guys don't like being touched without permission. It won't happen again, I swear."
With a tilt of his head, her neighbour retracted his fangs slowly; the predatory gaze fading as swiftly as it had come. Some part of her sensed that perhaps the vamp had actually liked the hug, however unfamiliar the gesture was for him, but the thought came and went as quickly as his shift of character. Though he had removed himself from her soft embrace, he still remained close; closer that she should have liked,
"Well, since were going to be neighbours and all, may I ask you your name? I would be nice to call you something other than, 'my neighbour, the vampire'. Kinda sounds like a bad movie title."
His face remained impassive as she spoke,
"Godric."
"That a last name or a first?"
"My given name."
Shrugging, Kat continued,
"Well then, Godric… I would be very grateful if you could help me shift my mattress to my bedroom."
With a bow of the head, and a small grin, the vampire Godric returned her question with an equally polite answer,
"And it would be my pleasure, as a gentleman, to help you in this task, little one."
A/N:
'You Can Be The Boss'- Lana del Ray
So, on my profile I have now introduced a section stating, although loosely, when I will be updating my stories and their current progress, which I will update as regularly as possible to keep you all informed. I hope this helps for any of you who wish to check it out.
Thanks again for reading and reviewing (if you did so) and I look forward to seeing your comments in the next chapter. Stay rad,
Z