Summary: Marie Anderson's family moves to Morganville when she's seven. Her father received a job offer, he couldn't refuse but he never realized what came with the benefits. With the only person in town she feels she can trust the friendly hippy who owns the coffee shop, and her horrible excuse for a protector Brandon breathing down her and her siblings necks, Marie will struggle to keep her ever shrinking family safe.
Authors note: so I do love this series, and I thought why not give writing a short fic a go. So here is the prologue, hope you enjoy, and as always I own nothing, it all belongs to Rachel Caine. Also not going to lie, this is about as AU as it gets, I make no apologies for being incredibly loose with the cannon.
-0-0-0-
The heat from the sweltering midday sun fell heavily across Marie's shoulder. The youngest of three children, she was the only member of the back seat of the rental car still awake. The six hour time difference meant it was six in the afternoon for the family, and combined with a full day of travelling the jet lag had left her older siblings passed out and drooling. Her mother turned back to look at her from the front seat as they pulled off the highway into a beaten up and rusty looking petrol station. Or at least that's what Marie called it in her head, the sign above the entrance proclaimed it as a gas station.
"Does anyone need the loo back there," wearing a tired optimistic smile Sue Anderson regarded the three fair heads of her young children, with a three year gap between each of them they had all reacted to the move very differently. Her oldest child Billy was thirteen, he had been annoyed at first, but Mark his father had sat him down and explained the reasons they were emigrating. After which he had if not been thrilled at least warmed up a little to the idea. Contrastingly, her middle child Irene had reacted appallingly, being that she was the most headstrong of the three, she had complained for weeks. When she finally realized that complaining wouldn't really work, she had resorted to silent sulking. As it was Irene hadn't responded to a question in a fortnight. The most she had spoken had been the day before when in a last ditch attempt at black mail she had threatened to tell the people at the airport that they were kidnapping her, before storming out of the house and hiding for three hours before her father managed to find her. Of her three children Marie had taken the news the easiest, she had been excited by the prospect of an adventure, until the day before at least. She had said a final farewell to her best friend and had been crying on and off ever since.
Marie shook her head, "Are we nearly there?"
"We should be in Morganville in a few hours," said Mark opening the door to the car and letting in a wave of heat awash with the sound of the insects and dust.
"You want another chocolate bar poodle," Sue held up a bag of goodies from the last rest stop in an attempt to coax a smile from her youngest daughter. Marie shook her head, she had learnt already in the short time she had been in the Texas that American chocolate was nothing at all like its English counterpart.
"It tastes like puke," said Irene, opening her eyes and glaring at their mother, "I don't like America, I don't like the people, and I really don't like the chocolate!"
"Shut up Ria," Billy opened his eyes to fix her with a glare, "you're being a baby."
"Don't tell me to shut up William..."
Marie rolled her eyes and gazed back out into the open scrubland surrounding the highway. The bickering between her siblings continued until her mother managed to eventually force the two into an uneasy truce. She gave it maybe twenty minutes to half an hour before it would begin again. The small bar of sunlight coming through the window was expanding, and Marie realized she would soon start getting a sunburn on her shoulder, she honestly felt that they couldn't get to Morganville soon enough.
-0-0-0-
They had been in town a week, when Marie and Irene wondered into Common Grounds. Billy followed them in somewhat reluctantly as they gazed around the buzzing shop. It was packed out with college students in their twenties and the laughter and conversation coming from the people around them filled Marie with a slight sense of unease. She hadn't felt right since coming to this town.
A day or two after they'd moved in, their parents had sat them down and introduced them to their new friend Brandon. Marie didn't like him. She didn't like his creepy smile, especially not when he had turned his gaze on Billy, and Marie new her brother didn't like it either. She didn't like the nervousness and fear that she had seen in her parents, the whispered conversations in the kitchen when they thought the children were asleep. The tightness in her mother's eyes and around her smile, made Marie's stomach turn. More than all of that though, she hated the small metal bracelet she wore around her wrist, but she wasn't allowed to take it off, Billy had seen her wondering around the house without it on and had shouted at her till she cried.
"Hurry up Ria we need to get back," said Billy impatiently, "I promised mum we'd be home in twenty minutes."
"We'll be quick," replied the ten year old grabbing hold of Marie's hand and pulling her towards the counter, she looked at her younger sister and smiled, "What do you want pretty?"
"What's a frappacino like?" asked Marie smiling back.
"You're too young for coffee," said Billy coming forward.
"No she's not," snapped Sophia glaring, "what flavour do you want?"
They had been surprisingly friendly towards one another over the last week or so. There bickering had been put on hold as soon as bracelets had touched their wrists. It was the most united she had ever seen the two of them, especially when it came to Brandon. Still there was bound to be a time when their rightful animosity would resurface.
"You know what," said Marie staring up at the big menu board behind the counter, "I think I'd prefer a cup of tea."
As Billy edged forward in the line Marie found her gaze diverted to an object at the side of the room. It was a table with a box of musty books, and she couldn't resist the pull to investigate.
"I'll be right back," Marie promised as she wandered over to take a closer look, and Irene seeing where she was going waved her off with a smile as she and Billy got back to arguing over whether or not Irene was too young for coffee, even though Billy new full well that Irene had never been too young for anything.
The box was filled with falling apart paperbacks making up an odd mixture of fiction and non-fiction. After a few minutes of looking through Marie had seen some interesting blurbs, her favourite looking one being a faded fantasy novel with a picture of a dragon on the front.
"Are you alright there?" asked a warm voice and Marie found herself looking up at a man a little older than her father with touches of grey in his long hair and trustworthy eyes.
"I was just looking at the books," said Marie smiling back at him, "Do you know why they're here?"
"There for people to read whilst they're drinking their coffee's," his eyes flicked down to the book in her hand, "That's a big one you picked, there are no pictures in it."
"Why would that matter?" she asked, bristling at the insult to her intelligence.
He cracked a smile at her and Marie glared back, unwilling to let her annoyance go.
"My apologies," he said gently, and she felt herself relenting, "My name is Oliver, and this is my coffee house."
Marie shook his offered hand.
"I'm Marie Anderson," she replied, and remembering her manners added, "it's a very nice coffee house."
"Thank you," his eyes took on a strange glitter, "I'm glad it meets your approval, your families just moved into town hasn't it?"
Marie nodded regarding him strangely as she finally recognized what she trusted about him.
"You're from England like us," she exclaimed a big smile on her face, "You say your "t's" right."
"Yes I am, that's very perceptive of you to notice," he rubbed a hand through his long hair scratching his scalp, "although I will admit it's a long time since I've been back to the mother country."
"Do you miss it?" she asked him, fiddling awkwardly with the book in her hands.
"Sometimes I suppose," he replied, blandly his eyes diverting to her brother and sister at the counter.
"I miss drizzle," confided Marie awkwardly, "it doesn't really rain here."
"It does sometimes," he reassured her, "I believe your siblings are ready to go Marie."
"Oh," she gasped, looking over to where Billy was taking their drinks from the counter, and down at the book in her hands. She had quite wanted to read it and it disappointed her to put it back.
"Borrow the book," said Oliver smiling down at her, "You can return it once you've finished."
Marie felt her whole face light up as she grasped it to her chest.
"Thank you so, so much!" she exclaimed, her gaze darting back to Irene who had turned back to look for her. When she caught sight of Oliver her eyes narrowed and a tightness crept onto her face.
"It was lovely to meet you," said Marie politely before heading towards her sisters side.
"A pleasure my dear," he replied smiling warmly at her siblings, "stay safe."
-0-0-0-
When the three returned home it was to the smell of spices filling the house. Billy hustled his two younger sisters inside making sure there was no one following before closing the door, it may have been an hour before dusk but he knew he had to be vigilant.
"Mummy," exclaimed Marie, rushing into the kitchen where Sue stood at the stove stirring a giant pot of chilli, "Mummy, we went to the coffee shop and the man let me have a book about dragons look..."
Sue turned to her and smiled warmly wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug.
"That's wonderful poodle," she exclaimed pushing her back gently, "why don't you all take your new things upstairs."
It was then Marie noticed the tightness in her mother's posture, and her brother and sister stood awkwardly at the door. Irene was half behind Billy, who was openly glaring at the kitchen table. Marie turned her head slightly to see her parents new friend Brandon sprawled lazily on his chair with an easy grin on his face.
"And then you can all come back down and join us for dinner," said their Protector.
"Oh, no don't worry, dinner won't be ready for a while," Sue pushed her hair nervously behind her ear, "we really must wait for Andrew to come back before we eat."
"He won't be back till late tonight," the smirk on Brandon's face made Marie's stomach turn, "it wouldn't be right for a seven year old to have dinner so late, you'd find yourself getting awfully hungry wouldn't you Marie."
Brandon didn't even look at her when he spoke, his eyes flicked between her mothers and her brothers. They were so cold inside it made her want to shiver.
"We eat as a family in this house," said Billy holding out his hand for Marie to come over to him, "even if it means we eat late. Marie, go upstairs with Irene."
"Bill..." Irene quieted when Billy put a calming hand on her shoulder and beckoned to Marie once again. Following his lead she held out her hand to her younger sister.
Marie moved away from her mother and walked towards Irene, when she was half way there Brandon stood up in a flash. Billy jumped forward and her mother moved to grab her but both were frozen at a glare from the man. Marie observed that they were literally frozen unable to move. Slowly she looked up at him as he came around the table to stand in front of her. The full force of his smirk lit his face and Marie knew for certain then what she had already suspected. He was pure evil.
"Stop," she commanded, she felt hate twist in her stomach as she met his cruel gaze, he leant back against the table crossing his arms over his chest and letting out a small laugh.
"And who are you to give me orders child," he didn't move but Marie felt a force pulling at her, telling her to walk towards him, to do as he told her. She ignored it.
"You will stop," Marie felt the force of his will pushing against her, and she mustered what strength she had to push back, "You will stop this right now."
Something snapped and he staggered just a little, seconds later her brother grabbed her arm and pushed her into Irene's hands. Her sisters arms encircled her as she pulled her out of the room dragging her up the staircase. Through the doorway she saw her mother standing by Billy the sharpened end of a wooden spoon pointed at the monster in her kitchen.
"Leave," Sue's voice came out a growl, "you have your taxes from Andrew and I, you will not terrorize our children."
"Come on darling," he said, his words thick with charm, "it was just a bit of fun, I would never harm such a precious little creature."
"We don't appreciate your sense of humour," Billy's anger was making him shake a little, "Get..."
Brandon cut him off, "I would think very carefully before you finish that sentence boy. You may not appreciate my humour, but I am quite certain you appreciate my protection. I own each and every resident of this house, and it is by my grace alone that you sleep safely in your beds at night."
There was silence as Marie pulled on Irene's hand making her stop at the top of the stairs so they could listen to the rest of the conversation. Irene hesitated a moment before pushing her further onto the landing into her bedroom. As curious as she might have been Irene knew the safety of her little sister came first.
Downstairs Brandon leant forward and clasped Sue's hand in his, knocking the suddenly pathetic seeming stake aside, as Billy bit back the growl forming in his throat.
"Now Sue, why don't you put on some rice, that chilli smells absolutely delicious to me, Billy have a seat and tell me all about how your family is settling into our lovely town."
-0-0-0-
The car moved slowly through the midday traffic as Marie gazed down at her lap, her mum had taken the three of them to an appointment with the local dentist, and as such it meant they would have the rest of the afternoon off school. Irene stared happily out the window, an air of relaxation in her smile that Marie hadn't seen in months. The dentist had talked about referring her to an orthodontist for the braces she needed and their fathers new job had the insurance to cover them. Her mother in the front seemed a little nervous as they drove along the main road past the turning to their home. Billy in the front seat he'd claimed was so tense his shoulders shook, but then he was always like that now days.
Five minutes later the traffic thinned out and they were headed towards the town limits. Sophia looked around in confusion before a grin lit up her face.
"We're lea..."
"Quiet Ria," said Billy evenly, his voice cracking a little as he glanced around the empty highway.
"What about dad?" Irene asked, her voice seemed small and afraid suddenly. No one answered and Marie glanced at her family in confusion. They reached the town limits and something prickled at the back of her neck.
"Mum drive faster," said Marie, fear creeping into her tone.
"We don't want to attract attention to ourselves sweetheart," her mother said gently, trying her best to sound reassuring. Marie glanced out the back and saw a police cruiser behind them as they cleared the border out of town.
"Mum go faster now," Marie shouted, and as Sue caught sight of the cop car in her rear view mirror, a look of grim determination hit her face and her foot slammed the accelerator.
-0-0-0-
End Note: So there's the prologue, leave a review and let me know what you think. hopefully they'll be more soon :)