GOOD PEOPLE
Chapter One
Now that I think about it, I guess I never really appreciated my childhood.
Thinking about it reminds me of that time when I was six years old and had an obsession with yogurt.
Saving it from my lunch box every day and hording it in the back of the fridge behind the vegetables that no one touched to keep greedy hands away. In the end I was too busy collecting it that I never really noticed it spoiling.
And I never got to eat it.
No. That didn't come out right.
I meant I never appreciated it. My childhood, I mean.
And it was gone.
"Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust..."
The priest moaned on as I stood on the too green grass of the cemetery, trying my best not to sneeze as the dirt that was being drizzled on the casket was blowing in my face.
Damn wind.
As the last grain got me in the eye, it watered and everyone at the service leaned toward me with looks of pity. They thought I was crying. Waving them away, I told them something was in my eye, but they didn't seem to believe me.
Honestly, I wasn't crying and I was about to press the matter, but my older brother, Niko, shot me a look.
Oh, well.
God, my eye hurt.
Wiping it I saw that they were finally lowering the casket into the grave. About time, I couldn't help but think.
I honestly wouldn't have come to Emiko Sakumoto's funeral and I certainly wouldn't have brought my baby sister, Sabin. I didn't care if my birth certificate said the corpse inside that over-priced box was my mother.
Niko had made us come. Not because he cared either, but since some church people were paying for this, it was only right we attend.
Whatever.
Flinching suddenly, I lightly touched my hand to see what appeared to be two inflamed bug bites.
Ugh, great. On top of the eye-thing, my hand might be infected.
God, I was tired. Surviving a car wreck was hard work and I was ready for a well-deserved nap.
A nap I would never get seeing as I would have to deal with over-emotional civilians who offered their help, since the three Ali children were now alone in the world.
Whatever.
It wasn't even a big deal. We owned a house and had some money, but since Sabin and I had accepted our aunt's invitation to live with her in Japan, Niko was the only who was going to need it. College.
Checking my watch discretely, I shifted uncomfortably. Only 11 hours, 39 minutes, and 7 seconds until little Sabin and I boarded our one-way flight to otaku-heaven.
I smiled at my joke.
"Onee-chan, it's over."
Looking down at my little sister, I blinked, a little confused. "Hm? What is?"
"The funeral, moron," Niko snapped.
"Oh," I replied, unintelligently. "About time."
"Hazu-nee?"
"Hm?" I smiled down at her as we made our way to our car.
"This was boring. Let's just go out for ice cream next time."
With a dreamy smile on my face, I watched her jump over a puddle of water.
Okay, so I might have a tiny bit of a little sister complex. Sue me.
"I doubt there'll ever be a next time," Niko muttered, totally ruining the moment.
I admit I did feel the urge to kill him right then, but resisted. This was a happy time when I would no longer trip down the stairs because of a stray beer can.
True, our gorgeous mother had died due to blood loss, but that had by no means been caused by a car accident.
No, more like a vampire. But of course there was no way I was going to tell anyone that.
I felt a little guilty, but I knew that they had never cared much for Mother. She had just been the woman who gave birth to us and then developed a taste for Budweiser.
I wouldn't call her an "alcoholic," but it was true her love of alcohol was greater than that of the average person.
So, nope. No "#1 Mom," keychain for her.
But now that I thought about it, it wasn't all her fault. Nah, it's mainly that pureblood or whatever that bit her and made her a little, er, thristier.
No pun intended.
After waking up in the middle of the night at the jinked age of thirteen to go pee, I found Mother passed out on the carpet, oozing blood all over the place from two punctured holes on her neck.
And I had just cleaned that carpet, too, to make matters worse.
A year of being fed off of was kind of a little traumatizing, I guess. And sure, the more I thought about it, the more it made sense.
But it was all over now and my self-sacrifice would never be acknowledged, but I would never regret it.
...does that sound cheesy? Probably.
But it was worth it and I meant it.
Watching my brother and sister, I sighed happily.
Niko looked down at me with an uninterested look, "What the hell do you want?"
"Onii-chan," I huffed. "You really know how to kill a moment."
At first glance, she was perfect. Beautiful. Kind. The works.
At second glance, she was the same.
Third, same.
Fourth, fifth, sixth, all the way to the millionth glance she would still look that way.
But if you knew her, really knew her, you'd think otherwise.
"It's wonderful to see you two!"
Only Aunt Maya could be so cheery at five in the morning.
Sighing, I allowed Sabin's hand to slip out of mine and wrap around the woman's waist.
Aunt Maya patted her head and then looked up at me with a twisted face, "What are we going to do with you, Hazu-chan? Wearing those clothes and muttering to yourself, how are we ever going to find you a proper husband?"
"Don't think about it too much," I said casually. "Let's go, I'm really tired."
"Hai!" Sabin beamed, making the 13 hour, nerve-wracking journey to Japan all worth it.
After tucking in Sabin, I made my way down the dimly lit halls of my aunt's large old fashioned Japanese home.
My hand felt wet and I stopped to see blood oozing out of the bites, the bruising becoming more and more obvious.
"What the-?"
"Hazu-chan?"
Spinning around to see Maya standing in the doorway, I recognized the look of uneasiness on her face.
"Ano, Hazu-chan, could I have a word with you?"
"Can it wait until tomorrow?" I asked, motioning to the towel slung over my shoulder. "I'd really like to take a bath."
"It's very important."
Silently, I nodded and followed her into her room and sat on a pillow before a low tale, watching her take a seat across from me. I'll admit I was tired of this hypocritical woman with her fake innocence and poorly kept secrets, but I said nothing.
"Don't give me that look."
I rolled my eyes. "Get straight to the point, I'm really not in the mood to be in the same room as someone married to a vampire."
Her face hardened as she glared at me, "Do not speak of your uncle in such a tone!"
"So what do you want?"
"Hazu," Maya began, softening. "Your uncle has heard some rather disturbing rumors about your mother."
Snorting, I pulled down the collar of my shirt to reveal dozens of scars. "That's strange, I've been feeling some very disturbing things for a while now."
At the sight of my neck, Maya's eyes closed, "Please, Hazu."
Sighing, I released my shirt and lowered my hand and Maya opened her eyes.
"Thank you. I apologize for not being able to do anything about that and-"
"Don't give me that!" I slammed my fist on the table. "You could have done plenty about this. Alerted the Vampire Hunters, hell, even the Vampire Council would have done something about it. Do you even realize what could have happened to Sabin? Or do you even care? I made up half of your precious little sister's diet. Damn, you were so lucky my blood tasted good or-"
"Hazu, please."
Leaning back I removed my hand from the table.
"I did not inform you about the hunters and councils so you could use it against me."
"Then why'd you bother?"
"So you could survive."
It didn't make any sense, but let it slide. "Continue."
"Thank you," Maya sighed. "Hazu, please understand what I am going to say. Don't treat it lightly or ignore me, this is serious. Your mother, Hazu, was bitten by a pureblood."
"And?"
"And your uncle has heard some rumors that the vampire that bit her was the same that killed her."
I blinked, unsure of what she was trying to say, "What's your point?"
"Hazu," she shook her head, looking frustrated. "You don't understand."
"Enlighten me."
"Did it bite you, Hazu?"
I swear, my heart stopped.
What had happened that night? My mother and I were driving by the river and...I don't remember. Touching the back of my head, I recalled the sudden swing my mother had given me before I flew out of the car and crashed into the dirt outside.
"I...I...I don't know..."
Maya sighed and stood up, "That's what I thought. Get up, Hazu. Take off your clothes."
"Wh-What? No way am I going to-!"
"Now, Hazu! This is serious!" Maya shouted and I was taken aback. This was the first time I had ever heard her raise her voice and it was humiliating to admit that it frightened me.
Climbing to my feet, I was going to get undress. Really, I was going to, but the second my hands reached up to unbotton my shirt, Maya snatched my hand away.
"What? I was going to..."
I stopped talking and finally noticed what she was staring at.
The bug bites.
Shit.
There. Done.