Eyes Older Than the Rest

CH 1: Introducing…

Edgar Frog stared out the dirty window of his family's comic shop into the dark and dangerous night. The sixteen year old shifted his position as he balanced the heavy box of comics on his knee. The night was filled with horrifying and deathly creatures, creatures that he and his brother had faced down multiple times-along with their fashion victim friend. It had been two years since he, his brother Alan, and that oddly dressed boy Sam had taken down a head vampire and his coven, saving Sam's older brother Michael, a girl named Star, and a little boy named Laddie from a fate worse than death. Since then, the troupe of hunters had taken down 27 vampires. Admittedly, the boys had had much help from vampires' natural enemies, sunlight, holy water, and garlic.

Edgar turned away from the window and placed the box on the counter where his brother was sitting sharpening stakes. Scowling, he hit his brother upside the head.

"Ow," Alan exclaimed and he put down the stake to rub the sore spot on his head. "What the hell was that for?" Edgar pushed the stakes and the knife his brother was using to sharpen them behind the counter.

"You don't sharpen stakes in public dumbass. Do you want to be responsible for blowing our cover?" he yelled at Alan. He ran a hand through his dark blonde hair and adjusted the ever present red bandana tied around his head. Sighing loudly, Alan deftly jumped over the counter and proceeded to pick up the stakes and the knife from the floor. He put them on a shelf under the cash register. If anyone had ever dared to go behind the counter, they would fine a plethora of stakes, plastic water guns, bulbs of garlic, metal canteens, and sharp knives and swords. Where the brothers got their weapons was a mystery, but they did their best to hide them.

The bell on the shop door jangled as someone walked in. Both of the boys recognized her from school, but had never talked to her. They often saw her walking around the boardwalk with her friends or her brother, but she had never come into the store before. She looked out of her element among the racks of brightly colored comics. The girl, Delilah, ran a hand through her long dark brown curls as her combat boot cover feet shuffled down the aisles. Delilah wasn't necessarily a normal girl. She always dressed with conflicting styles that somehow managed to look good on her. For example, she was wearing long feathered earrings with a matching necklace, a flowery dress stopped mid-thigh, ripped fishnets, and heavy black boots quite similar to the ones that currently were protecting the Frog brothers' feet.

She had always bothered Edgar for some reason. Maybe it was because she was so pale that her skin almost had no color to it, or that her facial features were perfectly straight and clear, or that her eyes were too blue for her face. But most likely it was the fact that something about her screamed supernatural and ancient. Something about her was off in comparison to the other teenage girls her age. They all radiated light hearts and faux perfection, but she seemed too dark for a girl her age, like she had seen things she shouldn't have. All that Edgar knew was that this girl was not someone to associate with.

But unfortunately for him, his brother didn't see her the same way. As soon as the confused expression flickered across her face, Alan had jumped off of the counter and walked over to help. He was obviously crushing on her and did his best to appeal to her. Edgar didn't like it, but it wasn't like he could go to Alan and turn off the part of him that made him a teenage boy. He already had enough of a hard time keeping himself in line.

Alan was casually leaning against a rack of comics as Delilah told him what she needed. He nodded enthusiastically and led her over to the rack of Superman comics and plucked one out. She looked relieved as he handed her the comic and led her over to the cash register where Edgar still stood, scowling at her. He walked behind the counter to join his brother. As Alan slowly took her money and put it in the cash register, Edgar picked up a certain tool from under the cash register. Right before Delilah took her change from Alan's outstretched hand, he popped up and shot her with a cold blast of holy water.

Delilah flinched as the cold liquid hit her straight in the face. Slowly, she wiped the water out of her eyes before her face contorted into an expression of pure hate, solely directed at Edgar.

"You have five seconds to run before I come after you," she said pointedly. Something in her eyes told Edgar that she wasn't kidding. He bolted from behind the counter with a surprising speed and ran off into the night. Exactly five seconds later she ran after him with Alan trailing behind her.

Delilah was a very fast runner, so fast that the people in the crowd barely had time to react after Edgar pushed through them before she followed the same path. Alan did his best to keep up with her, but luckily he didn't have far to go. Right in the middle of a boardwalk, in the most populated area, Edgar Frog went down. He was tackled from behind by the tiny girl and found himself face down on the worn wood. Delilah sat on his back and grabbed a fistful of his hair, yanking his head up.

"Apologize," she said harshly. When Edgar failed to respond immediately, she pulled harder on his hair. "Now." He groaned but complied. She pulled once more for extra measure before jumping off if his back. By now a crowd had formed, greatly injuring Edgar's pride. He brushed himself off before sprinting back to the safety of the comic shop. Alan watched as Delilah walked over to him.

"You're brother is an ass," she said, stating it as though it was a well-known fact. "To make it up to me, tomorrow night you are going to take me out. Meet me at this exact spot at 6:00. Don't be late and bring the comic that I had purchased." She flashed him a dazzling smile before walking away and disappearing into the crowd, leaving confused Alan.