Disclaimer: I do not own any of the recognizable characters related to the Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampire Mysteries, or any thing connected to the True Blood TV series.
I sighed as I rose to the sound of birds singing, the sun's rays shining through my bedroom window of my familys' old farmhouse in Bon Temps, Louisiana.
I closed my eyes once more to enjoy the pure bliss of silence that surrounded me, except for hearing the calming tune of the birds in the trees around our land.
It was my favorite time of day, where my brain was fully relaxed and not overloaded with a million other thoughts rushing through my mind and worries that surrounded me on a daily basis. I could literally just switch off and enjoy the sound of birds' music and nothing more intruding.
After a while, I re-opened my eyes when I heard a car come down the pot-holed drive way. I knew that truck well, it was my brother's pride and joy, his baby if you like. It's actually our father's old truck that Jason had done up over the years since our parents' death.
He came to breakfast nearly every morning, unless he had company the night before. Usually the weekends, when he wasn't working, we didn't see him. Monday – Friday you could almost guarantee a visit from my brother, except for rare occasions during week days.
Jason was older than me by four years. I'm the baby of our small family. You see, it's just my brother, myself and my grandmother Adele Stackhouse; who raised us as her own when our parents sadly died in a freak flash flood. Though, as I grew older, I had often wondered if there was more to that story than met the ordinary human's eye, as there had not been a situation like that since, which to me sounded a bit strange.
But I kept those thoughts to myself; we rarely spoke of my parents and the flash flood. Sometimes, I heard things I shouldn't, but I had more control these days since I've grown older, become wiser, and been able to work through my disability. I will get to that unfortunate, un-ideal thing I have later, but let's just say people thought I was crazy in my town.
My peaceful, blissful start to the day had officially ended so I decided to get up and go through the shower and get ready for the day. I chose a pair of blue hot pants and a white tank top dress thing that almost covered the shorts. I made my way downstairs and found my grandmother in the kitchen cooking breakfast. The aroma surrounding the kitchen was pure heaven. I loved my gran's food and so did Jason. Even though he lived in his own house, he still came back here for home comforts.
I've often wondered why my grandmother never opened a small café; her cooking skills would be sure to attract a large crowd of people. Any dish or dessert goodies she creates was simply divine and lush. Perhaps I would bring it up at some point.
"Hey Gran," I said to her, giving my grandmother a hug as she handed me a cup of yumminess that is coffee.
"Morning, dear. Did you have a good night's sleep?"she asked me.
"Yes, thank you Gran. What are you cooking?"
"Pancakes, bacon, maple syrup and fruit on the side."
I drooled, I thought I could smell bacon. Jason walked through the back door that led into the kitchen.
"Hey ladies," he greeted us. Jason looked a little jumpy under the façade that he was putting up.
"Morning Jay, take a seat, I'll grab you a coffee," Gran said to my brother.
"Thanks, Gran. Did y'all here about Maudette Pickens?"
"No, what's up?" Gran asked surprising me and my brother. Normally she and her friend Mrs Fortenberry were the town's gossip buddies. So it shocked us that she didn't know something that happened or was happening within our small town.
Perhaps whatever it was that Jason was about to tell us had only just happened.
"They found her dead in her flat, strangled, with vampire bites."
Shit, fuck, fucking double shit, hell, I was with her only yesterday for some fun. What the fuck's going on in this town?
I stared at my brother, my jaw dropped. Vampire bites? Strangling? Murder in Bon Temps, Louisiana? A backwater town, that's usually quiet and forgotten by the rest of the world. What the effin hell?
Even Gran was lost for words as we both stared at my brother in shock. Me for various different reasons. His thoughts were so loud, I couldn't help but hearing. Oh yes, I forgot to tell you guys about that as I stared at Jason in shock who was looking between the both of us, looking real nervous for our response to his news.
I'm what we've discovered is called a telepath – I can read people's thoughts, unfortunately. Which was how I was able to know what my brother was thinking. It's a tough life for me, but I've gotten better at blocking other people's thoughts from invading my own private space in my mind.
"Maudette? Wasn't she in your year at school, Sookie?" Gran asked me, bringing me out of my muse.
"Yes, that's kinda freaky. I didn't think – the little I know of her – that she was into that kinda thing," I replied. I had little to do with Maudette, when ever she came into Merlotte's Bar and Grill she sat in Dawns section.
"Yeah, they think a vampire killed her after seeing the bite marks on her," my brother responded.
"But don't vampires drain people, not strangle?" I asked slightly confused. I didn't think, from the small amount I knew of vampires, that they would strangle a person to death.
Gran dished up our breakfasts and laid it all out on the kitchen table for us to help ourselves.
"I dunno, but according to rumours, she was a frequent visitor to that vampire bar in Shreveport called… Fantasia, Fantasy or something like that," he said.
"Oh, I've heard of that. It's called: Fangtasia," I said, having remembered it from various people's thoughts, both customers and a staff member. It surprised me that she went there, I never remembered hearing Maudette think about Fangtasia.
"LANGUAGE, JASON FINTAN STACKHOUSE," my grandmother yelled at my brother.
"I can't help it... I just get so pissed off, cause every girl I've been with lately seems to have fang marks, and it's real off putting."
"What's a fangbanger?" I asked my brother, though I was pretty sure I knew what it was.
"It's a name for someone, a girl or guy or whatever, who lets vampire feed and fuck them.".
We were silent for a while.
"Hey Sook. Maybe you could do some digging around, see if you can spot the vampire that did this to Maudette? Nobody should go like this."
I stared at my brother in shock. He rarely ever acknowledged my disability. Gran also had a look of surprise on her face.
"You want me to go to that vamp bar?" I asked him. This time Jason looked shocked and a little angry.
"HELL NO. Don't you ever step foot in that bar."
"But what if I have to? To dig for information if I can't find anything in Bon Temps?" I asked him. Vampires had been out of the coffin now for four years.
"If Sookie has to go to the vampire bar, I will accompany her," Gran said, surprising me and Jason.
"NO Gran, I'll go," Jason said, sounding horrified at the thought of Gran going into a vampire bar.
"THIS is not up for negotiation, Jason. There are things you would not understand," Gran said mysteriously. I looked at her surprised and curious.
"What things Gran?" I asked her. She shot me a look that said: stay out of my head.
"Never you mind about that. I will make a few phone calls. If Sookie can't find any answers to Maudette's death, then we will go to plan B.
"What's plan C?" Jason asked.
Gran looked nervous.
"I will contact an old friend for help." My grandmother replied in a conversation-closed tone. We went silent, all lost in our own thoughts as we finished our breakfast.
I wondered what was up with my grandmother. She had been acting a little strangely lately, not her usual self, a little jumpy too perhaps. Nervous and sketchy. It was weird to see her that way.
Perhaps there was more this whole thing, than met the eye.
Massive thank you to my beta for working on this story with me :-)
A HUGE congratulations to Meghan and Harry for their beautiful wedding yesterday. If only I had the money, I think I may have gone to Windsor for a day out but kinda glad I didn't due to the amount of people that went. So watched it from the comfort of my parents living room :-)
(this bit's not beta'd.)
Would love to hear what you all think for my stories beginning?