Author's note- This story may have poor Grammar in it. If you feel the need to tell me so, don't bother. If you like the story tell me.
"But mama I don't wanna move! I like it here." A tiny girl of no more than three complained yet again to her mother.
"Honey we've been through this. We need to move because another family needs our place more. I'm sorry little ladybug." The girl's mother said gently.
"It's not fair! Why do we always have to be the ones to move. Why can't someone else move out for a change." The girl complained.
"Come on then. We need to get going." The girl's father said to her mother. The girl snorted irritably rolling her eyes as her mother grabbed her hand and yanked her along with her.
"I liked it here mama." The girl said sadly looking back at their gated village. Humans weren't so rare. They just knew to keep well hidden from both the vampires, which caused them more trouble than needed and the various werewolves around the area didn't pose so much of threat. They were actually nice and pleasant to be around.
The father suddenly stopped making the mother still and quickly pick up her child. There was a rogue of some sort wondering about. From the distance they were, they couldn't tell if it was a wolf or there worst fears a vampire. Another step and yep it was their worst nightmares confirmed. The man grinned showing off his oddly white teeth that accompanied his pale veiny skin. He locked eyes on the youngest of the group making the father grab out his gun.
It wasn't exactly legal to kill anyone per say, but this was a vampire and he was threatening a child. The father brought his gun up, taking aim and fired two shots directed at the vampire's chest.
"Is he dead?" The little girl asked her mother softly a bit concerned.
"I'll go check." The father said abruptly as the mother grabbed his sleeve.
"No love. Just leave him be. Let's just go. We need to get to Tulsa by morning. We have a good twenty miles to go." The mother said gently to her husband.
"I need to make sure he's dead." The man said softly to his wife. She sighed some knowing her husband wouldn't listen to her. She watched as her husband walked over to the presumably dead body of the vampire.
The husband gently kicked the vampire's cheek and got quite the shock when the head snapped over and teeth dig into his ankle. He screamed in agony as his blood seeped into the vampire's more than willing mouth. A sandpaper like tongue licked over the wound as the husband tried to kick the bitter off of him somehow.
The wife quickly ran off their child in tow. "No! Daddy!" The little girl cried out trying to get out of her mother's form grasp and back to her father.
"No Rena. We can't stop now. We need to get to Tulsa. Okay ladybug?" The mother said softly to her daughter.
"But what about Daddy." The child said sadly making her mother sigh.
"Daddy will meet up with us in Tulsa baby. Okay. So let's keep moving." The mother said gently kissing her daughter's hair.
The duo kept moving and almost by nightfall, the duo finally arrived in Tulsa. It was a primarily werewolf town, but it seemed a good place. The head of packs of all of the south resided here, One Darrel Curtis Jr. , so it was as safe a city to live in as any.
A few wolves glared at the duo not quite trusting them. "You must be the Dahlia's." A guy of no more than twenty said.
"Yes I'm Sandy." The mother said shaking hands with The guy after placing her child down.
"Darrel Curtis Jr. Just call me Darry.." He said smiling.
"And who is this?" Darry asked gently looking down at Rena.
"Rena…." Rena said softly twiddling her fingers some.
"Mama when's daddy getting here?" She asked her mother softly.
"He'll be here soon enough." The mother said firmly to her daughter.
"Okay…." Rena said softly not really sounding thrilled about it. The child looked about curiosity her eyes fixated on a certain DX Shop. She wondered off towards it as her mother and Darry began talking. Darry needed to know what kind of humans he was allowing to live in his town. He wouldn't let just anyone live here.
"Steve hand my the philips would you." Soda Called out from under the car he was working on. He got handed the philips as he wanted but not by his friend. He quickly popped out of the car and chuckled softly sitting up.
"Hello." Soda said smiling.
"Hi. What are you doing?" Rena asked softly looking at the car and Soda curiosity.
"Well I'm a mechanic. I'm fixing the car here. So she's nice a brand new."
"Oh…" Rena said gently.
"Soda who the hell are you talking to in here?" Steve asked his friend curiosity.
"New neighbor I think." Soda said wiping his hands off on a rag.
"Uh Huh I'm Rena." Rena said gently.
"Pleasure miss Dehlia." Soda said kissing the child's hand and making her giggle.
"So curious about cars are we?" Steve asked getting a faint nod from the child.
Steve chuckled softly grabbing a Pepsi from the fridge.
"You should get back to your mama." Steve told Rena getting a snort from said child.
"I don't wanna go. She's talking to Darry still." Rena complained kicking some dust with her foot.
"Well I'm one of Darry's brothers." Soda Told Rena gently.
"Come on up we go. Can't have your mama worrying about you." Soda said going to pick Rena up, but got his hands smacked away by her.
"Will you teach me about cars later, Soda?" She asked softly making him smile hugely.
"Course." He said as he hoisted her up. It didn't take him long to find her mother. Once he did he couldn't help but stare at the young woman. She was about the same age as soda himself. She has to have her daughter when she was still fairly young herself.
"There you are. What have I told you about running off." Sandy said angrily to her daughter. She had been rather worried , that her daughter might have tried to run off to find her daddy.
"Sorry mama." Rena said gently.
"She wasn't any trouble. Just a curious little bug." Soda said roughing the girl's hair some. She giggled delightedly looking up at him.
"I don't believe we've met, Sodapop Patrick Curtis. Calm me Soda." Soda said holding his hand out for Sandy to shake. Sandy smiled some grabbing his hand.
"Sandra Lyn Dehlia. But just call me Sandy." Sandy said gently.
"Awful darling little girl you have." Soda looking down at the child beside her mother now.
"Isn't she though…." Sandy said a sense of pride filling her. Every mother wanted their daughter to be called darling. It was a sign of beauty to them.
Sandy sighed some looking to her daughter. Her and Darry had been talking about how to tell Rena her daddy wouldn't ever be coming home.
"Baby...Remember How mama said Daddy would meet up with us?" Sandy said gently to her daughter getting down on her knees to talk to Rena.
"Uh Huh…."
"He's not."
"What do you mean he's not." Rena said sounding so heartbroken.
"I want my daddy!" Rena sobbed out taking off running.
"Rena!" Sandy said worriedly standing up.
"I'll go get her for you." Soda Told Sandy firmly taking off running.
"Rena! Rena! Little bug where'd ya go." Soda said softly.
"Daddy!" He heard and swallowed hard. He picked up his pace and even transformed into his wolf to be quicker. He then got between Rena and what was once her father. The man had pale skin that rivaled the vampire's whom had bit him.
"I just want my little girl and then I'll be out of your hair." The man said smirking at the wolf. The wolf snarled at the man and kept a protective stance still. The vampire eventually left leaving the wolf and child alone. Rena began crying and rubbing at her eyes with her hands.
"I want my Daddy back." Rena said softly sniffling.
The wolf sat up right going back to his normal self.
"I know you do. But your daddy's home Rena." Soda said gently to the crying child. He lifted her up and took her right to her mother as promised.
"Your husband is one of them now." Soda told Sandy whom swallowed hard.
"I had a hunch he might be one." Sandy said shaking her head sadly.
"Hey anytime you need a babysitter just let me know. I'm more than happy to babysit." Soda said tickling Rena and getting her to giggle. Something Sandy had thought only Rena's father could ever do.
"I'll keep that in mind Soda. Thank you." Sandy said smiling.
"Alright you. Let's get to our new house yeah?" Sandy asked getting an eager nod from Rena.
The duo followed Darry to a nice small home directly across from their place.
"It's big." Rena said looking at the place with wide eyes.
"Welcome to the neighborhood Dehlia's." Darry said handing Sandy the keys to her new home. Sandy smiled unlocking the door and took her first steps inside the place. Rena looked around with wide curious eyes , going through each room until she found the room she liked best. It had a huge window and looked directly across the street at the curtis Home. Though she didn't know that.
"Huh look at that…" Soda said chuckling softly seeing Rena waving to him from her bedroom window.
"Who are you…." Ponyboy began standing up to take a look. He shook his head amused and waved back to the child clad in a red nightgown now.
"She's a darling little thing." Soda said sitting back down on the couch to relax some.
It had been little over a month since the Dehlia's first moved to Tulsa. Everyone in town seemed to like them. Especially little Rena or Red as everyone called her, given she always wore the same red shoes and jacket everywhere.
It was mid February, and a sort of deathly silence enveloped the neighborhood by Eight. Everyone was fast asleep in their beds or on their couches. Well, almost everyone. Rena didn't seem to be asleep, rather she seemed wide awake due to an odd sound she kept hearing.
It was a sort of scratching sound that made the child hide under her covers. Her door handle behan to jiggle before the door suddenly burst open.
"Little ladybug...little ladybug. Where are you hiding?" A voice said to her. She hesitantly pulled her sheets down ,to see her own father standing there before her.
"Daddy…." Rena said softly her eyes huge. "Come on little lady bug. Come to daddy." The man said with open arms. Rena shook her head no furiously.
"Mama!" Rena screamed as her father got closer and grabbed her. She was screaming louder and crying as well.
"Hush...hush little ladybug. It's just me. Daddy. You want me to still be your daddy, don't you?" The man asked softly looking rather upset.
"No. Mama!" Rena screamed again seeming to upset the man holding her. He threw her back against the window. Not hard enough to break the window ,but hard enough to hurt the terrified child. She screamed again even louder. Someone finally heard her, but it sure wasn't her mother at all.
"You guys hear that?" Ponyboy asked soda and Darry on the couches. Darry sat up right listening carefully and sighed some.
"Sounds like a little girl wanting her mama." Darry said shaking his head some. The got soda's attention.
"Darry it's come from Rena's house." Soda said worriedly. Darry nodded to his brother , to let him know he could go check on the child if he needed to. Which soda obviously needed to. Soda rushed across next door and sniffed the air growling lowly. He didn't have to step foot in the place, to know a vampire was in it. Soda snuck down the hallway towards Rena's room and found the child crying in a corner and pretty shook up. Whomever had been here was long gone by now.
"Rena…" Soda said shaking the child gently. She screamed at him as he picked her up onto his lap.
"Shhhh it's me little bug." Soda said making her open her eyes. She looked terrified and had tear streaks running down her cheeks.
"It's okay. He's gone." Soda said gently checking her head for any bruising or marks. He also did the same to the rest of her.
He walked down the hallway to check on her mother and grimaced some. Whoever had wanted Rena did a number on her mother. Almost out of revenge it seemed.
"Is my mama okay?" Rena asked soda softly rubbing her eyes some. Soda bit his lip some closing the bedroom door.
"Why don't we go to my place real quick Okay. I need to talk with that brother of mine." Soda said gently.
"My mama's hurt isn't she…" Rena said sadly looking up at soda.
"Yeah bad." Soda said grabbing Rena's hand and walking her across the street. Darry looked over at the doorway as it opened and saw Soda step in with someone else behind him.
"Why don't you go sit on the couch by Ponyboy." Soda suggested to Rena. She nodded some and did as suggested. Ponyboy happened to be reading Gone with the Wind for the hundredth time. It seemed to his favorite book since Johnny passed.
"Darry got a minute." Soda said seriously. Darry sighed some. Soda was hardly ever serious about much, unless it had to with an orphaned child or a vampire of some sort.
"Yes pepsi cola?" Darry asked once outside.
"Her mother's dead. Someone broke into their home and killed her. She's an orphan." Soda said Seriously.
"Soda she's a human. She's more delicate than the pups here." Darry said rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Darry she's a little girl. I can't send her away. She just got here." Soda said sadly to his brother. Darry had a hunch where this was going , but figured he'd let his brother tell him on his own.
"I wanna adopt her." Soda said after a moment of silence.
"Do I have your permission or not?" Soda asked Darry , crossing his arms over his chest.
"Soda again she's human. She's not like our pups we have. They can get hurt easily. Are you sure you're even ready to be a dad? This is guardianship like me Soda. You'd become her father. Are you ready for this?" Darry asked his brother seriously.
"Darry look at her. She's a darling little girl. How can I not adopt her." Soda said making his brother smile some.
"Alright. I approve. But do remember you're the one that has to discipline her when needed." Darry warned his brother. Soda chuckled some at that.
"Hey Rena can you come here darling." Soda asked the child sitting on Ponyboy's lap and listening while he read aloud. She looked at Soda pouting her lip some. He motioned her over making her groan as she got off of Ponyboy's lap.
"Hey, I'm sorry honey but your mama..she's dead." Soda said seeing the child's smile fade instantly.
"No!" Rena cried dropping to her knees suddenly. Soda sighed picking the child up.
"There's some good news though…" Soda said making her look up at him.
"What…" She asked rubbing at her puffy red eyes.
"How would you like to be a curtis?" Soda asked making her cock an eyebrow. A trick he didn't think humans could do.
"Are you adopting me?" Rena asked soda softly. Soda nodded his head seeing a faint smile on her lips once more. She hugged him making him smile warmly.
"You do know what this means right?" Soda asked Rena who shook her head no.
"It means you know have some uncles whom might spoil you." Soda said looking towards his brothers. Rena giggled softly at the idea of it. She then walked back to the living room and sat by Ponyboy.
"Will you read some more. Please." Rena asked him gently.
"Sure thing. Where were we…" Ponyboy said glancing through the book. He began reading and within a good twenty minutes, everyone could hear a faint snoring sound. Soda gently picked the child up and set her down on the bed in Ponyboy's old room.
"Goodnight Red." Soda said kissing the child's cheek lovingly.
"Night Daddy….." Rena mumbled softly curling in on her side. Soda backed out of the room closing the door behind him. He never thought hearing that word would ever make him so happy, but it did. He now had a darling little girl to watch after and call his own.