The Name of Murder Starts with A "V"
A Vladimir Todd Fan Fiction
Chapter One: Reasons For Leaving New York
Winter sat on an air plane, her twin brother July beside her. He grabbed her hand firmly causing Winter to look over at him. She smiled at him softly. Winter face was sickly pale, her eyes had dark circle under them as though she hadn't slept in months; and she hadn't. Winter and July were traveling from New York to Bathory to live with their uncle Craig after their father's homicide and their mother being checked into a psychiatric institute. "Everything is going to be alright Winter." July assured her with a smile. Winter nodded her head and tried to smile back. She was week from the long flight, from not sleeping and from barely eating. Winter use to have natural muscles on her arms and legs from being a strong swimmer, but in the past 3 months she hadn't been taking care of herself and even stopped swimming. Winter laid her head back on the chair and shut her eyes. She began to think about that fateful day 3 months ago.
~*Flash Back*~
"Mom!" July called into the house, excitement ringing in his voice. Winter ran up behind him, her hair soaked in chlorine water holding a huge trophy in her hands. "Dad!" she screamed from behind July. Winter ran into the house. "I'm a go find dad." She said excitedly as she ran down the hall way. "Ok, I'll go get mom!" he called to her down the hall. Winter gave a 'thumbs up' as she made her way to her father's office. "Daddy?" she questioned softly as she knocked on the door. "I'm coming in." she said joyously as she opened the door. Life drained from her face and all she could see was blood. "Dad…." She whispered out as she walked into the home office slowly. Winter dropped her first place trophy to the ground causing it to fall into a puddle of blood. Her eyes widened and her face paled. Tears stained her cheeks as she backed away from the horrid scene in front of her. Her father's body lied on the floor of his office in a pool of blood and chunks of meet all over the room; his brains. Winter backed herself into a wall. Her back slammed against it causing her to crumble into a hysterical heap on the ground. "JULY!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. "JULY HELP!" she screamed again. July came running into the room looking for his sister. His eyes widened and his stomach churned at the sight of their father; but July being the stronger twin torn his eyes away from their father and carried his sister out of the room as quick as he could. He sat Winter down on the couch and quickly grabbed the house phone, calling the cops. "Winter, stay here; I'm going to go find mom." He told her. July's voice trembled, he hands shook as he made his way up the steps of their home to find their mother. July searched ever part of the house and eventually found their mother in her bedroom. She was motionless; her eyes were dull as though she were dead. July ran to his mother's side and checked her pulse. She was alive! He could hear the cops coming into the house and he could hear them trying to question his sister. She couldn't speak. She was in the same state as their mother at this point; complete shock. July ran down the steps. "My father; he's in the back room your right. I've no idea what happened to him. My mother is in the first door to your left at the top of the steps. She's not responding to me or anything…" July informed the cops in a panicked voice. He saw some paramedics by his sister and went into more of a panic. "What's wrong with my sister?" he questioned quickly as he approached them. "she's in a state of shock." One of the paramedics informed him. July saw some others bringing his mother down on a stretcher and a few others with their father's body also on another stretched and covered with a blanket. July fell to the ground in a heap of himself. The paramedics began to take his sister and he immediately got to his feet. "Where are you taking her?" he asked them frantically but they didn't answer him. "Where are they taking my sister?" he screamed. "They have to take her to the psychiatric -ward of the hospital for evaluation." A cop informed him. Winter sat up at the sound of this and tried to get off the stretched the paramedics had her on. "July!" she screamed trying to get away from them and get to her twin. July ran out the house to his sister and got into the ambulance with her. "Relax, shhh" he said softly as he petted the top of her head. "Big brother's here." He said softly. Winter calmed down and looked at the ceiling of the ambulance. He looked at the paramedics which stared at the twins in awe, not sure how she so quickly broke from her state of shock. "You can never threaten the separation of twins. No matter the ailment one has, it breaks at the thought of their separation." July told the in a stern voice. Hours had past as July sat in the waiting room of the E.R. finally the E.R. doctor had entered the waiting room. "Your sister should be fine, though the shock of finding your father in the state she did has caused her great trauma that may result in the fear of blood." The doctor informed him. "What about when she, you know…" July's face flashed red from the embarrassing question that had needed to be asked. "I have explain to her that when her menstruation does happen that to keep calm as possible and that to remember that it is very natural that her body is releasing that blood but if she does feel a panic to call me immediately." The doctor answered him. July looked relieved as he took a deep sigh. "This trauma might also cause her depression. I will prescribe her medication and at any signs of depression give her these; she may also develop insomnia and anxiety. You need to be aware of any signs of any of these disorders and contact a doctor immediately." The doctor continued to inform him. July nodded his head. "when can she leave?" he asked the doctor. "As soon as her discharge papers are signed." "You kids can't return to that house." the officer informed July. "Then where do you suppose we go?" He growled. "We don't have family here, they are either out of country or out of state and are unable to take care of two teenagers, hence why we have no cousins." July said smugly. "We have nowhere to go other than that house." "It wouldn't be good to take your sister back there." The officer informed him. "It could cause an attack." He told July. July looked back to the doctor. "What of our mother?" he asked. "I'm afraid she won't be leaving. Her shock and trauma are far worse than that of your sister's. she will barely speak, the only thing we could get out of your mother was what had happened to your father and she said a pale man in black had broken into the house and slaughtered him." The doctor informed him once more. "I see…" July hung his head, his sandy brown hair hung in front of his eyes. "Is there anyone that could take you two in? a friend maybe?" the officer asked softly. "No, we don't have many friends…" "July!" a man with dark brown hair came running into the waiting room of the E.R. frantically. His eyes were ice blue and they were filled with worry "Uncle Craig?" July asked. "What are you doing here?" July asked completely confused as he stood up from the waiting room chair. "I came to visit; your father said it was going to be a surprise for you guys. What happened at the house? where's your sister?" he began asking questions. The officer began to explain to the man what had happened. Craig looked at his nephew. To others July would have looked like he hadn't cared, but when his uncle looked at him, he saw a hurt boy who was being strong for not only himself but for his sister too. Uncle Craig grabbed July and held him in a tight embrace. "Men cry too July." He told his nephew. July began to tremble, then clung to his uncle, sobbing hysterically. "Is there anyone in your family that can take these kids in?" The officer asked Craig. "Yeah, they can stay with me…" he said as he held his broken nephew in his arms, trying his best to calm him. "But they would have to move in with me in Bathory." He said as July pulled away from him. "Bathory?" July asked. "Yes, Bathory." Uncle Craig responded. A nurse wheeled Winter out from the back. "Winter…" Craig said softly as he walked over to her. "Uncle Craig, what are you doing here…" she asked confused, her silver eyes completely red from crying. He hugged her. "I was a surprise… I received a surprise instead; I am so sorry sweet heart." He held her tight. "I'm sorry too Uncle Craig." She sobbed out. "Why are you sorry?" He asked her. "We may have lost our father, but you just lost your brother." She managed to say through her tears. Craig nodded his head and held his niece.
~*End of Flashback*~
Winter and July lived with their uncle in New York for two and a half months. Their uncle left for two weeks to prepare for their arrival, and then send for their tickets just in time for summer break. As the plane landed Winter looked to her brother. "Do you think it'll be the same?" she asked July weakly. "What do you mean?" he asked her. "Do you think we'll be as lonely or that Uncle Craig will be different now that he's at his own home?" she asked him nervously. July gave her a smile and a quick squeeze of the hand. "Things will be better and the same… Maybe, now that we aren't in that house anymore… your health will get better. Maybe start eating again…" July said softly. Winter smiled at him. "Yeah, you're right." She said softly. Winter and July exited the airport about 30 minutes later to see a Honda civic starting at them. Their uncle was leaning against the car reading a book. "Uncle Craig?" Winter said softly. Craig looked up from his book and smiled at them. He opened the door to the car and gestured for them to enter. "Missed you guys." He said softly as he entered the driver's seat. "Us too." July said softly. "So, um… just to make sure cause I don't want to seem like a bad guardian, your birthday is in July, right?" He asked the twins. July laughed a little. "Yeah, the 16th." Winter responded. Craig smiled. "Yeah, that's one hell of a date to remember." Craig said as he took off from the airport and headed into Bathory.
Uncle Craig pulled up into a driveway for two beside a blue and grey house. Winter exited the car, her suit case in her hands. "I know this house…" she said softly. July looked over at her confused. "How; we've never been here before Winter." July announced. "I don't know; I just do…" she said softly. "Like, in a dream…" she added softly, then suddenly her stomach growled. "Oh?" she placed her hand over the growling monster and smiled at her brother and uncle. "I guess I'm hungry." She laughed. 'at last, a genuine laugh from her… feels like forever that I've been waiting for that.' July thought as he grabbed the rest of their bags. Winter slowly but surely made her way up the front path of the house. "Oh, Henry look!" a woman said happily. "Mr. Davis has guest." She said happily. A boy with short blond hair and chocolate like eyes walked out from behind her. He had a jean jacket wrapped around his waist while sporting a wife-beater and blue ripped jeans. He looked at Winter with strange eyes, a look that Winter had never seen before: lust. "hi." He said in a charming tone that he used on almost any girl. "Sup." July responded. The blonde glanced in July's direction. "Um, hi…" Winter responded. "Hello Mrs. McMillan." Craig responded. "These two are my niece and nephew. They are moving in with me, permanently." He stated happily. "I'm Henry." The blonde announced. "Name's July, she's my twin. Her names Winter." July introduced as he reached over the gate to shake Henry's hand. Henry looked at him a bit confused but took his hand anyways. "what brings you guy here?" he asked them. Winter looked to the ground and continued to shuffle up the path. A heavy breeze blew by and Winter being as frail as she is fell to the floor, her long sandy brown and white hair falling over her face. July dropped everything in his hands and ran over to her, helping her back on her feet. "You ok?" Henry asked as he hopped over the fence. "Yeah, I should be…" she said softly as she stood back up with her brother's help. "Hey, listen I'm heading to the movies with a friend before he leaves for the summer, you guys want to come with?" Henry asked with a smile on his face. "We'd love to but as you can see…" July gestured to their entire luggage. "We have a lot of unpacking to do." He said sincerely. "Yeah, good point." Henry laughed. "Where are you guys coming from anyways?" he asked eagerly. "New York." Winter said softly as she picked up her suitcase. "You might want to get going, Henry." Winter said in a very soft tone. "I don't think you're friend will be happy that you're running late." She smiled, her eyes shined in the sunlight. "Nah, he'll be fine." "I would suggest listening to her, she's never wrong." July said with a smile as he brushed his bangs from his eyes. Henry smiled at them right as his phone rang. "Hm?" He pulled his phone from his pocket and answered it. "Hello? Oh hey Vlad-Oh Geese!" Henry held the phone away from his ear as Vlad screamed at him from the other side of the phone. "Ok, ok I'm coming now!" Henry responded as he then hung the phone up and glanced over at Winter with a slightly confused look. "Looks like you were right." He laughed and headed for his car. "Come by whenever, I'll be alone most of the summer if you guys want to hang out!" Henry told them as he got in his car waving them a short good bye. July looked over at Winter who smiled and entered the house. "Do we share a room?" Winter asked softly. "no, but your rooms are connected through a door in the closet." Uncle Craig told them as he showed them their rooms. Winter entered her room. The walls were painted a midnight blue with stick on stars on the ceiling and walls. A big crescent moon hung from the ceiling where the light would have been. A full size bed with a sheer black canapé sat in the corner by a window with a large windowsill filled with throw pillows and draws beneath it. A dress sat on the other side of the wall with a vanity beside it. A TV stand sat not too far from the vanity but not too close with a cable box and DVD player. "I'm allowed TV in my room?" Winter asked slightly confused. "Yeah, why not." Craig smiled as Winter walked into the room, setting her things down on the bed that was decorated with a polka dot blanket and pillows. An AC sat in the window at the foot of her head. Her closet door was right beside the dresser. She ran for her closet door and surely, there was the second door. Winter opened the door and walked into her brother's room just as her and Uncle Craig entered. July's bed was also a full sized bed. He had a huge metal bed frame with a beautiful deign of crossing lines. It had a head bored and a foot bored. The blanket and pillows on his bed had strips. The walls were a lighter blue than that of his sister's and had fluffy white clouds across the ceiling and walls. His dresser was against the wall at the end of his bed and his TV, the same as Winters but by his closet. Beside the TV was a small window with an AC in it and by his bed a window just like Winters. "Those windows have a balcony you two can go out on." Uncle Craig told them. They nodded their heads happily. "I'm starving!" July said happily. "I second that." Winter said softly. "How do burgers sound?" Craig asked them happily. "Awesome!" Winter said in joy. "Should we unpack now or-" "How about I feed you two first. Your father would kill me from his grave if I didn't feed you two." Craig laughed softly. Winter and July smiled at each other. They knew; all three of them did that the mourning period wasn't over but Winter and July figured; If Uncle Craig can smile and still tell jokes about his dead brother, they could do the same. It would help heal the pain.