The first section is a bit slow, but don't worry, it gets better- hope you like it!
Disclaimer: All characters are property of Kelley Armstrong... sigh.
Monsters and Demons
I awoke to the sound of... nothing. My dad and I may have moved around a lot, but we'd always stayed in Buffalo- I was definitely a city girl, used to waking up to the sounds of jack-hammers from nearby construction sites, sidewalk vendors hawking their goods, and blaring horns from annoyed drivers on their morning commutes. So the silence seemed overwhelming, almost oppressive-
Whoa, Chloe, I thought, stop being so melodramatic. Just because the last few weeks have been horror-movie material, you shouldn't invent trouble. It'll turn up soon enough.
With that lovely thought I got up and took a long shower in the bathroom across the hall. After I managed to wash most of the horrible black dye from my blonde hair, I dressed in my least-filthy clothes and headed downstairs. I could hear faint voices coming from one of the other rooms, and followed the sounds to the kitchen, where Andrew and Derek were seated around a large farm table. Derek was looking expectantly at the doorway as I entered, and Andrew glanced up from his coffee, seeming relieved- clearly, he still hadn't come to terms yet with the new-and-improved Derek.
"Ah, Chloe," said Andrew, "did you manage to sleep alright? I know that after everything you've been through, it might not be easy-"
"It was fine, thanks," I replied, shooting a sharp glance at Derek. He shook his head slightly to tell me that he hadn't said anything about my zombie-raising nightmares. Good. It's bad enough that Andrew's suddenly responsible for four teenaged runways that are being hunted by a ruthless group of psycho scientists; best to give him a few more hours to adjust before he finds out that three of us are genetic mutants with out-of-control superpowers.
"Food's over there." Derek said, pointing to the counter.
I poured myself some cereal then sat down next to Derek. Andrew asked polite questions about school and my hobbies as I ate, carefully steering clear of anything related to the Edison Group or why we were here. Derek ignored the conversation and concentrated on eating.
When Derek was halfway through his fifth bowl of cereal- werewolves need a lot of calories, and teenaged werewolves who've begun to Change need more than most- Simon appeared, yawning sleepily.
"About time you woke up", Derek grunted as Simon snagged the chair next to mine.
"Actually, I was going to sleep for a few more hours, but I figured if I did there'd be no food left. What is that, bro, your tenth bowl?" Simon said, grinning, and shaking two already empty cereal boxes that had been left on the table.
Derek made no comment as he walked to the kitchen counter, returning with an orange that he placed next to Simon before resuming his seat.
"Still trying to look after your brother, I see," Andrew said, smiling slightly as Simon rolled his eyes and began peeling his fruit.
"Speaking of which, don't you think it's time you told us what the plan is?" Derek asked.
Andrew cleared his throat. "Ahem, well, I think it's probably best if we wait until Victoria joins us-"
"For what?" Tori interrupted, as she stood in the kitchen doorway. "Ugh. Cereal?" she continued, making a face. "I'm lactose-intolerant."
Andrew and Simon stared at her, startled by her sudden appearance, but one look at Derek's smug face told me that he'd guessed Andrew would try to stall until Tori arrived, and had only asked the question after he'd heard her moving around upstairs. Typical.
"Andrew was going to tell us why we're here: what this place is, what the Edison Group has been up to, and what the plan is for freeing Derek and Simon's dad," I said.
"Yeah," Simon echoed, "we want to know everything."
Andrew sighed, running his fingers through his short grey hair. "I can't tell you everything- no, Derek, let me finish- because I don't know everything. A group of us have been gathering information and trying to bring down the Edison Group for years, but even we didn't think they'd resort to killing children. I spent most of last night on the phone and I've organized an emergency meeting here this afternoon. If it's alright with the rest of you, perhaps we can finish this discussion then?"
We glanced at each other, unsure. Finally, Derek, said "Fine. But we need answers. We need to do something- we can't just wait around and hope that the Edison group disappears. They'll find us; probably sooner than we think."