ALYCIA DEBNAM-CAREY AS SAWYER BARRET-BELLEROSE

DIEGO LUNA AS HUGO BARRET-BELLEROSE

ANTHONY MACKIE AS ALEXANDER "ALEX" SANDERS

BLOOD AND GUTS

00

Eight hundred and eleven. That's the exact number of miles between Nevada City and Forks. Thirteen hours and twenty-six minutes between the two cities. Well, at least that was what it was on the internet. Sawyer had done a little research as soon as Hugo told her the name of the city they were going to. According to the web, Forks was situated on the Olympic Peninsula of northwest Washington State under a near-constant cover of clouds and a total of three thousand one hundred and twenty people living in it, soon to be three thousand one hundred and twenty-two.

Between packing her things and crying because of the accident, Sawyer didn't have much time to dwell on the fact that Forks was, possibly, the smallest town that they had yet to live in. She knew the reason why Hugo chose that city, but she couldn't help but dwell on the fact that Forks probably was just like any other small town: full of shallow people, as well as criticizing and gossipers. Yay!

After being stuck in a car for nearly fourteen hours, stopping only to eat and go to the bathroom, you could say that Sawyer was bored. And a bored Sawyer meant a slightly reckless Sawyer. Hugo knew that. He also knew that she was trying to act normal due to the fear of him being mad at her because she made them move.

Again.

Hugo knew that what happened wasn't her fault —and he had told her that—, but he was aware that his little sister did not believe it. He decided to let her be and not to say a word about the accident, but he knew that, sooner or later, they would have to talk about it, about what happened with Patrick.

"So," Sawyer started as she looked outside the window of the car. "When are we going to get there?"

"We'll get there when we get there," Didn't need to say that Hugo was annoyed with that question. Sawyer spent the entire ride asking it, slowly driving Hugo out of his mind. It seemed that Sawyer had decided that she wanted to incarnate Donkey, the, well, donkey from Shrek.

"And how long will it take?"

Hugo could hear the pure boredom lacing her voice.

"We just left Port Angeles, angel," he saw her rolling her eyes at the nickname.

Angel was what Hugo called her ever since she was a baby, and even after they had discovered her true nature, he had never stopped calling her it; although she was a demon, half-demon, she was still his little angel, the light of his life.

"It will take at least one hour, maybe less, for us to get in the city, " he gave her a sidelong glance, watching as she put her feet atop of the panel. "And get your feet off the desk,"

She ignored him.

"What about my... condition?" Sawyer glanced at him, a frown on her beautiful face. Her "condition" wasn't a subject that she liked to discuss, even less with her brother. If she had to deal with it, like now, she would do it in a very sarcastic way.

"What about it?"

She rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Is this payback for the whole Donkey thing?"

Hugo smirked, taking his eyes off the road for a second so he could look at his sister's angered face. It was priceless and a sight for sore eyes though he knew when to stop; he didn't want to make her lose her patience.

"But seriously, what's going to happen?"

"Relax, angel," he smiled, not taking his eyes off the road. "I have a, uh, friend that is a nurse at the local hospital,"

Sawyer suggestively wiggled her eyebrows. It was her time to tease her brother. "A friend, huh?"

"Shut up," He murmured, his voice sounding low and rough.

Sawyer turned her head so she could look directly at Hugo's face, and she didn't get disappointed with the image that she got from her brother; he was completely red, especially his neck, cheeks, and ears. She let out a loud laugh, making her brother go even redder —if it was possible to do so.

"Just a friend, right, Hugo? Is he a bad-boy? I know that you have a thing for bad boys,"

Hugo grunted. "You're so mean to me, Jesus Christ. Why do I put up with you?"

Sawyer didn't hear him and continued with her teasing.

"Or is he, like, an old guy? Do you call him 'daddy'? Oh, my God, Hugo! Do you have a daddy kinky?"

"SAWYER!"

Hugo knew why she was teasing him; she was trying to distract herself from thinking about what happened in Nevada City. Being the good brother that he was, Hugo was going to endure her teasing so she wouldn't think about it, but only because he loved her.

"I'm not kinky-shaming you, I swear! I mean, if you have a daddy kinky then go for it!"

He rolled his eyes, groaning. "I don't have a daddy kinky, Sawyer," he glanced at her. "And Alex is only two years older than me, and you know that."

If there was someone who could make Sawyer feel like the happiest person on Earth, besides her brother, that person was Alexander Sanders. Sawyer had met him through his brother back when she was a kid, he and her brother were dating for some time, so Hugo wanted to introduce him to the two most important people in his life, his mama and his angel. Ever since that, there wasn't a place were the siblings would be that Alex wouldn't be together with them.

In a world full of people who entered and left her life, Sawyer needed someone to be a constant in her life, besides Hugo. Alex was that someone.

"Why didn't you tell before that your friend was Alex?!" Sawyer couldn't stop smiling, even if she tried; she missed Alex so much, and she was excited to see him after all these years (honestly, it has only been two years, but it sure felt like decades).

"It was supposed to be a surprise, but no one should be forced to endure your teasing session," he scowled at her, but she knew that he wasn't really angry. "God, you are awful."

"I take that as a compliment, brother," she smirked.

"Just pretend to be surprised when you see him, yes?" he bit his lips, knowing that he should finish what they were discussing right before they started talking about Alex. "Alex's going to help you, help your situation."

Seriousness broke into Sawyer's face, sobering her to the reality of the situation. Despite the fact she didn't want to talk about it, she had to. "And how is he going to do that?"

"He will get us, well, you, blood bags from the hospital, enough for you to survive,"

Sawyer gulped. "So, he's going to steal from the hospital,"

"There's not another way, angel, and you know it," he sighed. "Your body rejects animal blood, and you refuse to drink directly from the vein, so we have run out of options,"

Sawyer shook her head, her lower lip caught between her teeth. "But it isn't fair for him, Hugo! If we get caught-"

Hugo interrupted her. "We won't get caught, I promise you," There was seriousness lacing his voice, something that didn't help very ofter seeing the fact that Hugo was a person who hated to speak seriously. "Believe me when I say this, Sawyer."

"It's not that I don't believe you, it's just that it is dangerous for Alex,"

"It is dangerous; I won't deny it," Hugo sighed, taking his eyes off the road for a second so he could look at his sister in the eyes. "But it's worth it. You are worth the risk, Sawyer. And there's nothing in the world that will make us think otherwise."

Sawyer didn't say anything. She didn't dare to. All she did was look outside the window, discomfort running through her. She didn't know what to say, honestly. It was something that her brother always did, say that what he had done —mostly fake documents— was worth the risk of being caught and go to jail. Sawyer knew that she wasn't, but whatever she tried to say that to Hugo, he pretended to go deaf.

She supposed that the reason why her brother didn't believe that she wasn't worth the risk was because she was his little sister and because that's what siblings do; they fight for each other, even going through as breaking the law (which was stupid, but considerable, in Sawyer's opinion).

Ten minutes passed in utter silence, neither of the siblings daring to say a thing. The silence was slightly awkward, something that had never happen before, and it was bothering them, but, as two stubborn people, neither of them tried to break it. Another ten minutes had passed before Hugo broke the silence with an exclamation as soon as he saw that plaque in the distance.

"And we've finally arrived at our destination," Hugo looked at her to see if there was any kind of reaction on her part, but there wasn't. He sighed. Can't say that he didn't try.

More twenty minutes passed when they finally arrived at their new home. It was a simple and humble two-story gray house. Hugo parked his car —a 2002 Ford Escape SUV 4WD— in front of the house, turning the car off as soon as he did that. Grabbing her backpack, she got out of the car to stand by her brother's side, who was looking at the house with a small smile on his lips.

"Why are you smiling?" she asked, crossing her arms beneath her breasts as she looked at the house as well.

Hugo put his arm around her neck, kissing her on the forehead next. "Because this feels different, Sawyer. This time, everything will be different."

Little did he know how true his words were.