Why we weep

I do not have the licience for House of Night, and even though my story is a related story and doesn't use any of the characters, it is a story based loosely on the House of Night, I came to enjoy the book Awaken and this sparked this story, I hope you enjoy my story.

In all we do

Written by Thomas G. Arndt

Chapter 1

I was always a good boy, I had nothing on my mind when it happened to me, we had just moved to this state, my new school was John Marshall, I hadn't even had a chance to live in this state yet, I had just left my last class and was walking home. I had just made into the ninth grade in Detroit, then my Momma's divorce was settled, then we moved to Oklahoma City, I was always a loner of sorts, I don't mean a bad kid, my Momma had said I was always a self made child. She had said the world could be ending and there I'd be very self content with it all, she said my smile was infectious and as soon as the girls saw that they would be drawn to me, well that wasn't a problem in my life. You would think I had the plague or something, I mean I had a few girl friends, but really nothing else, they used me so they could say hey look I have a boy friend, but in the end they all left me just standing there, I can't say it was them, I mean all those girls can't be wrong. The girl I wanted the most in Detroit was Anna Massey, and of course she wouldn't give me the time of day, it wasn't that she was gay or something, she really didn't give any boy the time of day, and I think she was to pretty to be gay, not that all gay girls were ugly. Hey I only knew one gay person, and he wasn't really openly gay, and he was my friend anyways, Mark Lewis, he was really cool and a true friend, but there I was walking home, with no friends and no girl in my life, I felt all alone in my new life as we approached each other.

I was so lost in my thought's that I didn't see her until I ran into her, I mean I really ran into her knocking her on her butt, so then looked up at me, I was so embarrassed that I moved as quickly as I could, I put my hand out so she could grab it and said, " Oh I'm so sorry, here let me help you up."

She went ahead and grabbed my hand so I could pull her to her feet, she was completely covered up, she had on those black leg warmers that didn't cover your ankle's, and a very dark blue hoodie over her head, it was opened up to reveal a short black dress. You know one of those dresses that every girl thinks they just must own. She then said to me, " I'm sorry I wasn't watching where I was going, do you know where John Marshall is, I'm late and I'm afraid I may have missed him."

I pointed behind me and said, " It's over there, but you're late classes just got out, all you're going to find are football players, cheerleaders, and of course band geeks, I guess you'll have to come back tomorrow, I'm so sorry, was it very important?"

She looked me square in the eye's, and this was the first time I saw her tattoo's around her eye's and forehead, she was the first and most beautiful vampyre I had ever seen, and I had a warm feeling all over my body, it was a strange feel that I had never had before.

She then pulled up a piece of paper and said, " Dammit it maybe to late for him. Hey I used to be a band geek."

Well that was goof, stuck my foot in my mouth again, so I added, " Sorry again, I guess you could say that I'm jealous, you see all I can do is draw, and I'm not very good at that, I was hoping to get into a class here, except it was to late in the year when I started. Do you know that they start the school year here in August, back at home we didn't start until September."

Her smile was the nicest I had ever seen as she asked, " So are you one of those starving artists that will give his all for his craft?"

" Yeah, but my Momma told me it was better if I used it just as a hobby, to get paid I have to take up what I'm good at, she wants me to be a C. P. A."

" Boring!"

" Ya think!" I have smiled and giggled, " So anyways you'll have to come back tomorrow because you missed the day, so I have to ask you, are you one of those trackers I've heard about?"

She gave me a wary smile as she replied, " yeah, or you could call me a marker, Well my mark lived in Detroit, and he gave me the slip there, I don't know why he's running for, I mean he's getting ready to change, and if I don't get to him, well he'll just die, well nice meeting you, I have to find him fast."

Well hearing that and me being from Detroit, and I had to think I may have recognized him, so I asked, " Hey I'm from Detroit, I may know him, well I really don't know anyone, so I guess it maybe a bust but just tell me and just maybe I may know him."

And as you may have already guessed that I should have just kept my mouth shut, she then looked at the paper that I just noticed were a beautiful shade of violet, and to my horror she asked me, " Well then do you know a Jonathan Williamson?"

So the best thing to do right then was to run, but what did I do. Yes. You guessed it, " Hey that's me!"

She then said some funny words and pointed to my forehead and said, " Jonathan Williamson, so you have been marked."

Ok, I'm big strong guy, so I was surprised when I hit the ground hard, so now my day was filled with purples and pinks floating around my head, as an artist I could describe the color pallet, but that may take the rest of this page so lets just leave it at that. So as my head cleared, and the throbbing lessened, I did a guy thing, I looked around to see if anyone had just seen what had just happened, not so much for help, but more to see if they saw this little girl that just knocked this big guy on his butt. I then got up and straighten myself and dusted myself off, carefully I watched all the houses as I slowly walked the rest of the way home, I have no idea of of how long I sat there, I knew she was there when I fell, then as my head cleared she wasn't. I knew my first duty as the eldest of five was to get home and do whatever chores my Momma had left me, as usual she had left me a list, and my chore was to do the dishes, we were to poor to afford a dishwasher, so that meant by hand. My brother's chore was to cook dinner, that meant hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, and pork and beans, of course only if he got off his dead butt and did it, as usual my Momma would have to come in and yell at him. My sisters were hard at work, and as usual every move came with an argument, it was never a good thing that the two of them were arguing. Momma would come in and yell at my brother, then she would her the girls, she would say she has a splitting headache and then go lay down, which of course is what I had this very moment, so I threw my book bag on the table and started the dishes.

As usual I would breeze through my math, then spend the rest of the night on the rest, well not my history, I loved history and always did it in study hall, and as I knew my brothers and sisters I knew what was coming next, Dex, He's my youngest brother, well he was the youngest of us all, he was only eight. Well Dex would come out and kick me on the back of my leg, I would chase him down and pin him on his bed most likely, I would hold him until he said, ' Uncle,' then as I let him go he would say, ' Suck up.' I think he's taking my brother Alph's example, as you may have guess my Momma loved strange names, I'm Jonathan Flavious Williamson. Then you have my brothers and sisters, Alphsee Thomasan, Sallisious Julian, Helena Katrinia, and Dexter Guyous weird right. At least I have a normal nickname, I mean you can't go wrong with Jon, oh I should tell you that I'm sixteen, Alph will be fifteen in October, Helen will be twelve in November, Sally was thirteen in May with Dex. As I predicted he came out and kicked me right in the back of the leg, it hurt, it really hurt, but my head out weighed the pain in my leg.

So I said as strongly as I could, " Dex not today, my head really hurts, just give me a break today." I stretched out the last two words.

Sally then said, " Hey just take some aspirin and get over yourself."

" Can't, Momma's going to the store and getting some more, we're out." Again I stretched out the last two words.

My other brother then came out and said, " It sucks to be you."

Alph then did something that was weird for him, he put his hand on my forehead to feel it, he shook his hand as he said, " Man you're burning up, maybe I should call Momma and have her come home."

I whipped around and yelled, which I have to say really hurt, " NO!" Then I centered myself and said in a more calm voice, " No Alph, I'll live, just cook dinner for once, I think I can bare the pain for three hours."

Then he blurted out, " AH, I'M TELLING MOMMA THAT YOU HAVE A TATTOO."

So of course I yelled back as my last nerve had been shed, " WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT I AIN'T GOT NO TATTOO."

Momma really hated tattoo's, she said they were a permanent mark and just plain silly, like anyone had to be marked for life, and what were you going to do when it no longer meant anything to you, well I wasn't going to get a tattoo, I would become a C. P. A. just like my Momma wanted, I had no idea of how I was going to pay for college, and it was a long way off, maybe I could get a job while I went, but now I had to figure out how to pass English class. I mean I could speak it, what was it that made it so hard on me, and English lit. was impossible, I had to read books and write reports on them, like I could write, well maybe I can. Does it take a genius to figure out I didn't have time to read let alone write, so I my disgust I pulled out two pans and put them on the stove so Alph could cook dinner, He would boil the hot dogs and macaroni and cheese, we would nuke the pork and beans, I preferred my hot dogs fried, but Alph had no idea of how to do that. I knew right away that I had put the pans down a little to hard, and my sisters reminded me right away when they said in unison, " Ah, we're telling Momma that you're trying to break her pan's."

My head hurt so bad that I didn't make my usual replied so Alph said, " Hey your head must really hurt."

I snapped at him with, " Have you ever known me to be sick?"

" Hey bro maybe you should go lay down, I wasn't kidding when I said you were burning up."

" It really hurts Alph, it's like my eye's are bugging out, I don't even know if I can do my homework."

" Dork's Vil."

" I'm not a dork stupid."

" Don't call me stupid."

" Ok Butt Head."

" That's better."

You see he really likes Beavus and Butt Head, so he thought it was a compliment, but I never meant it that way, he really could be a butt head sometimes, of course he was really showing concern for me right now. So I went to work on our few dishes, you see we had two sets, one Momma call her good set, most people would call them normal white dishes, then you had our everyday dishes, plastic along with plastic glasses, the silverware was normal though. I also had to wash the frying pan, sauce pan, and large bowl, you see yesterday it was my day to cook, so I made Hamburger Helper with mixed vegetables, and a salad, you see Hamburger Helper was never enough for a large family, so you had to eat other things. Momma had a small kitchen set that only sat four, so Momma and I would sit in the living room to eat, I loved it, you see she always said no T. V. until after we ate, but as we sat down to eat she would always ask me, " Jon how was your day?"

I always did the guy thing and replied, " It was ok Momma, how was your day?"

Then she would tell me all about her day, I never brought up my day no matter how hard it had been, if I failed yet another English test I would wait until later so she could be prepared, even with all my failing grade, I somehow always seem to get out of a grade with a D, so I would be passed onto the next grade. I had to think they did that because they saw I was really trying, after I got done I got right to my homework, I did my math first, algebra,it seemed really easy to me, then I would do my history if I hadn't already had it done, which on this day I had. When this was done then I would got on to the feared English, jeesh I could speak it wasn't that enough, it kept me off the football team, I'm not sure how I feel about that, I loved football, but every time I played I broke something, three fingers, and arm and my left leg. And I couldn't even do that right, every break came away from the field, and my left leg I broke the main bone not the small one, when most people had a walker cast, my break was so bad I couldn't.

Of course my Momma said, " John you're not cut out for football, and it's so expensive."

I knew she was talking about the injuries and not the football, my Dad was really proud of me, it seemed that I always made first string, and always at center, I really wanted to play nose guard on defense then center on offense. I mean nose guard always gets to dish out the punishment, where as the center always has to take it, I think my Dad was really proud at me that I never screamed when I got a break, well all except for my leg break, Alph said I screamed like a little girl. I don't know that I've ever heard a little girl scream like that, I was glad it was only practice so my Dad wasn't there, and the couch rushed me to the hospital, I think that's when my Momma and Daddy were on the outs, and that was the first time I saw my Momma cry. I really hurt bad, and she had to take a cab to the hospital, and I had to lay in my pain as the couldn't do anything until one of them got there, they had to put me out when they set my leg, and I was just coming out of it when I heard her on the phone with him.

I kept my eye's closed as she cried, " John he's your son you should be here."

Yeah I'm his name sake, well kinda, our middle names are different, Momma said she didn't want a junior in her house, plus I kinda like the name Jon, not Jon junior, she slammed the phone down and the noise made my eye's pop open. She then said to me, " Baby boy are you ok?"

The hurt in my chest was great, was it true that my Dad didn't want to see me, I could tell that my lower lip quivered as I said, " Momma don't cry, see I have a cool cast."

Well it really wasn't very cool, and she wiped her nose with the ever present tissue and said, " Baby boy no more football."

While I recuperated I heard her cry almost everyday, I wanted to help her out so badly, I knew I couldn't, then came the nervous break down, so Grandma brought us here, Grandpa and her live in Yukon, we live with them for a few day until Momma found a house to rent. It was a small house in the Village, it has two bed rooms, Us boys shared one, and Momma and my sisters shared the other one, It's hell to get into the bathroom, and if you sit down to do your business someone always knocks. I was the only one allowed to take a shower by myself, everyone else had to take baths together, I mean b the two boys and girl, not together really, and Momma got her own shower, Momma said it was a way to say money on water. I was my job to make sure everyone ate in the morning, cereal the stuff in the bag, I also had to make sure Alph didn't drink all the milk, he liked cereal with his milk, Momma was always gone before we left for school. And in a week Alph and I would be taking the bus to school, well I guess you've already figured out I would never make that bus, it wasn't my idea, all I wanted was to be with Momma and the kids. I couldn't concentrate so I took Alph's advice and laid down, after I was laying a little while Alph came in and said, " Momma's on her way I just called her."

I lifted my head and yelled, " HELL ALPH, SHE NEEDS TO WORK, I COULD TAKE THE PAIN!"

Well normally I could, but I opened my eye's and the room started to spin, boy was I glad I was already laying on my bed, because I passed out right there and then, I woke up with Alph shaking me saying, " Jon wake up, don't die boy we need you, just wake up Jon just wake up."

I then smiled and said, " Hey Butt Head I'm not dead yet."

At that very time I could hear Sally saying, " Momma he's in here, I think he's dead."

Yeah that was my sister old miss worry wart, so as you could imagine Momma burst into the room, my brother then put up his hands saying, " Momma he's not dead, he just called me Butt Head."

I could hear her cry and laugh at the same time as she asked, " Baby boy are you ok?"

I opened up my eye's and smiled as I replied, " Momma I'm fine, please don't cry, everything will be fine, I just need to lay down for a while, good thing my head stop hurting, maybe I can do my homework now, I just wish the room would stop spinning."

Ok I passed out yet again, as I woke up something cool was on my forehead, when I reached up I felt the wet wash clothe there, this caused Helen to scream, " MOMMA HE'S AWAKE, HE'S AWAKE!"

Now my sister had a record of being heard seven blocks away when she screamed, so you can imagine how that felt on my ear's, Momma came in with the phone to her ear and said, " Ok you'll here in about an hour, can I give him some aspirin?"

She stood just a moment then she said, " Ok just one, got it, thank you very much, can I go with him?"

She then sat on the small part of the bed as she nodded her head for a moment, then she said, " Thank you and I'll see you then, goodbye."

As she hung up the phone and smiled at me I asked, " Momma who was that on the phone?"

She then lifted her head up and started to give orders, " Alph go get my big suit case, Sally and Helen get Jon's clothes ready to pack, and make sure you pack his good underwear, not his old ratty stuff."

I knew something was wrong, first Momma always answered me, second she said only wear your good underwear when you go to the hospital or something, then she put her hand to my forehead, I tried to lift my head and she said, " No Baby boy, they said it's better if you lay down, allow your sisters to do this for you, I think they can take care of you for once."

I then answered her with, " Momma I don't think I'm in any condition to go dancing, man I think my headache has come back,I don't seem to be able to move, and it's ten times worse."

She then put my head in her lap and said as she grabbed the aspirin bottle, " No Baby boy, they said it's better if you don't try to move, they said you can have one aspirin so here, Sally get your brother a glass of water."

I had a hard time lifting my arm for the aspirin, and I saw her smile, it seemed to hide terror behind her eye's, I could see a single tear roll down her face as she moved a single strand out of my face. Then she kissed my cheek, it was a really wet kiss, she only kisses like that when something was wrong, I could feel a pain in my chest again as Sally came in with my glass of water, Momma put the aspirin on my tongue, then lifted my head so I could take a drink. Her hands were trembling so bad, just like when she had just gotten done yelling at Daddy, as she took the glass away from my lips I said, " Momma it's ok, I'll be fine."

She had to turn her head and Sally asked, " Momma why are you crying?"

Oh my Momma was crying over me, that pain in my chest just got like one hundred times worse, it came to me what was going on, I knew what was happening to me, I used all the strength and wrapped my arm's around her. I could feel the wetness of her tears on her cheek's on my forehead as I said, " Momma down cry, I'll be ok, really I'll be ok."

I had to think why her sobs got even deeper, it was like when she found out Aunt Denny had died, she was really sad, I think her and Aunt Denny were really close, it was then that I realized my deeper problem, I wasn't just sick, it was something more, so I tried to tighten my hug on her. Both of my sisters were now crying, oh just please they weren't the one dying here, my rationalization was clear, I would comfort her as I was dying and going into a new life, so this is what dying is like, well this really sucks, and me never having a girlfriend. Well if these were my last moments I would make my Momma my girlfriend and try to comfort her, so what was the best thing to say to you girlfriend at a time like this, so I whispered into her ear, " Momma I've been a good boy, it's ok, I can take it, and next we'll meet in Heaven."

Well that didn't help at all, she jumped up and ran from my room, Alph then came into the room with the suit case, and my sisters started to fill it, it was Momma's giant yellow suit case, she was so proud of that thing, I guess I have to figure out a way to get it back to her. Alph had a bewildered look on his face as he asked, " Hey Butt Head what did you say to Momma?"

I cried out, : I don't know, I don't know, God please help me."

Well that made Alph cry, and my little brother Dex came in and asked, " Why is Momma pounding the table and crying?"

Everyone except me replied, " I don't know."

I could feel the warmth on my face as I replied, " I, I think know, I, I think I'm dying, ya, you remember Aunt Denny, I, I don't want to die, please God help me."

Well the water works really started now, Alph was the one that did up the suit case as my two sisters had fully lost it and I really couldn't move much, I then called to Alph is a whisper, " Alph?"

" Yeah Ja, Jon?"

" Buddy you have to be the man now, I, you have to be strong for Momma, why don't ya, you make her a, a pot of coffee, a, and for Gods sake make dinner."

He nodded his head as he left the room, he did the little giggle cry thing, then at the end I could hear him bust out in a full cry, I then asked in a slightly stronger voice, " Sally?"

" Ya, yes J-on?"

" Help Alph, he, he's going to need your help, I, it's a really hard job, ja, just be there for him."

She then nodded and with that she slowly collapsed to the floor in tears, I had to be dying because my Momma came in, and her cheeks were that color of fire engine red just like with Aunt Denny, she then said, " Girls go to your room, Dex go help your brother, Jon and I have to talk."

So they all then left the room, she then came close to me on my bed and straighten me out and then whispered into my ear, " Baby boy you're not dying, but it might as well be, you see you have to leave with some very special people who know how to take care of you, I'm sorry Jon, but you can never come home again Baby."

I whimpered to her, " But Momma maybe they'll find a cure for what I have and I can come home, Momma I don't want to leave you."

She smiled at me and whispered, " No Baby boy there's no cure for this, they say there's a one in ten chance that you may still die, but Baby you were late, they're sending a car so I can be there for you just in case. And Baby boy they say I visit you on their visiting days, I wish I could explain more to you, but they say they really have to explain things to you, I'll go home when we're sure that you're out of the woods, and I'll visit as soon as I can."

Alph then burst into the room saying, " Momma there's an ambulance out front."

" Alph show them back here, it's for Jon, and Alph you need to watch the kids while I'm gone, oh and take them Jon's suit case."

Alph then took I guess you could say new suit case in two hands and after he left with it I whispered, " Momma maybe we could tell him, I mean he's really worried."

" Baby boy it better if they think you're dead, I'll go ahead and tell them that I'm visiting your grave."

" Momma don't allow them to forget me?"

She grabbed my head in both her hands and said, " How could I ever do that, I mean you were always the man of the house, and Jon you really helped me through a really bad time, so I'll never forget you."

" Momma can you tell Grandpa and Grandma?"

" Grandma, but Grandpa has a bad ticker, he might be able to take the first jolt, but if you die anyways that might do him in, so Grandma and I'll keep it our little secret, ok?"

" Ok Momma, would you ask Grandma to bring those cookies she makes, you know the ones with the raisins, chocolate chips, and nuts, I really, really like them."

" Honey those are call Granola Bars, but yes I'll ask her, and Baby boy I'll call her when we get there so she knows where you are."

I wanted her to call her right then and there, but Alph chose this very moment to enter the room with those men, there were two of them with a stretcher, now I have to tell you I'm really afraid of tight spaces, so they picked me up and put me on the stretcher. Then they strapped me in, and my eye's must have gone bug eyed, my Momma came straight to me, I could feel how scared I was as she whispered, " Baby they have to do this for your own safety, just close your eye's and think of the time you went fishing with your Grandpa, just go to your happy place."

Go to my happy place, I loved my Grandpa to death, but him yelling while we fished wasn't my happy place, his buddies were always loud and drinking beer, and believe me that's a smell you never really didn't want to experience twice, so where was my happy place. The sirens were so loud I had a hard time thinking, then it came to me, I went to when Momma and I sat in the living room and just talked, and her telling me how sucky her day was, well and I guess the wheel also, but it was such good times. Well I guess this is my happy time, and she really loved the wheel, I wasn't that good, but it made me really happy when I got one, and she would tell me how smart I was, some times we laughed to the point of crying. I had to keep my eye's closed, the man that was with me kept giving me something to drink, it had a strawberry flavor what ever it was, but every time he did this I had to recenter myself, so it was a surprise to me when we came to a stop.

The two men then took me out with as much easy as a bulldozer, so keeping my center was not going to happen, so I had to ask, " Could you loosen these straps, I think I'm about to lose it?"

A woman's voice came from right next to me, she had on a midnight blue dress. Her make up was perfect, and she had the longest nails I had ever seen also in midnight blue, my expectations were hospital scrubs and maybe a mask, I was happy to see that I wasn't in a hospital, but wasn't I sick, she had taken my hand as she said, " Not just yet my dear boy."

Her hands were very cold, she had long blonde hair all the way down to her butt, it was so blonde it was almost white, her nails had to be more then an inch long and she was very young, no there was no way she was my doctor. Then we burst through some really old wooden doors, and the two guys unstrapped me and lifted me to a big iron bed, then another woman came in with a black as night liquid, she then said, " Drink this up my boy."

I didn't have much time to notice much after that, because as soon as I drank the liquid I was pretty much out, it was the most disgusting things I had ever drank, but I did notice two things before I went out, one; I really didn't want to drink that stuff again, two; that woman that gave me the liquid had the strangest color of red hair, it had to be a dye job or wig.

So as I woke up I stared at the ceiling to see if I was still alive, I saw a flash to my right so I turned my head to see what it was, the only thing I saw was the door swing close. So I turned my attention back to the ceiling, it was all wood like that really expensive type you hear about on the houses of the rich and famous. Then I heard a very familiar voice coming from the hall, I felt very heavy all over, it did seem that it would take quite an effort to move anything. But I knew I was ok, my head didn't hurt anymore and the room wasn't spinning, so I lifted myself to rest on my elbow's, and a lady with an orange wig came in. she then said to my Momma who was obviously out in the hall, " He just woke up, you may want to take it easier."

Then came my second most favorite voice ever, " Young lady you wouldn't want to piss off an old woman."

It was the matter of fact way she spoke that made my heart sore and I almost squealed, " Grandma!"

She replied to me almost immediately, " Johnny we'll be in there in a moment ok?"

" Ok, tell Momma I'm much better, I think I heard her."

" Yes you did dear, I'll be in there as soon as I can Baby boy." Came from my Momma.

So I laid down and waited, I laid down an this strange old hospital bed, but this was obviously not a hospital room, it seemed that everything was made out of wood or stone, most hospital rooms were so sterile. Then in the next second that first lady came into my room, I was just thinking of counting the large wooden tiles, it would have been a short count, she was wearing a very long dark dress and her nails were done the same color, so either of three things had happened. One my eye's must or were playing tricks on me, two she really liked to change clothes a lot, or three I've been asleep for awhile, I had to bet on the later, she then came over and felt my wrist. Ok she had to be twenty, maybe twenty-two years old, and I knew how long it took to be a doctor, but if she was my doctor you couldn't have a prettier one. Then she looked into my eye's, she just moved my eye lids with her thumb, she used no equipment, it was kinda like I was a science project, of course the one doing the experimenting on me was really hot, she then leaned back and sat on the foot of my bed and gave me a nice smile.

Then she spoke with an almost musical tone to her voice, " Well Jon, you gave us a little bit of a scare, do you know how much you came close to rejecting the change?"

I had to smile back as her smile seemed intoxicating and reply, " No Ma'am, I don't even know what happened to me, that was really weird."

" You do know you were marked right?"

" That's what that pretty girl told me, I had no idea of what she was talking about."

" Oh my, no one has ever spoke to you about being marked?"

I had to sigh as I asked, " Is this an Oklahoma thing, I Mean we've only been here a little while."

Her smile then went flat as she asked, " Where did you live before this?"

" Detroit Ma'am."

" Well that's unusual, they're usually good about telling all the kids about the darkness sickness."

" Darkness sickness?"

" Yes the change into our existence, you do know what I am don't you?"

I looked at her tattoo's and knew she was a vampyre, so I asked, " Are you telling me that I'm becoming a vampyre Ma'am?"

" Yes Jon, well not exactly yet, but you're entering a brave new and scary world."

" I knew it, I . . . I just didn't want to believe it, I mean passed out and everything, I guess I really didn't want to leave home, I mean my Momma really needs me."

" Well Jon you wouldn't be very good to her if you were dead would you now?"

I laid down and stared back at the ceiling and I replied, " No Ma'am, I'm sorry Ma'am."

She smiled at me and said, " Well you're here now and we'll help you through this, now get dressed so I can send in your Grandmother and Mother, they've been here everyday since you've arrived."

It was now that except for the hospital gown I had nothing else on, so I had two very important question, first was, " Ma'am where are my clothes?"

She pointed to one of the closets, so I continued on with my second question, " Ma'am how long have I been out?"

She smiled as she replied, " Barely over forty-two hours."

Ok I've never slept that long before, in fact I had a problem getting a good six, Alph on the other hand could sleep through an earth quake, but I just wasn't that kind of guy, so I moved over to the closet and opened it. It was very neat, my T-shirt and pants were hung up and my shoes laid on the floor next to my very large yellow suit case, I opened the top draw of a three draw cabinet, and yes there were my underwear and socks, I was half tempted to keep on my hospital booties. But instead I went with what I knew so I stripped and up on my underwear and socks, then my T-shirt and pants, lastly I put on my shoes, I normally put my socks on just before my shoes, but it seemed better this way, I was tying my last shoe when Momma came through the door, she was so happy to see me that she choked me as she wrapped her arm's around my neck. I kissed her neck as I tried to finish my shoe, my Grandma came up behind her so I gave her a good smile as she liked to call them, she said a smile is how you show the world your goodness. She's the smartest woman I knew, what am I saying, she's the smartest person I know, she then pulled out a small tin of something, I knew what it was even before I opened it, yeah it was her world famous get well fudge, as was out way, I took one small piece and handed it around.

Grandma always said a good way to relieve tension was always through fudge, and she made the best fudge in the world, oh and at Christmas she makes the best fruit cake, my friends that swear they hate fruit cake love her's, her fudge has nuts ( I think she puts nuts in everything ), marshmallow's, and raisins ( she tries to put raisins in everything ). She seems to be baking all the time, she said the only good person was one that had a sweet tooth, I guess that's why Grandpa stayed with her like a gazillion years, but it works if you know what I mean. Grandpa is from the old country, I mean he was born in Scotland, he met Grandma here, she's really cool, I think they met in El Reno, her hair is gray now, but it used to be a true ravens black. I think she told me she was a Cherokee Indian, I never saw her wearing anything that would say that she was a Cherokee Indian, I only just started to wear my hair long, it's more in honor of my Cherokee ancestor heritage. Momma always carried her hair short, but you could see how dark her hair was, it was passed her ear's, but not quite to her shoulder's. Grandma had really long hair, she wears it up in a bun most of the time, but some times she wears it long, and it goes all the way down to the center of her back. To me I really don't care what color your hair is, but if it's long, well watch out, wow that sounds like I would rape you, I've never and never will rape a woman, but I would give you my patented one eye brow blue's brother stare. Maybe I should change that, I mean that's gotten me a lot of women thus far, as in none, so as we sat there enjoying our fudge, the woman that had checked me out came back in, Grandma and Momma always wore Pants and shirts, I hadn't seen very many women in dresses, and in full length she was my first, and her's was really long, it seemed to glide across the floor, I had to wonder if all vampyres moved like that.

She folded her arm's and asked, " Jon why didn't you tell anyone?"

I replied, " I wanted to wait until my Momma got home?"

" What do you mean, when were you marked?"

" Well let me think. I got out of school at three thirty, so three forty or so, on Wednesday so I guess that makes this Friday then. But she said she couldn't figure out why I was avoiding her, I mean we weren't, we just moved here, she said she went to Detroit first, then she followed me here."

" Oh then the High Council made the mistake, you have the lightest mark I've ever seen, it's almost aqua instead of sapphire like normal." She said the first part with disdain, but the second part as if she had been distracted.

Ok so I was becoming a vampire and had a million questions, but more important was to be a gentle man so I picked up the tin and asked, " Fudge Ma'am, Grandma made it and it's really good."

With the very tips of her very long finger nails she pulled out a very small piece, so I smiled at her and she said, " Jon I have to go to sleep, so I'll save this for later tonight. Now Veronica show Jon and his Grandma to his new room, I've already heard your mother has to go back to work."

That woman then came in with the strange hair, so I leaned in and asked in a whisper, " A Ma'am, is that lady wearing a wig? And if she is, why?"

" Cancer," she whispered matter of factually, then added, " You see our blood can heal some of their symptoms, we can keep them alive for a little longer, they serve us and we heal them until their final day, but we have to be sure that there's no hope so they have to go through the treatment first, so they usually loose their hair, the wigs I think are a way to say that they are themselves and not the cancer."

That made me very sad for them, I put on a brave face and gave her my biggest smile I could, then I picked up the big suit case which as I said was probably mine now, Grandma then said, " Well young lady go ahead and lead the way."

I was a little worried at the way my Grandma spoke to her, but I put it aside and said nothing to her, so she went first and my grandma followed her, and I took up the rear, we moved down a very short hallway, then we came to door number seven, that was mine. She then put a piece of masking tape on the gold plate, gold, it was probably brass, then she wrote my last name on it. She pulled out a key ring with four keys on it, then she took one off and used it to open the door, then we entered a small room. It had an iron frame bed with mattress over springs, at the foot but away from the bed was a cabinet, down the wall and close to the head was a single lonely sink, inside the cabinet was a small three draw dresser, on the other side of the bed from the bed was a night stand with a single light standing on it. She went to the small dresser and pulled out the sheets and a single blanket, I probably won't need the blanket, I probably never would, she then placed it on the end of the bed. So I did the same with my suit case, then I unzipped it, as soon as it was open Grandma went right to work, if Momma was here she'd be really mad at her right now, and as the lady known as Veronica had helped us so much I opened the tin and asked, " Fudge?"

She smiled at me as she replied in a very sweet voice, " Thank you very much, ok you can do with your room as you want, the communal shower is down the hall, the girls have six thirty till seven, the boys get from seven fifteen till seven forty-five, you're expected in class by eight. Classes last until three, and an hour after is dinner, after three is your time, and dinner lasts for an hour to accommodate you, the dinning hall is right across from where we entered the hall. Dinner and lunch will be served to you, you're on your own for breakfast, there is an ample supply of cereal's and juices in the kitchen, all you have to do is grab it for yourself. The kitchen closes at six thirty and doesn't reopen until six thirty the next day, if you need something to eat you can go out to the shed, there is and ample supply of drinks and good desserts for you, the secretaries keep them up so there's enough food ready for you always. Balitious expects all fledglings to keep their room clean. Now have I forgotten anything, oh yes you're supposed to be sleeping right now, so if you need the shed it's out by the pool area, the pool is on one side and the shed is on the other, just look for the screen door and you've found it, ok I have to get back to the office."

I shook my head no as I said, " I think I got it Veronica."

She smiled back and in one sweep of the room she was out the door, so I went to my Grandma's side and helped her re-fold all my clothes, I had four pair of pants which I hung three as I was wearing one pair, I then hung up my two shirts that looked like Polo shirts, of course they weren't. I had one button up shirt which I hung up, I almost never wore it, then I put my good shoes on the floor of the cabinet, I almost never wore them either, I had six printed T-shirts and since I was wearing one I hung up the other five, so in all I used twelve of their hangers which they gave me about ten thousand, well maybe not that many, but more then what I was used to seeing. Grandma then pulled out a small brown bag and explained how everything in there was used, like I really needed help on how to use soap and toothpaste, well the deodorant was new to me, well I guess I needed to know how to use them, but I had to ask, " Grandma do I stink that bad?"

" No Jon you'll always smell sweet to me, but girls can be so unkind, I was just saving you grief."

" No Grandma I was just kidding."

" Oh Jon you're such a kidder, here help me with the sheets."

She then flung one out and said, " Oh a top sheet." Then she flung the second out and it was the same kind of sheet, she then looked around to see if there were anymore sheets, and as there weren't she said, " Johnny as soon as I can I'll bring you back normal sheets, so listen to me so I can show you how to do hospital corners."

" Hospital corners Grandma?"

" Yes, you remember I used to be a nurse."

I smiled at her and as she explained, I did everything she told me, but kinda in reverse as I was on the other side, then as Grandma would she checked my work, she was proud at how well I had done, then we did the other direction, and then the blanket so it matched the last sheet. She knew I never used a blanket, but she had us do it anyways, then we did the pillow case, I mean I was used to only having one so it was no biggie, then she had me go out to her car and bring in a box. The box had four items, first she got me an O. U. pennant and lamp shade, next was the great big throw pillow she kept on the couch, it was filled with many earth tones that she loved, then she brought out her earth tone throw blanket, you know one of those that are knit. I could smell all the familiar smells of Grandma's house, Cinnamon, brown sugar, with a hint of vanilla, she smiled at me and said, " See now you don't have to sleep under your sheets, you can just wrap yourself in my old quilt."

I was so happy that I had to wrap my arm's around her as I said, " But Grandma those are your favorite things, I can just use the sheets."

" No Honey, I was going to buy a new one anyways, and I have to take care of the old man, he might be looking for his lunch right now."

That was Grandma speak the old man she spoke of is Grandpa, she loves him to death, but she always calls him that old man, well he did look old, the only part of Grandma that looked old was the back of her hands. Her and Momma looked exactly the same, of course I would never tell Momma that, Momma's family had nine kids, five girls and four boys, the eldest of which my Momma called the clan is dead as I've already told you, she fell down some stairs. Grandpa had two problems, his heart was bad, and he couldn't breathe that well, Grandpa always said Grandma was in five hundred percent health, there's no such thing, but we were happy to agree with him. I really, really loved it when she would wear her hair down, it made her even look younger, Grandpa called her his Indian Princess then, you know I've never seen a day when they didn't kiss, I had to wonder if that was perfect love meant, you know to have the willingness to kiss everyday.

Grandma had to leave before noon, so she kissed me on the forehead and told me to get some sleep and be a good boy, but as she made it to the door she had an embarrassed look on her face as she admitted, " As if I ever have to worry about that Jon, you're always a good boy."

That made me happy and embarrassed that she thought I was always a good boy, and as she left and I hadn't taken a shower in two days, that was first on my agenda, so I went and found the communal shower Veronica told me about, I wasn't much for taking long showers, just get in and out was my motto. After I got done I thought about walking around, but I realized my Grandma was right, so I tried to lay down, well the very sunny day and forty-two hours of sleep said a big fact no to sleep! So I pulled out my sketch pad and started to work on a picture that I was working on, I must have lost all track of time as I started to hear doors slam, I turned my head and yes it was six thirty, so I put my pad away and then went to the kitchen, this was Oklahoma which meant it was very bright and still very warm. I followed six guy's into the walk-in, I secured a bowl with a small bow of cereal with a pint of milk, one of the guys stopped me and made sure I got a bottle of juice and bowl of fruit, two things I noticed about this guy, was first he smelt to nice to be a guy, and second man she had a lot of piercing's.

She had very short hair, longer then most boys, and it stuck out in every direction, her eye's were very deep dark brown, her skin was very pale, her eye's were deeply lined, and she had on red lip stick with green eye shadow, her nails were very long and black. She wore green army pants that were to big for her, then were cut off in a ragged line just below the knee's, I couldn't see her socks all the way, but they had to be knee socks, with high top tennis shoes. She had on a purple tank top that was tight enough to show a little of what she owned, she wore a flannel blue colored shirt over this with it's arm's rolled up, if I hadn't seen her bra straps I would have figured that she went without. I had ti figure she was one of those people that didn't want to go unnoticed, she then spoke in the most sweetest voice I had ever heard, " Hey bud, you have to sit at my table, now this doesn't mean that we're going steady or anything, so just be cool and we'll get along. All right?"

So I followed this vision of loveliness to my new table, as we sat down she put her hand out like a guy and said, " the names Priscilla."

I can't believe what I asked next, " Do you mean like in Presley?"

" Yeah I'm Elvis's unwanted step child, hey dork do you have a name?"

" Oh sorry, it's Jon, and I'm not a dork."

Ok that may have pulled me away from the light side, and I guess you can also call me a Star Wars nerd, she gave me a good look, then the corners of her lips went up, well that sent me closer to the dark side, and I knew why Helen's face launched a thousand ships, so I looked around to see all the rest were truly guys. As I was looking around she chimed in with, " Oh great you're gay."

She caught me totally off guard so I said, " A gay, no, I was just looking around to see-"

She cut me off with, " Hey I know I'm not a looker, but damn I could even hold your attention, damn I suck at being a vampyre."

" No, no, I just saw your smile and I had to a . . ."

As I was having a time saying the next word she came in with, " Yeah I know I'm a looser."

" No not a looser," I quickly said, then slightly embarrassed I added, " you're just so pretty, I've never seen anyone like you before, can I ask what you are, I mean is that like Emo meets Goth?"

She smiled at me as she said, " No Butt Head, it's called grunge."

" Do you mean like the eighties and early nineties grunge?"

" Yeah I'm bring the look back."

" Got many followers yet?"

" No, just one right now, but we're going to rule the world."

" I'm not grunge, but if you want a hand I'll give you a hand."

She had to laugh at me as she asked, " Why so you can get into my frilly little panties?"

Well honestly I hadn't thought about it, but now that she said it I could imagine her nude, ok I wanted her as a friend so I had to shake my head, then I whispered just loud enough for her to hear, " No just a friend for right now."

She stared at me for a few seconds, so I started to eat my cereal, then she finally whispered back, " Just friends right."

I nodded my head as I said, " Just friends for now, maybe the panty thing later on."

" Ok just friends for now, hey do you want to see where I hide before classes start, you know where all the prep's don't bother us, oh man here come little miss bitch, her name is Amelia."

Then I saw a girl with very long auburn hair, her very long nails matched, and man did she stink, I'm not talking about B. O. she had on so much perfume, she must have really believed that a french bath was a good state to be in, it had to take an entire bottle to get that kind of smell, I had to gag as she passed. She had on a really short lie green dress, with emerald green shoes and a purse, it kinda reminded me of the Wizard of Oz, and with my mine I knew that the wicked witch of the north, east, and west had been taken, so I thought she would make a perfect wicked witch of the south. The only problem I probably shouldn't have whispered it to Priscilla, I could see she had heard it as she sneered at me, yeah that was really good, I went from zero to dirt with, " Wicked witch of the south."