Chapter 2: House of Glass

Erin sat at the table, studying and bored out of her skull, sometimes she wished something exciting or even dangerous would happen, at least that would give her something to do.

Nate was at work which left and the creepy maintenance guy alone, which was not very comforting. The guy had one of those dirty looks to him and she could feel his eyes going over her body whenever her back was turned.

'Plumbing's fixed darlin' he grunted as he pulled himself off his knees from below the sink.

Erin gave him a look that dared him to call her that again and said 'could you check the stove while you're here?'

'I guess' he grunted 'look a word of advice, all this stuff is old and way past the recommended replacement date.'

'So replace it' Erin replied without looking at him, staring down at her books.

'Not my problem, talk to the owner of the complex.'

Erin didn't reply, she just continued to work. Half an hour later, the guy was about to leave when Erin suddenly said to him 'hey, you been in Morganville long?'

'All my life, me and my family are natives, why?'

'Well me and my brother just got here…is there anything we should know' Erin asked curiously.

The man was silent for a moment, he looked thoughtful, he finally sighed then finally said 'don't go out at night…you got protection?'

'Excuse me' replied Erin, shocked at what he'd said.

'I think you misunderstood me' he held up his wrist to show an arm band 'this, you got one of these?'

Erin raised her arms 'does it look like I have, why would I need one anyway.'

The guy shrugged 'your lookout kid.'

With that Erin was left alone feeling very confused.

Around 2:00 in the afternoon Nate came home 'hey, you get much studying done?'

Erin shrugged and finished eating the apple that was pretty much her only lunch.

'Did the maintenance guy come by' Nate asked, not really noticing her lack of interest.

'Yep…spent plenty of time staring at my butt' Erin said casually.

Nate rolled his eyes 'did he get some actual work done?'

'Yep, think so' Erin replied 'he thinks we should replace this stuff though, it is "beyond saving" he thinks.'

'He might be right' Nate muttered, turning to her he perked up and said 'I found you a job by the way.'

Erin groaned 'great, what is it?'

'A waitress, I passed this place called Common Grounds, they said they are always looking for some extra help, the guy who runs it called Oliver…he's agreed to take you on' Nate said.

'What does it pay' asked Erin casually.

'I hope you're not going to talk like that around your new boss' Nate replied 'you won't last long.'

Erin shrugged 'just asking, I mean if I'm going to serve coffee and other drinks in a town like this…where I'm likely to get my butt slapped every time I turn around…I want to know I'm getting decent money for putting up with it.'

'Oliver doesn't strike me as the type who tolerates harassment…in fact he looks like one bad ass dude, he king of creeped me out to be honest' Nate replied 'look you need to go over there and let him check you out.'

Erin looked at her brother for a moment then said 'now?'

'No next week…yes now, I have to get back to my job too.'

When Erin arrived outside Common Grounds she was startled by the door being pushed open and someone being hurled out by the scruff of their neck and thrown to pavement 'and stay out, I don't want to see you causing trouble in my establishment again you here me!'

Erin stared wide eyed at the man with long grey hair, with some brown still left in it from its original colour, tied back in a ponytail. He was wearing a black t-shirt and jeans with an old fashioned brown leather belt buckle on them.

Seeing her he added 'what are you looking at?'

'Nothing sir' Erin said, she wasn't usually overly polite but something about his glare seemed to demand it.

He looked at her for a couple of moments longer, seemingly most interested in her bare arms 'you that guy's sister?'

'Yes sir and you're Oliver right?'

He nodded 'get inside kid, you shouldn't be walking around like that.'

Like what Erin frowned but went inside and he followed her, closing the door behind him.

'Welcome to Common Grounds' Oliver said 'I need the employees and I'm not highly judgmental about who I hire so I think you'll do.'

'Um…thanks' Erin said uncertainly, she followed him over towards the bar area.

'Few guide line rules though; firstly everyone is equal here, hence the name, I don't tolerate quarrels or fights of any kind for any reason, they got issues they can take them elsewhere…is that understood?'

Erin nodded, she didn't really dare question him.

'Secondly if you get any lip from anyone tell me and I'll sort it, now with those things in mind…' he handed her an apron 'get to work.'

Erin had never really liked coffee…and now she had another reason to hate it…god this Common grounds may be peaceful but people came and they went and they wanted drinks, complex drinks. Fortunately she didn't have to make them, but she had to remember the orders…and that wasn't her best skill in the world.

Her shift was almost over for the day when someone highly familiar stepped in the door. He was the guy who had helped her brother the night they'd arrived…oh what was his name; he was blonde, tall, sexy…a real hotty, she almost spilled a drink watching him. He went over to the bar and spoke a few words to Oliver. Erin watched him, carefully avoiding his gaze, she was pretty sure he hadn't spotted her…yet. Michael that was his name, Michael Glass. He then went to the stage in one corner and began playing music, my god it was beautiful music, like a true rock star but more soulful, full of passion and pain…it made her weak in the knees.

Erin was beginning to see why this place was so popular, if Michael sung here on a regular basis, she'd be here a lot too.

As Michael came to the end of his song he stared into the crowd, his eyes looked around the crowd, his mouth in a beautiful smile…then his eyes fixed on her, then her wrist, then her again. He got up waving to the crowd and slowly left the stage, vanishing from view.

Erin frowned, where did he go, he can't have gone far, suddenly a voice behind her made her shout and she dropped the tray she completely forgot she was carrying 'looking for me?'

She whirled around, forgetting the tray and the look of anger from Oliver by the bar, to see Michael standing there smiling 'hey, sorry, didn't mean to scare you…let me help you clean that up.'

'No' Erin replied quickly 'it's ok, really I got it…' but Michael bent down anyway and helped 'you…you helped my brother…the other night.'

Michael looked at her 'yeah, I know…the two of you are in a dangerous place…surely you know this.'

Erin frowned 'um…not really, what is so special about Morganville.'

'You mean don't know…you didn't come here because you knew?'

'Knew what' Erin asked irritably picking up the tray and remains of what was on it.

Michael sighed 'we can't talk here…too many people. Meet me outside once you've got rid of that' he nodded to the tray.'

Erin watched him leave, heading for the door, he sounded kind of sketchy…but she was also curious…she had to know, it was killing her. She dumped the tray and said 'I'm going home, my shift is about over right?'

Oliver grunted 'yeah, whatever but that is coming out of your pay' he nodded to the tray and broken glasses.

'Fine' Erin said, hardly listening, she exited out the front door 'Michael' she said loudly.

'Keep you voice down' Michael said, stepping out of the shadows 'come with me, I'll take you back to my place…me and my friends will…explain a few things…things you should know.'

They pulled up in front of a fairly large, white house, it looked old but also well cared for. However Erin was more curious about the car she was in 'what's with the tinted windows?'

Michael sighed 'wow, this is going to be a really long and awkward conversation…come inside' and he got out of the car, closing his door behind him.

'You know my brother is going to be wondering where I am' Erin said uncertainly 'I really think I should be getting home.'

'Naïve as you are, you and him won't last long in this town' Michael replied 'look I'll have someone tell your brother where you are ok, please…I'm just trying to help.'

Erin only decided to trust him because he seemed to have an honest face 'ok…I guess.'

They both entered the house and the sound of laughter and conversation could be heard from a living room off to the right, she also heard what sounded like cooking in a kitchen.

They both moved to stand in clear view of the rest of the people of the house; one of them was an adult male with shaggy brown hair, a lot of muscle in all the right place…very hot.

The second was a gothic sort of woman with her back to them, sitting on the ground with her legs crossed.

'Hey Michael…whose the kid' asked the guy with brown hair gesturing with a hand holding a beer.

The woman looked round at the sound of the name and she got up and ran over to him, hugging him and kissing him but Michael gently pushed her back giving her a subtle shake of her head.

'This is Erin Dean…she's new to Morganville' he said that with a certain tone, as if trying to pass across other words without saying them.

The woman looked at Erin 'oh…' she replied in a knowing tone 'well hey Erin, I'm Eve Rosser/ Glass, Michael's wife and that slacker over there on the sofa is Shane Collins.'

'Whoa hold up…wife…you're like' she tried to calculate the age difference but just settled for saying 'way older than him.'

'You see this is what I was trying to say Eve…don't bring that stuff up…yet' Michael replied shaking his head.

Eve shrugged 'I'm going to tell it like it is, I'm his wife, is there a problem with that?'

Erin shook her head 'no…not really.'

'Subtle Eve, real subtle' Shane said 'so why did you bring her here?'

'Well she and her brother almost got jumped once…if it weren't for me they might have been killed…so I figured they should know the 411' Michael explained.

Shane shrugged 'fair enough, you might want to sit down though kid…this is going to get complicated and weird for an out of towner.'

'Ok but first off, stop calling me a kid, I'm 16' she followed Michael and Eve and sat down.

'You want something to drink' Eve asked.

Erin shook her head 'no thanks I'm good.'

'Hey where is Claire' Michael asked 'I thought she'd be home by now.'

'She called, said she was running late, but she'll be here soon' Eve replied.

Shane sighed 'I can't believe she is still working for Myrnin.'

Eve shrugged 'she's a scientist, Myrnin needs her help…besides if I had a penny for the number of times those two have helped us out of sticky situations…I'd be rich.'

'Eve has a point Shane, Myrnin has proven himself over the years, don't tell me you're still jealous of him' he joked with a grin.

Shane frowned 'of course not…but he's one of them, can't ever forget that line.'

'And so am I' Michael replied, it wasn't a question, it sounded like something they'd long been arguing about and finally come to some form agreement about.

'Ok out of the loop here' Erin said irritably.

'Oh right sorry' Eve said 'forgot you were here for a moment. Ok Erin what you and your brother have to understand is…Morganville is no ordinary town ok and walking about without a wristband…you may as well just ask to be killed.'

Erin frowned 'what's so special about this place?'

'It is run by vampires' Shane said simply, taking a swig of his beer.

'Now whose being subtle' Eve replied sarcastically.

Eve looked round at them then burst out laughing 'vampires…that's a good one, very funny, are you the guys who wrote that prank message on the sign coming into Morganville by any chance?'

A voice from behind them made Erin jump slightly 'I laughed when I first heard Eve tell me this too…too bad it didn't make it any less true.'

They turned to see Claire standing in the hallway, watching the group of them 'hey guys' she said with a smile, she looked around at the house 'hey house.'

Erin did a double take 'ok these people are clearly nuts.'

'Erin Dean, meet my wife Claire Collins' after a moment he then added 'whoever tagged the sign was just accurately describing Morganville.'

Claire came into the room and sat down next to Shane, the two looked very close as a married couple, very solid. Claire was fairly short and petite by woman standards, with a small but cute face, dark hair that Erin recognised from somewhere and a small but curvy frame.

'So what's Erin doing here' Claire asked casually 'trouble afoot?'

'No' Michael replied 'but she is new to Morganville…I figured we'd end up finding her or her brother in a ditch somewhere if we didn't tell them everything.'

Claire nodded 'you have a brother as well?'

Erin nodded 'he's eighteen, we came to Morganville because…well we heard about it…we're kind of drifters, no family…'

'I see' Claire replied 'well he's in danger as long as he walks around without protection.'

Erin frowned at them 'what is this protection thing?'

'Certain vampires are willing to take people and put them under their protection…but it isn't free, you have to pay blood donations and do occasional favours for the vampire' Claire explained, she held up her own wrist 'I serve Amelie, the founder of Morganville, on her behalf I work for an alchemist of hers called Myrnin.'

'Over the years we've come to learn not all vampires are so bad' Eve said 'we tend to judge them individually not as a single species.'

Shane nodded 'yeah, we used to be pretty small fry people; me, Michael and Eve…then Claire came to Morganville…and things got a bit crazy.'

'And now' Erin asked.

'Now Michael is one of Amelie's most trusted vampires' Eve said putting a hand on Michael's leg 'aside from Oliver of course.'

'Whoa…Common Grounds Oliver…he's a vampire' Erin asked 'I just started working for him!'

Shane laughed 'oh that sucks…'

But Claire slapped Shane's arm 'not funny Shane…you'll be ok, just do your job, don't irritate him…at his work he is…well not nice but better than usual.'

'I used to work there' Eve said 'but I didn't know he was a vampire then.'

Erin looked at Michael 'and…you're a vampire too, why didn't you tell me that?'

Michael shrugged 'I thought I'd scare you off.'

'Also, now, Claire is like renowned for her science skills along with everything else she's done' Michael added 'it's thanks to her and Myrnin this town stays above water.'

Claire turned red 'your exaggerating.'

'What about you Shane' Erin asked him 'what do you do now?'

Shane shrugged 'work wise, not much, kind of in between jobs but I have an awesome hobby with Eve of designing weapons to deal with vamps…technically the vampires don't like this but…so long as it doesn't kill them and it's in self-defence…it is acceptable.'

'Oh yeah, weapon crafters' Eve said holding up her beer in a cheers gesture.

'So…what do I do' Erin asked 'Michael could you be our protector?'

They all looked at him and he shook his head 'I don't like taking on contracts, it's practically a form of slavery or servitude…but you need someone to…I'll talk to Amelie, see if maybe she can arrange something.'

'Well Claire and I am going to finish sorting dinner' Shane said getting up and heading to the kitchen.

'And I'm going to find out about your brother' Michael said 'stay here with us for now ok.'

Erin nodded and she was left sitting alone with Eve for company. Eve was slightly gothic but not as goth as she had first thought, she'd toned down the make-up but her clothes were as radical as ever, as was her hair.

'So um…it's just the four of you living here' Erin asked casually.

'Five' replied Eve casually 'Claire and Shane have a kid…actually she's probably about your age.'

Erin nodded 'so…you and Michael and Claire and Shane?'

'Uh huh' Eve replied casually 'it can be awkward at times but…we've learned to live with it.'

'Yeah awkward like when people call you fang banger' Shane said from the kitchen.

Erin tried not to smile, but the word was kind of funny.

'Or awkward when I think about he's still going to be 18 when I'm an old lady' Eve replied… 'but here in Morganville…if you live that long it is impressive, I'm amazed we've lived this long…there was a time Claire never thought she'd have a kid but then…well…someone missed a period.'

'I heard that Eve' Claire said from in the kitchen 'I'll have you know I was thrilled to discover I was pregnant, I'm amazed I didn't jump for joy and go "yay"'

Shane laughed 'actually I remember very vividly the first word out your mouth was "oops" and then you ran off to the bathroom or something.'

'And then you had to go have a very serious sit down with my dad' Claire replied.

'I remember…he looked like he was ready to murder me' Shane replied with a laugh.

'Well I was only 19' Claire replied 'you know how my dad is.'

Eve looked at Erin 'you want to stay with us for dinner, if it's ok with Michael and your brother that is.'

Erin shrugged 'I guess, it sounds like there is a lot I need to know.'

Michael came in 'Erin, your brother wants to speak with you' when she got to the phone he handed it over to her.

'Hey bro' Erin said trying to sound cheerful.

'You should have called me sis, but I suppose this Michael guy did help us and he says they are keeping an eye on you now' Nate replied.

'They are, it's fine really, look they're offering me some dinner, why don't I just eat here and you can pick me up later...they do have a lot to of helpful information for us' Erin replied.

Nate sounded uncertain 'alright, I suppose, put me back on with Michael, I want to talk with him.'

Erin handed the phone back and then returned to the living room area.

Claire was laying the table for dinner, there was a platter of fresh looking tacos in the middle, all neatly lined up in a row.

'Hope you like tacos' Claire said 'we have them a lot.'

Eve laughed 'yeah you can say that again, ever since you moved in Claire we have been having tacos at least once a week.'

'Don't you dare knock tacos Eve' Shane replied 'especially since we all love them and you know it.'

Claire moved to the bottom of the stairs 'Carrie, dinner is ready' Claire frowned and looked at Eve 'is she up there?'

Eve nodded 'yeah, last time I checked.'

'Might have her earphones in again' Shane said 'last time I saw her studying she had them in…it was like she was in her own world.'

'I heard you mom' came a voice at last and a younger girl, also with dark hair and almost identical to Claire came downstairs 'I was studying.'

'Glad to hear it' Claire replied, she looked slightly closer at Carrie's clothes and face then said 'Eve have you been trying to convert her to Goth again?'

Eve laughed 'guilty as charged, but hey it is hardly a conversion if she wants it right.'

'Yeah Eve was showing me her tattoo, I so want one' Carrie replied 'please mom?'

'We'll talk, right now we have a guest' Claire replied, gesturing to Erin.

Carrie looked at her, frowning 'say…haven't I seen you somewhere before?'

Erin thought about it then realized who she was, the girl from the campus coffee shop 'yeah, on campus.'

'You go to the University' Carrie asked curiously 'I haven't seen you around?'

'No, I was trying to get a place but…I turned it down' Erin replied 'for me to join I would have to live on campus…but I can't leave my brother.'

'Fair enough' Michael said, who had come back into the room 'in this town that is a wise decision.'

As the six of them sat down to eat Erin felt…awkward, after all she hardly knew this group of friends, even if they were helping her out.

'So your kind of stuck here' Carrie said after a few minutes of silence 'you know that right?'

Erin looked at her 'what do you mean?'

'Morganville has certain…protections in place, it's part of what me and Myrnin do' Claire replied in answer 'and one of those is that no one who enters Morganville can leave, at least not without special circumstances.'

Erin gaped 'what…but…that's…you mean me and my brother are stuck here?'

'Yep' Carrie said 'sorry about that.'

Clearing his throat slightly Shane said 'Carrie why don't you show Erin around town sometime, show her the ropes a bit, you've had years to get used to Morganville.'

Carrie moaned 'do I have to' she looked at Erin 'no offence; it's just that I do have other things I need to do.'

Erin shrugged 'it's ok.'

'I think it would be a good idea, you could both use the company and it never hurts to have a friend' Eve replied.

'Me too' Michael said 'at least until I can talk to Amelie…get some protection arrangement sorted.'

Carrie shrugged 'I guess I can do that.'

'Thanks' Claire replied.

'I don't want to be a bother' Erin said feeling like she was causing a problem.

Eve shook her head 'don't be stupid, people look out for each other around here, especially the Humans.'

Erin took another taco and bit into it, as she did Michael frowned thoughtfully 'is there any particular reason you and your brother came here…or are on the run in general for that matter?'

After a moment of silence Erin said 'well…we just came here because it was closest and we were low on gas…and we'd heard about it.'

Claire frowned 'how?'

Erin shrugged 'just rumours, nothing concrete really, now I know why.'

'But why have you been running most of your lives' Eve asked curiously.

'That…well our parents were killed when I was little, Nate and I hid in a closet when it happened…so they didn't find us, but we heard it all.'

'Oh my god' Claire said 'who were they?'

'I don't know…I was too little to remember much…Nate might know, all I remember is their voices…vaguely' Erin replied 'they were a crazy bunch, broke in, vandalized the house.'

'Gunshots' Michael asked curiously.

Erin shook her head 'not that I remember.'

There was a long silence and then a knock came at the front door, Michael got up and answered it, Nate stood on the front doorstep 'Erin, are you ok?'

'Yeah I'm fine' Erin replied.

'Come on in' Michael replied, stepping aside 'before we say anything else…can I have a word with you privately' he said to Nate.

Nate nodded and the two of them moved into the kitchen, closing the door.

'So…what happened after your parents died' Carrie asked.

'We went to an orphanage for a while, then got foster parents…but after a while we ran away, they were nice enough but…we just didn't feel safe staying put' Erin replied.

Claire, who had finished eating leaned back 'you think whoever killed your parents might come looking for you?'

'I doubt it, I don't think they even knew we were there' Erin replied 'I'm more concerned with being stuck here to be honest.'

They were all silent as they finished eating and sat there, brief small talk exchanged but Erin remained quiet.

Michael finally returned with Nate 'just told him everything, so now we're all up to speed.'

Nate looked like he needed to sit down 'what…how…this is all too much.'

'We'll help you' Claire replied 'don't worry ok.'

Sighing Nate said 'I don't like that we're stuck here…Erin there is something you should know' he search in his jacket pocket and pulled out a scrunched up piece of paper, he passed it to her and opened it up inside it said 'we'll find you, kids, and this time there will be nowhere to hide.'

Erin looked at Nate then almost launched at him in fury but Michael was fast and stopped her 'why didn't you tell me!'

'Because I didn't want to scare you' Nate replied 'it's the reason we ran away ok.'

Erin gaped 'that long…you've known that long…you…you…' but she didn't want to swear in present company.

'I'm sorry, really I am…but the priority was to keep moving and get somewhere safe…and that is what I did' Nate replied.

Erin laughed hysterically 'this' she waved her arm around 'this is hardly safe…this is a crazy town full of vampires.'

'A town hardly anyone has heard of and those that have probably aren't stupid enough to come here' Nate replied.

Michael looked at him 'did you know about this town?'

Nate shook his head 'no, of course not, but I'm just saying it could work to our advantage.'

'He's got a point' Shane said.

Eve frowned 'I don't know they sounded pretty stupid to me, they might try and come here anyway.'

'Then they would be in way over their heads' Michael replied, sighing he said 'ok…why don't you two just head home, I'll speak with Amelie.'