Oh my God I'm soooooooooooooooooooooo sorry for the delay in uploading! With school everything got so hectic and crazy and I've barely had any time to write! This chapter is short, I know, but I hope that over Thanksgiving break I'll have more time to write.
Chapter 6:
The Emmerson family, minus Grandpa, were all sat at the dining room table eating dinner along with Lucy's date, Max. Along with that Sam had invited a couple of his friends over for dinner, Edgar and Alan Frog. "Lucy this food amazing." Max said into the uncomfortable silence of the room.
Lucy smiled at him. "Thank you Max. Ashley here helped me make it." Lucy said as she nodded to the brunette next to her.
"Well you two ladies have a talent for cooking." he said.
Dinner turned out to be an interesting affair as Sam and his friends pulled all these odd pranks on Max. Lucy was mad at them as she showed the man out and the three boys were forced to clean up the mess they made.
"What was that about Sam?" Ashley asked as she leaned against the doorframe in the kitchen. "I know better than to think its about Dad."
"You wouldn't believe me." Sam said as she put some dishes in the sink.
"How do you know I won't believe you?"
"Because it's completely crazy and I don't know is I believe it completely myself." the blond said.
"Well you better believe it Sammy." Edgar said. "Because it's real."
Ashley ignored him and continued to look at her little brother. "Come on Sam. You can tell me anything and I promise not to laugh."
Sam looked at her for a bit before looking back at Edgar and Allen who both nodded at him. "Well...I think that there might be vampires in Santa Carla."
Ashley looked at him for a second. "That it?" she asked.
"What do you mean is that it?" Allen asked as he stared at her. "Vampires are kinda a big deal."
"Well that doesn't mean much to me." Ashley said. "Ok there are vamps here but are they truly evil like you so obviously believe?"
"What do you mean?" Sam asked.
"Now I'm not saying I believe you but for arguments purposes lets say that you're right. That there are vampires living here in Santa Carla. How do you know that they're evil?"
"Because they're killing people!" Edger shouted.
"But what kind of people are they killing?" she shot back. "Looking at the missing posters all over town they look like most are gangbangers and were reported missing by their friends. How do you know that the people that they're killing are the ones that kill the innocent? Let's take the guy on the back of that carten there." she pointed to the picture of the little boy, obviously Laddie to her. "What if he'd been hurt by someone that the vamps killed and that's what happened? You three are blaming every missing person here on them and you can't do that. There are always the outliers and special cases." She pushed herself off of the door frame. "Well I'll talk to you guys later." Turing she left the kitchen and made her way upstairs. Leaving behind three stunned boys.
Later that night as she sat up on her bed she heard knocking at her window. Looking up from her sketchbook she smiled when she saw Marko and Paul hovering outside both grinning at her. Standing from her bed she picked up her cane, which had been resting against her nightstand, and went over to her window. "What are you guys doing here?"
"We wanted to see you." Marko said.
She smiled at them and stepped back away from the window. "Well come on then don't just hover there."
Grinning the two flew into her room and landed quietly on their feet barely making a sound. "How was your night?" Paul asked as he watched her make her way over to her bed. He didn't like seeing her limp and the pain he knew she was feeling because of it. It just made him angry knowing what she had been through. She didn't deserve any of it.
"Pretty entertaining actually." she said as she sat down and looked at the two. "Sam had some friends over that like to believe themselves to be Vampire Hunters."
Both men looked over at her with wide eyes. Vampire Hunters were serious business even if they were just kids. "What happened?" they asked.
"They thought our mothers date, Max the guy that owns the video store on the boardwalk, was a vampire and did all these weird things tonight: garlic, holy water. mirrors. Nothing happened, I mean he didn't react in anyway other than surprise like you'd expect."
"Did you talk to them?" Marko asked as he sat on the end of her bed. Paul flopped back in the desk chair next to the window.
"Yeah." she said. "Sam didn't seem to know what to believe but Edgar and Allen Frog, they're the ones that own the comic book store, seemed to be pretty adamant that all vampires should burn in hell."
"We should tell David about them." Paul said and Marko nodded.
"Why?" Ashley asked.
"Because even if they're not really a threat to us we can't be sure at the moment what they're capable of." Paul said. "They could be dangerous and it'd be best for our safety if we know what they're up to so that way we know that they're not going to come after us."
"I guess that makes sense." she said as she tilted her head in thought. "Which reminds me...how did Laddie come to be with you guys? I just saw his picture on a milk carton and was wondering…"
"Dwayne found him." Marko said. "The boy was in a foster home that only wanted him for the check that they get from the government."
"When Dwayne was out one night he found him and saw the way that they treated him. He had so many bruises that it was a wonder the agency hadn't taken him away from them." Paul continued. "He didn't want to leave him so he took him away."
"But not before he killed the family." Marko picked up the story again. "David was pissed at first. He wanted him to get rid of the kid but Laddie wanted to stay and so he's been with us ever since."
"So he was reported missing by the state then?" Ashley asked.
"Yeah. They're not really looking all that hard though. Cops walked past Laddie all the time and they just overlook him. None really care enough to take him in." Paul said. He watched the way that she was favoring her one side. "Are you feeling alright?"
"Yeah...just a little sore from the bruises." She shifted slightly as she leaned back against her pillows. "What are you guys doing tonight?"
They grinned at each other. "We were actually wondering if you wanted to go flying with us." Marko said.
Her green eyes widened as she looked at them. "You guys can fly?"
Paul grinned at her. "Yup!" He stood up from his chair. "What do you say Ash? Wanna go flying?"
She smiled at the two of them and nodded. "That sounds like a lot of fun. My mom and Sam should be asleep by now."
"Well then M'Lady," Paul said as he took her hand and carefully pulled her up into his arms. "Right this way." Ashley laughed softly as he scooped her up bridal style.
Suddenly the wind was rushing around them and when she looked down she saw that they were floating high above the ground and still rising. "Wow…" she whispered as they went higher and higher above the ground and soared through the sky. "This is amazing…"
"Knew you would like it Love." Marko said as he flew up next to them. The smile that was on her face made his own grow as he watched the way she took in the night.
"I can't believe you guys get to do this every night..." she said as she looked down at the water that they were now flying over. "This is amazing."
"You could join us you know." Paul said.
Ashley turned her attention from the scenery to look at the blond vampire holding her. "What do you mean?"
"We could turn you." Marko said.
"You wouldn't be able to be in the sun anymore...but you would be with us."
"I..." she looked between the two. "I...want to...but my family..."
"They may be joining us." Paul said.
"They...will?"
Marko nodded. "Yeah. The vampire that turned us has taken a liking to your mother. When we came to him about turning you at some point he said that we could since he was already wanting to add your mother."
"I...I don't know if I'm ready yet." she said nervously.
"That's alright." Paul said. "We'll wait until you are."
They wound up back at the cave. As it turned out Michael was already there with Dwayne, David, and Star. "So you decided to join us tonight." David said when he saw the three of them. "Michael here was just about to become a full member of our little...club."
Ashley's eyes widened and she looked at Marko and Paul. Were they going to….
Paul looked at her and gave a slight nod. "Don't worry. We'll keep an eye on him."
Marko placed his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. "He doesn't know exactly what we are but he knows there's something different about us."
Daid looked over at Paul and jerked his head to the wine rack that was built into the wall. Paul nodded and went to get their special wine bottle.
"Michael is going to be initiated into the group tonight." Marko said. "I'm going to take you home since David is going to want us all to be there."
Ashley nodded and let him lead her out of the cave. "He'll be ok right?"
"Don't worry Paul and I will keep an eye on him." Marko picked her up in his arms and took off into the night.
That night she couldn't sleep. She stayed up listening to the sounds of the house as she waited for her brother to come home. All night she sat at her desk with a book or her drawings as the time ticked by on the clock. Her worry only growing as there continued to be silence in the house.
Sometime just before dawn she heard sounds coming from Michael's room. Standing from her chair she made her way to his room and glanced inside to see Dwayne dumping her brother on his bed. "Is he alright?" she asked quietly.
The dark haired vampire looked up at her. "He will be fine." he said. "The blood will slowly work it's way through his system so he will be very weak until he makes his first kill."
Ashley bit her lip as she nodded. "Does he know?"
"No but he will soon." The quiet vampire turned to leave out the window once more before he stopped and looked back at her. "You have made an impression on Marko and Paul that I have never thought possible...they are less reckless. I hope you choose to join us permanently." With that said he jumped from the window and took off.