Friends & Foes
A Fangs & Fins sequel
Chapter 7: "Sofia"
"If my dad walks in and sees you all he's going to get the wrong idea." James said, his arms crossed. Will's entire wolf pack was sitting around his family's kitchen table, stuffing their faces with pancakes. Pancakes made from expired mix Constance had bought in an attempt to make blood infused pancakes that were safe for the family to eat. She hadn't been able to get it right, through. Regardless, the pack was sitting, half naked, around the table. "He's going to think I hired a group of male strippers or something."
Christian patted his perfect abs. "Or that you're gay. Probably that you're gay."
James rolled his eyes and left the kitchen. Arianna was tending to Lewis, holding an ice pack to his forehead while Lewis groaned.
"I swear. They're basically a small fraternity." James said, sitting down on the couch.
"I think he may have pulled something. Will said the pain isn't from all of his bones breaking before he transformed, it's from something he did while he was a werewolf. Noel thinks we should take him to the doctor if he isn't better by the end of the week." Arianna said seriously. "Also, I've been trying to get a hold of Lily and can't. We don't have our cell phones and your home phone sucks. Also, Sofia Lockwood came bursting through the front door about half an hour ago, looking for Jewel."
James moaned. "I'll get Ben to deal with it. They're friends."
"Seems her mother was keeping her in the dark about Jewel. Typical Lockwood." Arianna scowled. "And I didn't know Ben and Sofia were friends. They'll probably be forced into an arranged marriage in two years, though, so it's probably for the best. Sofia's the only eligible girl for Ben."
"It's perfect; we're both our parents' least favorite." Ben said sarcastically, waltzing in. "How'd it go last night?
"No one was mauled or anything, but Lewis might have pulled a muscle. And he's all cut up and bruised, but Will said that's normal. I think the pulled muscle is from exerting himself. Oh, and Lewis killed a small animal, so that's cool." Arianna reported.
"Didn't think you had it in you." Ben said, looking at Lewis. "Maybe he should go lie down upstairs. In the free room, there's a bed in there."
"No!" Lewis shrieked. "That's…that's Constance's room."
Arianna and James exchanged glances. Ben looked at his feet.
"Uh, speaking of Constance, I need to talk to both of you a little later about Ash." Arianna whispered to James and Ben.
"Arianna, I can hear you!" Lewis screamed.
Arianna hushed him and readjusted the ice pack. "I'm going to give you another painkiller then you're going to go take a nap in Ben's room, okay?"
"Wait, get Lily, I want Lily to come – "
"Lily and Rose were already planning on coming over soon." Ben said reassuringly. "I just came ahead."
James looked anxious. "I really don't think they should be coming over – "
"James, there are five werewolves in the house already, dad is going to know that the pack was here, we might as well have Lily and Rose over too."
James sighed. "You're probably right. Okay, they can come."
After Lewis had been situated in Ben's bed and taken another painkiller, the wolf pack left. Will promised to return in the evening to check up on Lewis and help get him home. Rose and Lily arrived afterwards, Lily armed with a First-Aid Kit.
"Where is he? Does he need help?" Lily asked, barging into the living room.
"He's fine, Lily. Last night he did okay. He's just exhausted. Now, we have things to talk about." James said. "Arianna has news about Ash, and we need to talk about Sofia Lockwood."
Arianna nodded. "So we all know that Ash meant to kill Ben, but ended up killing Constance. I've figured out who gave him the orders to look for Ben, and because Ash made such a big mistake and messed with a Council family, I think we may be able to get his employers to either drop Ben's charges or compensate you guys. Because if they don't, they don't have protection like we do, they don't have a Council, and I think it would be in their best interest to apologize to us."
Rose fumed. "Compensate us? Like that's going to make any of us feel better about what happened to Constance. And if they drop the charges against Ben, then what? Constance still had to die for that to happen and they haven't been pursuing him lately –"
"The only reason they aren't pursuing Ben is because they don't know he was the vampire they were looking for! When Ash killed Constance, Ben told Ash that he'd made as mistake and that he was who Ash had been after, but Ash died before he could report that information. It was his job to figure out who'd been…doing what Ben was doing, and you can bet they already have a replacement picking up where Ash left off! They know about Constance's death, they know that Ash made the mistake and killed her, they don't know about Ben. And when they find out you can bet we'll be in trouble because he's going to be deemed a major threat and they will try to eliminate him as quickly as possible." Arianna snapped. Rose recoiled.
"And if they don't drop the charges, I want the money going to the families of the victims." Arianna glared at Ben. "I managed to get an appointment to see the head of the Gold Coast's chapter. She was in charge of Ben's case. They don't seem to know everything you've done, Ben, but they know a pretty decent portion of it."
Ben groaned. "What do they know?"
"The vampire they've been looking for – you – killed four men in a single night about six months ago, then they attributed another killing to him – again, you – five months ago, four men again."
"Dad needed blood for some friends. Old Council members were getting to old, I guess." Ben looked at his feet.
"Jesus Ben, four men in one day?" James shouted. "And Arianna said that's just some of the shit you've pulled – "
"Dad said so, okay?!"
"Guys, stop. We need to prepare for the appointment with Petra Thames – she's the chapter leader. Lily's met her before, so I think she should be the one to go meet her."
"No, no. I want to go." Rose said. "I'll go meet Petra."
Arianna looked at Rose in disbelief. "Rose, I really think Lily should do it –"
"Why, you think I won't do a good job? I can get the compensation for Ash murdering Constance and get them off of Ben's case." Rose seethed.
"It's just that Lily's met her before. And you're not exactly...subtle, or diplomatic, Rose." Arianna seemed to be choosing her words carefully.
"Oh, okay, fine, Arianna, don't give me a chance to prove that I can do this." Rose crossed her arms.
"Rose, stop acting like a child." Lily said.
"Can I talk to you?" Ben grabbed Rose's elbow and dragged her out of the room and into the privacy of the kitchen.
"What are you doing?" Ben demanded.
Rose sighed. "I want to see Petra. Elisabeth mentioned that she went to school with her and my mom before she left to become the head of the Gold Coast's vampire hunting thing or whatever. She might know something."
"Rose, she's not going to know anything – "
"Elisabeth said that Ariadne Kahn contacted her, so why wouldn't she get in touch with Petra? If your dad changed my mom then it's possible that they've asked Petra to help them. It's worth a shot."
Ben looked uneasy. "I just think you should get to the source of it. See if your mom really is alive. Remember, at the ball my dad said he killed her. Kahn may be wrong on this one. They might just be blaming her because she's an easy target. Maybe someone else is behind the siren calls. Maybe she really is dead, you saw her body when she died, remember?"
Rose huffed. "Why would your dad be so quick to claim that Elliot was his son? Elliot could have been my dad's for all he knew. No, he knew for sure Elliot was his because they'd started meeting up around the time he was born, Elisabeth confirmed that, and then she had him change her and fake her death. He changed Elliot too, but somehow Elliot got separated from them and met up with Byron."
"I just don't think Petra can confirm this. She can only tell you what Elisabeth has told you. Her chapter is really crappy at keeping tabs on vampires anyway, they killed Constance, who wouldn't hurt a fly and it took them months to track down Byron, they never knew about Elliot – how would they know about a vampire that is keeping such a low profile that she hasn't been seen in years? Just because they kill vampires and have contacts with Ariadne Kahn and the other mermaids doesn't mean they know anything. I think if you want to know for sure, you'll have to look elsewhere."
"Where to look, then?" Rose said. She looked at Ben. He seemed a little anxious and wouldn't look her in the eye.
"Well…I think your best bet is my dad. I know I said it wasn't possible, but I have some ideas. Just give me a couple days, and I should have something, okay?"
"But - "
Ben squeezed her shoulders reassuringly. "Just give me a few days."
Rose reached out and put her hand on his out-stretched arm. "Thanks."
Ben smiled. "No problem."
"I think we need to send someone out to find Sofia and pacify her. If Beatrice Lockwood finds out we told her about Jewel, she'll get into another fight with my dad and your mom and the Council will accomplish nothing for a month." James said.
Arianna nodded. "We should let Ben do that. Maybe he can take Rose, so she'll have something to do. Lily can go meet Petra. One of us should go for backup, just in case. The other can stay here with Lewis till Will comes to look after him."
James nodded. "I'll go with Lily, you stay here." He looked at his watch. "It's still pretty early, but call Will and see if he can come over by noon. The sooner we have Lewis back on his feet the better."
Lily had changed into some "business casual" attire before her meeting with Petra, but still felt anxious, unprofessional and like she wouldn't be taken seriously. James was outside in the car, and he'd told her to call him when the meeting started and hide her phone in her pocket so he could listen to the conversation. It made her feel a little better knowing James had her back, but not much.
Petra's office door creaked open, and Petra appeared. She smiled warmly and beckoned Lily into her office. Lily sat down in the small chair in front of Petra's desk.
"So, you're here on behalf of the Woods, correct?"
Lily nodded. "I knew Constance from school. And I'd met you before, so they asked if I could come to represent them."
Petra nodded. "And you think our mistake, with Miss Wood, was extreme enough that the Woods deserve compensation or that we should stop pursuing the vampire Miss Wood was accused of being?"
Lily nodded meekly. Petra smirked.
"You and the Woods clearly know who this vampire is, yet you're defending them? Lily, do you know what they did?"
"Yes, I do. But after what happened to Constance, I don't think that anyone deserves to die that way. Being staked."
"But the eight men that were killed, they deserved to die the way they did?" Petra leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. Lily gulped.
"No. But it's a cycle. You clearly don't have adequate evidence to identify who this vampire is, and it isn't fair to the vampire that was killed after one of your agents stupidly – with very little backing – thought they were the one that murdered those men."
Petra frowned. "Ash made an honest mistake. He was too rash. Is it fair the way he died? He made a mistake, and he was killed for it. James Wood ripped out his heart."
"He was angry." Lily said, her voice squeaking. "We just feel that unless you know for sure who a vampire is, you shouldn't let your agents act so rashly, and you shouldn't risk potentially killing innocent vampires. How can you attribute a killing to a vampire? How are you able to tell who killed what? It's silly. This needs to stop."
Petra drummed her fingers against her desk. "Fine. We'll grant you the compensation you want. But – if we find sufficient evidence against the vampire in question, they will be eliminated."
"Thank you, Ms Thames." And with that, Lily got up, shook Petra's hand and slid out the door.
Lily hurried out of the building, ballet flaps slapping against the concrete floors. She passed the training room she'd dueled Ash in and felt a wave of nausea rush through her. She ran the rest of the way to the parking lot, threw open the car door and collapsed in the passenger seat. Lily had never been more relieved to see James Wood in her life.
James held up his phone, excited. "You did great!" He pulled her into a hug, then noticed her expression. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, just…bad memories here." Lily closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat.
"Ah. Right. Let's get out of here, shall we?" James put the car in reverse and backed out of the parking lot and they sped off down the highway. Lily watched the chapter headquarters grow smaller and smaller in the side mirror and let out a sigh of relief.
Hopefully, she would never have to go back.
Arianna hung up her cellphone. "Okay, Will will be here in half an hour. He's bringing Laurel and Bear. Sofia likes dogs, so maybe if you can get her back here before she makes it home to Melbourne, she can hang out with Bear. Dogs are calming, right? She's either flying or taking the train, so you'll have to catch her quickly. She's probably flying because it's faster."
Ben was already looking up flight times on his phone. "Okay, come on Rose. If we drive we'll be able to make it." Ben grabbed the keys off the coffee table and headed out the door, Rose behind him.
"Damn, James took the good car." Ben pouted. "Now we have to take the Volvo."
"We don't have time for this, just get in!" Rose shouted, climbing into the passenger seat.
Ben grumbled and settled in the driver seat. "Sorry, I just hate this car." He adjusted one of the side mirrors. "I feel like stupid Edward Cullen when I drive this thing."
Rose laughed. Ben glared at her while jamming the keys into the ignition. "Oh haha. It's true. James has similar thoughts about this car."
"I get James feeling like Edward. But you?" She clamped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. "I just…can't see you as Edward, in any way, shape, or form."
Ben looked wounded. "Harsh." He leaned back in his seat, one hand on the wheel and admired himself in the mirror. They turned around a corner sharply and Rose was thrown to the side of her seat, her cheek hitting the window.
"Ben, do you even have your license?" Rose asked, feeling nauseous. "You won't be seventeen till September."
Ben just shrugged, grinned slyly and hit the gas, sending them flying down the highway and torwards Gold Coast Airport.
They lost crucial minutes at the airport while Ben tried to find a place to park, and then again while trying to get to the main terminal. In their mad dash to get to the check-in desks, Rose tripped over a child's Hello Kitty suitcase that had been left unattended and Ben had collided with a baggage trolley and spent five minutes frantically (and, to Rose's amazement, sincerely) apologizing to the Canadian tourists whose bags he had sent flying across the sleek, marble flooring.
"She's probably already through security now." Ben panted, waving goodbye courteously to the Canadian tourists. "We'll have to buy tickets to get in, I guess. I'm not sure how it works. Usually James handles that kind of stuff. I'll try calling her again. I tried before we left the house, but she didn't pick up."
"Well try again!" Rose shouted.
Ben dialed Sofia's number and waited. Rose bit her lip, anxious. Thankfully, she answered.
"Go away, Ben." Sofia said curtly.
Ben ignored the jibe. "Hey, Sofia, where are you? What's up?"
"I'm at the airport."
"Whatttt? What a coincidence, so am I. But I'm already at my gate. How about you?"
"I'm buying a ticket. At the front desks. Where are you going?"
"I thought you didn't care, Sofia?" Ben teased, grinning.
Sofia huffed. "I just want to make sure you're not going anywhere remotely close to where I'm going."
Ben looked put out. "I'm going to…Ithaca."
Rose looked at Ben, baffled. Ben covered the speaker with his palm. "We're reading Kurt Vonnegut's stuff in English and it was the first city that came to mind."
"Wow, you, reading? Not only are you reading Vonnegut, but you're actually doing your English homework!" Rose said mockingly, smirking. Ben rolled his eyes. He put his phone back to his ear.
"Too bad we're not on the same flight. Well, see you soon, hopefully." Ben hung up and grabbed Rose's arm, dragging her towards the long line of travelers waiting to check their baggage and confirm their seats.
Ben spotted Sofia arguing with one of the ticket agents (who was cowering behind his desk). Her eyes were narrowed, her hands clenched into fists.
"What do you mean my card has been declined?! I have to be on that plane to Melbourne!" Sofia yelled. Even from a good twenty feet away, Ben and Rose could hear her.
The ticket agent flinched. "I'm sorry miss, you should contact your bank and – "
Sofia let out a scream. Rose and Ben covered their ears.
"It sounds like a dolphin." Rose shouted over the wailing. Ben nodded in agreement and crept forward. He grabbed Sofia's arms, while Rose took her luggage.
"Louis Vuitton suitcase." Rose said wryly, tugging the suitcase along. It was quite heavy. "Yes, this is definitely Jewel's sister."
"Ben! Let me go, Ben!" Sofia shouted, wiggling about, trying to escape Ben's grasp.
"Ew, monogram canvas?" Ben examined Sofia's suitcase. "The only people who can make that print look classy are me and Kanye West."
Sofia hit Ben square in the jaw and made a desperate bid for freedom, but Rose grabbed her left arm. Sofia was quite strong and Rose was just about to lose her grip when Ben intervened, having recovered from Sofia's punch. He twisted Sofia's arms behind her back. Rose grabbed Sofia's suitcase and wiped the sweat from her brow.
"Sorry Sofia, you'll have to come with us. I'll tell you about Jewel and then you can try to call your parents, okay?" Ben said soothingly. "Let's just get to the car."
Sofia sighed, defeated, and then glared at Rose. "Is she a snack or your girlfriend, Ben? Because I'm hoping it's the former."
"Neither. Come on, let's get out of here." They pushed through the steady flow of travelers and out of the main terminal.
Lewis awoke from his nap, his back aching and his palms sweaty. Ben's room was hot, the covers on his bed very heavy. But it was too hard to move, so Lewis just stared at the fan on the ceiling, wishing for the pain in his muscles to soothe.
He heard the door creak open and could just barely make out Laurel standing in the doorway.
"Are you awake?" She said softly, Bear leading her into the room.
"Yeah." Lewis said, his voice rough.
Laurel sat down on the side of the bed, cautiously, almost as if Lewis were contagious or something. For a moment he was mad…but then he remembered that Laurel was blind.
"Will said you weren't feeling well." She held out a shaky arm and pressed the back of her hand against Lewis's forehead. "You have a fever."
"Yeah, um…rough night."
Laurel smiled. "Besides the fever, are you feeling any better? Will said that you sprained something?"
Lewis shrugged noncommittally. "I guess. Just sore."
And tired and trapped. Lewis had thought a lot about his condition the days leading up to the full moon, and had come to the conclusion that nothing good would come of this. Sure, the girls in his classes admired his muscled arms and now he could run a block without wheezing. But still. His whole body felt heavy, like he couldn't escape the constraints of Ben's sheets, like he could never climb out of the bed again. And even if he did, that weight would still be there, weighing him down from the rest of his life.
As if she were reading his mind, Laurel said: "When I was younger, I was in the hospital a lot. I never got to play outside with my friends at school; I never got to play sports. I didn't step foot outside for almost five weeks. But after about ten years of that…I decided to stop letting my vision, or lack thereof, define me. I starting going for walks and doing yoga on our front lawn. I could play with my friends at school. I really liked the slide. And swimming. I still really like swimming." Laurel smiled faintly. She reached out and put a hand on his chest. Lewis wondered if she could feel the flat muscle on his torso through the cotton of his shirt.
"Anyway, I hope you feel better soon." Laurel pried herself from the bed and grasped Bear's harness. She waved before she shut the door to Ben's room.
Alone, Lewis sighed, his mind still racing. How much did Laurel know?
"They're back!" Lily was perched beside the front window sill, her hands pressed against the glass.
Arianna went to stand beside Lily. "And they brought Sofia!" She clapped her hands.
Ben threw open the front door. "Honey, I'm home!" Sofia stormed in after him, arms crossed, upper lip stuck out. Rose was last, dragging Sofia's monstrous suitcase behind her.
"Sorry about kidnapping you." James motioned for Sofia to sit in an armchair and offered her a glass of blood. "B is your favorite, right?"
Sofia looked hesitant, but settled into the chair and accepted the drink.
"You ready to explain what happened?" Sofia said. "Because I don't know what's going on. I come back from Europe, needed to see Jewel right away and find out she's dead. Oh, and my parents didn't tell me. And now they've canceled my credit cards."
"Okay, well. Jewel died the night of the vampire ball, when you were still in Europe." James began.
"Who killed her?" Sofia demanded, clenching the arms of the chair.
James closed his eyes and exhaled. "…Constance."
Sofia jumped up from the chair, fangs out, eyes narrowed and constricted. "THAT BITCH. WHERE IS SHE? I'LL SKIN HER."
"Dead." James bit out. "Same night, minutes apart. Maybe if your sister wasn't so heinous to her, she wouldn't have snapped and Jewel would still be here."
Sofia hissed. "Shut up, shut up!" She sank back into the chair and covered her eyes with her hands. "God. This is just…why wouldn't my parents tell me?"
"Well…you know…"
Ben interrupted him. "We all know why, Sofia."
Sofia glared at him. Ben, James, and Arianna all fell tactfully silent. Lily and Rose exchanged looks.
Sofia let out a soft whimper. "Well, I have to stay here until I can sort out this credit card fiasco."
"Of course." James said. "There is a spare room upstairs."
Rose's mouth fell open and she glared at James. "James – "
James ignored her. "Here, I'll get your bag." He grabbed the top handle of Sofia's suitcase and trotted after her, up the stairs.
Once Rose was sure they were out of earshot, she said: "God, how can he let her stay in Constance's room?"
Arianna sighed. "James always does what is necessary. It's diplomacy."
"Ben, what were you saying early? About why the Lockwoods didn't tell Sofia about Jewel?"
"Well, think about it. Sofia looks nothing like Jewel or their brother, Matthew Lockwood."
This was true. Jewel had been a lanky, pale blonde, while Sofia was tiny, with thick, curly black hair.
"They're half siblings." Ben said. "Beatrice Lockwood had an affair with a rouge vampire that had recently been changed when the Lockwoods were on vacation. It's been a constant source of turmoil for the Lockwoods and the Quinns – Beatrice is a Quinn, she married into the Lockwoods – so that's two Council families affected by the whole mess. For the rest of the vampire world, it was a huge scandal…and kind of hilarious."
Arianna glared at him. "It is not funny."
Ben continued. "Well anyway, Blake and Beatrice Lockwood have always had it out for Sofia. She's a constant reminder of the infidelity, and Blake Lockwood razed Sofia father's hometown…but that's another story. Anyway, this was a long time coming. Especially now that Jewel is dead."
"So they're disowning her, basically?" Rose asked.
"Seems that way."
James returned from upstairs, pulling a jacket on. "I have to go somewhere, can you four stay here in case Sofia needs something? Just for a little while. She's pretty upset right now so I don't think she'll bother you or anything, but still."
"Where are you going?" Ben shouted, but his words did not reach James, who was already out the door.
"My family wants me to seduce you." Minerva said, taking a sip of her cocktail. "But I told them I don't really see you that way, so hopefully they'll stop pressuring me. Marie offered to fake an epileptic seizure, distracting you, so that I could throw myself at you when you weren't expecting it." She rolled her eyes.
James snorted. "That sounds like my dad and the Cromwells. With this whole engagement situation. I love Arianna, don't get me wrong…but I don't have feelings for her on anything."
"I wish they'd just let us do what we want." Minerva said softly. She looked at James sadly. "Your brother still throwing himself at your ex?"
"Subconsciously. In his dreams. Etc."
"Must be annoying."
"Not really." James shrugged. "Rose and I…we were over for a long time, even longer than we were officially broken up for."
Minerva nodded in understanding. "Wanna go for a walk?"
They paid for their drinks and left the bar, the windows in the surrounding buildings already dark, the sun steadily slipping behind the horizon.
"Excited for your sister's wedding?" James asked.
Minerva smiled. "Not really." She shrugged. "Did you dad set a wedding date for you and Arianna yet?"
James shook his head. "No. They can't until we get our powers, then we'll be adults in their eyes."
"Haven't you been eighteen since December? It's been almost six months."
James nodded. "Yeah…it's…taken a while. Maybe I won't get one. That would be a relief. You'll be eighteen soon, right? When's your birthday?"
"Sunday."
James raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that your sister's wedding date…oh."
"Yeah."
He hesitated before speaking again. "Want to go sit over there, on that sculpture?" James gestured grandly towards the medal contraption.
Minerva nodded. There was a nice ledge built into the sculpture about five feet up from the ground. James climbed up easily and then helped Minerva, who was significantly shorter than him, up. They situated themselves on the ledge, the sculpture's steel beams and rings above their heads.
"Ever feel like your whole life has been planned out for you?" James looked over at Minerva. Her head was bowed. She looked up with an empty expression on her face.
She sighed. "It is, that's the thing. After I finish Pre-Law at Yale, then it's straight off to Yale's Law School. Well, my dad said Harvard's law school is okay too. And then, they'll marry me off and…I think need another drink."
"My dad wants me to become the family patriarch one day, to marry Arianna. I can't do either. The thing is, I don't see humans as food, I see them as people. And my dad just can't accept that. And think about it. My parents had their whole lives planned for them too. And look at how they ended up. One dead, the other a controlling, abusive asshole." His expression was suddenly thoughtful. "If you had your choice, what would you be?"
"Pianist." Minerva said.
James looked at her in disbelief. "Really?"
She nodded. "If there was a piano here I could impress you with a Tchiakovsky piece or two. How about you? What would you want to be?"
James considered. "For a long time, I wanted to be human. But now…I'd want to be something useful. Maybe a doctor."
Minerva closed her eyes and leaned her cheek against the steel.
James jumped down from the ledge. He put one hand over Minerva's head, bracing himself against the sculpture. Their eyes were almost level. He was fighting an unreasonable, ridiculous urge to cry.
"Arianna doesn't want to fight our engagement. She doesn't want to do that to her mother. Which is stupid. Her father was a human. It's so hypocritical of her mom and my dad to force us together. I'm going to fight this, I don't care what Arianna thinks. Maybe for once I should start thinking about myself."
Minerva smiled. "Yeah, I think you should."
"Australian National University has a music school. And I'm sure Yale does, too."
She froze. "No. I can't do that. My parents…" She trailed off and looked up into the sky. "I just can't."
"Wouldn't hurt to apply. Maybe you should do something for yourself, too." James said.
There was a tense, uncomfortable silence. Minerva looked like she might cry. She was wringing her hands.
"I should go." She said, her voice breaking. "I'll see you tomorrow at school."
Minerva hopped down from the ledge and stumbled once her feet hit the ground. James grabbed her waist and steadied her. His hold on her waist was tight. Minerva flushed and James cleared his throat.
"Yeah, see you tomorrow." His voice was taut, the muscles in his back tensing as he released her.
Minerva stepped back and swallowed. "Yes. See you in biology first period." She smiled slightly and waved before heading off in the direction of her house.
As James watched her go, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
Ben, Rose, Arianna & Lily were casually sitting on the Woods couch, all four with their laptops out.
The foursome were sitting knee to knee from each other, Arianna and Ben on the ends, while Lily and Rose were smushed in the middle.
Lily was shocked that four people could even fit on this couch. But then again Arianna was kinda cheating, what with her legs splayed out on Lily at a slight angle.
She turned her attention to Arianna, resting her head on Arianna's shoulder as she peered at what Arianna was doing on the computer.
"Whatcha doin'?" Lily asked.
Arianna must have been focusing whatever it was that she was doing since she slightly jumped out of her current position.
"Oh, just on tumblr." Arianna said. Her voice was a little shaky, as if she thought she was in trouble or something.
Lily had heard of the blogging site, tumblr, before. She heard tons of overly obsessed girls in her Homeroom period talking about it on numerous occasions. It seemed like something Lily herself would enjoy, but probably would have no time for.
"You have a blog! That's so cool! Can I see it?" she leaned in closer towards Arianna's computer to see if she could catch glimpses of Arianna's blog.
But the second that Lily saw the dark navy background of the popular site, Arianna quickly closed her laptop.
Arianna looked at Lily, her hands tightly around her laptop. "Sorry, but it's kinda private."
"Not really. Anyone can see it on that site." Ben gladly stated, raising his eyebrows in a menacing way.
Lily looked at him, her nose scrunched up from confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing. Nothing at all." Then quickly, Ben got up off the couch and yelled, "Let's do something, I'm bored."
Rose looked up at Ben, her arms crossed. "Oh, I'm sorry. Are we not entertaining you enough?"
Ben's only response to her was an eye roll. "But seriously, where do you want to go?"
Arianna chimed in, "We could go to that vampire bar you're always going to."
Lily put her hands on her hips. "James said we're supposed to stay here with Sofia."
Ben, Rose and Arianna exchanged glances and then burst out laughing. Lily grimaced.
After getting into the vampire only bar, and drinking several glasses of Type AB mixed with their rum and cokes, the merry bunch was even more merry. Lily and Rose had their drinks "dry" – no blood. The bartender had looked at them when they ordered, slightly puzzled, but had just shrugged and poured their drinks.
Rose, who was slightly buzzed herself, was looking around at her surroundings.
Ben was next to her, chugging away at another bloody concoction.
Arianna & Lily were dancing farther in the bar on the dance floor. The two blondes were twirling each other and she was pretty sure she saw Arianna kiss Lily on the cheek.
"Seriously, you should try this." Ben said insistently, offering Rose his glass.
"No thank you." Rose said.
"But it's great!" Ben said, enthusiastic.
Rose sighed. "I'll take your word for it."
"What did you put for number twelve on the biology homework?" Minerva asked.
"Uh…I wasn't sure." James replied. "What was the question?"
Minerva looked slightly panicked. She read aloud: "Suppose that you have isolated an extract from a tissue and you have found that the extract speeds up the rate of a particular reaction. What kind of information would you need to demonstrate that the substance responsible for increasing the rate of this reaction is an enzyme? Explain how this information would indicate that the catalytic effect is due to an enzyme."
James made a face. "Yeah I have no clue. And that homework isn't due until Monday."
"Yes, but my sister's wedding is Sunday and we have to set up on Saturday so I won't have time to do it over the weekend. You have to prove it's a protein right? Or…it will diffuse through dialysis tubing if acted on by protease…centrifugation, will turn blue in presence of amino acids…then it will vary based on the amount of substrate and determine the changing rate of reaction…proof of changes in shape of enzyme…oh I don't know." Minerva put her head on the library table.
James chuckled. "I think you're right about the dialysis tubing. Not sure about the rest. I'm not even sure why I'm in AP bio. I'm not good at science."
Minerva sat up straight and sighed. "Will you come to my sister's wedding with me? Just as friends, so don't worry. I may kill myself if I have to sit through the whole thing alone."
James nodded. "Of course. She's marrying a Lockwood, right?"
"Yes."
"Think he'd be interested in seeing his sister? She's hiding out at my house."
Minerva raised an eyebrow. "Sure. Bring Sofia; I'm sure he'll be happy to see her. Why isn't she staying in a hotel?"
James sighed. "The Lockwoods canceled her credit cards. So she's staying with us."
"Well, bring her. She hasn't seen her parents, has she? This way she can confront them. And get out of your house."
James smirked. "I like the way you think."
Minerva smiled a beautiful, slow-blossoming smile. "Thank you."
"So, end of the year exams are coming up." Lily said, smiling. She surveyed the group, who were lounged out around the Collins' TV. Notebooks, textbooks, binders and writing implements were splayed around the living room, forgotten. Even James had put his AP English vocabulary list away in favor of Summer Heights High reruns. "Maybe you should all consider studying instead of watching TV."
Rose looked at Lily. "It's late July. Exams are in late September. We have two months, Lily."
Lily smiled ruefully and then let out a deep sigh. "This is important, Rose! Our final exam grades factor into whether or not seniors get into the university they want. And University of Melbourne isn't going to want me unless I do well on my exams. Consistent preparation over a long period of time is more effective than last minute cramming. Anyone want to study with me?"
"Exams won't affect Ben and I until next year." Rose said.
"So count us out." Ben finished.
"Minerva might want to study with you." James said. "She just finished the SATs, so she needs something to do."
"Thank god everything in Australia is standardized and we don't have those." Ben shuddered.
Lily smirked. "Since when are you so close with Minerva Montgomery, James?"
Arianna chuckled. "They met at a bar and now they're besties."
James glared at Arianna. "We're in a lot of the same classes. We're friends. And you know what Lily, I will study with you. I want University of Melbourne to want me too."
"Surprised you aren't applying to Yale with your bestie." Arianna said. "And Melbourne? That's all the way in Victoria."
"Yeah, and it's the best university in Australia." James said. "And where are you applying, Arianna?"
"University of Western Australia."
"Perth is a lot farther away than Melbourne." Lily said.
Arianna shrugged. "I want to be away from home."
"I don't think I'll go to university." Ben said suddenly.
"Oh yeah? And what do you plan on doing instead?" Lily asked.
"Male model. Pokémon trainer. Boy band member. Etc."
Lily turned to look at Rose. "Any idea where you want to go?"
"No idea."
"You both need to start thinking about this kind of stuff!" Lily snapped. "It's important, and if you know where you want to go, then you'll be motivated to work as hard as you can next year."
"Hard work violates my religion." Ben said.
"Clearly, given the steady Cs you're getting in English, Maths and History." James said.
"I'll leave the First Class Honors crap to you two." Ben said, rolling his eyes. "I think we need to talk about what's actually important. The Montgomery/Lockwood wedding. Minerva is getting us all in, right?"
"She can't. Her sister is monitoring the invitations. But you, me, Sofia and Arianna were invited. And dates are allowed. I'm going with Minerva. So, Lewis, you can go with Arianna."
Arianna and Lewis fistbumped.
"Ben, you can take Rose or Lily. Whoever doesn't go can stay here with Will and Laurel, planning for the next full moon."
"Rose. Sorry Lily." Ben pinched Lily's check.
"That's pretty heteronormative, don't you think? Why can't I just go with Arianna?" Lily asked.
"Because this is a vampire council wedding." Ben said plainly. "Sorry Lily."
Lily made a face at Ben before returning to her detailed notes on The Iliad.
"Shit. I'm two books behind on The Iliad." James grabbed the thick tome and flipped to the page he had left off on.
Ben wrinkled his nose. "Homer. Well, at least you're done with Algebra. How can I be expected to take quadratic equations seriously when they look like fallopian tubes?"
Rose rolled her eyes. "Some of them do. And that's a ridiculous reason to not try."
Ben rolled his eyes. "Please. You hate maths as much as I do."
Arianna was online shopping on her phone. "Let's not talk about school, okay?"
"Does werewolf count as an extracurricular?" Lewis wondered out loud. "Cause that would be awesome."
"If that was your attempt at moving the conversation away from school then you did a terrible job." Arianna said, adding a blouse to her virtual cart.
"I was a hand model in grade nine." Ben said proudly. "I'm putting that on my applications." He held up his hands. "Yup, these babies are something else. Half the girls' volleyball team can confirm it."
"You modeled bracelets and rings for a women's jewelry catalog." Arianna snickered.
Ben threw a throw pillow at her.
So. Uh. Sorry for not updating for over a year?
I know that we normally switch off with chapters but we decided we'd work together for this one, Kelly wrote some nice stuff (the tumblr and bar scenes) to supplement the boring stuff I wrote. And I'm sorry that this chapter is so, so late! School has been kicking both of our asses. Well, it's over now (though summer classes. Kelly's totally done with school, so yay for her! I have a few more years…not including grad school )
Anyway, I tried to recap as much as possible in this chapter so you don't have to go back and re-read everything! I feel like this chapter is another 2.04, so much stuff going on! I hope you liked it! …you might want to re-read 2.04 through 2.06, though? Just because the chapters are becoming a bit more serialized, this chapter deals with a lot of things that Ben mentioned when he and Rose were making out talking in 2.04. I'm also trying to flesh Minerva out a little bit more, I feel like we've been neglecting her. I FEEL LIKE WE'VE BEEN NEGLECTING EVERYONE?
Also I'm curious as to which romantic ~configurations~ you guys are into? Or would like to see? Especially since James/Rose and Lily/Lewis are pretty much over and we're heading in a new direction. James/Rose is so weird to me now. Maybe because I think that James and Lily are so similar and Rose and Lily have such a turbulent relationship as it is…well anyway, let us know what you like! Do you want more Ben/Rose make outs? Maybe you think Lewis and Will are starcrossed. Who knows.
Also I'm not familiar with Australian airports. So don't kill me or anything. And in Queensland you have to be seventeen to get your license, and Ben isn't quite seventeen yet. Also Australian college admissions are confusing. I've given up trying to understand them. But geez, no SAT? I wish everything in the US was standardized. And I'm sorry about the LV jabs. I am just so not a Louis Vuitton person. *shudders*
Please leave a review letting us know what you thought/what you'd like to see in future chapters!
Also: I kind of wanted to call this chapter "Alpha Kappa Lycanthrope". What a PUNNY title. James did say the wolf pack was like a small fraternity. (Also I've been watching Greek. Thanks, Kelly). Actually, I will name a future title that. Blame Kelly.
- Maddie