Chapter Two
Two Years Later Dwayne almost fell from the rafters...again. He had been dreaming about a faceless woman, who he knew to be Leah Clearwater, for the past two years. The dream is always the same. He and his brothers get done feeding and head back to their bikes on the Boardwalk. Laddie is already there and points to something when a fight breaks out. But the fight itself blurs, it is only after the fight that he hears the woman introduce herself as Leah Clearwater. Then he would wake up before he could see her face.
Dwayne, David, Marko, and Paul were known as the Lost Boys. They have lived in Santa Carla since the major earthquake in 1906. As the decades passed, Santa Carla became known as the 'Murder Capital of the World.' It was a great gig. They had somewhere to live that nobody knew about, and plenty of tourists and locals to eat. Things were going great until the year of the Emersons'.
1987 was not a good year for the Lost Boys. Their head vampire, Max, had fallen head over heels for Lucy Emerson. He had given the order for David and his boys to turn Lucy's two children, Michael and Sam. Not really wanting to turn anyone else while they were still babysitting two half-vampires. Star and Laddie were brought in as lures for their victims. Laddie was smart enough to know what's going on, but not to question it. He had a new family that cared for him, they didn't starve or beat him. Star refused to turn, she had fallen for Michael and didn't want to condemn his soul.
However, the Emersons' were changed after a horrifically fatal car accident involving some drunk Surf Nazis and the family of three. Lucy, Michael, and Sam were on the brink of death and Max refused to let them die. He changed them himself. At first, the Emersons, especially Lucy, were upset but soon came to terms with it. Star made the transition to a full vampire so she could stay with Michael. They married and left Santa Carla a year later. Max and Lucy were married the following year, and they both ran the video store. Sam stayed in Santa Carla for a few years, then decided to travel for a bit. He ended up in Oklahoma City and bought a small home for himself. He worked as an art dealer. Turns out his love for comics proved useful when he was able to spot a fake painting hanging inside a museum claiming to be an original. The museum hired him as a private contractor to examine all their paintings. It was a very good living.
Everything has settled down over the years. Laddie transitioned to full vampire on his eighteenth birthday, and he couldn't be happier. He even had his own motorcycle. Instead of four Lost Boys terrorizing the Boardwalk, there were five. The Boardwalk was still swarming with rival gangs, like the Surf Nazis, Goths, and the newest punks Varsity Boys. The Varsity Boys were a bunch of college kids that felt they could get away with anything as long as they had daddy's money. They were almost as bad as the Surf Nazis. Preying on tourists, women, and children.
Belated Birthday
On September 12, 2010, Leah and Tala Clearwater found themselves sitting on a bench on the darker side of the Boardwalk. The two of them have been traveling from town to town, trying to stay off the pack's radar. After the remaining Cullens' had taken Bella home, Charlie had put out an APB for Leah. It was called off a year ago when evidence was found that Leah had committed suicide. Rosalie and Jasper helped orchestrate it. Charlie was furious but eventually came to terms that Bella is finally at rest. The Pack knew better. Sam was even more determined to track her down. He would catch wind of where she was but would always be too late. Leah and Tala would have moved on a day or two before with no hint on where they were headed next.
The Murder Capital of the World seemed like a good place to hide in plain sight. You see, Tala could not be sustained on just human food. She had to have blood as well. If she didn't, she would become severely malnourished. After Tala was born she aged fairly quickly. By the time she was five months old, she resembled physically and mentally a two-year-old. Leah had to space out her blood intake so she wouldn't grow so fast. Her second birthday was yesterday, but she looks to be around eight years old.
They were people watching, trying to find someone for Tala to feed from. They had run out of blood bags that Leah stole from a hospital from the last town they were in. Tala was fidgeting in her seat, she was so hungry, "Mommy. My stomach hurts." Leah kissed the top of her head, "I know baby. Just need for the crowd to die down a little more before we find you someone." Tala was watching a boy smoke a cigarette while sitting on his motorcycle that was parked in a line with four others.
Laddie had returned from feeding before his brothers and was just people watching. His vampiric hearing caught a conversation that he probably should not have heard. He looked at the two females, a young woman with a little girl. The little girl was complaining about her stomach hurting, then the woman reassured her that they will find someone to feed from soon. He continued to watch them when the little girl locked eyes with him. Laddie watched her eyes shift from a pretty whiskey brown to blood red. His brothers had returned right as trouble approached the two he was watching. He filled in his brothers on what he heard and saw.
Leah and Tala were then surrounded by a group of Varsity Boys. "What are two pretty little things doing sitting by yourselves?" This guy seemed to be the leader of this group. Five burly, intoxicated men surrounded the two of them, laughing. Leah stood and put Tala behind her, "We don't want any trouble." That caused the men to laugh even harder. "Oh, sweetheart. There won't be any trouble as long as you come with us. It will be fun, I guarantee it." The leader stepped closer to Leah. She could smell the cheap alcohol on his breath, it almost made her gag.
One of the guys that was closest to Tala grabbed her around the waist and started to run unknowingly in the direction of the Lost Boys. When he wrapped one of his arms around her, she saw what he wanted to do with her. The images she saw scared her. He was getting closer to the Lost Boys when Tala spun around and bit him. He stopped running and was screaming, "Someone get this bitch off of me!" Tala's venom was coursing through his veins as she drank from him. She barely heard Leah yelling for her to stop.
"Paul, you and Laddie are with me on the Varsity Boys. Dwayne, Marko get the girl." David didn't wait for his brothers to follow him before he took off. They could see the woman was holding her own, but she was trying to get to the little girl. David snapped the neck of one guy then threw him over the side of the boardwalk. Paul and Laddie did the same with two more. Leah was fighting the leader. She punched him so hard, his nose was shoved into his brain, killing him. She turned around to see Tala being cradled by a guy with a really colorful jacket. Laddie and Paul disposed of the last two bodies before rejoining their brothers.
Dwayne had grabbed the guy under his arms, and flashed his eyes to their yellowish-red color, "It's alright little one. You can let go. You're safe." Marko had carefully brought his arms around the little girl. He too, spoke softly and calmly to Tala, "We got you. You're safe." Tala released the dead man and her eyes widened, "Uh-oh. I'm in trouble. I broke a rule." Marko set her down, knelt, and turned her to face him, "What rule is that, little one?" She had pinkish tears running down her cheeks, "Not in public." Marko couldn't help but laugh, "It's okay little one." He used his sleeve to clean her face. "See, the mess is all cleaned up. Now, what is your name?" "Tala Rose Clearwater," She told the vampire. His smile only got bigger. Marko looked over Tala's shoulder at Dwayne. He stood there for a moment before he turned to the woman. Then he thought about what happened just now, "Just like my dream that I have been having for the past two years."
David stood in front of the woman, trying to figure her out, "What are you?" Leah stiffened at the blunt question then she sniffed the air, "Vampires." David stepped closer to her, "Don't make me ask again." Leah could see Tala is safe. "I'm a shapeshifter," Leah says, not taking her eyes off Tala. "You're not a werewolf?" Paul asked from behind her. Leah was actually offended, "No, I'm a shifter. My form just happens to be a wolf." David blew smoke in her face, "What are you doing with the little girl?" Leah was about to snap this prick's neck when Dwayne intervened, "Why don't we take this somewhere private?"
Leah looked to the new voice and her whole world shifted. Her heartbeat picked up, her skin erupted with goosebumps causing her to shiver. She would do anything for him, live for him, die for him. His scent was overwhelming, and he was gorgeous. She couldn't live without him. She was his, and he was hers. Leah shook her head out of its stupor. She just imprinted on a vampire. A wolf's natural enemy. And here she is, imprinting on one. 'Shit!'
David stepped back and threw his cigarette down, "Let's go see Max and Lucy." He started walking towards Video Max, the whole group followed him. Leah trailed towards the back to walk beside Marko and Tala and keep her distance from Dwayne, her imprint. It seems Tala didn't want to let go of Marko. When the group started walking to the video store Marko asked if he could pick her up. Tala nodded her head and wrapped her arms around his neck, and he perched her on his hip. The physical contact caused images to flip through both of their minds. It was the images she had seen before she was born. Marko saw them as well and his knees almost buckled. It appears these two were meant to be here.
Max and Lucy sensed them approaching. They all ventured into the small office from the back door. Max noticed the two newcomers, "Hello, I'm Max, and this is my wife Lucy." Lucy waved from where she was standing. David stood near the door, Dwayne was next to him, and Laddie sat on some boxes by Max's desk. Paul stood on the other side of Lucy, Max was leaning against his desk. Marko had sat down on the small couch, still holding Tala, and Leah sat next to him. "I'm Leah Clearwater, and that is my adoptive daughter Tala Rose Clearwater," Leah observed Tala with the vampire. She has moved her arms from around his neck to gripping his jacket, tucking her head under his chin.
David started explaining what happened, "Some Varsity Boys were starting trouble with these two. One of them snatched up Tala and was running off with her when she bit him. She drained him dry. Leah was fighting off the other four when we joined in." Tala's quiet voice spoke up, "I saw his thoughts and what he wanted to do with me, and they were vile." She clutched her stomach, "Mom, my stomach hurts." Leah turned to Max, "Trash can." The trash can was passed over in time to catch Tala's sickness. Marko wasn't phased, he just held her while Lucy held her hair and Leah kept a hold on the trash can. She vomited a few times before she expelled everything from her stomach. "You alright now baby?" Leah asked her daughter. Without lifting her head from the trash can, "Yeah, but it came out my nose." Lucy handed her some kleenex and helped clean her face. Tala got comfortable in Marko's lap and her eyes started to droop.
Leah gave a weak smile, then faced Max, "Tala is unique. The circumstances surrounding her birth are not something you would find in any book. More of a lost and forgotten legend. Her mother was human, but she had traces of Cold One venom in her veins from a bite. Her father (the term was spit venomously) was a Cold One. Technically, Tala should not have been conceived. Bella was pregnant a little over a month. Unfortunately, she did not survive. Edward was killed the day he...the same day Tala was conceived. He and a few members of his coven had broken a treaty they had with the Quileute Tribe. They could have permanent residence as long as they didn't harm or kill any humans. Attacking Bella voided that treaty. Three coven members left, they were not involved and they were sickened by their coven's actions.
"Bella took two weeks to fully recover from her injuries. She figured out she was pregnant when devoured a raw, bloody steak without fully comprehending what she was doing." Leah cleared the lump in her throat, trying not to cry thinking about her best friend. "Anyways, the Uley Pack found out about the pregnancy and wanted Bella to either terminate it or they both would die. I volunteered to talk to Bella about it. We came up with our own plan. We ran from the Pack, and I became a deserter. I am no longer welcomed amongst my kind, the alpha, who happens to be my ex, has been tracking us. My younger brother Seth has gone against Sam and contacts me whenever Sam is close to us."
The room has gone quiet. Tala's quiet snores could be heard. "That's quite a story. Are you staying here for long?" David asked, not really wanting the wolf in his territory. "We were planning on it. Until you guys came along. If I knew there were vampires here, we wouldn't have stopped." Leah was too exhausted to argue with the guy. She cast a glance at Tala, "I'm going to have to buy her new clothes in the morning." Lucy spoke up for the first time, "Why is that?" Leah just smiled, this is the part that freaks everyone out. "How old do you think Tala is?" She asked the room. Marko answered first, "Eight, maybe eight and a half." "Physically and mentally, yes she's about eight years old." She noted the confused looks. "Tala was born September 11, 2008. At this rate of growth, she will be fully mature by her fifth birthday, and then she'll stop aging altogether." Again the room is silent.
Max pursed his lips, "Why did she get sick?" "Tala needs blood along with human food. If she goes too long without it, she becomes malnourished. If there's anything stronger than alcohol or weed in the blood, she gets sick." Marko added, "The guy was blitzed out of his mind. So, bag blood is the better option?" Leah nodded her head, "It is. We try to limit her intake as much as possible. Missing bags of blood are easily brushed off compared to a trail of bodies." Max and Lucy agreed with that, while the boys just scoffed or snickered.
Clapping his hands together, Max stood away from his desk, "Well, it's getting late. Have you found somewhere to stay yet?" Leah stood up, "Not yet. We were going to check into the Santa Carla Inn." The low growls that came from Dwayne and Marko set Leah on edge. She didn't want to cause any more trouble, "Is there somewhere better?" Dwayne steps closer to Leah, "You could stay with us. That place is a shithole, and it seems like Tala doesn't want to let go of Marko." Leah leaned down to try and take Tala from Marko but he growled at her and Tala's grip on his jacket tightened. "That settles it then. Take them to Hudson's Bluff for now, until we can figure out other arrangements." Max stated it as more of an order than a suggestion.
That was how Leah found herself in her 4-Runner following behind five motorcycles and their riders with Tala strapped in her seat. It was a struggle getting her to let go. Marko reassured her that they were all going to the same place. The drive wasn't too bad, a little bumpy, but nothing the 4-Runner couldn't handle. Once everyone was parked, Marko was already at the passenger door waving at Tala. She opened it and he picked her up and carried her down the steps to the cave. Leah was slow to follow. She was surveying the area like she always does when they stay somewhere new. She noted the area looked like a deserted dirt lot near a cliff, the cave was fenced off with several warning signs. If she didn't see the vampires go inside, it would seem uninhabited. The salt-air breeze masked their scents. Leah was able to let out a sigh of relief. Thinking, 'This place will work for now.'