Chapter 29:

I know where I'm going. Pretty excited about it :)

P.S. Thank you for the kind reviews to the Guests and Anons. Nice little boosts like that go a long way. Thank you!

The sound of keys jingled as Brigid let herself in, tossing her backpack and sports bag onto the living room floor, falling onto the love seat.

"Ugh, my legs are killing me. Can you get the muscle cream for me, please?"

Erin glanced over at her from the kitchen.

"Yeah, one sec. Watch the asparagus."

Erin came down the stairs from the bathroom and tossed the cream to her sister.

"I'll help you stretch out, too, before bed." Erin grabbed two plates filling them with food.

"Thank you. Track has been brutal this week. It's pretty chilly outside tonight. All clouds." Brigid stretched her legs out to let the cream soothe her muscles.

"Yeah, work was pretty tough, too." Erin said sitting down and flipping the channels to the newest episode of their show.

Both ate in silence. It had been a week. Brigid had taken the garbage out sooner than usual. The wilted flowers Larten had given Erin were always right there for Erin to see every day. She never showed how she felt about the ordeal but Brigid didn't want anything to make her remember. So out they went. Brigid wouldn't lie to herself either; seeing them pissed her off. He said he'd never abandon them, that he'd watch over Erin, that he'd be there. All lies. Stupid vampire lies. Brigid would never let on how full of anger and rage she felt about Larten's behavior. It had been a sharp shoot off of an unknown variable. And now nothing was happening there. It was stuck. Certain events had ended up in that same stasis before but this was different. He left them. Brigid prayed a sequence would formulate itself that she would run into him and beat the hell out of him for what he had done: to them, to Erin.

"What're you thinking about over there? What homework do you have tonight?" Erin asked taking a bite of food.

Brigid yawned. "I'm thinking about how much I just want to go to bed. Honestly, the only homework I have is math so I will be going to bed early and it can wait until tomorrow at lunch."

Erin nodded and turned her gaze back to the t.v. Math was nothing to Brigid. It was the one thing Erin didn't police Brigid about. She was the math psychic after all.

Blip. Blip. Blip.

Brigid flipped through the channels. Erin had been having the same three blips since…. since that day. Always the same. They were threatening but it wasn't the weight of Murlough attacking threatening. Three distinct threats. She had been on high-alert ever since. She had told Brigid and been constantly tracking where she was at every moment. It was starting to get on Brigid's nerves but she understood because, truthfully, when Erin called her Brigid knew that Erin was okay.

The blips were getting closer. She had started sleeping with a gun by her bed. Whatever they were, she was ready. Possible home invasion her gut told her. They could be connected with Murlough or…or someone else. All she knew was they would come soon. She was thinking of making Brigid start sleeping over with Ellie. The blips showed they were targeting their home specifically.

"Tomorrow is Friday. Do you think you'd want to spend the weekend at Ellie's?" Erin asked nonchalantly.

Brigid looked at her sister. She knew what she was doing.

"No. Ellie is busy this weekend." Brigid said tightly.

"What is she busy doing?"

"I don't know. Family stuff."

"What about Angela?"

"Busy."

Erin sighed exasperated.

"Then who's not busy this weekend that you can stay with?"

Brigid glared at her.

"Why do you so badly want me to be gone for the weekend?"

"I don't want you to be gone, I just thought you'd like to enjoy your weekend with a friend."

Brigid shook her head defiantly.

"You just want me away from the house. Your flashes are getting closer together. Something's about to happen. And you're right, it is going to happen soon. Which means I'm not going anywhere."

"What did you see, Brigid?"

Brigid shrugged not looking at her sister.

"Just guns, dark, and a brief flash of red, and…." Brigid trailed off.

"And what?"

Brigid looked at Erin tears welling in her eyes.

"I think the red means you get hurt. There's so much mixed up, Erin, I can't tell, and I know you can't either. But you're only focusing on the immediate threat because that's all we can control." Brigid tried to sniffle back a sob. "I'm not leaving you. I'm not! Larten ran away but I won't!"

Brigid broke down in tears sobbing hard.

Erin immediately went to hold her. Brigid clung to her and Erin's own tears fell onto her hair.

"I know, baby, I know. I'm not going to let anything happen to you and I will try my best to not get hurt. Everything will be okay. We've faced worse than whatever is coming. We'll be okay." Erin said the last part for Brigid's sake but she also tried to cling to it, too. They would be okay, no matter what.

Erin smoothed Brigid's hair out of her face and smiled. Brigid sniffled and smiled back.

"Go take a shower and I'll help you stretch. We'll figure something out."

Brigid nodded hugging Erin hard before getting up, wiping her eyes, and grabbing her bags to head upstairs.

Erin rinsed off their plates and cleaned up the kitchen. It might not be this weekend but it was coming soon. She did not want to risk Brigid's life. She would get her out of the house somehow.

Getting undressed she looked at herself in the mirror while brushing her hair. When Brigid had said a flash of red her heart jerked in a split second of hope. But that's not what the red meant. The red would never mean that again.

Laying down in bed she glanced over at the necklace on her bedside table. The green and red sparkled in the lamplight. She had worn it a couple of times since that day, but now it only stayed on the bedside table. It hurt too much to wear it. But as soon as those thoughts started to creep into her mind, Erin would brush them aside and let them pass.

Erin reached over and turned the lamp off.

Larten's eyes shot open. There was a rustling in a bush nearby. He laid perfectly still listening intently. The rustling continued before a fox popped through. In a split-second it was dead in Larten's hands as he tore the meat out to eat and drink the blood. He was camped again outside of the town watching and waiting. He had made a trip back to the Cirque to confer with Hibernius and then returned to his stake out. He grumbled a bit. Eating a fox was nothing like what he had gotten used to.

Larten swallowed hard, tossing the carcass aside. His chest started to constrict and his stomach tightened. In the eyes of his kind he knew he had failed. Returning to the Cirque and meeting with Hibernius his deep shame came to the surface. Hibernius showed him some new toys and knick-knacks he had designed to be sold at the shows. He never said anything or asked Larten any questions, he only showed him his small creations. When he had finished he looked at Larten meeting his eyes; Larten gave a small nod to himself and went straight to his trailer and coffin. The next night, after brief encounters with the rest of the performers and members of the Cirque, he was back at his stake-out position.

He couldn't go back. He wanted to go back. By the gods he did. He could right his wrong. Clear his name. But knowing that he would find forgiveness and understanding in those dark eyes made it all the worse. Though he knew the hazel eyes of the other would only be fury, the dark ones were the ones he could not look into, not yet.

There were three human hunters out currently that he had been leading in circles. They were tracking him. Yet they had three scratches on their individual cheeks. Larten did not know what they meant. They were humans with guns and the markings of a vampaneze victim. What was going on? What was the meaning?

Larten snarled in frustration hitting the tree he was standing under cracking it in half. He took steadying breaths and went into tracking mode once more. The hunters had been tracking him specifically but they had recently been going further into the town. For what, he didn't know. But they were looking for something and passing as regular people simply from out-of-town. They were getting nearer and nearer to Erin and Brigid's home. Walking past it several times at different times of the day and night. They were more and more obviously focused on it. Very obviously.

Scratching his scar and starting to walk along the edge of the nearby forest he was in, he pondered as he stalked. They were keeping tabs on him and on Erin and Brigid's residency while bearing the marks of a vampaneze. Larten started walking faster. What if-? No. That was impossible. Murlough was insane…it made no sense.

Larten's stomach clenched. His gut was trying to tell him something, his predatory vampire instincts shooting into high-gear.

"By the gods!" split through his head.

He had screwed up again.

He should have returned sooner.