Chapter Two: I'm a Real Boy!
Eric waited patiently in his office for the return of the Djinn and his new client. He felt a nervousness for which he had been unprepared. The Djinn had told him she would transform the vampire into a child the same age as the Stackhouse girl. Having to cautiously believe the creature's power, Eric had wondered how his abilities would be affected as a child.
As he sat contemplatively, Eric considered where he should begin in the girl's training. The Djinn had been specific about him teaching the child to fight and protect herself as well as teaching her about Supernatural creatures. Explaining different Supes was easy enough if the girl had any wits with which to start.
The vampire's musings were interrupted by a black puff of smoke and the arrival of the Djinn and Sookie Stackhouse.
"Good evening, Northman," the Djinn greeted.
"Good evening," Eric nodded his head at Jeanie before looking at Sookie. "Ms. Stackhouse."
The child smiled up at him and waved, "Hi, Mr. Northman."
"I suppose you should accustom yourself to calling me Eric, and I should begin calling you Sookie," Eric decided.
"Okay, Eric," Sookie smiled wider.
"And I suppose you should call me 'mom,'" Jeanie added. "I'll only be playing the role when I absolutely must among the humans. Otherwise, you are obviously free to move around as you wish."
"I could always call my Maker to include him in this farce," Eric pointed out. "Even my Child could contribute greatly to the image of a nuclear family."
The Djinn shook its head, "Neither of them are capable of taking on this task. It is important that you understand that. This undertaking is meant to be small and quiet. The entire Gaul line going missing is neither small, nor quiet."
"Why me and not my Maker, then?" Eric demanded suspiciously. "Certainly, a vampire twice my age would be the better choice."
"Temperament," the Djinn replied casually. "Your demeanor is more fitted to this girl's needs."
Eric glared at the creature, less stunned this time, and able to make a more in-depth appraisal. She was attractive, but he was confused by the lack of draw he had to her. There was no sexual pull, nor a desire to feed. The Djinn might as well have been a walking, talking tree. Then again, there was something else about her that stirred a different kind of lust. He coveted her, but not sexually. There was a strange stirring in his gut to take the Djinn's head, but it felt miscalculated. Some deep-seated wisdom within the vampire insisted he should not do so.
"Do I have any sort of accommodations, or shall I be living in the hedges?" Eric asked lazily, moderately prepared with a sarcastic suggestion to hide his darker wondering.
"We don't have hedges," Sookie frowned. "We got rose bushes, though!"
One of Eric's begrudging smiles tugged at his mouth, but he quickly banished it. There would be no keeping the girl safe if she knew he found her endearing already. At that moment, he steeled himself mentally for dealing with his client, and Sookie felt her own body tense as her bodyguard's mood shifted.
"I instructed Sookie on how to order me. She has had your house built. I will simply transport you and your belongings," Jeanie explained.
"You rebuilt my house in a week, and no one questioned it?" Eric asked in surprise. True, his accommodations were not lavish, but he had doubts there was not a single builder in Bon Temps that questioned the speed of the construction.
Jeanie shrugged, "The house is not a copy; it is merely large enough to pass for a home. Besides, humans do not usually pay that close of detail to things not immediately in their path."
"We better get going then," Eric frowned as he crossed his arms and waited as the Djinn instructed Sookie to order the move. When the girl piped in the suggested command, Jeanie raised her hands, crossed them over her chest, and the vampire felt the smallest of tremors shiver up his legs to his waist. The floor beneath him transformed, and the walls closed in on them.
"Done," Jeanie smiled.
"If nothing else, you are efficient," Eric offered the compliment as he gazed about the room curiously.
"Yes," Jeanie nodded in agreement.
"Will this house disappear out of your sphere of influence?" Eric asked.
"It will not. I created it with existing materials. The items or structures I make with the required components will remain. That is why this," She opened her palm and the sunstone Eric had been promised materialized in her hand, "will remain with you outside my sphere of influence. It is genuine, I was only given it to hold as payment to you."
"Thank you for reiterating that," Eric replied dryly.
"Sookie, turn around," Jeanie said suddenly. The little girl frowned but did as she was told. Eric stared apprehensively as the Djinn used her free hand to slice through the air and caused the vampire's skin to tear with the smoothness of an invisible scalpel. Despite the graphic nature of witnessing his chest cracked open, Eric had to confess that it was painless. Then the sunstone evaporated and seemed to pour into the open cavity before sealing itself.
"Congratulations," Jeanie spoke with minimal enthusiasm, "you are now immune to the sun, and I formed the stone around your heart, so you will have some resistance to being staked. Try not to get shot, though. It is only a stone, after all."
Staring at his chest in disbelief, Eric realized that he felt no different than he had before the stone had been made into part of his body. "Is it working?"
"It is," Jeanie assured. "You will feel it when the sun rises, and the urge to flee the sun will fade with time once your instincts begin accepting that you are in no danger."
"I suppose all that is left is for you to perform my transformation?" Eric strode boldly into his least favorite condition of his payment.
"Yes, you need a few days to adjust to your range," Jeanie agreed. "Are you ready?"
"As I will ever be," Eric sighed and waited. "Sookie, you should see this." Sookie peered over her shoulder, curiously. "I want you to fully understand that I am not what I am to appear to be. This is who I am, and you will do well to remember it."
Sookie's jaw slackened as she stared up at the giant of a man. His blue eyes were burning with a sense of duty, and the coiled muscles beneath his skin seemed to tremble with resolve. A jolt of admiration pulsed through Sookie's heart even while Jeanie's hands began to wave. As Eric's body and clothing shrunk and proportioned themselves to that of a young boy, Sookie could see a man's eyes staring from a child's face.
Eric's arms slowly uncrossed from his chest, and Sookie watched as he moved his limbs experimentally and craned his neck back and forth. As the vampire stretched, Sookie dutifully called Jeanie back into her bottle and put the vessel in her backpack.
"I am truly going to hate this," Eric decided aloud and then paused to touch his throat, surprised by the sound of his voice. As if finally resigning himself that he was, indeed, inhabiting the body of a child, Eric shut his eyes briefly and let loose a sigh. "I suppose," he began as his eyes reopened, "that I should walk by your home. You need to invite me inside as well."
Sookie stared a bit too long before she nodded and took Eric's hand to lead him out the door. Once they were in the night air, the girl had to take a moment to get her bearings. Despite the fact she and Jeanie had decided where Eric's house would go, it still took the girl a moment to figure out which direction she was facing upon arrival.
"This way," she tugged their hands and lead her bodyguard up the road.
"You do not have to hold my hand," Eric told her as he shook loose from her grip.
"Sorry," Sookie mumbled as she continued to lead the way.
"It is straight ahead?" Eric asked, gesturing up the road. "With the light on in the top left window?"
"You can see that?" Sookie strained to gaze past the darkness.
"Easily," Eric nodded as he grabbed Sookie by the wrist and flung her over his back like a book bag.
The girl let out a squeak of surprise as they sped up the road and were quickly stopped in front of her house. "Warn me if you're gonna do that!" Sookie hissed as she stumbled back to the ground and squatted down. "I'm gonna puke…"
"You will be fine," Eric assured. "I am still getting accustomed to this body. I wanted to be sure I could move you quickly if need be. If you are attacked, you must not run from me. Take cover, but do not put too much distance between us. I cannot protect what I cannot see."
Sookie looked up at the vampire boy from her position crouched toward the ground. "I'm kinda scared, Eric." It was easier to call him by his first name now that they were near the same physical size.
Glancing down at the girl, it took Eric by surprise to find such little distance between them. Only moments ago, he had towered above her when she was at her full height. Now, very little space remained between them as she was nearly seated on the gravel driveway.
"I will not let anything happen to you," Eric assured. "On my honor, I will not." Stooping down until he was seated in the rocks alongside her, the vampire gave a reassuring smile. "I promise, it is not always attackers lurking in the shadows. There will be times when you will constantly feel in danger, and times you will forget why I am even by your side."
Sookie returned his smile before realizing why they were sitting outside."Oh! I have to invite you inside! Eric, you're invited in!" Sookie laughed as they remained seated on the driveway. The child vampire smiled at her sudden invitation, but both their grins faded as she mumbled, "I'm sorry Jeanie had to turn you into a kid."
The reassuring smile became a bit wider and authentic. "It has its advantages."
"Like what?" Sookie wondered.
"Aside from the sunstone I was paid with, there is the benefit of becoming allied with the future queen of Elfyria," Eric told her. "Perhaps I could become the liaison between the two communities. That is quite beneficial even if I prefer to remain removed from most political positions."
"Why?" Sookie clung to the name Elfyria, realizing only at that moment that the stories Jeanie had been telling her over the years were real.
Eric stood back to his feet before scooping Sookie into his arms and flying to her bedroom window. Sookie clung to his neck as they gently landed on her bed and sat cross-legged in front of each other.
"I enjoy the freedom of being removed from politics," Eric whispered to keep the other two humans in the house from waking.
"Will being a princess make me lonely?" Sookie wondered.
Eric became thoughtful, "I suppose it depends on those with whom you surround yourself. A lot of individuals who are the best at their jobs can appear distant to those nearby." Eric paused and looked around. "Where is your Djinn?"
"In her bottle," Sookie pulled a Green River Soda bottle from her bag and placed it on her nightstand. "She said she'll probably hang out in there most of the time unless she's needed. She told me to make it look different so no one would mess with it." The girl frowned as she thought of her new friend being trapped in the little container all the time. "She tried to explain why, but it didn't make sense to me."
"What did she tell you?" Eric wondered.
Sookie thought hard about how Jeanie had phrased the explanation. "Something about trans-dimensional creatures and how they upset people."
Eric's mouth tightened. "Trans-dimensional creature… It means that she can move from one world to another."
"Like Mars?" Sookie wondered.
Eric snorted, "No… I suppose the explanation would be hard for you to understand… Let us simply say that the Djinn's presence in this world naturally brings out the worst in people. That, above all else, is probably why she needed to find you a bodyguard of this world."
"Jeanie doesn't bring out the worst in people," Sookie defended. "She's a good person."
"The Djinn is not a person, Sookie. It is a tool," Eric tried to explain.
"She is not!" Sookie protested, her voice rising, and Eric found himself relenting so she would not wake her family.
"Alright, alright," he agreed.
"And I don't want to hear you call Jeanie 'it' ever again! I don't want you to call her 'the Djinn' either. Her name's Jeanie, and she's a girl, so you should treat her like a lady!" Sookie told him firmly.
"So vehement," Eric smiled. "Being protective of an individual is dangerous for a Queen to do."
"A leader should protect their gang," Sookie told him, remembering how Jason stood up for his group of friends, even Hoyte, who was timid and a complete pushover. Her brother even loosely watched out for her. He did not step in when people said things about how weird she was, but he never let anyone beat her up. "Jeanie's my gang."
Eric's expression softened at the girl's aggressive urge to protect. "You are right." Sookie was surprised to hear him say that. "A Queen should protect her people, and Jeanie and I are your only people right now."
"What about Gran and Jason?" Sookie asked woundedly.
"I suppose they are your people, too," Eric relented. "You need to remember that you should only offer protection to those you can keep safe. Otherwise, it is only words, and a Queen needs more than words."
Sookie frowned at that. She was only a little girl, and the concept Eric was trying to explain to her held a completely different meaning to her than his intention.
"When will you teach me to fight?" Sookie asked.
Eric smiled, "Tomorrow, after you wake up, I will introduce myself as your new neighbor, and promptly ask you if you want to show me around town. We can go to the woods, and I will begin teaching you to fight." Sookie grinned happily. "That pleases you?"
"Sure! If I become strong, I can have a bigger gang!" Sookie's grin widened.
Staring for a moment, Eric relented his pondering and offered a smile instead. The girl was too young to understand the true meaning of strength and power. Despite that, the fire of duty burned in her soul, and that was far more important at her age. Desire and a target in which to aim her passion were of greater need than comprehension.
"Get some sleep, Sookie," Eric encouraged as he clambered off her bed and noted the awkwardness of his stunted height. He would need to spend his evening accommodating his new dimensions. It was also essential to find a food source.
In what felt like an age-old reflex, Eric tucked Sookie into her blanket and turned off the lamp. "I will see you in the morning," the statement seemed foreign to him as he walked to the window. "Goodnight, Sookie."
With that, the vampire boy jumped from the house and floated to the ground slowly. The controlled drop felt difficult with his diminished bulk, and Eric had to admit it was a lucky thing that he had not slammed himself and Sookie against the siding of the house when he had flown them through the window earlier.
Deciding that evasion should come before attack, Eric practiced levitating, falling, and rocketing within the vast sky, all while keeping a watchful eye on the house that fell under his protection.
Once Eric felt he had remastered his gift of flight, the vampire began investigating the land he would be existing on. Despite having a house up the road, he knew little time would be spent there unless Sookie was with him. Of course, wardrobe changes would be required to keep up the pretense of a living child, Eric figured that would be his only time spent alone. I need to figure out a feeding plan, Eric realized as he walked the edge of the woods with mild interest. His nose and ears would alert him to trespassers before his eyes could. As a breeze wafted through the trees, Eric could smell were-panthers from the south. That might be problematic, he considered. He would have to ask Sookie about the residents of southern Bon Temps when she woke.
The remainder of the night passed quickly, and Eric could only suspect it was because he was both dreading and anticipating the rising of the sun. It would, allegedly, be the first sunrise he would painlessly experience in over a thousand years. Perhaps that was why the vampire found himself levitating back to Sookie's window and rousing her with a hand placed carefully over her mouth.
"I need you to be awake for a moment," Eric requested as big blue eyes stared up at him in surprise. "I am not in the habit of taking things for granted, you see. Would it be very troublesome for you to wait out the sunrise with me?" His hand slowly left her lips.
"Are you scared?" Sookie asked compassionately, not an ounce of mockery in her flute-like voice.
"I am cautious," Eric kept the disdain from his voice in deference to her lack of accusation.
"Okay," she yawned and rubbed her sleepy eyes. "Let me just get my jeans outta the closet for today. If you get burnt, you can hide in there for the day, and we can ask Jeanie what went wrong."
Eric felt the tension leaving his shoulders. "That is an excellent plan." At least he was stuck with a child with fundamental problem-solving skills.
"Although," Sookie yawned again as she went to her closet and took out a t-shirt and a pair of shorts, "I bet you'll be fine. Jeanie seemed awful sure you were good to go."
Climbing across her bed, Sookie reached to the window and made sure the curtain was clutched in her hand. "I'll draw them real fast if you look like you're smoking."
Eric could not help but smile, "Do not worry about that. The closet is near enough."
"Oh, okay," Sookie let go of the fabric and leaned forward to rest her chin on the sill. Another giant yawn erupted from her mouth. Eric had forgotten that she had probably been up well past her bedtime to retrieve him the previous night, and now he had awakened her before sunrise.
"I am sorry to have forced you awake," Eric apologized. He was no longer tall enough to remain on the bed and rest against the window frame, so he stood and came to stand beside the girl he would be getting to know over the years.
"That's okay," Sookie gave him a brilliant smile that belied her fatigue. "It just means I'll sleep extra good tonight."
Eric smiled again as he folded his arms against the window sill and waited for dawn to break the horizon. "Sookie," he remembered, "who lives south of here?"
"Oh, a whole bunch of people," Sookie shrugged. "It's a little place called Hot Shot. Not really a town or anything, just a few families that keep mostly to themselves. A lot of them are homeschooled, so I don't see any of them much."
"I see," Eric frowned. "How far away is Hot Shot?"
Sookie shrugged, "I dunno. Maybe five miles or so? I've only managed to walk there once last year with Jason. We didn't quite make it there, though. A buncha boys were running around naked in the woods, and Jason turned us right around."
The stench rolling out of the woods from that distance would imply that it is a were-panther settlement, Eric decided. "It would be best not to go there."
"Why?" Sookie wondered. "Plenty of kids run around naked in those woods. There's a good swimming pond in there. No leeches. I always wear a swimsuit, though," she admitted. "Gran says it's not ladylike to go bare in public."
Eric chuckled, "No, I suppose it is not." His body tensed involuntarily as the sun approached the horizon, and he found himself becoming very still as the first ray erupted from the hilltop.
Sookie felt the vampire become a statue beside her, and she found herself staring at him, prepared to pounce on him with a blanket at the first sniff of smoke to her nostrils. Instead, Eric remained motionless as more and more light filled her bedroom. She watched as that stillness broke, and the vampire's jaw slowly drooped toward his chest. His eyes glowed with the reflection of the sunrise, and she could not help but smile.
"It looks like Jeanie was right," Sookie smiled as she patted his shoulder. "I'm gonna go back to sleep."
"Alright," Eric ran his hand through his hair as his tension finally abated. "I will take cover in the woods until it is time to meet your family."
"See you later," Sookie waved as her new friend hopped in the window frame and launched himself into the sky. For a moment, she thought of Peter Pan and his Lost Boys. As Eric disappeared into the forest, Sookie finally turned back to her bed and curled beneath the thin summer blanket.
Spending the remainder of the early morning concealed once more in the line of trees framing the farmland, Eric attempted to keep his alertness despite the distraction of sunlight glimpsing off his pale skin. Perhaps I should have Sookie command the Djinn… ask Jeanie…he made a point to correct himself, knowing that the little girl was quite protective of her magical creature. I should see if Sookie will grant me some more color to my skin. I do not want to stand out too much, he finished the thought.
Another distraction of not knowing exactly what he looked like nagged at him. It was hard to comprehend his own appearance as a child, but the abrupt change in his status in the world was glaringly obvious. The self-control he would need to practice was monumental on its own, and so was the realization that he would have a hard time not standing out. After all, a nine-year-old with the wealth of knowledge Eric Northman had at his disposal, would not go entirely unnoticed.
Finally, Eric heard stirrings inside the Stackhouse farm and only waited a while longer before he began the stroll toward the gravel driveway to introduce himself to Sookie's family.
Upon his arrival at the front door, Eric stared, marveling at the height of the entrance. He was used to nearly striking his head on most thresholds, and now he had more than a generous amount of clearance.
With an annoyed sigh, the vampire knocked gently on the door and waited. It did not take long before the door swung open, and a young boy stood in front of him.
"Hi," the boy frowned, "can I help you?"
"I am Eric. I moved into the house up the street yesterday," Eric was grateful that the boy did not seem confused by this statement. Apparently, Jeanie was correct that no one seemed to precisely realize how long the construction of the house had taken. "I wanted to introduce myself."
"Oh," the boy smiled happily, "nice to meet you. I'm Jason Stackhouse." The older Stackhouse sibling put out his hand to shake, and Eric begrudgingly accepted it. That was another thing he would need to get used to. As an adult, people accepted his unwillingness to be touched by strangers. It was not so simple with children. They needed to feel and learn about everything. "Wow, you got cold hands."
"Yes," Eric agreed and offered nothing else.
"You wanna come inside? Where're your parents?" Jason asked as he opened the door wider.
"My mother is at home. She is sickly and very rarely able to leave her bed," Eric decided that would be enough of an excuse to keep people from wanting to disturb his pseudo mother.
"What about your dad?" Jason frowned.
"Killed in action," Eric replied simply, not wanting to bother with too much backstory.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Jason grimaced as he escorted the newcomer to the kitchen. "My parents are dead, too. Car accident."
"My condolences," Eric offered, earning a strange look from the boy at the formal statement.
"Uh, thanks," Jason gestured into the kitchen. "That's my Gran. Gran, this is Eric. He just moved here yesterday."
An older woman in her early sixties turned to see the new boy in her kitchen. "Hello there, Dear," Adele Stackhouse greeted. "I'm Mrs. Stackhouse."
"Hello," Eric was getting bored with the formalities and wished he could be 'introduced' to Sookie so that he would have an excuse to leave.
"Is your family with you?" Adele asked as she dried her hands on a dishtowel and came over to assess the pale boy standing in her kitchen.
"No, my father is dead, and my mother is very frail," Eric told her the simple backstory he had come up with to explain himself. "She is trying to save up her strength for school registration."
Adele's face turned to one of sorrow, "I see." Eric was surprised by the woman's expression. There was no pity, only empathy. "Well, if you'd like, I would be happy to send you home with some food and take a load off your mother."
Another excuse came to mind, but Eric thought receiving meals would be an excellent pretext for spending so much time at the Stackhouse residence, "Thank you, Mrs. Stackhouse."
"You're very welcome, Eric," Adele chuckled. What a funny boy, she thought merrily at his prim habits. Perhaps losing his father so young and having to care for his mother had wizened the boy beyond his years. "So, whereabouts did you move in Bon Temps?"
"A mile or so up the road," Eric replied, still standing rigidly in the entryway of the kitchen. Jason had long since flopped into a kitchen chair and stared beleaguered at the new kid.
Adele smiled happily, also accepting the quickly built house nearby and continued on with making breakfast.
"I wonder what's keeping Sookie?" Adele mumbled to herself as the breakfast plate sat on the kitchen counter.
"Who is Sookie?" Eric asked, knowing that he should.
"Oh, my granddaughter. She's Jason's younger sister," Adele explained with a smile. "She's usually such an early bird, and it's nearly ten. Jason, go wake your sister up!"
The boy jumped from his chair at his grandmother's command and began jogging through the house to the upstairs. Eric could hear the brother dragging his sister out of bed, and he felt a pang of regret that she could not sleep longer. It was, after all, his fault that she had such a late night.
Eventually, his young client returned, her blonde hair reaching far and wide from bedhead. Eric thought the sharp angles of the strands made her look adorable and found himself smiling.
"Morning, Eric," Sookie yawned and waved as she smoothed her shirt with her free hand and covered her yawn with the other.
"Good morning, Sookie," Eric did not miss the way the grandmother and brother tensed. It seemed, Jason had not told Sookie Eric's name, and they both worried that the boy would be suspicious how she knew him. Instead, they relaxed at Eric's easy acceptance.
"How old are you, Eric?" Adele quickly changed the subject in hopes that the boy would not ask how Sookie knew his name.
"Nine," Eric smiled in a way that made Sookie laugh.
"The same age as Sookie! You two will probably be in the same class then!" Adele smiled.
"Perhaps she can show me around the school," Eric nodded.
"I'd like that," Sookie accepted her breakfast plate from Gran and the kiss the woman planted on the top of her head.
"It's a small school," Jason informed him. "Every grade has less than sixty kids in it."
"I have been homeschooled up until now," Eric told him.
"Oh, I guess it'll seem pretty big to you, then," Jason laughed.
"Are you really smart?" Sookie asked, already knowing the answer.
Deciding that the Stackhouses would not appreciate a braggart, Eric settled for a smirk as he replied, "I do well at studying."
"What's your favorite subject?" Sookie asked, using the opportunity to get to know her bodyguard on a relatable level.
"Reading," Eric replied, trying to think of the sort of classes children Sookie's age took.
"Sookie loves to read," Adele offered. "She's already reading at an advanced level."
Eric seemed delighted to hear that, "Really? What do you like to read?"
Sookie's face flushed. The books she could read were definitely far below the types Eric was referring to. "Nancy Drew's my favorite."
Eric frowned as he absorbed this, and Sookie fidgeted. "I have been more partial to The Hardy Boys."
Adele chuckled, "Of course you are, it's more tuned towards boys."
"What about sports?" Jason injected curiously.
"What about them?" Eric turned to the brother.
Jason rolled his eyes, "What kinda sports do you play?"
Eric paused again in contemplation, "I am not particularly interested in sports, but I am capable of playing any of them."
"You wanna play catch with me?" Jason asked excitedly. With most of his friends living on the other side of town, it would be nice to have a boy nearby to hang out with when he did not want to bike two miles to meet up with his usual friends. Sure, Eric was his little sister's age, but if he could occasionally fill in to throw the football around, Jason could overlook the age gap.
"I suppose," Eric shrugged. "Sookie, you come, too."
The girl perked up excitedly, but her brother scowled. "Sookie can't throw for nothin', and she's scared of the ball."
Eric felt his lip twitch into a smile. "Then it is about time she got over it." Sookie looked at Eric admiringly as he pushed away from the table and headed toward the door. "I will meet you outside after you finish breakfast."
As the boy left the house, Adele clucked to herself, "What an interesting boy."
"He's a weirdo," Jason grumbled as he stabbed at the last of his sausage, and Sookie began shoveling her eggs into her mouth.
"No, he's not," Sookie defended after she had swallowed her food and avoided Gran's chastising about talking with her mouth full.
"What, you gotta crush on him already?" Jason teased.
"It's not that at all," Sookie huffed. "He's new. Of course, he'll seem different to us at first."
Adele's eyebrows raised in surprise at Sookie's point, "That's right, Sookie. He is new, and it's important to treat him kindly and learn about him instead of judging how he does things. He does have a very formal speech to him, doesn't he? I thought I was talking to a little prince," she giggled as she began cleaning up the kitchen.
"Maybe that's how they talk where he comes from?" Sookie suggested, hoping to cover for Eric's accent. I wonder where he's actually from?
After their breakfast was finished, Sookie and Jason put on their shoes and ran outside to meet Eric sitting on the porch with a traveling gaze.
"What're you looking at?" Jason asked as he headed toward the shed for his football. Gran had forbidden having one in the house since the boy had hit the china cabinet with his ball. Nothing had broken, but the grandmother had taken action regardless.
"Everything. The light here is so different than I'm used to," Eric replied honestly, hoping that he could explain any further question.
"Where are you from?" Jason asked as he arrived at the shed and grabbed the football from the shelf by the gasoline tank.
"New York," Eric answered as he rose from his seat on the porch step.
Sookie stood quietly as the boys talked. Even though she had visited Eric twice in New York, she had no idea that was where she had been.
"Wow! You ever seen Times Square?" Jason asked excitedly.
"I did not live in New York City," Eric told him. "I lived in Buffalo, but I have been to Times Square several times."
Jason lobbed the football at the new boy, and Eric approached Sookie as his hands familiarized themselves with the new way they had to grasp the oblong shape.
"Here," Eric took Sookie's wrist in his hand, placing the ball against her palm. "Fingers here," he put her small hands in the proper position, so her pinkie and ring finger settled between the last two laces. "Throw like this," he manipulated her arm "and let the ball roll off your fingertips like this." Eric simulated the sensation she should experience by rotating the leather into her palm. After securing the ball in her hands, Eric took a few steps back. "Throw it to me," he encouraged, and Sookie did as he asked. A loose spiral wobbled to him, and Eric lobbed the football back to her while taking a few steps back. "Again."
They repeated the toss several times until Eric was about ten feet away, and the vampire turned to Jason. "You can go further out. She can throw to me, I will pass to you, and we can do an 'L' shape pass until she improves her distance."
Nodding in agreement, Jason ran about ten yards out, and the game of catch began. The older brother had to admit to himself after a while that Eric Northman was a pretty good teacher. His sister's throws were improving drastically, and Jason had been trying to teach her to pass a football for the past two years to no avail. All of a sudden, Eric showed up, and his sister could throw it like it came naturally. It also seemed that as long it was Eric throwing to her, Sookie was not scared of the football at all.
Looks like a little crush is all it takes to motivate Sook, Jason thought amusedly. He was grateful that he was far enough away that his sister could not hear his musings. Instead, she kept grinning, throwing, and catching.
With a happy smile, Jason watched his sister play and be joyful for the first time in a very long time.
TBC
A/N: Please, remember to review!
-Andi