David winced as he watched the man before him pacing, eyes flickering occasionally towards the two children seated on the couch, perched between Paul and Marko.
"You're late," the man murmured, the first words he had spoken since they had arrived back from the cave five minutes prior. "I told you to be here twelve thirty, sharp," he stated, giving them a small glare.
"Max, I--" David began but was cut off by the sound of a yawn coming from over his shoulder and he turned to see Poe blinking fiercely to stay awake while Emily leaned into him, eyes already shut as she began to drift off. Sighing a bit as he knew why his leader was so worried, he turned back. "We wanted to make sure that these children would be substancial."
"They are the correct ones, then?" Max questioned, eyebrows raised as he waited expectantly for a reply, eyes flashing a light gold as he traced his nails along a crease in the wall, caused by the collapse from years ago.
"Yes, they are. If you wish to question the girl--that Nikki, you may. She is in the room just behind you and to your left," David commented, gesturing towards the door without a care although inside his head he couldn't wish for him to do anything more than step inside that room.
Nodding softly, Max reached out for the keys that David was quick to supply him with, clenching it tightly in his fist before he turned sharply on his heel, retreating towards the door in an instant.
As the Pack stood still, eyes following their head vampire in complete silence, they waited until they heard the click of the door, indicated that the latch was now secure and in place.
Looking at each other, they were all quick to move into action as quickly as they could. "Where are they going to sleep?" Marko questioned in a lower voice than he normally would have, due to the far more superior hearing of Max in the other room.
"Well, obviously not in the back room," David said softly, looking around the room. "I suppose the couch may sufface..."
But before he could continue with his reasonings, they heard the small call of Dwayne coming from one of the corners and they turned, frowning towards him. "What is it, bro?" Paul asked, quickly joining his friend's side.
"Remember when we were clearing out all of that old stuff and put it back over here?" Dwayne questioned, gesturing to a wall of the cave surrounded by boxes.
Paul began to nod before pausing, a frown forming on his lips before he shook his head vigorously. "Nada, dude."
Sighing out of frustration, Dwayne kicked one of the lower boxes, causing them all to topple down. Soft thuds emitted through the room due to the near emptiness of the boxes. The now empty space revealed curtains surrounding a bed that must have been used for one of the suites. Except for the excess dust coating the blankets and wood, it was obviously still in good condition.
"Well, that's what I'm talking about," he said with a shrug. Frowning with obvious disgust at the revolting quilt, he suddenly gave a rare grin before turning to look up at Paul. "Man, I think I've got a job for you..." he commented to his now officially confused friend.
"Er...what?" Paul asked, looking unsurely towards the bed before getting shoved at it playfully by the only dark haired vampire. "Jump on it until you get most of it off," he instructed with a smirk at the sudden grin spreading across Paul's face.
Obviously obliging easilly to his instructions, Paul immediately leapt onto the the bed, shoes included. Instantly he caused a cloud of dust to fly up.
Rolling his eyes, David turned to Marko with a sudden thought, remembering Max still being inside the room with the mortal woman Nikki. "Marko, could you please bring in some food for our mortal...friend?" he questioned before frowning, a thought coming to him. The children would be awakening soon, and he couldn't risk turning them so soon in life. That would definately not work. And he knew that at the beginning stage of being turned, they would still awaken during the late afternoon.
"And would you mind bringing in some things for our little family?" he added as an after thought to Marko who nodded, turning from his state of laughing at Paul before making his way up the entrance way to the bluff where he gunned his bike, driving off quickly.
When David could no longer hear the bike, he turned back to where Dwayne stood silently, eyes blank and in thought as he was obviously not watching Paul anymore.
"What's on your mind?" David asked, shocking Dwayne slightly. He had never known the mullett-haired vampire to become sentimental so suddenly.
Taking in a deep breath, Dwayne shook his dark hair a bit, not wanting to say what he had been thinking before sighing, turning his head back to face David with a frown.
"How are we going to raise them? They've got a family...we can't just keep them here as they grow up. They'll need to leave and who is to say they won't be caught?" he questioned, a frown featured across his face, forehead full of frustrated creases.
David paused as if to think the matter over himself inside his head. Looking towards the now two slumbering children, dark hair cascading across Emily's forehead while a look of deep concentration was placed on Poe's face, lips pulled into a soft frown not expressing the boy's usual attitude.
Giving a small shrug to Dwayne, he turned to face him once more before raising his eyebrows. "Well, I guess we're bound to find out now."
About to respond that guesses weren't good enough, that it could easilly be dangerous to the two and what would go on with their future of raising them, Dwayne shook his head instead. It wasn't worthy enough of discussion.
As the cave lapsed into silence, the only noise an occasional spring squeaking while Paul jumped, they merely stared among each other. Any time they would open their mouth to speak, they stopped almost instantly. After a few moments, any anticipation was ended as they heard a cheerful Marko walk through the entrance way and down the stairs. A grin formed on his face as he tossed a bag containing uncertain objects that crunched when they collided with the floor.
"Paul, you will not believe what I saw. They so have the new Metallica CD out, on sale!" he said with a grin as he watched his friend jump up and down before stopping, his excitement turning into a frown when he saw the last two members of the Pack's face. "What's up?"
"Nothing, we were discussing sleeping arrangements for the pups over there," David said smoothly, easilly covering up their conversation before turning back to face Marko. "What did you nip from our old friends at Piggly Wiggly?" he asked, nodding towards the plastic bag with a printed pig image on it.
The shortest vampire shrugged, turning back to walk over towards the bag and pick it up. "Dunno, just grabbed whatever looked edible to a human," he said, an air of little concern in his voice before he dumped out the contents.
Paul, hearing the objects land on the table, leapt off of the bed and raced up to them, flicking Dwayne's ear as he went back. "Dude...you got a bag of Doritos, a six pack of coke and...Count Chocula cereal? Man, you rock!" he said, a grin on his face as he made towards the boxes before being stopped by David, who shot a warning look at him.
"This is all you got?" David asked, he himself knowing all three did not seem very appetizing to even himself mixed together.
"Well actually...no. There's some by my bike, but I wanted to get in here first," Marko shrugged before resorting to flying towards his bike, a much shorter method before reentering with two more bags. "Mind you, I looked like a complete fag and the Surf Nazis found this all very amusing."
Paul began to laugh the moment the words left Marko's lips but he composed himself, shaking his head. "They'll never let you live it down, man."
"Yeah, well if they give me any shit, I won't let them live--period," Marko declared, clenching his teeth as he for once actually cared what people had to say about him. "I mean, I'm not going to deal with them calling me a Momma's Boy the rest of my life..."
"Right, now shut your mouth Porky and go give a delivery to Nikki. Make sure she eats it all...and be careful, Max is still in there," David stated, tossing a box of Townhouse Crackers, a can of Coke, and a small bag of Ruffles.
Nodding, Marko caught each in his gloved hands easilly before walking over towards the door, reaching for the knob just as it turned and opened, producing Max. A startled Marko stopped in his tracks as he looked back at David, eyebrows raised.
Max excused himself around Marko as he walked towards David, a small nod showing his approval. "With her aid, we should easilly have everything the way we want it," he determined, obviously having gotten the information he wanted from Nikki. Nodding his head towards the two children, he began to speak. "Make sure nothing happens to them," he declared before heading towards the entrance way. One he reached the top step, Max turned around as he spoke his last words bluntly. "They are our hope."
With that, he took flight and disappeared from all sight, no comprehension dawning to any of them about what had happened.
"This is all going to give me a monster head ache," Marko commented, mentioning about how much work he would have to do other than his easy life as one of the undead.
No more words spoken from him, either, he retreated into the room while shifting up a slipping can of soda, shutting the door behind him.
As all three members of the Pack that were left standing out there, they stared off into their own mental capacities before Paul spoke up, a spark of memory setting off inside his head. "As much as I'd not want to stand out here and spontaneously combust come an hour or so from now," he began, nodding towards the opening of the cave, he made his way towards the couch, "I would prefer that we would put these two in the bed I spent half an hour slaving over to make sure it is clean," he stated, reaching for Poe, the boys head landing on his shoulder while Emily slipped from her upright position to one laying on the couch.
As Paul made his way to set down Poe ontop of the bed, Dwayne followed after him with Emily, the two of them aware of David's eyes on them. They knew very well he was testing them, and they were intent on him not acknowledging that they knew.
When they were certain themselves that they two were settled in, they turned back to their leader who seemed to be in a state of deep thought before he grinned, holding his head up higher. "Alright boys, let's collect Marko and go," he said, walking over towards the door that held their last member who had been leaning lazilly against the door, leaping back when it was pulled open. "She says she doesn't like Coke--" he began before being pulled out, door shutting behind him and padlocked immediately.
"Well that's her own tough shit. Right now be more worried about not being set aflame and roasting alive to your horrible gruesome death and get in the back," Paul attempted in a serious voice which caused the both of them to laugh and make their way in the back, both other members ahead of them before they themselves were settled in, jackets falling over their head as they swung up to sleep.
R/R! I love to read any sort of feedback.