Astrid leaned against a tree, her hands behind her back as she watched the newborns. Charlotte was sitting in front of the fire, dark eyes focused on the flames and lost in thought. Maggie was laying on her back with Harry whispering something sultry in her ear, something that Astrid could've gone without hearing. Matilda seemed to love it and scooted closer, the duo happily bringing her in.
"Hold it back, ya' sickos," Charlotte hissed, throwing dirt at the four. They grumpily made their ways into the trees. "God, do all newborns just fuck like crazy?"
"You would know, Char!" Charles snickered, walking into the clearing with blood on his clothes. He had returned from feeding. "Didn't you have a go with Peter?"
Her face darkened and she returned to looking at the fire. Charles joined the rest, shoving William and giving Harriet a kiss on the cheek. Astrid was stunned by how close the ten newborns had became, something that none had accomplished before. She pondered if it was the change in atmosphere. For every batch of newborns there were already forty that were trained and running patrols and bringing in food. Nettie and Lucy ran a tight patrol and enforced their laws strictly, while also having the time to play sick games with the newborns and turning them against each other in fights. Maria would usually laugh and give luxuries to the survivor causing tension within the army. Maria, now, was locked in her room and allowed Astrid to run patrols and feeding. She had no interest in fights and such, and therefore had allowed a sense of brotherhood to grow within the ten.
A scream tore the air, stopping the group from talking. They gazed at the direction of the farm, solemn looks. Astrid imagined Major tossing a newborn off or being attacked by one. She sighed and looked back at the ten.
"That's bullshit, all those newborns." Roosevelt muttered, rubbing his neck at the sound.
"I can't believe only three vampires are supposed to train them. It's impossible." Charlotte grumbled, pulling her legs to her chest and resting her chin on her knees.
They fell into silence. Astrid lowered her head when she heard a barn door break.
Major told her how he wanted patrols done and she did it exactly. She had found where Benito's vampires had burned Julia and Atticus; it was a church in town and they had no qualms with setting the place alight. She had a feeling there were more bodies in there than her two. She had watched as the townsfolk tried to contain the flames but it was fueled by venom, it would go out by itself. She followed his scent but it lead to nowhere and she was left with nothing. From there on she gave shifts to the remaining ten to patrol the city, slowly pushing their boundaries. Major had a feeling that Benito wouldn't like it if they got closer to where he was and would perhaps strike out.
"I haven't been to the barn in days. I wonder how they're doin'." William pondered, poking the fire with a stick.
"I went to give Maria a report," Harriet shivered. "It was terrible. Bethany had her legs ripped off and Tanner was holding back four of them. There was a bunch of humans but they didn't last long. It's something out of a horror story, I tell ya'."
"Why does she think Major can do it all?" Charlotte scoffed, shaking her head.
"Because he can." Astrid stated, drawing all eyes to her.
"Do you really think that?" Charles snorted, shaking his head and shouldering Roosevelt next to him. His comrade didn't look amused and Astrid didn't feel it.
"What do you think of the Major?" She quizzed him, pushing herself off the tree to come closer to the group.
Charles thought before he spoke, "That he is physically strong, yes, but not strong enough to control thirty newborns."
A twig snapped from their left and Peter meandered out of the woods, hands in pocket, and smiling devilishly. Charlotte didn't look at him, keeping her eyes on the orange flames. He made his way to Astrid, giving her a nod of acknowledgment, before focusing on Charles. The newborn shifted under the elder's intimidating gaze.
"Dear Charles, let me tell you why Major has been alive for nearly fifteen years. As you can tell, Maria has no regard for our lives and therefore kills us all at one because one, we finally loose our human blood and newborn strength, and two, because she knows we want to kill her and does it before we can. However, when someone has a gift in their control, she wants to keep that forever."
Astrid cocked her head, "Major can influence your emotions. When you wake and are hungry and frenzied, Major can lessen the hunger and create a sense of safety. He is the best to use when dealing with newborns."
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, "So you both have gifts?"
Peter beamed, "Yes! Finally, you guys are taking notice in your precious uncle Peter," He ruffled her hair and she scowled at him, patting the black curls down. "I know things, like when an attack from Benito is going to happen or when a human is going to come a little too close to us. It's little things, nothing like knowing where Benito is. If he makes a plan to move, however, I will know but not exactly where."
Charles looked at Astrid, "I know what your gift is. You have no smell. It took me a while to realize it, I guess I never paid attention enough."
"Tsk, tsk. Close but not really." Peter tutted.
"The best way I can explain it is that I blend in. Like you said, it took you a while to realize that I didn't smell but you were aware of me. If I wanted to, you wouldn't be able to hear my footsteps. That's my gift, you can see me but you can't catch me." Astrid grinned.
"So that's why you're alive? Not because, oh I don't know, Maria has an emotional attachment to any of you?" Elizabeth pondered.
Peter leered at her, "That would be your biggest mistake, thinking that Maria has any emotion. Did you not tear Lucy apart?"
She looked down, no doubt remembering her first days when Nettie and Lucy had returned. Once again they fell into silence. Astrid looked back at the barn yet heard nothing. She just told the newborns how Major could handle them but that didn't dissipate her own worrying. She knew he could handle his own and reminded herself, turning back to the group. Peter had left teasing Elizabeth to sit beside Charlotte, cross legged, and not speaking. He merely hummed beside her as she continued to stare ahead.
"Now that Peter is back, we'll head out for patrols." Astrid said.
She sent Elizabeth to retrieve the threesome before dividing up areas for groups of two to patrol. Their goal was to scent Benito and get an idea where he was at, also in the meantime making sure no rogues entered or were snooping around. If they caught a vampire feeding in their territory it was expected they be killed. When Maggie, Matilda, and Harry returned she sent them off. Charlotte stayed as Astrid had requested her as her partner.
Astrid led her outside of town and kept to rooftops if they had to enter. It was safe to check alleys, just in case someone tricky got in. Charlotte was in a forlorn mood the entirety of their trip and it was beginning to tick Astrid off.
"Are you going to mope about it or tell me what's got you in a tizzy?" Astrid asked, stopping on a rooftop to confront her.
The blonde scratched her head, "I went to the barn. I couldn't find Peter and I knew he would be there. It just . . It was a bloodbath. Bethany was keeping vampires off of each other and there were some just having sex right there on the lawn! There was blood everywhere."
"That's a typical awakening for that many vampires. You're only a month old yet have so much more control." Astrid said.
"But why?"
"Probably because you weren't awakened into a shit show. Although there were ten of you and it was stressful, we knew how to deal with that many and could separate you enough to where tensions didn't run high. However, with only three to thirty." Astrid shrugged and turned back to the alleyway.
Charlotte let the conversation end and crouched at Astrid's feet, taking in the people walking under them. Astrid was ready to tell Charlotte to move on when three cloaks caught her attention. She copied Charlotte's stance, eyes focused as the three walked with grace and agility that no human could. She didn't recognize their scent nor how they were dressed. Benito's army were as badly dressed as them.
The three crossed the street and entered the alley directly beneath them. They had their cloaks pulled over their heads but from their statures she could tell there were two females and one male.
"This place is disgusting." The woman snarled.
"I want to go home, this job is useless. Let the savages kill themselves I say!" The man chuckled darkly.
Astrid had a feeling they were talking about the wars.
"They can kill themselves all they want, we don't care," The last woman said, her voice soft yet holding an edge to it. "The humans are starting to notice."
"Fucking imbeciles."
The cloaked figures stopped. Astrid pushed Charlotte back.
They looked up and all she saw was red eyes and white teeth.