A/N: Well, I'm almost on time, I guess. Nobody worry though, the story is actually done, I'm just in the process of editing things. Anyways, enjoy!
"Mom!" Eleanor jumped at the sight of her mother, wildly racking her brains for something to say. "I didn't know you'd be home so soon!"
"So, you threw a party?" she asked, gliding down the stair case with all the drama of an old Hollywood starlet. Eleanor rolled her eyes.
"No, mother, of course not. I just had… a bonfire night," she lied. "Just a few friends from school, nothing crazy."
"Then why am I missing a good ounce of my favorite whiskey?" Eleanor frowned. She'd sobered up fast with the influx of food and crazy news, but an ounce? She didn't even feel fuzzy around the edges. Maybe she was turning into her mom.
"Maybe you drank it?" Eleanor asked her, pouring sass over the words. Delphine scowled, running her hands through her short blonde locks. "New hair cut?"
"Perhaps." The two women circled each other slowly, Eleanor holding her ground. Delphine had sixteen years to try her hand in motherhood, only acting maternal when it ruined Eleanor's plans. "Were there boys at the party?"
Eleanor thought about saying yes, telling her mother she'd had only boys over, that she'd ruined their living room carpet with illicit activities, just to see what reaction she'd get. Would Delphine care? Or would she just scoff?
"One or two. There were girls too," she lied, shoulders slumping. "We roasted marshmallows."
"Sounds nice," Delphine said, moving closer. Eleanor stiffened, bracing herself. Her mother had never hit her before but there was a first for everything. Instead, to Eleanor's surprise, Delphine wrapped her daughter in a hug.
"I'm not a good mom," she confessed. Tears fell hot and fast on Eleanor's shoulders, but she couldn't move, couldn't respond. "I know I haven't been there for you, baby, but I want to try. I'm going to try."
"Mom…" Eleanor trailed off, completely blindsided. Delphine held her at an arm's length, sincerity shining in her doe eyes.
"I've been getting help, sweetheart. I'm going to be better. I won't let him take you away from me," Delphine insisted.
"What? Who, mom? What are you talking about?" Eleanor jerked out of her mother's grip, guiding the both of them to the couch. Delphine sat heavily, sobbing heavily.
"You're father! The man who left us wants to come back and take you from me!" she cried. Eleanor's heart leapt into her throat. Her father hadn't called the whole time they'd been here, almost four months, and now he wanted to take her away.
"Dad? When? How do you know?" she asked in a small voice.
"He was there, at my gallery opening, with that whore he's been parading around. He didn't call you?" Eleanor shook her head, tears springing up to her eyes.
"You saw him?" Her voice was thick with tears, but she wouldn't cry. Delphine nodded, looking up at her with childlike sorrow. "I'm going upstairs, mom, to take a shower."
Eleanor left Delphine there, rushing to find refuge in the safety of her shower. She cried until the water ran cold, only getting out when she couldn't take it anymore. She shivered in her towel, climbing under the covers. She pulled out her phone, clicking on her father's number.
"Hello?" The feminine voice that answered surprised her, but Eleanor cleared her throat, determined for answers.
"Hi. Is my dad there? Richie Davis?" she said, her voice shaking slightly.
"Oh, are you Eleanor?" she asked.
"Yeah. Is dad busy, or…?" The woman on the other side called for dad, and for a moment, they stayed quiet.
"Ellie?" Her father's voice broke the dam on her emotions, and instantly, Eleanor was crying again.
"Why didn't you call me before?" Eleanor asked, sniffling.
"Oh, honey, I wanted to, believe me, but I wanted to give you and your mother a chance. But I know that she'd not ready to take care of you now. I'm fighting to get you back here. You can go to your old school, see you old friends." Eleanor stayed silent, thinking. She was a completely different person now, and she had people here that she cared about, like Natalie, Rich and Rob, Jordan, and Hunter.
"I don't want to come back, I just want you to try harder," she told him. "I want you to call, to show up for things. I don't want upend my life all over again. I want things to get better with Mom!"
Eleanor took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. There was no use yelling at him.
"I want you not to petition for custody. I'm happy here, Dad, but I'd be happier if you were in my life too." There was silence on the other end, then ragged breathing, like her dad might be crying. Eleanor blanched, scared of hearing her father break.
"Look, kiddo, I want to try too. I'm going to try harder, but you're so far away. I miss you," he confessed.
"I miss you, too. I'll come back for holidays," she promised. Once the heavy stuff was over, Eleanor chatted to her dad for a while, but she couldn't get the feeling of brokenness out of her head. Everything was so messy between her parents, and she had no one to talk about it with. Natalie's parents were together and happy, Rob and Rich's parents were together and happy, and Hunter's dad was a solid, reliable, loving person.
The toll of the day before and this morning hit, so Eleanor snuggled up in her comforter, wrapping herself up in an effort to forget. She shut her eyes and drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.
00000
Eleanor woke to buzzing, persistent and loud. She squirmed around, trying to extract a hand from her nest of blankets. She swipes open her phone, scrolling through the accumulated texts.
JORDAN: Hey! Hope you're okay, just wanted to pick a time to get together and hang out. Was going to teach you vamp defense 101. Let me know!
RICH: Hey, I know things are super weird, but we're always around to talk.
ROB: You should hit Natalie up, figure out when the next party is. Team wolf has to be ready to strike!
HUNTER: Hey, I know this has been really crazy but let me know if you want to talk about it.
HUNTER: Also, you handled everything like a boss.
HUNTER: Sorry to keep texting you, but I'm worried about you.
NATALIE: Hey girl! My brother's visiting from college next week, so we're throwing a party. Wanna come? You can bring your guys.
Eleanor responded to the texts, assuring her friends she was alright. She stared at Natalie's text for a while, unsure how to respond. She thought about the last party, about the listless cheerleaders, about Rob's text.
ELEANOR: Hey Natalie! Sounds good, I'll ask the guys if they want to come too.
She dialed Hunter's phone number and waited.
"Hey! Are you okay? What's up?" he asked, answering immediately.
"Listen, I was thinking that we have to be prepared. Rob was right, we have to be ready to attack and we have to catch the vampires unaware. Even if you're not a… wolf, it'll still be five against one."
"Wait, slow down. When and where are we even supposed to attack vampires? We don't know where they're going to be, and even if we did, no one's prepared," Hunter argued. "Besides, any sentence that starts with 'Rob was right' is terrifying."
"Jordan's going to teach us," Eleanor countered, feeling determined. Somehow, it felt like the responsibility landed on them to solve the vampire problem.
"Jordan has enhanced strength, speed, and senses. She'll be okay. You guys, on the other hand, are just—"
"We have to try, Hunter! Jordan has to go back to school and you can't do this alone!" Eleanor yelled. She already felt powerless, because of her parents and the vampire attack, but Hunter telling her she couldn't do anything was too much.
"Okay, just… I want to keep you guys safe," he said soothingly. "I'm sorry."
"And we want to keep you safe," Eleanor told him with conviction. "Besides, I have a plan."
"Why does that make me nervous?" Hunter groaned. "Okay, I'm listening."
Essentially, the plan boiled down to four simple steps.
Infiltrate the party and identify the vampires.
Get a vampire alone.
Trap it and smuggle it out of the party.
Grill it for information.
Eleanor texted with Jordan, setting up their meeting after school on Monday. Jordan told her to dress comfy, easy for movement. They'd be talking about identifying vampires and killing them. Nerves fluttered in Eleanor's stomach, but she kept getting ready for the week.
The school day flew by, and after, Eleanor drove the boys to the Sands house. Jordan waited for them in the kitchen, catching up with homework online.
"Hey guys! How was school?" she asked, putting away her things. Everyone gave blandly positive answers, eager to get started. They were lead to the backyard, where Jordan had jacked some of Hunter's mannequin parts to build targets.
For the next few hours, Jordan lead them through exercises, told them how to tell if someone was a vampire right off the cuff. They finished around dinner, everyone tired and hungry. Still, Eleanor felt good. She felt in control for once.
The week progressed well, they kept practicing, and everyone stayed over Wednesday night while Mr. Sands took Jordan back to school. She had a midterm coming up, so she couldn't stick around, but she was confident they could handle this.
The day of the party came faster then any of them had anticipated, but they swaggered into Natalie's party with a sense of confidence. Well, Rob and Rich swaggered. Eleanor liked to say she strode with purpose, ready for anything. Only Hunter hovered around apprehensively.
Eleanor poured herself a drink and faked a sip. She scanned the party with an air of carelessness, cataloging the people. The high schoolers were mostly inside, clustered through the living room and kitchen, while the few college kids huddled around a fire outside, working their way to a drunken stupor. An attractive pale kid that neither she nor Natalie could identify flitted around both parties, talking to each girl.
Eleanor was done up as alluringly as she could. She'd borrowed a short dress from Natalie and wore her hair straight and sleek. She'd even put makeup on. When the guys saw her, they'd all given her impressed compliments. Hunter had turned bright red when he saw her, his eyes flashing gold for a second. Eleanor hadn't known how to take that.
"Hey." The maybe-vampire had finally made his way to Eleanor, leaning against a wall. His skin was pale, a tell Eleanor mentally checked off. He was bundled up too, even in the stifling heat of the party. Check. Vampires were always cold. He looked tired and had red-rimmed eyes, which did nothing to diminish his good looks. Triple check.
"Hi. I haven't seen you before," Eleanor said in what she hoped was a coy voice. She wasn't good at flirting, maybe due to lack of practice, but she'd watched a ton of chick-flicks. How hard could it be, really?
"I'm new in town," the boy said, smirking. He stepped closer, eyes fliting down to her throat. She swallowed, suddenly afraid. She knew the boys were around, but she couldn't help the small flare of fear.
"Me too. I moved here this summer," she offered. They talked, mostly chit-chat, nothing too incriminatory. He stepped closer again, frowning slightly.
"Strange perfume you're wearing," he said conversationally. "Where did you get it?"
"Oh! Uh, Bath and Body Works, maybe? Who knows," she mumbled. He offered his hand, smiling rakishly.
"Wanna get out of here?" Eleanor looked around, but she couldn't see the boys. Suddenly their plan was falling apart. Still, she had to try.
"Where to?" The boy chuckled, taking her hand gently and pulling her along. He took her upstairs, and Eleanor become more and more aware of the stake she'd hidden against the zipper of her dress.
The walked around the room he'd commandeered, looking through the pictures and posters on the wall. This must be Natalie's brother's room. Eleanor touched the stake, fingers shaking.
"I can smell it on you," he said, smiling. "The mongrel. It's all over you."
"I don't know what you're talking about," she stammered. The boy laughed, stepping into Eleanor's space. She flinched, backing up until she hit a wall.
"You know, Paulina told me there would be a boy, the wolf, but she said nothing about other humans," he said conversationally. Eleanor could feel her heart racing, threatening to beat out of her chest. "Oh well. I guess this is just a perk."
Eleanor shoved her elbow into the boy's chin, sending him back. It was enough for her to maneuver the stake out of her dress and press it against the boy's chest. He held his hands up, full on grinning now.
"You've got grit!" He sounded delighted, taking a half-step back. "I feel almost bad for having to kill you now."
"Yeah, I don't think so." Hunter burst through the door, brandishing a water gun full of holy water. "Back up."
"Hey, puppy. I wondered when you were going to show up," The boy peered into the hallway, tutting. "No back up?"
"Don't need it," Hunter replied, cocking the gun. Eleanor couldn't help the blush that rushed into her cheeks at the sight of him, wishing she had better timing. "E, now!"
Eleanor shoved the stake into the boy's chest, but he was in the process of turning. It went in oddly, but thick, dark red blood began to spill from the wound. He groaned, falling to his knees, clutching at the stake. His fangs were prominent, eyes blood red.
"Oh my god!" Rich and Rob burst in then, both clutching water guns. The vampire on the floor groaned, so all three boys blasted him with holy water. His skin burned and he hissed. Eleanor gagged on the smell of burning flesh.
"Okay, so we have to get him out of here," Rob said, talking fast. His face was unbelievably pale and his hands shook just slightly. "We, we can dump him in the woods behind the house. The sun will come up and he'll turn to dust."
"Why hasn't he already died?" Rich asked. "Something's wrong."
"What does it matter?" Rob yelled, almost hysterical. "Screw an interrogation, we need to dump him!"
"No! We have to interrogate him," Hunter insisted, crouching low to stare the boy in the eye. "Who are you working for? Paulina? What does she want?"
The vampire laughed, spitting blood. Eleanor's entire body shook, watching the vampire bleed out. She wanted to close her eyes, hide away or something, but she couldn't. Nausea roiled in her stomach, threaten to dump out her dinner.
"I'm not going to tell you shit, kid. I'm a thousand years old, you think a misplaced stake and a little holy water are going kill me? No way. I'm here for the blood she promised me." Hunter grabbed him by the collar, shaking him. There was fear in his green eyes, the horror of their situation weighing down on him.
"Who's she? Paulina? Why did she promise you blood?" The vampire slumped, eyes shutting. Rob stared in horror.
"He's dead," he squeaked. "We really have to dump him!"
"Why isn't his body disintegrating?" Rich demanded. "That's what happens!"
"In the sun maybe! Holy shit…" Rob trails off, sniffling softly.
"Dump him," Eleanor said, surprising them. Her voice held strong, despite the panic in her head. "You all have to calm down. Hunter, you and Rich are going to take him downstairs and out into the woods. It won't matter either way, because in a few hours, the sun will the up. Make sure to leave the stake in. Rob and I are going to clean up the mess."
Hunter shot her a look full of relief, pulling himself up. Together, he and Rich hefted the body, covering the wound with his coat. Rob looked to her, wringing his hands.
"Strip the sheets. We have to get rid of them." Together, the totaled the sheets, ripping them apart. The blood was smeared between on the comforter of the bed and all over the floor, so Eleanor sent Rob to find something to cover it, to spill in its place. While he was gone, Eleanor gave herself a moment to freak out, before hunting for some bleach to mop up the blood.
Once the room was taken care of, Eleanor found herself downstairs, gulping down a can of soda desperately. Her throat had been aching and she needed sugar in her system.
"You alright?" Natalie stood in front of her, smiling brightly.
"Yeah, totally," Eleanor lied, hoping her smile wasn't as brittle as she felt. Natalie patted her arm before heading out, finding David and kissing him soundly.
"Hey." Hunter slipped back into the room, looking far more put together. "Rich is waiting by the car. He wants to bounce."
"Yeah," Eleanor said. Hunter gave her a hard look, before folding her up in a hug.
"I don't know what I'd do without you, E, we really needed you back there," he mumbles into her neck. "I was sort of panicking back there."
"Don't worry, Hunter. I told you I had your back." Eleanor told Natalie they were heading out before driving away. She dropped everyone off at their houses, but no one talked. No one could even bring themselves to look at each other.
The following Monday's ride to school was just as dismal. Eleanor drove in silence, trying to get around the people gathering in the parking lot. Miraculously, she did find a spot. As the gang got out, a scream pierced the air, one that Eleanor instantly recognized to belong to Natalie.
Eleanor had taken off before anyone could stop her, though Hunter and the boys were hot on her trail. She found Natalie at the front of the crowd she's pushed through. The girl sank to her knees, crying softly. Eleanor looked around wildly before her eyes settled on what had upset the cheerleader.
It was David.
Or, it was what was left of David.
Eleanor gagged, looking away fast. Focusing instead on Natalie. She helped the poor girl to her feet, helping to guide her to the small army of teachers and police officers gathering at the front doors.
"There was a note on his body," Natalie cried. "It said, 'a new chew toy for the puppy.' What the fuck does that even mean?"
Eleanor looked to Hunter, who still stood in the crowd. He'd heard Natalie perfectly, his face going ashen. He looked up at Eleanor, and for the first time, she saw real and honest fear in his eyes.
A/N: The plot thickens! Tune in next week for more mayhem!