Chapter 5

The room was silent for what seemed like an hour while the Duncans processed what Justin and Alex had just told them. Nervous energy made Teddy pace back and forth in a small circle. "Okay, so, wait...you're wizards, here to protect us from vampires, who want to turn us into vampires. This isn't happening!"

"Cool!" Gabe exclaimed. "I want to be a vampire! That sounds awesome!"

PJ nodded and gave his brother a high-five. "Immortality and rock hard abs, I'm in!" At everyone else's bewildered glances, he explained, "Well, all movie vampires are really fit. I figured it just automatically came with being undead."

"You know, I was actually wondering that too," Justin said. "I've seen pictures of Juliet's ex-boyfriends. Seriously, one after another after another, each and every one of them - "

"Really, Justin? You're doing this now?" Alex asked in disbelief, an eyebrow raised.

Finally, Amy stood up, passing Charlie to still-shocked Teddy as she did so. "Everybody, quiet!" she yelled. Even Justin and Alex immediately shut up and gave her their undivided attention. "PJ, Gabe, sorry to disappoint you, but no one in this family is turning into a vampire, because vampires aren't real!" She then the two "wizards" a disapproving glare. "Neither are wizards! What are you two, amateur magicians? I've seen better special effects at a kiddie party for one of Gabe's friends!"

While Alex was offended, Gabe reluctantly nodded in agreement. "It's true. Tommy's eighth birthday party had a magician who played Vegas."

Justin rolled his eyes at his sister. "See, this is why I should've done the spell!"

"Sure, I try for a little dramatic flair, and this what I get," Alex grumbled.

Though he was still bewildered, Bob also stood up. "Hold on, is this some kind of prank?" He then smiled at the idea. "Are we on TV right now?"

Justin frowned. "No, Mr. Duncan. Powerful vampires are already on their way here. Alex and I are here to take you all to safety."

To be honest, Teddy wasn't sure she believed them either. While it would be amazing if magic actually existed, she didn't want her family to be in danger, especially because of her. "Prove it," she demanded. "Prove that everything you're telling us is true."

"Ugh, Justin, we don't have time for this," Alex said, impatience in her voice. "It's been dark for what, an hour? Vampires could be - "

Before she could finish her sentence, a pale, muscular man crashed through the front window, snarling with rage as he landed on the living room floor. While Teddy screamed and jumped back, Alex grinned triumphantly. "Man, did I call that or what?"

"Freeze!" Justin shouted as he pointed his wand at the intruder, who Teddy was stunned to see really did have a frightening set of vampire fangs. At Justin's command, a bright spark of blue light flew from the tip of his wand and hit the creature square in the chest. The vampire instantly froze in place, then little icicles started to form on its skin as it began to turn ice blue. As each Duncan stared, their eyes wide with fear of the vampire, Justin paused. "Okay. Didn't mean that literally, but sure, this works."

After also staring at the vampire, Alex whirled to face her brother. "'Freeze'? What kind of spell was that?"

"One that worked, apparently," Justin retorted. But he added, "I didn't bother with a spell, because wizard spells aren't very effective against vampires. Use a lot of it, and some sixth sense in vampires repels it right back. But if you catch them off-guard with a small, passionate burst of magic, sometimes you get lucky."

Bored by the lecture, Alex replied, "Whatever. Let's get out of here before the vampire-sicle melts."

"Right," Justin agreed. As if remembering the others were there, he glanced at the Duncans. "Are we good?"

Numb from raw shock, and scared out of their wits by that vampire, the Duncans just nodded. Teddy was convinced. She'd heard the window shatter, felt some of the glass hit her boot, heard the vampire snarl before the air became about fifty degrees colder when the ice inexplicably formed. No TV prank show could do that. Besides, strong instincts told her to trust the wizards. From the scared looks on her family's faces, even her parents', she could tell they all thought the same.

Justin waved his wand again. "So we can disappear without a trace, take us back to Waverly Place."

There was a huge flash of golden light that blinded increasingly frightened Teddy. In that second, she couldn't remember feeling more afraid. Not only because she had no idea what "Waverly Place" was, but also because her whole world had been changed in minutes. All because she'd sent those emails to the van Heusens.

Now, logically thinking, she knew she did nothing wrong. She'd just reached out to relatives for help with a school project. How could she have possibly known that one email would cause evil vampires to target her family? And while they hadn't gotten a chance to talk about it yet, she knew her parents would never blame her.

But she knew she wouldn't be able to stop herself from doing so. The guilt was already intense, to the point where she wanted to hide under a rock until the whole ordeal was over. Nothing she ever did, no amount of "I'm sorry"s, would make the guilt go away. Tears were threatening to fall when the world started to take shape again, but she managed to hold them back. She didn't want to break down in front of strangers.

To keep her mind off her upsetting thoughts, she took in her new surroundings. She, her family, Alex and Justin were standing in the living area of a spacious loft. To her right was a kitchen, in front a dining room, and to the left of that were metal spiral stairs. Bright orange was the most prominent in the room's color scheme, but Teddy was drawn to the view outside the terrace doors. Though Teddy couldn't see much in the dark and from so far away, but she could see lights that revealed tall buildings. She was definitely in a big city, which made Teddy even more anxious than she had been.

"Where are we?" Amy asked nervously. She still held on to Charly, but one protective hand was on her youngest son's shoulder. Both the ten-year-old boy and one-year-old baby just seemed confused, yet also excited, more than anything else.

As he tucked his wand in the back pocket of his jeans, Justin explained, "Manhattan, New York. Our family lives here, and runs the sandwich shop downstairs."

"You run a sandwich shop? Awesome, unlimited cold cuts!" PJ remarked. At his family's raised eyebrows, he said, "What? Just being positive."

Before anyone could respond, Teddy saw a younger teenage boy wander in from the side hallway. The large group of strangers in his living room didn't even make him blink. "What's up?" he asked who must have been his older brother and sister casually.

"Hey Max, these are the Duncans. They'll be staying with us for a while until Justin slays the vampires after them," Alex easily explained. Then she added as an afterthought, "One of Teddy's brothers will probably have to stay in your room." She then turned to the Duncans. "This is our little brother Max. My best friend Harper also lives with us, her room is in the basement."

"Okay," Max simply replied, then wrinkled his brow in confusion. "Teddy? Am I going to be sharing my room with a teddy bear?"

Teddy laughed before she realized he was being serious. "No, uh, my name is Teddy," she introduced, then pointed to her respective siblings. "These are my brothers PJ and Gabe, and that's my little sister Charlie."

"Charlie's a girl? And your name is Teddy?" Max shook his head as he grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and went back to his room. "You people are weird."

When he left, the others could only dismiss his odd behavior. "That was probably the most messed up conversation I've ever had," Teddy said.

"That's Max for you," Alex replied.

"In that case, I'm very glad he won't be my roommate." She smiled at her brothers, who looked like they wanted to spend their life savings on a nearby hotel room. "Have fun with that."

The next couple of hours were pure chaos. Justin and his family did their best to fit another six people in their already full loft. Poor Harper had to give up her room so Amy, Bob and the baby could sleep in her bed. Harper was a good sport about it though, and said she'd been wanting to try sleeping out on the terrace because she'd heard somewhere that extensive exposure to night air was good for a person's health.

Speaking of the terrace, Justin was relieved when he found out that his parents quickly sent Zeke home as soon as Alex and Justin left to get the Duncans. From what Justin heard, Zeke had been pretty upset about that. Justin would have to come up with an excuse for his parents' behavior and apologize to Zeke later. Granted, Zeke shouldn't be so obsessed with a non-existent constellation, but the Russo parents did say he could stargaze.

Anyway, because of their similar age groups, Gabe had been stuck in Max's room while PJ bunked with Justin. At first Justin thought there might be a problem since he usually made his bed disappear during the day so he had more space to study or do research. Then it occurred to him that he could easily make two beds appear, so that was why there was currently a bunk bed in his crowded room. Alex, always eager to use magic, had made two twin beds appear instead. While she did have the room for it, she also did it because she refused to sleep in a bunk bed, or trip over an air mattress.

At the moment, PJ was settling in. After popping into the Duncan home first to make sure the vampire had thawed and escaped, Justin then brought the Duncans back so they could pack a bag with enough clothes for at least several days. While Justin estimated it would take about a week for the van Heusens to reach America, the vampires could easily get there sooner, especially since they were probably in a hurry.

"So, uh, need anything?" Justin asked awkwardly, not used to playing host.

"No, I'm okay," PJ answered. "Thanks though. Hey, do you mind if I take the bottom bunk? I usually don't even know I'm awake when I first get up in the morning, so I really doubt I'll remember that ladder's there."

Justin laughed. "Sure, no problem. I don't think I'll be getting much sleep anyway."

The lighthearted remark made PJ pause, concern in his expression. "Oh, right. Dude, is there anything I can do to help? Kind of got the impression that you're doing this - protecting us - all by yourself."

"I am, but it's fine. I'm sure I'll get some back up soon." I hope, Justin thought.

"Oh. Well, thanks. For you know, saving us from blood-thirsty vampires," PJ replied. After a second's hesitation, he asked, "Uh, can I ask you a personal question? You don't have to answer if you want."

Curious of what the question could possibly be when they just met, Justin shrugged. "Okay."

Another long pause later, PJ anxiously said, "Before, when you and your dad were explaining to us more of what's going on..." He was referring to when the Duncans first arrived, after introductions were made. Justin and Jerry gave the overwhelmed Duncans a whirlwind lesson about the magical world, and why vampires were after them. "You mentioned that Juliet was your girlfriend." He then blurted, "What happened?"

Even though he wanted to reply with a sarcastic retort, Justin let out a deep breath. He couldn't blame PJ for wanting to know when Justin had been purposefully vague about it. "Right, well...it's a long story," he began. "But she was scratched by a werewolf. When that happens to a vampire, it drains their powers...including immortality."

The implication didn't immediately click, but a second later PJ's eyes widened. "Oh. Wow, I'm sorry about that, man."

"Thanks," Just replied, his voice tense. Suddenly he was very uncomfortable. "Look, uh, I'm going to check on everyone." Remembering it was only ten 'o clock or so, he added, "You're welcome to hang out downstairs when you're done."

After checking on the girls, who didn't need anything either, he went downstairs to make himself a cup of tea. He'd been stressed all day long, and his favorite hot beverage was the only way he'd get any sleep that night. He wanted to enjoy it alone, but when he got downstairs, his parents and the Duncan parents were in the kitchen chatting over coffee. The baby, Charlie if memory served him right, was sleeping on the couch, carefully surrounded by pillows and watched by her mother.

When Theresa saw her weary son trudge down the stairs, she went over and gave him a comforting hug. "How are you holding up, mijo? Do you want me to make you some tea?"

Normally, Justin enjoyed the process of making the tea almost as much as drinking it. But since he had no desire to make small talk with the Duncans, the offer was welcome. "Yeah, that'd be great. Thanks, Mom. Is it okay if I wait out on the terrace?" Harper was upstairs with Alex and Teddy, so he would have a few extra minutes of solitude. "I'll come in for it when it's ready."

"Honey, you've had a long, hard day. I'll bring it out to you," Theresa assured him.

Justin thanked his mother again, then went out to the terrace and lied down on one of the lounge chairs. Even though he never thought the outdoor cushions were especially comfortable, he felt every muscle in his body start to unclench. Knowing that he would soon have a steaming mug of tea helped him relax even more.

"Much better," he said to himself with a content sigh. All he had to do was push all thoughts of evil vampires out of his mind, then maybe he might be able to get some badly needed sleep.

As she watched her son go out to the terrace, undoubtedly for some peace and quiet, Theresa felt her heart break a little, like it did whenever one of her children was going through a rough time. Of course, she'd known for a while that Justin had been under constant stress anyway because of his Juliet research, but seeing him drag himself down the stairs like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders actually made her want to cry on the spot. The only reason she didn't was because her guests were watching. "Poor mijo," she whispered instead.

Sympathy on her face, Amy said, "I know, he looks so tired." Then she asked, "What's 'mijo'?"

"It's a Spanish term, means 'my son,'" Theresa explained. She turned to her husband. "Jerry, there has to be something we can do. I know none of us have powers, but I can't just stand by while my son tries to slay vampires all by himself."

Bob nodded in agreement. "If you do have a plan, count me in. Granted, I'm still in shock a little bit, but my family is in danger too."

"No way," Jerry snapped, at both his wife and Bob. At the others' surprised expressions, he explained, "Look, I know where you're all coming rom, I get it. And if there's anything you can do, I'll let you know. But it's too dangerous for anyone who doesn't know exactly what to expect when facing off with powerful vampires. That's why I'm going with Justin, and up until whenever the battle is, I've decided I'll coach Alex and Max so they can fight too. Magic won't actually slay the vampires, but it's effective if used correctly."

Is he serious?Theresa thought with angry disbelief. "So, let me get this straight," she began harshly. "I love my kids, but you actually expect Alex and Max to learn Vampire Fighting 101 before the van Heusens get here in less than a week? Have you met our kids? They barely show up to magic lessons as it is! And what are you going to be doing in this battle, huh? You don't have powers either!" She threw up her hands and began to pace the small area on the side of the kitchen. "See, stuff like this is why I hate magic! Nothing good comes from it, nothing!"

Meanwhile, Amy and Bob traded stunned glances. "Wow," Amy remarked. "Our fights are usually about whose turn it was to pick up Gabe from his Student Council meeting."

Suddenly embarrassed, Theresa realized she'd yelled at her husband in front of company. Sure enough, Jerry looked pretty upset with her at the moment. To regain control of her fury, she lt out a very deep breath and began to make Justin his tea. "I'm sorry," she muttered to the whole group. "Just lost my temper."

"Don't worry about it, we're all a little on edge right now," Bob replied, then turned to Jerry. "Though she does have a point. About you not having powers, I mean. I don't know what your kids are like."

"Well, since magic isn't really a major weapon anyway, I won't be at that much of a disadvantage," Jerry explained. "And I have an emergency silver dagger in the lair."

Amy raised an eyebrow. "Silver dagger? I thought you were supposed to use wooden stakes for vampires, and silver bullets for werewolves."

"That's true about werewolves, but wooden stakes are just a myth," Jerry replied with an amused shake of his head. "I mean, think about it. Vampires are so strong, all a wooden stake would do is give you splinters. Silver is the only metal that can injure monsters."

Intrigued, Bob said, "Wow, you really know your stuff. Why don't you have powers again? I think Amy and I were bringing our bags downstairs during that part of the whole magic discussion."

As she finished making her son's tea, Theresa couldn't help but smile. Even after all these years, Jerry's huge sacrifice still amazed her. It was why she was able to break ties with her own family. "Well," she began while she turned back to the group. "You heard the part about the wizard competition, right?" When Bob and Amy nodded, she continued, "Jerry won, but because wizards aren't allowed to marry mortals, he gave up his powers for me."

"To this day, I sometimes question that decision," Jerry teased.

Though her natural reaction was to glare, Theresa resisted since she'd just yelled at him. "Okay, I deserved that. But next time, you pay."

"Oh my gosh, that's so romantic!" Amy exclaimed. Then she playfully smacked her husband's arm. "You've never done anything like that for me."

"Hey, if I had powers, I would've done the same. But I can't give up what I don't have, right?" Bob argued, then glared at Jerry. "Thanks for that," he said sarcastically.

Jerry chuckled. "Hey, you're the one who asked."

They all laughed, then Theresa excused herself to bring Justin his tea. Her exhausted son was already passed out on the lounge chair. "Hi, sweetie. Don't mind me, I'll just put your tea on the table."

"Thanks, Mom," Justin muttered as he tried to open his eyes. His voice sounded weak.

Her heart breaking again, Theresa brushed aside a piece of his hair out of his eyes before she left. "Go back to sleep, mijo," she whispered, then sadly shook her head, again wishing she could do more to help her son.