13. Straight Enough.
They won't let me see my own sister.
"The visiting hours are over. You'll disturb the other patients. Please go home and get some sleep," says a nurse for the third time. I'm pacing up and down in a hallway. My family sit in a line of seats along it, all looking up at me. Mam gets to her feet, an apologetic look on her face as she says something to the nurse too quietly for me to hear. The nurse nods and plods off down the corridor, throwing me glare over her shoulder.
"Robin, come on, sit down. Are you alright?" She puts a hand on my shoulder. It feels like I'm standing on fragile glass. Fragile glass with a crack in it that keeps on getting bigger. I can't speak right now. The lump in my throat is choking me. "Look, I think it's best that we all go home together. We can't stay here. Chloe will still be here in the morning."
"I'm not leaving," I manage to say. Ian gets to his feet, striking a macho mean pose at me.
"Selfish as ever. You put her in this spot Robin, now deal with it. We need some sleep. Come on, let's leave him here if he's so adamant."
I glare at him through my fringe, too tired to say anything back.
"Ian, don't be so nasty to your little brother. Whatever it is that has happened won't have been Robin's fault. The policeman who spoke to me earlier said that Chloe's the first person to come in with these wounds alive. Many have come in with the same thing, but they had no blood at all left in them. So I think we ought to be grateful to Robin."
I shake my head, going over to the wall and leaning against it. "No. Ian's right. I put Chloe where she is. It's my fault. I should never have involved her." My lower lip shakes and I stare at the floor through tired sad eyes.
"Robin," Mam says, stepping towards me. "What is it that you are involved in? What happened tonight?"
"It's over now." But I can't get the horrible feeling out of me. The feeling of being trapped in that coffin while Chloe was slowly dying. It's a horrible thing. My legs cave in and I sink to the floor. I can't help it. The whole time I've been keeping it together by distracting myself long enough so my brain hasn't got time to process any of it. But now my spell is broken and I can't stop the sobs from tearing out of me. I feel Mam sit beside me and wrap her arm around my shoulder. I bury my head into the nape of her neck and ride this thing out.
When I get out the other side I find myself sat on a chair, head leaning on Mam's shoulder. I lift it up and look around. Everyone else is gone. It's just me and her. She is sleeping and I guess I should too. I nudge her gently awake and suggest we get a taxi home. My watch reads 3:18am. Maybe a taxi is out of the question. We try anyway, slowly and distantly, both too tired to really function properly. There's a single taxi in the car park. The driver charges us through the roof, but it's okay. We don't mind.
I wake suddenly, one moment totally out of it, the next wide-eyed and tuned-in. Sunlight streams in my window. Every bone in my body aches and moans as I get to my feet and stretch out my limbs. I take a look out the window at the street below. Everything looks so bright in this crisp sunlight. I turn back to my room and its dark tranquillity, search through my drawers for something to wear. Most of my clothes are scattered around my floor, waiting to be washed. So I put on some old thing I hardly ever wear. A gift from an out of touch Auntie. I take a long look at myself in the mirror, wearing this tight fitting trendy green t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. I could do with a bath really. A blinking green light flashes beyond my reflection. My laptop is still on. I log in and see one message waiting for me.
Robin,
Don't go up to the castle again. I've sent a letter to the Slayer Guild. I hope this might wake them up and they figure out what's actually going on. I'm not going back to Stokely. Time to move on. I've persuaded Mum to move out. We're back in Cheshire now, where I imagine we'll be staying at least while I finish up my A levels.
I'm sorry for being so weird on the phone. I was really freaked out. I am still worried about Vlad, but hopefully the Slayer Guild will work things out and do what is best for everybody. It's probably better not to concern ourselves with it.
Once again, sorry that I dragged you into things. Best just to drop it. I'm safe. You keep safe too. You're a good guy and I feel that maybe we could have been mates, if things had been different. Stay in touch, yeah?
All the best,
Jonathon VH.
I smile and star the email to remind me to reply later. Right now I need some food, and then I'm going to see Chloe. Something distracts me, out the window. I peer down to the street. The hearse that was parked outside the castle is swerving in the road. Hooked onto the back is a trailer carrying what looks like ten or more Nu-Rave kids sheltering under black parasols. The hearse roof is overloaded with trunks and bags and all manner of strange possessions. Somehow I'm thinking I won't need to worry about the problem-neighbours up at the castle any longer. I make my way downstairs, following the scent of teacakes that drift up from the kitchen.
"Looks like the Count family are moving out." Mam says. "I just saw their car drive off all packed to the nines. And I swear it was Mr Renfield, the school caretaker, who was driving. He looked a little grimier than usual mind, so it could have been someone else."
"Did you see that trailer with all those disco-freaks in?" Paul laughs. "Looked like they had a dry-ice machine and everything, the way smoke was pouring out of it."
"Cranking out the Klaxons and brandishing their spent glow sticks. I wonder where the Count family picked those guys up from?" says Ian. I raise an eyebrow and sit at the table, hungrily digging into a teacake.
Ian suddenly looks uncomfortable. He nods his head at me and then tentatively says. "Sorry about snapping at you yesterday, bro. I was just stressed about Chloe, that's all."
"We all were. It's okay." I flash my eyes up to Mam and ask her what time we're going to the hospital.
"After breakfast. I'll just call the school and explain that you and Chloe won't be in today."
*
Chloe is pale and small looking in her bed. But she's awake and that's all that matters. The others have talked to her and gone off to get a snack, leaving us two alone.
"I'm sorry Chloe, for dragging you into that," I say guiltily.
"I dragged myself. And I'm glad I did, otherwise it would be you in a morgue right now."
"Yeah, I guess so. Cheers for that," I say with a small smile.
"So did you get your 'straight'?"
"Yeah I did. Well, not exactly straight. Kind of wonky, but straight enough." I reply softly.
"Want to fill me in?"
"Not really."
"Good, because I don't really want to know."
"No you don't." I swallow down and look at her looking at me. She gives me a ruffled expression.
"There's something different about you, Robin. I can't pin it…"
I think about it and then tug at my t-shirt. "New threads maybe. Well not new, just new on me."
"Oh yes! That's it. You're not wearing all black."
"The change might do me some good. It's about time I quit trying to hide myself in the shadows." She gives me a slanted look.
"Yes, but you don't have to merge right into being a trendy, normal person either. That doesn't suit you. You're different, individual and that's no bad thing."
I laugh and nod, clasping my hands together and leaning my elbows on my knees. "Too true. I can be different and individual and wear trendy gifts from crazy aunts sometimes. It's all good. There's no rules." She smiles back at me. "So what I'm going to do now is take a long hike up in the hills. Get some sun on my skin and wind in my hair." I get a raised brow and look of suspicion in reply.
"Okay, who are you and what have you done with my real brother?"
"There's no point fighting it any longer. I'm a Branagh. Okay, so I'm a slightly offbeat version. But I have Branagh blood in my veins and I wouldn't want it to be too different."
"Am I going to find you off doing work experience with Dad next week then?" I widen my eyes and shake my head.
"Hell no! There's nothing that's going to stop me from going to art school."
"Good," she nods. I sigh and stand up.
"I'm glad you're okay. Even if most of your blood is no longer Branagh blood," I joke. "I really don't get how that works. Blood transfusions and that,"
"Well…" she says in a voice that tells me if I don't stop her now she'll lecture me about some ultra-boffin junk that I really won't understand. So I raise my hands and shake my head.
"No point in even trying, Chloe. I'm going to art school after my A Levels. Not Cambridge." I get a smile and a nod. "But in the mean time I'm going to be cruising the streets of Stokely, looking for some skirt and trying my hardest to stay occupied in what can only be described as a..." Can't think of the right word, so I shake my head and go with; "a very boring place to grow up."
"Some skirt?"
"I need to get laid. It'll do me no good to go around with delicious virgin blood in my veins for too much longer." Chloe gives me a sideways look.
"Maybe you'll have better luck at art school. Even the girls in chess club think you're a weirdo." I pull a face and sigh. I've got another year and a half until A Levels are over. I've got to get laid before then. For my own safety.
End.
Please leave me a review. I'm thinking of writing an epilogue, or maybe a second YD fanfic. Let me know if you have enjoyed reading this and if you'd be interested in reading any other YD stories by me. Thanks for your support and reviews.