Chapter 10 – See in color

'Happy birthday baby!'

'Thanks, daddy.' I said, smiling back at my father. We had gone to McDonald's for my 17th birthday.

'Anything for my little girl.' He had the biggest smile on his lips as he looked over at me. We were sitting in his car, eating our burgers and frankly this was the best birthday ever!The best day in general since I had left the Stackhouse's... 'I'm sorry about... you know... but I'm a changed man now.'

The 'you know' he was referring to was about something that had happened a few days earlier. We had been in a liquor store, dads favorite place to hit up. They didn't have as much security, the safe's were normally placed under the cash register: Easy to break in to. Dad would normally go in first with his gun, tell the person working there to put his hands up, you know, the regular schtick, and I'd break into the safe. For a 16 year old girl that could sound like a bit much, but it wasn't, not with my powers. I'd break into the safe, blowing up the lock and we'd take the money, leaving without hurting anyone. This time was different though. We did our regular routine only Dad didn't count on the clerk to fight back. They fought for several minutes and Dad finally got the upper hand. He hit the clerk in the face with the gun and he passed out, blood gushing from his nose. I had cowered in the corner and when I got out I saw my Dad standing over the clerk, pointing the gun at him. He was so young, my age, and I couldn't bear the thought of my Dad killing him. I screamed for my Dad to stop, tears falling relentlessly down my cheeks. I begged him, but Dad didn't take his eyes off of the boy. I got up and pulled at his sleeves, pulling him out of the store just as I heard sirens in the distance. I had told him that I didn't want to rob any more shops, I wanted to be normal and go to school and parties like every other kid my age. I never knew what happened to the money, all I knew that at night he would take me back to the motel we were staying in, talk to someone on the phone and then take off, leaving me alone in the room with food from the vending machines.

'It's okay daddy, I'm happy. Now maybe we can settle down somewhere!' I squealed, eating away at my burger.'We could buy a house just outside town and do it up ourselves. And I could go back to school and you could get a job. It's going to be perfect!'

'Yeah...' he looked away from me, staring straight ahead at a car pulling in to a lot in front of us. 'I'll be right back,' he said, getting out of the car 'and then we can go to the movies!' I lighted up, feeling my heart skip a beat, I had a huge smile on my face and I only managed to nod an answer.

He went over to the three men who had stepped out of the car. They talked for a little when I suddenly felt my vision blur. What I saw next shouldn't be seen by anyone, ever. I saw the men from the car, bite me and have their way with me. They were vampires. I was calling for my dad. They were laughing at me, my crying form laying on the cold ground, dirty and bloodied. It was difficult to see in the cover of the night, so I hadn't noticed. As soon as my vision had returned I saw them giving my dad several vials filled with some red stuff, I didn't have time to think because I bolted out of the car.

Next thing I knew I was surrounded by two vampires, both sporting menacing fangs. I looked back at my Dad and he just stood there, mouth hanging open and eyes wide in shock. He quickly regained his cool mask.

'How could you,' I screamed, one of the vampires were toying with my hair 'I trusted you!'

'I'm sorry, sweetheart.' He gave me an apologetic look before he walked towards the car.

'You bastard! I hope you rot in hell!' I spat at him. He looked up from where he stood at the open car door. 'You're selling me? You're selling me for vampire blood?'

'I need my fix, it's nothing personal.' And with that he had gotten in the car and disappeared into the night.

'Come back here! Come back here you lying piece of shit!' I felt the tears roll down my cheeks as I sank to my knees. 'Don't leave me...'

'Aww, it's crying.' one of the vampires said, the third one had finally made it's way over. He twirled a lock of my hair between his fingers.

'Don't touch me,' I screamed, cowering away from them 'you dead rat!'

'Uh, and it's feisty too,' one of them cooed, I couldn't tell which one as my eyes were still blurry from crying.'We should teach it a lesson.' One grabbed my upper arm and pulled my to my feet. I struggled against him but it was to no avail. They started laughing at my attempts of hurting them.

'Let me go!' I screamed. They just kept laughing until a light bulb went off in my head. I stopped completely, closing my eyes, standing still and breathing in deeply. They're eyes were as big as saucers and the one holding on to me let go instantly. 'Die, you dead motherfuckers!' I raised my hands, pointing at them, waiting for them to fall backwards in pain. Nothing happened. They instantly began laughing hysterically, circling me.

'You're father told us who you were...' one of them said. They were moving so fast, I couldn't see any of them.'Maybe you're not as special as they say you are.' They're voices were everywhere and nowhere at the same time. I was turning to the voices frantically and every time I turned there was no one.

'Leave me alone!' More laughing.

Suddenly I was on the ground, a force pushing me so hard that I cracked a rib. Now all three of them stood hovering above me. In a blur one of them was kneeling in front of me, smirking. I felt him hold me down as I kicked and screamed. He yanked my head aside by my hair. I felt one rip off my pants and another rip of my cardigan, leaving me in a tank top. In the next moment they had all sunk they're fangs into me, one at my wrist, one at my thigh and one at my neck. It felt like I was dying, like they were sucking the life out of me. The pain of the fangs was unbearable, and I felt the tears well over once again.

'Daddy!'

Fuck, fuck, fuck! Oh, and did I mention: Fuck! Eric was perched on his knees, blood dripping from his mouth and chin onto his shirt.

'Sorry,' he said, shrugging his shoulders and trying to smile at me with all the blood still dripping from his mouth.

For a moment I felt annoyed that he was getting blood on his shirt but then I remembered that Chow had given me the bag with his things so he wouldn't have to walk around naked. Not that I'd mind... Andy, Focus! I felt a little weak at the knee's. I mean, could angels die? Weren't they supposed to be indestructible. Wasn't that the whole point of being an angel? If Sophia wasn't dead did that mean that she would show up here, pissed and ready to kill somebody, those somebodies, being me and Eric. I knew she wouldn't kill me. She would force me to come with her back to Spirit. I knew the only reason she had asked me instead of command that I go was because it was easier to tap into my powers if I was doing so willingly.

'Eric, you ass!' I screamed. Eric was swaying from side to side, groaning a little when he fell to the ground face first. He laid motionless on the ground and I went over and pushed his shoulders a little. 'Eric, get up. We have to get inside!' He stood up slowly and on unsteady feet, low growling noises coming from him.

'Heeeey.' He said when he noticed I was standing in front of him. He slowly walked up to me. 'More.' His voice was low and demanding.

'Stop.'

'I want more.' He ducked his head down so we were face to face, brushing his cold fingers down my neck.

'You can't have more, there isn't anymore.' I started backing away from him but he followed me. His eyes were darkened, his fangs covered in blood from Sophia.

'Drink you,' he said, sounding like a zombie, while he brushed the hair away from my neck.

'Eric, no! You'll kill me.' I felt a surge of panic and adrenalin rush through me when he lowered his head to my neck. I was scared out of my mind, so much that my head was going into overdrive and there was only one thing I could think of doing. It all happened in seconds and before I knew it I was speeding towards the front door. I had knee'd him in his privates, which had served to stop him in his tracks. I didn't stop to look if he was in pain, but I doubted it, since I couldn't hear him scream like I had tons of other human guys.

'I would never harm you.' Eric stood in front of me, I had stopped a little to suddenly when he had moved in front of me with vampire speed and I had fallen on my butt. He looked upset and confused, which looked a little odd with the blood and his huge fangs still out. I got up without taking the hand he had offered to me and stared at him or more precisely his fangs. He retracted them when he noticed me staring at them.

'You better not.' I said, brushing the dirt of my shorts. 'Come on, I'll tuck you in.' I turned to go inside and heard him giggle. If the other angels decided to show up we were screwed. Eric more so than me. If Sophia really was dead there was nothing I could do to save Eric. They would take him to stand trial before the Elders and killing an angel, a guardian angel nonetheless secured a sentence of meeting the true death and an eternity spent in the spitfires of Hell. Without redemption. The Elders were tough, self-righteous as fuck and ruthless when it came to their own kind. Vampires were doomed from the get-go. Their souls is said to have left their bodies once they are turned and are left trapped inside a parallel universe. I didn't believe that. To me, Eric definitely had a soul. Every time I looked into his eyes, it was like I could see it. Someone was in there, someone sweet and innocent and -

'Hey! Did you just pinch my butt?' I said, grabbing onto my bottom while Eric had the biggest grin on his face, circling me.

'Beautiful butt,' he said dazed, staring at it from where he stood behind me.

'Thanks, but hands off.' I started walking up to the house again when I felt his hands on my butt again. 'Eric!' He was laughing, running in front of me. 'Don't do that.' He kept laughing, stopping in front of me. He leaned down to me.

'Catch me.' And then he was off.

'Eric, come back here!' And he did. I jumped when I realized he stood an inch away from me, smelling my hair, twirling a lock of it in his hair. He was so tall, towering over my small frame, I felt my legs begin to quake, he was making little noised too! I wasn't as scared as I thought I should be. 'Eric...' I whispered softly.

'Mhhhhmm'

'You – you have to get inside.' It didn't sound nearly as strong as I wanted it to. He was gone again, popping up briefly so I could see where he had moved to now.

'Never.' He hissed. I gasped and jumped, clutching my hand over where my heart is. He was standing behind me and I turned to look at him.

'Eric, please. You have to get in the cubby. They'll kill you if they find you.' Eric looked confused, he tilted his heads and furrowed his brows. I had promised Pam I would keep him safe, and here we were, in my front yard after Eric just killed an angel. She was going to have my head. 'Please, I-'

I was cut off by the tingling sound in my limps and looked to were I felt the pull. A few feet away from us, on the porch, they had formed. Standing side by side, I counted at least six of them. Their faces blank as they ran their eyes over Eric and I. I recognized two of them, the other four stood in their white cloaks, as silence fell over the property. You could hear a pin drop, no animals, no sound of wind gusting through the trees, no sound of water dripping into the nearby pond. It felt like we stood there forever, the panic making my heart beat radically. I forced myself to not show the fear on my face as I straightened my back out.

'Annabelle,' the male of the two I knew said, the women nodded her greeting to me. I knew as soon as I had felt them that it was over. That they would take Eric to Spirit, that they would sentence him to eternity in hell. That I'd never get to see him again. I had failed and we were barely a day into my 'protection-program'. I felt like crying, screaming, running and most of all hitting Eric for being so stupid. I wanted to regret that feeling, I wanted to feel that it wasn't his fault but it was. He did this to me. He was leaving with them and frankly I wanted to send them away so I could deal with him myself. And as soon as that feeling had hit me it was gone and I was back to fear again. I thought that maybe if I could somehow get Eric a head start, he'd be able to run to Pam or just away from here. If I could distract them, then they wouldn't take Eric from me. He'd survive, he'd be able to run away. I knew that wasn't going to happen, I didn't have a fraction of the power they possessed. I couldn't take on one let alone six. They were stronger than me, way stronger than me. They could destroy us both with a flick of their wrists. I collected my thoughts, straightened my back even more and stared defiantly back at them.

'Janus... Faunus.'