Chapter 6

Sookie's car crept up slowly down Jessica's street. I twiddled my thumbs in the backseat, nervously anticipating what was to come.

"Here, this is it. Across the street," Jessica said softy. Sookie parked the car on the curb. The three of us sat in silence for a minute, studying the quaint, little house. It was your typical, suburban family home.

"My daddy won't be home yet, but my mama and sister should be there."

I leaned forward in my seat so I could see the other girls better. Sookie stole a glance at me, but quickly averted her eyes. She was looking absolutely guilty about something.

"Jessica?" she gulped.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry." Tears streamed down Sookie's face. Jessica looked just as confused as I was.

"Well, why are you crying?" she asked.

"Because I did this to you," Sookie choked out. "If Bill hadn't… I took your life away, and I know there's no way you'll ever be able to forgive me. It's not even right to ask. But I had no idea it was gonna lead to this." Had I missed something? Why was Sookie responsible for what happened to Jessica? There was no way she meant for this to have happened.

"I don't blame you, Sookie," Jessica told her.

"How's that even possible?" she asked in disbelief.

Before Jessica had a chance to respond, or I got to ask what was going on, the young vampire's head snapped towards the house, faster than I had ever seen anything move. Through the window, a little girl shut the blinds.

"There's my sister," Jessica said as she jumped out of the car.

"Jessica!" I yelled after her. "Shit!" I got out of the car hastily, but Sookie was so panicked that she was frozen in place. "Sook, come on!" She snapped out of it and hurried after me. Oh god, we were in trouble.

"Jessica!" she yelled as Jessica knocked on the door.

"Get back in the car!" I hollered.

"Hello?" Jessica called through the door. Sookie grabbed her arm and tore her off the door.

"You promised," she scolded her, but it was too late. The door was already opening.

A redheaded woman who was obviously Jessica's mom stood in the doorway, staring at her daughter in disbelief.

"Jessica," her mom breathed. She grabbed her and pulled her into a hug, crying. Jessica looked over her mom's shoulder at me.

"Don't. Cry," I whispered to her sternly. Blood tears were definitely not going to help the situation. When they released each other, a tiny girl appeared in the doorway.

"Oh, hey Eden," Jessica smiled.

"Where were you?" the child asked her sister.

"It doesn't matter. Just call your father, and- and tell him that Jessica's home," the mother told her. Eden left to get the phone.

"Uh, uh. Momma," Jessica said. "I'd like to introduce you to my- my friends. Uh, this is Sookie and Lissa."

"Hello, girls," the mother gawked. "Thank you. Thank you so much for bringing her back." She gave each of us a hug.

"You're welcome," Sookie said nervously. Jessica looked from me, to Sookie, to her mom.

"Aren't you gonna invite us in?" she asked.

"What?!" I said, petrified.

"No, no! We can't stay," Sookie interjected.

"Honey, your arm's like ice," Jessica's mom said. "Come on in and I'll make you some tea." She gestured towards me and Sookie, "Come on." We exchanged nervous looks before following the mother inside. We sat on the sofa while her mom disappeared into the kitchen to make the tea.

"I don't normally cuss, but you have completely fucked me," Sookie whispered to Jessica angrily.

"I know and I'm really sorry," she tried to apologize, "but I swear it was like it wasn't even me doing it. It must be those new vampire impulse control issues."

"Fuck your impulse control issues," I spat at her. Jessica opened her mouth to apologize again, but quickly shut it when her sister came in carrying a platter.

"Here's some sandwiches. Mom's still making the tea," Eden said. We all thanked her simultaneously.

Her mother yelled to the little girl from the kitchen, "You already had dinner. Don't touch those sandwiches." Eden ignored her and turned to me.

"You're pretty," she said to me. I beamed. She was so sweet.

"Why, that's awful nice of you," I smiled. "And you're very pretty yourself."

"No. I'm not," she said in all seriousness. "Got a problem with hair." I thought her long, red hair was gorgeous, and I was about to tell her that when the sound of the front door opening stopped me.

Jessica stood up as her father entered the house. They stared at each other expressionless for a split second, and there was obviously some sort of tension between them. But they softened immediately and held each other in their arms.

Suddenly, her father pulled away and grabbed her arms roughly. "How could you do this?"

"Daddy," Jessica started.

"Do you have any idea what you put your mother through?" he yelled, shaking his daughter. Sookie and I stood from the couch. "Why, Jessica? You tell me why!"

"Mr. Hamby!" Sookie yelled.

"Or I will make you tell me!" he said menacingly. Jessica shoved him off of her using her vampire strength, and his back hit the wall behind him.

"Go ahead, Daddy. Get your belt," Jessica warned. Her fangs popped out and she hissed. Mr. Hamby's eyes widened. "But this time, I'll be ready for you."

My head spun from the drastic turn of events. I had never been in a situation like this before; I had never even seen a vampire's fangs up until this point. My body went into fight or flight mode and the only thing I could think of to do was grab Eden, who stood next to me, and pull her behind me protectively. Mrs. Hamby let out a small shriek and Sookie stood frozen in fear.

"How could you let some bloodsucker bite you like that?" Mr. Hamby scolded. Why was he blaming her for this? And even more crazy, why was he still provoking her?

"Mr. Hamby!" I said, pleading with him to stop.

"I didn't let anybody do anything to me," Jessica bared her fangs. "But, oh, am I glad he did. 'Cause now I get to homeschool you in what it's like to be scared." With her vampire speed, she ran and pushed her father into the wall, hard.

"Jessica! Stop!" Sookie yelled charging after her.

"Jesus Christ, Sookie. Would you shut the fuck up?" Jessica pushed Sookie to the ground with a thud.

"You okay?" Eden asked her as I pulled the girl a couple steps back, cautiously. Sookie seemed okay, as she got up somewhat quickly.

"Baby, please," Mrs. Hamby begged. "This isn't you."

"You don't know the first thing about me!" Jessica accused her. "You're too dumb to know anything."

"Jessica!" I shouted.

"Oh, what?" she said turning towards me. I gulped and took a few more steps away, bringing Eden with me. "She is dumb. She's dumber than a sack full of hammers," she pointed to her father, "and he's as mean as a snake. And that's the way it's always gonna be around here." She paused for a moment in thought. I could understand her hatred for her father, as mine was no good as well, but she looked like she was about to murder him. She noticed Eden behind me, face red with tears. "So I am ending it. Right here, right now. And I am doing it with your belt."

Before Sookie or I could react, she pushed him into another wall. She undid her father's belt and took it from him.

"Daddy?" Eden cried as she tried to move towards him. I held her back, afraid of what Jessica might do.

"It's okay, baby," Mr. Hamby told her. Jessica wrapped the belt around his neck and tightened it.

"Don't worry," she growled at him. "This will only hurt for a minute." She moved her fangs to his neck. I cringed in anticipation.

Jessica was interrupted by the door swinging off the hinges. Everyone turned to see a man snarling angrily outside the door. I recognized the pale, dark haired man as Bill from my visions. His fangs were bared.

"Bill!" Sookie said, relieved yet scared at the same time.

"Jessica, let him go!" he roared.

"But-" she protested.

"As your maker, I command you!" She backed down immediately at his words.

"God help us," Mrs. Hamby whispered in fear.

"Thank god you're here," said Sookie.

"Shut up!" Bill dismissed her, furiously. "Now, someone who lives here must invite me in."

"No," Mr. Hamby said from the back wall. "No, don't, he's one of them. He'll kill us all."

"He won't. He's not like that," Sookie tried to explain. Bill scanned the room, and his eyes rested on the little girl cowering behind me.

"You," he said, pointing at Eden. "Little girl. Come here." To my surprise, she started walking around me, towards him. I panicked and grabbed her, holding her back.

"Lissa, it's okay," Sookie said to me. I hesitated, and then unwillingly let Eden go.

"Eden! Eden, don't," Mrs. Hamby squawked.

"Come back here!" Mr. Hamby screamed in a terrifying voice. But Eden continued to walk towards Bill until she was face to face with him at the doorway.

"Good girl," Bill praised her. "Now, you listen to me. I'm here to protect you. You and your mother and your father. I am your friend. So you just invite me in, and I can make everything stop."

"You can?" she asked, seemingly in a trance.

"Yes."

"Won't you please come in, sir?" The second Eden finished the last syllable, Bill jolted inside, pushed Jessica away from her father, and grabbed Sookie.

"I'm sorry," she squealed.

"Get the hell outta here," he ordered her. "Now! So I can clean up your mess."

"Please don't kill them," she begged.

"This is your fault!" he roared back at her. "Now get the hell outta here." Sookie ran outside. Bill ran over to Mr. Hamby and examined us all. He looked at Jessica, and Eden clutching onto her mother, and me, embracing the piano behind me to keep me from fainting. He turned his gaze back to Jessica's father and snarled.