Chapter 5: Shattered

"You know what? It doesn't matter who I am – Shelby, who are they?"

"This is Edgar, and Alan. They're, uhm… They're…"

"We're her brothers."

"She's our sister."

Shelby knew that Paul was waiting for further information, but all she wanted to do at the moment was get back to the cave – where she was safe… "Guys – I'm sorry, but I can't stay –,"

"Fuck, no!" Alan interrupted, "You've got to come back home! Everyone's gone batshit since you disappeared!"

She shook her head, "No – I can't. Listen," she leaned in close to tell them, "You know that cave out the outskirts of the beach?"

"The one with the 'Keep Out' signs all around it?" Edgar asked.

She nodded, "Come to that cave tomorrow – around one o'clock – and I'll explain everything, alright?" They hesitated, before agreeing, "And, in the meantime, please – whatever you do – don't tell anyone that you've seen me. Please." She extended her hand, balled up into a fist, to them, hopefully. They whispered amongst themselves for a moment, then did the same thing – partaking in a three-person fist bump. "Thanks, guys."

"We missed you, sis." Edgar told her, a small grin playing across his face.

Smiling, she pulled them both into a hug. "I miss you, too. And I'm sorry for running away." She looked over at Paul, who was gesturing for her to come with him, and broke the hug. "I'll see you tomorrow. I love you guys." She took Paul's hand and waved to her brothers before leaving with him – headed for… home.

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"Why didn't you tell me?"

Shelby sighed, running a hand through his hair, lightly. They were sitting on the couch, in the cave, waiting for Edgar and Alan to show up. The rest of the boys were asleep in their dark room; Paul had insisted on being with her when they arrived – just in case.

"About what?" She asked, even though she knew exactly what he was referring to.

Paul raised an eyebrow, "That the two dorks who run the comic book shop are your little brothers."

That's a nice way to describe them… "I don't know," she replied, shrugging, "It never came up, I guess."

Paul nodded, but she knew he was still burning with questions. He'd get the answers – some of them, anyway – when they got there. The truth was that before she'd become a vampire, she had thought of her brothers. They were the only family she cared about, and she had definitely missed them in her time away from home. They were three years younger than her, which meant that most of her life had been spent watching out for them. They were unpopular all throughout school; mainly because of their obsession – for lack of a better word – with vampires. They had prided themselves on being expert 'vampire hunters' since the age of seven – which was part of why Shelby was so nervous about telling them what she was now. She hoped that, since they were family, they'd be able to look past her state of being. She hoped…

Sensing her distress, Paul moved in to wrap his arms around her, tightly. She appreciated this, resting her cheek against his shoulder and sighing. "What if they end up hating me? They hate vampires… They're gonna hate me, too."

Paul brushed the hair out of her face and kissed her forehead, "They won't. You're family – and that, like… means something."

She bit her lip, holding in her tears, "But… what if?"

He was silent for a moment, then shrugged, "You've still got me. And the rest of the guys."

Before she could reply, they heard the sound of footsteps and straightened up. Shelby's heart was racing – at least, it would be, if it were beating – but she smiled when Edgar and Alan appeared at the entrance. They looked slightly on edge, but had (thankfully) left their weapons at home. They made their way forward cautiously, until they were right in front of her.

"Hi, guys."

"Hey, Shelbs." They replied, in unison.

There was an awkward moment, in which no one moved or spoke – not knowing what to say. Finally, Edgar spoke up: "Well, let's not draw this out – start talkin', sis."

Shelby swallowed, but nodded. "Okay, erm… sit down." She indicated the chair opposite where she was on the couch. Looking over at Paul, who was standing a few feet away, she managed a grin, which he reciprocated. Edgar and Alan sat down beside each other, not speaking, and waited for her to speak again.

"Uhm…" She suddenly felt very uncomfortable and anxious. All eyes were on her. "When was the last time you saw me?"

"About two and a half weeks ago – at home." Alan mumbled, his expression blank.

Edgar added, "You told us you were going for a walk."

"And that you'd be right back."

Guilt flooded her body as she remembered that night. "I went out to the Boardwalk, and I was sitting on the Carousel, when I realized that someone –," she glanced over at Paul, who smirked down at the floor, not meeting her eyes, "– was watching me. He came over, we got to talking, he brought me back here, and… uh…" Her cheeks turned pink, and her brothers shifted uncomfortably in their seats, "You can kind of guess where it went from there."

Paul let out a snort, "Fuck yes they can – can't you, geeks?"

Alan glared at Paul, his lip curling, as Edgar replied, "Excuse me, Dee Snider – we're trying to hear what our sister has to say."

At that comment, Paul laughed and put his hands up in mock-surrender, "The resemblance between you and them is extremely vague, sassy." He mumbled.

Shelby rolled her eyes, and continued on with the story: "Anyway, once we were – uh – done with that…" At this point, she wanted nothing more than to run from the room and hide, but they deserved to know the truth. "Guys, you remember when you were little – and… you first got exposed to all that vampire shit? From then on, you told anyone who would listen that vampires were real – including me." The boys nodded, slowly, "I would always tell you that you were wrong; that there was no such thing."

"Are you going somewhere with this?" Alan asked, quietly.

She smiled, nervously, "Yes. You two are vampire experts, right?"

They shrugged. "We kind of are." Edgar replied, wanly.

Feeling more anxious now than she'd ever felt in her life, she gulped and said, "Then look at me. Really look at me – and tell me what I'm trying to tell you."

They looked momentarily indifferent – confusion in their eyes – and then they put the pieces together. Alan's eyes widened, as Edgar shook his head, "No… No – you can't… You aren't…"

"She's a bloodsucker." Alan whispered, voice low and hostile.

"Ding, ding, ding!" Paul chided, "We have a winner."

Shelby looked from one boy's horrified face to the other, and stammered out, "Yes. I-I am, but this doesn't change anything. I'm still –,"

"Still what?" Edgar flung at her, "Still our sister? Still human?"

Alan shook his head, as both of them stood up, "A bloodsucker's just that; a bloodsucker. Not human. A monster."

She felt herself start to shake on her feet; they were reacting exactly as she had feared. "No – no, guys, I promise I can control it. I –,"

"Save it." Edgar spat, turning to follow his brother and breaking into a run.

"Guys, wait!" Shelby cried, propelling herself forward after them. She was fast, but they had a head start. They were yelling things back and forth to one another, panting as they sprinted away. She heard Paul shouting at her to come back, but ignored him – if she could only reach them in time, maybe she could reason with them… She saw light up ahead; she was gaining on them. They were almost within her grasp –

And, suddenly, the whole world was pain. Nothing but pain.

Paul was on his feet, chasing after her, before she started screaming.

The pain was blinding. It was too much – unimaginable. White hot and searing, filling her entire body with agony. Paul couldn't take the sound of her screams – every shriek went right through him. She had wondered what the sunlight would do to a vampire – but she'd never expected it to hurt like this. Nothing – not even death – should hurt this much.

Finally, he reached her, "Fuck – sassy…"

She was curled up in a ball, just inside of the cave, the sunlight inches from her. Her arm was badly burned, and she was whimpering in pain. Looking out into the daylight, he could just make out Edgar and Alan before they disappeared over the hill. Paul felt so guilty; he could have prevented this… Kneeling beside her crumpled form, he scooped her up into his arms, gently, careful not to touch her where she was hurt. An agonized moan escaped her lips, but she clung to him regardless, tears staining his shirt as she cried.

"Ssshhhh…" he quieted her, rocking her from side to side, slowly, "It's okay. You're going to be okay – I promise…"

Hearing her sob like this was more painful than anything Paul could dream of. She gasped and whimpered, her whole body trembling against his. He could feel the heat of the sun on his back, but the light could not reach them now. God, he was such an asshole. How could he let something like this happen to her?

"You're going to be okay," he repeated him, softly, kissing the top of her head and not letting her go even for a second.

Her voice was shaky when she spoke: "Paul… They h-hate me n-now…"

He shook his head, "No – they just freaked. They love you."

"M-my arm –," she wailed, "It hurts s-so much… I thought I was d-dying…"

"I know, baby, I know," he murmured, hating himself, "I'm sorry – I should have tried harder to stop you…"

She sniffed, "You… You did. I didn't listen – it's not your f-fault." Paul nodded, even though he knew it was his fault, and sighed. "How b-bad is it?" She asked, wincing shortly.

He glanced down at her left arm, which hung limply at her side. The skin was black – charred – up to her elbow, and blistered. The sight of it was alarming, and it made his stomach churn. He closed his eyes, in an attempt to shake the image from his mind. "It's pretty bad," he admitted, rubbing her back, "How do you feel?"

She huffed out a short breath, "Awful…" Looking up at him, she managed a tiny smile, "But you're here – so it's not all bad."

He grinned along with her, before pulling her closer and laying his head down on her shoulder. He felt her good arm tighten around his middle.

"When I heard you scream, I…" He kissed her neck, gently, "I thought I was gonna lose you. I was so… scared – that you were…"

It was her turn to comfort him now, and she replied, "I'm fine. I'm fine, Paul… Don't worry…"

"You're fine now – sure – but what about next time? What if something worse happens to you? You're my responsibility, sassy, and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I got you hurt, or…" He couldn't bring himself to say 'killed', so he grew silent and just held her.

"You won't. I trust you – always. I know you'll protect me, no matter what."

He laughed, shaky and harsh, and buried his face in her hair. "Just… don't scare me like that – ever again. Okay? I can't… I can't…" He took a breath, then whispered, "I love you."

Shelby froze for a second at those words; it was the first time he'd told her that. She closed her eyes, wanting to save this moment in her memory forever. She broke away slightly, and he raised his head to look at her. Smiling, she leaned in to kiss him, wrapping her un-injured arm around his neck. When they broke apart, she looked him the eyes and said, "I love you, too."

The smiled that she received from him in reply was so sincere and grateful – she felt like crying, out of happiness.

"We should get you into bed," he said, standing up with her in his arms, cradled to him like a child. "You need rest. And I'm gonna have a helluva lot of explaining to do when the guys wake up."

She nodded, and let her head rest on his shoulder, as he began to carry her back to their bed, steadily.

A/N: Reviews are beautiful :) I'll update ASAP ;D