When the shadowy car pulled up to the vaguely familiar townhouse, silver poured from the grey heavens in gaunt droplets. Edward Sr. and Elizabeth waited at the door, morbid as the fog. Edward got out of the car alone followed by Ernest who carried both suitcases and placed them on the porch. He took off his hat when he shook the hands of the parents and promptly left, almost as if sorrow was the feared contagion.
The three stood on the porch for a moment. Then the father left, followed by his wife after she gave her son a soft pat on the back. Edward stood watching the rain beat against the pavement but he saw the newly-lived scene. A month or so earlier, when they sat squished into that same car, they were so content in the arms of the other. Just now, they were miles apart, the excess space and melancholy inching each other away. He bowed his head, a prayer: for her, for him, for anyone who needed it, and he sulked inside.
The drops widened and grew heavy, their movements were volatile, their speed increased. Someone in the waiting room of the hospital shared a hushed conversation with a particularly unsympathetic doctor which ended in pained protests and teardrops as raindrops.
Someone with weighty boots trod up the hallway stairs to the upper unit of the townhouse and left ten minutes later. The disturbance remained unnoted by the Masens. It was not until a cautious pair of squishy footsteps shifted up the steps that the disturbance became significant. There was a small knock at the front door, immediately Edward jumped up to get it.
"Cara." Edward was joined by his mother behind him and his father who placed a hand tenderly on Elizabeth's shoulder.
"What's the matter, dear?" Elizabeth said as she opened the door wider, signifying that she was welcome inside. Cara made no move.
"They told me I-I could not go h-home." She quickly wiped a forming tear. Her dress clung to her legs, her hair dripped, she shook violently from chill or tears every so often.
"What?" Edward Sr. asked, amazed.
"T-They told me my parents are so sick that everything i-in my house can infect me..." She let's a few tears fall as some water fell with it, "they locked my doors." A sniffle, "I have nowhere."
"You have us." Edward Sr. said, voicing the family opinion, "you are welcome here."
"Please, sit." Elizabeth said as she walked Cara into the living room. As they walked, Edward Sr. looked over to his son and gave him the smallest hint of a smile. It was a look that said, in the least pompous way possible, 'you're welcome'. He knew.
Later that night, Cara walked over to the kitchen as she pat her wet hair with a dry towel. She wore an old night shirt that came to her bare knees. Her feet were silent on the hardwood floor. She loved the silence. When she sat at the table and gazed out at the drowsy city, she heard something. A creak of a floorboard made her turn her head towards the entrance to the kitchen. Edward stood unmoving. They exchanged awkward, comforting half-smiles before he took a few calculated steps towards her. She too a few deep breaths as she set down the glass of water she held in her hand. She stood when he was inches from her. They remained entranced in the other's gaze and in the next moment, they held each other tight. Finally, the feeling of closeness set in. Edward stroked Cara's wet hair as he hugged her tenderly. She stood on her toes and gave his cheek a long, meaningful, sweet kiss and then pulled away. I saw this look in her eyes. It was a look that told me that she needed me with her now. And I was not about to let her slip away from me again. He grasped both her hands and parted his lips, as if about to speak. The words were gone before he even knew them. There shant be words. Not at a moment as beautiful as this. He touched her soft cheeks and her silky neck, he held her shoulders then her back. He held her close as she snuggled her head into the nook of his neck. We shared a heartbeat.
…
Phew, almost missed that one. Well, this has been an eventful week. Quite a bit of work getting this chapter up. I tried desperately to find the original play version of this but it seems to have been lost in time, space, and old external hard-drives. Oh well. I think this new (haphazardly done) version is better. Since I do give little hints as a live-action author, my suggestion, is to keep in mind that the water glass is important. VERY important. Yes… that is all I am willing to say of it. Anyway, thanks so much again for voting, still a few more weeks until the final answers will be taken and I will just use the highest rated answer. The question again is "Where is the most likely place you would run into a vampire?" (or something like that). Please vote on that if you have not done so just yet, I adore your opinions as my lovely readers for you truly do mean the absolute world to me! Now, I'm hoping to do a hyper-speed chapter upload thing in the month of July…ish. I've got a big vacation coming up and more free-time+ pretty places= more inspiration. So I'm hoping to actually bang out chapters every day but, (knock on wood) we shall see. But, before I start really dragging on, I just wanted to say that the thing about Cara talking to the doctor and then crying. I wish I could make that into a short movie because I would have it where she is talking silently then she sinks down and starts screaming and crying and its silent and people walk around her like its nothing. Wouldn't that be perfect? Horrible, but perfect. Anyway, note that when they got home from Aron's house, it was late at night. That's not too important but you have the right to know. Anyway, stay tuned my lovelies! Cheers!