CHAPTER II
On the next day, Gala came home to find her younger brother lying on the bed, two tissues stuck up his nose and a warm wet one on his forehead.
"Fighting with the McAshtons, of all people" she heard Dottie say.
Gala flinched and closed her fists in fury. Those two kids were asking for a piece of her mind, and if they kept up the bullying they would certainly get it. Dottie walked out the room and rolled her eyes at Gala. The girl got inside her brother's room and sat next to him.
"What happened?" she softly asked.
"They were waiting for me right outside the school and I called them losers. Then they started hitting me"
"Way to go, you bad-ass!" she chanted.
"What happened?" a concerned voice came from the chest.
"My brother got pounded by a couple of stupid, little imps with too much time" she cracked her knuckles menacingly and heard Rudolph doing exactly the same.
"How are you, Tony?"
"I'll be fine" he sounded so nasal it was painful to listen to, and Rudolph seemed to think that too, because he hissed loudly enough for them to startle them.
"Who are these 'imps'?" he snarled.
"See, that's were the problem is. If they were random kids, I would kick their asses myself, but they are Tony's dad's boss's grandchildren"
"What does that mean?"
"It means that Lord McAshton, grandfather to the imps, is more powerful than Tony's dad and can therefore be troublesome"
"We'll take care of them tonight" the answer came sharp and clear.
That same afternoon, Tony went golfing with Bob and Gala readied the horse they'd rented for her to go for a ride. She absolutely loved riding down these fields. Plus, Boannan, the beautiful mare that was now 'hers', had the most wonderful gallop she'd ever felt. Her pitch black lithe and long body gave her the right body structure to run extremely fast. Gala hadn't taken her out in three days and the mare was restless. She needed to stretch her legs. So that afternoon she took her out. The hooves of the animal hit the ground fast and strong, propelling them both forward.
The landscapes looked wonderful. She distinguished three other horses being ridden not far from where she was. Forcing her eyesight just a little, she distinguished the two imps and their grandfather. She could only laugh: whilst the old man looked comfortable enough in his kilt, the two little boys were completely mortified at having to wear it. They most likely thought they looked like girls in skirts.
"You should be proud to be Scottish!" their grandfather was scolding them.
They looked wary.
"Oh, but don't they look adorable!" she exclaimed, trotting up to them and eyeing them meaningfully. They both looked at her and blushed deeply.
"Oh, Gala Thompson!" Lord McAshton acknowledged her with a smile.
The two boys looked at each other in disbelief and eyed her again. The one with longer hair turned even redder and she decided to toy a little.
"They look absolutely charming, my Lord" she said, her tone smooth and warm "I'm sure they're great friends with Tony, aren't you, boys?"
They remained silent.
"Well, answer the lady! Where are your manners, young men?"
"I do believe I have to get going. Have a nice afternoon, Lord McAhston. See you around, boys!" she turned Boannan around and set her to full gallop back home. With any luck, her introduction would've made a difference in the way they treated Tony.
It was late at night when Rudolph appeared in Tony's room asking for his drawings. As soon as he landed on the balcony, he heard a loud, banging noise coming from the room next to Tony's. He jumped onto what he believed was Gala's and peered in through the window glass. The older girl was jumping around in a black tank top and dark underwear. Rudolph bit his tongue. She looked beautiful in her frenzie.
However, Rudolph, though greatly entertained, needed to do his duty as a son and as a Sacksville-Bag. He knew Tony kept having weird visions though he hadn't pressed the matter. But the kid sure was proving hard to convince that flying was not an option that night. After all, they had but two months to find the stone and as much as Rudolph enjoyed having a new friend with whom to talk and play, Rookery was being especially insistant that night and it was dangerous to fly unprotected.
So he accepted to take Tony flying, and he was secretely envisioning introducing him to his family. His father would be angry at first but it'd be much better not to try to hide his new mate from him any longer. He knew Friedrich was not a friend to lies and deceiving, and neither was he.
"Rudolph!" a quiet voice called from behind.
He already knew who the voice belonged to. Anna was sitting on the balcony, her hands elegantly placed on her lap and her blonde hair flying in the wind.
"Did you follow me here?"
"It's not nice to peek inside ladies' rooms, you do know that, don't you?"
"I wasn't peeking!" he hissed.
"Oh, you so were. I was watching you the whole time. And who's this friend of yours?"
'Oh, blast, I might as well...' Rudolph thought bitterly.
"Meet Tony. He's helping us to find the stone. He has visions about us" he told her.
"Am I in your dreams, mortal?" Anna batted her long lashes flirtily and Rudolph suppressed an eye roll. This sister of his was capable of exhausting him to death. Tony looked at Anna in desbelief, his eyes wide as he took in her slender figure and her beautiful face.
"My sister, Anna"
"Oh, hey guys!" another female voice called from the balcony next to Tony's. They all turned around to look at Gala, who had dressed up and was wearing a dark red hoodie over her shirt and straight jeans which clung perfectly to her legs. Her hair was up in a loose bun and her eyeliner was a little blurried, emphasizing the size of her eyes.
"Pretty lady!" Anna chanted, taking her in. Gala immediately liked her: the girl looked sweet and kind, and would make a good company for Tony. Besides, she always welcomed a girl within the gang.
"Gala, weren't you getting ready for the party?" Tony arched his left brow, something which he'd learnt from her.
"I was, but I heard you talking and I couldn't resist meeting what I'm sure is a delightful pricess" she answered, winking at Anna. She giggled excitedly.
"Can I see you getting ready? I haven't been around another girl for many years and I don't know what the latest trends are" Anna begged.
"Sure, come on in" Gala moved away from the door and the tiny vampire soared in, for her feet never did seem to touch the ground.
Anna moved around curiously, examining everything in the room. She peered at the music buffers, at the iPod, at the vanity, at the make-up and the clothing stocked unside the wardrobe... and each thing Gala described seemed to make her happier and happier, for her smile kept growing.
"What are you wearing to this party?" she asked.
Gala beamed and took out her skin-tight leather pants and her black lace and silk shirt. She was particularly proud of having purchased the shirt, especially because it had cost her one year's worth savings: it tied up at the nape of her neck with a silver clasp and fell to her waist clinging to her body. There were two layers to it: the under layer was a strapless silk top; the second one was made entirely out of black lace. Two Miss Sixty eleven cm peep toe stilettos and a leather jacket completed the look.
As soon as she came out of the bathroom fully dressed, Anna gave a few excited leaps and clapped her hands together in awe.
"That's so pretty! I'd never seen something so provocative and yet so dark! You look like a modern version of us! Gregory would love you in that!"
Gala blushed a little but grinned in delight. Like every person in the world, she was a sucker for flattery. She next sat on the vanity chair and started arranging her damp hair, making sure each wave and curn was perfectly defined.
"I've never seen hair like yours! It looks like fire!" Anna said, looking it up close in fascination.
Gala laughed. This girl seriously knew how to appeal to someone. Her hair now looked carefully wild. Then she applied her eye shadow, making sure it was dark, and then proceded to smoke it in the Effy from Skins fashion she loved so much. No lip colour, for hers were already naturally rosy, just a hint of gloss.
"Ready" she announced, turning around for Anna to see. She beamed at her.
"Beautiful. You'll break hearts tonight. Let Rudolph and Tony see"
But when they got out to the balcony, they were already gone. Anna called out her annoyance: how could the boys leave her all by herself to go back alone? Rudolph knew she wasn't old enough to fly back home unaccompanied.
"I'll take you, Anna. Meet me downstairs"
The car ride was entertaining: Gala taught Anna about modern music. She especially loved the rock ballads, as she considered them pure poetry, but her favourite was Billy Joel's "Piano Man", which seemed to drive her insane as she begged to listen to it four times. She demonstrated a powerful memory because when the drive was over, she already knew all the lyrics to the song.
The graveyard held some kind of appeal to Gala, who insisted on walking her to their home, but they were unexpecteadly detained when they heard a deep male voice and a high pitched one arguing about something.
"That's Tony! I'd recognize that girly tone anywhere" Gala noticed, her brows furrowed. They marched towards the place where the voices came from, but before they could reach it a shout was heard.
"Rookery!" the sudden screams filled the otherwise silent air.
Anna tried to run towards her family, but Gala had the sense to hold her back.
"Go home! I'll do whatever I can!"
Anna nodded, teary-eyed, and marched down another path.
Gala ran as fast as she could and the scene she saw was devastating: a thick, bearded man was shooting at a tall, dark vampire with some sort of air-compressed stake gun. Tony seemed to be paralised, but Gala roared at him:
"The wire! Cut the wire and go away!"
Tony ran towards the wire and did as was told. The following stake Rookery shot fell to the ground, harmless, and the vampire seethed as he approached the hunter, baring his fangs in a menacing way. But the guy had already replaced his weapon with a UV light cross which seemed to damage Rudolph's and Anna's dad quite a bit. Gala reacted quickly enough. She picked up a rather large stone and threw it at the man.
"Hey, you asshole!" she called, smirking.
He turned around to see Tony with a piece of wire in his hand and advanced towards him.
"Oh, not my brother, you don't!" she snarled. She stood in front of Tony, who ran as fast as he could and ended up falling in a whole. A shout was heard, but Rudolph's voice ensured Gala that her brother was all right. She turned her eyes towards Rookery, who held his cross against her.
"Really, dude?" she asked, her eyebrow arched in skepticism.
"What kind of bloodsucker are you?" Rookery questioned, his forehead furrowed in confusion.
"Did it ever occur to you the thought that I'm not?" she retorted, crossing her arms over her chest.
"If light won't do you, a stake will surely put an end to that wretched life of yours, you evil creature!" the man seemed to really have lost it, but when he lifted his arm with a pike pointing towards her she ran for it.
"A stake, whatever the material, actually kills whoever it pierces!" she called back angrily.
Her peep toes were not the best shoes in which to run and Rookery was quickly gaining land. Suddenly a hand came out of nowhere and pulled her into a whole in the ground, hidden by some bushes. She quickly turned around to see her rescuer and found the boy's face bare inches away from hers. He was gripping her rather tightly, but visibly reduced the strength in his hold, and one of his hands travelled to his lips to signal her not to talk. She nodded in understandment.
She'd never seen a guy quite like the one who was laying next to her in that rabbit hole. He was tall and looked strong, though he was not overly bulky. His shoulders were broad, covered with a leather coat. Underneath he was wearing what looked like a yellow and black striped vest. Worn mittens protected his hands and his trousers were old and dusty, as well as his boots. But it was his overly pale face what fascinated her the most. His eyes were deep and piercing, darker than Rudolph's; and his lips were parted.
"Gala" whispered Anna from behind them "You're messing your looks!" she had a seriously upset expression on her face.
"Nothing I can't fix" she winked her eye playfully at her and Anna recovered her bright smile, moving forwards to hug her. She replied with an embrace of her own.
"Gregory, help the lady out, will you?" another female voice came from further down the tunnel.
Her saviour offered his hand, rolling his eyes in the process. She smirked at him and he twitched the corner of his lips upwards.
'So this is Gregory' she mused, looking him over again. The spikes on his head drew her in, and she curiously extended her hand towards them.
"Hey!" Gregory said, baring his fangs at her.
"What?" she answered with arched brows.
"Did I give you permission to touch them?"
"I guess not" Gala grumbled, retreating her hand and sticking out her tongue at him.
They reached a large hall of what could've only been a mausoleum in old times. There were two familiar figures there, those of Rudolph and Tony, who hurried to hug her, and two which she had seen but had not yet been personally introduced to. Friedrich looked scarier than she'd thought, but he was gazing at her quite kindly. The woman next to him was simply breathtaking.
"Now I understand why you, young lady, are so lovely" she said to her small friend, who giggled. Her mother smiled warmly at her.
"I'm glad to meet you, darling Gala. I'm Freda Sacksville-Bags. Tony was very worried about you" she said, holding her hands as only an ancient aristocrat would do.
"This kid needs to toughen up a little" Gala said, eyeing her brother meaningfully.
"You've helped us, thank you" Friedrich stepped forwards.
"It was a pleasure, your children are great to have around"
"I hope they haven't been too much trouble"
"Not at all, really. They're an excellent influence on my brother, because Rudolph's so polite that maybe some of it will stick on this garden gnome that Tony is; and Anna, well, she's charming, so she's a reference for future girlfriends if ever should he have one"
Freda and Friedrich laughed, hers a soprano tinkle, his a baritone tone. Even Gregory smiled a little, ruffling his younger brother's already wind-blown hair.
"Some are less polite than they let on" mumbled Anna, although her siblings were the only ones who head the words. Gregory felt the urge to ask her what Rudolph had done to make her say such a thing. He made a mental note to question his little sister later in the evening.
"You had to go to a party, right?" Anna asked "I could walk you to the car. Rudolph will take Tony back, right?"
Rudolph nodded absent-mindedly. He was currently taking in his best friend's sister's appearance. Despite the little mud on her stilettos and the wilder than she would want state of her hair, she was otherwise perfect and ready to go.
Friedrich shook his head.
"I think Gregory should take her to her car. Rookery might be around and we don't want any disasters, do we, now?"
Freda nodded decisevely, and Anna let her head fall in defeat. She was still treated as an eight-year old, something which she deeply despised. She'd been around for much longer than Tony and Gala put together! But no! She had to stay home while the rest had fun without her!
Gala carefully kneeled in front of her and took something out of her backpocket, handing it over to Anna, who took it carefully in her hands. It was a small necklace made of gold which combined perfectly with her hair. There was a small red crystal hanging from the delicate chain.
"I can't wear this anymore because it doesn't exactly fit me. I'd love for you to have it" Gala softly said.
Anna felt her eyes grow wet and lunged at her to fiercely hug her. Gala returned the hug and then stood up to leave.
"Ready when you are, Greg, lead the way"
"What did you just call me?" he snapped, turning around to look at her in disbelief.
"Greg" she repeated as if he were deaf or stupid.
"Don't!" he shrilled.
"Oh, my, what an awful temper!" she faked a fainting posture and the rest of the family giggled.
"Don't ever call me that monstruosity again!" he shouted.
"Sir, yes, sir!" she mocked an army salute and started to walk towards the entrance.
Gregory looked back one last time at his parents and was horrified when he saw the amusement twinkle in their eyes.
"You women are so..." he started, but when his father cracked a smile he turned around with as much dignity as he could muster and left his home to follow Gala.
"I haven't ever seen him this nervous" Freda said, her eyes never leaving the exit through which her eldest son had left.
"He's old enough to start meeting girls. And I think that one there can set him on his right track" Friedrich answered.
Once at the car, Gala took out her emergency kit and proceded to clean her heels with a piece of cloth. She then continued by making sure her make-up and hair-do remained in place. Gregory stood watching the whole time, his arms firmly crossed over his chest.
"Want me to take you somewhere?" she asked him once her revision was complete.
"I can fly, you know" he spat.
"Oh, right, us mortals are so boring compared to you young, strong, dashing vampires"
"Yes, you are" he answered.
She rolled her eyes.
"You know, once the curse is over, you'll have to learn to drive one of these things" she patted her seat "and you'll have to give up on flying without a plane"
"Once I'm human. But three hundred years of searching for a missing piece of rock really sets you into perspective"
"So you don't think you'll be able to"
"Indeed"
His expression was serious.
"You know, badass, I could actually end up liking you" she let out. She closed her mouth immediately, covering it with her hand.
'What did you do, you weirdo?' she mentally slapped herself one thousand times, but the reaction from him was a new one.
He cracked a smirk and cocked an eyebrow. His pose became less defensive as he approached the car and leaned against the door.
"Really?" he asked, flashing his teeth.
"Erm... I... I gotta go... big party... friends..." she stuttered, facing the driving wheel. When she turned to look in his direction, she found his face again inches away from hers, his lips almost grazing hers.
She paralized.
"Yes?" he purred.
"You're toying with me!" she managed to choke out.
"And what, pray tell me, gives you that impression?" he bit his bottom lip. It was strangely arousing to see his fangs gently tugging at those full, pale lips. She felt the immediate need to ask him to do it to her.
"Please..." she whispered.
Suddenly, he took a step back and the charm was dissolved, thus meaning her anger started violently.
"You PRICK! You don't play with girls' emotions! That there was really twisted!" she screamed at him. His smile had faded and his face turned expressionless.
"I've done my job. If you're done insulting me, I would like to go home" he said, no inflection to his voice whatsoever.
"Go, and fuck you!"
His eyes narrowed in fury as he watched her press the pedal and disappear from the graveyard.
She got to the party soon afterwards. It was still going strong and many people from school were there. She quickly found her friends and proceded to dance to the sound of Rihanna and Lady Gaga.
She didn't notice the shadow crouching on a thick, bushy branch close by watching her intently as she let the music take away the feeling of his skin close to hers. Gregory stayed there the whole night until Gala took her car back home.