Episode 1 Part 3
Something Cupid This Way Comes Part 3
Ethan wasn't sure how long he stayed in bed that night. It could have been an hour, or maybe even three, but he knew he didn't want to leave the comforts of his sheets. Being a vampire - or a fledgling, whatever he wanted to call himself - was weird considering his new sleeping habits. Sure he could sleep, but there was always a nagging in the back of his mind that reminded him he didn't technically need to anymore. He could also sit down and relax but he was internally reminded that it was merely a mundane task now.
So Ethan found himself in a strange state of limbo. He wanted nothing more than his mind to go completely blank but he knew it was impossible. Benny's grandmother's words rung painfully through his head like a siren. 'You'll have to tell her you don't love her...and she'll remember it.' But Ethan was sure he loved her, at least 75%, the rest of him wondered if it was just pure teenage infatuation. He didn't know how he would tell the girl he had wanted to date since the second he first saw her that he didn't love her. Even worse was the fact that she would remember it all. Even when Cupid was banished again.
Ethan turned over on his side in the darkness before letting out an audible sigh. He was irritated, tired, worried, but most of all he was thirsty. For a fleeting second he thought about taking his frustrations and hunger out on a alley rat. Just then he heard the sound of small footsteps coming up the stairs before stopping outside his door.
"Ethan? You awake?" His sister Jane asked from the other end.
He was tempted to stay quiet and ignore her but he knew Jane wouldn't give up that easily. So with a groan he answered. "Yeah. What do you want?"
He could almost feel her eyes roll from outside the door. "What do you think? Mom said come and eat dinner. Duh."
"I'm not hungry."
"Doesn't matter." Jane replied, her voice bored now. "Mom said come and eat. She says you've been looking sick lately."
With that he heard her footsteps heading back down the stairs. Ethan grumbled about annoying little sisters before grudgingly getting up from his bed. He knew his family was beginning to worry about him. Just yesterday his dad talked about a 'new bug' going around and how Ethan could have caught it. They commented on things like how pale he had gotten, and how it felt like his skin was just a tad too cold. Jane must have been the closest to figuring out what had happened to him. She even offered to stay away from him for a while so he wouldn't 'have any accidents'. Whether she was joking or not Ethan still wasn't sure.
He left the comforts of his dark bedroom and dragged himself downstairs while remembering to use a human pace. He quickly found his parents and sister around the table with an array of various foods - none of them looking appetizing to him. All three glanced up as he entered and his mother gave him her familiar worried look as he flopped down at the table.
"You really look sick." She tsked over her plate of macaroni.
His dad lowered his newspaper and examined him closely. His lips pursed until they were nothing more than a thin line. For one wild second Ethan was worried his father had discovered his secret, but his dad merely sighed before turning his eyes to his wife. "I don't think it's anything to worry about. He's a growing boy. When I was his age I was practically growing hair out of my ears. Yet, even when I was up to my knees in acne your mother still somehow found me attractive." Ross Morgan chuckled a bit to himself before folding his paper and taking a sip of his soda.
Ethan almost gave an audible sigh when he realized his father wasn't going to press the issue further. But that didn't mean his mother was going to let it go anytime soon. From her expression he knew she wasn't convinced. But for now she merely gave her husband a sharp glare before the conversation turned into random topics ranging from his dad's new bowling shoes to Jane's sudden urge to take ballet lessons. All the while Ethan ate as little as possible and stayed out most of the conversation.
He wanted nothing more than to go back to his room where his family's tempting heartbeats couldn't bother him. To help pass the time Ethan began counting the small cracks in the walls no one else in the room could see. He was at 206 when his mom finally began collecting the dishes. He had only ate a small portion of his macaroni, though to his surprise she didn't say anything as she lifted his plate and added it to the others. Ethan took this as his chance to flee. Giving a fake yarn he stood up and stretched his arms casually.
"Think I'm going to bed now."
With that he promptly turned around and made a dash for the stairs but didn't get far before his mother stopped him.
"Ethan I think we need to have a talk."
He sighed in defeat as his last means of escaping promptly faded away. He watched enviously as Jane skipped up the stairs towards her room. His dad was the next to head up but not before giving him an apologetic pat on the shoulder. Everyone knew what the 'we need to have a talk' meant. Ethan had heard it at least twenty times before and each time led to awkward conversations.
He dragged his feet across the carpeted floor and into the kitchen where his mother was now meticulously washing the dishes. She was scrubbing the plates a bit harder than required but didn't seem to notice. Ethan sat down miserably at the table and let the strong smell of dishwashing liquid waffle over him. Hearing the sound of plates being scrubbed and put into the dish rack was more soothing than he would have ever imagined and it somehow held his frayed nerves at bay. The sound continued for a few more minutes before the faucet was cut off and the room was plunged into silence.
"Your father thinks it's a growth spurt." His mother's voice broke through the silence behind him. "And while I do love the man dearly, he can be a bit naive sometimes."
"What do you mean?" Ethan asked innocently as he swallowed. Could she possibly know?
Samantha Morgan sighed deeply as she took a seat across from him. "Now honey, you know you can tell me anything. I'm always here for you. You know that right?"
He was too scared to speak so simply nodded his head.
"Good. Then you can understand why it upsets me that you're going through this when I could have helped you a long time ago. So I'm only going to ask once...are you doing drugs?"
Ethan was so dumbfounded that it would have been comercial had the situation been different.. "Huh?"
"Drugs Ethan." She repeated a bit more forcefully. "Are you doing drugs?"
Now that the immediate shock was over he couldn't help feeling a bit indignant at the question. Ethan had never done drugs in his life nor had he ever thought about doing them. He knew there were people at school who did (usually the cool kids who hung around in the alley of the nearby grocery store) but he never felt any need to even touch the stuff.
"Of course not mom! I'd never do that."
This was obviously not the answer his mother was expecting because she quickly frowned before sitting back in her chair. A rare look of surprise on her face.
"Then what's wrong then? If you aren't doing drugs there has to be something else. You've completely changed." She added in more of a whisper as if speaking to herself. It was then that Ethan understood what this was really about. It wasn't that his mom doubted his dad's theory, it was just she wasn't ready to admit that he was actually growing up. Her slight watery eyes were proof.
Feeling a different kind of awkwardness than the one he predicted he'd feel by now, Ethan reached out and patted his mother's hand. He was always crap at consoling people and it was oddly comforting to know that much hadn't changed since he was bitten.
"Mom..."
Samantha wiped away a stray tear before waving him off with a half hearted smile. "It seems I'm the naive one huh? I guess your father was right. Just don't ever tell him I said that."
She gave his hand a squeeze before getting up and promptly leaving the kitchen. Now that he was alone Ethan was able to let out the breath he didn't know he was holding.
That had been extremely close.
Ethan avoided Sarah at school the next day. The loving stares she sent him had his heart beating at record speeds. Soon those stares would turn into glares of hatred after he literally broke her heart. Wasn't they suppose to live happily ever after? He had thought after being bitten she would eventually get use to the new him, and maybe think about the fact that they now could be together forever - that's how it was in the Unbitten movies. Instead he was avoiding the girl he wanted nothing more to be close to, and he and Benny were now currently planning ways they could break the spell on her.
"But still...that doesn't answer how we can do this without involving Sarah." Benny hummed while leaning against his locker.
"You heard your grandmother. There's no other way. If there was I wouldn't hesitate to do it."
Benny didn't seem pleased with that answer but after their many hours of brainstorming neither had come up with a better idea.
"Maybe if I looked in the spellbook..." Benny flicked his wrist and sighed when nothing appeared. "Oh yeah, that's right. Grandma' locked the book away from me."
Ethan gave Benny a pointed look but couldn't help feeling a bit sorry for his best friend. Despite the deep trouble they had gotten themselves into he knew the other boy actually had good intentions. It's just that those intentions usually got them almost eaten, jumped by a bunch of vengeful girls, killed, or worse.
"Well we need to do this soon because Sarah's real close to saying those three letters."
Earlier before class he had to run into the boys bathroom because he saw her approaching and the look on her face didn't hide the fact that she wanted to say something deep.
Benny nodded his head solemnly. "I'm sorry about getting us into this mess. I know how much you wanted to be with her."
"Don't worry about it." Ethan said quietly. "What's done is done and maybe it's for the best. I was probably going to mess up our relationship anyways. I was just a dummy thinking-"
"That's it!" Benny said so loudly a few students turned to look their way. "A dummy!" He whispered with a large grin.
Ethan was more than a bit confused. "I don't know if that's suppose to be a insult or…"
"No I'm talking about a replica spell. Remember the cursed camera? How it made evil copies of whoever it took a picture of?"
He nodded hesitantly, still not sure where the conversation was going.
"Well that curse was a stronger version of the replica spell. I found it when I was looking for spell that could give me a another pinky toe."
Ethan eyed his friend in disbelief. "Why in the world would you want to make a copy of your pinky toe?"
Benny shushed his friend while glancing around for any listeners. "Because I have a theory that, with three pinky toes, a person might be able to climb walls like Spiderman. But keep that to yourself."
The fledgling boy looked awestruck at Benny's complete and utter randomness and was momentarily speechless as he merely gaped like a fish.
Somehow Benny took his mute response as a positive thing because he smirked and gave himself a pat on the shoulder. "Amazing aren't I? But anyway, if we make a replica of Sarah we can fool ol' Cupid face into thinking it's the real thing. You tell the fake Sarah you don't love her, we banish the fairy man, and boom! You strut in and sweep the real Sarah off her feet like the shining little knight you are."
Ethan couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Benny, that's the most craziest-" He paused as the idea played itself through in his head. There was almost a thousand ways it could blow up in their faces, but it was the best plan they had. "Actually it's not bad. If it doesn't backfire on us that is."
Benny strummed his fingers together like a evil genius who had just discovered his next experiment. "We'll need a distraction though. One that's so good not even Cupid himself will be able to pass it up...and I think I know exactly what we need."
It was safe to say Erica was not pleased in the slightest. In fact, she was downright furious, and it was a blessing she hadn't ripped both their heads off. Though by the look on her face she was extremely close.
"So let me get this straight." She hissed. "You want me to what?"
"Make out with me." Benny said with a shrug. "I mean, it wouldn't be the first time. Plus it'll make a badass distraction."
The blonde vampire gave him a look that would have had anyone else running for the hills but Benny stood his ground. He actually found it a big turn on when the batgirl got angry.
Erica stepped closer to him until they were mere inches apart and Benny swallowed nervously. Did she always have to smell so good?
"I would rather fall on a stake than kiss you again nerd boy. You're lucky my fangs aren't cutting through your neck right now."
"But it's to save Sarah." Ethan cut in meekly and instantly shunned away as Erica turned her glare on him.
"So you want me to help you fix a problem you two started?"
"Well actually…"
"Shut up. I don't care what either of you have to say," She turned back to Benny. "I'm not kissing you and that's final."
Benny sighed before running a hand through his hair. It looked like he would would have to bring out the heavy artillery. "Alright fine. How about I do your homework for a week?"
Erica raised a brow. "Homework and you'll have to be my personal servant for a month. That means whatever I say and no complaining."
He definitely didn't like the sound of that. Erica wasn't known for her kindness so a doing whatever she said could mean going to school dressed in a mini skirt and makeup just for her amusement. But Ethan was giving him a hopeful look and he couldn't exactly say no considering it was him who had cast the spell in the first place. "Fine." He said grudgingly. "It's a deal."
Erica gave him a deeply smug grin. Yep, he had just sold his soul to the devil.
In the midst of their planning no one saw Sarah approach until she snuck her arms around Ethan causing him to jump.
"Hey Ethanbear!" She squealed and snuggled into his chest. "Why'd you run away from me earlier?"
Ethan glanced desperately between Benny and Erica but his friend simply looked back with a lost expression, and the blonde was too busy narrowing her eyes at them in disgust.
"Err...I...I needed...you know.."
Sarah gave him a sympathetic look before reaching up and placing a gentle hand across his cheek. He couldn't help but lean into her touch. "It's okay honeyboo. I know how the thirst is. That's why I've been thinking. How about we just make it official? Why put off the inevitable, you know?"
Everyone looked shocked at that - not even Erica could hide her surprise.
"What? Are you saying what I think you're saying?" The other vampire girl asked skeptically.
Sarah looked at her friend and nodded. "You've said how the thirst isn't so bad once you become a full fledged V, and I wouldn't mind spending forever with my little boo boo." She gave his cheeks a pinch.
Ethan gave a small laugh before gently (and with much reluctance) removing her smooth hands from his face. For a moment he just looked at their intertwined fingers and felt a crushing pain. Would he ever be able to hold her like that again? Once the spell was off she'd return back to her normal depressed self. The girl who couldn't stand the sight of him anymore. Not for the first time he wished he could actually enjoy seeing Sarah so happy.
Sarah looked up at him with questionable eyes. Obviously waiting for his thoughts on becoming a full vampire. It's wasn't something he wanted - ever. Being a fledgling was trouble enough, at least he still felt somewhat human. He could only imagine how bad it could be if the last of his humanity was ripped away. Instead of saying what he really wanted on the matter he instead turned towards Benny, his eyes pleading with his friend to create an excuse for them needing to go. Benny was on a roll today it seemed because the other boy instantly understood.
"Well I hate to break up this silent display of love and passion, but me and E need to be somewhere pretty important it's a...surprise...for...you."
Sarah lit up with excitement at that. "A surprise? For me? Boo boo bear you didn't have to do that!"
Ethan gave her a tight smile. "Of course. Anything for you. But I have to go or it won't be finished in time."
"Aww but I don't want you to go." She pouted playfully as she intertwined her arms with his. Ethan hid the shivers that went down his spine as they skin made contact. Was her arms always so soft? And he suddenly noticed that Sarah washed her hair with lavender shampoo instead of the usual strawberry. Now he was smelling her hair...yep, he was definitely turning into a creeper.
Somehow Benny convinced her to let them leave and after another peck on the cheek (which made his stomach do cartwheels) Sarah skipped off with a very annoyed Erica by her side. The look on the blonde's face promised unimaginable pain at a later date.
The second the girls were out of sight Benny began rummaging through the chaos within his bookbag. He pulled out all kinds of things from a plastic toy eyeball to a half eaten sandwich that look suspiciously like the one he had stuffed in his bag four months ago. The green mold on the edge of the sandwich crust was enough to make Ethan want to barf. But Benny didn't seem to notice as he rose the sandwich to his lips and stopped midway when he found whatever it was he was looking for.
"Ah! Here we go," He grinned and pulled out what looked to be a bunch of balled up scrap paper. "Good thing I kept a few papers out the book. Now to find our spell…"
Benny unfurled the papers and scanned each one carefully. There was more paper than Ethan originally thought and he suspected they were being held with a compact spell. Either that, or Benny was really good at making paper balls.
The other boy had searched through at least twenty different pieces of paper before stopping on one that looked older than the rest. The paper had yellowed extensively and it's edges were ragged and worn.
"That must be a pretty old spell." Ethan observed as he looked over his friend's shoulder.
Benny nodded. "About six hundred years old - give or take. But it's usually the old spells that pack the most juice. If I'm right, this baby might be our ticket out of this mess. And hey, while we're at it. I might make a clone of Erica too. You never know when that'll come in handy…"
"Yeah that's a great idea. Then you'll have two evil psychopathic blonde vampires tearing through you with their fangs."
Benny shrugged as he stuffed the rest of the items back into the bag. "A guy's gotta get what he can, you know? Anyway, we need to do this as soon as possible. I haven't seen the flying man anywhere lately but I got a feeling he's super close.
Ethan ran a hand through his hair and sighed. It had just resonated in him that the plan they were relying on had so many loopholes it was a miracle it hadn't blown up in their faces yet. Though he had a sinking feeling that whatever happened something big was going to change after this.
Ethan checked his watch for the sixth time while he paced back and forth. He was surprised his feet hadn't started to ache from all the movement until he remembered sourly that he wasn't human anymore. He had been standing (or pacing) in the same spot for over an hour now. So far everything was going according to plan - especially considering the 'plan' itself hadn't even started yet. It was actually quite the accomplishment considering most of their schemes and plans usually went up in flames almost instantly. Ethan paced around the inner gazebo one last time and stuffed his hands inside his pockets where his fingers met a cool surface. A bracelet.
It was something he had made a while ago after the whole 'animals coming back from the grave' adventure. It was made of a bit of metal work and some rhinestones he had bought from the arts and crafts store. He had planned on giving it to Sarah after asking her on a date, but that went spectacularly wrong when Benny used that love spell that eventually made all the girls in Whitechapel High want to murder them. He absently pulled it out and clutched it gently in his hands. Ethan wasn't sure why he brought it with him but bringing it felt like the right thing to do. Maybe it would bring him luck.
Glancing at his watch again the time displayed 8:30pm. At that moment heard a whooshing noise and a soft breeze flittered past his ear.
"Ethan?" A familiar voice called out behind him. He put on his best tight smile and turned around to greet the other person.
"Hey there..."
His voice sounded off and a bit apprehensive - though that was likely due to the fact that the girl in front of him wasn't the real Sarah. The copy Sarah grinned and raced up to him with vampire speed before crushing him in a hug.
"I'm sorry I'm late. It sort of feels like I just suddenly appeared here out of nowhere. Crazy huh?"
Ethan chuckled humorlessly. "Yeah that's real crazy."
The copy Sarah took a step back and looked in the eyes with such intensity it made him want to avert his eyes. But he was simply too mesmerized by how the moonlight made her entire face glow ethereally. For a second it was easy to forget that she wasn't the real Sarah. For just a moment he felt like nothing around them mattered, not even time itself. Without even knowing it Ethan had moved closer to her and his arms were now wrapped around her waist. She looked up at him questionably, obviously looking for an answer, but his mind and body was working on autopilot. Somewhere in the back of his mind his conscious was screaming at him to remember she wasn't the real Sarah. Maybe later he would regret what he was about to do, but for now he didn't care. With one last look in her eyes Ethan lowered his gaze to her lips before kissing her. It took only a second for the copy Sarah to quickly gave in and the kiss deepened as their tongues intertwined for the first time.
Ethan was inwardly reeling from finally having his first real kiss with Sarah before he remembered the girl he was kissing was only a copy.
Then the harsh weight of reality crashed back down and he staggered backwards as if he'd burnt himself.
"I-I didn't mean to…"
It felt as if he had been caught doing the worst crime imaginable. He had completely lost it and made out with a copy version of Sarah. But the worst part was the deep urge he had to do it again just to feel her lips against his again.
The copy Sarah bit her lip and tried not to show just how hurt she was by his rejection. The moonlight was still casting it glow upon her face but this time it highlighted her watery eyes.
"But I just don't get it Ethan. I thought you already knew...I love you."
"And that's exactly what I wanted to hear." A new voice cooed ominously beside them.
Erica plopped down on the park bench. "So when does this little plan of yours start?"
Benny took a seat next to her and grinned mischievously. "In a hurry to kiss are we? Keep your heels on blondey, this show will be going live real soon."
Erica gave him a dry smile before leaning over and abruptly yanking his collar until they were only meters apart. She narrowed her eyes and whispered in his ear. "Call me that again and I'll be using your throat as a personal all you can eat buffet. Understood?"
"Crystal clear." He wheezed.
"Good."
She pushed him away and slumped back down in her seat. "We really do need to get this over with. I need to find someone to party with, and since Sarah is off trying to find Ethan-"
Benny quickly sat up and gave her an alarmed look. "What? You mean Sarah's not at home?"
Erica rolled her eyes. "Obviously. I just said that didn't I? She said something about going to Ethan's house and overhearing him talking about being at a gazebo tonight. I guess she wanted to surprise him or something."
"Crap! The clone spell won't work if the copy version and the real Sarah are in the same place. They'll cancel each other out, and the copy version will disappear."
Erica's eyes widened slightly as they both came to the same conclusion. "Are you saying that won't be a copy version Cupid will be taking away?"
Benny nodded his head slowly. "We need to find them fast."
A/N: Read and Review! Also, this chapter hasn't been beta read yet so please excuse any mistakes you found. Next chapter (and final to the 'cupid episode') coming soon.
