Chapter Nine: This Feels A Little Too Far-Fetched Pt. 1
So, who is still recovering from the last chapter? A show of hands please. LOLZ, yeah I'm liking the positive response I got to my little twist. The good news is that I have just finished figuring out the ending to My Pointe Of View. After which, there will be a brief pause before part two of the Helen Hendricks Saga.
GET READY FOR THIS ONE! WE ARE AT AN EVEN BIGGER REVEAL!
lime. likes. jam: WOOP! Aro is revealed!
guest: As I much as I'd love to promise you a happy ending, I'm not going to spoil it. SORRY!
Guest1: It's good to be back! Your stories sound really interesting. I'd recommend getting an account so that I can actually give a name to a person...err...digital person. I like the Part 1 deleted scene better. Aro with his sighs and teasing little grin, and Marcus with his little pout sounds, and Caius...he's just Caius! ^-^ I actually sometimes consider contacting Michael Sheen and have him sending a video of him acting out some of Aro's lines. *Sigh* alas it is only a fantasy.
TheGirlOnFire: Thank you so much for that review! I really appreciate that you like my story! Yeah, I was nervous about revealing the 'sense' of A/H's relationship. I believe that not all stories involving two people have to be a romance. I know that Wes and Heidi can get confusing, I tried to gently nudge that in.
Guest2: Unfortunately there was confusion this time. That's it, I shall hence forth call you Shakespeare's Prodigy.
CutieBunny: I'm just full of surprises my friend.
Ed: Way to show your Twi-hard swag!
The moment in between what you once were, and who you are now becoming, is where the dance of life really takes place- Barbara de Angelis.
"Growing up with two brothers, practically no mother, and the most conservative Dad that a St. Louis girl could ask for, I was never involved with fairy tails and magic (The only exception being Ever After: A Cinderella Story, because Drew Barrymore is perfect). So, I just want to confess that my journey into the Supernatural world, wasn't as...easy as it could have been."
"Why the hell does all of the crap in the world fling itself at me?!" Helen shouted. Ruby told her everything about Aro, and let's just say it wasn't being soaked in very well. "Let's do a tally count! First my mother leaves me at four, my father drinks until six, my brothers shove me down a laundry Shute until I'm twelve, my best friend became a bitch at thirteen, I have to go to summer school before eighth grade because I failed Math, Science, and History, and now I find out that for the past two months I have been pursued as an adoptee by a three-thousand year old vampire!"
Ruby sat on her bed with a bored expression as Helen ranted.
"Figures." Helen shrugged in an annoyed fashion. "This could only happen to me!"
"How did you fail three subjects?" Ruby asked in her husky drawl.
"Because my IQ is not bigger than my shoe size!" Helen snapped back. "I'm going to need you to get used to the fact that I suffer from stupidity, among other things." She rolled her eyes in frustration. "How could I not have sensed something?! The way he treated me, it was chivalry not kindness! He spoke with correct grammar and didn't take out his phone to update Twitter every two minutes! There was no possible way he could've been born in modern time!"
"You done?" Ruby chimed in. Helen threw herself on the bed face first and groaned.
"There, there." Ruby said sarcastically with false comfort. "It's just facing reality."
"Whatever." She grumbled back. "What the heck did you say he was apart of?"
"The Volturi. They are the lawmakers and uphold it. Aro is sort of the king of the vampire world, with his brothers."
"Oh, so that's why he called me his princess." Helen summed up, "I thought he was just being creepy."
"Well, I might as well explain to you the sorry situation that comes next." Ruby confessed with a lazy yawn.
"This wasn't the sorry part?!" Helen asked with even more frustration.
"Nope. Sorry little duckling. Unfortunately under vampire law, any human who knows about their existence must be turned or silenced...permanently."
"What does that mean?" She replied with an uneasy feeling
"Do I have to spell it out for you?" Ruby asked with annoyance.
"I have had a very unpleasant day, I would appreciate some spelling."
"You either get an inhuman pale complexion, or you get a corpse complexion. Is that enough letters for you?" Ruby rolled her eyes.
"What?!" Helen's eyes dilated with horror. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no! I cannot...that can't happen to me! I have my whole life ahead! I'm going to become a principle dancer and tour the world! I'm going to become a legend! I am going to fly!"
"You'll be a legend, just in the one that mummies tell their kiddies to scare them at night." Ruby replied with insincere optism.
"Ruby, my sole ambition in life is to be as human as I can and I enjoy it!" Helen pleaded. "I can't have this happen!"
Ruby White sighed and stood up, her silver eyes studied Helen with either sympathy or pity. Her mind seemed fixed on the situation. A teenage girl who was about to have her life ruined by the world underneath. It was exactly like a Cassandra Clare novel.
"I'll give you some help." She sighed in exhaustion. "I can't stop the inevitable, but I can slow it down."
"Why?" Helen asked. "You met me all of ten minutes ago."
"Duckling, I was you some couple centuries ago." Ruby snapped with annoyance, she motioned up and down in her direction. "Now I'm this. This stuck and miserable old witch. I'm not doing it for you, don't ever think I give a shit about you, I'm doing it for me."
Helen noticed an ornate and wire-wrapped large garnet ring on Ruby's right index finger. It glowed with vigor and made any stone that Helen owned, look like it was from a machine that dispenses plastic toys.
"What's that?"
"The source of my power. I can do anything I want with it, spells, enchantments, charms."
"What about Transfiguration?" Helen teased.
Ruby narrowed her eyes in displeasure and her ring shot a brilliant green flash of light towards Helen's throat. Within seconds, she felt her lips seem to seal as if they were glued.
"Don't test me, stupid girl. I can become as unpleasant as Aro and his army of fanged freaks can." Ruby warned. "Got it?"
Helen nodded, and that was about all she could do for the next few minutes until Ruby finally released the jinx. Now she knew who the real Wicked Witch of the Midwest was.
The first day of class since Aro's reveal was the strangest thing she had ever seen. Police officers were stationed around every corner, the patrons for the other students were being ushered into one, sole group. An email had gone out that all meetings between the patrons and students would be monitored and last no longer than five minutes a week.
Helen slowly limped into class dress in a Cardinals sweatshirt with a purple tank top underneath, black jeans, and her podiatry approved black Vans. Due to injury she was allowed to not dress out until the doctor gave the o.k. to dance.
Although, nothing prepared her for this.
"Helen!" Allie cried softly and flung her arms around her former best friend.
"Syd! Aggs! Allie is trying to strangle me!" Helen yelped. Her two best friends ran over and yanked Allie off. The brunette coldly gazed at them, "eww I was touched by unimportant people!"
Allie softly looked at Helen. "I am so sorry about what happened to you, Helen. It must've been terrifying! I would never wish that upon my worst enemy."
"Well unfortunately it already happened to your worst enemy."
Allie giggled and playfully nudged Helen on the arm. "Oh Helen, you're such a character! I've always admired that about you!" She flung herself at her again.
"Did I die last night?" Helen wondered out loud.
"I'll go check and see if pigs are about fly out of Ramona's butt." Aggie replied and walked over to the Spanish woman. Soon enough, winged hogs emerged from under her dress and began to fling mud at every dancer in the room.
Helen stared in the most absolute form of shock as the chaos emerged. Sydney suddenly also sprouted wings and began to do the Pas des deux from Sleeping Beauty with a very fat pig.
"Watch your lines O'dell!" Ramona Vasquez corrected while more pigs flew out.
"Helen, I'm so happy for you!" Allie squealed. "A little jealous too. You get to go to Italy!" Her smile turned mean. "And I will become the best!" Allie Alexander's hair transformed into snakes and her eyes glazed over as blood dripped from them. Her laughter turned high pitched and maniacal. Suddenly, Helen felt a tight and ice cold grip on her left forearm. Aro appeared with a dangerous grin.
"Come along now, dearest daughter. We must fly away now!" He sang and suddenly two large bat wings shot out of his back and Aro darted them out of the ceiling and towards the sky. The sun had turned red and the sky was black, Aro smiled and a set of very large and sharp fangs appeared.
"It's time for your wings." He forcefully sank his teeth into her neck and Helen felt a sharp pain as her bat wings emerged. They were small and insignificant and could never support her.
"Fly my pretty! Fly! Fly!" Aro cackled and released her arm.
Helen screamed as she spiraled towards earth to her certain doom. Her worst nightmare, she wasn't flying anymore. "No! No, no, no!"
"No!" Helen screamed and shot up from her sweat ridden blanket. She was laying on the beige couch in the living room. She had been dreaming, none of it was real, she was not dying.
Helen slowly caught her breath and with that she felt a deep banging in her head and a beating on her eyes. She turned and noticed her red coffee cup was sitting on the coaster on the coffee table.
"I really need to stop putting six sugars in my coffee." She admitted to herself.
It was late Sunday evening and Helen was alone in the house. Wesley would not return home from work until eleven, and Richard and Carole were taking Henry to a movie. She felt uneasy about being alone like this, which was shocking because she had been alone numerous times. Besides, from what Ruby said, Aro had returned to Volterra to rally his troops.
Helen thought about using the house phone to call Sydney or Aggie. The worst part was that Helen had left her purse in Aro's car when she ran away. Her phone, wallet, debit card, and lucky monkey keychain were all gone and needed replacing. Richard told her that her warranty on her cell phone expired and that smartphones cost a lot of money. Helen didn't care if he got her an old phone from the nineties, she just wanted to talk to her friends and be able to contact Rubes if necessary.
She slowly rose from the couch and headed upstairs to her bathroom. Helen opened the medicine cabinet that was also used as a mirror and pulled out two Advil for her headache. She popped them down her throat, not caring enough for water. She slowly closed the lid and placed the pills back inside.
Helen walked back downstairs towards the kitchen and yanked some cold vegetarian pizza and leftover birthday cake out of the fridge. She grabbed a fork to eat the cake, started shoving pizza down, and poured herself a glass of fruit punch.
However, her meal was interrupted when the house phone rang. With a mouth full of food, she answered, "Hullo?"
"You look lovely shoveling junk into your mouth." Aro. Helen felt herself almost choke on her food, which she quickly swallowed. "Honestly, you humans disgust me with your eating habits. Your kind is no cleaner than pigs."
"How did you get this number?" She replied coldly.
"Oh, now is that any way to talk to your father?" He chuckled with malice. Helen rolled her eyes and fiercely hung up the line. Seconds later, the phone rang again. Helen answered again.
"That was very rude."
"And you calling me disgusting isn't?" She retorted.
"Yes! Ha ha! Very good! I thought I was supposed to be the persuasive one!" He chortled with laughter.
"What do you want?" She asked irritably.
"You." He stated with absolute seriousness.
"Sorry, I am taken by a six foot lawyer with conservative values and a narrow minded view on life." Helen snorted.
"It would not take much effort from myself to end his meaningless existence, so I would not cop that attitude of yours." His cheerful tone almost made the threat seem fake, but Helen knew better and bit her lower lip in fear. She turned around and began looking into the dark windows, trying to see where he was spying on her.
"Oh don't even bother dear, you wont be able to find me."
Helen scoffed and started closing all of the blinds on the windows, she felt disgusted that he was watching her from the outside. A creepy stalker in a real life horror film.
"Closing the curtains wont stop me, I'll simply enter your house, darling. I wonder where little Henry sleeps, perhaps I shall pay him a visit? You can lock yourself in as much as you want, but eventually I will break in." She could feel him smiling with a maddening glee.
"You leave my family alone!" She barked.
"I will be happy to leave their lives intact, once you are safe in my arms on another continent." Aro retorted. "I'll give you until midnight to make your decision. Come outside before then and I will let them be, fail to do so and not only will you be an orphan, but an only child. Till then, dear."
The line went dead and so did Helen's courage. She had the most horrifying image of Wes and Henry being drank from by Aro, and Richard being tortured to death by him. Helen realized that Aro hated Richard the most, he never ever addressed him as her father. She hit redial and the number was no longer in service, so she began calling Ruby White.
"What?" The other line sounded dry and bored.
"Ruby it's Helen, Aro says that if I don't go with him by midnight he's going to kill my family!"
"Well you're in a pickle." Ruby chuckled humorlessly.
"Ruby!" She shouted.
"What do you want me to do?" She snapped back.
"Take your Bippity Boppity Boo and go Gandalf on his ass!" Helen groaned.
"If you make another pop culture reference about my magic, I will go Gandalf on your ass."
"I'm ninety percent water, five percent pop culture, and five percent caffeine. Sorry to disappoint you!" Helen rolled her eyes and shouted.
"Whatever. Look, I can't stop him from killing anyone, but I can put an enchantment around your house. I'll also stay in the area and if need be, hand his ass to him. Is that cray-cray enough for you, Hendricks?"
"Just enough, thank you." Helen retorted. She hung up the phone and a few minutes later, it rang for the third time. Had Aro heard everything?!
"There is a special place in hell for you, you sociopathic, narcissistic, evil little cockroach!" Helen insulted with all of her anger and hatred she could muster.
"Um, am I calling at a bad time?" Des. Oh my god, she did not just say that over the line! How embarrassing! Helen felt her jaw drop straight to the floor.
"No, uh...there's a crank caller who really likes my phone number." She replied nervously.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Des said softly.
"No I am, for being a total bitch."
"You are not." He assured which made her smile. "Besides, from what's happened to you so far this year, a little bitchiness is very healthy and acceptable." Helen giggled and flipped her hair.
"So what I can I do you for? Right now the doctor wont let me dance, so that's not an option for me. Oh! And also for you!" She remembered his injury.
"Actually, I just got the results of my MRI scan."
"And?" She felt a huge swell of anxiousness.
"My knee is healing perfectly, I'll be able to get back to class in about a week." Helen exhaled in relief as she heard the excitement in his voice.
"I can breathe again! That's great!" She assured.
"Yeah, so, I was wondering if maybe to celebrate, you'd consider hanging out with me this week?" He asked nervously.
Helen felt taken aback. Was he doing what she thought he was?
"Are you asking me on a date?"
"...Yes." He stated.
Her heart swelled with happiness and a smile caressed her cheeks. "Then I would love to hang out with you, Des."
"Great!" He said enthusiastically.
"See you tomorrow," she hung up and began doing a happy little jig. Her first date with a guy! And he was a dancer!
For the fourth time, she used the phone and dialed Sydney's cell phone. "Is Helen alive?!" She asked with worry.
"No, her ghost is calling to deliver the news of her passing."
"Sweetie! How are you?" Sydney beamed.
"Des just asked me out on a date." Helen stated.
"Aggie and I will be over in ten mintues with Chinese food."
Right on time, her two BFFs burst through the door. Panting and holding bags of The Komodo Dragon take out. Sydney shoved both bags to Aggie and ran to Helen, squeezing her tightly and squealing.
"Our little baby is growing up!" She sang and giggled. "Bet you're glad I saved that poster, huh?"
"Yes Syd, I am always happy when you pounce on my love life." Helen retorted with a smile.
"Meanwhile, Sydney and I still belong to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club." Aggie snorted and set the bags on the kitchen counter. "Does anyone have lip gloss?"
"I have vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and toasted marshmallow." Sydney yanked her makeup bag out of her purse.
"Anything not resembling rice krispies?" Aggie asked.
Helen had her own makeup bag from her room. "I have luminous latte, banana, cinnamon twist, sexy sugar, and golden orange. Also I have a new one that has no smell but changes color with your mood."
"Damn, Bowie doesn't need this much makeup." Aggie took Helen's bag and retrieved her cinnamon twist.
"You're crabby, is it the beginning of next month already?" Helen teased.
"Very funny." Aggie rolled her eyes. "You'd be moody too if the Drs. Becker made you redo a lab write-up twenty six times. Plus, I can't find my Imagine Dragons CD."
"Oh, I actually took it from you without asking." Sydney said nervously.
"Thief." Aggie said annoyingly.
"I was gonna give it back." Syd grumbled and then turned to Helen. "Hey, can I spend the night? My Mom is meeting with Dad for a child support issue, and she's already three glasses of wine."
"Same for me, if I have to see my parents when I get home, I will pull a Menendez on them." Aggie rubbed her temples in frustration.
"Speaking of Des." Sydney giggled.
"He called and asked me out, that's it." Helen assured. Soon the phone rang again and Sydney answered in a chipper voice, "hello?"
Helen and Aggie began pulling out plates, soon they noticed Sydney's face turn pale and she hung up the phone. "Who was it?"
"Helen, Aro has your phone number. He said for me to tell you that you've got three hours left, what does that mean?" Sydney began shaking with fear.
"Nothing, my Dad has it covered."
"Don't you lie to us." Aggie warned dangerously.
"He's threatened me, by threatening to kill my family." She said sheepishly.
"I'm calling the police," said Sydney.
"No!" Helen yanked the phone away from her. "It's just empty words! Besides, the police are watching my house like crazy." She hated lying to them, but they needed to know only as much as they should.
"Fine." Sydney assured, but she wasn't convincing.
It turned out that nearly an hour later, Richard called and said that Carole twisted her ankle and they would be at the emergency room for a couple of hours. "Tell her I said hello." Helen hung up the phone and rejoined the little party that the girls had set up on the floor in front of the television.
"Emma Watson has such a convincing American accent." Sydney said while they watched The Perks Of Being A Wallflower.
"I'm half expecting her to pull out her wand at any second and yell Wingardium Leviosa!" Aggie chimed in.
The phone rang again, and Helen hurried to answer it for the sixth time. God she needed a cell phone! "Hello?"
"Enjoying the company of your friends?"
"Stop calling this number!" Helen threatened in a whisper. Aro was seriously becoming a pain!
"You know Demetri is drawn to the little blonde girl, Sydney. He thinks she's very yummy looking." He chuckled.
"She doesn't want a boyfriend, especially a vampire. Syd's more into demi-gods." Helen snorted.
"He doesn't want to date her, dear." Aro snickered with ferocity, "although, I am curious as to how you know of the existence of my kind. Care to enlighten me?"
Helen scoffed, "you'll find out when you drag me from my home."
"Watch your tone, young lady." Aro scolded her as if he really was her father.
"Will you just leave me alone?" Helen exhaled in frustration.
"Never. Oh, and just a little reminder, two hours left. See you soon, my sweet girl." Aro's cheery voice rang in her ear as she hung up the phone. "I really need to disconnect that thing." Helen sighed as she sat back down on the carpet.
A while later, the door bell rang. Helen was really annoyed by all of the distractions that were happening tonight. She actually felt a little worried that Aro, or Felix, or Demetri were going to bust in and start earlier. However, she was shocked to see a pizza delivery guy.
"Hi, I have an order for a Helen Hendricks." He said with a hint of exhaustion.
"I'm her. I didn't order a pizza, and I don't really have any money." She said nervously.
"Already paid for and ordered."
"By who?" Helen felt her heart speed up.
"A Mr. Aaron Volt. He a boyfriend?" The guy actually didn't seem to care. 'Aaron Volt. Wow, way to be creative, Aro.'
"More like a pest. Can you please just go, I didn't order any pizza." Helen wondered if this guy was in cahoots and put something in it. Would Aro sink so low that he'd drug her food? She wouldn't put it past him, he's already threatened her friends and family.
"Honey, I don't make 'em, I don't care about 'em, I just deliver 'em." The guy shoved the box into her arms and turned around. "Have a good one, star!" Helen shrugged and carried the box back into the house. She set it down on the counter, but hoped that Aro at least had the decency not to order meat toppings. Hey, she wasn't about to waste a hopefully good pizza.
Helen forgot how to breathe when she opened the box. There, written in various vegetables, One Hour Left. When her breathing did return, she finally realized how completely dangerous and scary her situation was. He was going to come in and kill Sydney and Aggie, and then he would take her with him to Italy. It didn't matter to her if her dream was over before it even started, she would not let her two best friends die for her.
"When did you order a pizza?" Sydney's voice brought her back to reality.
"No." She responded to seem normal. "My Dad did. I forgot to tell him you guys brought Chinese food, and he must feel bad about not having dinner with me."
"Oh well." Aggie said happily. "The more the merrier, what kind is it? Supreme?"
"Veggie." Helen mashed the vegetables around to destroy any evidence of words. "Hey, I'm going to get some air."
"Right now?!" Sydney whined. "But Sam and Charlie are about to kiss!"
"I wont take long." Helen felt so guilty for lying to them. How long until they'd come looking for her, only to discover she was gone? Would they miss her? Would they cry over her? She hoped not, the last thing she ever wanted to do was hurt them. She began to walk towards the door, only for the phone to ring as if on cue.
"Do not go outside." Ruby's shrill tone almost made her jump.
"What?"
"Do not. I have this under control, and don't need you gumming it up by giving in. Stay strong, Hendricks. Don't you dare let the Daddy Dearest intimidate you! He's got nothing, and he can't get in, plus he's alone. But Aro knows that if you get outside the barrier, he can get you. He also knows that he can scare you into his arms. I mean it Hendricks, you walk out that door and he wins the whole ball game!"
"My friends are here! What if he gets inside?! What if he kills them?!" Helen said in a loud whisper.
"Hon, I swear to you on my husband's grave that he will not get into that house."
For some reason, when Ruby said those words, Helen knew with a strange absolute certainty that she meant she was serious. She felt her courage come back to her and swallowed her doubt.
"Alright, Rubes." Helen hung up and turned to see Aggie standing behind her with a fierce and annoyed look.
"What is going on?!" Aggie demanded, "the phone has been ringing nonstop, you are acting like we're in a Hitchcock film, and why the hell are you lying to us?!"
"I'm not!" Helen protested. 'Damn Aggie with her damn smarts! The one night I need you to be as dumb as Syd and I are!'
"We have never kept anything from each other, you have known us since we were three!" Aggie saw right through her, she always did. "Whatever is happening, you can tell us."
"Yeah." Sydney said as she walked over to them.
"I can't!" Helen sobbed.
"Why not?" Syd whined. "This isn't like you!"
"I just can't!"
"Then, you leave us no choice but to try and guess." Aggie said in Dr. Becker-like tone. "Okay, um, Aro gave you the clap and you're also pregnant with his love child."
Helen felt the color drain from her face. How the hell was that even probable?! "NO!"
"Ooh! I got one!" Sydney said in a cheerful tone. "Aro wants you to be a surrogate mother for his wife, and that's why he kidnapped you!" They were getting closer, sadly. What Aro wanted did have the word surrogate involved.
"Shut up."
"That wasn't a no." Syd replied with a smirk.
"Alright, he's actually some sort of magical creature, and is trying to make you into one." Aggie giggled. 'Holy shit, how did she figure that out? Does my best friend just know everything!? It's really not helping me!'
"...No!" Helen said as she cracked her voice, trying to lie to Aggie.
"That's your lying voice." Aggie pointed out, her eyes widened in shock. "Oh my god!"
"No! No! No! There is no magic and no vampires!" Helen insisted, they were on to it!
"I never mentioned vampires." Her tawny skinned friend was too clever for her own good. Well damn, there was no point in denying it now. They knew and they would never, ever forget it.
"Omigosh, we were paid attention to by the same species of Damon Salvatore!" Sydney fanned herself as though she were hot. "I was hit on by someone of the same species of Damon Salvatore!"
Helen and Aggie shook their heads in shame at Sydney. "You're excited that demonic and possibly evil beings paid attention to you?"
"Have you seen Demetri, I impressed a sexy, sexy vampire!" She giggled.
"Syd, he does not want to date you. He wants to drink your blood, which will kill you." Helen said in an annoyed fashion. "Does it even bother you in the slightest that he wants to do that?"
"I cannot control his dietary needs, besides I'll be helping him live, and I love helping people." She sighed in happiness.
"You know Syd, I think your head would serve a better purpose if we took your brain out and stored nuts up there for squirrels." Aggie said fiercely.
"Aggs, she's only saying that because she thinks she has a shot with him." Helen pointed out. "I cannot believe you, Sydney O'dell. How are you not freaking out that a blood-sucking monster wants to kill you?!"
"Well, Aro wants to kill you and you're remaining pretty calm." Syd counteracted.
"He doesn't, he wants to adopt me," Helen finally confessed.
"What?!" Her two friends said in shock.
"Yeah." She spat out bitterly.
"I'd figured he'd kidnapped you to kill you," Aggie assured.
"Aggs, he's known me for two months. If he wanted to kill me, I would be dead by now."
On cue, the phone rang again. Syd and Aggs were on their toes in anticipation now that they knew the truth. "It's either Aro or Ruby." Helen admitted to them as she picked up the line.
"Oh." Sydney said and then whispered to Aggie, "who's Ruby?"
"You dumb little bitch!" Ruby. She must know that Syd and Aggs found out, "how could you possibly let your whiney little friends know all of this?!"
"Do you think I planned this?!" Helen shouted back, "in my wildest dreams of flying Aros and nice Allies, I never would've pegged them figuring it out."
"I don't know what's worse, the fact that I had to spell it out for you, or the fact that they figured it out on their own! Or the fact that you did a shitty job of denying it!"
"Will you relax?! I do not need this right now! Does Aro know?" Helen felt anger boiling inside of her.
"Hon, I am a hundred feet from your house, I have the ears of a turtle, and I know! Of course he knows! And now, you have just given him a reason to kill them!" Ruby screamed at the top of her lungs.
"What does she mean?" Aggie asked with fear.
"Who is that?" Ruby grumbled, and Helen put her on speaker phone.
"My name's Aggie Becker, ma'am." Aggs said in a polite voice.
"Okay, first, never call me ma'am!" Ruby sneered. "Second, good job on being too smart for your own good! Because now, it's going to get you killed!"
"What?!" Aggie screamed, tears began pouring out.
"Yep, first rule of vampires. If any human knows that they exist, they're dead one way or another." Ruby replied condescendingly.
"But Helen knows!"
"Aro is going to turn her, no matter what she says. From what he's said about you two to his coven, I can't say the same." From what he's said? What did that mean? Aro never showed any sign of meanness to them, Helen has seen him call them 'dear ones'. Or, was that an act too? It would make sense, he'd only pretend to like them, because Helen does.
"I don't want to die." Sydney sobbed out, finally coming to sense of the situation.
"Oh, right. You're the stupid one who thinks that a romantic relationship with a vampire is cool." Ruby laughed dryly, and suddenly a rage awoke in Helen. "Don't call her stupid you old witch!"
"How original, I have never heard that one before!" She scoffed. The line began ringing again, and Helen noticed that she had another incoming call.
"Ruby, I'm gonna have to switch calls. I th-
"Hendricks, we both know who it is. You should also know that the hour is up, it's game time." Ruby hung up. Helen reluctantly answered the bone-chilling call from Aro.
He sighed as soon as she answered. "You never learn, do you?"
Never had she ever been so terrified in her life. As far fetched as her life had become, it was horrible to know that the thing from scary stories, was going to show them how evil he could be.
"Please don't kill us!" Sydney burst out on impulse. Aggie held her tightly to shut her up, squeezing her hand as she did so.
"I am afraid it is too late for you, silly girls. Not only do you know too much, but I have decided that you will be darling Helen's punishment for running away. Not that I mind ending your insignificant lives. You two have been a nuisance from the beginning, and will be a nuisance to the end."
"Omigosh, I can't believe I never saw it before." Aggie didn't seem scared anymore, in fact she seemed shocked and somewhat...flattered. "Helen, Aro doesn't think we're annoying, he's jealous of us."
"Don't flatter yourself, you pathetic little worm." Aro's voice was drenched in the utmost hatred.
"No, he is." Aggie assured. "He's jealous because he knows you care about us. You know what, Aro?!" Aggie barked towards the phone, "you are walking cliché! You're the pathetic one. You claim to love Helen, but you don't know what that is! You only love yourself, you're just obsessed with her, and you know it. You are every fictional villain in every book, movie, and television show. You are that much of a loser, you're not even that original. Aro, your charisma, cheerful attitude, kindness, and charm are fake! You just wear a mask to cover up how narcissistic, cruel, and horrible you really are, and I bet that yesterday, Helen saw right through it! I bet she realized how fake you are! How pathetic and weak you are! She doesn't even love you, who could love someone like you!?"
Helen and Sydney were not even capable of speaking. Never had they seen Aggie attack someone like that, and not even care how dangerous they were. However, Helen wanted to correct Aggie on that last part. She did love Aro, and she felt like he loved her too. But Aggie was right about mostly everything else.
Although, Helen wasn't sure who she was more scared of, Aggie or Aro.
"You!" He spat with pure, manic rage. "Die first!"
For the final time, the line went dead. "Aggie, you just killed yourself!" Helen shouted in anger.
"He's got nothing on us, besides, if he could get in you would be even more scared." Aggie said smugly.
"I'm going to have to do the inevitable to save you!" Helen admitted bitterly. She dashed towards the back door with Sydney and Aggie running behind her, screaming in protest. Helen was amazed when she saw the translucent barrier that encased her house. As she got closer and closer to the edge, Aggie caught up to her and shoved her backwards, causing Aggie to stumble back and outside of the protected cage.
Within seconds, Felix seemed to streak towards them and hoist Aggie up by the throat. "If it isn't the spoiled bitch, herself." He chuckled menacingly.
"Felix, put her down!" Helen tried to run to aid her friend, but Syd was restraining her with admirable strength.
"Oh, and the dumb bitch and the ringleader bitch are here too." He smiled. "Still, I can't admit that I've been around so many pretty faces at once. Women are the most beautiful when frozen with fear, Master Caius would agree.
"Syd!" Aggie choked out. "Whatever you do...keep Helen safe!"
Felix then carted Aggie away into the forest, laughing hysterically as he did so. "No!" Helen screamed as Sydney pulled her back inside her house, shutting the door to prevent another attempt.
"Why did you do that!?" Helen screamed. "Aggie is going to die!"
"And what would you doing exactly what they want, help the situation?" Sydney replied confidently.
"I could've bargained with Aro!" She reminded.
"He would find the simplest of reasons to kill her, just like Ruby said."
"Alright, then let's think of something!" She barked out. "I got it! We'll call the FBI!"
They looked up the number and dialed as fast as they could. After being patched through, the two girls began the strangest conversation.
"You need to send help! Our friend has been kidnapped!" Helen shouted over the line.
"Miss, calm down!" The woman said over the phone. "What happened?"
"A group of vampires kidnapped and are possibly torturing my best friend, after she stepped over a magical barrier protecting my house!" Helen paused and whispered to Sydney. "I cannot believe I just said that."
"Don't worry, dear. I'm sure when the smoke clears, you'll find her." The woman bitterly hung up.
Sydney gasped in shock. "I am so telling Deana not to accept that Forensics job with them! I bet the CIA will be nicer!" Helen dropped the phone in defeat whilst her friend ranted.
"Let's call them now!" She suggested.
"Don't you get it, Syd!?" Helen sobbed. "We will get the same response, every single time!"
"So, what do we do?" She asked softly.
"First, we are going to have a beer, because if we fail, at least we'll have done some living!" Helen explained with vigor. "Second, we are going to settle this like adults would, we will negotiate."
Helen reached into the back of the fridge and pulled two cans out. She slid one across the counter to Sydney. "Cheers." The two of them opened the can, and just as barely a sip entered their mouths, they spit the disgusting drink out in horror.
"That's so bad!" Helen hacked up the liquid.
"How do our Daddies drink this?!" Sydney said in disgust. The two shoved the cans aside, and rubbed their tongues to try and remove the sour taste. Helen and Sydney got aggravated when they heard the phone ring, again!
"What?!" They both shout over the speaker.
"...Nellie." Wesley choked out over the line. "Aro...found me. He says if you don't come out in ten seconds, Aggs and I will be dead." The two girls sped out of the house and saw Aro, Felix, Jane, and Demetri standing a few feet away from the shield. Aggie was being restrained by Felix, and Wesley by Demetri.
"You sure know how to pick a patron, sis." Wes said softly.
"Shut up!" Aro snapped to him, and Demetri tightly gripped his throat. "Now look at what you've done, Helen."
Helen felt her world crash around her. This couldn't be happening, this couldn't be real!
"Don't worry, dear. Our secrets will die along with them." She jumped at the anger and malice he used towards her. "Now, you are going to come out from the barrier. Or, one of them," he gestured towards Aggie and Wesley. "Dies."
Helen nodded in acknowledgment, but before she took a step, the sound of a car engine became apparent. Richard and Henry rushed into the house, the sound of her little brother's laughter made her cry.
"Flapjack, we're home! Honey? Sweetie?" Richard didn't even know what was going on. He was going to be so ashamed of her, of her stupid decisions. "Helen, where are you?"
"Sis, are you outside?" Henry appeared at the doorframe, looking confused at Helen and Sydney. "What're you doing?"
"Henry, do not come out here!" Helen pleaded. "It's not safe!"
"What?" Henry asked. "No one is even out there, but you guys." Helen turned and saw that Aro and his guard were gone.
"HELEN LOUISE HENDRICKS!" Richard stormed outside, fuming with anger. He marched over to Helen, grabbing her tightly by the arm. "You drank a beer, in my house?!"
Oh crap.
"Dad, it's not what you think!" She assured. "I barely had a sip!"
"Sure, you did!" He scoffed, not believing her. "And you!" He barked to Sydney, "I'm calling your mother! Get your things and wait by the front door!"
"DAD! AGGIE AND WESLEY HAVE BEEN KIDNAPPED!" Helen screamed out. "Vampires are trying to kill us!"
"What have you been smoking?" Richard rolled his eyes.
"It's true! You have to believe me!"
"Hey Dad!" Henry called out from inside.
"Not now, Henry! I'm about to give your sister the punishment of a lifetime!" Richard barked back.
"Dad! Helen's patron is on the phone with me! He's says that if we don't get outside the barrier, he'll kill Wesley." Richard froze in shock. Did he believe them now? Would he try and help them?
"I'm afraid, Richard. Your youngest son is right." Helen turned and saw that the Volturi freaks were back.
"You!" Richard exploded with rage. "You stay the hell away from my daughter, you pedophile!"
"Please do not make such accusations, my good man." Aro waved it away with a flick of his wrist.
"How could you?" He spoke darkly, "she trusted you, she opened up to you, invited you into her home, and this is how you repay her?"
"Dad!" Helen pleaded.
"Yes honey?" said Richard, while Aro said, "yes my darling?" The former glared intensely at the latter, who returned the glare.
"Don't you dare call her that! You disgusting man! I am her father, no one can ever change that! She is my daughter, and she is not going anywhere! NOW WHERE IS MY SON?!"
"Dad?" Wesley choked out, Demetri made his head visible.
"Wesley?" Richard tried to rush to him, but was stopped by Helen.
"Don't!" She assured. "If you get out of the barrier, they'll be able to kill you."
Richard looked at her with confusion, but realization. "Wait. It's all real? What you're saying, it's true?" Before Helen could reply, Aro burst out into a chorus of laughter, followed by a few chuckles from his guard.
"Forgive me, Richard Hendricks. You humans are just so cute!" He snickered.
"We're cute?!" Her father spat in horror. "You listen here!"
"Dad!" She warned. "As much as I'd love to see you go all parental on him, you really aren't in a position to do so!"
"Listen to my daughter, whatever form of brains she has are being put to good use." Aro assured with a sly grin.
"You leave my family out of this!" Richard barked.
"You do not even know what that word means, sciocco." Aro giggled. "I have seen what you are, through the eyes of my Helen. With one touch, I read every thought she has ever had."
"About what?"
"Everything. Her likes and dislikes, her dreams, her favorite color, her favorite book. Can you say the same? Of course not. You wouldn't know anything about her, I am amazed you even remember her name! The most curious thoughts of hers, were about you, her father." Aro growled at the word. "She hates having to live with you, I wouldn't blame her. You are so absent in her life, it is sickening! Everything is work, and none of your children have grown with a proper paternal influence, which is why they run wild and have no respect for authority! Your first crime, was giving them that cow Kathleen Danton, for a mother! Ha! The only thing she has going for her is her face, and even that is not much!
"You neglect them! And think that buying them mere trinkets will make up for your absence! You have spoiled them, and no good ever comes from spoiling children. Thank heavens that I have managed to undo some damage you have inflicted towards Helen!" Aro faced her, genuinely smiling brightly, gazing at her face with love. "Now, this girl, she is everything I could have asked for. She is my pride and joy, and I love her as much as I could love anything.
"And now, we shall see whom she loves more, Richard Hendricks. You or me."
TILL NEXT TIME!