Chapter Twelve
“Walk, what time is it?” Diana asked her husband.
Looking up from the plastic seat he was sitting in, Walker looked at his watch, “It’s... 11:38.” He said.
She sighed. “They were supposed to be here six minutes ago.” She said.
“Honey, planes are never on time, you know that.”
She sat down next to him. “I know. I just... damn.” She said, tears in her eyes.
“I talked to him, Di. He’s alright. They’ll be here.” He said.
She stood up, “I know all that. But, I need to see him with my own eyes. And I don’t even know if I can trust that, because the last time I saw him, his throat was ripped open and his eyes were lifeless and he was dead, Walk.” She covered her face with her hands. “My baby was dead.” She cried.
Walker stood up and put his arms around her as she buried her face in his chest, sobbing. “I know honey. We just have to have faith, though.” As the words left his mouth, he saw people walking towards him. In the middle were his three sons, Isaac, Zac, and between them, Taylor. “Diana, it’s them...” He said.
She turned, wiping her face on the sleeve of her denim jacket. When she saw them, she froze where she stood. Taylor saw her and dropped the bag he was carrying. For one agonizing moment, they just looked at each other, then Taylor was in front of her, hugging her as tears streamed down both their faces. Isaac and Zac laughed as her feet actually left the floor. “They told me... they told me you were dead--“ She sobbed.
“Oh Mom, I missed you so bad...” he said back, “I’m not dead, I’m right here.”
Walker stepped up. “Son...” he said.
Taylor let go of his mother, setting her down gently and turned to his father. “Dad...” He said, and the two embraced.
“I can’t believe you’re really here.” Walker said, stroking Taylor’s hair and breathing in the scent of him.
Diana went to her other two boys. “Thank you for bringing him back.” She said, and the whole scene began anew.
~~~~~
Avery lay awake, her fingers nervously playing with the loose threads on the edge of her blanket, blood still visible on one corner of it as no one had been able to get it away from her long enough to wash it. Her parents had rushed the family onto a plane in St. Louis, then deposited them in their New York City home away from home where they proceeded to wait. Wait for what, no one knew. This night, Walker and Diana had left them in the care of the boys’ manager. Though he was a family friend, Chris wasn’t usually asked to baby sit so an already strange situation just continued to get more strange. Beside her, Jessica, Zoe, and Mackenzie all slept soundly. She looked at the clock, 1:20 a.m.
~~~~~
“What happened?” Diana asked Taylor as they waited to pick up the boys’ suitcase. Though it was a simple question, she could tell by looking at him, the answer wouldn’t be simple. He looked healthy. In fact, amazingly so. He seemed full of energy and his cheeks were pink, but something wasn’t right. It was a subtle thing, but to a mother’s eye, it was obvious. And all three boys had talked her ear off, yet, they’d said nothing. She and Walker looked at one another, both having the same uneasy feeling.
~~~~~
Sonya looked at her watch. She’d managed to get them a flight back to New York City, where she and the two girls would stay as guests of the Lady Beatriz. Whether they wanted to or not.
“Why do we have to go back there?” Melanie asked from the seat beside her.
Sonya looked at her incredulously, “Am I speaking Yiddish here?”
Camille looked at her, “I don’t think so.”
Sonya rolled her eyes, “Damage control. We caused this mess and she believes it is our responsibility to get things back under control.”
“Why is he our problem?” Melanie spat, “He’s the one that attacked us!”
Camille pouted, “I want Taylor. I miss him.”
“You are fucked in the head, Camille.” Melanie said to her.
“Hmm, I think that would be the pot calling the kettle black.” Camille said back, putting on her headphones and hitting play on her CD player. As the sound of Taylor’s voice poured into her ears, a smile crossed her face as she tuned out the voices of her companions.
~~~~~
Taylor, his two brothers and his parents made their way quietly into the suite they were staying in. “Where’s the kids?” Taylor asked.
“Asleep I would think.” His father answered.
“Man, it’s good to be here.” Taylor said, dropping down onto the couch.
“I can imagine.” Walker said, sitting next to him.
“Mom, I’m gonna go to bed.” Isaac said, walking toward his mother.
“No, I need you to help me understand all this. You can sleep late tomorrow, Ike.” She said.
Isaac sighed, then turned and sat down on the couch next to Taylor. Beside her, Zac readied himself for the next hour, wondering how much Isaac and Taylor would tell their parents. Diana sat facing Taylor and Zac pulled a chair from the kitchen in to sit next to her.
“Ok--“ Taylor started.
“No, no.” Diana interrupted, “We will ask the questions and you will answer. Alright?” Isaac and Taylor looked at each other, then both nodded silently. “Now then, Taylor,” she said, “How are you feeling? Because I can’t help but notice a rather large scar on your neck, which actually looks remarkably good, considering the last time I saw you, blood was pouring from it.” She was looking directly into his eyes. Zac wondered if he would try to trick her somehow with his new found powers, but his brain appeared to be so rattled by her inquisition, that Taylor either didn’t want to, or just wasn’t able to pull it off.
“Um, I feel fine.” He said softly.
“Good” she said, nodding, “So then, tell me why the last time your father and I saw you, you were dead.” Tears rolled down her cheeks, but she didn’t take her eyes off Taylor’s. No one moved a muscle, waiting for his reply.
Taylor looked first at Isaac, then at Zac, neither able to help him out. He cleared his throat, then put his hand up, running his thumb along the place on his neck where Sonya had torn the soft flesh, “I don’t really know, Mom. I just... I just woke up at home and these three girls were there and... I don’t know what happened.”
“Ike,” Walker said. “Is that true?”
Isaac looked over at Taylor, then back to his father, “Yeah. I don’t think he does remember exactly what happened.”
“Well, then you tell me!” she said, standing up, “Because I need to know!” she cried. She then stepped closer to Taylor, looking down at him, “How are you here?” she said, stooping down and looking closely at him.
“They let me go.” He said, his voice wavering.
Diana looked at her husband. Walker shrugged and looked at Zac who was looking at the floor. Putting her hand on his cheek, she said to Taylor, “how did you get that scar under your eye?”
He put his finger up to the familiar spot, “This one? I got it when I broke the patio door.”
“What about the one on your ankle?” she asked.
“Mrs. Kennedy’s dog bit me when I was eleven.” He said back.
“What else?” she asked.
“He made me fall and skin up both elbows and you drug me over to her house and you yelled at her.” Taylor said back.
She stood up again and backed away from him. Walker stood up and stepped towards her. “Di, calm down.”
“How can you say that, Walker? You were there, you saw the blood. Isaac and Avery saw someone kill him and now he’s sitting there looking and sounding like my dead son, but something’s not right. He knows how he got the scars, but they’re not there! If he took his shoes off, that scar won’t be there, will it Taylor?”
Isaac and Zac painfully watched as Taylor just looked down at his hands. “Tay, you gotta tell ‘em.” Zac said.
Taylor swiped at his eyes, then nodded, almost imperceptibly. Walker put his arm around Diana as they each waited to finally hear the truth. “They didn’t kill me.” He started, never looking up, “They…changed me. Now, I’m like they are.” Finally, he looked up and tears fell from his brilliant eyes. Standing up, he walked toward his parents, then stopped. In the doorway, behind them stood Avery, clutching her blanket. “Avie,” he said. They all looked at her, her face a mask of fear.
“Don’t hurt ‘em, Tay!” she cried and she ran to her father’s side.
Stricken, Taylor looked at her. “I wouldn’t hurt them...” and he stepped towards her.
“NO!” She screamed and she hid her face in her father’s chest as he picked her up and she pulled the blanket up around her head, hiding from the big brother she loved so much. Taylor blinked back tears for a moment, dying to hold her, but knowing he couldn’t possibly. In an instant, he bolted for the door and had disappeared by the time Isaac made it to the hallway.
~~~~~
Once on the street, Taylor just ran. He ran past all kinds of people, down the streets of New York. His emotions on overload, his sensitive ears hearing snips of a thousand conversations, some snatched from people’s minds, never meant to be heard by another. Eventually, he found himself in the Park, and thankfully some solitude as he sat down on a bench beside a statue of a soldier from some war unknown to him. His heart thumped in his chest and he could hear the blood pumping through his veins. As he calmed himself, he realized he didn’t have a jacket and yet he wasn’t affected by the cold, nor was he sweating. He could see clearly, people across the park, walking hand in hand and, though it was dark, he could look up and see every leaf on the trees. When he breathed in, his senses were able to pick out different smells he’d never noticed before. Perfume, sweat, smoke, the hot dog cart a block away. He pulled his knees up to his chest and tried to block it all out, putting his head down. He began to hum a melody and concentrate on it, shutting everything else out.
Soon, his mind was able to tune out all the other things around him. Sonya had told him he’d learn to only be aware of things when he really needed to. As he thought of her, he almost believed he could hear her voice. Moments passed and he realized he really was hearing her. “Taylor, are you alright?” she asked gently.
“Where are you?” He answered, looking up.
“I’m in New York, Taylor. You’re troubled, what’s wrong?” She asked.
Taylor sniffed and wiped his eyes with his shirt. “I don’t want this!” He practically shouted.
“Taylor, I know it’s hard, but it will get easier.” Sonya was using every bit of her power to try and see through his eyes, to figure out where he was. She knew if she were able to read his thoughts, others may have been able to as well. She didn’t know whether the Lady Beatriz had instructed others as well as she, Melanie, and Camille to find him, or not. And while the Lady wanted him alive, that didn’t mean others wouldn’t be harsh with him, a vampire could take quite a bit of punishment without merciful death taking them.
~~~~~
Isaac and Zac knew when Taylor was upset, he often headed for the serenity of the outdoors and the only bit of nature in this place was the Park. As they left the hustle and bustle of the city streets, they found themselves a little unnerved by the quiet of the trees and the path winding itself deeper into the place. Just as they were about to give up trying to find their brother, they looked ahead where, sitting on a bench, lamplight shining down on his blonde head, sat Taylor. They watched him as he raised his head, then turned, looking back at them. Both stopped and looked at the other, both feeling goosebumps rise on their skin as they realized their brother’s senses were heightened to inhuman levels for him to have detected them from so far away. Zac found himself wanting to run as he saw the light glint off Taylor’s eyes, another reminder, his brother was different from he and Isaac now. But, he could also tell from his posture that Taylor was very upset and so, instead of running away from Taylor, he ran to him. “Tay, man, don’t you know it’s not safe for you to be out all by yourself in the city!?” Zac said, taking hold of Taylor’s arm and pulling him towards Isaac.
“Zac, nobody wants me there.” Taylor said, pulling away from him.
“Tay, it’s just gonna take some time. Think about it. Mom’s freaked right now, but it’s a lot better than the way she was a few days ago. And Avie, well, she’s just scared. She saw what they did to you.” Zac reasoned.
Isaac joined them, looking at his watch, “It’s really getting late, we gotta get back. Mom and Dad are upset enough without you taking off on them. C’mon.”
“Did you tell ‘em?” Taylor asked, sitting back down on the bench.
Isaac sighed and sat next to his brother. Zac leaned against the lamp post, realizing it was going to take a little more persuasion to get Taylor to come back with them. “Yeah, we told ‘em.” Isaac said.
“How’d they take it?” Taylor asked, sitting up.
“Well, I don’t know if they believed it. I don’t know man, what would you think if it was one of us? They don’t know what to think.” Isaac reasoned.
“Just come on home, dude. The kids have missed you and they’ll be so happy to see you…” Zac said.
“Yeah, all of ‘em but Avie, maybe.” Taylor muttered.
Isaac shook his head and stood up, “She’s always been weird where you’re concerned Tay, you know that. Just give her time. It’s been really hard on her. She hasn’t said three words since it happened.”
Taylor sighed and closed his eyes. Then, he stood up, “Am I doing the right thing, though? I mean, I don’t want any of this to rub off on them, y’know? I just want to live my life, like always—but, is that even possible?! Did Mom and Dad tell everybody?”
Zac stepped over to his two brothers, “They just found out themselves. I’m sure they’re not gonna wake them up to tell them something they don’t even know if they believe. Are you gonna try and hide it from them?” he asked Taylor.
“Look, man,” Taylor said, “don’t tell ‘em, ok? I don’t want them scared of me. It’s not like I’m gonna do anything in front of them anyway. They don’t need to know.”
Isaac looked at his watch again, “Ok, I won’t tell them and neither will Zac, alright? Now, please, can we go? I am not dragging your ass back 23 blocks to the hotel when the sun starts doing a number on you. I swear, I’ll just stuff you in a garbage can and put the lid on.”
Zac laughed as Isaac began walking back to the path they’d used to get to where they were. “Hey, Tay—“ he stopped his brother, “can you like, jump over this bench?”
Taylor gave him a look, then shrugged his shoulders. “Man, you know I’m always the one to get hurt when you start throwin’ out dares and stuff.”
“Aw, c’mon. Just try.” He smiled. Taylor shook his head, but took a step backwards, then like a cat, he went over the back of the bench, clearing it by a good foot.
Zac stood with his mouth open, watching as Taylor caught up with Isaac. Suddenly, he felt very alone, standing there as they walked ahead of him, “Guys! Wait up!” he shouted.
As they approached the hotel, Taylor noticed a woman leaning up against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest, the wind blowing her hair and the long fringed skirt she wore. As their eyes met, he smiled. She stepped away from the building and closed the distance between them quickly. Isaac and Zac looked at each other nervously as they recognized Sonya. “Taylor,” she said, reaching up and pushing his bangs out of his eyes, “how are you doing?”
“I’m ok.” He said back quietly. She looked over at his brothers, “Is he?” she asked.
Isaac spoke up, “Well, other than freaking out the family, brainwashing airline personnel and feeding off our fans, he seems to be doing pretty good.”
“Oh, you’ve fed already?!” she said, happily, “I was so worried about you.”
Isaac and Zac looked at each other again with wide eyes. She continued, “So, I hear you are supposed to be on that horrible MTV tomorrow—isn’t 3:30 a little early for you to be up?” she asked Taylor in a motherly tone.
“What!? I didn’t hear anything about that!” he said, looking at his two brothers.
“Oh, uh…yeah.” Zac stuttered, “After you left, Mom and Dad said Chris had managed to get us on TRL tomorrow. So we can tell everybody you’re not dead.”
Taylor rolled his eyes up in his head in disgust as Zac and Isaac backed up a little, “Ew, don’t do that Tay, it’s gross!” Isaac said.
Taylor glared back at him, “Who cares? How the hell am I supposed to be on TRL? That’s on in the daytime!”
“Well, we could get there late, like 4:00.” Zac said, “Maybe even 4:15. Yesterday, you woke up about a quarter to five anyway. Do you think we could make you get up earlier? Somehow?” He looked from Taylor to Sonya.
“Taylor,” she said, “they’re not going to be happy with you going on television. They want you to come to them. Now. It’s why I’m here.”
For a moment, fear crossed all their faces, “But Sonya,” Taylor implored, “the fans need to know I’m not dead, some of ‘em, well, they’re just so upset, they’ve been threatening all kinds of crazy things.” He looked at her with the eyes he used on his mother when he knew the answer was going to be ‘no’, but he couldn’t help trying. “I really need to do this. Please.” Isaac and Zac watched the exchange, wondering if Taylor would be able to get his way with a vampire the way he did with every other female.
“You’re a credit to your race, Taylor.” She said smiling, “Just don’t forget what race you belong to now.” She said, looking first at him, then at Isaac and Zac. “You know, I listened to your CD. And, it’s good. Very good, in fact... as that kind of music goes.” She raised her eyebrow, “Just so you know, if you were one of those horrid groups of vermin they usually play on that channel, I wouldn’t help you a bit.” She put her hand up to his cheek, “I’ll do what I can.” She said, shaking her head, “But if they find out about this, they’ll throw us both in the desert at sunrise.”
While they stood there, a young couple walked by, hand in hand. Taylor and Sonya both watched intently.
“Tay, c’mon, let’s go.” Zac said, watching his brother raise his head and sniff the air. A chill went down his spine as he saw Taylor and Sonya look at each other with those eyes.
“Um, you all go on up—I’ll be up in a little while.” Taylor said. Isaac turned and stalked into the building, leaving Zac scurrying to catch up.