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"Did he die again?" Melanie asked Sonya as they looked into Taylor's room. He lay motionless on the bed, on his side, looking at the wall. "No, he's alright. He's just…adjusting." Sonya said back. "Uh-huh. Whatever you say. Look, I'm hungry–as exciting as this is, I need to get out of here and find me some liquid sustenance." Melanie said. Sonya sighed, "How long do you think he can go without feeding?" Melanie furrowed her brow, "You're asking me? Hell, I don't know. Anybody I ever saw, it was the first thing they did." "Hmmm," Sonya started, "but, I'll bet they all drank in order to make the change. It's sort of a rarity anymore, y'know? For somebody to get turned like he did." |
Melanie rolled her eyes, "Yeah, well, only an idiot with a death wish does something that stupid. Hey, we could still kill him Sonya, it's not like anybody knows about him yet."
Sonya flinched and looked over at Taylor–if he'd heard, he didn't let on. Now she glared at the girl, "Don't you feel anything for him? Guilt? Remorse? Responsibility?" she asked.
Melanie looked back at him, "Why should I? I'm not the one that called him night after night, and I'm not the one that killed him. He's just another victim Sonya–you two just fucked up, and now I'm supposed to play nursemaid to him? I don't think so."
Sonya looked at her, "No, you didn't kill him, though you would have if you'd gotten to him first. But, you did kill Camille–a very young girl who should have grown up a bit before being turned into a predator. Now, you have to deal with the consequences. And I'm here to offer some guidance supposedly, but obviously, I haven't done a very good job of it, or we wouldn't be here in Podunk with a very famous, very dead little Rockstar."
"You know I've paid for that lapse in judgment for three years now. Don't you think it's time for her to be on her own? I mean, she's made herself a mate now, I think I'm released of all my responsibility." Melanie answered.
Sonya snorted, "I don't think he will go for that "mate" business–I think he's a little pissed about the whole thing right now. Besides, technically, all three of us made him and until the Lady Beatriz calls me back to her, we're sort of stuck with each other. So don't even think about cutting out on me. Hell, who knows what we've created–he's got some of all of us in him. He might be a nutcase like Camille or a bitch like you–though I have a feeling if he had much of you in him he'd be out there right now luring in some girl instead of laying there wishing he were dead."
Melanie sighed, "Is that what he's thinking?" she whispered.
Sonya turned from the doorway and headed toward the stairs, "Pretty much." She said quietly.
~~~~~
"Ike, if you get pulled over, it'll take that much longer to get there." Zac said, watching the speedometer as it stayed steadily at 85.
"Let's get off in Springfield, I think I need some coffee." Isaac said back, ignoring Zac's warning. Not much had been said between the two. It was 11:49 pm and they were still close to two hours from Tulsa.
"Whatever–get me a Surge, it's not like I could sleep anyway." He said leaning his head against the window.
While Zac's thoughts were swirling back and forth between worrying about the one brother who was losing his mind and the other who'd lost his life, Isaac's were all on the sound of Taylor's voice on his cell phone. He'd gone over and over in his mind trying to recall every detail–but his shock at hearing his dead brother's voice had kept him from paying enough attention. He was just now thinking about the fact that Taylor had said he needed help. Had he escaped from kidnappers? Or, was he sick and lost somewhere? How was he even alive? Isaac had seen Taylor's throat cut and had watched him bleed to death, or so he'd thought. What if Taylor had died since he'd talked to him five hours ago? As he pulled into a Shell station, his mind was working overtime thinking about everything that had happened and what exactly he was doing driving he and Zac someplace where he had no clue what he would find.
~~~~~
The clock struck twelve and Sonya stood up from the chair in Taylor's room. She'd gone down earlier, hoping when she returned, he'd say something or be sitting up or just anything. But, still, he just lay there. As far as she could tell, he hadn't moved a muscle. The shadows around his eyes were darker and his skin paler. Before, when she'd put a great deal of effort into it, she could hear a few of his thoughts. Now, she picked up nothing. "Taylor, please come with me–I can show you what to do. The longer you wait, the worse it will be." She pleaded. She still got no response. "You know, I never meant for this to happen."
She said sitting down on the floor next to the bed. "In fact, it was exactly what I was trying to prevent." She reached up to push his hair out of his eyes, "You know, if you don't blink, your eyeballs are going to dry up." She sighed, "Starving yourself is not a good idea. If you get too hungry, your body will take over and there will be nothing your mind can do about it. You're a predator now–no worse than a tiger or a shark is in the big picture. You use your head though, and you can choose your victims and take them humanely. You don't have to kill them, or play with them." She smiled, "Of course, I can't guarantee they won't feel a bit rundown the next day. Sort of like…a hangover." She put her face close to his, "I guess you know all about that though, don't you?" She sighed, "Taylor, I'm old. I can sit here and talk to you for a very long time. I know you can hear me. As a matter of fact, your hearing is so good now, you can probably hear my heart beating. We do have hearts you know. And they beat and pump blood and all that."
He still didn't move.
"Alright, if that's the way you want it–I'm just gonna tell you everything I can think of. Stop me if you begin to go insane. Now then…" she turned away from him and leaned her head back on the bed and proceeded to explain to him, just exactly what he was.
~~~~~
At 1:48, Zac and Isaac pulled into Tulsa. Zac looked over at his brother. He hadn't said a word in the last hour. "Ike, you ok?" he asked.
Isaac sniffed and rubbed his eyes, then looked over at his little brother. Usually, Zac looked older than his fifteen years, but ever since their lives had been turned upside down, he looked like that little boy that was spooked by black and white movies and Goosebumps books and crazy fans. Isaac hadn't seen him cry like he had this morning since he was very small. The closer they'd gotten to Tulsa, the more Zac looked like he was going to break down again. "I'm alright, Zac. I'm just thinking."
"What about?" Zac asked quietly.
"Just…everything. I mean, what if he's not there when we get there?" he answered. Zac sighed and looked out the window, "All I know is I saw blood everywhere and he wasn't breathing or anything and those men just flopped him on that thing and covered him all up and stuck him in that truck like he wasn't special–"
Zac stopped, his throat was closing up as he tried not to cry, "Ike, he's dead. He's not gonna be at the house."
"But, what if he is!!? He called me on my phone, like 14 or 15 hours after his body went missing!" Isaac exclaimed.
Zac pulled his knees up to his chest and put both his hands in his hair, "God, I want him back so bad, Ike."
"I do too, Zac, but that's not why I heard his voice on that phone. It wasn't my mind playing tricks on me. He called me." Isaac said as he turned into their neighborhood.
Zac looked up, tears running down his face. He sniffed, "Ok Ike, I believe you." Then he wiped his face on the sleeves of his shirt. Isaac pulled into the driveway. "Well, this is it." He said.
~~~~~
Taylor bolted up, looking around wildly. Sonya looked back at him, then she realized a car was pulling into the driveway. He was out of the room and halfway down the stairs before she knew what was happening.
Isaac stepped out of the car and slowly walked up the path towards the front door, not knowing what he'd find inside. Zac sat in the car still, pulling himself together. Isaac stopped at the bottom of the steps. Suddenly the sound of glass shattering caused every nerve in his body to fire and he looked up to see his brother coming at him. A brother he'd watched die in his arms. Now, on his back on the sidewalk, Taylor's face and luminous eyes just inches away from his own, Isaac was somewhere in between overjoyed and scared shitless.
"Ike!" Taylor exclaimed, his face breaking into a huge grin, "You came! I knew you would–"
"Tay?" Zac squeaked out. When he'd gotten out of the car, he saw Isaac laying on the ground with Taylor on top of him. Both boys looked up into his astonished face. Zac walked slowly toward them. "You're dead. You died and they took you away." He said softly.
Taylor stood up, "Zac, oh God, I didn't think I'd see you again." He said. Zac started to back up.
The front door opened up and Sonya stepped out, her gauzy skirt blowing in the wind. "Taylor, you broke the front door." She said, gazing at the three boys.
Zac and Isaac looked at each other, both feeling uneasy in her presence, but not knowing exactly why. Isaac especially felt fear. "Sorry." Taylor muttered.
She looked up and down the street, "May as well come in, you'll freeze out here." She said, going back inside. Isaac stood up and brushed off his pants.
As Taylor walked past him on his way up the steps, Isaac took his arm, "Are you ok? You sorta went through the storm door."
Taylor looked up at the door, as a piece of glass fell from the frame onto the porch and shattered. He turned to Isaac and nodded, then he looked back at Zac who still wouldn't come near him. "Taylor, don't do anything stupid. We wouldn't want anything bad to happen to your brothers."
"Please come in," Taylor pleaded softly, "I missed you so much." He suddenly looked tired and lost, his joy at seeing them fading into dread. He realized then that he'd put his brothers in grave danger by calling them. He looked at the door, then down at his bare feet standing unharmed in the glass from the broken storm door.
Come inside Taylor. He heard Sonya's voice inside his head as he closed his eyes. He wanted to jump in Isaac's car and drive as fast and as far as he could, away from what he'd become and away from the three exotic creatures who'd changed him from human to…something not human. As he walked into the house, turning his back on his two brothers, he prayed they'd do exactly what he'd thought of, and a tear rolled down his cheek as he faced Sonya sitting in his mother's old rocking chair. The chair she'd rocked he and all his brothers and sisters to sleep in and comforted them in their times of need. But, she wasn't there now.
"If you or either of them hurt one of my brothers, I'll make you sorry." He said coldly.
"I don't want to hurt them, I want to make them understand."
"Understand what!!?" he bellowed, "That I'm some undead zombie thing?"
"You're not a zombie." She said.
"Whatever!" he said throwing his arms out angrily.
She looked over to the door where Isaac now stood. "Where's Zac?" she asked.
"Um, he's scared to come in." Isaac said quietly, looking from Sonya to his brother. He still looked as if he might bolt at any moment and Sonya knew it was taking all his courage to stand in the same room with her and Taylor. "What's going on, Tay?" he asked, his voice whispery.
Taylor looked at him–he was staring at the scar on his throat. "Ike," he said and he stepped toward his brother.
Isaac backed up and put his hands out, "Don't–" was all he got out. Taylor's face fell and he turned and sat on the couch, his face a study in sadness.
"What is it you're afraid of Isaac?" Sonya asked.
Isaac looked back and forth between the two before answering, "I don't know."
"What do you think happened?" Sonya asked.
Isaac looked out the door as Zac sat huddled on the front step. When he looked back at Taylor, he had tears in his eyes, "I think you killed him." He stepped towards her, "What'd you do? What are you?"
She looked over at Taylor. He sat, looking down at the floor, the wind blowing in through the broken glass moved his hair about his face. "I suppose we're what you'd call vampires Isaac." She said.
"That's ridiculous…" he snorted, but even as he said it, he knew in his heart it was true.
Sonya stood up, moving close to him. Her eyes took on a slight greenish glimmer and she smiled showing her fangs, "Isaac, don't you believe your own eyes? Now do you understand?"
Taylor stepped between them, "Please don't….please." he pleaded. "I'll do whatever you want, just…don't."
"Taylor," she said, "I would never hurt anyone in your family again. I'd take it all back in a heartbeat if I could–but I can't. I thought I was doing the right thing."
"But you said–" he started.
Laughter from the front porch grabbed their attention and they turned to see Melanie and Camille come in the door with Zac sandwiched between them. "What the heck happened to that big old glass door?" Camille asked.
Sonya shook her head, "Taylor ran right through it." She said.
"You are nutty Taylor!" Melanie smiled.
"Camille, I think they were having a party without us." Zac was watching Taylor so intently, he hardly realized the danger he was in. In the light of the room, he was very pale and his bright eyes shown, though they were surrounded by dark shadows. He looked horrible and beautiful all at once.
"Zac, come here." He said, and his brother stepped forward, away from the two girls and stood next to Isaac.
"Well, he's got that down pat." Melanie said, then she plopped down into a chair and flung her legs over the arm of it.
Camille gazed at Taylor with her soft, blue eyes, "You know, they could be your first, Taylor." She said.
"I'd die first." He stated.
"Yeah, that's the way it usually works." Melanie laughed. Taylor's eyes took on the same shine that Sonya's had moments earlier. Isaac grabbed Zac and backed up, not believing what he was witnessing. Suddenly, both of them put their hands up to their temples. "Ow, God Sonya!" Melanie said, closing her eyes. Taylor staggered and Camille rushed to his side.
"We are not going to have a cat fight here tonight, thank you." Sonya stated looking from Melanie to Taylor. With Camille's help, he collapsed on the couch, still holding his head.
"How did you do that?" Isaac asked her, fascinated.
"With age, the powers of the mind grow. Even Taylor can call someone, as he just did to your brother. And, he can give tiny suggestions to the weak minded or unaware." She answered.
Isaac looked over at his brother who didn't look capable of taking another breath, let alone Jedi mind tricks. Isaac stepped over to the couch, Zac close on his heels, clinging to his jacket. "Is he ok?" he asked.
Melanie groused, "He's got a big fucking headache."
Sonya silenced her with a look. "Actually Isaac, he's not ok. Perhaps you could help him. He needs to feed and so far, he has refused. Can you tell him it's alright to do what he must to survive?"
Isaac and Zac both looked at her, their eyes wide. "Um, you mean like…um, you know." And Isaac pointed to his own neck. Suddenly, he looked around and saw a roomful of cat-like eyes on him. Sonya nodded. A vision of her with her lips pressed against Taylor's throat flashed before his eyes and he looked down at his brother.
"He's getting weaker and eventually, he'll have to feed–the body won't allow him not to. If he waits too long though, he'll go mad from the hunger." Sonya stated, sitting back in the rocker. Camille ran her fingers through Taylor's hair, knowing the throbbing pain he was going through. It had hurt Melanie and she was much older than Taylor.
Isaac sat down on the couch next to him and immediately Taylor curled up next to him. "Ike, what're we gonna do? I don't know what to do…." He breathed. Zac backed up against the wall, eyeing the girls constantly. Melanie smiled at him and he felt goosebumps rise on his skin. He still couldn't believe this was happening, though he'd tried over and over again to wake himself from the nightmare he was experiencing.
"Yes, what are we going to do?" Sonya addressed everyone.
"Can't he like, eat meat or something? I mean, does he have to drink it?" Isaac asked distastefully. Taylor burrowed his head farther into his brother's side.
Rolling her eyes, Sonya spoke, "Alright, I guess you need to know a few things before you make any decisions. No, he can't eat meat, it's dead and it's one of the only things that will really make him sick. He doesn't need to eat anything. Ever. What goes in never comes out. Blood is all he needs."
"Hey, that sounds like a song, blood is all you need…" Melanie sang.
Sonya closed her eyes a moment as Isaac and Zac looked at the girl, astonished. "Do you mind?" she said to her.
"Just trying to lighten things up a little, jeez." She said.
Sonya looked back at Isaac, "There are a few of us who can throw up, but it's very rare. If he eats cake and ice cream, it will just stay in his stomach until it goes away–probably about a week-long stomach ache. But, dead things will make him violently ill and it takes a longer time to go away. He can't drink blood from a dead person either, same thing. Any questions?" she asked. Melanie was absently swinging her feet back and forth as Camille continued to watch Taylor closely, ignoring the looks of hatred she was getting from his brothers.
Zac spoke very quietly, "What about books and movies and stuff, is any of that stuff true? Like, can you, y'know, turn into mist and all that?"
Sonya used one foot to rock herself back and forth in the chair. "I guess it depends on the book Zac. We're not magical beings. We're animals like you. Just a different breed. I can't turn into mist, though there are stories of a very few, very old ones who could. Probably nothing more than stories. I've certainly not met anyone who could do that. Our instincts are sharper than yours as is our eyesight and hearing. We are strong and fast and as we age, instead of losing those things, they just get sharper. We have some bit of psychic ability–some have more than others. Taylor here can hear my thoughts when I want him to, yet, Melanie and Camille can't. Go figure." She shrugged her shoulders.
"Is he gonna live forever?" Zac asked, his voice becoming stronger.
"Forever? That's a very strong word. He can be hurt and he can die. But as far as a natural, human death? No. He'll live hundreds of years though, as long as things go in a normal fashion that is."
Taylor had covered his ears, wishing away the situation, but to no avail. Now his stomach was telling him it needed food, and badly. He'd ignored it since he'd first opened his eyes, but now, it was beginning to make him feel sick and weak. As his brothers listened to the girls, his mind wandered to pancakes and pizza, and…water. He felt like he could drink gallons of it.
"Taylor," Sonya said, "you can drink all the water in the world, but you'll still be thirsty."
"Stay out of my head!" he cried.
"Until you learn to block your thoughts from me, and do what you need to do, I'll keep checking out that little brain of yours." She said back.
He looked up at Isaac, "It's like Mom on steroids."
For the first time in two days, Isaac smiled, Taylor really was still in there. "What're we gonna do about Mom and Dad, Ike?" Zac asked, "They still think he's dead."
"Zac, he is dead." Sonya broke in, "He can't just keep living the life he's led up 'til now."
Suddenly Taylor leapt up and the room was alive with Zac, Isaac and Taylor all protesting as Melanie giggled and Camille tsk'ed. Sonya stood up. She was tall for a woman and that, along with her age and power made her seem very formidable–and she was, when she had to be, but she preferred not to resort to physical force. She looked at Taylor, "You can NOT think that you can still be big brother to those little children. You drink blood to live Taylor! You can't just sit down at the dinner table with everybody and appear on the Tonight Show and make records and do concerts! That's not who you are now. You don't want to hurt anyone, do you?"
"I would NEVER hurt any of them–"
"REALLY?!" she exclaimed, "Well, let's lock you and your brothers up in your room for a couple days, and let's see who comes out in one piece." She said, putting her hands on her hips.
Taylor shook his head violently, "NO! I wouldn't do that! Why did you do this, why?!" he asked. Defeated, he sat back down on the couch. Zac and Isaac both sat on either side of him and he lay his head on Zac's shoulder, "I'm sorry Zac, don't be afraid of me. I'd never hurt you." He whimpered.
"I know you wouldn't Tay." Zac said shakily, putting his arm around his brother. Camille yawned and Sonya looked at the clock on the mantle, 2:45. She looked at Taylor as his face took on that blank stare again. Morning was still a few hours away, but the very young had a harder time resisting the heavy tiredness that would come with dawn. If he'd fed, she knew he'd have maybe a couple more hours, but his body had nothing to run on. Camille watched him as he slid his head down Zac's chest and into his lap, blinking slowly. Zac sighed and lay his head back on the couch. He hadn't slept since he and Taylor had gone to bed at the hotel the night it had happened. Isaac looked at them, afraid of what was happening, knowing Melanie's eyes were on him. Both the girls were watching them in a way that reminded him of his neighbor's cat when it sat in wait for an unlucky bird to pass by within it's reach.
"Isaac, your brothers are sleeping, why don't you go to sleep too?" Melanie asked.
"I don't think Taylor's asleep, his eyes are open." Isaac replied.
"Yeah, well, he was like that for hours and hours earlier, you'll be lucky to see him breathe." She stated.
"She's right Isaac," Sonya said, "his body's sort of conserving energy."
"Hmph. If I go to sleep, what's to keep you all from killing me and Zac like you did him?" Isaac asked.
Camille smirked, "What's keeping us from doing it now?"
Isaac looked over at her. Though she looked sweet and innocent, he knew better, "Nothing, I guess." He said.
"Actually," Sonya said, moving towards the front door, "If they kill you, I'll kill them. It's that simple." She said, pulling her hair back in a ponytail. "I'm going out. When I come back, I expect to see everything in the same condition it is now. Don't disappoint me." She said to the two girls ominously. "God, it's been a long day…" she muttered to herself and she flipped off the light and went out into the night, closing the door behind her.