Jessica finished
putting a clean diaper on her nephew and brought him up to her shoulder.
Sighing, she looked at her mother, “I can’t believe she left.”
She said. “How could
anyone leave their babies like that?”
Diana
looked at her, “Honey, Michelle is very young. She
didn’t have Taylor here to help her—“
“She had all
of us!” Jessica retorted.
“But, it’s
just different, you know? I can’t
imagine what I would have done with two babies if your father hadn’t been
around. And I had two years between
them.” She said.
“She just wasn’t happy. And
everything that’s happened…well, I guess she just felt like she needed to go
home.” Diana reasoned.
Isaac walked
into the room, “Yeah, and leave her children.”
He said, picking up the remote from the coffee table.
Diana rolled her
eyes, “You two talk, I’ve already discussed this.”
She said, and she walked out of the living room and into the kitchen.
The sun had come up bright and shining, illuminating the yellow tips on
the leaves of the big tree in the backyard.
She poured herself a cup of coffee and stood at the window, thinking.
No matter what she said, she wasn’t sure that she herself could imagine
leaving two babies behind. But,
truth be told, she was glad she had. She
couldn’t bear the thought of her only links to Taylor being in New Jersey,
miles and miles away.
~~~~~
Mr. Jones awoke that morning, and went about his business. When he went
into the kitchen for his morning coffee, there was a note under his cup:
Dear
Jonas—please call trusted individuals and see if you can locate Taylor.
He neglected to come home this morning.
NO involvement from anyone more important than myself, please.”
It was signed
with her usual, big, loopy B. “Hmmm…the
young master seems to be spreading his little bat wings.”
He said to himself.
As the women
came in to clean that morning, Mr. Jones placed the calls that Beatriz had asked
him to. He’d been seen near the
park that evening, it seemed, but that was pretty much as far as he got.
There weren’t that many people he trusted implicitly enough to trust
with the information that the young Prince had gone A.W.O.L...
~~~~~
As evening descended, Beatriz joined him in the living room.
“Did you have any luck?”
She asked.
He handed her a
list of the people he’d called, “Well, we know he was in the city last
night, and probably fed in the park. Other
than that, no news.” He stated.
She looked at
the clock, “I suppose it’s too early for him to be up right now, anyway.”
She said.
“Did you have
a little spat?” He asked.
“No, that’s
what’s so odd about it. We
actually had a little fun, though his little one couldn’t make the party…”
She mused.
He raised an
eyebrow, “If I read you right, perhaps he was embarrassed?”
He said, his hands on his hips.
She scrunched
her face up, “What’s to be embarrassed about?
It happens. In fact, he
should count himself blessed.
Many of his kind will never do that again and he’s had his
fair share.”
Mr. Jones shook his head, “Lady, I don’t think you understand.
He’s an eighteen year old boy, it’s no small thing to
miss out on making love to a beautiful woman such as yourself.”
“Sonya was
here too.” She said, looking over
the list.
“Taking
part?” He asked, his interest
piqued.
“Yes.”
She said, sitting down on the couch.
“My word.”
He said, crossing his arms over his chest.
“And he couldn’t….?”
Now she looked
at him, “No, he couldn’t.”
“That
experience had to rank up there with being killed…”
He said, stepping into the kitchen.
Beatriz followed
and sat at the table and watched as he threw butter into a sauté pan.
“Why would that be so big a deal that he’d disappear and not come
back?” She asked.
“I didn’t
say that was why he didn’t come back, but it could have prompted him to leave,
or to seek out some sort of…consolation.
He is a man after all.” He
said, pulling some sort of meat out of the refrigerator.
Beatriz wrinkled
her nose, “He’s just a boy.” She
said.
Mr. Jones turned
to face her, “He’s a man. At
eighteen, he’s at his sexual peak.” He
said. Then he turned back to the
stove. “Or, at least he would
have been.” He muttered.
She rolled her eyes. “Alright,
let’s just say, that he’s humiliated and wants to get away for a while.
Where would he go?” She
asked.
“To see
someone who thinks he’s the most magnificent male specimen on the planet?”
He said, sticking a fork in his steak and turning it over in the pan.
“That would be
Camille.” She said.
“He always knows where to find her.”
“True.
But, there’s no challenge there. Perhaps
one of his fans?” He ventured.
“They’re on
hiatus. Even mourning the death of
Taylor Hanson stops when your city is under attack.”
She replied.
“Hmmm.
Well then, Lady.
I have no other thoughts…Oh!
Maybe that Jill person?” He
said.
She placed her
hand on her forehead, “You know, if I’m going to keep him, I believe I’ll
move to a small town. He’s much
too hard to keep track of here.”
He shuddered,
“You shall have to go without me, then.”
He said, reaching up into the cabinet for a plate.
She snorted, “You know I couldn’t survive without you, Jonas.”
She said, standing. “I
can’t possibly watch you eat that, so I’ll just retire to the living room.
I suppose I’ll have to organize a search party this evening if he
doesn’t show up very very soon…”
~~~~~
Taylor’s eyes opened and he looked over at the clock next to the bed;
it was 5:22 in the afternoon. Not
bad, he thought. He listened
instinctively and felt with his mind what was around him.
He sensed only humans, which was a relief.
He knew Beatriz seldom used her car and he hoped it would take her a
while to notice it was missing. Sitting
up, he cracked his neck and took in a deep breath.
He then stood and went to the sink, turning on the water and washing his
face and then brushing his teeth. He
threw on a clean t-shirt and stuffed the other one in his pack.
In his pocket, he had around fifty dollars—not enough to pay for a
second night. Grabbing the plastic
laundry bag, he pushed the towel and his clothes down in it, and stuck the
keycard in his back pocket, shutting the door behind him.
Once in the lobby, he saw a different woman behind the desk.
He wished he’d taken the time to comb his hair, but it was
too late to worry about it by then. He
put a smile on his face and walked up to the counter.
“Hi, can I help you?”
She smiled back.
“I hope so.”
He said, handing her the card.
“Alright, Mr.…Simpson. That’ll
be $79.75.” She said, looking at
him.
He looked into
her eyes, “Oh, I paid last night.” He
said.
She looked at
the screen in front of her, “Yes, you did, but check out is at noon, and so
you owe for a second night. $79.75
please.”
He continued to
look at her, but still, she waited.
“But, I’ve only been here for like, 12 hours, and
you’re charging me for 48.” He
reasoned.
She looked at
him and blinked, “No, I’m charging you for today, which began at noon.”
He was getting
frustrated. He looked at her
blouse. She wasn’t wearing a
nametag, “Um, what’s your name?” He
asked.
“Sylvia.”
She answered, narrowing her eyes.
Now, he’d turn
on the charm, “Sylvia,” He said, softly, gazing deeper into her eyes, “how
about if you just mark it paid?”
She smiled
again, her eyes locked with his, “I’d love to.”
She said. “All
you have to do is pay me, and I will.”
“Are you a
lesbian?” He asked, puzzled.
His mother had been the only woman who’d been unphased by his mental
powers, and even she had been affected for a moment or two.
She cocked her head, “No, I dislike women just as much as I dislike
men. Particularly when they’re
trying to screw me. Shall I call
security?” She asked, her hand
going to the phone.
“No!
I have like, fifty bucks!” He
said, reaching into his pocket and throwing it on the counter.
He would have just left, but he knew he’d given the woman his license
plate number the night before and he wanted to get where he was going with no
police chases. He could just zap
the phone again, so that wasn’t a problem, but he was really just wanting to
be on his way. He sighed, “Let me
just go to the ATM machine and I’ll bring you the rest of it, okay?
Geez, you’re a hard woman…”
He complained.
“No, I’m
just doing my job.” She retorted.
“You leave your bag and I’ll let you go to the ATM machine.”
She said.
Now he leaned in
close, “That’s bullshit. I
don’t actually owe you anything ‘til noon tomorrow.”
He spat. His
stomach was starting to growl and he was beginning to plan a slow, painful
emptying of the woman in front of him.
She raised an eyebrow. “You’ve
shown that you are a risk for not paying. I
don’t think I’m asking for anything outrageous.
That’s probably our towel you have in there.”
He closed his
eyes for a moment, imagining blood running down her neck and staining the crisp
white blouse she wore. He opened
them again to see her still looking at him.
He wondered, if he did take her blood, would he be able to get into her
head then? It certainly made other
women easier to get into, but he wasn’t sure he’d come up against anyone
this closed up before. Of course,
the evening of September 11th, they’d encountered some strong
minds, but that seemed to be because of the situation and the place…
“Listen, if you want a bunch of my dirty shirts and a plastic bag and my towel, then take it.” He
said, shoving it across the counter at her.
“Gimme a few minutes and I’ll give you your money.”
A man had
stepped up behind him and the woman, shot Taylor a look before snatching the bag
and tossing it in the corner behind her, “Good evening sir, how can I help
you?” She said, causing Taylor to
roll his eyes.
Stepping out the door, he stopped and looked out across the parking lot.
The black jaguar was still sitting there where he’d parked it and he
thought he’d probably better switch the license plates, just in case Beatriz
reported it as stolen, though he knew that was unlikely since he’d been told
time and again to avoid any involvement with the police.
He looked the other way and saw a car pulling in.
It appeared to be full of sports fans—football season maybe?
He saw at least one large rubber hand.
He started walking towards the car and watched four young men step out.
Quickly, he glanced at them, sizing them up and reaching out with his
mind to see which one would be the best to approach.
The tallest, wore a Pittsburgh Steelers hat and wore a striped shirt that
accentuated a too big belly. Taylor
put a smile on his face, “Hey!” He
said to him. The man looked around
to see if he were talking to him. “How
are ya?” He asked.
“Um, pretty
good.” The guy answered.
“Listen, I
need something—“Taylor started.
The man smiled,
“Hey, you look just like—“
“Yeah, I know.
So tragic, so young, all that.” He
waved off the conversation. The other three watched as Taylor looked into his
brown eyes. “Give me thirty
bucks,” he said, placing his hand on the man’s shoulder, “and your address
and I’ll send you fifty back via snail mail.”
The others
laughed, then their jaws dropped open as they watched their friend take out his
wallet. “Dude!
You’re crazy!”
One of them said.
“Why?
I’m making twenty bucks off the deal.”
The man said, not taking his eyes away from Taylor’s and handing him
two twenty’s.
“Thanks, man.” Taylor
said, shoving the money in his pocket. He
waited as the man took a business card out of his billfold, then went to the
front of the car to get a pen as his friends stood there shaking their heads.
When he returned, he handed the card to Taylor.
“Excellent.”
Taylor said, looking down at the address scrawled on the
little card. He then reached out to
shake the man’s hand, “You just saved someone’s life.”
He smiled and he turned and ran back to the door, leaving the men to give
hell to their friend.
Walking in, he
saw a woman ordering more towels up to her room and he waited as Sylvia walked
into a room behind the reception area. She
returned and handed the woman a stack of white towels, “There you go, let me
know if I can do anything else for you.”
She said, and the woman smiled and walked away.
“Ah, you’ve returned. I’m
surprised.”
She said upon seeing Taylor standing there.
“Whatever.”
He said, sitting the two twenties on the counter.
“Gimme my receipt and my stuff and I’ll be on my way.”
He said.
“So,” she said, punching something into the computer, “where did
you steal that car from?”
“Fuck you. It’s my
girlfriend’s. I didn’t steal
it.” He said.
He glanced out the door to see the men still pulling things out of the
trunk of the car.
She stopped what she was doing then and looked coldly at him, “If
you’re going to speak to me like that, I’m going to call—“
Immediately,
he’d leapt over the counter and yanked the phone cord out of the wall, pushing
her back into the little room he’d seen her go in earlier.
“You’re not gonna call anybody.”
He said, his fangs showing and his eyes taking on an odd color in the
fluorescent lighting.
He had his hand over her mouth and he pushed her up against a
shelf full of soft, white towels. “I
hate fuckin’ bitches like you.” He
snarled. “I’m sorry I tried to
trick you, but I didn’t know what else to do, and I didn’t want to hurt
you.” He said.
“I’d like to have been gone from here fifteen minutes ago, but you
wouldn’t have it, you’d rather commit highway robbery in the name of your
job and be stone cold to me while you smile and pretend you’re not a bitch to
everybody else.” He said, pushing
her hair away from her neck. “Well,
guess what?” He said, backing up
to look into her frightened eyes, “Now, I’m hungry, and you get to be
breakfast.” She’d wrapped her
fingers around his wrist, trying to scratch him or to pull his hand away from
her face, but he wasn’t fazed by it. When
she tried to knee him in the crotch, he turned so that she got his thigh.
He sunk his teeth into her warm neck and began to drink as
quickly as he could. He assumed the
men would be stepping into the lobby any minute, unless of course, they were
just returning to their rooms from someplace.
He drank, pushing his teeth farther into her throat, causing the blood to
flow faster. He could feel her
struggling slowing down and eventually, he was able to take his hand away from
her mouth. He heard the door open.
“Tell them you’ll be right out.”
He said, pulling away from her. He
grabbed a towel and pushed it up against the wounds.
“Now.”
“Uh—“She
started. He narrowed his eyes at
her. “I’ll be there in just one
moment.” She called.
He grabbed the towel again, shoving it up against her face, afraid she
might try to scream out since she knew someone was there. Again, he placed his
lips over the wounds there, sucking hard, knowing it was painful.
He could feel her mind now; she wasn’t losing consciousness, but she
was getting close enough that he felt he could get into her head and tell her
what he wanted her to do. “Don’t
scream, or I’ll snap your head off your shoulders.”
He said, softly. He leaned
down and licked the punctures he’d left on her throat, then he placed the
towel there again, knowing in a few moments, she’d be left with nothing but a
bruise there, and even that would be gone before long.
“Now, we’re gonna walk back out there, I’ll help
you.” He said.
She looked at him, her eyes shaded by heavy lids.
He raised an eyebrow, “Now the next time some poor schmuck like me
comes along, don’t be such a meanie.” He
pointed his finger at her and she nodded her head.
“That’s what I thought you’d say.”
He said, pulling the bloody towel away from her neck, folding it and
shoving it into the trashcan. He
licked his lips, then wiped his arm across them, just in case.
He placed his arm around her shoulders then, and walked her out to where
her desk was. He looked at the
puzzled faces of the men he’d seen in the parking lot, “I don’t know what
happened!” He said, pulling a
stool over for her to sit on. “I
was paying my bill and she just, passed out!
Ripped the phone right out of the wall.”
He exclaimed. He then looked
at her, concern on his face, “Are you alright?”
He asked. She didn’t say
anything, only placed her hand on her head and rested her elbow on the counter.
“Should we
call 911?” One of them asked.
“Gosh, I
don’t know.” Taylor said.
He looked at the clock on the wall.
“Damn, I gotta go, or I’d stay here and help.”
He then looked at the woman, “Sylvia, you can just give my change to
Chris there, okay? I owe him ten
bucks. Hope you’re feeling
better.” He said, and he walked
back out from behind the counter, grabbing his bag as he went.
“Go Steelers!” He said
and then he bounded out the door.
~~~~~
Beatriz sighed, looking at the girls on the couch.
“Alright, since our boy hasn’t come home and hasn’t called, I need
for you to go out and see if you can find him.
Don’t tell anyone that he’s “missing” or that there’s anything
wrong. She shrugged, “There may
not be. But, I just like to know
where he is at all times. We
don’t want him to fall into the wrong hands, you know.”
She said, meeting their eyes. “Camille,
you go check out his coffee girl.
Melanie, you check in with the three bitches.
Sonya, check out the Living End and see if anyone there knows anything.
She watched them as they all grabbed bags or jackets and went out to do
what she’d asked. She looked over
at Mr. Jones then, “Well, let’s hope we can find him before he gets into
more trouble than usual.” She
sighed.
~~~~~
Walker sat on the couch, feeding Isabella while Zac fed Elijah in the
chair across from him. “I wonder
if she’ll call when she gets there?” Zac
mused.
“I don’t know, son. She’s
probably not gotten that far. It’s
a long drive to New York from here.” His
father answered.
“Maybe she’s just never gonna call again…”
Zac said, wiping the baby’s chin.
“Well,
that’s a possibility. I guess
it’s up to her now.” Walker
answered pulling the bib off his granddaughter and putting her on his shoulder.
“Frankly, I don’t even know if she has this number.
I don’t think she’s ever had to call it.”
He said, his eyebrows raised.
Zac sighed, “I
don’t think she ever left the house, other than to get in the pool.”
He said, untangling his long hair from the tiny hands of his nephew.
Walker stood and
looked out the front window into the empty driveway where Taylor’s car had
been. “No, I don’t think she
did.” He said softly.
Diana walked in,
“Oh, well, you guys didn’t even need me, did you?”
She said, smiling at Isabella over her husbands shoulder.
She received a toothless grin in return.
“Mom, if we
don’t know how to feed a baby by now…”
Zac said.
“Yeah, yeah, I
know. We have lots of kids.
You don’t have to remind me.” She said, looking out at the same empty
spot that her husband was. She
sighed, “Well, supper’s ready, and these two are full, so maybe we can have
a nice, quiet, uninterrupted dinner.” She
took Isabella from Walker, and sat her down in a seat, and took her into the
kitchen, to sit with her brother and watch and listen to dinner.
~~~~~
Taylor had gone through all
of Beatriz’ CD’s, including “Middle of Nowhere”, “Snowed In”, and
“This Time Around”. He’d
smiled when he saw them in the expensive leather case in her glove box.
Now he listened to Django Reinhardt.
She at least has eclectic taste, he thought.
He
looked down at the speedometer. At
122 miles per hour, he knew that if he wrecked the car it would probably mean
his death. Not a death like he’d
experienced before, but a real, bone crushing, organ mushing death.
But, he somehow felt some sort of urgency.
Whatever Kirk was trying to hide, it was important and he was certain it
had to do with his family. He
glanced at the clock; it was almost midnight.
At this speed, he’d be there before dawn, which was a good thing.
No more hotels…
~~~~~
Melanie and Camille had both returned empty handed, as had Sonya.
Jill had been at work and her apartment had been void of any
sign of Taylor. The weird sisters
had laughed and let Melanie know they weren’t surprised in the least to know
he’d taken a break from his vampire family.
But then, they’d turned the tables and surprised her by helping her
look for him in all the regular haunts of their kind.
Mr. Jones had called his contacts at hospitals, police
stations and the city morgue, thankfully to no avail.
Sonya had searched the minds of everyone at The Living End, only to find
that two of them thought she was a bitch and one of them liked her skirt.
The others seemed to just be thinking about the usual; blood, sleep,
money, sex--same old, same old. Beatriz
had gone to see the elders, asking them their thoughts on a situation involving
the death of one of their kind at the hands of another.
She didn’t really care, feeling it was deserved, but it would give her
a chance to feel them out; see if they were hiding anything where Taylor and his
whereabouts were concerned. As far
as she could tell, they weren’t behind his disappearance, though she’d never
trust them a hundred percent.
Now, as it was nearing 5 a.m. they all sat in front of her, all agreeing
the boy had seemingly fallen off the face of the earth; or at least New York
City. “Well, I’m lost.”
She said. “I
can usually feel his moods coming on, and between us we can usually figure out
what his reactions would be. Do
none of you have any more ideas?” She
asked. She was met with only
negative looks and gestures. The
tears in Camille’s eyes let her know the girl had become more than just
concerned, and she was about to feel the same way.
She sighed and looked at her watch, “Kirk is on his way here now.
I’ve told him we’re going to have to do some serious
looking. I want to know who hates
him, who’s afraid of him, who’d like to see him out of the picture—“She
was interrupted by the sound of the elevator.
Kirk walked in.
“Hey, what’s up?” He
said, sitting in a chair and placing his feet up on the table.
“I’m glad
you got here so quickly.” Beatriz
said, narrowing her eyes at him. “I
called you an hour ago.”
He stretched his arms over his head, “I know—I had to get some
grub.” Melanie raised her
eyebrows as Beatriz crossed her arms over her chest.
“Kirk—“She
started, feeling her fangs growing. She
closed her eyes for a moment, then looked back at him.
She took in his casual appearance. Usually,
he wore a nice shirt and at the very least, clean, pressed jeans, but tonight,
he appeared to be wearing clothes that had been slept in.
“Where have you been tonight? And
yesterday?” She said.
“Um, lemme
think…” He said, sitting up.
“Uh, mostly, yesterday, I just hung at my house.
I was actually asleep when you called me, I think.”
He said. “And then, today,
I slept late again…uh, and then, I watched a movie…”
He rubbed his face and ran his hands through his hair, “And then you
called, and here I am.” He said.
She walked
closer to him, “Did you see Taylor yesterday?”
He furrowed his
brow, “I don’t think so. Nope.”
He said. “I think me and
Camille ran into him a week ago or something.”
He said, looking over at the girl.
Beatriz looked
at her as well, “Is that right?” She
asked.
“Well, yeah,
but it was me and Taylor that ran into him, but that was the night before last.”
She said.
“Wonderful.”
Beatriz said.
She looked back at Kirk, “I believe you’ve been the
victim of a nice little mind-fuck, courtesy of our one and only Taylor.”
She spat.
“Do
you think he knows about the babies?”
Sonya asked her silently.
“I’d bet the
farm on it.” Beatriz said.
“He’s not stupid, though I know he’d like us to think he is
sometimes.”
“What’s
going on?” Camille asked.
Kirk shrugged.
They
watched as Beatriz walked over to her desk.
She opened it and looked inside the drawer.
Placing her hand on her hip, she turned back to them, “Melanie, would
you please get Mr. Jones up?” She
said.
“Sure.”
Melanie said, standing and going towards the man’s room.
“He
took the pendant.” Beatriz
sighed.
Moments
later, they were joined again by Melanie, and Mr. Jones.
“Have you found him?” He
asked, his voice tinged with worry.
“Not
exactly.” She answered.
“But, he appears to have visited Kirk, and he seems to have
taken the pendant.”
“Well,
I’d take that as good news.” The
man replied. “That would mean he
left of his own free will, and not because he’d been abducted or any other
unsavory thing.” He walked back
the way he’d come and into Taylor’s room and then returned, “He left his
stinky bear here, as well as most of his clothes.
That would either mean he was in a hurry, or that he intends to come
back.”
He reasoned. “Or both.”
“Are
flights even running right now?” She
asked. “I mean, assuming he
was…overcome with homesickness…” She
said, eyeing the girls. They
didn’t know about the babies, and she wanted to keep it that way.
Mr.
Jones walked over and looked in the drawer, “Flights are limited and being a
dead V.I.P. won’t get him anywhere.”
“Kirk,
how did you get here?” Beatriz
asked.
“I
drove, it’s early, no traffic.” He
answered, still not sure exactly what was going on.
“Lady,
I believe not only the pendant, but the keys to your car are missing…”
Mr. Jones said, pulling the drawer open farther and fingering
the contents. “unless you have
placed them someplace besides your usual.”
She
rolled her eyes and placed her hand on her forehead, uttering in Spanish as
Melanie laughed, “Taylor stole your car?!
That’s rich!!!”
“Please
don’t make me rip your tongue out.” Beatriz
said, staring at the girl. She
turned back to Mr. Jones, “And of course, it’s too late for any of us to go
after him.” She fumed.
Again, she fell into her native Spanish as she slammed the drawer shut.
~~~~~
Taylor
pulled the car into the driveway of his old home, stopping in front of the gate.
He knew the number to punch into the keypad to open it, but he didn’t
want them knowing he was coming. Turning
off the engine, he pulled out the keys and pushed them down into his pocket.
He got out and listened. The
quiet in the Oklahoma morning was almost absolute.
Being in New York City for a year had made him used to insane
levels of noise. Here, he could
hear the very last of the cicadas in the trees, their nocturnal songs fading as
the night would soon give way to the bright sunshine of early fall.
The leaves were still moist and didn’t yet have that rattly autumn
sound yet, though a few had begun to turn yellow and red at the edges.
For a moment, he missed the sunlight that would cause them to glow—in
the darkness, they were just a slightly lighter shade of blue.
He walked into the grass and jumped the fence, hoping it hadn’t been
electrified since his departure. He
ducked his head and walked into the trees, towards his family and whatever it
was that was happening with them.
~~~~~
In
the tree outside Taylor’s old bedroom, a man and woman sat, perched on the
largest branch. “The sun’s
going to be bright today.” She
said, shielding her eyes as she looked up, though the sun was nowhere in sight.
“I
know.
It’s warm already and every star in the sky is showing
off.” He agreed.
He stretched his arms over his head.
“Let’s head out. This
place is quiet for a change.” He
said.
“No
arguments from me…” She agreed,
glancing one last time at the windows and satisfying herself that no one was
awake.
She then eased herself down, from branch to branch until she
silently dropped to the ground. She
was soon followed by her male companion, and they quickly trotted into the woods
that surrounded the house.
It
was a trip they made every day but for some reason, this time, as they walked
towards the road where they’d parked their car, the woman felt some sort of
prickle on her skin; like something was different, though it was exactly the
same. It wasn’t a sound or a
scent, it was a feeling. She slowed
her steps for a moment, and listened carefully.
Cocking her head to the side, she stopped and put her hand on the man’s
arm. “Did you—“ she started.
But she was answered with a voice that didn’t belong to the man she was
with.
The
moonlight shone in the blade of a very big knife and in the eyes of the tall,
slender young man who held it at his throat.
“You have .5 seconds to tell me what you’re doing here.”
He said, and he pressed the knife into the skin of the man’s neck.
Immediately, Taylor felt the woman strike at him with her mind, but the lessons
he’d learned from Beatriz caused him to be pretty much unscathed.
“You do that again, and I’ll kill both of you.
Time’s up.” He said,
sliding the blade just enough to let them know he meant what he said.
“No,
please!” She said, watching the
tiny trickle of blood as it ran over the man’s adam’s apple.
She knew exactly who Taylor was and she marveled at the power she felt
just standing close to him. She
couldn’t believe the elders, in their arrogance, had not felt it too.
“The Lady sent us.” She
said.
Taylor
narrowed his eyes at her and at that moment they all heard the tiny sound of a
phone vibrating in the man’s pocket. “I guess you want to get that?”
Taylor asked, but the man said nothing and didn’t make a move.
The woman reached in and pulled it out.
Taylor nodded.
“Yes?”
She said, flipping the phone open.
For a moment she listened.
“Yes well, no worries, he’s right here.”
She said, her eyes not leaving Taylor’s even for a second.
She held the phone out, “The Lady would like to speak to you.”
She said.
Taylor
smiled, “You take the call for me, if you don’t mind.
I’m a little busy right now.” He
said.
“We
aren’t here to hurt you or your family.”
The woman said. “I swear
it.”
“Oh,
well, now that you put it like that…” Taylor
said, mocking her. “Why are
you here, then?”
“If
you’ll just speak to her, I’m sure she’ll tell you.”
The woman reasoned, still holding the phone out.
“TAYLOR!!!”
He heard Beatriz’ voice from the phone.
“Ask
her what she wants.” He said.
The
woman nearly rolled her eyes, but thought better of it.
She pulled the phone up to her ear, “He wants to know what you want.”
She said. Taylor watched as
she flinched and pulled the phone away a little, still listening.
She looked back at him, “She wants to speak to you right now and if you
don’t speak to her she’s going to castrate you and then she went to Spanish,
I believe, but there were some words there that I’m not sure I’ve ever heard
before.”
Taylor
softened a little, pulling the knife away from the man’s throat.
“Don’t try anything…” He
said. He took the phone from her,
“I mean it.” He said, narrowing
his eyes at them and pointing to the woman with the knife.
He put the phone up to his ear, “What?”
He said.
The
man swallowed, and stood next to the woman.
She licked her finger and ran it across the cut on his neck.
“That was rather frightening, wasn’t it?”
She said. She
was met with a look.
They
watched as Taylor spoke, “Why are they here?
What’s going on and why didn’t you tell me about it, whatever it
is?” He said.
“They’re
there because I told them to be. I
asked them to watch your family’s house in case anything happened.”
She answered.
“What’s
going to happen?” He asked.
He used his hip to close the knife and stuck it in his back pocket, but
he shot the two a look that said he hadn’t let his guard down.
“I
don’t know, Taylor. I can’t
predict the future.” Beatriz
reasoned.
“Well
then why did you have them come here?” He
asked.
In
New York City, Beatriz rubbed her hand across her forehead.
“Taylor, the elders have taken a disliking to you.
I just thought that if anyone tried anything, we’d be one up on them.
That’s all.”
Now
he got a worried look on his face, “Would they do that?
I mean, I don’t even live anywhere near them…”
The woman raised an eyebrow at the instantaneous change in the boy’s
mood.
“Taylor,
the elders have many many people working for them—both human and vampire.
Do I think they’d use your family against you if they
wanted to? Of course.
But, it’s not something they’d do lightly, so I don’t want you to
be afraid about it, alright?”
She said in a soothing voice.
“Now, why don’t you come back home now?
Camille’s been going crazy.”
For
a moment, he wanted to do just that. He
was tired and his nerves had been worn to a fray for the last two days and her
voice sounded like silk running over his ears.
He looked up through the trees to see a few stars still shining.
“Tell her I’m fine.”
He said softly. “Why was
Kirk here?” He asked, running his
hand through his hair and turning his back on his quarry, much to their
surprise.
“He
told you. I sent him on a trip, and he came through Tulsa and picked up those
clothes for you.” She said,
careful not to lie.
“Yeah,
but—“
“Taylor,
just come home. Your family is
fine, I promise. I’m just being
cautious.” She said.
His
eyes were getting heavy. He knew
the sun was only an hour away from rising.
“I’m tired.” He said.
“I’m
sure you are. Why don’t you go
with Liza and Bradley and sleep, then tomorrow, you can come back here where you
belong. We’re all missing you.
You had me very worried.” She
scolded him gently.
He
looked at the two vampires before him. As
usual, they had a cold look about them. Of
course, after what he’d done, he didn’t really expect them to be coming at
him with smiles and open arms. “I
don’t wanna go with them. I’m
already here.
I’m just gonna go see ‘em for a little while.
Then I’ll come home, okay?”
“They
need to move on, Taylor. Don’t
come back into their lives just to leave again.”
She said.
“You
told me I could go and see them when I wanted and now you’re telling me not
to.”
He said sadly.
Beatriz
sighed. “You decided you didn’t
want to endanger them. It was the
right thing to do and you know that. Nothing
has changed except now, there’s more danger than before.”
“I
know that!” He said, his voice
tinged with anger. “But after
seeing all those dead people and all that, I just want to see them!”
“Come
home.” She said.
“I
will.”
He said back.
“Now.”
She said.
“I
can’t.” He answered.
“I gotta go. I’m
getting tired.” He said.
“Taylor—“she
started, but he’d hung up.
He
turned to face the man and woman, “Here.”
He said, handing the man the phone.
“I wouldn’t answer that for a while.
She’s gonna try to get you to take me with you, and that’s not gonna
happen. In fact,” He said,
“give it back.”
“I
think I’d rather face you than her.” The
man said.
Taylor
cocked his head and the light caught in his eyes as his fangs made their
presence known, “She’s in New York, and I’m right here.”
He said. The woman took the phone from the man’s hand and gave it to
Taylor. “Thanks.”
He said, snapping it in half. “Now,
Beatriz can’t bother us, can she?”
He shoved the pieces in his pocket and turned toward his
house. “I’m going home, sorry
about that whole thing with the knife and stuff…”
He turned back, “Oh, and thanks for watching out for my folks.”
He waved and walked away from them.
~~~~~
Beatriz
tossed her phone onto the couch, then plopped down into it herself.
“What am I supposed to do now?”
She asked. Beside her, Sonya
sat, equally as dismayed. Mr. Jones
sat on a chair, facing them. Camille
and Melanie had already gone down for the day.
Taylor would have a little longer.
“I
don’t know.” Sonya answered.
“When he sees those babies…” She
shook her head.
“Yes,
when he sees those babies.” Beatriz
said back. “He may fall on his
knees in gratitude, or he may tear the house apart because we all kept it from
him.” She looked as close to
tears as either of them had ever seen her.
She took a deep breath, then looked at Mr. Jones.
“Well, you’re just going to have to go there.”
She said. “I’ll
get you a driver so you can sleep on the way.
In fact, I’ll get two drivers and that way, you can be there sometime
tomorrow.” She said, picking her
phone up. “Liza and Bradley will
continue to watch during the night.”
“Yes,
Lady.” He said, standing.
His voice sounded tired and his body language reinforced it.
He looked at Sonya, “It may be the best nap I’ve had in ages…”
And he walked towards the hallway and his bedroom.
Sonya
watched as Beatriz talked to someone, giving them instructions and directions.
“Be here before the sun rises.”
She said, closing the call. Beatriz’
dark eyes locked on hers, “I wish I could go with him, but I’m afraid my
leaving would raise a great deal of questions.”
“What
about me?” Sonya asked.
“You’re
needed here. We’ve just put
together this group of females, and that can’t wait, even for Taylor and his
breakdown.”
~~~~~
By
the time Diana’s phone rang, Taylor was already in the house.
He’d climbed up the tree, his nose registering the scents of the two
vampires he’d met in the woods, and silently crossed the roof to look into his
own room. He furrowed his brow,
noticing some changes to the room. His
bed was now right against the window. He’d
never been able to experience that luxury he thought, as his allergies would
have driven him crazy, and then later, well, sunlight was no longer his friend.
The locked window gave him little resistance and he eased it up, careful
not to wake his family.
He stepped in, his foot sinking into the soft mattress.
The room was dark, the door shutting out the light of the hallway.
He raised his head, taking in all the scents he could.
Some he recognized, some were totally new to him.
As he stepped down onto the floor, the door was flung open and Isaac
stood before him, a baseball bat in his hand.
“Dude! Don’t hit me!
It’s just me!” Taylor
said, his smile wide as his eyes fell on the sight of the brother he hadn’t
seen for way too long.
The
sound of the bat hitting the floor woke Zac, who quickly joined his brothers.
“Oh my God…” He
said, seeing Taylor standing there. He
ran to him and threw his arms around him. “What
are you doing here?” He hissed,
not wanting to awaken the others.
“Dang,
Tay, you should have told us you were coming or something!”
Isaac said. “I coulda
whacked you!”
“I
saw that.” Taylor said.
He was taller than both his brothers and as he embraced them,
he inhaled the smell of their hair, closing his eyes, remembering the years of
living in the same room with them. “I
didn’t really know I was coming.” He
said. “I just…God, I missed you
guys so much…” .
“And everything that went down there and stuff, I just had
to come.”
When
the phone rang, all three looked at each other.
“What time is it?” Zac
said, trying to focus on the digital clock beside the bed.
“It’s
getting late, really.” Taylor
said.
“Yeah,
late for you, early for us.” Isaac
said.
Zac
looked out into the hallway, and down the stairs, “I wonder who’s calling so
early though?” He said.
Taylor
looked sheepish, “Probably Sonya or somebody.
I wasn’t really s’posed to be coming here or anything.
I just sort of left.”
“How
did you get here?” Isaac asked,
“Aren’t the planes grounded still?”
Taylor
nodded. “I took Beatriz’
car.” He said, grinning.
“It’s a Jag, man.”
Isaac
laughed, “Are you gonna be grounded?”
“Well,
I think “castrated” is the word she used.”
Taylor answered. Just then,
a baby cried. Zac had just stepped
back into the room. Taylor looked
from one of his brothers to the other, “What’s that?”
He asked.
For
a moment, both of them seemed frozen. “What?”
Zac said, praying for her to go back to sleep.
He knew from the volume it had to be Isabella.
Taylor
put his hand on his hip as she gave out another cry.
“That.”
He said.
“Um,
maybe it’s a cat…fight.” Isaac
said, trying not to smack himself. “So,
you stole your Mom’s car, huh?” He
said brightly.
“It
sounded like a baby to me.”
Taylor said, looking at both of them.
Zac’s face looked like he was in physical pain and Isaac
just blinked as if he’d lost the ability to speak.
Taylor smiled at them, “What’s been going on here?”
He raised his head and sniffed the air.
“A girl has been in my room!
That’s what’s different!” He
now looked around. “There’s
girly curtains!” Now his brow
furrowed, “Did Mom and Dad take in a foster child or something?
Damn! I’ve been replaced
with a girl!”
He joked. But his brothers
weren’t laughing. “Well, where
is she?” He asked.
“Um,
she left.” Zac said sadly.
“Yeah?”
Taylor said, crossing his arms over his chest.
“But, she left her baby?”
Zac
rubbed his hands over his face, “Yeah.”
He said.
Taylor
looked from one to the other, trying to figure out exactly what was going on,
but then his eyes were drawn to the doorway where his mother stood, a baby in
her arms and tears running down her cheeks.
“Mom—“ He said and he
rushed past Isaac and Zac and pulled her into his arms.
He kissed her face as their tears mingled together, “I missed you so
much, Mom…” He said softly.
“Oh,
I missed you too, baby. What are
you doing here?” She said, wiping
the tears from her face and smiling at him.
“I
just missed you all and I decided to come and see you.”
He said, laughing and wiping his own tears on the collar of his shirt.
“Man, I knew I’d spill when I saw you.
So,” He said, looking at the baby girl in her arms, “Who’s this?”
He said, reaching for her.
Diana
looked at the other two boys, “Um, this is Isabella.”
She said, allowing Taylor to take the baby from her.
“God,
it’s been so long since I saw a baby, I don’t know if I still know how to
hold one.” He said, holding her
out so that he could look at her face. “She’s
gorgeous! Look at that hair!”
He pulled her in close again, “How did you manage to get another
baby?” He smiled, looking at his
mother, then back to the tiny girl.
She took his finger and tried to suck on it.
“She’s hungry.”
He mused, looking into her eyes.
“Wow, her eyes are almost black, like Beatriz’ are…”
For a moment, he just looked at the child, and then he looked at Diana.
“Where did she come from?” He
asked. His face was serious now.
He looked now at Isaac and he looked away.
“I can find out.”
He said.
“She’s
yours.” Isaac said, looking back
at him.
“I
can’t have children.” Taylor
said.
The mere thought of it was so preposterous, he almost laughed.
But there was something in the way their minds were racing that he could
feel, and he saw that they weren’t just joking with him. Isaac
shrugged. For a moment, their eyes
locked. “There’s somebody else
here.” Taylor said.
“There’s
two of them. Twins.”
Isaac said.
“Where?”
Taylor said, turning to his mother.
“In
our room.” She said softly.
“They were staying in here, but when she left, we moved
them into our room.” He walked
passed her and into the hallway and down the steps.
It was still dark out and the room was dim, but when he stepped into his
parents’ room, he could see his father, asleep in his bed and a crib against
the wall. He crossed the room
silently and gazed down at the sleeping child there; a boy with a soft golden
bit of hair on his little head. In
his arms, Isabella began to make noise. A
finger would only pacify her for a little while.
He turned to his mother who stood behind him now, “This is
impossible…”
“Honey—“She
started.
“No,
I mean it. It’s impossible.
It can’t happen. They
have to be someone else’s.” He
said.
“Here,
let me have her.” She said,
reaching for her granddaughter. “That’s
Elijah.” She said, smiling. “Zac
named him.”
“Elijah—I
love that.” He said back, tears
glistening in his eyes.
“Pick
him up and we’ll go to the kitchen. He’ll
be waking up soon, anyway.” She
said as she tip toed out of the room. Taylor
looked again at the sleeping boy and watched as his tiny chest rose and fell
with his breathing. Over and over
he’d been told by Sonya and countless others that vampires could not
reproduce.
Plus, he’d only really ever been with one girl in that way.
Carefully, he picked the child up, careful to hold his head.
In the doorway, Isaac and Zac stood watching.
“It’s not possible.”
He said silently to Isaac. He
watched him shrug his shoulders and go towards the kitchen. Zac waited.
As Taylor walked passed him, Zac gently closed the door, not wanting to
wake his father. Sleep was hard to
come by lately, and would obviously become even more precious now.
~~~~~
Once
in the car, the woman looked over at the man as he sat behind the wheel.
“How the hell did he just take us like that?”
He said.
She
sighed, “We didn’t know he was there. If
we had, we’d have been watching out for him and we’d have heard him or
something.” She replied.
But, she didn’t really believe what she’d said.
There was something very different about the boy, and now that she’d
seen him, she understood why Beatriz thought the elders might try to hurt or use
him in some way.
The
man shook his head. “Liza, I can
hear a lizard skittering across a rock. I
think I’d have heard him if he’d have made a noise.
I hear you.”
“He
can’t just be silent.”
She said.
“Maybe
he just floats.” He retorted,
glaring at her.
She
rolled her eyes, “He doesn’t float.
He’s flesh and blood, just like you or I.
If anything, he must use some sort of psychic thing to make
us…think we don’t hear him or
something.”
“Just
before he grabbed me, you started to say something.”
He said.
“Yeah,
I was gonna ask you if you could feel something weird.
It was like, I could feel that he was there, but I just didn’t see
him.” She said, looking out the
window. “I don’t know what happened. Let’s
get out of here, the sun’s gonna be up soon.”
She said. And without
another word, they left, both wondering about the boy who was now in the house
they watched, and the job they’d been asked to carry out.
~~~~~
Taylor
sat in a chair in the kitchen looking down at the child lying across his legs.
His eyes appeared to be blue and his hair was blonde in the light of the
kitchen. He sucked on his fist,
loudly, looking up into Taylor’s eyes. Taylor
pulled his little hand away and smiled down at him, “What’re you doing?”
He asked, his voice soft and sweet.
He was met with a toothless grin and the tiny boy again stuffed his
fingers into his mouth.
Looking back up, he watched as Diana fed Isabella while Zac
fixed another bottle for her brother. “Twins,
huh?” He said.
“They don’t look much alike.”
Isaac
rolled his eyes, “Well, since one is a boy and one is a girl, they’re not
identical obviously. Shane and
Colin Sanders don’t look alike either, and they’re twins.”
“Yeah,
I know.” Taylor said.
Again, he looked down at Elijah.
“What makes you guys think I have anything to do with these guys?”
Taylor asked.
Zac
handed the bottle to Taylor, and placed a clean cloth under the baby’s chin,
“There ya go.” He said, and he
smiled.
Taylor
pulled the child up into his arms and began to feed him the bottle.
He didn’t look up when he spoke, “You still didn’t tell me.”
He said.
Isaac
sighed and stepped closer, leaning up against the counter, his arms crossed over
his chest. “We just do.
How can you look at him and think he’s not yours?”
Isaac said.
Taylor
continued to watch the child, “We all come from the same gene pool, Ike. They
could be Zacs…or yours.”
He said. “Unless Mom’s
been lying to us all these years and you really were adopted.”
Isaac
raised an eyebrow, “It wasn’t me.”
He joked back.
“Taylor,”
Diana said, “have you been with anyone…lately?”
She asked. She felt her
cheeks redden and shook her head, thinking she was much too old to get
embarrassed talking about sex. But,
they were after all, her sons, two of them still teenagers and one just barely
entering his twenties.
“Mom—“
Taylor started, he too getting flushed.
Then, he looked up at her, “I don’t know that I’d call
it lately, but, yeah, I have.”
He said.
“Any
humans?” Isaac asked.
Taylor
furrowed his brow, not really liking the question or the way it had been asked.
“Yes.” He answered.
“And
what were their names?” Isaac
asked.
Taylor
shook his head and wiped formula off the baby’s chin, “There was only one,
thank you.” He said, looking his
brother in the eye.
“Well,
did you get her name?” Isaac
said.
“Ike—“
Zac started.
“Yeah,
I got her name, asshole. Why are
you being such a jerk to me?” Taylor
said.
Isaac
took a deep breath and shook his head. “I
don’t know.” He said softly.
“I know it’s not your fault.
None of this…”
Taylor
stood, and put Elijah up on his shoulder and patted his back.
“Her name was Michelle.” He
said.
At
once, all three of them looked at one another.
“Well then, congratulations.” Zac
said. “You’re the father to
twins, Elijah and Isabella, in that order.”
Taylor
shook his head, protesting, yet he could feel that there was some part of him in
them, just as Sonya and Kirk had felt it. “Michelle
lives in like…Jersey or Pennsylvania or someplace like that.”
He said.
“So?
What’s that got to do with anything?”
Zac asked. “Michelle
came here, very pregnant, thinking you were dead.”
“How
did she get here? What’d she look
like?” Taylor said, still not
sure, even though his heart was telling him they were telling the truth.
Zac
looked at him. He seemed a little
taller, a little more muscular and his hair had grown out considerably since the
last time he’d seen him. He took a deep breath, “Michelle has long, wavy
brown hair. Her eyes are dark;
darker than mine or Isaac’s. Dark
like Isabella’s.” He
said. When he spoke, Taylor could
almost see a picture of her in Zac’s mind.
It was like he was looking at her as he described her to him.
“Where
is she?” Taylor asked.
“I
told you. She left.
She went home.” He
answered. Now Zac laughed, but it
was bitter, “You probably passed each other on the road in your stolen
cars.”
“Who’s
car did she steal?” Taylor asked.
“Yours.”
Isaac said.
“She
didn’t steal it. We would have
given it to her if she’d asked.” Diana
said, taking the bib away from Isabella’s chin and burping her one last time.
“Ah,
but she didn’t ask.” Isaac
said. “She just disappeared and
left us with a note and two babies to take care of.”
“Two
precious babies that I would have gladly traded six cars and a million dollars
for.” Diana said, kissing
Isabella’s chubby cheek. She then
looked at Taylor, “It’s a miracle.” She
said.
“Miracles
don’t happen to me.” Taylor
replied.
“Don’t
tell me miracles don’t happen to you.
I saw you come back to life after you’d been killed three days earlier.
I’d classify that as a miracle.”
Diana said, placing her hand on his cheek.
“More
like an abomination…” He
muttered.
“So, how did she know where we live?
I mean, how did she get here and stuff?
She used to ride to NYC with her friends in this funky old
car and they’d sleep in it and stuff…”
He yawned as he watched Elijah do the same.
“Are you gettin’ sleepy?” He
cooed, gently stroking the soft hair on the boy’s head.
“He’s
a mellow little thing.” Diana
smiled.
“Sit.” She
said to him. She looked at the
clock, knowing soon, he’d be going off to sleep on them.
When
he sat in the chair, she carefully handed Isabella to him.
As he looked down at the two of them, he was struck by their differences.
And yet, they retained some sort of common look, perhaps the shape of
their face, he thought as his mind wandered for a moment.
“They’re mine?” He
said looking up at her.
“I
believe so, baby.” She said,
smiling gently at him. She looked
over his shoulder at the two babies he held.
Elijah was already going back to sleep and Isabella, as usual, was taking
in everything around her, her eyes locking onto Taylor’s.
“They’re
just…” He just shook his head.
“They can’t be, Mom.” He
said, looking up at her, tears in his eyes.
“Taylor,
sometimes things happen that we don’t understand.
I met that girl and I was sure that she was lying, but the more I spoke
to her and got to know her, I just don’t think she was lying or that she was
after anything. If she wanted
something from us, well, all she got was your car, and I don’t think anyone
would go to all that trouble for that.” Diana said softly.
“Besides, Kirk said they were yours and he should know.”
Taylor
shook his head, “I’m gonna kill him next time I see him.
And I mean in the literal sense.”
He growled.
Diana
looked at him, “You’ll do no such thing.”
She admonished. “He did
what he thought was right. He cares
a lot about you and he knew you’d want Michelle to be taken care of and for
these children to be with family.”
Taylor
sighed, “Yeah, you’re probably right.”
He said.
“You
know she is.” Isaac said.
“He seemed to think there was some crazy stuff going on there, and that
it wasn’t smart to have a couple newborns right in the middle of it.”
“Yeah,
maybe that’s true. But I think I
deserved to know it if I was going to be a father.
Jesus Christ…” He said,
the knowledge that he was a father suddenly blooming in his mind.
He closed his eyes and placed his hand on his forehead.
“Zac,”
Diana said, “why don’t you take Elijah?”
and she picked up Isabella, “Taylor looks like he’s getting tired.”
Zac
picked up the little boy and kissed his cheek, then pulled him close to his
chest, “C’mon Tay, we can talk still, but I don’t want to have to drag you
up the stairs like a slug when the sun comes up.”
Isaac
went into the bathroom and pulled a large towel from the closet to hang over the
window. The lacy curtains there
would do nothing to block the sunlight now.
When
he returned to Taylor’s room, only Zac was left, sitting on the edge of the
bed.
Taylor lay there, Isabella on his chest as he patted her back
softly. “So, Sonya knows too?”
He said to Zac.
“She
must, because Kirk said that she felt that weird…you-ness…in them too.”
Zac responded.
“Well,
you can be damned well sure that if they know it, so does Beatriz.”
He said, his voice bitter sounding.
“Now I guess I know why she was so adamant about me not coming here.
Do you know she’s had this place watched?”
He said.
“What?”
Isaac said, draping the towel over the window.
“There’ve
been two people watching the house.” Taylor
said, looking down at the child he held. She’d
pulled her thumb into her mouth and her eyes were becoming heavy.
“Why?”
Isaac said. “And
where? We haven’t seen anyone.”
Though even as he said it, he remembered a strange feeling he got now and
then.
“From
the smell of it, I’d say they’ve been parked right outside this window.
That tree is good for all sorts of things…”
He mused. He
looked over at Zac and the baby in his arms.
“God, how can this have happened?
I mean, how lucky can one
guy get, y’know? Not only did I
manage to get some girl pregnant on the first time I ever really did that, but I
did it without sperm!” He said,
mocking himself. He narrowed his
eyes, “Frickin’ Mr. Jones must know it too…”
He grumbled. He looked over
at Isaac, “I thought he was out of his mind when he asked me for a sperm
sample.” He said.
Both
his brothers burst out laughing, then tried to be quiet again.
“How did he do that?” Zac
asked.
Taylor
rolled his eyes and shook his head, “Right in front of all the girls.
I mean, you may as well humiliate a guy as much as you possibly can,
right?” He yawned then and looked
toward the window. Though neither
of his brothers could probably see it, he could sense the soft sunlight
beginning to glow against the sky, finding it’s way around the towel Isaac had
just put there. He looked at Zac,
“Why did she let you name him? And
I love the name you chose, by the way.”
Zac
looked at him; his eyes were so close to being closed, he looked like a cat in
sunlight, only a bluish glimmer shone between dark lashes.
“Dude, you’re about to fall asleep.
How about if I tell you when you wake up tomorrow?”
Taylor
didn’t answer and his eyes closed completely, locking out the faces of Isaac
and Zac, along with the light of morning. yes; mso-tab-count: 1">
He’d be unaware when his family began to rise and meet the day, all
atwitter about the return of their son and brother, and all wondering how long
they’d have him this time…
