“Um, I think Taylor’s sick or
something…” she uttered.
Sonya closed her eyes for one moment, then she sat up and got
out of the bed, not bothering to put on shoes or a robe.
She wore only a T-shirt and a pair of flannel shorts.
“Where is he?” She asked
as they left the room.
Camille had to practically run to keep
up, “In the library, on the couch.” She
said.
Sonya turned on the lamp on the table
next to the sofa.
She looked at him for a moment, then back to Camille, “What
did you do last night?” She asked
as she placed her hand on his forehead, pushing his sweaty bangs away from his
face.
“I didn’t do anything. I
went in his room and he was packing his stuff, then we laid down and that’s
the last time I saw him.” Camille
answered.
Sonya looked back at him, puzzled.
“Here,” she said, “help me push him up.”
The two women maneuvered around and pulled Taylor up into a sitting
position and Sonya patted his cheeks and spoke to him, both in his mind and in
his ear. In his mind though, Taylor
was not only hearing Sonya’s voice, but also Camille’s anxious worries,
Melanie’s thoughts about her situation and Beatriz humming along to the
meow’s of Senor Don Gato. Shaking
his head to clear it all away, he brought his hands up to his face and wiped his
brow. When he opened his eyes,
Camille actually laughed and sat next to him, “Oh, thank you, God!”
She said and she looked up and blinked away the tears that
had almost fallen.
Sonya stood back, studying him.
His brows were furrowed and he looked off balance or something, the way
he held his head was just off somehow. “Taylor,
look at me.” She said.
He didn’t respond and she stepped closer to him, taking his face in her
hands, “Taylor. What’s
wrong?” She asked when his eyes
finally met hers.
“I don’t know…” he said
slowly. “Everybody’s talkin’
and stuff…” he said sleepily. He
pulled away from her then and covered his ears with his hands.
Sitting on the other side of him, she looked at Camille, “Did he drink
from you last night?” She asked.
“Don’t lie to me because I’ll know and I’ll kill you.”
Camille shook her head, “No!
I swear it.” The girl
answered.
Taylor stood up from the couch shakily and began to pace.
Standing up as well, Sonya stepped in
front of him and took his hands, “Remember how I told you to focus?”
She asked him loudly. “You
have to just tune out all that stuff. Just
focus on your own thoughts. Hum a
song in your head, chant, whatever it takes.”
He was looking scared and she knew
they didn’t want him to go off the deep end.
After she’d seen what he was capable of the night before, she knew he
could do some damage if he got too upset. “Make
it stop…” he said, looking into her eyes.
When Beatriz stepped into the room, Taylor’s head shot around to face
her, “Make it stop…” he said, covering his ears again.
“Bring him some water.” Beatriz
said to Camille, “Hurry up.” She then turned back to Taylor, looking into
his eyes, “Listen to me.” She
demanded. Sonya watched as
Beatriz’ voice took on a soothing tone once she’d gotten the boy’s
attention.
Slowly, she could see him managing to calm himself.
Camille rushed into the room with a pitcher of water, leaving a wet trail
behind her. “Thank you.”
Beatriz said, taking it from the girl.
She pulled Taylor over to the sofa and gestured for him to sit down, then
she handed him the pitcher, “Drink this.”
She said. Immediately, he
began to gulp down the water, little streams of it trickling down his chin onto
his chest. Beatriz turned and began
to walk away from him and he grabbed her shirt.
“I’m just going to find Mr. Jones, I’ll be right back and Sonya
will stay here with you.” She
said, touching his cheek with her fingers.
Sonya moved over to sit next to him.
She took the pitcher from him and sat it on the rug.
It was nearly empty. He
closed his eyes and lay his head in her lap.
Humming, she ran her fingers through his hair and continued to try and
keep him calm.
Camille sat down on the floor next to
them, looking up at him. “What’s
wrong, Sonya?” She asked.
Sonya shook her head and gave a tiny shrug of her shoulders.
Melanie stepped into the room then.
“What’s all the running around
for?” She asked, plopping down
next to Camille. Taylor opened his
eyes and watched her. She looked back, “Did you O.D. or something?
Look at those rosy cheeks! And
you’re all sweaty.” Still, he
just looked at her.
Beatriz returned with Mr. Jones. “Check
him out please, he’s got a long flight ahead of him this evening.”
She said to him, then she turned to the girls, “Out.”
Reluctantly, Camille rose and followed Melanie out the door.
Sonya assured Taylor she would be right outside the door and maneuvered
herself out from under him.
Once out in the hallway, Sonya watched
Beatriz as she stepped over to the window and pulled back the drapes.
A tiny arc of sun was left, seen between two buildings as it shone its
last bit of light on the city. “Did he drink from you?” She
asked silently. Beatriz turned and
their eyes met. It was all the
answer she needed. Sighing, she
went back over to the two girls.
“I don’t know what happened!”
Camille spat at Melanie, “I just came out here to find him and he was
like that.”
“Hmph!
I’ll bet you don’t know…” Melanie shot back.
“Yeah?
And I’ll bet it’s something that happened at the End.
They probably poisoned him or fed him McDonald’s or some shit like
that.”
Before the argument could escalate,
Mr. Jones stepped out of the library. Four
pair of eyes went to him. “Well?”
Beatriz asked.
“Well, he looks fine.
In fact, amazingly so. His
leg looks perfect, his never ending headache is gone, there’s not a mark on
him.”
He said. “I
don’t have a thermometer at the moment, though I would suspect his temperature
is probably higher than the rest of you. Keep
giving him water and that should subside. It doesn’t look like he consumed
much of whatever caused this reaction, all the same, you’re going to need to
dilute it, whatever it was.” He said, eyeing her.
“Thank you.”
Beatriz said.
Camille looked to Beatriz, “Can I go
back in?” She asked.
Beatriz nodded and the girl jumped up from the couch and pulled Melanie
in with her.
“Do you have the tickets?” Beatriz
asked Mr. Jones.
“Yes, Madam.
I had just returned when you called for me.”
He replied.
“Very good.”
She said. She looked at the
clock, “Well, you don’t have a lot of time.
Are you finished packing?” She
asked the man.
“Yes.
I suppose so.”
He said softly. Beatriz
walked over to him and walked him down the hallway, leaving Sonya standing and
watching them.
Upon her return, Beatriz found Sonya
still watching with a serious look on her face.
“Go ahead.” She said,
“I know you are wanting to say something.”
“What do you want me to say?”
Sonya said, “That you should know better?
That he’s too young?”
For a moment, the two women just
looked at each other, then Beatriz walked up closer to Sonya.
“It just happened.” She
said. “I never thought he’d do
something like that.”
“Have you forgotten what he did to
Camille and Melanie?”
Sonya asked. “He’s
young, and he doesn’t yet understand it all.
He’ll go mad before this is all over.”
Sonya turned to walk to the library, then she stopped and looked back at
Beatriz, “You’re falling for him. And
he’s going to pay for it.” She
said, then she went in to join the others, leaving Beatriz thinking about what
she’d just said.
~~~~~
Kirk stepped into the elevator, wondering what crazy thing was going down
this time. He looked down at his
watch. It was 6:14, rather early
for him to be out and about. Usually,
he liked to just hang around his apartment for awhile, watching television,
listening to or playing music, surfing the net–all the things that other guys
did before going out into the city for a bite to eat. But, this evening, Beatriz
had called him to come and see her. When
the door slid open, he stepped into the familiar hall and made his way into the
big room. Melanie was sitting in a
chair, her feet under her and a half-finished blouse in her lap.
He walked up just in time to see her prick her finger with the needle and
curse under her breath. “What’s
up, Mel?”
He asked, then he sat down across from her and laced his
fingers together, his arms on his knees.
“Just making myself a new outfit.
What do you think?” She
said, holding up the skimpy garment.
“Nice.
Why don’t you model it for me?”
He said, a wry smile curling across his lips.
“It’s not finished!”
She spat.
“That’s ok.”
He said, suggestively. She
rolled her eyes.
Beatriz stepped in, and over to the
two. “Good, you’re here on
time.” She said to Kirk.
“Now, I want you to take Taylor with you tonight.
And I trust nothing bad will happen this evening.
Understood?”
Kirk looked over at Melanie. “What?”
She asked.
“I don’t know.
Where are we going?” He
asked her, confused.
“Uh, I’m not going.
I did my time last night.” She
said softly.
Kirk looked up at Beatriz, “You want
me to take him out?”
“Yes.
Take him with you.
Show him how you do it.
I think he needs to get away from all these females.”
She said with a smile. She
stepped up close to him, “And don’t
let anything happen to him. And don’t
stay too long. He has to be at the
airport at 10:00–his flight leaves at 11:20.” She then turned away from him
and walked down the hallway, leaving him open mouthed.
“It’s easy.
He’s a baby, he’ll do whatever you tell him.
Don’t worry about it.” Melanie
said, still pushing the needle through the thin fabric and pulling the thread in
and out again.
“Bullshit.
I guess you didn’t hear what went down last night, huh?”
He asked her.
Looking up, she shook her head and
leaned in closer. “What?
Tell me.” She demanded.
Kirk looked around the room first to
make sure they were alone, “Elise told me there was a pretty wicked scene
after midnight over there.”
Melanie raised her eyebrows.
He continued, “Beatriz and Sonya came back there and all hell broke
loose, plus–” and he leaned over the table and said very quietly, “they
brought the little prince with ‘em.”
Now Melanie’s mouth dropped open as well, “Uh-uh!!!”
Kirk nodded, “Yep.”
“Well what happened!?”
She exclaimed.
“What do you think
happened? Lucky for him, the Count
wasn’t there, or I’m sure fur would have been flying.”
He replied.
Melanie covered her mouth with her
hand and then closed her eyes for a minute.
“Fuck, it’s a good thing I’m going to Chicago or wherever…it
sounds like my ass is grass in this town for a while.”
She muttered.
“Well, all I know is, nobody’s
gonna be using the coffin again and Taylor zapped the big old mirror.
Glass went everywhere–“
Melanie cut him off–“What!!!?
Taylor’s sick as a dog, you should have seen him earlier!
No way!”
“Hey, I’m just tellin’ you what
they told me. Him and Beatriz
looked at each other for a minute and he stood out in the middle and pulled a
Obi Wan on the mirror. So, now he
knows how to use it. What do ya
think of that?” He asked
incredulously.
Melanie shook her head, then a tiny smile came across her face, “God, I
don’t want to think about it…he’s too much of a freak already.
I guess nobody’s gonna shove him in any more coffins
though…”
“Uh, no…I don’t think so.
Hey, get this,” he leaned in again and whispered, “Beatriz told them
he was her’s. That was her
words, she said ‘he’s mine’ and told ‘em nothing better happen to him or
there’d be hell to pay.”
Melanie smacked him on the arm, “No
way!!! Oh my god…” she was
speechless for a moment, letting it all sink in.
When Camille walked in, she sat next to Kirk on the couch and began to
comb out her wet hair.
“What are you doing here?” She
asked sullenly.
“Me and your boy are hitting the
town tonight.” He smiled, then
sang, “and we’ll have fun fun fun ‘til her daddy takes her t-bird
away…”
Camille just looked at him with
disgust, “Just make sure he doesn’t mysteriously fall out of any trees or
anything.” She said, then she put
the comb down on the table and pulled up the navy blue knee socks she wore.
“Damn, you’re like the third person to threaten me about that.
I wanna know what he’s got that makes all you girls get all protective
and stuff. Man, we better get out
of here before Sonya catches me, she might put some serious hurtin’ on me
beforehand just to make sure I know she means it…” He stood up and looked
down the hallway. “Where’s he
at, anyway?”
Camille buttoned her sweater and
mumbled, “In the shower.”
Beatriz and Sonya came into the room at that moment and Kirk held his
hands up, “I swear, I’ll guard him with my life.
Nothing will happen to him.” He
said to Sonya.
She furrowed her brow and shrugged her
shoulders, “What are you talking about?”
She then sat down on the couch and rubbed her shoulders and stretched her
neck.
Kirk stepped over behind her, and began to rub her tight muscles, “Oh,
well I figured you were gonna give me a lecture about not letting Taylor get
into any trouble and stuff…”
“Hmph, good luck.
If you can keep him out of trouble, then you’re a better man than
me.” She said quietly, “…oh
god, that feels good.
I am so ready for a vacation.”
She moaned.
Beatriz smiled, “Well, in a week, you’ll be travelling all over the
country, hanging out with a rock ‘n roll band, partying ‘til all hours of
the morning, living the wild life. Won’t
that be fun?”
Sonya gave her a half smile. “Hmmm, actually, I think we’ll be riding
on a bus, perhaps with seven children and a pair of parents who hate us,
watching over a vampire with powers greater than our own, but considerably less
knowledge about them, trying to make sure he feeds even though he doesn’t
really like to and making sure none of the thousands of girls who are in love
with him find out what he really is. Oh
yeah, and we have to keep him out of the sun, even though all these radio
stations and TV people will be wanting to talk to him between the hours of nine
and five. Sounds like fun.”
She said.
“The tour is over in December, you’ll survive.”
Beatriz said. Just then,
Taylor walked in. He wore khaki
pants and a navy blue sweater with a white shirt underneath.
Sitting down on the arm of the sofa, he looked over at Sonya.
“What’s wrong?”
He asked her.
“Nothing.” She answered,
“Just a little tired.”
He smiled, “Nonsense.”
He retorted, “Vampires don’t get tired.
Vampires don’t get headaches. Vampires
don’t get sick.” He then looked
over at Beatriz and raised one eyebrow, “Right?”
“That is correct, Taylor.”
She said seriously. “If
vampires do what they are supposed to do, their bodies remain in perfect working
order.” She walked over to him
and put one hand on her hip, “Of course, if they do things that they
shouldn’t, they pay the price, just like humans.”
She narrowed her eyes at him and the rest of them all watched, wondering
what would happen next.
“Yeah, it’s all my fault.”
He said, standing up to his full height and looking down at her.
He then reached behind the pillow for the old bear.
He straightened its jacket, kissed its nose, and then placed it in
Sonya’s lap. “Here, he always
makes me feel better.” He said,
then he stepped over to the window and looked out, before turning to look into
the cage of Beatriz’ bird, touching the bars with his fingers and watching as
the brightly colored parrot backed away from him.
“It’s
getting late, you need to be going.” Beatriz
said, having walked over to him. He
looked at her, his icy eyes going over her face.
“You know, I’m going to miss you.”
She said softly.
He smiled, “Really?
I thought you’d be glad to get rid of me.”
“That too.”
She smirked. Then, she
reached up and put her arms around him, “Be careful.”
She whispered.
“I will.”
He said back.
Beatriz turned away from him and back
towards the rest of them, “Alright, go on.
Taylor, you’re going with Kirk tonight.
Bring your bags out here, Mr. Jones is sending them ahead so you don’t
have to worry about them. Kirk,
when you are finished, just take him straight to the airport.
Be there by ten or I shall have you drawn and quartered.
Hmmm,” she said looking at him, “it’s been a long time since I
witnessed that…”
Kirk’s eyes widened, “Tay, let’s
go man, we’re on a schedule here!” He
barked. Taylor shook his head
thinking it odd to hear the nickname his family always called him.
He guessed it must be inevitable that people would shorten it though.
After all, his fans did it as well.
He stepped over to them and Sonya rose and walked with him down the hall
to retrieve his backpack and the suitcase that had been purchased for the new
clothes. She held the bear out to
him, “Don’t forget him, I’ll just have to make do I suppose, since he’s
leaving early.” She smiled.
“Yeah, I guess I can give him back
to Zoë now, huh?” He said to her,
looking into her green eyes.
“Yes, you can.
How does it feel to be going back home?”
She asked.
He shook his head and closed his eyes,
“I can’t describe it.” He
then looked around the room he’d called his own for the last week or so,
“But, it’s weird, I guess I sort of got used to this place, I might miss it
a little.”
“It’s probably not the place you
will be missing, it’s the people. We
really aren’t as bad as all that now, are we?”
She asked.
“No, some of you are pretty cool.
Some of you still scare the crap out of me though.”
He said, lifting the backpack onto his shoulders and picking up the
suitcase.
“Well, some of us will join you
again soon and some of us will only be a phone call away.
She does answer the phone you know.”
She said knowingly. He just
looked at her, then they turned and walked back out to join the others.
Taylor sat his bags down then stepped
over to Camille who had tears in her eyes.
“Gee whiz, I’ll see you next Friday…” he said.
She put her arms around his waist and hugged him, “I know, but I’ll
miss you ‘til then.” He rolled
his eyes and the others shook their heads and smiled.
He looked down at Melanie, “You
don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”
He said to her, “I know all your friends live here and stuff.”
“My friends are assholes. Besides,
I think it’s part of my punishment that I have to go and hang with you and
your dorky brothers while you make the little girls scream.
God, that hurts my ears…you just wait, you’ll need better
ear plugs than you used to…” she said, not looking up from her sewing.
He shook his head and looked at
Beatriz, his eyes pleading, “No, really–you don’t have to come…”
“Of course she does.”
Beatriz stated, “You don’t want her to stay here–I believe she is
on the most wanted list now. You
would be sentencing her to eternal torment if she were to stay.”
“Really?”
He asked brightly.
“Would you please leave?
You’re skinny, but you’re still in my light here.”
Melanie stated.
“Hey, y’know? You and
Camille really have that Catholic school girl thing going on there…” Kirk
stated, looking at the two. She
wore a plaid skirt and a navy sweater and navy knee socks while Taylor wore an
almost matching ensemble. “Let’s
take the subway into Queens tonight. St.
Anne’s has volleyball practice ‘til about seven, if we hurry, we can catch
some of them.”
Taylor’s face took on a look of horror while the others pushed them
towards the elevators. Camille
handed him Isaac’s denim jacket, “Here, since you tore the other one.”
She said, and she reached up and patted his cheek.
“Have fun.” She said
quietly.
“Oh, I’m sure I will…” he said
and then he and Kirk disappeared into the elevator, leaving them all staring at
the empty space in front of them.
~~~~~
“Ike! Have you seen my
swimming trunks?!” Zac yelled to
his brother.
“No.
How do you lose stuff like that?”
He asked him.
“I don’t know, they were here last night.
Man, I’m getting tired of swimming.
My hair’s turning green like Jessica’s did last summer.”
He muttered.
“Well, we’re all sort of trapped
here, so they gotta do something for fun. God,
I’m so glad we’re leaving tonight.” Isaac
said, flopping back down on the bed. He
sat back up, “Maybe you could wear Tay’s.
Somehow, they got in my suitcase.”
Zac looked back at Isaac, “First of
all, they probably have blood stains on them and second of all, I don’t think
I can still wear a 2T.”
Isaac laughed.
“They’ve been washed, jerk.” He
replied. “And they’ve got a
drawstring.”
Zac sat down on the bed opposite him.
“Alright, hand ‘em over.” He
said. Isaac got up and went over to
his suitcase, throwing the trunks over and hitting Zac in the chest with them.
Zac looked at them, then back up at Isaac.
Both boys’ minds had gone back to the last night when they’d all
gotten into the hot tub. “Do ya
think everything’ll be the same, Ike?”
Zac asked.
“Well, he seemed the same last
night. Except, he’s strong as an
ox. I think he left a bruise on my
arm.” Isaac said, pulling the
sleeve of his T-shirt up and rubbing where Taylor had smacked him.
“I know.
He hugged me and my feet left the ground.
I guess we’ll have to sort of remind him about that.”
Zac’s voice faded and for a moment, neither of them said anything.
“Hey Ike,” Zac started,
“he’d never hurt one of us, right? I
mean, not on purpose anyway.”
“No, I don’t think he would, Zac.”
Isaac looked over at his little brother.
His eyes gave away his fear, but also a longing to have Taylor back with
them. “We just have to keep our
eyes open and stuff. It kind of
gives me the creeps, though, having the rest of them around.
I know that was the deal and all, but they are the ones I’m scared of.
Mom wants them on a different bus from us.
Which one do you think Tay will be on, humans or vampires?”
Zac smirked, “I think once Mom gets
her hands on him again, he’ll be lucky if she lets him go to the bathroom by
himself.”
Isaac laughed as well, “You might be right about that.”
Just then, Avery walked in, “Come
on, Zac. Mom says we only have an
hour. And I want to go to the gift
shop first.”
She said.
Zac looked over at Isaac, “How did you get out of swim duty?”
He sighed, standing up.
“She’s sending me to the store.”
He said, sitting up again. He
looked down at his watch. “In
five hours, we’ll be on the plane.” He
looked up, “Please God, let everything go ok?”
~~~~~
When Taylor and Kirk had gotten on the subway, there were very few people
in their car, but as they pulled to a stop near Queens, Kirk’s eyes lit up as
a steady stream of young girls piled into the aisle, all laughter and ponytails
and short skirts, their legs pink from standing in the cold.
Taylor didn’t understand why all of them didn’t wear sweat pants
under their skirts like a few did. “Now,”
Kirk whispered to him. “when
we get out to the ‘burbs, we just find a couple that get off together, sisters
would be nice, and then we just follow ‘em home.
Easy as pie.” He
stated. Taylor looked over at him
and shook his head. “What?”
Kirk asked.
“I don’t know, man.
It’s just…crazy. I never
thought I’d ever be doing something like this.
Ever.” He answered.
“It’s crazy, I know. But,
you get used to it.” Kirk said,
watching the girls. A few of them
were taking notice of the two guys watching them.
Giggles and stolen looks bounced around the car as the miles passed under
them.
“So, how long have you been one of them?”
Taylor asked, avoiding the eyes of the girls.
“You mean, ‘one of us’…let’s
see…” Kirk thought, “I was born in 1949–“
“WHAT!?”
Taylor exclaimed, sitting up in his seat and looking over at the young
man next to him.
Kirk returned the look, “Yeah, and
then I was turned in 1973. So,
I’ve been doing this for a little less than thirty years.”
Taylor continued to stare at him.
“That’s
really not that long, dude.” Kirk
laughed at the expression on Taylor’s face.
“They still consider me a young one.”
Taylor shook his head, “It’s just
so weird…” he said.
“Yeah, I guess it’s sorta weird.
It’s not all that different from what I did before though.
I took off for California in the sixties and I guess I just never came
back.” Kirk looked over at
Taylor, the lights playing across his face, “But, I think that happened to a
lot of people then.” He smiled.
Taylor smirked, “Yeah, I guess so.
So, you were in California in the sixties?”
He asked, suddenly very interested.
“Yeah.
There was some freaky stuff going down there, man.”
He smiled at the boy, remembering. As
they rode, they stopped paying attention to the girls, getting lost in Kirk’s
stories of the music scene of his young years. Taylor was enthralled, hearing
about bands he’d seen in person that Taylor had only dreamed of.
And, like Taylor, he’d been a writer of songs and had been in a band of
his own. Even the name enchanted
him; Peace in the Jones. It brought
visions of smoky clubs and tie-dye to his mind and he imagined seeing Kirk on
stage, playing with his band mates and fighting off girls.
“What happened?”
Taylor asked.
Kirk’s dark eyes got a faraway look,
“I don’t know, I met some people, got caught up in their scene…the rest is
history.” He was quiet for
a moment, then he looked at Taylor and smiled, “What happened to you?”
Taylor smirked, “I don’t remember.
All I know is I woke up in my bed, but Sonya, Melanie and Camille were
all there. Telling me I was
dead.”
“Dude, that kinda bites.
At least I did it on purpose and stuff.”
Kirk said. Looking up, he
noticed some of the girls had already gotten off at their stops.
There were only a few left. “Hey,
do you like the looks of any of them?”
He asked Taylor.
“Hmmm…” he said, watching as two
of them began to close book bags and zip their jackets.
“How about those two there? Definitely
sisters…”
Kirk looked back at Taylor and nodded.
When the girls stood up for their stop, Kirk’s eyes went to Taylor’s
and an unspoken agreement was reached. The
two girls stepped off and into the station, with Kirk and Taylor waiting ‘til
the last second to follow. Slowing
down to let the girls get ahead of them, they waited until they started up the
old stairs that led to the street. Taylor
couldn’t help the smile that crept over his features as he watched them trot
up in front of him. Once out on the
street, the wind was cold and the girls picked up the pace, chattering the
entire way. They passed a few
storefronts and apartment buildings, then the girls cut down a side street and
onto another with rows of nearly identical houses.
‘Grandma houses’ Taylor and his brothers had always called them.
Brick with porches, probably all built before the 1920’s.
Soon the boys watched the girls go up onto one of the porches and into
the house. Taylor turned to Kirk,
“Now what?” He asked.
“Now, we go around back and find a
way to get upstairs.”
He answered.
Taylor looked at him, furrowing his
brows, “Why don’t you just ask them? They
always say ‘yes’.” He stated.
Kirk chuckled, “Taylor, you just
don’t get it.” He put his hand
on the boy’s shoulder. “I can
usually hear it when you or Melanie or Beatriz send some kind of message my way.
And, if I try really hard, you might hear me; if I’m really close to
you.
Most guys don’t have what you have.
You drank from Mel and Camille, right?”
Taylor nodded. “And
your sire is Sonya–the two hundred year old, Sonya, right?”
Taylor shook his head, “I don’t understand all this ‘sire’ stuff.
If you are asking if she was the one that frickin’ killed me, then,
yeah, she’s my sire.”
Kirk smiled again, “Alright, well the point is, you sucked up all this
psychic shit that only the girls have. Guys
have a little, girls have a lot. It
sucks, but it’s the way it is.”
“So you can’t just look at them
and make them want you?”
Taylor asked simply.
Kirk chuckled, “Uh, no.”
He said bluntly. “I have
to work for it.”
“Damn.”
Taylor said.
“So, we have to break in?”
He said, apprehension in his voice.
“Sometimes you might have to do that, but a lot of times, the
window’s open…” he had already started around the side of the house.
It was dark out, but Taylor could see
Kirk as he silently made his way to the backyard, jumping over the chain link
fence with ease. In the yard next
door, a dog ran toward the fence, but when Kirk faced it, it slunk away and hid
under the porch, watching the two warily. Taylor
took a few steps back, then jogged up, clearing the fence the same way his
partner in crime had. It still
amazed him that he could do such things. Joining
Kirk, the two of them looked at the windows on the second floor.
“Well?” Taylor
asked.
“Hmmm….”
Kirk uttered, looking over at Taylor, “you’re littler than me.
Think you could get up that trellis there without taking a dive?”
Taylor looked at the frail looking
wooden structure, covered with old, dry rose bushes.
“I guess, but couldn’t we just jump?”
He asked.
“Not that far.”
Kirk said, eyeing the structure.
“Well, what do you want me to do
once I get up there?”
Taylor asked.
“I want you to pull me up.
Then, we go and have a nice, quiet dinner.”
He smirked.
Taylor’s eyes widened.
He turned and faced the trellis, looking up.
It stretched about 12 feet from the ground to the roof of the porch.
From there, he could just walk up to the window.
Taking a deep breath, he put his hands on the old lattice.
Carefully, he pulled his foot up and held his breath as he put all his
weight on the delicate looking wood. Though
it creaked and gave a bit under him, he managed to pull himself up, using the
gutter to really take his weight once he got high enough.
Rolling over onto his back, he looked up at the sky.
Finally, a few stars peeked out from the darkness, making him feel closer
to his home than he had felt in weeks. Sighing,
he thought about the fact that in a few hours, he would be on his way back to
Oklahoma. “Hello!?” Kirk called
softly. Taylor sighed and turned
back, looking down at him. “Shew!
I thought you’d decided to just have both for yourself.”
He joked. The light from the
neighbors’ back porch was mirrored in Taylor’s eyes and for a moment, Kirk
understood the fear he sometimes saw in people’s faces.
Though they looked human in almost every way, when their eyes took on
that shine that went along with the hunger, the effect was unsettling.
Add fangs to that and you had good old fashioned scariness.
He supposed that was why some preferred to wear sunglasses, even though
they were never in sunlight. Taylor
leaned down as far as he could, his arm stretched down and his hand ready to
pull him up.
“Are you sure
we couldn’t just knock and ask to come in?”
Taylor asked.
Kirk put his hand in Taylor’s and
was surprised at how easily the boy pulled him up to him.
His feet had barely touched the trellis before he found himself face to
face with the eerily beautiful visage of Taylor’s face.
The moonlight gave his skin a bluish cast and his eyes were the most
reflective Kirk had ever seen on a vampire.
Cats had eyes like that in the dark, but Taylor’s weren’t quite as
green.
They were more of an aqua, blue green.
“Man, your eyes are freaky right now…” he said, “and,
no, we can’t just knock. What if
their dad answered?”
Taylor shrugged, looking down at the empty driveway, “He’s not
home.”
“How do you know that? Cuz
his car isn’t here?” Kirk
smirked, “That doesn’t mean anything.”
“No, I can’t feel him.
There aren’t any men in there.”
Taylor answered.
Kirk just looked at him for a moment,
then shook his head and watched as he stood up and walked softly across the roof
and over to the window, peering in. “He
can’t feel him.” He
muttered to himself. Then he joined
the boy at the window. Inside, the
room was obviously a teenaged girl’s as the clothes strewn about and the
bottles and bottles of nail polish scattered about the dresser attested to.
Kirk placed his hands on the frame of the window and tested
to see if it was locked. It slid up
easily and he turned and smiled at Taylor.
Still, Taylor looked uneasy. “C’mon,
it’s easy. You’ll see.”
He said, putting one leg through the window.
Taylor watched as Kirk slipped all the way in.
Turning, he motioned for him to come inside. Slowly, he too pulled
himself in the room. Looking
around, he found himself face to face with the likes of Justin Timberlake and
Nick Carter. Rolling his eyes, he
approached Kirk, “Now what?” he whispered.
“Now, we wait.”
Kirk said, sitting down on the bed.
“Wait?” Taylor asked,
furrowing his brow, “What do we wait for?”
He asked.
Kirk lay back and crossed his ankles,
picking up a beaded bracelet and twirling it around his finger, “We wait for
them to come in and then we get ‘em.”
Taylor continued to stare at him,
“Well, what if it takes a long time for them to come in here?”
He asked.
Kirk shrugged, “I catch up on my
reading.” He said, picking up a
copy of Seventeen magazine from the bedside table.
Taylor put his hands on his hips,
“This is crazy. Don’t you waste
a lot of time just waiting around? Why
don’t you call them to you and drink and be done with it?”
Kirk tossed the book aside, “Look,
Tay–I told you, unless they’re pretty much standing in front of me, I
can’t really call ‘em like that. Besides,
where do I have to go? I don’t
have a job, this is what I do. I
sort of enjoy checking out where they live.
They write in journals, they listen to music, they paint their nails,
they do homework…I watch, and read, and listen…it’s amazing.”
Taylor looked around the room, noticing all the small details now.
In the air, the sweet smell of cologne and hair products hung and he
smiled. “It’s not amazing,
it’s sisters.” He said.
Suddenly, he wasn’t sure he wanted to be there.
It reminded him too much of Jessica and the thought of someone biting her
and drinking from her was not something he could bear the thought of.
Suddenly, a sound in the hallway let him know someone was coming up the
stairs. He backed up and flattened
himself against the wall, not knowing where to hide, but Kirk continued to stay
where he was. “Dude!”
Taylor hissed, “They’re coming!”
“It’s
just one.”
Kirk replied silently.
Suddenly the door flew open and the older of the two girls came into the
room. For a split second, she
didn’t see Kirk there, and when she did, her hand flew to her chest and Taylor
was sure she was going to scream. But,
when Kirk put his finger to his lips, then smiled at her, she relaxed.
“Who are you?” She
asked, an air of curiosity in her voice.
Kirk’s eyes glittered, “I saw you on the bus, and I followed you.”
He said, standing up. His
eyes never left hers and Taylor was certain he was doing something
to her, whether it was psychic, or the sound of his voice or what, he didn’t
know. He watched as Kirk stepped
closer to the girl, pulling the ribbon from her hair, allowing it to fall around
her shoulders.
“Yeah?” She said.
He nodded, then pulled in closer, smelling the cologne she’d rubbed
behind her ear that morning.
“Where’s your sister?”
He asked.
“Downstairs. She’s
eating supper.” She answered.
Taylor stepped out, “Oooh, what’re
you having?” he asked, sniffing the air.
The girl jumped, startled that he was there.
Kirk shook his head, “Dude, food is
not your friend.
Don’t do it.”
Taylor nodded, “I know.”
He said, disappointment in his voice.
“Why is Taylor Hanson in my room?”
The girl asked.
Taylor stepped closer to her, “What’s your sister’s name?”
He asked.
She looked at him in wonder, in person
he was even more stunning than the pictures she’d seen in magazines.
She blinked a couple times, “Uh, Charlotte.
What are you doing here?” She
asked him. Kirk watched as Taylor
looked into her eyes for a moment. She
then turned back to him, ignoring Taylor, “Why did you follow me?” she
asked, searching his dark eyes for an answer.
“Because you’re beautiful.”
He answered. It was a stock answer, but it was also true.
She smiled and he pulled her closer and placed a kiss on her neck.
Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Taylor.
His eyes were shut and his lips moved in a silent chant.
In a few moments, another girl appeared at the door, breathless.
Taylor’s eyes opened and took in the young girl.
She appeared to be no more than 14 or 15 years old, while her sister was
in her senior year at their school. “Close
the door. Lock it.”
He said. She did as she was
told, her eyes never leaving his. Taylor
glanced over at the Hello Kitty alarm clock by the bed, then to Kirk.
“It’s getting late, let’s do
it.” He then turned
back to the girl and she walked, trance-like, towards him.
When she got up to him, she turned her face away, baring her throat to
him. Kirk had worked her sister
into a similar stance, but without the hypnotic effect, she seemed to be
enjoying the experience while Charlotte was merely following orders.
Both sunk their fangs into tender throats at the same time.
Taylor closed his eyes and savored the sweet feeling of the blood rushing
into his mouth and down his throat. It
seemed to have a cooling effect on him as Beatriz’ blood was still making
it’s presence known to him, all hot and electric.
Once he’d taken as much as he dared, he licked the two small wounds and
watched as she closed her heavy eyes. He
lay her back on the bed and sat beside her, watching Kirk.
It almost looked to Taylor as if the two were involved in a very slow
dance. Her head was thrown back and
just the tiniest hint of a smile was on her lips.
As Kirk finished, he lay her down next to her sister, kissing
her mouth, then turning towards the window.
Once back out on the roof, he looked back to see Taylor standing over
them for a moment before joining him.
“Dude, you ok?”
Kirk whispered to him. Taylor
nodded, then sat down Indian style on the roof.
“Yeah,” he said, wiping his brow, “I just still feel sort of
funky.” He answered.
Kirk sat down next to him, “What
were you doing in there a minute ago?” he asked Taylor.
Taylor shook his head, “I was just
sort of telling your girl that she had just dreamed about Taylor Hanson being in
her room. You had to pick some girl
with a subscription to Bop Magazine, didn’t you?”
He said with a chuckle.
“Hey, you picked ‘em, not me.”
Kirk answered. Suddenly,
Taylor looked up. “What?”
Kirk asked.
“Sonya wants to know where we
are.” Taylor answered.
His eyes took on a faraway look for a moment, then he looked over at Kirk.
“I don’t think she trusts you to get me to the airport on
time.” He smiled.
“She hates me.”
Kirk snorted.
“Hate is a strong word.
I don’t think she hates you. She’s
just still a little pissed.” Taylor
said, laying back on the cold shingles.
Kirk just looked at him for a moment.
“Taylor, how did you call that girl?”
He asked.
“Well, once I knew her name, I just
called for her. I could feel her,
so I just used her name and sort of…demanded that she come to me.”
He explained.
“Ok, but if she’s not looking at
you, or you’re not drinking from her…how do you have the connection?”
Kirk asked, pulling his knees up and leaning his head on them.
Taylor sat there for a moment, just
looking up at the stars.
“I don’t know.
You just do. You just have to listen really hard.”
Then he sat up and reached down into his pocket, bringing out a pocket
knife. Kirk watched as he flipped
out the shiny blade, “Here, if you drink from me, you should have it too.”
He said and before Kirk could protest, he pulled the blade across his
wrist.
“Holy shit, man!
No way!” Kirk said,
backing up.
“Why not?” Taylor said,
holding his arm out as maroon stained the pale skin.
Kirk was already at the edge of the
porch, about to jump back down and he looked back at the boy,
“They’ll kill you for that kind of shit man…” he said, his eyes
wide.
He then slipped over the side of the roof, landing
soundlessly on the frozen ground.
Looking up, Taylor was perched on the
roof, peering down at him, the wind blowing his hair.
He shook his head, then jumped down beside him.
“How are they gonna know?” He
asked. Just then, both of them
looked up to see Sonya walking towards them.
She wore a thick, woolen sweater and an unhappy look on her face.
Looking down at her watch, then up at
Kirk, she spat, “Why did I know you two couldn’t get there on time?”
She then raised her head and sniffed and turned to Taylor, “What the
hell happened?” she said, grabbing his wrist.
He looked back at her, “I cut myself
on the gutter when I jumped down.”
Kirk considered running, but he knew
Sonya would just catch him, and he knew he was innocent, other than taking
Taylor far from the city.
So he stepped back a little, watching as she and Taylor
looked at each other, saying nothing. Finally,
she looked over at Kirk, then back at Taylor, “I am this close,” she said,
motioning with her fingers, “to agreeing with the others about you.
Beatriz is blind where you’re concerned.
Perhaps you do need to spend
some time down in the basement. It’s
a little bigger than that coffin, but not much.”
Her eyes bore into Taylor’s with an anger he hadn’t seen before from
her.
“What?”
He asked, feigning innocence.
“Don’t ever lie to me.
I can read your every thought. I don’t know how much you took from that
little girl, but it’s all just soaking into the dirt right now.
You close that up right now.” She
spat.
“Why?
Are you afraid I might bleed to death, Sonya?”
Taylor asked.
Sonya took in a deep breath, then looked over at Kirk, “I need to
apologize to you. You are much
smarter than I gave you credit for. But
you–” she said, turning to face Taylor again, “are reckless and careless.
I’m beginning to think it’s a bad idea to let you leave here.”
“Sonya!”
Taylor exclaimed, but she cut him off before he could state his case.
Holding her hand up, she silenced him,
“Do you know you are my first? I
watched my babies grow old and die and I vowed I’d never have another.
Well, guess what? Here you
are, a six foot, hundred and sixty pound, bouncing baby boy.
I am your mother, your sister, your lover, your wife and your enemy all
rolled into one. I didn’t intend
on being anyone’s sire, ever. But
fate stepped in and now I find myself responsible for you.
And I’m the only one you haven’t
drunk from! How twisted is
that!?” Taylor drew his eyes away
from hers and pulled his wrist up to his lips, licking away the blood, a shiver
running up his spine, as he tasted the essence of Beatriz once more.
She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest, “I won’t
allow you to endanger your family Taylor, I know what it would do to you.
And that is what you are doing. You
may not care about yourself, but I know you care for them.
The elders do not take these things lightly.
They’ll side with Beatriz at first, but if they find out the things
you’ve done…they’ll cast her out and they’ll serve you up on a platter.
With Melanie and Camille on the side and me for dessert.”
She looked over at Kirk, “You could have been an appetizer.”
Kirk shuddered visibly, thinking of Taylor’s offer.
Taylor was beginning to feel shame
now. Shame for allowing his anger
to put them all at risk, shame for not being more careful and shame at not
understanding how dangerous it was for Beatriz to take him under her wing.
“I’m sorry. I just…I
still can’t believe it all. I
keep thinking I’m gonna wake up and have a laugh and get me a big bowl of corn
flakes and hit the beach.”
Sonya put her arm around him, “I know.
But just put that out of your head, it’s not going to happen.
I’m taking you home to your parents.
They’ll get you to Tulsa if it kills them.
They love you–don’t disappoint them.
Follow the rules.” She
then turned to Kirk, “You’ve just landed the job of personal body guard to
Taylor Hanson.
You start in a week. You
have my permission to use force if need be.
Mostly, you’ll just be protecting him from himself.”
And with that, she walked Taylor down the street to her car, leaving Kirk
there, wondering if it were an honor or a punishment.
