Zac looked over at his father’s watch, “Dad–is your watch right?”
“To the second.” Walker
said, standing up and picking up his video camera.
Zac grinned, then whispered to Isaac, “It’s a good thing that whole
thing about reflections and images and stuff is a myth. It would break Dad’s heart if he couldn’t get pictures of Tay
anymore.”
“True. You’re such a goof–you still didn’t tell me what time it
is. But it’s nice to know Dad’s
got such an accurate watch.” Isaac
smirked.
“Oh. It was like, five
after seven. We still got a little
while.” Zac answered.
“Thanks.” Isaac said. “Um. Zac–” he said
then.
“Yeah?” Zac said,
looking up at him as he stood.
Isaac leaned down toward his brother, “Did Tay eat? Or, you know…”
“Not unless he did it while we weren’t looking.
He hasn’t left that spot since we got here, other than when we had to
hit the stage at around five. And
the girls haven’t left there either.” Zac
said, looking over at his siblings.
“Hmmm.” Isaac put his
hands on his hips. “Alright,
I’ll be back in a little bit, alright? Don’t
let him get away or anything.”
Zac raised an eyebrow, “Ha! Right! I’ll just put a power move on him and tell him he must obey me ‘cause
I’m bigger than him.”
Isaac just gave his little brother a look, then left the room.
~~~~~
“Camille, I saw it. The
guy was dead as a doornail.” Melanie
said. She and Camille were leaning up against the building, next to
the stage door. Girls stood off to
the side, watching, chattering, but afraid for some reason to come too close. While a few had begged to be let in to meet their idols, most merely
waited, hoping one or all would show their faces. The bus had pulled into the place just before five o’clock and they’d
all watched as each person stepped off the bus. The smaller children had gone first, not even looking at any of them.
Melanie and Camille had gone right after and had shot looks at them all, letting
them know there would be no hanky panky allowed. The children were strictly off limits, as most Hanson fans were aware.
Isaac and Zac had stepped off next, followed by their father. They’d all waved, Isaac had even smiled and they’d gone in the back
door, not having been seen again. Kirk
and Diana stepped down and she’d said “Hi” to the girls then turned,
waiting for the last Hanson off the bus. Kirk
went back up, shaking his head and when he returned, he had his hand wrapped
around Taylor’s upper arm, seemingly holding the boy up. Whispers and gasps went through the crowd as well as the usual shrieks.
With a smile and a deep breath, he pulled his arm away and
stepped toward the girls a bit.
“Hey, guys–how is everybody?” Taylor asked. Kirk looked
over at Diana. She watched
Taylor’s every move, her concern growing with each step he took in the crowd's
direction.
When her eyes met Kirk’s, he walked over and stood next to her son. The boy wasn't nearly as pale as usual, but with the sun having just set,
he was still moving rather slowly. Once
he’d gone inside, the girls had discussed in detail every little thing about
him. And when Melanie and Camille had come back outside, they’d
tried to get information out of the girls about his health and such, but had
been told in no uncertain terms that it was none of their business. Now, as the back door opened, they all held their breath, waiting to see
who was coming out. When Isaac poked his head out and whispered something to the
girls, shouts and screams were heard as they all took their last minute shot of
getting his attention. He looked
over and waved, smiling. Then, he
spoke again to the two girls, and went back in the door.
Melanie and Camille had been given the odd job by Isaac of choosing a
girl from the crowd for Taylor to “entertain”. Camille had a hard time deciding, and finally, Melanie had chosen a girl
who had a letter for him. It would
give her the perfect excuse to allow the girl backstage.
Becky Sanders had been in love with Taylor since she was thirteen years
old and when she was chosen by who she assumed was a nanny to the youngest
Hanson’s to go and meet him, she’d nearly fainted. Her friend had actually gotten angry with her, but she knew the girl
would forgive her once she told her what all happened. Maybe, she thought, she
could even get her friend an autograph. She
followed the red haired girl into the building. Behind her, Camille was in a snit, but she knew Taylor needed to feed and
so she’d agreed to help Melanie choose someone for him. And it wasn’t going to be one of those half-naked, rail thin ones
either, she thought bitterly.
When they got inside, Isaac was waiting for them. As they stepped up to him, he put out his hand, “Hi, I’m Ike.
How are you today?” He
asked, smiling.
Melanie looked at him and nodded, then she and Camille walked back to the
large room where the family was all gathered counting down the minutes ‘til
the boys would go on stage. On the
couch, Taylor sat, his head back against the cushions as he watched,
trance-like, whatever it was on television. Beside him, Avery was curled up, her blanket over her knees and a finger
in her mouth. Jessica lay up
against the pillows, her feet tucked under her brother’s legs. Mr. Jones was speaking to him, but Taylor seemed to just be ignoring him.
“You know, you still own vital organs son. If you are in any pain you need to tell me.
You also need to have something to eat. Your mother tells me you haven’t had anything today.
Is that right?” Taylor never looked up.
Camille crossed her arms over her chest and looked at them. In her mind, Melanie heard her grouse, “If I’d been allowed to watch him, it never would have happened. Kirk shouldn’t have left him.”
Melanie looked back at the girl, “Kirk’s
not in love with him. Sonya told
him to leave. It’s not his fault
Taylor can’t control himself.”
Camille stepped closer, throwing a look at her, “I’m
sure it’s all my fault, right?” Melanie
just raised an eyebrow and Camille rolled her eyes, walking away from the girl. “Hey, Jess, can I squeeze in here?”
She asked. Jessica gave her
a suspicious look, but moved her feet allowing her to sit next to Taylor. She looked at him, touching his hair softly.
She then placed her face next to his and whispered, “Taylor, it
wasn’t your fault. You have to
eat. You have to go on in less than an hour.”
Just then, Isaac stepped up, “Tay, this is Becky. She has something she really wanted to give to you in person, ok?”
He said brightly. Camille’s blue eyes looked up at her through smoky lashes
and thinly veiled jealousy. “Tay–”
he said again, kicking his brother’s foot.
“Is he okay?” Becky
asked worriedly. This was not the
boy she’d felt so much for–he was silent, and brooding, and pale. His laughing eyes were gone and in their place were dark, indigo ones
with an air of sadness and maybe even anger, she wasn’t sure.
Isaac turned to her, smiling–“He’s fine, he’s just pissed at Zac
about something.” She turned and
saw Zac at the table, watching them. Isaac
waved and with a puzzled look on his face, he waved back. “See? Everything’s
fine.” He said.
“I’m not gonna do it, Ike.” Taylor
said.
Mr. Jones had been watching it all. “Camille, you and Melanie are going with me this evening.
Come along.” He said, turning away from them.
With a loud sigh, Camille pulled herself up from the couch. She put her arm around Becky and looked down at Taylor, “You and Becky
need to spend a few minutes together. It’ll
do you good, Taylor.” She then
looked at the girl, “She really wants to meet you.” Then with a last look at them all, she followed Melanie and Mr. Jones.
Now Isaac and Taylor just looked at each other for a moment. “Jess, you and Avie beat it, alright?”
Isaac said, his eyes not leaving his brother’s.
“Look, it’s okay. If he
doesn’t feel up to it–” Becky started. She was actually feeling a little afraid, though she didn’t know why.
And not the nervous kind of afraid either, it was more like
the hair standing up on the back of her neck. She watched as the two girls got
up, their eyes locking in some sort of communication.
“You know, Taylor, if you’d do what you’re supposed to, stuff like
what happened last night probably wouldn’t happen. Don’t you think?” Isaac
said mysteriously.
“Um, I’m just gonna go back with my friends, okay?” She said, and she tried to hand Isaac the letter, but he wouldn’t take
it. She watched as he reached down
and grabbed Taylor’s arm, pulling him up off the couch.
“Becky, don’t leave, okay? Give
me just a minute here.” Isaac
said, he then leaned in towards her, “He’s been a little under the weather
lately and we’ve been trying to sort of get him back in the swing of things,
y’know?” As he pulled Taylor
towards a door, he looked over at Zac. The
rest of the family was watching, “Zac, go talk to Becky. Give her an autograph
or something, okay?” He then
pulled Taylor through the door and pulled it shut behind them.
Zac stepped over to the girl, not knowing exactly what was going on. “So, what’s up?”
He asked.
“Well,” she answered nervously, “I had a letter for Taylor and one
of those girls told me I could give it to him in person–but, really, he
doesn’t look like he’s in the mood to meet anybody right now. Can I just give it to you?
You
could give it to him for me, couldn’t you? Just tell him I’m sorry he’s not feeling good, okay?”
She said, shoving the letter towards him.
“Listen, Becky–um, it’s really nice of you to come back here and
give that to him, y’know?” Zac
said to her.
“Zac, I know you guys are busy and stuff–” she started, but the
door opening made her stop. Isaac
motioned for her to come over. She
looked over at Zac and he gave her a little smile.
“We’re never too busy for the fans.” He said, putting his hand on her shoulder.
“We really do appreciate you guys, even though maybe it seems sometimes
like we don’t. Go ahead, it’ll
make his day.” He said, leading
her towards Isaac. As the door shut
again behind her, Zac felt guilty knowing what he had led her to.
Inside the little room, Taylor stood, his hands in his pockets and the
same surly look on his face. But,
when she stepped closer, he seemed to get taller. And he looked like he was…smelling her.
He closed his eyes for a moment and she looked over at Isaac. The tiny little niggling fear she’d felt before, suddenly turned into
an all out panic. “I gotta go!” She said, throwing the letter towards Isaac, but before she could get out
the door, Taylor had pulled her in close to him. So close in fact, that she could see the tiny whiskers on his chin and
the scar on his cheek. In fact, it
was much bigger than she’d remembered from all the pictures she’d studied.
She was still thinking like a fan, though she wasn’t sure anymore that she was
one.
“Oh, God–that smell…” he said it as if he were smelling freshly
baked brownies or some glorious perfume. “I
can smell your blood…” he whispered into her ear.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” She
stuttered. She’d started her
period just that morning. It always
seemed to come on the most important days of her life. “I know it’s
gross!” Now her fear was mixed
with shame.
His eyes opened now and peered into her own in a glittery show of blue
and green fireworks, “It’s not gross. It’s
amazing. It’s why you can give
birth and we can’t.” He said.
Isaac had had enough. He
ducked out the door as fast as he could and leaned up against the other side. Zac and Walker still watched, but Diana had taken the rest of them and
gone back out to the busses. He
could still hear them inside and with a look to Zac, both of them knew what
they’d just done. Isaac prayed, literally that he hadn’t just offered up a
human sacrifice to his god of a brother.
The smell of her blood surrounded her. He’d sensed it before in a crowd of girls, but never in this kind of
closeness. It was overpowering and
he was afraid he was losing control. “You
give life, and I take it…” he said in a breathy whisper. Without using his
powers on her beforehand, Taylor had allowed her fear to build. Her heart was pumping and her adrenaline as well, and when
she tried to pull away from him, she found herself in an iron grip.
“Please, I just wanna go–” she said, her voice rising in panic. She was about to scream and he sensed it and he put his hand over her
mouth. As he pressed her up against
the wall, she felt his teeth as they punctured her neck. She was actually very nearly as tall as him and she wasn’t a small
girl, and yet, she was powerless in his grasp.
Isaac closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the door. He could hear her, but it was muffled.
Zac and Walker both walked up, “What’s going on in there?” His father asked.
“I’m sure you can imagine.” Isaac
said softly, raising his head.
Walker turned away and rubbed his face with his hands, “I can’t
believe this is happening. Is this
the way it always is?” He said,
turning back.
“No. He usually, like,
puts them in a trance or something.” Zac
said, crossing his arms protectively around himself.
Becky had begun to pray. She
was certain she was about to die and she knew she needed to speak to God before
it was too late. As Taylor drank
her blood, she heard him swallow over and over. She felt his lips on her neck and his tongue as he licked away any errant
drops that tried to escape. One
hand was across her mouth and the other, he had in her hair. His legs were on either side of hers, pinning her against the
wall and she could feel sweat forming between their bodies as he pressed himself
against her. Her fear had become so
great she’d stopped trying to scream and very soon after that, her mind had
begun to wander. The pain had
actually gone away and she had begun to feel weightless almost. She was hearing him now, not drinking her up, but humming something, some
sweet melody that seemed to come from inside her head. Slowly, Taylor eased his
hand away from her mouth. He licked
her neck one last time and ran his thumb over the two small holes, watching with
fascination as the skin meshed back together, leaving only the two reddish
indentations. His eyes then went to
hers. Her eyes were dark, almost
black, hinting at some Latin or Indian heritage somewhere in her ancestry, and
they were as big as saucers, her fear shining in them like a beacon as tears
glistened in them, ready to fall. Now,
the eyes she looked into were the same sky blue ones she’d seen every time she
turned on her computer as she looked at the wallpaper that had been on the
screen in one form or another since 1997. “So,
where’s that letter?” He asked
softly, then he placed a gentle kiss upon her trembling lips.
Isaac, Zac and Walker all sat at the table, waiting nervously. When the door opened, Taylor stepped out, then turned back, placing his
hand on the girl’s arm, “Come on, I think you need something to drink. Are you okay?”
He then put
his arm around her waist, “I was afraid you were gonna faint there for a
minute.” He said, smiling at her.
“I’m sorry, I just…felt so weird.” She said, putting her hand up to her forehead.
At the table, Taylor’s father and brothers watched as she stepped into
the room. She was unsteady on her
feet, pale and weak looking. Again,
Isaac felt guilty, knowing he’d had Melanie and Camille bring her there. His brother though, looked flushed and energized.
He smiled at the girl in that charming way he’d always done, but now it
was almost magical. His ability to just look at someone now and mesmerize them
was amazing. Isaac knew the girl
had been scared out of her wits, and Taylor had seemed almost cruel when he’d
first brought her to him. Now, she
looked at him lovingly, through sleepy eyes.
“Here,” Walker said, standing up, “have some juice.” He grabbed the large bottle of apple juice and thrust it in her face,
wishing it was orange juice instead. He
remembered giving blood once and being given orange juice and cookies. Looking at the table, he saw all sorts of candy, cookies, chips and
fruits. Grabbing a banana, he
handed it to Taylor, "Make her eat this. I’m gonna see if they’ve got some orange juice around here.”
His face brightened, “Hey, they’d have some at the bar, wouldn’t
they?”
“Dad,” Taylor said, putting his hand on his father’s arm,
“don’t worry, she’ll be okay.” He
then sat down next to her, “Here ya go,” he said, pulling the peel down on
the fruit, “this’ll make you feel better. When’s the last time you ate anyway?”
She blinked her eyes and shook her head, “Uh, I don’t know…I’m
not really hungry though. And I’m on a diet…” she mumbled.
Taylor gently put his hand on her
chin and pulled her face around, “You need to eat.” He said firmly. Isaac
watched as the girl opened her mouth and his brother brought the banana up to
her lips. Slowly, she took a bite
of it, chewed it up and swallowed, her eyes never leaving Taylor’s.
With a sigh, Isaac stood, then walked over and sat on the couch. Zac soon joined him.
“You
okay, Ike?” He asked.
Isaac smiled at him sadly, “Yeah, I’m alright. At least he didn’t kill her, right?”
~~~~~
Beatriz stood outside the bus. She
wore black suede pants and a black cashmere sweater. Her head was cocked to the side as she listened to Diana speak to her
children. “Why’d we have to
come out here, Mom?” Mackenzie
asked.
“The guys were going to do some business stuff and I just thought
we’d all give them a little privacy, alright?” She answered. “Besides, I
don’t think you need anymore of that junk food in there. I don’t know why they insist on feeding them all that crap anyway…”
she’d moved past her answer to the boy and had begun to just talk to break the
silence. The girls knew what was
going on anyway, there was no need to lie to them, but the two youngest, she
still didn’t know exactly how to explain it all to, and so, she didn’t.
Beatriz continued to listen, waiting until she felt it was a good time to
knock on the door. Diana looked out
the window of the bus, wondering who would be knocking. The fans weren’t supposed to be let near the busses by the venue’s
security. Ever since they’d had
to let go their own bodyguards and such, they’d had to rely solely on Sonya
and her crew or the venue’s–not always the best. Seeing Beatriz standing there, it took her a moment to remember the
woman. Her hair was down and she
wasn’t dressed like some sort of business executive in a power suit like the
last time they’d met. Reluctantly,
she opened the door of the bus. “Hello,
what can I do for you?” She
asked, her arms folded in front of her chest.
Beatriz looked up at the woman, her blonde hair and blue eyes in stark
contrast to her own coal black. “I
need to speak to you. It’s very
important.” She said. “And I’d like for your children not to be present.”
Diana looked over at Jessica. “Jess,
can you watch everyone for a little while?”
Jessica furrowed her brow, but nodded her head.
“Thanks, baby. I’ll just
be out here, but, lock the door anyway, alright?” Diana said as she stepped down off the bus.
The door hissed behind her as her daughter closed it. Now she looked up at Beatriz, feeling very intimidated, but hoping it
didn’t show. “What’s
wrong?” She asked.
Beatriz looked from side to side, looking for a private place to talk. Fans still stood here and there, hoping for a glimpse of the family and
seeing Diana, they’d already begun to call her name and wave, but the guards
so far were doing a good job of keeping them at bay. “Let’s just walk to the other side of the bus, I’d rather not be
stared at by these excitable creatures you seem to be surrounded by. How can you take it, being observed so closely?”
She asked as they walked around the back of the bus.
Diana sighed, “You get used to it.” She said. “Sometimes, they
are actually fun to talk to. Other
times…well, you just deal. It’s
all a part of the package.” They
stopped then, and Beatriz leaned up against the side of the bus, before Diana
was able to stop her. “Oh,
you’re going to ruin your sweater! This
old thing is always so dusty.” She
said.
“Beatriz just shook her head, “That doesn’t concern me, but thank
you.” She said, looking at Diana. “I just needed to let you know what is going to happen.
There is nothing you can do to change it, but I want you to be prepared. I would rather you didn’t tell your family any of this, and you’ll
understand why when I’m finished, but, I’ll leave that up to your
discretion.”
Now Diana was truly afraid of what was going to be said, “What is
it?” She asked, furrowing her
brows. It was a look Beatriz had
seen many times on Taylor.
“Did you know that Taylor killed a man?” Beatriz said bluntly.
Diana brought her hand up to her mouth, “No, that’s not possible.”
Beatriz stood up straight, “Oh, it is possible. Taylor is a vampire. He can
kill with the ease of a shark or a tiger or a housecat going after a mouse. But, the difference is that Taylor has a conscience.
He has a very human sense of right and wrong that the rest of us do not. I don’t choose to kill, but if I do, well, c’est la vie.
Nature is nature, it cannot be helped. Taylor is different. And he
will and has drawn attention to himself, not only because of his fame, but
because he wants to take care of his victims. He’s very…motherly about them.
He
worries about them even after he has finished with them.” She smiled for a moment and shook her head, “But, even now, there are
detectives with his name on the top of their list of suspects. He was seen last night, in public, fighting with the man he killed.
Many people saw it. Mr.
Jones and Melanie and Camille are attempting to change their opinions about what
they saw, but there is no way for them to find every person who was at that
place last night. Kirk and Sonya
have taken the body from the morgue, but we don’t know what they have already
seen. If it came to trial, the jury
would not find him guilty, but only because the evidence would be so strange,
not because they didn’t believe he had committed the crime.”
Diana ran her hands through her hair, pushing it out of her face.
“You’re telling me that my son killed someone? Last night?” It was just
unbelievable to her, though she’d found herself a little frightened of him and
what he’d become, she really didn’t believe him capable of murder. “Isaac and Zac were with him!!!
He
wouldn’t have done something like that in front of them!” She hissed, not wanting the fans to hear.
“I am told it happened late last night, after they were gone.
My contacts here tell me it happened as well. These things do not go unnoticed. The man tried to kill him they tell me, and perhaps he even
believed the man’s wife to be in danger. I don’t know exactly how it happened as I was in New York, but there
were people there who said that Taylor told the man if he hurt the woman that he
would kill him. I’m sure it was
in the heat of the moment, but that does not matter now. I’m not here to try and convince you that your son is a
killer. Quite the contrary, I just
wanted you to know what would happen tonight.” Beatriz stood up to her full
height, her dark eyes penetrating Diana’s. “I came here to tell you that Taylor will die tonight.”
