Moonlight Denial: Shades of Moonlight Book One

Conrad was never one for confrontations, especially with his own son. He knew one was going to happen that day. He knew it from the moment he awoke and had the idea to ask Gavin and Cora to go to the library. His feelings had been proven right as he now stood on the staircase, arguing with Ethan about the decision he had made. There was only one reason why they were even having the conversation and why Conrad was being so hard on his son. What would come to a shock to Ethan is that it had nothing to do with the human boy. Conrad was doing this because the other’s heart was far too big for his own good and he had to find some way to contain it before it grew so large it burst. A big heart was always in for big hurt and seeing that once already was too much for him and there was no possible way he would let it happen again.

“I can’t make any promises to what you’re asking,” Ethan said to the suggestion presented to him, his teeth clenched and his jaw tight.

Conrad knew how resilient and stubborn Ethan was and knew his youngest would not give a single thought to his offer. He was so tired and so worn at that point that he would like nothing more than to fling his disobedient son down the stairs to end the argument, but that would gain him nothing but a second of relief and an overabundance of guilt.

“Well, I expect you will at least mull it over if you want me to consider your proposition,” he said instead. With a last meaningful look to his fledgling he turned and went the rest of the way up the stairs. When he reached the landing he stopped, but kept did not turn to face Ethan. “You may think I’m being heartless now, but you’ll thank me in the end. I’m only looking out for your wellbeing. No human is worth seeing you suffer.”

He left Ethan with his final words before a retort could be made and thrown back at him. When he reached the sanctuary of his den he closed the door and leaned on it. The back of his head rested against the wood and he closed his eyes. Furious footsteps reached his ears and he could not stop himself from flinching when Ethan’s door slammed.

“You’ll thank me someday, my son. You’ll thank me some day,” he whispered.

“That’s a peculiar way to go about getting someone to thank you.”

Conrad nearly jumped, but was able to quell that desire as he opened his eyes and gazed upon the intruder in his haven.

“Faith, I did not know that you were awake,” he said, a weary sigh showing on his face.

Faith sat upon his desk, dressed in a simple, light blue nightgown. Wrapped in her arms on her lap was a homemade ragdoll. Dark yellow yarn hung from its head and touched its shoulders and grey buttons were sown into its face to give it eyes. For a doll, it strangely resembled the man across from the girl. To anyone else the doll would seem ratty and plain, but Faith held it like it was her most prized treasure.

“It’s easy to awaken from the deepest of sleep when there is such a commotion going on,” Faith replied as she hugged the doll tighter and nuzzled its hair with her cheek.

Conrad wanted to put his head through the door. One of the last things he wanted was for Faith to hear the argument between him and Ethan. Family conflict was something Faith did not handle well. Out of everyone Conrad felt his daughter had suffered most over the years with the feud involving him and his brother. However, there was little he could do for her, but offer comfort. There seemed to be no end in sight for the clans’ hostility and, at the moment, what was happening between him and Ethan was necessary.

“Forgive me for waking you. It would most likely be best if you go back to sleep,” Conrad said as he walked over to the desk. He stopped long enough to place a kiss on Faith’s forehead before he took a seat in his desk chair.

“I can’t sleep,” Faith said as she turned around to face him and tucked her legs under herself. “I guess it’s because I keep getting this nagging, pestering feeling that you’re going about this the wrong way.”

Conrad leaned back in his chair and placed his elbow on the armrest. He began rubbing at his forehead with his fingers as he closed his eyes.

“You do, do you?” he asked quietly.

“I do,” Faith said as she calmly straightened the hair on her doll and stroked its head a few times. “I know you want to do right by Ethan and protect him, but I don’t believe killing his new little friend is going to help in your efforts.”

Conrad cracked open an eye to look at her, but merely closed it again and continued his rubbing.

“I’m sorry if you feel that way, but I believe this is the best course of action,” he murmured, his voice sounding as tired as he felt drained.

Faith simply smiled before closing her eyes. Her hair and her clothes began to tremble and move, as if a sudden wind had filled the room. Her entire body levitated off the desk and glided towards her father.

Conrad felt the shift in the air and opened his eyes. He knew her intention and pushed back from the desk enough to give her room to settle on his lap. The disturbance around her stopped and her hair and gown settled. Conrad smiled and stroked his daughter’s hair, finding the familiar weight on his lap comforting.

“Then why don’t you tell me and yourself why this is the best course of action,” Faith said sweetly as she lifted the doll and waved its arms.

A frown overtook Conrad’s smile. He did not feel he needed to discuss his reasoning’s with her…but a part of him wanted to. Gavin was a great man, fiercely loyal with every cell in his being, but when it came to discussing if a decision Conrad made was right or wrong Gavin would only say he was fine with whatever Conrad wanted and give none of his own insight…unless Conrad made a really outlandish judgment that would hurt the whole clan. Then Gavin would have more than enough to say about it.

Faith was never afraid to speak her mind when it came to her father, or to anyone else for that matter. Her reasoning mind was unmatched by anyone and she always seemed to have an answer for everything. She was his personal little confidant, though he had refrained from asking her opinion on this situation because he didn’t want to put her in a position where she had to decide if her father or her brother was the one in the right, but she was now offering her little ears, willing to listen to anything he had to say.

If it was possible Conrad loved her more in that moment than ever before. She was always there for him and he needed that more than he would ever care to admit to anyone. He was the leader of his family, had been for over one hundred and fifty years. He was the one everyone looked up to. The one everyone depended on. He had to be strong in everything he did and that included his decisions, but there was always a secret, dark fear that lived in his chest that whispered dreadful doubts into his ears. It made him question his ability in being a leader. Was he good enough? Was he strong enough? Would he be able to be there for his family at all costs? It was all so consuming and a heavy weight was constantly on his shoulders.

Faith was his saving grace. With her delicate hands she lifted the weight off him and banished all of his self-doubts with her love and that was why he cherished her with every fiber of his being and easily gave into her request to speak his thoughts about killing the human boy Nicoli.

“Killing the boy is the only way to save your foolish brother,” Conrad said simply.

Faith raised her doll in front of her face and used her fingers to move its arms again.

“Please do elaborate, Me,” she said, her voice pitched lower and made to sound manly.

Conrad paused and willed himself not to sigh and roll his eyes. Even though she was hundreds of years old, Faith would often act like the child that she looked like. He supposed he couldn’t fault her for that. If she was trapped in the body of a child for eternity, she might as well have fun with it.

“Well, Faith, I think that –”

“Hey, I’m the one that asked the question!” the doll exclaimed, sounding highly offended. “Don’t you ignore me,” it said before bonking Conrad in the nose.

Conrad blinked and his nose twitched. A small sigh then did escape him and he placed his hand on the dolls head and pushed it down.

“Dear, really,” he said.

Faith offered no apology, but left the doll rested in her lap and had a playful smile on her face.

“Do go on, Father,” she urged.

Conrad waited to see if she would try to hit him with the doll again, but she simply sat on his lap, looking at him expectantly, so he continued.

“I believe that we can save Ethan from any heartache if the fear that this human dies is over him. If he knows beforehand the fate of the boy then he will keep himself distant and won’t get so attached,” Conrad explained calmly. In his mind it made perfect sense. It worked well with Ethan’s puppy analogy. If a boy found a puppy and his parents said they could not keep it then the boy would be less inclined to become emotionally involved.

Faith tilted her head, thinking over his words carefully. Conrad could practically see the gears turning. She was always one to think ideas over carefully and not overlook anything.

“Does that mean you’re bluffing?” she asked.

“Excuse me?” He had not expected that to be her first question.

“Does that mean you’re bluffing?” Faith asked again. “Are you only making Ethan think you’re going to kill Nicoli, but not?” She stared at her father and when Conrad did not reply she sighed. “You were being serious, weren’t you?”

“I do not say what I do not mean…but perhaps your way could work better…would certainly cut down the risk of Ethan hating me for eternity,” Conrad muttered to himself thoughtfully.

Faith hung her head with an exasperated sigh and buried her face in the dolls back.

“Father, you’re so airheaded sometimes. I think Ethan and Andre are really rubbing off on you,” she said as she lifted her head to look at Conrad.

“I wouldn’t say I’m airheaded,” he grumbled. Faith’s idea truly did not come to mind. He felt the severe course was the best way to handle this, but now he realized that maybe he hadn’t thought this through all the way. “Do you think it would be better if it was just a bluff?” he asked.

“Certainly,” Faith said quickly. “I’m sure Ethan would feel better at the end of this if he found out there would be no weight behind your threat. The question is would you be willing to just let it be a simple bluff?” she asked.

Conrad knew why she asked that. She knew him better than most. He was certainly capable of what he threatened. He wouldn’t bat an eye to ending the human’s life. To Conrad, the boy was a threat in himself, a threat to his family’s well being and Ethan’s happiness.

“It depends,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders. “If it works, then yes, I would be willing to pass it off as some sort of bluff, but if it didn’t, I would have no choice but to kill him.”

Faith frowned and it was clear to him that she did not agree on this point. He was grateful to have her with him at that point. It just proved how differently they thought and, especially on such a sensitive matter, he needed all the views she could provide.

“Well, whether you meant it or you were bluffing, neither is going to work,” she told him bluntly.

“Now why would you say that?” he asked.

“You’ve formed this plan in order to keep Ethan from getting emotionally involved with Nicoli, right?” she asked and Conrad nodded. “That is where your plan unravels, right there. It could have worked way beforehand, when Ethan had first met the boy, but they have now known each other for a while, before we even came here.”

“What are you getting at?” Conrad asked.

“You’re too late. Ethan has already formed a friendship with Nicoli and cares for him. Do you see what I mean? If you had caught this before the friendship had a chance to blossom then Ethan most likely would have went along with it without a thought. But now they are friends and Ethan sees what you’re doing as a threat to a comrade not a faceless human. This could only cause problems down the line. If you keep this fear over him all you’re going to be doing is causing a wedge in his conscience that may force him to choose between Nicoli and us.”

“Ethan would never choose that human over his family,” Conrad hissed lowly. The thought was purely absurd.

“It may not be as farfetched as you think. You know how Ethan feels about the act of betrayal and what you’re asking him to do is betray Nicoli. His guilt over that may cause him to side with the boy.”

Conrad curled his finger around his chin as he thought over her words. Those possibilities never crossed his mind. He always assumed Ethan would choose his family over everything else, but, as he had said on several occasions, Ethan had a big heart and that heart may be swayed by the human if he was forced into such a decision. He sighed as he rubbed at his eyes.

“I obviously have not thought over every option,” he muttered.

“Well, no offense, Father, but when you set your mind on something you usually hold onto it like a stubborn old dog with a bone,” Faith said.

Conrad spread his fingers enough to peek at her before smiling and lowering his hand.

“How embarrassing for me. Just shy seven hundred years and you are already smarter than your old man,” he said affectionately before hugging her to him and kissing her forehead. The tender moment did not last long, however, and he loosened his grip on her as his frown returned. “Then what do you suggest I do? I cannot sit back and let Ethan’s emotions flit around unchecked. That boy is human, which means he’s fragile. I do not expect him to live long through this ordeal and if Ethan is too close to him when that happens he will suffer.”

“Unfortunately I cannot offer you a resolution,” Faith said. “You cannot control someone’s emotions. You can try, but I can assure you that will not get you anything but hurt of your own. I know you’re scared that Ethan is setting himself up for some sort of tragedy, but you have to understand that he isn’t a child anymore. Over the past few years he has grown tremendously, yes, the way he was forced to grow was dreadful, but he’s smarter and stronger in his own way. It may not be in the way that’s to your liking, but it’s true. I don’t think he will take the same actions that he did when he was hurt the first time. You can’t force him to stay on the path that you think will be safe for him. He has to forge his own. In the end, I think it is best to leave the two alone and let them come to their own understandings and reservations about each other. It may be the only thing you can do without completely losing Ethan,” she finished and through her eyes Conrad knew that she meant every word she said.

He felt terribly conflicted on what to do now. Before his resolution was crystal clear and he could see the outcome, but now any decision he could possibly make was clouded with uncertainty. He wanted to protect his son more than anything, but he did not want to do something that would not only hurt Ethan, but turn his fledgling against him. Conrad had had enough of that to last him a life time.

He hugged Faith again and tucked her head under his chin.

“You are wise beyond your years, my precious daughter. I could only wish to have an ounce of the certainty and conviction that you have,” he said softly.

“You do, Father, you’re just not sure what to do with it yet. You try so hard to be a strong, formidable leader and I know how hard that is for you, but, realistically, you’re more like this doll,” she said, holding it to herself as she snuggled against his chest. “You are soft, warm, and cuddly.” She giggled lightly to herself at that. “Do not lose that part of yourself in your drive to be the perfect leader and protector. Sometimes we need a hug and a kind, understanding word more than a shield.”

“You are right,” Conrad admitted. “Of course, you are seldom wrong. However, I will not lift my ultimatum from the boy just yet. I will take my time to think over everything you’ve said,” he said as he stroked her hair.

“Good. That’s all I can ask for and probably all Ethan can ask for,” she said with a soft smile as she closed her eyes. “And, if you want to talk it over more I’ll be right here waiting to listen.”

“I know,” Conrad whispered. “And you’ll never know just how much that means to me.”

********************************************************************

Amelia sighed as she and Nicoli emerged from the school. It was bright and sunny, but the cold nipped at her bare legs that her skirt didn’t cover. Winter was coming all right. It was just a matter of time until the skies were perpetually dark with rain or snow clouds. She hated winter because she always missed the sun. At the moment, though, she was more concerned with how tired the day had made her.

“I’m tired of school,” she complained as she walked beside Nicoli. “Thanksgiving break needs to get here already.”

“Amen to that,” Nicoli agreed as they strolled down the stairs. “So, any plans for this afternoon?” Nicoli asked when they reached the sidewalk that ran in front of the school.

“Nah, not really. I have to go home and do a bunch of chores. Mom says the attic is getting out of control,” Amelia told him with a dejected sigh.

“Oh, that sucks,” Nicoli said with a sympathetic pat.

“What about you?” Amelia asked, silently wondering if Nicoli had a rendezvous with the blond haired, teal eyed vampire. She hadn’t seen the creature since Halloween, but he was a constant plague in the back of her mind. One she was determined to get rid of one way or another.

“Nope. Just gonna head home and relax, I guess,” Nicoli said. “Not much else to do, really. Small towns don’t offer much choices.”

“That’s because you have no imagination,” Amelia said with a sigh and a shake of her head. She then drew up her small town pride and glared at him. “And if you call my town boring again I’m going to rip a chunk of your hair out.”

She almost broke down and smiled when Nicoli covered his head with his arms and took a few cautious steps away from her.

“I didn’t call Whixton boring…not directly anyway,” he muttered.

Amelia just shook her head again and, instead of arguing with him, lashed out with a punch to his side. A pain laced yelp came from him and he doubled over on himself. A part of Amelia wanted to feel guilty over his pain, but the rest of her was smug in the knowledge that she could really work him over if she wanted to.

Once Nicoli recovered the two exchanged their goodbyes and went their separate ways. As Amelia walked into town she was glad that Nicoli had not question why her mom wasn’t picking her up like usual, she was lucky that he was as clueless as he was snarky. If he had noticed this out of the norm occurrence her plans may have gone all to hell. Instead things were right on track and she could not be happier.

************************************************************

Amelia sat quietly at a table by herself in her favorite ice cream parlor. She ran her spoon along the edge of her paper bowl, delicately scooping up some of her chocolate fudge, fire nine hot sauce ice cream. She turned the spoon upside down as she put it in her mouth, plopping the creamy substance directly on her tongue. The muscle wanted to recoil as a burst of heat exploded along her taste buds, but the soothing chocolate was quick to extinguish the burn.

She sighed as she lightly sucked on her utensil. Every once in a while she would glance at her watch and every time the door chimed as a new costumer entered she’d perk up and glance at the newcomer expectantly, but she was let down every time.

“All right, five more minutes than I’m definitely kicking his ass when he gets here,” she murmured, her words muffled by the spoon.

Once she finished her ice cream she busied herself with licking the bowl clean. A light chime reached her ears and she peeked over the rim of the bowl to see a red headed man enter the parlor and look around quizzically.

“It’s about time,” she said as she set down the bowl. “Preston! Over here!” she called out while waving her arm.

Preston looked in her direction and, seeing it was her, strode over to her table. He opened his mouth to speak when he sat down, but no sound came out. He slowly closed his mouth as he stared at his cousin.

“Do you know that your mouth is covered in chocolate?” he asked.

“You mean fiery hot chocolate deliciousness,” Amelia said with a grin as she grabbed a napkin and wiped off her face. When she was done she crumbled up the napkin and tossed it at Preston so it bounced off his nose. “You’re late.”

Preston rubbed at his nose and frowned at her.

“Well, excuse me. You know it takes a while to drive here from the college,” he said, referring to the small college he attended in the next town. “Plus, I had to stop at home to grab your stupid bag.” He had been holding a ratty old backpack that Amelia had used in elementary school that was pink and covered in unicorns. He tossed it to her unexpectedly and Amelia squeaked as she awkwardly caught it. “Why couldn’t you have just taken it with you to school?” he asked as he crossed his arm.

“Duh, because that would have been suspicious. Nicoli would have been bugging me all day to know why I had it and what’s in it,” Amelia said.

Preston studied her for a moment before furrowing his brows and tilting his head.

“What the heck is in there anyway?” he asked. “In fact, why did you ask me here in the first place? You didn’t tell me anything. You just told me to get my ass over here as soon I was done with my classes.”

“And there’s a reason for that,” Amelia said as she stood up. She grabbed her normal school bag as she cradled her childhood one in her other arm. “Come on, I’ll show you why I asked you here.” She strolled over to the nearest garbage can and deposited her empty bowl and used spoon. Without making sure Preston followed she left the shop. Sure enough she heard the bell on the door tinkle after her and the heavy footsteps behind her. Curiosity would force Preston to follow her and she was going to use that to her full advantage.

She easily spotted Preston’s car parked along the sidewalk and made her way towards it. It would be hard for anyone to miss his car. It was a. old fashioned BMW Bug that was bright yellow, or at least it used to be bright yellow. It was old, worn, and dented in quite a few places, and its paint job faded long ago into a dull, sickly yellow. Amelia always made fun of him because he looked ridiculous driving it, but he loved the dinky car no matter its faults. He had saved up his own money to purchase it and took care of it like it was his baby. She made a beeline for the car and opened the passenger door, Preston never bothered to lock it.

“Don’t bother getting in,” she said as she tossed her usual backpack into the seat, but kept hold of the pink one. Out of the corner of her eye she had seen her cousin get out his keys and head for the drivers side.

Preston jerked to a halt and gave her a funny look.

“Why?”

“Because we’re walking to where we’re going,” she told him simply as she shut the door and shrugged the unicorn backpack onto her back.

“And where exactly are we going?” he asked, his hands making their way to his sides as he stared at her with intense scrutiny.

“You’ll see-ee,” she said in a sing-song voice and wagged her finger at him. Again without waiting, Amelia headed off, knowing full well she’d be followed by her disgruntled cousin.

Amelia hummed as she walked with Preston trailing just a few steps behind her. Every once in a while he would ask where they were going, but he never received an answer. She knew that if she told he would be less than inclined to be an accomplice. It was only a matter of time before he pieced it together, though.

As they neared their destination Amelia knew Preston was going to figure it out any second. Every so often she would glance back at him and she could see the wheels turning in his head as he looked about, watching the stores fade away and personal houses spring up as they neared the edge of town. She could see him start to sweat. They had both been told to keep out of this area of town for one very specific reason.

“Seriously, Amelia, tell me where we’re going,” Preston asked as he pulled her to a stop. He glanced around nervously before looking at her, urging answers with his eyes.

“I thought it would be obvious by now,” Amelia said with a shrug of her shoulders. “I’m going to the vampires’ house.”

She found it interesting when Preston blanched and his skin was close to the color of ivory. She didn’t think he could get any paler. She was less than enthused, though, when he grabbed her by the arms and nearly shook her.

“Are you insane!? What the hell do you mean you’re going to the vampires’ house?” Preston demanded. He yelped in pain and recoiled when Amelia stomped on his foot with a great deal of force.

“I really don’t appreciate you spitting in my face, Preston,” Amelia growled as she wiped her face off with her sleeve. “And I’m not insane. I’m marching over there to see what the hell they’re doing with Nicoli. I’m tired of the lies and tired of just sitting back and pretending everything is okay!” she huffed then pushed her way past him and continued on. She didn’t get far when Preston’s hands were stopping her again.

“Whoa whoa whoa, okay just stop and think about this for a second,” Preston said, his hands back on her shoulders as he stared her full in the face. “What are you going to do? Just waltz right up there and try and stake them or something? There’s six of them and one of you. No amount of magic can even those kinds of odds.”

“I was actually hoping you’d come with me. So that would make it two against six,” Amelia said with an innocent smile.

“What!? But, no, how could you –” A hand was pressed against his mouth, muffling any other words that he would have sputtered.

Amelia sighed and rolled her eyes at his dramatics.

“I wasn’t being serious you dunder head,” she snapped as she took her hand away. “Do you really think I’d be dumb enough to go against an entire clan of vampires? Please, even I’m not that crazy.”

“Then what the heck do you want to go over there for?” he asked.

“Just to scope them out,” she answered. “See what the heck they’re up to. Maybe by watching them I can piece together how Nicoli fits into all of this.”

“But its daytime!” Preston exclaimed. “It’ll be a few more hours before the sun. How much scoping out can you really do if they’re all asleep?”

“Hmm, good point,” Amelia murmured as she tilted her head in thought. She then grinned evilly at her cousin. “So are you saying that this would be the perfect time to sneak into their house and snoop around?”

“No! That’s the last thing I’m saying!” he yelled, his face becoming redder as he became severely flustered.

“Jeeze, take a chill pill. It was a joke.”

“This isn’t a joke, Amelia. What you’re doing is reckless at best. Even going near those-those things is too dangerous.” He took in a deep breath and when he released it his face was the picture of seriousness. “Look, I know you’re really worried about your friend but this is not the way to go about it. We can go talk to your mom, or my mom, or anyone else. They can get the vampires to leave Nicoli alone.”

“And what if they can’t?” Amelia asked. “And even if they could I don’t want to get them involved in this.”

“I don’t get what you mean when you say that. They’re already involved, we’re all involved. This is our town and the second they stepped foot in Whixton we got involved, so I don’t see why it would be bad to tell the others about what’s going on with Nicoli.”

“Because,” Amelia said through gritted teeth as he hands were clenched into fists at her sides. “I don’t want them to think badly of him. Aunt Hailey is already smitten with the idea he’s pure evil because of that stupid aura and if they find out he’s somehow connected to the vampires then the rest of them could be swayed by her words.” For the second time she stormed past him, determined to reach her goal.

“Amelia,” Preston said, reaching out for her, but his hand was stopped when she whirled on him with a look of wrathful fury.

“He’s my friend and my responsibility! I will protect him from those undead freaks. I have to be the one to protect him. It has to be me,” she said, her voice getting low. She could not stop the emotion that swelled in her chest or the sheen of tears that shone in her eyes. “I will not lose another friend. Not again. Not like this. Not because I couldn’t protect him.”

Preston opened his mouth to speak, but it closed when no word would come forth. He looked down sadly and shook his head. It was the only way he could show his sympathy.

Amelia hmphed and spun around, but before she took more than a few steps she stopped.

“If you want to come with me you can. I really wanted you there as my backup, but I understand if you don’t want to. You can go back, but don’t tell Mom or anyone else what I’m up to,” she told him softly.

Preston rubbed the back of his arm nervously. He squirmed a bit, obviously trying to decide what the right thing to do was. Finally he tilted his head back and sighed.

“Like I can really let you go to that house alone,” he said. “And I know I can’t convince you not to go. I’ll tag along, but we’re only going to observe the house. The second I think you are going to try something overly stupid I’m dragging your ass back home. Got it?”

The swelling emotions dissipated and Amelia found herself laughing as she turned to look at Preston.

“You’re so cute when you’re trying to be all macho,” she said, her smile returning. “Come on, we’re burning daylight. And in this instance that is not a good thing.”

She hit the pavement again with Preston close on her heels. They were going into enemy territory, but Amelia was sure that this was the right thing to do. She had to figure out what was going on with Nicoli. She just had to.

************************************************************************

Faith flopped over in her bed and screwed her eyes closed. A few minutes ticked by before she turned over onto her other side. This went off and on before she settled on her back and sighed.

“It’s no use. I can’t sleep,” she muttered. She had been hoping to get a few more hours of rest before night came, but her effort was in vain. She rolled over on her stomach and pulled in a few of her dolls to snuggle with. There were six in all and each resembled someone in the clan. They were scattered about the head of the bed like a heap of cushy pillows.

She plucked and fiddled the scarf on her Felix doll as she lied in bed and stared at the wall in boredom. She could not go back to sleep and that meant she had nothing to do. There wasn’t even anyone to keep her company. She had left Conrad in his study since he had wanted time alone and she was sure that hadn’t changed in the last hour. Andre was still asleep in his room, like the lucky bastard that he was. Gavin and Cora were still not back from the library and Ethan was sulking in his room with Felix. That left Faith with no one but herself. She hated being bored.

She grumbled as she sat up, her arms still clutching her dolls tightly. She looked about the room for something to do, but nothing sparked her interest. She groaned irritably as she released her dolls and crossed her arms. When she got bored it wasn’t a good thing because then she became irritated and when she was irritated bad things happened.

Fingers tapped on crossed legs as she looked at her dolls one by one. She picked up her pure white Felix doll and one with blond hair and teal button eyes that was meant to look like Ethan.

“Oh woe as me,” Faith said in an imitation of Ethan’s voice as she flopped the doll around. “I am sad because my daddy doesn’t like my new boytoy. Whatever shall I do?”

“Never fear!” cried the Felix doll as its stubby arms were put around the other. “I’ll comfort you because, really, I’ve got nothing better to do.”

“Oh, Felix, what would I ever do without you!?” the Ethan doll sobbed.

There were a few minutes of incoherent babble as the dolls were made to slobber all over each other in passionate, woeful kisses. A sigh released from Faith’s lips as she tossed the dolls down. Not even making fun of her brother and his ghostly companion could hold her attention for long.

She stared at her less than interesting dolls for a while as she resisted the urge to go wreck havoc on her family with maddening mischief. Her number one target would be Andre, since he was in the blissful sleep she wanted so badly. Her brows perked when she had a sudden thought.

“Hmm that could work,” she muttered as she looked over her dolls. It had been quite a while since she had made a new doll and she easily envisioned how to make a certain dark haired, blue eyed human into one. Normally she only made dolls of people in her family or ones she considered family, like Felix, but she was just bored enough to break her number one rule.

She kicked her dolls away and slid off the bed. She had brought her trunk that was filled to the brim with materials that she used for her crafting and she made her way over to it. A breeze slipped in through the window that was opened a crack and it made the curtains flutter ever so lightly. Faith froze as the slight wind filled the room. She took a few light whiffs of the air before taking in a deep breath through her nose. She tilted her head as she gazed at the window.

Faith had memorized all of the smells that came with their human neighbors, but the scent that had reached her was unfamiliar and there were two distinct ones. It might not have mattered, different humans passed by all the time, but there was something peculiar mixed in with these two scents. She just couldn’t put her finger on what.

Little feet tiptoed their way to the window and Faith knelt down when she reached it. A light hiss passed her teeth as she carefully pulled back the curtain, allowing sunlight to enter the room. It made her skin burn and itch, but she knew she was in no immediate danger from the light. It was just a mild irritant. She peeked over the windowsill at the world below. She had a room on the second story so she had a bird’s eye view of the surrounding area.

It only took a few sweeps of her eyes to find the source of the interesting scents. The house across the street from hers was empty, its occupants away at work or somewhere else, but there was definitely something out of the norm in the bushes that lined the front of the house. She could see two fiery heads of hair. One belonged to a young teenage girl and the other a man that couldn’t be that much older. The girl was staring at the vampires’ house with fierce intensity while the man spoke to her in hushed whispers with a nervous look on his face.

Faith put her nose to the opened space of the window and sniffed at the air with great concentration. They were human’s definitely, but there was just something in their scent that was different than normal humans. When she couldn’t figure it out with her nose she used her mind. She reached out to the humans to enter their thoughts and see who the two curious people were. Her eyebrows shot up when she met resistance. Her mind ran into a brick wall and she could not pry into their heads. She could feel the barriers around them. They were like force fields that jumbled up her signal like bad reception on a television. There was only one being in the world that had that ability.

“Witches, huh?” Faith murmured. A slow, wicked grin spread across Faith’s face. It was an answer to her prayers. The day had just got a whole lot more interesting.

************************************************************************

“Amelia, I really don’t think this is a good idea,” Preston murmured as he fidgeted on his knees, trying to get comfortable on the hard ground. He looked around for the millionth time to make sure no one was around to see them. Luckily the owners of the house whose bushes they were using as a hiding spot weren’t home, but that didn’t mean no one else could see them.

“Yeah, I heard you the first thousand times,” Amelia said as she looked over the bushes at the house that was being used as the vampires’ residence. She knew it was the right one because she could feel the multiple decayed auras that dwelled within it.

“Well, maybe if I say it a thousand and one times you’ll actually listen to me,” he hissed.

“Yeah, like that will ever happen,” she said as she squinted to see if it would help her see better. Her eyes then went wide and she scrambled for her backpack. “Holy crap!” she exclaimed as she tore the backpack open and dug through it.

“What? What?” Preston asked in alarm.

“I could have sworn I just saw one of the curtains move,” she told him as she pulled out a pair of binoculars and quickly looked through them. She was silent as she studied the house. A sigh of relief escaped her as she lowered the specs. “Never mind. False alarm. The windows kind of open and the wind must have moved the curtain.”

“Are those Uncle Roderick’s?” Preston asked as he studied the binoculars in her hands.

“Maybe, what of it?” she retorted.

“You know he hates it when you take his stuff without asking.”

“Oh, he’s not going to miss them. There was at least a layer of dust an inch thick on these things when I grabbed them.”

“…what else do you have in there?” he asked and grabbed the backpack before Amelia could keep it away from him. He opened the bag and took one look into it before giving his cousin a peculiar look. “You’ve gotta be kidding.”

“What? I was being prepared,” Amelia said defensively. She had packed all the essentials for a vampire stake out. A water bottle filled with holy water, a cross and a few rosaries she had picked up at the local jewelry store and about five or six stakes she had whittled from branches from the tree in her backyard.

“You weren’t planning on just watching them, were you?” he asked her.

“Hey, I don’t like your accusing tone, Mister. I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said as she used the binoculars again. “I was thinking ahead just in case. It’s not like I was gonna go all Rambo and barge in there like a maniac. Contrary to popular belief I do have some senses.”

“That’s up for debate,” Preston muttered. He squeaked when his cousin punched him in the side without lowering the binoculars.

“I will kick your ass, Preston,” Amelia warned. “You’ll be thanking me if we get attacked.”

“Like these are going to help if we get attacked?”

“Stop being so pessimistic. A bloodsucker pops up just stake ‘em and we’ll be just fine. Nothing to it,” she told him.

“Actually, it’s not that easy,” a voice said from her other side.

Amelia shrieked and knocked into Preston when she jumped, making them both tumble over. She groaned from atop her cousin and rolled over to get a look at their startling guest. What she saw was the last thing she expected.

A little girl sat beside them, kneeling just as they had been. She couldn’t have been much older than Nicole and she was dressed in nothing but a nightgown, a light jacket and gloves, leaving her legs and feet bare. She was very cherubic with her round face and pale blond hair, but her eyes were sharp, intelligent, and reminded Amelia of a predator. If the eyes hadn’t given off what the child truly was, the intense dark aura that surrounded her did.

“Oh…shit,” Amelia said, her voice was soft and it trembled. She really hadn’t thought that they’d run into one of the vampires. She really didn’t.

“You see, if you stake a vampire,” the girl said as if Amelia and her cousin hadn’t just jumped out of their skins. “It doesn’t kill us right a way. It’s the slowest form of death, really. So, if you were to stake one of us, and we could bear the pain for any amount of time, we could still do some serious damage,” she told them with a smirk.

Amelia stared at her, she almost felt mesmerized by the little girl. She just couldn’t get over the little creature that was so close to them that if she reached out she could touch her.

“You’re-You’re really a vampire?” she murmured in disbelief.

“Last time I looked, yes.”

“But you’re so…small,” Amelia said.

The girl blinked at her then giggled at the statement. The noise seemed so pure and sweet. It didn’t seem like a sound a horrible creature could produce.

“That’s basically what happens when you’re turned as a child,” she said, her smirk turning into a lighthearted smile.

Preston, who had been frozen in shock on the ground, came to his senses and scrambled for the backpack. He pulled out the cross and held it in front of him protectively.

“Don’t come near us! I’m warning you!” he barked as he tried to keep his voice from cracking. “Hurry, Amelia, make a run for it while I hold her off!” He looked at her out of the corner of his eye when she didn’t move. “Amelia? Go already. What’s wrong?”

Amelia didn’t seem to hear him as she sat there, still staring at the little vampire. A goofy grin then stretched her lips.

“She’s so cute!”

“Amelia!!!” Preston yelled, not believing the words that had just come from her mouth. “This is no time to go into your “melting around little kids” function. She is not cute! She’s a killing machine. Now get out of here!”

“I take offense to that,” the girl said as she crossed her arms. “You make it sound like all we do is go around and kill people. We’re not mindless animal’s thank you very much. The better question is what you two are doing out here like lurkers. If anything you’re the ones breaking the law.”

“You break the laws of nature,” Preston grumbled.

“If you think about it from a ‘normal person’s’ perspective, so do you,” she shot back with a grin.

The bickering snapped Amelia back to her senses and she remembered exactly what the girl was and why she and Preston were there in the first place.

“So, you’re one of the vampires that live here?” Amelia asked before Preston had a chance to shoot back with a snarky reply. The answer was obvious, she knew, but she had to be absolutely sure.

“Yes, I live here with my family. My name is Faith Areli, and you are?” Faith asked, her sweet disposition returning as she spoke to Amelia.

“Um, Amelia and this is my cousin Preston,” she said.

“Don’t tell her our names!” Preston said and visibly bristled.

“And I’m guessing you would be from the Fairbrooke family, correct?,” Faith said, making both of them stare at her in surprise.

“How did you know that?” Amelia asked.

“Simple. Every vampire knows that the Fairbrooke’s are the only truly powerful witches in the area. All other witches around here are nothing compared to you and I can practically smell the magic on you. Not hard too figure out after that,” Faith explained and her eyes sparkled in smug satisfaction.

“Okay, Amelia, I really think it’s time for us to go,” Preston muttered, his arm starting to shake with the effort of holding up the cross.

“No, we came here for a reason,” she snapped at him.

“And why exactly are you here?” Faith asked. “We have done nothing wrong. I’m sure you’ve noticed that no one in this town has ‘disappeared mysteriously,’ so why come with such hostility?” Her eyes roamed over to Preston at the last comment.

Amelia took in a deep breath and tried to keep in mind the exact reason why she had come. She also tried to keep herself from getting disillusioned by Faith. She wasn’t a little girl. She was a deadly creature that could have been centuries old for all Amelia knew.

“I wanted to get some answers about Nicoli,” she said. Amelia noticed that when she said that Faith’s eyebrows raised in surprise.

“You know him, do you?” Faith asked.

“Yes, he’s a very close friend of mine and I want to know what exactly you people are doing with him. I know not all vampires are bad,” Amelia said and nearly elbowed Preston in the ribs when he grunted his disagreement. “But I need to know why Ethan is hanging around him. For my own piece of mind.”

Amelia watched Faith intently as the little vampire eyed her carefully. Faith then tilted her head and scratched her cheek.

“I don’t know the boy well. I’ve met him maybe once or twice, but as far as I know Ethan’s just having a little fun with him. Vampires don’t eat every human they come across, you know. Sometimes we just like the company of one to remember what we used to be. If you’re worried for your friend’s safety I can tell you, you don’t have to be. I’m certain that Ethan has no intention of hurting him,” she said.

“Are you sure?” Amelia asked, wanting to believe that with all her heart.

“Of course, if anyone knows my brother it’d be me,” Faith replied.

“Okay, so what exactly are all of you guys doing in Whixton anyway?” Preston asked, taking over the questioning. “First it was just that Ethan guy then all of you showed up. What’s the deal?”

“No ‘deal’ really,” Faith said with a shrug. “We were looking for a new place to stay. Even though you’re young you should know better than most that vampire’s can’t stay in one place for too long. The whole ‘not aging thing’ becomes noticeable after a while,” she said with a smile. “We sent Ethan out to look over a few areas and he ended up here. He told us how great it was and, so, here we are.”

“Ethan told me he was only going to be here for a couple of weeks,” Amelia said, crossing her arms.

“That was probably before he thought this would be the perfect place for our family. Whixton is nice and secluded and just a beautiful town. How could we not flock here? Honestly I’m surprised you haven’t had more vampires come here. Don’t tell me you witches have been hogging this town all to yourself,” Faith said, her comment mostly aimed at Preston, who had paled at the mention of more vampires in Whixton.

Amelia was silent as she processed what was said to her. Then, without warning, she stood up, making both Preston and Faith look up at her.

“All right, thank you for telling me what I wanted to know. We’re sorry we bothered you and don’t worry about Preston, you’re welcomed to be here in Whixton,” she said with a nod of her head.

“Oh, leaving so soon?” Faith asked curiously.

“Yes, I’m afraid we’ve intruded on you too much already.”

“Well, if you insist. I was hoping I could have your company a little longer,” Faith said as she gracefully rose to her feet. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Amelia. I hope we’ll see each other again.” She held out her hand towards Amelia.

“Don’t do it. She’s probably going to bite you!” Preston whispered and got a swift kick to the hip.

“I hope so, too. It was very nice talking with you,” Amelia said as she took the offered hand and shook it.

When they were released Faith put her hands behind her back and bent at the waist as she grinned at Preston.

“My wishes go out to you as well. Hope to see you again real soon,” she said and waved with her fingers. Then, in the blink of an eye, she was gone.

Both Amelia and Preston blinked at the now vacant spot and looked around for the little vampire. She was no where to be seen.

“Man, let’s get the hell out of here,” Preston said as he stood up and dusted himself off.

Amelia nodded her agreement and they quickly stuffed the binoculars and cross into the backpack and walked away at a hurried pace. She would have walked normally but Preston had a hand on her arm and was practically dragging her.

Nothing was said for several blocks and Preston constantly looked over his shoulder to see if they were being followed. Finally, when it seemed safe enough he turned to Amelia.

“You didn’t believe her, did you?” he asked. “She was obviously lying. Vampires haven’t shown up here in hundreds of years and now a whole clan just pops up because they thought Whixton was nice? Come on, tell me you don’t believe that.”

“Of course I don’t,” Amelia said quietly. Her voice was level and serious and her face held no expression. “As much as I’d like to take her word on it I can’t. Too many things have happened for them to just be coincidences. They’re all connected and I’m sure the vampires are part of it somehow and, if Nicoli’s constant weird behavior is any indication, so is he. I just have to figure it out so that I know Nicoli isn’t in any danger. I can’t let my guard down until I do.”

“…that’s good,” Preston said with a smile. “Here I was thinking you got charmed by that little demon’s child-like appearance.”

“It was hard, but I resisted,” she said as they neared the ice cream parlor where the car was parked.

“Wait, you had to resist? Are you serious?”

“What? She was cute!”

“…you are just a hopeless, hopeless basket case.”

==============================Ch. 37 End