Moonlight Denial: Shades of Moonlight Book One

Nicoli felt like he was going to hurl. He was traveling faster than the speed of light and he could see nothing around him, everything a blur to his eyes. Then he abruptly stopped. He wobbled on his unsteady feet before they slipped out from under him and he fell.

A groan left him as he let his spinning stomach settle. He blinked when Felix’s grinning face appeared above him.

“Have a nice trip?”

“You…are such an asswipe,” Nicoli wheezed as he tried to force his breathing to be steady. “Ugh, couldn’t you have warned me before you put everything into fast forward?” he asked as he slowly sat up, his stomach clenching as he did.

“And miss you falling on your ass like a sick drunk? I don’t think so,” Felix replied. He then crouched down and took hold of Nicoli’s arm. “Come on, up we go.”

“Gah, easy, easy,” Nicoli said as he got up onto his unsteady feet with Felix’s help. It was only when he was up fully did he realize something was amiss.

“What?” Felix asked as Nicoli stared at the ghost’s hands with such intensity.

Nicoli didn’t reply. He kept his eyes locked on Felix’s hands. When he was sure what he was feeling was true, he spoke.

“You-You’re not cold anymore,” he said, his voice quiet as he took hold of one of Felix’s arms. He could feel the texture of Felix’s jacket sleeve and how solid the arm was, but he could not feel the biting cold that came with Felix’s existence.

“Oh, that,” Felix said, as if it was nothing. “It’s no biggie. The whole reason I’m cold to begin with is because I have to suck up all of the energy around me to materialize and do all of my other ghostly stuff. My memories, however, are practically my domain. So here, I don’t have to absorb energy from my environment because, well, this is all me,” he explained, gesturing at everything around them.

“Okay, I’m just going to nod and pretend like I have a slight idea on what your talking about,” Nicoli said, grasping the concept, but not understanding it completely.

Felix chuckled and patted Nicoli’s cheek with his free hand.

“You do that. Now,” he said as he pried Nicoli’s hand off his arm. “Let’s get back to the story, shall we?”

“Oh, right,” Nicoli said, busying his hands by smoothing out his clothes. “Why did you make time jump forward anyway?”

“Did you really want to watch me lounging about, sitting on my ass for the next several hours?” Felix asked incredulously.

“Good point, so what’s next?” Nicoli asked. He looked around to see where they were to find that they were standing in Ethan’s room. Only now the room was far messier than before. Empty food containers littered the floor with scraps of wrappings here and there. There was not a crumb left in any of them, but the smells of different kinds of foods permeated the air.

Nicoli found the young, living Felix at the end of Ethan’s bed. He sat cross legged with a box of steak fries next to him, absently staring at the TV that was playing some kind of movie.

“Well, I’m guessing you took up Ethan’s offer of ordering from the menu’s, huh?” Nicoli asked, examining the discarded boxes and seeing they all came from different places.

“Yes, and gladly,” Felix said.

“Wait a minute. If you can’t read how were you able to order anything?”

“It’s called asking the person on the phone to read me what was on the menu and picking out what sounded good. Which, to me, was everything.”

“…you do know they probably spat in your food for being that annoying.”

“Well, one, if they did I really wouldn’t care. I’ve eaten food in far worse condition. Two, I played it off that I was doing a school project to see how patient and nice workers are in the restaurant field and three, with the amount of money I actually spent on each place, I’m sure they didn’t mind.”

“You were a crafty little sucker, weren’t you?” Nicoli asked as he thought over each point.

“There was a reason I survived this long,” Felix answered with a grin. “Even though I like talking about how awesome I am, let’s keep focused. I’m about to get a visitor.”

As if on queue there was a knock at the door. Little Felix froze with a steak fry in his mouth and glanced at the door warily. Without waiting for admittance the newcomer opened the door and stepped in.

Nicoli had expected to see Ethan. The person who appeared, however, looked every bit like Ethan, but wasn’t Ethan.

“Ethan, I need to talk…” Evan trailed off when he saw Felix. “Well, you’re not Ethan,” he said after clearing his throat.

“Nope,” Felix said simply, finishing the fry in his mouth as he went back to watching the TV, ignoring Evan completely.

Evan stood there uncertainly before clearing his throat again.

“Do you have any idea where he is?”

“Nope. You’re the first person I’ve seen all day,” Felix replied, still not looking at him.

“Right, well…” Nicoli almost found it funny how uncomfortable Evan was, but the amusement faded when he realized that this was the first meeting Felix had with his future murderer. “It seems you’ve made yourself quite at home,” Evan said after looking around the room. He tried to sound pleasant, but even Nicoli could tell his smile was forced.

Felix sighed deeply and put the TV on mute.

“Don’t pretend to be nice to me,” he said, his voice hard.

“Excuse me?”

“I know you don’t want me here. Your face when you saw me is proof enough. And while Ethan hasn’t done it yet, I’m sure he’ll respect your wishes and, “Put me back where he found me.” Until then don’t pretend to be nice to me. Treat me how you really want to treat me because I really couldn’t give a shit what you think.”

Evan was stunned into silence, as was Nicoli.

“Dude…” was all Nicoli could say.

“I know, right?” Felix said with a huge grin.

Evan finally cleared his throat for a third time.

“Well, I see you overheard us last night. I’m sorry if I offended you, but I assure you I meant no ill will towards you. My brother is just capable of such reckless acts and I worry for him.”

“Oh, yeah, ‘cause you know my under one hundred pound ass can really mess him up,” Felix rebuked.

“Even though you did stab a pimp repeatedly last night,” Nicoli pointed out.

“Yeah, well, he didn’t know that,” the other Felix said.

“You may not think highly of me at the moment, but I hope the rest of your stay here is pleasant,” Evan told the younger Felix.

“Whatever,” Felix said, disregarding Evan and turning the sound back on the TV.

Evan lingered, staring at Felix in wonder, before silently retreating out the door.

“You had some balls on you, Dude,” Nicoli said when Evan was gone.

“Damn straight I did. Being blunt was a very familiar weapon to me,” Felix said with a grin. “But don’t think that’s how we were to each other the entire time I was with the clan. Eventually we did get over our first meeting and were on friendly terms with each other.” His smile disappeared and he shook his head. “I even came to see Evan as the older brother I never had. Until…”

Nicoli nodded as Felix trailed off. His chest tightened at just the thought of what was to come and knowing Felix had looked up to Evan in some way just made it worse.

A few minutes later the door opened a second time and Ethan was the one to walk in.

“What did you say to Evan?” Ethan demanded the second he was in the room.

“What? Did I upset him?” Felix asked, not looking at Ethan.

“Well, he’s not exactly happy at the moment.”

“I just told him not to try to be nice to me if he hates me. I hate fake people, so I was saving him the trouble.”

“Oh, great,” Ethan said with a sigh as he closed the door. “He doesn’t hate you.”

“He hates that I’m here. That’s enough.”

Ethan shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair.

“That’s just wonderful. While you’re here can you try to be pleasant to my family. It will make my reasons for keeping you here much more valid.”

Felix turned off the TV and stared at Ethan with a raised brow.

“Keep me here? Aren’t you going to take me back to where you found me tonight?”

“You really think I was going to do that?” Ethan asked. “That would be a little counter productive, don’t you think? To tell you the truth, though, I’m surprised you’re still here.”

Felix shrugged.

“Who said I’d make it easy for you to get rid of me?”

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Whatever. By the way.” Felix got up and went to the jacket he had received that morning. He pulled out the envelope with the stack of money in it and went back over to Ethan. To Nicoli’s great surprise Felix tossed the envelope to Ethan. “Here. I don’t need your pity money.”

“You’re giving it back?!” Nicoli exclaimed. The thought of such a great amount of money being tossed away made him almost faint.

“Trust me. I died on the inside,” Felix said.

Ethan also stared at the envelope in surprise then at the young Felix in confusion.

“It’s not pity money. It was a gift,” he said.

“Whatever. I don’t need your pity gift money then,” Felix replied.

Ethan threw up his hands in defeat and shook his head.

“You could make the most patient person insane, you know that?”

Felix just crossed his arms and shrugged.

“Okay, fine, forget the money,” Ethan said as he pocketed the envelope. “Sit down, we need to discuss something.”

“What?”

“Sit down first,” Ethan said, pointing at the bed.

Felix glared at Ethan for several seconds before doing as he was told.

“Okay, I’m sitting down. What?”

Ethan didn’t reply right away. He went and grabbed a chair and placed it in front of Felix, kicking away the food containers and clothes first. When he sat down he had a serious look on his face that even had Nicoli nervous.

“What?” Felix asked again. Only this time he sounded uneasy.

Ethan leaned forward, his arms resting on his knees, and stared into Felix’s eyes with terrifying intensity.

“Felix, that piece of scum that you stabbed last night is still alive.”

Both Nicoli and Felix’s eyes went wide. Felix paled, his jaw slacked, and for the first time since he entered the house he looked afraid.

“W-What? How-How is that–” He glanced back at the nightstand where the switchblade lay, folded and harmless. “How is that possible?” he said, hardly above a whisper.

“I don’t know. You stabbed him about twenty times and he still lived. The bastard must have nine lives,” Ethan said.

“Wait. How did you know that I – That he…”

“I may be a rich snob, according to you, but I know how to get information when I want it. I wanted to make sure that whatever you were running away from wasn’t going to come after you, but I’m afraid it is. He has every goon under him out looking for you right now.”

Felix was shaking now and his breathing was ragged at best. Nicoli was sure he was about to have a panic attack.

“Th–Then I’m dead. He’ll find me and he’ll–”

“Hey, no he won’t,” Ethan said, reaching out a hand and placing it on Felix’s knee.

Felix recoiled from it, scooting back further on the bed and knocking his food to the floor.

“Don’t touch me,” he said, and his bravado was gone, his voice wavering.

“Okay, sorry,” Ethan apologized, placing his hand back on his own knee. “It’s going to be okay. That’s why I wanted to talk to you. Is there any place I can take you? Anywhere you can go where you’ll be safe? Anyone that can help you?”

Felix thought for only a second before shaking his head.

“No. There’s no one I can trust and I’ve never been outside the city before. I don’t know where I could go or where it’s safe. I don’t know how far his connections go so no place is probably safe,” Felix said, curling his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around them.

“That’s not true,” Ethan said gently. “It’s safe here.”

“W-What?” Felix lifted his head, staring at Ethan in confusion.

“It’s safe here. I promise that he won’t be able to get you as long as you’re here.”

“You…you want me to stay?”

“I promised that no one would hurt you as long as you’re in my house and I meant it. Knowing that such a man is out there trying to get you isn’t going to make me want to rush you out of here any time soon.”

Felix slowly crawled off the bed, staring at Ethan the entire time. When he was standing he still didn’t lift his disbelieving gaze.

“Why? Why would you want to protect me?”

“Because I can,” Ethan said simply, leaning back in his chair.

“But why. There’s nothing I can give you or do for you. I’m nothing. I’m no one. You’d make more profit if you turned me in to him. What is it that you want?”

“I don’t want anything. I have everything that I could ever want or need here that you or some lowlife scoundrel could never give me.”

“Then why are you trying to protect me?” Felix asked softly. Such confusion was etched into his face that Nicoli was sure he was about to just break down into tears from frustration.

Ethan stood from the chair, towering over Felix, but he was neither threatening nor intimidating. He looked like he wanted to place his hands on Felix’s small shoulders, but smartly refrained.

“Because I want to, Felix. Call it pity if you will, but I want to protect you because there is no one else that will. Try to deny it all you want, but you need help. Do you really think you can afford to question it or refuse it?”

Felix took a step back and wrapped his arms around himself. It looked to Nicoli that he was questioning it and wanted to refuse it with all of his might.

“This was really hard for you, wasn’t it?” Nicoli asked.

“You have no idea. To meet someone that was offering to help me and wanted nothing in return seemed like it was impossible. It went against everything I had ever known or believed.” Felix laughed. “You know what that’s like.”

Nicoli nodded. Even though his and Felix’s situations were entirely different he did know what it was like to take a leap of faith and go against something he had believed in so profoundly. It was hard and he related to the younger, torn Felix.

“What about your family?” Felix finally asked. “They’re not gonna want me here.”

“I assure you most of my family is not going to care and Evan will get over it,” Ethan said before Felix could open his mouth. “I admit that I’ll have to talk to my father about it, but as long as you keep on your best behavior while you’re here he shouldn’t mind. Felix, I know how difficult this must be for you right now, but you have to trust me.”

Felix shook his head.

“I can’t. I don’t know you and you don’t know me either. Even if I did I couldn’t trust you,” he said.

“All right, that’s fine, but I’m still going to have you stay here. Trust or no.”

“For how long?” Felix asked.

“For as long as it takes to make sure you’re safe. We’ll figure out something. Find some shelter to take you in, somewhere out of the city, maybe even out of the country if that’s what it takes,” Ethan told him. “I’ll go talk to my dad now to let him know what’s up.”

With that Ethan left and Felix stood alone in the room with his arms still around him. Nicoli thought he would crumble to the floor right then and there, but instead he walked over to the bed to sit down. He hunched over and covered his face with his hands.

“He’s alive. I can’t believe it. How is it possible?” he muttered.

“That is rather incredible,” Nicoli said. “You stabbed him twenty times and he lived? That’s just insane.”

“Yeah, I know,” Felix said with a shake of his head. “I guess I was just in such a frenzy that I didn’t hit anything vital or didn’t stab deep enough. It’ll forever be a mystery.”

Little Felix stayed hunched over and looked like he was going to stay that way for a while. The door opening, however, disrupted his hunching. He sat up just in time to see a little girl with pale blond hair run into the room.

Nicoli smiled, recognizing the girl right away.

“Only so long Faith could stay away, huh?” he asked.

Felix just smiled and nodded.

When Faith was in the room she stuck her head out the door to look both ways in the hallway. When she was satisfied no one was around she closed the door and leaned her back against it.

“Phew, I thought he would never leave,” she said. She then looked at Felix with her marvelous green eyes and smiled. She sprinted to the bed and hopped up onto it, making the mattress bounce. “Hi,” she greeted excitedly.

Felix just blinked at her, his eyes wide. His body was twisted around to see her and he stayed on the very edge, ready to leap up at any second.

“Who are you?” he finally asked.

“I’m Faith, Evan and Ethan’s sister,” she said with her bright, contagious smile. “And you’re Felix, the little boy Ethan picked up off the street. It’s nice to meet you.” She stuck out her hand for proper introductions, but Felix didn’t take it.

“What do you want?” he asked instead.

“I just wanted to see who my brother brought home out of the rain last night. He wouldn’t let me see you yesterday, so I snuck in here now.”

“Why? I’m not that exciting.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. It’s not everyday someone catches Ethan’s interest so profoundly that he’s willing to bring them home. Not to mention swear to protect them from all manner of devil’s that are after said person,” Faith said with a sly smile.

“You-You know?”

“I know that you’re running from someone horrible, so I think it was right of Ethan to take you in.”

Felix’s face clouded over and he shook his head.

“Why does he want to protect me so much? I’m nothing and he won’t get anything out of it, so why?” he asked.

Faith just shrugged her shoulders.

“Who knows? Ethan does what he does, whether we can find reason out of it is a whole other matter. Just count yourself lucky. I think that’s all you can do. In the mean time, just relax and enjoy your time here with my family and me.”

“How many of you are there?” Felix asked.

“Well, let’s see. There’s my father, me, my brothers Ethan and Evan, my cousins Andre, Stephen, Aria, Cora and my uncle Gavin,” she said, counting a finger off for each name.

“Wow…that’s a lot of people,” Felix murmured.

“It is, and now having you here makes it an even ten.”

“I’m not staying long,” Felix said, his lips falling into a tight frown.

“You don’t want to be here?”

Felix shrugged, looking away from her.

“I don’t belong here.”

“Where do you belong?” Faith asked softly.

“Probably no where.”

“See, you’re wrong again,” Faith told him, making him look at her curiously. “The trick to belonging is that you don’t find a place to belong. You make a place for you to belong and that just opens up so much more opportunities.”

Felix stared at her before scoffing.

“That’s the stupidest shit I’ve ever heard. Ow!” His eyes went wide and he stared at Faith like she was crazy when she smacked him upside the head. The surprise was quickly replaced by anger. “What the fuck was that for? Ow! Knock it off!” he yelled when she hit him a second time.

“Don’t curse like that. It’s not polite,” Faith scolded with a hard look.

“I’ll curse if I want to fuckin’ curse!” He tried to dodge the next smack, but Faith was quicker and got his cheek. “Stop hitting me!” he yelled as he got up from the bed and took several steps away from it.

“Stop cursing and I’ll stop hitting,” Faith told him.

“You just shut up. I don’t need a talking to from some pampered little princess. Just get out and leave me alone,” he said, his arms shaking at his sides.

Faith quietly regarded him, her head tilted ever so slightly.

“You have so much anger pent up inside of you,” she said softly. She then got up from the bed, her delicate smile in place, as she held out her arms. “You need a hug.”

Felix’s eyes widened and backed away.

“Don’t you come near me. I’ll hit you, I swear,” he threatened. It had no effect on her as she came towards him. He tried to get away, but again she was too fast and her arms caught him around the middle. He pushed her and grabbed at her clothes to try and get her off, but to no avail.

“Get off me!” In a desperate attempt Felix pulled his fist back. Nicoli was horrified. Was Felix really going to hit Faith? But the fist just hung in the air, ready, but not launching. Finally, Felix just lowered his arm and stood there as Faith hugged him tightly. Felix was only a few inches taller than Faith and she had her head rested on his shoulder.

“Do you not know how to hug?” she asked when Felix just stood there. “It’s not hard. All you do is put your arms around me like mine are around you. Try it.”

“I know how to hug,” he said through clenched teeth. “But I’m not going to hug you.”

“Okay,” Faith said, not hurt in the least. “One sided hugs are still hugs.”

Nicoli chuckled.

“Leave it to Faith to be the first one to get any sort of physical contact out of you.”

“I know, right? She just baffled me completely. Truth is I never really had been hugged. The most contact I got from my mother were slaps across the face when she got angry or pats on the head when she was mellow and high. I never admitted it, but Faith’s small arms around me felt so wonderful. To have such a tender touch of affection that I secretly craved for was almost surreal, but it was so foreign and strange that it scared me. Sounds pathetic, doesn’t it?” Felix asked.

“Not at all,” Nicoli replied softly.

Little Felix and Faith stayed in their awkward embrace for several minutes.

“When are you going to let go of me?” Felix asked, breaking the long, but strangely peaceful silence.

“I dunno. I like hugging you, so maybe never,” Faith replied coyly.

“You…like hugging me?” he asked in disbelief.

“Yeah, you’re a little bony, but other than that you’re the perfect size for me. Everyone else I hardly get above their waists, but I can lay my head on your shoulder and everything. It’s nice.”

Now Felix looked extremely uncomfortable, but still didn’t try to push Faith away. It was a few more minutes before Faith let go of her own accord.

“I better go. Ethan’s bound to be done with Father soon and he’ll scold me if he knew that I came in here and bothered you.” She smiled at him. “I like you. We’re going to be good friends.”

Felix froze, as if he had been struck again. He then snorted.

“Friends? Yeah right,” he said.

“We are,” Faith insisted.

“No, we’re not.”

“We are.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“We are and there’s nothing you can do about it,” Faith said, and before Felix could react she leaned up and kissed his cheeked. Felix was stunned into paralysis, allowing Faith a victory giggle before she ran out the room.

Felix stared after her, completely immobile. When he snapped out of it he touched his cheek, as if still feeling Faith’s lips there.

“Friends…hmm,” he muttered before going over the bed to sit down. Then he turned on the TV as if nothing had happened.

“Had no idea how to take that, huh?” Nicoli asked.

“You’re telling me. I decided to shrug it off, though. I wasn’t about to get attached to anyone because I thought I wasn’t going to stay here long, but also because I thought there was no way I could be friends with anyone, let alone with the strange people I found myself with.” He smiled endearingly. “But, Faith was right. It was going to happen and there was nothing I could do about it.”

Nicoli smiled too and was happy for Felix. The vampires were going to be just what he needed, but it came with bitterness since Nicoli knew that this story wasn’t going to come with a happily ever after.

It wasn’t long before the door opened again and in came a grinning Ethan.

“Well, Felix, I have good news.”

“What?” Felix asked, turning off the TV.

“I got Dad’s go ahead. So you can stay right here until we can figure out what to do.”

“Really? He was okay with it?” Felix asked.

“Yep, he was a bit resistant at first, but I was able to whittle him down and get his consent. He just says you better not cause any problems for us or else you’re out. What? You don’t look happy,” he said when he caught the troubled expression on Felix’s face. “You still don’t think I’m doing this to get something from you, do you?”

“Of course, I do, but…you do know that by hiding me you’re putting yourself in danger, right? If that creep finds out I’m here and that you guys have been stashing me away this whole time he’ll come after all of us. You’re really willing to do that?” he asked.

Ethan just laughed.

“Trust me, a low life scumbag like him doesn’t scare me. I and the rest of my family can take care of ourselves. So don’t worry your pretty little head about it.”

Felix stared at Ethan for a long time before shaking his head.

“You’re weird.”

“And that was that,” the present Felix said. “I was officially to stay with the clan. Maybe not for long, but I was to stay with them. I was given my own room and anything I wanted; food, clothes, anything, I was just to ask and it would be provided for me. I also had free reign of the house. I could explore it as much as I liked, as long as I didn’t disturb anyone. They specially marked the doors I wasn’t to enter at all without strict permission.”

Nicoli looked around as the room began to melt away and he knew what that meant. Felix was about to leap forward through his memories.

“Then over the course of this coming week, I met the rest of the family. None of them were properly introduced. I would run into them in my exploring. Brace yourself.”

Nicoli closed his eyes as the faded room around him vanished as they were propelled through Felix’s memories. It wasn’t as bad this time since Nicoli was expecting it and soon enough they stopped. He looked around to see that they were in one of the many hallways.

A noise behind him made him turn and he saw Felix padding about the hallway, opening a door, sticking his head in, then closing the door and moving onto the next. He came to a door that had a red X sticker on it. He studied it for a second before moving on to the next door.

“Is that one of the rooms you weren’t allowed in?” Nicoli asked.

“Yes, those doors were marked with X’s so I knew to stay out. They were basically the clan’s bedrooms, or personal rooms for one person or another.”

“I’m surprised you weren’t tempted to go in there anyways.”

“I was, trust me. But I figured that they had taken me in and were protecting me, so I shouldn’t give them any reason to kick me out…plus they were all locked.”

Nicoli laughed.

“Of course.”

He watched little Felix wander further down the hall, but he stopped when voices sounded from the adjacent hallway. He crept to the end, Nicoli closely following. Together they peeked around the corner and Nicoli saw two people coming towards them. One he knew right away. With a tall stature, proud stride, luscious dark skin and piercing arctic eyes it could be no one else but Gavin. Beside him, talking in a hushed voice was a woman he had never seen before.

He wasn’t able to get a good look at her because Felix scurried away from the approaching pair. He quickly opened a door and went inside the vacant room, quietly closing the door after him.

“Why are you hiding?” Nicoli asked, having been right behind the younger Felix.

“Because I still didn’t know any of the family and I wasn’t about to take the first step in introducing myself,” Felix replied.

In the dark room Nicoli could make out little Felix pressing his ear against the door. The voices came closer, along with footsteps then the steps passed in front of the door. Felix waited a minute for the sounds to fade before easing open the door. He and Nicoli peered around it, but to Nicoli’s great confusion he only saw Gavin’s retreating back.

“Hello there.”

Both Felix and Nicoli jumped, unfortunately for Nicoli he fell right through the door. There was great laughter and the ghost Felix fazed through the door a second later.

“You get more and more entertaining, you know that?” he said.

“Bite me,” Nicoli snapped. He quickly got up and went back through the door to see what was happening. Little Felix was pressed against the door, looking like a wild, trapped animal as he stared at the one who had caught him.

She was a very beautiful woman, as Nicoli was finding all vampire women to be. Her smile was pleasant and light brown eyes sparkled as they gazed at Felix. The auburn hair that cascaded down her shoulders was thick and did wonders to frame her lovely face.

“Are we playing hide and seek?” the woman asked.

“Um, n-no. I was–I was just looking around,” Felix muttered as he stared at the floor.

The woman chuckled softly and it was an enjoyable sound.

“And there’s no harm in that. Don’t look like you just got caught doing something bad, but where are my manners. I know that you are Felix, but you probably have no idea who I am.”

Felix shook his head, glancing up at her while keeping his head bowed.

“My name is Aria and it is very nice to meet you Felix.”

“Oh, so this is Aria,” Nicoli said. The woman was Andre’s Blood Sister and Isaak’s first fledgling. Nicoli had not thought on her much since he knew he’d never meet her, but there she was before him. She may have been a memory, but it was still her.

“Yes, she’s Aria and someone I miss very much,” Felix said. “She was one of the most amazing people I had ever met. She was gentle, kind and sweet, but she was also very strong and fierce. To go against her was suicide.”

“Yeah, Ethan told me that, if given time, she would have become as strong as Gavin.”

“And he was right. She probably would have become one of the strongest vampires known to man.” Felix’s features fell into a bitter scowl. “And that’s why Dimitri had her killed. She was a large threat to his safety and he was afraid of her.”

Nicoli was silent as he stared at Aria. She was there in front of him, appearing of solid flesh and blood, but in reality she was long since dead.

“So you’re one of the cousins,” little Felix said, catching Nicoli’s attention again.

“Yes, that I am. There are many cousins that live underneath this roof,” Aria replied.

“Then who was that?” he asked, pointing in the direction Gavin had gone.

“Hmm? Oh, you mean the man I was with. That was Gavin.”

A very strange look passed over Felix’s face and he stared down the hall where Gavin had long since disappeared.

“That was Gavin?”

“Yes.”

“Faith said that was her uncle.”

“Again yes.”

“…but he’s black.”

Nicoli clapped a hand over his mouth to stifle the snort of laughter that escaped him. Ghost Felix quietly chuckled also.

“Quite observant,” Aria said with a little laugh of her own. “You can call him an adopted uncle. He’s not actually related to our family, but we love him no less for it.”

“Oh…” Felix mumbled.

“By the crinkle in your brow it looks like you have several more questions. If you’d like I’d be happy to answer them.”

“No, that’s okay.”

“It’s really no trouble,” Aria urged.

“…okay. Faith said only one uncle was here. No aunts or other uncles, where are your parents? Do they live somewhere else?”

“Wow, I’m surprised you’d care to know that,” Nicoli said.

“Yeah, I know, but in truth the clan absolutely fascinated me. There was so many of them living in one place and from just the few I met they were strange and I actually did want to learn more about them. Not that I let Ethan know that.”

Aria gave a small, sad smile.

“No, I’m afraid not. Andre, my brother, and I are orphans, I guess you can say,” she said. “Our father died a long time ago, but Uncle Conrad was gracious enough to take us in as his own. Stephen, our other cousin, however…his father is far away now. He’s not really welcomed here, you don’t need to know why, but Conrad is taking care of Stephen too.”

“…he sounds like a nice guy.”

“He truly is deep down, but most would call him cold and possibly even mean when they first meet him. You really just have to take your time with him and work at peeling away all of his layers.”

“Yeah, she’s got Conrad pegged there,” Nicoli said. “But it’s almost worth it trying to get passed his tough exterior.” He thought back to just a few hours ago when Conrad forced him to tell about what had happened to him when he was with Dimitri. It had been excruciating, but what Conrad had said afterwards had truly touched Nicoli and he would always be thankful for that.

He noticed the odd look Felix gave him, but the ghost asked nothing about it

“There was someone else Faith said was here. Umm…I think the name started with a C,” little Felix said.

“Oh, you must mean Cora,” Aria said. “Yes, she’s a lovely little thing. I’m sure you’ll like her once you meet her. She’s my niece and Andre’s daughter.”

A look of surprise crossed Felix’s face, but it soon fell into distaste.

“You mean he reproduced?” he asked.

Aria laughed and the sound was warm and welcoming.

“I see you’ve already met my brother then. I admit he’s a bit obnoxious, but he’s a good man. If it makes you feel any better Cora is nothing like him, so I’m sure you two will get along just fine. Well, while I enjoying quenching your curiosity I must be going. Gavin and I were about to go tend to something, but I wanted to meet our new guest,” she told him. “I hope you have a pleasant stay here. I’m sure you’re just going to be a fresh breath of life we need.”

Before she left she reached out and gently traced her fingers down Felix’s cheek to his chin. Then, with one last smile, she left with a wide eyed Felix staring after her.

“Um…bye,” he said quietly and his cheeks were dyed a deep red.

“Ooooo, well la-dee-da,” Nicoli said teasingly, noticing the star struck look Felix sported.

“Yeah, yeah, put a cork in it. As you probably guessed I developed a crush on her soon after this encounter, but can you blame me? Anyways, that was my first meeting with her, but there were still others I had yet to meet.”

Nicoli sighed as their surroundings disappeared again, but when the leap came he found it didn’t bother him at all this time. When everything settled he found that they were now in the kitchen.

Felix was sitting at the island, munching away on a plate of food. Across from him sat Faith, who was simply watching him. Felix seemed to finally have enough when he stopped and crossed his arms.

“Are you just going to keep watching me?” he asked.

“Probably,” Faith replied.

“Aren’t you going to eat anything?”

“I already ate.”

“Huh, when and what? I never see any of you guys eat and there’s still not a lot of stuff in the fridge.”

“By this point Ethan had stocked some food for me in the kitchen,” the present Felix explained.

“We’re just not kitchen people. We practically go out to eat every night,” Faith told him with an innocent smile.

“Oookay, whatever.”

“Are you done?” Faith asked. “I want to go play.”

Felix looked down at his plate that had only a few crumbs left.

“Sure,” he said, wiping his hands on his pants and getting down from the stool, Faith quickly doing the same.

“It has now been three or four days since I came to live with them,” ghost Felix said. “In that time Faith had been hanging around me almost constantly to the point I was comfortable with her and even started enjoying hanging out with her, though I didn’t show it.”

Nicoli nodded, already having noticed that little Felix seemed much more at ease with Faith. As he followed the two children out of the kitchen he noticed something different about Felix. In just a few short days it appeared that Felix had put on some weight and was beginning to fill out. Not only that, but Felix didn’t seem as tense and ready to spring at a moments notice. To Nicoli, it appeared that Felix was looking, and slowly starting to act like, a normal kid.

Felix and Faith wandered around the house for a while, Faith prattling on ceaselessly about anything and everything while Felix just gave short responses here and there. However, Felix soon perked when a noise filled the air.

“What’s that?” he asked.

Nicoli strained to hear what Felix was hearing. It was music. Faint music was leisurely playing through the halls.

“Oh, someone must be in the ballroom,” Faith said. “Come on.” She grabbed Felix’s hand and dragged him into a run. The two sprinted through the halls, the music getting louder and louder as they did. When they came to a set of double doors that were open they slowed.

Faith put her finger to her lips before peeking around the door, Felix following suit. Since the two were crowding around the edge of the door Nicoli simply walked out to the middle of the open doorways and looked in.

A slow, beautiful melody drifted out of the spacious ballroom and in the middle of the dance floor was a man and woman moving gracefully to the music. The woman was being spun and long, dazzling blonde hair arced around a very familiar, curvy body. It was undoubtedly Cora’s magnificent form, but Nicoli didn’t recognize the man that drew her back into his arms.

He had short black hair and was only a few inches taller than Cora. His fit form let him move agilely over the dance floor. The two were pure poetry together as they danced to the music in perfect sync with each other.

“Is that Stephen?” Nicoli asked, thinking of the only other clan member he had never met.

“Yep, that’s Stephen.” Felix sighed deeply. “I miss him too. He was a very good man, especially to Cora.”

Before Nicoli could ask what that meant little Felix spoke up.

“Who are they?” he whispered.

“Those are my cousins Cora and Stephen,” Faith replied. “You really need to meet the rest of the family already.”

“Pfft they can just come meet me.”

Nicoli ignored the mild bickering and focused on the dancing pair. Even though they were merely swaying to the slow beat of the music there seemed to be such intensity between them. Their lips were upturned into permanent, peaceful smiles and they stared deeply into each other’s eyes as they moved.

The contact was broken as Stephen spun Cora away from him, but he immediately drew her back in. This time, however, her back was nestled against his chest, his arms wound around her lovingly. His lips ghosted over her cheek and she just closed her eyes in contentment.

“Waaait a minute,” Nicoli said, getting a nagging feeling. “Were…were they together?”

Felix didn’t reply with words. He simply nodded his head solemnly.

“Oh no,” Nicoli murmured, his chest twisting into a tight ball. If Cora and Stephen were together that meant that when Stephen died… “I had no idea,” he said. “I know the clan has suffered, but I never once thought that Cora, of all people, had been hurt like that. She always seems so happy. Poor Cora.”

“Yes, Cora veils her grief very well. Probably dangerously well. The night of Stephen’s death she had cried and screamed in such a way that I had never seen, but afterwards, even till this day, I’ve never seen her break down like she had. I think Andre is the only one that can get her to lower her walls and let all of her pent up sorrow out before it consumes her.”

Nicoli was enjoying this trip to the past less and less. Not only did he know how it was going to end for the curious young Felix, but now he was going to watch sweet, gentle Cora get her heart ripped out. His hatred for Dimitri and his clan was increasing by the second.

“Hey, aren’t they cousins?” younger Felix asked after a few minutes of watching. Apparently he had also noticed that the touches and looks were more than friendly.

“Yeah.”

“They seem a little…close.”

“Just as close as you’re imagining,” Faith replied.

“…ew.”

“Hey, love is love. Don’t snub your nose at it,” Faith chided.

“But they’re related. They’re going to have funked up babies,” Felix said and Nicoli was amused that Felix seemed to be censoring himself now.

“Well, that’s their business then, isn’t it?”

“You know,” Stephen’s voice echoed from the ballroom, making Felix and Faith jump. “If you’re going to stand out there talking about us, you might as well join us for the last bit of the song.”

“He’s quite right,” Cora agreed. “Come in and dance with us.”

Faith giggled and came out of hiding, almost going through Nicoli, but he moved just in time.

“I think that’s an excellent idea.” She turned to Felix and curtsied. “May I have this dance?”

“No,” Felix said with a scowl, also coming out of hiding.

“Why not?” she asked, her smile disappearing.

“I can’t dance,” he said with a shrug.

Faith just sighed.

“There’s a difference between not being able to dance and not willing to dance. Come on, you.” She grabbed his hand, not leaving room for argument.

“Hey, wait.” There was nothing Felix could do as he was dragged into the ballroom with a chuckling Nicoli following after them.

Felix gave a few more feeble attempts at talking himself out of dancing, but Faith ignored him as she placed his hands on her hips and her hands on his shoulders. Once there she began to rock them from side to side and Felix, seeing there was no way out of, sighed and relented.

Nicoli watched the two dancing pairs; Cora and Stephen with their elegant dance and Felix and Faith simply going from foot to foot. Watching the younger pair it reminded Nicoli of the awkward junior high dances he had gone to.

Soon the song was over and Felix quickly detached himself from Faith as the other three clapped.

“Wonderful. It’s always more enjoyable to dance with others,” Stephen said with a beaming smile as he put his arm around Cora’s waist.

“Yes, it makes it much more lively,” she said, and her soft brown eyes settled on Felix. “And you must be the boy Ethan took in that we’ve been hearing so much about.” She laughed pleasantly. “I never imagined how much of a cutie you are.”

Felix reddened around the ears, but said nothing.

“It’s nice to finally meet the real thing in person instead of just hearing talk,” Stephen said. “You’re name is Felix, correct?” he asked and received a curt nod. “I’m Stephen. It’s good to meet you.” He held out his hand, but in proper Felix fashion it wasn’t taken.

Faith sighed and rolled her eyes.

“Really, now,” she said as she grabbed Felix’s hand. “When someone holds out their hand, you take it.” She then proceeded to slap Felix’s hand into Stephen’s.

Felix scowled at her as Stephen and Cora chuckled, but the hand was quickly shook and released.

“There. Happy?” Felix muttered.

“Quite,” Faith said with a smile.

“So, how are you liking your stay here?” Cora asked. “It’s funny that we are only now meeting you.”

“He keeps hiding in his room,” Faith piped up, earning her a dirty look.

“It’s okay here, I guess,” Felix mumbled.

“He’s being coy. He really likes it here.”

“Will you stop putting words in my mouth?” he snapped at her.

“Maybe when you start saying what you mean.”

Stephen laughed, hindering anymore bickering.

“I see you two are getting along swimmingly. That’s good. I know Faith has just been dying for a playmate she can…act her age with,” he said and Nicoli shared his knowing smile, glad to be in on the subtle joke.

“Yes, I really like him,” Faith said, throwing her arms around Felix’s neck, who just sighed.

“You and the touching,” he said irritably.

“As fun as this is to watch,” Cora said. “The night is young and I am still in the mood for dancing.” She smiled at Felix warmly. “Felix, will you dance with me?”

Felix blinked at her and it was hard for him to get out a proper response.

“You should feel honored,” Stephen said. “I won’t let just anybody dance with my girl.” He kissed Cora on the check and, without waiting for a response from Felix; he walked over to the old fashioned record player. He switched out the old record for a new one and soon enough music filled the room. It was another slow song, but slightly faster paced than the last.

Cora held out her hand to Felix and after he stared at it for a while, and encouragement from Faith, he took it.

“I can’t dance,” he muttered again as he was directed into position, one of his hands on Cora’s waist and the other taken up in her hand. Their height differences were quite funny to Nicoli since Cora was nearly a foot taller than Felix.

“No worries,” Cora said as they began to sway. “Learning is half the fun.”

Nicoli watched as the two danced awkwardly to the music as Stephen took up Faith’s hand and they began to dance. A smile couldn’t help but find its way to Nicoli’s lips.

“This is really nice.”

“Yes, it was,” Felix said. “I was still utterly confused by them. They seemed to accept me so readily that it dazed me. Even though I secretly enjoyed it, part of me was still distrustful of everything. I felt that if I gave in and let myself be taken up by these kind people that it would all be a dream and I would wake up back in the nightmare I had escaped.”

“I don’t blame you.”

“Thanks, but we still have more to see.” The music, the ballroom, and the dancing couples melded away as Nicoli and Felix sped through time. They came to a stop in another hallway and Nicoli was beginning to wonder just how many hallways and rooms the house had.

His thoughts were disrupted as little Felix came strolling through the hallway. He was alone this time, but Nicoli noticed that Felix seemed different again. His stride was full and confident. There was no tension in his shoulders and his face was smooth and worry free. Even though young Felix wouldn’t admit it, Nicoli knew that he was starting to become much more at ease in the house and wasn’t the paranoid, angry boy he was when he had first arrived.

His observations and Felix’s path were halted when a door ahead of Felix opened. Nicoli wasn’t sure who he was expecting to see, but he found himself surprised when Conrad stepped out into the hall.

Conrad was the same as ever. The air of power and pride swirled around him, but he seemed different. He didn’t look nearly as tired as Nicoli was used to and his features weren’t as hard and cold as the present day Conrad. The difference was almost mesmerizing.

Conrad had just closed the door when he noticed Felix. The two stared at each other in a moment of perplexity. Conrad was the first to regain his sense and he straightened further as he turned to address Felix.

“Ah, so I finally get to see the boy that has everyone all a twitter,” he said.

Felix tilted his head to the side as he studied Conrad.

“Are you Ethan and Faith’s dad?” he finally asked.

One side of Conrad’s lips turned up into a half smile, shocking Nicoli completely. He wasn’t sure if he had ever seen Conrad smile or even partly smile before and now he gave one so freely.

“That would be me. I am Conrad Areli, head of this family,” he introduced himself with a slight bow.

Felix nodded then his brow crinkled as he began rubbing the back of his neck.

“Um, I guess I, um.” He cleared his throat. “I guess I need to thank you for letting me stay here.”

Nicoli’s jaw dropped and he sputtered out his words uncontrollably.

“Holy-You-I can’t–You thanked him?”

“I know, I know,” Felix said, holding up his hand to stop Nicoli. “Seems completely out of character, right?”

Nicoli nodded dumbly.

“Look, I know I was a brat back then. But while I was a street punk I had street smarts. I could almost instantly recognize when I could give someone crap and get away with it, which explains my behavior up until now, but I also knew when I was dealing with someone that I didn’t want to mess with at all. Conrad was definitely one of those people. I mean, you remember the first time you met him. From that first encounter you probably knew right away that you wouldn’t give Conrad half the lip you give Ethan, right?”

Nicoli nodded, it didn’t help that when he had first met Conrad the clan leader had been seething at Nicoli’s very presence. He did know what Felix meant, though, and commended the younger Felix for being that smart.

“I guess you do and I accept it,” Conrad said with an air of smugness. He looked Felix from head to foot a couple times. “Come here, Child,” he said, beckoning with his hand.

The shudder that passed through Felix didn’t escape Nicoli’s notice and Felix swallowed thickly before taking the few steps towards Conrad.

“Yes?” he asked when he stood directly in front of Conrad.

“I just want to get a good look at the boy that has grabbed my son’s attention so swiftly.” He took Felix’s chin in his fingers, causing Felix to tense considerably. Conrad ignored his discomfort and turned his face from side to side. When he was satisfied he released Felix’s chin. “Turn around.”

“What?”

“Turn around in a full circle,” Conrad elaborated, using spinning his finger in a circular motion.

Felix gave him an odd look before slowly turning around. When he faced Conrad again there was a short silence as Conrad scrutinized him.

“Well, while I see nothing worth wild, I do not have my son’s eyes. He must see something truly special in you,” Conrad said.

“God, he’s so polite,” Nicoli said.

“With his power he doesn’t have to be polite,” Felix said.

“Special?” younger Felix asked.

“Yes, you should know you’re the first…person he’s ever taken such a personal interest in.” Conrad looked him up and down one last time. “There’s just no telling who we’ll have a pull to. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I do have matters to attend to.” He made to step by Felix, but stopped when he was at Felix’s side. “From what I’ve heard and seen you have not caused any problems for my family. I suggest you keep it that way.”

Felix swallowed again and nodded. Conrad then left with Felix staring after him.

“Man, that was weird,” Felix muttered when he was gone.

“Wow, I have to say I’m surprised,” Nicoli said. “When I first met Conrad he seemed to dislike me right from the start and wasn’t afraid to show it. While he was kind of rude, he seemed okay with you…is it just me?” he asked.

Felix sighed and turned his head away, closing his eyes. Nicoli sensed the grief that settled over the ghost like a cloud.

“No, it’s not just you. Conrad has always had a certain dislike for humans and their weaknesses. But he was never outright against them or against his family interacting with them. Even he knows that vampires need to mingle with humans not just for food, but to guarantee the survival of the vampire race. Because without humans there would be no new vampires.” Felix opened his eyes, but his brows crinkled as if he were in pain.

“Something will happen in the near future that will change his view on humans for the worse. Something so profound that he will want his family to have nothing to do with humans for fear of it happening again…and it’s all my fault.”

Nicoli stared at Felix as silence fell between them. His mind went into overdrive, trying to think what Felix could have done that would turn Conrad into the man he was now, but he could think of nothing.

“Your fault? What do you mean? What happened?” he asked.

Felix shook his head.

“That will come at the end of my story and it would disrupt the flow if I were to tell you now. Just be patient. You’ll know soon enough and you’ll know why Conrad disliked you so much in the beginning and why he didn’t want you getting involved.”

Nicoli wanted to press the issue, but he kept his questions at bay. He wanted to know what could shatter Conrad’s little faith in humans, but just the look on Felix’s face made him wait. He would have patience. Besides, much like what he had already learned, he may regret the answer once he had it.

“Let’s not continue on with this depressive air,” Felix said, his doom and gloom lifting almost instantly. “There is one person of the clan you have yet to see me meet and I’ve saved this one for last because it means the most to me. Because of this next encounter this person means almost more to me than Ethan.” He smiled. “Almost.”

As the scenery disappeared Nicoli tried to think of who they hadn’t seen yet. The answer came quickly. Gavin.

When time stopped they were neither in the kitchen or a hallway. Young Felix was standing in the largest most magnificent library Nicoli had ever seen. He felt like he was Belle in Beauty and the Beast it was that extravagant. Felix seemed just as awed by it as he stared at the walls covered in books, the shelves reaching up to the high ceiling.

Felix wandered from the doorway he had entered in and began walking down the length of one of the shelves. He held out his hand and let his fingers brush against the many spines of books. He stopped soon enough and tentatively pulled out a random book. The cover was opened and he flipped through the many pages. A look of sadness came to his face as he gazed upon the words and Nicoli understood why. It was because he could not read the story the book tried to tell him.

“You can take it if you like.”

Felix gasped and the book tumbled out of his hands and onto the floor. Both he and Nicoli turned to see Gavin sitting in one of the many chairs arranged in the large room. He calmly gazed at Felix, a book open in his lap.

“You-You surprised me,” Felix said, his voice shaky. He bent down and picked up the book, all the while never lifting his eyes off Gavin.

“My apologies, I did not intend to. We have not been introduced yet. I am Gavin.”

“Yeah, I know, I’ve seen you a couple times. I’m Felix.”

“Well pleasure to finally meet you face to face then, Felix. As I was saying you can take the book to read if you like. Any book here is free for enjoyment,” Gavin said, gesturing around the spacious library.

Felix looked around then down to the book in his hands. A scowl overtook his features and he slammed the book back into its spot.

“No thanks. Reading is for daydreaming idiots,” he said angrily. He stomped his way towards the door, but one question from Gavin made him stop in his tracks.

“You can’t read, can you?”

Felix stood frozen at the door. He then whirled on Gavin.

“I can to read,” he said.

Gavin didn’t reply. He just sat there staring at Felix imploringly until Felix became heavily uncomfortable under his gaze.

“Okay, fine, I can’t, but so what? I don’t need to read.”

“But you want to,” Gavin said softly. “I saw the longing in your eyes.”

Felix was taken aback, but he quickly snorted and turned his face away.

“No, I don’t. Like I said, reading is for daydreaming idiots.”

“You don’t believe that,” Gavin said as he rose from his chair, and Felix’s eyes widened, truly seeing Gavin’s height for the first time. “Books are truly marvelous things. They can transport us to different worlds and fill us with knowledge that enriches us. Without books the world would truly be a depraved place.”

“Whatever,” Felix snapped and turned to leave.

“I can teach you.”

“…what?” Felix said, slowly turning back.

“I can teach you how to read,” Gavin repeated.

“You…you would want to?” Felix asked, taking a few hesitant steps back into the room.

“Yes, I enjoy teaching others if they are willing to learn and I see a great desire in you for this one gift that most take for granted. I will teach you how to read.” Gavin held out the book that was in his hand. “If you are willing.”

Felix looked from the book to Gavin and back. He slowly walked towards Gavin, uncertainty in every movement. When he reached the other he stared intently at the book. He reached out a hand, hesitated, then took it and held it to his chest. He looked up at Gavin with such yearning that Nicoli could feel it.

“I want to learn.”

Gavin smiled a smile that was warm and comforting and he gently laid his hand on Felix’s small shoulder.

“And you will.”

Nicoli sighed and smiled.

“I really love Gavin. He is such a great guy,” he said.

“I know, I love him too. I loved him from this moment on. He had given me something that I had secretly wanted so desperately my entire life. I have never found a way to repay him and I probably never will. He seems okay with that, though.”

“Of course he would be,” Nicoli said with a chuckle. “So, I’m curious. How long did you stay with the clan before you found out they were vampires?”

Felix laughed.

“Actually, that’s the next part in our story. I would soon find myself in the paranormal world of vampires and monsters,” he said, but his smile never left. “And thinking back on it now, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

=============================================Ch. 63 End

Link to chapter A/N: http://darkness80.livejournal.com/728.html

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