Bloodlust
The Night Stalker Crew Series
By: Alina Meuangkhot
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2009 by Alina Meuangkhot
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Part I.
* * * * * *
PROLOGUE
There are good and evil. There are forces to be reckoned with. Humans living among humans, but are the humans the only creature to roam the earth? Take a look around you. What hide in the deepest darkest corner of your imagination might just come flying and hit you when you are most unaware of the danger lurking in the shadows, just waiting for the right moment to strike. Death stares you down, exposing your most vulnerable side. Maybe evil might just teach you a lesson while at the same time, quenching the thirst off the living.
* * * * * *
Chapter One Strange Encounter
It was dark outside. No street lamps were lit, not from where I can see at least. I look at the clock on my nightstand. The readout was two in the morning. I groaned and rolled over and tried to go back to sleep with no success. So I just laid there 'til the heavy fog over powered me. The sun shone through my window, waking me from my unpleasant dreams. Drenched in sweat, I got up and dress for the day and went to the kitchen to get a bite of something to eat. Raiding the pantry, I decided to make myself some pancakes. As I ate, I went through my list of things I need to get done. After getting things done in the kitchen, I went outside to soak up the sun a bit. To say the least, it was extremely nice to be out. It was eighty-three degrees here in Los Angeles. What more could you ask for? Although, I prefer dark, gloomy, rainy day most of the times; but that’s just me. A girl like me probably belonged in Washington or something. Hell, maybe I do better off in Alaska, but the Alaskan cold would kill me.
“Alyssa?” I heard my father calling me from inside the house. I sigh and grudgingly went back in the house.
“Yes dad?”
My father wasn’t the type of person you want to fuck with. Six foot five and two-hundred-fifty pounds would intimidate anyone who tries to get on his bad side.
“Are you going to pick up your brothers and sisters from school today?”
“Yeah…–like three thirty?”
“Yes.” I have twin brothers Leo and Seth. I also have three sisters Breanna, Jane, and Lily. I get along with my siblings surprisingly to say.
“Okay. Do you mind stopping by Heister’s Grocery and pick up some stuff?”
I sighed. “Sure…I guess…”
My dad handed me the grocery list and a hundred dollars. “Use it wisely.”
“I will, don’t worry.” I looked it over. It wasn’t a long list which was a good thing, because I had better things to do than running errands for my parents all day.
At three fifteen I headed out the door and on my way to pick up my brothers and sisters. I arrived at Hancock Elementary/Middle School 5 minutes early so I just waited and mull over my stupid English homework assignment which was to be due the very next day. I am a junior at Clint High School. I wish school was over with so I don’t have to deal with my pathetic gay ass teachers anymore. It drove me insane technically every day. Sometimes I wonder if they are doing that for the sake of it or just to see how far I would go with hiding my anger towards everything. I didn’t notice when my five siblings got in the car ‘til they called my name.
“Oh!”
“Um… are you okay?” Seth asked me timidly.
I smiled down at him. “Yeah I’m okay. You just startled me for a sec.”
Jane busted out laughing. “Wow! That was the first!”
“Yeah, right!?” shouted Lily. Then they all started laughing. I just sat there looking at them with a huge smile on my face, trying not to burst out laughing myself. After the laughter had died down, I finally broke the silence.
“We’re stopping by Heister to pick up some stuff for dad.”
“What are we getting?” Jane asked me sheepishly.
“I don’t know and I don’t really care. Let’s just go and get this done and over with.” They all nodded in agreement with me. I start up the engine and off to the grocery store. After getting everything that was on the list, I decided to get myself coffee so I stopped by the shop down the street before heading home. Everybody got muffins except for Bre. She got herself chocolate chip cookie and a bottle of coke. As we unload the groceries and putting it away in their proper places. The phone rang. I wonder who it could be. It's probably one of my parent’s friends on the other end. I answered the phone. I was right after all. It was for Sam, my dad. Mich had invited him over for barbecue. I didn’t like any of my dad’s friends. I guess Mich was okay. Maybe it’s because he works with the LAPD. I helped out around the house with doing most of the chores. The day dragged on, and I finally got the chance to finish my paper for school . It was four pages long. After all that hard work I’ve put into that damn thing. It better be perfect. By the time I was done, it was nine twenty-five. I went to take a shower and got ready for bed. The night air was calm and cool through my opened window as I drifted to sleep. When I woke up the next day to the sound of my annoying alarm, it was quiet. Usually I would hear Bre getting ready for school. Maybe today I was the first to wake in this desolate house of mine—wouldn’t be the first. I glanced at the time. It was six-ten apparently still dark outside. I growled and jump out of bed hoping for a good day. It was Friday after all, and Friday was my favorite day of the week–mostly because it was the start of the weekend. I got ready and dressed quickly and went to check on the others. My mom Theresa and my dad Sam was already off to work. My father worked as a fire fighter for the Los Angeles Fire Department, and my mother was a nurse at Hollywood Health Hospital. Both of my parents were busy with their jobs so I’m always in charge of the household. I have to admit, my siblings would somehow always make my day a lot easier by helping me with whatever I need. Seven o’clock finally rolled around. I went to wake Seth, Leo, Jane, and Lily. I made sure that they were ready for school before heading out. I told Bre to make breakfast for them and said good-bye to everyone. When I got to Clint High, I reread my paper to make sure that I was satisfied with what I had written. I sighed deeply and got out of my car and headed towards the students parking lot door on the south side of the school. The school building looked plain and dull like most high school. The floor was white like usual, and the walls were white with blue in the center. At least there were no red in the mix of it all. Who needs a patriotic color to represent the school anyways? Our mascot changes every year so I don’t pay attention to it anymore. Nearly half of the school doesn’t notice the change anyways. I walked to my English class which was located upstairs on the second floor. I was the first in class today. Wow… what a surprise. I sat myself at the back of the room and took out my assignment and waited for the others to arrive. Doodling on my notebook, I didn’t realize the others assembling in until a tall boy with brown hair and brown eyes called out my name.
“Hey Alyssa,” Jason said with a smirk on his face.
“Hi.”
“Did you get your paper finished?”
“What do you think?” I didn’t like him much, but I can tell that he did admire me in some ways. “Of course I did, you twit!”
“Sorry…! Did I offend you with my annoyance?”
I growled at him. “Why don’t you just shut up?” For once, he gave me a dirty look and fell into silence. Before he can say another word, Mrs. Winston came in and told us to get our assignments out. Of course, I was already prepared for it. She came around and collected all the papers.
“You’ll know your grades by next Friday,” she said with a smile on her stupid face.
Today the class was boring as usual. Learning the parts of speech, ugh! When the bell rang, I hurried out to my Chemistry class where Mrs. Claural was setting up the lab. I went to my table and read the overhead. The agenda for today lesson was to see the reaction of each chemical when mix with water and vinegar. The day went by super slow. I sighed in relief when three o’clock finally came around. I headed out and got in my car. As usual, I went to pick up my siblings from Hancock Elementary/Middle School. They were waiting for me when I arrived. All five got in and we were off. The car ride was silent except that Bre was complaining about her group project for Science. I parked the car in the driveway and got out. We all went inside and put our school junk away. I made chicken and mash potatoes for dinner. We ate and complain about the day. After everything was cleaned up, I planned to go out for a nice long walk by myself. I told Bre to watch the house while I was gone. She’s like second in command or something when it comes to house sitting.
“Okay, do I have a list of things to do or what?”
I giggled. “A list…?" I asked her confused.
“Yeah… Most likely because mom and dad usually always have a list of phone numbers or something.”
I thought about it for a while. I trusted Breanna when she’s suppose to do something major. I looked towards the refrigerator. The list of emergency numbers was already posted there. Apparently Bre didn’t see it.
“Um… the numbers are on the fridge.” I pointed towards the sticky note on the refrigerator door.
“Oh! God do I feel stupid.”
I laughed and she joined in.
“Well… then…”
“Well then what?” I asked.
“Hmm… I guess you can go now.” I got up and started to the door. “I’ll make sure to call when something goes wrong!” she yelled back at me.
“Okay!” I yelled back. I opened the door and stepped outside, closing the door behind me. It was windy out here, but nice for a walk. The wind blew my hair wildly as I walked down the street. I was a mile out from my house when I saw someone half way down the sidewalk from me. He stared at me for a long time. I kept on walking like I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. As I got closer, I paused in my track mesmerized by this person. I looked at him for a long time, wondering why I couldn’t even say hi to him. He had blond spiky hair, pale white skin, but not the snowy white color kind, and he had brown eyes. He looked to be about six foot four or five inches tall. He was wearing all black though. I couldn’t get my head around that, but all the same, I was frozen by this person. I couldn’t imagine anyone looking so good in my entire 17 years of life. I’m such a jackass! I thought to myself. I managed to focus and walked on. I took several steps forward, but stopped again as I realized that someone was following me. I turned around and it was the same person that made me stop in my track half a minute ago. The stare he was giving me was the look of, you better run look, but I couldn’t, no matter how hard I tried. He stiffened when I turned around so suddenly. It looked like he was trying to keep something under control. He kept on staring at me, waiting. I didn’t know what to do or what to say. I looked up at him, wondering what he would do. He stepped closer to me. I held my breath, hoping he wouldn’t pull out a knife or a gun and kill me on the spot. He sniffed the air and licked his lips. What was up with this guy? I thought in my head as he stepped even closer to me. I backed away from him. Was this guy going to kill me… or what? A million things were running through my head at this point. Should I run? Should I say something? Should I wait until he makes a move? Should I wait until he says something? He looked at me curiously. I looked back at him with the same expression on my face. He smiled at me, but didn’t say anything. A shiver rolled down my spine as I stared up into his face.
“Hello…,” he said. His voice was low, raspy, and whispery. The type of voice that would; Send you running the opposite direction, hold you in place, or confused you to the point where nothing is no longer clear in your mind. As for me, I was frozen in place. I was still in shock by the tension that was emanating from him. I took a deep breath to find my voice.
“Hi.” I said shyly.
“Why do you look like you’re about to pass out on me?” he asked me, still a smile on his face.
I couldn’t find the right response to his question. “Um… uh…” I struggle to find the words, but nothing came to mind. “I don’t… know.” I half admitted.
“Hmm… what is your name…?”
I am about to die of shock or embarrassment and he’s asking for my name? “My name is… Alyssa.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Alyssa… I am Trynnadon.”
Without thinking about what I was doing, I held out my hand to shake his. He hesitated and took my hand firmly in his. The handshake only lasted for a second, because I automatically withdrew my hand out of his. It was like shaking a person’s hand after they have come back inside from the freezing weather. We were in California for god sake and this strange person in front of me has a freezing hand? I wonder why? All of these thoughts were running through my head. He stopped smiling now. His intense gaze became more pronounced as I stared back at him.
“Hmm…” I held my breath again. “Why don’t you walk with me for a minute…?” I looked around, making sure I was alone–didn’t want anybody watching me like I am some type of freak or seeing my face, probably bright red by now. He bent down and leaned in to me. He inhaled the air around me and licked his lower lip while straightening up. “So…?”
He was waiting for me to answer. “Um… okay.” He smiled and gestured to me to follow. We walked down two blocks and made a left-hand turn into a dark alley. My heart started to pound erratically. He smiled down at me.
“I won’t hurt you.” I took a deep breath to slow down my heart. He can hear my heart beating? He must have good ears or something. He stopped and turned to me. “You shouldn’t be out here alone…”
“I was just out for a walk.”
“Really…?”
“Um… yeah;”
He sniffed the air again. “How old are you, Alyssa?”
I took a while to answer. “I’m seventeen. Why?”
“I was just wondering…”
I noticed the blue bracelet he was wearing. I looked at it curiously. He didn’t miss it.
“What is that bracelet you’re wearing?” asked, “If you don’t mind me asking.”
“It’s a tracking bracelet.”
I had no clue what that meant, but I wasn’t about to ask. He led the way deeper into the darkness. “Um… where are you taking me?” I asked him shyly.
“Oh… don’t… worry… sweetness…” By this time I was more afraid for my life. He chuckled under his breath. “If I were you, I wouldn’t listen to anyone that I don’t know…” My breathing sped up. He grinned at me. “I’ll give you a chance to run now, if you wish.”
I wanted to run. I turned around and ran back the way we came. This time he wasn’t following me. I ran and didn’t stop until I was safe on my street. I paused before my door to slow down my panting. After my breathing was under control, I opened the door and went inside. My parents were still not home. The only time they were home is when my siblings and I were all at school.
“What happened to you?” Lily asked me suspiciously.
“Nothing, I was running instead of walking,” I lied. I hope she didn’t see through me. I was a good liar, but this time, it was really hard to keep a straight face after what I’ve been through.
“Oh?” Lily looked at me a minute longer and let it go. I went to my room and started on my homework for French. It was fairly easy so I finished it in a matter of fifteen minutes. I heard a knock on my door.
“Who is it?” I called out.
“It’s me I need your help with something.”
I opened the door. Bre was standing there with a paper in her hand. “What do you need help with?” I asked her as she stepped in my room and close the door. She handed me the paper with the instructions of what to do. I read the direction and gave the paper back to her.
“So… can you help me?” she asked with a hopeful smile.
“Yeah, did you pay attention in class?” I smiled at her.
“Of course I didn’t. Science is the most boring class you can be in. Honestly, I rather take Spanish over science any day.” She strode over to my desk, stealing a pencil from the cup, and sat in my chair.
“Idiot…” I said to her.
She grinned at me. “Sorry, I should’ve asked first.”
I laughed. “Whatever,” I said, sticking my tongue out at her.
She looked at me. “Are you going to tell me how to make a tornado or not?”
I ripped out a piece of notebook paper and wrote the tornado instructions down. It wasn’t that hard to be honest. Bre watched me with amazement as I finished up the tornado project and then handing it to her. She copied it on the assignment sheet.
“I knew you would know how to do it,” she said, smiling. “By the way, can I keep this pencil? I kind of like it actually.”
I thought about it for a minute. “Okay, you can have it.”
“Thanks!”
“That was one of my favorite one, you know.”
She just looked at me and said, “oh well, you can always buy a new one.” She finished writing the tornado instructions and got up from my desk. “Thanks again.”
“No problem.” She left my room and I was alone again.
My mind went back to my walk earlier today, and a million questions popped in my head. Who was that guy I met today? Why was I so mesmerized by him, but yet so terrified at the same time? Just then I heard a tap on my window. I froze in place. I moved slowly to my window, opening the curtain an inch, and peered out into the night. I couldn’t see anything. Was I just hearing things? Was my imagination running wild? What the fuck was wrong with me?
“Alyssa!” I heard Jane calling me.
I went to check what was going on.
“Leo has a bloody nose.” Lily told me once I got into the living room.
I couldn’t help it, but giggle. “What happened?” I asked.
“Lily punched me,” Leo said, moaning softly to himself.
“He deserved it!” Lily exclaimed.
“Okay, that’s enough you two.” I told them, smiling a little.
Seth got an ice pack out of the freezer and wrapped it in paper towel and handed to Leo. “Here, put this on your nose,” Seth said, with a smirk on his face.
“Tilt your head back and pinch your nose too,” Jane said, wanting a turn on giving advice for once.
I, on the other hand was wondering why they called me when they know what to do without my help. I silently went back to my room, muttering to myself all the while. I didn’t know what time it was, but I fell asleep when I got into my cozy bed. Before I knew it, I was awakened by my mom around ten o’clock. My mom wasn’t tall like my dad was. She was five foot six and slender compared to my six foot five father. Her long blond hair hung loosely down the middle of her back. Her blue eyes were staring into mine.
“I didn’t mean to wake you. How was your day?”
“It was okay. Everything went well, same as usual.”
“That’s good to hear,” my mom said to me, smiling. “I’ll let you go back to sleep now. Again, I'm sorry to wake you.”
“No, that’s okay.” She kissed me and left my room, closing the door softly behind her. I slipped into my dreamless peaceful sleep once more.
It felt like I’ve only slept for half an hour when I was awakened by Bre. She was bouncing up and down on my bed. It was eleven forty-five in the morning. I stretched and groaned.
“What do you want?”
“Mom is making lunch. It’s going to be ready in ten minutes.”
I yawned and stretched once more. “Okay, wake me up in ten minutes then.”
She poked me in the ribs. “No, no, no… wake up sleepyhead. You sleep way too much.”
I growled. “Fine, fine, fine…” I sat up in bed wiping the sleep from my eyes.
“Now I have to wake up the other. See you in the kitchen.”
“Um yeah… sure;”
She hopped off my bed and out the door. I sighed and threw the cover off myself. I went to wash up before anybody else makes it into the bathroom before I could. The aroma of pork and baked beans did the work of fully waking me up. My stomach growled. I hope no one heard that. I went to the kitchen where Jane, Lily, and Bre were already in place.
“Good morning sleepyhead,” my mom said to me as I entered.
“Where are Leo and Seth?” I asked Bre.
“Oh, they’re coming. Don’t worry. They’re just slow. You know how boys are.” I pull out a chair and seated myself.
“Would you like coffee, Alyssa?”
“Sure.”
My mom scoop one spoon of ground coffee into the filter, poured the water in the back of the coffee maker and closed it before hitting the start button.
“Where’s dad?” Jane asked around.
“He already took off to the fire station an hour ago.” My mom addressed to all of us instead of just answering to Jane alone.
My mom handed me the coffee five minutes later. I added two teaspoons of cream and sugar and sipped at it slowly. Leo and Seth stumbled in the kitchen and fell into an empty chair. I didn’t notice it when Bre squirted Seth and Leo with water gun. They both jumped, and we all burst out laughing. Seth punched Bre in the arm.
“It’s time to wake up boys!” she said, still laughing.
We all jumped when the doorbell rang. Who would bother coming here around this time? My mom went around into the living room to answer the door. My siblings and I just sat there staring at each other with the same question in our heads.
* * * * * *
Chapter Two Slipping
My mom casually greeted the person that was at the door. “Hello. Can I help you?”
“I live just down the street from here.” I heard the familiar voice of that person before, and it sent chills down my spine.
“Oh… Really…?”
“Yes, I was just walking around the neighborhood for something to do.”
“Oh, come in and make yourself comfortable.” I cursed under my breath. How stupid can my own mother be?
“Thank you for inviting me in.”
“Not a problem. Come in and introduce yourself. We were just about to eat lunch.”
Everybody around the table just stared at each other, bewildered. I heard my mom and the visitor coming around so I managed to compose myself before they entered. My brothers and sisters did the same. We acted like nothing unusual was going on. Bre cleared her throat.
“So…! What do you want to do after lunch?” She looked at me, waiting.
“Uh… I have no clue. Do you have anything in mind?”
“Nope… I just thought you had an idea planned out for today.”
At that moment, both my mom and the visitor came in the kitchen. He looked a little paler since our last encounter last night. Seth started choking. We all looked at him. He ran to get himself a glass of water. He drank until he was satisfied that he wouldn’t choke on air anymore. At the same time, our visitor stiffened up, but relaxed before anyone, but me notice that something was up. Seth slowly walked back to the table.
“Lunch is ready. The pork chops are here on the counter, and the baked beans are in the pot.”
We all got up and went around to the counter. My mom gestured to the visitor to have a seat. He pulled out the next available chair and sat down, looking around the kitchen. We all got food and went back to the table. Bre whispered in my ear, “Did you see him stiffened when Seth ran passed him?” she asked me.
I guess I wasn’t the only one that noticed it. I nodded. She sat down and began cutting the pork chops. My mom didn’t ask our visitor if he wanted anything. She just handed it to him. He eyed the food questioningly and began eating like the rest of us. She looked at him a minute later. “Why don’t you introduce yourself to us?”
He looked up from his plate and looked at all of us carefully, probably judging our reaction to him. “My name is Trynnadon.”
My mom seems to be the only one comfortable enough around him. “It’s nice to meet you, Trynnadon. I am Theresa and these are my children.” She looked at us then. “Why don’t you all tell Trynnadon your names?” All six of us looked at each other. “Why don’t you start?” She said to Bre.
She hesitated and looked at Trynnadon. “My name is Breanna.”
My mom spoke again. Let's go around the table. I was after Bre. “I am Alyssa.” I said timidly.
It went around to Jane, Seth, Lily, and then to Leo. Trynnadon looked at all of us including my mom this time, and said, “It’s nice to meet all of you.”
We continued eating while my mom made conversation with him. When everything was picked up and put away, I went to the living room to join my sisters while Leo and Seth went outside to play.
“How long are you planning to stay?” my mom asked him a minute after I entered the living room. He didn’t answer so she asked him another question. “I’m about to leave for work. Do you mind watching the kids?”
My sisters and I held our breath. “Uh… sure… The kids and I will have no problem keeping up with the tasks,” he told my mom as she started for the door. We slowly let air out of our lungs and said good-bye to our stupid brainless mother.
I haven’t notice when he entered the room until it felt like someone was staring at me. How silently can he move? I thought to myself as I met his gaze. Jane, Bre, and Lily were now staring at him too. He moved closer to Jane. She backed away from him. He smiled at her and in a flash! He was in front of her. Jane stiffened at his menace stare. He turned to face me. “I think you should teach a certain member of the family a lesson.” I knew who he was talking about. “Don’t you think…?” He turned back to Jane. As he touched her neck, she flinched from his touch. He smiled again. He stopped touching her and backed away. Jane ran into the hall towards her room. Lily followed behind her. I heard the door closing and a soft click. I didn’t know that Bre was behind me. “Being the big sister? How sweet… of you to defend her, but that's not necessary.” I looked at him confusion showing on my face. Bre saw the same and poked my back hard which made me turn around. He laughed quietly. When I turned around to face him, he was gone! I searched, but found nothing.
“Trynnadon?”
He appeared out of thin air in front of me. “You can call me… Tryn for short…” I stared at him in shock, once again. A low growl came from him. Bre, this time, didn’t bother to stay. She screamed and ran outside to be with Seth and Leo, I guessed. I couldn’t even move a muscle. I started to breathe heavily. “Don’t worry… I won’t kill you.” He smiled at me and came closer. I stared up at his face. I noticed that his eyes were no longer brown, but black with a tint of red around it. I begged him not to hurt me over and over again. “Never… invite a stranger into your home. Do me a favor and tell Theresa that.” I nodded as sweat dripped down my face. He growled again, but this time louder. I backed away quickly. He sniffed the air, groaned, and stiffened yet again. “I’m sorry…” he said and launched himself at me knocking me to the ground. I tried to scream, but no sound would escape me when I tried. It felt like my tongue rolled inward for a second and back to normal. He held me down on the ground as I attempt to break free of his steel grip. “No… need to scream,” he hissed at me. I tried to say something, but I couldn’t, no matter how much force I put in to it. Was he doing this to me? Was he keeping me from making a sound? I stared into his eyes. No red now exist in that black eyes. I tried to scream again, no sound came out. He smiled. As I stared into his eyes, I noticed that I was getting sleepy. I tried to keep my eyes open with no success, but I can still feel him holding me. I heard his growl again, but this time closer. Before I can clear my head, I felt a sharp stinging pain on my neck. I couldn’t move or make a sound, but I can totally feel the pain. I felt him breathing and right then I knew what was happening to me. The pain was more intense as his fangs slowly pierced deeper and deeper into my neck. I can feel his tongue on my neck. I can feel the life draining out of me as I got weaker and weaker. I drifted out of consciousness as he sucked my last few drops of blood out of me.
When I finally came to, I was surrounded by my brothers and sisters. All of them had a questioning look on their face. My eyes searched around the room, but the vampire was nowhere to be found. I can still feel the stinging sensation. My hand went to my neck and found where he had bit me. It felt warm under my touch. I didn’t feel any punctured marks or any bruising like I had expected.
“Are you okay?” Bre asked me, her hands trembling.
“Yeah, I think so.” They all sighed in relief.
“What did he do to you?” Jane asked me. Her voice broke on the last word while she spoke.
I didn’t want her to know. So I just ignored her question altogether. I got up to a sitting position, but didn’t stand due to my energy level. I didn’t realize that I was cold ‘til I sat up. I can feel the blood pulsing through my body. It felt like a thousand needles gently prodding me. It helped a little with the cold, but not much. Jane gasp and I turned my head to see why. He was there, standing about ten feet from us. He smiled and walked forward until he was three feet away from us.
“I’m sorry… I couldn’t control it any longer…” he said to me. I shivered just thinking about it. His eyes were ruby now.
“What did you do to her?” Seth asked him quietly.
“Hmm… I can show you…”
Seth cringed. “Um… No thanks!” He snickered softly at my brother. Seth turned to me. “Um… what did he do to you?”
“Uh…! I…” I shook my head trying to find a way to answer him. I finally made up my mind. “Seth, I’ll tell you later, not now.” He sighed and gave up. I could tell that he wanted to know the answer now, but I didn’t know what to say just yet.
“Dad is going to be home in five minutes,” Lily finally said, breaking the long silence. Three minutes passed by quickly.
“In that case… I think I should leave now.”
We all watched as Trynnadon vanished out of sight. I stood up finally, and went to the kitchen to heat up the leftover pork chops and baked beans. I heard the car door slammed outside and tried to act natural. My dad walked through the front door and greeted my brothers and sisters.
“Where’s Alyssa?”
“She’s heating up leftovers from lunch,” Seth told him.
“Hey there, Alyssa,” I heard him called from the living room
“Hi dad,” I said back, hoping he’s not coming in yet. I saw him heading towards the hallway. I turned back towards the pot simmering on the stove. I decided to put the pork chops in the microwave setting it for 2 minutes. I heard the shower water turning on, so I turned off the stove and went to the living room. My dad can manage the rest without me pacing around the kitchen, waiting for him to get out of the shower. Seth and Jane were playing Uno and asked if I wanted to join in. I told them that I would wait until they were finished with the first round. Jane won the first round of the game. We played three rounds I won two out of three. After the game, we all just sat there and talk about nonchalant topics and played various different types of board games all night long. It was around midnight when we all silently crept back to our room for bed. I didn’t even bother changing my clothes. I slipped in to my bed and waited for sleep to come over me. My head was clouded with the earlier event that took place today and it was impossible for me to fall asleep.
I got up and went to Bre's room to check if she was awake. I quietly open the door an inch and peeked in. She was lying on her bed, eyes wide open. It looked like she was watching or listening for something. I opened the door wider and went inside, closing the door before walking any further. Bre sat up and swung her legs to the side of the bed. I went to sit next to her.
“You couldn’t sleep either?” I asked her in a whisper.
She shook her head. Bre was an inch or so shorter than me, her wavy blond hair coming down to her shoulder, and her blue eyes staring up towards the ceiling with burning questions in them. She looked at me and leaned in. “So… what happened after I ran outside? You know… earlier today.” I sighed. “I promise I won’t tell anyone. Please…? Tell me. I’m begging you.”
When it comes to keeping a secret, Breanna is the only person I could trust to keep it quiet. “Okay, I’ll tell you,” I said to her. She leaned back and waited for me to begin. “When you ran outside, I planned to follow you, but I couldn’t even move a muscle.”
“How come you didn’t tell me to wait for you then?”
“I tried, but I couldn’t get myself to say a word.” I stared at the curtain and continued on.
“He told me to tell mom about never inviting a stranger in.”
Bre swore under her breath. I could make out some of the words she was saying and I cold heartedly agreed with her choice of words. “Go on,” Bre said in a whisper.
“Well before he told me what to tell mom, he told me that he wouldn’t kill me and came closer to me.” I heard Bre taking a deep breath and holding it. “Well… he growled and stiffened again and told me he was sorry.”
“Keep going…” she urged on to keep me talking.
I shivered and continued on. “Um… well… he jumped on me and held me down.”
Bre gasp and I knew what she was thinking. “And then what happened!?” she asked me nervously.
I turned to look at her now. She was tensed up, preparing for my answer. “He…” I couldn’t even tell her.
“What did he do?” Bre asked impatiently.
I held my breath and tried again. “He bit me.”
Bre and I sat there in silence for the longest time. I didn’t know how many minutes have passed, but she finally got up and went to the window and closed it. She slowly walked to her desk and sat down in a chair. She turned to face me a moment later.
“I knew he bit you before you told me,” she said, shuddering at the thought.
“You did?”
“Yeah… I didn’t want to say anything in front of Seth, Leo, Jane, Lily, and definitely not Tryn.”
I looked at her in disbelief. “How did you know?”
“Well actually… I didn’t until you touch your neck. It was red so I figured he must’ve bit you, and we found you unconscious.”
I have to say that Bre is too smart for an eighth grader, from my perspective at least. “Why did you close the window?” I asked her curiously.
She smiled. “Cause he might be listening…”
“Or watching,” I interjected.
“Yeah… that too,” she agreed. She looked at the clock on her desk. “It’s almost three A.M. Think we should try to get some sleep?”
I nodded in agreement with her. I got up and walked to the door, but turned around, because she was following me. “Thanks for telling me.”
“No problem,” I told her as I opened the door. She went back and jumped on the bed. I closed the door softly and went to my room. I was getting tired now. I got into my own bed and didn’t bother to put the blanket over me. I fell asleep a minute or so later. I felt something cold touching my arm. I have to be dreaming. I told myself, but the coldness didn’t go away. I turned over hoping the cold would subside. It did for a second, but this time, it was on my neck now. My eyes flew open. I searched around, but didn’t find anything out of place. I sighed and fell asleep again. I was half awake when I felt someone holding me to my bed. I shook myself awake. Whatever was holding me was no longer there. I opened my eyes and searched again. Like before, I couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary. I couldn’t go back to sleep, in fear that something horrible would happen to me. I just laid there staring at the ceiling, waiting, listening. I don’t know how long I stayed up, but eventually I fell asleep with no further incident.
I had a dream that I was being bitten again. This time, it was extremely painful. I couldn’t see anything in my dream. Everything was all dark and hazy. The pain grew more and more intense. I woke up gasping. The pressure was gone, but the pain was still there. I was sweating and out of breath. I sat up and looked around. It was still a little dark outside. I looked at the time it was six in the morning. My hand instinctively went to my neck where the pain is. It was hot under my fingers. I moaned and search my room again. I decided not to go back to sleep. I got up and went to the bathroom to wash up. I slowly breathe through my nose and out my mouth to ease the pain. I stood there for a while or until I had full use of my body to jump in the shower. After I finished up in the bathroom, I cautiously went back to my room. Seth and Leo were there, sitting at my desk.
“Um… what are you two doing here?” I asked.
“We were just waiting for you to get out of the shower so you can make us breakfast,” Leo said winking at me.
“I’ll make breakfast after I’m done dressing,” I told them. I shoved my brothers out the door and went to my closet. I pulled out a white t-shirt and blue jeans and dressed quickly. I threw my door open and half ran in to the kitchen. My brothers were waiting for me. Seth was flipping through a sport magazine while Leo babbled on and on about his drum recital tomorrow night. I could tell that Seth was half listening. He was more in to his magazine. I cleared my throat. They both looked up at me. “Anything in particular you like to eat?” I asked them, walking to the refrigerator and opening it.
“Anything,” Leo said. Seth nodded in agreement. I decided to make scrambled eggs and sausage. I made enough for six and went to wake the others before eating mine. We finished eating and washed it down with orange juice. I finished putting things away in the kitchen while Bre and Lily were doing the dishes. Jane went to get the mail and I went to the living room to watch some TV. Sunday was boring as usual. My mom and dad didn’t make it home until dinner. I didn’t feel like making anything so we just ordered out. I helped Seth with his language homework and listen to Leo practicing for his drum solo. The recital was to be held in the school auditorium tomorrow night at seven. All of us were going except for mom and dad of course. They were not allowed to miss a day or take a half day off to go watch him play.
I finally went to my room. I pulled out my notebook and went to my desk and started drawing random shapes just to pass the time. I had the feeling that somebody was behind me, but when I turned around no one was there. Why do I keep thinking that someone is in the room with me? I swear there’s something wrong with me. I must be insane. Just then I felt something cold touching the back of my neck. I whipped my head around and found nothing. I growled and got up and start pacing around the room. The door banged open, and I halted to a stop. Bre was out of breath. She pulled me along with her out to the hall. She squeezed me so tight that I nearly fell over.
“What’s wrong?” I asked her.
“I saw someone in my room,” she said still out of breath.
I tensed up. “Who was it?”
“I don’t know. I couldn’t make out who it was. It scared the living shit out of me, that's what.”
“Hmm… I think someone was in my room too.” Bre looked at me perplexed now. “I didn’t know who it was either. Every time I turned around, no one was there.”
“Freaky shit! Isn’t it?”
“Yeah… you can say that again.”
Seth came around the corner. “What are you two talking about?”
“Um… nothing…” Bre and I said in unison. Of course… he didn’t believe us.
“Sure… c’mon tell me. I want to be on the secret too!”
“No, go away before I hurt you!” said Bre. When he didn’t move, she advanced on him. Seth ran away quickly before she can land a sucker punch at him. Bre and I both went back to our room before anyone else found us whispering in the hall. For something to do, I looked through my school work and made sure that everything was ready for tomorrow. At least I didn’t have to rush in the morning. I decided to go to bed after I ran out of things to do. It was ten thirty so I went to make sure everyone else was in bed before turning out the lights.
The next morning was the same as usual. I got my things and was off to school. I walked off to my first class, but was stopped halfway. A fight broke out between three boys. I just stood there and watched. When the one minute bell sounded, I ran back and took a different route to class. I made it in time just before Mrs. Winston knew that I was a bit late. I checked the blackboard for today's lesson. It was the same as Friday, the parts of speech. I sighed and pretended to listen. The day couldn’t go by any slower. Chemistry was boring, and I was daydreaming in French class. After lunch, I was called down to the office. I cursed over and over on my way there. The principle, Mr. Shelton was a short and chubby type of dude with grey hair. He looked to be in his fifties or sixties. He wanted to question me about the fight earlier today. I told him what I saw and who was involved. I didn’t care if I was considered a snitch or not. I can take them all out one by one if I wanted to. I was told that I would remain anonymous, but I knew that I wouldn’t, because I was the only one who saw the fight going on. School finally led out, and I was glad to be done for the day!
* * * * * *
Chapter Three Mysterious and Troubling
We got home around three forty-five. Everybody was getting ready to have a good time at the recital. My mom called to check up on us and wished Leo good luck on his drum solo. Bre and I did Jane and Lily’s hair and picked out nice clothes for them to wear. We snacked on chips and cookies instead of having a real dinner. We played two games of Monopoly and a game of Trivia Pursuit. Leo had to be at school for the rehearsal at six-fifteen so we left the house at five-fifty. We arrived at Hancock shortly after six-ten and walked Leo to the band room where he was suppose to meet the others. We went to find a good seat in the auditorium so we can get a good view of the stage. I handed our tickets to the ticket lady. She gave us a program, and we entered the auditorium. The auditorium wasn’t big, but wasn’t that small either. It was a good size to fit at least a hundred seats. People were still coming in so we hurried to the front before anyone can beat us there, of course without trying to run. We still had half an hour before the show start. I didn’t know if food and drinks were allowed so I told Seth to buy Jane something that she can finish in three minutes time. Seth came back with an ice cream sandwich and Jane took it from his hand eagerly. She finished it quickly before anybody noticed her eating it. Bre was having fun with her digital camera, taking pictures of the set before the light came down and the curtains closing.
The show started off nicely. The Hancock Choir was the first to go on. They sang four songs. Next it was the announcements from the school’s band director which lasted for like five minutes, but it felt like longer to me. Then the fifth grade symphony was up. They played three songs. I turned to check on my brother and sisters. Seth, Jane, and Lily were half asleep, and Bre, well, was just bored out of her mind. I turned back to face the front and listened to the drum line performed by the fifth graders. After the drum line was finished, it was time for a five minute intermission. I nudged Lily awake. Bre turned to me then. “I hate coming to this kind of shows,” she complained. All of us agreed with her. “I just want to see Leo’s part and go home, not sit here and bored the fuck out of myself for an hour and a half.” She went on talking in a whisper until the lights dimmed. We all sighed and leaned back to watch the show again.
“Don’t fall asleep,” I said to Seth, Lily, and Jane.
“We’ll try…” Seth said smiling.
The six graders were now up. I look at the program for the first time since the beginning of the show. First up on the list was the six grade recognition award. I poked Lily awake. “It’s the recognition award. Stay awake,” I whispered to her.
Different types of award were handed out. We all cheered when Leo won the award for Best percussionist. The show finally rapped up with the six grade drum solos. Leo was second to last. We cheered him on throughout the whole thing. Lily, Seth, Bre, Jane, and I went to wait by the band room for him. When he saw us, he broke free of the crowd and came to us. We congratulated him and gave him a hug.
“Nice job bro!” Seth said with a big grin.
“Thanks! Did you guys like it?”
“Yours was the best!” Jane said, smiling up at him.
“Cool!”
“You ready to go?” I asked.
“I sure am,” said Bre.
We all started towards the door. It was fifteen after nine by the time we got home. Dad greeted us and congratulated Leo for his award and asked how the show was.
“I took pictures,” Bre said. She showed it to us. It was nice and clear.
“Show that to mom when you see her,” my dad said to her.
“Don’t worry… I will.”
My dad said goodnight to us and went off to bed. Everybody went their separate ways now. I decided to get something to eat before calling it a night.
The week went by slowly like usual. I spent some quality time with each of my parent, since I don’t get to see them much. School is boring like always. I helped out with homework and made sure the house was cleaned up and everything was in order. I got my grade for the English paper and I was satisfied with an A minus.
“Alyssa!” I heard Bre calling me. I went to see what she wanted. I found her outside with Jane and Lily.
“What?” I asked.
She pointed towards the street where an ice cream truck was coming around. “Do you want anything?”
“Let’s go and see what she has.”
I took a peek in the ice cream cart. I bought myself strawberry shortcake for a dollar. My sister got themselves one of those ice creams that you push up and comes in a variety of flavor. We walked back inside and followed Bre to her room.
“Close the door and lock it,” Bre said to Lily since she was the last to enter. I perched myself on her desk while the others just stood around. “So anyways… what is everybody up to?” Bre asked, looking towards the door.
“Why are you staring at the door for?” Jane asked her, confused.
“I’m just listening to see if those idiots are coming. Eat quickly before they bust down my door.” We all laughed.
“I can finish mine in two bites,” I said to them. Jane stuck her tongue out at me. “Nice tongue…”
“What?”
Bre giggled. “Your tongue is blue.”
“Oh, yours probably green then.”
“Hmm… you’re probably right,” said Bre.
We talked about random stuff while we finished eating. I was the first to finish. I heard Seth and Leo outside the door. Bre gathered all the wrappers and threw it in the trash can. Then we heard Seth and Leo pounding on the door.
“Let us in!” said Leo. Bre got up and open the door to let them in. They both looked around suspiciously.
“Can we help you?” Bre asked them both.
They shook their head. “We’re just wondering if we can join you,” Seth said.
“Hmm…”
“Oh just let them join us,” I said to Bre.
Seth winked at me and walked in with Leo following behind. Seth lay on the floor while his twin brother sniffed around the room. “Have you been eating something?” Leo asked, looking at all of us curiously.
“No,” I lied.
“I’m bored…” Seth said, yawning.
“Go to sleep then,” said Bre.
“Yeah… but I don’t want to.”
“Do you think… never mind…” Jane said, turning a shade of red.
Apparently, I was the only one who saw this. It made me want to question her more about whatever she was thinking. I let it go for the moment, but I would question her about it later. It was around dinner time when both of my parents were home. It was seldom for both of them to be home at the same time. We all had dinner together that night.
It was around one in the morning when
all finally headed off to bed. Maybe this would be a good time to get Jane alone, or maybe not, I thought to myself as I went over what to say to her. I mull over it for another minute and went to check if Bre was willing to help me out. I knocked on her door and let myself in. The light was still on. She was sitting at her desk and looked up when I walked in.
“Can I help you?”
“Yeah actually… I do.”
“How can I be a service to you?”
“Well… earlier today. Do you remember when Jane started to ask something and changed her mind at the last second?”
“Yeah… I do…”
“When she changed her mind, did you see her face turning red?”
Bre thought about it for a moment. “Um… no… I missed that part. Do you think she’s hiding something?” I nodded. “Well… let’s go see what she’s up to.” This had worked out more than I had expected. She got up from her desk and started for the door. I followed behind as we quietly walked to Jane and Lily’s room. Bre tapped softly on the door and opened it. Jane was still awake, but Lily was sound asleep. Bre crept towards Jane’s bed and whispered in her ear, while I waited in the doorway. Jane slowly got out of her bed and came willingly, and we all three went back to Bre’s room. “I’m going to grab something from the kitchen for us to snack on,” Bre said, heading back out the door.
“What do you want to talk to me about?” Jane asked me curiously.
“When you started to ask a question and changed your mind earlier today, I noticed your face going red.”
“Oh,” she breathed.
“That?” I nodded, smiling at her.
Bre came back in the room with three bags of chip and three cans of coke. She handed it out and seated herself on the floor. She looked at Jane, studying her. “What were you keeping hidden from us earlier today?”
“Um… it’s kind of freaky actually…”
“Okay, I’m interested now.” I nodded in agreement with Bre.
“The other night… well three nights ago, I thought I saw someone in my room.” Bre and I just stared at each other, stunned. “What? Should I have told you earlier about this or something?”
“No… just continue,” Bre said to her.
“I keep thinking that someone was by my bed and… I swear I saw a shadow.”
“Hmm…” I thought. I smiled at her. “Bre and I have had the same incident in our rooms too.”
“Really…!”
“Yep, pretty scary I have to say.”
Bre and Jane both grinned at me. Jane sighed. “I’m glad I got that out of the way.” We all finished up eating and walked Jane back to her room. We said goodnight to her and went to bed ourselves.
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