Post by Luna on Feb 11, 2013 18:32:44 GMT -5
"Aim," I told her. "Very carefully. Keep one finger on the trigger, but keep it light until I say otherwise." I placed a hand under her arm, keeping it steady – though it seemed she barely needed it. Her blue eyes, strikingly similar to mine, were focused on the crudely drawn target. I moved her the tiniest bit to the left, still holding her steady. "Now," I said. She pressed the trigger.
Luna was five – way younger than she probably should be, to be learning how to shoot a gun, but it was necessary. We lived in a dangerous town. Hadyn might have been inhabited and run by werewolves, which we were, along with our parents who were highly respected… but people still got hurt. They got hurt a lot.
"Was that good?" she asked, distracting me. I looked at her, then at the small hole directly in the middle of the target. "Exceptional," I said, and she beamed. "Careful where you aim it, though. Don’t blow anyone’s head to smithereens unless they really deserve it. Or they really, really piss you off."
She grinned again. "Have you ever shot anyone?"
"Shot? No, but I've killed a couple times. Self-defense." If you were iffy on the qualifications of self-defense.
"Cool." She focused on the target. Again?
I smiled and nodded, guiding her hand into position. "Count of three this time," I said. "One… two…"
"Don’t you think she’s a little young?" It was a smooth, female voice that interrupted me, and distinctly cold. I touched Luna’s hand to stop her pulling the trigger, and turned. The voice belonged to a woman of around seventeen. She had fiery red hair and intense crystal blue eyes, a long, suggestive black dress. And then, of course, there was the most important little detail…
"You’re a bloodsucker," I said smoothly, deliberately ignoring her comment.
"You’re observant," she returned, with a smile that meant no good.
I tilted my head, stepping a little in front of my little sister. "Bloodsuckers aren't normally welcome here."
"And do I strike you as a normal vampire?" she inquired, still wearing the smile.
"Actually, you’re striking me as abnormally bitchy."
She raised an eyebrow. "How old are you, child?"
I studied her suspiciously. "Seven."
"You speak like a boy twice your age."
"I have amazing parental influences," I said sarcastically, keeping my voice short and clipped. I didn't like vampires in general, and I especially didn't like the red-haired cagna. She unnerved me, and that was never good.
She tilted her head, the too-bright smile fading slightly. "Where are your parents?"
I raised my chin. "You need to get out of here."
"I’m expected. Where are your parents?"
"Inside."
She studied me briefly, then nodded and headed for the house. "Oh," she said without turning, "and I'm Lacey."
"I don’t care," I muttered – too soft for human, but loud enough for vampire, then turned back to Luna, who was staring at me, wide-eyed. "You really need to learn to blow certain people’s heads off,” I muttered, then turned, noticing Lacey vanish into the house. "Practice, okay?"
"What are you going to do?" she asked softly.
I looked back down at her. She wasn't like me, even though she was trying to be. Well-behaved, so she had yet to see the ugly side of the belt… or rod… or whip. Luna still got to have her childhood. She was going to get to enjoy it while she could.
"I just want to check some things out," I said. "No worries. Keep practicing."
She accepted the semi-lie and nodded, turning back to the targets. The girl was a natural, I had to admit… for being only five years old, the talent was slightly eerie – or would be, if she wasn't a Markus, didn't have me as a teacher, and wasn't growing up in Hadyn. I watched her quietly for a moment, then sighed softly and padded towards the house. Bloodsuckers with fiery hair were not coming near my family unless I knew the reason why…
Well, at the least they weren't coming near my sister of five and brother of four. My parents could get killed and burn in Hell, for all I cared.
"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Miss Collins."
Why was my life so dysfunctional that the very sound of my father’s voice made my blood turn cold with an even mixture of anger and fear?
I mulled the question over in my head as I stood motionless outside the door, listening to my parents’ conversation with Lacey. Whatever the reason she had come, it should get covered in this meeting… as long as they didn't catch me here. Yeah, that would suck. However could I handle a little more pain in my life?
I heard a light, soft laugh that I supposed must be Lacey’s. "Don’t call me that. I’m only seventeen."
"You're older than that."
"True." I heard soft footsteps; it sounded like pacing. "In any case, think nothing of it. I was bored where I was. Might as well visit wolf town, see what I could do about the rebellious children… how many are there?"
"Three. The younger boy is four, and not ours – just a human we took in. Shadow. We’ll change him when he’s old enough. The girl is a year older, name of Luna, completely looks up to the older, seven-year-old brother. Lucian."
"Lucian," she mused. Great. I could have done without her knowing my name within the first five minutes of her arrival. "I met him… he’s unique. Very adult for seven."
"We've noticed." It was the dry tone of my mother now. I rolled my eyes.
"And how could they benefit the plan?" Lacey asked in that same smooth, cold voice.
Plan? What the hell…?
"The younger two will play along well enough, once we tell them," my father said softly. "Lucian is often… difficult."
"There was something in his eyes," Lacey said calmly. "I may be able to work with him."
Oh, like hell, you bloodsucking bitch.
A voice from behind me said, "What are you doing?"
I spun quickly, my gaze meeting with sapphire eyes that were already strikingly similar. That, and the red hair… she seemed about my age, but she also looked like a very young Lacey Collins. I raised an eyebrow. "First and more pressing question. Who the hell are you?"
She grinned and came to stand beside me. "I’m Ruby," she said softly. When I continued to stare at her, she sighed and shrugged. "All right, Ruby Collins, but I’m not like my sister. I hate her. Unfortunately, I’m also stuck living and traveling with her."
I thawed just a little. "Makes two of us. The hate part, anyway. If I lived and traveled with her, I’d kill her."
"I've considered it." She leaned against the wall beside me. "So, my turn now. What are you doing?"
"I’m trying to figure out what the hell this bitch is doing in my house, taking an interest in my little siblings," I growled.
Ruby laughed. "You have terrible language."
“So I'm told.” I tilted my head and decided I liked her. "I’m Lucian."
"Interesting name." She smirked. "So. You wanna do something interesting before, you know, Lacey notices you and kills us both?"
I cast a last glance at the door, and shrugged. I’d probably found out as much as I was going to in one day. "What did you have in mind?"
"Lucian?"
Sunny's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. Blinking, I returned to the present. I was in Crystal's house, but Crystal was gone at the moment. I was laying with Sunny on her couch, my arms wrapped around her gently, and as I focused I realized that she had twisted her head back so that she could raise one eyebrow at me.
"You know," she said, "that could have been like a boyfriend test, listening edition. And if so you completely failed."
"Well, what about the test in general, do I fail that?" I asked.
"I have no idea," she said. "The only other relationship I've ever had was with a guy who turned out to be a sadistic rapist. I have no way to judge."
I bent my head to kiss her, feeling an involuntary smile steal across my lips. Most of my history was one bad thing after another, but Sunny had a way of making all of that just slide from my mind. She made me feel warm.
"So what were you asking me, anyway?" I asked her. "When I was all phased out."
"Nothing, actually. I was just lying here. I just like messing with you."
I smoothed her hair from her face. "You're a mastermind."
"I learned from the best." She grinned. "What were you thinking about?"
"Just... memories. Well, one in particular. When I was a kid, teaching Luna how to use a gun, and then Lacey showed up..."
"Little you teaching little Luna how to use a gun?"
"Yeah, and?"
"Well, I just have a mental image of that and it's way too adorable to handle." I raised an eyebrow at her. "Sorry. Then what?"
I shrugged. "Not much to tell, really."
"Well, that's a lie. C'mon. Isn't there any chance I could mastermind you into telling me some of your past?"
"You didn't get enough of a taste of that in Hadyn?"
She flinched back at that, and I cringed. "I'm sorry. Sunny, I'm sorry. I just... everything that happened, none of it is good, and I don't want to remember that anymore. I want to remember this."
"That's sweet," she said softly, but then she smirked. "And it's a very clever way of trying to distract me." I rolled my eyes, and she sighed. "Look, it's just that you're an interesting person, and interesting people come with interesting histories."
"You think I'm interesting?" I asked, my voice light and teasing. Sunny raised her eyebrows and moved her head back to look at me again.
"Seriously?" she said. "You're fishing for compliments? You? The ego king?"
"Ego king? That's the best you can think of?"
"Well, I can't really think straight," she said, and I saw a small, playful smile begin to pull at her lips. "I'll have a better one later," she said, and then rolled on top of me, kissing me gently. I smiled, running one hand through her hair, wishing I would never have to leave here.