Truce

Anna

"No, he isn't" I answered too quickly. "He's away, um, at a friends I think." Sophie didn't seem that convinced but up until now she had no reason to suspect me of lying so I thought I was safe. For now.

"so then, what should we do? There's a nice little cafe that's just opened up in town. We could go there if -" She stopped when she saw my expression.

I'm guessing she forgot I couldn't go out in the sun. It's easily done.

"You know I can't Soph."

She stood up, "Well we can just go see your parents then and talk. Like old times." She started towards the door.

"No!" I reached out to pull her back. "I mean, no, we can just stay in here. I want to know what else I've missed at school." I gave her a warm smile and she retreated to the bed, crossing our legs as we got comfy.

"So, what do you wanna know?"

I sighed, "I dunno. Anything. Hows Cassie? I haven't heard from her in a while."

She grimaced, "Cassie went down hill after you left. Parents divorced and she took to drugs." I hung my head, "Oh I don't think it was just because of you. Everyone knows Cassie was close to both her parents."

"Yeah but still. Drugs? Seriously, she could have taken up smoking. That would have been... I dont know, healthier maybe." I clapped my hands together in resignation.

"Yeah she also smokes too. The lot; weed, herbal, tabacco. Steve found her behind the gym shed and well, didn't exactly tell anyone."

I laughed.

"Yeah, sounds like him."

The door sounded downstairs and I could hear Joel. I mean, hear.

"Can't tell mum or dad, Isa-" He stopped.

"Sophie, sorry, um, Joel is home. I just need to go, um, ask him something." I got off the bed and walked to the door, "won't be a minute."

I went down the hall and downstairs to find Joel staring at something in the hallway, looking towards the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" I called out when I was near the bottom of the stairs.

He looked at me like I was a ghost. Then I heard it.

"MUM!"

I ran to Joels side and found what he was looking at. Mum was tied to one of the kitchen chairs. Mouth taped shut and hands tied behind her back, helpless. Dad was no where to be seen and there was a note left on the table.

Truce Broken,

Rogues

I didn't look up from the paper until I suddenly heard mum moan from her chair. Joel and I went to try and untie her. Joel was faster, managing to bite through the tape that was wrapped around her hands. The minute I ripped off the tape on her mouth, she cried out, "Oh Anna, Joel, I'm so sorry. They just.. took... him." Wet tears fell from her reddened cheeks left from the tape.

I tried to calm her down, but no amount of hushing and shoulder rubbing was going to. I untied her feet from the chair legs.

"Who are the Rogues?" Joel asked mum. She shook her head and cried more.

"Mum, seriously, if you know who they are, you gotta tell us!" I insisted.

She clamped her hand over her mouth in shock and wouldn't stop shaking. I hugged her tightly and whispered in her ear that everything would be okay. Something told me it wouldn't be, though.

"They,-" Mum mumbled, then took her hand fully off her mouth and after taking a deep breath, she finally said, "They are a vampire coven not far from us. When I first met your father they were causing trouble, but we managed to make a truce with them and since then we've not had a problem with them. I didn't even know they were still living around here. But it seems there's been something to disturb the truce. They took your father, and some man in a mask came back to tie me up. They told me not to speak a word." She breathed in quickly and started shaking again.

"What was the truce?" I mumbled quietly, scared of the answer.

She looked at me then to Joel. I heard four other footsteps making their way down the stairs.

"That only Anna would be the only other vampire in the family. They are kind of like the head of our area, so to speak. They know there are only two vampires in this family. I don't believe we've broken the truce. So they've broken their end, which was to not disturb us." She shook her head, "The head council won't be happy about this"

"Oh my god. Mum, are you okay?" Kim and Rachelle ran into the kitchen then and I looked at Joel guiltily, although it shouldn't be me feeling guilty.

Mum got up and managed to somehow be the comforter to my sisters. Richard walked in with Samuel. They seemed a bit more weary about the scenario.

"I'm fine, sort of. But your father has been kidnapped, if you can call it that." Mum burst into tiny sobs and Rachelle kept on hugging her. Mum was fairly petite and fragile for a woman who married a vampire. She's only 50 but has the wisdom of a 150year old. Not that that's a bad thing.

"Who took him?" Samuel tensed his muscles like he was ready for a fight. Looking around the room agitated, Richard put his hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

"Easy Sam," He looked to mum, "Was it, them?" he whispered as if no one else could hear him.

Mum nodded and he understood.

Kim and Rachelle looked between Richard and mum wondering what they were secretly not telling them.

It was about this time that I realised Sophie was still upstairs.

"Oh mum, I'm sorry, I better go see if Sophie is okay." I looked to Joel, "You better explain. Now!" I said seriously. He gulped but didn't protest and as I walked back up the stairs, I could hear mum crying "Oh Joel!".

Down the hall towards my room I could hear Sophie on her phone.

"No, mum, she's cool. Really.... Yes I'm sure.... No she hasn't bitten me, jeez..... Okay I'll tell her.....No he doesn't know.... Okay, love you.... Bye" I stood by the door until she'd finished and walked in.

"Hey sorry about that," I breathed, "Mum had a bit of a domestic problem." I gave a laugh, "I think, um, you should go now actually. Got a few family problems." She looked upset for a moment before she straightened her back.

"Hey, no, remember. I'm here. What could be worse than your problems?" She smiled eagerly but I wasn't so convinced.

"Well..... Okay then.... But you're not going to like it." I said hesitantly. I really didn't want her involved as it would be dangerous. But she said she wanted to know and truth be told I'd be happy for the support and friend.

"Joel is a vampire." I waited for her to breathe, "And my dad's been kidnapped because of that." She held her breath again, "But my dad doesn't know about Joel changing, Joel just told mum." Her face was starting to turn blue, "Please breathe Sophie, we don't need more problems- like you suffocating." I said jokingly, but really, I was tensing all over. I was just as scared about the reprocusions of dad's kidnapping as mum was. I knew the only people who could go get dad back was myself and Joel. But Joel wasn't ready to have to fight, if that's what it came to.

Joel knocked on the bedroom door and barged in, "Hey, you happy now? Mum's in hysterics!" he hissed. Sophie looked at us blankly, but thankfully I saw she was still breathing properly.

I turned back to Joel, "Hey brainiac, how is this my fault? You did this to yourself so you deal with the consequences, yeah. So what did mum say, exactly?"

He frowned, "She just said that she was disapointed in me. How I shouldn't have done it and didn't see why I couldn't speak to her or dad. She blames me for his disapearance and then said a few shared curse words." He gave me such a rejected look I almost felt like hugging him. Almost.

"Well, I can't say I blame her. It was your decision and I'm guessing you've had tutoring since for some miracle you're able to walk around the house and not kill anyone. But since you're one of us �" well, like me, come in, I want to discuss a plan."

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