Family

Amber wakes up after being attacked. The outcome of Drake and Jesse's father finding out about Amber being bitten, see how he responds.

I remember the day I woke up after the attack. I was awoken by the rays of sunlight shining through the window in my hospital room. I was still tired, but for some reason I was awake. I felt instantly safe when I saw my mother sitting across from me on a chair. My mother with her light skin was slouched down with a cover over her legs. Her hair was in a messy ponytail. I wanted so badly to go to her and just be in her arms.

            “Momma,” was all that I could manage. Her eyes popped open and she quickly jumped up to my side.

            “I’m here baby, I’m here.” She said holding me like I was made of glass.

            I raised myself up a bit, so I wasn’t lying down. For some reason I felt a little better and I needed to show it. I think I felt compelled because I could see the pain in her eyes.

            “Be careful,” she said cautiously.

            I smiled. “I’m fine, momma.” I thought for a moment to see if the statement was in fact true. “A little sore,” I said touching my neck where I was bitten. “I’m fine though.”

            My mother looked like she was about to start crying. She didn’t get the chance because Max came bursting through the doors followed by Ashley and our father.

            “Amber, you're awake,” Max pointed out running up and giving me a huge hug around the neck.

            “Ow ow,” I said to him causing him to feel sad, so I reached my arm around and tickled him. He quickly scrambled away from me. I felt the pain, but I didn’t want him to feel bad. I decided to put on a brave face. I had to. They all looked so upset.

            “Hey baby,” dad said kissing my forehead.

            I could sense the pain in his eyes. I could understand the torture he was putting himself through. He had always been a big strong man. Yet, he couldn’t stop a man from entering into his own house and attacking his daughter. “I’m fine, daddy, don’t worry.” I said grabbing a hold to his hand as he stood in front of me. I just smiled at him and I knew that he would have to come to terms with it on his own.

            “Ashley,” I said even thought she never made any attempt to come closer.

            “Hey,” was all the response I got from her.

            “How’s it like seeing yourself in this bed?” I said to break our awkward talk.

            “It’s okay. We do look a little different.” She replied moving toward the square window in the room.

            For some reason I wasn’t quite sure how to take her comment, but decided it was best to not say anything. For the most part that’s how the morning went. I didn’t know exactly why I did it, but I knew I had to be strong for my family. They all looked to be on the verge of instant sorrow and despair. Since, I was the victim I felt it was my mission almost to take care of them while they struggled to take care of me. The morning went smoothly though largely in part due to minimal conversations and lots of hospital food. All of it proved to be a great distraction, so I didn’t have to think of him. I smiled, laughed, and stood tall when his face clouded my mind. I pictured him clearly from his dark brown hair and beautiful alluring eyes. Why did he let me go? Why had he hurt me, but seemed horrified at the thought of killing me? Why? Why, so many unanswered questions. I just wanted to forget everything about that night.

           

            Jesse walked the streets nearly all night long wandering and thinking. He couldn’t get her out of his mind it was almost as if she stood before him. He could sense her scent and feel the softness of her skin and the silkiness of her hair. It was almost too much to bear though he knew a lot of it had to do with the fact her blood now coursed through his veins. He had to get his mind off of her. He needed all of it to go away and he needed Ashley to go away.

            Ashley was an innocent beautiful butterfly in his opinion. Ashley didn’t make his heart flutter. When he was with her he played with her like she was a lost puppy. He only used her when he was bored or felt like playing with humans. Amber had him all mixed up ever since he met her last summer. He had thought she was Ashley pleasantly surprising them both.

            It was a clear and bright Saturday morning when he first spoke to her. He had followed Ashley’s scent to a park. She was different this day. Ashley normally dressed like a radical tomboy unless she was expecting to meet him that day she dressed with a little less clothing. He saw her in her short shorts attire looking more like she was going for a workout than looking cute for him. He watched as her hair blew in the winds sending her scent straight to him. He stayed hidden near the wooded area he liked it much better that way. He loved to see her pine for him. It was actually pretty pathetic he thought which only made him like it even more. He was about to send her a thought of him when he got bumped into. Normally on guard he wouldn’t have been fazed by it. He wasn’t on guard though, so he went forward nearly falling on his face if it weren’t for quick reflexes.

            “I’m so sorry,” the girl said to him. He had to double check at Ashley who was still standing around watching Max. The girl in front of him looked just like her and she appeared to be laughing at him. Something about her was very different from Ashley. At first it was her scent, it was darker and harder for him to smell. She looked different from Ashley too from the bright smile she’d shown him to her silky hair and toned frame.

            “You’re saying sorry, but laughing,” he remarked to the girl who had already gone back to texting on her phone.

            Her facial structure changed as she looked up from her phone. “I said I was sorry. I was laughing at something my friend texted.” Her last two words slowed as her eyes finally settled onto him. It was as if she were looking at him for the first time.

            A new toy, he thought to himself. The way she stared at him made him feel like she would be fun. He decided to give her a miral, a series of images in her head, of him. The images would make her completely invested in him and nothing else. It would practically make her a love sick puppy like Ashley.

            “I forgive you.” He said after sending her the miral.

            “Thanks,” she said while her phone buzzed.

            “What’s your name?” He asked walking close to her in an attempt to close the space between them.

            “Amber, what’s yours?”

            “Jesse,” he said slowly. He noticed her heart beating faster and her breathing uneven. Inside he was smiling he couldn’t believe how easy it was.

            “Nice to meet you Jesse, but I have to go.” She said walking past him quickly.

            She was gone before he could say anything. He quickly sent her another miral, but it didn’t matter she kept walking. “What are you?” He said aloud to himself in reference to her. No human ever in history had the power to resist a miral. No human. That night he followed them back to their cabin and he snuck in their window and stood for the longest time standing beside her bedside. At first he was trying to decide whether or not to kill her. He figured that was premature thinking instead he settled on throwing mirals at her all night. The very next day he walked right past her at a store and she pretended to not even know him. She gave him a smile the kind store clerks give random customers they don’t know. The day they left he left with them keeping out of reach of Ashley, a side effect of the miral. That was the moment his only care and focus was in Amber.

            Once again without thinking he happened to show up at his destination with no recollection of how he got there in the first place. He was surprised the mansion wasn’t more active since it was midday. His father seemed to be running business at all hours of the day. He walked through the big doors one of which was still damaged from his altercation with Drake. More surprises came as he walked through the corridor and it was empty and quiet. He knew something was up at this time the house was never ever quiet even while he slept. He wasn’t sure, but figured they would all be in the business hall, a room his father does dealings in.

            Jesse took a left when he got to the stairwell and walked down the corridor. He could feel the small hairs on his arm alerting him to be cautious about the silent hall. At the end of the hall were two double doors as he drew closer they swung open. He walked through without any hesitation.

            The room was square and dark with no windows which kept anyone from spying. The walls were a dark shade of grey that flowed on the carpeted floor blanketing it. The room was filled with vampires his brother, mother, and father sat at a large rectangular table along with his father’s council and others he barely recognized. The vampires stared at him with their fangs bored giving off a hissing sound as if they wanted to attack any moment. His mother’s usual chipper chatters self was replaced by the look of shame and sorrow. Her blond hair was tight in a ponytail with her signature red lipstick matching a red dress and jacket.

            “Mother,” he said trying to make it seem that he didn’t know what was happening when he had a very good idea.

            His mother only looked toward his father. His father got up from his chair with effortless grace and appeared in front of Jesse in seconds.

            “Tell me,” he said standing toe to toe with Jesse. They looked almost like twins except for his father’s five o’clock shadow and thirty years over him. “Tell me, who is Ashley?”

            Jesse knew immediately how his father would’ve heard her name. Silently he yelled at himself for being so careless. He glanced at Drake who gave him a wink of his eyes then looked back toward his father. “Ashley is no one.”

            His father took a step back. “No one,” he said to everyone and no in particular. Then in a blink of an eye he reached over and grabbed Jesse and flipped him over so he landed on his back on the table. Jesse tried to resist, but it was no use. Amber’s blood must be coming out of his system now. His father held him down and his fighting felt more like an adult versus an infant. The vampires stared on excitedly especially Drake who stood up to get a better view. The only one who had a problem was his mother.

            “Victor,” she let cry out of her when he hit the table.

            His father didn’t look up, he held him down with his elbow placed and crushing his chest. “Tell me, who is Ashley?”

            Jesse tried to struggle his fangs were out. His father still remained much stronger than him. “Ashley,” Jesse struggled to say with the weight compressed on him. His father took his words as a cue and quickly put him back onto his feet. “She’s a girl I met a few years ago. It’s nothing. I just gave her a miral, that’s all.” Jesse said touching his chest.

            “Have you bit her?” Victor said walking around the table toward his wife. “Don’t lie,” he said smiling a vindictive smile.

            “Yes,” Jesse told his father the truth.

            “Then there is only one solution. We kill her and whoever she’s with.”

            “No,” Jesse yelled interrupting the vampire’s uproar to the sound of fresh blood. “No.”

            His father got into his face. “You know the rules my son. They state clearly a human bitten by a vampire who is not turned must be killed.”

            “I know. I also know that this girl isn’t a threat.” Jesse said in an authoritative pleading tone.

            “Not a threat, her life is a threat to all of us. The fact that she breathes is a threat. What you’ve done is risk all of us for some soul who’d kill you if she knew how.”

            “No,” Jesse said to him and took off out the house. He knew it was no use trying to argue with his father. He didn’t know what to do, but knew he had to protect her. He left to flee to the hospital. He needed to keep watch in case Drake tried to come back.

 

            Victor turned around to face Drake. “The girl was in the hospital you said.”

            “Yes, father.” Drake answered walking around from the backside of the table.

            “Go to the hospital and wait until she leaves and give us a call when she does.” Drake didn’t need to say a word he just left. He was really sticking it to his brother and it made him happier than he’d been in a long time.

            “Everyone prepare,” Victor said sitting back down soon he would go hunting the excitement spread through the room as he watched the vampires flee.