Fan Fiction ❯ Illicit Angels-Caught between heaven and hell ❯ chapter 2 ( Chapter 3 )

Peter, Kelly and Taylor sat in the living room of Peter and Taylor's home watching TV, completely silent. They were waiting for Ariel, who was the fourth and most energetic member of their group. She had been saying that she had a surprise coming for the past two weeks and finally it was the day that the surprise was supposed to arrive.

"How much longer is she going to take?" Kelly suddenly cried impatiently. At that moment, the front door opened and Ariel burst through with a rush of warm summer air.

"Hey guys! Guess what?" Ariel said excitedly as she leapt onto Peter's lap.

"Ugh!" Peter grunted as she landed on him.

"Nope, wrong answer. Try again," Ariel giggled. Not for the first time, Peter wondered how Ariel was able to stay so jubilant, though deep down, he knew where. Ariel had taken it upon herself to be the group mommy/cheerleader/jester ever since Lily's death and Taylor's change.

"Just tell us already!" Peter laughed as he wrapped his arms around his girlfriend's middle.

"Well, remember how I said that my surprise was supposed to get here today?" Ariel asked, drawing out the suspense.

"Ariel! Enough with the drama! Just tell us already!" Taylor cried as he sat up and leaned his elbows on his knees.

"Okay, okay!" Ariel cried. "Well, the surprise is…my best friend in the whole world who lived next door to me back in Florida…just moved in next door to you guys!"

"Cool."

"It's more than just cool, Pete," Ariel gushed as she turned around on his lap so that she was facing him, a thigh on each side of his lap. "I haven't seen her for, like, four years…and now, she lives across the street from me. Tawny and I were like sisters when we were younger. I hadn't heard from her in a long time except for the annual Christmas and Birthday card until she called me to tell me she was moving. And since my dad works in real-estate he helped them get a good house close by! You guys have to meet her. Maybe she could hang out with us, y' know?"

"Whoa, let's not jump too far ahead on this," Kelly spoke up, playing with the red bead on her bracelet. "We don't even know her. Sorry, Ariel, but being pen pals is different from being…close friends that…share everything. I mean, you don't know if we can trust her, do you?"

"I have to agree with Kelly on this one," Taylor agreed. Kelly almost purred at his words. "I mean, she is probably a really nice person, but that doesn't mean that we'll be able to trust her if she finds out about our `little secret'."

"How about you meet her first, before you pass judgment on her," Ariel suggested, not bothered by Taylor and Kelly's reservation.

"I don't know if I should go with you to meet her today," Taylor said slowly. He hadn't fed on anything for quite a while.

"How long has it been since you last fed?" Ariel asked, concerned for her friend.

"I dunno…a while, I guess…maybe a couple days," Taylor said shrugging. The thought of the metallic taste of blood rushing over his tongue both disgusted and excited Taylor.

"Tay, you can't go so long with out eating," Peter said sternly. "You might lose control."

"I know, I know," Taylor sighed. He raked his fingers through his hair to get it out of his eyes. But the strands fell immediately back into his face. Ariel pulled her long blond hair back with her black hair band.

"Well, why don't we just go over there right now for a little bit and you can eat when we get back." She got up from Peter's lap and went over to Taylor, forcefully pulling him from his seat.

"Do we get a choice?" Taylor asked as Ariel yanked him to his feet.

"Nope," Ariel said plainly. "Come on, she's really nice. You'll love her!"

"Fine," Kelly, Peter, and Taylor all said in unison, knowing that Ariel wouldn't leave them alone until she got her way. Ariel smiled with satisfaction. I have them so well trained, she laughed to herself. Peter and Kelly stood up and together the four friends walked out of the house and began walking across the yard to meet Ariel's friend.

As they walked towards the newly painted house, Ariel reached over and grabbed Peter's hand. He smiled down at her as he entwined their fingers and reached over and tenderly kissed her forehead. She smiled sweetly at him.

"Peter," she said quietly. Peter looked down at her, as they walked across the green, freshly cut lawn.

"Yeah?"

"Well...I..." Ariel didn't know how to put what was on her mind into words. "Never mind. I'll ask you later." Peter looked at her questioningly. She shook her head. "I'll ask you later..." she repeated. His hand squeezed hers reassuringly.

"Alright...later then."

They climbed up the stairs of the new wood porch to the white door. Ariel knocked and looked back at Peter, Kelly, and Taylor as they waited patiently for the door to be answered. Peter spotted a piece of hair that had fallen from Ariel's ponytail and tucked it behind her ear. He pulled her closer to him so that his arm was draped around her shoulder. Finally, after a few moments the oak wood door opened to reveal a young woman. She didn't seem surprised at who was standing on her front porch. But then, Ariel wasn't expecting her to. It was hard to catch Tawny off guard.

"Ariel!" she cried excitedly. "Oh my God!"

"Hey!" Ariel cried in response as she leaned forward and embraced her friend. "I can't believe you're finally here. I haven't seen you in so long!" She pulled back to look at Tawny. She looked so different from the old pictures that Ariel had of her.

Tawny had long, dark brown hair that cascaded past her shoulders, down to the base her shoulder blades. She had wild, exotic jewel green eyes fringed with long black lashes, and thin, but shapely lips. She was thin, in her light blue tank top and khaki shorts that showed her long legs, but she had delicious curves. She reached up and tucked her hair behind her ears, revealing the two pairs of silver hoops and single pair of silver studs in each ear lobe and the metal ring in the upper cartilage of her left ear.

"Wow, you look so different than you were when we were thirteen," Ariel laughed. "You don't have glasses."

"And you got rid of your braces," Tawny returned. But that wasn't the only change in her friend that she had observed. She too was taking in the appearance of her old childhood friend. She quickly noticed all the black. Ariel had on black flared jeans and to accompany them she wore a black tank top that showed a belly button ring with a small cross hanging from it. She wore a long sleeved, see-through black shirt over it and bore another cross on her necklace. To set off her outfit she had on black sandal shoes. Her appearance was not the only thing that changed. She…felt different. There a darkness that permeated her emotions. Her naturally bubbly energy was forced…not quite genuine.

"Braces, huh?" the tall young man, who had had his arms around Ariel when Tawny had first opened the door, asked. Ariel blushed and elbowed him in the stomach and told him to hush. Tawny looked at him.

He was wearing a black button up over shirt that had the first three buttons undone to reveal a small portion of a smooth, tan chest and there was another cross visible hanging from the silver chain around his neck. He had intelligent, soft brown eyes, the color of milk chocolate, and a pleasant smile and he had dark blond hair, the color of dried buckskin in shadow, which was short but just long enough to be slightly curly. He seemed to almost radiate a sense of calm and quiet control. He smiled at the girl standing in front of him as if to show off his straight, white teeth. 'Handsome' was the first word that entered her mind. But something felt…off…about him. Something that Tawny had never come across before. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on but it was enough to make the hair on the back of her neck rise…literally.

"This is Peter," Ariel explained. As Tawny watched Ariel glance up at Peter she could feel a certain warmth from her friend. She really cares for him, Tawny said to herself. She guessed that Ariel and Peter were a couple, judging by the feelings that Ariel radiated while standing next to him.

"Hi, I'm Tawny," Tawny said, offering her hand. Peter shook it and smiled at her warmly flashing his white teeth.

"Hi, Tawny," Peter said in a smooth voice.

"And this is Kelly," Ariel continued. Tawny looked at Kelly who was wearing a small black t-shirt and a pair of baggy black jeans. She had olive colored skin and straight, shoulder length black hair that just barely brushed the tops of her shoulders and calculating dark brown eyes. She too wore around her neck a silver chain with a cross on it. A small silver ring circled the pinky on her left hand. Around her right wrist was a black chain bracelet, adorned with a single blood red bead that she was absently fingering. Kelly nodded to her, not saying any thing, but smiling in a, seemingly, friendly manner. She too felt unusual. And then it struck as to what was off. She got absolutely no feelings from them. Any of Ariel's friends for that matter. It was like standing before an invisible void. "And this is Peter's brother, Taylor." Ariel finished. Tawny shifted her attention from Kelly to the other young man that stood on her porch.

When she then turned her attention to the Taylor, who hadn't said a single word yet, she froze. Suddenly the fact that she could not feel anything from ceased to matter. Tawny's eyes roamed over him. Baggy black jeans...black boots-same as Peter-a black tank top with black over shirt, but not buttoned up, and in his upper left ear was an earring with a small cross hanging off of it. He also bore yet another necklace with a cross on it. 'Wow' was the only thought that crossed her mind. The boy standing before her was, for lack of a better word, beautiful. His eyes were of a color blue that was reminiscent of a lagoon at dawn; dark, but clear and sparkling all the same. His hair was slightly longer than his brother's, a few strands falling into his face, and was the color of sun-dried wheat. But when the snatches of sunbeams that filtered through the leaves of the trees caught a few strands, it was like spun gold. He was absolutely...gorgeous. That was the only word to describe the sight in front of her.

"Uh, hi," Tawny said in a quiet voice as she stared at Taylor. His gaze locked with hers. Tawny's heart jumped. His eyes...were absolutely...mesmerizing.

"Taylor, say something," Ariel hissed as she nudged him with her elbow. What was wrong with him? Taylor was quiet, sure, but he wasn't silent.

"Hi," Taylor said thickly as he stared at Tawny or, rather, Tawny's neck. He was so…thirsty.

"Sorry," Ariel said, rolling her eyes. "Taylor isn't feeling well today so he's…" she stopped when she saw Taylor and Tawny staring at each other. She looked over at Peter who wore a curious expression and Kelly whose face was blank as she too stared at the noticeable connection between Taylor and the new girl. "Um...Tawny?" Ariel asked, turning back to her friend. Still, she got no response from either of the transfixed teens. She reached over and tapped Tawny's shoulder. This snapped her out of the trance Taylor had set her in.

"Huh?...um...what? I'm sorry..." Tawny said, shaking her head as she cleared her thoughts. Ariel laughed.

"We were just wondering if you wanted to hang with us today."

"Sure!" Tawny said brightly. She was tired of sitting around in the strange and unfamiliar house all by herself. It was so boring. Besides, her mother told her to make an effort to make friends here. What better time to start then now? "So do you guys wanna come in or something?"

"Sure!" Peter chimed. Tawny smiled and stepped aside, holding the door open for them. Peter and Ariel walked in first, hand in hand, followed by Kelly, who was still silent. Taylor followed last, slowly brushing past Tawny. He caught her scent and smiled to himself. She smelled liked…raspberry lipgloss. She closed the door after him and went into the living room where the four of them had sat down.

"So, do you like it here in Oklahoma, so far?" Peter asked as Tawny sat down on the couch, Taylor sat at the opposite end, across from Ariel and himself, who were seated in the love seat. Kelly chose to sit in the recliner that was slightly to the left of the loveseat. Tawny shrugged.

"It's okay, I guess," she replied. "I miss the beach…and every one that I knew in Tampa."

"Well, now you got me back!" Ariel trilled happily. Tawny smiled broadly. "I still can't get over how much you've changed!" Ariel continued. "You look so different with out your glasses!"

"I know," Tawny laughed. "I hated those things. They broke every week and it was a pain whenever I had gymnastic meets and exhibitions. So I finally got contacts."

"Cool," Ariel laughed. "It looks like you've filled out too. You used to be so scrawny! Now, you actually have curves!"

"I'll say," Peter agreed.

"Hey, you're not supposed to be looking at other girls!" Ariel cried as she jokingly punched him in the arm.

"Ow! Okay, I'm sorry!" Peter laughed.

"So did you quit gymnastics and let Mother Nature and hormones give your body a once over or what?" Ariel continued, glaring at Peter warningly from the corners of her eyes. He simply smiled when he noticed his girlfriend doing so. It was so much fun to tease her.

"No, actually. I got growth spurt and my trainer just about cried. So I'll never be in the Olympics, but if I ever wanna be a cheerleader, I got it in the bag," Tawny replied laughing. Ariel laughed as well.

"I can see that," Ariel giggled.

"So, Tawny," Kelly finally spoke up, leaning forward. " What did you do for fun back in Florida?" Tawny shrugged. The scrutinizing look that Kelly was giving her was making her uneasy.

"Um…I just hung out with my friends…when I wasn't taking gymnastics or kick-boxing," Tawny replied.

"Do you ever watch that show about the girl who is a vampire slayer?" Kelly asked. Taylor, Peter, and Ariel varied in shifting uncomfortably and clearing their throats nervously in reaction to Kelly's falsely innocent question. Tawny snorted.

"No," she laughed. "I watched it once with my friend Kat… I don't really like that kind of stuff."

"Why not?" Kelly asked, barely keeping the defensive edge in her voice in check. Tawny shrugged.

"I just don't. I mean, maybe I'm weird but I just don't like stories about magical creatures and whatnot. Call me crazy but the thought of some one wanting to rip apart my throat and drink my blood as I'm dying kinda freaks me out. It's scary and it's disgusting. I just don't like that kind of stuff." Kelly smoldered, seeming a little less than satisfied with Tawny's answer, and sat back in her chair. To tell the truth, everyone in the room suddenly became very uncomfortable. Kelly began to play with her bracelet again, shooting a, what seemed to be a rather smug look to Tawny, towards Ariel. But Ariel seemed to be purposefully not realizing that Kelly was glaring at her. It was really starting to unnerve Tawny that she could not feel anything from Ariel's friends. Well…that wasn't quite right. If Tawny concentrated she could feel chills, like icy fingertips tracing up and down her spine, and the hair on the back of her neck would start to rise. "So, you guys want anything to drink?" Tawny offered, changing the subject and trying to lighten the mood.

Yeah, perfect timing to ask that question, Ariel snorted inwardly. When she heard him shift slightly, Ariel's eyes flew to Taylor. She saw his eyes flicker to Tawny's neck. He smiled slyly but shook his head of the thought and looked away. Jesus…absolutely Perfecttiming alright.

"Um...no....thanks anyways....we're okay, really....sit down...talk to us...I wanna catch up with what's been going on in your life. What all have I missed back in Tampa Bay?" Ariel quickly changed the subject. She leaned back into Peter's arms.

"Nothing has really changed much…" Tawny said thoughtfully. "My mom got remarried again two years ago…Oh! You remember Adriana Johnson, right? Well, she got pregnant a year ago."

"No way!" Ariel gasped. "Adriana? Nuh uh! You're lying. She would never do that kind of stuff." Tawny just shook her head and continued. Meanwhile, Ariel, Kelly, and Peter watched carefully as Taylor's eyes focused on Tawny's neck. He seemed to slowly inch his way over closer to her. Ariel began to worry about what Taylor might do if he lost his self-control. "Um, Tawny? Could I get a drink of water?" she finally spoke her voice slightly higher than usual. Tawny gave her a strange look but nodded.

"Yeah, sure...here I'll get it." Tawny stood up and disappeared into what Ariel guessed was the kitchen. Moments later they heard the sound of splintering glass as it struck a hard surface followed by Tawny's voice. "Damnit!" Ariel was about to get up to help, but Taylor beat her to it and motioned for her to stay seated.

"Taylor...don't try anything funny," Peter warned in a low voice.

"I won't...I promise." Ariel knew when Taylor promised something he kept it, but she still had a bad feeling about him being in a room alone with Tawny.

Taylor came into the kitchen through the white swinging door. He spotted Tawny kneeling down and collecting shards of glass. Taylor made his way over to where she knelt and lowered himself to his knees.

"Thanks," Tawny said gratefully. She glanced up at him and smiled. "My mom isn't known for being the best packer in the world…I had to unpack the glasses so Ariel could have a drink." Tawny knew that she was beginning to babble so she decided to stop talking. Why was she so nervous?

"It's no problem," Taylor said, really speaking for the first time. Tawny's heart tripped over its self. If she had thought that Peter's voice sounded smooth, then Taylor's voice was like liquid silk, caressing her ears with the sound of it. She fought to keep her attention on the problem at hand.

Taylor began carefully picking pieces of glass from the floor and throwing them into the nearby trashcan. He wanted to avoid being around any kind of blood, even his own. Taylor wasn't sure what he would do if he or Tawny started bleeding from a shard of glass. He was so hungry. And beside him, Tawny smelled soo…sweet… That raspberry lipgloss was starting to flood his nostrils with its scent. Taylor imagined what it would be like…to lick that sweet lipgloss from Tawny's lips as she trembled in his grip, offering up her throat. Taylor could almost feel the warm, smooth skin of her neck against his lips. He could taste her skin as he traced his tongue over her vein. He could feel the slight resistance just before her skin broke, allowing his fangs to penetrate her skin, opening the vein to allow her hot tangy, bitter, metallic tasting blood to rush onto his tongue as he greedily drank from her.

Taylor was jolted out of his thoughts when he heard Tawny take in a sharp breath. He looked up just in time to watch as she jerked her hand away from a piece of glass.

"Ow!" she squeaked. Tawny looked down at the base of her palm as a large, dark red bead of blood began to form where the glass had cut her. Taylor froze.

He immediately smelled the blood that escaped through the cut. His heartbeat increased. This really wasn't fair to him. He felt as though sandpaper was grinding against his already thin self-restraint. "You okay?" he asked thickly.

"Yeah....damn it...I'm bleeding..." Tawny replied, not looking up at Taylor.

"I know...God, I know..." Taylor mumbled. She looked at him confused. What did he mean by that?

"Um...yeah. Well, I gotta get it to stop...I don't think it's that bad, though...." With out realizing what he was doing, Taylor reached for her hand and gently took it in his own. He felt as though he had tunnel vision as he stared at the thick, red liquid dripping from the neat slash situated at the point where her wrist met her hand. He felt his self-control being sucked into the vacuum created by his thirst for the sanguine fluid that flowed from her cut. He couldn't stand it anymore! Plus, he thought, it's innocent enough. It was only a little cut, after all.

"Here...." Taylor said softly as he bent his head down and brought her hand up to his mouth. He began lightly sucking on the cut where the blood trickled from her. He closed his eyes at the metallic taste that filled his mouth as her blood slid down his throat. He wanted more.

Tawny's wrist throbbed a little from the cut and the pressure of Taylor's sucking made it hurt slightly. Yet shivers were shooting through out her whole body. She felt as though there were small bubbles shooting up through her chest and exploding in her head. It both pained and pleased her. She felt light headed and disoriented.

Taylor felt his fangs begin to grow as he drank but didn't want to stop. He groaned softly as the hunger that had earlier ripped at his body was slowly being satisfied.

Tawny thought that she felt his teeth graze over the skin on the skin of her wrist. Taylor didn't realize that he had opened the cut wider with one of his sharp incisors to get more blood to flow from the gash. Faster and faster the blood exited her body to make its way into Taylor's mouth, thanks to the enzymes in Taylor's saliva that kept it from clotting.

"Taylor...wait..." Tawny whispered breathlessly. She let her voice trail off as she whimpered quietly. She suddenly felt very weak…and extremely dizzy. Reluctantly, Taylor stopped sucking on her wrist and opened his eyes to meet her dazed stare. Tawny thought, for a second, that she spotted fangs at the corners of his mouth but gently shook her head. I'm just tired from all the excitement and the move, she told herself. And hadn't they talking about vampires earlier? "I feel...strange..." Tawny was so out of breath that she sounded as though she had sighed her last comment.

Taylor's eyes widened as he finally realized what he was doing. Oh my God, he thought, I'm killing her! An actual human being! What was he doing? He didn't feed on humans! Large animals at the most, but never a human being. Taylor felt ill.

Tawny's eyes tried to focus on the floor but it was spinning too fast. What was wrong with her? She suddenly felt the room join the floor in its spinning. Taylor brought his free hand up to lift her chin up so he could see her eyes. "Tawny? Are you okay?" His concern grew when he saw her eyes having difficulty focusing on him. After a few moments she finally responded.

"Um...yeah...I think...." she trailed off. She hoped like hell that wouldn't throw up. Yeah, that would make for a great first impression, Tawny thought cynically.

"Come here. Let's go sit down, okay?" Taylor said softly. Tawny tried to follow what he was saying but she had to roll the words over in her mind a couple times before she finally understood. Taylor stood up and gently pulled her up with him. She was unsteady on her own two feet. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Uh huh..." she whispered after a brief pause. Of course she would be okay. She was always okay. She didn't faint. Only weaklings fainted! she thought matter of factly. Fainting was too... weak...and one of the things she hated most was showing weakness. "I'll be fine...trust me…" A few seconds later her vision became hazed with black and she passed out.

"Whoa!" Taylor caught Tawny just before she hit the ground. His arms encircled her as he held her. His heart began beating fast. He had done this to her. He couldn't believe himself. "Crap! Please say you're alive....please..." Using one of his hands he applied two fingers to her throat on the vein that he knew so well. After a few moments of silence, relief spread over him and he let out a long breath. She had a pulse! Albeit it was rather erratic…but at least she had one.

Just at that moment Peter entered the kitchen through the door and stopped in his steps when he spotted Taylor holding Tawny's limp body.

"Taylor!" Peter yelled. Taylor could hear Kelly and Ariel walking towards the kitchen. Ariel was the first to burst through the door. She peered around Peter to see what was going on. When she saw Taylor and Tawny, her eyes widened in shock.

"Oh my God!" Ariel cried, rushing past Peter. "What the fuck, Tay!? You promised! What did you do to her?" She yelled. Taylor held Tawny's body to him possessively as Peter reached for her.

"No! She's not dead! She just...she cut her hand.....and then....she uh....." he hesitated. He considered telling the truth, but he was so ashamed. "She passed out! I didn't do anything!" Ariel almost believed him until the spotted a small spot of blood on Taylor's lip. She reached over and wiped it off with her index finger and held it in front of his face.

"Then what the hell is this, huh?!" Taylor had no response. "Bring her into the living room....NOW!" Taylor obeyed and carried Tawny into the black and white room and laid her down gently on the couch. Ariel leaned down and reached over to examine both sides of Tawny's neck but furrowed her eyebrows in confusion when she found nothing.

"Her hand." Taylor said mournfully as he sat down on the chair next to the couch. He ran his fingers through his hair as he prayed for her to wake up. Ariel finally came to examine Tawny's hand.

It wasn't exactly a very big cut, but thanks to the anticoagulants in Taylor's vampiric saliva, it didn't have to be. Blood was still dripping from it. Peter closed his eyes and looked away as did Kelly. That was the last thing that they needed to see right now. Ariel felt for a pulse just as Taylor had and smiled gratefully to herself when she found one.

"I already said that she wasn't dead, Ariel." Taylor sounded bitter.

"Well you already lied once to save your ass why wouldn't you do it again?" Ariel applied pressure to the cut to stop the bleeding. She was furious with Taylor. "Pete? Can you please get me a band-aid. I'm sure that they're probably in a closet somewhere or something." Peter nodded and left the room.

Ariel's rage built up over the next few seconds of silence. "Dammit, Tay! I can't believe that you did this to her! I really wanted to be close friends with her again! She's not like every other stuck up snot around here. If anyone were to join our group it would be her! And then you go and do something like this!"

"I said that I was sorry!" Taylor looked down at his boots. Kelly remained silent as she listened to Ariel berate Taylor.

"No...no, I don't believe that you did, Tay." Her voice was softer as Peter walked back in the room holding a box of band-aids that he had found in the medicine cabinet upstairs.

"Well I'm sorry, okay! I like this girl too! It's just....I...." he searched his mind for what he was trying to say. "The fucking blood was right in my face okay! You wouldn't understand how goddamn hard it is to resist Ariel...so don't even bullshit me with your `Holier Than Thou' lectures, alright."

"Hey!" Peter cut in. "Just stop, okay? We trusted you to go in that room Taylor. And I understand about the craving, all right. I truly do, and I'm not blaming anyone. I'm just saying that next time you're fuckin' hungry, feed okay?" He opened a band-aid and handed it to Ariel. "Stop this little routine where you starve yourself until you act like a whining little brat who didn't get dessert and then as soon as you see something that bleeds you act like a goddamn predator. It's not healthy and look what it led to."

Ariel applied the band-aid to Tawny's wrist and sighed as she leaned her forehead into her hands. "You guys? What are we gonna tell her when she gets up?"

A/N okay! Another chapter up! I know, there is really no plot yet but be patient. This is written as a novel…the plot will come. I'm just letting you get to knw the characters first. Please tell me what u think of it so far.