Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Crystal ❯ Chapter 2

Crystal, Chapter 2:

 

 

I grabbed handfuls of loose paper, old birthday cards, and—thankfully—closed nail polish bottles, and tossed them onto the bed. There it was! My old sketchbook, which I hadn't touched in a few years now, lay at the bottom of my nightstand drawer. I felt an overpowering urge to draw.

 

After an uneasy night where strange dreams of the Scottish cousins kept me on the verge of waking up, I wanted to capture the images before they faded from my mind. The cousins were hunting, and not for Johnny, at least not yet.

 

My pencil flew over the page as shapes that were already becoming hazy in my memory formed, showing me Kevin, his eyes wide with fright, being held by Michael Brown. The Scottish cousin had one hand covering Kevin's mouth. I couldn't see Ian, but I remembered my impression: both my brothers had been taken.

 

Another figure emerged on the edge of the page, startling me because I hadn't seen this part yesterday. Johnny crouched low to the ground, snarling. I pressed my pencil down to make his eyes two black holes. As I drew him, I knew it to be true. Johnny was there, confronting the hunters. I didn't know what it meant, though. Did Johnny save my brothers, or did he end up being killed? I couldn't see that part at all.

 

It was no use. Nothing more took shape on the page, not even a background which might have given me a clue to where the kidnapping would take place. I was tired from lack of sleep, and it was a school day. I put my sketchbook back in the drawer and got dressed. When I saw Johnny again, I'd tell him about my visions. He was going to find out eventually, anyway. I hoped, for his sake, however, that he had taken my advice and gone to sleep under the water for a couple of days at least. He was going to need all of his strength.

 

My parents were speaking in low voices at the kitchen table and I paused in the little hallway adjoining the kitchen. Ian sat in his high chair, no late sleeper, that one, happily banging his spoon against the tray and squishing little round cereal shapes into powder.

 

“. . . not fair that they interrupt our lives,” my mother was saying. “Why did they have to come here, anyway?”

 

“You know why,” Kenny replied quietly.

 

“But the boys are just little kids!” my mother protested. “They can't harm anyone. And as far as those Scottish people are concerned, there's no way for it to go any further. They don't know about,” She lowered her voice even more. “Johnny.”

 

Kevin brushed by me, still in his pajamas, and took his seat at the table. I followed him in as my parents fell quiet. My mom looked at me questioningly. I nodded. “Johnny knows,” I told her. “He said he'll stay away.”

 

She didn't look like she completely believed me. That was alright. We both knew Johnny. I didn't completely believe me either.

 

“We do things our own way in Lockwood,” my mother muttered, getting Kevin a bowl of cereal. “They should just leave us alone.”

 

“It will be all right,” Kenny said. “I called my father last night. He's coming up to meet the cousins this weekend. He'll talk to them, explain the situation.”

 

My brothers were too young to go to school, so Mom usually took them to the library or to the park if it was nice for a few hours. Kevin belonged to a play group since he was almost ready for kindergarten. She would drop him off there around ten and pick him up after lunch. I kissed her good-bye before I went to wait at the end of our driveway for the bus. “Be careful,” I said cryptically, softening it with a smile. I didn't think anything would happen this soon, but then again, I didn't think the premonition I'd had yesterday would come true this quickly, either.

 

I hated taking the bus. Sometimes, lately, if Johnny hadn't slept yet, he would drive me to school, but today he should be under the water resting. The bus pulled up, and I got on. I was one of the first pick-ups and Ellie was one of the last, since her house was right in town. She slid into the seat next to me. “No Johnny today?” she asked, eyes twinkling.

 

Ellie knew all about Johnny. He had tasted her blood—so had I. She was ours. She was also my best friend. “I told him to stay away,” I said, and then I explained about the cousins from Scotland, without going into my fears for my two brothers. “You'll probably meet them, too. They're here to meet all of the family in Lockwood.” I didn't have to tell her to be careful.

 

“You're worried,” she said. “Don't be. Johnny is one of us.”

 

I grinned back at her, relieved. Not only Ellie, but half of the family blood in town had met Johnny over the past several years. No one talked about what he was, and I'm not sure most of them actually understood he was a blood-drinking vampire, but they felt a connection with him. Lockwood was Johnny's town. Johnny's and mine.

 

I was tempted to cut my last few classes, but I didn't have a way to get home anyway. The day dragged on and on, warm as it sometimes got in April, a hint of the summer to follow. I sat through American History, nearly falling asleep, and jolted awake when the bell rang. I felt hot, and thirsty, so I went to find the water fountain before I made my way back to my locker and then to the bus. I drank, and then wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, not very lady-like, but I wasn't feeling all that great at the moment. I straightened up and nearly smacked right into the person behind me.

 

“Excuse me,” I mumbled, moving to the side.

 

Paul Brown stood there, smiling down at me. “Crystal?” he said. “I'm glad I found you. Would you like a ride home? I thought we could talk for a bit.”

 

My heart sped up, and I stared at him without speaking until my mouth caught up. “Uh, sure,” I said, surprising myself. I didn't want to go anywhere with the Scottish hunter. What was he doing at my school. “What are you doing here?”

 

“Looking for you. My father told me what time your school let out, so I borrowed his car and here I am.”

 

Thanks, Uncle Robert, I thought sourly. “Okay, where are you parked?” I thought of something. “Don't you drive on the other side of the road?”

 

Paul laughed. It sounded nice. He wasn't that much older than me—six or seven years, maybe. I had a hard time imagining him as a kidnapper or even as a hunter. But I figured if he was with me, he couldn't be going after my brothers or Johnny. So I made the ultimate sacrifice. His brown eyes crinkled when he laughed. It wasn't that hard.

 

“Why were you looking for me?” I asked when we had driven off school property. He was heading in the general direction of my house. I wished I had a cell phone so I could call my mother and let her know what was going on, but it was her fault I didn't have one. She said I didn't need it. Hah.

 

“A pretty young girl? It was either that, or go with Father and Michael to visit some of the older relations in town. I picked you. I thought you could show me some of the sights, perhaps your lake, and we could get to know each other.” He glanced at me to see how I was taking his remarks. I must have looked confused, for he continued. “You seemed uneasy last night. I thought we could talk about what it is that's bothering you about our visit. I'm guessing you know some things about our family.”

 

I shook my head, then contradicted myself. “A little,” I said. “I knew Uncle Robert had a family in Scotland, too. Are you hunters?”

 

It was Paul's turn to look confused. “Hunters? Do you mean do we keep track of the bloodlines? Yes, we do. That's why we're here. I have to say I'm surprised you know as much as you do.”

 

Had I said too much? No, I'd rather get it out in the open and know what I'm dealing with—to a degree. “Turn here.” I indicated the dirt road that led to the lake. We had passed by my house without stopping. I showed him the way to the big beach, and we parked, then walked over to the water's edge. Even though it was a nice day for April, the summer people hadn't arrived yet, so the lake was still fairly deserted.

 

“I guess we got a crash course on the family history when we moved to Lockwood,” I said, continuing our original conversation. “My mother didn't know she was part of the Smythe family until we moved here when I was six or seven,” I told him, giving him the bare facts.

 

“So you know about our family's . . . peculiarities,” he said. “My father said you had actual contact with a blood-drinker when you were a child. Is that true?”

 

My face heated. “How could I be sure?” I said. “I was little. As far as I know, the one they said was a vampire was just a teenage kid. He went away years ago. I don't know what happened to him.”

 

“Do you believe he was a vampire?”

 

“It's hard to believe,” I said, skirting around the question. “Do you?”

 

“My father said he had been killed. By your father.”

 

He didn't answer my question either. “Kenny's not my father,” I said. “Why don't you ask him? Why me?”

 

“We will,” Paul promised. He took my chin in his hand and turned my face towards him. “I wanted to make sure you weren't—compromised.”

 

I felt the tingle again when he touched me. The family connection. I was glad that my healing abilities nearly rivaled Johnny's now, otherwise my neck would have been red and my wrists scarred from our blood exchanges. I remained unblemished. “I don't know what you're talking about,” I lied.

 

Paul let me go and stooped down to test the water. It was still very cold. “Do you ever swim in this lake?” he asked me.

 

“In the summer. We all do.”

 

“I see.” He walked back to me. “Thank you for telling me the truth,” he said. “I would have doubted you if you had pretended not to know about the blood-drinkers.” He put his hands on my shoulders, making me tingle again, and whispered in my ear, “You are sweet, Crystal Porter.” Then he kissed me.

 

It was the same and yet different from the kiss Johnny had given me—heat, with a little pressure that made my heart flutter. It made me long for Johnny. I broke away and stepped back, gazing at Paul with wide eyes.

 

“I'm sorry,” he said. “I shouldn't have done that. Let me take you home.”

 

Wordlessly, I got into the car as he drove me back up the dirt road to the main road. I couldn't help glancing at the cemetery as we drove past, but it was too early for Johnny yet. Even though I hadn't initiated the kiss, I still felt guilty about it. I wanted Johnny, only Johnny. Why had Paul kissed me?

 

The kiss stirred other things in me, too. I felt hungry, and even though Paul was family, I had the urge to taste his blood. Much as I needed Johnny to stay away, regain his strength, I wanted him with me, to love me, to give me his kisses instead of Paul's, and to take me hunting with him. I needed blood.