LIFE'S NO STORYBOOK
Chapter 7 Playing guard dog at The Crypt isn't exactly how I envisioned my Saturday afternoon. Yet, here I am, the ever-loyal beta and big sister. Sometimes I can't help but think that a word like 'loyal' is synonymous with borderline retarded. A few of the leeches, Seth, and Jacob are scattered around the obscenely large living room. Interior design seems to be another thing the tiny leech dabbles in and I've got to give her her dues. The room is light and airy, definitely a whole lot less sterile than you'd expect from the undead. Seth is animated as he regales the leeches with what is sure to be a fascinating tale. His eternal optimism really makes no sense to me. For God's sake, he had lost his youth at the age of fourteen when he'd been deemed a protector of our tribe and the human race. Fourteen year-olds don't bound around on four legs setting vampires alight. They don't stop themselves asking out the pretty girl who sits next to them in Math because they're terrified of the god-awful phenomena that is imprinting. I've always had trouble accepting the fact that Seth didn't really experience any of what was supposedto happen. My fists clench and I close my eyes in an attempt to ride out the wave of anger. I open my eyes as the leech with ADD leans in close towards Seth and whispers something in his ear. It doesn't matter that they're 'vegetarians' or that we smell 'unappetizing.' Her teeth are still way too close to his neck. And the rage is back again. Once I've regained some semblance of control, my gaze shifts to Jake and his 'princess' or whatever the hell he's calling her these days. They're sitting on the floor, Indian style, talking about the latest book she's read. "...The behavior displayed by the protagonist renders me rather exasperated at the best of times, my Jacob. She is not alone in making me feel this way. All the characters I have encountered thus far, possess such intense flaws…. it makes it difficult for me to contemplate how humans even begin to function." How is he supposed to respond to that? Jacob shifts uncomfortably, his pained sigh just barely reaching my ears. Sans imprint magic, I know Jacob would defend these so called flaws the human characters possess. Despite the feral ticks we may have, we're still human. Call it intuition, but I'm positive that expressing disagreement towards the opinion your imprint holds isn't something that flies. "The intensity of your compassion seems to rival the intensity of your pain." Somehow, I manage to keep from starting. The empath is now sharing my wall space, leaning back against the pale cream wallpaper… this subtle attempt to appear more human doesn't go unnoticed by me. I wonder if I should tell him that the cryptic greetings are putting a serious damper on his human act. "Right, well… let's keep the lid on that, shall we?" I don't know what the hell it is about this specific leech that makes him tolerable. Instead of walking away, I'm making civilized conversation with him. For the secondtime. "Don't get your cows runnin', ma'am. I won't tell a soul," The pronounced Southern drawl catches me off guard and I raise an eyebrow. He shrugs and a small smile touches his lips. "The compassion was directed at Jacob I assume?" he asks, looking straight ahead. "Yeah… imprint stuff." I respond vaguely, beginning to resent the waves of calm that wash over me. "We have not given her reason to be distasteful towards humans." His voice is conspicuously devoid of any kind of defensive edge. It seems I wasn't the only one who had been listening in on Baby Leech's monologue. I acknowledge his words with a nod, unable to think of a fitting response. Talking to a bloodsucker isn't really something I do… well, ever. My eyes focus on the back of Jacob's head, unable to resist admiring his thick, dark locks. Almost on cue, he turns around and cocks his head to the right, staring right back at me, looking far more adorable than should be allowed for a giant of a man. "-Longing and compassion? Jacob is a lucky man." I grit my teeth as my jaw threatens to give way. Before I have the time to formulate some sort of a response, the Mind Rapist rushes in from the front door, looking the vampire equivalent of flustered. "They are approaching." The empath and I both straighten in unison. The muscles in my back tense and my eyes flick to Jacob, who is already up on his feet. I walk towards him and he directs a small smile my way. My own smile falls from my lips as Seth takes his place to Jacob's left. The fact that we know absolutely nothing about these visiting bloodsuckers means I'm not exactly over the moon at the possibility of my kid brother fighting against them. 'I met Azhar briefly at the turn of the 19thcentury but I'm afraid my knowledge about him leaves a lot to be desired. I still can't quite understand why he would want to visit us.'Dr. Drac had said. The midget leech hadn't been able to 'see' because of our involvement in the whole thing. Which pretty much leaves the whole lot of us in dangerous territory. We don't know how many bloodsuckers are coming or any abilities they might have and that means, wolf or not, Seth is vulnerable. The urge to order him back home is strong and I open my mouth to act on it. Almost as if he knows what I'm thinking, Jacob grips my wrist and subtly shakes his head. I try to ignore the sensations in my stomach as his fingers trail along the underside of my wrist. His touch is re-assuring and free of hesitation, like a long practiced gesture. Abruptly, he releases me and begins to walk towards the front lawn. The loss of his warmth leaves me with an unpleasant feeling. The feeling only worsens as the acrid stench of the bloodsuckers gets nears. Acutely aware of the possibility of approaching danger, we all step outside and position ourselves on the lawn, feigning a casual demeanor. I catch sight of two figures in my peripheral vision. The first is a girl of ten or eleven. She's skipping along the mud path. A head of black curls frame her face, falling past her elbow. She's paying no mind to our presence, seemingly enamored with something in the grass. Her head snaps up suddenly and she beams, her almond shaped eyes sparkling a bright red. Well, that's certainly one way to make an entrance. Enlist the aid of a vampire child. Her companion is a tall and thin man of about twenty, with similar wiry black hair. Both the bloodsuckers have Middle Eastern features. Their skin, although pale, appear to have a golden tinge. A feeling of unease settles in my stomach as I watch the child-leech's eyes roam over my face. I refuse to give in to any kind of discomfort and stare blankly back at her, being careful to keep my expression devoid of any emotion. Vampire or not, I'll be damned if I let a kid intimidate me. "Hello, my name is Carlisle Cullen and-" "Hello Carlisle. It has been a long time. Allow me to introduce my sister, Yasmin." The male leech steps forward and shakes Dr. Drac's hand. He must be Azhar, the one who had written the letter pertaining to this creep-tastic little visit. "It is not your place to speak for me, brother," the child-leech hisses, narrowing her eyes, looking suspiciously close to stamping her foot. To my surprise, her elder sibling nods respectfully and moves back to take his place behind her, in her shadow. Well, I'm no expert on family dynamics but there was definitely something wrong with what just happened. From the corner of my eye I glance at Jacob and, sure enough, he has an eyebrow raised. Dr. Drac chooses to ignore the exchange between the siblings; not even breaking a sweat, he turns on the charm and introduces himself and the rest of his family to the child-leech. As he gets to Jake, she cuts him off. "What are they?" she demands, pointing towards Jake and myself. "Tell me." The mind rapist steps forward "What are you doing? Stop. Stop now." But the damage is done. Dr. Drac is speaking as if on autopilot and he doesn't stop until he's recited all of 'The complete guide to the Quileute tribe'. Each muscle in my body tenses. My back stiffens, arms locked at the sides... A scream of rage builds up in my throat… the secrets of our ancestors, our tribe, have just been disclosed to parasitic murderers. I breathe deeply, attempting to keep my expression passive. "I-What did you do?" Carlisle demands, sounding uncharacteristically aggressive. "It was her power. She can manipulate free will and force those around her to do as she pleases," the mind rapist says. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Jacob has tensed further, even though it really should've been biologically impossible. Our proximity means I can hear the syncopated rhythm of his heartbeat, confirming the level of his worry. "I had come to see the half-blooded child but it seems this small area in Washington is inhabited by far more interesting creatures." The child-leech says, her gaze moving from Spawn to Jacob, Seth and I. The empath steps forward, as calm as ever. "Well, as you have just informed us, you have seen the shape-shifters as well as Renesmee. I don't see much reason for prolonging this exchange." The child-leech turns towards her brother, amusement dancing across her features. "Brother, do you suppose he wants us to leave? Such a hostile family." My already waning resolve dissolves at her mocking tone. "Look, this has gone on long enough. You wanted to see the supernatural freak-show. Well ta-fucking-dah. Now that that's over and done with, do us one last kindness and get the hell out of Forks." To my surprise, the male leech, Azhar, speaks up. "Sister, she is the one." The words have a mobilizing effect on Jacob. He hisses from beside me, glaring fiercely at the bloodsucker. "The one what? What the hell are you talking about, parasite?" Yasmin throws back her head and laughs, squealing in delight. The sounds echo in my ears as both the leeches disappear into the forest, without another word. "What did they mean Edward? What do they want with Leah?" Seth asks softly, stepping around Mommy Leech towards the Mind rapist. "Yasmin… she is desperately lonely… she has been searching for a pet, an animal of some sort. And Azhar has been in pursuit of a certain type of woman that will provide him with physical pleasure. They have… they have come to the conclusion that Leah will serve as both." TBC... Author's note: So, what did you think? Thank you Blood Everlasting, my lovely beta.
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