Vampire Barbie / Lucas Sinclair

𝟬𝟬𝟮 the branch

The girl was lying back on her bed, staring up at the ceiling, a throw pillow clutched to her chest when Athena ducked into the bedroom — Peekay was the only one who could fit perfectly under the slanted roofing of the attic bedroom where she resided.  She had always enjoyed being up so much higher than the rest of her family; from her vantage point at the window, she could Hawkins — the church steeple, the high school, even the start of the woods.  In the mornings, sunlight would stream through the cracks in her blinds, washing her walls in the bright light, illuminating her walls in a bright glow, reminding her every day that the vampires were still out there.

"Hi," Peekay greeted, raising a single three-fingered hand in greeting.

"Hi," Athena responded.  "What are you up to?"

"Oh, nothing," Peekay responded with a slight shrug of the shoulders.  "Just thinking about the best way to even out the number of fingers on my right hand."

"For obvious reasons, I hope that was a joke," Athena responded, deadpan.  "Anyway, there's someone at the door for you, she says her name is Max?  Do you want Minerva or I to bring her here?"

Peekay perked up at this, a small grin on her face.  Max Mayfield had been quick to extend the branch of friendship toward Peekay, who had gratefully grasped onto it, hoisting herself into the life of Max Mayfield.  The friendship between them only blossomed the more time that they spent together.  Their afternoons spent at the animal shelter were filled with comfortable chatter and fits of laughter.  At school, Max would raise a hand in greeting ("Hey, preacher's kid") as they passed in the hallways, and for once, Peekay felt seen.  Invitations to eat lunch with her friends ("Mike might be a grouch, but don't mind him, he'll warm up to you") were extended every day during history, but Peekay had always declined with a genuine smile and slight shake of the head, preferring to disappear to her silent corners of the high school and hunch over her worn copy of Dracula for the thousandth time.

Before Max Mayfield, Peekay had almost always been utterly alone — not that she had ever particularly minded.  Peekay, fed up with lectures on how a lady should behave by the patronizing old ladies who would knit on the porch in their screeching old rocking chairs when they spotted her climbing a tree or riding her bike with her hands in the air, had given up trying to appeal to societal standards long before.  That wasn't all that she had tired of conforming to either, there were the kids at school, who sneered at those who had characteristics that were supposed to make them unique and celebrated, but instead were shamed and shunted off to the side simply because they had not been molded the same way they had been. 

"Oh, no, it's fine.  I'll meet her down there," Peekay answered.

When Peekay, followed by Athena, arrived back downstairs, they found Max, Minerva, and their parents gathered in the dining room.  The room always kept uncluttered and neat was been filled with a bright, bustling atmosphere no matter the time of day.  The white curtains were pulled back, allowing sunlight to stream into the room, framed artwork and awards from school hung on the walls, a vase of brightly colored flowers from the front yard sat in the center of the mahogany table.  Minerva — the aspiring doctor — who was seated across from Max had managed to get her hands on the first-aid kit and coaxed Max into allowing her to dress her freshly scraped elbows as she conversed with their parents. 

"Whoa, Max, you need to get out of there as soon as you can before dear here Minerva gets ahead of herself and tries an arm amputation," Peekay hummed as she and Athena entered the kitchen.   She heard Athena let out a small laugh as Max looked up at Minerva in alarm and tugged her arm out of Minerva's tight grasp.

Minerva was quick to throw a nearby towel at Peekay, though it fell short and landed pathetically at the latter's feet.  "That was one time!"

"Well, it should be none times," Peekay retorted.