The End Of The Beginning

Why Him?

"Vanessa." I think it was Dalton who said. I couldn't really tell, I wasn't really listening. Kyler lays on the ground, clutching his stomach. When he sees me coming, his face shows pure terror. "No. Get away from me, you bloodsucking monster!" All I heard was 'bloodsucking'. "V? Vanessa!" Someone calls. Kyler tries to crawl away, but isn't very successful. "Stop! Don't! Get back!" "Vanessa, if you bite him, you'll die and he'll die." Zaiden says, standing in front of me. I hiss at him. "He smells so good!" I say through clenched teeth. Kyler screams out in pain again, which only provokes me. "Vanessa. Honey, stop." Dalton stands in front of me now. I at least look at him. "Don't do this. He's not worth dying over." I start to understand what they're saying now. Suddenly my head is a lot clearer. "Sorry. I don't know what came over me." "Bloodthirst. It's alright, it happens to us all." Dalton smirks, and eyes Zaiden, who looks to his feet. We look over to Kyler, who is wrapped up in a ball of pain on the ground. He glances up at us. "You never found out what it's truly like if our blood mixes." He says wearily, then throws the needle, seemingly falling still afterward.

The needle flies at us so fast, I hardly had time to realize it was coming for me.

Then it wasn't.

Someone jumped in the way.

Ruben.

He falls to the ground, his body shaking in a seizure like manner. "Ruben!" Dalton yells. We all run to his side. "Ruben?" His body still shivers, but not as violently. "Everything's all right, Ruben. It's ok." Dalton says. "I know it is." Ruben says, then writhes in pain. His breathing is very shallow and shaky. "Ruben? Stay with us." "Dalton...we won. Kyler won't be bothering you anytime soon." He smiled weakly. "Us, Ruben. He won't be bothering us." Dalton corrects him. More pain shivers through Ruben. "Can we suck out the blood?" I asked. "Not possible. Vampires can't bite vampires, you remember what happened with Christopher. No one can help him." "It's ok, Dalton." Dalton smiled a little. "That's what I'm supposed to be telling you." "Zaiden?" Ruben said, very out of breath. "I'm here." Zaiden says, tears in his eyes. "I was the one who ate the last cookie you had been looking for a while back." Zaiden laughs. "Darn you." "And I was the one who took your algebra paper and changed all the answers." Zaiden smiles. "I knew I didn't get an A doing it myself." I laughed at this, and felt tears in my own eyes.

"Vanessa..." He doubles over in pain. I knelt down next to him. "You have been the sister I never had. I couldn't have asked for anyone better. You've been a great part of this family, and I'm so glad you were." "Oh, Ruben!" I sob. "I love you all." "Don't start talking like that." "Would you rather I say I hate you all?" "If it means you believe you can make it." "Then I'd better stick with love." Another shot of pain, then his pale skin somehow gets paler as his sightless eyes cloud over.

A ripple of grief pierces through us all. Dalton sobs over Ruben, and Zaiden falls to his knees and screams in agony. I just stare at him. He called me his sister... Tears boil over and I crawl to Dalton's side. He grabs me in a big hug, both of us crying.

The next scene was gut wrenching. Dalton and I had gotten up, and we noticed Kyler wasn't on the ground anymore. He wasn't dead.

That's not even the gut wrenching part.

As Dalton and I looked at each other with worried glances, Zaiden moved to Ruben's side. He looked down on his dead brother. "Ruben? Ruben, please! Wake up!" He pleaded. "Please, no! God no! Please! Ruben!" He drops his head to his brother's and sobs. "Ruben..." It was barely above a whisper. This made me start crying all over again. Dalton holds me close in his arms. "Why him?" Zaiden's still whispering, I couldn't help agreeing. That should have been me.

Why him?