Emory

Chapter 4

The next night I am brushing my teeth when I hear Juliet talking to Ben through the vents of the bathroom. Has he snuck in her room somehow to our two story bedroom? Hum, maybe he really is a vampire.

“No I don’t want to say goodbye; I want to come with you. Or you can just stay here!" I hear Juliet say. There is a girly wine to in her voice I rarely hear her use even when she wants something really bad from dad or Vince.

Ben laughs softly and say "You know I can't stay. But I can come back in an hour. Maybe you can come back with me."

She must be thinking about it because there is a silence and then she says softly "Okay, that would be nice." Then they say their goodbye.

I finish up getting ready for bed and go into my room. Juliet is standing by the window looking out longingly. I scan the room but there is no sign of Ben having been there.

"Where’s Ben?" She turns around like I had really scared her.

“Ben? Why would Ben be here?” She looks really uncomfortable.

I point at the vent and say “I heard him.”

Her eyes get big and she hurries away from the window and picks up her phone and like she has been holding the entire time.

"Oh yeah, I was just talking to Ben." She puts her phone behind her back. “It was on speakerphone.” She adds when I only give a blank stare.

"Uh huh... Sure. Well you tell him that I said hi the next time you ‘talk’ him on that speakerphone of yours. When is the next time you will see him?" I cross my arms and stare at her, daring her to lie to me.

Her smile wavers and I can tell she is trying to figure out if she wants to lie or not, I guess she knows me pretty well and decides I must have heard their conversation and opted for the truth.

“An about an hour..."

I smile at her. "You are such a dork. I can read you like a book.” I walk over to the bed and sit down and start brushing through my hair. “So… you're sneaking out? Where?"

She looks a little relieved and says "I'm not sure exactly. He goes somewhere every night for… something. And tonight he's going to show me… something."

I stare at her, trying to figure out exactly what I should say next when our brother Sam busts into the room with a look of horror on his face "They’re gone!" he screams and runs into Juliet's arms and holds on tight.

"Who's gone?" I ask.

"Everyone! Mom, Dad, Vince, Braylin, Reece! Everyone!" he squeezes his face in Jules stomach and she looks up at me, fear all over her face.

Juliet kneels down to him as she pries his little arms from around her, "What do you mean they're gone? Where did they go?" I go and kneel down too and brush the tears from his eyes.

"Don't know!" he says with an almost panic voice as he throws his arms around my neck and buries his head in my hair. "They just disappeared!"

I look up at Juliet and she is looking out the window. She stands and jogs out of the room. I stand too but Sam doesn’t let go. He wraps his legs around my waist so I carry him and follow Juliet. She is running in and out of every bedroom then starts down the stairs. "Mom?" she calls, "Dad?" She goes into the kitchen and circles around to the living room and into the library and study. I try to keep up with her while carrying a sobbing Sam. She turns around and rushes past us in the opposite direction towards the side door that leads to the garage. She runs back in and nearly crashes into us.

"The van is gone," our huge GM Safari van, "Sam, did you see them leave?"

"Yes" he says in a quiet voice but does not continue.