The Valuable Sun

Chapter 1

"Yep," Sookie replied out loud. "I guess we can't read vampires' thoughts because they're dead. It was so peaceful," she sighed as she remembered being alone with him.

As the night's events went through her head, Brooklynne saw it all. Bill, the vampire, entering Merlotte's, ordering the wine, being attacked in the parking lot, Sookie rescuing him. The silence.

"Dangerous," Brooklynne said as she looked back at her cards.

Sookie knew what she was referring to, but she didn't want to alert her grandmother so didn't reply.

"I'll let you go to bed," Sookie said as she got up.

She kissed her grandmother's cheek before walking up to her bedroom.

"G'night Brooke."

"Dream sweet dreams for me," she sang quietly, like she would sometimes.

"Come on, honey, let's finish this game."

***

It was a hot morning. Sookie took the opportunity to put on a two-piece bathing suit and lie down a lounge chair, thinking about nothing but the vampire she had met the night before, and the weird dream that followed. Brooklynne was near her, wearing a short yellow dress, her long blonde hair brought up in a ponytail, and dancing barefoot on the grass. The music was in her head. She wasn't paying attention to anything. Not even to her brother who had just stopped his truck in front of her. He got out quickly, not even bothering to say hello, shut the door of his car and walked straight up to Sookie.

"Hey! How come you didn't tell me you beat up the Rattrays last night?"

"I haven't even seen you since then!"

"Where's Gran?"

"Hanging the laundry out back, and you keep your voice down! I don't want her to know about any of this."

"Fortenberry couldn't wait till I got to work this morning to tell me about it!"

"Hoyt Fortenberry? How the heck does he know?"

"He went over to the Rats last night to buy some weed. And Denise drove up like she wanted to kill somebody, she was so mad. The only way she would sell him any weed was if he would drive Mack to the hospital in Monroe."

"Uh-huh. Well, did Hoyt tell you that Mack came after me with a knife?"

"Motherfucker! You want me to kick his ass?"

"I already took care of that, thank you."

Jason nodded, content to hear that justice had already been served.

"Well did you know that in addition to drugs, the Rats also happen to be vampire drainers?" she asked, and her brother frowned. "Yep. One of my customers last night was a vampire and they were draining him in the parking lot. I couldn't have that."

Jason took a deep breath, as if he were angry. Brooke was listening to them but when she heard why Jason didn't like vampires, she took an interest in the conversation.

"Sookie, you do not want to get mixed up with vampires. Trust me."

"Oh, shut up. Even if you hate vampires, you can't let trash like the Rats go and drain them. It's not like siphoning gas out of a car. They would have left him to die."

"Who fucking cares? He's already dead."

"That's not his fault!"

Jason sighed. He was about to walk out when a thought crossed his mind.