"Benny. Ben. Benny-boy. Are you paying attention to me?" I said, waving a hand in front of him.
"To be honest, no," Benny said, putting on a pair of goggles.
"Benny, this is it," Ethan said, making me look at him. "Our whole future social lives depend on how we behave for the next few days."
"What do you think?" Benny asked, motioning to the goggles.
"Benny!" Ethan whisper-yelled, snatching them off of Benny. I had to hide a smile behind my hand.
"Those are state-of-the-art alien DNA detector goggles!" Benny snapped quietly.
"Yeah, so?" Ethan snapped.
"High school cafeteria is an ideal place to test them out!" Benny stated.
"Yeah, and to brand us as dorks for the next four years!" Ethan snapped as I rolled my eyes.
"Just give me the goggles," Benny said through gritted teeth.
"No. You promise to be cool?" Ethan refused as they started a light tug-of-war.
"Hey! You guys, hey! Over here!" Rory called us over.
I smiled at Rory and waved. "Hey, Rory."
"The four amigos ride again. Any of you guys got a buck twenty-eight?" Rory asked.
"Here," I said, handing him the money in change.
"Thanks, beautiful," Rory smiled at me.
"Ugh... Okay, that's it. I'm getting away from you guys or I'm doomed to be-" Ethan let out a yelp as he ran into a girl, spilling his lunch all over her.
"Ah! Dork!" the girl yelled. She sighed angrily. "Thank you so much," she walked away.
"That is one babe-tastic tower of babe-alon," Benny put the goggles back on.
"Oh, shut up, Benny," I rolled my eyes.
"Says the girl who has a crush on Rory," Benny mumbled.
"I told you, we don't talk about it here," I said, glaring at him."No way," Ethan looked over at the girl Ethan spilled his lunch on. She was sitting by her friend as we sat at a table a couple tables across from them.
"That babe you branded is friends with her?" Rory asked in disbelief.
"Thanks, Rory, that makes me feel better about myself," I mumbled.
Benny slung an arm around me in an attempt to comfort me. I smiled slightly as he smiled back at me. He was always there for me.
"Who?" Ethan looked over at them. "Stage one Dusker girl?"
"Anyways, her name is Erica, and she's the Princess Leia to my Han Solo," Benny smirked. "Hey, maybe she's your babysitter for tonight."
"Okay. In no universe are you Han," Ethan started with a snort. "I doubt it's the same Erica."
"Ah, you're right," Ethan admitted.
"Probably too good to be true. I'm going to go find out," Benny said.
"Wait, what? Benny? Benny!" Ethan tried to stop him.
"Way to go, Benny!" Rory whisper-shouted.
"Shut up!" Ethan hissed.
"Is she your new girl?" I asked Rory.
"Of course not, just cheering on my best friend," Rory smiled goofily at me. "Cutie."
"Thanks, Ror," I said before he turned to Ethan.
"Think she'll tuck you in tonight?" Rory teased, cutting Ethan off.
"Shut up!" Ethan repeated to Rory.
"Yeah, I think she likes me," Benny whispered as he high-fived Rory.
"What? Why?" Ethan asked in disbelief.
"You're being babysat by a Dusker. Diehard fans of Dusk are so lame," Rory stated.
"Yeah, you should talk. You still sleep with Starship enterprise jammies," Ethan smirked as I snorted.
"Dusk is based on fairytale creatures. Star Trek is based on actual physics," Rory defended himself.
"True... but hey, if fairytales is what it takes to nab my future wife, then, once upon a time, I'm in!" Benny said determinedly.
~~~
"Hey, check it out," Benny started as we started to leave school. "Looks like they found the rest of that missing senior."
"The rest?" Ethan and I questioned.
"Yeah. Says here he was all shrivelled up," Ethan continued.
My eyes widened and I looked away. A vampire must've got him that night, that's why he disappeared.
"Dude!" Ethan yelled, covered in Benny's juice. Ethan shoved him lightly.
"Oh, bummer," Benny looked over at Jesse, who had a girl pinned against a tree. "Looks like she's already hooked up with Mr. Too-Cool-For-School."
"Did somebody mention my name?" Rory put his elbows on the two boys.
"Sorry guys, that's my brother. I'll see you guys later," I said, frowning at him.
"Hey," he smiled at me.
"Hi, Grandpa."
~~~
"C'mon, (Y/n), we're going to be late," Grandpa called from downstairs. Well, Great-Great-Great Grandpa, but I call him Grandpa for short. My parents were dead because they were staked by the VC, my grandparents were bathed in holy water, and the list goes on and on. Grandpa was left to take care of me. He bit me a couple months ago and spiked my drink so I would be a full-fledged vampire.
"I said I'm coming," I said as Grandpa stood in the doorway.
"They picked up your geek friend, Rory," Grandpa stated.
"Don't let anyone bite him," I growled, my eyes turning yellow.
"You have my word. I won't let any of my friends bite him. But I can't control the others."
~~~
"Be patient, okay? In a few short days, we will have our revenge, and more. We will have the whole town!" Grandpa exclaimed. "But the prophecy can't be fulfilled until we meet our target. Two hundred and nineteen, soul for soul. It'll be an incredible night. Like something out of a movie."
"But some of us are hungry," a vampire complained.
"Fine. Enough talk. We're all hungry, the moon is full... Let's eat," Grandpa decided as the others cheered.
"I don't like this," I said quietly.
"Too bad," Grandpa shrugged.
"Whoa, whoa. Where are you girls going? You're just in time for dinner," Gort said mysteriously as we walked downstairs.
"Sweet! What's on the menu?" Rory asked excitedly.
Benny facepalmed. "Us, Rory! The menu's us!" Ethan exclaimed.
"Ohhh," Rory realized.
"Mmm!" We heard Grandpa hum, coming downstairs with Sarah. "Ah! Don't they look delicious?" Grandpa asked.
"No, you can't, not them! I know these kids. I'm babysitting them," Sarah looked at Grandpa.
"Well, I'm sorry, but... Wait. You still need a babysitter?" Grandpa looked at Ethan.
"Oh, no, no. He, he needs a babysitter," Benny pointed at Ethan.
Gort started to laugh. "No, I don't!" Ethan snorted.
"So, why exactly do you need a babysitter?" Gort asked.
"No one here needs a babysitter, okay?" Ethan said frustratedly.
"Just because he's a vampire, does he have to be such a dorkwad? Seriously..." Benny said quietly.
Gort charged toward him and I stepped in front of them quickly.
"Who, whoa! Stop, stop, stop! Initiations will follow tradition. Fledglings drink first," Grandpa said harshly.
A vampire pushed Rory forward and he seemed unfazed. I glared at everyone around me. Who bit him?
"Here his heart beating? It's the beat of a whole new world waiting for you. One where you'll never die, never grow old. One bite, and it's yours," Grandpa said to Sarah.
I glared at him as I stopped Sarah. "Please don't, he's my best friend."
"Sarah, don't!" Ethan jumped forward. His eyes turned white and I grew scared.
"Oh, I will do it!" Erica pushed Ethan aside, making Ethan snap out of it. Erica showed her fangs with ecstasy.
"Erica, no!" Sarah shouted.
"Hey, girls, there's no need to fight over me," Rory said, trying to ease the situation.
Erica lunged forward and bit his neck. She let go and Rory fell to the ground. She felt so alive that she fell too. She was driven into insanity because of how excited.
Sarah broke off sharp pieces of wood from a chair. Benny and Ethan spilled the punch, adding a lamp so that it created an electric floor.
"Everyone, stop. We'll get them later," I assured them as they groaned. I helped Rory up. He was still dizzy. "Rory? Hey, rorster? You okay? You alive? Okay, not anymore, but still."
"Hey, sweetie," Rory groaned.
"Grandpa, I'm taking him home," I said with tears in my eyes.
"Whatever," Grandpa rolled his eyes.
I sped him to his house and tucked him into bed. I took off his glasses and folded them, placing them on his nightstand. I wiped the tears from my eyes as he looked up at me.
"Thanks, (Y/n)," Rory groaned.
"No problem, Rory," I said, brushing a few pieces of hair out of his eyes. I kissed his forehead quickly. "Get some sleep. You'll be better in the morning, I know from experience."
"Good night," he mumbled, rolling over in bed.
"Good night, love," I whispered before heading out the window.
~~~
"(Y/n)!"
I turned, surprised, then smiled. "Hey, Rory. Better?" I asked, feeling his forehead.
"I don't need my glasses, my inhaler, anything!" Rory said excitedly. "You look pretty."
"Thanks, Rory, but you say that everyday," I reasoned.
"Doesn't mean I won't stop saying it," Rory smiled as he walked away.
I walked down the hallway and saw Ethan and Benny sitting against the lockers.
"What's the dork squad up to?" Sarah whispered.
"Wanna surprise them?" I offered.
Sarah nodded as we went over to the boys. Benny jumped when I sat next to him. He scooched away from me and I grabbed his arm. He tried to move away, but my grip got tighter.
"Are you going to bite?" Benny asked.
"I've been a vampire for a few months and I haven't bitten you. You're in the clear," I deadpanned.
"Who are you really?" Ethan asked.
"My name is (Y/n) Black, and my Great-Great-Great Grandfather is Jesse Black," I said, taking deep breaths to stay calm. "Anyways, I know you've been looking at the things that Grandpa was looking at. I have no clue. What'd you find?"
"Well... we have to go see Dusk III," Ethan said sheepishly.
~~~
I leapt up from my seat when Grandpa sucked the blood out of a young girl. Tears welled in my eyes as Grandpa opened the box and I saw the girl's soul fly into the box. He snapped it shut.
"Fire!" Ethan shouted. "Come on! Fire!"
"Stay in your seats, there's no reason to panic," Jesse then sent his goons toward everyone. I watched from the back as three more souls flew into the box.
"(Y/n)!" Grandpa yelled, motioning to the curtain.
I ran behind the curtain and Rory joined me. I hid scaredly before the sprinklers went off. Rory covered me and himself with his jacket as we ran out. We climbed into Benny's grandma's car. I barely paid attention to anything around me as I laid my head on Rory's shoulder. Rory covered my shoulders with the jacket.
~~~
I heard noises outside and I looked down at the tree in our yard. Sarah flew both of us down to the ground and I ran toward Grandpa, fighting him. I punched his jaw and he chuckled when he saw it was me who attacked him. He held Sarah against the tree as he shoved me aside.
"Sarah, no!" Benny yelled.
"Hey! I've got your friends in a box!" Ethan shouted.
"And I've got your precious girlfriend," Grandpa teased. "Give me the Cubile Animus, the souls must be transferred now!"
"Give it to him, Ethan. What are we going to do with a nest of souls, eBay it?" Benny questioned.
"Hand it over or she dies!" Grandpa yelled.
"Ethan, please don't," I pleaded, getting up and slowly hiding behind Benny.
"Alma, alphras, alnok, gatran!" Jane and Grandma shouted simultaneously from the window in Ethan's house.
Lightning struck Grandpa, making him drop me and yelp in pain. Benny ran toward me and grabbed me, dragging me to behind him and Ethan.
"Hey! You can have the box, but not what's inside. You ruined their premiere, now you deal with them!" Ethan yelled as he released the souls.
The souls flew out of the box in a frenzy, going through Grandpa and making him weaker and weaker.
"No! No!" Grandpa screamed as he disappeared into purple smoke.
"I can't believe you dated that guy," Benny looked at Sarah, who looked at him strangely.
~~~
"Faulty 3D glasses?" Sarah scoffed. "Who's gullible to believe that?"
"These are Duskers we're talking about, remember?" Ethan questioned, making me giggle.
"Besides, the town is safe, Jesse has rejoined his flock. It's all good, right?" Benny asked.
Ethan turned to Sarah. "You're not still dying, right? I mean, your mortal body looks to be doing just fine."
"Well, Benny's grandma makes a mean blood substitute," Sarah said, smiling.
"That, and she found my spell book!" Benny pulled out the spell book. He looked at me. "How're you holding up?"
"Well, my house has been full of Blacks, and a bunch of money was pre-paid toward the house. I'm good until I find a job. I'm good till I'm a thousand, actually, but I'm still going to be living there," I explained.
"And that's where we're going to be till you get tired of me," Rory said, slinging an arm around me.
"Who said anything about that?" I laughed.