"Then we ended up here and you know the rest..." Zulie had finished story-telling, taking advantage of the fact that Damien had taken the kids out back to play. There was no need to remind them of the horrors from the previous night. I remained motionless in the barstool, staring at the food that had gone cold once again. There was no way I could bring myself to eat; this was my fault.
A friend had invited me to this themed party, of course she also extended the invitation to my family. But shortly after arriving, she had disappeared into the crowd. Zulie actually managed to find someone she knew and before long, had also drifted away from us. The moment she saw us leaving she said her goodbyes as well; we were their ride.
"Fay! What about your friend? Do you know if she's ok?" Mom whirled around to see me nearly jump from the stool.
"I...I don't know. There's no way for me to reach her." My phone had disappeared during that massacre and there was no other way I was going back there to find it. With all this newfound knowledge though, I had my suspicions that she was alive and well, well fed that is. Luke leaned against the fridge with all-seeing eyes; he knew exactly what I thinking.
"I'm sorry you had to experience that, but it has a silver lining. Now you are aware of very real dangers most tend to brush off as nonsense and fiction. Nightwalkers are, as their name suggests, mostly active after sundown. Attacks during the day hardly ever happen but it's still something you should be cautious of. Within the next few days you'll begin to See them. You'll see their natural form more clearly. Do not ever let them even think you can see them." Evelyn took a deep breath, shifting a translucent burden on her shoulders to make it easier to bear.
"What are you talking about?" Mom turned her attention back to the blonde.
"Vampires, were-creatures, etc. All those monsters you once believed only lived in fairytales. They're real, at least some of them." Luke spoke up, those emeralds still frozen on me. "Most kids can see them up till a certain age, then only a few are able to See after that."
"Nightwalkers have a special talent when it comes to hiding their true forms, making it easy for them to roam in the daylight as well. Last night there were vampires, wolves, and ghouls. You'll notice them more from here on out. But it's not like the fairy tales; holy water, sunlight, crucifixes, those don't work on vampires. We'll teach you how to properly defend yourselves. Of course you need to be able to keep your wits if you want to face them." Evelyn added holding my gaze, she knows too.
"This is ridiculous!" Zulie threw her hands in the air. "We're supposed to believe you all? You sound like nut cases! Ya vamonos Maria!" She stood, waiting for her friend to do the same. Before I could open my mouth, Mom sighed.
"Zulie, they're not lying." The short woman's body went rigid as Mom turned to look at me, everyone else's eyes followed. "They are real."
"You know?!" My turn to look like an abandoned nutcracker. Mom's eyebrows turned up apologetically. "Since when?!" My voice became shrill.
"Your father, knowing what he was. Before he left, I got pregnant, so there was no doubt."
"You've known all this time and you didn't tell me?!" Forget shock, my body trembled with anger. My whole life I felt like freak because of my blackouts, never knowing when they would happen or why. Even last night, she knew what was about to go down but didn't bother to help or at least warn me!
"The more aware you are of it, the more it shows. I was trying to protect you." Laughter bubbled up inside me until it burst through my lips. Of course she would say that! That's so typical!
"Please don't make this sound like a freaking soap opera! Protect me?! Don't you think it would have been better to let me know from the get go?! Hey Fay, you're a werewolf, if you start feeling hungry come eat before you blackout and possibly attack some random person!"
"Actually, it was safer for you not to know." Luke interjected.
"Shut up, no one's asking you." I snapped at him, way to add fuel to the flame.
"Fay, had you been aware, they would have sought you out sooner. A majority of the time, Nightwalkers don't support interspecies relationships so they kill the partner and child if there is one. I don't know who your father is, but I'm sure that's the reason he left. To keep you all safe." Evelyn tried to douse the flames. Zulie was back in her seat trying to make sense of the scene before her.
"My father left my mom pregnant and alone in a city she didn't know to go chase skirts no doubt. He's a pathetic excuse of a man, not some hero." My father was not one to be glorified, if anyone was a hero it was Manuel, my sisters' dad.
"Fay, I can't tell you why he left but please just calm down." Mom coaxed me, my clenched fists made everyone tense and nervous. Except for Luke who was already gripping his knife. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you." I muttered a weak 'Ok' and plopped back down in my stool. I just couldn't stay mad at Mom, Warden on the other hand was a different story.
"Zulie, I understand it's a lot to comprehend and accept, but there's no going back. Stick around a few days and we'll teach you what we can so you can keep your family safe." Evelyn smiled sympathetically. Mom's friend eyed both women wearily but nodded.
"You can call people back home to let them know you're alive. An attack of that scale will no doubt be all over the media with one cover up story or another." Luke crossed his arms after putting away his toy.
"An attack of that scale? How could someone cover that up." I asked stupidly which he acknowledged with a glare.
"Like anyone would believe fictional monsters shredded people to pieces, satiating their hunger with flesh, bones, and blood." Luke's words mirrored his posture, stiff and condescending. Poor Zulie's imagination was always hyperactive, and the description just now had her gagging.
"Anyways! There's a phone in the living room if you need it." Luke rolled his eyes under the lids.
"Mom! Have you seen the backyard?! It's huge! It's bigger than our whole apartment!" Gabriel stumbled to a stop right in front of the table, the young boy's face was a light shade of red with sweat sprinkled here and there. His innocent joy lit up the kitchen, shooing away the solemnity, even if just for a moment. "Come on! You need to see this!" His hands were a lasso on Zulie's wrist, tugging her outside.
We all followed and within seconds, we shared the sentiment as the child who was still working to catch his breath. How could a church like this not be used for its intended purpose? My little sisters played on a small play set in a secluded area, the rest was trees. If you looked hard enough though, you could make out a fence in the distance, enclosing some kind of obstacle course.
"What-"
"That is for training and is off limits." Luke answered with arrogant pride.
"What kind of training?"
"The kind that would have allowed me to kill you last night." He gazed down at me as if he were expecting me to cower away intimidated.
"Well obviously you need more practice cause I'm still breathing." I grinned sweetly before heading to my sisters.
The wind brought the damp scents of late fall and an unusual freshness that nipped at your skin, 'Nightwalkers huh? So what now? We just go about our daily lives after this? I'm supposed to start college soon or get a job or something. How am I supposed to do that knowing what I am?' Danny and Leanna raced on the swings to see which of the two could hit maximum altitude before the other. Could they See me? For what I really am?
"I wouldn't sweat it. Your mother has done an amazing job sheltering you all from reality. They probably haven't seen you." Evelyn sat next to me on the steps in front of the door. I was scared to be around them now, I don't want to frighten them because I didn't know how to control this.
"Back there," I nodded towards the obstacle course, "What do you all train for?" Warden wasn't going to bother informing me, but I still wanted to know.
"Let's just say someone has to keep the peace in the dark old west, and those someones need to be in top physical condition." Her eyes stuck to me, as observational as ever. "Curious?" My ears perked up and I laughed internally. I've only had a dog once for a short time, but I can easily recall exactly how he reacted when something caught his attention. Next thing you know I'll be wagging my tail and chasing the mailman.
"Damien said you've been using this place as a base. Who are you?" The pieces have been coming together so far, I just need a quick glance at the final product to be sure I'm on the right track.
"Nighthunters. Creative right?" The blonde stood and strolled into the trees, keeping up with her took some effort on my behalf, though she didn't seem to be overexerting herself.
"So you guys train to kill Nightwalkers?" Evelyn unlocked the first gate. "Trying to rid the world of them or something along those lines?" Her laugh was one of an adult amused by a child's naiveness.
"Like I said, our role is more like that of a cop. There's no need for annihilation, no chance of that happening either." Her voice was laced with resentment and bitterness. But with a quick breath, she was smiling again.
"So what exactly do you do then?" A woman was sprinting along a trail that winded in and around sections of the course. Those light colored eyes glittered and she didn't bother to suppress her smile. She knew I was hooked.
"Give me 10 laps and then we'll talk." I stood dumbfounded. Why?? "Andrea has that many left, you can run with her." Andrea held her quick pace as she neared us though it appeared that she hadn't even noticed our presence. Her mind was somewhere else, ignoring aching legs and burning lungs. "Good luck." Evelyn sang turning heel and venturing back to the church.
I watched her go; does her elevator really go all the way to the top? She seemed completely sane at first. Andrea passed by stealthily, her steps light and careful. The distance between us grew, and if there was one thing I learned in high school it's that it's better to run as a team. So off I went...
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