"Remind me why you're bringing me to Ethan's just to play video games?" Olivia asked boyfriend, who was eagerly striding towards Ethan's house. "Because I want you to try gaming." He responded. "Besides, Ethan's also got these kids he's babysitting - he calls them the tornado twins."
"Benny, I've played video games before-"
"Then why did you stop? You'd be an extra cool girlfriend if you were a gamer too!"
Olivia smacked him lightly. "Because, it's addictive! Anyways, we're here now."
Benny opened Ethan's door. "Do you ever knock?" She asked him. Benny put his finger to his lips and pointed at Ethan and Sarah before running into the kitchen and shouting "BENNY!"
Sarah's immediate reflex was to punch Benny in the stomach. Benny grasped his stomach and started to choke a little, Sarah apologised a countless amount of times. "Olivia!" Olivia sarcastically said, walking into the kitchen after him with jazz hands.
"Booya!" Rory then yelled, jumping up from behind them. Ethan turned around and shot him in the forehead with a nerf gun. "Hey! Is this for me barfing down your chimney?"
"No, I just - wait, you what?!"
"Nothing." Rory replied. "I'm here to help battle the tornado twins."
"Yeah, me too are they here yet, I don't see anybody bleeding." Benny said.
"Speak for yourself," Ethan said, pointing at the kids sat at his table with Jane. "hey boys, this is Benny, Olivia and Rory."
"Hello Benny, Olivia and Rory." The twins said simultaneously.
"Woah, that is a tornado of weird." Rory whispered.
"Okay, kids speaking in unison that's never good." Benny replied.
Suddenly, Erica barged in, making the five spin around in shock.
"Are we going or what? I'm starving!"
Sarah sighed, relieved that it was only Erica. "Coming." She grabbed her stuff.
"Are you two seriously obeying the new rule?" Olivia asked.
"Going where?" Ethan questioned.
"It's a new safety rule from the council, they want us to hunt in pairs or more." Sarah explained.
"So I have to watch this vegetation vampire pick up her blood salad from a delivery truck!" Erica rolled her eyes.
"Can I come?" Olivia asked. "You know for sure that I'd be hunting a very different way to Sarah."
Benny looked at her.
"Yes, please come!" Erica pleaded.
"Beats watching you choose your meal!" Sarah argued. "He's so stringy, he's too old, I hate her outfit!" She mimicked Erica before looking at Olivia. "And I have to cope with that x2!"
"People with bad taste, taste bad." Erica defended. "More stalk, less talk."
"You're supposed to be my backup! You can't leave me alone with them!" Ethan hissed.
"What, are you afraid they're gonna colour outside the lines?" Erica sassed. Benny had to hold in his laugh.
Erica and Olivia began to head for the door. "We won't be long, if you need backup I'm sure Jane can handle it." Sarah said, looking to Jane. "Right, Jane?"
"You betcha." She answered, smiling.
Sarah smiled at Ethan before reaching Erica and Olivia. "Olivia! Don't bite off anyone's heads!" She heard Benny yell, Olivia laughed. "He'll be glad he doesn't see what happens once I'm out at night."
***
"Seriously, what's good's pre-paying for delivery if the guy doesn't show up?" Sarah complained.
"What's the point of having fangs if your friend stops you from biting people!" Erica shot back.
"The guy was driving, Erica!"
"It's called Meals on Wheels, Sarah!" Erica argued. "And he had his window open!"
"He also had a mullet, I thought you were a "food snob"."
"Where is everyone, anyways?" Olivia asked, breaking up the argument.
"There's literally no one on the streets..." Sarah said, realising that they were the only people around.
"Moles all around, watch our numbers grow." The three girls heard a group of what sounded like kids, say.
***
"Speaking of weak, here comes the hotness express." Benny smirked, turning towards Olivia, Erica and Sarah.
Olivia, Sarah and Erica's stomachs were growling and Olivia and Erica were covering their fangs with their hands.
"They're so hungry they can't control their fangs and I'm so hungry I can't control them!" Sarah complained.
Olivia hissed at one of the boys walking past, who was gawking at them, with her hand still over her mouth.
"What're you geeks gawking it?" Erica shot at them.
"You guys hungry? You want some of my lunch? It's fresh!" Rory grinned, eyeing the rat in his small paper bag.
Erica whacked the bag out of his hand and Rory yelled, chasing after it.
"No rats! We need real food in this town and it's running on empty!" Olivia almost shouted.
"So, just fly over to the next town and take some takeout?" Benny said in a 'duh' voice.
"The vampire council says hunting outside of WhiteChapel can cause a turf war." Erica responded, rolling her eyes.
"Can't you just take a small nibble of a student?" Ethan suggested. "Not me of course!"
"Teenagers are full junk food and hormones, do you have any idea what that can do to your skin?!" Erica answered.
Olivia nodded. "She's got a point. Teenagers are gross, well, most of them anyways."
"She's a picky eater," Sarah said as Erica walked off. "My blood delivery guy vanished. Whatever's happening, unhappen it!" Sarah demanded, walking off with Olivia following suit.
***
"Why don't you just ditch the blood delivery guy?" Erica asked Sarah.
Instead of Sarah answering the question, she pointed over at Benny and Ethan, who were running from little kids.
"What are they-" Olivia then began to laugh once the kids began to beat them up.
Erica sighed. "You sure you still want him as your boyfriend?"
Olivia ignored her and carried on laughing. Erica pulled out her phone. "Wave to the camera guys, you're gonna be internet stars!"
"Sarah, help this is serious!" A very struggling Ethan yelled.
"I'm enjoying you getting your butts kicked by ankle biters." Sarah responded.
"Ah, they're biting my ankles!"
Olivia could smell the blood and tried to contain herself. "Okay, we better stop them because that scent of blood becomes any stronger and my hunger takes over."
Sarah nodded and followed. Erica sighed and eventually joined the girls in helping out their friends.
"I think I have a tooth in my shoe." Benny said, hugging his bag.
"That kid had braces." Ethan whined.
Erica scoffed.
"Hey, they're stronger than they look, okay?"
"I could use a Moleo myself," Benny said. "maybe I have some left!"
"Don't talk about eating!" Erica and Olivia hissed in unison. Erica fell to the floor and Olivia tried to get her up.
"Benny," Sarah said, grabbing hold of his shirt. "your grandma's blood substitute; I know it tastes like shoes but does she have any left?"
"No, grandma is long gone she has a pack-a-day habit in Moleo season. Last time I touched her stuff she put a shrunken head in her lunch!"
Olivia groaned and Sarah hissed at Benny, demanding blood.
"Okay! Let's go!" Benny said.
"No, wait! That alpha brat is hoarding every kid in town." Ethan stated. "Now Jane's home all alone."
"We can't fight anyone when we're this weak, you get Jane, we'll get food." Olivia told him.
Ethan nodded. "Okay." With that, he jogged back home.
***
"Ethan, get over here. I think grandma left something that might be useful... also the girls are looking at me like I'm a burrito." Benny said, nervously looking at the girls who were eyeing him.
"I have to stay and watch Jane; she's got the donut fever," Ethan responded. "find anything you can about the Moles or Val Mudrap, anything, okay?"
Benny nodded. "Okay." He said, hanging up and beginning to look for anything. "Okay, we're looking for anything related to Moles or Val Mudrap-"
"Benny!" Rory yelled, jumping into the room.
"What do you think you're doing? Only Benny can "Benny!"" Benny shouted.
"Says you!" Rory's eyes laid upon the opened Moleos. "Woah, looks like grandma's snack attack."
"Yes, but she left us this. Benny pointed at a book.
"Sacred order of the Mole by Val Mudrap." Rory read out, opening the book. "Wow! Some of these Moles look delicious!"
"Just skim through it but look through anything that can help us find out what those moles are up to." Benny instructed, Rory nodded.
"What about this?" Sarah asked, holding up a small red potion. "It's red! Can't you make this into blood with one of your spells?"
Erica's and Olivia's eyes lit up and they walked towards it, eyeing the red potion.
"That's not how it-"
The girls hissed at him and Benny jumped back a little. "Sure! Let's give it a try!"
Sarah held up the potion.
"Sanguiss, ibgaroth, camose, mortalis!" Benny said, red glitter shooting towards the potion. Sarah eagerly opened it and drank some before handing it to both Olivia and Erica. They winced. "Ugh!"
Benny's eyes widened once he saw that three girls now had tails. "Woah..."
"What?" Olivia asked.
"Nothing." He replied, perhaps a little too quickly.
"Is this a clue?" Rory asked. "The mothers and fathers departed from the village, the children played for eternity, all hail Muldvarp. Child, beast, charmer, keeper of the key to the underworld! Looks like a clue to me."
"Muldvarp?" Erica repeated. "Nice name. Now wonder it hates it's parents."
"Woah! Clue number 2, I'm on fire!"
Benny instantly recognised the girl from the picture, as did the girls.
"It's the girl that beat you up." Sarah said.
Benny chuckled and looked at Olivia. "I wouldn't say beat up..."
Olivia raised an eyebrow.
"I had a stomach full of pizza."
"Remind me why I fell for you in the first place?" She joked.
"There's that name again: Val Mudrap." Sarah said.
Benny said the name over and over in his head for a while before figuring it out. He snapped his fingers. "It's an anagram!"
"And it uses the same letters too!" Rory said, excitedly.
"That's what an anagram is, genius." Olivia laughed.
"Ethan needs to see this!" Benny said.
Everyone nodded and headed for the door. Rory saw their tails. "Wow, you guys have-"
"Beautiful... eyes..." Benny said quickly, holding onto Rory's shoulders and glaring at him. The girls gave them a weird look before carrying on walking.
***
"There's got to be something nice here!" Olivia groaned, raiding Ethan's fridge with Erica and Sarah. Erica sighed and stood up. Sarah and Olivia followed her into the living room.
"How can you have so much meat in your freezer and none of it be human!" Erica yelled, stomping away.
"Hey, cool tails." Ethan smiled.
"Tails?!" The girls yelled, looking down.
"Come on, Jane's gonna get a head start." Ethan said to Benny and Rory, who looked at the girls awkwardly. "Tails?" Benny repeated, pretending to act as if he didn't realise.
The girls held their hands over their mouths and followed Ethan. "If I didn't swear an oath not to kill or bite you, you'd either be dead or one of us by now." Olivia hissed at Benny, who nervously gulped and nodded.
***
"Okay guys, drink this." Benny said, handing the girls another potion. "It may give you a bit of a boost."
The girls gulped it down. "I ought to kick your butt for turning into freaks." Erica mumbled.
"Yeah, because before these wickedly awesome upgrades you guys were totally normal!" Benny shot back.
Olivia glared at Benny and hit his cheek with her tail. "Gah, it's like sandpaper!" He hissed.
"Guys, quit it!" Ethan ordered.
"All hail Mulvarp!" Val said, holding up a stick with a weird creature's head on the top, eyes turning a dark red. "And now, we open the door to eternal freedom." She said, holding up a key.
"Okay, Mulvarp's the guardian of the door, keeper of the key." Ethan stated. "We gotta get the key away from her so she can't open that door. How do you three feel?" He asked the girls.
"Better, but I don't think I can fight." Sarah sighed.
"Same." Erica said.
Olivia thought for a moment before nodding. "I think I can."
"Remind me why I fell for you in the first place?" Benny grinned, looking at his girlfriend. Olivia smiled and nudged him slightly.
"Okay Olivia, that's good. Now I'm going after my sister." Ethan said, determined to save her.
Val used to key and began to open the door to the underworld. Once it opened a light was emitted and lit up the graveyard. "Single file to eternal freedom!" Val turned around to see only Jane stood there.
"Get away from my sister!" Ethan yelled.
"Where are all my little ones?" Val asked, panicking.
"They're in better hands now." Ethan said, looking over at Erica and Sarah, who were struggling to hold the children back.
"I got this." Benny said, stepping forward. "Zencarath, porkoth-"
Before he could finish, Val shot a red bolt at Benny and he yelled, falling to the floor. "That stings... you guys are on your own." He managed to get out.
Olivia saw what happened and instantly wanted to kill this girl - again.
But before she could, Rory jumped in front of Ethan. "Benny!" He shouted.
"Knock it off, Rory." Benny groaned.
"You're ruining my fun, stop it!" Val ordered.
"Why don't you make me." Rory threatened.
Val raised her eyebrows before shooting the same red bolt at Rory over and over, but he refused to move. "This. Is. So. Painful!"
Olivia then ran in and took hold of Rory's hand. "Perhaps the two of us could fight it!" She shouted over the noise of the red bolts constantly hitting them. It felt as if they were being stuck by lightening over and over again. Since Olivia was already weak, she didn't know how much more she could take.
Ethan ran over to Jane. "Come on!" He said, grabbing hold of her.
Rory and Olivia both took hold of the stick with their spare hands and Val tried to fight them, until eventually, neither of them could take it and they flew backwards. Olivia, however, flew back against the tree because the power coming from Val's stick had effected her so much and she found herself lying against it unconscious.
"Ow, my everything hurts!" Rory complained.
Completely unaware of Olivia, Ethan ordered to Rory to grab Jane whilst he dealt with the girl. Before she could take hold of her stick again, Ethan grabbed the other end. "That's mine!" She yelled. "You're cheating!"
"It's all yours, creepweasel!" Ethan shouted, pushing the stick into her stomach. She fell back into the door, clinging onto the grass. "No fair, no fair!" She then slipped through the portal and Ethan shut it. "Hah! How do you like them donuts?" Jane ran towards and Ethan and hugged him. "I don't know what happened, but I'm
glad you guys saved me." She sighed.
"Don't worry, you're safe." The older brother responded, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Everything's back to normal ... ish."
The other kids starting to look around, perplexed.
Benny weakly lifted up his head and turned it towards Olivia. His eyes widened. "Can someone finally help me? Olivia's unconscious and I need to get her to grandma." He said, still in pain. "I also think I need someone with a vast knowledge of medical aid."
"Ugh, vampire down, needs assistance!" Rory said, weakly.
***
Olivia woke up and jumped once she saw Benny and his grandma over-looking her. She looked around and realised she was no longer in the graveyard, but in Benny's basement.
"What the hell happened?" She asked.
"You tell me, I was too weak to even lift up my head for half of it." Benny said, groaning at the memory.
"You and Rory tried your hardest to fight off Val's power but since you had almost no blood in your system, you couldn't take much more and you shot back, hit your head against the tree and passed out." Evelyn explained.
Olivia paused for a minute before everything came back to her. She shivered. "I held Rory's hand... gross."
Benny's eyes widened. "Why were you holding Rory's hand?"
"Didn't you just hear what I said? They were trying to fight Val!"
Benny paused before nodding, he laughed. "Okay, good."
Olivia sat up and noticed her tail was gone. "No tail, huh?"
Benny shook his head and grinned. "Grandma gave you girls something. Sarah and Erica left before I could tell them what was in there... perhaps it's best if I don't tell them..."
"Why, what's in it?"
"Oh, you know, this and that... a lot of my blood-"
"What? Benny you know I vowed never to drink any of your blood!" Olivia interrupted.
"Do you want to have a tail for the rest of your life?"
Olivia sighed and shook her head. "I guess not, have fun telling Sarah and Erica that tomorrow."
"Well, I'm going to hit the hay, it's been a long day." Evelyn said, giving Benny a look, the kind of look a parent gives their child before leaving them and their boyfriend or girlfriend alone together, before walking out.
Olivia chuckled. "Hit the hay... nice."
Benny paused for a moment before holding out his hand. "You know, I think it's best you stay at mine for a little longer, you know, get some rest and all... perhaps by watching a movie... or playing video games."
Olivia laughed. "A movie for sure, and smooth, Benny, real smooth." She took hold of his hand and got up. Benny grinned. "It's my choice tonight." He said, before they both walked up to his room and laid down beside each-other and began to watch the film.
"Star Trek? Really?"
Benny innocently looked at his girlfriend. "What? It's a great movie?" He defended.
She chuckled. "Okay, whatever you say."