Ruby had never liked the woods - they'd always given off an eerie, unsettling kind of vibe. Nonetheless, there was no turning back now. The trees stretched up towards the sky, towering over her, their branches long and skinny, ready to reach down and grab her. She could hear the sound of the leaves rustling up against each other, twigs cracking underneath her feet. She looked over her shoulder, wondering what would happen if she headed back. Her sisters would tease her, no doubt. She'd been dared - dared to prove her bravery.
The dare was to knock on the door of the old, mysterious house hidden deep down in the forest and come back with proof that she'd been there. Legend has it that it was inhabited by five creatures who took pride in killing. It was haunted, and no one in the land of Wysteria was bold in enough to step foot on the property.
Unlike her sisters, Ruby had never believed in those tales. So when they shot the dare right at her, there was no hesitation for her to straighten her posture and say she was willing to. Now, though, she felt regretful. Her shoulders were slouched over and her eyes darted to every corner of the woods, fear rushing through her.
She stopped in front of a house that looked like it could've been from the Victorian era. It was dark, spooky and gloomy looking. Hesitantly, she walked towards it, making her way onto the porch. She pressed her hand against the cold, metal door knocker and looped her fingers around it, knocking once. Twice.
The door swung open, revealing a short, dark haired girl, who wore a sour expression. She observed Ruby for a second, folding her arms and keeping her gaze fixed on her. "Come on in," she said.
Ruby hesitated, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Uh, I don't know..."
The girl squinted. "Come in," she said, her voice growing stern.
Ruby didn't want to argue with her. She placed one foot inside, the floor creaking. It was made up of a wine coloured carpet, which stretched across the entire floor. The place was blanketed in dust, the walls decorated with tacky wallpaper which curled at the ends. There was a long, tall staircase that led up to a second floor to the right of the room. It smelled a little odd - like some kind of an animal had died and rotted, then been drenched in perfume. A young man appeared from a corner, glancing at Ruby. He seemed nice, not too intimidating. "We have company?" he said to the girl.
She nodded. "Yep."
"Ah," he said. "Jaxon'll be happy." He extended his hand. Ruby shook it. "I'm Parker." He gestured towards the girl. "This is Kylie."
Kylie nodded at the girl, then turned around. "I'll go find Jaxon."
Ruby felt uncomfortable. Parker moved behind her, closing the door and locking it. Now she felt really uncomfortable. A man's voice boomed. "Ah, a visitor!" he exclaimed. Ruby glanced in the voice's direction, catching a glimpse at a guy who looked like he was in his twenties. He wore a wide grin, and looked quite friendly. "Come on in, darling! I'm Jaxon."
So this was Jaxon, she thought. Behind him was a lady, who also looked fairly young. She offered the girl a warm smile. "I'm Krysta."
Ruby just nodded and forced on a smile, trying to hide her discomfort. Krysta looked around, as if in search of something. Then, she said, "Where's Isaac?"
Parker swung an arm around Krysta and shrugged. "Probably hiding in his room. You know him. He's got a good sense of smell. I'm sure he's feeling--"
Jaxon cut him off with a swift elbow to the rib, and coughed. "Well, darling! You must be starving!" he said, grabbing Ruby's wrist. She didn't resist, she just let him drag her to the kitchen.
****
Meanwhile, Isaac was sitting in his room, well aware that another stupid, foolish human had made their way into the house. Hadn't they heard the stories? This wasn't a safe place to be. He sighed, plopping onto his bed and rolling onto his back, closing his eyes as the memories of his past came flooding back. He remembered the face of the girl he loved, her smile, her eyes...
"Isaac?" a familiar voice interrupted. He flinched, glancing at the person standing in the doorway. Kylie. She stood, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and smiling at him. "Dinner's ready. Guess what we're eating."
He sighed. "What you and I once were."
"Think her blood is as sweet as they say?" Kylie asked, an eager grin spread across her lips. "God, it's been ages since I've had real human blood."
"Ages?" Isaac rolled his eyes. "More like four days."
"Oh, come on." Kylie frowned. "Stop being so bitter. She's dead. Get over it. Move on."
He winced at how simple she'd made it sound. She wasn't just dead. He'd killed her. "Easier said than done."
She rolled her eyes, taking a seat next to him. "Yeah, whatever. I don't like you when you're like this."
"Like what?" he asked.
"Like... Mopy."
"You're not helping."
"Right," she sighed, lying down and laying her head against his shoulder. "You're a little puppy." She glanced up at him and grinned.
Isaac rolled his eyes, smiling a little.
"You should go downstairs... Eat something."
"I'm not hungry," he replied.
"Please? You don't have to eat with us..." Kylie mumbled against his shoulder.
Isaac ran his fingers through her hair, gently. Then he stopped himself. "No thanks," he breathed. His voice went cold. "Get out. Lock the door behind you, please."
Kylie looked at him, a little shocked and hurt, but obeyed with a sigh and left, slamming the door. Isaac looked away and closed his eyes, the memories flashing back again. He remembered the blood, seeping out of the claw marks and staining her shirt which had been carved into her, the cuts and the scratches marked across her skin. He didn't remember anything, which was the worst part. He was left to imagine. He wondered if she'd tried to fight him - if she'd tried to get away. He couldn't bear the thought of it. All he was left with was the memory of her laying limp in his arms, eyes still wide with shock, her skin ice cold and smeared with blood. He'd killed the love of his life, and he hated himself for it.
****
Kylie made her way downstairs and towards the kitchen, catching sight at Krysta, Parker, Jaxon and the human sitting at the table. She sat down at her usual spot, with an empty seat sitting next to her. She sighed, wishing Isaac would just come down and at least sit so she could talk to him. She looked down at her meal, catching a glimpse at the limp piece of meat just lying on her plate. She picked up her fork and stabbed it, twisting it around. She glanced at Krysta, who looked like she was about to vomit. Kylie rolled her eyes and took a bite of the meat. Krysta had always been against killing. She hated eating meat - especially this kind of meat. Parker took Krysta's hand, as if to comfort her. Unintentionally, a flame balled up in his palm. He retracted his hand quickly, but it still managed to burn Krysta slightly.
"Parker!" she hissed.
Ruby looked up at the two, a little confused.
"Sorry, sorry!" he said quickly, his face reddening. "I didn't mean to!"
"Yeah, well," she rubbed her hand, "that hurt."
He took her hand and examined the burn. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
He pressed a kiss against her knuckles. "I'm sorry."
Jaxon watched the two. Usually he didn't support relationships, but he had to agree that Krysta and Parker were perfect for each other. They were both immortal, which meant that they could stay together forever. They'd celebrated their 529th anniversary only a couple of weeks ago.
Meanwhile, Ruby seemed a little hesitant about the food. She picked at it, observing it carefully. "What is this, exactly?" Ruby asked.
Jaxon just smirked. "Just eat, darling."
Ruby eyed him suspiciously, cutting into the meat with a knife. Krysta sighed, pushing her plate away. "Kylie, dear, did you speak to Isaac?"
Kylie nodded.
"And what did he say?" she asked. "Is he coming down for dinner?"
Kylie shook her head. "He's not in the mood."
Krysta breathed out a sigh. Parker's eyes widened as he came to a realization. "Ohhh, right. The whole human thing. And he turned-"
"Nineteen!" Krysta cut him off. "He... He turned... Nineteen."
Jaxon rolled his eyes. "The kid needs to get over his little fear of..." he trailed off. "Never mind."
Kylie put down her fork and stood up, anger bubbling in her blood. "You're a total idiot!" she shouted at Jaxon.
Ruby looked over at everyone, pressing her hands together. "I... I should get going."
Jaxon just smirked. "Nonsense, darling. You're here to stay."
She sank in her seat, unsure of what to do. No one here seemed too odd. Maybe she was overreacting.
Jaxon noticed that she still hadn't taken a bite out of her food. He grinned. "What are you waiting for? Eat, darling."
Kylie ignored everyone and took an extra plate full of food, then made her way upstairs. The fact that a human was so close to her made her cravings swirl inside of her. She wanted - needed - the taste of blood on her lips. Desire burned her insides, screaming for her to bite the human. She could feel her teeth sharpening.
She shook the thoughts away and knocked on Isaac's door. "Hey, Isaac? I have dinner."
A voice came through the door, muffled. "Thank you, Kylie. But no."
Kylie didn't have the patience for this. Her body filled with fire as the craving grew. "Isaac, please..."
"No thanks."
The struggle in her voice was audible. She could smell Ruby's blood from the kitchen. "Isaac... Open the door and take it."
He didn't reply to her.
Kylie lost her edge. "Isaac, you will take it!"
"No, Ky." He said, anger bitter in his voice. He could feel it, now. It was flaming in his chest. "I told you politely. Go."
At this point, Kylie didn't even care whether or not he took the food. She needed to sink her fangs into someone's skin, and it was Isaac who was the closest near her. She dropped the plate, the chunks of ceramic flying everywhere and kicked down the door with one swift movement. Isaac stood up, alert, and looked around for something to defend himself. He grabbed the dagger he'd hidden in his wardrobe, the one he'd kept for moments like this, when his peculiar little friends went haywire.
He held his weapon up, pleading for her not to get anywhere near him. "No, Kylie..." he said, his eyes filled with fear. "Don't come near me. Don't you dare. You'll regret this. I'm telling you, you will. Please."
Kylie simply ignored him and dashed towards him, pushing him to the ground. He panicked, falling underneath her and bringing the dagger to her skin, but not finding the guts to press it in any deeper. He couldn't stab her - that would hurt him more than it would hurt her. The memories of him killing came flooding back again. He squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn't defend himself. He wouldn't let it happen.
Kylie eyed him, desire burning inside of her. Her lips grazed his soft skin, and then she moved her teeth towards his neck. She sank her fangs into him, blood flowing onto her tongue, dripping at the corners of her mouth. She sighed in relief. Isaac gasped, his eyes widening as he felt the blood being drained from him. "Kylie..." he whimpered, but he couldn't finish his sentence. The pain only grew worse, searing and moving across his neck.
Kylie's pieces of sanity showed in her movement. The tip of her fingers tangled in his hair as she pulled away, realizing he'd gone limp.