~Monday 7th January 2013~
Eden ran his hand through his hair with a heavy sigh, grimacing at the knots his fingers caught on. Six was just too early on a Monday morning, especially when he hadn't slept anywhere as close to what he needed. He shouldn't complain really, four hours sleep seemed to be a blessing as of late, he couldn't ask for more when the majority of the time he only got half that.
The nightmares weren't the problem. It was the restlessness. Eden could be on his feet all day, his body screaming for slumber, but the second his head hit the pillow he would be wide awake. A few months ago, it hadn't been too bad. Presently, it was getting to be quite a serious complication. On more than one occasion, Eden had had to miss work because his energy levels were so low he couldn't even stand up. The effect on his daily life scared him, yet he saw no solution in sight.
Therapists would tell him it was all in his head, doctors would prescribe his medication that his body would burn through quicker than he could count to ten. There was always the option of seeking medical attention a little more far-out than the western world. He was sure someone would have the contact information for a witch doctor, the trouble would come simply when they began to discuss payment. He didn't have the money to spend on a black magic healing ritual and some herbs. He would just have to learn to live with it.
Sitting up in bed, Eden squinted when he turned on his bedside lamp, waiting a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the new light. He fumbled through his bedside table drawer, stilling when he heard the familiar crinkling and withdrew the little packet of pills. Popping two out of their casings, Eden swallowed them dry with ease, the taste barely even registering anymore.
Tossing the packet back into the drawer, Eden left it half-open, knowing if it closed fully he would have to use much more strength to open it. That's just what he had to deal with with cheap furniture. He wasn't a billionaire, his family couldn't afford the higher quality stuff. Eden counted to twenty, waiting for the caffeine in the pills to take effect before rising from his bed, only feeling light-headed for a matter of seconds, much better than what he would have experienced a few weeks ago.
Stepping into his en-suite, Eden flicked the lightswitch, sighing when the bulb didn't even attempt to fizzle on. So that was what he had forgotten the previous night. Washing his face and brushing his teeth in only the light streaming in from his bedroom, Eden didn't even bother to attempt to drag a brush through his hair or showering just yet. He would have to run down to the store to get another bulb before he tried that, since they likely didn't have any spare.
Returning to his bedroom, Eden pulled on the same hoodie he had worn the previous day, not even bothering with a shirt or to change out of his black pyjama pants. He'd get dressed properly after a shower, no point soiling clean clothes before then. Slipping his phone into his pocket, Eden ventured downstairs quietly, turning on the kitchen light when he got down there. At least that one worked.
Rummaging through the drawers, Eden found no sign of any bulbs, none that weren't old and burnt out. Why his mother couldn't just throw things out, he had no idea. Collecting anything he deemed trash, Eden spent a few minutes cleaning out the bits and bobs from the drawers, although organising fully would take a lot longer than that. Eden tried not to dwell on the state of the house, he feared he would go insane if he did.
Eden hesitated for a moment, a controversial little idea crawling into his mind. He shouldn't, but it made sense really. Walking back upstairs quietly, wincing at every creaking floorboard, Eden found himself outside the room he was forbidden to set foot in. A stupid rule his mother had made, but nevertheless, one he followed. Most of the time. Eden slipped into the room quickly, immediately covering his mouth, nearly retching from the stench that hit him.
"God, certainly smells like you still live in here, Archie," Eden muttered, flicking on the light and scanning the clutter for the source of the smell. The idea of keeping Archer's room untouched when he had died wasn't a bad one, it was just poorly executed. Eden knew his mother couldn't even bear to set foot in the room so keeping it in the condition it had been left in wasn't worth it. Especially when there was clearly something off in the room.
"What a fucking surprise," Eden murmured under his breath upon stumbling across a stash of pills in one of the drawers of Archer's desk. He never had enough. Eden felt bile rise in his throat as he found the source of the odour, having to actually look away to bite back the tears in his eyes. He lifted the plate from the floor, trying not to dwell on what remained on the mould-ridden slice of birthday cake, not wanting to think of how his brother would never get to see another.
"Sorry, bro, but it's not like you're gonna need this anymore," Eden placed the plate on Archer's desk, turning off the light and removing the bulb from where it sat hidden in the dusty lampshade. Slinking out of the room just as quickly as he had entered, Eden took the rotten food downstairs and just threw it straight in the outside trash can, plate and all. It wouldn't be missed if it hadn't been noticed before.
It didn't take long for Eden to replace the bulb in his en-suite, although it did weigh on his conscience somewhat. He found himself regretting what he had done, it just felt wrong, like he'd trespassed into somewhere he shouldn't have, vandalised a precious memory. It was only a light bulb, but it was Archer's light bulb.
Trying to ignore the stupidity that was rooted deep in his mind, Eden stripped and stepped into the shower finally. His muscles tensed as the freezing water hit his skin, feeling like icy bullets stripping away at his flesh. Hot water was pretty scarce in the morning, and Eden felt too selfish to use it himself. Instead, he opted for cold showers, at least they helped wake him up.
Eden didn't take long in the shower, nor did it take him much time to dress. He simply slung on his uniform, since he would have to go to work pretty early to open up. Black jeans, navy blue shirt and a name tag. Basic but to the point. He didn't exactly work in some fancy law firm. Hand-tailored suits and thousand dollar watches weren't necessary - nor were they in his price range.
Straightening out his bedsheets and drawing back his curtains, Eden left his room, walking down the hallway to his sister's, no longer bothering to be quiet. Pointless really if his intention was to wake her anyway. Alarm clocks were an unnecessary expense when he got up early enough for the both of them.
Audrey's room looked completely different from the rest of the house. With bright walls of fresh paint, furniture that wasn't falling to pieces and a wardrobe full of brand name clothes. Nothing designer, no, but nothing cheap like Eden bought. Audrey shopped in malls, not thrift stores. And, yet, Eden felt not even a twinge of jealousy, Audrey deserved more, more than he would be able to provide.
There was no favouritism between the children of that house, no, their mother loved them all equally. Despite this, there would be no difference if there was a favourite, Eden was the one who controlled the money in the house. He had been gifted that job, or more likely cursed, since Archer died and their mother fell into her downward spiral. He made sure after the bills were paid, Audrey was taken care of first, whatever was left he put in savings. Sadly, that account was often left bare when Eden's mother got involved.
Maybe Eden was a minimalist. Or maybe he just knew how to survive on the little things. He didn't need expensive clothes or the latest iPhone. He was quite content with what he had. He had learnt that a long time again, he came from humble beginnings. He would reside there probably the rest of his life, but he would make it his mission for Audrey to have it better. She could get out, she could make it in the big leagues.
"Time to get up, Aud," Eden whispered, rubbing his little sister's shoulder gently, waiting until he heard that disgruntled noise she always made before he rose back up to his feet, "breakfast?"
"Blueberry pancakes," Audrey mumbled, not even opening her eyes, looking to have no intention to get up. Eden simply smiled, turning on her lamp that sat on her dresser out of reach as he left the room, following their every morning ritual. Eden lost his smile as he entered his mother's room, stepping over the empty liquor bottles that littered the stained carpet.
"Corinne?" Eden had renounced calling his mother 'mom' after Archer died, though he did inform her that when she began acting like one again she would earn back that title, "Corinne?" Eden shook his mother's shoulder a little less gently than he had done his sister, well aware she wasn't as easy to wake. Corinne merely batted Eden's hand away and rolled over, reaching out for the half-empty whiskey bottle laid on her pillow, which the boy snatched up before she could grasp it.
"Hard liquor isn't exactly gonna clear up your hangover. Get up," Eden grumbled, ignoring the slurred abuse his mother directed toward him as he collected a few of the other bottles in the room, "I know, I know, I'm an asshole for keeping you alive. Get over it," Eden snapped, exiting the room without bothering to look back at his mother. She would rot away in that bed, and could for all Eden cared. She was drinking away what little money Eden managed to make and didn't even care that her own business, that the boy had had to take on full time, was failing. Alcoholic didn't even seem to fit her well enough to be an apt description.
Eden didn't always have such a terrible relationship with his mother. She used to be wonderful, and he craved that woman that she had drowned in alcohol. She had lost that energy, that motivation, that used to keep all her children going despite the bad times they endured. She was a shell of her former self and, as morbid as it sounded, Eden often thought it was like she had died that day with Archer. That was how she acted anyway.
"Have we got any maple syrup left?" Audrey asked, looking up from her pancakes and meeting Eden's eye. Eden slid off the counter, placing his plate where he had been sat, and skimmed through the cupboards, coming up empty.
"Mmm, sadly, no," a warm smile split through the frown on Eden's face when he noticed a blue and white can sat in the back of the fridge, "but we do that whipped cream, if that will do."
"Yeah, thanks," Eden tossed the can over to his sister, returning to where he was sat, "want some?" Eden shook his head, not having such an active sweet tooth like his sister. It matched her personality, some would say, but then they probably wouldn't know Audrey very well if they did.
Audrey was an angel by birth but not by nature. She was the only girl of three and, as much as Eden had tried to avoid it, had picked up on many of their tricks. She wasn't a thug by any means, but she wasn't a priss either. She stood her ground, and fought for what she believed in. Thinking about it, she was a mixture of Eden and Archer really. With Eden's moralistic standing, and Archer's stubbornness, she was quite the little spitfire when she wanted to be.
"Shit, we're gonna be late," Eden cursed as he checked his phone, stacking the empty plates by the sink and slipping on his khaki green trainers he often wore to work.
"Can't I just come to work with you? I don't need to be in school," Audrey asked in a glum tone, slinging her backpack over her shoulder and collecting her set of keys from the little bowl by the door.
"I'd love for that, but no, sorry, you have to be in school until your physical ageing hits eighteen," Audrey merely rolled her eyes, Eden had to repeat that fact to her on a daily basis. She, like every other fifteen-year-old, hated school. Then again, Audrey wasn't like any other teenager, she was over three hundred years old and had to endure the special classes for SN students, meaning she also had to put up with the bullies, mostly human kids, who could be more than cruel. Eden was certainly glad his ageing had been much quicker than his sister's.
"What have you got today then? Anything interesting?" Eden inquired as the two strolled down the streets together, stuffing his hand into his pockets when the cold air bit into his skin.
"It's school, you take a guess," Audrey muttered with a brief smile, "I just hope we have Dr Peters, at least he makes being there bearable."
"Does someone have a crush on their teacher?" Eden teased with a chuckle, nudging his sister.
"Shut up," Audrey pouted, "he's not into girls anyway, I've got no chance."
"Maybe I do," Eden laughed once more when his sister grimaced, putting immediate distance between the two.
"Gross, you can't date my teacher."
"And why not?" Eden may have loved making Audrey smile, but he was a big brother after all, and making her cringe was so much more entertaining, "best stay on his good side, he might be your brother in law someday."
"I think his husband might have something to say about that."
"Or he might love it," Eden chuckled as Audrey gawped up at him in horror, leaning down and pressing a kiss to her head, "have a good day, Aud, call me if you need anything. Stay out of trouble," Audrey smiled fondly, nodding, as the two parted ways and Eden walked at a brisker pace, not really wanting to be late opening up the diner. It wouldn't exactly set a great example.
"I gotta get going, Ry," Eden called out to the head cook through the serving hatch, "you're in charge."
"Have fun on your date, Edee," Ryan called back with a chuckle, "I'll keep the ship afloat, don't you worry," Eden flashed Ryan a brief smile before tugging his jacket over his shoulders and heading toward the door.
"Back it up, Edee, what's this I hear about a date?" Eden shook his head, smiling as he spun on his heel to face one of the servers who had called him out.
"It's not what you think, Hailee-" Eden began, cut off nearly immediately by the overzealous woman.
"Why am I always the last to learn about these things? Don't you think I deserve to know? I can keep a secret. Hey, Ry, I can keep a secret, can't-"
"Hailee!" Eden gripped Hailee's arms, catching her attention, forcing her to stop babbling, "it's a court date, for Archie's murder case," Eden said with a faint smile, making Hailee pale instantly.
"Oh, fuck, Edee, I'm so sorry. I didn't realise," Eden accepted the tight hug from Hailee, cutting it short.
"It's fine, honestly, I'm just meeting with my lawyer, I really gotta go though," Hailee followed Eden to the door, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek as she often did.
"I'm here for you, if you ever need to talk, Eden, I hope it all goes OK," Eden smiled fondly, bidding Hailee goodbye as he left the diner and began his walk home. Eden liked his colleagues, although he would refuse to call them his staff despite being their boss. He didn't like to think of them being beneath him, they were all equals in his eyes, and they would remain that way.
To him, they were like a second family there. They always looked out for one another, cared for one another, didn't even argue all that often. They had clicked pretty quickly, and everyone became a hell of a lot closer when Archer had died. Ryan had taken on a lot more responsibilities in the months that Corinne had been 'unable to cope' with all the stresses, until Eden had stepped up to take his mother's place. It had earned Ryan a nicely sized bonus, not that that was his aim. He was simply a textbook case of a kind soul.
"Corinne? Are you ready?" Eden called out as he closed the front door behind him, a frown furrowing his brows when he got no response, "Corinne?!" Eden yelled, walking up the stairs, hoping maybe she just hadn't heard him the first time. Of course not. Corinne being awake and ready would have simply made his day too damn easy. Life just had to fuck him over, as usual.
"Oh for God sake, Corinne, our appointment is in twenty fucking minutes!" Eden snapped, drawing open the curtains in his mother's room, flooding the room with daylight, "how much have you had to drink?!" Eden seethed, shaking his head at the new empty bottle of vodka on the bedside table, "shower, now, you better sober quick."
"Stop yelling, Edee, my head is pounding," Corinne grumbled, sitting up at no particular pace, grimacing as she rubbed her forehead.
"If I could trust you enough not to develop another addiction, I'd get you some pain killers. Too fucking bad I can't, shower and get dressed. Quickly," Eden stalked from the room, taking a few deep breaths as he paced around his own bedroom. He hated speaking like that to his mother, hated losing his temper, but she just brought out the worst in him. It seemed like recently the only way to actually get anything through to her was to yell it. Not exactly a healthy environment to live in.
After changing into a simple white t-shirt and fur-lined denim jacket, Eden returned to his mother's room, not even bothering to knock before he entered. Thankfully, she had done as he asked, and was sat in front of her dresser trying to drag a brush through her damp hair. Eden stepped behind her, taking the brush from her and carefully putting her hair into a tight plait.
"Edee, I'm sor-"
"Don't," Eden interrupted bluntly, moving to kneel in front of his mother, applying a little makeup so she didn't look so gaunt, "I'm really not in the mood to talk," and so they didn't. Eden and Corinne left the house in silence, walked together down the street in silence, and entered the SNRS building in silence. At least it gave Eden time to think.
"We have an appointment with Malcolm Reed," Eden explained to the receptionist with a stiff smile, "Eden and Corinne Moir," the receptionist looked at her computer for a few seconds, giving Eden a chance to grip his mother's arm gently, stopping her from swaying. Please, God, don't let her throw up, he repeated in his mind.
"I have informed Mr Reed of your arrival, his office is on the third floor, have a nice day," the receptionist beamed as Eden and Corinne stepped into the elevator.
"You're swaying, Corinne, how fucking much did you drink this morning?" Eden kept his voice low, despite there being no one else in the elevator with the two of them, "don't you dare lie to me," Eden added swiftly, upon seeing that sheepish look on his mother's face.
"Only half a bottle," she admitted, averting her eyes to her trembling hands. She wasn't scared, Eden knew that, it was the alcohol, the first effect it had on her was the shakes.
"Bull, that bottle was fucking empty."
"I drank half last night, alright? I couldn't sleep," Eden sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, leading his mother out of the elevator when it reached the third floor and making sure to sit her outside Malcolm's office.
"You wait here, I'm gonna get you something to drink. If he comes out, be fucking polite, OK? Please, Corinne, this is really important. This is for Archie," Eden didn't like playing the big brother card but it worked. Corinne's expression seemed to become more focused, her eyes lost that alcohol-induced blur. For a second, she almost looked like her old self again.
"I promise I'll be good, Edee," Corinne vowed in a weak voice, "for Archie," somewhat satisfied with Corinne's promise, Eden continued down the hallway in search of somewhere to get a drink for his mother.
"You look lost, angel," Eden couldn't help but flinch when a tall man stepped into the hallway to the left of him, a broad smile on his lips, "can I be of any help?" Eden froze for a moment, staring up at the man, his sharp features, pale skin, and red eyes. He was attractive, Eden couldn't deny that, but he didn't often associate himself with vampires. Even in the SN community, they weren't exactly friendly.
"I was just looking for somewhere to get a drink for my mom, a water fountain or vending machine or something," Eden's voice was pretty weak in comparison to the vampire's and he didn't dare stand too close to him. The vampire, although adorning a somewhat polite smile, just gave off an aura that Eden wasn't entirely comfortable with. He made the boy nervous, and that was an understatement.
"Follow me, angel," the vampire glided past Eden, opening the door opposite, leading the boy into some little kitchen area, "what's your name?"
"Eden," the vampire glanced over his shoulder, a very brief frown furrowing his brow before that wicked smirk returned.
"What would your mother like to drink, Eden?"
"Just water, please," the vampire stepped further into the room, leaving Eden lingering in the open doorway, "what's yours?" the vampire met Eden's eye again, this time looking a tad bemused, "name, I mean. What's your name?"
"Reivon," the vampire purred, the word sending a shiver down Eden's spine just from how it rolled off the man's tongue, "would you like anything to drink yourself?"
"No, thank you," Eden very nearly stumbled over his words as he took the bottle of water from Reivon, their fingers brushing over one another very briefly.
"You smell delightful, angel, have you ever thought of being a donor? It's rather lucrative," Reivon stepped closer, a hungry look in his darkening eyes.
"I take heroin," Eden blurted out swiftly, tensing when Reivon chuckled suddenly, having expected a much worse reaction.
"No you don't, angel, I'd be able to smell that on you. Pretty brazen to lie to a vampire, though, I suppose I should give you credit."
"I'm not afraid of you," Eden backed away from Reivon, flinching when the vampire caught up with him with ease, blocking his exit from the room, "I'll scream," Eden threatened, his heart beginning to race, probably only exciting the vampire more.
"Scream all you like, angel, I happen to get off on it," Eden held his ground when Reivon closed the distance between them once again, gritting his teeth as the vampire ran a finger down his cheek, "so innocent," Reivon purred in a quiet voice, his intense gaze making Eden's knees feel weak, "and, yet, so used."
"Rei," the vampire sighed, immediately stepping back upon hearing the firm voice, "stop terrorizing my clients."