Riley

i stepped into the kitchen. There stood my two brothers, Alice and Harley jostling eachother for the orange juice.dad sat at the breakfast table, his eyes locked on the t.v - and marcel? lets just say that he was checking himself out.
"good morning guys..." i yawned.my brothers stopped their `fight` to greet me .
"ha! i got the juice" alice teased harley.
" morning sweetheart- have a nice sleep?" dad raised his head to look at me. i nodded vigourously and went to raid the fridge. it was an old habit passed over my head from my brothers. Obviously i would act like that.
Finnally noticing my appearance in the room, my brother marcel peered over at me. i wouldnt know how to describe my brother even if i tried, he is that bad- but i still love him. i love all of my brothers. The door rang adding yet another noise to the cluster of noises into our house.probably coco- again!. i opened the door , a lucky guess, there she was wearing the same t-shirt as yesterday; it simply stated:PARAMORE FOREVER.
"coco , you`ve been wearing that same t-shirt for the past 5 days- possibly 6- we all know that you miss the farro brothers"i said , sighing at the same time. coco pulled a sad face and cluttered in looking at me as if i was crazy or i had a mental illness.
"dont you love paramore too?" she looked at my changing expression
"ok you do but dont you feel my pain?" coco breathed in. i decided not to answer and instead took a spoonful of my cheerios to occupy my mouth. coco shuffled to the fridge, reached in the back of it and dug out a tub of strawberry ice cream. god.
"what are you doing?" i asked curiously. coco got herself a spoon and dug in. she took 4 spoonfuls before she answered me.
" dealing with my pain- look i know that you obviously dont care- but i do - ok?!" she started welling up. uggh such a drama queen.

Alice strided over to us a confused smile on his face.
" dont ask..."
"ok.... anyways, do you guys want to carpool since pj has obviously ditched coco here?" my brother smiled at coco and dangled his car keys.
" sure..." i pulled a pair of sneakers on- any old i wore my brothers old shoes- and pulled coco with me to the car. she trailed behind , looking mournfully back at the tub of ice cream that lay enstranged on the kitchen counter. oh come on!
"bye dad! Marcel!" i called out as my younger brother harley rushed out trying not to miss a ride, he knew it was either get the ride or catch a bus. there was no way that Marcel was going to hitch him a ride.

The ride from our house to school was a short one , since we lived 10 minutes away. Alice parked the car and we all got out going our seperate ways.
" sooo how come you didnt go to school with your brother today?" i asked coco who was looking around anxiously
" we had an argument- nevermind that anyways- have you seen adele?" coco said hurriedly. adele was our best friend, our singsong actress who had missed the first two days of school visiting the orthodontist.
we had only found her until we walked into the school library. she was there scanning the shelves.
" Adele!!!!" coco screeched.
mrs layman the librarian looked at coco sternly and shook her head.
" shush you old bat!" coco whispered to herself.
"coco! Riley!" adele said in a lowered voice. she shuffled us out into the corridor where we pitched our voices to normal sound.
"Adele, how are you?!"i asked in a calm voice( see im not like those two)
"good thing your back, the im not the only one who has to go through coco`s endless chat!" i was interrupted
"shhh!- didnt you see who just passed us?- denver trent! only the most cute guy since jake bryman!" coco cmiled dreamily. huh that was coco`s wish, a guy with a reputation. i heard a shrill noise and realised it was he bell for first period. the next hing i knew, i was being pulled by both arms to class...

it was 10 minutes into class when i realised that i was daydreaming. i woke myself up (mentally) and adjusted myself. i thought that i would be sat next to adele or coco but i realised that it was the one and only (drumroll): DENVER TRENT. i blushed and turned to face mr rivers. i saw that he had realised too that i was a bit offcourse.
" riley are you ok? you look...." he squinted his eyes and i nodded.yes i was fine- fine with the fact that the boy EVERYONE was in love with was staring at ME Riley Oria , the boring girl from ohio.i blushed even harder and eventually sighed as i was saved by the bell.i hurried outside to meet Adele and CoCo.
"Dude!,two words: DENVER TRENT" she took time to elaborate the words.
our conversation was interrupted by a familiar voice.
"what about him?- is he giving you trouble?" alice said , his fists balled up.
"jeez! you need to stop eavesdropping i swear i will tell dad to send me to boarding school!"i said
"then you would be away from all these pervy boys!" Alice growled at me.
i rolled my eyes and bounded off. i was sick and tired of everybody on my case. especcially my brothers. Adele and CoCo caught up with me at the cafeteria. i lightened up a little bit when we settled down at our favorite table.
" i am sooo jealous- what did he say to you Ri Ri?" Adele smiled
"Nothing"i deliberated.i didn know why they were so interested in this denver guy.
speaking of the denver: he came walking in as if he owned the place and as if we all were just his `lucky` servants. he stopped at our table. oh god.
" do you- er mind if i sit here?"he winked at me. yes of course we mind!!!
"no not at all" CoCo said matter of factly.i gestured for her o stop but she pulled a fake smile at me, eyes glinting. Denver took his seat and looked across to each of us, adressing us politely
"Riley, Adele, Coco...."
i stared at his elaborate face and then turned away blinking.
"denver-hey can i call you den?- what brings you to these parts of the jungle?, you usually sit in your own corner with roderick and beck" i pointed out daintily.Denver laughed and spoke
"well i just wanted to see what this part of the jungle looks like - its very nice by the way- i love the view..." Denver smiled a wicked smile, his eyes twinkling and his mouth a wide grin. CoCo nudged Adele and they burst out into peals of giggles.Denver stuffed three french fries into his mouth, chewed and opened his mouth to speak
" hey i heard youre pretty big with motorcycles, what type do you ride?" he asked curiously
"harley davidsons, partly one of the reasons why my brother is callled harley" i explained to him.
"well well- i have one too!"denver shrugged and smiled. he peered at his watch and picked up his tray.
"gotta go!" he said and winked at me . the bell rang aonce again and saved me from the questions that were about to come up.


last period ended and i ran out; i wasnt excited to get home, alice would tell marcel about today and i really didnt need my brothers to interfere at that time. i walked over to alice`s bmw ( a present from dad) and got inside. i waited as he finished talking to his best friend pj(aka CoCo`s older brother)he got in, followed by a chatty who was pepped up about some canoeing meet with his best friends brady and cody.i leaned back, in store for what i was about to face. if alice told marcel, he would get angry . and not any typr of angry: werewolf type angry......

Denver

whoa! ok today in order, Get ready for school , get to school , walk past only the prettiest girl in the school, attempt flirting skills and only just find out that she loves motorcycles just like me.But im not excited, anything but excited. im not this boy who fancies a girl- just a crush- no its much more than that. but i do know one thing for sure; roderick is so not happy about this. but who cares about roderick? - ok i do but this time, he cant persuade me to leave something that i love. since mom and dad died, roderick has been working hard to make sure that once we get to 18 and we stop ageing, we become good men - or you could say `good vampires`. Nobody knows our secret and we intend to keep it that way. but of course with all these werewolves around, its hard to keep a secret. ive tried to stay away from riley so long that... ive become even more attracted to her; her long wavy brown hair, the deep blue eyes , her flawless skin.... but then there`s her smell, like a dog but floral scented.
the door banged open and roderick walked in, his fists clenched. i had to keep my ground.
"hey bud, back so early?" i said warily.

"what were you playin at? our secret could have been blown you idiot!"

"look, i know you`re only trying to loo after us but i can look after myself!- do you remmember isla?- yeah you remmember isla so SHUT UP!" i shouted at him, angry this time. i bounded up the swirling staircase to my room, slamming the door. i heard roderick downstairs , swearing under his breath. i picked up my favorite guitar and started to strum . this was my only peaceful way that i could think. in peace. i remmembered the christmas i got my guitar , the christmas before mom died.things were different back then, we were a normal family . and yet we still thought we were human. you see, my dad used to be a vampire hunter , part of the vampHunters society. he was on a mission to find and kill one of the most vital members of the hecat clan.well he was lucky to find them but not so luck when this `grand` vampire tracked him down and did the worst thing he could think of; turn his three children into vampires ( well half since we were already human). ever since then , our parents had been trying to hide that fac;inserting syringes of blood in our juice boxes without us looking, giving us things to chew on and telling us we had minor teeth problems: we never went to the dentist. my mom die dwhen i was ten and dad died only last year. im 16 now. they worked so hard to save money for us that they deteriated whilst trying to save us.its hard to find another family that could tell you this story. i remmembered today how i broke the `rules` . i couldnt stay away from her, it wasnt possible . it was like gravity had pulled us together with tight strings.


i stayed in my room , skulking, making up songs in my peaceful way. i had a killer headache and was trying ot ease it away from the fact that i was so in love.i was on the verge of falling into a deep sleep when roderick opened the door slowly.
" umm. here is your dinner"

" ok . just put it on the table" i said with my eyes closed

" i dont know why you are being so difficult but i hope that you know; isla is coming over today, to stay." he said , matter of factly. he had a knack of making everything so difficult when times were hard. i got up, took the tray and closed the door in his face.


i had just about finished wolfing down the food , when i decided to go out. go, get some fresh air. i put on my bikers jacket that said promptly on the back: DENVER . i had got it at one of those bikers conventions with dad and beck last year. i picked my helmet and shuffled to the garage. this was where beck spent most of his days skulking when he wasnt at school.he was there, washing his car.
"hey bro,how ya doing?- just going for a ride- wanna come?" i glanced at my twin brothers reaction.he nodded.
"sure...um let me just get my bike ready" he murmured. i put my helmet on and sat on my bike. i heard a car pull into the driveway. it was a yellow porsche , intricately designed. isla. she stepped out the car, her blondehair cascaded over her dress and she wore bright red heels and huge sunglasses that covered her sharp and witchy green eyes. she spotted me and clattered over , smiling and waving.
"hi den!" she squealed, pulling me into a tight hug. uggh . she smelt like foreign perfume. the kind that wasnt good.
"hi isla... roderick is in the house - me and beck are going for a ride on the bikes-" she cut me off
" oooh cool , you guys are like real- dudes!" she said glancing around her.uh well yeah, thats what you can call it. i opened my mouth to tell her that she had got it wrong , that we were bikers, but she had all ready stomped down to the house, handbag in hand and hair flying around in different directions.
beck finnally came, his face bright red.
" hey, you left me frickin meerkat isla!"i said as he chuckled
" sorry!"
" where we goin?"
" straight down , as far as we can get!" he puffed , glancing at my expression as he sped up
"damn!" i muttered. we did this for 2 hours, whizzing past houses and trees until we met the border line. i beat him by 3 minutes and triumphed as he reached me.
"ok, lets go back... 3.. 2.. 1..!" i said enthusiastically
i sped off , leaving him in my tails. i saw something move in the corner of my eye and slowed down. i couldnt believe it;it was riley! she was there with her brothers and that pj guy. she was sitting on a bike , her arms wrapped around his waist. they were smiling happily and joking with eachother. i didnt like what i saw.i looked around and realised that beck had gotten past me. damn!

when i got home , beck was there waiting for me.
"bro! what happened?!" he said , laughing
i shrugged him off, mumbling something about the brakes
"oh well- i win though!" beck laughed again and patted me on the back.
when we got inside, roderick was on the couch, his arm around isla; who was sleeping
roderick saw our faces and sighed. as if we really needed meerkat isla to come butting into our lives. this was exactly how my life is. it always will be.

Alice

"i saw that guy, the `ooh look at me im a vamp, i think i look so cool`guy. yeah him. me, riley, pj and harley (coco was hanging at the side) were out riding some bikes when i saw him and his brother. i think he excpected something, because he slowed down and looked at us. i gave riley grief when we got home.
"stay away from that guy!" i shouted
"why? are you my boss? and Alice, it wont hurt for you to learn his name: DENVER!" she groaned and stormed off to her room. i had only wanted the best for my only sister; i could see now that that wasnt what she wanted.
i heard marcel behind me.
"meeting... down in the garage" he murmured and left the room. i followe after, keeping an eye on the staircase and listening in on rileys room.

"ok guys sit down" dad gestured to the seats
"so... we`ve got a problem- vampires are rounding us , close to the river- it seems that they are trying to find food, even worse; vunerable kids to slaughter and turn into dangerous mini vamps" he peered at us and sighed

" so what you`re trying to say da is that we banish all these children to a secluded place, where they`ll have to stay until these bloodsuckers go?" harley says

"Nope. i think what dad is trying to say is that we try to hoard these vamps off while all the kids are busy; at school or something...." i said, guiding harley`s idea to the curb. it was pretty obvious that that was on dad`s mind in the first place.
" good alice, we could create something like a kids convention where all the kids go, get cousin angus an co. in on the act and we have a super safe forcefield!" dad says rubbing his sweaty palms together.

i pounced on the kitchen table where the last piece of apple pie sat appealingly on the table. Riley laughed at us all, escpecially harley , who had gone into a sulk. i sunk down, gulping down apple pie: it was hot and gooey in the middle, he pastry flakey on the outside, just how the oria brothers like it. made specially at cousin angus`s bakery shop. mm mm mm!
someone was at the door, i was guessing it was coco and pj by the noise from outside. i opened the door, revealing the siblings.
"coco forgot her jacket!" pj puffed, looking like he had been given grief. coco sidled past me , her auburn hair flicking me in the eye. OW.
"sorry man, she insisted on getting it back tonight , talking about how she also needed to talk to riley about something." he peered around the room, half excpecting riley to jump in and declare her love for him. i rolled my eyes as pj stepped in. he was my best friend but it was hard to think that he was in love with my little sister (secretly) ha! not really.
Riley walked in then, her hair tousled and wearing some big shirt of marcel`s that reached up to her knees. coco trailed behind her, gabbling on about something.
" come on, WE need to go!" pj groaned again
" alright , jesus! keep you`re beanie on!" coco huffed and cluttered out of the house.
that`s when i noticed the beanie; slight on the top of his head and baggy at the back. new style? nope. i wasnt even gonna ask that question. riley smirked, pouring herself a cup of mountain dew. pj waggled his tongue at riley as she took huge gulps. he waved, not being responded to.
" come on , get out of my house!" i laughed , play fighting with him.
" you have got some seriously weird friends!" she sniggered as soon as the door shut. she shuffled into the living room with her big glass. she flicked on the t.v . gossip girl. great!
i sat down, going though an omnibus before giving up. it was 11:30 already
" ok girl, time to get to bed" i said gruffly. i picked my sister up off the couch and ran around, imitating a gorrilla . i delivered her to her bedroom and said goodnight.
" yeah ,yeah" she slammed the door in my face. i smiled to myself and delivered myself to my own room. i moved the things that intruded my room and flopped down on my bed , closing my eyes

"wake up! h-e-l-l-o?? wake up!"
i opened my eyes slowly . harley stood over my, his long brown hair tickling my face
"ok!ok!" i shrieked rolling off my bed. i pulled my clothes on quickly and picked up my bag
"where is riley?" i said , yawning as i spoke
"oh yeah- um she left an hour ago?!" harley spluttered . i noticed he was still in his pyjamas
" school is on today y`know!"
" ive got laringitis apparently- ive got a killer wolf headache" harley grabbed the carton of orange juice and walked to the living room. i got up, walking to the garage. i got my keys and jumped on the bike.


i whizzed past so many trees and houses that i began to feel dizzy . i stopped the bike in the middle of the road and took a big breath. i felt like i was about to vomit. everything seemed to elapse into complete darkness.....

my darling alice, i always knew you were destined...

mom!?

it is i

you have started to go through many changes ....

be aware

i love you mom!

i love you too my darling son.........

my heart stopped beating as i heard total silence . i could still smell her: thr lemon and mandarin and her sweet smell of marshmallows and woodsmoke. i breathed in, inhaling her scent. i closed my eyes

Marcel

i glanced at my brother warily, he had bloodmarks and scars on his face, along his brow , down the side of his face. we had had to stuff cotton wool in his mouth to stop the bleeding. it had soaked the bedsheets all the way through, we had to change it at least more than 5 times. we all had blood on our hands. all because we should have seen it coming, because we shouldnt have let him go to school on a bike. i stayed with him most of the times, i thought it was my fault, i should have told him this was going to happen. afterall , it happened to me. i saw mom but i thought it was a hallucination .i saw her clearly. id fallen off a cliff and fell into the depths of the seas. i was only lucky because cousin angus was there to save me. mom had told me i was special, that i should take care of my younger siblings. the special part really struck in my mind and from then on i acted like it. i wasnt that special though, deep down inside was self concious about myself. when i had gone out with girls i always thought to myself: am i good enough? i saw guys look at MY girl and flinched. i was even jealous of my own brothers for goodness sake!
me and alice look like mom but it obviously looked better on him. riley and harley were the ones that looked like dad; the deep blue eyes, flawless skin and freckles. we all had brown hair; it was an oria thing.
alice interuppted my thoughts when he spoke
"why are you still here- where`s riley? huh?" he lisped
"i dont know" i murmured, answering both questions at the same time. why was i here if he was going to be so ungrateful?.my brother looked put off and closed his eyes. i took this respect and left silently, leaving him to his thoughts.
i had to get back tto uni in the meantime. i`d had a holiday since my exams and needed to get back aagain. i couldnt be taking holidays whenever i needed one.escpecially since i went to yale.

when i got into my car, i was desperate to leave- it was at least a 4 hour drive- whizzing past busy towns and silent streets. i got on the motorway and cruised for at least half an hour before i reached mississipi. i parked and got out, walking across thhe road, i noticed a bar called: fluid cross. great! i smiled to myself as i entered the bar. it was dimly lit and well furbished. in one corner there were middle aged men sitting around an odd shaped table andin another there was a brand spanking new pool table. i walked slowly to the counter and ordered
"what would you like sir?" a small slight blonde haired girl asks
"i`ll have one ice cold apple cider- no alcahol"i said , looking around at my surroundings.
"coming right up!she winked at me and bustled to get my drink
she came back with a tall glass of golden coloured cider
"may i have the pleasuree of askiing you what your name is?" i asked, switching the charm on
she smiled sweetly at this, showing perfectly white teeth
" you do- my name is rosie " she says, her eyes glinting
"uh huh- my name is marcel pleasure to meet you" i placed my hand forward solitarily and chuckled. her hand was waarm and i held on for an extra second and she blushed. i quickly took my hand away and peered at my watch.huh. i had to be there at 6:00 and it was 2:30 already.had to get going.
"ooh ah sorry i have to get going- have to get to uni- i go to yale so..."i mumbled
"um ok i guess this is goodbye...." she trilled
" yep" i turned and left.


i got there at around 5:48. huh . 2nd year and i was the last one in. again. i walked into the hall where most of the students were, talking about their holidays. i scanned the room for my best friends; mick and scott. in spotted them as soon as they spotted me.
"hey hey hey! look whose joined the party!"scott hollered at me. his hair was greased up and it was especially spiky.he pulled me into a big bear hug.
"hey, how was your holidays?"i queried both of them, scott being the only one aware of my vice. i peered at mick who was ogling the newcomers, his guitar slung on his back. i burst out laughing when one of the girls walked by and glared at him, giving him the evil eye. just like the old days. me, mick and scott were the only ones from our high school to graduate and go to yale- ad i was the onlyy one serious aboout it-yet we were so odd. i put my concentration to the front where the head was making his grand speech to the first years. i thought about how proud mom would be if she were still alive. i sighed . most of the first years had their parents with them, rosy cheeked, wide grins.i wished that i could reach mom right now and tell her how much i missed her

you can...

mom!

yes my darling marcel.. it is me ... your mother!

i love you mom, i miss you!...

i am so proud of all of you: harley, riley, alice and my beautiful baby boy...

i could almost feel her touch now, i didnt want her to go.
something shook me by the shoulders
"dude , the welcoming speech is over, lets go!!!"mick says
i follow them blindly to our three part room

Riley

i slumped down in the couch, pulling my feet up with me,to enjoy the comfort. the house was strangley quiet for the first time ; alice in intensive care , harley FAST asleep and marcel shipped off to university. i pulled at my hair absent-mindedly and flicked through the channels
past oprah and PAWN stars(my brothers`s favorite) and finnally turned onto a channell that i hadnt been on for years: nickelodeon. i went through at least ten episodes of spongebob befor my phone started to beep, a text message from coco.

IMPORTANT,MEET ME AT THE CRAZESHAKE, URGENT

OH YEAH, ADELE IS GONNA BE THERE TOO.

***

i frowned at the text wishing i had a way out of it. obviously i wouldnt (you have NOT met coco yet...) fumbling with my laces,i rushed out, not wanting to waste valuable time(for me).
coco always complained about my sense of style, calling me the most wanted for the fashion police(well except for hoboes) i told her she was crazy and that the world didnt revolve around fashion. she burst out crying then.

when i arrived, coco was sitting at a window seat , looking urgently around. squeal!

oh no!
squeal!

i sank into the seat opposite coco
" so whats the `emergency`?" i said , raising my eyebrows
"geuss what?!"
"what?" i said blankly

" well, i was at the mall, and i saw denver- so he starts speaking to me ad im all; omigod! its denver trent!. then he starts to leave and he says: send my love to riley, so i give him you`re cellphone-"she finishes before i cut her off

"you gave him my number?!" i say, completely startled.
coco nods and squeals again. i stare at her blankly and for a second, i dont know what to say. when i recover,i open my mouth to speak, but am interrupted by the sound of adele entering in.
"whats the emergency?- i came as quick as i could!"she says, red faced

" oh ummm... hmmm- coco gave denver my NUMBER with out my PERMISSION!" i say angrily
adele looks as if she is about to cry, because she says:
"i cant believe you!!!!" she shrieks and sinks down into her chair
so now you see how my life is totally crazy; right now im so annoyed that i dont even think what coco said to me afterwards peed me off:she said,
" can i come to you`re house today? we ran out of ice cream"
i think she was trying to hide the fact that she had really made me annoyed, but i let her come anyway(you see what kind of a good friend i am?). she tagged along, linking arms with me and babbling on about how she and her brother had an argument about their `room space`. i listened to this for about ten minutes before we reached my house.

i slumped back down in my couch again, with a glass of mountain dew that eased through my throat as i took steady gulps" really, i think you should give this guy a chance, please just once; go on a date with him!" coco pulled on my arm and pleaded.
i fell in her trap and gave up. if it was the only way to shut her up, then i would do it. plus, i genuinley thought i should give him a chance
"Yes !yes!yes!" coco squealed once again.


i stood hunched up in my jacket as i waited with the autumn leaves. i was one minute early for our `date`. i justed wanted to get this over and done with.
a car growled behind me and pulled by the curb. denver. he got out smoothly, his body graceful as his long legs moved out of the car.
"you came!" he said, his eyes glinting. he pulled me into a hug and i inhaled. i wasnt used to this... closeness. i laughed and endured it
"yep" i said ,gritting my teeth
he opened the car door for me and i got in . it was suprisingly warm in there and i relaxed a little more. denver got in and sat down, looking at me dreamily.
" i am really glad that you came" he said. he looked into my eyes and held my gaze. i noticed his soft hazel eyes that were warm and beautiful.
"i thought that you wouldnt come..." he said smoothly and easily. his voice was like a coat of velvet strawberry blossom that held me in a blanket. it made me feel warm.
he started up the car and turned up the radio.
"so.. where are we going?" i asked quietly.
" i thought you might want to go somewhere in town; ive booked us a place at a cool restaurant called le savoy" he pronounced the restaurants name in a funny french accent. we laughed together and enjoyed the silence. he turned to the main road, concentrating. his mass of curls that fit him like a halo covered his head. i thought about how different he was when i had spoken to him in the cafeteria. he was unusually silent now.
"when i first met you, you were a lot.... chattier" i said looking intently at his expression. it didnt change.
" i guess its the nerves- im not as confident as you think" he said finnally turning to me. denver smiled and pointed out the window.
" there it is" he says
a restaurant with a huge sign that said: LE SAVOY. in big lettering , stood elegently. i got out of the car and walked in, surprised at the elegency of the restaraunt.
" you like it?" he asked , hi warm voice anxious
"no- i love it!" i say suddenly.

denver smiles at me and takes my hand.
his hands are mildly soft and warm and i clasp it and my breath catches hurredly.
" are you ok?" he asks me
"fine"
we take our seats in an alcove, decorated with roses and lavender.i peer at the menu and notice that it isnt a posh restaraunt, it is a family restaraunt with normal food like pizza and steak. not food like caviar and crab. i smile at this and when the waiter comes i order a medium sized pizza with extra meaty toppings.
"good choice. i`ll have a steak with vegetables please" he says to both me and the waiter.
"i thought this was going to be overly posh!" i said
"oh no, i used to come here with my brothers and parents when i was young" he says and stares at me. i smile at him and tuck my hair away behind my ear
"you look beautiful tonight" denver says suddenly.
i blush because no one has ever called me beautiful(apart from my parents)
"thank you" i said quietly
we both stare at eachother silently for a minute until my phone starts to ring
"hello?" i say
"riley!" coco screeches through the phone
"oh my gosh- what now?"
"where`s denver? i wanna make sure you didnt bail!"
"he`s right here-"
denver says hello in advance and coco squeals
"ok ill leave you to it- where has he taken you?-"
i turn off the phone and smile apoligetically at denver. he shrugs and laughs.

the food finnally comes and we both dig in, denver with his steak and me with my meaty pizza.
we finish our food in 20 minutes and sit with our `chocolat`fudge sundae. mmm mmm mmm . i try with 4 spoonfuls and cant finish.
"i cant finish this- sorry." i pull a sad face
" that`s ok- truth is- i cant finish mine either"he pulls a sad face and gets up. we both leave and get in his car.

we reach my house in a space of 20 minutes
"thanks for today.." i said
"its my pleasure"
we`re both silent until i reach over and give him a kiss on the cheek.denver rakes his hand delicatley through my hair and i close my eyes. the moments over though and i leave and get into my house. the date was perfect even though i didnt want it to be. i sigh because i know now that i am in love with denver trent.

Denver

i watched as riley left the car hastily and smiled. the date had gone well. i slid out of her driveway and went home. i had told roderick about my date with pride. of course he didnt like that;
"you`re what?!" he said-no shouted-
"i`m going on a date with riley" i had said, almost too confident
"no you`re not- you know that she`s a-" he said angrily before i interrupted him
"so?-what about isla?- she`s one too!" i shout this time
"thats dif-"
"no its not- for once, im finally happy- and if you dont like that then so be it" i dont run up the stairs like a hormone raged teenager; i stare at my brother, scanning his face, until he gives up and storms up to his room. i snigger as i think about it know and pull up the driveway into school. the sun shines brightly and i squint my eyes to make sure i can make out the shadowy figure of riley in the distance. she is looking as beautiful as ever and my heart stops. time to get serious. i walk swiftly up to her, sweeping my masses of curls away from my face.
"hey denver!" she smiles suddenly , as if i just made her day.
"hey..."
we are interrupted by a small grunting noise
"wow... you know, just because your brother isnt in- doesnt mean you can do whatever"
i swivel round to see p.j. , Alice`s best friend. i glare at him and continue
"shall i hold your bag?"i ask gently
"thanks" riley glares at p.j. and i smile as he walks away with a gang of jocks.

"there is no competition"
"what?" i say , dazed
"between you and p.j.- there is no competition" she says again suddenly and i realize that i have been completely silent. i open the door for her and smile
" i know, i just like to make out there is one..."
we both laugh and we fall silent
"you look... beautiful" i say. i stare into her big blue eyes and wonder
"Thanks"
"i think im in love"
we stare at eachother in awe and smile.

Harley

i creeped out of the house silently, looking back to see if i had been caught out. i sniggered to myself and loaded myself onto my motorbike.i swivel around to face my two best friends, Ruben and Brady.
"hey dude- ready?"brady says enthusisatically
"Always"
we ride for ten minutes until we reach the depths of the trees and we dump our bikes in an old shed out of site.
"we need to be quiet.." Ruben whispers. i nod and i take off my t-shirt. my tanned skin shows the muscles ive developed massively.
"dude!" Brady complains. he whips of his shirt to reveal his skin and we laugh in whispers.
we take off our shoes until we are wearing nothing but khaki shorts.
"go!"
we start off a run and leap in the air. my body ripples as it touches the cold fresh air and i suddenly become warmer. my body is covered in hair and i growl as i slam against the hard muddy floor.me, ruben and brady run until we reach a clearing where there are 2 more fully grown werewolves. thats us - the trocans. of course dad doesnt know im here- im supposed to be ill-but who really cares? i grimace as we growl at eachother halfheartedly. my nose touches the hard and muddy earth and i sniff at it instinctivley.the other two (kristopher and Noah) lift their heads up at us and growl . we search the perimeter for bait and split up into groups and prowl off, noses to the ground. i sniff in the earthy scents and suddenly come to a stop
i growl and raise my head up into the air
what is it now?!
kristophers tantilzing voice echoed into my head.
ive found a scent...
before i could even finish, he was by my side, his muzzle to the muddy trek of footprints and huge car wheel marks.
we all fall silent as kristophers ear pricks up suddenly.i listen carefully and hear the faint hum of rap music , getting closer and closer.the cannibal vamps.
"i can smell blood...!"a pale man with dirty blond hair trilled,his mouth was covered with dry blood.he sat on the dirty head of a range rover.
"when was the last time we ate dog j?" a guy with red eyes and a texan accent asked, a sly smirk on his tight face.
"1984, some loser named michael oria" he stared right into me , his purple eyes penetrating and watching my every move.everything suddenly sprang into action, before i knew it, i was pulled by the edges of my mangled fur into the clearing space before us and the red haze that filled my head got stronger
HARLEY...
kristopher growls, an edge in his voice
LET ME KILL HIM!!!
i grit my teeth and tear past into the opposite side of the clearing where the vamps are laughing , unmistakebly at me. my whole body tingles and the red haze takes over now, like its carving something straight into my brain: YOU CANT FIGHT HARLEY, YOURE JUST A LOSER WHO`S GONNA GET EATEN...
i spring back on my feet and hurtle forward. im in the air now ,and i suddenly realise that ive moved so fast that ive already landed, claws dug into the mans face.hope starts to rise up and i claw away , staring at hatred and nothing until the mans threats and screams of the man die and my mind feels numb. the others stare at me lifelessly and pull me down , grabbing my fur, my head, my paws until i lay down on the earth , tired and breathless my head whizzing.

Alice

every inch of me ached and my head pounded furiously,angry at me for giving up on myself.I stared at the clock on the wall, the longer hand trying to chase the smaller hand in desperation, but still obviously failing. it showed how weak i was, slow in spite of my ability.
The door stood ajar and i could hear dad , in the next room , speaking hurriedly into the phone.
"he WHAT?!"
dad paused abruptly
"i still dont understand.." his voice seemed to get louder with his agitation
"ok ok angus, yes i`ll be there"
pause.
"i cant leave Alice here..."
"ok, ok"
i squeezed my eyes shut as dad eased himself into the room.
"Alice?"
"Dad, Im not a baby,you trust me right?"
"yes why?"
"why do you think i cant stay by myself- with Riley?"
"youre inj-"
i interrupted him
"so?" i lay me hand on the table at the same time " i have a mini fridge here, i have a tv , a toilet, cant i stay by myself?"
"yes- i guess so"
i closed my eyes again, pretending to sleep. i could feel dad`s eyes burning into me until the noise of his exit filled my ears.i opened my eyes slowly and watched the clock again in awe. after a couple off minutes, Riley entered slowly and sat on the bed nearly on my feet
"Where were you?" i said abruptly
"Just out with friends..." she replied
"friends"
"adele, coco..."
"i dont believe you"
"so?"
"you shoulld care what i think"
"youre unbelievably selfish you know that?!" my sister shouted at me
"Get out then if you dont like it!"
" i will!"she stopped and looked me in the eyes and i looked away. everything and everyone seemed to be sent to the back of my mind. i hated being me. why couldnt i just be a normal kid? like p.j striking out with girls and wearing beanies.corretion: exactly like p.j.
I peered around the room, helpless to myself.
i needed to get out, out of this stuffy room; i wouldnt even go far.
my power surged inside my body as i lifted myself out of the bed and out of the room.


After nearly an hour (as i recalled it) to get to the lounge. Riley was sprawled over the couch watching a rerun of south park
"Hey" i sank into the couch
"hey"
"sorry about earlier... i guess i was just... angry with myself
" it's ok Alice, really"
"so what you watching?" i ask even though i've seen it about a million times
"The stick of truth"
"cool"
Then, the smell eases its way into my nose
"yuck riley! whats your perfume?"
"err nothing... why?"
"nothing, theres just this really disgusting smell; cant you smell it?
"no... whats going on alice?"
i pause and then decide to leave it
" maybe its just me"
A pause
"im glad youre back alice, we've all really missed you"
" Thanks riley"
My sister reaches up to hug me and then stands up
"i better get to bed"
i nod and put my legs up. this was the family i missed. the family i needed

i struggled, my head pressed against rileys bedroom door
"i cant always stay with you here riley," a mysterious husky voice murmured
"please?, just this once?" riley answered, her voice muffled
there is a pause and then;
"ok"the husky voice is clearer now. so is the scent.
vampire.
i back away silently , my eyes locked on the door... im ready to attack, to rip this guys head off
"We have to be quiet Denver"
"well yeah , i figured, i was just gonna play the guitar for you... dont worry"
my heart slowed down as he said the last part. dont worry; it was if he was saying it personally to me. there is a silence and then he starts playing; a soft but startling melody. after a while i could hear nothing but silence and rileys soft snores. i decide to play it safe and walk away, down the hall into the comfort of my own room.

Marcel

"Beer?" mick asks
"No thanks" i answer, my eyes locked on the tv
"what lecture have you got today scott?" i ask without moving my eyes off the tv
" umm i think with dr bryans , philosophy," he takes a big slurp of his beer and then peers at me
"you alright though? you look a bit peaky by all means"
"Nah caught the flu from my brother" i answer quickly
"yeah?"
i nod and flick my hair settling deeper into the chair. i was still a bit caught off gaurd since my... encounter the other day.Not that i was surprised though.
mick suddenly gives out a peal of laughter
"ha ha too funny!"
thats when i cant take it anymore. i grab my jacket and bag and walk out the door.soon enough im aware of something behind me. scott. i roll my eyes and turn around.
"what?" i ask , a little too rudely
" i mean it , you really do look ill," he stuffs his hands in his pockets
"i guess i am worried about you bro" he says sincerely
"really, im fine scott you dont need to worry"
"yeah?" he is inquisitive again
" yeah." i turn away from him,walking across the campus.

my lecture seems to go one for ever and when i leave, i am gasping for air.
your'e ok , just another 5 hours
i lie to myself. i go through the rest of the day fake smiling and laughing; writing hurriedly in class and picking myself up between each lesson with a cup of coffee that i have managed to salvage at lunch.
later on though, scott and mick catch me up at our small surburban condo.mick is playing his guitar wildly and scott is bobbing his head up and down
"hey dude!, come... join the peace resistance!"
its obvious that hes taken too much beer.
"c'mon dont embarrass yourself like this mick, you know that your better than this"
" oui oui les parisian! me amos... mick!" he slurrs his words
soon enough, i have him fast asleep on the sofa bed and me and scott are hurredly finishing our essays that are due tommorrow . the phone suddenly rings.
"i got this" i murmur
i pick up the phone carefully and press the cold reciever against my ear.
"Marcel?"
"yes?"
"its me, your dad" he says sharply
"oh hey-"
" i need your help- quick- and i mean right now"
"what is it?"
"its harley"
then, i slam the reciever down and i grab my jacket, car keys and my wallet.
"where you going?" scott asks
"family trouble- if any body asks-... please?" i plead
scott nods and looks over his shoulder to mick
"i'll tell him"


"dad?"
"marcel..." he jerks his head in the direction of harley
i peer at my brothers red eyes and walk towards him
"harley?"
his hands were bound together with rope tightly
"harley?!"
"no use marcel, he wont listen, hes destroyed"
dads eyes were red too-red from crying.
i try a different approach
HARLEY...
i whimper in my mind. Harley suddenly jerks his head up towards me
MARCEL?
i nod silently
HELP! HELP!
on the outside he cried silently
i could feel the rage inside of him, the red haze. it hurt. hurt too much
"he needs to be sent away" dad says
NO...
harley whines
"why?" i snap
"he needs help marcel, just for 6 months. the wolf doctor suggested a center for boys like him... to help him socialize- i know its complete rubbish but..."
"yeah dad i understand"
"ok"
"listen, im gonna come back home, just for a week and then im gonna go- i feel ill"
"...ok son"
i sigh and walk out the room. i collide into something hard and muscly. i look up into Alice's eyes
" Heyyy!, marcel right? glad you came home- hey you know what? you missed a lot while you where gone" alice pats my shoulder
"fill me in" i grunt

Riley

Denvers hand brushed mine as we walked down the street towards school.
"walking with you makes it worth the while"i say as we pass mcfowlers bakery. the delicious smell wafts into my nose
"are you sure?" he stops, swinging my arms and then pulls them closer and puckers his lips. i reach up on tiptoes and kiss him
"im not really sure NOW" i laugh and pull him towards the school gates.
"i knew you would say that" he murmurs and follows me reluctantly into school.
SQUEAL!

oh damn it!
"lets leave" i whisper to Denver.
He laughs his eyes shining
"Hey!... coco!" he waves as coco clatters forwards
"oh hi denver such a surprise to see you!" she isnt really concentrating and her eyes are locked on mine
"Riley- we need to talk"she says patronisingly
"ok...?"
Coco pulls me by my arm behind a bike shed and plays with her hair
"whats the deal coco?"
coco takes a big breath and then talks really fast
"ok ok slow down" i say
"ok... well yesterday i was at home- listening to a paramore cd as usual- and then the doorbell rings... its both of your brothers-marcel and alice," she gulps and then continues "They found out about you and Denver, they wanted to know if me or pj knew anything about it- of course i said no but-pj owned up" Coco finishes and then looks me in the eye.
"i think Alice came in today"she adds
Marcel? i wasnt even aware that he was back...Alice? he was ill up until last night when...
i hang on to the pole in front of me so that i dont faint and look behind me at Denver who is busy chatting to one of his friends.
Then in the corner i see Alice, pj , brady , ruben and kristopher.alice is staring at Denver with a frown on his face. The bell rings and Denver walks over to me
"want me to get your bag, walk you to class?" he asks gently
"no" i say coldly and shrug him off.
im walking to class when kristopher and pj walk up to me
" hey cus" kristopher says gruffly
"hey" i say
"you busy today?" pj cuts in
"no" i answer
"good" kristopher walks away with a wicked grin on his face


At lunch time, im crowded by alice and his friends who talk about basketball and this season. i know they're trying to seperate me and denver but i dont really care as coco and adele join us. i can still feel denvers eyes boring into my back.

Alice

An entourage of hungry wolves follow my every step.a normal person would flinch at even the sight of that statement, some people-being in the situation i am in- would probably faint. but i know that im one of them. a monster.
"c`mon alice! seriously... you actually want to back out NOW?!"pj cries
"you dont understand what your getting yourself into pj... its not me... its you" i say frowning at my own words. it sounded like something someone would say in one of those romantic comedies. its not me,its you-you burped in my face.
"ok well i think its just you, youve become so soft recently" he says
"pj-its not being soft- im trying to protect my sister and her feelings"
"and you dont think i dont want to do that too?" pj looks hurt
"shut up!- both of you!look theres denver now we can pounce and this could be over in like 10 seconds" kristopher buts in
Brady and Ruben nod their agreement.
"fine" i grumble "but if riley gets caught in the middle, we`re going"

Denver

Riley never looks more beautiful.i stare at her longingly because somehow i think she is avoiding me. now i stroll up to her , surprising her with a hug and a gentle kiss on the cheek.
"denver..." she blushes
"what happened?" i say the hurt showing on my face
Riley glances behind me and i follow her gaze. she draws her attention to me and firmly takes my hand. her hand is warm and soft and i can feel the heat passing between us. riley pulls me towards her and suddenly presses her warm lips against mine. her arms are linked around my neck. i react suddenly passionate and then she lets go.
" what have i missed?" i laugh as her blue eyes haunt me
"nothing much-" she is suddenly interrupted
a deep voice floats in the air
"What have i missed?"
i turn around quickly to see alice- and a pack of dogs- his face distorted.
"uh hi?" im confused in this situation. riley looks put off
"What do you want Alice?"she sighs
"What do i want? i want you to stop dating this.. LOSER!" he growls.i hiss at the word used to describe me.
"dont you think this loser has to have a say in all this?" i interject
"who told you to speak?" a different voice threatens- pj- i grimace as he takes a step forward
"its my choice wether i date him or not ...just BUZZ OFF!" riley grabs my hand and tugs at my arm.
" im not doing this to hurt you riley" alice says softly now
" then why ARE you?" she spits
" i bet this guy hasnt told you all of his secrets has he?" alice frowns at me as riley turns my way. he wants me to tell her my secret- the secret- one that she will hate me for
"what secret?" she asks. i shake my head "WHAT SECRET?! DAMN IT DENVER!" she shouts now her hair flying
alice is smiling now
"he`s a vampire"
rileys eyes widen and tears roll down her cheeks
"is that true?" she asks calmly.
i duck my head and catch her just in time as she runs
"please- i love you" i whisper
"no" riley shakes " no NO! you dont love me! you never did!" riley shrieks and walks away
i watch her as she walks away her footsteps echoe in my head. shes gone ; i scream in my mind. how could i let this happen?
the dogs seem satisfied, satisfied that they killed the light in my life.
a phone call interupts my thoughts
"hello" i croak
"its roderick"
"yes?"
"Denver; hes back... the grand vampires back.." he rushes
"what?"
"the guy who killed mom and dad... back to kill all of us off... he has an army" he almost shouts down the phone
i let the phone drop i needed to inform alice to tell him that the whole town was in danger. all i needed was rileys trust.

Riley

RILEY, PLEASE COME BACK! I LOVE YOU, LET ME EXPLAIN....

message recieved 10:09 DENVER

I'LL UNDERSTAND IF YOU NEVER WANT TO SPEAK TO ME AGAIN BUT WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THIS

message recieved 10:11 DENVER

i flick through the numerous text messages sent , heart racing, my hands shaking.how could he say he loved me? how could he lie? i trusted him and loved him with all my heart. now i was just cast away, like some of those girls he had used in the past.the more i think about it , the more i worry.what if alice hadnt found out and told me? what if denver tried to attack me? i couldnt bear to think about it. i shifted on both feet, looking around anxiously. i stood outside the door of a small rickety house,just off the coast.
just as suddenly as i had lifted my wary hand to knock on the door, it slowly opened. the woman standing at the door was confused as i was, her short blonde hair was short and was a bob that framed her wrinkled face that was highlited in the small amount of sunlight that had been able to pass round the small gap that seperated us
"Yes?" she looked me up and down
"would asher be here? By any chance?" i said, although it was more of a whisper really.
"come on in" she replied, her voice cracking. she lead me into the house, the walls growing more damp as we progressed. we passed the dining room,which seemed to be deserted and the old table that stood in the middle of the room gave of an awful stench of old wood. the lady stopped me just at the end of the corridor and tapped lightly on the door.
"asher darling?". the voice in what seemed to be a cupboard grunted and then the door slowly creaked open.
"i'll leave you to it then" she whispered and walked away, only glancing back for a second.
i hesitated and then walked into the room. it was obviously the most clean room in the house, and on the walls were pictures of bands and football posters
"riley" asher breathed. i watched as he stood up and took a step closer towards me.he had grown much taller and his dark blue eyes made me gasp.
"hey asher" my breath was hot in my mouth and made me shiver. i wasnt even sure why i was here. me and asher had gone out last semester and i had missed him like crazy
"i missed you" he said louder now.then he clasped my hands and pulled me closer, his hands were warm, like they always were and i could feel his breath on my forehead. my heart pounded against my chest and willed me to lean forward.
"i missed you too" my voice was broken but i managed to utter those four words.
asher pulled me closer and pressed his lips against mine. it was more special than anything in the world; more special than denver or anyone else i had been with. the love i had for denver was gone now,broken into little tiny glass shards that if i tried to fix, would immediately hurt me.We kissed for what seemed forever until i pulled away and looked into ashers eyes.
"i think this means one thing" i said cheekily. asher chuckled and then pulled me in for one last kiss...

for the next two days, me and asher were caught in that lover phase. his blue eyes hypnotized me in a way that scared me, something that i had never felt before. he came round mine often and i was no surprise that alice enjoyed his visits especially since harleys migration to wolf rehab.
i enjoyed being smug to coco and adele about my new found relationship. asher was definately bigger than most guys at our school- then again, he was in college. it was my fast recovery that seemed to surprise most people. denver was more secret, he hadnt come into school for days, which i had obviously preffered.at times, asher would drop me off to school,followed by a breathtaking kiss and i would see denver watching out of the corner of my eye. i was even more smug at this point, and when he came over to talk at lunch, i had spoke to him in confidence
" riley"he gulped
"hey denver" i said, avoiding eye contact
"so....new boyfriend huh?" he stuck his hands in his pocket
" uh huh" i brushed my hair back and looked him in the eyes as he spoke
" great..well about last time.. i need to speak babe" he said. i flinched as he said babe and my heart fluttered
"maybe another time? ashers picking me up for lunch in a second"i started to walk away. denver grabbed my by my arm
"wait baby please,i know i should have told you.... i still love you" he gazed at me with those hazel eyes
i stared into his eyes for a minute and then walked away slowly. i wasnt getting sucked back in again.

Impressum

Texte: Copyright goes to strand publishers
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 18.12.2011

Alle Rechte vorbehalten