Rules Are Meant to Be Broken

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Rules Are Meant to Be Broken Page 25

by N. J. Nielsen


  as gently as he could.

  “Okay, Chris. But be forewarned, very soon you guys are

  going to spil your guts and tel me everything I want to

  know. I’m not stupid, and if you won’t tel me my mind is

  going to jump to al the wrong conclusions. Today I’l let it

  slide, but when I ask again I expect to be told the damn

  truth.”

  “Great.” Michael sat up, knowing ful wel his sister meant

  every word she said. Gypsy could be a pain in the arse

  when it came to finding out what she wanted to know. She

  would let them al relax and then she would bombard them

  with questions until they caved and told her everything.

  Michal carded his fingers through his hair and said, “If

  you’re over your bad mood, let’s go out and watch a

  movie.”

  Back in the lounge room Christian got Gypsy settled as

  comfortably as he could and kissed her cheek before going

  to make popcorn. He was glad when he met the others in

  the kitchen. “I was thinking that now we no longer have to be

  creatures of the night. This was one more step to regaining

  our humanity,” he said to the room at large as placed the

  bag of popcorn into the microwave.

  “We can go hunting during the day,” Doyle handed him a

  bowl. “What do you think it wil be like? Who do you think

  should try it first?”

  Kerr joined in the conversation as he poured out some

  drinks. “I reckon since Doyle discovered this new power, he

  should be the one to try it first.” Everyone agreed and

  Christian decided to wait until Michael wanted to go out

  and try it. Michael said that he wouldn’t go out until after

  Gypsy had gone home. Carrying the bowl, Christian happily

  headed back into the lounge room to watch movies with

  Gypsy while Michael sat off to the side talking quietly with

  Kerr.

  § § § §

  Hours later, Michael sat in the sunroom and listened as

  Kerr explained how strange it was being out in the daylight

  together, even more so because they were invisible. When

  two or more were invisible at the same time then they could

  stil kind of see each other. Honestly, Michael couldn’t wait

  to try it for himself.

  “I don’t know how to real y explain it.” Kerr shook his

  head in what Michael guessed was wonder. “You’l have to

  experience it for yourselves. We’re solid, so people can stil

  touch us, but we don’t cast shadows. To each other we

  seem to be almost transparent. Fricken weirdest thing I

  have ever seen.”

  “What, like a ghost?” Michael asked as he tried to

  picture it al in his head.

  Staring, out the front window Michael knew Charm was

  sitting out there, yet he stil couldn’t see her. Even after

  seeing it with his own eyes he was finding it hard to believe.

  Sitting there talking to Kerr, Michael realised how over the

  past three months Kerr had gone from being an enemy to

  being a brother and role model to him. Michael stil had his

  dad, but he could talk about much more with Kerr

  concerning what was happening to him now. The whole

  vampire thing was sometimes very confusing. He had tried

  talking to Doyle, but stil got the feeling Doyle was always

  trying to avoid him.

  “When Gypsy goes home you’l be able to go out and try

  it,” Kerr sniggered. “Christian wil love it; you know what a

  big kid he is.”

  Kerr’s gaze drifted to the window for a moment before

  he resumed talking. “How’s it going between you two?

  Charm’s worried Chris wil leave again.”

  “We’re good. It’s real y good.” Michael nodded. “Being

  together feels right. He won’t leave unless you and Doyle try

  and force him.”

  Narrowing his eyes, Kerr frowned, and Michael thought

  maybe Kerr was also a little worried this was al going to

  blow up again at some stage. Especial y if Gypsy ever

  found out what Christian had done to him, or what they

  real y were; superheroes and vampires were at opposite

  ends of the spectrum.

  “So have you real y forgiven him for turning you?” Kerr

  asked.

  “I love him,” was al Michael could say. It was simple, but

  it was the truth. His gaze shifted to where Christian was

  lying on the floor with Gypsy sitting behind him. They were

  watching the movie 10 Things I Hate About You . Christian

  was focused on the screen while Gypsy massaged his

  head. It looked funny because Christian was feeding her

  popcorn like she was a trained seal, though most of it

  ended up on the floor. He was just thankful his human family

  had accepted Christian so easily, and Christian had been

  wil ing to be part of it.

  Doyle sat not far away on the couch watching them, or

  more to the point watching him. Michael blushed under the

  intensity before Doyle averted his gaze. Michael studied

  Doyle for a tad longer, then turned his attention back to

  Kerr. Kerr sat there quiet for a moment. “What if the dreams

  are right about the creator? What if he real y is intent on

  kil ing you?”

  Leaning in closer, Michael explained briefly his theory on

  the creator’s limitations where destruction was concerned.

  “So you see, I don’t think he can.” He also explained how

  he believed Christian would never be capable of being the

  cause of his death. “I think it’s why the first time Christian

  and I… the first night we kissed, when Sebastian sent me

  the dream tel ing me who sired me… He wanted me to get

  angry at Chris. He wanted me to push Chris away.” They

  both spoke in whispers so Gypsy couldn’t hear what they

  were saying.

  Kerr queried, “You don’t think he wanted you to form

  such a close bond?”

  Shaking his head, Michael tried to explain, “It’s like

  Charm says: you would do anything for the one you love. He

  doesn’t want us to love each other because love is the

  strongest bond there is. It’s even more powerful than what

  is between the creator and al the children he sired. I think

  this is what he’s afraid of. Now his creations can bond to

  someone, pul ing them one step farther away from him.”

  As Michael studied Kerr’s face, he contemplated tel ing

  him his other theory. It was something he hadn’t even told to

  Christian yet. Mainly because he hadn’t quite worked it al

  out in his own mind.

  “I have another theory,” Michael said slowly.

  “I’m listening.”

  “I don’t think any of you, except maybe for Chris, are his

  creations.”

  Kerr’s eyes widened in surprise, but he didn’t say

  anything, obviously waiting or Michael to explain further.

  “I think it’s why we have these little spurts of insight into

  him through our dreams. I don’t think he realises we can do

  that. I don’t believe Christian sired any of you either,” he

  added as Kerr seemed to consider what he said.

  This is something to worry
about, Michael thought. This

  would mean there might be others of their kind out there

  somewhere. If there were, he wondered how they fared.

  And why they hadn’t run across any before.

  His thoughts came back to the present conversation

  when Kerr spoke. “This is becoming more complicated as

  the days go on.” Kerr sighed, “I suppose it’s lucky you

  brought him home then.”

  “I think I would have done it anyway. Bring him back, I

  mean. I don’t seem to be able to function too wel when

  we’re not together,” Michael said honestly. It was like he

  breathed easier when Christian was near.

  “Kerr, how did you guys come to live in this particular

  house?” Michael asked.

  “This is where I woke up. No one was here, so I never

  left. I found Christian two months later. He knew me for what

  I was and he just got up off the wal where he was sitting

  and fol owed me home. It seemed right for him to stay here

  as wel . Not long after, we found Charm. She said she had

  been waiting for us. When we found her, she was sitting on

  a bench near the pond in the park. She even told us we

  were late and cuffed us both up the back of the head. Bit of

  a shock, real y. I haven’t thought about our beginnings in a

  long time,” he said with a laugh.

  “Doyle turned up on the doorstep not much later. It was

  almost like we just gravitated toward each other. Then a

  year and a bit later we al started dreaming about you and it

  seemed strange because you were stil human.”

  He stared at Michael for the longest time and it made

  him a little uncomfortable.

  “We watched you for a long time. It was hard because

  we didn’t know if or when you would ever turn, but nothing

  ever happened and it seemed maybe we had been wrong.

  Then one night I got a cal from Doyle, who crossed paths

  with you while he was out. He caught your scent and knew

  you had been changed. It shocked the hel out of us, but

  nowhere near as much as it did when we found out it was

  Christian who turned you.”

  “Can I ask why you treat Christian like a child? Why did

  you never want to let him go out on his own?”

  Glancing toward Christian, Kerr spoke. “Because in the

  beginning, when we first met he was different. He seemed

  confused about his change in mortality, he couldn’t

  remember huge parts of his life, and he had a fascination

  for everything human, especial y you. When we first started

  watching you, it was as though a switch was flicked on in

  his brain. He just talked about you nonstop. It drove us al

  bloody insane. Then when we gave up on you ever turning,

  it was as if the switch was flicked back. It was as if you’d

  never even existed. It’s one of the reasons it shocked us al

  when we were in the hal , because he claimed never to

  have seen you before, but we al knew he had. It just didn’t

  make sense. Real y it stil doesn’t, how could he not

  remember you?”

  Kerr scratched his jaw, then continued. “I suppose some

  of it makes sense, seeing as you two are now…” he trailed

  off.

  Taking his time before talking, Michael tried to think of

  how to say what he wanted to know. “If you always travel ed

  in pairs then how did he…?”

  “How did he turn you?” Kerr inquired then shrugged his

  shoulder. “Can’t you remember how he took you? I mean

  now you know he did. Can’t you remember under what

  circumstances? If we knew how it happened we might be

  able to work out a few more things in this puzzle.”

  Closing his eyes and leaning back into his chair, Michael

  thought for a while about his last human day. “The last thing

  I remember is walking to the shop because Gypsy wanted

  milk. We had a huge fight over it and I had gone down to

  get her some. I don’t remember ever going home again. I

  remember leaving the shop. I remember that it was drizzling

  rain and then…nothing. But it was daylight. Just after ten in

  the morning, I think.”

  “So Chris has already been out in the sunlight? How

  strange. I wonder why he never told us about this

  phenomenon. Maybe you were right about what you said

  that night in the hal .”

  Michael tried to remember everything of what had been

  said that night. “Which bit?”

  “About him wanting you. What if subconsciously he never

  truly forgot about you at al ? Like I said, in the beginning

  you were in his every thought. He hated having to come

  home during the day and he was always the first one ready

  to go out of a night.”

  This new insight into Christian disturbed him slightly. It

  seemed he was only just beginning to scratch the surface of

  who Christian real y was.

  “Wel , he got me.” Michael threw his hands in the air.

  Caught up in the conversation as he was, Michael was

  startled at the sound of knocking on the front door. “Sounds

  as if your mother has come for Gypsy.”

  Turning in his seat, Michael looked toward the door.

  Hopeful y Charm wouldn’t do anything that might scare his

  mother. This having a family was new to them al . He looked

  at Gypsy, as if warning her about not tel ing their mother

  what she had witnessed.

  Gypsy jumped up to open the door.

  “What’s the matter, Mum?” Michael asked worriedly, he

  took in the distress on her face. She seemed to be in a

  great hurry to grab Gypsy and run. It was obvious she was

  extremely angry. Something was definitely wrong,

  especial y when Christian reached for her and she cringed

  away from his touch.

  “Peg?”

  “Stay away from me.” Grabbing both Gypsy and Michael

  she backed slowly toward the door, not even al owing them

  to get their belongings. “You need to stay away from my

  family.” Reaching into her pocket she threw folded pieces

  of paper onto the floor. “I know what you are!” She

  screamed at him in anger slapping him hard across the

  face before turning to flee. This wasn’t supposed to

  happen.

  Gypsy stared at Michael helplessly, alarmed and upset,

  as they were being dragged from the house by their

  mother.

  Digging his feet in, Michael pul ed his arm from his

  mother’s hand, “Mum, I’m not going. I belong here.” His

  voice trembled as her eyes widened in shock. “I need to

  stay here with Chris.”

  “You don’t know what he is. You need to come home

  where you are safe.”

  “This is my home now.”

  His mother’s eyes fil ed with tears. “Then you know what

  he is?”

  “Yes Mum, I do.”

  “Are you?” her voice hesitated.

  Michael didn’t or couldn’t answer and his mother’s eyes

  widened in disbelief.

  “You’re lying.”

  “Mum, why would I lie?” Michael took a step toward her

  but she pushed him away. In that second he thought he
/>   could smel her fear, and it hurt knowing she was now

  scared of him. Silently, he watched as she backed Gypsy

  closer to the door.

  When Gypsy tried to fight their mother, their mother

  whirled around and slapped Gypsy across the face, tel ing

  her to shut up and just stop. Never seeing their mother act

  this way before, Gypsy was at a loss. She cried out

  Michael’s name as their mother hit her again and pushed

  her from the house

  “Mikey!” Gypsy screaming out his name was the last

  thing he heard. He was too stunned to even fol ow them and

  try and make his mother see some kind of sense. This

  couldn’t be happening. Damn it, he couldn’t be losing them

  al over again. The fear in his mother broke his heart.

  With trembling hands, Michael walked back into the

  lounge room and picked up the pieces of paper off the

  floor. It was almost too much to open the sheets of what he

  now saw were old newspaper clippings. There was more

  than one. It seemed his mother had been busy. The

  clippings were al stories seeming to revolve around this

  house and strange disappearances. There were three of

  them spanning more than a century, each of them as

  accompanied by a photo, and in each photo one person

  was clearly visible.

  “Christian!”

  More than Michael’s hands shook uncontrol ably as Kerr

  took the clippings from him. Then Michael’s eyes met those

  of Christian who had come to stand beside him. Why was it

  whenever he felt they were on track, something came to

  screw it up? Michael didn’t resist as Christian reached for

  him. He needed the comfort of being wrapped within

  Christian’s arms.

  They watched as Kerr went back to sit at the table. Al

  three stories seemed to revolve around strange

  disappearances which had occurred in the vicinity. “Do you

  have a theory on this one?” Kerr asked without taking his

  eyes off the clippings.

  Walking over, Doyle leant in to read the clippings over

  Kerr’s shoulder. His intake of breath was audible to al .

  “Why is it when something weird happens Christian

  seems to be involved? Just how old are you?” Doyle asked

  quietly.

  “I don’t know! I don’t remember any of this.” Christian

  gestured to the faded scraps of paper.

  “Did you create us?” Kerr asked.

  It was Charm who answered; no one had noticed her

 

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