“I let the last one go, but I really wish you would clean up your language,” says Mom.
“‘Ass’ isn’t that bad a word.” Sierra takes a bite of chicken from her kabob. “Be glad I’m limiting myself to that one.”
“Be glad I’m not limiting you to no electronics for a week,” says Mom, with a raised eyebrow.
Sierra hangs her head. “That’s not fair.”
Dad examines his food and wags the shish kabob at us. “Sophia’s got a point. There’s something out here, even if it’s just an ordinary guy who might be up to no good. C’mon. Everyone eat quick and we’ll head back.”
No one objects. I stand and do my best impression of a sentry soldier from Call of Duty while my family eats. I’ve never seen Sophia wolf down her food so fast before—ever. As soon as her skewer’s empty, she pulls her socks and shoes on, stands, and starts bouncing on her toes.
“Is that ‘eager to go home’ bouncing or ‘gotta go’ bouncing?” asks Dad.
“Why did you have to say that?” asks Sierra. “Now I gotta go.”
“There’s no bathrooms out here.” Sam hands his empty skewer to Mom.
“I know that, dork!” snaps Sierra. “That’s the problem.”
“Well.” Dad shrugs. “You can hold it until we’re back at the campground, or water the bushes.”
“It’s like an hour walk!” Sierra fumes—and blushes… then looks terrified. “We can’t split up. It’ll get us one at a time.”
“Eek!” yells Sophia.
“Will you two stop scaring your sister?” asks Mom.
Sam appears bewildered.
“He’s not doing it on purpose.” I wander over and pat him on the head. “He just says whatever pops into his mind.”
“Your father does that too, but only after he’s had a few glasses of wine.” Mom smirks.
“So the boy will be a cheap date.” Dad winks at him.
Sam glances up at me, bewildered.
“I’m not explaining that one to him.” I wave at the girls. “Come on. I’ll stand watch.”
While my brother decides to water a tree close by, I walk my sisters into the woods until Sophia freaks out at the total darkness.
“Dude, I can’t see anything,” says Sierra.
“That’s the point,” I say. “Privacy.”
“It’s too dark,” mutters Sophia. “Is the monster still there?”
I glance around. “Nope. C’mon, hurry up.”
A few minutes later, I lead them back to camp. They cling to me since it’s probably too dark for them to see anything. Dad’s already doused the fire with water from the creek, so the girls both startle when I tug them to a halt, not realizing Dad, Mom, and Sam are right in front of us.
“How are we going to get back to the camp? It’s too dark. We’re trapped out here,” whines Sophia.
Dad turns a flashlight on and points it at us. “Got lights for everyone.” He smiles at me. “Well, almost everyone.”
“Fly me back,” whispers Sophia. “Pleeeease.”
“It’s okay,” I say. “If I fly you back, then you’ll be all alone in the RV while I go get everyone else. And if that… whatever he is comes back when I’m not here, he might hurt someone.”
Sierra punches me on the shoulder.
“What was that for?” I ask.
She glares up at me, terrified of something attacking us at any second, and pissed off at me for scaring her into thinking about that.
“Oh. Sorry.” I take her hand, too. “I think he was only curious.”
It worries me that Sierra doesn’t object to holding hands. Usually, she’s ‘too cool’ for that. But then again, pitch-black forest plus ghost story plus actual monster would’ve scared the crap out of me at eleven, so I can’t blame her.
Dad passes out flashlights, puts on his backpack, and takes one step. “Crap.”
“What now?” asks Mom.
“I, umm… kinda got turned around.”
“Geez, Dad… Hang on a sec, guys. Don’t go anywhere.” I fly straight up until I spot the telltale glow of cars on the road and a handful of lights around the RV park. We’re way off, up in the hills on the far side of a peak. At least they’re not big mountains. “Wow. We went pretty far.” Even with enhanced vision, it’s a little difficult to make out the trails from the air past the tree cover, but I think I spot one. “Okay. Got it. Everyone follow me.”
I land, re-take my sisters’ hands, and lead the way home.
Or at least, as ‘home’ as we can get right now.
13
The Genuine Article
Our trip back to the RV is uneventful, but nerve-wracking for Sophia.
She’s still nervous even once we’re inside behind a locked door, since Sam oh-so-helpfully pointed out a sasquatch could easily break the thin walls. I sit on the couch with her curled up in a ball on my left. As if her two-handed grip on my arm didn’t clue me in on her fear, that she’s not reading her Kindle or talking is a big red flag. Even Sierra’s nervous. I can tell, because she sits beside me on the right with her PS Portable, one shoulder touching me. For her, that’s about the equivalent of Sophia wrapping herself around my arm.
Sam flops on his bunk with his game system like nothing happened.
I spend a while trying to calm the girls down by saying the big guy probably saw the campfire and came to check it out. If he’d been dangerous, he wouldn’t have run away. And, I didn’t see anything at all on our walk back except for trees. When I finally admit the ghost story was all made up and I didn’t really hear anyone talking about it, Sophia calms a little.
Eventually, Mom to sends the sibs to bed due to the time. I hang with the parents for another hour, discussing random things from my upcoming first year of college to maybe we should go home a day or two early since there’s something here.
“I don’t think it’s that big a deal.” I catch myself before making the comment that no one would mind going home early. Fairly sure the girls are quite done with this place already. Sam’s the king of ‘whatever.’ He’d be okay going home early or staying. “People camp here all the time and nothing noteworthy has happened. Whatever it is probably only wants to be left alone.”
Dad nods.
“Perhaps we should skip the night hiking.” Mom’s tone makes it less of a suggestion.
“It’s cool, guys. We have trees back home. If you want to roam around during the day, please, go. I hate being a boat anchor. You don’t have to feel guilty about enjoying the daylight.”
My parents stand from the recliners (driver and passenger seat) and hug me.
“All right,” says Dad.
“I mean it. I’m fine.” I grin, and again catch myself before saying ‘if.’ “Next year’s road trip, please pick somewhere the kids can enjoy. I can either stay home or stay in a hotel room during the day if it’s bright out. It will not bother me. Okay? Better they have fun.”
Mom squeezes me tighter.
“I’ll see what I can find.” Dad pokes me in the side. “Thank you for coming this year. I get that you’re eighteen now. If you wanna skip it next year, it won’t bother me—much.”
“Next year’s a long way off,” I say.
“Any plans tonight?” asks Mom.
“Well, I figured I’d fly back to Cottage Lake and hang with Ash and ’Chelle, then race back here to beat sunrise.”
They both stare at me.
“Kidding, guys… It’s like 700 miles home. It would take me three hours to fly one way. Totes not worth it.” I gesture at the door. “Probably just going to wander around, grab a bite to eat, and maybe go do something I probably shouldn’t do.”
“What’s that?” asks Dad. “Get too close to a bear cub? Start a land war in Asia? Put ketchup on a hot dog?”
Mom gives him the side-eye. She’s originally from Chicago.
I giggle. “No. I was thinking of checking out that glyph on the wall… but you know what? I think I’m going to ignore it. This is supposed to be a vacati
on and I don’t want to be the reason we nearly die. If there is a monster in that cave, poking it in the ass with a turkey baster is a stupid move.”
Dad laughs.
Mom blinks at me.
“Wow, you’re not really in a mood for jokes, huh?” I poke her in the side.
“Not really. I can never tell anymore when you’re being serious. I thought that whole war between elder vampires thing was a sarcastic remark.”
I cringe. “Nope. But you were right. Sophia’s dance class was more important. At least to me.”
“Okay then. We’re off to bed,” says Dad.
“Please tell me you guys aren’t going to do anything unnatural in the same bed I’ve been sleeping on.”
Mom blushes.
Dad rolls his eyes. “Hardly. Your mother hasn’t let me touch her since the night we made Sam.”
Mom gasps. “Jonathan!”
“Eww,” says Sierra. “Guys… trying to sleep here.”
I shudder.
“Allie…” Dad puts an arm around her. “You’re supposed to laugh, since clearly that was not a true statement.”
“Argh!” yells Sierra.
“I’m out.” I plug my ears and walk to the door making “La-la-la-la-la” noises.
Supernaturally enhanced hearing can be a curse as much as a benefit.
While roaming around the RV park, I catch all sorts of things I regret being aware of. At least four couples doing the deed, including one old couple. As long as I un-live, I’ll never forget “oh, Julius, that’s the spot, go a little faster” in a voice that sounds kinda like my grandmother.
When a man grumbles, “I’m gonna frickin’ kill you, you stupid bitch,” from another RV, I dash over out of concern… but he’s talking to a video game. The ‘bitch’ in question appears to be some giant, vaguely-feminine, alien hive monster.
In addition to the awkward, the creepy, and the weird, I also catch snippets of bedtime stories, movies playing, and one guy strumming an acoustic guitar. For obvious reasons, I avoid going near the circle where the Peters Family is parked. The last thing I need would be to have the brothers spot me prowling around at night.
Eventually, I make my way across the middle of the RV park where the public bathroom building plus a few small cabins sit. A solitary man sitting with his back against a tree presents a perfect opportunity. He’s evidently in the process of rolling a handmade cigarette. My nose tells me I want to bite him before he lights up. Not that I’d totally mind a little pot buzz on general principles, but I don’t exactly feel comfortable out here. At least, not without understanding exactly what our unidentified cave monster really is.
I figured the girls wouldn’t be asleep due to nerves, so I didn’t tell the parents my real goal tonight: patrol. My plan is to make sure neither the unidentified cave monster nor the big guy creeping around the woods bother the fam while they sleep. Once I finish feeding to make up for my daylight exposure, I plan to sit on our RV roof all night and keep an eye out.
“Hey,” I say, walking out in front of the guy by the tree.
“Shit!” He yells, fumbling his half-assembled joint. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“A lot of things.” I grin.
He stares up at me, caught off guard by my reaction. The guy’s in his later twenties, wearing a sloppy T-shirt and camo pants so saturated with the smell of marijuana that I’m probably at risk of catching a high merely standing within three feet of him—despite being undead.
“C’mere.” I curl my finger in a beckoning gesture.
“Okay.” He stands and takes a step closer.
Hey, one good thing. This dude is so obviously a stoner, no one will think it weird that my charm leaves him staring into space for a minute or two. Also, given I’m five-three, it shouldn’t surprise me that like every time I feed off a guy, he’s seriously taller than me. This one isn’t too bad though, I can reach on tiptoe. Don’t have to hover.
His blood tastes like salt and vinegar flavored potato chips. Ugh. Isn’t my brain supposed to pick flavors I like? I mean, I get that I associate a snack food with someone prone to the munchies, but yuck. A wave of revulsion makes me do something I’ve never tried before: consciously thinking about a different food. In two sips, I manage to change it to brownies.
Ooh. I’ll take it.
Can’t even taste the weed.
“Holy shit,” rasps someone behind me. “You really are a…”
I whirl around, spinning Pothead with me.
Cody Peters… only he doesn’t look ready to ram a stake into my heart. He’s somewhere between worried and scared.
“Mmm,” I mumble into Pothead’s neck.
“Don’t talk with your mouth full.” Cody blinks. “Ben’s missing.” He pulls a two-inch diameter branch out of his jacket with a crudely sharpened point. “Did you hurt him?”
I hold up a finger in a ‘give me a sec’ gesture. Once I’ve taken my fill, I seal the bite wound and stare into Pothead’s eyes, deleting myself from his memory and commanding him to sit back down and continue as he was doing before.
“Okay,” I say, turn back to Cody—and walk into the point of his stake, which pokes me between my breasts. “Really?”
“What happened to Ben?” He tries to sound threatening, but he’s too scared, so it comes out more like a desperate question.
I raise both hands. “Swear. No idea. I haven’t even seen him.”
Cody takes a step back.
I step toward him.
He backs up again, waving the stake at me. “Don’t kill me.”
Sigh. “I don’t kill people. I’m not going to hurt you, only make you forget catching me feeding.”
“Crap. You really are a vampire. I knew it. What are you doing to that family?” Cody backs up again.
I follow. “Nothing, jackass. They’re really my family. Now sit still. This won’t hurt at all.”
He crosses his arms in front of his face. “Wait. Please.”
Hands on my hips, I tap my foot. “Waiting. What?”
Cody peeks over his forearm. “Umm. Ben went looking for vampires because of that stupid ring. You know, I never really expected we’d find something real. I thought it was just like this weird phosphorescent thing. L-look. I swear I won’t tell anyone.”
“I’m sorry, kid. It’s not personal. I can’t risk it. There’s more than me, and—”
He backs up another step. “Wait! You made the ring glow, but it wasn’t that bright. Nowhere near as strong as it glowed down in the cave. Help me find him? Please?”
Okay. That’s unexpected. I cock my head to the side. “How did you go from ‘don’t kill me’ to asking for my help?”
“Umm.” He shrugs. “Probably when you didn’t actually try to kill me.”
“Right…”
“What are you doing out here?”
“Feeding.”
He shakes his head. “No I mean here at the park.”
“Vacation.”
“Seriously?” His eyes widen.
“Seriously.”
“What does a vampire need a vacation from?”
I scratch my head. “Other vampires trying to kill me.”
“Whoa, for real?”
“For real.”
Cody replaces the stake in a harness he’s rigged under his coat. “So, umm. You’ll help?”
“Considering if there is some kind of creature in the cave, it’s probably also a threat to my family… and I kinda feel bad about your brother, so yeah.”
“Feel bad?” The ‘you’re a fiend and I’m going to kill you’ suspicion returns to his eyes. “Why would you feel bad about Ben? What did you do?”
“Nothing. Just his crush.”
Cody relaxes. “Oh. Hey, are you really eighteen? Or like only a total of eighteen counting vampire years?”
“I’m legit eighteen. Haven’t been a vampire that long. I look young for… reasons.”
“Oh. That’s cool. So did you like make
servants out of your parents?”
“Isn’t that normal for every teenager?” I ask.
He blinks.-
“Wow, does no one here have a sense of humor? No. They are normal. I just live at home.”
“Cool.” He glances around, trying his damndest not to shiver.
I pat him on the shoulder. “Look, I’m not going to hurt you. I promise. It makes sense why you think what you do, but there’s, umm, multiple kinds of vampires. We don’t have to kill to feed. That one you maybe saw as a little kid was just an asshole.”
“You ever kill anyone?”
“One guy, but it doesn’t count for two reasons. One: he was already dead and two: he murdered me.”
“Huh? Oh, I get it. You offed the one who made you.”
“No. It’s a long story. Maybe I’ll tell you sometime if you wind up remembering vampires.”
He looks around. “Umm. Why wouldn’t I rem—oh. Never mind. So, Ben…”
“Haven’t seen him at all tonight. Oh, by the way. Your mother is probably a genuine psychic.”
“Yeah. And she thinks there’s something bad in that cave. She got really freaked out when we went all the way to the bottom. Ben was kinda upset over, umm, you. So he went there alone.”
“Really?”
Cody snugs his coat down over his shoulders. “He suspected you were really a vampire, but like just made so you hadn’t turned all the way yet, which is why you could still be out in the daylight. Ben figured the one in the cave made you, so he went down there to kill him and, well, save you.”
“Aww. That’s sweet and tragic.”
“Why tragic?” Cody’s face pales.
“Because I’m too old for him and seeing someone already. As nice as he is, he’s still only fourteen.”
“Right.”
I point toward the trail. “He’s probably lost in the cave if he even made it inside.”
“Why wouldn’t he make it inside?”
“Oh, I dunno. Coyotes, rattlesnakes, mountain lions, that other vampire, a park employee, a sudden flash of rational thought making him realize he’s being stupid. Take your pick.”
Cody starts off toward the cave trail, edging sideways. “Come on, let’s go.”
The Last Family Road Trip Page 10
