by Renee Travis
I shivered in the morning's cool air, hopping from foot to foot to keep the circulation going in my freezing feet. My parents had already gone off to work and left me, they thought, too tired to make my morning classes. Both had fussed over me and poked and prodded me until they were sure I was just exhausted and not suffering a new malady caused by my heart condition. They did however; stress the fact that if I did not attend my afternoon classes, I was going to the doctor's tomorrow.
Mel had sounded suspicious when I called her to say I wasn't going to school but she'd finally hung up, resigned that I wasn't going to tell her the truth.
I had on a long black skirt and black tights and was wearing what Mel called my "kick ass boots." They were calf high black leather boots. I wanted to look pretty so I had chosen a golden tank top, since it was just going into fall it would be hot a little later on. But for now I was stuck shivering inside my thin black jacket, even my neck was cold since I'd pulled my hair into a high pony tail.
I was wondering about how Julian's parents would react to me and getting even more nervous by the second when he pulled up. I walked over to the truck as he rolled the window down.
"Hey pretty girl, looking for a ride?" he asked, amusement in his crystal blue eyes. I hopped onto the running board and leaned into the open window and kissed him good morning. When I pulled back his eyes were a little wider.
"You feel well this morning." It wasn't a question, and he was right, I did, nervous, but health wise I felt really good.
I went around to the other side to get in, he had the heater on and my shakes from the cold began to lessen.
He pulled away from my parent's house and I stared out the window, quiet for the first bit of the drive. Julian looked rather pale that morning, almost as pale as I was and I was curious as to why the sudden change in his pallor.
"Julian, are you sick?" I asked turning my face to his, and like always my breath hitched when his eyes stared into my own. His eyes were like burning crystals in the sunlight, abnormal but so incredible you could overlook the weird factor.
"No, why?" he asked, looking back at the road, his pale lips spreading into a slight smile, he let go of the steering wheel with one hand and reached for me, finding my own hand in my lap he began to stroke his fingers over my skin. He was colder than normal, his skin like ice instead of the comfortable luke-warm that was normal.
"You're paler and colder than normal," I shrugged, mesmerized with the feel of his hand touching mine.
"I haven't.....eaten....yet today," he told me, I looked up at his word choice, he hadn't meant eaten, it was just in the tone and the pause, that knowledge that there should have been a different word.
Having pretty much no experience in life had crippled me in more ways than one, I had no information about the supernatural or religion or anything that fell in those categories except what I'd seen in the movies or the books I read. The night before, sleep had evaded me while I was trying to decide what Julian could be. If I had to pick something that he was most like it would have been a vampire. I had tossed and turned while thinking of the coincidences and I'd almost had myself convinced and freaked out that I was dating a vampire until the flaw in my plan had slapped me in the face.
I had seen Julian in the sunlight plenty of times and if there was one thing I knew about vampires it was they couldn't go out in the sunshine nor have the suns rays touch their skin. So I was back to my original questions; what the hell was Julian and when would he trust me enough to tell me?
Coming out of my thoughts I realized Julian had been speaking to me, and it was about his family. Groaning to myself I shook my head and began to pay attention, his family was an important subject, especially if I was meeting them soon.
"Avalon isn't my real sister," Julian said, he looked at me strangely, as if he knew I had just come into the conversation.
"And both of us are our mother's adopted children." He squeezed my hand and I smiled at him, his strained face relaxed and I leaned over, breathing in the scent that was uniquely his. He tensed as I brushed my lips lightly across his neck. I felt his breath slowly exhale, and retreated not wanting to push either of our control.
"Will Avalon be there today?" I asked, settling back into my seat.
"Yes, but she's shy so don't expect much from her," I barely heard his answer since we were pulling into his driveway at the same time. Julian's house was in the foothills a bit, in the small community of Bangor.
The house was old; I could tell that just by looking at it. But not falling down crumbling old, nice and well kept old. It was two stories, covered in dark brown wood siding and a large off white porch. It reminded me of our old house before my mother had decided to Stepfordize us.
But what truly caught my attention was the row of Sterling roses that led from the driveway to the porch steps. Sterlings were my favorite rose, aside from the deep blood red ones that I grew. They had silvery purple blooms and were thornless.
“Oh Julian, the roses are lovely,” I told him as he opened my door and held out his hand.
I let him help me out of the truck and walked over to the first blooming plant and inhaled in their faint, yet perfect, scent. Julian just watched me with a tiny smile on his face; we stood in his yard for a few moments before I felt his hand touch the small of my back.
At his one brief touch my heart thudded louder, I watched as his eyes seemed to glow. Blushing I remembered he could hear every beat, every pause.
“Don’t be embarrassed, it’s endearing, if not a little worrying.” Julian kissed my forehead and slipped his hand into mine.
When we walked into his home the first thing I noticed was that it smelled like a flower garden and something spicy and almost coppery. His home was dark, a few lights were on, but their bulb wattage was rather low and there were dark curtains pulled over the windows.
Julian took my coat and draped it over the chair near the door as I looked around. A staircase wound its way up, disappearing into the dark, its wood banister gleaming as if just polished. As I stepped further into the room, all the furniture looked antique, and it was all beautiful. I passed a hand over the fabric of the couch, it was soft and the pattern looked like spun gold. There was a love seat in one corner that looked rather oriental and a small table in the other set off by two chairs in a deep shade of mahogany.
“Do you like it?” I heard Julian’s voice in my ear and I closed my eyes for a few seconds to enjoy his nearness.
“Oh yes Julian, your home is lovely!” I exclaimed, opening my eyes.
On the walls I noticed some paintings, all rather beautiful but not from any one I knew or recognized.
“Who painted them?” I asked.
“Avalon, she’s really quite talented,” Julian bragged, I could tell he loved his sister.
“Your house is perfect, so different from mine…yours looks lived in but clean, not sterile and vacant,” I laughed, “but Julian, why is it so dark? I’ve seen you in the sunlight, it doesn’t harm you.”
“Oh, one of my mothers is quite…. allergic to it, very sensitive,” Julian shrugged.
He turned me to him and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me against his body, hard yet giving at the same time. My arms went around his waist; I loved him holding me, but was afraid I might be falling a little too fast.
My nose was buried in the nape of his neck and I was oblivious to all else but his smell, how he felt and the fact that in this position he could touch me without my body betraying me. It was almost like with him I could breathe better.
I felt Julian stiffen suddenly, felt his lips kiss the top of my head, and then he was turning around, one arm dropping away from me, the other cementing me to his side, slipping around my waist. There were two exquisitely beautiful women and a pretty younger girl at the bottom of the stairs, silently observing us.
I watched as the tallest woman stepped closer to us. She smiled at me, and the smile was sincere and inviting. She was quite tall, I noticed, almost s
ix feet, and thin, but not disgustingly so, like an anorexic model, but athletically fit. Her hair fell to her shoulders, white blonde and curly. Her skin was so pale that her large dark blue eyes almost seemed to glow. She was in a dark blue robe; it looked as if she had just woken up.
“Rhodanthe, meet my mother, Loretta,” Julian’s fingers stroked me through my shirt and I felt calm. Ah, this was the mom who worked with my dad
“Hello, it’s nice to meet you,” I said, smiling.
“I feel the pleasure is all mine. Welcome to our home, your father has spoken to me about you several times, he's quite proud of you,” she told me; her voice had a very soft southern accent, so soft I almost didn’t catch it. I relaxed a bit; she seemed like she was genuinely happy to meet me.
"Thank you." I felt like I needed to curtsey.
“And this is my other mother, Antoinette,” Julian said and I looked to where he was pointing. She was just as tall as Loretta, but curvy with very short auburn hair and emerald green eyes and wearing the match to Loretta’s robe. She looked at me and unlike Loretta, I saw annoyance, pain and sadness in her expression. I took a small step back, and they all noticed.
Julian held me a little tighter and gave his mother an angry stare, Antoinette rolled her eyes, “Yes, welcome Rhodanthe,” she quickly said and turned, disappearing through a doorway I assumed led to the kitchen.
“I do apologize for her Rhodanthe, she is quite anti-social because of her weaknesses,” Loretta said, apologetically. Her eyes taking on a brief yet noticeably sad look before clearing away.
I frowned a bit at her use of the word “weaknesses.” Surely an allergic reaction should not be seen as weakness? I opened my mouth to ask about it and felt Julian’s grip on my hand tightened, a warning that he knew I was curious.
I glanced up at him as he drew me closer to his side. He seemed tenser than normal. I figured he’d been worried about bringing me home to his parents, especially since we hadn’t been dating for very long. But this level of intense worry seemed above and beyond what would be normal. Of course, who was I to judge what was normal?
“Come, meet Avalon,” Julian leaned down and planted a kiss on my forehead before he tugged me just a few feet closer to his family. Loretta stepped aside allowing me to see the girl standing behind her.
I took a few seconds to really look at Avalon because while, yes I had seen her at school I had never actually taken the time to really look at her. She looked young, like 14 or 15, but her eyes looked old, almost as if she had seen a lot of the world.
Avalon’s hair was long, thick, wavy and dark brown, kind of frizzy but pretty at the same time and I knew if Mel were to get a hold of her all that hair would soon be trimmed, thinned and product laced. I bit my lip; I really hadn’t hung out with Mel of late, preferring Julian’s company. I would have to remedy that.
Her eyes, hidden behind large thick glasses, were round and the blue gray color of storm clouds. She wore a very modest blue blouse and jeans, like she was trying to hide all of her lovely golden brown skin. She was quite petite, at least two inches shorter than myself and was built like she looked, as if time had stopped for her around the age of 14.
“Hi, Avalon, I’ve seen you around school, but it’s nice to finally meet you,” I said.
Avalon studied me for enough time that I didn’t know if she was actually going to respond, I barely saw the slightly annoyed look Loretta gave her. When she opened her mouth I truly expected an immature voice that matched the youth and timidness radiating from the girl.
“Purple eyes are quite rare, are yours medically or cosmetically enhanced?” she asked, and the voice that came from her sweet coral mouth sounded old and far more knowledgeable than I would have expected.
Loretta turned to her, eyes flashing with irritation; Avalon took a step back from her mother, a look of apology on her face.
I felt, rather than saw Julian stiffen, suddenly the room was full of a tension I didn’t understand, my chest began to ache as my heart rate sped up, loud and hard and I could feel it thumping in my chest. And then it stilled as three pairs of eyes, simultaneously turned to stare at me. Julian drew me into his embrace, quickly and what felt like protectively.
With my nose buried in his neck and his arms tightly around me, I felt laughter well up from inside me and began to giggle. Julian relaxed a bit and mimicked my own laughter, yet still maintaining a firm hold on me, one hand reached up and began to play with a strand of my hair. His touch and scent acting better than any medication my mother had ever given me.
“Avalon, what a thing to say, not the best conversation starter, maybe we should work on that.” The humor in his voice seemed to kill whatever negative feelings had begun to fill the house.
I heard Loretta chuckle, “Yes, well, that’s our Avalon.”
At those words it was as if a vice was released and suddenly the atmosphere in the place returned to normal. Julian released me and turned me to face his family, but kept both arms around my waist, my back resting against his chest. Today he was very still, the faintest heartbeat and barest hint of his chest moving as he breathed. It was almost as if he had to make the effort to look like he was breathing. In the back of my mind that thought scared me, that I wasn't really sure if Julian needed to breathe or not.
I smiled, again and decided to answer Avalon’s question. She looked embarrassed and if possible, smaller than before.
“My eyes are purple because of the medication I’m on," I said.
Avalon’s eyes brightened at my words, “I must admit I am very glad Julian has chosen you instead of one of those vapid females we’re forced to go to school with.”
I was a little distracted as I responded; Julian had reached a hand up and was caressing my neck, sending pleasant shivers down my spine as his cooling skin touched mine.
“Forced?” I asked, curious at the word usage.
“Yes, I mean you don’t truly think Julian and I are actually teenagers, I mean we’ve done this high school thing at least a thousand...” Avalon was cut off by a growl coming from Julian’s throat.
“That’s enough,” he told her, his voice quiet and deadly sounding. I tried to step away from him but he kept me still, with just the one hand around my waist.
“Avalon, watch what you say," Loretta scolded.
Avalon looked ashamed and her eyes seemed to shine, almost as if she were going to cry, she mumbled, “I’m sorry,” and darted back up the stairs. No one said anything until they heard the door slam.
“She needs to work on her control,” Julian’s voice was still angry. Loretta looked less angry and more concerned, like she was worried about her daughter.
"She's older than you Julian, don't treat her like she's not." Loretta warned him.
"Then she needs to start acting like it. How she ever survived without you..." he trailed off.
As I listen to their conversation, I came to a uneasy conclusion. Julian’s whole family wasn’t human and I was with them, alone. Fear crept into my veins like a poison, I trusted Julian, but could I trust the rest of his family? Julian would not have brought me here and put me in harm's way. I told myself this over and over, but I thought I'd handled everything else magnificently so far, what was one little bout of anxiety?
“Rhodanthe, you should sit, your color is bad,” Julian whispered in my ear, “and your heartbeat is erratic, I think that this outing was not a good idea.”
He helped me over to the couch and sat with me. I wrapped my arms around him for emotional support, feeling as if I just wanted to crawl into his skin; I could not get close enough to him.
“Avalon needs friends Julian, more than just us, she needs people her own age she can relate to,” Loretta walked over and sat in a chair across from us.
“There is no one Avalon’s age she can relate to here,” Julian sounded like he was reminding her of that fact.
One of his hands began to stroke the top of my head and I felt his lips feather over my eyebrows, his bre
ath assaulted my senses and I took a deep calming breath.
“That’s my girl,” I heard his words, soft and soothing, as my heartbeat finally returned to normal.
“I was thinking perhaps Rhodanthe could help us with Avalon, maybe befriend her, and spend some time with her?” Loretta asked.
Julian stiffened, I could not see his expression, but I could guess at it, and it wasn’t a pretty face. “No, no way am I allowing her to be alone with Avalon or Antoinette even, she’s far too precious to me to put her in a situation like that.”
I blushed at the word 'precious,' but sat up, scooting away from Julian a little so I could look in his eyes. Reaching a hand up, I cupped his face.
“I think that they are as dangerous to me as you, so what harm is there?” I asked.
“Yes, Julian, you’ve obviously chosen the girl, against the better judgment of your family,” Loretta looked at me with apology in her eyes, “but she seems lovely and smart.” She looked back at Julian, a frown on her mouth and a hardness in her eyes, “you will just have to deal with it. She’s going to be family and you need to stop being selfish.”
I silenced Julian with a hand, as he opened his mouth to reply. I was irritated that they were talking over me, something my mother did all the time and I hated it, hated when people acted like I wasn’t there.
“Excuse me, but I have no idea what you guys are talking about, and since I have not yet received or accepted a marriage proposal please stop acting like I cannot think for myself!” I could feel my face flush and my heart palpitate.
Instantly, without seeing her move, Loretta was at my side, taking my hand. I heard Julian’s warning growl but his mother just rolled her eyes and took my hand.
“Calm down dear, there is no reason for this upset. I am truly sorry,” she smelled like lavender and the same musky coppery scent that Julian did, that same sweet wild lavender in my nostrils, forcing a calm to take over my senses.
