The spark went out of Crystal’s eyes. Vanora sensed she had figured out that Armando wasn’t just a friend of Alisha’s. “Oh, then he’s way too old for you, Vanora. Way too old.”
Vanora pulled the brim of her hat down over her eyes. “I don’t like him! I don’t like anyone!”
“Lies! You can’t stop texting about him! Plus, Mom, she’s seventeen and legal in the state of Texas! Older men are yummy!”
Aunt Crystal leaned over the armrest of her beach chair. “Oh, no. You stay away from those much older men. You come to Austin and find yourself a decent guy in your own age group.”
“Ugh, I hate my family!” Vanora cried out. “You’re all evil!”
“You like me!” Felicia grabbed Vanora’s hand and yanked her to her feet. “C’mon, let’s go play in the water.”
“Don’t you help her escape!” Aunt Crystal smacked at them with her magazine. “I’m not done lecturing her!”
Vanora tossed her magazine at her aunt and ran across the sand with her cousin while holding her hat onto her head. Laughing, they plunged into the surf.
*
Vanora was fairly sure if she ate one more piece of fried shrimp or one more hushpuppy she would explode, yet her fingers betrayed her stomach and reached for more of the food piled in the center of the table.
They were at her uncle’s favorite seafood restaurant enjoying the good food and the refreshing cool night air wafting in from the open doors that opened onto the deck overlooking the bay. Tucked into a booth, Vanora and Felicia bookended the semi-circle with Crystal sitting beside Vanora and Viktor beside his sister. Uncle Nicolau sat in the center, hemmed in by his family. They were all in good spirits and laughing uproariously as Uncle Nicolau told one of his notoriously tall tales.
Sipping more sweet tea, Vanora eyed the shrimp on her plate. It was too good not to eat, but her tummy was bulging. Being a slight girl, it was easy for her to get a “food baby” if she ate too much. Dropping her hand to her puffed out belly, she suddenly felt intensely morose. She couldn’t explain why, but she was filled with unexpected grief.
“No, no, really. It happened just like that,” Uncle Nicolau protested.
“Lies, all lies!” Viktor declared.
“Are you accusing me of lying?” Vanora’s uncle pretended to be insulted.
“Oh, yeah. You’re a total liar! You’re the one who told me that stars were God’s dandruff.” Viktor answered. “That went over real well in science class.”
“That was kindergarten!” Uncle Nicolau grinned.
“I keep a ledger in my head of all the stuff you do! You’re paying for my therapy!” Viktor grinned and munched on a hushpuppy.
“This is the classic younger male angling to dethrone the aging male of the pack,” Felicia said with a smirk.
“He’s eighteen! I’m a young fifty years! I’ll take him down with one arm tied behind my back!”
Aunt Crystal rolled her eyes and nudged Vanora. “They never grow up.”
Vanora forced a smile despite the despair filling her. It was without reason and a complete contrast to the joyful atmosphere around her. A dark miasma of pain and fear filled her chest, pushing into her thoughts, driving her to near sudden tears.
“I don’t get it,” a voice said.
Vanora looked up to see a handsome young man with deeply tanned skin and raven black hair staring at her. Clad in Bermuda shorts and a souvenir t-shirt, he was obviously a tourist. A very drunk tourist. He swayed back and forth as his blue eyes skimmed over the Socoli family. With a bemused look on his face, he said again, “I don’t get it.”
“Can I help you, sir?” Aunt Crystal said flipping on her professional tone.
“Yeah. Yeah.” The young man ran a hand through his thick hair. “I get some of it. We have espresso right here.” He pointed to Crystal.
“Excuse me!” Vanora’s aunt exclaimed.
“And latte right over there,” the man continued, ignoring Crystal and pointing to Nicolau. “So that explains the cappuccinos.”
“Did you just call me coffee?” Felicia growled.
Viktor grabbed his sister’s arm before she could shoot out of the booth. “He’s drunk and stupid.”
Continuing to ignore the family, the drunk man pointed at Vanora. “But how did we end up with sweet cream right here?” He leaned over and stared at her face. “Your eyes are so weird. What color are your nips and pussy?”
“We’re taking this outside!” Nicolau roared and tried to climb over his son to get out from behind the booth.
Vanora felt the dark, nasty haze filling her go utterly black, hard, and cold. “Go away.” A sharp pain right below her heart sliced through her and it felt as if cold, yet molten metal exploded out of her.
The man’s eyes widened, he staggered back, and then fell flat on his ass. Out of the crowd of people gathered around the bar, two men came to claim their friend. Laughing at his antics, they tugged him away by his arms, dragging him so his bare heels scraped on the floor and he nearly lost his sandals. The drunk stared at Vanora in horror.
Breathing heavily, Vanora pressed her hands to her thighs, her head down. She felt empty and realized the mass of dark energy that had infected her was gone.
“It’s okay, sweetie. It’s okay,” Crystal said, her arm settling around Vanora’s shoulders. She pressed a kiss to her temple.
“Let me out, Viktor! I’m going to go kick his ass!” Uncle Nicolau kept trying to get past Viktor, who kept pushing him back into his seat.
“Dad, keep it cool!”
“He’s not worth it, Dad,” Felicia agreed.
“He insulted my family!”
“It’s Vanora’s birthday. Do you really want her to remember her seventeenth birthday as the one where we had to go to the jail to bail out her uncle?” Crystal pinned her husband with a glower. “Now, back your ass into your seat and calm your Socoli temper down.”
Nicolau slammed his hand down on the table, frowned, but relented. “Fine.”
“Now. Let’s change the subject and ignore the stupid ass drunk boys,” Crystal continued. “So, someone offer up a topic.”
Viktor gave his sister a slow, evil grin. “How about Felicia’s new boyfriend from Mexico?”
“New boyfriend?” Nicolau sputtered.
“Snitch.” Felicia poked her brother hard in the ribs.
“Okay, details on this new boy,” Crystal ordered before downing the rest of her margarita.
“His name is Juan Carlos, he’s blond with blue eyes and he’s from Mexico City,” Viktor answered. “His family is uber-rich.”
“Who’s boyfriend are we talking about?” Felicia said crossly. “Yours or mine?”
Viktor rolled his eyes. “If I was gay, I could do so much better than that mouth-breather.”
Vanora tried not to reveal how sick she felt, and plastered a big smile on her face as she listened to her cousins arguing. Uncle Nicolau was still angry, but he was slowly calming down as his wife stroked his hairy forearm affectionately. Watching them, Vanora envied their love. Married for over twenty-five years, they were still madly in love with each other and best friends. Vanora wondered if it was possible for her to ever experience something so wonderful. It was embarrassing to have reached her seventeenth birthday without ever having a date or having even been kissed.
A whiff of familiar cologne caught her attention and she craned her head to scan the busy restaurant. The doors to the deck were wide open and she barely glimpsed a man slipping into the shadows. The profile had been familiar and she felt her heartbeat speed up.
Armando!
But why would he be here?
Watching the doorway, she waited to see if he would reappear. Her earlier despair was forgotten as her heart soared at the thought of Armando being nearby. Maybe she could speak to him alone. It had been months since their last private conversation.
Sadly, Armando did not reappear and by the time the Socolis departed the restaurant. Vanora wondered if
he had even been there at all.
*
When Uncle Nicolau’s SUV finally pulled up to the Socoli Mansion in Houston early Sunday evening, the sun had just set below the horizon. He was always careful to arrive after sunset to allow Alisha time to prepare for company. He had even called ahead so that Alisha and Roman wouldn’t be caught by surprise. Vanora sometimes wished that her cousins knew about the vampires, but understood the need for secrecy.
On the way home she had dozed, her head on Felicia’s shoulder. She adored her cousin, but sometimes felt a little guilty that she could share experiences with her that she couldn’t share with Alisha. As she grew older, she was increasingly aware of the divide that rested between her siblings and the rest of the world.
Alisha greeted them at the door. She was wearing her painting smock, giving the impression she had been working all day on her latest artistic endeavor. The usual round of hugs was followed by Uncle Nicolau declaring he had to go to the bathroom, but Vanora knew he was really sneaking off to greet Roman. In his absence, the family chatted, laughter echoing in the grand foyer of the house.
“You have to come to the ranch in Bandera,” Felicia insisted, one arm slung over Alisha’s shoulders. “It’s so cool! Uncle Keith always does this epic barbecue that will just blow you away!”
Alisha sighed. “I wish I could! I just agreed to a new showing in Amsterdam!”
“No! Alisha!” Viktor scowled. “You’re always working!”
“I know! It’s awful,” Alisha admitted.
Vanora loved the big sprawling ranch Crystal’s brother owned. After the Civil War, her family had traveled to Texas to be cowboys. They’d only had one horse to start with, but after years of hard work, the family had built a large working ranch. It had remained in the family over the years. Crystal’s brother, who always told Vanora to call him Uncle Keith, was the ultimate cowboy.
“We’re going in June, so you have to hurry up and finish before then,” Felicia insisted.
“I’ll try,” Alisha lied.
“Promise?” Viktor asked, his thick eyelashes fluttering at her.
Alisha nodded. “Of course.”
Crystal stood just behind her children and her expression was shadowed with sadness. There were so many lies in the family, Vanora thought. How could it possibly be good for any of them?
“Okay! Ready! Let’s go! We have a three hour drive back home!” Uncle Nicolau said, hurrying to rejoin them.
“What were you doing? That was like twenty minutes,” Viktor teased.
“I’m a man. I have man-sized shits!”
Everyone groaned, which made Uncle Nicolau grin.
Another round of hugs, more kisses, more promises to see each other soon, then they were all gone.
Once the door shut, Alisha turned around, her eyes slightly widened. “Did you have an amazing weekend or what?”
“It was fun,” Vanora admitted.
“Tell me everything!” Alisha grabbed her hand, dragging her toward the family room.
Vanora noticed how cold her sister’s fingers felt against her wrist. Far different from the warmth of her aunt’s touch.
*
Later that night, while brushing her long white-blond hair, Vanora watched her brother as he paced around her bedroom. He’d occasionally pick something up, not really looking at it, turning in it in his hands, before depositing back in the same spot he had picked it up from. Vanora listened to him prattle on, but really didn’t take in the words. She was more interested in observing him. Roman rarely looked so flustered. Alisha was in shorts and a tank top, slouched at the end of the bed, inserting a word or two into Roman’s long discourse about Vanora moving to Austin and her first year at the University of Texas.
“So you’re on target to graduate early in December of this year due to the credits you received from doing those extra courses in the summer, which is good, but it has brought up some issues. Are you sure you don’t want to take summer classes and finish up early?”
“Rhonda and I want to graduate together,” Vanora said, annoyed. Her only friend was also going to be moving to Austin and they had been planning their early graduation since their freshman year of high school.
Roman nodded somberly. “Very well. Your trust fund doesn’t officially kick in until you’re eighteen, but Alisha and I can move money around to pay for your first semester of college.”
“Can it help me pay rent on an apartment?” Vanora asked hopefully.
Roman shook his head adamantly. “We discussed this previously. Living with your uncle and aunt is wise for this first year. You’re still young, even though you’re graduating high school.”
Vanora scowled. She had hoped he would change his mind so she could get a place with Rhonda. Most likely Rhonda would live in a dorm the first year.
“It’s good for you to be around your cousins, too. It will give you a more well-rounded life experience,” Roman continued, obviously noting her displeasure.
“Did he just say life experience?” Vanora asked, raising an eyebrow.
Alisha nodded. “Yep. He’s in full speech mode.”
Roman ignored them. “Though Austin has a decent metro bus system, and has a lot more bike lanes than it had before, I’m not comfortable with someone so young traveling about using those modes of transportation.”
Vanora rolled her eyes.
Alisha yawned.
“There are seedy characters in every city. Houston can be quite dangerous at times, but we live behind stone walls. Uncle Nicolau lives in a good part of Austin, but for you to get around town by bike or bus, you’ll be traveling outside the parameters what I consider to be a safe area.”
Vanora pretended to load a gun and shoot herself in the head. Alisha mimed picking it up and shooting herself, too. They both flopped over dramatically.
Roman ignored them. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but you’re still very young, Vanora, and you don’t know how cruel the world can be.”
“My brother and sister are vampires.”
Alisha high-fived her.
Roman scowled.
Alisha rolled her eyes. “Just get to it, Roman!”
“Fine, Alisha! I’m trying to make her understand why we’re going to give her a car.”
“A car!” Vanora hurled herself off the bed and into Roman’s arms. “A car! I’m getting a car!”
Roman grinned down at her, snuggling her against his chest. “An older model, but a reliable one.”
“But a car! Just for me? In my name?”
“Well, Alisha will also be on the title, but, yes, it will be your car. I already have my eye on a few I saw online and Ryan will be checking them out for me.”
“Can I go with him? Can I pick it out?” Vanora squealed, hopping up and down.
Roman laughed with delight. “Of course. I would go with you, but…”
Vanora saw the brief flicker of remorse in Roman’s eyes, but she refused to let him feel sorry that he couldn’t go with her to get her first vehicle. She grabbed him about the neck and pressed kisses to his scruffy cheek. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! You’re the best dad ever!”
Vanora didn’t know vampires could blush, but Roman did. His grin and the sparkle in his eyes were a lovely sight.
“Well, I’m your older brother technically.”
“Brother slash father,” Vanora corrected him. “You’re so old and stuff. You could totally be my dad.”
Roman rolled his eyes, but was still pleased.
“Well, your sister slash mother wants some love, too!” Alisha protested.
Vanora flung herself into Alisha’s arms, kissing her cheek. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
When her brother and sister finally left her bedroom, Vanora texted Rhonda with the news before sliding into bed. The full weekend and unexpected gift of a car had her high with excitement. The next evening, on her actual birthday, Roman and Alisha planned to drive to the far side of Houston to take her out to di
nner and shopping. Roman was growing out a beard to disguise his appearance, though Vanora thought it was probably unnecessary. Alisha and Vanora had already decided to claim Roman was another uncle. The Socolis did tend to strongly resemble one another. People were more likely to believe Roman was a lookalike family member than a vampire.
Snuggling under her covers, Vanora closed her eyes and tried to sleep.
*
Though it was nearly midnight, Vanora still couldn’t sleep. The next day was her true birthday and Alisha had offered to call the school to leave a message that Vanora wouldn’t be in class, but Vanora had declined. With her siblings asleep, she’d just end up wasting the entire day sitting on the sofa in a mindless stupor watching the morning talk shows followed by unhealthy amounts of soap operas and reality TV on cable. Now she was reconsidering that decision. She was going to be exhausted in the morning if she didn’t sleep soon. Yet a strange excitement filled her, keeping her vividly awake.
The weekend had been a strange mix of wonderful moments and growing unease. Though she’d been excited about turning seventeen, the closer her actual birthday loomed, the more unsettled she felt. It was if she were waiting for something terrible to happen. Or maybe something marvelous. She was unsure. The emotional mess inside her head made her feel a bit crazy. Lately, she’d become woefully aware of the great chasm between the life she would soon lead and that of her siblings. Guilt ate at her as she made plans to move away and attend the University of Texas. She’d be leaving Roman and Alisha behind in their perpetual dark world. After living within it with them for so long, she was anxious to find out what life among other mortals would actually be like.
Flopping over onto her back, she stared at the filmy white organza canopy hovering above the bed. The fabric was ghostly in the pale light emanating from the small angel nightlight she always had to have on while she slept. She couldn’t stand to be in absolute darkness since the terrible night the disgusting old vampire had crept through her window.
Pulling her covers up to her neck, she tried not to think of the vampire who had destroyed their lives. The old toy chest had been banished to the attic long ago, but her eyes drifted to the spot where it had once sat.
In Darkness We Must Abide: The Complete First Season: Episodes 1-5 Page 19
