“Mate, I’m starving. If we don’t feed soon I’m going to kill a village.”

David spoke with a chuckle in his voice. His head inclined up at his friend, his near brother, who was standing, staring out from the woods. Slowly the brunette stood too, walking over and placed a hand on his friends arm. “You okay mate?”

Absently Jake shifted, blinking his eyes and turning his head as if he’d been away far too long. His brother of sorts recognized the dangerous look; he’d been thinking of his past. The words “Let it go mate” didn’t begin to cover up the pain felt from taking your own siblings lives. The elder vampire met David’s eyes and nodded, “There’s a town nearby, if we’re cautious we can go out in the town to pick out our food – it’s cloudy enough.” With one swift movement and without anymore words the two nomads picked up any evidence that they had ever been there and disappeared through the dense brush, headed towards a town somewhere in the distance.

Back then her name was Elizabeth, not Clara which everyone now called her by. She was the eldest daughter of a cobbler and happened to be in the wrong place at the seemingly wrong time. The young woman with long brown hair and plain dress stuck out, for some reason, in both men’s vision – immediately she was their next target.

For the next few hours they followed her, either walking behind her or hiding behind bushes until they got the chance to lour her away. It was at night when they got the chance, any trace of light was fading and she was locking up her father’s shop, groceries in hand before returning home. They followed her down the country road for quite sometime before both thirsty vampires decided to attack.

The morning cold and raining,
dark before the dawn could come
How long in twilight waiting
longing for the rising sun
ohoh ohoh Oh ooh

Suddenly the young woman turned, her hazel eyes meeting the spot in the bushes where they hid, “Can I help you?” She asked, taking a daring step towards them though she could not see their faces. “Are you lost?” Clara, then Elizabeth, inquired, tilting her head to try and see the hiding men. “I can help you find your way home.”

There were only to options in a situation like this, they could full out attack – dispose of her, drink her blood and risk getting caught in the process. No, that was too risky. Instead, they both walked out from the woods into the failing light and damp rural town. Because of what they were they wore long clothing and jackets to hide their skin and hats to shade there face and most importantly, their eyes. “Can I do something for you?” The young woman asked, both frightened by the strange men’s appearance and yet, strangely used to it. Clearly, she wasn’t frightened nearly enough as she should have been in the situation; she was staring ultimate doom in the face.

“We’re new in town,” David said quickly, flashing Clara a charming smile before gesturing over to Jake, “my friend and I were wondering if you could bring us to the far outskirts; we bought a house there for our sisters and want to fix it up to surprise them.”

“New in town?” Clara repeated, her eyes watching the two strangers with extreme care. Something small inside her told her to run as she looked at them, both being taller and strong than she – even more than she even knew – but she didn’t, instead she locked eyes with David’s tall, blonde companion. It was her eyes that did it, Jake would come to tell me briefly upon inquiry. If she had not looked in his eyes, she may have just been another victim. “I’d be more than happy to show you two men to the far outskirts – I was just headed that way myself.” And then she smiled, eyes sparkling. The second part that weakened him was her smile.

“No,” Jake said abruptly and with more urgency than he meant to. He repeated the words precisely three more times while shaking his head and meeting her eyes, only briefly, when he finished. Quickly he recovered from his sudden outburst, “We know the way to the outskirts, I must apologize, my friend here is delusional.” Giving her the only smile he could muster between his confusion and conflict with thirst he tipped his hat. “Thank you for your time ma’am, and your courtesy. Better you get home before it gets much darker. Nasty men like to hang around these parts at night.” He knew she wouldn’t get the underlining meaning to the last sentence but David would. With one quick movement he grabbed David’s arm like he was clenching him for dear life and tried to walk away.

Boldly, though, Clara reached out to stop him. Putting her hand to his chest with only enough pressure on him to make him turn to look at her she placed a basket full of food in his hand. A useless basket of food, but a kind gesture nonetheless. “Have a good night.” She whispered to him before turning to walk away herself.

Horrified with himself for being so mesmerized by what should have been there meal Jake pulled David behind him as he made a v-line towards the woods. “What’s wrong with you?” David asked urgently, “What happened back there.”

“I don’t know.” Jake hissed through his teeth, pupils dilating frantically as his mind raced and thirst soared. Sitting down he clenched his head in his hands, pulling at his hair a bit. Not once before had his human side taken over that much since he had stumbled across David, a boy lying near dead, on the sidewalk. Rocking back and forth he rubbed his temples. “We need to follow her, we’ll get her next time.” His voice was quiet as he spoke to his partner. I need to watch her.
Like they would with any victim they normally tracked, they followed her every move and watched her house. She had three brothers and one sister, all younger than her and her father was a hunter, but not of deer. Despite their tracker actions, they didn’t attack, nor did they attempt to frighten the family.

It was daring for the men to ever try and come out of their hiding places as they risked being caught. But yet, on occasion, they did so. “You play beautifully.” Jake hissed from the dark corner of what should have been Clara’s father’s locked store. Gasping the girl jumped, turning her head and looking at the man in the corner. Her hands slid from the piano keys and she stood, walking towards him.

“How’d you get in?” She demanded, staring at his neon eyes.

“You’re heart’s racing.” The elder man purred, pushing aside a lock of curly blonde bangs.

“And with full right,” She hissed back, “you broke in.”

“On the contrary, dear Elizabeth Ewell, you never fully locked the back door. It’s dangerous to be so trusting…you never know what creeps may walk in under your nose.”

Softly the brunette laughed, “You're proof in the putting. Are you trying to make me fear you? Because if you are, you’re going to have to try harder than that. What? Do you think I don’t know what you are? That you wanted to kill me the first day you saw me? My dad’s a hunter, he kills your kind. I know what one of you looks like when you come walking down the street.”

Leaning back into the wooden wall behind him, Jake opened his arms, “Well then, Elizabeth,” His eyes sparkled devilishly, “why don’t you alert your father that two blood suckers have entered the vicinity. The run will prove good game for our bored souls.”

“I won’t do that.”

The kindness in the woman’s voice shocked him and made the vampire lean forward, his elbows on his knees. “And why not?” He retorted, tilting his head, “I’m a ruthless killer that’s just going to make your life living hell.”

“There’s something different about you.” She whispered, voice dropping to what would be unable to be heard by normal ears. Cautiously she walked towards him and sat across from him. “You’re different than those other things my dad hunts. You’re more human.”

You came like crashing thunder
breaking through these walls of stone
You came with wide eyed wonderinto all this great unknown
ohoh ohoh Ohoooh Oohh

Against his better judgment; Jake had he and David stay in place for several months and he visited the cobbler’s daughter every one of those days. It was risky behavior on a whole scale of levels but there some something about her – the lightness she had that his stone heart didn’t have and her sarcastic wit and stubborn nature – that drew him in. They had fallen for each other without even meaning it. I guess my family has a way of that happening.

Everything changed after those few months. Jake spent a week arguing with himself before pulling her aside one afternoon, in the cover of dense brush and telling her that he and David were moving on – as nomads do – and that she needed to stay right where she was; where she was safest. Being my sister she protested, going as far to tell him that she’d go with them whether it meant being right there in the heat of things with them or twenty miles away. Immediately, for her safety as she was still human then, Jake refused that option and shut the door for negiating.

In an attempt to get him to linger longer my sister asked if he would drop by her house that night before he left, “as usual” to say goodbye. If she got him to come then, maybe she could get him to stay. They would both stubborn souls after all.

“Don’t count on it.” He told her before he left, but he was lying; he did come by.

As liked as my sister’s father was, he was also frowned upon by many. After his wife’s death in labor he had become a bit of an alcoholic as well as a known “hunter”. To the public it was of the normal black bears and dear, but in reality it was werewolves and vampires. This all led up to the events that occurred that night; the night my brother allegedly said he would not be stopping by but, by some grace of his frozen heart, did.

Clara was home with her youngest brother Andrew and her sister Hannah, and while they both played and slept she waited for a non-showing Jake in the safety of her father’s hunting absence. It was well past midnight when the downstairs door opened with an unmentionable force. Though tired with lack of sleep my sister got up from her window seat and rushed down the stairs – assuming it was Jake having changed his mind. However, she was mid-way down the stairs when she caught sight of the scene below; four monsters with neon eyes stood in homes doorway, sniffing the air like dogs although these humans were furthest from one. In their hands they clutched a lifeless man, a familiar lifeless man with a knife in his hand and drained of all his blood.

“Jake?” Clara whispered, praying he was not one of the three. With sharp, precise movements the three thirsty monsters turned to face the woman, not even my brother could look so ruthless. Both of her siblings had woken up by that point after hearing the door open and now stood behind her on the top of the stirs “Liza? What’s happening?” Andrew asked.

“Come on, Andrew, Hannah.” Chasing her own feet up the stairs Clara grabbed her younger sibling’s shoulders and rushed them away from the stairs. “We have to get out of here.” There was urgency in her force but not nearly as much as there should have been by the pounding in her heart. The only exit from the house was the fire escape outside the bathroom window so that’s where she took them. What occurred next was brutal murder, Andrew and Hannah being taken first while Clara was thrown with devastating force into the bathtub. Her neck was broken on impact, so Jake said, and she was forced to watch her siblings die without being able to stop it. When they had finished the young kids they attacked the helpless Clara. She told me once, that her world went black altogether after Hannah was killed but she could still hear some of the world around her even though she could not feel or see what the Monsters were doing. A fifth and sixth party entered the bathroom, stopping an inevitable fate before it could have happened.

“It’s going to be okay.” Jake’s familiar voice whispered in her ear.

Hush now don't you be afraid
I promise you I'll always stay
I'll never be that far away
I'm right here with you

When my sister awoke she was in the woods, covered by my brother’s leather jacket with her head on his lap. A pool of blood and a body were next to her on to opposite sides. She was informed that the dead body was hers to feed on and the blood belonged to Jake and David’s last meal – the body now replaced Clara’s in her family’s house. “You are invisible” Jake told her, and when she inquired about her status he managed to say, through clenched teeth “You are one of us.”

“Did they do it?”

“I did it,” My brother responded, shamefully through his teeth once more. “I had no choice; it was that or watch you die.” Carefully he moved her head from his knee and stood to go find David, but not before he looked down at her. It was that look, Clara once told me, mixed with the tone of his voice and touch of his hand to her cheek that made her know we weren’t just hallow creatures.

You're so amazing you shine like the stars
You're so amazing the beauty you are
You came blazing right into my heart
You're so amazing you are...You are

"Well now, Jake, that wouldn't have happened to be a smile would it now?" Clara prodded from the doorway, an innocent smile painted perfectly on her face. It was a stab at my normally stoic facade and I knew that but I did not cave. Instead I narrowed my eyes lightly and pulled the green-blue hospital curtains back so the other nurses new that bed was free. "She liked you," My in-one-world sister continued, this time taking on a more serious note, "a lot, Jake. The same way Annora does, you have a way with children. You would have made a good father." Instinctively I scrunched my nose, back stiffening military-style as I breezed passed her, eyes focused on the computer desk across the way. A dense silence lingered, only filled with the sound of our feet along the tiled floor and medical equipment. "Jake-" Clara whispered, reaching out to touch my shoulder.

In one sharp movement I grabbed her hand but not with the intensity to hurt it. "Let's not go there, okay? That's a life that was thrown away years ago, a past neither of us can retrieve and we..." I swallowed my eyes tracing the contours of her face; I'd nearly forgotten how much I wanted to play with the gentle curls of her hair. I’d nearly forgotten how easily she changed me from one monster to something nearly human.

You came from heaven shining
Breath of God still flows from fresh on you
The beating heart inside me
Crumbled at this one so new
ohoh ohoh Oooh ooohhh

"You know where we stand, Clara. We both do. We have a family now, a good family." Softly, reluctantly I released her hand; feeling like a part of me went with it. Once more I stiffened, a mask used to skillfully hide emotions being pulled over me like a veil. With being turned comes an amazing ability to lie better than any normal human, but it also comes with an impeccable ability to perceive. When lying to another vampire you had to be quick, always one step ahead of them, one thing I could never seem to do with her. "Besides," I smiled softly at her while stuffing a pen in my coats pocket, "you were always the one who didn't want to kill the children."

To my surprise Clara grabbed my hand, "Honestly, Jake, you have to stop thinking like that. You aren't that monster you were then, no, you never were a monster. If you were you would have killed me when you had the chance. You never killed children, you didn't have the heart, both you and I know that." Her hand, soft and smooth reached up to dust a blonde curl from my forehead, only to brush against its marble surface. "You underestimate yourself." She whispered softly, her voice like velvet. How she could ever transfix me, I'll never know.

No matter where or how far you wander
For a thousand years or longer
I will always be there for you
Right here with you

Resting my head on Ryan’s shoulder I closed my eyes temporarily, paying attention to how we swayed before I opened my lids to look over at my family on our lawn. David, under the orders of our parents, was being relatively calm and nice, sitting on the porch railing beside Isaiah. Eli had pulled Zach up to dance like two crazy and wacky siblings only would. Laughing a bit I smiled and moved my eyes across the scene. My other siblings were interacting fairly normal, mom and dad sat on the porch beside Jake. I lingered on Jake, watching as he watched Clara play the piano. Her eyes were closed but his were only on her. Placing the pen he had been holding on the porch I watched as he stood, walking over to sit beside Clara.

At first she didn’t notice him but when he placed his hands on the keys to play in perfect harmony with hers she did. Her eyes opened and she looked at him, smiling a bit as he glanced up at her from his ducked head. He leaned towards her as he reached around her for a key and said merely a word before she closed her eyes again. Taking another minute to watch her he too closed his eyes. Neither spoke again for a long time that night, but it was enough.

Smiling I closed my own eyes and listened to Ryan’s unnecessary breathing.

You're so amazing you shine like the stars
You're so amazing the beauty you are
You came blazing right into my heart
You're so amazing you are...

As I rounded the corner, shoulder to shoulder with David I fussed with my cuff-links. I stretched my head from side to side and straightened my back; I felt like something out of Pride and Prejudice. Beside me David chuckled. “We look ridiculous.” He told me and I could help but smirk in agreement. Give us a pair of jeans any day, but a tux? Lord, take our immortal lives.

“Oh, wow.” Clara stood, dressed in a knee length dress herself staring at the two of us. Her eyes rose in amusement and a smirk formed across her face. “Tuxes? I’m impressed, Jake.” She teased, “I never thought I’d see you in one of those.”

“Yeah, well, it’s for Annora. She’s one hell of a lucky kid – she better appreciate it too because I don’t dress up like this for just anybody.”

Snorting Clara laughed, “That’s obvious…”

I hope your tears are few and fast
I hope your dreams come true at last
I hope you find love that goes on and on and on and on and on
I hope you wish on every star
I hope you never fall too far
I hope this world can see how wonderful you are

“Where’s Annora?” I asked Clara, on the edge of my toes, my mind was racing. Absently I rubbed my forehead, running through the events of the night – of Annora’s face as she whizzed past me on the way inside like her world had fallen down around her. In many ways; it had.

A shaken Clara met me, half relieved I was alright and half petrified at what Connor must have told her happened. “She’s upstairs,” She said with a shaky voice, like she should have been crying. Her mouth opened as she stared at me but nothing came out. Taking in an un-needed breath she cleared her mind and steadied herself enough to stand and grab my arm. Her grip was firm but soon she released it, wrapping her single arm around mine instead – letting me know she was glad I was alright. “Be gentle, okay? Last thing she needs is a lecture. She’s seventeen and her world’s fallen out from underneath her.” Slowly she released me and went to walk back into the living room to make sure Connor was okay. “Think of her as me, you’ll do just fine.”

Giving Clara the largest small smile I could manage in the heat of the situation I walked over briskly and hugged her; something I hadn’t done it far too long. Leaning down close to her I placed my lips by her ear, feeling her arms wrap temporarily around my torso. “There’s a difference, Clara,” I whispered into her ear, blinking as I could barely understand the words leaving my lips, “I wouldn’t risk my life knowing what it would do to you if something happened to me. I’d get us both the heck out of there; together. I’d keep us safe, not just you or I, but us. We’d stay together.” Pulling away I looked in her eyes before turning on my heel, dashing up the stairs as fast as I could. Annora’s door had slammed shut in the process of my running and I opened it just in time to see her thrust herself backwards onto her bed in hysterics.

You're so amazing you shine like the stars
You're so amazing the beauty you are
You came blazing right into my heart
You're so amazing...

“What the heck do you think you’re doing; scaring the crap out of me like that?!” Clara hissed at me as I climbed out of damaged car behind David and Annora. Whatever shards that should have killed me had left minor marks, like I had been through a raspberry bush.

“I wasn’t thinking.” I responded with the same tone of voice, from the squashed trunk I pulled Annora’s bag and tossed it to Zach. “I had one choice, trash the car or risk having to fight them off – 20 plus to three. Would you have rather I do that?”

“It would have been better than you crashing the car with Carter on the phone – we didn’t know what had happened to you. They have weapons that can kill our kind, Jake. You don’t know what was going through my head.” With flaming eyes Clara pulled my cars keys from my hands and walked over to it, too see if it was even still drivable. The engine worked though the front was damaged. Whether by her anger or just pure strength she stretched out the front and back of the car until it was normal again. Although there was no glass in the front window shield or the back Jasmine and Edmund, who were decided to drive with me to pose as David and Annora would be safe without them. “I swear to God, Jake Freeman, you ever scare me like that and I’ll rip your head off.” Shooting me a painful glare she stuffed my car keys back in my hand and grabbed Annora, heading off in the direction of her own car. I winced at the glare, the intensity of her stare had said enough.

“Hey,” I spoke abruptly, reaching out and grabbing David’s arm as he went to follow. I pulled my brother, the man I had spent most of my nomadic years with, close to me. We were inches away, my eyes narrowed into lethal slits. “You keep them safe, you got that? Otherwise-”

Softly David smirked, his eyes sparkling mischievously as Clara’s headlights hit them.
“Otherwise you’ll kill me.” My eyes softened a bit, one side of my mouth turning upwards in a sarcastic smirk. “Darn straight.” Although my words were joking I gave his arm a warning squeeze to let him know that I meant every word – to the bottom of my frozen heart.

You're so amazing you shine like the stars
You're so amazing the beauty you are
You came blazing right into my heart
You're so amazing you are...
You are
ooooooo

“You jerk,” Clara edged forward on my day bed towards the bed table, as if to examine my play. Folding her legs under her she placed her elbows on her knees. “You faked it, didn’t you? I’ve never beaten you in cards before.”

Shrugging I swiped the cards from the table before she could catch what I had done. “I guess you’re improving.” I told her carefully; she was the only woman I knew who could get completely turned off by a bit of good, clean cards when I tried to let her win. It was a kind gesture as I had been playing cards far longer than she had been alive and knew more ins and outs than she ever would, perhaps it was a bit of my own form of flirtation too. She, however, saw it as a moral sin of some sort.

“You’re one lousy liar.” She scoffed, folding her arms and narrowing her eyes. “I want a rematch.”

Giving Clara a fake yawn I checked the clock on the wall. “I’m tired,” I lied with a bit of a joking inclination in my voice, “besides, I have to go to the hospital shortly.” Leaning back into the pillows I stretch my arms, pushing aside the bed table with my foot. The table hit the floor with a bang but I knew no one was sleeping in that house – no one ever slept in our house – so it was safe. Moving my eyes from the fallen table to Clara I looked at her just in time to see her shove a pillow in my face.

“What on earth-?!” I exclaimed, flipping onto my side and off the bed at the same time. My solid body hit the floor with an even larger bang and I was Carter and mom would be down there wondering what on earth I was up to up there.

“This,” Clara said, whacking me once more, “is for letting me win, and this,” She whacked me again, trying not to laugh this time by the pitiful sight I was in, “and this one was just for the pure pleasure of torturing you.”

“Then it is war.” I reached as far as I could behind me to pick up another pillow and collide it with hers, a plume of feathers ensuing.