Julien Gregg's Twilight in Babylon: The Vampire Saga Chapter 5

 Chapter Five
Drones

The next day Renee was at the house bright and early. She was there to see
Edward more than me. Edward sat with her at the kitchen table and answered
her questions. I sat with them to keep the peace if it got out of hand.

"So you're my son's boyfriend," she said, looking at him with an appraising
look.

"Yes," he said. "I love your son very much."

"You love him?" she asked.

"Yes, I love him," he said. "I didn't go into this relationship
haphazardly, Mrs. Dwyer."

"Call me Renee," she said. "If you didn't go in haphazardly then did you
tell my son that you love him?"

"If I hadn't he just heard me," Edward said with a smile. "But yes, I've
told your son that I love him."

"What did you say back to him, Beau?" she asked me.

"I love him, Mom," I said simply.

"Well then I guess it's all sewed up nicely," she said. "If the two of you
are in love then I see no reason to even try to put restrictions on you.
Oh, I know what you're thinking, Beau. You're thinking that I'm going to
come down hard on this because I told you to experiment before falling in
love. Honey, that was the right course of action but it was only right for
me. You've always been an old soul that makes up his mind and there's no
changing it. I envy that, truly."

"Thank you for saying that, Mom," I said quietly.

"Well you two will graduate in just about two years," she said. "Any plans
for after graduation?"

"College," Edward said. "We're planning to go to the same school."

"That's great," she said, smiling. "I think education is vitally
important."

"So do I," Edward agreed.

"Well, I guess all that's left is for me to say welcome to the family," she
said, shocking me. Did she think this was the one and only romantic
relationship I would have? It was, but did she understand that?

"Thank you, Renee," he said.

"You come and visit me soon," she said to me. "I have to be going. Phil is
waiting in the car outside. We have a flight to catch. Come here."

She stood up and pulled me into her arms. Then she surprised me by doing
the same thing to Edward. She told us to be good to each other and then she
walked out the front door. Charlie came in and asked how it had gone. I
told him that we were both in tact. He laughed at that and went back to the
television.

Pyro practice continued and it continued to drain my energy. We had school,
more homework than ever, and finals. Archie continued to have visions of me
burning some unknown red haired woman and laughing about it. That still
gave me the chills.

I spent my days going to school, going to work, and spending my nights with
Edward. On the weekends we went to a clearing near the boundary of the
reservation and I practiced my power. Twice I almost burned the forest.
Each time Archie would calmly tell me to focus.

I got to where I could burn very small things and not the rest of the
things around it. I could call the fire back each time, and I even learned
to make a ball of fire that sat in the palm of my hand.

Edward finally told me that my extravagant use of the power had much more
to do with my hybrid nature than the natural witch I was. He said I was
much more powerful than an uninitiated witch should have been. That was all
well and good but Archie still saw me burning that woman.

I got the hang of my power for the most part. Archie was just working with
me so I'd know my limit so the power didn't drain my energy away. We met
every Saturday to test the power and my limit.

Charlie came once in a while to see what I was doing. He looked at me with
troubled eyes every time he came. His power and Kale's power were so much
gentler than mine. Mine was a destructive force that would not be
denied. Fire was a basic element and I had it in spades.

I slept late on Sundays because my power took my energy. Then I'd be
working on Sunday dinner and doing my homework. Charlie didn't seem to like
it when I saved my homework for Sunday but there was so much of it that I
couldn't do on Friday night. I was working on a pot roast with potatoes and
carrots. I was also working on homemade noodles that my mother taught to
make.

Charlie came in and smelled the air and smiled. Then he looked at me doing
homework with flour on my arms and some on my face. He laughed when he saw
that and grabbed a beer from the fridge and sat down across of me.

"I thought you did your homework on Friday," he said.

"I did about half of it on Friday," I corrected. "There was so much of it I
intended to do it last night but I was so tired after pyro practice that I
fell asleep and woke up this morning."

"That practice makes me nervous," he said slowly.

I looked up at him and said, "It makes me nervous, too."

"Archie always brings a fire extinguisher," he said. "I've been thinking
about buying a few to put in the house."

"Dad, I'm not burning anything in the house," I said, looking at him still.

"I know but sometimes things get away from a person with power," he
said. "I know that from experience."

"I know it can get away from me at times," I said. "You can buy the fire
extinguishers and put them where ever you want."

"Thank you for allowing me to do that in my own house," he said with a
grin.

I grinned back and then did my homework. I got it done just before it was
time to drain the roast, put the beef stock in another pan to boil, and add
noodles and little slivers of beef. I cut a section of the roast and sat
down to cut it while I waited for the stock to start boiling.

Charlie sat and watched everything I was doing with a strange look on his
face. I just kept working on the piece of meat until I had a bowl full of
shredded beef. Then the stock was boiling so I dumped the meat in, slowly
added noodles, and stirred. When I had all of the noodles in the pan and
stirred I cleaned up the mess on the counter that I'd made making the
noodles.

I already had a sink full of soapy water so I cleaned the bowls and plate,
the knives and the forks I used and cleaned the sink. I stirred the noodles
again and sat down. Charlie just looked at me and shook his head.

"What?" I asked.

"You can seriously cook," he said. "What you just did was something I could
never do."

"What, shred meat?" I asked.

"No, noodles," he said. "How in the hell did you make those?"

"It's really simple," I said. "You just get a mixing bowl and put about six
or eight cups of flour in it. I use a drinking glass to put in the middle
to make a hole. Then I put six eggs in the hole and salt and pepper. I stir
it slowly, taking in a little more flour until I have a dough. I cut that
in half and roll it out flat. I dust it with flour and roll it up. I cut
about half inch sections from the roll and unroll them. Those are the
noodles. You can cook them immediately or drape them to dry and store
them."

"That's not simple," he said.

"It is really," I said, smiling. "And if you want dumplings just cut bigger
square sections."

"You're killing me here," he said with a grin. "You cook, and I'll
eat. That's the way it works."

"Deal," I said. "And wait until you try my biscuits."

"Killing me," he said.

He watched as I put a little flour in a cup and added water to make it
creamy and poured it into the pot roast, potatoes, and carrots. I stirred
that until the stock thickened like a gravy. Then I turned it off. My
noodles were about done so I picked up my books and put them in my
pack. Then I wiped the table down and got plates. Charlie was licking his
lips as Kale came in from work.

"Oh my God," Kale said as he walked into the kitchen. "It smells good in
here."

"I just watched him do the most amazing things with flour," Charlie said.

"Is that right?" Kale asked.

"Wash up," I told them. "Dinner is ready."

They came back and sat while I dished up the food. They went nuts over the
noodles and the thick broth on the pot roast. They loved the whole meal. I
surprised them when I put another pan in the oven. I sat back down and
started to eat.

"What's in that pan?" Charlie asked.

"You'll see," I said with a grin.

"He's being mean," Kale said. "We should ground him."

"Maybe we should," Charlie said.

"Do that and I'll throw it away," I warned.

"Wasting food," Kale said.

"Stop," I said. "You'll see in about ten minutes what I have in the
oven. You'll like it. I promise."

They continued to eat and sniff the air. Thankfully the aroma from the pot
roast was overpowering so they couldn't smell what was in the oven. I was
keeping my mouth shut. I'd mixed it and got it ready before I started the
pot roast. I was just getting it warm again in the oven.

As soon as they were done with the food I took their plates and got
bowls. I took the pan out of the oven and got the vanilla ice cream out of
the freezer. I put a scoop from the pan in each bowl and then added a scoop
of ice cream. Then I handed them over.

"Peach cobbler?" Charlie gasped. "Beau, you've been holding out on us."

"Wait until you taste it," I said.

He took a bite and closed his eyes. "This is better than what we get at the
diner."

"I won't tell Edna you said that," I laughed.

"No, seriously," he said.

"Thank you," I replied.

While I was doing dishes Edward arrived. He talked with Charlie and Kale in
the living room for a minute and then came into the kitchen. He sniffed the
air and said, "Pot roast?"

"That's what I made with homemade noodles, gravy, potatoes, and carrots," I
said as I started to dry the dishes and put them away.

"Sounds like you and your family had a good meal," he said. "I remember pot
roast."

"Do you now?" I asked, smiling at him as I turned to look at him.

"Oh no you don't," he said. "You don't get to ask questions today. I've
decided that I really need to get to know everything about you so I'll ask
the questions."

"Okay," I laughed.

"What's your favorite color?" he asked.

"I thought we covered this," I said. "It's green."

"Which specific shade of green?" he asked.

"I suppose mint green," I said.

"How old were you when you learned that Santa Clause wasn't real?" he
asked.

"He's not?" I dead panned. He smirked. "I think I was nine."

"What was your favorite toy?" he asked.

"A bear my dad got me when I was four," I said. "I still have it upstairs."

"I've seen the bear on your book shelf," he said.

"That's him," I said.

"Do you remember nursery school?" he asked.

"Barely," I said.

"Who was your favorite teacher?" he asked.

"Mrs. Schandlan," I said. "She taught me in the fourth grade. She always
made school fun."

"Who was your first crush?" he asked.

"You were," I said. "I never noticed anyone before you in that way."

"Okay," he said. "Who was your first friend?"

"Lucky, my old dog," I said.

"Dogs or cats?" he asked.

"Either as long as they're not mean," I said.

"Do you like plants or flowers?" I asked.

"I like plants that don't have flowers," I said.

"You don't like flowers?" he asked.

"Not particularly," I said. "I had a philodendron in my room for years."

"What happened to it?" he asked.

"It's on my mother's desk in her study," I said.

"Do you want another one?" he asked.

"I might get one sooner or later," I said. "That or a pothos."

"Well I was going to ask what your favorite flower is, but if you don't
like them I guess I won't," he said.

"Sunflower," I said. "That's my favorite flower."

"Okay," he said. "Were you ever bullied?"

"No," I said. "The other kids left me alone for the most part."

"No friends?" he asked.

"I had friends when I was little," I said. "Then they grew up and didn't
have anything to do with me."

"So you never had a best friend before?" he asked.

"Not until Mitch," I said. "I consider him to be my best friend."

"Okay," he said. "How do you feel about global warming?"

"I think it's a catastrophe and we have to change it," I said.

"Do you think the government is doing the right things to stop it?" he
asked.

"They weren't when I was little," I said. "But they are now."

"Okay," he said. "What about your favorite food?"

"That's easy," I said. "But if you tell Charlie I'll deny it. It's peach
cobbler."

"What do you consider to be your biggest problem?" he asked.

"My power," I said. "I'm sacred of what it could do."

"Yes," he agreed. "Where do you see yourself in five years?"

"I'll be a vampire attending college with you," I said.

"Good," he said. "Now, what do you think of school?"

"School is all right," I said. "I always get good grades. Here I have
friends that talk to me so that makes the day go by faster."

"What do you think of living with your father?" he asked.

"It's a lot better than I thought it would be," I admitted. "Of course that
might have something to do with you."

"Thank you," he said with as smile.

I had finished the dishes and we had moved up to my room where I got my
books out and did the rest of my homework. He was quiet while I did that
but as soon as I put the books away he started in again.

"What's your favorite day of the week?" he asked.

"It used to be Saturday, but for obvious reasons I'll say Sunday," I said.

"What was the first thing you thought of when you saw me?" he asked.

"That you were gorgeous and probably hopelessly straight," I said with a
smile.

"What was the first thought you had when you showed up at school for the
first time?" he asked.

"This is it?" I replied and he laughed.

"What is your favorite subject at school?" he asked.

"Probably Chemistry," I said.

"Because of me?" he asked, smiling.

"Partly," I said. "I just like chemistry."

"Fair enough," he said. "What's your favorite stone?"

"That's easy, the ruby," I said. "It's my birth stone."

"So you were born in July?" he asked.

"Yes," I said. "July twelfth."

"And I was born July fifth," he said, grinning at me.

"Two Cancers," I remarked.

"What's your least favorite food?" he asked.

"Brussel sprouts," I said quickly.

"Hate them or just dislike them?" he asked.

"Hate them," I said.

"Chocolate or vanilla?" he asked.

"Both at the same time is good," I said. "Or either one unless it's a
sundae."

"Okay," he said. "What's your favorite time of the day?"

"Twilight," I replied quickly.

"Mine too," he said. "What is your ideal day like?"

"Today was an ideal day," I said. "I woke up, started family dinner, did my
homework, ate, cleaned up, and now you're here."

"Okay," he said. "Were you afraid of the dark as a child?"

"No," I said. "I didn't believe in monsters until I was sixteen." I smiled.

"Point taken," he said. "What about your favorite memory?"

"That's easy, the night you stayed with me and I knew about it," I said.

"That's one of mine too," he said. "What's your favorite sport?"  

"I don't play any sports because I'm a klutz," I said. "But I like baseball more or
less. Mostly because my stepfather is a baseball player."

"Right," he said with a smile.

"Edward," I said. "We're in my room, alone together. I could think of a few
things that we could be doing that would be much more fun than this
interrogation."

"Sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to interrogate you."

"That's what it felt like," I said. "Come over here and cuddle with me."

"There's going to be a new guy in the house soon," he said slowly.

"Is someone taking on a new drone?" I asked.

"I am," he said. "I need this drone for when I start my own house. He'll
offset Jason for security and criminal abduction."

"Criminal abduction?" I asked.

"You haven't seen the basement of our house for a reason," he
said. "Charlie knows about it because he gives us tips on men who were
guilty who got off without jail time. We abduct those and put them in cells
under the house."

"For what purpose?" I asked.

"Food," he said. "These are the people that we feed from."

I'd known that they drank evil blood. What did I think that meant? They had
to get it somewhere. Who was I to tell them they couldn't stock their evil
men in their house to drink at their leisure? I decided that it was a good
idea, and I didn't feel the least bit sorry for the criminal.

"Okay," I said. "I get it. So you need more than one drone to hunt for
criminals?"

"Yes," he said. "You see, once I turn you I can start my own house."

"You'd move out of Gabriel and Elfric's house?" I asked.

"That's the interesting part," he said. "Elfric and Emit have been building
a house on the grounds that I can live in apart from the family. They did
it for Emit and Roman, too."

"But Emit and Roman live in the house with Elfric and Gabriel," I pointed
out.

"Sure they do now," he said. "But that's mainly because they destroyed two
houses that were built for them."

"How did they destroy the houses?" I asked.

"Sex," he said. "You only now what sex is like when you're human. When
you're a vampire it can get really intense. I hold back with you because I
don't want to break you. When you're a vampire neither of us will hold back
so it can get intense."

"Okay," I said. "That makes a lot of sense, but I still can't see how their
sex life would wreck two houses."

"You'd have to ask them," he said. "None of us have asked because we don't
want to know."

"Well neither do I," I said, smiling.

"So about the drone," he said.

"Edward I understand that vampires need drones," I said. "How many drones
are you allowed to have?"

"Four," he said. "But I'd need a second fledgling to take on a third drone
and then two more to get the fourth."

"How many fledglings can one vampire have?" I asked.

"Four," he said.

"Four?" I asked. He nodded. "What about Gabriel. He has Elfric, you, Roman,
Emit, Archie, and Jasper."

"Archie and Jasper aren't his fledglings," he said. "They joined the family
when Emit was a vampire for twenty years."

"Why did they join the family?" I asked.

"Vampire covens can have many vampires or very few," he said. "Friendship
and love can bind a coven together in a way that ordinary covens don't
experience. With Gabriel it's love and friendship."

"That's nice to hear," I said. "At least I'm joining a good family or
coven."

"Yes you are," he said.

"Who is this drone?" I asked.

"Stuart Portman," he said and looked at me.

"Stuart, the senior in high school?" I asked.

"He's eighteen and aged out of Foster Care," he explained. "He has no
family looking for him. He's perfect. Plus he knows the secret and has
accepted it."

I thought about it for a moment. Stuart was six feet tall with dark hair
that he always kept cut short, blue eyes that were always sparkling, and he
had a body that was packed with muscle. If he had aged out of the foster
care system and had no family, then he really was perfect.

"Does he need to hide out after he becomes a drone?" I asked.

"No," he said. "Becoming a drone doesn't change your appearance."

"Well what about when I become a vampire?" I asked.

"You won't have to hide out," he said. "You'll just look touched up a bit."

"Touched up?" I asked.

"Any scar or imperfection you have will be healed and righted by the
blood," he said. "You'll be a perfect specimen. Not that you aren't perfect
in my eyes already. The blood just makes sure that you're perfect."

"I'm looking forward to that," I said.

"So you're all right with me bonding Stuart?" he asked. He really looked
worried about it.

"Edward, I know that you're going to have to have sex with him to bond
him," I said. "But as long as you promise to be faithful to me unless
you're bonding a drone I'll be fine with it."

"I can make that promise," he said.

"Do you have to have sex with the fledglings when you turn them?" I asked.

"No," he said. "It's a simple blood exchange."

"How many fledglings do you plan to turn?" I asked, wondering how many
brothers I'd have when he did it.

"One," he said. "I'm not planning to turn anyone else but it could come in
the future."

"Okay," I said. "I was just wondering."

"Don't be upset or anything," he said. "Even if I turn another fledgling
he'll be just a fledgling not a lover. You are mine and I'm yours and that
will be that way for eternity."

"Glad to hear," I said, smiling. Then I kissed him.

We didn't talk about it anymore that night. I went to sleep after we'd made
out for a while. I loved sleeping in his arms now that Charlie knew that
Edward would be in the house all night. He slept too, but I was asleep
before him.

The next morning we both got ready and headed to school. This time I took
my truck and he took the Volvo. Today he had things to do with Stuart, so I
would drive myself home and to work.

Stuart sat with us at lunch and I was introduced to him although I already
knew who he was. Edward explained to him that I was his lover and would
soon be his husband like Gabriel and Elfric. He said he understood and I
hoped he did. I didn't want him having any designs on Edward.

At work that night I was terribly bored. No one ordered flowers all night,
and Ray only had the store settings to work on. He didn't need balloons or
anything so it was a slow three hours.

I got home and started dinner as soon as I got there. For some reason
Charlie wasn't home but Kale was in his room. He came down just as I was
starting to bake the bread rolls. Charlie came in and took off his uniform
and dressed in civilian clothing and we started to eat.

"Edward informed me that he's bonding a drone tonight," Charlie said. "How
do you feel about that?"

"I'm fine with it," I said. "I understand that he has to have another drone
to set up his house once he turns me."

"How many fledglings does he want?" Charlie asked.

"None so far," I said. "He said that may change in the future."

"I'm just wondering how many vampires I'm going to have in Babylon," he
said.

"As far as I know I'm the only fledgling he wants at this time," I said.

"Okay then," he said, and went back to eating.

"So when do you become a vampire?" Kale asked me.

"Not until after graduation and the wedding," I said.

"When is the wedding?" he asked.

"Not long after graduation," I said. "We're going to Isle Elfric for the
honeymoon."

"Isle Elfric?" he asked.

"It's an island that Gabriel bought for Elfric as a wedding present," I
explained. "It's somewhere in the South Caribbean Sea."

"Wow," he said, looking from Charlie to me. "That's some serious money."

"They have a lot of money," I said. "More than I could ever think of
spending, that's for sure."

"And soon you'll have a lot of money," Charlie pointed out.

"I'm not in this for the money," I said.

"We know that," he said. "You're in it for Edward."

After dinner and the dishes I did my homework and went to bed alone. It was
odd for me to be alone in my room when I'd had Edward in there so much. I
slept all right but I was keenly aware that Edward wasn't in my room.

The next morning I woke up too late to have breakfast with Charlie. Kale
was already gone, too. I had a quick bowl of cereal and headed to school. I
saw Jason and Archie and they told me that Edward and Stuart were in
school, so I knew where I'd be sitting at lunch. In truth I could have sat
there without Edward.

The table was abuzz with talk when I got there and they kept on talking
about the Spring Fling. All of them were going and Jason and John even had
dates. Edward assured me that we were going, and I just smiled at that.

I told them that I would go to the Spring Fling but I wasn't sure that I
would dance at the dance. That was something I was very unsure of. They all
laughed at that and told me that Edward would help me dance. It would be
all right. I was still unconvinced.

In Chemistry Edward assured me once again that the dance would be fine. He
told me again that it was all in the leading. I wasn't so sure but I didn't
say anything. The fact that he couldn't read my mind was sometimes a
blessing.

When I got to work there were orders for flower arrangements again so I was
busy and so was Ray. I got six orders by phone and seven people came in to
pay for their flowers. When I was done for the day I cleaned up the station
and shook Ray's hand. Then I went home and started on dinner.

Charlie wasn't home, which was still odd for me. He was usually home before
me, but something must have happened in town that kept him at work. Kale
was there and we had dinner without Charlie. I saved him a plate and headed
to my room to do my homework. Edward wasn't in my room so I did homework by
myself.

He showed up about the time that I was ready for bed. He told me that there
was a body in the woods and that was what was keeping my father at work. I
asked about the body and he told me that it was bitten by a vampire but not
one like them. He said he was late because they had to assure the Tribe
that they hadn't left a body in the woods for discovery.

I was worried about this but he told me that it was close to the Kingsville
road. That made him feel better about it but not me. I didn't voice my
concern. Instead I cuddled up with him and went to sleep. I was safe in his
arms all night long.

When we got to school the next day everyone was talking about Stuart now
being part of the Maxwell brothers. No one talked to me about it but I
heard what they were talking about. One of them said that Stuart had
probably knocked me out of being Edward's boyfriend. I smiled at that and
kept walking.

Jason and Archie told me that they'd heard the same thing. They didn't
bother to correct that and I told them I didn't either. We laughed about it
in class and then I had to move on to my next class. In Study Hall Mitch
asked me about it.

"Did you and Edward really break up?" he asked.

"No," I said. "Stuart is just a friend to the Maxwells. I know that they
never talked to anyone in public except me but Edward was tired of that. So
he and Stuart talked to the rest of them and they invited him to be around
them."

"Okay," he said. "I was just worried about you."

"Thank you very much for worrying about me but always ask me before you
decide that you can make me feel better," I said. "Rumors abound in this
school and none of them touch me lately."

"I'll make sure to do that when I hear something about you or Edward," he
said with a smile.

Then at lunch talk was really going on so Edward kissed me as soon as he
arrived at the table. He patted Stuart on his back and then sat down beside
me. That shut up almost the whole cafeteria. They were all staring at us
but we ignored them.

They didn't talk about the body in the forest but that was probably because
none of the students really knew about it. If they talked about it at
school someone could hear them and then the news would be out. That would
upset Charlie who was doing what he could to cover the reality about the
body.

At work there were a lot of orders for flowers for the funeral for the body
in the forest. No one knew exactly who it was but they sent flowers to the
funeral home anyway. I was busy for the whole three hours and worked
another hour before Ray said I need to get home.

I got home and started on dinner. Kale asked me what held me up and I told
him how busy we were but when it died down I came home. He said Charlie
wasn't home yet which worried me. I made pork chops smothered in mushroom
gravy. That wasn't a healthy meal but it was really good. Kale commented on
it and I told him that this was one that I wouldn't make very often.

I went up to my room and found Edward pacing. I asked him what had happened
and he said that there was another body found in the forest. This one was
one of the guys that hunts in the forest who was from Babylon.

We talked about it for an hour before I did my homework. Then I was safe in
his arms again. I worried about the bodies and how close those vampires had
come to Babylon but I didn't say anything. I knew that with me surrounded
by Maxwell vampires I didn't have to worry about the others.

When I was at work Jacob came in. He talked me about the bodies and he knew
they weren't bitten by the Maxwell vampires but wanted to talk to me about
what they've said about it. I told him that the only Maxwell that had
mentioned them to me was Edward and that he was staying close to protect
me.

"I can't believe you've taken up with him," he said. "You know what he is
and you're still with him."

"Jacob that isn't your business," I said. "What happens between me and
Edward is off limits to you. You're my friend and I hope you remain to be
my friend but please stay out of our business."

"I can do that," he said. "My dad is up in arms about it and he's trying to
tell the elders that I'm too young to be chief."

"I'm sorry for that," I said. "The day you guys came to celebrate he told
me he was going to tell Charlie which I didn't know that Charlie already
knew."

"Yeah, we told him to butt out of that and to keep his trap shut," he
said. "But when the first body fell in the forest he started to rile up the
elders of the tribe to pull me down until I'm twenty-five."

"Can he do that to you?" I asked.

"Not so far," he said. "The elders told him that I was born to be chief and
they passed over him because of his furious voice about the vampires coming
back to Babylon."

"Ouch," I said.

"He says we don't know how dangerous they can be, and he pushed to say that
they had been the ones to leave a body in the woods. I told him that I had
already talked to Gabriel and he had assured me that they'd never find a
body that had been drained by the Maxwells. I knew that because I know that
they can burn the body with their minds."

"Yes, most of them can do that," I said. "I'm not sure about all of them,
but I haven't talked to all of them about that. Usually I just stick to
Edward or Archie. Jason and John fight for my attention with them."

"They're Forsaken, right?" he asked.

"Yes," I said. "They can be a bit forceful with everything but they're
pretty good guys."

"They go to the high school with you, right?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said. "Archie and Jason are in my first class of the day."

"Okay," he said. "I didn't know which of them were going to high school. It
doesn't really matter. None of the kids there are dying so I keep out of
that."

When he left I tidied up and left myself. I got home to an argument between
Kale and Charlie. They were arguing over how Charlie had told the Webers
that Johnathan had been killed. Kale told him he should have told him that
an animal had bitten him. Charlie told them that he'd had a stroke in the
woods and he'd been found by law enforcement. I thought either way would
have worked.

"There isn't going to be an autopsy so what are you so up in arms about?"
Charlie demanded.

"I just thought an animal bite was a better story," he said. "Sometimes you
skate too close to the truth for my liking. I don't want the Council Di
Vampire coming for any of us."

I left them to argue and got the chicken out that I was going to fry. I
peeled potatoes and chopped carrots and got both of those to boil while I
put the chicken on to fry. When I was nearly done I put dinner rolls in the
oven.

They tabled their discussion and came to the dinner table. I wanted so
badly to ask if Johnathan Weber was Mitch's father or not but I didn't
bother to talk to either of them as they glared at each other across the
table.

As I was doing dishes I thought more about whether or not it was Mitch's
father or Angela's. I knew that Angela's father was a minister, but I
didn't know what Mitch's father did. Either of them could be avid hunters
and have been in the woods. But it had to have been early in the morning
before the sun came up for those kind of vampires to be involved.

I went up to my room and did my homework. Edward showed up while I was
reading the chapter in American History and told me that Mitch's father had
been killed by a Child of Apollo. I asked him what that was again and he
told me that the other kind of vampire out there was known as one of the
Children of Apollo because he was the source of their vampire strain.

"Who is the source of your vampire strain?" I asked.

"Darias, the God of Blood," he said. "His twin brother, Ren is the God of
the Moon and the Hunt."

"So Ren is the source of the Forsaken strain?" I asked.

"Yes," he said. "We found all of this when Jessup woke up. He told us that
when he bit Darian he was walking in the sunlight with the Gods. They told
him everything he needed to know about how we came to the world and how the
Forsaken came to the world. Isis is their mother and she is the Goddess of
the Witches. She is the source of all of the power that witches use."

"That's drastically different than the history of the Gods of the Olympus
and Egypt," I said.

"History got plenty wrong," he said. "I've studied it and found
discrepancies all over the place."

"Wow," I said. "I just learned a lot about Gods. I didn't know that Darias
and Ren were Gods though. I'd never heard of them before."

"Why should you?" he asked. "They aren't the Gods of humans."

"Well how did I not know that Isis is the Goddess of Witches?" I asked.

"Because she's known as Goddess to other things," he said. "The historical
reference to her in mythology says that she is the Goddess of Healing and
Magic. So part of what she is was represented for all to learn. That she is
a Goddess of the Sun is never talked about in mythology or the history of
Egyptology."

"So my power comes from Isis?" I asked.

"Well her name is really Aset," he said. "But yes, your power comes from
her."

"And the blood of the Maxwell vampire comes from Darias?" I asked.

"Well that's a literal translation of Children of Darias," he said with a
smile.

"So the Maxwells are Children of Darias and the others are Children of
Apollo?" I asked.

"That's right," he said. "Darias and Apollo were the very first vampires to
ever live."

"I thought they were Gods," I said.

"It was a curse that made them into what they were," he said. "From what I
understand Darias attacked Zeus for making his life hell on Earth. Apollo
cursed him but the Goddess of Equality split the curse and rebounded it
back on Apollo. So the two strains of vampires were born."

"What about Ren?" I asked.

"Ren is Darias's twin brother and when he attacked Zeus for what he'd done
to his brother, Artemis cursed him but again the Goddess of Equality split
the curse and rebounded it back to her, thus the Forsaken and the werewolf
strains were born."

"So I have the blood of Darias and Ren in my veins along with the power
given by Isis?" I asked.

"In a way you're correct," he said.

"That's mind blowing," I sighed.

"Yes, and it's another thing you have to keep to yourself," he said. "I
doubt even Charlie knows that information."

"Great," I sighed. "More secrets."

"You'll be all right," he said, rubbing my shoulders. "Did you get all of
your reading done?"

"Yeah," I sighed again. "American History is one of my favorite classes. I
took the first class back in Crippen and I was so excited that the second
class was offered here."

"Yeah," he said. "The school is pretty progressive when you think about
it. Chemistry and Advanced Chemistry, Physics, and Forensic Science are all
on the course menu."

"Though not what I'd consider all that interesting," I said. "I'm only
taking Chemistry because I need a science credit."

"Oh ye of little faith," he said. "Science can be fun."

"I'm sure it can be, but so far it's just boring for me," I said. "It's all
pretty straight forward and I do all right in each of the science classes
but I excel at History and English of all forms."

"That's right," he said. "You're in that English Literature class aren't
you?"

"Yes, and it takes care of the last English credit I have to have," I
said. "I'm also in Spanish 3."

"Yeah, me too," he said. "Though I could speak the language after my first
matriculation from college."

"Will I be that way, too?" I asked. "Taking classes I already know backward
and forward and going to college over and over again?"

"The younger you start out that longer you can stay," he said.

"I guess," I said as I grabbed my stuff and headed to the bathroom to brush
my teeth and change into comfy clothing.

"What are you reading this for?" he asked, holding up my copy of The 2020's
and the Death of Democracy.

"I liked the first one about Trump," I said. "I picked up the second one
because I liked the first so much."

"You're really into history, huh?" he asked as he put the book back on my
nightstand.

"Yeah," I said. "American history mainly."

"Well then you should do well in the class you're in," he said.

"I am doing well in that class," I replied, smiling. "I have an `A' in that
class."

"Good," he said. "So do I."

"Of course you do," I laughed and then crawled into the bed beside him and
let him wrap his arms around me.

The next day it took all of me to just get through the day. I kept thinking
about Mitch who, rightly was out of school along with Angela. I wanted to
do something for them but what I didn't know. I went to all of my classes
and participated in all of them.

Everyone was talking about Mitch's father being killed by the stroke. I
just ignored them. I was Mitch's friend and I would not turn his father's
death into idle gossip. Thankfully the Maxwells were back to talking about
the dance that was still a few months off. I only participated in that
discussion to once again tell them that I don't dance. I got the same
Edward will help you speech.

In Chemistry we had a pop quiz which I was ready for. Edward offered to
help me but I shook my head and took the quiz afterward we mixed chemicals
for yet another experiment that I'm happy to say Edward and I passed with
flying colors.

At work that night I paid for my own flowers to be sent to Mitch's
family. They were white lilies mixed with baby's breath. Ray put them
together for me and then sent them off with Eric to be delivered to the
house.

We weren't as busy tonight as we had been when the first body was found,
but we were busy enough that my three hours passed in what seemed no time
at all. I got home and made dinner. Tonight they were getting chicken
patties and French fries. I was in no mood to cook an elaborate meal.

I did my homework and then Edward was in my room again. Tonight we talked
more about college and what I wanted from it. That I'd be a vampire when I
got there was a given and I was sure that I'd have changed my mind by then.

"It won't be so different," he said. "Sure you'll be able to concentrate on
a lot more than one thing at a time and your mind will work completely
different, but human desires linger for at least the first ten years."

"So I'll want a degree in History and to teach?" I asked.

"I doubt you'll ever teach," he said. "But your first degree can be history
if you want it to be."

"My first," I laughed. "I know I'm going to matriculate a lot but the way
you said that was funny to me."

"Well here I am, comic relief," he dead panned.

"Stop it," I said. "I'm going to Mitch's dad's funeral."

"So are we," he said. "We're going to make sure nothing happens."

"What do you expect to happen?" I asked.

"Well they're cremating him so I don't think he'll rise from the dead," he
said. "I don't know how vampires that are the Children of Apollo are
made. But we also don't know if they have drones or anything. We're going
to make sure than nothing from their side can interfere. Plus I like
Mitch."

"That's good to hear," I said. "I didn't want you to go just to be on guard
there. You need to show your respect."

"I plan on it," he said. "My family sent a large assortment of flowers."

"I know I tabulated the cost and charged Gabriel's credit card," I
said. "It was over a thousand dollars in flowers."

"Yes," he said. "We go all out."

I laughed at this. Being Friday we stayed up a little later. We made out
and held each other. I was tempted to have sex in my room for the first
time but Edward shot me down as Charlie's room was next to mine.

In the end we just cuddled and I finally fell asleep. I had Pyro practice
the next day and I wasn't looking forward to it. All I wanted to do was go
to the visitation and the funeral. They were both the next day as well.

But sure enough Archie had me in the clearing burning this and that,
pulling the fire back and trying to stay on my feet. I was getting better
about not letting it sap my energy. The fire was bigger than ever though,
and it was clear that I was getting exponentially stronger.

Then we went back to my house to change into black clothing to go to the
visitation and funeral. Mitch met us at the door to the funeral home and
hugged me. He thanked me for coming and I stood with him for most of the
visitation. Then we filed into the other room for the funeral where the urn
was set up next to an easel with Johnathan's picture on display.

All of the Maxwell vampires and drones in Babylon were in attendance.
Charlie, Kale, and I sat with them. Mitch was dry eyed and poised but I
knew that it was a facade. He was hurting and I wished that I could help
him. There was nothing I could do for him though. His father was gone and I
couldn't bring him back. My power didn't work that way.

We went to the dinner for his father and the Maxwells were there but ate
very little. Of course I knew why this was, but Mitch commented that he'd
never seen them eat anything before. I slapped him on the back and told him
they were only human. A lie of course but vampire secrecy had to be kept.

As the sun went down I worried that the Children of Apollo would show up
but they never did. I went home with Charlie and Kale and then Edward was
in my room. Tomorrow was Sunday dinner and I had a big one in mind.
Fortunately I'd shopped for all of my ingredients already. The chicken was
in the fridge, and the rest was ready to go.