System
Chapter 5
By: Nicole
'Ding dong!'
"Leina! Get the door!" Billy's yell was followed by a few muttered words from his place in the kitchen.
I groaned. "Aurora get the door!"
Aurora happily waltzed into the living room and opened the door. "Good evening boys!" She stepped to the side as Joel, Paul, and Benji walked in and closed the door behind them.
I waved from my spot on the couch. "Hey guys, Billy's in the kitchen."
"Doing what?" Joel seemed hesitant to ask the question.
"Cooking, what else?" I pushed myself off the couch.
Paul faked a scream. "Oh no! You shouldn't let Billy cook!"
Benji pulled me to the side, leaning down to whisper in my ear. "Last time Billy cooked, he nearly set the bus on fire."
I grinned, trying to suppress my laughter. "Are you serious?"
Joel nodded quickly. "Yes yes, yes he did! He he almost burned up our bussie bus bus bus!"
I turned to Paul. "Is he on drugs?" I motioned to Joel, who was now in a serious staring contest with Billy's fish.
Paul laughed. "I think he is, but don't ask me, ask him!"
I led the three into the kitchen. We were surprised to see Billy had prepared a full course meal of instant pasta, macaroni and cheese, and a salad.
"Nice job, if anyone can make instant pasta it's Billy!" Benji patted him on the shoulder.
"I'll be back, gotta get everyone else." I turned on my heels, making my way up the stairs two at a time, and knocked on the three doors leading to everyone's rooms. "Everybody out, I want you all to meet some people!" I banged on thre three doors, yelling until they came out.
Zek linked his arms around my waist. "Who are we supposed to be meeting exactly?"
It was weird having Zek so close..Maybe because I'd come to like having Billy instead of Zek? Who knows, I just felt uncomfortable, but I wouldn't say anything to Zek about it. "Billy's friends, the ones you met back home.."
We filed into the kitchen, everyone taking a seat at the long table except for me. There was one chair at each end, and four chairs on each side, Billy on the end closest to the door, Joel, Benji, Paul and Zek sitting to his right. Aurora, Trinity, Gabriel, and Seth were seated to his left, and I had the empty chair at the other end. "Guy's this is Aurora.. Trinity.. Gabriel.. Seth.. and of course you know Zek.." I pointed to each of my fellow clan members and sat down.
Billy cleared his throat and everyone's attention turned to him. "Uh, these are my band mates, Joel.. Benji.. and Paul." Everyone exchanged their greetings before the four mortals in the room began eating their meal, and making small talk with everyone else.
Benji had his attention on Trinity. "Sooo, vampire chick huh? How's it been? Fun, boring, blah?"
And at the same time...
Paul looked a bit frightened by Zek's chilling silence. "So uh..how's it going?"
Zek glanced at Paul before returning his attention to the table before him.
Paul shrugged it off and continued eating his meal.
And still at the same time...
Aurora batted her lashes at Joel, licking her lips seductively.
Joel went wide eyed, turning to Billy for help only to find him in a mental conversation with me. He glanced at Benji, not bothering to interrupt his conversation with Trinity, knowing he'd get slapped or something.
Aurora propped her elbows on the table, smirking at Joel. "So, Joel was it?" She giggled mischievously. "A cute little Joely.." She sniffed the air. "And Joely smells good.." The words rolled off her tongue smoothly.
(After dinner, Billy's POV)
Leina and I were sharing one of the three over sized chairs in the living room.
Benji and Trinity were in the one on the other side of the room, awfully close together and Benji whispering his random pick up lines in her ear, a soft giggle emerging from her every so often.
Joel was in the other chair, glancing around himself every so often. I think he was paranoid, thinking Aurora was gonna jump off the stairs and bite him at any moment. Poor boy, I over heard her trying to seduce him at dinner, very funny.
Paul was sitting on the floor with Seth and Gabriel, trying to teach them how to play Go Fish.. Figures.
And Zek.. Zek was sitting on the couch, watching me and Leina intently. I don't think he likes me very much because he keeps giving me these evil looks.
I nudged Leina lightly, nodding in Zek's direction and leaning down to whisper in her ear. "I don't think he likes me very much.."
She glanced at Zek, who seemed to soften and then return to his evil stare when she turned back to me. "Don't worry about him, he's just pissed because his 'baby sister' is growing up and making mortal friends." Something washed over her eyes when she said that, leaving too quickly for me to depict.
I tilted my head to the side, confusion coating my emotions. "What's wrong?"
She searched my eyes for what seemed like eternity, and was about to say something when Benji interrupted her. "Weeeeell, we better get going! C'mon Joel.. Paul, time to go home!" The three said their goodbye's and left.
Trinity stood up and dashed upstairs to her room, Aurora, Seth and Gabriel in tow.
Zek stood slowly. "Leina, I expect you to be upstairs in a few hours?" She nodded. He gave her a soft smile before retreating to his room.
She turned her attention back to me. "So what shall we do now that we breath alone Sir William?"
Gotta love a chick that can put on an English accent. I ran a calloused fingertip down her arm, her chilled skin sending a wave of tingles through my senses. "Lei.. will you stay with me tonight?"
She cocked her head to the side in confusion. "I'm not going anywhere Billy."
I laced my fingers with hers, bringing her hand to meet my lips. "I mean in my room, stay in my room tonight?"
She leaned her forehead against mine, lacing our other hands together. "Of course I will, but can I ask why?"
I sighed, trying to find a good convincing lie. "I.. I just don't feel like Zek likes me very much and it kinda makes me feel insecure.. like he's gonna attack me at any minute. I mean, you saw the way he was looking at me today.. it just scares me.. a lot."
She squeezed my hand reassuringly. "Zek just doesn't trust mortals.. thats all.. I hope.."
I heard something thump at the top of the stairs. "Lei, did you hear that? What was it?"
She hissed. "Gabriel.. It was Gabriel.. he was spying? What the fuck.. I think we should go to bed now.. this is really starting to bother me." She stood up, grabbed my hand, and led me upstairs to my room, not bothering to close the door.
We settled into the heavy black sheets, my arms wrapped firmly around her waist. As I felt myself start to drift off to sleep four words slipped from my mouth.. four words I never thought I'd say. "I love you Lei.."
Maybe she took it as a friendly gesture because the last thing my mind processed before I was kidnapped by sleep were five words I haven't heard in a long time. "I love you too Billy.."
(Reader's POV, right before they go to sleep)
A figured was crouched in the corner, right outside the open door, waiting impatiently for something to run tell the leader about.
There was a rustle of sheets before the two people inside the room exchanged words.
"I love you Lei.."
"I love you too Billy.."
The figure awaited for several minutes until he heard a soft snoring emerging from the room, taking it as a chance to flee their spot and slip into the room next to it. "Zekial, Zekial!" The persons voice was a soft, but urgent whisper.
Zek grunted, rolling over in his bed to face the figure. "What do you want?"
The figure kneeled at the side of Zek's bed. "I was watching them, just as you told me to, and she told him she loved him!"
Zek grinned evilly. "Truly? Good good, good fun for everyone."
(Leina's POV)
"Billy?" My eyes fluttered open, resting on the vacant spot beside me. I sat up quickly, my eyes frantically searching the room. "Billy?!"
No response.
I was about to get out of the bed when I felt a pair of cold hands pull me back. "Shh.." One of the hands maneuvered from my waist, clamping over my mouth, the other hand tightening around my waist. Whoever the hands belonged to dragged me out of the room and into the attic. I tried to scream, at least make any sort of noise, but failed miserably. Maybe this was a dream? Maybe Billy would come save me? I hit the floor hard as the person threw me down, pulling my wrists together behind my back and looping a thick rope around them, tying a piece of heavy black cloth over my eyes, and finishing with a strip of tape over my mouth. Well this was turning into quite the living nightmare..
I whimpered, tears spilling from my eyes and soaking into the thick cloth covering them. I heard somebody laugh, well more like cackle evilly, and somebody let out a muffled sob. It sounded so familiar.. Another sob was emitted before I heard a loud pop, and then something sizzling, followed by a mixture of muffled sobs and screams...Billy?
(Back to an hour before Leina woke up, Billy's POV)
I had awoken when I heard the door creek open and within seconds somebody had lunged on me and dragged me out of the bed, not disturbing Lei. A strong, cold hand had a tight grip on my waist, a matching, yet mirrored, hand clamped firmly over my mouth. If only I could get Lei's attention.. I kicked and squirmed, the hand on my waist only tightening, and I tried my best to scream, but when a small sound seeped from my mouth, the person dragging me would waver and knock my head against the wall. After several screams, bumps, and no answers, I gave up, my body falling limp and several tears trailing down my cheeks. The person threw me to the floor, probably bruising my fragile body, and busying themselves with tying my hands behind my back, tying my feet together, and placing a piece of duct tape over my mouth. Well at least I can still see.. We're in the attic?.. I gulped, fear overtaking me once I saw who had done this to me..
They spoke with a raspy voice, an evil look filling their eyes. "You don't love her, how could you? She's dead! She can never age, or have your child.. She'll stay beautiful forever whilst you get old and die.. How could you love something like that? I mean.. did it ever cross your mind that she has to kill to survive, she's sacrificed other lives for her own survival.." The person hand straddled my lap, since I was leaning against the wall, proceeding to whip out a switchblade, cutting my thin wife beater off, and slashing at my stomach and chest.
Tears streaked my face, falling quicker with each gentle swipe of the blade. They weren't deep cuts, just extremely painful. I let out a sob and the person quickly moved the blade to my throat. "I'd be quiet, love. We don't want to drag Leina into this now do we?"
I shook my head, not trusting my vocal cords at the moment. The person grinned evilly. "She'll pay for betraying her clan like this.. Contact with mortals on a personal level is forbidden."
I suddenly heard something or someone being dragged up the stairs. It was still dark outside so it was hard to tell what anything was in this lightless attic. And then the door opened.. Somebody was dragging another person into the attic, proceeding to bound them and even blind fold them. I squinted in the dark, making out the figure that had drug the other person in. It was Gabriel, one of Leina's clan members..
Now it all made sense.. Gabriel spying on them from the stairs, Zek giving me evil looks.. It had all been planned..
The person who had been with me the entire time had retrieved a cigarette and was crouching over me. Oh shit.. I screamed as best I could when the fire made contact with my skin, screams mixed with sobs and a never ending flow of tears. I didn't care anymore, it hurt so fucking bad. I could see the symbol on my stomach, bleeding freely with the burn mark right in the center.. A pentagram. I couldn't take it anymore.. "Zek stop!"