Blood Red Sunset Chapter 1 - Anniversary

Preface
I always thought of memory loss as a good thing, you didn’t have to remember pain, loss or things you regret. But as I stared into the black eyes of the girl whose plan was to kill me.
I hoped that this would be a memory the man I loved would forget.
A feral growl ripped through air and out of nowhere my hero, my saviour, my angel here to carry me up to heaven.




Anniversary

I slapped my hand down on the alarm clock that sat on my bedside table, 7:00 o’clock Wednesday morning I’d slept for eleven hours but I felt like I hadn’t slept for weeks. As I sat up my stomach twisted, I ran to shove my face into the toilet. I sat on the cold tile floor with my face in my hands, which rested on my knees. My bitterness to life only started a week ago when I finalized my decision to leave home the day after my seventeenth birthday--which happened to be in three days. My mother thought that maybe if she started acting motherly I would stay. I don’t think so. My plan was move out of my mother’s house and move into my best friend’s house –which was also my secret boyfriend’s house—which she was ecstatic about.

I stared at myself in the mirror, I stood at about 4’11”, my black hair was just below my shoulders when in it’s natural loose curls, my facial features are like my dad’s nicely proportioned unlike my mum’s. My jade green eyes were framed by an even set of eye lashes and were slightly hidden by a pair of black and white glasses, I had nice curve’s but I only showed them occasionally, I got my short height from my dad, he was short even at his age of 36 and my mum stood another foot over my dad and a little under two foot over me. I brushed my teeth, splashed my face with cold water, put my hair up and got dressed into the first things my hands touched –A pair of faded denim short shorts and a figure hugging red blouse—and walked downstairs to make my breakfast. I found my mother staring at me as I walked up to the cupboard for the cereal then to the fridge for the milk.

“Are you okay Dis?” She asked worryingly with a slight smirk on her face.
“Yes I’m fine,” I snapped back.
“You didn’t sound okay”
I never usually stormed out of the house when she tried to act motherly. But this morning she was glad I was sick, why you ask? Because I’d woken up feeling worse than her for once. I stormed out of the house leaving the cereal to turn soggy in the milk.

“Dis wait” But I didn’t stop I just kept walking to my beautiful glossy red Mercedes, My car was a Mercedes Benz SL65 in a beautiful red, my friends were extreme car collectors only the expensive ones would do, and I had to learn to understand the car and driver talk or I would have been confused all the time but I caught on quickly.
“I didn’t mean to intrude but I’m your mother it’s what I’m here for”
The rubber band that held all the matchsticks of my life together snapped. Matchsticks flew in every direction. I planted my feet suddenly and spun around to glare at my mother she took a step backwards, even her extra two feet couldn’t help her now.
“You know something mum; I think you have only started this mothering act because I’m leaving your house in four days” I stood on my tip toes and squared my shoulders
“Dis don’t be like that you know I’ve always loved you,” she said taking another step backwards
“Mum!” I screech I took a deep breath in and finished my sentence “Just let me go to school before I do something stupid”
“Okay Daisi” she sighed “Oh I won’t be home when you get back, just to let you know, so I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon”
“Whatever” I started my car and as normal it purred to life on the first try. I loved my Mercedes; it meant my mother wouldn’t have to drive me to school so I wouldn’t have to spend another twenty minutes with her in the morning. Also my Mercedes was a present my best friend and her brother bought me for my sixteenth, I remembered that birthday very well –I winced as I reversed out of the driveway— I loved the colour because it meant my car wouldn’t stand out between their vehicles and the colour reflected my personality—according to the friends who bought it for me—I would have to thank them again.

I drove up the familiar street that I would soon be saying good-bye to and forgetting. The twenty minutes drive past by before my eyes and before I knew it I was at the student parking lot gates of Treshone High. Treshone high was a small country school that was green, Very green –Due to 349 days of rain a year—at first I disliked it but as all things do it grew on me, unlike other town’s that get this much rain Treshone was hot 80% of the year, there were 194 students at Treshone high. The school consists of three single storey L shaped buildings made up of four classrooms, one two storey L shaped building that consisted of two classrooms and a library on the top floor and four study/exam rooms that were no bigger than a small bathroom, a gym and a cookery classroom on the bottom floor and large square building that was the cafeteria. The two storey building was at the front of the school and blocked out the other buildings. All the inside walls were cream with white trims and plenty of windows, the outside walls were white bricks with a green tile roof—isn’t there enough green already? —And every spare spot had a plant or tree of some sort.

I grinned stupidly as I saw Jackson’s Koenigsegg CCX parked in his usual spot next to Lenete’s fluro orange Hayabusa motorbike; they didn’t care about standing out its part of who they are. They owned the most expensive cars in Treshone and everybody knew it. They stood out no matter how much they tried not to, so they didn’t care, they drove expensive cars to school and bought there best friend one. I sighed as I grabbed my bag and my laptop and slid out of the car. Lenete danced her way over to me and greeted me with the usual hug and peck on the cheek. Jackson walked up behind her; I felt all the stresses from this morning with my mother disappear as he smiled at me.

Lenete my blonde beauty of a friend, her lips have a perfect double curve and were the sweetest shade of red, her face was perfectly proportioned. Her beach blonde hair was wavy and hung mid way down her back –and she never once wore it in the same style twice –Her body was curvy almost exotic and envied by most girls. She flaunted her curves with figure hugging shirts and her ballerina legs that made her height 4’11” –the same as me we were both short for our ‘ages’ but that never bothered us, it meant we could borrow clothes and shoes without having to worry that they would be to big or small—were either shown by short shorts or covered by skinny leg jeans –she had a million different pair’s of each in her wardrobe—. Her small bathroom sized shoe cupboard had only two styles of shoes, Ballet flats and high heels that were all designer labels.

  Jackson my badass god secret boyfriend has a little longer than short black hair that was messy but sexy at the same time, like Lenete his face was perfectly proportioned. He was muscular, lean and tall –he stood at 6’2”—He always wore tight shirts that showed the planes of his chest and unlike Lenete he only had a small wardrobe that held all his clothing, he was athletic and it showed through his tight shirts.

Jackson’s not your average totally gorgeous 18 year old, He and Lenete –his 17 year old sister- had one of the biggest secret’s going. They were all vampires, and I had known this from the day of my 16th birthday. But to make things worse Jackson and I had an undying love for each other. I had both been told many time’s by Lenete that she didn’t want me dating.

The clouds in the sky were almost translucent but blocking the sun and that upset me because if the sun came out Lenete and Jackson would have to leave - on occasions I left with them. They had the school believe that when the weather was good the family went camping but I knew the truth and I had been shown what happened in the sun on my sixteenth birthday as well.

I could hear Lenete talking to me but I couldn’t make out what she was saying. I was too lost in Jackson’s purple eyes. Jackson smiled at me, He unlike the rest of his family smiled showing a perfect set of white teeth –I envied that perfect set of teeth. Everyone else in the Greene family had a different way of smiling that kept their teeth hidden behind their lips, but they all still looked as beautiful as if they were. I jerked out of my daydream and heard the last of Lenete’s story. Apparently one of the deer she caught last night had something wrong with it now she felt sick—The Greene’s drank blood from animals to become more at peace with the innocent people of Treshone—Lenete asked if I was paying attention to anything she said. Does paying attention to my boyfriend, which is your brother, count? I thought giggling but I knew it was stupid; Jackson chuckled silently at my thought.

“Yeah I was” I lied
“What did I say?” she asked as she picked up my lie.
“Your wardrobe burnt down?” I asked giggling under my breath knowing that if that really happened she'd be an absolute wreck, throwing things every where, breaking things and screaming while on a murderous rampage.
“You weren’t listening, I knew it” she said a few octave’s higher than necessary, we were standing under the stairs of the first building by this stage and everyone in earshot looked our way.
“Then why did you ask if I was you knew if I was listening from the moment I got out of my car, or is your mind trespassing playing up?” I said sarcastically I glanced at my watch; there was around 45 minutes until school started and I hated being early.
“It’s not playing up, you just gibber crazy talk in your head whenever I hear what you’re saying to yourself”
Lenete was able to read minds but my mind annoyed her the most. Because Jackson and I were dating behind her back I had to occupy my thoughts with something else so she wouldn’t find out and that’s not easy when I wanted to remember every touch and kiss we shared. Lenete was not allowed to know about our dating until I became one of them, which was when I finished university unless something really bad happened between now and then--I kept trying to make bad things happen to me so the day would come faster. Lenete and Jackson’s ‘Mother and Father’ wanted me to have as many human memories as possible and after many months of Lilly, Nafron and Lenete bickering about how many memories were enough memories we decided on an approximate date, Jackson on the other hand was ready to change me the moment I found out about what they were. I flashed back to the day my life was turn upside down by Lenete and Jackson, My sixteenth Birthday.

* * *
My mother dropped me at the edge of the Greene’s driveway –she was making the two-hour trip to town and wouldn’t be back until the next day— I waved as she drove off. The date, The 24th of August 2007, a week before my 16th birthday. I turned around to start walking the five kilometre driveway that to their house. The whole hour and a half-hour walk I was surrounded by the pleasant smell of the rainforest that surrounded most of the area. I crept quietly up the stairs to the flyscreen door of the patio.
I had been to the Greene’s house plenty of time’s to know the house inside and out.

There were eight steps that lead to a large patio that was screened with mosquito netting. There was a white metal dinning set. There were antique wooded double doors were large and elegantly carved with what looked like copper wrapping around the carved out swirls, the doors were as far down the left side of the south wall as possible. Through the doors was the hallway, the hall way was wide and had two large white lounges one near the door and the other down the other end of the hallway. There was a long rug that ran all the way down the hall way and two large pots with plants I had never once seen without flowers either side of the door. Halfway down the right side of the hallway was the only door in the hallway –besides the front door. Through the door was a very large lounge room there was a divider made of a glass that made a very large mirror, behind that was the kitchen. The kitchen was very modern and spacey; all five of us could cook something at the same time without getting under someone else’s feet. The lounge room walls were all glass; you could see the surrounding forest through it. The glass was always clean and practically invisible–I’d run into the walls a couple of times -amazingly the glass didn‘t break. The floor was polished wood it was so mirror like that Lenete was always looking at the floor to see her reflection—she was beautiful to human eyes. There was a very large plasma TV in front of the west wall and an extremely large desk that over looked the river that ran past the house and filled up the pool and spa behind the house on the east wall. There were five laptops, three printers, a paper shredder, two bins and enough space either side of the laptops to layout anything and everything.
There were another two five seater lounges on angles a dozen feet from the TV. The staircase on the north side of the house, which through the glass you could see the pool, spa and the river formed around the trees. Up the stairs there were seven doors off a wide hallway that held another lounge. I knew that the only walls that weren’t glass were the southern walls that faced the front yard, the walls of the hallway and the bathroom walls. In this hallway there were family photos three hung on the walls, each between two doors. The weird thing about the photo’s was that they were all different years but none of the family changed appearance once in all six, sure they were sitting or standing differently and wearing different clothes but no one out of the eight people in the photo seemed to look any different from the year before, everyone looked very happy especially in the photo between Lilly and Nafron’s office and their room, Nafron’s arm wrapped securely around Lilly waist, one of Lilly’s arms on Jackson’s shoulder—even though his shoulder soared above her head— the other hugged Lenete close, to the left of Nafron stood a tall blonde man who had one hand on Lenete’s shoulder and the other wrapped around a tall blonde woman and a tallish boy who was pressed as tightly as possible into the blonde woman’s side with his hands on the shoulders of a shortish brunette, all the females had cherry red lips and the males lips were a more natural colour. The two blondes’, the teenage boy and the brunette I had never seen or heard of before.
The first door on the left was Nafron and Lilly’s office I’d only been in there once –after I ran into one of the glass walls because Jackson was chasing me—I didn’t see much of the room as I had blacked out and ended up with a black eye and a busted lip. First door on the right was the bathroom that like the rest of the house was modern and large. Next on the left was Nafron and Lilly’s bedroom –I’d never been in there, because I never needed to be in there—Next on the right was Lenete’s room, it was the room I stayed in when I stayed over. To the left of Lenete’s door was a set of French doors and that lead to the dreaded wardrobe that was bigger than her room –which was massive. To the back of her room was another set of doors that led to a small balcony—all the bedroom had one of these, they were all different— Lenete’s balcony was covered in plants that climbed higher than our heads. There were plants everywhere on her balcony, but in the middle of the plant’s she had a small table and three chairs, a small pond and a speakers for her IPod that were made to look like rocks, this was her retreat and mine when I was over. Lenete had a king size bed with a purple quilt and thousands of pillows –I was scared I’d get lost in them. The third door on the left was a massive room that was filled with books, movies and music all perfectly organise and ordered by genre, year then alphabetically in the year, this room also had many musical instruments, there is an black grand piano in the middle of the room and surrounding the piano was many classical instruments violins, a flute and many I didn't know the name of, I hadn't heard any one play before, I liked to call this room the library. The last on the right was Jackson’s room; I had never been in there because Lenete wouldn’t allow me to enter his room. The last door on the left belong to the other happy couple in the photo and of course like Lilly and Nafron’s room I hadn’t been in there. The whole house is very modern with paintings that hung on the glass some how, a huge TV in every room. It was Lilly who designed the house and renovated at every opportunity. There two smaller houses behind the main house I had been told they belonged to the teenage boy and the brunette in the photo. Behind and to the left about one kilometre from the house was a very, very large garage where there was enough room for at least ten cars. There was Lenete’s motorbike and her Mercedes Benz –exactly like mine only silver-, Jackson’s Koenigsegg CCX which was his everyday car and his Ferrari Enzo which was his fun car, Nafron’s Bugatti Veyron and Lilly’s Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, the spot for the car I drove to the Greene’s and some other empty spots, though I had a feeling that two should have cars in them. The other empty spots were for visitors and for when someone bought another car. Every car they owned had black tints --The sort of tint you get on limos. There was an area that was equipped for Lenete’s mechanic work and an area for Nafron and Jackson’s car bodybuilding. The house had little furniture but less is always more to Lilly, The lack of furniture was not weird the layout made it look like there was plenty of furniture. From the second I saw their house the first time when Lenete invited me over I thought it was absolutely beautiful.

I walked quietly up the stairs; my plan was to surprise Lenete and Jackson, which was very hard to do. I poked my head in the door and tiptoed in --I made less noise then I thought possible for me. I was just about ready to surprise them when one second I couldn’t hear anyone but the next I heard it, I heard all of it.
“We have to tell her!” It was Jackson’s voice I heard first, I’d never heard him yell before especially whom I first thought was his mother but I was shortly mistaken.
“We can’t she isn’t allowed to know about it, Jackson I can’t lose my first real friend because of it, I won’t lose her that way” It was Lenete he was yelling at, I wasn’t sure what they were fighting over but I’d never heard Lenete so upset or protective of someone, I had to find out who they were talking about so I stayed where I was –I swear I wasn’t breathing. There argument continued and neither of them stopped yelling.
“Well what are you going to do Lenete? She’s bound to find out one day, if you want to protect Daisi, you have to tell her” they were talking about me; there was something they couldn’t tell me.
“Jackson I won’t lose her like that, I can picture it now, I’ll tell her then she’ll run away screaming, I won’t have that”
“Lenete I’ve heard what she thinks about you, she wouldn’t care if you have twelve eyes and fourteen arms, she likes you for your personality I don’t think she’d care about what this family is… if anything it will bring you closer” how had he heard that I said that I have never said it out loud before, I heard small sobs, it was Lenete, she was crying, I felt the sudden urge to go and hug her, but I needed to know what was going on so I repressed it.
“Jackson it’s not the same, I can’t tell her, I won’t tell her”
“What about what I want for her? Don’t my feelings for her count in anyway? You’ve seen it in my head the way I feel about her, or do my feelings and opinions mean nothing?” Jackson likes me; I never thought that possible I was thought I wasn’t good enough for him.
“Jackson, your opinions are they most listened to in this family, but I still won’t tell her, it’s to big a secret”
“I think she’ll understand just fine, I mean look what happened when you drove her here the first time and you drove at our speeds, what did she do? Lenete, tell me”
“She didn’t do anything, she thought nothing of it, she wasn’t scared or anything she trusted me, but it doesn’t change anything Jackson she can’t know about what we are!”
“Lenete listen to yourself, if she thought nothing of our outrageous driving and she trusts you at our speeds. I don’t think it will mean anything to her that we are vam—” he sucked a deep breath in and snarled.
“What is it Jackson?” Lenete asked seriously when his sentence broke off, still with a little bit of distress in her voice.
“She’s been listening—he growled—I can’t believe I didn’t notice it earlier, I can’t believe you didn’t notice her doing this either!”
“Who’s been listening? I didn’t notice what?”

They had caught me out, I took a deep breath in and stepped through the door, I saw Lenete wince and start crying without tears when she saw me, and Jackson sucked another breath in.
“Just tell me Lenete I won’t run away screaming, I swear on my life I won’t, as Jackson said I wouldn’t care if you had twelve eyes and fourteen arms”
“You were listening! How could you?” she all but screamed at me, Jackson grabbed her arms. I flinched; I had never heard her yell either especially at me.
“Lenete I’m your friend please just tell me —she didn’t say anything so I looked to Jackson — Jackson, what is it please tell me”
Jackson pulled a phone out of his pocket and held it to his ear, not letting go of Lenete who had her head resting on his shoulder and was crying.
“Nafron, it’s important that you and Lilly are home as soon as you can be here” there was a pause, and then Jackson said something into the phone that was to low for me to hear. Lenete snapped her head up and looked at me.
“Lenete what ever it is you can tell me” I was startled by her fast movements and on the verge of tears.

I stepped forward absent-minded; Jackson was still talking on the phone. Lenete shrugged loose of Jackson’s grip and walked over to me, she started crying tearlessly again and all but fell into my arms. Jackson stared at her without leaving his conversation on the phone. Jackson hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket.
“Lenete… Lilly and Nafron will be home as soon as possible until then Daisi must stay in the house and we mustn’t tell her anything” he looked at me then at Lenete again.

We sat in silence at the kitchen bench, while Jackson cooked lunch. Lenete’s arms never left my waist or stopped crying tearlessly. Jackson’s head whipped up from his plate after about ten minutes.
“They’re here, neither of you move” he said almost angrily and left the room.
“It will all be okay Lenny I promise” I ran my hand along her jaw in an attempt to comfort her. She made a choking sound in the back of her throat and held me tighter.
“Lenete, Daisi can you come to the lounge room please” It was Nafron, he didn’t sound angry. We walked to the lounge room, there were light’s turned on and thick blinds that blocked all natural light were covering the walls. I felt Lenete’s hands tighten around my waist, like she was stopping me from running.
“Happy birthday Daisi” Lilly said as she kissed my head.
“Yes happy birthday Daisi” Nafron’s voice had never sounded calmer.

Lilly was about 5’4” with dark chocolate brown hair that was wavy like Lenete’s, her eye colour was darker almost black compared to everyone else’s and her lips a duller red then Lenete’s, she also like Lenete never wore the same thing twice, Nafron stood at 6’4” his brownish blonde hair slightly shorter than Jackson’s. They both had perfectly proportioned features.
“I promise what ever it is I won’t tell anyone, I wouldn’t hurt your family that way,” I said as I felt the tears welling up in my eyes.
“Lenete, will you follow us up to the office please…you too Jackson. Daisi your food is still on the kitchen bench, I will ask if you could stay in the kitchen until my family and I are ready for you” Lilly asked in a soothing voice. I nodded and walked to the kitchen in a trance like fashion, I wouldn’t be a sticky beak this time. I sat on the high chair and rested my head on my arms and drifted off.

I was woken by Lilly shaking me gently.
“Daisi we need to have an important discussion with you” she held out her hand and I took it not reacting to how cold her hand was.
We walked to the lounge room again, only this time I found Jackson at the switch for the blinds and Lenete was clinging to Nafron still crying tearlessly. Lilly’s hand never left mine.
“What’s wrong?” I asked still fighting tears.
“Nothing Daisi ...not yet anyway.... but we ask that you not react to what we are about to tell you until you hear everything, will you comply? We consider you family now so we not hide secrets from you”
I processed what she said and nodded slowly, Nafron said something to Lenete and her whole body whipped up in a move that was nearly invisible and she closed her eyes in what looked like concentration, she nodded and said something to Nafron.
“Daisi our family isn’t like yours… or any other family in Treshone” It was Nafron who was talking, every now and then he’d look to Lenete and she would nod, I was unsure of what she was telling him but I was sure I would soon find out.
“What ever it is I will not hurt your family by telling anyone” I said as I felt a tear roll down my cheek, Lilly wiped it away leaving my face pink from the chill of her fingertips and Lenete nodded again.
“Daisi, do you know how old I am?” Lilly asked.
“Lenete always said you were 37 and that you –I nodded toward Nafron—were 40”
“Well Daisi we consider you family now so, We aren't those ages that's just a cover story, yes Jackson and Lenete are the ages they told you but they aren’t that age either, do you understand what I mean?” Lilly asked in her soothing voice again. I shook my head. Lenete nodded again. Nafron walked over to me and took my hands in his he squeezed them lightly his face went blank for a second, Lenete and Jackson gasped in unison then everything went back to normal, my eyebrows furrowed in confusion but soon relaxed.

“ Now Daisi I’m not going to break it to you they way Lilly and Lenete wanted to I’m going to tell you straight out, remember you are welcome to leave if what I say scares you, but we ask that if you do leave you don’t say a word, do I make my self clear?” His tone harsh, an order more than a choice.
Lenete and I nodded at the same time, Lilly pulled me over to the lounge and sat me down, Nafron and Lilly sat on either side of me.
“Daisi, we aren’t the ages we say we are because we are vampires” he let the words click in. as I processed them, Lenete’s eyes snapped open and she was in front of me before I could blink.
“Daisi are you ok? –She turned to look at Nafron—her mind just became clearer to me, I’m not sure why but I do know she isn’t going to run, just let her brain process it might take some time”
All eyes were on me, no body moved not even a blink was risked from the Greene’s, my brain was working slowly when it finally all clicked in I said the first thing my brain said to say.
“That’s it?” I blushed as I just asked a stupid question. Every set of eyes in the room were on me again.
“That doesn’t upset you or scare you?” Nafron asked me curiously
“Well I am confused about something though”
“What is that?” Lilly asked me, she looked ready to start laughing.
“I thought vampires couldn’t go outside during the day”
Lenete laughed and Lilly joined her. Nafron was eyeing me I guess he was waiting for the screaming part.
“We can’t that’s why we live in Treshone because the sun is blocked by heavy clouds most of the year, so the sun can’t reach us”
I blinked “Oh so what happens in the sun?” I heard the flick of a switch and the blinds on the walls started retracting; Lilly placed her cold hand over my eyes as I heard them all move to stand in front of me.

Lilly’s hand left me face but I kept me eyes closed.
“Daisi Open your eyes” Jackson said in the voice that made my heart race. I heard someone laugh. Oh Of course vampires could hear heartbeats.
“Yes Daisi we can hear your heart beat” Lenete said I gasped and they could hear thoughts.
“Only Jackson and I” she answered my thought again, so I stopped thinking and Lenete laughed again.
“Open your eyes Daisi” It was Lilly’s soothing voice that made my eyes flutter open.

I’d never seen anything so beautiful, even the house wasn’t as beautiful as the four vampires that stood in front of me with smiles on their faces. I gasped as I realised that they weren’t going to pop into a cloud of smoke in the sun. I stared at them; their exposed skin was shining like someone has dunked them in to fine glitter, every movement made the ‘glitter’ change colour, Jackson had taken off his shirt and the muscles of his chest were showing –that alone was absolutely stunning— and glittering like the rest of his exposed skin. It was so beautiful I tried not to blink. Without thinking I walked up to Jackson and put my hands on either side of his face, it felt smooth just like normal. You couldn’t feel anything but his skin, I ran my hand down his chest he sighed and I felt him relax at my touch. Lenete cleared her throat and said something to Jackson but we both ignored her. I traced the muscles trying to find any part of his chest that felt like he'd put glitter on himself but I couldn’t, I could only feel the satin smooth skin. I looked at my hands expecting to find them covered in glitter but there was no trace of anything but my skin. I stepped across to Lenete who was next to him and put my hands on her cheeks, she smiled.
“Well this explains the weird eye colour --¬ I smiled and stared into Lenete’s eyes— I’m not scared, I’m still your best friend, something like this wouldn’t change that –I hesitated— just… don’t kill me” I said the last part seriously.
The whole family laughed, I stared at them shocked.
“We don’t drink human blood, how do you think we’d be able to go to a school full of human’s if we drank human blood?” Jackson said with a smile.
“So you’re…good vampires?” I asked embarrassed
“You could put it that way” Lenete said with a smile,
“Wait you can read my thoughts can all of you do that?” I asked not taking my eyes of Lenete; she too was staring into my eyes.
“No only Jackson and Lenete can do that, but Jackson can talk to a person of his choice, show her Jackson she’ll understand it easier” Lilly stated Jackson nodded and I jumped as I heard his voice in my head.
“Did I scare you?”  I heard everyone laugh.
“Think back to me Daisi I’ll be able to hear you and reply” Jackson said trying to hold back laughter.
“Well this is kinda scary isn’t it?”
“For you yes for me… no not really” he laughed and so did Lenete, I looked at her curiously.
“I can read your thoughts and see your memories but you cannot me, for instance you have held onto the memory of your fathers death, I would explain it but I don’t want you to start crying on me –she chuckled lightly— but I will say something to prove I’m not lying, I picked this memory because I know you haven’t told me anything about it. He died the day after your fourteenth birthday from cancer he is buried at Treshone cemetery and you weren’t allowed to go to the funeral, am I right?”
Another tear rolled down my cheek as I nodded, Lenete wiped it away and took my hands from her face.
"Lilly’s gift is some what dangerous"
I stared at her with a confused look on my face
"Lilly has a physical gift, I don't think I’ll tell you, 'cause I think you'll react the way I did" she smiled and Lilly laughed all their laughter’s tinkling soprano or bass bells.
"I remember that day so well, you locked yourself in the bathroom and wouldn't get out of the water" Lilly laughed again and Lenete poked her tiny tongue out at her.
“And I see sections of the future, if I touch you I’ll see what’s going to happen to you… No more than a week ahead I’m not that good yet, say if someone wanted to talk to you and I see that after touching you, but if that person changes their mind your whole future changes. The smallest decision shifts the future dramatically... also about 184 years ago I became more familiar with my power that I started receiving random vision...weather, deaths, stock market simple things like that” Nafron explained to me. I looked at him.
“That’s why you wouldn’t shake my hand when I first came here? And why your face went funny just before” Nafron nodded
“Yes and I can explain that…See with you being around vampires all the time Lenete asked I not touch you in anyway so that I couldn’t see if you would end up like us accidentally. She didn’t want to know if one of us would lose control”
“End up like you?” I couldn’t take my eyes off Lenete for some strange reason “How does that work?” every set of eyes in the room looked away from me. The silence was deafening.
“We won’t tell you that...not yet anyway” Jackson broke the silence then when everything went quiet again he broke the silence again “Also the other four –he made a face and Lilly glared at him and Lenete giggled—fine then Aurelia, Jasper, Heidi and Dimytri aren’t so awesome…They just wish they were”
“Jackson” Lilly snapped at him before turning to me “Aurelia and Jasper are hunting with their kids as they have been every weekend you’ve decided to come over, Aurelia and Jasper don’t trust them selves around humans yet but Dimytri and Heidi have attended school a couple of times before, they is fine around humans they just can't stand being away from Aurelia for lengths of time. But don’t worry they will trust themselves soon, there getting better at it”
I gasped “oh are they the other four people in your family photos?”
“Yes…I’m very sorry you haven’t met them yet, but don’t worry they’ll trust themselves soon enough”
“That’s okay, tell them to take their time and I hope we can be good friends one day…They are very beautiful –I blushed—how old are they?”
“Aurelia is 279, Jasper is 283 and Dimytri and Heidi are also 279, I will tell you the part of the story I know I won‘t get wrong… Jasper feel in love with Aurelia when he had been a vampire for 2 years and they actually dated for quite a while…while Aurelia was still human. They got married when Aurelia was 18, they spent a year doing 'human' things', started a family, bought a house and everything so Aurelia's father would hunt down Jasper to kill him for stealing his little girl. Jasper changed her the day after she had Dimytri and Heidi and have never looked back”
“Wow… what age are they humanly?” Lilly Laughed at my choice of words.
“Jasper is 20 and Aurelia is 19, Dimytri and Heidi’s  human age is around 16...more or less their physical features are 16 but there mind’s are 279 they have absorbed everything they have been taught in life” Lilly smiled “ They used to travel together until they crossed our scent and came to investigate—” she winced delicately
“We could tell by their two sets of red eyes they drank human blood, Dimytri and Heidi confused us for quite some time, Human blood didn't appeal to them at all, they lived of food, and their piercing sapphire blue eyes made us think they weren’t vampire at all but their living stone bodies proved that wrong” I shuddered at the words 'human blood' and Lenete rubbed my arm soothingly “they told us they meant no harm, they were just curious. So they stayed with us for quite some time, but of course it was good news for Lilly, it meant she could renovate to add another room and two back houses” Nafron smiled down to her.
“ They trialled feeding the way we did because they were being ‘polite’ so to put it and became used to it so they stayed permanently Dimytri was curious about the way we drank from animals and ate human food and decided to trial it too, turns out he could do it too. That please all three of them, now they travel with us, So you see because Aurelia and Jasper have been living our lifestyle for the least amount of time and they drank from humans for a longer period of time it’s just a tad harder for them, Dimytri and Heidi find it easier than we do” Lilly explained smiling brightly “They have made a promise to try and meet you one day soon, please don’t be put out by them, there just trying to protect you”
I smiled at her and Nafron patted my shoulder for a moment and mumbled to Lilly.
"The coolest part about being a vampire" Jackson smiled” is we haven't got any human functions"
I shot him a questioning look
"No sleeping, breathing, toilet breaks, blinking and we don't even have to move. We’re like living stones or diamonds in Lenete terms. We throw rainbows in the sun, we are cold… As you have felt and hard” he laughed at his joke “and you probably think we’re beautiful” I nodded and laughed when I realised what he meant.
"But isn't eating a human function?"
"Oh that... eating is different because we live off animal blood we need food to help increase our strength it’s like humans and sleeping, you need to sleep to have strength but if we lived off human blood we wouldn’t need to--"

“You’re not scared of me?” Lenete interrupted her brother
I shook my head “You’re still the same gorgeous, funny, smart blonde I knew an hour ago, you just sparkle now” I laughed
“Told you so? I heard Jackson whisper.
“Are you still staying the night?” I nodded
“Well now that that’s settled Lilly and I will go back to work” Nafron walked over to Jackson and said something again to low for me to hear, he hugged Lenete and mumbled something and he hugged me and I saw his eyes glaze over for a second and he pulled away.
“I’m so glad you can stay in our family,” He said soothingly but his face said something was wrong and I didn’t know what but I’m sure Lenete and Jackson knew and Nafron would probably tell Lilly in the car.
“I wouldn’t leave it even if you were human eating aliens,” I laughed and Nafron joined in. Lilly hugged me and kissed my cheeks and they were both gone before I could breathe in. Lenete heard my reaction in my thoughts.
“We have superhuman powers Daisi, we run at speeds greater than rockets... when we try hard enough, we are incredibly strong, our reaction time is instant not seconds, all our sense’s are enhanced, for instance I can smell your blood right now but it’s unusually different from most humans, its more of a fragrance then food –I shuddered— that’s why most of us haven’t been tempted because you for some reason just don’t smell like other humans so its liveable and we can resist the urge but the smell of your blood still send flames down our throat”
“Flames?” I questioned I had a feeling the look on my face would be priceless.
“Yes, when we smell the blood venom is produced in our mouth.  You know how when you eat something spicy your throat burns then you need to drink something to soothe it? Well it’s like that only the only thing that soothes our burn completely is human blood, but because we’re ‘Good vampires’ we soothe it with animal blood, it’s still there just… dulled down”
I was dumb struck my best friend and her family were vampires, I was the only human to know this, and at least one vampire in the family was drawn to my blood.
“W…Wait, you said most who—“
“Jackson thinks you’re the most appealing he’s smelt in his entire vampire life, he has a tough time but he can resist he’s had 361 years to practice for something like this, but you mustn't worry I will hear about it if he decides too even try and we’ll stop him”
I shuddered again “So how old are you really?”
“I’m 360, I am Jackson biological sister, Lilly is our biological mother she is 371, she was changed when she was 28 so she is forever frozen at 28 years old she was changed by one of the other vampire families, they were looking for a daughter but she left them to look after us again she left them quite distraught actually but she always visits them and they accepted her choice and they are proud of her, they are surprised she didn‘t kill us because she was just days old when she came back for us..
“Jackson was eight and I was six at the time she was changed so she didn't feel the need to tell us about it at that point, when she came back for us, she decided to stay and raise us until we were old enough to understand what had happened, I’m forever in awe of her because she lasted so long with out trying to kill us, Jackson was eighteen and I was sixteen, Jackson made the decision around a week after she told us that he wanted to stay with her as did I but I had a different age in mind.
“Lilly changed Jackson that day as he asked but I wanted to be seventeen when I changed so while my brother was freezing from the inside out, I continued my life with I waited for my seventeenth to come.
“The day of I decided to wait another week so I could say goodbye to my friends unlike Jackson who was more drawn to the idea of immortality and superpowers --she laughed a tinkling soprano that was a few octaves higher than Lilly’s-- than saying goodbye, Lilly accepted and I said goodbye to my friends telling them I had to leave the country and I would never be coming back.

“They threw me a going away party I remember it clearly, they wanted to see me leave on my boat but I told them not to worry the party would be enough, they accepted my wishes, we spent most of that night crying I lost count of the amount of hugs I received, I also received presents that people thought I would need where I had them convinced I was going. My best friend gave me a friendship ring and I still wear it to this day…even though she died at least three hundred years ago” her eyebrows pulled together it what looked like concentration but I was unsure.
She held up her hand and wiggled her fingers, the ring had a gold band that was encrusted with diamonds in three rows around the ring and she slipped it off her finger and handed it to me
“Look inside” she said as she pointed to the ring
Inside the band was a fancy calligraphy written quote forever in my life and heart another tear rolled down my cheek.
“It’s not something to cry over Daisi,” she almost laughed as she slipped the ring back on.

“Why did you want to be seventeen?”
“It’s easier to act older when your seventeen then sixteen” she said smiling “the rules haven’t changed much 21 used to be legal adult so I picked to be seventeen so It was easier, also I would only be a year younger then Jackson so to speak” the room went dead quiet, I could hear the creek running outside. I immediately understood why I felt a piece of the puzzle was missing.
“What about Nafron I didn’t hear one thing about him in there”
“Sorry Dis but the rest of my families’ stories you will have to hear from them, I can’t stand the thought of what will happen if I tell it wrong”
“That’s okay, that's a nice story.”
She smiled “oh presents” she squealed

She held out her arms, a confused look crossed my face but before I could ask she had me in her arms and was proving her superhuman running to me. It felt like flying, like her feet never touched the ground but I’ve been wrong before she was holding me in one arm like I weighed nothing more than a feather. Before I knew it we were in the garage, Jackson was already in there, his hands on a sheet that was covering a car, I knew by the shape of it.

“Happy birthday Dis” they said in unison as Jackson yanked the sheet off and there it was my red glossy Mercedes, there were squeals of delight and I cried tears of joy from me over the fact that my mother wouldn’t have to drive me to school anymore. I received an IPod from Lilly later that night; a Laptop from Nafron and Jackson’s didn't want to give me his present in front of everyone so i forced it out of him later that night 
“What was your present anyway?” I asked on my way to the bathroom
“Will you go out with me? --He smiled-- Don’t say anything now Lenete is on her way up”
“Okay” I laughed he smiled again and I realised he wasn’t kidding.
“Are you ready for bed Dis?” I heard Lenete behind me
“Yeah I just have to brush my teeth”
"Tomorrow we are going to go birthday shopping, because of Nafron’s random visions he sees stock market changes and well... you get the idea"
“Wow that’s awesome” I smiled, I turned to where Jackson was standing two short seconds ago but he was gone “all that money explains why you guys can do a lot”
She smiled.
"Well there's plenty of time to explain everything to you, but you should really be heading off to bed, just so you know we‘ll be acting like we do around family with you, we won’t be putting on our human façade, like we do at school " she took my hand and squeezed it lightly "Thank-you for understanding Daisi”
"What are friends for?" I hugged her.