1. Ch
10
Music/Inspiration: Being Bad Feels Pretty Good by Does It Offend
You, Yeah?
2. It was a nice sunny afternoon for a date, Liz thought as she walked up to the
coffee counter. She was supposed to meet Zeph here after work, but she didnât
see the harm in getting a cup of coffee while she waited for him to arrive. It had
been a long day â working in the medical field took its toll now and then.
4. Liz sighed. Sheâd love to banish Zephâs demons, but she didnât know what they
were. He did seem to be making an effort; he had agreed to this date, after all.
And heâd promised to go get help. That was all she could really ask for at the
moment â to spend time with him and get him to talk to someone. Liz sighed
again. She knew Zeph was still hurting, but sometimes⊠Well, it was getting
harder and harder to be patient.
*****
5. Two Hours Later
Liz sighed into her fifth cup of coffee. She was tired of waiting. It was obvious Zeph
wasnât going to show.
6. She stood, upset with herself, wondering just how long she was willing to keep
waiting, wondering how long before the Zeph she fell in love with would show back
up. She knew Zeph needed loyalty and patience â someone he could always
count on. But he never seemed to look to her. He never leaned on her, talked to
her, asked for help. It was almost like he forgot she was there.
7. And she was getting tired of waiting for him to remember her.
*****
8. âFirst one to the stairs wins!â Taz yelled over his shoulder.
âNo fair,â Dagmar yelled over the rain. âYou cheated!â
âSays the loser!â
9. Taz slowed down as they rounded the corner, giving Dagmar the chance to catch
up. He smiled to himself; even the rain couldnât shake his good mood. He and
Dagmar had gone out that evening, chatting and laughing over a simple dinner
and a movie â but it had done wonders to lift his spirits. It was funny; there used to
be a time when he had just assumed heâd never laugh again, but ever since he
met Dagmar, he couldnât seem to stop smiling and laughing. Her bubbly energy
was infectious.
10. âYou totally cheated! You canât call a race when youâre already in the lead!â
âSo I did. I apologize. Iâm deeply sorry.â
âLiar.â
Taz only grinned. âHey, listenâŠâ
âYeah?â
11. âThanks for taking me out tonight.â
âNo problem; thanks for keeping me company. Youâre fun to have around.â
âI could say the same about you. IâŠâ
Dagmar waited a beat before asking, âWhat?â
12. âItâs just nice, is all. I needed this. Itâs good to have a friend.â
Dagmar flashed him one of her brilliant smiles as lightning lit up the sky.
âI feel the same. Youâre⊠Well, I havenât been this close to someone in a
while, either.â She looked like she wanted to say more, but was holding back.
âWhat is it?â
14. Before he could react, she pulled away â but not before whispering in his ear.
âYouâre an amazing person, Taz. I donât know how she ever let you go, but sheâs a
fool if you ask me.â
âD-Dag-â
âShh. Itâs okay. I understand. Iâll wait.â
15. And with that cryptic statement, she slipped upstairs to her apartment, leaving Taz
standing there, staring after her.
16. He watched for a while, his eyes following her lithe frame up the stairs, still staring
even after heâd heard the tell tale creaks that meant sheâd let herself inside. It was
a long while before he could form any coherent thought.
âHoly crap,â he muttered.
*****
17. He was back. He was back in that hellhole and he was screaming in pain. He
could hear his siblingâs voices around him and their voices held similar
agony. A flicker in the corner of his eyes â Who would it be this time, he
wondered. It was Skye. It almost always was. He burned too, right next to
him, never saying a word, but his eyes spoke volumes. His eyes bored holes
in Zephyrâs already burning flesh, asking why. A rush of air and Skye and his
eyes were gone, replaced by more flames. He felt like he was going to burst,
his lungs were screaming as he tried to take a breath. All he knew was pain.
All he could see was red. He opened his eyes.
18. And took another breath, deeper this time. The last one hadnât been enough to
shake the dreams, the images, the smells. He needed to get away. One more drag
and heâd get there. Away.
âHey!â A voice interrupted his thoughts. âZeph!â
âHuh?â
âYou okay?â Blossom asked him. âYouâve been at it all day.â
19. âIâm fine. I just needed to relax, you know?â Zeph saw her nod.
âBut werenât you âposed to be somewhere?â
âHuh?â He turned to Roxie, putting down the pipe.
âYeah, you asked me to remind you⊠You were supposed to go somewhere today,
right?â
Crap, he thought. Liz. Suddenly he rose. âUh, I gotta go.â
22. âI was hanging out at Roxieâs and I lost track of time and Iâm so, so sorry and â
Why arenât you saying anything?â
Liz gave a sad sigh. She seemed to do that a lot these days. âWhat should I
say, Zeph?â She clasped her hands behind her back. âShould I ask why you were
at Roxieâs when you were supposed to be at work? Should I ask what happened to
the promise you made, about trying to get better?â
23. âI am trying,â Zeph interrupted.
âAre you? It looks like youâre doing the same old stuff to me, Zeph. Which was it
this time, drinking or bubbles?â
âLiz-â
âZeph-â She sighed again.
24. âLook, I know youâre upset, but let me make it up to you. We can still go out; weâll-â
âI start an early shift tomorrow, Zeph. I told you. I got a promotion.â
âYou got a promotion? Thatâs great. Well, what about after work? We can-â
âZeph⊠How long is this going to go on?â
25. âHuh?â
âHow long are you going to keep âmaking it up to meâ and putting things off? How
long am I going to have to wait for you to pull yourself together?â
âPull my self together? Liz, I died.â
âYeah, ten years ago!â
26. âWhat?â
âItâs been years, Zeph! Youâve grown up, went to college, graduated â Asher is
married and has three kids! Rose is a child! Donât you think itâs time to move on
and let go â just a tiny little bit?â
âItâs not that simple-â
âI know, Zeph! I know. Iâve heard that a lot â and I believe you.â
27. âBut youâre not even trying. And you wonât let anyone in-â
âThatâs not fair, Liz.â
âNo, itâs not. I never see you anymore, Zeph. Now youâre always out. Youâre
always trying to get away. You never seem to want to be here. So Iâm starting to
wonder why I should.â
âLiz... You canât mean that.â
28. âIâm tired, Zeph. Tired.â She shook her head. âI keep trying and⊠and a part of me
is wondering why Iâm fighting so hard to hold on to something â to someone who
clearly wants to be let go-â
âLiz-â
âYou have to start trying, Zeph. Please. I- I need you to try.â
*****
29. âSo what do you think?â Ash asked his wife.
Melanie smiled as she bounced Sydney on her hip. âI think itâs great.â
30. The new home was the complete opposite of their old one. Bright, cozy, and
cheery. The kids would love it here, she knew.
31. âIâm going to check out the backyard!â Rose yelled over her shoulder.
Melanie smiled at Asher again. She knew how worried he was, but it was obvious
heâd overreacted yet again. âOkay, sweetie. But listen out for the bus.â
âOkay!â
32. Rose wasnât quite sure why Grandpa Andy and the dogs couldnât come live with
them, but she had to admit she was liking her new home, even if it was smaller.
The playground in the back was just as good as her old one and a new house
meant new places to explore. Overall, she couldnât complain.
33. And neither could the twins. Spencer and Sydney settled in nicely, content as long
as there were toys to play with and music to dance to. Their old nursery quickly
became a fuzzy memory.
34. And soon enough, the house became fuller with the arrival of another Specter.
35. âDid you really have to give birth in the bathroom?â
âOh, hush.â
âBut thereâs just not a lot of room â I wanna see.â
Melanie laughed. âHere, you can hold her.â
âHer?â
36. âYup, itâs a girl. My blonde hair and someoneâs fabulous blue eyes.â
Asher smiled. âLetâs call her Paige.â
37. âOkay, then. Say hi to your father, Paige. Youâre officially my last baby â so you
can get that want right out of your panel, mister.â
Asher laughed. âHowâd you know? Come here little one. Letâs go say hi to your
siblings.â
38. They were not very impressed. Sydney wanted attention while Spencer seemed
more interested in eating his hand then looking at a baby. Still, Paige was a
welcome addition to the household and after she was born, time seemed to fly by.
39. Rose was a regular ball of energy. She was doing well in school â her favorite
class was music.
40. But no matter how much homework she brought home, she always made time to
play with her siblings. Sydney always had something to say, so when the two of
them played, lots of yells and squeals could be heard all over the house.
41. Spencer seemed a bit quieter, if only because his sisters were so loud.
Nevertheless, he was dragged in the fun as well; Rose taught him all the nursery
rhymes she knew so they could all sing along together. She absolutely loved being
a big sister and she could hardly believe it when the twinsâ birthday came. Soon
theyâd be big enough to play with outside.
43. And just like that, Sydney (4/8/10/3/10) and Spencer (10/7/7/5/6) were kids. They
werenât the only ones with a birthday, though.
44. Paige had to be ripped away from her uncle firstâŠ
45. But she grew up too, a smart little cookie - 10/3/9/2/7, so super neat, kinda shy,
very active, very serious, and really nice.
46. Paige was a toddler now and Asher wanted to stay home so he could look after
her, rather than some nanny.
47. He also wanted to spend a bit more time with the kids in general. Rose was
growing up fast. Soon sheâd be too old for nighttime tickles and tucking in.
48. And so Asher quit his job so he could spend lots of time with his youngest,
teaching her skills, playing tickle monster, and telling her stories during the day.
âAnd then the purple bunny said ââ
âBunnies do not talk, father. And purple bunnies are biogwenet- biogenetically
impossible!â Paige beamed, proud she had managed to say the word correctly.
âUh, Melanie⊠I think itâs time to lay off the smart milk...â
50. Indeed, Paige was very bright child, and, after listening to her mom read from all
her skill books, developed a love of logic. The blocks were her favorite toy.
51. And even if she thought her Daddyâs stories and rhymes were a bit silly, she loved
spending time with him, too.
52. âFather, enough of this bunny and toilet nonsense. Tell me the story of Athena
or, better yet, tell me of Darwin and his theories. I like that one best.â
âMelanieâŠâ
âWhat? She loves it when I read my textbooks to her.â
Asher sighed and shook his head. His children were certainly unique.
53. Including Rose, who decided to experiment with her look. She was always trying
new hairstyles and clothes. She said she was trying to find a good rocker image.
She loved music and was always banging away on the piano, proving that
creativity ran in the Specter veins.
57. âSo how was it?â Rose asked after they put their homework down and ran to the
playground. âDid you get Mrs. Morrison? I had her once.â
âYeah,â said Sydney. âBut she was awful. I hate school.â
âWha?â Rose sounded skeptical. âThat old granny was the nicest lady in the
school!â
58. âShe wrote a note to mom and dad saying that Syd doesnât know to play well with
others and needs to learn how to share.â
59. âShut up, Spencer!â Paige yelled as Rose nearly fell over with laughter. âLetâs do
something else. Letâs play ââ
âPirates!â Rose shouted. âI call captain!â Jumping off the merry-go-round, she
scrambled up the playhouse.
60. âYar, mateys, this be my ship and I spy enemies on the horizon. Ready the
cannons!â
61. âBut I wanna be captain!â Paige ran after her.
âIâm already captain.â
âWhy do you get to be captain?â
âUm⊠Iâm oldest.â
62. âBut thatâs not fair!â
âWell, how do you wanna pick captain?â
âLetâs vote. I pick me.â
âAnd I pick me.â
The two girls looked at each other, then yelled, âSpencer!â
63. Spencer sighed. Mrs. Morrison also said Syd needed to learn how to take turns,
he thought.
âSpencer picks me! Because weâre twins, right Spencer?â
âSpencer is going to see what dad is doing. Later.â
âAw, Spence,â Rose yelled.
64. âWell, what do we do now?â Sydney looked to Rose.
Rose shrugged. âWeâll both be captain. Iâll be captain of a rival pirate ship and weâll
race to see who discovers the treasure first. Aye, and me thinks I discovered
something. Land ho!â
*****
65. âMind if I hang out with you dad?â
âOf course not, buddy. Grab a fishing pole and Iâll teach you the basics.â
âOkay!â
66. Spencer loved his sisters, but sometimes hanging out with them got to be tiring.
Sydney always picked a fight and he always ended up in the middle. Usually when
that happened, he went to find his dad. He loved spending time with his father.
They always did cool stuff and it was nice to get away from all the girls in the
house every now and then.
67. He and his dad knew how to be quiet and have a good time without saying
anything at all.
*****
68. Though Asher quit his job, life was far from dull. First there was the headmaster
visit. Sydney and Spencer got in with ease.
69. Then there was the family business. Andy had insisted Asher take the deed,
saying he was too old to look after it anymore. Little Nâ Local occasionally required
his attention, and though Asher was new to things, it didnât take him long to get his
gold sales badge.
71. Back at home Melanie stayed busy skilling for her own LTW.
72. Paige could often be found nearby, skilling quietly all day and all night.
73. The other children were a bit closer in age, so they spent a bit more time together,
playing games, taunting, and teasing. Overall, life in the new Specter house was a
very happy one.
*****
74. One afternoon, Sydney found herself grumbling on the swings, in deep thought.
Itâs just not fair, she thought. Rose gets way too much attention around here. All
anyone can talk about is the birthday party coming up and how Rose is going to
grow up and how they canât believe sheâs grown up so fast and blah, blah, blah.
75. Why just that day Sydney had finally come home with her first A+ and nobody had
noticed her for a full five minutes!
Itâs unbelievable, Sydney fumed. No one pays attention to me around here.
76. Even Paige thinks Rose is better than me. Rose always plays with her and tries to
teach her stuff, trying to show Paige sheâs a better older sister than I am.
77. Sydney had tried teaching Paige nursery rhymes, too, but she always interrupted!
78. And she never listens to me, either! Sydney thought. That baby is too smart for her
own good.
79. Sydney thought and thought as she swung higher. She needed⊠A minion! She
exclaimed suddenly. Yes. That way Iâll look powerful and everyone will look up to
me and wanna be my friend and Iâll have someone to boss around, too. But who to
get? Spencer never wants to do want I say either. No, I need someone thatâll listen
and do what I say.
80. So the next day Sydney brought home a townie boy after school.
âThanks for inviting me over, Syd. Youâll really nice. No one ever-â
âYeah, yeah, yeah, listen, Red-â
âHouston.â
âHuh?â
81. âMy nameâs Houston.â
âYeah⊠Weâre changing that.â
âBut-â
âYouâre nameâs stupid. I canât be associated with stupid people, you get me? From
now on Iâll call you Red and youâre going to be my lackey.â
âUh, what does that mean?â
82. Sydney rolled her eyes. Obviously she was going to have to teach him a thing or
two if he was going to keep up with her. âIt means you do what I say, okay?â
âHmm.â Houstonâs face screwed up in thought. Finally he asked, âCan I be your
boyfriend when you grow up?â
Sydney rolled her eyes again, then shrugged. âSure, why not?â
âSweet.â
*****
83. Pretty soon it was the weekend and time for the birthday party.
âHey, wanna play rock, paper, scissors with me?â Rose asked her little sister. She
always made sure she to spend time with each of her siblings. Being a big sister
was very important to her.
âAlright,â Sydney said after a pause. âAs long as I get to beat you in something.â
85. âHA! In your face!â
âArrgh, no fair!â
âOkay, Iâll do it again then!â
86. An epic battle ensued. Points were won and lost. Insults were hurled. Taunts were
thrown back. Eventually, the girls were tied.
87. âUrgh, okay, one last one.â
âThis oneâs for all the marbles,â Rose said. âFirst one to five is the champion.â
âWeâre playing for marbles?â
âUgh, itâs an expression, Syd. Focus.â
Sydney looked at Rose. Rose looked at Sydney. âOne, two, three!â
88. âI WIN!â Sydney couldnât help but gloat; she never beat Rose in anything.
âGirls,â Melanie called from behind them. âAre you getting ready for the party?â
âComing, Mom!â Rose answered. âThis isnât over, Syd,â Rose told her sister as the
girls ran to their room to get ready.
*****
89. âCome âere, squirt; give me hug. I canât believe my little girlâs about to be a
teenager.â It was a double birthday for the Specters.
âYup, youâre getting old, daddy.â
Asher laughed.
90. âNo matter how big you get, youâll always be my little girl.â Asher squeezed Rose
tight.
âIs it cake time?â
âNot quite. We have to wait for your aunt and uncle to get here.â
*****
91. First up that night was Paige.
âOkay, baby girl, time to blow out the candles.â
93. âOkay, folks, Iâll just get this cake out of the way for ya.â
âSpencer!â
âWhat?â
âItâs okay, Dad,â Rose laughed. âIâll share my cake with Rose.â
94. âHmm, now what should I wish for?â
Rose thought for a moment, then eventually leaned forward to blow out her
candles.
95. She grew up into a fine young lady, an interesting mix between her mom and her
dad.
96. Paige had run off to change and, after much rummaging in wardrobes, finally
found something suitable for a young scientist in training.
97. Rose gave herself a makeover, too, just before bed. Sheâd been itching to try the
hair dye, eager to create a new, grown up image. She had rolled Popularity, which
as an outgoing and playful Aquarius (5/7/5/7/8), suited her well. Her lifetime want
was to be a rock star, of course.
98. âMorning, mom.â
âMorning, sweetie,â Melanie smiled at Paige.
âSo what are everyoneâs plans for today?â It was the weekend and the kids had a
nice day ahead of them.
âIâm going to brush up on my Latin so I can ââ
âBoring!â Sydney declared. âHey, can I invite a friend over?â
99. âI donât see why n-ah!â
âMorning, mom.â
Spencer looked up from his plate. âWhoa, Rose is in troubleâŠâ
âOoo, youâre gonna get it!â Sydney teased.
101. âLast night. I think it makes me look cool. All the rock stars dye their hair, mom.â
âYeah, and they all get grounded for it, too,â Sydney snickered.
âHush, Sydney. Ash? Youâre very quiet on this.â
102. âYouâre forgetting I grew up with Aerith. She dyed her hair pink when she was
much younger than Rose. I guess it runs in the family,â He shrugged.
âAuntie Aerith had pink hair? Cool!â
âCan I dye my hair, too, mom?â Sydney asked.
âOh, dear.â Melanie looked a bit uneasy.
103. But Asher just laughed. âWhat about you, Paige? You want to dye your hair, too?â
âOf course not, father. Pink hair would never be perceived as appropriate or
professional in the sciences.â
104. Spencer looked at his youngest sister. âDo you ever say anything normal?â
ââŠWhat do you mean?â
*****
105. âHey, Paige, play rock, paper, scissors with me?â
âWhy on Earth would I play such a primitive, juvenile game? I told you I have a
long day of studying ahead.â
âUh, because itâs fun? And even scientists take the time to have fun, donât they?â
ââŠHmm. True enough, I suppose. Affirmative, then.â
107. âHa, ha! Not so smart now!â
âOoo, Iâll get you! Best two out of three!â
âYouâre on!â
108. âOne, two, three ââ
âYES!â Paige surprised herself by giving a shout of victory. Wanting to win was an
infectious condition it seemed.
âAw, I knew I shoulda picked scissors! Last one.â
âOne, two, three!â
109. âWinner again!â
âAw, come on!â
âAnother sim is once again dazzled by my brilliance!â Paige bragged. âLogic
dictated that you would want to choose scissors because thatâs what you should
have picked last round, but you would actually choose rock again, since you
thought that I thought you would choose scissors, what with you having lamented
over it.â
110. âTherefore, choosing paper again was obviously the only rational conclusion.â
âYeah. Obviously.â Spencer sighed. âIâm gonna go see what dadâs doing. I think I
hear the train set.â
âDid you know the word hear is a homonym? In my readings, I learned that ââ
âUgh, Paige!â
*****
111. Asher was indeed outside and he was all too happy to have some company.
âYou wanna help me add some trees, little guy?â
112. âYeah!â Spencer exclaimed. âThatâd be cool! And we can add a lake next! Or a
town!â He loved spending time with his dad and was perfectly content to pass
away the afternoon on the porch fiddling with the train set.
113. While Paige was inside studying and Spencer was with Dad, Sydney thought it
was the perfect time to invite Houston over.
âOkay, hereâs the deal, Red-â
âActually, my name is-â
âUgh,â Sydney groaned.
114. âI thought we went over this last time, Red. Your name is lame. Itâs never going to
get us anywhere and itâll only stand out in our supercool rock band.â
âWe have a rock band? Since when?â
âSince now, which I could tell you about if you would shut up.â Houston sighed. He
had a feeling being a lackey meant a lot of nodding and silence. âAre you
listening, Red? Iâm gonna be lead, okay? And youâll be my back up.â Houston
sighed again.
*****
115. âHey, dad,â Rose called over the trainâs whistle. âIâm gonna go downtown!â
Asher laughed, fully realizing Rose hadnât actually asked for permission, but he
agreed anyway and waved her off. âSure thing, honey. Just be back before ten so
your mother doesnât worry.â
âOkay!â
116. Asher smiled to himself, thinking of those teenager days long ago when he and
Zephyr had snuck out and gallivanted about the town. They had thought
themselves cool, but they never ended up anywhere too dangerous.
âAlright,â he looked at Spencer once there was a spattering of trees on the table.
âWhat do you want to add next?â
Spencer scrunched his face for a moment. âThe lake!â He exclaimed.
***
117. âAlright, squirt, letâs go!â
Paige frowned. She had been unable to release herself from her sisterâs grasp
and, consequently, was dragged outside. âI thought you were going downtown or
something?â
âI am, but not before I drag you out here to get some sun!â
âI do not require sun, sister. I require sufficient light and quiet time for my stud-â
118. Paigeâs protest stopped abruptly and turned into a fit of giggles as her big sister
tickled her.
âYou need to learn how to have some fun, Paige. Lighten up.â
âBut reading is fun,â Paige said in between gasps for air.
âStill you could use some fresh air. Promise me youâll play outside for an hour.â
Paige sighed. âBut.. You wonât be here. It will be just me and Sydney.â
119. âYeah, and?â Rose laughed as Paige hopped on the merry-go-round.
âShe will just make me pretend be a backup on her world tour or some other
unsavory background character for something else.â
âSydneyâs pretending to be in a band?â Why am I not surprised? Rose thought.
Sydney wanted to do everything she did. âWell look, youâll be fine, okay? Just take
turns. And if she does boss you around, Iâll thump her for you later, alright?â
Paige sighed. âFine. I guess an hour outside wonât kill me.â
120. âPaige! There you are! I need another backup singer for my world tour.â
Paige rolled her eyes. âHow about you be my assistant in my research laboratory?â
âEw, no. Weâre playing my game.â
âBut I donât want to play your game.â
Sydney fumed for a second, then tapped her chin. She had a idea. âOkay, howâs
about we play for it? I win, you play my game. You win, we do yours?â Paige agreed.
121. Sydney won the first round. âHaha, you lose, now you have to be my backup.â
âNot so fast, sister. We agreed that the first one to three wins, remember?â
Sydney sighed. âOh, alright, but I donât know why you bother. You know Iâm going
to beat you.â
122. âYou were saying, sister?â
âUgh, lucky guess, squirt. I can still cream you.â
123. âYes!â Paige gave a small fist pump. âThe superior intellect wins again.â
âHey!â Sydney pouted. âYou havenât beat me yet.â
âIt is only a mere question of time,â Paige couldnât help but rub her win in her
sisterâs face.
The pair got ready for another round.
124. âHa!â Sydney stuck out her tongue. âIâm back in the game. Whoâs smug, now?â
âApparently you.â
Sydney scowled.
126. âYES! I win. You have to play my game, now.â
Sydney groaned. âOh, forget this. I donât need another backup that bad, anyway.
Youâre on your own, squirt.â Sulking, she stomped off toward the backyard.
Paige just rolled her eyes and headed back inside. There was easily another tome
she could read up on.
*****
127. Rose left Comandgo Emporium a little disappointed. She had been hoping to meet
some cool new people and perhaps a cute boy or two, but the place was sadly
lacking for company.
128. All she found was a way too pushy goth kid. Rose liked the deep, rocker vibe, but
wasnât really interested in anyone who wore more makeup than she did.
129. So she left for the park. Only one kid her age and a bunch of old people playing
chess.
130. âOh, fountain goddess or whatever,â Rose sighed as she took in the lonely fountain
at the edge of the square. âIs it too much to ask to find a cute boy I am reasonably
attracted to whom I can ask on a date and maybe spend the rest of my life with?
Okay, scratch that last part. But seriously, a boyfriend would be nice.â
131. She decided to hang out around the Corner Shoppes for a bit next. First, she got a
brand new cell phone.
136. Rose tried to play it cool. Calmly, she grabbed a seat and placed an order. Then
she spent the next fifteen minutes stealing glances at the boy. It was weird. She
wasnât normally so shy, but then, this wasnât a normal boy, she could tell. Already
her heart was racing and her palms were sweaty and she felt nervous. Very, very
nervous.
137. âOkay, keep it cool,â Rose muttered to herself. She tried to come up with a way to
introduce herself. âHeâs done with his food, so maybe before he leaves, I can get
up and say hi. Get his number.â
âOh!â
Rose looked up at the sudden gasp from the waitress. From the look on her face,
something was up and it wasnât anything good.
138. Then the tray she was holding flipped out of the waitressâ hand and Rose knew it
was anything good.
âWhy me?â She muttered.
139. Just before a tray of food rained down on her.
âAck!â
âSorry, so sorry, Iâll get you another one please-â
âDonât bother,â Rose snapped.
140. She was humiliated. She was sticky and wet and covered in something she didnât
even order in front of her crush! He probably saw the whole thing and was
laughing. She couldnât introduce herself now. Head down in shame, Rose
practically ran back home without so much as a backward glance.
*****
141. âSo let me get this straight.â
Aerith was in some club â The Crypt, to be exact; it was quieter and better for
talking - sitting across from the guy she could have sworn was following her. The
guy who apparently knew the Contessa. The guy, who, despite his normal skin and
admittedly handsome features, happened to be a vampire. Like her.
142. âYouâre⊠Wes?â
âThatâs me! Westley Owen Graham.â
âAnd⊠youâre a vampire.â Wes smiled, revealing sharp, pointed teeth. âYes, but
are you⊠real? Like, I mean, how comeââ
âHow come I donât have the glowing purple skin and scary red eyes?â
143. âWell, I was going to say how come you donât look like me, but yeah.â
Wes smiled again. âNo one really looks like you anymore. Just the old ones.â
Aerith furrowed her brows. âYou mention something like that before. What does
that mean, exactly? The old ones?â
âItâs exactly as it sounds. Theyâre the oldest vampires.â
144. âYou mean the original vampires?â Aerith asked, surprised.
But Wes shook his head. âNaw, no one really knows who the originals are. But
there are a group older than all the rest. We call them the old ones, vampire
royalty. They have the purple skin and red eyes and ââ
âLike the Contessa.â
âExactly. Thatâs probably how she got her name, too.â
145. âI mean, I suppose she could have been a Contessa once,â Wes shrugged. âBut I
doubt it.â
âRight. So⊠Youâre not ââ
âAn old one? No.â
âSo how old are you?â
146. âMuch older than you.â
âBut how can you tell? You said ââ
âYou have the skin, but you act like a fledgling. Plus Iâve been watching you.â
âYouâve been watching me?â
âHow could I not? To be honest, I can barely take my eyes off you.â
147. Aerith blushed as Wes winked at her. She tried to remember what theyâd been
talking about. âBut how old are you really?â
âIâve seen the times change enough to know that this is one of the more
comfortable eras.â He rocked back, balancing his chair on two legs.
Aerith stared at him, unsure of whether to believe him. âSo if youâre that old⊠Um,
I meanâŠ. How come you donât look like the Contessa?â
148. âWell, like I said, Iâm not as old as the Contessa. Vampire bloodâs diluted over the
years, mixing with human blood and all that, so newer vampires donât look same
nor do they have the same strength.â
âSo youâre not as powerful as the Contessa,â Aerith couldnât help but be
disappointed. It looked like this guy couldnât help her.
âTrue, but I do have some years on me. Iâm pretty powerful.â Wes shifted
uncomfortably in his seat, unused to having to impress a woman. Normally, it only
took a bit of charm and they were swooning all over him.
149. âIâm more powerful than you, for instance, and I still know loads of things you
donât.â
âOh?â
âYes. So youâre in luck, really. Arenât you glad you met me?â
âExcept I didnât just happen to meet you, you were following me.â
150. âWell, maybe I followed you to a few places ââ
âWhere I come from, we call that stalking.â
Wes smiled sheepishly. âOkay, I apologize. But honestly, I had to. Youâre so new to
things, I had to be sure you werenât going to hurt yourself. I was merely waiting for
the proper time to introduce myself.â
Aerith raised her brows. âRight.â
151. âSeriously. Itâs what I do.â
âYou stalk people for a living?â
âHaha, no. I help others like us, like you. Fledglings. Me and my brother.â
âYou have a brother?â
âYes. Itâs all his idea, actually.â Wes waved a hand dismissively. âWe help new
vampires come into their own, discover their powers, and stay safe.â
152. âReally?â
âReally. We build covens or clans. My brother was tired of vampires randomly
turning sims then leaving them to fend for themselves. So now we seek out
vampires and teach them about themselves.â
âDoesnât really sound like your dream.â
Wesley shrugged. âEither way, itâs what I do. And if Iâm not mistaken, youâre
looking for some guidance, no?â
153. ââŠYes ââ
âSo I can help you. Teach you how to adapt. In fact, weâve just began a small
coven ââ
âBut I donât want to adapt, I want to cure myself! I never wanted to be a vampire! I
had a life; plans! I was â what?â Aerith trailed off at the disappointed look on Wesâ
face.
154. He shrugged again. âNothing. âŠItâs just I canât really help you with that.â
âBut you must know of a cure! Even the gyspy ââ
Wes gave a harsh laugh. âGypsies arenât true mages. They donât know anything
except how to swindle customers. The only cure I know of for our condition is
death.â
Aerith gulped. âThat canât be right.â
155. âIt is. And even if there was some magical cure I ââ Wes stopped suddenly.
âWhat? Tell me.â
He looked at her, studied her eyes for a moment. âEven if there was a way,â he said
quietly, âI wouldnât tell you. We vampires⊠We respect our elders. We respect what
they have done. I could never undo what the Contessa did, even if I had the power.
âŠI know this must be hard to hear, but⊠Well, you were bitten for a reason.â
156. âAnd what reason is that?â Aerith demanded angrily.
Wes shrugged again. âI donât know. Iâm not the Contessa. But I do know they donât
really bite sims anymore, so if an old one took it upon herself to bite youâŠâ He
raised a shoulder. âConsider yourself honored.â
âHonored?!â
âYes, especially given the alternative.â When Aerith continued to look at him
blankly, he added, âDeath.â
157. âBut I wasnât dead!â
âBut you were about to be. You were dying, werenât you?â
âNo, I wasnât! I was in a club, minding my own business â completely, 100%
healthy mind you â when the Contessa came over, grabbed me and bite me!â
âReally?â For the first time, Wes looked genuinely surprised. He even stopped
balancing his chair.
158. âThat is very curious,â Wes scratched his chin. âBut it doesnât change your current
predicament. You still need a way to learn about vampires, yes? And here I am
offering to teach you.â
Aerith sighed, forced to concede the point. ââŠWhat are you suggesting?â
âLet me take you under my wing. Teach you what you want to know, introduce you
to the other vampires in the area.â
159. At this Aerith perked up. âYou mean you can talk to the Contessa? Maybe you can
get her to talk to me!â
âWell, thatâs not exactly what I meantâŠâ
âPlease,â Aerith pleaded. âSheâs the only one who knows why â why all of this is
happening,â she finished lamely.
Wes considered Aerith. âI suppose I could pull a few stringsâŠâ
160. Aerith smiled a brilliant smile and Wesâ heart did a little flip.
âGreat. Then we have a deal?â
âYes,â Wes said. âI suppose we do.â
*****
161. Zephyr sighed as he took out the garbage. Lately it felt like he was always leaving
some mess behind to clean up later. He was about to turn and head back into the
house when he spotted something out of the corner of his eye.
164. The wolf licked his hand in return.
âWhat are you doing here, huh?â Zeph patted its neck. He looked at he sky and
the autumn sun. The air was crisp and clear. He looked back at the wolf.
âYou wanna go for a run?â
*****
The End.
165. In case youâre wondering, yes, this same waitress spilled something on one of the
gen one kids â Zephyr I believe, way back in chapter four. I wonder if itâs going to
become a tradition. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed yourself, but thatâs all for now.
Later, simmers and happy reading.