Emilee

A whole week. In fact, over a whole week. I missed Max. I hated how I’d become an antisocial freak, sitting at the window in my room, looking into his. He had the curtains drawn. All week. Was he sick? I needed to know. This was ridiculous. I found some shoes and slipped them on, heading downstairs and out the house. I’d never been to his house before, which seemed strange because he was just next door. I knocked lightly on the door and waited impatiently for someone to open it, hopefully Max. From inside I could hear hushed voices and footsteps in every which direction. This was weird. I knocked again.

“Hello,” a girl said as she opened the door wide. She was...beautiful. She gave me a strange look as I stood gaping at her beauty. “You’re looking for Max, right?”

“Ohh uhh, yea. Where’s he been all week? Is he sick?” I asked.

“He’s been away, but he’ll be back tonight.” She had a gorgeous smile. “So you’re the famous Emilee he won’t shut up about?” I blushed. He talked about me?

“Yea, I guess. Who are you?” I asked. I’d never seen her before.

“I’m Jessie,” she said, smiling once again. “Max’s older sister.” I didn’t know he had an older sister. In fact, I knew nothing of his family. “Ohh, please come in! I’m sorry, how rude of me.” I walked in and followed Jessie into their lounge room. Everything was perfect. The wooden floors were polished, books sat neatly in a large bookcase which extended over the length of an entire wall, and there were many picture frames and assorted ornaments on top of shelves and other surfaces in the room. On a large comfortable looking couch sat 2 middle aged people I assumed to be Max’s parents.

“Hello Emilee! I’m Max’s mum and this is his father.” His mum also had a gorgeous smile. His dad didn’t smile. He acknowledged me with a small nod, but didn’t tear his eyes away from the TV. “Please, sit down honey.” I sat down on the couch opposite to the one they were on, with Jessie soon beside me. “Please, tell me a bit about yourself.” What was there to say? I really wasn’t expecting to be put on the spot like this.

“Well I live just next door, number 14,” I started. “My mum works in a call centre and my dad manages a small cafe about 15 minutes from here. I have an older brother, Lewis, who thinks he controls me but he’s on holiday with some mates in New Zealand at present. I’m a crap cook, I can’t sew, but I’m pretty good at school and apparently I’m a good listener, which makes up for it.” I was fiddling with the hem of my shirt.

“That’s wonderful,” his mum said smiling across at me. “Honey, isn’t that wonderful?” Her husband muttered a ‘yea very nice’. She frowned. “Excuse him, he’s always like this when the soccer’s on.”

“It’s okay,” I replied. “So uhh, do you know when Max will be getting back?” I asked. I missed him so bad and the atmosphere was beginning to become uncomfortable.

“About 5 I think”, she replied.

“Where’s he been all week?” I wanted to know what reason he had for completely deserting me. It’d better be good. His mum and Jessie exchanged a glance I didn’t quite understand.

“Just...out with some friends in the forest. Like a camp,” she said. Suddenly, she leaned in closer to me. “How much do you know about Max?” she asked in a low voice.

“What do you mean by that?” I replied.

“Do you know about how he’s sort of...different?” she asked, being careful with her words.

“Ohh, yea. He told me a while ago. I’m cool with it.” I wondered... “Are you guys all...different...too?”

“No, we’re just like you,” Jessie said. “Max is the only one. It’s hard at times, but we’re used to it now. It seems almost normal to us.”

“How is it hard?” I asked.

“He's tried to bite me a few times, in anger,” Jessie said. “Our little sibling fights usually end in one of us having to be locked in the bathroom. Just stuff like that.”

“Ohh...” I couldn’t see Max being aggressive towards someone. “Why don’t you get him to change you?”

“Are you kidding!?” Everyone looked at me with confused expressions. Even his dad. Why was it so bad?

“She doesn’t know what it’s like. She hasn’t seen what we have,” his mum said. “She hasn’t witnessed it all.”

“What...what was it like for him to change?” I asked. His mum looked hesitant to tell me, but then took a deep breath.

“Difficult.” She grimaced. “He was hard to deal with for a few days, wanting to kill everything in sight. We locked him up in his room until he’d calmed down enough to at least stop snarling at us. It’s been just over a year now, and he’s a lot better than he was at first.”

“Yea, he no longer comes back smeared in blood. That’s a massive plus,” Jessie added. His mum laughed lightly.

“Who changed him? How did they change him?” I was so full of questions.

“We’re not sure, he was reluctant to say,” his mum said. “I don’t see why he’d ever want such a fate.”

“Then, how did you know?” How did they guess, and then accept, that Max was a vampire?

“He had a few bites to the neck and fangs Emilee. It seemed ridiculous at the time, but what else could we believe? He sure wasn’t acting himself, human, so we had to assume he was a monster.”

“He’s not a monster,” I said. She raised an eyebrow at me.

“He was very much so, and often still is. But we loved him too much to cast him away,” she said softly. “He’ll always be my son.” Right on cue, someone knocked on the door. Jessie went to answer it and returned with an excited Max by her side.

“Hi!” he greeted everyone, walking into his mums open arms and accepting the hug. He sat beside me on the couch, resting an arm behind me. I looked up at him and melted at the sight I saw. His eyes were the brightest I’d seen them yet, and his lips were a cherry red colour. “Sorry mum but I gotta get ready.”

“Ohh, of course!” She smiled wide. Max got up, dragging me with him.

“What are you doing here missy?” he questioned. “Didn’t you get the...Jessie, you gave her the note, right?” He turned to face her.

“Oops?” She bit her lip. “Sorry Max, I forgot.” He sighed lightly. She ran up the stairs and returned with a small folded piece of paper, handing it to me.

“Thanks?” What did it say? I went to open it but Max stopped me.

“Open it at home. Go now, okay? I’ll see you later.” He smiled sweetly at me and hugged me lightly, before turning me around and facing me towards the direction of the door. Ouch. I walked out, slightly hurt that it’d been ages since I’d seen Max, and he couldn’t wait to get rid of me. What was up with that? I heard the door open behind me and was tackled by a smiling Max. “By soon, I mean it.” He kissed me lightly on the lips before turning around and disappearing into his house. I smiled weakly, not entirely believing him.

As soon as I got to my room, I blasted my stereo and drew the curtains. ‘Your Sweet 666’ by HIM threatened to shatter the windows. I was glad my parents worked late Fridays. I sat on my bed and unfolded the note. Max had written:

“Hey Emilee,
I’m already missing you, and I only just left you to sleep. When I get back I’m taking you out. Be ready by 6pm next Friday. Love you to all ends,
Maxie.”

Aww...Shit! It was already 5:25pm. I ran to my wardrobe, grabbing a cute black dress I’d brought a few weeks ago and had been dying to wear out somewhere and a black and grey scarf. I changed and then headed to the bathroom where I applied my eyeliner...again...and the cherry red lipstick I loved. I let my hair down and brushed it through, loving the fact that this was a good hair day. It fell nicely down my back, almost to my butt now. I smiled into the mirror, and Jane smiled back.