Trembling With the Strings

“Marty, don’t go so fast!” I called, smiling as he ran back to me.

“But you walk slow,” he teased, grabbing my hand with his small one. He grinned up at me, pulling me ahead. “Come on, Gracie!”

“Oh, I’m coming! Goodness, you have too much energy, young man.”

“You’re not mad at me, right?” he asked quietly, glancing up at me through nervous eyes.

I shook my head, smiling down at him. “Sweetie, you’re growing up. I understand that. I’m proud of you. Honest.”

He grinned, but then toned it down a bit. “Gracie, I don’t get it. You and Darius… You lived with him when you left us, right?” I nodded. “Why?”

I swallowed, taking in a breath of air. “Marty, Dad and Mom…they made a deal with a vampire. They gave up one of their children to save themselves. I’m not mad at them, because I met the love of my life. But at first Dray and I hated each other. Want to hear a secret?” He nodded furiously. “You’re responsible for bringing Darius and I together. So thank you. He really loves you, you know? And I love you, too.”

“I did?” he asked with the widest pair of eyes I had ever seen. “I guess you owe me.”

“You’re right. I suppose I do, so what would you like to do? Go to the park? Go shopping? Get a bite to eat? You name it, Mr. Man, and we’ll go do it.”

“Why didn’t Darius come?”

Okay, no matter how grown up my brother was, I could not tell him the truth!

“He wanted to get some sleep. The whole father thing is getting to him, and he’s worrying himself silly over me. He needed a nap so he can hover over us some more,” I teased, smiling. I felt a pang of sadness at the realization that Darius wasn’t with me. I missed him already. Was that a pregnant-woman side effect?

“Grace… Can I feel?” Demetrius asked me as we came to the small park. The last time I had been there was less than pleasant.

“Sure, sweetie,” I told him, sitting down on a nearby bench, patting the seat beside me. He ran over, plopping down beside me and resting his head in my lap. I ran my fingers absentmindedly through his hair as he giggled and talked to his unborn brother.

“Oh, it’s you.”

I glanced up and saw a woman staring at me, smiling. I smiled back, a bit uneasy. She looked familiar.

“How’s the baby? Is that one of your brothers?” she asked me, walking over to me. As she got closer, I realized that she was the woman who had been there the last time I had been at the park. “And the fiancé?”

“We’re better now. He’s back at home sleeping. And this is my littlest bro—err, son.” It was still odd to call him that, but, then again, the paperwork had already been done. “Marty, this is the nice lady that helped me when I ran off,” I told him, helping him sit up.

“Hello,” he murmured shyly, smiling softly. She smiled at him.

“Hello, Marty. So you’re going to be a big brother, huh?” she asked him innocently, smiling as she glanced back at her son, who was playing on the swings. He looked to be around ten or so. “That’s my boy, Tommy. Do you want to go play with him? He’s very nice.”

“Okay!” he shrieked, jumping up and running for the swing set. I smiled after him, calling after him to be careful.

“How is he treating you?”

“He’s trying so hard,” I told her bashfully. “I love Darius so much, and I think the worst is finally behind us… But I don’t believe I caught your name.”

“I apologize. My name is Lady.”

“Lady?” I questioned. What an odd name!

She nodded. “I’m glad things have worked out for you. Dray sounds like a nice man.”

I nodded, smiling. But then I thought for a moment. I hadn’t told her that his nickname was Dray.

“He is,” I admitted, a bit nervous. “Marty, I think we need to get back home soon. I need to tell Darius before we’re gone for an hour and he freaks out. Thank you for being so kind to me.”

“You don’t need to go just yet.”

I bit my lip, standing up. “Yes. Marty and I need to go back. We’ll come back later, if you’re still here.”

“I’m afraid that won’t be necessary.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, my eyes narrowing. I glanced over to Marty, but he was gone! “Where is my son?”

“You don’t need to go just yet,” she repeated, lunging at me.

I screamed as she knocked me to the ground, my head smacking onto a slab of concrete. She began chanting something in my ear, but I couldn’t focus on what she was saying repeating. My mind was fuzzy, and I felt like I was only half awake. The state of half-unconsciousness did not last long, because the world started to get incredibly hazy. The last thing I saw was her smiling at me, murmuring something so quietly into my ear that I didn’t quite manage to hear.