The Forgotten

Here goes nothing.

I took a deep breath, squeezed my vampire’s hand and opened the door calling as I stepped into the living room, “Mom, Dad?”
“What did you say Selene?” my mother, Francesca to all Barbie's friends, asked coming around the corner. My parents were both attorneys just Mom’s firm gave her different working hours so she could spend time with her kids.

As soon as my Mom saw Abel she froze; she looked him over from head to shoe. I tried to hide my smile- he was wearing an Alice Cooper shirt, black jeans and converse and she frowned when she took in our hand holding. Her expression basically said 'my goth daughter found a goth boyfriend, Jesus help us'.
Dad chose that wonderful moment to saunter in.

“Hello I’m Fran and this is my husband Roger,” she said as she put on her poker face and extended her hand while my father gaped as she had earlier. He quickly regained composure as she finished her introduction and stuck out his hand to Abel and gave him a firm shake.

“This is Abel,” I said to my father.
“Why don’t you stay for dinner Abel?” Mom asked nicely then popped my bubble, “Luna’s bringing her new boyfriend to dinner also.” Oh no! Mother was plotting; for me to see Luna had a football jock boyfriend and that mine was a dark freak. I ground my teeth in frustration. Abel squeezed my hand reassuringly.

“Didn’t you know sweetheart?” Mom asked sweetly.
“Its not like she talks to me,” I mumbled.
“I do talk to you but you don’t listen,” Luna said from behind me just as my mother flushed, “Selene!”
“Anyway,” Luna continued when she saw that I wasn’t going to give her the time of day, “Luke will be here in a half hour so I’m going to change. It’s nice to meet you Abel. As you heard I am Luna, Selene's big sister.”

Luna disappeared up the stairs as Mom said, “Why don’t you sit down Abel? Have a chat with Roger while I speak to Selene.” Ah crap, I think when a thought bounces into my head. ‘It’s okay go ahead.’

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that he can do that, should I?
I think purposefully in my head, ‘Can you read their thoughts too?’ as I follow my mother into the kitchen.
“How many times must you and your sister bicker?” my mother whispered angrily at me just as Abel answered, ‘Nope just you because of the bonding, you’ll be able to sense my emotions but I’m not sure you’ll be able to read my mind.’
“Selene are you listening?”
“Yeah,” she glared at me.
“What’s the thing that your father used to say to you and your sister when you were young?”
I groaned, “Come on…”
“Say it!”
“Alright keep your socks on,” she reddened with fury as I continued, “Um we were both named after the moon goddess; Luna is Roman and Selene is Greek. Luna you are as wonderful as the moon and Selene you are as vibrant as the sun. You may be sisters but your tastes will vary. Luna you are as the night and the peace that comes with the moon. Selene you are like the sun during the day, you bring with you thunderstorms and unexpected rain. You are both my princesses.”

My dad had said that when Luna was eight and I was six- we got in a cat fight. He said that at every fight we got into.

‘All that for a doll?’ Abel’s voice floated through my head, I grinned.
“I don’t see what’s so funny, Selene,” Mom said. I wiped the grin off and settled for the ‘I’ve been scolded’ look.
Just then the doorbell rung; saved by the bell. How cliché!
I’m a little panicky because I don’t want Abel reading my thoughts. You see I have a secret- one that my parents don’t know about, one that I don’t want Abel knowing about. At least not yet. So I put up some mental blocks.

Abel senses what I'm doing; I feel his panic and his fleeting thought, ‘Don’t shut me out Selene!’ However, the person at the door was Luna's new beau and so it was time to get dinner on the table. I sat next to Abel and Lucas sat on my right. I tried not to make physical contact with him.

You see Abel was the only person I could touch without getting a flash of their death. I can see the future, it comes in visions but I mostly see the one fixed point in their life.; how they die. The reason I don't like people, I reason I turned "goth", the reason I fight so much with my sister is all cause of one touch.

I saw my father’s death when I was twelve and prevented it without his knowing.

And so trying to avoid touching Lucas he touches me to say, “Please pass the butter.” But I go numb with shock because there is no future. I stared at him only feeling an empty space like with Abel.
“Selene you’re being rude,” scolds my Mom as she passed it to him.
“So Abel,” Lucas said with a glance in my direction, “Who’s your parents?” Everybody at the table freezes except Abel. My parents hadn’t asked because they assumed he hadn’t had any.
He calmly said, “Victor and Julianne Evermore.”

I balk, the power couple? They were the most powerful people in this town and it was not a small one. How could I have not connected the last names? I drop my shields as the conversation turned in favor of my sister making honor roll.

‘So now you wanna talk?’ he telepathically asked. He was a wee bit grumpy. But I could care less; I was doing math in my head for him to see.
‘Vampires have powerful families in every area right?’ I didn’t wait for his answer, ‘The Evermore’s have been around for thousands of years living in that old mansion of theirs….how old are you? You’re a freaking prince?’
I wait for him to say no. To deny it but he doesn’t.
My bondmate is a vampire prince who’s probably older than my grandfather.
‘I’m younger than him. I’m the last born’ was all he thought to me.
I didn’t know which was worse- that he was a prince or that I had a secret too and was being judgmental. I shrugged it off when Mom said, “Selene, Luna please clear the table. The boys and I are going to talk in the Den.” And just like that I was next to my sister, rinsing dishes while she attempted small talk.

“You could try Selene,” Luna said.
“Try what?” I asked barely listening.
“To get along,” she said with a sigh, “After all we do have something in common now.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Well I don’t know how you missed it,” she mused.
“Missed what?” I stopped rinsing. She was making me curious.
She looked at me with a glow in her eyes, “I love you Sel, really I do and I’m sorry I treated you the way I do but it’s because I was jealous.”
“You're jealous?” ha-ha.
“I’m serious!” she smiled, “Mom and Dad have been running my life since High school. Remember when they wanted us to do ballet and you threw a tantrum?”
“Yeah,” I grimaced. I never liked touching people when I was little either; physical contact was a no-no.

“Well that was the first of many times you stood up to them!” she shook her head, “I didn’t. I let them take over my life; the ballet, the lacrosse, the cheer-leading, the honor roll. It’s like I can never say no! And you just did it.”
She obviously didn’t know the truth behind why I didn’t bother with those touchy things and it’s not like I’m going to pour my heart out. She’ll think I’m crazy.
“So what do we have in common you ask,” she turned back to the sink and blushed, “Because we’re both bondmates to vampires.”
I freeze.
WHAT?

The dish that I was holding slipped from my hand and shatters on the floor. She grabbed my hand in shock before I can pull away.

“Selene!” she cried but I’m so stunned by the vision that I see that I slump to the floor in a dead faint. My sister Luna Grace Madison aged eighteen and a half, will die tomorrow; bloody and broken in her upstairs bedroom.