To Forgive Is Divine, but I’m Not That Type

One week later

David, Dwayne and Paul had gone off to hunt, and Marko and I were looking after Laddie. We sat on the railings of the boardwalk, talking about nothing of importance. But then, out of nowhere, a security guard, or “boardwalk blubber” as I like to refer to them, grabbed Marko by the jacket and pulled him off of the railings. Unfortunately since we were holding each other around the waist, I was also pulled off, and ended up flat on my face, lying on the floor. (Luckily, Laddie was too short to reach the railing and was not pulled off, because thankfully he wasn’t sitting there.)

“Hey, watch it, dude! You just shoved my girl onto the floor there!” Marko growled and reached a hand down to help me up. I knew that me falling hurt him as well. A neat thing about the bond between us was that we could feel each other’s emotions and pain. Personally, I find it to be pretty cool.

I took his hand gratefully and he pulled me up.

However, it was then that the guard grabbed my arm and started to drag me away. Luckily, as I was stronger, I effortlessly pulled my arm out of his grip and glared at him.

“What the hell?” I yelled. “What, may I ask, is up with you tonight?”

He smirked and held up the ‛missing’ poster of me. “Well, since you asked, I’ll tell. This is what’s up with me tonight. I have already informed the police and your mother. You will be taken home when the police department receives your plane ticket to Arizona.”

I shoved him in the chest and spat, “I already have a home here, and I’m not going anywhere, either!”

“Well, we’ll have to see about that, won’t we, Miss Emerson?” said a police officer from behind the ‛boardwalk blubber’.

“Shut up, you moron! Go eat a donut, or go fly a kite! I ain’t leaving,” I yelled, my anger taking control. If Marko hadn’t wrapped an arm around my waist just then, I knew I probably would have vamped out.

“Calm down, chica, or you’ll do something you regret,” he said.

I calmed instantly at his touch, and my fangs stopped begging to rip open the man’s throat.

Then I turned back to the guard. “I’m not leaving. As a matter of fact, I happen to have turned 18 already, and that means I’m legally an adult. Therefore, you have no right and no authority to take me to my mother. In fact, why don’t you ask her why I ran away? I’m sure she’ll be more then able to tell you.”

The guard left grudgingly and muttered, “The woman never told us her daughter was so headstrong.”

Thanks to my now sharp hearing I picked up every word he said.

Laddie started laughing. After letting all the laughter out of his system, he then gave me two thumbs up while grinning simultaneously. “Good going, Roxy. I got to tell you, you sure told him. That was quite the speech you made, too; you must’ve improvised it. Gee, I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone so scared.”

Marko and I grinned at each other. No, but we have, Marko thought to me, and I burst out laughing at his comment.

Laddie looked at me strangely, wondering what it was that I found to be so funny. I wiped the grin off of my face and thought to Marko, Paul needs to tell him soon, Laddie’s starting to get suspicious.

He’ll tell him soon Roxy, maybe even tonight.

Still, it worries me sometimes. What if he finds one of us after we’ve just fed or something? He’ll be scared witless.

I know, Roxy, I know. It worries me as well. What if we loose control? Or if he hugs one of us when we’re hungry, especially. What if, you know, he hugs you when you haven’t fed? You’re still new, Roxy; you can’t control yourself as well as the rest of us. I can sense that you might slip up.

I know that, Marko. It scares me what I might do to him too. But, he’s family. Yet, I have to hold my breath around him, as I’m scared of hurting him.

“Hello? Earth to Marko and Roxy!” Laddie said, waving a hand in front of our faces.

“I’m sorry. What were you saying, Laddie?” I asked with a laugh.

Laddie rolled his eyes. Then he shook his head, smiled and said, “I said, when are Paul and the others getting back?”

“Soon, kiddo. Just be patient,” I replied.

“It makes me wonder... where do they go anyway? Every night, we come to the boardwalk, and then two stay with me and the rest go somewhere. Where do they go? And why do we only come at night? We sleep all day and go out all night. It’s not normal, and I know what normal is, of course. What’s going on guys?”

“Uh, well...” I opened my mouth to try to say something, but quickly closed it, knowing that Laddie would not believe any more of my lies.

“Marko?” Laddie asked as he turned to my boyfriend, “will you tell me what’s going on?”

“I can’t, little dude. I think that’s for your brother to say.”

Laddie scowled. “No one ever tells me anything! I think it’s just because I’m a little kid, of course. You two are just as bad!”

“Laddie, calm down, man!” Marko said.

Laddie then turned and punched the railing angrily, but he yelped when a splinter cut his hand.

“Oh no,” Marko said breathlessly.

“Oh, that’s not good,” I said. “As a matter of fact, that’s probably going to leave a mark.”

“You said it, Roxy,” said both Marko and Laddie as they looked at the cut.

My eyes widened with shock, and my mind became clouded with the scent of fresh blood. My breathing went ragged and fast. My teeth were aching, and I could imagine the sensation of his blood running down my throat...

Roxy, try to concentrate on my voice instead! Just ignore it! Do your best to ignore the blood!

I’m doing my best, but I can’t, I thought, the hunger taking over the rational side of my brain. I’m hungry and need to feed!

Roxy, think of it like this. How much blood are you going to get from Laddie? Wouldn’t it satisfy you more if you wait until after the boys return and then we go get someone to eat who has more blood in their veins?

The hunger subsided and I fell to my knees sobbing. How could I let that happen? How could I be so selfish? I almost killed Laddie!

Marko wrapped his arms around me and buried his face in my hair.

“Shh. It’s fine. You’re still new to this; you can’t always be in control.”

“Thanks, Marko. I love you.”

“You’re welcome, and I love you, too.”

Laddie sighed angrily. “What, may I ask, just happened? Roxy just went all spaced out with a ‛grrrrr, I’m going to eat you’ look on her face when I cut my hand, and what exactly is she new at?”

However, it was then that Laddie’s mind put all of the evidence together: only coming out at night, sleeping during the day, the cryptic comments and inside jokes about hunger and ‛wine’, and the last piece – Roxy looking almost predatory when he cut himself.

“Uh…uh...vampire!” Laddie gasped and started to run.

Paul! Marko called in our link with our pack, Bud, Laddie just figured it out!

What happened? You were supposed to watch him!

Paul, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. He got angry when we wouldn’t tell him anything, and he punched the rail. Only he cut himself…

growlWHAT! You bit my brother!

No, not that! Roxy never bit Laddie! I stopped her before she even vamped-out. But it’s hardly her fault, is it? She’s still new to this, for goodness sake.

Oh, you’re right, Marko. And I’m sorry, Roxy.

It’s fine, I replied.

We still gotta find the little dude, Paul. I think he sort of ran off in the direction of the comic store. Plus, you know those guys in there think that they’re vampire hunters. Roxy’s had a run-in with them before – namely, before she became one of us, to be precise.

I’m heading there now. You and Roxy should head there too.

We will.

Marko and I ran as fast as we could towards the comic shop, hoping that the Frogs would not do anything to harm Laddie.

I pushed open the door and ran in, but then stopped and blinked at what I saw. The older brother was gripping Laddie’s arms tightly, causing Laddie to whimper in pain.

“Get the hell off of him!” I snarled.

The boy with black hair glared at me. “Why is that? We can take you down easy!”

I almost pounced on them there in the middle of the store, but Marko held me back. “Not now,” he whispered.

Paul and the others ran into the shop as well.

“Please, let my brother go!” Paul growled.

Another customer noticed what was going on and said,
“Dude you’re hurting a little kid? What’s wrong with you? Leave his brother alone!”

The older boy released Laddie, who pushed him and ran behind Paul, holding on to his coat tails.

“If you guys come near my brother again, I’ll kill you. You got that?”

The Frogs just glared at us as we left the store.

As soon as we were a safe distance from the store, Laddie ran away again.

Paul sighed. “I’ll go after him. He trusts me more.”

With that, he left us and chased after his brother.

Narrator

Paul approached Laddie cautiously. “You alright, bro?”

Laddie sniffed and wiped a tear from his face. “What do you think, Paul? I just found out that my brother and his friends are evil bloodsucking murderers who probably plan to kill me.”

Paul was horrified, and not in a fake way this time. “You really think that I would do that to you, bud? You really think that I would kill you? My own brother? That’s sick, man. Really sick.”

Laddie shrugged. “Well, what else am I supposed to think, huh?”

“Laddie, I may be a vampire. but I’m still your brother and nothing is going to change that. And I would never let anyone else hurt you for that matter, either.”

“But earlier, Roxy looked like she was going to kill me.”

Paul winced. “It’s not her fault she’s still a new vampire, Laddie. She can’t control the bloodlust as well as the rest of us can. You know she was trying not to cry earlier. She acted like it didn’t hurt her. But it did. I felt how she was feeling, bud. Let me tell you, she was darn near suicidal, because, well, she was so angry and depressed.”

“So she didn’t mean to try and kill me?”

“No, bud. Absolutely not. If I know Roxy as well as I think I do, and I know her well, she’d never intentionally hurt a kid. Especially a kid that is my brother.”

“How long have you been like this, Paul? How long have you not been my brother?”

Paul winced again in pain. Laddie’s words cut deep, like a knife. ‛not my brother’.

How could he not be his brother? They still shared the same blood, granted Paul’s was changed. But still the sentiment was the same.

“A year, if I’m not mistaken – and in this case, I know I’m not.”

“I see. And how long have the others been like it?”

“Marko’s only been a vampire for 6 months , David’s been a vampire for 3 years and Dwayne for 1 and a 1/2. Roxy was turned the night before we came to get you.”

“I don’t know if I can still accept you like this, Paul. I don’t know if I can still call you my brother.”

“Bud, no matter what happens and no matter what I am, we’re still brothers.”

“I know. I’m sorry about this, Paul,” Laddie muttered before running off again.

Unfortunately he ran across a road, and what was even more unfortunate was that he did not look where he was going.

Everything seemed to move slower for Paul as he watched the car hit his little brother, the screech of brakes that were activated too late, and heard the crunch of a bone breaking.

“Laddie!” Paul screamed. He ran towards his fallen brother and fell to his knees. The sight of his brother, unmoving, made him cry. Paul clutched at his mane of wild hair as he sobbed.

Guys! Get over here! Laddie’s been run over!

We will, came four unanimous replies.

The driver got out of the car and was shocked at what he saw; he had just run over a little kid!

“Jeez! My goodness! What have I done?”

He saw Paul crying over his brother’s body and started apologizing. “Sir, I’m so sorry! Honest, I really am. He came outta nowhere!”

However, instead of accepting his apology and telling him that it was OK and that it wasn’t his fault, Paul decked him and hissed,
“My brother could die. And it’s all because of you!”

Paul bent down and checked Laddie’s pulse. It was slow and Laddie was too cold. He knew that Laddie would surely die unless he gave him vampire blood, but could he do it? Could he turn his brother?

Yes, if it means that he lives, Paul heard the thought from David.

David, man, he’s not going to make it. I’m going to give him my blood.

Paul, do it now. Laddie was already pack because he was your brother. We would all feel it if he died. Plus, you would be grieving forever. Turn him. Turn him now!

Paul didn’t need to be told twice. “Well, I got nothing to lose. Here goes something, or nothing, or whatever that means. I’ll figure that out later when I get the chance.”

He then cut his wrist with a piece of glass on the floor. Wincing as he always did at the sight of his own blood, he raised his wrist to Laddie’s open mouth, letting the crimson life force trickle in. Paul made sure that no one could see what he was doing; he lifted Laddie up into his lap so that it looked like he was just hugging his seemingly dead brother.

Laddie’s eyes sprung open and his mouth latched onto Paul’s wrist, gnawing at the flesh to try and make the enticing blood run faster.

Paul pulled his wrist away and stroked his brother’s hair while tears of relief fell down his face.

“You alright now, bud?” he whispered to Laddie.

“Yeah. P...Paul, what did…?” asked Laddie.

“I had to, bud. You were dying on me.”

Laddie sighed. “I guess I’m not ever going to be normal again, huh?”

Paul looked away from his brother. His tears of relief now turned into tears of guilt. “No. I’m sorry, bud.”

“I don’t want to always be twelve.”

“If you stay as half for another four years or so, then you won’t. You still age at half, bud. Don’t worry about that.”

“Oh. Well, that’s good news. So I guess it’s not all bad, then.”

Paul laughed at his brother’s attempt at optimism. “Come on, bud. People are going to think that you are dead.”

Laddie grinned, showing his teeth (bloodstained), and Paul tapped him gently.

“You might not want to do that, though. Just think – us being in the Murder Capital of the World, and you have bloody teeth. People will get suspicious, kiddo.”

Laddie nodded, reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, which he used to wipe his teeth clean. Then he tried smiling again. This time his teeth were now all white, with not a drop of blood left on them. “How’s that?” he asked.

“Perfect. You did an awesome job there,” Paul grinned.

Laddie, still smiling, replied, “Thanks. I guess I did.”

Then Paul lifted him up off of the floor, and helped him to stand.

The sound of motorcycle engines filled the air and the rest of the Lost Boys (and Girl) appeared near the brothers. Roxy (who had rode with Marko down to the boardwalk) was riding Paul’s bike. She stopped it near him and hopped off to sit behind Marko.

Paul could feel the guilt cascading off of her in waves. It was clear that she blamed herself for what happened. If she had better control, then maybe Laddie would never have gotten hurt in the first place, and he would still be OK. He knew that look very well, having seen it quite often in others, too. Plus, if his and Roxy’s roles were reversed and it was him in her shoes, he would feel the exact same way.

As she hopped off of his bike, Paul caught her wrist and was shocked to see tears in her eyes.

“Paul, I’m so sor...”

Paul cut her off. “No, it’s fine, Roxy. I know it wasn’t your fault.”

“Some part of me still feels like it is.”

He hugged her to show he wasn’t angry, and she sobbed harder. Paul released her and Marko clutched her tightly and stroked her hair soothingly as she cried. She calmed under his touch, and eventually was composed enough to wipe away her tears and sit on the back of Marko’s bike.

Paul mounted his bike and helped Laddie get on behind him.
The Lost Boys and their new brother then made their way back to the cave.