Six Feet Under the Stars

Rubbing her temples in frustration, Addi sighed heavily, staring at the floor as she lost herself in thought. Vampires. The word bounced through her skull, feeling barren, empty. There was a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, the sort of feeling where you just know that nothing was going to go well in the slightest. The stress and pure fear that filled her was overwhelming, and she was certain that if she’d had something in her stomach, it’d of been tossed.

“Dylan… Just.. Sit down, okay? Pacing isn’t going to help you right now.” She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she raised her eyes to watch her brother. Growing up with him in the same household, it wasn’t uncommon for her to see him as angry as he was now; in most cases, she’d even seen him even angrier than now. She’d seen him throw things, shatter things, and even once break his knuckles when he’d punched marble. But what she saw, that frightened her more than anything, was fear. The uncertainty in his eyes was easy to see, and she hated it. He was no longer the carefree kid she’d helped raise, the kid of whom had hated her up until two years ago. He was someone that seemed like a total stranger to her.

“Come over here, please.” She asked, her voice hoarse. Hesitantly, he obliged, seating himself on the bed beside her once again. Silently, Addi took his hand in hers, squeezing it reassuringly. She was the big sister. She had to be strong, even if she knew he could handle himself. For a while, they sat in silence, not even a word being exchanged between the two. He traced patterns on her hand with his thumb, giving a sentiment of familiarity in a completely unfamiliar place. After sitting there long enough for her to see him have calmed down slightly, she stood up abruptly, giving his hand one last reassuring squeeze before letting go.

“We’ve got to go find them, you know. Talk to them. Ask them questions about all this. As much as I wish I could say it’s a hoax, it’s as fucking real as it ever will be.” She said, answering the question they’d both been thinking.

“I don’t want to, Addi. Fuck, I really don’t.” She let out another heavy sigh as he remained rooted in place, arms crossed over his chest. He sounded like a little kid again, arguing over not wanting to go to bed.

“We have to go, Dylan. We have no choice. Now come on.” She said, flinching as her tone got harder than intended. But even so, it worked, and he stood up, shuffling awkwardly behind her as she opened the door, glancing around the hall. She could hear voices bouncing off the walls, and praying that they weren’t walking into a trap, she took a shuddering breath and led the way. It’d been at least an hour since the pair that now had total control of their life had come in, and Addi just prayed that Dylan wasn’t going to do something that either of them would regret for the rest of their potentially eternally damned lives.

Quietly, she inched around the corner, the wood flooring squeaking under their weight. She glanced back at Dylan, only to see his expression stony and his eyes clouded. His shoulders were tensed, and it was easy to see how wound up he was, like a fuse ready to blow.

“Just keep calm, okay?” She said, not giving him a chance to respond as she took the final step around, where she saw both the girl and boy on the couch, some movie playing on the TV. Chewing nervously on her lip, she forced a slight smile to her face as she cleared her throat.

“We... We, um, never got properly acquainted earlier due to my brother being an idiot. Sorry about that, really.” She gave a nervous laugh, pausing momentarily to walk even closer, but continuing to leave a good distance between the pair and herself, just in case. Even without turning around, she knew Dylan hadn’t moved, and was instead leaning against the wall, watching them cautiously. Shifting awkwardly, she put her hands in her back pockets, looking between them and the TV. Though neither Dylan nor Addi would admit it, they couldn't deny how good looking the other pair was; from the guy and his dark hair and smirking face, and the girl, with her unique hair and obviously frustrated expression.

“I’m Addison, he’s Dylan, and could you please just tell us what the fuck is going on?”