20 Dollar Nose Bleed

I was lead into the front room and took a seat next to Patrick on the couch. Andy and Joe were sat on bean bags playing Xbox while Pete took a seat in an armchair as far away from me as possible. Freak. Patrick coughed slightly, catching Joe and Andy's attention, and gestured for them to pay attention. They did so quickly and I frowned.

"Are you like their leader or something?" I asked turning to him still frowning.

"No." Pete said from across the room.

"So why do they all listen to you?" I asked still addressing Patrick.

"I'm not their leader it's just by chance that I seem to be arranging everything today. Some days it's Andy, some days it's Joe. Hell even Pete has days." Patrick said waving a hand.

"Oh I bet they're fun days." I said, sarcasm dripping from every word.

"Patrick you should control you're new friend otherwise she might end up getting hurt." Pete hissed.

"You should try addressing me jerkwad! I'm sat right here. If you've got a problem with me say it to me not to him you douche!" I yelled back.

"Patrick-"

"No! Not Patrick! Wednesday. Go on Pete say what you want but to me this time yeah? Or are you too frightened?!"

Suddenly Pete's head snapped to me and he was on his feet walking towards me with anger burning in his gaze. Joe and Andy got up to stop him but he just threw them aside like dolls. Joe hit the wall and slumped to the ground. Andy landed on the table in the corner of the room. I'll admit I was a little freaked out but I wasn't going to back down so I stood up to face him.

He was a short boy, only 5 foot 7, but he was still taller than me, being 5 foot 5, and so still managed to look down on me which is more annoying than I thought it'd be.

"You'd do well to watch your mouth little girl." He snapped at me.

"Little?! I'm almost 19! You'd do well to shut the hell up and stop acting like such a douche." I spat back.

His eyes narrowed and his mouth opened slightly but before he could say anything else Patrick was in front of me frowning.

"Pete go sit back down. We don't need you handling this." he said curtly.

"Why am I even here?!" he yelled back but did as he said.

"Because I'm going to need you to explain the difficult bit. Now go. Sit down."

I heard Pete mumble but took no notice of him. I sat back down with Patrick and eyed the two guys. Andy was up and was rubbing his shoulder while glaring at Pete, Joe on the other hand wasn't moving. In fact he hadn't moved since he hit that wall. I stood up and went over to him, rolling him onto his back. His nose was bleeding but that was it. Pete had just knocked him out. I tried to lift Joe to get him to sit up but man that guy was heavy! I settled for rolling him onto his side into the recovery position and sat by him on the floor. Pete glared at me but I just ignored him and turned back to Patrick.

"What are you doing?" Patrick asked frowning.

"He's been knocked out because of someone," I said shooting Pete a glance. "So I'm going to sit with him to make sure he's alright." I explained.

Patrick smiled and leant back on the couch. Andy wandered over and joined him.

"Okay. If you want one there's a beanbag just beside you." Andy said happily, the previous events already forgotten.

"Thanks. Anyway. Will someone please explain why I'm here and why I can't go home?"

"Right. That'll be me then. You remember going to visit your parents yeah?" Patrick started.

"Yeah. I also remember them now being dead and some guy trying to kill me." I replied biting back the tears.

"Okay. That saves a lot of explaining then. Do you remember who attacked you?" he pried.

"Vaguely. I remember a guy in a suit chasing me down the street and grabbing me. Then Brendon and William turned up and saved me."

"Wait a minute. Slow down. Do you remember what the guy was?" Patrick said leaning forward in his chair.

I frowned and tried to remember. It was a little fuzzy but I remembered coming home, my Dad laying in his own blood, the bloke holding my Mum and drinking her-

"Oh my God he was a vampire!" I squealed completely shocked that I could have forgotten that in such a short space of time.

"Bingo." Andy said from beside Patrick.

"But... but that can't be true.... Vampires aren't real. They don't exist." I stuttered and shook my head.

"Wednesday you need to listen to me." Patrick said but was cut off by my phone ringing.

I pulled it out and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Wednesday. It's Brendon. Where are you? Why aren't you at home?" Brendon said. He sounded annoyed.

"Oh hey Brendon." I said and saw the guys tense.

"Yeah sorry. I went out. I'll be back later though why?" I explained not really wanting to tell him I'd been kidnapped. Didn't want him thinking I was pathetic.

"Where are you? Tell me Wednesday." he sounded angry.

"I just went out. Why? What's happened?"

"I know you went out I've got that. But I told you to stay at your house. Now where are you?!" he yelled down the phone.

"Don't yell at me! I can go out if I want to. I went to do some shopping alright. Wait... how did you know where I live?" I said suddenly very aware of the fact he had never been to my house.

"That doesn't matter. Tell me where you are."

"No Brendon. Tell me how you knew where I live." I snapped.

Pete got off his chair and wandered over to me. I eyed him carefully and gripped my phone tighter.

"I'm really going to hurt you when I find you Wednesday. You'll learn you can't talk to me like that! Just you w-" Pete snatched my phone out of my hand and crushed it.

"Hey! What the hell! That was only a few months old!" I said but I was shaking. That wasn't the charming and kind Brendon I had met at the shop at all.

"Shut up." he snapped and walked away again.

"Have I ever mentioned how much of a douche you are?" I said to his back.

"Yes now shut up and listen."

"Wednesday it's important you don't see Brendon or William again." Patrick cut into our little argument.

"Why? What's so bad with them?" I asked but after that little exchange I didn't really want to see him again anyway.

"They're vampires. William Beckett runs a gang of vampires called the Dandies. Brendon is his right hand man. The man who attacked you was an ex-Dandie, hence the suit, who had obviously left before Brendon was initiated. They're bad people Wednesday and you need to stay away." Patrick warned.

I blinked. Vampires. Vampire gangs. These guys were talking as if it was just a normal thing. Like they were as common as ants. But they weren't. These were real live, blood sucking freaks.

"Says the ones who drugged and kidnapped me." I hissed but instantly felt bad after. Patrick had been nothing but nice to me. It was Pete who had been the jerk.

"Look I'm sorry it's just a lot to take in." I apologised and looked at the floor.

Joe moved slightly beside me but didn't fully wake up.

"I know I know. I'm sorry but you can't go home either. Brendon knows where you live somehow. He'll be looking everywhere for you now. You know too much. You'll have to stay with us from now on." Patrick said with an apologetic look on his face.

I sighed.

"Well what are you guys then and how do you know about vampires?" I asked leaning back.

Joe stirred again. He was getting closer to waking up. Probably had concussion.

"That's the thing. We're vampire hunters..." Patrick said hesitantly.

"Oh. Right." I said feeling really freaked out.

"You're welcome to join us if you want. But you'll need training." Andy said and looked at Pete.

"Hell no. I'm not training her. I'd rather have a stake shoved through my heart." Pete said glaring at me.

"And I'd be happy to put it there." I snapped back.

"Oh shut up."

"You know you could have just hung up my phone. You didn't have to crush it like a psycho." I remarked.

"Yeah cause like you would have listened."

"I might have done! Now how are people supposed to get a hold of me?! Go on genius answer that!"

"Like who Wednesday?! Who is there to want to call you. Your parent's are dead and your sister's missing. Last time I checked that meant you were alone."

"Pete." Patrick said but it was too late. He'd already said it.

I felt the tears stinging the back of my eyes and blinked furiously. I stood up and turned to face him.

"Look Pete I don't know who you think you are but you don't need to be such a dick." I said failing to hold back the tears and ran upstairs to my room, locking the door behind me.

I could hear the guys arguing downstairs but I didn't care. It was true. I was alone. I let the tears fall more freely now and cried myself to sleep.