Control

Control

Chapter 12: Annie…That's Not an Old One

Hal's P.O.V

"I was hoping you might be able to help me. Leo's role in my rehabilitation was essential, and with him gone I have no one to set the tasks I need to keep me safe. So I was wondering if... perhaps... you could pick up where he left off." I asked Tom as we cleaned the café ready to open it up for business. Although Sophie was there for me, it was better for others to set me tasks.

"You want me to, what, be like your new Leo?" Tom replied as he momentarily stopped sweeping, he could never replace Leo but he could act as though he were Leo.

"Well no one could ever replace Leo. But perhaps you could perform a similar role." I explained Tom thought for a moment before he smiled one of his big goofy smiles.

"I think I'd be honoured, mate." Tom replied as he patted me on the shoulder.

"I think he would be too." I mused thinking back to all those times spent with him, but we had a job to do.

"The toilets could do with a clean." Tom suggested a smile still firmly set in his features.

"But don't take the piss." I chuckled as I continued to clean, glancing over towards the girl who had been watching us for over ten minutes before glancing back at Tom.

"You think she's a vampire?" he asked nodding over towards the girl as we approached the door. I took in a deep breath, she certainly wasn't a vampire.

"Smells more like a werewolf." I replied as we both watched as she realised her cover was blown…she began to run…a very bizarre run at that.

"That is the weirdest run." Tom stated as he ran after the girl I followed him close behind. It was rather easy to catch up with her she really needed to work on her running ability if she were to 'stake out' people she knew nothing of…even if she was a werewolf. After some annoyance with a rape alarm, she finally agreed to come back with us, we learnt that her name was Allison with a double L and an I.

"Obviously I didn't want to approach straight away, because I didn't know what sort of idiot exposes himself on YouTube like that. I thought I'd perform a little surveillance first. But that's when you blew my cover." She explained as she accepted a cup of tea from Annie, pulling open a computer of sorts. "So…what sort of idiot does expose himself on YouTube like that?"

"It was a trap by the vampires. We didn't know they were filming." Tom explained well so good for us keeping our noses out of this mess…if the werewolves were going to be exposed then so would the vampires and here it was that a vampire had exposed the werewolves.

"It's had over a million hits." She stated as she showed us some statistics about the video she had just shown us.

"When did this happen Tom?" Sophie asked as she too joined us in the living room, perching on the arm next to me.

"The last full moon before you and Hal arrived." Tom replied the last full moon Leo ever had to suffer through, it was also George's last full moon. Sophie nodded understanding that Tom would not want to fully go into detail around the subject. "'FX Fail'?"

"As in, special effects, thankfully most people think it's a fake." Allison replied technology had certainly advanced since the days I was a mere mortal, the days when people travelled by foot or by horse.

"'Hairy balls, LOL'?" I questioned as I read some of the comments about the video.

"Well this was just the start. You know we trended last full moon." She explained which made no sense to either me or Sophie and Tom, what in the world did she mean by trending? "On Twitter…There's a Facebook group trying to hunt us down."

"Facebook?" Tom asked looking at Sophie and I for help, but we were as confused as he was…though we probably had more right to be since our combined age was over 1200 years.

"Don't tell me you're still on MySpace." Allison looked at us as if we had just told her that we were indeed the ones who had made the video as a practical joke against the whole supernatural community.

"We're more Ceefax people." I replied receiving a giggle off of Sophie who tried to stifle the onslaught of laughter to be polite to our guest…though Tom had already started chuckling.

"This is important! If people find out about the existence of vampires, werewolves and ghosts, there'll be riots. There'll be lynchings. It'll be like the tuition fees march all over again." She stated rather fearful, was she indeed scared of the repercussions this video would have? Then again the werewolf community was very different from the vampire community; at least we had ways to deal with this kind of situation, people that would…deal with those who leaked information that threatened us.

"If this has got anything to do with vampires, I know exactly where to look."

Annie's P.O.V

Allison and Tom left to find out who had put up Tom's transformation video on the internet, using Tom's knowledge of where they would find vampires that possibly knew of the video's existence…however that information would more than likely not be given to two werewolves easily. Hal returned to the café he had become more confident with working at the café and going to work alone even if there probably wouldn't be many customers was proof of his improvement. Sophie and I were left alone once more to take care of Eve who was not settling down at all; surely she would quieten down soon. I rocked her from side to side as Sophie sang some really old lullabies but still Eve would not stop crying. Suddenly someone began banging on the front door.

"An Old One?" I questioned as we both stared at the door, I passed the baby to her…I'd been practising some 'moves' that I could use against the Old Ones…maybe this was the chance to test them out.

"I don't know." Sophie replied as I moved towards the door, she moved slowly behind me holding the baby close to me. I readied myself to face them opening the door swiftly. "Annie! That's not…"

I immediately pushed the 'attacker' backwards completely ignoring whatever Sophie was about to say.

"Knew that would work." I exclaimed in victory before noticing that she didn't look as though we had just defeated a vampire.

"Annie…that wasn't an Old One…it was an elderly man." She explained as she rocked the Eve who wasn't crying as much anymore.

"What?" I asked as I went to look over the hedge and just as she had said there lay an elderly man…dead. "Oh no! I killed an old man!"

As I looked over the hedge the ghost of the elderly man looked up at me, pointing at me accusingly, I ushered him inside the house where he began waffling about how he'd been kept up by Eve's crying. And once Sophie and I told him he was dead he began waffling once more.

"Look, I know this is a lot to take in, but I'm going to help you get through this." I explained Sophie nodded along, it was the least I could do after well killing him.

"Too bloody right you are. It's all your fault." He shouted angrily looking accusingly at me.

"Well…not entirely." Sophie interjected, it was minutely his as well, what would you expect when you bang on someone's door for them to act nicely?

"Yes I know, and I am really really sorry about that."

Tom's P.O.V

After failing to get information out of the vampires at the docks, I took Allison to the only other vampire I knew that could possibly know who put up the video, Cutler. But after seeking him out he didn't know.

"And you're planning on sticking around for a while?" he asked Allison after looking over the evidence.

"Well I can't exactly go home, can I?" she replied a rather sad look crossing over her pretty face, did she have trouble at home?

"Why not?" I questioned she looked down, maybe it wasn't trouble at home, maybe she didn't have a home.

"Who wants a werewolf for a daughter?" she replied solemnly there was no answer I could muster, I hadn't known my actual parents, but McNair had always taught me not to be ashamed of being a werewolf, along with several ways to kill vampires and how to properly act around people. The subject soon turned to the werewolf vampire feud in which I'd killed several vampires… "How many vampires have you slain?"

"Oh, um, three or four... dozen." I answered she looked completely shocked and appalled if it were any other person than her I wouldn't have hesitated to tell them…well maybe if it were a human who didn't know a thing about our world then I wouldn't be telling them about it.

"And you're condoning this?" she asked Cutler who shrugged, it was a trait shared among vampires to not care if other vampires who they neither cared for nor knew if they were killed.

"Well you can't exactly go to Ofcom." He joked as he stood up looking out the window. "It's a war. We're all soldiers. Better pick a side."

Sophie's P.O.V

"How was work?" I asked Hal as he sat down next to me on the sofa, I linked my hand with his drawing circles around on the top of his hand.

"Uninteresting." He replied as he smiled at me giving me a quick peck on the lips. "How was your day?"

"Well…" I replied nodding over to Emrys who was looking at us with a very perverted interest.

"Don't mind me." He said before Annie came in shooing him into the kitchen. Hal chuckled before returning his attention back to me.

"Dealing with perverted old men again." He finished chuckling away to himself as he put a stray piece of hair behind my ear and pecking me on the lips once more. Our moment was interrupted once more but this time by Tom who came in through the door and flopped down on the couch next to us.

"I think I'm in love." He mused looking at us both seriously; it was rather cute two people curse by the full moon falling in love.

"Then it is time to declare your intentions! First, write her a poem. Then speak to her father." Hal replied I supressed a giggle, it was a very olden times thing to do…that's what he had tried with me, the poem was extremely lovely telling me how much he loved and cared for me…if only my father had approved…

"It does work…if your father isn't a horrid foul beast." I stated stealing another kiss from Hal, but Tom didn't seem to agree.

"Annie said I should just get drunk and try and to snog her." He explained well that was definitely the modern way to 'woo' a girl…it wasn't as romantic as the old ways.

"It's all so brutish these days! I preferred the dowry system." Hal mused I nodded in agreement, by this point Emrys, Annie and Allison came into the room and sat down in the free chairs.

"I've never been kissed." Emrys stated could that be his unfinished business?

"What?" Annie asked she didn't believe that he had never ever been kissed in his life.

"When I was alive." He mused his musings seemed to ring true with Allison and Tom, though they were only young plenty of time to be kissed in their lives.

"Really? Never, ever? In your whole life?" she questioned completely not believing him.

"It's not that unbelievable." Allison added coming to the defence of Emrys.

"I could imagine actually." Tom added quietly scooting closer to Allison; it was rather cute of Tom.

"We've all had dry spells." Hal said trying to end the conversation, I scoffed.

"You certainly haven't."