Traveling Backwards

I stared at the black, gooey spot on the rug.
"So...this is portal? To earth?" Ryder asked, looking down at it with excitement. Any traces of his "flu" were gone now. I growled in my throat. Lurk knelt down and extended his hand into the black portal. It disappeared beneath the darkness.
You know, for living in a town filled with vampires, my life wasn’t that weird. The guys all acted like regular teenage guys. Except when they were, you know, drinking blood.
"Ooooh!" Ryder exclaimed, "C'mon, Jay-jay!" Let's leave this place behind and see where it boots us out! I’m tired of living in hell. It’s boring."
"In a minute," I hissed, recalling Dr. Reed's words to me: "I want you guys to investigate this portal. See where it leads and report your findings to me" Despite my growing curiosity and desires to return to Earth--assuming Dr. Reed's theory was correct-- I got a sinking feeling something bad was going to happen if I go. I glanced back at Wolf's door, wondering if he would see me off. I sighed bitterly, knowing he wouldn't come. He was still bitter about the fact that I turned down his marriage proposal.
"Let's go," I stated, checking my pockets to make sure I had enough cash in them before kneeling down in front of the portal. First i put my feet in and felt around. Where ever we were going, it felt soft under my converse. Then I eased my torso in.
"Jaydee Devyn Alino! Hurry up!" Ryder whined, beginning to push himself through alongside me.
"Stop it, asshole!" I shouted before losing my footing and tumbling through the portal. You know that sudden sensation of falling you get sometimes when you’re lying in bed? Yeah, it felt exactly like that. After it was over, all of us landed softly in a...closet? I studied my surroundings. It was dark expect for a nightlight shining in the corner.
"Ow!" Ryder groaned, "I fell on something!"
"That would be me," Lurk growled under his breath. I somehow managed to miss the dog-pile and landed beside some toy barn with animals scattered around it. Then I knew where I was.
I stood to find a small girl, lying in a pink princess bed with enormous blue eyes. "M..." she managed to squeak.
Ryder and Lurk came beside me, staring at the little girl cradling her doll.
"Boo!" Ryder roared, pretending his hands were claws. He gave her a toothy grin--his fangs protruding from his mouth.
The girl broke out into terrified shrieks, screaming "Monsters! Monsters!"
"Shh! Quiet!" I coaxed, totally confused on what the hell I was supposed to do.
"Shut up, child!" a voice called from behind the door followed by pounding footsteps.
Shit, shit, shit, shit! My mind screamed. The door swung open, light flooding in. And there stood one of my old friends: Arianne. We stared at one another while the small girl continued to scream with Ryder prancing about the room, making noises to frighten her. Lurk quickly grabbed his shoulder to stop him.
"...Jaydee?" Arianne said, looking very confused.
"Uh...hi," was all I was able to manage. It had been two years. Her hair had darkened a bit. She was...different, yet I still recognized her.
"What are you doing here?" she laughed, running up and hugging me. Yup. Definitely Arianne. Even in the weirdest situations, she managed to act as if it was nothing.
"I'm...on break," I lied, returning her embrace.
"Cool! And these...are your friends?" she asked, looking Ryder and Lurk up and down.
I nodded, "Yeah this is Ryder and Lurk."
"Cute names!" she giggled before going over to the now quieting girl. "Calm down, hon. These people aren't monsters--just friends. Now go back to sleep."
Before the little one could protest, Arianne had the three of us out the door and down the hallway.
"So how's boarding school?" she asked, walking down the stairs and into a living room. We sat down across from her.
I shrugged, "Its...hellish." Heh heh…
"That sucks," she said, giving me a comforting smile.
Darling, you have no idea.
I glanced over at Lurk who was staring out the window.
"Was that little girl your sister?" Ryder asked.
Arianne laughed, "Hell no! I'm babysitting. Which reminds me...did you come to visit?"
"Yeah, but uh...Ryder wanted to climb through the window."
"Oh," she laughed some more, "Sounds fun."
I loved the fact that Arianne was kindof an airhead. She didn’t seem to pick up on the fact that this wasn’t her house. So obviously we didn’t come to visit her.
Arianne continued to just smile at me. The silence grew awkward.
I couldn't help but feel distant from my friends. Two years have gone by and so much has changed. I began to wonder if I could survive living with human begins again after all I've gone through.
"Well," the brunette began, "The brat's rents are on their way home so you should probably go. If you wait outside we can meet back at my place! Sage and Xavier were gonna hang--I'm sure they'd LOVE to see you!"
Sage. Xavier. Two other friends of mine. What would they say? What would they think? I got the sense that Arianne could tell I wasn't sure so she quickly added, "My folks are outta town so they won't be there."
"Sure!" Ryder piped in, smiling widely, trying to hide his fangs. I held my tongue. I hoped this wouldn't end badly.

---XXX---

We walked through my hometown of Chicago towards Arianne's place. She lived in an apartment complex on the 16th floor. We rode the elevator up and to her room. Inside, I was greeted by familiar smells and furniture. Everything was the same--just as it had been left two years ago. That gave me a sense of peace.
"Want some Coke?" the bright-eyed girl asked, “Coca-cola that is! Not the white stuff.”
"Sure," I managed, still glancing around the apartment. Lurk and Ryder shook their heads. Good, I thought Like Ryder needs any more caffeine.
I sat down on one of the couches, rubbing my hand along the arm rest. Arianne handed me a soda that I drank in tiny sips. We made small talk until the doorbell rang.
"Coming!" Arianne shouted.
She opened the door to find Xavier and Sage. I was taken aback by both of them. Xavier seemed taller and had bulked up more than when I had last seen him. Sage, the timid blonde girl, looked slightly different, but I couldn't put my finger on it.
"Guess who’s here!?" Arianne sang.
"Who?" Xaiver asked, walking from the main hall.
He stopped dead in his tracks and smiled broadly, "JAY!" he yelled, running up and lifting me off the ground.
"Hey," I laughed awkwardly, smiling--happy to know my friends remembered me.
Sage looked confused. "Eh? Jaydee? When did you get here?"
"Few hours ago," I murmured.
"Oh..." she smiled, "Welcome home." she gave me a gentle squeeze. She glanced over at Lurk and Ryder--a tiny gasp escaped her lips.
"Right. This is Lurk and Ryder," I said, gesturing towards them.
"Hel-hello," she stammered. Lurk nodded his acknowledgement. Ryder jumped up in front of her.
"Hiya!" he chuckled. Sage stiffened, taking a step back into the wall.
"N-nice to meet you," she whispered, a look of fear in her gaze.
"N'aaawww!" Ryder began, "She's so cute!"
God, what was Ryder on?" I wondered. He sure was having fun harassing girls today.
"Th-thank you," she squeaked. I could tell that Sage was on the verge of a mental breakdown. She never did well with people giving her attention. Lurk picked him up and glared down at Sage. She blinked innocently up at him and his expression softened.
"...Sorry," he said.
She slowly nodded, "It’s okay. N-no harm done,"
I rolled my eyes and glanced back at the window. I could see the green of the courtyard below us, lit up by a streetlight. Something moving caught my attention. My heart stopped in its tracks.
How did Kaige and Jayleen get here?