Shed some Light

by Amber Naralim

  “Rock on,” Ellie said with a smile. “I'll give that a shot. Thanks.”

  Ellie nodded her head. When you got Anna to use more than three words without bursting into tears she wasn't so bad to hang around, Ellie decided. She understood Anna's fear. Hell, Ellie was the one person who understood her reluctance about bringing a baby into all of this. Though, Anna was doing a bit better with that the last few weeks. That made Ellie happy. It would have made her happier if it wasn't because she’d promised she would stay. Ellie had a serious want to leave this place.

  “You know, you shouldn't encourage her,” Edward said, crabbily.

  Ellie shot him a look. “She can encourage me all she wants, dick,” Ellie grumbled. “I think I’m going to go into town tomorrow, you two want to come?” she asked both Reese and Vincent. Reese nodded.

  “I'll follow you anywhere, El. You know me.” Vincent smiled at her. Reese rolled his eyes at his little brother. Maybe it was the smile those words drew to Ellie's face.

  “What do you need to go into town for?” Edward asked, suspicious. It came out angry. Everything he said lately came out angry.

  “I want to upgrade my phone.” Ellie was having a hard time hiding her annoyance with him. She hated yelling at him in front of the boys. They were already suspicious enough of him as it was. She forced the frown on her face into something slightly more neutral. It was the best she could do. “And, I promised we would get a mobile. Apparently, superhuman speed, agility, and strength, don't help a lick when it comes to putting together a crib,” Ellie said with a smirk. That got a laugh from most of the table. Even Anna laughed at the boy’s expense.

  “Yeah, well, ya wasn't much help either,” Reese told her, sticking his tongue out.

  “Of course not, I have no skills,” Ellie said laughing. The laughter eased her mood a little. She shot another look at her brother. He stared at his plate with hard eyes.

  Vincent reached under the table taking her hand in his. Ellie looked at him with a smile. “I swear, the sweeter you get, the pissier Edward does. Is there a scientific explanation for this?” she mocked, her smile spreading slightly.

  “The Beast taps into our anger, El. Cut him some slack.” Vincent and Edward shared a small glance, and Vincent went back to his chicken.

  “I got a question,” Reese said, looking directly at Edward. “How come I can't smell him?”

  That made most of the table look at him. “You can't get his scent either?” Ellie asked. Her eyebrow rose quizzically. Her curiosity roared to life. She frowned, wishing he had brought this up with her alone.

  “Either?” Shane asked.

  “The murders Anna had us look into. They couldn’t get a scent,” Ellie explained. Though, she wasn't happy about that fun fact getting out.

  Vincent closed his eyes. He let Ellie's hand drop away from his. Vincent took in a deep whiff and a thousand scents slammed into him. He exhaled a shaking breath. When he opened his eyes, they were completely black. Vetler froze. Charlie stared at him, trembling slightly. Ellie stared at him in wonder, the way she always did. Vincent licked his lips.

  “Whoa,” Shane said. “What's happening?” he cried, pushing away from the table, and then he reminded himself of what Ellie told him. If you run, the Beast must chase. Vetler forced himself calm.

  “Relax,” Vincent said, turning to look at Edward. Vincent stared at him with those alien eyes. He took his bottom lip between his teeth. “All the scents confuse,” he paused, looking for the right word to put Vetler at ease. He shouldn’t have done this here. Vincent had hunted. No longer hungry the Monster was like a tiger, a shark, a predator with nothing to do, but watch. Vincent was in full control. His Beast was simply curious. “It,” he said finally.

  Ellie smiled looking at him. Shane frowned at her. “How can you be so damn calm with him like that?” Vetler’s every movement was slow and calculated.

  Ellie shrugged her shoulder. “I think it's beautiful. He's not going to hurt you. If he was, it already would have happened.” She gave Vetler a confident smile and took a bite of her biscuit.

  “I can't smell him either,” Vincent said, looking at Charlie.

  Edward frowned. He did not like having this little microscope pointed at him. His hand twitched against his leg. He looked up at Vincent wondering if he clocked the movement. If Vincent did, he didn't show it. Edward hated how curious he was. He hated how jealous he was of Vincent, hell, of Reese. They had a control Edward could only wish for. As afraid as Vincent was of it, he had a good hold on that leash.

  “It could have something to do with the serum they were given,” Charlie said. Her fear was beginning to ebb, being replaced with sheer curiosity. “Is your vision different when you're eyes are like that?” Charlie asked. She couldn't tear her gaze away from him.

  “Yes,” Vincent answered. He looked at Anna. Vincent could see through her at the tiny thing inside of her. A wondrous smile pulled at his lips. “He's beautiful.”

  Anna blinked dead eyes in his direction. “Who's beautiful?”

  “Lucky,” Vincent said. He closed his eyes. Blinking them a few times, he gave his head a slight shake. A physical response to the sensations he felt. Coming back up to the surface was like breaking through a thin line of cool water. As the Beast slithered back down into the dark depths where it hid, his senses dimmed slightly. Vincent’s eyes bled back to reveal crashing storm clouds. Vetler relaxed by inches. Anna laid her hand on her stomach. A small smile bloomed on her mouth.

  “You can see him?” Anna asked in wonder. “Him?”

  “Yeah, him,” Vincent answered with a happy grin. He winked his eye at Ellie.

  Edward glared at Vincent. Anger, curiosity, and jealousy swirled through him. Edward wondered if he could do that. Edward was sure his control wasn't that good. He would love to see his son. His eyes shifted to Anna. Touching her belly, she had a look on her face that drew a smile across Edward’s face despite his dour mood. Maybe she was finally coming around. Anna told him yes, she would indeed keep his child. However, he could still feel the reluctance in her. Edward didn't understand it. He was there to protect her. She knew that, didn’t she?

  “He's done that with you before?” Shane asked Ellie. Sliding his chair back to the table, he let his hand drop away from Charlie's arm. Though, he made sure to give her a good look to make sure that she was okay.

  “Shane, I've seen the whole kit and caboodle without being ripped to tiny shreds. Vincent has amazing control, so does Reese,” she said, giving both of the Hale brothers a smile.

  “How do they have such great control?” Shane asked.

  “It's mostly about keeping it fed. Learning how to deal with the rage. I've spent my entire life trying to keep that caged,” Vincent said, taking a bite of his potatoes.

  Edward smoothed his hair back, pushing it out of his blue eyes. He knew exactly what Vincent meant. Keeping that anger caged used to be so easy for him. Now, he was consumed by it. That wrath was burning him up from the inside. He couldn't put that fire out. Edward wasn't even sure he wanted too. He exhaled an annoyed breath through his nose. His gaze moved from his sister's happy smile to Anna, with that look of wonder in her eyes.

  Edward wanted to be happy. Instead, he could feel the tremor starting in his hand again. Edward dropped his fork, hiding his hand beneath the table. Ellie looked over at him with that dazzling smile of hers. “That's kinda cool huh, dad?” Ellie laughed when she said it.

  “Yeah, Squirt, that's kind of cool.” He took in a deep breath and reached out. “Can I?” he asked Anna. She looked up, the light dancing in her glassy orbs. She nodded and smiled. Edward laid his hand against her rounded belly. He may not be able to see him, but Edward could feel him. Edward could hear that swift heartbeat. He could feel the tiny movements. It was the only thing still holding him together.

  It was the reason Edward could still pretend to be human for them. As tenuous as that hold seemed, he smiled. This tiny thing was his faith. It was his las
t string to the world. Vincent looked at him, and the look on his face told Edward in a thousand different ways that he understood. That Vincent knew exactly what that felt like. Edward watched Vincent hook his arm around Ellie's neck and pull her in close. Vincent leaned in, laying a kiss on her mouth.

  Edward loathed Vincent. He detested Vincent with a passion that frightened him. Edward despised him, and he loved him at the same time. It was a mixture of emotions he didn't think he would ever understand. But what else could you feel for your murderer and your savior. Someone who has taken everything you ever wanted from you, just to give you back something you never knew you truly needed.

  Whatever this was, Edward couldn't dream of going back. He loved every sensation. He adored the thrill of running through the trees. Edward loved the exaltation of breaking bones with his bare hands. He loved it. He shouldn't. It was wrong. But the screams of the people he killed were like sweet music to him. The blood, the flesh of those animals was never enough. He had to hear the screams. Edward had to feel their fear when they looked at him.

  Edward looked into Anna's gorgeous face. It was her screams he wanted to hear most. He wanted to taste her flesh. Touching his hand to her face, he guided her in for a kiss. He took her bottom lip between his teeth, fighting every urge to bite down. He let it slide through his teeth. Anna smiled at him, beaming down at him like a warm sunny day. He could make her scream, maybe not the way he wanted. But it would do for now. He smiled and took her hand in his.

  “Come on, honey, let’s go celebrate,” he said.

  Anna laughed at him. “You're insatiable,” she said. A bright smile pulled at her lips.

  “Yeah,” Edward said, looking up at Vincent. “He made me that way.”

  Ellie watched Edward lead Anna toward the hallway with a frown on her face. Vincent looked at her, staring into her eyes. He tried hard to read her. Reese didn't have to try. He could feel Ellie’s worry and dread raining down all over him. His heartbeat sped with it. Ellie knew something was wrong. She refused to admit it, even to herself. But she could sense it. It was that survival instinct. It ran strong through Ellie’s blood.

  Reese watched her swallow past a dry mouth and force a smile to her lips. She looked at him, met his brilliant blue gaze. He stared at her, chewing on his bottom lip. Vincent wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her in tight, molding his body against hers. She loved the way his warmth folded itself around her. It comforted her.

  Reese dropped the thousand-yard stare. Draining the rest of his lemonade, he grabbed his half-eaten plate. He scraped the leftovers into the trash, set the plate in the sink, and rolled his shoulders, his neck. Reese stared at his reflection in the little rectangular window. Reese couldn't wait to leave this place. He was ready to hit that open road again.

  He heard Charlie moving behind him. She sat a few plates into the sink and smiled up at him. “I'll look into the smell, but I think it has to do with the serum,” she said.

  “Vince infected him, there shouldn't be any serum left in him,” Reese told her.

  “Yeah… that's what I’d hoped.” Charlie nibbled her thumbnail.

  Chapter 36

  The snow had melted completely. The weather warmed with the summer sun. The grass was a vibrant green, and the birds had finally returned to the trees. Ellie stood on the porch watching them come walking back from the tree line. Vincent smiled happily. Reese said something that made Vincent laugh. Vincent gave his older brother's shoulder a push.

  She loved seeing them naked and lovely, their skin glistening in the mid-day sunshine. Vincent's hair was getting longer. The bangs that fell over his eyes nearly reached his chin. Ellie liked his hair long. She missed it. Vincent’s hair was black the way a starling's wing was black. A thousand different colors vied for attention all at once shimmering in the sun.

  Reese, with his scruffy face and shoulder length chestnut brown hair was no less gorgeous. His blue eyes danced with their laughter. Both of them had amazing bodies. Where Vincent was long and lean, with sculpted muscles, Reese was a little more athletic looking. The one thing that ruined it for her was the blood. Ellie thought by now she would be used to it. She wasn't. That told her she probably never would be. But nothing in life is ever truly perfect.

  It wasn't just their bodies she adored seeing. It was those grins. Both of them happy, those smiles Ellie memorized, cherished. Reese had an easy grin he hid behind. His real smile was a wonderful sight that charmed you down to your bones. Vincent's smile, on the other hand, was something so rare it had to be treasured. He spent most of his time hating himself, hating what he was. His kind eyes were either contrite or smug. Today they shined.

  Vincent gave her a wave of dancing fingers. That pretty smile spread the closer he got to her. Reese flashed her dazzling blue eyes that matched the sky hanging above his head. Ellie hopped down the steps coming out on the front lawn to meet them. Vincent pulled her into his arms and lifted her into the air spinning her around three times.

  “Don't worry,” he said. “It's dry.”

  “Aren't we chipper?” Ellie smiled brightly. Their happiness was contagious. “Am I allowed in on the joke?” she asked brushing the hair out of his eyes.

  “Just remembering the night we got Sammy drunk on a bottle of cheap Russian Vodka. I traded a guy in the unit we were relieving for a portrait of him for his girl back home,” Vincent began.

  “Sammy got so drunk he pissed all over our commanding officer,” Reese finished.

  Vincent laughed so hard his whole body shook with it. “The charts and darts smelled like piss for the entire time we were out there.”

  Ellie looked at him confused. “Charts and darts?”

  “Calculations for artillery firing. Maps and such, you know,” Vincent explained. “We were in the middle of nowhere. He didn't get a shower for two weeks, at least.” God, she loved the sound of Vincent’s laugh.

  Ellie spared a glance down at Reese. He’d gone quiet. The happy smile crumpled into an expression she couldn't really read. She didn't need to understand it to know it was bad, though. Ellie blinked at him. She reached for her gun without even realizing it. Vincent tore his gaze away from her.

  “Put her on the ground now!” Edward spat angrily.

  Ellie craned her neck to look at him. Edward's face was a mask of rage. She hadn't seen him look that pissed since she had to put a bullet in the side of his head, and empty the rest of her clip into his chest. Vincent glared at Edward for a few seconds before he set her down on the ground behind him. Vincent’s right eye twitched.

  Reese closed ranks as Edward stalked toward them. Ellie hated to admit it, but she was glad to have them between her and her brother. She fought every urge that screamed at her to pull the Heckler. Edward had a gun in his hand. One that Ellie recognized. It was the Glock 26 she had given Anna.

  “What the fuck is this?” Edward growled, his lips tense.

  “Don't know, it looks an awful lot like a gun to me,” Ellie said. She couldn't keep the sarcasm out of her voice.

  “I let you teach her how to use it. We had an agreement, Elliot. She doesn't keep it in the house,” Edward barked. “I found this in the drawer of her nightstand, just the way you keep yours.” Edward stalked toward her like an approaching storm. Reese could feel the anger biting down his skin. He took in a deep breath throwing up the shields he worked so hard to learn to use. Blocking out the emotions in this place the last several months had become a survival trait as necessary as breathing.

  “She has a whacked out monster trying to kill her. A gun would be useful to have should said horror come to visit, don't you think?” It didn't take long for the spark of Ellie’s anger and annoyance to explode. It shoved her fear aside.

  Ellie hated the way Edward treated Anna. He wasn't cruel. He loved her. He simply treated her like she was made of glass. That she couldn't do anything for herself. Anna wasn't some delicate princess in a fairy tale. She was in a horror movie. She needed to be able to protect hersel
f. Anna needed to feel safe, and that is precisely what having that gun there did for her.

  “You heard us. You listened while she told me she would keep it in the shed with the others, and you went behind my back and put it there anyway,” he accused. “She doesn't need a gun, Ellie. She has me to protect her.”

  “You can't always be there, and you damn well know that,” Ellie countered, her voice raising a touch. That wasn't the reason she’d put it there. But she couldn't bear to tell him the truth. That gun was there to give Anna enough time for Vincent, Reese, and her to get there should Edward snap.

  “You went behind my back, goddamn it,” Edward bellowed.

  “I am trying to save your girlfriend's life,” she yelled right back at him. Ellie took an angry step toward him, past Vincent. Vincent grabbed her wrist, holding her back out of Edward’s reach.

  “El,” Vincent warned.

  “What makes you think you get to protect her, and I can't, huh?” Edward glared at her. He completely ignored her pets.

  “I never said you couldn't, jackass. Why won't you let her protect herself?” Ellie growled, pulling hard enough away from Vincent to bruise her wrist. She turned on him. “Let go goddamn it!”

  “El,” Vincent said, his voice commanding. “Settle down,” he told her, his eyes flashing. Vincent pulled her into his arms. She didn't fight him, much. His eyes swiveled up to Edward’s face. “You need to take a breath, before you lose it, Edward.”

  “Anna is mine. Leave her to me!” he exclaimed. Edward closed his hand around the gun crushing it. The metal screamed as it caved in on itself. He crumpled it as easily as paper then threw it to the ground.

  “You asshole!” Ellie cried, tearing her eyes from the broken thing.

  “El!” Vincent said. “Enough.” She could feel the fine tremble that ran through his body. She could see the twitch of his right eye. Ellie knew exactly what it meant. He was trying hard to keep his Beast chained. Ellie took in a deep, steadying breath, closing her eyes. Her anger didn't hold a candle to theirs. That didn't mean she didn't have just as many problems keeping it caged.