Willow and Julian spun around, their eyes wide as they gazed guiltily at them. Cassidy let out a yelp as she jerked in surprise. With horrifying clarity, Isabelle realized that Cassidy wasn’t going to be able to retain her hold on the branch as she slid perilously to the side. Ethan rushed forward, catching her just before she hit the ground. He grunted under the weight of her tiny body, his knees hit the ground from the force of the impact.
Isabelle rushed up to them, slightly breathless as her heart hammered rapidly with fear. Cassidy lay for a moment, her tiny face scrunched tight. Then, one bright blue eye popped open and she looked wearily up at Ethan. She twisted her head, her long sandy blond hair covering her face as she looked at the ground just inches beneath her. She turned back around and burst into a brilliant grin as she hopped easily out of his arms. “Thanks!” she cried.
“Don’t mention it,” Ethan grumbled, shaking his head as he rose slowly.
“Nice catch,” Julian said in awe.
Ethan wiped the dirt off the knees of his jeans. “Show off,” Isabelle muttered, casting him an amused grin. He scowled at her for a moment before smiling softly. She lifted her head to peer through the thick branches at Kyle. “How are you going to get the other one?”
“Think they could both fall out alive?” he asked hopefully
She gave him a dark look as she shook her head at him. “Do you think a snowball could survive in hell?” she retorted.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought too,” he mumbled unhappily.
She slapped him lightly on the back as she grinned happily. “When was the last time you climbed a tree?”
His face twisted thoughtfully as he shrugged. “Ten years, maybe.”
He glanced back up at Kyle, who was clinging tightly to his branch, his face was white as a ghost. “Jump Kyle, it’s fun!” Cassidy urged.
“Don’t you dare jump!” Isabelle yelled at her brother, shooting Cassidy a silencing look.
Cassidy smiled happily back as she hopped from foot to foot, not in the least bit ashamed. “Well, it was!” she protested.
“And if I hadn’t caught you?” Ethan demanded.
She shrugged, refusing to be intimidated by either of her older siblings. “It would have hurt, but I heal fast!”
Isabelle shook her head, trying hard not to laugh as she met Ethan’s aggravated gaze. “How do you argue with that?” she whispered.
“Easily,” he said softly before turning back to Cassidy. “Then mom and dad would have found out what you did.”
Cassidy’s mouth dropped as she looked worriedly over at Willow and Julian. “We only climbed a tree! There’s nothing wrong with that!” Cassidy protested.
“After those two dared you!” he snapped, shooting a censuring look at Willow and Julian. They didn’t look remotely ashamed as they stared unabashedly back at him.
“Forget it Ethan, you’re fighting a losing battle,” Isabelle told him. “Kyle, scoot to the branch below you! It’s a pretty clear drop from there,” she mumbled to Ethan.
“I’m scared!” Kyle wailed. “I don’t want to let go.”
“What kind of immortal is scared to fall from a tree?” Julian taunted.
“The smart kind!” Ethan snapped.
Isabelle studied the tree, taking note of the petrified look on Kyle’s young face. “I think you’re going to have to go get him,” she told Ethan.
“I’m too old for this crap,” he muttered as he angrily tugged on his shaggy black hair.
Isabelle grinned at him, not at all deterred by his sour expression. “You’re only twenty five; just think how you’re going to feel in a hundred years.”
He turned away from her and grabbed hold of one of the thick lower branches. Isabelle watched in amusement as he climbed swiftly toward Kyle. She shaded her eyes against the sun as he climbed higher, finally reaching their brother. Kyle slid his small arms around Ethan’s neck and climbed onto his back, he clung to him for dear life. Isabelle stifled a laugh as Ethan’s choking reached her. She knew he would be angry if he heard her laughing at him, but it took all she had not to. A lot of curses, scratches, and mumbled threats later, he slid safely back to the ground. The minute he hit the ground, Kyle hopped off his back and raced over to join his siblings.
“Not so fast!” Isabelle yelled as they turned to bolt down the path. “There will be no more climbing trees! And if I find out that the two of you dare them to do something stupid again, I’m going to tell mom and dad, and you’ll be grounded for a month! Understand?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Willow and Julian mumbled.
“Don’t you yeah, yeah me, or I’ll go and tell them right now.”
“No don’t!” they both yelled. “We’ll be good.”
“Good, and you two,” she continued as she turned to her younger siblings. “I want your promise that if they do dare you to do something, you will not do it.”
“We promise,” Kyle and Cassidy vowed in unison.
Isabelle closed her eyes and sighed. It was a useless promise; it would only be a matter of time before they were back into some mischief or another. “Go,” she said wearily.
They turned and bolted down the path, disappearing easily into the woods. “How long do you think it will be before they’re in trouble again?” Ethan asked, absently pulling a twig from his shirt.
“Before they hit the end of the path,” Isabelle answered with a small smile.
“Most likely. So, what’s going on with mom?”
Isabelle shot him a look as she started back down the path. “Nothing really, she’s just been awfully quiet since you told her that you ran into her friend Karen last month.”
“Kathleen,” Ethan corrected.
“Whatever,” she replied absently. “Plus, with Aiden going to college this fall, she’s a little upset.”
“Starting to get empty nest syndrome?”
Isabelle laughed as she pushed lightly against his shoulder. “I don’t think this nest will ever be empty.”
Ethan grinned back at her, his bright eyes twinkling merrily. “Not with the two of us here. She was that upset about Kathleen?”
“Yeah, she was,” Isabelle replied sadly. “She’s been talking about her a lot since then, reminiscing and stuff.”
Ethan frowned thoughtfully as he bit into his bottom lip. “I know Kathleen really seemed to miss her.”
“Mom feels the same way. Every time she mentions her name she gets this pained, distant look in her eyes. It’s sad.”
“Well, there’s nothing that we can do about it.”
“I know,” Isabelle whispered.
“Hey don’t get all glum on me now!”
Isabelle grinned at him as she shoved his arm. He smiled as he pushed her playfully back. Out of all of her siblings, Ethan was the most like her, and the one that she was closest too. Neither of them had much use for the human race, other than food, and Isabelle didn’t even bother with them for that. The idea of actually going out in the world, and living amongst people, had never appealed to either of them. Unlike the two of them though, Ian was already attending the University of Oregon, and he loved it. Aiden was thrilled about going away to school in the fall, and although Victoria and Abigail were only fifteen, they were already flipping through college brochures.
However, she and Ethan were content to stay here, and simply enjoy themselves. Isabelle rarely went out into the world, rarely even left her yard. Ethan went out more than she did, but not nearly as often as the stooges (as they had come to refer to Mike, Doug, Jack, and David), or Ian, Aiden, Vicky, and Abby. Isabelle wasn’t particularly fond of humans as it was, and the idea of actually living amongst them was not something that appealed to her.
She liked her life here, the peace of it, and the security that it offered her. She supposed it was cowardly of her to stay hidden away when there was a huge world that she could easily explore. However, she harbored a secret fear, and the possibility of her fear actually coming true was enough to make her want to n
ever leave.
She glanced over at Ethan to find him smiling softly, his hands in his pockets, and his black head bowed. She knew that smile, and she knew that look. “What are you thinking about?” she asked lightly.
Ethan instantly wiped the grin from his face. “Nothing.”
She cocked an elegant eyebrow as she smiled slyly at him. “Girls?”
He snorted in disgust. “Hardly.”
She laughed happily as she tossed back her hair. “Don’t lie Ethan, I know you.”
He scowled at her as they stepped out of the woods. She grinned back, bumping him playfully on the hip. “And what about you?” he demanded.
She frowned as she looked at him. “What about me?” she retorted.
He grinned at her as he slung his arm around her shoulders. “Boys?” he taunted.
Isabelle laughed as she leaned against his side. “I wouldn’t waste my time, or my energy,” she retorted.
“Speaking of time and energy,” Ethan groaned as a pickup laden with wood pulled into the driveway. Another followed up the hill and parked next to it. Isabelle started to laugh as she slipped free of his arm.
“It’s for our house,” she reminded him.
“Does that mean you’re going to help?” he inquired with a bright grin, and a quirked eyebrow.
“Yeah, right,” she replied laughingly.
She was still laughing as she skipped away with Ethan muttering miserably behind her.
CHAPTER 2
Isabelle handed out bottles of water to Ethan, Aiden, Ian, and Jack. They eagerly accepted them, twisting the tops off as they tossed their tools aside. She looked quickly around the large frame structure they had been working on. The house was going to be two stories, with four bedrooms, a finished basement, dining room, living room, kitchen, three full baths and one half bath, but for now it was just an empty skeleton. When completed, it would be mostly hers and Ethan’s, but when Aiden and Ian came home from school they would also be staying here.
“It’s coming along nicely,” she said softly.
“If you would help it would come along even faster,” Ethan said, flashing a bright grin at her.
“She’d have us cleaning up the sawdust as we went,” Jack retorted.
Isabelle made a face at him as she surveyed the mess surrounding her. Power tools, saw horses, and pieces of wood littered the ground. Extension cords ran in a hundred different directions, tarps had been laid out everywhere and slabs of concrete were scattered about. She was standing in what would be the dining room, but at the moment it was completely unrecognizable. The basement was the only thing that was done, but she knew that it wouldn’t take them long to finish everything else.
A little bubble of happiness rose inside her. She couldn’t wait until it was done and they could move in. For the first time in her life, she would be able to have some semblance of privacy. Plus, her mother had already helped her pick out most of the counters, flooring, rugs, tiles, and paint that would go into it and she couldn’t wait to start decorating her home.
“Where are David, Mike, and Doug?” she asked, holding up the three water bottles that hadn’t been claimed.
“They got smart and took off early to get a shower,” Ethan muttered, taking another bottle from her. He dumped most of it over his head before squirting the rest down his throat. Shaking out his wet hair he sent droplets of water cascading over all of them.
“Gross,” Isabelle protested.
He grinned at her and tossed the bottle into the trashcan nearby. “That’s the closest I’m going to get to a shower for at least an hour, so leave me be.”
She smiled back as Ian and Jack grabbed the remaining bottles. “I guess I get left out again,” Aiden mumbled as he rubbed his arm across his dirt and sawdust streaked face. His black hair was matted to his hard face with sweat and dirt. He looked amazingly like her father, and Ethan, with his dark hair, and bright green eyes, but Aiden was taller and leaner, his nose slightly larger, and his hair curly instead of straight.
“Move faster next time,” Ian retorted, smiling happily. His golden hair was caked with sawdust, sweat, and dirt. Grime smeared his elegant face, and the goggles covering his blue eyes made them look even bigger. He was the tallest of them all at six four, and the most solidly built.
“Where did your dad go?” Jack asked.
“Mom,” they all answered in unison.
Jack shook his head, throwing water everywhere. “I can’t wait to get this done,” he mumbled.
“Neither can I,” Ethan agreed.
“Bathrooms,” Aiden said longingly.
Isabelle grinned as she shook her head at them. “Well, are you guys coming in, or are you going to stay out here all night?” she asked impatiently.
“I’ll come with you guys, maybe a shower’s open,” Jack said hopefully.
“Doubtful,” Ethan muttered.
They moved swiftly across the open field, and up the back steps of the porch. Willow was standing on the porch, silently watching them until they reached the top. “What are you doing out here?” Isabelle inquired.
“Vicky and Abby are driving me crazy,” she muttered. “And if you’re hoping for a shower, forget it. They’ve been in the bathroom for over an hour bickering over who has better hair.”
“They’re identical!” Jack muttered impatiently.
“No, really?” Willow replied sarcastically.
Jack folded his arms over his chest as he gave her a stern look. “No need to be a wiseass.”
“I learned from the best,” she retorted. Jack reached out and tugged on her hair as he strode past, struggling to hide his smile from her.
Ethan slid the glass doors open and stepped into the kitchen. Everyone filed in behind him. Willow darted into the adjoining room, and slid the wooden doors shut behind her. Almost immediately Isabelle could hear her bickering with Julian. The TV in the basement was blaring, over the noise she could hear Kyle and Cassidy fighting over what they wanted to watch. Above it all, she could hear Vicky and Abby arguing over the hairdryer.
“Would you two cut it out! There are two hairdryers!”
Isabelle grinned as his father’s voice boomed through the house. She leaned against the counter, folding her arms over her chest as Aiden, Ian, and Jack slid wearily into the kitchen chairs. Ethan leaned against the counter beside her, crossing his long legs before him as her mother and father came strolling into the room, smiling brightly.
“Hi guys,” her mom greeted happily. “You’re a mess.”
“And it doesn’t look like we’re getting a shower here either,” Jack muttered.
“I’ll get them out of there,” her father told him.
He turned and strode back down the hall, yelling for Vicky and Abby to get out of the bathroom. He came back into the kitchen to the accompaniment of pounding footsteps. “Dad!” they yelled as they burst into the kitchen. “We’re not done!”
“Get ready in your bedroom then,” he told them, not at all deterred by their pouting.
“But...”
“No buts,” he said firmly.
They both stared at him with full, pouting lips and pleading green eyes as they lifted damp, light blond hair and held it out. “The light isn’t as good,” Vicky protested.
“Victoria, there are other people that need the bathroom. Go ahead Jack,” Isabelle’s mother said gently.
“Hey shouldn’t your kids go first!” Ian protested instantly. “We’re filthy too!”
Jack was gone in a blur of motion before Ian even could finish his sentence. “Damn I have to learn how to do that,” Aiden said in awe. Isabelle flashed past him, pulling his hair as she moved. “Ow! You witch! That wasn’t fair!”
Isabelle laughed happily as she returned to her spot on the counter. She had finally managed to master that particular power last year, when she had reached maturity. It aggravated the hell out of her brother’s that she could do it, and they couldn’t. She loved to use it on them. “What about us?”
Abby demanded.
Her mother took a deep breath as she bit into her lip and closed her eyes. Her father wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tight against his chest. “Use the bathroom in the basement,” he told them. The twins sighed angrily before turning and stomping down the stairs. “You really want more?”
Her mother laughed softly as she shook her head. “Not for a long time.”
“Good,” her father said on a sigh of breath.
Isabelle watched as her parents grew quiet, and then her mother burst out laughing and hit her father playfully. She had long ago adjusted to the silent conversations they had with each other. Conversations that always left them smiling. Sometimes, when she watched them, she wondered what it would be like to meet someone that would make her that happy, but more often than not the idea frightened the hell out of her.
She couldn’t imagine needing someone so much that she would die without them; it terrified her to even think about it. It was the main reason that she kept herself locked away, she was scared to death that she would accidentally stumble across the person that she couldn’t live without. That was the last thing she ever wanted to have happen to her.
She would gladly stay here for the rest of her existence before she gave up her heart, her soul, and her freedom to someone else. Her parents couldn’t bear to be apart for long periods of time, and when they were apart, they were in constant communication with each other’s minds. She knew that their love was rare, and precious, and something wonderful. But to never be able to part with someone was something that she didn’t even want to contemplate, let alone experience.
“So how are things going with the house?” her mom asked.
“They’re going,” Ethan answered tiredly.
A knock on the front door snapped all of their heads around. “Who could that be?” Aiden pondered.
“Probably some of the material I ordered for the new house, it was supposed to come today,” her mom answered. She untangled herself from her father, headed swiftly past the fridge, and down the stairs to the front door.
Destined (Vampire Awakenings) Page 2