by Phil Wohl
path and surprisingly inflated on thunderous impact. Thad’s bike stopped when it impacted the structure, but he continued to fly through the air and he landed so hard that it triggered the air mechanism. Gary ran into the garage and then dove into the rising hut, which started to take shape with a groggy Thaddeus in tow. Thad and Gary were swallowed into the hut, but Gary managed to get a hold of his friend and ask, “Are you all right, Thad?”
Thad was still shaking the cob-webs out of his head, “Did I win?”
The two men were so competitive that Gary had to back up and let it go for a change, “Yeah, Thad. I’m going to give you that one.”
The crowd filtered from their initial spot near the water to the front of the garage, which was on the left side of the house. While all of the attention was focused on that one area, a flurry of activity was taking place outside of the garage and was about to converge on the unsuspecting group.
The timing of the crash and the near-sonic boom it created woke Clair Vinson and Samuel from their extended and peaceful slumber, but their brains still weren’t fully back on line. The duo used their vampire senses to clean up and refresh their look before they walked like two zombies down the hallway and then out the front door. They stood side-by-side staring blankly into the surf and apparently waited for further instructions.
Linda and Brenda Vinson had obviously completed their full day of thrift shopping and antiquing, and were now headed down what appeared to be a dead end toward an abandoned warehouse.
“You sure this is the spot?” Linda asked her mother.
“First of all, that is not an abandoned warehouse,” Brenda said as she took her right hand off the steering wheel and placed it on Linda’s forearm, channeling a view of Hartwell’s actual house replacing the dilapidated image that was previous dominating her daughter’s view.
“Oh, that’s better!” Linda exclaimed. “What are all of those people doing outside?”
“Are we almost there yet,” a question from one of the children rained down on the adults as they approached the Beach Haven shores.
Four people were ready to answer the often-asked query but a surprising source stepped up to shed a little light on the group’s status.
“We’re here,” Ariel Justice said as she flipped her mermaid tail in excitement of completing the long trip, which propelled her to the top of a huge set of rocks at the edge of the water.
Peaceful thoughts enveloped Claire Vinson as any remaining images and dark influences of her father we banished and replaced with everything her mother’s side could offer. She instinctively turned to her right and walked away from Samuel and toward the lights of a car that had stopped about 30 yards in front of her.
The soothing thoughts of the Portland group also got inside of Samuel’s head and relinquished Claire’s hold on his mind. He looked out into the ocean and all he could see was a girl, a mermaid, her dark hair still wet but she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. A few days ago, the immature kid would have probably morphed into her image, but he now knew that it wasn’t cool to change into things that were of the opposite sex. He zipped down toward the rocks and then held her hand as he glided back to the higher ground with their eyes locked on each other.
The full impact of the arrival of the peacemakers, and especially Ariel, slowly trickled into the garage area, where the adults were obviously having an impromptu party as the bouncy hut was now fully inflated and utilized, as Gary escorted Thad to level ground. The other people quickly set tables up in the garage and the food was brought outside, as the movable feast was underway.
Hartwell and Cal walked over to see if Thaddeus was all right, but his attention was being occupied by images that had come into his hunter’s scope. Claire Vinson was walking toward her mother and grandmother and then she spotted her grandmother, who had exited the car and was walking toward her.
Daniel and Andrew exited the bouncy hut via the bounce, fly and land technique and were now standing next to the other guys. They were about to crack some jokes but noticed that the mood was not conducive to humor at that moment.
Thad touched the growing bump on his head and said, “I might still be a bit groggy but I smell that vampire again.”
The other guys were trying to process what Thad was referring to, but Hartwell knew what the hunter was talking about because he had detected the scent, too.
“Lowery.”
The sound of the dreaded vampire’s name echoed off the water and then made its way into the garage, effectively putting a halt to the festivities. The remaining members of the family either put their plates down or stopped bouncing in the inflatable hut, and made their way outside full of concern and ready for anything that would come their way.
The rest of the peacemakers made landfall while Claire Vinson hugged her grandmother.
“Grandma, what happened? How did I get here?”
She was scared and disoriented until she connected thoughts with her mother, who was standing in calm silence only a few feet away. Claire stepped back from her grandmother and then looked straight at Linda Vinson and said, “Mom?”
Tears were streaming down Linda’s eyes as her years of struggle and sacrifice had come to a dramatic end.
“Yes, it’s me honey,” Linda replied as a sobbing Claire literally jumped into her approaching mother’s eyes.
Maggie walked up and stood next to her husband, “Who are those people?”
The same question was being asked by Katherine Winters, and her daughter briefly ended the gaze of love with Samuel long enough to step forward in her human form and said internally, “That is the daughter of Charles Lowery. But he is no longer with us.”
Hartwell and the other vampires heard what Ariel said and Hartwell spoke for the group, “That glistening young lady over there just said that the girl is Lowery’s daughter, but he is no longer with us anymore.”
Thad looked over at Gary and said, “That explains a lot.”
Gary smiled, “I’m still going to take you in any race you choose when that bump on your head goes away in the morning.”
“Are we still going to Vegas?” Thad asked.
“Why not,” Gary replied.
Samuel walked with Ariel as the rest of the peacemakers followed. The vampire/protector/hunter group followed Hartwell and Maggie toward the Vinson family. As half of the sun was swallowed up by the horizon, the remaining light reflected off of Ariel as she approached Brenda Vinson, who tapped her daughter on the shoulder, “It’s the glimmering girl.”
Linda wiped the tears from her eyes and face and then did her first motherly thing she did since she touched heads 18 years earlier with her daughter, by wiping away her daughter’s tears.
Linda said, “It’s you.”
Ariel was an advanced being capable of almost anything her mind could grab onto. She channeled Claire Vinson’s thoughts with her eyes closed and reached the depths of her mind for real understanding. Ariel then bypassed the first 18 years of her life and focused in on the events of the last week, opening her eyes when she finally located the source of the disturbance.
“This girl has been under the influence of a force that it no longer with us. The source of which was vampirical in nature and was seeking revenge on that man’s family,” she said as she pointed at Hartwell.
Brenda Vinson looked over at where her granddaughter was pointing and recognized a familiar face.
“Thomas?”
Hartwell could see the women just fine but he stepped closer to present a more dramatic look at the woman’s face.
“Brenda? Brenda Vinson?” Hartwell replied.
The name sparked a few other men in the group.
“Brenda?” Thaddeus asked as Gary grabbed his shirt and said, “You know Brenda, too?”
“Yes, it’s me!” Brenda exclaimed. She looked over at the second voice and said, “Thaddeus and Garrison, how long has it been?”
Maggie initially looked over at Hartwell like a jealous spouse, but was both relieved and confused that she also knew the other men. Belinda proudly stepped forward and beamed at the sight of her boy Brandon holding hands with his wife Valerie. She once again felt the pride of a grandmother as she stepped forward and said, “Brandon and Valerie, who do we have here?”
The couple stepped forward and grabbed hold of another hand on their way closer to the group. Ariel reached back for Samuel, like a child not wanting to leave the room without their favorite toy, and he latched on to her fingers and came along for the ride.
“It is with great pleasure that I introduce for the first time in Beach Haven, at least on the outside,” Brandon announced, “our daughter, Ariel!”
Ariel flashed on Belinda’s motherly contribution to her father’s life and said internally to Belinda before the end of the introduction, “Grandma?”
Belinda cried cubes of joy as she and her granddaughter glided to each other as everyone else in the family greeted the newest addition to the family.
Samuel looked over at Claire Vinson and asked his father internally as everyone was mingling, “Dad, who is that girl.”
Max looked at Claire and scanned her recent thoughts and replied, “That’s not important right now, Samuel.”
As thoughts of the previous days dissipated, sparks of various connections ignited when family members hugged each other over the relief of past conflicts and the hope of only good times ahead.