“But you're driving!” Penny protested. Shooting a werewolf and driving an escape vehicle didn't seem humanly possible.
“I am more than capable of driving and shooting at the same time,” Thomas said. Somehow Penny was not reassured.
“No way, I am not giving you a gun!” Charles said.
What, do you want me to use my teeth?” Thomas said. Penny could hear a giggle in the front seat.
“Shut up! Just shut up, Thomas.” Charles rolled down the window as the car lurched again with another blow from the giant beast. Charles flew back into Penny, but quickly recovered and leaped to the window, gun in hand. Penny was not about to let Charles go out on this mission alone, so she disobeyed her order by rolling down the window to follow.
Penny heard a shot, but it was followed by another jolt of the car, so she assumed that Charles had been unsuccessful. Penny hit her head on the window seal when another jolt hit the car, but she continued to pull half of her body out through the window.
“Penny, get back in the car,” she heard Thomas say through the wind muffled intercom.
She looked up to the side mirror to give him an ugly look, but she didn't see anything in it. So she stuck her head back in the car and yelled into the intercom. “Shut up! Charles needs back up,” she said. “Can you just hold this car steady?”
“You try holding it steady against a werewolf pack leader,” Thomas said. “Fine, don't mess up your hair though. It would be a shame for you to look all disheveled for Charles.” She could hear him laughing in the front seat.
“Are you even capable of being serious?” Penny asked as another shot rang out, then a jerk that symbolized another failed attempt on Charles's part. Penny pulled herself out the window again and surveyed the scene. The mangy dog was distracted by Charles. He took a couple of lunges toward Charles's gun arm, but a couple of smooth and skilled manoeuvres from Thomas sent the beast into the car door instead. Penny's abdomen lurched into the side of the door.
Wow, Penny thought, Thomas is a good driver! While the beast was distracted by the handsome vampire hunter and the mysterious driver's evasion techniques, Penny took aim. She had one shot before the wolf would notice her. One shot to take him down. Penny steadied her hand and just as the beast lunged toward Charles, she shot it in the head.
The beast slumped to the ground and the car sped off toward the city. Penny pulled herself back into the car. She smiled at Charles as he re-entered the car. “You're welcome!”
“What part of stay out of this didn't you understand?” Charles asked, giving Penny a scowl.
“Charles, I told her to. You needed some back up,” Thomas said as he rolled down the partition. Penny still couldn't make out much of the mysterious joking driver who had saved their lives. His collar was popped up and he wore a very large hat, a turtle neck, and huge aviator sunglasses. He kept his head down.
“She could have gotten hurt,” Charles said. He poked Thomas's shoulder with his finger.
“I wasn't going to let her get hurt,” Thomas replied. “And I wasn't going to let you get hurt either.”
“Hey, I'm not a lady in distress here,” Penny spoke up. She didn't like them having a conversation planning her actions without her right there. She could handle herself, as she had just proved with the werewolf.
“Of course not,” Thomas said. “Charles can just be a little intense and over protective sometimes.”
“Alright, good job, Penny,” Charles said. He said and ruffled his perfect hair and sighed. “Just try to follow orders next time and I will be sure to include you more, okay?”
“Sounds good.” Penny smiled as she spoke to Charles. She was going to like this charming guy, and she had no one to steal him from her anymore. Penny fought back a tear at that thought; she would give anything to have her sister back, even if she did like to steal the cute boys from her.
“Thomas, pull over so I can drive,” Charles said as he leaned forward in his seat. “You need to get out of here.”
“Now?” Thomas asked. Penny wasn't sure what he meant by that question. When was a better time?
“Fine, you are so vain. We'll pull over at night fall,” Charles said. He nervously drummed the seat back.
“Oh look who's talking! Your hair is messed, by the way,” Thomas said as the partition went up again.
“Excuse, I don't understand what is going on. Who are you anyway?” Penny asked through the half raised wall.
“He's just an old friend,” Charles told her.
“So, he's not part of the Brotherhood?” Penny asked with a raised eyebrow. “What was all this about not telling me anything because of the public...”
“Look, Penny, please, please, don't mention Thomas to anyone in the Brotherhood. Forget that Thomas had anything to do with this. Can I trust you? Can you trust me? Please.” Charles took Penny's hand in his.
“I was just harassing you,” Penny said. “I don't think Thomas will do us any harm. And if I had friends from my past that were willing to help me, I would do the same thing.” She hoped she had alleviated Charles's fear. She wanted him to like her. Plus, she hoped she would see Thomas again someday. He provided great backup and much needed comic relief in the heat of battle.
“Thanks,” he said. Charles pulled out a mirror and fixed his hair.
Penny laughed as he put every lock back into place.
“Ok, maybe I am a little vain,” Charles said. He put the mirror away and resumed his I'm done talking position. Penny however, was no longer in any mood to rest. She had just fought and killed a giant werewolf. Her adrenaline was pumping and she could not understand how Charles would just sit back and relax. He took one of his hands off his stomach and intertwined his fingers into hers.
The two rode silently hand in hand for another couple hours until sundown when Thomas pulled the car over on a small side street. The front car door opened and Thomas stepped out into the shadows. Penny tried to get a better look at him, but he still kept his head down and never faced toward her. He quickly disappeared down an alleyway.
Penny and Charles emerged from the car and Charles made his way around to the driver’s side. She stood awkwardly by her door while Charles stepped closer to her and closed the door for her.
“Thanks,” she said as she ran her fingers through her hair. “He's kind of...weird.” She looked off in the direction that Thomas had disappeared.
“Yeah, always has been an interesting one,” he replied. He took her hands and looked into her eyes. “I really wanted to thank you again for agreeing to this secret. It really means a lot to me.”
“It's really not a big deal,” Penny said turning head down to avoid his intense gaze.
“No, it really is a big deal. So thanks.”
Penny looked up at him again. His eyes were addictive. “You’re welcome,” she said. She wanted him to kiss her, but she didn't know how appropriate that would be. Perhaps the Brotherhood had rules against fraternization. She hoped they didn't.
Charles held her gaze and she felt like she was stuck in a vampire's seductive charm.
“I thought vampire were supposed to be the charming ones,” she said and let a nervous giggle escape between her lips.
“Oh, they are...very seductive,” Charles said and gave her his trademark half smile.
“Well, that is not good because right now, I am sure you could get me to do just about anything for you,” she replied inching a little closer.
“I could say the same for you too.” He let go of her hands and softly caressed her face. He cupped her cheeks in his hands and brought her lips up to his, kissing them lightly. Penny fought her instincts to just grab him and throw him against the car.
“Alright, get in the car. We have to get back,” he said, pulling away from Penny. He walked around the car and opened the first door for her. “You can ride up front.”
Penny regained her composure from his kiss, trotted over to Charles, and got in the car. She tried not staring at him, but his lips commanded her at
tention.
Charles drove the rest of the way to the Brotherhood sanctuary. Occasionally, Penny caught him glimpsing in her direction. She gave him coy smiles in return. For the first time in months Penny was happy again. She had new friends that understood and believed her, adventure, and a place to call home.
(CHAPTER 3) A New Normal
“The best way to kill vampires is to get to know them. This is yours to keep. Learn it forward and backwards,” Charles said to Penny. He had given her a large book on the basics of vampires. The Brotherhood had assigned Charles to mentor Penny over the next couple months. She was excited to be able to spend so much time with Charles.
“Okay, learn book,” Penny said, taking the book in her hands. “Is there anything I should know that will speed the learning along? This is a pretty thick book.”
“Not to be smart, but the beginning. Read the first chapter a couple of times. It's a very basic introduction. After that, you can skip around.”
“So, will I learn why I wasn't killed with my family in this book?” Penny asked. The thoughts had tormented her since that night. Most of her dreams revolved around her surviving.
“Indirectly, maybe. But I can tell you one thing: it's important to remember with vampires that they are supernatural creatures, unlike humans that are natural, physical creatures. So a lot of things that make no sense to us, or even appear to be completely silly from a human perspective, are important to vampires.”
“And how does that relate to him sparing me?” Penny asked. She often wished that she had just died with the rest of her family.
“Ah, basically, that you may never know. It could have been something you were wearing, your birth date, something you ate that night...”
“Like garlic bread?”
“Um, no, vampires aren't allergic to garlic... more like an herb they consider to have mystical properties or, even more likely, a dish that their mother used to make when they were human. Vampires tend to be obsessed with certain smells from their human life. If you get to know a vampire well enough, you can trap them with nostalgia.”
“So if the vampire's mommy made tuna noodle casserole, now he has to stop and smell it?”
“Yep, kinda like a tuna noodle trance,” Charles said without a hint of a laugh. Penny liked that she had a hard time deciphering when he was being serious or joking.
“You're right, that is silly.” Penny leafed through the book for a minute while Charles stood over her.
“Do you have any questions?” Charles asked. He was leaning in close to her. Penny's heart beat a little faster every time he got closer to her. “I have some business to deal with. But I will be back in a couple hours.”
“No,” Penny replied, even though she had one burning question on her mind: What about us? Actually they were a series of questions about him kissing her, whether they were even allowed to kiss each other, and if he actually liked her or just got caught up in that moment. She would wait until later. “I need to get settled in here anyway.”
“Alright, I'll see you later then.” He left without a hug, a kiss, or any other sign of affection that had been there before.
Penny sat on her new bed and surveyed the room that would be hers forever. There were strange symbols and decorations on every wall. The furniture was elegant and either made of wood or gold. There were no mirrors anywhere in her room and, in fact, she hadn't seen them anywhere else in the house either. The ceiling was painted with frescoes from Shakespeare and all the linens were silk or taffeta and all the drapes, the ones surrounding her bed and the ones covering three windows, were made of a heavy embroidered wool. It was much fancier than she would have expected from a group of vampire hunters. But then again, from the moment she saw the house, it had blown her mind.
To say that the house was enormous was an understatement. Its Victorian architecture sprawled on for acres with gazebos; the miles of twisting hallways were made even more intriguing by secret passageways in the walls. Charles and Penny had to travel through the house in a roundabout fashion in order to get to her room. They descended a stair case seven steps and then went up eleven steps where Charles reached out his hand and smacked the wall. A door had appeared and he swiftly directed her through it. They had walked through walls, opened windows on the floor, walked on air. They road an elevator down several stories and then walked across the hall and road it back up to the same floor, which now looked completely different than before. Penny had counted again to make sure they were on the same floor. When Charles had seen how confused Penny was, he said, “I know this place doesn't seem to make much sense, but it keeps the vampires out.” Penny was beginning to wonder if becoming a vampire took away your sense of logic.
Penny stood up from her bed and went to a window. She thought they had gone way too far into the house for there to be windows. But then again she could be could be looking out onto the front lawn. So, she threw open the drapes.
Penny screamed. There was a naked man standing in her window. She quickly shut the blinds as the man realized that he was being watched. Was he in the shower? She thought, Why would a window in my room look into someone's shower?
Charles burst into the room. “What's wrong?” When he realized she was standing next to the curtains, he said, “Oh, oops, sorry, I should have warned you not to open that curtain.” His voice was broken up with laughter.
“It's not funny,” Penny said. She was sure that her cheeks were as red as a vampire's lunch. “Is there anything else that you forgot to tell me? Are there more naked men hiding in my closet?” Penny threw a pillow at Charles's face. He caught it midair and continued to laugh at her.
“No, just good old George's shower...” Charles replied, still snickering at Penny's predicament.
“Get out of here,” Penny said as she threw another pillow at Charles. He caught that one too and threw them both back at Penny. The massive wool and silk pillows hit her square in the belly and sent her sprawling onto her bed.
Charles jumped onto the bed and grabbed another pillow to protect himself as Penny flailed her legs and arms.
“You are really gonna need to learn how to fight better if you plan on lasting against any vampires,” he said, still chuckling. When he leaned over Penny's body, one of his small, perfect curls fell out of place and into his eyes.
Penny sighed. He was gorgeous.
“You are very beautiful when you get frustrated,” Charles said. He leaned over, kissing her lips longer than before. The pillows still separated them as Charles continued to kiss her. Penny tried to remove the barrier keeping her from embracing Charles, but a knock on the door interrupted her.
“I bet that is George coming over to introduce himself,” Charles said as he pulled himself off Penny. He started laughing again.
“Hello?” An older gentlemen entered the room.
“Afternoon, George!' Charles said rather chipper. “I haven't laughed this hard in years!”
“And all this time all I had to do to get you to loosen up was shower naked...” George said as he stepped into the room. He was a tall thin older man with gray hair.
“Hi George,” Penny said trying not to show her embarrassment. “Charles neglected to tell me about the window to your shower...in my room.”
“Ah, yes, I wouldn't worry about that,” George said and laughed. “If you start to make it a habit though I might get the wrong impression, though.” George winked at Charles. “And who wouldn't want to get the wrong impression from a pretty girl like you.” He patted Charles on the shoulder as he paused. “Normally girls go for Charles, not me!”
Charles rolled his eyes. “Alright, old man, I think that's enough for now,” Charles said, cutting him off from divulging more information.
“Oh, already got your game on, eh?” George sat in a wing back chair near the bed. “Can't find a better guy than Charles.”
“So you're allowed to...to fraternize?” Penny said. She had been hoping fraternization was possible since the moment she se
t eyes on Charles.
“Eh, this ain't the military. Besides, who else?” The old man shrugged. “Welcome to the Brotherhood...sorry it's in such terrible circumstances.”
“Thanks,” Penny replied. She stood up and walked over to another window. “Is there anything behind these other two that I should know about?” She wanted to avoid the topic of her family. She was sure that everyone in the Brotherhood knew what had happened.
“No, one's just a wall and the other is a stained glass window,” Charles said as he walked over and pulled back a curtain reveling a window with a plain wall behind the glass. “There's a trap door behind this window that leads to a crawl space. It's an alternate escape route. All rooms have them. Yours just happens to be behind a window.”
Penny peaked behind the curtain and saw a stained glass window showing a relief from Romeo and Juliet.
“Do the curtains need to stay closed, or can I open them?” she asked.
“Well, I would prefer if you left my curtain closed,” George said then he chuckled slightly to himself.
“Why isn't there a curtain on your side?” Penny asked. She thought that if it was her shower, that she would want control over who could peep on her bathing.
“That's just not how it was designed,” Charles said as he closed the curtains over the trap door window.
“Everything has a purpose and a reason. They may not make sense to you, but they do to vampires. You can have the curtains open sometimes, but you should close them before you sleep or leave the room.”
“Okay,” Penny said, rubbing her eyes. She was getting tired.
“I think that we will leave you alone for a little bit,” Charles said when he saw Penny rubbing her eyes. “You need some rest.”
After the two men left, Penny decided that sleep was indeed in order. She flopped on the bed without even bothering with the blankets. The long trip and emotional strain had worn her out and she was soon fast asleep. That night Penny had the worst dreams since her family had been killed. Instead of just throwing her into the closet or turning her into a vampire, the monster kept coming into the closet with her. He would stand over her paralyzed body, staring at her as the screams of her family echoed through the house. No matter what she did her in sleep, the vampire was always there, following her, touching her, staring at her.
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