The Next Generation

by S. C. Stephens

  Looking me over, Trey held his joint out to me. “Want to smoke now?”

  I glanced down at the drugs, then back to the bedroom where Raquel had broken my heart. Again. The hole in my chest was worse than any stake wound would have been. Needing a break from pain and suffering, I twisted back to Trey. “Yeah…give it to me.”

  Smiling, he did.

  I WAS HAVING a nightmare. It was a nightmare I hadn’t had in a while. It was one of those that jerked me into reality, made me question what was real and what wasn’t when I woke up. It was an especially terrifying dream for me, because it was based in reality. It was about Julian…about his abduction.

  I woke up with a start, clutching my sheets to my chest. My heart raced as I exhaled heavy breaths. In the dream, Julian was missing, our blood bond gone. All I’d been able to sense was his fear, his fear mixed with my own. It was awful.

  Tears were in my eyes as I laid in my bed, begging my body to return to normal. “Julie?” I whispered, terrified my dream was real.

  When he didn’t answer me, I slowly began to realize that he wasn’t at home. Through the bond, I could feel him miles away from here. Alarmed, I sprang to my feet and burst through our mutual bathroom. Flying into his bedroom, I looked around for any sign of foul play. Since his room was always a disaster, it was impossible to tell what had happened here.

  Trying to control the panic rising in me, I focused on what he was feeling. Was he hurt? Scared? No…he wasn’t. As I paid more attention to him, I felt his…euphoria. It was strange though, not like normal joy. It was almost like he was obliviously happy—giddy. He felt light and airy, but in an unnatural way. Just tapping into his emotions was giving me a buzz. I giggled a little as his elation settled over me. And that was when it hit me.

  “Oh my God, Julian…you’re wasted.” My head snapped to the direction my derelict brother was. “You went to that freaking party and now you’re wasted!” I hissed that as quietly as I could, but it really didn’t matter, since my super-hearing parents were behind soundproof doors.

  Sensing that Ben and Olivia were deep in REM sleep, I quickly changed and headed downstairs. No way was I going to let Julian stay out all night drunk or stoned. Who knew what kind of trouble he could get into. Knowing I was going to get in just as much trouble as Julian if I got caught, I grabbed my dad’s keys from his jacket hanging by the front door. I felt like every jingle the keys made when they touched each other was going to wake up somebody, but I wanted to get to Julian fast. Well, fast and discreet. I could run to him in the blink of an eye, but a human could see me if they caught the right angle. Since Julian wasn’t in pain or in trouble, it wasn’t worth the risk. And showing up at a party in a car was easier to explain than saying I was out in the middle of the night on foot.

  I opened my dad’s Pruis as stealthily as I could. Grateful for once that it wasn’t a noisy muscle car, I started the engine. The whine was slight, but I didn’t hear or feel any rustling in the house. Exhaling the breath I’d been holding, I backed out of the drive and sped my way to Julian.

  The house where he was partying was in a secluded area just outside of the city. It was the farthest house away in our school district, just on the edge of being too far. The gravel driveway was long and twisted, with an open gate at the beginning. For a moment, it reminded me of the ranch.

  Checking in with those vampires, I made a note of where the rest of the family was. So far, nobody had started heading toward Julian and me. If any relatives back at the ranch were curious over why our locations had started moving, they weren’t doing anything about it. Of course, we were far enough away from the ranch that they wouldn’t really be able to tell that we’d left the house; I doubted they could even tell we were gone. All I could feel from them was a vague sense that they were east of me. We’d have to be much closer for the bond to get more specific.

  There were so many cars in the driveway that I had to park far from the house. Even though it was chilly and late, kids were ambling about. They were all dressed up in some sort of costume, and I instantly felt out of place as I stepped from the vehicle. Sensing my brother in the heart of the two-story home, I headed that way.

  Zombies coated in latex and fake blood were everywhere; it was definitely the “in” costume this year. As I walked through the wide-open front door, it almost looked like the house was under some sort of paranormal siege. But, if it was, then it was the happiest siege in all of history. Smiles, laughter, dancing, and kissing couples were everywhere I turned. Plastic cups were in almost every set of hands and from the smell wafting out of the cups, I was sure it wasn’t lemonade.

  I felt my brother off to the left of the house, so I pushed my way through the crowd to get over there. I was stopped by several kids from school who wanted to chat with me. Most of them seemed surprised to see me; I generally wasn’t the partying type. None of them knew where my brother was when I asked. I knew exactly where to find him, but for appearances, I had to ask around. When I made it to the kitchen, I got a little lost. My brother was below the kitchen, but I had no idea how to get down there.

  Derrick, the senior who lived here, was chatting with a slutty nurse by the refrigerator. He was dressed as an Egyptian Pharaoh; the two outfits clashed like crazy. If the nurse was his girlfriend, they really should have coordinated better. Stepping up to him, I tapped his bare bicep. He glanced at me, then turned back to the inebriated nurse hanging on his every word.

  “Derrick?” I asked, tapping him a little harder.

  Obviously not wanting to be interrupted, he glared at me. “Yeah?”

  “You got a basement?”

  He pointed to a door that was slightly ajar. Now that I was paying attention to it, I could smell the pungent odor of pot coming from that direction. Cursing my idiot brother, I darted for the door. Derrick called out after me, “Don’t burn anything down there.”

  The smell of weed and incense was stronger with every step I took. The basement was dark; the only lights in the room were black lights. It made my teeth gleam and my white shirt glow. I was sure my eyes glowed a little too…a weaker version of the rest of my family’s eyes. The room I stepped into was a den/pantry. Shelves of food lined the wall, most of them jarred or canned. A couple of couches were in the center of the room, a large TV next to them. I could easily picture Derrick and his family coming down here to play board games or watch a movie. When the room wasn’t full of kids getting high, of course.

  A thin layer of smoke hung in the air as pipes were passed back and forth. My brother was sitting on a couch with Trey, laughing as they shared a bright white cigarette-like joint. Julian seemed completely oblivious to the fact that I was here. Even in his current state, he had to know I was; our bond was intact, even if his mind wasn’t. All I felt from him was joy though, a joy that made me want to giggle, dance, and sing. I kept a firm hold on my sobriety as I stepped up to him.

  “Julian, it’s time to go,” I stated in my most authoritative voice.

  Twisting to look at me, he took a long drag off the joint he was holding. I tried to rein in my anger as I watched him inhale it, hold it, then slowly exhale it. “Hey, Nika, when did you get here?”

  He started laughing as he handed the pot to Trey. I was concentrating on not reacting to the drug’s effect on Julian’s emotions when I noticed it. The black lights made his teeth shine in the darkness…and his canines were much longer than they should have been—about as long as our teeth could go. He had his fangs completely extended.

  I gasped and grabbed his face. “Julian! Stop it!”

  I tried to close his mouth but a spike of irritation flashed through Julian’s giddy state and he hissed at me, then growled. It was the low, intense growl that our dad had taught him in the kitchen. It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. The potheads in the room didn’t react to it, but Trey did.

  “Dude! That was fantastic!” He took a hit from his joint. “I take it back…your costume’s not lame. Well, no, being a
vampire is still lame, dude…but the growl is cool.”

  My eyes snapped to Trey’s. “His costume?”

  Trey was dressed as a joker or jester; his hat had little bells on it that chimed when he moved. As he nodded, his glazed eyes locked onto Julian’s teeth. “Yeah. The outfit sucks though…you really should have a cape…maybe some blood running out of your mouth.” He reached over and touched one of Julian’s fangs. My eyes were as wide as they could go. “But your teeth are so real they’re freaky. Where’d you buy those anyway?”

  Crap. This inspection of Julian’s teeth needed to end right now. High or not, Trey might piece some things together if it went on for too long. Using strength that was unnatural for me to have, I pulled Julian to his feet. He was irritated at being manhandled, but then a laidback smile crept over his features. His high flooded me, and I closed my eyes. It was hard to separate his feelings from mine while his body was being herbally enhanced. I chuckled, then my eyes flew open. “You’re making me high!” I hissed under my breath.

  Julian laughed. “Really? That’s…awesome.”

  I shoved his shoulder, feeling a little unsteady on my feet. “No, it’s not…it’s weird.” I brought my fingers to my head; the lighter Julian felt, the lighter I was starting to feel. It was disorienting, to say the least. “Come on, we have to go. Mom and Dad will kill you if they figure out where you are.”

  Julian shrugged, then trudged along behind me. Trey popped up beside us. I blinked at him, feeling sluggish. The residual pot in the air wasn’t helping me fight off my brother’s lackadaisical mood. “Where are you going?” I asked him.

  “With you. I need a ride home.” He grabbed a skateboard off the floor, like that was his only other option, and he really didn’t want to take it.

  I sighed, then wondered if I should even drive in this state. Like the blood bond, our emotive bond was stronger the closer we were to each other. Now that my high brother was right beside me, I was feeling no pain too. But, I reminded myself, those emotions and feelings weren’t mine. I was fine. I was sober. And I could shove Julian’s feelings to the back of my brain if necessary. Even still, I giggled when he giggled.

  Julian was all smiles and hugs as we exited the house. I had to pull him away from about four different people that he wanted to chat with like they were long-lost friends. I prayed he didn’t run into Raquel. I’d never get him home if he spotted her.

  Luckily, we didn’t run into her. We did, however, run into my best friend.

  Arianna stopped short when she came across us in the entryway. She looked like she was leaving. Pulling my brother behind me, my mouth dropped open when I saw her. “Arianna? I thought you said you weren’t going to the party?”

  Arianna’s eyes were wide as she took me in. “Hey, Nika! I wasn’t going to but…” Her voice trailed off as she noticed that I was pulling my brother behind me. “Julian? I didn’t know you were here.”

  My brother, in his everything-is-right-in-the-world mood, squirmed away from me and latched onto Arianna. He lifted her a foot in the air. “Arianna!” he exclaimed, squeezing her tight. Arianna, dressed as an adorable, yet sexy, piece of candy corn, giggled and wrapped her arms around him. I sighed. I’d rather have him run into Raquel right now than Arianna.

  With a sigh, Julian set her down. He didn’t release her, though, and his arms were still cinched around her waist. “I’m glad you’re here. It’s been kind of a shitty night, and I need my friend to talk to…” He blinked, then shook his head like something had surprised him. “You’re really pretty. Do you know that?”

  Arianna’s cheeks filled with color, and her eyes softened with warmth as she gazed at him. Feeling that a “moment” was about to happen, I tapped on Julian’s shoulder. “We have to go, Julie. Like, now.”

  Julian blinked at me, then complied and let her go. Arianna’s heart was racing as she reluctantly stepped away from him, and I was sure she would chide me about my “timing” later. I was doing her a favor though; Julian wasn’t in his right mind.

  When it was clear that Julian wasn’t going to go anywhere voluntarily, I grabbed his hand and pulled him forward. The sudden movement made him giggle, and, still high through him, damn if I didn’t giggle too. Julian clutched Arianna’s hand at the last minute, pulling her with us, and Trey loped after us all, the bells on his costume jingling in a merry way that matched Julian’s mood.

  Arianna walked close by my brother’s side as we headed into the frigid night. “You a vampire, Julian? I like your teeth.”

  With a mental groan, I twisted back to glare at him; he should know better than to show his teeth, even if he was passing it off as a costume. Smiling broadly, he still had his fangs out for the entire world to see. Thankfully, no one thought anything of it, but still, he shouldn’t be exposing himself like this. Julian winked at Arianna, laughing as he answered her. “It’s lame, I know, but it was the easiest costume I could come up with.”

  Snuggling into his side, Arianna murmured, “It’s sexy.”

  She said it in a low, sultry voice that I probably wasn’t supposed to hear, but I did, and I stopped in my tracks. Julian and Arianna, oblivious to the world around them, crashed right into me. Julian thought it was funny while Arianna looked embarrassed. I divided the two inappropriately flirty friends, letting go of Julian and looping my arm around Arianna.

  She was reluctant to leave my brother, casting long, wistful glances behind us as I pulled her forward. Once she thought she was out of Julian’s ear shot, she said, “Did you hear him, Nika? He thinks I’m pretty. I think he might finally be interested.” She was ear-to-ear smiles.

  With a sad sigh, I shook my head. “He’s totally high, Arianna. I wouldn’t put much stock in anything he says or does right now.”

  Arianna frowned as she peeked back at him. “Yeah…but even still, he could be getting over her. He could like me…” Her voice was so hopeful, it broke my heart, and I didn’t have it in me to burst her bubble. I knew what Julian felt when he was around her, and yes, he liked her, enjoyed her company, found her appealing…but even with all that, his heart was somewhere else.

  Not able to say that to her, and not wanting her to get hurt by his inhibitions, I kept the two of them apart while we walked to the car. With Trey and Julian stumbling and laughing, pausing for fifteen minutes to find Julian’s skateboard somewhere on the lawn, it took forever to get there. Embarrassingly, I stumbled a few times too. Arianna caught me, asking if I was all right. I told her I was fine and hoped that I was.

  When we got to the car, I told Julian to get into the back seat, hoping a little space would help with my osmosis-high. Trey hopped in the front seat right as Arianna turned to me. “Can I get a ride home? Sarah dropped me off earlier.”

  I paused before answering her. If I said yes, she and Julian were going to be backseat buddies the entire ride home. I couldn’t leave her stranded though. “Um…sure.”

  Julian crooked a grin while Arianna darted around to the other side of the car. He reached down to open his door to the backseat, and I grabbed his arm. Leaning in, I whispered, “Please leave her alone, like you promised?”

  He blinked at me, then made some strange gesture with his face that was both a “Sure” and a “Whatever, leave me the hell alone.”

  “Nika?” Julian and I both turned as a voice in the night said, “Is that you?”

  Surprise overrode my buzz as Hunter strode toward us. I was again taken aback by how sultry he was in the moonlight. His hair was even darker, his eyes deeper and more penetrating. Even the rough stubble along his jaw was sexier than in the daylight. I bit my lip as his lean body stopped right in front of me.

  “Hunter? What are you doing here?”

  I reached up to hug him as I said it, and he held me tight, kissing my cheek. We’d been keeping things pretty mellow as we were slowly getting to know each other, but I melted into his side, euphoric at being close to him again. Or maybe that was just a side effect of being next to Julian.
Either way, I leaned up to give Hunter a soft kiss. He returned it, speaking through the small breaks in our pecks. “Well…Dad and I…were in the area…heard the noise…thought we’d make sure everything…was okay. He’s scoping out the other side.”

  Giggling, I pulled away. “How very civic minded of you. You’re not going to call the cops, are you?”

  Hunter’s dark eyes swept over the kids partying on the lawn. “For underage drinking? Nah. If no one’s being hurt than—”

  He cut off as his eyes locked onto Julian. Maybe it was my imagination, but Hunter’s face seemed to drain of all its color. He seemed ghostly white in the light of the moon. He didn’t say anything, just kept staring at Julian. As Hunter tensed and started to reach behind himself, my brother blinked, then looked annoyed. “What? You want me to leave so you can make out with my sister?”

  Julian frowned, the move looking a little strange around his fangs. Then he started giggling and fell back against the car. Hunter was by his side in a flash, helping him stand up. Hunter seemed both alarmed and confused as he helped Julian straighten. He kept searching his features, touching his hands, then he put his palm against Julian’s head, like he was taking his temperature. My heart started to race as I wondered if Hunter suspected that Julian’s fangs were more than a prop.

  But then, as suddenly as he’d seemed worried…Hunter was fine. Shaking his head, he asked Julian, “You all right, man?”

  Julian looked a little offended at being fondled by my boyfriend. Worried that he’d say or do something stupid, I opened Julian’s door and shoved him and his skateboard onto the seat. Quickly closing his door, I stood in front of it, blocking Hunter’s view. He stared through me, like he was looking at Julian through my body. “Your brother’s costume is pretty realistic.”

  I giggled. “How do you know? Seen many vampires?” I wanted to slap my hand over my mouth after I said it. Damn Julian and his stupid high. Hunter raised an eyebrow at me, and, needing to distract him, I looped my arms around his neck and pulled him into me. I found his lips as fast as I could. My stall tactic seemed to work, and he melted into my embrace. Julian’s drug-enhanced euphoria took me over, and I let it. I poured my joyous mood into my moment with Hunter.