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After my trip to the cave I decided to go home. Three years after Lizzie and Jade had been turned and my parents were trying to move on. The Christmas lights were shining bright and all the presents under it were labeled for me, mom, and dad for the first time. Usually, my parents bought a few things without even thinking for the two angels they lost, and I would sneak them out of the house New Years when mom was taking down the tree. I knew the girls were trying so hard to move on as well, but they constantly asked about their parents and I knew it would hurt them to see that this year, our parents took a step forward. I shed a few tears of my own over the idea of having nothing to give them. I heard footsteps outside and a knock on the door. I wiped my eyes and rushed to the door. It was getting cold and I didn’t want anyone getting sick over my emotions. I looked through the peephole and my heart sped a little. There were two cops standing on the front step. I opened the door slowly, fearing they would ask things I wouldn’t know how to answer. “Good morning officers” I whispered, trying to keep my voice from shaking. “Morning miss” one of them responded. He was taller than the other, thinner as well. He seemed to be the leader of the two of them, so I turned my attention to him. “Are your parents awake yet?” he asked, walking into the house. It seemed to have slipped my mind to invite them in. “No sir” I answered, confused. Why would they need to speak with my parents? Then it hit me. The girls weren’t really dead. Mark had tried so hard to hide them both, but maybe someone had seen something. He would be devastated if anyone ever took the girls from him, especially if it meant him losing Rachel and Adam as well. “Can you have them drop by the station when they do wake up? It’s important” the officer said just as my mother came downstairs. “What is it officers?” She asks, looking nervous. “We found some footage from a mall three years back. We have a lead in the case of your missing daughters.”
***Shayla’s POV***
I awoke with a start. Something had happened, even if I wasn’t sure what it was. I surveyed the cave and saw Lizzie crying. “Lizzie” I whispered, crawling over to her. She curled up in my arms, sniffling her nose and tunneling into my chest. I rubbed her back and made quiet reassuring noises, hoping to calm her down before the others woke up. She slowly calmed down, but didn’t look like she was going back to sleep anytime soon. I picked her up and carried outside so we could talk. “What’s wrong, sweet pea?” I asked, as she still looked upset. “I miss my sissy and my parents. I know I see Anna all the time, but she never stays to visit and I haven’t seen my mommy or daddy in three years! I know it’s too late now, but I just want to go home” she whined, clinging to me. Lizzie’s emotional state was so much younger than she actually was and it made my heart break to see the little girl in so much distress. There were panicked footsteps running through the woods, but this time I knew who they belonged to. It seemed that Anna rarely came here unless there was something wrong. There were tears on her face this time though, letting me know it was something serious. “What’s up?” I asked her, trying to keep her from waking the others. “The police… They found… A security tape” she gasped, trying to catch her breath. At first I didn’t get it. What could a security tape really hurt? Then I remembered. All these people are underage, including me. The only one old enough to actually take care of us is Mark, who might soon be going to jail unless we find a way to fix things. “What was on the tape?” I asked, trying to figure out exactly how bad the situation was. “They saw the three of us leaving the candy store in the mall and a guy approach us. They never saw the face of the man, but they saw the three of us leave with him and then a few hours later they saw me return, without the others, and the man and the other girls leave. That’s all they need in order to get Mark for kidnapping!” Anna said, looking frantic again and starting to pace. “Anna! Calm down! We’ll figure this out, together, all of us. I think we need to include Matt in any drastic plans though. If we have to relocate or hide somewhere I’m sure he could help” I said, already trying to plan things. I was so lost in thought I didn’t hear Mark behind me. “Shay, aren’t you getting a bit carried away? I mean, they can’t prove it’s me seeing as they never saw my face and the girls are good at hiding. We are going to be just fine. And just to be sure Anna will keep an eye out for us too. She will let us know if things start looking bad and they we can look into options. For now I think this is just a good reminder to us that as much as we think we are invisible, we really aren’t. Rachel, you need to go and make sure there is no video of Shay disappearing into the woods with you and Adam.” I hadn’t even noticed her wake up, but sure enough she was there and alert, disappearing as soon as he gave her orders. The others were just starting to stir so I rushed inside, careful to avoid looking scared or anxious. I didn’t need Adam worrying about me. I snuggled back into him and he awoke with a smile. “Morning gorgeous” he mumbled, kissing my forehead. As much as this relationship seemed rushed, I had to admit I loved it. However, we needed to talk. “Can we talk, babe?” I asked, careful to smile and let him know it wasn’t a bad thing; I just needed some things cleared up. He nodded and grabbed my hand and we walked to the woods far enough away the others would only hear if they tried hard and I doubted they would. “What’s up?” he asked, looking nervous. “What are we?” I asked, and quickly regretted it at the hurt look that crossed his face. “Don’t get me wrong Adam. I am not complaining one bit about us, I just am confused. I never acted rude to you, never tried to murder you just by a glare. You did that to me in the short amount of time I was human around you and it made no sense to me then and now that I’m this…” I cut off, not even fully sure what we were referred to as. I mean, I would assume vampires, but in this day and age everything that is immortal seems to drink blood and I would hate to offend him or any of the others. “Vampires, Shay. We are vampires. Blood drinking, murderous demons that have no sense of emotion or love” he seemed to be fighting a lot of emotions when he said this, proving he was mad. “I never said that, Adam. I know very well I feel a lot of emotions right now, and the top of the list is love. I love you, Adam; there was never a time when I didn’t love you. I just know you haven’t always loved me and I want to know what changed, besides that I was bitten” I said, starting to feel angry. It wasn’t wrong of me to want answers and he was treating me like I was asking him to give up something vital to his existence. “You know what Adam, forget it! It’s obvious I’m not going to get any answers out of you so maybe it’s all an act for you! Maybe you never did love me, but you really fooled me!” I said, turning to leave. He grabbed my wrist, turning me to face him. “I do love you, Shayla. But I don’t know how to answer your questions! I don’t know what changed for me! All I know is you went from this weakness, someone who knew nothing about us, but Rachel seemed to find you important. And then Mark bit you and it took everything in me not to wring his neck. I wanted to reach out and comfort you, protect you, and then I heard your heart stop and I almost cried. I’m sure if I was capable of tears they would have been there. And then you woke up and you were so beautiful, but still so vulnerable, or so I thought. I watched Mark work with you and saw him in your face and I just couldn’t take it anymore. I offered to train you if only to keep him from hurting you. But the more I was around you the more I fell for you, the little quirks you have from the rest of us, how you gloried in the feeling of running and how… strong you appeared, even when you only drink animals other than one time. I love you and I’m positive I always will. I’ve done my research into the myths and legends and everything points to us being soulmates, a bond stronger even than marriage. So I hope that answers everything you were wondering” he said, looking worried when I didn’t say anything for a few minutes. But I was honestly in shock. Soulmates seemed like something huge, something I had never even considered before. But the more I thought about it, the more it added up. I wrapped him in a hug, eager to just be close to him again. We had never even kissed, but I knew this guy was mine for eternity. Almost like he’d read my mind he made eye contact with me and kissed me. To say I felt a spark was an understatement. It was like fireworks went off inside my head and heart at the same time. Like lightning struck, but not in a painful way. We heard a small throat clearing and turned to see Jade watching us with a smile. “Sorry to interrupt, but Mark wants us all back at the cave. He says it’s important” she says, turning to walk away. We followed and were shocked to find everything packed. It’s not like we really ever had a lot to begin with, but to see it all in packs scared me a bit. Mark cleared his throat and we turned our attention to him. “It appears the video saw more than we originally thought. We aren’t moving permanently, more like a vacation, but we are taking Matt with us so no worries” he said, but Lizzie and Jade looked VERY worried. “What about Anna?” Jade whispered, holding her sister who was crying. Adam had said we couldn’t cry, but that poor kid was definitely crying. “She said that she is going to try and catch up later. But your parents are very upset right now, so she needs to be with them.” That set Jade off too and I immediately went to holding the two girls. “Where are we going?” I asked, knowing I needed to prepare Matt. “Alaska” Mark said, his eyes clouding over. ‘What could possibly be in Alaska’ I thought to myself, but set off to do the scariest thing of my life: convince a human to live with vampires.
***Shayla’s POV***
I awoke with a start. Something had happened, even if I wasn’t sure what it was. I surveyed the cave and saw Lizzie crying. “Lizzie” I whispered, crawling over to her. She curled up in my arms, sniffling her nose and tunneling into my chest. I rubbed her back and made quiet reassuring noises, hoping to calm her down before the others woke up. She slowly calmed down, but didn’t look like she was going back to sleep anytime soon. I picked her up and carried outside so we could talk. “What’s wrong, sweet pea?” I asked, as she still looked upset. “I miss my sissy and my parents. I know I see Anna all the time, but she never stays to visit and I haven’t seen my mommy or daddy in three years! I know it’s too late now, but I just want to go home” she whined, clinging to me. Lizzie’s emotional state was so much younger than she actually was and it made my heart break to see the little girl in so much distress. There were panicked footsteps running through the woods, but this time I knew who they belonged to. It seemed that Anna rarely came here unless there was something wrong. There were tears on her face this time though, letting me know it was something serious. “What’s up?” I asked her, trying to keep her from waking the others. “The police… They found… A security tape” she gasped, trying to catch her breath. At first I didn’t get it. What could a security tape really hurt? Then I remembered. All these people are underage, including me. The only one old enough to actually take care of us is Mark, who might soon be going to jail unless we find a way to fix things. “What was on the tape?” I asked, trying to figure out exactly how bad the situation was. “They saw the three of us leaving the candy store in the mall and a guy approach us. They never saw the face of the man, but they saw the three of us leave with him and then a few hours later they saw me return, without the others, and the man and the other girls leave. That’s all they need in order to get Mark for kidnapping!” Anna said, looking frantic again and starting to pace. “Anna! Calm down! We’ll figure this out, together, all of us. I think we need to include Matt in any drastic plans though. If we have to relocate or hide somewhere I’m sure he could help” I said, already trying to plan things. I was so lost in thought I didn’t hear Mark behind me. “Shay, aren’t you getting a bit carried away? I mean, they can’t prove it’s me seeing as they never saw my face and the girls are good at hiding. We are going to be just fine. And just to be sure Anna will keep an eye out for us too. She will let us know if things start looking bad and they we can look into options. For now I think this is just a good reminder to us that as much as we think we are invisible, we really aren’t. Rachel, you need to go and make sure there is no video of Shay disappearing into the woods with you and Adam.” I hadn’t even noticed her wake up, but sure enough she was there and alert, disappearing as soon as he gave her orders. The others were just starting to stir so I rushed inside, careful to avoid looking scared or anxious. I didn’t need Adam worrying about me. I snuggled back into him and he awoke with a smile. “Morning gorgeous” he mumbled, kissing my forehead. As much as this relationship seemed rushed, I had to admit I loved it. However, we needed to talk. “Can we talk, babe?” I asked, careful to smile and let him know it wasn’t a bad thing; I just needed some things cleared up. He nodded and grabbed my hand and we walked to the woods far enough away the others would only hear if they tried hard and I doubted they would. “What’s up?” he asked, looking nervous. “What are we?” I asked, and quickly regretted it at the hurt look that crossed his face. “Don’t get me wrong Adam. I am not complaining one bit about us, I just am confused. I never acted rude to you, never tried to murder you just by a glare. You did that to me in the short amount of time I was human around you and it made no sense to me then and now that I’m this…” I cut off, not even fully sure what we were referred to as. I mean, I would assume vampires, but in this day and age everything that is immortal seems to drink blood and I would hate to offend him or any of the others. “Vampires, Shay. We are vampires. Blood drinking, murderous demons that have no sense of emotion or love” he seemed to be fighting a lot of emotions when he said this, proving he was mad. “I never said that, Adam. I know very well I feel a lot of emotions right now, and the top of the list is love. I love you, Adam; there was never a time when I didn’t love you. I just know you haven’t always loved me and I want to know what changed, besides that I was bitten” I said, starting to feel angry. It wasn’t wrong of me to want answers and he was treating me like I was asking him to give up something vital to his existence. “You know what Adam, forget it! It’s obvious I’m not going to get any answers out of you so maybe it’s all an act for you! Maybe you never did love me, but you really fooled me!” I said, turning to leave. He grabbed my wrist, turning me to face him. “I do love you, Shayla. But I don’t know how to answer your questions! I don’t know what changed for me! All I know is you went from this weakness, someone who knew nothing about us, but Rachel seemed to find you important. And then Mark bit you and it took everything in me not to wring his neck. I wanted to reach out and comfort you, protect you, and then I heard your heart stop and I almost cried. I’m sure if I was capable of tears they would have been there. And then you woke up and you were so beautiful, but still so vulnerable, or so I thought. I watched Mark work with you and saw him in your face and I just couldn’t take it anymore. I offered to train you if only to keep him from hurting you. But the more I was around you the more I fell for you, the little quirks you have from the rest of us, how you gloried in the feeling of running and how… strong you appeared, even when you only drink animals other than one time. I love you and I’m positive I always will. I’ve done my research into the myths and legends and everything points to us being soulmates, a bond stronger even than marriage. So I hope that answers everything you were wondering” he said, looking worried when I didn’t say anything for a few minutes. But I was honestly in shock. Soulmates seemed like something huge, something I had never even considered before. But the more I thought about it, the more it added up. I wrapped him in a hug, eager to just be close to him again. We had never even kissed, but I knew this guy was mine for eternity. Almost like he’d read my mind he made eye contact with me and kissed me. To say I felt a spark was an understatement. It was like fireworks went off inside my head and heart at the same time. Like lightning struck, but not in a painful way. We heard a small throat clearing and turned to see Jade watching us with a smile. “Sorry to interrupt, but Mark wants us all back at the cave. He says it’s important” she says, turning to walk away. We followed and were shocked to find everything packed. It’s not like we really ever had a lot to begin with, but to see it all in packs scared me a bit. Mark cleared his throat and we turned our attention to him. “It appears the video saw more than we originally thought. We aren’t moving permanently, more like a vacation, but we are taking Matt with us so no worries” he said, but Lizzie and Jade looked VERY worried. “What about Anna?” Jade whispered, holding her sister who was crying. Adam had said we couldn’t cry, but that poor kid was definitely crying. “She said that she is going to try and catch up later. But your parents are very upset right now, so she needs to be with them.” That set Jade off too and I immediately went to holding the two girls. “Where are we going?” I asked, knowing I needed to prepare Matt. “Alaska” Mark said, his eyes clouding over. ‘What could possibly be in Alaska’ I thought to myself, but set off to do the scariest thing of my life: convince a human to live with vampires.
