Building A (Strange) Family

Changes

Lilly hadn't told Mom anything.
She was excited and wanted to tell her face to face.
All she could do was worry and hope that she would want to move with them.

They started back in the day,
the guys sleeping covered in the back,
so they arrived late in the evening.

Lilly made a b-line for Mom, hugging her:
excitement, fear, adrenaline going through her a mile a minute.
After a moment, Mom pulled her back, searching her eyes.

"Something happened. Something good. There's a big change coming, isn't there?"

Lilly just shrugged, smiling, as David slipped in her place and hugged Mom.
"That's a bit of an understatement," he grinned.

Lilly explained everything sitting at the table with Mom as the guys unloaded the Jeep.

"So, David and I decided we want to live there. Mark, Robert and Joel also want to move.
And... there is one more bedroom open, if you want it."

"Well, you don't think I'm going to stay here while you're all in another state do you?"

Lilly felt the huge weight lifted off her shoulder and David started the first in a series of cheers from the guys, earning them a pound on the wall from the neighbors.
They couldn't be made to care.
They would be gone in two weeks, tops.

And so they were. Lilly ended the rental contract.
They got a moving truck and proceeded to load it over the next couple days.
Lilly fell into purging; anything not practical or super sentimental was thrown out.
They only filled two thirds of the truck by the time she was done.

"New life, new start... New us."
She grinned and threw her arms around David when they had loaded the last thing; Davids bike.

"You sure you want to do this? Pick up your whole life? Invite a bunch of vampires into your new home?"

She threw her head back and laughed.
"Oh, goodness... I had never thought that house could be my home... until I shared it with you guys. You belong there just as much as I do."
She held his face in her hands and kissed him.
"You are my home. As long as I have you and Mom, I'm fine..."

He smirked. "What about the other guys?"
She shrugged.
"Of course them. I love them... but I'm not sharing a bed with them."

They all slept on the floors that night.
Well, that's what they told Mom, anyway.
The guys actually spent the day in the closet.

They sat on the floor, eating Chinese food from takeout boxes as a last hurrah.
As Mom said goodnight that night, Lilly saw her wink and Joel.
Lilly looked at her mom, then back at Joel.

He finally noticed her staring and his eyebrows shot up.
"What?"

She looked at Mom's now closed door then back at Joel.

"What was that? The little winky-eyed-in-cahoots thing you two just did?"

He looked around to the other guys on the floor, as if they could explain what Lilly was saying.

"I have no clue what you're talking about... Mark, do you have the maggots?"

"Na, Lilly's got them."

Still thinking about her mothers secrecy, she absentminded started handing Joel her takeout box.

"Excuse me; did you just ask for-" She caught sight of the inside of the box squirming.
She just froze, mouth dropped open in horror.
They all started laughing, falling over themselves as Lilly looked again at what now appeared to be rice.

"...I suppose this is what you guys refer to as..." She swallowed to keep the bile down.
"Suggesting? You just mind controlled me?"

They were mostly down to a low snicker now.
David had a hand over his mouth as if to hide his grin.

She swallowed again.
"I hate you..."

And they all started laughing again.