Empire of Vampires ✔️

Chapter Twenty-Eight

'Oww... how are you that strong?! I didn't think you'd know her,' Evan grumbled, rubbing his sore arm.

'Oh... I don't know her!' Marie replied, quickly defending herself. 'I mean, I know her name! I just wasn't expecting it.'

Georgie was giggling at something Jesse had said. She pulled him by the arm away from their group and they strolled a bit further away, down the bubbling stream.

Marie snatched Evan's bag of chips out of his hand. She scaled the tree closest to them for a better vantage point for spying.

'Heyyy.. I was eating those,' he whined, trying to heft himself onto the lowest branch.

'Shh sh, be quiet you.'

He gave up trying to go after his chips as he looked up at how high she had climbed, 'How'd you do that?'

She ignored him as she squinted; her superior vision noting the faint blush on both their cheeks, and her advanced hearing straining to catch snippets of their conversation.

James rolled his eyes heaven-wards in second-hand embarrassment. Andrew was in shocked silence over her audacity.

'You know everyone can see you up there?' he pointed out as he glanced over at Georgie's friends who were all undeniably staring at her.

'Wait, I'm trying to listen!' Marie blew air into her cheeks; her nostrils flared in concentration.

Georgie turned towards her just then, half a smile playing on her lips. She looked the vampyre straight in the eye and nodded in acknowledgement.

Marie spluttered and ducked, losing her footing in the process and crashing through the branches. She lay confused on the muddy ground, staring up at the violet sky and the rosy clouds that skimmed across it in an eternal race.

She was still gathering her bearings when a scarlet curtain slipped over her face, blocking all her vision.

'You alright there?' Georgie helped her to her feet. A hint of worry clouded her otherwise friendly features.

'Of course I am, I'm always falling out of trees,' Marie replied smoothly, flicking her imaginary long tresses over one shoulder

'Perhaps you best stay with your feet planted firmly on the ground.'

'Perhaps,' she agreed, 'But then how would I sp- uhh- speak... to the woodland creatures?'

Her voice faltered and ended on a high note. Her mind furiously raced to remember whether squirrels even still existed. She then relaxed as she realized with relief that she had, in fact, seen a plump red one a few days ago.

'Ah yes, of course.' Georgie smirked knowingly as she plucked bits of grass off the other girl's jet-black cropped hair. 'What were they saying?'

'Oh! They said that they loved eating chips, and then I fed them all of mine.' Marie shook the empty bag still clutched between her hands, and the crumbs sprayed out, getting on them both.

'You mean all of mine,' Evan grumbled, snatching the bag away from her. He stared into its emptiness in disappointment.

Jesse stepped into her line of vision just then, and she realized he had run over with Georgie to see if she was hurt. He smiled really nicely and asked if she was okay as he casually draped an arm around the red-headed girl.

'Er- yes, yes I'm fine thank you,' Marie replied guiltily, remembering her nosy actions on the spying tree.

'Okay then, I guess we'll leave you be.' Georgie smiled slightly and hesitated like she was about to say something else, but then she shrugged it off, biting her lip in confusion.

Marie plopped down on the stone table with a groan as the two of them wandered off.

"O' the Humiliation!' she wailed, planting her chin on the palm of her hand.

'Really Marie, you absolutely deserved that,' James replied sternly, sliding into one of the seats around her.

'That's so rude!' she huffed, 'Can you not see that I'm already repenting enough??'

'I know I was teasing him earlier, but perhaps you went a bit too far,' Evan grinned, sliding down alongside James.

She looked down morosely at the two of them.

'Well, I thought it was rather funny,' Andrew said brightly, patting her on the knee.

She instantly cheered up and smiled sweetly upon him. 'Oh Andrew, you really get me. You know, I think we may have more in common than one might think.'

He looked rather alarmed at this statement. She slung an arm around his shoulder in camaraderie and gave him a tight squeeze.

'Don't flatter yourself,' James interjected.

Marie took a deep breath to argue and Andrew quickly interrupted, 'He just means that there's no one else quite like you.'

'And you can take that as you like,' James added, grinning at her expression.

She sniffed haughtily and turned towards Evan, who wasn't trying to hide the fact that he was being highly entertained.

'I wish I had a little sister,' he was saying, 'It must've been fun growing up.'

'Wait I'm not his little- I'm older!' Marie exclaimed, aghast at this terrible mistake.

'Oh, my bad,' he shrugged nonchalantly, unknowing of the centuries old disagreement he had simply torn wide open and brought to the surface of their otherwise harmonious lives.

James shook his head. 'No you were right, she is my little sister.'

'I was. Born. Eight. Minutes. EARLIER!' she yelled, lunging for him. She knocked Andrew to the ground as she shoved past him to pummel her snickering brother.

Evan jumped in front of James to save him, mortified to having been the instigator. Her light punch almost knocked him out cold. He lay in a daze on the ground between them, befuddled as to what had hit him.

Andrew leaned over him, worriedly checking his pulse. 'Er, I think you slipped and hit the table on your way down, buddy.'

'Hrngh.'

'He'll be alright...' Marie mumbled sheepishly under her brothers pointed stare. 'There, there Evansy, you feel just peachy, don't you?'

Evan gave a weak thumbs up as she hauled him back on to the seat.

'You should be fine, just don't fall asleep.'

He grinned. 'Well, that'll be hard not to do during bio next period.'

~~~
A/N: who do you think is actually the older twin? :P