The Eldritch Trials

Chapter 20: Come September

Mac

I knew the apocalypse was going to happen soon, but happening on homecoming day is a surprise.
"You're still attending school functions no seal is opened yet. I don't care about your girlfriend's predictions. If and when the seals break we deal with that at the time it's not an excuse to get out of school," Alec says, not looking up as I skid into his office.
"You're my least favorite parental figure," I growl, turning to go. We're well aware the apocalypse is nigh but apparently we have to continue going to school anyway and not, I don't know, prepare to wage war on the eldritch horrors spilling from the gate. Fine, I'll just go find a more sympathetic parental figure.
"What'd he say?" Gale asks, as I nearly run into him on the stairs. He's still dressed from school, in a hoodie pulled over his head, and dark glasses, and gloves, all that's to avoid stray light from the windows. Our high school has accepted that he has a unique medical condition involving sunlight and garlic, because apparently nobody has read Dracula. Okay, one girl figured it out but that only made her fall in love with him, so weird. She brought him a copy of Dracula and held it up. He took it, autographed it, and handed it back and now she has an unrequited crush on him.
"He says we're going," I sigh, descending the stairs.
"What—no, it's not even a school function it's a fucking dance, come on let's find a better parent, where's your dad?"
"That was my dad!"
"You know what I mean!"
"Preferred dad is still gathering the coven because he believed us about the apocalypse, come on let's find one of the mothers—," I say, leading him down another hall. Since the revelation about our parentage came out, and everyone calmed down, the adults decided that since they all wanted to parent us both then the only logical thing to do would be to allow us all to live together, in the manor, considering everyone but my mother was supposed to be here anyway. By 'decided' I mean, 'Shane pointed a gun at his brother and said "either I take both those boys right now gods know where ever I think of, or you accept that Nel and I love these kids too and you permit us to stay here in this house which is partly mine",' and then my mom and I got to move in. It actually works fine because my mom gets along with my birth mother, they are kind of cool and bonded in that they raised the other's son, and they both care about both of us so they're fine. Alec and Shane who never got along are less fine so Gale and I just pick Shane as our dad and use Alec as auxiliary dad purposes.
"Where's the fire, boys?" Shane asks, not like in a nice way, but like he thinks we set something on fire.
"Other dad is making us go to the stupid homecoming dance we don't want to go to because the only person who will dance with either of us is Ozzie or Jade," Gale sighs.
"Yeah, we've got to save the world at dawn tomorrow by War's predictions which means we need to be resting and getting ready," I say.
"Look, I understand where you two are coming from, but consider that your mothers want you have a normal high school experience, yes Mac I know you're ten thousand years old or something equally traumatic close your mouth—and that you're not even supposed to be helping stop the apocalypse, because you're sixteen. I expect to see you there, but you're not supposed to be," Shane says, clapping our shoulders, "Now. I and my brother are going to go get ready. Your job is to have fun, all right? Part of the deal of living here is you both act like the humans your mothers wish you were, not the immortal dumbasses you apparently are."
"Fuck it, let's just run away and go join the fight Jade will be down," I say, turning to go.
"Yeah forget them, not the first time we've run away, where do yo want to go?"
"I don't know but Jade knows where the armies are forming—are we not moving?"
"No, we're not moving," I say, as I keep trying to limp away.
"Do you two think I'm stupid?" Shane asks, holding us both the backs of our balled up jackets.
"I hate this, I hate socializing. I'll probably need therapy," Gale groans.
"I do too, don't worry, we can make sarcastic remarks to each other," I point out.
"Come on, Mac, your girl would be disappointed if you stood her up," Shane points out.
"No! She wouldn't! She'd immediately know I ran away to fight the apocalypse and me doing dumb heroic things like that makes her fall more in love with me! It's literally how I got her to begin with, she realized I'm really fucking stupid and am going to remain so despite life experiences," I sigh.
"Gale—sorry, I don't keep up on this—,"
"No! I have no one to talk to except him, and Jade, and Ozzie who I could chat with any other time, thank you for bringing up such a traumatic subject I'll bring it up in therapy," Gale keeps trying to walk away. We got him a therapist, took ages to find one okay with the vampire thing, and he absolutely hates going except I think he just rants about all of us the whole time so it's actually probably good, but anyway he brings it up every other minute so they'll quit making him go.
"Your mothers' decision, not mine, so deal with it. Also, your mothers will be there making sure you attend and don't do something stupid, I will also be there but apparently you persuade me to help you do stupid things."
"Will your icky brother be there?" I ask.
So tired of being mature, "Yes, apparently so."
"Ah damn," Gale sighs, "Fine, we'll go. But I'm going to make sarcastic remarks and skulk in shadows the whole time. It's my option to skulk in shadows I'm undead."
"Fine by me," Shane says, letting us go, "Now, go get changed into something appropriate to a school dance?"
It's a very formal school dance because we go to a very posh school. I put on a suit, but I'm sure I've buttoned it up wrong and put on the tie wrong. It's very annoying of Jade not to be here to make sure I do those things neatly.
Gale puts on a very black suit with a velvet black jacket, and blood red shirt, and a white ascot. No, he's not subtle at all. At least the ascot hides the scars on his neck. Jade assured us they'd fade with time, but several months on they're still angry and red. Not as bad as the day he turned, but still clearly irritated. The ascot covers the marks, though, as usual he's pale and bloodless, putting on dark glasses to shield his eyes from the lights.
"We could be hunting up north but no," he mutters, primarily so Shane can hear it, as we walk into the school. Shane is highly corruptible to go vampire hunting as a rule, but now Gale wants food out of it and Gale is great at persuading his newfound father to do things with him as a family to, like, feed him and anyway Shane is now no longer allowed to supervise us alone. Hence:
"You're having fun, like a normal teenager," Anita says, briskly, trying to figure out what I did wrong with my tie and hair.
"Quit—I'm fine," I say, ducking away, "Seriously, we don't need an entourage."
"You do actually," my mother says. I have like, zero qualms about taking my cousin vampire hunting so I'm also not considered a great influence on Gale or myself.
"We will watch and not be embarrassing," Shane promises, looking around the parking lot, "God, I hated going to high school."
"Making out in the parking lot and stairwells doesn't count as going to highschool, Shane," Alec says, tiredly, like he thinks he'll have to go fetch at least three of us before the night is out.
"I'm petitioning that it does," I say, as we walk in. The school gym is done up with blue and gold streamers, I don't know why. I realize there was a theme for this. I elected not to pay attention. I was busy, making out in the parking lot and occasionally stairwells.
There are already most of the students here. Again, while in the magical world we're something of royalty, here this is just a very elite high school with very elite parents who don't truly understand the four to five adults who show up to parent us. Five is because War has been known to drop in and very amusedly pull myself their mother out of school when they are bored and want attention. They and Shane did it together once and immediately bonded over acting like they were legitimately our parents who were ashamed of us.
All of which is to say life is, as normal. As I suppose it ever will be for us.
I spot Jade across the floor. She's wearing an ankle length purple dress, her hair is currently red and green, and pinned back with silver clips. She has a silver chocker on that I'm sure is an amplifier, as well as her usual series of bracelets. She's wearing small glittery black wedges, which brings her up to my shoulder, just.
"You look amazing," I whisper, as soon as I'm close enough to bend down to her ear.
"I was thinking I'd have to go pull you out of a vampire nest, or just find you getting ready for the apocalypse," she says, smiling.
"The committee was against that. Anyway. We have what, three four hours before we have to go to action?" I ask, checking the clock on the wall. "Time for a dance?"
She nods, putting her little hands in mine.
"We'll make it. We always do," I say, rubbing her fingers with my thumb.
"I know, I'm just so glad each time I find you," she says, studying my face, "I hate losing you."
"But finding you again is so delightful," I smile.
"A few hours before I nearly lose you again," she says.
"Yee of little faith. Just because I used my life force to create the seal the first time doesn't mean I have to this time. We have a better plan now, and more friends," I point out.
"Yeah, we're going to have to watch that one," she says, looking over at Gale, who is predictably skulking in a corner. Ozzie is talking to him, but he shifts away. Of course she's wearing her cross, as no one knows that he's turned. She might guess here soon, but we're not telling her for obvious reasons. Either way he can hardly dance with her.
"He'll be fine," I say, glancing over at the adults. My mother is standing next to Shane, and he slides his arm around her shoulders. I see her visibly relax. It takes time, it always does, but he's starting to forgive her. I'm glad. They were good for each other.
Alec stands with Anita, and I catch him looking at me. I sigh a little. There's no way I'm going to be the son he thinks he wanted. And I know he thinks he failed me. And I suppose he did. He doesn't know where to go from here. I suppose neither do I, but we'll find our way. Somehow.
"Think it's time we made a move on," Gale says, somehow behind us. I forget how silently vampires can move until he's standing directly behind me trying to get out of social functions.
"Give it ten minutes then we go wage war against the forces of the undead," Jade says, smiling.
"Do you know how many Christians go to this school? I don't think you do? And how many of them think they need to touch me?" He asks, hugging himself, basically.
"I know! I'm sorry, I started a rumor that wearing a cross means you're a virgin there's not a lot else I can do," I say, tiredly.
"You started that?" He asks.
"Yeah, you're welcome."
"Cool thanks, didn't fully help," he says, folding his arms again.
"Ten minutes, skulk some more and then you say you tried? I'll dance with you," Jade says, nicely.
"Forget it, dance with him for the ten minutes, then we'll go, find something to eat—shut up you, two I meant real food," he says. He can of course eat real food, he just needs the blood to survive what's more he's painfully addicted to vampire blood. It makes him absurdly strong even by vampire standards so with the apocalypse nigh we aren't going to worry about that.
"All right, come on," I say, to Jade. 'Dazzle' by Souixsie is playing.
"Hey I ah, think you owe me a dance?" One of the other juniors taps Gale's shoulder. Gale jumps a little. I almost laugh.
"You don't have to dance with me," Gale says, sort of surprised.
"I think I do," the boy laughs, holding out a hand, "I'm a man of my word."
Gale takes his hand, almost tentatively, but the boy is wearing no cross so he lets him lead him to the dance floor.
I want to watch them dance, but checking Alec's expression was very very satisfying.
"Now, I'm glad we came," I smile.
"Oh now?" Jade asks.
"You look gorgeous anytime," I say, "Also, here I can't kiss you."
"The world's about to end, I think you can kiss me," she says.
"But we're going to save the world," I say, bending down to kiss her lips.
"Yeah, it's what we do," she says.
And then I kiss her under the dazzling lights, my hands on the back of her smooth dress. I kiss her because in three hours we're going to have to save the world again. It's not going to go well, it never does for us. But we'll win again, because we have to. It's what we do.

The End