We Are Monsters

Chapter 1: Bus To Normalcy

Mia enters through the teal blue front door of the Noaki family home, striding as though it were her own house. In all honesty Mia did feel at home here, sometimes more than her own abode. Every morning Anna, her 'aunt', offers her a ride to school, but she would much rather join her closest friend. The bus made them feel normal, and she knew that normal was exactly what Josh needed right now.

Mrs. Susan Smith-Noaki is, as always, in the kitchen when the front door loudly slams shut, marking Mia's arrival. "Morning Mrs. S, how's it hanging?" Mia says planting her elbows firmly on the kitchen island to support her, she leans forward to pick up a muffin from the platter. She looks back up at the middle age woman with brown hair in a pixie cut, who is looking at the knife cutting various vegetables.

"It's hanging all right" Mrs. S replies. Mia chuckles, mouth full of cranberry muffin.

Mrs. S smiles "I'm doing fine, Joshy on the other hand, won't be if I have to yell up at him one more time!" She says, putting down her knife and directing her voice towards the second floor. She turns back to Mia "Go try and reason with him for me, would you? It's harder without his father around all the time."

Mrs. Smith-Noaki believes her son is having a hard time recently due to his father starting to travel for work. In truth, Mia knows he is going through something much more complex, approximately 2 weeks ago Joshua Noaki was turned into a vampire!

Mia sets down the staggered remains of what was once a muffin, and turns towards the staircase. Just as she reaches the landing, Ethan Greenbalm, the Noaki's foster child for the past 10 months, swiftly walks down the carpeted stairs. He lifts up his dark green jacket hood, covering the short, dirty blond curls and much of his lightly freckled forehead. Ethan puts his hands in his pockets and bows his head down to it's all too familiar position, avoiding eye contact or any forms of pleasantry as he walks past her. She would expect anyone else under the roof and care of the Noaki family to have opened up, or at least show some respect and common courtesy.

Brushing off the encounter, she knocks (bangs) on Josh's bedroom door gleefully. "Get your butt downstairs" Mia says teasingly "the muffins are getting cold and I think Ethan might kill you if we miss the bus." She chuckles. The door knob turns and air rushes as the door swings open. Before Mia stands a tall and slightly muscular, pale boy wearing a pastel blue T-shirt, navy jeans, and white sneakers. He moves his sleek black hair away from his eyes and grabs his Nirvana backpack.

"The muffins are getting cold? Seriously?" Josh torts

"It was funny and you know it"

"Right" Josh says sarcastically while closing the door to his room, and both make their way downstairs.

The grey minivan exits the driveway, marking the end of all parental provisions, Josh notices the corpse of Mia's remaining muffin on the island counter. "Please don't tell me you already ate Mia, 'cause what am I gonna with this?" Josh dangles a sandwich bag labeled 'for Josh' with a cranberry muffin.

"You could always try, I dunno, eating it? I eat food and so can you" she says, brushing the last bits of crumbs off her hands into the trash can. She tucks a loose strand of her brown waves back behind her ear, adjusts her backpack, and heads toward the front door. "I think Ethan left without us again."

-

The always unreliable School bus is late by 15 minutes, leaving Ethan, Josh and Mia standing in the bright October sunshine. Josh shields his eyes from the sun with one hand and holds the bag of food with the other.

"You know I don't like wasting food!" He says, squinting brown eyes look from the bag to Mia.

"It's not wasting it if you eat it" she states, pulling on the shoulder straps of her backpack, dirt from years of use making the pink look pale and dull.

"But I don't need it so it's basically like wasting it. In fact, I don't need food anymore so eating just feels wrong ya know?"

"I know it's weird, but it's part of keeping up appearances. Anna says that people would get too suspicious if they never saw you eat anymore."

"Look I get that you've been doing this for longer than I have, and I'm sorry I can't be the perfect Mermaid you are, but I just can't do what you do! I'm a goddamn Vampire now!" Josh says practically shouting.

Mia eyes Ethan from over his shoulder, "ya wanna say that a little bit louder I don't think the neighbors heard you" she lowers her voice to a roaring whisper and gestures towards Ethan who is staring at the ground, leaning on a lamppost a few feet away. Josh turns his head towards him then back to Mia with a smug look on his pale sculpted face.

"Like he'd even say anything. Who's he gonna tell anyway?"

      Josh was right, Ethan has always been a quiet kid who kept to himself. Ever since his father died on his 14th birthday camping trip, Ethan's been more reserved than before. But it's not like he really had any friends to tell.

"Anyways," she starts "I think today might finally be the day I do it" she smiles with glee.

"'It' as in talk to your crush of the past 11 years?" He asks playfully.

She scoffs, "it has not been that long! And yes that's what I mean." Her smile brightening with the anticipation that glosses her eyes. "Anna told me I should just go for it, so go for it I shall."

Josh puts his hand up for a high five, which she joyfully reciprocates. "Never let anything stop you. You go girl! Whooo!" He claps, excited by the thought of them together.

"Bus's here." A small, mellow voice blurts out. They turn to see Ethan making his way onto the bus. They turn and quickly make their way to the bus, taking them to another 8 hours of learning.