YOUTH ⇢ BENNY WEIR

nine

"Hey, Jane. We'll be back soon, okay?" Ethan told his sister.
"Yeah, if we don't get sucked dry." Benny added.
"What?!" Jane snapped her head up.
"Nothing!" Sophia smiled, trying to cover them.
"Benny's just hoping he doesn't cry during the movie because he's a wuss." Sarah grinned. Benny turning to her and mouthing a nice.
"Anyway, uh, see you Grandma!" Benny called out.
"Wait, I have something for you guys." Evelyn said, waddling into the kitchen and reaching for her bag.
"Grandma, we've really gotta go. I already ate. I don't think we really need any-" Benny trailed off when she pulled out some knives. "Decorative knives..." He managed to finish.

"If you're going to be battling the blood-suckers, you're going to need this." She said, as if it was totally normal for an old lady to pull out a pair of knives and talk about killing vampires.
"Woah!" Sophia and Ethan exclaimed in unison.
"Where'd you get those?" Benny asked her, shocked. Sophia and Ethan took one for themselves.
"Spend almost a century in this town and you pick up a few things." She smiled. "Oh, and this!" She quickly turned around and pulled out a book full of spells. "Now, I bookmarked a few spells for you. But, be careful, they don't always do what you want them to when you haven't practised." Evelyn told Benny, handing it to him.
"Are you a witch?" Jane asked.
"Oh, goodness, no! Not a witch. I'm an earth priestess; very different and much more fun." Grandma Weir responded, shooting a small bolt of magic at Jane's drawing, making it come to life and dance for a while before returning to its previous state.
"Benny's. Grandma. Rocks!" Jane exclaimed.
"That would explain what happened at the vampire party..." Sophia said to Benny, trying to avoid eye contact in case anyone suspected the awkward tension between the two. So instead, she turned to Evelyn. "Benny saved me from almost getting bitten by a vampire - a blue bolt of lightening emitted from his palm - we both saw it!"
"Wha- what... you're- uh- how?!" Benny stammered.
"Well, I didn't want to tell you before you were ready - I thought it might freak you out. But there's a reason that you're drawn to the unexplained. You have the makings of a first rate spell-master." Grandma Weir told him.
Benny raised his eyebrows and cockily looked at his friends.
"And Ethan here, he's a seer! That's his path."
"A what?" Sophia asked.
"I'm the spell-master!" Benny grinned, flicking through his book. He turned to Sophia and his grin fell when she turned away.
"A seer?" Ethan repeated.
"Well, you get visions, don't you? They're supposed to start around puberty." Evelyn said.
"Grandma!" Benny yelled.
"Yeah, he's nowhere near that." Sophia smiled, earning a laugh from Sarah.
"Fine. Look, here, take my keys." Evelyn said to her grandson, handing him her keys. "And remember, evil is always at a disadvantage. The Earth is good, you're fighting on the right side!"
"Alright. Shall we?" Benny asked his friends before they followed him out.
"And if you scratch my car I'll turn you into a toad!"

***

"I think the Cubile Animus is a kind of a... soul vacuum." Ethan explained to his friends. "Jesse will try to capture 219 souls tonight, then I don't know, somehow trade them to bring back all his followers."
"Soul for soul? It's so evil! I can't believe my first kiss was with him!" Sarah sighed.
Sophia and Benny looked up with disgusted faces.
"He was your first kiss?" Sophia scoffed, leaning forwards, since Ethan had already beaten her to the passenger's seat, she was stuck at the back with Benny, who was trying to make things less awkward.
"But you're 17! I mean, you're so pretty, I mean-" Ethan stammered.
Benny looked to Sophia and silently laughed.
"I don't know, I guess I just wanted my first kiss to be memorable." Sarah told them.
"Mission accomplished, huh?" Ethan sighed.

"Grandma failed to mention that this book isn't even in English!" Benny groaned.

***

"This is it. Erica, Sophia and I waited a whole year for this advanced screening." Sarah sighed.
"Wow, that's really lame." Benny said, shaking his head.
"As if I was actually looking forward to it." Sophia rolled her eyes at Benny's comment.
"Just read your magic book, dork." Sarah retorted.
"The bouncer looks like one of them, you think he recognises us?" Ethan asked.
"It's okay. I think I know another way in." Sarah said, getting out of the car.