Laconic » a.i

4.0

//cooper//

"I went out for a walk at night and I was talking to this guy, Bandit -- he's a character of mine that I talk to more frequently since Noel wasn't around. Anyway, we were walking down the street when I was yanked into someone's yard. I couldn't scream because they had their hand clamped over my mouth. Their fingers were digging into my skin and it hurt a lot but struggling just made them hold tighter. They dragged me through the backyard and into the woods before they pushed me into a tree and their face was in my neck. Then my neck started stinging like they'd bitten me and I still couldn't scream because their hand was back on my mouth and I started getting dizzy like I was going to pass out. But then they stopped abruptly and stared off somewhere like they heard a noise. Then she was suddenly gone. I was left out in the woods unable to move like whatever they did me had me paralyzed. Noel was the one to find me and she brought me back to their house. I never even saw the person's face but I think it was some girl."

Ella finished her story as we all sat in the living room. Me, her, and Michael took the couch -- I had to sit in the middle because the two wouldn't stop fighting with each other -- and Annie sat on Michael's lap. Everyone else sat on the carpeted floor of the living room.

I was the only person who hadn't heard the story and I was absolutely shocked. I didn't even think vampires existed yet they were apparently right on Westfield Drive. How did I not know that? Why didn't I expect that? Westfield was the creepiest place I knew of.

"So...what's different?" I wondered. I didn't think she'd be shiny and shit like in Twilight -- at least, I hoped not -- but I didn't know if speed and strength were still a thing.

She shrugged. "Calum, Mali-Koa, and Annie did their research on vampires. Annie knew from experience that vampires are strong but not like, Superman strong; there are still limitations. And I can run really fast and I can't go in the sunlight and my canine teeth are a little bit longer and sharper. And I don't eat real food anymore."

"So you do live off of blood?" I asked. Not that I had anything to worry about but I didn't need to wake up to Annie suddenly being a ghost hunter/witch/vampire.

"Mali-Koa found this potion thing that has the same thirst-quenching effect as blood but it's not," Ella smiled. "Calum's supposed to be making me some because he doesn't want me killing people."

"Or making more vampires," Luke added in. "No one needs an army of those."

"Especially if you're their leader." Michael scoffed.

"You know wha-"

"Please don't start." Noel sighed.

"Start what?" Ashton wondered as he appeared by the kitchen with his hand on Calum's shoulder. Cal had two jugs of a deep red liquid in his hand and Ashton had one in his. I saw Ella's eyes widen at the sight.

"Is that the stuff?" Luke asked, nodding his head at the clear bottles and making a face.

"Yup," Calum breathed, setting them one on the counter while he handed his other to Ashton to put them into the fridge. "Three gallons of the stuff."

"It looks too real," Michael whined, "I don't like it."

"Girl up." Annie barked.

"What?"

"Us girls see that at least five days out of every month," she reminded him. "Girl. Up."

Emily leaned over to fist-bump her and Michael and Luke rolled their eyes. I got up and went over to the kitchen, sitting up on the counter like I used to at Luke's house. Ashton walked over with a smile on his face, "Hey, London Bridge."

I actually snorted at his new nickname, "Did you really just make that joke?"

He shrugged, "We're in London; I had the chance and I took it."

I brought his lips to mine before someone cleared their throat. I looked passed Ashton who had turned his head around to see a slightly annoyed looking Calum standing there, tapping his sneakered foot on the linoleum floor with his arms folded across his chest.

"What?" Ashton pressed.

"First off, you don't even have sunglasses on. You're in the middle of a crowded area; who knows what you could do?" Calum remarked, sounding like an upset mother. "And you two are acting like everything's okay when Ashton, you need to tell her about the funeral, and we also need to worry about Ella right now. Not to mention there are only two beds and a couch and that's not nearly enough space for everyone to sleep."

"Well, shit, you sound like my brother," I grumbled before remembering something he'd said. I looked at Ashton. "What about the funeral?"

Ashton licked his lips and looked passed my head, "Mrs. Hood heard about your 'death' and she thought maybe it would make your parents feel better if one of us 'found your body' in the woods."

"It's one thing burying your kid but it's even worse when you can't even do that because no one knows where they are." Calum added.

I sighed, "So you guys want me to fake dead -- well, completely dead for my parents?"

Ashton shrugged, "We're not going to make you if you-"

"I'll just do it," I decided. "So how are we setting this up?"

-

//ashton//

Mrs. Hood informed Calum that Bridgette's parents were back in town at Luke's house. Once we had Cooper looking more like she'd been in the woods for a few months -- looking paler than normal with scratches and dirt on her body -- we kept her at the Hood's house until we could figure out how to make it seem like we found her.

"My car's still in Luke's driveway so they'll know it wasn't me." I stated, my sunglasses placed back on my face. I'd noticed that ever since finding Cooper, not only was I talking more, but I also hardly ever wore my sunglasses. Instead, I replaced them with the glasses the Marco sisters had given me.

"Calum's at the house with Luke so it couldn't have been either of them." Noel said.

"So that leaves," Ella smiled smugly, all of us turning to look at Michael, "little Mikey."

"Fuck off." he said flatly.

"Michael, you just need to drive her body from here to there," Noel explained, "then just carry her in the house and look really upset when you say you found her on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere."

"How do I fake being sad?" he scoffed. "I'm not a fucking actor."

I snorted, "Are you trying to tell me you've never done something or had something done to you that made you upset? Or do you need a reminder?"

"I hate you, Irwin," he growled. "Whatever, I'll do it. Let's go, Cooper."