𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐀𝐂𝐊⠀ ⁽ ¹ ⁾

HOME

"We can't stay out here." Aunt Patty announces, with everyone gathering around her. "I have a friend who lives in town. She's been living in my old loft waiting on me to come back. She can house us for the night." We follow after her, and behind Aunt Patty's car, I see Vincent and Dirk unhooking my car from it and letting it gently drop on the ground.

The entire front window is broken and needs to be replaced, scratches on the rim of the car from when I sped out of the way of the gunshots. I can still smell my own blood on the air bag, and Allison's smell from the seat beside me. Dirk and Vincent notice me, and Dirk wraps his arm around my shoulders. "Don't worry, cous. We'll have it fixed in no time." He says, as he guides me away along with the others. 

The more we all walk down the street of our old community, the stranger it feels. We were kids when we lived here, and now that we're back as adults, it's as if someone took something that was organized and then switched it all around. There's a new candy store where the fish shop used to be, a Home Depot next door to Wolf Harbor Fishing Company, which apparently has free shipping and handling judging by the sign as we walked past. Half of the town has changed and become more commercialized and modernized. 

Most of the handcrafted boats that took up all the space in the harbor, were replaced with yachts. Whilst a small percentage of old boats still remain, dragging their nets and gutting fish on the hull of the boat. It smells familiar, and it looks familiar as I saw a man and his son on one of the boats, the child on his father's shoulders, swinging his arms wildly and happily as his father latches onto his little legs. His mother comes up from the lower level and sees them, instantly scolding the husband as he laughs it off. If I didn't know any better, I'd say they were my parents.

"There's so much fish." Cesáreo complains, using one of the sheets he borrowed from the truck to wrap around himself. I manage to grin at his reaction. "Yeah, that's how it's been our whole lives. You learn to get used to it." But then I start to wonder. "Where are you from? You never told us."

Cesáreo unplugs his nose and looks over at me. "Mexico." He says with a happy grin before turning it into a massive frown. "I moved here as a teenager, and I was in charge of boy scouting when I was bitten. My parents thought I'd been mauled by a coyote or something, it was all over the news by the time I came down the mountain we were on. I was so scared that they thought I died, that I was too afraid to find them and tell them I'm still alive." Then he looks down at himself and sighs. "Well, half alive at least." He says pulling the blanket tighter.

Cesáreo's family is alive, I ponder. They probably miss him a lot, but how do you tell your own parents that you're alive, at the expense of being turned into a vampire? Would they still love him? Or cast him out as some demonic creature? Either way, my hand still reaches up and pats his shoulder. "When you're ready you'll face them again. For now, you have us." Cesáreo peeks from the shadows and grins at me. "Muchos gracias, Brom. Thank you."

The second Aunt Patty stops, we stop behind her as she knocks on the door. It opens, and there's a long haired, ginger woman on the other side of it, wearing a tank top as her arms are exposed. She has long claw like scars trailing down them. But strangely, she's extremely toned.

She takes one look at Aunt Patty before opening her arms. "Patricia!" She shouts before throwing her arms around her, and pulling her in for a hug, which Aunt Patty returns with as much enthusiasm. When they break, the ginger is the first to speak. "You're lucky I was coming here for the weekend with my husband and son, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to let you in!"

Aunt Patty laughs before gesturing to us. "Thanks for waiting up for me, Ginger." She says. "I came to spend the long weekend myself, with my nephews and nieces. You remember my kids? Dirk and Darlene?" 
Ginger smiles and waves at us. "How are you doing kids! It's been a while, I'm sure you don't even remember your mom's crazy friend. I used to babysit you years ago."