“Jilly!” A young voice froze her hand, the wetness forgotten. Turning, she saw her six-year-old brother on the porch. “Jilly!” His excitement had him jumping two steps at a time, tumbling to his knees before scrambling back up and running at breakneck speed, skidding to a stop right before her, his eyes wide.
“Whoa, Seth.” Jill put her hands out to steady him, but frowned and pulled away when he jumped back.
“You look different.” His young eyes stared curiously at her mismatched eyes. “Your eye is bleeding.”
With both hands she wiped the wetness away, cursing when she looked down at her hand, seeing red smeared with the wetness. Looking back at her younger brother, whom she loved more than anything in the world, made her want to scream at the unfairness. Her mother wouldn’t let her see Seth the day they kicked her out. She had begged, but her mother refused and her father had stood by and let it happen. Clearing the large lump in her throat, she knelt down to Seth’s level, but didn’t move closer, not wanting to scare him.
“I’m the same Jilly, Seth,” Jill smiled, then remembered her fangs and closed her mouth quickly before covering it with her hand.
Seth stood still, his face expressionless as his eyes searched hers. Finally, he reached up to move her hand away from her mouth. His small hand touched her lip, pushing it up to reveal one fang. Jill allowed him to do it, his eyes darting back and forth between her eyes and fang.
“Are you going to eat me?” he whispered as he pulled his hand back, his tone serious for a six-year-old.
“Are you a chocolate candy bar?” Jill whispered back, mocking his serious tone.
“Nooo,” he giggled, rolling his eyes.
“Then I’m not going to eat you, silly,” Jill chuckled, a large grin spreading across her face. “Why would you think I’d eat you?”
“Seth, get away from her!” A shout and sounds of running came from the front door.
Jill stood and felt Slade step up beside her. Her older sister, Janie, came running almost as quickly as Seth had. “Did you tell him I would eat him?” Jill growled at her sister, who picked Seth up, turning him in a protective manner.
“What are you doing here?” Janie ignored Jill’s question, looking nervously between Jill and Slade. “You need to leave, Jill. You’re not welcome here.”
Jill looked up at the house and saw her mother looking out the living room window. Her hand automatically went up to wave, but the curtains shut and her mother disappeared. Anger and hurt made her want to strike out, but when her eyes went back to her sister, all she could see was Seth looking at her confused.
“Where’s Dad?” Jill tried to keep her voice void of any emotion, but she wasn’t successful with keeping the anger out of her gaze.
“Why?” Janie took a step back. “He’s in no shape to see you. You’ll only upset him and his heart can’t handle that.”
“He’s cutting firewood,” Seth spoke with the innocence of a child.
“He just had a heart attack and he’s out cutting wood?” Jill’s eyes popped open. “Where in the hell is Trevor?”
“Oh, Jilly, you said a bad word.” Seth covered his eyes, instead of his ears.
“Sorry, buddy,” Jill replied, but her eyes never left Janie. “I asked you a question. Actually, I’ve asked you several which you haven’t answered. As soon as I’m finished with Dad, you and I are going to have a long conversation.” Jill turned to head in the opposite direction of the house toward the woods.
“My fiancé is going to be here any minute,” Janie warned, her voice shaking. “You better leave. He’s very protective of us. He doesn’t like your kind.”
Jill stopped suddenly, but didn’t turn around. “Then he’ll get along fine with this family, won’t he,” Jill hissed. Seth called out to her, but she kept going because she didn’t trust herself not to plaster her sister against a wall.
“You okay?” Slade’s deep voice in the quiet woods just beyond her house startled her.
“No, not really,” she replied. Her head down, she let her feet carry her to where her dad was. She had played in these woods as soon as she could walk. It had been her escape. She knew every tree, rock and trail for miles. “Just doing everything in my power not to kill my sister and…eat her,” she spat in disgust. She still couldn’t believe her sister, who she had been pretty close to, could tell their little brother she would eat him. Feeling anger burning up through her body from her toes to the top of her head, she lifted her hand, aiming it toward a small tree without stopping. The tree uprooted in one fluid motion, and as she flicked her hand, it flew a few feet before smashing into another one, then to the ground with a large crash.
“Nice.” Slade raised his eyebrows impressed.
She didn’t answer as they broke into a clearing. Her father sat a few yards away on a fallen tree, sipping water from a bottle. Hearing their approach, he dropped the water and stood in surprise. “Jill?”