Chapter 22 Darkness Is Where The Monsters Live
Darkness Is Where The Monsters Live
The kids ate the pancakes Mary had cooked for them at the dining table in the kitchen, heads bowed. Their eyes were hollow with grief. Their nightwear still on, their feet bare. Lottie’s teddy was propped on the chair beside her.
Mary fussed about, while I sat at the counter drinking tea and tried to make small talk with them. They answered glumly.
Georgie and Josh entered at the same time. They both stopped and stared.
Josh’s mouth opened and closed again. He blinked, moved closer, and murmured, “I’m not sure if you’re aware, but there are children here.”
“I know.”
“Why, what’s happened?”
“We’re taking care of them for a few days.”
The kids lifted their heads and took them in warily.
At the sight of their pale faces and their dark-rimmed, bloodshot eyes, Josh stumbled back.
Stumbling was not something a vampire did, unless they were mortally wounded.
His movements were lithe, fluid, and graceful.
Usually. Maybe it was the haunted, scared look on their faces, or maybe he couldn’t handle the scent of their blood?
“Hi.” Georgie smiled brightly. “I’m Georgie, and this is Josh,” she said, snatching his arm and dragging him forward.
“Hi,” Lottie said quietly. Billy scowled and polished off the last of his pancake.
Mary looked from the children to Josh and back again, her sympathetic gaze telling stories of the horror they had endured.
“I’m thinking I might bake some choc-chip cookies. Who wants to help me?” Mary asked as she added another pancake to Billy’s plate.
The children peered up almost as if they were suspicious this was a trick of some sort.
“I’m a pretty handy cook.” Josh slipped quietly into a chair at the table. “I like to make double-layered chocolate cake and decorate it with lots of colors. But I’d need some help. If both of you could be so kind as to help me, I would truly appreciate it.”
Lottie’s fork paused halfway to her mouth. “Is there enough food to make it?”
How many times had they been without food? I forced a smile. “Yes, there’s plenty to eat, Lottie. Anytime you’re hungry, just say, and one of us will get you something to eat.”
Billy thudded his fork into a pancake and didn’t respond.
“Who’s your favorite superhero, Billy?” Josh asked.
“Superman,” he spoke around a mouthful. His eyes lighting up a little as they noticed the Hulk on the t-shirt Josh wore. “Who’s yours?”
“Spider-Man.”
Billy snorted. “Superman is waaayy better. He can fly.”
Josh lifted his chin and folded his arms on the table. “So can Spider-Man.”
“If Spider-Man doesn’t have a building to latch onto, he’s fucked.”
I clutched my hand over my mouth to stop from laughing. Georgie snorted laughter and tea went flying out of her nose. She choked and spluttered, rushing over to the sink.
Josh bit his lips, trying not to laugh. “Stuffed, you meant stuffed, right?”
“Yeah,” Billy mumbled, dropping his head, his cheeks flushing pink as he just realized what he said.
“Billy said we might be going swimming?” Lottie said quickly, her voice high-pitched and frail.
“Once you’ve digested your breakfast, I can take you.
” I smiled. “If your foot is alright, Billy?” His arm was wrapped in a waterproof bandage, but kicking in water wouldn’t be great for a broken toe.
I didn’t think of that when I offered last night.
There wasn’t much you could do for broken toes, but Karson did mention he had given Billy something to help both injuries heal faster.
Billy looked down at his bandaged toe. “It’s fine,” he muttered.
“I can take them, if you want,” Georgie offered, her eyes shining in a way I hadn’t seen since we’d come here. “I need to do some exercise.” She rubbed her slightly rounded belly. “Mary’s cooking is a little too good.”
“Oh, go on with you.” Mary laughed, brushing down her apron. “A good wind would blow you all over.”
“Good idea, I’ll come too.” Josh smiled, a dimple flashing on his right cheek. “I haven’t been swimming since …” He stopped, looking awkward. “For a few months now. Then we could cook the cake, watch a movie, and eat some popcorn. Do you have a favorite movie?” he asked.
“Twilight,” Billy murmured.
The room stilled. No one knew what to say for a long moment. Was it his way to help deal with what he had seen?
Mary patted his shoulder. “Twilight might be a little old for you both.”
“I want to watch something about vampires.” His voice came out squeaky, as if he was on the verge of tears.
Josh and Georgie’s eyes darted to mine, filled with questions and concern. I grimaced and rubbed my forehead.
“Have you seen Hotel Transylvania?” Georgie recovered and brightened her voice.
Billy and Lottie shook their heads. “That’s a really good movie and has vampires in it.
How about you finish up breakfast and we can go for a swim, then we can bake cake and cookies, have lunch, and all watch something together. Does that sound good?”
Billy scooped a big mouthful of pancake into his mouth. “Yeah.”
Lottie nodded shyly as she climbed out of the chair, carrying her plate and glass to the sink. Her elbow bumped the corner of the counter, and the plate and glass fell from her hands, smashing all over the floor. Sharp shards of porcelain and glass scattered everywhere.
She gasped, her big brown eyes filling with fear. She staggered back, about to step on a large slither of glass.
Josh sprang to his feet, but without using his vampire speed he wouldn’t reach her in time.
I cried, “Stay—”
I didn’t finish my sentence before Karson swooped in out of nowhere and picked her up, settling her gently on the kitchen bench.
She scampered away until her back smacked into the wall, as far away from him as she could get. Her eyes glistened with fear, and her bottom lip trembled. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.”
Distress flickered over Karson’s face as he took her fear in. “It’s alright, Lottie, accidents happen,” he said gently, stepping back so she didn’t feel threatened.
To hear the most ruthless man in the world be so gentle, to see him so caring, my heart expanded against my ribcage.
The world saw a figure he’d crafted himself to be, someone ruthless, someone lethal.
It didn’t matter what anyone thought, it didn’t matter what I’d seen.
At that thought, the blood-soaked images slipped behind my eyes, but I shoved them away before they threatened to destroy what was right in front of me.
This was the man I fell in love with. The man I wanted to spend the rest of my life beside.
Billy sat in his chair, tense, his hands on the table as if he was on the verge of getting up and protecting his sister.
Josh placed a hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay. Stay here.”
Tears slid down Lottie’s face and her hands twisted in her nightie. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s just a plate.” Karson smiled softly. “We needed new ones anyway, didn’t we, Mary?”
“We sure did.” Mary smiled at her as she took a tissue out of a drawer and gave it to Lottie. “I’ve been wanting an excuse to get rid of those old things for a long time.” Lottie sniffed, clutching the tissue in one hand and wiping her nose with the back of her other hand.
“I have a few things I bought for you and Billy in the foyer,” Karson said. “How about I carry you out, Lottie, so you don’t cut your feet, and Josh could carry Billy. That way, we can get this all cleaned up. Would that be alright?”
Lottie blinked, then after a long pause, she sniffed and nodded. Karson moved to the edge of the bench and held his arms out. She shuffled toward him. He took her into his arms and carried her out.
Billy scowled at the thought of being carried, but he grabbed Lottie’s teddy and let Josh carry him.
We all walked to the edge of the door behind them.
Karson had two suitcases and four large bags on the floor, and he passed two to them each. The kids just stared at them as if they were strange creatures they had never seen before.
“Open them,” Karson said. “They are for you.”
Billy’s mouth hovered open. “Really?”
Karson nodded. “Unless Josh likes Superman, I’m pretty sure those two are yours.”
“I guess Superman is pretty cool,” Josh teased. “So, if you don’t want it …” He held his hand out, pretending he was about to take it.
Billy slapped the teddy on Lottie’s chest for her to hold and grinned as he shot forward.
Lottie’s hands shook as she opened up the bag and her eyes widened.
This time, they brimmed with delight. The bags were filled with clothes, books, toys, and games.
It wasn’t the number of presents a child got that made a good childhood, it was things like love, attention, and safety that mattered.
But seeing the sheer excitement on their faces brought joy to every single one of us standing in the room.
We all went for a swim, then I left them baking cakes and cookies with Georgie, Josh, and Mary. I’d rather pluck every single hair off my body than cook.
They came to find me again about mid-afternoon, wanting to play hide-and-seek.
They agreed that they could only hide downstairs and only inside the house.
I closed my eyes and counted to fifty, listening to the patter of feet as they whizzed in one direction, changing their minds and rippling in another.
I heard Billy whisper to Georgie, who was watching television in the second sitting room, but I feigned not knowing and wandered from room to room, calling their names.
The sitting room was the third one I checked.
“I’m seeking a small boy with brown hair and a little blonde-haired girl. Have you seen them?” I asked Georgie, noting the movement of the curtain and little socked feet beneath it.
She looked up and grinned. “No, haven’t seen anyone.”