CURSE OF THE BLOOD MOON

Scarlet had given up, she plopped herself into the sofa beside Kayla and Solara, she tossed the t-shirt behind the chair. SJ had been running circles around her and now she had gotten too dizzy to chase after the little tyrant any longer. She left him to go out and play with the others.

SJ’s resilience to pain or damage didn’t matter much to her. She was still worried about her little boy getting hurt. Vincent had promised to watch out for him and for now that would do.

They were racing but this was no ordinary kind or race. They had found a way to up the stakes, racing mid-air. They would leap from branch to branch to the end of the forest and back.

SJ liked doing such things with them, he had already noticed how different he was, and hanging out with them closed the difference gap. It made him feel part of them.

“You finally gave up?” Kayla asked, peeking from under Solara’s arm.

“How could you tell? I swear that boy does the impossible sometimes. I think I’m going to start putting him in time out.”

“Why would you do that? He’s done nothing wrong.”

“That’s not it. I need a time out, I’m a vampire who is exhausted. Isn’t there something wrong with that picture?”

“In your defense, you are an only part vampire.” She chortled. “That is why I always chuck him off to Eric and the Twins. Or he is going to shorten my eternal life.”

“It would help if his aunt and uncle could read his mind and give me a heads up.” Scarlet pulled her loose brunette hair into a ponytail.

“Sorry Scar, but just like his dad that mind is on lockdown.”

“He’s a boy and an immortal, he is expected to do the impossible.” Solara was flipping through the channels, not looking for anything in particular, when his phone rang.

“Gucci bandana!” Scarlet and Kayla exclaimed.

“What? It’s got a nice ring to it and I need to keep with the times.” He looked down at the caller ID and his expression went grim, “It’s Xavier. This can’t be good. Hello.”

Solara shot a look at Scarlet then Kayla. “Yes, we are all fine. Why? .... What?” he shot up to his feet.

***

“I’m sorry I haven’t mastered the art of eavesdropping yet, but you have unlimited access to his mind, what’s going on?” Scarlet leaned over to Kayla.

Kayla didn’t say anything, she just looked at Scarlet then back at Solara. In one fluid movement, it took her only a second to go outside and call the boys in and get back to the TV room.

Scarlet watched as Solara’s face changed into a hundred different expressions and then at Kayla’s tense body language. She knew something wasn’t right, but she wasn’t sure whether she should also start freaking out.

In her mind she kept on repeating one sentence, please let Stephan be alright.

“He’s fine.” Kayla rubbed on her shoulders, “But the beasts may not be.”

“Ok fine we will be there as soon as we can, yes all of us, the baby too.” Solara hung up the phone. He began barking orders at the boys who were barely in the house.

“SJ? Come here.” He took the boy in his arms, “The rest of you go pack. We are going to Argentina.”

Scarlet watched as the others ran around to get their things together. They didn’t seem to need a reason why they were flying to another continent. But she did.

“What’s going on Solara?” She followed him to SJ’s room. He took out a suitcase and threw in some clothes, not paying attention to what he was packing. He gave the little boy, who was tightly held in his arm, a shirt and he put it on without hesitating.

“You need to pack, I‘ll tell you while you pack.” He shut the suitcase closed and carried it down the stairs.

Scarlet could see how agitated he was and how tightly he held on to her son as if he the secret to salvation. Quietly and quickly she packed enough clothes for a week then hauled the suitcase down the stairs.

When she got to the foyer, everyone was ready, their bags in hand.

“Everyone, get in Kayla’s and Scarlet’s cars. Victor, you drive the BMW and Vincent the Mercedes. Let’s go.” It was like he was running a boot camp, every action was run by the second, not allowing a pause or a halt.

“Scarlet, Kayla get in with Vincent, the rest of you are with me in the Mercedes.”

Scarlet moved to take SJ from him but he wouldn’t let her. Kayla tried to pull her into the car but she refused. She was adamant about traveling in the same car as her son.

“You can’t go in the same car.” He gave SJ to Eric who was already in the car.

“Why not? I need my son with me.” She watched SJ as he sat quietly beside Eric. He didn’t throw a fit about being separated from her as she did. It made her feel like there was something he knew that she didn’t.

“We don’t have time for this right now Scarlet. Get in the car Kayla will explain it to you.” Solara lifted her into the car and shut the door.

She waved at her scared son in the other car and he waved back. She was scared and she wanted to feel her son’s warmth in her arms.

“This better be the apocalypse K.” She growled once they sped out of the compound. She had insisted that Solara went first so that she could keep an eye on the car.

“It may turn out to be exactly that if we don’t get to Argentina soon.” Kayla combed her fingers through her hair.

“What’s going on, what’s in Argentina?” Nothing was making sense to her.

“Stephan is convinced that we are all dead and that someone took SJ.”

“What! That’s crazy. So what is he doing now?”

“He is convinced that the beasts had a hand in this and he plans to attack them in three days.”

“Oh no! He’s lost his mind.”

“This has Marquis written all over it. She has the same gift as Kayla but hers is much stronger. She can make you believe in bizarre things.

“It’s like she takes over your mind and does what she wants with it and by the time she’s through with you, you don’t know the difference between the world she created for you and the real one.” Vincent pushed the car as hard as he could.