Addy Landes's Story

Ethan

"Yeah, we are," I pulled back and looked at her face, the tears long gone and her usual calming look on her face once more," Now that Rodrick knows where we are we can't stay here. We leave," I glanced at my watch," In an hour or so."

I glanced down at her legs before returning my gaze to her.

"I get it if you don't want to talk about- whatever happened, but you can't go out like this. Maybe Jane has a pair of pants you could use? It's not leggings, but I think it'll work."

Addy:

"-but you cant go out like this-" that stuck with me, I knew he was embarrassed by me, I'm going to keep myself distant from him, my wolf started disagreeing but there wasn't much I can do.

"Who's Roderick and why are you hiding from him?" I asked, glancing up at his eyes every now and then, even though I was embarrassed, I couldn't resist his eyes.

Ethan

Who's Rodrick? Where do I start? I guess the beginning.

"Rodrick is, to put it simply, our enemy. And," I glanced at her before letting out a humorless chuckle," Jane's ex. He turned her into a vamp then couldn't accept her new state. The state that he put her in. We aren't hiding from him, per say, more like we're not ready to take him on. We just need a little more strength, then we'll take back what's ours."

Addy:

Oh my god I'm going to be in a werewolf/vampire war. I just nodded, since I had no things to pack I asked Ethan if he needed some help.

"How are you going to move the couch and bed? Because I see no cars here, and unless you're a witch or something you can't teleport shit" I ask. It's so hard to stay mad at Ethan, literally impossible.

Ethan

I smirked at her question. We don't allow witches in the camo, too much room for betrayal. We don't teleport anything. I walked over to the head board of the bed and pushed the button on the back. The bed folded into a smaller, more compatible box. We may be living in the woods, but we know a lot about modern technology.

"It's simply, really," I said as I put the bed/box on my shoulder," We carry them."

Addy:

The once big, fully kingsized bed was now nothing but a little box, what? How, I've never seen technology like this before. I looked at him in awe. Fuck this "distant" shit. I went over to him and smiled up at him, getting the confidence out of nowhere I hugged him tightly, I don't know why, but I felt the need to.

"Alright lovebirds" I heard behind me, making me jump a little.

Ethan

She came over and wrapped her arms around me, I did the best I could to return the gesture, which was difficult due to my holding my bed so really it was just one arm wrapped lamely around her waist. I was breathing in her sweet scent when I faintly heard the tent door open.

"Alright, lovebirds."

I hung my head a little so it was against the top of Addy's head and I let out an annoyed laugh. She may have practically raised me over the past year, but I hate her sometimes.

"What is it, Jane?"

"I was just checking on how your moving was going."

"And?"

"And I, like everyone else in the camp, overheard the little spat between you two. I came to check and make sure that you're mate was still alive, then I heard that you thought she needed bottoms," she turned to Addy," Since you denied my last attempt to dress you, why don't you come to my closet and pick something out, hm?"

Addy:

I gave Ethan a dirty look, why did he have to yell so loudly. I rolled my eyes and stood up.

"Sure" I said to Jane and left Ethan alone in his bed. I walked beside her in just the sweatshirt Ethan gave me. Some people using Ethan's weird technique to pack, some staring at me, some just reading stuff. We walked into a bigger tent, I assume it's Jane's. She stopped in-front-off a brown walk-in closet and gestured for me to come, I obeyed and followed in.

Jane

I've always enjoyed a good game of dress up, unfortunately I spend the majority of my time with men.

I had a daughter once, she was beautiful and smart and kind, but that all died away a long time ago. The same day that Rodrick turned me. I turned to 'Addy' and surveyed her.

"I'm guessing that you'll want to cover up those," I said while pointing at the nasty looking scars that covered what must have once been beautiful legs.

Addy:

Jane

I don't have much that would actually work for the poor girl, but I know that I do have something. I have jumpsuits and dresses and rompers of every color and design. I have clothes from every decade that I've lived. It takes 3 vampires just to move out all of my closet. I honestly can't believe that it took me so long to find anything that would work for her.

I cannot explain how annoying this was, not being able to find a single thing. It wasn't until she said 'all black' that I realized she could just use my fighting attire. It covers everything and it's much more convenient than a ball gown.

I left the tent to let her change, when I returned she was fully clothed and standing in the middle of my room.

"Oh, you look nice," I pulled out the chair to my vanity," Come here, darling. Let's fix up that rats nest of hair that's on your head."

Addy:

I didn't feel insulted from the comment about my hair because I know it's true, the rogues I lived with, were all boys, and a girl with short hair, they didn't use combs so this is going to take a while to fix.

I sat on the chair she pulled out and she started right away, pulling every direction.

"What does Roderick want from you?" I asked.

Jane

I stiffened at her question before relaxing and bringing the comb gently to her mangled hair. I let out a sigh.

"You have such lovely hair, too bad it's been neglected for such a long time. It's like a flower with out sunlight," I brought my face close to hers and looked at her through the mirror," That's what we are, Addy, flowers with out sunlight. That's what Rodrick wants from me. He wants to take away the sunlight that I have found, but I won't let him. Once I loved him with all my heart as he did me, the problem is that he has yet to move on. He wants me under his thumb again but I won't go back, I swear it," I went back to brushing," I'll die first."

Margareta

Originally, I had no intention of doing my mother any 'favors', then she explained what I would need to do and I got an idea.

I was to go to Rodrick's house and create a distraction by announcing my existence, then send her a text telling her it was safe to attack.

I went to Rodrick's house at exactly midnight, when they are infamous for having their parties. The house was lit up and there was jazz music pouring out of every window. I love jazz. I went up to the door and raised my fist to knock, but lowered it when I caught a glimpse through the window. Everyone in there was dressed up in suits and gowns, I had worn ripped blue jeans and my old leather jacket, the most care I had put into my outfit was putting on the necklace that Jane gave me to prove that I was, in fact, his daughter.

I shook off the feeling and flung the doors open, the entire party stopped to look at me after my dramatic entrance. A man with unruly black hair and brown eyes like mine stepped forward.

"May I help you, miss?"

I looked at my father for the first time ever. I suppose that if he were a girl then he would look like me, we had the same hair, eyes, chin, mouth and jaws. The only differences were our heights, as he was a good 4 inches taller than me.

"Are you Rodrick Colton?"

"Yes," he smiled," And who might you be?"

"Your daughter."

The entire audience gasped. Rodrick's face fell as he took in what I said but then lit up again.

"That's impossible, I haven't been with anyone fertile since-"

"Jane Delany," I finished for him," My mother. She gave me this to prove myself to you."

I took off the necklace and handed it to him. It was a locket, I knew that much but it has a secret way to open it so I couldn't know what was in it. It must have been something important though because Rodrick started to shake when he opened it. Then he rushed over and wrapped me up in a big hug, pulling back only to look at me.

"How?"

"My mother gave birth to me after you changed her, she left me at a nunnery and took off. About 20 years ago she started to visit me, that's how I came to know why I was so different then others," I looked down and felt a tear sneak out of my eye," I felt so alone. I thought that I was the only one, I thought-"

"Oh, my sweet, sweet girl," he put my head into his shoulder and smoothed my hair," I'm so sorry. had I known-"

"That doesn't matter now," I told him as I wiped my eyes dry of tears," What matters is that Jane is coming here with an army to kill you all."

"What," he said.

"You have to hurry, she's-"

"Right here."

We both looked to see my mother standing in the doorway, a young girl and a young man on one side of her and a older man on the other side. All looked angered.

"Oh, my dear daughter," she said," Did you really think you could outsmart me? I made you. I know you from the inside out, that's why I knew that you'd ounce at the chance to be with your father," she looked at Rodrick with mock despair," To feel welcome and like you belong."

"Leave, Jane. You aren't allowed here."

"That's where you're wrong, Rodrick, this," she gestured to the house and smiled," This is exactly where I belong."

Marley

The battle was a bloody one, I know this because I walked through the empty halls of the house during it. Protecting my family and attacking my enemies. I have the gift of Electrokinesis, so it was simple. I crack the door open and I shoot the person who stands as a threat. They fall, vampire, human or wolf.

They all fall.

One person who fell first was Ren, though she was my friend I couldn't help her and I'll always regret that. The last words on her lips were the name of her long lost son," David."

Another to fall was a young man, I believe that his name was Ethan from what the young girl screamed after he fell. He landed in a pool of his own blood, hemorrhaging violently. In the time I've been a vampire I've seen many deaths, but this is one that I'll never forget. The girl who screamed his name went to kill herself after he fell but I stopped her. I took her out of the room and into the secret passage. I told her a secret.

"You'll hurt the baby."

"What baby?"

"The one inside of you," I put my hand on her stomach and smiled," It's a girl."

She stared at me for a moment before falling to her knees and staring at the wall in shock.

Jane was killed at the hands of her own daughter when she attempted to kill Rodrick. Unfortunately, Rodrick died later on in the night as well and so did Margareta herself. All of the Colton's fell that night.

Almost everyone died, but in the end it was no one that won. The house was filled with dead bodies and blood by morning. I buried them all, writing on tombstones what I knew about them. A name here, a title there. Jane, Rodrick, Ren and Margareta all got buried next to each other. I thought the girl from earlier might return so I buried the boy with a tombstone too so that she could find him.

While it might not be the most joyful of stories, it does have a happy ending. The girl visits often enough to see the grave of the boy named Ethan and she brings her daughter every time. he named her Eva, when I asked her why she said-

"Because I couldn't name her Ethan."

So now I live in the House of Demons alone, all of the vampires that once wandered these halls when I was locked up are gone and I stay, because in the end it isn't about the tricks or the tactics, it isn't about strength or smarts, it's about how you play the game. It's about who you let play you.

I never let anyone play me.

And that, my friend, is why I still stand when all else fell.