Chapter 10

    Jess preferred to sit at the back and put his headphones, so he could cut Mel’s bubbling off. As Jay noticed in the rearview mirror, he fell asleep. She gave her best friend a sign that she may speak freely.

    - You sure? – Mel whispered.

    - Yeah! The world could collapse and he wouldn’t notice! – She rolled her eyes. – What ware your plans then?

    - We’re going to camp in the hills! – She said excited. – Can’t wait! It’s so romantic!

    - For sure! If you like bugs! – Jay scoffed.

    - You used to like camps in the forest. – Mel noticed.

    - I did. – She admitted. – But since last events the woods seems too creepy for me. But you should definitely go! – She encouraged Mel. – I’m sure that Parker can defend you against ghosts! – She smirked. – And insects. – She added in a whisper.

    - Not funny! – Mel crossed her arms. – Now I’m not so sure if it’s a good idea.

    - I was just kidding! – Jay cheered her up. – There’s nothing to be afraid of! You know that! We know this forest inside out!

    - Yeah, I guess! – She finally admitted. There was a long silence broken only by Jason’s single snorts. – I hate you! – Mel finally growled and Jay chuckled.

    When they got to Purple Creek, Jay drove Mel home first, and then to their house. She parked by Jason’s car and turned towards the back seat. She shook him lightly. It didn’t help, so she tried once again, harder. Still nothing.

    - Wake up princess! – She yelled, but her twin just murmured something and slightly changed his position. – Remember! – She warned him, though he couldn’t hear her. – You’ve made me! – She pressed the horn.

    - What the fuck! – Jason jumped up and hit his head on the roof! – Why did you do that?! – He gave her a furious glare.

    - I’ve tried to wake you up! – She excused herself.

    - Nasty bitch! – He hissed.

    - Again, thank you! – She smiled sweetly.

    They got off of the car and went inside. The house was very quiet, but since it was Friday evening it was nothing unusual. ‘Maria and Sean could be on a visit to some neighbors.’ Jay thought. ‘And guys for sure went to the club.’

    - Want some drink? – She asked her brother and went to the kitchen. – I’m sure that Maria has some fresh orange juice!

    - You think? – Jess followed her immediately.

    When she crossed the threshold she stopped abruptly. Jess collided with her and was about to swear under his breath, but he just opened his mouth and stood there dumbfounded. 

    ‘Do you see, what I see?’ He mind-linked with his twin. 

    ‘I’m not sure what I’m looking at!’ She replied. 

    ‘Holy shit!’ Jess added. 

    ‘They’re making out at the kitchen counter!’ Jay was shocked just as Jason. She cleared her voice loudly. 

    Sean and Maria jumped up and separated rapidly. They were clearly embarrassed. ‘They look so cute!’ She giggled in her mind. ‘Horny would be much more accurate word!’ He murmured.

    -  J-Jay, J-Jason! – Maria uttered.

    - Busted! – Jess chuckled and Jay smacked his arm.

    - Uhm… - She blushed hard.

    - Since when? – Jay asked soberly.

    - It’s been a while. – Sean replied.

    - That’s great! – She came closer and hugged them. – I’m so happy for you!

    - You don’t mind? – Maria asked uncertainly.

    - Why should we? – Jess frowned.

    - If you’re happy, then we’re happy too! – Jay exclaimed.

    - You see? – Sean said to Maria. – Told you that they’ll be okay with it.

    - Yeah, you did! – She smiled, tears forming in her eyes.

    - Okay! – Jay shook her head. – I guess guys went out, so you could have some time together, am I right? – They nodded slightly. – So we’re going out to.

    - What? – Jess wanted to protest, but Jay pinched him on his arm. – Ouch!

    - We’ll be going now. – She smiled widely. – Have fun, turtledoves! – She sang sweetly. – I’m gonna kill ‘em all! – Sean and Maria could hear as the twins were retreating.

    - That was so embarrassing! – Maria covered her face with her hands.

    - Maybe a little. – He chuckled and closed her in his arms. – They’re good kids. And they enjoy our happiness. – He stated.

    - I know. But still! – She looked at him. – We should’ve told them! Meanwhile we were caught red-handed! Like teenagers! – She groaned.

    - You wanna see the back seat of my car? – He teased her.

    - Oh, you fool! – She patted him on the chest, but couldn’t help it and giggled. – Just kiss me! – She demanded and he leaned in.

***

    - You could’ve warned us! – Jess scolded his younger brothers.

    - We’re shocked too! – Mark defended them.

    - And what’s shocking about that?! – Jay asked. – They grown up, single and damn attractive. I’m really happy for them! – She took a sip of her ginger ale.

    - We’re too! – Mike cut in. – But it was a huge surprise! We’ve noticed something just after you left, but we were not sure.

    - Okay! Let’s focus on something else! – Daniel suggested. – You’re starting to piss me off!

    - And what’s your problem? – Jess asked.

    - Few more minutes and you’ll start planning the wedding or other shit! – He rolled his eyes.

    - For goodness’ sake, no! – Jay cut him off. – Let’s talk about something else. Like our mind-link. – She suggested. – Maybe we’ll try to expand it? What you’ll say?

    - It’s very useful, so I’m in. – Mark said. – But we should wait for Carter and Christian though.

    - That’s for sure. – Jess agreed. – But meanwhile we can practice more, so later on they could do the same.

    - And how are you doing at magic? – Jay asked.

    - Isabela is really demanding! – Mark groaned. – But it’s great experience!

    - I’ll go see her tomorrow. – She said.

    - She’ll be happy to see you. – Mike noticed.

    Soon some school friends joined them and they switched to other topics. And when they came back home at three in the morning they tiptoed to their bedrooms. As they were upstairs Mark stopped suddenly. They looked at him questioningly.

    ‘What now?’ Jess asked through the mind-link.

    ‘It’s hilarious!’ His brother replied the same way.

    ‘What’s that?’  Daniel cut in.

    ‘That we tiptoeing, while Sean and Maria’s bedroom are in the other wing!’ He giggled.

    They stood there for a moment, thinking. Suddenly, Jay burst out with laugh and they followed her.

***

    Sunny summer days passed quickly. In the morning they were jumping off of the beds, running, exercising at the gym, training martial arts – karate, taekwondo, and aikido. Even kickboxing. They’re squeezing their sweat before breakfast. Then they’re spending their time at Isabela’s, who was teaching them basic knowledge about amulets, symbols and herbs – their properties and use.

    Carter and Christian joined them at the beginning of August, just as they promised. They quit the job at Mercury. They had enough money from their father, so they didn’t have to work in the club. And now the most important thing was to focus o their new abilities. They had to practice and learn a lot, but they knew that in the end it would be worth the effort.

    -  Is there anything specific you would like to learn? – Isabela asked one day. She watched her grandchildren carefully since few days and stated that they’re making progress.

    - I think we should know at least simple spells. – Said Michael after a moment of reflection. – I know it’s an element that lies deep inside us and should reveal naturally, but it won’t hurt to know few traditional formulas.

    - You’re right. – She said calmly. – Anything else?

    - We’ve talked about this. – Mark added. – First of all, we want to evolve the self-treatment ability. It can come in handy sometimes.

    - I guess that ability to control all of the elements can be useful as well. – Said Jess. His irises shimmered like glittering lake’s water.

    - We’d like also to master the capability to hide our talents and to control them. – Jay looked at her brothers, and then turned to Isabela. – We don’t want to be unmasked by someone, or bombarded by outer impulses, which can disturb our ability to assess the situation.

    - Is there something wrong? – They could hear anxiety in grandma’s voice.

    - Let’s say we’re sure, that in our, seemingly quiet town, there are pretty many supernatural beings. – Jay thought that she should be honest. – Is it possible for us to learn how to tell apart good energy from the bad one?

    Asking this question, she hopped Isabela will dispel their fears on this issue. There was high probability that people, whom they knew, liked or respected, their friends and school colleagues, might be vampires or shape-shifters. As for the witches, they were assured they were the only ones in this town.

    -  You’ll need a lot of strong will and work, but yes, it’s possible. – Isabela watched her granddaughter breathed a sigh of relief. – You have the strength and determination. You’re able to achieve it. 

***

    They worked hard for another two weeks. But one day Jay persuaded Sean to take Maria for a real date, so they also got one day off for free. They were meeting with friends, catching up on cinema and treating themselves with little pleasures. But the next day everything started again.

    When it was only several days till the end of summer holidays, they decided to go for few days to Missoula and give Sean and Maria some time for themselves. Because when they were caught, they stopped pretending they’re just friends.

    - Don’t worry about anything! – One more time Jay tried to stop the stream of warnings and instructions that constantly flowed from Maria’s mouth.  – Sean, tell her something!

    - They’ll be ok. – He joined the conversation. – They’re old enough, independent and well trained, and won’t get surprised by some thug. Even in dark alley.

    - In dark alley? – Maria suddenly blenched.

    - I’m joking! They’ll be fine. It’s only three days. – He hugged her and with a hand gestured urged them to go. – Besides, - he continued his reasoning, - in two weeks time Jay and Jess will leave for Missoula for longer and only the three youngest will stay with us. You have to let them fly the nest.

    They saw Maria nodding, despite the fear lurking in her eyes that something bad could happen to her family. Because that’s what they were for her. And vice versa.

***

    They loved Purple Creek. They knew every corner there and almost all inhabitants of the name. They appreciated the peace of this small town and its hospitality. But Missoula was like a wild river, and they let themselves to be carried away by its stream. Street noise, hum of voices. All these sounds made up the extraordinary music, rhythm of which perfectly harmonized with their heartbeats. But the best was that they had opportunity to work on their skills.

    This city was full of energy. They could sense it with every single nerve and cell of the body. Finally, after weeks of hard self-improvement, concentration and acquiring knowledge, they could check how far they have come.

    Walking down one of the main streets of the town they didn’t pay attention to the architecture or storefronts – after many visits with their mother, and then with Sean and Maria, they knew this city well enough. Now they were discovering it again, thanks to the gift they possessed.

    - Can you feel it?! – Daniel was clearly excited. – Just as if I was plugged in! – His optimism was contagious.

    They felt slight tingling just under their skin, as if an army of ants had decided to go through them. It was not an unpleasant feeling, but it wasn’t soothing as well. The fact, that it was they who had decided where, when and how much they will open to the surrounding world, helped to relieve the unpleasant impression.

    It had to be admitted, that both Sean and Isabela, were impressed, that they mastered the use of ‘curtains’ so quickly. They didn’t know how to call it, as what they were doing looked like if they were isolating themselves with a wall with a gate or a curtain. It was up to them, when to shirk the door, or curtain, and how wide to do it. They worked out how to open themselves only to the incoming impulses, or to stop at receiving signals from the others. They could also connect with chosen person in a way, so as the rest was not able to feel their energy or hear their thoughts.

    - Okay. – Christian took the command. – Let’s see, what we can do. Focus on finding some vampire or shape-shifter. But we turn on the shields, so it won’t be too easy.

    - You want us to localize supernatural being on our own, and to block our thoughts and emotions from the rest, at the same time? – Mark was checking if he understood his elder brother correctly.

    - Exactly. – Christian gave his siblings swashbuckling.

    - Good idea. – Jay said. – After all we’ll be able to compare our feelings and check if the result was the same.

    - So, what are we waiting for?! – Daniel was already rubbing his hands. Although, he was the youngest and started his training at the latest, still his mind was very absorbent and he learnt quickly.

    They stopped at a small square, sat on the benches in different parts of it and focused on the world surrounding them. They looked around with a little vacant, unseeing gaze. They didn’t have to strain sight, as it was the soul’s eyes they were looking at the people passing by. They pushed away sounds and scents, so there could stay only pure energy.

    When they cleared their mind, they felt as if they were up in the air – they were hovering with the blissful feeling of emptiness. Soft brushes of energies they could felt on their skin told them clearly, that there were many supernatural beings with weak powers near. Newborn vampires, young shape-shifters, inexperienced witches, who often didn’t know who they were.

    Jay had already improved her skills in search using senses, so when she allowed herself to mediate during it, her thoughts didn’t distract her. She read a lot, led long conversations with Sean and grandma, and then she was sorting everything out and analyzing. She shared her information and observations with brothers. Exchanged views and theories.

    She was trying to find a way to distinguish ‘heirs’ from ‘greenhorns’ as she called them. Though it seemed scary, first vampires had made every effort, so they could reproduce and pass on their heritage. For people there is nothing strange, that it is possible for lycanthropes, as they are living creatures, but vampires? And here’s a surprise! Vampires are alive! They breathe, their hearts beat and blood runs in their veins. Yes, they need human blood to survive, but a glass from time to time is enough to function normally, apart from that, they could eat as ordinary people. Why there are so many passionate bloodsuckers then? The answer seems to be simple – it’s like alcoholism. The more you drink, the harder it’s to stop and you fall into the clutches of addiction.

    The largest percentage of vampires without breaks is among transformed. Shortly after the bite you need much more blood, so the transformation could be successful and complete. But you have to come to your senses in due course. Otherwise you’re in a jam! Of course, the transformation will come to nothing if the bloodsucker doesn’t want to share his blood. Nor it is easy to recognize a vampire, as despite rumors, that the sunlight burns them to the ashes, in fact they feel pretty well in day light. So far, the only true theories about vampires seemed to be their remarkable abilities and ways to kill them – aspen wood. Holy water and the cross are powerful, but only to some degree. And of course decapitation – it’s a reliable way to kill them.

    The matter of shape-shifters seemed to be simpler. They more often live like ordinary people and rarely used their powers. However, their population was big enough, for the exceptions to the rule constitute a large percentage of it. Their curse was also inherited, but infections happened. There are many communities of lycanthropes, but in most of them the ability to shape-shift comes with age, usually after puberty. Though, there are some who go through their first transformation as kids. They get more experience with time and are able to control time and place of change.

    ‘But at least they’re well prepared for it.’ She thought sarcastically. ‘Though, appropriate training allows the infected to achieve the same level as the born shape-shifters – namely, enables them total transformation into an animal.’ She analyzed quickly, then she cleared her mind of unnecessary images and thoughts, in order to concentrate on her surroundings. She felt that something will happen soon.

    The first wave of energy hit them like a sudden gust of wind. A warm air currant was sliding along the spine like a soft fluffy ball. To their minds slowly crept an image – young girl, about five feet tall, long raven-black hair falling in curls on her shoulders, green eyes with yellow spots. She was wearing summer dress in poppies and high-heeled sandals. She had a rainbow bag. A gold chain glittered on her neck, at the end of which hanged a sizable amethyst surrounded by tiny garnets.

    A witch. Although, her energy was quite strong, none of them could feel any danger. The girl wasn’t using her talents in bad faith. It rarely happened that witches served the evil powers. Too strong bond with nature meant that they liked peace and harmony. Of course, there is always some exception.

    The girl turned into one of the side streets and her energy was slowly receding, leaving strange feeling on their skin, just as if a cat had rubbed against them.

    They cleared their mind again for new visions. Another wave of power fell on them with vengeance. This time they had an impression as if heavy slimy snakes were crawling through their bodies. They were climbing higher and higher, up to the throat, where they wrapped around the neck and made the siblings breathless.

    The vampire, the energy of whom they caught, could felt them and attacked. Anger, unbridled rage, brutality, aggression. Evil in a pure form. Its source was powerful. They felt as if brutal fingers with claws were digging into their bodies, tearing the skin and tissue. Their minds were besotted, and only pale shades and outline form were reaching them.

    Carter focused his entire willpower to free himself from the overwhelming energy. He was a bit surprised, that he hadn’t much trouble with it. As if something else drew more of vampire’s attention on itself. He shook off quickly from the sudden shock and focused on transmitting his thoughts to the siblings.

    ‘Focus on cutting off his power!’ He shouted in his mind over and over again hoping, that his mind power is strong enough to go through the shields, they were hiding behind.  In his heart of hearts he counted on their blood ties.

    Minutes passed and he had no response. The silence begun to be deafening. He jumped up and looked around frantically through the crowd, searching familiar faces, when suddenly, he could felt them. The sounds echoed in his minds. As if his siblings emerged from the vastness of the waters and tried to catch their breath greedily. He heard their thoughts – unfinished, chaotic. He concentrated on transmitting information to them: ‘We’re going home. Now!’

    They took a deep breath when they had shaken out off trance. Jay felt a metallic taste in her mouth. She raised her hand to her face and gently touched the skin just below her nose. Sticky moisture was paving its way down. She put her hand under her chin automatically before the blood could drip her top. ‘Damn it!’ She swore in her mind.

    ‘What’s going on?!’ She heard an echo of questions. She could feel anxiety in their voices.

    ‘Nothing!’ She controlled herself quickly. While looking for some tissues in her bag, she was trying to calm her brothers down. ‘Some bug bit me!’ She was telling bare-faced lies. ‘It stings like hell!’ At the same time she heard their nervous laugh in her head. They calmed down. Jay breathed a sigh of relief and wiped her face carefully, so as not to leave any blood.

   Still shivering after such extreme experience, they stood up from their seats and went towards side-street leading to the district, where their flat was.

   Neither of them even said a word until they were away from the noise of the city, in safe four walls.

    - It was like… - Daniel couldn’t find right words.

    - Lay a pinch in the face? – Suggested Mark.

    - For me it was rather like a whooping kick in the ass. – Jay expressed her opinion on the preternatural experience. – We went quite well with the witch, but we were completely unprepared for that son-of-a-bitch. As if a speeding train hit us.

    - There’s one thing we can conclude from this. – Christian looked closely at his brothers and stopped his sight at their sister. – We still have a lot of work to do and we definitely can’t make such experiments on our own. If Carter hasn’t escaped… - He hadn’t finished, he didn’t have to.

    - You’re right. – Jess agreed. – Alone we may have troubles to control the situation.

    - Okay. – Jay agreed with her brothers. She avoided looking at Christian, as he had always been able to decipher her, and she didn’t want them to know, what had happened at the square. – And now, let’s focus on some party. All in all it’s the end of idleness. – She smiled archly, turned on her heel and went to the bathroom to take a quick shower.

    She still felt a slight dizziness and nausea.

***

    While standing under hot water, there was only one thing she was able to think about – the energy, they had today contact with, was not alien for her. She had an occasion to taste the sample of its powers once. She was only twelve then, and had no knowledge of her ancestry. And for sure she had no idea about her gifts and abilities, and didn’t know her capabilities.

    However, the reunion was ghastly. He recognized her. Sensed. Sniffed. She knew that her brothers got only a piece of his powers. Almost all of his energy was directed against her. She was aware, that without Carter’s help she wouldn’t be able to break free from his power. He took over her body. Chocked her. Effectively. Only thanks to her brother, she realized that it was only an illusion.

    She knew she still has a lot to learn and needs to work hard to achieve her full potential. But one thing was certain. Today she found a trace of the killer of their mother, and was not going to lose sight of him. She felt lousy because of the barrier she put around her thoughts, so as her brothers couldn’t read her mind, but first, she wanted to establish all the facts, track down every bastard, who was involved in Isabo’s murder, and prepare a plan.

    When every piece of this puzzle will be on its place, they will be able to finish this case, just as they promised five years ago over their mother’s grave. And thus, to shut this painful stage of their lives down.