Blood Blossoms

4

Five girls. All of them remarkable, and unafraid. Sunday was more than confused. These girls had to be missing, loved ones had to be searching high and low for them. What was a family full of male vampires doing with five girls? Are they vampires too?

Sunday couldn't really tell with the thick blackout curtains drawn together preventing the sunlight to pierce through, she knew it was daylight outside. So daylight was deadly to vampires, she noted.

Sunday didn't know what to think. Her hands felt clammy as she stood beside Jareth holding his warm dry hand. Her thoughts and questions flooded in like a tsunami. Her main question was, is she safe?

Jareth squeezed her hand.

"You're overthinking. You're safe, ice cream sundae. Your questions will be answered in due time, Beautiful." He whispered into her mess of hair.

She immediately took in her appearance to the rest of them and let his hand go sitting down with the rest of them, Jareth to her right, and Emilio to her ust like the breakfast nook. All five girls sitting across from them at the elongated table.

"She's pretty." One of the young women piped up. It was the one with the black and white hair, Sunday turned and saw the gentle smile graced upon her face. Her gap was adorable to Sunday and it almost made Sunday want to smile back at her.

Almost.

Sunday watched as the girls filled their plates with the breakfast feast scattered about the table. Sunday didn't know when it was prepared, it had to have been when she was occupied with the head vampire Johnathan in his library-or study-whichever he called it.

Sunday studied each girl. They were all happy and unbothered. They had to know they were being housed by vampires. Why else would two of them sport gauze along their necks.

"What's your name?" The same girl questioned enthused.

The red head poked at her omelet, staring at Sunday with disinterest. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know she didn't quite like Sunday. "Why is she wearing a prison jumpsuit?"

Johnathan sipped on his coffee mug, he let out a sigh before setting his cup down. "Well, ladies... we have a new edition into our humble abode. I was thinking to name her...Tulip."

Sunday's eyebrows drew together. "W-wait...you said I was going to be taking care of a garden... not being nicknamed." She said before she could stop herself.

"Sweetie...we are the garden." The brown skin girl informed with a cautious smile. "Daddy, takes care of us..."

"...and in return, we take care of him, and his sons." The redhead smiled maliciously.

"Take care, as in what?" Sunday questioned.

"Well... if that bandage around your neck isn't clue enough... I don't know what to tell you, sweetie," She said with venom laced into her fake sweet tone.

"There will be plenty to talk about... later. My loves, would you do me the honor of introducing yourselves?" He requested holding a hand out palm up ushering them.

"I'll go first!" The bubbly two toned headed girl said a little too cheery for Sunday's liking. "I'm Petunia. I'm the oldest. I'll be twenty three in January, and I work at a pet grooming salon."

Sunday's eyes nearly burst out their sockets. The girl didn't look any older than thirteen.

"I'm Dahlia," The chocolate girl said. Her eyes nearly disappeared when she smiled. Her ample cheeks round and plump lips pulled into a genuine smile. "I'm nineteen. I go to Vernon College in the city."

"I'm Lily," The brown haired girl in the tennis outfit said shyly with an heavy English accent similar to Emilio's, she pulled out a pair of glasses from underneath the table from her skirt pocket and placed them on her face. "I'm seventeen. Still in high school. I'm glad you're here. We haven't had a new face since Magnolia, ye?"

Sunday looked from the Asian girl to the redhead.

The tall blonde sent a slight wave to Sunday. "I'm Magnolia. I'm sixteen." She said.

Sunday's eyebrows twitched with amusement. Sunday was sixteen too. But her birthday was coming up on Halloween, that year.

Sunday peered at the redhead seemingly too into her phone to care to introduce herself.

"Rose," Jareth breathed with annoyance.

The girl looked up from her phone and stared with a bored expression at Jareth. "Yes, my love?" She pipped with a seductive smile.

"You know how much I hate modern day technology, put it away." Jonathan said with a look Sunday couldn't decode.

The redhead fumbled with her phone hurrying to put it away. Fear evident in her eyes.

"Introduce yourself," Johnathan encouraged.

Her nostrils flared visibly as she seethed, crossing her arms over her chest, turning giving Sunday a fake smile. "Rose. Twenty one."

"Well now that you are familiar with my girls, I think I've gotten the perfect name for you...Iris." Johnathan smiled with his eyes in her direction with his mug in front of his mouth.

"Why rename me? Why rename all of us?" Sunday asked. "After flowers at that?"

Emilio surprised her by placing a hand on her hand placed on the table. Sunday turned to him and watched as he shook his head with warning.

Sunday looked around the room as the girls all nearly breathed in their meals.

"I am going to bed, the sun has already made its wake." Johnathan said finishing his beverage, and the butler coming to him taking his mug and placing it onto a silver tray.

"Jareth, before you leave for work I, please take out the trash. I do not wish to remind you again, Mr. Forgetful." He chastised.

Jareth who was sipping on a similar mug of his own nodded.

"Ladies, please do find a comfortable room to situate our new blossom, she's filthy, and in need of some rest. I am full, and ready for my slumber." He winked at Sunday. "I shall see you when you all return. Iris, dear. I will be giving you all the details, this evening. Magnolia...will you help Sunday prepare for her first night with me?"

Magnolia nodded her head obediently. "Yes, Daddy. Of course. I'll make sure she's prepared and in your room after dinner."

"Thank you, my love."

Sunday watched as Johnathan made rounds and gave kisses to all of the girls.

On the mouth.

Sunday was horrified.

As he used his super speed to make way to the opposite side of the table where sat Sunday, Emilio and Jareth, she tensed. Johnathan gave the boys pats on the back, and leaned down to Sunday's ear, his hands still planted on either side of her. "I look forward to our night together. Farewell, sweetheart." He whispered dangerously close into her ear.

Johnathan disappeared in the blink of an eye and the feeling of the chill he gave Sunday retreated with him.

This isn't what I signed up for.