New Start (Morganville Vampires)

Chapter 5

'I'm going to Myrnin's.' I said after getting ready. I picked up my keys. 'Call me when they've gone and I'll come back.'

Michael was following close behind me. 'They're your parents.' He said as I unlocked the door. He grabbed hold of my wrist to stop me from going. It wouldn't, he wasn't strong enough to stop me, but I turned around to face him still.

'They are now they want to be. What about for the past eighteen years?' I asked, and turned back around to open the door.

'Please,' Michael said. 'Just hear them out.' He pleaded. I pulled my wrist free.

'I'm sorry.' I said. 'Just call me when they've gone and I'll come back home. I don't want to see them.' I turned around and opened the door. 'I'll see you later.' I said and opened the door fully.

Two people were walking up the path leading up to our house. The man had red hair, although it had flecks of silver going through it. the woman was shorter, and she had blonde hair, also with silver going through it. They were old enough to be...

I turned around to Michael, as if to ask if they were who I thought they were. I was hoping he would shake his head, hoping that I still had chance to get away. Michael nodded. They were my parents.

They were both looking down as they walked up to the door. It was only when they had reached the top of the steps leading to the door that they looked up. They smiled at me.

I turned around. 'I can't do this.' I said to Michael, and barged past him. He grabbed my wrist.

'Please.' He whispered, and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. I turned around to face them.

'Elizabeth...' The woman - my mother - said quietly, almost in a whisper. I winced as she said it. it sounded like a completely different language coming from her.

Michael reassured me by tightening his grip around my shoulders. I could have run off from him at any point, but I didn't. He was no stronger than me - him being a human, he was weaker than me - but there was something about his grip that stopped me from running off. It kept me there. 'Hey.' Michael said to them. 'Come in.' He said, as humans had to have an invitation in to go into the house.

We walked through to the lounge, and Michael sat down with me on the settee. I was shaking. These were my parents. They went and sat down on the settee to the side of ours.

'Michael, you look... well.' The man said.

Michael nodded. 'So do you.' He said.

There was an awkward silence between all of us. It was nothing like the silences between Myrnin. The silences between us weren't quiet. They were full of our thoughts. This was an empty silence.

'So,' Michael said, trying to break the silence. God, why did Eve go out to work? It would have been a lot less awkward if she was around to lighten the mood. 'This is Elizabeth.' Michael said, and I almost laughed. My own brother introducing my parents to me.

My mother nodded. 'Hey honey.' She said, as if I was a three year-old. She smiled at me. 'How old are you now?' She asked.

I was having to tell my own parents how old I was. 'Eighteen.' I said bluntly.

'Eighteen.' My father said and nodded. 'Of course.'

Michael stood up and went to get drinks, leaving me alone with my parents.

'Look, honey, we're sorry.' My mother said after a while. 'It was only meant to be for a few years after you were born. Just until we found a place outside of Morganville.'

I stared at her. 'Let me guess - A few years led to eighteen, and the only reason I came back was for my brother. Is that right?'

'We just wanted to do what would be best for you.' My father said.