#vesitigialux

[vestigialux]

A HUMBLE NEW BEGINNING

Chapter 1 : Well Deserved Baths & Lesser Deserved Actions

( Original Story by @vestigialux - @ AquaLux on Quotev (Quiet Girl) )

SUMMARY : 

Vampires are real, they're just smarter at concealing their true identities, or so, at least that's how it is for the Brook family. Human Benjamin Brook took the murder of his vampire wife as a warning for the threat his three sons were up against and thus came up with several methods to keep all three of them safe while letting them lead normal lives. However, thirteen years later, Aaron, Ezra and Dez discover their mother had left a few secrets behind, and they are curious to investigate. What kind of trouble could they get into after so many years of hiding behind masks? 

Christmas Eve, 24th December 2004 7 p.m. Birchwood, Droylsden, Manchester M43

       Melanie Brook had a lot on her mind. Yet again, when you have three sons to take care of, you always have a lot on your mind, especially when they're toddlers.

Scratch that, especially when they're vampire toddlers.

You thought raising land-dwelling, outdoors-longing children with normal teeth and sleeping habits was bad? Try balancing fun and discipline with keeping their true natures a secret. Their fangs grew and eyes glowed a bright yellow every time they threw a tantrum, they could never get a decent night's sleep since nighttime was when the kids were most active and the eldest was even learning how to levitate on demand! Not like the chaos they already created wasn't bad enough, oh no, they wouldn't eat any food that wasn't red-coloured, they would intentionally scare their father half to death at night and, there being three of them, made the job of containing them three times harder.

They constantly fed each other excitement and, worst of all, they had to contain all their energy within the house in order not to expose their secret. Melanie knew, that once that happened, her family would suddenly be in grave danger, a target for the ones who hated their kind. She wasn't sure whether they still existed from when she was born about a century ago, however she wasn't willing to take the risk. The only time she took them out was to the market, the mall, and if they behaved, the park every once in a while. Even then she would force them to wear sunglasses, long sleeves and double layers like she did, in order to prevent them from burning up, despite the typical cloudy UK-weather in Manchester. They looked odd, like a bunch of blind baby ducks following their mother but it was comical so she didn't mind. She and her husband even agreed that homeschooling them would be their best option, at least until they grew up a little. God, that was going to be a nightmare.

This stuck her with three hyper-energetic toddlers clinging around her day-in, day-out in an endless cycle of nags, cries, tantrums, screams... Pranks... Complaints... She had to hold onto something to steady herself just thinking about it.

At least the diaper stage was over, all that came next were the wet nights and later on, ugh, the wet dreams.

​​​​Oh no, have a plenty amount of kids, her naive one-hundred and three year old self had said, it would be simply lovely, you just met the perfect guy, you can finally be like the human mothers you've been envying these past fifty years her arse.

She was not having another kid.

Her husband seemed to be on the verge of suicide, so she was sure he would agree.

The first child, was quiet and obedient, the second one was also quiet but less obedient and the third one wasn't even quiet.

She drew the line there but had no regrets, she loved all her offspring equally and the past six years had been the best years of her whole, long, lifetime.

However tonight was Christmas eve, which added onto the usual stress. Her husband, Benjamin, was kind enough to have taken them out for the day while she cooked Christmas dinner and wrapped their presents in peace. She loved her children, honest she did, but sometimes she wanted them to just shut up and drove her up the wall more than a few times, which was why she had enjoyed this short amount of time to herself.

After finishing all her chores and duties, she decided to have a leisurely bath while reading her favourite book as piano music played in the background. She tied her long, wavy brown hair back into a bun with a large hairpin and popped into the tub, adding bubble bath soap, she was sure the kids wouldn't mind. She elegantly picked up her book and continued from where she had stopped the night before.

It wasn't long before her mind shifted back onto her children.

She had to share this track with Aaron, her eldest, she pondered, even though he was only six years old she could tell he loved instruments and classical music. The Harry Potter book she was reading, she had to show it to her middle child, Ezra, he was five but could already read whole paragraphs by himself. If she were to share her obsession with J.K. Rowling, it would be her future bookworm son, she figured. Lastly, she looked up at the painting hanging on the door her three year old had done, Dez. It was a square with what looked like trees on either side of it, which she assumed was their home however they didn't have trees on their street. She had hidden her confusion when he had presented it to her, however skepticism had shown all over her husband's face which had caused Dez to throw a tantrum. A child's imagination, she smiled to herself, that boy's going places. It was kind of creepy how Dez wanted it hanged here, and said that since Ben spent so much time in here on his phone, he'd learn to appreciate it which had made her roar with laughter, even now.

Her family was her life now, and even though she had been alive for a much longer time, she couldn't remember living without them. She had a loving, caring husband, three gorgeous children and an extravagant home in a quiet place in Manchester. She was even about to start teaching Aaron and Ezra how to read and write, and basic mathematics since she had recently done a course online which gave her permission and all the requirements she needed to teach primary schoolers.

She used to be a lawyer before she married, which had lasted about thirty years, and a nurse in the second world war before that, previously also a cleaner and, when she had still been growing at a fast (normal) rate, a daughter of a farmer, yet she could see her self as a teacher one day, once her sons had married.

She smiled to herself.

Yes, she could definitely see herself working as a school teacher, according to her renewed birth certificate, she was off the appropriate age- 35. She just needed more experience.

Little did she know all these dreams were futile.

As she bathed and relaxed, a small group of armed men surrounded the house.

She was too absorbed in her own self-made little world to notice them until she heard footsteps going up the stairs, the bathroom being on the second floor. She sat up instantly.

Those weren't her husband's footsteps, he always took his shoes off indoors and they were far too heavy to be any of her sons'.

She put down her book but left the music playing, then put on her gown and crouched by the door to hear more clearly.

Maybe she was overthinking things, she contemplated, it was a normal thing for her to do. She peered through the keyhole.

A lump caught in her throat.

The man climbing the stairs was not her husband.

Her hands began to tremble.

He was carrying a gun.

She fell back, pathetically.

There were multiple of them.

She quickly scrambled to her feet and dragged a cupboard in front of the door then proceeded to open the window. She was not going to die today, she was not going to abandon her family like that.

She had to escape.

A gunshot fired through the door and cupboard, shattering the window she was trying to pry open, causing her to jump back, beginning to hyperventilate. They must have heard the furniture moving.

She looked at the remains of the bullet, it was silver.

Hunters.

How did they find her? Why were they even after her? She had kept her secrets so well hidden...

Another gunshot and she whimpered. The was the lock gone.

She risked going for the window again, broken glass cutting her bare skin but to no avail as another gunshot came firing from below. She staggered back, a sharp piece of glass scraping a deep cut into her arm, however she was too high on adrenaline to care.

She was trapped.

She was trapped like a wild animal.

She considered calling the emergency line but her phone wasn't on her person, she had left it charging on the kitchen counter.

Only seconds now and they'll enter, the cupboard was shaking vigorously.

3...

She had to try something else.

2...

She inspected her surroundings hastily.

1...

She grabbed the shower and pulled the pipe out from its place then whacked the first guy that entered with it, knocking him down onto his allies.

"What are you doing, idiot? Let's go get that abomination!" one of them exclaimed. There were at least five of them and they were all wearing masks, probably because of all the CCTV cameras in the streets.

How unprofessional, she thought, you don't crowd around the entrance of the room you're breaking into, it permitted one to be able to do things like this easily.

She didn't know where the others were outside, and she didn't want to risk a bullet to the head so she devised a plan, one which she executed immediately. She gently floated over their heads while they were distracted, wrapping the flexible pipe of the shower head around their necks and pulled strongly in the direction of the stairs as she managed to squeeze into the opening the cupboard allowed.

Three of them fell down the stairs, while one fell to his knees, having been choked and the fifth remained standing. He must have reacted sooner.

She whipped at him with the shower head but he dodged, grabbed it and pulled her, stabbing her in the stomach with his machete, which didn't do much, obviously, however it did slow her down.

She fell to the ground then stepped back, panting and made a run for it, however three angry-looking men had their guns pointed at her from the foot of the stairs.

She heard one of the guys standing up behind her.

She was surrounded again.

The music from the bathroom started playing lower, daunting notes, which would have been her favourite part if she hadn't felt like she were in a horror movie.

The guy who had stabbed her pulled her into a choke-hold and pressed his machete to her neck.

He seemed to be speaking into a radio. "Monstrosity contained." he stated, then pressed the machete closer.

"W-wait! Please... I... My children... My babies... Please spare them from losing their mother.... They don't have much as it is, please" she pleaded.

Benjamin,

"Please," she began begging.

Aaron,

"Please." again.

Ezra,

"Please..." and again.

Dez...

"Please!"

I'm sorry.

Tears had started flooding her vision.

I love you all.

"You're still a disgrace to Our World." the man uttered.

The last thing she did was exasperate a staggered gasp.

Christmas Eve, 24th December 2004 8:30 p.m. Birchwood, Droylsden, Manchester M43

Aaron ran into the house the second his father unlocked the front door, and looked around for his mother, excited to show her his Christmas list which the Santa in the shopping centre had signed. When she wasn't in the kitchen or the living room, he sprinted upstairs, his little feet making soft thumping sounds as he ascended, which only became faster when he heard the piano music playing.

"Slow down, Aaron! You'll hurt yourself!" Ben called out, picking up a sleepy Ezra and Dez from the car. They had stayed a little longer than expected, viewing shops and special Christmas exhibits though they had had fun, and he was sure Melanie had appreciated the extra 'me-time'.

Aaron slowed down, but only a little, until he stopped completely when he reached the landing and stepped in something sticky. It was dark, but that did nothing to hinder his vision as his eyes glowed a bright yellow. He looked down at the puddle of red fluid which had also stained the walls and part of the ceiling, which Aaron was fortunate enough to have not noticed.

“Mum…?” he mumbled then peered inside the bathroom. All he could see was a trail of blood leading to a bathtub. He dropped the list and it slowly rolled in the scarlet liquid, drenched.

“What the-” his father uttered from behind him as he turned on the lights, after laying Dez and Ezra on the couch. He looked at the blood on the walls and could feel his stomach churning.

No, not his Melanie….

“Dad?” Aaron queried, curiously looking up at his father with wide-eyes.

“Go downstairs with your brothers.” He ordered.

“Where’s mum?” he questioned further. He must have felt the tension, Aaron usually never talked back.

“I said go!” he demanded more ferociously.

Aaron obeyed this time, sensing the gravity in his father's tone, but had only stopped midway down the stairs as his father walked into the room. Then he caught a glimpse of it.

Of the image that would haunt him for years.

The severed head of his mother lying by the sink, her hair was covering her face but there was no question about what it was.

First he heard his father gagging, most probably throwing up in the toilet. Then the man had started crying, descending into sobbing, then fierce wailing loud enough to wake up the other two.

All the while, Aaron stood still, silent, a mixture of shock and trauma keeping him paralyzed. Keeping his mind blank, keeping him empty.

Keeping him from processing everything horrendous that had occurred.

He hadn’t quite grasped the concept of death until that day, until that pain-striking day.

He was hapless enough to have learned it the hard way.