CHAPTER FOURTEEN

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     "I'VE ASKED TARA TO MOVE IN." confessed Sokkie as she and Dakota made their way towards bill's home. It was eleven at night and it was still comfortably warm outside, so Dakota only wore a short summer dress with a denim jacket.

Sookie had told her cousin that Bill had to turn a seventeen year old girl into a vampire when Eric had taken him away the night she got attacked. Bill had disobeyed the sheriff and had to see the Magister. Vampire laws were still unknown to her. And now, the new vampire, Jessica wanted to have a girls night because she felt lonely.

Dakota would gladly meet the girl, but frowned once Sookie confessed about Tara.

"I adore Tara, I really do," Dakota said, giving her a side glance as they walked. "but don't you think you should have discussed this with me before asking Tara? What if I hadn't wanted her to move in?"

"You don't want her to move in?" Sookie frowned as they crossed the clearing that led to the vampire's home. Dakota let out a sigh when her cousin widened her brown eyes slightly, like she often did when she wanted something.

"Of course she can." Dakota said, rolling her eyes. "But you should have asked me first."

"Sorry," she shrugged. "she was just so sad about that woman that was murdered, I wanted her to feel at ease for awhile."

Sookie rushed up the steps toward the mansion and opened the door, stepping inside. Dakota followed her, closing the door behind her as she glanced around the entrance room. Sookie always did things without thinking it through or thinking about what others might think and it was tiring.

"Hello?" Sookie called, seeing if anyone was in the living room.

There were footsteps coming from the kitchen area and a tall redheaded teen girl walked toward them, eyes wide. "I just saw my parents on tv."

"Oh, no." Sookie frowned. "I'm sorry."

"I finally get why they never wanted me to watch it in the first place." Jessica rambled. "It's horrible."

"Where's Bill?" asked Sookie. 

"I don't know." Jessica said. "All he told me was, 'Jessica, I have errands to run. Errand which do not require your presence. So remain here and do your best to stay out of trouble while i'm gone.' And I hate it here. I hate it here so much."

"This house does look like it could use some remodelling." Dakota agreed, smiling at the girl.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Jessica said sheepishly. "I'm Jessica, nice to meet you. You're Dakota?"

"Nice to meet you too." Dakota nodded, slightly amused. "Bill doesn't let you do anything?"

"Not a thing!" Jessica threw her arms up, as she began to cry. "At least Eric let me feed on this guy with tattoos and nipple piercings. I hate it here."

The young vampire went into the living room, letting herself fall onto the couch as she cried. Dakota and Sookie shared a glance, it had been a few years since they were teens themselves and Dakota wondered if she had been the same.

"Jessica," Sookie said, sitting down beside her.

"I uh..." she sniffed. "I think I miss them."

"Your parents?" wondered Dakota.

Jessica nodded her head, tears off blood appearing at the corner of her eyes. Dakota sat on the table before her. "And my little sister. I was always totally horrible to her. I was just such a brat -" Jessica wiped at her face, seeing the blood on her skin and sat up abruptly. "Wait, what is wrong with me?"

"Sweetie," Dakota sympathised. "vampires don't cry regular tears. So when you cry, you'll be crying blood from now on."

"Why do you know that and I don't?" she asked, brows pulling together. "I mean, don't you think I should know this about myself?"

"Bill, should probably have told you." Sookie agreed.

"Jeez, you think?"

Dakota reached into her pocket and held out a clean tissue. Jessica took it and wiped at her face, but she only smeared it over her skin further and Dakota reached up to take a hold of her hand. Jessica let her as the blonde began wiping the blood from her porcelain skin.

"Thanks," Jessica said, trying to give her a smile.

"Look, I don't know if it helps at all." Sookie began. "But I think I kind of know how you feel. At least a little."

"No, you don't." Jessica shook her head in disagreement.

"I'm not saying it's the same." Sookie added, trying to console the young vampire. "We lost our gran a few weeks ago. And she was everything to me. Everything I knew, and now she's gone."

Jessica sighed softly. "But grandparents are supposed to die, and you're still alive. I mean with me, i'm the one that's dead."

"It doesn't really matter who's dead." Dakota said, resting her elbows on her knees. "When people love each other, and then one suddenly isn't there anymore, it's the distance that hurts. And the distance is the same no matter who's doing the leaving."

"What do you do when you feel so far away you can't stand it?"

"Well, sometimes I go into her room and sit there a spell." Dakota confessed.

"That helps?" asked Jessica.

Sookie nodded in agreement. "I don't know, but just being someplace where she's been, it makes me feel better, at least a little bit."

"You think you could drive me to my parents so that I could ..."

"Okay, I did not mean to- you know I can't do that." Sookie shook her head.

"Please," Jessica pleaded. "I - I would just sit in the car, I swear. All I am asking is to sit across the street and catch a glimpse of them through the window. Just so I can say goodbye."

Jessica was a very sweet girl and Dakota was sure she would not harm anyone on purpose but this wasn't a good idea. She knew new vampires were very unpredictable and Bill had told her to stay home so that's what she should do. If she wanted to see her parents she should ask Bill instead.

"It's not our place, Jessica." Dakota apologised. "But if you explained this to Bill -"

"I'm not so sure he would." she cried, more streaks of blood running down her cheeks.

"Okay," Sookie agreed.

"Sookie," Dakota warned, disagreeing. 

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DAKOTA HADN'T AGREED TO THIS BUT STILL TAGGED ALONG, SHE GUESSED THREE WERE BETTER THAN TWO. They had taken Jessica to their home to get her changed into some decent clothing before driving toward her childhood home. It took them about thirty five minutes to reach the home, a few towns over.

"Here, this is it." Jessica said, and Sookie parked the car across the street. The young vampire leaned out of the window, trying to get a better look inside. "My daddy won't be home yet, but my mama and sister should be there."

"Jessica," Dakota frowned. "I'm sorry for what happened to you."

Bill had defied Eric and he had take him to see someone higher up, this had been his punishment. The Magister sounded like a horrible man and she wondered if he had found Jessica and kidnapped her. Bill hadn't wanted to do it, but he was pretty much forced to change Jessica into his progeny.

"It's not your fault." she said, turning to glance at her.

"I'm still sorry."

Jessica was about to reply before she turned her head back toward the home, quickly. "There's my sister." Before either of them knew what was happening, Jessica had disappeared from the car and knocked on the front door of her home.

"Shit," Dakota cussed, getting out of the yellow bug and rushing after her, Sookie not far behind.

"Jessica," Sookie warned. "get back in the car!"

The redhead was pounding on the door. Dakota reached her and grabbed her wrist, pulling her away from the home. Jessica let herself be pulled away but the door behind them opened and they stopped in their tracks.

"Jessica," the woman was in awe as she stepped from the house.

"Mom?" she breathed, wrapping her arms around her mother. A young girl appeared in the doorway, looking like a mini version of Jess. "Oh, hey, Eden."

"Where were you?" asked the girl, wrapping her arms around herself. She couldn't have been older than eleven.

"It doesn't matter, just call your father." her mother said, relieved to have her daughter back in her arms. "And tell him Jessica is home."

Jessica didn't seem so sure anymore and turned to the cousins. "Uh, momma. These are my ... my friends, Sookie and Dakota."

The woman smiled gleefully. "Hello, Sookie, Dakota. Thank you. Thank you so much for bringing her back."

"You're welcome." Sookie muttered.

"Aren't you going to invite us in?" Jessica wondered, knowing she could only enter the home if the owner invited her inside. At least Bill had explained that to her.

"What?" Dakota said. "Oh, no we can't stay. Can we, Jess?"

"Oh, honey, you're as cold as ice." her mother said. "Come in, i'll make you some tea." 

The woman ushered them inside of the home and Dakota cursed underneath her breath. Jessica shot her a look before smiling at her mother.

Dakota and Sookie sat down on the couch, uncomfortable and unsure what to do with themselves when they saw Jessica's mother fuss over her. Then, the woman disappeared into the kitchen and Sookie turned toward the young vampire.

"I don't normally cuss, but you have completely fucked me." she hissed.

"I know," Jessica said, genuinely feeling bad about the situation. "and I am sorry, but I swear it was like it wasn't even me doing it. It must be those new vampire impulse control issues."

Sookie rolled her eyes. "Fuck your impulse control issues."

Eden entered the living room, holding a tray of food. The girl looked shy as she peered at her sister. "Here's some sandwiches, mom's still making tea."

"Oh, thanks Eden." Jessica smiled, lowering her voice not to startle her sister.

"You already had dinner, don't touch those sandwiches." It was her mother that called from the kitchen and the girl frowned, turning to Dakota.

"You're pretty."

"Thank you, sweetheart. That's awful nice of you." Dakota said, offering her a loving smile. "And you're very pretty yourself."

"No," she shook her head. "i'm not. Got a problem with hair."

"Don't say that." Dakota told her. "Your hair is beautiful."

The front door opened, setting off an alarm that said 'front door', and a man stepped inside, putting a briefcase on the table. Jessica stood from the couch, eyes on her father. He stood there, frozen as he looked at his daughter. Jessica walked into his awaiting arms and Sookie smiled.

Suddenly, he held her at arms length. "How could you do this?"

"Daddy-" Jessica began.

"Do you have any idea what you put your mother through?" he demanded as he squeezed her arms, rather painfully. He shook his daughter and Jessica closed her eyes tightly, fear clearly written all over her face. "Why, Jessica? You tell me why? Or I will make you tell me."

"Mr. Hamby!" Dakota called.

Jessica pushed at him and he stumbled back by the force of it. His eyes widened as Jessica said, "Go ahead, Daddy. Get your belt." Her fangs protruded from her gums. "But this time, i'll be ready for you."

"A vampire?" he asked, furiously. "How could you let some bloodsucker bite you like that?"

"Mr. Hamby." Sookie tried, but to no avail.

"I didn't let anybody do anything to me." Jessica sneered. "But, oh, am I glad he did. 'Cause now I get to homeschool you in what it's like to be scared."

Jessica sped to him, grabbing a hold of his shoulders and slamming him against the opposite wall. Sookie had rushed forward, grabbing her elbow and pulling her off but she was stronger and pushed the blonde off of her.

"Baby, please." her mother tried. "This isn't like you."

"You don't know the first thing about me." Jessica spat. "You're too dumb to know anything."

"Jessica!" Dakota snapped, trying to get her to listen before it was too late.

"What?" she turned to her. "She's dumber than a sack full of hammers, and he's as mean as a snake. And that's the way it's always going to be around here. So I am ending it. Right here, right now, and I am doing it with your belt."

In a blink of an eye she had her father pressed against the other wall, ripping his belt off and twisting it around his neck. Eden cried, hiding in her mothers side as her father tried to reassure her. The young girl was crying and they didn't know how to stop her.

The door burst off its hinges, revealing a fuming Bill. He had his fangs out and his eyes roamed the home. "Jessica, let him go! As your maker I command you." Jessica took a step back, eyes wide.

"Thank god you're here." Sookie was relieved.

"Shut up! This is your fault!" he told her, eyes now on Eden as he glamoured her to invite him into the home.

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TO SAY THE CAR RIDE BACK WAS FILLED WITH AWKWARD SILENCE WAS AN UNDERSTATEMENT. Bill was speeding, pretty badly and Jessica was sobbing in the backseat beside Dakota. The vampire had her head on her lap and leaked bloody tears onto her thighs.

"Bill, slow down, please" Sookie pleaded, holding onto her seat. "You're scaring me. Stop this."

He suddenly swerved to the left off the road, stopping the car and Dakota almost smacked against his headrest from the force of it. Jessica let out another wail, squeezing the edge of Dakota's dress between her fingers.

"I'm sorry." frowned Sookie. "She promised she was just going to look through the window. I know I made a mistake, but they're her family."

"She is a vampire!" Bill argued. "She has no family!"

"I am a monster and I am going to be alone forever because of you." Jessica pushed herself up, crying. "I hate you so fucking much!"

"Be quiet."

"Eat shit!"

"I said, be quiet!" This time Jessica fell silent, crossing her arms over her chest. Bill turned toward Sookie. Sookie had already confessed it was her idea and that Dakota had nothing to do with it, so he kept her out of it. "You undermined my authority as her maker. You risked those people's safety and your own. If I had not glamoured them within an inch of their sanity, all of our lives would have been shattered."

"I know, I'm sorry!" Sookie echoed.

"You keep saying that!" Bill almost yelled. "And I am expected what? Forget this happened?"

"What else would you like me to say? I knew when she asked me to take her I should have said no, but all I could think about was gran and what i'd give to see her again."

"That does not give you license to behave like an irresponsible child! She is a loaded gun, Sookie. Not a doll for you to dress up and play with."

Sookie glared fiercely at him and got out of the car, slamming the door shut behind her screaming about walking all the way home. Dakota closed her eyes in annoyance and also got out of the car, following after her cousin. 

"Sookie!" she called. "What are you doing? Bon Temps is another twenty miles away!"

"I'd rather walk than spend another minute in a car with him."

The forest was clammy and crickets could be heard from all over the place. Dakota really didn't want to walk so far in the dark, in the middle of the night but she wasn't going to let Sookie go off on her own and get it more trouble.

"We should call a cab or something." she muttered.

"I'm walking." Sookie was adamant.

Dakota rolled her eyes and stalked off after her, deeper into the forest while following the wide path that led to Bon Temps. There was rustling behind her and she stopped in her tracks, Sookie did the same, though standing a few feet before her.

"Bill?" she called. "Bill, if you're trying to scare me to get back into that car it isn't going to work."

The two continued, quickening their steps. The soft rustling was getting louder and closer, something growled from within the trees and Dakota turned on her heels, eyes wide. She let out a shaky breath, seeing the creature from afar. It was big, at least six feet, horns covering its head.

"What the -?"

The creature took off into a sprint, heading toward them and Sookie and Dakota turned on their heels, running as fast as their legs could take them. It was fast, incredibly fast and it caught up to them easily. Sookie ran a few feet in front of Dakota and the girl let out a bloodcurdling scream when she felt its claws strike her back.

The last thing the blonde saw was Sookie's wide and fearful eyes before she fell, unable to move a single muscle.