Chapter Twenty-Nine → I can't breathe, but I still fight while I can fight

When the weekend came it was a day for martial arts, gardening, gnome watching and more importantly, hooking up, which was exactly what Noah was on his way to do.

He met Nicholas at the new hangout that just went up by the beach, it was still in the works and nameless, but worked for an afternoon out none the less. There was air hockey, or whatever the hell the game was.

Dancing.

And hooking up in the men's room? Come on guys, this isn't a bathhouse!

Or maybe it was.... "Flowers then a slippery shag? What do ya say?"

"I had a good time." Noah said as they stood outside the sea side hangout, saying their goodbyes.

"Look, there's something i need to tell you." Nicholas started.

"You better not tell me i need to get tested or i will rip it off." Noah said seriously, fixing his boyfriend with a meaningful stare.

"No." Nicholas said with a chuckle. "It's about your sister's boyfriend's mum."

"What about her?"

"Well you know Lyla married Gabriel Langerak right?" Nicholas asked, Noah just nodding. "Well, word is on the street is that she's got a bun in the oven, but also that he turned her."

"Into what?"

"A leprechaun." Nicholas deadpanned. "A vampire, god, don't be stupid."

"I'm not being stupid, i just mean, with this town, ya never know."

"Right, anyway." The fay rolled his eyes. "Story is, she apparently dropped Bennie and Saul at home on their own and moved in with Langerak."

"So?"

"He lives next door to you smart guy!" Nicholas sighed. "Christ, get your head outta your ass dude."

"Lyla Li lives next door to us now?"

"Yeah, and likes the taste of human blood." 

Noah, in all his flash and sparkle, wasn't quite sure how to deal with news like that. Man, he would have rather just needed to get tested.

The following days weighed heavy on Noah's mind, the boy trying to figure out who to tell first. It wasn't like anyone ever saw the neighbors to the left of their house, everyone knew Gabe was a roid-raged psycho with vampire strength and speed, but no one ever really saw him. Which was why it was so easy to pretend the busted down ghetto-tastic house was empty, cause it might as well have been.

"Tee, can i talk to you." Noah called to his sister the next morning while the girl was in the bathroom.

"Go away."

"I need to talk to you." Noah said as he opened the door and walked in.

"Privacy." She said as she continued to preen.

"You're looking at yourself in the mirror not popping a squat." Noah pointed out.

"You think i'll get wrinkles?"

"You have skin like a babies ass, now pay attention."

"If it's bad i don't wanna hear about it, it's my birthday and therefor i decree no bad news."

"You decree?"

"Yep." Tamara nodded.

"Lay off the Mist of Avalon, it's going to your head." Noah said before lapsing into what Nicholas had told him, Tamara's mood dropping more and more with each passing sentence.

"What!?" She shouted when all was said and done.

"Dude, don't kill the messenger!" Noah said, cringing.

"That bitch! I'm gonna, i'm gonna....."

"What?"

"I dunno, but it'll be something, just watch."

Turned out what she did was tell her parents, which prompted Zane to head next door. He had never visited the house that sat up on cinder blocks, mostly because half it's furniture was outside and it was all run down. Sure, his house didn't look much better but when his parents moved into town they were broke, they were lucky they managed to get a house even in the bad neighborhood.

When Gabriel Langerak answered the door, Zane instantly knew approaching the issue head on was a bad idea. The guy's neck was the size of Zane's thigh and he was all pale and glowy, which made it hard to forget exactly how mortal Zane was and how not mortal Gabe was.

Inside wasn't much better, in fact it was worse. It looked like a 70's sitcom had thrown up in the living room, and the fact that the newborn was on the floor didn't sit well with Zane either.

When Lyla walked out into the main area and picked up the baby, Zane could see the death in her eyes. Lyla was gone, the demon that was squatting like a usurping child in the sandbox of her soul had taken over completely. "I uh, i should go." The older man said to no one in particular, vacating the premises as quickly as he could. It wasn't safe to live next door to those two, even more so now that Jarvis had become an unofficial member of the family. Something had to be done, something drastic. They would have to move.

Chapter Notes:

I did not make Lyla a vampire or move her in next door to the Talliways, story progression did that, which just happened to work in my favor. I was going to continue on and have Tamara and Javris's birthdays in this chapter as well, but it felt right just ending it on that uber creepy looking picture of Lyla.

Bonus Picture:

Dorothy strikes again! Oh the horror!!!