The Vampire and the Goth Ch. 06

Laura rolled her eyes. "Jesus, Michelle, fucking relax already."

Laura sat down at the table. Elizabeth came back with some clothes and all of us went into the dining room. Michelle never took her eyes off me. She was still glaring at me when we all sat down.

Laura spoke first.

"Elizabeth, I know what Stosh is because Aunt Clara is a vampire, too."

"Wait, what?" Elizabeth looked genuinely confused. So did Michelle. And I probably didn't look too clear on what was going on, either.

"You remember great Aunt Clara? From Norway? Mom's aunt?"

"Yeah."

"Well, she wasn't mom's direct aunt. She was mom's aunt from seven generations ago. And her name wasn't Clara. It was Lisbeth," Laura said, as she sipped her wine.

Elizabeth's eyes were huge, and Michelle's jaw dropped. We were all quiet.

"Our mom had a young-looking aunt that used to come over every few years. We called her Aunt Clara," Laura said to Michelle and me. "I figured something was a little weird when she never got wrinkles or grey hair. When I was in junior high Mom tried to pass her off as a distant cousin named Brigitta, but I knew something was wrong. I looked through the old family photo albums and I realized that Brigitta was Clara."

"Is she actually related to your family?" I asked

"Yes, from the 18^th century. She's our several-times great aunt, the brother of Arik Tor, who came over from Trondheim,"

"Interesting," I said, as Elizabeth grabbed my hand.

"Oh my god that is so cool!" she beamed. "We're like, part vampire!"

Michelle glared at us.

"Well, kind of. I don't think she had any kids. But you're named after her."

"When did you realize it's a vampire?" Michelle asked with a cold voice, pointing at me again.

"Pretty much as soon as I met him," Laura said.

Elizabeth stopped and looked at Michelle. "Wait. How did YOU know he's a vampire?"

Michelle looked awkward. Laura crossed her arms and glared.

"You did know, right? I mean, you called him a vampire and said he was going to kill us both and then you kicked him out of the house."

Michelle began to look extremely uncomfortable.

Laura looked at Michelle, then at me, then at Michelle again.

"She's a big girl, Michelle. She's not going to freak out. Just spill it."

Michelle blinked for a few moments. The tension in the room was palpable. I couldn't stand it anymore.

I looked at Elizabeth and said, "Your sister's girlfriend is a werewolf."

"What the FUCK?"

Michelle's eyes blazed amber again. "That's not the way I would have wanted you to find out."

Laura said, "Well, you had your chance to tell her, and you didn't. Someone had to say it."

Michelle growled quietly but didn't say anything.

Elizabeth thought for a moment. "You know, he's friends with a werewolf. I met him the other night. He's from Russia."

Michelle rolled her eyes. "I'll bet it's got a black friend, too."

"Yeah, he does," Elizabeth said, completely missing the sarcasm. Then she blushed. "Well, he does."

Michelle said, "I don't give a fuck. It's a bloodsucking creature from beyond the grave. They bring nothing but pain and misery," Then, she turned to Laura. "And you let her sleep with it! How dare you!"

It was Laura's turn to roll her eyes. "The only one causing pain and misery right now is you, sweetie."

Michelle yelled in frustration, suddenly standing up and transforming into a wolf. Her clothes and shoes burst off her body as she changed. Her jaw lengthened, her fangs and claws suddenly popped out, and her body grew thick black fur. Elizabeth recoiled in horror and jumped into my lap. Meanwhile, Michelle let out an ear-splitting howl as Laura stood up and opened the sliding glass door onto the deck.

"If you're going to go alpha bitch on us, why don't you just run it out and come back when you feel like talking again?"

Michelle, now in wolf form, bounded out the door and onto the deck. Then she jumped off the railing and into the night.

Laura slid the door closed but didn't lock it, then sat down. Meanwhile, Elizabeth shivered on my lap, obviously scared witless.

"Does she do this often?" I asked.

Laura gave an irritated sigh. "TOO often. We've been fighting a lot lately about me joining her pack."

Elizabeth held onto my neck, hyperventilating. I rubbed her back to try to calm her down.

"That's a pretty serious commitment, Laura."

She ran her hands through her hair, walked into the kitchen, and got a glass of water. She came back to the table and put it in front of us.

"Yeah. She loves her pack, but I have commitments here. I've got a practice and I've got Bitsy who's really scaring me right now. Come on, Sis, drink some water," Then she turned to me. "If she keeps hyperventilating, she's going to pass out."

I began to slowly rock Elizabeth. "Hey, sweetie, it's okay, calm down."

Elizabeth was still shaking, but her breathing slowed. Laura moved her chair closer to us and held her hand.

"So, you have a friend who's a werewolf?" Laura asked. Her question would have been conversational if she wasn't speaking in such a low, soothing tone.

"Yes. I've known him for a very long time."

Elizabeth's breathing was slowing down.

Laura said, "I'm sorry this was so traumatic for you, Sis."

Elizabeth nodded and took a drink of water. She swallowed, then took a deep breath, and asked, "Did you know she could do that?"

Laura smiled. "I've seen her change before, and I've seen her angry before, but I've never seen her so angry that she changed."

Elizabeth took another drink of water.

"Werewolves love to run, and when they get upset, that's one of the ways they blow off steam," I said.

"Just like dogs," Elizabeth whispered.

Laura laughed "Please don't ever say that in front of Michelle!"

I kissed Elizabeth's cheek as she slid off my lap.

"Do you think that's what it was like for Mom and Dad?" Elizabeth said in a shaky voice.

Laura took a deep breath. "I don't know, Bitsy."

I was shocked. Did werewolves have something to do with their parents' deaths? I held my tongue, thinking it would be better to let it go for the moment.

"I thought she was going to bite my head off," Elizabeth said.

Laura shook her head. "I've never seen her that angry before."

They were both silent, lost in their own thoughts.

"It was me," I said. "Vampires have been pretty brutal to werewolves in the past, and they're afraid of us for good reason. She probably thought she was protecting you." I felt very guilty, more than a little responsible for all the drama.

Laura sighed. "Maybe, I don't know. Whatever the reason, we're not going to settle it tonight. Anyway, I've got a long day tomorrow, and I've got to get some sleep. Michelle will probably come back in a few hours, and maybe we can talk then."

I looked at Laura and Elizabeth. "Do you want me to go?"

Elizabeth grabbed my hand firmly. "No. Please stay here." Her voice was so soft, and her eyes were big.

Laura agreed. "She'll have to get used to you at some point. Maybe it will help her get past her prejudices."