New Haven

TWO BROTHERS, ONE HEART

Dusk and Dawn sat in Logan’s car as they drove, following Alec’s car, to his parent’s house in a community called Spanish Hills. As they rode in Logan’s car, Dusk and Dawn asked if they could borrow his cell phone to call David and Sara.

After a few long rings Sara answered, “Good afternoon, Nightingale residence, this is Sara.”

“Hey mom,” Dawn spoke into the phone.

“Hey baby, are you guys on your way yet?” she asked. “Do you need a ride home?” Dawn paused for a second before answering Sara.

“Actually,” Dawn glanced at Dusk then quickly shoved the phone at her. You do it. She can never say no to you. Dawn thought to Dusk.

She says no to me all the time. It’s just you can’t deal with Sara when she starts crying. Dawn’s eyes pleaded to Dusk as they heard Sara calling from the other side of the phone. Dusk looked at Dawn and whispered, “Wuss,” before putting the phone to her ear.

“Hello,” Sara nearly shouted into the phone.

“Hey Sara it’s me,” Dusk said. Dawn smiled brightly, “A bunch of friends from school are going to be hanging out at one of their houses so we wanted to know if that was okay.”

“If what was okay sweetheart,” Sara asked her voice full of irritation.

“If we could spend the night at the friend’s house and then go to the house for breakfast,” Dawn and Dusk held their breaths as silent filled the phone line.

“You got new friends and now you don’t want to spend time with your mother. What! I’m not cool enough to meet your friends,” Sara started to fake cry over the phone as Dusk rolled her eyes at her mother’s theatrics.

“We’ll be back in the morning and then we’ll spend all of Sunday with you and David,” Dusk told her. She could hear David telling Sara in the background that it was okay with him if they wanted to spend the night at a friend’s house.

“This is an A, B, conversation David so C your way out of it,” Sara yelled as Dawn giggled at her mother’s use of ‘The Hip Youth’ vocabulary. “You don’t even know who these friends are David. They could be serial killers or people who talk during a movie,” Sara told her husband.

“Sweetheart, their not serial killers, their letting them use their phone,” David said.

“They could be nice serial killers, letting them say good bye to their loved ones,” Sara argued.

“Well in that case. Goodbye loved ones,” David yelled sarcastically, “We’ll see you girls tomorrow for breakfast.”

“Thanks David,” the girls yelled from their side of the phone.

“No! Not thank you David,” Sara began to argue but Dusk had already hung up Logan’s phone. “So where is this place?” Dusk asked Logan from the passenger’s seat.

“It seems pretty far from the beach,” Dawn said as she checked the time on Logan’s phone before handing it back to him. Logan turned and smiled at Dawn.

“Spanish Hills is about a half hour away from Hueneme beach. They’re just homes located on a small hill side,” Logan told her nonchalantly. “My parents also have a house around here, but they never used it. My parents just ended up renting it out,” he stated to Dawn who just nodded her head.

“How much further is it Logan,” Dusk asked from the backseat of Logan’s car.

“It’s like another fifteen minutes depending on traffic lights,” he said. Dusk tried to sit back as the car hit a small bump in the road. Dusk heard a thud come from the trunk.

“HEY!” Jack and Nick yelled as Holly and Seth laughed from the backseat along with the girls and Logan.

“We’re in here!” someone yelled from the trunk. Dusk couldn’t distinguish the voice between Jack and Nick. She tried to hide her smile as she thought back to ten minutes ago when they were at Nancy’s Ice Cream shop and had realized that they all wouldn’t fit. Jack and Nick had been the ones to come up with the idea.

“We’ve done it millions of times before,” Nick had told them.

“Yeah,” Jack had proudly nodded his head in agreement, “We used to sneak into drive thru theaters all the time like this when we were kids.”

“Yeah, but have you two done this recently,” Dusk had asked. “Because you guys are probably a little bigger than you were when you guys were kids,” she pointed out.

“Naw, but how much different can it be?” They had asked. Listening to them argue and complain in the trunk right now, Dusk couldn’t help but smile a little deeper. A minute later, Logan had put up the music to drown out Jack and Nick’s arguing. The drive from the beach to Alec’s house was nice Dusk had thought. She didn’t start to get worried till they actually arrived to what Logan called Spanish Hills. Dusk gaped at the size of the homes.

Wow! These houses are huge! Dusk heard her sister’s thoughts.

Oh yeah. She thought back.

Alec lives here? Dawn questioned.

“Actually, a lot of New Haven and Rupert Ivan Prep families own homes in Spanish Hills,” Logan told Dawn. Dawn turned to Logan, shocked. She suddenly became worried that she might have spoken accidently out loud. Dawn looked back at Dusk who was staring intently out the window. She shook off any questions she may have had and continued to pay attention to what Logan was saying. “…Besides Alec’s family there’s also Angel’s family, April’s family, Kate’s family and Tristan’s and like I said before,” He said looking at Dawn who smiled back nervously, “We also own a house here as well. Maybe I’ll drive you by it if there’s time.”

“Okay” Dawn agreed excitedly as the car came to a slow and steady stop. Everyone began to pile out of the two cars. Dean, Clowe, and Alec spilled out of his small two seated car. Clowe was blushing furiously as she sped walked towards the girls.

“Clowe, where did you end up sitting in that small two seated car?” Dawn asked as Clowe blushed deeper. She was practically a purple color by the time everyone got into the house. Although, as far as Dusk could tell, Alec did not live in a ‘house’. In her opinion it was more like a mini mansion. There was a beautiful garden leading into the front door. It had stone paths and marble walkways. Dusk couldn’t even think when she saw the house, at least not with Dawn singing it’s praises in her head.

Alec opened the door to his ‘mini mansion’ and let everyone in. Dawn and Dusk stood in the entry way of the house. There were two stair cases leading up to a second landing and a beautiful chandelier that hung low on a high ceiling. Holly, Dean, Seth and Logan all ran ahead of them, clearly already familiar with the Heart’s home. Clowe and the girls stood awkwardly waiting to see what they were going to do next when Alec walked up beside Dawn and asked, “So are you’re hungry Dawn?”

Wow, he’s kind of close? Dawn thought to Dusk.

“She’s probably starving,” Clowe answered.

He’s been staring at you since the ice cream shop. Dusk thought back. You didn’t do anything did you Dawn? Dusk asked her sister, a sense of dread suddenly filling her thoughts.

“Really? That’s incredibly interesting,” Alec told Clowe glancing at Dawn subtly. “So then I assume you’ll want some food then Dawn? Dawn?” Alec asked her as Dawn continued to ‘think’ at Dusk. Not noticing that by thinking to Dusk she hadn’t noticed someone trying to talk to her.

“Dawn?” Clowe nudged Dawn.

“Ow, what Clowe,” Dawn asked her as she rubbed her side.

Clowe pointed to Alec, “Alec was wondering if you were hungry,” Clowe said. Before Dawn could answer, Logan suddenly sprinted passed them.

“Oh man, I forgot to let Nick and Jack out of the trunk,” he told them as he ran pass them out the house to open the trunk of his car. All three girls looked back as Jack and Nick crawl out of Logan’s car trunk and began to laugh. Jack and Nick on the other hand didn’t think that it was too amusing.

“What the hell man?” Nick asked angrily. Logan seemed to at a loss for words.

“You left us there. You know you’re going to be tapped back for this right?” Jack told Logan as the three of them entered the house. Holly and Seth came running up to them, obviously they had followed after Logan, and joined in on the laughter over Jack and Nick being left in the car. Their laughter seemed to rise and filled the Heart house as it echoed of the walls. Suddenly the group heard a door slam in the distance.

“I thought your parents’ were in Paris,” Holly asked Alec.

“They are,” he answered. The whole group looked up to the second landing as they heard footsteps and voices coming closer. “It’s probably just my brother and his friends,” Alec explained.

The group nodded their heads, “Oh,” they said. Only Dusk and Dawn seemed to be shocked with the statement.

“You have a brother?” The girls asked together.

“Yeah,” Alec told them, “He’s Logan’s age but he goes to Rupert Ivan Prep instead of New Haven,” Alec explained. He seemed a little sad by that last fact. “His name’s Zane.”

“Zane… Zane…Zane. It sounds dangerous,” Dawn thought out loud. “He sounds like he rides a motorcycle or hangs out at bars,” she said, a mischievous smile spreading across her face.

“Ferry girl?” A voice asked from atop the second stair landing. The group turned towards the voice as Dusk turned and came face to face with that beautiful, light blue almost grey eyed creature she had met a week ago on the ferry. She stood slightly unbalanced as the boy smiled down at her. He was exactly the same as how she had remembered him. Even down to that perfect smile of his. Suddenly the goose bumps he had given her that first day when they met came back to her all at once. Dusk felt something begin to bubble up inside of her that she didn’t recognize.

“Ferry girl?” Alec asked as he stepped next to her. “You’re the girl he met on the ferry at the beginning of the school year,” he stated, recognition dawning on Alec.

Dusk suddenly found it very hard to meet Alec’s gaze. Guilt washed over her and she didn’t understand why. Zane and his friends began to make their descent down the stairway as Alec continued to look a little uneasy.

“Well, this seems like it’s going to be extremely awkward,” Dean said, “So, we’ll just be in the kitchen,” he said as he grabbed Clowe’s hand and pulled her in the direction of the Heart’s kitchen. Jack and Nick followed Dean and Clowe as Nick threw his arm around Clowe as they went.

“I missed my little freshman,” Nick said as he smiled down at Clowe. Clowe blushed under Nick’s attention as Dean looked threatening at Nick.

“So Nick, did you like the trunk?” Dean asked trying to get Clowe’s attention back.

“It would have been more comfortable with Clowe there,” Jack told him. Dean looked at the Winters’ twins with daggers in his eyes as the three of them continued to walk towards the kitchen.

Back in the entrance of Alec’s house, Logan had stepped in front of Dawn protectively when the group had descended from the stairs. Dusk thought it was odd, but didn’t give it a second thought as Zane stuck his hand out in front of her.

“Zane Heart,” he said. Dusk shook his hand. It was odd to the touch. Zane’s hand wasn’t hot or cold. He was the exact same temperature as her own hand Dusk thought to herself. Dusk didn’t notice she still hadn’t said anything till Dawn stuck out her own hand in front of Zane.

“She’s Dusk Nightingale and I’m her sister Dawn Nightingale,” Dawn said as she shook Zane’s hand.

“Twins,” Zane asked looking at Dusk.

“Yup,” she answered.

““Dude your hands are cold,” Dawn mentioned as she retracted her hand from Zane’s. “They’re just like my sister’s.”

“My hands are not cold,” Dusk told her sister accusingly.

“Yeah they are.”

“No, they’re not,” Dusk said turning to face her sister.

“Yes they are,” Dawn told her.

“No.”

“Yes.”

“Oh, yeah, definitely twins,” one of Zane’s friends said as Dusk and Dawn turned to see the rest of Zane’s friends smiling perfectly back at them.

“Sorry,” the girls said as the group just shrugged their shoulders.

“That’s cool,” the guy from before said, “I have a twin myself and she’s super annoying too, so I get it.” The whole group laughed as other introductions started to go around. The Rupert Ivan kids all gave Holly and Seth hugs first as they began to question Holly on what she was planning for Halloween this year.

Dawn got excited all of a sudden, “Do you throw a Halloween party or something Holls?” Dawn asked as the Rupert Ivan kids looked at Dawn confused.

“Oh, you’re such a norm Dawn,” Logan told her jokingly as he glanced at the Rupert Ivan kids. A secret meaning etched across his eyes and in his words as he looked at Zane and his friends. Zane’s friends discretely took a small step back from the girls, understanding showing in all of their eyes.

Did you catch that Dawn? Dusk thought asked Dawn.

Oh yeah.

“We, our family,” Logan specified, “We throw the biggest and best Halloween parties on the planet,” he told them.

“Really?” Dawn asked sincerely interested.

“Yup,” Seth said, speaking for the first time that the girls could remember. “My whole family’s really into Halloween.”

“We never noticed,” Dusk and Dawn said jokingly as they looked at Holly’s outfit.

“It never even crossed our minds,” Dusk told Seth sarcastically while the whole group began to laugh.

“Yeah well,” a short Rupert Ivan prep girl said as she gave Holly a hug, “Halloween is sort of like the Super Bowl at our school so Holly and her family are pretty much like royalty with all us Rupert Ivan kids,” She explained as Holly smiled brightly back at the short Rupert Ivan girl.

As introductions continued to go around Dusk began to feel a little overwhelmed. There were too many names given too fast to remember as Zane’s friends seemed to amount to a small entourage. Dusk felt like she was in a whirl wind. After years of only being able to feel comfortable with Dawn, Dusk was surprised to find that she liked Zane’s friends. They were nice and felt oddly comfortable with them.

Dawn watched her sister as everyone stood in the entrance way talking to the kids from Rupert Ivan Preparatory. Her sister seemed to fit in with these kids Dawn thought to herself as she watched Dusk laughing and smiling with the group. Dusk looked like Zane and his friends too Dawn noticed. They all had an air of mystery to them. The ‘emo vibe’ as Dawn had jokingly called it when the girls were growing up. It was what had always made people feel strange and awkward around her sister. But now, she gazed at Dusk as Zane and his friends surrounded her. She was laughing, joking, smiling. Dusk had finally found a place where she looked like she belonged, Dawn thought to herself.

“Well, we’ve got to be heading back,” the short girl from before told them as Zane walked all his friends out to their cars.

“I liked them,” Dawn said, “and Zane.”

“Yeah.”

“You never mentioned how hot your brother was. Why is that I wonder?” she asked eyeing Alec suspiciously.

“I don’t think my brother’s ‘hot’ Dawn,” he told her smiling. “If I did that would be kind of weird.”

“So Zane’s your type,” Logan asked, jealousy coloring his words. Dawn looked up at Logan and smiled brightly as she shook her head at him.

“I prefer my men taller and more Asian,” She said giving Logan a little wink as she did, “So I’m hungry. Where’s the kitchen?” Dawn stated as Zane walked back into the house.

“So what are you guys doing today?” Zane asked.

“I’m hungry,” Dawn complained again interrupting Zane as Dusk rolled her eyes at her sister. Zane looked oddly at Dawn and then started to laugh.

“Let’s go to the kitchen before Dawn dies of starvation,” Logan said as he gave Dawn a piggy back ride to the kitchen. Zane offered to give Dusk one, but she shook her head horrified making Alec and Zane start laugh in unison at Dusk.

“Okay, so Trent and Tristan are on their way and Nick and Jack called Caleb,” Dean said as Alec, Zane, Dusk, Holly, Seth, and Logan, carrying Dawn on his back, walked into the Heart’s kitchen. “And they’re all coming for the sleep over,” He told them as Nick and Jack pulled out chips and cookies from a nearby cabinet.

“Did you call Angel?” Holly asked.

“No,” Dean said.

“Nick, Jack,” Holly called to the twin’s a little annoyed, “You didn’t invite your sister?” Jack and Nick looked back at Holly like a burglar being caught by the police.

“Oops,” the twins said.

“That’s so jacked up guys,” Dawn told them snatching the chip bag out of Jack’s hands. “No chips for you.”

“Awe, come on,” he complained. “Why don’t you call her?”

“I’m going to,” Holly said as she pulled out her smart phone and began to dial Angel’s number.

“Wait,” Zane said as everyone took seats around the kitchen. Some of them sat on counter tops some sat in the chairs. “Did you say Caleb? As in Caleb Benson?” Zane asked the group. Dusk sat down on the floor of the kitchen, welcoming the feel of the ice cold floor after a sunny hot beach day. “Forget it, there’s no way bro. You know I’d kill for you or give you a kidney, but I really don’t want to deal with Kate today,” Zane told his brother. Alec laughed as he looked at his brother.

“Oh, Kate’s not coming,” Clowe said excitedly. “She said she had to wash her hair.”

“That’s awesome,” Dawn said from the counter top she was sitting on. Dusk agreed with her sister, nodding her head from the kitchen floor. Slowly Dusk scooted closer to the floor till she was lying flat on the kitchen floor. “So what are we going to do while we wait for Angel and the boys?” Dawn asked the group.

“Well, we do have a pool,” Alec said. That was all had to be said. Five minutes later everyone had changed back into their beachwear and were diving into Alec and Zane’s twenty foot deep pool. “Are you coming?” Alec knelt down and asked Dusk, who at this point had closed her eyes. “Are you sleeping on my floor?” He asked her trying not to laugh.

“It’s really comfortable,” Dusk answered, “And it’s cold. I think I got a little overheated at the beach. I’m just going to stay here for a bit. You’re floor is nice and cold.”

“Kitchen floors usually are,” Alec said looking down at Dusk, strangely amused by her. “So you’re not coming out to the pool,” he asked. Dusk just shook her head slightly as she kept her eyes closed. “So you’re just going to stay here. On my kitchen floor,” he asked again.

“Is that okay,” Dusk asked keeping her eyes shut.

“Yeah, that’s fine. Just don’t fall asleep on the floor,” he told her jokingly as he stood up.

“Don’t worry I won’t,” Dusk told him as Alec left his kitchen. Two minutes later, Dusk was fast asleep on the Heart’s ice cold kitchen floor.

Standing in the pool Dawn shouted for teams as they played. Jack suddenly lifted Dawn onto his shoulders as Holly sat on Nick’s shoulders and Clowe sat on Dean’s.

“Go Dawn!” Logan’s called from the chaise he sat on, on the side of the pool. Dawn looked at Logan from the pool and lifted both hands up in the air. “Yeah, kill them Dawn!” Logan shouted.

“No way! Go Holly!” Zane called from the sidelines. “Crush her!”

“Hey that’s my sister you’re cheering for,” Logan told Zane. “And you’re cheering a little too hard,” he said eyeing him.

“Logan, you’re sister’s hot and besides,” Zane said as he cheered Holly on. “You know almost every guy at my school wants your sister.”

“Yeah I know,” Logan said, “And I’d rather have any of them date her than that i***t she’s dating now,” Logan told Zane.

“So she’s still dating James I’m guessing.”

“Oh god, just don’t remind me,” Logan said as Zane laughed at his friend.

“Go Clowe!” Alec shouted as he walked out of the pool house with raw hot dogs and chips. He walked over to the grill and lit it as he put the hot dogs on the grill. Zane looked over to Alec preparing the barbeque.

“You need help Alec,” Zane asked. Alec nodded his head to him. Logan decided to help too and he and Zane stood and walked over to the grill to help Alec cook the food. While they cooked and talked, the boys could hear Seth yelling in the background.

“I want to remind everyone to keep it clean, please keep it clean,” Seth said as the three teams looked at him. “No biting – Holly,” Seth pointed to his sister, “and no kicking- Jack and Nick.” The Winter’s looked at Seth and laughed.

“We need cups and plates,” Logan told Zane and Alec.

“We have that stuff in the pool house,” Zane told Logan.

“It’ll take a while for theses to get coked,” Alec told them about the hot dogs. The three of them headed back to the pool house to grab some more things for the grill. “Ready, one, two, three – go!” Seth yelled as the girls started to grab and push at each other trying to throw the other girl’s off their guys’ shoulders. Alec and the guys watched from the pool house laughing as Holly and Clowe double teamed Dawn and tried to take her down.

“So where’s Dusk?” Zane asked as he grabbed the hot dog buns out of the refrigerator. Alec laughed unexpectedly.

“She’s laying down on our kitchen floor,” Alec told his brother.

“What?” Zane asked.

Alec nodded to him with a smile, “Apparently she got over heated and needed to cool down for a bet. She says she was fine.”

“I do that went it’s hot out too,” Zane said as he pondered the implications.

“You do?” Logan asked. He grabbed the Ketchup and Mustard as he looked out the screen door. Dawn was going after Holly and Nick as Clowe and Dean cheered on from the side of the pool.

“Yeah, we all do that, my kind love the cold,” Zane said as he grabbed some plates out of a cupboard.

Logan nodded his head. He grabbed a few more things before shouts of victory roared from the pool. “It looks like Dawn and Jack won. Man that girl’s a savage,” Logan said more to himself. “I love it. We should get back outside and see if those hotdogs are done yet. Dawn gets hungry like every five minutes,” Logan told them.

“Does she really get hungry every five minutes,” Zane asked Logan, “or does she just really like food?”

“No Zane. She really does eat like every ten maybe thirty minutes” Alec answered his brother. Interested where the conversation was going, “why?”

“I have to eat every thirty minutes.” Zane wondered what exactly this meant as Logan continued to talk about Dawn.

“I think I could love that girl,” Logan said not really paying attention to them.

“Yeah, we know,” Zane and Alec told him as Logan smiled at them. “Actually, since we’re on the topic of Dawn,” Alec told Logan, “I wanted to talk to you about something.” Logan looked at Alec confused by the sudden seriousness of his voice. “When we were at Nancy’s ice cream shop today Dawn used my gift,” Alec stated. Zane stared at his brother as the cups that he’d been holding onto slipped from his hands.

“What are you talking about Alec?” Logan asked. “What do you mean she used ‘Your gift’?”

“It’s exactly what I mean,” Alec said matter-of-factly, “When Dusk and I went back to the table at Nancy’s I remembered that Dawn had ordered that monster of a cone and I was going to go help her with it, when I felt something off.” Logan slowly shut the screen door of the pool house as Alec continued to speak, “I felt persuasion,” he told them, “Someone was using the gift of persuasion. I closed my eyes and felt around to see if there were any of my people around, but Caleb and Kate had gone and there was no one else around,” Alec explained. “That’s when I noticed the cashier’s face. Dawn was murmuring to him and holding his hand. He was just standing there with a stupid expression on his face. He looked like the happiest guy in the world.” Logan looked at Alec for a while as Zane stayed quiet in the background.

“But she can’t be one of yours Alec,” Logan stated. “She chopped the wood from the Ash tree with Dusk as punishment for getting in that fight with Kate and she didn’t get sick. She didn’t even look tired,” Logan pointed out.

“Really? She wasn’t tired at all,” Zane asked, slightly amazed.

“Yeah.” Logan answered. Zane just mouth a ‘wow’ as he bent down to pick up the cups he had dropped.

“I know Logan but…” Alec said but was cut off.

“And if Dawn was one of us she wouldn’t even be able to get near that creepy tree without being weakened completely,” Logan told Alec “she can’t be one of us. The Ash tree can’t be fooled.”

“Neither can I Logan,” Alec said. He looked at his brother and then at his friend. “I don’t know how she did it but Dawn Nightingale used persuasion today to get us all free ice cream,” he said. Silence began to fill up the room as no one wanted to move.

“Is that why you invited us all back to your house?” Logan asked. Alec pondered this for a moment and then nodded his head to him.

“Dawn Nightingale used a ‘gift’ and was able to chop the wood of the Ash tree without any side effects to her well being. It’s very…unsettling.”

“Not to mention the fact that her sister Dusk looks like she should be going to my school,” Zane said as the focus shifted off of Dawn for a minute. “My friends really liked her Alec. You and I both know that my friends don’t like norms at all,” Zane said looking at his little brother. “They said that Dusk felt like she fit with them, like she fit with us,” Zane said motioning to himself. “I don’t know.”

“That’s why I invited everyone back. They don’t make sense Logan,” Alec said. “I know what I felt. Dawn isn’t human… but unfortunately, when I stood right next to her after she was done using the gift, there was nothing. I couldn’t feel anything anymore” All three boys stood in silence wondering what it all meant when Holly suddenly threw open the sliding door of the pool house.

“Hey!” Holly shouted. “The hotdogs are on fire!” Alec, Zane, and Logan raced out of the pool house as they tried to save the hotdogs that were on the grill. Nick and Jack cried they were laughing so hard, as Zane threw the burning hotdogs into the pool. The whole group stood over the pool. They watched as the burnt hog dogs sunk to the bottom of the pool. “So who’s up for pizza?” Holly asked. Everyone’s hands shot up in the air. Alec glanced at Logan and Zane. The three of them knew the conversation they’d had in the pool house wasn’t even close to being over, but they had more important things to think about. Alec turned back towards Holly and pulled out his cell phone, “Thank God I have the pizza guy on speed dial.”

Trent, Tristan, and Angel all arrived with sleeping bags just in time to eat. The sun started to come down and everyone moved to the inside of the house to eat and play Zane’s very impressive wii. It was already dark when Dawn had woken Dusk up off the floor, while everyone else was in the living room. Dusk rubbed her eyes.

“Morning sleepy head,” Tristan yelled. Dusk looked down at him confused.

“When did you guys get here?”

“We got here like an hour and a half ago,” Trent told her. “You were out like a log.” Every one nodded their heads in agreement. They took turns going around the room talking about all the things they had want to do while she was asleep. Trent had apparently wanted to paint her face. Tristan and Dean were advocators of the classic shaving cream in the hand and Dawn had wanted to put her hand in a bowl of water. Thankfully, Clowe and the rest of the girls stopped them from doing anything. Seth and Caleb were both on their cell phones and sitting on the couch when Zane and Logan walked into the room carrying a few six packs of Red Bull.

“Well good morning sunshine,” Zane told her as they walked in.

“Morning,” she grumbled back, “um…do you have a bathroom?” Dusk asked.

“I’ll show you,” Alec said leaping off the couch. “Anything to keep from having to hear their conversation on who’s better, I dream of Jeanie or Bewitched,” Alec said as he guided her towards the bathrooms. Dusk could hear Caleb and Dean begin to argue for the side of Bewitched while Seth and Logan seemed to be I dream of Jeanie fans all the way.

“Sorry I fell asleep on you guys,” Dusk said as she and Alec walked down a hallway.

“It’s cool. You really didn’t miss much,” he told her, “Well, unless you count us having to throw hotdogs into the pool,” Alec said as he stopped in front of a door and motioned to it. He opened the door and turned on the light, “Here’s the bathroom.”

“Thanks,” Dusk walked in slightly confused and closed the door, listening closely as Alec’s footsteps got further and further away. Dusk leaned against the bathroom wall before going to the sink to splash some water on herself. She just remembered feeling so tired when she had sat on the floor. She didn’t think that she would end up falling asleep for almost two hours. Dusk slipped off her necklace placing it on the bathroom counter as she continued to freshen up by placing a cold wet rag on the back of her neck. She could hear Dawn laughing and now fully awake waited to be part of the joke and games. She slipped her necklace into her pocket before leaving the restroom just to find Alec waiting for her.

“All freshened up?” he said smiling down at her. Dusk nodded and thanked him for showing her where the restroom was at. She walked back with him to the living room where everyone was at.

“Hey guys!” Dusk said brightly as she walked into the living room. “So what are we doing now?”

“Now that you’re awake,” Dawn said.

“Yes, now that I’m awake,” everyone laughed as Holly and Angel both gave her small hugs.

“Hey, where’s your necklace?” Dawn asked her sister. Dusk patted her right pocket telling Dawn where her necklace was. “Why aren’t you wearing it? It’s so pretty,” Dawn complained. Dusk told her sister that it was to warm for a necklace and that once she cooled down she would put it back on.

“Okay” Dawn said dropping the subject.

“Well,” Angel said, “We were just about to discuss Halloween.” She told Dusk.

“Isn’t that more than a month away,” Dusk said.

“Yeah but we’re on the student council, so we have to plan the Halloween dance,” Clowe explained to Dusk. “So we’re kind of just tossing ideas around about what would be a cool fun thing to do,” Clowe said smiling up at Dusk from where she sat between Dean and Nick.

“That’s cool,” she said, “Well don’t let me interrupt,” Dusk sat down next to Dawn and Logan on the couch as Zane and Alec battle against each other on Just Dance. It was the funniest thing that Dusk and Dawn had ever seen. Not because they were bad, but because they were really good. The brother’s seemed to be trying to ‘out do’ each other. It was one of the best nights Dusk and Dawn had had in a very long time. Each sister glanced at the other, happiness shining in both their eyes.

As the night went on everyone started to get ready for bed. The boys were busy picking a stupid comedy to watch, while they all moved the couches to make more room to sleep. All the girls walked together to the upstairs bathroom to freshen up before bed. While in the bathroom Angel and Holly started talking about who they were looking at to go to the Halloween dance with.

“I don’t know who’s going to ask me,” Clowe said when Angel and Holly had asked her.

“Well you have two guys downstairs all dying for your attention,” Dawn told Clowe. “For someone who’s talking about not knowing if someone is going to ask her to the dance, you seem to have plenty of game.” Clowe blushed furiously.

“So who are you hoping asks you?” Angel asked Dawn.

“I’m going to ask Logan,” Dawn said. “I’m not leaving anything to chance.” Holly nodded at Dawn approvingly. Dawn sighed in relief as she saw Holly’s reaction. Dawn really liked Holly and didn’t want there to be anything weird between them.

“What about you Dusk,” Clowe asked her as she took off her glasses and put them in their case. “Are you hoping for Alec to take you to the dance or is Zane more your type?”

“Clowe!” Dusk said shocked at her meek friend’s bold question. “I have no idea what you guys are trying to imply.”

“We’re not implying,” They all said in union. The girls left the bathroom. They joked and teased Dusk all the way down the stairs. They were hushed by the boys when they entered the living room, because they had already started the movie. Dusk got cozy under the covers as Zane stood up and excused himself from the group and headed out to the pool side.

“He’s not staying for the movie,” Dusk asked.

“Zane doesn’t like horror films,” Alec told her not turning from the screen.

“Zane wait up” Dawn said walking up next to him, “Want some company?” she asked smiling up at him.

“What about the movie?” Logan asked.

“Dawn doesn’t do horror films,” Dusk said placing the popcorn on her lap, “She never has. I have to watch the movie first and then tell her if it’s really scary or if it’s just the music.”

“Really,” Logan asked surprised.

Dusk nodded her head, “Dawn and Zane have that in common,” she told Logan nonchalantly.

Logan’s facial expression suddenly changed as he stood. “I’ll hang with you two. I’ve seen this movie already. It’s not that great.” He said eyeing Zane who just smiled knowingly at Logan.

“I thought you said you hadn’t seen this one,” Zane told him smirking.

“Nope, I have. It was super boring. Come on let’s go.” Logan opened the sliding door out towards the pool area and let Dawn and Zane through. Soon the movie was over and everyone was crashed out on the living room floor.

It was well passed two in the morning when Seth woke up needing to go to the bathroom. Seth walked down the dark hallway that led to the downstairs bathroom. When he got there the door was closed and the light was on. Seth instantly knocked on the door.

“Ocupado,” Seth heard a voice say from the other side of the door.

“It’s me Seth. I have to go really bad,” he said as he leaned against the door of the bathroom.

“Then go to the one upstairs,” Alec said from inside the bathroom. “I’m not letting you in this one.”

Seth turned and tried to hold it as he ran to the upstairs bathroom. When Seth got to the bathroom he flicked the light switch on, but the lights of the bathroom didn’t turn on. He tried it again and again till they finally turned on. Seth closed the bathroom door and walked half asleep towards the toilet stepping on something on the floor. He glanced down half asleep to see what he had stepped on. It was Dusk’s necklace. Seth didn’t know how it got on the floor since he had heard Dusk say that she had put it in her pocket, “She must have dropped it” he told himself as he bent down to pick it up. He held it up to the light as his eyes struggled to focus. The light of the bathroom suddenly flashed against the stone of the necklace. The reflection moved across his eyes, back and forth and back and forth. Seth’s gaze was held to the necklace. The more his eyes focused the more the stone began to reveal things.

He felt rage pure and simple and a need to protect something precious. He stood in the bathroom confused by what he was feeling. His fear came at him all at once as he let go of the necklace. Seth backed away from the necklace till his back hid the wall of the bathroom.

“…You can’t leave me please…don’t leave me… you can’t let them hurt me…” Seth smacked himself in the head as he heard the voice again. The same he had heard the first time he had touched the necklace that day in the cafeteria when Dusk had let him borrow it. “I don’t believe in ghost, I don’t believe in ghost, I don’t believe…” Seth kept repeating to himself as the lights of the bathroom began to flicker. “No, no, no, no.” Seth ran to the bathroom door and tried to open it, but found that it wouldn’t budge. The lights flickered again and again till they went out leaving Seth in complete darkness.

Alec got out of the bathroom and turned off the light as he made his back to the living room. Alec looked around the living room, but didn’t see Seth. “Seth,” Alec thought, “I should go see if he’s okay.” Alec walked up the stairway to the second floor bathroom. The lights of the bathroom were on and the door was closed. Alec knocked on the bathroom door. “Seth is you still in there? Seth you okay?”

Seth turned round and round in the darkness, fear coursing through his veins where there should have been adrenaline. He screamed and banged against the door. He tore at the door knob and scratched at the door, panic taking him completely over. “Holly! Logan! Somebody,” Seth yelled as he pulled at the door. His screams became savage as he ignored the pain in his throat, “Somebody help me. For the love of God somebody help me.”

Alec knocked again on the bathroom door of the second landing, “Seth you okay,” Alec asked. “Please don’t be throwing up…” Alec whispered to himself as he knocked on the door again.

Seth’s mind was racing. He pulled against the door knob again. It opened and Seth raced through the threshold. He felt wind. What? He thought. Seth opened his eyes as he saw that same battle field that he had seen before. I can’t be here, I can’t be here. Seth thought as that same rage, pure and evil came upon him again as a man stood in front of him.

“You’ll never get to them,” the man in front of him said, “I’ll protect them with all that have,” he repeated. Seth watched the man, unable to pull himself away from his gaze.

“I’ll protect it with all that I have,” Seth said the next time the man said it. Seth repeated it till the man had completely disappeared and the battlefield along with him. Then Seth was standing all alone in the bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror as Dusk’s necklace hung brightly around his neck. …They need to feel…They’ll pay…They’ll feel the pain they made me feel…

When Alec had gotten no answer from Seth he reached for the door knob of the bathroom door. “Seth are you cool man,” Alec began to ask, but before he could turn the knob Seth answered,

“I’m fine,” Alec heard Seth say. “I’ll be down in a minute.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah I’m sure,” Seth said as Alec walked back down stairs and back to the living room. Seth looked at himself in the mirror. His eyes glowing red with rage, “In fact Alec, I’ve never felt better,” a smile spreading slowly across his face as the necklace hung closely to his heart.