The Michaels

Two

“I’m sorry!” Ava slowly turns her head and Chris shoves his hands in his pockets not sure where to start, but maybe going back to when they met should be a start.

He was on his way back from college. Ava was with her high school friends skipping school drinking under the bridge and he just so happened to hear them sing. He stood on the bridge and listened. Ava accidentally cut her hand the smell of her blood making Chris’s blood boil.

“Ow, I think that’s a sign we should go.” Ava dusts herself off and grabs her bag leaving. She walks past Chris trying to stop the bleeding, but it won’t stop, “I’m dying!” Ava freaks out and Chris laughs at the group of drunk high school girls singing funeral songs for Ava.

“Guys! It’s not funny, I’m dying.”

Maya laughs giving her twin a hug laughing, “This is why I don’t drink.” Maya comments walking Ava to the local pharmacy to get help.

Ava’s hand starts to burn and the foul smell suddenly turns to a sweet scent capturing Chris in his place. Chris jumps over the bridge and slowly hovers over the water and pulls out a poison fish. The foul smell that was burning his nostrils is stronger now.

The fish slaps him across the face jumping back in the water. Chris follows the sweet scent pulling him into the Pharmacy where his sister works. He lurks watching Ava sniffle, “I told you I was dying.” Ava says to her friends and Maya laughs.

Ava turns her head and notices Chris lurking by the door. She looks away and smiles at his sister with red eyes, “Thank you Camelia, my sister will settle the bill I’m broke I didn’t expect to almost die today.” Ava smiles throwing her sister under the bus.

Dean peaks through the door, “Mmm, I smell something good.” He looks at Ava and her stitched up hand smirking, “Hello there sweetheart, I’m Dean Michaels and who are you?” He takes Ava’s hand and breaths in her scent his eyes turning red like Camelia’s at the current moment.

“Dean!” Camelia glares at him and he takes a step back laughing.

“Oh,” Dean says with an expression of realisation turning his head towards Ava next to him holding her hand, “So, my suspicions are correct.” He smiles at Ava who just slowly looks away not sure what exactly is happening.

Dean shifts his leg making Chris and Camelia shift too, turning their bodies in his direction. He chuckles looking at Ava mentally freaking out about him holding her hand, for some reason she feels warm and part of her feels like there’s a wing wrapped around her protectively.

“If I asked you to spend the next 24 hours of your life with me as yourself, out of your own free will, and we have fun, would you say yes?” Dean asks Ava confusing Chris and Camelia who assumed he was about to take her.

Maya looks up at Dean confused, the three other girls each had their own different reactions to the question, most were giving it a thorough thought. Ava on the other hand says yes in a heart beat surprising Dean, and an Overwhelming sense of happiness overcomes him.

He stretches out his hand and Ava jumps onto him, wrapping her legs around him, holding on securely. Dean locks eyes with Ava smiling and disappears right in front of everyone. Chris shakes his head, “She was cut by a poison fish. He’s going to have one hell of an experience on his first day as a runaway.”

Camelia shrugs her shoulders and turns to Maya and the others freaking out asking questions about Ava’s whereabouts. Camelia points a finger at Chris and they address their complaints to him.

Chris takes a seat and smiles at everyone, “Ladies please calm down.” His eyes glow and they all settle down instantly, feeling calm and relaxed. Chris smiles, “Thank you.” He ponders if he should tell them the truth or lie, but since they will have their memories erased he can do both.

“I’ll start from the irrelevant beginning for you to fully understand what is going on here. We are contractors, we have the power to do whatever we want, like say buying someone at deaths door a few extra days like your friend Ava. She’s been dying for a while now.”

Maya’s eyes widen, “What? Dying from what?”

Chris takes out his phone and checks the cause of death on the family page, “Power sudden occurrence, since you were kids you were the only one with a power correct?” Chris asks Maya getting a nod in response, “Well, it’s very deadly for one to suddenly occur and the sad thing is that it doesn’t hurt, no signs, nothing, but of course you guys don’t know that we do though.”

Maya’s brows furrow, “What? What are contractors?”

Camelia turns around taking a seat to join the discussion, “Contractors are the descendants of Life and Death. They are soulmates but destined to never be together, however one day they did the unthinkable and spent a night together to have a little bundle of joy of their own, of course they got in trouble and as punishment the child was brought down to earth, but as consolidation they too were left under watch of earth. We can see them on certain celestial events though.

“We are the descendants of that child brought to earth however we were born with one faint flaw, we hunger for blood we’re kind of like vampires. In the Michaels family specifically blood needs to be taken in moderation because we were born with much larger appetites for blood compared to other contractor family however there’s something special about the blood of someone at deaths door hence why my family owns so many hospitals.

“People like my brother Dean with a binging problem get taken to the temple where they will learn discipline and blah blah. Of course, Dean being who he is plans to runaway before they ship him away. I guess your friend is lucky she gets to spend her last day alive with the King of fun in the Michaels family. Technically it’s not her last day anymore.” Camelia smiles asking if anyone has more questions.     

“How do I get a contract?” One of the girls asks and Chris laughs, “Well, for one we have to be willing to offer you one and I’m not. We talk about it and I gave you a drop of my blood and you give me a drop of yours and that’s it. It’s really getting one, in the Michaels family we have rules and laws. Anyone under the age of 21 gets cash. We don’t do that stupid true love potions stuff for kids.”

Maya rolls her eyes just calling it BS. Chris relaxes making them forget the entire day, “Tell them to get serious with their studies and do something with their lives.” Camelia comments packing up to leave.

~

“You promise?” Dean asks and Ava nods taking a sip of the glass of blood.

“Well, I hope you use your extra days wisely and stay in school and do something with your life. Don’t do drugs and alcohol either it’s bad for you.” He chugs down his drink and Ava’s eyes change matching Deans red ones, “Thanks, I had a lot of fun with you. My parents will take you home and explain whatever wash story they can sell your parents.” 

He takes his bag and leaves, “Hey, Dean. Thank You.”

He smiles and tosses her a small capsule of vials of his blood, “Take one every three months, that’s a years supply. I like you Ava.” He steps out of the Café and his eldest brother is already waiting with a car for him. He runs away and Ava laughs when his mother drags him bag, “Mom, I don’t want to go.”

“Neither do I yet here we are. Off you go.” She snaps her finger and Ava is in her room forgetting everything, “Did you have fun?” Dean’s mother asks and he smiles nodding, “Good, don’t tell your father I gave you 24 hours to get away with whatever you want.”

Dean sulks, “Thanks mom.”

~

Ava laughs at Chris, “You’re what?”

“I’m sorry.”