A screeching sound woke me up as I try to block the assaulting light coming through the open window. Getting up I realize I'm alone. Mark is long gone as his scent lingers in the air. Wiping the drool from my face I try to stand as one of the blankets manages to wrap itself onto my legs causing me to come crashing onto the ground. With a groan and the embarrassment that it causes I stand up quickly patting myself down as if nothing happened. A piece of hair manages to get stuck on my face as I try to pry it off but the drool and the residue of the rain from last night it became crusted upon me.
Disgusted I head straight to the bathroom for a nice long shower before I start my day but before I can even take another step I'm frozen in place.
Although the window is wide open and the loud noise from the outside world comes crashing in the one sound that I been focusing, the one sound that has kept me here, the one sound that has assured me I wasn't alone, the one sound that I can no longer hear, is gone.
I stopped breathing as the realization hits me like a ton of bricks. I'm frozen in place as the one thing I dreaded has finally arrived. "Just, I-I, I-I just..." the words die on my mouth. A gush of wind comes through the window sending a shiver all over my body. I don't even cover from the gust of air or even from the cold arms the envelope me in a crushing hug.
"Breathe, just breathe." A voice begs me as I continue to stand frozen in place.
"I-I," I stutter as words continue to fail me.
"I know, babe. I know." He holds me tighter as my legs give out.
Gone. She was gone and now I was all alone. Without anyone, without a family.
"You have me, you have a family." Mark whispers as he reads my mind since I can't seem to function enough for a mind block. I would be angry at his intrusion but in all honesty I prefer his company. When words failed me he was the only one that knew what was going on in my head. He kept me company even when my own mind was tearing me apart. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't even be alive right now. He gave me a purpose as well as a family, but it's not the same. I needed my mother. I needed my father but one was taken from us while other let herself get taken. She let her mind consume her shutting herself out from the world as well as me. Leaving me out in the cold to fend for myself.
"One day, I just needed one day," I whisper.
Kissing the top of my head I feel Mark stand taking me with him as he exists the apartment through the window.
I let him take me far from there as he pulls me close to him. I let my mind drift me away to a time when everything was better the time when I knew what happiness was. A time when I had my family.
"She's been like this for two days, I'm starting to get worried." A voice says.
"Give her time sweetheart, she just lost the last of her family." A deep voice sympathizes.
"What if she becomes like her mom?" The first voice asks.
"Why would you even say that?" A familiar voice angrily says.
"Whoa, calm down Mark. I was just saying," the first voice mumbles.
"Now, now, settle down kids, none of this is helping matters so I suggest we just leave her be and hope for the best. She's strong and will come out of this a better being in the meantime we will do whatever we can to help her in these trying times." The deep voice states.
"No," my voice comes out weaker than I Intended it to be. "No," I repeat more forcefully.
"What?" Marks concern voice resonates.
"No! I won't become like her, I won't give up just because things got tough! I won't, I won't wither away with no care for others." I grit out through clenched teeth as the anger inside comes out once again. "I may have lost my family but I'm not alone. They're not the only ones in my life. They're not my only family." I say as I slowly move my gaze from the ground to each one of their faces.
Bass is standing to the side smiling as my eyes meet his first. He has his arms folded on his chest as he leans on the wall. His smile only growing by the second. Just beside him was the first voice and the one that compared me to my mother, Ash. Her eyes were filled with concern as I stared right back her. Her tall lean figure making her look more intimidating than she really is. On the opposite side Mark stands with a cautious look on his face as his green eyes quickly look away. Next to him where the deep voice was coming from stood Tristan with a warm smile and sad hazel eyes. Next to him a gorgeous blonde with a concern look just like Ash's grazed me as she managed a small smile. Maggie was like a mother to me. She looked after me when I first discovered what I was.
They all have cared for me from that moment on. Never leaving my side even when my father moved from city to city. They followed closely behind. Albeit they couldn't come to most territories but they managed to be close by for whenever I'd need them.
"Of course not! We're much your family as any other one of your kind. We may not be a pack but this is just as good." Bass smiles brightly at me. His smile is contagious that I wish I could simply return it. His Asian features make him seem harmless but I knew better than to ever cross him.
Mark snorts, "we're better than a pack." He simply says as he comes to sit by me wrapping me in his embrace. The emptiness that fills me inside slowly grows as much as I'd like to say that they're more than enough I knew that wasn't true. I still needed more. And that feeling was only going to grow bigger.
"Where is she?" I finally ask the question I was dreading.
"It's taken care of, her funeral will be this weekend." Tristan softly says as if I might break.
"I-" before I can say anything Maggie interrupts me.
"No, this is something you'll just have to accept from us. We will take care of everything. We just ask that you take care of yourself. You had us worried." She says sternly but in a motherly way.
"Yes! Speaking of which you must be hungry! Why don't we fetch you something." Bass beams as he starts to drag Ash along with him.
Ash reluctantly goes as Mark gives her a pointed look.
"What was she thinking?" I ask once they were all out the door.
"Nothing worth sharing." Mark says as he kisses my forehead.
He can't just hear my thoughts he hears every mind. Me being the oddity since he can't just hear my thoughts he can speak to me and I to him. He can communicate with his family as well. It was just like wolves and their pack. I can think of an image and he would see it as if I had sent him a picture.
He only does this with his family and me. I'm the only none vampire he has been able to bond like that with, he found it fascinating. I found it intrusive. Rather inconvenient at times but in times like this I welcome some company in this solidarity.
"What happens now?" I ask since I'm still not 18 and I need a guardian in my life.
"We're working on it. Don't worry about that. Just focus on getting better. You haven't eaten in a while and some sleep should help as well." He gently says. Hugging me tighter.