Family arguments were always a lot more vicious when it was Ben's family doing the arguing. It nearly always ended in someone getting stabbed in some part of their body, whether it was their arm, or their head. Generally, the matter was quickly resolved and all was well between the Sallow clan once more. But sometimes, only rarely, the argument didn't blow over, and the disagreement spilled over to the rest of the clan.
This was one such occasion. The two boys, Ben and Felix, both wanted to leave the safety of the crypt their clan was meeting in, but both for very different reasons.
Felix was the oldest. He'd been born in 1802, and was eighteen years old. But he was unfortunately the more violently inclined of the three Sallow children. He wanted to leave the safety of crypt to satisfy his bloodlust; they had had a hunter chasing them for the past decade or so. Ironically, the hunter's name was Chase, and Felix had been begging their father to allow him to leave to find him and get rid of him. But of course, their father, Hugh, denied his request every time he asked.
Ben, short for Benjamin, was the middle child. He was born in 1804, and it was for his birthday that the clan had come together to celebrate. He would be turning 'sixteen' again, for the two-hundredth time, an important marking point for him and his family. That year also marked the two-hundredth anniversary of the Sallow family becoming vampires. The clan had gathered together to celebrate together, but Ben wanted to get away from the crowds and the noise, and also to practice hunting. But, like his brother, his requests had been denied.
Rose, short for Rosalie, was the youngest, at just fifteen. Born in 1806, she was the baby of the family, and strangely the only teenage girl in their clan. She was very much her mother's daughter, but she hated being cooped up in the crypt. She just wanted to see the outside world a bit more. She wasn't really interested in humans or other supernatural creatures like werewolves or the faie folk, she just wanted to see the world and how much it had changed. But like her siblings, her questions had been turned away.
The three siblings were left feeling angry and rebellious, and the pent up resentment only grew, so that by the time the rest of the clan had arrived at the crypt in Austria they had decided to meet in, none of the three would speak to their parents unless it was necessary.
The evening of the third of May was warm, not overly bright, but now that the nights were shortening, the vampire clan were forced to stay underground a lot more than in the winter. The result of this was a few small outbursts, but nothing too serious. When you shove three hundred vampires into an underground crypt together with little space, you would be stupid not to expect some quarrels.
Ben had taken refuge in one of the alcoves above the entrance to the crypt, and kept a watchful eye on every member that flew through the doors. He and his mother had had another argument less than an hour before nightfall, and he was trying to stay out of his parents' way as much as possible.
Sighing, Ben folded his arms and leant against the wall, watching boredly as yet another family flew through the crypt doors and were welcomed by his mother, Edith, and Hugh. He scowled as the sound of laughs and polite conversation floated up towards him from where the group were standing below him. A small cough alerted him to his sister's presence.
"That's the De Ross family," Rose said suddenly, standing next to him and peering down at the family talking to their parents. "Gale, Clarisse and their two sons, Simon and Lee. They have their own clan up in the north of England. Apparently it's quite big."
"Yes, I know who they are," Ben snapped irritably, opening his eyes again and glaring across at her.
"I'd be surprised if you didn't," Rose muttered, ignoring the look he was giving her and continuing to peer down at them. "Another fight with mother?"
"Yes," Ben grunted, turning back to watch the scene below them once more. "She still won't see sense."
"And neither will father," Rose added under her breath.
"It isn't even like we want to kill any hunters, or anything, we just want to hunt!" Ben spat agitatedly. "But of course, that's far too dangerous for a pair of two-hundred-year-old vampires."
"Felix is the one who wants to kill Chase, not us," Rose agreed angrily. "Why should we be punished for his thoughts and ideals?"
"It's not fair."
"Nothing's fair."
"Never a truer word was spoken," Ben growled.
"Are you going to ask him again?" Rose inquired.
"I have to, persistence is the only way I can succeed," he replied, looking over at her, one eyebrow raised. "Are you going to ask again?"
"Like you said, 'persistence is the only way I can succeed'," Rose quoted, looking back over at him and grinning slightly. "I'll just have to keep trying."
"Yeah, I suppose…"
They were silent for a second, both observing the new couple who had just flown in. Finally, Ben sighed and stepped forwards off the ledge. The usual sense of weightlessness overtook him, and a smile tugged at his lips; no matter how many cons there was to being a vampire, flying would always make up for all of it. The feeling of ecstasy he felt whenever he flew was not something he would ever give up.
He turned to face Rose, who was still staring apprehensively at the couple who were now engaging their parents in conversation.
"I'll come find you later," he said, catching her attention.
"Oh, don't go, Tom and the others will be here any minute!" she whined, cringing slightly at the name of one of Ben's best friends.
"Hey! Tom's gotten a lot better than he used to be!" Ben said defensively.
"Yeah, but not by much," Rose protested. "Just stay a while! Father will never let you leave, anyway!"
"He'll have to, I haven't left the crypt in almost two days," Ben sighed, starting to float away from her. "I'll see you later, I promise!"
"Wait, Ben!"
But he had already dived towards the ground, landing in between his parents and the young couple they had been speaking with. The woman screamed and jumped back, while Edith rolled her eyes at her youngest son.
"Ben, now is not the time for your childish games," Hugh snapped irritably, glaring down at his son.
"Father, can I go out for a quick fly?" Ben asked, trying to keep his tone neutral.
"It's 'may I', Ben, how many times do I have to tell you?" Edith groaned, shaking her head in exasperation.
"No, you can't, the rest of the clan is just starting to arrive," Hugh told him dismissively.
"But I haven't left the crypt in two days, I need some air! Please?"
Hugh glared down at him, and shook his head firmly. Ben's face fell immediately.
"No. You can go out later," Hugh said sternly. "Go and find one of your friends. You haven't seen them in at least five years. Go."
"Yes, sir," Ben muttered, turning away and flying back up to the ledge dejectedly.
Rose laughed lightly as he plopped down onto the ledge again, scowling. "It went well, then?"
"Shove off," Ben muttered, swiping at her skirts.
Rose jumped away, still giggling.
"Maybe he'll let you out later?" she suggested as she sat down beside him, her legs swinging slightly.
"Doubtful," Ben muttered bitterly.
"Never say never," Rose said firmly. "I'm sure he won't keep you cooped up in here forever. Even he has to feed at some point."
"Maybe he's just a faie with a really powerful glamour or something," Ben suggested jokingly, smiling slightly.
Rose burst out laughing, and quickly tried to pass it off as a coughing fit. Ben grinned, his fangs poking out from his top lip ever so slightly.
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Chase was sleeping in his truck, waiting for darkness to fall so he could wake up and start his night's work. He turned over in his sleep, his snores making the whole truck vibrate slightly.
BEEEPBEEEP
BEEEPBEEEP
BEEEPBEEEP
BEEEPBEEEP
The alarm clock blared, the time flashing on the screen, signalling that it was time to get up.
Chase groaned, reaching out a hand to turn off the clock, but his hand kept missing the button. Cursing under his breath, he reached out further.
THWACK
"AH - SH - WHAT THE HELL?!"
Chase swore as he pulled himself up off the floor of his van. The alarm was still beeping from its place on the dashboard. Grabbing it, Chase rolled down the window, and threw it out. He heard a resounding crack followed by silence.
Chase lay down again, deciding to sleep in for another few minutes. He'd just closed his eyes, when the beeping started again.
BEEEPBEEEP
BEEEPBEEEP
BEEEPBEEEP
BEEEPBEEEP
Yelling in his fury, Chase shot out of his makeshift bed, glaring around, looking for the source of the sound.
His eyes widened as they fell upon the small cracked screen that was taped to the dashboard. A red dot was flashing, which had probably set off the alarm, the sound echoing through the truck. A grin spread across his face.
"Finally!" he muttered delightedly.