20 KiB
Chapter 6
After the conversation with Solomon, Abraham went up to his room and lay down. He stared up at the ceiling from his bed and considered all that had been going on. So many thoughts and feelings flooded his consciousness…most of them about the strange group of monsters he now had to live with. Though he was starting to like them, he couldn’t help but think of them as monsters or something sub human. Something deep down told him that this was a cold stereotype…almost as if he was being somewhat racist…but he simply couldn’t help his thoughts. After all, he barely knew them. A dridder that is open and friendly and likes to sew clothes. A werewolf girl who is a strong and loyal leader for her family. A shy and timid mermaid with a little girls crush. A vampire with unbelievable power and intimidating abilities. And finally, a young mummy with a sense of humor and a few secrets of his own. Top it all off with a ghost who owns an old lake house that several potential buyers are interested in…you’ve got one very strange but oddly interesting group of misfit monsters. “What have I gotten myself into?” Abraham muttered. “All of this is happening so fast...I’m not sure what to do.” Abraham rolled over in bed and listened to the sounds around the house. Despite his fatigue, he couldn’t sleep. There was too much on his mind.
knock, knock
“Who is it?” Abraham called. Suddenly the door opened up and Abraham had to stifle a scream of terror. In, on all 8 legs, walked Sarah! He still was trying to get over the shock of her appearance. It’s not easy to simply overlook a beautiful young girl with spider legs. Sarah was smiling, her fangs glinting against the light of the overhead light. She beamed and scuttled over to Abraham. Her hands were behind her back, as if hiding something. “How are you, Abraham?” She asked. Abraham shrugged. “Still getting used to the house.” He admitted. Sarah giggled. “I’ll admit…it was all a little strange at first for me too, but you’ll get used to it over time.” Sarah grinned and suddenly pulled her hands out from behind her and showed Abraham what she had been hiding. In her hands was a long and lovely jacket! It was blue with a sliver stripe running along chest and another one running down the sleeves! It was so nice! “Sarah…what is that?” Abraham asked. “It’s a jacket, you silly.” Sarah giggled. “It’s yours…please try it on.” Abraham took the jacket from her hands as he threw off his own dirty and mud splattered one. He slipped on the new blue jacket and suddenly felt a smooth sensation all over his body! The inside of the jacket was made of pure silk! It felt unbelievably smooth to the touch and it hugged his boy knightly. The arm length and the size of the jacket were all perfect! It felt wonderful on his body! “Sarah, it fits perfectly…and it feels so good!” “Of course it does,” Sarah said with a proud smile, “I made it with my own silk.” Abraham stopped and stared at her…then at her abdomen. Suddenly…this jacket had a very different feel on his body. “So…you mean that the material in this jacket…came out of your butt?!” He cried. Sarah burst out into a fit of laughter that even made Abraham grin a little…that was something he noticed about Sarah; no matter what, she was always so happy and joyful…it was uplifting, especially considering all that he had been through.
“No!” Sarah cackled, “My silk comes from the silk glands at the base of my spine just at the tip of my abdomen, just like any normal spider.” Abraham blushed and rubbed the smooth jacket. “Sorry.” Abraham said sheepishly. Sarah waved it aside. “Oh, don’t worry about it.” Sarah said with s smile. “Tamil picks on me about that all the time.” “Do you make clothes for the others?” Abraham asked. Sarah nodded. “Oh, all the time, in fact!” Sarah said. “But do you like your new jacket?” Sarah asked. Abraham pulled on the jacket and felt how strong it was and then admired how nice it felt on his body and how smooth the material was. It was a wonderful jacket. “It’s remarkable! How did you make it so quickly?” Abraham asked. Sarah blushed and smiled, flexing her arms a little. “You’re looking at the best weaver ever! I can make clothes lickety-split!” Sarah said gladly. “But she can’t clean her room in an hour.”
Sarah and Abraham spun to the door to see Michelle standing by the entrance. She was grinning at the two of them. Sarah beamed and turned to face Michelle. Michelle looked to Abraham and then back to Sarah. “I just wanted to tell you two that supper is almost ready.” Abraham’s eyes widened in shock. “Supper?” Sarah and Michelle both just stared at him. “Well, yeah…we may not be human, but we still eat.” Michelle said stiffly. Abraham shook his head. “Well of course, I knew that but…I didn’t realize that you guys all ate together.” Abraham said. Sarah and Michelle exchanged glances. “Of course we eat together….we’re a family after all.” Michelle said. Abraham nodded as he considered this obvious fact. “Sorry, I just didn’t….I didn’t think that…” “That monsters could be social?” Michelle finished coldly. “Well…today is just full of surprises for you, isn’t it?” “Michelle,” Sarah moaned, “please be nice. He’s still getting used to us.” Michelle sighed and nodded her head in understanding. “Regardless…it’s suppertime.” Michelle walked away from the door and vanished. Sarah turned to face Abraham, a sad look on her face.
“Sorry about that, Abraham.” She said. “No, I’m the one who should be sorry.” Abraham admitted. Sarah grinned and moved to the door. “Well…are you coming?” She asked. Abraham nodded and hurried after Sarah as she walked towards the steps. “Oh, Sarah?” Michelle had turned around to face them from the bottom of the stairs. “I didn’t wake Asher. Could you get him please?” Sarah almost turned, but Abraham stopped her quickly. “Go ahead, I’ll get him.” Abraham said. Sarah smiled her gratitude and rushed downstairs. Abraham spun to face the door that Asher had vanished into a while ago and pushed it open carefully. The inside of the room was quite unlike Sarah’s. It wasn’t quite as large but there was still plenty of room to move around in. It was rather dusty and dark, with very little light to speak of accept for the setting sun that glowed through the window on the wall. Abraham turned to see where the bed in the room was…but there didn’t seem to be one! There was a great amount of room in the place, but the only furniture was a closet, a dresser, and a small refrigerator. At the far end of the room there was a large box that looked longer than Abraham was tall. He walked closer and suddenly discovered what it was! “A coffin!” Abraham hissed in horror. It was indeed a coffin and Abraham quickly remembered the stories he had heard that vampires slept in coffins. Could Asher be sleeping in that? What would he do if he opened the coffin? Would Asher be mad? However, at the moment he knew that Michelle was in a bad mood and he would rather not make her mad. He walked over to the coffin and knocked on the lid. “Hey, Asher…um…it’s supper time.” There was no response from within the large black coffin. Abraham began to question whether it was really his bed or not. There was only one way to know for sure. Abraham placed his hands along the lid and pulled away the lid. He leaped away, expecting to be a very pissed vampire jump out at him…but nothing happened. Abraham dared to take a look in the coffin….there was nothing there! Nobody was inside it! Abraham looked down over the coffin to see what might be in it.
“Can I help you?”
“AHHH!” Abraham nearly jumped 5 feet in the air as he jumped backwards…falling up against a hard object right behind him, causing him to leap forward again in terror! He spun quickly around to see a very familiar figure standing behind him. Asher was there, standing in nothing but dark jeans and his cross necklace. His feet and his chest were bare and his hair was a bit of a mess. His red eyes were boring into his curiously. Abraham felt torn between wanting to run away and stand his ground. “I said, can I help you, Abraham?” Asher asked. Abraham opened his mouth to speak, but just as he was about to talk, the door opened up. “Abraham, what’s taking you so-” Michelle stopped speaking when she saw Asher standing in front of him. She grinned. “Well, look who’s finally among the living!” “Funny, did you spend all day coming up with that one?” Asher asked with a smirk. Michelle shook her head and turned to leave. “You wanna throw something over your chest so you can join us for supper, Asher?” Michelle asked. “I’d say you could just come down as you are…but I think it might give Calypso a heart attack.” She then walked out, leaving Abraham alone with a half-naked and blushing vampire. “Anyway, is there something you wanted, Abraham?” Asher asked as he walked to his dresser and began pulling out shirts. “Um…no…just….” “Let me guess, Michelle asked you to come and wake me up, didn’t she?” Abraham could only nod. He was still shaken from the scare Asher had brought on him. “Well, you can head on down for supper…I’ll be down in just a moment.” Abraham started to leave, but then paused and looked at Asher. He couldn’t help but notice the sleeplessness behind his eyes…he was tired…and he was sad.
“Asher, I know about Katie.” Asher suddenly stiffened and his eyes widened. His red eyes seemed to ignite and turn to rest on him. “Do you?” Asher asked. “Yeah…she’s the one you’ve been searching for.” Abraham said nervously. Asher looked back down as his fist clenched up in frustration. “You’re correct.” Asher snarled. “I almost closed in on those damn bastards…if it hadn’t been for that storm.” “Asher, who are the Dawn Bringers? Are they really strong?” Asher closed his eyes and breathed slowly. “The less you know about them, the better, Abraham. Don’t worry about it, Abraham. This is for me to worry about.” “Why you?” “Come on…supper is waiting.” Asher said. He threw on a black t-shirt and walked to the door. Abraham could tell that there was much on Asher’s mind, and that the poor creature was exhausted…but there was no point in pressing the matter now. Abraham was quite interested to see what supper was like for this family.
The kitchen was a lot brighter than it had been the last time I had been in it…there was also food everywhere. There was normal food like spaghetti and salad, but there were also some other things that I didn’t believe belonged at the table. There was a bottle of wine, although no one looked older than 19 or 20…there was also raccoon that appeared to be frozen in place…as if petrified. There was raw stead that still looked a little bloody sitting on a platter on the table, and there were also different sushi and fish delicacies! There was no theme, no rhyme or reason! What was with half of these dining options? Everyone was taking their seats at the table…with the exception of Sarah who seemed to be hanging from the ceiling like a spider. “Abraham, you’re sitting beside Tamil and Solomon.” Michelle said, pointing to an empty chair. Abraham walked around the table and sat down. Tamil smiled and Solomon nodded in his direction. Michelle looked around the table and saw that everyone was there and grinned. “Alright, Solomon…all here.” Solomon smiled in reply. “Abraham, in this household, it is a tradition that we say grace before eating.” Abraham nodded his understanding and bowed his head along with everyone else.
“Father, we thank you for this meal that you have prepared for us. We pray that you will strengthen us and guide us in days to come. Also…as you know…there is one missing from our number tonight.” Abraham couldn’t help but feel a wave of emotions sweep over the table as this phrase was said. “Please, keep her safe and bring her back to us in one piece…if it be your will. Bless this food…and in Your name we pray, amen.” As he said the final words, movement could be felt around the table as everyone began to dig in.
Abraham watched as he observed everyone eating away at the feast before them…but how they ate astonished him. Solomon watched quietly as everyone ate, since himself was unable to. Michelle had thrown a raw slap of steak down in front of her and was now cutting into it with her teeth! She growled softly as she tore away at the meat and ripped it apart in her teeth, that Abraham couldn’t help but notice, looked a little sharper than his own canines…but not quite as long and sharp as Ashers. There was something so feral about her…perhaps it was her werewolf blood. Tamil wasn’t eating a whole lot, but he would occasionally reach across the table and grab a piece of fruit to chew on. Calypso’s eyes seemed to brighten over the sushi dishes as she took her time selecting which ones to try first. When she got hold of one she ate it so fast that it was almost like she had never put it on her plate! Abraham had never stopped to consider that mermaids probably had a real liking for sea food. Meanwhile, Asher had nothing on his plate…however there was a bottle of some sort in front of him. Every now and then he would lift the bottle to his lips and take a swig of its contents. At first, Abraham couldn’t tell what was in it…until a small trickle of red liquid dripped down the side of Asher’s cheek…it was blood. Asher was drinking from a bottle of blood, which made Abraham both mystified…and horrified all in the same moment. However, it was Sarah that caused Abraham to squirm in his chair. Abraham finally discovered what the paralyzed raccoon was for. Sarah lifted it up to her perch above the table and she held the animal close to her face. She opened her mouth, revealing her long and terrifying fangs as she plunged them into the animals body. The animal didn’t move…but Abraham could tell that it was a most unpleasant feeling. Suddenly, Abraham noticed that Sarah looked almost like she was chewing on it…and slurping sort of. And then he pieced it together! Abraham had read somewhere that spiders inject venom into their food so that the insides turn to mush…they then drink out the fluids inside…and that must be exactly what Abraham was watching. Abraham forced himself to look away.
“Is everything alright?” Solomon asked. “Just…not very hungry right now.” Abraham muttered. There was a small echo of laughter around the table as they all could tell that Abraham was not accustomed to their eating habits. “Don’t worry…you’ll get used to it.” Solomon assured him. They continued to eat for another hour, swapping stories and laughing with each other. Abraham soon began to enjoy their company…it was like he was with a real family. He forgot that they weren’t human and he forgot that their eating habits were less than civilized. He couldn’t help but enjoy everything that he was seeing and hearing. It was a wonderful experience. After a while, the talking and laughing died down and Solomon cleared this throat for everyone to pay attention.
“Alright…it’s getting late (for most of us anyway) and we have a very big day tomorrow…it’s one that we’ve known has been coming for a while…and we have to be ready for it. So, you all know what to do.” Abraham looked around the table and saw mixed expressions…but none were positive. Everyone looked anxious or nervous about something…especially Michelle. “Asher, I know you want to get back on the trail…but I need you here for tonight and tomorrow, if you don’t mind…I’m going to need you.” Solomon said. Asher nodded his response. “Of course. I understand.” He said darkly. Michelle nodded in his direction, as if offering a silent thank you. “Calypso, I want you on standby when things settle down…I have feeling that your abilities will be necessary…and Sarah, I need you to start blocking off the yard tomorrow morning with your webs, dear…I don’t want this getting out of the yard.” Both Sarah and Calypso nodded quietly, and Michelle smiled sadly at them, again with that unsaid thank you expression. Abraham however, was very confused. “Hold on…what’s happening tomorrow?” Abraham spoke up. The whole house turned to look at him in surprise. Michelle looked down at the floor, unable to look at anyone…Abraham had never seen her look so anxious.
“Tomorrow is the full moon, Abraham.” Michelle whispered. “Tomorrow…I transform.” Abraham stared at her in shock. How could he have forgotten!? Of course she would transform on the full moon…that kind of goes along with being a werewolf!! “Every full moon, the house prepares so that we can keep her from getting loose and losing control.” Solomon explained. “Sarah uses her webs to create a fence around the yard for Michelle to stay in, and Asher keeps her…occupied.” “Occupied?” Abraham asked. Asher took another swig from his bottle, but didn’t answer. “He’s the only one who can keep me under control when I’m like that.” Michelle muttered. “It’s not a problem.” Asher muttered, trying to reassure Michelle, who was looking more and more depressed by the second. “How exactly do you keep a werewolf under control?” Abraham asked hesitantly. “You don’t,” Michelle said, “Asher fights me every full moon to keep my attention on him and away from the rest of the Monster Club.” “Michelle, you’re being too hard on yourself.” Calypso chimed in. “You can’t help it…it’s not your fault.” “It might as well be.” Michelle stood up and walked away from the table. “Thanks for the meal…I’m gonna go to bed.” Abraham turned and watched her go. Solomon sighed and nodded for the rest of the table to leave as well. The rest of the table rose to their feet and began cleaning up the table. Abraham didn’t move but only watched everyone work. He then looked to Solomon. “What can I do?” Abraham asked. “Abraham,” Solomon said, “I appreciate how willing to help us you are…and it warms our hearts to know that you are so outgoing and caring. However, this is a much more serious matter than simply investigating a disappearance…this is a life or death matter. I must ask that, tomorrow night, you stay in your room and not come out until we have called you.” “Sorry, I only wanted-” “I know what you wanted…and again, we appreciate it…but there is nothing you can do.” Solomon said more firmly. Abraham nodded in defeat, knowing that there was no point arguing anymore. He stood up and went to go help the others put away dishes and clean up. The rest of the house was quiet as they worked. An hour passed before Abraham finally went up to bed. Sarah and Tamil had gone off to bed not long ago. Asher was downstairs reading a book and Calypso was taking a bath somewhere upstairs (he could still hear the water running and he was beginning to wonder if she planned on flooding the room). As he walked up to bed, he walked by Michelle’s room. The room was locked, and he didn’t bother stopping to knock. However, just as he was turning the corner, he could have sworn he heard the faintest sound of a sob come from behind the door. His heart fell as he realized just how upset and nervous Michelle was…and that she must feel this way every time the full moon comes around… “I wish I could do something.” Abraham muttered darkly. He climbed into bed and lay down…the thoughts of tomorrow night filling his mind and dreams.