64Authors Note:
Hello, True Blood fans. This is my first fanfiction ever. Thanks to everyone who reads and reviews it. All comments are very much appreciated. Please feel free to leave criticism or words of praise. :)
Special thanks go to my sister luinrina as my beta reader, and to Royal Ember whose masterpiece of a story, In The Shadow Of The Oak, and especially her Godric inspired me to write down my own thoughts about my favorite vampire in a story. (I can only recommend her story if you haven't read it yet.)
Disclaimer: I don't own True Blood or any character which you recognize. All belong to Charlaine Harris and Alan Ball.
Chapter 1
"Wake up, wake up."
She slowly came to herself and heard rustling sounds around her. But the leaden heaviness of sleep was just too seductive, and with a low growl, she simply turned around with the firm intention of going back to sleep.
"The stars are bright, the moon shines light..." a woman started to sing with a Spanish accent.
"Go away," she grumbled sleepily into her pillow.
"Wake up, my dear."
"Nooo, shush, go away!" she damned the woman who seemed intent on being her personal alarm clock.
"My dear, I have no problem putting a wet, cold rag on your face... Think about it," the woman threatened.
Groaning, she rolled over while blinking the sleep out of her eyes. Eventually, the other woman came into focus. "I hate you, Isabel," Enid murmured sarcastically, glaring at her. "I always thought my uncle was the nasty one, making life difficult for me." Groggily, Enid pushed herself up and to the edge of the bed before clumsily dropping onto the carpet in front of it.
Isabel laughed. It was a beautiful sound, and as much as Enid hated being woken up by Isabel, she nonetheless still loved her very much.
"Oh, Enid," Isabel purred threateningly, "you know perfectly well that I am a vampire and have even more unpleasant methods to wake you up..."
"Yeah all right, all right, I'm up…" She staggered to her feet. "See?" Enid wasn't a happy morning person under normal circumstances, but today, she was grumpier than usual. With a long sigh, she plopped down on the edge of the bed and hung her head.
Isabel sat down next to Enid on the bed and looked at her companion's niece with a worried expression. "What is going on, my dear?"
"I'm fine, Isabel. Don't you have to go and fulfill your duty?"
"Right now, you are more important. I can see… and smell… that you are not feeling well. Tell me what is going on, hm?"
"You smell…?" Enid raised an eyebrow and looked questioningly at the older woman.
"My dear, I not only smell that you drank alcohol, I can also tell you what you drank, and neither your uncle nor I like you getting drunk on a Friday afternoon. That is so not your style." She paused, probably waiting for Enid to reply, but when no answer was forthcoming, Isabel pointedly asked, "So, what's up?"
Enid sighed and looked at the female vampire with a sad smile. "Well, first of all, I'm 24 and can legally get drunk whenever I want to. But you're right… It's Kayla... Her parents informed me earlier today that she has to stay in the hospital permanently now. My other kids are missing her terribly; she was friends with everyone, and I don't yet know how to tell them the bad news." She sighed again.
Isabel gave her a sympathetic look and put a hand on the young woman's shoulder, turning Enid around so that she would look at her. With her other hand she grabbed a strand of Enid's sleep-ruffled hair and tucked it behind an ear. This young woman – who was like a daughter to her – had a very compassionate heart. It hurt Isabel to see her so sad.
"How bad is Kayla?" she eventually softly asked.
Enid hemmed and hawed for a moment, then replied, "Well, the doctors are probably very confident that the therapy will work well, but…" She broke off, her voice shaking with emotions. Isabel waited patiently for Enid to continue. When she did, she whispered, "It's lung cancer. They would have had to keep and treat the girl much sooner, right at the first symptoms." She sighed again. "The health system of this country sucks..."
Uncharacteristically for a vampire, Isabel hugged her tightly. "I wish I could do something," she murmured, talking to herself.
Enid nonetheless heard her. "Thanks, Isabel. You know, you guys can really be glad you're never going to get sick..." She slightly pushed the older woman back to be able to look at her. "Thanks for listening. I just had to talk about it with someone, and you know my uncle is not very suitable for such an emotional topic."
"You can always talk to me about everything, my dear, do not forget that. But now come, your uncle made something for you to eat before he went to the office. You should not drive a car on an empty stomach. It is an unnecessary distraction."
"Yeah, you're right. Actually, I shouldn't drive at all after drinking alcohol. Frankly speaking, I really don't feel like going to the cinema at the moment. I'll just call my friend and ask if we can postpone it. Maybe she'll come over and we can watch a DVD. "
"Good. I will say good night now too and will see you tomorrow. Do not forget our girls' night..." She gave Enid a kiss on the forehead and then disappeared with vampire speed.
With a smile Enid searched for her cell phone to call her friend and then get some food. Isabel was right again; an empty stomach wasn't pleasant.