Chapter two{Vampire dairies}II

The rain continuously lashed down, that nearly all the street light were out. Stores by the street were shut down, although some had neon incandescent that signal they were open and the tall glasses were cover in smog from the cold pressure of the rain plus items inside could hardly appear visible outside.

It was nearly always snowy in Mary Hills, except from months like late May to early November which carries the water pour and It was always heavy, crashing buildings sometime.

Under this bucketing was a teen of an appropriate age, walking like a log of wood not bothering about the aftermath of it. With the rush of an erosion steaming over her sneakers, yet she care less. She didn't even realized that she was crossing the road until an extreme brightness from an approaching car shone on her and she had to look up.

Before she could do anything, a stronger, larger hands grabbed her waist in a swift, enrapturing her from death, so fast like it never happened. However, she thought she was dead, her eyes remained close as her mind tried to process if death means darkness.

She held still, not knowing what was next because she could hear her rapid heartbeat, syncing every second. Which means she was still breathing.

When she tried get up, she felt the hand that captivated her head slowly moved away so she could rise up from lying on him... or her.

She opened on her eyes and the first drop of rain on it made her closed them back, she rose up, rubbing her eyes with the other hand on the hard surface that harbored her from feeling the dirty, rocky pavement.

"Are you okay?"

Once again, she had to open her eyes, staring dumbfounded at what was before her. She was cradled on a boy, that was the first thing that occurred to her.

She jumped to her feet off the boy.

The boy furrowed his eyebrows, confused by her action.

"I'm- sorry... Thank you... bye." She said quickly in awkwardness and ran away.

The boy laughed softly, he was truly amazed by her behavior, he just saved her and she ran off, "Oh, sweet Grace, let's see how far you can push."

***

As Gracie came close to their cottage, she spotted Mrs. Holt's red car leaving. She remembered seeing the woman on the her way home and she offered a ride which she rejected for personal reasons.

She huffed in cold and hugged herself as the car speed past her, splashing mud on her. The yoke-waist skirt she wore was made of thin material, as a reason of that, it clung to her skin but the black knitted sweater Grandma Lily knitted for her on her seventeenth year birthday, became of a good help.

Her eyes trailed after the car, wondering if Mrs. Holt saw her not. She hissed and strode to the cottage. Luckily, the rain already became light.

Their house wasn't that big, definitely not the luxurious type from movies or like the Mayor's. But Grandma Lily always gather flowers, tomatoes and the rest, she loved planting. The environment was practically a small garden but now, the place was an example of disaster.

Gracie felt bad for her grandma, because she would be devastated in the morning when she finally get the chance to step out. Pushing aside all the worries, she furthered by climbing up to the front porch.

The orange kind of light from the fireplace slimmed out through the slightly opened door. she pushed wider and stepped in.

Grandma Lily was nowhere to be seen but she saw the kids fast asleep.

Shutting the door closed behind her, she enjoyed the heat form indoor.

"Nana, I'm home." She called out.

She immediately spotted a white towel hanging on the side of the couch, without wasting time, she removed her sweater and wrapped the warm, cozy fabric on her cold body.

When Grandma Lily glided out of the kitchen and saw her granddaughter trembling in cold, but she had grabbed the towel and journey up to her room, then she spoke, "I'm making dinner! and I read the kids a book."

"Good to know, I'll be down in a jiffy!" She screamed back and the sound from banging her door close, resonant down the hallway. Only, if she knew the kind of book her grandma read to the children.

Grandma Lily sighed, sliding back in as she continued chopping the vegetables with her eyes on it, she didn't want to make a mistake by slashing her fragile fingers. Most accidents that happen in the kitchen were mostly on the victim, since they wouldn't pay total attention to what was before them. So, it always happen like a curse.

And the last thing Grandma Lily would like to do would be to nurse a wound.

Unconsciously, she started humming a song, a particular song she always sing. I don't want miss a thing by Aerosmith was her husband's favorite song and he used to sing it to her before he died ten years back.

Their picture, where Gracie was only eight still sat on top of the furnace, that was their family picture. It was really weird that Gracie's parents pictures were no where in the house. Grandma Lily told her that they got burnt in their house back in California with no memory, Gracie was saved from the fire as a baby and brought to Pennsylvania. It was not something she wanted to remember often.

"Honestly, Nana, we need a doorbell in this house or some touch-the-door and scream device, Ugh." Gracie grunted, as she trudged pass the kitchen in a swift to the main door.

"What?...Are you talking to me, Gracie?" Like Grandma Lily regained her consciousness, she bellowed her throat out.

"Never mind." She replied the old woman lowly and swung the wooden white door opened which stopped the thumping.

A fat, short woman with candy in both hand and a big grin on her face.

"Hello there, Gracie!" The woman greeted, all juicy.

"Hi1 Mrs. Bean, It's so great-" She exposed the door and let the woman in.

"I'm sorry, I'm late. The rain just took charge and... Where are my boys?" She gushed out so fast that the only thing Gracie heard was 'boys'.

"I put them to bed upstairs... they kinda fall into slumber, guess it was the rain. I'll got get them."

"I'll just follow you."

Both of them smiled at each other sheepishly and walked together to the stair, "I had a busy day today. My boss- that douche-bag. Sometimes I just wanna kill that he-goat." Maybe Mrs. Bean didn't have the idea that her breathe gets heavier when talking and climbing up.

Gracie swallowed in oppression, due to the fact that she had no comment to what Mrs. Bean said and she knew more was coming.

Just as predicted, Mrs. Bean continued, "I've been working in that store for many years- you wouldn't my boss still denies me of a proper leave- pff, the only time I got a leave was when I was pregnant with Josh and Fred."

"Hmm... that's huge" Gracie gave a smooth comment as she opened the door to her room where the kids laid.

When she started this babysitting job, she was desperate, nobody brought their kids down to her house, because it was far from the town. So she went down the street, to people's houses with a flyer, persuading parents to drop their kids in her care after school and a woman with two children, a large mouth and no husband showed up at her doorstep the next day, Mrs. Bean, so she called herself.

"Yes, it is. He gave Gwen and Kelly two leaves already. They ain't even up to a year in to it."

There was something Gracie also noticed about Mrs. Bean apart from the fact that she always wear her black hair in messy bun that looked unkempt, she could be lazy.

"E.." Gracie wanted to stopped the big woman from climbing her four poster all purple bed but it was too late, as she was already tootling on the other kids to reach hers.

Gracie bit her lips in regret with one of her hands raking her hair as she rotated on a position.

"I only yearn for a day with my boys." Mrs. Bean murmured and kissed the head of a sleeping boy who had an identical button nose and black hair with her.

"Yeah... I very much understand you, Mrs. Bean." Gracie said with all seriousness and sat at the edge of the bed, while she stylishly carried Josh who was at the end of the bed and headed out of the room without making eye contact with the woman.

She wasn't ready to comfort her. Mrs. Bean does it every day, some days it was a complain about her lack of spouse. Some about the way people treats her. It had forever been her seeking pity.

Gracie was so relieved that today was the last day. No more drama to handle.

Well, as expected Mrs. Bean followed her, still rambling about her boss. Gracie wished she could just tape up the woman's mouth with masking tape.

"You're such an angel, Gracie. I can't be less grateful for your kind comportment. You're a blessing to everyone."

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Bean. I'm so flattered up..." She smiled, exceedingly charismatic.

"Moreover, It was a gloomy tempestuous day. You need a superb peaceful break, Have a sweet night, Mrs. Bean." Gracie gave Josh to his mother, dropping him on her free shoulder and plastered a fake grin on her face.

Mrs. Bean nodded by accepting her boy, she breathed shaking. The bags on her back was adding to the weight. Even though, she felt like she would pass out anytime, she walked up and muttered her bye to Gracie as she jammed their door.

Only if she could reach her bag and find her car keys but she anyway moved from the door.

Gracie slumped down on the door, feeling relieved as she yawned tiredly.

"Oh gracious good God! Nana, I'm staving."

"Then you should get yourself here!"

"Here I come." She lurched up and waltzed her way to the kitchen, at an almost moment, she ran into her granny who was carrying the casserole dish. She yelped as she sprang back to the parlor.

"Watch out, Birdie. Hot marinara pasta wouldn't treat your skin nice."

"You never know what the creator of the universe has in store for me." She said carelessly and went into the kitchen to get some plates.

Grandma Lily placed the dishes at the center of the four corner wooden table, after several years the table was still in shaped, shining like a polished new. She removed the lid of the casserole dish and inhaled the sweet aroma of the pasta, absolutely one to die for.

Meanwhile, as Gracie was picking the necessary items, she caught a glimpse of a plain white envelop with red seal, it was wide opened.

She put away the plates and cups, and picked the envelop from the cabinet. She searched in for the letter but found none. She read the body of the envelop, it was label 'Mary Hills High' from her school. Her heart pounded, she had expected this.

"Gracie, the plates!"

She jolted back to reality as the envelop fell from her hands to the ground. She look side way, gazing at her granny who was inhaling the vapor arising from the dish.

Quickly, she gathered the plate and left the kitchen without bothering about the letter on the creamily tiled floor.

On getting there, she displayed the ironstone china plates with floral design on the table and passed the big spoon to Grandma Lily, " So now, Nana you do the honor of launching the soap opera Chef Lily homemade marinara pasta, Hurray!" She broadened her arms and gave a low squeak as the longing for the meal was the same.

"Oh my, oh my," Grandma Lily collected the spoon and dipped it in the hot pasta, then suddenly a rush of memory of what Cassie's mother said to her surfaced.

If there was one thing that Gracie noticed without hesitation, it was Grandma lily's mood swing at any time. The passive flow between time which either drain her mood or fill it.

"Hey, Nana. what's wrong?" She flew from her seat across to her Nana and patted her shoulder to sit her down, she knelt in her front and slowly massaged her kneecaps, just to get some words.

"Nothing, I just be thinking about what people are saying, they've be talking- they don't even know you and they gossip... Mrs. Holt, she said-"

"-Saw me coming outta the brothel across the bar Papa Charlie used to go when he was alive and she offered me a ride which I refused" whispered Gracie with her eyes closed and her mind blank.

She lifted her almost golden color eyelashes and smiled at her granny, whose eyes held lots of disturb , "We shouldn't bother about what people say, besides I'm tired of hearing that woman's name every where. Can we stop yakking concerning Mrs. Holt?" She stood up and strolled to her chair.

"Why? You forget that you're babysitting her child, that child is demonic." In a swift, her mood changed, back to the filled one but she wasn't a hundred percent happy. What was her granddaughter doing in a brothel?

"Cassie is a sweetheart."

"I read them that your book, Vampire dairies." Grandma Lily giggled as she put some hot pasta in Gracie's plate.

"No way, they're just six, just in preparation to look into preteen and you read them seventeen plus novel? You're unbelievable, Nana."

"They enjoyed it!"

"You meant to say, Cassie enjoyed. I wonder if she ever catch some interest in her main classes in school, she loves what kids shouldn't love... like goth things." Gracie sighed and dug her fork in the pasta.

"Yes, true. Less I forget, letter came for you."

To some extent, the school had the ultimate power to kick a student out of the school if there was no recent activity concerning such student in school, like refusal to come to school for five weeks and no news.

This was Gracie's fourth week and the letter must contain a warning strike.

"I'm quitting," uttered Gracie, out of the blues.

Too shock to process what she meant, Grandma Lily grabbed a glass cup and filled it with water, she drank from it and felt normal.

"I want to... resume back to school."

"Yeah, you should, it will help, rather than you sitting here all day, resume Birdie. I'm sure Victoria will be happy to see you back."

Gracie smiled at the mention of her best friend's name. She missed her a lot.

"Yes, Nana."

With something heavy down her mind, she ate happily and constantly glanced at her Nana, "It taste supreme." Her Nana giggled as she was satisfied with the comment.

Just then, she remembered the kids, "What about the kids."

Gracie looked up at the stairs, their parents should be here anytime. They wouldn't allow their kids sleep out or did they forget their own kids?

At that minute, the door came knocking. Gracie looked back at her granny with a smile, "I'm sure that's them."