Free In Darkness We Must Abide: The Complete First Season: Episodes 1-5 by Rhiannon Frater Page A

“You’re so pale.”
    “I’m not feeling well,” Alisha conceded.
    “Then come with us and let us take care of you,” Nicolau said triumphantly.
    “No!” Alisha shouted, then calmed herself down. “No, it is best if we stay here.”
    “Vanora, are you going to come with us or stay here?” Crystal asked in a gentle voice.
    Vanora stared upward into the face of her sister, who responded by turning cold eyes upon her. If she ran away, Alisha would become the same thing as that awful creature. Then everyone she loved would be gone. Vanora took a deep breath and said, “I have to stay. She needs me.”
    “I won’t let you take her anyway,” Alisha said in a harsh voice.
    Nicolau threw up his hands. “I don’t understand, Alisha.”
    Alisha seemed to go blank for a second, then nodded. “We are a family, Nicolau. I know you don’t understand that, but Roman was like a father to both of us. Now only I am left to take care of Vanora. If I take her away now, then we will both suffer because this is our home.”
    Their uncle exchanged wary looks with his wife, but finally said, “Very well. I don’t see that we have a choice except to bow to your wishes for now. But if this erratic behavior continues, we may need to look into revising Vanora’s guardianship.  We never protested Roman taking care of you and we didn’t argue when he had you added as a guardian, but if you don’t pull yourself together…”
    “My brother just died! You can’t judge me for being upset!”
    Nicolau sighed, rubbing his brow. “Very well. We need to get on the road. I wish you would come, but, I don’t see that happening. We want you to keep in touch with us, Alisha. We care about you and Vanora.”
    Alisha nodded briskly. “Okay, that’s fine.”
    Vanora started at her worriedly. Alisha was being curt and rude. She wasn’t acting like herself at all. How was a little girl supposed to fight against this kind of brainwashing evil?
     
    The long shadows thrown by the trees surrounding the Socoli home lengthened and caressed the great stone building as the sun sank below the horizon. The house was silent and no one moved with its walls.
    The eldest sister slept, haunted by terrible dreams that she could not wake from.
    The younger sister curled up on her bed, clutching a cross tightly in her hand.
    In the mausoleum, the vampires slept. Both dreamed of their plans for the approaching night. One dreamed of blood and victory, the other dreamed of murder and revenge.
     
    Vanora stared out the hall window, toward the mausoleum silhouetted against the darkening sky. Dressed in jeans, tennis shoes, and a pink long-sleeved shirt, she kept watch over the fading sun from behind her dark sunglasses. Around her neck hung seven of the crosses Alisha had bought earlier in the week. The rest of the crosses Vanora had placed in Alisha’s room for protection. Vanora’s basic plan was to watch for the vampire and when she saw it emerge from its tomb, run into her sister’s room to defend her. She wasn’t quite sure if she could actually kill the vampire by throwing a handful of crosses at it, but the little girl was very determined to save her sister.
    Her small, elfin face was reflected on the window pane and she stared solemnly at her pinched, frightened expression. She had to be brave and strong like the vampire hunters in the movies and like Buffy on television. For Alisha’s sake, she just had to be.
    The sun’s rays faded from the sky and glimmering stars began to appear above the clouds. Vanora took off her sunglasses and narrowed her gaze on the mausoleum. It would happen soon. She raised Roman’s binoculars to her eyes. The heavy metal doors abruptly came into clear focus.
    It was only a few short minutes before thin, blue mist started flowing out from under the doors. It spread across the lawn like wispy fingers reaching for the house. At first Vanora wasn’t sure what was happening, but quite suddenly it dawned on her.  The