The Science of Fear ~ Chapter 4 {Animal} Up Now!

Playing it old school with the Sims 2

I’m not going to lie – this story is heavily influenced by True Blood. I love the show and it inspired me to write this story. That, and the song 'New Born' by Muse. I was listening to it as the idea for this story was stuck in my head and I just had an urge to write. I also haven't written a Sims story in a long time, this is my first story on Mod the Sims and I hope it can be enjoyed by others.
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INTRODUCTION
Vampires had been out in the open for ages. At least.. five or so years now. They were able to co-exist with human society when a synthetic blood source – “Plasma Packs” – were invented. It still gave vampires the nutrients human blood would give them, but only the naïve would think that this innovation would prevent vampires from feeding from more innocents. As vampires became more and more prominent in society, prejudice against them spread through tales of their savage natures, and continually leads to violent protests. Is the strange little town of Crestwood any different?

Chapter 1 - Hysteria

Beatrice sighed as she spun around the wood-panelled corner – Barrett’s hadn’t exactly been packed recently, making the five employees begin to slack off. But not Beatrice Chevalier. She took pride in her job. Though she was only 19, she was paying her way through university with a waitressing job, along with her childhood friends. Still, it was hard for her to do her job when there was barely a job to be done.


She grabbed two plates off of the counter separating the kitchen and the dining area before heading over to her section. She smiled as she bent over and served the two men sitting there. “Fish and chips for you, John, and the Barrett’s Jumbo Burger for you, Charlie.” She smiled sweetly at the two as she rose back up.


“Thanks, Bea. Hey, what’ve you been up to, lately?” Charlie leaned forward in interest, smiling up at the petite girl serving him. Beatrice smiled awkwardly and brushed a piece of hair behind her ear, “I’ve just been working, really. Not much else to do around here.” He smirked and took a sip of his beer before nodding in agreement. “You can say that again. We’ve all been out building that new damn cinema complex chain that's moving to town. It’s a big ass building, but it should be done in a month or two. Maybe we could.. go there together?” Charlie smirked up at her suggestively, his eyes sparkling slightly as the light caught them perfectly.


His eyes were a perfect shade of chocolate brown, as sweet as chocolate too. She understood why women fell so easily for him. “Nice one, Charlie.” Beatrice chuckled and playfully hit him on the shoulder before turning to take another table’s order.
“Uhh.. Beatrice?” She heard a slight mutter from behind her. She turned to see John smiling crookedly, his soft voice barely audible. “You look really pretty tonight.” He smiled his crooked smile as Beatrice blushed.
“That’s awfully kind of you, John. Thank you very much.” She smiled once again before moving to serve the other table.

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Freya dropped down on the barstool beside Beatrice and sighed heavily. “No-one interesting ever comes in here. It’s just the same, middle-aged drunks every night. Why, if there was just one decent man who walked through those damn doors I might just find myself on my knees before him pleading for a damn date.”


Beatrice choked as she sipped on her water. “YOU are pleading for a date? How bout the rest of us, missy? At least men even bother asking you out.” Awinita rolled her eyes and poured another round of drinks and wiping the counter after a minor spill.


“Awinita you’re beautiful, whatever man refuses you is crazy!” Freya gave her best solemn look before Awinita shot her a feisty glare. “So all the men in this town are crazy? Thanks anyway, Freya.”


Awinita continued to clean the bar and avoided Freya’s eyes, confusing the blonde with her thanks and cold reception. As Freya sent a questioning look to Beatrice, Beatrice simply shook her head and patted her shoulder, “she’s in a mood” she whispered.


A couple shuffled into the pub behind the two, taking a seat in a booth on the far side of the room, in Freya’s section. Following them inside was a pale, dark haired man with a certain… air about him. Freya’s jaw dropped as he entered, walking gracefully to another booth in Beatrice’s section.


Beatrice glared at the man, standing up warily and taking her notepad from her waist. As she took no more than three steps she was pulled back by Freya, her eyes locked onto the man. “Oh, god! Bea, he is fit! Can we swap sections? Please?!”


Beatrice’s eyes, too, were locked on the man. She felt uneasy, this was the first time one of them had entered the pub, let alone the town. Beatrice hurriedly thought of an excuse. “Freya, you always get the cute ones!”
As soon as she said it she felt foolish.
She felt no attraction towards this man, her sole intention was protecting Freya. “Oh come on, Bea! You’re gorg! Please? I’ll owe you!” Freya looked at her with puppy dog eyes. Beatrice managed to peel her eyes from the man and looked around. They would be safe in here, she thought. Beatrice sighed and gestured for Freya to take the table. “Oh my god, thank you!” Freya kissed her on the cheek and trotted over to the man, beaming with a slight spring in her step.

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Freya pulled her notepad from her waist and smiled as she arrived at the booth. “Good evening, I’m Freya and I’ll be serving you tonight.” She bounced slightly on her toes whilst the man merely looked up at her and smirked.
Freya smiled uneasily before looking around briefly, just in case Beatrice was watching. And of course, she was. Despite being the youngest in the group, Bea was incredibly overprotective.
Freya slid into the other side of the booth and leant across the table. “You’re..” she smiled down, basking in the danger of it all, before she continued, “a vampire.. aren’t you?”


Freya suddenly felt silly, but she could almost feel it as soon as he had walked in. She had lied to Beatrice, she wasn’t drawn to his looks… well, not his looks alone. What if he wasn’t? Oh, but she was so sure! The mysterious man leant over, still smirking. “Why, yes. Yes I am.”


Freya smiled and shifted her eyes. “Would you.. like a Plasma Pack? We just ordered a box in case any of your kind came to town.” The man chuckled heartily, smiling at her. “I’d like that. –O, please. If you have any, that is.” Freya stood up and tucked away her notepad. As she stood up, he shuffled over in the booth to be closer to her. “My name is Freya. Freya Marshall.” She still smiled, like a child waiting to be passed candy.


“Well, Freya, my name is Elliott Maher.” Elliot offered a hand to her. “Please to meet you, Mr Maher.” She took his hand and he pulled it to his lips, kissing it softly. “The pleasure is all mine.”

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Charlie walked surprisingly well for someone who was so drunk walked out of the bathroom. He knew he was drunk, but he wasn’t a sloppy drunk. He knew his head was going to pay for it in the morning. As he stomped down the aisle he looked to his feet, something which puzzled him when he was so intoxicated.


“Charlie? You’re still here?” Jason looked up from his feet at the small figure in front of him. “..Suri?” Charlie could barely tell, everything was blurred to him and the darkness of the corridor didn’t really help.


“Yes.. Charlie how much have you had to drink?” “I did not… I haven’t..” Charlie burped as he lost his train of thought. “Uhh.. not much.” Suri rolled her eyes and grabbed his wrist, pulling him behind her. “Damnit, Charlie. The day I don’t give your drunk arse a ride home form this place is the day hell freezes over and I become a damn princess and incredibly rich.”


Charlie tried to wriggle his wrist out of her grasp, which was surprisingly firm. “I.. I’m fine! I don’t need a ride home, I can drive.. myself!” He fumbled to pull his car keys from his pocket before Suri spun around and snatched them out of his hands. “No, Charlie. Stop being such an child, one day there might not be anyone to take you home.”


She stuffed his keys in her pocket and turned around to see Awinita and Beatrice at the bar. “Freya’s gone home already?” Awinita chuckled and shook her head as she juggled some bottles at the bar while Beatrice looked up solemnly.


“Yeah, she set off about twenty minutes ago. He had too much again?” Beatrice nodded at Charlie, who had freed himself of Suri’s grasp and was now staring outside the window, fascinatedly. “How did you guess? I swear, just one time she could take care of her own damn brother.” Suri exhaled sharply, even though she disliked seeing Charlie in such a state, she was happy she could take care of him.


“Well, I’m taking him home now. See you both tomorrow.” Even with Charlie by the wrist, Suri wrapped her free arm around Beatrice and blew a kiss to Awinita. As she rose she grabbed a bottle of water and shoved it into Charlie’s other hand before pulling him out of the pub.

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The pub was empty save for Beatrice and Awinita. Though, Beatrice assumed Dean was still in his office. He seemed to spend most of his time there. Awinita smiled as she threw the liquor-soaked towel into the basin. “I hope that was your last drink, because I’m bloody done.”


Beatrice looked into her glass of water and smiled as she looked up. “I think I’ll be fine. Is Daemyn picking you up?” Then, almost as if on queue, Daemyn entered with his car keys in hand and smirked.


He was incredibly handsome, his dark eyes always had a certain spark to them and his smile was smooth, often his weapon in hunting down his next hook-up. “Winnie?” He nodded at her before smiling at Beatrice and walking back out, spinning his car keys on his index finger. Awinita grabbed her handbag and practically leaped out. “I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?” Though before Beatrice could answer, she was practically out the door.


Beatrice smiled, it was rare to see Awinita happy other than when she left work. Most of the time she was so consumed by her jealousy of Freya that she forgot to lighten up. Beatrice leant over the bar and placed her glass in the sink before taking out a red glass from the fridge and placing it in the microwave.


She assumed she had to be the one to lock up, as per usual. As she set the timer on for a minute and a bit she grabbed the pub’s keys and walked around to the back, humming as she did so. It had become routine, she would always stay late to have one glass of her.. guilty pleasure, she supposed. Though she didn’t really enjoy it. She needed it.


After her indulgence she would turn the front lights off and lock all of the doors, leaving the keys on top of the door frame for Dean. As she made her way back into the kitchen the microwave was beeping and she quickly opened it, taking out her warm drink.


She flicked the cap off and gulped it down, almost finishing the entire bottle before she noticed she wasn’t alone. She turned with the bottle still in her mouth as Dean stood on the other side of the bar, eyes wide with shock. “..You..? You’re.. a ..”

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So, thats it for this chapter! Thank you for reading

(This will probably be my worst chapter as I found it awkward to introduce everyone. The next chapter should be up in the next few days )

Chapter 2 - What You Know

Beatrice drew the bottle from her mouth, wiping the remnants of the drink from her lips with her hand. She took a step forward and saw Dean instantly flinch, eyeing her as she set the empty glass bottle on the bar. “Dean, this isn’t what you think it is..” she started, her large violet eyes pleading with him.


His eyes simply widened and his throat croaked as he tried to let out words. “I… I” Beatrice sighed and counted down in her head. ‘3…2…1…blast off..’ and as if on queue, Dean burst out of the pub and jumped into his car, getting away from Beatrice as fast as he could.


As the screeching of tires became more faint, Beatrice truly felt the silence of the pub. She knocked over the empty bottle, landing it into the bin next to the counter before she looked outside the windows, searching the darkness for at least some sign of life. When she realised how alone she was, she slumped down against the chair of one of the booths and sighed.


“Why would he hear me out? Why would anyone…” she thought aloud. Despite living in the town for fifteen years of her life, no-one, not even her best friends, knew about her little secret. Even when vampires came out five years before, she had not felt inclined to tell anyone. She was content feeding off of rabbits and other small critters, as she only needed that little bit of blood to keep her going. After all, she wasn’t really a vampire. At that moment, she wondered if Dean would even care to remember that he’d seen her walk in the sun.



To be perfectly honest, she wasn’t even upset. She was angry. Angry that humans could not learn to accept. They could barely accept each other, evidence of that which was sprawled throughout history. Beatrice smiled as she remembered her father telling her his wild stories, not that they were false, but wild as they truly were. She grunted as she pulled herself from the floor, grabbing her bag and switching the lights off before turning around, taking a last look at the pub.
“Time to move on.”

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Freya sighed as she lay on her couch watching television. Another Vampire Rights debate, of course. She rolled her eyes and lazily channel surfed, coming across a romantic movie she had read about recently. It was a scene between the two lovers in front of a fireplace, embracing in their nakedness. “You… you can drink me… love…” The woman whispered into her lovers ear. He looked at her hesitantly before accepting her offer. Freya once again rolled her eyes and surfed channels. “Vampire’s and Human’s should not be permitted to marry – Vampire’s can use that mind-control hoodoo! It is not consensual. Even if it is, who would want to marry a corpse?”


She thought about his pale white skin, his windswept brown hair and soft brown eyes. He didn’t look like a vampire. He just looked like a sweet man who hadn’t seen the sun in a few months. But she knew better than that. Beatrice had always been out to protect her and clearly felt something was wrong, otherwise she wouldn’t have tried to come between the two. Beatrice has a certain type.. tall, brown haired and tan. Or tall, really. Freya giggled as she remembered the sleepovers in high school she had with her, gossiping and fawning over hot guys.


Humming, she put her juice box in the bin and stretched slightly before making her way upstairs. Perhaps she would see Elliott tomorrow night, perhaps she would not. But she knew she wanted to know more about him.


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As she pulled the car into the dirt driveway, Suri could only think of Charlie vomiting. She wasn’t neurotic, she just expected it. She leaned over and opened his door for him, almost pushing him out. “Well.. here you are. Home sweet home. I’ll wait until you’re inside.” Charlie looked over at her and smiled before leaning over and kissing her head. “What… would I do.. without you, Suri?” Suri smiled up at him sweetly before realising how stupid she must look and quickly cleared her throat, shuffling in her seat.


“Not much at all, now get your ass into that house before I push you in there myself.” Suri had a stern look on her face but made it obvious she was being friendly, that was sort of her thing. Despite being straightforward and headstrong she could come off as a real bitch. “Alright, alright, I’m going!” Charlie stumbled out of the car and closed the door before slowly moving to his porch.


‘Dear…god… he’s like a sloth! A sexy… tanned… sloth…’ Suri found herself gazing at him as he pulled his house keys from his back pocket. As his security light flicked on, the brightness of it defined his muscles, which were plain to see while he was wearing that skimpy tank top. ‘Oh…my…’


As she realised where her thoughts were going she hit herself. ‘Damnit! Just think of all the disgusting girls he’s been with… you’re prettier than all of them. There we go… he repulses you… he is one of your best friends brothers… he isn’t totally gorg-DAMNIT!’ Instead of waiting for him to enter the house she quickly pulled out of the driveway. ‘Dear god, Suri. You’re pathetic’.

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From the outside the old warehouse looked abandoned, but Elliott knew better than that. It was an office. An office of a political group, even out in the little city of Persbane. Vampire activity had increased in the city in the past two years, giving the International Faction of Vampire’s an excuse to branch out.


The place was run by officer Niel Odegård and his brother, Hans. Despite the fact Hans wasn’t actually apart of the Faction, he still had a considerable amount of power at his disposal. Elliott had encountered the brothers before, he knew of their bloodlust. Though, honestly, they were fair and logical men. Elliott grimaced and set foot towards the warehouse. He had personal business to attend to.


As he entered he was greeted by a sweet blonde receptionist wearing a long sleeved suit. He could see she had been allured and suspected her long hair covered her neck for a reason. He smiled at her and continued in. She didn’t stop him, so it appeared as though he was expected.


He arrived upstairs only to be greeted by a very familiar face. Scarlett Beaulieu smirked as she reached him, holding out her hand. “Elliott Maher, what a pleasure. Niel has been expecting you.” He reached out and took her hand, kissing it gently as she dramatically fanned herself and moaned slightly. He almost had to roll his eyes at her but kept a cool and gentlemanly exterior. “The pleasure is mine, Scarlett. Could you take me to them?” Scarlett nodded and took his hand, pulling him into the main room.


A tall blonde man stood in the corner of the room, holding a dark-skinned woman around the waist, drinking from her. Scarlett cleared her throat and the blonde man lifted his head from the woman’s neck, staring at the two new arrivals. “Hans, please tell Niel that his guest has arrived.”


Hans pushed the dark-skinned woman away and nodded, walking into the office next door. Elliott felt sorry for her, though he soon got confused when he saw she hadn’t been allured. There was something about the way a human composed themselves that would give it away. He knew Hans was a romantic at heart even though his exterior was cold and uninviting. He had more humanity than his brother.


After a few minutes, two tall blondes with almost identical figures entered the room. They were both intimidating, being two of the oldest vampires in the city. Yet they both had almost perfectly symmetrical faces, it was not a wonder as to why they had so many women after them.


“Mr. Maher.” Niel bowed politely as his brother made his way across the room, standing protectively near his human. “Officer Odegård.” Elliott, too, bowed, but held his a little longer to show his respects. “We have been expecting you. I trust you are here about the recent… events?” Elliott tried not to laugh. Events? More like anomalies! But he kept his poker face on. Though Elliott was a respected vampire the Odegård brothers were more than five hundred years his senior, they were stronger, faster and better vampires than he. He did not want to let his fiery temper get the best of him.


“Yes. Werewolf activity has increased greatly as there have been a great many human deaths described in the way a werewolf would kill. It is said there are animal attacks in the woods of Crestwood and Persbane and this constantly occurs on full moons.” Elliott waited for the elder vampire to consider this. “There are deaths in those woods when there are not full moons.” Elliott huffed slightly. “Shape shifters! I don’t know but their stench is on the wind, don’t tell me you can’t smell it too.”


Niel approached a window and stared outside. “Shifters have complete control of their minds, Maher. They would not harm innocents lest they are deranged. Though, I have a proposition, if you are willing to hear me out.”


The room went silent as Elliott considered this. He didn’t trust Niel but he knew that this was of his concern. Vampires would be blamed for these attacks sooner or later. Something needed to be done. “What is that, Officer?”
“Help me investigate these deaths. Those who have been killed around Crestwood have frequented a local pub, called “Barrett’s”. Since you live in Crestwood, I trust you can do this. I will accompany you tomorrow night, should you accept. If we pick up a lead we go and search, if we don’t, we will scout the area.”
Elliott was confused. Niel was perfectly capable of doing this himself, so why wouldn’t he? “Do you really need my help, Officer? It seems as though you are well capable of this task, or have those in your service who could handle the situation much better than I.” Niel smirked at Elliott “We don’t know what we’re dealing with. Hans and Scarlett will be scouting one part of Persbane while I have many others positioned to scout elsewhere. I know you were a scout for the British Army in your previous life, I thought your skills may be utilised. Forgive me if I am wrong, Maher.”


His words were almost aggressive. Elliott was the best damned scout that army ever had and Niel knew it. Niel knew that doubting his skills would only push Elliott into the job. And yet, it worked. “I’ll meet you at the pub, tomorrow.” Elliott turned and slowly started walking out, Scarlett following him. “That’s my boy!” Niel shouted, a playful grin spreading across his face as Elliot stepped into the elevator.

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That’s it! Sorry for the long update, next one has been written and is awaiting pictures to accompany it should be coming in two-four days!

Chapter 3 - Where Are You Now?

Sorry this has taken so long! After I had finished the last update I was flung into my exam period and then Skyrim came out and stole my life away, but I've finally found the time to finish this chapter, despite my Sim's being pains in the butts and not permitting the best of pictures, so I've done what I can and I hope you enjoy I've finished writing the next update but it should be out by next week.
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That morning had began like any other. Freya had rolled out of bed at quarter to noon, realised she had work in forty five minutes and rushed her morning routine before sprinting out the door and starting her car. She sped down the highway and luckily, wasn’t caught. As she pulled in to Barrett’s she fumbled through her handbag and quickly applied some lip gloss before rushing into the pub, leaving her handbag behind.


“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I overslept!” She yelled as she ran through the door, not particularly directing it to anyone. As she rushed into the kitchens she quickly fixed her hair in a mirror before slapping on her name tag and took a deep breath, composing herself. As her pulse went down she smiled, then pulled her skirt up and took a notepad from the hallstand.


Suri smirked as Freya came out of the back room to see the sparsely populated pub. “Good afternoon, Freya.” Freya’s face had turned from a distressed expression to a disappointed one. “I should’ve expected this… then I wouldn’t have had to rush…” Suri chuckled and hugged her friend, “It’s alright, you might want to just relax. I’ve taken care of the customers for now.”


Suri leant back from Freya and cleared her throat awkwardly. “You talked to Charlie today?” She found it awkward to even look her friend in the eyes while talking about him. Freya frowned and reminiscently pointed behind her to the kitchens. “No, I basically just woke up and I didn’t check my phone. Why? Did something happen?”
’Oh, just the usual. I took your drunk brother, whom I fancy, back home because he couldn’t drive.’ Suri rolled her eyes and smirked slightly “Charlie drank a little bit too much, I took him home. Just wondering if he’s alright.” Freya sighed, of course Charlie would do this. And Suri would always clean up his mess. As Freya went to apologise to Suri, Awinita burst into the room on the phone. Freya couldn’t tell if she was angry or just being Awinita.


“Winnie, what’s wrong?” as Suri walked over to investigate Awinita stuck a finger in the air to silence her friend. It was silent for a few seconds before Awinita cursed loudly and hung up, jamming her phone into her pocket. “Beatrice isn’t picking up. And she’s late.” Freya almost laughed, “Really? She could just be sleeping in, you never know.” Suri and Awinita exchanged a knowing look. “You know her, Freya. Think about it.” As the trio stood there Freya thought back; Beatrice had never been late. She was so organised it was insane, and she always responded to her phone. “Where is she?”

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He had called her at least a hundred times and still she didn’t respond which was unusual behaviour on her part, yet every time he pressed those tiny little buttons on his phone he knew he had to say it in person. He didn’t mean to react the way he did and he knew he could’ve handled it better, but it was his nature. He couldn’t accept her kind. He wouldn't. As he approached her house he sighed and stopped on her porch. There were many memories made on this porch.


Dean would never use the front door of the house; it was simply a habit. Besides, the back porch was larger and ultimately, he thought, a better entrance than the front.He had fallen for her, tried to kiss her, had his heart broken and had many meaningful conversations on this porch. He sat on a chair he used to regular and smiled fondly as he remembered holding her when she cried, holding her when she was happy. But she never felt the same way.


The chair he had sat on creaked when he stood up, finally ready to face her. He had to apologise. She was a lovely person despite the vampirism, he had loved her with her vampirism. He knew that it was against all of his beliefs but he had to apologise. Though he had fallen out of love with her long ago he still cared for her and she deserved an apology. He took a deep breath and tied back some of his greasy hair before raising his hand to knock on the glass door before it opened itself. Despite him being able to see almost everything through the glass door, he could have sworn that Beatrice wasn't there. But there she stood, looking up at him.


“Bea..” he whispered, losing all train of thought and forgetting his tiny pre-prepared speech. As he shuffled awkwardly he couldn’t help but smile, he small stature made her strength of character ironic. “It’s daylight and you aren’t going to ask me why I’m awake? And standing in the sun, no less.” Beatrice didn’t look sad, like he thought she would be. She looked amused. “You didn’t even think about all those barbeques outside of your pub?”


’You’re here for a reason, just say it.’ “Bea, I didn’t mean to run away. I just… I was shocked. I didn’t know what to do…” He took a deep breath before he continued. “I thought about what an amazing person you are, and that whole time you were.. a… you know… and how hard that must’ve been for you. Keeping a secret like that.” Her smile faded slightly as she stared down at her feet. “I know what it’s like, Bea. Keeping a secret that dire from everyone, even your closest friends. Because they won’t accept you… but I accept you.” Beatrice looked up at him again, her eyes somewhat glassy.


There was an awkward silence before Dean broke it. “As long as you don’t drink my blood…” They both grinned and Beatrice hit him playfully. “Trust you to ruin a nice moment.” He laughed and rubbed his neck awkwardly, “What can I say, it’s part of the package.” Beatrice smiled up at him before almost tackling him, squeezing his middle. Despite losing his breath, he looked down at her before hugging her back. “Don’t leave.” He whispered, holding her tightly. “I won’t.”


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Even in the late afternoon with all potential customers finishing work, Barrett’s was still a ghost town. Suri sat at the bar almost sleeping it had been so empty. Dean had walked in an hour earlier with Beatrice by his side, Beatrice mouthing a quick ‘I’ll tell you later’ as she walked past. Suri had rolled her eyes and served the few booths that were occupied before finally sitting at the bar, playing with the novelty key chains attached to Charlie’s car keys.


She heard the door open behind her and a cough that was all too familiar, she swung around in her chair and smiled at Charlie, dropping his keys in his hand. “I trust you’re sober now?” Suri smirked up at him, trying her hardest not to get lost in his eyes. “Yeah completely. I’m fine. Suri… thanks for all your help. It means a lot.”


Suri almost blushed – he was thanking her! This was probably the first time he’d ever thanked her! Suri giggled and looked up before seeing Charlie staring off at something across the room. Suri followed his gaze and saw a beautiful woman sitting in a booth. Charlie smiled and touched her shoulder, not even looking at her. “I’ll talk to you in a bit, yeah?” And with that he walked off and took a seat at her booth.


Charlie sat down without even asking, causing the woman to look up at him in confusion. “Uh... hello?” she murmured, clearly confused. Charlie shook his head and smiled slightly. “Sorry, it’s just you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, I had to come over and talk to you.”


The woman almost blushed, but instead she laughed. “How many girls do you use that line on? Oh, that one’s old!” Charlie was caught out, he smirked slightly and leaned forward, “You got me, doesn’t change the fact you’re gorgeous, though.” She hadn’t expected that, honestly. She had thought he would walk away in embarrassment.


“So, what’s your name? Pretty girl like you must have a pretty name.” Charlie smiled at her still; he hadn’t looked away from her once. The woman smiled before leaning over and whispering, “Rosemarie. I just moved here with my brother. And yours, if I might be so brave to ask?” Charlie leaned in closer and mimicked her, whispering “Charlie Marshall. I’ve lived here my whole life.” Rosemarie giggled and gestured to Suri, “Two beers, please.”

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“I actually said, ‘I have a bad itch’ but she heard otherwise! So the masseuse threw the oil at me and ran out of the room!” The group laughed, the noise they were making being almost the only noise made. “…Interesting story, Charlie.” Rosemarie laughed, nudging the man next to her. “Many more where that came from, believe me.”


Beatrice rolled her eyes; Charlie had stolen that story from Daemyn months ago and used it when people he talked to engaged in personal anecdotes. Despite the group being incredibly loud and obnoxious, she was glad that Barrett’s had customers for once. She sat down at the bar trying not to look suspicious as she listened in to the conversation.


“So, Alex, tell Rose about the deal!” the other young woman nuzzled into ‘Alex’s’ shoulder, giggling like a little girl. Beatrice rolled her eyes; clingy partners were her pet peeve. “What deal, Alex?” Beatrice had learnt that the older looking woman’s name was Rosemarie. She seemed intelligent, this Rosemarie. “The… treaty. Between our associates. We’ve been accepted if we turn over our land at Persbane.”


Charlie looked incredibly awkward, having no idea what they were talking about. But he didn’t dare ask, he knew where lines were drawn and he was certainly enclosed in a box as far as this conversation was concerned. Rosemarie took a few seconds to digest what Alex had said, Beatrice had also learned that they were siblings. Twins just like Beatrice and her brother. “Did you take it?” Rosemarie didn’t look at her brother as she asked, simply glancing at her hands which she was quite nervously rubbing together. Alex nodded before all of them bar Charlie stared at the door, their heads almost twitching around.


She saw Alex’s gaze upon her before it had set upon the door; she frowned slightly in confusion before turning around. This ‘Elliott’ Freya had been so interested in was back, and he had brought a friend. Beatrice almost hissed before turning around, puzzled at why the three in Charlie’s company had also had such an instinct.


The taller blonde man that was with him was smirking as he walked in, taking a seat at the bar next to Beatrice, Elliott filing in behind him. The blonde man looked up and smiled at her briefly before focusing his gaze on the trio in the corner. He coughed and set three fingers on the bar before withdrawing them and smiling back to Beatrice. “What luck I must have for someone of your beauty to be in my presence?”


Beatrice scoffed, but was slightly flattered. It was odd that one of his kind wouldn’t make her want to leap across the table and tear him to pieces. She actually didn’t mind being next to him, she could feel her guard coming down. “Barely any at all.” Beatrice smirked as Elliott walked to sit in a booth with Freya. “What brings you here, vampire?” whispering the last word. She stood up, only to compare her height to his. He has over a foot on her, both had to strain their necks to look at one another.


The blonde man broke into a smile, avoiding her eyes. “That obvious, am I? I had thought I’d learnt to blend in.” Beatrice’s lips curled in both amusement and confusion – usually a vampire would be more hostile when referred to as such. “Oh, I’m sure barely anyone else would realise it. You chose a good country to reside in, not much sun and a fair few pale people.” “Yes, well, that beckons the question of how you realised.” His eyes stared into hers, a playful grin on his face. Beatrice looked down to her hands and couldn’t help but smile herself. “I’m different.” The blonde man leant down slightly to look her in the eyes, studying them silently. “I can see that.”


The group in the corner all stood, Charlie parting ways with the distressed-looking trio. Alex dropped 50 quid on the table before rushing out behind the two girls, the blonde man eyeing them suspiciously. “I’m Niel. And it’s time for me to leave; you see I was here as Elliott wished to see … Freya? Is it? And now that he has, we must head back to Persbane.” Beatrice turned around to see Elliott walking out of the men’s room, nodding at Niel.


“It’s been lovely meeting you… Oh, maker. How rude of me. I did not ask your name.” It was obvious he had to leave, Elliott walking out the doors ahead of his companion. “Beatrice. Beatrice Chevalier.” “Lovely to meet you, Beatrice Chevalier.” Niel kissed her hand before taking his leave, leaving Beatrice flustered on the bar stool. ’What just happened?


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The gritty pavement crunched underneath Niel’s feet as he made his way over to Elliott. “They left. I caught their scent, though. It was definitely them.” Niel sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Nothing was ever easy. “Well, Mr. Maher. We have work to do.” He bowed slightly and gestured to the direction of the scent. “Shall we?”

Chapter 4 - Animal

This has come out early because I love my best friend happy birthday Darren! /shoutouts
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After Rosemarie flown out of the pub with her brother, Alexandre and his girlfriend whose name constantly escaped Charlie’s mind, Charlie had sat at the bar with Beatrice in confusion, both pondering over the endless possibilities which could have led to them leaving. “They had a party.” Beatrice unintentionally let herself snort, “Yeah, a party in Crestwood. Sure, Charlie, and I’m the Mayor of Persbane.” Charlie smiled slightly, he had known the incredibly unlikely chance that a party was the case, but he and Beatrice were always silly together, despite not really spending all too much time in one another’s company of late.


“Hell, maybe they’re all magical creatures, and all that nonsense the teenagers are all into. They’re probably ripping each others throats out right now.” Charlie chuckled and glanced back to Beatrice, noticing she was truly thinking about his words. He cleared his throat before placing a hand on her shoulder, “Bea? I was just kidding, those kind of things don’t exist, you know that.” Beatrice smiled and looked back at him, “No, I know. Of course, I know. I just remembered my brother is coming to town in the next few days and I must prepare my house for him, for I actually do not know when he is due to arrive. I’ll see you tomorrow.” And as quickly as she had said those words she was gone, out the door.


It was confusing to him, really. Beatrice didn’t drive, she had never really gotten around to learning, so either she was running the three miles to her family’s house or… well, he didn’t really know what else. She probably would run the three miles; Beatrice often did odd and nonsensical things like that. He smiled slightly at the thought of the petite girl, no more than five-foot one sprinting down the empty and long roads of Crestwood. “What are you smiling at?” He heard the door close behind his sister before he looked up, seeing Suri almost storming out of the room. And there was Freya’s reason for taking so long.


As Suri pushed open the doors behind Charlie the cool night air hit him. He silently cursed himself for not bringing a jumper of some kind, before looking his sister up and down. She was still in her Barrett’s uniform, her skirt as short as it always was with her handbag slung over her shoulder. His sister was never comfortable in the cold; he had always eased into the colder months of the year much easier than her. He did not voice his confusion though; he was more fixated on Suri’s obvious anger. “What’s her problem?” He muttered, trying to keep the obvious tones of worry out of his voice. The look Suri had shot him was foul, and it didn’t take an idiot to put two and two together.


Freya slowly walked towards the door, sighing as she turned back to face her brother. “Just get up, I’ll tell you when we get home.” Charlie smirked and pushed himself up from the bar stool before walking over to his sister. She was tall for a woman, only three inches shorter than his six foot one and despite looking soft and caring she had the personality of their father – not emotionless, but she had a hard time showing her emotion. Such was the way with the Marshall family. Although Freya loved to show all when she was annoyed. She loved her sarcasm and stirring others up both in equal measures. Even now, she left the evidence of Suri’s fretting almost as a map all over her face. Charlie smirked and walked through the door, “We do need to talk, Frey. Especially about this ‘Elliott’ bloke. Oh, yes. Beatrice told me everything.”

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The drive home was quiet, consisting of Suri sniffling and staring at the passing forests of Crestwood. Dean quite enjoyed his vintage car, something he had bought on a whim. He had a great admiration for older cars, in his opinion they were much better looking and their loud engines were what he described as an acquired taste. Dean had waited for at least half an hour for Suri to drive her home; he often did. She lived in a trailer park near him and it had been a regular thing for a few months now. He enjoyed her company; he could bear all to her and her to him despite the two not being incredibly close. Though sometimes, like now, Suri would try to shut herself off emotionally. He pulled onto a plain piece of grass in front of the trailers and stopped, sighing heavily to break the uneasy silence.


They sat there for a moment, both gathering their thoughts before Suri coughed and smiled awkwardly at Dean. “Thank you for dropping me off.” Dean smiled back and whispered a ‘no problem’ as she stepped out of the car and fumbled for her keys from her handbag. “Whatever’s bothering you, can I help at all? Is there anything I can do, I mean?” Suri turned around and smiled back softly, her voice barely more than a whisper. “It is none of your concern, Dean. But thank you, regardless.”


By this time Dean has gotten out of the car and was leaning against his beloved car. As she turned back around, Dean couldn’t help himself. “Was it the werewolf Charlie was with?” He could visualise Suri chewing on her bottom lip despite her back being turned to him. He felt bad for bringing it up, but it was the proverbial elephant in the room. “If it helps, I think you’re much prettier than her. Charlie just goes for the girls who are easy.” Dean smiled uneasily, regretting even bringing it up as the silence stretched.


After at least thirty seconds of silence, thirty long seconds of silence, Suri turned back around, tears in her eyes. “It’s been six years and still he doesn’t notice me.” Dean stood up at that moment, slamming the car door and running to hug Suri. “Hey, hey! It’s alright Suri, don’t be sad.” He wiped a tear from her face, only for it to be replaced by another barely a second later. “Werewolves are tacky, anyways. I’m sure you’ll find someone who appreciates you for who you are.” Suri sniffled and smiled slightly at his gesture, “At least I can control my transformations.” The two of them laughed before Dean coughed slightly, “I shouldn’t be one to laugh at that, considering.”


Laughter filled the quiet trailer park, slowly dying out as Suri cheered up. “Thank you, Dean. For the ride home and the surprisingly cliché pep talk.” Dean laughed and ruffled the hair of his friend, “No problem, Warhead.” They hugged one last time before going their separate ways. Dean sat in his car and waited until Suri was well and truly in her house before leaving – he never trusted that trailer parks were safe. He smiled slightly before he stepped down on the accelerator, drinking in his surroundings. Crestwood was a peaceful place and a tight-knit community. He was glad that he was its protector.

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Footstep upon footstep hit the hard forest floor, footsteps that were usually quite light grew heavy and tired. She had been running around the large forests of Crestwood for at least an hour now, and she hadn’t heard anything. Beatrice had let all of them get too far to track before going after them. Truly, she didn’t have any business with them, but she felt obliged to stop trouble. She’d always done this thought of thing really, pinning all responsibility on herself and cleaning up everybody else’s mess. Beatrice had no quarrel with either the vampires or the, what she presumed were, werewolves, and she didn’t exactly know what to expect.


Beatrice slowed her pace, she would likely not find anything and the idea of a nice cup of tea and a few episodes of Jersey Shore were seeming increasingly appealing. She sighed and turned around, roughly estimating where her house was. Truth be had, she’d never come out this far into the woods. Maybe once with her mother, who was as in tune with nature as one could get, but that was about it. She never had to find her own way home. Beatrice rolled her eyes and started walking in what she assumed was the way home before she got a scent of blood. It didn’t smell as… metallic, as human blood, but the smell was certainly coming from the direction she was walking in.


She actually laughed slightly to herself; of course she’d run in the opposite direction, as far away from what she was aiming for as she could get. Beatrice smirked before sprinting off in the general direction of the smell of the blood; often turning sharply as the smell became clearer and more distinct.

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Beatrice had expected to run into a massacre, really. She didn’t know the true strength of werewolves, but many times she had seen a vampire lash out. But as she ran into a small clearing, she had come across the body of the male wolf, naked and alone. There was no sign of battle around him, until Beatrice saw his face, that is. It was battered and bloody, a black eye already visible. His body didn’t have a trace of damage to it, Beatrice surmised that he must have taken a blow to the head to be knocked out, and the rest of the war party kept running.


She knelt before him, taking him into her lap. “Damn it…” she whispered. There wasn’t much she could do for him like this. She was never a good healer; her family trusted her mother with that task. She ran a finger down his face, tracing a shallow cut before lightly brushing over his bruised eye. Suddenly, his hand hit his forehead, where her fingers had lightly brushed only seconds before.


Beatrice looked around briefly before pulling him over her shoulder. She would heal him at her home; she just prayed that her brother had left some of his clothes at the house during his last visit.

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“I lost the older one, Sir.” Elliott sighed as he drew closer to Niel, the officer’s foot on the back of the youngest of the three. There was something about the way they ran or bit, you could tell who had been cursed longer. “That’s a shame; I had hoped to discuss the situation with her.” He dug his heel into the lower back of the young wolf, causing her to cry out. He had broken a bone there. “No matter, one of them will surely come back for her, and then we can … negotiate .” The wolf struggled underneath him and rose a hand in protest; Niel dug his heel in deeper.


Elliott nodded at his superior officer, “Would you like me to find the male wolf? I believe we left him much further back in pursuit of the older one.” Niel smiled at the vampire; though young, he was obedient, and certainly the best tracker they had. He was surprised that he was cooperating. “Yes, Elliott, that would be good of you. Bring him back to the office, which is where I will have this one” he accentuated the last word of his sentence, digging harder into the wolf’s back. “And please be quick about it.” “Yes, Officer Odegård.” And with that, Elliott disappeared into the darkness.


Neither vampire had a scratch or splotch of blood on them; really, it was stupid for a werewolf to think they could take on a vampire over a thousand years old. Sure, the three of them could have had a standing chance had Elliott been alone tonight, but Niel was the brute force. Niel took a deep breath, the smell of wolf’s blood was pleasant to him, he had always hated werewolves since his first meeting with one. He kicked the wolf; “Soon, your kind will answer for the damage you’ve done. But first…” And with that, Niel pushed her to the ground and pinned her arms with his, digging his teeth into her neck.

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I hope you enjoyed, I've nearly finished writing the next part and I should be completely finished with the next chapter by Sunday Thanks for reading!