Love Bites
Chapter 22

Cory drove the three of them to the twin’s house after Lily was released. As they entered the house, the smell of cooking met them.

“We’re back mom,” Cory said from the front door.

“In the kitchen dear,” she replied.

The trio walked to the kitchen through the mess that was still strewn about, to replace their mom at the stove stirring a large pot.

“Spaghetti,” she said to them with a shrug. “I got tired of cleaning and figured everyone would be hungry, so I made more of a mess.”

“I’m sorry Mrs. Hudson, this was all because of me,” Lily said as Cory sat her down at the kitchen table.

The twins’ mom looked back at the girl sitting at their table and said, “Oh honey, don’t worry about it. It’s just stuff. It can be replaced. As long as you guys are okay, that’s all that matters.”

With that, she walked over to the girl sitting there and pulled Lily’s head gently into her. “Thank you for protecting my children.”

Lily raised her good arm, wrapping it around the woman. “I owed it to them. To all of you, Mrs. Hudson.”

“Call me Sophie… or mom. And any debt you feel you owe us, consider it paid. In full,” she said, bending to kiss Lily on the top of the head.

“Now… Cory if you’ll set the table. Kayla, get drinks. Lunch is ready. Um, Lily… can… can you eat garlic?”

All three of the kids laughed. Lily just nodded but Kayla said, “She makes a mean roasted garlic dip mom.”

“Good,” Sophie said. “Then, let’s eat.”

While Cory set the table, Kayla grabbed sodas and Sophie dished up their lunch, starting with Lily, who was already sitting.

“So, Cory tells me you knew my husband,” Sophie said.

Lily was quiet for a minute before she finally spoke. “I’ve caused your family so much heartache.”

Everyone finished their tasks and sat down to eat. Lily continued. “Like I told Cory, a group of bad people – hunters – found me out somehow and ambushed me. There was a good half dozen of them at last. I can take care of myself, but even I have limitations. Let’s just say that several will never walk right or be able to scratch their butts. But there were too many of them, and I really didn’t want to kill them all.

“They beat me pretty bad, but the police came before they could kill me. I was taken to the hospital where they patched me up the best they could.”

Lily paused to take a bite. She chewed and swallowed, then continued. “Because I had to, um, alter my physiology, my healing ability slowed, taking longer to heal myself. The police questioned me, and I told them I was eighteen and homeless and didn’t know why I was attacked. Maybe they wanted to rape me, I speculated. So, the police found a shelter to put me in so I could recuperate. That happened to be the one where Mr. Hudson worked.”

Lily paused again to take another bite, looking at the rest of the family. They were all eating but were watching and listening to her intently. She took a drink and continued.

“He was there when they brought me in. After the paperwork, he showed me to a room and sat with me trying to make e feel safer. He didn’t ask about what happened, but instead he started telling me about all of you. He wife and his precious twins.

“He pulled out pictures, showing me all of them proudly. I know he was doing this to help get my mind off my own problems, but I could see when he talked about you, the love he felt.

“Well, it worked – his distracting me. I feel asleep as he was talking. The next morning, I work up, a blanket pulled over me and a note saying he’d be back that afternoon. I asked where he was and was told he went home but would be back.

“Still scared, I just laid down and focused on my healing.”

Stopping again, to take another bite, she could tell that they all wanted her to continue, even knowing the ending, so she forged on.

“He came back that afternoon, knocking on my open door. I told him to come in, my eyes still closed. He sat next to me, put his hand on my shoulder and asked me how I was doing.

“I was better, considering, I told him. He asked if I was well enough to travel. Not far. I wasn’t sure where this was headed but I told him I was well enough. He told me to gather my things and we would leave when I was ready.

“I sat up, grabbed my purse and said, ’Ready’. He smiled and motioned me to follow him. We went out to his car, and he drove us a short distance to a little motel. At this point I was suspicious but didn’t say anything.

“He didn’t go in to register, but instead got out, going directly to a room and I followed. We went in and I say on the only bed in the room. I didn’t have many options, one bed and one chair, see. Instead of sitting in the chair after closing the door, he sat down on the bed next to me. He put his hand on my knee and said, ‘Lily, I’ve got to tell you something.’ I blurted out that I lied, and I was only seventeen.

“He looked at me shocked, like I just accused him of rape or something. Looking down at his hand, he quickly removed it, saying, ‘No. Honey, please just listen.’ I told him I thought he loved his family and now he was trying to pick on an underage, abused girl. He shook his head, put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me to him.

“He told me, ’You’re wrong. While I’m sure you’re beautiful under all of those bruises, I do love my family and am NOT trying to pick up on you. I just want you safe and um, there were people asking questions about you, trying to replace you. I couldn’t in good conscious let you stay there only to get hurt more. So, I brought you here. No one knows you’re here but me.”

Lily paused again to eat another bite, then kept going. “I felt ashamed thinking he took me there for… anyways, he gave me his cellphone number and told me he’d check up on me later, and to call him if I needed anything. Before he left, I asked him why he was doing this and he told me, ‘Simple, you need help, so I’m helping. Someday, someone else might need your help so you pay me back by helping them out. That and for some reason you feel like a daughter to me, I don’t know why. I’ve only known you for a day. Maybe you just remind me of my own daughter.’

“Then he kissed the top of my head, got up and left. He never showed back up. I called him the next morning and got his voicemail, so I called the shelter and they told me…”

This time Lily paused, not to eat but to sniff to hold back a tear. She looked at Sophie and saw tears on her face. Turning to Kayla, she saw the same thing. “I’m sorry. Here I am causing you more pain,” Lily said putting her fork down so she could put her face into her hands, crying. She heard a chair scrape the floor and then felt someone pull her head into a warm body.

“It’s okay honey. I don’t blame you and I know he wouldn’t have blamed you either. He never told them where you were, so that should tell you something.”

“But it’s because of me that he was taken from you and your kids.”

“He knew the problems he faced in that place. Drugs, violence, and abuse were a daily occurrence there. He took the bad with the good. Helping people was a big thing to him. Almost as big as his family. And we accepted it. So. you should too.”

Lily felt Kayla reach and take her good hand and squeeze it.

“And although I don’t usually condone violence, those people who killed my husband got what was coming to them.”

“I, uh –” Lily started when Sophie said, “Shh…” She let go of Lily and said, “Now eat. You need good food so you can get better.”

They finished eating in mostly silence. As Cory and Kayla picked up and cleaned the dishes, they wouldn’t let Lily help due to her condition. So, she found a phonebook and went through it for cleaning companies.

“We can pick up the big stuff and anything you guys want saved and I’ll hire someone to clean up the rest. Make a list of what needs to be replaced and I’ll replace it,” Lily told them.

The twin’s mom tried to object but Lily insisted. “I won’t be much use with one hand, so I’ll chip in the way I can,” she said. Lily called up a company and made arrangements for them to come out the following morning for the cleanup, giving them time to pick up what needed to be, and a list made of what needed to be replaced.

They decided to split up after, Kayla and Lily taking the upstairs and Cory and their mom taking the downstairs.

The two girls went upstairs into the study where Lily started picking up books, putting them back on the shelves while Kayla straightened up the desks, putting computer equipment back in its place.

It was quiet for a while, the two working silently until Kayla asked, “Are you okay?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I heal quick, remember?”

“That’s not what I mean. What you told us at lunch, I can tell that still bothered you. We don’t blame you. Mom told you that, I’m telling you that, and I think I can speak for Cory too. You need to stop blaming yourself,” Kayla told her.

“But now I got you and Cory hurt. I know I’m cursed but…” Lily said, sitting down.

Kayla walked over behind her and wrapped her arms around Lily, putting her chin on the other girl’s shoulder. “And you protected us. Me several times now. And you’ve made Cory happy, which makes me happy too,” Kayla said, them kissed Lily’s cheek. “So, what’s done is done. I don’t want to hear any more about it. If we’ve moved on, you should be able to as well. And as far as Dallas, that’s over too. Unless the police replace him and link us to that somehow.”

“Don’t worry about that. At this point he’s nothing but dust. A side effect of not aging. Once we die, the aging catches up with us rather quickly. It’s not instant like the movies show, but it’s rather quick,” Lily assured her. “So, you don’t have to worry about what you… about what happened.”

“So, what are your plans now?”

“Um, I don’t know. I guess nothing’s changed. School, you guys… go from there. You?”

Kayla squeezed Lily again before letting go and walking around to sit in her chair, facing Lily. “I don’t know either. I guess life goes on. We have another month before school starts. It’s hard to believe we’ll be juniors. Then it’s back to the grind.”

Lily just nodded.

“What’s it like?” Lily looked at her, not sure what the girl was asking. “I mean, being over 300 years old. You must have been through so much.”

“It hasn’t been easy. I’ve been both the good and the bad. Revolutions, Civil war, World wars, plagues, famine, witch burning, and so much more. I’ve seen more people die and born than I can count. Living so long has its advantages, however. I’ve traveled the world and can speak a dozen languages and I guess Cory’s told you I’m far from broke. I think my accountant once said I was richer than God. And that’s only the money he knows about. But it was lonely. In all that time, I’ve never found anyone I wanted to be with. Until Cory that is.”

Kayla just nodded, feeling her loneliness.

“So… I have an idea. I know this guy…” Lily started and then explained her idea to Kayla.

Kayla thought about it for a minute and then said, “sure. It would actually help in several ways. And it’s only an hour or two, right?”

“Yeah, and we could do it whenever we want, to fit into our schedules. And I’ve had years of experience so I can help you too.”

“Okay, well, I guess we should wait until we are feeling better through,” Kayla said.

Lily lifted her cast and said, “Yeah, this would make it a little more difficult.”

“What about Cory?”

“What about him?”

“Shouldn’t he join us?” Kayla inquired.

“I know you two are close, but you don’t have to do everything together you know. You don’t play tennis.”

Kayla blushed. “I do, but badminton was more fun. Less running.”

Lily sighed and said, “Let me guess, Cory plays badminton too?”

“Sure, but it’s only natural. It is mostly the same game. Less running and no bouncing in badminton, but it’s like – tennis lite.”

“Fine, but you still get my point. Maybe we can get him and Blaine to go do something together on those nights. Do you think Abby would like to join us?”

“Actually, I think she would. She’s been looking for something to do to waste time. I’ll ask her if it’s okay.”

“Of course it is, or I wouldn’t have asked. Tell her it’s my treat. You too.”

“I-I can’t,” Kayla said.

“You can and you will,” Lily insisted. “My idea, my treat.”

Kayla sighed and said, “Fine. Let’s finish up here and then do the bedrooms.”

They finished straightening up the study, then headed to the bedrooms. In the hall between the two bedroom doors, Lily stopped and asked, “So, which shall we do first?”

Kayla looked right and left, taking in both rooms. “Tell you what, neither is too bad, so why don’t I do mine and you can… explore Cory’s room. He’s not a slob, but he’s not a neat freak. Just beware of the left side of the third drawer down,” Kayla said with a sly grin.

Lily raised an eyebrow, and then winced in pain from her cheekbone.

“And what, pray tell is in said drawer?”

“Ohhh… something he doesn’t think I know about. He ought to know better than to try to keep secrets from me. Not that I snoop or anything. I’m sure I’ll be accused of it anyway. Wait here a second.”

Kayla disappeared into her room, opened a drawer, and pulled out something, then returned to the hall. “Maybe you can use this to mess with him,” she said, holding it out to Lily.

Lily looked at it, smiled and said, “Oh yes, I think I can do that.”

“Okay, well, time to clean,” Kayla said turning around and returning to her room.

Lily slipped the small item into her packet and went into Cory’s room. She picked up the few items that Dallas had scattered, then explored the room. She had been in here before, but it was mostly standing around waiting for Cory or sitting on the bed playing video games with him and Kayla.

Exploring the closet, she went through his clothes, occasionally sniffing one to see if she could smell him on them. She came back out and fed his fish, figuring that he hadn’t done it today. Going to his dresser, she went through his drawers, skipping the third drawer, saving it for last.

Sorting through socks and underwear, she didn’t replace anything out of the ordinary, just what one would expect in a dresser. Four of the five drawers done, Lily opened the third drawer, now out of other places to look through. It was full or shorts.

She started on the right, working her way across. At the bottom of the left side, she found a small stack of magazines. She pulled them out and sat on the bed and started thumbing through them.

Nothing too surprising, she thought. She would have been more surprised not to replace something like this.

Shifting uncomfortably on the bed while looking though the magazines, she jumped when Kayla said, “So, you like?” from the doorway.

Lily turned red, not at the fact that she was looking at them, since Kayla told her where they were, but if Kayla had been there for more than a minute or so, it would have been obvious that she was aroused.

“I’ve seen worse,” Lily said. “This is pretty standard stuff really. At least it isn’t some strange fetish stuff.”

“Yeah, I see it has the same effect on you as it does me,” Kayla told her with a mischievous grin. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure. Anything.”

“Since you’ve been around so long, have you ever… well, you know…” Kayla said, turning red as the pointed at the magazines in Lily’s lap.

“Posed? No. Seventeen, remember? They frown on that, although that isn’t to say there might be some paintings or maybe a few polaroid’s around,” Lily said.

“No,” Kayla said shaking her head. “Have you ever been… with another… girl?”

Lily looked at her, wondering where this might be going. She had some bad luck with relationships but didn’t figure Kayla would opt for girls. Choosing her words carefully, she said, “I won’t lie, I have. But remember, I’m over 300 years old. And to be honest, even though I know the female body better than any guy, I still replace a man more satisfying. If you’re considering, um, experimenting, that’s up to you. I won’t judge you and I don’t think Cory will either. But please don’t let these few bad relationships taint you. Wait until you replace the right guy, and until then, well, you can relieve your own tension. And if you need, you can get a… um, toy. Or I’ll get one for you if you want me to.”

Kayla just stood there and shifted uncomfortably. Finally, she said, “God, I’m so sorry that came out wrong. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve wondered what it would be like to be with another girl, just like with a guy. And I wasn’t hitting on you. I just wondered because those magazines seemed to do to you what they did to me… and they are girls.”

“Oh, honey, it’s not really about the girls themselves. It’s our imaginations. How it would feel to be there. Doing what they are doing. Being the object of attention.

“Personally, I was putting myself in the girl’s position, imagining Cory standing over me watching.”

“I’ve done that too… I mean, with like Dallas, not Cory. It’s funny, with as close as we are, I can’t picture him ever touching me in that way. Even if I offered myself to him. Which I wouldn’t. I love him but…”

“I understand. It’s the knight in shining armor in him. You know hi way better than I do, but I think he’d have a meltdown if you were to ever do something like that. He’d stand there catatonic, drooling on himself for the rest of his life.”

Kayla giggled at that image. “Well, I’m done up here. It looks like you are too, so I’m going to go help mom.”

“I’ll be down in a little while. Send Cory up, would you?”

Kayla smiled again, her impish grin. “Why certainly. I’ll keep mom occupied, don’t worry,” she said, winking just before she left.