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Drift had brought up the idea to Cleo and Pearl not long after Apo had decided to fake being kicked out of town, and they both jumped on it. Especially Pearl, who’d decided she needed to hand make invitations. That’s what led them here. Pearl was at the crafting bench carefully cutting paper and drawing while Cleo organized and double checked the supplies that Drift had brought over. Drift herself was out in the forest looking for a good spot.
They’d decided to have a sleepover in the woods with all the girls from Oakhurst, which was only a few.
Pearl was focusing on her project so intently that she was sticking her tongue out a bit. Cleo found it adorable. They wanted so badly to step up behind Pearl, wrap their arms around her waist and bury their face in her neck.
Bury her fangs in her neck.
No!
Blood!
Not Pearl!
Warm, living blood...
Cleo turned away from Pearl and resisted the urge to scream in frustration. She couldn’t get near Pearl. Not like this. They wouldn’t be able to live with themselves if they hurt her. She tried to take deep breaths to stop the simmering anger. Only to feel arms wrap around her waist and a head rest on their shoulder.
“It’s okay,” Pearl whispered reassuringly, “I’ve got ya. If you need to cry or scream, I’m here.”
Cleo felt her shoulders unwind, and the twist of frustration in her chest loosened. Pearl walked around her and put her hands on their arms, gently rubbing soothing lines up and down. The anger dissipated.
“There ya go,” she murmured. She slid her hands into theirs and squeezed them a bit.
“Thanks Pearl,” Cleo whispered.
“Of course, what else are friends for,” Pearl chuckled slightly.
Friends. That’s all that Pearl thought of their relationship, and Cleo was happy with that! She refused to let the adoration, and the fact that Pearl was the only person who could calm them down like that, get in the way of that. She wanted Pearl to stay with her, even if they could only be friends. That had to be enough.
Pearl squeezed her hands one last time before letting go and heading back to the table to finish the invitations. Cleo forced themselves to keep checking off the supplies off their list. If she kept glancing back at Pearl’s beautiful figure, well, that was her own business.
---
“Here we are!” Drift announced excitedly as they stepped into a small clearing in the woods near the town.
A small campfire was set up and ready to be lit in the center and fences filled in the gaps between trees so monsters couldn’t disrupt them. Cleo set down her bundle of supplies next to Drift and Pearl then pulled out the two invitations for Shelby and Apo.
“I’m going to go deliver these, then I’ll come back to help set up,” they promised.
After getting nods of approval from both ladies, she transformed into a bat and flew off towards the castle. It was a lot more built up than it was the last time she was there. They landed in front of the grand entrance and walked through the gate. Pyro was the only person in the room, which was lucky because she wasn’t in a mood to deal with Scott at the moment.
“Hello,” Pyro drawled, “Can I help you with anything.”
“I need to talk to Shelby and Apo,” Cleo replied, “Where are they?”
“Hello!” Shelby greeted cheerfully as she poked her head through another door.
“Hi. I have something for you,” Cleo responded, striding over to Shelby in an attempt to cover the fear she felt being in the vampires’ domain regardless of the fact that she was one.
“Oooo, what that?” Shelby’s eyes lit up when she saw the colorful cards in Cleo’s hands
“It’s a little invitation Pearl made. We figured it would be nice to get all the girls together.” Cleo handed her the invitation before asking, “Do you know where Apo is?”
“Hmm, no, I don’t. She went out with Scott and Owen. They should be home soon though.”
“I’d really rather not see Scott today,” Cleo admitted.
“That’s reasonable,” Shelby giggled, “I’ll take Apo’s invitation, if you want.”
“That would be great.” They handed over the second invitation before making their way back to Drift and Pearl.
---
“I don’t know mate,” Pearl complained, “She has no tells. Or rather, they’re all hidden by sheer intensity."
“I might have an idea of how to get a straight answer out of her,” Drift replied slyly.
“I’m scared,” Pearl said dryly.
“Oh, don’t be! It’ll be fun for all of us!” Drift reassured.
“That doesn't help much y’know. What’re you planning?” Pearl asked suspiciously.
“I want to play some truth or dare !” she announced.
Pearl could think of multiple way that could go horribly wrong. She had secrets that she’d hidden as well after all. Although the idea of sharing them with the girls didn’t sound as terrible as she’d initially thought. Pearl was afraid of what Shelby might think of her, but she also figured Shelby should know. Besides, there were quite a few dares and questions that could be a lot of fun.
“Huh. That’s actually not a bad idea,” Pearl mused.
“I know! I suggested it,” Drift joked.
“Invitations delivered,” Cleo reported as she walked back into the clearing.
“Great!” Drift cheered, “did they seem interested?”
“I didn’t see Apo,” they told her, “but Shelby seemed excited.”
“What else is new?” Pearl laughed.
“Good point,” Cleo responded as they both chuckled.
Pearl cherished the sound of Cleo's laughter. It thrummed through Pearl’s chest, leaving behind sparks of warmth.
Pearl shook off the thoughts as if they were water and turned back to the other two girls.
“What else do we have to do?”
Movement. Movement always helped clear her mind. Maybe by the end of the night Pearl could confess her feelings. But for now, there are things that need to be done.
-----
It had just become dark enough for Shelby and Apo to comfortably be outside, so the three other girls anxiously waited to see if they would come. They didn’t have to wait long. Soon enough, two bats landed in the center of the clearing and transformed into Apo and Shelby. They must’ve left as soon as the sun set to get here this quickly.
Pearl and Drift immediately attacked their friends with hugs while Cleo stood back a bit. She wasn’t very touchy-feely but she gave the two other girls a bright happy smile. They were happy all the girls could have a moment together. Once they were done with greetings, the five of them settled in a circle around the campfire which was blazing cheerfully.
“Sooo,” Drift started, I’ve got a few games that we could play! It’s up to you guys what we want to start with! Two truths and a lie, twenty questions, I have a list of random get-to-know-you questions, or we could do truth or dare! Or anything else you can come up with. We’re here to have fun without all the obnoxious boys.” Drift made a funny face at the end of that sentence, coaxing laughter out of all of them.
“Truth or dare!” Shelby cheered.
“I’m game for that,” Pearl agreed.
“Any objections?” Drift asked in a faux professional accent.
The girls giggled again and Cleo and Apo agreed to the game.
“Shelby, since you wanted to play so bad, it’s only fair you go first,” Apo offered.
“Oooo,” Shelby tittered. She lied down on her stomach and waved her feet in the air a few times before piping up again. “Pearl! Truth or dare?”
“Let’s start it off strong. Give me a dare.”
Shelby glanced around contemplative. “Come up with a word and use it in a sentence. We have to be able to figure out what it means!”
“Hmmm…,” Pearl hummed, “Do ya' remember the time Scott decided to put a skull on his head? Crikey!”
The girls laughed before Cleo finally said, “You didn’t just come up with that. I’ve heard you say it before.”
“Dang it,” Pearl complained. Your memory's too good”
It’s not hard to remember when it’s you, Cleo’s traitorous brain provided. She squashed down the though and let out a good natured laugh.
“My turn!” Pearl cheered.
“Hold up, hold up, does that count or do you have to return your dare?” Apo cut in.
Drift shrugged. “It’s up to Shelby, I guess.”
“I don’t really care,” Shelby waved it off.
“Yay!” Pearl cheered again, “Apo, truth or dare?”
“Truth.”
“What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve done in front of a crush?”
Apo burst out laughing as soon as she asked the question. “One time, before we really started dating, Cherri and I were having a sleep over and she made me laugh so hard I peed my pants. I was mortified!”
The four other girls laughed along with her.
“Now it’s just a fun memory though. Sometimes she’ll bring it up because apparently, she thinks it’s cute when I get flustered and embarrassed.” Apo rolled their eyes, but fondness shone out of the movement.
“Cleo, truth or dare,” Apo asked once they finally stopped laughing.
“Hmmm, dare,” they decided.
“Do the chicken dance.” Apo's eyes glimmered with laughter. Tonight was probably the happiest Cleo had ever seen the girl.
They stood up and marched around the fire, flapping their arms like a chicken and making chicken noises.
All the girls laughed harder than any of them had in a while. Cleo felt satisfied by the pure joy heard in their tones.
The game went around a few more times, then it got to Drift again.
“Pearl, truth or dare?”
“Ask me a question,” Pearl responded confidently.
“Did you believe Avid and Shelby about mythical creatures at the start of all this?”
The question was a bit deeper than what they'd been doing so far, but the girls were pretty comfortable with each other now, so it didn’t hang heavily in the air.
Pearl leaned back on her hands as she contemplated the question.
“I didn’t have any proof about most of the species they were talking about, but I didn’t completely discount it.”
“Most of?” Apo repeated questioningly?
Pearl took a deep breath. “Yeah.”
She hesitated for a second then pressed forward. “I… I’m not exactly as human as I’ve led everyone to believe.”
Everyone was staring at her.
“You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to.” Cleo rested a reassuring hand on Pearl’s shoulder.
Pearl locked eyes with Shelby. “You especially deserve to know. Owen suspects me because I heard him while we were on the beach.”
Pearl dropped her gaze to her lap. “I-I’m… a werewolf,” she admitted quietly.
A hush fell over the girls and Cleo put their arm over her shoulders in a half hug.
Shelby got up and walked around ok under the fire. She dropped to her knees in front of Pearl and pulled her into hug.
“I'm not upset or scared,” she whispered to Pearl.
“I mean, look at me.” Shelby lifted up the ends of her purse white hair.
Cleo looked around the group. She herself had fangs and a temper that flared even more dramatically now. Apo used to have brown eyes, but they’d deepened into a maroon color to reflect her increased vampirism. Shelby indeed did have snow white hair and scarlet eyes; but they weren’t blood-red like the boys', they were the color of Rose’s. Drift's light brown eyes were the same color as her fur when she transformed into a bat.
And Pearl.
Pearl
She had the most stunning blue eyes. They were almost unnaturally pure blue, but that made sense now due to the fact she was a werewolf. Cleo found Pearl just as beautiful as she had the first time they’d seen her. Maybe even more so.
Shelby went back to her spot on the other side of the campfire as Pearl tried to discreetly wipe tears from her eyes.
“Guess it’s my turn now,” she joked, “Shelby. Truth or dare?”
“Dare,” she smiled.
Pearl’s eyes lit up mischievously. “Fly up to Avid's window and crow like a rooster.”
Shelby matched Pearl's smile before transforming into a bat and flying away. The rest of the girls should away the cloud of bats then pulled out some of the food they'd brought. Mostly raw meat and blood because four of the girls were vampires.
“Random question,” Drift started, “if it seems rude or you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to answer.”
“It’s okay. Go ahead and ask,” Pearl told her.
“Because you’re a werewolf, would you be able to eat stuff like this?” Drift held up the piece or raw steak she had just pulled out.
“I would be able to, but I can’t stand the taste. My wolf form loves it though,” Peal revealed. She seemed slightly upset so Cleo put their arm over Pearl and pulled her against their side. For once they were glad they didn’t have a beating heart because it would be pounding right now otherwise.
Pearl put her head on Cleo’s shoulder and took a breath. “It’s kinda hard for me to talk about it. I’ve done some pretty horrible things when I loose control.”
“You’re with four people who have to drink blood to survive and will go into a frenzy if deprived,” Apo told her, “You’ve got nothing to be ashamed of."
Pearl smiled at Apo, then turned her gaze to Drift, then finally to Cleo where her gaze lingered a little longer.
That’s when Shelby came back in for a landing. The four girls sat up eagerly, excited to hear what Avid’s reaction was.
“When I got there, he was sleeping peacefully…” Shelby paused to laugh before continuing, he jumped up so quickly! He was looking around and was so confused!”
They all laughed, able to imagine Avid’s reaction. He always was over the top.
A few more truths and dares were passed around until it ended up with Pearl.
“Apo! Truth or dare?”
“Dare,” Apo replied.
Pearl cocked her head for a second then went around Cleo to whisper something into Apo's ear. Apo smirked and stood up. She went over to a nearby tree and clapped twice before saying loudly, “I believe in fairies!!”
Then she shouted as loud as she could, “Do you!?”
Owen stumbled out from behind the tree, wearing a look of confusion and apprehension. All the girls laughed uproariously.
“This is a girls night Owen,” Shelby told him, “No boys allowed. Feel free to tell Scott that we’re having fun.”
They all waved at Owen and he walked off still looking really confused. The girls found the whole situation hilarious.
Cleo felt eyes on her and looked behind her. Their vampiric vision allowed their eyes to pierce the dark and make out a silhouette standing against a tree not that far away. The person’s stance looked relaxed though.
“I’ll be back in just a moment,” Cleo told the girls as she stood up, “I’m going to go figure out who that is.” Cleo nodded to the silhouette.
“Keep going without me.”
As Cle walked closer, she could tell it was Legundo. Her nerves settled. She trusted Legs, and sincerely doubted he meant any harm in this moment, if ever.
“What’re you doing here, Doc?” Cleo called out.
“That’s a funny story,” he replied with a laughed, “I was working on the cure when, all of a sudden, I heard Shelby’s voice crowing like a rooster.” Legs shook his head in amusement.
“I saw the bat and followed her into the forest to see what was going on,” Legundo continued, “I came across your little campfire and I heard the five of you laughing your heads off. It's nice.”
“Ah,” Cleo acknowledged, “What have you heard?”
“Nothing really, just the bouts of laughter and I heard Apo shout something about fairies….?” He trailed off confused as he said the last part.
Cleo chuckled. “That was a dare from Pearl to expose Owen.” She didn’t expand on the explanation because she was afraid of accidentally tipping the doctor off on what she really was.
“You’re not really a vampire,” Cleo said. It wasn’t a question. She knew the answer from his scent, the beating of his heart, and the fact that he would’ve been able to hear them.
“No, I’m not,” Legundo chuckled.
“Why’d you lie? It's not exactly a popular position.”
“I knew that if they saw the person the town as a whole trusted the most as a vampire, they’d be more accepting. It would show them that the vampires aren’t as different from the humans as they think.”
“Would you want to be a vampire?”
Legs shook his head. “The day I die will not be a mournful occasion. I’ve done too much evil in my life to be able to live with myself forever.”
“You’re not a bad person,” Cleo told him. “On my way over, I realized it was you and I relaxed because I trust you. I know you don’t mean any harm.”
“I’m grateful for your trust,” he replied, “but the good I’m trying to do now is an attempt to redeem myself for what I’ve already done."
“I know you, Doc. You’re a good person.”
Instead of replying, the doctor changed the subject. “I’m happy to see you girls getting along. It’s nice to hear everyone’s laughter. We aren’t hear it as much anymore. It’s nice.”
Cleo let it slide instead of pressing the issue. “It is nice. We’ve been able to really get to know each other without the stress of the war that seems to be creeping up.”
“Well, I’m going to let you get back to your slumber party and I’m going to head back to town. Sorry if I interrupted at all.”
“It wasn’t an interruption,” Cleo stated firmly, “It’s always nice to talk to you.”
“I’ll be seeing you.” Legs waved and walked back towards the town.
Cleo walked back into the circle of fencing that kept out mobs.
“Yes!” Apo cheered, “You’re back! Drift says she has a good one for you!”
“First things first though,” Shelby cut in, “Who was that?”
“It was just the doctor,” Cleo smiled, “He heard you crowing like a rooster and followed you back to see what was going on.”
The girls giggled.
“Well then,” Drift started, her eyes flashing deviously, “Truth or dare?”
Oh no, Cleo couldn’t help but think wryly. A question seemed a bit safer so she decided to go with that.
“Is there anyone in town that you like?” Drift placed enough emphasis on the word that they could tell what she was really asking.
One person came to mind, but there was no way she was going to admit it with the woman herself sitting within easy reaching distance.
“Okay, okay, fine,” Cleo said, “I won’t answer that so guess I'm just going to have to do whatever insane dare you’ve concocted for me.”
Drift’s smile flashed mischievously. “Kiss the person to your left.”
A fairly normal dare. It was one Cleo would’ve done fairly easily in most situations. But Pearl was sitting to their left.
Out of her periphery vision she caught Pearl straightening up and casting a glare at Drift. Drift just continued to smile and none of the girls said anything because they all just saw it as a normal dare. They couldn’t see the inner turmoil Cleo was experiencing.
Pearl turned to Cleo and seemed like she was about to say something, but Cleo didn’t feel like grappling with their inner turmoil and hesitating long. She leaned over and pressed a quick kiss against Pearl lips and pulled back quickly.
The kiss still left her lightheaded though. She could feel the warmth of Pearl’s lips lingering against her own cold ones. Even the momentary connection made it feel like sparks were bursting against her skin.
They were really down bad.
They needed to tell Pearl. She deserved to know.
“We’ve been playing this for a while, let’s do something else,” Pearl suggested. He voice sounded slightly tight but Cleo was to focused on her emotions to think about the implications of that.
The other girls agreed and they moved on to a new game. All five of the girls were nocturnal creatures so they ended up staying up all night. Just enjoying each other’s company.
Maybe this could be the first step towards healing the fractured town.
Four vampires and a werewolf. What an idea.
And maybe the idea could be something else. Something better.
Acceptance
That’s what it was. The girls accepted each other. They were sisters. Connected by the fact they were surrounded by people who didn’t want to accept each other.
They had to be the change they wanted to see.
And the first step was this night. Maybe things would get better. Or maybe they’d spiral further into madness.
But the girls, the sisters, would remember this night and maybe they’d be able change things.
But for now, they had this night, and they’d enjoy it while it lasted, because who knew what the sunrise would bring .