Chapter 11- Carmen
    “Are you okay, Wendi?” Colleen asked and I noticed that my whole body was shuddering. I focused on calming down, not wanting to feel weak. It helped some and the shuddering slowed slightly. Colleen figured out that I needed some help and once again, she calmed me down with her curious talent. I often wondered how it worked. It seemed so impossible. I was still a little upset so Stefan scooped me up into his arms and hugged me to his strong chest.
    We walked into the kitchen and Stefan sat me down in a chair at the long, mahogany table. He sat beside me, never letting go of my hand. Colleen still held my other hand and I had never felt so loved in all my life. My two loves, holding my hands. My best friend and sister. Funny, I’ve only known both of them for a few days and I can’t imagine life without them. Also, my… boyfriend. Odd word for him. I couldn’t picture him as a boyfriend. He meant so much more to me than a boyfriend. I was staring absently at Edi, who was cooking something that smelled delicious. She, listening to my thoughts( I guessed by the way she would sneak glances at me when I wasn’t looking; I saw her from the corner of my eye), was smiling and humming softly.
    She flipped a piece of chicken onto a beautiful china plate that looked much too fancy for everyday dining and set it down in front of me. It was wonderful and filling. When I was done, Stefan stood and pulled me up from my seat. He bent down and kissed my forehead and then he was gone. I saw the door closed behind him, faster than any human should be.
    “He needed to eat. He doesn’t like eating around anyone else.” Edi told me, answering the questions in my head. Carmen and Jacob were on the front porch so Colleen and I began walking that way. Jacob looked like he just stepped off of a runway, rather then being thrown through a window. Carmen laughed and I blushed. We sat talking and I listened to Carmen and Jacob talk about how annoying Stefan could be. Occasionally, I laughed. Carmen was funny and so was Jacob. No one could ever be bored with them around. I was just beginning to feel comfortable when a familiar bronze colored head bobbed out of the woods. She was on the porch in less than a second and everything else happened very quickly.
    I heard a horrible, fierce snarl and Carmen was in front of me, crouched with her arms slightly extended, protecting me. Colleen threw her arms around my shoulders and turned her torso so that she could see every move Erika would make. Erika returned the snarl and the stance and it seemed more threatening coming from her. Jacob never moved an inch, he just smiled while Erika began taking a few steps backwards. He began chuckling when her scowl turned into confusion. Carmen stayed crouched but she seemed more relaxed. Colleen was still extremely tense and her eyes darted around nervously. She never let go of me. Jacob was almost rolling with laughter when Erika began to shriek in horror of what her body was doing against her own will. My mind flashed back to last night’s date when Stefan told me about his family’s gifts, Jacob was capable of influencing someone to do something. Anything from blinking to mass murder. I could not believe that had been just last night.
    Erika was headed towards the woods, yowling and hissing when Stefan came running from behind the house. He stopped in front of her and threw his arms out in front of himself, and Erika flew thirty feet and crashed into an oak tree, making it shudder. I knew he never touched her but it was still amazing what he could do with only his mind.
    “Ah come on! I was having fun.” Jacob whined and trudged over to a swing and flopped down with a slightly annoyed look on his face. That broke the tension. Everyone exploded into laughter while Erika picked herself up, running into the woods and throwing one more hiss at us from over her shoulder. That caused another explosion. Edi, Leo, and Hayden walked outside and Edi joined in the laughter, already knowing what the fuss was about. I guessed that she had already filled in the others, as they were smiling too. Carmen was laughing but she was still in a protective crouch and Colleen’s arms were embracing me now, rather than guarding. I looked over to my left and saw Stefan gazing at me. His eyes were different, more blue ringing the maroon irises. They were kind and warm and yet still guarded, an after effect of Erika’s return. I could tell he had enjoyed throwing her into a tree, after all she was a nuisance to the world.
    Jacob was the only person not laughing. He was still grumpy about Stefan’s interference with his fun of controlling Erika. As if planned, everybody looked at Jacob and began rolling with laughter when he stuck a tongue out at Stefan. After a long spell of uncontrollable laughter, everybody eventually began to drift back into the house in the direction of the kitchen. I hadn’t realized how late it had gotten. It was already dinner time and my mom would be home from her crazy work schedule soon.
    “That has been arranged.” Carmen said with a wink. I suddenly became very confused. Carmen and Edi looked at each other and smiled, both knowing what Carmen’s comment had done to my train of thought.
    “Carmen and I spoke to your mother. You are having a ‘sleepover’ with us.” Colleen explained with an eager voice.
    “How did you convince her? She has never met you.” I was skeptical. My mother was not a trusting person. A guilty look came over Carmen and Colleen’s faces.
    “Well, I kinda used my gift on your mom.” she admitted. I giggled and her face relaxed. From somewhere behind me, I heard Jacob clear his throat.
    “It seems that nobody is going to give me any credit so I’ll have to tell her myself.” he rolled his eyes and continued. “I used my power too. Carmen told me she was thinking of saying no so I helped her make a decision.” That sent me over the edge into a full scale laughter attack. I almost rolled on the floor with seven vampires staring at me like I had lost my mind.
    “Good one guys. I am so glad I know you.” I said between chuckles. Everybody laughed and hugged me, everybody except Hayden and Leo. Leo wasn’t even here so that didn’t bother me much. Hayden on the other hand, hung back in the corner and looked at our group hug with wary eyes.
    Edi broke free of the embrace and danced off to the kitchen. Colleen took off after her and Carmen grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the staircase. Jacob and Stefan watched us leave and then began joking about something. Carmen towed me down the massive hallway to a room across from Edi and Hayden’s. She opened the white double doors and stepped through them.
    The room was very large with a high ceiling that reflected everything in the room. The mirror ceiling was absolutely spotless. The floors had carpet, unlike all the rest of the house that I had seen. It was plush and comfortable, and it was midnight blue, the color of the rings around my vampires’ eyes. There was a set of glass doors on the far side of the room that opened up to a balcony covered in what looked like honeysuckle. In the corner was a blue bed with about a million pillows. The furniture, a long, low dresser, an entertainment center, a few bookshelves and nightstand, were all black wood. The walls were a gray color that complimented the room well. The bookshelves were stuffed with old looking books and journals whose binding were well worn. The entertainment center held a CD player and many cds. It also had a large flat screen TV and massive speakers. Oh how I wished I had this kind of money! The long dresser had random knickknacks on it that looked like souvenirs from many different countries. And at the foot of the bed, I recognized my old duffle bag.
    “This is where you will be sleeping tonight.” Carmen explained when a cloudy haze of confusion covered my mind.
    “Who’s room is this?” I asked, hoping for the perfect answer.
    “It’s Stefan’s, of course.” she said with a high laugh. I breathed a quick sigh of relief before Erika whisked me out into the hall again. She went to a room diagonally from Stefan’s. We went inside and she hit the light switch. This room was a drastic change from dark and mysterious.
    The walls were a light green and the floors were pale pistachio color. A tall chest of drawers in the corner was an off white color as was the rest of the furniture in the room. A futon bed sat in the corner, folded into its couch position with satin pillows organized at either end. The bed was extremely large for a futon, looking as though it could fit both of us with plenty of left over room without even unfolding it. The bedspread was white with pistachio swirly designs on it. A large flat screen television was mounted to the wall. Carmen had an appetite for art and I realized where all the tasteful pieces in the rest of the house had come from.
    “This is my room.” Carmen told me with an exuberant look on her perfect face.
    “Hey, it’s mine, too.” I jumped at the sound of Jacob’s voice so close behind me, where before, there had been no sign of the giant. Carmen smiled and walked over to kiss Jacob. “Oh yuck, Carmen. Not in public!” he complained.
    We all laughed and began walking back down stairs when I realized that I wanted to ask Carmen something. We were almost to the bottom of the stairs so I knew I couldn’t say it out loud. I glanced at Carmen who was looking at me with a puzzled expression. “Why did you protect me from Erika? I kind of thought you didn’t like me so much.” I thought, looking away from Carmen.
    Edi looked up at me a smiled a reassuring smile and I knew she heard my question also. Bless her soul; she mentioned food and the room cleared, leaving Carmen and me alone.
    “It’s not that I don’t like you. I do, I just felt uncomfortable around you. Almost intimidated. You figured out the truth so quickly, even if you didn’t want to believe it. It was unnatural; no one has ever figured us out so entirely. I didn’t know you then. I didn’t know you could keep a secret. It aggravated me that Colleen and Stefan trusted you so much. I thought you didn’t deserve it. I was wrong. I protected you because I love you. You’re part of this family. You and Colleen both are my sisters. I don’t know how to lose you. If Erika had hurt you…” her voiced faded as she shook her head and looked down at her feet.
    I never had someone say something like that to me. I didn’t know what to say, so I just hugged her. She hugged me back. “Can’t. Breathe.” I sighed.
    We laughed and she released me, holding only my hand and we walked into the kitchen together. Just like sisters.