The Van Helsing Legacy

[Lil Reaper]

Chapter One - I'm a what?!


~ANNA'S STORY~
My name is Anna Van Helsing, I'm 16 years old, and before you ask the answer is yes. I am a direct descendant of the famous vampire hunter Van Helsing. Before I tell you my story let me give you some backround information on my family. Van Helsing was not our family name. It was changed after Van Helsing's family was murdered by Dracula. He also gave himself no first name, I guess Van Helsing just sounded scarier. While most of the what you know about vampires is true there are some secrets and half truths mixed in. A stake through the heart, fire, and beheading kills them. Sunlight doesn't kill them its just uncomfortable to them. And they don't always need an invitation to enter a home. Another secret vampires don't like to share is that if you can manage to defang a vampire they will become your slave, whether you're human, vampire, or something else. They will regrow their fangs eventually. They also can see their reflections, sometimes. When a vampire looks in a mirror they may see nothing at all, they may see their vampire self, or they may see the person they once were. Okay with all that out of the way I can tell my story. My life was simple enough, my dad Michael and I traveled around Europe and Asia hunting down vampires. He's been training me to take his place for the past 11 years since I'm the last Van Helsing heir. What a way to end a family line huh? Dad taught me how to fight, how to use weapons, and he taught me at least 6 different languages. I guess you're wondering what happened to my mom. Well my mom Selene, a beautiful vampire hunter, managed to capture Dad's heart. They became an unstoppable team until Mom got pregnant with me. They decided to give up hunting for awhile. They couldn't risk injuring the next generation Van Helsing. Dad never said it but I bet he was pretty disappointed when I turned out to be a girl. On my first birthday after Mom and Dad put me to bed Dracula(he goes by a different name now) murdered my mom. Dad managed to grab me from my crib and we escaped into the night. I've never had anything close to what you'd call a normal life. The closest I got to going to school was when Dad dropped me off the Harmony Hills Monestary. I was there on and off for three years, but Dad never told me why.


After 15 years of living our life on the run Dad sat me down in our dingy motel room and said we had to have a long talk. That could mean nothing good. We've never had a long talk. Long practice fights? Sure. Long arguements? Of course. Dad had a look on his face that I'd never seen before and I'd seen alot.
Dad took a deep breath and plastered a smile on his face. "We're moving to the States, Anna."
I opened my mouth to object but Dad held up his hand.
"Let me finish. We have a beautiful family home in a Preston, it's a fairly small New England town. I realized that what I've been doing isn't fair to you. I want to try and give you the life I should have given you. School, friends, a home."
"Why now? Sending me to school with a bunch of kids I don't know. How is that fair? Don't you think they're going to want to know why I've never been to school before? What am I supposed to say? That I was running around Europe and Asia hunting vampires with my Dad. Where's my mom? Oh Dracula killed her. It's a little too late for a normal life."
"Anna, you're overreacting. Things won't be that bad," Dad tried to reassure me.
"Our last name is Van Helsing. People are bound to ask questions that neither of us are going to want to answer," I told him. I was desperately trying to change his mind.
"I can get some fake documents with fake names that we can use until you graduate. No one has to know anything about our past that we don't want to tell them. And we'll tell everyone in town the same thing we told the police about your mom. A burgaler killed her. Now get some sleep. We're leaving in the morning," Dad informed me as he walked into his room and shut the door.


That was it. Dad made it sound so simple. My life as I know it is being turned upside down. I have to change everything about me just because Dad's feeling guilty about not giving me a "normal" life. Normal is subjective. And I can imagine all the great friendships I'll have when everything they know about me is a lie. I thought about pounding on his door and arguing my point until he finally saw things my way. But I knew it would be useless since I get my stubborness from Dad. I felt the hot tears streaming down my cheeks before I could stop them. I let them drip off my chin and onto the floor. I was so upset I just didn't care anymore. By this time tomorrow I'll be on my way to a "normal" life.



~ELLA'S STORY~
I'm Ella Van Helsing and I'm 16 years old. Not that you could tell by the way my mom treats me. It's always been Mom, Selene, and me for as long as I could remember. I don't remember my Dad but Mom told me his name was Michael and he was an incredible vampire hunter that was cut down in his prime by Dracula(I think he goes by Drake Vladimir now) on my first birthday. It was pure luck that she got to me before Dracula and we escaped to America. I guess you've figured out that I'm related to the famous vampire hunter Van Helsing. I know our real name wasn't always Van Helsing.Van Helsing's family were Dracula's first victims so Van Helsing changed his name and began hunting vampires. He died but his legacy and Dracula live on. Mom and I have been hunting vampires all over North and South America for as long as I could remember. Vampires are very secretive creatures because too much information could mean extinction for them. Some of the myths are true like a stake to the heart, fire, and beheading kills them. The thing about sunlight is a lie, it just makes them really uncomfortable. The mirror thing is kind of true. They don't always see themselves, sometimes they see nothing at all or sometimes they see the people they once were. And a little known fact is that if you defang them they become your slaves. I learned that when I was 11 and Mom defanged an extremely cruel vampire named, William. He was around for about two years, forced to help Mom kill his kind. But Mom decided to kill him when he got a little too "friendly" with me. I guess Mom decided she had to keep the last Van Helsing heir safe. Not long after that Mom brought me to Our Lady of Rome convent and no it's not for the reason you think. It was more like Catholic school without the other students. The first year I was there I didn't see Mom at all. She sent me letters, postcards, and I even got the occassional phone call. She wouldn't say what she was doing just that it was too dangerous for me. I hated it but I had no choice but to accept it. About a year later Mom came back carrying a newborn baby boy. She sat me down and told me his family had been killed by vampires. She told the police and the people at the hospital the baby was her's so if anyone asked I was supposed to tell them that he was my little brother, Gabriel. Over the next two years I stayed at the convent taking care of Gabe while Mom was out hunting. She did take care of him when she was actually around.


Mom's been cranky and impatient with everyone for the past two weeks so that means she has something important to tell me and it can't be good. She went out on a hunt so that left me to take care of Gabe, again. I fed him, played with him, gave him a bath, and put him to bed. Mom picked that moment to storm in. She slammed the door and pointed to her bedroom.
"We need to talk now, Ella," she told me sharply.
I rolled my eyes and followed her into her room. She was so dramatic sometimes.
"Look just be quiet until I finish what I need to say. We're leaving the convent. Tomorrow. I've decided that Gabe needs a more stable home life. I found a nice house in Preston," she informed me sharply.
My jaw dropped and I just stared at her.
"Preston? I've never heard of it. And what exactly am I going to be doing there?"
Mom sighed and paced around the room. "Preston is a small town in New England. That's all you need to know. Besides I thought you'd be thrilled that we're leaving the convent."
"Maybe I would be if I knew why exactly we were moving."
"I told you I want Gabe to have a more stable home life. I'll get a job and you can go to school," Mom told me cheerily.
"Oh goody. And how do I explain my past and my last name? Hi, I'm Ella Van Helsing and I come from a long line of vampire hunters. And how come you weren't concerned with giving me a stable home life? Because I'm a girl?"
Mom narrowed her eyes angrily. "That has nothing to do with it. Look we're going to Preston. End of story. Make sure you pack everything because we're leaving tomorrow afternoon."
"Mom this isn't..."
"ENOUGH, ELLA," Mom yelled, "Not every decision I make is going to revovle around you!"
 

I jumped up and ran into the room I shared with Gabe. I started pacing as angry thoughts ran through my head. Then I decided to write about it in my journal. Maybe it would make me feel better. It couldn't make me feel any worse.
I took out my pen and started writing: Does she love Gabe better than me? She never cared how screwed up my life was. Every decision she ever made invovled hunting. This is so unfair. I don't want to pretend I'm someone I'm not. I like being Ella Van Helsing, vampire hunter. She's hiding something from me. I just wish I she would tell me what the hell is going on. I HATE HER!
I put my pen down and closed my journal. I was surprised when I felt tears burning a trail down my cheeks.



~ANNA'S POV~
We finally arrived in Preston and Dad decided instead of going to the house first we were going to the town park. Oh boy what fun. The taxi ride seemed to go on forever. I just wanted to get this over with so I could go see our family home. Dad seemed jumpy and he kept staring out the window.
"Looking for something," I asked.
Dad jumped and looked at me, almost through me. "Uh no. Just looking at the sights."
'What sights? This place is nothing but trees, fields, and a long, windy river.'
We finally arrived at the park and Dad jumped from the taxi. He was in such a rush he forgot to pay the taxi driver so I had to. I watched him hurry across the park. I had no idea why he was in such a hurry but I wasn't about to run so I walked after him. He stopped a couple times to look around then he continued on.
'Geez, how big is this park?'
Dad stopped and looked at his watch. Then he suddenly realized I wasn't with him. He whirled around and stared at me as I walked towards him. He took a couple steps towards me.
"Anna," he asked nervously.
'Great. He's lost his mind.'
"Uh yeah Dad. Who else would it be?"
"Sorry. Did you pay the taxi driver," he asked suddenly.
"Yes Dad. That's why we're not being chased by an angry cabbie and the cops."
'What is wrong with him? He's freaking out.'
Dad turned around and started power walking away. He only got a couple feet away when he stopped short at a bridge. He climbed the stairs and slowly started across it. I caught up to him and I finally saw what Dad had been looking for. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I felt like I was in the twilight zone. I looked at Dad waiting for him to explain but he was just staring at them. Who were they?



~ELLA'S POV~
The drive to Preston was long and full of tension. Mom and I were not on speaking terms anymore. Everytime we talked it turned into a heated arguement. I knew Mom was hiding something from me. Giving Gabe a stable home life wasn't the only reason we were going to Preston. If it was Mom wouldn't still be so uptight. After we pulled over for the tenth time because Gabe was screaming I got into the backseat with him.
"Real mature, Ella. You can't even sit in the frontseat with me," Mom said angrily.
"I'm sitting back here to keep Gabe quiet and happy. I just want to get this trip over with," I told her.
"Oh now you're excited to go? Last night you practically threw a tantrum because you didn't want to go."
I rolled my eyes. Again with the dramatics. She was the one acting like a child.
"I still don't wanna go. I just want to get this roadtrip over with."
We sniped at each other all the way to the cheap motel we were sleeping at and then we started all over again in the morning. Gabe was the only one of us who was happy. I rode in the backseat again to keep him entertained and Mom was still pissed about it. We arrived in Preston and I watched the scenery go by. A whole bunch of trees, a lot of wide open fields, and a big river.
'This place is going to be so exciting,' I thought sarcastically.
We drove to what looked like a park and pulled over. We cannot be living in the park. Mom unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car. She looked over her shoulder at me and Gabe.
"Get your brother and follow me,' Mom said shortly.
"Where's our house," I asked as I took Gabe from his carseat.
Mom didn't answer she simply walked off through the park. I growled and put Gabe on my hip. He started laughing and I smiled a little. Mom was almost out of sight so I hurried after her. I was really getting annoyed with all this secrecy. What was she hiding? I didn't have long to wait for the answer. I saw Mom up ahead staring at two figures walking towards us. There was a bridge in between us and Mom had already started across it. I started running and I had just caught up with Mom when I saw the figures more clearly as they crossed the bridge. The man was tall and blonde. And my Dad? The girl that came from behind him was....me?


~ANNA'S POV~
Dad wasn't explaining anything to me and I was getting really annoyed. He said he'd explain everything when we got home. I really didn't want to wait. I wanted to know what was going on now. He turned away from me and walked over to the woman who looked an awful lot like my dead mother. She now had the little boy and the girl who looked exactly like me was leaning on the railing looking into the pond. I sucked in a breath and walked over to her. She looked up at me and gave me a small sad smile.
"Hi. I'm Anna Van Helsing," I said quietly.
I was terrified of where this conversation was going to go.

~ELLA'S POV~
Mom, who now had Gabe on her hip and the guy who might be my dad were standing together, whispering. I fought back the urge to go over and scream at them to tell me the truth. I opted for looking into the pond and watching the fish swim around. This was all so confusing. And no one would say what was going on until we got "home". The other me came over and leaned on the railing next to me.
"Hi. I'm Anna Van Helsing," she said so quietly I almost didn't hear her.
"Hey. I'm Ella. Ella Van Helsing," I told her as I turned to look at her, "Your birthday wouldn't happen to be May 30th, 1991, would it?"
She turned to face me as nodded her head. She put her arm around my shoulder and I patted her hand.
"Anna, I do believe we're twins,' I told her.
"Ella, I do believe you're right."

[babyblue1387]

Haha, that so cool! You know, I've got a van Helsing family in my game (Integra and Alucard), though they're from the anime, not the book.

[Moonangel1121]

I hope there is more I couldn't stop reading it... ALMOST cried when i got to the end of it.... I want more..... Great job

[KateTheSuperKat]

Great story, and I absolutely love your pics!

[mieley]

this is so cool... i love that you put van helsing in the game haha. its also cool that the twins found each other. i love it!


update please?!

[Lil Reaper]

Chapter 2 - The Truth Can Hurt

            

~ANNA'S POV~
While Dad and Mom were busy talking Ella grabbed my hand and led me over to a small walled in garden. I looked over at her and she gave me a small shrug.
"I saw it on the way in," she explained.
We walked into the garden and sat down in the flowers and started to talk. It's so weird, I have a family now, I have a twin sister. I know this might sound weird but even though we just met I felt like she completed who I was. She was like the piece of my life that I never realized was missing. I couldn't resist sneaking glances at Dad and Mom. It felt so weird to be saying Mom after all these years.
"So what's Mom like? Is she nice?"
Ella gave her shoulders a small shrug as she layed back. "She has her moments. She's great about 60 percent of the time. The rest of the time she's not that much fun to be around. But who knows maybe I bring out the mean in her."
"Oh. Well Dad's really nice. Dad home schooled me until I was 13, then he dropped me off at Harmony Hills Monestary so I could learn from the monks. He said he had to take care of some stuff and it was too dangerous for me to come with him. Dad had taught me a bunch of stuff by then."
"Mom started teaching me a whole bunch of random stuff when I was about 4. Mom homeschooled me too until I was almost 13 then she brought me to Our Lady Of Rome Convent. I thought it was because of what happened with me and William. Now I'm not so sure."
"William? Who's William. Nevermind. You can tell me later."
I looked over and saw that Mom was cuddling the little boy while she and Dad continued to whisper back and forth. A thought suddenly popped into my head. I had no idea who the little boy was. I turned towards Ella who was still staring straight ahead at absolutely nothing. She had a strange look on her face.
"Ella. Whose the little boy? Is he our brother," I asked cautiously.
"Gabe. His name is Gabriel," she replied without looking at me with an edge in her voice, "As of right now your guess is as good as mine."
'How can she be so upset? Our family is back together,' I thought.
'Because they've been lying to us our whole lives,' another voice replied.
I jerked my head towards Ella and stared at her in shock. Was that her voice I heard in my head? It couldn't be. Ella finally turned to look at me with her sad, little smile.
~ELLA'S POV~
How could Anna be so happy? Sure it was nice to find out that Dad wasn't dead and that I had a twin sister but our parents had lied to us our whole lives. And who exactly was Gabe? Was he really just a little boy that Mom took in cause his family was murdered by vampires or was he really our little brother? Anna was still staring at me in shock. I guess she was pretty shocked to hear my voice in her head. No more surprised then I was to have her voice in mine.
"Yeah Anna that was me in your head," I replied to her unanswered question, "It must be a twin thing because you were in my head too."
"How....how is that possible," Anna stammered.
I shrugged and looked towards our parents. "I guess we'll have to ask them. There's tons that they haven't told us so maybe it includes us being psychically linked."
I watched as Mom and Dad talked and laughed like nothing was wrong. I wanted to run over and scream at them to tell us the truth. I needed to know everything. Now. The sooner, the better. I was sick of being in the dark about my life.
"Do you really think they know what's going on with us," Anna wondered so quietly it was almost to herself.
"Probably. They seem to know everything else. Or at least that's what they'd like us to believe. I know about as much as you do about what's going on. Maybe if we're lucky they'll start giving us some answers soon."
"Ella are you alright? Is everything okay with you," Anna asked me.
"Of course I'm alright. What could possibly be wrong?"



Finally Michael and Selene decided it was time to take the kids back to the house so they could start explaining everything to the girls. The car ride was silent except for Gabe talking happily to his toy. Anna and Ella stared in awe at the huge house that Michael slowed in front of. He let the girls look at it for a few minutes before he pulled into the garage. They all entered the house in silence.
"I'll put Gabe in the nursery. You take the girls into the library. I'll be back in a few minutes," Selene told Michael.
Michael nodded and motioned for the girls to follow him. "Come with me girls. This is the library. I'll show you where your rooms are after we've talked."
Anna let out a squeal. "Rooms? Does that mean we'll have our own rooms," Anna asked excitedly.
"Yes if thats what you want. Or you can move both beds into one room and use the other room for whatever you'd like."
Anna and Ella sat on the floor while Michael sat on the couch. No one said a word as they waited for Selene to return. Selene entered the library and sat down on the couch next to Michael.
"Okay so I guess I'll start at the beginning. Everything we told you about us meeting is true, and so is what we told you about the first year. The only thing your mom and I left out is that you had a twin sister. On you first birthday I was downstairs with Ella who was being cranky while Selene took Anna up to bed. Selene had forgotten to give Anna her teddy bear so she went back to give it to her and she saw a shadow bent over the crib. She knew exactly who it was. Dracula. She screamed for me and I ran up to see what was going on. The shadow disappeared and I realized it was an astral projection. Almost impossible for most vampires but Dracula is powerful enough to do it. I got downstairs and saw the real Dracula trying to pick up Ella. When he saw me and Selene he ran across the room and jumped out the window. That's when Selene and I decided to seperate you two. I kept Anna and we stayed in Europe while Selene took Ella and went to America. We wanted to get Ella away from Dracula because her wanted her for some reason," Michael told them.
Selene waited a few moments before continuing. "Gabe is your brother. When Micheal dropped Anna at Harmony Hills Monestary and I dropped Ella off at Our Lady Of Rome convent we started living together. We decided to try for another child, a boy hopefully. I made up the story about his parents being killed by vampires because I wasn't sure if you could handle the truth. Sometimes I'd go over to visit your dad and sometimes he'd come over and visit me and Gabe. We decided a couple months ago that it was time for our family to reunite. So here we all are."



~ELLA'S POV~
'Here we all are? Who is she kidding? Does she really think it's that simple? What is wrong with them?'
The angry thoughts raced through my head before I could stop them. I knew from the look on Anna's face she heard them.
I jumped up and glared at my parents. "So that's it? I think you guys forgot the 'Once upon a time' and 'Happily ever after'," I said my voice dripping with sarcasm," So am I supposed to be okay with all this? Dracula was or is after me for some reason and you never bothered to tell me. Why not? Didn't you think that was something I deserved to know?"
I was trying not to yell or cry but I couldn't help but do both. My emotions were working overtime. Anna looked like she felt my pain and she turned to stare of the window. Mom got the angry expression I knew came right before she screamed at me. Dad simply stood up and reached out his hand to me.
"Ella, I can't even begin to imagine what you're feeling right now. I know now that maybe what your mom and I did wasn't the best thing for you and Anna. But at the time it seemed like the right thing to do."
I calmed down a little but not alot. "I get all that but you should have told me about Dracula. How could I protect myself from him if I didn't even know he was after me?"
"Ella! Stop it right now," Mom said sharply, "You're acting like a child."
"Guess what Mom. I am a child."
I turned and stomped out of the library. I decided I might as well explore the rest of the house and the grounds.
            


~ANNA'S POV~
Ella stormed out of the room and left me alone with Mom and Dad. I didn't know Mom very well but to me she looked very angry. Dad just looked confused. I was beginning to understand how Ella was feeling. Dad and Mom put her life at risk and Ella was upset about it.
"So Anna you haven't said much. How do you feel about all this," Dad asked me.
"I'm so happy that I have a family especially a twin sister."
"You're not angry at us are you," Mom asked sounding angry herself.
"No but then I didn't just find out I might have Dracula chasing after me," I replied shortly.
I felt a little angry at Mom. She seemed to be so upset with Ella all the time. None of this was my fault or Ella's fault. Dad and Mom made the decision to seperate us. How could they blame us for how we reacted?
"Oh? So now you're mad at us too," Mom said bitterly.
"I'm not mad exactly," I tried to explain, "I just kinda get how Ella feels. It must be a twin thing."
"I'm going to go make supper. Michael, why don't you find Ella and show her and Anna to their rooms," Mom said as she stood up and stomped from the room. And Mom was complaining about Ella acting like a child.
"Dad, I'll go find Ella. You wait here," I told Dad as I jumped up off the floor.
I hurried from the room to find Ella. I really needed to talk to her.



~ELLA'S POV~
I stormed out of the library and stood there unsure of where to go next. I leaned against the wall in the hallway and listened while Mom and Dad talked to Anna. I couldn't help but smile when Anna defended me to Mom. The must have pissed Mom off. I turned to my left and noticed the backdoor. I walked towards it and noticed the kitchen was on my left and the dining room was on my right. Well now I knew where the kitchen was in case I wanted a midnight snack. I looked out the door and I almost started jumping up and down. We had a pool, a hot tub, a cute little gazebo, and a doghouse. A doghouse? The doghouse was new but we didn't even have a dog. Did we? I walked out onto the porch and down the steps. I really wanted to go swimming but I had no idea where my bathing suit was. I don't why but I stripped off my clothes and dove into the pool in my underwear. I swam a couple laps around the pool and climbed out and sat there on the edge of the pool trying to clear my head.
'What is wrong with me? I have a family now. I should be as excited as Anna is,' I thought as I let my feet dangle in the water.
I heard doors slamming and stomping feet from inside the house. Someone must have upset Mom and for once it wasn't me. I heard the backdoor open followed by light footsteps across the porch and down the steps a few minutes later.
"Ella? Ella, are you alright," Anna asked in her quiet voice.


            
~ANNA'S POV~
I heard Mom slamming around pots and pans in the kitchen and I held back. I didn't want to walk by the kitchen but that's where the backdoor was. I don't know how I knew it but Ella was in the backyard. I tried to sneak by the kitchen without Mom noticing me but no such luck.
"Where are you going, Anna," she asked sharply.
"To the backyard. Dad asked me to go get Ella," I answered quickly.
"Fine. Just hurry up."
I slipped out the backdoor and saw Ella sitting on the egde of the pool in her bathing suit. Then I realized it couldn't be her bathing suit since that was still packed. Ella went swimming in her underwear. I saw the pile of her clothes at the bottom of the steps that confirmed it. I figured I better tell her to get dressed before Mom or Dad saw her. I hurried across the porch and down the stairs stopping behind Ella.
"Ella? Ella, are you alright," I asked her softly.
Ella shrugged her shoulders as I sat down next to her. "I guess so. As alright as I can be."
"Look I understand why you were so upset. Mom and Dad put your life at risk," I told her.
"Not just me. They put you at risk too," Ella said angrily, "Don't you think its strange that we were taught the exact same things, made to wear almost the same clothes, and have our hair the exact same way. Mom was the one who chose all of it for me and I'm betting Dad chose everything for you."
I stared at Ella in shock because she was right. Dad picked out what I learned, he chose my clothes, and he even had a say in how I wore my hair. None of this was making sense.
"But why would they do that, Ella? They're our parents."
"Because we're twins. If we looked exactly the same Dracula would never be sure whether it was me or you he was getting," Ella replied.
I turned and ran into the house with tears streaming down my cheeks. This was all too much for me to handle.


         
~ANNA'S POV~
I found my room without any help from Dad and I locked myself in it. When Dad called me for supper I told him the truth, I wasn't hungry. I couldn't sit at a table and face my parents. If what Ella said was true then my own parents tried to sacrifice me to protect Ella or vice versa. I changed into my pajamas and sat on my bed just staring out the window. My life was so simple a week ago. Okay simple for me but now it was like some weird soap opera. I heard raised voices from downstairs and I knew it was Mom yelling at Ella. I only caught some of the words. "Selfish." "Control freak." "Sacrificing your kids." Then I heard the sound of skin on skin and cringed. I didn't need to be downstairs to know that Mom had slapped Ella. I heard Ella stomp upstairs and slam her bedroom door.
'Ella? What happened,' I asked with my mind.
'Mom asked me what horrible thing I said to you. Listen, Anna, what happened downstairs was no big deal. Don't worry about it,' Ella told me gently.
'I can't help but worry. We're twins, Ella. What hurts you hurts me too,' I reminded her, 'Tell me what happened.'
'Fine,' Ella relented with a sigh, 'Mom said I was a selfish brat for trying to upset you just because I hated seeing you happy. Then I called her a control freak and said that I couldn't believe her and Dad were trying to sacrifice their own kids. That's when she slapped me.'
'I should go down there and tell Mom and Dad that you would never say anything to intentionally hurt me.'
'Thanks Anna but you should just leave it alone for now. It's been a long day. Get some sleep.'
'Okay. Night Ella,' I said then added, 'I love you.'
I could feel Ella smile. 'I love you too, Anna.'


         
~ELLA'S POV~
My fight with Mom and my mind talk with Anna left me completely exhausted but I wasn't ready to go to bed just yet. I grabbed Tigger and Cookie and set them onto the bay windowseat with me. After I got comfortable I stared at the only two toys from my childhood I had. They were presents for my first birthday and sadly they were my only friends. I suddenly remembered that Anna had gotten Pooh and Elmo. I wondered if it was really my memory or if it was Anna's memory popping into my head.
"What the heck is wrong with me guys," I asked Cookie and Tigger, "I have all these awful thoughts running around in my head and that's where they should stay. Anna was so happy earlier and I just had to tell her all those horrible things. I must be the worst sister in the world."
I felt hot tears building up and I angrily swiped them away. Maybe Mom was right. Maybe I am a selfish brat. Maybe I hated seeing Anna happy so I told her those awful things to upset her.
"NO! No way," I exclaimed to no one, "Anna had every right to know what I thought. It just too much of a coincidence that almost everything about us is the same."
From the cormer of my eye I caught a shadow moving in the yard. I turned my head and stared hard at where the shadow was but it seemed to have suddenly disappear. I shivered when I remembered what Dad had said about Dracula. I couldn't help but laugh at my sudden paranoia. I layed perfectly still again hoping that whoever or whatever it was would come back. After twenty minutes my muscles started to cramp up so I climbed off the windowseat and dragged myself to bed. I had no idea what excitement tomorrow was going to bring.

[Lil Reaper]

Chapter 3 - No Such Thing As Normal



~ANNA'S POV~
For the first time in my life I woke up feeling like a normal teenage girl. I was in MY bed, in MY room with posters of MY choice on the wall. I stretched and reluctantly climbed out of bed my warm bed. I plodded over to my bureau to pick out some clothes before hurrying into the bathroom to take a shower. As I stood under the hot water I suddenly remembered the strange dream I had. I would have to remember to talk to Ella about it since it had something to do with us. By the time I was done showering and dressed I could smell food cooking. I had just reached the top of the stairs when the sound of yelling reached me.
"You are a selfish little brat, Ella," Mom yelled angrily.
"Yeah I know, Mom. I think we covered all that last night," Ella retorted, "I'm an awful daughter and a horrible sister."
"What is going on with you two," Dad asked interupting the fight.
"Last night Mom told me she wasn't cooking breakfast because no one appreciated how hard she worked on supper. I got up early and decided to start making breakfast. Mom came in the kitchen and started freaking out."
"You just wanted to cook so your Dad and Anna think I never took care of you. Poor Ella. Her mom was never there for her so she had to do everything herself," Mom said bitterly, "Michael, just look at what she did to her beautiful long, red hair. She cut it herself as you can probably tell." With that said Mom stormed from the kitchen.
She gave me a small smile as she stomped past me and up the stairs. I crept towards the kitchen quietly and saw Ella with her back towards the stove looking upset. Dad was standing in the doorway looking a little stunned.
"Morning," I said quietly as I walked towards the kitchen.


~ELLA'S POV~
I was so relieved to see Anna that I almost ran over and hugged her. I really couldn't deal with all of Mom's freak outs anymore. Suddenly the smell of burning pankcakes hit me and I whirled around to the stove. I managed to save most of them from becoming black charcoal disks. I put the serving platter on the table and smiled at Dad.
"Go ahead and start eatting, Dad. I've got to talk to Anna. Girl stuff," I told him as I dragged Anna into the library.
"What is it, Ella," Anna asked sounding a little worried, "Are you okay?"
I shrugged and sat down on the couch. "Yeah I'm just great. Listen Mom is going to take us to register for school tomorrow. She wants us to go to Ulrich High School. I did some research and it's a public school that basically sucks. I want you to suggest St Ignesias School For The Gifted. It's a private school that has a gorgeous campus and great course options. I really want to go there and I think you'll like it too."
Anna walked over to the window and started pacing. "What makes you think I want to go to St Ignesias? And why should I suggest it to Mom?"
"Dad told me that you love to play the bass. St Ignesias has an incredible music program. I want to go because they also have a great art program too. If you ask Mom she'll consider it. If I ask her she'll scream at me about being a selfish brat again."
Anna stopped pacing and looked at me. "Why does Mom seem to hate you so much?"
"I'm not really sure," I began, "She wasn't always like that. The older I got, the meaner Mom seemed to get."
Anna walked over to me and pulled me off the couch. She hugged me hard and I hugged her back.
"I love you, Ella," she said quietly.
"I love you, too. So will you ask Mom about St Ignesias? Please, Anna."
"Okay, Ella, I'll suggest St Ignesias to Mom."
I squealed excitedly and squeezed Anna really hard. I love having such an awesome sister.


~ANNA'S POV~
I was so bothered by the way Mom was treating Ella that I forgot to talk to her about my weird dream. After breakfast I went to the library to see if Ella was hiding in there. Ella wasn't but Mom was. She looked up from her book and gave me a huge smile. She put down her book and patted the couch next to her.
"Come here, Anna. I want to talk to you for a minute," she said happily.
I walked over to the couch slowly and sat down next to her. I leaned back waiting for her to say something but she just sat there with a smile on her face.
"Mom? What did you need to talk to me about," I asked.
"Oh right. Well you and Ella need to get registered for school soon. I was wondering if you gave any thought to what school you'd like to go to. There are a lot of good schools in the area," Mom told me.
I took a deep breath. "Actually I was hoping I could go to St Ignesias. They have a great music program. I can talk to Ella and see if she wants to go too. They have a lot of great courses so I'm sure they'll have something she'll like."
Mom eyed me suspiciously like she didn't think it was my idea. She turned and stared out the window. I was beginning to think she knew it was Ella's idea and she was going to say no.
"Let me talk to your Dad about it," Mom finally said after what seemed like an eternity.
I hugged her. "Thank you Mom. You're the greatest."
Mom watched me leave the library with a smile on her face. I was impressed by my acting ability. I ran upstairs and knocked on Ella's door. I had to tell her the good news, we might be going to St Ignesias.


~ELLA'S POV~
I was finishing doing the breakfast dishes when Dad came into the kitchen. He leaned against the counter watching me. I felt a little weird but I kept drying the dishes and put them away. I turned around and looked at him.
"Dad? Is there something you'd like," I asked him.
"No. I just thought I'd come in and see how you're doing, after the fight with your Mom."
I gave him a little smile. "I'm fine. Mom and I....well we fight alot lately. It's not really a big deal."
"I see. Your Mom wants to take you girls to register for school tomorrow. Are you going to be okay with that," Dad inquired.
"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be? Anna's going with us so no problem."
"Okay if you're sure. So have you giving any thought to schools?"
" Anna and I were thinking about St Ignesias. It has a great music program for Anna and a great art program for me."
"St Ignesias huh? Well it sounds good to me."
I smiled at Dad. "Thanks Dad. I'll be in my room if you need me."
"Okay honey. I'm here for you if you need something."
I walked by the library and saw Mom and Anna sitting on the couch. Mom looked unusually happy. Hopefully that means she'll think about letting Anna and I go to St Ignesias. I walked upstairs and into my room. I had just sat onto my bed when I heard knocking on my door.
'Please don't let it be Mom,' I thought.
"Come in," I called as I sat up.
Anna walked in with a huge grin on her face. "Mom said she'll think about it! Isn't that great."


~ANNA'S POV~
I have no idea why I was so excited about going to St Ignesias. I'd never even heard of the school until Ella told me about it this morning. But for some reason since Ella was excited about going to St Ignesias so was I. I walked over and sat down on the bed next to Ella. She looked like something was bothering her.
"Ella, is everything alright," I asked her quietly.
"No. Yeah. You know, I have no idea," Ella answered.
"Okay. What does that mean?"
Ella shrugged and smiled. "I have no idea. I'm not thinking clearly today."
"Rough night," I inquired.
"Yeah. I had the weirdest dream," Ella confided, her voice barely above a whisper.
I looked down at the floor. "Me too. And I'm pretty sure the dream was about you."


~ELLA'S POV~
I stared at Anna for a moment before I said anything. "What exactly makes you think that your dream has anything to do with me?"
"I don't know really. I just got a feeling that it was about you. That was the really strange part of it," Anna replied with a look of concern.
I laughed at her expression. "Anna, it was just a dream. There's nothing to worry about."
"I know but something about it felt so familiar. Now that I think about everything in the dream seems familiar. I mean it didn't when I was having the dream but it does now. Does that make sense," she asked me.
"Maybe it seems familiar because you've been thinking about it for a while," I told her trying to sound wiser than I felt.
"Yeah I guess that makes sense. But still."
"Anna, you worry to much," I told her as I layed back on the bed, "Listen tonight after supper lets go somewhere. We can tell each other our weird dreams without Mom and Dad overhearing. They might over react like you."
Anna gave me a smile and slapped my leg. "I am no overreacting."

[Fercho]

wow, I haven read the whole thing yet but, the pics look gorgeous!!
ok, now I´m reading... and enjoying!!

[brittybe]

Love your story! Great pics too, I really like the dreamy effect.

[dobydog]

How did you get them to sit on the bed, while another was resting? That's amazing! And the pictures are amazing. You must be great at Sims2.

[Lil Reaper]

Chapter 3 Continued - No Such Thing As Normal



~ANNA'S POV~
After talking to Ella the day seemed to pass by so slowly. I was dying to go out and explore the town with Ella. Not that there seemed to be much of a town to explore. I also wanted to tell her about my weird dream and hear about hers. Mom and Dad went upstairs into their bedroom after breakfast. They were "discussing" St Ignesias most of the time but a few times I heard the words "vampires" and "Dracula" and once I heard the word"brat". That last one was coming from Mom so I knew she was talking about Ella. I went up to my room and tried reading a book but I just couldn't concentrate, I kept reading the same paragraph over and over. I finally grabbed my MP3 player from my suitcase and laid on my bed. I kept thinking about my dream, trying to figure out why everything seemed so familiar.
'Maybe Ella's right. Maybe I'm overreacting.'
No. Deep down I knew I wasn't overreacting. There was some reason I was meant to have that dream. The more I thought about the more I got the feeling it was a vision not a dream. Like I was dropped into the past to see something or someone. But I had no a clue who or what I was supposed to see.



~ELLA'S POV~
I decided after talking to Anna to go check on Gabe. The poor little guy was used to having tons of people around to play with him and take care of him. But for the past few days he'd been stuck in a car, in a motel, and now he was playing all by himself in the nursery. He looked up when I opened the door and smiled happily up at me.
"Ewwa. Pway with me," Gabe said as he wobbled over to me.
I picked him up and gave him a hug. "Sure cutie, I'd love to play with you."
I walked over to his toybox and set him down. He opened it and took out his little yellow car.
"Okay so what should I play with," I asked him as I sat down on the floor.
He looked at me for a moment then he started looking through the toybox until he found his little toy boat. He handed it to me with a big smile.
"Awesome. I've always wanted my own yacht," I told him then I did my best impression of a motorboat engine.



~ANNA'S POV~
About four in the afternoon someone knocked on my door and I jumped off my bed and hurried over to open it. I flung the door open expecting Ella or maybe Dad but no such luck. Mom was standing there looking like she'd been crying.
"Mom? Is everything alright," I asked cautious to avoid setting her off.
She pushed past me and sat down on my bed. "Everything's okay. Your Dad and I just had a little fight about you and your sister. Apparently he told Ella that he thought it was a good idea if you two go to St Ignesias."
"So what's wrong with that," I asked her, "St Ignesias is a great school."
"That's not the point, Anna," Mom exclaimed angrily, "It's the fact that he didn't discuss it with me first."
I tried hard no to roll my eyes. "Mom, I'm sure Dad didn't mean anything by it. Have you gone online and looked up St Ignesias?"
"No. Your Dad and I have been discussing it non stop since this morning."
'What about the other things you two were talking about,' I thought.
"Well maybe you should go do that now," I suggested trying not to let her see that I was trying to get rid of her.
"Okay. While I'm doing that do you think you could make supper?"
"Yeah. Sure. I'll go start now."
Once Mom left to go downstairs and look up St Ignesias online I ran across the hall and knocked on Ella's door.



~ELLA'S POV~
After I gave Gabe some lunch I put him down for a nap then went into my room to relax. I put on my MP3 player, grabbed a magazine, and flopped onto my bed. I had just gotten to the best and worst dressed (yeah cause I so cared) when I heard frantic knocking on my door. I put down the magazine and sat up.
"Come in," I called hoping it wasn't one of my parents.
Anna hurried in and smiled nervously at me. "Ella, can you do me a huge favor?"
"Um, I guess. What's the favor," I asked. I was a little nervous cause of the look on her face.
"Could you make supper tonight? Mom asked me to cook but I'm not very good at it," Anna admitted quietly looking very embarrassed.
"I'll do it on one condition. You have to help me," I told her.
Anna made a face. "Do I have to?"
"Yes," I told her, "Now come on. We'll make something simple. How about lasagne?"



Three hours and four messes later the lasagne was finally ready. Anna went to tell her parents while Ella went up to Gabe's room to bring him down for supper. Michael came down first and then Selene made a slightly more dramatic entrance a few moments later.
"Ella, this lasagne is deliscious," Michael said after a few mouthfuls.
Selene rolled her eyes and gave him a tight smile. "I hate to tell you this, Michael, but Anna made supper tonight."
Michael looked at Selene with a grin. "Honey, Anna is good at alot of things but cooking is not one of them."
Selene opened her mouth to argue but Ella cut her off. "You're both right. We made supper together. Once Anna got the hang of what she was doing she was alot of help."
Selene looked like she wanted to say something but she decided not to. The rest of the meal was filled with awkward conversations and Gabe's cheerful babbling.
"Since you girls made supper I'll clean up," Michael told them, "Why don't you two take the car and go check out the town. Maybe you'll meet some kids your age."



Anna and Ella grinned and hugged Michael together. "Thanks Dad," they called in unison as they hurried to the frontdoor, car keys in hand. "And Mom," they added just before they reached the front door.
The two girls flipped a coin to see who was going to drive and Ella won. She hopped behind the wheel and waited patiently for Anna to get in before she started the car and pulled out of the garage. Since they had no idea where anything was the girls drove around looking for a quiet place they could talk.
"I don't believe it," Anna said as she stared out the window.
"What," Ella asked turning her head to see what Anna was looking at.
"Even this microscopic town has a Starbucks. Lets stop. I need a caffiene fix."
Ella pulled over and parked in front of the coffee shop and the two girls went inside. Ten minutes later the girls sat down at a table with their coffee.
"I can't believe this place uses real china instead of those styrafoam cups," Ella said after she drank some coffee. "Okay so let's hear this weird dream of yours."


~ANNA'S DREAM~

"I woke up in this small field of flowers. There were all these trees and bushes around me but none of it looked familiar. I wandered around for a few minutes trying to figure out where I was but there was nothing but trees, bushes, and flowers. I got really freaked out and I sat down on the ground and cried. I don't know how much time but I suddenly heard soft footsteps and twigs snapping then there was this boy walking by me.
He looked about our age, maybe a little older. He walked right by me like he didn't even see me sitting there. I jumped up and touched him but he didn't even notice.
"Hey! Hello? Can you hear me," I called out to him but he kept walking.
I was a little annoyed because I thought he was ignoring. I started following him and that's when I noticed I wasn't in the field anymore. We were on some kind of dirt road.



He walked through a black wrought iron gate so of course I followed him. Somehow we ended up in a cemetary that I hadn't known was there. He weaved through the headstones like he'd been there quite a few times. He stopped suddenly and stared at the ground. I saw him shaking but I wasn't sure if he was laughing or crying.
Then he knelt down and touched the top of the headstone in front of him.
"Damn it Elana! Why didn't you just listen to me? I told you he was a monster," he said as tears streamed down his cheeks, "I knew he would never risk hurting me. He needed you and you walked right into his lair."
I had no idea who Elana was to him but she was obviously someone he cared a great deal about. I wanted to comfort him but when I touched him my hand went right through him. That's when I woke up."


~ELLA'S DREAM~

"Okay I guess its my turn. I was in my room laying on my bed after our 'mind talk' when I heard a strange noise from outside. I crept out of my room and downstairs. I thought I had imagined the noise but then I heard it again. I walked to the backdoor and walked outside. That's when I saw William sitting under the gazebo looking handsome as ever. I knew I had to be dreaming. He waved me over and for some reason I walked over to him. He seemed so much younger or maybe it was more innocent than when I saw him last. He touched my face and he felt so warm. It felt so good I didn't want him to stop. After a few minutes he finally started to speak.



"I've missed you, Poppet. Don't be sad though. We were never meant to be."
"What are you talking about, William? More to the point how are you even here? You're dead. Aren't you?"
"I am dead. But I'm her because I'm supposed to tell you something."
"What? What is so important?"
"He wants you to know you were always his. No matter where they hid you, he knew where his Poppet was."
"Stop calling me that. I'm no one's Poppit. And who are you talking about."
"Think about it, Poppit. You know exactly who I'm talking about."
Then he kissed me. It was nothing like it was before. He was sweet and gentle and warm. I couldn't pull away from him no matter how had I tried. And then I finally woke up."

[babygirl250185]

I love the story i just read it all
love it love it

[kroft_96]

love the story!!!