Jamie hated this place beyond all reason. Why did he have to agree to come to this place? Life hear was like eight billion years locked in a tomb never able to leave except for bathroom breaks and even then the guards kept you blind folded so you could never see the sun or feel the cool air on your face. That’s exactly the feeling Jamie got when the four friends first arrived in Presque Isle Maine, God, how he loathed the entire place.
“Oh come on Jamie it’s going to be alright. Sure it’s no palace but we can make it work.” Airic stood beside her best friend in the entire world and pointed towards the great Victorian house they had been given by his Creator.
“It’s not the house. There’s not enough here, you know what I mean? Like there’s nothing but tree after tree and the occasional bush.” His voice was dead as he spoke. The last place they had been was the best, though of course anyone would say that about Windsor Castle in Britain.
“Oh whine, whine, and whine, that’s all I ever hear from you. Come on.”  Airic pulled him towards the front door where Izzy and Simon were already waiting. They ran out to greet the friends they hadn’t seen for three months.
Simon hugged Airic and shook hands with his friend Jamie. Izzy gave Jamie an awkward side hug then went on to squeal when it was her turn to hug Airic.
The four walked up the narrow walk to the front of the house. Jamie had to admit, though it wasn’t a castle, it was a grand sort of house. It was big with big windows and shudders the only draw back was that the house was the ugliest possible shade of green. Jamie grabbed a rose of one of the bushes that was lining the edges of the front walk as he passed and shoved it into his pocket.
Inside was better then he had imagined. Just the front room was possibly big enough to house an entire football game. There was a table in the middle of the foyer with a note sitting on it. Jamie grabbed this while the others stood looking around the large house.
He read it out loud to them, “’Dear children I hope you find the house suitable for you. I am glad that I finally have a Venom Child to pass my possessions on to. Jamie I can not tell you how happy I am that I made you and brought you into this world, don’t sulk too much about where you are you’ll learn to love Maine. The hunting conditions aren’t very good around there except for in the cities so I’ve paid for a delivery of ‘drinks’ every month for each of you. You’ll find the refrigerator completely stocked and the freezer supplied with ice cream. Have fun and don’t get too wild, I’ll be looking in on you.’ Wow, Maddox you out did yourself this time.” Jamie mumbled as he shoved the letter into his pocket along with the rose.
“I guess it’s time to unpack then?” Izzy said.
“No we’re just going to let our stuff sit here honey.” Simon said sarcastically.
Everyone grabbed his or her things from the pile in the middle of the floor and proceeded to carry it upstairs. To Jamie’s immense surprise there were about four floors in the house a bonus he hadn’t been expecting. Now there was more room to spread out in the house. He trekked all the way up onto the fourth floor to claim a room. His choice turned out to be in the turret that was visible from the front of the house. He felt like he was standing in a castle tower staring down at the subjects of his kingdom. From this position on Wilson Street he was he could see the river cut across the land separating the town into two different sections.
Not far on the other side of the river there stood Presque Isle High School. That place was where Jamie and the other four would be exiled to. The small taste of hell there on earth. Jamie had gone through high school once in his life many years ago and now that Maddox wanted him to live in the house he was standing in he had to attend high school. ‘Oh, dear boy it’s just part of the charade, only a few years of school you can handle that can’t you? Do it for an old man.’ Maddox was so good at throwing Jamie into guilt trips it was surprising he wasn’t paid to do it.
Jamie sighed as he turned his back on the window. He grabbed his things and started throwing them into drawers and hanging them in the closet at top speed. In less then ten minutes all his bags were undone and stacked on a shelf in the hallway closet and he was falling back onto his bed which he had just made. A little nap wouldn’t hurt would it? But, then Jamie realized that his throat was dry and that he was thirsty beyond all reckoning.
Airic was in the kitchen with a cup full of blood reading a book. Jamie grabbed the bottle labeled A positive and poured himself a glass. He dug through the cupboards until he found where Izzy had put his Crazy Straws. When he found them he grabbed a neon orange one and put it in the cup. Airic laughed when he sat down with the cup and straw. Jamie took a long pull at his drink.
“What are you laughing at?” He glared at Airic.
“Oh nothing, it’s just that here you are almost fifty years old and you’re drinking from a Crazy Straw. I think it’s funny.” She looked back down to her book.
Jamie thought for a moment then allowed himself to laugh at what he must look like right then. “Are you all done unpacking then?” He asked.
“Yeah, you?” Airic didn’t look up from her book but took a sip from her cup.
“Done. Did you get a chance to talk to Simon and Izzy yet?” He took another drink from his Crazy Straw.
“No they’ve been…busy, if you know what I mean.” She smiled and wiggled her eyebrows up and down.
“Yeah, I know what you mean.” Jamie mumbled. Simon and Izzy were barely separable. Jamie had never had someone like that in his life. The closest he had ever come was ten years ago with a girl he didn’t really know all that well. Airic was close with him too, he guessed, they had been best friends for years and years but he had never wanted anything more than that. She was like the sister he would never have.
“Speaking of Izzy; what was with that weird hug out there?” Airic marked her page with a dog ear and closed the book tossing it onto the table. Her attention was now on Jamie.
Jamie knew exactly ‘what was with’ the hug between him and Izzy. Before they had all moved here and before Izzy got with Simon, Jamie and Izzy had, had a…moment. They were all alone in the castle because Simon and Airic had gone to serve dinner. They had just snuck off into a closet and had their…moment. Both had agreed never to tell anyone about it and this included Simon and Airic. “Oh, nothing we just, I don’t know.” Jamie couldn’t think of any good reason to excuse the hug.
“Uh-huh, okay, what ever you say Jamie.” She looked around the room. “I think I’m going to go up to bed it’s getting late.”
“Okay, see you tomorrow.” He said as she left the room leaving her cup on the table.