Lost Without You

~26~

Lucas opened the door for me and I shivered as we exited into the cold night, all the incredible things I've just learned chasing each other in my mind. He fell into step next to me and I saw him observing me inconspicuously, a bemused smile playing on his lips, apparently expecting the avalanche of questions he was sure I had in store for him.

We nearly reached the open garden gate and I was about to start asking, when he put his hand on my arm and stilled at my side, making me stop too. I glanced up at him, starting to feel scared, but he wasn't looking at me. His eyes were fixed on the dark garden spreading across the road.

"Anaïs." Lucas whispered. "Here." He let go of me and crouched, and the next moment a tiny girl landed in his outstretched arms, giggling happily. She had run from the garden to us as fast, dark and silent as a shadow of a flying bird, and I did not notice her until her delicate arms were wrapped around Lucas' neck. She looked... out of this world.

I stared at the two of them, my heart beating crazily, as Lucas asked her, "Anaïs what are you doing here? Where's dad?"

"He went to park the car." The girl responded, her face pressed against his chest. "I missed you, Lucas."

The girl was... exquisite. Her long, curly, chocolate-brown hair was so similar to Lucas' that I wasn't sure where his ended and hers began, when she turned and peeked at me through the stray locks falling in her face.

Lucas pushed them behind her ear gently as she spoke to me, "You look like my favourite Disney princess, are you Lucas' new friend?"

Even her voice was compelling; sing-song and clear, each word filled with innocent wonder.

"Yes," I replied, feeling probably more shy of her than she was of me. She was the most beautiful little girl I had ever seen. A half-vampire.

"Samara, this is Anaïs, my sister..." Lucas managed to say before the girl interrupted him.

"Is her name Samara? Like the princess..." She spoke into her brother's ear in that kind of loud whisper which small children use when sharing their secrets.

"It is," he whispered back likewise, smiling at me.

Then the girl glanced at me again, her large eyes looking incredibly purple in the light reaching us from the street.

I smiled at her tentatively, as Lucas repeated his question, "What are you doing here, Anaïs?"

"We missed you. You did not come home for months and Uncle said you were very busy here and won't come..."

"It wasn't even four weeks, Anaïs."

"See, that's too long," she announced, cupping his face in both of her little hands and looking at him seriously. "So we came to see you. Uncle Bram will have us as long as we want to stay."

"Fine, fine. In you go then. Céline has just arrived, I'm sure she'll make you something to eat if you ask nicely." Lucas set her on her feet and she tugged at his scarf to pull him down, and kissed him on the cheek. Then she ran towards the door, the soft patter of her light feet echoing through the night like the sound of raindrops.

"May I see you again soon, Samara?" She asked, reaching for the door handle, then turning back to us.

"Of course you can, Anaïs. If your brother won't mind, of course." I agreed, glancing at Lucas, impatient to see her again. She was such an amazing creature.

"He won't, will you Lucas?" Anaïs looked at him seriously, her question coming out as a statement. It was obvious that she was used to her big brother complying with the majority of her demands and wishes.