Melanie

1 year ago:

"My life sucks."

Tara sulked over her margarita. After getting fired/quitting yet another job, she ended up on her stool with her usual drink at Merlotte's like like every other time. It was hard to feel bad for her knowing damn well this was her own doing. She wasn't the greatest with people but in this town, there was little you could do to avoid them.

"Oh, Tara. Don't you be feeling sorry for yourself." Sookie said as she she looked through her receipts. "That's just lazy."

"We'll why can't I keep a job?"

"Maybe because you can't keep your mouth shut." I returned, adjusting a strand of golden hair that had fallen loose back behind my ear.

"Bitch who asked you?" She retorted giving the younger girl a playful wink.

I chuckled while I filled a shot glass for myself and another for Tara before the we shot them back. My sister was way too much of a good girl to join in. Instead, Sookie shot me a warning look before Sam approached.

"How you doin', Sookie?" He came from behind me, nervously wiping his hands on his towel.

"I've had better nights." She shrugged.

He leaned over the bar, his lips curling into a smile. "Anything I can do to improve this one for you?"

Tara and I raised our eyebrows at the awkwardness of it all. Sookie looked between us before lowering her gaze.

"Fuck. Now it's awkward. Quick, say something!"

Poor Sam. I could hear his thoughts loud and clear. It was clear he was in love with her but Sookie's head was always in the clouds.

The air felt tighter all of a sudden. The bells on the door chimed as it opened and a pale figure with dark hair entered the bar.

Vampire.

I looked over at my sister - she was awestruck as she watched the dead man walk into her section, taking a seat before their eyes met. I wasn't a romantic by any means nor did I have anything against vampires but Sookie's "moment" caused me to roll my eyes. Sookie was always drawn to trouble, and that's exactly what this guy was. Trouble.

Present day:

Trouble is exactly what came after that. Gran was murdered, along with 3 other woman, and was now after Sookie. The town thought it had been vampires until it turned out to be Arleene's husband. Sam turned out to be this weird shifter thing. Everything had started when Bill walked into our lives.

After throwing on a pair of denim shorts and a loose maroon tank top, I sat on the bed, my fingertips emitting a golden light. The light forming into a glowing ball of energy when I faced my palms together. I couldn't help but stared, mesmerized and dazed all at once. It started as just a spark here and there and now it had grown the more I'd focused my energy into it. I had no idea what it was - what I was - but I could feel it in my soul that it was not something to take lightly.

"Mel! Let's go!" Sookie's angry tone caused her to lose focus, the light disappearing inside of her.

I knew why my sister was upset, but she was always upset and after the death of Gran, I had very little patience for it.

Bill had confided in me that Eric, "sheriff of area 5", wanted Sookie's help, but if he caught wind of how useful Sookie could be to him, he would never leave her out of this. The only issue was that Bill couldn't refuse him so I had offered to help. When night fell, Bill would take me down to Fangtasia and get this over with. Of course when Sook found out, she threw a fit but my mind had been made up.

It wasn't long before the car pulled to a stop in front of the club.

Sookie turned to face Bill. "So what? Five, ten minutes?"

"As long as Eric requires us." He answered calmly.

"You mean as long as he requires my sister! Didn't even have the decency to ask us himself!"

"Sook .." I tried to calm her. Last thing we needed was to see this escalate.

"You are mine and though I hold no claim over Melanie, by association he doesn't need to ask either of your permissions."

"He cannot just check out out like library books!"

"Unfortunately Sookie, he can!" His voice getting louder. "Eric is sheriff of Area 5. It's a position of great power among our kind. We do not want to anger him. As long as the requests are reasonable, we should accede to his wishes."

By then, I'd already gotten outta the car. I had to listen to those two argue almost every night and I'd be damned if I had to sit through it in a hot car.

"Melanie!" Bill called from the car. "You can't just go off on your own. You have no idea what Eric's up to"

"Yeah well, let's get this over with." I shrugged, running my fingers through my long hair to bring it over my shoulder. WIth the heat of Louisiana, sweat had already started to form down my neck.

Bill walked in first before Sookie and I followed. She laced her fingers through mine, giving me a light squeeze before we were approached by a woman in a pink cardigan - not what I expected in this atmosphere.

"Eric will be here in a minute." She told us, her voice sounding bored and monotone.

The couple stood while I walked over to the bar, sitting on a stool. I took a moment to scan over the place. I'd heard so many stories of the parties that happened here but I'd never been in herself. It was a nice space, fully stocked bar, tacky red lights hung around various areas, and a seat, almost throne like, at the front of the room.

I could feel the blonde woman eyeing me her nose twitching as if she was smelling me while the long haired man against the far wall watched Sookie intently, but it was strange being in a room as quiet at this. Usually, even when I tried my hardest, I would always hear a faint whisper of someone's thoughts, yet this place was silent.

The air thickened again when a door opened and a tall blonde man walked in. His hair shoulder length, his skin pale, his body rock hard under his black tank top. His icy blue eyes went around the room before they fell to me. It was hard not to stare at him, his whole presence commanding respect.

"You must be Melanie." His voice low as he approached me. "Bill tells me you have the ability to read minds?"

My eyes shifted towards Bill before meeting Eric's again. "Yea - yes." I nodded.

"Great, well let's get started." He lowered our hands before directing me to sit at a table across from a sobbing overweight man in glasses and a white button up.

"Pam, Longshadow, and I are partners in this club. And recently we noticed that $60,000 has gone missing from our books." He spoke as he circled the table before stopping next to the man, placing a hand on his shoulder." And Bruce is our accountant. Perhaps you can listen to him."

"He's not saying anything." Sookie remarked from behind us.

"Don't be coy." He warned, never taking his eyes off of mine. "It's humbling enough to turn to a human for assistance. We know what you two can do?"

"And I know what you can do to. Why don't you just glamour him?"

"Sook, enough." I turned around, to face her. "I agreed to come here. If you don't like it you can wait outside."

She shot me an angry look but I turned back to the nordic godlike vampire in front of me.

"Don't you think we tried everything before summoning you? So it would be a great favor to me and to Mr. Compton if you help us."

I looked down at the man in front of me before taking his hand in mine.

"Holy shit, what's this crazy bitch doing? Why did I agree to work for vampires? Goddamn it, I knew it was a bad idea! I've been straight with these fuckers. Gotta be an idiot to steal from them. Jesus Christ, I was the one who reported it."

"Bruce, it's okay. Take a deep breath." I offered a smile as I rubbed his hand. "Did you steal their money?"

"No. No! You gotta believe me. I didn't do it. I swear to -"

"Shh. Do you know who did it?" I asked calmly.

"No, I wish." He said, hanging his head.

"I would turn that fucker in so fast. Who was it? Couldn't have been Ginger, she's too dumb. Although she's hot as shit, I'd fuck her if I could."

"He's telling the truth." I looked up at Eric, not willing to listen to this man's dirty mind any longer.

"You trust a skinny human to clear a fat one?" Longshadow scoffed from behind the bar.

Eric's eyes met mine, as if trying to read me before he sighed. "Bring in the next one."

Pam walked over with a smaller blonde, my height, with deep bite marks all over her neck and chest. Her metallic crop top and short shorts barely hiding the rest of her body.

"Ginger, this woman has some questions for you. Now be a good girl and answer them."

"Aye aye, master." She smirked up at him as she took a seat.

Reaching my hands over the table to grab hers, she pulled away abruptly. "Don't you touch me."

"Hold her still." He told Pam and she pushed the woman forward, making her look me in the eyes.

"Ginger, someone's been stealing money from the bar."

"Really, huh?"

"Don't look at me you fucking bitch, I didn't do nothing. I'll beat the shit outta you if you say I did."

My lips curled into a smirk, but I had to keep listening.

"It wasn't me that took it. Fuckin' wasn't me."

"She didn't do it." I shook my head, "but she knows who did."

"What?" She looked between us confused before narrowing her eyes at me. "Fuck you."

"Shit how'd she know? I didn't tell anyone I swear! Fuck, he's gonna kill me!"

"Who, Ginger. Who's going to kill you? What's his name?"

No matter how hard I focused, I couldn't get anything.

"Sook." I called over my shoulder. "Come look at this. It's like her mind's blank. Like it's been erased."

Sookie leaned over my shoulder, concentrating as hard as she could before it hit her. "She's been glamoured." She looked between Pam and Eric.

I looked at Ginger again as she stared at the table in fear before her eyes lifted to something behind the bar. Following her gaze, I looked at Longshadow. His fangs dropped as he jumped over the countertop. Before I knew it his hands were wrapped around Sookie's neck, choking her out on the table. I grabbed his hair, trying anything to pull him away but he wasn't budging. One arm reached back, grabbing my shirt before he tossed me in the air slamming my back over the edge of the table before I landed on the ground.

When I opened my eyes the four of them were standing over me. Sookie was covered in blood from head to toe. "Sook?" I croaked out, feeling the enormous amount of pain from my back.

"Oh thank god!" She pulled me in for a hug.

"Did we get him?" I sat up slowly.

"We got him sweetie."

"Sookie, Pam will show you where you can get cleaned up. Mr. Compton, we have some business to discuss." Eric looked at me, lowering his hand to help me up but all I could do was scream in pain.

"Looks like she's got a broken rib." Pam noted, still in the same uninterested tone.

"Shit! We have to get her to a hospital!" Sookie panicked, standing up in a hurry.

Pam scoffed. "Like hell you are. You're drenched in dead vampire what's this gonna look like?"

"Exactly what it was, a vampire attack!" She argued.

Eric growled at her and Bill stepped forward defensively.

The older vamp dropped his fangs not breaking eye contact before he raised his wrist and bit, causing blood to pour out, he leaned down next to me but Bill grabbed his arm.

"What're you doing?" He snarled.

"Repaying her favor." Eric smirked.

I knew what it meant - drinking from Eric. I knew he would get to keep track of me. Find me whenever he wanted, but the pain was too great not to take his offer.

That was when it all started for me.