1 An idea

Standing before the massive brown metal gate, Ellie Sander inhaled as much air as her lungs could take in. While her chest expanded to accommodate the much she drew in, she rubbed her restless fingers against her palms.

It's been four weeks since her parents died in a car crash, leaving her with no money, and a five-year-old anemic brother, whose ability to walk was also affected by the crash.

Twenty-two years old, out of college, with no stable job, and struggling with overcoming drug addiction, her meager pay from working as a waitress in a local restaurant was barely enough to sustain her.

Left with no other choice, she was forced to come to the one person who could help, but who she was almost certain would not.

Slowly, but surely, she exhaled, releasing all the air she had taken in. The cold wind blew past her, forcing her dirty blonde hair to softly dance to its tunes, while determination glinted in her sea blue eyes.

'This may not work, but I have to try.' She emboldened herself, lifted her hand, and pressed the bell switch placed on the wall.

A few moments of waiting passed before a small part of the gate was opened and the security guard stepped out.

"Good evening, Mr. Mo." She greeted the middle-aged man, who was struggling with his glasses.

"Ellie?" The man called in surprise.

"Yes, it's me, Mr. Mo. How are you doing today?" Ellie wore a small smile.

"Oh, Ellie, I'm doing alright. I'm so sorry about what happened. I would have come to visit, but you know the nature of my job. How have you been? And how is your brother?" Mr. Mo questioned, his voice, soft, and his face ladened with concern.

"It's been tough but we are surviving. Thank you, Mr. Mo. Is my uncle in?" Ellie probed.

"Yes, yes. Please come in." Mr. Mo led her into the large yard, locked the gate once more, and further led her into the house.

This was not the first time Ellie was coming to her uncle's house, but every time always feels like the first as she never got used to the size or beauty of the mansion.

It had never made sense to her how her uncle could have so much money and live in a place like this, yet his brother, wife, and two children lived in a studio apartment downtown.

Isn't family supposed to help each other? Her parents barely made ends meet. Although both of them had jobs while they were still alive, their income was never enough.

Her eyes swept the entire living room until they landed on the person she came to see.

A chubby, blonde man in his late forties, with a face that reminded her of her father, and a tummy so big it looked like he would give birth the very next minute.

"Good evening, Uncle Carl." Ellie greeted her uncle, the older brother to her now late father.

"Ellie," Her uncle shifted his attention from the television to her. "What are you doing here?"

"Uncle, you ask as if it's taboo for me to come to your house," Ellie spoke out her observation from the way he responded to her greeting. He didn't even ask how she was faring.

"That's not what I mean. I am just surprised —"

"That is exactly what he means. You already know it is a taboo to come here. Why do you ask like you don't?" A female voice resonated from the first floor, and Ellie turned in the direction.

"Good evening, Aunt Martha." Ellie greeted the woman, who was already climbing down the stairs.

"The evening was perfect until you came and ruined it with your presence." The woman responded with contempt, finally coming to stand before Ellie.

"I thought your parents already told you not to come here again. And I remember warning you personally to stay away from my house. Isn't our absence at your parents' funeral enough to let you know that we want nothing to do with your cursed family?" Martha continued to spit fire and brimstones from her mouth, sending sharp, painful jabs to Ellie's heart.

"Aunty —"

"I am not your aunt." Martha cut Ellie off. "I cannot be the aunt of a drug addict. Stop coming here, Ellie, or whatever your name is. I don't want you to infect my name or my kids with your lifestyle."

"Martha, let the girl say why she came first." Uncle Carl spoke, shifting his gaze back to the television.

"As if you don't know why she is here. It is for no other reason than to beg for money to buy alcohol and drugs." Martha scoffed.

"Let her speak for herself."

"Fine. Hear directly from the horse's mouth." Martha relented, then faced Ellie. "Open your mouth and say why you came."

Ellie didn't know how to present her request anymore. The woman was right. She was there to ask for money, howbeit, not for the reason she gave.

She swallowed, forcing herself to keep the tears from falling. To cry in front of these people was another thing she didn't want.

But it was difficult not to. She was helpless, and because she couldn't watch her little brother suffer, she had to stand here and bear listening to all the poison her uncle's wife was spitting out of her mouth.

"Have you suddenly become dumb? If you are not ready to talk, then leave." Martha spoke in a very harsh voice, making her flinch slightly.

"I need some money to get medicine for Nicholas." Ellie started talking and as soon as she said this, Martha burst out laughing.

"Did I say it or did I not? Stop underestimating me, Carl. I know how to read people, especially people like her."

"The drugs are not for me, aunt, they are for Nicholas. They are quite expensive and I only have enough to cater for our feeding." Ellie spoke out on defense.

"So you have started introducing that little boy to drugs? What did I even expect? The apple does not fall far from the tree. Leave. There is no money here for you." Martha pointed at the door.

"Please uncle, you know Nicholas is very sick and needs constant medicine. I promise I will not come back again. Just help me this once." Ellie pleaded, dropping to her knees, but her uncle didn't throw her a glance.

"Mo," Martha called out for the security guard, and he came running to her.

"Yes ma'am," Mo responded.

"The next time you let this thing into my house, you will lose your job. Get her out of my sight." Martha ordered, and Mo turned to Ellie.

"Please come with me." He spoke to her in a soft pleading voice, offering his hand for her to take.

The tears Ellie was fighting to keep in finally dropped, as pain, frustration, and disappointment welled up in her heart. Where else was she supposed to go?

Not wanting to cause any more problems for Mo, she pushed herself up, sent one more look to her uncle and aunt, then turned around and walked out of the building.

Without waiting for Mo, she unlocked the gate and walked away from the house.

"Ellie," she heard Mo's voice after she had walked for a few seconds, and she turned around to see him running toward her.

"Here." He picked up her hand and dropped some cash in her palm. "It's not much, but should be enough to get the medicines. I will be on the lookout for a better job for you. Now go. The town is not safe at night."

This made her cry for real, not because of pain or sorrow, but because she didn't know how best to express her gratitude for the unexpected kindness.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Mo. I'm grateful and indebted to you."

"Shh… You owe me nothing. Run along now. It's late."

Ellie nodded and mouthed a thank you again before turning around and hurrying away.

About forty minutes later, Ellie returned to their little apartment. She unlocked and pushed the door open as quietly as she could so she wouldn't wake her brother up if he was still sleeping.

However, when she stepped inside, she met him seated on the couch, instead of lying down. His face was twisted in discomfort.

"Nick? Are you okay?" Ellie asked, shutting the door.

"I need to poo. I've been holding it in but now I really, really need to go." Nick responded, and Ellie dropped the bags she held on the floor, then picked him up and proceeded to the bathroom.

"You did well. I'm sorry I returned late. Did you eat something?"

"Mm. Anne made lunch before she left." Nick informed her.

"That's so nice of her. Did you thank her?" Ellie asked, then carefully dropped him on the removable children's toilet seat she placed over the toilet.

"Mm… I did." Nick said, then let out a sigh after relieving himself.

"Ellie, did you lock the door?" He threw the question after a short moment of silence passed.

"Yes. Why?" Ellie turned to him to see worry in his large blue eyes.

"Another person was attacked last night by a vampire. I saw it in the news. They warned everyone to always lock their doors and run as fast as they can if they see anything unusual." Nick explained, and Ellie held herself back from letting out a scoff.

She had never believed vampires were responsible for the deaths happening in their city. Somehow, she felt the people in high places were only trying to put fear in the hearts of the common man while exonerating themselves of their numerous crimes.

But a few seconds later, her eyes narrowed as Nick's last words re-echoed in her head, giving her an idea.