The morning shift at Merlotte's started like any other until my phone started to ring. Sookie was on the other end.
"Dawn's dead," Sookie choked out.
The glass I was holding nearly slipped from my grip. Dawn Green - our coworker, Jason's occasional girlfriend, and despite her complicated relationship with my brother, someone I considered a friend.
"What do you mean, dead?" I asked, but I could already feel the truth of it through our connection. The horror Sookie was feeling told me everything.
"Jason and I found her... she was... they think Jason," Sookie couldn't even finish the sentence.
"I'll be there in a minute, ", I said calmly before hanging up
Sam and I immediately went to my car, and we pulled up to dawn, and my sister was sitting on the stairs.
"What's going on?" I asked quietly, as Sam and I sat on either side of her.
" They arrested Jason," she whispered back.
I could see the lights inside flicker with my anger. "That's ridiculous. Jason might be many things, but he ain't no murderer."
Through our bond, I could feel Sookie's determination building. "We have to help him prove it."
"We will," I promised, though I had no idea how. "But Sook... this isn't like solving bar fights. This is murder."
Before she could respond, Detective Andy Bellefleur approached us. "We need to ask you questions about your brother's relationship with Dawn."
Andy seemed convinced Jason was guilty, and no amount of character witnessing from us was going to change his mind. I could feel Sookie's frustration mounting as she picked up his thoughts.
That evening, Bill came by the house. I stayed in the kitchen while he and Sookie talked on the porch, but I kept our bond wide open, monitoring her emotions.
"There are other vampires in the area," Bill was saying. "Some... less civilized than others."
"Do you think one of them killed Dawn?" Sookie asked.
"It's possible. But Sookie, this isn't your mystery to solve."
I felt her determination flare. "She was my friend, Bill. And they're trying to pin this on Jason."
Later, after Bill left, I found Sookie in her room, staring at a photo of all of us from last year's Christmas party at Merlotte's. Dawn was in it, smiling broadly, her arm around Jason.
"We'll figure this out," I said, sitting beside her. "But we have to be careful. If there are other vampires involved..."
"I know," she nodded. "But Jesse... what if this is just the beginning? What if Dawn and Marnette aren't the last?"
I didn't have an answer for that. Instead, I wrapped an arm around her shoulders, letting the shadows in the room cocoon us protectively. Through our bond, I sent waves of comfort, even though I was just as scared as she was.
That night, I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about Dawn, about the bruises on her neck.
But as I lay there in the darkness, watching the shadows dance across my ceiling, I made a promise to myself. Whatever was happening in Bon Temps, whatever darkness was creeping into our small town, I would protect my family. Sookie with her telepathy, and Jason with his poor choices and big heart were all I had besides Gran.
And somewhere out there, a killer was walking free, maybe watching, choosing their next victim. The shadows stirred restlessly around me, responding to my unease. In the distance, I could feel Sookie's dreams-turbulent and uneasy, filled with images of Dawn's lifeless body and fears for Jason.
******************~~~~~~**********~~~~~~**
The Next Night,
As I polished glasses at the bar, I sneakily monitored my sister attending to patrons. I can feel her growing tension through our bond.
"Hey handsome, can't believe you guys showed up," Layfayette shouted from the kitchen while giving Arlene an order.
"Getting bored of my good looks?" I winked playfully from behind the bar. Lafayette was like, "Never gonna happen." But then he got all serious and was about to say something until my sister cut him off.
"Come on, Jesse! Bill's taking us to that vampire Bar so we can ask around. I've already talked to Sam about it," she said, grabbing my glass and placing it on the bar before dragging me to meet Bill by the door. "Sook, there No way in Hell, Sam was okay with this." I Replied while my sister dragged me. Sookie said," He'll get over it."
40 Minutes later,
I was in the backseat of this awkward car ride, fiddling with my sleeve. I wore a gray top with cool tire designs on the sleeves and neckline, paired with leather pants and black boots. We pulled up to a bar called Fangtasia with a few people standing under a red canopy.
"A vampire bar that cards," Sookie said with a nervous laugh as we approached the entrance. "Talk about funny."
The vampire at the door was striking - pale blonde hair perfectly styled, wearing a black leather corseted dress that probably cost more than my monthly paycheck. Her bored expression shifted to one of recognition as she saw Bill.
"Well, if it isn't Bill Compton," she drawled, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Moving up in the world. I thought you were mainstreaming."
"Hello Pam," Bill replied stiffly.
Pam's eyes slid over to Sookie and me, lingering a moment longer on my outfit choice. "ID," she demanded, though her tone suggested this was more ceremony than necessity.
We handed over our licenses, and I caught the slight lift of her eyebrow as she noted we were twins. "How... quaint," she remarked, handing them back.
Inside, the music pulsed through my bones. While Bill guided Sookie to the bar, I took in the scene. Humans dressed in their vampire-wannabe best circled the dance floor like moths around a flame, hoping to catch the attention of the few actual vampires scattered throughout.
"What can I get you?" the bartender asked as we approached. He was human, surprisingly enough, with tribal tattoos snaking up his arms.
"Gin and Tonic," Sookie said primly.
"Gin and tonic," I added, leaning against the bar. The bartender's eyes widened slightly as he looked at me, then quickly glanced up toward something behind me before hurriedly fixing our drinks.
That's when I felt it - a heavy gaze on my back that made the hair on my neck stand up. Slowly, I turned around and saw him on his throne-like chair elevated above the crowd. Tall, blonde, and radiating the kind of power that made every other vampire in the room look like a pale imitation.
"Jess, stop staring at him, "Sookie said as she gently pulled on my arm.
I spoke out of the side of my Mouth,"He was staring First."
Sookie give me a deadpan look.