Residents: Vincent & Sadie Derico, Mike Derico, Vasco Derico
At the second Derico house, things were going well. Vincent and Sadie had just closed a deal with the nearby Academy. Their two sons would soon be attending the prestigious center of learning with their other well-to-do family members. Mike was especially thrilled, as he’d been asking after the academy since he became of school age.
Unlike the other houses in the neighborhood, this house was quiet. There wasn’t any drama or betrayal, just simple family happiness. To others it might appear boring, but these Dericos were happy to be spared the storm that swarmed around them. Sadie had made it very clear she didn’t want her children involved in any of it. It was unfortunate that neither Mike nor Vasco saw much of their aunt Kitty.
All bubbles are meant to be broken, however. Tragedy struck the household. Mike Derico had been aimlessly looking up at the clouds when suddenly, he was crushed by a satellite. Vincent, who had been taking out the trash, witnessed it. The entire family was crushed. Of all the things to happen! Mike’s tombstone remains in the yard. Sadie can’t bare the thought of parting with it yet.
Throughout the emotional turmoil of losing a son, Vincent and Sadie did their best to remain strong. They still had Vasco to raise. He, too, was scarred by the loss. Perhaps moreso than his parents because of his fragile age. Mike would not be forgotten, but they had to think about Vasco now.
Vasco seemed to cope well. He was still a happy child. He missed his big brother, but his personality just wasn’t the type to dwell over something like that. Besides, he felt he needed to be happy for his parents. Maybe it would cheer them up, even if just a little. He took a greater interest in the family fish. They’d been around since his grandpa Brice and grandma Julie moved into the trailer years and years ago. Mike had taken a shining to them, so Vasco felt a special bond with the little fish. He got into the habit of greeting them everyday when he returned home from school.
Unfortunately, the ghosts of the dead don’t always rest easy. Poor Vasco found himself waking in the night only to see the phantom shape of his brother milling around hauntingly. Several times the figure had even scared him. He didn’t dare tell his parents, he didn’t want to upset them. Still, he would’ve appreciated it if his dearly departed brother would stop scaring him to near death.
Luckily Vasco had someone he could talk to about it. He had befriended his cousin Astra Derico. She was an odd one, with purple skin and foreign ears, but they got along swimmingly. It was hard to dislike her, she was so charming and sweet; very quick with wit, too. Vasco would share his paranormal tales and she would share hers. Her father was a vampire, after all, and she was part alien. It would take a lot more than a few spooks to rile her up. She was the perfect confidante.
Meanwhile, Vincent was having his own friendly reunions. He and Louis had just gotten back into the routine of seeing one another more often. Both their jobs and family lives had settled down considerably, so they had more time to spend together. Louis told Vincent of his reconciling with Loraine and Petra. Vincent felt a large lump in his throat as he remembered Lila. He could never betray his sister’s confidence, but the way Louis spoke of Petra… he felt he should know he had another daughter, too.
Then, the question came. Louis queried about the odd phone call Kitty had made to him sometime ago. He just couldn’t get it out of his mind. He felt there was something important she had to say, but never managed to say it. Vincent feigned ignorance. He didn’t know a thing. The lump was soon accompanied by a terrible knot in his stomach. All this cloak and dagger stuff just wasn’t his style.
Time passed and Kitty’s secret remained safe. Vasco grew into a carefree and artistic teen who loved nothing more than to paint. He especially enjoyed finding subjects–in the form of teen girls–to paint. It was a good thing they had money, as they’d be lucky if Vasco made it through college. He was just too laid back and not really concerned with knowledge. He was all about fun.
Vasco Derico
Pleasure (50 1st Dates)
Capricorn (10, 3, 3, 7, 10)
Mike’s demise was unfortunate and unplanned. It’s the first time I’ve ever had a Satellite Death happen so quickly! (This makes my fourth natural one) No sooner had he sat down did the satellite crash into him! I was pretty stunned throughout the entire thing. I won’t be complaining about no ’surprise’ deaths anytime soon…