Disclaimer: I do not know, nor do I own any of the members of The Used or My Chemical Romance, and I am in no way profiting from this fiction. It's just something I do because I have no life. *nods* So, yes, hopefully you enjoy this fic. Happy reading kiddies.



Prologue:


Do you ever wonder what it's like to be completely numb?

Well...unfortunately, most nowadays who come across me find out that feeling soon enough.

I mean...it really depends on how choosey I feel like being that night.

I mean...as much as people would like to consider me a heartless monster, I'm not.

It may seem that my kind kills at random, and, in all honesty, some do.

Then there are the ones like me.

I try not to take people with families.

I try not to take children, mothers, fathers...

But then again, everyone is someone to somebody, right?

I take the streets walkers.

I take the ones living in a box or behind a dumpster.

The ones to messed up on some poison of sorts to remember who they are anymore...

...I feel I'm almost doing them a favor taking them out of such conditions.

But, if...I'm desperate...I have to grab whoever's nearest.

I hated when I did that, but it was just nature.

Ha, nature...what a joke.

I mean, I wasn't born the way I am...

No one's born this way.

I still remember what it's like losing people...

I can still remember grief, pain...

I'm not as numb as the lifeless form in my arms.

My name's Michael...

Mikey if you will.

I'm a vampire...

This is my story.


Chapter One:



"Mikey! You're going to be late!" I heard my mom call for me from downstairs.

I was already up and ready, but I just didn't want to be around...people.

I was sitting on my bed, staring at a picture on my bedside table.

I couldn't pull my eyes away from the honey-green ones that were staring back at me.

I couldn't look away from that perfect, loving smile.

I just...couldn't let go.

"Mike?" I heard my father from the door.

"Y-Yeah?"

He sighed, noticing what I was looking at.

"I know you miss him...we all do."

"But-"

"But," He interrupted softly. "It's been a year...we all have to move on, too..."

One year...

Had it really been that long?

Maybe that's why I felt these pangs of affliction stronger today than usual...

Maybe I knew the time that had passed without really knowing?

"You're...right." I said softly, standing up and breaking my eyes away from the picture.

My Dad smiled softly, reassuringly at me, even though I could see the tears in his eyes.

"Thata boy..."

He turned and walked out of the room, leaving me alone again.

I looked back once more at the picture of my brother and I and sighed.

"...Love you, Gee." I mumbled before turning around and heading out my door and down the stairs to face yet another day.



"Happy early birthday!" I heard someone yell from behind me before I felt something, or rather, said someone, land on my back, making me double over slightly before grabbing onto their thighs, holding them upright.

"Mornin' to you too, Frankie." I mumbled with a small smile.

He put his head down on my shoulder, hugging me tightly.

"I know this week'll probably suck for you...but you're turning eighteen...try to be happy?"

He asked, sounding like a child of eight, and not the young man of seventeen he really was.

"I'll...try." I said, still smiling.

Little bugger cared so much about me.

"Besides..." He said, a mischievous glint in his eye and his voice taking on a strange tone.
"You'll love the present I got you."

I laughed and shook my head.

"You know as long as you're around kid, I can't be completely angsty."

It was true, he was one of the only people that could keep me laughing all the time...keep my spirits up at the bleakest.

"This is true..." Frankie mumbled, still smiling.

I smirked as I carried him the rest of the short distance to our school.

"MIKE!" I heard as I slowly lowered Frank to the ground before turning around to look at whoever was calling me.

"Why are you here, Toro?" Frankie asked, trying to sound annoyed and bored as he turned to our friend, who was walking up to us quickly.

I laughed.

"Yeah Ray, shouldn't you have graduated like...two years ago?" I added.

He laughed and grabbed me roughly into a hug before ruffling my hair.

"I'm here," He started, turning to Frank, who was now smiling softly.

"Because I won't be around tomorrow, and I had to make sure I said 'happy birthday' to my little buddy here." He hugged me again before handing me a small box.

"I thought I was your little buddy..." Frank pouted.

"Only in height my friend..." He laughed as he looked down at his watch.

"Ah, I'm going to be late for work...Happy birthday again, Mikey." He waved, starting off again.

"HA! You? Working?" Frankie yelled as Ray walked away quickly.

We both saw his hair bob, and we could only assume he nodded.

"Whadeegetyou?!" Frankie asked, leaning down and hovering inches above the small box in my hand.

I shooed him away before opening the box a bit, letting a small piece of paper fall out of it.

I closed the box again before I really saw what was in it and leaned down to pick up the paper.

"Pfft, cards..." Frank mumbled, looking and sounding impatient.


'Mike,
I know he wanted you to have this when you turned 18.
Told me so himself.
...Plus, I'm cheap.
So this is from me, too.
Happy Birthday Kiddo.
Ray.'


I knew immediately who 'he' was.

Ray was Gerard's best friend since...well, since as long as I can remember.

I opened the box again, making Frank inhale loudly before giggling at himself.

"Sorry, I'm a drama whore, you know this..."

I smiled and looked down to find another piece of paper tucked more firmly into the lid, and a thin, silver chain with a small medallion displayed proudly at the bottom.

I was probably shaking as I pulled out the note, still looking down at the very familiar looking chain.

...We had buried him with that on.

'Mikey!
18! 'Bout time you little shit!
Ahahaha! You know I love you, dude.
Never forget it.
And, before you start getting all emotional and shit, thinking I gave you my chain, take another look at it...'
I pulled my eyes away from the handwriting that I had wanted to see for so long, but now that I could see it, it hurt seeing it look so...new.

I looked down in the box, and closer at the chain.

It's true, it was different, but subtly so.

I picked it up, the brisk breeze that was blowing that day had already made the metal colder than it normally would have been.

The one that Gerard had constantly worn, and actually designed himself had a pair of hands linked together with 'forever' embossed at the bottom.

...This one was just like that;

Except this one had 'brothers' across the top as well.

I bit my lip, holding back tears.

"Mike...?" Frankie mumbled, putting a hand on my shoulder.

I nodded quickly, letting him know I was fine, before I went back to reading his note to me.


'Hopefully you've actually looked at it by now...
If not, what the hell?
...Look!
I hope you like it...
I...just thought the added bit...
Makes it a bit more special, y'know?
Ah, well, I'm guessing this is taking to much of your precious day.
Happy Birthday Mikey.
Love you.
Gee.


My eyes dropped back down to the chain in my hands.

I put the box in my pocket and held onto the note tightly.

I felt someone holding onto my waist tightly and I looked down.

I smiled, holding back the tears that still threatened to fall down my cheeks.

Frankie had thrown himself into my arms and was holding me tightly.

"Mike...are you alright?"

I nodded slowly, now pocketing the note, too, and pulling the chain around my neck.

I shivered when the cold metal fell onto my chest, but I smiled none the less.

Gee...would want me to be happy.

Even if he died a day before my birthday...

He would want me to enjoy finally turning 18...

"Let's...go Frank."

He looked up at me, looking like he wanted to cry as bad as I did, and he didn't even know what was on that note...

Then again, he had this crazy way of reading people.

He nodded and we trudged into the school...luckily, we wouldn't be separated all day...

One good thing about Gerard dying...The school never put me without Frank anymore...



"Ready for your present?" He asked, laughing as he fell down next to me on his couch.

I shrugged, I mean, why the hell not?

We had come to his house after a usual, monotonous day at school, and in all honesty, had been drinking a bit here and there since then.

...It was probably safe to say we were both pretty out of it.

"Sure, whadja get me?" I asked, leaning back and smiling at him.

"C'mere." He said, motioning for me to move closer.

I did, a confused smirk on my face.

"Happy Birthday..." He whispered, sounding surprisingly sober as he grabbed the collar of my shirt, pulling me to him and pressing his lips against mine.

I gasped, a bit shocked, but I didn't try to stop him.

It felt...nice.

I'm not sure at that point if it was because I was to drunk to care or because I wanted to just feel good.

It had just been a shitty day.

One of those days that makes you feel like going in a dark corner and just...crying, y'know?

Which, is probably what led to the drinking, but, whatever it was, I let him continue kissing me, and I kissed back.

I moaned lightly when I felt his tongue dart out and run across my bottom lip.

He moved his hand to my neck, making me shiver.

I never remembered him being that cold...

He pulled away, catching his breath slightly.

"Mike...?"

I bit my lip and looked up at him.

"I haven't gotten to your present, yet..."

I laughed, but I was cut short when his lips found mine again.

"I think...maybe it can wait?"

Frankie pulled away, looking down at his hands, which, I found a bit odd.

"Not really..." He mumbled, grabbing my chin and making me look him in the eyes.

"Mikey..."

I just kept looking up at him.

"Love you, Kay kid?"

I nodded.

I knew that already...

He leaned foreword and kissed down my neck softly, making me sigh.

Then he bit down lightly.

I gasped and tangled my fingers in his hair.

He bit down harder.

"F-Frankie..."

...Harder.

I grit my teeth and pulled at his hair, trying to pull him away from me.

I let out a whimper as he growled, animalisticly, lustfully, and grabbed my wrists, forcing me, with a strength I didn't know he had back against the couch.

I tried my best not to scream when I felt two very distinct teeth push further into my neck then I thought they could have, and he sucked roughly on the wound.

Despite the fact that I think at this point, I already knew what was going to happen to me, I didn't really care.

And, I think, because I didn't care, It...felt good.

Just like it had felt when he had kissed me.

I closed my eyes slowly as I realized how tired I was...

'Wait, I'm tired?'

I think, that was when it actually hit me.

Frankie, my Frankie, my best friend Frankie...

The kid I felt I've known forever...

The kid the kept me alive after Gerard died...

Was killing me.



Chapter Two:



"Stay awake." I heard a growl from over me.

I opened my eyes, and looked up at a very flushed Frank.

I opened my mouth to talk, but he just shushed me.

"It'll take to much energy..."

I nodded, but put my head back, again closing my eyes.

He grabbed my chin, smiling softly so that I could see his now slightly enlarged canines.

"Still haven't gotten to your present..."

"Get to...See Gee?" I groaned.

It had taken so much effort to get just that out, it made me that much more tired.

He looked hurt.



"I wouldn't kill you." He shook his head.

I opened my eyes wider.

What was he doing then?

He slid onto my lap and grabbed something from his pocket.

"It's kinda funny," He said, laughing, trying to keep my attention.

He pressed a small switchblade to his wrist and pulled down roughly.

"That Anne Rice actually got this part right..."

He offered me his wrist, and I stared at him blankly.

"Mikey..." He said softly, bringing it to my lips.

I closed my eyes again, thinking maybe that if I just ignored what was happening, it...wouldn't be happening.

I heard him scoff, and I could just see him rolling his eyes.

He pulled down on my chin, making my mouth fall open a bit.

Normally, I would have just closed it again, but it just felt like it would be to much of a struggle...

"Now, Mike." he said, pressing his wrist agaisnt my lips.

I didn't do anything.

"Suck." He said. Well, more like demanded.

...Still trying to pretend nothing was going on...

"Drink." He sounded near pleading.

"Please..."I could hear the tears in his voice as he kept pushing his wrist a bit, trying to encourage me.

I opened my eyes slowly and saw the tears now, zigzagging down his face slowly.

I opened my mouth a bit more, letting the freely flowing blood fall into my mouth.

He smiled as I swallowed tentativly.

Something that I would call almost primitive, seemed to take over, and I gripped his arm tightly, taking as much from his wrist as he would offer.

He pulled away abruptly, leaving me gasping for breath.

I felt a bit stronger, but Frank...Frank looked like he was going to pass out.

I looked down at his arm with wide eyes, realizing that he had actually just slit his wrist... bad.

I ripped my shirt over my head and pressed it to his oozing wrist.

He smiled at me weakly, wincing at the amount of pressure I was applying.

"Mikey...It's alright..."

I shook my head, staring down at my bunched up shirt.

I smiled and patted my cheek softly.

"I know this is a dumb question... but you understand what just happened... right?"

I looked up at him, trying my best to glare jokingly and nodded.

"I didn't think it...could have, but, I must have so-"

He shushed me quickly and stood up, stretching.

I just sat there, still staring at him, trying to figure out when...

"Don't look at me like that." He said with a small smirk.

I couldn't help but laugh.

"Well, sorry, I'm in a bit of a state of shock..."

"Why?"

I stared again.

"...Well...let's see. My best friend is not only a vampire, but has a thing for me-"

"I DO NOT!"

I tilted my head with a smirk.

"Really...?"

He sighed loudly, falling beside me with a new found energy.

"I was trying to keep you calm. Oh, and not only is your best friend a vampire...so is mine." He smirked at his own wit.

I sighed and fell back agaisnt the couch as he peeled my shirt off his wrist and threw it to me.

I looked at him confused, but he held up his already fully scabbed wrist.

"...Nuts..." I mumbled, shaking my head.

"Wait, when did you...? Since you were outside...?" I stared at him.

He laughed.

"Okay, when I said Anne Rice got the whole, having to share blood thing right...that was about the only thing she got right."

I continued to stare at him, head tilted.

I assumed this is when he would tell me everything I needed to know, or should know.

If it had been anyone else who had done this to me, I would be petrified right now.

Crying, shaking...

But it was Frankie...and we were acting like we always did...

"So...the sun-"

"Does nothing." He smiled.

I shook my head, still smiling , looking confused.

"Okay, tell me...everything...and...why exactly were you making out with me?" I asked with a smile, rubbing the side of my neck gently before realizing there was barely a thing there anymore.

He smirked and turned to face me, smiling wider to show me his teeth were back to normal.

"Like I said, the sun does nothing. We can walk around in the day, the night...whenever we feel like being awake." He laughed.

"Well, that kinda takes the mystique out of it." I sighed, smirking.

He shrugged.

"Makes my life easier. We don't have to sleep in coffins. Beds work just fine. We can eat whatever food we want...but, we do need blood...something in it that keeps us ticking..." He laughed.

"So...are we...dead?" I asked, afraid to even mention the word.

He bit down on his lip softly, thinking somewhat deeply before shrugging.

"Hell if I know..."

"What?!" I half yelled, half laughed.

"Ask one of the elders..."

"...There are elders?" I asked dryly.

He nodded, a small cheeky smirk on his face.

"I told them about you..." He said, that smirk turning shy.

"What else do I need to know?" I proded lightly.

"Oh, umm...we do...actually need to take at least one person a night..."

...Shit.

"Frankie, I don't know-"

"You have to." He said sternly.

"Well...are we...immortal?"

He seemed to think about that one again.

"Ask-"

"The elders?" I mumbled with a smirk.

He nodded.

"How long have you been...?" I looked down, feeling like I was asking something almost to personal.

"Not very long." He said, smiling.

"Is it...hard?"

He shook his head.

"You shouldn't have to feed tonight...but you and me, we'll go tommorow...get everything sorted out..introduce you to everyone-"

"Everyone?"

He nodded.

"There's...a whole bunch of us, Mikes..."

It took a second to digest this.

Ha, this of all things...just the fact that there were...more.

"So...why were you making out with me?" I asked, trying to break the akward silence.

He laughed and punched me lightly.

"I know you couldn't resist me...I knew it would get me what I wanted."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Hell, you didn't stop me, did you?" He grinned.

I stared at him.

"...Fucker."

He laughed and hugged me tightly.

"Love you, Mikes...this'll work...trust me."


"I thought you said we didn't need to be out at night..." I whispered, looking at Frankie from the corner of my eye.

"We don't," He smirked. "You said you wanted 'Mystique'."

I shook my head, shivering slightly, wishing I had more than my thin, bloodstained T-shirt.

"I thought you said tommorow-"

"I'm an impatient little fuck, alright? Besides...a lot of them...they prefer night..."

I shook my head as I followed him into a small, run down looking factory.

"Here?" I asked, confused.

"Hey, what do you expect?" He smiled.

"A lot of them...their families are dead...so they just...stay within the clan...everything's taken care of and..." He shrugged.

"I'll probably end up here soon enough."

I shook my head.

"You'll end up where I end up, Frankie..."

He smiled softly.

"That...means a lot, Mikey..."

I patted his shoulder lightly as we moved further into the factory, coming to a door that looked like it hadn't been open in years.

He smiled back at me before pulling it open with ease and heading down a narrow set of steps.

"This seems awfully cliche..." I mumbled as I noticed the small amount of light in the room below mostly came from candles.

"Maybe some of us are just...old fashioned." Said a voice to our left.

I jumped, grabbing Frankie's arm, making him laugh and flip on a small light.

"Good evening Frank." Purred that same, low voice.

I looked over to see a woman, well, a girl...she looked no more than 19.
But...there was something in her voice...that made her seem older.

"Veronique." He said, nodding.

The girl named Veronique smiled at him before flipping on a few more lights and blowing out the candles.

She had this vibe about her...it made her seem...old fashioned almost.

"Frankie? 'Bout time you came back-" A boy who looked to be about our age with blonde hair falling into his face walked into the room quickly.

He stopped talking the second he saw me.

"Who's the new flesh?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Veronique laughed softly.

"Now Quinn, that's no way to welcome our new friend..."

She walked over to me and knelt down...bowing.

"Hello Michael."

My eyes went wide at the mention of my name.

"How-?"

"I told you I told them about you." Frankie smiled, nudging me in the ribs lightly.

"She's a-?"

"You're being rude." Quinn said sharply.

I jumped slightly.

"I'm...I'm sorry." I mumbled, not being able to help my blush.

She laughed, throwing her long, brown hair over her shoulder.

"Ignore Quinn...he's...bitter about not being the youngest anymore."

"Y-Youngest?" I asked.

She glanced at Frankie.

"He...doesn't know everything yet."

Frankie shook his head.

"I'm sorry mistress, it's just-"

She shushed him and smiled softly.

"I know, you don't know any more than Quinn here does..."

Frankie nodded, blushing.

"Remind me to put you to your studies more..."

"You said when we were done with mortal school..." Quinn mumbled.

She nodded, smiling at him before turning back to me.

She ran her fingers over my neck lightly where Frank had bit me.

I held back a shiver.

"You're...just a baby..." She said, smiling and pinching my cheek.

"He had a few questions...and I figured...maybe he could get them answered and...introduced to everyone...?" Frankie said, sounding like a child afraid he's done something wrong.

She seemed to considered me for a moment, her deep brown eyes searching for...something.

"That was smart Frank." She said with a smile.

He beamed at the recognition.

"You are all still fairly new to this." She said, smiling at me as she started to walk away, signalling for us to follow along behind her.

We did, but I still stuck as close to Frank as I could.

"Calm down..." He whispered.

I couldn't help but scoff quietly.

"Easy for you to say...you're used to this..."

He shrugged, having his typical lopsided grin plastered on his face.

They both seemed quite taken with Veronique.

I mean, she was...hot, but there was something about her...She actually had that...vampire kind of vibe...

We made our way down a dark hallway into a slightly larger, better lit, room.

There was a fairly large TV in the center, and about five more people were sitting around it...playing...'Halo'?

"NO! YOU ASS!" Yelled one boy as he stood up quickly, throwing down his controller.

"You're just mad that I own you at this game..." Mumbled the girl who had been sitting next to him before he stood up, before she started laughing.

"Why is everyone...so young?" I whispered to Frank.

He smiled.

"...They're not."

I tilted my head in confusion, but he only pointed at Veronique as she walked to the center of the room, infront of the TV, clearing her throat.

"Ron!" Said the boy who had thrown the tantrum a few second prior.

I heard Quinn let out a quiet noise of disgust.

"What can I do for ya?" The boy asked, smirking.

"Robert, you, will be the death of me." She said with a soft smile.

He shrugged.

"Why won't you call me Bert?"

"For the same reason I don't call anyone by their...what do you call them? Nicknames?"

She looked back towards a high backed chair which was turned away from all of us, and a low laugh was heard from it.

"Yes, that's right." Said a man's voice.

Whoever was in the chair turned around and smiled at her.

He looked the oldest out of everyone...but still, barely 30, if that.

She smiled at him.

"It's good to know we're not completely behind in the times. Right, Branden?"

He nodded slowly before looking at me.

"Would this be," - He looked over at Frank. - "Mikey?"

Frankie nodded.

"Nice to meet you." He said, nodding.

It seems that at that point, the small group of kids noticed me, too.

The one that Veronique had called 'Robert' gave me a huge smile before running up to me.

"Oh man! How new are you?" he asked, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the couch and pushing me down beside the girl, who was looking at Bert, shaking her head.

I heard Frankie, and, surprisingly, Quinn, laughing as they walked over to stand behind the couch.

"Umm...tonight?" I said, hoping that's what he was talking about.

"What?" Said the girl next to me.

She had light hair that barely brushed her shoulders, and eyes so green the rivaled Frank's.

"I was...uh, just...tonight." I mumbled, blushing.

She grabbed my chin lightly and turned my head so she could look at my neck.

"You don't waste any time, do you Frank?" She laughed.

"No Gabby, I don't." He said, laughing.

...He so wanted her.

"...Wait, what?" I asked, looking around the room.

Everyone was standing or sitting in a circle, staring at me.

"Frankie here has been one of us for a shorter amount of time then most...and he's already made someone new..." She smiled at him, obviously trying to look a bit dispointed, but, it was so obvious;

...She wants him, too.

He shrugged, smirking.

"Mikes, this is Gabby Laurens," - He pointed to the girl with the light hair. - "Bert McCracken," -Now to the boy who had dragged me over to the couch, he had longish black hair, and laughing blue eyes. - "Jessie Brunet," He pointed to a girl standing just behind Bert with a little past shoulder length brown hair with a few purple and red streaks in it. - "Jeph Howard," He pointed to a rather short boy leaning up agaisnt the doorway with a broad grin on his face, "and Dace Wilson." He pointed to a quiet looking boy next to Gabby, he had obviously died black hair that was brushed into his face, and had the bluest eyes (And palest complexion) I have ever seen.

"You've already met Quinn Allman." Frankie added with a smile, playfully hitting Quinn.

Everyone smiled and nodded a bit.

"And this," He said, standing up and clearing his throat.

"Is Veronique, our mistress," He smiled softly at her and she nodded.

"And Branden Steineckert, our master." He said, gesturing to the man in the high backed chair again.

"Everyone, this is Michael Way." Frankie said with a smile, hugging me.

Branden smiled and stood up, stretching slightly.

"Now that the formalities are taken care of..." Branden said with a small smile.

Veronique rolled her eyes and laughed softly, leaning agaisnt the TV as Branden came and stood beside her, placing a hand on her waist gently.

"What did you want to know?" Branden asked me.

I stared up at him.

"How did you-"

"Don't question." Quinn said, jumping over the back of the couch to land on Jessie's lap somewhat gracefully.

She jumped slightly before jokingly glaring at Quinn and wrapping her arms around him, laying her head on his chest.

"Bastard." She mumbled, making everyone laugh a bit.

"Well...uhh..." I stuttered.

I seemed to have lost the use of my tounge.

"He wants to know how old everyone is first of all." Frankie said with a smirk as he placed his head on my shoulder from behind the couch.

"Oh, easy enough question to answer." Jeph said, that smile still on his face as he flopped down onto the floor infront of me.

"I say we go around in a circle and like...introduce ourselves, say our age, sign, favourite colour-"

"Stuff it, Jephy." Muttered Gabby.

Frankie scoffed lightly, before mumbling, "Seventeen."

'Well, i knew that...'

"I'm forty-nine." said Jessie.

I gave her a blank stare.

"What? I age well..." She laughed.

"I'm thirty-two." Jeph said smiling.

"Sixteen." muttered Quinn.

"Eighty-Two." Said Bert with a small smile.

"Hundred and thirteen." muttered Dace from the other side of the couch.

"Hundred and fifty in two weeks." Smiled Gabby.

I looked to Branden and Veronique, eyes wide after hearing some of the others ages.

Veronique smiled.

"Four Hundred and Sixty-Two."

I think I actually gasped.

"Oh that's nothing... I'm Five Hundred and seventy-nine." said Branden with a proud smirk.

"So...we don't...age?" I asked, looking around at everyone.

"Well, we do-" Started Jeph.

"But, a year for us is...the equivilent of one hundred human years...So..." Gabby shrugged.

"Really depends on how you look at it." Added Jessie.

"This is fun, what else does he wanna know?" Jeph asked, clapping his hands slightly.

Quinn kicked him, trying to hush him.

"And we can die. We may not have a pulse, but we can die." Said Veronique quietly, looking around at all of us.

"So... don't be reckless."

"When are we ever reckless?" Bert asked, a smirk clearly visible on his face.

Branden raised an eyebrow, looking down at him.

"...yes...anyway...What else, Mikey?" Bert asked quickly, turning to me.

"Well...I was wondering...if we were...dead, but, if we can still die then-"

"Exactly." Said Gabby with a smile.

"Then what...?" I asked, tilting my head and closing my eyes, trying to figure this out myself.

"Are we?" Dace asked quietly.

I nodded, opening my eyes.

"Easy," He said, standing up quickly.

"Vampires."

And with that, he walked out of the room quickly, leaving us all staring after him.

"Did I do something?" I asked, still looking at the doorway he had disapeared through.

I felt a hand on my knee patting lightly and looked up into Jessie's warm brown eyes.

Quinn had stood up again and followed after Dace.

"You didn't do a thing, lovely. Dace is just...moody." She smiled.

"He has his reasons though-" Jeph started, sounding serious for the first time since we started talking.

Jessie shrugged.

"It's been almost a hundred years, and he can't get over it?"

Jeph stared up at her in disbelief.

"Wha-" I started, only to have Frankie's hand placed over my mouth gently.

"He'll...tell you himself when he gets to know you a bit better."

"He hasnt even told me or Quinn yet...so maybe that why we're the only ones allowed to follow after him when he gets like this...?" Frankie added in, noticing my questioning gaze.

"He might seem like a loner...but he hates being alone...especially when he's like this..." muttered Jeph.

"What do I do about my family?" I asked quickly, realizing that, by the time they were dead and gone, I would have barely aged a year.

"...You get to fake your death, hunny." Jessie smiled, her hand still on my knee.

I looked up at Frank, and he nodded.

"I...haven't done it yet. I mean...we're..always together...so, I thought...maybe...going out together...would give our families a sick sort of comfort...Kinda like, 'At least they weren't alone', y'know?" He said quickly.

I looked up at him, nodding slowly.

"When should we...?"

"I...think as soon as possible. Maybe tommorow?" He asked.

I heard a loud clock in some other room chime midnight, and I laughed.

"What?" Everyone asked.

"I just realized...I get to die on my birthday...fucking sucks." I laughed softly.

Honestly, I was trying not to cry.

I had to leave everyone...hurt everyone...

"We can...work out the arangements now..." Branden said softly, sounding hurt.

I looked at him, confused as to why he sounded choked up, and I remembered how Frankie had been acting earlier that day... when Ray gave me my gift...

"Can we read emotions?" I asked quickly.

Branden nodded slowly, wrapping his arms around his own waist and putting his head down, looking as insecure as I felt.

"Everyone?"

"No...not everyone..." muttered Veronique, pulling Branden closer to her.

"Just the ones that are overly sweet...overly emotional."

That explained...a lot with Frankie lately...

"A car crash? They won't find a pulse anyway..." Branden muttered, shaking himself and standing up strighter.

Me and Frank both nodded.

"Plus, we were drinking." Frank said, smiling softly.

I nodded.

"Just...go. We'll work it all out." Branden said, trying to force a smile.

"But, be careful." Jessie added as I stood up.

Quinn and Dace came back into the room just as we turned away.

"Going to go die?" Quinn asked, smirking.

"Yes actually." I turned around to face him and smiled sweetly.

I saw Dace smile and shake his head before I turned around and headed towards that dark hallway.

"Good luck." I heard Jeph call.

"Do we need luck to die?" I asked Frankie softly.

"No, but we need it for them to find us and dig us up again."



Chapter Three:



I'm guessing that Frankie and the others already had this planned out before I had been...'born' as Frankie keeps putting it.

I consider myself made, not born.

But, the next few days passed in a blur.

We crashed the car into a tree, made sure we wrapped it around real good...

How we did that without killing ourselves, I still don't know.

But, anyway, the cops found us, the 'medics that came, pronounced us dead on the scene.

We were left in the morgue the next day.

...Well, we were supposed to be left in the morgue, but we snuck out quickly, and Frankie showed me what it was like to take a person.

..In broad daylight, we grabbed this old, homeless lady...

And...I still don't like thinking about it.

But, we...we, split her.

He drank half, and I drank half.

We then snuck back into the morgue until later that day.

Then our parents came to identify our bodies...

That was the hardest thing I've ever had to do...lay there and play dead while I could hear my mother standing over me, sobbing about the loss of both her sons...

I couldn't even shed a tear.

...I made sure to make up for that later, though...

After we were identified, we were moved to a funeral palour...to get ready for our funerals...our funerals...God.

We had to stay there over night, but Branden found a way to get in, and he gave us a bag of blood (I'm not sure what you would really call it, but, the type of bag that stuff for an I.V. drip would go in...hopefully you know what I mean.) and told us to hide it so we had something to keep us going until the next night when they would all come and get us.

"Don't worry, we know where the plots are and everything." He had said with a small smile.

But, that didn't really make me feel any better.

...I was pretty much being buried alive.

And again, the next day, I had to lie there, and pretend to be dead, and listen to the people I love stand over me and cry.

What was I doing?

I heard the priests mumbled last words before feeling myself being lowered into the ground, and I heard the first bit of dirt hit the lid of the coffin.

I gulped and closed my eyes, pretending I was at home, in my bed, trying to go to sleep... Not in a coffin six feet underground.

...The dull sounds of the earth falling onto me kind of wrecked that plan, though.

I lay there, my eyes closed as tight as I could get them for...fuck, I don't know how many hours.

And then I heard really quiet, muffled voices.

...And they slowly started getting louder.

And then I heard something hit the lid of the casket.

"Got him!" I heard...Bert, I think it was, yell.

"Good, now leave him." Said, I'm assuming Quinn.

'Wonder why he hates me so much...'

Didn't really get to dwell on that thought much before the lid was thrown open and I sat up quickly and gasped in the cold, fresh air.

"Thank...God." I muttered, clutching my chest.

I heard Quinn's scoff, and saw his smirk as he leaned down, still digging up Frankie.

"Got him, too." He laughed when his shovel hit something in the deep hole he had made.

"You alright?" Jeph asked me, kneeling down and leaning into the hole I was in and smiling at me.

I nodded and he offered me his hand.

I grabbed it, and he he helped pull me out.

I dusted myself off and he laughed lightly.

"Guessing your 'rents wanted you all dolled up in the next life?"

I looked down and blushed.

"Hey...only suit I own, alright?"

"Actually, at the moment, it's the only thing you own." Bert said with a smile as he watched Quinn help Frankie, (Who was barely 5'4") out of the deep hole.

He smiled at me as I laughed.

"I...probably look as dumb as you, huh?" He asked, smirking.

I nodded.

"I would think so, yeah."

"Come on...let's go." Said Bert said with a smile after we had filled our graves back in.

"I think Jessie was able to get some other clothes for you...I hope at least cuz...damn, if you're stuck in those..." He shook his head, laughing as he threw his shovel to the ground.

"Actually, I hope she didn't, cuz I could get a laugh out of them for awhile." Quinn smirked.

I shrugged.

"Hell, if I can make someones day a bit brighter."

Quinn stared at me for a second before smiling.

"You're not that bad." He said, shaking his head.

Jeph went up beside him and slung his arm around his waist. (He couldn't reach his shoulders)

"Does this teach you a lesson about judging people before you get to know them young man?"

We all laughed and Frank turned to me with a small smile.

"Happy birthday."

I smiled as he let me walk infront of him a bit before jumping on my back.

"Quite the Kodak moment." laughed Bert.

"Hey...let me get on your back, Quinn..." He pouted before taking a run at Quinn, who wasn't paying attention.

Bert tried to jump on Quinn's back, but ended up knocking into Jeph, who still had his arm around Quinn.

They all ended up a heap on the ground.

Me and Frank stared at them a second before bursting out laughing.

"This...should be an interesting...eternity?" Frank whispered in my ear, sending my into another fit of laughing as the three of them tried their best to get up and still retain some of their composure...


"Thank. You. Jessie!" Frank laughed as he fell down beside her, wrapping his arm around her and kissing her cheek lightly.

I smiled at her and nodded.

"Yeah, thanks."

She had managed to find us some clothes.

Not our clothes mind you, but she was somehow able to at least get the right style...

"Oh, Mike...I gotcha something..." She said with a small smile.

I widened my eyes and smiled at her as she threw something at my head.

I held up the balled up T-Shirt and laughed lightly.

"How did you know?" I asked with a huge smile as I looked at the Anthrax shirt in my hands.

She shrugged.

"I'm just that awesome?" She laughed.

"Hey..." Frankie said, poking her lightly.

"I told you-"

"Frankie helped." She said, smirking at him.

I pulled off the shirt I had on at the moment and pulled that one over my head.

"I believe a proper thanks is an order, though..." She said smoothly, making me look up at her and take note of her smirk.

"Hmm-?"

"A hug would be good..." - She smiled innocently. - "A kiss is better..."

Frankie looked at me with an impressed smirk and nodded.

She stood up, still looking rather innocent, and I walked over to her slowly.

"T-Thanks..." I mumbled, pulling her into a hug.

I went to kiss her cheek, but she turned her head quickly, catching my lips.

I gasped and jerked away, making her giggle.

"Aww, a shy one..." She said, slowly sitting next to Frankie.

"I would say it's ome of his charms..." Frank mumbled, smirking at her.

"I'm...going to leave before this get anywhere beyond PG..." I laughed, shaking my head.

I heard Frankie laugh softly, and...I think I can pretty much guess where it went after my back was turned.

I walked into the main room, and sat down slowly beside Gabby, who was attempting to find something to watch.

"Man, you would think in one hundred and fifty years..." - She turned to smile at me. - "That I would have found something better t do then sit here and watch TV..."

"No..." I said, shaking my head.

"I would think there's nothing better to do since...you've done so much."

She smiled.

"You're a sweet kid."

"Thanks-"

"Better lose that, or it'll get you killed." I heard from behind me, and I jumped.

Dace smirked down at me and sat down.

"He doesn't have to lose a thing..." Gabby said, standing up.

Dace shrugged.

"Doesn't have to....but it's the sweet, innocent ones that get picked off by them."

She glared at him softly before getting up.

"Who's 'them'?" I asked.

Even though I knew he had pretty much been insulting me a few seconds prior, I still craved for as much knowledge about this new life as possible.

He smiled, sitting back a bit.

"They...don't really have a name...just like we don't really have a name... You could just say...a rival clique...? Yeah, that sounds about right..."

I stared at him, making him smile softly.

"Look...I'm sorry if I seem harsh...it's just-"

I shook my head.

"It's alright...everyone has their moments. But, tell me more about this...other group."

He turned to me a bit more.

"There's been a bit of a grudge between the two of us for... as long as I can remember...I think it even started before Master was made..."

"Didn't Branden start this off though?"

Dace shook his head.

"There's always going to be a change in Masters over the centuries. Some just get bored, decide to travel, some just...can't take it anymore...starve themselves..."

He stared off into nothing for a moment.

"But, yeah, sometimes they come back. There's actually about....I'd say 50 or so people on our side...bout the same on theirs."

"Wow...really?"

He nodded.

"That's why the people here, other than Master and Mistress, are so young."

"Do...you have to be the oldest to be considered a Master or Mistress?" I asked.

He shook his head.

"There's usually a sucession of sorts...usually a fight...Not to the death though, we're better than that."

"But, the others...when you say 'pick off'-"

"Depending on what goes on between members... if there's any grudges... people can get killed. It's just like those gangs a lot of you kids are in these days." He laughed.

I shrugged.

"I was never like that."

He smiled and put his hand on my shoulder gently.

"I know. I can tell. Just...don't...seem so vulnerable, alright?"

I nodded.

"Good, I'm... going for a walk, I'll be back later."

I nodded, and turned to the TV.

'Wow, fucking gangs?'

But...something in me told me I didn't have to worry that much.

I would have people watching my back...

Frankie wouldn't let anything happen to me...

'Speaking of Frankie...'

He walked into the main room, looking flushed, his hair disheaveled.

He noticed the look on my face and opened his mouth to explain.

I held up my hand, shaking my head.

"I told you, I don't wanna know about anything over PG...I can pretty much guess what went on..."

He laughed, trying to hold back a blush.

"Nothing that ba-"

"I said, don't. Want. To. Know."

He laughed and fell beside me on the couch.

"Had anything to eat tonight?" He asked.

I shrugged.

"Not hungry."

"...You know what I mean, kid."

I sighed.

"Yes, I do. And no, I haven't."

He stood up quickly and grabbed my hand.

"Neither have I...let's go grab something."

I sighed and followed him out of the room, not being able to help but think;

'Someone, not something...'



Chapter Four:



As we walked down the dark street, I asked Frankie about this other group.

He said he had heard about it, but wasn't exactly sure who they were, or what their territory was.

So, it would just be safest to stick close to familiar places until we found out more, or unless someone who knew more was with us.

I walked along the side of the street as he did his best to balance on the curb, his arms were out, trying to keep his balance.

I caught him the second he fell, because, in all honesty, it's Frankie, and I knew that fall was coming.

He laughed and pulled me to him in a hug, and we heard someone yell out 'Fags!'

We both stopped and looked ahead of us.

There was a middle aged man stagerring down the street towards us.

He was obviously drunk, and he looked...angry.

"Mikey...stay back..." Frank put his arm out infront of me and pushed me behind him.

...Like that would do anything....I have like, 8 inches on the kid.

"Little fucking fags...you should all burn..." He mumbled, walking closer to us.

I heard Frankie growl and I pretty much knew this guy was dinner.

"Frank....wait..." I said softly, placing my hand on his shoulder.

"No Mike...he's asking for it..."

...Unfortunatly, around these parts...I knew he was right.

The man kept getting closer... muttering his homophobic death threats, and even went as far as to grab the collar of Frankies shirt.

Frank shoved him away roughly and I heard another one of those low growls from his throat.

"Stay here." He said, turning to me.

A new wildness was in his eyes and his fangs were out.

"I'm going to have a bit of fun with this one..."

The man was looking at the two of us, disgust still present on his face, and I had to try my hardest not to growl, to flash my fangs, to...

I shook my head.

Where the fuck was this coming from?

Frankie slowly walked around the man, hands behind his back, almost as if he were inspecting him.

He looked back at me, still smirking.

"He'll do..."

I nodded softly, licking my lips.

Frankie kicked the back of the man's legs, making him fall to his knees.

"Oh, quite an interesting position for a fag-hater, bitch." He growled, grabbing the back of the man's head.

I laughed softly at the lustful tone in Frankie's voice.

He squatted down, pulling the man's head back by his hair.

I heard him chuckle as the man gasped, trying to stand up.

Frank pulled him back down by his hair and licked along his neck.

"Bit stale for my liking...but...It's not the flesh that matters...right?" He gasped softly, looking back to me and licking his lips.

I nodded, biting my own lip as I watched Frank rake a nail across the man's throat, drawing a wince of pain and a touch of blood.

The moan Frank let out as soon as it touched his lips...

I had to bite my lip harder to keep back my own.

As soon as I saw that blood...

I didn't realize I was panting until I said just loud enough for Frank to hear;

"Enough teasing...I've suddenly gained quite the appitite..."

Frank laughed before signalling me over.

I stood up, a bit shakily, and made my way over to them just as Frank sank his teeth into the man's throat.

I moaned and fell to my knees next to them, biting down on the other side of his neck...

And, the next thing I knew, he was gone, and we were finding a place to put his body.

"Fun, huh?" Frank laughed softly.

I kept my eyes on the ground, trying not to think about what I had just done...what I had gotten out of it.

"No...no it wasn't." I stuttered, trying to lie to myself.

Frank smirked.

"No...you got...quite into it kiddo..."

"Shut it." I said quickly, somewhat disgusted at myself...

...At how much I liked it.

We dropped the body in a bunch of bushes.

He was already drunk, so, they probably...wouldn't question...much.

"What are two little fledglings such as yourselves doing out here? All....alone..." We heard from a few trees to our left.

"Wha-?"

A fairly tall, built looking young man stepped into the pale illumination shining down from a street light.

"You're Branden's new babies..." He said, smirking.

I couldn't help but glare at him.

...There was something I didn't like about him.

Maybe it was because his eyes were as black as coal, and his voice had an icy chill to it that sent shivers down my spine.

"And if we are?" Frankie asked, crossing his arms over his chest, smirking right back.

"Then, you have encountered quite the predicament..."

"Who are you, and why should we care?" I asked shakily, trying to pretend I wasn't scared...

"Not that it really matters at this point, but, I guess you could call me Jason..." He smiled, and I tried not to shiver.

Frank laughed.

"Trust me, there's two of us and one...of...you..."

Before he could even finish his sentence, three more guys, all as big, or bigger, than the guy who had been talking, stepped into the light. "Let's go, Frank." I said quickly, grabbing his arm. I knew his pride, and his temper, were always a problem at times like these...

He pulled away from me, not moving away from the opposing group.

He turned to me a tiny bit, still mostly facing them though.

"I have a feeling we shouldn't take our eyes off of-"

He didn't even get to finish his statement before one of them was on him, trying to swing at him, almost blindly, not caring what he hit.

Frank jumped back, gasping slightly and letting out a small laugh.

"Good to know they won't fight fair, huh Mike?"

They circled around us, and I knew Frank was loving this.

...I hated it.

I was terrified.

Frank was the fighter, not me.

Frank quickly ducked down, dodging a punch that one of them threw.

Since he was already bending down, he quickly stood up, delivering a swift uppercut to the bottom of his attackers jaw.

The big guy let out a howl and tried to grab Frank, one of his buddies trying to help him, too.

But, Frankie's always been a quick little bastard-

I felt someone grab my wrist, and I jerked away.

The whole time I was half watching Frank, I was trying to do my best to avoid fist and hand.

I gasped slightly when someone grabbed me, pulling me to the ground before I felt a foot connect with my stomach.

I couldn't breathe, and they just kept kicking...

Then it suddenly stopped.

I looked up quickly to see Frank literally on this guys back.

Frank smirked down at me before biting down on the guys neck roughly, tearing as much as he could...

He then jumped down quickly, and hit him in the nose...continuously...

The big guy eventually fell, but the others advanced on Frank quickly.

Well, the goon type guys did.

This Jason, he just watched everything with a smile.

"Watch your fucking back, Mike!" Frank yelled, grabbing something off the ground and handing it to me.

That is before the biggest guy still standing grabbed the back of his neck, picking him up off the ground.

I still can't forget that stranngled cry that Frank let out as the guy wrapped his other hand around his throat...choking him.

I couldn't move.

I was so useless.

I could only watch as the guy quickly set Frank down before slamming his fist into Frank's stomach...over, and over, and over...

I think I heard him let out a small 'oof' as he slowly fell to the ground.

The two still standing, and Jason, turned to me, all with the same, frightening smile on their face.

"Take him and leave!" I heard a growl from behind me before someone jumped past me and onto one of them, trying to get the other guy involved, too.

Soon there were fist flying everywhere and I was trying to figure out who it was...

Then I saw a flash of pale skin and blue eyes.

Dace had been walking...And, he found us...he was saving our asses...

One of the guys struggling with Dace broke away and ran, and as I watched him run, I noticed Jason trying to slip away unnoticed.

My eyes went wide as I stared at him, backing away, keeping his eyes on Dace...

I looked down at the branch Frank had shoved in my hand, and then up at him, still trying to walk away...

I growled and ran after him just as I heard someone ('Please not Dace...') hit the ground with a dull thud.

"Mike? Where are you-?"

Good, it wasn't Dace.

I kept running untiI caught up with him.

He had started all this, he was why Frank was hurt...

I think I might have screamed, or growled...I'm not sure, but I know I did something that caught his attention, because he stopped suddenly, and turned around to face me...Right when I was infront of him...And right as I was swinging that branch...

For all I knew, I could have killed him, but I didn't care.

I dropped the small branch and walked back towards my friends, my arms wrapped around my lower half.

"Are you alright?" Dace asked as he looked up at me from next to Frank.

I shrugged and stared at Frankie...who wasn't moving...at all.

"He's...fine, right?"

"Not now," - Dace stood up, picking Frank up with ease and craddling him in his arms. "But he will be..." He looked up at me through his hair.

"Why were the two of you alone?"

"We were together-"

"You don't know a fucking thing though! Didn't I warn you?" He said quietly, his voice taking on a dangerous tone.

I stared at him and he shook his head, turning away and walking back towards home.

"Let's go. We...have to make there's nothing seriously wrong with him."

I nodded, mostly to myself since he was turned away from me, and it was then that I noticed him limping.

"Are you alright?" I asked softly, placing my hand on his shoulder.

He jumped slightly at the contact and nodded, laughing a bit.

"I've been worse off, trust me, kid."

"Mhmm...after seeing that...I don't doubt it." I laughed.

He turned and smiled at me.

"I'm just wondering...why they're being so violent...we've been on an unnoffical truce for...a few months. Wonder what set this off..."

"He mentioned us being 'Branden's new babies' ..." I said, shrugging, hoping maybe it would help.

"Hmm...maybe he thinks we got new recruits...?"

I nodded.

It made sense.

"Let's just...get him back...he should be fine though...he's just blacked out."

I looked down at Frank as we continued to walk.

"I don't mean to offend," Dace started. "But are you two...?"

I just stopped walking and stared at him.

I started laughing, not being able to help it.

...I didn't even find it that funny.

Stress maybe? I heard that can mess up your head a bit...

"No! No, man...We've been best friends for...a long time." I managed to get out, still giggling though.

He smiled, nodding and winking slightly.

"Ah, but you never know what your friends can turn into..."

That set me off into another fit of laughter...


"What?!" Branden yelled when we got back, and lay Frank down on the couch.

Jessie had pretty much flown to his side the second we had set him down, and Dace was now on a chair, inspecting his rather swollen ankle.

"You sure you're alright?" I asked him again. "Want some ice...?"

He smiled and shook his head.

"What happened to him?!" Jessie yelled, grabbing his hand and squeezing tightly.

Branden was pacing around the room like a caged lion, fuming, mumbling things like 'How could they just do that?' or 'What does it matter if they were new?'

Veronique glared at us through icy eyes, and I knew she was just waiting for Branden to leave...and Frank to wake up before starting in on us.

Pretty soon, Jessie's rather played up sobs of sorrow drew everyone else to us.

And, when everyone came...everyones questions came...

Gabby looked terrified, everyone else kind of stunned, then, there was Bert...

"You actually...fought?!" The smile on his face...scared me.

And I knew then, I had to watch him...even if I was younger...he was... more reckless.

He just didn't care...

"I've never even been close to fighting them. Taunted them, been around people who have fought...but never fought myself..."

"Consider yourself lucky. They're cheating little fucks..." Dace mumbled.

"Well...they weren't exactly little." We heard in a groan from the couch.

"Frankie!" I yelled.

I pushed Jessie out of the way and dropped down next to him, grabbing his hand as he sat up slowly, holding his head.

"Would it be stupid if I asked what happened?" He laughed softly.

I shook my head.

"You...got the shit kicked out of you." I said, smiling softly.

"Well, yeah, I know that part..." He said, sitting up a bit more with a bit more struggle.

"What about you? You alright?" He asked, looking up at me, worried.

I nodded.

"Dace saved our asses, though..." I said, turning to look at him.

He waved slightly at Frankie, making him smile.

"Thanks, dude..."

Dace only shrugged.

"Can't let the fledglings get killed right when they were brought back fresh from the grave." He smirked.

Jeph looked down at the two of us, an odd expression on his face.

"You...sure you're alright?" He mumbled.

Both me and Frank nodded, making him smile.

"Good." He turned and walked out of the room.

"J-Jeph?" Gabby asked, confused, before getting up and following after him.

"How would they even know about...?" Quinn started, looking at the ground while biting softly on his lower lip in concentration.

"Unless they saw us bring them back?" Bert suggested with a shrug.

"Either way," Dace started, leaning back a bit in the chair he was in and sighing.

"They're not playing nice anymore..."


That night...sucked.

We were getting drilled with questions from Branden, who was actually trying to figure out what was going on.

And, by Bert, who...just wanted to know what it was like.

He wouldn't believe me that it wasn't fun.

"It's probably just because you're scared of it." He said, pouting slightly.

"I'm going to go ask Frankie..."

Gah, and Frankie...Frankie kept going to sleep and waking up, and I was terrified that he was like...slipping in and out of a coma or something...

Veronique...went off on me as soon as no one else was around.

"What were you thinking?" She hissed, pushing me down into the chair that Dace had been in ealier.

I stared up at her, not thinking that she could be this angry...

I thought it would be Branden who would do this.

"We didn't think-"

"At least you can admit that much. You're lucky they didn't kill you,"

'Yes, cuz this is so much better...'

"Or all of us would be in a state."

I lowered my eyes, not being able to look at her this mad.

"I'm sorry Ver...Mistress." I mumbled.

I heard her sigh, and I gambled on raising my eyes again.

She was looking down at me, her face softened a fair deal.

"Michael...I'm...sorry. But, you are a baby...and, I can't stand the thought of..." She took a long, shuddering breath and fell down onto the couch.

"Are you alri-"

"Go...go check on Frank." She said, smiling up at me softly, looking like she was holding back tears.

I nodded softly, standing there akwardly for a second before walking quickly towards Frank's new room.

"How's he doing?" I asked Quinn, who was sitting with him.

"Just ask him yourself." Quinn said, a small smile on his face.

"Frank? You up?" I asked.

"Mhmm..."

I sat down on the foot of his bed.

"Feeling any better?"

He shrugged.

I turned to Quinn.

"How long as he been up?"

Quinn squinted slightly.

That was something I had been noticing about him.

Whenever he had to think about anything, he pulled faces...

"Maybe ten minutes...?" He nodded slowly to himself. "Yeah, ten minutes."

"In and out for awhile before that?" I asked.

Quinn shook his head slowly, his smile getting a bit bigger.

"He was sound asleep."

We heard Frank scoff slightly.

"Yeah, for probably like...an hour?"

Quinn laughed, nodding.

"But, see, that's good." He heard a voice from the doorway.

I turned to see Jessie standing there, smiling at all of us, although mostly Frankie, softly.

He raised his eyebrows and laughed.

"It is!" She said, laughing along with him.

Quinn and I looked at each other before getting up quickly and leaving the room.

"I thought Gabby had a thing for him," I mumbled, looking behind me slightly as Jessie walked in, closing the door behind her. "But...I guess I was wrong." I laughed.

Quinn shrugged.

"Gabby's just...like that. So is Jeph. Which...is why it makes sense." He smirked.

"Why what makes sense?"

"That they're together." He said, giving me a look that screamed 'how could you not have known that?'

"Oh..." I mumbled.

He hit my arm softly and laughed.

"Have your eye on either one of them?"

I shook my head quickly.

"N-No."

He nodded slowly, still smirking.

Asshole didn't believe me...

"I don't." I said more firmly.

"Okay...Say, what did the mistress want to talk to you about?"

"What do you think?" I asked, rolling my eyes towards Frank's closed door.

Quinn made a face, sucking in a breath.

"Poor guy...you alright?"

I laughed and nodded.

"It's just...a bit of a surprise...I would expect something like that to come from Branden-"

"Naw, he barely ever raises his voice." Quinn said, his voice taking on a tone of admiration.

"But...damn, she's...scary when she's mad." I laughed.

He tried to give me a reprimanding look.

"Oh, come off of it! You know just as well as I do-"

"Know what?" Dace asked as he walked over to us slowly.

"Just talking about mistress' temper is all." Quinn said, a small smile on his face.

"Ah...yes..." Dace laughed softly.

"Good to know you're still alive, Mikey."

I laughed and looked down at his ankle.

"Thanks again-"

"I thought I told you, it's not a problem."

I smiled, before I brought my hand to my temple quickly, trying not to wince.

"Mike?" Quinn asked, placing a hand on my elbow to steady me.

"I'm fine...headache." I muttered.

"...What did it feel like?" Dace asked me, giving me an odd look.

"Blind, shooting pain?" I laughed softly before wincing again as it came back.

"You guys got any Advil?"

I noticed Dace and Quinn look at each other.

"That...won't help." Quinn mumbled.

"You...didn't feed enough..." Dace said, sounding concerened.

"Yeah...I did..." I said, looking at both of them nervously.

Dace shook his head.

"If you want to think that, fine...but you should know...if you start getting those same pains...but here," - He pointed to the center of his chest. - "You should go find someone...and fast."

They looked at each other again before turning and walking away from me.

I had fed enough...hadn't I?

No less than usual...

...Then again...Frank started before me.

He was fast...

Maybe I didn't-

"Ah." I whispered quietly to myself as I grabbed my head in my hands.

"Do you guys have any Advil, though?" I asked, walking after them quickly...

It was just a headache is all...it couldn't be anything more.


Let's see...one, two, three...eight. Eight pills...

And I felt nothing.

If anything, My head had gotten worse...

And my stomach...my stomach was almost as bad as my head.

I was starting to get worried, thinking about what Dace had said.

'Maybe I should go out and find someone...?'

No, no, no, no...I can't...

The pain in my stomach seemed to shoot up to just below my ribs...

I gasped and doubled over in the chair I was sitting on.

Okay, I had to go...I had to...

I stood up a bit shakily, making sure no one was around to see me as I went.

I felt like I was going to cry as I made my way out into the cool, Septmeber night.

...I just wasn't sure if it was from the physical pain or...

I somehow made my way over to a bench, having to double over and sit down in order to be able to even breath without it hurting.

I'm not sure how long I sat there, but the pain just kept getting worse...and creeping further up my chest...

"You alright?"

I jumped as I heard an unfamiliar voice from above me.

I looked up and saw a girl who could be no more than sixteen.

She placed a hand on my shoulder and she sat down beside me.

"Kid, you alright?"

"Why...do you...care?" I managed to get out.

"You...look like you're dying..." She let out a small laugh and tried to move so she could look me in the eye.

I knew what I had to do at that point...

And I couldn't make eye contact...

I couldn't help but wonder about luck at that point.

Was it good, considering I get to live?

Or bad...because now, I had to kill this sweet looking young girl...

I reached up, grabbing her wrist quickly, making her gasp.

"I'm...sorry." I mumbled before pulling her to me and biting down on her neck.

She let out a near silent gasp...or, it could have been a scream...I'm not sure...everything kind of slipped away...That...tends to happen when I...feed...

I stood quickly as soon as the pain went away.

I stared down at her, and I closed my eyes tightly, turning away when I realized that I recognized her...

Her name was Amber...

She had gone to school with me...

I had to try my best not to throw up, not knowing if that would defeat the purpose of what I just did.

At least...at least her hair was covering her face...the way it almost always had...

I turned and ran back to the safety of what I now considered home...


The second I walked in, Dace looked up at me, nodding slowly.

"Going to admit I was right?"

I shook my head, still trying not to cry.

"What happened?" He asked, standing up quickly and putting a hand on my shoulder.

I could still only shake my head.

He pulled something out of his pocket and wiped at my face gently.

I looked down and saw blood on the tissue he had pulled out, and swallowed a gag.

He looked at me, a bit confused.

"You've...killed alone before, right?"

Again, I just shook my head.

He sighed, looking like he was mentally kicking himself before pulling me down next to him.

"You should have...Why didn't you-?"

"You were...you were all busy...and...it just hurt...so much..." I managed to get out, my voice a ragged whisper.

He bit down on his lip softly before opening his arms slowly.

This threw me off a bit, Dace didn't seem like the 'touchy' type.

"I know...the first time...is...the hardest." He muttered, looking down.

I couldn't help but throw myself into his arms and start sobbing.

"Oh God...I knew her, too..."

He rubbed my back gently.

"It's...the hardest when you do."

I sat up a bit, and stared at him intently.

"You've had to?"

He nodded.

"My...first time...I-"

He was cut of by the sound of the upper door slamming and someone near running down the stairs.

"Would someone," Branden yelled as he clomped down the stairs. "Like to explain this?"

I stared at him, my mouth probably hanging open slightly.

In his arms, he carried the lifeless form of Amber.

"Wh-What?" I asked, staring up at him.

...Then I heard her groan slightly, and shift in his grip.

"She's...not dead?"

He glared down at me before putting her down in one of the oversized chairs gently.

"No, she's not...and that's a major fucking problem, Michael..."



Chapter Five:



"What...why?" I asked, standing up slowly, shakily.

Branden's yelling had drawn everyone into the room, and everyone was looking from him to Amber, confused.

Veronique was the last to walk in...

"Branden?" She asked softly, looking around the room, not noticing the girl in the chair since everyone was standing around it.

"Michael, why didn't you kill her?" He turned to me, sounding dispointed.

"I..I thought I..."

"What is going on?" Veronique asked, probably sensing the tension...

Branden simply pointed to the chair.

Everyone around it jumped, and cleared a space for her.

"...He didn't...?"

"No." Branden growled.

She let out a small squeak, and looked back at me, fearfully.

"Michael!"

"What?! Will someone please explain why this is so bad?!" I said, feeling annoyed, confused...scared.

"...You're going to die..." said a small voice from the doorway.

I jumped and looked back at Frank, who was leaning agaisnt the frame, trying to keep himself up.

"Frank, you shouldn't be-" Jessie started, but he held up a hand to quiet her.

"...What do you mean?" I asked, my eyes wide.

He looked to everyone else, well, everyone else except Quinn.

"What do you mean he's going to die?" Quinn asked, looking quickly from me to Frank.

Veronique brought her hand to her temple.

"How could we not have...?"

"Love, it's alright." Branden was at her side in an instant, holding her by her waist, keeping her standing.

"...It's...not as extreme as they're making it sound..." Dace started, standing up slowly and looking at me and Quinn.

Everyone else seemed to shrink down and hold their breath... I guess, even if they knew this bit, it scared them...

"But if Branden hadn't of found her..." Dace looked back at him, and Branden was actually shaking slightly.

"What...? If he hadn't of found her...?" I pressed slightly, still scared.

Dace looked back at me, and smiled, obviously trying to calm me down.

"You didn't know...just...kill her now, and everything will be fine."

I looked over at her, and she stirred slightly, and I know I felt my heart go out to her.

...It wasn't her fault she was here...

"What...What happens if I don't kill her?"

Dace jumped, and looked honestly confused at the question.

I saw Branden tense up, and Veronique's eyes went wide.

"You...don't need to know...just know you have to kill her." Veronique said, looking at me sternly.

I looked down at Amber again, and nodded.

"Yeah, I do need to know what happens..."

"Well...as...as cliche as it might seem to you," Veronique started, her voice hard. "They become..." She trailed off, looking to Branden desperatly, obviously not even wanting to say it.

"They become 'wraith puppets'..." Branden mumbled.

I looked at him, confused.

"Z-Zombies if you will...But, not..."

I just stared at him wided-eyed.

"They're...the part that kills you..." Veronique whispered.

"H-How...?" I said, still staring at Amber, not being able to picture her as anything but what she was at the moment...

She was always so sweet...

...She couldn't kill me...

"There's something in our saliva...it mingles in their blood I guess when we don't drain them..." Dace said, looking down at Amber gently.

"And...?" Quinn mumbled.

"And...they...somehow form a bond with us...they start off weak, drained obviously...but, then, they have some tap on our life force..."

"This...is sounding more and more like a messed up videogame..." Quinn laughed, hoping it was all some joke.

I looked at him, smiling despite myself.

"Dude, we're vampires..."

"I never said we weren't part of the plot-"

"This isn't a game!" Branden yelled, making us jump.

"Sorry Master." We both mumbled, looking back at Dace.

"They kill you slowly...so, if you don't know you left someone alive..." He looked down.

"And...what happens after they kill you?" I muttered.

"...They become...exactly what their name says. A puppet. And...they kill...for no reason. They just...wander..." He said, kneeling next to Amber and stroking her face.

I locked my eyes on the ground and ignored the burning in my eyes.

So, I killed her or she killed me...

"...J...Just...kill...kill me..." I heard, and jumped.

Amber was doing her best to try to sit up, but fell back down quickly, gasping for breath.

...I don't think I knew what I was doing even as I went to go do it...

I bit down on my own wrist, hard, leaving two rather large, bleeding holes.

I kneeled next to her, offering her my wrist.

"Mikey!" Everyone yelled as she clamped down instinctivly, sucking gently.

I smiled down at her, trying not to cry as I gently moved her hair from her face.

"I'm sorry..." I whispered.

"I can't...I couldn't..." I put my head down, feeling a bit dizzy.

"Mike...let go..." I heard someone say softly, trying to pry my wrist away from her.

I think I made a weak sound of protest, because they pulled on my arm harder.

"Mikey, now."

I must have helped pull away, becuase the next thing I knew, I was laying in Frank's lap.

"Mikey...? Mikey, c'mon kid...wake up..."

"...When did I fall asleep?" I asked, sitting up slowly and looking around, trying to laugh...

"You're awake!" Frankie cried happily, pulling me back down and hugging me to him tightly.

I nodded slowly, and tried to pull away from him.

"Where's-?"

"Laying down..." He mumbled, looking down at me softly.

"Is she-?"

He nodded.

"Is everyone mad at me...?" I asked, suddenly nervous.

I didn't know if I had broken some sort of rule.

What if they told me I had to leave and I couldn't come back.

My family thought I was dead...so did everyone else.

...Where would I go?

"Mikey...you're up..." Bert said softly from the doorway.

I looked up at him, and he looked confused.

"...Why...? Why didn't you just...?" He pressed his thumb to his throat, pulling it across.

I closed my eyes and shook my head.

"...I just...couldn't, alright?"

He kneeled down next to me and smiled.

"You have a big heart then. That's it?"

I nodded.

Maybe it was becuase I knew her...maybe I just felt guilty...I don't know.

But now, she was one of us...


A bit later, I guess after I was able to sit upright without getting a head rush, I decided to go check on Amber.

I realized she probably didn't even know who I was, and...I've done this to her.

...I think I was starting to regret it.

I had no clue what I was going to say to her.

Luckily though, when I popped my head into the room, Dace was sitting with her, and she was fast asleep.

"How come there's always someone watching over someone asleep?" I laughed quietly, making him jump and look away from her.

He smiled.

"Good to see you're up and about...how's your...?"

I held up my wrist, to show him it was pretty much closed.

"Oh, and we don't watch everyone sleep...just the people we're worried about..." He smiled.

"You know how Quinn was watching Frankie earlier?"

I nodded.

"Well, Bert was watching me. And, I'm pretty sure Frankie didn't let you go...?"

I smiled and shook my head.

"There, all nice and explained. So...why are you here?"

I shrugged.

"Needed to check on her..."

He got up and walked over to the door, stopping and looking back at me.

"I'm assuming you want a bit of time alone...?"

I nodded again.

"Alright. I'll be around...if you need me." He smiled, and turned away, walking out of the room.

I sighed and say down in the chair he had been in a few seconds before.

All of our rooms were set up pretty much the same.

Bed (Double, unless you were Veronique and Branden, who had a queen) in the middle, and dresser to the left of the bed, and a chair to the right of it, an almost loveseat type of thing near the end of the bed...

I looked down at her, noticing how much more...alive she looked than when I could remember seeing her last.

'Well, considering she has blood now...'

I sighed softly to myself and fought off the urge to grab her hand.

"I'm uh...huh, I'm not sure if you would recognize me or not...my name's Mikey...I think I was in your physics class, actually."

I laughed, not being able to help it.

With everything that had happened, I'm still refering to school...

"I'm sorry...I didn't really know...I wasn't thinking and...I'm sorry...you're stuck with," - I looked around the room. - "All of this, now..."

She stirred lightly, and I jumped.

"D-Dace...?" I called, standing up quickly and heading out of the room.

I didn't know if I could face her alone when she first woke up...

He was in the room in moments and by her side.

"Hey...hey there...you alright? Waking up?"

I looked at him, confused.

I was wondering why he was being so...concerned and everything about her.

...Yet when I first met him, he was all...stand-offish.

I felt like I was literally hiding behind him as she slowly opened her eyes and looked at the both of us.

She jumped, and pulled the blakets up around her as she looked up at us in shock, her mouth moving, but nothing coming out.

"Sweetie...don't be scared..." Dace said softly, leaning towards her a bit and holding ot his hand.

"I'm Dace...this is Mikey..." He looked back at me for a second. "And your name's Amber, right?"

She nodded, her mouth slowly closing, and she slowly slipped her hand in his.

She looked so tiny...

"Where...? What's...?" She looked from me to him, her voice sounding as tiny as she looked...

"Don't worry about anything anymore..." Dace started, sitting at the end of her bed gently.

"You're one of us now..."


...Now, that, was an understatement.

She took to all of this...this entire lifestyle, like a bird does to flying...

She didn't hate me for what I had done.

She even went as far as to thank me.

What I hadn't known was that she's had an obbsession with vampires since...God knows when.

And she didn't really care about leaving her family and such...they were her foster parents anyway.

Her parents had died a few years before, and she was an only child.

We didn't even bother holding a funeral for her.

...And the sad thing is, a few months had passed, and no one seemed to notice that she never came back home that night.

It never seemed to bother her though, she was always so...happy, and bubbly.

There were a few times I saw her face darken, and I knew she was probably thinking about that...

All I wanted to do at times like that was hold her...let her know she's not alone anymore.

But, she didn't need me to tell her that.

She clicked right away with the girls, and unfotunatly, she seemed to click quite well with Dace, too...

The times I wanted to be there for her, Dace was.

And then all we would hear would be about how great he is, how sweet he is...

...And how much I want to strangle him.

I mean, he was a friend and all...but...there was something about Amber...that made me feel...so angry whenever she was alone with him.

Maybe it was almost territorial? Or preditorial...? I can't think of the right word...

But all I could think for the longest time was;

I made her. Back off and make your own. She's mine.

I regret that now...If I hadn't of felt like that...then maybe...things could have been different.



Chapter Six:



"Where's Dace?"

"Off in one of his moods again..." Jessie mumbled with a roll of her eyes as she slipped onto Quinn's lap.

"...Moods?" Amber asked, looking around us, confused.

"Oh, you haven't been around him when he's been like that?" Gabby asked, pulling Jeph into the room and falling down onto the couch next to me.

Looking at Quinn and Jessie, and Gabby and Jeph...I had to fight the urge to grab her and pull her onto my lap...

Even though I knew she wouldn't want that.

She shook her head.

"Is...Is he alright?!" She asked, sounding somewhat desperate.

"Where does he go? Can I go talk to him-"

"Whoa girl, calm down..." Jeph said, laughing.

"Yeah hun...he just...gets like this every now and then." Gabby said, nodding.

"Where is he though?"

I sighed, standing up slowly.

"You uh...want me to come with you? Try to find him?" I mumbled.

She smiled at me, nodding.

"Thanks Mikey."

She reached out, grabbing my hand and pulling me away from the group, laughing softly.

She looked at me like a brother...a father even sometimes...

I mean, she knew I made her...maybe that's why?

"Frankie!" She said happily as he walked out of his room, and she ran up to him, throwing her arms around his waist.

He laughed.

"Hey Amber...Mikes. Where're you guys heading?"

"Going to find Dace." I said, trying to not sound bitter.

He looked at me with a small smile, and nodded.

He was the only one who I actually told about all this.

...About the way I felt about Am-

"Any idea where he is?" She asked Frank, smiling and completely interupting my thoughts.

He shook his head.

"Shall we venture then, m'lady?" He said, mock bowing, making her giggle and offering her his arm.

She smiled back at me and offered me her other arm.

I smirked and moved next to her, holding on to her.

"Wow, why do I feel like we're going to skip down the yellow brick road and break into song?" I mumbled as we walked along one of the wider hallways, one I don't think I'd ever even been down before.

"Weeeee're off to see the wizard..." Frankie sang softly, a smirk playing across his face.

"You guys are nuts, but I love you." Amber said, squeezing my arm, and I'm assuming, Frank's aswell.

We kept walking, our light laughter echoeing off the dark walls, and down the quiet hall.

"Hey..." Amber said quietly, pointing to what we assumed was a storage room.

There was a dim light coming from it, and we all looked at each other before slowly making our way into the room.

"D-Dace...?" Amber called out softly.

We heard a grunt.

...We found him.

She walked further into the room looking around, like both me and Frank, trying to get her eyes to adjust to the lower light.

"There you are." Frank said from the corner of the box-filled room.

I made my way over, trying to avoid bumping in to anything, and surprisingly, making it over to where Dace, Frank, and now Amber and myself stood.

The only light in the room came from a few small candles, spaced at random throught the room, explaining why it was so dark.

And, there was Dace, sitting in his corner, eyes closed, off in...whatever memory it was that haunted him so...

Amber gently placed her hand on his shoulder, and he jumped, looking up at her.

"Amanda?" He sounded terrified, yet...overjoyed...

Who?

"...N-No....It's Amber."

"Oh...Oh. H-Hi, sorry..." He mumbled, looking down again, and seemingly getting lost in his thoughts again.

"What's wrong, love?" Amber asked him, kneeling next to the chair he was sitting in and putting her hand on his knee gently.

He jumped, and looked down at her.

"What do you want?" He asked shortly, looking around at all of us and standing up quickly.

Amber stared up at him, I could see the tears in her eyes.

He never talked to her like that.

"We just want to try and help." She said softly.

Both me and Frank nodded, and he smirked.

"How can you help when you don't know what's wrong?"

"Then tell us what is wrong." Amber said, still pushing for answers, wanting to help.

"You don't want to know." He said, turning away from us and starting to move away, but I grabbed his shoulder quickly.

"Look, we're your friends, we're worried. Now tell us what the fuck is wrong. We want to know. We want to help."

He turnd around slowly and looked over the three of us before sighing.

"Fine." He fell back into the chair he had been sitting in prior, and motioned for us to sit, or make ourselves more comfortable.

"This...might take awhile."

Frank, Amber and I looked around at each other after a few minutes of sitting there, waiting for him to start, all of us afraid to break the silence that was stretching before us...

I looked over at Frank, who was sitting agaisnt the wall, his knees to his chest.

When he looked back at me, his eyes seemed to scream for forgiveness...and there was this desperation...

"I guess you could say...it all started, even before I did...I mean, before I became..." Dace gestured at us, and around the room.

"...One of us?" Frank mumbled, nodding, seemingly answering himself.

Dace nodded.

"Yes, a...a vampire."

Another silence...

I thougth I heard Frank take a long, shuddering breath, almost as if he were about to cry.

"About...I think, a hundred years ago? Yes... Jessie said a hundred..." He laughed to himself.

"I can remember everything except how long ago it happened..."

"It's because...because it keeps replaying for you...in your head, over and over. So it's always fresh..." Frank whispered.

Dace looked over at him and nodded slowly.

"You're like Master, aren't you?"

Frankie nodded.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It...explains a lot."

Amber looked at me, confused.

"The reading of emotions." Frank said, smiling at her.

She let out a small, 'Oh.' and looked back to Dace.

"Well...I come from a small town. Or, well, it was a small town...It's probably some big city now. Everyone knew everyone else, always smiled as you passed. One of those kinds of places." A smile spread over his face slowly.

"The there was my...my fiance. I was completely and utterly in love with her. Everything just seemed to be going... right from when I asked her to be my wife. I mean, both of our families approved... our parents were exstatic. Everyone was just...happy. Everything seemed perfect."

He stopped and looked at Amber.

"Her name was Amanda. She was...beautiful. Just, inside and out... perfect. Maybe that's why everything seemed so perfect...because she was...and she was going to be mine. But then..."

I think it was safe to say all of us were somewhat on the edge of our seats.

We so rarely got to talk to Dace like this.

He never talked about his past... and getting this kind of glimpse at him...

He took a deep breath, and seemed to plunge back in to his story.

"Then the Small Pox epidemic hit... bad. There seemed to be at least one person lost per household-"

"No." Amber let out in a small cry. "She didn't..."

Dace nodded grimly.

"She did. She...came down with it...and, I don't know, I didn't deal with it very well. Pretty much everyone died from it, and it was hard to hold out much hope. She told me, promised me, that she would pull through. I mean, she never got as weak as most people...but I still felt like I was just sitting there, watching her fade...it was torture.

"Then people started talking...rumours were spreading about people who mysteriously got better...just, out of nowhere, they were fine again. I mean, the people talking were mostly the drunks at the pub, swearing they spoke the truth, trading their stories for drinks..." He laughed, sounding almost bitter.

"I was never the type to believe that kind of stuff, from that kind of person...but I guess, when you're searching for hope...the slightest possibility...no matter how ludicris it sounded...
I started to ask more questions...I would buy drink after drink for them until I got the right answers...Like, where these stories originated...what parts of what towns...that sort of thing. As soon as I got a solid enough answer as to where it could be -"

"You went?" Amber asked.

He nodded.

"I went. I went off in search of this so called 'miracle cure' that had saved so many people from this disease. The closer I got to the town all this was supposedly happening in, the more the story changed. It changed from being this cure, to a medicine man from some native country, to being a good witch from Salem, trying to repent her sins by saving the souls of the sick...and then, it got to the truth. Vampires. And the many people who got better... it was actually only one.

"Then I got there... this little place called whinchem. It was tiny, barely any people, and the people who were there, were terrified. Honestly, at this point, I still don't think I believed I would come face to face with a vampire, or even find something that could save Amanda...but it was better then sitting and watching her die.

"I asked around the town, and everyone seemed to be willing to tell their tale of coming face to face with the vampire. And with a bit more encouragement, usually in the form of money, they told me where I could supposedly find him.

"There was this abandoned mansion... Really dilapidated looking... That's where everyone said to go if I was looking for him. I can't remember a lot of detail around this part... I know I went there...and somehow I ended up talking to master. Mistress was there, too. I'm pretty sure she was the one that convinced him to...to help me. I know I was just, going on and on with my story...begging for help, so I could help Amanda. I can remember asking how everything they seemed to be...how it could have saved that one person...how it could save her. Then he told me about our immune system-"

"What about it?" I asked quickly, looking at him, confused.

"How we have this messed up immunity system...haven't you ever noticed we're never sick? We're immune to most mortal diseases..."

"Oh." was all I could say. It was true.

"I remember master asking if I really knew what I was getting into if I did this... if I changed. I didn't really care, I said 'of course I do.' and then, the next thing I knew-"

"He made you." Frank mumbled, tears in his voice.

He seemed to know all this before it was even told.

"That very night. As soon as I could, well, as soon as mistress would let me, I was heading back home as fast as I could."

I could tell he was remembering everything now vividly, as if he was almost living it again.

"She seemed like a different person. When I left, she was still struggling with her mother to let her help with things around the house...she felt fine, and," - he smiled. - "She hated laying around and doing nothing. Sick or not."

His face darkened.

"But now, she looked so tiny. She was just...buried under a mound of blankets and... no one really gave her much time. I remember her mother, looking up at at me with tears in her eyes, just thanking me for coming back before... I asked her to leave us alone for a bit... and she did. I remember just looking down at her, looking so tiny, and smiling, telling her that everything is going to be fine now. I'm pretty sure she knew what I was saying...this hope found her way into her eyes. She smiled, and told me she loved me.

"I, I went to make her... I bit her... and it was my first time taking someone... and, I don't know. Maybe she was already to weak. Or, she just couldn't... but she wouldn't take my blood. She just lay there, looking up at me as she kept bleeding and... and..."

I wasn't sure if he had already been crying, or if it just started, but, the tears were rolling down his face mercilessly.

Amber was at his side, trying to shush him, stroking his hair lightly.

"It's not your fault... You were only trying to help." She whispered.

He shuddered a bit, trying to catch his breath.

"I've been trying to tell myself that since it happened." He mumbled.

"It's not." She grabbed his chin, tilting it up so he was looking her in the eye.

All Frank and I could do was watch.

"You look... exactly like her." He said.

"I do?"

He nodded, standing up and looking around at us.

"Thank you for coming to make sure I was alright."

"It's no problem." Frank said with a small smile.

I nodded and smiled.

Dace smiled at each of us in turn before heading out of the room.

"...Wow." Frank said, looking at me.

"Explains a lot." I mumbled, looking over at Amber, who had sat back down, pulling her knees to her chest.

"Why do you think he told me I look like her?" She asked.

I shrugged.

"Maybe just becuase you do?"

"Or, maybe he thinks you're her, reincarnated, and sent back to forgive him." Frank said jokingly with a smirk.

"...Maybe." She said, standing up and following after him.

I shook my head, standing up aswell, lending Frank a hand, pulling him up.

Amber popped her head back into the room, smiling at us.

"We're going to go out and find something to eat. Want to come?"

"We?" I asked, a bit confused.

"Me, Dace and Quinn."

I looked over at Frankie, who looked back, shaking his head.

"Naw, we'll go out a bit later."

"Alright. Bye guys."

And, with that, she left.

I sighed.

"I think you should just... give up." Frank said, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"I know." I was still staring at where she had just been.

"Let's go play Halo or something..." He said, nudging me, trying to get me to move.

"Hm? Oh, yeah..." I followed him out of the room.

I would say that it hadn't really been that great of a day.

Figures, with my luck, it only got so much worse.



Chapter 7:



"I'm surprised you didn't go just to be near her." Frank laughed, hitting my arm playfully.

I Scoffed.

"I'm not that pathetic." I mumbled, walking towards the couch and flipping on the TV.

"You sure about that?" He asked.

"...No."

He laughed again.

"At least you're honest with yourself Mikes. Do you really not want to go eat? Or did you just not want to deal with her and Dace?"

I Shrugged.

"Well, Do you want to go eat or what?"

"Not really hungry."

"Mikey, remember what happened last time you said that?"

I knew I probably winced, before I nodded slowly.

"Sure, fine, why not. Hopefully... it doesn't end up in a fight." I mumbled.

Even though it had been months, I was still iffy about going out with just Frank since we got jumped that time.

"You want to ask Jeph or someone if they want to come?" Frank asked, knowing my reasons for hesitation.

"Ask Jeph what now?"

"Well, speak of the devil." Frank said, turning to smile at Jeph as he walked into the room.

Jeph smirked before walking further into the room slowly.

"But yeah, ask me what?"

"Want to go our with us?" Frank asked, embarassed, biting the inside of his cheek and looking away from Jeph quickly.

Frank hated feeling weak, asking for help, and here he was, asking someone to go feed with us just so I wouldn't be scared.

"Yeah, I've been nervous ever since..." I trailed off, letting the blame fall on me.

I looked over at Frank, who seemed to be standing a bit straighter, his ego re-inflated.

"Aw, Mikey, I'm sure there's nothing to worry about." Jeph said warmly.

"You sound so sure." Frank mumbled.

"I am- I mean... I just doubt you need to worry tonight." He said quickly, standing up and walking away.

"That was..."

"Weird." Frank nodded, laughing.

"Don't worry Mikey. Let's go."

With that, he walked over, grabbed my hand, pulled me up and off the couch, and out of the room.


"Him?" Frank asked, pointing to a man stumbling down the street before finding his way to an alley, slumping agaisnt the wall.

"No..."

"God Mikey! I'm starving! Why are you being so picky?!" Frank whispered hotly.

I looked down.

"I'm sorry, I just...don't..."

"Don't get on this whole, anti-killing thing again." Frank mumbled, rolling his eyes.

"I just don't feel up to it tonight!"

"You're going to end up killing yourself you know," Frank said, standing up and pointing down at me. "You're going to get like this one day, and you'll be alone, and no one will force you," He started walking towards the man in the alley. "And you're going to starve."

"Frank!" I whispered desperately, jumping up and following behind him, not sure whether I was going to try to stop him, or help him.

"Just c'mon Mikey, try to enjoy it." He said, kneeling next to the now unconcious man.

"Look, no way he has a home to go back to..."

"Maybe you're right." I said kneeling next to him.

"Of course I am." he said softly, leaning down and biting into the mans neck.

I always tried my best to ignore the urges that came over me at the sight of blood, tried to pretend I was in control of myself, but I knew I really couldn't be.

Tonight was no different.

The second I saw the blood on Franks lips when he moved away to offer me whatever was left... I took without hesitation.

"See Mikey? Not to hard." He stood up, leaning against the wall of the alley.

"C'mon, we should get another..."

"Do we have to?" I asked, panting a bit, trying not to look down the man we just made a corpse.

"Probably, I mean... I'm still hungry."

We started walking around a bit.

Luckily, Frank still agreed with me about trying not to take people who would be missed.

After I'd say maybe twenty minutes of aimless wandering, Frank stopped suddenly, grabbing my arm and stopping me, too.

"Do you hear that?"

"Hear wha-?"

"Listen."

We were both silent, and surely enough, I swore I heard a woman screaming.

Frank looked at me with a smirk.

"Save the damsel in distress?"

I smirked back at him.

"Do we have a choice?"

He shook his head, and we both shot off in the direction we thought it was coming from.

When we got to an area where it was fairly secluded, and there weren't that many street lights, we saw a man holding a woman up against a wall of the closest building, holding a knife to her throat.

"Hmm... save the damsel and snack at the same time?" Frank mumbled, clenching his fists, his voice hinting at anger.

I nodded.

"Get the girl far away first."

"Of course."

The next thing I knew, Frank was walking right up towards them, as calm as I'd ever seen him in this type of situation.

When he got up behind the guy, he tapped him on the shoulder, making the guy whip around in surprise.

I had followed after Frank, and the second the guys attention was off the girl, I grabbed her, pulling her away as Frank grabbed the back of the guys head, landing a swift blow across his jaw.

I threw the girl away from me, yelling at her to run.

Luckily I didn't have to tell her twice.

When I turned around again, Frank was bouncing the guys head against the wall, muttering something about how, "That wasn't the proper way to treat a lady," And I couldn't help but laugh a bit.

"Girls gone Frankie. After you." I smirked, and he looked up at me before digging his teeth into their second neck that night.

The man let out a loud shriek, but, with people like this, I didn't feel pity anymore.

I leaned to the other side of his neck, the one Frank wasn't biting, and bit down, savouring the rich metalic flavour that flowed past my lips.

He eventually stopped struggling, fell to the ground and, well, stopped bleeding.

"Full now, Frank?" I smirked, licking my lips.

"Mhmm..."

I slung my arm around his shoulders, feeling better than I had earlier that night about, everything I guess.

"Off to home we go?"

He nodded, smiling at me.

"Think the girl'll be alright?"

"Of course, Mr. Iero. You saved her personally. I mean, you know now she's going to be constantly looking for her mysterious knight in shining armor..."

"Damn," He laughed. "She was cute, too... think-"

"No." I laughed, shaking my head. "Just, No."

We walked back slowly, enjoying the night.

"You know, we could be superheroes." Frank said, striking a pose.

"No, we couldn't. No one's supposed to see us Frank." But I smiled none the less.

If I knew him, he was being entirely serious, too.

"So? No one's supposed to see superheroes, either. I say we-"

"Michael! Frank! Get inside, now!"

Both our heads shot up, and we saw Veronique walking towards us quickly, looking around nervously.

"What happened?"

"Inside!" She nearly screamed, coming up to both of us and grabbing our amrs, I would think for her own benifit, to make sure we got inside.

I looked over at Frank, and it made me feel a bit better that he looked as confused as I felt.

I wanted to ask what was ahppening as Veronique rushed us past the doors, closing and deadbolting them behind us.

She let out a long, shuddering sigh, leaning against the doors and closing her eyes.

"M-Mistress?"

She opened her eyes slowly, looking older than I've ever seen her look.

"Follow me."

She started down the stairs, and towards our more daily living quarters.

I think I barely noticed how deathly silent it was.

Then, I saw everyone, well, pretty much everyone, crowded around the entrance to Dace's room.

Veronique walked up behind Jessie, touching her arm lightly.

When she turned around and we saw tears streaming down her face...

I think both Frank and I gasped and I did my best to hang back, away from the entrance to the room.

That is, until Veronique motioned us to come forward, and, we pretty much had to.

We walked up slowly, but before we could get in, Branden pushed his way past everyone, cursing under his breath.

"Branden..." Veronique mumbled, looking at us with tears in her eyes, before following after him.

I stood there, staring after the two of them, wondering what was going on, and I think I was vaguely aware that Frank pushed his way into the room.

"Oh god..." I heard Frank mumble, making me turn around quickly and follow after him.

I knew as soon as I walked in what made him sound so scared.

There, lain out on his bed, was Dace, looking more beat up then, I think I've ever seen anyone look.

"Wh-What...?" I choked out.

"We got separated." Said a quiet voice from the corner of the room, and I turned to see Amber.

"And, he went off by himself, said he wanted to be alone, to think. So me and Quinn, we just..." Then she broke down, sobbing, sliding to the floor.

"Quinn...?" I asked, turning around, looking for him desperately.

"Right here." He said, stepping into the room.

"We just... We figured he'd be fine alone. He always is. So me and Amber, we went off to eat, and then we heard something like struggling, and... we ran... but found him... just like this."

He stared at the ground, his mouth quivering, near tears.

"Is he...No, no, He's going to be fine." Frank said firmly, biting on his lower lip.

No one said anything.

We all wanted Frank to be right, but...

"... M... Mikey?"

I turned around quickly at the sound of Dace's voice.

"Don't talk." Both Frank and Jessie got out.

I went to walk up to his bed, trying my best to pretend everything was fine.

"Mikey..." Frank grabbed my hand, pulling me back to him.

"Maybe... you shouldn't."

I shook my head, noticing Dace hadn't even opened his eyes.

"I have to... know what he's saying. I mean, he wants to talk to me, and... if he-"

"If he, what?" Frank cut in sharply.

"...I just need to, Frank." I mumbled, squeezing his hand before finally making my way to Dace's bedside.

I heard him try to call out my name again, but he started coughing, and, God, I saw blood start to trickle from the corner of his mouth.

Bert, who was being surprisingly solemn, ran forward to wipe it away.

I looked up at him, scared and confused.

"...Internal bleeding..." he whispered before looking away and wrapping his arms around his waist.

"What?!" Frank practically yelled, his eyes widening.

Gabby and Jessie both ran forward and grabbed one of his hands, pulling him out of the room.

It might have been the oddest thing to notice at the worst time, but, Jeph wasn't there...

"Mikey." Dace got out, coughing again, his body convulsing with the effort.

"Right here." I said.

Not exactly sure what to do, I grabbed his hand lightly.

"It's alright, just... try to be quiet."

"No...no...I..." He sighed, opening his eyes slowly.

"I guess I was... stupid to try to...to go it alone, huh?" He tried to chuckled, but ended up coughing again.

"No. not at all... considering everything." I bit my bottom lip, wondering why he wanted to tell me this.

"Is...Amber here?"

I swear, I could have heard her head snap up.

"Yeah, I'm... I'm here." She walked over.

"Thank you." he whispered, reaching up with the hand I wasn't holding to touch her cheek lightly.

"F-For?" She closed her eyes, putting her hand over his.

He looked up at me.

"Trying to help." - He turned back to her. - "Reminding me so much of Amanda, and, letting me know she didn't blame me..."

He let his hand fall back to his side.

He winced a bit, moving around, reaching into his pocket.

"Mikey, I... don't know why... you didn't mention... it missing..." he started, pulling something out of his pocket, holding it in his fist.

"But, I know... it meant the world to you... one of the guys... who attacked me... had it on..." He took a deep breath, and I heard a gurgling in the back of his throat.

Bert ran forward again, but stopped when the sound did.

"What? Had what?" I pushed, wanting him to say something, anything.

...But he didn't.

Amber broke down again, Bert just stared, and I was pretty sure I could hear Frank cursing from the doorway.

Either Jessie or Gabby ran to get Branden and Veronique, because they were suddenly there.

"...What... What did he want to give you?" Bert asked softly, putting his hand on my shoulder, trying to pull me away from the bed.

I was still holding his hand.

"Oh... I... don't know..." I blinked, turning away from Bert and walking back over to Dace's bed.

His hand had relaxed a bit, and I pulled a chain out of his palm slowly, staring at it in disbelief.

"I don't remember you telling us someone took it." Bert said, coming up to me again.

They all knew how much my chain meant to me, how I would pretty much do anything to keep it with me.

...Which is why I could still feel it laying against my chest.

"Because no one did take it..." I whispered, pulling mine out from under my shirt, holding the other one out in front of me.

There were a few subtle differences.

And, when I thought about it, I could have sworn I stopped breathing.

This was Gerard's, and, Dace said that... that whoever attacked him... was wearing it.

And, we buried him with this.

There was no way...

But, it had to be...

...Had to be Gerard...

Chapter 8:



"Mikey...?"

...

"Mikey?"

Mikey... yeah... yeah that's me... right?

"Mikey?!"

I jumped when I felt someones hand on my shoulder.

"Oh... Bert..." I said, pulling my eyes away from what was held in my hand.

"Come on... we've gotta go..."

"Why?"

His eyes looked sad, and I looked away from him, and around the room.

Everyone was either solemn, or crying...

I smiled slightly, confused.

"What happened?"

He sighed, and grabbed my hand, pulling me away.

"Let's go find Frank..."

We walked away, him pulling on my hand, walking through hallways, until we got to the main room.

"Frank..." Bert started softly, making him turn around slowly to face us.

Frank was crying, too.

"Frankie, what's wrong?" I asked, pulling away from Bert to go sit with him.

I saw Frank look up at Bert, who looked back at him with a shrug.

"Don't worry. This is... how he deals..." Frank mumbled, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"He'll snap out of it soon...It was the same with his brother..."

My brother...?

What was the same with Gerard?

...Wait... Gerard...

"Mikey, why don't you go to sleep now...?" Frank asked softly, pulling me into a light hug.

"I'm... not tired though." I mumbled, taking my glasses off and rubbing my eyes from frustration.

Why is there something I feel I should be remembering?

Frank stood up, and grabbed my hand, pulling me up with him.

"Let's go." He said with a small sad smile.

"...Alright..."

The same as it was with Bert, Frank pulled me to my room, holding my hand as if I would run away if they let go.

"Just get some sleep..." Frank sighed, leaning against my door frame for a minute before turning away.

"Wait, Frank."

"Yeah?"

"...Why is everyone so sad?"

"...Everything'll make sense tommorow, Mikey... Just... get some sleep tonight."

I nodded and closed the door softly, before getting ready for bed.

I sighed, putting the chain that was clenched in my fist onto the bedside table, believing Frank when he said things things would make more sense in the morning.

Because, right now, I was as confused as anything...

I climbed under the covers and closed my eyes, and since everything else was so quiet, I heard Frank and Bert talking.

"...It's a defence mechanism... Everything was just... to much-"

"So he pretends nothing happened?"

"Yeah... I mean, can you blame him?"

"Not at all. I envy him if anything... I would give... a lot to pretend that tonight never happened."

"...I think all of us would, Bert..."



Oh God, why does my head hurt so much?

I sat up slowly, wondering why the fuck I woke up, and I looked over to see Jessie sitting by my bed, her hand on my arm.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She said, quickly pulling her hand away.

"S'alright..." I mumbled, groping around on the table to find my glasses.

"Want some help?" I could hear the tiniest of smile in her voice.

"...You already have them, don't you?"

She laughed a bit and placed them on my face, not the right way, but, hey, she tried.

I fixed them, and tilted my head, looking at her.

"What's wrong?"

She shook her head slowly, and I noticed more and more as I woke up that she looked like she hadn't slept at all.

"Nothing that you should try to remember any time soon, Mikey." She said, with a small smile.

Why the fuck is everyone still so sad?!

I narrowed my eyes.

"Should I remember?"

"...No."

For some reason, I didn't believe that, at all.

I sat up more and stretched a bit before slowly getting out of bed.

I fell asleep in my clothes...

...Oh well, whatever.

I made my way to the door, and Frankie appeared suddenly.

"Mikey? What're you doing up already?" He cast a glare at Jessie, who looked away, shrugging.

"I just woke up, Frank." I said with a smile.

He sighed.

"Alright, well... you wanna come out and face the real world, or not yet?"

"What do you mean?"

He nodded slowly.

"Alright." He turned, and started walking away.

"Wait, Frank!" I said, starting out after him.

"Mikey." I heard Jessie say, and I turned back to face her.

"You're...thing." She smiled a bit, and grabbing something off my bedside table and handing it to me.

"...Thanks..." I said, not really looking at it.

"Frank!" I started after him, walking along quickly to catch up with him.

"What do you mean 'face the real world'?" He stopped walking, and hung his head slightly.

"Nothing Mikey, don't worry about it."

"No, I wanna know what you meant!"

I shoved him lightly, trying to get my point across.

He swatted my hand away roughly, making, whatever it was that Jessie had handed me fall to the floor.

We both just stared as we heard the soft tinkling of metal as it hit the floor.

"Put that back on, Mikey." Frank said, going to turn from me again.

But I didn't move.

Seeing that chain hit the ground, for some reason triggered... well, everything.

...Everythig from the night before came back in a rush.

"...Oh God..." I said, sinking to the floor slowly, my head in my hands.

"M-Mikey?" Frank asked, kneeling next to me.

"Dace... Dace is..." I started, still staring ahead of me.

"He is." Frank said, sitting next to me and pulling me to him.

"And Gerard's..."

"Mikey... you know Gerard's gone..."

"No...No, NO! He's not!" I said, turning to him, grabbing his shoulders.

"Mikey, Dace is gone." Frank said sympathetically, yet obviously not wanting to talk about it himself.

"I know that, but Gerard..." I shook my head, not understanding it myself.

"Look!" I said, reaching forward and grabbing at the chain that had fallen from my hand.

"Mikey..." - Frank sighed, sitting back and rubbing at his temples. - "Maybe you should just go back to-"

"No!" I held it out to him, but he just looked at it.

"It's yours." He said softly.

"It's not!" I pulled mine out from under my shirt, and he stared at me, confused.

"...But..."

I shook my head.

"I don't know either Frank, but it is his! I know it!"

I felt like I was grasping at straws to get him to believe me.

"But, that would mean that-"

"He's alive!"

"That makes no sense though..."

I stopped, and just stared at him.

"It's been a long time since anything has made sense, Frank."

He looked down, and it felt like an eternity before he nodded slowly.

"Okay, so, let's say that, by some, fucking... miracle, Gerard is alive..."

I stared, leaning towards him, waiting for him to finish.

"... That doesn't mean we could find him."

"But we could try..." I said softly, looking to him, trying my best to meet his eyes.

"Mikey..."

"If we don't find him, we at least find who killed Dace." I said with a firmness I didn't think I possessed at this time.

Now Frank looked up.

"What?"

"Dace told me, before he... he... That, whoever attacked him, had this on..."

"You're joking..."

I shook my head.

"You think I would honestly joke, now?"

"...of course not..."

"Then?"

"... We should tell the others..."

"Why?"

"Mikey, look what's happened in the last few months. Something will happen to us if we go alone."

I noticed how bloodshot his eyes were, and the bags under them.

For Frank to admit that he couldn't handle something...

"Alright..."

He slowly stood up and offered me his hand.

I stood up, and with shaking legs, I made my way to the main room.

"You're up..." Bert said, smiling at me softly, and making everyone else in the room turn to look at me and Frank.

He looked to Frank.

"Does he..."

"Yeah, I... I know." I said softly, looking down.

Bert still smiled at me.

"Had me scared, Mikes."

"...Sorry."

"Don't be. You're fine, that's all that matters."

Frank sighed loudly, stepping further into the room.

"Well, we have... some... interesting information..."

Everyone followed us with their eyes as we made our way towards the couch and sat down, looking to each other, trying to figure out how to start.

"...Well?" Gabby mumbled, moving forward in her seat.

I sighed.

"Well..."



I had explained everything to everyone the same way I had to Frank.

And, had just as much trouble getting them to believe that what I was saying was true.

"Michael, how do you know that's what he said?" Veronique said softly.

"You weren't in the greatest state last night."

"He told me, that whoever was wearing that," - I pointed to the chain laying on the small table set out in front of her. - "Was the person who attacked him. You don't have to believe me, but-"

"We want to believe you, Mikey..." Gabby started, looking up at me.

"But-"

"My brother's been dead for a year and I pretty much went crazy last night?"

She nodded.

"You know what? If you guys don't want to believe me, that's fine, me and Frankie will go out and try to him on our own."

They all let out a small gasp.

I looked over at Frank, who looked confused, but I just gave him the tiniest of smirks.

"...That's right." He said, standing up and putting a hand on my shoulder.

"You can't." Jessie said, shaking her head, staring up at us with wide eyes.

"Why not?" I asked sharply.

"...No way we can talk you out of it?" Quinn said softly.

"No." Both me and Frank said.

"I'll go with you then. You just... you can't go alone..." He shook his head, sighing.

"Me too." Bert said, standing up and moving next to us.

"This is going to turn into one of those... fucking... everyone volunteers things, isn't it?" Jeph said, leaning on the couch.

I just shrugged.

"Well, fucking count me out."

And he walked out.

Everyone stared after him.

"... You can't blame him..." Gabby started, standing up slowly.

"We don't." Veronique mumbled.

Gabby nodded, and followed after him.

"So... what exactly do you plan on looking for?" Branden mumbled after a moment of silence.

He looked so much older than he had before...

"We're not exactly sure ourselves..."

"Yet you're willing to go out, and possibly... risk your lives, for a hunch?"

"For my brother, yes." I said sternly, looking down at him.

"You should think this through."

"How?"

"Think of what to look for, for starters!" He said sharply.

"Them." Frank said softly.

"Well... we know that." Jessie said.

"Where can we find them?"

Everyone seemed to freeze at my question.

"...Find?" Jessie mumbled.

"Yes, find."

"You're not going to go look for them." Branden said, suddenly standing up.

"But-"

"You're not, and that's final." He looked at both me and Frankie before turning to leave the room.

He stopped, and hung his head for a moment.

"If they find you... that's one thing. But, to just go... and practically hand yourselves over... unacceptable." He sighed, and made his way out of the room.

I traded looks with Frank, and he just shook his head.

"We'll... talk about this more tommorow." Veronique said, standing up.

"But-"

"Please. Michael, Frank... please..."

We both nodded, and she followed after Branden.

"You really think your brother killed Dace?" Jessie asked, and I cringed.

"I don't know."

"Well, that's what you're making it out to sound like."

"If it's not him... then..." I reached down and picked the chain back up.

"I just want to get who killed Dace. And... who took this..." I looked down at it again before pulling it over my head.

"Well, we'll help as much as we can..." Jessie said, nodding to who was left in the room.

Herself, Quinn, Bert and Frankie...

Our numbers just keep getting smaller...



Chapter 9:



"I really don't think this is a good idea-"

We all turned quickly to shush Jessie, and she jumped.

"Sorry." She mumbled in a whisper.

In all honesty, I didn't think this was the brightest thing to do either.

But, for some reason, everyone who was willing agreed to it.

Since Amber wasn't with everyone when we were discussing, well, everything the night before, I went to tell her everything that was going on...

Not that it really did much good.

She hadn't spoken a word to anyone since Dace died.

I could tell she didn't want us to do this, though.

There was this look in her eyes... Beginning me to change my mind...

But, I don't think anything could have changed my mind at that point.

So, here we were.

We were making our way back to the park.

Yeah, the one me and Frank got jumped in.

We all stayed up talking the night before, and were trying to figure out where they would be most likely to find us.

We weren't really disobeying Branden...

We weren't looking for them...

We were just making it easier for them to find us.

"Guys, we've been wandering around for an hour... they're not going to show." Jessie whined.

"You know what? You want to go back, you can." Frank said in a sharp whisper, glaring at her.

"Not alone!"

I sighed.

"Look, you agreed to this. It was mostly your idea."

"Yeah, well I changed my mind..."

"God will you guys just shut up?" Quinn asked with a bit of a frown.

"Even if they were around here, they would jus