Darklight Volume 1 Greenville High

Written by Jay Bradt Alejandra Soria

Part I

Chapter 1.

Greenville New York had always been a sleepy place. Nothing ever really happened there with the exception of the carnival that came through every August. This year it had been pushed back to September considering the weather had been strange. Aside from the Movie Theater and Braum Park (if you wanted to call a couple of trees and a duck pond a park) there wasn’t much to do other than wander the streets and haunt alleyways with the local riffraff. If there was anything Greenville was notorious for, it was its riffraff. Small time drugs and big time trouble were in no short supply at Greenville high, which was basically what most the kids were half the time. This year, as the summer came to an end, the entering freshman were subjected to a full day of classes, while those lucky enough to be upperclassmen were granted a peace offering of only a half day. Of course, nobody was happy about any day’s worth of sitting in a hot stuffy classroom, but as of nine-thirty that morning, the majority of the high school population was currently being deprived in favor of dark, under air-conditioned classes. Gathering his books from a small silver locker, a young man with dark hair, matching eyes and an exhausted expression made his way down the long suffocating halls towards his first class of a four period day that to him, already felt like a lifetime. Dressed in neatly kept jeans, a white shirt and a black vest with multicolored spots, he looked older than the general sophomore. Ignoring the conundrum of rhetoric he’d already received from the pack of freshly graduated middle schoolers, he hurried to his first class and managed to take his seat about three minutes before the bell rang. At the other end of the hall, a young girl stood nervously. Glancing through the sea of people, she looked as if she were ready to have a panic attack. "Relax," a voice called from her side as blue eyes met green. "Is this how people feel here?" "Yeah Rayne, it's public school, feeling overwhelmed is a given." Adorning pale skin and a multitude of freckles, Leah regarded her friend with exasperation. She couldn't blame her, not really. Rayne had just come to Greenville from Japan, and a school that considered corporal punishment a God given right. Her friend had arrived a paranoid, violent mess and it had taken weeks to persuade her parents to let her stay with them. Rayne needed help and Leah knew that getting her to adjust would be part of the process. "Come on," she said as she slung an arm over her paler friend's shoulders and all but shoved her into her next class. Staring at those inside, Rayne took a seat in the back. Dressed in jeans and a vibrant red blouse, everything about her gave off the impression she wanted to be left alone. Taking note of the new girl, the boy who had entered before her gave a smile while the teacher passed out the attendance sheet. Rayne didn't smile back. Peering at the sheet, she read off the names in her head before signing her own; Rayne Shardae. Suddenly a loud bang ushered from the left side of the room as the door was thrown open and a boy with bleach blonde hair stuffed beneath a black beanie sauntered in. Dark eyes scanned the class as he took a seat directly in front of the boy in the vest. His own attire left

much to be desired, a pair of tatty denims and a black shirt with a happy face that sported a bullet hole through its head. Ignoring the look he received from the teacher as the door re-bounded off the wall, he wrapped an arm over his chair while Rayne’s grip instinctively tightened around her pen. Locking her gaze to the blackboard, she was determined to ignore him as the teacher lowered his chalk and clasped his hands together. "If you'd all pass up the attendance sheet when you're done with it," he announced. "Class will be starting in a few minutes." "Fun, fun, fun," the boy with a hat muttered, scribbling his name before tossing the paper behind him. "Do you think you can hand that to me next time?" "Fuck off." Shaking his head, the dark haired boy began to print his name only to look up as the intercom went off. "Samuel Haine, please report to the Principal’s office this instant!" Letting his pen slide, he gave a low groan while the boy in front of him began to laugh. "Okay Cunningham pay up. You owe me ten big ones." "Five minutes..." He stared at the clock, which now read 9:55. "He couldn't have waited five minutes?" "It ain't ten o-clock yet buddy, pay up!" Reaching for his wallet, he pulled out ten dollars and gave the blonde in front of him a glare. "This is my lunch money you know?" "Shouldn't be making bets you can't afford," he said as he snatched it from his hand. "Mat, Rorik, unless you want to be joining Sam in that office you'll stop bickering and do your work." "Yeah, yeah, whatever," Rorik muttered, while Mat began to shake his head. The class fell silent shortly after, although every now and again, when the teacher wasn't looking, Rorik would turn and throw a piece of crumpled paper in Mat's direction. "Do you have to be such a delinquent?" he hissed. By the time the bell went off, he was up to his ankles in paper balls while Rorik was almost out of a whole note book. The moment the alarm sounded, he rushed through the door so fast that by the time the teacher took notice it was too late. Gathered his things, Mat began to pick up the papers and place them into a small trash bin as the room emptied. Having neatly copied two pages of notes, Rayne thought it odd she didn't already have an entire notebook full as Leah poked her head into the class. "So how was it?" she asked. "Overwhelming." "It happens. Don’t worry, you'll like art, the teacher is totally lax." "Do I really have to paint?" "Doodle," Leah offered as they stepped into the room. Large and fairly wide, the art department was well established. Several students had already begun to take their seats as the teacher explained to the incoming freshman a variety of shading techniques. Rorik of course wasn't paying attention as he ghosted his toward the supply cabinet and began to fiddle with the lock. It didn't take him long to crack. Shuffling it aside, he rummaged through the shelves, which were comprised mostly of paints and glues, many of which were considered toxic.

Loading several into the pockets of his oversized jeans, he reached down and carefully placed the lock back on the cabinet door when no one was looking. "Is that against the rules?" Rayne asked Leah. "Yeah, you'd think he'd look any more suspicious." Clapping the door back into place, Rorik took a seat. "Getting high on glue much?" Leah asked with a snort. "Ah ha...you're so funny," he mimicked her and spent the rest of the period with his hat pulled over his face. "He's just another future tweaker, pay him no mind. You'll see those kinds of kids everywhere around here," Leah's words were true enough as Greenville was notorious for drugs, not to mention kids like Rorik who took a liking and a profession to peddling them. "Great," Rayne's tone was full of sarcasm. She hadn't gotten anything done and Leah had spent the entire period talking her ear off. "Why does this seem so much more complicated than the movies?" she asked as they walked back downstairs. "Because no one with half a brain would ever set foot here?" They stopped upon reaching the double doors of the locker rooms, which led to an enormous gymnasium currently busting with students. "Gym is mandatory?" Rayne looked as if she’d rather be hung. "Yeah...and remember we can't show off," Leah whispered. "You're the star of the soccer team...by accident?" "No...but come on don't overdo it." Brushing passed them, a boy in dark jeans and a Disturbed t-shirt nearly knocked them both off the bench. Brandishing a black beanie in similar fashion to Rorik's, he too had stark blonde hair, though his eyes were a dull pale blue, and instead of a solid color, his hat bore the Chinese character for Fear. The overpowering stench of marijuana lingered in his wake as he stalked over, plopped down and kicked Mat’s stuff to the floor. "First day and this shit sucks already." Rolling his eyes Mat reached down to pick up his books. "You're telling me...you already cost me ten dollars," he said with a stern expression. Reaching for the side of his hat, Sam pulled out a skull print lighter. "Well maybe you should stop making bets on my head dumb ass?" Back across the bench, Leah scowled and wrinkled her nose. "Do all of them have to wear those hats?" Rayne asked with a great deal of distaste. "Just the losers," Catching their remark, Sam turned as he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and proceeded to light the end of it. "Sam!" Mat hissed. "Are you insane?" "No dude I'm high, there's a big difference." "Are you trying to get expelled or are you just that far gone?" Fiddling with the roach, Sam brought it to his lips while Mat planted his face in both palms. "Oh please...they've been trying to expel me for years," he said to Leah before noticing Rayne. "She looks new; did you order her off eBay or something? I bet clothes like that don't come cheap." "I'm sure yours do asshole."

"Sam, leave them alone," Mat elbowed him. "Sorry..." he mouthed in Leah's direction while Sam's attention turned toward another girl. "Now that there, that's a fine piece of ass," he said as he pointed two fingers at her. "Elizabeth Steinway?" Mat arched a brow. "Please Sam you don't have a snowballs chance in hell." "You don't have a chance with anyone in this town unless they’re as high as you are," Leah snorted. "Why don't you go play with your soccer balls, they're the only kind you're ever gonna get." She let the insult roll off her shoulders. "You couldn't get laid even if you saved your drug money for a hooker." "Why don't you give me your local street corner number and I'll take that bet." "HAINE!" "Oooh shit." Throwing the butt to the floor, Sam grimaced as an intimidating older man stormed across the gym and pointed to the bottom bench. "Get your butt down here right now Mr." "Ugh...busted." Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he sauntered down the steps to endure the ramped screaming that followed. Mat only watched as Sam was dragged from the gym by the arm. Drawing a deep breath, he looked at Leah. "Sorry about that. He's usually not this bad." "I'm sure he's a lot worse," she spat as she addressed Rayne. "And there's your first example of a loser," Letting it go, Mat went back to his homework. Seeing as the typical first day was generally nothing but name calling and noise bleed seats, the majority spent the duration either reading or chatting until the bell rang. "I'll see you back at home okay?" "What?" Rayne looked surprised. "It's a half day for me," Leah told her. "You don't have that privilege. I'll meet you home after practice. Be careful okay?" Looking ill at ease, Rayne felt like a gazelle in a lion's cage. Making her way down the hall, while math was not her favorite subject, she had no problems with it. Taking a seat herself, the girl Sam had made the rude comment about looked meek and ill-prepared as she realized she hadn't brought a pencil. "Excuse me," she whispered in Rayne's direction. "Do you have an extra I can borrow?" Glancing over, Rayne looked surprised though handed her a spare. "Thank, you're a life saver," Elizabeth smiled. By the end of class, she had barely finished her work. Handing the paper sheepishly to the teacher, she bowed her head, as the man said nothing. Presenting the pencil back to Rayne, she got up. "You can keep it," Rayne figured it would be the nice thing to do. "Really...thank you," gathering her books, Elizabeth followed her from the room. "Are you new here too?" "Is it that obvious?" "Where from? My parents moved here from Oregon but that was back in like third grade, I hardly remember it." "Oh..." Rayne cleared her throat. "I moved from Japan. My parents are in the military. It happens a lot,"

"Japan? Wow really? I'd love to visit some time. That must have been quite a place to live?" "It was a lot different from here," Rayne admitted. "Well if you need anybody to show you around? I'm a freshman too but I've lived here a while. You get to know the people and places. I'm Elizabeth by the way, although everybody calls me Liz." "I'm Rayne," she introduced herself politely. "If you need help with school stuff…" "That's a nice name, better than Liz, and thanks. I'm really bad at math. If you think you might be able to help I'd be forever grateful," she said as another bell sounded. "Oh damn I'm going to be late. Well it was nice meeting you...I'll see you later or tomorrow then? Whichever." Frowning at the compliment, Rayne found it hard to accept. Glad for the chance to go home she grabbed her books from her locker and tried to remember the way to Leah's house. In the meantime, the sky had taken on a strange reddish hue, somewhat un-natural for four in the afternoon. Considering the odd weather Greenville had been having, nobody really paid much attention to it, or the uneasy tension that gripped the air like the calm before a deadly storm. Rayne wasn't a fan of darkness, and upon hearing the thunder she groaned. By the time she reached her destination the entire sky had turned a treacherous black and near the edge of Braum Park a group of little leaguers quickly ran for cover as an odd sizzling tore through the trees. Suddenly a loud crack took the air and a bizarre scar of black energy ripped open in the middle of the park. Several birds took flight as the void gave way and a young man stepped out. Dressed in an expensive black suit with neon red pin stripes, his hair was as jet black as the darkness that vanished behind him. Grinning from ear to ear, he reached down to casually adjust his sleeves, while a pair of unsettling golden eyes scanned the terrain. Snickering menacingly, a rapid crack of thunder echoed again from overhead. His amusement however quickly melted, as the obnoxiously overabundant sound of It’s a Small World suddenly began to echo from across the street. Arching a slender black brow, he turned in time to see a Mr. Frosty truck sauntering by, blasting the horrific twinkling melody as loud as mechanically possible. A few seconds later the music was silenced by a tremendous explosion as the entire truck went up in a pyre of gasoline, flames and melted ice cream. Clenched his fists, the disgruntled youth stormed off mumbling something to the effect of, "Piece of shit you ruined my entrance!" Hearing the strange noise from the house, Rayne peeked outside her bedroom window. Scanning the area with storm gray eyes, she noticed the fire and her first instinct was panic. Likewise, a few blocks away, several school buses were almost thrown over as hurdles of children raced to the windows to watch. "Holy shit." Pressing his face to the glass, Sam's eyes went wide as the driver screamed at everybody to take their seats. Thankfully, the rest of the night was uneventful, and by the time dawn broke the next morning, school was in full swing. Wandering the lunchroom with a bottle of apple juice and a muffin, Sam had been dropped off a half an hour before school. Mat, who always got in early, was sitting at one of the many tables as he skimmed his math notes, while Liz sat a few seats over with an apple. Noticing him alone, Sam dropped beside him and his books were once again thrown to the floor. "You know I really wish you'd stop doing that." he sighed, bending to pick them up while

Sam went to steal a piece of his bagel. "You hear about Mr. Frosty?" Mat gave him a flat look. "Yes I heard about it." "Well I saw it dude. That shit went up like the Fourth of July," he laughed. "I knew that guy was a doper. I knew it." "Oh please Sam it was a freak accident." "Bullshit. Come on Mat, anybody who can sit there listening to that demented twinkling for eight hours a day has gotta be packing some heavy duty shit. Guy probably hit a bump or something and shattered his bong." Mat had to hide a laugh. "Ahh see I'm totally right." "You're totally nuts is what you are." Sitting across the room with Leah and her soccer friends, the others girls were talking about the explosion. Rayne kept telling herself that it was a freak accident. Maybe the ice cream man had been a closet bomber, although the more she heard, the tenser she seemed to get. "I have to get some stuff from my locker," she excused herself, heading into hall while Sam and Mat continued their conversation. "Annnyway, I gotta go get my shit from Rorik before class starts." Slapping a palm across the table Sam adjusted his hat and got up. "You want anything? Oh wait I forgot you already spent all your money making bets. What's it today, ten o clock again, or did you push it back to eleven?" "Get lost Sam. Go haunt your stairwell." Laughing, he walked off with his hands in his pockets. On the far side of the school, Rorik was currently standing at the bottom of a darkened stairwell dishing out small bags of pot. Finishing his last transition with a grim smirk, he leafed through about fifty dollars and stuffed it into his pocket. "Man what a haul," he chuckled although stopped as he caught the sound of footsteps from behind. "Hey, you're the local dealer right?" a dark nasally voice snickered. Rorik's brow furrowed as he came face to face with a strange young man sporting dark hair and a pinstripe suit. "What's it to ya?" "Well…" The boy began. "Perhaps you can help me, see I'm looking for a fix." "Oh really? You got any money." "Maybe." "Well you’re a little late, all I got left is weed, some dust, and a couple a sugar cubes, but they cost extra." Pursing his lips, the teen raised a hand to his chin and thought silently. "Tempting offer, but I think I'll just take...your soul!" "What?" With an awkward expression, Rorik's jaw dropped as the boy's eyes began to give off a vibrant yellow glow, lips peeling back to expose hundreds of elongated teeth that spread apart like the blades of a saw. Before he had the chance to scream a blinding light was sucked from his body, turning his eyes a bleach white, and he dropped to the floor, dead upon impact. Licking his fingers one by one, his assailant laughed. His image had become a perfect

replication of Rorik's with the minor exception of his hat, which he reached down to pull off the lifeless corpse, only to turn at the sound of the stairwell door. Meanwhile, leaning against the lockers, Rayne held her head in her hands. Ice cream trucks didn't just explode, meth heads or not. Her gut told her something was wrong and she knew to trust the instinct. Catching an offbeat sound, her head snapped as she saw Sam bolt from the stairwell. "Run bitch run!" he screamed as he tore passed her. A second later ‘Rorik’ followed. His eyes had pinned Sam although before he had the chance to pursue he ran smack into Liz. "Why don't you watch where you’re..." trailing off, he stopped as he noticed the way she was holding her arm. "Liz, are you okay?" Rayne asked. "What'd you do?" she snapped at Rorik. "Uh...she ran into me." "Oh yeah, like you were watching where you were going?" Liz grumbled as she began to pick up her books. Sam of course hadn't stopped running. Bursting into the cafeteria, he began to search for Mat who had already taken his seat in his first class. Turning on his heals Sam ran headlong down the hall and burst straight into the classroom. "Mat, Mat, I gotta talk to you!" he screamed, rushing over to grab him out of the seat. "What the hell are you doing?" Mat stammered as the rest of the class turned to watch. "It's Rorik dude, he's a fucking demon! I was down in the..." he shook his head. "He's got teeth up to here!" "Excuse me!" the teacher snapped. Stopping briefly Sam looked up. "You're excused." he mumbled and went right back to screaming at Mat. "I'm telling you dude I saw it with my own eyes, Rorik’s gone AWOL!" A few seconds later, the sound of Sam's full name was heard over the loud speaker and once again, Mat was short ten bucks. Taking a seat next to Leah, Rayne finally made it to class and was on the verge of saying something when Rorik walked in. Staring at his schedule, he stopped to take a seat at a vacant table. Drumming his fingers against it, he stared around the room, only to look up as the teacher placed several jars of multicolored crayons in front of him. With a look of someone who had no idea what he was doing, he went to reach for one. "What's wrong with him?" Leah asked. Rayne wasn’t paying attention. "Are we coloring?" she asked in disbelief. The teacher went on to explain they were going to be making use of pastels and instructed the students to sift through magazines for a picture they would be attempting to recreate. Rorik wasn't paying any attention either. Picking up a crayon, he began to peal it back. A second later, it was gone and he began coughing and spitting hunks of badly chewed pastel. Glancing up from her magazine, Rayne looked disgusted. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Spitting a wad of crayon to the floor, he rubbed the drool from his face. "Hey, it smelt like candy, how was I supposed to know?" "We've only been coloring since elementary school," Leah sighed. "Well maybe I have other things to do with my time when draw weenie baby pictures ya dumb broad." "Shove that crayon where the sun don't shine asshole," Leah said as Rayne stifled her laughter.

"Excuse me..." turning again, he lowered the magazine and lifted a finger, although before he had the chance to say anything, the teacher walked over. "Rorik Ivory what in god’s name is that?" she pointed toward his reading material, which just so happened to be a playboy. How it had managed to get into the mix of school ones was and forever would be a mystery, although Rorik's expression went from angry to confused as she snatched it away and ordered him from the room. "Dean's office, now young man!" Stifling a laugh, Leah gave him a wink. "See you," she said as Rayne hid her face behind her magazine. Getting up to leave, Rorik gave them a glare. "Oh, you can count on that."

Chapter 2.

By the time the bell rang, Rayne had succeeded in doodling the beginning of a picture. She had drawn a lake while Leah had opted for snowcapped mountains. Getting up after putting away their supplies, the two girls headed to gym. Climbing toward the nosebleeds, Mat sat down and counted his fingers until Sam came rushing through the door. "Mat, holy shit I gotta talk to you." "If this is about what happened first period, I don't want to hear it." "But I saw it dude...you gotta believe me. It's Rorik, or not Rorik I ...I don't know! I was going downstairs to pick up some stuff and I saw him, this thing...it...it killed him. It sucked the life out of him." "Sam you've got to stop doing drugs, either that or lay off the comic books." "You're not listening!" he yelled. "I saw it with my own eyes, Rorik Ivory is a demon!" "I hate to break it to you, but Rorik is already a little beast. You don't need to make it worse by embellishing." "Oh my fuck, Mat would you just stop for one friggen second?" "Can you stop screaming?" Rayne snapped. Turning toward her, his eyes narrowed. "No, I can't stop screaming because while we're sitting here debating over this, Rorik is out there causing all kinds of hell." "Sam please, such a thing just isn't empirically possible," Mat sighed. "What the hell does that even mean?" "You had a bad trip, calm down," Leah dismissed his ranting. "Maybe your screaming is what caused him to chase you?" Rayne suggested. "Hold on...you were there!" he pointed toward her. "Mat she was there, she saw him come after me." "I only saw you run out of a room. I don't know what you two were doing in that stairwell," she clarified. "Ugh you're no help at all." "Look he’s right there, he's fine. He doesn't look like a demon to me," Mat said as Rorik walked in and Sam's eyes grew to the size of golf balls. Surprisingly enough, he took seat near the bottom, one step up from Liz. "Hey, you're that girl from before right?" Catching his voice, she turned. "Oh it's you...what do you want?" Noticing the sling her arm was in, he gave a shrug. "Uh...I guess I'm sorry about that. Kinda in a rush." "Yeah well it still hurts." "Least you got that bandage thing. What's your name?" "Liz…and you?" "Va...erm uh Rorik." "Varorik?" "No...no just Rorik," he said sheepishly. "So uh, you new here?" "I'm a freshman, what of it?" "Yesh, forgive me for trying to make conversation. I'm kinda new here too. A little unfamiliar with things, if you catch my drift?"

"I can't help you there." "Is he trying to talk to her?" Leah had never seen them interact. "I guess he's stealing your girl hrm Samuel?" "That’s Sam to you," he hissed before getting out of his seat. "Here we go again," Mat groaned as Sam stormed up to Rorik and caught him by the shoulder. "Get the fuck away from her you creep." "Have you lost what little brain cells you actually have?" "Ugh the only creep around here is you Haine, get lost." "Shut up Liz I'm saving you from this cretin." Tromping down the bleachers, Mat rested a hand on Sam’s shoulder. "Come on hero...why don't you leave those two alone and focus on your own problems?" "But...but I...I saw it..." "Yes Sam I know you did." For the rest of the period he took a nap while Mat went back to his book until the bell rang. "I'll see you later," Leah said to Rayne who headed upstairs towards math. Taking her seat, gray eyes found Liz and she frowned as Rorik entered the classroom. "Hey." "Hi..." Liz pursed her lips. "Sorry about Sam he's such a..." "Such a what?" she caught herself as he walked into the room and took a seat on the opposite side. "Go on Liz say it...such a what?" "Screaming douche how about we start with that?" Rorik snickered. "Weren't you the one chasing him up the stairs?" Rayne asked calmly. "Ugh details. He didn't pay me." Sam's jaw dropped. "What? That's bullshit you..." Clearing his throat, the teacher cut them off as he passed out several work sheets alongside an attendance roster. "That's enough Sam. Or do you want another dean's slip?" Gritting his teeth, Sam sat down while Liz rolled her eyes. "Just ignore him, that's what we did in middle school." Saying nothing else, Rayne paid attention to her work. Passing the sheet forward, Liz gave it to Rorik who scribbled his name and passed it up as well. About three minutes later, it returned to the teacher. "Rorik...You spelt your name wrong." Arching a brow, he raised his head, and Sam joined him. "R, o, a, r, i, c, k? Since when?" Reaching into his pocket, he pulled his ID card. "Oh shit...Woops...sorry my mind's erm...elsewhere." "Yeah maybe because you're not Rorik," Sam called across the room. Catching his remark, Rorik sighed. "You know what Sam you win, I'm not Rorik. I admit it, I'm actually Santa Clause," he said as half the class began to laugh. "Samuel, paper now!" the teacher demanded. "Ugh. Why the hell do we have to do this?" "Oooh here we go," Liz groaned. "Why do I need to know this? This isn't learning, this is math vomit on a page. What do you do!" he yelled at the teacher. "You don't even teach. You just sit there, pass out papers and

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 11 write crap on that board as if it's even relevant. Three years from now when half of these kids are either in college or drunk on the street do you really think anyone is gonna care what the square root of pie is? Why don't you actually teach things, like common sense?" "Something you're clearly lacking," Rorik hissed. "Can you shut up?" Rayne asked Sam. "Who are you to tell me to shut up, you just got here, and for what it's worth, maybe you want to wise up, before that thing over there decides to eat you. Not that it would be that much of a loss." Back in science class, Mat scribbled away at his notes as the intercom sounded Sam's name once more, and a few minutes later Rayne and company were absolved of his presence. By the time the bell rang, Liz was still struggling, while Rorik was happily chewing at the end of his pencil. Getting up, he wandered out of the class and Liz looked solemnly at Rayne. "You know, I could really use that help," she sighed. "I could help you during lunch?" "Okay, I just have to run to my locker real quick." Leaving the room, Rayne met up with Leah. "I got suckered into helping someone with math," she told her. "You might as well start socializing. Just be nice okay?" Already sitting at the table, Mat began to unpack his food while Liz hurried in and took a seat. Across the way Rorik appeared. Pulling his wallet, he leafed through several bills and walked to a small concession to examine its wares. "And they call this food?" snagging a bag of chips and some apple juice, he went to find a place to sit. "Ready?" Rayne asked, heading toward Liz with a rice crispy treat. "Ready as I'll ever be." Listening intently, she tried to keep up, however as Rorik spotted them, her concentration broke. "Hey it's Liz...and..." looking at Rayne, he arched a brow. "Goth chick! How ya doing goth chick? What's this?" stuffing his face with potato chips, he went to grab the math book and turned it towards him. "Ugh...more numbers? Don't you people ever get tired of numbers?" "My name is not goth chick you loser," she said stiffly. "I'm helping her. Get lost. Don't you ever get tired of being annoying?" "Hey it's what I do." "Yes well you do a good job of it," Liz sighed. "Thanks. You know this food is disgusting," he continued, staring at his half empty apple juice. "Am I alone in that? This stuff is gross isn't it? I mean come on, where do they keep the good stuff?" "You're kind of looking at it Rorik," Mat called from across the table. "Not like you haven't been here longer than any of us. You should know this by now." "Well yeah but em..." he shook his head." They never update, it’s been the same old garbage for years. I swear they're trying to poison us." "Only you hopefully," Rayne tapped her pencil against her book. "Ah screw this. I'm going to get some real food. I'll catch you frogs’ later," he snickered, tossing the half-finished juice into the trash before wandering out of the room. Shaking her head, Liz returned to math. "He's so strange." "I swear he's a Martian."

"Sam sure think's so." "They're both wacko." It was about ten minutes later that a blood curdling scream sounded the halls, only to be drowned out by the fire alarm. Visibly cringing, Rayne's first instinct was to meet Leah’s gaze. "We need to go," Leah said anxiously. "No shit," Across the hall, the door to one of the stairwells opened and out walked Rorik. Somewhat un-affected by the noise, he was licking his fingers and laughing at the pandemonium. "What's he doing?" Leah asked. "Something's up. Go home," "Are you nuts? I'm coming with you," she said as they trailed him to the boy’s restroom. "What the hell is going on in there?" Opening it as they began to pound on the door, Rorik stepped out. The room beyond was vacant. "Erm...I think you ladies are a little lost." "We heard screaming," Rayne snapped. "We're going to call the cops," "Uh yeah the fire alarm is going off, it's a high school, screaming is inevitable. And I'm sure they're already on their way, as I'll be on mine." Grabbing his arm, Rayne's touch was like ice. "If you plan on being a freak, do it without getting noticed." As he turned, a wave of unbelievable nausea suddenly washed over her. "Excuse me?" Quickly letting go, her eyes flickered red. "You heard me," she snarled, sensing something wasn't right. Noticing her gaze, his own widened and he turned to run, although upon rounding the corner the fear on his face melted down to maniacal laugher. "Oh this is going to be fun." "Don't come back!" Rayne yelled as Leah took her arm. "Are you nuts?" "He's not right," she didn't know what to call him except unhealthily evil. "Can we go home?" "Sure," Leah figured the day was already half over anyway. "I thought you quit?" she asked as Rayne pulled a cigarette from her pocket. "I just started again." "We can't do anything Rayne, we have no proof." "Dammit it Leah I know a killer when I see one. Sam was right; this guy isn't the tweaker we met on day one." "We can always ask him about it?" Leah felt it prudent they do their research, especially considering they weren't exactly the girls next door either. Something new in town might result in trouble or worse, other people's attention. Meanwhile, making his way back to his house, which was roughly walking distance from the school, Rorik stopped in front of the door to check the number on the mailbox. "Well at least it's got an upstairs," he thought aloud as he stepped onto the porch and jimmied the lock. His parents weren't home, which was probably a good thing, seeing as he couldn’t really explain leaving school early. Pushing open the door, his eyes grew wide as a massive Rottweiler emerged from the kitchen, barring its teeth. "Oh shit..."

Closing the door behind him, there was a brief scuffle followed by a loud yip and then silence. Adjusting his sleeves Rorik wandered upstairs towards one of three rooms. "Gonna go with that one." he said as he approached the door with a skull shaped decal. Tearing it off he pushed it open and stepped into a bedroom covered in clothes and playboy posters. "Yesh...what a looser." walking to the blinds that fell above the bed, he drew them shut. Turning again, he snapped his fingers and the door swung closed on its own while the walls white washed from silver to a deep jet. Seeping into the sheets, they too became a staunch black and he sat down with a nod. "Better...but something's still missing. Oh yeah," reaching up, he snapped his fingers again, this time causing a single playing card to appear in his hand; the queen of spades. Throwing it to the floor, it produced a void of tar like energy from which a strange creature began to emerge. Covered in thick black skin, what came forth bore the skullish head of a goat, as well as cloven hind legs, and a pair of rat-like claws. Two coiled antennas bobbled along the back of its head, while a pair of glowing violet eyes narrowed in his direction. "Chill the fuck out Rose it’s me," he muttered, as the creature tilted its head. "Who the hell else would I be?" The response he got was something of a disgruntled, "Eepp." "Yeah of course it's a good point you idiot," he said as he began rummaging through the draws. "Not much of a crib but at least it's something? Kid's parent's aren't home yet so don't go downstairs." Catching his reflection in a dresser top mirror, he ran a hand through bleach blonde hair and sighed. "Why did it have to be blonde?" "Eepp." "Yeah it know it's gonna clash with my suit..." "Eepp." "No I can't dye it Rose, I already have one tweaker, maybe two, although that girl, Rayne was it?" he laughed as he pulled the hat back onto his head. "I don't think she's going to be a problem." Shuffling through the desk again, he started for the closet. "It's gotta be here somewhere, this kid was loaded Rose I'm telling ya." It was maybe an hour later that he came upon a small padlock box cleverly hidden beneath a loose floorboard. Unlocking it without much trouble, he laughed as he pulled the mother lode from inside. "Oooh my army’s complete again! Or at least it will be," raising a hand to the bag, a fog of black energy began to seep into its contents. "Once those drooling fools get a taste of this stuff," his amusement however was short lived at the sound of the door and the voice of an older woman that followed. "Rorik, you home honey? Come on downstairs we brought dinner." Dropping the bag, he kicked it back into the closet. "Dinner?" he said, running his tongue across his teeth. "I'd call it desert." By the time Rayne’s dinner was ready, Rorik’s was over. Walking back up the stairs, he opened the door and strutted in. "Man what a buffet." he said as he patted his stomach. "Three high schoolers, a dog, and two adults, I think it's naptime for Rorik?" Staring at him from the foot of the mattress, the dark little fiend squeaked. "The bodies? I left them in the kitchen, why?"

"Eepp." "They're too big for void space and besides, it's getting full already." "Eepp," this time it was a bit shriller. "Relax, I'll pick up some air fresheners or something. It's not like we're gonna have company, now would ya shut up?" rolling over, he pulled his hat passed his eyes and was out cold along with the sun as it faded into the distance. Hungrier than usual, Rayne wolfed down several plates of steak and potatoes while Leah watched with wary fascination. "So all do gooder planning aside, when should we throw a back to school party?" "A party?" Rayne gave her a look. "Yeah, I have one every year." Chatting her ear off well into the night, Leah eventually got tired and wandered to bed. When they woke up for school the next morning, they heard the news. Two children had gone missing after the fire drill, or rather, gone to school and never come home. Rayne, despite being the crankiest morning person ever, grew alert to the facts. Arriving extra early, curtsey of his dad, Sam set straight for the cafeteria where Mat was eating a bagel and cereal. "So did you hear?" he asked, plopping down beside him without bothering to toss his books. "Did I hear what?" "Two kids went missing last night. Freshman, right after the drill." "Oh Sam not this again." "It's Rorik dude I'm tellin' ya." Mat put down his bagel and gave his friend a look. "What were you saying about Rorik?" Leah asked as she and Rayne had overheard. "Oh, so now you're interested huh? Only took two people getting killed to get your attention." "Let's just say I've been persuaded. What'd you see?" "Hrphm," drawing a sharp breath, Sam began. "I told you, I went downstairs to get some stuff off Rorik. He usually haunts that particular stairwell. I heard him talking to someone I didn't recognize so I hung back, probably a good thing too, otherwise it mighta been me instead of him. Anyway, Rorik asked this guy what he wanted and then...he just..." it took him a moment to fit the words together. "He had him by his shirt and just like that, I don't know, it was like he absorbed him or something. Like some psycho version of the Mummy." "Oh please Sam," Mat threw up his hands and looked back at the girls. "Don't subject them to this. We all know that's just not possible." "It happened dude! I saw it with my own eyes. Someone or something killed Rorik Ivory and is running around wearing his face. I didn't stick by to watch, but I'll tell you one thing, whatever it is it ain't human. I ain't never seen teeth like that on anything short of a drill saw." "We heard screaming in the boy's bathroom," Leah's eyes were wide. "He was the only one in there. As far as we know..." "I told you, you didn't want to listen." "Sam your hysteria is spreading," Mat shook his head. "Look girls, don't feed into him, he's just tripping, this isn't news. About a year ago he told everybody one of the teachers was a werewolf and brought in sling shot to launch spoons at him." "I thought I told you never to bring that up!" "That’s irrelevant, this could be for real," Rayne said sternly.

"Don’t mind her she just likes her horror movies," Leah laughed. "Ugh...Rorik Ivory is not a demon," Mat groaned. "He's a drug addict. He peddles a lot more than just weed. That kid has some serious acid issues okay? That's why he acts like that. Half the time he's coaked out of his head. Sam here probably just bought the wrong stuff and got a little too wild with it. It happens, but creating this kind of hysteria, and targeting somebody like Rorik. Not a wise idea. He's in good with both the jocks and the gangs around here, and you don't want to have them on your bad side." "Oh please, this is high school," Leah rolled her eyes. "Rorik is just a dealer and one day someone else is going to replace him with better drugs." "Man whatever," Sam muttered. "You just can't accept the fact that there might actually be more out there than your own little existence. Either way, there is a library computer with my name on it. The more we know about this the better. If you wanna sit around and wait for him to come at you, go ahead. Screw first period, I'll catch you later." "I'll go with you," Rayne replied. "Tell them I went to the nurse's office," she said as she walked passed Leah to follow him. "You should really real her in before he does," Mat sighed. "I'm telling ya Leah, Sam is an addiction in and of itself." "I'm sure she’ll be fine, although he better be careful or he’ll wind up with a broken nose." "In all honesty, I'd give my last ten bucks for the week to see her do it."

Chapter 3.

Pushing open the library door, Sam snuck passed the librarian who usually checked ID’s. "Come on, this way," He motioned for Rayne to follow him toward a large cubical where several computers were stored. Pulling up a chair, he plugged in his username and waited for the net to load before beginning a search for any and all information regarding 'demonic possession' and 'shape shifting.' It only took three minutes for him to find an interesting article. "What you got there?" Rayne asked, noticing the title page and leaning in to read it. "Look at this." Sliding back in his chair, Sam pointed to the excerpt, which detailed different types of ‘supposedly documented’ demonic entities. Scrolling down a ways, the one in reference held a Latin title "Animavora" which was translated to the English term "Soul Eater." The text went on to describe a powerful being said to consume the energy of living things in order to consummate their life-force as well as appearance, thoughts and sometimes even emotions. "It says there are only six ever documented cases of this thing," Sam explained. "The first three were in Europe around the middle ages. Two of em were in the Middle East and that's subject to questioning, but this last one..." he pointed to the screen. "This happened about eighteen years ago in a small beach community in California." Detailed briefly, the page spoke of a small time cult, which had garnished a reputation out west. Apparently, there had been rumors that a woman with ties to said cult had at one point suffered from demonic possession before expiring after childbirth. "Out of all the places, why would a soul eater choose Greenville?" Rayne asked. "I don't know..." Sam shook his head. "Hey listen to this, about a year ago it say's sixteen people involved in that cult were killed under mysterious circumstances, and four of the local children went missing. It's got pictures!" he went to click on the link and suddenly the screen went black. "What the...what the fuck! Oh you've got to be kidding!" "This is going to be a problem," Rayne said, as power was lost to the entire school. "Yeah no shit," Sam smacked the screen. "How are we supposed to fight a demon anyway? I don't know about you, but I'm a little short up on holy water." "Salt can keep some things away, and mountain ash generally offers protection from anything supernatural." "I guess but...wait a second," turning to look at her, he arched a brow. "How the hell do you know all this anyway?" "It might come as a foreign concept to you, but I read books." "Yeah well this ain't no book honey. That thing is for real. For all we know we could have Satan wandering the halls of Greenville high...Christ...what’s next Vampires?" Rayne tried not to laugh. "Vampires?" she chuckled. "How could they go to school in sunlight?" "It's a moot point, come on, we gotta warn the others." Getting up, Sam turned to leave in the direction of the gym, which just so happened to be where Rorik was also headed. Liz had already taken her seat on the bleachers while the coaches began to divvy the roster. Noticing her from across the way, it wasn't long before he appeared beside her. "Heeey Liz, how ya been?" he mused. "Good I guess. It's really dark in here."

"Yeah I think a car mighta hit a poll or something. Stupid transformers." Talking to some of her teammates about the party she was planning, Leah paused upon seeing the two of them and excused herself. "Hey Liz?" she asked with a smile. "I'm having a party this weekend and since your friends with Rayne, do you wanna come?" "Sure, I'd love to." "Goth chick’s having a party?" "Her name is Rayne," Leah snapped. "And I'm the one having the party." "Yeah, yeah, sleet, hail, snow whatever. What's the occasion?" "Where have you been?" she regarded him oddly. "I always have a party at the beginning of school." "Um...preoccupied, and you know I never get invited to those kinds of things." "Awe...poor Rorik," Liz teased. "Hey I'm serious," he said before Sam and Rayne came running into the gym. "Oooh great, here comes trouble." Rorik looked up again as the coach rose from his seat to announce they would be moving outside. "We're going to take this to the fields today so get your stuff. You have a choice between baseball, tennis or soccer. Coach Ryme is already at the courts with the equipment so you can walk over there. If you're interested in baseball, you’ll be with coach Haine, and if you play soccer, you’re with me." Grumbling to himself, Sam shot a look in Rorik's direction before slipping up the bleachers and plopping down next to Mat. "I guess it's a given I'm up for baseball," he sighed, while Liz slipped her things into her backpack. "I'm going to go out for tennis. I'm not much for sports." Pursing his lips, Rorik thought for a second before his eyes gradually began to narrow in Leah's direction. "Soccer sounds fun." "Please, you'll trip over yourself," she said as she got up. "That’s what you think freckles." Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he followed them toward the field while Sam and Mat started for the baseball pit and Liz ran off in the direction of tennis. "Prove me wrong, stoner," Leah laughed. "Is that a challenge?" Rorik took his position beside the coach who pulled a bright green soccer ball from a white mesh bag. "You better be careful," Rayne said to Leah, referencing the look he'd given her. "Please, what's he going to do? Trip me?" Snickering as he inevitably wound up on the opposing team, Rorik made his way center field. Grabbing the kid who was already in the faceoff circle, he threw him over and stepped up to give Leah a competitive grin. "I want a clean game you two," the coach said before tossing the ball. Loosening her shoulders, at the sound of the whistle Leah leapt forward. Rorik was a blur. Hooking one of his sneakers around the side of her leg, he tried to yank her footing out from under her. Surprised by his sudden skills, she tripped and turned to run after him. Rayne in the meantime had been appointed goalie and knew that if she let him score, Leah would kill her. Noticing her positioned, Rorik stopped. Rolling the ball forward he slid his gaze back

toward Leah. Waiting for her as if in taunt, he steadied his footing and held his position. When she approached, he hooked his shoe to her ankle again, and spun over her as he sent the ball flying toward Rayne. Scraping her knees against the grass, Leah was stunned. She got up just in time to see Rayne catch the shot. "Pfth, lucky break," he muttered, passing Leah with a snicker. "Have a nice trip? I hear you get a good view of the rest of the dirt from down there?" "Cheater, you wouldn't have scored if you weren't playing dirty." "You wanna play dirty? I believe that can be arranged." "Not if you don't want to end up in the nurse's office," she warned. "Oh no honey...the only one who’s going to wind up there today..." Rorik snapped his fingers and the rest of his teammates went ridged. "Is you!" he said as the six other kids on his team suddenly raced forward in orchestrated succession. Running as fast as she could, Leah let her own teammates keep defense. Rorik knew he wasn't going to make it in time and instead, his eyes narrowed toward the goalie. Meeting his gaze, the boy’s attention snapped and in one great leap that seemed slightly out of place, he jumped for the ball. Catching it with his face, he fell to his knees and it bounced back into the field while Rorik saluted Leah with his middle finger and delivered a single powerhouse kick. Flying straight toward Rayne, the ball pulsed for a split second with what was unarguably a fume of black fog. "Sam the ball!" the coach called out as Sam's jaw dropped. He had been so previously engaged he'd completely forgotten to swing and a second later was lying in the dirt with a splitting headache. Back on the field, Rayne had caught the projectile, although it had thrown her. Surprised she'd actually done so, Rorik’s eyes widened, though at the sound of the bell his attention broke and the ball returned to normal, as did the confused expressions of the other students on his team. "That was really stupid..." he said to Rayne who felt a wave of nauseous as she got up. "You were NOT supposed to catch that. Chocolate and water...lots of it...before she pukes her guts." Too ill to tell him off, both girls hustled to the locker room where Leah held the water fountain to keep Rayne from making a mess of herself. "I think they packed a Hershey bar for me today," she said apologetically. Walking in to reclaim her things, Liz stopped as she noticed the ill look spread across Rayne's face. "Oooh you don't look so good. You should really go to the nurse," she said. "I'm fine." "I think you should still go, just to be on the safe side. I can pick up the math work for you if you want?" Glancing up at her, Rayne struggled not to be rude. "Sure," she said as she ripped open the chocolate bar, despite having no desire to eat it. "I'll take her," Leah offered. "If you could get her math work, that'd be great." With a spry nod, Liz hurried off while the bell blared in the distance and the halls began to flood. "Come on, she'll give you something for the nausea."

"I'm going to kill him," Rayne groaned. Of course the nurse's station already had a bit more on their hands than they could handle. "Sam, Sam, can you hear me?" Shaking him frantically, the coach looked worried, although as Sam opened his eyes, such worry melted to aggravation. "What the hell is wrong with you boy? You're supposed to hit the ball not wear it. And how many times do I have to tell you about that hat?" Reaching down he plucked it from Sam's head and turned to address the nurse. "Keep him here till he's coherent, then send that bum to class." Giving a slight nod, she slapped an ice pack across Sam's face, causing him to wince; although he still managed to sport a special finger in the coach’s direction. "Man, your dad is an asshole," Mat said as he took a seat. Shaking his head, Sam let it go and leaned back while a large red welt began to form across his face. "So why didn't you swing?" Opening his eyes, his gaze slid over. "Rorik." "Oh here we go." "You didn't see it!? Come on Mat! Tell me you saw what he did out there?!" "I'm sorry Sam. I was busy minding my own business." "Ugh...dude... it was insane, I'm telling ya there's no way." "Uh huh..." "I'm serious! I went to the library and I did some research." "Sam...please." "Just humor me would ya?" Mat crossed his arms and listened as Sam began to explain what he and Rayne had found. "So you're telling me you think Rorik’s a Soul Eater?" "After what I've seen, I'm willing to believe it. There was this article. It talked about a cult where some woman died of possession about eighteen years back. Then last year, sixteen members of that same cult all died under mysterious circumstance and four kids went missing; kinda like what's going on here." "Don't you think that's a bit of a stretch? I mean eighteen years? And what even makes you think it's even the same thing?" "It was the same cult dude. It has to be." "Then how do you account for the eighteen year gap?" Sam paused while Mat continued. "If the woman died, then shouldn't that have been the end of it? Demon's don’t just spawn, they need a host right? If she kicked the bucket, then where the hell was this thing for eighteen years? And how did it get to New York?" Unfortunately Sam couldn't answer that, although taking notice of Rayne as she walked in, a thin smile crossed his face. "I don't know, but she might."

Chapter 4.

"What happened to you?" Leah asked. "Five letters, one word, starts with an R." Mat shook his head. "He still think's Rorik is some kind of monster." "I don't need to think it man. Mat here didn't see what that SOB did on the soccer field...But as you can see," he pointed toward the ice pack. "I happened to catch it." "Rorik is a dead man." "Yeah well you better be packing some serious demon be gone in that breezier of yours," Sam groaned. "You saw what he did on the field...not to mention the power outage." "Oh please Sam, how could Rorik be responsible for the power outage?" "I don't fucking know, but I saw that little creep shit walking away from the library with a nice convenient smirk on his face. There were pictures of those missing kids Mat. I went to click on them and the power went down...tell me it's a coincidence?" "It's a coincidence." Taking a cup of water from the nurse, Leah held it to Rayne who was now lying across several seats. "I think Sam’s right. Rayne never gets sick, ever, and Rorik has never been that good of a soccer player." Mat crossed his arms although he seemed intrigued. "Okay, so devil's advocate, if Rorik is some kind of monster, where did he come from? I've known him since grade school and he sure as hell wasn't sucking people's souls back then." "Two things," Sam shook his head. "One, I just explained it to you, and two, if you ever use that many puns in one sentence again I'm going to drop kick you. We gotta do something yo, but it's too risky to start anything here. Besides, we don't even know what we're up against. The power is still out so we're kinda screwed till we get home, but it's Friday, so that gives us a full two days to gear up. Also, nobody should go anywhere alone." Mat's palm met with his face. "Would you please calm down?" "First off," Leah held up a finger. "We have a party to host Saturday night. He's not invited but I guess we can suffer you two?" she sighed. "Just come over after school and we'll talk about this..." "Party?" Sam's expression lit up. "You guys gonna get a keg?" "We have more than just a keg," Leah laughed. "Dude..." "Oh now you've done it...curse of the one track mind. We'll be there," Mat sighed. "You don't even go to parties," Sam looked back at him. "Yeah but if you're going you’re going to need someone to keep you in line. What's the address? Best give it to me, because if you give it him we'll be lucky if we don't end up in Vegas." "Just meet up with us after school." "Yeah sure," Sam muttered. "I'll just skip detention again, not like I'm not packing a month of that as it is." As the bell went off, Rorik happened to be making his way to the cafe. Stuffing a bag of black dust into his pocket, he had a wide smirk on his face and several hundreds in his wallet. Already sitting at the lunch table, Liz was busy skimming her math notes when Sam and Mat walked in. Across the room, a large boy with a backward baseball cap and a plaid shirt noticed her and strolled over.

"Hey guys, get a load of this," he said to his friends as he reached up to adjust his hat. "Hey there, whatcha doing?" "Roger how many times do you I have to tell you to leave me alone?" "Awe come on, you know you like it," he mused as he began to play with her ponytail. "Get off of me!" she snapped. Reaching for her, he pushed her into her seat and picked up one of her books. "Oooh math huh? You bad at math? You need a tutor? What are you stupid or something?" "Roger stop, leave me alone!" Catching the scene from across the way, Rorik suddenly stopped. Leaving the line, he brought his knuckles to his palm and cracked them in sequence. "Hey, asshole. What do you think you're doing?" Looking up, Roger put the book down and turned. "Pfth get lost you little shit, can't you see I'm busy?" "All I see is a gigantic douche picking on a girl. You know if you're going to be an asshole you shouldn't discriminate, that's just cowardly. You wanna play the game you gotta play fair. Take it from me pall, I know, I'm the biggest asshole there is, which is why people like you make me sick. You give us all a bad rep and that's something I don't tolerate, so why don't you lay off and go pick on somebody your own size like, I don't know...Bigfoot?" Roger suddenly threw a punch, which Rorik easily sidestepped. "Oooh too slow...try again." He did and was once again avoided. "My mistake, maybe Bigfoot was the wrong choice of words, how about great lumbering retard?" Rorik snickered before reaching out to grab a soda as well as Liz's orange juice. "Hey..." "I'm borrowing this, you'll thank me later." Uncapping the drink, he shook the juice carton and stepped back. "You like being a douche bag? Well Mr. Douche bag, I hate to break it to you, but now that I'm around there is only room for one of us, and you don't have what it takes. Here, I'm gonna teach ya a little thing about science. Orange juice," he held it up. "High PH value. Soda," he held that up as well. "Carbonated. You know what happens when you mix them together?" Doing just that, as Roger lunged for him Rorik threw the concoction into his face. "You get acid!" The moment the juice touched his skin, he let out a whooping howl and dropped to his knees. "Oooh what's wrong, you don't like that do you?" Rorik taunted. "Well guess what ya moron, it's just orange juice. Wow...way to be a loser." Pulling his hands from his face, Roger was pale as a ghost and dripping with soda, although other than a reddened complexion was completely unharmed. Watching from across the room Sam slowly began to reach for Mat's soda. Taking note of this he quickly removed it from his path. "I don't think so." "How did you...do that?" Liz asked while Rorik stood smirking. "Oh it's simply really, all you need is some juice, some soda and one idiot." "That kid has been picking on me since grade school." "Yeah well I have a feeling the only thing he's gonna be picking today is the shit out of his pants. Catch ya later."

"He must like her," Leah surmised as she noticed their interaction. She wasn't sure why Rorik would be interested in someone like Liz, although she figured it was only natural for him to be protective over someone who could otherwise become his next meal. Rayne still didn't feel any better, and the smell of food wasn’t helping. Noticing her, Rorik suddenly stopped and threw a nod in the direction of the lunch matron. "Hey, you got any chocolate ice cream?" he asked. "We have soft serve." "Good, I want ten bucks worth." Slapping a bill across the table, he watched as the woman filled an enormous bowl. "I'll give you twenty bucks if you bring this to goth chick over there and tell her she's an idiot for catching that ball," he said to a girl standing beside him who took the offer and did just that. Looking up as she was addressed, Rayne gaze narrowed. "Wow... That's a huge pile of ice cream," Liz said as she gathered her book to leave. "You must be feeling better?" "Rorik bought it for her," Leah chimed in. "He's been acting really strange," she giggled. "But I think I like it." Back in the lobby, Rorik pulled his schedule from his pocket and eyed it intently. "Latin? Really?" Sure enough, Greenville was one of the last remaining schools in the states that still offered the dead language. Shrugging his shoulders, he stuffed his hands into his pockets and started for the class. Being the first to arrive, he snuck his way to the board and picked up a piece of chalk. "Let's see em translate this." Scribbling something out before taking his seat, what he had written translated to, "If you can read this then it's time to go fuck yourself." "What are you doing?" Leah was second to arrive. "Since when do you know Latin?" "Since when do you care?" "Since you can barely spell your own name," she answered tartly. "Yeah well guess who’s gonna be blamed for it...nooot me." "You're so immature." "Nobody's perfect," he shrugged as the teacher walked in. "Who wrote that?" Immediately Rorik's finger went toward Leah. "Rorik," she didn't need to look back at him to know what he was doing. "He googled it, as he was just telling me." "That's impossible Leah," the man shook his head. "That form of Latin hasn't been used since the dark ages." "I don't know what it says. It was just like that when I came in." "Well that's probably for the best," he sighed and turned to erase it as the door opened and Liz ran in. "Sorry I'm late." she gasped, inadvertently taking a seat directly between Rorik and Leah. "Well hey...long time no see. I didn't know you took Latin?" "Hi Rorik, yeah I needed a language and German was full." “Pfth who needs to learn that crap, Latin's better anyway." "Yeah well it's also hard," she muttered, turning open her book. "I could teach ya a few things, if you're interested?" "Oh how cute Liz, he's trying to flirt with you."

"Excuse me?" Rorik arched a brow. "Oh that's okay. He did a pretty good job of that in the lunch room?" she said as he stared at her. "Oh my god I'm so totally joking." she laughed although his expression didn't change. "Rayne's already helping me with my math but if you'd like to help with Latin I'm free next period. Erm Rorik...hello, earth to Rorik." Waving a hand in front of his face, she caught his attention and he shook his head. "Huh?" "Next period?" "What?" "Latin?" "Oh...oh yeah, yeah sure." "What did you go back to demon realm?" Leah noticed how distant he seemed. "Huh? No, I just go there on Sundays," he rolled his eyes. "Please...when are you people going to stop listening to that Haine loser? He's, what's the word...crazy?" "More like psychotic." Liz grumbled. "Who said I was listening to Sam?" Leah asked. "Oh so you're admitting you’re certifiable too? Should we put in an order for your happy sticker then?" "It was a joke and I don't qualify for the insanity plea," she said as she brushed a strand of auburn hair from her eyes. "Yeah okay sure whatever you say Miss Captain of the soccer team." "Something wrong with that, drug dealer?" "Nope...I’m just saying, mighty curious how well you played today. You sure you're not on steroids? Hell, sure you don't want some?" he grinned. "I got some stuff that'll really put a jump in your step if you think you can handle it." "Rorik!" Liz snapped. "I'm kidding relax." "Yeah you better be," she muttered. "I do think it's kind of odd how you suddenly developed soccer skills, now that you mention it." Leah said calmly. "And I'll pass on the steroids but why don't you go overdose for me instead?" "Is that a challenge?" "Only if you think so," "Honey you just wait and see." Rorik got up to hand in his work as the bell rang. "Come on Liz, let's get out of here before we catch a disease from that broad." "Sorry Leah, I guess some things never change?" "The only one with a disease here is you," she said as she stuffed her notes into her binder. "Don't be sorry Liz, but some advice...he's bad news." Taking what she said in stride, Liz walked after Rorik who started back toward the café, while Mat had a natural science class and Sam was once again haunting the stairwells along with a boy who didn't look quite so well as he took a puff off a rather blackened roach. "I'm telling you, no one picks up archaic Latin in one day," Leah said to Rayne. "It's a cult specialty, maybe Sam is right?" "He most likely is," she said as they had chemistry together. "But what are his motives? I mean, he kills three people, buys me ice cream then defends and maybe even likes some girl?"

"We haven't formulated theories yet. I'm just saying I don't like him." Meanwhile, Rorik had spent almost all period trying to teach Liz an abridged version of the Latin alphabet. By the time it came to an end she was making a little headway and eventually stopped to put her pen down. "Something wrong?" She shook her head. "No...I just...well I wanted to thank you for standing up for me. Nobody's ever done that before." "Oh...erm yeah well don't get used to it, I have a reputation to keep. Can't be nice all the time." Chuckling to herself, she folded her notes. "You're so weird." "It's a living. Say, you doing anything this weekend? You know if you need more torturing?" "Oh...well actually I was going to go to Rayne's party." "Oh yeeeah Goth chick," he mused. "That's tomorrow?" "I think so, yeah tomorrow night." "Riiight... What about Sunday?" "I can't Sunday. I've got mass." It was suddenly as if someone had shattered the record inside Rorik's brain. "What? Whoa back up, you go to church?" "Yeah," she laughed. "Not all the time but every now and again." "Well...can’t you cut?" Liz shook her head. "My parents would kill me. But if you want you can come with?" The look he gave her was one of sheer disgust, although it made her laugh as well. "You know I just remembered...I have something doing on Sunday too. Yeah pretty sure I'm all booked." "Oh my god Rorik it's not like you're going to combust." "Uh yeah...on that note I'll catch you later." Staring out of the cafeteria, he made his way to the stairwell while Sam had begun edging away from the junkie beside him. "Fuck I'm out..." The boy stammered. "I gotta get more. You got anymore?" he asked with one golden eye and blackened hair that caused Sam's smoke to drop from his lips. Cursing beneath his breath, the stoner took off for Rorik’s stairwell and dropped to his knees upon reaching him. "Dude I need more!" "Holy shit...how much did you take?" "Uh...all of it." "In one shot?" "Yeah..." "Pfth what a lightweight...well it’s your lucky day kid." Reaching out, he placed a hand on the boy's forehead. "I guess that makes you minion number one?" "What?" Suddenly several tendrils erupted from the back of Rorik's palm. Imbedding themselves into the boy's skin, they pumped him full of blackened energy. Letting go a moment later, he watched as the kid began to convulse, transforming into a horrible tar like creature similar to the one in his bedroom. Snapping his fingers, a void opened beneath it and with a frightened Eepp, it was sucked down into oblivion. "Why's he running?" Leah asked as she noticed Sam bolt from the stairwell. Racing toward Mat who was walking from his class, he almost knocked him over.

"Oh my god dude, you're never going to believe what I just..." "No Sam I'm probably not." Ignoring him Sam continued anyway. "I was downstairs with Tommy the tweaker and he was really packing, I mean the kid went through six joints in twenty minutes...and then...he turned into a fucking creature. Straight up yo, claws and everything. Ten thousand bucks says he got that shit off Rorik. He laced those things with some kind of satanic crap...man I hope to high shit I didn't get any of that stuff. If I turn into something like that." he shook his head. "I think I just quit smoking." "Who are you?" Mat's expression was one of shock as Sam actually turned out his pockets and threw the weed into a trash bin. Meanwhile, as the busses pulled up in front of the school Rorik made his way home. Throwing his bag down in the hallway, he kicked the door closed. "Hey Rose, I'm back!" he called upstairs to the horrible little fiend, which was currently curled up at the foot of his bed. Raising its skull, it ogled at him with large violet eyes as he walked into the room with a grin. "One down, couple hundred more to go," he said with a smile, plopping onto the mattress, which reacted like a waterbed thanks to the darkness that seeped into it. "Eepp." Placing his hands behind his head, Rorik nodded. "Yeah I'm in a good mood. It’s been a productive day." "Eepp." "Well let's see, I beat those two goth chick brats, established a reputation that’s gonna keep those losers so tweaked they won't ever touch me, scared the shit out of half the lunch room...oh and I think I even made a friend." The tiny creature's head rose a bit more. "Yeah, Liz..." he mused. "Man is she hot..." "EEPP?" "Relax Rose, I think she's going to be someone I can really...sink my teeth into." Giving the creature a grin, his lips peeled back to reveal thousands of needle pointed teeth, and he laughed.

Chapter 5.

Agreeing to discuss the topic in more detail, Sam and Mat joined up with the girls shortly after. Leading them down the street, Leah's house was at a dead end. Drawing forth a chain filled with keys, she used at least three to unlock her door. "Come on, don't be too loud," she said as she walked inside. Decorated with antique furnishings, the house revealed her heritage. There was a rug on the dark wooden floors that bore Celtic patterns, and a tapestry hanging from the banister with a coat of arms, Irish in nature. "Wow..." Sam stammered. "You better watch out Mat, this place is even more well-kept than yours. Looks like you're going to have some completion there, aye nature boy?" "Shut up Sam, there's nothing wrong with good taste. It's not our fault you simply don't have any." "You should see her room," Rayne smiled. "That's where we're going." Leah headed for the stairs. Her room was painted over lavender. The whole place smelt of clovers and there were several pressed flowers that hung from the walls, as well as a hand-woven tapestry that bore the likeness of a Celtic mythology figure. "Don't get anything dirty," she warned as she began to skim her bookcase. "That place is amazing, who’s your decorator?" Mat asked. "Who cares," Sam replied. "As long as there's food. So, I guess we should get down to business then?" "By business you mean determining if Rorik is a hell spawn?" "No," Sam shook his head. "I think that's already been determined. By business I mean deciding what to do about it." "We have to figure out his reasoning," Leah replied. "He bought me ice cream because he felt bad about nearly taking my head off with a ball," Rayne spoke up. "And we can all agree he has some kind of attraction toward Liz. What kind of soul eater does that?" "You sure he's not just kissing your ass?" Sam let the subject drop in favor of discussing Liz. "That's an easy one, the kind who wants to eat her." "I'll admit that was a little strange," Mat pursed his lips. "But I'm still hung up on this soul eater business. Sam said this whole thing started in California, but the woman died. If a demon possesses someone and they die, where did it go for eighteen years and why did it resurface in New York?" Rayne stared at the ceiling and repeated his words in her head. "She was pregnant right? That woman who died?" "You think the child..." Mat trailed. "It's possible the demon used her as its incubator. If it needed a body, it could've just waited to be born and then...taken over. That would explain the eighteen year gap." "Is there anything written about it online? Names anything?" Sam shook his head. "All it says about this kid is that he was a boy and was...lost track of?" he scrolled down again on Leah’s computer to click on the link to the pictures. Unfortunately, as he did, a command prompt appeared asking for user name and password. "Please tell me you know how to hack," she groaned. "Sorry...I’m no computer geek."

"Well let's say it was a kid right?" Rayne leaned against the pillow. "He's angry at the cult because they probably tried to use him for their own purposes. I'd be angry too and as soon as I was old enough, I'd get back at them. There's motive right there, although I am lost as to why it would end up here." "And why a high school of all places? An arch demon is taking up residence as a drug dealer at Greenville high?" Mat crossed his arms. "Not buying it. Any luck with those pictures?" "They're all blocked but there is this," Sam pointed to an old article that described several of the happenings in California a year prior. The group was called the cult of Dimensia and the article went on to say that nearly all of its members had been found dead in the woods. The coroner’s report detailed it as if something had simply drained the life right out of them. The cult leader had survived although refused to give up any information on the whereabouts of the three town's children as well as his own son who had all gone missing and had been since the incident. "Well what do demons want?" Leah took a seat on the bed while Rayne pursed her lips. "Wouldn't it be more convenient for them to-I don't know, have people who are willing to serve them?" Slamming his fist against his palm, Sam turned. "The drugs...he's building a slave army! That little shit, he took Rorik so he could peddle drugs and turn kids into whatever the fuck he turned Tommy into. We gotta do something. No wonder he picked Greenville, give it two weeks and this whole place will be crawling with monsters." "Okay second important question," Mat lifted a finger. "If this is for real, then how are we supposed to stop him? I don't know about you guys, but I'm no Van Helsing and although Sam here might think he's Peter Vincent," he shook his head. "We're not demon hunters." "Hold on there Shaggy and Scooby," Leah laughed. "We can't just rush into this." "We can throw mountain ash all over the school...or maybe get rid of his stash?" Rayne suggested. "Are you kidding, that's a fucking demon!" Sam exclaimed. "We gotta be smart about this. Anybody got some holy water? Garlic? Silver bullets?" "Sam that's just movies," Mat sighed. "Does this look like a movie to you?" he pointed back at the screen "This is the real thing man." "If you're going by fiction, why not try crystals?" "Say what?" "Well unlike you, I actually do the summer reading, and for science class we had to read a book on rocks and minerals. It was interesting so I did some research on my own, and some of the more...fanciful writings spoke about using crystals for protection." "He's also in a human body," Rayne scowled. "If we spread ash in the stairwells he'll have nowhere to deal and if we get rid of his stash that takes out his main resource." "What kind of crystals?" Leah asked Mat. "Jet's the best. If you have an apache tear you could also use that, but you can't put apache with any other crystal because it'll drain it, kind of like Rorik," he chuckled. "If you have some sodilite that might work too?" "Yeah whatever rock head," Sam muttered. "I'm with Rayne. I don't know from mountain ash but getting rid of his supply sounds like a good idea to me." "And how are you going to do that?" Mat countered. "He probably keeps it on him." "Not while he's asleep." "However, breaking into his house is illegal and facing a demon on his own turf is

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 28 probably...a bad idea," Leah replied. "Where the hell are we supposed to find crystals?" Rayne interrupted. "Any mineral store should have them. You can also order them online, but that might take time." "Yeah time we don't have," Sam muttered. "What the hell else are we supposed to do? While were sitting here with our thumbs up our asses, Rorik’s gonna be out there stuffing his face with high school junkies." "You break into his house alone, see how long you last. Where's the mineral store?" "There's one a few blocks from Braum Park." Mat ignored the look Sam gave Rayne. "It's not open this late but it should be open Monday." "Great, and what are we supposed to do till then?" Sam grumbled. "I don't know, buy a crucifix. Call me old fashion but I'm the kind of person who likes to lean toward science before supernatural." "Yeah well maybe you should be the one to keep an eye open buddy. You ever actually watch a horror movie? Generally speaking the skeptic dies first." "Do you guys live close to each other?" Leah asked. "I mean...let's just say this is real...he's going to know. He's a demon. He'll wait to get you alone." "I'll walk Sam home," Mat offered. "Yeah, and what about you?" "I don't believe remember, why would he take me out? I'm not a threat." "But you're Sam's friend," Rayne said. "Why don't you just stay over his house?" Leah suggested. "Yeah dude seriously, just chill for the night. My dad won't ask questions, he's gonna rail on me about skipping detention anyway." "Yeah alright, goodnight girls, oh, and what time is that party of yours tomorrow?" Mat asked as they headed for the door. "Seven, but if you want to be useful show up around six so we can plan a bit more." "Alright we'll see you then, as long as this jerk doesn't sleep till Sunday." "Poor Mat, oblivious to the world around him," Rayne said as the boys left. "Weird how the stoner is more open minded." "Yeah well, maybe the acid gods decided he should know?" Leah sighed as her friend headed downstairs to grab a soda and maybe a smoke. Meanwhile, making his way back from the liquor store, Rorik had several cases under his arm, and a beer in his hand. How he’d gotten them remained a mystery although he’d decided to take the long way home and inadvertently passed straight in front of Leah’s. Sitting on the porch steps, Rayne gaze narrowed as she spotted him. Staggering along, the alcohol hit her potently and it was obvious he was drunk. As he turned the corner she took a running leap off the porch and trialed him; grinning as he wandered into the house and she realizing he hadn't turned the lock. The overpowering stench of rotting flesh and pine sole filled the air from a box of tree shaped air fresheners that sat beside the kitchen door. Thankfully, the nauseating smell was contained and didn't travel too far up the stairs. Covering her nose, the sound the floorboards made as she crept across them was almost unheard; however, Rorik’s minion happened to notice and jumped onto the bed. "Rose shut up," he paid her no mind until she began to nip at his ankles. "I said knock it off..." launching a kick in the creature's direction it flew across the room

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 29 and landed in a pile of dirty laundry where it remained. Freezing at the top of the steps, Rayne drew a deep breath and gently twisted the doorknob. Festering with black energy, the room was covered in it, as were the sheets, which Rorik was currently tangled in. Having gone to sleep in his clothes he laid there drooling while she tried to locate the drugs and realized that in a drunken stupor he hadn't removed them from his back pocket. Gently leaning over him, she lowered her hands and from the tips of her fingers shot tiny strands of black energy. As fine as spider's silk, they moved to retrieve the loot at her bidding. "I don't wanna ride the pony," Rorik shifted out of reach. Torn between laughing and crying, Rayne made a fist. Slipping from his pocket, this time without hassle, she was able to attain both bags although the moment she turned to leave, the door suddenly slammed shut. "Nice try," a voice called from behind. "How about you put those down and I'll consider letting you walk out of here in one piece?" Rayne's expression suddenly fell. "I don't know why you've come here demon...but this is our territory. Go find another place to gather an army," she said as she glanced over her shoulder. "Is that what this is about? Territory?" Rorik sat up and crossed his arms. "You know, ugh Goth chick," he said with a yawn. "You're either really young, or really stupid. I'm still trying to make up my mind, but a threat..." he shook his head. "The first rule of blending in...never reveal yourself to an adversary you know nothing about." he motioned toward his eyes in gesture as to what she had done a few days prior. "You dropped the ball on that one honey. Nobody worth their own salt would be that stupid. Lucky for you, I'm not actually looking for a fight." "You don't know anything soul eater." Rayne’s eyes were suddenly the color of blood. "I don't know why you're picking on high schoolers, but no one here is going to let you get away with it." "Pfth and by no one you mean you, Sam Haine, that douche bag Cunningham and your soccer friend?" he laughed. "Please, you’re children, and would you quit it with that whole eye thing? You look like one of those stupid Halloween animatronics." "I can't help it, asshole." "Look, Rayne was it? I'm not here to infringe on whatever it is you and your coven...I guess, are doing? Yeah sure I got an agenda, who doesn't? But it's not that big a thing really. Besides, I never stay in one place too long. Two, three weeks, a month tops. You know, you and I aren't that far off. I don't know why you would side with a bunch of kids on this, but I'll tell you what, you stay outta my way I'll leave you and your stupid brats alone, how's that?" "And Liz?" Rayne looked revolted by the idea. "What are you trying to do? Take over the world? You think you can just eat souls and expect people to forget about it?" "Liz is not your concern, and as far as this whole demon business goes, I haven't admitted to any of that. I will tell you that world domination, although it sounds great is not on my current to do list. However, as far as this little...vendetta ...can we call it that?" he didn't wait for a response. "You’ve already lost. See I'll admit, I wasn't quite sure what you were, but now...You’re royally screwed, congratulations. All you know about me is hearsay from Haine and the little bit of what you've actually seen, or think you've seen. You're chasing a cold dog but that's your issue. I will tell you this, you got one face kiddo, that's it, just one. If I tip them off, do you really think your little high school friends, who you’re so adamant about defending, are going to be quite as sympathetic? I'm thinking...not. Lucky for you I'm in a good mood tonight so

I'm willing to overlook a few...transgressions," he motioned toward the pot in her hands. "But do keep in mind that none of you actually know who or what I am, which means all the cards..." a flash of darkness wisped through his fingers summoning four aces, one of each suit, "are mine." "Who’s going to believe a drug pusher like you?" Rayne smirked. "Besides, you're a demon. You killed the cult that spawned you. We know a lot more than you think Rorik...and what's going to happen when the police get a phone call about the smell of dead bodies coming from this house?" "Go ahead call the cops. You can be the one to explain to their families why they never came home. You really want to start a war with me? You can browse the net all you like. I already made sure you can't find anything that would jeopardize what I got going here. As far as I'm concerned you’re just a punk kid who’s in waaay too deep over her head. But you do have one thing right," he admitted as the cards vanished from his hand. "I'm not just some run of the mill yahoo. I'm the big league babes." "I'm not afraid of you, soul eater or not. You could be a part of the demon dream team and I wouldn't care. Why does a high school matter to you? Liz isn't important, she's just a little girl. She's never done anything wrong to anyone." "Well sure she hasn’t," he shrugged. "But cows and chickens never did anything wrong either yet I don’t see McDonalds going out of business any time soon. As far as the high school goes, I’m taking care of your addict problem, you should be thanking me. Beside, like I said, I never stay in one place too long, a couple weeks I’ll be gone and you can go back to living your lie. But until then, you should really drop this holier than thou attitude. Now I’m going to continue my business as I see fit and you can contend to your own, but I will warn you, pull some half-baked shit like this again," he motioned toward the drugs. "And I’ll give you some scars you can’t remove." Rayne felt a surge of hate. She didn't like the thought of bowing to his requests but he’d left her little choice in the matter. If he was a soul eater, the last thing she needed was to put Leah or her parents in danger. Dropping the bags to the floor, she crossed her arms. "That's a good girl," he said with a malevolent grin. "Don't let the door hit you on the way out." He waved two fingers and a second later, a void of black energy dropped her straight through onto the pavement as the door slammed shut a few feet behind. Hitting her knees, Rayne got up and stormed down the street, once she had vanished Rorik threw a glare in the direction of the clothes pile. "Nice going Rose, some attack dog you are. You just let her walk in?" "Eepp!" "Well ya coulda woken me up." It gave him a flat look. "Ugh yeah whatever, it's always gotta be my fault right?" shaking his head he went to lay back down. "Don't worry about it, dumb broad thinks I'm a demon. If we're lucky this will work out in our favor." By the time the sun rose the next morning, Mat was busy poking around on the computer while Sam slept until noon, "Come on Sam we're going to be late," he said as he whacked him with a pillow. "This was your idea, we have to get over to Leah's house before the party if you want to talk to them about your stupid little drug dream." Waking up around the same time, Rayne preferred to sleep in and when she got

downstairs, she found Leah with a hearty plate of bacon and eggs. Evidently, it was about ten minutes later that Sam and Mat showed up. Still rather groggy, Sam fiddled with his lighter while Mat rang the doorbell. "Late much?" Leah offered a smile. Wearing jean shorts and an ivory shirt made of lace, her bellybutton ring was clearly visible. "Sam decided it was a good idea to sleep in," Mat nudged him about the lighter, which he flicked off and slid under the brim of his hat. "We've had some interesting developments," she said. "I hope they involve getting shit faced," Sam grumbled. "I could really use a drink." "Yeah well you're going to want a drink after this," Leah admitted while Rayne looked up from a bag of chips. Throwing a chair in Sam's direction, Mat sat down and reached for some himself. "So what's the low down then?" Sam pulled out his lighter again. "What could have possibly happened between last night and today that's worth getting wasted over, other than for the sheer hell of it?" "He knows we know. He's supposedly cleaning up our addict problem and he'll kill our families if we move against him. Is that enough of a reason?" Rayne got up to grab a beer and Sam nearly dropped his lighter. "Where did you hear this? Or better yet, how?" Mat asked curiously. Using an opener on her drink, Rayne sighed. "I broke into his house...and he woke up." "You what!?" both boys stammered. "Whoa time out. Wasn't it you who was going on yesterday about how stupid an idea something like that would be?" "Yeah well I went ahead and saved you the trouble," she said staunchly. "So this is for real then? He's really some kind of soul eater?" "I'm pretty sure he killed Rorik's parents. The smell of decay was all over the place." "Shiiit..." Shaking his head Sam got up and walked to the fridge for a beer of his own. "I knew it man...Rorik has gone completely a-wall...or whatever the hell the thing is inside him." Mat just sat there thinking as Sam kicked the door closed on his way back to his seat. "So, wait a sec," leaning against the table, his gaze narrowed. "Why didn't he kill you? I mean if you broke into my house in the middle of the night I'd introduce your face to an aluminum bat." "You could try," she offered a passive smile. "I don’t know why he didn’t. He said I was young and stupid, and that he'd let me go because of it." "Forgive me for sounding obtuse," Mat spoke up, "But that doesn't sound like something a demon would do." "And how would you know?" Sam gave him a look. "He's probably trying to cover his tracks. We know, he knows it, and if he kills us then it makes us look right." "Maybe we should call the police?" "The police? Are you nuts? You're going to tell the cops there's a soul eater sucking the juice out of high schoolers to build an army of pot junkies and take over the town? Go ahead Mat, I'll come visit you in your padded room." "No cops," Leah agreed. "He could just be trying to scare you?" "He sure sounded convincing," Rayne promptly finished her beer. "I'll stop by the mineral store Monday after school and see what I can pick up," Mat sighed.

"Amazon," Sam gave a nod. "We have mountain ash," Leah replied as she heard the doorbell. "Rayne can you get the music?" "If you two break anything in this house we're going to have words," she said as she headed into the living room to turn on the stereo. A veteran of high school parties, Leah wasn't about to have anything ruined. The tapestries had all been removed, as well as anything super expensive. Beers lay in tubs of ice and she had set out Jell-O shots alongside chips, pretzels, and candy, as well as soda for the kids who didn't drink, which were few. Naturally charismatic, she paraded around with a tray of shots, while Rayne was on her second beer, smoking a cigarette against the wall. Keeping to the sofa, Sam didn't have an interest in socializing as much as he did stuffing his face and lighting up some weed he'd kept in his back pocket. Meanwhile, as the party began Rorik had just gotten up, and after locking away the drugs from last night, he turned with a pursed expression to eye his minion who was still sound asleep at the foot of his bed. Reaching for a shoe, he knocked her with it. "Eepp!" "Oh quit complaining it's almost seven for fuck sakes. Besides, I got a job for ya. You up for a little Intel? I’ve been thinking, about last night. Goth chick is an idiot but we need to know what we're up against here, and I don't think it's just your run the mill witchcraft. Greenville is no Salem...yet," he chuckled. "They're having some kind of party tonight. It’s probably not going to be that hard to find but for the record, you might wanna try something a little, I don't know...less conspicuous?" Tilting its head the creature seemed to think before suddenly transforming into a small black cat with un-usually long ears and a pair of violet florescent eyes. Pursing his lips, Rorik gave a nod. "It'll do. Just don't get yourself caught, that's the last thing either of us need. Now come here, I want full audio and visual on this one." Reaching out he placed a hand across the top of the creature's head. A second later several coils of black energy wormed their way out of it, imbedding into his flesh and running long black lines up the side of his arm. "I'm gonna put you on left speaker today, I expect full contact so no funny business," he said as the darkness traveled towards his eyes and spiraled down the back of his head, manifesting a long jagged antenna that ran all the way to the floor. Closing its eyes as well, when the creature opened them, one was now a bright glowing gold while one of Rorik’s had become a deep violet. "Jesus Rose you gotta do something about the tint on this thing," he said as he rubbed it. "Everything's purple. Hey, where's your audio?" The creature’s tail suddenly became jagged in mimicry of the antenna he sported. "Cute Rose..." Rolling his eyes Rorik threw out a hand, causing a void of dark energy to appear across the wall. "Just get going. If you get caught I'll pull you through but do us both a favor, don’t."

Chapter 6.

"Didn't you quit?" Leah appeared behind Sam on the couch. "This is from my own private stash," he said dully as he pulled the roach away to stare at it. "Want a shot?" Leah held the tray to Mat. "I'm not much of a drinker," he said as he went for the celery dip instead. "Veggies at a party?" Sam rolled his eyes. "Man you are sooo lame." "Well excuse me if I like to keep a healthy appearance and maybe hope to accomplish something with my life." Sam gave a shrug as the doorbell rang and Liz, dressed in a white button down and a blue mini skirt stood outside. She was a little late, though the bucket of fresh brownies she held in her hands could have accounted for it. "Hey Liz," Rayne beat Leah to it. "You made food?" "Yeah, I figured it would be a nice gesture. My parents always say that when you're invited to a party you should thank the host." "That's so nice of you," Leah greeted warmly. "Make yourself comfortable," "Wow, there’s a lot of people here," Liz said as she followed Rayne into the den. "Apparently this is a common thing. You know Sam and Mat right?" "Ugh of course," she sighed while Sam began to scoop some Jell-O out of a cup with his fingers. "Get a spoon," Mat groaned. "Spoons are overrated." "How do you put up with him?" Liz asked. "It's a constant battle." Meanwhile, it didn't take long for Rose to find Leah's house. Having followed Rayne's scent, the strange little creature mounted itself on a fence post and was currently eyeing the abode. "You've gotta be kidding me." Rorik leaned back in bed with a beer in one hand while the other was pressed to his temple, just below the jagged antenna he sported. "I walked right passed that stupid house yesterday," he said as Rose jumped off the fence. "Don't use the front door you idiot. Try to find a window or something. Maybe there's a back entrance?" Rose indeed managed to find an open window and climbed through into the kitchen. "Alright now we're talking. Look around, there's gotta be information somewhere. I don't care about the little gliders just find me the big cheese." Strolling across the counter top, Rose stopped as she came to a large pastry cheesecake. "No you idiot, it was a figure of speech!" Sniffing the cake, she completely ignoring him and began to lick at it with a long sticky black tongue. "Rose damn it, what the fuck, I didn't send you in there to eat! Get with the program!" Stopping before she reached the door, Rayne's eyes fell on the cat. "Leah...doesn't have a cat. Who let a cat in?" she called angrily as she picked it up. A few seconds later Rose began to hack and with a loud splat, coughed a wad of cheese and hair onto the front of Rayne's shirt. "I hate cats," she hissed as she shoved it through the window.

"You've earned your keep today Rose, that was awesome," Rorik snickered while it ran off to find another way in. Slipping through the back door about three minutes later, it made its way to the living room where the others were still present. "Hey look Rose, it's Liz. Go say hi." Toddling over, Rose eeped at her and began to rub across the side of her leg. "Hey Rose...look up!" Tilting its head the cat eeped again. "I am not a pervert you bitch...remember who feeds you." "Oooh hello kitty," kneeling down, Liz went to pet it. "I didn't know you had a cat." "That's not mine," Leah said with a scowl. "Who let it in?" "That thing spit up on me," Rayne answered as she headed towards them. She'd changed her outfit, now dressed in jeans and a long sleeved black shirt. "How'd it get back in here?" "Hey Rose you got any more ammo in there?" Ignoring Rorik again, Rose jumped onto the table and began to lick at the Jell-O cups, which were laced with alcohol. "Whoa, check out that cat." Noticing her, Sam arched a brow. "Man maybe it's just me, but that cat is trippin yo." "It's not normal," Rayne noticed its strangely colored eyes while Leah was busy fussing over the cups it had licked. "Get rid of it," she huffed. Picking it up again, Rayne went to throw it out and long black claws suddenly lunged for her face. Immediately letting go, she jumped back and Rose disappeared up the side of a vine. "Alright, play times over, now it's down to business." Rorik pressed a hand back to his temple. "Investigate those rooms, find me a way in." Making her way through another window, Rose looked up at the doorknob of one of the five rooms that lined the hall. Seconds later, several coils erupted from her back and reached upward to pick the lock. The first door gave her access to Leah's room. "Have a look through some stuff," he instructed while Rose began to rummage the draws. Inside were several leather bound books on mythology, and bags full of incense. There was a lacquered box of tarot cards in another drawer, as well as a bag full of chucks of quartz and malachite. "Crystals huh? Maybe they are just witches? Scarf me one of those will ya?" Climbing into the drawer, Rose reached down and ate several of the quartz's before hopping out and running off to try another room. The next of course, was Rayne's. Unlocking the door, she sauntered in and once again began to search for incriminating evidence. Rayne had quite a few things in her possession. There were two cartons of cigarettes stashed under the bed, as well as a gun and several pocketknives. Numerous robes made of Japanese silk rested in the dresser, though they bore gruesome tears in many places. Aside from that, there were also bandages and packets of icy hot next to a map of the United States, which was circled in various locations. "Looks like she's packing some fire power," Rorik popped another can. "Glad I'm not a fighter, not that this Rorik kid couldn't put someone through a wall." in truth Rorik was pretty big for his age and in all honesty, had he not been a stoner (when he was still alive,) he probably could have done some serious damage as a jock. Either way, Rose continued to snoop. "I thought I got rid of you," Rayne's voice was dark as she appeared in the doorway. "And cue goth chick," he sighed. Flying through the air, Rayne kicked the cat and it landed on the bed while the antenna on

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 35 the back of Rorik's head twitched. "Gonna feel that tomorrow." "I thought you were going to leave us alone Rorik?" "How the fuck...does this bitch know everything?" He asked, although she couldn't hear him. "Alright Rose I'd rather not lose my eye so I'm pulling ya through." A portal of darkness suddenly appeared beneath the bed and the cat jumped out into Rorik's bedroom. "Nice landing hot stuff," he said as he walked over, "Hold still." Pressing a hand against her head their eyes returned to normal. Rayne meanwhile slammed her fist across the mattress and stormed back downstairs. "Somebody looks angry," Sam laughed from the sofa. "Are you alright?" Liz asked. "That creepy cat made its way back into the house," she answered as she sat down next to Mat. "I'm superstitious." "Pfth yeah well with all these demons running around who wouldn't be?" Sam mused drunkenly. "We all know where he’s going to be tonight," Mat replied. "Driving the porcelain bus?" Liz suggested. "Hey, I'm a damn good driver!" "I'm sure you're very experienced." "You two are going to get arrested if you have to drag his arse down the road," Leah said with a smile. Acknowledging just how accurate that statement probably was, Mat reached over to take Sam’s drink. "I think maybe you've had enough?" "I think he's ready for the wheelchair," Liz chuckled as Mat put down the beer. "Leah?" Rayne looked at her friend who’d suddenly begun to sway. "I...I'm just so tired," she muttered as she nearly fell straight onto Sam. "Whoa...hey Mat look, I think I just scored!" "Leah!" Quickly getting up, Mat shoved him aside while both he and Liz ran over. "Dude, did she just pass out?" "Not now Sam," Mat shook his head. "Stay here," Rayne ordered the others. "Do you think she's going to be okay?" Liz asked. "Man what a lightweight." "It's not funny Sam, and maybe you should take the hint and slow down a bit yourself?" "What the hell Leah?" Rayne demanded as she led her upstairs. "I'm just so tired," she repeated. "I don't know why. I feel like I haven't eaten in days." "I can't go into the cellar now are you nuts? There are still people downstairs." "I can wait. Just make sure no one does anything stupid." Still standing in the living room, both Mat and Liz looked rightfully worried. "Is Leah okay?" Liz asked as Rayne returned. "She's fine. She just drank a little too much," she lied as an older woman dressed in a maid’s uniform walked up the stairs to attend her mistress. "Maybe we should get going?" Mat glanced down at a small watch adorning his wrist. "It's kinda late and I think I've had enough excitement for one night. Not to mention he's going to need to be supervised." he threw a nod toward Sam who was well on his way to joining Leah. "I think I agree with that, on both counts. It was a good party Rayne, I enjoyed myself.

Thanks for inviting me." Liz turned for the door while Mat pulled Sam off the couch. "Come on hero let's go, bed time." "Be careful," Rayne warned. "Don't worry, I’ll take him back to my place. My parents are out tonight, and knowing his," "Just watch it." "We'll be fine," Mat assured her as he and Sam kept to the crowd while Liz trailed off ahead. "Hey, you should stick with the group." "That's alright I don't live too far, and besides, it's well lit around here." Back in his bedroom, Rorik stood with the stone Rose had taken from Leah’s. Watching him do so, she suddenly walked over and yanked the antenna still protruding from the side of his head. "Owe!" losing concentration, he spun around and grabbed one of her own. "EEPP." "How do you like it?" he hissed as he set the stone back down. "I wasn't gonna kill her, I just need to get enough of an idea as to what we're up against, since sooomebody had to go and be seen. Hrm...reception's not that great but from what I can tell, it's not human...at least not entirely. I’m going to have to think on this for a while. Regardless, that stupid party should be over soon and that means lots of drunken yuppies." Shaking his head, the antenna vanished in a wisp of black smoke and a smile crossed his face. "I think it's dinner time Rose, I'll be back in a few." Crushing the beer can in his palm, he tossed it across the room and headed for the door. A few blocks away the party was letting out, and Rorik panned off from a fence post after a young man who’d decided to cut through a secluded alley. Running his tongue across sharpened teeth, he stepped forward to pursue when he was suddenly stopped by the sound of his name. "Rorik? What are you doing out this late?" Arching a brow, he turned to find Liz with an equally curious expression. "Oh hey...I could ask you the same thing." "I was on my way back from Leah’s party." "Oh yeah that was tonight wasn't it?" he played as if he had no idea. "Yeah, it was pretty good, although some people got a little...carried away." Rolling his eyes Rorik appeared to lose interest in his previous endeavor. "Say, it’s kinda late to be wandering alone, not to mention dark. What do you say you let me walk ya home?" "Oh really Rorik you don't have to do that." "Come on," he chuckled as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "I insist." Shrugging off his suggesting, she allowed him to follow her back. "So you never told me what you were doing out here," she began. "Oh ya know, a little of this a little of that," he said as he fiddled with his hat. "Why do you wear that thing anyway?" "I don't know, it kinda came with the job." "You really should stop that you know. You're going to get in trouble." "Haven't been caught yet." "Yeah well one day." Watching him toy with it she suddenly reached up and snatched it. "Hey!" "Mine now," she teased.

"Liz, don't tell me you were drinking too?" "Maybe I had a little, but don't tell anyone." Finally snatching it back, he returned it to his head while she giggled. "Seriously you should stop wearing that thing. Your hairs nice, you should let it show." "Please, there's nothing nice about bleach blonde," he grumbled. "Of course there is, it looks good on you, and I'd rather blonde than black." Rorik suddenly crossed his arms. "And what's wrong with black?" "It's dark, and boring. Black is just so...I don't know, it's the color people wear when they don't have any expression to them. I mean look at that boy Sam, he wear's nothing but black." "Pfth," Rorik rolled his eyes. "You know you should talk." Reaching out he swatted her ponytail. "That's coming from a girl who wears a horse's ass on the back of her head." "You're sooo weird." Liz burst out laughing. "And you're sooo drunk." "Yeah I guess maybe a little," she admitted. "You know you should try it some time, you need to lighten up and not be such a dick." "Um I hate to break it to you Liz, but being a dick is kinda what I do." "Well stop doing it. You know I bet you'd have a lot more friends if you stopped cursing at people all the time." "Stop cursing?" he arched a brow. "Liz telling me to stop cursing is like telling you to stop breathing, it's just inevitable." "Well maybe I should start then?" Crossing her arms, she tried to match his expression. "I could be just like you." Choking back a laugh, he did his very best not to show it. "Come on I do not look like that." She continued to give him a ridiculous Popeye stare until he couldn't help but smile. "Ah hah, see there, that's better." "Oh fuck off." "You smiled admit it. I got Rorik to smile," she grinned, as he actually began to flush red. Continuing onward, the two of them stopped a few houses down. "Thanks for walking me home. I think I can take it from here." The humor suddenly left Rorik's face. "Whoa wait a minute, you live...but..." "Yeahhh?" Liz gave him an odd look. "Goodnight Rorik, I'll see you in school Monday." Standing there with a blank expression, he took to pondering over how he could have lost himself in a conversation with someone he’d been planning to eat. Returning home, he slammed the door and trailed up the stairs without acknowledging Rose. The little creature seemed to know it and placed both hands on its hips. "Don't look at me that way," he threw a pillow at her. "It's late, I'm tired. I'll get something tomorrow." Needless to say, Sunday came, and much of it went without his presence. Waking around noon, Rayne had been dragged to the Greenville Mall. "You've never been to a mall; suffice to say this will have to do." Leah told her, "Plus you need clothes and Jani gave you enough money on your card." "I just want her to pick me up." Rayne shoved her hands into her pockets. "Don't you like staying with me?" Leah sounded offended. "Yeah, but I don't want them to drag you into this." "Relax, my parents were okay with it and that's what friends are for."

"Do people really wear this?" Rayne held up a trench coat. "Uh yeah but let's try something else for you..." Leah handed her a shirt. "Are you trying to make me look like I'm dead?" "Black looks good on you," she insisted. "That doesn't mean I want to wear it all the time," Rayne muttered as her eyes caught sight of someone familiar. "Liz," she greeted, figuring she'd earned a reprieve. Having gotten out of church early that evening, Liz had gone for lunch with her parents before heading to the mall herself. Her mother had given her a Kohl’s card and she was more than happy to browse the low discount shelves for something interesting and possibly worthwhile. "Oh hi Rayne, I didn't expect to see you here. How've you been?" "Fine since yesterday," she answered. "What about you?" "Good. I'm glad to see Leah’s okay. I was a little worried." "Too much drinking," Rayne shrugged. "She slept till eleven, that's unheard of." "That's alright, I'm sure Sam is probably still asleep," Liz chuckled before a loud and vulgar affront caught the air. "Look you bastard prick, it's a free country, I can walk her anyway I damn well please." Leaning over, Liz was hardly surprised to find Rorik at the other end of a confrontation with a mall cop. She was however, surprised to see what he was complaining about. Standing there, dressed in a tiny pink sweater attached to a dog harness clearly meant for a Chihuahua, was a small black cat that was currently tugging desperately in the opposite direction. "You can't bring animals into a mall kid, you're gonna have to leave." "Yeah well if that's the case then maybe you should leave too Tarzan...and lay of the fucking Twinkies." "One more comment like that and I'm going to remove you boy." "Oh really? You and what army? If you think you're going to catch me then you've got another thing coming. Take that mall cop retard Segway of yours and ride it face first down an escalator chunky. Come on Rose, screw this pig." "Who brings a cat to the mall?" Rayne asked. "Is that normal?" Liz's jaw dropped. "He's walking...a cat?" Tilting her head, she watched curiously, as Rorik dragged the animal behind him and it eventually fell over. Far too intrigued to let it go, she got up and hurried after him. "Hey Rorik." Upon hearing her voice, he turned. "Liz? What are you doing here?" "Shopping...unlike you," she held up her bags. "Is that a cat...in a dog harness?" "Yeah..." he shrugged. "At least he has the thing on a leash." Rayne looked at the cat. "You should watch where it goes. It was in Leah's house yesterday." "Oh great goth chick," he grumbled. "Shouldn't you be off haunting a house somewhere?" "Haunting’s don't start till sundown," Rayne said darkly. "Next time keep your mangy cat off our property or I'll deliver it to the nearest Chinese buffet." "Hey I'm not in control of what my fucking cat does," he said with a yawn. "Rorik! What did I tell you last night about being nicer to people?" "Say what?" "You heard me. You gotta stop being so defensive all the time. Rayne hasn't really done

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 39 anything and your cat was in her house yesterday." "Ugh everybody's a critic." "Listen to Liz. She could set you straight," "Who asked you? You know what..." Opening his mouth to continue, before he had the chance Liz reached up and slapped his arm. "That's enough out of you Rorik, you're behaving like you're five, and if you're going to behave like a five year old, then I'm going to start taking privileges away." The look he gave her was one of complete debasement although before he could say anything she snagged his hat again. "Let's start with this. By-by hat. You can have it back when you apologize." "Wow, I'm impressed," Leah's voice called from behind. "I've never seen him without that hat. How do you train him?" Glaring at the three of them, Rorik’s jaw dropped. "Give me my fucking hat!" he snarled. "Say you're sorry and I'll give it back." "No, you'll give it to me now!" "Or you'll what? You're not going to do anything." Enjoying his expression as much as the others, Liz put the hat on her head and turned. "What do you think girls? Do I make a good Rorik?" "Perfect," Leah was grinning. "All you need now is a cat and you'd be him." "Oh well let me see, how about this one." Walking over she plucked the leash straight out of his hands. "Scuse me I'll be taking that." She said as she began to mimic him. "Stop looking at me like that you stupid cat, I'm not going to apologize and that's final." Leah was in stitches while Rorik snatched his hat back as well as Rose's leash. "See you in school tomorrow, try and remember to smile!" "You're terrible," Leah seemed to approve. "He's never living this down," Rayne grinned. "I have my moments." Fluffing her hair, Liz turned to face them while Rorik left the mall in disgrace. "Give me three days with him and I'll have that apology." "It’s fine, his words don’t bother me." "Yeah well I don't like bullies, and I think there's hope for him." "You think?" Rayne almost felt sorry for her. "Yeah I do. He's a jerk but...I don't know. I think he'll come around." "Just be careful, okay?" While it was fun to humiliate him, Leah was pretty sure no demon was fond of being teased. She'd heard people were killed over lesser slights and honestly believed it. "Oh come on Leah, what's he gonna do? If he didn't do anything to me last night he sure as heck isn't going to do anything to me now. He was just embarrassed because you two were around," Liz chuckled. "He thought it was funny when I did it yesterday." "You never know with guys like that," Leah shrugged. "Anyway, I think I'm going upstairs to the food court...there was a cute guy there last time," "I'll just wander around some more," Rayne opted, preferring not to feel nauseous. "Mind if I join you?" Liz asked. "Yeah, I was just going to go to the bookstore." "You like to read? What kind of stuff?" "History, science fiction, quite a few books on mythology. My last school made me read

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 40 the classics." "I like fiction. I've read a lot of classics myself. I'm more into romance novels though. Not the cheesy crappy kind either. I only like the good stuff. You know, the sort of books people read on a lonely afternoon and sob their hearts out to on a rainy day?" "I'm not into romance novels...or romance." Chuckling as she picked up a book, Liz smiled. "That's okay, not many people are." Opening one on mythology, Rayne began to search for anything on soul eaters. At first there wasn't much information, although the more she skimmed, the more she found. Some of the more serious titles delved into Demonology, although the term soul eater was rarely mentioned. There was one book however, that briefly described multiple cases of possession, deeming the Soul Eater as a possible, although evidently rare culprit. Much like the website Sam had found, it went on to detail the few cases in Europe and the Middle East in which the demon in question was believed to have arisen. It also made a point to note that such a creature, unlike elementals or lesser fiends, was solely bound to the Akashi (or supernatural) realm, and therefore could only exist within a physical earthbound plain by invading a living host and consuming its life force. Scowling as she read on, Rayne put the book down and knelt to pull another. Unfortunately there wasn’t much literature on the topic and what there was, spoke mostly of classic exorcisms, which involved the usual dose of crucifixes, and holy water. Giving up her search, she didn't know where else to turn. Calling Leah's parents or her mentor Jani, would most likely have both girls pulled from school and transferred. Walking back over, Liz noticed the grim look on her face, not to mention the books she’d been browsing. "Demon possession?" she asked with a laugh. "Looking to exercise someone?" "Halloween is coming up," Rayne avoided the question. "What else is there to do around town?" "Not much," Liz admitted, letting the previous topic slide. "There's a movie theater and there used to be an arcade, but I don't think it's around anymore. Nowadays Braum Park is really the only attraction, and it's not much to look at. Usually we have a carnival at the end of August, but they pushed it back a few weeks because of the weather. You'll have to wait a while I'm afraid." "That's it?" Rayne smiled faintly. "Sorry, they don't call this place dullsville for nothing."

Chapter 7.

Storming out of the mall with a look on his face akin to the one Liz had been teasing him over, Rorik delivered a shape kick to Rose. "For the last time it was not funny, and what the hell was I supposed to do, lay them to waste in the middle of a mall? Man you're stupid. The whole point of coming here was to blend in." "Eepp." "Well how the fuck was I supposed to know you didn't walk a cat? The harness was your size!" Wandering in the direction of McDonalds, Rorik tired her leash to a bicycle rack. "Stay," he instructed as she squeaked at him again. "It's the middle of board daylight you dolt! I haven't had a fix in three fucking days. It's not great but it'll do. Now stay here and don't draw attention to yourself." Walking into the restaurant, he pulled out a hundred dollar bill with which he proceeded to order two of everything on the menu. Emerging again with six bags of grease covered meat perversion and a soda that was almost larger than he was, Rorik untied Rose and approached a bench to eat. Sticking her head inside the bag, she stole a burger through the plastic. "Hey!" he gave her a swat. "Don't eat that garbage." "Eepp." "Yeah well I need the calories, if you start eating that the only thing you're gonna need is weight watchers." Meanwhile, having left Mat’s house to wander town, Sam had taken notice and threw an elbow into his friend’s side. "Owe, Sam what in the?" "Look it's the freak." Pointing toward him, he took up residence behind a large oak tree and began to examine Rorik's behavior through a pair of binoculars. "Where did you get those?" Mat asked although received no answer. "Man that's disgusting." "What, he's just eating and what do you know, it's not a soul." "Shut up dude, there's gotta be sixteen Big Macs there. Have you ever seen somebody pack that kinda chow who wasn't pushing eight hundred pounds?" "Sixteen?" "Look!" Sam threw the binoculars into Mat’s hand. "Holy...Jesus. Maybe he's chronically depressed?" "What are you two doing?" Leah asked as she and Rayne walked over. "That thing is stuffing its face with McDonalds, it's a bottomless pit, check it out." "He can really eat," Leah snorted "Sam maybe's he got a problem, did you ever think of that?" "Oh yeah he's got a problem alright, that's inevitable." "That's not what I meant and you know it," Mat said. "Now come on, it's not nice to spy on someone, especially a binge eater." "Binge eating, dude that goes way beyond binge eating. It's a miracle he doesn't explode." "That cat was in my house," Leah scowled fiercely. "It slipped upstairs into our rooms," Rayne muttered. "It could be his familiar, if demons can have those?"

"You think it's the same cat?" Mat asked. "Of course it is. That disgusting thing was eating the food off the table last night. He probably sent it in there to spy on us," Sam hissed before he noticed Liz leaving the mall. "Oh shit. She doesn't know does she?" "Oh please. You're going to tell Liz about your delusion too? She already hates your guts Sam, not to mention she's catholic. I really don't think that's a good idea." Sam didn't care, he did however hold his position as Liz approached Rorik. "You're still here?" she asked, arching a steady brow. "My god, Rorik is all this yours?" Looking up, he swallowed hard. "Uh no...I erm...I was picking it up for my folks. You know how it is?" "I'm sorry. I was just playing with you back there...I didn't realize it was going to upset you that much." It took him a second to realize what she meant. "What? No, pfth I don't care about that Liz." "Sixteen big Mac’s Rorik?" He gave her a sheepish grin. "Honestly they're going to end up dating." Leah observed from afar. "It's not right...he’s going to eat her," Rayne replied. "Yeah Leah, I seriously doubt he's looking to get in her pants," Sam said tersely. "Do you have to be so vulgar?" "What, would you rather me say fuck her, because that's what you’re thinking." Mat planted a palm across his face as Liz took noticed. "You've got spectators," she said. "Come on Rorik let's get out of here." Pulling him up despite the questionable look he gave, her eyes narrowed toward the others. "Don't you people know it's not polite to stare?" "Way to get noticed Sam." "Oh shut up," he hissed as he shoved the binoculars back into Mat's hand. "I don't want them." "Tough. Ten bucks says he snarfs her." "Can’t you stop being gross?" Rayne asked. "I'm not being gross, you said it yourself he's gonna eat her." "Well it's better than watching the two of them flirt." "I don't think that's what they're doing, at least not on his end." "I'm not so sure Sam. Although the question then arises," Mat brought a hand to his chin. "How can Rorik be a demon if he can have social interactions with someone like Liz?" "It's not like demons can't get down, it's just weird that they're jonesing for their food," Rayne replied. "Well if that's the case why hasn't he killed her yet? Two kids went missing and Tommy hasn’t been seen since Sam freaked out about it, but Liz...she’s been fine." "He's probably milkin' it," Sam suggested. "Either that or maybe he's waiting for the right moment?" "The kids he went after were all addicts," Leah pointed out. "Maybe good people give him indigestion?" Rayne was silent. "Sam might be right? He could just be waiting for the right time?" "You ever think maybe you guys are just wrong about all this?" Mat asked. "I mean, he hasn't gone after us, not in any kind of directly evil way other than typical Rorik. Sure he's been

weird, but Rorik has always been weird." "You can't just explain this shit away. Shut up and roll with it. Besides, if you don't believe by now you're a lost cause." "He's not human," Rayne told Mat. "He's killed people and he plans on using drugs to coerce more. He said it himself, he never stays long after he feeds." "Then why is he still here? If he's been eating high schoolers shouldn't he be gone by now?" "He's planning to build a legion dude, he's not just gonna leave," Sam said. "When did you say that mineral place opens?" "Monday afternoons, I already told you." "Yeah well you better get over there. I found some stuff on Amazon this morning. I put in an order but it could take a while. You girls wouldn't happen to have any stones or holy water we can use till Monday do ya?" "I have quartz, a pentagram, maybe an Irish catholic cross...but holy water...," Leah shook her head. "We could always stop at a church?" "There's a catholic church three blocks from my house. Liz goes there I think? They probably have some. Man," Sam slapped a fist across his palm. "Why didn't I think of that before? I'm gonna run over there and snag some while I still can." "They're not going to let you in," Mat sighed. "Oh yeah, we'll just see about that." "I should probably go with him and make sure he doesn't get himself arrested." "I think you're allowed to scoop some up..." Leah shrugged. "Yeah well knowing him, he'll try and take the whole dais." Meanwhile Rorik and Liz stopped as they reached his house. "This is your place?" "Yeah...unfortunately." "What's unfortunate about it, it's nice." "I've had better." Kicking Rose through the door, he closed it again. "Look Liz, about what happened at the mall..." "Don't worry about it. Just go get some rest, you look exhausted, and do us both a favor, lay off the McDonald’s." "Yeah no kidding," he said as he placed a hand against his stomach. "I think I'm going to go throw up now. I'll see you tomorrow." "Are you sure you're alright?" "I'm fine," The remainder of the night went smoothly for everyone. Sam and Mat returned home after their escapade at the church, which surprisingly had not became quite the problem Mat had thought it would. Liz likewise returned to her house to hang up her new clothes and prepare an outfit for Monday; when they would all once again have to endure another grueling week of high school. By the time the sun came up Mat was eating breakfast in the cafe while Sam proceeded to talk his ear off about a large bottle of Poland Spring. "No Sam, I'm not going to throw that on Rorik just so you can see if he combusts." "Come on dude, you heard the priest yesterday, this plan is fool proof. All you gotta do is get him a little wet and see if he burns, or you could just get him to drink it and save us all the trouble?"

"Ask Liz to offer him a drink," Rayne appeared at his side. "That would be a good idea if Liz didn't hate my guts. You're her friend, kinda sorta, maybe you can convince her? Here," Sam offered her the bottle though Rayne seemed hesitant. "Maybe Mat should give it to her? Or you guys could just spill it on him?" "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on," Mat raised his hands. "I already told Sam, I'm not getting involved in this, or expelled over drenching that weirdo in holy tap water. If you two want to risk a visit to the dean’s office be my guest, but I'll have no part in it." "Yeah like you ever want to have a part in anything," Sam muttered. "The moment this crap touches him he's gonna go up like a funeral pyre. The priest said so." "No Sam, the priest told you that according to catholic mythology, people under demonic possession will generally exhibit symptoms of hydrophobia, and sometimes develop boils or rashes." Sam mocked Mat with a hand. "Yeah, yeah, Mr. literate, just forget him Rayne, he couldn't see the truth if it walked up and kicked him in the nuts. Douse that sucker with a good amount of this, and even Mat here won't be able to deny it." "You do it," she insisted. "I don't like holy water." "It's just water Rayne, it's not like it's going to do anything, unless of course, you’re one of them?" "Oh god Sam stop, she doesn't want to take part in your stupidity just leave her alone." Rayne eyes narrowed. "I'm not getting in trouble for this. Just get Liz to give it to him." "She’s infatuated with that creep, and besides, she's not going to take anything from me. I'll just get the little bastard in gym class. Big enough crowd nobody's gonna see me, and if they do, nobody's gonna care. You two better get going before the front row seats fill up." Shaking his head, Mat finished his apple juice. "Yeah front row seats to watch him get expelled." Throwing out his trash, he walked to photography while Sam proceeded to haunt the stairwells. Getting caught doing a little pot seemed a slim penalty compared to what had happened to Tommy who had since joined the missing person’s wall down at the precinct. Drawing quietly in their art class, Leah looked at the empty seat that was Rorik’s. "He's not even here." "Maybe someone killed him?" Rayne said hopefully. "He's probably busy throwing up all that McDonalds?" In truth, the McDonalds did have a lot to do with it. After sixteen big Mac’s and two things of twenty piece chicken nuggets, the only thing Rorik wanted to do was sleep. When the bell rang for gym class, Sam was already waiting near the top of the bleachers. Joining him about ten minutes later, Mat offered a staunch look although said nothing as he sat down to sort his books. "What the fuck," Sam groaned while the seats filled with no sign of him. "Too bad, and I was so looking forward to watching you get suspended." "Shut up," he hissed as he noticed Liz who seemed to be questioning Rorik's absence as well. "Hey!" "Oh god, what do you want?" Catching him from the corner of her eye, she purposely tried to ignore him. "Where's your boyfriend? I got a little something for that douche bag." "How about a bar of soap for your mouth?" she snapped. "I don't know where Rorik is

Sam, and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you." "Yeah well then could you do me a favor and give this to him?" he held out the Poland spring. "Are you kidding? Number one," she raised a finger. "Why would I want to do you a favor? And number two, why on earth would I want to help you hurt someone? What’s in there anyway, poison?" "It's not poison, it's holy water." "Oh please, the only monster around here Sam, is you. Why don't you go drink that stupid thing yourself and save us all the trouble?" "I'll drink if that's what you want?" "Go ahead, I'm still not interested." Gathering her things, she went to move to the other side of the room. "Could you be any less discreet?" Rayne asked sarcastically. "I'm surprised she didn't agree," Leah teased. "Get over here Samuel, before you hurt yourself." Ignoring the two of them, he wasn't happy about Liz walking away and suddenly doused her in the face. "SAM!" she screamed. "Whelp at least we know she's clean." "Oh my god you little beast, I just bought these clothes!" "Relax it's only water." "I swear to god I don't know you," Mat groaned as Sam sat back down. "You didn't have to do that," Rayne said darkly while Leah looked disgusted. "You're an animal. That's not how you treat a lady!" "Pfth I'm trying to help that bitch. If she wants to deny me then maybe she deserves to get eaten?" "You're just mad she likes Rorik instead of you." "Screw that. I don't even know why she likes him anyway. He's a fucking demon." "Well I guess that goes to show you Sam, it'll be a cold day in hell before you ever get laid," Mat chuckled. "Seriously, if a demon has more of a chance than you," Leah began, "You're doing something wrong." "Hey I didn't ask for you advise." Sam went to pull his lighter from his hat. "If I wanted your opinion I'd give you one." "Oh please," Mat grabbed it instead. "How about we try and go a day without adding to the detention record? Let's give the loud speakers a break from your name shall we?" "That's the only thing that does say his name," Leah mused as she hopped off to play basketball. Opting out of the sport, Rayne lingered. She did however tense as the bell rang once more. Gathering his things for science class Mat walked upstairs as did Sam, while Liz had already taken her seat in math. Walking in a few minutes later, Rorik looked tried and ill kept. Paying no mind to anyone, he made for his desk. "Whoa, did I miss the wet t-shirt contest?" Narrowing her gaze, it fell on Sam. "Why don't you ask him?" Liz muttered. "You really are looking for an ass kicking dip shit." "Yeah, you and what army?" he snapped back. "If you really want to know, keep playing."

Working diligently nobody said another word, however half way into the period the class was suddenly interpreted by a horrible noise. At first it couldn't quite be placed, although it sounded something like a cat getting run over by a steamroller. A terrible yowling squish, it was the kind of sound you heard once and never wanted to hear again, and it was immediately followed by an obnoxious screech of chalk, as even the teacher stopped to turn. "Oh my god Rorik...did that come from you?" Liz's mouth dropped along with her pencil. Snapping her own in half, Rayne looked as if she was on the verge of having an aneurysm. "What the hell was that?" she growled. "Holy shit dude, if you're gonna hatch an alien you need to leave," Sam stammered. "Like now." Closing his eyes, Rorik pulled his hat over his face and began to flush the brightest shade of red imaginable. "Mr. Ivory," the teacher began. "Do you need to go to the nurse?" "I'm fine..." he grumbled. "No Rorik, you are not fine. You need to go down to the cafeteria and get something to eat, because that..." he pointed the chalk at him. "Is not acceptable." "Seriously...you can never eat McDonalds again," Rayne looked down at the remnants of her pencil while Liz bit her lip. "My god...I hope he's okay?" "I guess we know what Satins stomach sounds like now?" Sam scoffed. Meanwhile, having left something in her locker, Leah had gone to retrieve it. Strolling down the hall, she stopped to admire her reflection in a trophy case while Rorik, still greatly embarrassed, hadn't removed his hat from his face and nearly walked straight into her. "What the hell?" Stumbling backwards her books split across the floor. "Will you watch where you're going?" Getting up, Rorik pushed his hat back. "What the fuck were you doing standing in the middle of the..." before he could finish, another terrible sound filled the air, "Oh my god would you please shut up!" he begged as he caught his stomach with both hands. "Uhm...What’s wrong with you?" "Nothing…" "That...was gross." "Yeah thank you, now if you'll excuse me?" "Shouldn't you go to the nurse?" she asked awkwardly. "What the hell is she gonna do? I'm not gonna eat a fucking thermometer dumb ass." "Maybe she'd just tell you to kill yourself so you could save us the trouble?" "Maybe I should knock out your teeth so you can pay her a visit yourself? Or better yet, maybe I'll just go home tonight and take you down a notch? I heard you had quite a blast at your party the other day. Feeling a little...woozy are we?" "Try it Rorik, and I'll have you singing soprano. You had one victory, but I'm having plenty of fun watching Liz treat you like the little bitch you are. What other commands can she get you to obey hm?" Snickering to himself, he crossed his arms. "I'll just let you believe that honey. You have no idea what's coming your way. Oh and for the record, your little friend was in my house the other night. She...admitted to some things. Inadvertently of course but it still puts me ahead of the game. You better watch your backs. You may have had your fun at the mall the other day but

the difference between you and I, is that I'm no fool. You don't make scenes in public, not if you wanna survive. You might want to pass that on to goth chick, because the next time she decides to flaunt her powers, she might wind up with more than she can handle." "Please Rorik, she's told me everything. Do me a favor and go play fetch with Liz, because you lost all your credibility and maybe your balls when you started listening to her." "And what makes you think I don't have her exactly where I want her? Not to mention, you?" "Because you're currently on your way to being the laughing stock of the entire school." "Hphm...that’s what you think." Throwing a glance over his shoulder, his eyes narrowed and as she walked passed one of the windows and it shattered into a thousand pieces. Leaving math class, Liz and Sam made for the lunchroom, although deliberately took different routes as neither of them had any desire to be around one another. Slipping from science, Mat joined Sam half way and questioned him about the disturbed look he bore. "You're not gonna believe what happened in there today." Mat admitted he probably wouldn't although Sam subjected him to the explanation regardless. Taking their seats at the usual table, he began chewing Mat’s ear off about the noise Rorik's stomach had made. "It sounded like somebody was wringing his guts through a blender!" "Yes lovely imagery now would you stop? I'm trying to enjoy my lunch." "He just tried to hurt me," Leah said as she slammed her tray down. "Give me the water," Rayne snapped. "Screw that," Sam reached for the bag himself. "I'm gonna end this. You girls stay here." Pulling one of several bottles, he got up and went to uncap it as Rorik took a seat beside Liz and began to toy with her peach. "Hey Liz," he mused, running it across his palm before flipping it onto the back of his hand. Chuckling at the sight, she reached out to take it. "You look like you're feeling better?" "Yeah...that usually happens after you get some real nourishment. I was running on fumes there." "So I noticed...as well as the rest of math class." His expression soured, however his eyes shifted upon catching Sam with the bottle. "Yo freak!" Getting up before Liz had the chance, Rorik spun and caught him by the wrist. "Sorry Sammy boy but I didn't sign up for the t-shirt contest. What the hell is in this stuff anyway?" "It’s holy water you slime!" "Oh really?" The eyebrow went up. "Looks like Poland spring to me?" "Well then why don't you guzzle it and find out?" "Hrm...interesting proposition." Rorik eyed the bottle and looked back at him. "If I do will you get off my case?" "Yeah sure, I'll even clean your ashes off the floor when you turn into a burning ball of flames." Rolling his eyes, he looked at Liz. "Whaddya think? Should I drink it?" "I wouldn't...you don't know what he put in that?"

"Well...only one way to find out." Bringing the bottle to his lips, Rorik downed the entire confection. "Whaddya know I'm still here." "Well Sam," walking up beside him, Mat placed a hand on his shoulder. "I guess we can add this to your record of epic failure?" "Dude...I filled those bottles myself, that's not possible. He's a demon he should be a ball of fucking flames right now." Rorik's expression flattened and he crossed his arms. "Urm clearly not. Now why don't you and your friends go take your insanity somewhere it'll be appreciated, like an asylum?" "It's not possible!" Sam railed. "Come on man you're just making it worse." "Dude what the fuck! Why the hell aren't you dead?" Marching up to him, his fear seemed to have been replaced by an un-scathable anger. "That was holy water, it was supposed to work." "Uh yeah...It probably would have, if I were a demon. But I'll tell you a little secret," Rorik leaned toward him threateningly. "I'm not." "You know you really shouldn't indulge him," Liz sighed. "Nah it was fun, did you see the look on his face, what a los..." he suddenly stopped. "What’s wrong?" she asked as he wobbled back. "I'm...I'm fine I just..." Liz took him by the arm and tried to coax him down while Sam had turned to watch with curious excitement. "Guess he is a demon," Rayne grinned in delight. "What the hell did you put in that bottle?" Rorik hissed. "I told you, you were the one who was stupid enough to drink it. Have fun in hell." "God damn it Sam cut the shit! What did you put in that bottle!" Liz snapped as Rorik suddenly collapsing to his knees and got vehemently sick across the floor. Getting out of their seats to watch, Rayne clapped Sam across the shoulder. "Gosh Sam, you could be the next Buffy," Leah said as she wrinkled her nose. "Yeah I'm cool like that." Throwing his hands behind his head, he gave a grin, which swiftly faded as Liz marched over. "Samuel Haine you tell me what you put in that bottle right now!" she demanded. "I didn’t put anything in it, your boyfriend there is a demon." Suppressing a laugh, Mat found the look on Sam's face to be quite amusing as Liz suddenly slapped him and went to help Rorik off the floor. "Come on, we have to get you to the nurse," she said despite his protests. "That little shit...He put something in that bottle and it wasn't fucking holy water." "I know that Rorik, I think we all do. But he is right about one thing ...that was really stupid." As Liz began to drag him off, Mat looked down and gave Sam a slight nudge. "Okay, so exactly what did you put in that?" "Huh?" his hand fell from his face. "Nothing, I already told you." "Come on Sam," Mat's eyes narrowed a bit too keenly. "Ugh...alright so maaaybe I cut it with some of my mom’s rubbing alcohol?" "You what!" "Come on I wanted to see him burst into flames. I didn't know he was gonna chug it." "Ugh..."

"You gotta admit though, holy water or not, that was a pretty nice show." "Really Sam? Rubbing alcohol?" Rayne’s good mood vanished, despite the fact she felt no pity. "Do you really want to put an end to the demon or just worm your way into Liz's affection?" Leah asked with a scoff. "What, he got sick didn't he? That's gotta account for something?" "Yeah you getting expelled when the nurse learns about it," Mat sighed. Meanwhile, Liz dragged Rorik into the office. "I don't want to hear it," she said as she forced him through the door. "We don't know what he put in that stuff, and you need to get it checked out." "I'm fine Liz, look I feel better, can we please just forget the nurse?" Unfortunately for him, the door had already opened and a stout older woman wobbled through. Taking one look at his greenish disposition, she crossed her pudgy arms and sighed. "So what happened here?" After Liz had explained, the nurse ordered Rorik into the back where he begrudgingly took a seat. "So what went on in the lunch room today?" she asked as she pulled a large stethoscope from her neck. "Sam Haine," he grumbled. "I see...You said you threw up?" "Yeah, he put something in my drink." "Well you seem to be okay now, just gonna check your pupil dilation so if you don't mind?" Approaching him with a small penlight, she raised a plump finger and instructed him to look up. "Uh...you're not going to shine that in my face are you?" "Well yes, I have to check your eyes. Just look at my finger." "How about we skip the eye flashy thing okay lady?" "It'll only take a second, now come on, look up." As she reached out to raise his chin, Rorik bit his lip. "Come on, look at me," she said with a smile that quickly faded as he actually did. Holding the light to his eyes, they reflected normally, although instead of regular pupil dilation, the light shown through to reveal a second pair directly behind his own. With a horrified gasp, the nurse took a step back. Opening her mouth to scream, she reached out to clutch the sides of her chest before dropping to the floor. "Where are you going?" Leah asked as Rayne headed for the office. "To check on Rorik," Opening the door just in time, she watched as the secretary rushed in. "Oh my god, Nurse Pratt! She's having a heart attack! Someone call somebody!" Grabbing the phone, Leah was the first to dial 911. "Did you hear it?" she asked Rayne. "I heard it," she answered, all too familiar with the sound of dying heartbeats. Liz was sobbing as the paramedics rushed in to try to resuscitate the nurse, while Rorik leaned against the lobby wall. "This is your fault," Rayne bore a cold expression. "My fault? I didn't kill the dumb broad! She had a heart attack, it happens." "How convenient for you. She died holding a penlight, what'd she see Rorik?"

"Her reflection maybe? I mean let's face it, the woman was a cow." "Enough!" Liz bawled from her chair. "I don't care whose fault it was. I just want this to be over." "Maybe I should shine the light in your eyes?" Rayne went on to say to him. "Maybe I should shine one in yours?" "You're the demon here," she snapped sharply. "This is your fault Rorik," Leah scowled "Oh my god, I'm not a demon! And I didn't kill her it was a bloody accident." "Oh I'm sorry, soul eater, does that sound better? Why don't you just go haunt somewhere else?" Rorik was about to say something when the paramedic suddenly cut in. "Alright kids. Your stories check out, you're free to go." Getting up, he walked to Liz and took her by the arm. "Come on, let's get out of here. You don't need to be subjected to anymore of this, and frankly I've had enough myself." "Subjected to what?" Rayne asked. "You're the one who made her witness it!" "For the last time!" he began, although stopped as Liz suddenly tore from him and bolted down the hall. "She's going to run away from you when she finds out what you really are," Rayne said coldly. Blatantly ignoring them, Rorik caught up with Liz as she continued to cry. "Whoa hey calm down, forget those jerks it was an accident." "I've just never seen anyone die before." As she buried her face in his shirt, it took him a moment to find words. "Oh...uh...really? I mean," he shook his head. "It wasn't that bad...it coulda been a lot worse." realizing he wasn't helping his eyes fell on the library door. "Hey, why don't we go in there, you can get some tissues and calm down?" Pulling her inside, he skimped out on last period as he explained the situation to the librarian who obliged them with a more secluded portion of the room. Helping her to a seat, Rorik took his own and twenty minutes later Liz’s tears had turned to pains of laughers as he proceeded to unload some of the dirtiest jokes he could think of. "There ya see, no more crying. You kill the atmosphere with that stuff." "Oh my god Rorik..." she giggled. "Where did you learn to be so vulgar?" "I told you it comes with the job. Besides I've always been a bit of a joker." "I'll say. You better keep those jokes under your collar though, you'll get throw out of school if an adult ever caught wind of one." Looking up at the clock as it neared the final hour, Liz went to gather her things. Still dwindling in his own little world, Rorik's attention was caught as his stomach once again made a horrible sound that caused several people, including the librarian, to stop and turn. "Rorik!" Liz demanded as his expression became a grimace. "Damn Sam and his fucking Jesus juice." "Don't you ever eat?" "Yeah...just lately not as much as I should. I had something this morning but...well." "Look, why don't you come over my place and I'll make you something, okay?" Arching a brow, he stared at her. "You helped me out, it's the least I can do." "You know...I think I'd like that," he said as a rather ominous smile began to cross his face, one she mistook for admiration.

"Good, then I'll just go put my stuff in the locker and we can go. I'm sure my parents won't mind, especially not after what just happened." "Whoa, wait time out." Rorik thought he’d misheard her. "I'm sorry, did you just say your parents would be there?" "Well yeah of course they will Rorik, they live there. Is something wrong?" Shaking his head, he decided to let it go and got up to follow her anyway. "No nothing, it's fine." "Don't worry I'm sure they'll love you." "Yeah...course they will, they're catholic."

Chapter 8.

Storming down the stairs Rayne’s eyes were so dark they almost appeared black. "Hey guys," Leah greeted the boys in the lobby. "Hey," Mat acknowledged her although Sam was still in a rut. "Any updates from the dark side?" "He killed the school nurse," she answered morbidly. "What!?" the both of them stammered. "What do you mean he killed the nurse?" "Dude miss fat is dead and I missed it?!" Sam whined. "Do you want another slap to the face?" Leah asked angrily. "She was examining Rorik with a penlight. Apparently she had a heart attack. Liz was crying and he took her somewhere to cheer her up." "He's going after her. We gotta do something." "Like what? Poison him with rubbing alcohol? You're lucky you only got another weeks detention." Mat crossed his arms. Completely disregarding him, Sam reached into his bag to pull out the binoculars. "Where did they go? I'm gonna tail that son of a bitch." "I don’t know," Leah sighed. "Rayne might, considering she's outside watching for them." As Sam bolted from the school, Mat shook his head. "I guess I'm off to the mineral store? I'd rather not go, but at this rate I think he’ll explode if I don't humor him." "I'll go with you," Leah offered. "Rayne is capable of handling Sam." Shoving his way outside, he nearly ran smack into her. "Hey, have you seen Rorik anywhere?" "They're walking to Liz's house, I suspect she thinks she's doing the right thing," Rayne said cynically. "That doesn't matter, we can't let that freak snarf her, come on." Neither Liz nor Rorik had any idea they were being followed as the two of them made their way back to her place. Judging from their expressions, they seemed to be engaged in a rather humorous conversation. "What the shit is their deal anyway?" Sam grumbled. "They like each other," Rayne rolled her eyes. "It's like John the farmer cozying up to Bessie the cow before making her into a hamburger." "Doesn't that classify as bestiality?" Pulling out the binoculars again, Sam watched as Liz turned down her block and started up the steps of her front porch. "Come on," Rayne urged. "We can get closer once they're inside." Unzipping the front pocket of his bag, Sam proceeded to pull a small silver camera that probably would have gone for over a grand. "Whaddya think? She's a beauty ain't she?" "Can you not point that at me?" Rayne held up a hand to cover her face. "What, camera shy?" Turning the video screen down Sam’s eyes fell on the house, where through the living room window Liz proceeded to explain the day's events to her parents. "And so you see, after everything that went on today I figured the least I could do would be to invite him over for dinner." "Your parents don't cook for you kiddo?" Liz's dad asked.

"Oh erm...well they're kinda dead to the world," Rorik admitted. "They work the late shift you know? It's microwave TV dinners and noodles most of the times." "Well don't you worry, you won't find any of that here," her mother smiled. "We only serve the best. Why don't you go wash up and tend to your homework while we see to it that you get a good meal tonight, okay sweetie?" "Um...yeah sure thanks." Leaving the room Rorik followed Liz into the hall. "What, don't tell me you've never eaten over someone else's house before?" "No...I have, I just..." He stopped to eye the statue of a saint and shuttered. "Those things are creepy Liz." "What, that?" she turned to look at it as well. "It's just a statue, supposed to ward off evil." "How desperate does she have to be to like him?" Rayne asked as they peered in through one of the windows. "Maybe's it's like those werewolf movies, you know, the whole un-natural sexual appeal?" "Werewolves are not unnaturally sexy," Rayne looked mildly offended before hastily changing the topic. "Can you climb?" "Climb...wait, what do you mean?" "He's not going to try to eat her in front of her parents Sam." "He ate Rorik's parents. Who’s to say he won’t scarf all three of them, Liz and her folks?" Taking a deep breath, Rayne suddenly grabbed his arm. "Look, take a second to think about this." she said angrily. "If they're upstairs doing their homework...her parents aren't going to suspect if they take long. That gives Rorik time to eat Liz, come downstairs and have the rest of his meal in peace!" "Yeah I know, that's kinda what I just said!" Sam wrenched away from her. "Why do you think I brought this?" he motioned toward the camera. "Get it on film and they'll have to believe me." "They can't believe you if you're dead. We need to get upstairs." "How about that?" he pointed to a large willow tree a few houses down. "I asked if you could climb." "I never said I couldn't." Hoisting his bag over his shoulder, Sam studied the tree before attempting to climb it. Having no trouble herself, Rayne looked down and pulled him up as if he weighed next to nothing. "Whoa hey, easy there Tarzan." rubbing his arm he gave her a flat look before pulling out the binoculars. In the meantime, Rorik had taken a seat on the bed while Liz proceeded to tidy up. Staring around the room, he noticed a rosary hanging from her dresser and grimaced. "What?" Catching his reflection in the mirror, she turned. "Oh nothing, I think there's a draft or something?" "Window's closed Rorik, no draft. You really don't know anything about social interaction do you?" "Uh...actually no..." "Your parents never took you to a party? No holidays, no birthdays?"

"Uh...no...my dad kinda kept me in a bubble." he rubbed his neck. "That's terrible...you poor thing. Well don't worry I'll break you of that, just consider this your first lesson." "What the hell?" Sam watched in confusion. "So is that some kind of demon courting ritual?" he asked Rayne. "What the fuck are they doing?" "I think they're just talking?" she said in disbelief. A few minutes past and the sound of Liz's parents cooking could be heard from downstairs, accompanied by the smell of fried chicken and canjin stir-fry, which gradually began to waft its way out the window. "Dinners ready you two, come on down," Liz's mother called. Walked into the dining room where her parents had prepared a feast, Rorik’s eyes widened. "Come on, take a seat." Liz led him to a chair while her father set a bowl of mash potatoes in front of him and her mother got up to pull drinks. "What's the matter Rorik?" her father asked. "You look like you've never seen a good family cooked meal before?" When he didn't say anything Liz spoke for him. "Rorik doesn't talk much dad, and apparently his family is a little...unorthodox," she whispered. "Oh, well that's alright, there's more than enough to go around, just help yourself." It wasn’t the best thing to say, considering the moment he did, Rorik began to do just that. "Don't take more than you can finish dear," Liz's mother warned as he pulled three chicken legs, a wad of potatoes and a massive amount of rice onto his plate. "Oh don't worry...I can finish it." Sure enough, it took him all of five minutes. "Hey..." leaning over, Liz pressed a hand to his arm. "Can you slow down a bit?" she asked as he reached for more. "Huh?" Looking up, Rorik seemed to break from his trance. Dropping his gaze, he took note of the six or seven chicken bones and suddenly looked deeply embarrassed. "Oooh...woops...uh, you have a bathroom I could use?" "Down the hall..." her mother pointed. "Thanks." Tossing his napkin, he quickly left the room. "My god...the poor boy, his parents must starve him," her mother whispered across the tabletop. Her father however didn't seem as enthused. "Elizabeth, if that boy throws up in my bathroom you're grounded for a month." "This is pathetic." Rayne hated seeing a normal family dynamic. She'd lived on canned soup and white bread for years. "Man what a pig," Sam shook his head. "Do you still think he's going to eat her?" "He has to! I saw him kill the real Rorik, and you were there with me when he killed the lights, not to mention you broke into his house and he woke up." "I don't know," Rayne sighed as she lit a cigarette, "He really must have some misplaced attraction for her. I'm giving him another half hour before I take him out." "Take him out? Oh yeah, and how exactly do you plan on doing that?" "Don't concern yourself with it, when I tell you to leave...you leave." "Whoa wait a minute, no way. I am not leaving you alone with that thing."

"I can fend for myself Sam, believe me. You would only get in my way." "Pfth whatever Rayne, look I'm the one with the camera. Besides, if some shit is going down I wanna get it on film." "Sam, I will push you out of this tree if you don't listen..." Rayne suddenly stopped as she realized Rorik was gone. "He's not in the dining room!" "Where did he go?" Back inside Rorik had made his way into the kitchen. Muttering beneath his breath, he glanced around as if looking for something and his attention was swiftly caught by the sound of footsteps across the counter top, and a low reverberating growl that followed. Spinning around, he froze upon coming face to face with a small white cat brandishing a tiny dingly ball around its neck. Glowering at him, the animal raised its hackles and hissed as Rorik's expression became one of delight. "Oh finally...COME HERE!" Catching it by the scruff of its neck, a dark smile crossed his face. "Holy shit, he's gonna eat the cat!" "Get it on tape," Rayne exclaimed. Raising the camera, Sam tried to zoom in as the boy's lips slowly began to peel away. "Look!" he ran an elbow into Rayne's side. "That’s what he did down in the basement." Unfortunately, before Rorik could to do much else, Liz's voice caught him from behind. "Oh, I see you've found our cat?" Immediately ceasing, his expression returned to normal and he dropped the animal as it swatted him in the face. "Owe fuck...damn it." "What's wrong Mr. Puss?" Liz asked as the cat went bolting passed her. "What did you just call that thing?" "Hrm? Oh Mr. Puss," she said with a laugh. "It's his name silly." "Mr...my god Liz. I know it's a cat but come on...let the guy keep his dignity." "What?" she chuckled. "It's a nice name." "Yeah...pfth erm where at the brothel? Holy shit." "Are you okay?" "Yeah I'm fine," he sighed, "Although I should probably get going." "I guess so, thanks for coming though, we should do this again." "Yeah when your folks aren't around." Liz didn't seem to object, although when Rorik’s stomach went off again her eyes became wide. "How can you still be hungry?" "Ugh...Oh boy...how do I explain this? Alright look, I'll be honest with you, it's kinda a chronic thing okay?" "Chronic?" she asked. "What do you mean?" "I mean like continuous, never ending, it doesn't go away." "Jesus Rorik you should see a doctor." "Naw I'm fine, I just need to get some erm...over the counter stuff." "Rorik that is not a noise the human body is supposed to make. It sounds like you have something living in there." He actually choked down a laugh. "Yeah well on that note I'll be going." "Get something for that...thing…would you? I never want to hear that noise from you

again Rorik, I mean it." "I can't believe she believes him." Rayne was in disbelief. She could've taken a chunk out of Liz herself and the girl probably would have passed it off as hunger pangs. "Yeah well she's a dumb blonde what do you expect?" Sam was still fuming over the lack of footage while Rorik bid Liz goodnight and left the house. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he started randomly down the street without much thought. "You can go home now," Rayne said as she jumped from the tree. "What, hell no," Sam continued to tail her. "I told you, I'm getting this one on film." "Sam, go away. You don't want to see this." "No I really think I do." Snatching up a rock, Rayne decided if he was going to videotape she'd have to keep it somewhat less violent. Flinging the projectile at the back of Rorik’s head, he suddenly turned and with one swift thrust of his hand, caught the stone in midair. "Oooh really?" Tossing the pebble upward, he caught it again while crossing one arm and continuing to play catch with it in the other. "A little late for a stroll ain't it?" "A little early for you to be so hungry hrm?" "What is this?" Rorik tossed the pebble aside. "You really think you were going to ambush me in the middle of a public street, with him nonetheless?" he pointed at Sam and laughed. "Phulease. I've had just about enough from the peanut gallery, and I'm not interested in kicking your ass, so YouTube will have to forfeit that video. Now if you want to keep that camera you'll get it out of my face." "Not a chance freakazoid." "Believe me it wasn't my idea to have him tag along," Rayne admitted with a sneer. "But hey, the more the merrier. Come on Rorik, we have the video of you almost eating that cat. How are you going to explain that away?" "Simple," reaching out a hand, he eyed the camera and clenched his fist. Staggering backward, Sam watched in horror as the device suddenly shattered inward like it had been crushed by a massive vice. "Bye bye evidence," Rorik mused as it zoomed straight out of Sam’s hand and exploded against a nearby fence. "So level with me Goth chick, are you really that stupid? Confronting me like this with Haine present? Come on, we both know how big his mouth is. Maybe I should tell him your little secret? Wouldn't that be fun?" "My secret?" Rayne laughed. "Which one?" "How about all of em? Or maybe I could just tell him what you really are?" Rorik grinned while Sam gave Rayne a strange look. "What's he talking about?" "I don't know," she shook her head. "He's just trying to scare us. Your lies aren't going to do anything Rorik. Stop playing games." "Games? You're the one playing games Rayne and I've had enough of them. Now I've got a bone to pick with him," he pointed at Sam who backed away uneasily. "But I'll tell you what, there was a sign up at school today. Homecoming dance is this Wednesday. Lay off till then I can promise you two things. One, once it’s over you'll never see me again, and two..." he snickered. "You might wanna attend, because I've heard it's going be one HELL of a show." Scowling furiously, Rayne held back as he walked away. It was a tempting offer, she realized. Besides, making the street an arena for the supernatural didn't tend to go over well.

"So that's your plan?" Sam asked. "You're just gonna let him walk away?" "Of course not," she told him. "But now that he's told us what he plans to do...we can stop him before that." "Before that? Today’s Monday. Homecoming is Wednesday night. You saw what he did to my camera! How are we going to fight something like that?" "Easy," she cracked a smile. "We catch him off guard." "Off guard? You mean like throwing a stone at the back of his skull. Real fat lot of good that did." "You could have done something...but I remember you just standing there? I told you to go home and let me handle this." "Oh yeah like I'm going to throw my weight around against Satin? I would rather not wind up looking like that," Sam pointed toward the camera. "Besides, what the hell were you going to do? Tease him to death?" Rolling his eyes, he turned to walk off. Meanwhile, Mat had gone with Leah to the mineral store. Oblivious to the entire ordeal, he quietly browsed the shop with a small basket of goods he intended to purchase. "Do you think all that will stop him?" Leah asked. "I don't know," Mat sighed as he pulled a fifty from his wallet. "Honestly, I'm not sure I believe all of this demon stuff. I've known Sam since I was a kid and he's always been over the top when it comes to this kind of thing. It's not the first time he's accused someone of being a monster either." "And you don't think monsters exist?" "Not the kind Sam believes in. He's an attention hound if ever there was one. His father is a real hard ass, he's also captain of the football team. I think that has a lot to do with it. Sam isn't exactly a jock. He's just acting out. All he really wants is for someone to pay attention to him. Unfortunately...he doesn't know the proper way to go about it." "I don't think he could have come up with a better story," Leah said as she noticed Rayne through the window. "Wednesday night is when he plans to make his move," she told them as they left. "Wednesday night?" Mat stepped from the shop. "Isn't that homecoming?" "All his minions will be there," Leah looked horrified. "We can’t attack him then, that'd be suicide." "Hrm, I guess you girls have a real problem then?" Mat replied. "It'll be your problem too when he decides your soul is worth eating," Rayne said flatly. "I'm taking him out tomorrow, after I burn his house down tonight." "Rayne...please." Leah stammered. "You know I really think this is beginning to go too far. What Sam did today in the cafeteria was reckless and dangerous. It's one thing to play around, but it's another to hurt somebody." "He killed the school nurse Mat. Isn't that putting an end to something evil?" Rayne asked. "If neither of you are going to help, I'll do it myself." "Did he really?" Mat shot a nervous look toward Leah as Rayne stormed off. "You have to stop her Leah, if she really does burn Rorik's house down she'll wind up in jail." "I know," Leah groaned. By the time she made it back, Rayne was already gathering supplies. "Rayne, why'd you have to tell him you're committing arson?" "Because I am," she answered calmly. "You're going to be my alibi and so are the maids.

I'll be back before midnight." Her lighter was in her pocket and the bottles of house cleaner and alcohol were in her bag. Leather gloves covered her fingers as she pulled her hair into a beanie to keep from leaving any evidence. Completely unaware of her intentions, Rorik had wandered home and locked the door as he walked inside. Manifesting a beer in his hand, he gave a smile to the little fiend at the foot of his bed and sat down. "Had a good day today Rose. A couple miner setbacks but nothing I can't handle. I think things are going to go off without a hitch on Wednesday." "Eepp." "Homecoming dance, it's gonna be a blast." Lying back, his toyed with his drink as the tiny creature crawled up beside him and curled into a ball. Arriving a few minutes later, Rayne began to pour alcohol across the lawn. Lighting a match, she flung it onto the porch and watched it go up in flames. Almost instantly, Rorik sat up and his eyes grew wide. Even his minion raised its head at the sound. "Stay here." A second later, the entire house was submerged in a fume of black smoke and the flames melted away on the spot. "You just don't learn do you?" his voice called from behind; far darker than it had ever been before. "I have been lenient with you thus far, but this is your last warning. You have ten seconds to get the fuck of my property or I'm going to teach you a lesson in pain." Watching her plan foiled before her eyes, Rayne looked furious. "Why wait till Wednesday?" she challenged. "Nine..." "Eight." Throwing up his hands, the entire area suddenly grew pitch black. Vanishing from behind, the house as well as the rest of the street simply ceased to exist as the darkness began to envelope them from all direction. Lowering his gaze, Rorik’s eyes had become two burning golden orbs in the back of his skull and with a snap of his fingers several worm like tendrils erupted from the ground. Snapping open at the ends, they revealed an array of teeth as they went straight for Rayne. Lifting her hands, a similar energy manifested a shield. Swirling with streaks of red it shot towards him, however instead of causing damage, he allowed himself to be ensnared and began to drain her energy as his own horrific manifestation grabbed her defenses and pumped it full of his own. Experiencing a sudden shot of euphoria, Rayne began to laugh. "What did you do?" she asked, sensing something was not right. "You wanted to pick a fight...now you learn the hard way. Too bad, I was so hoping we could be friends." Rorik snapped his fingers again and the strange feeling that had taken her suddenly became a raging compulsion to obey. "Now be a good dog and get down on the floor where you belong." A look of horror crossed Rayne’s face as she dug her nails into the flesh of her palm. It took a few seconds of struggling before it became too much and while she could feel the blood on her hands she slowly sat down. "There's a good girl. Now, unless you want to be sporting a pair of antenna on the back of that pretty little head of yours, you're going to listen to me...very carefully. You and your friends are going to stay away from both me and Liz. I don't want to hear another word on this demon business from you or Sam. And if you come within ten feet of this house again we're going to

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 59 have a problem. So incase I'm not clear." Kneeling down, he met her at eye level and reached out to take her chin. "You fuck with me again and I will kill you." His voice was no longer Rorik's but rather the same nasally hiss that belonged to the young man in the pinstripes. Taking a step back, the darkness vanished and Rayne was released from the hold he had over her. Looking revolted as she met his gaze, the compulsion held fast, which made her feel weak. Despite that fact, she nodded, although her eyes burned with a brutal desire for vengeance. "Get out," Rorik spat, voice once again his own. "You're going to regret this," Rayne snapped. "Go ahead, make my day, or are you forgetting who just owned you ass?" "For now," she glared. "But you've made a terrible mistake." "Pfth yeah suuure." In a flash of darkness, he left her standing there and returned to his room with a beer. "What happened?" Leah asked as Rayne returned to the house. "He won." Storming passed her, she slammed the door and ran her knife into a pillow various times. Following her upstairs, Leah could only watch in terror as she realized Rorik was a greater threat than they imagined.

Chapter 9.

Arriving in school the next morning Mat had brought with him some rose oil and several pieces of jet. A Star of David hung around his neck and he carried with him a number of old books. Leah had stashed an Irish catholic cross in her pocket. Of no particular faith, Rayne was on her own. "He said we couldn't talk about it anymore," she told her friend as they walked to school. "I blocked off the stairwells with mountain ash and if he wants to make a move he has to get passed my pepper spray." Looking up at the sound of their footsteps, Sam’s expression darkened. "Okay what happened?" he asked as Mat closed his book and turned. "He managed to keep me from burning his house down and said if we go near him or Liz again we’re dead." Rayne’s eyes were a dark gray. "Wednesday or bust guys, this isn't pretty." "What the fuck is his deal with her anyway?" Sam threw a glance to where Liz was sitting alone. "Maybe he just likes her?" Mat suggested, "Is that really a bad thing?" "Yeah I'm pretty sure he's gonna kill her. Wait a minute...the dance," Sam slapped a fist across his palm. "That's why he hasn't killed her. Somebody's gotta ask Liz to that dance before Rorik does." "You really think he's going to hurt her in the middle of all that?" "Dude have you ever been to one of those things? They're huge, it's gonna be chaos. He could pick her off and nobody would even know." "I'm not sure Sam, demon or not, Rorik does not strike me as the kind of person to be well...subtle." "Think about it Mat!" Rayne said angrily. "All of his minions are going to be there. It's the perfect set up." "Yeah well what do you propose we do?" he sighed. "If the holy water in the bottle didn't work, then what else is there other than to protect ourselves? You and Sam both said he'll be gone after the dance. Maybe we should just wait this out?" "Sure, and when half of our graduating class is wiped out that'll be great," Leah interjected. "Don't listen to him," Sam brushed Mat's comment aside. "I got something special on the way. Ordered it straight off Amazon. It's coming Wednesday afternoon so I should have it just in time for the occasion. If that's the case I'll take his ass down in front of all his stupid little minions." "Is it going to kill him?" Rayne asked. "Because we can't exactly battle him in his true form either." "If it hits him it might." Mat crossed his arms. "And just what is this mysterious thing you've got planned?" "Ever heard of an amethyst prism?" "No," Rayne arched an eyebrow. "You're going to trap him or something?" Leah asked. Sam shook his head. "Supposedly amethyst is a truth stone. I looked it up. If you look through one that's clear enough it's supposed to reveal things for what they really are. Said it works on the website." "Yeah well they say weight watchers works too Sam."

"It's been used in real exorcisms Mat, it's gotta be the real deal." "According to whom? EBay?" "Whatever dude, when this thing comes even you won't be able to deny it." "What, so if you're a werewolf it’s supposed to show your fur?" Leah gave a laugh that sounded almost nervous. "If you ain't human the amethyst will know. But that's not the best part. I also got this." Reaching into his bag Sam pulled out a slingshot that looked as if it had been made back in the 80's. "Three time national champion," he said proudly as he aligned the rubber band with the back of Mat's skull. "Hey!" "I got a couple of solid silver ball bearings too. Cost me three months’ pay to get em on pre-order. Wednesday night his ass is dead meat." "Can silver even harm a demon?" Leah glanced at Rayne. "According to the Vatican it's one of those kill all be all kinda things. Silver and evil don't go together." "Well what if there's nothing to see?" Rayne countered. "I mean, you can't tell a vampire is a vampire unless they combust in the sun." "What is it with you and vampires?" Sam asked her suddenly. "I never mentioned vampires. We're dealing with a demon here, when the hell did vampires come into the equation?" "It was just a question." "I don't know, I didn't write the book on this shit." "That's all well and good Sam, but what do we do until then?" Mat humored him. "You said we should defend ourselves...so...lets defend ourselves. He wasn't going to do anything till Wednesday. As long as we stay in a group and keep away from him, we should be okay…right?" "Yeah...right," Rayne snorted. "I have a soccer game today, so I'll be practicing in the gym," Leah told them. "Plus we have to go shopping for homecoming dresses." "Well good luck to you ladies. I have a feeling things are going to be fine," Mat turned to leave as the bell rang and Sam shook his head. "Yeah you would...fool. One of these days I swear he's gonna realize what's actually going on and shit his pants." "Seriously," Rayne got up to head to class with Leah. "How can you think of dressing up at a time like this?" she asked her. "Uh...we’re teenagers Rayne, it’s normal." Breaking off from the two of them, instead of haunting his usual stairwell, Sam actually showed up for first period, while Rorik, who’d wandered in just a few minutes later, took toward his staircase, pulled back the door and arched a brow at the ash that filled it. "Wow...who combusted?" he muttered and simply walked straight through it. Even though it seemed to have no effect on him, not one of his cronies stepped into the basement that day and by the time gym rolled around it had him scratching his head. Liz was already waiting on the bleachers. "Hey, feeling better?" she asked. "Much." he said with a nod and reached down to brush off his shoes. "Eww...what is that?" "No idea. But somebody decided it would be fun to pour all over the stairs."

Seeing the ash on his sneakers, Leah paled. "That's impossible," she stammered as they took their seats. "He walked through mountain ash?" "I keep telling you girls," Mat shook his head. "He's not a demon?" "Dude he crushed my camera with his hand from thirty feet away. What the hell else can do that?" "You know it's kind of strange that when these things happen, it's only you who sees them Sam." "It wasn't just me. Rayne was there too!" "He didn't even bat an eyelash," she told Mat stiffly, "He killed people last night or haven’t you seen the news?" "I saw the news," Mat nodded. "It said ten people have gone missing in the last couple of weeks...it never said they were dead." "Oh please, get with the program," Sam hissed. "They're not coming back anymore than the real Rorik is." "Let's be serious, cops only have a real chance of finding people within forty eight hours. They’re not coming back." Rayne said icily. Mat gave up as the coaches began to line balls along floor in a provocative manner. "Dodge ball!" Sam's eyes brightened while his expression went dark and Mat pursed his lips. "I thought they banned that." "What's dodge ball?" Rayne asked Leah who promptly buried her face in her hands. "You don't know about Dodge ball!" Sam's jaw dropped. "It's only the best game ever invented. Come on. Let's go kick some demon ass." Taking the opposite side of the field as Rorik, he glared daggers. "So what's the deal with this game?" Rorik whispered to Liz, also unfamiliar with the normalcy of high school gym. "Pick up a ball and tag someone on the other team. If you get tagged yourself you're out," she explained as the coach blew the whistle. Rayne had already pegged a ball in Rorik's direction. Quickly stepping aside, his eyes narrowed and he went to chuck one back. Avoiding the attack, she found the game enjoyable and pelted the ones she grabbed at Rorik quite violently. Managing to elude them, he evidently wound up one of the last three standing. As he went to tag Sam with a fastball, he took a brief moment to focus while unintentionally giving Rayne the perfect opening. A few seconds later, a loud crack took the room and Rorik went down. The ball bounced off his head and rolled away while he cupped his nose, hands filling with blood. As the smell poured into the room, Leah cringed. Rayne on the other hand froze. Rorik wasn't a demon anymore; he was lunch, or would've been had Leah not taken her arm to drag her into the locker room. Quickly rushing over, both Liz and the coach were so busy focused on what had happened that neither of them noticed. Sam on the other hand, did. "Rayne don’t!" Leah said as she blocked her way. "He deserves it!" she hissed, eyes the color of blood. "Not that way! You can't, you'll ruin everything!" Hastily turning on the faucet, Rayne splashed her face with cold water. She felt dehydrated, parched, although she tried to be practical and listen to her friend. "Are you okay now?" Rayne’s eyes had gone back to gray although she still looked upset.

"Did anyone notice?" "No, everyone was too busy watching Rorik squirm. Great shot though," Rayne cracked a smile as she dried her hair. "He deserved worse." When they walked from the lockers, Sam was already waiting for them. "What are you doing here?" Leah asked. "Um...what was that?" he motioned toward the gym. "What was what?" Rayne snapped. "That, back there. You totally tweaked out." "What does tweaked out mean?" she asked impatiently. Crossing his arms, he stared at her flatly. "You cracked his face and bugged out when he started bleeding. Is there something I should know about?" "Yeah, I don't fucking like blood or your god damn questions Buffy," "Come on Sam really? Do you see how pale she is? She's ready to barf. Don't bring it up again." "Yeah she's pale, afraid of blood and happens to know a shit load about demons. Not only that, but she seems to like to mention vampires a whole lot too...You didn't wanna touch that holy water yesterday either." "Vampires like blood you idiot," Rayne struggled not to shove him through a locker. "And just because I'm really white and happen to like reading about demons, doesn't mean I'm one of them!" "Sam...she would burst into flames when exposed to the sun," Leah said flatly. "You need to stop talking." "But it's not always like it is in the books...now is it?" "I'm sorry did you see me eat someone? Do I smash video cameras without touching them?" "I can put puzzle pieces together Rayne. The blood, the holy water, you wanted me gone last night. You snuck into his house after telling me it was suicide...it probably was, yet here you are...mighty suspicious. Not to mention you didn't flip out like the rest of us about Rorik being a soul eater or whatever the hell he is...now do you call that normal?" "I'm not religious so pardon me for not wanting to touch that stuff but if you really fucking want me to Sam, I'll drink a whole bottle of it. I don't like blood because I'm squeamish and I don't want you around because you're fucking annoying and I already have a record." Pursing his lips, he thought about it and shook his head. "I don't believe you, but nobody's going to believe me either so I guess that settles it. But be honest, why are you helping us? I mean, you want him gone just as much as I do, but are you really looking to help or just level the competition?" "This isn't a game Sam," Rayne tried to be patient. "I don't care if you don't believe me. I don't like Rorik, he's killing people and that's bad news for this town, the end." "I'm aware this isn't a game. Now I don't know what your deal is, but this is my home. You come out of absolutely nowhere and all of a sudden all this weird shit starts happening. I might not be a vampire or a demon hunter, but I don’t care who or what it is, I'm not going to let anyone terrorize my town. If you're the good guy that's great, but if you aren't...I'm gonna take down Rorik and anyone else who tries to hurt people around here." "I wish I could take you seriously but I can still smell the weed on you." "You shouldn't judge a book by its cover."

"You're crazy Sam, vampires don't exist." Rayne looked at her friend as he walked off. "We may have to kill him." Missing the comment, Sam was happy to see Rorik wasn't in class, although he was somewhat uneasy about Rayne now. Staring hard at the board, she figured if she just ignored him, he'd drop the issue. "Wow, what happened to Haine?" Liz whispered as the bell rang. "He looks like he's seen a ghost." "I think he's taking up smoking again?" Rayne answered coolly before walking to lunch with Leah. "If we ignore him, he might drop the subject? And Mat will just think he's alienated us, which is perfect." "They're both aware," Rayne said as she drank her milk. "Of what? You're squeamish, that's all. Besides they don't even have a case." Across the room, Liz took her usual seat beside Rorik who was currently eyeing Rayne. Apparently, Sam had not been the only one to notice. "Hey Rorik, can you help me with this?" Liz caught his attention as she pointed to her Latin. "Yeah sure." For once, the lunch period went smoothly. At the sound of the bell, Sam couldn't leave fast enough. Throwing out his lunch, Mat followed him while Liz waited for Rorik. "You go ahead," he told her, eyes still on Rayne. "Hrm? What is it?" "Just go, I'll meet you upstairs in a few." Leaving the room, she decided not to bother with it while Rorik hung back to wait for Rayne’s friends to depart. "That was quite a hit you got," he mused from behind. "You deserved it," she didn’t look at him as he spoke although she felt him studying her. "Don't you have somewhere else to haunt?" "He knows you know...Haine..." Rorik said as he followed her. "I told you this would happen." "He knows what Rorik? I hit you, that’s all." "Pfth come on," he chuckled. "You know the answer to that as well as I do." "You don't know anything," she said passively. "Oh really?" he laughed again. "So those teeth of yours you try so cleverly to hide behind that crafted smile are just for show then are they?" "I could show you in a more private place?" "Oh trust me I'd beat ya in the dental department hands down. How long do you think he's going to keep his mouth shut?" "He has nothing to go on." "I wouldn't be so sure of that." "Oh yeah?" she cracked a wooden smile. "Sam might be a tweaker but he's already tarnished my reputation and it's been what...two weeks? You think he's just going to leave you alone? He's seen me and he's still ballsie enough to pursue it. He'll come at you, just like I said. The difference is, you can't hide it. All it's gonna take is a little blood, and grab your torch and pitchforks." "Just wait Rorik," Rayne laughed. "You'll go down first."

"Pfth well I was gonna offer to help, but if that's your attitude then maybe I'll just go find Sam and tip him off myself?" "As if he'd believe you." "And you think he'll believe you?" Rorik laughed. "I'm not going to explain myself to him, I could care less." "How about the rest of the school, how are you going to explain it to them?" Slowly raising his hand, his nails began to grow jagged. "All it would take is one little nick...one scratch," he taunted as he ran them along the edge of his forearm, leaving long white indents just soft enough to keep the skin from breaking. Gripping the rail, Rayne tried not to pay attention. "Do you really want me to take a chunk out of you?" "Your little poison won't work on me. You'd just make a fool of yourself." "Gosh you know...I am pretty hungry. Maybe Liz will let me take a bite? I mean, she lets you do whatever you want to her." "You wanna be a dog again? Go near Liz and that's what you'll be. I didn't confront you to make threats. I can help you avoid Sam," his hand returned to normal and he crossed his arms. "You, help me? Please Rorik, spare me the selling my soul speech because I've been there, done that." "Well excuse me if perhaps I actually look out for my own, even if they are raging asshole bitches who can't keep their hands out the cookie jar." "We are not the same," "Really?" he smiled. "You drain blood, I drain energy, souls to be more specific. You're a physical manifestation, I'm a metaphysical one but when it comes down to bras tax we're both vampires." "Except I let me victims live and you don't." "Details," he shrugged. "Who needs em? But that a moot point, the evident results will be the same if someone discovers you. Now I don't want your soul, just your cooperation. You leave Liz alone and let me run my course for the next two days and we’ll call it even?" "What is it?" Reaching into his pocket Rorik pulled a small blood red stone on a chain. Swirling around inside it, a strange ruby energy manifested as he tossed it to her. "Wear that in the presence of blood and you'll have exactly three minutes to remove yourself before the effects kick in." "What’s the catch?" "No catch, just keep away from me. You tried to burn my house down. You're a menace. And if you really want the truth, I have my own set of problems. I don't need to add you and your stupid little friends to the mix. There are people out there looking for me okay? If they knew where I was..." he shook his head. "It's not just me either, it's in your best interests to keep your mouth shut because if one of them ever shows up they'll kill you too, and they won't be merciful either." "Funny how I'd rather you just leave and find somewhere else to hide." Rayne hung the chain around her neck regardless. Watching her walk off, Rorik snickered before starting for Latin and taking his seat in front of Liz. Glaring at him from her own, Leah tried to focus on her translations. She wondered why he looked so smug, yet felt it was better she didn't ask. "What's that?" she questioned as she left class to find Rayne with a new chain.

"Sam's getting suspicious. Rorik gave it to me just in case he tries something." Leah all but hit the roof. "Are you nuts?" she raised her voice. "That could be cursed for all you know!? Take it off!" "I'm wearing it until I get out of school okay? I'm not going back there over a stupid boy." "Rayne, you're not walking into my house with that. Take it off before you leave," Leah left her to change into her uniform and Rayne walked straight home after the argument. She took off the chain as her friend had told her, although instead of throwing it out, she stashed it in her pocket. Sam, she figured, could very well try to pull a stunt and she wasn't about to run the risk of being exposed. Lying in bed, she ignored her homework until Leah got home. Running up the stairs, her friend was excited and flushed. "We won!" she smiled as if she'd forgotten the sense of impending doom. "We won and homecoming's tomorrow. You have to come to the dance," she said as she modeled a dress in the mirror. "I already had something for you. Jani sent it to me," "Really? You told her to buy me a dress for homecoming? No one even asked." Rayne could've cared less if they had. The thought of going to a school dance actually frightened her. "Maybe someone will ask you last minute?" "Maybe you should stop trying to make me fit in Leah because it's not working. We should just skip the dance and let everyone including Liz be eaten." "Stop it," Leah said angrily. "They don't deserve that." Rayne let it go and the rest of the night fell to silence. Bursting with excitement, even as the threat of Rorik hung over their heads, Leah wasn't about to let anyone ruin her fun. She all but flew home the next day, bounding up the stairs to plant herself in front of her vanity. The maid obliged by doing her hair, and Leah sat remarkably still while she curled it. Rayne had opted out of getting her hair done. She'd only pulled half of it up, leaving the rest to spill down her back. Drinking a large glass of blood to keep from having any mishaps, she had begrudgingly gotten dressed to appease her friend. Adorned in a strapless blue dress that puffed at the bottom, she didn't look "gothic" at all. "This is embarrassing," she said as Leah pranced around in a similar gown. "We look awesome," she smiled, taking several pictures much to Rayne’s dismay. "If you send these to her, I'll forget we're friends." "Oh stop it, we look great!" Leah admired her reflection as she put on a pair of diamond earrings. "I'm not a doll," Rayne felt foolish. Walking in heels was nothing new, although she dreaded it as they started towards school. Meanwhile, having spent the last three consecutive hours in the bathroom after purchasing almost ten dollars’ worth of hair gel, Rorik emerged around five at which point his hair had become a frantic mess of over jelled spikes that held no real sense of direction. Walking into the bedroom, he stopped to glance at the mirror and gave a slight nod. "Not enough on the top, but it's the best I've got." he mused before catching sight of Rose, or rather the dark young woman who now stood beside his bed. She was eyeing him or rather not, considering her eyes were bound by strange ribbon like buckles that ran from the back of her head, swaying in a phantom breeze against her slender frame. "Wow Rose, you're looking spiffy tonight." Offering a slight smile, the entity didn't say anything.

"It's not a Halloween party," Rorik laughed. "You can't come...and besides," turning back toward the mirror, he snapped his fingers, causing his clothes to re-render themselves into a black and red pinstripe suit. "I've got a date with a real girl." Rose’s mouth dropped and she placed both hands on her hips. "Hrm...this is gonna clash. Wait a second...what if were too..." Running a finger down his sleeve, he watched with a smile as the red stripes lost their color and faded white. "Huh, I think this might be a good look for me? What do you think Rose?" Rorik turned just in time to meet the side of her palm as she slapped him hard across the face. "What the fuck was that!" he screamed. "Who taught you to be jealous?!" Nursing the side of his cheek, he grumbled and turned back toward the mirror to adjust his tie until he was satisfied. Glancing at the clock on the wall, a dark smile crossed his face and he grinned at his own reflection. "Show time."

Chapter 10.

Back at her house, Liz was getting ready. Adorning a long red party dress that hugged her sides a little too tightly, she had let her hair down and decorated it with a black flowered burette. Applying some eye shadow and ruby lipstick, she looked stunning and a good deal older as she went downstairs to wait for Rorik. Arriving an hour before the dance, he had told her he’d wanted to get there early, although hadn't given her a definitive reason as to why. Either way, when he went to ring the bell she stepped onto the porch to greet him. "Wow, what did you do to your hair?" "No more than you did to yours." He flicked the burette she’d pinned in it. "Oh stop, it looks nice." When they reached the school, Rorik led Liz into the gym. Done up with streamers and party banners the bleachers had been pushed back to make room for the lights, however instead of a disk jockey, several students had opted to put together a live band, considering Greenville played host to many aspiring musicians. Drawn out to the right, in between the girls and boys locker rooms, were many tables filled with snacks. The gigantic punch fountain was the first thing to catch Rorik's eye as it spewed a pinkish substance into an enormous bowl beside which sat a surplus of tiny plastic cups. "Why don't you go take a seat?" he suggested. "Where are you going?" Liz asked, although did just that as he made his way to the punch. Staring around the room, she turned to watch the band members setting up. Ironically, the lead guitarist happened to be Roger. Opening his guitar case, he stopped as he took note of her. Unaware she actually had a date, let alone as to whom it was, a smile crossed his face and he went to adjust the collar of his stark white suit. "Hey there beautiful," the bully snickered. Liz rolled her eyes and her peaceful expression soured. "Oh god Roger, what do you want?" "Where's your date? Don't tell me you're here by yourself?" "Oh please, the only one who's here by himself is you." "Hey I'm with the band, the ladies love me. You should really show more respect." He went to take a step toward her though was stopped by Rorik who walked back over and cleared his throat. "Hey buddy, you got something you wanna say?" The look on Roger's face quickly went from amusement to uncertainty. "Why don't you get lost behemoth boy, or do I have to get the soda?" That was all it took. With slight nod, Roger hurried across the room and Liz gave Rorik a smile. "He's never going to live that down," she laughed. "Nope..." he did too. Pulling a seat beside her, he leaned back and his gaze once again fell toward the punch. "Hey Liz? You mind going to get me one of those flyers from across the way?" As she did, he crossed his arms and placed several fingers along the left side of his temple. "Gonna have to do it the old fashion way." Giving off the faintest flicker of gold, his gaze shifted and an odd black steam wafted up from the bowl before vanishing again without a trace. Walking back, Liz handed him the slip of

paper and quickly sat down. "Man what a bunch of crap. I’m going to have to liven this place up a bit." "Hrm?" Catching his remark, she looked at him although he only shook his head. "Oh nothing, just thinking out loud. This place is pretty dull, whaddya say we kill some time?" removing a deck of cards from his pocket, he slapped it across the table. "Sure, but if we're going to play cards shouldn't we have something to bet on?" "Like what?" "Well that's the thing, I didn't really bring anything." "That’s okay, you could always bet your soul?" they both laughed. Dealing a hand, the two of them spent the next hour playing poker. By the time they were finished there must have been at least a hundred if not two hundred people crammed into the gym. "Well what do you know?" Liz set down her hand and Rorik's jaw dropped. "Looks like I get to keep my soul after all." Rolling his eyes, he leaned back and crossed his arms. "The nights still young, ya never know what might happen. Say...let me get ya a drink." "Sure, just not any of that punch, I don't like the stuff." "You know," he snapped his fingers as an idea came to him. "I’ve got just the thing." Making his way to the table, Rorik picked up an empty plastic cup and reached for a bottle of water. Pouring out just enough to fill it half way, he brought it to his lips and blew gently across its surface. Keeping his back to the crowd, his eyes gleamed gold. "That should do the trick," he said as he turned to bring Liz the drink. "Here you go. Careful, it's strong." "What is it?" she asked, clutching it delicately in her hands. "Something special, don't worry you'll like it." Liz downed the entire confection, while a wide and somewhat wicked grin spread across Rorik's face. "So," he said as she put down the glass. "Whatcha think?" "Oh my god." Bringing a hand to her forehead, she wavered and began to laugh. "Please tell me you didn't drug that?" "Naw, pfth come on Liz I wouldn't dream of it." "What did you put in that stuff Rorik?" she pressed him, expression shifting from amusement to shock as he was about to say something when his stomach beat him to it. Considering the velocity of the music not many people heard, which was probably a good thing, however those who did quickly turned to stare and that's when Liz took it upon herself to make it worse. "It's okay everybody, it's just Rorik." she teased, ignoring the profound and somewhat compulsory look he was giving her. "Poor guy has a monster in his belly, isn't that right?" reaching down she went to rub it and both of his hands instantly rushed to his face. "Liz shut up! You're embarrassing," he hissed, though it was really more of a moan. "Good. You could use a little color." "Gag me with a spoon," Leah watched them in disgust. "Could they get any creepier?" Rayne sighed. "Where's Sam?" Unfortunately, poor Sam was still pacing the floor of his room as he waited for his package to arrive. Cursing vehemently, he was furious with the postal service as well as himself

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 70 for not dropping the extra thirty dollars to have it express mailed. By now, the gym was packed and things were really beginning to pick up. The band had ended its set list and one of the teachers stepped forth to announce the annual Greenville dance competition. Quickly getting up, Rorik took Liz by the arm. "Okay...now it's my turn to embarrass you," he said as he dragged her out of her seat. "What, oh wait Rorik no, come on I don't dance." "Oh don't worry, I'll take care of that." Dragging her onto the floor, which was still packed with students, Liz looked terribly reluctant though Rorik wasn’t about to let her slip away. His grip was like iron as he pulled her toward the group of participants and the teacher who was already announcing her name. "Elizabeth Steinway, looks like you’re up," he said and reached out to hand her the microphone. "What, but how? No, Rorik please do not…I can’t sing. I didn’t even sign up for this!" "Don’t worry about it Liz, I got this under control, just go with it. It’ll be fun." The lights suddenly began to dim as a familiar beat took the air, alongside the somewhat un-natural sensation of an energy not quite of this world. "Trust me," Rorik let go of her and with a thin smile started back toward the table. All the while, several spotlights panned toward the dance floor, causing the crowd to grown thin. The left hand side of the room was cast a deep purple while the right began to shift pink. "Alright everybody!" the teacher announced. "Let’s give it up for Elizabeth!" "What’s wrong with me..." Reaching a hand to her head, she suddenly looked quite ill. Still staring at her, Rorik’s crossed one leg over the other and began to sway to the rhythm that had taken the floor. "Why do I feel like this?" Liz closed her eyes and the lights around her intensified. Opening them again, she stepped forward along with several members of Leah’s soccer team, who began to bring in a familiar chorus as she lifted the microphone to her lips, "I’m going crazy, now!" breaking straight into a cover of Rhinana’s Disturiba. Rorik’s gaze never left her while the rest of the team joined in and people around the room began to cheer. Very steadily, the compulsion spread throughout, curiously seducing anyone who had happened to have taken even the slightest sip of the punch. When the dance came to an end, the pink and purple filters (not that the lights actually had any) faded, and the floor was cast into a momentary bout of darkness. Liz stood at its center, eyes closed, head bowed while a symphony of cheers and wolf whistles erupted from the sidelines. As the lights began to grow again her expression faltered, as if she had no recollection of what had just transpired, or perhaps, simply no explanation for it. Before she had much time to think however, another beat took the air, this one far darker. Picking up his guitar, Roger began to rattle off a frightening electrical solo, while the lights filtered the deepest hue of crimson imaginable and the crowd parted to reveal Rorik. His eyes were gleaming un-naturally in the strange hue that turned the white stripes of his suit a deep red. As Roger began to play, he threw out his arms and broke into a cover of You Spin me Right Round by Dope. Now the compulsion had become worse, ensnaring several others who had previously managed to evade it, while Rorik pulled Liz into a frightening dance routine and the lights started to spin. Across the room, the gym doors flew open and Sam burst in. Panting heavily, he was clutching his chest with one hand, and a large backpack in the other.

"Did you honestly run here?" a voice asked from behind as Mat, who had arrived a few minutes prior, walked over and shook his head. "Never mind that," Sam muttered. "Where are they?" "See for yourself." Mat pointed to the floor while Sam staggered to a vacant table. "Holy shit man...give me a second...I gotta breathe." "I’ll get you something." Returning a few minutes later, he handed Sam a cup of punch though he only shook his head and put it down. Toying with his bag, he pulled out another and shuffled it into his lap as the music stopped and the lights returned to normal. Staring at Liz who was still standing in the middle of the room, Rorik grinned as their eyes met. "You are magic..." she said with a slightly nervous laugh while a haunting melody began to take the air and he leaned closer, "A bit more than that actually." Throwing a glance across his shoulder, his eyes fell on the girl who had helped Liz sing backup for Disturbia. Tossing her the microphone, she caught it in midair and whipped her hair back as the lights faded to a rich violet and forest green. Liz’s eyes glazed and she was once more taken by the music while the girl and her friends belted a surprisingly well sung version of Lady Gaga’s Monster. Back at the table, Mat watched Sam pull his prize from the bag. "Is that a...View master?" His expression dropped as Sam brought the bright blue child’s toy to his eyes and peered through it in Rorik’s direction. "Yup." It took Mat a moment to find words. "Let me get this straight...THAT is your secret weapon? The object you spent three months summer salary on?" "Yup..." "Sam…" "He’s got her totally Beetlejuiced dude...this is unbelievable…all of them." "Excuse me, what?" Lowering his gaze from the toy, Sam looked back. "Come on man…you know, Beetlejuice…the banana boat song?" Mat arched a brow. "Dude do you live in a box? Here check this out." handing him the view master, Sam pointed to Rorik. "Proof that even you can’t deny." "Sam this is a toy I’m not gonna..." "Just do it!" Having no desire to argue, Mat relented and brought the toy to his eyes. Flicking the tiny yellow button on the side, he stared across the dance floor and his expression flattened as all that came into view was a rather poorly drawn scribble of a ball with teeth. "You’ve gotta be kidding...Is this supposed to be a joke?" Grabbing the view master, Sam peered through it. "Ugh, stupid…NOW Look," he snapped, pulling out the slide and tossing it away. With a deep sigh, Mat put it back to his face and began to peer through the strangely tinted lens. "I don’t see anything Sam." "He’s got his hair styled the same way. Wait till he stops moving and you’ll see it." Mat was about to put down the toy when Rorik actually did stop and he realized what

Sam was talking about. Although the color through the lens was distorted, the boy who was dancing with Liz was most defiantly not Rorik Ivory. Taller, and roughly several years older, not to mention almost fifty pounds lighter, he had much sharper features and somewhat of a strange aura to him. Mat lowered the view master before raising it again in a double take. "Holy shit…that’s not Rorik!" "NOOOO REALLY?" Sam practically screamed. Staring with his mouth agape, Mat could hardly believe it, while Sam re-emerged from his bag with a slingshot. "You know…for a demon he’s not a bad dancer." The rubbed band suddenly met the side of Mat’s ear. "OWE Sam what was that for?" "Get with it!" he hissed. "Okay I’ll admit, it’s weird, but they’re just dancing." This time is was Sam’s turn for a face palm. "Ugh, listen to the lyrics man!" "I hate Lady gaga." "That’s beside the point. Just listen to them, he’s gonna kill her." "Here, in front of all these people? He wouldn’t." Staring across the floor, the two of them watched as Rorik stopped. Holding Liz in his arms, a frightening grin had spread across his face, eyes giving off a strange tint as his lips began to peel back. "Oh he would." Sam placed the ball bearing into the band and shoved his way through the crowd. Petering out, the song came to an end as Rorik’s teeth began to grow sharp and he went to open his jaws. Leaning over Liz, he was just about to attack her when she suddenly sprung upward, wrapped her arms around him and planted a bright, red, lipstick covered kiss across the side of his face. "Oh my god Rorik that was amazing, you’re amazing!" she squealed over the roar of the crowd. Pushing through the last of the spectators, Sam finally managed a clear shot and a second later sent the bearing straight toward Rorik’s skull. Thankfully, (at least for him) he managed to gather himself in time to gently push Liz aside and catch it between his thumb and forefinger. Watching with wide eyes, Sam was startled he’d actually done so. "Awe, what’s wrong?" Rorik hissed. "You wanna join the party?" "Not a chance freak...I came to..." Shaking his head, he blinked a couple times as the air around him stiffened. "You were saying?" "I came to..." Again he found he couldn’t quite finish his sentence, perhaps having something to do with the fact he had downed the glass of punch, which now sat empty on the table beside Mat. "You came to what?" Closing his eyes, Sam grit his teeth and when he looked up again the lights in the room began to spin in strobbing flashes of green and gold. Stepping forward threw up his hands and screamed, "I came to dance, dance, dance, dance," belting a wild cover of Dynamite by Yourhighwayhome.

"Well Liz," Rorik said with a bit of a sigh. "I think I’m going to blow this joint before he does…I’ll...catch you later." "Sure thing Rorik." she was only half paying attention. The effects of his energy were still coursing through her and as he started toward the door, she bounded off to join the rest of the party. Staring blankly at the scene, Leah thought her teammates had gone mad and that the world was suddenly spinning backwards and on an angle. Rayne was posted against the opposite wall, unsure of what to do with all the chaos. Having slipped out the back, Rorik was actually a little unsettled himself. Leaving the party to get some air, he leaned against the side of the gym and breathed a heavy sigh as the commotion could still be heard from inside. "Spiked the punch bowl Rorik?" Rayne asked with ice in her tone. "Do you really think those idiots need any more excitement?" Spinning around, his awkward expression melted down to a narrowed gaze. "Awe, what's wrong, you didn’t get any?" "No, thankfully. So what happened? I saw you going for Liz...why’d you stop? To scared?" The smirk vanished and he glared at her flatly. "Mind your own business." "How can I when her lipstick is all over your face?" "Huh?" Reaching up he rubbed the side of his cheek and grimaced as it smudged off on his hand. "You're so pathetic. A little human girl is making an ass out of you, and the big bad soul eater can't even make his move? What's wrong Rorik? Thinking of becoming a good demon?" "Whatever." He was truly too preoccupied with his own thoughts to engage. "What's the matter? You didn't see this coming?" "See what coming?" he grumbled. "Please, you go over her house, meet her parents, defend her from bullies. You're a regular good old wannabee boyfriend." "Well maybe I decided to keep her around a little longer? I could use a new minion anyway. The old one is getting kind of cheeky..." he rubbed his face. "You're teasing me for enjoying Liz's company yet here you are playing defender of all things human. Can you say hypocrite with a capital H?" "Who says I'm defending them? You're just bad for business and on top of that, your appetite offends me. I'm not fraternizing with humans, unlike you." "So Mat and Sam aren't human?" "Please, dumb and dumber are allies. You're the one who has a master in a ponytail. Your manhood is in shambles." "I think maybe you're just jealous that somebody actually gives a shit I exist. Or wasn't that you outside Liz's house the other day spying on me from that oak tree with a look of absolute hatred? Does it bother you that someone like me could actually have more of a relationship with the opposite sex than you'll ever have in a million years?" "Relationships are for pansies and what you're doing is defined as bestiality." "Bestiality?" he laughed. "That's rich...you know it’s really amusing to watch you fumble over your words as if you actually know what you're saying." "That's the pot calling the kettle black considering you're a total idiot. Liz will run when she finds out what you really are." "Pfth and who the hell says she's going to find out?"

"Oh but she will," Rayne smiled. Brushing her aside, Rorik stuffed his hands into his pockets and continued down the block while the music began to fade. The farther he got from the school the less of an effect his magic had on the students who eventually began to come out of it one by one. Walking in through the front door, he latched it shut and hurried up the stairs. Throwing his hands behind his head, he gave Rose (who had returned to a creature like state and was now staring at him from the top of a clothing pile) a wide grin. "That was a hell of a show Rose. Too bad you had to miss it." Her eyes narrowed. "Awe come on, once Halloween rolls around you'll be able to join in, I promise." "Eepp" "What? Well maybe I decided I want to stick around a little longer?" "Eepp." "How much longer? I don't know a while. What are you looking at me like that for?" She’d crossed her arms. "Did I what? Well uh." Rorik scratched his face rather nervously "Maybe I kinda decided I didn't want to eat her." "EEEPP!" "What? I'm entitled to change my mind...yesh." Still glowering, the creature suddenly noticed the smudged lipstick and its jaw dropped. "EEEppp" "Whoa Rose calm the fuck down." Reaching up again, he quickly rubbed it away. "Opps...thought I got all of that off? You're gonna have to slow down I can't translate that fast." She shook a finger at him in silence. "Would you chill out? I just had this conversation with goth chick. Nobody is gonna find out, least of all Liz. I didn’t get this far without an understanding of how to blend in. Maybe she'll be my minion?" There came another sharp squeak. "Well you'll always be my minion Rose, but let’s face it, it would be nice to have a two way conversation for once." a few seconds later a shoe went flying toward his head and Rose left him be. "You know I think you really are looking for a fight," Leah was growing frustrated with Rayne's mood. "Of course I am," she replied darkly. "How can I blend in with this idiot eating addicts? I'm not going to school tomorrow Leah, this is getting old." Knowing she would keep her word, Leah felt quite glum. Pulling the pins from her hair, she slipped into bed with a tormented expression while Rayne tried to think of her options. Killing him in a public school wouldn't exactly solve things, but she liked the idea.

Chapter 11.

Rorik didn't wake up again until morning at which time he washed the gel out of his hair, clothes having returned to jeans and a dead happy face t-shirt. Taking off toward school, he headed to the cafeteria where he figured Liz would be waiting. Eating an apple, she looked up and her expression brightened. "Hey there." he said as she reached out to hug him. "Rorik, last night...wow. I don't know what you did, but oh my god." Chuckling to himself, the smile that crossed his face was actually genuine. Getting up as the bell rang they went their separate ways until gym class at which point they were once again back at the bottom of the bleachers chattering away. The rest of the day preceded in much the same fashion and as time went on and the days went by, the two of them began to garnish a reputation as a couple. By the end of the week, they were inseparable, and by the end of the month, the whole school knew they were together. Sam of course had continued to be a thorn in Rorik's side, although after what had happened at the dance, he seemed to exhibit less of an inclination to mess with him. Perhaps it was the scolding he'd gotten from Mat, or perhaps it was a combination of his own embarrassment, confusion and jealously. Ironically, as time went on, Rorik and Liz only grew closer while reports of missing children and pets began to grow further and further apart. It had been almost two weeks without incident and Rorik had been showing up for all of his classes, haunting stairwells less and less while Rose had become angrier and angrier. He seemed to be spending every waking moment with Liz and had completely forsaken his original intentions. Leah had noticed and she was fine with it, even glad they had somehow found a way to coexist. She was not however, fine with Rayne, who had begun to progressively skip class. She would often come home to find her smoking outside or running around the block for hours. Surprised she had even shown up that day, Leah sat beside her. Wandering in, Rorik was someplace else as per usual. Taking his seat, he had never really developed much of a taste for drawing, although he managed to scribble something out every now and again. The fact it was just about the weekend was also something he'd been looking forward to, considering the carnival had just arrived and would be setting up that Saturday. Chewing on the back of his pencil, he accidentally snapped it in half and had to ask for another. "That is the sixth one this week Rorik," the teacher hissed. "Get yourself some gum or something." Rayne just scowled. She had been obsessing over news reports and had noticed the slow in disappearances. Unsure of why he'd suddenly "stopped" eating, she couldn't decide if he was somehow feeding off of Liz, or just going anorexic in hopes of becoming a real boy. Perhaps his words that night at homecoming had held some truth to them, because she found that watching him have a normal teenage life was eating her up inside. "Rayne?" Leah distracted her from glaring. "You're coloring half the page black..." "Oh..." the girl grabbed a red before starting to color again. "I guess I just like these crayons?" she muttered distantly, digging them deeper into the paper. Not even the thought of going to her first carnival seemed to cheer her up, which frustrated Leah to no end. Paying neither of them any mind, Rorik continued to doodle before hopping out of his seat as the bell rang. Stuffing his pencil into his pocket, he hastily went for the door in effort to hurry to gym. Taking his usual place beside Liz, the two of them began to chat while Sam

glowered from the top of the steps, as Mat thumbed through his science book. "I swear to god I'm going to find out what he did with it," Sam hissed, in reference to the view master, which had mysteriously disappeared during his little dance sequence. "Would you please just let it go already? He's not hurting anyone, and to be perfectly honest, nowadays the only one who seems to be getting upset over him is you. You're wasting more time making yourself look foolish than actually bothering anyone. Look at them," Mat gave a nod in their direction. "They're happy, just leave them alone." "Hey freak," Sam called from the top of the bleachers. "I know what you look like!" Slowly turning, Rorik’s gaze found him with a profoundly stoic expression. "Congratulations Sam, you have eyes." he said and got up with Liz to bounce around a basketball. "Can't I just cut this pointless class?" Rayne grumbled as they walked in. "No Rayne, if you cut one more class I'm telling Jani myself." "Go ahead, at this point I'd be glad if she came down here. At least maybe she could get rid of him." "Rayne seriously? What's your deal? Nothing bad has happened lately. We're coexisting and he's not eating her. Problem solved," Leah rubbed her temples as Rayne marched straight out of gym. "Where's she going?" Sam muttered. "Who knows, you really need to mind your own business," Mat told him. "Yeah well how can I when this place is crawling with freaks? For all I know you could be one of them." Arching an eyebrow Mat produced a surprisingly flat look. "Okay maybe that is too brash," Sam admitted as he walked up to Leah. "Who pissed in her cereal this morning?" "Why do you care?" she asked waspishly. "Are you going to accuse her of being something else, because I really don't have any desire to get detention for shoving you down the bleachers." "It's not just me. People are starting to talk about her. There have been rumor's going around that she's taking my place as school troublemaker. I got a reputation to keep here." "People talk about everything," Leah said stiffly. It wasn't news of course. Her teammates had started questioning her judgment on Rayne, wondering how they were even friends since Leah had always been such a good kid. "She just skips. That's not a big deal, half the kids do it." "Yeah and haunts my staircases, Sam replied. "And she's well on her way to getting detention the way she just walked out of here like that. Not to mention she's always staring at Rorik like she's gonna burn a hole in the back of his head. Not that that would be a bad thing, but still..." he looked up as the bell rang. Hearing Rayne's name called across the loud speaker, Leah sighed. "Yeah well find somewhere else to haunt and leave her alone," she warned as she grabbed her things. "Hey, she's ruining my rep! That should be my name going off!" Sam pointed to the speaker while Mat walked up and took him by the shoulders. "Come on hero, let's go," he said, forcefully steering him away. Heading down to the office, Rayne's face burned red. Accepting detention, she figuring an hour of peace and quiet was more of a godsend than a punishment and flashed her late pass, gray eyes almost challenging the teacher to say something.

Walking in shortly after, Sam sat down and attended his work while Rorik began to scribble notes with his pencil. "Rorik," Liz hissed as she could hear it crunching away in front of her. "Enough with that damn thing already, you're going to get led poisoning." Stopping briefly, he looked down at the chewed piece of graphite. "They don't put led in these anymore." "I don't care." she fumbled through her bag before emerging with a pen. "Here, now would you please get rid of that nasty thing?" Tossing the pencil to keep her from getting on his case, Rorik continued to scribble. A few minutes later he was back to chewing and a loud crack took the room, causing everyone, including the teacher to look up. The pen dropped and he brought a hand to his mouth from which fell what looked like a three inch, extremely sharp, piece of bone. "Holy shit...is that a tooth?" Sam stammered as Rorik reached down to scoop the bloody dagger off the table. One hand was still pressed to the side of his face while blood began to pool in his mouth. Breaking her own pencil, Rayne felt her resolve snap with it. The smell hit her like a tons of bricks and she promptly went for the door. Unaware that she had left, Rorik got up and did just that himself. "Rorik you have to go to the nurse." Liz stammered. "If that dumb broad puts her fingers in my mouth she's gonna lose em, just stay here." Ghosting right passed Rayne, as the scent of blood hit her he went down like a rock. He had not been expecting to be mauled, and despite his physical stature, didn't have nearly half the weight behind him, which had knocked him clean off his feet and the tooth straight out of his hand. As she tried to take a chunk out of him, a rippling surge of energy sent her flying backward and he clung to the side of his neck where her fangs had barely nicked him. "What the fuck do you think you're trying ta pull?" he snapped, hand still pressed to his throat. Slamming her head against the ceiling, Rayne fell roughly and immediately got back up. Raising a foot, Rorik swung a sharp kick toward the small of her back and she accepted it as long as she made contact with his face. Blocking the hit, his hand closed around hers and his lips began to draw upward. Bearing at least a dozen dagger-like teeth, they were knit together in a sharkish grin that made the one that had snapped look like a child’s toy in comparison. Tightening his grip, he didn't seem to notice the strange lines of black liquid that had suddenly begun to run from the mark on his throat up the side of his face and down his arm. Rayne wasn't sure what to think of it. Spreading his jaws, more teeth unfolded from the roof of his mouth and she was suddenly taken by a sensation not unlike what Leah had felt that night at the party. Fortunately, before he had the chance to do anything worse, the bell went off and his attention shifted. Closing his mouth, his teeth folded upward and he glared. "You've got some luck." Letting go of her, a void of blackness opened across the floor and he vanished down into it. Rayne didn't say anything. Instead, she ran into the bathroom, trying to keep from throwing up until she got there. Doing much the same, the void opened into the one on the lower floor, which at the moment was thankfully empty. Rushing over, Rorik locked the door before hurrying to the mirror to examine his reflection. Grimacing slightly, he tilted his head and began to pull at the pockmark she had left on the side of his neck. The black lines had continued to grow down his arm, turning his nails frightfully jagged as they reached the tips of his fingers.

"God damn it," he hissed, ignoring the banging as people tried to get in. Reaching into his pocket he quickly pulled out his phone and proceeded to dial Liz's number. "Hello Rorik? Where are you, what's going on?" she stammered as she moved to the side to avoid hall traffic. "Yeah...erm...I think I'm gonna have ta bail on Latin today Liz." he said with a sigh. "I kinda had a little...mishap in the hallway and erm..." looking back at his reflection, his eyes had turned a brilliant gold while two long black antenna began to fold down from the back of his head. "I'm not lookin' too good right now. I think I'm gonna have to go home and sleep this one off." "Are you alright? This isn't because of my pen is it?" "Naw it's not the stupid pen. Don't worry I'm fine I just...Look I gotta go." he said as the banging began to get worse. "I'll call ya later." "Rorik wait..." before she had the chance to get any further he'd hung up. "What the hell was that about?" Sam asked, having followed her out of math after overhearing a bit of the conversation. "I don't know Sam but it doesn't involve you." Mocking her joshingly, he flipped her off and made for lunch before pausing in his tracks as he came across the splintered piece of Rorik's tooth. "Where's Rayne?" Leah felt a pang of fear upon finding him. "What happened?" Slowly getting up, he picked the tooth from the floor and held it out to her with narrowed eyes. "This happened. Rorik's tooth...moron snapped it off on a pen and little miss normal tore out of the room along with him. There was blood Leah...lots of it." "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked angrily. "I told you she can't see blood or she gets sick." "Uh huh...I heard Liz talking with that freak on the phone. He said something happened in the hallway. That he had to leave the school," Sam trailed as Rayne walked out of the bathroom. "Whoa...was there a zombie apocalypse I wasn't told about?" "Fuck you," she said bluntly, as she struggled to keep from getting sick again. Meanwhile, storming through the door of his bedroom, antenna dragging along behind him, Rorik plopped face first into a pillow. How he’d managed to get back so quickly and without notice remained to be seen, although it probably had something to do with the fading portal of darkness closing behind him. Currently asleep at the foot of the bed, Rose looked up as the mattress wavered. "Eepp?" "She bit me," he said through the pillow. "Eepp?" Looking up this time, he furrowed a brow. "No not Liz you idiot, the fucking vampire chick. Ugh...it’s gonna take hours for this to go away." Getting up, Rose crawled over and began to toy with the end of one of his antenna. "Hey cut it out." "Eepp." "What do you mean it doesn’t look that bad? You can talk, you’re ugly twenty four seven." She crossed her arm. "Well excuse me if I don’t like having party streamers floating out of the back of my

head. That little bitch...why the hell can’t she just lay off?" "I lost control," Rayne was shaky as Leah dragged her to the nurse. "Did you bite him?" she asked nervously. "I nicked him, he said that stuff doesn’t work on him but he reacted weird." Thankfully, the nurse had bought their explanation, giving her an excuse to go home. Rorik of course spent the rest of the day in bed while Liz wandered around school wondering what had happened to him. She had the inevitable feeling she'd missed something, although could not for the life of her place just what it might have been. Sam on the other hand gave Mat an earful over lunch, still holding onto the shattered piece of Rorik's tooth. "Man that is disgusting, get rid of that thing before you get a disease." "Look at this thing dude!" Sam thrust the tooth into his face. "That came out of his mouth!" "I don't care where it came from, only where it's going." reaching over, Mat suddenly snatched it and chucked it clean into the trash. "Not cool man." "Could you please talk some sense into your friend?" Leah asked as she walked by with her lunch tray. Turning briefly, Mat offered a sigh as Sam proceeded to make a fool of himself by shuffling through the bin. "Leah, I have known that boy since he was five. Sense and Sam Haine don't go together in the same room, let alone the same sentence. It's an attention thing, you should really just ignore him. Feeding into it only makes it worse." "Yeah well Rayne doesn't need some idiot spreading rumors about her. It's embarrassing. If he keeps it up he'll end up stuffed in a locker." She fixed him a stern look as she dumped the remnants of her lunch into the can Sam was rummaging through. "God damn it...did you really have to do that?" "Yes because that's what the trash is for. Why don't you just give up trying to reveal Rorik, Sam? Between you and Rayne, it's getting ridiculous." Stepping back, he threw a glance toward where Liz was currently sitting. "That's why," he said as he pointed toward her. "How long do you think it's going to last Leah? How long before he finally has enough of her, or Rayne for that matter? She didn't just get sick in that hallway and you know it. I heard Liz talking. Something went on between the two of them, and it's been going on. If somebody doesn't do something soon, one of these days...you just watch." "It's not like she doesn't like him. She's attached to him," Leah's eyes narrowed in Liz’s direction. "If you ignore what people tell you, you bring it on yourself," she huffed. "Rayne felt sick today and she also needs to stop obsessing." "Yeah well I honestly don't blame her. I don't care why she wants him gone, but she's got the right idea." "Oh please Sam." Walking up to throw out his own trash, Mat had overheard their conversation. "You're just as guilty of over obsessing as Rayne is, if not more. You started this whole thing after all." he pointed out. "If it hadn't been for you spreading that crazy rumor to begin with, we could all be getting on with our lives right now. And besides, nobody has disappeared in weeks. It was probably just a rash of runaways." "Ten people?" Sam asked flatly. "Hey, it happens. You remember that incident a few years back?" Mat threw a glance between them. "Some town upstate somewhere, bunch of kids just up and went missing.

Numbers were much higher than ten as I recall." "Yeah, well this isn't upstate Mat, this is here and now," Sam snapped. "And I'll be damned if I'm just going to stand by and let him get away with it." "I forgot about that," Leah looked at Mat as he mentioned it. "What happened?" "Something about some crazy scientist." "They never caught the guy did they?" Sam asked with a scowl. "No...I don't think they did. But that was a few years ago and nothing like that has happened around these parts." "Until now." "It doesn't matter, this is a totally different thing," Leah brushed the explanation away. "Stop spreading rumors about Rayne, she doesn't need that. And as far as Rorik goes, Liz is having a great influence on him so let's just drop it." "Yeah well Liz is going to wind up getting her fool self-killed," Sam hissed. "Besides, it's like you both said, nobody's disappeared in almost two weeks. How much longer you think he's gonna last? He's gotta eat some time, or didn't that ever occur to you?" "It did, but maybe we'll just get lucky and he’ll feed off you," she said snidely. "The carnival is this weekend. Can we just let this go until then!" "All the more reason not to let it go," Sam turned to trudge off as the bell rang. "I'm sorry Leah." Mat shuffled his books into his bag. "I'll talk to him. Maybe I can get him to at least leave your friend alone? I think Rorik is a lost cause though." "If anyone can unsettle Rayne that much, I'm not messing with them. We can't pin anything on him directly and if he can destroy a video camera without batting an eyelash...let’s just avoid him." Unsure he actually believed that, Mat shook his head and hurried off, figuring it was best to agree to disagree and leave it at that. The rest of the day was uneventful; however, Liz had grown remarkably quiet in Latin, and spent most of the period continuously glancing at her phone in hopes of seeing Rorik's number. When the bell finally rang, she was the first one out of her seat. Rushing to the door, she yanked it open and hurried toward her locker before heading off school grounds, straight in the direction of Rorik's house. Watching from the side of the gym wall, cigarette clutched loosely between two fingers, Sam took a long drag and shook his head.

Chapter 12.

"What? You're not going to be the hero and save her?" Leah figured some people were meant to fall prey to others. "I haven't had a good smoke in two weeks." Sam exhaled a breath through his nose and toyed with a lighter in his spare hand. "Besides, according to you, Rorik would rather have his cake than eat it so what's there to worry about?" "Figures," Leah muttered. "He’s changed...so maybe we should just accept it?" "You can do what you want Leah." Sam dropped the butt and put it out with his shoe. "I'm keeping my eye on him, and I think you should keep an eye on Rayne instead of worrying about me. I'm not the one trying to pick fights with him in hallways." "Shut up," Leah scowled and returned home to find Rayne half asleep. "I'm sorry," "It's not your fault. He's an idiot. You can't control your instincts," she said as she took a seat on the bed. "I mean, I know you'd have better taste than Rorik." Rayne cracked a smile. "But what if he tells people?" "That I tried to bite him," she frowned. "I couldn’t care less what anyone in that school has to say. This is just a waste of time Leah. I should be with Jani or on the move, not stuck here in some dead weight town. It's not safe and I'm not happy. This isn't the freedom I wanted, it’s just another cage." "Rayne...you can't leave. Jani should be sending news soon but they might be monitoring her." "Jani hasn't sent anything in weeks!" Rayne found herself growing angry with her mentor. "It's only a matter of time before they discover who he is." she brought up Rorik again, causing Leah to groan. "Liz will probably be the one to learn it first, if she ever gets her dumb blonde head out of the clouds. But Rayne seriously, you're making yourself sick over this. Just enjoy school, date one of those friggen football players, or come to the carnival." Shaking her head she pulled a cigarette from her pocket and stormed down the stairs to light it up outside. Meanwhile Liz had arrived at Rorik's and proceeded to wake him from a deep sleep as she repeatedly pressed her thumb against the doorbell. Slowly opening his eyes, it took a moment for him to register what was going on and he reached up to pull back the blinds. "Oh shit." Thankfully, the effects of Rayne's attack had worn off and he dragged himself out of bed rather groggily. "Hey Rose, make yourself scarce would ya?" Of course, Rose had no intentions of doing anything except standing there with her arms crossed and a frightfully angry glare. Starting quickly down the steps, Rorik pulled back the door. "Liz? What are you doing here?" he asked with a yawn. "You never called." "Oops...Guess I kinda lost track of time?" "I'll say. I was so worried about you. What happened?" Inviting herself in, she took a step forward forcing him to back up. "Uh...it’s kind of a long story. You know, why don't we go upstairs?" he suggested, steering her away from the hall and the horrible stink of pine air freshener that filled it.

"Housing problems?" she asked curiously. "Yeah, they're tearing out the whole basement." Anything to get her to leave well enough alone, which thankfully she did upon noticing the strange black lines that still ran up the side of his neck. "My god Rorik what is that?" "Bad allergic reaction." "I'll say, what happened?" "Well, I was going down to the nurse to get something for my tooth, and Leah's friend," he shook his head. "Rayne," "What about her?" "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." "Oh yeah?" she crossed her arms. "Try me." Leading her down the hall, he stopped before he got to his room. "She bit me." "She what?" "Yeah...I don't know what the hell is wrong with her, she thinks she a fucking vampire or something. She saw me in the hallway and tried to take a chunk out of me." "Jesus Christ Rorik you have to go to a hospital." "Naw it's not that serious." "Not that serious? Rorik you know how dangerous a human bite is? Look at your arm!" "I had it checked," he lied. "Believe it or not she isn't rabid. It's already better than it was." Giving him a narrowed look, Liz put on a pout as he went for the door. "They gave me some medication for it, that's why I didn't call," he lied again. "I was passed out, but I'm practically better now, it should be gone in a few hours." "I still think you need to get that looked at." "It's fine Liz, seriously ya gotta stop worrying so much. You're always freaking out over me. I'm not a toy, I'm not gonna break," he gave her a grin although she didn't return it. "Ugh look could you wait here a second? I gotta...pick up a few things." "Like what Rorik, your drugs? Please it's not like I don't know." Quickly closing the door, he pressed a hand to the wall, which returned to its original painted color, while the darkness that enveloped the bed vanished in a thin wisp along with the playboy posters he had no desire to share. Spinning back around, he was startled as Liz disregarded him and pushed her way in. "Hey, I told you to give me a second." "I did," she mused, only to look up as a shrill eep sounded from behind. Apparently, Liz wasn't the only one who didn't want to listen to Rorik today and at the sound of the noise his eyes immediately widened. Offering a subtle glance in Rose’s direction, he didn't bother to turn as he threw his foot back and with one swift kick, pelted the creature into the closet whose door slammed shut on its own. "What in the world was that?" "Oh...nothing, it does that sometimes," he said as something inside began to scratch. "What do you have in there Rorik?" "Oh...erm...it’s just the cat. Rose knock it off!" "You keep your cat in the closet?" "Yeah don't worry about it. She's used to it. She loves it in there." He finally managed to

divert her attention as she wandered to his dresser and began to mull over some of the things on top of it. "Are these your folks?" Pulling a small framed photograph from his nightstand, she held it up to examine it in more detail. Minted inside was an old photo of two young people and a little boy who he assumed was Rorik, (the real Rorik) at a younger age. "Um...yeah." In all honesty, he had no idea, but he figured that at this point it really didn’t matter. "You know I don't think I've ever met them," Liz admitted as he took the frame and set it back down. "They're kinda non-existent." "Huh?" Rorik shook his head "They work you know? Dead hours...it'll kill ya. I gotta fend for myself, if you know what I mean?" "Yeah actually I do." Walking over, she took a seat on his bed where he joined her a moment later. "What are they like?" "Hrm?" "Your folks?" "Oh..." Running a hand along his neck, he gave a shrug. "Well you know?" "No I don't know, tell me." "Why?" "Why not? You never want to talk about anything." "What do you mean? I talk all the time." "Well yeah, but not when it matters. You never want to talk about anything personal. Whenever I bring up anything about your life you just...shut down." "I don't lead a very interesting life Liz, there really isn't much to say." "Well then tell me! Come on Rorik, you gotta open up a bit. You act like it's the end of the world whenever anybody brings it up." "Ugh..." Rolling his eyes, he gave a sigh. "What is it you want to know?" "Well how about we start with your parents? What are they like?" "I don't really know my mother, and my father...we never saw eye to eye on anything." "Saw?" He shook his head. "I mean...we still don't. He tries to dictate my life. Has it in his head I’m gonna be some kind of messiah or something? He doesn’t care about me, it’s just business to him." His expression darkened while Liz regarded him with curious intensity. "When you're little you don't see it. You just think that's the way things are, but eventually the truth finds its way into your life." lowering his gaze he clenched his fists. "I realized it wasn't the world that was different." "What happened?" "Pfth...I did what anyone my age would have done. I took off," he laughed, although it was forced. "I think maybe I was gone for a whopping thirty eight hours, and when I came home he was waiting...with the belt." Reaching up he ran a hand across the side of his face. "He hit you?" Liz's jaw dropped. "He tried. I snapped at him pretty good...cost me three teeth and a split ear. After that, he locked me in my room and left me there for about a week. Said that if I was going to disobey him

I could starve. That if he couldn't teach me to behave, the pain would. Needless to say I never opened my mouth to him again." What he meant and what Liz took from it were two completely separate things. "That's horrible." "Yeah well he’s a horrible person...although...you know what they say about father and son?" "You're not like that Rorik." "How do you know what I'm like?" Reaching over she went to pull his chin in her direction. "I know you well enough to know you're not a monster." The look that crossed his face as she said that was actually painful. "Can we...talk about something else?" Offering a sigh, Liz reached down and took his hand that she proceeded to raise to her chest, pressing delicately above her heart. "You know you've got one too?" Before he had the chance to say anything she reached up and pressed her fingers to his lips. "Close your eyes." "Why?" She went to brush them closed. "Just do it." "Liz?" Going to open them again, Rorik did so just in time to see her lean up and try to kiss him. Her own eyes closed in the process, which was the only thing saving them both from an extremely horrible experience, as the moment her lips touched his, his jaws spread apart, revealing hundreds of elongated teeth that tore up his face in a horrible grin. Throwing her forcefully to the side, as she bounced onto the bed, Rorik got up and bolted from the room. Wincing at the powerful imprint the doorknob left against the wall, Liz wasn't sure what to make of it and got up to follow. "Rorik?" Creeping closer her tone grew uneasy. "Rorik are you okay? Please say something you're scaring me." It took a moment though he eventually did respond. "You gotta go Liz...like...now," his voice was strained and slightly off, which only put her on more of the offensive. "Rorik what's wrong? Please open the door." Reaching for the knob, she began to twist it and jumped back as it was suddenly thrown closed again at a rapid pace. "NO...GET OUT! GET OUT NOW!" Spinning on her heals she raced down the stairs while he was currently in the process of clinging to the sink. Panting through his teeth, which oozed thick black slime down the drain, he tried to gather himself. He hadn't been expecting her to kiss him and frankly it was a miracle he hadn’t accidentally killed her. Far too upset to pay attention as to where she was going, Liz happened to run straight passed Rayne on her way back to her house. Stopping as she saw her, Rayne blinked rapidly. "Are you okay?" Coming to an abrupt halt near a local bus bench she promptly sat down. "Liz? What happened? Why are you crying?" Shaking her head, the tears continued and it was a few minutes before she was able to explain. "Rorik..." she sniffed through lapsed breath. "He...I...we were talking. I went to see if he was okay and...he just...he freaked out. I don't know what I did I...I’ve never seen him so angry." "Did he hurt you?" Rayne's tone darkened. "No," she shook her head. "No of course not...he just...I...I don't know. He got so upset.

Maybe I shouldn't have pushed him?" Rayne found it hard to find something to say. "He probably just needs space?" she suggested idly. "You know, everyone needs space. He lost a tooth today. That would put anybody in a bad mood." Liz didn't have much to say to that. Back in his bathroom, Rorik's condition began to stabilize. As his eyes returned to normal, he met his reflection in the mirror, and with one swift punch, shattered the glass into a thousand pieces. Walking out a few minutes later, he wandered back into his bedroom and plopped face first onto the mattress. Returning to black, the walls painted over and with a swift sliding gesture, he motioned toward the closet door. "Sorry Rose...man what a night." There was a soft eep as the tiny creature emerged, surprisingly not mad. "Yeah I know you heard that entire thing. Man, she probably thinks I'm an asshole." "Eepp." "Like I had any control over it? How the hell was I supposed to know she was going to do that?" rolling over in bed, he turned to stare at the ceiling and Rose jumped up beside him to poke his stomach. "Huh? Yeah I know I'll get something tomorrow. Quit hounding me. Two weeks? It has not been two weeks Rose, stop exaggerating. You know as well as I do I can't go that long without a fix. I'll get something soon just chill out...besides...I gotta fix this with Liz first." The girl had returned home that night in tears while Rorik spent the rest of his time trying to figure out exactly what he was going to do to improve the situation. The fact that it was Friday had seemed to slip his mind, although as the beetling sound of yet another ice cream truck inched its way passed his window, the obnoxiously spontaneous circus melody that erupted from it caught his ears and so too did an idea. "Maybe they’ll break up?" Leah said as they ate dinner at the kitchen table. "Isn't it normal for couples to fight?" "I don't know, do you really think I date? Between soccer, school, and student council I don't have time. Besides, you do realize my dad would kill the poor guy?" "She was upset. I didn't know what to do." "Whatever, the carnival's tomorrow so that means we can forget about Barbie and Ken until Monday." Or so Leah thought as early the next morning Rorik was already on his way to Liz's house. A nervous expression adorned his face as he reached for her doorbell and quickly shuffled his hands behind his back. Calling up to her, her mother had answered and gave him a skeptical look although he didn't say anything until Liz appeared at the foot of the steps. "Yes?" she asked with a wary, somewhat peevish expression. "Hey Liz...about last night." Pursing his lips, he bit the bottom one and shifted his weight against the pavement. "Look I...ugh...I didn't mean to be well...I mean, I didn't expect...you really caught me off guard when you..." shaking his head, he ran a hand down the front of his face. "Oh man this is so lame. I really am pathetic when it comes to this kind of stuff." however Liz seemed to find it amusing. Taking a step toward him, a smile crossed her face and she folded her arms. "Go on," she urged, trying to hide the satisfaction in her grin. "Well...I thought maybe these could say it better than I could." Reaching back around, he presented her with two top class tickets to that night’s carnival. How he'd managed to get a hold of them considering they hadn't gone on sale till that morning, was a mystery, but there they were nonetheless.

Raising a hand to cover her mouth, Liz tried to maintain her aggravated stance. "I don't know Rorik," she mused as he searched for some kind of calcification. "Still angry?" She brought a hand to her chin and gave a smile. "A little bit...but you miiight be able to make it up to me...if," "If?" "If you pick me up at eight, and we go on every ride I want?" Smile returning to his own face, Rorik gave a nod of agreement. "Eight sounds perfect." "Okay, I'll see you at eight, don't be late or else," her gaze narrowed and she pointed a finger at him before shutting the door and bounding up the stairs to do her hair as if nothing had ever come between them. Rolling over in bed, Rayne groaned as Leah burst into her room. "You should've seen the line this morning, gosh I thought they were going to sell out. Come on, we have to get ready," she added, pulling the covers off of her friend. "Do you think there'll be cute guys?" Rayne gave her a flat look. "Didn't we just go through this?" "Oh come on, it's what we're supposed to do." Leah sighed dramatically as she examined herself in the mirror. Preferring to avoid the subject, Rayne fixed her blue and white striped shirt. Wearing a light leather jacket, she felt a little better about venturing out-since it wasn't school they were attending. Meanwhile, Rorik had returned to his house and practically flew up the stairs to get ready. Peering at him from the bedside, Rose eeped as she noticed him shuffling through clothes. "Looks like you're gonna have the place to yourself tonight," he told her, pulling an old shirt and bringing it up to smell it just to make sure. "Got a date with Liz. I'll be back late." "Eepp." "Yeah yeah, I'll pick something up I promise...speaking of which," Throwing a glance toward the door, he threw the shirt aside and hurried back downstairs. Growing slightly curious, Rose actually followed. Rushing into the garage, Rorik flicked on the lights and stood with his hands on his hips. His gaze panned the dingy room before coming to rest on an old black, red and white mountain bike that looked as if it had seen better days. Within seconds, his grin reformed and he pulled the dusty thing from the wall. "Perfect," he snickered, as he threw down the kickstand and took a couple steps back. "If I'm going to pick her up I might as well do it in style." Closing one eye, he narrowed the other and brought a thumb to his lips. Licking the tip of it, he began to scribble through the air as if to erase it from his view. Coincidently, in doing so, the bike was suddenly coated in a deep black energy, which cleared to reveal not a bicycle, but a gigantic black motorcycle with red and white flames painted across its sides, and a large flaming skull plastered over the front wheel cover. Crossing her arms as she watched this, Rose began to shake her head. "Oh would you relax already? I am not going to run out. It's just for tonight." "Eepp..." "Hey what are you, my conscience? You know what...don't answer that." Ushering her back inside, he pulled open the garage door and mounted the bike. "Man I should have done this age’s ago," he thought to himself as he reached forward, revved the engine and took off like a shot. Pulling up in front of Liz’s house a few minutes later, she had heard the noise and went for the door. When she realized where the sound had

originated, not to mention who was behind it, her jaw dropped. "Rorik? Oh my god, I didn't know you drove!" she stammered, racing over as he removed his helmet. "Yeah well I've been saving it for a special occasion." "This is amazing." Running a hand across the frame, she could hardly believe it. "Yup...now come on, take a seat," he motioning for her to get on behind him. "Don't wanna be late." "Oh please, as if I'm ever late." Flipping her hair across shoulder, she got onto the bike and wrapped her arms around his waist. Grinning from ear to ear, Rorik reset his helmet and leaned forward against the handlebars. "Hold on...tight," he laughed as the engine revved and they zoomed toward the fair, while Liz's mother watched in horror from the front door. Despite Greenville’s low popularity standard, the carnival was most defiantly an event not to miss. Spread out across the length of Braum Park, it covered nearly half a mile, sporting everything from thrill rides, to game stands, to concessions of every shape and size. Finding a spot amongst the congestion, Rorik cut the engine and removed his helmet while Liz stood in awe of the massive attractions, which were already beginning to light up. "Look at the size of that rollercoaster!" she fawned. "And they have a ferries wheel too." "Sounds fun." Catching him by the arm, she began to tug him in the direction of the carnie rides. "Whoa slow down, they're not going anywhere!" he stammered, struggling to keep up as she darted through the crowd. "Come on Rorik you're just too slow! Look they have a spook house!" she squealed, pointing to a large metal building supported on the back of a flat bed. "Spook house?" "Yeah you know like scary?" Flashing their tickets to the operator, the two of them took their seat in a small motor chart, which began to move forward on a track. "These things are supposed to be really scary Rorik." "Oh yeah sure." As they turned the corner into a dark room, Liz was stuck to him like glue. "Oh come on, I've seen scarier stuff in a toilet." he muttered though she wasn't laughing. Instead, she belted forth with a petrifying scream as a flash of light revealed a rotting corpse that lunged toward the chart. Rorik only began to laugh. "Wow I've never heard anyone scream like that." "It's not funny," Liz whined. Getting off the ride, she was still clinging to him. "Oh come on," he patted her hand playfully. "It wasn't that scary." "Say's you." "You're the one who wanted to go on it," he chuckled before his attention was caught by one of the games, which just so happened to be a poker table. "Hey check that out." Quickly rushing over, he pulled up a seat as the carnie dealt a hand. "You in?" he asked him. "Winner takes a prize." "Oh Rorik look!" Walking up to a display case, Liz's eyes brightened at the sight of several beautiful stones. "You want one?" he asked her. "Do I ever!"

"Okay then, count me in for the deal," he said as he slapped a ten across the table. "You really think you can win?" it was probably rigged; either that or the man sporting the goods could count cards, which wouldn't have been surprising considering the type of carnival it was. "You want that stone," Rorik nodded. "Then I'll win." Meanwhile, Rayne was busy tearing apart a Carmel covered apple. "This is amazing," she said between bites. Watching her with a grin, Leah had ordered a funnel cake. "They're really good," she agreed as they walked around. Avoiding the haunted house simply because Rayne wouldn't get it, Leah bought tickets for the rollercoaster instead. "So what does this do?" her friend asked as they were strapped in. "Oh it just...takes you for a ride." Yelling as the coaster plunged its descent, Rayne found herself laughing at the rush. Screaming alongside her, Leah looked just as amused. The two of them emerged and kept their distance from Rorik and Liz, although decided to play the carnival games themselves. Eyeing a large stuffed animal, Rayne paid to throw darts. "I think that vendor cried," Leah said ten minutes later, as Rayne carried a stuffed dragon that was roughly half her size. It wasn’t long after that, that the carnie began to crack a smile in Rorik's direction. Pursing his lips as he drew a card, the man’s look was not lost to him. "Hey Liz check that out," his ploy worked and she turned. "Huh...what? I don't see anything?" by the time she looked back the carnie was staring with mouth agape as Rorik placed a royal flush across the table. "Looks like I win. Time to pay up buddy." "How the hell did you...man kid you got a hell of a poker face." he went to unlock the case as Liz screamed with delight and threw her arms around Rorik's neck. "Oh my god I can't believe you did that, you're so totally awesome!" Bringing a hand to his chin as she toddled off, he thought for a second and smiled. "Awesome huh...you know I think I like the sound of that?" Clinging to him happily, as she picked out a bright red gem, the two of them began to wander in the opposite direction. Catching sight of a strange looking vender, Liz's attention shifted and she immediately bounded over. "Hey look at this." Rorik stopped at the odd carnie wagon that stood behind a small clothed tent with a banner reading "Madam Stravinsky." Sitting cross legged atop an Indian style pillow, an elderly woman, dressed in purple gypsy robes, and a large woven turban, ran spider like fingers across the surface of a white crystal ball. "Look Rorik it's a fortune teller!" Liz exclaimed while he hung back. "Come closer child," she beckoned. "Give me your hand and I shall reveal to you, your..." trailing off as Liz approached, the old woman suddenly reached up and took her sharply by the wrist. "Owe hey!" Trying to pull away, her expression darkened and she reached for her arm as the woman's grip tightened. "Oh child," staggering to her feet, she pulled back her sleeve to get a better look. "You're in danger...terrible danger. Someone...something," her gaze rose as Rorik took a step forward, demanding she let go. Catching sight of him, milky white eyes widened and she did just that. Letting go of the girl, the old hag pointed a snaggled finger toward him and began to rasp. "You...You should not be here."

"What? What did she mean?" Liz stammered, gaze shifting from him to the woman and then to her palm. "Don't listen to that old bat. She's just trying to scare ya, that's how they make their money." "Yeah well...it worked." "She's senile, come on Liz let's go find another ride or some..." before he had the chance to finish, a familiarly horrible sound filled the air and Liz's expression went from worry to anger. "Rorik Ivory!" she screamed. "What have I told you about that noise?!" reaching down, Liz pulled out her wallet. "Come on, we're going to find the biggest nastiest hamburger in this place and you're going to eat it." "What?" Staggering forward, she took him by the arm and began to pull him toward the food venders. "Liz how many times do I have to tell you, it's a..." "I don't care if it's a condition Rorik, I'm sick and tired of that horrible thing." Marching up to a hamburger chart, Rorik stared at the dripping hunk of grease covered cow in disgust. "I'm not eating that." "Oooh yes you are." Ten minutes later Liz was watching in satisfaction as he finished the last of the burger and began to look relatively ill. "That was horrible. I hate you right now," he groaned, clutching his stomach wearily. "No you don't." she said with a grin and quickly pulled him to his feet. "Now come on, that rollercoaster is calling my name." "Roller...uh Liz I don't think that's a very good..." "Nonsense, besides you promised." "I what?" "Every ride I wanted...now come on, hop to it." Liz forced Rorik onto the coaster, ignoring the look of protest on his face, while over near the food courts or rather, a small hat vender beside the burger stand, Sam and Mat went walking by. "Hey I'm going to get a hot dog." Mat jerked a hand toward the concession while Sam began examining the hats. Waiting on line behind Rayne, he noticed her after a second and greeted her with a smile. "Oh hey, I didn't see you there behind that...erm...toy," he chuckled, pointing to the gigantic stuffed dragon she was carrying. Moving the oversized plush, Rayne look back. "Hey," she greeted, "You hungry too?" "Yeah...starving. Sam's been dragging me around on these dumb rides all day," he sighed as he pasted his hot dog with ketchup and looked back at him. Standing in front of a mirror, Sam had removed his usual hat and was now adorning another with a curious expression. "Hey Mat," he called, catching his reflection in the glass. "How do I look?" Arching a brow as the hat consisted of a pair of bright yellow eyes, a brim of jagged teeth and two bobbly antenna coiled around the back, Mat shook his head as he took a bite of the dog. "Like an idiot." Sam brought a hand to his chin. "I don't know, I thought it might be a good look for me?" "Which one, the hat?" Mat asked. "Or the idiot?" Paying for a burger smothered in cheese, ketchup, and mustard, Rayne arched an eyebrow. "He's already an idiot, the hat just makes it blatantly obvious."

Mat agreed with a nod as Sam rolled his eyes and yanked it off to march over. "You guys suck...especially you," he pointed at Rayne. Meanwhile, the rollercoaster had just pulled to a stop as Rorik and Liz got out. Still adorning a gleeful expression, she went to pull him in the direction of the ferries wheel, although this time he didn't budge. Looking positively green, he shook his head as he clutched his stomach and warded her off. "Rorik? Are you alright?" "I don't feel so hot." "I'm sorry I didn't know you didn't like heights," she grimaced. "You should have told me." Instead of a response, he pushed her out of the way and heaved over face first into a nearby trashcan. "Oh Rorik I'm sorry I didn't realize." "Yeah...I know." he groaned. Taking notice, Sam actually turned to walk to the can. "What are you..." before Mat could finish he’d knelt down and reached inside, emerging with a thin bone that appeared to be covered in some kind of sticky black substance. "I knew it!" Sam exclaimed while Mat tried to keep from getting sick himself. "He's eating babies!" "Sam...that's a chicken bone! Put that down before you get a disease!" Furrowing a brow Sam looked at it and then back at his friend. "Wait...why would he be eating chickens?" Once again, Mat's face was met with a palm. "You're so gross." Rayne growled, avoiding her food to keep from getting sick. "What the hell are you doing Sam?" Leah asked with her hands on her hips. "It's Rorik...he just got sick," he explained as he tossed the bone into the trash while Liz suppressed a giggle. "I'm sorry Rorik." "Yeah...sure you are...you and your stupid hamburger." "I said I was sorry." "Yeah, yeah." Furrowing a brow Liz suddenly tilted her head. "Hey, you need a drink or something?" "No, why?" "You sound funny." Arching a brow, he turned. "What do you mean?" Opening her mouth to continue, she suddenly stopped and began to stare. Catching her expression, his own continued to grow curious. "What?" "Rorik your hair...there’s something..." Liz gave him an odd look as he reached up and took a handful of it. Eyes widening he realized it was beginning to turn black. "Uh...it's probably from the garbage can," he stammered, beginning to look frantic. "Rorik what's wrong with your voice?" he no longer sounded anything like himself, instead harboring a rather nasally tone that was somewhat obnoxious to listen to for any length of time. "I erm...you know I think I might have gotten something caught in my throat." he began to cough and pointed toward it nervously.

"Rorik what's going on?" Liz regarded him oddly, as he instructed her to wait there before tearing in the direction of the bathroom. "Rorik!" "Just stay there, I'll be back in a minute!" Rayne stopped upon realizing he seemed to be turning into someone else. "Is he a shape shifter?" Leah asked. "How can he do that?" "That's not normal...she has to see that." Staring at him with wide eyes, both Mat and Sam were stunned by his shift in appearance, so much so that neither of them said a word. Racing across the carnival, Rorik only stopped as he reached the door to the public restroom. Yanking it open, he ran inside and skidded to a halt in front of the large spanned mirror that hung over the sink where his own reflection caught his attention. Reaching upward, he yanked off his hat and muttered a soft curse as the entire front of his hair had become a deep jet black. "God damn it Rose, why the hell do you always have to be right about everything? Shit...what the hell am I gonna do about this?" Pacing around, he stopped as the sound of a toilet flushed from one of the stalls in back of him, and as the door pulled open to reveal the foolish bathroom patron, Rorik's eyes narrowed. Back outside Liz was beginning to grow concerned. Taking note of the direction, he had gone she blatantly disregarded his request to say put and began to follow him. "What's she gonna do?" Leah asked. "Probably walk in on him freaking out?" True enough poor Liz had no idea what was going on on the other side of the door as she pushed it open. "Rorik? Are you in..." she didn't get to finish that sentence as Rorik turned to stare at her, mouth full of razor shape teeth, while the body of a startled young man dropped from his hands. Bolting from the door, which swung shut behind her, Liz tore across the park in horror. Successfully managing to catch up as he reached for her arm the screaming only intensified. "Let me go, get off of me, somebody help!" "Liz calm down, I'm not gonna hurt you! It's me alright, come on just give me a chance to explain." Apparently whatever had been happening to him had been corrected as he both looked and sounded like himself again, although she wasn't exactly having that, and with one swift and particularly low kick she nailed him as hard as she possibly could. Immediately letting go, the noise that escaped him as he barreled over was not something that could have been produced by human vocal chords. Shivering with a strange sway of motion, his entire image shifted for about a split second, although it was much too fast for the eye to register. "Oh man." Watching the scene play out, Sam had witnessed the raw kick with a wince. "Demon or not I guess some things never change?" "That's not funny Sam," Mat shook his head as a look of absolute pain spread across his face. "I felt that." "Dude I think we all felt that." Sam watched as Rorik laid there twitching while Liz took off again. Rayne finally felt relieved someone had realized the truth, though she also felt a brief pang of sadness. Brushing it aside just as quickly, she cracked a smile as Liz kicked him, before glancing at Leah. "This is the best carnival ever."

"Damn...I think I'm done for tonight," Sam shook his head. "Yeah that was...a bit much." Mat admitted as Rorik began to regain himself. Leah was grinning wildly and Rayne looked somewhat smug. "I bet that hurts in more ways than one," she said in delight. Pulling himself up, Rorik indeed looked to be in a considerable amount of pain. Catching their eyes, his own narrowed slightly and he began to edge away. "What the fuck are you looking at?" he hissed. "Shows over." "You got that right pall." Sam said with a scoff. "So much for true love huh?" Rayne asked snidely. "She really stuck by you there." Giving her a dark look, he didn't say anything as he turned to limp in the direction of the parking lot where his motorcycle had returned to the piece of plastic crap it had previously been. "Maybe he decides to leave?" Leah suggested. "Now that he's lost his little girlfriend it should serve as motive." "Good riddance. Get the fuck out my town you freak!" Sam screamed although Rorik paid no mind. As for Liz, the poor girl had had such a scare that she'd literally taken off. Running back to her house in terror, she raced inside and hurried to her room. Locking the door, she refused to open it for anyone despite her parent’s persistent calls as she curled up in bed, wrapped her arms around her pillow and wept freely. Eventually she phoned an old friend who she'd kept in contact with over the years. Sobbing her eyes out over the conversation, though her friend tried to calm her down, she only continued. "Oh Crystal it was so horrible. It's Rorik, he turned into a soul sucking demon." On the other end of the line, her friend simply scoffed. "I hate to break it to you honey, but he's a man...it happens." Trudging into his house Rorik didn't bother to lock the door as he made his way upstairs with a look of devastation. Slipping into the bedroom, he started for the mattress without a word while his tiny minion looked up from the pillow it was sleeping on. "Say I told you so and you're going out that window," he said without much emotion. Tilting its head the tiny creature actually didn't respond, and instead, only continued to stare at him until he spoke again. "It was horrible Rose...the way she looked at me. Why the fuck couldn't she just do what I told her and stay put?" a soft eep escaped her as he reached over to grab a pillow. "I can't just walk away. I gotta try and talk to her. Maybe Monday after she calms down? Maybe I can get her to listen?" there was a long silence thereafter. Eventually rolling over, Rorik turned to stare out the window pulling back the blinds to reveal a heavily darkened sky. "Say Rose?" he suddenly asked. "You ever wonder what it would be like to be like everybody else? You know...just normal?" Raising her head again, Rose's gaze narrowed and he received a sharp eep. "Yeah," he sighed, letting the curtains fall back into place. "Me neither."

Chapter 13.

Lingering at the carnival, Rayne seemed at ease. Rorik was suffering and that was all she cared about. "Do you think he'll let her live?" Leah asked as they walked home later that night. "Probably not, but hey, not our problem." "I feel kind of bad for him you know? I mean, she didn't even give him a chance." "It's not like we didn't tell her," Rayne protested. "And besides, if she really cared about him she'd be okay with it." "Can you imagine going to school knowing you've probably made out with a soul sucking demon? What if they suspect us?" Leah asked. "I mean, they could start believing we're real too." It was defiantly a point of concern, considering Sam had grown quite confident in his skills after what had happened at the fair. To say he might be brash enough to try and expose Rayne was defiantly a possibility, although by the time Monday rolled around, he seemed far too busy gloating over Rorik when he didn't show up for class, to pay much attention to anything else. Rorik didn't show up to art class either and as gym rolled around, Sam was well on his way to alienating the crap out of Mat over it. Liz had been silent as death. She hadn't show up to breakfast and when the bell went off, she hung back in the locker room debating whether or not she wanted to partake. Walking passed her, Leah paid no mind. "You might as well just participate," Rayne said quietly. Drawing a deep breath, Liz went to reach for the door only to realize it was stuck. "What in the," yanking the handle, she met with little success before her attention was caught by a familiar voice. "You know you can pull on that all day but my money says it's not gonna open." Quickly spinning around, the expression that took her was one of terror as she regarded Rorik who stepped back from the wall. "You," she stammered, swallowing hard upon realizing he had not been there a second ago. "What do you want from me?" "Nothing," he shook his head. "I just wanna talk." Liz wasn't listening. "Sam was right...this whole time he was telling the truth wasn't he?" "Ugh. That kid is crazier than a sack of cats." "But he's right. All these disappearances, the animals...the kids...the school nurse!" she screamed. "The school nurse Rorik!" "Whoa hey," he threw up his hands. "That one actually wasn't me." Liz still appeared disgusted. "What do you want?" she asked him again as she pressed her back to the door. "Are you going to kill me, like the rest of them?" "What? No...no of course not. Liz I'm not going to hurt you." "Don't lie to me!" she snapped in a rare moment of boldness. "You used me. You got me to like you so you could take my soul? Is that it?" "What...no, I..." pursing his lips he gave a slight roll of his eyes. "All right maybe at first. But I had second thoughts and I...well, I kinda like having you around...which is weird because I don't really like anybody. I thought that maybe you and I could...That you might...well, you know, be my…" "Your what?" she barked. "Your girlfriend?"

Rorik looked up with an awkward expression. "Huh? Oh erm well I was gonna say minion but I guess that works too?" "Ugh," Liz shook her head. "You're a fiend! I would never be with you." "Whoa hey, watch it with the insults alright? It’s not like I asked for this. As a matter of fact I told you to stay put!" he said sternly. "Why the hell didn't you listen to me?" Her response came in the form of an arched eyebrow and a flat look. "You really think I was just going to stand there Rorik? It's a good thing I didn't." she hissed. "For all I know you were planning to kill me. You're probably doing it right now aren't you? Aren't you?" "No Liz," he was beginning to get angry. "I'm not. And for the record it's not like I have much of a choice." "What the hell are you talking about?" "I gotta eat to live same as you. You scarf down cows and chickens I prefer souls. We all got our little problems but I can't help the way I was born any more than you can." "It's not the same thing Rorik! If you're going to kill me you might as well just do it and save us both the trouble. It's not like you ever actually cared. It's not like you can actually feel anything!" Her expression crumbled as tears started to well in her eyes and his own demeanor shifted. "Liz look, I'm sorry alright I just…you're the only friend I've ever..." "I'm not your friend Rorik, or whoever you are. You need to go back to hell where you belong. I hate you, I never want to see your face again!" this time it was his expression that faltered. "Don't worry," he sighed as the door gave way, permitting her leave. "You won't." Stepping out of the gym, a look of deep grievance spread across his face as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and started off the grounds. Returning home, he sauntered up the stairs and threw a momentary glance toward Rose who lifted her head with an eep. "Pack your bags Rose, we're leaving." Making his way to the closet, he pulled open the door and began to shuffle through it. "It was a mistake to come here," he said, placing a hand against the wall as the room slowly began to return to normal. "You were right, there okay, I said it? You happy?" Narrowing her eyes, she scoffed at him before vanishing, leaving all that remained a single playing card, which he walked over and pocketed. Turning again toward the bed, the mattress became fabric and Rorik snapped his fingers as a large void appeared above it. Seconds later, it expelled the badly decomposed body of the real Rorik, which fell onto it a jumbled mess. "Sorry Kid," he said as he removed the hat he'd taken from him and placed it gently back on his head. "It looks like this time, the joke was on me." Taking off from the locker room, Liz ran out in tears. Bursting through the gym door, she paid no attention to the coach or any of the other students. "What'd you say to her?" Leah asked Rayne as she saw Liz crying. "Nothing...Maybe demon boy tried to come clean?" Falling silent as well, Sam and Mat exchanged uneasy looks. "Don't," reaching out as Sam went to follow, Mat caught his arm. For once, he actually listened. "Somebody should," Rayne sighed and begrudgingly got up to see what had happened. Running out of the building, Liz sat down on the front steps and buried her face in her

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 95 palms. Approaching her cautiously, Rayne cleared her throat. "What happened?" she asked with gray eyes. It took a second for her to comply. "Oh Rayne I'm so sorry please forgive me, I didn't believe you." Rayne didn't know what to do, although before she could ask, her attention was caught by a massive explosion a few blocks away. "Oh my god...was that..." Liz didn't have to finish her sentence. They all knew it was Rorik's house, and judging by the smile that adorned Sam's face as he ran from the gym, he did too. "That fucker is gone man I did it...I finally got to him!" he grinned proudly as teachers and students alike began to rush out of the building. "Do you think he killed himself?" Leah asked quietly. "No way, he's probably just angry." Rayne didn't peg Rorik for the type. By the time the fire had stopped, the house was nothing more than a couple of scorched beams and a tremendous heap of burnt ash. Police were still trying to control the crowd as an ambulance pulled up to the scene, not that there was much left of Rorik or his parents, who were found inside several hours later, identifiable only by small traces of charred remains. Watching the news later that day, Rayne thought of Liz and mulled over the subject from a tall glass of blood. School had let out early and opted to host a memorial service that night, obviously unaware of the peculiar circumstances surrounding what police had called a ruptured gas main. "You're going to the service?" Leah asked in outrage. "Yeah," Rayne shrugged casually. "He was someone like us. Sure he was an asshole, but maybe we misjudged?" Hosted in the gym, anyone who wanted to could attend and it was no surprise that Liz was there. Dressed in black, she handled a small white rose as she approached the memorial, which bore Rorik’s school photo. "What are you doing here?" a voice called from behind as she reached out to place the rose amidst the offerings. "I could ask you the same thing," she said dryly to Sam who was dressed in his usual, playing with a lighter. "Hey, he was my friend too...before he became a demon that is." Pushing passed her, he left the novelty beside the rose. "Well this is ironic," Rayne didn't offer anything though she glanced briefly at the photo. Leah had decided to stay home. Turning at the sound of her voice, both of them were pleasantly surprised. "What are you doing here?" Sam arched a brow. "I thought you hated him?" Liz asked, more out of curiosity than confrontment. "I hated the person inhabiting his body," she said evenly. "The kid was being used for weeks. I'd feel sorry for anyone who suffered that fate," and it was true, though she was also mourning the realization that humans would leave the people they cared about. Sam gave a nod while Liz's gaze dropped. "What's wrong?" "Do you have to ask?" she sighed. "I spent the last month of my life dating a monster. I never even knew Rorik, it was all just a lie."

"You wouldn't have liked him much Liz," Sam shook his head. "Rorik was a lot like me." "At least you're alive," Rayne pointed out. "He didn't try to eat you. I'd consider myself lucky." Liz looked back at the photo. "He used me Rayne. I wish...I wish I'd never met him." hanging her head, she tried her to keep composure while Sam walked over and placed an arm around her shoulder. "Hey it's alright Liz. He's dead now. You don't have to worry about it anymore." Despite his genuine attempt to cheer her up, Liz was still mourning and didn't quite take it as it was meant. Pulling away from him, she closed her eyes. "Thanks guys but...I think I need to be alone." "Come on, people need to mourn on their own terms." Rayne said as a loud bang caught the air. "Hey, show some respect asshole!" "Sam please!" Liz hissed. "There's nobody even there, it was probably just the wind." Sure enough, the darkened corner of the room was completely vacant as the door swung shut on its own. Unsure whether or not she believed it was nothing, Rayne dismissed herself and wandered off just in time to see someone hurrying from the grounds. Catching sight of the figure, she took off after it. "Hey!' she called out, stopping within a couple of feet of him. "What the hell are you doing?" Ceasing all movement, the troubled youth turned at the sound of her voice. "Walking, what the fuck does it look like?" "Out of a service for someone you didn't know?" "Who say's I didn't?" "What were you his drug supplier?" "Go home kid, isn't it past your bedtime?" "Please, I've never had a bedtime." "Pfth...well maybe you should get acquainted with one? Didn't your parents ever teach you not to talk to strangers? Good way to get abducted." "I think my mom would've been okay with that," Rayne snorted as if he'd told a joke. "So you're the guy who's been eating souls until a girl wayyy too young for you broke your heart?" "Whatever you say goth chick." He got about three feet before realizing his mistake. "I mean...oh fuck..." "I thought you were leaving...soul eater?" "I am, so why don't you go celibate your victory with your own friends until they find out about you." "Please, I have no intentions of being discovered." "Yeah, I said the same thing and I'm not only older, but way more skilled." "Really? Is that why you were thwarted by an underage blonde? You lost the moment you thought she'd actually accept you. I learned that rule a long time ago. Don't tell humans anything or associate with them any more than you need to." His gaze narrowed and with a deep breath, he began to shake his head. "Oh yeah? And who is Sam going to target now that Rorik is gone? You're next honey. Better pack your bags, because my money says he's got your number."

"If I don't give him a reason then he should lay off. If he doesn't...well, I could always disappear or he could have a nasty accident." "You're gonna get yours someday that's something you can bet on." "At least it'll be within my age group and I’ll have some dignity. Can't say the same for you," Raising a finger, he started to say something when his eyes drifted in the direction of Braum Park as a beam of white light suddenly spiraled down from the sky. "Annnd on that note I'll be leaving." Rayne felt her hair stand on end. "What the hell did you bring here!?" she yelled as he actually turned to run. Leaving the school roughly twenty minutes later, Sam walked Liz home. Neither of them had witnessed the odd light or probably would have considered it anything other than lightening had they done so. Thanking him for walking her back, she went straight to bed while Sam started for his own place, and the boy in the pinstripes hopped the first bus out of town.

Chapter 14.

"He left?" Leah found it hard to believe. "He practically ran out of town," Rayne answered. "Although I'm pretty sure he was running from something else." The thought of something that might otherwise scare a soul eater put a chill down her back. Fortunately, there were no further events that night, at least not of the supernatural persuasion. By the time Tuesday morning rolled around, things were pretty much back to normal. Walking to school along with Mat, Sam was going on about the memorial service with a roach in his hand, paying little attention to the sirens in the distance. "Cops are out in full swing today," he sighed. "Yeah well it's Greenville and they probably smell your pot." "Why the hell are the police always present around here?" Rayne asked as the girls made their way to gym. "This place is a dump Rayne. Any cop can meet their quota here," Leah replied. Suddenly a fully flashing police car zoomed around the corner after a kid who ran as if his life depended on it. Bolting across the street, he was surprisingly quick, although the cop wasn't far behind. Screeching to a halt, the car stopped and two police officers got out as he launched himself clean over the fence surrounding the high school. "Hey kid, get back here!" Shaking his head, he scrambled backward and the cop slammed a fist against the bars before turning to his partner who was waiting impatiently beside the car. "You're never going to find him in there John. We might as well go back to the station." "Put out an APB," the cop known as John replied. "That kid has a bounty on his head the size of Vegas and I'll be damned if I'm just going to let him get away." Unaware of the disturbance, Rayne could only hear sirens. "What the hell are they chasing?" she grumbled as the noise bothering her ears. "I don't know, but they better catch it before I get a migraine," Leah whined. "I have practice today so don't wait up. Honestly, if we don't beat that private school this weekend I'm going to have a bitch fit." Rayne gave her a sympathetic look. "You will, I mean, how many people have you on their team?" She nudged her as they took their seats on the bleachers. Already seated themselves, both Sam and Mat were waiting aimlessly for the class to start, and happened to notice the girls, not to mention the strange youth who slipped in through one of the side doors. "Isn't that a middle schooler?" Sam pointed to the boy who in reality didn't look old enough to belong in high school. Dressed in a light blue shirt, a pair of white shorts and a silverish windbreaker with a grey hood, he had stark bleach blonde hair, which was currently somewhat windblown, and piercing blue eyes from which he gazed around the room. Glancing over, Leah arched a brow. "Are you lost?" she called, surprised by his age and the fact she'd never seen him before. "I think he's a little more than lost," Sam replied. "Yo kid, this is the high school, go back to your playground." Catching his remark the boy turned. "This is a school?" "Uh yeah this is a school, what else is it going to be?" Leah found his question odd. "Uh...sorry I just...I got a little turned around. Do you mind telling me where I am?"

"You're at Greenville high, are you new or something?" "Greenville?" "Yeah Greenville," Sam muttered. "Never heard of it." "Big surprise there, not many people have." "How old are you?" Leah asked. "You look too young to be a high schooler." "I'm...gonna be fourteen." "Pfth I'd have guessed twelve," Sam scoffed as the gym door flew open and the two police officers walked in. "Oh shit..." Rayne tensed and Leah looked confused. "What did you do?" she asked Sam. "Nothing...lately." He said while the officers were quickly apprehended by one of the coaches, namely him dad. "Oh screw that, I'm getting blamed for this no matter what I do." Slipping out after the two of them, Rayne followed. She didn't know why the police were there although she feared something had happened. "They after you?" Sam gave a nod in her direction. "No I just don't like cops. Why are they after you?" she asked. "I don't know..." "There not after him." The boy turned upon catching their remarks. "Wait you?" Sam arched a brow. "Whoa kid, what did you do?" "I...honestly don't know. They came up to me and asked me some weird questions. After I told them my name they chased me twelve blocks." "Pfth...good old NYPD." "Wait a second...NYPD? You mean like New York?" "How do you not know what state you're in?" Rayne asked suspiciously. "State?" his gaze turned on her. "Like the U.S.?" Sam gave Rayne a peculiar stare. "Uh...yeah, you drugged up or something kid?" "I'm back?" he mumbled beneath his breath. "Hello?" Sam tilted his head and the boy turned to face them again. "Oh nothing...em yeah sorry, I'm still a little confused, but that would explain the police." "Are you like one of those midgets serial killers?" Leah had put on a horror movie and Rayne had clearly taken it to heart. The look that suddenly crossed the boy’s face however, was one of utter confusion. "Um...no." Scoffing at the remark, Sam shook his head. "Why the hell are they after you then? What you a criminal or something?" "No of course not." "Yeah sure." "No I'm serious, it's not what I did...it’s more of…where I went." "You can't be arrested for going somewhere," Rayne asked "Can you?" "No," Sam crossed his arms. "But someone his age…You're a runaway aren't you?" "Well not intentionally. It was more like kidnapping." "You were kidnapped?" Rayne stammered. "It's kind of a long story. But that's also why I’m not sure where I am." "I don't think that's a yes or no answer," she scowled. "Shouldn't you be calling your

parents?" "Well...uh...It’s complicated." "Yeah," Sam scoffed. "The police sure seem to think so." "I can't go with them. And if my parents knew I was alive...they’re probably offering cash and that would be incentive." "You know for someone who's been kidnapped, you sure don't seem too keen on getting your captors arrested." "That's precisely why I don't wanna be caught. I'm looking for the guy myself." "You're shorter than I am," Sam scoffed. "I don’t think you can take him." "Hey, size has nothing to do with it. Besides, the police couldn't arrest him. I don't think anyone could." "Who is it?" Rayne frowned. "Someone overseas or something?" "No...he’s local I guess? His name is Vancelyn LaChance. I've been trying to find him for almost six months now but he's really slippery. I'm here so I guess he must be too, although the only people I've found so far...are well..." he looked back at the gym. "Cops." The name didn't sound familiar. "I don't know him, do you?" Rayne looked at Sam who shook his head. "Nope, never heard of him." "I guess you wouldn't have," the boy sighed. "But I still have to ask, there hasn't been anything strange in uh Greenville was it? These last couple of months...has there?" "This whole place is strange," Rayne said flatly. "Yeah, I mean unless he's talking about Rorik?" "Who?" "Don't worry about it. You wouldn't believe us if we told you." "Trust me kid, you would think we're crazy," Rayne agreed. The boy regarded them with a bit of a grin. "Try me." "Sam, you're the resident Buffy, why don't you tell him?" Arching a brow Sam went to say something when the gym door suddenly opened and Mat walked out. "Hey, there you guys are, you're going to miss class," he informed them before taking note of the child. "Wait a minute, isn't that the kid the police were looking for?" "Yup." Sam brushed him off as if it were the weather and went on to explain Rorik in ten words or less. "Basically Rorik was our local drug dealer, until he became a soul sucking demon and tried to take over the school." The boys jaw dropped. "See told ya." "Where can I find him?" "Erm...you can't," Sam replied. "He's kinda dead." "What?!" the child looked beside himself, Rayne however, held up a hand. "What does...Vancelyn look like?" she asked, eyes now a lighter shade of gray. "Uh...black hair, usually wearing a pinstripe suit...voice kinda sounds like nails on a blackboard." "He fled. He saw this light and he panicked." "What?" Sam looked back at her curiously. "Rayne if you're talking about Rorik he's gone, nobody could have survived that explosion and besides, it was all over the news." "What are you talking about?" the boy asked.

"His house blew up," Mat interjected. "There was a gas leak and he got killed along with his parents, or that's what the news said." "Kid if you're looking for Rorik, you're a little late to the party," Sam replied. "We defeated his ass a long time ago." "Oh please Sam, everyone knows it was Liz who defeated him," Mat countered. "Liz?" "The girl he was dating," he informed the boy. "Dating? I'm not sure we're talking about the same guy." "Rorik was having his corpse possessed by someone," Rayne reminded them. "The boy you're talking about, he has gold eyes right? He saw this light and said he was running away." "I don't know anything about any light but...that sounds like Vance. Any idea where he went?" "I don't know." As the bell sounded in the distance both Sam and Mat looked up. "Thanks a lot Sam, now I missed class too," Mat muttered while Sam pulled a cigarette from his pocket. "What are you going to do to stop him anyway?" Rayne asked. "He's powerful." "Me?" the boy looked up again. "Well right now I'm more focused on finding him actually...not to mention a drink, I'm parched. They wouldn't happen to have a cafeteria in there would they?" "It's a high school dumb ass, of course they do." "Sam, go get him a drink." "What? Why the hell do I have to do it?" "Because I told you so," Rayne scolded. "Ugh fine...watch my shit." Dropping his backpack, he headed into the school. "What's your name?" she asked once Sam had disappeared. "Huh...oh I’m Saurin," he chuckled upon realizing he hadn't given it. "How can you stop Vancelyn?" she asked again. "He's not human." "Is that what he told you?" "Well...I assume he's not entirely human...his teeth...no way." "Oh yeah well...Vance is an interesting case. Technically, if you get passed the Grimdark and that horrible appetite of his, he's just as human as the rest of us. Most people have trouble believing that but it's true." "What's a grimdark?" "It's an energy. Like darkness but worse. Vancelyn is the only being in existence who can control it. It's a long story, but back where I came from, there was this group. They believed that under the right circumstance they could summon a portal to paradise. Vance was what they believed were the right circumstances." "How can you stop him?" "Let’s just say I have something that he's afraid of." Saurin looked up again as Sam came back carrying a bottled water in one hand and a corn muffin in the other. "Here, you owe me a dollar kid." "Thanks, I'll have to give you a rain check on that though." "Do you need help catching him?" Rayne asked suddenly. "Actually that would be great." "When do we leave?" "I gotta figure out where he went first. Give it a day or so, check the news, wherever

Vance goes people tend to vanish." "Wait a minute," Sam crossed his arms. "You're saying Rorik is still out there?" "If we're talking about the same guy, then yes." "Man screw that, if you're going to hunt that fucker down you better believe I'm coming." "His name is Vancelyn and he's still alive," Rayne answered. "And you can't come. What are you going to do? Smoke him away?" "Hey, I made more headway against that creep than you did." "Please, as I recall you were the one he made dance like a monkey at homecoming." Offering a sour pout, Sam’s eyes narrowed. "Look, peewee over there isn't going to be able to do jack shit. Look at him, what's he gonna do against a demon?" "Gee thanks for the vote of confidence, Sam was it?" Saurin shook his head. "For one, I know what we're up against, and for two, I've been dealing with it for almost a year, whereas I'm assuming you guys have only been at this a few weeks." "Count me in. I could bring someone else if you need more useful hands?" Rayne suggested. "I could use all the help I could get," Saurin admitted before looking down at the empty bottle. "Say, you got anymore?" "More?" Sam seemed surprised. "There's a water fountain inside but damn kid." "Come on, it's hot, and those stupid cops chased me over a mile." "Go get him another water Sam," Rayne said impetuously. "You owe me two dollars now kid, I'm keeping tabs." Shaking his head, Saurin only watched him go. "Say, I never caught your name." "I'm Rayne," "Rayne, I like that, that's nice," he said with a smile as Sam wandered back into the school. "Did Vance really make him dance like a monkey?" Arching a brow as he complimented her, Rayne realized only few people had ever said that. "Thanks," she replied awkwardly before regaining herself. "And yeah he did, he made half the school into Broadway performers." Saurin hung his head. "Awwwe...and I missed it?" "It was terrifying." Laughing heartily he looked up again and smiled. "Everything about Vancelyn is terrifying. You guys are pretty brave for standing up to him. Most people just run in the other direction." "He's a nuisance but...he did manage to get a girlfriend." "Yeah that's strange. Are you sure he wasn't just using her?" "I thought he was going to eat her actually...but when she found out about him, he looked wounded. She rejected him of course, that's why he gave up and burned down the house." "That doesn't sound like Vance at all. You think maybe I could talk to this girl?" he asked as Sam returned with another bottle. "Here, next time you can go fill it yourself," he muttered. "Her name's Liz, ask Sam where to find her...he's obsessed." "Lunch room after math, which we're kinda missing right now," Sam said as he lit another roach. "Say," Rayne spoke up. "How are you going to hide out here if cops are still looking for

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 103 you?" "I haven’t really thought about that..." Saurin admitted. "I hate to ask but...you guy's wouldn't have an extra sofa or something I could crash on, would you?" "Sorry kid, I'm on probation. Mat might, but his parent's will probably want to call yours first, and since you said that'd be a bad idea..." "You could stay with me and Leah if you don't mind?" Rayne suggested. "You'd just have to ask her." They'd have to look for a different way to feed too, although she figured it wouldn't make that much of a difference. "I don't mind," Saurin replied. "But who’s Leah?" "She's my friend...and well, if I left her out of an adventure we would have issues." "I know how that works," he smiled. "Believe me she's smart and resourceful." "Sounds like we could use her help. Although I might need to discuss some stuff with you first. Not here though, I have a bad feeling the police might still be around, not to mention, it's not really something to discuss in public, if you get my drift?" "That's fine...go look for her. She's the red head you were talking to earlier. I have detention...but hey, if we're leaving soon I could totally skip?" "Who says you can't totally skip anyway?" Sam shrugged. "That's what I do." "That's alright," Saurin said. "If you have things to do I think I remember who she is? Besides, I want to talk to this Liz about Vance. You said she'd be in the cafeteria?" Sam gave a nod. "Yeah, just go in the front door. It's the first major room down the hall, you can't miss it." "Right, thanks." "Just be careful with Liz...she's kinda upset about this whole thing." Rayne warned. "Don't worry I'm pretty good with that, but thanks for the tip." Sam took another drag and put the butt out across the concrete. "Ten bucks says he gets his head ripped off." Slipping in without attracting attention, it only took Saurin a minute to find Liz. Walking up to her, he took a seat and offered a sympathetic smile. "Hey, you're Liz right?" "What of it?" "I noticed you're sitting alone..." "Yeah and I'd rather it stay that way so if you don't mind?" "I'm sorry. I actually just wanted to ask you something?" "Well what is it?" "Do you know someone named Vancelyn?" She shook her head. "Okay well how about...Rorik?" "I don't want to talk about that." "That's alright. I kind of heard what happened. I was wondering if maybe I could help?" "What's there to help with, he's dead, and I don’t want to hear another word about it." Gathering her things she got up and walked away, leaving Saurin scratching the back of his head. "Well that didn't go the way I'd hoped." Getting up himself, he stopped as he noticed another girl. "Are you Leah?"

"Yes," she answered tightly. "I'm Saurin," he introduced himself. "This is going to kind of come out of the blue but, I was talking to your friend Rayne outside. She mentioned some of the weird things that have been going on around here and a boy named...Rorik. I've kinda been looking for him and well, the police are kinda looking for me," he chuckled. "Rayne was kind enough to offer me a place to stay for the night, but she said I'd have to ask you first." Staring at him with green eyes it seemed as if he had just spoken Chinese. "Whoa wait," Leah held up her hands. "Rayne said she trusts you?" "Well no, she never said that, but I assume she does if she offered me a place to stay? She seemed pretty adamant about helping me to catch Vance...I mean...you probably know him as Rorik." "She's obsessed," Leah moaned. "How can you stop him though? She couldn't...and she's pretty strong." "I've got something she doesn't, and your friends said they'd be willing to tag along. I could always use the help, especially against someone like him." "You're asking me, the star of the soccer team in the prime of my high school career, to join you?" Leah crossed her arms. "Rayne is going...isn't she?" "Yeah," Saurin grinned. "She was the one who opted to help, her friend Sam said he'd come too." "Sam?" Leah rubbed her face. "You're bringing him? He's not going to do anything except get high and be a pest." "He said he knew about what happened. And I'm not one to turn down a helping hand, even if it is a vulgar one." "He's useless," she muttered. "You can stay at my house if you need to, but don't get too comfortable. My parents won't be pleased to hear a guy is staying over." "Don't worry," he shook his head. "I just need a place for the night. I don't take up much space." "That's fine although I'll have to think about whether or not I'm going with you," she said as Rayne suddenly appeared at her side. "You can always finish high school later?" she pointed out. Carefully referencing she had centuries to go back. "Oh hey," Saurin smiled, however his expression shifted as the door to the cafeteria opened and one of the two police officers stepped in. "Oh darn..." "There's a stairwell you can hide in outside," Leah suggested. "The junkies usually go there." "Sounds fun." pulling up his hood, Saurin attempted to sneak out. He got about as far as the door before the officer noticed him and demanded he stop. Approaching Rayne and Leah, he briefly addressed them. "You two, that boy you were just talking too, did you see which way he went?" "Girls locker room, I think." Arching a brow the officer gave a quick nod and hurried off. "That was brilliant. You think he'll actually try to go inside?" Sam said as he walked over. "Probably," Leah laughed. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his cell phone. "Here, take this down," he said to

Rayne. "If we're gonna go demon hunting I wanna run home and get some things. Just give me a call when you're leaving." Pulling a pen from her pocket, she gave him a stern look. "You really shouldn't come with us Sam." "Hey it's an adventure," Leah replied. "Yeah, what she said. Besides, if you’re going after Rorik, you’re gonna need my help. You really think a fourteen year old stands a chance against something like that? I didn’t see either of you making much headway." he denoted as the bell went off. "I’ll catch you guys later, and don’t even think about ditching me." "Excuse me, Samuel...you danced for him. We didn’t," Leah reminded him. "Shut up, I saw your little tribe doing the can-can too so don't even start with me," he flipped her off and was already planning to skip the rest of school. Waiting patiently for the day to end, not to mention the police to leave, Saurin hurried over as he spotted Leah and Rayne on the basketball court a few hours later. "Man that took a while. I forgot how long school days were." "I'll walk him to the house Leah, you go on ahead," Rayne said, aware her teammates were waiting for her. "Are you sure you can catch him?" she asked Saurin as they left the grounds. "Vancelyn you mean? Sure, as long as he doesn't jump again." "He's like an eel, that one." "Yeah no kidding. I've been chasing him for a long time and let me tell you it hasn't gotten easier." "Did he get stronger or something?" "I guess you could say that. Vancelyn is complicated. As far as I know, his biology is a little different from ours. His system requires the life force energy of other living things in order to survive. I've been told that without subtenants, his body would eventually consume itself." "It's the same as the vampire virus," Rayne mused, realizing only after she'd said it that it was a grave mistake. "The vampire virus?" Saurin laughed. "Come on, vampires?" "Hey if things like Vancelyn exist, can't others?" "Well I guess, but Vancelyn isn't a demon. I mean sure he's an affront to nature, but that's just it. There isn't another creature like him anywhere, at least as far as I know. I guess it's feasible to believe vampires exist, but I've never actually met one." "Would you like to?" "Why, do you know one?" "Yeah I also know the Easter bunny," she said with a roll of her eyes. "Sorry...Naw I think vampires are cool. I was one for Halloween once when I was a kid. Although if I ever met a real one I’d probably have a heart attack. I've got enough problems, I don't need to add being dinner to the list." "Don't worry. I don't think you'd serve as much of a snack," Rayne laughed as Leah's house came into view. "This is it," she led him up the stairs. "You can hang in the living room while I tell the maid you're staying over." "Wow, cool house." "Yeah, ignore the Celtic stuff," Rayne smiled and disappeared downstairs to tell the darker resident they had a human guest. Saurin wasn’t paying much attention. Offering a simple nod, he staggered into the den and continued to mull about the intricacies until she returned. "You hungry?" she asked, walking back a couple minutes later. "Leah's maid left some

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 106 sandwiches." "That would be great actually." Saurin followed her into the kitchen. "I didn't want to just help myself but, would you mind if I got something to drink? I was kinda standing outside all day." "Water right?" "Yup thanks." Leah didn’t get home that evening until after dark. "Any news yet?" she asked as she walked in. "None," Rayne looked up from her book. "Well I guess I'm in for this adventure." Offering a bit of a yawn, Saurin shook his head. "I don't think we're going to be able to track him tonight. I might be able to finagle something in the morning if there's still no news, but right now I'm exhausted. Would you mind terribly if I turn in early?" he asked. "I had a really long day." "Go ahead," Leah said. "I have to write a note to my parents you know?" Rayne said nothing having no one to really tell. Jani hadn't called in weeks and she figured she was free to do as she pleased. "I'll see you guys in the morning then." Grabbing a blanket off the back of the sofa, Saurin used one of the decorative pillows as a headrest and was out within minutes. It was around nine the next morning when he got up, or rather, was woken by a raging crack of thunder from outside. Slightly startled, he hadn't been expecting a storm, although as he tried to get up again he hit the ground with a thud. Tangled in the sheets, he attributed them to his clumsiness and raised a hand to his face before suddenly noticing something that made him stop.

Chapter 15.

Looking down at his hands Saurin’s eyes widened upon realizing they were no longer quite so normal. "Oh god not again...not here...what do I do?" Chewing his lip it took him all of half a second to clamber back onto the sofa, sheet still covering him for the waist down. Yanking his hood over his head, he grabbed a pillow, which he stuffed his hands beneath uneasily. "What are you doing?" Leah peeked into the room several minutes later. "Are you okay?" "Huh...oh uh yeah I'm fine. Bad dreams," he lied. "I actually don't feel so good, would you mind if I got a couple more hours?" Frowning slightly, she was distracted as Rayne came down the stairs. "Come on, we might as well head to school, Saurin's too tired. Will you call us if something comes up?" "Yeah sure, you mind bringing me the phone?" Leah grabbed it from the stand and held it out to him. "Why do you have your hood up?" Rayne was sharper in observation. "Are you a shapeshifter?" "Nooo...I’m just tired." "You go ahead Leah, I'll stay home." "Are you sure?" she asked as she glanced between them. "I'm sure," Rayne said quietly, taking a seat on the other end of the sofa. "You don't mind if I sleep on this side do you?" "As long as you stay on that side." Leah spared them both a passing glance and headed out ten minutes later. Sleeping soundly until noon, Rayne could've cared less about going to school. Eventually opening her eyes, she shifted position. "Hi..." Saurin caught her gaze. "Do you want anything?" she asked as though she'd forgotten her earlier suspicions. "No, that's alright." Disappearing into the kitchen, she came back half an hour later carrying a plate full of toast, eggs and bacon. "So…anything on the news?" "I haven't checked. You were kind of asleep. I didn't want to wake you." "Why are you being so weird?" Sighing heavily, Saurin thought for a moment. "Take a seat...You remember when I said I had something that Vancelyn was afraid of?" "Yeah?" Rayne arched an eyebrow. "Well...I’ve been looking for a way to stop him for a long time," he began. "Nothing I tried would work, but recently I was told about an artifact, a weapon actually. It was supposed to be really powerful, so much so that even he wouldn't stand a chance. It took me a long time though I managed to find it, and yeah it is powerful...but," his tone dropped. "I didn't take the time to read fine print...there were...side effects. At first I thought it was a onetime thing, the circumstances were odd but well..." Drawing a breath, he shook his head. "I woke up this morning and..." Pulling his hand out from under the pillow, he opened his palm and stared down at it. No longer human, his fingers had been fused together by a strange silver blue webbing, while small black claws replaced his nails. "I'm starting to get the feeling I might be in trouble."

Rayne blinked rapidly. "What happened to the rest of you?" "Uh...Not sure I want to share." "Come on. If we're going to embark a journey we might as well know important things about each other." "Let’s put it this way," he sighed. "I'm not getting up anytime soon even if I wanted to." "Move the sheet Saurin." "Rayne please..." "How can we be on the move together if I don't even know what you look like?" "I'm not supposed to look like this! It's this weapon. It reacts to others like itself, but as far as I know there aren't any others like it around here." "Okay, so how are we supposed to do anything if you can't get out of bed?" "When I figure that out you'll be the first to know. If I knew what caused this maybe I'd have an answer for you, but your guess right now is as good as mine." Staring out the window, she knew she'd eventually have to tell him their secret too. "Well since you're not human...or at least not right now, let me be honest. Saurin, Leah and I aren't normal." "What do you mean?" "Remember how I compared Vancelyn to a vampire? Well, let's just say we kind of understand him on a real level." Almost instantly, his eyes widened. "Wait...you’re telling me you’re...oh my god." "I'm sorry have I attacked you?" "Are you planning to?" he asked uneasily. "Why would I? I told you, you wouldn't make a good snack." Her words only unsettled him further. "You just told me you're a vampire and compared yourself to someone like Vancelyn, not to mention I'm kind of stuck on your couch right now." "I let you into this house," Rayne said angrily. "Yeah...but how do I know you didn't do so, so you could eat me?" "You can go find Vancelyn yourself if you're going to be a judgmental asshole," she snapped and stormed out of the living room. Slamming her door closed she could hear "Rorik's" voice mocking her. Burying her face in her hands, the vampire sat at her desk and seethed. By the time Saurin managed to calm down and get his head on straight, he began to feel like a real jerk. Crossing his arms over the pillow, he laid there trying to figure out what he was going to say to her if she ever came back downstairs. In the meantime, he had thrown back his hood, revealing his ears, which had become somewhat fin like. Reacting in a similar motion to that of a Japanese folding fan, they were currently resting straight back in a somewhat solemn manner as he traced the patterns of the pillow with the tip of a claw. Walking in through the front door around four, Leah went to say hi and let out a sharp yell of surprise. "I guess I deserve that," he sighed. "You can relax; I don't bite...although I might have snapped at Rayne a little." "Saurin?" Leah freckles were prominent, as the color in her face had disappeared. Rayne emerged from her room at the sound of the commotion although her anger was still evident. "Hey," he began. "Look I’m sorry about before. You were right I was being judgmental, it was wrong. You guys covered for me. I owe you both. It was just a bit too much for me to take in. I mean..." Trailing off, he noticed her gaze hadn’t softened. "Hey if you think this is bad..." he motioned toward his ears, which fanned upward.

"What do you do when you wake up in the morning like this?" Pulling back the sheet, he drew a deep breath. The lower half of his body was no longer human but had been replaced by a long white fin with a pale blue undertone. Several strange turquoise symbols ran down his sides, and a curved dorsal fin poked out just below the end of his jacket. Looking back at them briefly, Saurin braced himself for what he figured would come of it and offered a slightly nervous grin. "You think you might cut me just a little bit of slack here?" "No," Rayne was unrelenting while Leah only stared. "Do you need to be in water?" she asked, trying to make up for Rayne's stubbornness. Dropping his gaze again, Saurin sighed. "It's not me, it's this weapon. I explained it to Rayne briefly. I wound up getting a hold of something that I might not have been prepared for. And as far as water goes, I'm not really in the mood to experiment." "So the weapon changes you?" Leah dared to get a closer look. "It’s pouring outside, maybe it has a connection to the water...I mean you look like a water creature." Pausing a second it honestly hadn’t occurred to him. "I wonder...maybe the rain does have something to do with it? But that would mean…Oooh boy." "That would mean what?" Rayne interjected. "Well for one, it would make taking showers a big hassle." Saurin wasn’t sure whether to laugh or to cry. "If it is the rain then it should reverse itself when it stops." "If it ever stops. It's been raining all day." "Yeah tell me about it." "You could always turn on the weather channel," Rayne said icily. Looking back at her, he shook his head. "Hey, I understand you're upset with me, you've got every right to be, but please do keep in mind, that even though I clearly don't look it right now, I'm just a regular kid, or was, until Vancelyn came along. This is the first time I've been back home in almost a year and now I have this to deal with," he jerked a thumb toward his tail. "I'm not trying to justify what I said, but I'll be honest, I'm scared right now, and the notion of being basically helpless against a person who just admitted they were a vampire…I guess I'm a little bias considering everything I've come across and I'm sorry." "Yeah? Good, you should be scared." Rayne's eyes were red again. He'd judged her like everyone else and she hadn't forgotten her lessons or Vancelyn's words. "I didn't run around judging you because you look like a mermaid," she scowled as she left the room. "She hasn't been shown a lot of compassion has she?" Saurin asked. Watching her disappear, Leah offered an apologetic smile. "Spot on observation," she said as she took a seat. "She doesn't like being judged like that." "Whether we like it or not appearances and stereotypes have a strong impact on first impressions but Rayne opted to help the people here when she could have sided with him. There are two kinds of people out there Leah. People like Vance who only know how to cause pain, and people like Rayne who try and prevent it." "Rayne has never been a bad person, just confused. She's really loyal and kind. It just takes a while to see that." "I don't blame her. If she comes around she'll come around on her own, it's not my place to try and force philosophies down someone's throat. Everyone’s got their demons, sometimes

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 110 our friends can help and sometimes there are just some things we need to do for ourselves." "Calm down Saurin, you sound like you're eighty years old. Oh and if you're not watching TV, I kind of have to catch up on celebrity news." "Celebrity news huh...I bet that's a load of fun?" "I have to live vicariously through someone until we get going." "Oh yes because it's totally important to know what people like Johnny Depp and Paris Hilton buy at the supermarket." "Actually I was more interested in the Kardashian’s," she rolled her eyes. "So what’s it like where you come from?" "Oh erm...it’s nice. I haven't been back in almost a year but well, I'm assuming not much has changed. I do miss the beach though...not that I'm going to be able to go back." "Can't you just ditch this weapon after you hunt down Vancelyn?" "I hope so," he shuttered. "Do you really think all of us can take him?" "I'm not planning to fight him," Saurin admitted. "He's too dangerous. There are...alternative methods that need to be employed, but I kinda have to find him first." "Should I change back to the news?" "Actually, do you have a laptop or portable computer? The news is great, but the internet is faster." "Gimmie a sec," Leah set down her plate and bolted up the stairs. Grabbing her laptop from her desk, she headed back a minute later. "Don't give me a virus okay?" "Hey come on, I know I'm blonde alright, but I'm not that illiterate." Laughing as she held out the computer, Leah sat back down to watch her reality show. Positioning himself so he could handle it better, it took about twenty minutes for Saurin to come across some reliable leads. A few miles east, in the town of Riverhead, there had been a recent amber alert on a small child. The girl, no older than ten, had been playing outside her house with her dog and gone missing. Police had found the dog, although they had yet to find the child. Evidently, the feature that caught Saurin's attention was not the missing girl, but the condition of the dog's body, or rather its eyes, which had become a stark empty white, attributed by police to what they believed was poisoning. Saurin knew otherwise. "Any news?" Leah glanced at him briefly. "Riverhead...that’s where we'll find him." "How many people has he killed?" "Well a dog for sure...and...I can't be certain, but it looks like...a little girl." It wasn't unheard of for Vancelyn to do some pretty horrible things, but the thought of killing a child didn't sit well with Saurin at all. Leah's eyes darkened. "Are you sure?" she asked quietly. "She’s been missing since this morning and the dog belonged to her. They found the animal, its eyes were white, that's trademark Vance. Eyes have a direct link to life force energy. When you drain it, they turn white. Animals are one thing, but I know he targets people and the younger a person, the more energy they give off. As horrible as it is, if we can find him in time we might be able to stop him before it gets worse." "We have to go as soon as the rain stops." Leah stared out the window dismally. "I left my parents a letter. The maid will cover for us." "Okay...erm...do you have a car? According to Google maps, it's a two hour drive. Oh,

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 111 and what about that kid Sam?" "A car?" her expression dropped. "I can't drive yet, and I don't think we should bring Sam...I mean he's human." "That might be a good reason to bring him actually." "What?" she arched an eyebrow. "If he's a regular kid, Vancelyn isn't going to expect him. He might not even take him seriously. Does he know about you two? Vancelyn I mean." "He defiantly knows about Rayne," Leah pursed her lips. "Then we should bring Sam," Saurin replied. "Rayne said that Vance took off after he saw a light in the sky. That means he knows I'm here and he also knows she's aware of it, not to mention you’re her friend. If the two of you just magically happen to show up in town it's gonna look mighty suspicious. The only way we're going to be able to catch him is by making sure he doesn't know we’re there. If he knows I'm close to finding him, he'll do one of two things, he either jump or he'll engage. I can fend for myself but that's not what I'm worried about. Vance doesn't have much in the lines of discretion. He's good with keeping a low profile but in the face of a serious threat he might risk exposure. The consequences of that could be disastrous, not only for me, but for you two as well. Sam's human, which means he'll have an easier time blending in, and Vance is more likely to try and kill him than cause a scene. To fight an enemy you have to know them. Vancelyn’s always been fond of the slide of hand. If we want to beat him at his own game, we're going to have to take some risks." "I guess you're right? I'll have Rayne call him then...when the storm stops." Saurin set the computer aside before taking notice that his hands had started to look a bit more normal. Meanwhile, Sam was currently browsing the net and nearly fell out of his chair as he scrambled for the phone. Having been awaiting the call for nearly a day, he was somewhat relieved he hadn't been left out. "Yo...about freaking time," he muttered as he picked it up and pulled away from his computer. "We ready to do this or what?" "Shut up," Rayne wasn’t happy about bringing him. "Get your stuff ready and get over here, see if you can get us a car too." "Rayne I was born ready and what do we need a car for?" he asked as he pulled open a window and proceeded to climb down the side of his house. "We'll talk about it when you get here," she said curtly and hung up. "Sam's on his way." Walking downstairs, she knew Leah could hear her. "Is he stealing a car for us?" "Probably not. I suppose the task falls to me unless we plan on taking the bus?" "I'm not sure the bus goes that way," Saurin admitted. The rain had stopped and he was now leaning against the cabinet with a glass of water he'd filled from the sink. "What did he say about the car?" "He didn't say anything, just asked his questions." Before anyone had a chance to go further there was a loud bang across the front door. "Yo, anybody home?" "No we left, you idiot." Rayne walked over to open it. "I wouldn't put it past you." Stepping into the house, Sam threw a nod of acknowledgment toward Saurin and Leah. "So," Clasping his hands together he rubbed them vigorously. "We ready to do this?" "Where's the car?" Leah asked.

"Oh right...I don't got one...but I know someone who does." A thin rather unprecedented smile began to cross his face. "How much spare cash you guys got?" "What do you need it for?" "Because it's going to take one hell of a lot of money to bribe him." Sam pulled out his phone again and began to dial Mat's number. Holding up a finger as it started to ring, he drew a deep breath and brought a hand up to cover his ears. "Sam it's ten o clock at night what the hell do you want?" Mat’s voice could be heard on the other end. "Um, actually I need a favor." "I'm not going to like this am I?" "I need you to boost your father’s jeep and get over to Rayne and Leah's place, we need a ride." "Excuse me, what!?" "You heard me dude, it's important. You're the only one I know with a license." "It's a junior license Sam and if my dad catches me with his jeep I'm a dead man." "Well then don't let him catch you. Come on dude I really need this favor. All you gotta do is be coiffure. I'll pay you." "How much?" "Hold on a second." Cupping a palm across the phone, Sam looked back. "How much you guys got?" "Two hundred," Leah sighed while Rayne pursed her lips. "Five hundred," "Holy shit," Sam's eyes grew wide. "Um...three hundred." he said to Mat despite Rayne's previous estimate. "Three hundred? Where the hell did you get that kind of dough?" "Don't worry about it, just be here in twenty minutes okay?" "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Sam hold on," Mat pressed him not to hang up which he almost did. "Where are we going?" Once again, Sam threw a glance in their direction. "It's a place called Riverhead," Saurin replied. "Riverhead?!" Mat exclaimed after he reiterated the news. "That's like a two hour drive, what the hell is so important about going to Riverhead at ten at night? We won’t even get there till midnight." "Hey it's three hundred bucks, you want it or not?" "I didn't say no did I?" "Good, then get over here and stop asking questions. Twenty minutes dude, don't be late or I'm taking a pay cut." Sam hung up the phone and slipped it back into his pocket. "Piece of cake...oh and by the way, two hundred of those bucks is mine for getting you that ride." "Unless you want to try to pry that money out of my cold, dead hands, you're not getting a cent." Rayne said flatly. "I can always hop a bus if you guys are not going to pay up." "I wouldn't advise that," Saurin replied. "Yeah and who asked you shrimpy?" "Nobody asked me, I'm telling you, if you try and catch Vancelyn on your own you're going to wind up dead." "Oh really, so what's your plan then?"

"First of all, we're going to have to find him...that’s before he finds us. Knowing Vance, it's not going to be easy. If he knows I'm here he's eventually going to jump, and he'll probably take on a completely different persona, if he hasn't already. If we can find him before he does that we might have a shot, but if he shifts his identity it's going to make things really complicated, especially considering he could notice us before we notice him." "We could change our looks?" Leah offered. "That’d be hard," Rayne mused, knowing Vancelyn was a shark and would most likely be wary of such a ploy. "Yeah well if you’re not going to pay up you might as well forget about the whole thing." "We could easily take the bus too Sam, so don't make this out to be some sacrifice of yours." "I got the supplies okay! What do you got, mountain dirt? That crap didn't work yo." "Supplies?" Saurin asked. "Yeah, holy water, crystals, stakes," he looked toward Rayne briefly while Saurin gave a bit of a laugh. "I hate to break it to you Sam, but those things aren't going to work." "What? What do you mean they're not gonna work, shit worked pretty well last time." "I don't know about last time, but this isn't Hollywood. I guess you weren't around when I said it, but Vancelyn isn't a demon, he's not going to be bothered by your typical rose oil and crucifix. Believe it or not that was the first thing I tried." Sam's expression became awkward. "If he's not a demon then what the fuck is he?" Of course, when Saurin told him that Vancelyn was human, Sam began to stare at him as if he had six heads. "Um if that thing is human then I'm the fucking Easter bunny, and she's Santa Clause," he jerked a thumb toward Rayne. "I'm telling you the truth. If you want to look like a fool running around with a steak in your hand by all means." "Oh yeah, and how the hell do you propose to stop him then Mr. demon hunter?" "Well, I have two ideas," Saurin admitted. "I already told Rayne and Leah before you got here. The first option would be to find him and tail him until we can either lure him away or catch him in an unpopulated area. Unfortunately that could take time and if we're caught beforehand we're cooked, not to mention the longer it takes the more people could die." "Well what's the second option then?" Sam grumbled. "The second option is a little more unorthodox and potentially a lot more risky. If we can find out where he's staying and catch him while he's asleep, there might be a way to avoid confrontation altogether." "What are the chances of us finding him asleep? Rayne snuck up on him once and he was up within seconds," Leah pointed out. "Actually not as hard as you might think. We're not going to get there till midnight if Sam's friend comes on time, right?" Sam gave a slight nod. "I'll let you in on a little secret. Vancelyn's biggest weakness is his own self-absorbance. I'm not sure what he's trying to compensate for, but he's got a real thing for being the center of attention. He likes to show off and he likes to run his mouth. Half the time that's what gets him into situations he can't get out of, like this one," Saurin mused. "If I know Vance, he'll find the biggest, most expensive hotel in the entire town, and make sure everyone knows he has it. As far

as sneaking in on him...that’s where things get difficult." "Yeah no shit, how you planning to do that?" Sam snorted. "Because unless you got some kind of magic invisibility shield, I don't think we're getting within ten feet of him." "No unfortunately I don't, but I do have something that might work just as well." Saurin didn't wait for a response and only continued to explain. "See for all the power he's got, Vancelyn also has a bit of a failsafe. I heard from a reliable source that certain temperatures have a strange effect. If one of us can sneak up on him and apply the right temperature compress for a little more than a minute, we can force his system to induce a homeostatic coma." "A what?" "Basically, he'll shut off. Light's out, for good, at least until either the temperature runs down or somebody removes it. It's risky because it requires a real up close and personal maneuver, but if we could somehow pull it off, we could avoid public notice, move him to an undisclosed location and dispose of him without the threat of conflict." "What temperature does it have to be?" Leah asked, leaning more towards the option of not having to physically engage him. "A little over sixty degrees. It can be done with a hot compress of any kind. I was thinking of using one of those microwavable pillows, you know, the ones with the silicon?" Saurin said as the sound of a car horn blared from outside. Leah immediately bolted upstairs to grab her duffle bag. Running to the passenger side of the bright red jeep explorer, Sam threw open the door and climbed in. The look on Mat's face was one of nervous aggravation. "I don't know about this Sam. If my dad catches me," "He's not going to catch you dude, you're already here, just stop complaining and drive." With a slight sigh, Mat looked at Saurin and the others. "Please don't tell me this has to do with Rorik?" "Of course it does," Rayne said as she climbed in next to Saurin. "We're going to hunt him down Mat," Leah smiled and took the window seat. "Are you joining us? I mean...you’re already an accomplice." "This is your fault," he glared at Sam who began to shake his head. "No it is, it's all your fault. I could be home right now enjoying my life and instead, I'm out here at ten o clock at night breaking the law so that my dumb douche of a friend, who isn't that much of a friend to begin with, can co-hearse two over imaginative girls and a middle schooler into hunting down a dead kid...why?" "Don't ask me man you're the one who agreed." Chuckling slightly, Saurin was amused by their dynamic. "If I get arrested Sam..." "You're not going to get arrested, would you please just drive?" Mat sighed and pulled away from the curb. "Yeah and what if a cop pulls me over?" "Keep it under the speed limit and they won't." "How do you know that Sam? How do you know somebody's not going to notice and decide, hey he looks too young to be driving?" "You’ve got a license." "Correction, I have a junior license. I'm not legally qualified to be shuffling you guys around, especially someone his age." "Relax dude, just take the parkway, it’s like midnight, the police are too busy jackin off at

dunkin doughnuts to care about pulling over a couple kids in a jeep." "Just drive, if you get pulled over we'll take care of it," Rayne said angrily. "I'm sorry but I still don't see how any of this makes any sense at all. Rorik is gone, why don't you guys just let it go?" "Because it's not over dude," Sam replied. "Rorik has been dead for almost a month, that thing was pretending to be him, it's still out there." "Okay so why is that our problem?" "Because if left unchecked Vancelyn could do a lot more damage, not only to people, but to this world," Saurin interrupted him. "Excuse me?" "Just listen to him dude he seems to know the guy better than we do. Although I still don't buy the whole human thing," Sam muttered. Peering at Saurin through the rearview mirror, Mat shook his head. "Who are you anyway kid?" "I'm just someone looking to stop Vancelyn like the rest of you." "Wait a second..." pausing briefly, Sam suddenly turned. "You're one of those kids who went missing back in that cult town, aren't you?" "You know about that?" "Sheesh dude it's all over the internet." "You were part of that?" Rayne asked. "Uh...yeah..." Saurin gave a sheepish nod. "Me, my cousin, and my girlfriend." "Aren't you a little young to have a girlfriend?" Leah leaned forward. "Hey I was a popular guy. There were a lot of people who would have wanted to be my girlfriend. But Kristy and I have been friends since before all that. Or perhaps I should say, before all this?" "You're like twelve," "I'm fourteen! And age has nothing to do with skill or personality. I'm twice over first place surf champion in the U.S. and back then I was twelve. If it wasn't for Vancelyn I'd probably be well known, although judging by the amount of police on my tail, I think I already am." "You're way too little to have a girlfriend," Leah teased. "Surfing however, that’s a different story. You totally have to teach me." "I would but...circumstances presiding that’s kinda gonna be impossible," he admitted before quickly changing the subject. "As far as having a girlfriend goes, do I detect some jealously?" "I don't need some loser boyfriend," Leah wasn’t personally offended. "Have you seen the selection in Greenville? They're either junkies, macho jocks, or losers. No thanks, I'll wait." "She's got a point there," Mat chuckled while Sam gave him a flat look. "Yeah well you fall into the loser category brainiac, the only girl you're ever going to get is your mother." "At least it's better than the dog, because at this rate you'll be lucky if that's all you ever get." "Shut up dude I don't even have a dog." "I rest my case." "At least Mat's smart Sam, you have nothing going for you," Leah snorted. "Who say's I'm not smart?"

His friend suppressed a laugh. "Sam you're failing all of your classes and it's not even October." "Well that's because they don't teach anything. All those people do are either hand out sheet work or blabber about insignificant BS. Maybe if they started teaching some worldly applicable information I'd pay attention? Besides, the only reason I fail is that I don't show up. I've never failed a test in my life." "I find that very hard to believe," Mat muttered. "Yeah well that's a big surprise." "Please Sam," Rayne scoffed. "Don't embarrass yourself." "I'm serious, I told you before, I might look like a complete idiot but I'm not." "Yeah some pieces are missing," Mat finished for him. "You're going to be missing pieces from your mouth if you don't shut it." Mat only cracked a smile and continued driving. Leaning back in his seat, Sam began to futz with his backpack before turning to address Saurin again. "So wait a minute, I read the article about that cult, you mentioned three people, it said there were four. I'm guessing this Vance whatever the hell his name is, was the other guy?" Saurin nodded. "Yeah...he’s kinda of the reason this whole thing started." "So who were the other people?" Leah asked. "Well Kristy my girlfriend, and my cousin Ryan." "What happen," Sam inquired. "You guys open Pandora’s Box?" "Actually..." Saurin bit his lips. "In a way yes." "What'd you do?" Rayne asked coolly, still rather irritated. "We didn't do anything. Vancelyn he...or rather, his father." Saurin took a second to gather his thoughts in attempt to explain as quickly and efficiently as possible. "The long and short of it is that this cult in our town believed they could use Vance's powers to open a door to another dimension." Mat arched a brow from the driver’s seat while Sam listened with a narrowed gaze. "Vance had always been a bully, but at the time none of us really knew the extent of what was going on. One day he cornered me and Kristy at the beach. He started...harassing her. I tried to stop him but he picked up a stick...then my cousin came back. He put Vance in the hospital for three months. His father was furious. My uncle gave him what for, told him Vance got what he deserved and he was lucky Ryan hadn’t kill him. His dad didn't like that much...a few days after Vance got out, my uncle disappeared. Kristy and I tried to talk to Ryan about it and we accidentally walked in on the cult ritual..." "You just walked in on a ritual?" Leah asked. "What is this Silent Hill?" "It was an initiation ceremony," he explained. "They were trying to get Vance to open the portal by absorbing a human soul. The three of us were found and forced to watch. He killed my uncle then proceeded to eliminate the rest of the cult. He opened the portal at his father’s command and deliberately killed everyone, except us...I’m not sure why. Probably because he figured trapping us in another dimension would be more brutal than death. Besides, we'd just put him in the hospital, he wanted revenge. I guess now he's probably wishing he'd gotten rid of us when he had the chance?" "Well that was a mistake," Rayne muttered. "I think he must have some emotions though Saurin. I mean, he was totally under Liz's spell for weeks. You can't be that much of a creeper if you fall for the first blonde to cross your line of sight." "Oh yeah Liz...I don't fully understand that."

"Pfth you're not the only one," Sam scoffed. "Join the club," Mat muttered. "I don't fully understand any of this." "We're sitting in a car with vampire chick and fucking back to the future boy, chasing down some soul stealing demon from a cult in California...at this point I think it's better if you just roll with it," Sam tweaked. Ignoring their remarks, Saurin continued to address Rayne. "Vancelyn doesn't have feelings like we do. He doesn't express emotion. If he did, most likely it wasn't his own. You said he possessed someone named Rorik?" "Yeah," Leah answered as Rayne threw a punch into Sam's arm. "Owe what, hey come on it’s not like it matters anymore!" Ignoring them, Saurin was more focused on the previous topic. "I would wager a guess to say that the emotions he showed, or you thought he showed, didn't belong to him, but rather Rorik. See Vancelyn absorbs peoples souls and with that their memories. If Rorik had feelings for Liz beforehand, they could have inadvertently transferred when he ate him. Which would also mean that they'd vanish again once he fully absorbed the soul and stopped using it to hide his identity." Pursing his lips, Sam thought for a second. "Yeah that's all well and good, but I've lived in Greenville all my life and I’ve known them both since grade school. Aside from being two grades apart, Rorik and Liz..." he shook his head. "They never even knew each other’s names let alone looked at one another." "Gosh only you would never see the possibility." Leah dismissed his words. "It's possible they had an attraction towards each other and just never showed it," Rayne mused. "I really don’t see any other explanation. If you're suggesting that Vancelyn actually fell in love with someone," Saurin suppressed a laugh. "I would have to disagree." "How could you be sure?" Leah asked. "I mean, isn't he part human?" "He is human. The only things inhuman about him are his powers and his eyes, which are generally what gives him away. Although just because his body is doesn't mean his mind follows. He wields an energy called Grimdark. Most people who wield that are eventually consumed by it. Vance is different in the aspect that he can control it instead of it controlling him, however if you want to go with Sam's hypothesis, mentally he's as much of a demon as you’re ever going to find." "Hey evil things can find love to," Leah said. "I mean, look at Frankenstein?" "Frankenstein was fiction, Vancelyn is real." "You know I think I'm gonna have to side with Leah on this one," Sam admitted. "The two of them were disgusting. Really, it would have turned your stomach. Nobody could have been that goo-goo over someone and faked it." "I'm not saying it was fake," Saurin said as Mat finally turned off the parkway. "I'm just saying the emotions weren't his." "Alright guys we're here." Mat broke in a moment later, driving passed a large sign advertising Riverhead. "Where exactly are we going?" "Try the Hilton." "The Hilton?" he looked surprised. "If you know of a more expensive hotel bring us there?" "How are you guys going to afford the Hilton?" "We're not, but if we want to find Vancelyn, that's where he'll be."

"We can afford a room for ourselves," Rayne said, not intending to share with Sam. "Oh yeah and what about the rest of us?" "I'm not driving back tonight," Mat admitted. "It's too late." "You three can sleep together," Leah said with a wicked smile. "Em...I’ll sleep in the car." Sam shook his head. "I'm not sleeping in no car, but I'll be sleeping on the fucking floor before I share a bed with another dude. Sorry Mat." "Whoa hey what do you mean by that?" "Why don't you take a look at what you're wearing then ask me that again?" he pointed toward the multicolored ink blotted vest Mat wore twenty-four seven. "I'm not sure I can sleep in a car or on the floor," Saurin admitted. "Especially considering the weather lately." he gave Leah and Rayne an uneasy look. "Bathtubs are pretty comfortable," Leah offered quietly. "And get over it Sam, you're not sleeping in a bed alone if no one else can." "I'll take the floor. I'd share with Rayne but I'd like to keep my neck." He stuck his tongue out at her as Mat pulled into the lot. "Are you really going to make me sleep in a bathtub?" Saurin asked. "What's wrong with the floor dude?" "Not everyone is used to sleeping on dirt and grime like you are," Rayne said calmly. Mat opened his mouth to comment and suddenly stopped. "Hey guys...what's wrong with this picture?" he asked and motioned down the block to where a young man dressed in black jeans, a red t-shirt, and a jacket not unlike the windbreaker Saurin was wearing, came walking toward the Hilton. Sporting a pair of dark reflective sunglasses, his hair was a bit of a hot mess, although nobody really noticed considering he was dragging with him a small black cat on a bright pink leash. Sam did a double take. "Is that guy walking a cat?" Rayne leaned forward in her seat. "That’s his little pet!" she hissed. "That’s him!" Gritting his teeth, Saurin quickly brought a hand to his lips. "Quiet, we don't want to be noticed. He's going inside, we can get a room and decided where to go from there." "Dude...who the fuck walks a cat!" Sam continued to shake his head while even Mat found it exceptionally odd. "What a weirdo," Leah said under her breath. "Vancelyn has never had much in the lines of common sense," Saurin replied. "You guys go ahead. I'm going to see if I can find a cheap motel. Happy demon hunting." "Pfth you know you are the only guy I know who would skimp out on saving the world." "Well excuse me if I have other priorities," Mat snapped. "Like living. Now get out." Sam did just that, followed by Saurin who still looked a bit wary. "If you guys are willing to wait till he falls asleep," he whispered to Rayne, considering Sam had exited on the other side. "I can find Vancelyn's room and we can try to knock him out?" "Let's do that," she agreed. "Mat you can have the bed since Sam doesn't want to share," Leah offered, feeling slightly sorry for him. "You sure?" he asked as he reached for the keys. "Yeah don’t worry about it," "Thanks." Cutting the engine, he got out and went to follow. "You know if this is for

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 119 real," he said as they walked into the lobby. "I'd really like to see some legitimate proof. All you guys seem to have these magical experiences and yet, for some reason..." "You're such a skeptic," Leah laughed as Rayne requested a room. "Hey, I grew up believing in science not superstition, this is a bit much for me to take in. Not to mention it's typical Sam. I'll tell you, if it's not the bogyman in one way or another he’s not happy." "He needs to be careful. He may just end up finding what he’s looking for." Mat looked back at her as the clerk handed Rayne the room key. "Are you insinuating Rayne’s not human?" "I thought you didn't believe in stuff like that?" Leah asked. "I don't, that's the point. I mean come on Leah, if Rayne is Dracula, then I guess that would make you the wolfman…or woman, and Sam over there has a few bolts loose so he could be Frankenstein. Then I guess I could be the mad scientist and Saurin..." he looked down at the boy. "Are you making us into the monster mash group?" she chuckled. "You would be the mad scientist, but me, a wolf? Yeah right, I'd be more of a witch," she smiled as Rayne held the elevator. "Yeah man Frankenstein sucks." Sam shook his head. "I'd be Van Helsing yo." "Oh please, hardly. You'd be a little hell minion." "Naw we already got one of those waiting for us upstairs." "Van Helsing?" Rayne snorted. "Please Sam, not even on your best day." "Yeah more like lord of the rejects," Mat scoffed. "Hey, come on I could be a good demon hunter." "That remains to be seen." "Whatever dude...hey what about him," Sam nodded toward Saurin who looked up from his thoughts. "I'd rather stay out of this one," he admitted as Mat pursed his lips. "You said you surf right? Well I guess you could be the creature from the black lagoon, how about that?" Sam began to laugh while Saurin shook his head. "Not cool..." "Why what's wrong with that?" "Don't ask." "You guys are such children." Rayne stepped into the hall. Finding their room, she slid the key in and pushed open the door. "Mat the bed is all yours. Sam, go sleep on the floor." "Go sleep in your coffin." He muttered, tromping in and tossing his bag to a chair, which he sat down in shortly after. Pulling the brim of his hat across his eyes, he leaned back while Saurin proceeded toward a microwave on top of the mini fridge. Pulling open the front of the device, he placed a small silicon filled pillow inside and timed it for three minutes on nuke. Where he had gotten it from was anybody’s guess, although no one seemed to notice. It was about a half an hour later that Sam finally passed out. Mat had turned off the light a few minutes prior, telling the others he would see them in the morning if they didn't get their souls stolen beforehand which wasn't entirely all that funny. When he finally did conk out it was around one and by then the hotel, not to mention Vancelyn himself, were basically dead to the world.

Chapter 16.

Rayne sat up as she noticed Mat's breathing slow. Breaking from his own thoughts, Saurin gave a nod and motioned toward the door. Stepping into the hall, he waited until both girls were present. "Before we go after Vancelyn I wanna go over some stuff. I'm going to give you a scale of one to ten, ten being the highest. If I were to place Vancelyn's abilities at an eight, without embellishing, where would you place yourself in conjecture?" Leah frowned. She might have learned fencing, but she had never handled a real sword. In all aspects of the word, she was an unorthodox vampire. "I'd give myself a two I guess?" she said honestly, as her face colored. Rayne mulled over the question, "A six, compared to Vance, he's strong." "Okay...well I'm about a five so I guess that makes you the lucky winner. First things first, we're going to need to find his room, which I'm pretty sure is upstairs. As far as getting inside goes, I can handle that, though he'll probably be well prepared." "Do you think he'll have the door rigged?" Rayne placed her hands in her pockets. "Probably. I’m hoping we'll get lucky, but I can't be sure." Stepping into the elevator, they took it to the top floor, which just so happened to be the sixth. "Is his room 666 because that would be the cherry on top?" "That’s the first place we should look." "This is ridiculous." Rayne's eyes flared red. "That's Vance for you. What did I tell you, he'd find the biggest most expensive hotel and make sure everybody knew about it." Saurin approached the door to room 696 considering they didn't make hotel rooms with the number 666. Examining it for a second, he drew a deep breath. "Don't touch it," he warned as a strange energy began to creep from its surface. "He's got it Grimdarked." "So anyone who touches it gets tapped by his energy?" Leah figured. "What about Rayne? She controls darkness." Rayne began to scowl. She hadn't told Saurin that piece of information willingly. "That's interesting...and a little unsettling. I guess you really are the person for the job then. I'm not going to be able to go in," he admitted. "If I enter that room, he'll know. Think of it like a trip alarm registered to react to certain energies. You might be able to get through unnoticed, but you’ll have to go in alone." "What?" Rayne scowled as he broke the news. "You're the one who knows how to deal with him." "I do, but if I walk through that door he'll be gone in ten seconds and it could be another six months before I find him again. He's defiantly asleep, that much I do know. All you would have to do is go in and apply the compress. It should only take a minute. When he enters stasis, you'll know, and after that the grimdark will lose its effect. We can take our time in figuring things out from there. Now in the case he does wake up...it’s extremely important, especially considering what Leah just told me, that you don't attack him. Defend yourself if you must, but if you engage him with darkness, he’ll use it against you. The other thing..." he trailed. "When he enters stasis Vance will be helpless. Now I know you probably have several bones to pick with him, and I also know how easy it would be to pick up a pillow...but please...I implore you...don’t.

Just wait for the seal to break and let me handle him." The vampire sighed. Smothering him would be too clean, she thought grimly. Saurin underestimated how much she wanted to murder him, though she tried to shake free the insidious thoughts. Holding up his hand, the energy vanished as the key panel suddenly went from red to green with a slight beep. "Be careful." Rayne stepped forth into the dark foul smelling suite on the other side. Spread out considerably, it was a higher quality room with a separate bedroom attached to it. Making no sound, she motioned for Leah to stay put. The last thing she needed was to bring her home in a body bag. The thought bothered her as she approached the bedroom, thankfully thin enough that she only had to push open the door a little further. Bunched in the sheets, Vancelyn was out cold. There was no sign of his minion, though his own appearance was frightening enough. Dressed in a pair of bright red Pj's sporting aces of every suit, the fabric probably went for more than the room. Clinging to one of several pillows, his nails, which were unusually sharp, had cut multiple lines across their surfaces, exposing a fair amount of foam beneath. What was really startling however, was his face, and the fact that as he slept it was drawn back in a hideous grin. Laying across the mattress, which was soaked in drool, he panted and tightened his grip every now and again. Rayne felt her skin crawl. Those teeth were definitely not for decoration. Holding the compress, she repeated Saurin’s instructions as she quietly set it down on his midsection. He didn't wake, though he did tense a bit and shuffled over with a groan. The moment it touched him, he relaxed, and very slowly the seams of his jaws began to close. Within thirty seconds his teeth had returned to normal, and within fifty he'd let go of the pillow completely. Watching his features shift, she let out a small sigh of relief. No more than a minute later, the seal broke and both Saurin and Leah could freely enter the room. Walking cautiously in, Saurin pushed open the bedroom door. "You don't have to hold that there," he said. "As long as it maintains its temperature he'll be out." "Can you just finish him? God knows how long that temperature will stay stable." "Not here...unfortunately. We can bring him to an undisclosed location in the morning. Right now I think we should take him back to the room and wait." "Undisclosed location?" Rayne crossed her arms. "Saurin, I thought this would be over tonight," Leah sighed. "It is over." Walking up to him, Saurin whispered something in a strange tongue, causing several white binds to appear. "I can't perform a real binding here, but that will hold him for about 10 hours, which should be more than enough time to get done what we need to." He went to pull Vance off the bed only to draw back the moment he touched him. "Uh...question, how long has it been since the last person disappeared in Greenville?" "Couple weeks," Rayne shrugged. "Didn't he kill a little girl recently?" Leah nodded. "What’s wrong? Can't you carry him?" "A couple of weeks..." Saurin bit his lip. "I can carry him, anyone could, he's almost dead. I'm not sure I wanna try and move him on my own, there's practically nothing left." Anyone who tried would have quickly come to the realization that Vance was nothing but bones. "I'm pretty sure he stopped eating because of Liz," Leah said. "See? He had to have loved her."

Saurin looked really confused now. Shaking his head, he stared down at Vance while running a hand along his neck. "Emotion transfer is one thing, but risking suicide? Not in a million years. There's gotta be something we're missing. The only person Vancelyn cares about is himself." "He was all over this girl. It was like Romeo and Juliet." "I don't know, I guess it doesn't really matter?" Saurin admitted as he carefully and somewhat uneasily reached for him again. "It just makes my job easier. He's not going to last long like this anyway." "Will he die?" Leah asked curiously. "Well yes, but..." "But what?" "Vance's system, it doesn't work like normal people when it comes to food. If he stops absorbing souls his body will convert his own energy instead. Basically he'll eat himself, and when that happens...he’ll cease to exist." "Good, saves the world some trouble," Rayne said bluntly while Leah fixed her a sharp glare. "Are you okay with that Saurin?" "Of course I am. It's what I've been trying to accomplish. There's a balance Leah. Without it everything falls to chaos. Vancelyn has upset that balance and needs to be removed from the equation. If you absorb the soul of another being, that soul will cease in existence. Vancelyn has killed hundreds of people. That's hundreds of innocent souls that no longer exist in any manner at all. Death would be a blessing for him after the things he's done. I'm a tolerant person...but even I’ve got my limits." "Are you sure it's not just because you're someone from the light?" she asked calmly. "Of course. Both Rayne and my cousin wield darkness, and I'm not looking to hurt them. When someone tips the scales it has to be corrected, darkness or light. And Vance...he’s had it coming for a long time." "Come on Leah, he needs to be put down." Rayne’s curiosity piqued upon hearing he knew another dark wielder but she didn't ask. "I guess..." Leah muttered, though she felt a twinge of pity. Leaving it at that, Saurin dragged him toward the elevator. "What if the others touch him?" Rayne asked. "Why would they?" "Because Sam's an idiot." Chuckling slightly, he shook his head. "He's not going to wake up unless someone removes the hot pack. I just put a bind on him so even if he does, the worst he can do is run his mouth." "Just be careful," she said as they headed back to the room. "Unless one of you spontaneously spawns grimdark, he's not going anywhere. And since I don't think that's even possible I wouldn't worry about it." Saurin set him down beside the bathroom door before pulling it open and walking inside. "I'll catch you guys in the morning." Still not rightly thrilled about sleeping in a bathtub, he did however manage to do so within several minutes of lying down. The rest of the night was met without interruption, although around four in the morning the silence was suddenly broken by a blood-curdling scream as Sam bolted upright in his chair. Rayne was the first one out of bed. Leah jumped up herself and poor Mat had nearly fell

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 123 off the mattress. Barreling over, Sam threw up. Clutching his head, there were literally tears running down the sides of his face and he looked absolutely terrified. "What are you doing?" Leah winced as he got sick. "What's wrong?" Rayne asked tersely. "Ugh...fuck." Leaning back, Sam pulled his hat down over his face. "God damn it." "Sam what the hell was that about?" Mat stammered. "Ugh...bad dreams..." "Bad dreams?" "Yeah...really bad." "Do you always throw up when you have nightmares?" Leah asked. "Night terrors," he clarified with an exhaustive groan. "I used to get em as a kid. Bad dreams on steroids. I took medication for it, but sometimes...they come back." "Yeah I'll say...my god. You gonna clean that up?" Mat nodded toward the puke. "Give me a fucking minute man, that shit was...HOLY FUCK!" Sam screamed again as he went to get up and his eyes suddenly winded. "What the hell is it now? You're awake!" "Yeah and so is he!" He was pointing across the room toward Vancelyn who was now wide awake and staring directly at him, eyes giving off a tentative if not curious golden glow. "Thanks for waking him up Sam," Rayne glared at Vance. "Saurin has him bound, so don't touch him," she added. "Hey it's not my fault I..." Cutting him off, the bathroom door opened and Saurin walked out. "What's going on?" "You know I'd like to ask you the very same question asshole." Vance’s remark caused him to turn. "What, you gonna take a picture?" Taking note of the hot pack still resting across his midsection, he reached down and pulled it off. "Um...I don't know what you people are trying to pull here, but if this is some kind of group orgy I don't want any part of it." Dropping the pack to the floor, he got to his feet before realizing he was still in his pajamas. "I'll tell you what, this is probably just as awkward for you as it is for me, so I'm gonna go back to my room and pretend like I don't know what's going on right now. I'll worry about kicking your assess for this tomorrow." "I don't think so." Saurin took a quick step forward while Vance stopped and shook his head. "Hey Saurin." Reaching up with one hand, his eyes slanted in the boy’s direction. "Have a nice flight." Vance snapped his fingers and a gust of powerful wind suddenly shattered the window while some kind of invisible force yanked him straight through it. Watching in terror Rayne's eyes went copper. "How the hell..." "You wanna be next? You really are a little shit aren't you?" he muttered as Leah ran to the ledge. Despite the three-story drop, Saurin had somehow managed to land on his feet and immediately darted back into the building. Watching in horror, both Mat and Sam were terrified, although Mat looked ready to throw up himself after what Vance had just did. "You're sick," Rayne snapped. "Really? Because from where I'm standing I left your fucking spit shit of a town alone and lookie here. Here you are with the whole team, helping that little brat. What, winning wasn't good enough for you? I should kill you right now, but I'd rather enjoy watching Saurin do it,

because when he finds out about you..." "He already knows," she said evenly. "We're not like each other at all." "And the fact you just brought that up out of absolutely nowhere?" Vancelyn grinned, exposing rows of razor sharp teeth. "You'll get yours Rayne...mark my words." "Not in this lifetime," she sneered. "Saurin's going to kill you." "Please..." he rolled his eyes. "He couldn't kill me even if he wanted to. Obviously, if he has to bring along two worthless half-breeds like yourselves. And..." Turning toward Sam and Mat, he arched a brow. "Well that's interesting," he said, as his eyes met Sam’s who only looked even more confused. "What the fuck did you just call me you half-demon piece of shit?" Rayne's temper flared. "Half demon? If you know Saurin then you know I'm human, which must really burn for you now doesn't it? That someone like me could actually have a life while you just stand on the sidelines. That's all you've ever done isn't it? That's why you hate, that's why you side with them. You're pathetic. I'll admit I ate my words, but you’re the one who still believes you have a chance." "Shut up!" Rayne tried to remain calm. "You were some blonde's bitch for a solid two weeks. I mean, you starved yourself all because of some misplaced emotion. I can tell you're still beat up over it." "At least I got to have the experience. You're just a jealous little bitch with a complex." "Experience? Please," Rayne snorted, replacing her rage with cynicism. "I'm not jealous. What is there to be a jealous of? You made a bunch of high schoolers dance like monkeys, that's nothing new. They do that all by themselves. Liz flat out rejected you. She hates you," she laughed at him. "She couldn't even look at you!" His expression did falter though only for a second. "Yes the truth can be a powerful thing, however it's also the truth!" he emphasized. "Liz cared enough, and would have continued to do so if it wasn't for that stupid little incident, and you my friend would still to this day be running a mile long reputation as a class cutting drop out. You can fling your dumb little insults at me all you like, but in the end," he shook his head. "You’re a monster to them and that's all you'll ever be. You don't have much in the lines of a personality anyway, and hiding the fact that you’re a freak isn't all that easy now is it? How daunting that must be, to reveal your soul through your eyes. If you think I haven't noticed? You're an interesting case. I'd love to sink my teeth into you, but your soul is diseased, contaminated. You're not human...you never will be and therefore..." he snickered. "You're not even worth my time." Rayne arched an eyebrow. "I could care less about a stupid high school reputation. And I'm so glad you don't think I have a personality because I'd rather stay this way than be an arrogant dickhead like yourself. You're a bigger freak than I'll ever be, you cult abomination. I'm glad my soul doesn't make you hungry but guess what? I'm still going to kill you anyway and I'm going to enjoy it." "I'm quite proud of being an arrogant dickhead actually," Vance mused. "And at least I have a soul, believe it or not. You on the other hand? The shriveled thing couldn't feed a rat, which is about all you’re actually worth, and if you're going to kill me then you might as well kill yourself too, because you're the biggest fucking hypocrite I've ever met. I mean for fuck sake you’re a vampire..." he ignored Sam who began to point at her with a look of aggravation.

"You eat people, and don’t feed me that I'm a fucking vegetarian bullshit, because what happened in that hallway was not some Stephanie Myers sparkling pussy crap okay. You're a killer, which is why you're jealous in the first place, because you can't control it, because you can't have friends at all. You can't get close to anyone cause if you do...they might just...bleed a little." "Gee the opinion of a soul eater means sooo much to me." Rayne placed a hand over her heart. "Your souls as dark as they get, you fucking cannibal. I'm not a hypocrite, you don't know me. Your mother died and your father only sired you so you can be his little portal maker. You're useless. Do me a favor and stop eating so you can just die you cult son of a whore." "Well it's nice to know how you really feel. I guess I hit a nerve if you're going to be kicking below the belt. Clearly my opinion makes a mountain of difference because if you didn't care you wouldn't be so adamantly...so...desperately trying to hold back tears. My parents didn't give a fuck...but what about yours? Where they ever there for you? Did dear old dad ever comfort his little freak or were you just the doormat? I bet you spent hours staring out the bars of your window wondering what it would be like to be like everybody else, to be loved, to have people actually care? Or maybe you just never knew there was anything other than that? Did they keep you in a box, because you sure like to keep yourself in one. You want to play it close to the chest, you're just as much an outcast even in your own circles...or isn't that right? You can pretend all you want, but the eyes never lie." Reaching up he pointed toward his own and flipped her off. "And yours are as honest as they come." Rayne’s anger was present and her resolve ready to snap. His question about her parents made her eyes shift black. Her useless mother had only seen her existence as a means to an end and her father saw her as someone who needed to be unmade. Being abandoned by him had given her mother free-range. Rayne had spent years in her care, suffering poverty and abuse. She was glad the woman had killed herself after she had finally gotten old enough to fight back. No one had to know. She could feel her nails breaking the skin of her palms. So much suffering. She had been made into a killer and for a while, the notion had sat well with her. Love and kindness were luxuries. Whenever she'd been exposed to them, they were quickly and ruthlessly taken away. The fact that he seemed to know bothered her. No one could know. She had to silence him. Her throat felt dry but she pressed on, unwilling to let him win. "This isn't about me Vance," she insisted, no longer sounding calm. "I appreciate your psycho-analyzing, but this is about you. We're going to kill you. You're outnumbered and alone. How's that feel?" "Go ahead, I'm standing right here!" he threw out his arms. "You can’t hurt me, you can't even touch me. I had you on the floor like a dog and before this is over I'll have you as my slave. How does THAT feel? You bowed at my feet. I'm your fucking god. Your darkness belongs to me, and for all your worthless little trappings and insults, you're the one who’s going to have to live with that. I'm more powerful than any of you combined, so maybe you should get back down on the floor where you belong?!" "You're nothing but some arrogant half-breed on a power trip," Rayne said in disgust. "My darkness is my own. Just because you manipulate a different form of it doesn't mean anything! Yours comes at a price! I'm never going to bow down to you, not ever!" "Oh really?" Snapping his fingers, his eyes narrowed and suddenly as before, the strange compulsion was back. "How about we put that to the test then, shall we?" "Fuck you!" Ever the defiant one, Rayne's eyes widened as she felt the compulsion

beginning to grow. The desire to listen was there once more, but she fought it tooth and nail. "Bow you bitch," he hissed through his teeth. "You bow to me. You eat your fucking words you worthless pieces of shit." "I will not!" Rayne hissed back. She didn't regret it but she wanted to. She had to listen, and her knees began to bend, much to her dismay. "You have no choice!" Vance screamed. "So next time you feel like opening your mouth you remember who owns you!" he snapped, only to stop as the door flew open and Saurin came storming in. "This isn't over," he hissed as he vanished into the void, releasing Rayne from his hold while the others stared in awkward disbelief. As the pressure began to leave her chest, the thought of being under Vance’s control made her sick and Rayne hastily bolted out the door. Watching her go Saurin looked confused. "What just happened?" "I don't know...but I'm going to go with this is all a bad dream..." Mat laid down and pulled the covers over his head while Leah buried her face in her hands. "Vance and Rayne just verbally assaulted each other," she said quietly. "Dude," Sam shook his head. "They just had a bitch fight over who was more miserable." "I can't believe they said those things." Leah felt upset and she hadn't even been the one insulted. Rayne meanwhile had gone outside. She sat in an alleyway, knuckles bruised and bloodied from beating a trash cash. Her eyes were black and she was crying. Tears escaped her as she struggled to find some sort of resolve, but his words were true and they rang repeatedly. Vance wasn't far off from her state either. Having returned to his own room he slammed the door behind him and stormed into bedroom, at which point he collapsed onto the mattress, grabbed a pillow and buried it in his face.

Chapter 17.

Shaking his head, Saurin began to eye the three, or rather two of them who were still awake. "Someone in this room isn't who they say they are," he said bluntly. "What?" Leah frowned. "What do you mean?" "The only way Vance could have woken up and broken those binds, is in the presence of grimdark." "Say what?" Sam arched a brow. "Someone in this room wields it. I was going to ask Rayne but I think she needs to be alone right now. Regardless, Vance is going to jump again and I'm going to lose him. I would very much like to know which one of you did that, intentionally or not. So let me put it this way. I'm not in a very good mood right now and it would probably be in everybody's best interests if you just came clean." "Vance said he could control Rayne," Leah spoke quietly. "But she was sound asleep." "Has she ever been affected by it before?" "Once, she attacked him at his house. But she's been fine, he hasn't gotten her to do anything. Although he just made her bow down again." "That's not the same thing. It's just a nasty parlor trick." Saurin suddenly stopped and turned toward the window. By now the sun had come up, and Vancelyn had left the hotel, inadvertently and unintentionally passing straight by the alley Rayne was currently dwindling in. Glad to see him distracted, she slipped out to follow and suddenly stabbed him with the pocketknife in her hand. "What the fu..." was about as far as he got before he dropped. Staggering backwards, he grimaced and Rayne was sent flying. Hitting the wall, blood began to run from her head and she laughed despite the pain. "I hope it hurts." "You...fucking bitch." "You deserve worse!" Rayne was still laughing though her vision blurred and she didn’t dare move. "I'll fucking kill you...you bitch!" An arch of black energy suddenly surged towards her and the outcome would have been disastrous had Saurin not intervened. Ignoring the looks he received from the others, he jumped out the window and landed in front of her. Raising a hand Vancelyn’s attack vanished and instead was met with an arch of white light, which slammed him into the wall in much the same fashion. "Are you okay?" Saurin asked Rayne. "I'm fine." Physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional storm she'd just been through. Offering a slight nod, he told her to stay put and slowly approached Vance. Looking up from shattered sunglasses, his eyes were just as red as hers had been. "You'd side...with her...knowing what she is?" "It's not what a person is Vance, it's who they are." Somehow still managing to laugh, he coughed up a spit of blood. "Bullshit..." he hissed though his expression faltered. "What are you gonna do? Kill me?" "No I'm just going to stop you from hurting people." "What...Wait...wait a second. Stop, that's not fair...you can't do this!" Lowering his gaze, Saurin’s brow went up.

"You're not a murderer. You don't have it in you." "You're right I'm not, but I'm not going to kill you." "Oh, so you're just going to torture me to death? What about your fucking balance? That fucking mantra you're always on about?" "You have nothing to do with the balance, you're an affront, you shouldn't even exist." "You know that light of yours is so bright that you're fucking blinded by it. Maybe if you turn around once and a while you'll realize how long your shadows become." "Hey, I'll give you a fair chance," Saurin said as his hands began to charge energy. "If you can find someone who actually wants you to live, then the binds will release and you can go on being a fiend." "Are you kidding me?!" Vance screamed thought it was really more of a horse cry. "You know that's never going to happen. For shit sake, the term soul eater by definition is like being a pedophile in prison...even the other criminals want you dead." His eyes fell directly on Rayne. "Are you going to kill him?" she asked, despite her better judgment. "I'm going to bind him. He'll kill himself the same way he kills others. Then he'll know what it's like to lose his soul." Vance stared up at them with an expression that might have actually been fear. "I'll leave alright...I’ll leave your fucking realm alone. If you're going to kill me, kill me, but don't do this. I'm on a fast track to hell already but I'll take that over non-existence!" "Sorry to disappoint you but you're right, I'm not a murderer. If I were you, I'd enjoy the time I had left, and judging by the state you’re in," Saurin shook his head. "That isn't very long." "Couldn’t you just banish him?" Rayne asked out of sheer curiosity, or at least that’s what she told herself. "Unfortunately no. He knows how to open portals, banishment is a dead avenue." "Saurin...maybe we should look into alternatives?" "There are no alternatives." "It's not his fault he was born Saurin. You said it yourself, his system was made that way. He can't help being a fucking soul eater," "What?" They both exclaimed at once. "Rayne...that’s irrelevant. I don't know what he said to you up there, but you're not like him. You stood up for those kids at that school. You know what's right regardless of what society might dictate or think. If you go back on that, if you let him go, it makes you just as responsible for the people he'll kill. Do you really want that?" "Is there no other way? No binding or restraint you could put on him? Can't you take away his powers or something?" Drawing a deep breath, Saurin stared at Vance who stared right back at him. Pursing his lips, he thought for a second before returning his gaze to Rayne. "You're not going to let me do this, are you?" "I don't think so." Her mentor had tried to teach her to be compassionate toward others, especially those who seemed lost. Closing his eyes Saurin gave a nod. He didn't appear angry, although it was clear he wasn't happy either. "Well...if that's the case then I'll ask you something else. Would you be willing to take responsibility for him if there was another option?" "Responsibility?" There was that weight again, back on her shoulders. "What do you mean?" "If you are going to request an alternative you're going to have assume responsibility for

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 129 the repercussions that will come of it, for both of you. Leah told me what he did." He kept it brief, assuming she would understand. "There is a way to reverse those standards, but before I go any further, I need to know, would you be willing to assume the responsibility?" Vance's expression began to darken. "I guess." "Rayne if I do this it's permanent. There is no way to undo it." "I accept then," she didn't know what she was walking into, however, as it stood, she was not going to kill someone who was at fault for being born a monster. "Alright," Saurin gave a nod. "Do you happen to have something on your person that you’re willing to part with? Traditionally this is done with jewelry or a small token." "What the hell are you talking about?" Vance hissed. Realizing he hadn't fully explained, Saurin looked back. "In certain cultures where demonic possession is still prevalent, some people believe that there’s a way to bind an entity to an object, and in turn, bind that object to a specific individual. The notion is that if powerful and skilled enough, which most of the people who successfully attempted this were, the demon would become bound to that individual, and they would be able to control it with some level of accuracy. Of course in those days it often backfired and the person trying to manipulate the entity would wind up possessed themselves, but...I’m a little more skilled than they were." Vance's expression became one of pure horror. "You know what, on second thought...Kill me!" Rayne didn't want to carry him around like some kind of demonic sidekick, but there was that word again-responsibility. Old enough to be aware of the consequences of her desires, she wasn't going to be a hypocrite and she wasn't going to be an idiot and let him run wild. Taking off a silver pendant she wore, she held it out. It seemed like a normal trinket, a crescent moon and a star together at the end of a chain. Opening his palm, Saurin allowed the pendant to fall gently into it. "I should warn you," he began, while Vance started to unload a string of curses. "Because he is human, you won’t be able to use this to influence his free will. The process can only be used to bind energies, which means only things that fall into that spectrum will be at your disposal." "I don't want a stooge," Rayne muttered. "As long as he's not chowing down on little girls or using his energy to make them dance, we're squared." "If you're going to let him starve to death you might as well just let me do what I was going to in the first place." "Just fucking kill me damn it! That bitch is psycho. I'd rather cease to exist!" "What am I supposed to feed him?" Rayne sighed. "You already know the answer to that question." Saurin looked back at Vance who glared at Rayne furiously. "I'm not going to be your fucking monkey! I'm going to make your life a living hell ya hear me? You're gonna be wishing you slit your own throat with that pocket knife. So help me god I'll make sure you never get a sane moments peace for the rest of your short miserable life!" "Maybe Saurin should nix your existence then?" she suggested angrily. "You were the one crying and screaming I had to do something, now you’re going to regret it." "I already regret it! You're fucking insane. You're proposing to spare my life in favor of

slavery? I spent eighteen years as a fucking slave and I'm not doing it again, fuck that shit, you can shove that pendant up your..." Cutting him off, Saurin’s eyes flared with a subtle white glow. "It's up to you Rayne, he doesn't have a say." "Bind him," she decided, figuring she'd deal with the burden. Offering a nod Saurin held the pendant out. Clasping his hand around it, he closed his eyes and stood in silence as a searing white light took his hand. As he opened his palm again, the light faded and he handed it back to her. Virtually the same in all aspects, the only thing that had changed was a small Latin inscription written delicately across the back. "Keep it close, don't lose it," he said, before looking at Vance who was currently staring at them as if they’d just killed his puppy. "You belong to her now. I think it's more than you deserve, but you should be grateful. This is the only chance you're going to get, so I advise you be good, because if I have to come back here and deal with this again, there won't be an option B." "What's it say?" Rayne asked as she noticed the change. "It’s his name. The inscription binds him to the artifact and in turn, the artifact to you. Now there are actually a few minor things you should know...for one, because of the binding Vance can't wander too far away. Thankfully for you, as long as you own that, you have free range of his capabilities. There is a realm called zero, also known as void realm. If you want him gone, send him there. He won't be able to re-emerge of his own violation unless you choose it." "Really?" Rayne looked glad but one thing bothered her. "So you're saying I can use his powers? That grimdark stuff?" "No," Saurin clarified. "But you can make him use them for you, and as long as you're wearing that charm he can’t attack you. Keep in mind, I am trusting that your heart is in the right place with this. It's a powerful responsibility that could easily be abused and exploited. Under normal circumstances I wouldn't have even considered it, but..." Looking back at Vance, he drew a breath. "I'm convinced that something went on between him and that girl, and although I can't honestly say what, I think it’s worth looking into. I trust you to do the right thing, although if it does become too much, you need to promise me that you're not going to lose yourself. I didn't give you this chance just to have two Vancelyn's running around. I know him well enough to know how much of a lying manipulative sleaze he is," Saurin's eyes narrowed. "He'll try everything he can to get you to abandon your ideals, don't. Just remember, it's not what you are that makes you, it's who." "Believe me I don't plan on being another Vancelyn," Rayne said honestly. She was relieved to hear she wouldn't have to worry about him trying to murder her in her sleep and the thought of him manipulating her was laughable. "I've got this Saurin, really." "I hope so, but I'm willing to believe in you. I think we should probably re-group with the others, I'm sure they're going to want to know what's going on. Why don't you try out that amulet of yours?" he asked, figuring it would be better to put Vance where he belonged than to have to drag him along for the ride. "Do I just tell him to go to the zero realm? I could keep him in there and just let him out to feed right? He's not going to be screaming inside my head or anything?" "You could if you wanted, and no, it's not like that at all." Sure enough, a strange noise took the air as the ground beneath them gave way to a large tar like circle. Staring at it in horror Vancelyn's expression was one of angst as several tendrils erupted, coiled around him and

yanked him down through it. "Oh god, not again..." Despite his efforts to struggle, the portal closed over his head and vanished as if it never was. "Too bad I can't get him to sing and dance. Free will does get in the way." "There are ways around that but my lips are sealed. Actually I have a confession to make..." Dropping his gaze, Saurin tried to hide a smile. "I kinda told a white lie back there about the bond being permanent. I only said that because I didn't want to put you in danger or give Vance any ideas. If it does become too much, there are two...well technically three ways to undo this. The first, as you probably guessed, would be too disposed of him. I'll leave that up to you. Secondly, like any other cursed object, that amulet is bound to you. However, if you can't deal with it, you can pass it on to someone else. Now that doesn't mean you just give it away or throw it out. It has to be gifted or sold willingly. The final means, which I'm kind of on the fence about, would be to either destroy the amulet or chisel off the name. If you do that, he'll be free and then this whole goose chase starts all over again." "It's my burden Saurin, I'll deal with it." "Brave words, I wish you the best of luck with all due intentions. Oh...actually there is one more thing. I know you've only said it about ten times, but just humor me a second. You wield darkness right? You don't happen to have some, maybe even the smallest bit of a connection to grimdark? There isn't some long lost ability of yours, you might not want to share? I'm only asking because even though this issue was kind of unorthodoxly resolved, the fact still remains that somehow, Vancelyn woke up in that room. The only way that could have been possible is in the presence of powerful grimdark other than his own. By default, that means it was either you...or..." Saurin furrowed a brow. "One of your friends is not who you think they are." Tilting her head, Rayne regarded him with violet eyes. "I've never heard of the grimdark until now. If I was born with the energy, I think they would have told me. I didn't wake him up Saurin. I mean, if Leah or I wielded that stuff he would've woken up before we entered the room, right?" "You're absolutely correct," he nodded, also looking quite unsettled. "We need to get back to that room and have a talk with those other two." Rayne's heart beat rapidly. She remembered how Vance had looked directly at Sam. Following after her, Saurin was just as unhinged, not to mention the fact that he hadn't picked up on it, which was evidence enough of extremely powerful foul play.

Chapter 18.

Mat was still asleep and Sam had just finished cleaning up the mess he'd made. "Man I'm gonna need some serious therapy when this is all over. Did you see that little kid?" he asked Leah. "That sucker launched him out the window and then he jumps out again a second later...what is this shit?" "It's supernatural," she answered calmly. Sitting atop of the bed with her arms crossed she studied them both curiously. There was a traitor in their midst and he was damn good at being sneaky. "Supernatural?" Sam walked back to the chair as Saurin and Rayne entered the room. "This is well beyond supernatural Leah, this is some fucked up science fiction shit." "Which one of you is it?" Rayne demanded causing Sam to look up and Mat to slowly open his eyes. "Rayne calm down." Saurin placed a hand on her shoulder. "Um guys, there's been a complication here." "Complication?" Sam sat up a bit straighter. "Vancelyn's been taken care of, but there is something I need to know. See, he woke up last night. That's not possible unless someone in here wields the same energy he does. Now I already spoke with Rayne and it's not her." "Bullshit," Sam muttered. "So does someone want to come clean or am I going to have to check you?" "Check us? That sounds kinda perverted dude." "Saurin what are you talking about?" Mat asked with a yawn, still harboring a strong desire to believe the entire thing had been a dream. "One of you guys wields it too," Leah accused. "Who is it?" Rayne may not have brandished a weapon, but the look on her face made it clear they would find out. "I think you mighta hit your head on the way down," Sam chuckled. "I don't wield shit and the day Mat turns into a demon is the day the world will end." Furrowing a brow, his friend chose to ignore him and pulled himself out of bed. "If you're saying that Sam or I aren't human…" "Just give me your hand." Saurin walked up to him. "What for?" Sam asked callously. "You gonna read our future or something?" He was largely ignored as Mat did what Saurin asked. Reaching out to examine his palm, the boy’s expression grew uneasy. "What?" Whatever it was, he kept it to himself. "Nothing, you're clean." "Sam," Rayne’s eyes narrowed. "I guess that means you're it?" "I hate tag," he scoffed as Saurin walked over and asked him to hold out his hand, which he did in a reluctant manner. Removing the fingerless glove that covered it, he drew back with a quick gasp. "Oh yeah, like I totally didn't see that coming?" Sam said flatly. "Seriously dude, why you gotta play games with me for?" Shaking his head, Saurin looked very disturbed. "You have something attached to you...you don't even know it do you?"

Sam just stared. "How'd that happen?" Leah promptly edged away while Rayne studied him curiously. "How could you not notice?" "Notice what?" he snapped. "Why did you wake up screaming?" Saurin asked. "Oh here we go...it’s called Parvlor Nocturnas, night terrors. It's a legitimate mental disorder and it's even registered in the DSM-V you can go look it the fuck up! I've had it since I was a kid and I've taken medication for it since I was five. It went away about half way through middle school but every now and again I still get em, usually under stressful circumstances...like I don't know...this one? I'm not fucking possessed alright, that only counts if you head spins around before you throw up." "No wonder you're such a weirdo," Leah groaned. "Saurin, what's he got on him?" Rayne asked, surprised he hadn't manifested any symptoms. "I...don’t know. I've never seen anything like it." "Yeah because there's nothing to see," Sam muttered. "He's telling the truth," Mat cut in. "Parvlor Nocturnas is legit, I've read about it." "Thank you! See I knew I brought him for a reason." Sam gave a nod although Saurin wasn't having it. "I hate to be the one to tell you this, but whatever you have hovering over you," he shook his head. "It's not a mental disorder of any kind. You are in danger. I don't know why, or when, or how, but those dreams of yours..." "What about em?" "I don't think they're dreams at all." Crossing her arms, Rayne frowned. "Saurin how is that possible? If something's been with him for years, why hasn't it killed him?" she asked out loud. "What the hell do you dream about anyway Sam?" Saurin shook his head. "I don’t know." "Yeah because you’re crazy." "Shut up Sam and answer the question." "I don’t have an answer to that question Rayne! But maybe you and your little friend over here would like to answer one of mine? Like what the hell is going on around here? And who...correction what the fuck are you?" He pointed at Saurin who gave a sheepish smile. "Sam calm down," Mat groaned, still somehow managing to keep a level head. "I think we should all just get our things and go." "No, fuck that, I want an explanation, what's the deal with the soul eater? I heard what he said, we all did. You two are vampires," Sam pointed at Leah and Rayne. "Not that I didn't know that already but it's kind of ironic that you're trying to add me to your little roster. I'm flattered but I think I'm going to have to turn that one down." "Sam stop being stupid," Leah snapped. "Just answer the question!" "Saurin is here to keep the balance," Rayne cut in. "You understand that right Sam? He came here to stop Vance because he was fucking shit up and disturbing the peace." "What, you a fucking angel or something?" "You could say that," he admitted, causing both Sam and Mat to draw back. "You're fucking serious?" Sam's eyes widened as Saurin gave a nod. "In a way. It's complicated but the way Rayne put it is pretty accurate. Needless to say,

I'd appreciate it if you did answer her about the dream." "Ugh, look I don't usually remember them okay, it's part of the disorder. Now if I ever become the fucking Lord of Darkness then you can say I told you so, but until that point, I think I'm going to pull a Mat and stick to the scientific explanation on this one." "What's wrong Sam?" Rayne asked. "You scared to talk about your dreams? Just tell us already, sheesh. Do you become the lord of darkness in them?" "Oh my fuck, it was a euphemism. They're just creepy okay. I don't wanna go there. Jesus shit." "Just tell us!" "I don't remember!" he snapped. "The only thing I got is a couple random memories of some of the most horrific shit I've ever seen in my life. I'm not going into detail about it, but if you've ever played Silent Hill, that's about the gist of it." Rayne looked at Saurin. "What do you think?" she asked. "I mean if something's stuck to him? How can you get it out?" "I can't," he replied. "Whatever it is...it’s been with him for a very long time. There's some kind of connection I don't know what, but I'm not about to tangle with it. It's out of my league." "Seriously? Out of your league?" her eyes widened. She considered Saurin pretty formidable. To hear him say something was out of his league, unsettled her greatly. "Okay..." Leah was likewise creeped out. "Maybe it should just stay with Sam then?" she opted. "Unless you want to ask Vance?" "Screw that...there's nothing wrong with me!" Sam threw up his hands. "Why don't you two just mind your own okay, seriously, it's not even funny." "Should I bring him?" Rayne asked. "NO!" both Sam and Mat yelled simultaneously. "Fuck that shit man. That thing was staring at me like some kind of demented Halloween mask. I never want to see that again. You want to talk about nightmares." Saurin on the other hand just shrugged. "It's up to you. He's at your disposal." "He's at her what?" Leah looked surprised. "What'd you do?" Rayne cleared her throat, evading the question. Before any of them could propose an answer let alone voice another question, the dark portal that had appeared outside began to manifest; this time across the surface of the ceiling from which a few seconds later Vance was dropped. "There are no words in any known language that can possibly express the amount of hate I have for you people right now," he grumbled as Sam's jaw dropped and Mat stumbled backward onto the bed. "Shut up," Rayne hissed. "Can you tell us what's attached to him? Saurin said it’s out of his league." "Pfth." Rolling his eyes, Vance got up and rubbed the side of his arm, which he'd landed on rather roughly. "You're talking about the shadow?" Sam's brow furrowed although he kept his mouth shut. "Shadow? A shadow can haunt? What the hell does that even mean?" "It's subjective. Although the point remains, his days are numbered." He nodded toward Sam who began to grow increasingly uneasy.

"Fuck you." "Pfth...you're a little late for that event." "He's cursed? Is that what you're getting at? How'd that even happen? Unless you did it yourself?" "Oh please," Vance rolled his eyes. "I had nothing to do with it. That boy is on a fast track to hell. You're being targeted as a host," he told Sam who only arched an eyebrow. "Why the fuck do you think you're still alive? I could have killed you a long time ago...but like I told Rayne once upon a time, you don't tangle with things that can tangle back." "Wait, wait, wait," she held up a hand. "How is it possible that a stoner like Sam gets targeted? He's a regular kid, how does something attach itself to him like that?" "He wasn't a stoner when he was a child." "Hey asshole I'm standing right here, you can say that to my face." "Okay..." Turning to look at him, Vance crossed his arms. "You weren't a dope head when you were five were you?" "What the fuck do you think?" "Well, then there you go. I don't know the details but I can see the aftermath. You're screwed big time...so is he." He nodded toward Mat who still hadn't said a word. "It's going to kill them?" Rayne had heard in passing of things attaching themselves to people. Her mentor had mentioned that some were just unlucky, often forced to walk with a cursed companion, although she had never said that such a thing could kill its host. "You know, I think this conversation has reached its limits." Saurin stepped in before Vance could answer. "Maybe we should just let it go for now and focus on getting back to reality?" "Yeah I second that," Sam muttered. "Third..." Mat called from the bed, while Vance just rolled his eyes. Taking note of the look he received, Saurin met his gaze. "What?" "Those are new." Vance motioned towards Saurin's fingernails, which had suddenly begun to resemble claws as apparently the conversation had distracted them all from the approaching storm head that had begun to set a drizzle across town. "Crap," Leah muttered. "Hit the bathtub Saurin." Rayne looked at him with pity. "Vance, I think it's time for you to go." "Oh sh..." Before he could say it, Saurin suddenly fell to the floor. "What in the hell?" Vance arched a brow while Sam and Mat remained unsure of what to make of it. "Hold up Rayne, you can banish me in a second but I wanna watch this." "Stop being an ass," she hissed as she knelt beside Saurin. "What do we do?" "I don't...know..." Grimacing in pain, his form shifted before their eyes. "Holy shit, what the fuck?" Sam almost fell over while Mat took one look at him and passed clean out. Had it not been for the startling realization of what he was looking at, Sam probably would have laughed, although right now humor was the very last thing on anyone’s mind, well…everyone except Vance. "Oooh man, talk about karma! Hey somebody call room service! All they gotta do is take one look at that and he can be somebody's dancing monkey too...or maybe sea monkey is more the proper term?" "Says the saw toothed freak," Rayne snapped. "Come on Saurin. We can get you situated

in the tub." "You know I'm actually gonna agree with him on that one," Sam said. "He's calling me a freak?" "I rest my case," Vance snickered. "Go back to the zero realm!" "You suck," he hissed as the void opened and pulled him through while Sam only stood there staring. "Saurin, don't get upset. This isn't the real you and it's not like you have to impressive those two morons anyway." Shaking his head, he looked to be on the verge of tears. "I can't be stuck like this. I didn't know that stupid weapon was going to do this. I just wanna go home." "Saurin," Leah placed a hand on his arm. "It'll be okay. I mean, you just have to go somewhere where it doesn't rain." "Ha..." Swallowing a chuckle, he couldn't help but laugh. "Like where? The desert? I live on the California coastline. Water has always been my life. I can't go home like this...if my parents find out. I hate to say it but Vance is right, I'll wind up on some freak show." "Saurin, you have a job to do." Rayne looked sad though she understood that sort of knowledge. Their childhood was over and they had to deal with that responsibility. "I did my job, I got rid of Vancelyn. The realms are safe, and I trust you guys are pretty well apt to take it from here. I...I got get rid of this stupid thing." A flash of blue light suddenly took the room to reveal a long white sword with a crescent shaped tip. Baring three small spike like protrusions, it had a large blue diamond that hovered in the center of the crest. "Can you?" Rayne asked. "How'd you even become this strong?" "I'm not strong Rayne, I’m foolish. I went after this thing without knowing what the repercussions would be. Now I'm really beginning to wish I hadn't. As far as getting rid of it...go ahead, try and take it," he offered it to her. "But it's light," she stepped away. "I'm a wielder of darkness Saurin, what if it kills me?" Shaking his head, he gave a sad smile. "Leah you take it," he offered instead, just to be on the safe side. "Me?" Her face flushed. "Are you sure?" "Don't worry it's not going to turn you into a fish," he chuckled, as sure enough, the moment she touched it, the blade vanished and immediately returned to him. "See my dilemma?" "It chose you for a reason," she said sadly. "That's what they keep telling me. I could chuck this thing out the window and it would be back in my hands before it hit the ground. I'm generally an optimistic person and I'm sorry, but I refuse to believe there is no way to break this bond. There has to be something...there has to be." "Who gave it to you in the first place?" Rayne asked as she took a seat on the tub. "Nobody," he grumbled. "I was told about it, and like a fool I went looking for it. I picked it up and that was it." "Where the hell did you find something like this?" "Another realm," he sighed. "This world we're in right now, it's not the only one. There are thirty-three other realms exist within the same space as this one. Earth is the seventh, Void or Zero Realm, where you sent Vance; that was existence before existence. Apparently when the universe came into being there were originally three realms, not counting zero. Someone or

something, nobody really knows the details, decided to create a failsafe, something to protect the realms that would eventually follow. There are three weapons like this, the Dawncutter, the Nightstriker and the Twilight Scepter. Each one was designed in such a way that when wielded it would not only amplify the hosts original characteristics, but grant them the abilities of the realm in which that weapon was crafted. The conditions for wielding these blades are unusual. The only way it can be done is with three people who all harbor a powerful connection. Positive or negative it doesn't matter, but if the connections are strong enough, then by taking the blade you become a part of it. The Nightstriker and the Scepter change the wielders form in the presence of one another. If my friends and I are together in the same place, they'll shift because of the blades effects. Lucky me, the Dawncutter doesn't work like that. It was...I guess you could say, the prototype. Where the other two lend the wielder their powers, the Dawncutter merges with its wielder. It was the first one to be created and also the most powerful, but like any first shot...sometimes people make mistakes. And I think I might have made a really big one." "Realms? We have realms?" Leah looked dumbfounded. "Do other people live in these realms?" She couldn't even begin to wrap her mind around the fact there was more than she believed. Rayne just looked confused. She likewise wanted to know more but was too hesitant to say. If anything, she thought glumly, she had a demonic stooge to tell her such things. "Of course there are other people," Saurin explained. "They're usually called denizens. Humans and animals, vampires, Are denizens of earth. Tarreich, the second realm, has denizens that look like gigantic mole rats, and Florajilt the third, has denizens that look like spider monkeys. It's all relative to the environment." Leah's eyes widened. "Are there vampires in other realms?" She spoke for the both of them considering they were equally curious. Saurin shrugged. "I suppose it would be possible? Humans and the creatures that live on earth are part of the seventh realm. Without something called the portal Dimensia, it's impossible to travel between these places. There are only two ways to open it, with one of these weapons." He held up his blade. "Or Vance." "I wish we could help you Saurin," Leah admitted. "Is there anything we can do?" "You can help me. You can make sure Vancelyn never darkens anyone’s doorway again. It was about a year ago that this whole mess started. He tried to take over the realms of Dimensia and almost succeeded. Thankfully my friends and I were able to put a stop to him. Six month later here I am and coming to realize I may very well have gotten more than I bargained for. I'll find a way to fix this if I have to go to the ends of the earth to do it, but you don't need to worry about me. Though if you don't mind, I would kind of appreciate it if for the time being, you could help me keep a bit of a closer eye on the weather reports?" "Sorry," Rayne was smarter than that and after Vance had gotten to her, it'd slipped her mind. "So what now?" Leah asked. "I mean, are you going to stick around?" "I do actually want to talk to Liz again...or at least try. I'm still kinda confused about the whole dynamic there, although I'm actually beginning to believe you might be right. Vancelyn's energy was off last night, not to mention this morning. It's a shift in his personality I've never seen before, but that's not important. Actually what's important now is that we find out exactly how long we have this room for," he said uneasily. "I can afford another night." Rayne hadn't told Sam how much money she had in all,

considering she didn't trust him. "Good luck talking to Liz though, because she's definitely going to be a recluse." Chuckling softly Saurin cracked a smile. "I think I might be able to persuade her. She was wearing a crucifix around her neck yesterday in the cafeteria. She's religious?" "She's roman catholic I think?" Rayne recalled. "Her house is filled with religious idols. Her parents are pretty hardcore about it." "I think I can get her to relax." "Are you going to pretend you’re an angel?" "Who say's I'm not?" "Seriously?" She crossed her arms. "Well kinda," he laughed. "See, these weapons react to one another by changing their wielders appearance. This..." he pointed toward his tail. "This is just a nasty side effect brought about by water. Ryan and Kristy are nowhere near this realm so it has nothing to do with Trinity form. I guess it's kind of a double edged sword but I am lucky in one regard, where as their weapons only allow them to enter such forms under certain circumstances," he gave a slight smile. "I can control it." "You can change your form into anything?" she asked. "Like really anything? "Not anything," he shook his head. "I can manipulate the essence of the first realm of existence. I would show you but..." he glanced around briefly. "This room is kinda small." "It's okay," Rayne insisted. She had no plans to be a born again vampire, though the thought was amusing. "I'm hungry, I'm going to go get food and pay for another night." "I guess I'm stuck here? Do me a favor though, keep Sam out of here, that's really not what I need right now." Back outside Sam had been listening to everything he had said, glued to the door while Mat was out cold. "Leah?" Rayne offered a smile as she opened the door and promptly flicked his forehead. "Go to bed you pratt." "Owe hey come on...seriously!" Taking a step back, he shook his head. "Look, before you say anything there is a two thousand dollar grand prize for the winner of this year’s Halloween costume contest. That's triple digits yo...you get what I'm saying?" "Back off, you know what I'm saying?" Leah closed the door behind her and gave him a flat look. "Leave him alone shadow man." "Awe come on...you guys are real monsters...I mean, no offence," he held up his hands. "It's perfect, that’s two grand Leah...come ooon." "Monsters?" her gaze narrowed. "Shut up, I don't need the money." "You don't, but I could use it...I got college to consider. And I didn't mean it like that." "College? Sam you’re not even passing high school." "Ugh how many times I gotta say it. Nobody in that shit hole of a town has any priorities at all. All the damn teachers ever do is spew bias ass opinions anyway. If I wanted to hear opinions I'd turn on FOX." Leah looked horrified. "You don’t lose enough brain cells smoking weed?" "Wow...that’s kinda the point. I don't give a shit Leah. You know what, this right here," he motioned around the room. "This is important, not some dumb retarded ass Nassau community dropout lecturing about cheese in English class." "Honestly Sam, that whole I don't care thing gets old fast." She sat down on the bed.

"You try so hard not to let things bother you but they do, and that’s when you turn to the drugs." "Look, I do drugs for two reasons. The first is my dad and that's my business. The second," he held up two fingers. "Because according to the freak show around here, I'm possessed." "Whatever, everyone has parental issues now in days just get over it. And you have something on you Sam, admit it." "You're really gonna curse me out over my problems after that bitch fight Rayne had with the freak? Clearly you people got more issues than me, and when it comes to this whole demon thing, I got bad dreams. That doesn't equivocate to demonic possession. When I start pissing in piano rooms and barfing pea soup then you can break out the holy water...as a matter of fact." Holding up a finger, he turned and walked to his backpack. Unzipping the top of it, he reached inside and pulled out a bottle. "You want me to drink it?" "Go ahead. Don't cry to me when it burns a hole in your throat." Rolling his eyes, he uncapped it and took a long drink. Nothing happened. "Satisfied?" "I figured it'd shut you up for a couple of seconds," she said with a grin. Flipping her off, he put it down and walked over to examine the shattered window. Most of the glass had previously been cleaned up earlier in the day. "Man...we should just hang a do not disturb sign on the door and get the hell outta here. You know how much money they're gonna charge for this glass?" "Let's just hope they don’t notice until we leave," Leah said as Rayne opened the door carrying a pizza box. "They noticed," she scowled, despite it being Vance's fault. "We almost got kicked out." "Pizza..." Sam had a one-track mind. "Share," Rayne muttered. "Forget sharing," Leah whined. "I'm starving." "Damn straight. Say Rayne," Sam began as he took a bite. "What's the deal with you and the soul eater? What was that about anyway?" "What?" she glanced up as she chewed. "Didn't Saurin tell you guys?" "Uh no he just jumped out the window, and then he turned into a fish. So do you mind explaining what that whole dark portal thing was going on there?" "Oh well...uh...Saurin made me responsible for keeping him in line." She didn't give the details. "What? Whoa wait time out." Motioning with the pizza, Sam ignored the sauce and cheese that dripped onto the floor. "You're saying you can control him?" "I can control his energy, that's about it and no, I'm not going to let you come up with any ideas." "Oh come on Rayne, you realize the possibilities here! You saw what he did to everybody at that dance, man haven't you ever heard of pay back?!" "No!" she said sternly. "It's my responsibility and I'm not clowning around! I can't control his free will anyway, so back off blondie." "You suck." Sam swatted the air in her direction and wiped his hands on his pants. Walking back to his bag, he knelt down and began to rummage through it, emerging a few seconds later with a small digital camera.

The calm melted off Rayne’s face in an instant. "Is that a camera?" "No it's a hotdog. Of course it's a camera. Come on, you didn't honestly think I'd let this opportunity go to waste, did you? Relax, you're not interesting enough to make Facebook...him on the other hand," he pointed toward the bathroom. "If you take a picture of him I’ll break your nose." Leah was the one to threaten him. "He's helped us out, don't mess that up." "Dude...it’s a fucking mermaid!" Sam was not interested in being phonetically correct. "You know how many crazy ass hits I would get on my homepage for a picture of that? Besides, he's supposed to be dead anyway right? What does he care, it's not like anybody's going to recognize em." "Shut up because you’re not taking the picture." Leah went to reach for the camera. "We can't humiliate him. He's our friend!" "Who says it's gonna humiliate him? It’s just a picture. It's not like it matters." "I'll bring Vance back." Rayne scowled and briefly considered it. "Go ahead. I could put a picture of him up too...now that would be awesome. I still think we should totally mess with him." "You want to have fun, go find some drugs and knock it off!" "Man whatever. For a vampire you're so lame." Sam went to plop down on the chair again. Slipping the camera into his pocket, he reached up the pulled the brim of his hat over his face, figuring he could wait until they were asleep to mess with Saurin. Thankfully, the rain stopped around three A.M. although by then he was asleep and didn't really take notice. Leah had slept against the door that night to keep Sam out and as the sun rose, peeked in to see how Saurin had fared. "Hey, what time is it?" he asked with a yawn before realizing he was human again and giving a sigh of relief. "Around nine, there's pizza. Glad to see you're back to normal." "You're not the only one," he said as he got up. "Pizza sounds great though, I'm starving." Grabbing a slice, he stopped upon taking note of the shattered window, not to mention the fact Sam and Mat were still out cold. "Hold on a sec." Placing the food back in the box, he walked to the frame and reached out to position his hand about the proper distance from where the glass should have been. Closing his eyes, he drew a breath and when he opened them again, the window had repaired itself. Opening her own, Rayne turned just in time to see him do it. "Thank god, I thought I was going to have to pay for the damages." "You're like the coolest preteen I know," Leah admitted as she grabbed a slice herself. Chuckling heartily, Saurin walked back to finish his unorthodox breakfast. "Hey, now we can tell those two it was all a dream." Grabbing a marker from the nightstand, Rayne walked up to Sam. Running it across the top of his lip, she gave him a black mustache. Nearly choking on his slice, Saurin brought a hand to his mouth. "What’s gotten into you?" Leah asked. "He was being a dick, he deserves it." "I wouldn't do that." Sitting up in bed, Mat had caught notice and couldn't help but smile. "He's gonna be pissed you know?" "What's he going to do, annoy me to death?" Rayne asked as she capped the marker. "He'll try." Mat got up to investigate the pizza box. "Cold pizza...delicious. Man, you

guys would not believe the dream I had last night." "I think Sam might've drugged you. You guys were having all sorts of fits." Leah lied through her teeth. "I know Sam has some kind of issue with his sleeping habits, but I think I just needed to get it out of my system. That whole thing with Rorik and..." Mat shook his head. "I'm just glad it's over. Not that my dad isn't going to kill me for stealing his jeep, not to mention skipping two days of school," he said flatly. "The body does weird things when it's put under stress," Rayne added. "How bad were the dreams?" "Um..." Looking at Saurin, Mat pursed his lips. "Bad," he chuckled, as Sam sat up with a yawn. "Awe damn it man, did I fall asleep?" "You've been out for a while," Leah answered with a giggle. "Thought I'd check my face if I were you." Sam pulled his digital from his pocket, turned it to face him and took a picture of himself before flipping it around. "Awe man...really?" He was still tired and it was probably a good thing as he got up and trudged toward the bathroom. "You guys are fucking infants." "Ouch, I'll take that comment seriously from a boy with a fake mustache." "Yeah that you probably put there," he snapped, slamming the door as he walked to the sink to try and wash it off. Shaking his head, Saurin finished his pizza and approached the television. "You guys mind if I check the news?" Taking a seat at the foot of the bed, he checked the weather channel, which he was relieved to find sported clear skies for the next couple of days. He was about to turn it off again however, when a vague report caught his eye. Apparently the recent disappearance of the young girl had been to some extent...overplayed. According to the reporter on screen, the so-called abduction had actually turned out to be a miscommunication between two divorced parents. The dog was attributed to the fact the gate to the house had been left open in the process. Rayne choked on her slice. "Vance didn't kill her?" Leah asked as she swatted Rayne's back. "That means he hasn't fed, at all..." her eyes suddenly filled with doubt as perhaps they had moved too fast to condemn him. Saurin bit his lip and went to turn off the TV as Sam walked out of the bathroom with a towel. "Oh well, sucks to be him," he scoffed, tossing it aside, while Mat still had a vague look of confusion spread across his face. "What now?" Rayne asked. "He's nothing but a skeleton." "I think we should probably go home actually. I don't know about you three, but Sam and I are both going to be in a lot of trouble," Mat replied. "What else is new?" Hoisting his bag over his shoulder, Sam started for the door. Leah looked relieved whereas Rayne hung back. "Animal souls count right?" she asked quietly, not wanting the others to overhear her morbid question. "I'm not sure," Saurin admitted. "I know his dad used to do that. I was really young back then but, I remember pets would go missing all the time. First it was just cats, though over the

years the animals got bigger. During the ritual my friends and I walked in on Vancelyn killed my uncle and the rest of the cult members. I haven't seen him attack an animal since." "I guess he's going to learn how to become a vegetarian in that aspect?" Rayne didn't have the stomach to bring him a person. "I don't know if I can help you there?" Saurin fell silent as they stepped into the elevator alongside the others. "So how grounded are you guys going to be?" Leah broke the silence with simple chatter. "No more than I usually am. My dad probably just thinks I'm off doing drugs. The school doesn't call my house no more." Sam slipped into the passenger seat and tossed his bag to the floor. "If I'm lucky, he thinks I'm still up in my room. Not like anybody really ever checks." "Lucky you." Mat turned the keys through the ignition and pulled the jeep out of the lot. "I'm going to be grounded for life." "You'll live," Leah rolled her eyes. "Honestly Sam, you depress me." "I depress you?" "You make me depressed when you tell me your dad doesn't care and the school's given up on you." "Weren't you the one who barked at me about being a lot better off than the rest of you?" "Whatever Sam, you depress me," she repeated. Of course, she left out the fact that his fate would be terrible after what Vance had told them about the shadow man. Offering a shrug, he returned his eyes to the road as they pulled onto the parkway. The shadow hadn't really crossed his mind, not that he honestly believed a word of it anyway, although after everything that had transpired, he wasn't really sure what to believe anymore and that, was part of the problem.

Chapter 19.

Sitting in the back between Rayne and Leah, Saurin toyed with the label of an empty water bottle barring an expression just as silent and distant as Rayne's. "You okay?" Leah asked the two of them. "Yeah, just tired," he said. It was only a half-truth but he didn't want to trouble them. "What's really bothering you?" she pressed. "Nothing...I'm fine. Don't worry about me. You guys have your life back." "Please," Rayne scoffed. As far as she was concerned, she hadn't even started living. Saurin was well aware although kept his mouth shut about it. Nobody seemed to feel like talking anyway, and he didn't really blame them. "I'm going to drop you guys off at your place first okay?" Mat called back as they reached Greenville. "Sam, you're walking home." "Yeah whatever." "Sounds fine," Leah yawned. "Hopefully your parents don't murder you. Sam, you can have dinner at our house if your dad isn't going to feed you?" "Who am I to turn down a free meal?" he shrugged as they pulled up in front of the old Victorian abode. "Okay everybody out." Grabbing his bag, Sam stepped out while Saurin waited for Leah and Rayne. "Your folk's aren't going to put me on the menu are they?" Sam questioned after a slight realization. The look Leah gave him clearly showed she didn't appreciate his comment. "What," he threw up his hands. "I'm serious!" "It's fine Sam." "Hey I don't want to be dinner alright?" "You won't be." Saurin cracked a smile. "Although I'd curb the remarks if I were you. I made the mistaking of asking the same question and it didn't end well." "Yeah well for you it's a double standard." "What's that supposed to mean?" "Dude, you gotta worry about it from both ends, you know how many people around here eat fish?" Saurin's jaw dropped. "You are a horrible person," he said although was met with nothing but a shrug. "Shut up Sam, my parents don't eat people," Leah snapped angrily. "Mine do," Rayne said with red eyes. "Point taken." Grabbing his arm, she suddenly twisted it in an uncomfortable position. "Do you want to keep going?" she asked darkly. "Owe fuck...alright...Jesus Christ I yield...damn it!" "Thought so." Letting go, Rayne headed into the kitchen where Leah was already making herself a sandwich. "I guess the maid wasn't expecting us?" she said as she held up a bag of bread. "Help yourselves." Rubbing his wrist, Sam glared at the two of them. "You should've broken it," Leah sighed, spreading a wad of peanut butter over an unhealthy amount of nutella.

"Next time I kick him where it counts." Rayne grabbed a couple loaves herself. Rolling his eyes, Sam pulled up a chair and plopped down. "So much for decency. Hey, you got any tuna?" he paused for a moment to look at Saurin. "Oh wait...you're not going to get offended or anything are you?" "Why would I?" "I don't know, you tell me bro? They get all bent out of shape when I ask legitimate questions about vampires. I don't know what you're gonna do? I mean for all I know you could start bugging out about it being cannibalism or some shit." "Ugh." Rolling his eyes Saurin brought a hand to his brow as if suffering a migraine. "I'm not a fish you moron." "Really?" Sam reached into his pocket. "That interesting, because Mr. cell phone camera says otherwise." Pulling out his phone, he tooted it back and forth while Saurin's expression melted to unease. "Somebody please tell me he didn't." "There's no way he could've," Leah protested. "I spent the entire night against that door." Rayne fixed Sam a piercing look. "I'm really going to have to break your arm, aren't I?" "Just proved it wasn't a dream," he smiled and slipped his phone back into his pocket. "You guys are too easy." "I hate you," Rayne snapped as Leah flung the can at him. "You're such a deceitful little jerk." Catching it, Sam smiled and cracked it open. "Why, because I just outwitted you?" "Doesn't matter, you're still a jerk," Saurin agreed. "I'll take that as a yes. So wait a minute, if all that shit really did happened last night then that means you control the soul eater?" Sam said to Rayne. "Let’s mess with him. I could go for a laugh." "No," she sighed. "If you keep asking I'll sick him on you." "What is the point of having a demon slave if you're just gonna put him in a box?" "He’s not a slave, he's my responsibility," she said as she touched the pendant. "Responsibility? Rayne he killed like ten people and butchered Saurin's uncle. Not to mention he made a mockery of like half the high school, he deserves to be humiliated." "He has to eat Sam." "People? Hey I thought you were on our side? Make up your freaking mind already." "Just shut up!" she didn't like his questions. "Eat the sandwich and get out!" "Whatever. Have fun with your freaking puppet. I still say you should teach him a lesson." Grabbing his bag, Sam headed for the door while Saurin shook his head. "He's wrong right?" Rayne asked quietly. "Of course he is. Torturing someone isn't a way to get back at them. Vancelyn deserves many things but that doesn't necessarily mean it's anyone's place to do them to him. I think this is punishment enough. You had a very good point when you said it wasn’t his fault he exists. I'll admit I have a bit of a bias when it comes to him, but in light of all that, if eradicating him isn't an option, then removing him from human contact seems like a good idea. If you keep him in zero realm he can't hurt anyone, and I'm not sure how to go about the whole food ordeal, but I'll leave that decision to you." Mulling over his words, Rayne felt somewhat relieved. She often felt she wasn't in the position to decide what was right or wrong. Her morals were all but in the gutter and she

sometimes had to remind herself that torture was bad. "I'm only bringing him out to feed, that should keep the peace. And we're going to try animals first." "I guess it's better than people?" Leah sighed. "I wouldn't wait too long. He wasn't in the best shape last night. As far as I know, he can survive on about one soul a week," Saurin replied. "I don't know the animal equivalent to that, or if there even is one, but that's something you'll probably just have to find out from him directly." "I might as well get started," Rayne muttered. "I'll be upstairs so he doesn't have a fit," she said as she headed for her room. Closing the door behind her, she touched the pendant tentatively. Opening from the ceiling, the portal dispensed him on top of her bed, although this time, he had a hitchhiker. Looking quite panicked, his minion fell through on top of him with a sharp squeak. Taking note of Rayne however, its eyes narrowed and it began to hiss. Vance appeared non-responsive and when it realized this, its eyes fell to him instead. Tilting its head, it reached out and nudged him. When he didn't respond it did it again and started to eep repeatedly. "Vance?" Rayne stood to get a better look. "Get out of the way!" she snapped at the minion. "Hey, come on Vance stop joking, get up!" Rayne grabbed his shoulders. The knife wound she had inflicted almost two days prior had never been addressed and the entire front of his shirt was soaked in blood. Paling slightly, the vampire looked at Rose. "Go get Saurin or your master's going to be a dead man." Back downstairs, Saurin had just finished his lunch and was currently re-filling a water bottle when the creature appeared. The bottle hit the floor and he immediately drew his blade. "Where in the heck did you come from?" he snapped. "What is that?" Leah backed away. "Is that one of Vance's?" "Yeah...a really nasty one. Go check on Rayne," he told her, keeping the weapon on the fiend. "I'm right here," she called from the doorway. "Vance is unconscious." Saurin was relieved to see her although his brow furrowed at the mention. "What happened?" "That wound I gave him...he never took care of it." "Wound?" Saurin brushed passed her to see for himself. The little minion followed and managed to get to the door beforehand. Ignoring it, he rushed over, using the Dawncutter to push it aside. "You did this to him?" he asked, pulling up Vance's shirt to reveal a deep gash that ran just under the right side of his rib. It was honestly a miracle she had missed an organ. "Yes," Rayne was honest. He had pushed her in every way there was to be pushed, and she had gotten her vengeance. Only now as she saw him half-dead did she perhaps regret her actions. Saurin let his shirt fall gently back into place. He said nothing of her assault although did look slightly disturbed. "He's gonna need a doctor," he admitted as Rose started to lick at the wound. "I'm not good with medical stuff. Do you have any gauze pads or something? We’ve gotta stop that bleeding or he's gonna die." "We can't just get a doctor." Leah looked anxious. "I can do this." Rayne figured it was her mess to clean up.

"You sure?" Saurin took a step back as Leah handed her a first aid kit. "I know how to stitch wounds," she nodded. "I've had practice but it can get messy." Purposefully looking away, Saurin brought a hand to his face and swallowed hard. "I think I'll wait outside. I'm not really good with these kinda things." Leah left as well. "It's not like he didn't deserve it." "I wasn't there. I missed the altercation," he said as she followed him out. "But it speaks a lot for her now that she's willing to correct it." "She's not a bad person," Leah told him. "She's just had terrible things happen. You can understand that right?" "Of course. Don't take this the wrong way but her and Vancelyn aren't that far apart. The only difference is that Rayne doesn’t let it consume her. She tries to hang onto the light even if it wants to repel her. That takes a special kind of person, though I'm sure she wouldn't appreciate the analogy. Just because something is dark doesn't make it evil. Evil is what you get when you let the darkness define you." "She's tried really hard not to be the type of person Vancelyn is." Leah peered into the room as Rayne wiped off her hands. "I think she's doing a good job of it." Saurin joined them as she finished with Vance, and Rose went back to licking his face. "What's that thing doing?" Leah asked in disgust. "I think it's trying to give him CPR, either that or a bath?" "Ugh, it's a darkmite," Saurin explained. "He calls it Rose. I guess because it's the only darkmite I've ever seen with purple eyes. It doesn't normally look like that though its form changes depending on Vance's mood and energy output. It's a good thing he's read to drop, or we'd be in trouble." "Rose?" Rayne snorted. "She's anything but, I'd call her shorty." Saurin raised his weapon again as it turned and hissed. "I'd be careful Rayne, that thing is uniquely dangerous. We had a hell of a time with it. Also, a word of caution, when he comes to you should make him get rid of it. It's not a manifestation of his energy, which means you can't control it. What's worse is that it's got the ability to merge with him." "They can merge?" Leah asked nervously. "Into what?" "A problem...a very nasty one. He has a thing for playing cards, don't ask me why. Too many games of solitaire I guess? Right now it's a little imp, but imagine what an incarnation of the queen of hearts would look like in grimdark form? And we're not talking Alice in wonderland. As far as merging goes, his card is the joker...I’ll let guys deduce the outcome from there." "I don't know cards." Leah looked embarrassed "It'd be bad news," Rayne said. "So let's not ever let that happen. He won't summon Rose again." Hearing its name, the creature eeped and narrowed its gaze. "Yeah we're looking at you," she said flatly. "You guys can hang out. I'm going to make sure Rose here gets sent back the moment he opens his eyes." "Alright...if you need anything just give a yell," Saurin turned toward the door. "You be careful with that thing." "I will." Coming to about half an hour later, Rose ignored Rayne and reached up to yank on

Vance's hair as he opened his eyes. "Ugh Rose stop," he groaned, batting her away. "Dismiss her Vance," Rayne looked down at her nails. "She's been hovering at your side for a solid hour." "Huh?" Slowly looking up, his expression darkened at the memories that came flooding back. "Fuck y..." Trailing off, his attention was caught as Rose let out a sharp epp and was instantly transformed into a playing card. "What the shit? What the fuck did you just do?" Reaching down, he picked it up and arched a brow. "Can you devour animal souls?" Rayne ignored his expression. "Saurin said I had to ask." "If it has a soul I can eat it, which means you have nothing to worry about. But as far as survival goes, no, animals don't cut it." "I guess you’re screwed?" "You're sick you know that!? Is this how you get off you disgusting cow! Congradufuckinglations you've achieved a level of despicability that even I'm not capable of." "I have more morals than you. At least I try to do the right thing." "The right thing!" Vance screamed. "Are you shitting me? I could have had you as my slave! I could have killed Liz and the rest of those high school losers and been on an island right now sipping a fucking martini. Don't you talk to me about the right thing!" "I saved your life from nonexistence," she protested. "You didn't want to die, we're squared! Just get used to the miserable idea that you're still alive. I'm ever considering feeding you so get off my back," "Of course you are, because if you didn’t you wouldn’t have anyone to take your misplaced anger out on now would you?" "My angers very finely placed, thank you very much. I got over my problems a long time ago." "Oh yeah, sure. Because starving someone to death and controlling them is totally unrelated to childhood abuse?" "Please Vance, let's not play this game." Vance didn't respond and instead held out a hand to open the portal back to void realm himself. Saying nothing Rayne didn’t want to hear it. "Honestly, you two like to torture each other." Leah had heard their screaming from downstairs. "I asked him one question and he flips out! He's unbelievable." "You two seriously need like...couple's therapy," Leah mused. "I just assume you don't summon him unless you absolutely have to," Saurin said as he got off the couch. "He's never going to get off your back about it. You might as well just leave him where he belongs and save yourself the aggravation." "I'm going to!" Rayne scowled. "I'm letting him feed tonight and then he's going back there for a solid week." "Speaking of solid week," Saurin replied. "Do you guys know of any place I could stay for a while? Like a hotel or something, where they don’t check rooms too often? I kind of want to speak to Liz before I go." "You can stay here," Leah insisted. "My parents aren't going to be home. I mean, they're not even in the States. I have time before I'm grounded."

"Are you sure. I wouldn't want to infringe?" "Seriously, it's fine. You already know our big secret." "Well as long as you're not going to have any un-expected guests." "I hope not," Rayne said under her breath. "You hope not? Is there something I should know? I mean I can hold my own, but the weathers been kind of well...unpredictable." "Uhm, let's see...my sadistic keeper for the last five or so years is pissed I ran away. My dad is probably sending his spawns to bring me home, but they won't, because killing me is totally an option for them. Oh, and my fairy god mother might stop by and kick my ass because the school's probably called and told her I've been skipping, so no big deal right?" Saurin's expression was one of disbelief. "Well…It's not much considering the help you've given me, but I can prevent anyone from getting onto the property." "Could you?" Rayne stared at him with large eyes. "Saurin, that'd be awesome. I think I might just step out to shut bitchface up first though," she said as she grabbed her jacket. "Alright well when you come back, let me know, I'll put a barrier around the entire place. Nobody who means you harm will be able to get within thirty feet of it." "That's a lot of people you're gonna keep out." Rayne looked a little sad as she said so. Leaving the house, she walked a couple of blocks before slipping into an alley. She figured Vance would still be pissed, but had little time to dwell on it. Hitting the ground as the portal upchucked him, he groaned and went to rub his head. "Somebody’s gotta install an escalator on that thing." "Yeah right, after they install a hot tub in the zero realm. Go get something to eat." "Go fuck yourself," he said as he crossed his arms. "Save it Vancelyn, are you going to get take out or what?" "Go fuck yourself," he said again. "I'm not going to give you the pleasure." "Oh yeah because it really gets me going when I see people lose their souls to someone with enormous teeth." Blatantly ignoring her, he stood there in a rut as a couple of high schoolers were making their way home. Ironically, Liz happened to be among them. Saying nothing, Vance leaned against the wall. His attention shifted as she walked in the direction of her house and although it was against his better judgment, he got up a few seconds later to tail her. Following at a considerable distance, he hung back by the same tree Rayne had Sam had previously used to spy on him a few weeks prior, and waited until after she had walked into the house before approaching the doorstep. Pulling a small black box from his pocket, he drew a deep breath and rung the bell. It was a few minutes after that Liz opened the door. Staring up at him, her expression furrowed. "Can I help you?" It took him a moment to respond. "Uh...yeah actually I'm looking for somebody named Elizabeth." "Speaking." Vance held out the box. "Sorry to bother you, but some kid paid me fifty bucks to deliver this to this address. He said he couldn't do it himself but he thought you might want it back." Handing it out to her, he quickly turned to walk away. "What is it?" she asked as she removed the top and nearly dropped it to the ground at the sight of the small red stone Rorik had won for her at the fair.

"Wait!" She stepped onto the porch to search for him, although he was already gone. Rayne felt a brief twinge of pity. "Why'd you do that?" she asked as she appeared at his side. "Do you like hurting yourself?" "You need to learn to mind your own business," Vance said sharply. "I thought you were going to eat her actually, couldn't let that happen." "Pfth...you would think that wouldn't you? It's called actually giving a shit, and it's not something a person like you would understand. All you know how to do is cause other people pain. I should know. I used to be the same way." "Yeah I can see you’re really reformed," she said sarcastically. "I don't cause people pain." "Not all pain is physical. That's something I've just come to realize." "Oh yeah be the victim, you know damn well what you said to me hurt!" "And so do you," he hissed. "You started it!" "No...you did, when you decided to lead Saurin right to me. You couldn't have just been satisfied with what happened? You couldn't have just left me alone and gone back to your own fucking life? You know what...I was wrong. You are just like the humans. You don't understand something so you have to hunt it down and destroy it, and if you can't do that, you capture it and control it to quell your own insecurities. I scared you on purpose, but I never tried to seriously hurt you, that's not something you can say in your own defense." "Look I didn't summon you to listen to you bitch me out again," Rayne snapped. "Go get something to eat and let's keep our distance from each other." Shaking his head Vance gave up and walked away. He didn't really have any intentions of listening, more so out of spite considering he was absolutely starving. Returning to the house after getting nowhere, Rayne stopped on the porch and seemed to hesitate. She found the words died in her throat as a car suddenly spun through a red light and the sound of a gunshot emerged from a dark tinted window. Nearly falling off the sofa, Saurin immediately bolted up. "What's going on?" he yelled toward Leah who’d dropped a glass to the floor. Falling against the steps, Rayne’s eyes were wide as she caught the car speeding away. Vance did not intend to do anything, although it did occur to him that she was still wearing the amulet. Rushing over, he knelt down and attempted to frisk her for it. Hurrying out after Leah, Saurin was about to say something but was quickly cut short by the sight. Ignoring Vance for the time being, he told Leah to get behind him and brought up the Dawncutter, which began to give off a faint illumination, erecting a powerful barrier of pure silver energy that encompassed the entire span of the property. Barely conscious, Rayne wasn't as foolish as to think Vance was trying to help and shoved him away. Leah likewise pulled him back while Saurin knelt down and threw his hands against the wound as the weapon vanished. "Come on Rayne stay with me." "Bastards." Her cigarette had fallen from her hands. Its embers dimmed as the night cooled them into nothing. Running back a few minutes later, Leah held out a grill lighter to cauterize the wound. "Don't bother," Vance scoffed. "She's dead already." Raising his gaze, Saurin's eyes narrowed. "As if you did anything to help?"

"Why would I?" "She saved your life!" "Don’t start with me you little shit." "God damn it Vance for once in your miserable existence could you possibly think about someone other than yourself?" "You really think I would give up my freedom to save the life of a worthless half breed who gets her kicks out of making me miserable?" "If she dies, I will bind you and you will die, how about that?" "How about I don't care?" "Of course you don't you're a monster, you don't care about anyone." For whatever reason something about that word seemed to rub him the wrong way. Walking over he kicked Saurin and shoved him aside. "Get the fuck out of my way." Kneeling next to the vampire, the look he gave her was devastatingly dark. "I'm not doing this because I want you to live," he hissed as he suddenly reached down and pressed a hand against the wound. A torrent of black energy radiated off his arm. Impacting her skin, it drew forth the bullet while gradually repairing the damage. "Are you sure about this?" Leah asked Saurin. "Don't worry, the amulet will protect her," he said as Vance stormed away. "There you're fixed, now were even." "You act like we just asked you to swallow poison," Leah scowled. "I hate you all and mark my words if I ever get out of this, I'm going to skin every last one of you...twice." Saurin only shook his head and knelt down to make sure Rayne was all right. "Can I get a hand?" she asked quietly. Being shot wasn't exactly doing wonders for her mood. "How are you feeling?" Leah helped her into the house. "Like I was just shot by a girl scout. Cowards, I'm going to stick their heads on pikes." "Forget about that Rayne, you need to relax." "I can't," her eyes were now a muddy shade of red. "Who bribed Vance to save me?" "Nobody." Back outside he reached into his pocket and removed the playing card he still had in his possession. Throwing it to the ground, he watched with a reluctant smile as Rose crawled up from the void and ran to him with an eep. It was about an hour later that things calmed down. "I'm going to get some rest," Saurin told them. "You guys should too. Rayne, before you go to bed you might want to put Vance away, I think he's still moping around out there." Getting up, she slowly made her way onto the porch. Noticing Rose, she decided not to say anything. "Thanks for saving me," she said instead. Paying no attention, he simply turned his back. Rose however, took one look at Rayne and lunged. "ROSE!" Vance grabbed her in midair before she had the chance. "Rose knock it off! I told you to leave damn it, just go!" "Where's she going?" Rayne asked. "I don't trust you. Rose is my friend and I'm not going to put her in danger." Tilting its head the creature eeped at him.

"Minion friend same difference," he muttered. "What danger is she in? She's your minion, not mine. I don't want to control her." "And I'm going to believe you...because?" "Eepp." "Shut up Rose this doesn't concern you." "Does it look like I care as long as she's not trying to rip my face off?" "You don’t care about much of anything do you? I know Saurin told you things but you only have one side of the story." "Okay then Vance, let's hear your side." Rayne leaned against the doorway. "Why, so you can contradict me some more? What the fuck do you want to know?" "I want to hear your side," "My side of what, Saurin and his little friends?" His tone darkened. "My side to that, I spent eighteen years of my life living in a single room while my dad fed me bullshit about being some kind of messiah. When you're told you're gonna rule the world and that everyone else is below you, it kind of fucks up your perspective. Not to mention, spending your entire life behind closed doors and being told you’re too special to be a part of normal society, while those little shits got to run around and do whatever the fuck they pleased. So yeah, maybe I fucked with them after I realized my dad was full of bullshit. I didn't kill that pricks father because I wanted to. Saurin didn't tell you that did he? I was forced to kill his uncle. I killed the rest of those rat bastards for the hell they put me through when I realized all they wanted to use me for was a goddamn port key. I made my father watch. Bastard thought he could use me to open the Dimensia and then throw me away. He told me I was gonna be the one to take over, when in reality he only said that because that's what he was planning to do himself. The only way he could is if he bullshited me into opening the portal for him first. Talk about a case of be careful what you create." Rayne felt her eye twitch as their colors shifted. She stared at him with a cerulean gaze although her expression was one of doubt. It bothered her, how frighteningly close their pasts were. She didn’t want to admit she'd started to feel a sense of kinship with someone so arrogant. Vance noticed the shift, although said nothing. Instead, he simply turned and lifted his gaze toward the sky. "Go back to the other realm," she said calmly. "Of course, back in the cage," he sighed. "Because you know as well as I do there's no place in this realm for someone like me...I should know. I've been to all of them." Shaking his head, he looked down at the darkmite. His eyes were glazed a bit and he knew she noticed and promptly turned away. "I hate you...I just want you to know that?" he hissed, opening the portal and kicking Rose through beforehand. "The feelings is severely mutual." The rest of the night went smoothly and upon waking, Saurin waited for the girls to come downstairs. Surprisingly the first one up, Rayne didn't look any happier. She hadn't slept much, dwelling on all that had occurred. Her hunger hadn't helped either. Rubbing her eyes, she walked into the living room. "Can I have a word with you?" Frowning slightly, she had a feeling it wasn't going to be a pleasant conversation. "What is it Saurin?"

"Well, I kind of overheard your conversation last night," he admitted. "I don't know what you went through in the past, but despite whatever similarities you might think you see, don't let Vance run his mouth. Trust me, he won't return the empathy. Whatever happened between him and Liz was an anomaly if anything. He's not going to just up and change. He'll try and use you and then stab you in the back the first chance he gets." Rayne was too tired to argue. "I know he's a master liar. I'm not stupid. Do you really think I'd trust somebody like myself?" She was the type of person to bring a machine gun to a knife fight. Honor was something she valued, but when it came down to brass tax, she would forsake it. She could see Vance was that type of person as well and a very obvious sore-loser. "He can talk all he wants Saurin, at best he'll make me feel sorry for him but that's where it stops." "I hope so Rayne." Knowing not to push it that was all he said as he walked into the kitchen to get himself a drink. "Saurin, the only friend I have here is Leah." Rayne felt as though he didn't believe her. "You're getting there, but I'm not much of a people person. What makes you think out of all the people in this town I'd trust Vance? I saw what he does. No thanks," Looking back as he filled a glass, Saurin leaned against the countertop. "He has you convinced about Liz doesn't he? I'm not sure I fully buy that. I want to speak with her myself because I honestly think it's an act. Vance is salt to an open wound. He'll find your weak points and target them." "Just because he got his heart broken over her rejection doesn't mean I'm going to try to become friends with him. I'm perfectly okay with teasing him about it," she thought of how his eyes were always bloodshot after they screamed at each other. Saurin was light. She knew he couldn't understand how people from the opposite side cared for their own. "He finds my weak points but they're also his. We make each other upset and angry. I've got it," she said sternly. "I can throw salt in his wounds too." Saurin chose to let the matter drop, although he still didn't look rightly satisfied. Finishing the glass he set it aside and went to make himself a sandwich. "In any case I want to talk to Liz about all this. I guess school isn't in today considering the weekend and all? I don't know if she lives within walking distance but the sooner the better." "Leah can take you there. She has practice in an hour. I'm going to stay home and clean." Saurin gave a nod and took a seat at the table to finish his breakfast. Coming downstairs about ten minutes later, Leah looked as if nothing had ever happened. "Hey guys," she greeted, fixing her shoelaces as she regarded them. "Morning Leah. Say, you wouldn't mind pointing me in the direction of Liz's place before practice would you?" "No, it's on the way anyway. You're gonna stay home?" she asked Rayne who nodded as she drank her orange juice. Once they were gone, she gathered a bucket of bleach and a sponge from the cabinet. The reclusive maid would've had a fit upon seeing the bloodied stairs, and she wasn't about to give her any more of a reason to want to call her mentor. Letting Vance out for the time being, she figured it was an opportunity since Saurin had left. The portal opened from the ceiling although this time he managed to catch himself before he hit the floor. Giving her a dark look, he said nothing and proceeded to stand there with his arms crossed in a sour manner. "I hope your face stays that way. You have limited time today so make use of it," she said as she set the bucket on the steps and began to scrub away the stains.

With one swift kick, he knocked it down the stairs. Rayne tried to keep her temper as she went to fill it back up and launched the entire thing in his direction. "Nice try." Holding up a hand, he caused the water to stop and fly backward. Rayne looked furious. "You're an infant," she hissed walking passed to fill it a third time. Standing there, Vance waited until she was pre-occupied before raising a finger in the shape of a mock toy gun. Closing one eye, he lined it up with the bucket and it flipped off the stairs, showering her once again in bleach water. "You're a fuck!" she yelled both sopping wet and furious. "Thank you," he snickered. "I’m glad Saurin's on his way to torturing Liz," she suddenly hissed. "Whoa time out...what?" Vance stopped and looked up, though Rayne only offered a wicked smile. "Hey Vance," she called from the stair. "Go back to the zero realm." "Oh you fuc..." Before he had the chance to finish, he was sucked down through the void and vanished.

Chapter 20.

Upon reaching Liz's house, Saurin thanked Leah for the directions and slowly walked up to ring the doorbell. It took about a minute for her to answer. Looking tried and somewhat ill, she tried to be polite. "Can I help you?" she asked, although it was evident from the look on her face she already knew what it was about. "Uh yeah, I'm Saurin, I tried to talk to you about your friend Rorik the other day and you kinda blew my off." Taking note of the small gemstone she had glued to a silver chain, he pointed towards it. "That's pretty." Glancing down, she caught it in her palm. "What is this about?" "Well it's kind of a long story, you wanna come for walk?" Liz shook her head. "I'm busy, make it quick." Saurin relented and decided it was better to cut right to the chase. "I wanted to ask you a few things about your friend. See, I came here to find him and I'll admit I was really surprised to learn he had a girlfriend." Stiffening at his remark, Liz shook her head. "I'm sorry...I can't talk about this." Closing the door, her gaze dropped although before she had the chance to lock him out, Saurin caught the frame. "You can trust me," he said as she looked up again. "He was a monster. He used me to hurt people, that's it, that's all there is too it." "Are you sure that's what you really believe," he pulled the door open a little more. "Or is that just what you want to believe?" "He wasn't human..." her voice cracked. "That doesn't necessarily mean he's a monster." "How would you know, you weren't there." "You might be surprised." There was a sudden fluctuation in the air and Liz brought a hand to her mouth. "Oh my god I'm so sorry...please, you have to forgive me," she begged as tears began to well in her eyes. Whoa, easy." Kneeling down, Saurin rested a hand on her shoulder. "You're not in trouble." "I don't want to go to hell," she wept as she grabbed a hold of him. "What? Whoa, who said anything about that? Calm down...nobody is going to go to hell." "I fell in love with a demon, that's got to be an affront against god." "Liz, I'm not here to punish you over this, as a matter of fact, I want to thank you." Her expression quickly faltered. "What?" "You managed to see the light inside someone who I didn't think had any at all. You felt compassion for a creature that no one else ever could. That takes a special kind of power, something I don’t even have. What's more, you got him to feel compassion for you in return. In doing so, you probably saved a lot of lives. If anyone should be apologizing, I should, for not getting here sooner." "Wait...what are you saying? Are you saying it wasn't an act?"

He still wasn't sure, but judging by her condition he would venture a guess to say there had defiantly been something there. "I don't think so." The water works started again and Liz continued to drench the front of his shirt in whispered apologies. Saurin spoke with her on the front porch for almost two hours before she finally managed to calm down enough to speak freely. Toying with the small red stone, which now matched her eyes in bloodshot unison, she slowly shook her head. "So is he still alive?" "Yes, but he's not the person you remember." "He paid someone to deliver this to me," she opened her palm around the pendant. "He won it for me at the fair that same night...if I had just stayed put..." "You were in a lot of danger with him Liz. He could never be with you, he knows that, and so do you." "I know," she forced back tears. "It's alright, you're still young," he chuckled, finding his own terms ironic considering in reality he was younger than she was. "One day you're going to meet somebody wonderful and forget all about this nightmare. You just have to let it go and move on." "Maybe I don't want to forget?" she admitted much to Saurin's surprise. "I said some horrible things to him. I know half of them were true but..." "It's alright Liz. He gave you back that stone, that's got to count for something. Don't dwell on it. If you have to remember him, remember him as your friend. Rorik is gone, what's left over is not something you want to be involved with. You'll be alright, just don't give up on life, it's still got a lot to offer." "Saurin wait," Liz followed him a few steps and hung back as he turned. "Thank you..." she smiled, and he nodded in response. It was about thirty minutes later that he arrived at Leah’s. Walking in, he stopped upon noticing the mess. "Whoa...what happened in here? Did you blow up a drain pipe or something?" "I dropped the bucket," Rayne threw her beer into the trash. "On the ceiling?" Saurin had noticed the bleach stains above the stairs. "That takes a special feat Rayne," he chuckled as he helped himself to some juice from the fridge. Grabbing a mop, she changed the topic. "So how'd Liz react?" "She took it pretty well...although I'm gonna need to change my shirt. I've never seen someone cry so much." "She's a high school girl who fell in love with a demon, I'd hang myself," Leah commented, having returned from practice a few minutes before. "I had a long talk with her. I think she'll be okay as long as nobody brings her any more gifts," he gave Rayne a bit of a knowing stare. Offering a shrug, she had been surprised by Vance's actions although she mopped the floor in silence. "Liz will move on, there are plenty of cuter guys in high school," Leah said optimistically. "She'll be alright," Saurin agreed. "Although you can tell Vance, or I'll do it myself, that she doesn't want anything more to with him and he needs to stay away from her." It wasn't entirely the truth, but he knew quite well that if Vance ever found out what Liz had really said, it would have been like dangling a piece of meat in front of a rabid dog.

"Oh let me tell him," Rayne smirked. "Be my guest. Do you want a hand with that?" Saurin noticed how damp everything had become in his absence. "Sure," she held out the mop. "That’s alright, I don't need it." Raising a hand, he motioned toward the floor. Lifting up out of the carpeting as well as any and all upholstery, the soapy water formed a large free floating sphere at the base of the stairwell before shooting across the room until it reached the sink. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Saurin walked over to take a seat on the sofa, which was now completely dry. "Could you stay with us forever? I think my maid would be okay with not doing anything," Leah said as she followed him. "I'm not sure about that, but maybe a few more days?" he mused while Rayne bounded upstairs to open the portal. "Would you please make up your mind already? You're gonna make me throw up," Vance groaned as he got off the floor and brushed off his suit, which he was once again adorning in contrast to the blood covered t-shirt from the night before. "Oh let me feel some sympathy for you," Rayne rolled her eyes. "I just summoned you to break some news. You might want to take a seat," "Actually you can keep it to yourself, I don't wanna know." "She never wants to see you again," Rayne practically sang. "She hates you, she's repulsed by you. Little Liz is well on her way to moving on," she clapped her hands together. "Have a great rest of your night," Flat out ignoring her, Vance opened the portal, which shifted from in front of him to the floor in a strange manner. Taking a step forward, he dropped into it and it closed again a second later. Finding the shift odd, Rayne dismissed her concern. She enjoyed the thought of making him miserable. Vance of course was not happy, although as far as having a great rest of the night, he planned to, and as the evening drew on, darkness began to fall. Back downstairs, Saurin finished browsing the television and went to pull a blanket. "I'm going to get some rest," he told Leah, figuring he would decide where he was going to go in the morning. "Okay," she said before heading up the stairs herself. About a half an hour later, or rather, a half an hour after he was certain all three of them were asleep, the strange portal opened again and Vance carefully crawled out along with about six or seven golden eyed darkmites, and one namely Rose. Crying was not something on his agenda, but revenge sure was. Raising a slender finger to his lips, he instructed his small arsenal to keep quiet as Rayne slept soundly. Pointing toward two of the darkmites, he motioned for them to stay put while he crept out into the hall. Closing the door behind him, a sheet of powerful darkness engulfed it, effectively creating a soundproof barrier, while the two remaining mites crawled under the bed. "Two down," he snickered, creeping carefully toward the staircase and peering over the railing at Saurin. "One to go." Snapping a finger, a circle of darkness took its way around the couch. "You three," he said to the mites. "Watch him. If he wakes up." His eyes shifted toward the coffee table upon which manifested several super soakers. "Shoot him." "Now..." Clasping his hands together, Vance looked at Rose and smiled. "Let's have some fun." Stirring faintly, Rayne felt a shift in the atmosphere. The room looked normal although

something was off. The moment she woke, both of the creatures beneath the bed vanished. One of which melted through the floorboards to warn its master who was currently picking through the last remaining supplies in the fridge, while Rose nipped at a pound of cheese, he had placed on the table in front of her. "Vancelyn!" Rayne called from her room. Something wasn’t right. Drawing a deep breath, he looked up and dropped the piece of chicken he was munching on. "Make yourself scarce," he said as Rose gave an eep and vanished along with the rest of his minions. Slipping down through the portal, Vance shifted into his pajamas. Stepping out again inside Rayne's room, he fell to the ground, playing as if he had no idea what had just transpired. "Uh...what the fuck do you want, do you know what time it is?" he asked a yawn. "I don't care," she hissed, all the more suspicious as he appeared normal. "Come with me," "It's like one in the morning." His eyes narrowed as she opened the door to find the hall flooded with water, which was now pouring from the bathtub in droves. It had fried all the electronics and aside from Leah’s room, which Vance had purposely kept blocked off, the entire house looked as if it had sunken into the tenth level of hell. All of the curtains, carpeting and upholstery had been shredded to ribbons. Any kind of fabric including the large Celtic banners, where in tatters while huge claw marks ran the length of the walls and ceiling. The mirrors as well as the precious air looms had been smashed and left on the floor in pieces. Every kitchen cabinet was emptied of food, which was now either scattered across the ground in the watery mixture that had become the floor, or in Vance’s stomach. Drenching the bottom of her pants as she sloshed through the hall, all of the color had drained from Rayne's face. Leah was going to kill her and the vampire turned to regard him, eyes now a solid black. Grinning from ear to ear, Vance could barely contain his amusement. "Awe what's wrong? You don't like my remodeling job? You said you hoped I had a great night, so I figured…why not? You on the other hand...you’re gonna be in...biiig trouble. See ya," he roared as he tried to summon a portal. "Stay here!" Rayne demanded. "Fix this, fix this now and return things to how they were so help me god I will humiliate you in front of everyone." Rolling his eyes as his portal closed on him, Vance turned and crossed his arms. "That would work...ifff I actually used my powers to do it," he snickered. "You can't control my free will. Have fun cleaning. Hope you got a mop." Reaching upward, he caught her hand as she went to hit him and dug dagger like nails into the surface of her skin. "I don't think so," he mused, throwing her to the side and taking a precautionary step back, only to have his attention shift as a loud splash was heard from downstairs. Saurin had gotten up only to find himself in the three feet of water that now covered the floor. Sitting there with his arms crossed and a very flat expression, he watched as a half-eaten apple floated by, along with the fried television remote. Taking the opportunity, Rayne swung her fist. Ducking briefly, Vance tried to kick her legs out from under her and she went down although she took him with her. Sloshing through the water, she tried to wrap her fingers around his throat as she hit him hard in the side with a loud crack. Wrapping an arm across his chest, he threw the other one down to pull open an exit.

"Stay here! You're staying here so I can murder you!" she screamed, which caused Leah to step out of her room. Vance meanwhile tried to keep Rayne off him as she twisted him wrist, hoping to break it. Gritting his teeth he struggled against her to no avail and his lips pulled back while he sunk his jaws about three inches into her shoulder as hard as he possibly could. Screaming at the bite, Rayne's energy threw him like a reflex. Hitting the wall, he reached up to re-locate his shoulder, which he was thankful had not been completely destroyed. Taking note of Leah, his eyes narrowed and he hissed at her, revealing rows of blood covered teeth. Back downstairs, Saurin caught wind of the argument and whistled. "Hey, somebody might want to come down here and turn off the water before this whole house sinks!" Stifling her tears as she heard the remark, Leah immediately ran down the stairs to turn off the sink. "I looked for the enchanted broomstick, but I'm going to wager a guess this is Vancelyn's doing?" Back upstairs Rayne lunged for him, pocketknife slamming into his leg. Hissing in pain, he leaned forward and took a swipe at her face with his nails. "Stop it!" Leah yelled pulling Rayne back before he blinded her. "Send him away!" Vance fell backward into the darkness leaving the two of them alone, while blood began to run down the steps from the water that still poured from the tub. Swallowing thickly, Rayne got up. "I'm sorry Leah," she didn't hold back her guilt. "I'm so sorry." Her friend said nothing, only offering a hand to lead her down the stairs. There was nothing to say, Leah's mournful expression said it all as they reached the bottom step in silence. "What happened?" Saurin's asked. "Rayne are you okay?!" Shaking her head, she was glad Vance had shattered the mirrors. "Why didn't you send him back?" "I wanted to kill him with my bare hands!" she hissed, energy coming off her like static. "Something must have set him off. Vance is a jerk but this is a bit...much." "I told him the truth," Rayne said in a dark tone. "Or rather, that Liz didn't want to see him ever again." She felt dizzy from the blood loss. The cuts across her face stung violently and Leah darted upstairs to get the first aid kit. "Maybe I miscalculated the extent of his issues with her? Any idea how he got out in the first place?" "He left to zero realm by himself." Rayne knew where she had erred. "I never told him to leave." Biting his lip, Saurin realized the assault was partially his fault. "I'm sorry. I didn't think this would happen. If you don't specify where to, he's got free range to come back. I should have clarified that better. I'll take care of fixing your house in the morning." "I'm leaving in the morning," Rayne decided, she knew it would be for the best. Her friend would come to blame her it was only rational. "Where are you going to go?" Saurin asked. Her response worried him, especially considering what she had told him about the people after her. "I don't know Saurin, maybe I'll join the circus?" she snapped as Leah applied some alcohol to cleanse the scratches on her face. "I have a friend who might be able to help with those?"

"It's okay," Rayne shook her head. She had no desire to be around anyone new. Scars were badges of survival she thought as she tried to be optimistic though failed miserably. "Wait a minute." An idea suddenly occurred to him. "What is it?" Leah asked for Rayne. "You could make Vance fix it. He healed you before he can do it again, especially considering you've been touched by his energy. Grimdark is bad stuff but if utilized properly it can be put to good use for people of a...darker persuasion." "Yeah and when he sinks his teeth into my carotid artery then what?" "You control him Rayne. You have to be a bit more assertive. And I wouldn't let him do that anyway," Saurin replied. "It's up to you." "Assertive?" she growled. "I stabbed him three times." "That's not exactly what I meant. Violence isn't the way to solve anything, especially with Vance. If this is too much for you maybe you should just consider letting me end him?" "After he heals me," she said calmly. "And I want to watch," "Are you going to summon him?" Leah asked. "I'll wait till tomorrow," Rayne said as she got up. "I need to sleep." She needed to feed too, but that was out of the question. Back in void realm, Vance was currently tending his own wounds while Rose sat with her head in his lap. "Yeah, yeah I know," he muttered as he used some of his remaining energy to repair the damage. "But I think in all honesty it was totally worth it. Little bitch, maybe next time she'll keep her comments to herself? You were right Rose." he sighed as one of her antenna coiled around his wrist. "I guess I owe you, although you'll have to take a rain check. I'm currently running on fumes. I'm going to have to get something soon or those little brats are actually going to win." Looking up at him, she gave a slight eep. "Naw don't worry, I got enough left for a few days. I just wish that nut case would lay off you know? Seriously? This isn't enough? She's got to throw Liz in my face too?" "Eepp." "Yeah, yeah I know, you warned me, way to rub it in," he pushed her away. "You can go sleep in the corner tonight you little bitch." Opening her eyes as the sunlight streamed through the window, Rayne touched her face only to realize the previous night had not been a dream. "Vancelyn," she called, using her energy to open the door just in case she needed help. Still sound asleep, he received a rude awakening as the portal dropped him onto the ground with a thud. "Ugh...man this is really gotta stop." "Oh it will," Rayne said. "Heal me with your energy. It's going to the last time you ever use it." "Huh?" Turning to face her, he actually grimaced. "Oh damn..." he hadn't officially realized how much damage he'd done. "You sure? I mean if you keep it like that your face might finally match your personality?" Rayne offered a smile carved of stone. "Fix it!" "Alright, alright relax." Walking over he placed a hand on her face. His energy repaired the damage without complaint. Taking a quick step back, the wound vanished leaving nothing but a faint red impression that would fade with time.

"You know, I wouldn't have done that to you if you hadn't been trying to break my arm," he admitted. "You have absolutely no sense of humor. So it was a little water, big fucking deal. It's not like Saurin isn't going to fix the entire thing for you when he wakes up anyway." "You ruined two centuries worth of my friend's relics, trashed and flooded her house. You're a coward. I told you the truth about Liz and you take it out on everyone who wasn't involved. Fix my shoulder, you know, the one you took a chunk out of." "I think you can keep that," he said as his eyes narrowed. "Saurin's gonna fix your stupid relics so chill the fuck out, and for the record," he held up a finger. "I am well aware of how Liz feels okay? She made it pretty fucking clear to my goddamn face. I don't need you or anyone else throwing it back at me for your own sheer enjoyment. You told me you weren't sadistic...ha, once again you're a hypocrite." "I said fix it!" Rayne scowled. "Did you really expect me to let you get away with throwing bleach and water at me twice?" "Oh my god, it was water! It's not like I attacked you." Vance rolled his eyes as her shoulder repaired itself. "Don't make it less of an issue than it was," she snapped. "You wanted to be a dick. I decided you needed to spend the night crying. You trashed Leah's house because you were mad at me. That's real manly of you, especially using your minions." "Yeah I did trash the house because I don't like you, and I could stand here and give you a running list of how many times you fucked with me because you didn't like me. Now if that's all you want your majesty, I'm going back to sleep, don't bother me anymore." "You're not going to use your powers unless I tell you so." "You know..." Vance actually thought better on what he was about to say. "What?" "Go to hell." "Really? I expected something a little more creative." "Yeah well I give up. You know what, you're right, I've done terrible things, but the biggest mistake I ever made…was trying to do something right." "And what was that? Saving me? I never asked you to." "No," he replied. "Trying to belong." "I don't know what would possess you to try to fit in." "Of course you don’t. You don't leave a trail of bodies everywhere you go. Sure people want to kill you, but at least you've got people you can relate to. I made the mistake of believing there might be somebody out there who could care, but you're right, I must have been possessed, I had to have been to think anyone could have ever looked at me and seen anything other than shadows and teeth." "I have one friend Vance," Rayne corrected him. "Yeah well congratulations." "Are you jealous?" "The one person I ever felt anything for told me to go back to hell, what the fuck do you think?" "There's no reason for you to be jealous. At least you had someone who cared about you." "She never cared about me. She fell for a Halloween mask. She doesn't even know my name." "It's not like Rorik took over while you were with her." Rayne tried not to feel guilty about their lie. "I guess it was your personality?"

"I eat souls remember? That kinda kills any shot at personality." "I don't think she was fawning over your junkie Halloween mask," Rayne said calmly. "She would've never caught on if you hadn't...well...gone anorexic." "I didn't stop because I wanted to. She was a bad distraction. Trust me, Rose never shut up about it. And she would have figured it out eventually..." he trailed. "It's probably better this way...if it had gone any further I might have accidentally killed her." "Oh yeah, when she threw herself at you?" Rayne held back a chuckle. "Oh real fucking funny. Imagine how you would feel if Leah were human and somebody gave her a bloody nose with I don't know...say a dodge ball?" he muttered callously. "Wouldn't be so funny then would it?" "Leah's a vampire. We don't drink each other's blood for nourishment." "It was an analogy," Vance rolled his eyes. "Forget it I'm done. Why don't you just send me back to that godforsaken waste and go play with your fucking friends." "You're not using your powers unless I instruct you otherwise." Pursing his lips, he thought for a second. "Let me ask you, obviously your childhood was as bad as mine. If you were given a choice between non-existence and spending the rest of your life in a slightly altered version of your childhood hell, would you consider the person who put you there to be your savior?" "I think I'd rather die." "Well bravo...we’ve just had a breakthrough?" "Fine then, go downstairs and ask Saurin to kill you!" "Those were kind of my intentions from the start." Vance got up to walk away. Stopping briefly, he arched a brow at the sight of the living room, which was still drenched and in shambles. "Take a good look at what you've done. I hope you're happy, you made Leah cry." Providing no response, he trudged down the steps and walked up to Saurin who was still asleep. "Hey, wake up," he grumbled, and was met with the end of Saurin's blade. "What are you doing here you jerk?" Leah stood in the doorway with a furious expression. "I can’t believe you did this to my house. You almost killed Rayne after she saved you! What the hell is wrong with you?" "Save it bitch," Vancelyn hissed as Saurin’s gaze narrowed. "What do you want?" "The same thing you do. Do what you originally came here for. I would very much like to spend the last days of my life in peace." Furrowing a brow, Saurin was almost shocked to hear him say it. "Wait a minute...you’re really asking me to destroy you?" "Oh you've done that already pall, trust me. You'd be doing me a favor at this point." Standing in the doorway, Rayne watched him carefully. "Go ahead Saurin," "Well alright." Raising his weapon, it began to give off a faint glow. Vance closed his eyes and grimaced as three white binds established themselves, two around his wrists and one around his neck. Rayne stared with a passive expression. She wasn't going to deny him death if he so readily asked for it, but it didn't make her any happier either. As he lowered his blade, Saurin watched while Vance turned to walk away. "You know you still belong to her right?" he called after him as he reached for the door and suddenly

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 162 stopped. "What?" "I told you right from the get go, that bind was permanent. Those rings will prevent you from absorbing souls but," Saurin shook his head. "You still belong to Rayne." The look on Vance's face suddenly became one of shock. "Still?" she asked, despite having previously agreed to Saurin's words. "He's not going to die?" "Oh he will. But until that point he still has to obey you." "That's not fair..." Vance stammered. "Sorry Vance life isn't fair. You see this," Saurin gave a nod toward his tail, which was still present thanks to the fact the sofa was soaking wet. "This is your fault, among a running list of other things. If you're looking for sympathy, you're not going to find it from me." Leah smiled smugly. "You should humiliate him," she suggested to Rayne. "I'm considering it." Staring back at them, Vance held the look of someone who didn't quite understand. Shaking his head, he turned and went for the door. Following him out, Rayne watched with gray eyes. "Do you want to go back to zero realm?" "Get away from me." "I'm giving you a choice." "I never had a fucking choice," his voice finally cracked. "I'm going to cease to exist, just leave me alone." Back inside, Saurin threw a glance in Leah's direction. "Would you like me to fix your house?" "Please," "You, might wanna close your eyes, it's gonna get kinda bright." The sapphire that hovered within his blade suddenly began to spin, and a few seconds later, the entire house was engulfed in a vibrant flash that poured through the windows and returned the home to its original statues. Leah's eyes widened and filled with tears of relief. "Thank you," she said as she hugged him. "Um...you welcome," he chuckled. "I told you it wasn't that big of a deal." the weapon disappeared from his hand so he could brace himself. "Your television still needs to be replaced and I can't restore the food, but otherwise good as new." "I don't care about the television," Leah said quietly. "The maid is doing groceries. I can't thank you enough." Running a hand along the nap of his neck, Saurin’s face flushed and he grinned. "Stop it Leah you're embarrassing me. It was kind of my fault anyway. I should have warned Rayne about Vance. He flooded the place because of me." "Saurin what Vance did was terrible! It's not your fault." "Yeah well he's a terrible thing, but thankfully that'll be over in a day or so, if we're lucky." "Hopefully," "Anyhow do you happen to have a towel?" he asked. "I'd kind of like to be rid of this couch." Leah ran out of the room to collect one while back outside Vance only continued to sit

with his back to the wall. "Why are you still here?" he grumbled without looking up. "Go back to your friends and stop staring at me." "I'm smoking," Rayne lit a cigarette. "I don't smoke inside the house," she lied. Getting up instead, Vance walked to the other side where he plopped down again. "Why are you avoiding me?" she asked as she followed. "I have forty eight hours to live, I would like to spend that time without you, get away from me." "Yeah? What do you plan to do? Die alone and miserable?" "Yes, as a matter of fact it's just what I've always wanted." "Really? You don’t want to get drunk instead?" she asked just as sarcastically. "Do you really hate me that much you can't let me have some peace?" "I'll be upstairs. I'll come back to put you in your realm later." "You might as well bring a shovel." "Why's that?" "You make me open that portal again I'm done." "Fine, stay here. But don’t use your energy to do anything that ruins Leah or Saurin's night." "And kill myself faster? Not likely." "I don't know," Rayne blew a stream of smoke from her nose. "You don't know much of anything do ya?" Vance sighed, although his tone wasn't really insulting. "I'm pretty lost actually," she said with a snort. "Join the club." "At least you've had more of a life than I have." "If it actually mattered I would make you loss that bet." He stared down at the binds on his wrists. "Little prick...how the fuck was I supposed to know he was going to keep me bound to that amulet? Why the hell does everything always blow up in my face?" "Because you always expect things to go your way." "Yeah well I didn't assume it was gonna suck this bad. You really think I'd intentionally commit suicide?" "No," Rayne answered honestly. "I'd have better luck finding a unicorn." "At least you're not that thick, good I was starting to worry. Bastard...he said these stupid things would come off if I could find somebody who actually cared." "You would've had a better chance trying to make me sympathize with you. Arguing sure as hell isn't going to win me over," "You?" Vance arched a brow. "I was gonna go to Liz." "She's over you," "Correction, she's over Rorik," he replied. "Not that it makes much difference. You're just going to stand there and hover over me so you can mutilate my body after I'm dead." "I think I'll string you up for Halloween like a scarecrow. Besides, Liz likes blondes. You're shit out of luck." "Why?" Vance shook his head. "Why did you take their side? It doesn't matter now but I still want to know. What is so appealing about defending a world that doesn't want you, from someone in almost exactly the same situation? You should be helping me, if not keeping out of my way; not trying to rid the world of its evils like some rouge demon hunter."

"I don't know," she said as she flicked away some ash. "I guess I'm eliminating the competition," "You're kidding...hold on...time the fuck out. So you're telling me that you're ruining my life because you're planning to go a wall and kill the fucking humans yourself?" "Would that make you feel better?" "No, but it would prove you’re crazy." "Yeah well I'm not that crazy and that's not my reason." "What is then?" "Why do you have to know?" "You destroyed me over this so called reason. I think I have the right to know!" "I have to redeem myself." "Wha huh...come again?" "I've done a lot of terrible shit in my life Vance and I need to redeem myself. You started killing kids. I saw a way to do it." "Excuse me but you don't have to tell me about terrible shit okay, I'm the king of terrible shit." He gave her a very stern look. "But I'll tell you something, redeeming yourself does not mean you go around ruining people's lives. I cannot believe these words are coming out of my mouth right now, but Saurin is right when he talks about a balance. There is a vibration that runs through the universe and keeps things in check. Taking justice into your own hands, especially for self-motivated purposes is not the way to go about it. Ruining the lives of humans and trying to redeem yourself by ruining the lives of their predators just makes you even more of a monster, and even worse of one considering you're closer to someone like me than you are to someone like them. Redemption comes in the form of forgiveness from others, not self-serving ideologies...if there's one thing I actually did learn from life," he gave a slight nod and fell silent. "I'm not so sure it was my best decision." Rayne hardly realized she was agreeing with him though a faint smile crossed his face. "Yeah well I was stupid enough to believe someone could actually care about me, so I guess we both suck at decision making?" "I learned that a while ago," she said as she flicked the butt to the ground. "Lucky you...at least you got to learn from it...whatever doesn't kill ya huh?" "Something else will always come around to do it." "Pretty mu..." Before he could finish his sentence, Vance's eyes widened. Cutting himself off, he wrapped both arms around his stomach and drew a sharp breath. Tears of pain began to run down the sides of his face and he slumped to the ground. "What's wrong? Are you crying?" Vance didn’t respond. The binds Saurin had put on him began to give off a faint glow and constrict around his wrists while Rayne's eyes became a mixture of gray and blue. "Saurin!" she called a moment later. Having finally returned to normal thanks to Leah's towels, upon hearing Rayne's call he got up and quickly rushed to the door. In no mood to deal with another round, Saurin drew the Dawncutter, circling the house until he found her and rushing over. "What's wrong? What's going on?" "He just collapsed." "Well...yeah, that's typically what happens." "Should I...get him something?" Rayne asked tentatively. "Like what? He's not dead yet. It's not like it's a one shot thing. He's probably got a day or

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 165 two left if he's lucky?" Rayne didn't answer, currently staring at Vance with an unreadable expression. Shrugging his shoulders, Saurin returned to the door. "I’ll be inside," he informed her as he walked away. "What’s going on out there?" Leah asked. "Nothing. Just Rayne feeling sorry for Vance. I'm done running in circles with this. He just needs to be done so we can all move on with our lives." "She should just kill him herself," Leah scowled. Walking to the sofa, Saurin took a seat. "She's got issues with it. I can't say I blame her. But she only sees the aftermath. I know I probably look the bad guy but, if you guys could have been there. The things that he's done, the people he's hurt." "She won't see it Saurin. She only sees a mirror with his reflection staring back." "I know Leah...that's what worries me." "He bit her. She can’t become friends with someone like that." Saurin shuttered. "I can't have two of them running around. Vancelyn is bad enough, if he ever got support? I gave him to her because she got between me and destroying him. I didn't want to push her so I did something I probably shouldn’t have. I could have prevented this whole thing from happening. Rayne would have hated me but at least she would have been safe. I’m worried I might have unintentionally corrupted your friend." "Please Saurin, if her parents couldn't corrupt her I don't think someone who calls her goth chick could," Leah insisted. "I hope you're right Leah, I really hope so. Because if you're not…" "What could he do to change her mind? Let's be serious." Saurin wasn't sure what to believe. He wanted to think that Leah was right about her friend, but no matter how hard he tried, that little voice in the back of his mind refused to let him simply walk away. "I think..." he began with a sigh. "I think that darkness has a way of blinding people. I think that it's difficult to get people to see the positives when they've spent so much time in the negatives. Darkness is like a virus, it grows and consumes until there's nothing left. I trust Rayne but...I also understand that she's a good person, and good people are sometimes the most susceptible. If she sides with him you do realize I can't let that happen?" "Saurin, she's never going to side with him. She's not like that," Leah thought for a moment. "Her ability, whenever she uses it...it's always to protect herself and others. She'd never used it offensively even though she was taught to. She doesn't want attention brought to her Saurin. How could she side with him? Unless Vance somehow pulls a trump card, even if Rayne were to sympathize, she would never voice it. She knows it's wrong. She's not even his friend. She hates him. Why worry?" Closing his eyes, a soft smile crossed his face. "Maybe you're right?" he chuckled. "Maybe I am just stressed out over this whole thing? I'm sorry. It's been a long week." "Gosh Saurin, you make it seem like Vance is going to try to win her over. It took me forever to become friends with Rayne. He couldn’t even think of completing that feat." "He might...but not to be her friend." Saurin's expression soured again. "I guarantee you he thought he could worm his way out of Rayne's servitude by playing the sympathy card and making me bind him. He would never intentionally kill himself, and he would never genuinely try to make a friend. That's not how he operates. Rayne's a good person, I don't want to see her believe his lies because she actually has the heart to try and understand them. If you try too hard

Chapter 21.

Vance lay shivering as Rayne stood over him. Opening his eyes, they seemed to have a lost a good deal of their previous luster, almost a dark brown rather than gold. "What did you do that was so terrible? Those people in the car…why do they want you dead?" Rayne shrugged dismissively. "I've done a lot of terrible things," she said. "As for the chicken shits in the car, they’re a bunch of amateurs. "A red haze swam across her eyes. "School mates trying to get a gold star." "Why?" Vance asked tiredly. "What could possibly be gained by eliminating you? Other than perhaps some peace and quiet?" "Thanks," she snorted, "why do you care?" "Call it curiosity." "They tried to kill me at the last school I went to. I broke the rules, they wanted me to die, so I ran away." She evaded the details, figuring the last person who needed to know was him. "Bullshit," Vance shook his head. "Why should I give you the play by play?" "Let me ask you, if there was a way to make em pay, to make em suffer the same way you did. If you could turn the tables on em and put em through your own hand crafted hell, would you?" "You think I'm not planning on doing that very same thing? I made a hit list on the plane." "You just got laid to waste on the side of your own doorstep by the people you called armatures. Do you really think you're gonna last ten seconds playing Kill Bill? You're not even half skilled enough and you know it." "I was a little distracted with your doom and gloom," Rayne scowled, "I was the best they had and they want a refund on what they taught me. Lesson number one, I'm better than all of them, that's why they're reduced to pathetic drive by shootings." "Coming from a sixteen year old half vampire hiding out in a high school," Vance arched a brow. "When were you planning to extract your ultimate revenge? Seems to me like you're living in a fantasy world." "I'm sorry, you're a thorn in my side I have to get rid of first. I was told to lay low but let's face it, that never went well for anyone." Rayne looked angry and she was. "The game's changed and since my school mates are the first to make their move…I'm going to be the next." "Yeah sure, and you'll get killed just as quickly. You only know how to fight on a physical level. Your darkness is a parlor trick compared to what's really out there. You know it...I know it…your little assassins know it, but what if there was a way to make em suffer, not only on this level but on the next? If there was a way to achieve immunity? Complete and total immunity from everything, everyone, and power, power enough to rule the world. If somebody offered you the chance to be a god, would you take it?" Rayne started to laugh. "Come on Vance, really? They don't know anything and neither do you. Physical pain is a big deterrent and it breaks down mental barriers. I have no desire to rule or lead, but nice try. Here’s where we differ, I don't want to be a god. I want to live the way I want, and be left alone by others who seek to manipulate and control me, or offer me something they can never give...kind of like what you're doing now." "Who say's I can't?" he protested. "I play fair. If you make a wager you pay up, bottom

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 168 line. I can make you invincible. I can make you whatever you wanna be. You can make those fuckers pay in ways you never even dreamed possible. You could have anything you wanted, anyone, anywhere. What's there to lose?" "My soul," she found his words amusing. "I guess we are pretty different. I don't want to torture unless I need to. A bullet to the head of each of them will do just fine." "I don't want your filthy soul, I already told you that." Vance grimaced again as the pain continued. "I don't want to die, and I sure as hell don't want to cease to exist. Take these fucking things off me and I'll let you use my powers for whatever you want. No more games." "I didn't mention anything about you helping me with my bully problem so calm down." "What about Liz? Let me try and talk to her." "No," Rayne answered sternly. "She's moved on Vancelyn. Saurin eased her pain and you are not going to ruin that. I have no intentions of using your powers either. I can do things myself." Dropping his gaze, he sunk back down. "Fine...then go the fuck away and let me have my peace." "Ah so the fake sympathy was just for you to be unbound?" she guessed. "Please Vance, at least consider me smarter than Liz." "Hey it was worth a shot. What would you do in my situation?" "I have other methods of persuasion," she laughed, "but I at least would've gotten the job done." Shaking his head, he gave up the argument and curled into a ball. Walking back into the house, Rayne closed the door behind her. It was around midnight that she realized he was still outside. Upon seeing him passed out in the dirt, she carried him upstairs and set him down on her mattress. It took Vance a while to register where he was, although when he did, he wasn't sure what to make of it. Staring around the room with a dull yet curious expression, the moment he caught sight of her, he immediately got up and went to sit in the far corner. "Hey Rayne, are you coming to school?" Leah opened the door. Jumping upright, she rubbed her face. "No, I'm leaving. School is unnecessary. I'll finish another time." "You suck," Leah groaned and headed downstairs. Once she had left, Rayne got up. She felt sore from sleeping on a wooden chair and flopped down on her mattress. "Where are you?" she asked, too tired to look for him. "Behind you." Sitting on the floor with his back to the headboard, Vance hadn’t moved. "A thank you would be nice." "For what?" "I carried your ass up here." "Oooh big fucking deal. As if it's gonna make a difference." "You know I almost felt bad for you, but you sure like to sabotage yourself." "Yeah sure. First you say you want to help, then you torment me for fun, then you say you feel bad just to turn around and act you like almost give two shits. It's not enough you get to watch me suffer, are you trying to drive me insane too?" Rayne fixed him a sharp look. "You tried to manipulate me Vance, the victim game is getting old." "I didn't try to manipulate you, I tried to cut a deal. If you don't want it fine, get off my back."

"Oh yeah? And what was that whole part about trying to make me feel as if I needed your help to get rid of my pest problem? You asked why I was here and then tried to convince me you could give me immunity." "I wasn't lying you retard. You're playing with my life here, and yeah, maybe Saurin has a point when he says I'm motivated by myself, but I didn't think I would get landed in this situation. It's the devils wager, a soul for infinite power. You let me keep my soul, I'll give you my service, simple as that. You don't want it fine, don't lead me along pretending like you might be interested." "It's not as simple as that, so tell the truth. What's the catch you bastard?" "There is no catch, you have me by the balls here. You might have Saurin looking to cut your head off with that Dawnfucker of his, but if you let me regain myself, I can take care of that." "You will not use your power to harm Saurin," Rayne said sharply, "you serve me." She had made her decision. "Saurin bound us together. I'm going to let you feed to keep you alive, but that’s it. I want you to live." The look of shock that crossed his face was actually genuine. Staring down at the binds, which vanished from his wrists and neck, he closed his eyes and gave a heavy sigh of relief. "You're still at my mercy, I wouldn't forget that," Rayne warned as she slid off the bed. "I’m going to go drown myself in the bathtub now, when I come back, you'll feed." "That would be great, but we both know you're no more suicidal than I am. Thought I guess you really do have a heart after all...my hero," he laughed. Rayne cringed and slammed the door. "You disgust me." Emerging with sopping wet hair about an hour later, she left Vance in her room and headed downstairs. Hearing her descend, Saurin looked up from his thoughts. "Hey Rayne, you didn't go to school today?" "I'm done with school. I plan to leave," she admitted as she combed through her hair. "I let him live," she got right to the point. Saurin didn't look pleased. "I'm sorry. I let you down." Shaking his head, he reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm trusting you to do the right thing, but I have to be honest. You have a hard time ahead of you if you're going to take on the full responsibility of Vancelyn. As long as your heart remains your own I think you'll be alright, but if you ever turn into him, you know I'm going to have to get involved." "I accept that," she understood his obligation, good people tended to have them. "My heart is always going to be mine Saurin. Relax, it's not like that." The smile returned to his face and he gave a nod. "I trust you, so does Leah and that's speaks volumes." "I wouldn't be so optimistic." "It's a curse really," he chuckled. "Who knows, maybe if we're lucky some of that darklight of yours will rub off on the little monster?" "Darklight? Is that what my energy is called?" "I don't know, but I've never met anyone like you before. You wield darkness yet," he pursed his lips, "you don't let it define you. It's almost like you give off your own kind of illumination. I don't really know how else to describe that. Maybe it's not darkness at all, but a little something in between?"

"You're preaching to the choir. Anyway, I'm going to go make sure he didn't ruin my room," she said as she headed back upstairs. Upon finding Vance on her bed, her expression darkened. "Get off." "Oh what's wrong, I don't make a good stuffed animal?" "If I wanted a stuffed animal I would've picked something cute that doesn't talk back." Catching the pillow as she flung it at him, Vance sat up and rolled his eyes. "You know, if we're going to be stuck together we really need to work on your sense of humor because damn." "We are not stuck together, you're my ball and chain," Rayne closed the door behind her. "And I have a sense of humor, you're just obnoxious." "Hey I've made quite a profession out of being obnoxious, and I'm your ball and chain? Now THAT'S funny." "You're my responsibility. I feel like someone from teen mom, except I can't give you away." "I'm at least three years older than you kiddo. You're way too young to be my mother, but if you want to take the job, you can start by getting me something to eat." "You sure don't act it," she scowled. "And please, if I was your mother I would've drowned you before you grew up to dress so badly." "This suit is worth more than you are, and if you were my mother I would have drown myself. All jokes aside though, whaddya say you let me off the fucking leash so you don't have to burry my corpse in your backyard?" "Get your fat ass up then so we can go." "You know that's not even funny." "What?" Rayne grabbed a sweatshirt. "It's not like you date." "What the hell does that have to do with anything?" Vance followed her down the stairs and waited until they had left before addressing her again. "So tell me something, if you bite somebody with HIV can you get vampire AIDs?" Rayne eyes narrowed. "If we bite anyone whose disease is spread through the blood we're pretty much screwed." "You serious?" The grin that adorned his face was quite distinctive. "I stopped feeding off humans so don't even. Besides, those kinds of diseases have a particular smell." She declined to mention that being half vampire, she couldn't tell the difference. "Really, well you sure could have fooled me." "I'd make an exception for you." "I think you already did, although if what you just said is true..." Vance snickered. "You do not have aids, please, don't embarrass yourself." "I got something worse than that honey, and for your sake, you better hope you don't." "Excuse me?" Rayne's tone darkened. "Grimdark is normally an energy manifested and wielded, however, as I'm sure you're aware, I'm special," he gave her a poster smile. "That stuff is in my blood. It’s one of the reasons why I'm immune to people like you, not to mention human disease. Thankfully you didn't get me that bad, but I'd still go see a doctor if I were you...just in case." "If I ingested your blood what would happen?" Rayne kept a straight face although she started to feel sick.

"Erm...you've seen Rose right?" "I'd become your minion?" she snorted. "That’d be ironic wouldn't it? I'd still control you." "Well no, you wouldn't become my minion, you'd just be a darkmite, which would still be funny as hell. I wouldn't worry too much though, it's been almost two weeks, you would have exhibited symptoms by now; but just for future reference if you ever decide you want to sink your teeth into someone." "Says the person who willingly bit into my shoulder like I was a piece of meat. I wouldn't touch you with a ten foot pole." "I bit you because you took away my other options." He reached over and poked her shoulder just to spite her. "Yeah that's great you sicko, who the hell does that?" Rayne grabbed his finger and bent it backwards. "Made ya let go pretty fast didn't it?" he hissed as he tore his hand away. "Yeah because it was disgusting. I mean what are you, a vampire?" "Technically yes." "Please, if you were you'd know how weird it is to bite another." "The term vampire is a broad one," Vance replied. "Humans use it to categorize the classic nosferatu type. But you're not one of those, not fully. Then you have Succubus and Incubi, emotional vampires, energy vampires, certain elementals, and a special classification of high-ranking demon...than me of course. The term is general, but anything that feeds off of life force energy, physical or otherwise, can be lumped into the same category." "Whatever. We can be as distantly related as you want, but if I've put a bullet through an incubus, I could certainly put one through you," she smiled, exposing her fangs. "Oh that's cute." His own lips peeled back and he gave her a grin lined with pencil length daggers. "Don't call me cute, you'll make me throw up." If she was fazed by his teeth, she didn't show it. "I bet finding a dentist is a real pain?" Vance laughed and his teeth returned to normal. "Please, anybody ever stuck their hand in my mouth they'd lose it. I remember the first time someone tried…it was actually very amusing." "I'm sure said person didn't think so." "Practically shit their draws," he snickered and as his eyes fell on a local McDonalds, which was currently occupied by seven or so people, as well as half a dozen employees. Arching a brow, a smile crossed his face and his gaze slid back toward Rayne. "Go occupy yourself for about ten minutes." "You are only using your energy to claim two and do not summon your minions. I'm going to watch." "Two ain't gonna cut it babes. Fifteen might...but regardless, I'm not going to summon anything and you don't want to watch this. I know that's kind of like asking a cat to bark, but for both our sakes you're gonna want to listen." "Don't call me that," Rayne said hotly. "Three and I’ll let you use your energy. Do not make a mess and clean up after yourself. Make it look like the humans did this. Oh, and I do plan on watching," she insisted, figuring it was a sure fire way to keep from feeling too bad for him. "So let me get this straight, you'll let me use my energy to devour three people, as long as I dispose of the bodies and make it look good? Those are your specifications?"

Rayne thought about it and sighed. "You will not use your energy to maim anyone else, summon your mites, or damage any of the property. You will make it look like a terrible accident, not like you have in the past where people just disappeared. Speculation is not an option. Make this a textbook murder case or something similar." "Okay, so grimdark, only three people, and make it look like a massacre afterwards?" "Don't fuck with me Vancelyn!" Offering her a grin, he started for the door, having every intention of listening when it came to the parameters of her request...and nothing else. Casually adjusting his sleeves, he walked inside and strutted up to the register. "You gonna order something pall?" the teen asked as Vance reached into his pocket. "Yeah sure," All of the doors to the building suddenly locked and he reached out to grab the boy by his shirt. Opening his jaws, Vance sucked him dry. Dropping the decimated corpse, he turned to face the horrified customers as three tendrils of pure black energy shot up from the ground. Wrapping around two small children and one teenager, they imbedded a lengthy claw into their chests while the opposite ends imbedded themselves in his arms. Draining every last drop of life, Vance left the bodies unharmed as the tendrils vanished and he lunged for the adults. It came as a frightening revelation that the grimdark he wielded and his capability to devour souls were not one in the same. Rayne had realized she had erred and her heart lurched. Her mistake was evident, although if she stopped him, everyone would know and rumors would fly. Finishing with the guests, Vance turned to the employees. Keeping within Rayne's requirements, he finished them and left their bodies alone, licking his fingers as he planted a single bullet of black energy in the backs of each of the victims. Noticing the look on Rayne’s face as he walked out, Vance pocketed the register money and rolled his eyes. "I told you not to watch that," he sighed. "Now before you go ape shit as you're clearly about to, a few key points. I followed your little rules. You said devour three people with my energy and make it look like a robbery. It's kinda your fault considering that stupid amulet thing forces me to obey. You must have been telling the truth when you said you don't kill people. If you thought I could just walk into a place like that, kill three people with grimdark and the rest of them weren’t going to scream demon the first chance they got," he shook his head. "Maybe if you actually hunted instead of getting your blood supply from the *cough, cough* hospital you would know that? Here, go buy yourself something pretty," he tossed the cash in her face. "You chose the McDonalds," Rayne spat. "I've hunted before so shut up!' She held back tears as she couldn't stand the sight of him. However, he did have a point. Her rules had been foolish. It was a beginner's mistake, one that cost many people their lives and she knew quite well she wasn't going to sleep that night. For some reason, Vance didn't chew her out, instead his expression actually faltered. "Now you know why personally doesn't matter," he said as he turned to walk in the direction they'd come. Rayne said nothing. She hadn't even bothered to take the money. Following her inside, he pursed his lips. "Hey, let’s see somebody put you in a room with ten people, bleed out one of em and tell you to leave the others unharmed." "Just stop," she moved to grab a pint from the fridge as the maid had restocked the supply. Watching her trudge upstairs, Vance plopped down on the sofa while Saurin walked in from the kitchen.

"I'm gonna hear about this on the news tomorrow huh?" "Shut up." Not one to be left without an explanation, Leah followed Rayne. "Don't leave," she pleaded as Rayne guzzled the blood with both hands. "I have to. I have to go somewhere busier, somewhere where disappearances aren’t generally noticed." "Rayne you were told to stay here." "They told me a lot of things Leah, and nothing has been done. I can't live like this. I need to go, I promise I'll call." "Where are you going to go?" "I don't know. I'm taking the bus somewhere big, that's all that matters. Don't tell Jani okay?" she grasped Leah's hands. "Please Leah, you're my best friend...but I need to do this." "Is she alright?" Saurin looked up as Leah left Rayne's room. "She's leaving tomorrow," Leah cried. "She's leaving because she doesn’t want to be trouble and I don't want her to go." "What if you went with her?" he suggested. "What?" Leah looked up. "I can't leave. This is my home...my team...my family. Rayne doesn't want me to go anyway." Saurin tried to think of what to tell her. "Maybe she just needs time? You're her friend Leah, she knows that. She's trying to protect you. Rayne’s gotta make her own choices just like you have to make yours. I'll keep an eye out for her, but I think it might actually be better if she did take a vacation." "I know," Leah admitted. "I know she wants to go alone. She's right but, I wish she wasn't. I'm going to miss her." Saurin gave her a hug. "Hey it's okay. You'll see her again. It's not forever. She's your friend, nothing's going to change that, it doesn't matter how far apart you are." Burying her face in his shoulder, Leah was glad for the much-needed embrace. "Thank you Saurin." "I know things are confusing right now but they'll turn out good in the end, you just gotta have faith." "I do," it took her a minute to calm down. "I'm going to get some rest okay?" "Okay," Saurin let go and walked back to the couch, unaware that nobody had been paying attention to the fact Vance was now outside. Rayne headed downstairs an hour later, eyes still puffy as she opened the door to search for him. Sitting on the porch, he barely noticed. Looking better than he had in weeks, his clothing fit again and his eyes had regained their previous luster, however something was still off. Staring into the distance, his expression was vacant, harboring an almost troubling air. "What’s your deal?" Rayne asked coldly. Shifting his gaze, he almost hadn't expected her. "What do you want?" "Your time here is up. I don’t trust you out alone." "Yeah whatever." Without putting up a protest, he got up and opened the portal. "Aren’t you happy you fed?" Vance didn't look back. "I guess?" "What, did you want me to offer you desert?"

"No..." Rayne noticed his expression and realized that perhaps he felt remorse or even ashamed of his condition. "You can sleep in my bed if you want?" Slightly confused, he turned to study her. "You know what it's like to be haunted by something?" "Of course I do." "I figured you would. I lost everything in a matter of about three minutes and two Rottweilers. It was my dad’s bright idea to let everyone watch. I don't know why...but for some reason they always have that same look, I hate that look." "I thought animal souls didn’t work?" "I was a kid back then...that was before…initiation." "You can take my bed." "Keep it," he turned away, "I know what I am alright? I know what's really going through your mind right now. Same things that goes through everybody’s mind. You don't have to stand there and degrade your own morals over it, nobody else would." "I didn't know you'd become a mind reader," Rayne said calmly. "We're leaving tomorrow. Take my bed, get some rest. I gave you the rules tonight. Next time I'll plan better." "Won't matter," he said with a shrug and sorely refused to do anything other than walk toward the portal. "I didn't order you to leave." "Maybe, I actually want to?"

Chapter 22.

Rayne laid there for hours replaying the horrific scene in her mind. By the time the sun rose, her eyes were locked on the ceiling, face pale, eyes bloodshot. Vance didn't get much sleep either, although his own nightmares were of a different variety. Counting her money carefully, Rayne grabbed her bag and headed downstairs. "I'll miss you," Leah said tearfully. "I'll be back when things are better." "Just be careful okay?" "I'll try," Rayne’s eyes misted slightly. "See you Saurin." "Good luck." Walking toward the bus stop, ironically Liz happened to be there too. Unaware of Rayne’s presence, she stapled a piece of paper to a poll and stepped back. "Mr. Puss," it read across the top. "Missing, black and white spotted tabby. Comes when called. Cash reward if found." "Lost your cat?" "Oh, hi Rayne," Liz smiled, though it was evidently farce. "Yeah, Mr. Puss. He didn't come home a few days ago. We don't think he could have gotten far but, with all the animals that have gone missing," she tried to put the thought from her mind. "I haven't seen you in school, is everything alright?" "Yeah everything's fine. I'm just too lazy to go. I wouldn’t worry about the cat though, they usually come when they're hungry." "I hope so," her gaze dropped. "I don't know what I'll do if he doesn't. I hate losing people." "It's a natural part of life," Rayne scorned her words internally. "Just put out food for him. He'll come home," she made a note to ask Vance if he'd eaten the cat out of spite, though Liz was too distant to be paying attention. Toying with her necklace, it was somewhat debatable whether or not Mr. Puss was what she had been referring to. "Isn't that the stone Rorik gave you?" Rayne asked. "Yeah...he won it for me at the fair. I...forgot I'd let him hold it and a few days ago someone came to my house with a box. He said that a boy had paid him to deliver it and that he thought I might want it back. I…I don't know what to think." "He was saying goodbye," she answered stiffly. "Why pay someone? Why not do it himself?" "I think he did." "What?" Liz didn't seem to be able to wrap her mind around such a notion. "What do you mean?" "Nothing…don’t worry about it." Rayne decided it was probably best not to get into that conversation, and thankfully, Liz let it go. "I'll see you around," she said as she walked off. "Goodbye." Hoping Vance couldn't overhear her, Rayne noticed the bus. Paying her fare, she was glad to be leaving. Passing out of Greenville, it headed south running straight through Riverhead and further onto the island. It eventually offered a transfer at the train station. Walking through the terminal, Rayne bought a ticket to head west. The train went as far as California, though her sights were set on Nevada. Buying the largest book at the store, her stomach was in knots and she began to read,

immersing herself in a story of adventure and the supernatural. She didn't sleep, somewhat untrusting of closing her eyes, and between energy drinks and soda, the vampire managed to keep awake until she reached Vegas. Checking into an upscale hotel, she was aware of how Vance preferred luxury. Setting her bags down beside two large beds, she called him forth. Jolted him from sleep, the portal opened and dropped him onto the mattress. "Ugh..." he groaned, throwing his head against a pillow. "There has got to be a better way to do that." Rubbing his face, his eyes managed to focus and he sat up upon realizing they were no longer in Greenville. Sitting atop her own bed, Rayne flipped through a phonebook. "We're in Vegas." "Vegas?" Vance arched a brow. "Are you serious?" Glancing at him with blue eyes, she arched one herself. "No we've gone to Alabama to set up a hen farm. Of course we're in Vegas. It's a fitting place for us." "Fitting huh...too bad I've already been thrown out twice." "What do you mean thrown out?" "I mean you say my name in Vegas they run in the other direction," he chuckled. "Casino's don't like people who can count cards. They don't like me because I fuck their system. First time I went, I was a kid, that's how I discovered the talent. Second time they realized I was under twenty-one. I'm on their shit list big time." "Seriously?" Rayne rubbed her face. "Why am I not surprised?" "I never said I didn't want to be here," Vance recanted, "but I might need a new face." "You are not inhabiting another teenager's body, no way." "Who say's I need another one? I think I might still have Rorik's old wallet," he snickered. "He could probably pass for twenty one...you won't though. You look like you're three." "I already have a fake ID you imbecile," she slammed the phonebook closed, "and just because I look young doesn't mean I can't remedy that with makeup." "Oooh scary." "Shut up, nothing can fix your face. You’re condemned to wear a terrible suit for all eternity." "Whatever." Getting up, Vance sauntered into the bathroom. Emerging an hour later, he was hardly recognizable. Dressed in a red t-shirt and jeans, his hair was still damp though without the disgusting surplus of gel, it rested normally. What's more, he actually looked his age. It was almost frightening how a simple change in hairstyle could shift a persona so much, considering without the bells and whistles, he hardly looked any different from anyone else. Rayne stared at the television with copper eyes. "I’m not buying you an industrial sized gel bottle you know?" "Who asked you?" "Don't even try to ask me," she muttered. "Do I have to feed you tonight?" "Do you have to? You make it sound like a chore." "It's more akin to getting a root canal actually. How does this work? If you lie, I’ll call Saurin and ask." "Oh yeah, and how are you gonna do that? I don't think that weapon comes with a speed dial. This works as in you let me do my thing and stop asking questions. How about you give me a time frame and you can stay here watching your..." he threw a brief look toward the television,

"soap opera reality puke." "Yeah right Vance, I’m not giving you free reign. I'm coming with you and if you go on a rampage like you did last night, so help me god." "You're just as responsible for last night as I was, so don't even go there," his tone darkened, "and I already told you, there are not many things in this world that bother me, but being ogled at like some kind of animal just happens to be one of them. If I wanted to be stared at, that would not be my first choice of method. I don't want you watching, bottom line." "Then I guess you're not feeding?" Rayne replied. "You ate enough yesterday you can wait." Getting up to storm out of the room, the look he gave her was one of absolute hatred. "I hope someday somebody puts you in a cage and bleeds people in front of you until you go insane." Wandering down the hall, he found a sofa and sat there late into the night. Eventually he pulled a card from his pocket and threw it to the floor to summon Rose. Crawling onto his lap, she took the form of a small black cat as he began to stroke her. "This sucks Rose. How the hell did I wind up in this situation?" he asked, only to be met with an epp. "Yeah that's ironic isn't it? Pursue chaos and you're on top of the world, but the moment you actually try and play by the rules, they hang you for it. Why the hell do you always have to be right about everything?" Rose eeped again. "You're not awesome shut up, that's not even funny right now. I honestly can’t wrap my mind around it. Do you get it, because I don't?" Rose shrugged and Vance's expression darkened. "Yeah I know there's nobody else out there like me okay, I fucking get that. I just thought that maybe somebody similar would," he didn't bother finishing the sentence. "Forget it, you're right, as per usual." It was a few minutes before he started again. "You never knew my dad did ya Rose?" "Eeppp." "Yeah you came after that…you're lucky. I told Liz about it a little. I never told anybody about that." "Eepp?" "It was bad. I swear I must have told you this story. Maybe some other time. You never had any parents did ya?" "Eepp." "Yeah I didn't think so. It's funny you know, I remember when he actually cared, before all that cult crap. I was always a part of everything, they treated me like their mascot." Rose gave him a skeptical look. "Alright so I wasn't allowed to really do anything, but it was still kinda like family...I guess?" "Eepp?" "What happened? I'll tell you what happened. He wanted me to start doing for myself. Moron invited the entire cult to watch. Do you have any idea what it's like to have the people you thought cared about you look at you like that?" Rose didn't respond although he just kept going. "That was it Rose, that was the end. My tutor quit the next day, said she had finical obligations. Dad stopped bringing me to meetings, nobody ever came by anymore. But you know

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 178 what really bothers me?" "Eepp?" "He gave me that same exact look. My own father, the guy who went out of his way to do this to me in the first place. It was like he looked at me and realized he'd made some kind of horrible mistake." Vance shook his head. "I have yet to find anyone who doesn't agree with that statement, and you know, for the first time in my life, I'm starting to wonder myself." Rose looked up again and a thin, yet forced smile crossed his face. "Thanks but...I don't think you really count. I mean no offence, but if I didn't exist you wouldn't either, so it kind of makes sense you'd want me around." Wandering into the room around six, Vance remained quiet. Not wanting to wake Rayne for more reasons than he could count, he crept toward the spare bed and curled up on top of it. Clinging to a pillow, his teeth were once again drawn, allowing a disgusting amount of drool to trickle onto the bed. Occasionally tightening his grip, he would cringe in evident discomfort, shuffle for a moment and lying still seconds later. As she woke around eleven, Rayne looked unsettled. The drool disgusted her and the ruined pillow was going to be hard to explain to room service. Sitting up as he groaned, she walked over to see if he was faking. If he was, he was doing a really good job of it. "Vance?" she asked tentatively, placing a cold hand on his shoulder. Opening his eyes, he blinked a few times and his face corrected itself. "What do you want?" "You're shivering like we're in an icebox." Tossing the pillow away, he went to rub his neck. "I don't get much sleep, never have." "Nightmares?" "If that's all it was I wouldn't complain. This is a hotel, there's an abundance of people. My system reacts to that whether I'm conscious of it or not. It's usually painful." "Why didn't you share this information before I bought the room? If you can’t live amongst people I could've saved money and bought a tent." "I can live with people just fine. If I could kill people in my sleep I wouldn't have half the problems I do now, so calm down." "I am calm, I was just asking." Rayne went to take a shower. Emerging half an hour later, she rubbed the toothpaste from her mouth. "You plan on sleeping all day?" she asked with faint amusement. "Well else am I going to do?" "Hold my purse while I apply for jobs?" Opening one eye, Vance stared at her with it. "Is that a no?" "What do you think?" Rayne hid a snarky grin. "Don't use your abilities to ruin anything that compromises us. I'll be back in a bit." "Whatever, go get yourself a job working at burger king and bring back some coupons." "They won't be for you." Deciding better upon responding, he buried his face in the foam while she left the hotel. Oddly enough, when she did return, a cleaning chart was positioned directly in front of their door. The maid however, was nowhere to be seen. Still sound asleep, Vance had moved, although he appeared to have stopped drooling.

"Did you eat the maid?" Rayne flung a pillow at him. Batting it away as it smacked him in the face, he gave a yawn and shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about." "You ate her!" she accused. "She's not here and her cart is." "Whoa, back off," he scooted upward as she climbed onto the bed. "She's probably in one of the next rooms over?" "Are you sure?" Rayne scowled. "Course I'm sure, now would ya get off my bed? You're intimidating as fuck." "Thanks." "Yeah whatever." Grabbing the do not disturb sign off the dresser, she opened the door to place it on the handle. "So did you get a job or what?" "They said they'd call," she didn't look happy with the answer and sat down. "You could always try the street corner?" "That's the last job on the list, asshole." "What I'm serious. You realize how great of a gig that is for people like you? All you can eat for the low and easy price of looking good. Not only that, but you get the cash, the credit cards, and the police get to explain to their wives why they were cheating. Hell, I'd do it myself if it wasn't such a double standard, I mean let’s face it…even I've got my limits, but you…you want easy money, that's the way to do it." "People like me?" Rayne looked more irritated than amused. "I have my standards and letting some creepy old man solicit me doesn't seem like a dream job. You would be a hooker though, let's not kid each other. You have no standards." "You know when you starve to death on a daily basis you take whatever you can get." Rayne laughed, "I'm sure the women would be vastly disappointed." "Oh please, let's not even get into that conversation." "You brought it up. Pimping you out would barely cover dinner." "If I'm going to get take out, it's gonna be from a bar with some dumb broad who can't hold her liquor." "Figures you'd have no standards there either. Did you eat her or not?" she asked, still hung up on the maid. "Nope." he said nonchalantly. "You did you overly gelled jerk." "Hey, I haven't put any gel in my hair since yesterday." "I'm going to sell you to some dirty old man." Vance found her remark more humorous than insulting. "I think he'd be more interested in you babes. You can go get grease banged while I'm counting the dough." "Don't call me babes! And I am not selling myself. Besides, he wouldn't even make it to the door." "You got a hankering for sausage and eggs that badly?" "No." "Wow...going, going and gooone, that one went right over your head." "What?" "Forget it. If I have to explain that we're in serious trouble."

"Explain what? I'm not perverted like you are." "Yeah well you don’t seem to have any form of sense of humor either," he muttered. "Jesus shit how do you live?" "I have a sense of humor, you're just brass. Maybe you want to get a rag for your mouth tonight though?" "Fuck you." "Everyone drools Vance, quit being a girl about it." "Maybe you should quit insulting me over things I have no control of...oh wait, I forgot, it makes you feel better about being a freak. Well in that case, I guess it's totally acceptable?" "You started it." Vance pulled the last remaining pillow over his head in attempt to block her out. "You know, you say I'm a stiff but you're so sensitive." Ignoring her despite the fact she had a point, he was out for the night, and for once, actually slept like a normal human being. It was around ten the next morning that he woke. Rayne shifted slightly and pulled the covers over her head. It was an unusual habit, one she'd developed when she was younger. Eventually growing bored, Vance got up and wandered into the bathroom. Re-applying the gel to his hair, he now harbored a darker demeanor and walked back to the mattress, pulling a deck of cards. Summoning Rose, he instructed her to keep quiet as he dealt a poker hand to pass the time. "How come you only summon her?" Rayne asked as she opened her eyes. "What do you mean how come I only summon her, who else the fuck would I summon, the tooth fairy?" "Well you don't summon any other minions. She's the only one you mention." "The other minions, as you call them, are unintelligible darkmites," he scoffed. "Rose and I go back a long ways. Besides, every good bad guy has to have at least one doofy side kick." "Bad guy?" Rayne snorted. He was a super douche not a super villain. "She could do better." "Well I'm certainly not a hero, and as far as doing better, please. Rose is imprinted to me, she can’t do better." With an eep, Rose gave him a flat look. "Excuse me? If you think you can do better with a paper cup then you can get the fuck out!" "Rose can stay. At least she has a personality." "Eepp." "What, now you're taking her side?" Vance threw the cards in the air. "I can't believe you!" Rose eeped again. "Arrogant prick? I'm not arrogant!" She arched a brow. "Alright fine, but if you think you can find someone else out there as awesome as me, go right the fuck ahead." "I like her already," Rayne mused, "and you're not awesome, obnoxious yes...but not awesome." "Liz thinks I'm awesome." Rose eeped again. "Doesn't count! Of course it counts."

She shook her head. "She's blonde, that doesn't say much." "Eepp." "Shut up Rose, you're color blind, all you see is purple." "Eepp." "Yeah well if you want to agree with everything she says," he pointed at Rayne, "then maybe you can go be her minion? Good luck having a conversation with her though... I don't think she speaks Eepp." Rose flipped him off. "Right back at you, you little bitch." "I can play cards with her and make fun of you," Rayne said as she slid off the bed to get changed. "You can't even understand her, how are you gonna make fun of me?" "Eepp." "Shut up Rose, I'll deport you." "You seem to understand what she says, that's all I need." Rose gave him a smug look and the next thing she knew, she was kick vaulted across the room into a portal, and Vance crossed his arms with a pout.

Chapter 23.

Emerging from the bathroom about twenty minutes later, Rayne looked around. "Where's my new buddy?" she asked as she pulled her hair into a ponytail. "Rose has been deported for bad behavior," Vance said without looking back. "I can't believe you. You've corrupted my minion. How the fuck is that even possible?" "I just have an award winning personality," she said sarcastically. "Come on, I have to pay for this room and I need to find a job or we're on the street tomorrow."' "That's great, you need a job. How does that have anything to do with me?" "You'd rather go back to the zero realm?" "Then deal with you...hrm that's a tough contest." "Look princess, unless you want to go out there and work, you have no say, got it?" Reaching up, Vance snapped his fingers causing a flux of darkness to swim across his hand. Opening overhead, a black portal appeared, spewing forth several bundles of hundred dollar bills. "What the hell is this?" Rayne asked. "You've been holding out on me you bastard!" "You never asked." "Did I need to?" "Look at the way you've been treating me, then ask me that again." "Did I need to?" "You're a bitch you know that? That's all you're getting so you better make sure it lasts, because with an attitude like that, you'll be lucky if I ever do you a favor again." "Just accept the fact we're bound together. I'm that ex-wife you can't get rid of. Deal with it!" The look he gave her was seething. "If you were my wife I'd kill myself. I'm just doing what I do. You wouldn't kill a bear for doing what it does any more than you'd kill a human for skinning a cow. You can keep a tiger in a cage and feed it chopped meat and people think it's a wonderful creature, but if they run into one in the wild, they'll kill it because it’s liable to kill them. What nobody seems to realize, is that that animal in the zoo is exactly the same thing and would do exactly the same thing if given the chance. That's the difference between you and I. You're in the zoo so you're acceptable, I'm not." "We both know I can't set you free Vance. What the hell is it you want?" "Nothing, doesn’t matter. If you have something you want to say, go ahead and say it, because this is the last time I'm going to have this or any other conversation with you." "What's your problem? Why can't we just put this past us?" "My problem, if you must know, is that ever since I set foot in that infernal town, something hasn’t been right. I feel things I've never felt before, things I shouldn't feel. It's some kind of anomaly and I mean to correct it, everything else is incidental." "Can we just start over? I'm so tired of this Vance. I'm done arguing the same moot point. Let's just get through this. You think I like trying to be nice, or friendly? I didn't have these problems back at school. You can't go back." "That's where you're wrong. You might be stuck with the pain you've endured, but I have a choice. I don't have to deal with this, and frankly I don't need or want to. See unlike you, I have a reset button." "What good is a reset button going to do you?" "I'll tell you what good it's going to do," he replied. "For one, I don't have to feel like shit

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 183 all the time. For two, I don't have to listen to you, or rather, I don't have to care, and that in and of itself is worth it. I'm not supposed to feel remorse, or sadness, or regret. And I'm sure as hell not supposed to feel bad about myself, forget that, that's not in the job description. I don't know what could have possessed me to try and be decent, but I guess I should be thanking you. If it hadn't been for you and your whole nobility gig I might have forgotten who I am, so in the long run it works out better for both of us." "Stop being ridiculous. You can't change who you are." "I know, which is why it was foolish for me to try." Rayne looked at him tiredly. "You'll get over Liz, really...I heard it happens." "Liz isn't everything. She's just one more steak through the heart. Something’s wrong with me. I shouldn’t feel anything, I don't have friends, I don't have family, and I certain don't regret what I am." "It's called being human. You said it yourself, you're not a full on demon." "I'm not a demon at all," he shook his head. "Saurin's right okay, he's been right about everything. I'm a monster Rayne, you know it, I know it, everybody knows it. There’s no point in pretending to be something other than that, it only causes problems like these. You shouldn't give false hope to people who don't have a snowballs chance in hell to begin with." "You're the one who said we were so similar. If there's no hope for you than what hope is there me!" she felt a pang of regret and it didn't sit well with her at all. "Vance, reconsider." "Do you really care, or are you just saying that because I manipulated you into thinking you should?" "You manipulated me?" "I...might have told you some things that influenced your perspective." Rayne's eyes became the color of blood. "And what'd you do that for? Did you just want me to argue with you or something?" "No," he shook his head. "I'm not sure what I thought anymore. I guess, maybe I just wanted someone to relate to? Maybe I thought you'd let me go?" "You're never going to get me to let you go Vance." "I know." he sighed. "Don't reset." "Why?" "You're better this way. You're not that bad of a person, at least you've started to show some remorse." "Better?" he turned to glare. "I'm not better like this. Remorse should not be part of the equation! It's both counterproductive and self-destructive. Things that don't abide by their own nature wind up eliminated." "I'm still alive," she pointed out. "Why do you have to conform?" "I'm not trying to conform. Conformity is a sick joke. Besides, if everyone you've ever known has told you the same thing, then logic dictates that thing has to be true." "Well if we’re so similar then why am I not like that?" "Maybe Saurin was right about you? Maybe that's why he gave you this chance?" "I don't know why he gave me the chance," she laughed. Vance however wasn’t laughing, as a matter of fact there were tears running down his face. "Why...why are you crying?" Rayne looked stunned. "Because," he said without much thought. "I'm still hungry."

Unsure of what to do with a crying soul eater, she looked at a loss. "It's okay," Reaching out she placed a hand on his arm. "If you're hungry, we can go." "No," he looked away. "I don't want to deal with the consequences of that right now. You and I both know we'll just get into another argument." Shaking his head, he sighed and sat up. "You know, you really are a strange bird. I've never seen someone who wields darkness put themselves so close to the light. It's mind boggling and a little bit, frightening." "I'm not close to the light." Running away from Leah's house and defying her mentor made her feel like she was avoiding it altogether. "You saw through me, you're closer than you think." "I've had practice." "Oh really?" a smile crossed his face. "So...why Vegas?" "Easy money, not a big place for vampires considering the desert." "Sin city huh?" Vance didn't remark on it any further. "I guess it would be pretty empty territory. Not that I can't hold my own. Easy money however," he chuckled, "you have no idea how easy." "I figure you'd enjoy it, for what it's worth." "Nooo you figured you could use my talents to rob the casino’s blind." "Are you not an avid card player?" "Honey I'm the best damn card player there is." "I'm sure," "You doubt me?" he crossed his arms. "I invented the devils wager. And what better way to lose your soul than over a couple poker chips?" "I was taught by the person who invented poker," she rolled her eyes. "Inventions is one thing, but perfection," raising a hand, a ripple of black energy coursed through his fingers, manifesting a set of six's, one of each suit. With a slight flick of his wrist, he tilted the cards downward, fanning them up again to reveal all four aces with a grin. "That's an entirely different story." "You cheat," Rayne accused. "No," he shook his head and the cards vanished. "Not usually." "I suppose we should head out then and put it to the test?" "You're on. I'm gonna need a new face though, or maybe an old one?" "Make sure it's some homeless man." "Are you kidding? Why replace something you've already got?" with a snap of his fingers, Vance’s entire persona shifted back to Rorik's. Giving her an all too frighteningly familiar grin, the only difference was the fact that his eyes were still his own. "What do you think?" he chuckled, "scary enough for ya?" "I hate blondes," Rayne said dismissively although beneath the surface she was thoroughly disgusted. "You're not the only one. Thank god it's not permanent." "Is that why you almost made out with one?" "There's a difference between being one, and eating one," he laughed. "I guess you wouldn't know. Though maybe you can enlighten me to how that jealousy thing works when you’re hiding in trees and filming someone else’s relationship?" "It was Sam’s idea. I had no desire to have my eyes burned out of their sockets." "Ya coulda fooled me the way you spent three whole weeks glaring at me every chance you got."

"What does that have to do with anything?" "Relax would you, it's not like it was a real relationship anyway," the humor quickly dispersed from his tone. "She hates me remember? You're not missing much." "It was plenty real. At least she still wears the gemstone." "What?" Vance had not been aware of that and quickly got up as she mentioned it. "I saw her wearing it," Rayne said dismissively. "What do you mean you saw her wearing it?" his tone suddenly grew quite stern. "Elaborate." "She was at the bus stop. It was around her neck. Why does it matter?" "Why does it matter!?" a shift in the air spoke volumes for his temperament. "You told me she was repulse by me, that she never wanted to see me again. Why the fuck would she be wearing it?" "I don't know Vance, I'm not a high school girl." "You lied, didn't you?" his gaze narrowed though his tone remained emotionless. "Since we're being honest with each other, yeah, I did." Closing his eyes, he turned away. "That was one truth I didn’t need to know." "You can't build anything without honesty. As far as I'm concerned, we're squared, now I think I'll take a nap before I start conducting myself in an inappropriate manner," she decided. "You can go out." "What?" he seemed surprised. "You mean like, out?" "Yeah, but don’t use your abilities to feed on more than two people. Or is that too little?" "Are you asking me or telling me?" "I'm telling you. If you show up on the news I’ll hurt you." "I'm not the one who’s gonna show up on the news, never have, never will." "See that you don't," she said darkly. "I'm warning you Vance, two is the limit." "Yeah, yeah whatever." With a roll of his eyes, he snapped his fingers and vanished in a burst of black smoke. As Rayne drifted, Vance made his way to the nearest casino. Taking on Rorik's appearance, considering his own would only get him chased out of the city, he managed to get in after ten minutes of subjective arguing and a couple well-placed lies. Taking instantly to the card tables, he sat down, and within several hours had accumulated not only a surplus of chips, but quite a fascinated crowd. By the time Rayne awoke, there was already word on the street. It hadn't taken long for news to travel and it wasn't all that long after that security began to notice. "I think we got a card counter over at the poker tables," one of the staff mentioned in passing. Walking up to him, a security tapped him across the shoulder. "I think you need to leave." Vance met the eyes of the rather accusative casino boss and pursed his lips. "Right after I collect my winnings," he said, sloughing his chips into a bag to bring to the counter. He knew from both experience and hearsay it was better to get out when told. Regardless, he'd made quite a killing. Grinning as the cashier laid out bill after bill, he thanked her snidely and pocketed the cash. Waiting outside for him was a very annoyed looking Rayne. "Do you like the attention?" she asked as she crossed her arms. "Awe, whatsa matter goth chick, somebody jealous?" "No, annoyed. I can't let you go anywhere."

Vance stuffed the money into his jeans and shrugged. "Oh come on, that's what we came here for isn't it? Besides, it's only been one night. I got a lot more casino's ta hit before they throw us out for good." "Throw you out," she corrected. "You're just jealous I made upwards of ten grand in four hours and all you made was drool on a pillow." "Please, I could make that sort of money if I tried hard enough, no card counting necessary." "On a street corner maybe." "And that's easy money," she kept a straight face. "I'd make far more than you." "Wanna bet on it?" "I don't want to ruin your life by winning. I mean, you'd actually have to put in effort. I could just bat my eyelashes at some geriatric and become a millionaire overnight." "I can jinx a slot machine," Vance said with a smirk. "I generally like to play fair, but if you don’t, then I might as well make a little extra on the side. Speaking of which, I'm gonna go get something to eat, and unless you want to watch, maybe you should scram?" "I'm going to get my own dinner thank you," Rayne said before turning. "Have fun with them BJ's. Don't make too much, wouldn't want the police to find you passed out in a cum coma." "You're disgusting." Slinking out of the alley, she leaned against the wall waiting patiently for the first fool to become her meal. Vance likewise did not have trouble finding dinner that night. After decimating two hookers and leaving their bodies to rot inside the void, he started back to the hotel, only to stop along the way as something caught his eye. He returned about two hours later looking quite pleased, not to mention considerably sleepy. Paying no mind to the sirens, he shuffled along with his hands in his pockets and took his sweet time getting back to the room. "What did you do?" Rayne asked, catching the whiff of cheap perfume. "I followed your rules, two people no more no less, gimmie a break." Wandering to bed, his image returned to his own and he plopped down on top of the mattress. "Vance, tell me truth. I smell perfume on you." "Yeah because I killed two hookers," he shrugged without opening his eyes. "Lonely? Why are the cops blaring? Did you have anything to do with that?" "Nope." Rolling over on his side, he reached for a pillow and his clothes were replaced by bright red pajamas. "Now if you'd mind terribly shutting up?" "What did you do?" she demeaned again. "I made up for three weeks of lost time," he yawned, "and I think I might have had a little too much, so I'd appreciate it if you stopped talking so I could sleep it off?" "I can't believe you!" she flung a glass at him. Opening his eyes, he caught it and set it across the nightstand unmarred. "You shouldn't throw things, it's un-ladylike." "Yeah well you're definitely no gentleman." "Fine by me. You wanna know that badly, check the news tomorrow, I'm sure it's gonna be a hell of a circus," he snickered and laid back down while the sirens continued, inevitably leading to a horrific news report the next morning. Police and zookeepers alike were baffled as to how over three hundred animals all could have simply dropped dead. Rayne slept terribly. Flipping on the news around six, she broke the remote in half as she

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 187 heard the details. Vance hadn't moved an inch, and had it not been for the gentle rise and fall of his chest, might have been presumed dead. Rayne woke him by slamming her fist across his abdomen. "Three hundred animals!" she screamed in outrage. Curling into a ball, he let out a wheeze and grit his teeth. "What the shit is wrong with you!" he hissed as he rocked back and forth in pain. "You have a chip on your shoulder about humans now you're going to get on my case about animals too?" spitting a mouth full of blood onto the sheets, Vance continued to nurse his sides. "Three hundred?" she wiped her tears away. "Seriously Vance? Why?!" "I was hungry damn it! McDonalds kills more than that every fucking day and you don't seem to have a problem eating there." "Protected species Vance? Does that mean anything to you? Do you seriously have to slaughter everything?" Recognizing her look, he bore his teeth, which were currently shaded red. "Survival of the fittest bitch. Maybe if you were actually a real vampire and not some worthless half bread freak you'd have a better idea as to what that meant!" "It's not survival. You're massacring things just to get back at me. I've been letting you feed and you purposely try to find loopholes just to fuck me over." "What?! You're insane! I haven't had anything decent to eat in almost two months! I found a loophole because I'm starving. I couldn't give a rat’s ass whether or not you hate me for it. The world does not revolve around you!" "You stopped eating because of your stupid bitch!" she said angrily. "Get out!" "With pleasure." Closing around him, the darkness parted, leaving her alone in the room while on the opposite end, Vance stormed off to summon Rose. Pulling his cards from his pocket, he threw the queen to the ground and stood with crossed arms as she gave him a questionable stare. "Don't start with me right now, I'm in no mood." Rose tilted her head. "We don't need to rehash who's right and who’s wrong, I don't care. I tried Rose, I tried so fucking hard, and it didn't make a difference. Liz wouldn't even give me a chance, and Rayne," he choked back a scoff. "If that girls head were screwed on any more lopsided it'd be backwards. Doesn't matter, if that's what they want, who am I to deny them?" Handing her an Ace, he watched with a stone-faced expression as it transformed her back into the grotesque looking maiden who had previously struck him the night of the dance. Reaching into his pocket, he drew another card and looked down at it with a blank expression. "I don't want to feel anymore," he said as he handed it to her. "Remove all of it, permanently." Rose seemed slightly taken although did not object as she opened her claws and the playing card began to hover in her palm. Giving off a faint white light, it illuminated the face value to reveal, the joker.

Chapter 24.

The temperature dipped that night as a cold wave of mid-October air swept across the desert. Rayne was left to her thoughts, while Vance's whereabouts and condition remained unknown. Wandering outside half drunk, she took comfort in the crowd, offering hazy smiles in the direction of possible meals. The cash was Vance's, though she bought herself some intricacies. Returning to the hotel, Rayne chose to order take out, summoning Vance as she helped herself to some wine from the fridge. As per-usual, the portal opened, although what dropped from it was not Vance. Lowering from the ceiling, a large sphere of black energy floated downward. Dripping a thick tarrish substance, the strange orb fumed smoke that swirled its glossy covering, masking its contents. "What the hell is this?" Setting her fork down, the vampire approached and went to reach for it. She received no response, however as she touched its surface, it gave her a powerful jolt. "Vancelyn what is this!?" she asked angrily, biting her lip against the pain. Slowly but steadily, thin lines of electric blue began to crack along its sides. Running hairline fractures in all directions, the sphere took on the appearance of stain glass. Reflecting back her image, the fumes cleared and a low resonating growl began to usher from within. "Vance, what did you do?" The orb suddenly shattered, sending millions of tiny fragments scattering across the floor. Slamming Rayne into the opposite wall, she put a dent in the plaster behind her and when she looked up again, she was no longer alone. Hovering there, occupying the same space as the orb had been, was some kind of being. Curled about itself, its attention was taken to the fact it was no longer imprisoned and it gradually began to look up. Bound entirely in belt like wrappings of thick black leather, its body was covered in them. Several pieces dangled off the edges of its limbs, which currently crossed its chest in an X like fashion. Pulling an arm away, the leather bindings unraveled, floating freely behind it in a phantomesque wind. Its other arm remained attached to its chest, which bore a bright red harness, similar in style to a corset of ribs with jagged edges and openings. Head bowed, its face was masked in the binds that floated behind it, four to be precise. Each was tipped at the end with a Sigel of either a diamond, heart, club or spade. Its hair held familiar disarray while two jagged antennas ran from the back of its skull. Swaying between them, a whip like spine met its end with a curved pendulum, designed for one purpose alone. Surveying the room, the creature opened a single eye. Giving off an iridescent glow, it caught sight of Rayne and narrowed instantly, free hand snapping open to reveal claws the size of butcher knives. Dazed from the hit, she quickly regained herself. "Vance don't!" If he was still coherent, it didn't show as the room began to waver. Fumes of smoke emanated from all angles and the creature opened its claws to manifest a sphere, which left its hand in the direction of her face. Diving from the wall, Rayne went for a steak knife. She grabbed it as she hit the table and was caught in midair by a powerful unseen force. Holding her there, the creature turned toward the window. Thankfully, her reflexes kicked in, effectively saving her from being thrown through the glass. Flinging the knife instead, it hit him square in the chest and imbedded itself about three inches deep. Not the least bit phased, he reached up to pull the blade and tossed it aside while coils of darkness repaired the damage. Suddenly an unrelenting force was sent

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 189 sprawling toward her, along with a wind that would have leveled a house, as it surely did the room. Crossing her arms in front of her, Rayne's shields protected her against the violent gust. "Go back to the zero realm!" Her request had no effect. The wind intensified and a single demonic wing erupted from its left shoulder. Beating it once, it surged toward her, slamming into her shield, which it dragged its knife like claws across before diving out the window into the city below. Rayne heart beat violently. "Saurin's going to kill me," she said, grabbing the gun she’d hid beneath her pillow. Needless to say, he wasn't hard to find. All she had to do was follow the screams and they were certainly not in short supply. Tearing through the streets, the creature sent voids of black and red matter in all directions. Blowing cars and buildings to pieces, it shredded anyone and anything that got in its way. Pulling around the corner, a cop who happened to be on patrol, quickly sped toward the scene, only to skid to a dead halt at the sight of the demon. Taking notice, with one swift gesture it sent the patrol car flying into a pyre of flames. "Vance stop it!" The creature turned as the bullets Rayne fired disintegrated. Unfortunately, it was no use. Reaching for her, it caught her by the throat and slammed her backwards, pinning her to the ground as its claws dug deep into the asphalt. Multiple tether binds floated off its back and began to react like intelligible coils, wrapping around her limbs and binding her to the spot. Pulling its hand away from its chest, it reached toward her face. Drawing intimidating lines across the side of her cheek with a hand that was surprisingly human, it shed the slightest amount of blood, and was just about to open its jaws, when a taunt caught the air that made it stop. "Hey ugly!" The creature had just enough time to hiss at its adversary’s before a beam of red light shot toward it. Letting go of Rayne, it spread its wing and took off. Wasting little time, a dark haired young man dressed in jeans and an orange wife beater raced toward her and with one hand, yanked her to her feet. The other was wrapped around the hilt of a jet-black weapon that resembled something of a crocked scythe. Its tip ended in a crescent slice with a red diamond hovering inside. "Get up!" he demanded harshly. "Get up, we have to go!" "I need to go after him!" "You can't, he'll kill you, now move it!" the boy shoved her in the other direction, as the creature dove for them again. "I said go, damn it!" he screamed, raising the weapon, which sent the beast flying into a nearby truck. "He's my responsibility!" "Not anymore he isn't." "I can't just let him kill people!" Shaking his head, he ignored her and twisted his blade. Shooting upward, a red light raced toward the top of the building. Separating itself in two directions, it ran down the sides of each wall, creating a temporary blockade within which they would be able to catch their breath. Keeping a slight distance between them, Rayne bore a distrustful look. "Do you know what's going on here?" she demeaned. "No, as a matter of fact I don't, you wanna clue me in?" "I don't know you." "Yeah well I don't know you either and I just saved you from being demon chow. I find it

kinda odd though, that you'd go running toward that thing instead of away from it." "I didn't ask you to save me," she said stubbornly. "He hit the reset button, the bastard. He's my responsibility and I fucked up. I need to send him back right now." "Send him back...whoa slow down," he shook his head. "What are you talking about, reset button? That thing is the demi god of Chaos. I don't know anything about a reset button, but if you're telling me you somehow have control over him?" he gave her a very skeptical look. "Sorry sister, but from where I'm standing...he kicked your ass." "Shut up," Rayne's tone darkened. "That's Vance, an arrogant asshole with a dental problem. He's not some demi god. This isn't ancient Greece." "I don't know how you know Vance, but that thing out there," the boy jerked a thumb toward the street where screams could still be heard. "That's not him. Trust me." "You know him?" "We’ve got bigger problems right now than a Q and A, and unless you can wield grimdark or know someone who does, we need to get out of here." "And go where? He knows the hotel I’m staying at, he might stop back to pick his teeth with me." The boy brought a hand to his chin before pointing his blade down the alley. Manifesting a few feet away, a large white portal spread apart and he quickly motioned toward it. "Go." "Where does it lead?" "A safe place, but if you'd rather die, be my guest." With that, the weapon dispersed and he ran through the portal, which quickly began to close behind him. Sporting an aggravated look, Rayne followed and the light engulfed her, only to dissipate as she found herself standing in the midst of a wide sand covered beach. Rushing up against the shoreline in long tidal sweeps, the waves of the pacific roared loudly while seagulls screeched overhead. Lying across the sand, chest heaving, the boy’s green eyes shifted toward her and he gave a nod. "Good choice." Brushing her bangs away as she was hit with the breeze, Rayne looked around in surprise. She had never been to the beach and as she turned to stare at the water, her eyes took on its cerulean glow. "Where are we?" Pulling himself up, he shook loose the sand that clung to his hair. "North west coast of California, about a two hour drive from San Francisco. Used to come here a lot as a kid." "Oh," Rayne was barely listening. "Would you know Saurin?" "How do you know Saurin!" he demanded sharply. Taking a cautious step back, her eyes narrowed. "Saurin bound Vance to me." "He what? I don't have time for this...where is he! If you know where he is you better tell me!" "Saurin was in Greenville a week or so ago. I don't know where he is now." "Yeah well nobody else does either. I didn't figure it was that big of a deal but it's funny, a friend of mine went looking for him and now she's gone too. I've been following his signature trail for days and all I found was you, and that thing." "Well that thing was Vance until a couple of hours ago," "I wasn't tracking Vance," his brow began to furrow although he put the thought from his mind. "Maybe I got turned around somewhere?"

"And here I thought you were just a pissed off native who didn't want a demon terrorizing his city." "No such luck," he stifled a laugh. "How do you stop Vance in that form?" "You can't. Nobody can...not alone. Contending with Vancelyn is one thing, contending with the Jester is another. The only way you can stop a demi god is with a real one…or something that governs a higher classification of the same energy. Chaos derives from darkness, anti-matter, and grimdark. If you know of anyone or anything that has god status in any of those areas, tell me now." "I just found out grimdark was a thing a couple of months ago, so that's going to be a no." "You said Saurin bound Vancelyn to you?" Walking over, he cautiously reached for the amulet. "May I?" Rayne unclasped it and held it out. "Saurin's got a lot of light, but when it comes to common sense," he shook his head and handed it back to her. "He's not the brightest bulb." "What do you mean?" "He’s got a real issue when it comes to accepting the fact that darkness is not light. It can't be manipulated the same way. I take it he gave this to you thinking you’d be able to control Vancelyn? Correct me if I'm wrong, but you wield darkness, do you not?" "How'd you know?" Rayne asked defensively. "It gives of a distinct vibration," he raised a hand causing several currents of black energy to twist between his fingers before vanishing up his arm. "One I'm quite familiar with." "Vibration?" she tilted her head to study him and the gray color of her eyes shifted blue. "You wield it too?" she held back her excitement. "Are you like Vance?" "No," he shook his head. "Defiantly not. Vancelyn doesn’t wield darkness, he wields grimdark. He's a whole other category. Unfortunately, I can't contend with the Jester, and with Saurin and Kristy still missing, I'm not sure I'll have the time to find them before that fiend destroys this world. Are you absolutely certain you don't know anyone else who can wield darkness? A mentor, a friend, hell, an enemy?" "I don't know anyone," she said softly. "I didn't think there were any other people out there like me." "There are always others, you just have to know where to look." Staring out at the waves, Rayne frowned. "There was one person Vance wouldn't harm. He said he was tainted by something bigger than himself. It walked with him, like a shadow." Narrowing his gaze, the boy looked back. "A shadow? Wait, you mean to tell me Vance was afraid of something?" he looked slightly shocked. "Or someone?" "He wouldn't touch the kid at all." It unsettled her to think of how Sam had screamed that night. "Saurin bound Vance...something unchained him. He said only someone of a dark persuasion could do it and it wasn't me." "Where can I find this boy?" "Greenville," she answered. "And I'm coming with you." Reaching up, his blade appeared again and he opened another portal. "I'm Ryan by the way," "Rayne," Stepping into the light, it parted to reveal Greenville where it was currently around seven

in the morning. "He's probably on his way to school," she said as she stepped out. Vanishing from his hand, the blade subsided and Ryan gave a nod. Sure enough, Sam was standing outside the gym, smoking a joint before his first class, which he had no intentions of actually attending. Taking a long drag, he turned groggily upon hearing someone call his name. When he realized whom however, he nearly swallowed his cigarette. "Rayne? I thought you were dead, what the hell are you doing back here?" "We came to ask for your help," she said. "How do you feel about taking on Vance?" "Whoa hold up," Sam threw up both hands. "I am officially retired from the demon hunting business. Once and done yo, once and done. If you want help with that freak why don't you go ask Liz?" "We need you because you're stronger." "You're a fucking vampire and you're asking me for help?" he peered at Ryan who arched a brow. "Your friend here is twice my size, get him to help you. What the fuck am I supposed to do, smoke him to death?" he recalled her once having made a similar accusation. "Hey kid," reaching into his pocket, Ryan pulled out a fifty-dollar bill and held it to Sam who eyed him suspiciously. "You got another cigarette?" "You serious? Fifty bucks?" "Yeah," he nodded. "You better not be dicking with me bro," reaching into his own pocket, Sam pulled out a rolled up roach and went to hand it over as Ryan suddenly caught him by the wrist, yanked the glove off his hand and stared down at him palm. "What the hell? Get off," tearing away, he shoved him back. "Man, I don't need this shit right now, you people are completely nuts." He tossed the roach at Ryan's head. "Here, keep the smoke, you need it more than I do you crazy fuck." "Come on, give us a couple of more minutes. Do you really want to go to class?" Rayne asked. "Get off of me!" Sam quickened his pace as the bell rang. "Go back to your fucking coffin and leave me alone alright? I don't want anything more to do with you and your crazy talk." batting the air in her direction, he ran for the door while Ryan placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let him go, this is more complicated than I thought." "Idiot," she hissed and looked back. "What do you mean?" "He's got a hitchhiker, there's no doubt about it. But he's not aware of it and he's not gonna be, not for a while. We don't have the time to wait around either. There is something I can do, but it's risky." "How risky? Will it hurt him?" "No...But in order for him to be of any use to us, we have to jump a year into the future, find him, convince him to help, and return to this same point in time to stop Vancelyn." "Excuse me? Did you just talk about time traveling? Ryan is that even possible?" "Oh it's possible. The question is...will there be a time to reach him on the other side? If we don't succeed we might be diving into an apocalypse." "How..." Rayne trailed, trying to wrap her mind around the concept. "I must be dreaming. I can do anything in a dream, right?"

"I wish it were that simple," he summoned his weapon again. "Stay close to me, you don't want to get lost through time." The air suddenly gave off a reddish tint and wavered in an un- natural manner. "That kid has a year and six months. I'm going to take us forward a year and seven, hopefully we'll be able to track him after that." "What if I see myself in the future?" she asked nervously. "Don't worry," he chuckled as the colors and scenery began to meld together in undesirable ways. "It's not like it is in the movies. If you run into yourself it would be very awkward but rest assured, no time paradox would occur. It's the future, if you ran into yourself there, your future self would already be expecting it. The shock would be on your part not hers, but hopefully that won't happen." "So wait…" she began. "A year and six months till what?" "Till that thing inside him decides it wants out." Shuddering at the thought, Rayne didn't like the idea at all. Once reality began to stabilize, they found themselves standing in the exact same spot beside the gym, only instead of a mid-winter morning, it was a hot summer afternoon. Looking down at Sam's glove, which he still had in his hand, Ryan pursed his lips. "Time is not on our side, though it looks like Greenville is still in one piece, which means that we may still have a chance." "He could be at his house, it's not far." "Something tells me he's not," hurrying off the school grounds, Ryan motioned for her to follow him. Slipping Sam's glove into his pocket, he ran down the street. "How do you know?" Rayne asked curiously. "I just have a knack for what to look for. It takes some practice, but if you've been around it long enough, darkness gives off a vibration, almost like scent." "I'm half vampire, not half German shepherd." "Yeah, I noticed he mentioned that." "Oh, sorry...I didn't." "Don't be, it's alright. I'm used to it. I've seen a lot of strange things." Ryan came to a stop as they reached the local hospital and the sound of a gunshot rang out from somewhere above. "Oh shit...come on, something's going on in there." Rushing into the lobby, he hurried toward the elevator and slammed a fist against the button. Looking around the abandoned halls, he noticed just how out of place they seemed, or rather, how odd it was to find a hospital without any nurses, doctors or patients for that matter. The smell made Rayne nauseous despite the lack of population. "Let's take the stairs," she suggested. "That’s probably a good idea. That kid’s bio-signature is all over this place." Rushing toward the top of the steps, Ryan pulled open the door. There was no sign of life, however as he stepped into the large, almost airport style waiting room, he noticed something that made him to stop. Laying across the floor, a few feet away from a full glass window that took up almost the entire room, was the body of a man, a single bullet hole tore between his eyes. Adverting his gaze, he held out a hand to keep Rayne from getting too close. There was blood but not enough to make a difference. The wound was surprisingly clean, having been made by a particularly small weapon, perhaps a handgun or a pistil. Nevertheless, he wasn't getting up from it. Rayne stopped in the doorway and pinched her nose. "Is there anyone else?"

"No...but he's here somewhere," Ryan coaxed her down the hall, "and he's probably armed." Slowing at the sound of a shuffling, which came from a room nearby, he noticed the door had been left ajar. Rayne pointed toward it, and Ryan singled her to be quiet as his weapon manifested and he used it to gently pry back the frame. Sure enough, there was Sam. Ruffling through the room like a mad man, he appeared frantic as if searching for something. Dressed in a white t-shirt and jeans that looked like they'd gone through a mud bath, he still had the same black hat, although he didn’t noticed either of them as he dug through a tattered duffle bag. His left arm was bandaged all the way to his shoulder and there was something in his hand, though from such an angle it was impossible to tell what. Pulling the door back a little farther, Ryan took a step in, although as he did, Sam found what he was looking for and turned around. Within a matter of seconds, his hand was raised and the barrel of a silver pistil was pointed in their direction. "Don't fucking move!" he snapped, eyes darting between them. Rayne didn’t appreciate the threat. "Sam, what are you doing?" "I'll be the one asking the questions!" he screamed. "Whoa easy," Ryan held up a hand. "Why don't you put that down?" "Fuck you," Sam turned it on him instead. "You put that fucking thing down first," he motioned toward the weapon although Ryan refused. "Not a chance pall. Now put down the gun and let's talk." "Talk, you wanna talk?" Sam continued to shake. "What the hell you wanna talk about? You better tell me right now, I'll blow your fucking head off, I swear to god." "Sam, we just got here." Rayne kept her tone neutral through force. "It’s me Rayne? Remember?" "I know who you are," he snapped. "Why don't you tell me what's going on?" "Whoa, easy," "Don't move!" Sam jerked the gun at Ryan again. "Hey, we just wanna help, relax." "Don't tell me to relax!" "Look put down the gun. I don't want to have to do this the hard way." "The hard way? You wanna talk to me about the hard way, I will fucking kill you pall." "Sam, we both know that's not going to end well for you," Rayne's eyes flared red. "Do you have any idea what I've been through? You don't have a clue! Not one goddamn clue. You think you know how it ends, you have no idea, you didn't see it, you weren't there. The only one it's not going to end well for is you," he tightened his grip around whatever he had wrapped in a sheet. "Sam, what did you do? What happened?" "I didn't...I didn't do it!" he voice began to crack. "I swear to god I didn't." "You didn't do what?" Ryan took an uneasy step forward as Sam buckled to his knees. "They're fucking dead. They're all fucking dead," "Who's all dead?" Rayne’s tone gained an edge as she thought of Leah. "What happened?" "Did you have something to do with why there are no people in this hospital?" Ryan asked.

"I didn't mean to...I couldn't...oh god..." As he went to reach for his shoulder, Sam suddenly looked up. Meeting his gaze, his eyes shifted from their original icy blue to a brilliant saffron gold. "It's fucking inside me!" "Run!" Ryan yelled. "Go!" "We can't just leave him here!" Rayne stammered. "We're not...he'll follow us, now move it!" Grabbing her by the arm, he yanked her from the room, as a horrific ear-piercing screech filled the air and a jet stream of black energy barreled out like a wave, heading straight in their direction.

Chapter 25.

"What is that?" "Death!" Racing toward the stairwell, Ryan tore open the door and slammed it closed while something pounded against the other side. "Go," he instructed as the steal began to buckle. "Is that darkness?" Rayne asked in disbelief. "It's shadow." As they reached the lobby, the door exploded. "How are you with heat?" "I don't like it." When the lights began to flicker, Rayne changed her mind. "I like it when it keeps me safe though." Swinging his blade, Ryan took a step forward and a massive ring of flames suddenly encircled them. "Keep away from the shadows!" Purposely moving toward them, a large black mass began to encroach, and the dense fog that surrounded it, started to part. Staring down at them, a hideous skull with hollowed yellow eyes hung amidst a pair of shadowed jaws, which spread to reveal teeth connected like the bars of a cell. As the monster howled, the two of them were forced to cover their ears. "Can't you create that portal?" "Not without lowering the shield. Cover your eyes!" Ryan drew a deep breath and a beam of red light erupted from the end of his sword. Once it cleared, the power returned and Sam lay unconscious across the floor. Rayne opened one eye. "Did you kill him?" He shook his head. "He's alive, just out of it. That was way to close. I'm gonna bring us back to our time, hopefully it'll be daylight." "Why, is that thing going to attack us again?" "It might," Ryan admitted as reality began to bend once more. "I'm not certain, but we probably stand a better chance of trying to talk to him when the sun is out." "I can't leave Greenville without telling my friend she needs to get out of town." The weapon disappeared from his hands as time shifted back to their own. Standing in the middle of the hospital lobby it was the early hours of the morning and nobody was around to notice. Groaning uneasily, Sam ran a hand along his face, eyes having returned to their original blue. "Wha...what happened?" he asked as he stared around the room. "Where the hell? What am I doing here?" "What’s the last thing you remember?" Rayne’s eyes were a similar color. "Ugh...not much." Wincing slightly, he caught his bandaged arm. "Awe fuck..." "How'd that happen?" "Got bit." "By what?" "Teeth whaddya think?" he muttered as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the strange clothed object he'd been holding before. "What is that?" Ryan asked with the same wariness.

"Salvation." Removing the cloth, Sam revealed a small rectangular tablet made entirely of pure silver. "Don't tell me you got bit by a werewolf?" Rayne thought perhaps it had saved him from being mauled. "A werewolf? Please, a werewolf I coulda handled." "Sam, you've got no muscle mass and you're a smoker. A werewolf cub would use you as a chew toy. Just tell us what bit you." "Why...judging from the way you're looking at me," his gaze dropped. "You already know." "I'm sorry," Rayne looked sincere. "Oooh you're sorry...yeah you're so sorry," he shook his head. "Not as sorry as I am. You know what it was like to watch them die, to see that thing tear them apart?" "Tear who apart?" Ryan asked. "You ever heard of a place called Mountain Creek?" He shook his head. "Figures...you don't watch the news? I failed out high school. It was either summer camp or the military. Right now, I'm really wishing I'd chosen the military." "The shadow killed everyone at the camp?" Rayne asked. "Oh yeah...they're all gone. Though I'm not sure killed would be the right word, more like...torn to absolute pieces." "What about Greenville? How come it was empty?" "I don't know about Greenville. I just woke up in this hospital." "How did this even happen Sam? You were fine before." "It's a long story with a short moral. You see this," he held up the slab. "In twenty five words or less, some royal ass hat built a summer camp over some kind of ancient ruin. This stupid little rock," he looked down at a strange inscription carved into the front, "it's got some kinda incantation written on it. Supposed to be able to banish that thing. It worked...but," he looked at his arm, "there was a slight set back." Rayne turned to Ryan for an explanation. "It's been following him his whole life, is it a coincidence he ended up at that camp?" The notion of destiny frightened her. "No," Sam answered for him. "It led me there. It set me the fuck up," he sighed. "I didn't see it...I didn’t wanna see it…God I need a smoke." "What about Leah?" she suddenly asked. "She didn't go, did she?" "No," he shook his head, "she wasn't there. Hadn't seen her since way before then actually." "I'm still going to drag her out of this town," Rayne muttered. "What do we do now?" "We can't afford to waste time. If you really have to, I suppose we can stop by and warn your friend, but we can't leave Vancelyn unattended or we may have even bigger problems." "Hey, that calendar’s wrong. It says 2012," Sam had noticed it as Ryan explained. "Well...we kinda needed your help with something." "Say what?" "You remember about a year ago, Rayne and I asked you to help us put a stop to a guy named Vance?" "Oooh I see where this is going." "Yeah well, we needed a powerful ally, and we didn't really have the time to ask." "Whoa stop," he held up a hand. "You're telling me you just brought me back in time?"

"Sort of, but before you go running off to try and change it, time is linear, it doesn't shift the way people think. You can move through it, but you can't change it. If you try, you'll wind up trapping yourself in an infinite paradoxical loop. Your future has already happened. Also, there is a copy of you running around in this time, and unless you've ever run into him between this point and a year from now," Ryan shook his head although Sam's expression only grew even more ghosted. "Sam, please," Rayne sighed. "Vance has gone off the deep end. He tore apart Las Vegas in two days. The shadow can stop him. It might as well do something good for once." "Whoa, whoa, whoa, what are you saying? You're not seriously suggesting," he didn't bother to finish as he followed them toward the door and stopped at the light that poured through the glass. "What?" Ryan looked back. "Does it bother you?" Rayne asked. "No, I just stopped here because I wanted to...what the fuck do you think?" "Don’t cop an attitude with me you asshole." "After what I've just been through, I can cop an attitude with whoever the fuck I damn please! You see this," Sam held up the stone. "This is the only thing keeping you and Doc. Brown alive right now." Ryan didn’t appreciate the remark. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a pair of sunglasses and handed them over. "Here, put em on, shut up, and for the love of god, don't let go of that stone." "I was just starting to feel bad for you too," Rayne said darkly. "You know," Sam begrudgingly took the glasses and shoved passed them. "Even two years in the future...or past, or wherever the fuck we are, you’re still a royal bitch." "And you're still a mouthy little shit." "Excuse me, but as I recall, you're the one who asked for my help, so if I were you, I'd be kissing my ass right now." "Maybe I'll lay some flowers on your grave, but don't bet on it." "Ha, little late for that." Holding her tongue, Rayne walked in the direction of Leah's. Sam followed behind while Ryan decided to keep out of it. Amused by their dynamic, he said nothing as they approached the Victorian home. "Leah!" Rayne knocked frantically. "Leah open up!" Bottle green eyes peered through the peephole, "What are you doing here?" she asked as she flung open the door. "I thought you were in Vegas?" "Forget about why I'm here," Rayne wasn't going to waste the time. "You have to leave," she pleaded. "Leah this place isn't safe anymore. Pack your things, take everything to your parents. Sam," she lowered her voice, "that thing really is attached to him, and it's going to do terrible things here. Don't go to any summer camps either, please Leah, for the love of everything!" "What, what’s going on?" "We've got problems," Ryan spoke with a faint sympathy. "If you know Rayne than you probably know Vance. There's been a slight...inconvenience. As far as this town goes, you should probably leave, the future...let’s just say it's kind of grim." "I'll leave tonight." "You have to," Rayne pleaded. "And don't go to Vegas."

"Yeah, you might want to avoid Vegas," Ryan agreed while Sam looked down at his arm. "Hey you guys," he called, "you got some extra gauze I can re-wrap this with before my friggen arm falls off?" Rayne stopped talking to stare. "Let me see." Oblivious to the notion she could have been interested in anything other than helping, in his absentmindedness, Sam overlooked the fact she was a vampire. "Don't touch it, it hurts like a son of a bitch." "Rayne no!" Leah raced to hold her back, unfortunately she was quicker and grabbed Sam’s arm to take a chunk out of the wound. "Calm down Rayne, control yourself!" Ryan demanded, as Sam stared at her in shock. "Oh no you fucking idiot...what did you just do?" "What?" she asked sharply. "It's an infection!" he yelled as the others continued to restrain her. "It's fucking contagious. You just bit me. Haven't you ever seen a zombie movie?" "I barely touched you," Rayne spat at his feet. "Doesn't matter. You get any of my blood in your mouth and game over." "Rayne!" Leah looked at her and paled. "Rayne god dammit!" "How do we fix it!" Ryan demanded. "You don't. It's not a curable thing. Now if you don't mind, I'm gonna need a new bandage before this gets any worse." "Come with me," Leah said testily. "Why are you so god damn stupid?" she asked as they headed for the bathroom. "I got a lot of things on my mind right now and worrying about your vampire friend is not on my ta do list. Excuse me if maybe I didn't think she was gonna be dumb enough to try and take a chunk outta me." Stepping into the bathroom, Sam sat down on the tub. "Just leave the gauze on the counter, there's gonna be a lot of blood. I'll take care of this myself." "I'm not into feeding off people like you," Leah turned away and he flung the door closed after her. Looking back at his reflection, he pulled a scissor from the medicine cabinet and very meticulously began to cut away the wrapping. The doctors had bound it a little too tightly and the moment he removed it, a torrent of blood oozed into the sink. "Fuck!" he screamed as the bandage fell apart, revealing a limb that was hardly recognizable. The wound was savage, running the length of his shoulder straight down to his wrist. Huge gash marks tore into his flesh, revealing the muscle beneath. The entire thing was lathered in a bizarre and disturbing black liquid that poured out, alongside a copious amount of blood. "Awe fuck me." Lines of black had begun to travel his veins in either direction. Catching his reflection again, he pulled down the neck of his shirt and grimaced at the sight of the spreading disease. Returning his eyes to the glass, he could be heard screaming profanities as he removed his hat to examine a pair of curved black antenna that ran from the base of his skull to about chin level. "What the fuck it this?!" Grabbing them both, he looked mortified. "Awe man this is gonna ruin my week for sure." Catching the commotion, Leah knocked on the door. "What’s going on in there?" Hearing the noise as well, Rayne darted into the house. "What happened?" she asked,

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 200 momentarily distracted from her own crisis. "Uh…nothing," Sam lied, yanking his hat back on the best he could. "I dropped the scissor." Following after Rayne, Ryan had caught wind of the vulgarities. "Are you alright?" "Yeah I'm fine, it just hurts. Gimmie a few minutes, I'll be right out." Shutting the faucet, Sam fixed his hat so it would rest naturally and opened the door about three minutes later. "Good news is your sink still works. Bad news..." he bit his lip. "This shit is really grilling me. I don't think I'm gonna make it all the way to Vegas. I don't even think I got more than a couple hours left to be honest." "Is there any way to cure it?" Rayne kept her distance, aware she was most likely not too far behind. "Just this," Sam pulled out the slab again. "And the cure is death. The inscription on this thing will kill anyone infected. Lucky me, I got hit after the fact." "How is that possible?" "Long story, but I don't plan on reading it again, not that I can anyway, considering the translation is gone." "Gone? You lost it?" she asked in outrage. "Uh yeah, when you're running for your life, you don't tend to stop and pick things up." Leah rubbed her face. "That’s what purses are for Sam." "I'm not a fucking broad, I don't carry a purse," he crossed his arms and his eyes fell on Rayne. "How are you feeling?" Leah asked her worriedly. "I'm fine," "Yeah and I'm the queen of France." "Ugh look, we don't have time for this," Ryan interjected. "Vance is still out there and while we're standing around here, people are dying. I understand this is a dire situation and forgive my bluntness, but you've been screwed since the day you were born," he said to Sam, "and you," his eyes fell on Rayne. "Maybe this will work to our advantage? You don't seem to be experiencing symptoms and you didn't get too much of his blood in your mouth. If Vancelyn is afraid of the archetype then between the two of you, we might have a chance. Not to mention, you're half vampire, you may have more control over it than he would?" "Thanks a lot asshole." Sam said flatly. "We need to go, now." Ryan summed his blade to open a portal. Watching him do so, Leah pulled Rayne into a hug. "Be careful." As they stepped through, Sam brought up a hand to shield his eyes, having left the glasses in the bathroom. "Enjoying the sunshine?" Rayne asked snidely. "Ryan, do you have a trace on Vance?" "Not yet." "Holy shit...did we just jump half way across the country in like ten seconds?" Although he didn't receive a response, Sam kept going. "You know a couple of weeks ago, this would have seemed reallly strange to me." "You're more aware of the world now." "I hope you fucking combust."

Ignoring them both, Ryan’s expression became grave. "That's odd," he said, more to himself than the others. "What's is?" Rayne asked, ignoring Sam as well. "Vancelyn is defiantly here, but...for some reason, I'm also picking up Saurin." "Saurin? Wait a minute, you know fish kid?" This time Ryan stopped. "Excuse me, that's my cousin you're talking about asshole." "Really? You a fish boy too?" "No," he hissed darkly. "Sam, stop. Could Saurin have come back to get Vance?" "I don't know. I've been looking for him for weeks. I followed his signature trail to Vegas and I found you." "Well maybe your magic stick there is broken?" Sam pointed to the blade and Ryan looked at him flatly. "You're mutating," he said as Sam looked down. Both his thumb and pointer finger were now entirely black, slanting upward into sharp dagger like claws. "Oh man this is some fucked up district 9 shit," he whined and stuffed his hand into his pocket. Taking a step away from him, Rayne looked nauseous. "I don't want to be a prawn," she swallowed thickly. "We'll figure something out," Ryan assured her, weapon vanishing as they entered the city. Thankfully it was still standing, however the damage was evident. Several casinos were demolished, and the streets were currently flooded with upturned vehicles. As far as Vance, he was nowhere to be seen, although the aftermath of his rampage was clear enough for everyone. "Holy shit, this place looks like it was hit by a bomb." "Chaos, we have to find him before nightfall or it's gonna get worse." "Maybe he's at a casino?" Rayne suggested meekly. "That thing isn't Vance anymore. It's not going to be playing cards." "What the hell is it then?" Sam asked. "A problem. It'll probably be somewhat reclusive and dark. You can find him." "Me?" "Yeah, it's a demon and you're half way there already. You can home in on him, can't you?" "Pfth ta hell if I know? It's not like it came with an instruction manual." "Shut your eyes and your mouth and try to sense him," Rayne snapped. "You set him loose that night." "I didn't do that shit consciously. Why don't you try it, you're the vampire. Besides, you’ve been the one controlling him all this time, maybe you should just call your dog?" "He's not going to listen to her, we've already established that, now do something." "Like what? What do you want me to do, click my fucking heals? I don't know how it works. If I did, you think I'd look like this?" Sam held up his hand, which was only getting worse by the second. "Shut your eyes and focus!" Rayne ordered. "I'll do it too." "Ugh..." closing his eyes, Sam opened them again about a minute later. "Nope...I got nothing," he said as he went to lean against the side of a building and nearly fell head first into the wall. "Holy shit!" Staring in shock, the darkness rippled like water before returning to normal.

"Okay, I'm officially freaking the fuck out." "What the hell is that?" Rayne’s hair stood on end. "Is that normal?" "Did you just fall through the wall?" Ryan was actually somewhat surprised. "Almost," Sam shuttered. "I'm gonna have to watch that." "Just don't touch anything." "Oh yeah, easy for you to say. You wait until it happens to you." "Enough." Stepping into the alley, Ryan summoned his blade. "Find Vance," he instructed it as the diamond began to spin. A ball of red light suddenly manifested at its tip before shooting down the street, ironically, straight back in the direction of the hotel Vance and Rayne had been staying.

Chapter 26.

"Do you know this place?" Ryan asked curiously. "This is our room," Rayne looked confused. "How long did you rent it for?" "I don't know, a couple days." "Come on, if he's up there, we need to stop him." "Whoa, hey wait a minute," running into the hotel, Sam looked unhinged. "What's wrong?" "There are people here." Stopping to catch his breath, he stood beside the elevator as Ryan smacked the button. "You're seriously suggesting we fight that thing in a hotel? Does the word zombie apocalypse mean anything to you? How many more lives are you going to put at risk here?" "Lives have already been lost." "Yeah well that doesn't justify losing more of em." "The place has probably been evacuated," Rayne reasoned. "I mean, who would stick around?" Sam shook his head as the door opened and Ryan stepped in. "What floor?" he asked Rayne. "Third," she pressed the button. "Oh yeah...he's here." Sam didn't have to tell him, Ryan could feel it as they made their way down the hall. "Holy shit...please tell me you guys are seeing this?" "Seeing what?" Rayne saw nothing, though she was rather thankful. She did however, feel the tension, a sickening sort of silence as she realized the creature was present. "That door is fucking breathing." Pointing down the hall, Sam motioned toward a room, which just so happened to have been Rayne’s. From his perspective, it was giving off fumes of black energy. Its entire surface rippled with grimdark, unviable to the naked eye. "I can't do this man, fuck this shit," he threw up his hands as Ryan approached. "This is the room?" he asked, though he already knew the answer. "Yeah," Rayne nodded. "That's it." Raising his blade, he hung back as they pushed it open and the air stiffened. Sure enough, Vance was there, or rather, the creature he had become. Sitting casually at the foot of the bed, it had its head down, one arm against a knee, while the other braced itself across the mattress. Non- responsive, its breathing was steady and for the time being, it actually looked to be asleep. "What in the name of hell is that thing?" Sam whispered, although Ryan only hissed at him to be quiet. Saying nothing, Rayne approached the beast and brushed her face were the lines it had drawn were now fading. Resisting the urge to call his name, she remained unsure, however as Sam finally built up the nerve to step inside, the seal of darkness that had been erected, specifically to keep out people such as himself, shattered, and the creature's eye snapped open. "Ooops..." biting his lip, he tried to back out, unfortunately the door closed behind him as a gust of wind rushed forward, blowing both of the others into the wall. Rising to its feet, the creature ignored them and instead, glared at Sam. "Oh shit," he whimpered as it began to advance. "I don't know dude, look I was shanghaied into this one, blame them okay? I'm not even supposed to be here. What? No...no I

didn't...I, I don't know who he is...who are you?" Sam's eyes shot toward Ryan who was currently giving him a strange look. "Oooh shit...you're not actually talking are you? Oh fuck my life." Turning away from him as he slid down the wall, the creature's eyes fell on the Rayne. "Oh, he doesn't like you," Sam grimaced, apparently able to understand something they weren't. "What are you his friend now?" she snapped. "Uh...no, but I can hear what he's thinking, and you probably don't want me to repeat it." The creature suddenly drew its claws and a ball of dark-energy began to manifest within them. Without bothering to wait, Rayne flung her own like a whip. Catching it in its hand, it wrapped it around it arm like a lasso and tugged forward as it launched the ball toward Ryan. Hitting the wall in back of him, it blew a hole about thirteen feet wide. If she hadn't dug her heels into the carpet, Rayne probably would've gone flying. The whip vanished and she threw her pocketknife instead. As before, the creature wasn't fazed. Reaching up to remove it, it tossed it aside and knelt down to wrap its claws around her throat. Ryan lunged, although this time it was ready for him. Flinging him through the wall, binds of darkness burst from the floor and ensnared him to the spot. Sam witnessed the entire thing and did nothing while the beast began to lift the poor girl with one hand. Bringing her to eye level, it tightened its grip and opened its jaws, however, as it leaned forward to essentially end her, something caught its eye and it stopped. Immediately its attention was on Sam again. Looking back at Rayne, it hissed and threw her to the ground as it turned toward him and slammed its claws into the doorframe. "Wha...I didn't do nothing...I don't know, ask the kid with the stick," he threw a glance in Ryan's direction, although before he could go any further, there came a moment of silence and he began to nod. "Get out or die...okay, sounds like a plan. Sounds like a great plan." Gesturing with a nervous thumbs up, Sam watched as the beast’s eyes narrowed and it turned, spread its wing and bolted from the room. Hitting her head on the carpet, Rayne groaned. She lay still, heart beating wildly. It was only as she saw the creature vanish, that she realized no one had died. "What did he say?" "Uh...it was kinda muffled, but something along the lines of, if we leave now, he'll let us live." Sam was still in shock, while Ryan was released and got to his feet. "I can't believe it," he stammered, helping Rayne to her own. "You scared it." "Say what?" "It was trying to intimidate you, but you scared it. I’ve never seen it run." "Yeah well it was intimidating as all shit dude. I did not sign on for this!" "It could have, no..." he shook his head. "It should have killed us. It should have killed you," he looked at Rayne. "Maybe it was a blessing in disguise you took a bite outta him? It might have just saved your life." "At the cost of becoming a dark zombie." Shadows were starting to form beneath her eyes. "I can't believe you scared him, you just stood there!" she stared at Sam. "Can I go home now?" "No," Ryan said. "It wants us to leave. We're not going anywhere. We have the upper

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 205 hand here, and that's something we've never had before. We should wait here till it gets dark." "We? What we?" Sam got to his feet. "I don't know about you two, but I'm done. That was waaay to much, and time is not exactly on my side here," he looked down at his arm, which was now completely black, save for the tan colored gauze strip that covered it. "I don't know about her," he pointed at Rayne. "But I don't think I have till dark." "I'll be fine," she lied, although she could feel it as well. "We have to stop him. It doesn't matter if he let us go." "Rayne's right, but if we go after him now, we're not going to get anywhere. It's broad daylight and none of us can contend well in that to begin with. That's probably the reason it took off. We should stay here and wait until the sun sets." "Who made you leader?" Sam suddenly caught his side. "Ugh I don't feel so good. I think I'm gonna throw up." "Am I going to be like him?" "No, we'll figure something out." Ryan walked with Rayne to the bathroom where Sam was now heaved over. Clinging to the toilet seat, he choked back a froth of black liquid. Pressing the lid down, he laid his head on it with a moan as one of his antenna poked its way out and uncoiled along his back. He hadn't seemed to notice, nor did he notice the fact his hair was starting to go as black as Vancelyn's. Bile ran up Rayne’s throat and she knelt beside him. "Do you want some water?" "Naw...just get sick again." "What about that slab thing?" Ryan stood aside so he could pass. "That..."slab thing," Sam quoted him with his fingers or rather, the ones he had left. "Is doing its job. You're not dead yet, are you?" Walking to one of the beds, he took a seat and pulled off his hat, which no longer fit right anyway. "What is that slab thing?" Rayne asked as he mentioned it. "Ugh, it's a tome. The markings on the rock are some kind of ancient text. All I know is I got shanghaied into finding it and screwed the fuck over." "You listened to that thing to find a tome? Are you sure it didn't just want you to find it so it could kill you?" "Whoa hold up," he shook his head. "That thing had nothing to do with it." Drawing a deep breath, he decided to explain in more detail. "My dad forced me to go on this stupid summer trip for some extra credit. It was either that, or repeat the twelfth grade. I eventually just gave in. The place was messed up right from the beginning. Long story short, whatever this thing is, it’s been there for thousands of years. Mat and I barely got away from it. We found this old cabin out in the woods, apparently there was a guy hold up in there who knew about this shit. He'd been part of it or something? This tome," he pulled out the silver slab, "had something to do with that thing being imprisoned. There were other mechanisms in place but some idiot decided it would be a good idea to build a summer camp there and knock em down. According to legend, if you find the slab and read the incantation, you fulfill the prophecy and game over, bye-bye shadow. The trouble comes in when the son of a bitch runs you down at the last second and takes a bit out of your arm." "Some guy in a cabin? You trusted some hermit in the woods?" Rayne stared at him in disbelief. "Hey, he knew his stuff. Without him I'd just have been dead quicker." "So what happens if someone else translates it?"

"Anybody infected will die. I'm okay with that, but not sure you would be?" "If this thing gets puts to rest, I'll be okay," Rayne was serious. "But we have to translate it then." "Good luck, I lost the cloth with the inscriptions and I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone who reads ancient Latin." "You know this all sounds kinda morbid," Ryan admitted. "There might be other ways?" "Look pall, if there was another way, I would damn well know about it," Sam slipped the tome back into his pocket. "Yes, well you're confined to one realm. There might not be a way here, but I have other assets. I think we should wait until we can weigh in all our options before resorting to such drastic measures." "That might be all well and good for you, but while you're waiting around for you little answers, I'm getting closer to being on the next episode of the fucking X files." "Right now we have to stop Vance," Rayne decided, "he's more important!" "Good luck with that." She looked frustrated. "Ryan, what do we do?" "We need the archetype," he admitted. "It's the only thing that came stop him." "Whoa buddy, if you expect me do go head to head with that," Sam shook his own. "I don't even know how to use this shit, and the last two times that thing decided to make me its puppet, it was lights out. I got no memory of it, zero, zip, nada. Not only that, but if you're asking me to control it...forget it. I told you, it didn't come with an instruction manual, just the head gear." he flicked the side of one of his antenna. "If it senses that Vance may want to hurt you, do you think the shadow will defend you?" "I don't know maybe? But uh...I'm not sure you guys realize the seriousness of putting yourselves at the mercy of this thing." "No I think we do," Ryan gave a nod, recalling back to what had happened at the hospital. "Really, well then you must have the IQ of a cannoli, because if that thing decides it wants out, it's not gonna discriminate. It'll kill all three of you, and probably infect the entire city, just so we're clear on that." "Then what?" Rayne sat on the floor, head pounding. "Then what, what? There is no then what. You don't have anything to worry about, it's already in you...then again, that in and of itself is pretty shitty, but hey, at least you won't have any form of consciousness after it finishes. That kinda takes the fun out of being all powerful, ya know?" "Shut up," she held her head in her hands. "It's not going to get to me." "Uh yeah sure it's not." "It's not," Ryan interjected. "After we defeat Vance, I'm going to find my cousin. If anybody can help her, he can." "Oh yeah sure, defend her. What am I chopped meat?" "You can’t be saved and you know it." "I'm not infected anyway, so shut up," Rayne demanded. "Yeah, and those black veins on your lips are just for show huh? Lovely attitude you got there too. You know that's the first thing to go?" "Stop talking," she snapped angrily. "Why?"

Ryan pointed his blade at him, "Because if you don't, you're gonna have another lump to deal with coming out of your head." "Pfth as if you could hurt me." "The both of us could," Rayne hissed. "Go ahead take your best shot," Sam spread his arms. "No seriously, try, watch what happens." "Don't push me you little bastard. I'll hit you harder than your dad ever did." "Ooh them's fighten words." Reaching into his pocket, he suddenly drew out the gun, which he had apparently picked back up from the hospital floor. "Here," he tossed it at her with a plastic smile. "Go ahead." Rayne didn't even ask for permission. Catching it, she pulled the trigger and Sam hardly flinched. Sitting on the mattress, he watched her miss and arched a brow. "Wow you're a pathetic shot. Here give it back. I'll show you something scary." "Rayne!" Ryan went to take the gun from her instead. "That's not funny. You're going to hurt someone." "No she's not, just give me back my gun, I'll show you." "If you shoot me, Sam...I’ll kill you." "Nobody is going to be shooting anybody," Ryan took it from her hand and slipped it into his pocket. "Whatever, man I'm gonna take a nap. You two kids can do what you want," laying across the mattress, Sam pulled the covers over his heads. "We're not going to be able stop Vance, are we?" Rayne asked morbidly. "Not before Sam and I become dark zombies." "You won't...he might, but we're kind of relying on that. Don't worry Rayne. That thing has an aversion to light. If anybody can find a way to remove it, it's my cousin. He and light are like one in the same thing. Now come on, don't think about that anymore. Why don't you tell me a little bit about what's been going on? You said Vance was your responsibility? What's that about? I mean, other than the amulet which...as a matter of fact," he motioned for her to hand it to him again. "Saurin was going to kill him," she started to explain. "I interfered. I told him I didn't want Vance to die, because we were similar. He listened and bound us together...but it didn't work. I was responsible for feeding him and I failed." "No," Ryan shook his head. "You didn't fail. That kind of responsibility should not have been placed on you. I don’t know what goes through his head sometimes. When it comes to Vancelyn there are no lines of discretion. He doesn’t take kindly to captivity and as far as the whole soul eating thing goes, that really isn't anybody's fault, as much as I would love to crucify him for it. That's not your fault either Rayne. Saurin should have known better." "I insisted," she was adamant. "It was stupid." "Look, if he thought Satan had noble intentions, Saurin would try and reason with him, okay? Great guy, but not much in the lines of common sense. He's only fourteen. You can't expect a child to understand the dynamics of that kinda thing. Trust me, I yield from a darker perspective. I know why you might have looked at Vancelyn and seen a victim instead of an abuser. I have a bias toward him because of something he did to my family, but if I remove myself from that ideology, I can see how someone could come to sympathize. Unfortunately, he is incapable of returning those emotions, and even if he wasn’t, could you imagine a soul eater with feelings? How would something like that be able to survive?"

"He started to date a girl. He genuinely cared about her. He even stopped eating because of her, besides I have feelings and I have to kill to eat." Ryan was about to question her on Liz, when he realized his mistake. "I'm sorry, let me re-phrase that. You might kill to live, but not more than your share and not for fun, or in rapid succession. I'm not an expert on vampires, correct me if I'm wrong but, you only taken what you need to survive, right? And you can get blood from other sources can you not?" With mud colored eyes, Rayne nodded. "That's right." Even at a school that encouraged homicide, they were never taught to massacre humans. "Look at it like this, if a coyote felt compassion for the rabbits it ate, it would starve. In the natural world things work according to a balance. You can sometimes get people who challenge that, but nature doesn't just make those kinds of major mistakes. That would be horribly cruel, even for someone as monstrous as Vance." "He sympathized pretty well with that girl Ryan. He was starving himself for her. I know it sounds farfetched, but it was legitimate. They were inseparable until she found out the truth. Saurin knew, he talked to her." Ryan looked unhinged, although he kept his speculations to himself. "Are you certain he wasn't just using her? Vance can be pretty manipulative when he wants to be." "I thought so too, but it was true. He was hurt when she rejected him, he misses her." "That’s...unsettling." "Why do you say that?" "Several reasons, though the only one that’s important is why. After this whole thing started about a year ago," he took the time to choose his words carefully, "things have been different. Not just for us, but for him as well. His behavior used to be predictable, but now...Do you know what drove him to merge with that thing?" Rayne rubbed the back of her neck. "I told him, he was a monster." The regret in her eyes was obvious as much as she didn't want to admit it. "I shouldn't have been so harsh." "That was it?" he found it hard to believe. "It's been building up," she clarified. "We fought all the time. He's oil, I'm water." "I guess that can happen when you put two people with similar backgrounds together? But if it's any consolation, I don't think you're anything like him. Vance is a monster, it's as simple as that. You've seen the things he's done," Ryan gave a nod toward the window, which was still shattered over the balcony. "He has issues with anyone who gets in his way of furthering his interests, which are namely eat, and cause chaos. That's all he does, it's all he knows." "He can't be taught differently?" "I don't know. Maybe Saurin thought so...maybe that's why he did this? Judging from the results," he shook his head. "I don't think so." "If he can't be taught than neither can I." "Whoa hey, hold on a second." Reaching out, he pressed a warm hand to her shoulder. "You need to stop comparing yourself. You're not Vancelyn, you've already proven that in showing him compassion and choosing to help us stop him. I'm not good with this sentimental stuff, but I know the difference between darkness and evil. You're not evil. Lost perhaps, but not evil." Raising a hand, he spread his fingers and a current of dark energy began to weave through them. "Even in darkness," he said as the energy shifted, transforming from black to a brilliant red flame.

"There's always light. It just might not come in the form you'd expect." "I can't do that," she said quietly. "You don't have to." Vanishing, the fire ceased and he went to take her shoulder once more. "True strength, true light, doesn't come from parlor tricks, or fancy magic. It comes from knowing the difference between right and wrong, and standing up for what you believe in no matter what the cost. Being a good person isn't about darkness, or light Rayne. It's about being true to yourself, being who you are and not what other people want you to be. Our worlds are subjective. There is no true good or evil. What's right for one person might not be so for someone else. It's what you choose to believe that will eventually come to define you. If you hold true to those beliefs, then it doesn't matter where you yield from. You can't have one piece without the other. Look at him," he motioned toward Sam who was currently sound asleep. "He's possessed by something that is probably as evil as it comes, and yet, he's helping us. That thing attacked us even when he had the stone," he reminded her. "Notice that only after I explained our intentions, we haven't had a problem with it since. Everything has a balance. When that balance is disrupted, it can bring out the worse...and the best, in everything." Listening attentively, Rayne ran her fingers through her hair. "You're right," she agreed quietly. "Give me the amulet. This is no longer your responsibility." "No, Ryan, I'm not passing this to you. No way. I can handle it, please." "No Rayne, you can't. This responsibility was mine. It always has been. That son of a bitch killed my father because of something I did. I made a bad mistake and allot of people got hurt. I didn't come all this way to watch someone else suffer for something that can very easily be stopped. I know how to handle this better than you do. If it means something to you, I'll give it back, after I remove what Saurin did to it." "Ryan don't," she pleaded. "You're a normal guy. He's going to weigh you down." "Normal ha," he shook his head and chuckled. "I'm flattered, but normal is what I used to be. Saurin's my cousin and if you know him, then I assume you know what he's capable of? Why would you think I'd be any different?" he asked with a smile. "I can handle Vancelyn and I mean to, quite harshly I might add." "You have a lot more burdens," she insisted, however begin to unclasp the necklace. "Not as many as you'd think. Relax Rayne, I knew what I was getting myself into when I took this job. Probably the only one of the three of us who did." "You're brave," she said as she held it out. "So are you. The responsibilities you tried to take on are admirable." "I'm not admirable." "Hey," reaching out he went to lift her chin. "That's too bad, because I say you are, and you better damn well believe it." "Thank you." "You're welcome, now come on. It's getting late." rising to his feet, he threw a glance out the window. "We need to finish this." "Do you want to wake up sunshine?" Summoning his blade, Ryan went to poke Sam. Rolling over with a groan, he pulled the pillow off his head. "What?" "Wake up, we gotta go."

"Awe man five more minutes, I feel like shit." "We all feel like shit," Rayne countered. "We need to get rid of Vance, now." "By we you mean me." Sitting up, Sam ran a hand along the side of his face, which now exhibited a fair amount of black veins. Opening his eyes, he stared groggily around the room. While one remained its original blue, the other was now a reptilian gold. To make matters worse, the left side of his jaw had been replaced by needlepoint teeth that would have given even Vance a run for his money. Actually drawing back, Ryan suppressed a gasp and Sam furrowed a brow. "Oh great, the look. Do I want to know?" With a frozen expression, Rayne's eye flared copper. "No," she shook her head. "Didn't think so," as he went to get up, his antenna now reached the small of his back and a long black tail tailed behind him. "Oh that's fucking wonderful," he muttered, before noticing their expressions. "Well take a fucking picture, it'll last longer." "I'm going to become a velociraptor?" Rayne covered her eyes. "Keep talking, you're next honey." "Enough," Ryan snapped. "Nobody's next, we're leaving, now." "Oh yeah that's easy for you to say, how the fuck am I supposed to explain this huh?" "Just accept it and let’s go. Nobody's going to care, much less question you." Grabbing her bag, Rayne pulled out another gun. It was a smaller revolver and although it wouldn't put a dent in the creature, she felt safer with it on. If she ever made it out of this mess, she promised herself to find a sword. Rolling his eyes, Sam grabbed his hat off the bed and reluctantly followed them to the elevator. "So where to now genius?" "Same as before, we trace it." "Yeah, and then what." "We end it." "Do you have a trace on him?" Rayne asked. "Now that I know what we're looking for," Ryan nodded as the doors opened and spit them back into the lobby. "The edge of the city, about half a mile into the desert. That's where I'm picking up the strongest reading." "What are you," Sam scoffed, "a fucking demon detector?" "No...but if what I think is going on here really is, it should lead us right to him," offering no further explanation, he hurried through the door. "The desert?" Rayne looked ill at ease. "How will we walk through the desert?" she had never been exposed to one, although her mentor had told her about the sand and what often lurked beneath it. "It's getting dark. The deserts a cold place a night and he's not far. It shouldn't take long." Sure enough, about half a mile off, in the rapidly cooling Nevada sands, Vancelyn, or what had become of him, was perched atop a large rock formation. Sitting casually across its edge, his attention was turned toward the sky, which was fading fast, taking the last remaining light along with it.

Chapter 27.

Vance saw them coming long before they noticed him. Opening his claws, he began to charge a massive ball of dark matter. Reacting immediately, Ryan brought up his blade to deflect the attack, which missed them by inches. Spreading its wing, the creature jumped into the air and Sam suddenly stopped. "Uh...guys...I don't feel so," before he was able to finish, he teetered and fell face first into the sand. Reacting like water, the ground began to ripple, as coils of darkness shot up from beneath it, wrapped around the boy and pulled him down. Rayne’s eyes widened and it threw Ryan off guard, although his surprise was short lived as the shadows parted and an enormous torrent of darkness erupted from within. Towering above them, it held no evident form, although as Ryan threw up a hand, creating a barrier of flame, the shapeless smoke dispersed to reveal the distorted skull of the shadowy fiend, whose jaws pulled back in an ear-splitting howl. Turning from the flames, sunken golden eyes came upon Vance, who instantly abandoned his post. Unfortunately, the shadow was faster. Spiraling upward, it corkscrewed through the air. Like a battering ram against the side of a truck, they collided so hard that he was flung to the ground. Vanishing into the rock, the darkness was silent and there remained an uncertainty between them. Hovering with a panicked expression, Vance hadn't thought to look behind him as the shadow slowly crept back up the hill. A second later, a single clawed appendage tore its hand straight through the Jester’s back. Tensing on the spot, it froze while a pulsing ooze dripped from its body and its eye slowly faded from gold to white. Yanking forward, there was a loud and grizzly squish as the shadow tore Vance straight out of the entity and flung his unconscious body to the ground. Still somehow materialized, the Jester opened its jaws, which had become a tar like mold that the rest of it was rapidly turning into. Huge glops of darkness hit the ground and fizzling to nothing as the shadow engulfed and devoured the rest. Rayne watched in horror. In a rare display of fear, she grabbed Ryan's arm. Rushing down the hill, the darkness flew directly over them, kicking up a whirlwind of sand as it dove into a dune and vanished. Just as shaken, if not more so, Ryan stood there and the flames around them finally died. "Is he dead?" Rayne found her voice after several minutes. Lowering his weapon, which he kept at his side, Ryan gradually shuffled toward Vance. "That thing pulled him straight out of his form. I've never seen anything like that." "I've never seen any of it," she cleared her throat. "Is he dead?" she asked again. "I don't think so. He's hurt pretty bad though," he noticed one of Vance’s arms was bent backward, as well as the fact there was blood pooling in his mouth. "Internal bleeding," Rayne turned away. "Big time, although I'm inclined to let him rot. We have bigger things to worry about, namely that thing coming back." "It's going to come back?" Rayne’s eyes scanned the darkness. "I don't know, but if it does, I don't want to be the poor fool standing around waiting for it." "You're just going to let him die?" her attention fell to Vance again. "I did want to ask him some things but, I'm not sure it's worth the trouble."

"That's pretty cold. He's going to be buzzard food by tomorrow afternoon if the coyotes don’t get to him tonight." "Look Rayne, you don't have to defend him. He's not worth it. Saving him is only going to wind up costing more lives. His persistent refusal to abide by the laws of nature causes things to shift. Saurin came here to correct that mistake. You can't seriously suggest allowing this to go on?" "It's not his fault he has to eat souls." "No it's not, but he is at fault for the choices he makes. For one, releasing the Jester on this city. For another, the torture and murder of countless denizens, the destruction of several alter realms and being a glutton for power, which he derives from intentionally eating more than he needs. You take what you need to survive. He kills for fun, bottom line." Rayne's eyes fell to the sand. She said nothing, although she had turned away, which spoke volumes. "Come on, we have to leave. We'll try and figure something out in the morning." "And Sam? Is he going to be buzzard food too?" she asked bitterly. "Probably not. That thing took off pretty quick. He helped us with what we wanted him to, you can't expect much more than that. Something that dangerous should probably be left alone." "And Sam left to it?" "Sam was gone long before that thing ever took him. Saurin was right, it'd been stalking him for a while. He didn't have a chance. He's a living incarnation of it, whether he wants to be or not." "And we're not going to do anything about that?" Rayne looked frustrated. She didn't like Sam, but his fate seemed particularly cruel. "What can we do?" Ryan asked. "There's nothing. What we need to do, is find my cousin and get you some help before that gets any worse," he pointed toward the black lines that were now clearly visible across her skin. "I'm surprised I'm not being left in the desert," her comment was filled with sarcasm and her mood was steadily growing darker. Catching the slant, he sighed, "What is so important to you about saving these people? If that were you back there," he pointed to Vance. "Do you think he would say the same? Do you think he would show you the same compassion?" "No," Rayne was honest, she held no delusions about being saved, but that didn't mean she wouldn’t appreciate the effort. "I rest my case." "I thought I wasn't supposed to be like him?" "You're not, but there's a line Rayne. I'm not Saurin, I don't give second chances to people who don't deserve them." The look she gave him was a mixture of anger and resignation. Her mentor had taught her that everyone could be saved. That had always given Rayne hope, despite her feelings of being damned. Offering little words, her expression revealed enough. Letting it go, Ryan started back toward the city. Walking behind him, Rayne could feel the sand weighing her down. Glancing at Vance, she felt torn between the right and the humane thing as she remembered what he had said. Of course they'd get rid of the monster, that was always the norm. "I pushed him to become that creature," she had to take responsibility. "I should stay with

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 213 him." "Suit yourself. It's gonna get cold." Reaching into his pocket, Ryan pulled out a tiny red stone. "Here, this will provide you with light. When you're done out here, I'll be back at the hotel." Walking away from him, she took the stone and started toward Vance. Kneeling at his side, she placed her fingers on his wrist to take his pulse. Faint and fleeting, he didn't have much time, however the instant she grabbed him, his hand flipped upward and took hers. Digging his nails into her pale skin, he drew blood as four dark tendrils tore through his knuckles, imbedding themselves within her own. The feeling was frightfully unpleasant, though when the coils finally receded, his wrist fell limp again and the black lines that had previously spread so far up her face had vanished. Jumping as he grabbed her, Rayne screamed. Fortunately, she made no move to end him as the feeling of sickness began to disappear. Catching his wrist as it fell, she glanced at her own. "What'd you do?" she asked in surprise, realizing she felt more like herself. Unfortunately, she received no response. "Vance, I didn't mean to push you." As she placed a hand on him, she suddenly considered a terrible idea. Pushing down on a cut on her wrist, several drops of blood come forth. As they went to spill over, she held her hand to his mouth. Vampire blood-even only half, could often repair the most critical damage. Laying there for about a minute, Vance slowly raised a hand. Without a sound, Rayne got to her feet. "I'm sorry for pushing you," she wanted to say more, mainly along the lines of hoping he'd learned his lesson, although for once, she held her tongue and turned to walk back to the hotel, most likely to face an earful. Almost wishing she could be swallowed by the sands herself, Rayne made it to the room just before dawn. Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, she lifted her hand, revealing her skin had returned to normal. "He lives," she said in a monotone voice, as if ashamed to be admitting such things. Ryan sat up and his gaze narrowed. "What did you do?" "He healed me," she answered. "I gave him a drop or two of my blood for it." "You're telling me you brought him back to life?!" "I didn't think it would be so effective. It healed the internal damage. He was only semi- conscious when I left." Plummeting his face into his hands, Ryan groaned. "I cannot believe you! Do you realize what you've done?" "I didn't want him to die!" she shouted. "It's not fair. I pushed him to become that creature. I had to right a wrong. I'm sorry, I felt bad. He has the ability to feel Ryan. He's fallen in love with someone! If you want to kill him go ahead, but at least let it be fair." "Fair! There is no fair Rayne. He was dead last night. That was supposed to be the end of it. You know what, just go home. I will take care of Vance, this is no longer your concern. Go back to Greenville, or wherever you came from and let it go. You're not helping by making this more difficult than it needs to be." "You're the one that wants to get rid of him," she grabbed her bag. "I never wanted to be involved in this. I was trying to keep to myself. This was a mistake from the very beginning." Ryan did not respond. Meanwhile, the sun was just starting to come up and considering the chaos of the last couple of days, the streets were surprisingly empty. Still a dark blue, the sky emitted gentle hues

of gold in the distance, though it was far too early for any real light. Trying not to sob, the vampires covered her face as she cared little for the weather or atmosphere. The farther she got, the darker the streets became and as she neared a vacant alley, a loud bang sounded from within. Peering at her through narrowed eyes, a horrible shadow fiend leapt from a dumpster, bared its teeth and climbed swiftly up the side of a building. Somewhat less antagonistic than it had been, something about it was off. It seemed almost physical, wherein its presence had previously been far more daunting. Nevertheless, it took one look at her and turned to flee. "Sam?" Adjusting her bag, Rayne climbed the fire escape. Retreating up the roof, it had slipped between a couple of air conditioning units. Wrapped around one of its arms were traces of tan gauze, and even more revealing, was the fact that despite being torn to pieces, it was wearing his hat. "Sam, it's me Rayne. I don't want to hurt you," she softened her tone. "Do you know who I am?" He didn't have much of an expression, but evidently managed to pull off a pretty good what the fuck without words. "You stopped Vance, Sam. You kicked his ass," she figured that would grant him some comfort although his attention shifted as Vance walked out of the nearby motel a few seconds later. "Oh no," Narrowing his gaze, Sam, suddenly rushed passed her. Leaping off the roof, his intentions were obvious as he landed in front of Vance, who stopped in his tracks. "Whoa…look I...It's not my fault," he stammered and began to back away. "You won okay, I surrender," somehow he seemed to understand. "Look I'm leaving okay, I'm done. Can we just call it a truce?" "Sam no!" Rayne used her energy to rally him in. "Get a hold of yourself!" she cried. Spinning at her offence, the creature bore its teeth. Lurching forward, it went to take a chunk out of her, when suddenly, a large ball of flames was shot in its direction. Rearing onto its hind legs, it let out a shriek and bolted down the alley, leaving the three of them standing there unharmed. "What are you doing here?" she asked as she saw Ryan. "What I came here for," he stepped toward Vance as he attempted to throw open a portal. Allowing Rayne's necklace to drop through his fingers, Ryan toddled it back and forth and shook his head. "You can thank her for this." "Big fucking surprise there. What do you want?" "You know what I want, but first you're going to answer a couple of my questions, starting with what happened to my cousin." "How the fuck should I know? I haven't seen him in weeks. Not since little miss schizophrenia over there decided to dupe him into manufacturing that fucking charm." "Really?" Uncertain he believed him, Ryan looked at Rayne. "Is that true? Has he been with you this entire time? Or better question, when did you last see Saurin?" "The last time I saw Saurin was at Leah's house, before we left for Vegas," she answered while looking at Vance. "I saved your life thinking there was something worth saving, asshole." "Really," he hissed, "because you’ve been running that spiel for weeks. How many times have we gone through this? These bastards track me down, torture me, and you have to intervene

just so that they can do it again. You're a self-serving sadist." "You're the one who repents about what he’s done and then decides to kill three hundred animals!" "It's called survival you dumb bitch! It's not a liner thing. I went three weeks without food. Unlike you, my system doesn't work on one sitting. There's a negative bar. If I'm down by three week, it's gonna take three more weeks’ worth of souls in order to get back to zero, but did you ever bother to ask? No, of course not, you just fucking assumed that I did it to spite you. As if I don't have anything better to do than make your life miserable the way you ruined mine!" "ENOUGH!" Throwing up his hands, Ryan had no desire to listen to them argue. "That's irrelevant, now I want to know what you did with Saurin!" "I told you, you mook I didn't do anything. I've been with her the whole time." "Well according to my sources, so has Saurin." "Well then your sources are wrong." "I followed his bio-signature to this very spot. If you don't believe me, watch," holding his blade over his head, Ryan instructed it to locate Saurin, which it did so quite gladly. Summoning a small ball of red light, it floated faintly off the tip and immediately shot toward Vance, circling him rapidly as he arched a brow. "Your stick there is broken buddy." Looking almost as confused, Ryan glanced at his blade. "No," he shook his head, "it's not. According to the Nightstriker...you're him." Rayne frowned upon hearing the diagnosis. "What do you mean, he’s him?" "What did you do!" "I didn't do shit. If you don't know how to use that thing, you shouldn't be playing with it." "I know damn well how to use it Vancelyn, artifacts don't lie. Now tell me what you did, or I swear to god I'll take your head off where you stand!" "I wouldn't," slowly reaching out he tapped the weapon aside. "Oh yeah, and why shouldn't I?" "Well for one, if your assumption is correct, you'd be doing more harm than good." "Explain!" "I assure you, it was not intentional." "What was it!" "A mistake...although it might have worked out in my favor. I guess you should be thanking crazy over there," he nodded at Rayne. "If she wasn't so bipolar, I'd be dead and if your stupid little blade is right, so would he." Ryan's expression became uneasy as a grim smile spread across Vance's face. "What the hell did you do to Saurin?" Rayne demanded. "I'm not certain yet. I have my speculations, but," "But you've been acting strange for a long time," Ryan snapped. "You tell me that doesn't have something to do with this!" "It might, it might not. I told you, I don't know. The only way you're going to know for sure is to find fish boy and see if your little weapon recognizes him as me. If that's a case," "If that's the case, you're gonna fix it!" "Ha, yeah sure whatever you say." "Where is he!" "I told you, I don't have a clue. But uh, looks like some of the cards are back in my hand

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 216 now and too bad for you. If either of you so much as touch me," he suddenly drew back as Ryan lunged, bringing the blade about three inches away from his face. "One of these days, I'm going to take great pleasure in killing you." "Yes well, until that day comes," reaching out again, he pushed its tip away. "You're gonna have to be a little bit nicer to me." "Ryan, what does your sword say?" Rayne asked. "It says that Vance and Saurin are essentially the same person," he admitted. "I don't know how that's possible, but he knows something, and until I know what's going on, I'm afraid I don't have a choice." "Well there’s some good news." "Oh don't get your hopes up asshole. We're gonna go find Sam, and then you and I are going back to Greenville to find my cousin, and when we do, you're going to fix this." "So is it a good thing I didn't let him die then?" Rayne asked with a tilt of her head. "If he's correct, then yes, I owe you an apology, but that doesn't mean I approve of the ideologies behind it." "You don't have to, I'd prefer the apology." "Well you have it," Ryan turned to face Vance again. "You can communicate with grimdark can't you?" "What of it?" "I'm not leaving that thing out there to terrorize this place, not after last night. I need somebody who can find and contain him." "Are you insane, nothing can contain that thing." "Nothing can contain the archetype, but that thing," Ryan shook his head, "was not what attacked us last night. It’s Sam and he's probably not happy." "Ya think?" "For someone who almost died, you’re still as mouthy as ever," Rayne scoffed. "We need to help Sam, even if that means muzzling him." "And you're still obnoxious. Did I even get a thank you? If it wasn't for me, your dumb ass would be in a muzzle too." "And if it wasn't for me, coyotes would be picking you apart right now." "Enough, both of you. You guys are like a married couple, I swear." "Married to this?" Rayne cringed, "I'd rather marry Satan," "Come on, we need to find Sam before it gets too bright out," Ryan ignored the remark and came to a stop half way down the alley. Noticing a shattered window, he gave a nod. "Hey Vance, why don't you go down there and check that out?" "Um how about no?" "How about you're the only one who can communicate with it, not to mention, you're immune. If he wails on you, what's the worst that could happen?" "Um…death?" "Don't make us so hopefully," Rayne muttered. "Let's just all go in." "I'm not sure that's the safest idea." "You control fire, why don't you just light the place up and be done with it?" "Well for one, the building could explode, now you're going in first, get moving." Figuring it was best not to argue, Vance opened a portal and slipped through. Emerging on the other side, he manifested a small flashlight, which he clicked on and began to pan around. "I can see in the dark, I'll help him look," Rayne was small enough to slip in through the

broken window. Noticing her, Vance kept a few steps ahead, while Ryan debated whether or not to follow. Panning the light, he stopped as something scurried toward a boiler. Slowly circling it, the creature Sam had become was pressed against the wall, baring its teeth. Vance noticed how its attention seemed more focused on the light and his eyes narrowed. "Oooh you don't like that, do ya?" With a piercing hiss, Sam tried to back away, unfortunately, the room was blocked off and he didn't have anywhere to go. "I bet it burns doesn't it?" Following a few feet behind, Rayne stopped as she noticed what he was doing and smacked the back of his head. "Owe hey, what the fuck?!" "You accuse me of being sadistic? You're hurting him!" "Hey justice where justice is due! That little shit almost killed me." "It wasn't Sam who tried to kill you, it's the thing haunting him. Look what you did!" Rayne wasn't a fan of torture, despite their accusations. "You're a damn animal, you know that?" "Just to people like him. Little shit gave me nothing but grief back in Greenville. Paybacks a bitch isn't it?" "Yeah and you murdering his friend wouldn't be reason enough?" "What? Who says I murdered his friend?" "You ate his soul!" "You’re talking about Rorik?" Vance rolled his eyes. "If you wanna call that friendship, okay fine." "It doesn't matter Vance, that's motive!" "Whatever...I'm the one with the flashlight now," Aiming it at one of Sam’s antenna, he snickered as the appendage began to sizzle. "I said stop it!" Spinning around, he shown the light in her face, and went to say something when he was suddenly thrown against wall by a stream of flames. Climbing into the basement, Ryan had witnessed what he was doing and quickly put an end to it. Holding the talisman Rayne had given him, he said something that sounded like Latin and a dark portal opened beneath Vance and sucked him through. Shaking his head, he knelt to pick up the flashlight as it rolled across the floor. "He was torturing him," Rayne said. "I couldn't let him do that. Is there any way to help Sam?" "He should be alright." Sam’s wounds were indeed beginning to heal over. At the sound of footsteps however, he bared his teeth. "He’s not going to hurt you," Rayne said gently. "He's not like Vance. We're trying to help." Her words seemed to steady him, although he still looked petrified. "Easy." Holding out a hand, Ryan tried to coax him down and dared to take a step forward. As he did, Sam screeched and the noise was such a high octave they were forced to cover their ears. Rayne hissed and her face paled. "Sam please!" she groaned. "I'll lose my hearing." Settling down, he dropped to the concrete floor. Using one of his claws, which could have easily been the end of a steal wall, he traced several lines across the pavement and looked

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 218 up again. Written in a somewhat scribbled manner was one word, "Help." "We will help you Sam." "Look," Ryan began. "We're going back to Greenville. We have to find my cousin. I don't know what to do about this situation, but he might be able to help you?" Sam didn't appear to object, although it was kind of subjective, considering he didn't really have much of an expression. "Can he travel with us?" Rayne asked. "Like that, I don't know, but we can't just leave him here." Sam screeched again although quickly cut himself off. Head still pounding, Rayne took a steadying breath. "Can you create another portal thing?" "Do you know somewhere secluded?" "Leah's house should be empty if she chose to abandon it?" "Alright." Drawing his weapon, Ryan swung it upward summoning a bright white portal, which in turn, caused Sam to lower his gaze. The light opened, spitting them out in front of the old Victorian house. Considering the time difference between New York and Nevada, it was already well past noon in Greenville. Having no desire to be left behind, Sam closed his eyes and jumped through. Hitting the ground on the other side, he winced and pulled back in shock as he realized, he was himself again. "Wha?" "What the hell is this?" Rayne asked. "Did you heal him or something?" Just as confused, Ryan turned and shook his head. "No...I..." he suddenly noticed Sam’s shadow. "Look at that." Despite his human appearance, the shadow he cast belonged to something else. Rayne felt the hairs on the back of her neck being to rise. "Let's get inside before people notice." Ryan followed while Sam got up. Despite looking himself again, there were a few subtle differences, mainly his eyes, which bore huge sunken rings, providing a very zombified expression. If that wasn't enough, his skin had taken on an almost yellowish tint, indicative of something rotten. Though still loosely bandaged, his arm, or what could be seen of it, had become a putrid purple black, and frankly, it was a miracle he had function of it at all. Rayne glanced back as she pushed open the door. The house was startling vacant. All of the Celtic tapestries had been removed as well as the vases and silver antiques. "Sam, do you need one of us to look at that wound?" "Help yourself." "Come on, I think Leah kept antibiotic shots around here somewhere. Ryan, you can make yourself at home." "Do you guys want something to eat?" he offered, as Sam took a seat on the couch. "I can go pick up some chicken or something?" "Raw meat, please." "Raw but..." taking a moment to consider the argument, he retaliated with a nod. "Alright, I'll see what I can find." Not bothering to ask Sam, who at this point wasn't going to respond, he turned and hurried off. Adorning a pair of rubber gloves, Rayne began to unwrap the bandages. The smell was so bad she had to stop to tear open an alcohol swab. Watching her do so, Sam's eyes traveled and he

turned away as she removed the last of the dressings to reveal the wound underneath. Horribly blackened, huge chunks of flesh tore open across the limb, which was slit right down to the bone. Instead of blood and muscle, it held a rich yet thankfully dry, blackish color. Radiating out, his flesh went from charred, to purple, to blue and a stomach churning green that ran up from his hand. Choking back a cough, he took one look at the damage and had to cover his mouth in order to keep from vomiting. Blinking rapidly, Rayne's fair skin began to acquire a green tint itself. "Sam, the black stuff has to be taken out, it's dead tissue. It'll never heal right." "Just do whatever." Still trying to keep from being sick, he refused to look at it and shook his head. "I'm not a doctor so don't sue me." Rayne took out the scalpel. Most of it came off easily, however, the farther down she got the more it began to fight her. Oozing green slime, she felt as if she was in the presence of a corpse. Placing ointment on the worse parts, she did the same for what was infected, although topped off the therapy by hastily injecting him with a shot. "If my arm falls off, I swear to god," he shuttered as she poked him with the needle. "It would be your own fault for letting it get this bad. Seriously if it smells, you should probably change the dressing. Hello, health 101?" "It wasn't like this yesterday. I changed the damn thing when you tried to take a bite out of me, remember?" "It's not a normal infection," Rayne reminded herself aloud. The antibiotics at best, would give him another hour. Furrowing a brow, Sam suddenly realized she was no longer infected herself and his expression darkened. "Vance healed me," she said quietly. "If I see him again, I'm gonna shove his face in a blender." "I'll hold him down." she offered a grin. "Little prick. I thought he was supposed to be dead? I take it last night didn't go well?" Having no recollection, Sam had remembered passing out and waking up in town somewhere, the rest was a gigantic blank. "Nope," Rayne left it at that. "You mind if I get a room?" he asked as he got to his feet. "No, I'm going to take a nap myself. Don't do anything stupid." Wandering into a bedroom, Sam shut the door behind him. Purposely dimming the lights, which bothered his eyes, he walked to the window and closed the blinds before plopping down across the mattress. Pulling the brim of his hat over his face, he buried his head in his arms and proceeded to have a complete break down over everything that had transpired.

Chapter 28.

Having returned to find an empty house, Ryan automatically assumed they were both asleep though instead of joining them, he took to the kitchen, figuring perhaps breakfast would do everyone some good. Rayne had missed her bed, nuzzling the pillow, she caught the scent of food, which caused her to roll off the mattress and start downstairs. Setting a place at the table, the smell of eggs and sausage permeated. "You know how to cook?" "Of course," Ryan chuckled, placing the bacon beside a bowl of eggs. "You seem surprised. Why? Is that so shocking?" "A bit, I thought most guys didn’t know how to cook?" "Depends I guess? I learned from a friend of mine. I've been told I'm pretty good at it. If I wasn't, I'm sure I would have heard something from Saurin or Kristy by now? Without me, the two of them would starve." "It is good," Rayne picked apart a strip. She hadn't learned how to make breakfast food, although she felt proud of herself for making the most out of Campbell soups. "So you're like their protector?" she asked, having already gathered from Saurin that Ryan looked out for his own. "Not really. But I guess I generally pick up the slack. Saurin's always getting himself into trouble, and Kristy’s usually right behind him. I just have the luck of bailing those two out half the time." "You watch over them like a big brother." "Saurin's my little cousin, of course I watch out for him. And Kristy's just kinda always been there." Spooning more food onto her plate, Rayne picked at it. "So noble," she laughed. "Hardly," Ryan looked up again as he noticed they were one head short. "Where's Sam?" "He went upstairs to take a room. Want me to go get him?" "Let me come with you," he suggested. "I'm not going to eat him, if that's what you're worried about?" "Actually, I was kinda thinking the other way around." With a stark look, Rayne headed up. Turning down the hallway, she knocked on Sam's door. When she didn't receive a response, she reached out to try the knob and the door swung open, revealing the darkened room, and a lump of bed sheets bundled near the top of the mattress. Trying the light switch, Ryan found it odd that the circuit had been cut. When it didn’t work, he walked to the window to draw back the curtains. "Sam, come on," Rayne pulled off the covers to expose the same horrific creature from the night before. Starring up at her with piercing yellow eyes, it brought a hand to its face as the light filtered in. What happened next was both revealing and startling. The moment the sunlight touched it, the shadow was forced into the wall, and Sam opened his eyes, which were once again his own. Recoiling slightly, Rayne looked unhinged. "It's breakfast time you sleeping pain in the ass." "Do I look hungry to you?" "Get up, you have to eat."

"I don't wanna eat," he grumbled and laid back down. Pulling the covers again, she insisted, and between the two of them, the sheets ripped clean in half. "Oh that's terrific, look what you just did!" "Look what you did for being lazy!" she glared. "You don't want breakfast fine, starve!" "Just ignore him," Ryan followed her out of the room. "If he doesn't want to eat, more for us." "Exactly," she flipped him off. "He's a little brat. We were just trying to be nice." "He's sick, cut him some slack." "No one can be nice all the time," Rayne said as she sat down to eat. "That's an anomaly." "I thought you said you met Saurin?" "I did, but I never said I didn't think he was a little off." "Yeah, I know what you mean." With a polite smile, the vampire finished her meal in silence. "So what now? We look for him?" "Yeah, you said this was the last place you saw him. There has to be some clues here, though to be honest, I'm not really sure where to start?" "We could walk around?" Rayne suggested. Thinking it over, Ryan got up and went to toss his plate. "We might cover more ground in separate directions. I haven't seen Saurin in over a month, and the fact that Kristy's gone missing too, worries me. Granted, they could just be goofing off somewhere but, I get the feeling it might not be that simple." Rayne brushed her bangs from her eyes. "Think Sam will be alright by himself?" "He looked pretty out of it. I don't think he's going anywhere." "I'll see what I can find then." "Alright, I'll meet you back here in a few hours." Rayne lit a cigarette before heading down the street. It bothered her that the boy had gone missing, especially since it hadn't been obvious. Racing toward the other side of town, Ryan had proposed they split up for a reason. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the amulet and shortly after, summoned Vance. "Get up," he hissed, pocketing the charm as the dark portal spit him onto the ground. Vance reached back to rub his head while Ryan goaded him further. "I said get up!" "Alright already, keep your fucking pants on," straightening his posture, he brushed off his shirt and took a moment to survey his surroundings. "Wait a minute, is this Greenville?" "Never mind that, we have a job to do. You're gonna find my cousins, and no funny business." "I told you already dumb ass, I don't know where he is." "And that's why you're going to find him." Meanwhile, back at the house, thanks to the curtains, which had never been closed, Sam didn't get much sleep and eventually wound up abandoned all hope. Dragging himself out of bed, he lumbered down the stairs and was somewhat surprised to find he was alone. "Go figure." Walking to the couch, he sat down for a second and removed his hat to run a hand through his hair. "I could sure use a smoke." Returning it to its position, he suddenly stumbled on

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 222 a realization. "Wait a second, today's what?" counting his fingers, he snapped them together. "Friday, that means schools in session," a thin smile crossed his face and without hesitation, he bolted out the door. Making his way across town, he headed in the direction of his house. Jumping the white picket fence, he hurried across the lawn and slipped around back. "Where is it?" There were a group of rocks scattered haphazardly within a flowerbed and it took him a second to find the fake one. When he noticed it, he quickly knelt down and pried it open for the key. "Please let them be a work," slipping in through the back door, Sam listened for any sign of his parents. Hearing nothing, he assumed they were both gone and quickly raced upstairs. Digging around for his stash, he went to pocket it and suddenly stopped. "Son of a bitch, that's where it all went," slapping a palm across his face, he realized that in taking the pot, he'd inadvertently just stolen it from his past self. "Fuck man…oh well," stuffing the box back under the bed, he got up to leave when the sound of his mother’s voice caught his attention. "Sam? Is that you?" "Oh shit!" looking around for somewhere to hide, the footsteps neared the door and it slowly began to open. Doing the only thing he could think of, Sam threw himself against the back of the frame and held his breath as his mother stepped into the room. "That's strange, I could have sworn I heard," shaking her head, she left the door open and continued forward. Sam began to panic, though it suddenly occurred to him, he was no longer human, and despite the voice in the back of his head, which screamed objections, as his mother began to turn, he took a step forward, closed his eyes and fell straight down through his own shadow. Dropping through the rafters, he hit the living room floor and his gaze snapped upward as a void of black energy closed above him. Wasting little time in scrambling to his feet, he bolted out the front door, and hurried off. He got about a block before he stopped to light one up. "Man it has been too long." Taking a drag, he leaned against a wired fence as the high school bell rang out in the distance. "Wait a minute, schools in session," he suddenly dropped the smoke and ran. Meanwhile, Ryan reluctantly returned to the house, while Vance followed behind. "No luck?" Rayne called to them as she exhaled a plume of smoke. "Could he be in a lake or something? I mean, that form he takes, it might've rained," she had spent the last half hour contemplating just that possibility. Choking back a scoff, Vance bit his lip and Ryan gave him a dark look. "Are there any lakes around here that you know of?" "We could check the surrounding areas? It's possible it could've happened if he was following us." "He wasn't following us," Vance interjected. "Dildo over here was tracking me." "Clean out your mouth." "Be my guest," he snickered, exposing a grin filled with razor sharp teeth. "He said he'd keep an eye on us," Rayne ignored Vance. "We should search bodies of water, that's our next best bet." "There's a lake near the high school isn't there? Braum Park or something to that effect?" Vance gave a slight nod and began to pick his nails while Rayne flicked the butt in his direction. "You think Haine is still asleep?"

"Not on your life." Ryan just shrugged. "Probably, come on," ushering them forward, he took off toward the high school, where Sam was already headed. Hanging back, he’d purposely avoided the gym, assuming he didn't want to run the risk of encountering himself. Instead, he hurried off in search of the photography lab, knowing Mat spent most of his time there. Waiting impatiently for the bell, he got to his feet the moment everyone else had cleared out. Sure enough, Mat left the room a couple of minutes after, and Sam grabbed his arm. "Hey, I need to talk to you." Throwing a swift glance to the side, he took one look at him and pulled back. "Jesus Christ what happened to you?" "That's what we gotta talk about, not here though." "Sam what's going on? I just saw you not fifteen minute ago! What did you do?" Mat stammered. "Look man, I know I've said a lot of stupid shit in the past, but if there is one thing you ever have to believe me about, it's gotta be this." "Sam what is going on?" Mat was beginning to lose his patience. "Why do you look like you're dead?" "Because I am, and so are you if you don't listen to me." Furrowing a brow, he clearly thought it was a euphemism and gave Sam an estranged look. "Dude there's gonna be this trip," he stopped as something caught his eye. Peering across the lot, he noticed Ryan, Vance and Rayne heading in his direction. "Fuck!" Mat noticed the three as well and his brow furrowed even more. "Hey, isn't that Rayne?" "Yeah no shit," Sam hissed and quickly ran off. Bringing a hand to the side of his face, Ryan suddenly realized what was happening. "That's his friend right?" he didn't wait for a response. "That moron is trying to change the past. Stay here," Watching him take off, Vance slowly began to edge backwards. Currently unaware of this, Ryan ran toward Mat, who caught his eye and turned. "Hey, was that Sam Haine you were just talking to?" "Yes, why?" "What did he say to you?" "Nothing, what does it matter?" "It's important, he erm…he takes drugs right?" Ryan went off on a limb. "Is that what this is about?" "Yeeeaah," he gave a nod. "He skimped out on a payment." "Pfth...how much," Mat pulled out his wallet and began to shake his head. "Hey Ryan," Rayne hurried over. "We've got a problem. Vance just pulled a Houdini." "He what? Oh Christ…Keep your money, I’ve got bigger problems. Where did he go?" "I don't know," she growled. "He just vanished. Can you bring him back with a summons?" Ryan pulled the amulet from his pocket. "He not in range. Bastard, come on we have to find him." Having purposely jumped far enough as not to be tracked, though he couldn’t leave the

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 224 vicinity, he damn well tried. Re-appearing at the edge of town, Vance stepped out of the void into a local graveyard. Throwing up the hood to the black jacket he was now wearing, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and began to wander. "Where is this place?" he wondered aloud, eyeing the stone plaques beneath him. Reading off the names in his head, he became so pre-occupied that he wasn't looking where he was going and evidently walked straight into someone. "Hey why don't you watch where the fuck you're going!" he snapped, only to stop upon realizing who he'd hit. Throwing a glance across her shoulder, Liz narrowed her gaze. "Um, you're the one who walked into me." Taking several steps back, Vance's eyes drifted from her to the headstone, which just so happened to belong to Rorik Ivory. "Oh that's awkward." "Excuse me?" "Nothing," he took another step back and reached up to pull his hood down even farther. "Do I…know you from somewhere?" she toyed with a single white rose in her hand. "No, just passing through." Ignoring the flower, Vance took more notice in the small red stone she was wearing around her neck. Rayne had been telling the truth and it came as quite a shock. Noticing him eyeing it, or rather, somehow aware that he was, she reached down and placed a delicate hand across its surface. "It was a gift from a friend," turning toward the grave, she laid the rose upon it. "You miss him?" Vance asked uneasily. "Of course I do. He left before I got to say goodbye. The last thing I said to him was well, not what I meant to say." As she knelt beside the stone, it was against his better judgment to do anything but walk away, unfortunately Vance never tended to listen to the voice inside his head when it told him not to do things. "And what if there was a way?" "Hrm?" Liz slowly looked back. "I mean, if you could see him again?" Getting to her feet, she began to regard him quite questionably. "And how would I do that?" "Uh…you kinda already are." Blinking back a rush of surprise, her eyes widened and she took a step forward. "Rorik!" "Well, not anymore," Vance admitted as she went to pull back his hood. "I wouldn't do that," he warned. "Well you're not me, are you?" she threw it back anyways. Meeting his gaze, when she saw his eyes, she recoiled. Lowering them, Vance went to return his hood. He'd expected her to react in such a way, but it didn't mean he wasn't bothered by it. Turning to walk off, before he'd gotten more than three paces, he was forced to stop as she bolted forward and wrapped her arms around him. "Don’t go!" There was a long pause and he spoke again, "I have to." "Are you kidding?" "No, I have some…unpleasant people on my trail and if they catch up..."

"Well then they can take it up with me," pressing her hands to her hips, she gave him a flat look. "It doesn't work that way." "To hell it doesn't." "Look Liz I'm serious about this, if they find you with me." "They'll do what? I'll take care of it. Now come on, you've got a lot of explaining to do Mr." Grabbing him by the arm, she pulled him toward a bench. It seemed that some things never changed as Vance was reluctantly forced to sit down, while Liz stood over him like a scolding mother. "I really can't stick around," there was no arguing. "Well that's too bad, because I have a lot of question and I'm not leaving this spot until they’re answered, and that means, neither are you. Now, why don't we start with the simple ones?" "Simple ones?" he looked uneasy. "Yeah, like maybe you want to tell me your real name? I'm pretty sure it’s not Rorik." "How’d you guess?" She pushed him back as he tried to get up. "I don't think so. Sit there and explain yourself. Name now!" Drawing a deep breath, Vance sighed as he told her. "VaRorik..." she said suddenly. "What?" "The first day we met, when you almost ran me over in the hallway. I asked you your name and you slipped up." It took him a second to recall although, when he did, he bit his lip. "Oooh, yeah I kinda did." Watching from afar, Ryan's jaw dropped as he saw the cheeky teenage girl order Vancelyn LaChance onto a bench, what's more that he actually obliged her. "You see?" Rayne stammered. "If I wasn't seeing this with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it." "Vancelyn huh?" Liz raised a brow. "Most people just call me Vance." "I think I prefer the other one." "Suit yourself, Elizabeth." "Don’t get cheeky. Now, question number too. This one's a little trickier so don't hurt yourself. What happened to all the middle schoolers around here?" Furrowing a brow, he looked up. "Wait what?" "Come on, I know you had something to do with the highs schoolers, it only makes sense that you would have something to do with...hey wait a minute," she suddenly reached out and smacked him across the head. "You! You killed Mr. Puss!" "Owe Liz that hurt! I don't know what you're talking about, and I didn't eat your cat." "Don't lie to me Vance," she emphasized his name and he cringed. "I walked in on you in my kitchen. You were eyeing Mr. Puss for dinner weren't you?" "Okay fine, but then I learned his name." "And just what is so funny?" "Mr. Puss? Are you fucking kidding? I wouldn't eat something named that if you paid

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 226 me." Vance began to chuckle and she reached out to hit him again. Blocking her hand, he continued to laugh. "You know, you should have gotten a cocker spaniel to go with Mr. Puss, I'm sure they'd have had a lot of fun." Liz's jaw dropped and she turned a bright red. "Can we go?" Rayne grumbled. Rolling his eyes, Ryan got up. "Yeah we can go, right after I put that vulgar thing back in his box." "Hurry up I'm ready to lose my breakfast. Careful though, if you disappear him in front of her, Juliet might get ideas." "Don't worry, I know how to deal with this," he said as he walked toward the two of them. "Hey, you, with the blonde." The humor immediately left Vance's face and he bolted out of his seat. "What the...hey!" Liz stammered as he pushed her behind him. "Come on Vance, didn't your parents ever teach you not to play with your food?" "Shut the fuck up," he hissed. "Excuse me?" Liz placed her hands on her hips. "How dare you speak to me like that?" "Can it girly, do you even know what that thing is?" "That thing as you call him, is my boyfriend and yes, as a matter of fact I do." Both boys' eyebrows rose while Liz walked up to Ryan, who actually took a step back. "Now apologize." "Uh Liz, what are you doing?" Vance asked nervously. "I don’t stand for bullies, something I learned from you as a matter of fact," she was still glaring. "Are you going to apologize, or am I going to have to get rough?" "Look erm Liz was it? I think you should just go home. This is a lot bigger than you realize and you're gonna get hurt." "Not as badly as you are," she suddenly bitch slapped him across the face while Rayne appeared at his side. Looking faintly amused, she said nothing to Liz, although she was quite ready to break her arm if she got any ideas about striking her. Before she had the chance however, Vance grabbed her by the arm. "Liz don't! She's Satan, she'll destroy you." "Excuse me? This is coming from you, Mr. I eat people?" "That's exactly why you should believe me," he nodded. "Actually, speaking of which, you never answered my question," placing her hands on her hips again, she glared at him. "What happened to those middle schoolers?" "Middle schoolers?" "Yeah you know, the fifteen kids who've gone missing over the last two weeks?" Vance's expression darkened. "I haven't been here. If you don't believe me you can ask tweedle dee and tweedle dum. They've been keeping me on a real tight leash." Turning toward the others, Liz tilted her head. "Shut your fat mouth Vancelyn," Rayne hissed at his jibe. "There's no way this jackass could've made it this far for a snack. Besides, he demolished an entire zoo." Arching a brow, Liz looked at Vance. "What, you've never had and animal cracker before?" "Whoa, hold up a minute," Ryan intervened. "What were you saying about these

disappearances?" Looking back at him, Liz sighed. "Well, nobody really knows too much and if it wasn't him," she jerked a thumb toward Vance, "then I'm not sure. There was a potential eyewitness to one of the cases. An elderly woman said she saw a boy get thrown into a white van. The kid she described was never reported missing, so nobody really thought too much of it." Ryan paled. "What did she say he looked like?" "I don't remember. Blonde, short kid, white clothes." "Well that sucks." Vance scoffed. "A white van?" Rayne looked confused. "Saurin was kidnapped? Wouldn't he be able to get himself out of that mess?" "Kristy's missing too," "Really now?" Vance arched a brow. "You think it's Frankenstein?" "I think things just got complicated." "Frankenstein? What the hell are you guys talking about?" "This where we part ways. If what she's saying is true, I can't put you in that kind of danger." "How about you tell me what's going on and let me decide for myself?" "The man is a geneticist," Ryan sighed. "He's also insane. I've never dealt with him directly but I've heard stories, bad ones. If he's got Saurin, he's using him as bait, which means he has Kristy too." "A geneticist?" Rayne asked with a frown. "A human? We could get them back." "It's not that simple. This guy has power. It's not him that's the problem either. It's the things he does, the things he creates." "What does he create?" "Fiends, that's why he steals children. I've been told that once you go down into that place, you never come out again." The vampire stopped, eyes flickering blue. Her mentor had never directly brought up the details but Rayne knew enough to suddenly grow very nervously. "His name is Convera right?" "You've heard of him?" "I know he steals children, but I thought he stayed to one town?" "He does...perhaps something tipped him off?" Ryan looked at Vance. "He was causing a disturbance. Frankenstein might have noticed. Come on, we have to get Sam. Like it or not, we’re going to need all the help we can get." "Sam?" Liz furrowed a brow. "That's easy, he's probably at school." "They're not referring to the Sam you know Liz, just go home." "I'm not going anywhere honey," she said with crossed arms. "I'm coming with you." Rolling his eyes, Vance looked back at Ryan and Rayne. "I hate you both, but could you please help me out here?" "She's your problem now Romeo, we have bigger issues." "Thank you Rayne," Liz said with a grin. "You suck." "Come on Vance," Ryan pointed out of the cemetery. "Move it." Grumbling under his breath, he started forward, dragging Liz along with him as she clung to him like a growth. Watching them go, Ryan suppressed a laugh. "I wish I had a camera, that's just too funny."

"And nauseating. So tell me more about this guy? Like, where can we find him?" "It's a place called Cyprus town, it's just north of here actually. That's where he's supposed to have his base. I heard they shut it down a while ago, but the guy owns the police as well as half the feds in the area, it was probably just a cover up." "So a human with power?" "Yeah," Ryan shuttered as they headed back to Leah’s. "A lot of power." he looked toward Vance who stopped in front of the house and turned. "You just can’t wait to make out with her can you?" Rayne taunted. "Shut up, go suck on someone's..," Liz jabbed an elbow into his side and he looked down. "We have to work on that mouth of yours," she scolded as Rayne flipped him off. "Hey Vance, why don't you explain to Liz why you killed those two hookers?" "Excuse me?" "It's not what you think," he grumbled. "Oh really?" Walking toward the door, Ryan pushed it open, having no desire to hear the rest of that conversation.

Chapter 29.

Sam had returned to his room to take a nap. When Ryan had gone to check on him it was still light out and he left him to cook dinner. Both Liz and Vance were asleep on the sofa. "Wow breakfast and dinner?" Rayne offered a smirk. "It gave me something to do," he said as she sat down and began to pile her plate. Coming too as they finished, Vance used a pillow to substitute his shoulder and managed to slip away. "Way to share, assholes." "You were busy snuggling your human," Rayne cleared her place. "At least I got one. Unlike someone I know." "I don’t need some human drooling on me," she snorted. "Please, you have jealously written all over you, miss, Liz want's nothing more to do with me. Way to totally lie through your teeth just to make yourself feel better. I bet it really burns doesn't it?" "Vance knock it off," Ryan called from the sink. "I think you're confusing jealousy with disgust and embarrassment," she rolled her eyes. "Make sure you guys don't kiss too much, I mean, those teeth of yours...bad for business." "Pfth, you should talk, neck sucker." Liz suddenly looked up from the sofa. "Hey Rorik where'd you go?" Turning around, Vance arched a brow. "What?" "You called me Rorik." "Did I?" she smiled. "We've got to do something about that mess," she said as she pointed towards his hair. "Excuse me?" "I'm serious, you have to lose the gel, it looks awful, and that color." His jaw dropped. "I think somebody needs some bleach." "Hey Liz, I like you...but not that much." "Wow it’s like you’re married," Rayne winked at Vance as she headed to her room. Laughing to himself, Ryan finished with the dishes and joined her in getting some rest. Getting some more themselves, it wasn’t until around five that Liz opened her eyes as she noticed a strange panting coming from the other end of the couch. Vance lay bunched in a ball with his face buried in the cushions. "Hey, you’re going to suffocate." Gently reaching over, she caught him by the shoulder, only to draw back with a scream at the sight of his teeth, which were once again spread across his face. Nearly falling backward, she threw her hands to her mouth to keep from waking the entire house. Barely conscious, Vance heard the noise and opened his eyes in time to see her disappear into the bathroom. Getting up, his face returned to normal and he went to rub his cheek. "Liz?" he called groggily, as he knocked against the door. "Hey, Liz what’s going on? Are you okay?" "I’m fine," she called from within. "You sure? You don’t sound fine. What happened? What’s wrong?" reaching for the

knob, he jiggled it a couple of times before realizing she’d locked it. "Liz why is the door locked?" "I just…I need a moment. I’ll be out in a few minutes." "Um…okay?" her strange behavior didn’t sit well with him, although instead of pushing, he returned to the sofa and sat down. Dropping his gaze, he took notice of the cushion. The entire front side was soaked through in drool. "Oh no," Vance realized what must have happened and it set a pale expression across his face. It was about ten minutes later that she opened the door. Walking into the living room, she strolled passed him without offering any kind of recognition. Quickly getting up, he started after her. "Liz are you okay?" She gave a faint nod and recoiled as he went to take her hand. "I’m fine…I just, I think I’m going to go home." Her words struck him hard. "Really? Why?" "I…I just," her eyes were pinned to the floor. "I’m not sure I can do this. I thought I could but I...forgot." "You forgot?" Vance arched a brow. "What do you mean you forgot?" "I’m sorry, I, I just got caught up in the moment." Swallowing hard, he tried to keep his composure. "So that’s it then? Just like that? You’re going to walk away from me again?" Liz kept her eyes on the floor. "You’re not even going to look at me?" No response. "So all you said yesterday, I’m to assume that didn’t mean anything?" "No…that’s not it, I just," "You just what?" his tone grew sharper. "Have I ever tried to hurt you?" Once again, she said nothing. "Is appearance the only thing you care about?" "No, of course not, I just...I’m...I’m sorry, please don’t be mad at me. I forgot and I’m not sure I can deal with it." "You can’t deal with it? That’s your response? Do you know how many people I’ve lost because they couldn’t deal with it? My entire family, my own father! They couldn’t deal with it. They took one look at me and threw me away like a used paper cup. It doesn’t matter that I might actually have feelings. You don’t take that into consideration any more than the rest of them. You just look at me and all you see is teeth," he turned away in a rage. "Get out, and do us both a favor, don’t come back." Walking into the kitchen, Vance didn’t look at her. The thought of being rejected not once but twice, by someone he actually believed could care for him, was too much. Going for the sink, he knelt down to pull open the cupboard below. Rummaging around, he came up again with a bottle of liquid draino and hastily unscrewed the cap. In hesitation, he stared at the bright green liquid and shook his head. "They want to play games with me, okay then, game over." Coming to a stop in the doorway, Rayne stifled a yell as she saw Vance drinking the cleaner. "What are you doing?' she screamed.

Providing an offset look, it slipped from his hands and he hit the floor. "Ryan!" Rayne caught him as he fell. "Vance what did you do?" With an off kilter gaze, he scoffed although said nothing. Ryan bolted out of bed the moment he heard Rayne scream. Rushing frantically downstairs, he stopped near the doorway. "Oh my god, what happened?" "He's trying to kill himself!" It hadn't been the first time she'd seen someone commit suicide, and needless to say, it was one of the things that haunted her. Her mother had done exactly the same thing. Sleeping pills and alcohol would've been too easy a death. She'd laughed at Rayne before vomiting chunks of her own stomach. It was messy and she'd done it intentionally out of spite. Staggering to his knees, Ryan noticed the draino and his expression became as pale as Vance's. "He drank that?" he asked, bringing both hands to his face. "Rayne if he dies, he'll take Saurin with him!" Drawing her pocketknife, she went to slit her wrist. She was becoming Vance's source of food, she thought grimly as she pressed on his stomach to make him sick. Ryan drew back as Vance coughed up a mixture of flesh, blood and draino. Slipping from consciousness, he collapsed, although his body did react to Rayne’s blood, sharpening his nails and manifesting a pair of lengthy antennae. "God dammit," she swore. "I can't deal with this." Nauseated by the smell, she got up to take a seat outside. Leaving her to her own, Ryan knelt down and began to tend to Vance, who he pulled out of the mess and dragged toward the bathroom. Running the showerhead, he uncorked the tub and tossed him in, hoping the water would wash him off, if not, bring him too. Making sure to remove any sharp objects and pill cases from the cupboard, he left the door open and returned to the kitchen to clean. Rayne couldn't have helped even if she’d wanted to. Too close, she shook her head, ashing her cigarette against the steps. No matter how old she got, suicide was always going to be a touchy subject. Saving Vance wasn't going to change the past, she thought grimly, but knowing she had perhaps saved Saurin seemed to bring her some measure of peace. It took about thirty minutes for Ryan to mop the floor. Vance was still out, and before he went to speak with Rayne, Ryan turned off the water and threw a towel over him. Stepping onto the porch, he drew a deep breath as he approached. "Hey, are you alright?" "I'm fine," Rayne's voice was tight. "How's he doing?" "He's alive. I don't know why he did that. Everything was fine last night. I never would have pegged him for suicide, maybe spite, but why now?" Tensing at the thought, her eye twitched. "It could've had something to do with Liz?" she said scornfully. "She took off pretty fast. That was an odd goings on. I think maybe that girl was in over her head?" "It's a human thing. She ran away when she realized her demon boyfriends wasn’t just a bad boy with gelled hair, he's got the teeth to back it up." "You're probably right," Ryan went to lean against the guardrail. "Teenage affection is a joke, and a sick one at that, especially when it comes to high school girls...no offence." "Vance is a fool, even I'm not that naive." "You have a support system. The only person who ever saw anything in Vance was that

girl, and you saw how fast she just ran out of this house." "You two don't know anything about me or what I've done," Rayne brushed his words away. "It's not fair to Vance, she betrayed him." "Let her go Rayne. She's not worth it." "No one's worth it." Choosing not to respond, Ryan walked back into the kitchen to start breakfast. Peering briefly into the bathroom, he noticed Vance who was still lying in the tub. Though he had apparently come too, the vacant expression he held said enough for his coherency and he remained without the slightest hint of acknowledgement. Going to check on him herself, Rayne sat down. "Why'd you do it?" she asked, hands resting on her knees. A moment past before his gaze slid in her direction. Staring up without an ounce of expression, his eyes were dim and glazed. "Vance...did you do it out of spite?' She didn't get a response, at least not a verbal one. Despite the fact he was soaking wet, it was clear that the lines running down his face had not come from the shower. Rayne felt helplessly awkward. She didn't know what to say. Vance shied back as she tried to touch him and bared his teeth. "You don't scare me," she scoffed, despite how much they resembled needles. "Vance, come on. It's not worth it, whatever she did to you...forget about it." "Hey Rayne, breakfast's ready," Ryan knocked across the door. Returning to the table, he’d made pancakes and French toast. "Is he okay in there?" he asked as she followed him in. "He's ready to drown himself. He won't even talk, it's like a sign of the apocalypse." "You want him to talk? Let him be, it's better he doesn't say anything." "Are all boys like this when girls break their hearts?" "Most of us don't try and kill ourselves. I think it's more of an attention thing with him. That's his only motivation. Any attention is good attention when it comes to Vancelyn." "I have a hard time believing that considering what he just did, Liz is the monster here." Ryan shrugged. "It was defiantly uncouth, but it's probably better she left, and as far as he goes, what's a broken heart when you still have hell to look forward too?" "I thought love conquered all?" she said sarcastically. "This isn't some sappy fiction novel. Besides, even in fiction, love doesn't always win out. Vance doesn't know what love is, I don't think a lot of people do. She was just some girl who showed him compassion and like the parasite that he is, he latched on to her. He did what anyone in his position would have done, and his reaction was predictable. Give someone something they've never had and then take it away. Now do that two times over...it's no surprise he drank that stuff." "She deserves to die." "She's just a little girl Rayne, she doesn't know any better. That's a horrible thing to say." "She wasn't a little girl when she was preaching how much she loved him. If she ever shows up again I'm going to break her face." "Life isn't fair sometimes, but that’s the way it plays out. Vance has done enough damage to deserve a little bit back in his favor. Karma always comes around and now it's his turn. Do I think it'll change him? No...I think he'll be a miserable, resentful little monster until the day he dies."

"We need to get Saurin back." "I know," Ryan gave a nod as he cleaned his plate in the sink. "This kind of puts a wrench in the machine though. I can't leave Vancelyn here, and if we go to Cyprus town, I'm going to need both you and Sam to back me up. Vance is not in any condition to fight, and unless you know of someone who's interested in babysitting a soul eater?" "Can't you just leave him in the zero realm?" "I suppose...but god forbid Convera managed to get a hold of me, then he gets the amulet too." "We could bury it somewhere?" "That might be a good idea, after we rescue Saurin. If we bury it and lose it, he'll die in there and then it won't make a difference. I can't dispose of it until I know my cousin's life isn't at risk. Once he's safe, I don't care what happens to Vance, but until that point, it'll have to stay with me." "Convera has Saurin. If we bring Vance then what's the difference?" "The difference is that if we bring him and Convera gets a hold of him, that's that much more power he can exploit from us. He already has Saurin and Kristy. We're not what he wants, what he wants are our weapons. Individually they're powerful but together...one man cannot wield that kind of power, especially a man with dark intentions. The trinity blade is the single most dangerous thing I know of, couple that with Vancelyn's grimdark, and forget it, game over...big time." "Then what do we do, set him free?" "We can't, I need him to fix what he did to my cousin, then he can die in that realm for all I care." "You don’t need to keep throwing more negativity into this disaster," she said flatly. "I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation." "I'm sorry, I'm sick of just sitting here doing nothing." "If you wanna do something, go wake up Sam." Letting the matter drop, Rayne did as he proposed and wandered upstairs. Thankful the door was unlocked. Not having bothered to close the blinds, a gentle stream of sunlight wafted in, casting bright golden lines across the bed where Sam lay sound asleep. "Wake up," Rayne walked over to nudge him. "We have planning to do." Oddly enough, he didn't stir. "Sam?" pulling off his hat, she touched his face. Nearly as cold as she was, his skin was pale and iced, causing her to take a step back. "Ryan!" she yelled. "Sam's dead!" "What's going on now?" he groaned as he pushed open the door. "He's dead. Sam's dead Ryan, what the fuck are we going to do?" "Whoa, calm down," Walking to the bedside, he leaned in and shook him by the shoulders. "Hey," receiving no response, he went for his pulse. "Oh shit!" upon realizing he had none, he took his thumb and spread back one of Sam's eyelids. Peering out at him, his eyes were glazed and hazy, however the moment the sunlight hit them, their pupils dilated and Ryan nearly fell over as the boy reached up to smack him away. "What the fuck are you doing asshole?" "I hate you so much," Rayne let out a deep breath, face restoring color. "You don’t have a pulse!" she screeched. "If I didn't have a pulse," he sat up and reached for his hat, "I wouldn't be talking."

"Try taking it yourself!" Rolling his eyes, which were still frighteningly white, Sam shook his head. "What do I look like, a doctor? I don't know how to measure that shit, but if I'm talking to you, then clearly I have to have one." Scowling at him, Rayne looked at Ryan. "Just tell me when we're leaving okay?" "Soon, I just have to put Vance in his box." Following after him, Sam caught wind of what he'd said. "Hey man give me a sec, I wanna talk to that little shit before you void him." "What for?" "Don't worry about it, just go get your shit together and I'll be out in a minute," not bothering to wait for an objection, which he was clearly going to give, Sam pushed open the door and walked toward Vance who was still curled up in the tub. Caring little as to why, the only thing he was interested in was pay back. Slamming the knob closed, Sam purposely latched it, ignoring Ryan who began to pound on other side. "I'll open it when I feel justice has been served," he snickered, pulling a packet of matches, and striking one up along his jeans. "What's going on?" Rayne asked as she made her way downstairs. "He won't open the door!" Back inside Sam knelt toward Vance with the match. "Hey, remember me?" When he didn't respond, he reached out and grabbed one of his antenna. "No? Well you'll maybe you'll remember this?" Vance's eyes shot open as he was held under the flame. Claws scraped frantically against the porcelain, while Sam enjoyed the reprisals, not to mention the black ooze that began to leak out from the burning wound he was creating. "Not so pleasant now is it, shit head?" "Move!" Rayne shoved Ryan out of the way with more force than she’d meant to. Slamming her hand to the lock, it fell clean off and the door flew open. Upon seeing what Sam was doing, she looked disgusted. She had never liked bullies and although Vance had done the same to him, she didn't approve of the cycle. Grabbing him by his wounded arm, she shoved him against the opposite wall. "Hey!" Falling back with a wince, he slid to the ground, while Vance continued to scream. "Fucking loser. Hope you drown in that bathtub." he said as he stormed out. Examining the grisly wound, Rayne turned on the shower and adjusted the temperature. "Ryan get me some bandages!" she yelled as the water began to wash away the blood. Clinging to the far side of the tub, Vance closed his eyes and shook akin to an animal in a cage. Unwrapping the gauze, Rayne reached over. "It's okay," she tried to sound calm. "I'm just going to wrap it." He didn't respond, but he didn't fight her either. Thankfully, the water was warm enough that even thought they were both covered in it, it wasn't uncomfortable. "Ryan you better get that little fuck out of my sight before I shove him into a tanning bed." Offering a slight nod, he turned to deal with Sam who had wandered into the kitchen for food. Vance on the other hand, laid still. Turning off the water, Rayne grabbed a towel. "Come on, get up. You can take my room," she said as she realized she'd probably have to carry him. He remained in every sense of the word, someone who had given up. Sopping wet, he looked the part, clothes in shambles, hair a mess of gel and water that clumped to every inch

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 235 of his face. Wrapping the towel around him, for once she actually did feel sorry. If he was acting, he deserved and Oscar, she thought grimly as she pulled him up the stairs. Laying him to the bed with a groan, she sat next to him and began to dry him off. "Vance, help me out here. Pull yourself together." she hated seeing people like this, even if it was someone she didn't particularly like. "If I bring you new clothes will you feel better?" Staring into space, he remained silent. About half a minute later, one eye slid toward her. "Here, you can have my pillow," she said as she glanced back. "Do you want anything?" His expression furrowed and he finally spoke. "Why?" It wasn't much of a word, but it said enough. "I feel bad," she admitted, eyes a deep gray. "You've had it rough the past twenty four hours. I'm cutting you some slack." "You were right," he sighed. "Doesn't mean I want to be." "I'm sorry." Staring at him as he apologized, Rayne nodded despite being surprised. "It's okay." "No it's not," he shook his head. "I accept your apology Vance, it is what it is." "Do you believe in karma?" "I'm starting to." He scoffed, though it sounded more like a staggered wheeze. "Some people just seem to be completely immune…it's not fair." "I don’t think it works fast enough." "She left me twice Rayne...twice. The things she said...they meant nothing. It would almost have been better if she hadn't said anything at all. I don't know what I did wrong?" "She's an idiot Vance, you didn't do anything wrong." "Demons don't get happy endings. If there's a hell out there, that's what I have to look forward to. I bought a one way ticket just for being alive." "Don't beat yourself up over this. Just get some sleep, you'll feel better." "It won't make a difference," he said. "Never did." Offering no more of a response, he closed his eyes and laid in silence. Back downstairs, Ryan kept his distance from Sam, watching uneasily as he tore through the meat keeper like a fiend. Slowly edging backward, he gradually skidded from of the kitchen toward Rayne's room. "Um, you done up here? We should get going, and em for the record, please don't leave me alone with Sam anymore. That kid is getting weirder every day." "I don't want to be near that sadist," she muttered. "What are we going to do with the two of them? Sam might go off and kill someone and Vance might hurt himself." "I'm putting Vance back where he belongs, and as far as Sam goes, if we can let him loose on Convera, we'll have to the upper hand and that's what I'm booking on. And uh, just for the record, he kinda deserved it." Rayne looked annoyed. "He just tried to kill himself and Sam chose that moment to attack him? That's fucked up, even for me." "He was busy being dead Rayne. He kind of missed that whole ordeal...and speaking of which, you know anything about zombies?" "Zombies?" she rubbed her face. "Is that why blondie doesn't have a pulse?"

"You tell me. He's downstairs stuffing his face with raw meat from the freezer. I'm not an avid Romero fan, but I've seen night of the living dead, if he decides one of us looks like a mid- morning snack," "He'll have his neck broken," she answered. "I sleep with the door locked." "Yeeaaah...anyway, why don't you go wait downstairs with sunshine while I take care of him?" "No," Rayne answered flatly. "We don't get along." Ryan shrugged and walked up to Vance while summoning his blade. Opening his eyes, he regarded him tragically though Ryan didn't seem to care. "Just let him sleep, how are we going to move Sam if he might eat the bus driver?" "Who says we need to take a bus? I can get us there the same way I got us here," Ryan reminded her as a void of black energy opened beside Vance and he went to nudge him through. "Cut him some slack." "Slack? Rayne I don't have time for slack. Look, I know you wanna believe this whole misery sob story thing he's playing, but this is how he operates. He'll be miserable for a couple of days until someone takes enough pity on him to bring him something to eat, then he'll go right back to being an asshole. I understand you feel bad for him, so do I, but there's a limit." "And you called me cruel?" "You weren't there Rayne if you were..." Ryan walked toward the door. "You wouldn't be saying that." "I know he killed your father but he's also half of your cousin right now." "He's not my cousin at all," his tone darkened. "Vance killed my father and then he came for us. Instead of slaughtering us like the rest of the rabble, he thought it would be a good idea to scatter us to the realms of Dimensia so we could watch while he laid them to ruin. He destroyed almost thirteen of the known thirty. He killed and brutally murdered hundreds of denizens, enslaved races, and nearly took over everything there's ever been. My friends and I put a stop to that and at no meager price either. What he did is unforgivable. Now I'm sorry that perhaps he managed to find someone to care about, but one good deed is not enough to redeem someone of a life time of pain and destruction." Shaking her head, Rayne said nothing. "Let’s just go." "Finally something we agree on." "We're leaving," she snapped at Sam as they came downstairs. "Where too?" tossing a chewed up T-bone into the trash, he ran his hands along his jeans. "Cyprus town," Ryan went to summon a portal. "I'm going to bring us in from the outskirts, we'll have to walk to town and get a hotel." "With whose money? I don't know about you two clowns but I'm broke." "I have money," Rayne had filled her bag with Vance's. "But you two are sharing a bed, because I'm not paying for a giant suite." "I'll take the floor," they both said at the same time. "You can take the bed Sam. I think I'll purchase my own room." "Awe what's wrong, do I scare you?" "You want an honest answer," Ryan replied. "Yes." "I'm not sleeping in the same room as him," Rayne said flatly. "Ugh, then I'll shell out the money and he can get his own room. Now come on, we're wasting time."

"Oh yeah as if we haven't been hanging around here wasting a shit load more for the past two days." Sam went to walk through the light, which parted ways to reveal the darkening skies of a cityscape, beyond which snowcapped mountains dotted the horizon. A single road drew into the sweeping valley below, the only means of entrance to a town many claimed was forgotten. Dreading the thought of staying with Sam, the vampire hurried through the portal. "We have to walk down that?" she asked nervously. "I could push you and you could just kind of roll if you want?" Sam snickered. "Or I could use you as a sled?" Rayne said angrily as they trudged into town. Despite being called a town, Cyprus was actually more of a city. Having been industrialized a few years back, it resembled a miniature version of Manhattan, or at least it would have, had it been completely finished. Many of the large structural buildings were only skeletons, whispers of what they would someday become. Hanging back a ways as they neared the road, Sam stopped and furrowed a brow. "Wait a second...I know this place. This is the place they had that huge government cover up a few years back." "Government cover up?" Rayne asked. "This scientist guy got acquitted or something?" "I don't know anything about a scientist guy," Sam said. "What I heard about was a couple college age kids. They got lost up in the mountains around here and the found something weird. The government got involved, it was all over the news." "Found something weird, like what? Aliens? Aliens don't exist." "You know I said the same thing, except I wasn't talking about no aliens. We all know how that one turned out." "Please, you were all about the supernatural like some geeky fan boy." "That’s before I wound up a part of it," he muttered. "Vance was one thing. Sure he was creepy an all, but there is nothing out there that can describe the barberry I have seen. You think that little creep is scary, you try running for your life through miles and miles of uncharted woods from something you can't even see. Then you can tell me what fear is." "I'm familiar with the emotion, thanks." Rolling his eyes, Sam left well enough alone and hung back as they finally came upon the city. "Look for some place cheap okay guys? I've got cash but not as much as I'd like. I'll get you you're own room Sam, but you have to promise me you'll keep it under control." "Hey, for the thousandth time, I don't come with an instruction manual. I don't know any more than either of you. To be honest…I'm not entirely sure I'm even still alive," he admitted. "We can all share a room," Rayne sighed. "There's no way we're going to be able to watch him otherwise." "How do you guys feel about sleeping with the lights on?" Ryan was dead serious. "Ha," Sam threw up his hands "If this shit keeps going, I'm gonna invest in a search light dude, I swear." "I’m not sleeping with him." Rayne drew a line at sleeping next to a zombie. "I take a chair," he groaned. "Not like I need the rest anyway." Shoving her hands in her pockets, she said nothing until they reached town. "There's a motel six down the street." "Lovely," Sam muttered. "Just where I always wanted to spend the night, the roach motel." "Well hey, at least you'll fit right in. All we gotta do is get you a rocking chair and a wig

and it could be the bates." Sam wasn’t amused by Ryan's attempt to lighten the mood. Rolling her eyes, Rayne walked in and pulled out a small wad of bills. The woman at the register accepted her payment, though not before suggested that the local hospital was down the road. "That's okay, I just came from the morgue." Dropping his face to his palm, Ryan shook his head and thought fast. "Halloween party...wild costumes this year, huh?" The woman was still staring. "It's a little early for Halloween." "Yeah well, some people never grow up, you know how it is," he gave a nervous chuckle and motioned toward the elevator while the look Rayne gave Sam was promising of a swift kick to the head. "What? Come on, do you know how many drooling morons would have a flip shit fucking field day over me right now? A coherent zombie...I'm every basement nerds dream." "More like Romero's muse, you're just a pain in the ass for us however." "Awe poor baby," he shot back. "Yo, we should totally order a pizza." "I thought you said you were dead?" Ryan asked. "What do you want pizza for?" "Dude it's pizza, ask me that again." "You order, I'll pick it up. I'm hungry for other things," Rayne shoved the card into the door and pushed it open. "Like necks?" Sam stepped into the room and plopped onto the bed. "Hey get off." "Screw you man, you suck...oh wait my mistake, that's her." Rolling his eyes, Ryan went to call out for three pizzas. "You guys want any special toppings?" "Meat." "Yeah, I'll get you a side order of brains too." "Fuck you." "Shut up Sam, you're going to die a virgin you little bastard. I'll be back later, tearing someone's throat out and wishing it was you." Shaking his head, Sam went about his business, falling asleep in the chair, while Ryan's eyes began to grow heavy, and despite his minds objection, he found that before he was able to protest, he’d slipped into a deep clouded sleep.

Chapter 30.

Rayne made note of what streets she passed as she headed to a bar to seek out dinner. Considerably lively for a Saturday night, the streets were teeming with teens and drunks who danced around the outside of a tavern called Ernie’s. Something of an Irish pub, the place was packed. Between the seven or eight circular tables and the long bar counter that ran up the front, there was not a seat in the house that wasn't occupied. Dancing in a drunken stupor, teenagers scattered an old jukebox, which was currently blasting disco tunes from the seventies, while red and yellow bar lights cast eerie shadows admits the floor and the smell of alcohol was stifling. Brushing her bangs from her eyes, Rayne didn't mind the music. A beer would help her blend in and alleviate the amount of stress she was under. "What can I get for ya lass?" A stout older man with a frizzy white beard addressed her. Cleaning off a mug with a damp washrag, he set it on the counter and smiled. "A shot of tequila." "I.D?" his smile broadened. Rayne slid the card across the counter. It stated she was legally twenty-two, despite barely looking eighteen. The man took it and examined it curiously. Shaking his head, he handed it back. "You're a little young to be out drinking with the riff raff," he knew quite well it was forged, though poured her a small shot anyway. "Just something to settle the nerves. Cheers," Getting up after a while, she put her money down and decided to follow a young man with a hungry look on her face. She didn't kill, although she'd given him quite the concussion. The vampire emerged from the alley a few minutes later before heading in the direction of the pizza place to pick up their food. By the time she arrived, her order was waiting for her. Having thrown in an extra round of garlic knots, the man only charged her half price. Back at the motel, Sam had re-positioned himself in the spare bed. Crawling up onto it, he vanished under the sheets and there he remained, nothing more than a lump upon her return. "Pizza's here guys," she called as she set it down and began to pile her plate. "That smells amazing," "I'm not sharing a bed with him." "Ugh, leave him," Ryan sighed. "I'll take the chair. Would you mind terribly if we kept the lights on though?" "No it's fine," Rayne thought it a simple request. "Right then. I'm gonna get some rest. I guess you can leave those pies on the desk over there? Maybe Sam will get up later and finish them?" "He can have a box to himself, he already has one bed, the brat." Chuckling slightly, Ryan was out within minutes. The rest of the night went smoothly...or at least it seemed to until around three A.M., when a strange scuffling could be heard from the window. An odd sort of scratching, it was followed by a loud splat and the light that had once permeated was now replaced by an eye numbing darkness. Opening her eyes, Rayne tensed. Lowering the blanket, she peered out and nudged Ryan. "Hrm...what is it?" he asked groggily, as the empty and badly chewed pizza box lay scattered across the floor. Flipped on its side, the pizza had landed on the ground and was currently being devoured by the same horrific shadow they had encountered several nights prior.

"It's awake," Rayne whispered, eyes pinned on the creature. She was aggravated it was eating all the food, but far more worried it was going to decide they looked appetizing. "Shhh...shh." bringing a finger to his lips, Ryan staggered. "Keep quiet." Horking down the last of the pie, it sniffed at the box and began to chew at its edges. Still wearing Sam's hat, it was debatable whether or not it was coherent or simply coincidental, although it seemed to like to chew cardboard. Rayne pulled the covers back over her head as it lost interest in the box and began to examine the wall. Crawling towards it, it bore its claws into the sheet rock and within seconds, was on the ceiling. Still unaware of the others, the creature suddenly put its head straight up through the plaster. Parting away, the darkness began to ripple, much like it had in Vegas. Attempting to crawl a bit further, there came a muffled yet distinctive scream from above and it lost its footing and fell to the floor. Rayne buried her face in a pillow. "Ryan..." she whispered. "What do we do?" "I...I don't know. It's still three hours till sun-rise," he noted as the beast righted itself and started to fiddle with the hat. Noticing this, he ventured a guess that perhaps what they were dealing with was not entirely a threat. "I'm gonna try talking to it. If it does attack, I'll set off the fire alarm." Ryan drew a deep breath and very cautiously addressed it. The moment he uttered even the slightest hint of a syllable, the shadows attention snapped, and a pair of sunken eyes beamed in his direction. "Sam, what are you doing?" Rayne leaned against the headboard. Taking a step forward, it emitted a low growl. "Sam, it's us...your friends," her eyes flickered towards the lamp, wondering if she could reach it in time. "Calm down!" Ryan tried to reason with it. "It's us Sam, remember? We came here last night to help my cousin." When it didn't appear to be working, he tried a different approach. "We got you pizza. There's garlic knots in the bag. You like those right?" Edging a glance toward Rayne, he motioned for the lamp while the creature appeared slightly torn. "Garlic knots are tastier Sam, we'd give you indigestion," her hand drifted. Still contemplating, it slowly began to turn. Seeing it do so, she flicked the switch, causing the light to take the room. It wasn't that bright, but it did offer some relief from the permeating darkness that threatened to eat them. Bringing his hands to his ears, Ryan cringed as the creature howled. Dropping straight through the floorboards, it melted into the shadows, leaving the two of them alone while several car alarms rang through the parking lot. Rayne threw her head against the pillow. "Is he gone!?" "Looks that way. Somebody needs to get that thing a muzzle." "I don't think they make that at Petco." "Ya think?" Getting up, Ryan walked over to retrieve the empty box. "Well there goes breakfast," placing it back on the table, he closed the other two and shook his head. "Four in the morning, he doesn't have much time before the sun comes up." "Good, that will keep him from demolishing the town." "Keep the light on would ya?" he said as he noticed of the light switch, which had been brutally pulled off the wall, not to mention the claw marks that now marred the ceiling. "We should make him pay for that. This is ridiculous. He stayed in bed yesterday. What was so special about tonight that he had to make a mess?"

"I don't know, maybe the pizza got him?" Rayne pulled the covers over her head. "But that light isn’t going off until I see the sun." Ryan laid down and tried to make up for the little sleep he'd managed to get. Unfortunately, he didn't get much more and by the time nine-o-clock rolled around, they were both woken by the sound of the door. Trudging into the room, Sam wandered to the spare bed and collapsed face first on top of it. Back to a more human condition, he looked exhausted and was happy not to say anything to either of them. Rayne didn't appreciate the wakeup call. Rubbing her face, she gave him a look. "Had a good night?" she asked bitterly. "No..." "That so? Do you even remember what you did last night?" "Not really," Sam reached for a pillow to block out the noise. "You contemplated us over garlic knots," she said angrily. "Wait, you guys got garlic knots?" "Oh now we have his attention." "Awe you fucking kidding me, you pigs ate all the pizza," Sam threw up his hands and hopped off the bed to examine the boxes. "You ate all the pizza, you loon." "I think I would have remember that." "Really, well I guess you don't remember ruining the ceiling either?" Ryan threw a glance toward the claw marks that covered it. "What the hell. I didn't do that," Sam began rubbing the back of his neck. "You didn't? That's funny because that thing on the ceiling was wearing your hat." Rayne got out of bed to grab her bag. "I'm getting dressed. Are we going to find this guy or what?" "Might as well," Ryan grumbled. "Now that we're awake." Pulling open the door, he stepped into the hall. "I think I saw a coffee shop across the street last night. If you want breakfast, we can get something there?" Following them out of the motel, Sam didn't say a word. Keeping his head down, he trailed behind as they walked out into the cool mid-fall breeze toward a small deli. Rayne could feel her stomach growling. "I want a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich while a giant coffee. Throw in some hash browns there too." "I'll get an egg muffin," Ryan told the girl at the register, who wrung up their order before putting it through. "It'll be about five minutes," she said, bringing Rayne her coffee in the meantime. Counting his change, Ryan took a seat opposite Sam, who was currently running a finger aimlessly along the table. Sitting across from him, Rayne began to chug her drink. "So how's this going to work?" she asked. "We can't just waltz in there, can we?" "Well no, but that's what we have him for." "Excuse me?" Sam looked up though was ignored. "The problem isn't going to be getting in. The problem is going to be finding the place." "Can't you just use your blade?" "I can't pull open a portal if I don't know where I'm going, could wind up somewhere you don't want to be." Pursing her lips, Rayne leaned back. "Okay, so we can't do much of anything until we find this place, unless you want to get caught on purpose?" Ryan shook his head. "If we get caught it's over. Convera doesn't take risks. Baiting

yourself is a suicide, unless," he looked at Sam. "Haven't I been through enough? I don't want to wind up somebody’s fucking lab rat. I draw the line right there pall. Besides, I don't know what I'm doing half the time. If you're talking about some crazy guy up in those woods doing bio-experiments...thanks, but no thanks. Why don't you use pinstripes, at least he could be good for something?" "Don't bring him into this. Why would Vance show up to rescue them?" Rayne asked with a snort. "Vance is dead to the world," Ryan replied. "Besides, using him as bait would be counterproductive. You on the other hand," he said to Sam. "Once it gets dark, you’re invincible. All you have to do is wait until sundown and make the biggest mess you possibly can. That shouldn't be too hard." "You’re going on speculation, you don't know any more about it than I do," he snapped. "Besides, there's a little thing called light. I'm sure if this guy is a bad ass as you people say, I'm not gonna be able to do squat." "You might as well try or we're not going to be very productive," Rayne began to wolf down her food. "I still say we should use Vance." "You missed the whole episode where he decided to give up on life and lay in a bathtub for three hours. Vance is not going to help anyone. He can't even help himself. Even if he could track Saurin, I doubt he would do anything other than make life difficult," Ryan said. "When we finish here, I'll see what I can do about tracking them myself." Saying nothing, Rayne shoved her hands in her pockets. She had finished her coffee and felt a little more jittery than usual. Getting up to follow them out, Sam pulled the brim of his hat down over his eyes and kept a slower pace than the others. Considerably colder thanks to the altitude, the city provided a little more warmth than the woods. Rayne didn't mind the chill. As they passed Ernie's, she smirked at the memory. Wandering the square, which was paved in white brick, there were several thrift stores and touristy shops that lined the way, beyond which sat a grand library with two regal stone lions besides the steps. Taking note of them, Sam jumped. "What's wrong with you? Don't like the architecture?" "I hate those fucking statues." "They're just statues," Ryan looked back. "Naw man…naw…that shit wasn't right," offering no further explanation, he continued to shake his head and pranced forward toward the edge of town. As they stepped off the road, Ryan drew a breath. "I've heard the project is underground," he informed them, waiting until they were at least half a mile from the city to summon his blade. "Underground?" Sam's expression faltered. "Yeah, supposedly there's some kind of compound under the mountain range. It's a rumor, mostly speculation. But it's the best lead we have right now." "Great," Rayne retied her boots. "So wait a second," Sam grumbled. "Assuming we find this place, then what?" "We create a diversion big enough to keep them occupied." "By diversion, you mean what exactly?" "You know what."

"You just don't listen do you? I don't know what the hell is going on here!" "You might not, but I'm assuming that thing inside you isn't as clueless." "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" "It means, I'm not relying on you to help us." "Oh yeah, well tough brake pall because you see that," Sam pointed toward the sun, which was still visible through the canopy of trees. "That means you're shit out of luck till sundown." "Not necessarily," his words caught Sam by the tongue and he offered a perplexing, if not unhinging glare. Coming to a stop a few feet further, Ryan furrowed his brow as he examined a strange looking rock. "What the hell is that?" "I don't know...but it's gotta be something." "It's probably a secret entrance," Rayne came up from behind. "Sure looks that way." Circling it, he came across a piece of rock that didn't quite match. "Bingo." Reaching down, Ryan pressed a hand against it and a small door slid open, revealing a clearly hidden elevator shaft. "Wow...talk about James bond." "More like Dr. Death," lowering his hand, he turned to face them. "Alright, this is it. We go down there and there's no real telling what we'll find. Now, before we do anything too brash, there is one more order of business. Sam, do you still have that tablet thing?" "Yeah…" one hand instinctively grazed his pocket. "I think maybe you should hand it over?" Staring at the elevator in stony silence, Rayne glanced up at the request. "Why?" she asked with a tilt of her head. "Because if this is the way in, it's probably heavily guarded." "I'm not giving you my rock dude, fuck that." "Come on Sam, you can have it back when we're done, but I need your help on this, that's why I brought you here." "Yeah, well I never signed up for this shit pall. Let me tell you, if you want to live, you don't mess with my rock." "I could use my shields?" Rayne offered. "I'm ready to immerse myself in a good fight. We can use Sam after we kill the entrance guards." "That's not the point," Ryan replied. "If Convera knows we're here, he won't bother with Sam. He'll come right after us." "I got no problem with that," Sam was ignored. "We need to send in a diversion to keep the cameras busy long enough so that I can find those two and get them out, then you can have your free for all." "Sam just hand it over before he gets his panties in a twist." "Make me!" he took a step back. "Do you really want me to?" "You think you can?" "As a matter of fact," Ryan nodded. "You're outmatched and out trained. You can't win, so why don't you just give me the dumb rock and save us all the trouble, because I'm not waiting till sundown." Rayne was already lifting her hands. "Give him the stone and you'll get it back later Sam."

"Screw you. I'm not giving you my rock." Noticing Rayne's poise, Ryan threw a glance in her direction. "After you then," he sighed and she suddenly grabbed his arm and twisted it sharply behind his back. "Sam, hand it over." As he went to throw a punch, Ryan grabbed his other hand. Heating it up in his grasp, he left a painful laceration, catching Sam’s attention long enough for Rayne to raid his pocket. "Idiot," she growled as she pulled out the stone. Giving off a faint illumination, it began to glow the moment she put her hands on it, and once it was clear of Sam, Ryan applied more pressure. Manifesting a powerful burst of dark energy, the hit not only knocked the wind out of him, but sent him flying into a tree. "Quick," he demanded, motioning for Rayne to back away. "Give me the stone." "You should've broken his nose," she held it out. Taking the tablet, he watched as the shadow Sam cast, suddenly erupted forth with a pair of clawed arms. Opening his eyes as they wrapped around him, a panicked expression crossed his face and the shadow yanked him backward into itself. "How do you know it's not going to attack us instead?" "Because I have this," Ryan held up the stone as the darkness slowly crept down the tree. "Stay close," he pushed her gently aside while a torrent of energy burst from the ground. Merging with the shade of the forest, the thick black smog encompassed the beast, which was visible only from the waist down. Throwing up the tome, the white light it gave off caused the monstrosity to rear back. The fumes that kept its true form renderless dispersed to reveal the horrific grinning skull. Grimdark teeth dripped green and black ooze as it opened its jaws and glared. "Stop!" Ryan tried not to look directly at it. "You can't attack me. You have to listen to the one who controls the stone!" If it wasn't true, they must have been damn lucky, because the creature made no move to assault. "My friends are down there," he gave a nod in the direction of the shaft. "If you clear a path, leave me, Rayne, and the others alone, I'll give you this rock and you can do whatever you want with it." Studying them both, the beast continued to hiss. Empty golden eyes narrowed in a moment of consideration. A few seconds later, it turned and with a deafening screech, broke into a rapid stream of darkness that raced toward the elevator and vanished straight down below. Rayne had shut her eyes, fangs piercing her lip as it loomed over them like the reaper. The vampire didn't dare breathe until she felt the shadows pass. Lowering the stone, Ryan tried not to think of the horrible nightmares he was going to have. Summoning his blade, he ordered it to take them to Saurin and Kristy and the elevator closed while it began to move on its own. "Should I bring up my shields?" "Probably," he stepped back as the doors opened to reveal a long winding hallway, though not at all what either of them had been expecting. Under normal circumstances, the lab would have been a stark white with several blinding LED's hanging overhead and look alike patterned doors running as far as the eye could see. What lay before them however, was quite the opposite. Shattered and dimly lit, the lights that still remained dangled loosely from exposed wiring, flicking in tandem with a low fizzling hiss that threatened to call forth the darkness. Several dozen rifles lay across the floor alongside trace amounts of blood. Taking a nervous step forward, they heard the macabre before their eyes had a chance to adjust. The terrible painstaking moans of the dying tortured echoed in all directions as the dim

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 245 flicker of light revealed what they had unleashed. Melded in and out of the walls, floor and ceiling, armed guards and men in white coats hung half in and half out of suspension within the solid matter. Arms, legs and melted faces became one with the walls, still flailing, kicking, gripping and screaming, as if it would somehow save them from the death that slowly took them, very, very slowly. The color drained from Rayne's face. She had never before seen such blatant destruction. The noise was awful, and she grabbed the nearest gun out of unease. "Ryan..." "Close your eyes." Reaching out, he offered her his hand. Had he been capable of walking through the mangled hallway with his own closed, he would have done so. Under the pleading assumption that whatever had caused such unholy ruin would leave them unhindered, he started forward, blade in hand. "Poor Sam, I wonder if this is what he went through?" thinking aloud, he tried his best to traverse the halls without paying attention to the moaning, twitching appendages that protruded from them. Following the light of his blade, he eventually came to a stop in front of one of many doors, thankfully free of obstruction. Raising the weapon, he pressed it to the metallic lock and stood by as it slid open to reveal the dark internals of a circular room. Steely in nature, it looked as if they had just stumbled into a lobotomy lab. Huge metal frames with massive leather straps lay coated in brown stains, while largely unpleasant utensils sat in crimson colored jars amidst darkened shelves toward the back. Walking in a little farther, they came upon a number of wide desks filled with extensive paper work and oddities preserved in formaldehyde. The smell made Rayne gag. Trying not to pay attention, Ryan kept going, stopping again as he came upon a door. This one was already unlocked, and the moment he pushed it open, the silence was broken by the ramped chattering of what sounded like animals. Drawing his blade, his eyes widened at the sight they beheld. Lining the back wall of a large rectangular room, were what had to have been at least twenty cages. Sitting inside were an assortment of the strangest creatures he'd ever seen. Amongst them a bizarre green monkey with two tails and a bright red t- shirt, a strange bat looking creature that bore a frightening resemblance to what might have once been a child and a wolf whose entire left side was covered in mechanical armory. Staring in awe at these and many others, he found himself at a loss for words. Stopping beside him, Rayne was overcome with shock and her eyes became a paler shade of blue. "We have to set them free." Ryan wasn't listening, his attention had fallen to one cage unparticular and the young brunette that laid face down inside of it. Without a second thought, he raced forward and with one clean swipe, cleaved the bars of the cage in two. "Kristy! Oh my god, what did they do?!" he screamed as he knelt and began to shake her. Barely conscious, it took a moment for her to open her eyes. Staring up at him, their dull green conveyed the agony of so many others. "Ryan, thank god," she whispered, burying her face in his shirt as tears slowly rolled from her eyes. "They have him Ryan, I couldn't stop them." "Shhh...you're safe now, it's okay." "No," she shook her head. "It's not okay, they have the scepter. They took it from me." "Don't worry about that right now, where is he keeping Saurin? What did he do?" The tears kept right on coming. "Down the hall...a wall that's not a wall. They're planning

something, you shouldn't have come here." "Well I'm here now, and I'm going to get you out." "But..." Ryan shook his head. "There's no arguing. I'm sending you home, I'll come for you later. You're in no shape to fight and I can't risk losing you both," raising his blade, he pulled forth a long white portal. "Rayne," he called to her. "See if you can get those other cages open." Looking away, she felt it prudent not to say anything, although nodded as he gave her directions and immediately began to pull the locks. "Come on," kneeling to help her, Ryan struggled with Kristy toward the light. "You have to stop him Ryan, please you have to...they do terrible things in this place." "I will, I promise, now go." Pursing her lips, she gave a forlorn smile. "Be careful...it's a trap." Closing his eyes, he bowed his head and sighed. "I know." As the portal closed, Ryan turned to assist Rayne in freeing the creatures from their prisons. Summoning a separate exit, he instructed them to run through, which many of them did. Those that didn't wandered incoherently and needed a bit of a push. Thankfully, they managed to free most of them while some were so far gone they’d never wake again. "Where does it lead?" Rayne asked as she unlocked the last cage. "Far from here." "What do we do now?" "We need to find my cousin. Kristy said to look for a wall that's not a wall," he started for the door before stopping to bring his hand to his chin. Dropping his gaze, Ryan lingered. "What is it?" "I thought this was the work of Convera," his brow began to furrow. "That would have implied he, but that's not what she said Rayne," he looked back at her. "She said they!"

Chapter 31.

Panning slowly in their direction a small infer-red camera narrowed its lens while off in some distant corner of the laboratory, two tall figures loomed above a table filled with computer screens. The images they bore shifted every now and again, providing a full view of each and every corridor. "Well, well, well...look at what the cat dragged in," one of the two men mused. "Cat? Looks to me like that's a vampire," the other contended in a far brasher tone. "Let's leave the technicalities in the science lab, shall we?" "If you say so." Flickering across a screen, both figures watched as Sam’s shadow continued to tear through guard after guard before the camera itself went black. "And what of that?" the brasher of the two asked. "Frivolous, the archetype is not of my concern, nor should it be yours. That boy, he is the prize." Their gaze shifted toward Rayne and Ryan. "The boy?" "The blade and the stone." "Two for the price of one? And what of the girl?" "What of her?" "Hrm…what indeed...you know what they’re here for don't you?" "I do." "Well, perhaps this would a good opportunity to test out that latest freak of yours?" "Is that a challenge?" there came a pause. "Just a friendly wager." "I wasn't aware psychopaths like to work together," Rayne scowled. "It doesn't matter how many people he's got. We have Haine on our side." "I hope you're right about that," Ryan quickened his pace down the ever darkening hall in search of this telltale wall Kristy was talking about, while somewhere off in the dark, strange sounds began to creep forth and the lights exhibited an odd flux. "Is that Haine?" "I don't think so," Ryan threw a nervous glance over his shoulder at the ominous metallic sound. "Come on we have to...oh shit" rounding the corner, he stopped and drew a breath as they found themselves at a dead end. "That's not good." "Test the door," Rayne snapped. "I'll cover you." "Door, what door?" it took him a second to realize. "A wall that's not a wall...ha...duh." shaking his head, he threw up the blade and wall began to fade out, revealing the etchings of a magnificently grotesque entry point. Minted in gold, it depicted an intricate scene of the ark angel with a spear, standing atop a mound of demonic entities as they writhed their way up from the gates of hell. Drawing a steady breath, he stood back as the horrible sounds began to draw closer. Grabbing Rayne, he yanked her into the room. Despite being unaware of what waited for them, the thought of sticking around to face whatever was coming, did not appeal to him. Stretching outward about six or seven yards, the room in which they now found themselves was unlike what anyone might have come to expect. Almost every inch of it that wasn't either tapestries or brilliant red carpeting, glistened like the sun under the soft auburn glow of two brilliant chandlers. The spectacle however, was not the room itself, but what it contained. Hundreds of rare and unbelievable artifacts covered every inch of shelving, many of

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 248 which were cases mint in crystal glass. Two ivory lions with gold and ruby eyes stood on either side of a small desk toward the front, where a large crystalline globe sat amidst a treasure trove of rarities unlike anything a museum could ever hope for. Ryan was not interested in such things. His attention fell immediately to the two spinning blades, or rather the blade and staff that were currently contained by some matter of electricity, inside a pair of large glass tubes. One of them unmistakably belonged to Saurin. Vanishing from his hand, his own weapon retreated, not by command, but perhaps a conscious fear of a device capable of restraining the others. Racing passed the blade as well as the bright golden scepter; Ryan noticed the back wall, which was not a wall at all, but a gigantic fish tank. "Pretty ornate for a maniac," Rayne mused, eyes flaring emerald as they fell upon the artifacts. Ryan wasn't listening, pounding his fists across the tank, he looked frantic at the sight of Saurin who appeared to be passed out at the bottom of it. "God damn it! I'll kill the one who did this!" launching a punch of dark energy toward the glass, the hit only bounced off, causing him to wince and buckle over as his knuckles began to bleed. "You know," A rather ominous voice called from behind, as the gold doors began to close. "That's not a very nice way to treat other people’s things." Standing at the edge of the long runner rug were two young men. The boy who had addressed them, could not have been older than ten. Dressed in a neon blue t-shirt, he wore a black jacket that fell just below his knees. Regarding them through a pair of rounded glasses, his gaze was narrowed in a less than youthful manner, hair drawn back in a spiked fashion that would have made Vancelyn cry. If the child wasn't intimidating, the dark haired, grisly teenager that stood beside him brandishing an ivory katana, surly would have been. "Says a porcupine," Rayne scoffed as she turned, eyes flaring red. Staring at them defiantly, she grew confident she could make short work of them both. It was like being at school all over again, she thought grimly, as she noticed the blade. She missed such swords, but one of ivory would've felt perfect in her hands. The child met Rayne's gaze as he stumbled over a lisp, which came through around his S's. "Your insults are meaningless. I'm going to enjoy watching him tare you apart." As if on command, the boy with the sword spun it upward and motioned at them with two fingers. Rayne flashed a smile that exposed her fangs and fired the rifle in his direction. As the coil shot toward him, he slid out of the way so fast, that by the time her hand was off the trigger, he was standing directly in front of her. Slicing forward, he went to hack her from the side however, was stopped abruptly as Ryan locked blades with him through narrowed eyes. Growling as he surpassed the shot, Rayne scarcely had time to move out of the way. Leaping over his leg, she aimed the rifle at his face and managed to avoid the blood splatter, which fizzled across the floor in long black streaks. "Ugh...disgusting." Ryan shook his head, as the boy lay face down. "Well that was easy." "I wouldn't be so sure of that," the child snickered, and as Rayne made the mistake of stepping over his body, he reached up again. Grabbing her by the arm, he swung her into the desk before vaulting to his feet. His face was completely unharmed. Seeing him up again, Ryan took a leap with his sword and the boy actually caught it before he had the chance to come down. Wrapping his hands around it, his own blade fell from them, only to be caught by a second pair of arms that suddenly tore through his shirt. "Holy shit!" Ryan let go just in time to avoid being impaled. Catching herself, Rayne’s expression became perplexity as she realized the teen was

unharmed. Such recovery was impossible, even for a vampire. Unfortunately, she didn't have time to think about it. Raising her hands, she commanded her energy wrap to around the katana and pull it away from its wielder. As the blade was yanked from his grip, the creature turned to face her. Holding up its original hands, it cracked each one of its knuckles in sequence before fanning its fingers and retracting a set of dangerously long claws. Crossing her arms, a wall of black energy shot up to protect her. Taking the opportunity to attack, Ryan swung his blade upward, summoning several tendrils of energy that sprung from the ground to entangle the beast and bound it in place on the floor. Effetely stuck, it wasn't going anywhere and it didn’t look happy. "Are you okay?" he asked, whilst giving the creature a wide berth. "Of course I'm okay," Rayne scoffed. "I thought you were going to lose to four arms over here though. He's a regenerator. Think he can regenerate something like his head?" "Just help me break this glass!" Ryan attempted to bring his blade against the tank, although it was suddenly torn from of his hands by a frightening blue current that threw it half way across the room. Jaw dropping, he spun in confusion, as the little boy, who still stood beside the door, began to shake his head. "Amateur," he grumbled, eyes falling to the creature. "Why do I always have to do everything myself?" "It's pretty sad when your hulking partner is just dead weight," Rayne snapped. "You want him?" she asked Ryan. "He's just a kid, what could he possibly..." before he was able to finish, the child stepped forward and a strange current ran the sides of his arms, although that was not what made him stop. Tearing through the back of his coat, six long tendril like appendages hovered above him. Each one was tipped with an enormous metallic claw that snapped open, revealing jagged saw like edges in all three directions. Reaching up with one hand, he caught the teslla coil as Rayne fired, and slowly totted a finger back and forth. The current suddenly about faced and ran straight back toward her. Ducking as she saw it coming, Rayne let go of the rifle and promptly threw her energy. Bringing his claws out in front of him, the boy blocked her attack and held his position. "He's the one trapping the other two," Ryan snapped, coming to recognize the same energy that held the Dawncutter and the Twilight Scepter. Unfortunately, without his weapon, he was limited, meaning Rayne would have to contend with the child…alone. "Just hold four arms and I'll take care of him," she said as she stepped forward. "Come on kid, this isn't funny." "Funny?" his claws opened and he sent balls of current at her the size of SUV's. "Who say's I'm laughing?" Blocking the attack with her shields, Rayne had to step back to keep from being fried. "We could be doing this all day shrimp," "Thanks but I have other plans," racing toward her, he clamped a hold of her darkness. Baring three of his claws on top of it, the others served as supports and began to pump her defenses full of electricity. Rayne's eyes flared black as she endured the heavy voltage. Bumps began to rise across her skin and she stepped back. Falling forward, the boy had not been expecting it. Slamming his claws to the floor, one of them fell directly in front of him and took the knife as she drew it from her pocket. Sinking into the tendril, it drew blood and he whipped it forward to knock her aside. "Ryan get me a sword," she called, knowing she couldn't take him without one.

Quickly reaching for the katana, he threw it toward her. "Here catch!" Doing just that, as the tendrils came at her, she swung the blade with practiced ease. Catching it, there came a clean snap and he cracked it in half. Meanwhile, Ryan came to a sudden realization. Reaching into his pocket, he noticed he still had the tablet they'd managed to take from Sam. "Hey Rayne, I think I have us some back up." Raising the slab, the lights began to dim and the child looked up, as the shadows crept in an un-natural manner. "See you," Rayne winked at the boy, bounding off to Ryan's side. "I'll buy Sam dinner if he manages to get us out of here." "You and me both." The darkness suddenly began to coil upward. Turning curiously, the boy's eyes followed it and widened in horror at the towering shadow that began to take form. Pulling back from its face, the cloud of black haze departed and the beast roared with dripping black teeth. Tearing from the room as fast as he could, the little boy screamed for his father and ran from the door in hysterics. Scrambling to his feet, the disgruntled teenager made a beeline right after the younger one. "Chicken shits," Rayne grinned broadly. Watching two of them run, the creature suddenly turned on them instead. "Hey wait you can't...you have to listen...the stone, you have to!" Unfortunately, it didn’t and without his blade, Ryan could only stand there. Closing his eyes as it lunged, thankfully, the blow never came. Instead, what erupted was a blinding white light that shot around the two of them like a shield, tearing straight through the shadow and dissolving it to dust. Falling backwards, Sam hit the floor and Ryan opened his eyes. Unsure as to what had transpired, a gentle tapping from behind caught his attention, and his expression became one of relief and mild amusement at the sight of Saurin, who offered them both a slight grin. Before anyone could say anything however, Sam marched up and snatched the stone from Ryan’s hands. "Gimmie that you dip shit." Coddling it with a pout, he paid little attention as Ryan turned towards his cousin. "Do you know how to break this thing?" Offering a flat look, Saurin crossed his arms. "Didn't think so." "There has to be something," Rayne snatched a heavy paperweight off the desk. Pulling away from the glass as it hit and bounced off, Saurin shook his head and motioned toward the weapons. Sound didn't carry in water so trying to communicate was pointless, although Ryan seemed to understand. Hurrying down the steps, he went for the Dawncutter, which was currently trapped in the strange tube. "Hey Sam, come here a minute." "Screw you." he hissed, although upon noticing the blade, actually did walk over. "You think you can reach through that?" "Are you serious...dude I like my arm!" "You can move through solid matter! I saw you do it! Just reach out and take it, it's not going to hurt you." Sam shuffled the tablet into his wounded hand. "I'm not gonna wind up like that, am I?" he threw a nod toward Saurin. "No, it'll return to him the moment it's free of that thing."

Bawling a fist, he bit his lip and nervously reached forward. Before he would have otherwise touched the glass, a voice caused him to stop. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Turning around, both he and Ryan threw glances in the direction of the door, where now stood two older men, one dressed in a black suit, the other a long white lab coat with a pair of dark rimmed glasses. Clinging to his side was the little boy who'd nearly turned Rayne to mincemeat. "They did it!" he whined as he tugged on the man’s coat. "It was them." "Way to bring your dad into this, you little brat." Stepping forward, the man in the suit spoke first. "Bravo, I am impressed. You are quite an interesting set of specimens," he addressed them. "The trinity boy, a vampire, and the archetype...impressive indeed. I see you're well at work admiring my collection?" a thin smile crossed his face while Ryan's eyes narrowed in anger. "You let me cousin go, you sick fuck!" The man’s smile only broadened. "Actually, I believe it is you who will be joining him. Not in quite the leisure, I'm afraid. See I only have room for one trophy, and as much as I'd like to put you all on display, your blades will have to suffice." Barring his teeth, Saurin could hear him through the glass and looked rightful infuriated. "As for you two," the man sneered. "I think I'll be adding that tablet of yours to my mantel piece, and perhaps I'll send you back to your hell hole in a box?" he said to Sam. "And you," he looked at Rayne. "I think I'll leave you to the professor. He has quite the knack for the supernatural." Narrowing his gaze, the man in the white coat eyed her. "My son tells me you have an interesting energy output...I'd like to, examine that in greater detail." "I'd like to stick your head on a pike?" she snarled. "If you keep an attitude like that," the professor began. "You may very well wind up being a fence decoration yourself." Stepping forward, the air suddenly took on a strange feel and before any of them had the chance to react, the energy around them started to constrict. "What the," falling to the ground, the tablet dropped from Sam's hands as his arms were pinned by some kind of intangible force. Struggling against it, Ryan grit his teeth and inevitably wound up on his knees. Saurin saw what was happening and raced toward the glass. Unfortunately, the professor was one-step ahead. Gaze lowering, the child stepped forward and his eyes peeled toward the tank, which was suddenly riveted by a violent current. Watching them drop her friends, Rayne lashed out. The man in the suit was the one to intervene this time. As the binds flew toward him, they came to a stop about six feet short, smacking into some kind of shielding that manifested in the form of a thin whitish film. "Tsk tsk," the doctor shook his head while toting a finger from side to side. "Such a naughty girl. I believe someone needs a time out, Professor," eyes sliding toward the other man, his gaze was met with a nod. "You, boy, collect the artifacts." he ordered the child, who slowly picked up both Sam's tablet, and Ryan's blade, which was currently incased in the same energy as the others. "Fuck you!" Rayne screamed as she continued to struggle. "You've got quite a mouth on you," The doctor scoffed as the boy handed him the

trinkets. Patting him on the head, he sent him off. "You can have the feisty one," he told the professor once the boy had left. "I will deal with the other two as I see fit." "Of course, I always get your scraps." "Be grateful I'm giving you anything at all, now take her and go." The binding that held the three of them suddenly tightened and one by one, they began to slip from consciousness. Teetering on the brink, the pressure increased and the next thing they knew was the dark. When Ryan came too, there was no longer in any discernable location. Dark patterned walls spread out in all directions, while thick silver bars kept him from the rest of the room. Saddled with a splitting headache and a stiffness that felt un-natural, it took a moment for him to gather his thoughts, though once he did, a rush of overwhelming despair began to fill him. Pounding his fists across the cold hard steal, he winced as he came upon something sharp. Opening glazed green eyes, he reached into his pocket to pull a small moon shaped amulet with a thin Latin inscription still scribbled across the back. Meanwhile, the room in which Rayne now found herself was of a completely different construct. Decked out in white, it resembled more of a doctor’s office than a hospital laboratory. Various machines replaced the disturbing dissection equipment while suspended above a long operating table, were frightening and suggestible objects whose purposes remained up for debate. Walking in, the professor entered the room, alongside him the child that had inadvertently been the cause of their capture. "Ahh good you're awake," the man announced, turning to check a small computer screen on the left. "Get away from me!" Rayne bared her fangs. "The more you fight that, the tighter those straps are going to get," he tapped several portions of the display screen, which caused a massive needle like projection to slowly lower itself from the ceiling. Situating directly over her chest, it hovered and began to spin. "Is this what you were looking for?" the boy handed him an odd device and received a nod. "That'll do. Keep an eye on her while I install this." Red eyes widened as she saw the needle lower and Rayne’s chest tightened with fear. "What are you going to do?" she asked boy. "I'm not going to do anything," he said as he glanced at the computer screen. "This machine on the other hand..." "Why are you doing this?" she asked. "This isn't right!" "Right and wrong are subjective concepts. I only do what I'm told." The professor returned and took to the machine. Setting a small jar in the base of the device, he unscrewed the cap. "Dizrra get over here, I need you to apply a teravolt in order to operate this properly." The boy complied without objection. Approaching the machine, he placed a hand across the side of it, which in turn, caused the needle to spin at a frightening pace. Summoning her energy, black binds leapt forth and the moment they did, the device began to react. Sucking the stream upward, it drained it from her as a regular needle drains blood. "Excellent, saves me the trouble." the professor mused, as the dark aura began to collect within the jar. "What is that dad?"

"Power." Screaming as her energy was taken, Rayne stopped summoning. Unfortunately, the machine did not stop as she did. "Can I trust you to keep an eye on this for me?" the man asked the child. "Just replaced the jar when it's full. There's a box of them on the table." "You son of a bitch!" Rayne looked sick. "I'll kill you!" she swore. "I'm thinking not if this machine kills you first," the boy said rather flatly, as his father walked from the room. "You're a sick little brat you know that! Your dad's a monster!" Struggling against the straps, she could feel herself getting weaker. Her mouth was dry from screaming and her skin felt like paper. Walking to the desk, he went to grab another jar. Returning to the machine, he was about to replace it when suddenly, a strange sound caught his attention. Furrowing a brow, he turned just in time to have his face met with the edge of a metal bat. Swinging it upward in a playful manner, there stood Vance, whistling to himself as he used his sleeve to wipe away the excess blood that still clung to its surface. Noticing Rayne, he gave a smile. "Miss me?" "Vance? I'm so glad to see you," she could hardly believe what she was saying, but it was the truth. "Well that's a first," he muttered as the bat vanished in a flutter of black smoke. Stepping over the unconscious youth, he approached the machine and tilted his head. Peering at the control screen, he lifted a fist and slammed it down, causing the entire thing to malefaction. Shaking wildly, the needle started to jitter as the electrical current that ran it died, and it came to dangle like a limp appendage as Vance reached out to take the jar. Dropping it to the floor, it shattered. "Oops." he scoffed as the energy fluttered back to Rayne. Shutting her eyes, she let out a sigh. "I need to be un-strapped." "Yeah, yeah, hold your damn horses," taking a step back, he snapped his fingers and the binds around her uncoiled. Offering no explanation, he walked over and began to pull her from the table. "Come on. Let's get the fuck outta here." "He has the weapons and the others." "I'm aware, but we're not getting them out on our own, not without shadow boy." Vance helped her to her feet and threw out a hand to summon a portal in front of them. "Can you walk or what?" "I'm fine," she lied, despite feeling as though she'd been hit by a bus. "Right then, come on," pulling her forward, the portal reacted in much the same way as it did with Ryan, only instead of a light that transposed them, it was a sweeping deluge of darkness. Opening on the other side, it revealed a well-lit room. Several men and women dressed in white lab attire, stopped what they were doing at the sight, however, Vance was one-step ahead. Snapping his fingers, he sent each one of them to the ground as black energy erupted from the floor, latching onto various portions of their bodies and sucking them dry. Ignoring the six or seven mangled corpses he'd created, he peered around the room, which held various machines, as well as a large pedestal, upon which sat a small glass case. Inside lay the tablet. Currently hooked to some kind of device, it appeared to be draining, or perhaps simply displacing the light through a large tube that ran up the ceiling into a room on the

other end. "How are we getting in there?" Rayne asked. "I don't know, look around see if you can smash it with something?" Standing on his toes near the door, Vance peered through the single white window. There was Sam. Bunched in a ball, he was huddled in the corner with his hat pulled over his face, while a blinding white light poured in from all directions. Pursing his lips, Vance looked at the door. It was too heavy for him to open, and truth be told, he wasn't certain he wanted to be touched by the light on the other side. Walking back to Rayne, he looked down at the stone and brought a hand to his chin. "We gotta get this thing outta here first, it's frying em...and I don't know about you, but I'd rather not add char broiled to my running list of near death experiences. Stand back." Reaching upward, he summoned the bat again. "And you might wanna shield your eyes." Rayne did just that. "I hope you know what you're doing." "Not a damn clue," he said as he brought it down across the glass, which shattered into a hundred pieces, filling the room with a brilliant white light. Rayne felt her skin grown warm as she shoved her palms into her eyes. "Vance?" Lying across the floor, he had been thrown nearly thirty feet into the air as the light shot backward upon impact. Slowly getting up, he ran a hand across the side of his head in disorientation. "Ugh...try the door." Rayne rushed over and pulled it open. Badly singed, a good portion of Sam’s arms and face were covered in burnt lacerations. Shaken, and in pain, he winced as she tried to pull him up. "It's okay, we're going to get you out of here," Rayne said, trying to avoid his burns as she looked at Vance. "Let's go, before they come back." "He's not going to be of use to anyone like that." Reaching out, Vance caught him by the arm and before he had the chance to protest, a surge of dark energy bore itself into Sam's flesh, repairing much of the damage. "What the fuck? What the hell did you just do to me?" "I fixed you," Vance hissed. "Which is more than you deserve, you little shit." "Since when did you become a healer?" Rayne let go. "How are we getting out of here anyway? Please tell me you ate Convera and his geeky partner." Vance held out a hand and summoned another portal. "We're getting out of here by getting back to that room and releasing those blades," he informed them. "And as far as the death squad goes, I wouldn't touch either of them with a ten foot pole. Besides, if they even knew I existed, don't you think I'd be in the same predicament you two are, or worse?" "I want my rock" Sam groaned and walked out to reclaim the stone. "We can't just let them get away with this!" "Interfering with Dr. Frankenstein is not part of the job. Once we're outta here you can do what you want, but as long as I'm the one running the show, I say we get what we came for and get the hell outta dodge." Vance stepped through the portal, which in turn, led them back to the large golden room, currently un-occupied thanks to Ryan, who happened to be waiting for them when they arrived. "Rayne, Sam, thank god." Rushing over, he caught her by the shoulders and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "I thought we were done for." Still quite shaken, Sam only stood there while Vance rolled his eyes and began to

grumble. "Where's Saurin?" Rayne asked. "He alright," turning toward the tank, Ryan gave a nod in his direction. Awake again, he looked exhausted though thankfully still in one piece. "Well come on then, what the fuck are you all standing around here for?" Vance hissed. "You, shadow boy, get the blades out of those things so we can all go home." Sam's eyes came to rest on the three pillars still containing the weapons. Walking over, he attempted to put his hand through the glass. Like the hotel wall and the sand before it, his fingers slipped straight through the shadows to wrap around the side of the Nightstriker, which he managed to pull directly out of confinement. Vanishing in a flash of red light, it re-appeared in Ryan's hand much to everyone's surprise. "Holy," yanking away from the viscous, Sam's eyes widened. "Ogle over it later!" Vance screamed as an ear piercing alarm began to sound overheard and bright red lights took the place of the white ones. "Let’s go!" Rushing over, Sam went to pull the Scepter as it too vanished, before his eyes fell on the Dawncutter and he approached with hesitation. "You can do it Sam," Rayne encouraged him. "You have to hurry!" "You sure this thing isn't going to fuck me up?" "No!" Ryan screamed. "Just take it!" Thrusting his hand into the current, Sam closed his eyes and pulled as hard as he could just as the door swung open revealing the doctor, accompanied by half a dozen guards. Raising their guns, they didn't bother to wait. The bullets were laced with tranquilizers and paralyzing agents that would have been the end of them all, should they have made even the slightest contact. Bringing up a hand, Vance closed his eyes and braced against the impact, creating a wide barrier akin to Rayne's, which managed to successfully deflect a good number of shots. Shying back, Sam stood nervously as Ryan raised his blade and many of the men were flung against the opposing wall. His concentration was broken however, by a strange sound from behind. Pausing momentarily, the others turned just in time to see Saurin raise the Dawncutter. "Oh shit!" Vance brought up his hands, as did Sam, at the massive deluge that suddenly raced forward. Of the four of them, Ryan was the only one who stood his ground. Racing passed him, the water parted between the group, instead, taking toward those who otherwise meant them harm. No one stuck around. "We did it!" Rayne laughed, exposing her fangs in a rare smile. "That's great," Sam stammered. "Now why don't we get the fuck out of this place before they decided to come back?" "Sounds like a plan to me." Raising his blade, Ryan threw a glance toward Saurin who was now hovering amidst the empty space that had once been the tank. Saying nothing, he only offered a nod and raised his own weapon in unison as the two of them summoned a way out.

Chapter 32.

The light closed again after dropping all five of them out across the rolling dunes of the same sand covered beach Ryan had transported Rayne when they'd first met. Already well into the afternoon, the sun was setting on the water in the distance, casting a brilliant golden hue across the sky, as clear and empty as the beach itself. Slowly sitting up, Ryan drew a deep breath and looked toward Saurin who was lying there with his arms spread in exhaustion. "You're so predictable you know that?" Catching his gaze, he pulled himself up. "Come on, you were thinking it too." Sam was busy emptying the sand from his hat, while Rayne stared at the sky, admiring the colors. "So we made it?" "Yeah, they're not going to be able to follow us here," Ryan smiled. "Good," Sam muttered, placing his hat back on his head. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I've had enough excitement for one life time." Ryan seemed to agree and looked back at his cousin at which point his expression became one of curious accusation. "So, exactly how did that happen?" Dropping his gaze, Saurin ran a hand along his neck. "Well…It's kind of a long story." "We've got time." "Um…actually," Sam threw a nod toward the setting sun. "Oh crap." "What? What's wrong?" "We can talk later," Rayne got up. "We have to get somewhere with light." Arching a brow, Saurin looked at Sam, who rolled his eyes. "We all have long stories, but this isn't the place to share." "Actually, this is the best place we've got. Would you mind if I took a look at that stone of yours?" Quickly drawing back, his eyes narrowed. "I don't think so buddy." Ryan gave Saurin a look and something seemed to click. "Sam give him the stone, he can help you." "I'm not going to break it Sam, I'll give it right back." The boy threw a glance in the direction of the darkening sky. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled the tablet, and reluctantly held it out. "Relax, you look like you're about to lose your best friend," Ryan chuckled, as Saurin began to trace several lines across its surface. Studying him curiously, the light it emitted collected in his palm, forming itself into a small silver gemstone, which he held out a moment later. "What is that?" "Light or more specifically, pure light. As long as you keep this gem in your possession you won't be in its, if you catch my meaning?" Sam took the gem from him somewhat warily. "So, you're saying as long as I hold onto this thing, I'm not going to have to play fill in the blanks with my memory every time the sun goes down?" "Basically." "What he means to say is that the next time you scarf three pizza's that someone else paid

for, the whole demon boy excuse isn't going to fly." Sam rolled his eyes and slipped the stone into his pocket. "Yeah great, whatever…that's one problem solved, but what are we going to do about him? " he pointed to Saurin who was still only human from the waist up. "I'm assuming this is a public beach, and I don't know about you guys, but I'm fresh out of logical explanations for this shit." "Aren't we in California?" Rayne asked. "There's tons of rich assholes around with their own strip." Both Saurin and Ryan laughed. "I'm fine," Saurin replied. "It's just the Dawncutter. Speaking of which," he turned to look at his cousin. "How come it's not affecting you?" "You know," Ryan admitted. "I'm not sure. Maybe it has something to do with the interference those binds were causing?" "Whatever the hell that means?" Sam scoffed. "It means this is so unfair." Chuckling at his reaction, Ryan reached out to ruffle his hair. "Life is tough cuz, payback for all those times you made fun of Kristy and me." "Get outta here," he mused, before growing serious again. "Wait a minute…Kristy!" "She's safe. We got her out of there long before we were apprehended." With a sigh of relief, Saurin laid back down in the sand. "So wait a second...how did you guys get out of that anyway?" "You know, that is a really good question. How did you get that monkey to dance?" Sam asked in regards to Vancelyn. "Well...actually," Ryan began. "I didn't." "Say wha?" He pulled the tiny celestial shaped amulet and went to hand it back to Rayne. The inscription that had once marred its backside was now completely absent. "Taking into consideration the circumstances, I couldn't in good conscience allow that mad man to get a hold of him. I did the only thing I could think of." "Wait, so that means?" Saurin looked confused. "That's right," Ryan nodded. "I didn't force him to do anything. He rescued us on his own." Rayne blinked rapidly. "He willingly saved us?" she asked in disbelief. "You set him free? You really set him free?" "Yeah...although speaking of which, where is he?" It was a particularly good question considering Vance was nowhere to be seen. "He's probably running down the beach like Pamela Anderson," she drawled sarcastically. Sam just scoffed. "Somehow I highly doubt that." Shaking his head, Saurin disagreed as well. "I don't think so Rayne. But I think I might know where he did go." A few miles off the coast, Vancelyn wandered his way through the dimly lit streets of a relatively small beach community. Hands stuffed in his pockets, his expression was stoic. He stopped only upon nearing the edge of a long road that ran toward the metal gates of a marble drive, leading up to an enormous estate. Constructed of red brick and grey metallic roofing, the mansion could hardly be called a house at all. Towering well over four floors, it spanned more

than two hundred feet in one direction and that was simply the front. Slipping passed the iron fencing, Vance didn't have any trouble with the security system and started casually up the drive passed a detailed golden lawn plaque that read, "LaChance Manor." "The Manor?" Ryan's eyes widened. "Why?" "I don't know, but something in my head just tells me he'll be there," Saurin neglected to mention the connection he feared the two of them now shared. "I gotta find him before he does something stupid. You guys gonna be okay for a while?" "Sure why not?" Sam gave a shrug. Frowning slightly, Rayne looked unsettled. The manor as they had called it, sounded like a dark place, one she didn't want anyone to go to alone. "I'll go with you." "If you want," Ryan summoned a portal. "We’ll be back soon, do us all a favor, don't get yourselves caught." Meanwhile, as Vance neared the house, he began to notice the evident movement coming from inside. Throwing a look in the direction of the drive, which was nearly as big as a house itself, he furrowed a brow at the sight of several cars with which he was unfamiliar. Shaking the thought free of his mind, instead of worrying about it, he walked to the door and reached for the bell. The noise it made was alarming and could be heard from outside as it echoed the halls. Taking a step back, his gaze lowered at the memories that returned to him, however as the door pulled open, he quickly looked up, coming face to face with a young Hispanic woman. "Maria?" he stammered, as she brought both hands to her mouth. "El Diablo Niño!" she took one look at him and began to shake her head. "No, no, no, you cannot be here. Please, you need leave, yes I think go." Though her English was broken, the frantic gestures she made were clear enough. "Maria come on, cut me some slack here." The maid only continued to shoe him away. "No, no, no, you can't be here. Mr. LaChance has new family, you must go, yes I think you go." "What?" expression darkening, Vance took a step forward, though before he could say anything, waddling out from one of the other rooms, slightly visible down the long carpeted hallway, a small child, no older than two, peered curiously at him through deep silver eyes. Dressed in a miniature tux, the little boy was obviously well cared, for not to mention well fed. Noticing Vance's shocked expression, the maid turned. "No, no Vinny go back, you shouldn't be out here," she called as she went to shoe the boy away, while a tall dark haired woman in her mid-thirties walked briskly out of the room to reclaim him. "It's okay Maria, he's not hurting anyone. Come on Vincent let's go back to..." trailing off as she noticed the door, the woman looked up to see Vance and her expression turned horrid. "David!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, grabbing the child and scooping him into her arms. Fortunately, or rather unfortunately, depending on how it was perceived, Vance didn't stick around to wait. The moment she called for his father, he turned on his heels and bolted across the lawn. "Vance lives in a manor?" Rayne was almost amused by the notion. He was as vulgar and pompous as could be and it shouldn't have come as a surprise that he come from money. "Why would he go home?" "I have no idea," Ryan admitted as they stepped through the portal onto the same high- end street Vance had traversed only twenty minutes prior. "And as far as living in a manor, you

might want to brace yourself." Rayne offered a sheepish smile. "I’m used to opulence," she admitted. She'd been born in a castle across the sea, a cold stone palace with stained glass windows that kept out the light. By now, Vance was already gone. Standing in the doorway, was a tall dark haired man. In his hand was the barrel of a hunting rifle that could have torn a hole through an elephant. Glaring through the darkness, he lumbered across the porch, pacing in a quite meticulous fashion. Rayne paused upon seeing the gun. "Is that his father?" "Yeah...looks like he's come and gone." Ryan shied away from the fence to avoid notice, aware that David LaChance would take great pleasure in putting a bullet through his head if given the opportunity. "I thought his father liked him?" "Are you kidding? Vance was a tool. His father used him to open the portal Dimensia. That was the only reason he spawned him in the first plate. Not to mention, he kind of killed all of the guys cult members. That does tend to put you on a shit list," he motioned for her to follow him away from the house. "Should we kill him?" "No, leave him, back when I was still living here LaChance had more power than god. If I had to wager a guess, I'd say he still does. That’s one sleeping dog it's better to let lie. Come on, I think I know where Vance went." Glaring back at the man, her eyes flared red. Rayne had no tolerance for people who used children. "Where is he?" "There's this old park down the street. If it's still there and I don't see any reason why it shouldn't be, that's probably where we'll find him." No more than two blocks down the road, a small children’s park lay abandoned for the night. Several swings rocked back and forth in the gentle fall breeze, while a rubber tire spun in a thin circle above a bed of cedar chips. Beyond it, a large oak tree towered over the top of the bright red slide, permitting anyone brave enough to climb it a magnificent view of the night sky, which was exactly what Vance had done. Leaning across one of the thicker branches, he sat about twenty feet off the ground. Running his nails along the bark of the tree, he traced the age worn letters of his own name, an engraving he had placed there many, many years before, under circumstances not unlike that very night. "There he is...right where I figured he’d be." Sitting there, Vance looked pale and distraught. Even in the dim light, his eyes seemed empty and far more distant than they had in a very long time. "He just saved our lives Ryan. Can't we cut him some slack? Look at him. This is just as bad as Liz." Ignoring her remark, Ryan walked forward in attempt to catch Vance's attention. "Hey LaChance!" Slowly looking down, his eyes narrowed, although his expression remained as such. "What do you people want now?" he groaned. "I want you to keep your end of the deal and fix what you did to my cousin." Taking a deep breath, Vance shook his head. "Well that's all well and good, but there's nothing I can do about it." "Excuse me?"

"I said I can't fix it. It can't be fixed. It was a stupid mistake but also, an irreversible one." "What the hell does that mean?" "I means you can get off my back, leave me alone and go back to your little fan party on the beach," he hissed through his teeth. "Saurin will be fine, besides after what I just saw," he shook his head. "I'll give you another fifteen years, give or take a year or two before this whole fucking mess repeats itself." "How is it irreversible" Rayne frowned. "You better start talking right now!" Ryan summoned the Nightstriker and pointed it toward him threateningly. Lowering his gaze, Vance sighed. "It's irreversible because of what happens when one soul passes through another. Like any other non-solid substance, once merged, even for the shortest amount of time, it becomes impossible to weed out the original molecules of either host." "You’re telling me you butchered my cousin's soul?!" Ryan looked livid. "I didn't butcher anything. I screwed up a calculation. Besides, Saurin isn't going to be as effected, he's light remember? What's the worst you’re going to get from him? A cheeky remark from time to time...oooh scary." "Ryan, Saurin is fine," Rayne said as he drew the weapon. "Vance, what did you mean by this mess repeating itself?" His eyes slid toward her. "You'll find out some day...or maybe you won't, hard to tell. Don't really know. Don’t really care." Mulling over his words, she felt as though she already knew the answer. "You're a brother?" Vance didn't say anything, Ryan however, looked horrified. "What?! Whoa hold on, time out, you're telling me there's more of you?" he began to pace at the thought of another soul eater. "We gotta get rid of it." "Bullshit," Vance scoffed. "You're not getting within ten feet of that mansion and what are you going to do, kill an infant? Please. Let it go, if my prick of a father is anything like I remember, kid won't live to see eighteen anyway." "We can't kill a child Ryan, are you insane?" Rayne’s face burnt with resentment. "I didn't say we should, but..." "Just forget about it and go back to your friends," Vance muttered. "And leave you here?" "What else could you possibly do to me?" Shaking his head, his eyes narrowed. "If I ever hear your name again for any reason other than a tabloid in an obituary somewhere." "Yeah, yeah, I get it hot shot, now get out of my face." "Thanks for saving us," Rayne regarded him with gray eyes and promptly turned to leave. Offering no response, he only continued to stare at the sky while Ryan summoned a portal back to the beach. "I feel bad for him. He's been replaced." "That's not our problem. He brought his own fate upon himself, now he's got to deal with it." Rayne seemed to disagree, however she said nothing. Back on the beach, Sam had taken a nap with his hands behind his head, while Saurin aimlessly doodled pictures in the sand.

"Hey guys," Rayne said as she stepped through. "How'd it go?" Ryan crossed his arms. "Come on, as if you don't know?" "You did the right thing by letting him go." "Says you." "Come on Ryan, he saved our butts back there. I think we can afford to let him get a little bit of a head start. Although I guess that only leaves one other order of business?" "What's that?" Rayne brushed back her hair as she sat next to Saurin, admiring his doodles. "Where do we go from here?" "I should see how Leah is faring...and explain myself." Rayne knew her friend was probably worried sick and she didn't even want to think of what her mentor was going to say. "Unless you guys want to go on another adventure?" "I'm all adventured out," Ryan admitted. "Yeah," Saurin replied. "Besides, we should probably go see how Kristy is." His cousin nodded and threw a look toward Rayne. "Anywhere you'd like us to drop you off?" Thinking it over, she pursed her lips. Leah's parents had been in Jersey the last time they'd spoke. "Clinton," she remembered the name faintly. "Clinton is it." "Will I see you again?" "Course you will. We'll be back, just have to clear up a few things first. Besides, you still have a lot of explaining to do," Ryan said to Saurin. "Yeah...I was afraid of that." Rayne smiled faintly as she got up with a seashell in hand. A tiny souvenir for a big adventure. "See you." Offering a wave, Ryan and Saurin did much the same as the light engulfed her and vanished. "Now wait a minute," he said, once Rayne had gone. "Hrm?" Pointing toward Sam who was still sound asleep, Saurin bit his lip. "So, what are we going to do with him?"

Part II

Chapter 1.

The next couple of weeks passed by relatively quick and as Halloween was fast approaching, so to were the outrageous decorations and propaganda. All over haunted houses were popping up and tales of ghost stories filled the streets. There hadn't been much word from the paranormal community, although there were a few disappearances in the area. Having been reunited with Leah and her mentor, Rayne felt overwhelmed by the changes. They had moved locations, renting out a spacious apartment in the middle of town. She and Leah could still see each other, considering they were enrolled in a new private school. Both despised it, having to wear uniforms and abide by strict rules. With the knowledge Halloween was well on its way, Leah was too excited to care, distracted by the thought of dressing up, while Rayne was more concerned with the news. There wasn’t much to be said. The two young men who had disappeared, both yielded from sketchy backgrounds so people generally assumed they had met their end in a similar fashion. There was however, one report that caught people quite odd. The local pet store had experienced a recent vandalism, in which all of the rodents, including sixteen rabbits, twelve rats and a hand full of guinea pigs, had been stolen. What was even weirder, was the fact it was all done without anyone's knowledge. "I bet it was someone from PETA," Leah said from the backseat of their private car. "Who's peta?" Rayne frowned. "It's better you don't know." The school was an old building and looked quite foreboding around Halloween. Made of gray stone, it almost resembled a prison. Private school, Leah thought glumly, was comparable. Fiddling with her uniform, the collar irritated her immensely and she grabbed her bag as she started up the stairs. "We have time to get food right?" Rayne hadn't packed a lunch and the school food made her nauseous. "You have twenty minutes." "I'll be back in plenty." Meanwhile, not far down the block, a small strip mall played host to a familiar guest. Dressed in a red and black pinstripe suit, a dark haired young man brandishing a large plastic bag, stormed head long into the local Petco. Making his way to the counter, he reached into the bag and emerged with an enormous green nyla bone that looked as if it had been chewed to bits. Pushing his way to the register, he slammed it down in front of the cashier and demanded a refund. "You said this thing was under warrantee!" he raged. "Yeah against dogs. What did you put that through, a meat grinder?" "Don't get cute with me you little shit. I paid twenty bucks for the biggest fucking one you people had. Now either you give me my money back, or I'm gonna put what's left of this bone right through your skull!" Picking up the disaster that was once a dog toy, he shoved it into the associates’ face. "Whoa dude chill out, I'll get you your money back, but do you mind maybe telling me what kind of dog did that?"

"No breed you've ever heard of." Handing him back the twenty, the boy at the register stared uneasily. "Give me that," Vance hissed, snatching it from his hand. "I want another one. No, as a matter of fact, I want three. Just for the hassle." "You're gonna have to take that up with the manager." "Oh really? How about I just take it up with you?" "I'm not at liberty to..." "Save it," storming from the store, he grabbed the tattered bone and walked out in an even worse mood than he'd been in originally. Rayne was scarcely expecting someone to come tearing out of the store like a raging bull. The nyla bone went flying as the back of Vance’s suit was demolished by the front of her cream cheese bagel. "Ohh you've gotta be fucking ki..." looking up to see Rayne, his jaw dropped. "Nooo…it's not possible! Please tell me my life doesn't suck this bad?" Nearly chocking on her food, she looked as if she’d seen a ghost. "What are YOU doing here?" "You know, I was just wondering that very same question...what's this?" he nodded toward the get up she was wearing. "You decided to lose the goth chick look and go for prep? Please tell me you're not attending high school again?" Surprised he was being friendly, or at least mild-mannered, Rayne gave him a look. "I'm in private school now," she answered as she tore apart another piece of her bagel. "The nuns aren't thrilled with the goth look so I'm stuck with this." "Nuns?" Vance choked back a laugh. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute, you? You're going to a school with...nuns?" "It's a private school," she flushed. "I needed holy guidance." Vance had never laughed so hard. "Holy guidance? Are you kidding me? Rayne I'm sorry, but no amount of holy guidance is gonna make an ounce of difference." "It wasn't my idea," she said glumly. "Well that made my day...holy guidance...please. Actually, it might be a good thing I did run into you," he admitted. "Or maybe the other way around, but regardless, do you know where I can find something that won’t disintegrate if it's say...chewed?" reaching into the bag, he pulled out the nyla bone, which had to have been at least four inches thick. "A bone?" Rayne examined what he presented. "I don't know, I've never had a dog." She studied the marks. "This isn't from a canine. Vance...what did you get?" "Uh...well actually, it's not so much what I got," he scratched the side of his neck. "But what I took." "What did you take? Don't tell me you adopted a werewolf cub or something?" "Uh nooo...not quite...urm look, why don't you just tell me where I can find chew proof stuff for say...a shark?" "You don't give chew toys to sharks Vance, unless their baby seals. What did you get?" Vance pulled up his sleeve to examine a golden Rolex. "I told you, I didn't get anything, I stole it. Now if you're not gonna help, you can go back to your church, I'm kinda on the clock here." Rayne could've cared less if she was late. "Forget the clock, what gives?" "Just go back to where you came from okay? I...oh shit," he groaned as his watch began to beep. "I gotta go."

Bolting into a nearby neighborhood currently under renovation, Vance cared little for whether or not he was followed. Yanking open the door of an unoccupied house, he rushed up the stairs to the first room at the top of the flight. The interior was fully furnished with a bed, several shelves and a dresser, all of which were covered in knickknacks and bizarre looking objects, including a glowing red sphere inside a tiny jar, and a silver skull made of crystal. The real prize however, was not an artifact, but a small child that sat on the floor. Dressed in a black and white suit, he bore a striking resemblance to Vance. His hair had been purposely gelled in mimicry, and although there was a vast difference in age between them, the only physical one were the boys eyes, which happened to be a bright silver instead of gold. Looking up as he walked into the room, the child beamed and continued to strangle a familiar black cat. "Sorry Rose, I got held up." Slipping through the front door, Rayne ghosted up the stairs. Originally, she had meant to be discreet, but upon seeing the child, she stopped. "Vance...what the hell did you do?" Gritting his teeth, he went for the door and tried to force her out of the room. "What the hell are you doing here!" he hissed. "Get out!" "What do you mean what am I'm doing here? I've lived here for weeks! You're the one who just showed up. Why'd you follow me? And whose kid is that? Are you crazy? You better not eat him Vance, I swear to god, I will end you!" "Eat him? Why would I eat him...he's my brother." "You kidnapped your brother?" she asked in outrage. "You can't even take care of yourself, how are you going to take care of someone who can't even talk?" "You think I was just going to leave him there?" he barked. "Why, so he could wind up like me? I can take care of him just fine. The only reason I had trouble in the past was...hrm let me think, because of you and your stupid friends." "You can't take care of him Vance! And as for me and my stupid friends, we set you free and I don't know why you helped us if you hate us so much!" Opening his mouth to say something, he was cut short by the piercing sound of a loud eep from the other room. "Hold that thought," tearing open the door, he drew a sharp breath as the little boy sunk a gamete of needle like teeth into the side of Rose. "Vincent NO! God damn it, she's not a chew toy!" Racing over, he pulled him off the darkmite, who squealed angrily before running from the room. Pushing open the door, Rayne stepped inside. She stared at the child, feeling sudden sadness. No human would ever be able to hold him. Her own mother couldn't even look at her when she’d exposed her fangs. "His name is Vincent?" she asked, "what's with the V's?" "I don't know, ask my father," Vance knelt beside the boy as he crawled toward her. "Careful, he bites." "I don't know why you gelled his hair. He looks like a mini you." "That's kinda why I did it," he muttered and handed her the demolished chew toy. "Here, so you don't have to explain to the hospital why you lost a hand." Holding Vincent, she gently pat his back. "He's just teething, it's normal for kids to bite. I did it too when I was his age." "Yeah well I didn't. It's normal for rodents to bite, but this kid? I'm running out of chew toys...look at that thing, he did that in an hour!" "Babies teeth, it's normal." Vincent picked at Rayne's sleeve and began to laugh as if it

were somehow amusing. "He never does that with me." "He's cute," she smiled, exposing her own teeth, despite having no idea of what he found funny. The little boy appeared to register the similarity and his own smile broadened. "Of course, he's not scared of you," Vance took a seat on the bed. "Now if I could only get him to realize I’ve got teeth too. How the hell do you explain that to a two year old?" "Good luck, teen dad. And I don't know, my dad encouraged biting." "Pfth...my father whipped out the belt. I couldn't leave him there Rayne. The things that man did..." "So you saved your brother? You've been on a roll lately, saving us and then him. What gives?" "Blame Saurin. Speaking of which, you're not gonna tell anybody about this are ya? You know what will happen if people find out about him?" "I'm not going to tell anyone," Rayne didn't want harm to come to a child. "Thanks..." Vance reached out and ruffled the boy’s hair as he lunged upward and attempted to take a bite out of him. "Bone," leaning over, he picked it up and stuck it in his brothers mouth instead. Rayne aimed a glance at her watch. Grimacing as she realized she was going to receive an earful from Leah, she pulled Vincent up and held him to Vance. "I have to show up at school or the nuns will break out the bible." "Oh god forbid, the bible." "I'm not a fan. See you later Vinny." "Yeah much later. Come on you," he said to the boy, "I didn't go through all that trouble last night so you could skip breakfast." It was no surprise what had become of the animals stolen from the pet shop. Having constructed a makeshift pen out of cardboard and other scrap materials, Vance had dumped the rodents into it along with a bunch of litter and some lettuce he figured would keep them alive. Walking to the edge of the pen, he set Vincent down beside it. The little boy seemed intrigued as his brother emerged with a small white and black pig, stroking it delicately in his hands. Chirping gleefully as guinea pigs often do, the animal had no idea what was to become of it. "Alright, let’s try this again shall we? I don’t know what method dad used, but I prefer the hands on approach. You’re going to have to learn sometime, so it might as well be now." Holding out the pig, Vance presented him with the animal and watched to see what the boy would do. Reaching for it, Vincent held it in a rather unorthodox manner. When he did nothing, Vance sighed. "I guess maybe you need some help? Let me think," pursing his lips, an idea occurred to him and he reached into his pocket to pull out the destroyed remains of the nyla bone. "Okay Vinny open up." That did the trick. Dropping the guinea pig, Vincent went for the bone, however, instead of giving it to him, Vance picked up the pig instead. The reaction was instantaneous. Zoning in on the animal, the little boys eyes began to give off a bright luminescence. Peeling up the side of his face, he revealed rows of dagger like teeth. Instead of Vance’s slanted needlepoints, Vincent’s were more triangular, serrated and designed for tearing flesh, which was exactly what happened as he leaned forward and closed his jaws around the top half of the animal. Vance was left holding the backside of a dead guinea pig, while the other half vanished

down his brother’s throat. Arching a brow, he pulled the remains away and stared at the child who began to crawl toward the bone as if nothing had ever happened. "Teething’s a phase huh? That’s the third one of these I’ve had to clean up. What do you have to say for yourself?" Vincent wasn’t paying attention. "Come on you, we're gonna go for a walk." Hoisting him onto his shoulder, the boy clung to him as he made his way up the stairs and called for Rose to get the "leash". A few minutes later, the three of them were on their way to a small child’s playground. Bright pink leash in hand, Vance held onto Rose who scrambled forward in attempt to sniff at everything, which was frankly bizarre, considering she was a cat. In the other hand, he held the leash of a skull patterned baby harness that he was currently pulling Vincent with. Thankfully, nobody was around to notice. Reaching the park a few minutes later, he tied Rose to a bench and walked to a child swing. Tugging his brother along, he picked him up and plopped him into one. "My god...what the hell was he feeding you? You weight almost as much as I do." Vance poked his stomach and Vincent looked up with a smile. "Don't give me that." Un-strapping the harness, he walked around to give him a push. "From now on it's two mice a day Vinny boy. Either that or you're going to have to learn to crawl up and down those stairs on your own time." Giggling happily as Vance launched him into the air, Vincent clapped his hands together and smiled. Leaving him to his own devices, his brother went to take a seat beside Rose, who was nibbling happily at the grass. "I don't get children." Snapping his fingers, he summoned a small black book with an odd Latin inscription across the front. Flipping through the first couple of pages, Vance leaned back, crossed one leg over the other and began to read, while the swing kept Vincent occupied. Leaving school with Leah, Rayne pursed her lips. "I'm not taking the car today. I'll walk home." "Okay, but tell Jani I'm coming over tomorrow for food." With a slight nod, Rayne headed in a different direction. She figured she would study at the park in order to keep from attracting the attention of her mentor, who would know something was on her mind. Cutting across the grounds, the vampire stopped at the sight of the boy. Vance had lost track of time while the swing had continued to rock back and forth behind him. Evidently, poor Vincent was no longer quite so happy, and began to exhibit a greenish complexion as he hung limply over the edge. Rayne stormed up to Vance and pinched his shoulder. "Are you not paying attention to him?" "OWE!" Whirling around, he went to smack her with the book, though stopped when he realized who she was. "I thought you were at Jesus Camp?" "I'm done with school, you ass. Go tend to him!" Vance’s eyes slid toward Vincent who was still staring at the grass as the swing finally slowed and he spewed forth the remains of a partially digested guinea pig. "Ugh..." Vance pulled him from the swing. "That's what you get for eating that thing," he sighed as Vincent's eyes filled with tears. "Whoa hey, stop that." Putting him down, he tried to straighten his back. "You gotta cut down on the chow kid, I'm gonna collapse if I have to keep picking you up." Vincent just continued to stare.

"Don’t look at me like that. What, you want Rose, go play with Rose." he pointed at the darkmite who quickly attempted to scurry away, Vincent however, only stood there wailing. "You're ridiculous," Rayne set her bag down and picked up the boy. Clinging to her, he dug his nails into her shoulder. "What have you been feeding him?" "Um...guinea pigs, or rather...half guinea pigs." "It’s okay Vinny," she rubbed his back. "Of course he's going to throw up!" "I didn't think he was gonna bite it in half! That's the third one this week he's slaughtered like that. I don't know what to do with all this chewing? I never had these kinds of issue as a kid, and I sure as hell didn't tear small animals down the middle." "Did you try normal toddler food?" Vance rolled his eyes. "I think you're missing the point here. He's my brother, hence he doesn't consume normal toddler food. And what he does consume, does not involve butchering the damn animal in the process. This better be one of those phase things." "You shouldn't let him swing after he just ate! He doesn't watch much TV does he Vin? You should just stay with me," she told the boy. "I'd dress you better." "Hey he's my brother. Besides, you don't even know how to take care of him and I have no interest in sharing my biology with anyone, least of all you." Vance crossed his arms and Vincent wrapped his own around Rayne's neck. "When's the last time you changed his diaper?" her eyes steadily watered as she caught whiff of a smell. "Changed his diaper? What do you mean? I thought he came with one?" "He needs another one," "Another one? Why would he need another one? If he smells, give him one of these." Reaching into his pocket, Vance pulled out a small tree shaped air freshener and proceeded to tuck it into the back of the boy’s pants. "That's what I've been doing." Rayne's eyes flared red. "YOU HAVE TO CHANGE HIS DIAPER YOU IDIOT! An air freshener? Are you retarded?" "What? It's an air freshener, it says it's supposed to kill orders right on the package. I figured that was what it was used for anyway?" "The moment I set him down I’m going to kick your butt," Rayne tried to curb her cursing. "We have to change his diaper." "We...what we? If you wanna change a poop sheet, be my guest." "He's your brother, isn't he? You just told me I wasn't allowed to interfere." "Yeah of course he is, but that doesn't mean I'm touching that thing on his ass. Besides, I still got a shit load of these pine tree things from Rorik's house." "He's going to get a diaper rash and he's going to be upset. You're changing his diaper!" "Um...how about I'm taking my brother home and you're going to go back to where ever it is you came from?" "Vance, you need to change his diaper!" "I'm not touching it," throwing up his hands, he stormed to the bench where Rose was still tied, and removed the leash from the handle. Watching him do so, Vincent looked mildly distracted. Crawling over, he grabbed a hold of her. "Hey come on Vinny, don't strangle her alright?" "Vance, change his diaper!" Paying no mind, he returned to the house. Letting Rose off the leash, he brought Vincent

upstairs and set him on the bed. Observing him from the side of the mattress, his brow furrowed and his eyes began to drift. Coming to rest on the small jar with the bright red orb, a thought occurred to him and he got up. "Hey Vincent, stay here for a second." He returned, carrying a small white mouse. Setting the animal on the desk, he reached for the jar. The moment his eyes met with it, or rather, the strange floating orb inside, the teeth came out and Vincent began to gnaw at the lid. "Okay...normal," Removing the jar, Vance set it back down and instead, reached for the mouse. Picking it up by the tail, he dangled it out to him. "Now, specimen number two." Had he not jerked back as quick as he did, he might have lost his hand. Bounding upward, Vincent took one look at the animal and with a swift snap, it was gone. Staggering backwards, Vance's eyes widened. "That’s not good. Don't move Vinny," Returning five minutes later, he had in his hands a small microwavable pillow, much like the one Saurin had used on him during the course of their previous escapade. "Come here Vin. It's time for a little nap okay? Just relax, this isn't gonna hurt." As he placed the pillow around his abdomen, Vincent fell over like a limp sack. The presence of heat had put him into a homeostatic coma so fast it was frightening. Worried of the possibly repercussions, Vance leaned over and pulled back his gums to get a better, and safer, look at the boy's teeth. Taking immediate notice of the differences in size, shape and appearance, he swallowed hard and drew back. "Oh dad what did you do?" Running a hand through his hair, he removed the hot pad and started downstairs. It was twenty minutes later that he finally relented. "Rose!" Crawling out with a yawn, the darkmite looked up. "I need your help." She gave an eep, and an hour later, a loud knock was heard on Rayne's door.

Chapter 2.

Having little idea what Vance was worried about, Rayne was more irritated with him leaving Vincent unchanged. When she returned home, her mentor was waiting for her with an expression of concern. Jani could've passed for her older sister. Their resemblance was uncanny. A few inches taller, she had glossy black hair, which was pulled into an intricate twist and an oval face that denied she was anything over twenty. "Where were you?" she asked, aware Rayne tended to dally when there was trouble. "I was looking for a job," she felt bad about lying but she didn't want to burden Jani with her problems. "We're doing fine Rayne." "It doesn't matter. I want to pull my own weight." "You can, by finishing your schooling," Jani set down a plate. "Eat, I want to make sure you're getting healthier." At the sound of a knock, both of them looked up. Rayne immediately turned to face the door. No one was supposed to know Jani was helping her. "Relax," walking passed her, the woman’s steps were measured. Opening his mouth to say something, Vance was not expecting her and quickly stepped back. "Uh…sorry I erm, I think I have the wrong house?" His eyes slide down to the cat. "You brought me to the wrong place you stupid thing." Rose eeped back at him and he quickly returned his gaze to Jani's. "Um...Rayne, she doesn't live here, does she?" Upon hearing his voice, the look on her face was one of pure horror, mainly due to the fact her friend would see the situation differently. Jani however, only tilted her head. Gold eyes met gold, and it was enough to make her curious. "Rayne?" she arched an eyebrow. "Are you a friend of hers?" "Um," looking down at Rose, Vance's gaze narrowed. "I don't think friend is quite the right word." "Are you her boyfriend?" Jani's slender eyebrows rose even more. "Wha...no, no, no, no," throwing up his hands, he flushed red. "We're em...well actually I think she hates me, but she likes my baby brother and he's kinda the reason I needed to talk to her." "A baby?" Jani glanced between them. "Where are your parents?" "Ugh Jani, he's just babysitting for the weekend and he doesn't know the first thing about babies." Rayne lied. "Well what's the problem?" "Uh...well..." shifting his weight, Vance wasn't entirely sure he wanted to say anything, for more reasons than one. "Rayne, you think you could just come to the house with me and I could tell you there?" "To your house? Unsupervised?" Jani looked over flatly. "Nice try." "Wha...no ugh, look it's not what you think, trust me, we hate each other," Vance turned toward Rayne. "Go ahead, tell her. I mean she's practically my arch rival for Christ sakes and that's saying something, considering I already have one." "You're right Jani," Rayne knew she would have to think up a good lie. "Can I just go out for a little?"

"You don't have to hide these things from me," Jani insisted with a laugh. "But I'm watching you," she turned to Vance and the glimmer of a threat appeared in her eyes. "Wha..." A huge question mark hung over his head. Even Rose arched a brow, which was impressive considering she was a cat. "Nothing, come on," Rayne gave her friend a thankful look and all but darted out of the apartment. Nervously backing away, Vance regarded Jani with an uneasy stare although nevertheless, hurried after her. "Who was that?" he asked, once they were far enough to be out of earshot. "Why do you care? How the hell did you find out where I live anyway?" "Blame Rose," he stared at the cat who eeped at him harshly for the comment. "I care because if she's related to you, then survey says she's probably got similar ideals. I'm sure I don't need to remind you how you reacted the first time we met. If she finds out and decides well...you know," he trailed. "I know you don't give a rat’s ass, but Vincent hasn't done anything to anybody." "You shouldn't have come to my house," Rayne fumed. "Now she's never going to leave me alone about it. You can't tell her. You can't let her know about this mess or anything else. You had better not ever show up again. If Leah sees you, you're a dead man. You're someone new, we just met. You're not human but you're not a soul eater either, got it?" "Uh yeah sure, but apparently Vincent isn't either," Vance gave her a nervous look. "That's kinda what I wanted to talk to you about." "I thought you didn't need my help?" His gaze dropped. "Look...This is gonna sound kinda pathetic, but when it comes to demonology, I don't have the first clue. You had me figured out in ten seconds. You know more about this stuff than I do. So fine, I admit it, I need help, if not yours, somebody’s." "What's the problem?" "Come with me." Stopping in front of the house, he reached down to unlock the door. Without bothering to unleash Rose, he simply let her go and tore up the stairs. The boy was still thankfully asleep. "Get a load of this." Walking over, Vance sat beside him and went to pull back his gums. "Shark teeth? Was his mother human?" "Yeah, but so was mine. What does that have to do with anything?" "Well the difference," Rayne looked back. "You sure she wasn't a succubus or something?" Vance shook his head. "His mother was human, there's no arguing there. His teeth are different because he's a difference species." "A different species? How the hell did that happen? I thought you guys had the same father?" "It's not the genetics, it's the demonology. I had my suspicion, but it wasn't until you asked me about our biology at the park that I actually thought to check. He reacts what I would consider normally in the presence of energy, but he doesn't seem to be able to absorb it, or at least if he does, he hasn't displayed it. It's almost like the difference between a fruit and a vampire bat, if you can relate? They're both bats, but one is a whole other animal, and therein lies the problem." "So...what are you getting at?" Rayne smoothed Vinny's hair. "What I'm getting at," Vance muttered. "Is that I know how it works for me, but I haven't

the slightest clue as to how it's gonna work for him. I can't take care of something if I don't know anything about it. I thought we were the same, but clearly there's a difference, and if that's the case, I'm completely in the dark. My biology isn't like a humans. I'm not sure if his is, and if it isn't, which I'm presuming is most likely the case, then it’s different from mine. I have no idea what to do with him, and more importantly...what not to." "Don't you think the kid will learn how to feed himself?" Rayne sat at the edge of the bed. "What other demon species are there?" "I don’t know. I wasn't exactly schooled in this stuff. I stole a book from my house but it's in Latin. It's gonna take time to translate and even if I can, it still doesn't explain his condition. Here, watch this." Holding up a finger, he motioned for her to move away as he got up to take the jar with the strange orb off the shelf. Placing it beside the boy, even as he slept, he reacted to it and barred his teeth. "Okay normal reaction. Now watch," snapping his fingers, Vance summoned a small white mouse. "You might want to take a few steps back?" Reaching down to remove the jar, he carefully dangled the animal and a few seconds later, Vincent’s eyes shot open and with one swift snap, it was gone. Rayne frowned at the sight. "Don't you know Latin? I thought you were showing off in class?" "I do, but the book is detailed. It's not very precise on identification." "Do you have a computer?" "This house is a foreclosure. I don't have a computer and even if I did, there's no internet. Judging by some of things he's reacted too, he's a soul eater, but he behaves more like a sin eater and that's not good, especially if his physiology is human. Without a hyper-metabolism, he won't be able to consume the amount he needs to survive. Three rats at this age is one thing...but as he gets bigger, the energy intake is going to increase as well. He weighs triple what I did at his age. That alone is enough to worry me." "He's a sin eater?" Rayne went to smooth his hair again. "I don't think so. He only ever threw up the one pig. His behavior is only suggestive and similar. He can't consume human energy. In order to do that there's a ritual that has to be performed. Long story. Still, if he has to physically consume his meals," Vance drew a breath through his teeth. "Well, think about it. Three guinea pigs today turns in to three kittens in a few years, and then three dogs. With someone like me it's possible...with someone like him, that's a death sentence." Grasping the little boy’s hand, Rayne looked down. "What kind of ritual?" "A nasty one," he replied as Vincent began to tug on one of her fingers. "Grimdark initiation. The day I got Rose and my life officially ended. I don't even know if he can wield it. He's too you for me to test it, otherwise I would have tapped into him directly, but..." trailing off, Vance reached out to ruffle the boy’s hair. "I don't want him to be a part of that. When he's eighteen he can decide for himself." "How's he going to make it to eighteen if he can't eat? That's a good decision, but is it practical?" "One problem at a time," Vincent wandered over and suddenly gave him a hug. Burying his face in his brother’s shirt, he nuzzled him like a child nuzzles a favorite toy. Rayne looked forlorn, knowing his fate could be a terrible one. "Could you call your dad and ask him?" "Are you kidding? He came after me with an elephant gun for just showing up at the

door. He's not going to tell me shit, and besides, he's an extremely powerful magician. I'm not talking Harry Potter here either," he pet his brother’s head as he continued to embrace him. "That man is dangerous, especially towards people like me. Hell, he made me like this. If you think trying to contact him won't get us both killed? It took me almost two weeks to lose the trail after I took Vince. I had to jump through a lot of hoops, and that's not a metaphor." "How did you end up here anyway? I don't believe in coincidences." "Farthest point I could find from California...not to mention Greenville is like a two hour drive. It was sort of the first place that popped into my mind. Trust me, I'm not stalking you, as might as you might like it," Vance looked down at the boy. "Ugh you know," reaching into his pocket, he pulled out another air freshener and hung it over him. "I'm going to need to invest in a baby spray can or something, because these things..." he looked at the tree. "Just don't cut it." "Change his diaper you imbecile!' "I don't have diapers! Although, if you happen to know any place around here that has free public use of hot water? This house is great for squatting, but unfortunately, the plumbing is only so-so. All the pipes are basically shot. I'll admit he could use a bath. Gotta get that gel off his scalp anyway." "You don't have running water?" Rayne had been there before when her mom had spent all of their money on booze and cigarettes. She and her brother had, had to sneak into the neighbor’s yard to use their sprinklers. "You have money? Why not just rent a hotel?" "There's too many people in a hotel. And as you can clearly see," Vance began while the boy reached out to hug Rayne. "Vinny loves everyone and everything. He doesn't understand the world and how cruel it is. He thinks that because he loves things, things will love him." "I love him," Rayne found the words spilling forth as she hugged him, pressing her cold cheek against his. "But the world won't. You and I both know what would happen if someone found out. It doesn't matter if he hasn't done anything, they'll kill him for just being what he is. I can't protect him if I don't even know how to protect him from himself." "Vinny's going to be protected because he has the two of us," Rayne said. "And since you can't take care of him, we have to let someone else in on this. You can't stay here without water, so I guess you can stay with us?" "You?" Vance's eyes widened in both surprise and uncertainty. "Thanks Rayne," he seemed genuine, "But, what about your friend...that woman? I'm good at keeping up a charade but Vinny. He'll get us both busted the first time he decided to chew on a drape. I can defend myself if I have too, but I'm not worried about me." "I know this is going to seem like a strange concept, but Jani is trust worthy. She's a mom, she'll understand. Vinny will be in good hands. We could explain some of the story, not all of it, and we're buying diapers beforehand, with your money." "Trustworthy?" Vance didn't look so sure. "As in she'll leave him alone and come after me with a chainsaw?" "She might if I tell her you were using air fresheners to mask the smell of his diaper," Rayne picked up the child. "Ready for a field trip?" "Take him downstairs I gotta pack." A dark void suddenly opened on top of the bed and he began to aimlessly chuck several things down into it. "Weren’t you the one who said not to mention anything?" "That was before I realized you didn't have running water. We just met. You're trying to

save your brother. That's all. Do not tell her about our past because Leah already mentioned it." Vance followed her downstairs once the room had been cleared. "I'm sure she's going to want to know what she's bringing into her house Rayne, and what do you mean Leah already mentioned it?" "She mentioned we were terrorized by a soul eater whose real name is Vance. Don’t worry about Vinny, he’s a baby, that's all she'll see." "Uh huh...you know I have a bad feeling about this." "Come on, you can get over it when we face the stares at the friggen pharmacy." Rayne left the house in favor of the nearest CVS. Thankfully, no one said anything or the place would've been emptied. Looking toward his brother as they entered the store, Vance pointed a finger at him. "Public Vinny, no teeth," he warned while the boy's eyes fell on a Halloween display. "You get the diapers." Throwing up his hands, Vance wandered into the toddler aisle in search of pampers. Vinny on the other hand, was busy staring at the display. As Rayne approached a spooky Halloween mask, he smiled and pointed. "Ants," he said or at least that's what it sounded like. "Ants?" Rayne looked at him and paused. "Was that your first word?" Walking over again, Vance had a huge package of diapers in his hands. Holding them up, he closed one eye and tried to match the image on the packaging to the boy’s backside. "Ya...I think these’ll fit," he muttered, while Vinny continued to point. "Ants," he said again, causing his brother to stop. "What did you just say?" "Did he just say his first word?" Rayne was perhaps more excited than she should've been. "Has he ever said anything?" "I'm not sure. He makes noises sometimes but..." "Ants!" Vinny screamed. It took Vance a moment of studying, before his gaze suddenly narrowed. "Wait a minute..." Clapping his hands, Vincent burst into a fit of laugher. "You insinuating little shit!" "Ants sounds a lot like Vance," Rayne mused. "Ya think?" "Are you dressing him up? You should be something cute Vin, like a pumpkin." "For Halloween?" Vance walked toward the register to pay for the diapers. "I wasn't intending too. I don't really celebrate it." "Why?" "I used to...but after everything I've been through, I don't need any reminders." "Celebrating Halloween isn't going to kill you." "It's just not a day I wanna remember. Can we drop it?" "What happened that's so terrible?" Rayne remained as persistent as ever. "You know those things in life you just don’t want to share with anyone?" "I don't celebrate New Year’s." "Same basic principle," Vance followed her in silence, lugging the diapers back to the house. "So wait," he began as the apartment came into view. "If you said your friend already knows my name, what am I supposed to tell her if she asks?"

"You lie, or isn't it obvious?" "Well duh," he rolled his eyes. "I guess...I don't know. This just seems a whole lot like what happened back in Greenville. I really don’t want a repeat of that. Erm, this Jani, she doesn't know what a soul looks like, does she?" "I don't know Vance, I'm thinking on my feet. Let's just get her to change Vincent. The fumes are disrupting my thought process," Rayne held him in one arm and unlocked the door with the other. Pushing it open, the scent of almond oil and jasmine lingered, which meant Jani was in. "Home already?" glancing up from her book, gold eyes stopped upon Vincent. "Rayne...please tell me you didn't have an accident. Is this why you've been so distant?" Rayne's face burned red. "Not in this lifetime." Stepping nervously into the room, Vance’s eyebrow floated up the side of his face. "Sorry to disappoint you madam, but that's my brother." With a fleeting smile, Jani walked over to take the boy from Rayne's hands. "He's so handsome," she crooned, although she did pause at the smell. "And no one's changed his diaper?" Holding up the bag of huggies, Vance rolled his eyes. "He came with one. I didn't know you had to change it." "Children," she shook her head. "So free of care. You need a bath my love." "Yeah, that's kind of what we're doing here. The erm...pipes at my place are on the fritz," it was a half-truth. "And if he ever wants to have kids of his own someday well, let’s just say the water back home isn't an option." Looking up as Jani regarded him, Vincent's silver eyes widened. "What's his name?" "His name is Vincent." "First things first, you have to give him a bath. Lukewarm water, we have bubbles and I'll have to wash those clothes. Rayne, show them to the bathroom." "Let's just get this over with," Vance shrugged, as Vincent began to reach for him instead. The bathroom was simple yet luxurious. The floor was the color of sand, baring streaks of white marble. Jani had spared no expense. All of the fixtures were gold and there were tiger lilies in a huge vase that sat between two sinks. "He'll smell like vanilla after this," Rayne mused as she began to run the water. "Bet you feel right at home aye Vin?" Vance asked the baby, who seemed to know what was coming and began to clap his hands. "What the hell is wrong with you kid? I used to dread the bathtub when I was your age." "That explains so much." "Hey shut up!" "Make yourself useful and dunk him in. I'm going to find a comb to clear that gel out of his hair." Looking down at his suit, Vance pursed his lips. Offering a low groan, he walked over and reached for Vinny who cooed happily, as he began to peel off his clothing. "If you ruin my suit, I swear to god child." "Oh get over it, it's just a suit," Rayne dipped the comb in the water. "Hey, this suit costs more than you do," hesitant to remove the diaper, Vance shook his head and took a few steps back. "Knock yourself out." "I’m not touching that. He's your brother, you're taking that bullet."

Bringing a hand to his chin, he thought for a second. "Hey Rose!" opening up behind him, a small black portal appeared and the tiny creature poked its head out. "She's going to hate you." "I don't care. Rose, remove that...thing from the boy." Crawling up from the void, which vanished a second later, the minion eyed Vinny as he began to reach for her. Backing swiftly away, she shook her head. "It's not a request Rose, just do it." "Hurry up before Jani comes in." "Ugh...I hate you all so much right now," kneeling beside his brother, Vance bit his lip and with a very uneasy expression, used the edge of his nail to pick at the diaper. Vincent grabbed his hair as he did so. "Hey you, stop that." Cutting the last portion of adhesive, he reeled back as it unfolded, filling the room with the most god-awful smell imaginable. Rose vanished in a blur of black smoke while Vance brought a hand to cover his mouth. Rayne recoiled immediately, pale skin acquiring a green tinge as she hastily stuck her nose against a bar of soap. "Get rid of that thing," she groaned. Giggling at the bubbles, Vincent starting playing with them while Vance was left to dispose of the diaper. Snapping his fingers, he held his breath as the rancid thing burst into a pyre of black flames. "Come on Vinny," Rayne gently began to comb through his hair. The gel stuck fast although the more water she ran through it, the more it stated to even out. Thankfully, the little boy was too busy playing to notice. "You could help you know?" "With what? He's not big enough to share," Vance leaned over to examine the process. Evidently, without the gel, Vincent's hair fell naturally straight. Still a bit of a mop, when it wasn't styled or sopping wet, he looked more like an individual than a Vance clone. Then again, it was rare to see Vancelyn without the gel, so that was up for debate. Taking note of a small rubber duck, Vinny began to reach for it. "What you want that?" Vance picked it up and squeaked it in his hand. "He's a kid, they like toys." Happily hugging the duck, Vincent closed his eyes as Rayne messed his hair. "He's a spoiled little brat," Vance sighed, although his expression bore a hinted smile that quickly faded as his brother opened his mouth and went to bite the head off the toy. "Vincent! NO TEETH! I told you before we left. You can’t do that here." Vance took the duck and paused as his brother’s eyes began to water. "You want it back you have to promise me...no teeth, not unless I say." "Be quiet!" Rayne hissed as she heard Jani's footsteps. "Vinny, no." "Vincent it's important. You don’t want me to get hurt, do you?" the little boy began to shake his head. "Well then for the love of god, no teeth." Handing the duck back to him as Jani reached the door Vincent closed his mouth and stared at the animal with a pout. "Are you three alright? I heard yelling," she was going to say something else before Vinny caught her eye. "What's wrong?" "He was trying to eat the bubble stuff," Vance lied, as the duck fell into the water with a splat. "Did you yell at him?" Jani resembled Rayne for a moment. Picking Vincent out of the tub, she held up a towel. "He's my brother. I don't want him to die from drinking bubbles."

"What is yelling going to do about it? Where are his clothes?" "Um...I left them in the other room," jerking a thumb over his shoulder, Vance rushed out of the bathroom in order to pull a set of child’s clothes from void space without being noticed. Returning a few minutes later, he tossed her a pair of jeans, and a bright red t-shirt with the words, Little Critter, spelled across the front. "He is not wearing that hideous shirt," she laughed. "And before you dress him, he needs a diaper." "Hey watch it. That was mine when I was his age." Jani sighed and looked at Rayne. "Please tell your suitor to get the diapers and find another shirt." "Her...whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute, let's get something straight right now," he muttered, kicking the plastic bag of huggies in their direction. "We're not together. She's just a..." looking at Rayne, he thought for a moment. "Someone I met at the park. If she's in love with anyone it's him," he pointed to Vinny, who smiled. "And yet she lets you into her home and takes care of your brother for you?" "We have no freaking water!" Vance threw up his arms and went to tear a diaper out of the package. "Here," he grumbled. "I don't know how to put it on." "I'm going to show you," she held Vincent to the counter and kept the towel under him. "You hold him," she said to Rayne. "And you, slide the diaper under his bottom." Rolling his eyes, Vance looked as if he were being tortured. "You adjust it around his waist and strap it on. It’s not rocket science, just do it." "Easy for you to say," finishing with it, he walked off. "There, now would you people get off my back about it?" Jani wasn’t amused by his mannerisms. Rayne took notice, and promptly pulled Vincent against her. "What do you feed him?" her mentor asked curiously. "Uhhh..." Vance suddenly bit his lip. "Why don't you let me take care of that? He'll only take food from me anyway." "Rayne was like that as well," she brought the excuse with ease. "She was so cute as an infant." "Really? You were a cute infant? Somehow I can't image that." "Shut your face." "Shut yours." "I have pictures," Jani smiled. "I'd like to see those." Still holding Vincent, Rayne glared. "Jani, if you show him any pictures I’ll hang myself." Jani dismissed her empty threat and immediately walked from the room. "You guys can sit in the living room. I'll bring out the snacks and the pictures," she said gleefully. Chuckling to himself, Vance walked over and ruffled Vincent's hair. "What do you say kid, you want to see pictures?" he grinned menacingly. "Karma's a bitch huh?" "They're just pictures. Big deal." Resting his head on her shoulder, Vinny stared into space while Vance began to gather his clothes. "Give him to me for a second. Kids gotta have his dignity. I don't want him running around in nothing but a diaper." "He's still more fashionable than you."

Taking the boy, Vance sat him down and dressed him. Tugging his hair, Vincent seemed to have a penchant for doing so, and his brother reached up to brush him away. Catching his hand, he folded it in his own. "You gonna behave for me Vin? You're gonna be a good boy and remember what I told you?" "Es," Vincent nodded. "Good." Picking him up, Vance shuffled him onto his shoulder and looked back at Rayne. "I don't know how you hold this kid for so long. He weighs a ton." "I would think you’d have enough upper body strength to hold him," she said snidely as she walked into the living room. Setting Vinny on a sofa, Vance positioned himself on an arm. "Since your parents are on vacation and you have no water, will you be staying with us?" Jani placed down tray of chips and dip. She also laid a small photo album at her side. "I don't know?" running a hand along his neck, Vance's expression became grim. "Who takes care of him while you're at school?" "School? I haven't been in school in, erm," he shook his head. "I've been out of high school for a while." "How old are you?" "Almost nineteen," he said honestly. "Oh, so you graduated?" "I what?" "He graduated," Rayne answered for him. "I see," It seemed as though she was waiting for the right moment to voice her suspicions, like a cat who waited for the mouse to make a run for the fridge. Vance gave an uneasy nod as Vincent finished his chips and began to chew on the plate. "Hey, get that out of there!" "Let him eat," Jani insisted. "The plate?" "No...the chips." "Why don't you let..." she frowned. "I don't recall getting your name." "My name...uh...my name?" "Ants!" Vincent announced. "Hush up you, here," reaching down again, he gave him another piece of Styrofoam, which he was more than happy to continue chewing. "My names uh, Peter," he said with a smirk. "Peter?" Jani arched an eyebrow. "Peter what?" "Um...Chance." Cutting his last name in half, Vance wasn't sure how much Leah had told her and it was the first thing that came to mind. "I almost expected Parker. So you said you met Rayne at the park? How did that happen? She doesn't talk to strangers." "See this," he pointed toward his brother. "That's how." "You started asking me for help," Rayne was unwilling to seem as if she'd started the conversation. "Yeah, yeah, whatever," Vance rolled his eyes which came to rest a few seconds later across the album. "So, pictures?" he said with a grin. Jani opened it to reveal a baby Rayne. She couldn’t have been any older than five nor any messier. A tiny thing, even for a toddler, she stared at the camera with large blue eyes and a face covered in spaghetti sauce.

"Wow..." "All children are messy," Rayne hissed. "Here’s another," Jani pointed to one that showed Rayne asleep and drooling on a large cat plushie. "Hey look, you drool in your sleep too," Vance kept the remark desecrate although he was sure she would catch his meaning. Meanwhile, Vinny reached for the plate again. Unable to get to it, he gave a pout. "Ants!" he demanded. "You know, I should probably get him something real to eat. Pretzels and chips aren't going to do him much good." "I'm sorry, I don't have any baby food. If you want, I can make him something, I wouldn't mind." "That's alright, he's on a...special diet," Vance chose his words carefully. "Like I said, he doesn't take food from anyone but me. I'll just...take him upstairs and take care of it myself," he went to pick up the boy who clung to him without hesitation. "So are you two staying with us?" "Can I get a room to myself, and guarantee nobody is going to walk in?" "This isn't a hotel," Jani stiffened. "It is my home and I respect my guest's privacy...but I don't tolerate disrespect." "I'm not disrespectful, I'm cautious." "Cautious against what?" she began to look offended. "You came here to ask for help and then deny my hospitality?" Rayne rubbed her face. "No, that's not what I...ugh..." Vance sighed. "Maybe I should just go?" "It’s your decision." Once again, his brother went to pull his hair. "Yeah I know you're hungry Vinny, I'll get you something in a bit. Look, I appreciate the help, don't get me wrong. However, I'm not sure about saying over somebody's place. I've had erm...let's just call them bad experiences." "That’s unfortunate," Jani said calmly. "You said you were Rayne's friend and I only extended the courtesy because of it," she looked at her protégé, who seemed embarrassed by the exchange. "Yeah well history for me tends to repeat itself. I guess maybe we could stay for one night?" he relented, although was still uncertain. Smiling broadly, Jani clapped her hands. "Shall I make dinner?" All traces of doubt had vanished from her face. "Let me just go upstairs and put him to bed? He's gonna get cranky if I don't." "Of course," she nodded. "Do you need help?" "I think I can handle it. I'm gonna feed him first." Offering a nod, Rayne walked to the kitchen to help Jani. "Your friend is quite odd," she commented as the girl tensed. "He's got it rough at home. He's nineteen and taking care of his brother. What guy do you know wants to do that?" "In my day taking care of family was just doing the right thing," Jani began to slice through numerous vegetables. "I can't quite place what is wrong with this picture Rayne, but I trust you. Despite your misgivings. Your heart has always been in the right place."

Chapter 3.

Hurrying up to the bedroom, Vance slipped inside and locked the door. With a sigh of relief, he put his brother down. "Good god Vinny, what did you get me into?" The little boy didn't seem too certain as Vance took him by the hands. "Look kiddo, you gotta work with me here. Remember what I told you about people okay? Rayne, she's cool, for the most part, but I can't speak for her friend. You don't understand do you?" Vincent just continued to smile. "Of course you don't. Just behave for me okay? I don't want see you get hurt." Vance drew the blinds and made sure the door was securely locked before snapping his fingers to summon a guinea pig. "Okay Vincent, now can we please try this again, without the blood?" Holding it at arm’s length, he kept it just out of reach, hoping he would react normally. Unfortunately, the only thing he did was continue to clamor for it and eventually started to tear up. "Come on Vinny, please," Vance set the pig down and summoned the jar instead. Placing it beside him, he watched the boy cling to it, teeth spreading his face in a disturbing fashion. "Why don't you react?" Vance picked up the animal again and held it out. There was no change in the child’s approach. Conceding defeat, he relented and handed him the pig, which became a horrible bloody mess about a second later. "Terrific, what am I going to do with you?" placing the jar delicately beneath the bed, he drew from his pocket a deck of playing cards. Throwing the ace to the ground, he took a step back as Rose emerged. Instead of the typical violet-eyed darkmite, the manifestation was of a tall dark woman bound in leathers. "Hey Rose. Look, I know I've been a dick to you for the last couple of months," he lowered his gaze. "But I reallly need this favor." Crossing her arms, the entity started at him with an eyeless expression. "I don't trust Rayne and I don't know about her friend either. I just...I need you to watch Vincent for me. If somebody finds that soul under the bed. I don't want him to..." he looked up as the entity placed a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks Rose, I owe you one, you can hold me to that. Just keep him safe okay? Make sure nobody comes into the room. I gotta go downstairs for a while and make nice," he grimaced as he headed for the door. "I'll be back up in a little." Leaving the entity alone with his brother, he hurried down the stairs, making sure to lock the door again behind him. Appearing in the kitchen a few minutes later, he adjusted his sleeves and leaned against the doorframe. "Miss me?" "No," Rayne snorted, though she was glad he had come to distract Jani who was amused by his antics. "Yes, we were just complaining we need some help in the kitchen." "If by help you mean help making food disappear, I'm good at that." "Get your ass in here and help," Rayne flung a dishtowel at him. "There are nicer ways of asking." "Help with what?" taking the towel to the face, Vance glared. "Help Rayne cut up more vegetables. You're not a vegetarian are you?" "Is that supposed to be funny? Where's the meat?" "Here," Rayne slid over a package. "I'll do it. You can be the veggie cutter. I'm sure you

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 280 can't cook." "Give me the fucking meat!" Vance lost all sense of discretion when Vincent wasn't around. "I don't need to cook my food anyway." "What was that?" Jani's tone had a definite edge. "Where's the please asshole?" "Please, asshole," he said with a grin. Vance did get the meat. It went flying right at his face. Hitting him dead on, it fell to the floor. "Nice going." "I'm sure you're used to it," Rayne said crudely. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" "You like..." she stopped as Jani held up a finger. "Peter...you could use a knife?" "Oh...erm...sure." reaching for one, Vance looked at it before his eyes slid toward Rayne. "And no I don't like dick, thank you very much," he finished her sentence and went to cleave a large piece of steak down the center. "Could've fooled me." "Oh really? So I guess according to you, my old girlfriend was a man?" he chose his words carefully, once again curtsey of Leah. "I didn’t see you kissing her. Besides, how long did you go out with her for? Two days?" "More like five weeks and let's not even go there. I don't see you with a boyfriend. And Vinny doesn't count, unless you're secretly a pedophile." Rayne was scowling now. "I don't need a boyfriend. You're just jealous of Vinny because when he’s older, you’re going to be the ugly, awkward brother." "That kid could be my clone. You see this," Vance pointed toward his face. "This is him in fifteen years, give or take fifty pounds. So if you think I'm ugly, it doesn't say much for him." "He's got more of a personality than you." "He's two. His vocabulary is like three words. That's not personality, it's parroting. "He's nicer," "He's younger." "And cuter," "When you two are done having a lover's spat, would you please come help me," Jani broke the tension. "Do you often make your guests serve their own dinner?" Vance asked. "Would you rather sit and stare at the wall? I find cooking with guests rather productive." "Hrm...tempting offer," he gave a role of his eyes and continued to chop the meat, solely tempted to snack on some of it, though thankfully he held off. "You know, it's a miracle a child could bring together two people who are so vastly different." "Yeah some miracle," Vance washed the knife in the sink. "Meat's done," pointing to it, he went to take a seat in the den, have little desire to cook and even less of the knowledge as to how. "I see the two of you also have laziness in common," Jani shooed Rayne away. "Go be a good hostess while I finish." "Could you at least act like you're glad I'm doing you a favor?" "Being happy and acting it are two entirely different things. Besides, cooking is work for

the help." "You're really making it hard for me to want you around," Rayne said flatly. "It's time to stop acting like you're a prince, because the part of your life is over." "Hey, I don't want you around anymore than you want me around, so we're even. And as far as royalty goes, I've never cooked a day in my life and I don't ever plan too. I mean, let’s face it, you and I both know the irrelevance of what that would actually entail." "At least appreciate the fact she's being nicer to you than you deserve." "Who say's I don't appreciate it? I'm doing this for Vincent, not myself. If that's not enough of an effort, then you're shit outta luck." "Oh yeah you're really sacrificing yourself, having a place to stay with food and running water." "Do you realize whose ass is gonna be on the line if someone finds out about him? Not only that, but I don't trust you, especially not after everything that happened these last couple months. Your friend seems nice, but how do I know she won't snap," he clicked his fingers together, "if she realizes what's going on? Let me put it to you like this. If you were living in a house with a bunch of lycan’s and they thought you were one of them, wouldn't you be a little…I don't know...uneasy?" "Yeah you're real uneasy. You're still being a jackass no matter how scared of us you are," Rayne fell silent as she heard Jani come in with food. "I hope you all are hungry," she said enthusiastically, placing a large plate in the middle of the table. "Rayne, go get some glasses." Opening his mouth to say something, Vance was cut short by the sight. Normally food didn't provide for him, but that was not to say he wouldn't attach himself to it if given the chance. Growing rather antsy, he eyed the feast like a starving animal, waiting impatiently for Rayne to return. "You know Peter," Jani looked at him as Rayne walked into the kitchen. "I'm so glad you managed to become Rayne's friend. She needs more of them," she sounded surprisingly sincere. "Huh...oh yeah, erm she mentioned she has a few," he remembered their previous arguments, not to mention Leah, and assumed it might spark some kind of informative conversation. "We both know she only has one," Jani replied. "Please try to guide her. You seem alright. Taking care of your brother is a very admirable thing," she stopped as Rayne returned with several glasses and a liter of coke. Vance's eye twitched a little. "Erm, if I could find my own way out of the paper bag, that would be one thing. I'm just trying to keep one step ahead of the noose if you know what I mean? I guess in that aspect she and I are on the same page?" "What are you talking about?" Rayne looked between them suspiciously. "Nothing, he was just giving me the details on your relationship." Rayne gave Vance a murderous look. Holding her tongue, she placed a glass in front of him, before sitting down to pile her plate. "Yes, I was just telling your friend how much of an amazing person you are," he went to start on a wad of stir-fry that would have put an elephant to shame. "I can't wait to tell her about that amulet you gave me," she countered. Jani stopped with her fork in mid-air. "Really?" her eyes seemed to sparkle. "You gave Rayne a present?" Vance's fork stopped as well, as did his mouth.

"Um...it's kind of a long story." "We have time!" "He insisted I accept the gift," she finished calmly. "I had to let him down gently and tell him we could only be friends." Vance's fork hit the plate a little too hard and he began to choke on his food. "He's still not over it," Rayne hid a wicked grin as she took a sip of her drink. "Well that explains the tension, thank goodness," Jani’s gaze filled with pity. "Do you need help? I'm sure she could offer you CPR?" Bringing up both hands, he shook his head rather frantically. "No...no I'm fine, and that is NOT what happened," he hissed as his eyes began to water from lack of oxygen. "You'll find someone else Peter. You're a handsome young man, you never know. Rayne might come around yet." "Uuugh...yeah...just perfect," Vance gave her a look of pure loathing. "I was with someone else, but somebody had to get jealous," he looked at Rayne again. "When the girl finally did break up with me, she," he pointed at her, "Decides to play hard to get." "Rayne!" Jani gave her a sharp look. "I told you men hate jealousy." "I’m not jealous, I just knew they would crash and burn," she regarded Vance with a similar loathing. "She was an airhead anyway and he was pathetic around her." "It's an act, you'll see. Sooner or later she'll come around," he began to stuff his face again. "I'll have her begging at my feet." Rayne nearly broke the glass in her hand. "It's not an act Peter. You're never going to get to me." "I'm not so sure. We all know women can’t resist toddlers, especially catty girls who like to play tag with people’s emotions. If I recall correctly, after I broke up with that so called airhead, you were the one who came to the rescue. Flew in on the white horse that one did. My hero. Course now that she has what she wants, she doesn't want it anymore, or at least she says she doesn't...but I'm telling ya Jani, she can't resist." "I feel bad for Vincent being stuck with you," Rayne glowered. "That's the only reason I'm helping you. You were a mess, I felt bad for you but that doesn't mean I want you at all." Jani glanced between the two of them as if watching a tennis match. "My...you two...certainly have some issues together." "It's becoming a living," Vance said dryly. "We don't have issues, he has issues." "Will you be going with her to the Halloween dance?" This time it was Rayne's turn to choke. "Wha...a...da...no...no, no, no, no," Vance began to shake his head. "I erm...I'm retired from dances...permanently. Besides, Halloween is kind of a...bad night for me." "Nonsense, she needs a date," Jani ignored Rayne who looked as if she would rather die. "If you can't dance, I'll show you. Halloween is a fun night, it'll be lovely." "Not for me it isn’t. And it's not that I can’t dance, it's just...last time, a little too much punch." "Oh, some hooligan spiked the punch did they? Did you drink a lot? It couldn't be worse than the experience Rayne had." Vance laughed nervously. "Ummm...actually I'd say it was probably a fifty, fifty toss up," he chuckled. "And no, I don't drink much...only when nobody's lookin."

"Oh, she told you about that?" "Yeah I did," Rayne covered her tracks, however Jani was distracted by his admission to drinking. "Shame on you," she clicked her tongue. "Hey, I'm gonna be nineteen give me a break, this is gonna mark my last two years of underage drinking. Rayne mentioned she had a bad time at a dance because someone had better moves. Killed the whole floor, knocked em dead. She said it was...terribly embarrassing to be shown up like that." Jani laughed. "She cried an awful lot about going alone." "I did not," Rayne protested fiercely. "I didn't want some idiot taking me to the dance. They all made fools of themselves anyway." "Awe...that's so sweet," Vance teased. "And a little bit sad. I had a date to my first dance. But it didn't end all that well either. Dances, parties...carnivals," he put a particular emphasis on carnivals. "I tend to avoid them all, desperately." "So does Rayne, you two are perfect for each other. Peter, do you parents feed you? Have you been starving or is my cooking just that good?" Looking down at his plate, Vance realized he was doing it again. "Opps, erm yeah I kinda erm," struggling to find the right words, he wasn't sure how to explain. "I'm always hungry, it's a curse really." "It's alright, I have plenty of food," Jani got up to clear the plates. "I have to step out for a bit, but I'll be home by tomorrow morning before noon." "Sleeping past noon is a given," Rayne sighed. "It's the weekend." "Yeah, erm noon sounds great," Vance leaned back, however he was thankful to hear she would be gone, at least for the evening. "I trust not to return to find my apartment in ruins," Jani called from the kitchen as she began to load the plates into the dishwasher. Rayne only offered Vance a scathing look. "I hate you," she muttered, getting up to finish her homework. "Love you too hun," waving at her playfully, he laughed as she flipped him off and eventually made for the stairs. "Well dinner was great, but I think it's time for a nap." Half hoping he'd die, Rayne said goodbye to Jani who donned a fur coat to go out. She finished her homework around midnight, preferring to have the weekend free. Back in his own room, Vance had climbed into bed. Adorning a pair of obnoxiously bright pajamas, he had pulled the sheets over his head and dragged a pillow down into the lump he had become. Despite the tension, the night went smoothly, there was however cause for alarm on the news that morning, as it made mention of several more disappearances. This time, the missing were a couple of elderly and their son, who happened to be in his forties. Eating a bowl of cereal, Rayne watched the report. "I wonder if there's a killer on the loose?" Jani touched her opalescent nails to her forehead. "Who takes the elderly?" she asked as Rayne swallowed nervously. "I don't know," she cleared her throat. "Someone lazy?" Vance was still up in his room while the two women ate breakfast close to twelve. Eventually beginning to cry, Vincent was starting to get hungry and even Rose, who gave a slight grimace as he did so, couldn't help with that. "I suppose his brother wouldn't object to me feeding him?" Rayne nearly spilled her breakfast. "Yeah he would," she coughed. "I'll get him Jani, you relax. I know you come home from

work tired." Still curled in a ball, Vance hadn't moved, although at the sound of his brother’s wailing, he groggily began to pull himself up. He hadn't bothered to change as he stepped out, just in time to see Rayne heading up the stairs. "He's crying," she likewise wore her nightclothes, although they weren't themed or obnoxious like his. "Feed him." "Ya, ya, I'm going," shuffling down the hall, he began to bang on the door. "It's me Rose," he called in as he tried the handle. "Open up." A few seconds later, it unlocked and the entity vanished in a flash of smoke, leaving Vincent with a look of devastation. Walking inside, Vance went to sit next to him. "Ants!" he wailed, grabbing him by the shirt. "Yeah I know Vinny, give me a second to wake up." "Don't cry Vin," Rayne closed the door behind her in order to keep Jani out. "Come on Vance, hurry up and give the kid nourishment before he has a panic attack." Sighing through his nose, Vance looked down. "What do you want today Vinny? You gotta stop crying and tell me." With an award winning pout, Vincent crossed his arms. "Inea fig," he said with narrowed eyes that made him look even more like his brother. "Guinea pig?" Vance corrected. "Alright...Rayne you might not wanna stay for this." "Inea fig!" Vincent screamed impatiently. "Ugh he sounds just like you," she wrinkled her nose. "It's okay. I said I'd help. She'll get suspicious if I didn't contribute." "He's just cranky because he's hungry," Vance snapped his fingers to summon a rather plump looking pig. Stroking the creature in his hands, he held it there while Vincent reached. "There's gonna be blood Rayne, you okay with that?" Taking a deep breath, she walked to the guest bathroom. Locking herself in, she promptly held a bar of soap to her nose. Vincent suddenly leaned over and with one gruesome snap, the guinea pig was a guinea half. Vance's jaw dropped as the remaining portion met with his pajamas and covered them in thick blood. "VINCENT! God damn it! Look at this! You know how bad this looks?! Not to mention how much it cost?" the little boy wasn't paying attention. Reaching for the rest of the dissected mammal, he opened his jaws and devoured it before beginning to chew on the sheets, which were now heavily stained. The smell was so potent that Rayne had to run her head under the faucet. "What's going on?" she hissed, rubbing the soap to further ingrain the smell around her. "He ruined my..." before Vance could finish, Vincent took note of the hunks of flesh still clinging to his pant leg. In the seconds that followed, the house was filled with the most horrific scream imaginable as the boy sunk a gamete of teeth into his brother. Thinking Rayne had had an accident, Jani flew up the stairs. Pushing open the door, the smell of blood guided her. However, upon seeing the confused and disturbing sight, her eyes widened. Rayne was standing in the doorway, hair soaking wet as she pinched her nose tightly. Trying to yank his brother from his leg, which was now oozing blood of its own, Vance clung to the wound, face torn in gruesome appeal. At the sight of Vincent’s expression however, his own began to return to normal and he swallowed hard as the sensation of heat filled the room. The door handle warped under Jani's grasp. "Explain. Now!" she said sharply. Rayne struggled to come up with a coherent explanation.

"They're not hostile Jani, they need help." "What are you?" she asked as she remembered what Leah had said about the boy with a monstrous grin. "Why have you come here? Wasn't Greenville enough? Why the deceit?" "This is why!" Rayne motioned toward Vincent. "Jani, he has nowhere else to go." "You never told me he had a brother, you never told me anything!" she tried not to raise her voice. "Are you going to explain yourself or shall I draw my own conclusions?" "What's there to explain?" Vance met her gaze unfaltering. "If you have a bone to pick with me fine, but leave him out of this, he's just a child." "There's a lot to explain," she said angrily. "You followed her! How dare you come here asking for help after you caused such grief. You're lucky she's a good person. I don't have a problem with your brother, I'm aware he's an infant. It's you I have the problem with!" "Okay first of all, I didn't follow anyone here. I came here because it was accessible. Second, if you want to talk about suffering, that little bitch and her friends chased me all over fucking creation. I already took my beating for Greenville from a lot of people," his expression faulted at the recollection and he sighed. "Rayne felt bad because of what they did, she helped me out of a tight spot and I returned the favor. As far as I'm concerned, we're squared. I ran into her the other day and she followed me," he protested. "Once she learned about Vincent, she practically demanded interference. I asked her to help because well," he looked at the boy again who was currently sucking his thumb. "I don't know how to take care of a baby." "Greenville is more than a little far from Jersey. I don't believe in coincidences. If you call her a bitch again you will be missing that tongue of yours. You're unfit to care for him. Where are your parents?" "Urm...probably half way across the Midwest by now. This is the farthest point from California I know of." "Why is Vincent not with them?" "Because they’re evil incarnate, and because he's MY brother," Vance’s tone sharpened. "Why don't you worry about yourself before pointing the finger at other people? I can take care of me just fine." "I don't think you're in the position to say that, considering you're relying on the kindness and foolishness of someone you've wronged." "Yeah well she's done a whole lot of wrong herself. I'm not the only one with blood on my hands," Vance picked up his brother who buried his face in his shirt. "You want to crucify me, go ahead, I'm standing right here." "Please, save yourself the martyr role. I have no tolerance for that. Rayne has shown you a great deal of kindness when you have only treated her rudely. You owe her an apology and if it wasn't for that infant you hold in your arms, you would be dead," her eyes flared black. "You," she pointed at Rayne. "Downstairs. Now." Like an inmate heading towards the electric chair, she walked passed them slowly. "I can't believe you Rayne, you lied about that imbecile. You put yourself at risk for him!" "Jani, I didn't want you to freak out...kinda like you're doing now. I'm doing it for his brother, he's just a baby. He needs the help. It's not his fault." Exhaling a deep breath to center herself, Jani understood her reasoning. "Rayne, this is perhaps more than you can handle and you didn't even think of telling me," she was more offended by that than anything. "I don't know what to think of your actions or his. Bring him

down, you can sit with Vincent." Vance of course didn't wait for Jani’s return. The moment she had left the room, he sat his brother on the bed and glared at him. "Nice going Vinny. Now do you realize why I tell you things?" Snapping his fingers, his clothes replaced themselves with his suit, and he went to reach for the window to see if he could jimmy it open. "She wants to talk to you," Rayne appeared in the doorway. "I'll sit with Vincent, you go." "Bullshit she wants to talk to me. She wants to kill me and you know it." "Shut up and go talk to her. This was going to happen eventually and she's madder at me than you." Thinking it over, Vance pursed his lips. "If she attacks me, I'm not going to be held responsible for what happens to her or your house." "She won't." Sitting on the couch, Jani resembled a queen. Making his way downstairs, Vance stood with an ominous expression. Gold eyes met gold and he regarded at her unyielding as if waiting for her to make the first move. Jani only offered him a seat. "You should start by explaining yourself. I don't care if you've already done so, you have never explained your motives or situation to me." Narrowing his gaze, he preferred to stand. "What is this an interrogation? You want to know why I'm here. I'll tell you. I came to Greenville with my own motives. Rayne and her little friends thought it would be fun to sabotage that. I had the chance to kill her ample times and I didn't. I even proposed a truce, which she spit in the face of, but that didn't stop her from harassing me. Then..." his expression faulted. "Some things happened and I lost interest in what I had originally gone there for. It didn't matter to her and the others though, they still bashed my balls every chance they got," he purposely neglected to mention Liz. "I left that stupid spit of a town and they followed me. Long story short, Rayne and I wound up with our hands tied together. After a lot of kicking and screaming, we found ourselves back in Greenville and she...helped me out," he kept it brief. "I helped her in return over a matter of some stolen goods. Then I went home to find Vincent and dear old dad. I couldn't leave him there...that's why I took him, and that's why I'm here." "Why did you ask her for help? You obviously can't stand each other and you don’t seem like the type of person that would request the help of someone you hate. Are you that desperate?" "I asked for help because as much as I hate her, this isn't about me. She likes my brother and he likes her. She also seems to know more about children than I do and as for being desperate," he scoffed, "if you think Rayne is short up on friends? She's the closest thing to a friend I've ever had...how sad is that?" "She has Leah and I regret you two are friends." "It was a figure of speech," he rolled his eyes. "We're not. I don't have any friends and I never will. I'm going to take my brother and leave." "Why, so you two could end up lost and in trouble?" "I'm already lost and I'm already in trouble. Admit it, you just don't want me to take the baby." "You're right," Jani was honest. "I don't want you to take Vincent, but you are his brother. Family should not be separated, especially since he's so young. I suppose you can stay. I don't like the idea, but you and Rayne have squared your debt. If you put one toe out of line, you will see that I am not so reasonable all the time," she warned. "You are a soul eater yes? Why does

Vincent have a different variation in teeth?" she had picked up on it right away. "Vincent has different teeth, because he's a difference species. Why do you think I have no idea what I'm doing? I know how to take care of myself, but," he looked down at his leg which was still bleeding profusely. "He's a whole other ball game." "And I suppose you two have been trying to figure out what species he is?" "Bingo," Vance sighed. "Neither of you have tried the library?" "They don't put stuff like this in books. Not the kind they keep in a public vault anyway. If you know of a demon dictionary please do tell, otherwise your guess is as good as mine." "I've heard of such things, but I've never come in contact with them. I could ask around? Do you have any leads?" "I have my father’s lexicon," raising a hand, there came a flash of silver smoke and in it appeared a large metallic book with a Latin inscription across the front. "It details a lot, but I don't know where to start. It's not like there's a section on soul eaters. That would be like looking up the word catty in attempt to find high school girls in a dictionary." "Bad experience with women?" "You have no idea." "Do you read Latin?" "More or less." "Is there anyone who would know about demons, beside your family?" "Uh...yes...but..." "But?" "They hate me more than you do, and they don't know about my brother. I want to keep it that way. There is a plan B but," he shook his head. "In order to go that route I'd have to expose him to a dangerous energy. It would tell me what I needed to know, but the whole point of taking him out of that house in the first place, was to avoid doing exactly what that entails." "And what does that entail?" "Exposing him to grimdark." "That putrid energy?" Jani looked horrified. "Is there nothing else?" Rayne had told her enough about grimdark to make her uneasy. "He's so young." "I won't do it," Vance replied. "I wouldn't expose him that stuff unless his life depended on it. I took him from my father so he couldn't do to him what was done to me." "So we must find those people and ask them then." "If we find them, they'll put me in a cage and as for Vincent...Forget that, that's even worse of an idea." "Will he get sick if you feed him normally?" "I don't know. For me normal food does nothing. My metabolic rate is about a hundred times more potent than a humans. As far as the kid goes? He weighs a lot more than I did when I was his age. I don't know what my dad's been feeding him. Under normal circumstances, he should absorb the energy from what he's given, but he doesn't. He eats it instead. Soul eater is a derogatory term, not a literal one. I absorb energy, I don't actually eat anything. Vincent," he told her, "seems to have to consume whatever it is he's absorbing. That wouldn't be a problem if his rate were like mine...but if it's not." Jani mulled over his explanation. "What have you tried feeding him so far?" "Um...other than my leg?" he noticed the seams of his pant s beginning to soak through with blood. "I tried the approach my father used and you saw how that worked."

"Rayne can stitch that for you," Jani would make sure she worked for her forgiveness. "I could contact some old friends and see if they know something, but I can't guarantee." "That's alright, I'm not sure I want to get involved with other people. That usually tends to end badly. I'll figure something out, I just...I'm sick and tired of running." "I can offer you a place to stay, but know this...I am not one to take for a fool." "I think I've already outstayed my welcome. I know you people don't want me here, nobody does. It's kind like what I once told Rayne. The term soul eater is like being a pedophile in prison. Even the other prisoners want you dead." "Vincent needs care and he’s too much for you. I offered you a place to stay and just because we're vampires, doesn't mean we're bad people." "I never said you were, but it's nice to know you feel the same as the rest of the world." "I think the rest of the world would've hung you out to dry. I just told you, I'm offering you help. I do it out of kindness, not because I want or need something." Stopping briefly, Vance’s eyes narrowed. "You're doing it for Vincent. Don't lie to me to make it sound as if you wouldn't hang me the first chance you got." "I didn't say that either." Ignoring the remark, despite the fact he’d caught it, Vance stormed back upstairs and shoved open the door. Vincent immediately squealed. "Ants!" he screamed. "Yeah it's alright Vinny." "I told you she just wanted to talk." Rolling his eyes, he didn't want to get into it. "I'm going to go take a shower and stitch up my leg. It shouldn't take too long but after that, him and I are going to have a talk," he gave the boy a flat look despite the fact it was ignored. "If you say so. Come on Vin, your brother needs to get dressed." Still reaching for him, the boy watched him disappear and called his name again. When he received no response, he turned around and buried his face in Rayne's shirt. "He's coming back Vinny. He's just in the next room." She went to mess with his hair and he pushed her away. Evidently, he did so every time anyone tried. "Oh I see, can't mess with the hair hrm?" "No." "Why not?" "No." "You know what you need Vin, toys."

Chapter 4.

Standing in the hallway, Jani’s eyes fell on Vincent and revealed no ill will. She loved kids, no matter what the species. "He must get bored without a toy," she'd heard Rayne. "Well yeah, do you have anything?" "Of course I do," the walls of her room were painted a delicate beige and there was a small chest at the end of a queen sized bed, she had to unlock. "I knew I carried some things around for a reason," Rayne watched her pull out a rattle and a small stuffed animal. Despite his reserve, Vincent's expression immediately brightened. All his previous convictions had vanished in the presence of the plush. "Bribery, really?" "You could always give him that stuffed dragon you sleep with every night?" "Don't let anyone else know about that," Rayne grumbled. Emerging from the shower, Vance had bound his leg in a strip of gauze and headed into the bedroom. Upon finding Rayne and his brother gone, instead of pursuing them, he sat down. He hadn't bothered to take the time to gel his hair, and as it fell across his shoulders, his youth became evident. Grabbing a pillow, he stared out the window, which nobody had opted to close. "Play with Jani okay?" Rayne had heard Vance and slipped out of the room. "How are you holding up?" "I'll live," he grumbled although said nothing more. "So you're staying right?" "I don't know. I gotta think about it." "What's there to think about? Jani wants you guys to stay. She knows it's rough out there." "She wants him to stay," Vance drew a deep breath. "I don't know about this Rayne. I don't know about anything anymore." "She wants you to stay too Vance. It's obvious you guys are a packaged deal." The conversation was suddenly stopped by the sound of a car alarm, followed by another, and yet another. Jani was already in the hallway holding Vincent as the boy began to cry. Closing the window, Vance shook his head. "What the fuck was that about?" "That's not normal." "No ya think?" "What's your dad look like?" Rayne asked as she caught a fleeting glimpse of darkness trailing into an alley. "Tall dark hair, he looks like any other guy. I don't see anyone out there, it's just an alarm." "I just saw a shadow. Those aren't normal." "Define normal? Generally speaking they’re normal unless cast by something that isn't." "Look you jackass, I think we can both tell what’s regular and what’s something we need to be concerned about." "Yeah well right now I have bigger issues than concerning myself with some car phantom okay?" "Like what?" "Like sleep, how about that?" he pulled a pillow over his head.

"You slept last night Vance. We have a bigger problem." "If you have a bone to pick with it, why don't you go down there and do so?" "It could be looking for Vinny." "Why would a shadow be looking for my brother?" "Why would a shadow be in the area? This place is clean of the supernatural, except the witches down the street and the other vampires...namely Leah. Shadows aren’t normal." "There's weird shit all over the place," Vance got to his feet again. "I don't see anything out there now except a couple of obnoxiously loud cars. Besides, nothing weird has happened lately. If there was something nasty in the area, it would have been on the news by now." "People have been going missing," Rayne kept tabs. "I thought it was just some random happening, but two more have gone missing since then." "You mean those two kids from behind the liquor store?" "Were they your breakfast?" "Guilty as charged." Rolling her eyes, she thought for a moment. "What about the old couple?" "Old couple?" this time Vance furrowed a brow. "They went missing too...You didn't have anything to do with that, did you?" "No. I don't go after old people. They don’t have any energy to begin with." "I don't like this." Suddenly a blood curdling scream ushered from outside, as someone made the mistake of stepping into the same alley. Jani heard the scream and her blood ran cold. Having no desire to be a part of any of that, Vance remained in bed, as Rayne tore from the room. "Not much of a fighter?" "I'm not looking to make waves." "Namely, you're lazy." "Namely I'm cautious. A problem for me is a problem for Vincent," he held his brother calmly as Rayne disappeared. Ironically, her assumptions were correct. The moment she stepped into the alcove, the darkness gave way and like a fly in a web, she stepped right into its trap. Tearing upward through the ground, a pair of enormous black claws went to wrap around her legs as if to pull her straight through the pavement. Rayne wasn't expecting an attack from below and her energy shot downward. Melting away, the shadow seemed to fade, though whether or not it was gone, remained to be seen. Bolting back up the steps, after placing all the locks on the door, Rayne headed straight toward Vance's room. Panting loudly, she looked flustered as she appeared in the doorway. "Not good." "What the hell just happened out there?" "It's our new neighbor. Something with claws. A shadow that waits. It backed off when I used my energy." Suddenly a loud bang was heard from downstairs. Stopping completely, Jani looked at Rayne. "I locked the door!" she hissed. "There's no way it followed me." "Stay here, all of you," she would not permit them to interfere. If something had come into the house, she would deal with it first. Moving silently down the steps, she made her way through the dining room. The rattling continued as something had pulled open the refrigerator and was currently

raiding it. Tossing out can after can as well as any kind of vegetable or fruit, its presence was concealed by the door. As the fridge suddenly went up in flames, a faint blob of darkness ran toward the ceiling. Rushing in the direction of the stairs, it seemed to be attracted to the darkest portion of the house. Jani was not to be deterred. "Get out!" she yelled. Skidding to a halt, the shadow vanished. For a brief moment it almost seemed as if her threat had worked however, the air began to grow rigged and a reverberating growl ushered from behind as a disgusting green liquid dripped onto her shoulder. Opening its jaws, the horrific creature let out a screech. Standing a good seven feet tall, its claws were long enough to wrap around her entire person. Two curved antenna ran off the back of its head, which resembled that of a demonic skull, eyes glowing a brilliant shade of gold. Manifesting a sword comprised of flames, as she threw it upward, the beast sunk into the floor. "Get out!" Jani thought its behavior odd though didn't move to question it. Thankfully, whatever it was didn’t have to be told twice. Racing out the door, the darkness fleeted into the nearby alley and there it remained. Regardless, the kitchen had been torn to shreds, although admits the mesh of ruined produce, a small black hat with a white kanji mark laid dripping in a puddle of milk. Rayne sat unmoving as she listened to the scuffle below. Jani's knock caused her to jump. "What the hell was that thing?" Vance stammered. They had both inevitably heard the ruckus and it hadn't boded well. "I'm not sure," she admitted. "Are either of you acquainted with something that drips green slime, has yellow eyes, and antennae?" Rayne let out a strangled noise and Vance promptly sat up. "Oh god..." "Friend of yours?" "Hers not mine," he pointed at Rayne. "Mine?" she asked with a growl. "Uh yeah, as I recall it was you who gouged him into attacking me in the first place. Now's he's probably got a vendetta," Vance’s eyes slid toward the window where the sun was rapidly beginning to set. "Terrific...now he knows where we live." "A vendetta?" Jani sounded annoyed. "He just demolished my kitchen and someone is going to pay for it!" "The guys said they would take care of Sam." "Pfth please, those freeloaders probably went back to their own realms and left him here to finish the job, and as far as the kitchen goes, if we don’t get out of this house by the time the sun goes down, that's going to be the least of your..." before he could finish, another bang was heard from downstairs. "Again!?" Jani sounded outraged. "I'll go," Rayne rolled off the bed. "If it is Sam...I guess I'll talk to him?" "Sheee's gonna die," Vance stammered as she went downstairs to try to engage the creature. Sure enough, the front door was wide open, and the hat that had previously rested on the kitchen floor was gone. There was no sign of the entity, although as Rayne made mention of his name, the air began to stiffen. "What the hell are you doing here?" she asked angrily. "Come on. Don't play games."

Thankfully, he complied. The moment she addressed him, the tension vanished, as did the darkness. "Man you have no sense of humor whatsoever, do you?" leaning against the wall, Sam twirled his hat around on the edge of a finger. He was dressed in a long sleeved leather jacket and jeans. His physical appearance had deteriorated well past the point in which she'd encountered him last. As pale as death, his skin held a silverish tone, quite similar to that of the dead. Sporting a pair of sun-tinted glasses, his eyes were impossible to identify, however the sunken black marks beneath them would have been almost comical, had it not been for the fact she was literally being addressed by a walking corpse. "No I don't, especially not when you stalk me and ruin my kitchen," Rayne glared, though she was startled by his appearance. "How'd you find me? Why haven't you been taken care of?" "Taken care of? Gee it's good to see you too bitch," putting his hat back on, he stepped away from the wall. "I didn't find you, you found me. What the hell are you doing here anyway? And what was the deal with the flames? Jesus Christ, what are you trying to bring the house down?" having mistaken Jani for Rayne, Sam had no idea they were two separate people. "I've got a lot of shit going on right now Sammy. How the hell did you end up in Jersey?" Declining to argue it hadn't been her, she chose to keep Jani a secret...mainly because she would enjoy seeing Sam hit the roof. "That's an interesting story actually, one probably better kept for another time. Let's just say I'm taking a little vacation. Life’s been really boring lately," he muttered. "This whole shadow thing was cool for about three days and then well...it gets pretty old, pretty fast...but your expression...now that I could watch all day," offering her a grin, his teeth were just as yellow and decayed as the rest of him. "You know if it wasn't going to collapse the space time continuum, I'd totally go find Mat and then the two of you could shit your pants together," he laughed. "I think you should just tell me before you get your ass kicked. And please, go see a dentist you’re killing me." "I'm killing you?" he laughed again. "If you were going to kick my ass, I think you would have done it. Tell me again, how fast you ran from that alley?" "You grabbed my legs, what the hell was I supposed to do. Did you want to hold me or something?" "Not in your wildest fucking dreams. I told you, shit is boring. It's not like there's a lot to do for fun around here. I didn't know it was you, until you attacked me, and let’s face it, I can’t just go out to an arcade you know? I'm pretty sure people would notice. Just between us, winding up on some news station under a zombie apocalyptic headline, is not on my to do list. Do you really want a nerd take over? Or would you rather a couple screaming idiots foolish enough to step down a dark alley...kinda like yourself." "I saw you slinking," Rayne said angrily. "I went to investigate! You had your fun, now quit stalking me and go away." "I'm not stalking you, and come on, it's not like I've had anybody to talk to in like...I don't know, forever." "Well I'm not the only one in this house," she cleared her throat. "Oh really? What, is the Wolfman here too?" "I have a toddler here so don't go spooking anyone." "A baby?! Wait...oooh shit," Sam brought a hand to cover his mouth. "Oooh wait you didn't? Damn are you fucking kidding me? Actually no you're probably not," he chuckled "Bad choice of words there."

Rayne gave him a flat look. "It's been what, a month? How is that even possible? Don't tell me you people lay eggs or something? That shits just too weird." "I was pregnant the entire time," she said with a remarkably straight face. "Guess who's the dad?" Sam actually bought it and his jaw dropped. "Holy shit are you for real? How the...damn," he shook his head. "What did you screw fish kids cousin or something?" Rayne tried hard to keep from laughing. "Ryan and I met way too recently for that. Think back farther," "Umm...I don't know. I haven't known you for nine months," he said uneasily. "The only other guy around was Mat, and I've already seen his future, so that just leaves," the look on Sam's face suddenly became one of absolutely horror. "OH HELL NO! THAT'S FUCKING FREDDY KRUGER SHIT! MAN YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!" Rayne offered wicked grin. "What can I say?" "Wha...you're telling me…and you didn't get an abortion!?" "Why would I? We're together." "WHAT?!? WHAT?! Whoa, hold up! After everything you people put me through?! You're fucking...are you fucking kidding?" "He's upstairs if you don't believe me." Regaining a bit of composure, Sam adjusted his sunglasses and crossed his arms. "Well in that case, I think it's time for a little payback. What do you say I make your husband piss his fucking suit? I think that might take him down a notch? It'd sure as hell make me feel better." "He's not my husband. He's just someone I'm currently stuck with. He's with the kid, so don't scare him...you'd embarrass yourself." "How would I embarrass myself? That's just wrong Rayne. Man I thought you had more dignity than that...pfth, wait what am I saying, you came from Greenville." "Wow shit head, I moved to Greenville. It's not about dignity, it's about interest. I mean, doesn't it make sense Sammy...all my mood swings and me hating Vance because he was dating Liz?" "So this whole time it was all just an act? You sided with us to get revenge on your dead beat rapist?" "Yeah, that's exactly it," she laughed as she enjoyed her own personal vengeance. "That's why you don't get shit-faced or high. You might end up with a screaming kid and a monster baby daddy." Sam looked livid as Rayne led him into Vance's room. Turning from the window, Jani seemed confused. "Who are you?" "What the...Who the fuck...two? Yo this is not cool. I knew I shouldn't have taken that acid...fucking Tommy, I'd kill him myself if he wasn't dead already." Jani did not look amused. "Rayne, who is your smelly friend? Is this the one who does drugs?" Stepping into the room, Sam noticed the group and arched a brow. "Yeah well excuse me if they were all out of formaldehyde at the morgue today," he said rather sharply. "Rayne...zombies aren't permitted in this household." "Whoa hey, that's discrimination yo! What the fuck." "It's not discrimination you freak, what the hell are you even doing here?" Vance hissed.

"I'm a freak? This is coming from you, aye Rorik? Whatsa matter, Liz wasn't good enough? You had to go bang vampire chick, or whatever the hell you use to call her?" "What did you just say?" "You heard me." "Rayne what is he talking about?" Jani asked. "What you don't know, is that according to her, that thing is her kid." This time it was Vance who had a few choice words. "Not on her life!" he snapped. "That's my little brother you dip shit." Sam glared at Rayne. "You're such a little bitch it's unbelievable. Although now that I think about it, it does seem kinda odd he's like two years old." "Loser. God Sam, you believed that way too easily. There's a picture of you right next to gullible in the dictionary." "Whoa hey, you just want to take advantage because you're a horrible person. That's terrible, and what's even more terrible is the stench of hypocrisy coming from this room." "I'm a horrible person? You scared the hell out of me and I can't do the same to you?" "It was a joke. Jesus Christ you have no sense of fun." "Fun?" Vance arched a brow. "You call terrorizing people fun?" "Are you kidding me, did you actually just say that? I don't want to hear a word out of you, unless you wanna take a nose dive outta that window pall." Brandishing a very dark look, for once Vance actually complied. "It's October, I got like one week out the entire year where people just don't question it. You'd think being a freak yourself, you'd cut me some slack?" "Don't call me that," Rayne hissed. "Abstain from using that word," Jani warned, "unless you want to go up like a funeral pyre?" "A funeral...oooh so it was you downstairs huh?" Sam turned toward her. "Very nice, do you even know who I am lady?" "Don't," Rayne warned as Jani laughed. "No, and I don't care to. You're a child in comparison to me and I know you don't like fire," a fireball appeared in her hand. "So do you really want to play this game, little boy?' "Uh Jani...I wouldn't," Vance spoke up as Sam crossed his arms. "You know for once he's got good advice. I might look like a child, but we all gotta look like something. If you think you can hold your own against me, you've got another thing coming." Throwing a nod in the direction of the flames, they suddenly shifted from red to black as he blew toward them. "Is that what you're here for?" Rayne exposed her fangs. "You come here to threaten my family?" "Whoa calm the hell down! She threatened me okay, and if I wanted to hurt anybody, you'd be gone by now, trust me. I'm not here for you. I didn't even know you people were here until you walked into me. I thought you were her," he said to Jani. "She gave me all sorts of hell back in high school, I figured I'd return the favor, not to mention, I like watching her piss her pants." "I didn't give you hell. You were too damn nosy for your own good and even Vance can agree with me there." "You used me you bitch. To kill him nonetheless. And lookie here, after everything you

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 295 did, and all the hell you rose, here you are, actually with him. That's wrong on so many levels. Now I've picked up a few tricks along the way. I'm not entirely clueless anymore, good news for me, not so good for you. Why don't you stop with the threatening, because let’s face it, we both know I own you people." "Please," Vance rolled his eyes. "You don't own anyone, you're nobody." "Oh yeah?" "Yup. They might not be aware, but you and I both know it's the archetype that has the power, you're just his little bitch slave." "Uh actually that's where you wrong. See lately, he's been mine." Vance just scoffed. "Really? And how long do you think that's going to last." "Can't say," Sam shrugged. "But do you really want to test that theory? As I recall, for all your power, chaos boy, you're still lower on the totem pole, which makes them," he jerked a thumb toward the vampires. "Worm bait in comparison." "Worm bait?" Jani sounded outraged. "Your arrogance is astounding. Get out!" "Fine, whatever lady. Bunch of fucking hypocrites." "How's that karma tasting?" Vance snickered. "You better watch your back, all of you," he shot a specific look toward Rayne. "Some friend you are, pfth enjoy your future...what's left of it." "You just told me I used you," she stormed after him. "You did. You and that guy with the stick pulled me out of the future to make use of my misfortune. You totally exploited me, but there's a little thing called learning from ones experience. I got one week to be normal again and I'm not going to waste it dealing with people like you and your backward little friends. You want me to get lost, take your own advice." "Sam..." Rayne realized that they had used him. He was a dead man walking, and none of them had really shown sympathy. "Sam, alright I'm sorry," she said as she caught his wrist. Stopping momentarily, he seemed to think about it. "Wow, you know now that is scary," his grin suddenly returned. "I never thought I'd get one of those from you." "Don't get used to it." Rayne let go, "that’s probably the only one you'll ever get." "Yeah I'm sure. So you wanna tell me what this is really about? What are you doing hanging around with that creep for anyway?" "His brother," she answered. "He's just a baby, I feel bad." "The kid up there?" Sam gave a nod toward the bedroom. "I think I remember somebody mentioning that...it was a while ago. I've been out of circulation," he admitted. "That was only a few weeks back for you though, wasn't it?" "Yeah," she answered. "I ran into the porcupine and nosed around. He took his brother. He's trying to keep Vinny from becoming as twisted as he is, so I opted to help. It's for the kid. You know...it's not fair he should have a shitty life like the rest of us." "No offence, but sticking around that loser isn't gonna help him none. I'd only assume he's in the same boat when it comes to the munchies? Let's face it, Greenville was bad, but you must have some nerve if you're willing to deal with two of those things." "We don't know how Vinny feeds yet. He isn't like Vance. Maybe you can tell? Aren't you a high roller now?" "You better believe it," Sam chuckled. "Wait, so you want me to go back into that house? What about fire chick? I can take a look at the kid, but I'd rather not be barbequed." "Jani? Just act like she's your mom...namely, respect her and you won't be verbally assaulted."

"My mom?" he arched a brow. "Rayne my mother was a dead beat who never lifted a finger when it came to discipline. It was always, go ask your father," he rolled his eyes. "But yeah, if you want me to check out the kid I will. Course, I don't know how well that's going to go over with spiky in there." "He has no other options," she said. "Just think of Jani like...urgh...I don't know...what a real mom should be. You know, someone who makes you dinner and is quick to kick your ass if you put one toe out of line." "So basically think of her as my father with tits?" "Go ahead and say that to her, she'll really enjoy it." "Yeah and throw a fire ball at my head. Although dinner sounds awesome. You know what two years’ worth of dumpster food can do to you?" "Liquefy your insides? Come on…I'll explain your story. I skimmed over the details. You can get a reading on the kid while I do that." "Sure, just keep Vance off my back." Still upstairs, Vance was sitting with Vinny who looked rightly confused by the whole ordeal. "It's okay kiddo don't worry about that little beast, he's not coming back." "Is he really all that powerful?" Jani asked. "He's just a boy. How could he carry such a burden?" "He's not, the thing possessing him is. I wouldn't mess with it Jani. Haine has a mouth but that thing has the teeth. I'm pretty dangerous myself and I won't mess with him. I know a couple of people who could be considered demi gods and all three of them would shit there pants in the presence of the archetype." Crossing her arms, Jani was not fond of being told she should be scared of something. Pushing open the door, Rayne stepped back in. "So, about Sam leaving..." she cleared her throat. "He can help us." "Are you certifiable?" "I'm pretty sure she is, but that's beside the point. Now surrender your baby!" he pointed toward Vincent, while Vance pulled the boy behind him. "Over my dead body, you little shit!" "Rayne...why?" Jani buried her face in her hands as Rayne slapped her forehead. "Sam! That's not how you ask! Vance, Sam knows grimdark. Maybe he can tell what Vinny is?" "No maybe about it, I can tell." Vance did not appear as enthused. "I already told you people, I don't want him exposed to grimdark." "Would you chill out? Who says I'm going to expose him to grimdark? I got other methods." "Vance we don't have any other options. Sam's right here...he can help." "I can think of another option." "Rayne, what do you want to know?" "What kind of demon is he for one?" "Anything else?" "What does he need to eat?" "I don't want him near my brother!" Vance snapped again, although Sam ignored him as he took a step forward. "Tough luck shit head," stepping into a pool of black energy, he vanished from sight and

Vance went ridged. "I don't...oh shit!" he screamed as the horrible creature that had attacked Jani, suddenly climbed half way through the wall. Nearly falling over, Vance clung to Vincent who took one look at the dripping skull and tilted his head. Still partially submerged, the beast's golden eyes narrowed and a long slime covered tongue shot from its mouth to lick the child across the face. As Vance dropped him in terror, Vinny began to giggle. "Jani it's okay," Rayne held her back, looking quite unsettled herself. Her mentor had gone as white as a sheet. It was a terrifying sight, comparable to seeing a poisonous snake beside an infant. Vincent however, did not appear to care and instead, actually reached out to grab one of its antenna. "Vincent NO!" Vance screamed as the boy wrapped his arm around the coiled appendage. "Ose." he squealed. "No Vinny that's not Rose!" The creature's eyes narrowed and it went to pluck him off with razor sharp claws. Emitting an aggravated hiss, it climbed back into the darkness. Jani looked both paralyzed and revolted as she went to pick up the boy. "Are you okay Vincent?" Still smiling away, he didn't seem phased in the least. Clapping his hands, he went to hug her while Vance nearly passed out. A few seconds later, he hit the ceiling with a rallying cry of "Holy shit!" as his own shadow peeled off the wall and went to tap him across the shoulder. It gave a grim toothed smile as Vance practically flew across the room and Sam emerged with a laugh. "Man you are just too easy," he snickered as he went adjust his glasses. "I gonna have fun with you." "FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU!" Vance roared. "Stop swearing in front of the kid you idiot, he'll pick up on that." "You know what, fuck you too!" Vance hissed at Rayne as Sam walked up to Vinny again. "Put him down for a second, I wanna check one more thing." "What else do you have to check?" "His eyes," Sam removed his sunglasses, peering at Vinny with his own, which were so badly cateracted they appeared almost white. A dull twinge of blue remained around the edges of his faded irises, however it was almost un-noticeable and only added to the macabre that he had become. Vincent took one look at him and within seconds, started to wail. It was a bit of a head scratcher, which was exactly what Sam did as the child bawled. "Look what you did Sam, your ugly mug made him cry," Rayne brushed passed him to collect the boy. "Hey, hey, hey, wait a second. Your kid is freakin broken dude, you better fix that or you're gonna have a real problem." "Maybe you should just go lay down in the dirt, you walking corpse?" "What do you mean he's broken?" Rayne asked sharply. "Dude, any normal baby would have crapped their pants and passed out cold...kinda like him," Sam pointed to Vance who returned his glare with the bird. "This joker acts as if I'm a friggen plush toy and now he's upset? If that ain’t broken, I don't know what is," he put his glasses back on while Vincent continued to scream.

"Do you know what he is?" "I know he tastes like chicken!" "That's not funny!" Vance hissed. "No, but it's true." "Do you have information or not shit head?" "Yeah as a matter of fact, why don't you take a seat? Unless you prefer to stand there like a joke, your choice." "Can you just get out with it?" Rayne asked impatiently. "Alright, well it's going to take a little bit of explaining, let me think..." pursing his lips, he began to nod. "Okay, so you know that there's equilibrium to everything right? You have darkness and light on opposite ends of the poll. What they don't tell you, is that within each of those areas there are individual polls. Basically, you get a spectrum of darkness within darkness. Light's the same way but I won't bother with that. Darkness in general can be broken up into two basic categories and a shit load in-between. I'll keep this simple, you have Rayne who falls into the darkness spectrum, and you jerk wad," he gave a nod toward Vance. "Who falls into the Grimdark spectrum. There's your basic good and evil for what it's worth. Grimdark is generally considered external from darkness itself, but that's a whole other issue...annnyway. When it comes to the kid, there are two ways to identify a grimdark-based entity, the first and the easiest, is the eyes. Apparently, color has substantial indications as to how powerful the entity is in question. Don't ask me why, I have no idea. As far as the spectrum goes, red is the lowest, and gold or white would be the highest. Vinny here, he's got silver, which means he second step up from base level. Not a mite, but he's not Vance, that's for sure." Vance crossed his arms. "And what does that mean exactly?" "Well for one, it means he doesn't have your crazy Beetlejuice powers, and for two, he's not as rare, which leads me to the second clause. Unfortunately, without subjecting him to the energy itself, I can't tell you where he would stand in social circles. You and I both know that grimdark has its own biological cast system, usually identifiable via head gear," he pointed toward his hat. "But without subjecting the kid, I can't tell, it doesn't really matter though, that's more of an inner circle thing and it's really irrelevant unless you're a wielder." "Forget the caste system," Rayne said hoarsely. "What's he eat and how does he stay out of trouble?" "As far as food goes," Sam brought a hand to his chin. "How do I explain this...okay, the difference between him and Vance is essentially the same as the difference between Vance and you." "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Vance didn't bother to curb his tongue. "It means you're a different type of soul eater. Let’s find a common ground so I can explain this a little better. For arguments sake, let’s say you're all vampires. Where Rayne needs to bite her food in order to drain its energy, all you have to do is bare you teeth. Vincent is the same as Rayne in that aspect, which actually makes him a little more functional. He needs to take a chunk out of his food in order to absorb it, not only that, but considering he's lower on the demon scale, where you would be considered a carnivore," he pointed to Vance, "he's more of an omnivore. His system requires an even balance of both regular nourishment and life force energy. Technically speaking, he could survive on human food alone. It wouldn't be healthy, but he could do it, and visa versa when it comes to souls. It's kind of an even tossup. He doesn't get the cool dark powers that come with being a demon, but he doesn't have to worry about starving to death if he can’t find someone to eat."

"So he can be a normal...er...semi-normal boy?" Rayne looked down at him. "We could pass him off as a little vampire," she teased. "It ups his chance of survival significantly." Jani likewise looked relieved although she was sure Vance would feel envious. Sure enough, the expression on his brother’s face was one of shock. Standing there with his mouth wide open, one of his eyes began to twitch. "That's not fair!" "Life's not fair dude, deal with it. Now would somebody please give that kid a binky?" "I'll take him," Jani offered, shaking the rattle to distract him. "You should be happy. Your brother won't suffer as much as you." "Yeah well great for him." "Stop being selfish Vance, he’ll be able to have a nice life. You should be glad." "Yeah and where does that leave me?" "Forget him Rayne, he's just going to be miserable, who cares?" "Yeah that's a good question?" Vance snapped. "Family takes care of family, or at least that's the way it should be." "Yeah I'll take care of him, and then one day he'll be old enough to realize the difference and he take off just like everyone else." "Then you can kick his ass and tell him you're stuck together. Seriously Vance, it'll be years before he tells the difference. He loves you." "So did Liz." Rayne's eyes flared the color of spring violets. "Liz? Are you kidding me? She never loved you Vance! If she would've loved you then she wouldn't have run away from you." Offering a bit of a shrug, he rolled over and kept his back to her. "Seriously, are you still bent over some broad? You?" Rayne poked his shoulder. "Grow a pair, Jesus she's in high school. She doesn't know anything." "Yeah well when you're in a relationship with someone, then you can be in the position to give me advice," he grumbled. "I don't want to talk about it. Go play with my brother if you love him so much?" "I'm not a relationship kind of person if you haven't noticed? Come on Vance, you're the guy in a pimp suit and you're crying over some blonde who believes someone died for her sins? What are you jealous? Do you want me to hold you and give you a stuffed animal to play with?" Turning to look at her, his eyebrow nearly floated off his face. "If you touch me, we're gonna have a serious problem." "Don't flatter yourself. I wouldn't touch you with a ten foot pole." "Good, let's keep it that way. And I'm not jealous of Vinny." "Then why are you bitching about him being an omnivore and how I hold him all the time? Do you need a hug? I think Sam might be willing?" Vance held up two fingers in the shape of a cross and narrowed them in her direction. "Quit your bitching. Sam and I aren't gonna hug you. Have Rose hug you, how about that?" "I don't want or need a hug," he hissed. "Then what do you need, besides a cigarette?" "How about some time alone? That would be nice, and I don't smoke, that would be you and Sam." "You should start, or get laid," she added cheekily. "See you later Romeo but for the record, your Juliet wasn't worth it."

Chapter 5.

Back downstairs, Sam had gone for the fridge again and plopped down on the sofa with a package of raw hamburger meat. Clinging to Jani, Vincent had become quite enamored with the baby rattle and could not seem to understand its purpose. "I can't wait to teach you how to play violin," she said. She could've passed him off as one of her own. As she held him, she felt a deep sense of nostalgia. Her eyes became distant and she didn't even notice Sam. "I thought you shouldn't hold kids for that long?" Rayne asked as she mopped the remains of the spilled drinks off the floor. "He can be a little spoiled," she crooned. "I can't wait till he’s old enough to help me clean." "Nonsense, I just make you clean because you need the discipline...and Sam is your friend." "Discipline huh?" he’d heard Jani and threw a glance in her direction. "I'd be more than happy to make a mess if you want to have her cleaning stuff?" "Do it and I'll kick your ass." "Rayne, watch your mouth. Vinny has young ears." "Yeah seriously, you’re just as bad as jaws up there. And as far as beating me goes, we both know you don't stand a chance." "You have to sleep sometime," she warned. "Yeah and what are you gonna do, scribble marker across my face again?" Sam hadn’t forgotten what had transpired in the past. "Oooh I'm real terrified." "When I shove a tarantula down your throat or get rid of your drug stash, then we'll see who’s terrified." "Well for one, I'm already dead so that's kind just gross, and for two, I haven't had a good smoke in almost two years so erm, if you could find a drug stash, more power to you. If you really want to play the fear factor game though, you're messing with the wrong guy. We both know I'd have you crapping your draws." "Your face is scary, but I've gotten used to that," Rayne set down the mop. "I hope you sleep well tonight." "If you come into my room or try anything disgusting, I'll put a bullet in your head." "Not gonna do much good, but it's a tempting offer. Actually, I was thinking about messing with Vance. I never did manage to get back at him for Greenville." "Go ahead. He's still depressed over Liz." "Please, you know she becomes quite the slut in the next couple of years. Totally not worth anybody's time." "Leah owes me money." Chuckling to himself, Sam shook his head. "I never did see her again though, not really. I wonder if Mat is still over there? I'd very much like to try and talk to him, although at this point, I think it's probably a lost cause." "I told Leah to avoid Greenville. She's here with us. Have you seen me in the future?" "Maaaybe," he gave a smile. "I'm not really at liberty to talk about it." "What? What do you mean?" Rayne suddenly leapt over the couch to sit beside to him. "Tell me!" "I'm not sure...you know the whole space time thing."

"Tell me!" "Weeelll...I will tell you this much, you're gonna wanna stay away from Cyprus town, and a place called Warwick county. Lots of trouble gonna go on there in a few years. Other than that, I really can't say...although..." Upon hearing the name Cyprus, Jani shook her head. "Rayne, that town is cursed," her stomach churned at the thought of what had occurred there and she held Vincent closer. "Why would I go there?" Rayne didn’t want to tell her what had happened with Ryan and Saurin. "Although what Sam? Come on Miss Cleo." "Although...there is this one dude," he trailed. "One dude? What dude? I don't know dudes. I just know asses like you and Vance." "Don't worry about it...you'll find out one day." "Come on Sam, what the hell is it? Do you need to read my palm or something? I want to know." Jani flicked her ear. "Why would you want to know the future? It takes the fun out of life." "Jani's right, by telling you, I might actually be setting it up to happen. The future I seen, it'll come to pass. Ryan wasn't lying when he said time is a set thing. If it happened then, it'll happen now, there's nothing anyone can do about it. Of course, that doesn't mean that the event can't be triggered in different ways. One destination, many roads to get there. By telling you about your further, I could be causing it. It's better to just let time play out the way it should. Besides," he looked at Vinny. "You don't want anything bad to happen to the kid, do you?" "If it hurts him, I don't want to know." "Then let’s not talk about it." "I think I'll make dinner, before you two decide to ruin our lives," Jani set Vincent down on the Oriental rug with the rattle and Rayne immediately turned to watch. Shaking the toy, he went to put it in his mouth about ten seconds later. "You better make sure he doesn't choke on that." "Vinny no, that's not for your mouth. We might have to buy the kid a binky." "He'll probably chew on that too," Sam replied as Vincent bit down hard across the plastic. "Vinny no! You can't eat plastic. Spit it out," Rayne said sternly. "I'll bring Vance down here." "Ants!" he squealed and continued to chew. "Do you need some help?" Sam got up and walked over. Kneeling beside him, he raised his palm which suddenly flashed a deep neon black. "Aye kid," he whistled, as the plastic dropped from his mouth and he went to reach for the darkness instead. "Bad Vinny, no plastic," Rayne shoved it into the trash. Watching her do so, his expression became a pout, and once the darkness vanished, he burst into hysterics. "Oh my god really! I can't believe this kid. What is so terrifying?" "Your face," Rayne sat down again. "My face? How is this scarier than before?" "I don't know, I'll bring him up to his brother," she figured Vance could cheer him up and vice versa. "Sounds like a plan," Sam went to re-take his seat while back upstairs, Vance was still

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 302 lying in bed half-asleep and wholly miserable. "Vance, Vinny's getting fussy." Pulling himself up, he looked down at the boy, who immediately crawled toward him. "Ants!" he wailed and like a magnet was glued to his side. "Still moping? Want me to grab you a beer?' "Naw that's alright. I was gonna go out and get something soon anyway. I'll give him a mouse tonight and you and your friends can have fun trying to make him eat a normal dinner." "Vance...you should be happy for him," Rayne gently held Vinny's hand. "I am," he sighed as Vincent stared at her. "But you're not happy. He loves you Vance, he's not going to leave you." "Octobers a shitty month for me." "It's almost over." "Yeah...I know." "So what's so bad about it?" "Halloween, my Birthday." "You're born on Halloween?" Rayne rubbed her face. "3.A.M October 30th, it's pretty close." "Jani will suggest we throw you a party." "No," his expression darkened. "Don't say a word to anyone. I only told you so you'd get off my back about it. It's not a day I like to remember." "Why, because you're getting old?" "No. Look, it's not a good day for me. I don't need any reminders of how horrible my life is." "Horrible? You've got a cute little brother and a place to stay. What's horrible about it?" "Vinny is the one good thing that's happened to me in forever," Vance reached down to muse his brother’s hair. "Well that's one thing, so be happy you've got it." "I'm not a very happy person, in case you haven't noticed?" "Hey, I know you wear terribly cheap suits, but that's not reason to be miserable." "My suit is not cheap." "It's cheap," Rayne insisted with a grin. "Cheaper than that hair gel you use." "It's a three hundred dollar custom made suit, it's not cheap! And I'm not currently wearing hair gel so don't even start." "Yeah, now you just look like an emo kid." "A what?" "An emo kid!" she sighed. "You know, someone who’s depressed and wears uncomfortably feminine pants." "Whoa wait a second, time out. Depressed okay sure I'll give you that, but feminine? Not a fucking chance." "I don't know about you sometimes," she said passively. "Please, you'd have better luck finding a unicorn," Vance looked down at Vinny who had begun to chew on the side of his suit. "Hey stop that, how many times do I have to tell you...no teeth." "Even he doesn't like the suit." "Would you shut up about the fucking suit!" Vance threw his hands in the air while Vinny smiled and babbled something that sounded pretty close to the F word.

"Look what you did!" Rayne demanded. "No Vinny, that's a bad word." "I didn't teach him that!" "Really, because you just said it!" she brought a finger to her lips as the little boy said it again. "No Vinny, no saying that word." "Yeah Vin don't repeat that. Especially not to the Rayne clone downstairs." "She's not my clone. She's my ancestor." "Same difference." "She could pass for your mom, you two look alike." "Ugh now that's a scary thought," he shuttered. "I don't think she has the smile for it though." Giving her quite the ominous grin, Vinny took notice and let out a gasp. "You know," Vance sighed, "one of these days I'm going to sit you in front of a mirror until you realize you do it too!" Rayne grinned as she saw Vincent’s face. "My fangs are better right Vin?" He gave a slight nod and went to cling to her instead. "Pfth, you're so lame. And please, we all know damn well you'd be hard pressed to find anything out there that could rival me in the dental department." "That’s okay, I don’t want teeth like yours. My dental bill would leave me broke." "I don't need one, they grow back." "Aren't you lucky? Hey Vin, you wanna come to the Halloween dance with me?" "Ugh, you know maybe you should take him? I'm sure he'd be the life of the party? Or you could just go with Sam? If you wanna win a costume contest, he's a surefire way to do it." "I'm not in the mood to baby-sit Sam." "Yeah well I'm not in the mood for any more dancing monkeys so you're shit outta luck." "I wasn't going to ask you." "Good because I wasn't asking you to." "Good because I don't want to go with you." "Then I guess the conversation is over?" "Yeah, it is," Rayne got up. "I'm getting dinner. Watch him until I come back." Reaching out to take his brother, Vance drew a long sigh as he leaned against the pillow. Sam had wandered into the kitchen to watch Jani cook. "Do you want me to make you something?" she asked. "Like what?" "Like food? Aren't you hungry?" "Are you kidding? Food would be awesome right now. You know what I've been living on for the past six months? Hell, you probably don't wanna know." "You haven't had a decent meal in six months?" Jani stopped to look at him. "Why didn't you say anything earlier?" "Umm, well you kinda had a sword in my face for one thing. And yeah, I mean, it's not like I can just walk into a super market? People would kinda get the vibe." "Or the smell," Rayne commented from the doorway. "I don't smell." "Yeah right, you could stop a charging animal just by exhaling." "Whoa hey, it's not like I'm rotting okay. When I start to look like something out of a Romero film, then you can point fingers and laugh, but until I start craving human flesh and half my face falls off, keep the comments to yourself."

"Human flesh? If you try to bite me, we're going to have issues." "Oh my god, I'm not a literal zombie you moron!" "Enough," Jani handed Rayne the pot of boiling water and noodles. "Drain it, let's go. Sam needs nourishment." "Yeah what she said," he pointed to the pot with a grin. "You're not allergic to anything are you?" Sam shook his head. "Not anymore." "What were you allergic to before?" Jani asked as Rayne put a bowl of food in front of him. "Here, I spit in it," she wasn't serious, but she wasn't happy about serving him either. "Pepto-Bismol," Sam flipped her off as he picked up the bowl and began to tear into it. "So wait a sec, you guys doing anything for the holiday?" Jani smiled faintly. "This is Rayne's first Halloween. She's never had an American Halloween. They have some dance at her school, and there's a little parade we just have to bring Vinny to. I wanted to have a party myself...but work will get in the way." "A dance, really? That sounds like a fun party crash. Parades are fun too. First Halloween huh?" he looked at the younger vampire. "Special." "If you ruin it Sam I will not feel bad about turning a fog light on you. I'm not going to the dance anyway, I don't have a date." "How could I ruin it? Having me at a Halloween party is like having Santa Clause at a Christmas party. And you could always bring Vance, I'm sure he'll do his Beetlejuice thing. Come to think of it, that might be a good idea actually." "You can crash her school party," Jani smiled, "but my Halloween party is the scariest of scary." "I'm the Lord of fucking Darkness, aside from maybe her," Sam pointed at Rayne. "What could be scarier than me?" "So confident," she mused. "You may have some merit but believe me, there are things out there that are a lot scarier." "I'm not so sure about that." "Regardless, we can’t have a Halloween party here. I cannot be a host with a bunch of renegades in my home." "Renegades?" Sam arched a brow. "Well you could always throw Vance out. He’s useless and annoying anyway. Vinny's kinda cool though, least he's got the potential to be. Shave that mop off his head and get him a damn binky so he stops screaming all the time." "We're not throwing his only brother out," Jani said as she took more food from the oven. "Vance and Vinny stay together." "And we're not shaving his hair either," Rayne defended staunchly. "It's beautiful." "Beautiful?" Sam went to pick up the second batch of food with a smirk. "He looks like a Vance clone. It's like Mini me and Doctor Evil yo, except Vance is a moron." "Thanks for ruining my image of the poor kid." "I suspect Rayne doesn’t think Vance is ugly." Well yeah, she's the one who said she was with him," Sam mused. "She told me Vinny was her kid. How wrong is that?" "I'm starting to think she really does want him to take her to the dance," Jani said sagely. "You guys are so off base. First off Sam, it was a joke. Second, Jani...I do not go to

human dances. No thanks, I don't need a repeat of Greenville." "Hey, you didn't even get messed with last time, so what are you complaining about?" "Oh that's right, you did," Rayne said pointedly. "Yeah well revenge is still on my ta do list," Sam muttered although before he could say anything else, his attention was caught by the subtle beeping of a small silver wristwatch. "Oh shit," reaching down, he pulled up his sleeve to eye the time, which was already well past five. "Crap I gotta go." "Lord of Darkness time?" Rayne wasn't so sure she wanted to be sitting that close to him anymore. "You change form after dusk?" "Uh...it's kinda a long story but real quick," he held up a finger. "A friend of ours gave me something a while back that helps, but," Sam thought for a second before pointing toward Rayne. "You know how people do stupid shit when they're wasted?" "YOU LOST THE STONE!?" she shouted. "Tell me you did not do something that stupid." "No of course I didn't lose the stone. Come on give me a little credit. Maybe clean out your ears too. Saurin gave me that stone, and it helps. I used to just black out, but now it's kinda more like being drunk, everything just seems like a good idea. I'm sure you can relate?" Jani crossed her arms. "How often do you get drunk Rayne?" "I don't get drunk," she protested. "Yeah sure you don’t," as the watch on his wrist went off again, Sam reached down to silence it. "Oh damn...I really gotta run. Thanks for dinner." "Come back tomorrow Samuel, I will have breakfast and an early lunch." Pausing a moment, Sam looked at Rayne. "Who said you could tell her my full name?" he barked. "Breakfast sounds amazing, I'll defiantly be back for that, oh and Rayne...pleasant dreams." "Try getting passed my locks." Jani declined to defend Rayne since she'd guessed his name as Sam took off into the nearest alley and vanished. Vance had long since fallen asleep. Laying across his chest, Vinny was sound asleep as well. It was around eight or nine when he finally got up. Looking down at his brother, who was still clinging to his shirt, he sighed and went to peel him away. The sun had vanished, leaving the streets bathed in shadows as Vance left the house. Hearing the front door, Rayne perked. She hadn't been aware he was leaving, yet she knew he had to feed. Not wanting to leave Vincent alone, she went to his room. Vance didn’t return until around three. Closing the door, he attempted to ghost up the stairs and as he walked to the bedroom, his eyes found Rayne on the floor. Shaking his head, he knelt down and placed his brother beside her. When the sun rose again, a gentle stream of gold began to filter its way into the room. Bundled in the sheets, the little boy continued to sleep, until his attention was caught by a particularly strange sound from above. Opening his eyes, he looked toward the ceiling where a large void of black energy gave way. A shadow was cast over Rayne’s sleeping form and a low growl filled the room. Vincent began to clap as hot sticky breath beat up against the nap of her neck. "Sam get away from me!" Opening its jaws, the shadow screeched, eyes flaring gold as it stood with a very skeletal

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 306 grin. "Vinny no!" Rayne went to pick up the baby who reached for one of its antenna. Yanking as hard as he could, he squealed with joy, while Sam's eyes widened and he quickly backed away. "How that's for a good morning?" Rayne flung a pillow at his face. He shook it off and the noise he made was loud enough to rattle the glass in the windows. "Vinny come on, that's enough. Sam's learned his lesson." The shadows vanished while Vincent laughed. His expression however, quickly faulted as a few seconds later, a blood-curdling scream was heard from downstairs. "Come on Vin, time to say good morning to your brother," Rayne held back a snort of laughter. "How'd you end up with me anyway?" she asked, as she carried him down. Vincent’s attention petered as they found Vance clinging to a pillow. He was staring in horror at the shadow fiend as it had him cornered on the sofa. Barring its teeth, it hissed and he remained scrunched up in a ball at the far end of the couch. His teeth were spread apart in a snarl. "Ose!" the child giggled while Sam shuffled back. "Wait a minute," Vance stammered as his jaw line returned to normal. "He's afraid of you?" "He's afraid of Vinny actually." "Oh really?" Vance looked at Sam who glared between them and slithered back into the darkness. Stepping from the wall as a void opened across it, he reached up to rub the back of his head. The second his eyes came in contact with Vincent however, the boy began to wail. "You seriously gotta do something about that yo. Your kid is freaking backwards." "He is not backwards," Rayne said darkly. "He found his way to the floor last night," she handed him to his brother "Yeah well so did you," Vance replied. "You know you could have taken the bed?" "I figured you'd take it?" "I don't sleep in the same room as other people." "We've slept in the same room before." "Not in that close of a proximity." "Hey Vance come here, I know how to make the kid happy," Sam motioned for him with a finger. "Uh yeah, so do I, how about you go away?" "Jani already said the magic breakfast word, I'm not going anywhere. Come here." "Jani's sleeping, give her another hour. She works at night, you know, vampire problems." Sam gave up and walked to Vance instead. "Relax, it's not going to wake anybody up. Give me your hand douche bag." Vance quickly pulled away. "Not on your life." "Oh come on, look at that face," Sam pointed to Vincent who took one look at him and started right up again. "He's miserable, come on Rayne back me up here, you wanna see the kid smile dontcha?" "Just give him the boy, maybe Sam will actually make him smile?" "Oh I don't need the kid, just him," reaching out, he grabbed Vance by the arm and dug his fingers into his flesh, causing his nails to grow jagged. Letting go of his arm, Sam grabbed one of his antenna, which he gave to Vincent.

"Here you go kid, now you can pull to your heart’s content." Wrapping both hands around it, he gave a hard tug, which caused his brother to wince. Rayne's eyes became the color of Spanish moss. "Are you serious Sam? Get out of here I can't deal with you in the morning." "What, come on, pay back," he mused as Vincent continued to yank. "Get him the fuck off!" Vance hissed through his teeth. "Hurt's doesn't it?" "You're a royal shit, you know that?" "Vinny, stop," Rayne gently un-pried his fingers. "Told ya it'd work." "I see you children are up and as rowdy as ever," Jani’s voice echoed down the stairs. She wore a peach colored blouse and white pants. No one could tell her sweatpants were okay to wear, even to sleep. Making her way to the sofa, she held out a shopping bag. "Pick which costume looks better on Vincent will you? I'll make breakfast as promised." "What is..." Vance reached out to take the bag and arched a brow as he began to dig through it. Following her toward the kitchen, the notion of food caught Sam's attention. "Is that a baby shark costume?" Rayne laughed, examining it curiously. "A shark huh? What, because of the teeth?" "I think he'd look cute running around with a fin. He could be a little vampire too," she caught sight of the standard Dracula costume and sighed. "I can hear Saurin laughing at me in the back of my head," Vance shook his own, putting down the shark costume to pick up the Dracula one. "Insinuation much?" "She likes him," Rayne shrugged. "He can be a shark, Dracula, or..." she rummaged through a bit more. "A little grizzly bear, complete with the ears on the jumpsuit." "She's really getting a kick outta this isn't she?" "She hasn't had a kid in a long time." "You guys are having a lot more fun with this than I am, that's for sure." "You don't let yourself have fun," Rayne ruffled Vinny's hair. "She wants to bring him to the parade today." "Be my guest," setting the costumes aside, Vance got up to rub his head, which still hurt thanks to his brother. Back in the kitchen, Jani set to work making breakfast. "How are you feeling Samuel?" she asked as she took out a waffle machine. "Still kinda buzzed from last night, and don't call me that. I hate it when people call me that." "Sam, could you set the table?" "Yeah I guess," he shrugged. "How many places?" "Five, though Vincent is still too young." Providing a nod, Sam brought his fingers to his lips. Whistling loudly, he shot a glance toward the cabinets, which suddenly opened on their own. Flinging out several plates and utensils, the table began to make itself. Counting the places, he gave a nod and the cabinet doors closed again as he went to take a seat. "Five places, just don't ask me to wash em later." "Why not? Did you not have chores at home?" "Home?" Sam looked back as Rayne and Vance walked in. "I had chores at home but I ain't got one of those anymore, so I think chores kind cease to exist along with it. Packaged deal

you know?" Jani gave him a look. "Rayne is heir to a vast fortune and she still does chores. You," she pointed a fork at him, "are no different." "I think the whole chores thing ended when I became all powerful. Sorry." "Please," Vance pulled up a seat. "You're just a kid with a complex." "Look who’s talking?" Reaching for his plate, he stopped to stare down at his nails. "How much of that stuff did you infect me with?" "Let's just say that's your new Halloween costume pall." Vance did not look pleased. "You're such a dick you know that?" "Karma." "No it's not karma," he hissed. "You're an asshole. You know if you keep using like that stuff, you're gonna wind up losing yourself to it, if you haven't already." "Pfth chill out man, I got this," Sam ignored his remark with a swat of his hand. "I know what I'm doing." "No Sam, you clearly don't. Grimdark isn't something you just fool around with. You're way out of your league. It's a drug, and we all know how much of an addictive personality you have. It'll corrupt you, chew you up and spit you out." "Dude shut up, I'm more powerful than you are." "No the archetype is, and you're not the archetype. You're just the host and as such, you're as venerable to the darkness as everybody else. I can control grimdark. It works for me. You can control it, but it doesn't work for you, it works for that thing. The more you use it, the more it's going to affect your mind." Watching the two of them argue, Rayne loaded her plate full of bacon. "Do you guys have nothing better to do than bitch at each other? Sam you're now a grimdark junkie and your mind has been messed up for years. Vance, the more you curse in front of your brother, the more of a jerk you look like." "Yeah Vance why don't you just shut your mouth?" Sam mused, while Vinny continued to reach for his brother’s antenna. "Sam, you still haven’t answered my question," Jani said hotly. "I'll make it up to you for the food, but come on, let’s play fair. They gotta pull their own weight around here too." "Vance takes care of Vincent and he's also taking Rayne to the dance...that's enough of a chore." "What?" Rayne cut two waffles apart sharply. "He is not. I do the dishes every other day anyway." "Wha, wha? Um who say's I'm going to the dance?" Vance dropped a piece of egg off his fork. "Hey come on, you can do your whole Beetlejuice thing, it'll be cool man. We can rock this place ten times as bad as Greenville and besides, isn't the school around here Catholic? Man won't that be a hoot?" "You two morons are not coming to my dance," Rayne said promptly. "I'm not going." "Awe come on Rayne, you're seriously gonna pass up an opportunity like this? You know how much chaos we could cause between the three of us?" "Well if you're so adamant about it, why don't you just go yourself?" Vance muttered, as

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 309 his brother continued to tug. "Rayne, it's your first Halloween!" Jani protested. "Please have fun, don't deny yourself the holiday." "Why don't you let her take Vinny?" Vance suggested. "I'm sure he'll be the life of the party. I don't do Halloween." "What? What do you mean you don't do Halloween," Sam stammered, "don't be hating." "Vance please take Rayne." "Jani I don't need anyone to take me!" she was starting to lose her appetite. "I'm not interested thank you." "Ants!" Vincent crooned, yanking his antenna back and forth. "Vinny for the love of god!" "I think that's a sign he wants you to take her." "I think it's a sign he's gonna make me go deaf. When is this stupid dance anyway?" "All hallows eve," Rayne rolled her eyes, "to keep the catholic girls out of trouble." "The parade is today," Jani mused. "May I bring Vincent?" "You can take the kid, but I'm not going." Jani looked heartbroken at his refusal. "It's okay really," Rayne insisted. "I wasn't planning on going, no matter how hard you or Leah tried to convince me." "What if I make him go?" Sam snickered. "Excuse me?" "Sam, whatever you're thinking...don't do it." "Awe come on, you know how long I've been waiting to get back at that douche over there?" "We'll you're going to have to wait even longer there Sammy boy, because I'm not doing it." "Can we just stop talking about this?" Rayne finished her waffles in aggravation. "I'm going to the Halloween parade with Leah. Jani you can go with Vincent." "Have fun," Vance got up to walk away only to wince as his brother yanked even harder. Spinning around, he actually bared his teeth and the little boy let go with a gasp. "Whoa, chill out man, he's just a baby." "Don't take it out on him," Rayne snapped. "It's not his fault." "Wow...what a spoiled sport. I think the two of them should totally go together." "That's what I said," Jani sighed. "This is Rayne's first Halloween huh?" Sam asked once she had gone upstairs. "Yes." "Did she ever actually tell you what went on in Greenville during our Homecoming?" "She told me she went alone and Vance essentially ruined it." "Not quite." Jani's eyes flared as Sam recanted the story. "That explains quite a bit." To think that Vance would have killed himself over a girl seemed to baffle her, though she could remember a time when she felt similar. "I think the two of them just need a little...incentive." "What kind of incentive?" "Weeelll," leaning back in his chair, he looked at his hand as a torrent of dark energy began to swim through his fingers. "You wouldn't happen to have any punch, would ya?"

"He'll never forgive you for using the grimdark on him. It would be unwise." "Let me worry about Vance. You just take care of getting Rayne to agree to go with him. Oh, and by the way, she is into Lady Gaga right? I mean I hate the bitch, but I got this idea. As much as she pushes people away, I think she just wants the attention, somebody to notice, you know? Liz was the same way until Vance came along. He had her singing like a pop star and she was loving it by the way." "Rayne more of a Joan Jett kind of girl. And she's not into singing. She prefers to have friends." "I think Rayne needs to lighten up. I mean it's Halloween right, trick or treat aye? And who better to play the trick than the person they invented the holiday for to begin with?" "You invented Halloween? I don't think you were around for that my dear." "Well not me per say, but if you're willing to make a bet, I'll hit you up for five grand right now says Halloween is my holiday." "It might be your holiday now that you're the lord of darkness, but it belonged to the Celts originally." "Yup it did," Sam grinned. "but it totally goes further than that and I can prove it. I don't know if one of those two bozos told you, but I used to be a normal guy," he informed her. "Cept, there was this one matter of a hitchhiker. I don't really believe in coincidence. The fact my family is partially Irish probably has something to do with it, but there's a reason that thing came after me in-particular. So how about it, five grand says I can prove that Halloween belongs to me?" "Rayne mentioned your fate will be a particularly unpleasant one. Leah is Irish and I don't see her making that claim. But I'll accept your bet, I have money to spare." "Your loss," he chuckled. "Got a computer? Google Sam Haine and try not to cry when you have to pay up." "It's only five thousand dollars." "What are you a millionaire or something?" "Yes actually, Sam Haine?" she echoed curiously. "Like the holiday Samhain." "You think my parents had a sick sense of humor or what?" The vampire had to laugh. "I think your parents tried a little too hard to be Irish and made a mistake in naming you." "Um...yeaaaah I'm gonna go with that, considering the Archetype was totally waiting for some dumb shit with my last name to name their kid Sam." "I suppose everything happens for a reason? Do you want cash or a check?" "Cash would be nice." "Wait here."

Chapter 6.

Sam sat there finishing breakfast while back upstairs, Vance was seething over the conversation. Vinny remained hard at work playing with the bright red plushie he’d been given, and had taken a liking to chewing it. "Come on kiddo, time to get dressed," Rayne said as she picked him up, plushie and all. "Vance, Vin needs to get changed." Without bothering to get off the bed, the door swung open and he re-crossed his arms. "Changed for what?" he grumbled as Vinny threw the plushie at his head. "Vincent what did you do that for?" "I guess he knows you're being unreasonable. Jani's taking him to the parade so he needs his clothes." Vance snapped his fingers and a set of clothing about Vincent’s size manifested across the mattress. "Put him down, I'll take care of it," he grumbled as the boy reached for Rayne's hair. "No Vinny," she'd braided it to the side, making it an easy thing for him to reach. "Not pleasant is it?" Vance asked as he went to remove the boy’s shirt. "It's still not a reason to scream at him. Why do you let Sam get to you? He's a dead man, let him have his fun." "That's just it Rayne, it's fun. He enjoys it. I've seen what grimdark does to people. Humans can't control it. They might think they can, but they can't. He's gonna wind up being assimilated in due time. You really think the archetype would give him free range of its abilities? All it's gotta do is wait until he suckers himself into being energy dependent, then it'll corrupt his mind bit by bit. Eventually he won't exist anymore, it'll just be that thing." "It's his fate Vance. He's going to die and we can't stop it." "He's already dead Rayne, it's his soul that's going to be consumed. He's just too pig headed to realize it." "At least you tried," she offered. "We can only warn him." "Yeah right, like Saurin did, like you and Leah did? He’s dangerous. You've seen that thing he turns into. One of these days, it might decide not to play by his rules. Vinny seems to think he's Rose, which is defiantly not a good thing," Vance finished dressing his brother and hoisted him onto his lap. "You heard him last night. He said Vinny tastes like chicken. How much of that do you think was actually a joke?" "He doesn't know his limits, he's a wild card." "Yeah well, he seems to like to get a kick out of causing trouble in general. I don't want that thing around my brother." "So what are you saying? You want to move? He's only got a week of freedom and Halloween is almost here." "Don't remind me," Vance grumbled. "What are you laughing at tiny?" "He's the cutest little thing," Rayne picked him up. "Ready for the parade Vin?" "Have fun." "You're not coming?" "I can't go out in public like this," Vance looked down at his claws. "Can't you fix it?" "No...he jerked my system around. There is, believe it or not, such as thing as too much grimdark. I have to wait until it wears of...if it wears off. Little shit."

"Vance, stop being such a sourpuss. It's just a holiday. We're trying to cheer you up." "Ants!" Vinny went to reach for him. "Just go to your parade." "Vin your brother is being a mope," Rayne thought for a second. "Vance, get over Liz, seriously. She becomes a slut according to Sam." If she hadn't had his attention before, she sure as hell had it now. "What did you just say?" "Sam told me she becomes a slut," Rayne replied flatly. "So, clearly she's not worth anyone's time." "Screw what Sam says. I don't want to hear anything that comes out of his mouth." "Ants!" Vinny gave him a pout. "No Vin, I'm not going to the parade. You can go with Rayne and her friends. Besides, isn't Leah supposed to be there?" his gaze suddenly narrowed. "Hey Rayne, maybe you should try and pass him off as me? Make up with some crazy story about a shrink ray or something, you're good at those aren't ya?" "Jani and Vincent are going to be elsewhere. Leah and I are going to the parade before a party. I don't want her to see him." "Pfth well go have your fun then." "What's wrong now? Do you want to come? Is that what it is?" "No." "Then what?" "Leave me alone. I don't need nor want to share my problems with anyone, least of all you." "Well in case you haven't noticed Vancelyn, I'm the only person willing to listen." "Who says I want you to listen?" he hissed. "I hate this fucking month and I'm not happy about anything that's happened in the last several. What more do you want from me?" "You're ridiculous," Rayne picked up Vincent to deliver him to Jani. At the sound of the ruckus, Sam lowered his glasses. "Awe what happened, you two have a lovers spat?" "Shut your face Haine. We’re not together." Jani emerged wearing a fur coat made of fox. "You sound like you are," she took Vincent. "Ready my love? You two behave in this house," she warned as she handed Sam an envelope full of the cash. "Sweetness!" Shaking her head, Rayne grabbed her jacket as well. "I'll see you guys later." "Be careful at that party," Jani warned. Going their separate ways, she walked directly to the parade. Rayne had stopped to pick up Leah and the two girls eagerly arrived. Vincent had never seen anything quite like it. Staring at the enormous floats depicting gigantic pumpkins and people in costume, he clapped his hands and squealed as they came rolling through the streets. Bringing up the front was a float carved to look like a skull, while following it, was a zombie marching band. Still moping around in his room, Vance could hear the noise from across the street although made no move to leave or even look out his window. If he had, he probably would have noticed the streak of shadowed energy that swiftly began to creep toward the oncoming parade. "Why couldn't we go to that school?" Rayne sighed as she saw the band. "Because we're vampires and we have to go to a creepy catholic prep school." Leah toyed

with her jacket. Her auburn hair hung loose and fell passed her shoulders. Rolling up behind the band, as not to drown out the music, an eerie scene approached. Decked on the back of a flat bed, it resembled a graveyard with huge loud speakers built to look like cemetery gates. Slowly but surely, a familiar melody began to take the air as several automated trap doors spread apart beneath a number of well-crafted headstones. Crawling out were half a dozen high school cheerleaders and a couple of jocks dressed in the most extravagant makeup imaginable. Rising onto the float, none of them seemed to think anything of the large void that suddenly opened toward the front, as a boy, none of them recognized, dressed in a dark leather jacket and sunglasses, stepped out with a microphone and a mischievous grin. "Who is that?" one of the girls whispered. "I don’t know, but his makeup is amazing," another said as Sam reached up to snap his fingers and the un-mistakable sound of Michael Jackson’s Thriller began to blast through the streets. Half a dozen zombies broke into the classic choreography behind him while people cheered from the sidelines. "Is that Sam?" Leah gasped. "No way!" "That idiot!" Rayne exclaimed in disbelief. "Since when did he become a singer?" Finishing the song, Sam threw up his hands. "Thank you!" he laughed. "I'll be here all week!" Turning to face the now curious high schoolers, he gave them a grin and tossed the microphone to one of the jocks. "Take it away pall," he said before vanishing in a burst of black fog. "I didn't know they installed a fog machine?" another girl squealed as float went on the finish the parade. "I can't believe him," Jani laughed, enjoying it as much as Vinny did. "Awe whatsa matter, you didn't like my little stunt?" Appearing behind her, he was grinning from ear to ear, while Vincent continued to clap. "Oh so you like me now, huh?" he chuckled, as the boy squealed happily. "I enjoyed it very much," Jani replied. "You are bold. I don't think Rayne enjoyed it though, I can only imagine." "Oh please, she's just jealous it wasn't her up there. And come on, you don't think I'd let Vance have all the fun, do you? I've always wanted to do that." "I was impressed. You had your five minutes of fame and no one suffered. It was entertaining," she looked down at Vincent. "He was delighted by it." "Oh come on, I might be a dead guy but I'm not a bad guy," Sam reached out to muse Vinny's hair. "Vance is the one who thinks you have to hurt people to have fun. He's a jerk, that's why he'll always only ever be second best," he pulled his hand away as the boy finally got fed up and went to bite him. "Whoa kid, really bad idea." "Vincent, don't bite. Vance is a difficult character. I don't understand him and I don't know how he doesn't see Rayne is trying to help." "I don't know," Sam crossed his arms. "I think it has something to do with the fact he's still not over Liz. I also kinda think I understand a little bit more of what he's been going through," he rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean, I had a normal life once, but damn. After two years of what I been through, that'd make anybody pretty sour. He probably just doesn't know what nice is." "Probably not, but how do you make someone understand what kindness is?"

Sam shrugged. "I don’t know. Then again, as far as Rayne goes, my money says the two of them are going to kill each other unless somebody gives them a little nudge." "If you really want to give them a nudge, don't tell me about it," Jani shook her finger. "I don’t think manipulating someone is acceptable." "Who says I have to manipulate them? There's more than one way to do things. I mean look at Vinny," he smiled at the boy who returned it. "Half an hour ago all he wanted to do was scream at me. There's always a way to get through to people, you just gotta know how. Vance is a soul eater right? He doesn't know from kindness, but he knows from souls. If you can't get him to understand with words, maybe words aren't exactly the right approach? I saw what he did at that dance and if it's any correlation to Vincent here, I think I might be catching on as to how to do this." "What's your plan then, since you figured out how to use your gift?" "I wouldn't call it a gift," he scoffed. "My plan though, is to get Vance and Rayne to that Halloween party. In order to get through to someone, you've got to speak their language. You just handle getting her to go. I'll take care of the details. If I'm wrong, no harm done, but if I'm right, maybe the two of them will actually have a good time?" "I can get her to go, but you take care of Vance." "Oh don't worry. I think I know someone who can help me persuade him." "Who?" "You'll just have to wait and see. If I'm gonna pull this off, I'm gonna need somebody who has connections. I think she'll help me," his grin widened. "As a matter of fact, I'm sure of it." "Who is she? Vance's ex?" "I wouldn't call her his ex...but I'm sure she's still pissed about that, and I'm kinda booking on it." "Wouldn't that be counterproductive?" "Oh don't worry, it's cool. This is gonna work Jani." "I hope so, for all our sakes. Oh Vinny, look at the vampire float." "Hey...where's Rayne?" Sam suddenly got a mischievous idea. "She's across the street, to the left of me, with Leah." "Oh really?" rubbing his hands together, he began to grin. "You think she wants to have some fun?" he didn't wait for a response as he sunk back into the darkness. Slinking its way toward the float, a streak of black crept up the side as several gaudy looking vampires stood there waving. None of the kids really seemed to be as involved as the zombies were, although that was about to change as Sam stepped out pushing his way toward the head of the crowd with the microphone. Grinning from ear to ear, his attention fell on Rayne and he pointed straight in her direction. "Yo ladies and gentlemen, we got something real special for you coming up right now," he turned toward one of the girl’s behind him and motioned her over. Adorning an extravagant red dress with a Celtic cross hanging around her neck, she eyed him as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "I got a friend out there who needs a little cheering up, because honestly, she's more dead right now than I am. This one goes out to Rayne, and her pall Leah, Happy Halloween ya'll," he laughed as he flung the microphone into the girl’s hands and her expression became ghosted. Taking a step forward, she brought it to her lips and immediately broke into a highly technoified version of Zombie, by the Cranberries.

Rayne’s face burned with warmth and her eyes turned the color of honey. Leah was likewise red, although more so out of flattery. "Come on Rayne, it’s cool," she elbowed her, laughing as she heard the song. Nobody else in the crowd seemed to care. Vincent continued to squeal and Vance had finally gotten up to stick his head out the window. "Look Vinny," Jani snapped a picture of Sam while Rayne gave him a reluctant smile. Throwing her a thumbs up, he was glad she seemed embarrassed, but also that she wasn't fuming mad. Riding out the rest of the parade, he jumped off the float and vanished before anyone had the chance to notice. The girls lingered until later in the day. Jani however stayed with Vincent, holding him calmly until the last of the floats came around. By the time the parade ended, he was getting fidgety not to mention, hungry. Vance had taken to watching from the bedroom window, tracing lines along its frame while Sam slipped back into the apartment around noon. "Come Vinny," Jani could sense him getting hungry, and the last thing she needed was for him to reveal his teeth. Enamored by her coat, he buried his face in it as she went for the door. "Vance," she called upstairs. "Do you want to feed your brother?" Catching her voice from afar, he didn't want to come down and instead, called for her to bring him up. "You should've come to the parade." "Yes because I can totally go into public looking like this?" he said flatly, as Vincent began to yank on his antenna. "Besides, what would I have wanted to watch Haine make a fool of himself for anyway?" "It's close enough to Halloween you could get away with it," she smiled. "Sam enjoyed himself, as did everyone else. I even convinced Rayne to go to the dance. The poor girl is terrified." "Is she really that anti-social?" "She's just afraid of being human." "Wha huh?" Vance arched a brow. "Wait what?" "She doesn’t want to be human you know, despite being half. It makes her feel vulnerable." "What?!" That was a little much, even for him. "How…you know what she put me through defending those little fuckers? Siding with Sam and his deadbeat friend. Now you're telling me she doesn't want to be one? What, now that she's seen the other end of the spectrum, it makes her feel like she's not worthy or something?" Jani sighed. "Vance, when you first met Rayne, she was trying to keep herself safe. Your presence I'm sure, attracted a lot of unwanted attention. It made her nervous. You were a threat to her, even if you didn't mean to be. I told her to try to be human and she didn't want to listen. She's seen what it does to a person." "Do I look venerable to you?" he asked with a flat stare. "What about Sam? Aside from being an irresponsible asshole, does he look like the kind of person you'd want to tangle with?" "You tried to kill yourself over a little girl and Sam's going to be responsible for the deaths of many including himself." Vance brushed her point aside. "Sam's already responsible for his own death. Just because you're half of something doesn't mean you need to let it define you. I made a big mistake a while back and it cost me a portion of my soul. There's a half of me that I don't want anything

to do with. I'm willing to bet it's responsible for the mess I'm in right now, but that doesn't mean I'm going to worry about it or let it control my life. Rayne shouldn't either. Shit happens, right Vinny?" he looked down at the boy who peered up at him happily. "Then why are you still sitting here being miserable?" "Because I'm a miserable person. That's just what I do. And I hate Halloween." "Sure," she said calmly. "I think Rayne and you would be more miserable together at that dance." "Are you trying to pair us up? I don't feel like making a scene, especially not at a catholic school dance party. It's probably going to be boring as death anyway?" "I'm not trying to pair you. Sam can't go because he's half dead. I know you've had bad experience before, but Rayne is not like that other girl." "Yeah, Liz never tried to kill me. I don't know Jani, and please, do you honestly think being half dead is going to stop that freak from fucking around?" "Well...I was thinking he could be Leah's date?" she said slyly. "Ha. That would be something now wouldn't it. A vampire zombie? You think she would go for it? I mean let's face it, he is pretty hideous." "It's Halloween. So will you ask her?" "Will I ask who? Rayne? Why the hell do I have to ask her? I don't even wanna go!" "But Vance, she's so miserable. Please, she's never had a date in her life. This would be her first Halloween." "I don't want to date her!" he threw up his hands. "I don't even like her. The only reason we aren't killing each other right now is...well...him," he pointed to Vinny who noticed Jani's pout and mimicked it. "Ants!" he cooed and continued to yank. "Oh not you too? Why don't you go with her?" he asked the boy. "You don't have to date her," Jani's eyes watered suggestively. "You could just take her out for a couple of hours, to a small high school party, and perhaps make someone's day special." "Oh yeah, and what's Leah gonna say when she sees that? According to Rayne, she doesn't even know I'm here," Vance wasn’t buying the act at all. "She'll be too busy with dealing with Sam," Jani had that poor me expression drawn out on her face. "Vance please, look at how hard she's tried to redeem herself by offering you a place to stay and taking care of your brother." His expression only grew flatter. "Alright...I'll tell you what. If you can get her to come to me and ask, I will. Otherwise, I don't want to hear another word about it. Sound fair?" "What?" Jani sat up. "Vance, the entire purpose of going to a school dance is for the girl to get asked by the guy!" "She already said she didn't want to go! If you want me to take her to some stupid function I don't even want to be a part of, then she's gotta be willing to ask. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to feed my brother before he rips my antenna off my head." Jani didn't like not getting her way. Fixing her coat, she left him alone and headed downstairs to pour herself a glass of wine. Still seemingly asleep, Sam had heard her emerge and without looking up, addressed her. "My money says you didn't make any headway." "You'd be right there," she sighed. "I think I'll leave this up to you, my persuasive little friend." "Let me guess, Vance won't go unless Rayne asks and Rayne won't go unless Vance

asks? That sound about right?" "I didn't think humans had such good hearing?" "They don't," he chuckled although left it at that. "What time does Rayne get back from that party with Leah?" "Probably in a matter of hours, after she's had a couple of beers," Jani didn't look happy about that either. "Why?" Rubbing his hands together, Sam sat up with a grin. "I think it's time for some, intervention." Getting to his feet, he turned to face her and re-adjust his glasses. By the time he did so, his entire image had shifted to a spitting replication of Vancelyn’s. "Whatcha think? Scary enough for ya?" Jani stopped and her eyes widened. "How did you do that? I wasn't aware you could shape shift." "I can do anything," turning to look at himself in the mirror, Sam realized he'd forgot about Vance's antenna. Reaching up, he grabbed a fist full of his hair and manipulated it like clay to create exact replicas. "There we go, wouldn't want to miss a detail like that. And it's not just Vance," turning back to her, he shifted again, this time to an exact replica of Rayne. "I play for both sides. Gotta wait till she gets home though, wouldn't want to have to explain that one." "Good point," Jani mused. "I think you should go too Sam, with Leah." "With Leah?" he took a step forward and returned to his own state of being. "I plan to go to the dance, but I'm not sure I'm looking for a date. Besides, one kiss could be fatal." "I wasn't aware that's what going to a dance with someone entailed?" she winked at him. "The lass needs a date and since Rayne is going to be stuck with Vance...I mean you can't go stag...being the lord of darkness and all." "Oh don't worry, I'm not. I had a little talk with a new friend of mine who’s agreed to erm...help me be persuasive," he chuckled. "If Leah needs the company I'll take her, but she's gonna have to keep her mouth shut when it comes to what I got planned." "You’ll have to take that up with her. A new friend huh? The archetype?" "Pfth not quite. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll hear all about it. It's a catholic school isn't it? Man I can't wait to see those headlines." "Just don't kill anyone." "Hey, I'm not Vance alright," Sam’s tone darkened and he crossed his arms. "I'm not an animal. This whole thing is supposed to make Rayne feel better, not worse. The spirit of Halloween is mischief not malice, and I plan to make good use of it." "If you say so." "I know so." Returning several hours later, Rayne seemed to be in a good mood. She'd dropped Leah off at her house before walking back with a smile. "It's not even midnight and you’re buzzed," Jani sounded concerned. Having returned to Vance's persona, Sam waited for Rayne in the living room. Removing his sunglasses, he folded them into his pocket and got up to follow her into the kitchen. "A little too much to drink there Rayne?" he mused, tone matching Vance's perfectly. "A bit," she shrugged. "You know, I wanted to talk to you about something." Rayne gave him a curious look, and despite being buzzed, recognized it was a rare thing for him to ask her anything. "I been doing a lot of thinking lately and I realized, I've kinda been a dick to you people,"

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 318 he shuffled his stance. "I've just been so out of it over Liz and all. I'm not really good at these kinda things but, I guess I owe an apology? I've been pretty selfish between Vincent and Halloween and Sam, cause he's a douche bag. I guess what I'm trying ta say is, you deserve better and if you really wanna go to that dance...I could take ya." Staring at him for a moment, Rayne seemed confused. "You want to take me?" she suddenly looked very timid. "Is Jani's paying you?" "No," he shook his head. "Besides, I think she already spent all her money making a bet," he snickered. "She had a talk with me and she was right. You deserve to have a good Halloween. It's the best holiday there is you know? Especially for people like us. Forget what happened at Greenville, this'll be different. It's gonna be the one day of the year you can be yourself and not be judged for it. I amongst them all should be the one to know. So whaddya say? Be my date?" Staring at him with large blue eyes, Rayne looked both confused and embarrassed. "Uh yeah," she found herself saying, despite the churn in her stomach. "Great. I'll let ya get back to your binge drinking. I'm gonna go run upstairs and check on my brother, I'll be back in a few minutes." Jerking a thumb over his shoulder, he tore from the room and hurried up the stairs in the direction of Vancelyn's door. "Is he drunk too?" Rayne asked as Jani twirled a wine glass. "No my dear, but you are."

Chapter 7.

"What?" Vance hissed as "Rayne" knocked. "Um hey it's me, can I come in? I wanna talk to you," Sam walked in and closed the door behind him. Making his way to the bed, he waved at Vinny who was playing happily with his lion. "What do you want?" Vance hissed. "Actually, I wanted to apologize," Sam began under the guise of Rayne. "Apologize?" "Yeah, I've been a raging bitch lately and well...I guess I've just been confused. I have trouble seeing things clearly sometimes. What I mean to say is, I know I might not have been the nicest person in the past, but I was really hoping we could look beyond all that and focus on the here and now? If you want the honest truth, the reason I poke fun at you all the time, is because I really like you." If Vance could have looked any more stunned, it would have been a feat. "Jani had a talk with me and I…well, I thought that maybe we could try and start over? You know, put the past behind us and move forward, clean slate? It would mean a lot to me if you'd go with me to that dance? To be honest, I was really just jealous," looking up at him with watery blue eyes, Sam knew he was starting a shit fest, but he didn't care. Poor Vance didn't know what to say. "Thank Vanny you’re the greatest," reaching forward "she" gave him a slight hug and turned to leave the room. "I'll see you downstairs in a little, don't miss me too much," with that, Sam stepped out, returned to normal and bounded down the steps. Flinging himself onto the sofa, he buried his face in a pillow. "Is there a joke?" Rayne sat on the couch opposite him with a beer and a half-smile. "Yup...it's a real dozy too. Hey, you got any more of those?" "In the fridge." "My, look at you being all generous," Jani teased. "I'm drunk, leave me alone." "Don't worry Rayne, Sam is taking Leah," she announced, which caused her to stop and look up again. "When the hell did this happen?" "Surprise, surprise," he chuckled, popping the cap off the bottle. Meanwhile, Vance had come downstairs and when he noticed Rayne with the drink, he crossed his arms. "Oooh...well that explains a lot. How many of those have you had?" "Four..." her face colored slightly. "She'd been planning on asking you," Jani said, "but she needed some liquid courage." "Yeah well for the record, I think four is the limit from now on," Vance took a seat across from her. "Look how cute, he's worried about you." "Damn straight I'm worried about her. I think those things have gone to her head." Sam cut in to avoid unwanted conversation. "Well, it's been a long day, I think I'm gonna get a room. Maybe you two lovebirds should do the same?" "I’m not that drunk," Rayne rolled her eyes. "And I'm not sharing a room with him unless

Vinny can't sleep without me." "That's okay, I'll take the couch. And if you call what just happened sobriety?" Vance scoffed. "Nonsense, you two can share a room. I know you won't do anything immoral." Rayne looked at Vance while ignoring Jani completely. "I'm sober as hell." "Bullshit, and it's not a matter of immorality, it's a matter of safety." "Haven't you shared a room before?" Jani asked. "We've shared hotel rooms with two beds, not a bedroom, and especially not a bedroom with my little brother. I'll take the couch." "Why don't you just sleep in your room and Vinny can sleep with me in mine?" Rayne suggested. "If that's what you want? You're going to have to take his jar if you're gonna do that though." "His what?" Sam asked. "None of your business. Go haunt a house and get out of here." "Just switch rooms with me Vance, it's not that hard." "Wow...talk about love hate relationship," Sam finished the rest of his drink before pulling his hand up to look at his watch. "Oooh shit." "You should go." "Yeeaah I think I should." Grabbing her purse, Jani fixed her makeup before heading out herself. Rayne tried not to dwell on the matter. Nuzzling a pillow, her eyes flickered gray as she smoothed Vincent’s hair and the alcohol lulled her to sleep. All Vance wanted to do was forget. Slipping off, he remained as such until the wee hours of the morning when he was awoken again by the sound of sirens. Catching the noise in the distance, Rayne pulled the covers from her head while Vincent tightened his grip as an ambulance zoomed passed the apartment. "It's okay Vin," she said as she went to check on things. There was no word on the scene, although from the looks of it, a good deal of people had been involved. Making his way downstairs, Vance flipped on the morning news, which for once, wasn't detailing something he had done. Apparently, there had been a massacre. Sixteen people had been brutally torn to pieces. The news anchor wasn't half as graphic, although behind her, police could be seen removing body bags while cleanup crews trudged into the building with mops. There were no eyewitness reports, considering nobody at the party had survived, though a number of guests had reported hearing strange noises and assumed someone had smuggled in a dangerous animal. "What the hell is going on?" Rayne asked as she stared at the screen. "Some idiot brought a lion to a hotel party. Least that's what they're saying," Vance flicked off the television although the sirens could still be heard. "Where's Jani?" "She should still be at work...Why?" "Because I sure as hell wasn’t responsible for that. And in case you haven't noticed, Haine isn't here." True enough, Sam had not stopped by to mess with them that morning. Instead, he was currently several blocks away, sitting on the steps of a large mausoleum beyond the gates of an

old historical cemetery. Jacket covered in of blood, he had his hat pulled over his face, which was buried in his arms. "Jani's not a killer," Rayne said defensively. "I wasn't saying she did it. She's out there though and so is he. Sam doesn't have control. He thinks he does, but just because Saurin gave him that stone, doesn't mean he's invulnerable. Remember what I told you about grimdark," he reminded her. "The more you use it, the more susceptible you become. Besides, it's almost Halloween. Do you really think the archetype is going to pass up an opportunity? The veil is thin this time of year. Darker things hold more sway, and judging by that news report, I'd say it won this round." "Will he know?" Rayne asked. "He's usually buzzed after the archetype leaves him for the night." "Can't say, maybe. Stay inside, at least until Jani gets back." "What? No, I have to make sure she's okay," Rayne followed him into the kitchen. "She could think it's something bad and seek it out." Vance put Vincent down on the table. "If it’s that important, I'll go, you stay here with him." "What? You stay here with Vinny!" "If it attacks you, it'll massacre you, either that or you'll end up just like Sam and we don't need a repeat of that debacle. I'll find Jani, you stay here." "You don't have to worry about me Vance. I can take care of myself." "Rayne, trust me. You couldn't fight me off when you had the chance. Let's be honest. Somebody needs to stay here and watch Vincent. That's an important job too." "Fine," she scowled. "Thank you, now just...stay!" Tearing toward the hotel, Vance kept to the alleys the best he could. Jani was already aware of the situation. Lingering near the police line, she wore a grim expression, standing beside a woman who looked strikingly a lot like Leah. "This is bad," she shook her head, voice pared with a twinge of Irish accent. "It's vastly unpleasant, but I don't think it's the work of a lycan," Jani admitted. "You would probably be correct," stepping up to them, dressed in a hooded jacket, and gloves, Vance was relieved to find Jani unharmed, more for Rayne's sake than his own. "You wouldn't happen to know where it went, would you?" his eyes narrowed toward the woman who resembled Rayne's friend. "Friend of yours?" she asked. "An acquaintance with connections," Jani said evasively, "The scent of darkness lingers. But the smell of blood is overpowering. I can’t get a good read on what direction the slayer went." "You don't want to," Vance warned. "My money says it was Haine, and if that's the case, there’s nothing anybody can do about it except stay out of his way. Rayne was worried you might have been involved," he told her honestly. "She's back at the apartment and I think we should let the...police handle this one?" "It's not his fault," Jani sighed. "Aye, the lad is cursed, much like the wolves." The woman’s hazel eyes darkened as she caught the sun peeking out through the skyscrapers. "We'll talk tonight," Jani assured her. "Hurry home, Gwen." Vance watched the woman called Gwen depart. "I think we should get back to the

apartment, in case the little prick decides he wants desert?" "I'm surprised Rayne didn't show up. It was unwise of you to. That's Leah's mother. She would not take kindly to knowing it was you who caused her daughter grief." "Yeah well, you wouldn't take to kindly if I let Rayne wander around and she ran into Sam, now would you? He might look like an obnoxious little kid, but behind that façade, he's a beast." "He's cursed Vance. He can't help it. I'm worried about him." "Don't mess with him. The kid is a zombie in every sense of the word. Just leave him be, it's probably better he goes back to wherever the hell he came from anyway." "A lot of people could say the same thing about you. It's not his fault Vance. He's not in control." "I don't infect people and I don't tear my victims into eight thousand bloody pieces and paint the walls with them." "So what Rayne told me happened in Vegas was just part of her imagination?" "That wasn't entirely me, or did she neglect to mention that?" "She told me you willingly made the choice to become that fiend," Jani said passively. "Pfth...you know what, let's not even go there. You wanna be stupid, go ahead, but don't blame me when it hacks you up into cat food." "Don't insult me Vance," she wasn't exactly in the mood to be berated. "Why don’t you go ahead of me and make Rayne breakfast, since you two are going on a date?" Throwing up his hands, he stormed back to the apartment while Jani headed toward the graveyard. "Where is she?" Rayne asked as Vance came through the door. "She's fine," he grumbled. "She went to go look for Haine. I told her it wasn't a good idea, but she insisted." "Figures. You should never expect anything less from her. She likes to try and save people." "Looks to me like she likes to pick up stray cats." "She has a thing for cats actually." "Go figure." Back in the graveyard, Sam edged closer to the shadows as the sun came up. Throwing off his jacket, which was soaked in blood, he wrapped his arms around his knees and it became evident why he'd been wearing the jacket in the first place. His left arm was torn to shreds. The skin Rayne had once cut away had never repaired. Leaving a mass of dry muscle and bone, it made any function he had of it medically impossible. "Sam," Jani's voice was calm, like the sea after a storm. "It's okay," she said quietly. "I know you're upset." Regarding her with milk colored eyes, his expression was one of distress, although the emotion was lost in the cataracts. "It's not your fault," she had never met someone with such terrible luck. "Come home Sam, it's alright." "Home?" as she offered her hand, he shook his head. "I don't have a home. And it is my fault. I ran outta time." "You have to be more careful." "I didn't think one drink would matter," his expression faulted. "It's okay Sam...accidents happen."

"Tell that to their families." "I've had to do so before, it's not fun...but sometimes things happen that you can't change." "How am I gonna go back Jani? How am I supposed to show my face to them?" "Rayne's not going to look at you any differently. She knows it's common for vampires to commit such acts." "I'm not a vampire," Sam looked devastated. "I'm not supposed to be like this. This wasn't supposed to happen. I'm only seventeen...I can't..." unable to bring himself to say anymore, he put his head down. "I'm sorry," she said in earnest. "If there was any way to remove this burden, I would." "You know anyone who reads ancient Latin?" "I do..." Reaching into his pocket, he emerged with a small object wrapped in cloth. Pressing a hand to its side, he stared at it in debate. "Never mind," he brought it to his chest, "forget it." "Sam, if reading that tablet helps you, let me." "Don’t touch it!" he pulled away. Staring with gold eyes, her hand dropped. "How can I help you, if you don't let me?" "No..." his tone became his own again. "No you can't, nobody can. It won't let you take it from me." "You're talking to someone who's never taken no for an answer," she smiled. "I'm serious. You don't know what this thing is capable of. It's not me alright, I'm a parlor trick." Sam slipped the tablet into his pocket and looked down at his arm. "Look at this...does this look normal to you? That stone is the only thing keeping me alive. Rayne seems to be under the impression I'm on a timer, but that clock has long since expired." "I know," she said calmly. "You smell of death. But would you rather die free, or a slave to something evil?" "If you want the truth, I'd rather not be dead at all," he scoffed. "But you got a point." "I could offer you vampirism...if you fear death?" "Thanks but I'd rather not. For one, I'm not cool with the whole supernatural thing, never was, never will be. For two," he pointed toward his eyes. "I don't think I'm coming back from this." "Come on, you need a beer," she made an effort to lighten the mood. "A beer? That's the reason I'm in this mess to begin with." "I'll make you lunch. Come home when you're ready." Sam looked at his arm and then toward his jacket, which was no longer useable. "You wouldn't happen to know where I can get another one of those would ya?" "Take mine," she offered, removing her expensive fur coat. "Thanks Jani but um...not really my style," he had to struggle to suppress a laugh. "I think I'll pass on the fur. I don't need to give those two any more ammunition." "At least you'll be fashionable?" "Fashionable? That's a woman’s coat. I appreciate the offer, but there's a certain level of dignity I would like to maintain." "If you say so," saying nothing else, Jani left. Having brought Vincent upstairs, Rayne was asleep on Vance's bed. Currently sitting in the kitchen, he had remained up to think about things.

"What? No sneaking into bed with her when I'm not home?" Jani teased as she found him looking distant. "Isn't that what teenagers do?" "Please," Vance’s eyes turned upward from his thoughts. "I don't know what's gotten into her lately. She said some really strange stuff yesterday. What do you do when she comes storming into your room, telling you that the reason she's a royal bitch is because she likes you? She told me she wanted me to take her to the dance because she was jealous of how much of a good time Liz had. I wasn't born yesterday Jani...and I might not be the brightest guy, but I'm sure as hell not stupid. Something doesn't equate here." "Vance...believe me when I say Rayne genuinely wants someone to relate to. She doesn’t know how to express it and I'm pretty sure she's been trying to avoid it. Maybe she was just fed up with playing games, you know?" she placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure you've noticed that sometimes she’s angry one minute and them attempts to apologize the next? She's had a hard time trying to come to terms with her feelings about you." The look he bore was one of evident confusion. "You know, you women will be the death of me." Vance looked up as the door opened and Sam wandered into the living room. "What's he doing here?" "He's lost," she said quietly. "But why don't you disappear so Rayne can get a snuggle." "What’s this about snuggling?" Rayne asked as she came downstairs. "Ask your girlfriend." "Jani..." Rayne turned back to confront her, but the older vampire was already gone. Pulling the last beer from the fridge, Vance popped the cap with his thumb. "Thanks for asking." "Please, after the things you said last night. You don't need it." "What did I say?" "Oh, you don't remember? Man you do have some misplaced emotions. It was really embarrassing, for both of us." Rayne's face flushed red. "Misplaced emotions?" "Oooh yeah, but whatever, I guess it's a girl thing? Liz was like that too, except she was blunter about it." "Liz was an idiot," Rayne scowled. "What do you mean it's a girl thing? You said you'd go with me...it's not like I had to twist your arm." "Yeah I said I'd go, but you didn't have to make a scene...yesh. Did Jani put you up to that?" "I didn't make a scene. If you want to change your mind, just let me know?" "Whoa, hey I never said that," he shook his head. "All I'm saying is that if you wanted to go that badly, you shouldn't have played hard to get. Why the hell don't you people just come out and say what’s on your mind?" "I wasn't playing hard to get," Rayne's eyes flickered gray. "Uh huh. You know if you had just admitted it a long time ago, it could have saved us both a lot of trouble. I'll be honest with ya, I'm not so sure I wanna open this can of worms but..."something about the whole scenario still didn’t seem right by him, "I'll take you to the dance. Although as far as what happened with Liz, you're gonna have to settle for the costume party. I don't think I got it in me to do that again." "I don't want to be the monkey you turned her into," Rayne said flatly. "I'd rather just go and enjoy myself." "Nothing special, just a dance, I promise. However, I do have to ask," he looked up again,

"what exactly do you plan on dressing as?" "I was going to ask you that, because I don’t know." "Well I had an idea but...I've been so distracted with Vincent lately, I think I misplaced my cards. Maybe I'll go as Rorik? Wouldn't that be a blast?" "What’s the idea? Don't you always carry your cards in your dark closet?" "More specifically my pocket, but I can't find them anywhere. It's no big deal. I probably just lost them in void space again, it happens. But the point remains, what are you going as?" "I don't know what's popular. I'm not going to as a vampire either." "Why would you go as a vampire? That's boring. You can't go to a costume party as yourself. That defeats the purpose." "I have to go the Halloween store right? Leah's going as a zombie." "She's going with Sam isn't she? And I guess you can go to a store if you really want to? I tend to prefer homemade myself." "I can't make anything myself." "What’s your favorite genre, horror, comedy, classic, adventure? Start there. Me, I generally just go with whatever fits the moment. If Leah is gonna be there, I can't go as myself, and without my cards, I can't do anything extravagant." "Just fix your hair and put contacts on," Rayne suggested. "I want to be something cool and scary." "I can’t help you with the cool, but you're already pretty scary," he chuckled, "And I don't wear contacts, although if you think I'm going to screw with my hair, you're out of your mind." "You already screw it up," she said dismissively. "Hey, I haven't had the time to gel my hair in days. Maybe you should go as a pirate? You drink enough." "Maybe you should go as a mermaid?" "Saurin already does a good enough job of that." "Then I'm not going to be a pirate," Rayne gave a wooden smile. "I might be a witch, that's a normal costume right?" "You're already a witch." "You know, if you're going to be a jerk to me, why'd you even ask?" "Once again, we need to work on your sense of humor. I know," he snapped his fingers. "You could be a dragon. You know, like that dopey thing you have upstairs on your bed? We could stuff a pillow under your shirt and tape little plastic wings on your back, and then you'd look just like that retarded plush toy." "And you could go as a dick," Rayne huffed. "Don't call my stuffed animal retarded. He's cute. He's mine." "I don't think you really want me to do that, and please, that doofy stuffed toy is ridiculous." "You're just mad you have nothing to cuddle up with." "I don't do cuddle. That's Vinny's job." "You couldn't do cuddle if someone paid you," she muttered as she grabbed a piece of fruit. "Nope. You better get cracking on your costume dragon lady. Time is of the essence." "Jani has to help me. She'd never forgive me if I didn't let her doll me up for the holiday. Although, you better come up with something before she decides we should go as a creepy couple."

"I'm gonna go with the jail stripes. Between this and that," he pointed toward his antenna, "I think I'm good." "Great, then she's going to suggest I go as a cop. Do you know what those costumes look like?" "You mean one of those tini bopper things with the whip and the handcuffs? You could get a bright red lollypop to go with it while you're at it." "And you could shut up if you think I'd walk around dressed like a slutty cop," she growled. "Join the club. I'm going to wear a suit. If you think I'm talking about one of those retarded prisoner outfits?" Vance rolled his eyes. "Please, you're already a ball and chain, I don't need another." "You act like we're married, gimmie a break. I'm the one sheltering you and your brother. You're like that dead beat husband I'm waiting to dump." "I’d call it wedlock. Poor Vinny is stuck in the middle, and look," he pointed at Sam who was still sitting on the couch. "We even have the blood thirsty dog to ward off the neighbors. All we need now are a couple of dead tires and some barbed wire in the front yard and the whole white trash routine will be complete." Sam flipped him off. "Please, we might as well just live in a trailer." "You know at this point, it wouldn't surprise me." "Where the hell is Jerry Springer when you need him?" "I think Sam might have eaten him." "Yo shut the fuck up asshole!" "Well either that or it could be Jani Springer?" Vance suggested. "Please, she'd win the Emmy." "Yeah no kidding. I can't wait to see how she cons Leah into going out with the Lord of the Flies over there." This time Sam chose to ignore him. "I don't know...she's going as a zombie too. She'll think it's cute. Besides, she thought Sam was semi good looking." "What?" the both of them stammered. "The key word there," Vance began. "Is thought, and the difference is, she's pretending to be a zombie, he actually is one. You know, it's gonna take a lot of explaining when she goes to dance with him and his arm falls off." "Shut the fuck up douche bag." "Awe whatsa matter there Sammy, having a tough time getting a grip? Maybe I should lend ya a hand?" The look Sam gave him was one of verbatim. "I hope your arm doesn’t really fall off," Rayne groaned. "It's not gonna fall off." "Are you sure about that?" Vance snickered. "Looks like it's only hanging on...by a limb." "At least Leah likes you Sam, despite your...eccentricities. I'm stuck with someone who acts like he'd rather face death row than go out with me, even though he asked." "Whoa wait a minute what?" Vance motioned for a time out with both hands. "I didn’t ask..." "What do you mean Leah likes me?" Sam cut him off. "She never mentioned that before." "Oh yeah, she just never said anything," Rayne was thankfully distracted. "I mean, she

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 327 did invite you to her party for a reason." "I thought that reason was to meticulously plot against him?" he pointed to Vance who gave him a look. "As if you even remember it. As I recall, you were stone drunk for that party." "Dude you weren't even there." "Not that you know of." "Leah likes blondes and bad boys…" Rayne rolled her eyes. "Or stupid ones at least." "Whoa hey, I'm not stupid." "Yeah sure Mr. failed out of high school." "I didn't fail out high school because of being stupid," Sam snapped. "I failed because I didn't go." "Yeah sure, you were too busy getting high." "Hey, it was better than sitting around for six hours listening to a load of meandering crap. But I digress. The only girl in my life is and forever will be Mary J." "Loser," Rayne scoffed. "How many losers do you know how can pull a Ferris Bular on top of a holiday float and make it look good?" Vance rolled his eyes. "Pfth, you would be Ferris Bular. Now all you need are a couple of doofy sidekicks." "Actually...I use to have one of those," Sam said with a grin. "But come on, in all seriousness, the only reason Jani suggested it is because she's a sucker for traditional stupidity and Leah's Irish. If that isn't the icing on the cake right there...you wanna talk about bad puns," he looked toward Vance. "She's my best friend so you better let her have a good time," Rayne warned. "I'm sure she'll have a hell of a time. But first things first...I need a new jacket. I can pull off the whole zombie thing, but I think this is a bit much." "A bit?" Vance arched a brow. "We can buy you something. Vance has the same terrible taste you do." "Hey!" "I'm not sure I would ever wear a pinstripe suit," Sam admitted. "You guys still have bad taste. I'm getting dressed...and so should you." "I am dressed!" Vance called after her. Saying nothing else, Rayne came back downstairs about an hour later. "Are we bringing Vinny?" "To the store?" Vance asked curiously. "Yeah. He can't stay inside all the time." "You can take him if you want, but how am I supposed to go out like this?" "Get over it dude, it's Halloween, nobody cares." "You could just be an enthusiast?" Rayne suggested. "Oh yeah, I'm real enthusiastic," Vance got up anyway, raising the hood of his jacket, which he was still wearing. Grabbing her own, Rayne picked up Vinny. "Come on Vin, time to go on a trip." "Ahn" "Maybe you should let him pick out your Halloween costume?" Vance suggested. "What do you say Vin? Wanna help me dress up? Do you have a carriage for him or

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 328 something?" "A what?" "A baby walker thingy," Sam said as Vincent began regarded him uneasily. "Oh come on kid don't start." "Go away Sam, your ugly is frightening him." "Dude shut up, that kid doesn't know scary when he sees it. He's a Darwinian accident waiting to happen." "Don't say that," Rayne scowled. "It's true, he's afraid of me but he thinks the shadow is a toy. You don't get any more ass backward than that." "Do you have a carriage or not Vance?" "No I don’t, but I do have this," holding up a finger, he summoned a small child harness. "I got it from Petco, but it fits him fine." "He's not a dog Vance. You hold me." Vance looked at her and tilted his head. "I think you mean him...I hope you mean him?" "Nice going Rayne," Sam laughed. As she realized her mistake, Rayne's eyes flared gray. "I meant him," she said quickly. "I don't want you to hold me, you weirdo." "Yeah well maybe some part of ya does?" Vance grimaced while Sam only continued to laugh. "Wow talk about a Freudian slip, good job Rayne. What else do you want him to hold?" "You're not funny," Vance said flatly. "No but she is...damn." "I don't want you to touch me at all, and shut up zombie boy. You're never going to get any, anyway." "Pfth like I want any." Huffing angrily, Rayne pulled her jacket closer. "Just ignore him," Vance muttered. "The guy gives a new meaning to the word putz. Who cares what he thinks, which clearly isn't much." "I am ignoring him," she said flatly. "I just jumbled my words. It was not a Freudian slip." "It happens to the best of us, don't worry about it. Look at Vinny. He can't pronounce things correctly and you don’t see him giving a crap? You really need to chill out. Who cares what Sam thinks? He's just a dumb punk kid. He's probably only ragging on you because it makes himself feel better about being such a freak. That's what bullies do." "Thanks." Vance gave her an odd look, though before he could respond, Vincent began to tug on his hood. "Vinny stop," he pulled his hand away. "Cheer up Rayne, don't worry about the dick, let’s just go get your costume so we can get out of public." "You're telling me to cheer up?" Tilting his head, Vance realized what he had said, and his gaze flattened. "Ugh...don't get used to it." Quirking her lips, she figured it was best to accept his rare moment of kindness. She still felt there was something she was missing, but didn't question it.

Chapter 8.

As they arrived at the store, its front was decorated in all sorts of terrifying figures and masks. "Ants!" Vinny clapped and giggled. "Yeah I see it Vin. You know, maybe Sam is right about you?" Vance shook his head as they walked in. "Most kids your age would be having a shit fit." "Vinny is a brave little boy," Rayne glanced around. "I'm pretty sure whoever made these, knows a thing or two about the supernatural?" "Perhaps," Vance put his brother down and attached the leash. "Hey, this one kinda looks like Jani," he pointed to a masquerade masque with purple glitter, sapphire feathers and vampire teeth. "She's more of a gold person, but yeah, it does." "Come on Vin," giving the leash a tug, Vance walked up to a large shelf covered in novelties. One side was filled with gigantic spiders, while the other had nothing but bats and gooky animals. Vance however, was more interested in the wall of skulls. With a hand to his chin, he admired them in speculation before pulling a large silver one off the shelf. "Skulls?" Rayne asked as she examined a witch costume. "Yeah," vanishing in a puff of black smoke, Vance turned as if he hadn't just stolen it. "It's a hobby. A witch huh? Going for creepy or classy?" he asked as he removed a bag of the gummy eyeballs from his brother’s mouth. "Can't I be both? I don't know how to pick these things. Should I be scream?" "Please, you're already a scream," Vance took the mask from her. "Who says you gotta buy…hey wait a minute," walking to a display, he noticed a long red brides dress with spider embroidery and a matching broach collar. "Now that is what I call a costume. You want to go as a witch, slap a broom stick on that and damn." "That is a nice costume," Rayne moved to examine it. "I like the color." "You wanna steal the show, that's how ya do it." "So what are you going as?" "I already told you. I'm just gonna wear my suit. Maybe I'll touch it up a little bit to match that?" he gave Vinny a tug and pulled out his wallet. "Vinny what are you...oh my god," kneeling down, Vance took from him a small black plushie that bore an uncanny resemblance to the shadow fiend. Made out of felt, it had a pair of gold button eyes and a toothy grin that was matched by Vance’s a second later. "Kid, you're a genius," he chuckled, picking up the plush and handing it to Rayne. "I didn't even know they made this kind of crap...whaddya think? Wanna get revenge?" "Oh this is perfect. We need to get this." Vance set it down on the register, alongside the dress. "Good job Vinny, you get the gold star for today." "I can honestly pay for some of this," Rayne felt embarrassed. It had been years since anyone had brought her anything she’d wanted. "Don't worry about it." It was already well past noon as they left and the sun was beating down across the pavement. Surprised by the heat, Rayne bristled uncomfortably. "Let me buy Vin some ice cream?" she said with a smile. "Ice cream? What do you think Vin, you want ice cream?"

The child gave a nod. "Alright, but not too much, the last thing I need is for him to be hyper." "Come on Vinny," excited to show him the frozen treat, Rayne darted into the parlor. "I only get regular. I don't do sprinkles. Vinny should get them though, they’re for people who enjoy the little things." Vance just shrugged as he kept a steady pace behind her. "Whatever you say. I've never been one for ice cream." "You're boring," she said flatly, as she ordered a large rocky road. "Vinny, what flavor do you want?" "Don't order him anything loaded with caffeine." His brother looked down and began to pound across the glass. "Just get him classical vanilla." "Vanilla? Vanilla is the most boring flavor on earth," Rayne protested. "Give the kid that blue colored ice cream. Put extra sprinkles on it too." "If he starts climbing the walls. I'm blaming you." "Go ahead. He needs to experience a sugar high." "Have you ever experienced a soul eater on a sugar high?" "No, but he needs it...and he just ate the cup." Vance turned to his brother, who was now covered in bright blue. "Great, now he needs another bath too." Reaching out, Vincent planted a sloppy handprint across the side of his cheek. "Terrific Vinny...that's just what I wanted." "Quit your complaining," Rayne held out a napkin, "it's just ice cream." "It's disgusting." "He looks cute like that," she took the boy’s hand and squeezed it gently. "Don’t you Vin?" "Nah!" he squealed. "He's not cute, he's a mess, and it's your fault." "He's the cutest. I'll give him a bath, no big deal." "Good, because I'm going to need to work on my esthetics. If you're going to be going in that dress, I can't make an appearance in jeans and a windbreaker. Mark my words, the day someone outdoes me is the day I stop breathing." "I'm going to shine in this dress," Rayne laughed. "And please Vance, how are you going to outdo me?" "Rayne, when it comes to style, you're not gonna find anybody better than me, unless they’re gay. I got money and power," Vance snickered. "If you want to talk about making an impression. Trouble is my middle name, and you can’t cause good chaos in a bad suit." "Please Vance, you don't need a suit. You need a leather jacket," Rayne threw out her cup. "Leather? Are you kidding me? Gross...but not as gross as this kid." Back at the apartment, Sam reached for his sunglasses and got up to answer the door, as there came a loud knock. "Rayne, come on, open up." Upon catching Leah’s voice, his brow furrowed. "They're not here right now," he said with a yawn, leaning his good arm against the framework. "Sam? Since when do you live with them?"

"I don't," he mused. "I was just stopping by you know, in the neighborhood and all? What's up? If you're looking for Rayne, she's out with her boyfriend." "What?" Leah’s eyes widened. "Rayne has a boyfriend? Who is it?" she asked in a demanding tone. "And why hasn't she told me?" "Wha…I erm..." Taking a step back as she forced her way in, Sam looked uneasy. "I don't know. Some guy she met. He's taking her to the dance." "What? What do you mean she just met him? She never told me anything, especially that she has a date! What's his name? What's he look like? And if you're just visiting, how do you know all this?" "Whoa Leah, slow down. I've only been here a couple of days. I don't know all the details," Sam made way his to the sofa and pulled a blanket off the top of it. "All I know is that she's going out with this guy. I was busy yesterday, in case you hadn't noticed? I don't tend to concern myself with Rayne or her personal life." "Well I do, so what's he look like Haine? Details and you better have them!" "I don't know. Emo looking kid, obnoxious voice, bad haircut. That about sum it up? Why don't you ask her yourself when she gets back?" "Because I have to mentally prepare myself for it. Emo with an obnoxious voice? Are you sure? Rayne would never go for someone like that. Why the hell did you come to Jersey anyway? Isn't your dad going to be mad? And since when did you become a performer?" His expression faulted though thankfully his glasses concealed it. "Erm…my dad and I haven't spoken for a long time Leah. And as far as being in Jersey goes, it's a long story with a short moral. You were there when that whole thing in Greenville happened." Sighing as she studied him, Leah knew there was something off. "Yeah I remember, what's your point? I know you didn't come here to see us just for the hell of it." "My points is, there’s a reason she told you to get out of that place. Three years from now there's gonna be this trip, a lot a kids are gonna go on it...only one of them is gonna come back." "Sam...what drugs are you on?" "You know, maybe it's better you think that? I probably shouldn't even be telling ya this," he admitted. "Don't worry about it. Doesn't involve you anyway." Leah wasn't about to let things go. "Seriously Haine what are you on?" "I'm not on drugs Leah. I'm here is because the future isn't really an option." "God Sam, can you just take an upper and snap out of it? Why are you wearing sunglasses?" "Because of the sun, not to mention, you probably don't wanna see what's underneath." "What’s wrong with you? There's no sun in here." Finally giving up, he took a deep breath. "You wanna know what's wrong? You're gonna freak out if I show you." "Just show me." Reaching up with a sigh, he pulled off his shades and opened his eyes to regard her with a blank white stare. The cataracts that took his irises were so glossed, it was impossible to look at them without seeing the empty stare of death. The smile faded from Leah's face as quickly as it had come. "What'd you do to yourself?" "I did do anything. I told you, bad things are gonna happen. Unavoidable things. If you think this is scary, you should see what happens when the lights go out."

"Are you going to show me?" "You don't want to see that. Nobody does. How strong is your stomach?" "Strong, I guess?" Sam threw back the blanket and got up. "Is this enough of an explanation for you?" he held out his arm whose skin exposed both bone and muscle fiber. "How are you alive?" Leah's freckles stood out even more. "That's a good question. Technically speaking," he pursed his lips, "I'm not." "You're talking to me. Give your wrist." "I’m not sure you wanna do that," he sighed, although gave it to her anyway. Searching for a pulse, she frowned. "What did this to you?" "Something bad," his hand felt as ice against her fingers. "Jesus Sam, you're dead," she let go. "You're dead and you're talking to me!" "Yeah," he gave a nod. "Kinda sucks the fun outta life...you know, not having one?" "But you're still talking...and walking...and you were in the parade." "That was a lot of fun actually. I could go for doing that again, as a matter of fact, I plan to." "You plan to? When?" "There's a dance coming up, isn't there?" "How are you getting in?" "I got ways," he grinned. "For all this shitty death crap, I'm not quite as helpless as I used to be." "You were never helpless," Leah rolled her eyes. "You were just weird." "I'll take that as a compliment. Ya know, Jani thinks I should take you with me," he said. "To the dance. She says cause she told me you were going as a zombie. Personally I think she's just being cheeky, but that's beside the point." "She said that?" Leah crossed her arms. "I do plan to go as a zombie. I guess I could go with you?" "It's more for Rayne you know? It's her first Halloween. We all thought it would be a good idea. She's always so down about everything. That asshole Vance ruined the homecoming for her, so I figured maybe this time somebody should make it a night to remember, instead of one to forget?" "Sure Sam, I'll do it for Rayne. She should have a good Halloween and she will with a date. I'm excited to meet him." "Uh yeah...actually on that note, I’ll catch ya later," taking a step back as Leah turned to great Rayne, Sam slipped into the shadows and vanished. Still wearing his hood, Vance wasn't particularly recognizable. Currently more occupied with trying to pull his brother off of him, he hadn't even noticed Leah. "Is this your new boyfriend?" her mouth dropped. "He has a kid? Rayne introduce me." "This is not my boyfriend, who told you that?" Rayne set the bag down and took Vincent from his brother. "Sam." "Typical," Vance muttered. "He's not your boyfriend? Is this his kid? Rayne are you nuts?" "Oh my god, he's my little brother!" "Well excuse me. You haven't even introduced yourself, so what am I supposed to

think?" "Oh um," thinking for a moment, he was running out of names, "Peter, and that sticky mess is my brother Vincent." "He doesn't look anything like you," Leah mused. "He looks more like Rayne." "Uh yeah...I guess? Say where is zomboy anyway? I got something for him." "He knows?" Leah looked at Rayne. "Yeah he knows. But we're gonna give the kid a bath, so can you give us a couple of minutes?" Vance handed Leah the doofy looking plush. "Here, if you see him, give him this. And if you have a camera, I'll give ya fifty bucks if you get a picture of his face." "Uh okay." Rayne tugged Vance off to get Vinny cleaned up. "What the hell?" she hissed. "Way to make her suspicious." "What, what was I supposed to do? I didn't know she was gonna be standing there!" "You could've disappeared," she said, as she began to adjust the water temperature. "Cost clear?" Sam had waited patiently for the two of them to leave. "Uh yeah, where'd you go?" "I went to raid the fridge. Those two lovebirds don't need me around anyhow." "They're not dating," Leah crossed her arms. "Oh and this is for you." "WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!" he screamed. "That is the sickest most sadistic...where did you? I'm gonna fucking kill him!" Leah laughed loudly. "They got it for you, I think it's cute." Sam's face contorted and one of his eyes began to twitch. "Cute? You think it's...LEAH that is not cute, that's...that's evil...it's pure and utter evil. What sadistic mind would create such an affront to stuffed animals? That should be incinerated!" "How is it an affront? I like it." "Leah do you know what that is?" "No..." green eyes studied him expectantly. "It's just a joke Sam, relax." "Well it's not funny," he groaned as he walked back into the kitchen. "You expect everyone to laugh when you do something dumb." "There's a difference between dumb and cruel," he muttered, yanking a package of hamburger meat from the keeper. "You're eating raw meat?" "Hrm?" Dropping his gaze, he hadn’t seemed to notice. "Oh, yeah I guess I am," he said with a shrug. "Why, you want some?" "No it's okay. My mom's making me dinner." "So wait a minute. When is this dance again? I keep getting my dates mixed up." "It's this Wednesday night. Are you...going as yourself?" "Yeah, I asked those jerks to bring me back a new jacket but instead...they brought me that," he jerked a thumb toward the toy. "I gotta get something to cover my arm. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it is at night right? The dance?" "Of course it’s at night." "I was afraid of that...that is gonna take some planning," he went to chuck the empty meat packet. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know where the closet abandon house is around here, would ya?" "An abandoned house?" Leah pursed her lips. "I'm not sure. There are some new

development homes?" "That works, I just need a place to stay." "So wait, does this mean you won't be able to go?" "Naw I'll be at the dance, I just gotta pull some strings. Trust me, I wouldn't miss that." "With your...buddy?" she asked curiously. "That is not the word I would use, and no," he shook his head as Vance walked out of the bathroom, brother in tow. Making his way to the plush, he picked it up and handed it to Vincent. "You’re an asshole," Sam said, "that is not funny. Where the hell did you even get that from?" "Halloween store. It was Vinny who found it, so blame him." "Yeah but you bought it." "That I did...here you want one?" he offered Sam a beer and his expression darkened. "Fuck you." "Awe what's wrong, you feeling okay? I’ve never known you to reject alcohol. Oh, wait, sorry I forgot, you can't do drugs anymore. That must be a real downer for ya?" "Ose!" "No Vinny, that's not Rose," Vance chuckled, ignoring Sam’s look of hatred. "You’ve just met Rayne's boyfriend," Leah pointed out. "He's not my boyfriend," she protested. Picking up the plush, Vance placed it back on the table and handed Rayne a beer. "Look at them, aside from that hat, they could practically be twins. Except he's cute, Sam's just hideous." "Why dontcha go look in a mirror douche bag?" "At least I won't break it. Takes those glasses off and forget it. Even Vinny agrees, right Vin?" Vance reached out to garnish his attention. "Sam's hideous?" "Es," Vincent gave a nod. "See, he agrees." "I would rather ask Leah her opinion, since she used to have a hugeee crush on him." Vance handed Vinny the toy before turning toward Leah. "Did you now? Was that before or after he contracted the plague?" "Go practice your dancing with Rayne," Leah rolled her eyes. "It was before, duh." "Oh gee thanks," Sam said flatly. "Personality dude I told ya, it means nothing. Gotta have the looks, and besides, what girl would ever want you? You're fucking dead. The only bang you’re ever gonna get is a corpse." Sam didn't look happy. "Fuck you man, I'm outta here." "I'm sorry, didn't your last girlfriend leave you?" Rayne asked Vance. "Technicality's," he shrugged, "who needs em?" Rolling his eyes, Sam left the room. "I'll see you on Wednesday Leah, I can't stomach any more asshole today." "Have fun sleeping in the projects," Vance called after him. "Let's not have a repeat of last night." "Oh yeah, well why don't you pull down your hood and we can have a repeat of Greenville mother fucker?" "What do you know about Greenville?" Leah didn’t like Sam's insinuation. "No idea, never heard of it."

"Will you two stop arguing?" "Maybe I should follow him?" "I'm not sure that's a good idea," Vance gave nod toward the window, which presented the setting sun in the distance. "It would be unwise for you to go after him at night," Jani's voice came from the stairs. "You children are quite loud when left to your own devices." "Blame them," he chucked a thumb toward Rayne while Vinny smiled. "You hear about what happened at the hotel this morning?" he asked Leah. "Yeah...my mom told me about it. It was a massacre...but if you're bringing it up now, I'm guessing it wasn't a lycan?" "Still think Mr. Plush is cute?" Vance toddled it back and forth. "Maybe you should go bring it to him?" "She is not going near Sam after dark," Jani said sternly. "Leah, will you stay for dinner?" "No, my mom's making food." "Get home soon," Rayne urged. Taking their words into consideration, Leah grabbed her bag. Vance waited until she had gone before throwing back his hood. "You make it so believable to think I'd fall for you," Rayne said sarcastically. "You're the one who said it, not me. But I have to ask, were you serious about Leah and Sam, or did you just say that to egg him on?" "When do I lie? She didn't exactly deny it." "That's weird. She always treated him like dirt when I was around." "Vance come on. The star of the soccer team involved with a deadbeat drug addict? How would that play over?" "That's why I don't buy it," he admitted. "I'm gonna go feed him and put him to bed," he told her as Vinny took a fistful of his hair. "Tell me when you're done. I'm going to read him a bedtime story." "Sure fine whatever." Rayne gave him a couple of minutes before heading upstairs. "Not going to listen to her story?" Jani asked from the kitchen. "It's probably beauty and the beast." "Been there done that. It didn't have a happy ending. Real life is not a fairy tale." "I was only joking." "Yeah well, you may have your hands full with another couple if Leah is serious when it comes to Sam. Speaking of which...how on earth is she going to go to the dance with him anyway?" Vance hadn't been present for Sam's explanation, which really wasn't much in the ways of an explanation anyway. "What's she gonna do, put him on a leash?" "I'm not sure actually. Her parents won't be thrilled." "Whose would? Kids probably gonna shit a brick when she realizes who I am. Add demon boy on top of that. Wooo I'd hate to be in her shoes." "When do you plan on telling her the truth? She's already suspicious." "Yeah I know...probably after the dance. I think it might ruin it for Rayne if Leah's pissed at her?" "I think we should tell her before," Rayne suddenly appeared at the dining room table. "If you wanna deal with that kind of heat, be my guest. Or do you just want to see her try and hit me?"

"The latter, that way you could be the ugly one." "No uglier than you," he muttered. "I'm not interested in being the center of attention, so you can have that title. The thirtieth is gonna suck for me anyway." "You're the ugliest," Rayne said flatly. "And you're a bitch," Vance countered. "You're the asshole who made Sam upset." "Are you two always going to argue like this?" Jani sat down to eat. "I thought you guys admitted you had feelings for each other." "She's the one who admitted it," Vance pointed toward Rayne. "And what the hell does making that fiend upset have anything to do with anything?" "Admitted what? You shouldn't have upset Sam Vance, he's just trying to have fun." "Fun, oh yes so slaughtering eighteen people in a hotel room is fun? He's irresponsible, he gets people killed." "He's being controlled by a deity that’s thousands of years old," Jani snapped, "the loss of control could be worse." "He's hardly in control at all." "How could you expect him to be?" "I don't, but he should realize his limitations and keep better watch on himself. If you can't control yourself, you shouldn't put yourself in situations where you're liable to go over the edge. Trust me, I know." "Yes, we're all very aware." "Good, then you should have no problem seeing my point. You brought him into this house feeling sorry for him. That's all well and good, but by doing so, you also invited something far more sinister. I'm half afraid to sleep with the lights off, not to mention, leave my brother alone in a room. Sam is a menace and that thing plays upon it." "We have made no moves against the creature," Jani said, though understood his reasoning. "That should be enough for it to see we are not a threat...yet." "What do you mean yet?" "To return the creature from where it came, I need to read that incantation. Unfortunately, Sam will die if I do so...but that's a better fate, isn't it?" Vance shook his head. "You really think you’re gonna get that stone from him? You'd have better luck getting Rayne to dress in drag and do the can-can." "If I dressed in drag, I'd be wearing jeans you idiot. Jani's a master thief. Believe me, Sam won’t see it coming." "Sam won't sure, but the archetype. Jani you haven't seen that thing. That stupid lizard dog, that's just Sam being a douche. The real demon is much worse," Vance shuttered at the thought of that night in the desert. "That thing isn't going to go down easy, and not from the likes of any vampire, that's for sure." "I'm not going to let it ruin people’s lives. It's time has come to move on." Rayne stopped eating. "Jani no. Come on, you can't involve yourself." "She’s right you know? The thing took me out and I'm a demi god, what do you think you're going to do, throw a fire ball at it?" "Read the inscription," she countered. "I just need to see it, maybe get a picture?" "Haine keeps it on his person at all times, and that thing keeps Haine on its. By the way, you know about the infection right? You ever seen a zombie movie? One scratch and you’re

screwed. Case in point," Vance motioned toward his antenna. "What, you didn't think I had these out for show did you? If you get some of his DNA mixed with yours, you wind up in the same boat, and damn fast." "I won't get caught," she said dismissively. "Leave Sam well alone, and get Leah to leave him alone too. If she goes looking for him thinking she's gonna talk him down or something, you might wind up with a relationship after all...a dead one." "She won't go looking for him," Rayne muttered. "She believes in guys chasing her." "I'm not just going to let this go," Jani said quietly. "Hey, if you have a death wish, knock yourself out, I’ve said my piece." "Why'd you even have to say anything?" Rayne asked angrily. "It is not a decision I would expect children to understand," Jani looked wounded as Rayne got up and slammed the door. "You know, for a guardian, you really don't have your priorities straight," Vance stopped in the doorway himself. "You should be more focused on protecting your own, not worrying about what some monster does to the humans. In that way, you and Rayne are exactly alike." His words darkened her gaze. "I’m protecting her by protecting others. Humans deserve protection just as much as other species. We were fine until you showed up. Sam came after that and I don't believe in coincidence." "Oh yeah of course, it's my fault. Coulda seen that one coming." Saying nothing else, Jani began to clear the table. Rayne had barricaded herself in her room. Wandering back to his brother’s, Vance went to sit beside him. "Shit's about the hit the fan Vinny. I just hope it doesn't involve us."

Chapter 9.

Getting up for class the next morning, Rayne wasn't any happier. She regretted trying to apologize to Sam and by default, bringing in Vance. The driver was waiting outside, although she realized Leah wasn't with him. "Ms. O'Shea said she would be staying home today," he informed her, though Rayne knew Leah hadn't gotten sick. She suspected the girl was on her way to the projects to check on Sam. Currently asleep inside the skeletal foundation of one of the newly erected houses, the boy was curled in a ball in a room that didn’t let in much sun. Unfortunately, it was a double- edged sword, considering the shadows left him less than human. Laying amidst an old blue tarp that had been put down to protect the floor, the creature he had become, was only notable by the stupid beanie hat that was mounted on its head. Having snuck out of her house with the pretense of going to school, Leah was dressed in her uniform as she made her way through the developments. The smell of death was easy to catch and she wandered into the barren house, stopping only at the sight. "Sam?" As she began to pull away the tarp, he raised his head and opened a pair of glowing golden eyes. Letting out a scream, she drew back and the creature suddenly raced up the wall. Leaving huge claw marks in the foundation, it scurried across the ceiling, bolted for the door and disappeared straight up through the shadow it cast. Too scared to move, Leah only stood in a panic. "Sam?" she asked again. It was about three minutes later that he walked back into the room. Leaning against the doorframe, he tugged on the sleeves of a new leather jacket, he had 'acquired' at some point the previous night. "What are you doing here Leah? Shouldn't you be at school?" Pearly white fangs skimmed her bottom lip, as she demanded an explanation. "Shouldn't you be trying to not scare people half to death?" "Uh shouldn't you knock before you enter a room? I believe they invented doors for a reason?" "This isn't your house." "I'm a squatter. It's my house till the bank kicks me out." "Yeah like you'd get kicked out. Anyone who comes in here would have a heart attack. Rayne told me you were going to eat at her place. I had a feeling you wouldn't show." "After last night? I don't need to subject myself to any more of that shit head. You wanna talk about heart attacks, he's got it coming, I swear to god. So you wanna tell me what you're doing here at the ass crack of dawn? It's like what, seven in the morning?" "I skipped school," she shrugged. "But I had to convince my mom I'd actually be going." "You really cut classes to come out here and talk to me?" "I came to see if you were alright," she said dismissively. "Besides it's Monday, like I want to go to school?" Sam shook his head at the thought, one he remembered quite well. "I'm fine. A little tired maybe? How the hell did you even find me here anyway?" Tapping her nose, Leah smiled. "Heightened senses, duh." "Not going there," Sam walked back into the room to straighten the tarp.

"What? Jealous?" "Hardly, I can probably beat you on the sense scale anyway." "Oh yeah? How? I'm a vampire." "And I'm the Lord of fucking Darkness," he scoffed. "So? That just means you rule over darkness, doesn't mean you're good with smells." "Well okay, if you wanna be a dog?" "I'm not a dog," she growled. "You're the one who’s talking about heightened smell." "You asked how I found you, dickhead." "Wait...so if you can identify people based on their scents?" Sam ignored the remark in favor of a question. "How come you played along?" "Just because I know your scent, doesn't mean I know everyone's," Leah rolled her eyes. "And what do you mean played along? I smelt you above everything else. No offense, but death is pretty potent. Normally I just smell Jani's perfume but damn, you wrecked her house in that department." "That kinda tends to happen when you're...what's the word...dead?" Sam rolled his eyes. "Forget it, I'll let you figure it out, or Rayne'll tell ya. That's one argument I don't want to be present for." "Tell me what? Rayne has been acting weird for a while so what gives? Is it her stupid boyfriend? I don't like him and I know you know something, so tell me." "I been sworn to secrecy yo. Rayne wants to have a good time at this dance thing. I opted to help Jani make that happen kay? It's her first Halloween Leah. She deserves to have a good time instead of being grilled about stupid technicalities." "Stupid technicalities? I'm her friend," she huffed. "What’s this secret? How can I go with you and enjoy myself when I know she's hiding something?" "If Rayne wants to tell you that’s her business. But I draw the line when it comes to this kind of girly gossip bullcrap. I don't play telephone with people. You wanna know, talk to her." "It's not gossip. I asked you a damn question." "And I gave you a damn answer." "Not the one I wanted." "Leah chill out, damn," Sam found her reaction to be more amusing than offensive. "You gotta learn to just take it easy. Rayne will tell you what's going on okay, just let her do her thing. Trust me, it's not worth getting into a big fight over. I'm sure Jani would say the same thing. Besides, I got my money on the two of them, so if it don't work, I'm gonna have to pay up," he chuckled. "The guys a jerk and she can be a one too, but I think they make a real creepy couple." "I take it easy, I just don't like secrets. And Rayne isn't a jerk, she just doesn't tolerate people. Besides, if anyone is the asshole here, it’s her new boyfriend. I never pegged her for someone who went for douche bags." Sam laughed heartily. "She can be sometimes, but I agree whole heartedly with you there. You know, you might be able to get it out of the baby?" "Vinny? He's just a kid, what's he going to tell me, he needs a diaper change?" Sam laughed again. "Egg him on enough, he might say something, or yank on your hair...one or the other." "I don't know if I want to go over there today." "Do whatever. I'm chilling here till Wednesday." "Is that just your way of telling me to get the hell out?"

"I couldn't care less what ya do. I don't have much of an agenda. It's not like I really talk to people anymore ya know? The whole being dead thing kinda puts a damper on social outings." "Not that you had many to begin with." "Hey, hey, hey, come on, I did stuff. I used to bother the hell out of Mat everywhere he went," his grin returned. "I made a living out of that yo." "Yeah harassing poor Mat, that's the highlight of your life. Weirdo." "Poor Mat? Come on Leah, did you ever see him hanging out with anybody else? The guy was a recluse. He was so boring and literal all the time. I swear, his mother must have had an affair with Bill Nye the science guy." "He was smart and nice and quiet. Those are good qualities Sam." "Yeah, that's why he needed me around. Without me, he had no purpose. He was just like…there." "Some people are like that. He tried to keep you out of trouble." "Yeah well it sure as hell found me. Somebody needs to tell him to stay the hell off that bus." "Wouldn't it ruin the future if I called him?" "Yeah, yeah I know, time paradox...that sucks shit. You have no idea what it's like to have to sit here knowing what's coming and there ain't nothing you can do about it." "I don't," Leah knew better than to try to relate. "Sorry." "Pfth." "What else can I say?" "Sometime, you don't need to say anything. The message conveys itself, and I don't need any reminders." "I don't want you to die Sam, but it's kind of a given." "I'm already dead Leah. Nobody around here seems to get that." "Okay Sam, you’re dead, but it’s not the same as not breathing, or talking." "Who says I'm gonna stop talking?" he arched a brow. "That would be a feat." "Well other dead people usually do." "Yeah well I guess the netherworld decided it didn't wanna deal with me?" he chuckled. "Guess not. Well I'm hungry and I might as well buy my costume before the dance." "Have fun." "You don’t wanna come?" "You want me to come?" he looked surprised. "Open invitation." "Uh okay I guess? I just...I don't know, nobody ever asks me to go anywhere, except away." "Well if you have nothing else to do? It's funny, my original idea was to go as a zombie. Isn't that ironic?" "I think that's why Jani wanted me to ask you in the first place," Sam admitted. "I appreciate it, I mean, I would've had no problem in Greenville, but Jersey? Forget it." "Please, Greenville was boring as shit. The best thing they do there for Halloween there is trick or treat." "Yeah but I was popular." "You were totally a cheat? Vampire on a soccer team? What I don't get is, why a catholic school? You trying to convert or ya just trying to avoid those soul eaters?" "Hey, I can't help it, I was born this way," Leah said smugly. "And it wasn't my idea. My parents decided it'd be good, since our last school kind of became a hot zone for weirdoes."

"Yeah it kinda did," Sam admitted. "Although this town is getting there." "I wonder why?" "Pfth must be like the universal law of attraction. I blame the baby." "It's not his fault," Leah walked with him down the streets in the direction of the costume shop. "It’s gotta be his fault, he's like this center of attraction you people all orbit around. Why do you think Rayne even puts up with that dick? It ain't because of his good looks." "He's a baby, and what good looks? Rayne likes guys with dark hair, maybe he's just buying her stuff, I don't know. That's not a normal relationship." "I don't know what she sees in that guy. He's a creeper yo," Sam held the door. "It's gotta be the baby." "Rayne's probably just trying to protect him. Besides, she's afraid of relationships. She wouldn't actively pursue one. I don't know, maybe she is just into creepers?" "Yeah that too," Sam had no idea what she saw in Vance, other than what he himself had done to coax them into it in the first place. Wandering into the store, he glanced around curiously. "Damn...they really sell half this shit?" he wondered aloud as he examined a severed head on a pike. Leah walked passed him to get to the fake blood. "How dead should I look?" she grinned, pulling a bottle off the rack. "Well I'll tell ya a secret. The less blood the more real. When you're dead it doesn't flow like it used to. It's more of a slime, and don't go for pale, pale isn't the right color unless you're filled with formaldehyde. Yellow, purple and green, mix that together it'll make you look dead." Leah laughed as she found tights with stitches across them. "You should do your face if you wanna get that joker doll thing going, now that would be scary." "I'm not putting stitches on my face," she muttered. "Just because I want to be scary, doesn't mean I can't look cute too." "Cute? There's no such thing as a cute dead girl." "Did you miss that sexy zombie costume?" "That's digesting," Sam shook his head. "I was thinking something less...ridiculous. I mean, I have to be a cute zombie." "Leah that defeats the purpose!" "It’s a dance," she said tartly. "I mean, did you see Rayne's costume? She's going to look gorgeous." "No as a matter of fact I didn't, what's she going as?" "Well her dress is embroidered with spiders and she's got a spider necklace too." "Sounds interesting. I wonder what that jerk is gonna be? Aside from a royal dick that is. You know, I'm pretty sure they make that costume." "Suggest that to him," Leah grinned as she went for cashier. "Maybe Rayne will find a better date and ditch him?" "Oh man that'd be hysterical. I was gonna embarrass the hell out of him, but that might be even funnier?" "You never know," she shrugged. "I really hope they don't end up going any further. I mean god, exchanging spit with him might cause her to lose brain cells." "It might cause her to lose her face actually," Sam reached into his pocket to pull a fifty.

"Here, curtsey of Jani. I won her bet." "Really? That's nice of you, and come on, I'm sure he's not that bad of a kisser. He probably he practices in the mirror." "He probably practices on the mirror. Trust me Leah, the only kiss that guys ever gonna get, is a fucking piece of chocolate." "Everyone’s been kissed at our age." "I don't think that guy has ever had a date in his life." "With his personality, no way. I can understand you, you're socially inept, but him? He’s just terrible." "Hey! I'm way more social apt than him. That guy is a loser in every sense of the word. I mean come on, what moron uses a baby to get laid?" "Rayne's not going to sleep with him," Leah burst into laughter. "She's probably just curious." Sam looked greatly unhinged by even the slightest notion. "We don't need any more demon babies running around. Hell's no." "Yeah sorry, I don't think MTV has any spots to run vampire teen mom," Leah was torn between gagging and laughing as they walked out. "I'm starving, do you mind if we stop at like McDonalds? I could eat a cow." "Cow sounds amazing right now." "Are you buying?" she asked impishly as she held the door for him this time. "I guess so." "Thanks Haine, you're so nice." "Hey, I'm not an underwear product okay, my name is Sam," he scoffed as he ordered three hamburgers off the value meal. "Okay Sammy, relax." "You know, that's just as bad." "It's a variation of your name." "Yeah well I can think of a lot of variations of my name, but that doesn't mean I like em." "Your name is one that girls use anyway." "They're just a bunch of catty thieves yo. It was my name first," he grumbled. "Oh yeah Sam, they totally stole it just to piss you off." "Parents don't name girls Sam, they name them Samantha. They steal the nickname later. You know in Europe, Rayne is a guys name? That one you can google." "Rayne isn’t her first name, it's her middle name." "Really?" he arched a brow. "What's her first name?" "Ask her," Leah giggled. "Oh you bet I'm gonna. I wasn't going to go over there, but this I gotta hear." "Do you ever know her last name?" "Isn’t it Shardae or something?" "She takes Jani's last name as an alias...her real last name would make you laugh." "I've heard some bad ones." "It's not as bad as it is a good name to tease about." "I got underwear jokes in middle school, but that was about the worst of it...course there was also that Dr. Seuss crap, that was pretty bad." "Calm down Sam I am," Leah laughed as she bounded down the street. "Yeah, totally saw that one coming."

Arriving back at the apartment, she took off her blazer and shoved it in her bag. "Maybe you should go upstairs and ask her?" Following her in, Sam gave a shrug. "Is she even here?" "She's here," sure enough, Rayne stepped out from the kitchen with a cup of blood. "You were with him the entire time?" "I wanted to ditch. You do it all the time." "Bullshit, face it Leah, you woke me up so you could ask me on a date." "What can I say? I needed a partner in crime," she looked toward Rayne. "You have to see my costume!" "Hey, I'm nobody's doofy side kick, I'm the leading roll. And yeah Rayne, go look at her costume, the world’s one and only cute zombie." "Did you just call her cute?" "Damn right I am," Leah smirked. "She called herself cute," Sam replied. "Actually, speaking of calling people stuff, what are you called? Leah here told me Rayne wasn't your real name and I have to admit, I'm very curious." The smile quickly vanished off Rayne's face. "You told him?" she hissed. "I didn't tell him anything, I just said Rayne wasn't your first name," Leah clarified. "She didn't tell me, that's why I'm asking. But you should probably tell me so I don't have to invade your dreams and scare the shit out of you tonight." "You wouldn't," Rayne glared. "But I might tell Leah about your boyfriend?" "He's not my boyfriend!" she exclaimed loudly. However, the zombie freak show did have the upper hand. "What’s your question dead boy?" "What's your full name?" he asked. "Come on, I'd tell you mine, but you already know it." Digging her nails into her palms, Rayne glared at him and took a deep breath. "It's Vashti Rayne Romanov. If you ever repeat it, I will super glue that plushie to your face!" "Vaseline, wait your name is Vaseline?" Sam tried not to a smile. "Vaseline Romanov? So what you're like the cold sore version of Anastasia or something?" "It's Vashti you uneducated dumbass. Don't call me that!" "Sam, do you really have to say anything? I mean, your last name is a brand of underwear," Leah sighed. "H, a, i, n, e, not H, a, n, e." he shook his head. "And come on, Vashti? Where's your little pink dot?" he pointed to the middle of his forehead. "That sounds like some kind of genital rash, like something you'd hear somebody say at the doctor. Well I went to bed last night and when I woke up, I contracted Vashti." "Sam!" Leah took a step away as Rayne flung her glass at him. "Shut up! Shut your fucking mouth you dead loser before I shove you in a coffin." "Samuel," Jani's voice came from behind. "Is there any reason why you're disturbing Rayne?" Rolling his eyes, Sam ducked the glass and turned to look at Jani. "No, just having some fun. Come on Rayne, grow a sense of humor, or should I say Vashti."

"We don't call her that here," Jani’s tone was meant to silence. "Her first and last name aren't used because her father doesn't deserve the honor," she looked at Leah. "Your mother knows you ditched, I would get home." Still laughing at the situation, Sam didn’t bother to stop as Rayne promptly went to tackle him. Taking a step backward, he fell through the floor and stepped out from shadows cast by a lamp across the room. "Sorry, too slow." "Enough!" Jani snapped. "Samuel, stop it!" "I'm not doing nothing." Rayne flipped him off as she grabbed her bag and stormed up the stairs. "Payback for the stupid doll," he said as he watched her go. Vance was currently leaning against the door with a hand to his chin. "Vashti?" he arched a brow. "Fuck off!" "Rayne my last name is LaChance, it doesn't get any worse than that, chill out. Vashti isn't even half as bad. A little odd for someone who isn't Hindu, but whatever." "It's Persian!" she threw up her hands. "It’s not even related to that religion!" Vance walked back into his room and looked down at his brother. "Women." Back downstairs, Leah grabbed her bag. "I'm sorry," she said to Jani. "I'm going home before my mother kills me." "See ya Leah, wouldn't wanna be ya," Sam opted for the door as well. "Shut up." "I hope you're happy," Jani said quietly. "What?" "Your darkness is showing." "It was a joke, Jesus Christ!" "Yes because everybody was laughing, weren't they?" "Not my fault nobody around here has a sense of humor." "Oh yes Sam, you're so hilarious," her sarcasm was laced with irritation. "I am hilarious." "Imbecile." "Whatever, you just don't appreciate comic art when you see it." "I think the sun is going down, maybe you should make yourself scarce?" "You want me gone, I get the hint." Jani wasn't sure she wanted him around at all and busied herself with making chili. Keeping to her room for about an hour, Rayne drifted down upon catching the scent. "I don't know why you got so mad," Jani mused as she sat to eat. "I don't like that name Jani. I don't want to think about my family." "Well you're on your father's mind. He's pleading your case." "He's dead to me," Rayne said darkly. Eventually making his way down with Vinny, Vance carried the boy into the kitchen and leaned against the doorframe. "Is the one man circus gone for the evening?" "He's gone," Jani gestured for him to sit. Pulling out a chair with the side of his leg, Vance went to catch his brother’s attention.

"Hey Vinny, whose that?" he pointed in Rayne's direction. "Come on Vin, who’s that?" "Ahn," he squeaked with a smile. "That's right, that's Rayne. Well you heard the kid. That settles it. Sorry, I guess your name is Rayne, tough luck." Brushing her bangs from her eyes, she smiled apologetically. "That's fine," she said calmly. "It's easier to say. Besides, another V name...we don't need to look any weirder." "A little late for that. Say, when are you going to tell Leah? I have a feeling she's gonna find out one way or another, and better from you than that douche bag." "After the dance," Rayne said. "Sam was going to tell her if I didn't tell him my name." "Sam's a douche," Vance confirmed. "Somebody should play a cruel joke on him. I bet that would set the record straight." "I'm sure he's thinking the same thing about you." Vance held up a finger of correction. "I'm an asshole, there's a difference. There's also a limit. He crosses that line. Teasing someone is one thing, bashing them for no good reason is completely different." "Are you defending her?" Jani seemed impressed. "Entropy isn't picky. If he was gonna make fun of Rayne then he should have had the balls to make fun of everyone. He stopped real fast when you came into the picture didn't he? See, I wouldn't do that. I'd tear her apart along with the rest of you. That evens up the fun, and actually makes it funny. Targeting one person is being a bully and I don't like bullies." "If he wasn't the lord of darkness's bitch, he'd be missing more of his teeth," Rayne muttered. "It's cute when he's overprotective, isn't it?" "Whoa hey, chill out there Jani," Vance shook his head and began to try to feed Vincent with a spoon. "Actually, if you got a flashlight and a couple of mirrors..." "I have a flashlight, Jani has the mirrors. Why?" "It’s a good way to fry him. That would make my birthday," he blurted out without thinking, "I mean...oops..." Jani stopped. "Your birthday is this week? That's why you don’t like it?" "Ugh...if you must know, yes." "What do you want for it?" she asked. "For you never to mention it again, how about that?" "Jani, his birthday isn't a good day for him. It's kind of like how we don't celebrate New Year’s." "Why don't you celebrate New Year’s?" Rayne fell silent, and stared down at her plate. Jani's smile diminished. "That's not an appropriate dinner conversation." "Okay well don't bring up my birthday ever again and I'll let you keep that inappropriate conversation to yourself." "It's not much of an option," Jani finished her meal. "I expect your homework to be done," she said to Rayne, who nodded. "Relax, I’ll finish it." Letting the matter go, Vance cleaned off his brother and went upstairs to put him to bed. Tossing off his jacket, which was now covered in food mush, he looked down at Vincent and sighed.

"You really do like to make a mess, don't you?" he asked, handing him the shadow plush, which had inadvertently been left there. Squeezing the thing so hard its eyes bulged, Vinny wasn't paying attention. "Am I sleeping with him or is it your turn?" Rayne had stopped to watch. "If you want to sleep with him go ahead. I can't sleep in the same vicinity anyway." "Why is that again?" "My system operates on auto-pilot when I'm asleep. I can't sleep within physical distance from something with a soul." "No wonder you're so cranky all the time. No one to sleep with," Rayne sat next to Vinny and as she went to smooth his hair, he shook his head. "No!" "He doesn't say much," Vance chuckled. "But what he does say, he means." "Vinny don't be mean." "He's not mean, he just knows nobody messes with the do, right Vin?" "Es." "Seee." Rayne groaned and opened her book up to start on her homework. "Why don't you tell him a bedtime story?" she asked as Vance got up. "I don't know any bedtime stories." "Make one up about a porcupine or something." "Oh ha, ha." "A porcupine with no sense of humor," "Rayne I got way more humor and tact than all of you combine," he grumbled. "You and your weird ass friends are just tacky." "Says the boy wearing a tacky suit." "For the last time! It's not tacky!" "Tacky," she stuck out her tongue. "How is this tacky?" "It just is Vance, you’re kinda skeezy." "Skeezy!" his jaw dropped. "What?!" Vinny laughed harder. "Hey you, you don't even know what that means, so keep your little two pint comments to yourself." "If he knows what it means, it's because you've been saying those kind of things in front of him." "He's just laughing because I'm yelling," Vance crossed his arms. "Isn't that right Vin?" The boy only continued. "So if the suit doesn't cut it for you, what would you suggest? Oh let me guess, something embarrassing and hideous?" "How about a dress?" "How about no?" "What, you have a girlish figure, it could work." "What did you just say?" Vance was loud enough that he could be heard from downstairs. "Girlish figure," she muttered. "I DO NOT!" he roared. "Just because I don't weight as much as you ya cow, doesn't mean I look like a broad!" "Cow?" this time, Rayne looked up. "Are you blind on top of tasteless?"

"I'm neither blind nor tasteless. The day I start dressing in skinny jeans and a bra, is the day you can make that accusation, but if I were you, I wouldn't hold your breath." '"You already have the nasally whiny voice and you spend an hour on your hair, a bra is the least of your worries." Vinny started to laugh again. "Excuse me if my vocal chords aren't up to your standards ya bitch!" Offering a wink, the vampire said nothing and Vance stormed down the hall. "Going somewhere?" Jani had heard the conversation on her way to work. "Yes, as a matter of fact I am." "Drinking isn't going to solve any problems." "Who says I'm going to a bar?" "Aren’t you?" "No, as a matter of fact I'm not." "She doesn't mean to be mean, sometimes it just happens." "Ugh...I don't care about Rayne being cheeky," he rolled his eyes. "I'm hungry. I'm going to get dinner." Clearing her throat, Jani remembered what his dinner consisted of. "Till morning then?" "Yeah," catching the familiar unease, Vance wandered off. Sometimes it didn't take words to convey a point, one which he had learned to identify with quite well. Saying nothing else, Jani headed in the opposite direction and disappeared into the night.

Chapter 10.

It was around three in the morning that Vance came back. Wandering into the apartment, instead of going upstairs, he planted himself on the couch. Rayne had fallen asleep. In her absent minded homework slumber, she had not only left her books open, but a pencil within the little boys reach. Unless she had an art class in place of her science one, the teachers probably would not appreciate the rampant scribbles that now covered most of her textbook. Waking as the sun hit her, the pages were on imprinted on her face. Rubbing her eyes, the vampire went to check on the baby and staggered when she saw what he'd done. "Vinny no!" "Ahn!" he squeaked, oblivious to the horror she was going to be forced to endure when the nunnery found out. "No Vin," Rayne buried her face in her hands. "These are my school books," she whined. "Give me the pencil." Sensing her aggravation, his expression faltered. "Vin come on, you don’t draw on something that's on yours okay?" Rayne tried to stay calm. Children made mistakes and she understood that, though she knew she was running late. "Vance, go get your brother," she called, as she raced out the door. He only half heard the remark and used a pillow to block out the noise of the car horn outside. By the time Vance did get up, Vincent had climbed off the bed and crawled under it in search of the glowing red jar. "Vinny what the hell are you doing down there?" the moment he touched him, the boy went to take a chunk out of him. "Whoa…Jesus shit Vincent!" he snapped and quickly recoiled. "Don't make me turn this bed over, I swear to god!" "What's going on?" Jani had returned from work to hear yelling. Throwing a look over his shoulder, Vance shook his head. "Rayne left my brother unattended and he wound up under the bed. Now he doesn't want to come out, and he just tried to take my hand off." "Unattended...she has school today Vance," Jani looked at her watch and walked over. "Vincent, are you hungry? Do you want chocolate?" "Come on Vinny, get out from under the bed!" The baby just hissed. "What is in that jar?" "It's one of those erm, lava lamp things," he lied nervously. "He likes it...a lot. I don't think he's gonna give it up." "Why would he be attracted to a lava lamp?" "It's warm and colorful...he's a baby, I don't know." "Vincent, don't you want the plushie?" she held out the stuffed animal and he reached for it. In pulling an arm away, he revealed the small floating orb, which was currently generating a good deal of energy. Jani's eyes flared to black and she let go. "What is that jar?" she asked again. "That isn't a lava lamp." "Sure it is...it's one of those new age things." "Vance...you are on very thin ice, I suggest you speak now!" "It’s...it's a jar with a red light in it okay? Look, why don't we just get a hammer and some screw drivers and take the bed apart so I can get him out of there?" "I said NOW!"

"He needs it alright!" Vance staggered back as the temperature began to rise. "And what is it?" "A soul," he said through his teeth. "How do we get him away from it?" "You don't...not unless you want to lose your hand. You're going to have to take the bed apart." Jani suddenly picked up the mattress with both hands. "Get your brother and hurry up." "Holy," staring at her awkwardly, Vance picked up Vinny along with the jar. Scuffling backward, he regarded Jani nervously. "Yes?" she asked as she set the bed down. "That," he pointed toward the mattress, "is terrifying." "Yes, I'm sure most people would run away from that and not the sight of a soul in a jar?" "Hey, you didn't even know what it was until I told you," Vance looked back at his brother who had begun to gnaw at the lid. "Vinny stop, you're not an animal." "Why don't you just give it to him?" "Well for one, that's a dog soul. It's too much energy for him at this age. For two, do you have any idea how hard that was to put in there? I need that thing to last. Without it, nobody in this house would get any sleep." "Why is that?" "Because it's the only thing keeping him stable. I got mice and guinea pigs, but I can't keep getting up every three hours to feed him. He's not old enough to go an entire night without it." Watching Vincent, Jani sighed. "Will he ever let go?" "When I take it from him sure. I don't feel like a wrestling match right now though." "Then he will be fine? I would like to rest." "Yeah sure, he'll be fine." Looking more at ease, Jani gave a smile. "I will make dinner later," she said as she headed to her room. The apartment remained silent thereafter until Rayne arrived from school. She looked stressed, still unkempt, as she had only gotten messier. Her teachers had screamed at her. Needless to say, she didn't need their opinions on the issue. Flinging her bag to the floor, she cared little for her homework and went to make a sandwich instead. Having kept his brother occupied, Vance spent the remainder of the day working on his costume. Although he wasn’t interested in standing out, he still took pride in making a gallant effort to look respectable, if not terribly frightening. Heading upstairs, Rayne brought a candy bar to appease the child. "Vin, I need a hug." Still in the adjoining bathroom, Vance heard her walk in and went to put his commodities away. "I'm sorry about earlier," she said as she picked up the boy. Harboring no ill will, he nuzzled her while Vance leaned against the doorframe. "Rough day?" he was wiping his hands on a small towel rag stained over in what looked like red face paint. "Yeah." "Pfth you're a vampire going to a catholic school. What do you expect from a bunch a

hags who never got laid?" "The same attitude you have," she said, though was unable to hide a laugh. "We'll see who's laughing at the dance when those stupid ruler slapping ninnies have a heart attack." "Why, are you gonna dance with them?" "No, but I don't think a bunch of catholic nuns are going to appreciate my costume." "Oh, so you don't dance?" "Are you kidding me? Where were you during Homecoming? Oh, that's right, standing on the side lines while I stole the show. You gonna be a wall flower this time too? You might want to relinquish a little bit of that pride if you wanna have a good time?" "Just because I didn't dance, doesn't mean I don't know how," Rayne's eyes flickered amber. "I danced with one person and he was talent less so I wasn't a wallflower." "Well I sure as hell ain't talent less," Vance crossed his arms. "Not that I plan to make a scene this time, because I don't. I said I'd take you, but that doesn't mean I'm going to turn a bunch of catholic kids into Broadway performers." "Please, I'm sure you have two left feet, and I don't want you to ruin anyone's night. I just want to enjoy things for once." "I'm not interested in becoming the bane of your catholic school, so you can relax," Vance went to pick up his brother who was once again squeezing the eyes out of his plush. "Get out of my room, I gotta finish my costume and I don't need you standing there supervising." "You're not done? The dance is on Wednesday." "That’s tomorrow night. I've got time, and I plan to use it accordingly. See unlike you, I don't buy my costumes from two bit stores. Although I must admit, it would be a lot better if I could find my cards. I swear I must have misplaced them somewhere." "Like where?" "Like if I knew...I wouldn't be looking for em!" "What's so special about those cards anyway?" "Those cards are my best asset. I could manufacture another deck, but that would take days...not to mention, I really liked that one," he grumbled. "Why don't you just buy another pack?" "Because it's not about the deck, it's the magic you put into it. You know how much energy went into making those? Not to mention Rose?" "Is that why you haven't summoned her?" "She's gonna be pissed. I promised her I'd let her out for Halloween." "When's the last time you had them?" Rayne took off her blazer and fixed the cuffs. Bringing a hand to his chin, Vance thought it over. "Well, the last time I summoned Rose was the night you guys opted to let me stay here. I asked her to look after Vincent. After that," he gave a shrug, "I haven't seen them since." "Are you sure Vinny doesn't have them?" "Where would he put them? Look at him, it's not exactly like he could hide something." His brother was currently yanking on his antenna again. "He's not interested in cards anyway." "I could look around," Rayne got up to head downstairs. "I'm going to start my homework." "Have fun with that." "Jani, have you seen Vance’s cards?" she asked from the kitchen table.

"He has cards? I haven't seen any." Truth be told, nobody had. Putting the thought from his mind, assuming he had simply misplaced them, Vance spent the next two hours in the bathroom before finally achieving costume perfection. "I will be absent tomorrow evening," Jani mentioned. "All hallows eve, you know?" Wandering into the kitchen, Vance wasn't paying attention. "Sounds fine. We're gonna be at that dumb dance anyway," he shrugged. "Wait...who's gonna watch Vinny?" "Why don't you just use that pillow trick?" "The pillow trick? I guess I could but, whoever gets back here first better make sure to check up on him." "The party begins at midnight for me. I could wait till you two arrive home to depart?" "What are you going as?" Rayne asked. "I'm not sure yet, I was thinking of going as something from the Shakespearean era. I have the dress ready, so why not? Perhaps I should be Wonder Woman?" Choking on his drink, Vance arched a brow. "Oh you should defiantly be Wonder Woman," he snickered. "That would be good, wouldn't it?" "Whose party is it anyway?" "Liam's, he owns a lovely penthouse in New York and it's going to be a spectacular time." "More vampires huh? Man you guys are everywhere." "Everywhere indeed, except the desert. Not many of us can stand the heat or the sands." "Where are you going?" Rayne asked as Vance got up. "To bed," he replied. "If this thing is tomorrow night, I don't want to burn any more energy than necessary. Something tells me I'm going to need it. Especially if Sam is going to be there with Leah." "I don't want to have any fighting between you two," Rayne said angrily. "I'm not interested in fighting with that jerk. He just better not ruin the whole thing." Getting to sleep relatively quick, Vance remained so for the duration. Up on time the next morning, Rayne nuzzled Vinny as he slept beside her. She got dressed quickly and ran downstairs to get into the private car with Leah, who’d all but forgotten the secrecy as she fretted over how she would be looking that evening. As soon as the bell rang, Rayne grew nervous. "I can't wait to show off," Leah bounced up and down. "My mom's doing my makeup and I know Jani's going to take care of yours." "Yeah that's what I'm scared of. Is Sam going to pick you up?" "I just assume meet him there so my parents don't kill me. I told my mom he couldn't drive, so that settled it." Vance was finished by the time Rayne got back. Walking out of the bathroom, he examined his brother who took one look at him and fell deathly silent. "If that's your response, then I think I have a winner," he snickered, as the little boy stared with wide eyes. "Relax Vinny, it's me." "Honestly Rayne, hurry up. Your hair will take hours," Jani was trying to rush her upstairs. "Come on, I don't want this to take forever," she whined, though her friend had already

laid out her costume. Hearing the women argue, Vance began to gel his brother’s hair. Playing around with different styles, he left the poor boy with a Mohawk and wandered downstairs for a drink. "Quit pulling!" Rayne exclaimed. "It's not my fault you have a low pain tolerance." Painting her eyes with the skill of someone who had been around a while, Jani never overdid makeup, preferring to keep one sultry and appealing. "I look like Elvira." "You look better," she winked. Her own hair fell passed her shoulders in waves, eyes painted, lips red. To say she embraced being Wonder Woman was an understatement. She supported the full costume, even the headpiece. Rayne meanwhile, had donned hers. "I don't know about this," she muttered, choker stark against her throat. "Please Rayne, you would look like this anyway if you lived with your father or went to council." Cracking his drink, Vance was curious to see how Rayne looked, and even more so to see what Jani looked like, something he hadn't exactly taken seriously when he'd suggested it. Jani of course had nothing to be ashamed of. She bounded down the steps, greeting Vance with a cheeky smile. "I took your advice, it was a marvelous idea." "My god Jani...you are brash." Dressed in a black and white jail striped suit, he hadn't skimped out when it had come to esthetics either. Sporting a very dark demeanor, his hair had been gelled in a fashion familiar to the last time he had attended a dance, however this time, one half of it was black while the other a bleach blonde. Running toward the floor, his antenna, although still red at the tips, were candy stripped to match his suit, which bore a large broach instead of a tie. The black jeweled spider clung to his chest, adorned with a single white cut diamond in the shape of an hourglass. If the suit wasn't startling, his appearance surely would have been. Running the length of his arm, his left hand had been replaced by a set of knife like claws, while his right adorned smaller black ones. His jaw line had been carved into a jack-o-lantern smile. Stitched together with thick black twine, revealing trace amounts of fake blood, it gave the appearance his mouth had been torn open and sown back together haphazardly. When he spoke, the stitching spread apart to reveal the inner portion of his jaw, something no makeup could have ever hoped to accomplish. His teeth were jagged, though he could still speak properly and he leaned against the table, waiting for Rayne to make an appearance. "You are a vision indeed," Jani smiled. She could appreciate the details, especially what he'd done to his face. Heading downstairs, Rayne wore shoes that gave her a height boost and matched the red of her dress. Her eyes were a striking green and painted an alluring dark pigment. Her lips were the same red as Jani’s. Standing tall, the fabric clung to her in many ways she preferred it not to and she offered them a wicked grin. Besides the choker, she had a ring designed to look like a widow. It was attached to the thin chain of silver, entwined with diamonds and linked to a bracelet. Upon seeing Vance, her eyebrows winged upwards and her mouth hung open. His own lips spread apart in a terrifying grin that ran stapled up the side of his face. "Somebody’s saucy. Not bad, not bad at all." "Saucy? How come I have to look like a princess and you get to look cool? Where's

Vinny? I want to show him." Jani pursed her lips. "I have to get the camera, I'll bring him down." "You look fantastic," for once, Vance was actually serious. "You're gonna knock em dead. Leah's gonna be sooo jealous," he snickered. "If she doesn't tear my head off first." "But you look cool," Rayne said as she admired his costume. "How'd you even get this?" "I told ya I got taste, and as far as these go," Vance opened his claws, which slid apart to the sound of blades. "I'll let you ponder that." "How are we going to dance if you'll slice me up?" "Relax, I got a normal one," he held up his right hand whose claws weren't half as devastating. Meanwhile, poor Vinny was still staring into space. His hair had been gelled in a ridiculous fashion, curtsey of his brother. "Vincent, what has he done to you!?" Jani exclaimed as she held her camera in one hand and picked him up with the other. "Let's go see how pretty Rayne looks." "Whoa Vin, how cute are you?" she smiled, taking him from her hands. Vance just laughed. "Hold him Rayne, I want the family portrait," Jani said as she set Vincent between them. "That's not a flash pho..." before Vance could finish, she took the shot. His eyes twitched as the flash went off and Vinny tilted his head. "Ouch." "Sorry," she smiled. "Should I take that off?" "Um...could you? I'd like not to go blind." Catching Rayne's smile, he gave a pout. "You know if you want me to drive you to this thing, you better not be laughing, because if I go blind, we're both gonna die." "You're driving?" she asked. "What? I've only ever seen you drive a motorcycle." "Exactly." "I am not wearing a dress and getting on a bike." "Get closer together," Jani told the two. "I'm a good driver. Besides, you want to make an impression right?" "Yes…but I've never been on a bike." "Come on Vance, don't you know how to take pictures? Could you least look like dates?" Rolling his eyes, he took a step closer. "Better?" Jani smiled and snapped the photo. "Excellent, I have to show this to everyone. Look at the couple," she said quite proudly. "Oh great...yes that's just what I need. Well if you're done taking cheesy pictures, my...date and I are going to be late if we don't leave," he motioned for Rayne to follow him while Vincent still looked confused. "Relax," Rayne laughed and knelt to kiss the boy. "Be good Vin," she said as she stood up again. "Ants." "Yes Vinny, it's me, for the last time." "I can't wear a helmet with this hair," Rayne warned as they left the house. "Don't worry about it, you're not gonna fall off. But ya might wanna stand back." Vance opened his knife-like claws, summoning forth a deep black smoke that began to circumvent his palm. Thrusting his hand upward, the ball of energy rocketed into the sky. Surging toward the clouds, they suddenly took on a dark and threatening appeal as a bolt of black

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 354 lightening slammed its way into the pavement. Holding up a hand to bat away the fumes, a devilish grin spread his face at the sight of the motorcycle that now sat before them. Carved to look like a skeleton, the entire frame was done up in bones. Running toward the front, a vampiric skull spewed forth a tire with spiked interiors, while the back wheel fanned a pair of demonic wings. Jutting out like horns, the handlebars were candy striped to match Vance's suit. The black leather seat was made to accommodate two and he took Rayne’s hand to help her on. The look on her face was one of pure delight. "This is insane!" she laughed. It was rather uncomfortable in a dress, but she was eager to see how it rode. "You're such a show off." "Honey," Vance flipped up the kickstand and went to take the bars. "You ain't seen nothing." With that, he threw back the throttle and pulled away from the curb. Squealing hard across the pavement, the tires began to spin. Coincidently, a number of cleverly hidden speakers began to pump forth death metal. Wrapping her arms around his midsection, the thrill of the ride was evident and it seemed as though Vance had created a monster. Racing toward the school, he figured they would arrive not only in style, but with hell following closely behind.

Chapter 11.

Pulling up in the lot, Vance threw down the kickstand, killing the engine as well as the music as he helped Rayne off the bike. "Let's just have a good time okay?" "Relax Rayne, you're so tense. It's just a bunch a high schoolers," he chuckled, finding her unease amusing. "We're gonna have a great time, chill out." "If you say so?" she slipped her arm through the crook of his elbow and walked into the gym, which was done in the same fashion as Greenville. Black and orange party streamers littered the walls, alongside spider and pumpkin shaped confetti and all types of cookies and treats. Funny enough, there was no punch bowl. Instead, an assortment of canned drinks such as sodas and water bottles were present. "Trust me Rayne," Vance began, "it can't be any worse than last time." Already long since arrived, Sam had slipped into the gym to help out. He'd told everyone he was part of the night’s entertainment and they’d bought it hook, line and sinker. Sneaking away from the mainstream, he tossed his backpack under the stage and went to wait in the hall for Leah and the others. The girl had arrived with a gaggle of her new teammates. She’d gone all out to be a fitting zombie date. Her face had been painted thanks to hours of watching makeup tutorials. Her freckles and attractive smile now something out of a horror movie. She resembled someone in the stages of decomposition. Her lips were pale, green eyes masked with eyeliner and mascara, red hair streaked with fake blood and teased to look as though she'd been through hell. Wearing a leather jacket over a green tank top that exposed her belly button ring, she adorned stitched tights and a miniskirt. The attention she acquired pleased her greatly. When Sam took notice, his jaw dropped. "Damn," he mused as he walked over. "You're making me look bad." Offering a grin, Leah exposed fake teeth that mirrored his. "You're not going to out due me," she laughed while her friends looked startled. They were all dressed in standard costumes, namely revealing and cheap. "I don't know. I got something pretty wild planned." "Don't do anything stupid okay? Let's just have a good time and don't start with Peter." "Stupid naw, who me? Never," he chuckled as he ghosted toward a table and held out a chair. "Funny and awesome perhaps, but not stupid." "If you ruin her Halloween, I don't care how much taller you are than me, I will hurt you," Leah said as she sat down. "And you better dance," her eyes suddenly fell on Rayne from across the room. "Oh my god." Sam caught Leah's remark and turned. "Whoa, wait a minute...is that? Damn...I'm gonna have to step up my game," he drawled as Vance walked over to pull up a chair. Leah immediately rushed to her friend. "You look gorgeous!" she exclaimed, not one for jealously. "I look like a princess," Rayne whispered. "Cause you are," Leah nudged her. "Sammy, could you get us a drink?" Getting up to do just that, Sam only did so, so that he could pull Leah aside. "Here, knock yourselves out," he muttered, catching her gently by the arm and motioning her away from the table. "Can I get a word?"

Leah got up to walk with him. "What is it?" "I'm on a timer tonight. I need you to get the two of them on the dance floor for me in ten minutes. You think you can do that?" "Sam, if you plan on ruining this for them, I swear. What are you going to do?" "I'm not gonna ruin it Leah. Just get Rayne and scar face onto the dance floor in ten. I'll be back in a few, I gotta run some interference. Ten minutes!" he called as he bolted toward the door and circled the stage. Leah glanced at her watch and walked back with a plate of cookies. "Was he telling you how cute you look?" Rayne teased. "No, he was telling me he liked my belly button ring," she laughed as they made small talk, although at nine minutes, she cleared her throat. "Come on guys, let's dance." Vance drew a deep breath and followed them onto the floor. "This music is crap," he grumbled. There were only one or two other couples wobbling around without much tact. "We need to bring this place to life, it's deader than the zombie tribe over there," he jerked a thumb toward Leah's companions. "It's a catholic school, what did you expect?" though she was more concerned about the time, which had hit ten minutes exactly. Suddenly the lights cut out and the entire room went startlingly black. "What the..." Vance wasn't sure what had happened, and neither it seemed, were the rest of the student body, who immediately erupted into a barrage of whispers and speculation, as a pair of spotlights snapped to life on stage. "Ladies and Gentlemen can I have your attention!" a familiar voice echoed over the loud speaker. "It's the night before Halloween, so I think it's about time we stop horsing around and cause some general chaos. I got a couple of friends out there who seem to wanna blend in with the crowd, but I'm here tonight to remind them all of what we truly are, so let's give it up and get this party started!" Echoing out from the darkness, a haunting melody began as Sam stepped from the shadows with a wide grin and a microphone. Strumming away on the frets of a red and black guitar, he took the mic and lapsed straight into Matchbook Romance's, We are the Monsters. As the golden lights spun toward the audience, a horrific shadow crept up the wall. Spreading skeletal grimdark jaws, it went to reach for the crowd only to vanish as the lights panned backward and Sam's glasses ran down his face. Watching him make a scene, Vance rested his normal hand across Rayne's. "Relax, he's just showing off. It's not bad...for an armature." The song came to a close and the lights fell back on him as the crowd cheered. "Thank you Jersey!" Sam screamed. "Ya'll are great out there, awesome costumes, pretty gothic looking school too. I know you’re probably hungry for more, but I'm just the opening act. I think it's time to give it up for the main event. Now there's a beautiful young lady out there in the crowd tonight and it’s her first Halloween, so whaddya say we make it the best damn party she's ever seen!" The crowd cheered and the lights began to dim. "I ain’t got much the voice for this one, but in light of that, a friend of mine agreed to help me out. So all you critters out there, why don't you clear the dance floor for a very special leading lady. Sorry Vance, you might got style, but you ain't got nothing on her and my friend here is about to tell you why!" tossing the microphone to the side, Sam stood down as a strange young woman with long flowing hair, and a pair of dark sunglasses stepped forth to catch it with a pale slender hand.

Curling black painted nails around its base, she peered across the room as the lights faded from gold to purple and the dance floor cleared to the unmistakable melody of Lady Gaga's, Dance in the Dark. Leah stepped into the crowd to avoid ruining the spotlight and Rayne's face flushed red. "Don't give him the satisfaction," Vance took her hand. "Come on Rayne, let's show these pansies how it's done." "Don't embarrass me," she warned, repeating to herself that she was far more talented as she accepted his hand and started to move to the music. "The only one who's gonna be embarrassed tonight, is him," taking Rayne’s hand, he pulled her center floor and the two of them proceeded to steal the night. Rayne proved to be a natural. She had put on pageantry before and danced with plenty, meeting their gaze out of defiance and spite, though with Vance, it was different. "Come on, smile," he chuckled, picking up the pace as he twirled her around. "You hear that?" the song began to die and the crowd started to cheer. "That's for you." There was no malice to be found on his face as he gave a bow, nudging her to do the same. Straightening his posture, he noticed that as the music stopped, the lights shifted from violet to pink...bright pink, and the strange woman on stage reached for her sunglasses. "Why does she seem so famil..." before he could finish, the girl removed them and tossed them to Sam, who was still grinning as the magic wore down and the woman’s visage melted away to reveal the Ace Queen. "ROSE?!" Vance's jaw hit the floor as the fiendish woman shuffled the microphone to her left hand and reached up with her right to blow him a kiss. Sam started with the guitar again and Rose slipped into a quite animated version of Raise your Glass, by Pink. The floor began to fill at a rapid pace and students broke out in a free for all as soda cups flew in unison to the lyrics. Nearly losing his glasses, as Leah clapped him across the shoulder, Sam reached up to catch them before they fell of his face. His grin was filled with dagger like teeth, although he didn't seem to notice. "I told ya it was gonna be good," he mused, as his guitar vanished and he offered her his hand. "Care to dance?" "You dance?" "Course I dance. What, you didn't think it was all just magic back in Greenville, did ya? Yo Peter, what’s wrong?" he called as he noticed the shock on Vance's face. "Absolutely fucking nothing," reaching out, he grabbed Rayne and proceeded to join the rest of the ruckus. "Is she going kill me in my sleep?" "Naw, but I might kill her. Now I know where my cards went," he grumbled while Rose continued to ham it up on stage. "Leave her, she deserves to have fun." "So this is what you call magic?" Leah asked as music shifted. "This is what I call entertainment," Sam grinned, however his amusement quickly faded, along with the crowds, as a strange noise caught the air. Crackling like the ripple of an electric surge, both Vance and Sam looked up as a brilliant white light suddenly raced down from the sky. Running passed the gym, it was visible through the panoramic windows and lit the entire room. Sam threw out an arm to block the glow as whatever it was, railed toward the coast.

Rattling against its foundations, the entire school began to quake as following it, dropped a massive black disk. Pulsing with a vibrant orange energy that radiated from two glowing modules; despite how swiftly it moved its shape was unmistakable as it spun after the burst of light, cutting the power to every electrical grid in a radius of five miles. "Oh shit!" Sam stammered as the gym was cast into darkness and the saucer rocketed into the distance. "What the hell is that?" Rayne asked as Leah covered her eyes. "Is this a joke Sam?" "That's no joke," Vance shook his head, "I'd know that light anywhere." "Saurin?" Rayne looked at him with a sudden dread. "What do we do?" Vance ran toward the door. Climbing onto his motorcycle, he cut the kickstand upwards. "Are you coming?" he asked, as she followed. "This could get messy." "Of course I'm coming," she said flatly. "Why is he here?" "It's not him that worries me," throwing the bike into gear, he sped toward the coast. "It's not? What is?" "Look around. What do you know that can knock out the power to an entire city just by flying over it? That light is a powerful maneuver. He wouldn't do that just for the hell of it. Saurin was running...from something." Rayne buried her face in his back. "If you are trying to tell me this isn't a Halloween prank, I'm going to need a cigarette." "I don't know what it is, but it's got him running scared. Do you have a cell phone?" "Yeah," Rayne reached down, pulling up her dress to reveal a serrated blade and a phone strapped to her calf. "Why?" "Call Jani. You're gonna need somebody to pick you up," Vance pulled to a screeching halt near the edge of the Jersey shoreline. "Pick me up? Where are you going? I'm not leaving unless you come with me," kicking off her heels, she ran through the sand barefoot. "You might not have a choice there." Racing across the dunes, he stopped a few feet from the water’s edge. The strange black disk hovered vibrantly over the waves. Large pulses of energy circulated the two enormous modules on either side of its roof. A thin white light beamed down from above, panning back and forth as if in search of something. "Stand back," Vance’s claws slid open to manifest a ball of black energy. "HEY YOU!" he called toward the ship. The dark matter licked against it and the attack fizzled out as the gigantic disk slowly spun to face them. The searchlight that had previously been scowering the water, snapped forward and caught them where they stood. "That was a wonderful idea," Rayne crossed her arms as the ocean began to draw back and the waves grew ridged. A jet stream of seawater suddenly propelled itself up in a long funneling torrent that met the side of the craft. The impact caused the ship to fly backwards, toppling over itself like a football. Unfortunately, the shield that manifested to protect it also had severe implications. Electrifying the torrent, it sent something sprawling to the ground. An explosion of sand kicked up as a familiar white weapon impaled itself in the dune and vanished just as swiftly. Holding her shields, Rayne looked at Vance. "Do you have a plan?" "I'm working on it," his eyes drifted toward Saurin, who was hurt pretty bad. Barely conscious, there was blood that ran from his face as well as the tattered remains of one of six

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 359 feathered wings flowering out from his back. A few seconds later, the ship began to right itself. "Vance, come here!" Rayne yelled as she went to tend to the boy. "Leave him," he hissed. "Call Jani. Get her to come and pick you up. Go back to the apartment and stay there," he demanded as he summoned a playing card. Throwing it to the ground, a void erupted and Rose once again appeared. Vance eyed the darkmite who offered him her hand as the searchlight pinned them. Racing toward the shoreline, another ball of energy went whirling toward it, far more powerful than the last. The blast caused the ship to waver as the same terrifying creature that had plagued Rayne in Vegas, suddenly engaged. "Vance, don’t get caught," she said beneath her breath as she went to pull her phone and dialed Jani’s number. Back at the school, Leah and Sam were still caught up in the pandemonium. "Sam what the hell is going on?" Pulling her from the gym, he drew a deep breath. "Did you see that thing?" "The light? What was it, and that sky disc?" "I don't know about the light," he shook his head. "But that disk…it didn't come from the sky, it came from the future. Guy's a bounty hunter. He cashes in big for bringing in heads. It’s not so bad if you can get past his technology...but that's a big if. How do you think I wound up here? I can't open portals to the past. That SOB has been tailing me for months. I saw an opportunity and I took it. I didn’t know where I was gonna wind up, but I didn't know he was gonna follow me either." Leah tightened her grip on his hand. "Come on, you can come to my house. My mom will understand." Stepping into the pitch-black streets, Sam’s hands were already beginning to exhibit a blackish tint. "I can't...I'm outta time." "What if that thing catches you?" "Just go, I'll be alright," he said as he turned from her. "Be careful Haine," Leah could see the candles her mother had lit in the window. Jani had likewise lit candles across the apartment. She felt something bad had happened and upon getting Rayne's frantic phone call, was in the car seconds later. "It's okay Vin, you keep on giggling," she kissed his forehead as she raced toward the beach. "We can't let Saurin see the kid," Rayne told her. "Take Vincent home. I'll bring him somewhere safe." The tiny vampire grabbed the keys and immediately got in. Happy to see her, Vincent began to giggle while Jani attempted to find and alternative means to transport Saurin. Hotwiring a Jeep, she opened the door as she ripped out the alarm and picked him up to coax him into the back. She ended up taking him to a large stone house near the school, which she used as headquarters for her work. Saurin was put in a hospital bed. The injuries he had sustained were minute and had likely been caused by the fall. His wings had been charred, their stark white feathers burnt black. Of the six, one was broken. Despite the damage, his pulse was strong and it seemed he'd only suffered a minor concussion. Regardless, it was about an hour later that he began to come too. Jani had stuck leads over his chest to monitor his heart rate. She had changed out of her

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 360 costume and as he opened his eyes, she tilted her head. "I'm not inclined to believe in angels, but I was surprised by the resemblance." "Huh?" Rubbing the side of his face, his hands were talon like, though he didn't seem to notice. Upon catching her remark, he gave a slight grin. "You don't believe in angels huh?" "No," she smiled with wisdom in her gaze. "How are you feeling?" "Like I've been hit by a truck. Judging from your expression, I probably look it too?" "I'm not sure how to heal anyone with wings. If I were a vet maybe?" Saurin actually laughed. "Don't worry about it. Thanks for getting me out of there." "What attacked you? Or better yet, electrocuted you?" His expression became a bit sterner. "It's a long story. Um...if you don't mind...where am I? I can give you a better explanation if I have a background as to where I'm at." "Clinton, New Jersey," she answered. "You're in a stone house that's sparsely decorated. I work here, I could not bring you to my residence." "New Jersey? Why is it always the east coast?" he grumbled. "Oh well, that's fine, the less explaining I have to do, the better," he ran his claws through his hair. "I was chased here. That thing...I presume you must have seen it? I don't know what it is, but I do know what it does. What year is this?" "2012..." Saurin’s eyes widened. "Wow three years, jezz." "Three years since what?" "Um okay, bare with me. I'm part of a group that looks out for the wellbeing of different places," he began. "I'm not from around here, but this place happens to be under my watch. About a year ago, that thing showed up. It can't follow me back to where I came from, but it can throw a wrench into the works. Whatever it is, it understands that space and time are one in the same. Without getting technical, every time I try to get home, that thing alters my path, and instead of changing locations, it throws me through time. Whoever...or whatever is operating it, has some kind of understanding well beyond the norm. As for what it is, your guess is as good as mine." "It's a ship?" Jani blinked. "It was hunting you, perhaps because you are part of that group?" "Yeah it was," he nodded. "I could make a couple of calls, someone might know something?" "Well here's the problem...it doesn't show up until 2014. It's been forcing me back in time so that nobody knows it exists. The other members of my group aren't here. A friend of mine was the first to encounter it and she was also the one to figure out it can't jump realms. Whatever it is, it came from this universe, so it has to stay here. The only other person I know who’s been attacked by it, is not someone you'd want to go looking for." "Who is it?" "He’s...got some issues. He got caught by that thing. He's the only one who's ever seen what's inside. That was the last I saw of him and it was a long time ago." Jani got up. "I believe I can find that person. I can bring him to you if you want answers? That ship took off when it was attacked in return." "What do you mean it took off?" he thought for a second before shaking his head. "There were people on that beach, weren't there?" "Of course there were. You were very lucky someone was looking out for you."

"Actually I'm lucky whoever they were, they didn't look to make a profit and sell me to a zoo." "I don’t think they would have the heart to," Jani smiled as her cell phone chimed. "Actually, I do have a bit of a request. Do you think you might be able to check the weather report for the next couple days?" "Of course," she toyed with her phone. "This lovely little gadget makes it so much easier to do. It’s going to be cloudy this entire week, isn't that miserable?" Saurin did not look thrilled.

Chapter 12.

Vinny clung to Rayne as the cold October air breezed through the developments where Sam was currently hiding. The streetlights were the only thing left to keep the shadows at bay. "Are you sure he's here?" "Yes," Leah was just as worried about Sam as Rayne was about Vance. Curled in a ball, identifiable only as a solid lump of black, Sam was asleep or rather, pretending to be. As Leah pulled back the tarp, the creature he had become looked up and began to growl. "Sam, get up. We need to ask you about that ship." Leah stepped toward him and his eyes narrowed. "Leah don't," Rayne stopped. "It's not daylight yet." "I'm aware...you woke me up." "Peter never came home and Jani sent me to look for Sam, I had to do something." "I'll get it out of him. You go find Peter." Vance had not been seen since the incident and by the time he did re-surface, which was around eight in the morning, Rayne was currently out with Leah. Storming groggily up the stairs of Jani's apartment, he jimmied the lock and trudged in. Clothes charred, hair even more of a mess, he sauntered to the sofa, fell face first on top of it and it was there he remained. "What the hell?" Rayne screeched, torn between murder and relief. Setting Vincent down, she punched his arm. "Are you suicidal?" "Owe…hey!" Vance gave her the most perturbed look he could muster for eight in the morning. "That thing chased me all the way to D.C. It's the U.S. Militaries problem now." "You scared me!" she snapped. "Are you hurt? Get up before I kill you myself." "I scared you?" he gave her a look and rolled over. "I just flew a couple hundred miles in order to out run a fucking spaceship, and I scared you?...Go away." "Yeah you scared me. You left me with Saurin, who is awake by the way, and you didn't even say anything. Are you trying to play the hero? You know what happens to heroes?" "I know what happens to people who don't shut up at eight in the morning," Vance went to pull a cushion over his head. "You're a jerk. Vin, stay with your fat head of a brother." Back at the developments, the sun was well on its way into the sky and Sam had taken residence on a sofa downstairs. Once again human, if one wanted to make that assumption, he was out like a light with little to no recollection as to how he'd gotten there. Fuming as she stormed into the house, Rayne kicked open the door. "Where's Leah?" she asked sharply. "Ah...wha...hey...knock it off," batting her away, he sat up and adjusted his hat. "I don't know...what the...sofa? This is new. When'd they bring this in here?" "I don't know, but where's Leah?" panic started to ebb at her reasoning. "Did you hurt her?" she asked in terror. "I didn't do anything to her. I brought her home last night and I came here. I don't know where she's at." "I'm right here Rayne," Leah had come downstairs upon hearing her voice. "Peter is home. He's okay," she said as Leah walked up to Sam. "So what was that ship you were telling me about?"

"That thing last night? I don't know." "Jani said someone was caught and escaped. Leah said you knew that thing was after you." "Awe man…really?" Sam gave them a look. "I don't wanna talk about that alright? That guy is bad news. If I were you, I'd get the hell outta here and fast." "Talk Sam, we need to know what we're up against." "You brought this thing here?" Leah asked him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up. I didn't bring nothing here. I got away from that thing and it went after somebody else okay? I only got one day left and besides, whoever controls it ain't stupid. They’re not gonna pull some Independence Day shit in the middle of broad daylight. Actually, now that I think about it," he brought a hand to his chin. "Think about what?" "You only have one day?" Leah’s attention was now elsewhere. "Halloween, the solstice," Sam said before looking back at Rayne. "That thing’s been going after people like me. I think it went after Ryan and Saurin too. Could be nothing, but it's interesting food for thought. Anyway, I'm here because like I told Leah, whoever controls it has some sick ass tech. It knows how to time travel yo. Talk about lost in space." "A traveler?" Rayne frowned. "Do you know who’s in it? Do they ever land?" "They must need gas right?" "I don't know who he is, or what for that matter, but he ain't from around here. The whole inside is done up like something out of a Ridley Scott movie. It's weird man. As far as landing goes, all I ever seen it do is float around. Sometimes it's there and sometimes it's not. It ain't normal and it ain't military, no way." "Guess your vacation is over Haine, what a bummer." "You can talk, you got three hundred and sixty five days a year, I've got ten." "Are you going to look like a zombie every time you come for Halloween?" "Leah come on, dismiss your hormones, I'm asking him questions. So it's an alien?" "I have no idea what it is, I didn't see it. I only heard it, or something jabbering away in a strange language. I got stuck on that ship and messed around with some buttons, that's how I got here. And as far as looking like a zombie goes, I'm dead Leah, I can't help that. If you'd rather, you could wait around for twenty four hours and then I'll look like a fucking demon, is that better?" "You don't have to be an ass about it," she said tartly. "We should be safe. I don't think it'll find us living in an apartment." "Rayne, if that thing wants to find you, it's gonna find you. I'm gone in twenty four hours, so unless whatever brought it here is still here...it won't be." "That's all I needed to know. I'm going home to sleep. I'll leave you two to say your goodbyes." "Yeah whatever," Sam plopped back down. "I don't need to say goodbye to him," Leah muttered. "He's being a cranky brat and I'm tired as well." While Rayne returned home, Saurin managed to recover. His hands had returned to normal and his wings had disappeared, giving him the appearance of a normal teenage boy. "So what’s your plan?" Jani asked. "If it's 2012? Let me think...Actually, it's funny. I would have either been, or just left a place called Greenville, New York. There was an incident there that got resolved shortly before

the New Year." "Oh really?" she tilted her head. "Tell me about it." "Well, someone I know...a trouble maker, decided he was going to cause some problems at a local school, and he did, a lot of them. I made a mistake in trying to correct those problems and it caused even more problems. Karma came around for me though. I got caught up in something I couldn't handle. Everything turned out okay in the end, but it was a lot of pain and agony on my behalf." "I see," she mused. "Are you feeling better? Will your wings heal?" He gave a nod. "I'll be alright. Just remind me never to try to outrun that ship again. I didn't realize it had a shield." "It has a shield?" she frowned. "No wonder no one could take it down." "Yeah that's why I got roasted." "I can send you off with painkillers?" "I'm fine," Saurin got to his feet. "Oh, I don't think I ever caught your name?" "It's Jani," the vampire held out a hand. "You've done quite a lot it seems, saving those kids on the beach." "I think those kids on the beach, saved me. Names Saurin." "That's a nice name. Could I give you a ride somewhere? I'd hate for you to walk away unprotected." "That's alright. I know what it might look like, but I'm not entirely helpless." "I didn’t think you were," she winked. "If you have any trouble, here's my card." Jani held out an ivory colored business card with gold lettering that gave her phone number and name. Saurin took it and looked it over. "Shardae…that sounds vague familiar," he stuck the card in his pocket and studied her. "Are you sure we haven't met?" "Do I look familiar?" she grinned. "Perhaps I have a twin somewhere, unbeknownst to me. I believe you know Rayne?" Saurin suddenly looked as if he were slapped. "Wait...you know...wait a minute, but that means...Rayne is here?" "She is," Jani said. "She called me to tend to you." "So wait," something caught him strange. "If Rayne is here and you're her friend then, does that mean Vancelyn's here too?" "Don't bother them. Please Saurin, he hasn't done anything." "Why would I bother them? Vance hasn't been causing problems and if it's 2012, I don't hear from him again for a long time. So, he's with Rayne? Are the two of them together?" "Uhm...yes," Jani smiled uneasily. "He took her to the dance last night. I have pictures." Saurin placed a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing. "Ryan owes me fifty bucks!" "There was a bet!?" "Oh yeah. Right after what happened with the two of them, my cousin and I got wrapped up in something else. It took almost a year and a half to blow over and neither of us had heard from Vance since. There was a...I guess you could say a standing wager. We didn't know where he went, but apparently I was right." "A standing wager?" she waggled her eyebrows. "What did this entail?" "The wager, well Ryan figured he'd curled up in a hole somewhere. My girlfriend said he probably went back to his own realm, but I wasn't so sure. I'd seen what Rayne had done for him

and despite the fact she never admitted it," his smile returned. "I figured they'd wind up together." "Well it's in the works. They're both stubborn." "I'm still gonna make my cousin pay up." "Go ahead," she laughed. "They're cute together." "Sorry that's hard to imagine. Vance has never been...cute." "He tries." Saurin shook his head, however as he noticed her attention drift, he motioned for the door. "Well I guess I should be going? Thanks again, and tell Rayne I said hello." "I'm sure you'll see her around. If you stay in the area, she goes to that catholic school you'll come out to." "Catholic school?" Saurin looked back. "I never pegged her for being religious." "She's not, it was my idea. She needs the enforcement. Take care of yourself," she beamed. "You too." Saurin wandered off, while back at the house Vance had given up on notion of sleep as his brother picked up a sippy cup and cold cocked him. "Alright, alright, alright, Vinny stop with the cup," pulling it away, he set it down on the coffee table and went to find him something to eat. Unaware Rayne was awake; Vance grabbed a Tupperware container of cold chilly to place in front of him. "Here, eat." "Aren't you going to heat that up?" she stepped into the room to grab the bowl from his hands. "It's cold chilly, it's better that way." "No it's not, it's unhealthy." Vance was about to respond as Vincent suddenly reached out, took a handful of chilly, and introduced it to the front of his suit. "Fuck! Vincent, goddamn it!" Catching him by the wrist, he picked up the bowl and dumped the entire thing onto the child’s head. "Vance what are you doing!?" Rayne screamed. "He just ruined a three hundred dollar suit!" "That doesn't mean you hurt him like that! It's okay Vin, your brother's just a monster. Vance, you're being irrational." "It's food Rayne, it's not gonna kill him." "You don't do that to a kid. What the hell is your problem? It's just a suit." "I like my fucking suit okay! He's gotta learn some respect sooner or later!" "He's a baby! He doesn't understand! You don't have to be abusive. That's disgusting," Rayne pulled off his ruined clothes and wrapped the boy in a towel. "I didn't hit him did I?" "And you won't!" she said angrily. "It's okay kiddo. Your brother is just being mean. He still loves you." "Of course I won’t!" Vance plopped down on the sofa. "Yeah, you'll just spill hot soup on him one day instead!" "It was cold chili would you fucking relax? I wouldn't hurt my brother you dumb ass. Lesson learned, he won't do it again." "That's terrible Vance? You can't teach kids like that."

"That's how I was taught. You throw it, ya wear it." "That's why you're fucked up! You can't continue the cycle." "What are you my mother? Piss off? One minute you’re acting as if you give a shit and the next you’re acting as if you rule the fucking world." "I don't act like I rule the world and if I didn't give a shit, I wouldn't be telling you how to treat your brother!" "Interesting choice of words. That's right, he's my brother!" "That doesn't mean you own him! You didn't have to do that you asshole." "And you didn't have to get on my case about it. I took you to your fucking dance like you begged me to, now get off my back!" "I didn't beg you, you asked me! If you didn't want to take me, you didn't have to!" "I didn't ask you!" Vance looked back. "You came into my room and practically threw yourself at me, and maybe I felt bad so I decided to take you to shut you up." "If this was a pity date then fuck you," her eyes went gray. "I wanted to go with you and I thought you genuinely wanted to go with me? Forget it," she looked away, "my mistake." "You actually think I'd ask you out?" Vance choked on a laugh. "I told Jani I would go with you if you begged me to and ya did, sooo I play fair. I lost the bet, simple as that." Rayne didn't understand the tide of new emotions. "I didn't beg at all, you fucking jerk." "You were drunk, you don't even remember. What, you actually expect me to believe you ca..." Vance stopped as he realized the expression on her face. Watching her bolt up the stairs, the realization hit him and he was on his feet again before Rayne sat down. Following her, he began to bang on the outside of the door. "Rayne...hey open up, I wanna talk to you." "Fuck off!" she yelled, eyes red with tears. Trying the knob, he pounded against the frame. "Look, I'm sorry alright? Is that what you want? I didn't think you were serious! Open the damn door!" "I wasn't that drunk!" she snapped, although actually complied. Vance walked in and hung back to find words. "Look...I...After everything...uh...I thought you wanted to go? I didn't realize you really meant it," he ran a palm through his hair. "I had a good time with you last night. I never thought that was possible. I guess...oh man, I still suck at this. I thought the only reason you invited me to stay here was because of him," he pointed at his brother. "I wanted to go," she said angrily. "I thought we were going as friends, not because you felt bad for me! I had a good time too, but I wasn’t doing it out of pity. I was being nice, just like when I asked you to stay here." "Nice is not something I'm really good at," he admitted. "I'm not sure how to be somebody’s friend. The only person who’s ever been my friend was Liz, and that ended in disaster." "I'm not her!" "I never said you were. You know what, forget it. I'm not good at this stuff." "What stuff?" "Apologizing," he shrugged, "trying to be empathetic. I don't know what I'm supposed to do. You're sitting here crying! Nobody’s ever cried to me before. It's always just screaming and yelling and..." "You've said enough," Rayne brushed her tears away. "I can't tell you how to feel." "You...you want me to just go?"

"No." He hesitated before taking a seat on the other side of Vinny. "Hey," catching her gaze, he tried to get her to look at him. "I'm sorry." Rayne kept her eyes averted. "Yeah, me too." "You don't have to apologize. I'm an asshole, right Vin?" the little boy nodded frankly. "Here," reaching into his pocket, Vance handed her a pack of tissues. "Stop leaking. Come on, you wanna get some ice cream or something?" "You're going to take me out? Why?" "Because you're upset and I can feel your emotions, which is really fucking bizarre." "My emotions?" she asked with a frown. "You don’t know what I'm feeling." "All I've got to do is look at your eyes. I know exactly what you're feeling. I've felt it before myself." Rayne knew there was a reason she reflexively didn’t look at him. "I think I get it now," he pursed his lips. "The whole pariah mentality. It’s kinda creepy. Almost like looking into a mirror instead of somebody else," Vance closed his eyes. "I never noticed it before. I guess I just never thought to look?" "Stop." "Sorry, just kinda happens." "It's fine," she rubbed her face. "I just don't want you to see anything." "It's not as if I can see your memories," he clarified. "It's just...a feeling." "I don't want you to know how I feel. I accept your apology, but you hurt me." "Yeah I know," his gaze dropped. "It was your first Halloween. That's like a hallmark holiday for people like us. I kinda ruined Greenville so I figured maybe I could...I don't know...I guess I just wanted to correct that." "I'm glad you took me," Rayne said gently. "I've long since gotten over my first dance being shitty anyway." Gaze still lowered, a smile crossed his face although he had a difficult time trying to conceal it. "Yeah well whaddya say we go dress Vinny up in one of those dopey Halloween costumes and get that ice cream? We can take him trick or treating if you want? It kinda is Halloween and all." "Can we?" "If candy is involved, he'll probably let you do anything." "Do you know where his costume is?" "I think Jani left them downstairs?" Vance motioned for the door and went to go see if he could find the bag. "He didn't mean to do that to you Vin," Rayne said as Vance disappeared. "Your brother is trying really hard." Vance was trying hard. The thought of perhaps having someone to relate to seemed to offer a subtle change in his demeanor, though it probably wouldn't account for everything as poor Vinny had clearly discovered. Returning a few minutes later with the small toot bag, Vance pushed open the door. "Here, you can choose the costume. I think they're all pretty humiliating." "Can he be a little vampire!?" Rayne asked as she held him. "Sure, why not?" Pulling the Dracula costume, Vance took it off the hanger. "I hope this thing fits him?" he muttered. "You're getting a little wide around the middle there Vin. You better enjoy yourself tonight because somebody’s gonna have to cut back on the sweets."

"He's just so damn cute," Rayne said as she patted his belly. "You can be a little pudgy Vin, it makes you more huggable." "Oh yes, because that's just what the world needs, a cute soul eater." "He's a vegetarian soul eater." "Bullshit." "Look how cute." "Yes adorable, now excuse me while I go throw up." "You're just mad because Vinny is the cuter brother," she said as she lifted him. "Look at you, you'd be a great vampire Vin." Vance crossed his arms while Vincent began to chew the cape. "Hey, you don't know where that's been," he scolded and gently pulled it away. "Come on, we better go get him something before he decided to snarf the whole damn costume." "Maybe we should've dressed him as a wolf...that would explain a lot." "Or maybe a pig? Sure acts like one. I need to get him another chew toy. The last thing I need is for him to choke on a stuffed animal." "He's not an animal...teeth aside." "He's not, but I am huh?" Vance gave her a look as they stepped onto the porch. "I haven't said that to you in a while." "Yeah as in maybe I don't know, fifteen minutes ago?" "It's not because you're a soul eater that I called you that." "I never said it was, but way to be thinking it. Please, if anybody around here is an animal, it's Haine. You saw him last night. I swear, that grimdark has gone right to his head." "Sam was nice last night." "If you want to call that nice. Kids a tremendous show off." Vance kept the pace and stopped as they came upon the ice cream parlor. "I'll get you whatever you want, but don't load him up on more than he needs." "He'll pick it out," Rayne walked to the display. "What do you think Vin? Are you going to have rocky road with me?" "Es!" Vincent gave a nod as the woman at the counter crooned over his costume. "Oh he's so precious," she laughed, while Vance rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you don't have to live with him." Rayne only offered a smile. "Two rocky roads, one in a cone, okay? Don't get your costume dirty Vin," she said as she grabbed some napkins. "Telling him not to make a mess is like telling someone not to breathe." Rayne tucked a napkin around his shirt collar. "Don't eat that," she warned. Thankfully, he did not attempt to ingest the napkin and remained focused on his ice cream until he noticed kids in Halloween costumes out the window. "Nah!" Babbling happily, as babies tended to, Vinny finished and began to play with the cup. "We need to get him a pumpkin bag," Rayne said enthusiastically. "Sure, but you can carry him. You're the one feeding him sweets." Following them out of the parlor, Vance watch as his brother began to stare. "Ants!" he called, pointing toward a couple of kids dressed as vampires. "Yeah I see it Vin, you blend right in." Rayne was overjoyed. "Where do you think we should start?" "I don't know, I've never done this before You've got more knowledge of the topic than I

do." "Ugh, okay...let's just hit the suburbs," she suggested. "Maybe we should've dressed up too?" "You really want to subject yourself to that? Bouncing around in a costume going door to door for sweet sticks? Maybe that's fun when you're three, but I think you're a little old for that kind of thing." "It's for Vin," she said flatly. "Thanks for paying." "Yeah, yeah. Here you go kid, knock yourself out." Handing him the bag, Vincent took it and began to swing it around. "Don’t knock Rayne in the head with it!" Vance scolded. "Be careful, he has a bad habit of that...trust me I know," he rubbed the bump he'd received thanks to the sippy cup. "It's fine," she laughed as she avoided the swing. She had never considered being a parent, but Vinny brought a joy to her that Rayne had once thought impossible. Leaving the mall, Vance trudged along as they marched up the steps of a house alongside several kids with their parents. Following them up the lawn, the door opened and a couple with a large bowl stepped out. "Oh how cute," they mused as Rayne held up Vinny. "Isn't he? Look Vance, his first trick or treat." The boy giggled and launched a lollypop into his face, which bounced off his forehead and hit the ground. "Yes adorable." "Maybe he's telling you to be sweet?" "I think it's just revenge for the chili?" "Es," Vinny mused. "I'm splitting that candy with you Vin." Rayne said as they approached the next house. "You better be. A hyper baby is the last thing I need. Forget the walls, he's gonna be bouncing off the ceiling." "We’ll doll it out to him in moderation. Come on, he deserves it. He's a good kid." "From your mouth to god’s ears." Vinny looked at him and stuck out his tongue. "Hey, you're not supposed to be listening you little brat." "He's not a brat, he's going to share the candy, right kiddo?" "Uh uh," he shook his head and Vance laughed. "Well he sure has his priorities straight." "We have to teach him to share." "It's not like he can go to school. Even I was home schooled and that only lasted a little while." "Jani could teach him, she's been a tutor. She knows everything." "You think?" Tilting his head, he looked at his brother. "Whaddya say Vinny? You want Jani to teach you stuff?" Before the boy had the chance to answer, the squealing sound of rubber against the asphalt stole their attention. Several car horns echoed the streets as a young man in a thick leather jacket raced around the bend. Sprinting forward, Sam ran as if the devil himself were after him and a few seconds later, it became clear what actually was. The tires of an obnoxious green Ninja bike burned tracks across the pavement as it peeled away from the curb. Slamming a boot to the ground, the rider, dressed from head to toe in biker

leathers, leaned on the throttle and tore after him. "Vance, it's chasing him!" "Better him than us," he stammered, as he watched the bike pass Sam and skid to a professional halt. Throwing down the kickstand, the rider straightened his posture and began to shake his head as he tooted a single gloved finger in a scolding manner. Face concealed beyond that of a neon green helmet, he wore a red leather jacket with a grinning cat skull across the back. Sam was not interested in his attire, but more so the enormous silver gun he suddenly pulled from a holster. "Take Vincent and go!" Rayne yelled. "We can't let Sam get caught." "I have a bad feeling this is out of our league here," Vance swallowed hard as the rider took the direct shot and Sam brought up his arms to shield his face. "Shut up and go!" Rayne threw her hand out as the gun went off. Her energy deflected the shot. Rebounding, the bullet went flying passed the rider whose attention snapped. Shaking his head, he pointed a finger at her and tore after them both. "Move it Haine!" "What the hell are you doing here!" Sam hissed. "Trick or treating, can't you just eat this guy?" "You see that!" he pointed toward the sun, which was still barely visible. "You got three minutes in counting. This shit head has horrible timing." "Come on," taking his arm, she went to leap a waist high fence. "He can't drive through people’s backyards." Drawing his gun, the biker aimed a shot, which blew a hole so wide he was easily able to follow. "You were saying?" "Just eat him!" "Why don't you eat him! You're the vampire! He's not after you, get out of here!" Sam motioned for her to break away as the rider did just that. Round a curve, he vanished down the block. "What the?" slowing momentarily, something about the breakaway didn't seem right and a loud noise suddenly ushered from behind as the motorcycle came flying over the side of the median. Having rounded the block, it launched itself across the top of a construction ramp and landed directly in front of Rayne. Her gun was out in the blink of an eye, pointed straight at the biker's heart. She would've been grinning, but her look quickly soured as she realized she was staring down a barrel herself. Glaring at her vacantly, his expression was unreadable from behind the tinted lens. Reaching forward, he caught the gun in his palm and with a clench of his fist, crushed it to pieces. Tossing the remains, he was about to fire when the last of the sunlight vanished and Sam along with it. As the shadows parted, the horrible drooling fiend launched itself toward the bike. They watched as it flew off the ground and suddenly did something strange. Spinning on their sides, the wheels inverted, causing both hubcaps to spiral open and glow with a radiant energy from within. Still clinging to the handlebars, the rider stared down at them as the tail pipes bleached forth a slew of blue flames and the craft began to hover in midair. Drawing his gun, his attention was caught by the sound of a voice. "Hey you, catch!" turning in time to see it coming, both the rider and his bike were sent

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 371 careening into the front of a Halloween store by a massive ball of white light. Sam took off and the shadows fled toward the young man with the brilliant white blade and a familiar grin on his face. "That should keep him busy for a while." Throwing a glance in Rayne's direction, Saurin offered a hand. "Long time no see? Still getting in over your head?" "Saurin!" she exclaimed. "You're joining the party now too?" "Sure looks that way. Come on, we gotta get out of here, that won't keep him busy for long." "What the fuck is his problem?" Rayne growled. "Why is he hunting you?" "It's hard to explain." She looked confused as she realized she was now able to regard at him at eye level. "What’s going on?" "This guy is not from around here and something he's got on that ship makes it possible to manipulate the portal Dimensia. In laments terms, he's been chasing me through time." "Do you think Convera sent him? Who's to say he doesn't want to make sure we all end up dead?" "Frankenstein wasn't happy about what you guys did. He's been gunning for us all ever since. For the moment though, I'm more concerned about figuring out how to get home. Speaking of which, where are you headed?" "Back to my apartment. It's kind of on lockdown." "Lockdown? From what?" he suddenly recalled Jani's words and a sly smile crossed his face. "Wait...you guys aren't trying to hide from me, are you?" "Hide? What could I be hiding?" "Ummm...well your friend made it pretty clear you were kinda dating my better half." "She told you!" Rayne’s face turned red. "Saurin we're not! He just took me out and we were trick or treating." "He took you trick or treating?" Saurin had to choke back a laugh. "He's trying Saurin, he really is. I don't want you two to see each other. He's been in a good mood. We could set you up somewhere else?" "That alright Rayne. Vance LaChance is out trick or treating, I think my job here is done. Oh man, wait till I tell Ryan, he's gonna crap a brick." "Do you want to head back to Jani’s place? She's probably thinking I died." "As long as we go somewhere. It's not safe to be out." "I'll drop you off okay? But I have to go home. It's better Vance doesn’t run into you. You know he gets." Saurin chuckled as they made their way to the old stone house. "There's a panic room on the top floor, it locks from the inside. It’s got a state of the art alarm system and motion detectors. The computers are on the third floor. Jani might be in every now and then. They work downstairs," she clapped his shoulder. "Press nine to call the apartment. It's wired to send us an emergency signal." "Wow...you guys are pretty high tech? Thank Rayne, but I'm sure I'll be fine. You get home safe, and don't go after that guy again. Sam and I can handle ourselves. You don't want to get caught up in this, trust me." "I already am. No one ruins my first Halloween." Watching her go, Saurin looked down at the key and smiled. "Oh well...I guess some things never change?"

Chapter 13.

Vance had run back to the apartment as fast as he could. Vinny in toe, he burst through the door and nearly passed out. "It’s okay Vincent," Jani picked him up to provide warmth. "Where's Rayne?" Still struggling for air, Vance looked up. "She went after Sam...that thing...it's back." "Is she alright?" "I don't know. She threw the kid at me and took off." Getting up again, he summoned Rose to help him search. Sticking to the alleys, Rayne's eyes glinted threateningly. The thought of finding the wounded rider was appealing. Unfortunately, there was no sign. However, it wasn't long before a pair of narrowed eyes found her instead. "Sam?" Barring hordes of grimdark teeth, the fiend had been half-asleep and was not thrilled about being disturbed. Opening its jaws, it went to hiss and ironically stopped as its hat slipped off the side of its head. Momentarily forgetting Rayne, it leaned down and tried to coax it back, only to have it fall off again. Giving a horrible wail, it was the very thing that alerted Vance to Rayne's location. "Where's Vincent?" she asked. "He's safe. I brought him back to Jani’s. She's worried sick about you." Vance tried to pull her away, but Rayne wouldn't budge. "Can you put the hat on him?" "Are you crazy?" "Give me a tie or something. He can't lose his hat, it's his identity." Vance handed her one with a snap of his fingers. "What are you gonna do? Tie it to him?" "Damn right I am. There Haine, that way you can keep it with you." The fiend gave a slight nod and its eyes narrowed toward Vance. "Fuck you too," he hissed. "Don't tell me you guys have your own grimdark code?" "You didn't think those antenna were just for show did ya? It's one thing all grimdark beings have in common. Unlike me, most of them don't communicate verbally. Think radio telepathy. I guess I forget to mention that?" "Yeah you forgot to mention you’re a walkie-talkie," she said with a snort. "You came looking for me?" "Of course I came looking for you, Jani's worried sick. This disaster is all over the news. I thought you were dead. You went running off like some retard. Rayne, what were you thinking?" "To lead them away from you," she answered flatly. "How could you think I was dead Vance? I'm a survivor." "Yeah and we're in the middle of a fucking alien invasion," he muttered. "That thing is after shadow boy. I'm inclined to let it have what it wants. This is not part of the job description Rayne. I came here to get away from this kind of shit, not get involved in it again." "No one's asking you to involve yourself. I can't let Sam get captured. It's not fair. His life is bad enough. This guy time travels. He found Saurin in the future and tried to take him out." "That's a whole other story," Vance had almost forgotten. "I just assume stay out of it.

This guy is bad news. Life isn't fair, we all have to deal with that. Saurin can handle himself and if he's from the future, I don't have anything to worry about other than keeping my brother safe. That does not entail chasing after an alien bounty hunter to protect two people who have both tried to kill me in the past!" "I'm not asking you to involve yourself, but I am." "What about Vinny? How are you going to protect him from Saurin? And look at that thing," he pointed back at Sam. "How are you going to defend that? What, are you gonna chain it up to a poll and teach it to fetch?" "I haven't told Saurin about Vinny, and I can defend Sam just fine." "Rayne you can barely defend yourself. Just come home. I don't want to have to explain this one alone." "I can defend myself," she said angrily. "I kicked your ass, didn't I?" "And when was this?" "I don't remember." "Yeah, because you just made it up." Running after her, he shook his head. "Rayne, I led that freaking thing to D.C. last night and it's back! This isn't some run of the mill demon okay, nobody knows what this is! If it’s got both Sam and Saurin running for the hills, I'd hate to tangle with it." "I could've taken him out. I just needed a better gun." "What you need, is to calm down. Let’s just go back to the apartment and we can worry about this in the morning, okay?" "Fine," she gave in. "But I think it's cute that you’re worried about me." Stopping briefly, he arched a brow. "Whoa, wait a minute, that's a double standard, dontcha think?" "I don't know what you're talking about. I was protecting the two of you." "Exactly," Vance said with a grin as Rose caught up with them and gave an epp. "Nothing Rose, Rayne here was just saying how much she cares." "I didn't say that, it was for Vin." "Protecting the two of you? Those were you exact words and unless Vinny has an evil twin somewhere…oh wait." "Yeah well I didn't want the kid to grow up missing his porcupine headed brother." "I'll have you know my hair is awesome, so can it sister." "I said you look like a porcupine, I didn't say it was ugly." "Have you ever seen a porcupine? It looks like a fucking pin cushion with legs." "You're right, you look more like a hedgehog maybe?" "Eepp." "I'm not a rodent!" "I didn't say that." "No, but she did," he pointed toward Rose who batted a pair of violet eyes. "No way, Rose loves you." "Yeah well apparently she's got some competition." "Oh yeah, I'm dying for you Vance." "Famous last words Ms. alien hunter." As the apartment came into view, Rose vanished through a portal, leaving the two of them alone. Jani stood with Vincent as they entered the living room. "You're okay!" she said with a

look of relief. "Speak for yourself," Vance trudged after Rayne while Vinny began to reach. "Rayne, how could you be so careless? Did you even think about calling me?" "Jani...it's fine. Saurin stepped in. That biker was trashed. He won't come back and I promise I'll carry a bigger gun." "Yeah, a really big gun," Vance made his way to the spare bedroom to get some rest. "You two should be careful," Jani warned as Rayne carried Vincent upstairs. "You'll have better a Halloween next year Vin, I promise." The little boy was out before she had a chance to tuck him in. The night went smoothly, although smooth could also have been interoperated as quiet. Jani's alarm system remained intact and neither Vance nor Rayne woke until the sun came up and a loud bang was heard from downstairs. The scary thing was not the noise so much as it was that when Rayne awoke, the baby was not where she'd left him. Rolling on her side, as her hands felt the empty space, the sleep drained out of her. Red eyes snapped open and she stared at where Vincent should have been. Back downstairs, the shadowy fiend lay across the floor, nipping furiously at the beyond murdered plush of itself. This was somewhat irrelevant, considering the condition the apartment was in. The noise had been made by the fridge, which was now toppled, food sprawled in every direction. Sitting in a puddle of milk, Vinny splashed happily while the rest of the room looked as if it had just been through WWIII. Huge claw marks covered the walls. All of the furniture had been torn to ribbons. Some of it was actually charred. Sam however, only seemed to take interest in one thing...maiming that plushy. "Sam! WHAT THE HELL!?" Looking up from the toy, he coughed a wad of cotton and stared as if he had no idea what she was talking about. "Look at this place!" she screeched. "Jani's going to be home any minute and you're going to get us all killed!" Having heard the commotion, Vance emerged with a yawn. "What's going on out...Whoa," reaching the top floor landing, he stood beside the banister and his eyes widened. "Holy shit, did I sleep through the apocalypse?" "Vinny wasn't next to me when I woke up. I thought someone had taken him. Jani's going to kill me. Look at this place." "Where the hell was he?" Vance turned as Sam hissed at him. "A what?" he stared at the creature. "Yeah right, sure. Give it up Sam, you totally did this out of spite." "What's he saying?" Rayne demanded. "Erm...he says a...Cat man did it. Am I getting that right?" Sam gave a nod. "Yeah okay...he says that something came into the house in the middle of the night and tried to take the baby. So wait...did the cat man decided to help itself to some milk too?" he threw a glance in the direction of the toppled fridge and Sam just kind of shrugged. "Yeah sure, you don't know. Nice story there destructor, you're gonna be in deep shit." "Cat man?" Rayne arched an eyebrow. "The alarm system is on, how could anyone but a shadow get passed?" Climbing over the sofa, Sam nudged something forward that looked like a gigantic piece of metal with odd red parts glistening inside. "What the hell is that?" Vance was hesitant to do anything but stare. "Space aliens huh?

You're telling me that thing cancels sound?" "Sam doesn't control fire," Rayne noticed the charred portion of the wall. "The stove isn't on. Vance...why would he want to drag Vinny out of bed? He can't stand him. This guy knows where we live!" "Yeah well what would he be doing here in the first place, huh Sam?" Vance still wasn’t sure he bought it. "Protecting the baby? Pfth yeah right, that's a good one. Maybe you can tell that to Jani, oh wait that's right, she can't understand you. Tough luck there Sammy. Looks like somebody’s gonna be in a looot a trouble." "Come on Vance, he's allowed to come here," Rayne looked down at Vincent. "Who was in my room?" "Ad man." "Bad man Vinny?" Vance took his hands and began to spread the boy’s fingers. "Was there a bad man in the house?" "Es..." "God dammit," Rayne swore. Vinny had been right next to her and she had almost lost him. "What'd you do with him Sam?" Providing Vance a bit of a scoff, Sam's attention shifted. "Hey don't you huff at me, and I didn't sign on to be the demon interpreter for the week." "Vance, what did he say?" Rayne cared little for his unwillingness to translate. "Ugh, he says it took off after trashing the house. He didn't follow it because of the baby. You know, maybe you should just bite her? Then she'd understand you and the two of you can have your lame little conversation." "What kind of asshole bounty hunter trashes a place?" "Sam said it was a cat man, have you ever had a cat? Cats are fucking spiteful." "I hate cats, they're pissy little fur balls. Take Vin, I'm going to start cleaning before Jani gets home." "Hey, you haven't seen Leah around have you?" "No, why?" "Sam wants you to say goodbye for him," Vance rolled his eyes, although relayed the message. "Can't I just call her over? I mean, she liked him even if you know...high school popularity trumped that." "What's he gonna do, grunt at her? I’m not going to stand here and play mediator to some sappy beauty and the beast bullshit. Besides, that's a face only a mother could love." "You can translate," Rayne said flatly. "Forget that, that's a waste of time, energy and brain power that could be spent elsewhere...like sleeping." "Vance please. Give him this moment, he saved your brother." "I have better things to do!" "I'll buy you hair gel, the expensive kind." Bringing a hand to his chin, he thought for a moment. "Please." "Ugh...ten minutes, that's it! And it better be a big fucking bottle." Rayne winked at Sam. Dialing Leah's number, she got her on the second ring. "I need you to come over, it's a serious emergency. Bring cleaning supplies," she added. Vance chose to ignore them both until Sam crawled over to stare at him.

"Oh shit…that's a good point. Hey Rayne!" "What?" she asked as she hung up. "Correct me if I'm wrong but, Leah doesn't know who I am, does she?" "I have to tell her some time. Now would be a good time to do it. She'll be able to deal with it better if you're nice to her-Sam." "Her Sam?" Clearing her throat, Rayne avoided their gaze. "I've started watching television...is that normal to say?" Vance exchanged a look with the creature and shook his head. "I've never heard it before and he didn't know he came with a patent." "Please, he's a plushie now," she said as she heard the door. Leah barreled in and her eyes widened. "Oh my god. What is he doing here?" she asked angrily. "I found him and his brother," Rayne admitted. "I’m helping him. Jani knows, she's cool with it. I wanted to tell you sooner but, the dance...I didn't want you to get mad." Leah didn't appreciate the dishonesty. "Is this what you called me here for?" "Actually no...that is," Vance pointed at Sam who laid there eyeing them. "I thought he left?" "He was going to, but he wanted to see you off. That's why Rayne called. She coerced me into translating for him, because saying good-bye to somebody without a voice box doesn't really work." "I thought you didn't want to say goodbye to me?" Vance rolled his eyes. "He was just being a mope. He ran out of time and it killed the moment. I mean, he just figured out somebody actually likes him and he turns into that. That would ruin my week too." "It's okay," she laughed. "You're coming back next year right? The solstice?" Sam’s gaze dropped further. "He says he's probably not. Better say your goodbye's now...either that or go back to Greenville and try and recruit his past self. At least he'd look better. I don't know about the smell though?" "I don't want to say goodbye." "Tough luck sister. What are you gonna do, put him on a leash and keep him as a pet? Look at that? That's not something you can just explain!" "Shut up, your girlfriend ran out on you." "Yeah well I got me another one," he jerked a thumb toward Rayne. "You're seriously dating?" Leah looked horrified. "We'll talk later. Those two need their business sorted out." "I think they have their business sorted, your ten minutes are up," Vance rose from the sofa. "Now why don't you two kiss and have your moment so we can all get on with our lives? Oh wait...I forgot, sorry there Sammy, looks like you’re going to have to omit the kissing. You might wind up infecting her. Not that she'd want to be licked by the likes of you anyway." "Shut up!" Leah snapped. Resting her elbows on her knees, she held out a clover pin. "Here, since you're Irish. That way you can say you're kinda lucky." Nudging her slightly, Sam closed his eyes and turned to creep in the direction the shadows fled. "I'll miss you," Leah suddenly felt very human.

Hoisting his brother over his shoulder, Vance stepped forward. "Where's Jani keeping Saurin?" "Vance now isn't the time to have a grudge match!" "No," he shook his head. "If anybody's knows how light affects darkness, he does. Maybe you should go talk to him? He might be able to help?" "Can we?" Leah wiped her tears away. "Come on, we should try. Vance can clean the place in the process." "Yeah sure, love too." Staring through and impending storm, the vampires shared a black umbrella. Leah was anxiously toying with her hair as Rayne unlocked and disabled the alarm. "Saurin? You here?" she called as she opened the door. Currently playing with a puzzle book, he had pulled the sheets around his waist and looked slightly less than content as the rain started heavy against the window. Pausing upon their entrance, he set the pen down and looked up. "Upstairs, doors open." "What are you doing up here?" Rayne peeked through the doorway. Leah was in tow, green eyes lit with curiosity. "Currently...not much. Oh hey Leah, long time." "Saurin? You grew!? No way, are you on steroids?" The facepalm was eminent and he flushed red. "Oh my god, I can't believe you just said that. Time works differently for me, Rayne didn't tell you? It's been three years since I've been back." "Rayne hasn't told me a lot of things," Leah sighed. "Three years? That means you must know stuff. Can you help us?" she pleaded. "Sam has to go. The holiday is over, but Vance said you could bring him back." "Slow down there, what's this about Sam?" "He said he was only allowed out during the solstice and it's over." "Oooh…I know what you're talking about. That stone he has, it permits him a certain amount of leeway, but as the years have gone by, the further it's gotten from its original home, the less sway it's had over the archetype. Do you know where he is? If you bring him here, I might be able to do something? But why, if you don't mind me asking?" "Rayne isn't the only one who's jonesing for a badass." "He left, we don't know where he went. Did he tell you why that thing was chasing him?" Saurin shook his head "That thing has been chasing us both. Sam can't jump through time on his own and if a portal was opened, I’d know it. That ship is still out there." "It came into our house last night," Rayne muttered. "It wrecked Jani's apartment. Sam saved us." "What do you mean it came into your house?" "I don't know...I woke up, something was off and when I went downstairs, Sam was there and the place was trashed." Rayne left out Vincent, not one to take chances. "You can understand him?" "Vance translated…" "Well if you get a hold of him before sundown, I'll see what I can do. I'd go with you but...apparently storms and you seem to be a running trend. Every time you’re around it pours, never fails." "Story of my life," she quirked her lips. "We'll bring him here. Just point us in the right

direction." Reaching up, Saurin summoned his blade. Holding it over his head, he closed his eyes as the diamond at the top began to give off a faint illumination. Vanishing, it dispersed and he looked back at the vampires. "Due east about twenty minutes from here, a small park, you can't miss it. Oh, and you might want to borrow this," he handed them a device from his pocket that looked like a one-way radio. "Give us ten." Meanwhile, having discovered a damp patch of ground, Sam for whatever reason, was well on his way to digging an enormous hole. The purpose of Saurin's device became evident as the girls neared the park and it began picking up a stray signal that sounded an awful lot like Sam's voice. The transmission only got clearer as the two of them came within range. Poking his head out of the massive trench, he stared into space and the radio came through loud and clear. "Hrm...I wonder if I can get to China?" Holding it to her ear, Rayne frowned. "Sam?" she called experimentally. "Sam, can you hear us?" Leah interjected as she caught the dumb remark. Turning his head, he not only heard them, he saw them coming. "Busted...oh man what is it now?" Slinking into the ditch, he tried to avoid notice. "Hrm...kinda conspicuous. This better not be about the meat keeper...I left the damn turkey alone." "Sam...I have Leah with me," Rayne pretended as if she didn't hear. "Yes of course you do. Because one sob story wasn't enough. Man where's Mat when you need em? Ten bucks would swear these girls get some kind of bitch high off their own emotions. Hrm...maybe they won't notice? It's a pretty deep hole." "Sam, you know Leah's really upset you're leaving. You didn't even tell her you're gonna miss her," Rayne mused into the microphone. "Miss her...if they stick around too long I might wind up eating her. That would suck. I am kinda hungry though. Do vampires taste like chicken? Probly shouldn't be thinking that. Oh well, not as if anybody can hear me anyway. Congratulations Sam, you've been demoted to the voice inside of your own head, your consolation prize...a brain aneurism to be followed shortly by complete and utter insanity, thanks for playing." "Hey Sam, do you even like Leah?" Rayne kept the charade going. "Is she on dope? Maybe I can get her to share? That would be awesome...until the lights go out. Fuck my life. Do I like Leah, yeah sure, why not? I can hear Mat now, gee Sam, you finally got a girl, too bad you had to be over your own dead body. I'd love to find the shit head who invented that phrase." "Sam, we can hear everything you're saying," Rayne stared down from above the hole. Shaking his head, his eyes widened. "No you can't." "Hey Sam," Leah held up the device, "think something," "Did she just ask me to think something?" he jumped as the sound of his own voice came out of the microphone. "What the...that's some crazy voodoo shit!" "Yeah we're voodoo priestess dontcha know?" "Oh my god…thought rape!" "Come on, Saurin's going to help you. We just used this to find you, so the faster you move, the faster we can stop listening." "What's this about fish kid?" "He can help you," Leah sighed. "We're wasting daylight Sam, let's go. It can only happen before dusk."

"What's he supposed to help me with, I'm already beautiful." "Don't you want more time for yourself? He's offering you a chance. You're just going to walk away?" "Maybe you want to show me where he's at? Contrary to popular belief, I don't actually know where I'm going." "Hold Leah's hand then," Rayne said as she turned. "If I hold her hand I'ma take it off," Sam looked down at his claws, which probably would have done just that. "Man, really missing opposable thumbs right now...some clothes would be nice too." "Stop," Rayne muttered. "Just follow the sound of my voice." "Follow the sound of your voice? What is it like follow the yellow brick Rayne?" he snickered and began to recite the song just to piss them off. "I always knew you were a little weird, but did you really have to admit your queerness by singing?" "Hey, I dare you to find someone who doesn't start thinking of that stupid song the moment somebody mentioned the wizard of Oz. And I'm not gay, that would be Mat. Then again, I'm still trying to figure out what team your boyfriend bats for." "Vance isn't gay Sam." "If Vance were any more flaming, he'd be on fire. I wonder if she realizes I could snap her in half like a stick?" he thought to himself. "Chewy piece of vampire jerky...man I'm hungry." "Shut up!" Rayne snapped. "Control yourself! Besides, I'd give you indigestion." Staring her down, he actually seemed to be contemplating the thought and what came through the radio amounted to a good deal of gurgling static. "Sam, come on. You can eat later," Leah said as Rayne quickened her pace. The static continued for a second before ceasing. "I don't want to eat later, later means the dumpster in back of McDonalds," he grumbled as the house drew into view. Still slaving over the puzzle book, Saurin put it down at the sound of their voices. "You mind if I get a minute?" "Go on Haine." "We'll be right outside." Leah closed the door and Saurin waited until they had left before addressing Sam. "You know why I limited you in the first place, don't you?" "Yeah..." "Leah wants me to give you full range again, but how can I be sure you're not gonna go on a free for all?" "Dude that was a long time ago." "Technically speaking it hasn't even happened yet. I know you've already run your mouth about the future. You can't do that Sam. This is your mess to begin with." "Yeah well if you and your stupid cousin hadn't messed me up in the first place, I could have killed that raving yahoo before it got this bad." Saurin's expression didn't falter. "We cracked down on you because you abused what you were given. We both know the archetype doesn't have an agenda. As long as you cause as much damage as possible, it's generally willing to let you." Sam did not respond. "We intervened because of how well you played that roll and how good you are at

playing the victim. You saw what happens to Vance Sam. I don't want to banish you, but if I give you free range again and you go wild, I might have to." "The only thing I'm gonna do is run that crazy bastard into the dirt where he belongs. Then you and I can go back to our own time and forget this ever happened." "You already know what needs to be done, you just don't want to accept it, there's a difference. Now I know Leah likes you and I know the situation isn't entirely your fault. If I trust you with this, don't disappoint me." Sam said nothing as Saurin summoned his blade. "You better have some self-control. The more you steep into that stuff, the less you're going to be able to walk away from it." "I know that!" "Just keep it in mind, and at least try and appreciate what other people are doing for you?" There came a bright flash from the stairs as Saurin reluctantly aimed the blade. When it cleared, Sam was himself again, or at least partially. He still held physical attributes in line with the shadow, including claws, his tail, and the two curved antenna off that ran the back of his head. Reaching into his pocket, he took to pulling his sunglasses. Both eyes remained a pupil- less neon gold. "Behave yourself this time," Saurin pleaded, though all he got in response was a grin. "I mean it Sam." "Chill out dude, I got this," etching a claw along the doorknob, it turned by itself and slid open. "Yeah I can see that. Do you mind asking one of the others to bring me something to drink? I'm starting to feel light headed." "Yeah sure whatever," removing Vance's tie from his head, he re-set his hat normally and waltzed into the kitchen to help himself to the fridge. Hearing him coming, Rayne stopped talking. "Miss me?" he tossed the tie in her direction. "Here, give this disgusting thing back to creepazoid. Oh and by the way, fish thing wants some water. I think somebody should bring him some before he shrivels up and dies." "You’re back to normal and even more annoying than usual." "Hey, that's my job." "Where's my thank you?" Leah asked as she regarded him. "Oh...oh yeah, thanks for the pin, it's cool." "Didn't I just beg for you to be semi-normal again?" "Wait...did you? Wow...that's dedication. Why couldn't you have been that dedicated back in Greenville? You might have inadvertently stopped this whole shit fest from happening." "Maybe you should've taken some initiative?" she suggested. "Initiative? Look Leah, no offense, but girls weren't really on my ta do list. Besides, it's not like you ever did anything but harass me." "Come on, didn’t you ever hear that girls pick on boys they like?" Sam looked even more confused. "How the shit does that make any sense?" "No one ever said it did, but would it have killed you to pick up the hints? I did invite you to my party." "Um, if I remember that one correctly, you invited Mat and asked him to bring me so we could discuss what to do with Rorik. And what are you talking about hints? You were Miss freaking popular. I was number one of the Dean’s List for all the wrong reasons. There were no

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 381 hints. Besides, when your whole life is pot and sleep, you don't tend to pick up on things, especially not the things that run through a teenage girls head. That's terrifying, and trust me, I know from fear." "I couldn't just date you Sam," Leah ate the crust off her sandwich separately. "I mean, people would talk and how would we even work out?" "How are we gonna work out now? You're cool and all…for a girl. But..." he looked down at his claws. "I think my relationship days are over?" Back upstairs, Saurin stared nervously at his weapon. Regarding him from the doorway, Rayne held out the glass. "Worried?" Taking it from her, he brandished a faulty smile. "You could say that. Sam's a good guy, but he's got a real issue when it comes to authorities. Ryan and I imposed restrictions on him for a reason. Not that he would purposely hurt anyone, but sometimes, accidents happen." "Leah can handle herself, she is my friend." "Leah's not the one I'm worried about." "You're worried about Sam? What's he going to do?" "I don't know, that's part of the problem. I'm not really supposed to talk about the future, but I will say this. Part of the reason Ryan and I so were busy after what happened at that laboratory, has to do with Sam and his behavior. I gave him that stone so the archetype wouldn't be able to control his consciousness. The problem is, it didn't have to. You don’t give that kind of power to someone like Sam. It's like giving an anarchist a nuclear bomb. He abused it...badly. The reason he was stuck like that is because Ryan and I put a hold on his powers. If he couldn't present himself, he'd have to stay away from people. I don't know if it was a good idea to give him back the capabilities that put us into this situation to begin with, but he might be the only one who can stop that thing." Rayne looked back at the door. "He really tried to be the good guy." "I'm not saying he didn't, but half the time I couldn't tell what was the archetype and what was just him pretending to be." Rayne shifted her stance. She knew Sam was a wild card and Saurin's worry transferred. "I wouldn't be able to stop him if he went that far." "That's the problem," he replied. "Nobody would." Back downstairs, Sam took note of Leah's expression and rolled his eyes. Getting up, he reached out to pull an apple from a large fruit dish on the counter. "Hey, you wanna see something cool?" tossing it into the air, he caught it again and ran his claws along its side in various directions. The skin melted away to resemble a pumpkin toothed grin while the apple began to cook. "What are you a magician now? Halloween is over." "It's November first, sue me," the flames burned until the apple disintegrated in a pile of mush. "I just got a new lease on life. I think I'm entitled to have a good time? Speaking of which..." Sam brought a hand to his chin and a dark grin crossed his face. "I believe some payback is in order, and I know just who to send it to."

Chapter 14.

Vinny stopped what he was doing as Jani walked in. "Rayne, Vance, where are you!?" she barked as she saw the chaos. "What happened Vin?" she knew Rayne would never leave him alone. "Ose," pointing toward the fridge, the boy began to bang on it. "Rose? Who’s Rose?" Jani had never met the entity. "Where's Rayne and Vance?" "Ose," he pointed again. Holding him with one arm, she went to peer behind the appliance. Sure enough, huddled in back of the refrigerator, was a tiny black darkmite. Covered in small red stripes, it bore a familiar tuft of over gelled fuzz and Vincent began to clap. "Vance?" she asked after a moment of studying him. "What is this?" Rayne came home about ten minutes later. "What the hell is this? What did you do?!" "It wasn't me!" she exclaimed. "Someone broke into the house last night. That bounty hunter trashed the place. He almost took Vincent. Look at the charred wallpaper. We couldn't do that!" "I come home from a long day of work," Jani pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm under a lot of stress because of our situation Rayne. I'm trying to plead your case. I'm keeping people away from you, I don't need this!" Holding unto Vincent, Rayne’s gaze dropped. "I'll clean it up," she muttered tonelessly. Saying nothing, Jani headed upstairs. "Where's your brother, I told him to clean?" "Ants...no..." Vincent shook his head and began to tear up. "Vance, where the hell are you, this isn't funny! Vinny’s ready to cry!" There came a sudden chatter from behind the refrigerator and a slight scuffle. Furrowing a brow, Rayne approached. "Vance?" she called. "What the hell are you doing?" The creature he had become stared at her with frightened yellow eyes. No larger than a kitten, he was curled in a nervous ball between the fridge and the wall, as if doing so would somehow cause him to be rendered invisible. Rayne knelt down and tilted her head. "Is that seriously you?" Pausing briefly, a rant of chatter took the air and he began to hiss and gesture frantically. "I can't understand a damn word you're saying. Stay here while I help your brother." "Want Ants," Vincent wailed, which only produced a rather comical noise as she bounced him. "He'll be back soon. Come on, I'll put on the TV and you can watch SpongeBob." "Want Ants," he wailed again. "That's Ants Vin, he's just a little different." "Not Ose...Ants." "Can’t you do something!?" Letting out a sharp eep, he scrambled to right himself as Vincent clung to him. "You're lucky you're a mite right now, so help me god." "Eepp?" "Yeah eep yourself," Rayne said angrily. "Keep him happy while I try and clean." Leaving him in his current state, she had little sympathy. Cleaning the kitchen, she began

to mop the mess of juice and milk as well as tidy the cupboards. By the time she had finished, Vance could barely breathe and Vinny had succeeded in patting his hair so flat that it stuck to his head in a slicked gelled mess. "How do you fix yourself?" Rayne eyeballed him. Vance shook his head and shrugged. "Sam did it. We can harass him about it in the morning. He's probably not to ready to help us right now." "Eepp!" he gacked. His eye began to bulge as Vincent continued to squeeze. "Come on Vin, it's time for bed. You can't sleep holding him like that okay?" Offering a pout, he did as he was told and dropped his brother onto the bed. "Come on Vin, under the covers. It's bedtime. Vance isn't going anywhere." Plopping him down, she climbed in herself and was asleep a few minutes after. By now the storm had passed, although it was still pretty grey outside. Thankfully, there had been no further word on the rider, or the ship. Rayne got up silently. She hadn't finished cleaning and knew Jani would expect it to be spotless by the time she returned. The living room was less of a mess, however if she had paid closer attention, she might have noticed that despite the door being locked, the security system was once again disabled. It was about fifteen minutes later that a frantic outburst of chattering came from the bedroom, followed swiftly thereafter by a loud squeak and a thud. "Vinny, leave your brother alone." Rayne set the garbage bag on the steps and headed back to her room. Blowing frantically in the wind, the window had been pulled open, specifically the one closest to the bed. Crumpled across the floor, Vance was unconscious. One of his legs had been broken and it almost looked as if someone had thrown him against the wall. There was no sign of Vincent. In his place remained a single piece of white parchment. Written across it in bold red ink were the words, "Trinity Blade, leviete Infant." Whatever it said, it wasn't English, but the message was clear. Rayne felt her heart drop. "Vinny!?" Upon seeing Vance, she ran to him. "Get up!" she screamed, despite the fact he was unconscious. Picking him off the floor, she hastily wrapped him in her scarf and tore out of the apartment in the direction of Saurin's. With Vance bundled in one arm and the keys in the other, Rayne all but shoved the door down. "Saurin!" she screamed as she barreled through the front. "Jesus Christ woman, do you know what freaking time it is?" Sam was startled by the sound of her voice while Saurin poked his head out from the bedroom upstairs. "Rayne, what's wrong?" "They took Vinny. They want the trinity blade! Sam, fix Vance NOW!" "Whoa Rayne, slow down," hurrying down the steps, Saurin walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Who took who? Who's Vinny?" noticing the creature, he furrowed a brow. "Is that a kitten?" "It's Vance! Sam, FIX HIM!" "I can't fix em Rayne. If you mean turn him back though, that might be possible. Lemmie just get some breakfast first, I'm gonna have to think about it."

Ignoring Sam, Saurin continued to try and calm Rayne down. "Who's Vinny?" he asked again. "Vinny is Vance's half-brother. That's why we didn't want you at the apartment. He's a soul eater too," she was crying, "He's just a baby Saurin and he's the reason Vance's been so nice. That biker took him!" "You're telling me the rider took a child? Rayne you do realize I can't just give up the Dawncutter...it doesn't work like that." "Chill out dude, don't worry about it," Sam called across the room. "I'ma get some chow, then you can do your little summoning thing and I'll lay that fucker to waste, game over dude." "It doesn't work that way either Sam." "Like hell it doesn't." "It's a ransom, don't you get it?" Saurin's tone became stern. "If you kill the guy, we'll never find the kid. Diplomacy is a must." "Diplomacy?" Rayne yelled. "He kidnapped a child! Vincent hasn't done anything to anyone. I'm going to kill him with my bare hands!" "If we don't know where he is, how is murdering him going to help? He not gonna hurt a baby, not if he wants the weapon. I know how these people work. Our best and only bet is to find this guy and try and talk him down. Judging from what I've seen, that's not going to be easy." "SO WHY TALK!?" Rayne buried her nails in her skin. "What the hell are we going to do? He's a bounty hunter, not some good Samaritan!" "If diplomacy doesn't work, there's always bargaining." "Bargaining what? You just said you can't give up the sword! This is a kid you idiots! To top that off he's a soul eater, what he gives him to Convera?" "What do you want me to do!" Saurin asked. "I'm trying to help you here Rayne, but I don't know any other way. He's not going to sell him, he wants me! Him too," he pointed at Sam. "People kidnap for a reason. If you kill the kidnapper there's a strong chance you'll never find the victim. I'm willing to try and reason with the guy, but if you're going to go start a war with someone a lot more advanced than us, have fun." "Alright be the fucking good guy Saurin, go right ahead," Rayne took out a pack of cigarettes and stormed out the door. "Nice going," Sam mused. "What do you want me to do? She's being irrational. If you address a situation like this in a panic, you wind up making mistakes that can cost lives. He's not after her, he's after us. I say we wait it out and try to find this guy when the sun goes down. At least then we'll be ready for him." "Yeah and what are we supposed to do about her?" "You're darkness, why don't you talk to her?" "Screw that dude. That's one bridge even I won’t cross." Turning his attention toward the scarf, Saurin gently pulled it back. "Is that really Vance?" "More or less." "You did this?" "Maaaybbbe." Throwing her cigarette into the street, Rayne headed back inside. "Why haven't you fixed him yet? Don’t you understand English?" Sam pulled the last packet of ground beef from the fridge. "What do you want me to turn

him back for? I like him better this way, less mouth." "He was in the room when Vincent was taken," "Oooh big deal," rolling his eyes, he walked back in. "Yo fish thing, get off the couch, I'm gonna reverse the charges." Saurin didn't look pleased by Sam's remark though obliged him as Vance was turned back into himself. "Happy?" "The kid's still missing, so no. What did you two heroes come up with? Offering him tea and cookies?" "I can draw him out, but it would be more beneficial to do so at night and we'll need to find somewhere discrete." "Yeah right, since when are space aliens discrete?" Sam grumbled. "He caught us in the middle of trick or treating, I don't think he's okay with discreet. He wants the trinity blade Saurin, that was pretty much it." "That's not going to happen," he told her. "All we need is to know where the child is...if you catch my drift?" "He's on the spaceship, where else is he going to be?" "I think what he means is, where's the spaceship," Sam interjected. "And better question, how the fuck do we get to it." "Our alarm system was on. We have it connected to the windows. There's no way we can get passed theirs if they don’t even take ours seriously." "Which is my point exactly. Without some form of diplomacy, it doesn't look good." "What about your portal thing?" "My portal thing..." Saurin looked back. "Doesn't work properly because every time I try and use it, something on that ship messes with the displacement field and throws me through time." "You think one of you can order a pizza?" Sam’s remark broke the tension and only elected a backwards stare. "What, I'm hungry man." "Well since we're waiting, I guess I'll go get food?" Rayne didn't want to stay in the house and any excuse to leave was a good one. She cursed herself for missing the noise and stopped at the pizzeria, ordering three large pies. By the time she returned, Sam had wandered into the kitchen while Saurin sat in the den in silence. "So when are we going to do this?" Rayne asked as she opened a drink. "We can leave around five. I need it to be dark for various reasons." Walking back in, Sam leaned against the wall. "Relax Rayne. You act like it's the end of the world. Just chill out. We'll fry the fucker and get the kid back, no big deal." "You know Sam, just because you don't care about anyone but yourself, doesn't mean everyone else is the same. You've saved Vinny before and now that he's gone, you don't even care." "We'll get him back, you need to just chill. Why weren't you watching him anyway?" "I was cleaning," Rayne looked upset though as Vance began to come too, she pursed her lips. "Vance...Vinny was, taken this morning." "WHAT?!" Saurin took a few steps back, and Sam stopped eating. Rayne lost her appetite as well. "I left him with you for a couple of minutes. When I came back, the window was open and he was gone."

"What do you mean gone!" Vance’s eyes flared a burning gold. "That bounty hunter took him. He wants the Dawncutter in exchange." "WHAT?!" in a frightening display of anger, he caught her by the scruff of her shirt. "WHERE THE FUCK IS MY BROTHER! WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU!?" "I was cleaning!" she recoiled. "Get off of me Vance! The alarms were on!" "You let that son of a bitch take my brother?!" he suddenly made to backhand her. "Whoa Vancelyn!" Saurin grabbed him before he made contact. "I didn't let him do anything!" Rayne yelled, "and hitting me isn't going to do anything either!" "Vance calm down! It's not her fault!" "Fuck you!" he screamed. "I hate you! Get away from me!" "It's not our fault!" "I don't care whose fucking fault it is! You bastards are all to blame! You let him take my brother!" "We didn't let him take Vinny!" Rayne yelled. "He disabled the alarms. We didn't see this coming." "Shut up! Shut the fuck up! Don't you talk to me!" he screamed. "I don't want to hear it from you. Just get the away from me!" Saurin knew a lost cause when he saw one and did just that. "Come on Rayne, leave him," he ushered her into the kitchen where Sam had wisely taken refuge. Regarding Vance with a look of devastation, she let him lead her away. "Don't listen to him. He's a jerk." "Forget that loser Rayne, shit happens. He needs to learn to deal with it. It's not like the kids dead, we'll get him back," Sam said as Vance buried his face in a pillow. "I shouldn't have let him out of my sight," she held a hand to her forehead. "If that were my sibling I'd be the same." "It's not your fault. Nobody in this group has been acting responsibly," Saurin threw a look toward Sam specifically. "Hey, it has nothing to do with me. That jerk broke in while I was there. You really think it would have made a difference? Son of a bitch waited for Rayne to come downstairs, probably would have waited for Vance too." "It doesn't matter, what's done is done. The only thing we can do now is try to correct it and hope for the best." "And what if he hurts him? What if he ends up as fucked up as his brother?" she cried. "I should've protected him better." Saurin took the drink from her and set it aside. "Come on, you don't need that." "I could use one." "You defiantly don't need it," he snatched it away though Sam hadn't gone for it. "So we gonna do this or what?" "I don't suppose either of you can drive?" "Nope...sorry dude. Why?" "Because we need to get to the coastline. We'll have the advantage." "You mean you'll have the advantage," Sam muttered. "Well yes, but not just me. The beach is dark…very dark. No streetlights." "Okay...point taken. So how do we get there?" "I can drive," Rayne said quietly. "I know how to steal a car too, unless you guys want to

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 387 call Jani?" "What other choice do we have?" Saurin got up. "We can't bring Vance, he's hurt, and I don't think he’d be much help anyway. We'll wait here until you get back." Rayne dialed Jani's number. Toying with his sunglasses, Sam slipped them into his pocket and reached up to crack his knuckles. "You better keep it under control," Saurin warned. "Relax. I got this." It was about ten minutes later that the sound of a car horn was heard from outside. "Where are we going?" Jani called from the driver's seat. "Just get us to the coast," Saurin said, "I'll handle the rest." "How will they know where we are?" "If I summon a portal, the rider appears...never fails." Rayne pulled on her seatbelt, aware a minivan was a monster truck in Jani's hands. "You have three minutes before we reach the coast." "Three minutes is all we'll need." Unfortunately that wasn't quite the case, as the moment he’d said it, the familiar rev of a bike engine caught the air, followed swiftly by the sound of gunfire. "He's been watching you." Jani nodded toward Rayne who was small enough to stick her upper torso out the window. Twisting the barrel of an automatic, the rider, now brandishing a bright red ninja bike, continued to shoot. "I can't hold the shield in public," Rayne cried as a tire exploded, causing Jani to swerve. Pivoting to the left, the rider stopped and threw down the kickstand as the car came within an inch of him and rebounded with tremendous force. Sparking bright gold, the barrier sent them into a barrel roll off the side of the street. Sam abandoned ship, while Saurin clung to the seat in front of him. The moment it made contact, every window exploded. Rayne was yelling and her head met the glass as it broke. Badly shaken, Saurin climbed out, though it took him a moment to gather himself. Instead of following Rayne, who was already on her feet, he went to check on Jani. Ripping off her seatbelt, she flung open the door with a swift kick. Covered in glass, her chest hurt from the steering wheel. The rider now stared at Rayne through the visor of a matching red helmet. His attention deferred however, as the darkness broke from the asphalt in a swirling vortex of black. Without batting an eye, he watched as the fumes smoked off the archetype, which roared loudly. Ten times more grotesque than anything Sam could have concocted, it was only visible through the haze, though as the rider drew a strange golden gun, the beast actually stopped. Emerging from the weapon, a single phosphorescent bullet launched itself out the barrel. Bypassing the shield, it caught the entity through the fog and there was an enormous explosion that blew the shadow to pieces. Re-holstering the gun, the assailant knelt to pick up what remained, all of which being a small white gemstone and the inscribed silver tablet. Rayne thought she was hallucinating. "Sam?" "Oh my god..." Saurin was beside himself as well. Staggering forward, he was somewhat reluctant to summon his blade. Thankfully, the rider seemed to have other interests. Pocketing the stones, he pressed two fingers across an earpiece with a nod and rocketed away in the other

direction. "FUCK!" Rayne screamed. Tendrils of black energy pulled down streetlights to bar his path and the car next to him exploded. Avoiding the lights, the flames did nothing and the shielding protected him against Rayne's assault. Oddly enough, as he rounded the corner the sound of tires didn't fade. A few seconds later there came a screech from behind, followed by the unmistakable sound of a shotgun. Having pulled to a halt a few yards back, another cycle, this one a bright gold, matched a new rider who wore a black leather jacket, face masked by a golden helmet with the same tinted visor. In his hand was a weapon, that despite clearly being a shotgun, looked more like it was designed for anti-aircraft warfare. Clicking the barrel upward, he took the shot and fired a bullet roughly the size of a beach ball. Exploding into hundreds of golf ball sized bearings, each one detonated the moment it made contact. "Rayne hold your shields," Jani demanded. "I'm trying. Saurin, a little help?" Stepping out in front of her, he spread his arms and summoned forth a wave of light outside her defenses. Swinging the gun over his shoulder, the new rider pulled away and drew a smaller weapon off the side of his bootstrap. "We should split up," Rayne suggested. "Are you mad? You can't run, your asthma...you're hurt." "They've got us cornered." "We're not going to be able to out run this," Saurin said as the light collided with the riders shield and petered away. "Maybe I can lead them of?" he suggested. "Get out of here and go home. If I can find Vincent, I promise I'll bring him back to you." Saurin’s weapon suddenly sent a massive streak of white light racing into the sky. Colliding at a midpoint with two more, they rocketed back to him and he was suddenly returned to the same angelic state he had been in when they'd found him. Spreading his wings, which were still in bad shape, he took off after the rider as a hover bike as it panned around a corner and the original rider raised his gun. Saurin launched a slice of light toward the bike. Knowing better than to get too close, he threw his blade with tremendous force. Swinging top over bottom, it clipped him like a boomeranged and sent the craft into a dive. Back on the ground, the gold rider took aim with a specialized gun. Running a gloved finger along its side, an odd blue light erupted from the barrel like a laser. Rayne intercepted it with her energy and as Saurin noticed, lines of white lightening rained on top of him, cracking his shield, which eventually shattered after the sixth or seventh hit. Seeing a window of opportunity, Jani went for the rider with a whip of flames. The attack singed the paint off the ninja as well as the leather on his jacket. Somehow un-affected, he leaned on the throttle and raced forward. Back in the air, Saurin spun as the original rider slammed into him. Cloaking himself in a light, it solidified into a shield and blew outward. The second the bike collided, both of them were sent sprawling to the ground. Jumping off the hover, the rider in red watched unwavering as it met the pavement and exploded. He had managed to land unharmed while Saurin hit the ground with the wind knocked out of him and was immediately returned to a human state. Racing toward him, Rayne held her shields. Cutting her off, the rider pulled in front of

© 2012-2016 Jay Bradt, Alejandra Soria. All rights reserved. 389 her and went to crack her across the face. Jani's hand came up before she was hit. Incredibly hard to twist, as she went to break his wrist, it only put more strain on her own. While the others were distracted, the man in gold drew a gun and fired. Fizzling into the sky, a long flare like projection exploded into hundreds of tiny particles that began to rain down on top of them. Shooting another round, he swung his bike toward his friend and aimed a punch at Rayne’s shield with such force it actually rippled. The chemicals were affecting her, causing her to sway and it was a sight that distracted Jani. Rotating upward, the arm she had in her hands suddenly began to spin and with a swift click and the tear of his glove, a bullet filled with tranquilizers was expelled into the side of her neck. Jani's head snapped as she felt the dart pierce her skin. Her fingers went to pluck it out, gold eyes flaring black, vision blurring as she struggled to stand. Holding out his arm, which appeared to be some kind of a gun in and of itself, the rider gave a slight wave and fired again. Jani hit the ground a few seconds later and it was quite some time before any of them would awaken.

Chapter 15.

They would arise to find themselves lumped together in the confines of a small white room without an evident entry point. Shackled around their wrists, necks and ankles were a set of laser coils that did not allow them to get too close to one another or utilize abilities. Rayne opened her eyes blearily as the effects of the drug wore off. She felt sore from the crash, however, upon realizing she was shackled, the vampire panicked. "Jani?" she called as she sat up. Jani did not respond, still heavily sedated. Also unresponsive, Saurin was laying against the opposite wall while Sam, who had apparently been taken as well, lay sprawled across the floor. He remained the only one of them who was not shackled and though his eyes were open, he bore no signs of awareness. "Sam? Sam come on!" He didn't move and he had no pulse. Opening his eyes, Saurin began to look up. "What's going on?" he asked groggily. "They caught us," Rayne scowled. "Sam's dead, or really dead." "Don't worry. It doesn't necessarily make him any deader than he already was. If they are working for that crazy doctor, he's gonna want us alive." "This is being alive?!" she snapped as she tried to rip free. "This is being captured instead of murdered. It's not great, but I'd rather be alive than a smudge on the pavement." "Your blinding optimism is so aggravating." Saurin kinda saw her point, although before he could recant it, a strange hiss ushered from the opposite side of the room. A door that had not been present before suddenly manifested. Kicking and screaming, a riled youth was thrown in by one of the riders. The boy winced and turned, though by the time he'd gotten up, the door was gone. Racing forward, he was pulled back by the same set of green shackles that held the others. "You're that little demon," Rayne spat, recognizing him as the same child who had led up the strike at the laboratory a few weeks prior. He bore the slight indent on the side of his face where Vance had nailed him with the baseball bat. At her remark, his expression shifted from agony to annoyance. "How’s your head doing shrimp?" Watching her try and claw her way through the binds, he spoke. "You might as well not waste your time. You're never going to get those off." "Just like we were never going to escape that lab, huh?" "That was a technicality. There were factors involved we could not foresee...but that's irrelevant now." For a ten year old, he had quite the vocabulary. Pulling himself up, he took a seat against the opposite wall. "Irrelevant? Why the hell are you even here? Is this their way of torturing us?" "Torture?" the boy arched a brow and went to readjust his glasses. "This isn't torture, it's business. Those pirates were hired by my father’s business associate to deliver those two," he gave a nod toward Saurin and Sam. "The doctor has never been good with keeping a fair deal, especially not with those he thinks he can manipulate. There was a bit of a language barrier...or so he thought. Apparently the one in charge didn't like that very much. He mistook me for one of the doctors own. Revenge I suppose? Spite, it doesn't matter, when my father finds out there's going to be hell to pay. You guys on the other hand," he shook his head. "He'll make profit of you elsewhere."

"Thanks Dexter," Rayne saluted him with two fingers. "How are you feeling?" she asked as Jani came around. "I feel awful," she muttered. "It's Drexel, not Dexter," the child grumbled, completely missing the point. "There is no door?" Jani asked. Rayne shook her head. "We're locked in. The door only opens when someone comes through." "Hey, you seem to know more about what's going on here than we do," Saurin said to the boy. "Is it possible to get out of this room?" "Anything is possible, probable however," he shook his head. "That's an entirely different story." "There must be something," Jani straightened her shirt as she noticed Sam. "What...happened?" "Someone must have taken the stone from him," Saurin reasoned. "If it comes back to him, he'll be okay right?" "He should be. I was under the impression that the incantation written on it was the only way to banish the archetype." "Yes, well good luck getting it back." "And who might you be?" Jani asked as she regarded the boy. "He's the little shit that was brought in here by the riders." "Kind of like yourself?" he gave Rayne a stern look. "I'm here because the doctor tried to give that pirate a raw deal. He kidnapped me out of spite. Funny, I'm not on his résumé. He just started a war with a whole other company." "The doctor?" Jani blinked rapidly. "What doctor?" Rayne had never told her mentor about her adventure to Cyprus town. "Doctor Convera. What, you didn't think this was a random act did you? After they got away from him, the doctor hired that fiend to correct the mistake. You don't gyp a pirate on a payment and expect to receive your prizes...although that stone you were talking about," he looked at Sam. "I do believe that was one of things that got spent off." The look of fury that spread Jani face had Rayne edging toward the door. "Rayne...what have you done? You went there? You went to that town?" her tone began to rise though Saurin cut in. "Rayne helped my cousin to rescue me from that madhouse. She saved a lot of lives. Convera isn't after her. I have a feeling you two were captured because of circumstance." "Jani, I had to help them," Rayne swallowed thickly. "Fat lot of good that did," the little boy muttered. "What are you talking about? We kicked your ass!" "You got a cheap shot with a baseball bat," he hissed. "Who are you?" Jani question. "Are you Convera's son?" "Convera doesn't have a son, and I was just following orders. That machine wasn't going to kill you. It was meant to harvest energy. My father is not a murderer." Jani studied him for a couple of minutes. "Harvest energy? You must be a Drexel," she said scornfully. "I'm glad you hit him with a bat, even if he is a child." "Well aren't you charming?" "Quite, but not to those who stand by idly while evil things are done. So what is the plan then?"

"These binds," Saurin reached down to try and manipulate the energy that bound his wrists. "They have some kind of draining property. I can get through them but..." "Let me try," Rayne held up her hands and Jani exposed them to heat. "I wouldn't do that," the boy said as the binds delivered a powerful electrical jolt. Biting down on her tongue, Rayne drew blood. Jani handled it similarly, falling to her knees as she struggled through the wave of shock. "Armatures. Those binds are plasma charged. If you try and expend an energy output over a certain amount of watts," the boy shook his head. "Look kid," Saurin grumbled, "you're not helping. Are you two alright?" "A little fried," Jani answered tightly. "I don't think it's a good idea to try and forcefully break these things. I'd summon the Dawncutter but I'd rather not wind up electrocuted...not to mention," he threw a brief glance in the direction of the upper left hand corner. "I have a feeling we're being watched." "Of course we are," Jani smoothed her hair. "Do you think the assholes who are watching us could at least give us food, or maybe put Vinny in here?" Ironically, no sooner had Rayne said it then did the binds around all four of them begin to tighten. Sliding back as it manifested along the wall, the door pulled open and in walked one of the bikers, carrying with him several bowls of raw meat. Still wearing the jacket, as well as the bright red helmet, it was impossible to tell who, or what he was, as he tossed the food to the floor. "Where's Vincent you bastard?" Completely ignoring her, he knelt beside Sam and went to check the boy’s pulse. "Hey you fuck, I'm talking to you!" Stepping away, the rider seemed to recognize her. "Argreso," he hissed. As for what it meant was anybody’s guess. "Yeah, fuck you too!" she screamed. Still ignoring them, he slung Sam's body over his shoulder and went to take him from the room. Slamming her fists to the ground, Rayne looked ready to have a fit. "He's not going to respond to you. He's a pirate, you're his prisoner, better get used to it." "Even I treated my prisoners better," Jani huffed. "I don't think he considers us people," Saurin admitted. "That's fine, when I kill him it'll be easier," Rayne said angrily. "I'd love to see that." "I'm sorry, do you want to get your head bashed in again four eyes?" "What are you gonna do? Throw the bowl at me?" "Stop it you two, this isn't helping," thinking for a moment, Saurin pursed his lips. "I might have an idea as to how to get around this...that's assuming these guys don't speak much English?" he looked at the child, who arched a brow. "Are you asking me or telling me?" "You know more about them than we do." "I've never heard them speak it, but they knew the doctor short changed them on the trade. Why do you think you’re still here?" "What's the plan Saurin?" "Well, you just saw him take Sam out of this room. I think, he thinks he's actually dead.

If he is a pirate, he probably wants to protect his investments. If something were to...go wrong with one of us, it might provide an opportunity?" "So who's up?" Rayne asked. "It has to be believable," Jani reminded them. "It will be...but we're only going to get one shot at this and the risks are high. If we're being watched then you're right, it's gotta be believable. It also has to be in their best interests to help." "Get to the point," the boy muttered. "The point, is that none of us can use our energy as long as we have these binds. The trick is to be able to manipulate an external energy source. I can do that, but in order to make it convincing…" he shook his head. "It's gonna have to be real." "I'll do it," Rayne volunteered. "Absolutely not, I will do this. I have a stronger pain tolerance." "Yeah Jani, but they already know that," she pointed out. "He's not gonna be interested in either of you," Saurin said. "Besides, you can't use your powers with those things on. I'll do it...I'm their investment. It'll make them jump, but you have to promise me you'll do everything you can to get their attention." "Like what? They don’t listen when we scream at them." "I think they'll listen to this. First things first...we need to get them to bring us some water." The little boy gave him a curious look. "What are you planning?" "Hopefully...payback." "So how are we going to get their attention Flounder?" Saurin crossed his arms. "Do whatever you have to. This is the only idea I've got and unless you've got another one, I'll be putting my life on the line here. I'm pretty sure they'll take the bait. If they do, I'll take this ship down. If they don't well, you won't be any worse off than you were before." "So what are we supposed to do, slam your head against the wall until you have a seizure?" Snickering to himself, the boy seemed amused, although Saurin was clearly not. "Get them to bring me some water. My lungs are amphibious. All I have to do is breathe it. I'm pretty sure they're not going to let me suffocate to death." "They don’t understand English Saurin and I doubt they know sign language." "They knew enough to know they were gypped?" he looked at the boy, who nodded. "I'm pretty sure at least one of them knows more than he lets on." "Kid, why don’t you ask for water? They won't think you're hostile," Rayne suggested. "My name is not kid, it's Dizrra, and how do you expect me to do anything when they're not even here?" "They might be listening..." "Yeah and if they are, then they would have heard everything he just said," Dizrra reached down and picked up the bowl of meat. Eyeing it for a second, he threw it toward the wall and it shattered loudly. Making a face, Jani looked at Saurin. "Should we do the same?" "It's worth a shot." More than happy to break things, Rayne flung hers as if she were pitching the World Series and Jani threw her own just as hard.

About three minutes later, the door opened and in walked the same rider. Standing in a perturbed manner, he stared at the crumpled mess of porcelain dishes and shook his head. "Instead of giving us rotten meat," Jani asked, "could we have some water instead?" "Aisho, Niyha," he pointed toward her and snapped. "Look, could we just get something to drink?" Saurin asked nervously. "Argreso!" "We can't understand you," Rayne hissed. "We need water." Kneeling down as the binds constricted, the rider rested on hand on his knee while the other reached up to peel back the helmet. Piercing green eyes met hers and narrowed. Sporting a tan, almost orange skin tone amidst a mesh of tribal markings, his hair was a vibrant neon red and jutted back in a spiked fashion. His ears were long and drawn, several intricate piercing collected up their sides. Baring his teeth, he exposed cat like fangs and reached out to motion for her to be silent. "Argreso!" he hissed again, before tapping her across the cheek with a smirk. "Doyjo." Rayne bared her own fangs, trying to mimic his unusual eye color. "Don't touch me!" she hissed. "Whatever you’re saying, I can't understand it!" The alien stood up and pulled away as the rider in gold appeared behind him. "We want water!" Rayne protested. "Hey carrot top, did you hear me!?" Stopping a moment, he held a hand in the direction of his partner, who nodded and turned. Shuffling his helmet, the red head looked back. Rambling something foreign, he glared at her and motioned toward the shattered piece of bowl. "We want water!" "Ay-yah..." "I can't understand your gibberish!" "He wants you to shut up!" Dizrra was once again met with the term Argreso as the gold rider appeared holding a water pitcher and several cups. Exchanging a brief dialog, the red head left while his partner stepped in to hand Rayne the drink. "Thanks pal," she sneered. "Saurin, you want some?" Taking the cup from her, he looked down at it nervously. Hoping it worked, he threw back his head and a few seconds later, began to cough. "Saurin?" It was easy for Jani to be legitimately concerned. "You poisoned him!" Rayne accused. Realizing something was wrong, the rider whistled loudly as Saurin's expression became paled. Yelling toward the door, he went to prop the boy up as his partner peered inside. Railing in a strange tongue, he shoved his associate away and grabbed Saurin himself. Neither of them seemed to know what was going on and they bickered amongst themselves while the situation worsened. Shaking him roughly, the gold rider turned. "What did you do!" he hissed, voice laced thick with a cockney styled accent. "You gave him the water!" Shaking his head, he picked up the pitcher, reeled back and doused Saurin with the remains. A blinding light filled the room as he was returned to an aquatic state. Exchanging a look, the aliens dragged him away. Neither of them noticed as Rayne wandered out and the door vanished behind her. The girl was left standing admits the winding corridor of a long black hallway. Done up

in an alienesque fashion, the only light emitted from a series of orange globules that pulsated the walls and ceiling, while several winding tunnels wormed their way in different directions. Brushing the bangs from her eyes, she tried to see if she could find a door. Cold and rough against her skin, the black shell was not the friendliest of substances. Traveling down to a single room, there was a keypad with odd glyphs that appeared to require a DNA signature to open. As Rayne neared it however, the ship gave a lurch. Wavering in a manner indicative of unrest, a groaning noise began to echo, followed shortly by the sound of warping metal. Growing even louder, the whole thing quivered and suddenly took a nosedive as an alarm went off overhead. Pressing herself to the wall, she figured Saurin had completed his objective. Upon hearing the alarm however, she began to grow nervous and started to run in the opposite direction. A few seconds later, the door opened and both riders tore out, followed by a torrent of water that began to fill the compartments. Ignoring Rayne, they took off down an adjacent hall and the alarm continued as the ship picked up speed upon its descent. Back in the containment room, Jani looked ill. "That's not supposed to happen." Dizrra got up, only to be sent to the floor again as the ship made impact and the entire thing rattled like an earthquake. Roaring angrily, it sounded as if the hull had been breached. Electrical wiring fizzled while malfunctioning equipment squealed and groaned. The door to the holding cell was revealed as whatever mechanism kept it in place gave out. To top that off, the bindings around their arms and wrists began to decay, fading to dust and flaking to the ground as they shattered. Unfortunately, they didn't have time to ravel in their victory. The impact had destroyed the front of the ship and the entire thing began to fill with seawater. "Come," Jani bade Dizrra, unwilling to leave a child in her presence. Not one to be told twice, he raced out the door. "That's not good, this way," motioning upward, he sprinted down the hall, which was resting at an almost vertical angle. Taking note of the lock, he shook his head. "I don't have time for this." Slamming a fist against it and the entire thing short-circuited, causing it to slide open as several boxes came tumbling out. "Dizrra, there is another boy on this ship. He's younger than you," Jani could hear Rayne calling her. "You’re talking about the kid with the black hair?" he asked as he tried to steady himself. "Yes!" she said anxiously. "How’d you know? He's just a baby, he won't stand against the water." Drawing a breath, Dizrra shook his head. "He's not on the ship and if we don't leave now, we're not gonna stand a chance either." Pulling himself into the proceeding room, which resembled a mechanics worst nightmare, Dizrra made it to the farthest point and suddenly drew from his back the six clawed tendrils he'd used to assault Rayne and company. Only this time, instead of taking them to the vampires, he bore them into the ships wall. Climbing out of the hole he'd made, he used his claws to peel away the outer shell, while reaching down to help Jani and Rayne who entered shortly after. "Where's Vinny?" Rayne called as Jani grabbed a hold of her. "Not here!" Struggling to yank them up, Dizrra stood as the ship sunk into the vast span of the

Atlantic. The edge of the jetties protruded in the distance. "I can't swim," Jani began to look nauseous. "Everybody can swim, just because you can't do the butterfly stroke doesn't mean you're going to sink like a rock," Dizrra wasn’t thrilled about it either. "If you panic, you'll drown. Just lay on your back and you'll float," his claws vanished and he jumped in. "No, no I can't," she said quietly. "Jani it's okay, I'll help you. No one's going to drown you here," Rayne whispered as she pulled her off. Immersing herself in panic as memories of a terrible incident resurfaced, Jani struggled to come back from the jump. Grabbing her arm, Rayne pulled her close. As the ship vanished into the Atlantic, the glowing golden electricity faded to blackness until only the reflection of the stars remained. Noticing Jani struggling, Dizrra reached out and offered her a lift. Furiously trying to keep her head above water, she resembled a drowned rat. "Where's Vincent?" Rayne asked. "Not on that ship," Dizrra panted as he set Jani down and proceeded to rub off his glasses. Holding a hand against her chest, Rayne relaxed. "Do you know where he is? Is he safe?" "Define safe?" "Where is he?!" "By now..." "By now what?" she shouted. "What happened to Vinny?! Where did they bring him!?" "Where do you think?" Jani shut her eyes, turning away to hide the tears that welled within them. "I have to get him back! Please Dizrra!" Rayne could only imagine Vance's pain. "There's nothing I can do. My father is a separate affiliation. Convera doesn't usually keep children too long." "No, no come on!" Rayne was screaming now. She had held Vincent, gotten him his first ice cream. He called her Ahn and his brother Ants. They had gone trick or treating for the first time and she could hardly deal with that sort of loss. An awkward silence crept between them, only to be broken as Saurin finally reached the surface; pulling Sam's corpse along with him. Taking note of them on the jetties, he swam over. "What's wrong?" "Convera has Vincent!" Rayne looked as though Dizrra had just told her the world was ending. "He's got the kid Saurin. He's got the little boy who sleeps with me at night." "I'm sorry," his expression dropped as he set Sam on the rocks. "No, no I'm going to get him back! He's going to be okay." "Rayne...I," he didn't really know what to tell her. Dizrra however was a bit more apt to deal with the cold truth. "You're not going to get within ten feet of that place. There's nothing anybody can do," his claws vanished and he went to ring out his shirt. "Be lucky you didn't get put back into that situation yourself. I'm sorry you lost your kid, but killing yourself over it is not going to bring him back." "Shut up!" she screamed. "Shut the fuck up because I'm getting him back!" "The only thing you're going to find in that place, is a corpse," Dizrra started off. Watching him go, Rayne screamed. She had nurtured the child and put her faith of the world into him. Jani knew her hope was fast fading.

"I need to find him," her lungs burned as she tried to regain herself. "Rayne, Dizrra’s right...people don't come back from there. It's already been a few days," Saurin glanced toward the coast a few yards in the distance. "Cyprus town is at least another day’s drive from here. I can't risk going back there, and I have to get Sam and I back to our own time while there's still a window of opportunity. I won’t stop you from doing whatever it is you need to, but I have seen what the future holds for that corporation...and Vance." "Stop!" Rayne didn't want to listen. "I'm not going to tell him about it until I get Vincent back," she felt nauseous at the very thought of confronting his brother. Saurin looked at Sam and shook his head. "Those riders aren't coming back. You two shouldn't be targeted as long as you stay away from industries like Convera corp. and Drexel. I have to go while I still can," summoning his blade, he drew from the rocks. Rayne was already climbing over them to get to land and Jani was fast behind her. Sitting in the living room, Vance’s leg had been healed, indicative some time had passed. Stroking Rose, who sat on his lap, he had no idea where anyone had gone or if they were ever coming back, and more importantly, with his brother. Returning to the house an hour or so later, both vampires looked as if they'd been through hell. Rayne couldn’t stop crying. The moment he heard the door, Vance was up and Rose went flying across the room with an eep. "Vincent was delivered to Convera," Jani said as Rayne felt the words die in her throat. The look on his face wasn't quite shock, or fear, or even sadness, but perhaps the look of one who simply couldn't process what'd he'd heard. Before they could respond, Vance bolted toward the bedroom. Saying nothing, he slammed the door so hard it rocketed off its hinges. His brother had been the one thing he could relate to, the one thing he'd genuinely loved. The thought of losing that, of losing him, was just too much, and no matter how horrible Rayne felt, there was nothing that could possibly rival that kind of pain. By the time anyone awoke, Vance was gone. Having spent the night in her room, Jani was not surprised to find the house empty. Grief ruined people. She had seen families destroyed by it. There was no note, no reason, no explanation, though the evidence was clear, and where he was, or why he had sought to leave would forever and always, be a mystery.