Chapter 1:

Jae Collins sat cross legged in front of the burned building. She dropped her head and let what was left of her singed hair fall in front of her face, creating a dark brown veil.

"Jae…," he called.

She knew she shouldn't go, but she stood up and started walking towards the park near her home.

"Jae…," again he spoke her name, drawing her towards him.

She started to walk into the trees. Why shouldn't she go to him? Her family was missing. He controlled her friends. He's won, she thought to herself.

"Jae…," the voice sounded closer.

She forgot everything she was thinking and started to spin around wildly looking for him. Each shadow made her heart jump with hope, and with fear.

"What am I doing?" Jae whispered to herself. She sat down and leaned against a nearby tree.

She closed her eyes to think, I'm lost in Ward Park, my family's M.I.A., my friends are controlled by HIM, I don't even know who HE is, AND I can't trust anyone!

At some point during her mental rant Jae started crying. Noticing the tears Jae tried to stop herself, but instead started to really cry and scream until she wore herself out and fell asleep.

"Jae! I was worried sick about you," someone shouted running up to the tree Jae was lying against.

Jae blinked and mumbled sleepily.

"Logan, Gregg, Romane! Come here! I found her!"

"Shhh," Jae murmured into her own arm, still mostly asleep.

"What's wrong with her, Gaia?" Logan whispered staring worriedly at Jae's unconscious figure.

The man who had been calling Jae's name the night before silently came up behind the four unnoticed and, one by one, placed a hand on their shoulders putting them under his control. They stood still as statues side by side, staring blankly ahead. No emotion was played out on their faces.

The man went over to Jae and stroked her face gently, making her twitch in her sleep. "Shh. It's okay. I'm here."

At this Jae shot up into a sitting position and grabbed the hand that was on her cheek. Her eyes were wide and for a moment she seemed frazzled by her surroundings, but, in a moment, she collected herself and fixed a glare on the gaping man whose wrist she had a death grip on.

"Who are you?" Jae hissed through her teeth. The man simply gawked at her. "Who are you?" Jae repeated louder, focusing now on her friends who were frozen in place. She threw the man's arm down and walked over to Logan.

"Logan! LOGAN! LOGAN!" she shouted his name again and again with no response. Panic rising up in her she ran from person to person screaming at them and shaking them, but all they did was stare straight ahead. Giving up, she turned to the man who had stood up and brush the dirt and leaves off his pants.

"What did you do?" she said, sending another glare in his direction. She already had an idea about what he had done to her friends.

The man composed himself and said, "Which question do you want to know the answer to first?"

Jae was not in the mood for jokes. She picked up a branch and ran towards the man.
"Stop her!" he yelled. Quickly Logan and Gregg grabbed Jae and slightly lifted her off the ground. She kicked and flailed her arms half heartedly, not wanting to hurt her friends.

"Your friends are fine. They are just under my control. They'll be fine when I leave. They'll just be a little confused and think that they were asleep," he walked closer to where Jae was being held, "I'm Roland, to answer your first question."

"You're horrible," Jae spat, "Just leave me alone!" She was on the verge of tears. She wanted her friends back to the way they were, she wanted her family back, but maybe that was wishing for too much.

"Alright," Roland said and started to walk away. Her friends remained still and Jae began to get worried. She was about to call out to Roland to tell him her friends were not okay, but right then Logan and Gregg dropped her, but remained standing like statues. Suddenly, Jae realized how tired she was and she curled up to sleep right where she was.

Jae was awakened by Logan and Gaia picking up her upper body and Romane picking her up by her feet. Logan and Gaia threw her, not very gently, over Gregg's shoulder and the group began to walk. Romane came up next to Jae and handed her a note. She decided not to read it because her mind was still too clouded with sleep and fatigue.

Eventually the sunrise woke her up enough that she decided to read the crumbled piece of paper in her left hand.

My Dear Jae,

Sorry to wake you. You look like you could've slept much more, but there will be time to sleep later. Right now, I think it's time that we met formally and had a talk.

Roland

Jae closed her fist around the piece of paper and let it drop to the ground. They had been walking for nearly half an hour and Gregg seemed to be getting tired. She tried to suggest that she could walk on her own, but no one paid any attention to her. She gave up and closed her eyes, relaxing into Greggs shoulder. The rocking of walking eventually lulled her to sleep. It seemed for only a moment though, because immediately after she drifted off, she was being set down on the ground in a clearing in the forest. Why they had walked for nearly an hour to show up in a spot identical to where she was baffled her. Romane and Gaia remained next to her, but Logan and Gregg moved back to the edge of the clearing. Jae sat there for a while, but Roland didn't show up, so she turned onto her side and closed her eyes hoping to fall asleep before he could arrive, but unfortunately Roland jumped down out of a tree before she had even gotten comfortable.

"Hello there," Roland said, bending down to look Jae in the eye. Jae sat up and Roland stood up straight.

"You said you wanted to talk, so spit it out! Oh! And by the way, my friends didn't wake up when you left! LIAR!" At this point Jae spit on him and turned around. She started walking out of the clearing, but a heavy hand landed on her shoulder and she stood still for a minute before collapsing backward into Roland's arms, completely asleep.

"Poor girl," Roland mumbled before standing her back up and snapping her fingers to bring her back to consciousness. "Are you ready to stop yelling and listen to me?" he stated, the frustration he had been holding back seeping into his voice.

Jae nodded. She was starting to become afraid. She was realizing how powerful he was, and she was scared.

Realizing what he'd done, Roland took a soft step forward and tentatively reached his hand out. Jae walked backwards, trying to keep the distance between them, but ended up walking into a tree. She backed up against the tree as far as she could and darted her eyes back and forth wildly.

"It's okay. I won't hurt you. Come on," Roland held out his hand for Jae to take. Jae stayed where she was, frozen. Roland let his hand drift back to his side. "Okay. Well, you ask questions and I'll give you answers. But don't run off. I'll catch you."

At this Jae relaxed. "Why are you doing this to me?" Jae asked, on the verge of tears. She was tired and this was almost too much.

"Because I love you," Roland replied, "I've loved you since I first saw you at the pizza shop on Hart street with your friends." He gestured towards Romane, Gaia, Logan, and Gregg.

"What's wrong with them?" Jae whimpered, "You said they'd be okay when you left."

"They will be, but I want someone to watch over you while I'm gone. This is the only reliable way I know to watch you. I thought you would be more comfortable if it was your friends," he looked down sheepishly.

"Well, it doesn't. Leave them alone please. Where did you go, anyway?"

Roland clapped his hands and the four of them walked off into the trees. "Where are they going?" Jae asked, concerned.

"I sent them home. Just like you asked." Roland looked up at her for forgiveness, but Jae was to busy watching her friends walk home to notice. "They'll be fine. They'll wake up in their beds and think it was nothing but a dream."

Jae turned her attention back to Roland, who had unconsciously inched closer to her. She stepped around him and walked into the middle of the clearing. "Who are you? What are you? How did you do that?" Jae started shouting, gesturing wildly. She was near hysterics.

Roland took two steps towards her wanting to hold her and comfort her, but he stopped himself. He wasn't sure how she would react to that.

"I'm Roland. I'm, what your society would call, a vampire. And if you're okay with the last thing I just said I'll explain how I was able to control your friends."

Jae sunk down to the ground, pulled her knees to her chest, wrapped her arms around her legs, tucked her head down, and started crying. Roland walked over and took a seat a couple feet in front of her. He let her cry for a little while.

"Jae, are you alright?" Roland asked real concern in his voice.

"Mm hmm," Jae responded nodding her head slightly.

"Will you please look at me?"

"Nn nhhn," she shook her head.

"Why not?" Roland asked, getting very worried now.

"'Cause I'm scared." Jae murmured into herself, just loud enough that Roland could hear her.

"I won't hurt you. Please. Just look up at me and tell me that you're alright," Roland put his hand on Jae's neck, and she didn't move away from it.

"It's too much, too much, too much," she whimpered peeking up from behind her knees. She inched closer to Roland, who wrapped her in a hug and rocked her to sleep.