It was a peaceful evening, the baby blue cloudless sky having descended past a golden sunset, now settling into a royal blue as more stars began to make their appearance along the night sky's journey. The car rode through small towns, quickly becoming farther and farther apart. The chirping of birds and normal sounds of everyday life were long gone, however as they continued over the miles of pavement, an even stronger level of silence fell over them. It was an unsettling feeling in her stomach accompanying the anxious knot that had already made it's home. As the time ticked by, she began to wonder if this road went on forever. They passed no more towns, and the silence grew heavier and heavier, which opened the door for her anxious thoughts to begin running rampant.

What am I doing, she thought, a wave of embarrassment washed over her. Here she was, an orphaned 18 (19 in two weeks) year old, sitting in the backseat of a strangers car, with hardly any money left after hitchhiking her way into the middle of nowhere. Even though most of the people who stopped to pick her up didn't expect her to pay them, she did, as her destinations were a lengthy drive, and sometimes quite a ways from where they were originally headed. Some were nice and didn't take much convincing once she told them her route, unfortunately her current driver was not so. She had been picked up by a women in her late 30s by the name of Nancy who was traveling alone on her way to her sisters on her own lengthy journey . Having spotted the 19 year old, Walking along an unpopulated road without a town within 20 miles and night drawing near, she stopped. It took a bit of persuading, pulling out her pity story, in order to convince the woman to drive the rest of the way to her final destination. She hated pulling the pity card, she didn't need it, and hated the idea of using her family as a way to cheat her way through life. But she'd already been turned down by 5 others and was desperate. Nancy was sold on the extra $100 dollars she offered her. Nancy wasn't trying to hide her annoyance though. The woman made eye contact with her in the mirror a few times, and she quickly averted her eyes, hiding them behind her fiery locks of red hair.

"Are you sure it's around here?" Nancy asked impatiently, muttering something else under her breath. "It should be." As if she had spoken some magic words, they began to pass a few lame excuses for buildings, some only half standing, with old bricks that looked as if they'd blow away in the wind. A look a relief glimmered in Nancy's eyes. "You're lucky I'm a sucker for sad stories." The woman said. "Why would you want to be out here anyway? I know there's not much else for ya back home, but why come searching for something here?" The wave of embarrassment and fear washed over her again. "I-I think I have family here."

"You think? Thats hell of a trip without knowing for sure."

"What do you suggest then?" The words tumbled out of her mouth, and she instantly regretted it. This women could dump her out here alone if she wanted, and she was already annoyed enough with her. Nancy didn't say anything in return though, and they continued without saying more to each other as a town began to form around them. It was fully night now, the clock on her phone read 10:04pm. She peered outside, and saw a big square shape approach them, too small to be a building. She could just barely read the words, realizing what it was. The sign welcoming them to Morganville.

She'd never heard of the town until about a week ago when she'd first heard of it from her mother's cousin by the name of Annie. They didn't have a great relationship, only meeting a handful of times before her mother refused to let them see that whole side of the family when she was seven. Her mother never really told her why, but her father once mentioned it had something to do with the death of Annie's son Jeffrey. He was only 18. She'd never known the details, and was too young to really have interest in snooping. The only reason she'd tracked down Annie now was because everyone else was either dead, in jail, or refused to speak to them. She had no friends that kept in touch after high school. Her parents had died earlier that year in a car accident.

Annie had hung up the phone the first time she called. But being her stubborn self, calling on repeat, she finally got her to answer. It was surprising Annie didn't just block the number. Their conversation was short. She didn't say the typical apologies of hearing about the death of Mr and Mrs Glass, and after relentless pleading of any other family member that might be willing to take her in, she finally got a name. Micheal glass. She'd never even heard of him, but apparently their grandfathers were brothers. She did some research, and found the little connection in their family tree. Samuel Glass had a son named Steven Glass, who had Micheal. Sam also had a brother, John. He married and had my father. She'd heard of John who had died of a mysterious illness, but never of Sam. In fact, she'd never heard of their whole side of the tree at all. She knew he was around her age, yet nothing of what he looked like. She didn't know if he still lived in this old town, or if he was even alive. Her family had a thing with death, everyone either dying young, or from freak accidents.

However, it was her last hope. She had no where to go. Yeah, she could stay home, in Santa Monica, California. She could continue working at the local grocery store, alone, with nothing but hurtful memories around every corner, feeling sorry for herself. Heck, maybe she would have if her car hadn't been stolen. That was what finally pushed her to make that call. It had been building up for a while, but she couldn't take it anymore. If she stayed there, she would have died, inside if not in some freak explosion or something.

"Where am I dropping you off?" Nancy cut through her thoughts. She quickly looked around. A few shops were in front of them, one which read Common Grounds. A coffee shop seemed decent enough. She could use some caffeine, and she didn't really have anywhere else planned out. Better to be let out here where she could ask for a recommendation of a place to sleep for the night.

Nancy quickly pulled up to the curb. She fished the money out of her wallet, and hopped out. The car was speeding back the way they'd come before she could even thank her.

"Thanks." She sighed into the empty air. It was cold now that the sun was gone, and she looked around her for a moment. No cars were driving on the streets. No people walked along the little strip of shops. The coffee shop was all that was open. She was from a much bigger city than the tiny town of Morganville, but it wasn't normal for everything to be closed by 10, was it? It was a Friday night, shouldn't there at least be a few people wandering about?

"Aren't you out quite late to be all by yourself?" She gasped, not realizing someone had walked up behind her. There was no one in sight just moments before. It was a man who looked to be in his early 20s. He was handsome, with flawless, pale skin. His eyes glittered, and she frowned.

"Not really. It's only 15 past 10. Do all small towns close up this early?"

He smiled. "Not from around here, are you?" She flinched as he quickly snatched her wrist in his hand, sliding the sleeve of her purple blouse up. He let out a soft whistle.

"My dear, you really shouldn't be out all by yourself." Even though he had surprised her, leaving her heart beat sputtering just a little quicker, she felt her body and mind begin to relax. He leaned forward and kissed her cheek, running his nose along the edge of her jawline, and down her neck.

Before she could pull back, she saw the door to the coffee shop open out of the corner of her eye.

"What's going on here?" It was an older man, who had long hair pulled back into a ponytail. He was wearing casual clothes, giving off a sort of hippie vibe. The man who held her wrist swung his head to meet the new eyes. "She doesn't have protection." He said, a smile still playing at his lips. The older man stepped forward.

"I suggest you leave."

Now holding on to her arm with a painful grip, he nodded once and turned to walk away.

"Without the girl."

"She's free game, Oliver."

"Don't make me say it again." Oliver took two more steps forward, a slight frown on his mouth. They stood there for a second, glaring at each other, but her arm was released, and the next moment she was being shuffled into the warm safety of Common Grounds, the aroma of coffee flooding her senses. As if being released from a spell, the sense of calm she'd felt only moments before was replaced by tense muscles and once again a pounding heart. It was like her common sense had been paused and then played, her body returning to the grasps of panic.

"Are you alright?" Oliver asked her, walking her up to the counter. The coffee shop had a few groups, quietly chatting amongst themselves, some sitting alone sipping on their drinks. She blinked a few times and gulped.

"What just happened? Who was that?"

"Nevermind him, girl." He looked curious and almost sorry for her and he quickly prepared a drink and slid it into her hands. She began to dig a couple dollars out of her pocket. He held up a hand and shook his head.

"Are you sure?"

"You look like you could use a good favor. What's your name?"

"Evelyn."

"What brings you here? Not many students are off campus this late at night." She was surprised there was a campus in this old town, but It made sense that even out here there were people who seeked an education. She could never afford it now anyway.

"I'm from California." His eyes widened in surprise.

"You're a long ways away from home. Well, if you're not here for the university, what are you here for?"

"Um, I've got some family from here." Another frown formed.

"Oh really? Who, if I may ask?"

She hesitated. "Micheal. Micheal Glass. I'm his cousin, Evelyn Glass.

He was open and warm, but as soon as she had spoken the name, a mask covered his face, hiding any and all emotion. All that gave her any hint at what was going on behind the mask was a slight furrow of a brow, which disappeared so quickly she wondered if she'd imagined it.

"Just a moment." He gave a small smile and dipped away into what she guessed was his office. After a few moments of awkwardly standing there, she walked over to a nearby table that was open, sat down and slowly sipped on the coffee. It was just the right temperature and helped to calm some of her nerves. Her stomach churned a little though, as she registered everything that had happened in such a short amount of time.

She didn't have much time to think though, because Oliver was walking to her table and placed a warm muffin on a plate. "Here, on the house. You're safe here, just wait a few minutes and I'll escort you outside." The warmth had returned to his face and she smiled nervously. "Where are you escorting me to? I don't have anywhere to stay yet."

"Lucky for you, Michael's wife works here. Too bad she had the day off, but it won't take long to get here." Then he turned and went back to the counter, watching her every so often, scanning the rest of the guests and cleaned.

Her stomach churned even more as she realized what that meant. Any normal person would be relieved. Someone coming to the rescue, no sleeping on the streets! Not for her family. She had no idea what to expect. Her family wasn't a normal family. They didn't get along, they weren't close. They didn't get together for the holidays, they didn't call each other up to see how everyone was doing. We stayed in our own little groups. Her family consisted of herself, mother, and father. She was the only one left... it might be easier to just quietly get up and find a motel, sleep off the jitters and try again in the morning once she was well rested and cleaned up. Oliver wasn't kidding about the short drive though, and before she could get up to throw away her empty cup, Oliver was back at her side, walking her to the door. The cool air splashed her face, and in front of her was a black hearse. She was confused. Before she could question it, the passenger door was flung open. In the drivers seat was a girl, dressed heavily in black clothing decorated with white skulls. Her face was almost as white as the guy she'd first ran into, thick coal eyeliner, and her black hair was pulled up into two pigtails. She hesitated but Oliver pushed her forward, and she fell into the passenger seat. The door was slammed behind her, locking instantly. She looked at the girl, who's expression was a mixture of confusion and excitement.

"Hey. I'm Eve. I bet you're having one hell of a night." She gave her a wicked smile and they were speeding away, away from the light and into the darkness.