The four boys watched as Laddie wandered down the boardwalk after a girl. Three of them turned with a laugh, ignoring it, saying that they'd come find him after, when they were done. One of them, a tall, dark man, ignored the rest of them, and instead followed the boy through the crowd. He was used to having Star watch Laddie while they fed, but she ran off a long time ago with another half-vampire named Michael.

"Aren't you a little young to be chasing after girls, Laddie?" He asked, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. He was shrugged off, and Laddie continued after the girl.

"But I like her."

"Yeah, she's a pretty thing, but she's too old for you, bud." He watched as the girl ran to meet up with some of her friends. "How about you come get something to eat with the rest of us, okay?"

"Dwayne!" The boy complained, stomping his foot down. "I want her."

"To eat?" Dwayne said, surprise on his face. Normally Laddie was a calm little vampire, he didn't like to fight, didn't like the chase. He let David and Dwayne and the rest of the boys pick his meals, maybe even kill them for him before he bit into them. David complained they babied the kid, but he was just a child, one who still saw things in black and white, wrong and right.

"No!" Laddie said. "I want her as my mother."

"Laddie, you can't just-"

"Well then, you better go talk to her, Buddy." David said, coming up and clapping Laddie on the back. "I say we're a bit overdue for another female in the group, huh boys?"

"No," Dwayne said, standing firm, holding Laddie back. He didn't want another one, not like her. She was so much like Star, and the last thing Dwayne wanted was to see Laddie hurt like that again.

"Sorry, bud." Paul said. "Dwayne gets the last say when it comes to you, it's always been that way."

Laddie sighed, grudgingly taking Dwayne's hand as David led them away from the boardwalk, hopefully to find dinner.

Dwayne stole one last look back at the girl, wondering why Laddie had chosen her. She was beautiful, yes, with her long ringlets of back hair and skin that just barely had a tan to it. She was in cutoffs and a loose t-shirt, with what looked like a bathing suit underneath.

Looking down, he saw Laddie staring at the girl too.

"Forget it, Laddie." Marko said. "You remember what happened last time."

Dwayne gave him a look for bringing up Star around the boy, but he only shrugged. Star was like his sister, and Laddie didn't want another sister. Sisters could leave, but mothers (good mothers, not ones like his) wouldn't leave.