Chapter 1

I hadn't seen a movie for five months and we had not got a TV but still I followed the boys into the video store. They weren't going in for videos anyway.

The owner of the only video store in Santa Carla was Max and his eyes followed us as we entered the store. I didn't know exactly what had happened but Paul had told me that they'd been barred from the store and God only knows what had possessed me to join the boys in the store rather than go down to the beach with Star.

"Excuse me?" A woman entered the store, dragging a terrified boy behind her. He was wiping at his tear stained eyes and had a tight grip on the woman's hand, "I wonder if you could help us, this little boy is lost and we were wondering if his mother might be in here."

"I don't really know-" Max began mumbling.

"Terry!" A woman- presumably the boy's mother- exclaimed as she entered. I couldn't tell if she was trying to convey anger because there was too much relief in her tone.

"Thank you, I was so worried." She sighed, giving Terry a hug.

"There you are." Max handed the boy a lollipop and smiled down at the reunited pair. I couldn't seem to figure Max out, I had only spoken to him a handful of times- and very briefly- when he'd come across as grumpy but I witnessed a few moments like this that changed my cloudy perception of him.

Terry and his mother left after bidding goodbye to Max and the woman who'd found Terry. I allowed my feet to follow behind Dwayne as they walked towards the counter but kept my eyes on the front of the store where Max and the woman were stood.

"We only come here to watch one thing." Paul laughed as the boys eyed up the store assistant behind the counter. By now I was really wondering why I had come here.

We continued walking, following in procession behind David and were almost at the exit when Max's voice stopped us. His tone was so different from the tone he used to talk to Terry and his customers.

"I told you not to come in here." He didn't shout but there was so much warning in his tone that he didn't need to.

We all stopped, the boys had smirks threating to break across their faces and I just kept my eyes fixed on the ground. After a few seconds, David led us silently from the shop into the cool breeze Santa Carla offered as a reward for a day in the summer heat.

Paul and Marko were still laughing about the incident in the video store whilst David and Dwayne mounted their bikes.

"You coming?" David demanded running out of patience quickly.

Obediently, Paul and Marko stopped laughing and climbed onto their bikes, following David's word like sheep did a shepherd.

"Izzy, are you coming?" Paul asked.

I was all set to follow them but the beach and the boardwalk were beckoning. I could faintly hear music drifting from the beach and I was desperate to answer its call. Heavy stares lingered on me as the boys waited for my answer.

"I'm gonna head up to the boardwalk, I'll see you guys later."

David kicked his engine into life and started driving, leaving an invisible path that he knew his gang would follow. I didn't know where they were going; to cause more trouble probably.

"We're headed up that way; Star will be meeting us soon. I could give you a ride." Paul suggested.

I smiled and nodded, thankful that I wouldn't have to walk even though the distance was tiny. I tried to enjoy the ride but I couldn't: for some reason my mind kept wondering back to Terry. He reminded me so much of Laddie, a little boy that David had turned three months earlier. I didn't try to understand David's reasons for recruiting someone so young but it had something to do with Star.

Was Laddie ever like Terry? Did he have a mother like Terry's who was frantically searching for him? Whoever she was she wouldn't be as lucky as Terry's mother had been…

The Santa Carla boardwalk had become my favourite place on Earth. The noise drowned out my thoughts and stopped me from worrying about the change my life had taken. I could pretend that nothing had changed and I still ran the store for my useless parents.

But it wasn't true.

No matter how much I pretended I had to return to reality eventually. I didn't run a comic book store for my parents anymore, I was a half vampire and no matter how much I tried to deny it I would inevitably give into the endless thirst for human blood and become another trophy in the collection David so laughably called a family.

I had done well so far, Star and I had managed to resist blood for five months. But summer had arrived and made everything so much harder. So many tourists to enjoy the California heat. So many exposed necks.

"Thanks, Paul." I said, hopping off the bike as we pulled to a stop behind Dwayne. I had never been so glad to get off a bike in my life.

"Don't be long." David warned as I started for the boardwalk.

"I won't," I promised, trying to recover from the icy shiver David's tone had sent through my core, "I'll just try and find Star and then I'll be back."

Endless noise invaded my ears as I started along the familiar boardwalk. Noise that had never been more welcome. For the first time ever I felt like the boardwalk was my home and not the place I was condemned to spend my days. I had been on the boardwalk a number of times since New Year but this time felt different.

The music from the beach was louder now and I followed it like I was one of the children of Hamelin. A quick scan of the beach revealed that Star was down there with Laddie, dancing to the music. She spotted me and waved, before signalling that I should wait there for her.

"Is David waiting?" She asked as she towed Laddie over to me.

"I think we still have a good ten minutes or so before he sends the cavalry after us."

We started walking, Star looking over her shoulder ever few seconds. Following her eye line showed me that she was watching two boys- probably an older and younger brother- who were following us. The younger one was dressed strangely and looked mad as he nagged at his older brother.

Laughter paralysed my senses for a few seconds but they kicked back in just in time. Panic swelled inside me and I stopped in my tracks. Star stopped a few feet ahead of me, confused until she realised why I had stopped.

"You okay?" She asked.

I nodded even though I wasn't. My palms were clammy and I could feel tears stinging my eyes. A few feet ahead of me was the comic book store. Star was observing me with sympathy but Laddie yanked on her hand and she sent me an apologetic look before allowing him to pull her forward.

"You're chasing her." I heard the younger one say as they pulled to a stop ahead of me, "I'm at the mercy of your sex glands, bud."

"Sammy, don't you have anything better to do than follow me around all night?" The older one addressed his brother.

Sammy's face lit up slightly, "Yeah. Actually I do."

Star's admirer was gone the second his brother had finished talking. I wondered if I should go after him: following Star could lead him back to David which would be very dangerous but Star wasn't stupid, she wouldn't lead him into that.

Unless she gave in and made her first kill.

I sighed exasperatedly and leant against a sign that read 'Electricity helps ₵1'. From here I could watch the younger brother- Sammy his brother had called him- as he explored the comic book store. I knew there was a very real possibility that his brother wouldn't be coming back.

I froze as Edgar made himself visible, watching his customer as closely as I was. I scanned the shop frantically for any sign of Alan who turned out to be stood too close to me for comfort. I moved back a little but made sure I still had a good view: if either of my brothers spotted me it was game over.

It had taken them all of two days to figure out that I had become a vampire. What had been their final clue? The constant wearing of sunglasses, my immense migraines that vanished when darkness came or maybe they had seen my half visible reflection in a mirror or window. I had tried to explain to them that I wasn't a full vampire and wouldn't be unless I made a kill but it had been no good.

"Got a problem, guys?" Sammy asked, becoming unnerved by the way they were following him around.

"Just scoping out you civilian wardrobe." Edgar said.

"Pretty cool, huh?"

"Yeah, for a fashion victim." I rolled my eyes at Alan's response; blunt as it was, it was true.

"If you're looking for the diet frozen yogurt bar, it went out of business last summer." Edgar said.

I remembered that. The yogurt bar had survived a year which was twice as long as most stores survived on the boardwalk. There had once been a store that had lasted only three weeks, during which it had been broken into twice.

"I'm looking for a Batman, no 14 actually." Sammy told them and their expressions changed slightly.

"That's a very serious book, man." Edgar spoke.

"Only five in existence." Alan added.

"Four, actually." Sammy corrected, "I'm always looking out for the other three."

I felt my jaw drop slightly, where did he get a Batman, no 14? Alan and Edgar had spent years trying to find one. Sammy immediately started correcting them on the organisation of the shelves which would really annoy them.

"Where the hell are you from, Krypton?" Edgar asked, walking away.

"Phoenix, actually but lucky me, we moved… here."

A crowd of rowdy teens had gathered outside the shop, making it hard for me to hear what the three were saying but Edgar handed Sammy a comic book that I recognised as 'Vampires Everywhere!', a comic book that I'd read only because my brothers had spent months bugging me to.

"Hey!" Alan suddenly yelled and I jumped, snapping my head up, sure that he'd spotted me but I realised that the rowdy crowd had started running, stolen comic books in hand.

Edgar and Alan shouted after them as they started chasing them and I turned and ran back the way I'd come, catching up to Star and Laddie who were also on their way back. Star climbed onto David's bike and Laddie onto Dwayne's. The incident with Edgar and Alan rang in my head as I climbed up behind Marko. As we drove away, I caught sight of Sammy and his older brother, staring after Star with dangerous longing.