A/N: Sorry for the late update on this, all. I was giving people a little more time to discover it. I'm used to writing in my other fandoms where many reviews pop up quickly, and I haven't quite gotten used to how big the Twilight fandom is and how easy it is for fics to get buried under a pile of new updates. Thanks so much for the support on this story so far. The welcome into this section of has been very nice! :)

Enjoy, and please review!

...

Bree wasn't as disgusted with herself as she thought she'd be.

She hadn't believed Riley when he explained what she'd become. Though her cold hands, her incredible strength, and her desire for blood was certainly helping his case.

She was appalled at first. The way Riley stalked the poor homeless man with animal-like precision before snapping his neck and offering him up to Bree was nothing short of terrifying for the newborn.

But once Riley brought the man over to her, Bree crawled over to him, eagerly biting into his neck. Once she swallowed the sweet tasting blood, cooling the burning pain in the back of her throat, a wave of relief washed over her. Feeding herself was the only thought on her mind. The screams of the dying man barely registered in her ears.

The meal had been a quick one. She barely had a chance to finish swallowing before Riley commanded that she follow him as he hurried off. She didn't want to get on his bad side, and she wasn't sure what she would do without his help anyway, so she easily obliged. The way her legs carried her at an inhuman speed with little effort momentarily surprised her. This would definitely take some getting used to.

The 'hideout' as she'd heard it referred to as, seemed rather obvious, but she didn't bother questioning it. The fact that the warehouse sat abandoned on the dock didn't serve to ease her fears that someone would find them.

And to be honest, she had no idea what she would happen if they were found. Did any humans know about them? Did vampires have rules?

Bree's thoughts came to a halt as the burning sensation in her throat returned. She made a quiet hissing noise that surprised even herself. She wasn't used to this feeling... It was nothing like the hunger she so often endured when she was human. And even then, sleep would bring relief to that feeling for a few merciful hours. Such relief was impossible now.

But this was different. Once she felt hunger, her thoughts became consumed by it. She could think of nothing else. Instincts quickly took over her body; her fear of being reprimanded was the only thing keeping her from acting on them.

The hunger would surely drive her insane if she waited another moment, though. She stood up, hoping a little walk would distract her. She scanned the warehouse, looking over all the newborns; most of them were much older than her. She wondered if she was the youngest person in this 'army'. Her eyes finally came to rest on Riley.

She argued with herself as she took a few shaky steps towards him. She had no idea what would happen if she approached him, but she knew the outcome wouldn't be good. Still, hunger seemed to be driving her forward, pushing all logic for her mind. She faltered when she finally reached him.

"... Excuse me?"

She'd said it in barely a whisper, but Riley turned to face her as though she'd spoken it clear as day. She wondered if his hearing was as sensitive as hers.

Riley stared the young girl down, raising an eyebrow at her. His expression said it all: no one dared to speak to him unless spoken to.

Bree wasn't sure what possessed her to keep talking, but she did anyway.

"... I'm hungry," she muttered, the confidence slowly draining from her body.

Riley stared at her for a a long moment, his face expressionless. It was almost as though she'd thrown him off with the boldness of her question.

Finally, he lowered his eyebrows into a glare.

"So?"

Bree began wringing her hands together nervously, hunching over as though she expected to be struck.

"I... I didn't want to leave without asking you," she explained.

"Good," he answered sharply. "Because no one does. We stay together and that means you eat when everyone else does."

Bree desperately wanted to protest, but thankfully her survival instincts seemed to be stronger than her hunger. She nodded, holding her hands behind her back and stepping away from him.

Riley curled his lip in disgust. She was absolutely pathetic. The way she moved was akin to a kicked puppy.

...And unfortunately, such gestures were once again bringing out the uncomfortable human emotion of guilt. He watched the newborn as she backed into the corner, sitting down and curling into a tight ball. The hunger was clearly getting to her. Had she not been so young, he probably wouldn't have cared much.

Ignoring every screaming inch of his body telling him to turn back, he walked over to her, gesturing for her to follow.

"Get up," he commanded. Though momentarily surprised, Bree shot up without question. "I'll find you something to eat," he said. "But don't get used to this. You don't get special treatment because you're a child. You're on par with anyone else in this room. Understand?"

Bree nodded quickly, biting her lip in an effort to hold back the tears she'd forgotten no longer existed.

Riley smirked at her. Bree imagined it was because he'd simply forgotten how to smile. "Good. Let's go."

Bree followed cautiously behind her creator, hunger still dominating her thought process. She was grateful that he walked slowly. She wasn't quite used to the sensation of running so fast.

The late hour served to keep the streets of Forks relatively empty. Riley's usually tense demeanor seemed to relax a bit, the further they walked. It was this change in moods that gave Bree the courage to speak again.

"Um... Sir?" she squeaked, fearful of his reaction. Riley rolled his eyes.

"There's no need for that, kid. Riley'll do just fine."

Bree nodded compliantly. "R-Riley... What's going on? Why are you making an 'army'?"

Riley sighed, though he kept moving forward, not at all surprised by this question. They all asked it at one point or another. So he put on his best empathetic face, and began spouting the heavily rehearsed canned answer he and Victoria had agreed upon.

"I know it seems sketchy on the surface, Bree. But it's for the good of all of us, I promise."

Bree nearly stumbled over in shock at the sudden change in attitude. Up until now, Riley had been extremely short and cruel with her. Suddenly, his expression was soft, and his tone was warm and inviting. It was actually a bit unsettling. Almost as though he was using his advantages as a predator to reel her in.

"W-Why?" she asked. She stood up a big straighter, her confidence returning. "What are we doing this for?"

Riley walked briskly ahead, scanning his eyes around the empty streets.

"Because there's another group of vampires that live here. And the more vampires in the area, the more competition there is for food."

Bree thought about this for a moment. "That makes sense I guess."

Riley nodded. "And I created you and a few others to help us take them down. Then you can eat what you want, whenever you want." After a brief pause, he narrowed his eyes. "Within reason."

Bree crinkled her nose. "What does that mean?"

"It means that if you can't control yourself, you will die, and there's no getting around it."

Bree's eyes widened in horror. "I didn't know vampires could die," she whispered.

Riley stopped walking so abruptly that Bree ran into him with a small 'oof'. He smiled, leaning down to her level. She had to admit, the gesture looked extremely strange on him.

"Bree, I would never let anything happen to you," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I created you, and I will take full responsibility for anything that happens. And that means that I won't let you die. All right?"

Bree sniffed before offering a smile of her own, and nodding. "Okay."

Riley's smile once again twisted into a smirk, pleased with himself at how easily the newborn gobbled up his lie, just like the others had.

"Good. Stay here and keep quiet."

Bree took a step back as Riley rushed forward, pouncing on an unsuspecting human up ahead.

She wanted desperately to believe him.

But somewhere, deep down, something still didn't feel right.