Chapter 7

By the next morning, most of the previous day was just a blur in Amber's memory, but the conversation with David remained vivid in her mind. By the time she got off work she was full of questions-and more than a little trepidation. What would it be like to be a vampire? Was she really going to be able to go through with this?

The Lost Boys appeared on Amber's doorstep about an hour after nightfall. She let them in, and David led her over to the couch while Marko, Paul and Dwayne disappeared into the kitchen.

"You ready?" David asked.

Amber nodded almost without realizing it. David smiled, eyes glittering brightly. Then he rolled up his sleeve, bit into his arm, and offered her the bleeding wound.

Hesitantly, she took his wrist, lowering her head to drink. She swallowed a mouthful, trying not to wince. There was nothing recognizably different about the taste of his blood, although it didn't seem to make her nauseous.

The other boys returned from the kitchen, cheering wildly. David slid his free arm around her shoulders, whispering into her ear.

"Good," he murmured. "Soon you'll be one of us."

Amber let her eyes slide closed. She could recognize his persuasion now, but felt assured there was no need to resist it, allowing it to settle her nerves as she drank. She was already starting to get used to the taste of his blood. It didn't seem as sharp as it had at first, and the usual sanguine tang seemed milder...

...she kind of liked it.

David soon withdrew his arm and the others came forward. Marko handed her a glass full of their blood, and again she drank to the sound of their cheering. She licked the last of the blood off her lips and smiled, feeling lightheaded.

The rest of the night passed in a haze. There was eating, and they had a movie playing, but she found it difficult to focus. She remembered afterward that David gave her more blood to drink out of a thermos, which left her dazed and bordering on unconsciousness.

The next thing she knew, the boys were gathering at the door to leave.

"The sun'll be up soon," David told her. "We'll be back for you tomorrow evening."

Amber nodded slightly before letting her head fall back on the armrest, and almost immediately she was asleep.

David stood over her for a moment and listened to her heart struggling, sometimes stronger and sometimes weaker, as her body was slowly overcome by the effects of their blood. Smiling darkly, he turned toward the door, and the boys let themselves out.


Amber squirmed awake, heart pounding, the distant nagging tingle of unease disspelled briefly by the insistent beep of her alarm clock. She glanced over at the display and winced slightly. It couldn't be eleven already.

Amber staggered into the bathroom and managed to get dressed, but she felt sluggish. She felt her forehead, but it didn't seem like she had a fever. She paused to rest a moment on the edge of the tub, and might have sat there all day if the sound of a car horn hadn't brought her out of her stupor. She peeked out the window to see Jackie, one of her coworkers, waiting below.

Amber opened the door and trudged down the stairs to her friend's car. She was having a hard time just making her arms and legs work, but she had to make sure the boys were okay. Just for her own peace of mind. And then she could go back to sleep.

"Are you all right, Amber?" Jackie asked. "You look like crud. Maybe you should stay home."

"No," Amber replied hoarsely. "I need you to take me to Hudson's Bluff."

Jackie looked at her doubtfully. "I really don't think you should be going anywhere, Amber. Seriously, you don't look good."

"Please," Amber insisted. "It's important."

The other girl sighed. "How long will this take? I don't want to be late for work."

Amber climbed into the back seat. "You can just drop me off on the side of the road."

The car pulled away from the curb, and Amber immediately nodded off.


"Amber!"

For a second she thought it was David's voice, and she sat up sharply, almost banging her head on the roof of the car. "What?"

"We're here."

Amber stared hard out the window, struggling to see through the blackness creeping in from the edges of her vision, and just barely made out the lighthouse standing out on the point. Sighing a little, she pushed open the car door and stumbled out into the sunlight. A gleam of metal caught her eye, and she noticed another car parked near the top of the stairs.

"What time do you want me to pick you up?" Jackie asked.

"Don't," Amber replied simply, closing the door and staggering over to the cliff.

Jackie shook her head but drove off, and Amber started down the stairs. The sunlight prickled unpleasantly against her skin, and her eyelids kept drooping. When she reached the cave entrance she nearly ran into a young man carrying a bundle. The two stopped and stared at each other, and Amber belatedly realized the bundle was Laddie. A stronger sense of foreboding gripped her, and Amber pushed past him into the cave. She turned toward a back passage, picking up the distant sound of voices. And they didn't belong to the Lost Boys. Unable to help herself, she climbed inside, ignoring the darkness and the occasional brush of cobwebs as she felt her way to the other end.

The passage ended at a small cavern, where three teen boys spun around to face her. Amber glanced up in the direction they'd been looking a second ago, and her jaw dropped open as she saw the Lost Boys hanging from the rafters like a flock of giant bats.

Amber turned back to the kids, noticing the wooden stakes peeking out of their backpacks, and bristled.

"Get out," she ordered, forcing more confidence in her voice than she really felt.

"She must be one of them," one of the boys whispered to his fellows. "Get her!"


David awoke with a jolt at the distant pain that lanced through his mind, followed close behind by the rich smell of blood. He opened his eyes to see Amber backed into a corner, bleeding from a long gash on her arm. Michael's little brother and the kids from the comic shop stood over her, the latter brandishing wooden stakes.

Snarling, he dropped to the ground, lunging at them with fangs bared. Their overconfident expressions immediately changed to horror, and they turned and fled back through the tunnel, with David hot in pursuit. David took Michael's brother by the foot and began to drag him back. The brothers from the comic shop grabbed the boy's jacket and attempted to pull him to safety.

"Quick, get him into the light!" someone shouted.

The four moved into a shaft of light coming from a crack in the ceiling, and David's exposed hand began to burn. He yelped sharply and yanked it back, releasing Michael's brother and allowing the three to escape.

"Lucky break," David muttered.

Rubbing the back of his hand on his jacket, he returned to the sleeping chamber, where Amber was still huddled against the far wall. The boys had taken their flashlights with them, leaving the sleeping chamber in complete blackness. Amber couldn't see in the dark the way he could, and she tensed upon hearing his approach, not knowing who he was.

"You all right?" he asked her.

"I'm okay," she replied, relaxing slightly as she recognized his voice.

"Let me see your arm."

She held it out, and he examined the cut. He pulled out a few splinters, then bent, tongue flicking out as he licked up her blood.

"Better?" he asked, and smiled a little when she nodded.

"David, who was that guy outside?"

His smile vanished. "That was Michael."

"I saw him taking Laddie out of the cave."

"I know," David replied sullenly. "They've taken Star as well."

"What are you going to do?"

"Right now, sleep. We can deal with them later."

He stretched a little before flipping upward, feet catching hold of the metal bar above. He folded his arms over his chest and closed his eyes. Amber settled back in the sand to doze, and it wasn't long before she was also asleep.


Amber awoke in the pitch blackness of the sleeping chamber, and felt her way out to the main part of the cave. The faint orange glow coming from the entrance was rapidly vanishing, and she felt awake for the first time all day. Before long she heard the boys come out.

"You're going to go get Star and Laddie back?" she asked.

David nodded and held out his hand to her. "Why don't you come along?"

Her eyes widened a little, and she walked over to where they waited, her vampire blood singing from their proximity. The five of them walked outside, David put his arms around her, and they took to the air. Amber tensed, eyes widening as the ground flew past beneath them. Slowly, she became aware of the fact that she was crushing David's ribcage, and forced herself to relax a little. But not much.

They flew inland until they came to a log house in the woods. The sound of barking reached their ears, and Amber saw a dog tied up below. One of the boys from the cave came running out of the house and crouched beside the dog, struggling to untie the leash. Dwayne and Paul swooped down on him. Michael appeared from inside and rushed to help. The two boys reached the house and slammed the door closed, and the vampires broke off.

The Lost Boys and Amber landed in the driveway, staring up at the house.

"Invite us in, Amber," David urged her.

Amber looked perplexed. "I don't even live here."

"Doesn't matter," David replied. "You're mortal enough. Do it."

"All right... you can come on in."

David patted her shoulder and turned to Paul.

"Take her with you," David whispered, and Paul nodded.