Hi guys, just a quick note: the semester started up and I am in way over my head. I have so much work to do, hoo boy... So from now until June, I might not be able to update much (if at all), so if you don't see updates for a while, I haven't abandoned this story; I'm just up to my neck in papers, reading assignments, the works. But I will try to update anytime I can! Just might be sporadic.

Thank you for your patience and continued support!

[10]

Ray couldn't help but stare at the young woman before him. She must have been around his age because her very aura screamed youth. She was familiar, but Ray couldn't think of where he'd met her... She looked so much like that lovely brunette he'd met all those years ago, the girl who he'd wanted to see one last time and thank for giving him that temporary relief from his hellish life. Could it be that this girl was actually...

"Amanda?"

Her eyes widened slightly at the name, but her gaze shifted to something behind him quickly, her lips parting slightly. Ray could've sworn he saw fear in her eyes, but she lowered them before he could see for sure.

"I'm s-sorry, but I h-have to go," she stammered, and, before he could reply, bounded off towards the stage. He watched as she met with the vampire bartender, and both women entered a room backstage. All he could do was stand there and blink, wondering about what just happened.

That chocolate-brown, doe-eyed gaze, the plump pink lips, the smooth, creamy skin... She was the picture of what Amanda would probably look like as an adult, but her face was slightly different; swirly black markings littered the space around her eyes, nose, and cheeks. If Ray didn't know any better, he'd say he'd just run into Amanda's doppelganger.

As soon as he had gotten to his feet and the woman had offered a hand to help him up, the first thought that crossed his mind was that Amanda was here, with him, somehow here in the monster dimension at the same time that he was. Her hand was warm and soft, and he could sense a familiarity about her that mirrored Amanda's aura. Realistically, however, there was no way a human girl like her would be here in this club; he was sure Amanda and her family were—if they hadn't already passed on, that is—living average, ordinary lives free of any and all monsters. There was no possible way they'd know about Horrorland, or that they'd even be able to get here, for that matter; similar aura or not, there was no way that woman could be Amanda.

Satisfied with his own reasoning, Ray pushed through the crowd towards where Karen and the rest of the zombies were hanging out. He'd heard that the singer would be performing tonight, but apparently, she was running late. He had no idea what she looked like or when she was going to arrive, but he found himself unable to stop thinking about that beautiful woman he'd bumped into.

Eve hummed as she worked on fluffing Amanda's hair. She'd done her makeup already and Amanda had changed into a classy black tube dress, black pumps adorning her feet. Though she was physically prepared for the stage, mentally she was anything but ready for tonight's show.

Why is he here? Amanda thought, heart still pumping adrenaline through her veins. Why here, of all places? How did he get here, how did he leave Dark Falls? And if he's here, then how many of the others are with him?

"I don't mean to sound creepy," Eve commented, drawing the girl from her thoughts. "But your heart is racing more than usual. I've been listening to it beat extremely hard for the past ten minutes and fear is coming off of you in waves. Is everything okay?"

Amanda knew she couldn't tell Eve what had happened. Eve, while a wonderful and supportive friend, was a monster; the brunette doubted that the vampire would take kindly to hearing that Amanda had had a run-in with a zombie, AKA a fellow monster, and wound up killing him when she was twelve (well, technically Josh had been the one to shine a flashlight in Ray's face, but still). Said zombie was currently in this club and Amanda was petrified of having to interact with him again.

Ray had said her name, which meant he recognized her even with her mask on. If he wanted to, he could spread all sorts of rumors about her and then she'd lose her job, and then she wouldn't be able to help her family or cover college costs if another student invoice came up, and—

"Amanda?"

The girl snapped out of her frantic thinking to see Eve staring at her worriedly through the mirror. She swallowed thickly.

"Oh, uh, I-I'm just nervous. There's a lot of monsters out there tonight, a lot more than the past few weeks. I'm not used to such a huge crowd, and it's a little, um... intimidating."

Eve grinned. "A bigger audience is a good thing! That means you're becoming a star, sugar. Don't sweat the crowds, just focus on the music like you've been doing. You're one hell of a singer and they're just here to listen to that beautiful voice of yours."

Amanda forced a smile and Eve clapped a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"It's about time for you to perform. Are you ready?"

She didn't have a choice. It was either get up and face the crowds and possibly him, or lose her beloved job.

With one last nod to Eve, Amanda rose from the vanity and made her way out onto the stage. Excited applause, cheers, and whistles greeted her, and that actually made her smile; at least right now, in this moment, she had her crowd of regulars rooting for her. The new faces in the club watched her curiously, probably waiting to see for themselves just how good this new singer was.

The band handed her a mic and she nodded her thanks. They readied their instruments and Amanda took her place at the center of the stage. The song started up and she internally groaned at the song choice; she loved this song, but it was too powerful and energetic for tonight's state of mind. Amanda forced herself to look out over the crowd and she was met with nothing but admiration, something that helped to soothe her nerves. Just before her cue came, she locked eyes with a familiar ice-blue gaze belonging to a handsome blonde sitting in the back with other gray-faced people. Ray's gaze remained locked on her, his eyes occasionally sweeping over the full length of her figure before returning to her face. Something about his stare sparked a fire within her.

Trauma or not, this was her scene. So what if Ray was here tonight? So what if she'd bumped into him? Amanda Benson might still struggle with the idea of Dark Falls, but the young woman on stage didn't have all this emotional baggage to work through. The woman on stage who had performed for Horrorland the past few weeks was beautiful, confident, and could sing her heart out.

Dark Falls, let alone Ray Thurston, had no power over her tonight.

Her cue came and Amanda put all of her fear, all of her apprehension into her voice, forcing all thoughts about Dark Falls to the back of her mind. She ignored the memories about the blonde boy she'd watched melt into a puddle of bone, dust, and clothing in the cemetery after Josh shined his flashlight in the boy's face, as well as the odd but sweet girl with braids who had put it into her head to burn her mother's wreath. Amanda Benson was terrified of Dark Falls, but the girl currently on stage wasn't afraid of anything, let alone some zombie-vampire guy.

She hit every note perfectly, her voice shaking with vibrato at all the right parts, and Amanda noticed a few jaws drop when she hit particularly high notes and held them with ease. When the song finished, the audience was already going wild with applause and cheers. Amanda grinned and winked at her fans. The second song started up and she dominated the stage again.

Unbeknownst to her, Ray's hungry gaze remained on her, taking in her form with awe.

Amanda ran her fingers through her hair and made a face. She'd danced so much that she'd started to sweat a little, and some of her curls had given way to frizz. She grabbed a spare hair clip from her purse and tried to pull some of her curls back, trying to get some of the frizz out of her face.

Slappy had handed her a check that, as promised, was a little lighter than her previous paychecks. He hadn't said much other than 'don't be late again' before disappearing in that mysterious way he always did. Eve had given her a hug and offered to make her a cup of that blue tea for her sore throat, which Amanda was grateful for, but... Now that she'd finished her shift and her singer persona was no longer needed to take the stage, she'd planned to bolt out of here.

Even though her apprehension about Ray's presence had returned, a little bit of fire from earlier was still running through her veins. Horrorland was her stage and she was safely disguised; she was safe for now and had nothing to worry about. Even if Ray had said her true name, she didn't have to respond to it; she could find a way to play it off.

Amanda followed Eve out to the bar and waited patiently for the vampire to finish brewing her tea. It was when the strange blue beverage was placed in front of her and she was just about to let herself relax that a group of fans approached her, each of them squealing excitedly.

"Oh, it's her, it's her! We love your voice!"

"You're so beautiful!"

"You were amazing up there!"

Amanda blushed and uttered a few hoarse 'thank you's before Eve shooed the crowd away. When the monsters had finally left her, Eve winked at the brunette.

"See? You're a star, girly. Speaking of which, would you be comfortable doing a Q and A session soon? I can't tell you how many monsters have asked me about you lately and the only thing I can tell them is that you're Horrorland's newest singer."

Amanda, who had been taking a generous sip of her tea, nearly choked on the thick liquid. She coughed a few times to clear her throat.

"You didn't tell them my name, did you?" she rasped, and Eve shook her head.

"I haven't told anyone anything about you. You're the star, so you get to decide your stage name and it's totally your call if you want to give more information about yourself. I just run blocker for any rabid fans that are too pushy."

Amanda heaved a sigh of relief. At least Eve kept things confidential... If her real name got out there, then Ray would know who the girl on stage was, and who knows what he'd do then? She wanted to keep a low profile now more than ever, lest a repeat of Dark Falls were to happen—

"A cold glass of water, please."

The brunette nearly had a heart attack at the voice that spoke up next to her. Ray had taken a seat at the bar just two stools away from her, and his closeness was giving her enough anxiety to make her faint. Amanda didn't think she'd ever felt her heart thump so hard in her life.

As if he felt her eyes on him, he looked over and she quickly looked down, instead focusing on the blue hues of her drink. She wanted to take another sip and ease the soreness of her throat, but she really didn't feel like consuming anything with him so close by. Her entire body felt like it had turned to stone, her legs quivering, and it took everything she had to keep her breathing steady. If she could just get a grip on her breathing and get her heart rate to go back to normal, she'd be able to fend off the worst of the oncoming panic attack.

What's he thinking? What is he going to say? Is he looking at me?—No of course he is, he's probably staring at me and he's wondering how he can kill me. I should've called out sick tonight, I can't do this, I can't do this...!

To Amanda's surprise, however, Ray didn't try to speak to her. He simply received his water and sat quietly at the bar, minding his own business. Amanda managed to glance over at him a few times without him noticing and, much to her own chagrin, she had to admit that he'd grown up to be a handsome young man. That hat and trench coat suited him perfectly; even in the lively buzz of a dance club, he looked good in his usual get-up. His thoughtful gaze remained on the drink in front of him and Amanda wondered what he was thinking about.

She didn't realize she'd been full-on staring at him until he looked up and their eyes met. Blue bore into brown and Amanda felt herself growing calmer. Her heart slowed to a gentler pace and the tightness in her chest slowly decreased with every breath. She remembered in her youth that she'd been drawn in by those eyes countless times, drowning in waves of ocean-colored calmness. Ray had always been level-headed and mature and she had liked that about him; even now, as she lost herself in his stare, she could sense he was still as pragmatic as ever.

What was it about him that made her feel so attracted to him? She hardly knew anything about him other than the fact that he was a zombie and he'd tried to kill her.

"Hi."

It was such a simple word, yet it had enough power to snap Amanda from the calm trance she'd been in. Her body returned to being in fight-or-flight mode and she managed a weak smile.

"H-hey."

"You're Horrorland's singer, aren't you?"

She could only nod.

Ray offered a smile of his own. "You sing beautifully. I don't usually come here on Friday nights, but I'm glad I came here tonight. Hearing your voice was worth the trip."

Amanda swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat.

Relax; he doesn't recognize you and he's just being friendly.

Relax.

"T-thank you. Um... Where are you from?" A stupid question, of course; she was well aware of where Ray was from, but it would be suspicious (not to mention totally rude) if she just decided to brush him off or ignore him.

"A town called Dark Falls. It's a long way from here and it isn't much, but it's home." His eyes shifted from the glass in front of him to the tense brunette only two seats away. "How about you?"

"O-oh, uh... I move from place to place," she lied, managing a dry laugh that sounded lame even to herself. "Er.. I guess you could say I'm a bit of a drifter. I've been here for a little while, though."

"Really? How long have you been singing? Did you ever take lessons?"

Amanda felt herself relax slightly. Those were easier, safer questions to deal with.

"Actually, um.. I never took lessons. I just sing whenever I can and I guess over time, my voice just kind of developed into what it is now. Practice really does make perfect."

"Impressive." Ray grinned. "Well, I know I said it before, but you have an incredible voice."

"Thank you." They both returned to their drinks. Amanda was itching to say more and it looked like Ray was, too. She was about to break the silence and ask Ray if he ever sang, but Eve chose that moment to intervene.

"Honey, can you come here for a minute? I need to talk to you."

Amanda nodded and hopped off the bar stool. She followed Eve to the dressing room and the vampire smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, I know you're relaxing after a long shift, but Slappy just texted me and wanted to know if you were comfortable doing a Q and A session next time you're here. I know I mentioned it earlier, but he would like to know if you'd be willing to do one the next time you're here."

Amanda chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully. Eve had asked her that earlier and she hadn't had much time to really think it over.

"How exactly would it work?"

"It's easy; before performing, you would just hang out on stage and answer a few questions the audience may have for you. We'd give you a chair, of course, so you don't have to be on your feet the whole time, and you would probably spend twenty minutes talking, maybe more if you're comfortable with it, then sing afterwards if your voice isn't too tired. Would you be okay with that?"

Amanda had always been the shy, quiet type, and speaking in public had never been her strong suit… Yet here she was, a rising pop star in a world full of monsters, a young woman who had enough courage to get up on stage and sing her heart out for a good couple of hours. Tonight she'd faced her fear—well, somewhat anyway—and if she could sing, she knew she could stand sitting and talking in front of her audience.

Besides, didn't her fans deserve to have a name for her instead of "that singer at Horrorland"?

"Okay, I'm in," she gave a short nod and Eve clasped her hands together.

"Wonderful! I'll let the boss know right away. You can go back to relaxing, I just needed to clear that idea with you. He said he was approached by a number of monsters asking about you, and he figured a Q and A would be a good chance to allow Horrorland's residents to get to know you better."

That was reasonable. After assuring Eve that she was one-hundred percent fine with a Q and A session next shift, she returned to her seat. Ray hadn't moved from his spot at the bar, and he was staring into his glass of water so intensely that Amanda wondered what he was thinking about. She had turned back to her own drink when he spoke up, surprising her.

"I hope it's not weird, but you remind me of someone I used to know."

Her heartbeat spiked for the umpteenth time that night. She knew she was going to be exhausted once she returned home from the constant on-and-off adrenaline rushes this boy kept causing. She looked up and found that he was staring at her again, though this time, his expression was almost wistful.

"Oh." Amanda gave a nervous smile. "Hopefully someone good?"

Ray returned his gaze to the water in front of him. He ran the pad of his thumb over a drop of condensation that was sliding down the glass, gently pressing his thumb against the droplet until it merged with the rest of the condensation, effectively crushing it. Amanda wasn't sure how to interpret the simple action.

"She was.. interesting, I guess you could say."

Interesting how? Amanda was itching to know more, to ask him more, but before she could give into her curiosity, a group of kids came bounding over towards Ray and practically started dragging him elsewhere. He shot an apologetic glance in Amanda's direction, to which she gave a soft laugh and waved him off. Uneasiness continued to sit in the pit of her stomach for the rest of the evening and, although she didn't see Ray again and although the evening had gone a lot better than she had expected it to, Amanda couldn't get her mind off of him.

Right before the club shut down, she hung back at the bar and finished her tea while she watched the last few customers finally make their way towards the exit. It was only when she caught sight of a familiar hat and trench coat that she craned her neck around a particularly big monster, just barely catching a glimpse of Ray and other kids from Dark Falls following Ray to the double doors that led outside.

...Except, they weren't exactly kids anymore. Most of them looked to be around Amanda's age now, give or take a few years. She noticed a few new faces and shuddered when she realized that they must have been kids from other, more recent families that had been duped into moving to Dark Falls. Bile rose up in her throat when she saw Karen skipping towards the exit, the girl's fair hair pulled back into the signature braids Amanda remembered from their childhood.

"Hey, Eve?" The vampire looked up from where she was wiping down the bar. "How often do those kids come in here?"

Eve glanced where Amanda was staring and gave a crooked smile. "Oh, them? They're usually here every Saturday night, but I think they came here tonight because they heard about your legendary performances. Why do you ask?"

Amanda felt her stomach drop; she was afraid of that. What if the next time she wasn't so lucky? What if the other kids decided to corner her and finish what they started once they realized her true identity?

"Just, uh, curious. Are you absolutely sure I have to do the Q and A session next shift? We can't, um... We can't reschedule or anything?"

Eve chuckled nervously. "Well, here's the thing.. The boss kiiiind of already put up advertisements, so... No. You need to be here next time."

Suddenly, Amanda wished she hadn't drank all that tea; her stomach felt like it would turn at any moment. "Okay. Just checking."

The vampire could sense the girl was stressed about something, but she didn't push for answers and Amanda didn't offer any, grateful that Eve didn't ask the questions that were so clearly written all over her face.

When Amanda got to her car, she didn't start it up right away; instead, she leaned her forehead against the steering wheel, all kinds of "what if" scenarios of next week's shift flitting through her mind so quickly that she felt a headache coming on. So many potential outcomes ran through her brain that she was starting to wonder if it wasn't a bad idea to quit this job. She knew that her parents still had bills to pay and Josh's hospital bills were draining their finances, but would this really be worth it if it meant running into those bloodthirsty townsfolk again? Was money more important than her comfort zone, or, on a higher level, her life?

It was only when she began to doze off that she realized she needed to get home. Whatever decisions she was going to make regarding this job could be made later after catching up on sleep, so she started up her car and drove down the familiar path to get back to Riverview, for once leaving Horrorland with a sense of dread instead of triumph.