I dreamed of Bill again. In this dream, he was in a small room with a fire cackling in the background like a sinister laugh. At some points, Bill moved so fast that he was only a blur, and then he would slow down to almost a human pace. Suddenly the door to the room opened, and the king walked in, smiling brightly at Bill before sitting behind his desk.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Compton." The king apologized, although it was more a mocking tone than an apologetic one.

"That is fine, your majesty. I only wish to ask you a question." Bill said, his voice rushed. He came to stand in front of the desk, his hands stiff at his side. The king nodded, waving his hand so Bill could go on.

"Are you holding Sookie Stackhouse against her will?" Bill asked, his voice breaking slightly when he spoke my name. The king looked up then, smiling kind heartedly, with a hint of humor as well.

"Bill Compton, do you not know of your Sookie's fate?" the king asked, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the desk.

"I'm afraid not, your majesty." Bill said his voice wary as if he didn't want to know the answer.

"Well, I'll have Ron bring you to her first thing tomorrow night, and she can tell you herself." The king laughed happily, and before the king could respond, the dream shifted. It was dark outside, and the world was spinning and turning and I was rolling around with it. I felt bones brake and blood spread and it seemed like an eternity before finally everything stayed still. But the nightmare wasn't done yet, because I could see someone walking forward, with black boots and black pants. They were walking slowly forward, but all the same getting closer and closer, and I knew I should run. I needed to run and get away because something horrible was about to happen. But I was stuck, and I was unable to move as they got closer, closer, closer, and suddenly right in front of my face. I watched the knees bend, and so they were kneeling on the ground, and I felt the tears spring forward as I waited to see the walking nightmare.

I woke up with a gasp again, sitting up only to receive a searing pain in my arm that caused me to yell out. I pulled my arm back to see the gash heal, and then looked at the silver bars. I crawled away from them just to be safe. Eric was sitting cross legged behind the bars, staring at me curiously.

"Sookie, what do you dream about?" he asked me, curiosity and concern etched into his voice.

"I dream about Bill, Eric. Jealous?" I sneered, massaging the newly healed wrist. I could still feel the echoing sting there, and it was annoying and itchy. The corners of Eric's mouth turned up in a half smile that sent a shiver up my spine. "No, I'm serious." I said, and his mouth went into hard line in an instant.

"It's weird. It's like I know what he is doing, like I'm in a room with him, but they don't I'm there." I said, my voice drifting off slightly as I remembered my dreams from the past two days.

"It's most likely his blood in you." Eric explained, only to receive a confused look from me. "He was you lover when you were human, and you both exchanged blood a couple of times. I believe his blood was still in you when you were turned, and now in turn you dream about him." He said, not looking too happy about that fact at all.

"But Eric, I think they are real." I said, and I couldn't help but notice the flash of skeptamism that crossed his face. Then it turned stone again like usual. "You're an ass." I snapped at him and he actually laughed out loud, a booming sound that I couldn't help but smirk at. "If the dream I just had was true, then he is going to be coming down here at any moment accompanied by that vampire Ron who held me down two nights ago in that clearing. He's going to ask me what they plan on doing to me." I told Eric, who looked at me with a suppressed smile. "Why aren't you taking me seriously?" I exclaimed. I watched him struggle uselessly to hide the humor behind his eyes.

"Because, Sookie, that's never happened to any vampire before." He said, trying to calm me down with a soothing voice, but failing when I saw the laugh hidden behind his eyes.

"Yah, and as far as you know, no vampire has had two makers before, either." I spat, and for a moment he stayed silent, the humor going out suddenly. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then closed it as we both heard the footsteps. I watched Eric's head snap around, his eyes fixed on the door with surprising intensity, as if he was waiting for something. Now it was my turn to smile.

"I thought you didn't believe me?" I snapped, turning my own head to look at the door and ignore Eric's glare. We listened carefully as the two sets of footsteps clicked across the stone floor. More footsteps were behind it, but they stopped at the top of the second staircase, where the first to footsteps continued down to the dungeon.

I knew who I expected to see walk through that door, but it still surprised me that I was right. It was the first time I had seen Bill in real life that I could remember. He looked exactly the same in my dreams as he did in front of me right now. The only difference was that his brown eyes may have been closer to black than brown at the moment. And just as I thought, Ron was directly behind him, tense and ready for anything.

The first person Bill fixed his stone, hard gaze on was Eric since his cell was directly in front of the door. He was momentarily shocked to see the tall, blonde vampire standing behind silver bars, but then anger replaced them as he remembered all of the horrible things this vampire must have done to him.

"It feels good to see you in your rightful place, Eric." He said his voice deep and unforgiving. This didn't seem like the nervous, scared vampire I saw in my dreams. This seemed like a hating, self-righteous bastard. Eric said we used to date, but standing here now, watching the anger roll around behind his eyes, I doubted that I could have held any emotions for this guy.

"And it feels good to know that I was right about you, Bill." Eric said back, his anger held hidden unlike Bill's. Instead he held a sense of coolness around him, but through the bond I could feel the anger like a tidal wave.

"Right about what?" Bill growled.

"That you would be too self possessed to hold loyalty to one kingdom for longer than a century before turning around a becoming the lapdog to a new kingdom." Eric snapped. I didn't think it was much of a button pushing statement, but obviously Eric knew Bill better than I did, and he knew exactly where Bill's buttons where, and he enjoyed pushing them. Bill's eyes flashed for a moment of pure murder and hate, before he suddenly seemed to realize someone else was in the same room.

He turned his eyes to me, and then stopped. I had never seen something so comical before. He had been so angry before, consumed in his own hate with Eric, but now he held absolutely no emotions in his face or eyes as he stared at me. His fangs, which had come out at the end of Eric's statement, retracted back into his mouth slowly as the anger receded. His eyes were wide, his entire body turning painfully stiff and unmoving. He looked exactly like a statue.

I looked at Eric a little uncomfortable with his stare, but Eric wasn't looking at me. He was staring at Bill in order to determine his mood, his reaction, to me. Bill stayed in the same position for what felt like forever, and I tried to hold his gaze, but I got really uncomfortable. Suddenly, thankfully, Ron broke the eerie silence.

"Mr. Compton, I'm sorry to say, but we don't have much time here." Bill seemed to snap out of it, blinking a few times and then straightening his posture.

"Who did this to you?" he whispered, but I heard it like he had shouted it in my ear.

"Um, The King I'm pretty sure." I said, glancing at Eric who smirked slightly before returning to that stony look.

"Sookie, who made you a vampire?" Bill clarified.

"Oh, I thought you meant who put me here." I said, laughing a bit hysterically for some reason, which got a satisfying wince from Bill.

"Um, I don't know." I said. I was unsure if that was the best answer, but if I looked over at Eric now, then Bill would know Eric had a part in it. I felt reassurance through the bond though, and so I stuck to the story.

"How?" he asked, his voice keeping that whispering shocked sound. I knew I had to think quickly, but I couldn't come up with a full story on the spot, so I decided to make it up as I went along, since I didn't even remember who turned me, and how it happened. All I remembered was waking up in that ditch.

"I was at my…" I thought quickly, struggling to remember what the place was called where I lived. "Apartment." I said quickly, trying to hide the slight pause.

"You have an apartment?" Bill asked, his eyebrows coming down in confusion. I had no idea what an apartment looked like. The thought just suddenly popped into my head for some reason. Cousin Hadley! Cousin Hadley! Cousin Hadley! I heard Eric's thoughts shouting at me suddenly.

"I was with my cousin Hadley at her apartment." I said, and then listened to the story Eric was weaving in his head. I recited it like a good little student, trying not to trip over the words in my own panic. "She's started to stay with the Queen most nights, so I was there alone three nights ago." I paused, waiting to hear what Eric was saying.

"Somebody came to the door with a package for Hadley, and they looked real tired. I couldn't blame because I think it was near 98 degrees that night in the apartment building. Hadley doesn't have AC." I felt like my voice was high and squeaky and a little to animated, so I tried desperately to make it sound more normal, and scared, like I was remembering the last moments of my life, which in a way I was, but only to Bill.

"He asked for a glass of water, so I said yes and invited him in then turned my back to go to the kitchen and he attacked me from behind and turned me." I finished quickly. Eric wanted me to add how my body slowly drained of life and with my last strength left in my body I refused to the blood that was being forced into my body by the vampire, but I couldn't because I was too weak. I thought that that might have been a little over dramatic, though. Bill looked outraged for a moment, and then settled down again.

"Sorry, Mr. Compton, but the king gave me strict orders tonight, sir. I must take her now." he said calling out the open door. In a second three more vampires arrived, one of them putting on the infamous leather gloves to get the silver key and open my cage. For some reason I felt an unbound hate towards this Bill Compton. He stood there, looking at me as a vampire, locked in a cage, and that was all he did, just stand there. I was thinking that Eric had lied when he saw that we had a little thing when I was human.

Without thinking about how stupid I was, I lunged at Bill. It was unexpected, probably since I behaved so well last night, and I was able to get a good, solid punch in before I was dragged away, snarling and scratching like an angry cat. I was punched myself until finally I calmed down and stood, watching Bill's broken jaw reset itself.

"How'd that feel you jackass!" I shouted at him, and then quieted down. I heard a roar of laughter and looked at Eric. His head was thrown back in howls of laughter, and after a second, he tried to calm himself down unsuccessfully. I felt waves of appreciation and respect course through the bond and smiled at Eric for a moment. Bill was looking at me with what I thought would be anger, but instead was sadness. He was a confusing creature. So far it seemed like all vampires were that way.

"Where are you taking her?" Bill asked after a long pause where all you could hear was Eric trying to stifle his chuckles.

"Oh, they didn't tell you?" I sneered at him. His confusion answered my question. "I have to find out who the traitor is or else Eric will die, and then your pal Lorena—"I was cut off by someone kneeing me in the back and I doubled over in pain. I was dragged out of the room, and Bill followed suit shortly.

"What is she talking about?" he whispered urgently to Ron whom I assumed was the one to knee me.

"Nothing, Mr. Compton. She's just angry and wants to make you feel uncomfortable and angry as well. She's been out of sorts recently, but that's all you can expect from a new born vampire." He explained. I wanted to shout profanity at him until my throat hurt, but I held my tongue since I assumed I would be kneed again. Bill stayed silent, but I felt his concern echoing through the air. When we got upstairs, I was brought to the front doors. Bill followed, as if he was going to follow us out, but Ron stopped him with a hand.

"Thin king would like to speak with you." He told him with a stern look, and with one last anguished look at me, he walked away. All I could say was that I was a damn idiot for going out with that crazy, hate filled jackass.

I was pushed roughly outside, and then left alone with a nod from Ron. The fresh air hit me like a slap in the face. The sudden reunion hurt at first, kind of twisted my gut like it was asking me where the hell I've been for the past two nights. I took a deep breath in, holding the sweet, fresh flavor in my mouth. I shook myself mentally when I felt Ron's stare.

"We are going around the outside of the house now. Don't try to escape because blah blah blah, you know the drill. Let's get going." He said. He was agitated and uncomfortable for some reason, but I was distracted by the vampire thoughts around the house.

It was exactly like the night before. Only these thoughts were ten times more boring. They were a lot more concerned with security than the vampires inside the house. It was like all of them were on some shot of adrenaline shot. Their thoughts were going around and around faster than I could catch them, but none of them indicated a traitor.

It went by a lot faster than the other night, but it still took two hours to get to all of the vampires, and circle very, very slowly around the house. I was surprised when we got back to the front of the house so soon, and then terrified that I hadn't yet found out who the traitor was.

They were going to kill Eric.

That thought rang through my head clearly and soundly. I was filled with so much dread that I couldn't think about anything else for a moment. If Eric died, then I would practically be begging Lorena to kill me too. I was turning around to face Ron when his thoughts rang through my head. I didn't know why I hadn't thought of it before. It seemed so obvious to me now. His thoughts where the only one that I hadn't listened to and I guessed it made sense since he was the king's best man, and I was too busy with listening to every other vampire's thoughts that I was too drained to pay attention to the murmur in his own mind.

Damn it, they expect me to get another one so quickly. It would be too obvious if I grabbed a vampire this soon. I don't know what I'm going to do. If one more goes missing then they are sure to raid the Fellowship of the Sun and then in an act of desperation they'll say it was me. How could I have been dumb enough to believe that they would actually just stop after I took two vampires?

I stumbled backwards, my hand flying to my mouth in shock. My eyes widened, and then in turn, so did his. I had obviously caught him off guard. His thoughts had never been this loud before, and I could only assume his shields he had used to block me out earlier had dwindled down some. But for some reason I felt like my own telepathy had grown when I was outside, and his weak, unsure shields just couldn't stand.

First his eyes were deep in shock, and then they held defiance.

Actually, this works out. I'll just tell them that you ran away. Thank you very much, Mrs. Stackhouse. His cruel voice rang through my head. I felt tingly with fear. My finger tips tickled and itched and I curled my fingers into a fist. He took a step forward, and then faltered, his eyes know filling with shock once more. But there was something else hidden in there. Fear.

I looked down, and screamed aloud. I expected to see my pale, small hand curled into a tight fist, but instead I saw my bright, green glowing hand curled into a fist. It looked like a sort of hazy mist that was lingering directly over my skin. It was oddly beautiful, but it was horrifying. When I looked up again, all I saw was a giant tree branch swinging towards my head. I saw Ron's face twisted in a gruesome, hideous look of murder, fear, and anger. Then the branch collided with my skull, and I was knocked unconscious for the first time as a vampire.

…...

I woke up with a groan. I felt an oddly familiar searing pain, and I was suddenly afraid to open my eyes. I knew it was dark, and I knew I wasn't alone, because I could hear the thoughts of at least fifty people, all human.

Wow, this is spectacular

This is madness; I can't believe any sane person would do something like this

I wonder what it will look like. Bobby says that they turn to mush, but Dad says they burst into flames. I hope it's the flames because that would be so cool!

I can't believe we had to pay to get in here. It's a rip off. We could all die at any point if she gets out of those chains, yet they expect us to pay?

I was suddenly even more afraid to open my eyes, but I did anyways. I was standing up, and, pressed tightly against something wooden behind me. My arm were spread in a T shape, and tied to the wood with a large amount of silver. I looked down and saw my bare feet resting against the ground, but the ankles were tightly bound to the wood.

I wasn't wearing the clothes Eric gave me that first night. Instead I was wearing a champagne colored dress that fell to my ankles. It was made of a light, airy material that shuddered and moved with the slightest breath. The straps of the dress hung on my shoulders comfortably, and I would have been delighted by the design and how it looked on me if I hadn't been so scared by all of the faces staring at me.

There were rows upon rows of people sitting in plastic, fold up chairs. It was a neat gathering, with people wearing nice, formal clothes. There were every age of people, all talking to each other animatedly about what was going to unfold, and as I listened, I got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.

ERIC! I cried out through the bond, but got nothing in response.

I could see a tall, reaching church in the background, and couldn't help but think it was beautiful. We, however, were gathered in the lawn behind the church. When I turned my head, I saw trees behind me, but everyone was sitting on lush, green grass in front of me. Then a young boy, no older than eleven, saw me, awake and wide eyed, and he ran, shouting to his mom that the big, bad old vampire was awake. Then it got deathly quiet, and I could hear everyone of their heart beats, each going at a different beat, slowly driving me insane. I felt the familiar hunger eating away at my gut and my throat, and I tried to fight it away, since I wasn't going anywhere soon.

They all had flashlights, and in one movement they turned it on me, and I squinted against the harsh light. I heard their pulses, and tried to look away from the veins in their necks, but couldn't, and it only made everyone uncomfortable as they tried to raise the collar of their shirts up.

Suddenly a man with long, greasy black hair and a wide smile filled my vision.

"Well hi there!" he said cheerily, stepping to my side so the crowd could see me. "Only half an hour now, my people, and you will see gods power work right in front of you eyes!" he shouted to the crowd, and they all shouted excitedly, even those whose thoughts were skeptical.

"What's going on?" I whispered frantically to the man, and he turned his happy, smiling face to me. I could see a bit of insanity in there as well.

"Why, God has sent us a gift we could not pass up. He had shown us the path we must take against your kind, and you will be a symbol of our love for Him, and our symbol of our defiance against your kind." He said happily, loud enough so the first few people could hear and start repeating it to the people behind them.

"I don't understand." I said honestly. He sighed, obviously annoyed with me.

"You are going to meet the sun vampire, and burn for everyone to see." He said quietly, so only I could hear him.

"Who are you?" I asked, shocked any sane person would do such a thing. He looked confused for a moment as if he was surprised that I didn't know who he was.

"Well, I'm Reverend Steve Newlin." He said with a small chuckle. It didn't ring any bells in my head, but from searching the other minds; I found out that these people were from the Fellowship of the Sun and that Steve here was the leader. And apparently he wanted to kill me. Because I was a vampire. I could feel dawn pulling on me, and I shifted uncomfortable. I needed to get somewhere dark, but that obviously wasn't going to happen. The silver dug into my arms and I hissed in pain, my fangs suddenly springing forward. Everyone in the first three rows screamed and scrambled away like I was going to attack them right then and there even though I was tied up.

I looked at what I was tied to, and got this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach as I instantly recognized it.

"You're going to burn me on a cross?' I whispered, and was met with a happy, insane laugh from Steve.