All reviews, favourites, follows and readers are much appreciated. You guys are awesome. :) I ended up editing two other chapters after this one so I'll post them all up today. Get the story moving more.


With David yet to meet up with the others after this so-called meeting and Marko picking Bonnie up first, Star had opted for bugging the hell out of Dwayne and Paul.

"They're meeting someone aren't they?" Star asked. "I'm not stupid. I know the four of you are keeping someone secret."

Dwayne cast a sideways glance at her. Looked away again. Sighed. How much longer? The chick wouldn't shut the hell up.

"Give it up, girl," Paul muttered. He shifted on his bike, turning away from her.

"You tricked me into turning. The least you could do is let me know what is going on," she said.

Since she realised who she had gotten involved in and what they had done to her she had been treated like a burden. They sneaked around her, leaving in a group sometimes and not returning for ages. Casting stern glares at each other when one of them was about to let the cat of the bag by accident. Sometimes David even got Marko, Paul or Dwayne to take them out into the boardwalk while this stranger came over to talk. This person's identity and their importance remained a mystery. Star and Laddie were not allowed to know anything. What was the point in turning her if she was just going to be treated like shit and untrustworthy? It was obvious the boys couldn't stand her. For David, she was just a trophy. The leader's 'girl' who followed him about and added something to his image. It wasn't the life she had craved when she had first seen David. Rebellion had turned into imprisonment.

"You'll know everything when you prove yourself loyal and turn," Dwayne said to her.

"I'm not turning," she hissed at him.

"Then you'll continue being annoying and useless," he snapped back.

"You didn't have to turn me in the first place. I don't see why you even did. One of these days –."

Paul snickered. "You're going to find a way to turn human again?"

"How many times has she said that, Paul?" Dwayne asked with a grin.

"I dunno, bud. Five?"

"Maybe seven?"

"A hundred?"

"Stop it!" Star snarled at them and marched in front of their bikes. "You think I'm annoying? Blame yourselves. I never asked you to give me that blood. David decided. I'm stuck with you guys because of your actions. This isn't my fault."

Dwayne leaned forward, leering into her face. "So you didn't want to be with us? You didn't chase David around? Little Miss Goody-Two-Shoes didn't want to be involved with a biker gang? Right… you definitely didn't want any of this."

Her lips trembled. "I didn't know what you were," she whispered, closing her eyes when her voice cracked.

"You've heard of the word 'no'. Yet you said 'yes' when David offered you blood as your initiation. He didn't order you. He offered. And you took it without any questions."

"Dwayne, shut up."

He sat back. "See, you're going to have to get rid of this little 'it wasn't my fault' attitude. Aren't you old enough to make your own decisions?"

She wiped a tear away and went back to her spot behind Dwayne. She made sure her back was facing the two vampires and folded her arms tightly across her chest. She listened to them miserably as they chuckled at her behind her back. Sniffing, she peeked over her shoulder at them and frowned.

"I hope Marko's not going to do this to that girl," she muttered. "Turn her and then treat her like shit? You know what? I hope his stupid plan fails. She's just a kid."

Paul shrugged, lighting a cigarette. "You can't do anything about it. If Marko likes the girl, why the hell not?"

"Oh, so you're saying vampires do have feelings?" Star asked, getting a little too confrontational for the boys liking. While she did not have the guts to do anything for herself, always making out to be confused and unsure of what to do, she was definitely a mouthy little brat. Too much to say. Always ready to say something was morally wrong and she would put a stop to it.

Now these were only empty threats. After all, could Star ever be a threat to them? Definitely not. She was all talk and no action. A girl who tried to put on a persona but failed because she was not ready to act on her words. She said she would become human but when? She never made a step to do anything about it.

It was always this constant whining… arguing… pestering…

It drove the boys mad. And that mouth of hers could get her into trouble. She might not do something but anyone who heard her could.

"Oh, yes, turning an innocent girl into a killer is romantic," she continued. "You got to love a girl to change her into a monster. I think it's sick."

"And I think you should shut up," Dwayne said, his voice brusque and his dark eyes on her. They flickered amber for a second.

She stopped talking.


That was so much better. Now Marko could think and focus.

He licked the sticky stains off his mouth and used his bare wrist to wipe his chin and around his mouth. If only he still had a reflection. He could do with being able to see if there was blood marking his face. There was faint blood stains on his wrist now and he slipped his glove back on, covering the red patches.

To finish off his kill, Marko took the boy's head in his hands. With a quick jerk to the right, it snapped and he dropped the corpse. The boy lay there with his neck protruding at an odd angle.

He would return to burn the body later. But right now he had an impatient human waiting for him who was probably not in the best of moods right now. While he was hanging out, the dead boy would have to be hidden away in a skip until there was time to come back and fly him off somewhere private to burn him or dump him in the ocean.

Once he made sure the garbage was perfectly hiding away the body, he darted back onto the boardwalk, confident he didn't look like he had just murdered an innocent person. He headed straight for the Giant Dipper.

And halted.

I left her here, right?

Frowning, he took in his surroundings and tried to spot her. Nothing. She wasn't even there.

Unless the others spotted her and she was waiting with them.

Near the boardwalk sign there were only five people. Dwayne, Paul, Laddie, Star, and David who was pulling up. No Bonnie. He walked over.

"Have you seen her?" Marko asked.

"She hasn't arrived yet?" Paul asked and laughed. "She isn't standing you up, is she?"

"No, she was there. But I needed to hunt so I left her. And now she's gone." Lines creased in his forehead.

"So, she's left?" Star asked and faced Marko. A small smile was on her face. She could be so smug sometimes. And it made Marko want to rip her throat out. Dating Bonnie had not come with any peace. Star had taken to lecturing him and taunting him about her. Insulting him. Yelling at him. If only David would let him dispose of her.

"Come on. Let's have it. The latest lecture from Miss Holier Than Thou," Marko growled.

"She won't even want to know you when she finds out the truth. You'd have to be pretty messed up to love a monster."

"And you'd have to be pretty thick to drink an unknown substance from a guy you've just met," Dwayne added.

"Just so you know, you can't stick around forever," Marko said to her. "Also, have you noticed how bored David's been looking around you recently?" She stared up at him with wide brown eyes. She never liked that stare of his. For an angelic-like boy, he could bring out a menacing glow in his eyes.

"Bear that in mind," he whispered before flashing a cruel smile and turned to his gang. "I'm going to find Bonnie. Kill free?" He pointed to his face and Paul slapped his shoulder.

"You're good, bud."

Marko gave a brief nod before glaring at Star one last time before hopping on his bike and disappearing through the crowds. Star let out a shaky gasp and looked back at the boys. Dwayne glared at her. David smirked. Paul was busy making Laddie laugh. But the looks David and Dwayne were giving her…

She needed out. Desperately.


Bonnie didn't believe in vampires. No way. What she'd seen at the boardwalk, how Marko behaved, had a perfectly logical explanation to it. Maybe he had a bad case of the shits. Maybe he was going to be sick. Maybe he was doing drugs and was having some serious withdrawal symptoms.

But he was so pale. I've seen fair skin on people but that wasn't lack of sun or inability to tan. That was I'm-seriously-about-to-drop-dead pale. And his teeth.

She couldn't get that quick glimpse of his incisors out of her head. She was sure they were longer… pointier. But it must have been the light. She had seen vampires in films and comics. They were tall and dark haired with skin whiter than chalk. That was nothing like Marko. He was more colourful simply with his blonde hair. Vampires would never have curly hair. And weren't they supposed to be all stylish? Dress all aristocratic and formal or mature and smart casual like Dracula or Jerry Dandridge? Not that Marko was badly dressed but she also couldn't say he looked fancy and charming like a vampire usually was.

She sighed, tossing her Batman comic to the side and went to the kitchen, ignoring the giant pizza box she had left out and the unfinished slice on the plate. Her mother and father would most likely have a fit about the mess she hadn't tidied up when they got back from work but she had other issues plaguing her mind and life. In the freezer there was a large tub of mint ice-cream and she grabbed it, taking a spoon from the drawer next to it. It was absolute, temporary heaven as she leaned against the kitchen worktops and took a mouthful of it.

And all this was interrupted when someone knocked loudly on the door.

She froze midway of taking another spoonful, peering past the kitchen door, into the hallway and towards the front door. She could see a silhouette of somebody – somebody short – and they started to knock again.

"Bonnie?"

Ah, shit, Bonnie thought and straightened up, her mouth still full of ice-cream that her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk.

What could she say? Sorry, I freaked out because I started to suspect you were actually a vampire.

Marko knocked again. "Bonnie, I can hear music blasting out from your bedroom. I know you're in there."

She swallowed the ice-cream and went over to the door, slipping the spoon into her mouth so she had one free hand to open the door. She peered out, not opening it fully and faced Marko who stood there, one side of his mouth creeping up. He glanced down at her. Gone was the cropped top and skirt that she had been wearing, replaced by a sleeveless top and baggy pyjama bottoms. Her face was completely bare of the brightly coloured make-up she had on, showing her freckles, blemishes and dark circles.

He gestured to her change of clothes. "What are you doing?"

Bonnie took the spoon out of her mouth. "Uh… I came home," she muttered.

"I see that. Why?"

You weren't feeling well.

"I wasn't feeling well."

"No you weren't."

Damn, he's good.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

Bonnie's mind sounded an alarm in her head. Didn't vampires need to be invited in?

"No, my parents are going to be back shortly. They'll freak if they catch you in the house with me."

"What's going on, Bonnie?"

She bit her lip, staring up sheepishly in silence at him before she finally blurted the truth out. Or part of it at least. "Okay, you freaked me out."

Marko stayed looking confused, trying not to react but he saw the fear and caution in her eyes. She stood tensed, something she had never done near him since they properly met.

"Oh? How?"

"You were weird. I mean, you looked like death and now…"

He was still pale, always was, but this colouring was much healthier than how he had looked an hour ago. The gaunt circles under his eyes had gone; his lips were in much better condition. He stood straight, calm and now looked at her curiously with his head tilted.

He's going to think I'm listening to Edgar and Alan. Then he's going to think I'm nuts.

Marko gestured for her to continue. "Now…?"

"Look, I don't want to date someone on drugs," she finally said.

"Oh."

"It's not my thing," she admitted.

"I don't do drugs," he said and stepped forward, opening the door more. She couldn't help widen her eyes when he stepped across the threshold and into her hallway.

Vampires need an invitation, she thought and she felt her whole body relax. Oh, thank god. Now I feel silly.

"I had something to eat before I came to see you. And I guess I'm suffering from it."

As soon as she heard that she relaxed so much that she felt she could start flying up into the air. She let out a breath that she realised she'd been holding and gave a nervous chuckle.

"I still don't feel too great," Marko lied.

"Oh my god," she murmured, shaking her head. "You must think… shit. I feel like an idiot." She glanced back up at him, cringing. But he was smiling, shaking his own head at her.

"Don't start laughing at me," she groaned but he did so and she tapped him playfully in the shoulder. "So much for a date tonight."

He shrugged, waving a hand. "Another time. That is, if you want to."

"I do!" she said, a little too eagerly and she bit her lip. He smirked. She blushed and looked away. Bet he loved it when a girl showed she was into him.

"I mean…" She copied his casual shrug. "Yeah, we can hang."

"Come with me and the guys tomorrow."

The guys? As in, that gang of his? Weren't they a little intimidating? Maybe the wild haired blonde wasn't too bad. He bounced his way around the Boardwalk more than Bonnie did, someone she could probably take to immediately. But the other two?

Marko noticed the uncertainly etched into her face and he laughed. "You don't find them scary, do you? Thought you liked trouble."

Bonnie scoffed. "I bet you're all kittens."

He snorted and turned away to hide his smirk and she quirked her eyebrow up at him.

"What did I say?"

"You think we're all an act?"

"I haven't seen anything menacing and tough. You're actually pretty tame," she said with a smug smile.

"Huh." He laughed again. "I don't think you know me as well as you think you do."

"Oh?" Her eyes gleamed with a challenge. He had to keep grinning at her, at that dare sparkling in her eyes. There wasn't any sign on her face or in her body language that seemed nervous now. She had her bravado on and her arrogance had wormed its way out.

So she thought, like everyone else annoyingly, that he wasn't at all rebellious? That the guys pretended to act intimidating? Wait till the guys hear what she thought of them. David and Dwayne especially were going to revel in it.

"Are you daring me?" he asked, coming in close to her. She noticed his eyes glanced towards her open bedroom door and then back at her.

"Maybe." She smiled and nodded to the door. "So, tomorrow around eight thirty? Pick me up at the car park."

He stepped away, not before stealing a quick kiss from her, and took her hint for him to leave. "Tomorrow. See you then."

He was still grinning as he walked out of the house and cast a glance back at her while she closed the door, giving her a slight wave. She was smiling until she caught sight of his wrist, not really having much time to properly look as she shut the front door completely. The tension was back in her body, her heart was racing again and her mind was either trying to explain it logically or convince her that she was still seeing things.

Had his wrist been stained red?

She rested her back against the door, sighing to herself as she tried to calm her heart beat. What was wrong with her tonight? All of a sudden she was seeing weird things with Marko and immediately thinking vampire? When exactly did Edgar and Alan worm their way into her head?

She couldn't help it. The doubts were latched onto her mind now.