A/N: So my step dad just put a zebra on our desktop screen, and it's butt is the closest to the screen. I really don't want to look at the zebra butt for the rest of the day. So, I'm taking my mind off of it and writing another chapter! :D

Thank you, my awesome reviewers for leaving so many reviews! :)

Oh and… this may be a little bit of a depressing filler chapter. Sorry. :(

Nobody had to share a room except of course Karen and Talon. The whole house literally had seventeen rooms. Karen showed us girls to the second floor, where each of us got a huge room. Talon took the boys up the third and fourth floor to choose their rooms.

We would be staying until Evelyn was dead, which made me even more excited. I would be able to enjoy America more, and I'd be at peace knowing Evelyn wouldn't be able to come near me anymore. After we chose our rooms and ate dinner in the huge, beautifully flourished dining room, Tayte offered to drive back to the hotel to grab our stuff.

Autumn, Chandler and Lucas went with him in case something bad happened. Now it was me, Rem, Liam, Jelani and Calixto sitting in the living room and watching some American show called Family Guy. It was kind of stupid, but pretty funny.

Calixto and Jelani seemed to like it a lot. They were sitting next to each other. I smiled at them. "Have either of you thought of reproducing to create more of your race?" I asked innocently.

They both froze and looked at me. "Together?!" Jelani gasped.

I blushed and then paled. "N-no, well… I mean… Aren't there more of your race somewhere in the world?"

Jelani shook her head. "Not that I know of. And if so, then they know how to hide damn well." she said.

I went quiet afterwards. I peeked over at Rem from behind my curly hair. He wasn't watching the TV. Instead, he was sipping on the wine that Talon had let him have and staring at me.

Oh. I blushed furiously and quickly looked back at the TV. I suddenly felt cool fingers move my hair from the side of my face and trail along my cheek. I glanced over and my eyes widened. Rem's face was inches from mine. All I would have to do is lean forward and…

My eyes met his golden ones. "Later." he breathed. I blinked several times, and he was already leaning back to resume his position.

Later? What did he mean by later?

Suddenly Karen and Talon came into the room. "Do you know Tayte and the others will be back?" Talon asked.

"Nope." I answered.

"Well then, would someone like to help me take extra blankets and pillows up to the boys rooms?" Karen asked softly. I jumped up from my seat and nodded.

"I would love to help you." I said, smiling kindly. Talon smiled back at me. Karen nodded, and motioned for me to follow her.

We went to a large closet-like room, where Karen started pulling out several comforters and pillows. I took as much as I could, two large folded blankets and three pillows. She took about the same, including a pile of pillow cases.

Then she led me up the stairs. "The boys chose rooms from the third and fourth floor. Talon and I sleep on the fifth. Be sure to remember that dear." Karen told me.

"Okay."

"And if you need anything tonight? Don't hesitate to come up there to get us. Talon is such a sweet man. He would do anything for you and your friends."

I stared at the back of her sundress as we walked. She sounded so sad. I wonder why that was. We dropped off the blankets and pillows needed in each room, before we made our slow way down the next couple of staircases.

"How long have you and Talon been together, Karen?" I asked softly. She looked at me for a moment as we walked at a slow pace.

"For sixteen years. I was about twenty when we met…" she trailed off, and suddenly stopped walking. I stopped a few feet ahead of her and looked back at her when I noticed she stopped walking. She was staring at the floor.

"How did you meet?"

"Such horrible memories…"

My eyes widened. "I-I'm so sorry… I shouldn't have asked about that… I'm sorry…" I nibbled my lip, which had healed, of course.

Karen smiled up at me. "No, no. If you don't mind, I would love it for someone to hear my story."

She leaned against the nearest wall when I nodded my head. We were still on the third floor. "I had just broken up with a man who had threatened my life because I wouldn't give him sex. I became scared so I ran away from him… and he ordered his gang to follow me. They cut me, beat me up, raped me," she kept talking, but my mind had frozen on that last sentence. That… is horrible. "eventually, they finished. They left me in a nearby park to die. That was when Talon found me. He saved my life by giving me his blood, and then he brought me to his house. My parents were dead, and I refused to go back to my town."

I stared at her as she paused. I felt disgusted with myself for asking. It was depressing. Why would somebody do that? Was that reality? She started talking again.

"I grew to love him, and even after he admitted he was a vampire elder, I still loved him. He wanted me to become a vampire, but I was afraid. Ever since that night I had been afraid of death. If I became a vampire, I would have to die. But… That wasn't the only reason. I'm anemic. An anemic human becomes a monster when they are turned. That is why Talon refuses to change me as well."

"Why don't you have children?" I asked. Karen gave a small, sad laugh and started crying. I began to hyperventilate. Oh no! I made her cry! I quickly went by her side, and held her small, frail body in my arms as I tried rubbing her back soothingly. "I'm sorry! That was a bad question too! All I meant was that if you had kids you could also talk to them to get your feelings out!"

Karen sniffled and hugged me. Her tears wet through the oversized shirt I was wearing. "I can't have children. Those men wounded me so terribly."

I tensed. Those… bastards. I held her tighter to me. "I should kill them if I ever see them." I said seriously. Karen shook her head and pulled away from me. Her eyes were swollen and pink.

"Talon took care of them long ago." she said, wiping her face. "I'm going downstairs to the bathroom, dear."

I nodded and watched her walk down the stairs. I couldn't imagine living a life like that. Losing my parents would have killed me had I not met Lucas and the others. And seeing my friends staked to the poles at the Year Fair tore my heart apart.

But living a life where someone rapes me, beats me up and leaves me to die would surely kill me. From the inside out. And then not having the chance to reproduce? To never be able to see a life come from you? I felt tears brim my eyelids as I imagined how that must be.

I quickly grabbed the t-shirt I was wearing and wiped my eyes with it. I didn't want to cry. I hated pity, and I was sure she wouldn't want me to cry for her. I looked back up to continue walking down the stairs, and bumped right into Rem's chest.

I stumbled backwards with a gasp, but he caught me around the waist. "Why were you about to cry?" he asked. I didn't answer him aloud. He read my mind and frowned. "Yes, Karen seemed to have gone through a hard life."

I stared up at him, entangling my hands into his sweater. "I imagined how it would be… if that had happened to me." I muttered. Rem's face darkened.

"I would have tortured the men until they had no strength to fight back." he told me. I laughed nervously.

"T-thanks." I said. Rem smirked and stood my upright.

"So you want to know what I meant by later?"

My eyes widened and I blushed. "Quit reading my mind…" I mumbled, looking down at the floor to hide my blush. Rem stepped towards me and I backed up… unfortunately, right into the wall. He placed either hand on the side of my head against the wall.

"I love reading it though. I love to hear how every time I corner you like this, your stomach feels hot," he leaned towards me so I felt his cool breath on my face. He smelled like the spearmint plant. I had never realized that until now. It was delicious. But I blushed again when he smirked. "I love to hear how much you love my smell… And whenever I bite you, you want to moan."

His lips touched mine, in the gentlest of touches. It was almost so soft and moderate that I barely felt it. And then he pulled away from me with a smirk plastered to his handsome face. I stared wide eyed at him. I could feel my face was flushed and my skin felt hot everywhere.

"You look like a doe." he said bluntly.

That knocked me out of my surprise. I glared at him and crossed my arms. "It's not like I always look like a deer!" I said sarcastically. "If my eyes weren't so big and brown… Th-then… I need contacts. I want blue ones. And… W-why do you have to tease me so much?! I know you do it so you can see my embarrassment!" Oh great, I was spluttering my words and babbling. Rem placed a finger on my lips suddenly to shut me up.

"Shh."

"Forry." I mumbled incoherently against his finger. We looked at each other for a long time. Finally he removed his finger and twirled a piece of my hair.

"I don't know if I can continue my sarcastic comments on you anymore." he muttered. "The first time I ever saw you, I thought you would end up like the other girls that Lucas had brought home. But I was wrong. I tested you so many times, seeing when you would break. But your love for Lucas was so strong…"

Rem's eyebrows narrowed and he yanked away from me. My love for Lucas? I stared at him as he turned and walked away from me. "Wait… What are you doing?!" I called out to him.

He stopped for a moment and looked back at me. "You said you love me. Back at the Year Fair. You put your heart into it to save me, but there's a part of you that's still mourning for Lucas."

"W-what do you mean?" I gasped, stumbling to the top of the staircase to look down at him.

"Autumn knows things." he simply said, and then disappeared down the rest of the steps.

I stared at the spot he was just at. Way to go, Alexa. I thought grimly. But how could he just expect my feelings to just bandage themselves up though? I sighed. Just as I thought everything would become happy, too.

I leaned back against the wall and slid down it. I buried my face into my knees and arms and started crying. They were tears for Karen and tears for my own shame.