Star slept like shit, she'd been tossing and turning all night long hearing the sound of the little boy's breathing next to her and his heartbeat, his blood pumping, rhythmic heart beat that sounded like a jackhammer in her head. Then when she was able to sleep, all she did was dream of spilling his blood. It had taken all of her strength not to lean over and slice open a vein to get just a taste of his sweet baby blood. David's voice had been taunting her all night, pushing her to kill the boy, telling her his blood would be so pure, not tainted with alcohol or drugs or disease, just pure human blood that would quench the unyielding thirst that was clawing at her insides and take that pain away. He was such an asshole and she was really beginning to hate him. He could be so charming and charismatic and she still thought he was one of the hottest guys she'd ever seen but she had come to discover he was a controlling, manipulative asshole. One that was haunting her mind and compelling her to do the evillest of things. She got up, got changed and went to the entrance of the cave and sat on the large rocks that surrounded the entrance and she gazed out at the sun. The sun was a dark orange orb dipping below the horizon and sending shards of light streaking across the ocean. She looked up and saw the waxing moon already beaming down from the purple sky with a lone bright star next to it. She looked at that moon and that star and she related them to herself and David, David being the large overbearing moon and her, of course, being the small insignificant Star. David's moon could influence tides all over the world, was strong enough to penetrate people's psyche and effect their moods and could light up the world when it wanted to but without that moon, the stars have their chance to glitter the sky. She felt like she would never shine being around David, he would always dominate and over power her sky. She heard one of the boys emerge from the back followed by another and she got up to come back inside, knowing that if it was David, he wouldn't be happy if she was near the light. But then again, David wasn't happy about anything she did anymore.
'Hi Dwayne.' She heard a little voice say and she turned around to see Laddie running up to Dwayne, with David walking in behind him.
'Hey kid.' Dwayne sat down and pulled out a cigarette and threw one at David who also sat down. She walked back from the entrance and recognized the disapproving look she was getting from David but thankfully he said nothing.
'Will you draw me today?' Laddie asked Dwayne and Star was surprised Dwayne had told him he could draw.
'Tonight. It's night time again.' Laddie looked towards the entrance with confusion in his eyes.
'Star, why didn't you wake me up?' He asked her turning his head towards her as she stood by the wall across from where the boys sat.
'I've only just gotten up too Laddie.' Marko and Paul walked out and Laddie jumped up and ran at Paul and Paul lifted him up and flipped him upside down to the squealing delight of the little boy. She watched with a flat expression, not liking the enjoyment they were having of each other's company. It was like he was already part of the pack, more than what she was, and that scared her. It would be too easy for these boys to get him to turn, Laddie was enamoured with all of them and would do anything to be accepted by these demons.
'We're going out.' David announced and he put his large overcoat on again and Star briefly wondered if he ever wore anything else.
'No I don't.' He said out loud and everybody turned to see who he was talking to and when Star looked up, she saw him staring directly at her. She felt Laddie's hand slip into hers and she looked down at him and he looked a bit scared. 'Now let's go.' David demanded and everyone collected themselves together and they left the cave. Star and Laddie trailed behind the rest of them and once a few steps distance was between them, Laddie pulled on her hand and she bent down so he could whisper to her.
'He scares me.' He confided to her.
'Who? David?' She asked and he nodded. 'Don't worry about him Laddie, I won't let him hurt you.' She reassured him.
'Will he hurt you?' He asked, concern scrawled across his forehead.
'No, he's not going to hurt me.' She lied. She had no idea what David was going to do but she wasn't going to scare the little boy anymore than he already was.
'Star!' David's voice came from up ahead and both Star and Laddie lifted their heads in unison.
'Come on, we have to hurry up.' She urged the boy and Laddie moved faster. They reached the top of the cliff and Marko and Dwayne had already mounted their bikes, their engines rumbling beneath them.
'Laddie ride with Dwayne.' David told the boy and Laddie skipped happily over towards Dwayne and Dwayne reached over and picked up the kid, helping him on the back of his bike. David stood waiting for Star and she slowly walked towards him as Paul got on his bike behind them and it roared to life. David maintained his stance and she halted, she couldn't get on his bike before him and she didn't know what he was doing. Suddenly he grabbed her by her lower back, pulled her to him and forcibly kissed her, roughly pushing his tongue into her mouth. The kiss wasn't kind or gentle and it felt like a show of power more than a display of affection the look in his eyes as he pulled away from her leaving her cold. He got on his bike and she reluctantly got on behind him, wrapping her arms around him with her stomach in knots. She knew what his problem was, it was that she hadn't killed Laddie and now he was stuck with a kid hanging around. Well, that was his fault for bringing him here. She did know one thing for sure though, David was going to do whatever he wanted to with her, whether she wanted him to or not and she hoped he would remember what he'd promised her in the beginning.
They pulled up at the Boardwalk and got off their bikes, and Star saw Laddie's face light up at all the rides before him. They began to walk into the park when Greg and his crew called out from their perch on the wall just inside the entrance.
'Baby sitters club now?' Greg laughed and David turned his head in his direction but continued walking as did the rest of the boys. Star looked up at the punks and Greg winked and ran his tongue along his top teeth at her and the rest of his boys laughed.
'Enjoy making those school lunches you pussies!' One of Greg's mates yelled out. She was surprised David didn't react and it almost scared her more that he didn't, she was sure that meant he was going to do something far more severe later because there was no way he was going to let that slide. They walked out further and David turned to her.
'Take him and get something to eat. We'll meet you in the arcade in two hours. Don't be late.' He turned and walked away and Star placed her hand on Laddie's shoulder.
'What would you like to eat?' She asked him, trying to distract him from the boys leaving.
'Popcorn. Where are they going?' He asked her, his face falling. She could tell he just wanted to be with the boys, be one of the boys and not left behind with her.
'They'll be back. Stick with me and we'll meet them later.' She told him. 'Popcorn was it?'
'Yeah.' His face changed into a smile and they went off to find him some popcorn. He spied the Ferris Wheel while she was getting his food and the next thing she knew, she was going up and around the large wheel but she found she was enjoying herself. Being with Laddie, she felt relaxed and free. She had no idea where the boys were and she didn't care, this was the first time they'd left her alone in weeks and she began to think that Laddie was a God send who could be the catalyst to her freedom. She smiled to herself, she would happily hang out with the little boy if it meant she could roam the Boardwalk without her chaperons watching her every move. Summer was a week away and there were more concerts and events going on in the sea side town and she began to look forward to the next few months, as long as David backed off with the whole killing thing but she didn't want to think about that now, she'd had her first taste of freedom since she'd met these strange biker boys and she didn't want to ruin it by worrying. They got off the Ferris Wheel and wandered around the rides so Laddie could have a look at what was there and she accompanied him on some of them and waited while he went on some others then he ran over to the comic book store and began looking at the Spiderman comics held within the shelves. Star wandered in after him, not interested in the comics but more in the looks she was getting from the young kids behind the counter. As she looked back at them one of them nudged the other and the other nodded then David's voice echoed in her head.
'Where are you?' She looked at a clock on the wall of the store and she saw they were late. Shit, she'd gotten distracted by Laddie and the larger than usual crowds.
'Come on, we have to go.' She said to Laddie and she glanced back to the two boys working there and then she led Laddie out and they made their way to the arcade. Laddie spotted Dwayne and Paul as soon as they arrived and he bounced over to them while she loitered around the doorway. David looked over at her and she instantly felt compelled to go and stand near him, which she did. Laddie moved over to Marko and asked him if he would play Air Hockey with him again and Marko just glanced down quickly and ignored him and went back to watching a young Hispanic girl outside. Star looked at her and gave a half smile, Marko had a crush and for some reason she found it almost cute.
'Sorry kid, Marko's busy,' Dwayne told him, 'but I'll play Street Fighter with you.' Dwayne was laughing with Paul and Marko flicked Paul an annoyed look, making her wonder what Paul had said that she couldn't hear. Dwayne and Laddie walked off and Paul stood near David, both of them looking out at the crowd from the partition of the arcade. Suddenly Star heard yelling and people began pushing as a fight broke out next to her. David and Paul turned their heads both with blank expressions upon their faces but they didn't move or react. Star looked over at Laddie and both he and Dwayne had stopped playing, as had everyone else in the near vicinity. A loud bang following by a smash and more yelling had everyone's attention and security was being called for. Then it hit her, the smell was strong, sweet yet salty and it permeated her senses. It was blood, someone was bleeding fresh blood and a lot of it. Security pulled one of the men off the other and as the other man stood up, she saw him with blood all over the right side of his face, his forehead gushing blood from a large gash above his eye. The blood made her feel kind of sick but she found it undeniably enticing at the same time. She looked away and saw all three of them had now turned their bodies towards the brawl and David had an arrogant inward grin on his face.
'Yum' David said raising his eyebrow at her and Paul laughed with him at her reaction. She rolled her eyes closed and when she opened them, she looked over to Laddie and panic shot through her with what she saw. From behind his long locks, she saw glowing gold eyes with the distinct red hue staring at the bleeding man, who was now being spoken to by the larger of the two security guards. Star shot her gaze back to David and his smile had gone and he was looking at Dwayne, obviously telling him to get Laddie out of there. She saw Dwayne pick Laddie up and gap it out of a side entrance while David and Paul walked past the security guards, eyeballing them both as they exited. She followed them with Marko behind her and they headed back through the Boardwalk towards their bikes and, by the time they'd gotten half way back, Dwayne had put Laddie down and his eyes had returned back to blue. David looked distracted as they approached their bikes and he turned to the boys and looked from Paul to Marko then back to Paul and he spoke.
'I have to go see someone. Paul, take Star back with you.' Star looked up at David and was perturbed by what she'd just heard. He spoke of her like she was a possession and not his girlfriend and he'd made her feel horribly insignificant, addressing Paul and not her. David got on his bike without saying anything further and he left her with them.
'Get on Princess.' Paul had climbed on his bike and held out his hand to her and she awkwardly got on behind him. 'Hold on tight.' He laughed and he took off like a bat out of hell as they headed towards the Bluff. Paul rode his bike recklessly and she wasn't sure whether he was doing it on purpose to scare her or not. She'd obviously seen him ride before and he was a crazy man on two wheels and she figured it must just be that she was with him that it seemed worse but she hoped this would be the one and only time she would have to ride with him. They arrived back at the cave and Laddie helped Dwayne light all the barrels around the main cave while Paul put some sounds on, sat down and rolled a few joints and Marko sat with him but they were both oddly quiet. Star sat on her bed and thought of David, where did he have to go anyways? He never had to go and see anyone. Who was he answerable to? She had the sense there was something else going on and had done for a while now. David had changed, gone was the man who would bring her flowers and who cared about how she was feeling and he had been replaced with a moody intimidating guy who wanted to use her for his own selfish purposes and now wanted her to kill. The only thing she knew even had the possibility of remotely reverting him back to what she had once thought she'd fallen for was to buckle and do as he had been pressuring her to do. Then she thought about the man's blood and how it had made her feel and she felt her resolve to refrain was becoming weaker but she couldn't do it and she couldn't let Laddie turn either. She had to find a way to get him away from these boys and back to his parents, that was one thing she knew for sure.
'Will you draw me now?' She heard Laddie ask and as she looked over Dwayne leaned over and picked up a sketching pad and his pencils. Marko and Paul went outside to have a smoke and Paul threw one at Dwayne as they walked past him. She sat there and watched Dwayne begin to draw Laddie as Laddie picked up one of the stray comic books laying around and flicked through it. After a few strokes of his pencil, Dwayne stopped and lit the joint and then settled in to draw. From her bed, she could see over Dwayne's shoulder and she silently watched as the image began to appear on the paper and she found it hypnotizing how fluid his movements were. His lines were deliberate and solid with no mistakes. Every mark was on purpose and he was so good, making her wonder if he had studied art before he was a vampire. He was that talented, he could have made a name for himself as an artist had he lived a normal life and that thought made her somewhat sad. David walked in, followed by Paul and Marko, and he walked over towards the back of the cave and disappeared down the hallway, leaving Paul and Marko lying on the two couches trying to distract Dwayne and give him shit while Laddie laughed at them, not realising they were all smashed. She sat there watching the scene before her and was grateful David had left the room, and her, alone. His mood had been difficult to deal with the last few days and she really didn't want to be around him very much anymore then, just as she had the thought, his voice appeared in her head.
'Star, come in here.' She exhaled and looked towards the passageway he'd gone down and she slowly stood up and walked back there.
'Have fun.' Paul called to her without looking at her and she continued walking down the old corridor when she saw the glowing light coming from the room. She walked in and David had lit a series of candles which gave the room a certain ambience that she wasn't expecting. He stood near the foot of the bed taking his gloves off, watching her closely. His overcoat lay on the edge of the bed and, once his gloves were off, he took his boots off. She wanted to ask him where he'd been but she knew well enough not to question him, especially when she was alone with him and unsure of what mood he was in, so she used a different tactic.
'Are you OK?' She asked as she stood in the doorway but he didn't answer her, he just repeated for her to go to him. She stepped forward until she was standing in front of him and he placed his hand on her cheek. She was so nervous, she felt like her insides were shaking, and she was sure he knew he was having this effect on her despite his calm exterior. She stood there with her heart hammering at her ribs waiting for what he was going to do and he slid his hand round to the back of her neck and he pulled her to him and into a kiss and as she pressed up against him, she could feel he was hard through his jeans. His other hand held her close to him via her lower back and she found she was locked in his embrace and couldn't move. He began to get more into the kiss and she knew why he'd called her in there and she felt him move her around as her tongue was entwined with his and her head was becoming light, she almost felt euphoric. Her feet left the ground and she wasn't quite sure what was happening, all she knew was that David's hands were all over her and she was powerless to stop him. She knew this wasn't what she wanted to do with him but what really got to her was that he wasn't attacking her or forcing her to do anything and yet she was acutely aware she was being a willing participant, maybe not in mind, but her body certainly was, and she assumed she must be portraying to him that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. She worked out they must be about five feet in the air as his intensity increased and suddenly she was flung down onto the bed and her top was being lifted and she felt his tongue sliding over her nipples. She instinctually let out a small moan and he looked up at her with his lip curled into a knowing smile and his eyes shone with the confirmation he was looking for and he went further south and she dissolved into a puddle of conflicted ecstasy.
