I woke up with a pain at the bottom of my spine, which was probably caused by the fact I was slumped over. I straightened up and the pain subsided but nevertheless I was still uncomfortable. I sat on a dirty wooden floor up against a cold, rusty radiator, which I soon realised my hands were tied to behind my back.

I leant my head back against the cool metal and closed my eyes as the last few hours' events came back to me, Max had brought me here. Knocked me out when he had dragged me far enough away from the main part of the boardwalk that I couldn't run back even if I tried. My head pulsed faintly at the back where he had struck me, that was the last thing I remembered, I had no idea how I came to be here or where "here" even was.

A feeling of frustration started to take over and I found myself wishing my hands weren't tied up so I could slap myself, why the hell had I let this happen? I shouldn't have lingered so long in the alleyway, all those hours imagining what it would be like to walk up to him and I threw my chance away, I just stood there until it was too late.

My fingers fumbled at whatever kept my hands bound, it felt like some kind of smooth material, twisted into elaborate knots I probably couldn't unweave if I was looking right at them while I was doing it.

Time dragged slowly on and I gave up trying, my wrists were tingling in irritation at being twisted and pulled against the tight fabric, I rested my head on my knees and listened. I didn't hear a single car, no noisy kids outside or even drunken people stumbling about. The windows were boarded up and I didn't even know if it was daytime or nighttime, there were no gaps to let light stream through and give me an indication.

I squinted in the dim light and tried to make out any objects in the room, they were all weird shapes and I guessed some were lying on their sides and others were piled in the corners.

Finally I slumped against the radiator and decided to resign myself to counting the seconds until something happened. Maybe Max was out somewhere and he'd come back and let me go, he probably wanted to know where my mother was, maybe he thought she had come back with me and he was trying to find her. Thankfully I had no clue where she was, she had probably continued travelling and there would be no finding her now, I couldn't tell Max anything.

Sometime later a creak from downstairs caught my attention, it was followed by loud and heavy footsteps, I couldn't tell how many exactly, and the door to the room I was in opened slowly.

"Ah, you're awake."

I remember thinking before that Max was pretty harmless-looking the first time I saw him, not someone you would even suspect of being a vampire. Now he stood in the doorway with one of those old gas lanterns that lit his face up yellow, shadows darkened parts of his features and his smile, and I had to admit he looked pretty creepy. I tried to smile but couldn't, casting my eyes downwards to settle on the dog that accompanied him. It was almost-white and had pointy ears, and it's sharp gaze zeroed in on me. I looked away, mostly I liked dogs but the fact this one stayed close to Max's side made me a little wary.

When I didn't answer Max entered the room, humming as he looked around. He walked over to one of the odd bits of furniture, which was an overturned rocking chair by the looks of what I could see thanks to the lantern's light. He righted it and dusted it down, probably not wanting to get his crisp cream suit dirty. He sat down, as did the dog beside him, and he set the lantern down.

After a few seconds where he just stared at each other, I swallowed and spoke, "Where am I?"

"An abandoned house a few miles from the boardwalk, I own the property. It was supposed to be a fixer-upper." He chuckled, gesturing to the dusty room, "I didn't really get round to it, but it still has its uses. I planned on renting it out, but there are so many of these houses in the area with homeless teens living in them I guess not many people would want to live here."

"Why'd you bring me here?"

He took off his glasses and began cleaning them with a handkerchief he pulled from his pocket, "So that we could talk. I didn't think we'd get a chance to after hearing that you had unexpectedly left town, it saddened me. I didn't think you would leave so suddenly."

"Me neither, it happened kinda fast."

He nodded, fixing his glasses back on his face, "That it did. Is that why you came back? Because you had a chance to think about what you were doing?"

"You could say that."

"I know we haven't really ever talked properly before, and I regret that now. I think I let the boys get too involved in the matter, maybe if I had handled things myself things would be different. I want you to know that you can trust me, I have only ever wanted the best for you Bryn. I expect your mother had led you to believe different."

I shook my head a little, "She just told me what you had planned and why she left. It sounded like she was doing the best for me."

He waved a hand in dismissal, "Your mother never really listened to me when I tried to explain it, so I wouldn't trust her view wholeheartedly. I know she wanted to protect you, it was her maternal instincts that I admired the most, but I think she got mixed up about what was best for you."

"Becoming a vampire at five years old?" I asked sarcastically.

He sighed, "She thought it was a terrible idea, she failed to see the beauty of it. All that innocence and brilliance only a child is capable of would be forever preserved, you would have never had to lose that little spark that slowly dies out as you age. You would be free to act as a child forever, and your mother would be able to keep you as her little girl forever."

"It sounds like a terrible idea."

"I knew when I turned David that teenagers were never the right choice for this life, too much to handle. Children are easily taught, teenagers do their best to rebel no matter how dangerous the situation. David almost exposed the both of us countless times, you would not believe how hard it is to control that boy."

"I can imagine."

Max smiled a little, "He eventually came around, as did the others. They were never going to amount to much in their human lives, Paul was on his way to being a drug addict and Dwayne" he snorted, I narrowed my eyes, "Dwayne would have bled out onto the cold ground had David not been feeling generous, going against my rule of always asking before initiating someone to save him. I will admit though, the boy came into his element soon enough."

I shifted my feet as he continued, "For years I thought Dwayne had grown to be the most dependable of the group, he had been close enough to death to never take what I had given him for granted. This last while however he has changed."

"How?" I asked.

Max sighed, "He has gone against orders and argued with me on several occasions, I couldn't even reason with the boy. It baffled me why he had started to act this way and then I realised… It was always when discussing you that he challenged my authority."

Max was silent for a moment before he laughed a little, "I should have figured out why almost immediately, but it took me a while to really understand him. When I pushed for the boys to turn you he argued that you needed more time, when I wanted to use you to find your mother he argued it would only break what trust you all shared. He wanted to protect you."

I swallowed, "We're friends, he was probably just looking out for me."

He shook his head, "These boys don't have friends, their alliances to each other are like that of siblings. But that is definitely not how he sees you. Not at all."

My face heated up and Max smiled, "And that's not how you see him. Is it?"

"No." I answered quietly.

"I thought not. I'm guessing he was the reason you came back." He guessed, I nodded, "How sweet." He added, in a tone that made me want to shudder.

"There were others, but mainly, yeah. I was just about to go to him when you… Y'know." I trailed off, gesturing to the room, "I want to see him."

"Like I said, I wanted us to talk first."

What the hell was there to talk about? "Can you untie my hands please? This is kind of uncomfortable." I told him.

He winced, "Perhaps in a little while, I apologise for the uncomfortable seating but it was the best way to make sure you didn't leave."

"I didn't come all the way back here just to leave again." I stated.

"I know, it just gives me peace of mind. So how was your time away from us? I wouldn't imagine it was enjoyable or you wouldn't have come back."

"It was fine I just didn't want to spend the rest of my life that way. I don't like running."

Max smiled in approval, "You're brave, a lot braver than your mother. She's ran for so many years it's a wonder how she keeps going. How is she?"

"Probably a good few thousand miles away by now, perhaps even out of the country. I honestly have no idea." I told him truthfully.

"I couldn't imagine her letting you come back, she is probably on her way back. If I know Rachel she'll be here within the next day looking for you."

"Maybe you don't know her as well as you think you do." I challenged, "I left her a note telling her not to follow me." Alright so it didn't exactly say that, but she wouldn't be stupid enough to come back and put herself at risk again.

"A note will not keep a mother from wanting to protect her child, Bryn." He said in a condescending tone, "She has put herself in harm's way so many times in order to keep you safe. Do you really think she's going to stop now?"

"Yes." I said with confidence, she was smart, too smart to waste any more time on me.

Max petted the dog beside him absently as he spoke, "If only your mother had agreed with me years ago, we would have been a happy family for eighteen years by now. I could have left David and the boys to their own devices, it's only my need for some kind of a connection that keeps me watching over them like a concerned parent."

"You would have let the boys go?"

"Yes, I wanted a perfect little family of my own, not to have a bunch of unruly boys with no mother to help me shape them into young men. They turned me off having a son for quite a while." He laughed, "I suppose having a younger son would appeal to me more, but a daughter was always what I had wanted."

"Girls are just as hard to raise as boys." I pointed out.

"You're probably right." He chuckled in agreement, "You are definitely a lot older than I would have liked you to have been Bryn, but I believe it was fate that we ended up in the same town together. Of all the places you could have ended up in, you were back with me. I believe you're supposed to be a daughter to me, Bryn. We could have a fresh start and I could have the beginnings of the family I always dreamed of."

"What do you mean?"

He stood up and crossed to the window, leaning against the wall. In one swift motion he pulled a plank of wood away and moonlight flooded in, he looked out and the light shone off his glasses as he did so, "I've announced to the employees at Video Max that I am selling the store, I will be leaving soon and they will have a new owner. The store is quite successful I should have offers within a few weeks, not that I'll have to wait around for them, we could be somewhere completely different by then."

"Leave Santa Carla?" I asked in disbelief.

"I think I've outgrown this little town, it has lost its character these past few years and its appeal has faded away. Somewhere up north would do nicely. The boys are free to do as they please, they are no longer my concern." My jaw fell, we'd be leaving without them. I hadn't even got the chance to tell any of them I had come back.

"But I can't leave, I just came back here."

He looked around sharply, "Well you were able to leave the first time, the second shouldn't be a problem. We can leave as early as the day after tomorrow, I just have a few loose ends to tie up."

I sat straight, "I won't go." I said strongly. The dog emitted a low growl at my tone and Max turned.

"Thorn!" He called sharply, I was about to ask him what the hell he was talking about when the dog let out a wine and lay down, I guessed that was the dog's name.

He began walking back towards me, crouching down about three feet away so that he was at eye-level, "You will do as you're told. We leave as soon as I have things sorted, until then you can stay here. I had considered moving you somewhere more comfortable, but maybe another night here alone would give you enough time to think about how grateful you should be that I am giving you a second chance. I'm not fond of them, Bryn, but I'm willing to let you prove yourself."

"Max, please." I begged, straining my hands against the material securing them. I'd never get out without his help, if I didn't win some sympathy I'd be screwed.

His face softened slightly and after some deliberation he nodded, "Fine, another night alone seems rather harsh. Thorn will stay with you to keep you company."

My eyes flickered to Thorn who now stood straight looking directly at Max as if he understood perfectly, damn it. With that Max stood up and grabbed the lantern and crossed over to the door, Thorn jumped up on the rocking chair previously vacated by Max and lay down carefully, resting his head on the arm.

"I will be back tomorrow night to check on you, I'll bring some food and water. Goodnight Bryn." I kept my eyes on the floor as he exited, the light dimming until I was in almost complete-darkness. Thorn sighed and I shifted where I sat, leaning my head on my knees again.

I had to get out of here.


Author's Note: I'll have new chapters up this weekend, hope you enjoyed reading :)