A/N: I got review. Whoa… this is most unexpected. But thanks anyways Pretty in Scarlet ;)


Chapter Two

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Release, finally!

Michael almost fell to his knees as the violent spasms made him weak for a moment. All colours in his field of vision were erased for a few seconds until his eyes had returned to normal and his deformed body had been brought back to its former state. He was left alone and staring at the ground underneath him.

It'd been hours since that first delivering kill and by now the moon was standing high on the sky's culmination ogling at him curiously while the restless wind blew against the dark clouds that allowed the ageless luminary to spy on whatever happened on the ground, among the insects. The same breeze made the sea restless raising waves that crashed against rock and sand. The lighthouse continued its endless cycle that only seemed to fuel its viewer's temper far away by the shore.

He hit the ground with his fist and pushed himself up pulling the dark shades from his eyes. They no longer needed to be shielded from random bystanders. The shades were no longer needed to cover him from the eyes of his prey.

Michael swallowed hard when he stood up again. Then his drunken walk began leading him to his bike as he wiped the scent of his earlier atrocity from his face. He tried closing his fists, but his fingers felt stiff and weak after the slaughter. Soon the drug that had infiltrated his head and brought this chaotic delirium upon him would seize to mislead his misty thoughts and the walk and the listing speech would be fixed.

Perhaps he'd been too greedy, too lustful?

Who knew? Perhaps the others did, but he'd sworn he would face them as a half a man. He might've fought off Marko and Dwayne and Paul, but David's presaging, arrogant leer would've drawn the bloodlust out sooner or later and Michael didn't wish to risk hurting Star or Laddie.

He reached the bike and climbed on it taking the right handle and holding himself up with his left elbow pressed against the soft seat of the bike. The wind played his hair like it played a kite making his appearance ever more furious. A little devil. Brother's killer.

Exhaling helped him clear his thoughts. He needed to find the cave and Star. Not the boys for they'd simply laugh at his face and his questions would remain unanswered.

As his eyesight cleared up a bit he started catching the details again and his grip grew rougher on the handle. Soon, when he no longer needed support to stay on the bike, his left hand also took the handle and he kicked the engine running. Details vanished again, but this time their absence was not noticed as Michael speeded through the distant hill he'd chosen for his slaughter.

His mind rested while he drove in the dark, but against his anticipations the road didn't vanish nor did haunting lights come to assault him. There was no trace of the others, which could only mean that their focus wasn't upon him at the moment. In a way it made him aggravated to be left alone like this, but he didn't focus on the unintentional abandonment. This wouldn't be a permanent rejection.

When the cliff was suddenly upon him, emerging from the mist peacefully without a single intent of misleading his step, he finally relaxed and thanked the guardian angels he still had for leading him safely to the one sanctuary he could seek refuge from. He drove down the stairs just for fun before stopping the bike and shutting its engine. Hesitation didn't enter his mind at any point when he lit a torch and wandered down the stairs to David and the rest of the boys' shadowy lair.

He skipped the last few steps and landed on solid rock almost sliding forward in his graceful walk. He threw he torch into one of the empty trashcans setting it on fire that seemed to awaken the person sleeping in the bed. Michael didn't even slow down when Star begun to wake up and the sheets fell from her body like silk.

He didn't stop until he was right by the bed and merely inches away from the awoken beauty. There was no sign of the boys or little Laddie and this troubled him deeply though he couldn't quite explain why.

"Michael." she called his name hesitating as if she hadn't been expecting his arrival, but there was no room for doubt in the newly born vampire's head.

"Star." he answered her anxiously and his quickened breath soon revealed several things about his current condition to her. Her hand touched his sweaty neck and worry flashed in those dangerously innocent and vulnerable eyes.

"You're soaked in sweat." it was more of a statement than a question and without asking for permission she began pulling his jacket from him and seated him on the edge of the bed. Star moved on his side concentrating on scrutinizing him. Those delicate hands took his jaw and cheek while she looked at his face and attempted to turn it towards the light.

While Star sought out signs of illness and disease from his outer appearance Michael remained quiet and deep in thought. To him her touch was cold and clinical. There no great passion in it anymore than there'd been when his mother had searched his body for injury when he'd fallen down with his bike. That hazy unexplained feeling that had crept in to his pocket awhile ago was still making him itch.

"Your forehead is hot." Star said once laying down her knuckles against the deep furrows that made his brooding look what it was. Now he moved for the first time and stood up fleeing from further check-up. "Your hand is just cold." he stated with an uncaring voice and sought out for the rest with his eyes.

"Where are they?" he asked her and turned just in time to watch the girl cover her bare shoulders with a thick shawl. She shivered even now. Then for a second their eyes were locked together and fear was visible in her eyes. Before he could ask what she'd been thinking during that second, Star had already answered. "Out for food."

Ah, yes - Food. The kind of nutrition he fed on nowadays as well: Blood.

"Convenient." he whispered and turned from her again. The fire stood a few feet away from them frizzling viciously as if it'd run out of things to consume on its way. One side of Michael's face felt warmer than the other.

It felt like the exhaustion was only now catching up with him and so he returned by her side ready to accept any truth as his. This fatigue was new to him.

"It isn't too late yet." Star spoke unexpectedly and moved her hand shyly towards Michael's. "You don't have to obey them." she continued and touched his index finger 'by accident'. Their eyes met and she moved her hand over his as if to confirm the alliance forming between them.

"I don't want this. Laddie doesn't either." A few fake tears and some shaking in her voice to complete the beautiful lie she was selling him.

"Do you?" It was more of a statement than a question - A line to be fit in his mouth. She leaned against him gently allowing him a better view inside her cleavage. Little pearls of sweat over her breasts and in the valley between them – they shone from his angle.

"There's still time for us." Star said and her head found its place against his shoulder. Her other hand stroked his muscles that the dark t-shirt revealed. The touch of her smooth nails over his skin.

"But they will never let us go, because that isn't their way." She breathed a bit deeper a couple of times so that her chest area would move noticeably and claim his attention once again while she wet her lips.

"They're monsters." she joined their hips as well raising her shirt slightly when she stretched herself to gain more height. Her hair rolled over his arm.

"You need to kill him. You need to kill David." Her voice was but a hiss when she said the discriminating truth: Her plan and intention. She'd moved her face to his and her index finger descended his cheek.

Then her final plead: "You must."

Kill David. The demon that made you a killer. The leering devil.

His blood boiled for an unknown reason. The sheer thought dressed in words… He felt sickened by it! Revolted!

"You would kill him? After all he's done for you?" his words came out more aggressively than he'd wanted them to, but she didn't even seem to notice for she was too lost in her own truth.

"He's a monster!" Her eyes were like two deep wells into an endless shaft of despair and fear. She truly meant every word. Stood behind them all, but lacked the will to carry them out. Weakling.

"What about the others?" he asked deepening his voice to clear the traces of disgust from it. Her face made a slow retreat from him when she sought out for another eye contact. An eye contact made it all intimate and while he placed his focus on the wrong place, her treacherous hands were removing the shirt from his jeans.

"They are lost by now. If David dies, they will die along with him and we will live on. Their hands are already stained in blood." her pleading voice spoke the truth now.

Oh you foolish weak girl! You remain but a shadow when you refuse their ways. You could've survived on your own should you have tried. Now your road of manipulation has led you into trusting the wrong person!

He looked away from her and when those soft hands attempted to draw him closer again, he evaded their touch and drew away from her. The look of apathy changed as he now truly understood what she'd tried to do.

"Like my hands are tainted in virgin blood." he said and noticed how she avoided his look like a frightened animal. "But you already knew that didn't you?" he questioned as he begun approaching her again.

"You would've condemned me to share their oblivion with no burden in your mind!"

His voice echoed and Star glanced around her helplessly clearly unable to realize how her precious words had gone to waste. She lifted her legs back on the bed kneeling and starting up a slow retreat like a crouching animal. "Michael… I…" she frowned blinking her non-existent tears away as if to assure him that the change in his behaviour was frightening her.

Yes, be frightened, because I'm beyond angry. I am furious.

He moved faster than she'd expected: The blood has revived him and given him the strength of the other lost ones and now she was to experience its peak. Michael's hand grasped her arm before she'd even seen him move by the bed and with a single yank he pulled the girl from the bed. Star hit the wall painfully, but managed to remain on two feet when he dashed at her pinning her to the wall.

She didn't look too pretty and tempting anymore – not when a river of blood fell from the corner of her mouth. She didn't seem too angelic after those venomous lips were sealed. Michael let it flow through her – the disgrace and ire her unveiling had brought upon him. His own childish beliefs about her making it all better again were just gone with the wind.

Only the sound of the waves crashing against rock remained. And violins – there were violins in his head. Michael blinked for a moment allowing his grip on her to loosen up as something flashed in his eyes. Before he knew it her nails were in his wrist.

"It was David you made you this way!" she claimed while their hands duelled. He won easily and took a strong grip from her throat afterwards.

"You could've stopped me. You didn't." he countered snarling the word between his teeth. Inside his mouth the faint taste of blood became clearer and the fangs emerged again, though this time they weren't summoned by hunger.

"I warned you!" she claimed and struggled to free herself from his grip without result. She was too weak. Fighting David had claimed her strength and now all hope seemed lost.

"Its blood Michael"

"Yeah right."

He shook the ill memory away and refused it. "Had you wanted me to remain human you would've stopped me at any cost."

Funny thing… she seemed to have lost the entire glow in her - That specialty that had drawn him near. Now she just looked tired, frightened and… misplaced. Michael's hand rose to her face to touch her and he could feel how she became still under his touch. He ran his fingers through her hair wondering where all that delicacy and… and…

Christ, she'd been so gorgeous when he'd first seen her - So alive and beautiful. Was everything ultimately a disappointment when you saw beyond skin-deep! Why?

"What am I?" he asked softly finally allowing himself to let go of the anger. It wasn't her fault that he'd been misguided. She was just trying to survive.

Her teary eyes were seeking for a way out, but with another glance at him she knew he'd stop him and she'd only get herself hurt. Star swallowed and then admitted the truth aloud: "A vampire."

It explained it all: The flying, the killing, the hunger… even the face. This was an irreversible state of being – he'd never go back now… but that hadn't been what he'd expected, now had it? After Sam there would've been no reason to return to normal. If he still had the ability to feel remorse or live instead of remembering the feelings he'd once had for his brother things might've been different, but he was blinded from all that now.

Vampire… And his life was now joined with David's. Should David die, he would also perish.

Is this what you have become? David's fledgling?

"He said… 'join me'." Michael tasted the words sensing their true meaning for the first time. He forced his gaze into her again drilling her with his intense eyes.

"Michael…" she cried. "Please… let me go."

He froze. Let her go? A traitor who'd been willing to sacrifice them all? He charged at her making the air escape her lungs. She slid down the wall as her legs swayed. That humane face was twisted by pain.

"Let you go?" he questioned her almost mockingly. Michael moved a little closer to the weeping girl in her feet and suddenly a strangely familiar leer seemed to light his face. "You don't deserve it." he retorted almost pitying her.

"Now this is going hurt me almost as much as you." he frowned when leaning over her. His fingers with pointed nails reached out to her with the intention of harm. Lunacy sparkled in his eyes.

Pain erased his eyesight when his face met with a fist unexpectedly. Michael didn't get a chance to react before the violent pummelling began and he felt being yanked away from his victim. He caught a quick glance of Paul's blonde hair before another punch threw him off balance and he met with the floor.

What the fuck did just happen!

Star's sobbing annoyed his hearing now more than ever as his lips kissed the dusty floor. One of his nails broke bringing him more of that faint aching. He swallowed a shattered tooth before even realizing it.

"Hello Michael."

He recognized the owner of the husky voice that came from above immediately...Apparently mealtime was over.

Still powerless from the unexpected assault it took him longer than usually to roll over, but once he was on his back he was greeted bythe oneface he'd been expecting all along. Michael felt like laughing to the devil's face. Was it because of relief or…? He didn't quite know to be truthful.

"David." he cocked his head a bit while he sucked the blood from his lip. Then he just smiled. "What brings you here?"