Hey everyone! Am back with the next installment! I haven't got the time to do personal shout-outs this time (Have a million-and-one things to do - mainly homework!) but I noticed two main themes in the reviews which i thought I'd better address.

The firstisrelationships. I know some of you are hoping for Hunter/Cam, not mentioning anynames ( 'cough'Crimson-Ranger'cough'CamFan4Ever'cough'!)and I did toy with the idea but I really want tofocus on the relationship Hunter has with hisbrother above anything else. That is why the only romantic relationship you will find in here is a faint hinting of Blake/Tori. Sorry guys! It's just how I wanted to do this! But there will be other chances for that.

The other was amazement at the power Phil still has over Hunter. Let me tell you something - the hardest thing I have ever had to dowas stand up to my dad. After everything Phil has done toHunter, of coursePhil is going to have tremendous power over him. I hope that answers your questions!

A big thanks to all you reviewers out there - I love hearing your comments! So with no more babbling - here's chapter 2. Remember: read, enjoy and review!

the real vampire

A Threat

Once Blake had left, Hunter lay staring at the ceiling. Sleep was impossible. He could still remember the dream. No, not a dream. That had been another lie; one of many. Hunter knew it hadn't been a dream but a memory from his past. It had been real once; it had happened.

Most of his 'dreams' were like that. What did doctors call them? Suppressed memories, that was it. Like Bruce Wayne had, Hunter thought with a smile. Dustin had got him into comic books. Hunter liked Batman best, probably because the similarities between himself and the Caped Crusader were so striking, and not just because they both had super-hero alter egos! Suppressed memories. Hunter shuddered. He wished they'd go back to being suppressed.

As he lay there, another memory reached him. This one was not from his childhood, but from the recent past. Only five months ago in fact.

Hunter had been jogging along a deserted path near the beach when Phil had ambushed him. And what had happened scared him more than anything before…

"Hello son," Phil had said, blocking Hunter's way.

Hunter had stood there, waiting. This had become normal now; a few months after Hunter had got better (only two months ago when this had happened) Phil had found him and kept finding him ever since. Hunter could change the way he walked home, or ran, and be free for a couple of days, but then Phil would find him again. Mostly he stuck to just using verbal abuse, but once or twice had resorted to using physical force. Hunter hadn't mentioned these meetings to his friends, first out of embarrassment and then because of what had happened during this meeting. He didn't answer his stepfather, just calmly met his eyes in silence.

"Ready to come home yet and forget about that silly accident last year?" Phil asked, his voice pleasant enough.

"No," Hunter said coolly. Phil asked this every time they met, as if what had happened last year had been a misunderstanding.

Then Phil had said something that caused Hunter to pale. "How's your brother? Still riding that bike of his?" He said it lightly, almost off-hand, but it came with a menacing undertone.

"He's fine," Hunter had replied slowly, an icy hand of fear settling in his chest. Phil had never spoken about Blake before, and Hunter didn't want him to. What Phil said next confirmed Hunter's suspicions; "He should be careful. Bikes can be dangerous, we wouldn't want him to have a nasty accident now would we?" It was said innocently enough, but Hunter knew Phil well enough to know that nothing he said was innocent.

Shivers ran down Hunter's spine. "Leave Blake out of this," he said.

"I'm not the one getting him involved," Phil had replied before walking away, "I'll see you around." It wasn't a friendly statement, rather a threat.

Hunter had run as fast as he could down the path; as far from Phil as possible. He wanted to run out of Blue Bay and far away, but he couldn't. He had responsibilities here.

Hunter felt a cold chill creep over him as he remembered. Phil threatening him was one thing, he was used to it, but Phil threatening his little brother was something completely different.

Hunter had no doubt that Phil could – and would – hurt Blake just to get to him, but Hunter wouldn't allow that. Blake was the only true family he had and if anything happened to him because of Phil… Hunter wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

Still, it had been five months ago and nothing had come of it. He'd bumped into Phil, or rather Phil had found him, many times since then but he'd never mentioned Blake again, and Hunter was relived. It had probably just been an idle threat because Phil hadn't been able to think of anything better to say. It had probably been meaningless…

With these thoughts floating around his head, Hunter finally drifted off into an uneasy sleep, unaware of what daylight was about to bring, and the chain of events that would follow…