"I don't know where your head has been lately, Taylor." Lucy shook her head, her tall frame looming over her daughter's. Taylor was still on the kitchen floor, propped up to her elbows, and surrounded by glass. The mother she had known would've fretted over her only daughter, rushing to clean up the broken glass and urging her not to move. Now, Lucy just didn't give a shit about anything that wasn't her, Max, or blood.
"What do you mean, Mom?"
"Fighting with David, putting ideas in Sam's head, bringing home a cop!" Lucy's eyes filled with anger. "What the hell are you thinking?"
"It was just a date," Taylor shrugged. "He let me out of a ticket if I went on a date with him, I didn't think it was a big deal."
"You didn't think it was a big deal to bring a boardwalk cop to our home, Taylor? I sent David and the others to clean up your little mess."
Taylor swallowed, hard. She hadn't liked Harlem, but she didn't want him torn apart either.
"That's not necessary," She shook her head. "Mom, you can't just kill everyone who - " "What else was I supposed to do, Taylor? When he sees the boys messing around on the boardwalk next time, he'll know where to find them. He'll know something is up."
"You're being paranoid," Taylor said, but something hovered in the back of her mind - maybe Lucy was right. Maybe Jamie would've seen the Lost Boys lure a tourist off the beach, and know exactly where to find them for questioning later on. Maybe Taylor would have gotten them into trouble.
"Do you ever think about anything other than yourself?" Lucy spat at her. "What about David, about the way he feels for you?"
"David doesn't feel anything for anyone but himself either," Taylor scoffed. He'd proved that last night, when he took that brunette back to the cave, and then again today, when he'd avoided her, refused to give her any explanation.
"Max told me the boys were fighting earlier today - David, Sam, and Michael. I wonder what about." Lucy mocked.
"I don't want David," Taylor shook her head, knowing it was a lie. Admitting her feelings towards David would be admitting defeat, and she would never be ready to do that.
Lucy's face fell, as if she hadn't calculated for that, and she rushed at her daughter. For a moment, just one, Taylor thought she meant to do her real harm. Vampirism had made her so harsh, cold, and selfish — it wouldn't be so out of character for her to kill her own daughter. Taylor jumped backwards, unknowingly launching herself onto sharp, splintered glass. She took a sharp intake of breath as an especially thin piece sliced its way into her arm, lodging itself there. Fresh, red blood trickled out.
Taylor swallowed harshly, looking at her mother's hungry eyes. But, instead of moving to drain her daughter, Lucy took a step away. For a moment, Taylor thought she was glimpsing a bit of motherly instinct left over from when Lucy was human, but then she saw what Lucy had sensed. The Lost Boys were slowly milling in behind him, obviously just getting back from the boardwalk. Paul's shirt was disheveled, and Dwayne had lipstick marks on his neck. Laddie had led the pack, however, and was now standing in the doorway to the kitchen, his eyes narrowed into hungry, feral slits.
"Laddie," Taylor started, worried the boy would dash across the room, using his little canines to slice her neck. She remembered what David had said on the beach — Laddie wasn't just any child, he was a dangerous one. And, somehow, the others hadn't registered the fresh blood yet.
Once they did, the room went silent. They were watching, eyes trained between predator and his prey, with David ready to intervene.
He reached an arm out and grasped Laddie's shoulder, yanking him away from the kitchen at breakneck speed.
"Laddie!" David yelled at him.
"It's okay," He shook his head, wrinkling up his nose. "David, she doesn't smell very good. Her blood doesn't smell right."
Taylor's heart sunk as she realized what it meant, as she watched her blood congeal with hungry eyes. She looked around the room finding shock on all faces but one — Lucy's. Her mother's eyes were full of happiness. "I'm glad we don't have to keep it a secret any longer, Taylor." Lucy reached out a hand. "You're one of us."
The color flooding from her face, Taylor ran to her room.
()()()
As Taylor ran, David could feel his heart - or, what was left of it - leave his body. If he'd doubted it before, he knew it now. She would reject what she was, and she would ultimately reject him. He'd end up no better than Michael, lost and lovesick over a girl who couldn't accept what she'd been turned into. It made him sick to think about.
Wordlessly, he looked over at his brothers for guidance, but they were shocked and motionless. They'd known even less than he did. They hadn't noticed Max and Lucy's bottle trick during "family dinner," and they didn't know that Taylor was unaware of what she was becoming. After a few moments, Laddie looked up at David.
"Are you gonna go after her?" He shrugged. "That's what the guys do in all the movies."
For the first time, David was thankful for the Lost Boy's little sidekick.
"Yes, go to her, David." Lucy grinned at him. The smile that had once been sickeningly warm and matronly was now filled with teeth unnaturally sharp and bright. "Be her knight in shining armor."
Something has made you bitter, David wanted to tell his fake mother. Something has broken you inside, and you're not right anymore. But David knew he couldn't say those words to her, not unless he wanted to deal with Max afterwards. David wasn't scared of many things, but facing the wrath of his maker was one thing no vampire wanted to go about doing lightly. Instead of attacking Lucy, like he wanted to, David took Laddie's advice. He moved up the stairs, after Taylor, wondering if she would turn him away.