Star woke up to find David still asleep next to her and it was strange for her, in the beginning she had been put out that he wouldn't stay with her and now she wanted him to leave her alone. She rolled over and looked at him and was taken back at how he portrayed incorruptibility in sleep, he looked as if he was a kid who could do no wrong. He slept with his hands on his heart and he was dead still. Suddenly he opened his eyes, a distinct red ring within the blue, and he looked at her for a minute then the red faded and the blue took over.

'Hello Starlight.' She felt almost guilty being caught staring at him and she sat up looking for her singlet. He lay on his side and watched her get dressed and the odd domestic intimacy that it created made her wish he wouldn't. 'Go and get your things, we're going to a motel to clean up and get you ready.' He said getting up and putting his pants on, and she watched him head out to where the other boys slept. She was grateful he was giving her an opportunity to wash him off of her before she went to this stupid party, she'd been showering at multiple places during her time with David but she liked it best when she could use a motel, at least they were clean. She quickly walked to her corner of the cave and saw the bag on her bed and she grabbed it, along with some make up and her nicest jewellery, and went out to wait for him. He rode her up to a motel on the highway up to San Francisco and he pulled in, parking outside the reception office.

The motel owner looked at her like she was a hooker when David asked for the room for a couple of hours and David didn't correct him when he made a snide comment either, which annoyed her. She walked straight into the room and into the bathroom, turning the shower on and getting in. The warm water comforted her and felt amazing on her skin making her not want to get out but when she heard David bang on the door and she got out. Before she could even dry herself, he came barging in on her and she quickly covered herself with a towel. 'Didn't wanna have a shower together?' He deliberately embarrassed her and he got naked and into the shower. She wondered where the other boys washed, assuming other motels or maybe the houses of people they killed but that last option made her feel uncomfortable. She dried off and looked at the stupid bag holding the overpriced dress and dreaded putting it on. Then she thought about it, how was she supposed to ride on the back of his bike wearing that dress and those shoes? It wasn't going to happen so she put her other clothing back on and sat on the bed waiting for him.

'What are you doing? Why aren't you dressed?' He asked her coming out of the bathroom and she picked up on him tone straight away.

'I can't ride with you in that dress.' She explained and he answered her without missing a beat.

'You're not, Paul is picking up a car and is coming to get us.'

'David, this is crazy. I don't even know who I'm supposed to be talking to or if it's a private party or anything about this. Can't you compel him to come out and speak to you? I don't want to do this.' She complained.

'Don't you dare question me! You will do as I say! Now get dressed!' He exploded and he stormed out of the room. His reaction had shocked her and she began to tremble as she pulled the dress out and began to put it on followed by the heels. She did her makeup and was putting her hair up when David came back in. 'Paul is here.' He said and she was aware of him standing and staring at her but she tried to ignore him and he sat to put his boots on. She went to walk out of the room and he stopped her, standing in front of her with his hands on her upper arms and she felt awkward as he looked her over.

'You look stunning.' He said and he kissed her cheek. He scared her now. The enigma that was her boyfriend was becoming increasingly dissociative in nature and she wasn't sure which David she would be dealing with at any point in time. Is this how they all were or was this just him? The others didn't seem to be like this but then she wasn't in a relationship with them. He opened the door for her and his act of chivalry was out of place, then she heard Paul wolf whistle at her and that was more typical of the boys behaviour. Paul had arrived in a gorgeous black mustang which suited him down to the ground, it made him look like the rock star he was, it was aggressive and loud but the music he had blaring was louder and David's expression said it all.

'I said subtle.' David said, coming out of the door and Paul laughed.

'Bro, I don't do subtle.' She smiled because the last thing Paul was, was subtle and she heard the door slam closed. David took her arm and guided her to the car.

'Where are Dwayne and Marko?' She asked, seeing they weren't in the car and David told her they would meet them there then he told Paul to drive cause they didn't have much time. The closer they got to the hotel, the stronger the butterflies in her stomach became and by the time Paul had pulled up just down the street from the Hilton and her legs were sufficiently shaking enough that she wasn't sure that they would hold her up when she got out. They sat there for a few minutes until a man in his mid-twenties walked past the car and headed up towards the Hilton.

'That's him.' David told her and she watched him, he was a young trendy guy who looked as normal as any other person walking down the street. For some reason she thought he would be like them or he would stand out in some way and knowing David as she did now, she couldn't understand why he would have anything to do with anyone, let alone someone like him. He handed her some money and she felt so ill prepared to do what he was expecting from her. 'Bring him out to the park. I will be waiting there for you.' He told her and she opened the door, steeling herself for what she was about to do and she got out of the car. She walked up towards the hotel lobby and once inside she stopped, not knowing where to go or where he had gone to follow him and feeling very much the 17 year old girl she was. She was also unprepared for the stares she was getting from the other patrons in the place and she decided she needed some Dutch courage so she went to the bar upstairs and stood at the bar top waiting to be served when an older man came up behind her.

'That dress is sensational.' He said and she smiled. 'Can I get you a drink?'

'Ahh… sure. A glass of champagne.' She said, glad that she did have to pay for it or deal with being asked for ID. She watched the bartenders every move, making sure it was a simple glass of champagne she was getting. She would never drink anything from anyone ever again after David's 'wine.' The man paid for the drinks and he turned to her.

'Cheers.' He said. She clinked her glass with his and she took a sip. 'So, what are you doing here?'

'I was supposed to meet my friend here but I'm late and she's not here. I don't think she waited for me.' Star said looking around.

'That's no good. What is your name?'

'Star.' She said unsure if she should be giving him her name, even if it was one given to her by David.

'Well Star, I'm Pete. Would you like to come and meet some of my work colleagues? We're having a party in the ballroom.' He asked her standing to leave. She couldn't believe her luck, she'd just been invited to the party she needed to go to.

'Sure, if it's OK?'

'Of course it's OK. It's a work do and I'm the boss.' He smiled a cheesy grin and she grabbed her glass and walked with him into the ballroom. It was a corporate affair with lots of suits and gowns and the way she was dressed, she fit right in.

'What do you do?' She asked him as they walked towards the back of the room.

'I work for the Council.' He smiled. 'Come on, I'll introduce you to my colleagues.' City Council? What was David doing dealing with City Councillors? She knew this was off and she regretted giving him her name. He led her over to a table where two other gentlemen sat and they turned to look at her. 'Star, this is Phil and Luis.'

'Hi.' She said and they both rose to shake her hand.

'Hello Star.' Phil said, raising an eyebrow.

'Star.' Luis said kissing her politely on the cheek.

'Are you OK for a drink?' Phil asked her.

'Oh, I'm fine. Thank you.' She smiled and they began to talk about business and it gave her a chance to scan the room for the man when suddenly a couple of women, easily in their forties, appeared in her line of vision.

'So, who are you?' One of them asked her while the other one looked her over, judging her.

'My name is Star.'

'Star?' One of them mocked her. 'What are you? A dancer?' The ladies laughed at her. They both wore some serious jewellery but Star couldn't tell if it was real or not.

'No, I'm a model.' She said, not knowing if she could even pass for a model but knowing it would make them insecure if they believed her.

'A model?' One of them asked her looking her up and down.

'Well Miss Model, what are you doing here? You don't work for the Council.' The other one said.

'Pete invited me.' She said motioning over to Pete, who was busy talking with someone else.

'You don't belong here.' The lady was saying exactly what Star was thinking and Star was just about to leave, regardless of what David wanted her to do.

'Drop it Estelle. Go and be a bitch somewhere else.' A man interrupted their conversation and she looked at him and it was the man she had been sent in to find. Estelle and her snotty friend strutted off and Star turned to him.

'Thank you.'

'Oh, don't mention it. She is territorial and anyone who gets too close to Pete gets her back up, besides any chance to call Estelle a bitch is worth it.' He winked at her and she smiled.

'Are they together?' She asked.

'No, she would like to be though,' She smiled at him, 'his check book is just her size. What's your name?'

'Star.' She said feeling self-conscious for the first time over it. She had never seen it as a dodgy name, especially the way David had given it to her but right now that's all she could see it as. That was twice tonight she'd been made to feel like a whore.

'Star? Is that your real name?' He asked surprised.

'Yeah.' Sure, why not. It's not like David was going to allow her to be long term friends with the guy so it didn't matter what she told him.

'Wow, pretty. Do you dance?' He asked her.

'I'm not a stripper.' She said, suddenly and very seriously.

'No, I mean would you like to dance?' He smiled at her, motioning to the dance floor.

'Oh, um, no thanks.' She said sipping her drink. 'What do you do at the Council?' She asked wanting to get a clearer picture of who this guy was and why David would want to speak to him. Obviously David didn't want to be seen with him which made her nervous.

'I'm the Building Consent Manager.' She nodded and finished her drink. Building Consent Manager. What was David doing, building a house?

'Would you like another drink?' He offered her.

'No, I'm OK.' She looked at his hand. Marko had said he was married but there was no sign of a ring.

'You sure? It's an open bar?' He tried to tempt her but she just smiled and shook her head. The first one had gone straight to her head and she needed to focus and work out how she was going to slip him out of the room with her. 'Well, you won't dance with me and you don't want another drink and this party is pretty stale, perhaps you would like to join me for a little something else?' She didn't know what he meant but she saw him pat his pocket and she clicked and she saw her opening.'

'Ahh… Sure.' She said. 'But not in here. How about we go outside?'

'Outside?' He asked. 'Not very private.'

'Yeah, I need some fresh air.' She moved closer to him and placed her hand on his chest. 'Would you like to come outside with me?' He looked into her eyes, his eyes flicking from one to the other and he smiled and she knew she had him. He followed her out and down to the lobby. 'There's a park just down the road. Let's go there.' She said and he blindly followed.

'Where are you from?' He asked once they were outside.

'Here.' She said walking towards the park.

'Here as in San Francisco?'

'Yeah.' She said absently looking around the park to see if she could spot any of the boys but she couldn't.

'Aren't you a little scared of being here with me, in the dark all alone?' He said getting out the bag of white powder.

'Why would she be?' David's voice came out of the darkness and they both turned towards him.

'Who areyou?' Raoul jumped and was confused. 'Is he a nark?!' He looked at Star, demanding to know.

'Do I look like a cop?' David laughed at the man. 'Star come here.' He said and Star walked to David's side leaving the man standing there alone. Suddenly Star heard a screeching sound and she jumped as the man disappeared up and away, and she knew one of the boys had come and taken him.

'Where is he?' She asked him shocked. 'I thought you just wanted to speak to him?'

'Dwayne is having a little chat with him.' David said walking towards the road.

'So he's going to be alright?' She asked looking behind her.

'Sure.' David said but she didn't believe him. They'd taken him to kill him, she was sure of it. Why else would they take him if David just wanted to talk to him? David had used her as bait. He strode back over to the car and he leaned against it lighting a cigarette. The car had been parked down an alleyway round the corner from the Hilton and it was relatively dark. She wouldn't have stood there had David not been with her.

'What are we doing?' She asked looking down the street.

'Waiting for Paul.' He said looking down the street also. A car pulled up and parked a couple of feet away and a man got out and approached them.

'How much?' Both David and Star turned their heads and looked at him with blank faces. 'For her, how much?' The man clarified. She looked at David as he pushed off the car and walked towards him and she held her breath over what he was going to do.

'$300' David said and Star couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was he offering to sell her?

'Is that for everything?' The man said getting out his wallet.

'$300 for a fuck. $400 and you can do what you want for the night.' The rage was building inside her and she folded her arms across her chest ready to walk away.

'Including bare back? I wanna cum all inside that one' The man said and she felt sick.

'Bare back is $500.' David said and she smacked him. She was no one's fucking prostitute! The man looked at her and he excitedly got the money out of his wallet. David took the folded bills and turned away from him. 'Now, fuck off.'

'What?' The man said to him.

'Did you not hear me?' David stalked back towards him dead serious. 'I told you to fuck off. No one touches my girl but me, you disrespectful fuck, and if you don't get the fuck out of here, you will never see daylight again.' He was staunch in his demeanour and the man began to falter.

'I'm going to call the police if you don't give me my money back.' The man made the mistake of saying and David gave him a king hit straight to the throat and the man dropped like a stone on the ground, choking with blood filling and spilling out from his mouth.

'Fuck this.' David said and he broke into Paul's car and hotwired it telling her to get in. He drove like a maniac back down towards the motel where he'd left his bike. 'Go in and get changed. I'll be back.' He said as he drove off in the car. She walked into the room and with what had just happened with her name and the man on the street, she was left feeling cheap and dirty and she was happy to take that dress off and never wear it again. In fact, she'd never wear another red dress again. She got changed into her usual clothing and shoved the dress and the shoes back into the bag, collected her things and went outside to see David was back and he was sitting on his bike looking very pissed off. He saw her come out and he started the bike and looked at her to get on, which she did, and he took off towards Santa Carla without saying anything. Roughly an hour later they rode past a sign that said Los Gatos and she was confused. What were they doing in Los Gatos? David rode around the old town and pulled up outside a house and he sat there and stared at it for the longest time before he left and rode to the upper Los Gatos Creek and pulled over at a rest stop. She got off while he sat there for a minute before he got off.

'What are we doing here?' She asked him and he took the bag with the dress and the shoes and he dumped them in a garbage bin then walked over near the stream and stood there staring into the water. She sat down on a bench seat and she looked around the area, at the surrounding swamplands, trees and water and she realised obviously he liked to be around water. The frogs croaked in the reeds and she watched him. He seemed so contemplative she wondered what this place meant to him and she realised that he was somewhere else, in another time and reliving a memory that she had no knowledge of. He almost looked sad to her.

'Are you OK?' She asked and he flinched a little at the sound of her voice and he hesitated before answering her.

'This is where I was turned.' She was blown away by his admission and that he'd even told her, she didn't know what to say. 'I haven't been back here since that night.' She wondered who else he'd told this to.

'When were you turned?' She asked him, not confident he would tell her.

'A long time ago.' He said after a long pause and she saw a minute shake of his head. 'I'm older than you think Star.' She was interested in his life pre vampire.

'How old are you?' She asked and he turned to look at her. 'Do you remember JFK?'

'I'm older than that.' He tilted his head and she felt stupid asking that.

'World War 2?' He smiled and nodded. 'World War 1?' His smile faded and he nodded. 'Titanic?' He looked down and nodded. Holy shit, he remembered the Titanic sinking; he was really old. She didn't know if she should keep pushing but she asked him one more time. 'Billy the Kid?' He laughed and turned around to walk to his bike.

'Let's go.' He told her and he mounted his bike.

'Do you remember Billy the Kid?' She asked him again, getting on the back of his bike and he revved the engine loud.

'What? I can't hear you.' He said to her smirking and she smiled back. OK, yeah, he was old. There was a depth to him that she had failed to recognise and it made her appreciate the wisdom and experience he held. He was suddenly a far more complex being than what she'd given him credit for and she felt like she'd just shared in something that was important to him. They headed back to Santa Carla to meet the boys.