WARNING – Chapter contains adult language

Chapter four – Old friends

Flash forward two years

Cass awoke from another nightmare, the details of it started seeping away the second her eyes opened but she knew what it had been about. Kerry.

"Sometimes people just disappear"

Her mother had said in the months following that haunting night. What was worse was that none of the others had been found either. The thought of Seth being out there somewhere terrified her. There was also Colin to think about, he was still missing too. No one had even the slightest idea where they could be.

She sat up tiredly and ran her fingers through her cropped hair, she had sheared it off with kitchen scissors one night to try to rid herself of his smell, although she was sure she was imagining it, it seemed to cling to her hair and skin, even now. Since then she had kept it short, much more convenient for her new lifestyle.

Cass lifted herself off the creaky mattress she called a bed and stretched out. Her room was just wide enough to allow her to spread her arms out at her sides. She dressed quickly, pulling on a black lace camisole and tight fitting black jeans. She laced her boots, grabbed her backpack and jacket and left the room.

"Hey Tina" a blond girl called to her.

She waved briefly and continued through the house. She lived in a hostel for young girls who had been in abusive relationships, she'd lied about her past and identity to get a room here and she worked two jobs to pay her way. By day she was a waitress in the Truck Stop café, by night she worked behind a bar in a seedy nightclub called The Below. She stayed alert for signs of Seth but he remained hidden. In the two years since seeing him last she had become a different girl. Her lean body now held firm muscles under the surface. Her soft youthful face had a hard edge to it.

Her first stop was a call box at the end of her street, she dialled the all too familiar number for her parents house and waited for an answer.

"Hello?" a tired female voice asked.

"Mom? Its me".

Cass listened to her mother sob with happiness for a moment before asking the same old question

"Any news?".

No, there never was. Cass still hoped though that one day Kerry would contact her family but she hadn't yet. Cass continued to chat to her mother for a while, promising she was safe and would return home soon, although they both knew that was a lie. Cass hadn't been able to stay there in the same neighbourhood where it had happened, seeing all the faces of her friends and neighbours automatically fill with concern or sympathy when they spoke to her and on the odd occasion, suspicion. That's what had brought her here to begin with. She wanted to be unknown. They exchanged 'I love you's' and Cass hung up.

There wasn't much hope of finding Kerry really, she could be anywhere by now but Cass continued hoping regardless, unable to even entertain the idea that Kerry might be dead.

She walked the short distance to the club, keeping the hood of her jacket up and her head down as she went. She entered via the employees door around the back and quickly dumped her jacket and bag.

"Hey girl" A soft voice greeted her as she entered.

She turned to see Lydia collecting her jacket from the hook on the wall. Lydia was the one true friend Cass had found, and the only one who knew anything about her, although she knew very little really. Cass knew Lydia had secrets too. They were roughly the same age but Lydia had been here in the city alone for a lot longer than Cass. Cass loved her though, it was Lydia who'd gotten her the job here, they'd met at the Truck Stop and after Cass had let slip how broke she was, Lydia brought her here.

"Hey" Cass smiled "you coming or going?".

"Sorry babe, I'm just finished for the night" Lydia smiled sympathetically at Cass, they both preferred working their shifts together.

Cass waved as Lydia left, then made her way out to the bar she worked. The club was busy tonight, drunken bodies tangled seductively on the dance floor or sat around in the secluded booths, doing god knows what. She served all her customers with a brittle smile that never quite reached her eyes. Most were regulars who, after the first attempt, knew better than to try to engage her in conversation. That's why she was taken off guard when a deep male voice spoke to her.

"Hey beautiful, how you doing?"

She looked up stunned, to see a tall blond boy leaning on the edge of the bar. His face looked like it had been sculpted by an artist, bronze eyes sat high above his curved cheek bones. He was smiling at her in a way that made her feel naked. She disliked the feeling and mentally slapped herself for staring back at him.

"What can I get you?" she asked formally.

"Your number?" he replied casually.

"Sorry, I only serve drinks" Cass' temper started to rise, she didn't do flirting and this boy didn't seem to want anything else.

She turned her back to him and busied herself restocking a fridge with bottled beer.

"I'll have one of those then please".

She looked up at him with a bottle still in her hand, he gestured towards the bottle. She placed it down in front of him a little roughly and took his money.

"Hey, I didn't mean to offend you" the boy held his hands up in mock surrender.

"Whatever" she snapped, turning back to the fridge.

She heard him laugh once but when she sneaked a look over her shoulder, he'd gone.

The rest of the night passed without incident. She helped the other staff members to clean the bar area's after all the customers had gone and left through the employee's entrance. Once again she pulled her hood up to hide her face and set off at a brisk pace. She knew instantly that she was being watched, she could feel it. Cass quickened her pace. The walk home was a relatively short one but it was very dark and the streets were empty, she wished Lydia had been working, she normally drove Cass home after their shifts ended. Cass made it to the end of her road and let out a sigh of relief, that's when he pounced.

Cass' heart thundered in her chest as the dark figure appeared before her. From the dark tight fitting shirt he wore she could tell he was male, but the baseball cap pulled low obscured his face. When she heard his voice though she knew instantly who he was.

"Well well well, little Goth girl..."

It was Seth, the memory of his face and the sound of his voice cut through her. She panicked and tried to run but he blocked her at every turn, eventually he hooked an arm around her throat to stop her. Cass dug her nails in the flesh of his forearms but his grip just tightened. He bowed his head and sniffed her,

"mm mm you smell just like I remember" he said softly.

"Get your fucking hands off me you bastard" Cass hissed as viscously as she could manage.

"Is that any way to talk to your first love? I've missed you Cass. You and me, we had something special".

"You're deluded, you drugged me, then raped me and left me in a burning house".

Hot tears rolled down Cass' cheeks but she tried to keep the sobs inside.

"Now now Cass, don't get me angry, I'd hate to loose my temper with you. I wouldn't want to ruin that pretty little face...or that body" he pressed his cheek against hers "I've missed you, I've been looking for you for so long".

Cass stiffened, so it wasn't chance that they met here tonight, she'd been hunted. Her body froze and ice cold chills ran up and down her spine.

"I've been waiting to finish what we started Cass, can you remember? Remember how hot I made you and how wet?". He used his free hand now to travel down her stomach and cup her through her jeans. "You like that don't you?" he whispered in her ear.

Cass didn't get the chance to reply. Something heavy knocked into the side of them, sending the pair sprawling across the concrete floor. Cass rolled to her feet ready to defend herself but Seth was upright already and fighting another black clad figure. They whirled like dancers, ducking and dodging one another's blows. The unknown fighter must have had a knife because Seth jumped back with a startled yelp and even in the dim light Cass could see the blood on his cheek.

"Bitch" he hissed. He turned quickly and ran into the night.

The figure moved closer to her, Cass could see the person was tall and slim with a hood pulled up to hide their features, as the person got nearer she realised it was a woman. She moved slowly towards Cass, pulling the hood down to release her long black hair.

"I won't hurt you" the girl said, as she came even closer. She extended her hand out towards Cass. "I'm Rashel Jordan, I'm a daybreaker"

Cass shook the girls hand tentatively.

"What's a daybreaker?" Cass was pleased her voice didn't betray her, she was sure the fear she felt would leak out.

"Oh crap, you're not? I mean you're human?"

"Um yes?" she replied

"Why is one of the most sadistic vampires, since Maya herself, hunting you?" The girl named Rashel demanded.

"So he's a vampire then. I always wondered what he was" Cass had known there was something seriously wrong with Seth when she'd seen the look on his face just before..well you know. It explained the extended canines too. "I didn't want to believe they existed but I guess this explains a lot"

Rashel looked her up and down "You'd better come with me, I hope you can run, I haven't got time to wait for you"

Cass buried her doubt's about the girl in front of her, if Seth had tracked her down here then he could find her room at the hostel too. This Rashel had tried to hurt him so surely she was good, right? She nodded once at Rashel and they set off together at a sprint.