i'm sorry guys. i totally lost track of time with this chapter and updating. i thought a week went by and it's been almost two!:( i blame work and the beach ;D

ENJOY and sorry for any editing mistakes, i was a little lazy on this one.

Chapter 17:

Joan had told me that three days had gone by since I was taken from the vampire compound, and it makes sense; between me passing out and however long it took to get here, it makes sense. I mentally sighed, three days. I have no sense of time being held in this basement. Part of me wondered why Cashile hadn't shown up yet. He should be here by now. Maybe he just can't find this place. Maybe he was trying to negotiate with Seth. Whatever the reason, I wanted him here. Now. Every minute, every second that went by caused me to grow more and more anxious. We need to find a way out. I would go crazy if I stayed down here any longer, not to mention my hunger was a growing problem, again.

I restlessly started tracing all of the seams of the metal wall, checking for any weak points, but this place was built like a prison. Every screw, every bolt, was precisely tightened to ensure no escape.

I walked up the stairs and found the secure metal door. There was no handle, only a finger scanner. As I looked closer at the device, I could see that it had small amounts of copper drops on it. This isn't a finger scanner; it's a blood scanner. I kicked the door in frustration. The only way I'm getting out is if he gets out.

Centering myself, breathing in, and gathering my strength, I stepped back and then lunged forward at the metal door in front of me, jamming my shoulder into it. Nothing. I did it again, harder, faster. My anger started to boil over and came out as a grunt each time I hit the door.

"Allison," Joan reached for me. "Allison, calm down. You're acting irrationally. Think for a second."

As I cooled down I watched a bruise on my shoulder heal. The deep purple and green patch turned a raspberry color, and then back into the peach color my skin normally is. "About what?" I finally asked with annoyance attached.

Joan smiled. "You've only been a vampire for a few days and you're already acting like the worst of them."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I put my hands on my hips.

"It means you're thinking with your brawn and not your brains. There was a reason why you were chosen. You think things through. That's what vampire's are supposed to do, think. That's what separates them from the werewolves." Joan explained. She reminded me of Cashile in training. He always hinted at using knowledge before power. The vampires became so corrupt because they started acting so irrationally and using our immense power in favor of our knowledge.

"How are we going to get out though? Thinking about getting out isn't going to help right now."

With a sly smile and smooth voice, she replied, "deception…"

. . .

"You understand the plan, right?" I asked. Joan and I had done an equal amount of thinking, but I wanted to make sure, one last time, that we were on the same page; we do not have any room to mess this up.

At the same time Joan nodded her head, I heard a door close upstairs, followed by footsteps. Seth's back.

Joan unwrapped the cloth bandage that was around her wrist and squeezed. The (somewhat) fresh wound began seeping blood. Instantly the sweet aroma filled the small area. Every aspect of my being told me to go to the wound, to drink, to feed, but I held my ground. Getting Seth is more important, I kept reminding myself. If her blood was calling me this much, it was definitely calling Seth as well.

Joan let out a scream, a blood-curdling scream. "Stop, please!" Her voice conveyed panic, but nothing was wrong. I was not attacking her; I was hiding behind the stairwell, just like we planned. She was perfectly safe.

I rolled the wooden chair leg in my hand, feeling the grooves of it in my palm, calculating the weight, the force needed. I bit my lip in anticipation.

Joan looked at me. So far, our plan was not in motion. Louder, I mouthed. She let out another screech.

Suddenly, I could hear footsteps drawing near. "Allison, my dear, please share—" Seth stopped mid-sentence when he finally came down the stairs, only to notice I wasn't attacking Joan.

Now's my chance.

I snuck up behind him and used my forearm to pin him against the wall. "It's a funny thing about vampires," I began, mimicking the tone he used with me when the situation was reversed. He tried to wriggle out of my arms; I only pushed harder. "They always come at the scent of blood."

Seth grabbed my arm and twisted out of my hold. "Dammit," I muttered under my breath. Seth found my frustration amusing and chuckled. "You really thought that you could fight me? I'm older than you; I'll always have an advantage over you. I'll always be stronger." Seth bared his fangs and his irises glowed a furious red. Beads of sweat balled on Seth's temple. The longer vampires wait to feed, the more human-like and vulnerable we become. The sweat on Seth's face tells me that he is weaker than usual, and my gut tells me that he's wrong: he's not stronger than me. I'm stronger than him; I'll always be stronger than him. I can beat him.

As fast as I could, I ran at him. He tried to throw in a punch but I dodged it at the last second. My hand clasped around his neck and shoved him into the wall, creating a dent and a loud thud. My other hand played with my makeshift stake. "No, I will always be stronger than you, remember that…remember where I came from." With that, I took the wooden chair leg and speared it into Seth's chest. His eyes widened and his mouth opened, but no scream came out, only a gasp for air.

"You missed," he breathed, a cruel smile crawling on his face, realizing that he could still fight me.

"I know," I replied, staring into the dark pits he calls eyes while I dug the stake deeper into his chest. "I'm glad you're not dead yet. That would be too nice." I twisted the stake one more time before pushing him down to the ground and tying his hands behind him on a nearby pole. Now that he was tied up, I took the container of acid and drenched his restraints. He howled in agony. His breaths came in short spurts and he looked like he was in a great deal of pain, and for a moment I felt sorry, but then I remembered his rap sheet: threatening to rape me, biting Joan, kidnapping and torturing me. I felt no remorse.

Before Joan and I headed up the stairs I swiped my finger across his bloody chest. "Thanks," I added sweetly.

Running up the stairs, I placed my finger on the scanner and it beeped at me. I tried again, this time with more blood. Beep.

"You're not getting out," Seth yelled weakly from the basement. "But I can." In the most discreet way, there was a smile lingering in his insane tone. "Why are you even running? What are you running from, Allison?" Seth called from down the stairs.

Even though his voice sounded weak, it still sent chills down my spine, haunting me as it crawled up the staircase. "From me, your fears, the truth?" he guessed. "That's what you like to do after all: run." Seth chuckled darkly. "You see, the more you run, the more you try to get away; the more I win. I'll find out where you're running and I'll catch up; I will find out what you are hiding."

Ignoring his eerie commentary, I tried again. Beep. My next try used the last of the blood. "Come on," I whispered to myself. I heard several gears lock in place, which was soon followed by the door automatically swinging open. I smiled in relief. I peeked my head out to make sure it was safe and gestured Joan to follow me. "Do you know where we are?" I asked her.

"No, he drugged me when he brought me here," she explained sourly.

"Okay," I sighed. "Start looking for anything we can use to contact Cashile or Viktor." Joan nodded in response and started looking around.

The building was small, and wooden. Small rays of moonlight slipped past the cracks in the frame. The floorboards squeaked under my feet. Apart from a couch spewing foam, a few books, a beaten coffee table, and an old television with a hole in it, the upstairs was empty. From the outside, I bet you wouldn't even be able to tell the basement was being used as a torture chamber. It would just look like another abandoned house.

"Find anything?" I called out. No response. "Joan?" This house isn't big at all; in fact, it's more like a shack. How can she not hear me? I turned around in confusion.

Seth stood in the doorframe with Joan in his leechy grasp. His shirt had a bloody-rimmed hole ripped in it. No more stake. His pink wrists were just starting to heal. No more restraints. How did he get free? His hand was covering Joan's mouth, fangs bared dangerously close to Joan's neck. Joan's expression showed something greater than terror and I could hear her heart racing, which didn't make dealing with my hunger any easier. "Tell me what you and your little boyfriend did to become so powerful. Things like this don't just run in the bloodline. It's something more; I know. Tell me!" He yelled, hunger pulling him into hysteria. "Or I kill her. Tell me, and no more stupid riddles."

I clenched my fists and tried to buy time. Seth can't know about the secret—and I'm surprised it's taken him this long to figure it out—but he's drunk with arrogance. That's why it's taken him this long.

"And if I tell you, then you'll let us go?"

"Of course," He hissed the 's' sound. "But if you don't, she dies, and then your mother, and your father, and that little brother of yours die too. Have you ever tasted young blood before? Mmm. Delicious—"

"Fine," I cut him off from explaining any further and sighed. "If you figure out Cashile's origin, you figure out why he and I are so powerful." I said vaguely.

"I said no riddles! Tell me straight forward! Now!" Seth's grip tightened around Joan's mouth, his nails digging into her skin, drawing blood. She let off a scared whimper.

The fierceness of his voice made me wince.

I'm sorry Cashile. Please forgive me. I could see the look in Joan's eyes, everything about them said not to tell, but I had to. I have to save her and my family."Humans," I began reluctantly. "Humans are the key."

"What do you mean?" he inquired, eyebrow raised.

"Human-Vampires are better than Mutt-Vampires because our bodies have more human blood to feed from."

"You expect me to believe that?" he growled, his mouth getting gravely close to Joan's neck.

"Look at Viktor," I rushed on, distracting him from Joan. "and all of the other Vampire Council members. You're afraid of them because you know they are powerful, but you don't know why."

"They're hundreds of years old," he defended. Seth's voice rose in octave, finally realizing that I was right.

"They were all human." I got to him. Seth understood, and I understood what would happen next. He would selfishly turn hundreds of humans, killing many in the process, build an army…

"Thank you for your cooperation, Allison." Seth's back straightened and in a split second he bit into Joan's neck, savored her blood and then left, without a trace, leaving me alone with Joan.

Memories flashed before me as Joan fell to the ground. Once again, they felt like they were mine, but I knew they weren't. I could see her being dragged away by a blonde vampire, although his face looked familiar, I couldn't put a name to it. Emotions were the second thing to hit me. I wanted to go to her, to scream and protect her, but I couldn't, something was holding me back. All I could remember was, 'I can't lose her; I can't lose anymore of my family'.

The strange memories caused me to run to Joan and kneel next to her. "Are you okay?" I asked as I held my breath. At this point my hunger was controlling me, making my senses sharper, and my muscles tenser; it's all about the kill in my brain. Yet at the same time I felt off. Colors didn't seem as bright, objects not as sharp, reflexes not as fast. It's all about the blood; it controls me.

Covered with blood, Joan took away her hand from her neck and nodded her head. "I'm okay,"

Every pulse called to me, inviting me closer.

Just before I did something I would regret, the door opened. "Allison!" Cashile's familiar voice called, snapping me back into reality. He came and hugged us both. "What happened?" he asked, putting his hand on Joan's neck to stop the bleeding. He obviously had more control than I did. "Seth did this, didn't he?" Cashile growled.

"That's not all," I murmured. I could already feel tears forming. What had I done? I didn't save my family; I put them in more danger than ever before. I'm so stupid.

"Allison?" Cashile asked hesitantly. I stayed quiet. I'm so stupid. Why did I tell Seth the truth? He was bluffing about everything; I know he was, and I fell for it. "Allison? What did he do to you?" Cashile started getting angrier, not at me, but at all of the potential things Seth could have done.

"He knows." I answered. I tried to speak up, but there was a giant lump forming in my throat.

"What?" Cashile whispered, his voice and face growing concerned.

"He knows!" I said loudly, angry at myself. "He knows about humans! It's all my fault. I told him, he was going to kill your mom and my family and God knows who else if I didn't—"

"Hey, shhh," Cashile took me into and embrace and I finally let my tears flow; I didn't hold back. My breaths came in sobs and my throat had a burning bulge, which accompanied my hunger. "It's okay," Cashile said reassuringly.

"How i-is it okay?" I asked, wiping tears from my eyes. "Seth knows and he is going to tell his stupid minions and they are going to tear up the human compound."

"You did what you had to. All that matters is that you are both safe." His voice was clam and understanding. He held my head in his hands, his beautiful two-toned eyes staring directly at me. "We'll get him. I promise. He won't hurt anyone anymore."

Cashile's words made me feel a little bit better knowing that he wasn't completely mad at me; I expected him to be furious, but me telling him what happened seemed to fuel his vengeance further. When he said we would get Seth, I knew he meant it. We will find him, and all of this will be over.

What do you think?

btw, i've been thinking about another story along the lines of vampire future society again, but this one the vamps are pretty much everywhere and there are very few humans (or are there?) ANYWAY i'll get a better summary wrapped up after you help me decide one thing: PM me or REVIEW with the answer.. should i write my next story in the POV of the vampire (male) or the human (female)... or both

let me know your thoughts please by reviewing :) i love reading your comments