A/N: Okay, I wrote this during Science, [my parents are NOT going to be happy with my SAT scores] so it's not one of my best. But it was necessary, and there's lots going on in the next chapter – I promise!

I guess I dedicate this chapter to my reviewers! This has been up for a couple of weeks now and has only got 6 reviews – I was going to wait for more but it seems it's not going to happen. Oh well.
Anyway, thanks to: Rosalie Thomas, Ilovedamien, , turquoiseflame, PhoebRose and Schizophrenic Muffin!

Enjoy!

Here we go, the grand moment – facing the Flock. They'd come home yesterday with Fang and he'd thankfully distracted them from the subject of my Mark, and they hadn't gone looking for me only to find me rocking myself back and forth, sobbing to myself.

But they did witness the moment after I got my Mark, but they hadn't got the explanation Mom gave me – they were still wondering what the hell it was.

"Guys?" I called, and was rewarded by a few grunts in the living room and Iggy walking towards me, eating ice cream straight out of the tub. I led Iggy into the sitting room and sat in an armchair, about to talk to the Flock. I would have, if it wasn't for the fact that all their eyes were literally glued to the TV.

I stood up, waving my arms, but got no reply. So I picked up the remote, pointed it at the TV, and bam! – they weren't watching TV anymore.

"Max!"
"Why'd you do that?!"
"We were watching Rush Hour!!!"

"Look, guys, I need to talk to you," I said, sinking down into the armchair once more. When she caught a look of the Mark on my forehead, Nudge looked a little happier about the TV being shut off but Gazzy still looked pretty moody.

"It's repeated in an hour, Gaz." I said, and he grinned up at me and started being quite attentive.

"Right. Now I have attention, it's pretty important I talk to you." I said, gesturing at the Mark on my head. "This thing, this Mark on my head, it's not…normal. I didn't go to a tattoo parlour whilst I was drunk and wake up with it the next morning. This Mark, many, many people have – it's a Mark of vampyrism. I'm turning into a vampyre. "

It was silent for a minute, and Fang shot me a look, as in 'Did ya have to be so blunt?', and I shrugged in reply. Gazzy was sitting with his mouth open, Iggy was rubbing his brow, and Angel eyes were glazed over as she searched me for the truth. I looked to Nudge. She was being unusually qui-oops, I spoke too soon.

"A vampyre? Gosh it'd be really cool to be one of them. Althought it would kinda suck to have to drink blood all the time, and sleep upside down at night. Ooh, are you going to get a coffin? I could help decorate it with sequins and…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Gazzy said. "Nudge, Max, you do realize vampyres AREN'T REAL, right?"

I had asked my Mom pretty much all the questions that had built up in my head overnight, but that hadn't been one of them.

I opened my mouth, then shut it again, gaping like a fish. What should I say? I knew quite a lot about vampyres now, but how was I supposed to tell him I was turning into Dracula? I mean, he already had enough monsters in his life, right? I started into a coughing fit then, my chest feeling like it was about to explode. So sudden.

They need to know, Max.

The Voice. Hadn't heard from it in a while. But it still brought up a valid point – I knew I needed to tell them. They needed to know what was happening to me.

"Ummm…,"I started, and then the next words that were going to come out of my mouth just…disappeared. But then, of course, my knight in shining armour came to my rescue.

"Listen up guys," he said, winking at me discreetly. "Yesterday Max saw a man, flying out the window, with the same markings as her. I saw him too. She's not going crazy. He said some stuff, which I didn't hear, but I did see Max collapse on the ground, screaming in pain, and the Mark appearing on her forehead. Vampyres do exist in the world. It's what Marked Max and what Max will become."

I held up my handto cut off Fang, and shot him a quick thank-you smile. I knew what to say.

"I'm not turning into Dracula," I said, before Gazzy asked the questions. "But yes, life's going to be a little different for me now."

I launched into the story Mom had told me, trying to leave out the word 'vampyre' until the last minute, to stop them from freaking again.

But I started coughing again mid-point and had to sit down. I could stop, I felt so…crap.

Fang looked worried, but before he could call my mother in I cleared my throat and resumed my story, sitting down this time.

When I was finished, four Flock members (plus Total) were staring up wide eyed and curious. Nudge had the look on her face, that one that looked like she was about to…explode. My head was woozy, my world was spinning, but I somehow found enough strength inside me to yell "Moooom!"

I settled into the chair and closed my eyes for a minute, regaining my strength. I felt crap. I had a light sheen of sweat dusting my face, and I had massive bags under my eyes – even though I slept like a log last night when I woke up this morning I didn't feel that rested.

Magnolia yapped as Mom entered the house, but she soon quietened and I opened my eyes to the sight of Mom stripping her hands of her gardening gloves and setting them down on the end table.

I looked her up and down once. She was wearing her old clothes – jeans with massive holes in them and a torn shirt that was caked in mud. I finally pieced it together when she ran her fingers through her hair and a leaf descended towards the ground – she had been gardening.

"Mom!" I said, shocked. "I said I'd help you with the gardening!"

Mom chuckled and untied her hair, setting the hairband down next to the gardening gloves.

"Max, I think you might have more to worry about right now." she laughed, shaking her head in disbelief. "Besides, I don't mind doing it alone. It gives me time to think." There was an odd look on her face, but I let it slide.

I shot her a confused look, and she tapped the middle of her forehead twice with her middle finger. Ah yeah. The Mark.

I hated this! Since we'd moved in with Mom we'd tried so hard to regain normalness but I could see it all slipping away before my eyes.

Mom turned to the Flock, prepared for the Q&A, but I burst into a raw coughing fit that made the whole Flock turn and stare at me. My chest felt awful, and I had a massive headache.

Next thing I know, the room was spinning and I hit the floor.

Hard.

A/N: Dun Dun Dunnnn!