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It had been about a month since I moved to Dallas. I couldn't believe how fast the time had gone. It was almost as if Bon Temps was just a thing of the past.

I was just getting comfortable with my new job. Basically, I assist in landing sponsors for the team and make sure they stick with us and don't hate us. At work, I even made some friends of the living, breathing, human variety. Don't think I just hang out with vampires.

I even established somewhat of a routine; I'd work your typical fives days a week, nine to five, and stick around for sponsored events and parties that the Cowboys held. Then I'd go home and maybe spend some time with Godric either at the vampire bar, his house, or my place, although I'm hesitant to refer to Carrie and Ray's apartment as "my place."

Godric and I became friends. I suppose you could call it that, if a powerful two thousand-year-old vampire could have a companion. Regardless, he became my ally in this city that could chew up and spit out a small-town girl like me. As soon as the sun set, he would show me around, pointing out the best places to see and be seen, as if he were my own ridiculously gorgeous tour guide. The end of summer was nearing, meaning that the days started to grow shorter and the nights grew longer. The sun was setting earlier and earlier each day and I became elated at that simple fact. It gave me more time to spend with him.

I even introduced Godric to my Dallas family. I was surprised by their openness and hospitality towards him. You don't find many people who are so keen on vampires. Shawn, on the other hand, was visibly skittish while in his presence. He was still acting all jumpy and neurotic. It just did not seem normal. I debated whether or not I should bring this up with his parents but I decided against it, thinking my suspicions were all in my head.

All in all, I felt as though I was steadily ascending towards the top of the world. For the first time in my life, everything was falling into its correct place. I had just begun my career, I was living in an amazing city, I made new friends, and my bank account was slowly but surely growing fatter each week. I even started looking at reasonably priced apartments that I could afford.

I had swagger.

I was feeling so bold that I was just about to gently push my relationship with Godric past the friends category and into something more deep and intimate.

Then, an unexpected turn of events occurred. I had to put my life as I knew it on hold for the time being. This is where the fun begins, if you could even call it that.

So much for my normal routine.

It began on a Friday night. As I was returning home after spending an evening with Godric, I looked at my cell phone, discovering about five missed calls from Carrie. I also had two voicemails from her.

"Annabel!" she said in one voicemail. "I was just wondering if Shawn called you or texted you tonight. He was supposed to come home for the weekend but he never showed up. Ray and I have been calling him nonstop and he hasn't called back yet. I'm starting to worry. Please come home as soon as you can!" Her voice rang with anxiety. Just what you'd expect from a mother who can't get a hold of her child.

That was all I needed to hear. I slipped into my car and raced home as fast as the traffic would allow me.

When I got there, part of me surprised to see the lights on, with Carrie, Ray, and Claire awake in the main part of the apartment, looking very stressed out.

"I'm sorry I didn't call back," I said, dropping my purse and keys on the kitchen island. "It was loud in the bar. I didn't even hear my phone ring."

Carrie ran up to me and pulled me into an embrace. I was caught off guard by this. "Oh honey!" she exclaimed. "I was beginning to think I couldn't get a hold of you either!"

"Tell me exactly what happened," I said.

"Well, I called him today, asking if he was still coming home from school for the weekend," she began. "He said he'd be home this afternoon but he didn't show up. An hour later, I called his cell phone but he didn't pick up. Didn't even call back. After three hours without a word from him, I started worrying, so I managed to call some of his friends from school. They said he left the campus and that was the last they saw of him."

"Did he talk to any of his friends after he left?"

"They said they only talked to him before he left. A few called or texted him after, but Shawn never responded."

"We even went down to the police station while you were gone," Ray chimed in. "We filed a missing persons report."

Those words hit me like a sack of bricks and made my stomach drop. Never in a million years did I think that someone I knew would just disappear without a trace. I understood that this circumstance happened everyday, but I didn't think it could hit home just like that.

"Maybe his cell phone died or it broke," I offered. "Maybe he decided to stay on campus and party. You know how college kids are." I knew that reason wasn't logical. Shawn loves his family and if he changed his plans, he would most definitely tell his parents.

Carrie buried her face in her hand and almost started to cry but she held the tears in. "I'm just so worried! My baby boy is out there all by himself when he should be home!"

I gave her a hug. "I know, Carrie. I'm worried too. I'll keep my phone with me just in case he calls. Hopefully this will all be over by tomorrow."

This wasn't over yet. I had been up for almost the entire night, trying to calm down my extremely tense aunt. I managed to get a few hours of sleep during the early morning hours but that was it. I woke up around eight o'clock, not able to sleep any longer. I constantly checked my phone for missed calls and text messages.

An entire night had gone by and we heard absolutely nothing from Shawn.

It had been a stressful day and that afternoon, I was sitting at the island in the kitchen with a cup of coffee and a pounding headache. Claire came into the room, looking for something to eat or drink in the fridge.

"How are you holding up, Claire?" I asked her. She had been awfully quiet that day.

"Oh you know," she replied, brushing her blonde bangs away from her face. "As best I can considering the circumstances." She took a seat in the bar stool next to me and cracked open a can of Diet Coke.

"Listen, this may sound odd but, have you noticed that Shawn had been acting kind of… strange?"

"What do you mean?"

"Ever since I moved here, his behavior has been bizarre. He seemed nervous and jittery all the time."

She leaned her head back slightly. I could tell she was apprehensive. "I never noticed that. To me, he was the same old Shawn."

"Claire, you know your brother better than I do and if you know something that no one else knows, you have to tell someone."

She looked down.

"It could help us find him."

"He's a good kid, Annabel. He's never done stupid things."

I looked at her like a hawk. "I know he is, but I know that you aren't telling me something."

She glanced up at me, her eyes filled with fear, confusion, and secrets.

"You need to tell me anything you know." I moved closer to her. "This is a matter of life and death."

She sighed. "You can't tell my parents that you heard this from me."

"Yeah, of course."

"Over the summer, Shawn was really nervous about going to college for the first time. He'd go out and party with his friends almost everyday which I thought nothing of until he told me that he tried V."

"Vampire blood?" I asked.

"Yeah. He somehow got his hands on it at a party. That shit is so addicting, so every time he went out, he'd do some V."

Vampire blood is said to be one of the most potent drugs out there. It gives the user a trippy high, kind of like acid. While on V you're supposed to feel a stronger sex drive and you're more aware of your senses, but you're in a state of delirium, if that makes any sense. The drug is crazy expensive (six hundred dollars for a quarter ounce) and extremely addicting, almost as bad as heroin. The withdrawal symptoms are supposedly excruciating, putting the user in physical pain and forcing them to do whatever they have to just to get their fix.

"He's been on V and no one knew about it?" The question seemed so ridiculous.

"Besides me and his close friends, no one else knew."

"Why didn't you tell your parents?"

At that point, Claire's face turned red and tears welled up in her eyes. She tried to keep them there. "I guess I was just trying to protect them. I mean, who wants to think of your promising young son as a drug addict?"

My eyes, shifted around, making sure no one else was around. "This is serious shit, you know. Not only is V dangerous, but some vampires have been known to kidnap and torture users and dealers."

She stared at me, a sigh escaping from her lips. "Do you think that's what happened to Shawn? Some fucking vampire just kidnapped him for the hell of it?"

"I wouldn't rule it out. A small number of vampires in big cities like Dallas are ruthless and just plain scary."

Her head fell into her palms. "I knew I should have helped him. I knew I should have told Mom and Dad. But no, I had to wait until this happened!"

I took one of her hands in my own and lightly ran my thumb over the back of it. "I know that he's still alive, Claire, I can feel it. He's terrified, but alive nonetheless. We can get him back. I have some friends in high places."

She turned her head and looked in my eyes. "Like Godric?"

I nodded, staring off into space. "Yeah, Godric," I said. "He'd be able to help."