Chapter 9:

So, a little disappointed with reviews, but have an update on me!

Thank you to my amazing friend, spritesinger, who helped me beta this chapter... and who has helped me with story points in our amazing physics lessons!

3rd person perspective:

Shane, locked in the cage, is something that makes this person want to boil over with rage. They creep closer and closer, using the cover of night to make their prison break for Shane Collins - someone this person knows is innocent.

"What do you want?" he asks this person, as he spot them coming up to his cage. As he identifies the slender person beneath the hood, he pales visibly. "No, it's only been a day - it's not time!" he gets the wrong impression for why the person is here, but they shake their head.

"Relax, child, I am not here to kill you," they whisper to him, turning their head to ensure that nobody has overheard. There is nobody for them to be overheard by; it is deathly silent in the Square of the Founder… a misty fog begins to sweep in tendrils along the ground, snaking up to meet the duo in the centre, and symbolises their moods entirely.

"Then why?" he asks, thoroughly perplexed.

They decline to respond, simply using their strength to break open the cage door and have it swing open before catching it deftly.

"Run, Shane, run," they say quietly, so low that Shane nearly misses it. "You have to leave – and fast. Do not return to Claire, or Michael, as otherwise I shall be unable to protect you, if you are found in public. Bear in mind that I have made a great sacrifice here, because I know of your innocence, and if you do anything against me, I shall be forced to take severe actions."

He nods slowly, torn between happiness and pain – happiness that he has been spared death but pain because he won't be able to see his Claire… at least for a while.

"Run," they remind him, handing him a bag prepared with everything he could need for wherever he is going to go.

They watch him as he runs across the dewy grass, shivering because of the cold, before he finally disappears around the corner.

Good deed done for the day, they return home and pretend that nothing has happened…

Claire's POV: (skipped a little time from when Michael turned, but after the 3rd person bit)

He's a vampire. Michael decided to turn into a vampire and he didn't tell me; if this is payback because I didn't tell him or Eve that I was going to sign with Oliver, then it's stupid. But I...I see why he did it - he was trapped in this house, unable to leave, and that must have irritated him. But why did he have to do it now?

"Claire," Michael says shortly, as I greet him in the kitchen. He looks pretty much the exact same - the only difference being paler skin and the longing in his eyes; the longing for my blood...

"Look, I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about signing the bloody contract, alright?" I just blurt out, sick of him and Eve giving me the evils... This was for Shane, so that he can hopefully be saved. They have no right to question my actions or what pathways I have taken - do they?

"I know," he says even more bluntly. "Yet you should have... Oliver is dangerous, Claire. Why do you think that you are the only one under that contract with him? There are no loopholes, besides on his side, so you are the only one to loose."

"I'm sure I can look after myself," I sy, slightly stung that he could think I need babysitting all the time.

"No, you can't," he contradicts me as he fills the kettle. "You have no idea what you've got yourself into. Even look at what you're doing right now. You're standing right next to a vampire who is really struggling to keep control," he informs me, before blurring out of the room so that it makes my eyes hurt. Whoa... He's thirsty? I made him thirsty? How is he managing to stay in this house then?

I sink into a chair and process exactly what he's just said - I can't look after myself and I'm reckless, basically. Well I'll show him that I'm just fine!

With a newfound sense of urgency, I rush up the stairs (which seems to be the path behind the hungry vampire) and into my room to grab my school rucksack. I wasn't going to bother going today, but since everybody hates me and Oliver hasn't rung to say that he has got Shane, I may as well... Otherwise I'm hanging around the house with a newly turned vampire - which I don't think is a good idea!

I run down the stairs and head out the door instantly, not wanting to stay in this house of misery and lies any longer... Well not lies, more stretchings of the truth and the concealing of important events. I wish he'd have told me why he was planning on turning into a vampire, or even just a little forewarning rather than coming down the stairs and finding a vampire there, rather than regular Michael. Eve already knew and wasn't surprised that he was vampified, hugging him once he had some blood: I wasn't disgusted, just shocked. Where was my Michael? There was just a vampire, who still seemed to hate me (with even more intensity, if I'm honest) for the decision I made without consulting him.

Yet I push everything to the back of my mind as the sun hits my face. Everything in this town just seems to have a rose coloured tint when the sun is out. Nothing is dangerous...

OoOo

"Claire, I need to see you," Oliver says silkily on the phone, making my heart drop in terror. It's the time between classes (two hours today), time I would normally go and see Eve but she isn't talking to me, and I instantly worry that he's going to kill me. Don't be silly, you've been 'his' for a day: that's too soon for even Oliver.

"What for?" I ask cautiously, moving into the corner so that there isn't a chance that I could be overheard by the clueless kids around me. I thought that this day was pretty good (once I left home) but evidently not; my new 'owner' wants to see me, and I must indulge this request - it's probably to discuss how much blood I need to give him or something.

"Does that matter?" he asks tetchily, and I shrink back from the imaginary Oliver in front of me. This one is scary enough - how scary real scary Oliver is would probably destroy me!

"No, I guess not," I say slowly, deciding that pacification would be the best idea here. "When?"

"When the world finds a cure to every disease that you have found, oh of course now Claire!" he says impatiently – shit, he's majorly pissed now, isn't he?

"Fine, I'm coming over now then," I sigh, picking up my bag and rushing out of the gates to my left. I hang up the phone (which he has already disconnected… not a good sign) before near running down the road that'll take me directly to Common Grounds – this is just going to be great, isn't it? He's going to be mega happy and I'm going to be so psyched to be his now, without even remembering signing the damned contract…

…I'm so worried about myself; I know I shouldn't be, that every focus should be on Shane and getting him out of that cage, but I can't help but be – I signed a damned contract and I have no chance of getting out of it. I'm worried that I can't remember anything that has happened and that I'm feeling things that I shouldn't; when Oliver called, his voice going into my ears, it sent a shiver through me that I have only just managed to realise is the same as when Shane calls me… I don't know why and I don't know how, all I know is that it is the same.

What is happening to me? Everything is going wrong; it's like Ginny Weasley, in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – she can't remember whenever she does anything, but in my case it seems to be whenever anything bad happens to me as well. I don't know why or what is going on, but I am seriously concerned.

My thoughts are interrupted as I almost end up walking into a door in the Common Grounds. Once again, it seems to be empty. Oliver needs to be getting himself some business or he'll be going bust, I think wryly, smiling slightly before it slides off my face as I realise that I am going to see Oliver.

I can ask him about Shane. I can ask whether or not he has made any headway in finding a way to get him out of the cage.

After all, that's why I've done this. Right?

Oliver's POV:

Finally, she is here. Finally, I can begin to put the next stage of my plan into action – I need to, to be able to assert my power in this town within the next three or four months max. after all, I don't believe that I need to wait more than a third of a year maximum to have Claire kill Amelie, with what I have planned for her… it shall begin small (ish) and not particularly personal to Amelie, the first event. However, as they proceed, they shall get closer and closer to Amelie - and her heart - before finally her herself.

"Come in," I drawl, knowing that Claire is hovering outside the door. I have to try and keep these stupid emotions (that probably are nothing besides lust) under wraps because otherwise my entire wish for Morganville will be gone.

She walks into the room and looks scared; however, the bracelet on her wrist seems right at home. She probably fears that I am going to be asking her to arrange to give me blood (probably from her neck… I think I may have to take some more from her soon) or her money, something that she only has a pitiful amount of. I smile, giving my best non menacing one, at her and she smiles back almost reactively before sitting down in the chair in front of me.

I couldn't find Shane. It worried me; I truly did go and look into perhaps considering having him released, but he had already gone. I presume that Amelie decided to have him killed earlier, so that Claire couldn't do anything to make sure that he was released. However, I can use this to my advantage…

"Have you got any news on Shane?" she blurts out and I smile, knowing that this is exactly what I want. I can give her the information she needs and then get her under my control once again as to make sure that I can begin my control of Morganville.

"I went there last night," I begin slowly, noting how her body tenses up at the beginning of my story. Oh, this is too easy – she is just waiting for me to give her this information… little does she know that this information is going to result in something that she really doesn't want to happen. "I released him, Claire, without Amelie knowing. She thinks that I turned the burner on early and killed him, so she is rather angry with me, but I didn't…" I decide that it is a good idea that I should appear to be a martyr in the case of Amelie, making sure that she seems to be the bad person, so that Claire would believe me more and make me the 'good guy' again… but I do not like being interrupted!

"Where is he then?" she butts in, and I allow her this… I cannot be… yes I can! I don't have any feelings for her; I don't need to be lenient on her.

"I would appreciate it if you managed to restrain yourself every time you wish to jump into the conversation," I reply tetchily, watching as she shrinks backwards from me. I see something in her eyes, something that reminds me of a look I saw in Amelie's when she looked at Samuel… but no. it cannot be…

"Sorry," she murmurs, and I continue with my story as if nothing had happened whatsoever between us.

"I released him, under the conditions that he doesn't come near Morganville for six months minimum," I lie fluidly, noting just how easy it is for me to be able to lie, making it up entirely on the spot. "I need to be able to calm Amelie down before he returns and if he is in the house with you, especially with Michael having just became a vampire, I doubt that that is the best idea for his continued survival," I continue, watching her face pale dramatically but also have a fresh burst of life into it. Oh, it is so simple to lie and she entirely believes it.

There is another reason why Shane cannot be in the house – if my plan is to work, then he cannot be around to make sure that Claire isn't turning back to her previous ways of good; he cannot be around to calm her down from the high state she will be in and to quash her fears about what is happening.

"Thank you," she whispers and looks me in the eyes. Her own are shining with tears, tears of joy I believe.

Now it is time for stage two of my plan for this meeting.

I stand up quickly and move towards her, my body prepared for what is going to happen and is standing on edge. However, I'm not going to get carried away today kissing her; this is the beginning of my plan and I need her to get on with the plan sooner than my kissing her for fifty million years like last time.

I wrench her up from the chair with the arm on which her bracelet is and she faces me, confusion on her face… until my lips smack down onto hers; that's when she kisses me back. Damn, she has to kiss me back, doesn't she? She makes me want to continue kissing her, but once I know that she is under my control (when she slumps against my body) I stop. I need to learn some restraint – I decide to start this now.

"Claire, I have a mission for you," I whisper into her face, pressing my forehead to hers and feeling her warm breath hit my face in pants – evidently the kiss was more for her than it was for me.

"What is it?"

I take a deep breath before deciding to blurt it out – her warm, innocent, open eyes are on me and I cannot cover what I am going to say. It shall not hurt her… as she shall not remember. All she will remember is the mission…

"You are going to kill Eve Rosser."

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Please review! Lots of reviews, please, for this cliffie and then maybe (maybe) I'll give you another chapter soon!

Vicky xx