It was around 8 o'clock when Henry left. Not long afterwards, Otis came in through the door. Vlad glanced up from the TV at him, he looked drunk. Vlad was shocked, he had never saw Otis like this before, and quite frankly it scared him. "Where were you?" Vlad asked, he managed to speak calmly.

"I've decided I might as well get out." Otis said half mindedly, he started to sway so Vlad made him sit down. "I – I figured," Otis stumbled with his words, "that it's no use to sit and mourn right? It- it's not like it will help change the past." At this a goofy grin appeared on his face. "But you never know, the world has its mysteries." Vlad wasn't sure if he should say anything, so he just sat and listened. Otis continued, "think of it this way, (his voice slurred) the ones, us, who had death at the end of our names lived, while the rest, the innocent, died." Otis began to laugh.

It scared Vlad to see his uncle like this. "Uncle Otis," Vlad said. "I think it's time for bed."

Otis gave him an are-you- kidding-me look and said, "Fine, fine, you don't want me here, I'll leave." He began walking to his room.

"Good night!" Vlad called after him. Otis turned around, gave a solute, then went in his room and shut the door. What's with him? Vlad thought when Otis was in his room.

Suddenly Otis said telepathically, *I can read your mind!* Vlad heard giggling from Otis's room.

"My god." Vlad whispered to himself then responded, *immature. I'm going out.* He then blocked his mind so Otis couldn't read it.

Vlad threw on a hoodie and his shoes and stepped outside. It was fairly windy and a little chilly. The sky was a nice shade of grey-blue. Vlad began to walk down the street, wondering about Otis. Obviously he was drinking, but Vlad doubted that it was blood wine. But why? Okay, Vlad knew it was because of his depression, but why drink human alcohol? Otis was a vampire meaning he had no taste for human food.

Just thinking about food made Vlad's stomach grumble. Since Nelly died, it had been hard for Vlad to feed. He had to stretch himself to go periods without eating, when he had to, he would feed off of cows as a snack.

He glanced around to see if anyone else was around. He then realized that there, two houses down on the opposite side of the street, was a girl about the age of ten running around her yard trying to catch fireflies. Vlad's stomached growled louder. No, he told himself, but his feet kept leading him towards her. He could hear her heart beat, calling him to her. One step towards her, pause. Another step, pause. He must have been going about his dilemma awkwardly because the girl now stopped and was staring at him. He could hear her thoughts, who is this boy? She thought. Maybe he's lost... if he is I'll give him my jar of fireflies so he can see! Vlad licked his lips; his hunger was not under his control. Soon he was at the bottom of the girl's driveway. He and the girl stood staring at one another as if they were having a staring contest. Before he knew what he was doing, he was leaning into the girl. At the same moment, Henry's car rounded the corner. Joss jumped out of the car putting Vlad into a head lock and threw him into the car. Henry stomped on the gas, and began driving away. "Dude you have to bite me!" Joss said to Vlad who had his fangs out and realized how dangerously close he had come to drinking from a ten year old girl. "I can't," Vlad said weakly. "If I do so, you'd either be my drudge or I'd have to kill you."

"Then bite me!" Henry yelled slamming on the breaks. Henry jumped over the seat and traded places with Joss. He held out his arm to Vlad. "bite me."