David and the boys stashed their bikes and began to walk down towards the cave. David could sense both Michael's and Star's apprehension as they walked and he loved being the one in control.

'Where are you from Michael?' David asked him as he navigated his way down the broken rotting stairwell.

'Phoenix. I just moved here with my mom and brother.' Michael replied jumping to skip a particularly precarious stair.

'Mom and brother huh?'

'Yeah, my brother is younger and is going to start school in the fall and mom just got a job in a video store.' Suddenly David's conversation with Max flooded back to him. One of them was named Michael, this couldn't be the kid Max was talking about, could it? That would be insane.

'What's your surname Michael?' Marko asked him, picking up on exactly the same thought as David had.

'Emerson.' Holy fuck, it was him.

'Michael Emerson.' David said thoughtfully. Marko and Paul glanced at each other and David continued to walk in silence for a moment. Whether David wanted it or not, Star had already been the lure and Max's plan was well underway to fruition. He looked over at Star and she gave him a nervous look in return and he smirked, his initial plan was still going to go ahead but now his ultimate goal was going to have to change. He was going to fuck with him and kill him in front of her to teach her a lesson, much like he'd done with the cop a few months back, but now he couldn't kill Michael or Max would have his head. They approached the final few stairs before they climbed the rocks up to the cave entrance and down into the main room of their home. Dwayne walked ahead of David and began lighting the barrels and Paul and Marko followed him. David went next and as he heard Star and Michael hit the floor and he began to walk around beside the edge of the old fountain. 'Not bad huh? This was the hottest resort in Santa Carla about 85 years ago, too bad they built it on the fault. In 1906, when the big one hit San Francisco, the ground opened up, this place took a header right into the crack.' David dramatically explained, clapping his hands for effect. 'So now it's ours.' David turned to look at Michael.

'So check it out, Mikey.' Paul laughed, a joint hanging out of his mouth and a lighter in his hand. Dwayne and Marko chuckled too but David remained cool.

'Marko, food.' David demanded and Marko threw the pigeon he was holding up in the air and he left. 'That's what I love about this place. You ask, and then you get.' Then just as David spoke, Paul handed him a lit joint. 'Thank you.' David said, taking the spliff.

'Yeah.' Paul smiled at him and he turned and jumped up on the edge of the fountain again and walked around to Dwayne.

'Appetizer?' He offered the smoke to Michael and Michael looked at it for a second before taking and it making David smile. 'You'll like it here Michael.' David placed his arm around Michael's shoulder and guided him towards the couches and deliberately away from Star. David made sure he was dominant and nothing was going to be left to chance between those two. Even though Max had dictated what he wanted to have happen, David wasn't going to just forget what had transpired on the Boardwalk and he was going to ensure Michael knew his place here. David sat with Michael and smoked the joint while Paul rolled another few and Dwayne kicked his skateboard around. Michael was nervous, David could tell, but as the smoke began to take effect Michael began to relax a little. David didn't take his eyes off of him, he inhaled the smoke and watched the man trying to work out what appeal Michael held for Max. He couldn't see anything outstanding or obvious about him and the attraction between this kid and his girl annoyed David.

'Where are you from?' Michael asked after about ten minutes of zoning out and watching Dwayne kick flipping his board.

'Here.' Dwayne answered.

'I mean, where do you live?' Michael's questions had the boys smirking and looking at each other.

'Here.' Dwayne repeated him in between tricks.

'Where are your people?' People? What was he talking about? David looked at him quizzically.

'Is he talking about parents?' Paul laughed.

'What are they?' Dwayne added and they all laughed. All except Star. David looked at Michael and he sat looking even more confused.

'We do what we want Michael. We have complete freedom. Nobody knows about this place and nobody knows about us.' Michael stared at David and the room went quiet. 'Freedom Michael. No people. No rules.'

David was aware Star had made her way around the back of the cave and that she now stood behind him. He liked that he now sat between him and her. He was a literal physical block between them and he could see every time Michael snuck a look at her, or blatantly stared at her as he was right now.

'Feeding time! Come and get it boys.' Marko broke the growing silence and he brought the food over to the couches, where all the boys now sat.

'All right.' Paul said as Marko passed a carton to Dwayne.

'Chinese. Good choice.' David approved of Marko's decision and he took a carton of rice from him.

'Over here bud.' Paul said and Marko threw a carton over to him.

'Guests first.' David offered Michael his carton.

'Oh, no.' Michael declined, holding up his hand.

'You don't like rice? Tell me Michael, how could a billion Chinese people be wrong?' David laughed. 'Come on.' He encouraged him to take it and Michael relented, like David knew he would. David picked up a carton of noodles and he dug around them with his chopsticks as Michael took his first mouthful. 'How are those maggots?' David asked casually and Michael stopped.

'Huh?' Michael asked him and David leaned forward and spoke more directly to him.

'Maggots Michael. You're eating maggots, how do they taste?' David taunted him and he watched with glee as Michael rolled his eyes, then looked down at his food to see the contents wriggling around and he instantly spat it out and dropped the carton on the floor sending David and the boys into fits of laughter. David saw how mentally weak and easily manipulated Michael was and David laughed louder.

'Leave him alone.' David loved his psychological games but Star not so much and her voice had made him stop, his smile fading. She was sticking up for him, defending him against David's teasing and it grated on him. He looked slightly to his right, semi acknowledging her request but he wasn't going to have her shut him down. If anything, it only made him want to fuck with the kid even more.

'Sorry about that. No hard feelings though?'

'No.' Michael weakly dismissed David's trick, looking confused as to what had just happened to him.

'Why don't you try some noodles?' David held out his carton and offered it to Michael and Michael looked at the noodles and closed his eyes.

'They're worms.' He said looking sick.

'What do you mean 'they're worms?'' David pulled the carton back, grabbing some noodles with his chopsticks and shoving them in his mouth.

'Don't eat…' Michael tried to stop him but David was eating them already.

'They're only noodles Michael.' David mocked him and Michael snatched back the carton to see for himself while the boys laughed at him again. This was proving far easier than David had thought it would be, maybe it was the smoke or maybe Michael was just a piss ant.

'Ah-hahaha! Nice worms.' Paul laughed and David sat back satisfied at Michael's confusion and embarrassment.

'That's enough.' Star objected again, she was still trying to halt their game and her insistence had David's back up.

'Ah, chill out girl.' Paul fired back at her. Her comment didn't go unnoticed by David, despite the fact he largely ignored her, but he still didn't react to her. She really liked him. She had to, for her to attempt to publicly scald David in front of his boys, and especially in front of someone he was manipulating into a submissive position. Fucking Max, making him turn this dick. All David wanted to do was rip his head off but he knew he had to finish this and he would deal with her challenging him later. He pulled Marko down next to him and told him to bring him his wine. As Marko went off to get his bottle, Star walked from behind him to in front of him and looked at him, then at Michael and back to him and he knew she now knew what he was going to do. David took the bottle and pulled the cork from the neck and he took a large swig and as he swallowed, he was hit with the unmistakable flavour of Max's blood, involuntarily flinching before he reopened his eyes. Max had planned this down to the very last detail.

'Drink some of this Michael. Be one of us.' David's voice pulled Michael in and he stood and stepped towards him and Star moved closer behind Michael as he took the bottle from David.

'Michael, Michael, Michael…' The boys began chanting his name and piling their collective pressure onto him. Peer pressure was a very effective tool without it coming from vampires but add in their compulsion and no one could turn them down.

'Don't. You don't have to Michael.' Star said to him and David picked up the urgency in her voice.

'Michael.' David gave him one last push and maintained his steel stare upon him and he heard Star try again to stop him.

'It's blood.'

'Yeah, sure. Blood.' Michael dismissed her comment and quietly laughed at her then he skulled some of the bottles contents.

'Bravo!' David crowed loudly, clapping his hands and the others joined him, cheering Michael on. David was actually happy, he'd done as he was instructed and he's won this little power struggle between himself and Star. Michael was now firmly under his influence which is exactly where he wanted him. 'Give me a ride Marko.' David demanded and he began to chant his name again. Marko came and began pushing David in his wheelchair like a king and David smoked a cigarette.

'You're one of us bud, let the good times roll!' Paul congratulated Michael with a slap on his shoulder and the party started. The music was pumped up and they all danced and celebrated Michael becoming their new addition. A little later they sat around, smoked more and laughed together while Michael held onto and drank from the bottle as if it was the sacred idol that had gained him David's respect and the boys acceptance, but in reality, it was all just a power play for David. He had no real interest in Michael, only to appease his elder's latest whim and to put a dent in the blossoming attraction between Star and the kid. David looked over at Star and she looked forlorn as she watched the boys embrace Michael into their world. He injected himself into Michael's mind and began repeating his name over and over again laughing.

'Boys, take Michael home.' David projected to them a little later and they all glanced over at David before rising from their seats. He'd had his fun with Michael and he was ready to deal with Star now.

'Come on Michael.' Marko said to him.

'Where are we going?' Michael mumbled, smashed from too much pot smoke.

'We're going out.' Paul took his arm and pulled him up, steadying him as he stood.

'But I wanna stay…' Michael attempted to say looking over at Star but he was ignored and guided out of the cave, leaving David alone with his girlfriend. David sat there and watched her eyes follow Michael out of the cave and then she looked down, almost sad he'd gone and his annoyance grew. He stood and slowly walked towards her bed and when she looked up at him, their eyes locked. He kept walking, silent step after silent step keeping his heavy stare upon her and he could see her uneasiness rising.