When you finally came to, the very first thing you realized was that you were no longer draped over the dingy sofa in the center of the cave. Even half-asleep, you recognized the lingering jasmine and warm vanilla scent of Star's bedroom alcove.
Purple silk sheets and quilts of all colors surrounded you in a messy makeshift nest. You wrapped your fists around them to try and pull yourself out of sleep, which proved to be difficult on account of the wave of vertigo that suddenly came over you and left you spinning into the plush pillows stacked tall behind your head.
You blinked your eyes open to see Star kneeling at the foot of the bed, twisting her slender fingers through the frayed ends of her skirt. Her eyes shot up at your subtle movement and she watched silently, like a cat, as you clutched at your throat. The thick bandage you once felt there was missing, and so was the gaping wound it once protected.
Raised scar tissue drew the shape of an arch — like a bite mark — on the side of your neck. Eyes wide and frightful, your gaze drifted right to Star, who had a hand over her lips to help choke back the sob that threatened to slip through at any moment. "I'm sorry," she croaked, and it was just then that you realized what had happened.
Michael was a half-vampire and he bit you. And then, through a feverish haze, you remember David, and you remember drinking something sweet and hot from his palm. You remember how good it tasted, how it filled you to the brim with warmth and convinced you that you were safe when nothing else could.
Fingers trembling, you cup both hands over your lips. At the mere thought of David's blood, your mouth began to salivate. When you looked back at Star for guidance, she was wiping a stray tear from her watery eyes. "I'm so sorry," she repeated, "I shouldn't have let them do this to you."
Still riding that wave of shock, you shook your head slowly. None of this was Star's fault.
The colorful bead curtain beside the bed twinkled and you turned your head lethargically to see Marko half-hidden behind the rose-colored glass beads. He peaked through, parting the curtain with the backs of his fingers. He seemed nervous, like a child sneaking back into the living room after an argument.
Marko gulped, looking from Star to you and holding his gaze there for the longest time before glancing back at her regretfully. "He's here."
You furrowed your eyebrows and made two fists in the blanket closest to you. He? Who's he?
Before you could open your mouth to ask this yourself, Star stood up and created a human barrier between you and Marko. Her hands were folded into fragile fists at her sides. She opened her mouth, probably to tell him off for intruding on her space, but before she could usher a word out of her mouth, her bottom lip wobbled and she flew out of the room, shoulder-checking him on her way out.
Marko sighed, biting hard on his bottom lip before braving a small smile and coming toward you. "How are you feeling?" he asked, kneeling beside you to stroke your arm comfortingly.
"Sleepy," you shrugged. It was the only response you could stomach. Your chest was in knots and every time you opened your mouth, you were afraid of producing more than just words. Marko's face fell and he stood, moving his hand to the small of your back as he sat down beside you in bed. "You slept two days straight," he whispered, rubbing small, comforting circles into your spine. "You still tired?"
You nodded. You knew you should've been frightened of Marko. All evidence pointed to him being a vampire — an accomplice to Michael's turning. To your turning.
Oh god, you thought, wincing as the bile once again threatened to rise in your throat. You were going to turn. You were going to go through every pain and torment that Michael kept hidden from you this past week. "Mhm," you nodded, leaning into the palm that Marko had pressed against your forehead and whining at the feel of his steely cold skin. He mumbled something under his breath that you knew you weren't supposed to hear so you didn't bother trying to understand.
"You can go back to sleep in a minute, I promise. But there's someone here that you have to meet first, okay?" Marko kept the back of his palm close to your temple as he spoke to you. You were slipping in and out of consciousness and you knew it wouldn't take much to knock you back out completely.
Before you knew it, you were being guided gently to your feet and a long velvet blanket with stars littered across it was being draped over your shoulders. You hadn't realized it before, but your bloodied clothes from the incident had been replaced with a long t-shirt from one of the boardwalk gift shops. You figured someone must've stolen it on your behalf while you were asleep.
With one hand resting on your hip, you were led back through the tunnels that opened up into the sunken hotel lobby where everyone but Laddie and Star had gathered in a wide circle spanning the center of the room. Paul and Dwayne glanced up as soon as you stepped foot into the cave but David was locked in a heated conversation with a fourth figure that you didn't recognize at first.
"David," Marko called out, steadying you with both arms as you threatened to fall over onto the chipped tile and sand-covered floor. The arguing ceased immediately and David turned his head to inspect you, arms crossed over his chest. You blinked up at him dumbly. What do you say to the vampire who made you drink his blood? Thank you? Fuck you?
Probably fuck you.
"How is she?" The first thing David says isn't even directed at you.
"She's fatigued and running a high fever. She hasn't fed in two days."
Fed. Because you don't eat anymore, you feed. Like an animal, because that's what you are now. It's what you've been reduced to.
David hummed and looked you over once, like your condition displeased him. For a second you thought he might just reach out and pull you into his frigid arms. A flash of heat rippled through you at the thought of being embraced by a walking, talking iceberg. Your skin was searing hot to the touch and you would've given anything to relieve that pain.
But David made no move to touch you. Instead, he turned to whoever he was talking to and made a vague gesture in your direction. "This what you wanted?" he asked them. You shivered at the emptiness in his voice, like he didn't care at all what he'd done to you.
Squinting, you watched as the fourth figure emerged from the shadows. A patch of moonlight slipped through the cracks in the cave ceiling and revealed him as the guy you met at the video store the other day, Max. The same Max that Lucy gushed about whenever she got back from town.
You frowned in confusion as his expression shifted to one of pride. "You've done good, David," Max beamed. "All you boys have."
What the actual fuck?
All heads in the room whipped around and you realized only after a handful of seconds that you said this out loud. Max chuckled and brushed past David to approach you. You tried to slink back against the wall, but Marko held you in a firm grip.
"Let me go," you whispered pitifully. Even if you could have escaped, where would you have gone? You were already exhausted as it was. Your honorable struggle ended abruptly when Max halted a few feet in front of you and commanded Marko to release you. He dropped your arm with lightning speed and miraculously enough, you made no move to bolt out of the cave. It was like some invisible force was keeping you welded to the ground.
Max was immune to the threat of murder lingering in your eye. He crouched in front of you, bending at the knee so that you were directly at eye level with him. "Hello, my dear," he smiled as if it were the most causal occurrence in the entire world. "I pray the transition isn't too much for you to bear."
At a complete loss for words, you could only stand there gaping up at him. Max chuckled at your lack of response and turned his face to the side out of courtesy. "Ah, yes. The 'dude from the video store' is a vampire as well."
Tensing, you pulled the warm blanket tighter around your shoulders. "You...You can read my mind?"
"But of course!" Max stood to his full height, resting his hands in his beige trouser pockets. "It's one of my more mundane abilities, I must admit. A mere parlor trick. Nothing that my boys here couldn't accomplish with a little effort."
His words were directly pointed at Paul, who spun around on his heel to pretend to inspect the towering Jim Morrison poster on the opposite wall, whistling quietly.
Your confusion only grew with every passing moment. Max frowned. "Oh, I understand this all must come as quite a shock to you. Your mother wasn't so keen on the idea either."
The word mother made his lip curl into a tight sneer and your head snapped up. It felt like all of the air in the room had been replaced with fiberglass. Every inhale cut your throat and blurred your eyes. "My...mother? What could you possibly know about my mother?"
As far as you were concerned, you didn't have one. You had Mr. E, and he did an excellent job all on his own with no help from any woman claiming to be your mother.
Max nearly jumped back at the hostility in your voice. His mouth fell open and snapped shut over again like a fish gasping for air. He glanced over at David, but he was staring straight ahead at the wall to avoid confrontation.
"Well..." Max said, clearing his throat. "I can't say it doesn't bring me pleasure to be the one to tell you this, but I happen to be very well acquainted with your mother on account of the fact that I am your father."
(A/N: How is this for a comeback chapter? I've been working on getting back on track with this book and I'm so glad so many people have reached out to me to tell me how much it means to them! I love the vibes of this story and I really hope I can finish it soon! Thanks for reading!!)