Everything ached but I bolted upright. I was in a new room and a new bed. Brandon's bed. Not again. Never again. Running for the door was useless, it was either locked or I would just run into...I didn't dare think his name. As if the very action of it would make him appear. I shook my head. Focus on the now, Jess. Get out.

I stood up and had to brace myself against the wall to keep from collapsing. That prick had used his power on me. I hated how groggy it made me but my blood sould replace it soon. How long had I been out? What had happened to me in that amount of time?

The room had a very nautical vibe. The walls were a light blue and bamboo lined them from waist height down. I scrambled to a small window and drew back the black-out curtain. "Hey, you shouldn't be out of bed," Brandon lightly tapped my shoulder and I jumped. His touch made me realize I was clothed in a t-shirt way too big for me. Was this his?

I grabbed a wooden pencil on the desk nearby and pointed it towards him. "Leave me alone," I yelled, but Derek's final words echoed through my mind, 'behave for him'. I shuddered.

"Shh. No. Jess, it's okay." Brandon stepped toward me, but I stepped back.

"No! No, it's not! I won't let you hurt me!" My voice began to crack, and sobs overwhelmed my moment of power. "Please don't hurt me," I whispered. I sunk against the wall. My body was so heavy. I couldn't protect myself yet again. I was helpless.

Brandon knelt beside me, "I'm so sorry that this happened to you," he slipped his index finger under my chin and tilted it up. I could feel his eyes on me, but I didn't want to meet them. There was something inhuman behind them. No one's eyes should be that vibrant or that entrancing. They were dangerous, he was dangerous. "I need you to look at me Jessica. I promise I'm not going to hurt you."

"Why? What happens when I look at you?" I sputtered out.

"It's nothing bad. I want to help you." A sense of sincerity flowed through his voice.

I sighed. My body and mind were so spent. Nothing he could possibly do to me could be worse than what he did. "Just please don't touch my lips...they're for someone else." I whispered. Why was that the only part of me I suddenly wanted to save? I sound like a cheap whore, but at this moment I suppose I am. Who were they for Jess? Tanner? Lord knows that ship has sailed. How could you love someone so far gone? Finnigan? Talk about a whore. How did Jared put it? 'Slutting my way into both their hearts.' Yeah, that was it. Finnigan didn't deserve all of the baggage that came with me. None of this really matters anymore though, does it. I'll never see them again.

My eyes flickered up to meet his and my body instantly relaxed. As impossible as it was, they were even more illuminated than ever before. Brandon's eyes shone in the dark like an owl's. In the background I heard a faint song with lyrics of a language I had not ever heard. I felt empty. The pain, nausea and overwhelming since of fear and dread had melted away as quickly as they had appeared. Nothing mattered anymore but his eyes on mine. "What's happening to me," I heard myself whisper. Had my lips even moved?

"That's not important. Let it consume you." Brandon's voice had become low and seductive. The song got louder in my ears. Bits and pieces started to slip into English. "Lay down. Close your eyes. Rest," the song suggested. I felt myself being pulled to do what the voice insisted. My eyes closed but I still saw Brandon's yellow orbs behind my eyelids.

"You're going to be our tickets out of here. I just need you to give me one more day to make arrangements. We're going to go far away from Derek, I promise." Brandon lifted me into his arms.

"Mhm." I mumbled in utter bliss. I hadn't felt this at peace in years. He set me down on his bed and I curled up in his sheets. The song slowly got quieter until it was almost completely gone but the feelings never left.

"I'm glad I could make you feel better tonight. We will worry about the price of it tomorrow," were Brandon's final words before I fell into a song filled slumber.