Giddy with the prospect of escape, I tore into my (extremely fantastic) donuts like a starving woman-which wasn't extremely far from the truth. I was so close to rescue, to escape, that I could taste it almost as vividly as the donut.

"You're perky," Liam observed, fake blue eyes locked on me in the rear view mirror. I nodded, mouth too full of donut to respond.

"What can I say? Donuts are great," I replied. "Hey, can I use a phone?"

"no. stupid." Liam said in a very lowercase voice. I grimaced. Now Liam chose to actually act like a kidnapper? I wasn't about to give up, though-not without a fight.

I smiled in a way I hoped looked sweet. "Please? Just for a moment?" Liam rolled his eyes.

"No! What do you think this is, a hotel? You're my prisoner," Liam said, snickering at me. I grunted, but I can't say I hadn't expected that. No matter, though. Despite the fact that I was technically a 'prisoner', I'd been given completely free reign over the entire house. I could probably just find a phone and Liam would be to busy being a mental case to notice.

My grin widened. Stupid vampire. Settling back into my seat, I started to memorize Craig's number, so I wouldn't have to keep the empty bag around. As I was doing so, I noticed Liam's eyes still trained right on me. Especially without the rest of his face, it was so unnerving that I finally just asked, "What?"

"How's that escape plan coming?" I stiffened, but his tone wasn't serious (I think). Just another stupid joke. I laughed dryly, but it came out distinctly more high-pitched than intended.

When we arrived back at the vampire...castle...lair...thing, I dashed past Liam and up the stairs to Helena's floor, eager to find a phone.

"Something the matter?" I heard Liam call after me, but I didn't stop to acknowledge him. After I finally arrived, panting way too much for like two flights of stairs, I realized my mistake.

When I'd checked all the rooms on this floor, I hadn't seen a home phone anywhere. Ruby might have a cell phone or something, but thinking of Ruby kinda made my stomach hurt. Helena also might, but I wouldn't know until she came back, which would probably take all day. I groaned, sliding down against a wall. How could my perfect escape plan have already failed?

I shook my head. I couldn't think like that or else I'd never get out of there alive. Where the hell would I be able to find a phone in a creepy vampire house? I ran through everyone I'd met so far.

Liam...hell no, Helena would take too long to ask, Ruby...also hell no, Lucca....

I suddenly remembered that Lucca had an office. As in, an office with a computer and a printer and PROBABLY A PHONE. Reenergized, I popped back up and dashed back down to the second floor,

Where I collided directly with the devil himself. I shrieked, falling gracefully back onto my ass. Liam, completely unfazed, held out a hand to me.

"Isn't this like the third time we've done this?" He said. His tone was light, joking even. But his face didn't match at all. His eyes were hard, narrowed right at me. Again, they made my skin crawl. I looked away, getting up on my own.

"'Scuse me," I mumbled, my eyes still fixed on the wall as I darted around him. So fixed, in fact, that I almost knocked right into him again. My head jerked back up to his.

He'd just stepped right into my path. Was it some kind of joke? Did he know? I laughed a little, then tried to step the other way. He mirrored me.

"Um...excuse me?" I asked, plastering a big, innocent smile on my face. He smiled back, but with his eyes still glaring, it looked menacing.

"Where to, Blythe?"

I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to contain my suddenly trembly body. "To see Lucca. I haven't...y'know...introduced myself fully."

"Oh, is that all? I'll come too, then." No. Nononono.

"Sure!" I squeaked. He put his hand on my shoulder, and it startled me so much that I gasped, heart jumping around wildly in my chest. Liam raised an eyebrow.

"Are you-"

"I'm fine! Let's go!" I said, loudly.

Upon entering the office, Liam's hand finally left my shoulder, though that didn't do anything to calm my heart. As if he could hear it, Lucca instantly looked up and glowered daggers at me.

"Oh my God, quiet down," he groaned. What? I wasn't talking, was I?

I looked at Liam, who shrugged. "Your heartbeat is pretty loud."

I gasped. "Y-you can hear that?" He nodded. "So like, the whole time, you've been able to hear my, uh, heartbeat?"

Liam grinned. "You seem really nervous about something, Blythe. So I'll ask again-is something the matter?"

It was less question and more command, and against my will, I found my mouth opening, a familiar fuzzy haze falling over my mind.

"Well I was planning to...to...." I hesitated. I wanted to tell him-I really, really did. But I had the strongest feeling that I shouldn't. That that would be bad.

Liam's crimson eyes bore down into me, and my knees began to wobble. "I...I was p-planning.." I said, my voice straining to resist, to obey, to resist, to obey.

"Tell me!" He barked.

"I want to! I d-don't want to! I...I..." My legs went numb. The edges of my vision turned dark. My ears began to ring. I couldn't breathe.

"Liam don't you dare let that thing bleed on my carpet!" I heard Lucca yell as I went sprawling onto the floor.