How do y'all like this so far? Personally I'm much happier with my progress in story telling! Eagerly awaiting your comments, Love Ice

"So now that we're back, what's the word mama," Paul laughed skirting around me.

"Yeah what's up with things one and thing two?" David asked as he found his typical spot in his throne.

I glanced around, and I mean the guys were doing their own thing to settle but everyone was paying attention to me. I caught eyes with Star last-"I'll let you guys in on it ASAP, yeah?"

They all let out some form of acknowledgment- mostly grumpy about their hunting being cut short. The more I learned about them though, I know it was less about taking time away from them doing what they want. It was more about being out of the loop and unsure- not to mention stressed about our current predicament.

Star, I hope you know I really appreciate you-

I gave her a small smile in hopes that she'd let me talk to her. Her eyes remain blank as she stared at me.

If your intent was to pull me away from people, just to remind me what kind of monster I am then you're as bad as they are

No, No Star- it's not like that, and I could see the tears in her eyes as she held her stomach.

"You know, it's not that late but Star, Laddie, you both look really tired. Let me help you all get ready for bed," and with a nod from the guys, they flew out different parts of the cave, some taking the front, another the dark hallway, and through the ceiling of the cave.

Star however had just moved Laddie behind her and she backed away from me. The young boy wasn't having it though, the thing was, he viewed Star as an older sister. Whereas somehow in the short amount of time I'd been with them, he clung to me. Never leaving my sight when our group was together.

"Star, look I just want to talk-"

"Is there anything to talk about? You've agreed to eventually become a monster and you don't care- about what it means for others out there, or what it means for your soul- or anything," she just let it out immediately, pausing only to push herself off the wall, " I don't know what to do when I see you anymore. You're not the best friend I knew before they turned me. You even warned me away from them! But I still couldn't help myself.."

Tears fell from the full haired girl in front of me. She wrapped her arms around herself, grabbing at her elbows tightly. She was so upset- Did we somehow know each other previously?

"Star- you knew me before I met you the night I first came here?" The way her head snapped up at me, if I had listened any closer I probably could've heard her neck pop.

"Did we know each other? Did we- Are you kidding me? You don't remember your best friend? Your best friend? Your roommate for god sakes? You're telling me- you don't remember the last two years?" She was becoming whiter with each question.

"I'm not Star. I just don't understand- why... I don't understand why you're upset. I didn't know you before I saw you with the boys.." her eyes welled up and my words and with a shaky breath.

"Cassandra- we lived together for two years in that shitty apartment. You had a pet snake named Bram that we lost for a week until we saw with slithering out of the toilet. We used to get a cake every month and demolish it after picking up some smoke from the Frog parents if we couldn't get brownies. We had Friday night movie night where after work, we picked a movie out each and stayed up all night until we crashed. We rode to work together sometimes. You'd board and I would roller skate and sometimes Max would let us skate around the shop when it was just us... do you really not remember any of that?"

"I'm sorry Star... but I don't."

If I could see her heart break, I wouldn't be surprised. Hell in the silence between us, I might've even heard it.

"Sandra... you're not the person you were before.. I don't know what they did to you to make you forget me but.. you're not my friend. You're not her. She wouldn't forget-"

"I'm sorry to have let you down,"

"Don't be," she cried softly, as she backed onto her bed, "I'll show you. I'll prove it soon, I promise."

xXx

It felt like any other day with Max at the store. But what Star said just didn't sit with me right. I didn't like that. I tried not to think about it, since I didn't tell the guys.

"So babe what happened?"

"This kid was just following us and when I told y'all to meet up with us. Star got upset. I think she might've known them and didn't like that I pulled us away from them?" And David grunted at that. Dwayne beat him to the punch though.

"Think they know anything about us being, you know?"

"Not at all, but then again I've never seen them before.." I wiped a stray tear off my cheek after I turned away from them.

"So you don't know anything about these people?"

"I mean besides the fact that the older kid had really curly brown hair and blue eyes. And the other was younger. Blonde but the same blue eyes." The boys hummed and shared a look amongst each other.

"We'll keep an eye out for 'em"

"Thanks guys, I love you, you know it?"

"Of course we do doll"

But that was about two weeks about but it's felt like two days. I haven't seen those two dudes since that night... but I'm hungry enough I'm sure I could smell them.

Since the conversation with Star, she still wasn't speaking to me. For any reason. But I did talk to David for the three of us. To keep us all a bit more under control, we had been drinking out of the beautiful jeweled bottle. Laddie would have to do this process the longest. He could still be half human and grow into an adult if he didn't drink from a human. Calling that task difficult would be an understatement. But I guess it's a good thing that there's at least seven of us. Well- six- Star still thinks she can be released from this life.

I won't say much about it. It's not much of a thought that'd crossed my mind in anything but fear. I live even my undead life in paranoia. The last chance always ringing in my head.

But what I do see being done right is how smooth Mr. Max the Man's game has been running. Ms. Lucy came back to the video store- she accepted his offer and promptly began day shift. She bounded between trading with me and Maria for training. Being awake during the day started to feel unnatural and I was lucky my feelings weren't following through at work though. My ravenous feelings & internal rage I would blame on a consistent lack of caffeine. As any retail worker would do.

Honestly she was lovely to be around- it's just that I have one goal. There's no other way around it now. Call it selfish but I call it self interest.

"Cassandra- I can hear you thinking so loud it's shaking the room," Max placed his hands on a stack of VHS tapes I'd been zoning out on.

"Then can you tell me what I was thinking about?"

"I mean aside from the usual usual impulse thoughts, I assume you're thinking about the boys?"

"Hm," I hummed before turning to confront my elder, "Interesting but close... I've been feeling different, like. There's more to us being what we are."

I glanced around the mostly empty store," Do you have a moment- I'm going to need you to be honest with me."

Peering down at me with peeled eyes, he nodded and gestured to the back room.

"What's going on?"

"What powers do vampires have?"

For a moment he looked surprised before going back to his dad-friendly but distant demeanor. "I mean, there's flying, animal communication, immortality, mental manipulation-"

"To what degree?"

"What do you mean?" He leaned over his desk slightly, not at all too interested in the sound of his voice but his body spoke differently.

"How does a vampire have the ability to manipulate the mind?"

"Well- as you know from Dracula I assume," he passed while shifting and sifting the information he'd allow me to have I assume, "we can hypnotize humans, call demon hounds and people alike to be our familiars-"

"Does that include altering memories?"

"Now Cassandra, why would you ask that? Did someone seeing something and get away?"

"No, you know the boys are clean and basically professional at this point... I just want to make sure I'm on the same page as everyone else."

"Hm. Well is that all I can answer for you?"

I nodded and without another word I left. I knew all I needed to and I needed to find Star.

Edited & posted: 7/17/2022