We were in study hall, and Ava got up to ask if she could use the bathroom. I thought nothing of it, until I realized that she had been in the bathroom for about 30 minutes, and she still hadn't returned.

Worried, I got up to ask the teacher if I could go use the restroom. He complied, and now I'm here -- knocking on the girl's bathroom door but not hearing a reply. "Avelyn," I call, to no avail. "Princess, are you in there?" I try once more, but I still don't hear a reply.

I quickly enter the bathroom, finding it completely empty, and I start to panic. I decide to mindlink the boys, to let them know of our colossal problem.

My voice is frantic and shaky, and Crimson begins to tremble with immense rage and angst.

Ashton all but growls, cutting the mindlink off there.

Within two minutes, they've arrived, and we begin our search. With our great sense of smell, we are faintly able to pick up Avelyn's sweet scent. It leads us to the teacher's parking lot. From this, we're able to come to the conclusion that it was a teacher that took her.

And the first name that crosses each of our minds is Mr. Brown. He's obviously the one who took her. How could we have not seen that he was her possible abductor before? It's not like he ever made his attraction to Ava and her blood a secret. We should've killed that leech before he had the chance to kidnap the only thing that we care about -- our only weakness.

"Her scent disappears here. He must've cloaked it somehow once they reached his car. Damn it, we're so stupid! How could we let this happen?" Cole's voice cracks, and he allows a single tear to fall down his face. He never cries. In fact, I've never seen him cry. Not in the almost 17 years I've known him.

'We have to get our angel back.'

~~~

I don't know how long it's been. It feels like it's been days, but I'm assuming that it's only been a couple of hours. I have no way to manage the time, and that makes me feel even more helpless.

Suddenly, I hear a loud bang against the door, and I immediately start to tremble in fear.

'What are they going to do to me now?'

I see a dark figure enter through the door, but it's too dim for me to tell who it is. A light is cast form the other side of the entryway, and I'm able to make out the dark mass. It belongs to Ian, and following behind him is a large, burly man. And if I wasn't scared before, I definitely am now.

"Oh poor, poor Avelyn. Little angel probably misses her little pups," he taunts. "Too bad they'll never be able to find you. Let alone save you. And once we get a hold of them, they'll be nothing but a couple of dead dogs. Man, your life really is sad," he chuckles, and I grimace.

"Don't you dare touch them," I seethe. "If you do, I'll find a way to make your death slow and painful."

"Oh, but Avelyn, angels aren't supposed to kill. What kind of angel would that make you?" His face holds a sinister smirk, and I glare at him in response.

"One that protects her Given at all costs. So don't even think about touching them, or your life expectancy won't be eternal. In fact, your death will approach much sooner than what you're ready for. Faster than you could even say the word 'forever," I growl.

He lets out an obnoxious belly laugh. "You really are something, Avelyn. And you've got a real mouth on you too. Let's just see how long you can continue talking while I have my teeth sunk into your pretty little neck. I bet you'll taste far more delicious than your rotten parents." I'm taken aback by his response.

"My p-parents?" My voice cracks, and he chuckles even more.

"Why yes, Avelyn. We killed your parents, and they tasted as rotten as they smelled."

But before I have a chance to comment, Sarah is shoving her way through Ian and the big burly man that came in with him. "Oh shut up already. You two are so fucking annoying," she grunts.

She looks over to Ian and says, "Didn't your parents ever teach you to never play with your food?" He just shrugs. "I wouldn't know. I killed my parents."

"That's beside the point." She waves her hand and shifts her gaze towards me. "Now Avelyn," she claps. "I just came back from school. And do you know what I was blessed to see? Your little boyfriends. They were looking for you everywhere. They were so frantic, it was almost comical." I glare at her, my icy gaze filled with as much hatred as I could possibly muster.

"You're cute when you're angry," she laughs. "Like a little puppy."

"Shut up and get to the point," I scoff, rolling my eyes in the process.

"What did I come here for again?" She mutters aloud to herself, her finger finding her chin and tapping it like she's actually thinking. But I know she's not; she's just trying to taunt me. "Oh right," she claps. "I came for a snack." An evil grin spreads across her pretty face, and I shrink back in fear.

"Oh don't be scared now, angel. You were just talking a big game I minute ago. Were you not?" She chuckles halfheartedly.

"Come on Ian," she gestures for him to come forward with her fingers. "I'm hungry, and she smells divine."

All too quickly, they're approaching me with demonic like smirks plastered atop their faces, and their eyes hold a frightening glint if hunger. And suddenly they're on me, biting on either side of my neck, sucking and draining me.

I let out an astounding scream, my skin burning where their teeth are latched onto me. They continue to drink from me, as if they're trapped in the desert, and I'm a tall glass of cold water. The blood curdling screams never faulter, only getting worse as the pain progresses.

I'm writhing under them, shaking and screaming, while they continue to get their fill. Not fast enough, they seem to have finished. Their teeth let go of my neck, and they let me fall. They watch as I come down from the most painful high I've ever experienced. I'm crying silently, not caring in this moment if I look like a mess.

"Well that was amazing. I didn't think she'd taste that decadent," Ian confesses. And even though I'm still in immense pain, I can't help but wonder.

'Who the hell says decadent?'

Vampires. I internally answer myself.

"It certainly was," Sarah agrees. "But now I'm left with other desires," she confesses. "Ian, please come with me." Her voice holds a certain finality, and we both know he can't say no.

"Yes ma'am," he smirks, knowing exactly what she's suggesting. I know it. He knows it. Hell, even the giant at the head of the small, metal room knows it. With that, all three of them exit my room -- my cell. And they leave, shutting the door with a loud bang.

And I'm left crying on the cold floor. Crying from the pain. Crying from the heartache. Crying from the betrayal. And most importantly, I'm sobbing from the loss of my boys and their gentle caresses.

In the midst of my tears, I feel a strange sensation -- one that I haven't felt in over a month. A familiar buzz emanates throughout my frail and dainty body, and I know exactly what it means.

It's a vision.

And soon, I'm swiftly transported into a new reality, one where I get to see my handsome boys.

They're at home, and they all look very distraught. Xavier's auburn hair looks as if he's run is fingers through it countless times, Cole's cheeks are stained with tears, and Ashton's icy blue eyes look like they've melted. The sight breaks my heart even further. And just by this one glance, I can tell they really do care about me. There's no arguing or denying that fact anymore; they truly look broken at my departure.

And Cole, my sweet, loving Coco; he looks the worst. He looks so somber, so miserable. How could someone with such a boyish, charismatic, and innocent charm look so bleak? His eyes hold a flame that one can only describe as heart-stirring. Yet, he looks so heartbroken.

The spark in his eyes, to anyone else, would look like a mischievous glint. Though, I see it for what it really is: misery.

His indulgent soul burns like a thousand flames. But, those flames aren't the only thing smouldering. He's burning too. He's set ablaze from the fire behind his seemingly jubilant eyes. And how I wish I could reach through the flames and offer him my hand to set him free from his internal torture and anguish. The heat is rising; it's creating a wall much too indestructable to penetrate. The flames are unextinguishable, and I can feel my heart break for the woeful boy that's trapped, burning from the fire behind his eyes.

They're all rushing around, and Xavier is spitting out orders left and right. His alpha side has come out to play, and I can tell that there will be no complaints or challenges against his demands.

"Ashton, you go check your laptop. See if you can find any leads on Avelyn's whereabouts. There might be some surveillance cameras that caught sight of her. Check street cameras, gas station cameras, and anything of that sort." With this, Ashton stands and immediately rushes upstairs. I didn't know that he was good with technology, but that isn't something to dwell on right now.

"And Cole," he starts again. "Go search through Ava's things. I know it's an invasion of privacy, but at this moment, I'll do anything to find her. We might find a lead in there. I doubt it, but it's worth a shot. I'm going to go back to the school to see if I can find any leads." Cole nods his head and rushes up the stairs, with a speed rivaling that of Ashton's.

I try to give them a sign that I'm here, that I can see them. But I don't know how. I've never tried before, and this vision thing has always been like a one-sided mirror. They can't see me, but I can see them.

Xavier is rushing around, frenzied, trying to spot his keys. I use this as a chance to get his attention.

"Xavier!" I yell, swinging my arms in an attempt to get his attention. "I'm right here! Turn around! I'm right here!" But my attempts are futile, and I begin to lose hope. I try to touch him, but my hand just passes right through. I try shooting out my golden magic, hoping that he sees the radiant glow. But he still doesn't see it. A single tear forms in my eye, and I can't help but let it slowly cascade down my face. My hope is quickly deplinishing.

Then, like a light, an idea pops into my head, and I quickly wipe the wet trail off my cheek. Abruptly, a golden glow is emitted from my palms, and I swiftly pick him up -- just like I did with Cole when I first showed them my magic. He yells and flails his arms. The other boys rush downstairs upon hearing his shouts, and they adorn looks of confusion.

"What the hell is happening?" Xavier shouts.

Cole looks around the room but doesn't find anything, but he suddenly has a look of understanding cross his face. "Avelyn?" He calls, eyes still searching the room. I smile, relieved that he gets the message, and I slowly lower Xavier back to the floor. Soon, it looks as if Xavier and Ashton comprehend what Cole is on to, and Ashton picks up a pillow from the couch. He holds graps it with his left hand and balances it against his palm.

"Babygirl, if you're here, knock this pillow out of my hand," he orders softly, so I do. They all gasp, but smiles slowly begin to stretch across their faces.

"Wait! I have an idea. Don't go anywhere, kitten." Cole takes off running upstairs, and within a minute, he comes bounding back down, a pen and paper being held in his right hand.

"Do you think you could write to us?" His voice is laced with hope, and I smile, feeling hope rise in my chest as well.

I grasp the pen and paper with my magic, and even though they can't see the glow, they can still see the floating pen and paper.

I set the paper on the coffee table in the living room, and I hastily begin to write all that I know. Which isn't much, but it's better than nothing.

"I'm in a cellar; I think." I jot down. But before they can question where, I continue.

"I don't know where, so don't ask. But I do know who took me."

Upon reading the note, Ashton asks, "It was Mr. Brown, wasn't it?"

"Yes," I write. "But it wasn't just him. He isn't working alone."

"Who else, Ava?" Xavier quizzes.

"Sarah," I answer, and looks of complete shock and surprise decorate their features.

"But how? I thought you were friends. I'm so sorry, baby." Ashton looks heartbroken, but not for himself. He pities me, and I won't have that. I don't take pity, not from anybody. And especially not from the ones I love.

"Don't worry about that. Right now we just need to focus on getting me out of here. They drank from me, and it was excruciating. I'd rather not relive that any time soon." Their chests rumble at my confession, and low, menacing growls escape their throats.

"I'm going to kill them," Ash snarls. But I try to comfort them with my next words.

"I'm fine now. Sore, but fine. Plus, Sarah doesn't know that I've spoken to you. She doesn't know about my visions. So as of right now, we have the upper hand." The pen moves with a great speed as I try to quickly write down my message.

The boys sigh in relief upon reading my statement. But all too soon, my vision becomes blurry, and I know that it's time for me to leave. If I could, I'd stay longer, but I have no choice. I don't get to choose when I come and go. I don't get to choose when I have my visions; they just come to me, and I can't control them.

I hastily try to write down that I can no longer stay, that our time is running out, but I'm unable to before I'm soon transported back to my reality. One where it's cold, dark, and lonely. One filled with pain and suffering. I just pray that they find me before I completely lose all hope. For it's dwindling, hanging on by a mere thread that's about to snap.

____________________________________

Thanks for reading, and I hope you're enjoying the book! As always...

Until next time...

Sincerely,

The Annoying Author Lady