𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐒

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖜𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖞

Every last ounce of briny cave air seemed to escape your lungs in an instant. Without truly realizing it, you found yourself shaking your head and taking careful steps backward to put some distance between yourself and Max.

That man wasn't your father. Your father was either dead or a thousand miles away living a new life that didn't involve you, or some other impossible thing. You refused to believe that the man you had spent your entire life dreaming about was right in front of you—or that he was a monster, or that he owned the video store on the boardwalk. Or that he was dating Michael's mom.

Your bottom lip wobbled and you glanced back at the boys for help just to find that they seemed just as unsure about all of this as you were. Even David was deadly focused on his mission of glaring two eye-shaped holes into the cave wall.

"No," you hissed in warning as Max sauntered forward.

"I'm sorry that this is coming as a shock to you, my dear. But I would never lie about something so dire."

"No." It's the only word that hasn't been sucked out of your vocabulary but it sounds just as weak as it leaves your lips and disappears into thin air. You turned to Marko only to see that he was already eyeing you with pity. Paul had his thumb pinned between his teeth as he glanced wearily between you and Max. Meanwhile, Dwayne lingered on the very edge of the wall of shadows that danced across the corners of the room. Star stood beside him, appearing even closer to tears than you were.

Max sighed defeatedly and raised his arm, tugging back the sleeve of his off-white two-piece suit. "I'm sure you'll find this familiar," he says, and against your better judgment, you peer closer to inspect the ring on his finger. No, not a ring—a wedding band.

The pendant hanging from around your neck started to burn against your flesh and with numb fingers, you pulled it out from underneath the oversized boardwalk shirt and held it carefully in your palms. It matched the one on his finger almost exactly, save for the large ruby welded into the very center.

You couldn't help but remember what Mr. E told you about the ring when Sam first found it wedged under his nightstand—how it had belonged to an old friend who wouldn't be needing it anymore. You remembered the look in his eye, like he had been caught with something he was never supposed to have in the first place.

Your entire life has been built on a foundation of lies.

"You are my father." You whispered the revelation to yourself but Max heard it all the same. He clapped and the noise startled you before he descended upon you in what could only be described as the most awkward one-sided hug you had ever experienced. He seemed content with your tense silence and pulled away after a moment, keeping a firm hand on either of your shoulders. "My boys tell me you've taken well to your transformation. I'm very proud of you, dearest."

"Your–" you paused again. He'd said it a few times before but right up until then you were far too dazed to care. "Your boys?"

Max chuckled, the sound making your skin crawl. "Yes, I hear you've become well acquainted with them in these past few weeks."

You wracked your brain for answers to the questions you were too frightened to ask. If what you read was true and Max truly was a master vampire, that could only mean that he sired each and every one of the vampires in this room. In turn, when David kickstarted your transformation by allowing you to drink from his arm, he became your sire in the process. 

You bristled at the thought, screwing up your face to glare at the platinum blonde boy who was doing everything in his power not to meet your eye. His jaw tensed, like he could sense the betrayal in your stare. 

"Such a clever girl." Max—your father—beamed. You felt his presence poking and prodding in your mind but every attempt to block him out was met with failure. It was like trying to sweep sand off of a beach with only a toothbrush. He had invaded every pore of your brain, like he was some incurable disease. You felt entirely powerless, especially as he reached out and pinched your cheek affectionately. "We'll have to fan that spark of yours into something useful. But you deserve a moment's rest for now. I'll just have to leave you to it."

You watched him go, still cemented in place but now certain it was your own disdain that held you there. One by one, everyone seemed to allow themselves a sigh of relief as he passed them by. But when Max stood in front of David, he paused a moment longer than he should have and his happy, harmless, fatherly facade disappeared in the span of an instant. "A word please, David."

Without pause, David pulled himself out of line and followed Max past the entrance of the cave. There was a stillness that followed their departure, like the room was struggling to make up for the lack of authority it was suddenly met with. Then, when you were sure that no one would say anything, Paul pushed himself off of the wall with a snicker. "You hungry, princess?"

Hungry? Yes. For a burger. For french fries and carnival food. But he meant something entirely different and you both knew it.

"Do you even like calling me that?" you snapped, shouldering away from his touch like it would have burnt you alive. "Or does my father insist on it?" Paul looked shocked, a wounded look slipping over his laid back expression. In some sick and twisted way, you figured you were a princess. Princess of monsters.

Star emerged from her corner just as the guilt started washing over you. She tucked the blanket tighter around your shoulders and twisted you around to face the tunnels. "C'mon," she whispered, shooting the boys a warning look. "Let's get you back to bed, hm?"

Nothing sounded better than falling back asleep. Maybe if you were lucky, you would sleep through all of this mess and wake up in the distant future where there was a cure for vampirism.

Star quickly guided you back into her nested alcove. You figured you would have one just like it soon enough—a craggy room chiseled from rock, devoid of sunlight or fresh air. No more a-frame sheds or hilltop ranches for you. Vampires didn't wrangle horses or muck stalls to earn their keep. 

"Is this normal?" you asked, voice breaking. Star looked up from the chest at the end of the bed where she was pulling out several more blankets to pile on top of you. You didn't catch the pained glint in her eyes, too focused on staring at the backs of your hands like you expected claws to come jumping out of your fingernails.

"Is what normal, honey?"

"I just—I feel so angry. I could rip someone in half. I could—" you could, and with the way things were going for you, you would. You would hurt people.

Star appeared beside you in an instant, taking your hands in hers. "I can't tell you how you should feel. Max...he is very powerful and you share his blood. For you, all of this will feel very fast. You will need to be strong, but I know you can do it."

When you looked into her near coal-black eyes, you saw nothing but earnest truth. You never considered it until then, but you knew she and Laddie must have been vampires too. Half, like Michael was. Your eyes started to water but before you even realized it, she was there to thumb the tears off of your cheeks. "Star," you hiccuped. "I'm so scared."

She pulled you into firm hug, dragging her ringed fingers in comforting circles across your back. Her hair smelled like jasmine and sweet earth which worked to calm you instantly, despite the intensity in her voice as she spoke her next words.

"Me too, honey. Me too."

(A/N: Sorry this is so short after such a long wait lol. I have the next three chapters planned out so they'll be posted probably soon enough. I'm trying to adopt a lost boys vibe to my summer so I'll probably fixate on this book for the next month. Thanks for everyone who stuck around to see this posted! I have lots of plans for this book and hope some of you will see it through until the end!)