Patrick had set me up. He wanted me so he destroyed my safe house forcing me to live here with him so that he could use me as a lure for Micah. I felt so stupid and trusting to believe that Patrick and Leandro would suddenly forgive Magda and accept me into their lives out of good will. Michael was right, I didn’t really understand the political games vampires and humans played. The conversation that Patrick had had with this woman had put the situation into perspective. Micah and his army of very expensive hybrid vampires were roaming around the county killing people and all these people cared about was capturing and selling them on to make a fortune. The death and destruction that these monsters had caused meant nothing to them. Suddenly I felt very disillusioned with the world. Sheldon was dead, Patrick had set me up and I was still a wanted terrorist. I walked towards the house, I could see Michael looking around the kitchen anxiously for me. When he saw me approaching the French windows, he moved across the kitchen in a blur. A second later his firm hands were framing my face tilting my head upwards so he could see my expression. I hadn’t thought about how I was going to explain everything to Michael.

“Why were you out in the garden? Are you okay?” He asked.

“Michael,” I said shivering, “I need you to do me a favour.”

“Why are you shivering baby? It’s not even cold out here.”

Michael face was fraught with worry; he moved his hands over me, checking if I was injured or harmed. I caught his hands in mine and held them still.

“Michael, I am fine.” I said.

“No you’re not.” He replied.

He was right, I wasn’t okay. I didn’t know what was going on. People were dying around me and I didn’t know what to believe anymore. I thought I could trust my covens but now I wasn’t so sure. I let go of Michael’s hands and rested my head against his chest I closed my eyes and breathed him in. Michael was the only constant in my life. I felt he arms wrap around me.

“What the hell has happened to you in the last five minutes?” He asked.

“Michael, I need you to take me to see Tessa Logan’s daughter.” I said.

“What? Now?”

“I want to ask her questions about her mother.”

“Leandro and Patrick have told me under no circumstances to let you leave.” Michael replied.

“Oh baby,” I sighed leaning up and kissing his mouth, “We can’t trust them anymore.”

Michael went still and searched my eyes. He didn’t ask any questions or pressured me into some kind of explanation. Instead he nodded his head as if there was a mutual understanding between us. I pulled out of his embrace and said,

“I’m going to get changed and I want you to hot wire whatever is sat on the drive, okay?”

Michael nodded.

I went upstairs and changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. We wouldn’t be staying here tonight so I found several carrier bags and packed them with clothes, supplies and petty cash. I wasn’t going to let Sheldon or those other gang members deaths be in vain. The grief and helplessness inside me had transformed into angry determination to find out the truth and bring justice to those who had died. I wasn’t going to be pushed about anymore. Grabbing my possessions I slipped out of the house onto the driveway. Michael was sat in a white Audi TT with the engine running. I got into the car and he slowly drove up the drive.

“Micah didn’t set those monsters on us,” I said as we pulled out on to the main road. “Patrick did. I heard him talking to a woman while I was walking in the garden. They want Micah so they can sell him and his v-types as bio-weapons to private buyers. Patrick wanted me in his custody so he could use me as bait.”

“Was Leandro involved in this?” Michael asked.

“I don’t know, that’s why we couldn’t stay.” I said.

“Where will we sleep tonight?”

“I don’t know yet, but first I want to pay a visit to Tessa Logan’s daughter Cassandra, the girl with leukaemia. I want to ask some questions about her mother and see if it leads anywhere.” I said.

“Sheldon’s folder is in the back. I went through it last night and I remember it saying somewhere that Cassandra lives with her father in Kent. ”

“Good, I want to go there but I want to stay off the main roads and dual carriage ways. I don’t want us or the car to show up on CCTV.”

“Sure. No problem.” Michael said.

We drove to a little picturesque village in the county of Kent and found Cassandra Logan house, a large detached modern house with a double garage. We parked the car away from the house and got out.

“This girl is only a kid, Michael. I want you to stay here in the car while I question her.” I said.

“Why?”

“I don’t want you to scare her.”

“Fine.” Michael reluctantly agreed and I walked over to the house. All the lights were out accept one bedroom window. I used the wheelie bin to climb up onto and peek through the window. The bedroom blatantly belonged to a teenage girl. Posters of boy bands were plastered across the walls, cringingly I recognised one as Sasha, my singer cousin. The bedroom was empty so I climbed down on to the gravel drive. As I jumped down I caught the sound of soft pitiful humming drifting through the air. The sound was so sad and childlike I followed it around house into the garden where a pale young girl sat on a garden swing in her pyjamas staring sadly at the ground. Tears were falling from her eyes as she gently rocked herself back and forth. She reminded me of myself earlier on today overwhelmed with grief and sadness. I walked across the grass trying not to scare her but she looked up suddenly and jumped.

 “What are you doing!” She demanded angrily. “I’ll scream if you don’t leave now.”

“I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to scare you. My name is Lorna and I was hoping I could talk to you about your mother.”

The girl’s face softened and she said hoarsely, “I was just thinking about her.”

“I’m sorry, this must be very painful for you but I need to ask you these questions because a lot of people are in danger and some of your answers might save them.”

“Really?”

“Yes, do you think you could answer a few questions?”

“I think so but you have to do it quickly because my Dad will check up on me soon.” She said glancing at the house.

 “I know your mother was treating you for leukaemia.”

“Yeah, she was. She a scientist, my Mum worked really hard to cure me. Everyone told her it was insane but she kept trying.”

“How old are you?”

“I’m fifteen.”

 “Did you ever visit you mother’s lab?”

“Mum used to take me up to Cumbria at the weekends to stay. She had a little cottage there by the lakes and I used to there with my nurse. Mum sometimes would take me down to her lab to run tests but that was very rare and most of the time it was to take blood. Pretty boring stuff. We had some good times there.”

“Did your Mother ever explain to you what work she was doing?”

“No, but she used to moan about her boss Christine all the time. Mum used to call her a two face,” Cassandra lowered her voice, “B-I-T-C-H. Mum and her had arguments all the time. Sometimes I would hear them shouting at each other on the phone. Mum said she was interested in scientific progression while Christine was a greedy B-I-T-C-H who was only interested in extorting Mum’s work.”

“When you were at the labs did you ever see anything strange or unusual?”

“Only weird geeky nerds. I once saw two trying to hook up and it was awkward. Both were two shy to ask the other on a date so they just danced round the subject for an hour until agreeing to meet up for coffee in the cafeteria.”

“No handsome doctors or scientists then?”

“No, it was well depressing. But I have a boyfriend now. He is well cute! Dad doesn’t know about him though.”

“Well, parents worry. I remember with my first boyfriend mum took me aside to give me the ‘talk’. That was awkward.”

“I don’t need to worry about that. I can’t have kids.” Cassandra said trying to pass it off as funny.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to put my foot into it.” I said feeling awful.

“That’s okay, you didn’t know. I wish I could have kids though. I know I should be thankful for my health but I really wanted to become a mother one day.”

It had never occurred to me that when I had become a vampire I could not have children the same way humans did. Having vampire babies wasn’t really having a baby. Two vampires bit a human and infected them vampire DNA. The DNA would then mutate and transform the human slowly into a vampire. Then the person would wake up as a vampire a decade later. There was no first steps or first tooth. It wasn’t the same.

“I’m sorry Cassandra.” I said genuinely.

“It’s okay. I’ll get over it.” She said.

“I can’t have kids either.” I shrugged.

“Did you want to be a Mum?”

“To be honest I never thought of it.” I replied.

A voice calling for Cassandra came from inside the house. Cassandra looked up at me and said, “Sorry I have to go.”

“That’s okay. Thank you for answering my questions.”

“That’s cool! Maybe I’ll see you around some time!” Cassandra said.

“Maybe.” I smiled.

She turned away for a moment and I blurred out of the garden into the road. Michael was stood leaning against the car waiting for me.

“Did you find what you were looking for?” He asked.

I shook my head, “No.”

“Okay, we better find somewhere to settle down for the night.” He said glancing around.