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"My vatha and I have run zis place for years," Vladimir explained, placing my hand on the crook of his arm and continuing to ignore Grace, who had her own hand on his other arm and staring at the ground as we walked. The more I focused on his accent, the thicker it seemed to get. "Ve have established a place that iz both pleasurable for our fellow vampires, as well as for ze humans. Therefore, I decided it was my duty to make you feel just as comfortable as the rest of our guests."

                  "Uh-huh." Freaking creep! I just want to know where the exits are!

                  "And now that your friend iz gone, I feel as though it iz also my duty to watch over you in such a club, if you are simply visiting because of curiosity."

                  "I see. And has your club also been safe for humans?" I said politely, already knowing the answer from what Gary had told me.

                  "Of course," Vladimir replied swiftly.

                  "Uh-huh," I eyed his expression carefully, determining whether he was lying to me or not. Vladimir's jaw had locked slightly. According to Gary, Crave wasn't always a safe place for humans, and maybe that's what Smiley's motive was from the school newspaper interview about Smiley's him dying. Maybe he died here, and Smiley had taken Ginger's ticket to Crave to discreetly kill another -- or at least, who he thought -- was another guest at the "party" where his certain someone died.  And if I didn't know any better, I would say that Vladimir knew exactly who he was.

                   Either that, or Gary was a lying, abandoning jerk face and I wasn't the jork after all.

                  As we briefly walked through a hoard of people in the club and past a large, wrap around bar, my eyes roamed over a woman straddling a man in a leather chair and humping him like his crotch was a pez dispenser and she wanted all of the candy.

                  You'll never guess who the guy was she was straddling.

                  "Oh, baby! Do that again!" the woman cried obnoxiously, giggling like a mad woman as the man with the tight leather pants moved his mouth to her neck, cradling her backside in his large hands. Holding back my barf, I watched as Sin, Hunter Trinidad's twin brother, moved his face to the side of the woman's neck, unhinged his jaw, released his fangs, and --

                  "Hey! Hey! Psycho! Yoo hoo!"I hissed softly under my breath, trying to get his attention without disturbing Vladimir's story. The girl straddling Sin broke free from whatever trance she had been in, turning towards me and glaring. "Sin, you rat bastard! While you were getting boozed up and eating necks, your handsome brother sent me flowers, chicka." Even though I had whispered my words over the pounding music, Sin's seductive smile towards the girl in his lap almost immediately dropped, and he became fully alert. Slowly, he took the girl off of his lap and stood up, sniffing the air once.

                  Sin's lips peeled back from his teeth in a snarl, and he leaped off of the chair beneath him, starting towards me in quick, predator strides.

                  "Oh, shit," I whispered, coming to the conclusion that someone didn't like to be disturbed when he fed.

                  "....We're a very peaceful race all in all," I vaguely heard Vladimir say as I tuned in. He was clearly unaware of the fact that Sin was now stalking behind us, his head dipped low as if he was about to pounce on me at any second, and his fangs huge and bared. "It has not always been zis way. Vampires come from a Medieval era of torture and bloodshed--"

                  "ThanksforeverythingValdbutIhavetogobyegottapiss!" I rushed out, dodging out of Sin's reach right before he grabbed my throat. I then set off in a dead sprint in any direction, weaving in between people with drinks and leaping over a couch where one guy was passed out with his mouth wide open, and two girls sat his side were putting random things into his mouth like chips and change out of their bras.

                  I was almost at the entrance of Crave, when I grabbed around the waist, lifted up like a toy, and pressed firmly between a chest that radiated heat and a wall. My head was still swirling from running around a club with multiple disorienting lights, but I was more than certain the person in front of me was Sin Trinidad.

                  "You," he growled. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

                  "Me," I growled back.

                  "What are you doing here?!" he repeated, much louder and now gripping my throat.

                  "Slaying vampires and taking names! It's what all the hunters do who don't know if they're  actually hunters! I've gotta practice! What are you doing here?"

                  Sin choked me harder until I was gasping for air. "Tell me what you're doing here, or so help me god, I will strangle you for disturbing my meal!"

                  "I'm your student and you have your hand around my throat!" I reminded him, motioning to his hands.

                  "It's after school, sweetheart," Sin growled into my face. "Plus, you didn't reply to my text messages asking if you were ok."

                  "That's why you're strangling me? You could have just came to my house!"

                  "There were cars in the driveway," he spat, tightening his grip. "The last thing I need is sexual harassment charges from your parents."

                  "Oh, I'm sure this qualifies as not being sexual harassment!"
                 

                  Sin looked at the minimal distance between our bodies and backed away a little, still strangling me.

                  "Fine! Be that way, crabby!" I gasped out, trying to pry his iron fingers away from my throat. "You know, if you want....we can stop at McDonald's...and share a couple of Big Mac's....under the fluorescent lights....and then get down and dirty...on top of greasy tables that little kids wipe their poop and boogers on," I got out hoarsely, struggling to breath. "But you"--his hand tightened around my throat-- "can have to.... eat my....pickles....psycho."

                  I fell limp against the wall.

                  "Oh, shit! I didn't think I was strangling you that hard," Sin said, looking around and giving my cheek a couple of small slaps. "Pepper!"

                  Playing dead, I slowly reached my hand towards the large, neon yellow lava lamp I had spotted before the table next to us, and slammed it upside Sin's head, disorienting him momentarily. I then took my rape whistle out from inside my corset, blew it, and kicked him twice in the face.

                  "Chugga, chugga, choo-choo, bitch!" I shouted, "You've just been Peppered, amigo!" I then got the hell out of that club.

                  I made it about twenty feet out of the club, landing a few victorious back flips in the parking lot, when I realized I had no way to get back home. No way to escape the club. No way to snuggle under my covers and dream about repeatedly kicking Sin in the face to a Dubstep song. In fact, coming out to Crave had ended up being a big waste of my time because I hadn't done anything productive but annoy Sin.

                  I stomped my foot a dozen times, before turning back towards the club. I had to scope out the exits and do what I came to do. But instead of seeing Sin clutching his bleeding nose, and glaring at me from the entrance, I just saw Paolo the bouncer, who was occupied by many more people in line. It must have been past midnight.

                  Damn, girl. You must have really kicked him hard.

                  "Serves him right, I'm a freaking badass hunter, kicking faces and taking names," I said, kicking the air once and karate chopping the air a few times, "so look out, Orange Gate County. There's two criminals on the loose."

                  After a few ridiculous pretend fights with the air, it was then I felt someone tap lightly on my shoulder.

                  I started to laugh. "Do you really want more of this, Sin--?" I whirled around and nobody was there. It was then I felt my heart in my throat. "Who's there?" I started to walk in between cars in the parking lot, when I saw something large and dark move in the corner of my eye.

                  I spun around. Nobody was there.

                  "This isn't funny!" I shouted, my hands clenching into fists, heart pounding so loudly in my ears that it was as if I was in the club again, the music pulsing throughout my body. "Show yourself!" I screamed. Hearing another noise from behind me, I started to turn around again. "Show your--!"

                  I froze, meeting face-to face with a monster. I wasn't able to scream, I wasn't able to kick out, I wasn't able to do anything but slowly take in their draping trench coat, and then stare up into the empty eyes of their smiley mask.

                  Gary was right -- it was definitely a man because their shoulders were wide. I started to memorize whatever features of theirs I could, hoping and praying that I would be able to hear their voice and recognize them. Smiley loomed over me, forcing me to back up until my back hit the front of the car. A scream lodged in my throat as they put a leather-covered finger to my mouth, ceasing my breaths all together.

                  They then started to slowly took a stake out from behind their back, raising it up in the air, when their free hand slid to the center of my chest, and their fingers paused at the dip in my corset right between my breaths.

                  "Pepper!" Sin's voice roared from the entrance of the club, making Smiley whip his head towards the voice. "Pepper, damnit! I know you're out there!"

                  All at once, Smiley reached up and ripped the masquerade mask from my face, throwing it to the ground, and leaving me horrified and vulnerable, as if I had revealed to them something I shouldn't have. My identity.

                   They wavered the stake in front of my face, almost teasingly, then jerked it towards my chest, faking me out. I let out a piercing scream, expecting them to actually stake me.

                  "Pepper!" Sin was closer now. I could hear his light footsteps against the pavement.

                  "Stay back, don't come any closer!" I shouted, "Stay back!"

                  It was too late, Sin rounded the other side of the car that I was pinned against, and his expression dropped completely as he saw the masked man in front of me. "If you put one scratch on her, I'll fucking kill you with my bare hands,"Sin hissed.

                  MY HERO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Conscious screamed at the top of her lungs, as Smiley's stake wavered slightly in the air. See, girl? Psycho's aren't that bad once you get to know them!! If only those dang nipples were pierced.... But hey, who's complaining! (Me, damnit!)

                  Smiley tilted his head at Sin -- who was deadly quiet and unsure of what to do to help me. The masked man stared at Sin for an significant amount of them, before tilting his head back down at me and dragging his stake along the side of my throat. He then shoved me roughly against the car, turned, and dashed inhumanly fast between cars until I could no longer see him.

                  I let out the breath I had been holding.

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