I give a shark like smile, all teeth and blank eyes as the boys look both confused and amused at the same fucking time.

🖤🖤🖤🖤

David nods behind him and I scramble to get on his bike. I hold onto him with unnecessary force. It wouldn't hurt him, but the grip I had was tighter than it needed to be. I hid my face in his back, quietly screaming inside my mind. I probably just killed someone, judging by the screams that were not of laughter and fun. Yeah, I totally killed someone. I could totally play it off, like this is some other reality that doesn't even affect mine, or me, like no one's gunna know when I go back. I'll be fine. God, what if they find out it was me and then they come and take me away and then I'm spending the day in jail while they come to the cave and then Marko dies?

When we stop I get off, still holding the knife and the bear, my mind running a mile in seconds. I pace, waiting for the others to get themselves together. Music, I should listen to music. I walk to my car, parked just a few ways away. I get inside, my body stiff and awkward. I sit inside, closing the door and turning on my radio. I sit, just letting the music drown out my thoughts. It wasn't working, no really, because I just kept picturing it and then all the fucking concequences for my actions.

"I'm a good person," I tell myself evenly, fumbling around my car for something to do, to mess with. I don't drop the knife. I don't know why, I just can't. I don't want to. It's mine. I ignore the boys when the others open the car doors and slide in. David is in the passenger seat, the others are in the back. David reaches over and turns down the music. I don't even recognize the song my mind is so sporadic. "I'm a good person." I repeat. David's eyes are so blue and intrusive. His gaze is hard to hold, but even harder to break. I watch as he slowly reaches over and takes the knife from my hand.

"Elsie," I hum, fiddling with the bear in my lap, dried blood flaking off my hand. "It's okay."

"I know," I retort, keeping my head down. "People die all the time. I told him not to touch me, it's his fault." I held up my finger, waving it in the air. "He's lucky I didn't face fuck him with it!" I crack a smile at how Paul starts giggling, hiding behind his hand as he tries to keep serious. I can feel the tension in the car dissipate; the boys all collectively releasing small breaths they had been holding. "I'm fine." I tell David, glancing up at him. He was still watching me but a small smirk gleamed in the moonlight back at me.

"You're still in fight mode Elsie."

"Ye-well duh!" I hiss, sitting up straighter. "What happens if they find out it's me and then I'm taken away to jail, and while I'm in jail, something fucking happens to you? If I'm in jail I'll be unable to stay awake during the day and keep you safe!" I stop when David takes hold of my chin, like he did that first night. I fall silent in an instant, watching his every move as he takes a drag of the cigarette, I never saw him light.

"Relax, El." David's voice is low and soothing, "Everything's going to be alright. Trust me."

"But David," I start but he cuts me off.

"Trust me, El."

"Okay..."

David nods, "Good." He slowly lets my chin go but doesn't shy away from brushing some hair behind my ear. "Now, Michael asked me about the head vampire shit, well, he didn't really. He more voiced Sam's nonsensical rambling. We all played our part."

"We're still gunna go into the part of the cave that we built the fort in, close off that entrance." Paul nods, and I take a deep breath, trying to slow my heart.

"Laddie, we have to take Laddie with us." I shake my head, "They can't take him."

Dwayne, who was sitting behind me reaches up and places a hand on my shoulder, "They won't." I nod. Okay, cool. We could do this. "You need to sleep, we'll say that you aren't feeling well. Get you into bed earlier."

"Yeah, you'll need to be awake by the time we are asleep." I nod, agreeing with Marko. I woke up only a few hours ago but I was bone tired. I let the boys get me out of the car, leaning on Marko as he helps me get down the stairs. We pass the others, and see that Star isn't here.

"She's gone."

"It's alright, we knew she would be." Marko mumbles, leading me back to the fort. I get inside, sinking down into the cushions and covers. I sigh, closing my eyes.

"This is nice."

I hear Marko chuckle, "Sleep, one of us will come back to check on you."

"Kay..." I mumble, mind already drifting off.

I groan when my shoulder is being shaken. I sit up, "What? What?" I whine, eyes burning as I try to open them. Paul is sitting above me, a wild grin on his face as he looks me over.

"Nice bed head."

"Hush," I mutter, "Stab you." I rub my face, "Bedtime for you guys?"

Paul nods, "Yup, Dwayne's getting Laddie now. We're gunna seal off the entrance to this place, keep the other one open. You'll be able to sleep with us, no human would be able to get through."

"What about Michael?" I ask, and Paul laughs.

"Yeah, right." Paul climbs in beside me, pressing up against my right side. "He'll have his hands full trying to stay awake, sun's a killer even to half vampires."

"Ah." I reply and look over as I hear the others. Dwayne comes in, Laddie in his arms as he slides in. I reach over, helping him situate Laddie so he's between me and Paul. Dwayne affectionately pats Laddie's head before brushing my hair from my face. Marko comes in, crawling to lay down by my legs, using my thigh as a pillow, cuddling one of my legs in the process. I reach down, twirling one of his curls. David is last, eyes sweeping over us before he deems everything settled.

"Are we alright?" I ask, voice soft as David settles by the entrance, placing himself between us and whoever finds their way in here. "I don't need to stay up?"

"No, nothing's getting through that." David answered and I nodded, relaxing back into the pile of vampires...and a half. I think about how they sleep like this. I always thought they slept upside down, or preferred it, but they don't seem to mind sleeping like this. Maybe it's a pack thing, or whatever. The space is closed off, like the area with the bars, with one way in and out. Are vampires pack animals? They seem to have somewhat of a hierarchy.

"Go to sleep El." Dwayne mutters and I look at him. He's lying there, eyes closed but a small smile on his face. "You think too loud."

"Sorry." I laid there for a while, before I closed my eyes and groaned out loud. "Oh no..."

"What is it?" Paul asked, faced buried in my hair.

"I have to pee."

I slept for a little while longer, for how long I wasn't sure, but the boys were still dead to the world. I reached up behind me, grabbing my phone and seeing it was just passed three in the afternoon. Hm, so I slept pretty well. I laid back, mind completely awake, and no option for me to get back to sleep. With nothing better to do, I got on my phone, playing a few puzzle games. It was methodical yet helped me pass the time.

By six, I knew it was the world had grown dark. I could feel it in the way the boys started to move, rousing from their sleep. I put my phone away as Marko sat up. He seemed to be the earlier riser. I smile at him, slowly untangling myself from Laddie and Dwayne. Marko takes my hand, helping me up and out of the pile, and leading me to a clear part of the fort. Marko leaves, rustling around outside before he's back with an old oil lantern. I'm surprised it still works as he lights it, the fort bathed in an orange glow.

"We'll wait for them before heading out." Marko whispers, setting behind me as he begins to braid my hair. "Dwayne will be last, he's always been a heavy sleeper." I glance up, seeing Laddie had moved to press closer to Dwayne, though Paul had wrapped an arm around him in his sleep, making it harder for the boy to pull away. David was asleep on his back, hands over his chest like he were displayed in a coffin.

"How did Laddie get with you guys?" At first, with Marko's silence, I figured I asked something I wasn't supposed to.

"He hasn't spoken about his home life, but it's clear it wasn't a good one." Marko starts off carefully, and I listen intently. "He found himself in the cave one night and drank some of the bottle. He was half starved so it was understandable. Max was furious, and wanted to get rid of him, but Dwayne kind of put his foot down, took responsibility for him." I smiled at the mental image, Dwayne being a dad to Laddie. "He hardly ever spoke before, but once he got used to us, it was like he never stopped."

I chuckle, "You think he's related to Paul?"

"Wouldn't put it past Paul to have a few bastards out there." Marko jests and I shake my head, trying to keep my laughter to a minimum.

"I resent that." Paul's muffled voice breaks the silence, and I can't help but let out a laugh. Paul sits up, letting Laddie go as he moves over to us. He has his eyes closed as he crawls and quite literally throws his upper half onto my lap. I 'oof' under his weight, but don't complain. Hey, I'm being pampered by two very attractive vampires, who's gunna complain? Goosebumps rise on my skin as I feel Marko pull my hair to the right, his lips pressed into the nape of my neck. It tickles, the chill of his skin certainly waking me up. I don't tell him to stop, instead I begin to trace patterns on Paul's clothed back.

"Having fun there?" I look up, seeing David was sitting up and digging out his packet of smokes. I send him a smile, not really answering him.

"Are we staying inside for the night?" I asked, wondering what they planned to do. Star was with the Emersons, if anything went as planned. But if not? What would they do? Would everything play out the same? Would Max be killed, or would he force Lucy to change by threatening the safety of her sons? Would he win? I feel Marko's arms wrap around me from behind, pulling me back into him.

"Well stay in for a while, if things go as planned, then we'll feel it the moment Max dies."

"And... if he doesn't?" I ask slowly, unsure if I wanted to know that answer. David takes a drag of his cigarette, and Dwayne sits up next to him, Laddie rubbing at his eyes as he wakes himself up. David stares at me, a resolute expression flashing over his face as he exhales.

🖤🖤🖤🖤

Short But Sweet