Author's Note: Well I'm back again, and feeling terrible for being away so long. Between my personal life, work and school I didn't have any time to post this new update which then sat in my drafts for an eternity. I can't apologise enough for leaving you guys hanging! I hope you like the new chapter and rest assured, I'll have plenty of time now to keep up with updates so I won't disappear again. Thanks to new favourites and follows and to TishaLiz, xXx Tinkies xXx, Scribbles-Dementia, TheGoofyCat, mikeysrevenge, tayjay and tayjaydray for their reviews for the last chapter!

Enjoy and please review :)

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own The Lost Boys, just my OCs.

Shit shit shit.

My feet hammered against the wet pavement, splashes from puddles dancing up and down my legs as I wound through the narrow streets. The amount of times I had almost went head-first into a wall as I tried to navigate my way through the maze of passages, trying to get far away as fast as possible.

If my heart were still beating, it'd be out of my ribcage by now.

My breaths came in rushed gasps even though I didn't really need the breath, my throat felt heavy with fear and I guessed taking in air was my way of trying not to let the panic get a hold of me. The rhythm was one of the things I tried focusing on as I pushed myself to go faster, suddenly skidding to a stop and turning to wind down another street.

I risked a glance behind me and found no signs of my pursuer, even looking up to the sky briefly I found no looming shadows flying overhead. And for no damn good reason all of a sudden I felt cocky, like I had thrown them off. I'd never run this fast in my life. Maybe I had ditched them.

Famous last words.

My eyes darted forwards again and I hadn't even noticed a figure slip silently into my path until I collided with their chest, their arms wrapping round me and my limbs a tangle around their frame, one leg raised to their hip where I had been fully intending to take another stride before they stopped me.

"Gotcha."

I growled in annoyance, struggling in his arms, "Thought I had gotten rid of you."

"Never." Marko smirked, and I gave up on trying to extract myself from his grip and gave him a pointed look. He chuckled, tightening his arms for a fraction of a second before letting go.

I put some distance between the two of us before bracing my hands on my knees, he gave me an odd look, "Tired?"

"Of course not." I told him, "I could have went another ten miles. I'm just so used to being tired, even after walking for a few hours, I can't warm to this whole thing."

"It'll take time. You're only new to this, vampire instincts take a while to come naturally to you. I caught you because you were over thinking, I could hear you. Which means she can too."

I sighed, "I'd never have let her in my head had I known she'd still be able to get in it."

"Well we don't know for sure how that works, I've never shut anyone out, so maybe you can do it. But we're not leaving it to chance."

"You couldn't shut Max out?"

He leant against the wall and looked up at the sky, "Son of a bitch couldn't be shut out. Guess it's a head vampire thing. Whatever."

My eyebrows creased at his dismissive tone, "What way does that work know? With Max gone? Who's in charge?"

He shrugged, "Nobody really, I mean, David has always lead us even when Max lorded himself over the group. Now I guess nobody is top dog, we're living in a democracy now. The days of dictatorship are over, babe."

I leant against the opposite wall, "So what now? I mean, we can try again. Less thinking this time."

He pursed his lips, "Maybe showing you how it's done will help."

"Like if I catch you?"

A smile pulled at his lips, "Like if you try to."

I could feel my eyes narrow in annoyance at his confidence, and I squared my shoulders which made him chuckle. A buzz of electricity filled the air between us as we waited for the other person to make the first move.

In a flash I almost missed it, he stood only a few inches away, his face so close to mine I could practically count his eyelashes. My breath caught in surprise and I shrank back against the wall, his arms shot out to frame either side of my body and I gulped at the sudden feeling of being trapped.

He leaned in further, which I didn't think was possible, and I squeezed my eyes shut, the proximity too much.

"Catch me if you can."

My eyes shot open to see vacant space in front of me, not even a breeze indicating which direction he had went in. I growled in frustration as I scanned either side of the alleyway I was in before lifting off the ground to the rooftops.

I stood on a ledge and examined the horizon, the lights from the attractions still going on not far away providing an annoying distraction when they blinked, but I kept my eyes peeled for any sign of him. A flash of blonde hair or a colourful jacket.

Over here.

His voice bounced around my head like an echo in an underground parking lot, the point of origin impossible to place. I turned in a circle, feeling helpless.

Give up?

Let me think!

I could hear a chuckle carried over the wind at my order, and closed my eyes to rid myself of the blinking lights, willing my other senses to come through. I waited for a slate to get kicked off a nearby roof, a dumpster lid to sound with the impact of a landing, a bag to rustle as a figure ran past it.

Footsteps.

They weren't far, and he wasn't hurrying. He was cautious though, and the silence in my head was deliberate now, as if he was trying to get an idea of how good I was at tracking him.

Marko, Marko, Marko.

I repeated the words in a sing-song, teasing much like he did, and a laugh sounded through my head.

Trying to distract me?

Depends, is it working?

You wish.

Another footstep, and another. He was moving.

I skipped along the rooftop towards the noise, my boots thankfully not making much noise. The puddles on the ground continued to help as he changed directions and wandered round a corner, I skipped over a gap and saw his shadow disappear down a narrow entryway just up ahead.

I'd be right on top of him.

Surrender?

I smirked, creeping closer to the edge. I knew he'd be standing just below, and victory would be mine.

Never.

I stepped onto the ledge prepared to drop down and surprise him, but the path below me was empty, a faint whistle on the wind telling me I had just missed him.

Two hands pushed me forward and I gasped in shock, my feet leaving the edge. I twisted myself just in time to grip the edges and glare up at him where he smiled down with an air of confidence and amusement that told me I was not as good as I thought.

"Thought you had me there?" He asked, leaning down on one knee to enjoy my predicament. I easily pulled myself up until my shoulders reached past the ledge. And in another second I had floated up until my feet where once again on the rooftop. I stood a little taller than him where he had stepped back to give me space, raising an eyebrow.

"Alright, so I'm still learning. Slowly."

"We have time." He pointed out, "There's always more chances to train yourself."

"Is there?" I asked, my tone causing him to sigh, "We don't know when she'll strike, it could be anytime. Tonight, tomorrow. I want to be ready."

"You'll have backup, we're all being careful. She won't be able to get to you with one of us there. She made a huge mistake telling you her plans, now we know to watch out."

"I don't think it was a mistake."

"What?"

I tilted my head back to meet his eyes, "I don't think she meant to kill me, I think her leaving me there was deliberate."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it," I said, "Why would she even bother telling me her plans and then leave me with even the tiniest sliver chance at getting out of that well? She's not that careless. I think she left me there because she knew I'd get out, and that I would warn everyone and we'd be on high alert."

"What good is that, then? Leaves her less likely to be able to get at one of us in that case."

"I don't know." I whispered, "She scares me, what she pulled on me with that well wasn't about killing me, I think she's going to torture me with this death sentence as much as she can."

Marko looked confused, as if the idea was foreign to him, "Why would she do that?"

"Because she knows if there's one thing I hate more than being in danger, is not knowing when the danger will find me." His eyes darkened and I could see he understood now, "I told her everything about us, it was the only way to gain her trust, she knows this reminds me of being on the run. Except this time I'm stuck here, in this town."

"Then let's leave. You and me, and the others, we can go anywhere."

I shook my head, a feeling of hopelessness in my chest, "So can she, everywhere we go I'll always worry that she's there with us. I know this feeling Marko, and I don't like it. I need her dead."

His hand siezed mine in a grip that I'm sure was meant to be assuring, but it was a little too tight, "We're going to find her, and kill her, and then nothing is gonna be in our way."

Not knowing how to answer, I merely nodded and stared out over the boardwalk, a sigh leaving my lips, "I think I need to practice some more."

"Not on an empty stomach."

"What are you? My nanny?" I asked, sitting down on the ledge and letting my feet dangle for a few seconds before dropping down, my knees easily absorbing the impact as I landed on the pavement, Food did sound like a smart idea though, it had been a few days, so I started walking back towards the direction of the boardwalk in search of a meal.

"Do not follow me."

I had been aware of his movements along the rooftops, and as he stopped upon my command I felt a little pleased with myself for being able to detect it, it was obvious he was surprised I had noticed. Within a second he was at my side with his arms crossed, a neutral expression on his face.

"You know the rules."

No one was to go anywhere alone for even a second, "So do you." I warned, "I don't feed with anyone. I know you guys treat it like some kind of party, not me. You're not coming along to turn this into some twisted little date."

He stared back and shrugged, "Fine, then walk ahead. But I'll still follow, I do everytime you feed, whether you want me to or not. So you are getting better at this if you're noticing me now."

The flare of anger at his admission was calmed only slightly by the realisation that I had indeed gotten a little sharper at things, "I thought we agreed to be honest with each other. When I told you I feed alone I expected you to honour that one request."

He spread his arms to show his innocence, "I don't feed with you, isn't that the whole point? I just keep watch, make sure nobody bothers you or you don't get attacked. I kind of like it, actually."

"Stop." I said, holding up a hand, the smirk that had grown on his face dropped a little when he saw I wasn't having any of it, "I don't wanna hear anything about it. If you wanna follow me, fine. Keep your distance otherwise I'll sink my teeth into your neck as well."

"Promise?"

"Shut up." I spat at his teasing tone, turning on my heel to continue down my path. He had the sense to wait a few minutes behind me, to the point where I couldn't trace him, but I had no doubt he was there. I kept on walking in search of someone to feed on, and I had to admit knowing someone was looking out for me made it a little easier. But I would never tell him that.

The honesty thing was taking a bit of time to get used to.

Damn it. Blood on my shirt.

I cursed the small splattering on the lace of the pale top I wore, I had been careful this time, it must have happened when I was getting rid of the body. Not leaving anything to chance I slipped out of my jacket and pulled the shirt over my head. Bonnie would kill me, she liked that top.

I zipped up my jacket to cover up the fact I was now only in a bra and began walking back to the boardwalk, my latest kill disposed of over the edge of the cliffs, I made it look like he fell and suffered a cracked skull at the bottom, the gash in his throat could be mistaken for a cut on a sharp rock.

As I neared the crowds I slipped into an alleyway with an overflowing trashcan, heaps of bags and papers under a lid that sat a few feet above the actual bin because of how much there was in it.

I pulled a few bags out and stuffed the shirt down the bottom, pushing some trash back over on top of it. A few newspapers fell out and random papers danced around my feet in the small breeze, I picked them up to stuff them down as well, when a headline from one caught my eye.

LOCAL BUSINESS OWNER MISSING, HOUSE BURNED IN APPARENT ARSON ATTACK.

It look a few minutes to find the newspaper the page belonged to, it was dated two weeks ago today, I flicked to the page and started reading. It was about Max, how he had suddenly vanished and his house was left in ashes, but seeing as there wasn't a body inside nobody knew what had happened. His car was left there, and apparently the store had opened the next day as usual, it was only after several shifts that he missed did a worker, Maria, alert authorities to the fact nobody had seen him since the fire.

The article finished by saying that the store had shut down, and that this was sad for the community, they had always viewed him as a pleasant man with a successful business, and that they hoped he was found soon.

If only they knew what he really was.

I angrily stuffed the paper in the bin, and leant against the wall for a few minutes, waiting. After a while a shadow emerged and another figure joined me against the wall.

"Feel better?"

I sighed, "I feel stronger, I wanna keep practising for a while."

"Hey, you aren't the only one who needs an energy boost." He pointed out, gesturing back down the alleyway, "Saw someone wandering about down there, I'll be back in a minute. Stay here."

I rolled my eyes at his tone, like I was a child in the line at a store and he was the mother running back for something she'd forgotten. I folded my arms as he took off back down the dark entryway, I knew it wouldn't take long for him to get back.

My eyes strayed back down to the trash and I reluctantly picked out the newspaper with the article about Max, reading through it once again. I wondered what they thought had happened to him, or how long they'd give it before they assumed he just disappeared like everyone else in this town. His house wasnt going to be much use to them now that it was ash, maybe they had checked out the video store.

Then I realised, I hadn't.

Over the last few weeks an unofficial search for Cam had been carried out by the group, we checked everywhere we could think a vampire would hide. All the abandoned houses, other smaller caves around the cliffs, even the lighthouse had been a possibility.

We'd never checked Video Max.

I took off jogging down the boardwalk until I arrived at the boarded-up store, not waiting for Marko to come back so I could explain my train of thought. To be honest, I didn't expect her to be staying here, it was bound to be somewhere we looked at some stage. Maybe she had stopped here for the night, and there'd be some clue as to where she went or what she was planning.

The lock on the back door was easily broken, and I fumbled for a light switch which eventually illuminated the store, the isles of video tapes devoid of any recent human activity. The video screens were black, and it startled me a little when I walked past and realised my reflection wasn't walking past with me, it still took some getting used to.

When I had checked round most of the store I went back down the corridor I had entered from and found my way to an office at the back, the door locked again.

I let myself in and switched the lights on to find a plain, regular office you'd expect to see in a store like this. Some filing cabinets and a desk, some loose papers littering the surface and in the centre, a cardboard box that looked like it contained more papers.

Well, Max would never get around to opening it.

I crossed round to the back of the desk so I stood over the box, and upon closer inspection I noticed there was no postage stamps or address on it, Max must have picked it up himself and left it here before he went to his house that night.

I picked up an ornate letter opener from the desk, it looked a little too fancy for a simple video store owner, so I assume it was a keepsake, maybe from before Max decided to disguise himself as an ordinary citizen. The long thin silver blade had a small handle attacked with what I guessed were some rubies glimmering along it, I drew the blade across the tape and it sliced open in one quick motion.

Opening the lid of the box I expected boring paperwork, nothing interesting, but the second the papers inside were revealed I knew then that this package was not meant for Max.

It was meant for me.

An old picture of me from about a year and a half back on my last birthday at home, my dad had taken it when we went out for dinner with Juliette and her parents. Juliette and I had had our arms around each other but the picture was cropped so only my face was visible, my youthful face smiling at the camera, framed by my long blonde hair.

It was a missing poster. My name, details of my appearance, when I was last seen and a contact number if anyone had any information. But what scared me more was the fact that the large stack of posters was splattered with blood, across the top pages enough that I could still read the writing and see my picture, but by the bottom of the pile the pages were saturated, warped and dried with dark blood that had dried in as the pages sat here in the dark.

"Oh my God." The words were choked out as I ran out from behind the desk, no sign of what I needed in there. I slid to a stop at the front desk and grabbed the phone at the desk, punching in the numbers on the poster. My home number.

"Hello?"

My breath hitched immediately at hearing my father's voice for the first time in I don't know how long, "Dad? Are you okay?"

"Cl-"

"Well, hello."

The phone had been taken away from my dad, and the voice now on the other end I knew immediately.

Cam was there, at my home, in New York.

"Cam?"

She laughed at the terrified whisper that had squeezed out of my throat which felt so tight I felt like I was struggling for the breath I didn't need, "You took longer than I thought, your detective skills really have gotten poor."

"What are you doing at my home?"

"Bit of advice," she said, "When telling the details of your pathetic little human life to a group of vampires you plan to get killed, make sure you don't leave any of them alive with that kind of information. I knew a lot about you, it didn't even take me a day when I arrived in New York to find where you lived. Your father had posters up everywhere, and when I called he was only too eager to meet and find out what happened to his darling daughter. How sweet."

My lip curled at her teasing tone, "If you hurt him I swear to God-"

"It's a little late for that, as you can probably tell from the posters, he's not in great shape."

My stomach lurched, "Don't kill him."

"I won't." She promised, "Just as long as you come back home. Alone."

Just as she said it I heard the back door open, and knew then that my disappearance hadn't gone unnoticed by Marko, who came striding over to the desk looking majorly pissed. It was only when he saw my expression and how I held up my hand in a panic to stop him making anymore noise did he stop, the look of annoyance on his face replaced my concern.

"Okay." I agreed, "I'll come back. Just please don't do anything to him, he's innocent in all of this."

"Oh I know, he was very worried to learn of what happened to you. I couldn't lie to him though, it seemed cruel. After everything you've put him through, I think he deserved the truth, don't you?"

He knows I'm a monster, shame overcame me and I gripped the edge of the desk, my nails digging into the counter in an effort not to scream down the phone, "He deserves a lot better than me. Just let me make this right, you can do whatever the hell you want with me when I get there."

"Oh I plan to." She replied, I could hear the cruel smile in her voice, "I will give you... three days to get back here, I think that's reasonable. You won't have to hitchhike this time, lucky you."

"I'll be there."

"Good." She breathed, "Alone, remember? One word of this to your little friends, I get one inkling that they've accompanied you and I'll rip him limb from limb. I suppose you can find a way to sneak off quietly?"

I snuck a look at Marko, who could obviously hear my conversation, and he shook his head with a dangerous look that told me I wasn't going alone no matter what, "They're not with me now, I can leave. They're out looking for you."

She laughed coldly, "I figured my little red herring plan would get you guys all hot and bothered, running about trying to stick together and stay alive. I bet you were so concerned about your little family, you forgot about your real one."

"Never." I growled.

"Well then, hurry back. I can't promise I won't get fed up with torturing him, so do try and get here quickly. Say goodbye, Pops."

"Claire, I lo-"

The line went dead and the receiver clattered to the floor, I folded and crumbled to the floor beside it.