Something of a schedule soon possessed the residents, and their houseguests in the small Twinsin apartment.

In the morning, Frankie left for school, soon followed by Jaymee and Genny, who headed off to the university. The vampires took the empty house for their advantage, and took over certain parts of the house. Lyndon, Tyrone, Kyle, and Kevin (against his will) slept in Genny’s big full bed. Jay took the bed in Frankie’s room, and Sunny took Jaymee’s. Poor Damien was stuck taking anything he could find. He slept, majority of the time, on the pull out bed in the living room.

After school, Frankie usually meandered around with friends in the city. She came back about 4:30, just before sundown, to guarantee the vampires did not leave. Genny and Jaymee worked at the department until a few hours after the sun set, and usually came home to find the house in just short of chaos. After fighting with the vampires, they would wolf down what ever was left of Frankie’s dinner, then try to do some homework. Finally, when exhaustion hit, Genny and Jaymee collapsed in their bedrooms, while Frankie begged the vampires for silence. Then, when the house finally managed to settle down, Frankie went to bed. Doors locked, windows sealed, the vampires never left the house.

Stir crazy and bored, the vampires soon began to find ways to try and amuse themselves.

--

Genny and Jaymee came, like any other evening, and found the apartment was all but bouncing. A loud, screaming beat was emanating from the windows, and the girls could see shadows of people dancing in the apartment.

“What the-“ Rushing upstairs, the two struggled to open the front door, and get inside. Once inside though, they immediately wanted to get back out. The front door was slammed shut behind them, almost like it was sealing their fate. The mass of bodies dancing to the beat of the song blasting through Genny’s stereo was deafening. There were strobe lights and a fog machine, which made Jaymee sneeze as they squeezed past it.

The guests in the house were even weirder. Obviously vampires, they watched Genny and Jaymee with hungry, curious expressions. Genny kept her hands close to her chest as she pushed through, searching for familiar faces. She was screaming a name. Jaymee realized it was ‘Frankie!’

“Frankie?! Frankie! I don’t see her?! Where is she?!” Genny yelled over the music. There was pure panic in her big brown eyes. Jaymee could hardly believe that the little apartment could hold this many people! They passed a beautiful ebony haired vampire feeding on a large obese man who looked like he was in pure ecstasy.

“Shit, well that explains why this shin-dig hasn’t been shut down,” Jaymee said to Genny, gesturing at their land lord. Genny flushed and looked away, pushing a little hard through the house, toward the kitchen.

In the kitchen, the girls found Lyndon and Tyrone entertaining some of the guests with a human, who had been stripped of his shirt and moaning himself hoarse. Lyndon and Tyrone were working their mouths and hands over him. Jaymee stared, transfixed.

They were…

“NO! GET OFF HIM RIGHT NOW! YOU DO NOT EAT MY NEIGHBORS!” Genny’s bellow broke off Jaymee’s thoughts. She looked at Genny, who’s face was nearly purple with rage. Lyndon and Tyrone lifted their heads a quarter of an inch to see what the commotion was. They sighed, glancing at one another and rolling their eyes.

“Oh Ducky…you don’t have to be so-“

“Critical of our social life,” Tyrone finished. Jaymee glanced at Genny. NOW she was purple.

“OUT! OUT! EVERYONE GET OUT! IF ANYBODY HAS SO MUCH AS LAID A FINGER ON MY SISTER I SWEAR TO GOD YOU’LL WISH YOU’D NEVER MET ME-“ Genny’s rant went on for several minutes. She shooed at vampires, kicked, pushed, shoved, and hollered until her throat was sore. This merely amused the vampires, who took steps back to avoid getting hit, and just rolled their eyes at one another.

Then her sister appeared, holding an empty tray of what use to be baby carrots and ranch dressing, and plucking her ear buds out her ears.

“Genny?” Genny spun. Contrary to what had been going on around them, Frankie had been left alone, safe and sound, in her bedroom with a plate of food and her music. She blinked at her gasping sister.

“What’s wrong?”

“WHAT’S WRONG-“ It was then that Genny’s door opened in a wisp of perfume and the smell of sex, and Kyle appeared, shirtless. His jeans hung low on his hips, his hair tousled from whatever had been going on in her room. He leaned against the doorframe, his arms across his chest, waiting.

“Genny,” He called. His voice was sugary sweet and softening—the type of tone that could have soothed the wildest of tempers. Genny spun, her face still contorted with several emotions; relief, confusion and hurt. The moment her eyes fell on the vampire, however, a new look appeared.

I believe they call it rage.

Kyle took all this in stride, and merely raised a hand, and crooked a finger at her, beckoning her toward him. His eyes were half lidded, and even from where Jaymee stood, she could smell the alcohol. She glanced at her roommate again. Genny had stubbornly chosen to ignore this gesture and was trying to get the vampires out.

“Genny,” Kyle said again. Genny had picked up an empty beer bottle from the counter, preparing to throw it in the garbage. She held back her hand, and with all her might, chucked the bottled as hard as she could at Kyle’s head. He caught it easily, but shock was on his face. Jaymee was horrified to see tears in Genny’s eyes when she looked back at the witch. The entire apartment had gone silent. The music had even been turned off.

“I want everybody out of my house now,” Genny growled. This time, the tone that the witch possessed was none to fight against. The apartment soon cleared out. Lyndon, Tyrone, Kevin, Sunny, Damien, Frankie and Jaymee watched as Genny stared steadily at Kyle, who stared placidly back.

“Jonathon is meeting you all tomorrow to decide your fates,” Genny said.

“Okay,” Kyle said his eyes unfaltering. At that moment, a small, skinny, redheaded vampire, dressed in Kyle’s shirt and a mini skirt scooted past, excusing herself quietly. Genny’s eyes followed her all the way to the door. She turned and stared at the vampire guarding the door into her bedroom.

“I hope he kills you first.”

0-0-0-0

Ray stared straight ahead. Everything was so white. So clean. Even SHE felt clean. So clean, so pale…so….alone.

She couldn’t recall how long she had been in this room. Several hours, she assumed. She felt cold, dressed only in the thin soft blue Johnny they had given her to wear. Her soft blonde hair hung in front of her eyes as the soft Tap Tap Tap of the doctor’s pen made the ringing in Ray’s head hurt even more. The doctor studied her silently, scrutinizing her every twitch, her every sigh. This was a reoccurring thing between them. This silence.

Ray studied her toenails. They were painted a bright lime green, the color chipping to reveal the pale nail beneath. The green was the only real color in the room.

Tap Tap Tap. Windows lined the room, all of which were shaded with a soft white linen, casting the room in grey.

Tap Tap Tap. So this was what it felt like to hit rock bottom. To finally give up. To unsuccessfully convince yourself that all was well.

“Rachel,” The Doctor’s deep crisp voice made her flinch. The tapping had stopped.

“Yes?” The soft whisper terrified even herself. It did not sound like her.

“I realize that this isn’t easy for you. But you need to talk to me. I can help you.”

“I don’t need help.”

“You were taken to the hospital because your boyfriend said you had suddenly had a fit and started screaming.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Ray muttered.

“Nevertheless. You’ve overdosed on medication twice, both of which we nearly lost you, and you are an ex-drug addict. You see people who aren’t there,” The doctor explained softly. Ray said nothing.

“Rachel, please,” The doctor murmured. Ray closed her eyes and shook her head. The doctor sighed, and slowly stood.

“We are done for the day then, Rachel,” The doctor made a gesture, and the door to her right opened. A plump looking nurse in heart embroidered scrubs took her arm.

“We’ll just go back to bed, alright dear?” The nurse murmured, smiling. Ray nodded, thankful.

--

In her room, it was always cold. The room had a ventilation system circulating the building, coming through a vent she had in the ceiling of her room, but the temperature in the entire building was kept at constant 65 degrees. Ray was cold, so she picked up one of the few articles of clothing she was allowed to have—a soft sweatshirt she put on over her Johnny. She curled up into the blankets of her bed. Large windows overlooked the outside, with no locks or ways to open the windows, and a similar set were on the opposite wall, where the doctors could look in and check on her.

Staring at the ceiling, Ray listened to the sound of the vent spitting out lukewarm air, waiting. What she was waiting for? Not even the stupid brainy doctors would ever find out. But it always happened. Her eyes drooped closed, heavy. She felt the familiar weight on the edge of her bed, and she sat up.

Damiez huffed softly as he stared at the ceiling.

“This shit again?” He asked, his voice soft, so as not to alert the nurses that he was there. A smile erupted across Ray’s face, but she nodded her head, trying to disguise her smile behind a look of indifference. It always embarrassed Damiez to see her look so happy to see him.

“I’m afraid so.”

“Damn. When are you going to get out of here? You know I hate this,” Damiez said, rolling over to look at her. He reached out and let his arm rest in her lap. She eagerly took his fingers and laced them with her own. His hand was so big compared to hers. His hands were rough. She traced the lines of his palm. He had such nice hands…

“Are you afraid?” He asked, softly. When he spoke to her, it was like he was speaking to a deer, so has not to frighten it. She loved his voice. So raspy and deep. It was like the sound of thunder right before a rainstorm. So deep and rumbly. Ray found herself straddling the demon’s chest, running her hands over his chest.

“Afraid of what?” She asked, distracted by his body. Now that he was here with her all the time, she wanted to soak in as much memory of his body as she could. His smile…his eyes. His hair. She ran her fingers through the strands.

“Just afraid. Afraid of this,” He said. Ray shrugged.

“I don’t know…it’s okay…because you’re here…” She murmured. She lay down on his chest and snuggled close. Damiez said nothing.

“I have to go soon.”

“No! No. Don’t go. Okay?”

“Tell the doctor some things. You have to.” Damiez said, pressing his face close to hers earnestly, so their noses rubbed. Ray shook her head.

“No! No I can’t…”

“Tell them about Moonlight Drive. Tell them about your friends,” Damiez murmured. Though he lay so close to her, she could feel him fading. She scrambled to hold on. To grab his shirt and beg him to stay. She started to cry.

“No! I DON’T HAVE FRIENDS! DAMMY I NEED YOU!”

“Don’t give me that. You have friends.”

“NO! No I don’t! DAMIEZ!”

“I Love you.” And then he was gone.

--

Ray awoke screaming. She was surrounded by nurses and her doctor. One hooked her to an IV as more held her to the bed. Her eyes dilated, her body drenched in sweat, her body began to convulse. The nurses jumped back in terror as she shot up in her bed.

“GENNY!”