He nodded. The driver was smoking a cigar and listening to opera music. He was becoming quite annoying. I leaned my forehead against the cold glass of the window tiredly. I hadn't even realized that I was this tired, but I couldn’t just stop. I had some work to do. Where was I going to live now? I probably had enough money for food and if I was lucky a car. My dad used to split up our payments for playing at different venues between the four of us. Luckily, I had saved up most of my share. I sighed thinking of a way to get out of here. I know, I’ll stay in a hotel downtown, then leave tomorrow, and never come back. I couldn’t stand my brothers any longer. I couldn’t stand my dad or Sheila either. Starting with Scott, he would always get this egotistic attitude that he was the coolest and every chick wanted him. Dave would always complain about everything. He ALWAYS got his way too. Everyone always thought he was so baby cute, but in real life he was the whiner of the family. Last, Sheila and Frank have been annoying me from the start I just couldn’t take it anymore! They would control our lives and never let us do what we wanted or actually have any fun. Clint, my twin brother was the only one who I could actually talk to directly and trust. I still love him, and I’m really going to miss him, but I know this is for the best. I couldn’t ever go back to them. For one, I was so far now and two, they just don’t understand me. I have feelings too. I need things too. I want things. I’m always lonely and whenever I even try to go out with a girl I really like it’s either we have to go back to Canada or the girl is actually a "fan" and she is obsessed with me. Yes, I’ve actually had that happen to me a couple of times. It’s not pretty. They just sit there and you have to start all of the conversations, you have to make every move, everything has to be done by me and I really get nothing in return. The girl gets to go out with a Moffatt and so what do I get that’s so special? I mean I don’t want to sound stuck up but there aren’t that many girls out there who actually appreciate us. Well, I haven’t found any. In fact, I rather have the girl not know who we are all together! That would make things easier. I just don’t care that much about "us" anymore. I know I’m being rather selfish but so have they. They’ve taken over my life and now that I’m going to be on my own I’m doing this my way. Maybe I’ll go see my mom in Nashville. I don’t know. All I do know is that I’m free and that’s the way it’s going to be.

It took about 45 minutes to get downtown, but I was so tired that I didn’t really care. I just told the driver to stop in front of a large strip mall and a Cracker Barrel. I paid him and I could hear the hum of the engine drive away as I stared at the ground. It was getting later in the evening and I realized that I had no where to go.

That’s when things started to get freaky.

The mall parking lots emptied just as the sun went down and I had managed to hide out in an ally between the mall and the restaurant. When I was sure there was hardly anyone around, I got up with my backpack and medium sized duffel bag. That’s all I had brought with me. My mind wondered back to my family and what they were doing without me. I don’t know why I cared so much but I realized that this was going to be somewhat difficult all by myself. I needed a place to stay the night, but where? I figured that if I walked behind the buildings in the city that I would stumble upon a reasonable motel, stay the night, and then buy a bus ticket home tomorrow to Nashville. Yes, that’s would I would do.

Well, I stumbled upon something but it wasn’t a motel.

After the sun had fully set that night, I was walking behind an ally way when I came to a large old factory. A couple moving trucks, a van, and a limo were parked around it. The scene immediately aroused my curiosity. I sat my stuff behind a garbage can and snuck up closer to the building next to the factory to sneak a better look. The men moving things were so big and muscular! They looked extremely scary. Their faces were a ghastly shade of white and their lips were so red. They seemed like large ghosts underneath the moonlight. I man, quite large himself, with long black hair that pulled back into a tail just stood there watching, commanding and investigating everything that the other men were doing. It was all rather weird though. He seemed to be the boss. He had a girl at his side. She was probably like 18 maybe, with long really curly red hair. It was a dark red though. Almost as red as blood and they formed ringlets that cascaded down her back. She was standing at his side, her hands on her hips, wearing a short black skirt under a black tank top. The boots she was wearing were black shiny leather that climbed up to her knees. Her lips were blood red and her skin was as pale as the others were. This was really creepy. What were they doing there? I automatically assumed they were selling and smuggling drugs, but those were awfully large boxes for that. I mean I wouldn’t know or anything, but still. You get what I’m sayin’. The red haired girl intrigued me. She was quite hyper. She’d run around and taunt the guys while they were working and the boss looking one would just laugh when one of his men would drop something on their feet. The girl seemed to be his pet or something. She kept running around and pretty soon she was so fast that I couldn’t keep up with watching her. I looked back at my stuff when I heard something. There was a cat. It was black and it jumped right onto the garbage can’s lid making a huge clashing metal sound.

I clamped a hand over my mouth and tried not to breathe. I know they heard me. Who couldn’t have heard that! I pressed my self against the brick wall behind me and pretended that I wasn’t there, that I was invisible which is really stupid, but it worked for me. Luckily, no one found me and I let out a sigh of relief, letting myself fall from my position. Hesitantly, I went back to the corner and before I could look past it, a hand suddenly grabbed my neck and I couldn’t move. I tried to scream for help as the pale fingers in front of me choked off my air. I followed the arm back to the body to see that it was the girl with the red hair. She was grinning.

She wasn’t from around here I could tell. Her fingers loosened a little bit so I could at least breathe and she just kept staring at me with a hungry look on her face. My body froze and I couldn’t move. She suddenly looked past me to the little black cat sitting beside my bags.

Then she looked back at me. Her hand let go of my neck and she grabbed my wrist. Her grip was about twice as hard as it was around my neck. She skipped from behind the building practically dragging me behind her to where everyone else was. Uh-oh. I was in trouble. This wasn’t good. They were going to kill me for sure! I couldn’t get away! What was I going to do? All I could do was be drug along until she stopped me in front of her "master".

I looked at the one known as Maxum’s, eyes. There wasn’t an ounce of pity in them. He was definitely going to kill me. I know he could smell my fear. I was quivering in my panties! I couldn’t help it though b/c they were really scary! Maxum had yellowish green eyes and the girl had reddish orange eyes, and their teeth! Their teeth were sharp and very unusual. They just couldn’t be human.

Maxum grinned at me as the girl had done.

She made a whining sound and stomped her foot.

He gave her an icy glare as he put his arm around my shoulder.

Why wasn’t he gonna kill me? I thought for sure I was dead, and here he was being really nice. Why did that Isabella want to play with me and what did she mean by that? I had a pretty good idea what she wanted to do, but um, we’re not going to think about that. Maxum led me into the factory’s office. It was full of dust, musty papers, and all sorts of old crap. I could tell that no one had touched it in a long time. This was too strange for me, and I could feel my brain start to panic. My heart practically beat out of my chest. As soon as we had walked in, I double backed and ran for the open door. It was time to get out of here. I ran out the door and I noticed that I didn’t hear him following me! That was odd. I looked back only to see darkness and then smack! I ran right into . . . Isabella. She gave me one of those grins and that’s when I saw them! Hey teeth were canine sharp and long as they dripped with blood. She licked her lips seductively and my eyes widened. I couldn’t move my body was frozen. She had transformed into some type of demon. Suddenly a growl escaped her lips as she grabbed me by the front of my shirt.

All of a sudden she just started to laugh and giggle. I looked around as others formed a circle around us. Maxum stood behind me and he too had transformed. I screamed even though I knew no one could hear it, but them and me.

I woke up who knows when and my eyes were all unfocused. I moaned and sat up. When I finally realized that I had passed out on the factory’s floor I then remembered exactly where I was and what had happened. I sat up and for some reason I couldn’t move my hands. When my eyes adjusted to the darkness I noticed that my hands were tied together by a piece of rope and then I looked around the room to see Isabella staring at me.

Her accent was strong though. She was the only one of them so far that had a British accent. I noticed that the room was just a bunch of stones for the walls, a door and a chair that Isabella had been sitting in. Seeing that she was still in her demon-like state I backed up and pressed myself against the wall. This just made her smile as she stood before me.

What did that mean and how did she know my name?

She came up to me but I still wasn’t used to her around me. How could I be she scared me shitless.

Just the site of them scared me.

Suddenly she put a hand on me cheek. Her skin was as cold as ice and I winced beneath her touch.

For some reason she wasn’t acting so hyper anymore. Her voice turned since she had transformed earlier. I just stared at her confused.

She seemed to be studying my face or something b/c she was in deep thought until I said that.

Wait how did she know all of this about me? What’s going on here? Who were these people? I wanted to ask so many questions.

I sat up more and got closer to her, feeling more comfortable now.