Santa Carla

A/N: I am SO sorry about the length of time between updates. I didn't find out about the reviews until today, and so I didn't know people were enjoying this. So thank you, thank you to Melissa, Sarah, Rankai, and Sandra. You are what made me update. I know this is short, but I'm getting back into the flow of the story. I have a basic outline done for this story and it's sequels, it's just fleshing it out that takes me some time. But I promise there won't be as much as there has been between publishing and my update. In between updates, though, why not check out my other stories? Neither of them contain an OC, and I'm quite proud of them. Once again, with those I'm going to try to keep the pauses to a minimum.

David and the others turned as they heard Marko emerge from the back cave with Brandi in tow. They were shocked, having assumed she had run when they didn’t see her in the main cave.

"She didn't run?" David asked Marko. Marko shook his head, confused as to why David would even worry.

"I couldn't leave, I had a question I have to ask you," Brandi explained, a small smile gracing her features. "Why did you think Interview with a Vampire was so funny?"

David began laughing at the subtle way Brandi let him know she knew about the group. "Possibly the fact that certain parts of them became, soft, shall we say? After they were turned."

As Paul, Dwayne, and Marko looked at each other hoping for some sort of understanding as to what was going on around them, Brandi whispered in Marko's ear.

"What?!" he shouted, his hand unconsciously moving to protect said part of him. Brandi and David doubled over laughing, almost collapsing to the floor as Paul and Dwayne realized what was going on and started protesting. Once everybody had calmed down again, Brandi worked on wiping the tears from her eyes.

"So, I'll take that as an invention on the part of Anne Rice, and just worry about who gets the credit for turning me, or whatever it is that happened when I drank that blood," she said.

"That was mine," David said, once again his cool, calm, collected self. "And that was the first stage in turning you. The change is complete after you make your first kill."

"And I can do that when?" Brandi asked slyly. Marko just grinned and possessively kissed her senseless. When they were done, before Brandi regained her wits, he glared at the rest of the Boys, telling them to keep their hands to themselves. Paul and Dwayne raised their hands in defense, while David merely raised his eyebrow.

"Why are you in such a rush to lose your soul?" a light voice accused from behind a curtained bed.

"Leave us alone, Star," David commanded, his eyes flashing dangerously. But Star wasn't listening, having decided that through Brandi, and her brother Michael, she could finally be free of the Boys, and the hunger, and the guilt.

"Have they told you how they kill?" she asked Brandi, sadness infecting every word, every syllable. "It isn't anything like the movies, unless you're talking about a slasher one. Blood everywhere, blood covering everything, until red is the only color you know anymore. It won't come off you, either. No matter what."

"Well, thank you Lady Macbeth," Brandi said sarcastically. "Red happens to be my favorite color, though, so I don't think that's going to be a huge problem. Now if you'll excuse us, I believe David gave you an order, which you'll follow like the good little whore you are, k?" By the end of this mini-speech, Brandi's voice had lost all emotion, and was colder than any of the Boys could have imagined. Star slunk back behind the curtain, and Brandi stalked out of the cave, the Boys walking slowly behind her, glaring at the form cowering behind her curtain.

"Marko, I like her, but she needs to be watched in case she doesn't take to the group dynamic, alright?" David told Marko quietly, both of them entirely focused on the stunning creature walking in front of them.

"I'll watch her, but on the record I don’t think she needs it," Marko responded, totally serious. "Come on, she immediately figured out where we found Star and that Star is the lowest of the low around here," he finished with a grin. David didn't say anything, and if anybody said he was grinning his head off, he would have denied it.

Once Brandi was outside, she took several deep calming breaths, furious at her lack of control. ^Great job, Brandi. Just lose your temper at the first little thing. That's so going to win them over. God, I'm so stupid!^ Brandi stared out across the ocean, and lost herself in the clouds and waves. Before she had been gone too long, though, she closed her eyes, and pulled herself back to the cliff, where she noticed the Boys waiting for her to return.

"Sorry about that," she said, shrugging her shoulders and avoiding looking anyone in the eye. "Untouched nature calms me down, and after Star I needed it." Marko walked over to her, and pulled her chin up to look at him.

"You're cool," he reassured her. "We all understand the need to relax. Now, come on, I think David has a plan for tonight." Brandi grinned at the thought of 'plans'.

"What kind of plan do you have, David?" Brandi asked.

David held a small smile on his face as he looked Brandi over again. "You willing to be surprised?" The smile grew larger as Brandi nodded her head in an affirmative. "Then let's ride out."

And the gang did.