Elena.

"Calm down, you still need to do the first part of the deal." She said, taking a small box from below her seat.

I glanced at my window. During the ride in the van at one point, we had turned around, heading towards...Leveretts house. The van pulled over. We were now about two miles away from where he lived.

"Lucerne..wait outside with him." She said, she stepped inside the back after she and I waited for the shadow whose name I now knew was Lucerne, carried Ryan outside. He did so as easily as if he were a rag doll. Closing the door behind her, she opened the box carefully and took out the syringe, which dimly shone with the artificial sunlight. I bit my lip, keeping my expression as blank as possible, trying not the show the uneasiness I had when I first saw the size of the monstrous needle. "The faster we do this, the sooner your freedom will be granted."

I concentrated as hardly as I could. I closed my eyes, listening to my own heartbeat slow down, beat by beat. Instead of blankness when I'd closed my eyes, I saw myself in the ballroom once more, wearing the red dress...dancing with him. I was repulsed at this, he had tried to kill my friend, and yet he was the first thing I thought of when i thought of home.

"No no no. Whatever you were doing at first to relax, continue. Your heart is speeding up again." I heard her mumble.

I did as she told me too, with much harder trouble, but before my thoughts could drift off to him again, I felt the dull needle pierce the skin of my forearm. I felt no pain. I knew I'd never feel pain again, at least not physical.

I opened my eyes, just as she'd finished extracting an alarming amount I'd never believe could have been extracted from that one needle, big as it was.

"Well..,isn't that...peculiar." Mrs. Goodman said as she examined the syringe carefully. The liquid was a shiny silver color, not the black color I knew vampires were supposed to have. I watch my blood disappear into a vile that she placed in the box along with the used syringe. The new hole in my arm had already healed. She called back in Lucerne. When she was back in her passenger's seat, the shadow walked in, and to my surprise, Ryan was pushed in, he was awake.

The shadow slammed the door behind him, but the van still hadn't started. I wrapped my arms around Ryan desperately. He couldn't say a word, he was barely awake and was losing consciousness again.

"I'll get us out of this, promise..." I whispered, gently setting him of the floor as I saw green eyes disappear under his eyelids once more.

Mrs. Goodman had then busted out in laughter, which irritated me more than nails on a chalkboard.

"Now about that second favor you have to do. This is a life for a life, you could say. I need you to kill someone for us."

"Why can't you do it yourself? I'm sure he wouldn't have a problem." I said, referring to the shadow. The still hadn't started, which unsettled me more than ever.

"That would be nearly impossible for anyone else but you to kill him."

"Who?" I demanded, keeping my eyes on Ryan's body. He looked so helpless, so weak...

"You know who. Why did you think we turned around? Even if he was distracted, he would have to time to heal before you realized you were being torn to shreds by his bear hands. He is the first of your kind, making him the fastest, strongest, most dangerous vampire in existence. Before you ask, all you need to know is that he is in our way, you're the one to kill him, and this is the only way you can save Ryan. You can call it revenge, my dear, he almost killed your precious friend here, didn't he? While that redhead was awake for that moment, I heard some very important information from that little mind of his."

"H-how," I croaked, fighting back tears, "how do I kill him?"

"Your friend just made everything easier than I thought...You've made the right choice..."Mrs.Goodman assured.

I got out of the van, playing the whole plan over and over in my head. It was so simple but one wrong move and it was all over. The van drove in the other direction, leaving me alone in what would be miles away from the monsters and...Ryan.

It started to rain, and soon it was pouring, washing away all of the human blood I had shed back at the hotel.

I had to do this for him. I had...reason to. Leverett had tried to kill him when he'd come for me, so that was reason enough, right? I started walking towards Leverett's home once more, making the plan initiate at that moment. I was to tell Leverett that I had left Ryan and Kadin to go back to him. She had also made it very clear that neither she nor Leverett could read my thoughts, but I'd have to learn to control my heartbeat because that was my only but strong weakness, which would be a giveaway to everything. She also told me I had to show only kindness and did everything in my power to make Leverett...fall in love...with...me.

After I did so...then...

"Thank goodness you're alright," he said, making me jump as I looked up to look at his slightly concerned face. I felt a tear run down my cheek as I slowly stepped forward and hugged him. I felt him tense up by the surprise of it, but he slowly reacted and hugged back.