I'm back once more! This chapter and the next are dedicated to Harashika.

When Chazz returned to the Abandoned Dorm, having found Zane along the way, Carmilla had finished her task and Jaden was sleeping in one of the many bedrooms.

Chazz had returned to the Slifer Dorm to take Jaden's clothes, deck, and other personal belongings. There had been a moment where he had nearly ran into Syrus, but fortunately he had been able to slip away. The small boy had been with another boy in a Ra uniform, who had smelled… really weird, but that was something to be investigated at another point.

Due to the risks involved in being on the island, Carmilla had stressed the importance of being ready to leave at a moments notice. All of Jaden's things were packed into a bag, and the crew of the boat they had arrived in were performing non-existent "repairs" so that the family had a way to leave without delay.

However, Carmilla's "other item of business" was concerning Chazz, and he said as much to Zane.

"It just seems odd that she hasn't mentioned it to us at all." he finished, throwing himself down on a dusty sofa.

Zane nodded slightly.

"Or," he suggested, leaning on the sofa's arm, "there's a chance that maybe she didn't plan it and this is just how it's working out. She is subject to whims as much as anyone else - you're proof of that."

"Alright, I suppose." Chazz admitted, waving his hands in surrender. "I think that being here's making me a bit jumpy."

"I know the feeling," said Zane.

"I know this place holds many memories for you both," said Carmilla, entering the room. "And that it might be difficult for you both, but believe me, we will be gone from this place within the week."

Chazz and Zane exchanged a look.

"So what's the plan?" asked Chazz at last.

"Well," began Carmilla, "Now that I can rely on the two of you, it means that I don't have to wait quite so long between creating fledglings."

Another look passed between the two vampire boys.

"Who?" asked Zane.

"Atticus." said Carmilla simply.

Chazz glanced at Zane to see how he was taking this - after all, Zane had been very close to Atticus.

Zane nodded.

"When?"

"Not for a few days." said Carmilla. "I need to make sure that Jaden is well on the way first." she glanced at Chazz. "I'll need you to keep a close eye on Jaden, especially, when - I mean if," she corrected herself, seeing Chazz's look. "If Atticus joins us."

"Fine," said Chazz, and Zane nodded. Chazz then stood. "If I'll be the main one watching Jaden, I'm going to get some sleep while he's unconscious." With that, he left.

Zane stood to go, but then glanced back at Carmilla.

"If Chazz is watching Jaden," he said, "Then does that mean I'll be watching Atticus?" Carmilla nodded.

"Yes."

Nodding in response, Zane also left to sleep.

The next day had been busy. Chazz had woken not long before Jaden did, and the Bloodlust had triggered soon after. Once again, it had been Carmilla who had offered herself to the newest fledgling, but now, as Jaden was sleeping again, it was Chazz watching over him. Zane and Carmilla were both discussing what was to be done in the next couple of days to get Atticus somewhere where they could talk to him without fear of discovery or interruption. The Abandoned Dorm seemed like the best bet, but it relied on how well Chazz could control Jaden while the youngest vampire was still being driven mainly by instinct.

Taking a break from talking with Carmilla, Zane went upstairs to see Chazz.

"Hey," he said. "If you need to hunt, I can watch him."

Chazz smiled gratefully.

"Thanks," he said. "I'll need to find someone to bring here as well, for when he wakes up, which could be awkward. Not exactly that many drunks on an island where the only buildings are part of a school."

Zane smiled and sat by the bed, picking up the book Chazz had just put down. He heard Chazz leave, then focused on the novel, looking up every now and then at the youngest member of their family.

Finally, he heard Jaden groan and begin to shift about on the bed. He was waking up. Moving closer, he saw that the boy's eyes had darkened slightly, and his skin was paler, but other than that, his appearance was similar to before.

"Welcome back," said Zane, when Jaden's eyes were open and focused. Jaden looked at him for a moment, confused, before his eyes widened.

"You're part of the family too?" he asked. Zane nodded.

"Younger than Chazz, but, obviously, older than you."

"Chazz is older that you?" said Jaden, not understanding.

"Yeah. He was turned before me, so while I'm older in human years, vampires count from when you were turned onwards. Chazz is just under a year, while I'm about six or seven months. And you're a newborn." he added as an afterthought.

Jaden grinned slightly, before it faded and he closed his eyes.

"I'm hungry," he said, trying very hard to keep the whine from his voice.

Zane smirked.

"I'm not surprised that that hasn't changed." he said in a teasing tone of voice. Then, more seriously, he added, "Chazz went to find someone for you to feed from,"

"Ok," said Jaden hesitantly. "But what if they get hurt?"

"That's why we'll be there, to make sure that doesn't happen." said Zane.

From below there came the sound of the door opening, then two sets of footsteps up the stairs. Finally, Chazz entered with an Obelisk student with a very blank gaze.

"Hypnosis?" asked Zane.

"You think I asked him nicely?" retorted Chazz. He glanced at Jaden and smiled, feeling the youngest vampire's anxiety at the thought of feeding from a human. "Ok, Zane, you sit behind Jaden so you can pull him off if he loses it," Zane obeyed, suddenly realising that Carmilla was now standing in the doorway, observing. Chazz pulled the student so that he was sitting on the bed, lowering the boy's collar so Jaden had easy access.

Jaden let instinct take over. His eyes turned red, his teeth lengthened, and he bit down. Chazz held on to the student while Jaden drank, observing his pulse rate to monitor how much more the fledgling could afford to take. Finally, he nodded to Zane, who pulled Jaden back. Chazz cleaned up the Obelisk before giving him instructions to return to his dorm, go to sleep and wake up in the morning with no memories of what had happened the night before. As the dazed student left, Carmilla stepped forward.

"All three of you did well," she said. Sitting on the bed, she leaned forward to wipe some of the blood from around Jaden's mouth. "I knew I could rely on you both." This was aimed at Chazz and Zane.

Jaden's eyes were slowly returning to their usual colour.

"So what now?" he asked.

"For the moment, I need you to stay inside," Carmilla told him. "When you need to feed again, one of us will go with you. However, I don't see why you can't be up and about - just avoid direct sunlight when morning comes."

Several hours later, Chazz and Jaden were in the basement of the Abandoned Dorm, searching through it for anything of interest. Chazz was interested in seeing if Banner had left any books or paperwork in the secret rooms hidden beneath the dorms. Jaden was just enjoying being faster and stronger than ever before. Several times Chazz had grabbed his arm to slow him down, rolling his eyes. He had the feeling that, even if Carmilla chose a thousand other fledglings to sire, Jaden would still be the baby of the family.

Finally reaching the correct chamber, Chazz was pleased to see that there was an entire bookcase of volumes, some on alchemy, some on other subjects… including mythology. Pulling that one out, Chazz grinned when he found the page on vampires. Most of it was right, well, after all, Banner had been able to see a real vampire, so that was probably why.

He was distracted from his reading by the hyperactive Jaden, who was leaping about the room.

"Man," said Jaden, "I haven't felt this energetic since I was a little kid!"

"In a way, you are." said Chazz. "A little vampire kid, being babysat by your older brother." He raised his eyebrow at Jaden's antics, trying to remember if he or Zane had been this bad. Clearly becoming a vampire effected everyone differently.

"Hey!" protested Jaden. "I'm not a kid!"

"No, you're right," said Chazz. Jaden looked at him suspiciously, knowing he wouldn't give up this easily. "You're a newborn. A baby"

With an indignant yelp, Jaden dived at Chazz, expecting him to move. Instead, Chazz let Jaden push him over, only to grab the younger vampire's arm, and throw Jaden as he fell.

Soon the two were play fighting, Chazz's main objective being to tire out the fledgling, seeing as his hyperactivity was starting to wear thin. Finally, they were both leaning against the wall, exhausted.

"I'm not panting," said Jaden, confused.

"Vampires don't need to breathe." explained Chazz. "We just imitate it for two reasons: Firstly, force of habit, especially while we're young, and secondly, so we don't attract suspicion in public."

Jaden nodded, absorbing this. He started asking questions about being a vampire, the same ones Chazz had asked Carmilla and Zane had asked both Chazz and Carmilla. Eventually, they lapsed into a comfortable silence for about ten minutes before Chazz spoke again.

"By the way, you're not going to be the youngest for long. Carmilla's already got her eye on our next family member."

"Who?"

"Atticus."

"You think he'll say yes?"

Chazz shrugged.

"Carmilla's very good at offering people what they want - I didn't expect you to say yes, if I'm honest." He admitted to the other vampire.

"Chazz?" Jaden's voice was quiet and cautious.

"Yeah?"

"What did she offer you?"

Chazz grimaced.

"Life, or the closest we get to it." he replied.

Jaden looked at him, confused.

"I don't get it."

"Just under a year ago, I was attacked by a group of vampires - not Carmilla, others. I was half dead when Carmilla found me. By turning me, she saved my life… sort of."

"Oh…" said Jaden, and to his irritation, Chazz found that the silence was even worse than when Jaden's excited babbling had filled the air. Sighing, he ruffled Jaden's hair, standing up as he did so.

"Come on," he said, "we should get back and find the others."

Jaden nodded and the two vampires left, Chazz pausing just long enough to gather up some of Banner's books.

It wasn't for another four days that Carmilla agreed that Jaden could leave the dorm, and even then she declared that he had to be supervised at all times. The three older vampires had shared the task of taking him hunting, and now it was Chazz's turn again. Finding victims had been extremely easy, and now, their business finished, Chazz was reluctant to go back just yet. Instead, the two were sitting on a small stretch of the beach that was almost impossible for humans to reach due to the treacherous cliffs on either side that had a habit of crumbling to dust when they were stepped on. No, the trick was to jump from one of the more solid rocks to another, but since most had gaps of over twenty feet between them, it wasn't a feat many humans could achieve. Now, the two were watching the waves, eating the ice-creams Chazz had stolen from the shop.

"I know it's annoying being stuck inside, but once we get back to Domino, it'll be better." said Chazz. "Part of the problem here is that there's so many people who could recognise us - although it's a bigger thing for me since everyone thinks I'm dead."

"Do you miss everyone?" said Jaden.

Chazz shrugged.

"Kinda," he said. "But the most important people know." Jaden smiled at this. "I mean, if there was anyone I really wanted to tell, it was you, Atticus - who's gonna find out soon enough, and that's really it. I don't miss my brothers that much, and the other people here," he gestured to indicate the Academy, "Are people I wasn't that close to, so it probably wouldn't be that big a deal either way."

Jaden frowned.

"It was a big deal," he insisted. "Everyone was really worried when you never showed up at the start of the year. Then we called your brothers, and they said you'd vanished and hadn't been seen for over a week, and then the police came to the island to talk to everyone to get an idea of where you might have gone. Finally they found your bag, completely coated in blood, and they told us there was no chance you'd be coming back. Everyone was really sad. There was a memorial and everything."

Chazz looked out at the ocean.

"Huh," he said. "I guess people cared more than I thought. Damn, I'm like one of those artists that no-one appreciates until they're dead." He grinned at Jaden, trying to cheer the other vampire up. "Ok, I was wrong. I'm sorry I didn't have more faith in you guys."

Jaden smiled. Chazz stood up and pulled the other boy to his feet, just as a group of bats flew into the cove, screeching loudly.

"What is it?" asked Jaden. The bats still made him nervous, and he hid behind Chazz slightly.

"We're being called back," said Chazz. "It sounds pretty urgent. Come on."

The two vampire took off at a run, easily jumping the stones. Soon they were back at the Abandoned Dorm, just in time to hear a piercing cry.

"What was that?" asked Jaden worriedly.

Chazz shrugged helplessly.

"I'm not sure, but if anyone nearby heard that, we'll have a big problem. You go inside, and I'll do a quick check, make sure that there aren't any 'meddling kid' wannabes coming to investigate."

Jaden nodded and disappeared inside. Chazz sped up in the opposite direction, circling the dorm several times. Fortunately the late hour meant that no one was out and the outburst had gone unheard. With a sigh of relief, Chazz circled back and entered the Dorm silently.

The lobby of the dorm didn't look any different, but the scent had changed dramatically. The air was thick with the scent of fear. There was another scent too, one that was familiar but he couldn't identify it.

There was another shout, directing the vampire's attention upstairs. Ignoring the staircase, Chazz simply jumped, landing on the banister at the top of the stairs. The two scents grew even more pronounced as he stepped down and walked down the corridor, and Chazz had to stop himself from going into hunting mode.

"Get away from me!" came a shout from within one of the rooms. The door burst open, and Atticus darted out. However, as he glanced behind him to see if he was being pursued, he crashed straight into Chazz.

As usual, Chazz, with his superior strength, was unaffected, while Atticus was sent reeling. Taking advantage of his distraction, Chazz grabbed the other boy's wrists, pulling him closer so there was no chance of escape.

"Gotcha," Chazz murmured quietly as Atticus tried to start thinking straight again.

For Atticus, this was turning into the day from Hell. First of all, he was grabbed by an unseen attacker and dragged to the one place he never wanted to return. Then, a vampire had approached him. One that seemed familiar, but only from memories that were not truly his own. After that, just when he thought that he had escaped, he had crashed into what felt like a brick wall and grabbed once more. Finally, the one that put the icing on the cake was that when his sight had cleared, he found himself face to face with someone who had died around this time last year. And so, Atticus did what most people in that position would have done.

He screamed.

Chazz was not happy. His feeling that being on the island was a bad idea was increasing, and now, as Atticus tried his damn hardest to get free, it had turned into alarm bells in his head.

"Atticus, calm the hell down!" he hissed impatiently. "Preferably before you cause yourself an injury!"

Chazz saying something so typically, well, Chazz, helped to snap the other out of his hysteria. The only problem was that once he started paying attention, he worked out several things very quickly.

"You're a vampire!" was the first. "And you're with her!" was the second, coupled with a sweep of the arm to indicate Carmilla. "And…" he paused as he observed the vampire in front of him. "Wow, you really rock the gothic vampire look, don't you?"

Chazz grinned at the comment. Only Atticus could make a statement like that mere moments after screaming blue murder.

"And they said I couldn't get paler." he said mockingly.

"Yeah, but you're practically blue," his friend replied.

"Kinda comes with the territory." said Chazz with a shrug. "So, what'd I miss?"

"Well," started Atticus. "We got our usual intake of kids with issues, including one Aster Phoenix, a brainwashing cult tried to take over the school, I got kicked out of Obelisk Blue Dorm by said brainwashing cult, Jaden defeated said brainwashing cult, I got my room back, then Jaden disappeared about a week ago." He stopped for breath. "Oh, and Zane isn't contacting anyone so I have no clue where he is, if he's ok, or where the hell he got that leather coat from," he paused to pull a face. "and someone we all thought to be dead just turned up in front of me." He gestured at Chazz, then smiled bitterly. "And the sad thing is, this isn't the weirdest year I've spent here."

Chazz grinned.

"I meant what happened just now before I arrived."

Atticus blushed.

"Oh," he said. "Er, well, I got dragged here, then I met up with Carmilla, who, correct me if I'm wrong, I thought got dragged into the Shadow Realm."

"Yeah, but she's over that now." said Chazz with a shrug. "Where is she?"

"I'm here," said Carmilla, appearing from the room Atticus had tried to escape from. "Forgive me, but I was reluctant to break up this touching reunion."

"Where are-" Chazz was about to say Zane and Jaden, but when Carmilla shot him a look, he changed track, "-the others?"

"Downstairs." replied the female vampire. "Why don't you go and get them?"

Chazz glanced at her suspiciously, but obeyed.

"Give me a second." he said to Atticus as he passed him.

"Ah, but-!" protested the other boy, clearly reluctant to be left with Carmilla.

Chazz hurried down the stairs, using scent to find the other two. When he found the right room, he tried to push the door open but something was blocking it.

"Guys?" he asked, knocking at the door.

After a moment, Zane opened it, Jaden not far behind him.

"Why couldn't I get in? And why are you two down here anyway?"

"You smell it?" asked Zane, referring to the strong scent in the air. Chazz nodded. "So did Junior over here," he nodded at Jaden, "and he got a little overexcited. So I pulled him down here until he calmed down."

"The door-?" asked Chazz.

"He was determined to get out. In the end I had to sit against it so he couldn't." said Zane.

Jaden blushed in the corner, his feet suddenly very interesting.

"Think he can handle seeing a human now?" asked Chazz.

Zane glanced at him before nodding slowly.

"If we're careful."

The three returned to the hallway, only to find it was empty. Chazz knocked on the door to the room Atticus had originally fled from. Sure enough, Carmilla opened the door.

"There you are boys," she said with a smile, opening the door wider.

Atticus glanced up. When he saw the two younger vampires his mouth fell open in shock.

"You- you- you're-!"

"Breathe Atticus." said Chazz. "We can't answer your questions if you die from lack of oxygen."

Atticus stopped to hyperventilate until his breathing was under control.

"Zane… Jaden… You're both vampires! Did I miss the memo or something? 'If your friends disappear, don't worry, they'll just become creatures of the Undead, then come back!'" All three winced at his accusing tone.

"And you!" he said, jabbing a finger at Zane. "Do you know how many times I tried to contact you! What, you no longer have a pulse, so you can't answer a phone?!"

Chazz began to laugh, causing the others to look at him.

"I'm sorry," he said, still laughing. "But only Atticus could be in a room with four vampires and be bitching about how one didn't return his calls."

Wow, this is long. I originally skipped the whole Atticus finding out about his friends, but it didn't work so I rewrote it.

Review pretty please! I poured blood, sweat and tears into this chapter!