I am left, shaking uncontrollably, as I continue to stare at the empty space where Damon had stood but moment ago. Zeke tightens his hold on me protectively, his strong arms wrapping me in a blanket of safety. For the first time all day, I feel truly safe. Tearing my eyes away from the emptiness, I look down at my sleeping dad.

  I've never seen him so peaceful. Whenever he passes out drunk he is always groaning and fighting with someone in his sleep, maybe himself, but now he lies there looking like he is finally resting. The sight of him tugs at my heart. I know I should hate him, but I can't. He is the only real family I have left.

  Glancing back at Zeke I see him watching me intently. I know this whole thing has him just as scared and confused as I am, but he has always been the strong one. Even though he is freaking out inside, he is going to be the one who tries to take care of me. I struggle to find the words, any words, but nothing comes to mind.

  Zeke looks into my eyes and I see that he is having the same battle with himself, and when he comes to the conclusion that there is nothing to say he gives a small smile. So much is in that small little smile that it makes me finally begin to relax. He is silently telling me that he is here for me, that I am safe, that I am not alone, and that he will be here for me until the very end.

  Letting go of dad for just a moment, I turn and wrap my arms around my best friend. Letting myself sigh deeply, I reflect, this has been one of the longest days of my life. When we let go of each other, neither of us say a word, we don't have to. We can see it in each other's eyes that this night needs to end now.

  Standing from the damp grass, I have to lean on Zeke for a brief moment to steady my legs. I don't know how long we have been sitting here, but it's long enough that my legs have fallen asleep beneath me. He watches me closely as he keeps an arm around me to make sure I have balance, worry written all over his face. I give a small nod, yes I am all right. As soon as I have feeling again, and I no longer feel like I may collapse in on myself, I take a step out of his reach. He continues to watch me for a moment, to insure I real am all right. When I don't waver, he turns his attention to my dad. I am thankful that I don't even need to ask for his help, honestly I don't know if I could form words right now if I even wanted to.

  Dad is not a small guy, and we have to struggle to lift him to his feet. Once we each have one of his arms around our shoulders, we are able to finally start moving forward, but each step is a struggle. For the briefest of moments, I wish Damon was here to help, but all it does is make my stomach clench. I can't think of him right now, there is far too much to figure out.

  As we get dad inside the house, my muscles are screaming at me to just give up on him. Just a little farther, I keep telling myself, as we inch our way into his bedroom. With a groan, I use all my remaining strength to push dad off of me and onto his bed. He has fallen so that his upper body is on the mattress, but his lower half is hanging significantly off. Zeke moves to try and adjust him but I give a wave of my hand, signaling don't worry about it. I just don't have enough energy to care. When he wakes up, he will think that is just how he passed out.

  Putting his arm around me, Zeke leads the way into the living room. I momentarily think about trying to get upstairs to my bedroom, but my aching body insists that I give up on even the thought. Zeke collapses on the far side of the couch and pats the seat next to him. Never in my life has the couch looked so inviting.

  Letting myself fall in beside him, I don't even try to suppress the moan of pleasure that comes from how comfortable I feel. I let myself lay out with my head on his lap and my legs curled close to me. His arm drapes over me, making me once again feel safe and secure. This day has been so crazy, I doubt I will even be able to get any sleep. I just have so much to think about. Yet as soon as I close my eyes, I fall into a deep slumber.

------------------------Damon POV----------------------

  "What are you?" Nereza's words echo in my mind.

  She looked so afraid of me, and how could I blame her? What is wrong with me? I was doing so well at ignoring her. If only that sorry excuse of a father wouldn't have gone after her, then I would have been able to walk away. When I saw him raise his hand to her, I just lost it. I know her friend was going to try and help her, but he wouldn't have stood a chance. I reacted without thinking; I was just so overwhelmed with anger. Then when I had him in my hands, everything in me wanted to kill him. To rip his throat out and watch him bleed.

  I know Nereza would be better off without him, but even in my haze I knew she would never have forgiven me. It took everything in me to let him go, but I wasn't in control. She saw me.

  "What are you?" I hear her small voice asking me over and over again.

  What was I to say? Her friend looked at me like I was a monster, which I know that's exactly what I am. What they must think of me. Wait, why do I care? It's not like either of them mean anything to me. I try to push the thought of the two of them out of my mind, but it's no use. The image haunts me.

  "What are you?"

-----------------------Nereza POV --------------------

  "Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey!" Zeke's sing-song voice brings me out of my dreamless sleep.

   My eyes flutter open and I am momentarily confused, what is Zeke doing here? As my eyes adjust, my surroundings start to come into focus. Coffee table? Empty cans of beer? Am I in the living room? My body jolts up and I look around in a panic. Zeke is standing in the doorway to the kitchen smiling at me brightly.

  "Good morning sunshine, the earth says hello!" and with that he waves a spatula at me. "Come on, I made breakfast."

  Suddenly everything comes back to me, the craziness of the night before replaying in my mind. I wonder how Zeke got up without waking me. Oh no, Dad isn't up yet is he? Sparing a glance to his bedroom I am relieved the door is still closed. Besides, I highly doubt Zeke would have made breakfast if dad was up. I can't imagine Dad will be very pleasant when he finally does crawl out of bed.

  Pushing the thought out of my head, I slowly lift myself to my feet. My legs still sting from all the running around I did yesterday and they shake under my sudden weight, man I feel out of shape! Carefully, I make my way into the kitchen and am grateful when I am able to rest on a stool at the counter. Without hesitation, Zeke appears next to me with a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast for the both of us.

  My mouth waters as the scent of bacon teases me, I didn't realize how hungry I was until now. As soon as my plate is set on the counter top, I waste no time digging in. I hear Zeke laugh at me, but at this moment I don't care. I know Zeke has settled in beside me with his own plate, but I pay him no mind. Once half my food is already in my belly I am able to slow down and start to actually enjoy the food.

  I look up to Zeke and see him staring at me. As our eyes meet he puts a bright smile on, but I know it's one only for my benefit. I call upon any acting skills I have and return the smile with a fake, bright one my own. He got up early and cooked for me, the least I can do is seem happy.

  "How are you?"

  My cheery persona falters as I actually consider the question. I don't know how I am. Having this situation on my mind again, my appetite is suddenly lost. Pushing the little food I have left away, I lean on the counter and groan. I don't bother trying to hide my feelings, it's just too much work right now.

  "I'm confused." I confess and Zeke nods his head in agreement.

  "Me too" his voice is quiet and he glances around as if to make sure no one is listening in on us. "You saw it too, right? Something was wrong with him. He looked like a," his voice trails away, but we both know what he looked like, neither of us wanting to be the one to say it.

  He looked like a beast, a monster. But monsters aren't real, are they? I let my head drop to the counter making a loud thump, and I groan again in defeat.

   "I don't know Zeke, I don't want to talk about it."

   "Reza, you can't just ignore all your problems!" his scolds sternly now, this is definitely something he wants to discuss. "I mean come on! He chucked your dad around like he was nothing! I mean, sure I would do that if I could, but the point is no human being can!"

  My head pops up at his words, no human being.

  "So what are you implying?" my voice sounds harsh and it actually makes me feel horrible. Why is this upsetting me so much?

  "You know what, you're right!" Now it is my turn to be surprised. "Let's not deal with this right now. It's Sunday, so let's do something fun before we have to go back to school." As he speaks I slowly begin to feel the tension release. Yes, anything to distract me. "Oh, why don't we give Elena and-"

  "No!" I shout before I even have a chance to think.

  Elena made me feel so weird before, and I do not want to have to deal with that now either. Besides, Elena and Damon moved here together. So if Damon's a... no, not even going to go there.

  Zeke gives me a weird look but quickly moves on. "Fine then let's give Leo a call. He wanted to hang out this weekend anyways. We can play a game!"

  He jumps out of the chair and practically dances around the kitchen as he digs his phone from his pocket. No one would be able to resist laughing at him, so I let myself go, and it feels amazing. The smile that spreads across my face is real, and already I know it's going to be a much better day. Even the idea of hanging around Leo sounds kind of nice.

  "What kind of game?" I ask. His excitement is contagious so as I stand from my chair I have a slight bounce in my step.

  "Ummm, how about 'What Am I'?" he asks, looking like a little kid as he types a message on his phone for Leo. The suggestion brings another laugh out of me.

  "Zeke, that is a little kid game."

   "So? Are you too cool to play?" he sticks his tongue out at me teasingly.

  "Oh, me? I am way too cool, but I can lower myself just this once for you." I respond sarcastically as I poke him in the side. When his phone buzzes to life Zeke is fast to see Leo's response.

  "Yes, he is in!" He actually jumps in the air excitedly.

  I exaggerate my eye roll at him making him stick his tongue out again.

  "Don't even lie, you are excited." I don't need to respond because it's clear from the look on both our faces, we really just need a day of fun

  I walk into the living room and glance at my dad's door, and for a brief moment I am filled with dread.

  "I think we should go over to your house. I don't want to wake up my dad." I glance back to Zeke and he simply nods in agreement. I look around the room and sigh aloud, it seems like I am always cleaning up Dad's mess.

  "Well, Leo won't be here for a half hour, so why don't we clean this place up before we leave? Definitely don't want your dad to come over and ruin our fun time." After he says this he cringes, knowing he hit a sore spot, but I am over it. I refuse to let Dad bring me down today, so I shrug off the normal feeling of embarrassment and shame.

  "You know you don't have to help, it's not bad, I can just meet you back at your place."

   "Reza," He puts his hands on his hips in annoyance, "how many times are you going to try and shoo me away? You know I'm always going to be here to help you."

   I really am lucky to have him, he always makes me feel better no matter the situation. With the two of us working, we are able to clean the place in no time and thankfully Dad stays asleep. We actually have perfect timing. Just as we are walking out of my house, I catch sight of Leo just down the street.

  "Leo!" Zeke yells and waves as big as he can to him.

   "Hey Zeke!" Leo calls back and starts jogging over to us. We meet perfectly right in front of Zeke's house. "Hey Reza." his voice soft as he speaks my name, making me feel suddenly shy.

  "Hey." I smile up at him, trying to look as confident as I can.

  Leo's hair looks golden with the light from the sun reflecting off of it. His dark brown eyes shine with happiness, not like the other night in the forest. Our eyes lock and we share a smile, until Zeke interrupts us.

  "Come on guys! I want to play. Plus mom is making spaghetti tonight for dinner and you guys are both staying, right?" He wraps his arms around the both of us and leads us into his home.

  His mom is a sweet woman who always makes you feel loved. She is short, but that never gets in her way. Her thin body gives a very feminine touch to her. Her face is kind and gentle, filled with lines from smiling and laughing rather than from worry. Her blue eyes, much like her son's, sparkle when she is happy, and her brown hair, now streaked with grey, is always styled in an old-fashioned flip that gives away her age. When she sees us come through the door she smiles excitedly.

  "Hey there Rugrats!"

  "Hey mom. This is Leo." Zeke waves to Leo in introduction.

  "Well hey there! Is there anything I can get you?"

  "No thanks Mrs. Williams." Leo smiles kindly at her, but I can see that she is a little overwhelming to him.

  When you come from a home that isn't exactly perfect, Zeke's family can be a bit much to take in. They are the type of family everyone strives to have. Loving, loyal, and most of all there. When none of these can describe your family, it takes some getting used to be suddenly surrounded by it.

  "It's going to be a few hours before super, do you want anything to snack on?"

  "We are all good, but I can't wait for your spaghetti. It's to die for." I say the last part to Leo rather than her.

  "We are okay, mom, just going to go hang out in the living room." Zeke gives her a little wave as he ushers us in front of him.

   "So, who is first?" Zeke asks as he jumps around full of energy.

   "What are we playing?" Leo looks at the two of us as though we are a bunch of crazy people, which I suppose we are.

  "It's a silly game we used to play. Pretty much like charades only you don't have to pick a piece of paper. You act out whatever you want to then we guess. We just keep going around till we get bored." I quickly explain feeling a little silly about practically being an adult and still playing childish games.

  "Hmm, sounds like it could be fun." Leo says as he lowers himself onto the couch.

  "Could be? Do you think we would invite you over for could be?" Zeke teases as he sits cross legged on the floor in front of Leo.

  "Why don't you start, Zeke, since you are so excited." I glance around the room trying to figure out where I will be most comfortable to sit. Deciding there is plenty of room on the couch I crawl in on the far side away from Leo and curl myself into a tight ball.

  "Hmmm, okay." Zeke makes a big show of rubbing his chin as if he is trying to think.

  "Are you doing it yet?" Leo asks, and I burst out laughing.

  "No." Zeke playfully glares. "Okay, what am I?" he asks as his eyes light up with excitement at coming up with an idea.

  He then puts his hands in front of his chest as if they may be paws. A bunny maybe? Bringing one hand up he pretends to lick it then cleans his ear, making me blurt out laughing.

  "That's easy, you're a kitty cat!" I yell out.

  "Well I have to start out easy don't I?" he teases, but I know the pout that takes over his face is because I guessed it so fast.

  "Your turn, Leo." I turn to face him more and watch as he tries to come up with something.

  "Okay, what am I?" he stands up quickly putting both hands on his hip and standing in a very heroic pose.

  When neither of us says anything he changes it up by holding his arms straight out above his head and wiggling his body back and forth, making it look like he may be flying.

   "Superman!" Zeke and I say together and we all three laugh.

"Well at least it took you longer than two seconds, I think I came up with a pretty good one!" Leo puffs up his chest, looking all proud, making me laugh even harder. Realizing it's my turn, I bite my lip as I search my brain for something fun to act out.

  "Oh! I got one!" I jump up and put my hands up in front of me as if I am holding a gun.

  "Secret agent!" Leo calls out.

   I think about giving it to him but decide it's not close enough. I continue to move around pretending to be stealthy and checking behind chairs for 'bad guys'.

  "Charlie's Angels." Zeke says with determination. He knows he is right, but I test him one step further.

  "But which one?" I stop acting and put my hands on my hips, challenging him.

   "Easy peasy, you're Alex Munday." He crosses his arms triumphantly. "It's her favorite angel." he says to Leo who only laughs in response.

   We continue to go around like this for a long time. Not caring that we are acting weird or that we probably look silly. We sit together, laughing and joking, it feels so nice to smile and just let loose. My troubles from the past day almost completely forgotten, except for the nagging image I have of Damon's face before he ran off. Part of me wishes I would have reached out to him, to comfort him, but most of me is still just so confused about what all happened.

  Still, now is not the time that I want to be thinking about this. Now I am trying to have a break, and Zeke did an amazing job at finding me a distraction. It was all going so well till finally it was on Leo again.

  "Oh, I found out a little fact about you Zeke, if I'm right you should get this right away."

   He puts his hands out in front of him like claws and twists his face so that his teeth are showing. Almost like if he were able to make noise he would be hissing, or growling at someone.

  As I see him my heart starts to beat faster and I can feel the blood drain from my face. Glancing at Zeke I see that he is looking at me rather than Leo. It all happens so fast but I know we are thinking the same thing. Leo's impersonation looks incredibly close to the face Damon had when he was threatening my dad. Not taking my eyes off Zeke I will myself to speak.

  "He is a vampire."