I checked in, walked over to the bar and handed my car keys to the bartender, told him to point me at the motel when the bar closed and then I proceed...d to get blind, stupid drunk.I woke up the next day around noon fully dressed and lying on a motel bed with no idea of how I got there. I had a pounding headache and there was a strange noise I couldn't quite make out. I got up and as I undressed I realized that the strange noise was the ring tone of my cell phone. I drug it out of my pants. The chains on my ankles were then connected to my wrists and I struggled as the length was restrictive.It pulled me backwards to allow me some comfort. The tube was removed and a plug stopped me breathing through my mouth and I struggled for air as the breathe holes in the mask weren’t very big.”Relax slave” I heard him say, And I will see you tomorrow for the start of your training.”I hung by my neck and ached as I heard the door slam and lock. I started to panic. He would hear me and come. On foot.Surprisingly, that part was uneventful enough, perhaps due to the speed with which I moved as a vampire. I was able to take the rest of them with me at my pace, partly because they held onto me, partly because of what I suspected to be divine help from the Muses. That was an edge that no other vampire or human or anyone else had ... occasional assistance from the Muses. It wasn’t constant, just sporadic, but I could feel their hand involved at times.“Yes, but don’t tell a soul, okay?”. The kitchen was full too. Mrs. Mendoza was standing like a general on a battlefield, surveying her troops. The operation was Christmas cookies, and it apparently required many hands for the effort."Scotty," Mrs. Mendoza said, and held her arms open. He got a kiss on the cheek and a squeeze from the woman who had been like a second mother to him after Mrs. Delgado. "I'm happy you'll be here for Christmas Eve dinner with us." I wouldn't miss your cooking for anything Mrs. M.," he said.Janie was.