CHAPTER ONE
CAPE FEAR

"Steffie, look." Alma started excitedly as she turned to face her older sister, the young girl poking Stefanie's arm as she tried catching her attention.

"Stop that." Stefanie snapped as she glared at her sister and pushed her hand away. "What do you want?"

"Look outside." Alma replied, Stefanie glancing outside the window to find more roadkill.

"What is that, seven, now?" Stefanie glanced at Alma, who nodded. "Cool."

Alma glanced outside the window again and continued her game, counting the animal corpses as they passed them.

"It's so beautiful." Harry started contently as he continued driving, Doris turning her head to face her husband at the words.

"How many times are you gonna say that?" Doris questioned with slightly raised eyebrows.

Harry smirked as he glanced between his wife and the road ahead. "Well, it just keeps hitting me."

"Yeah? You say it again, something else is gonna start hitting you." Doris joked, Harry chuckling at the words, while Stefanie rolled her eyes at their repartee.

"Eight."

"Dad, pull over." Stefanie spoke up, Harry furrowing his eyebrows as he glanced at the rear-view mirror, briefly meeting his oldest daughter's gaze as he continued driving.

"Why, so you can smoke? Not a chance." Harry scoffed, Stefanie loudly groaning in annoyance as she rested her head against the car seat and glanced outside the window again.

"I think it's a little creepy." Doris changed the subject, wanting to distract herself from the thought of her daughter smoking.

"Well, creepy can be nice." Harry replied, Doris smiling at him.

"Spoken like a true writer." She spoke as she played with his hair.

"Nine." Alma mumbled.

"What do you keep counting sweetheart?" Doris questioned as she slightly turned to face Alma.

Stefanie held back a laugh as she cleared her throat, the girl preparing to witness her mother's reaction.

"Roadkill." Alma replied simply.

Doris frowned as she faced the girls. "What?"

"They're all over the road." Alma responded. "I saw a raccoon and a possum—one that I think was a cat."

"Freaky, huh?" Stefanie smirked at her mother, who furrowed her eyebrows in response.

"It's weird how it's more sad when a cat gets run over, than a raccoon does." Alma added after a brief period of silence, Doris and Harry sharing disturbed glances at their youngest daughter's interest in the death of animals.

"It's called natural selection, Alma." Stefanie replied simply, the girl taking a sip of water.

"Ten."

Harry quickly stopped the car in the middle of the road, a deer with its throat ripped out lying deceased in front of them.

"What the fuck, dad?!" Stefanie exclaimed as she spilled a little bit of water on her clothes due to the sudden stop.

Doris, not even thinking to scold Stefanie about her language, sighed sadly, the woman placing her hands on her face as she glanced at Harry. "Oh no..."

Harry got out of the car, the man muttering a "stay here for a sec" as he walked out and closed the car door behind him.

"I wanna see." Alma started as she was about to get out of the car, the young girl stopping at her mother's voice.

"Nuh-uh honey."

A second later, Doris opened the door and called out to her husband. "Is it dead?"

"Very." Harry replied with furrowed brows from his position as he surveyed the deer.

"Well, don't touch it." Doris frowned. "You don't wanna get Lyme."

After a moment, Harry walked back to the car and started it again, the Gardner's continuing their journey to Provincetown.

•

"This is such a piece of shit, oh my god." Stefanie scoffed at the building in front of her as she, along with her family, got out of the car, Harry getting the bags.

"Language, Stef." Doris warned.

"What? I'm just being honest." Stefanie replied as she crossed her arms and approached the door. "I'm gonna move out soon anyway, it's not like I'm stuck with you all forever."

"You've been saying that for three years, Stef, I'll believe it when pigs fly." Harry replied with a small chuckle, Stefanie sending him a harsh glare at the words.

As if on cue, a woman opened the door and walked outside to meet the family.

"You must be the Gardner's." The woman started, Harry and Doris nodding, smiles on their faces.

The realtor's eyes shifted to Stefanie, who wore a bored expression, the woman surveying the girl, her eyes slightly widening as she took in the younger female's appearance.

The 19-year-old was wearing all black from head to toe, her hair dyed jet black, her lips coated with matte black lipstick, a small, silver nose ring around her right nostril, a cropped black, leather jacket around her short black dress that was tight around her body, black fishnets clasped around her legs, and mid-calf black combat boots securing her feet.

Stefanie raised her eyebrows at the action, the girl silently challenging the woman in front of her.

"Uh...welcome to Provincetown." The realtor spoke up as she glanced between Harry, Doris, and Alma. "Or P-Town, as we call it."

•

Stefanie placed her suitcase on the floor, the girl unzipping it and taking out a half-empty bottle of tequila she had secretly stashed inside.

She walked to the window and tried prying it open, the frames scraping loudly as it slowly lifted.

Stefanie cringed at the sound, the girl then moving a chair close to the window and sitting in it as she pulled out a packet of cigarettes and a lighter from her pocket.

She placed the cigarette in her mouth and lit the end of it, the girl taking it in her fingers as she begun smoking it.

Stefanie rested her feet against the window sill, the girl crossing her legs as she slightly leaned back in her chair.

She opened the bottle and took a swig from it, the girl putting her earbuds in and blasting her music as she continued to smoke.

The sight of Alma opening Stefanie's door a minute later caught the older girl's attention, Stefanie taking her earbuds out and raising her eyebrows at her younger sister. "What do you want?"

"I just wanna talk to you." Alma spoke timidly, Stefanie scoffing and shaking her head as she inhaled more smoke and exhaled it a moment later.

"No, absolutely not."

Alma frowned at her older sister, Stefanie blowing out a breath as she waited a moment before giving in. "Fine, but you can't sit here, you'll smell the smoke."

"That's okay." Alma grinned as she sat on Stefanie's bed, the girl a fair distance away from Stefanie. "What are you drinking? It's not water, I can smell it."

"Tequila." Stefanie replied with a smirk. "It's alcoholic, so you can't have any yet."

"Oh." Alma spoke, Stefanie inhaling cigarette smoke. "That's okay, I didn't want some in the first place. It smells gross."

Stefanie just huffed a chuckle as she blew the smoke outside the open window.

•

"I thought everyone loved the script." Alma frowned as she glanced at Harry, Stefanie standing by the stairs and watching the two with her arms crossed. "Why would they buy it if you had to do so much to fix it?"

Stefanie laughed at the words as Harry sighed.

"Alright, Alma, dear, let's go out and explore, let daddy get some writing done." Doris interrupted, the woman approaching Alma and grabbing her arm. "Stef, you too."

"Fine." Stefanie blew out a breath as she caught up to her mother, Harry whispering a 'thank you' to Doris as the trio left the house.

•

"There's Lyme disease all over this area." Doris started with a grimace as she glanced between her daughters. "Just keep covered up and you'll be okay."

"You like it here?" Alma questioned after a moment, the girl glancing between her mom and sister.

"Honestly, yeah. It's creepy, but in a cool way." Stefanie replied as she shoved her freezing hands into her warm jacket pockets.

"It's very beautiful. But you know me, I love the energy of the city." Doris began after a moment. "There's always something surprising around every corner, whether it's a crazy man you don't know, a drum circle, an old friend, it's good to get a break. Even from things you love."

"Wow, mom, how cheesy can you get?" Stefanie scoffed, Doris sending her oldest daughter a look as the three continued walking.

The sound of bones cracking caught the trio's attention, their eyes going wide as they noticed an incredibly pale man with sharp teeth standing a few meters away from them, his neck cracking violently.

"Holy shit." Stefanie breathed as Doris grabbed her daughters arms and began walking faster.

"Come on. Come on."

The trio broke into a run as the man begun to follow them, Doris letting out a scream as they ran faster.

As they did so, Stefanie turned her head occasionally to face the man, her eyes widening as he ran faster. "Shit!"

"Harry!" Doris yelled as the trio ran into their house, the woman pushing her daughters inside and locking the door immediately after she ran in. "Harry!"

"What's happening?" Harry frowned as he stood up and approached the girls quickly.

Alma gripped onto Stefanie's arm tightly, the girl fearing for her life.

Stefanie squeezed her younger sister's hand firmly at the action.

"That man, he's chasing us!" Doris exclaimed fearfully. "He's chasing us!"

"What's happening?" Harry repeated with furrowed brows, the man incredibly confused, as Doris leaned against the door and pulled Stefanie and Alma closer to her in fear.

"Some crazy whack job followed us." Stefanie replied as she glanced at her father.

The strange man banged against the door aggressively, Doris and Alma screaming in fear and gripping onto each other, pulling Stefanie closer to them.

Doris stood up and ran out of the room with Stefanie and Alma at her sides, Harry running to the other door and locking it quickly, just before the man could enter.

•

Alma screamed, Doris and Stefanie running to her room at the sound. Doris sat next to Alma on the bed and wrapped her arms around her protectively, Stefanie standing by the bed with her arms crossed.

"What happened?" Harry questioned as he walked in the room, his gaze flickering between his family.

"She said the guy that chased us was outside." Doris responded as she stroked Alma's arm comfortingly.

Harry looked out the window, only to find nothing amiss. "There's no one there."

"I saw him." Alma released a shuddered breath, the girl panicking. "There were three of them."

Harry sighed as he made his way to the bed and sat down on the edge of it. "You sure it wasn't a nightmare, sweetheart?"

"I don't think so." Alma responded quietly, her voice laced with fear.

"Honestly, I believe her." Stefanie cut in, the girl catching her family's attention.

After a moment, Doris spoke up, the woman glancing at Alma. "Alright, sweetheart, you come sleep with mommy tonight, okay? Come on, bring your teddy."

Doris got out of the bed and held her hand out, waiting for Alma to go with her.

"She can sleep with me if she wants." Stefanie added with a nonchalant shrug, Doris and Harry looking at her in surprise.

She usually never wanted to spend time with any one of them for longer than ten minutes.

"Oh, uh...sweetheart?" Doris raised her eyebrows at Alma, letting her choose.

"Um...Steffie can I stay with you?" Alma questioned, the young girl glancing up at Stefanie from her position.

"Sure, come on." Stefanie replied with a nod, the girl beginning to walk to her room, the rest of the family following.

Alma caught up to her and gripped onto her hand tightly for reassurance, her teddy bear in her other hand.

Stefanie, understanding the extent of her fear, gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"Should I call the police chief?" Harry questioned as they approached Stefanie's room.

"Because she was so helpful last time?" Doris replied sarcastically as Stefanie opened her bedroom door and walked inside with Alma, Doris making her way to her and Harry's room.

•

"Honey, where are you going?" Doris furrowed her eyebrows as she noticed Stefanie shrug on her jacket and fix her hair.

"Out." Stefanie replied simply as she made her way to the door and opened it, Doris sighing as she did so.

"Well, come back before it gets too late, okay?!" Doris called after Stefanie as she left, the girl slamming the door closed behind her in response.

Stefanie began to walk down the street, the girl taking out a cigarette and lighting it as she began smoking it.

She walked down the empty street and towards the town centre, her curiosity growing at the lack of people, even in the daylight.

"Get the fuck out of here!" A gravelly-sounding voice yelled, catching Stefanie's attention.

Stefanie jumped back in surprise as she came face to face with a woman, her appearance dishevelled, her messy hair an off-coloured pink colour, and her teeth uncleaned and yellow.

"Get the fuck out of here before it's too late!" The woman yelled, jolting closer to Stefanie, who widened her eyes and stumbled back.

"Why?" Stefanie managed to ask, the pink-haired woman widening her bloodshot eyes at the words as she pulled her thick jacket over her body tightly.

"Why? Why? They'll kill you, that's why." The woman replied quickly, her large eyes frantically darting between Stefanie's.

"Who will?" Stefanie frowned at the woman.

"They will." The woman seethed angrily, Stefanie raising her eyebrows at the words. "Those bloodsucking fuckers!"

"Okay..." Stefanie let her voice trail off. "Who are you?"

The woman looked at Stefanie curiously at the words. "What's it to you?"

"You just told me someone's gonna kill me, the least you can do is tell me your name." Stefanie scoffed, the other woman narrowing her eyes before nodding.

"Karen." The woman—Karen—responded, Stefanie raising her eyebrows at the familiar name.

She had heard some locals refer to her in the supermarket.

"Karen?" Stefanie questioned in surprise. "Don't you have TB or something?"

Karen scoffed at the words. "No, I don't have fucking tuberculosis. And I'm not contagious."

Stefanie nodded slowly before backing away slightly anyway.

Karen's gaze flickered to the cigarette in Stefanie's hand, the woman nodding her head towards it. "You got another one?"

Raising her eyebrows, Stefanie nodded, pulling out the packet of cigarettes from her pocket. "Oh, uh, yeah."

Stefanie threw the packet towards Karen, the woman catching it in her hands with raised eyebrows.

She glanced at Stefanie at the action, the younger girl nodding at her. "Keep it. I've got more."

"Thanks." Karen mumbled as she glanced away briefly, the woman taking one cigarette out of the packet and stashing the rest away in her pocket.

"Yeah, no problem." Stefanie replied with a nod, the girl taking a puff of her cigarette.

After a moment, Stefanie began to walk away. "Well, it was, uh...interesting...to meet you, Karen..."

Before Stefanie could leave, Karen grabbed her arm, her grip tight, Stefanie frowning as she glanced between Karen's face and her hand firmly holding onto her forearm.

"Get the fuck out of this place." Karen warned, her eyes wide as they darted between Stefanie's once again. "Now!"

Stefanie flinched at the exclamation as she pulled her arm out of Karen's grip, the girl furrowing her eyebrows as she stumbled away from Karen and broke into a run, her gaze on Karen as she made sure the woman wasn't following her.

Once Stefanie was a safe distance away from Karen, she widened her eyes, the girl turning around and mumbling to herself. "Fucking crazy..."

•

Stefanie had been walking around for hours, taking occasional breaks for food and water.

She completely lost track of time, as she had been out all day.

Completely disregarding her mother's demand to get home before it got dark, Stefanie continued to explore, the girl simply not caring about the consequences.

Both Harry and Doris didn't stop calling her, Stefanie turning her phone off two hours earlier in annoyance before they could bother her any longer.

Stefanie snapped out of her thoughts as she stopped in front of a large, almost fully destroyed house, debris everywhere and tiles falling off the roof.

A small smirk appeared on her face as she walked closer to it, various windows smashed open and the rusty door ajar.

Out of curiosity, Stefanie went closer, the girl beginning to walk on the flimsy wooden steps slowly, her gaze set on them, just in case one of them broke off.

As if on cue, the step she had just walked over cracked in half, Stefanie quickly jumping on another step and holding onto the wooden rail beside her as she glanced at the step she had just broken.

She let out a breathless laugh as her heart began to beat faster at the adrenaline pumping through her body. "Fuck yeah."

Stefanie then made her way to the door, the girl gently pushing it open, a loud creaking sound accompanying the action as the door slowly swung open.

An excited smile appeared on Stefanie's face as she cautiously walked inside, darkness coating the whole house, the only light source being the moonlight from the broken windows.

Stefanie found a light switch, the girl flicking it to turn it on, however nothing happened. She flicked it again, once again, nothing happening.

Stefanie took her phone out from her pocket and turned the torch button on, the space in front of her being illuminated by her cellphone light.

She began to slowly walk around, the girl examining the old house, it's creepy, dingy atmosphere growing her budding excitement.

Stefanie slowly entered one of the rooms, the girl gasping as she was met with two lifeless bodies on the floor, their throats ripped out and dried blood staining their skin.

"What...the...fuck?" Stefanie whispered to herself as she widened her eyes, the girl slowly backing away as she felt her fear begin to rise.

Although it wasn't the first time she had seen dead bodies in person, Stefanie was still shocked, to say the least. She had never seen that before.

She tried not to think about it, as she didn't let herself process what she had just seen, the girl distracting herself with thoughts of anything else.

Feeling lightheaded and trying not to freak out, Stefanie continued walking around the abandoned house, the floorboards creaking with almost every step she took.

A chill ran down Stefanie's spine as she got closer to one of the rooms, her heartbeat beginning to quicken and nausea bubbling up in the pit of her stomach.

A shuffling sound was heard, as well as something that sounded like eating—of some sort.

Furrowing her eyebrows in confusion, Stefanie gently pushed the door open, her eyes widening at the sight.

The guy that chased her yesterday was hunched over a dead body, the creature eating the contents of the dead person's throat, blood staining its mouth.

Stefanie froze in terror, her whole body almost paralysing at the sight. Her stomach swirled, the girl holding back vomit as her fight or flight response began to kick in.

The creature's head snapped around to look at Stefanie, the thing hissing as it bared its fangs at the girl, Stefanie screaming at the sight.

Finally regaining feeling in her feet, Stefanie turned around and bolted, the girl's heart racing, as the adrenaline that was pumping through her body forced her to run as fast as she could.

The sounds of hurried footsteps behind Stefanie made her run faster, her heart pounding in pure dread.

Feeling her whole body go cold as she ran, Stefanie went numb, her brain almost shutting off as her feet carried her.

"Help!" Stefanie screamed loudly as she ran out of the house and into the dark street, only a few dim, flimsy streetlights just barely illuminating the area. "Somebody fucking help me!"

Stefanie turned around as she continued running, the girl widening her eyes as the creature continued to follow her, loud growls escaping its throat as it ran faster, Stefanie releasing panicked cries as she felt uncontrollable tears slide down her cheeks.

Turning around, Stefanie bumped into someone, the girl widening her eyes as she looked at the person.

She was met with a man just a little taller than her, short brown hair coating his head, a dark blue and black striped blazer around what looked to be a silk, black and white striped pyjama shirt, and a small frown placed on his face. "Woah, woah, woah, what's going on?"

"That thing, it's- it's chasing me, please, you have to help me." Stefanie spoke between breaths, the girl pointing to the creature that was still running towards her.

"Oh, him?" The man raised his eyebrows as he glanced between Stefanie and the creature, Stefanie frowning in confusion at how calm and collected he was in this situation.

"Alright, give me a sec." He blew out a breath as he continued, the man walking closer to the creature.

Stefanie widened her eyes. "What are you doing?"

"Saving your life, lady." The man called over his shoulder as he walked closer to the creature, who had now stopped in its tracks.

Stefanie furrowed her eyebrows as the man stopped in front of the creature and said something to it, the words inaudible to Stefanie, the creature glancing between her and the man before sending Stefanie a hiss as he ran away.

The man grinned as he turned around and approached Stefanie again. "There, all better."

"How did you- what the fuck?" Stefanie frowned in bewilderment as she allowed herself to catch her breath.

"I believe a 'thank you' is necessary." The man replied as he stuck out his hand for her to shake, his tone easygoing as the friendly grin on his face never faded. "The name's Austin Sommers. Maybe you've heard of me."

A puzzled frown still placed on her face, Stefanie shook his hand, the girl responding. "Stefanie Gardner."

"Nice to meet you, Stefanie." Austin smirked.

"Likewise, I guess..." Stefanie replied as she crossed her arms, her baffled frown shifting into one of scepticism. "Thanks for saving my life."

"Ah, it was nothing." Austin huffed a chuckle as he placed his hands on his hips.

After a moment, Austin spoke up again, the man pointing to a bar on the end of the road behind Stefanie. "Hey, wanna get a drink? There's a nice bar just down the road, and I'm gonna be on stage in a few with my friend. Hey, you should watch. We're really good."

Stefanie thought about it for a second, the girl glancing in the direction he pointed in.

Her life couldn't get any worse.

She faced Austin again, the girl raising her eyebrows. "You're paying, right?"

Austin let out a laugh as he nodded. "Of course."

"Alright, sure." Stefanie shrugged, Austin grinning as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and began walking towards the bar in front of them.

Stefanie, already beginning to trust this guy, didn't push him off, a small smile appearing on her face as the two walked to the bar.

She didn't know why, but she liked him. He was intriguing to her, and she wanted to know more about him.

After a few minutes, the arrived at the entrance of The Muse, Austin pushing the door and holding it open for Stefanie to walk in first.

As Stefanie entered the bar, the girl's eyes wandered around it in awe as the dim, red lights illuminated the quaint space perfectly. "Woah...this place is nice."

"Right?" Austin grinned as he pointed at one of the tables in the corner. "That's my friend, come on."

Stefanie nodded as she followed Austin to the table, an older woman with large, styled white hair sitting down in one of the chairs, a drink in front of her.

Stefanie would be lying if she wasn't, at least a little, intimidated by her.

"Austin...who's this?" The woman started with a small smile as she glanced up at Austin.

"Belle Noir, this is Stefanie. Stefanie, this is Belle Noir." Austin introduced, the man gesturing to both women as he then glanced at Belle. "One of them was chasing her."

"Ah." Belle nodded in understanding, her attention shifting to Stefanie. "Sit down, Stefanie."

Something about this woman radiated authority and mystery, Stefanie nodding as she sat down in the chair opposite her. "You guys can call me Stef if you want."

Belle nodded slowly at the words. "Noted."

"So, what brings you to our humble little P-Town?" Austin started as he waved over a waiter.

Austin turned to face Stefanie again as he interrupted his own sentence. "Whiskey or tequila?"

"Whiskey." Stefanie answered, Austin nodding as he repeated her answer to the waiter, the man nodding as he left to make the drink for Stefanie.

As Austin turned to face Stefanie again, he raised his eyebrows, awaiting her answer.

"My parents have to work here or something, I don't know." Stefanie shrugged as the waiter approached her and placed the drink down, soon moving back to the counter. "Dad's a writer and mom's a designer. They're both shit at their jobs though, so I have no idea why they're still hired."

Austin let out a laugh at her words, the man turning to face Belle as he spoke. "I like her."

"Settle down, Austin." Belle replied simply, the woman meeting his gaze as she continued. "We're up."

A grin appeared on Austin's face as both him and Belle stood up, the man facing Stefanie again as he spoke up. "Stay here and order more drinks."

"Watch." Belle added with a smirk, Stefanie raising her eyebrows as the two friends walked on the stage and took two microphones, the pair beginning to sing 'Islands in the Stream' as the pianist played the melody.

Light cheers and faint applause chorused around the small bar as the song began, a smile appearing on Stefanie's face as she watched Austin and Belle perform.

•

"Stef, oh my god, what are you doing here?!" Harry exclaimed as he caught Stefanie's attention, the girl rolling her eyes in annoyance as her father stood next to her chair. "Your mom and I were calling you all day, you can't just ignore us whenever you want."

"When I deliberately don't answer your calls, you're supposed to take the hint." Stefanie responded sarcastically, her gaze remaining on Austin and Belle as they continued singing. "Is that it? I'm trying to enjoy the performance."

Harry frowned at his daughter. "No, that is not it, Stef, you could've been kidnapped, or even killed."

"But I wasn't." Stefanie replied simply, the girl meeting her father's angry gaze.

"But you could've been." Harry's frown deepened.

"But I wasn't." Stefanie reinforced, irritation lacing her tone.

Not realising time had passed, Stefanie and Harry were met with Austin and Belle standing in front of them, Austin clearing his throat as he caught their attention.

"Oh, you guys are finished already?" Stefanie frowned at the two, Austin and Belle nodding as they sat down across from Stefanie.

"Yup, what did you think?" Austin questioned with raised eyebrows.

"You guys were amazing." Stefanie grinned, Austin and Belle smiling at the words.

"Why, thank you, Stefanie." Belle kindly spoke, the woman's gaze shifting to Harry as she continued. "Who's this?"

"Harry Gardner." Harry replied, the man shaking Belle and Austin's hand. "I'm Stef's father."

"Oh, this is your father?" Austin raised his eyebrows at Stefanie, the girl nodding slowly at his words, her face full of frustration at her father's presence. "Neat."

"Who are you?" Harry frowned.

"We're fellow travellers, warriors of words, soldiers of syntax, pugilists of prose." Belle started as she glanced at Harry.

Stefanie raised her eyebrows at the words, Harry frowning in confusion.

"Writers." Austin clarified.

"Hey, I'm a writer." A small smirk appeared on Harry's face as he spoke. "How could you tell?"

"Who the hell else moves out here for three months?" Belle scoffed, Austin huffing a chuckle at the words.

"I'm Austin Sommers, better-than-average playwright." Austin introduced, a smile appearing on Stefanie's face at the words.

"Stop being an asshole and faking humility." Belle chuckled as she briefly glanced at Austin before shifting her attention back to the Gardner's. "Austin has three Tony's and a Peabody."

At her words, Stefanie raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Wow, really?"

Austin nodded at the girl. "Yep."

"I'm Sarah Cunningham, but...I write under the pseudonym Belle Noir." Belle spoke up with a grin.

"No shit, you're Belle Noir?" Harry chuckled, his gaze flickering to his daughter as he continued. "You're friends with Belle Noir now?"

"And me." Austin frowned.

"Yeah, I guess I am." Stefanie smirked at her father.

Austin huffed a chuckle as he glanced at Harry. "Hey, don't tell me you like romance novels."

"Not usually, but your stuff is way better than the typical dime-store crap. It is deep, and moving." Harry responded, the man's gaze on Belle as he continued. "That recent adaptation of, uh, Sister is an Only Child with Sandra Bullock? Oh my god, that was incredibly heartbreaking."

Noticing Austin and Belle's amused reactions, Stefanie glanced between them and spoke. "Ignore his deeply moving praise."

Austin laughed at her words.

"Drink with us. Your daughter is." Belle spoke after a moment, her gaze on Harry, who scoffed and shook his head.

"No, I don't think I'm worthy. I'm just a crap studio writer with a bunch of studio rewrites, and a bunch of busted pilots."

"Bullshit, you're one of us, sit!" Belle exclaimed between laughs, Austin huffing a chuckle at the words.

"No, no, I shouldn't..." Harry shook his head once again.

"Oh, come on, dad, why not?" Stefanie scoffed as she glanced at her father, who sighed, but sat down next to her anyway.

Once he did so, Belle and Austin began to explain how much they loved Provincetown and how 'inspired' they frequently get, Stefanie's awe and curiosity growing at their words.

•

Not wanting to return home that previous night, Austin offered Stefanie his spare room, Stefanie gladly taking it, despite knowing the man less than 4 hours.

Honestly, if he killed her, she wouldn't mind.

She didn't know why, but she trusted him already.

After fighting with Stefanie for an hour about the decision, Harry decided to let her stay over, the man knowing he couldn't control her either way.

And besides, Austin seemed nice.

"Hey, your dad's comin' over." Austin started as he hung up the phone, the man glancing at Stefanie, who was sitting on his couch, the girl blowing out a breath, but nodding anyway. "Whiskey for breakfast?"

"Ooo, yes please." Stefanie grinned as Austin chuckled, the man pouring her a glass and handing it to her.

As she took it, she continued, the girl referring to the black pill that Austin had told her about earlier, that essentially makes someone a vampire. "You got any food I can eat, though?"

"Nope." Austin turned to face her at the words, the man's eyebrows raising. "Unless you wanna take the pill yourself..."

"No thanks." Stefanie shook her head. "I've taken a shit ton of different pills before, but no way am I taking that."

Austin shrugged. "Suit yourself."

•

"You sure you don't want one?" Austin questioned as he finished making his drink.

"No thanks, I don't like to get drunk during the day." Harry refused as he sat on one of Austin's armchairs, Stefanie raising her eyebrows at him from her position sitting on Austin's couch.

"Stef, how much have you had today?" Harry continued as he furrowed his eyebrows at his daughter.

"Just two glasses." Stefanie shrugged as she took a sip from her half-empty third drink, Harry sending her a look, as he didn't believe her. "Not including this one..."

"The key is to be drunk so often, you can't tell the difference between being drunk or sober, you're drunk, or...more drunk." Austin smirked as he sat down next to Stefanie, his arm wrapping around her shoulders comfortably.

"I need to drive, we're headed out this afternoon." Harry replied politely, Stefanie rolling her eyes at the words.

She didn't want to leave.

"Well, Stevie over here doesn't wanna go, so..." Austin raised his eyebrows, the man using his own nickname for her, as Stefanie had told him about her love for Stevie Nicks.

"She's coming, whether she likes it or not." Harry replied, his harsh gaze on Stefanie, who flipped him off in response.

Austin stood up and walked to the counter, the man opening a small, wooden chest that contained black pills. He took out a packet and threw it towards Harry, who caught them with a frown.

"What are these?"

Stefanie glanced at Austin, who spoke up. "They don't have a name. Funny how we found a pill to help artists and writers, but...none of us had ever given it a name."

Harry nodded slowly, the man clearing his throat as he sat up. "What is it, speed? Microdosive LSD?"

"Basically, from what I've been told." Stefanie shrugged.

"I used to be like you, Harry." Austin spoke up as he slowly paced around. "I thought small, I wrote small. Little plays, about little things, that made little money, and attracted little attention. I had a friend, though. He writes for television, you know the name. Disgustingly prolific, silly rich, couldn't write a thank you note without someone handing him a trophy of some kind..."

Austin laughed as he continued, the man sitting down in a chair. "And I thought to myself, how is he doing it?! And all I knew, is that he spent his winters here, and when he returned to the city, he had a stack of new material as long as Maude Johnson."

Stefanie raised her eyebrows at the words.

Thinking back to what Austin had said about the pills, it all made sense to her now.

While the pills give you incredible inspiration, they also turn you into someone you'd never expect to be, and once you do that, you can never turn back.

That's what scared Stefanie the most about them.

Usually, she'd take them before thinking about the consequences, but once Austin had explained the whole situation to her, fear told her not to give in.

So she didn't, and she wouldn't.

Austin continued to try to explain the pills to Harry, the man leaving out the details of the vampirism, while Stefanie was lost in thought.

Snapping her out of her consuming thoughts, Harry threw the bag of pills on the table, the man standing up, grabbing Stefanie's arm, and pulling her along with him. "I don't like choices you can't come back from. Stef, we're leaving."

"No, I don't want to leave." Stefanie frowned at her father as she pushed his hand off her, Harry shrugging his jacket on as he glared at her.

"We're leaving, and you're coming."

"Are you a real writer?" Austin spoke up, catching their attention.

Harry turned to face Austin as he replied harshly. "I like to think so."

"I don't think you are. 'Cause if you were..." Austin stood up and approached the two, the man standing in front of them as he continued. "You wouldn't care what the price was. You'd rather die than keep all of those wonderful words bottled up inside of you."

"Take the pill, Harry." Austin smirked as he placed the pill packet in Harry's jacket pocket. "Or at least try it."

Shaking his head, Harry grabbed Stefanie's arm and walked down the stairs.

"You won't be sorry!" Austin called after them. "Bye Stevie!"

•

"You took the pill didn't you?" Stefanie spoke up, the girl catching Harry's attention as she crossed her arms, Harry turning to face her at the words.

"Uh, n-"

Stefanie laughed, the girl cutting him off as she began to walk up to her room. "Have fun, dad."

•

AUTHOR'S NOTE.

hey!

sorry this took so long to upload, this chapter took forever to write and edit.

as I said in the introduction, the book will be updated slowly, so please bare with me, the chapters will be posted eventually.

on another note, I hope you like stefanie! (even though she's kind of an asshole for not telling her dad about the pills🧍‍♀️)

I kinda went with the stereotypical 'emo nineteen-year-old that hates her family and loves creepy shit' thing, so I hope it adds something new to the story and vibe of s10.

stefanie's kinda like violet from s1, but a little different. she's more reckless, impulsive, and 'intense', in a way, and she's more rebellious.

I also don't want to make her a carbon copy of violet, so I'm trying to limit the similarities, if that makes sense...

also!

there will be no love interest for stefanie in this story, so I apologise if you wanted her to be with one of the characters.

as much as I love austin with all my heart, I personally don't see stefanie having him, or any other character, as her love interest.

anyway, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter!