Taylor helped Casey untangle the silver crown from her long golden hair which was taken up and held in place by what felt like a hundred hairpins. Mom and daughter giggled as they struggled to untangle the crown.

"Maybe you should just sleep with it on." Taylor teased as she pulled another two hairpins from her daughter's hair. A knock at the door interrupted the hair pulling and Mike stuck his head around the door.

"Everybody run for your lives! It's the Queen of the Damned!" he said as he crossed his two index fingers to form a crucifix.

"I vant to suck your blood," Casey said in her best vampire accent.

"Honey, I don't think Dracula was blonde." He said. "When you two are done sorting out that birds nest, there are candles that need to be blown out. Before the house burns down, preferably." He winked at his wife and daughter before leaving the room.

Unbeknownst to the happy family, an outsider was watching from the dark, crouching down in between the hydrangeas. Her tears of anger and resentment at being forced to witness a life that could have been hers. A life that belonged to her for a short while before everything changed. Before Taylor packed her bags and sent her off with her father. She should be wearing that stupid crown, not Casey.

Soon she would have her revenge, even though it would only be for a few hours. She imagined a distressed Casey waking up on the pier, not knowing where or what had happened to her. Maybe she should ask for one of the photos and leave it where Mike would find it. That would destroy the image of his perfect little princess. She closed her hand around the loaded syringe inside her pocket. She had never injected anyone with anything before but there was always a first time for everything. She had spent the morning watching internet videos on how to administer an injection. Of course in the videos, the receiver of the injection knew that it was coming and Casey did not. She was thankful for the short length of the hypodermic needle which would make the whole business a lot quicker and easier.

Inside the room, Casey was finally free of the crown and hairpins and was now trying to smooth down her teased hair. It was no use she would have to wash it at least twice to get all of the hairspray out.

"You go and have a shower and I'll get the cake and coffee ready." Taylor patted Casey on the leg and then left the room.

Casey yawned as she pulled a long grey tee-shirt over her underwear and went to turn on the shower. She spotted the pink envelope with the unicorn on the front and carefully slid the card out. She was touched that Shalin had bought her a birthday card and smiled when she opened it and read the words written in Shalin's hard handwriting. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY.... QUEENIE", was all that was written beneath a picture of a unicorn holding a pink cake.

 She slid the card back into the envelope thinking how only Shalin could make a birthday message seem like an offense. The rushing water from the shower was loud enough to mask any noise Shalin made as she lifted herself slowly in through the window. The dark-colored car across the street had turned off its lights and sat looming in the dark, waiting silently like a deadly predator stalking its prey.

Casey reached out for the gown behind her door and felt a sharp stab in her neck. Instinctively she raised her hand to her neck and her fingers grazed over something plastic. She pulled the syringe from her neck and held it in her hand. Her vision began to swim as she tried to fathom what was happening. She leaned against the door but it was no use, her legs wobbled and gave way beneath her. She was out cold before her head even hit the ground.

Mike and Taylor carefully placed sixteen small birthday candles into the icing of Casey's cake.

"You could have baked a bigger cake you know." Mike teased his wife as he struggled to wangle the last few candles into place.

"It's not my fault you have sausage fingers." She laughed at her husband's pained expression.

" I don't have sausage fingers, I am slowly developing arthritis from having to wait for the birthday girl. Look at this!" he held up his hands, curling his fingers into crooked claws. "We will have to go and get more candles at this rate." He joked.

"What is taking her so long? Her coffee has gone cold already. Maybe I should go and check on her." Taylor said as she headed for the bathroom.

"Casey?" she called through the closed door. She could hear the water running but not a sound from her daughter.

"Casey are you alright in there?" she called out again, this time slowly opening the bathroom door.

Steam hung in a thick haze and Taylor could barely see in front of her. She felt her way to the shower curtain and yanked it back, ready to give Casey a lecture on being water-wise but the shower stall was empty. Angrily she reached in and closed the faucet. Obviously, Casey had fallen asleep and left the water running. She dried her hands on the towel and stalked off to Casey's bedroom.

She felt something crunch beneath her shoe as she stepped through the bedroom doorway. Lifting her shoe, she saw what looked like a plastic syringe lying on the floor.  An ice cold shiver ran down her spine and she felt her stomach drop as she realized something was not right.

"Mike!" Taylor screamed as she rushed deeper into the bedroom, ripping the duvet cover from the bed in search of her daughter. "Casey!" she called out frantically from the middle of the room. She ran to the open window and looked out for any sign of her daughter. The dark car's engine revved to life and spun away just as Mike came running into the room.

"Call the fucking police! Casey's been kidnapped she grabbed his shirt collar. "Someone took our daughter!" she screamed again.

Mike tore his shirt collar from his wife's hysterical grip and raced to where the phone was. His hands were shaking so violently, he had to dial twice before he got the numbers right. The operator answered on the third ring and politely enquired what the emergency was. "Someone kidnapped our daughter, stole her through the window while we weren't looking." He broke down and sobbed uncontrollably into the receiver.