She had most definitely not mentioned what he had a tattoo of.
A skeletal bird’s talon grasping a human heart. I can even make out the drips of blood coming off of the talons. Five drips. That meant five unauthorized turnings.
“A Black Talon!” I yelp and take off running towards them, leaving my bag behind at Mom’s feet. I can hear George following after me. I dodge around suitcases and travelers, leaping over a giant duffle bag and nearly taking out a couple of tourists. But when I get there, Astrid and the guy are gone. All that’s left is her book bag. Sitting on top of it is her notebook, opened to the page I had written down my contact information. That part of the page had been torn out and scribbled across what was left were the words “Welcome to Paris, Mina” and, strangely enough, a smiley face. With fangs.
Why It Still Sucks to Be Me (Even Though I’m in Paris)
I actually make a new friend and she gets kidnapped (hopefully nothing worse) by a Black Talon.
Who apparently knew exactly who we (especially me) were. And not just who we were, but what plane we were going to be on.
Which apparently also means that there’s a leak or a traitor or whatever you want to call it somewhere within the Council(s), either in the U.S. or here in France. Or maybe within the VRA.
Not to mention, Dr. Musty’s “chateau” in Montmartre (the 18th arrondissement, which is kind of like a district or, I guess, a neighborhood) is less than palatial. Not as bad as our house in Cartville was, but with only four rooms total and six people, privacy is obviously going to be hard to come by.
Not to mention it’s a fifth floor walkup. Or, actually, that’s like a sixth floor walkup since they count floors differently here. Okay, yeah, I’ve got, like, vampire stamina and all that, but still. That’s a lot of stairs.
THE END (or, rather, THE BEGINNING)
A Note from the Author: This short story is the beginning of the continuation of the Sucks to Be Me series. The character Astrid is based on the real-life Astrid Villareal, who won a contest and a chance to appear in a story with Mina. Whether you are a new reader or an old fan, I hope you enjoyed it. You can find out more about the first two books (which have been released in paperback, ebook and audio formats, as well as in foreign language editions) and continuing plans for it at my website, www.kimberlypauley.com
Sucks to Be Moi (Prelude) Page 2
