by Cheree Alsop
“City of vampires,” Adrielle said from his right side. “Sounds scary.”
“Why does it have to be scary?” Everett asked, keeping his voice level so as not to start an argument.
Vanguard poked his head from Adrielle’s other side. “Vampires are normally blood-sucking, super powerful monsters. You know that, right? You’re an exception, I think.”
“No, he’s not.”
Everett looked at Adrielle.
“What do you mean?” Vanguard asked.
“He drinks blood,” she said lightly. “And you saw him defeat that wendigo. He’s powerful, too.”
“I don’t know about that,” Vanguard replied.
Everett felt a touch of elation at the jealousy he heard in the warlock’s voice.
“He bit the wendigo and it died. It’s in his genes, or his spit, or whatever. Dr. Transton said he was made to kill it. It’s nothing special if he has poisonous saliva,” the warlock concluded with a huff.
Everett ducked his head to hide a smile. He led them past the tunnel entrance and through the streets. If there were that many wendigo at the wall, he didn’t dare think about what others could be hiding below. He would rather face them with an army of vampires at his back.
The burn of the rising sunlight on his skin said he was pushing it. He walked faster, missing his dark bedroom in the basement of the Masterson house.
Chapter Twenty-one
Everett stopped Adrielle and Vanguard near the porch.
“They’re not exactly used to monsters,” he warned them. He gave Adrielle a half-smile. “I told them you’re a werewolf.”
“Why?” she asked. There was a hint of worry in her voice. “They liked me before. What if they’re afraid of me now, or call the DRAK, or...”
Everett set a hand on her arm. “Elle, it’s fine. Trust me. Mom and Dad are excited to talk to you. Mom’s studies with the moon and my dad’s with DNA splicing make them very open to someone with your, uh, abilities.”
“What about me?” Vanguard asked. His arms were crossed and he stood by the stairs with a guarded expression.
“Don’t make things disappear and you’ll fit right in,” Everett answered.
Vanguard plucked a flower from Mrs. Masterson’s flowerbed. He waved a hand over it and it disappeared.
“You don’t think that’s charming?” he asked.
“It is charming,” Adrielle replied, giving him a warm smile.
Everett rolled his eyes. “My mom likes her flowers.”
Vanguard waved his hand again and it reappeared. “Then I’ll give it to her.”
Everett sighed and led the way up the steps. He set a hand on the door and it burst open.
“Everett!” his mom exclaimed. She wrapped him in a tight hug. “I was so worried! With those creatures and who knows what else out there, you could have been in so much danger!” She looked past him and her eyes widened. “You brought friends!”
Everett stepped back. “Mom, this is Vanguard and you know Adrielle.”
He could tell his mom was bursting with questions for the werewolf. He made it easy on her. “She knows you know she’s a werewolf,” he said. “You can ask away.”
The welcoming smile on his mother’s face seemed to chase away any of Adrielle’s concerns. “So you want to know about the moonlight’s effect on werewolves?” she asked.
“Oh, yes,” Mrs. Masterson said. She gave Everett another look over to ensure that he was safe, and waved her arm toward the kitchen. “Come inside, children. Have some breakfast. We can talk after you’ve eaten.”
“I already like it here,” Vanguard said, following her inside.
Everett walked behind them to the hallway and paused. The door to the guest room was open a crack. He saw Torrance sleeping on the floor. His mother and sister slept on the bed. They could have been killed by the wendigo. A whole family would have been wiped out by the dark creatures.
Everett leaned his forehead against the wall. He didn’t know how to tell his parents where he was going. They wouldn’t meet the news that their son was going outside the walls lightly, but the thought of their terror the night before spurred him on. He took a steeling breath and made his way to the kitchen.
The sight of his mom and dad sitting at the table with little Isabella and Hadley made his chest tight. Celeste was helping Hadley cut up his toast while Donavan was busy working on a puzzle from their father’s newspaper. Finch and Gabe were probably still sleeping; they would snooze until noon if Mrs. Masterson let them. Annie and Bran must be already up and in their favorite spots in the sunroom. They were usually the first risers, and they liked to see the sunrise together.
Mr. Masterson watched Adrielle and Vanguard as if they were exciting new specimens for him to study. Vanguard met his gaze and Everett’s father dropped his attention back to the newspaper in his hands.
“We’ll let them sleep a bit longer,” Mrs. Masterson was saying. “I put plates aside so they’ll have something to eat when they wake up. Poor souls; they were so afraid.”
“We all were,” Mr. Masterson replied.
“For a good reason,” Vanguard said. “Those wendigo aren’t to be trifled with.” He looked up and saw Everett standing in the doorway. “Unless you’re a vampire, apparently.”
Everyone followed the warlock’s gaze to Everett.
“Evy!” Isabella shouted. She jumped down from her chair and ran over to him. He scooped her up and she hugged him tightly.
The thought of leaving her filled him with sadness. “Mom, Dad, I’ve got somewhere I need to be.”
“If it’s that Monster Asylum, we understand,” Mr. Masterson said. “I’d like to see it, too. From what Adrielle and Vanguard just told us, it sounds very interesting.”
His mom nodded. “We’re glad you have somewhere you can fit in.”
“That’s not it,” Everett replied. He hesitated, then said, “I need to go away, past the walls. I need to find more vampires to fight the wendigo. There are more of them trying to get into the city, and if they succeed, everyone in Nectaris will be in trouble.”
Silence settled across the table.
Donavan was the first to break it. “You can’t go out there alone.”
“How do you know there’re more vampires?” Celeste asked, her eyes tight with worry.
Mrs. Masterson shook her head. “There’s no way my baby is leaving the city. It’s ridiculous. Bradly, tell him,” she implored her husband.
Everett’s dad watched him closely. He could see how much his words bothered his father.
“There’s more of them out there?” he asked quietly.
Everett nodded. “A lot more. Dr. Transton from the Asylum has been monitoring their progress. They’re breaking through the wall. The DRAK are trying to stop them, but nothing humans can do seems to hurt them.”
Mrs. Masterson gasped.
Everett felt like he needed his father’s permission to go. He had never gone against his parents, and his mother had already refused to give in. “It’s important, Dad. Everyone in Nectaris depends on me bringing back more vampires. There’s a community of them. All I have to do is talk to them. I’m sure they’ll help.” He held his father’s gaze. “Please, Dad. I’m the only one who can do it.”
“And we’ll be going with him,” Adrielle piped in.
“Yeah,” Vanguard said. “We’ll be super protective and stuff.”
His father let out a slow breath. “Are you sure you’ll be safe?” he asked Everett quietly.
Everett nodded. “I will. I promise.”
“Oh, Everett,” his mom said, stifling a sob.
Mr. Masterson sighed. “Alright. You can go. But only if I go with you.”
“Dad,” Everett protested. “There’s no way. Dr. Transton said no human should go beyond the walls. It’s not safe.” He shook his head. “I can’t protect you out there. If the wendigo come after us, I don’t know what will happen. I can’t keep myself safe if I’m worried about you.”<
br />
He could see how much his words tore at his father. He wanted to take them back, but it was the truth. He wouldn’t go with his father beyond the walls. The point was to protect the city, but his true motive was to keep his family safe.
His father had always been able to read him with ease. Mr. Masterson’s eyebrows drew together. “Are you sure you can do this?”
Everett nodded. “I’ve got to.”
His dad let out a small breath. “Then I can’t hold you back.”
“No!” Everett’s mother protested, but her voice shook. She knew the decision had been made.
Everett gave her a hug. “I’ll be careful, Mom. I promise.”
Her voice was muffled with emotion when she replied, “I don’t want to lose my little boy. Promise you’ll come home.”
“I will,” Everett told her.
He stepped back and gave his father a grateful smile. “Thank you for believing in me.”
“You just return to us,” Mr. Masterson said, giving him a hug.
Everett felt Isabella clamp her arms around his legs. He picked her up and met Adrielle’s gaze. “We’ll leave at sundown. If you want to get some sleep, I know Mom has places for you.”
Mrs. Masterson gave a damp smile. “Certainly,” she said. “We’ll make sure you’re comfortable while you’re here. Just let me know if there’s anything you need.”
“And maybe we could talk about DNA?” Mr. Masterson asked, his voice hopeful.
Adrielle gave a warm smile. “I’d be happy to leave some samples if you’d like.”
Everett’s father looked as though he had just been given a priceless gift.
“I’m going to get some sleep,” Everett told them. He set Isabella on her chair. “I’ll see you before I leave,” he told her.
“Pinky promise?” she asked. She held out her little pinky.
He grinned and linked her pinky with his. “Pinky promise.”
Her smile lit up her whole face. “Night, Evy.”
“Goodnight, Izzy,” he replied.
“Everett, wait,” Celeste called. His sister rose and rushed to the refrigerator. She grabbed something and hurried to his side.
Everett didn’t realize how hungry he was until he smelled the blood in the cup. His stomach growled in anticipation of the revitalizing liquid.
“Thank you, Celeste,” he told her. “What would I ever do without you?”
“I was going to say the same thing,” she replied. She gave him a hug before heading back to the table.
“There’s more hugging here than I’ve seen in my entire life,” Vanguard said quietly from his place at the table.
“Shhh.” Adrielle elbowed him in the side.
Vanguard turned to Donavan. “Want to see a magic trick?” he asked.
Everett sighed and ducked out the door. When he was out of sight of the others, he drank the blood, sucking it through his hollow fangs. The sensation of the cold liquid entering his veins sent tingles through his body. He could feel it flowing through his insides. It felt as though the blood was heated from the inside. It warmed his heart and flowed outward until even his hands and feet grew hot for a moment, then cooled.
He never got used to the sensation. The one time he had tried to describe it to his mother, he gave up because there was nothing to compare it to. He enjoyed it, but knew that it was one of the many things that set him apart from ever being human. The thought that perhaps his vampire heritage would give him a chance to save those he cared about made it at least a bit easier to be different.
He set the cup on the bathroom sink on his way to the basement stairs. He glanced down the other hall and paused at the sight of Annie and Bran in the sunroom. Even though it was early, both of them were watching something on the video screen. Thanks to Everett, every member of the Masterson family had strange sleeping schedules.
Both siblings saw him at the same time. Bran made his huffing sound and Annie waved hello.
Everett smiled and stepped into the room. He sat down on the easy chair facing them. “What are you watching?”
“Ba,” Annie said.
Everett chuckled. “I know you don’t like the movies Bran picks. I thought it was your day to choose.”
Annie smiled her sweet smile. Everett smiled back. “You’re always a push over, you know? You shouldn’t let Bran get his way every time. It’ll go to his head.”
Bran huffed a laugh.
Annie waved.
Everett looked back, expecting to see one of his family members in the doorway. Nobody was there.
“Who are you waving at?” he asked.
Annie simply smiled, her gaze somewhere over his shoulder. Bran gave another laugh. Everett realized his older brother was looking in the same direction. Everett rose and went to the door, sure one of the twins was playing a joke on him. There was nobody in the hall.
“Whoever it was must have left,” he said. “If Finch comes back, tell him he got me.” A yawn caught him by surprise. He covered his mouth. “Guess I should get to bed.” He hesitated. “I’ll, uh, be gone for a little while.”
“Wh?” Annie asked.
Everett knew he shouldn’t tell them everything. It would only cause them to worry. “I, uh...” He went with the truth. “I’m going on a little trip with Adrielle. You remember her, right?”
Annie smiled and Bran nodded.
“So don’t worry. I’ll be back soon, okay?” He crossed to them and gave each sibling a hug. “Take care of Celeste and Mom for me, okay?”
Bran nodded. Everett reached the door. “Goodnight,” he said.
He walked to the basement stairs with the feeling that he was missing something. He made his way down and paused near his bed. Dr. Transton’s words about viruses ran over and over in his mind. With a start, he realized he had been set up.
“He knew I would take offense at the thought of monsters being the virus,” he said aloud.
“Of course he did.”
Everett jumped up in shock. “Who said that?”
“Who do you think?”
A form appeared in front of him.
Everett stared at the ghost from the Monster Asylum.
He remembered her name. “Lisette, right?”
“Everett, right?” she replied, her tone teasing.
“Lisette, why are you here?”
“I overheard your discussion with Dr. Transton.”
“You overheard?” Everett repeated.
The ghost actually looked embarrassed. She lowered her head and studied the carpet beneath her transparent feet. “I eavesdropped. It’s sort of a bad habit of mine.”
“An eavesdropping ghost,” Everett said. He looked up at the starlit ceiling. “What next?”
“A trek to the vampires, apparently,” she answered even though he hadn’t addressed the question to her. “Are you crazy? Do you have a death wish? Why on earth would you go talk to vampires?”
“You know I’m a vampire, right?” he asked.
She shook her head. “You’re a human with vampire teeth. I’ve seen vampires. You’re not like them.”
Her words sent a chill down Everett’s spine. He sat on the bed. “I gave my word. I can’t go back on it. I won’t. My family depends on me bringing them back to save the city.”
Lisette looked truly worried. “What if they come back with you, but they don’t do it to save the city?”
Everett watched her closely. She was almost completely visible. Somehow, that made her appear even more lost. “What do you know?”
She shook her head and fell silent.
Everett sighed and studied the floor. His gaze rested on the orange stain near the mirror where Hadley had dropped a cup of orange juice while pretending to sip his own vitamin drink.
“I have to try.” He hated how small his words sounded. The thought of going beyond the walls he had lived behind his entire life was intimidating. He didn’t know what he was doing. He only hoped that if he faked it long enough, things would start
to work out. The voice in the back of his head said it was a terrible plan.
“I believe that if anyone can do it, you can,” she replied.
Everett looked up with a smile. He wanted to tell her how much her words meant to him, but she had wandered, or floated, away to study a picture on the far wall. It was a picture of him and Quint, his best friend before he found out he was a vampire. The boys stood side by side with an arm on each other’s shoulders. There was a smudge of dirt on Everett’s face and Quint had leaves in his red hair. The boys looked as though they had been up to mischief.
Nobody was supposed to see that picture. Even his parents rarely went into his room. It was his sanctuary, his quiet place where he could hide away from the world. Seeing her study his belongings made him feel bare and open as though she was revealing all of his secrets.
“I don’t usually have people down here,” he said quietly.
“Good thing neither of us are people then,” she replied without looking at him.
Everett didn’t know how to say what he needed to. “Uh, Lisette, I...”
“I know,” she said. She didn’t look at him, but he could hear the melancholy in her words. “This is your room. I can respect that. Goodnight, Everett.”
She faded, then disappeared up the stairs before he could say anything else.
Everett watched the door, wondering about her life and why she had chosen to come with them. He knew he had been rude to send her out of his room, but he couldn’t take it back. There were things about himself that he didn’t want anyone to know, not even a ghost. He closed his eyes, but the image of the two carefree boys in the picture lingered in his mind and haunted his dreams.
Chapter Twenty-two
The entire family was waiting for Everett when he went upstairs at sundown.
“Be very careful,” his mother said. She blinked back tears and she held out a small backpack. “In case you get hungry.”
“Thank you,” Adrielle replied with a warm smile.
“I got it,” Vanguard said, taking it from her. “As the leader of the group, I should definitely carry this.”
Everett gave his mother a hug and waved at the rest of his family. “I’ll be back, I promise.”
