“You know I didn’t want to leave you.” She tilted her head, tears filling her eyes. “I love you all so much, and I did want to spend the rest of my life with you. But I have let my family down too much. I had to save her.”
“But at what cost, Mae?”
“I know.” She wiped at her eyes and looked away from me, smoothing out nonexistent wrinkles on the bedspread. “I know what I’ve done. I know what she is.” She swallowed hard and looked at me, meeting my eyes. “I won’t leave her. I can’t.”
“Nobody’s asking you to,” I said finally.
“Thank you.” She nodded and picked up Ezra’s clothes to put them in the hamper. “How has Ezra been?”
“He’s been doing better.” I sat down on the bed, relieved to be talking about something lighter. “He’s helping me with school now.”
“Oh? I didn’t realize you were going to school.” Mae sounded surprised but happy.
“I’m not. At least not yet, but Ezra doesn’t want me getting stupid. Or stupider, anyway.” I shrugged. “I think I might go to high school next year. It’s gotta be easier than what Ezra’s having me do.”
“Well, good. I’m glad to see you applying yourself.” She smiled at me and sat down on the bed next to me. “I do worry about you, love. You and Milo and Jack. I care about you all a great deal.”
“I know. Nobody’s ever doubted that,” I said.
“I’m happy to hear it.” She reached forward, brushing a strand of hair back from my forehead.
“Can I ask you something?”
“You can ask me anything.” Mae dropped her hands to her lap and sat up straighter.
“Before you turned Daisy, you had a big argument with Ezra.” I looked down at my jeans and picked absently at them. “You said something.” I squirmed, thinking of how I wanted to phrase it. “You implied that… I don’t know. That Ezra might… treat me special, or something.”
“Oh, that.” She sighed and looked straight ahead. “Ezra does treat you special, both you and Milo actually. But so do I. So does everybody. Peter should’ve killed you, and I’m glad that he didn’t, but… other vampires would’ve. Or maybe they wouldn’t. I don’t know with you.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“There’s something… different about you.” Mae furrowed her brow. “I’ve never known what it was, but I’ve always felt it. The boys had a harder time recognizing it because they already had a connection with you. Your blood bond makes it’s harder for them to see that it’s different, even though it should be obvious.”
“I don’t understand,” I shook my head.
“Vampires in general seem drawn to you.” She looked over at me. “And you’re stronger. You adapted faster to being a vampire than anyone should.”
“Milo adapted faster than I did,” I said.
“Which only proves my point. There’s something very different about you both.” Mae eyed me, almost as if she was looking at me for the first time.
“I didn’t adapt that fast,” I shook my head. “And I had to fight to keep my bloodlust in check.”
“Not as much as us. Ezra’s told you the stories of when he first turned, of how other vampires had to be chained to keep from killing each other?” Mae asked, and I nodded. “We’re all like that in the beginning. You know how Daisy… gets out of hand?”
“Yeah?” I nodded, surprised she was bringing it up.
“The only difference between Daisy and any other new vampire is that she gets hungry more often. That’s what a new vampire is supposed to be like,” Mae said. “And that’s not what you were like or Milo. But Jack…” She shook her head. “Ezra had to hold him down once to keep him from killing the mailman.”
“Seriously?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Seriously. You’ve adapted to this much better than anyone I’ve seen before.”
“But why? Why are we different?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” Mae admitted wearily. “And in a fit of anger, I threw it Ezra’s face. I wanted to get him to side with me, but I understand now that he can’t and he never will. But I don’t hold it against you. You’re special, love.” She smiled and put her hand to my cheek. “That’s something good, not something to fear.”
“Thank you. I think.”
“How is Daisy doing?” Mae dropped her hand and stood up.
“Uh, good. I guess. She’s lying down, with Peter.”
“Good. She needed a nap after that flight.” Mae went over to her luggage and flipped it open. “And I need a shower. That flight from Australia is unbearable.”
“Oh, right.” I stood up. “I’ll let you… get to it.”
“Sorry.” She smiled sheepishly at me. “I should just shower while Daisy is calm and asleep.”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” I nodded.
“It was nice visiting with you, though,” Mae said as she pulled out clean clothes.
“Yeah,” I nodded again and backed towards the door. “Do you guys know when you’re leaving?”
“Not yet, but soon. Probably in a day or two.” She looked sadly at me. “But you’ll always be welcome, anywhere we end up.”
“Thanks.” I smiled and slid out of her room.
I missed Mae, but I didn’t like having her here. It made everything feel tense and precarious, like at any minute it could all fall apart.
15
I started up the steps to my own room, thinking about how a shower would feel good myself, but I stopped when I heard something strange coming from the bedroom. Not strange strange, just completely unexpected. It sounded like Peter and Jack were being nice to each other.
“I’m just saying Apocalypse Now isn’t the best war movie,” Peter said.
“You can’t say All Quiet on the Western Front! That movie is so boring!” Jack groaned.
“Just because something is in black and white doesn’t make it boring,” Peter said.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. I don’t own it so you can’t borrow it. Apocalypse Now is the best war movie I own.”
“But at what cost, Mae?”
“I know.” She wiped at her eyes and looked away from me, smoothing out nonexistent wrinkles on the bedspread. “I know what I’ve done. I know what she is.” She swallowed hard and looked at me, meeting my eyes. “I won’t leave her. I can’t.”
“Nobody’s asking you to,” I said finally.
“Thank you.” She nodded and picked up Ezra’s clothes to put them in the hamper. “How has Ezra been?”
“He’s been doing better.” I sat down on the bed, relieved to be talking about something lighter. “He’s helping me with school now.”
“Oh? I didn’t realize you were going to school.” Mae sounded surprised but happy.
“I’m not. At least not yet, but Ezra doesn’t want me getting stupid. Or stupider, anyway.” I shrugged. “I think I might go to high school next year. It’s gotta be easier than what Ezra’s having me do.”
“Well, good. I’m glad to see you applying yourself.” She smiled at me and sat down on the bed next to me. “I do worry about you, love. You and Milo and Jack. I care about you all a great deal.”
“I know. Nobody’s ever doubted that,” I said.
“I’m happy to hear it.” She reached forward, brushing a strand of hair back from my forehead.
“Can I ask you something?”
“You can ask me anything.” Mae dropped her hands to her lap and sat up straighter.
“Before you turned Daisy, you had a big argument with Ezra.” I looked down at my jeans and picked absently at them. “You said something.” I squirmed, thinking of how I wanted to phrase it. “You implied that… I don’t know. That Ezra might… treat me special, or something.”
“Oh, that.” She sighed and looked straight ahead. “Ezra does treat you special, both you and Milo actually. But so do I. So does everybody. Peter should’ve killed you, and I’m glad that he didn’t, but… other vampires would’ve. Or maybe they wouldn’t. I don’t know with you.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“There’s something… different about you.” Mae furrowed her brow. “I’ve never known what it was, but I’ve always felt it. The boys had a harder time recognizing it because they already had a connection with you. Your blood bond makes it’s harder for them to see that it’s different, even though it should be obvious.”
“I don’t understand,” I shook my head.
“Vampires in general seem drawn to you.” She looked over at me. “And you’re stronger. You adapted faster to being a vampire than anyone should.”
“Milo adapted faster than I did,” I said.
“Which only proves my point. There’s something very different about you both.” Mae eyed me, almost as if she was looking at me for the first time.
“I didn’t adapt that fast,” I shook my head. “And I had to fight to keep my bloodlust in check.”
“Not as much as us. Ezra’s told you the stories of when he first turned, of how other vampires had to be chained to keep from killing each other?” Mae asked, and I nodded. “We’re all like that in the beginning. You know how Daisy… gets out of hand?”
“Yeah?” I nodded, surprised she was bringing it up.
“The only difference between Daisy and any other new vampire is that she gets hungry more often. That’s what a new vampire is supposed to be like,” Mae said. “And that’s not what you were like or Milo. But Jack…” She shook her head. “Ezra had to hold him down once to keep him from killing the mailman.”
“Seriously?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Seriously. You’ve adapted to this much better than anyone I’ve seen before.”
“But why? Why are we different?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” Mae admitted wearily. “And in a fit of anger, I threw it Ezra’s face. I wanted to get him to side with me, but I understand now that he can’t and he never will. But I don’t hold it against you. You’re special, love.” She smiled and put her hand to my cheek. “That’s something good, not something to fear.”
“Thank you. I think.”
“How is Daisy doing?” Mae dropped her hand and stood up.
“Uh, good. I guess. She’s lying down, with Peter.”
“Good. She needed a nap after that flight.” Mae went over to her luggage and flipped it open. “And I need a shower. That flight from Australia is unbearable.”
“Oh, right.” I stood up. “I’ll let you… get to it.”
“Sorry.” She smiled sheepishly at me. “I should just shower while Daisy is calm and asleep.”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” I nodded.
“It was nice visiting with you, though,” Mae said as she pulled out clean clothes.
“Yeah,” I nodded again and backed towards the door. “Do you guys know when you’re leaving?”
“Not yet, but soon. Probably in a day or two.” She looked sadly at me. “But you’ll always be welcome, anywhere we end up.”
“Thanks.” I smiled and slid out of her room.
I missed Mae, but I didn’t like having her here. It made everything feel tense and precarious, like at any minute it could all fall apart.
15
I started up the steps to my own room, thinking about how a shower would feel good myself, but I stopped when I heard something strange coming from the bedroom. Not strange strange, just completely unexpected. It sounded like Peter and Jack were being nice to each other.
“I’m just saying Apocalypse Now isn’t the best war movie,” Peter said.
“You can’t say All Quiet on the Western Front! That movie is so boring!” Jack groaned.
“Just because something is in black and white doesn’t make it boring,” Peter said.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. I don’t own it so you can’t borrow it. Apocalypse Now is the best war movie I own.”
