Realization dawned on him like the sun over a smooth ocean, full and bright. “Should I be? Is she real? Oh, if she’s real—”
I held my hand up, and Olympio went silent. “Vampires are real. The Donkey Lady is likely not.”
“Whoa.” He squinted at me. “How do you know?”
We were almost to the station now, and crowds of people were getting off trains, walking home. The woman’s stall that I’d seen disrupted this morning was replaced by another stall, as if it’d never been there at all. And the pyramid of single rolls of toilet paper was almost gone. “I’m in a rush right now—lunch tomorrow? I’ll explain, okay?”
He danced back and forth with frustration, but finally nodded. “Okay. Tomorrow. You promised. Don’t forget.”
“I won’t,” I said, and dove into the exodus of people coming down the stairs so I could get up to catch the next train.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
After a shower and a drive, I was hauling a car full of groceries out at my mom’s. I’d brought her favorite kind of frozen pizza because I wasn’t a good cook.
I rang on the doorbell and then tried the door and found it unlocked.
“Honey, I’m home!” I called out as I wedged myself and my groceries inside. I had to go through the living room to get to the kitchen—I began waddling along, after kicking off my shoes, only to stop at the living room. “Oh. It’s you.”
My brother sat on the couch, beside my mom. He gave a short wave. “Hey, sissy.”
“Hey,” I said, flat. I’d been so worried about giving my mom MRSA that I’d gone home and showered first. And here was my homeless brother, with whatever germs he’d picked up on the streets, breathing her air with abandon.
“I should have called to tell you Jake was here,” my mom said. “The meds make me forgetful.”
She hadn’t called because she’d known that it would be like this between us, although I’d be disappointed if she thought that knowing he was here would make me leave. A dark part of me thought there’d be plenty of time to give him a piece of my mind after my mother died.
I wanted to take that part of my mind out, stomp it to death, and then throw it through a high window.
“Well, I brought Hawaiian pizza over. If I’d known he was here, I’d have brought some pepperoni along.”
“Pineapple, ugh,” my brother said.
At least I had that to hold over him.
* * *
Hating pineapple didn’t stop my brother from pulling it off the pizza and eating most of the slices. There wasn’t much to talk about at the table. No need to ask Jake how he was doing—the answer? Bad—or what was going on with me—same as the last time I’d seen her, when I’d first found things out. No need to tell my mom that I was hot on the vampire trail on her behalf, if me pressing things didn’t get me fired first.
“So what’s up with your boyfriend, Edie?” Jake asked casually.
I blinked. “Um—”
“The guy from Christmas? Kevin?” he helpfully provided.
“Nothing. We broke up.” “Kevin” had been my shapeshifter friend Asher, pretending to be my date so he could be nosy. He’d been a little more than a friend, if I were honest about things—but after the shun went into place, I’d had to leave him behind too.
My mom reached out to pat my hand, bringing me back to the present. “That’s okay, honey. You’ll find someone who appreciates you someday.”
I patted her hand back. “Thanks.”
She gave me a wry smile. “You know I’d make an extra effort to live if I had grandkids on the way.”
“Mom!” I protested.
“What?”
“You can’t say things like that. It’s not fair.”
“Sorry, sorry, you’re right. I just always assumed I’d live that long. Now—” She didn’t finish her sentence, and she let the thoughts drift.
I glared across the table at Jake. “I’m not the only one with reproductive organs here.”
“Hey, remember that time you walked in on me and Debbie and yelled?” Jake
I held my hand up, and Olympio went silent. “Vampires are real. The Donkey Lady is likely not.”
“Whoa.” He squinted at me. “How do you know?”
We were almost to the station now, and crowds of people were getting off trains, walking home. The woman’s stall that I’d seen disrupted this morning was replaced by another stall, as if it’d never been there at all. And the pyramid of single rolls of toilet paper was almost gone. “I’m in a rush right now—lunch tomorrow? I’ll explain, okay?”
He danced back and forth with frustration, but finally nodded. “Okay. Tomorrow. You promised. Don’t forget.”
“I won’t,” I said, and dove into the exodus of people coming down the stairs so I could get up to catch the next train.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
After a shower and a drive, I was hauling a car full of groceries out at my mom’s. I’d brought her favorite kind of frozen pizza because I wasn’t a good cook.
I rang on the doorbell and then tried the door and found it unlocked.
“Honey, I’m home!” I called out as I wedged myself and my groceries inside. I had to go through the living room to get to the kitchen—I began waddling along, after kicking off my shoes, only to stop at the living room. “Oh. It’s you.”
My brother sat on the couch, beside my mom. He gave a short wave. “Hey, sissy.”
“Hey,” I said, flat. I’d been so worried about giving my mom MRSA that I’d gone home and showered first. And here was my homeless brother, with whatever germs he’d picked up on the streets, breathing her air with abandon.
“I should have called to tell you Jake was here,” my mom said. “The meds make me forgetful.”
She hadn’t called because she’d known that it would be like this between us, although I’d be disappointed if she thought that knowing he was here would make me leave. A dark part of me thought there’d be plenty of time to give him a piece of my mind after my mother died.
I wanted to take that part of my mind out, stomp it to death, and then throw it through a high window.
“Well, I brought Hawaiian pizza over. If I’d known he was here, I’d have brought some pepperoni along.”
“Pineapple, ugh,” my brother said.
At least I had that to hold over him.
* * *
Hating pineapple didn’t stop my brother from pulling it off the pizza and eating most of the slices. There wasn’t much to talk about at the table. No need to ask Jake how he was doing—the answer? Bad—or what was going on with me—same as the last time I’d seen her, when I’d first found things out. No need to tell my mom that I was hot on the vampire trail on her behalf, if me pressing things didn’t get me fired first.
“So what’s up with your boyfriend, Edie?” Jake asked casually.
I blinked. “Um—”
“The guy from Christmas? Kevin?” he helpfully provided.
“Nothing. We broke up.” “Kevin” had been my shapeshifter friend Asher, pretending to be my date so he could be nosy. He’d been a little more than a friend, if I were honest about things—but after the shun went into place, I’d had to leave him behind too.
My mom reached out to pat my hand, bringing me back to the present. “That’s okay, honey. You’ll find someone who appreciates you someday.”
I patted her hand back. “Thanks.”
She gave me a wry smile. “You know I’d make an extra effort to live if I had grandkids on the way.”
“Mom!” I protested.
“What?”
“You can’t say things like that. It’s not fair.”
“Sorry, sorry, you’re right. I just always assumed I’d live that long. Now—” She didn’t finish her sentence, and she let the thoughts drift.
I glared across the table at Jake. “I’m not the only one with reproductive organs here.”
“Hey, remember that time you walked in on me and Debbie and yelled?” Jake
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