stomach.
“Wow, nice place,” Lyle said as we got out. “But I don’t think I could ever live somewhere so quiet. Coming to Manhattan must have been a big change for you.”
“It took some getting used to, but I’m definitely homesick after the past couple of days.” If he thought my place was nice, I could only imagine what he would have thought of the chateau.
“Does your family know you’re coming?”
“No, I couldn’t think of what to tell them, so I’m just going to wing it,” I admitted.
“Do you want me to wait out here until everything’s cool with them?”
This wasn’t going to go well either way. Lyle might not know me well enough, but my parents could always tell when I was lying, and the truth sounded worse than any lie I could come up with.
“They’re supernatural,” I blurted out on my front steps. “Your parents?”
“No! I mean the people from France. There is a group of them. They call themselves the Archios and live in a huge chateau outside of Paris. The person from New York who was trying to get to me used to be one of them. I didn’t want to say anything before because this just keeps getting more unbelievable.”
Lyle was staring at me, stunned. “I believe you. It’s a lot to take in, but I figured you couldn’t be the only one. And I thought I had seen everything growing up in New York City.”
“It’s pretty late, so my parents are probably asleep,” I said while unlocking the front door with a spare key we kept hidden. “Wait down here, I’m going to go wake them.”
The comforting smell of home made me so happy to be back. I knew the house so well I could navigate it even with the lights off. I should have cleaned myself up first so I wouldn’t freak out my mom and dad, but it was too late now.
“Mom, Dad, are you guys awake?” I whispered and knocked on the open bedroom door. The TV was still on and they were snoring so they must have just fallen asleep.
“Dad,” I whispered louder and walked up beside the bed. “Mom!”
They were both uncovered and sprawled out on the bed in uncomfortable positions. It wasn’t snoring I had heard. I could see dark veins running up my mom’s arm to her face. I kept calling them more and more loudly to try and wake them. They were getting worse by the second as their skin started to whiten and flake off.
“Wake up, please!” I begged, choking back tears. “Not here, not them too!”
Lyle came running up to the doorway. “Dorian, what happened?”
“They’re fine, they’re just sick,” I sniffled with my head down, holding my mom’s hand. “They can fight it.”
Lyle turned the lights on and walked inside. “Oh my god, Dorian, get away from them.”
“She was trying to call me,” I said, looking at my mom’s cell phone on the bed. She had most of my number dialed, but never completed the call. “I could have done something …”
“It’s not your fault,” Lyle said after checking for a pulse. “We need to get out of here.”
“And go where? I have nowhere to run anymore, there’s no point. They’re all I have.”
“We can go back to New York.”
“Manhattan is about to be overrun by those things,” I interrupted. “They already took over a hospital and police station last night. It’s being covered up by the Archios while they take care of it.”
“We still can’t stay here in case they … you know.”
“Just go. I was already bitten so it doesn’t matter.” I showed him the bite mark on my arm.
“What the hell — how?”
“The mutants are in France, too. I couldn’t defend myself when they attacked the Archios. Noah fed me his blood, but I don’t know how long it will last.”
“He fed you his blood? What do you mean, he fed you his blood?” Lyle was rightfully shocked, but really, after what he had seen lately, that was nothing.
“Noah said their blood can heal people. Right now, it’s the only thing preventing me from turning.” I tried to sound casual,
“Wow, nice place,” Lyle said as we got out. “But I don’t think I could ever live somewhere so quiet. Coming to Manhattan must have been a big change for you.”
“It took some getting used to, but I’m definitely homesick after the past couple of days.” If he thought my place was nice, I could only imagine what he would have thought of the chateau.
“Does your family know you’re coming?”
“No, I couldn’t think of what to tell them, so I’m just going to wing it,” I admitted.
“Do you want me to wait out here until everything’s cool with them?”
This wasn’t going to go well either way. Lyle might not know me well enough, but my parents could always tell when I was lying, and the truth sounded worse than any lie I could come up with.
“They’re supernatural,” I blurted out on my front steps. “Your parents?”
“No! I mean the people from France. There is a group of them. They call themselves the Archios and live in a huge chateau outside of Paris. The person from New York who was trying to get to me used to be one of them. I didn’t want to say anything before because this just keeps getting more unbelievable.”
Lyle was staring at me, stunned. “I believe you. It’s a lot to take in, but I figured you couldn’t be the only one. And I thought I had seen everything growing up in New York City.”
“It’s pretty late, so my parents are probably asleep,” I said while unlocking the front door with a spare key we kept hidden. “Wait down here, I’m going to go wake them.”
The comforting smell of home made me so happy to be back. I knew the house so well I could navigate it even with the lights off. I should have cleaned myself up first so I wouldn’t freak out my mom and dad, but it was too late now.
“Mom, Dad, are you guys awake?” I whispered and knocked on the open bedroom door. The TV was still on and they were snoring so they must have just fallen asleep.
“Dad,” I whispered louder and walked up beside the bed. “Mom!”
They were both uncovered and sprawled out on the bed in uncomfortable positions. It wasn’t snoring I had heard. I could see dark veins running up my mom’s arm to her face. I kept calling them more and more loudly to try and wake them. They were getting worse by the second as their skin started to whiten and flake off.
“Wake up, please!” I begged, choking back tears. “Not here, not them too!”
Lyle came running up to the doorway. “Dorian, what happened?”
“They’re fine, they’re just sick,” I sniffled with my head down, holding my mom’s hand. “They can fight it.”
Lyle turned the lights on and walked inside. “Oh my god, Dorian, get away from them.”
“She was trying to call me,” I said, looking at my mom’s cell phone on the bed. She had most of my number dialed, but never completed the call. “I could have done something …”
“It’s not your fault,” Lyle said after checking for a pulse. “We need to get out of here.”
“And go where? I have nowhere to run anymore, there’s no point. They’re all I have.”
“We can go back to New York.”
“Manhattan is about to be overrun by those things,” I interrupted. “They already took over a hospital and police station last night. It’s being covered up by the Archios while they take care of it.”
“We still can’t stay here in case they … you know.”
“Just go. I was already bitten so it doesn’t matter.” I showed him the bite mark on my arm.
“What the hell — how?”
“The mutants are in France, too. I couldn’t defend myself when they attacked the Archios. Noah fed me his blood, but I don’t know how long it will last.”
“He fed you his blood? What do you mean, he fed you his blood?” Lyle was rightfully shocked, but really, after what he had seen lately, that was nothing.
“Noah said their blood can heal people. Right now, it’s the only thing preventing me from turning.” I tried to sound casual,
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