Chapter 3
Five years later, Danny bit a classmate.
The teacher called me while I was hauling the third case of water at the grocery store.
"Ms. Langston, please come to the school right away," the teacher said.
My hand slipped, and the whole case crashed down on my foot.
"Did he burn the curtains again?" I asked.
"No," the teacher lowered her voice, "he bit Eden's arm and left two puncture wounds."
I closed my eyes.
"Did it bleed?" I asked.
"Yes," the teacher replied.
"Did he drink it?" I asked.
There was dead silence on the other end.
I grabbed my bag and dashed out, with the boss shouting after me, "Elizabeth, are you still coming in for the night shift?"
I turned back. "Take it out of my pay."
"You already used up your whole paycheck last month!" the boss yelled.
"Then I'll just owe you," I shot back.
When I got to the school, Danny was sitting in the corner of the office, hugging his backpack to his chest.
He was wearing a yellow raincoat with the two dinosaur horns on his hood, all crooked.
Eden Gardner was bawling his eyes out, and his mom, Amy Gardner, was slamming her hand on the desk.
"Is this kid a dog or something? Eden needs a rabies shot," Amy shouted.
Danny lifted his head. "I'm not a dog."
Amy's anger flared. "So now you dare to talk back, huh?"
The teacher spotted me and looked like she'd found a lifeline.
"Ms. Langston, I'm so glad you're here. Danny said Eden mocked him for not having a dad, and that's why he..."
"He said my mom was lying," Danny muttered. "He said there were no vampires, but I told him there were.
"He said I was making things up. So I showed him my fangs, and then he tried to force my mouth open."
I crouched down in front of him. "So you bit him?"
He looked down, scuffing his shoe against the floor.
"I didn't bite him that hard," Danny mumbled.
Amy exploded. "Not that hard? Then how did you leave two puncture marks? What, were you trying to bite his arm off?"
I stood up and gave her a slight bow.
"I'll pay for all the medical expenses. Make a list of the check-up fees, nutrition costs, and lost wages. I'll cover it," I said.
Amy snorted. "Can you afford that? You're a single mom, always riding around on your scooter delivering takeout."
I kept quiet.
The teacher pulled me aside.
"Ms. Langston, Danny hasn't been himself lately. He keeps saying someone calls out to him at night," she said.
My fingers clenched.
"What did he tell you?" I asked.
"Danny says someone keeps calling him home in his dreams," the teacher replied.
I turned to look at Danny.
He was looking right back at me.
Those eyes were a warm brown in the sunlight, but at night, they'd shift to a stormy gray-blue.
He looked like his father.
I walked him out of the school.
At the school gate, Danny held onto my hand.
"Mom, did I cause you trouble?" he asked.
"Yes," I replied.
He pouted.
I added, "But Eden shouldn't have been messing with your mouth."
Danny's eyes lit up a little. "So I can bite him?"
"No," I said.
"Then maybe I'll hiss at him next time," Danny said.
"Still no," I replied.
He hung his head, looking defeated.
When we got to the bus stop, he suddenly paused.
"Mom," Danny said.
"Yeah?" I answered.
"That guy keeps staring at us," Danny said.
I followed his gaze.
Across the street, a black car was parked.
The window was rolled halfway down.
Inside, a man was sitting, his face lost in shadow.
My first instinct was to scoop Danny up and run.
But before I could take a step, the car door swung open.
It wasn't Darian who stepped out.
It was Isabelle.
Five years had passed, but she was still in that red dress, beautiful and sharp as a freshly honed blade.
She looked at Danny, her eyes glinting with a hungry greed.
"So it's true," she said.
I moved in front of Danny, blocking him protectively.
"You must have mistaken me for someone else," I replied.
Isabelle laughed. "Elizabeth, even if you've turned into ashes, I'd still smell that bargain-bin blood of yours."
Danny peeked out from behind me. "Mom, she's so rude."
Isabelle's smile froze for a second.
She fixated on Danny's teeth.
"You can stand in the sunlight, and your bloodline is so pure. The elders will be thrilled with you," she said.
My back was drenched in cold sweat.
"What are you trying to do?" I asked.
"I'm taking him back," she said. "As for you, that depends on whether Darian is willing to let you stay."
I pushed Danny behind me.
"Run! Go to the security," I shouted.
"Mom..." Danny cried.
"Run!" I yelled.
Danny spun around and bolted.
Isabelle's shadow stretched long across the ground.
I pulled a silver knife from my bag and pointed it straight at her.
"Take one more step, and I'll cut my own throat," I warned her.
She stopped.
"Like I care if you die," Isabelle scoffed.
"You don't care about me," I shot back. "But you care about my blood. Without it, none of you would know how he made it this far."
Isabelle narrowed her eyes. "You've gotten smarter since five years ago."
I couldn't force a smile because Danny's scream rang out behind me.
"Mom!" Danny cried out.
I turned around.
Two men were standing by the black car.
They grabbed Danny.
Danny tried to bite them, but one of the men jabbed him with a syringe.
His body went limp.
My mind went blank.
Isabelle stepped up to me and seized my chin.
"Relax. Darian's been going crazy trying to find you. I'm giving him a little preview," she said.
The drug in the syringe hit Danny's veins like a spark to gasoline.