house.”
Nana met and held Rebecca’s eyes for a moment, then went to the stove and put the crispy strips of bacon on a plate with paper toweling before bringing it to the table. Then she brought the plate of toast over as well. “Would you like some jam for your toast?”
“Just buttered is fine,” Rebecca replied without thinking. She refused to think about how both weird and awesome this was. She glanced at Syd as she picked up her fork. “I feel really weird, eating in front of you.”
“Would you like me to leave?” Syd asked.
Rebecca shook her head and reached for her orange juice. “No, it’s just...it seems rude. Hey...what are you doing?” Nana hesitated as she lifted her plate of untouched food from the table.
“You and Syd have a lot to talk about, and there isn’t much time. I’d only be in the way. I thought I’d go and eat in the den. I’ve missed so much...I wanted to see the news. Besides, you have lessons to learn, and Syd is already sacrificing his well-being by staying up later than he should.” Rebecca wanted to protest. She wanted to say something about how much she’d missed something as normal as a regular breakfast with her grandmother, but Nana looked so happy at the idea of doing something as normal as catching up on the news. Rebecca didn’t have the heart to say anything against her nana’s wishes.
“Thanks, Nana.”
Nana smiled and continued on her way out of the kitchen with her breakfast.
Syd watched the older woman leave the room and waited until she was gone before he turned back to the table.
“My name is ‘Sydney’, Acolyte. Not ‘Blondie’. Sydney Alexander Cardoza, to be exact. Names have tremendous power. Do try to remember that.” Rebecca felt chastised, but couldn’t help wanting to ask a question. She swallowed her bite of toast, but before she could speak, Syd answered it.
“I’ve known your grandmother for forty years,” he replied. “She is a very old and very dear friend.”
How was it that he was wearing dark sunglasses that hid his eyes, but she could still feel them? Almost see them? His gaze seemed to bore into her, and she remembered what Nana had said about not looking a Master vampire in the eye.
Rebecca nodded and went back to her eggs. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a real breakfast. Usually it was just a glass of juice and a piece of toast on the way out the door. She’d taken to bringing change to school to grab a Coke out of the vending machine before the first bell and chugging as much of it as she could before homeroom.
Thinking about school made Rebecca wonder what story Robin had told her parents about what had earned her detention. They’d believe some lame excuse about talking on her phone too long in the morning or being in the bathroom fixing her makeup and not hearing the bell because she was listening to music, but Rebecca knew the truth.
Robin was strange like that. She was pretty, popular, and gave everyone the impression she was a self-absorbed, superficial ditz, but really she was super-smart, got straight A’s, and had a heart of gold. What’s more, you could trust her to be there when you needed help, and Rebecca was grateful she had at least one person to talk to about what it was really like living with Nana.
Robin was a great friend. Why she still hung around with Rebecca when everyone else had moved on from grade-school friendships was beyond her.
What happened to her brother Pete was a long time ago, and it seemed like Robin was never going to forget how Rebecca had stood up for her against a group of older boys teasing her about Pete’s death.
Of course, that presented a problem. She wanted to tell Robin all about Syd, and Nana being normal again, and Ryan, and...and...well everything . But...
“But of course, you cannot, and who would believe you anyway, if you did?” Syd said, echoing Rebecca’s thoughts. “Few humans can perceive our world, even when and where it spills
Nana met and held Rebecca’s eyes for a moment, then went to the stove and put the crispy strips of bacon on a plate with paper toweling before bringing it to the table. Then she brought the plate of toast over as well. “Would you like some jam for your toast?”
“Just buttered is fine,” Rebecca replied without thinking. She refused to think about how both weird and awesome this was. She glanced at Syd as she picked up her fork. “I feel really weird, eating in front of you.”
“Would you like me to leave?” Syd asked.
Rebecca shook her head and reached for her orange juice. “No, it’s just...it seems rude. Hey...what are you doing?” Nana hesitated as she lifted her plate of untouched food from the table.
“You and Syd have a lot to talk about, and there isn’t much time. I’d only be in the way. I thought I’d go and eat in the den. I’ve missed so much...I wanted to see the news. Besides, you have lessons to learn, and Syd is already sacrificing his well-being by staying up later than he should.” Rebecca wanted to protest. She wanted to say something about how much she’d missed something as normal as a regular breakfast with her grandmother, but Nana looked so happy at the idea of doing something as normal as catching up on the news. Rebecca didn’t have the heart to say anything against her nana’s wishes.
“Thanks, Nana.”
Nana smiled and continued on her way out of the kitchen with her breakfast.
Syd watched the older woman leave the room and waited until she was gone before he turned back to the table.
“My name is ‘Sydney’, Acolyte. Not ‘Blondie’. Sydney Alexander Cardoza, to be exact. Names have tremendous power. Do try to remember that.” Rebecca felt chastised, but couldn’t help wanting to ask a question. She swallowed her bite of toast, but before she could speak, Syd answered it.
“I’ve known your grandmother for forty years,” he replied. “She is a very old and very dear friend.”
How was it that he was wearing dark sunglasses that hid his eyes, but she could still feel them? Almost see them? His gaze seemed to bore into her, and she remembered what Nana had said about not looking a Master vampire in the eye.
Rebecca nodded and went back to her eggs. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a real breakfast. Usually it was just a glass of juice and a piece of toast on the way out the door. She’d taken to bringing change to school to grab a Coke out of the vending machine before the first bell and chugging as much of it as she could before homeroom.
Thinking about school made Rebecca wonder what story Robin had told her parents about what had earned her detention. They’d believe some lame excuse about talking on her phone too long in the morning or being in the bathroom fixing her makeup and not hearing the bell because she was listening to music, but Rebecca knew the truth.
Robin was strange like that. She was pretty, popular, and gave everyone the impression she was a self-absorbed, superficial ditz, but really she was super-smart, got straight A’s, and had a heart of gold. What’s more, you could trust her to be there when you needed help, and Rebecca was grateful she had at least one person to talk to about what it was really like living with Nana.
Robin was a great friend. Why she still hung around with Rebecca when everyone else had moved on from grade-school friendships was beyond her.
What happened to her brother Pete was a long time ago, and it seemed like Robin was never going to forget how Rebecca had stood up for her against a group of older boys teasing her about Pete’s death.
Of course, that presented a problem. She wanted to tell Robin all about Syd, and Nana being normal again, and Ryan, and...and...well everything . But...
“But of course, you cannot, and who would believe you anyway, if you did?” Syd said, echoing Rebecca’s thoughts. “Few humans can perceive our world, even when and where it spills
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