ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Heartfelt thanks to the book's fairy godmothers - Brenda Bowen, Helen Perelman, and Elizabeth
Rudnick, who gave me a shi and let me fly! "hank you to #olin Hosten, Elizabeth #lark, and
everyone at Hyerion for believing in this book! "hanks to Richard $bate, %ate &ee, 'osie
(reedman, and 'ames )regorio and %aren %enyon at *#+ for their fantastic suort!
Hugs and kisses to the amazing ,&#s and 'ohnstons- +om - thank you for being at every
reading and for always being there for me. $ina, /teve, 0ico, and #hito - we are family, and we
can boogie, too 1esecially 0icholas23. ,ad ' and +om ' - thank you for all your suort and for
buying all those books. 'ohn, $n4i, $le5, "im, Rob, 'enn, 6al, and the one on the way we are
family and we can mosh it, too2 "hanks to all the e5tended family, esecially the "orres, the
)aisanos, the 7ngs, the *zumis, and the de la #ruzes!
+any thanks to the &$ and 08 suort grous- "ristan $shby, 'ennie %im, %im ,e+arco,
)abriel /andoval, "om ,olby, "yler Rollins, 'ason &undy, $ndy )offe, 'eff &evin, Peter
Edmonston, +ark Hidgen, #aroline /uh, ,oug +eehan, "had /heely, )abby /heely, +indy
9ilson, 'i )ilbreth, #atherine Hong, 8umi %obayashi, Peter /luszka, Ruth Basloe, $ndrey
/livka, $lice #armona, +ichael #asey, %aren Robinovitz, %ate Roche, 'ohn (o5, #arol (o5,
%arlo Pastrovic, )abriel de )uzman, Edgar Paazian, +ichelle &enzi, +att Paco, (itz
+angubat, "aylor Hsiao, $risa #hen, %atie ,avis, "ina Hay, ,iva )ittel, &iz #raft, $dam (ierro,
$nna ,avid, +ary#lare 9illiams, $le5andra 'acobs, 0icole #annon, *an %ornbluth, Brent Bryan,
0ora )ordon, +atthias %ohlemainen, 'uliet )ray, %aren Page, $ndrew ,ornenburg, /ara
/handler, Emily "homas, 'ennifer :atorski, $bby +c$den, $llison ,ickens, 'ared Paul /tern,
&isa +arsh, $ndrew /tone, Ben 9iddicombe, 0orah &awlor, and %atie +urhy!
"hanks also to our little Peaod, who we will miss forever!
"his book is dedicated to my dad, Bert de la #ruz, true blue in every sense of the word, who has
heroes' blood in his veins!
"his book would not e5ist without the love, suort, insight, and intelligence of my husband,
+ike 'ohnston, to whom * owe everything!
"he family was not simly the sum of the connections created by a large, e5tended set of
relations!!! a family!!! was a name, a material and symbolic atrimony, and a form of
stakeholding in $merica!!! ;describing a total lineage, ast, resent and future!;
- Eric Homberger, +rs! $stor's 0ew 8ork
8ou can't ush it underground
8ou can't sto it screaming out
How did it come to this<
8ou will suck the life out of me!!!
- +use, ;"ime *s Running 7ut;
7ne hundred and two eole arrived on the +ayflower in 0ovember of =>?@, but less than half
lived to see the establishment of the Plymouth #olony the ne5t year! 9hile no one had died
during the +ayflower's voyage, life after arrival was e5tremely difficult, esecially for the young!
$lmost all of the lost were hardly si5teen years of age!
"he staggering mortality rate was artly due to a harsh winter, as well as the fact that, while the
men were out in the air, building homes and drinking fresh water, women and children were
confined to the dam, crowded recesses of the shi, where disease could sread much more
Auickly! $fter the two-month voyage, they remained on the shi for an additional four months
while the men built storehouses and living Auarters on land! 8oung Puritans routinely cared for
the sick, increasing their e5osure to a vast array of illnesses, including a fatal affliction of the
blood that historical documents called ;consumtion!;
+yles /tandish was elected governor of the colony in =>?? for thirty consecutive one-year
terms! He and his wife Rose had fourteen children, a remarkable seven sets of twins! *n an
e5traordinary turn of events, within a few years, the colony had doubled in size, with multile
births reorted in all the surviving families!
- (rom ,eath and &ife in the Plymouth #olonies, =>?@B#=>C= by Professor &awrence 9inslow
6an $len
#atherine #arver's ,iary
?=st of 0ovember, =>?@
"he +ayflower
*t has been a difficult winter! "he sea does not agree with 'ohn, and we are always cold!
Perhas we will find eace in this new land, although many believe we have not left danger
behind! 7utside my window, the coastline resembles /outhamton, and for that * am grateful! *
will always long for home, but our kind are no longer safe there! * myself do not believe the
rumors, but we must do as instructed! *t has always been our way! 'ohn and * are traveling as
husband and wife now! 9e are lanning on marrying soon! "here are far too few of us, and
more are needed if we are to survive! Perhas things will change! Perhas good fortune will
shine on us, and our situation will ameliorate! "he shi has anchored! 9e have landed! $ new
world awaits!
- #!#!
0E9 87R% #*"8
"he Present
#H$P"ER =
"he Bank was a decreit stone building at the tail end of Houston /treet, on the last divide
between the gritty East 6illage and the wilds of the &ower East /ide! 7nce the headAuarters of
the venerable 6an $len investment and brokerage house, it was an imosing, sAuat resence, a
aradigm of the beau5-arts style, with a classic si5-column fa<ade and an intimidating row of <
dentals< - razor-shar serrations on the ediment's surface! (or many years it stood on the
corner of Houston and Esse5, desolate, emty, and abandoned, until one winter evening when
an eye-atch - wearing nightclub romoter chanced uon it after olishing off a hot dog at %atz's
,eli! He was looking for a venue to showcase the new music his ,'s were sinning - a dark,
haunted sound they were calling ;"rance!;
"he ulsing music silled out to the sidewalk, where /chuyler 6an $len, a small, dark-haired
fifteen-year-old girl, whose bright blue eyes were ringed with dark kohl eye shadow, stood
nervously at the back of the line in front of the club! /he icked at her chiing black nail olish!
;,o you really think we'll get in<; she asked!
;0o sweat,; her best friend, 7liver Hazard-Perry relied, cocking an eyebrow ;,ylan guaranteed
a cakewalk! Besides, we can always oint to the laAue over there! 8our family built this lace,
remember<; He grinned!
;/o what else is new<; /chuyler smirked, rolling her eyes! "he island of +anhattan was linked
ine5orably to her family history, and as far as she could tell, she was related to the (rick
+useum, the 6an 9yck E5ressway, and the Hayden Planetarium, give or take an institution 1or
ma4or thoroughfare3 or two! 0ot that it made any difference in her life! /he barely had enough to
cover the twenty-five dollar charge at the door!
7liver affectionately swung an arm around her shoulders! ;/to worrying2 8ou worry too much!
"his'll be fun, * romise!;
;* wish ,ylan had waited for us,; /chuyler fretted, shivering in her long black cardigan with holes
in each elbow! /he'd found the sweater in a +anhattan 6alley thrift store last week! *t smelled
like decay and stale rosewater erfume, and her skinny frame was lost in its voluminous folds!
/chuyler always looked like she was drowning in fabric! "he black sweater reached almost to
her calves, and underneath she wore a sheer black "-shirt over a worn gray thermal undershirt.
and under that, a long easant skirt that swet the floor! &ike a nineteenth century street urchin,
her skirt hems were black with dirt from dragging on the sidewalks! /he was wearing her
favorite air of black-and-white 'ack Purcell sneakers, the ones with the duct-taed hole on the
right toe! Her dark wavy hair was ulled back with a beaded scarf she'd found in her
grandmother's closet!
/chuyler was startlingly retty, with a sweet, heart-shaed face. a erfectly uturned nose. and
soft, milky skin - but there was something almost insubstantial about her beauty! /he looked like
a ,resden doll in witch's clothing! %ids at the ,uchesne /chool thought she dressed like a bag
lady! *t didn't hel that she was ainfully shy and ket to herself, because then they 4ust thought
she was stuck-u, which she wasn't! /he was 4ust Auiet!
7liver was tall and slim, with a fair, elfin face that was framed by a shag of brilliant chestnut hair!
He had shar cheekbones and symathetic hazel eyes! He was wearing a severe military
greatcoat over a flannel shirt and a air of holey blue 4eans! 7f course, the flannel shirt was
'ohn 6arvatos and the 4eans from #itizens of Humanity! 7liver liked to lay the art of
disaffected youth, but he liked shoing in /oHo even more!
"he two of them had been best friends ever since the second grade, when /chuyler's nanny
forgot to ack her lunch one day, and 7liver had given her half of his lettuce and mayo
sandwich! "hey finished each other's sentences and liked to read aloud from random ages of
*nfinite 'est when they were bored! Both were ,uchesne legacy kids who traced their ancestry
back to the +ayflower! /chuyler counted si5 D!/! residents in her family tree alone! But even
with their restigious edigrees, they didn't fit in at ,uchesne! 7liver referred museums to
lacrosse, and /chuyler never cut her hair and wore things from consignment shos!
,ylan 9ard was a new friend - a sad-faced boy with long lashes, smoldering eyes, and a
tarnished reutation! /uosedly, he had a ra sheet and had 4ust been srung from military
school! His grandfather had reortedly bribed ,uchesne with funds for a new gym to let him
enroll! He had immediately gravitated toward /chuyler and 7liver, recognizing their similar misfit
status!
/chuyler sucked in her cheeks and felt a it of an5iety forming in her stomach! "hey'd been so
comfortable 4ust hanging out in 7liver's room as usual, listening to music and fliing through
the offerings on his "i6o. 7liver booting u another game of 6ice #ity on the slit screen, while
she rifled through the ages of glossy magazines, fantasizing that she too, was lounging on a
raft in /ardinia, dancing the flamenco in +adrid, or wandering ensively through the streets of
Bombay!
;*'m not sure about this,; she said, wishing they were back in his cozy room instead of shivering
outside on the sidewalk, waiting to see if they would ass muster at the door!
;,on't be so negative,; 7liver chastised! *t had been his idea to leave the comfort of his room to
brave the 0ew 8ork nightlife, and he didn't want to regret it! ;*f you think we'll get in, we'll get in!
*t's all about confidence, trust me!; 'ust then, his BlackBerry beeed! He ulled it out of his
ocket and checked the screen! ;*t's ,ylan! He's inside, he'll meet us by the windows on the
second floor! 7kay<;
;,o * really look all right<; she asked, feeling suddenly doubtful about her clothes!
;8ou look fine,; he relied automatically! ;8ou look great,; he said, as his thumbs 4abbed a rely
on the lastic device!
;8ou're not even looking at me!;
;* look at you every day!; 7liver laughed, meeting her eye, then uncharacteristically blushing
and looking away! His BlackBerry beeed again, and this time he e5cused himself, walking
away to answer it!
$cross the street, /chuyler saw a cab ull u to the curb, and a tall blond guy steed out of it!
'ust as he emerged, another cab barreled down the street on the oosite side! *t was swerving
recklessly, and at first it looked like it would miss him, but at the last moment, the boy threw
himself in its ath and disaeared underneath its wheels! "he ta5icab never even stoed, 4ust
ket going as if nothing haened!
;7h my )od2; /chuyler screamed!
"he guy had been hit - she was sure of it - he'd been run over - he was surely dead!
;,id you see that<; she asked, frantically looking around for 7liver, who seemed to have
disaeared! /chuyler ran across the street, fully e5ecting to see a dead body, but the boy was
standing right in front of her, counting the change in his wallet! He slammed the door shut and
sent his ta5i on its way! He was whole and unhurt!
;8ou should be dead,; she whisered!
;E5cuse me<; he asked, a Auizzical smile on his face!
/chuyler was a little taken aback - she recognized him from school! *t was 'ack (orce! "he
famous 'ack (orce! 7ne of those guys - head of the lacrosse team, lead in the school lay, his
term aer on shoing malls ublished in 9ired, so handsome she couldn't even meet his eye!
+aybe she was dreaming things! +aybe she 4ust thought she'd seen him dive in front of the
cab! "hat had to be it! /he was 4ust tired!
;* didn't know you were a dazehead,; she blurted awkwardly, meaning a "rance acolyte!
;*'m not, actually! *'m headed over there,; he e5lained, motioning to the club ne5t door to "he
Bank, where a very into5icated rock star was steering several giggling grouies ast the velvet
roe!
/chuyler blushed! ;7h, * should have known!;
He smiled at her kindly! ;9hy<;
;9hy what<;
;9hy aologize< How would you have known that< 8ou read minds or something<; he asked!
;+aybe * do! $nd maybe it's an off day!; /he smiled! He was flirting with her, and she was flirting
back! 7kay, so it was definitely 4ust her imagination! He had totally not thrown himself in front of
the cab!
/he was surrised he was being so friendly! +ost of the guys at ,uchesne were so stuck-u,
/chuyler didn't bother with them! "hey were all the same - with their ,uck Head chinos and their
guarded nonchalance, their bland 4okes and their lacrosse field 4ackets! /he'd never given 'ack
(orce more than a fleeting thought - he was a 4unior, from the lanet Poular. they might go to
the same school but they hardly breathed the same air! $nd after all, his twin sister was the
indomitable +imi (orce, whose one goal in life was to make everyone else's miserable! ;7n
your way to a funeral<;
;9ho died and made you homeless<; were some of +imi's unimaginative insults directed her
way! 9here was +imi, anyway< 9eren't the (orce twins 4oined at the hi<
;&isten, you want to come in<; 'ack asked, smiling and showing his even, straight teeth! ;*'m a
member!;
Before she could resond, 7liver materialized at her side! 9here had he come from< /chuyler
wondered! $nd how did he kee doing that< 7liver demonstrated a keen ability to suddenly
show u the minute you didn't want him there! ;"here you are, my dear,; he said, with a hint of
reroach!
/chuyler blinked! ;Hey, 7llie! ,o you know 'ack<;
;9ho doesn't<; 7liver relied, ointedly ignoring him! ;Babe, you coming<; he demanded in a
rorietary tone! ;"hey're finally letting eole in!; He motioned to "he Bank, where a steady
stream of black-clad teenagers were being herded through the fluted columns!
;* should go,; she said aologetically!
;/o soon<; 'ack asked, his eyes dancing again!
;0ot soon enough,; 7liver added, smiling threateningly!
'ack shrugged! ;/ee you around, /chuyler,; he said, ulling u the collar on his tweed coat and
walking in the oosite direction!
;/ome eole,; 7liver comlained, as they re4oined their line! He crossed his arms and looked
annoyed!
/chuyler was silent, her heart fluttering in her chest! 'ack (orce knew her name!
"hey inched forward, ever closer to the drag Aueen with the cliboard glaring imeriously
behind the velvet roe! "he Elvira clone sized u each grou with a withering stare, but no one
was turned away!
;0ow, remember, if they give us any trouble, 4ust be cool and think ositive! 8ou have to
visualize us getting in, okay<; 7liver whisered fiercely!
/chuyler nodded! "hey walked forward, but their rogress was interruted by a bouncer holding
u a big meaty aw ;*,s2; he barked!
9ith shaking fingers, /chuyler retrieved a driver's license with someone else's name - but her
own icture - on its laminated surface! 7liver did the same! /he bit her li! /he was so going to
get caught and thrown in 4ail for this! But she remembered what 7liver had said! Be cool!
#onfident! "hink ositive!
"he bouncer waved their *,s under an infrared machine, which didn't bee! He aused,
frowning, and held their *,s u for insection, giving the two of them a doubtful look!
/chuyler tried to ro4ect a calm she didn't feel, her heart beating fast underneath her thin layers!
7f course * look twenty-one! *'ve been here before! "here is absolutely nothing wrong with that
*,, she thought!
"he bouncer slid it under the machine again! "he big man shook his head! ;"his isn't right,; he
muttered!
7liver looked at /chuyler, his face ale! /chuyler thought she was going to faint! /he had never
been so nervous in her life! +inutes ticked by! Peole behind them in line made imatient
noises!
0othing wrong with that *,! #ool and confident! #ool and confident! /he visualized the bouncer
waving them through, the two of them entering the club! &E" D/ *0! &E" D/ *0! &E" D/ *0
'D/" &E" D/ *02
"he bouncer looked u, startled, almost as if he'd heard her! *t felt as though time had stoed!
"hen, 4ust like that, he returned their cards and waved them forward, 4ust as /chuyler had
ictured!
/chuyler e5haled! /he and 7liver e5changed a restrained look of glee!
"hey were inside!
#H$P"ER ?
Right ne5t door to "he Bank was a very different kind of +anhattan nightclub! *t was the kind of
nightclub that e5isted only once every decade - at a oint in the social ne5us when the gods of
ublicity, fashion, and celebrity converged to create a singularly sectacular environment!
(ollowing in the hallowed tradition of mid- E@s /tudio FC, late- G@s Palladium, and early- H@s
+oomba, Block =?? had entered an iconic realm that defined a movement, a lifestyle, a
generation! $ cocktail-combo clientele of the city's most beautiful, envied, notorious, and all-
owerful citizens had christened it their lace to be - their natural habitat, their watering hole -
and since it was the twenty-first century, the era of suer-e5clusivity, they even aid
astronomical membershi dues for the rivilege! $nything to kee out the hoi olloi! $nd inside
this blessed sanctuary, at the most sought-after table, surrounded by a glittering assortment of
underage models, ost-ubescent movie stars, and the sons and daughters of boldfaced
names, sat the most gorgeous girl in the history of 0ew 8ork #ity- +adeleine <+imi< (orce!
/i5teen years old going on thirty-four, with a shot of Boto5 between the eyes to rove it!
+imi was oularity ersonified! /he had the golden-girl good looks and tanned, Pilates-toned
limbs that came with the Iueen Bee osition - but she transcended the stereotye while
embodying the essence of it! /he had a size twenty-two waist and a size ten shoe! /he ate 4unk
food every day and never gained an ounce! /he went to bed with all her makeu on and woke
u with a clear, unblemished comle5ion, 4ust like her conscience!
+imi came to Block =?? every night, and (riday was no e5cetion! /he and Bliss &lewellyn, a
tall, rangy "e5an who'd recently transferred to ,uchesne, had sent the afternoon riming for
the evening's festivities! 7r rather, Bliss had sent the afternoon sitting by the side of the bed
making comlimentary noises while +imi tried on everything in her wardrobe! "hey'd settled on
a se5y-but-in-an-off-beat-bohemian-way-with-stras-4ust-falling-off-the-shoulder-4ust-so-+arni
camisole, a tiny denim Earnest /ewn miniskirt, and a sarkly Rick 7wens cashmere wra! +imi
liked to travel with an entourage, and in Bliss she'd found a suitable comanion! /he'd
befriended Bliss solely at her father's reAuest, since /enator &lewellyn was an imortant
colleague! $t first +imi had chafed at the directive, but she changed her mind when she realized
Bliss's eAuine good looks comlemented and emhasized her own ethereal beauty! +imi loved
nothing more than a suitable backdro! &eaning against the stuffed cushions, she glanced at
Bliss arovingly!
;#heers,; Bliss said, clinking her glass against +imi's, as if she'd read her mind!
;"o us!; +imi nodded, chugging the last of her luminescent urle cocktail! *t was her fifth of the
evening, and yet she felt as sober as when she'd ordered the first one! *t was deressing how
much longer it took to get drunk now! $lmost as if alcohol didn't have any effect on her
bloodstream! "he #ommittee had told her it would haen - she 4ust hadn't wanted to believe it
back then! Esecially since she wasn't suosed to avail herself of the other, more otent
alternative as often as she'd have liked! "he #ommittee had too many rules! $t this oint they
were ractically running her life! /he imatiently signaled to the waitress to bring another round,
snaing her fingers so hard it almost shattered the glass coffee table in front of her!
9hat was the oint of going out in 0ew 8ork if you couldn't even get a little buzzed< /he
stretched out her legs and lay them languidly across the couch, her feet resting on her twin
brother's la! Her date, the nineteen-year-old heir to a harmaceutical fortune and a current
investor in the nightclub, retended not to notice! $lthough it would be hard to say if he was
even conscious, as he was currently leaning on +imi's shoulder and drooling!
;Iuit it,; Ben4amin (orce snaed, brusAuely ushing her off! "he two of them shared the same
ale, latinum blond hair, the same creamy, translucent skin, the same hooded green eyes, and
the same long, slender limbs! But they couldn't have been more different in temerament! +imi
was loAuacious and layful, while Ben4amin - nicknamed Black4ack in childhood because of his
tantrums, and shortened to 'ack in adolescence - was taciturn and observant!
+imi and 'ack were the only children of #harles (orce, the si5ty-year-old, steely-haired media
magnate who owned an ustart television network, a cable news channel, a oular newsaer
tabloid, several radio stations, and a successful ublishing emire that made rofits from
autobiograhies of 9orld 9restling (ederation stars! His wife, the former "rinity Burden, was a
doyenne of the 0ew 8ork society circuit, and chaired the most restigious charity committees!
/he was instrumental in the foundation of "he #ommittee, of which 'ack and +imi were 4unior
members! "he (orces lived in one of the most sought-after addresses in the city, a lu5urious,
well-aointed townhouse that covered an entire block across from the +etroolitan +useum of
$rt!
;7h c'mon,; +imi outed, immediately lacing her feet back on her brother's la! ;* need to
stretch my legs! "hey're so sore! (eel,; she demanded, grabbing a sinewy calf and asking him
to feel the muscle tense underneath! /tri #ardio was a bitch on the 4oints!
'ack frowned! ;* said Auit it,; he murmured in his serious voice, and +imi immediately retracted
her tanned legs, tucking them beneath her butt and letting the undersoles of her four-inch $laia
heels scrae against the white suede couch, leaving dirty scratch marks on the immaculate
cushion!
;9hat's wrong with you<; +imi asked! Her brother had arrived in a foul mood 4ust a minute ago!
;"hirsty<; she taunted! Her brother was such a arty ooer lately! He hardly ever went to
#ommittee meetings anymore, something their arents would freak out about if they ever found
out! He wasn't dating anyone. he looked weak and sent, and he was undeniably cranky! +imi
wondered when the last time was that he had had any!
'ack shrugged and stood u! ;*'m going out to get some air!;
;)ood idea,; Bliss added, rising in a hurry! ;* need a smoke,; she e5lained aologetically,
waving a ack of cigarettes in front of +imi's face!
;+e too,; $ggie #arondolet, another girl from ,uchesne said! /he was art of +imi's crowd, and
looked 4ust like their leader, down to the JF@@-dollar highlights and sullen e5ression!
;8ou don't need my ermission,; +imi relied in a bored voice, although the oosite was true!
7ne didn't simly leave +imi's resence - one was dismissed!
$ggie smirked, and Bliss smiled nervously, following 'ack toward the back of the club!
+imi shrugged! /he never bothered to follow the rules, and tended to light u wherever and
whenever she felt like it - the gossi columns once gleefully ublished the five-figure tally of her
smoking fines! /he watched the three of them leave, disaearing into the crush of bodies
throwing themselves around the dance floor to obscene ra lyrics!
;*'m bored,; she whined, finally aying attention to the guy who had hardly left her side all
evening! "hey had been dating for all of two weeks, an eternity on the +imi time line! ;+ake
something haen!;
;9hat do you have in mind<; he murmured groggily, licking her ear!
;+mmm,; she giggled, utting a hand underneath his chin and feeling his veins throb! "emting!
But maybe later, not here, not in ublic at least! Esecially since she'd 4ust had her fill of him
yesterday !!! and it was against the rules!!! Human familiars were not to be abused, blah, blah,
blah! "hey needed at least a forty-eight-hour recovery time !!! But oh, he smelled wonderful !!! a
hint of $rmani !!!aftershave and underneath !!! meaty and vital!!! and if she could 4ust get one
little taste!!! one little!!! bite!!! but "he #ommittee met downstairs, right beneath Block =??!
"here could be several 9ardens here, right now !!! watching!!! /he could be caught! But would
she< *t was dark in the 6*P room!!! 9ho would even notice in this crowd of self-involved
narcissists<
But they would find out! /omeone would tell them! *t was eerie how they knew so much about
you - almost as if they were always there, watching, inside your head! /o, maybe ne5t time! /he
would let him recuerate from last night! /he ruffled his hair! He was so cute - handsome and
vulnerable, 4ust the way she liked them! But for now, comletely useless! ;E5cuse me for a
second,; she told him!
+imi leaed from her seat so Auickly that the cocktail waitress bringing a tray of lychee martinis
to the table did a double take! "he crew around the banAuette blinked! "hey could have sworn
she was sitting down 4ust a second ago! "hen in a flash, there she was- in the middle of the
room, dancing with another boy - because for +imi, there was always another boy, and then
another and another, each one of them all too hay to dance with her - and it seemed like she
danced for hours - her feet never even touching the ground - a dizzying. blond tornado in eight-
hundred-dollar heels!
9hen she came back to the table, her face glowing with a transcendental light 1or merely the
effects of benefit high beam<3, her beauty almost too ainful to bear - she found her date
sleeing, slumed over the edge of the table! $ ity!
+imi icked u her cell hone! /he 4ust realized that Bliss had never returned from that
cigarette break!
#H$P"ER K
/he didn't fit in anywhere! /he didn't know why! 9as there ever anything so ridiculous as a
sociohobic cheerleader< )irls like her weren't suosed to have any roblems! "hey were
suosed to be erfect! But Bliss &lewellyn didn't feel very erfect! /he felt odd and out of
lace! /he watched as her so-called best friend, +imi (orce, needled her brother and
ignored her date! $ fairly tyical evening around the (orce twins - the two of them bickering
one minute or being sookily affectionate the ne5t - esecially when they did that thing
where they 4ust looked into each other's eyes and you could tell they were talking to each
other without seaking! Bliss avoided +imi's gaze and tried to distract herself by laughing at
the 4okes the actor on her right was telling her, but nothing about the evening - not even the
fact that they'd been given the best table in the house or that the #alvin %lein model on her
left had asked for her number - made her feel any less miserable!
/he'd felt that way in Houston, too! "hat somehow she was not all there! But in "e5as, she
could hide it more easily! *n "e5as, she had big curly hair and the best backfli on the
sAuad! Everyone had known her since she was a ;wee chile,; and she'd always been the
rettiest girl in her class! But then ,addy, who'd grown u in 0ew 8ork, moved them back to
the city to run for the emty /enate seat and had won the election easily! Before she could
do a rebel yell, she was living on the Der East /ide and enrolled at the ,uchesne /chool!
7f course, +anhattan was nothing like Houston, and Bliss's big curly hair and backflis
didn't mean a thing to anyone at her new school, which didn't even have a football team,
much less mini-skirted cheerleaders! But on the other hand, she didn't e5ect to be such a
hick! $fter all, she knew her way around a 0eiman +arcus2 /he owned the same "rue
Religion 4eans and 'ames Perse "-shirts as anyone else! But somehow, she'd arrived for
the first day wearing a astel Ralh &auren sweater with a laid $nna /ui kilt 1in an effort to
look more like the girls featured in the school catalog3, with a honking white leather #hanel
urse on a gold chain slung over her shoulder, only to find her classmates dressed down in
grotty fisherman sweaters and distressed corduroys! 0o one wore astel in +anhattan or
rocked white #hanel 1in the fall at least3! Even that weirdo goth girl - /chuyler 6an $len -
dislayed a chic that Bliss didn't know how to match!
Bliss knew about the 'immy, the +anolo, the /tella! /he'd made note of +ischa Barton's
wardrobe! But there was something about the way the 0ew 8ork girls ut it together that
made her look like a fashion freak who'd never cracked oen a magazine! "hen there was
the whole deal with her accent - no one could understand her at first, and when she said
;y'all; or ;laaahke,; they imitated her, none too kindly either!
(or a moment, it looked as if Bliss would be consigned to live the rest of her academic life
as a borderline social ariah, a home-schooled re4ect when she should have been a +ean
)irl! "hat is, until the clouds arted - lightning struck - and a miracle occurred- the fabulous
+imi (orce took her ersonally in hand! +imi was a 4unior, a year older! /he and her brother
'ack were like, the $ngelina 'olie and Brad Pitt of ,uchesne, a coule who were not
suosed to be a coule, but a coule nonetheless - and the ruling one at that! +imi was
the 7rientation leader for new students, and she'd taken one look at Bliss - the astel
cardigan, the shiny bluchers, the awkward /cottish kilt, the Auilted #hanel bag, and had
said, ;&ove that outfit! *t's so wrong, it's right!;
$nd that was it!
Bliss was suddenly in the *n-)rou, which, it turned out, was 4ust the same as the one back
in Houston - 4ocky guys 1but starting lacrosse and crew instead of football3, uniformly retty
girls 1but they were on the debate team and headed for the *vy &eague3 with the same
unwritten code to kee out newcomers! Bliss knew that it was only by +imi's good graces
that she'd managed to infiltrate the sacred stratum!
But it wasn't the social hierarchy of high school that was bothering Bliss! *t wasn't even her
blown-out-straight hair 1which she would never let +imi's stylist do to her again - she 4ust
didn't feel right without her curls3, it was the fact that sometimes she didn't even feel like she
knew who she was anymore! Ever since she had arrived in 0ew 8ork! /he would walk by a
building, or that old ark by the river, and a feeling of dBL4BM vu, but stronger - as if it were
embedded in her own rimal memory - would overwhelm her, and she would find herself
shaking! 9hen she walked into their aartment on East /eventy-seventh /treet for the first
time, she'd thought, ;*'m home,; and it wasn't because it was home !!! it was the feeling in
her bones that she'd been there before, that she'd walked inside that same doorway before,
that she'd danced across its marble floors in some not-so-distant ast! ;*t used to have a
firelace,; she thought, when she saw her room! /ure enough, when she mentioned it to the
real estate agent, he'd told her it'd had a firelace in =G=H, but it had been boarded u for
safety reasons! ;Because someone died in there!;
But the nightmares were the worst! 0ightmares that left her screaming herself awake!
0ightmares of running, nightmares of someone taking hold of her - as if she weren't in
control - and she would wake u, shivering and cold, the sheets drenched with her sweat!
Her arents assured her it was normal! &ike it was a normal thing for a fifteen-year-old girl
to wake u screaming so loudly her throat dried u and she choked on her own sit!
But now, at Block =??, 'ack (orce was standing u, and Bliss stood u too e5cusing herself
from +imi's attention! /he'd stood u on imulse, 4ust to be moving, 4ust to be doing
something other than 4ust being a sectator to the /how "hat 9as +imi, but when she'd
said she needed a smoke, she found she really did! $ggie #arondolet, one of the +imi
clones, was already snaking her way outside! Bliss lost 'ack halfway through the crowd,
and she flashed the stam on her right wrist to the guard, who had to let eole out and
back inside due to the draconian smoking laws in 0ew 8ork #ity! Bliss found it ironic that
0ew 8orkers considered themselves so cosmoolitan when in Houston, you could smoke
anywhere, even inside a beauty salon, while you were under the dryer. but in +anhattan,
smokers were consigned to the margins and left to deal with the elements!
/he ushed oen the back door and found herself in an alleyway, a small dark corner
between two buildings! "he alley between Block =?? and "he Bank was a etri dish of
warring cultural allegiances - on one side, reening histers in tight, e5ensive, Euroean
clothes, tossing their bleached hair over zebra-rint 4ackets. and on the other, a scraggly
grou of lost children in their tattered and ierced clothing but an uneasy truce e5isted
between the two arties, an invisible line that neither grou ever crossed! $fter all, they
were all smokers here! /he saw $ggie leaning against the wall, hanging out with a coule of
models!
Bliss rooted in her hooded +arc 'acobs car coat 1borrowed from +imi, art of the
makeover3 for her cigarettes and taed one out! /he brought it to her lis, fumbling for the
matches!
$ hand e5tended from the darkness, offering a small, lit flame! (rom the other side of the
alley! "he first time someone had braved the divide!
;"hanks,; Bliss said, leaning forward and inhaling, the cigarette glowing red at its ti! /he
looked u, e5haled, and through the smoke recognized the guy who'd offered it! ,ylan
9ard! $ transfer - 4ust like her - to the sohomore class from somewhere out of town! 7ne
of the odd-ones-out at /teford-like ,uchesne, where everyone had known everyone since
nursery school and ballroom dancing lessons! ,ylan looked handsome and dangerous in
his customary beat-u black leather motorcycle 4acket over a dirty "-shirt and stained 4eans!
*t was rumored he'd been e5elled from a succession of re schools! His eyes glittered in
the darkness! He flicked his :io closed, and she noticed his shy smile! "here was
something about him - something sad and broken and aealing !!! He looked e5actly the
way she felt, and he walked over to her side!
;Hey,; he said!
;*'m Bliss,; she said!
;7f course you are!; He nodded!
#H$P"ER C
"he ,uchesne /chool was housed in the former (lood mansion on +adison $venue and
0inety-first /treet, on re-school row, across from ,alton and ne5t to /acred Heart! *t was
the former home of Rose Elizabeth (lood, widow of #atain $rmstrong (lood, who had
founded the (lood 7il #omany! Rose's three daughters were educated by +arguerite
,uchesne, a Belgian governess, and when all three were lost during the unfortunate sinking
of the // Endeavor during an $tlantic crossing, a heartbroken Rose returned to the +idwest
and beAueathed her home to +ademoiselle ,uchesne to found her dream institution!
&ittle had been done to transform the home into a school- among the rereAuisites of the
behest was that all the original finishes and furniture were to be carefully maintained, which
made entering the building akin to walking backward in time! $ life-size 'ohn /inger /argent
ortrait of the three (lood heiresses still hung above the marble staircase, welcoming
visitors into the magnificent double-height entryway! $ BaroAue crystal chandelier hung in
the glass-windowed ballroom that overlooked #entral Park, and #hesterfield ottomans and
antiAue reading desks were arranged in the foyer! "he shiny brass sconces were now wired
for electricity, and the creaky Pullman elevator still worked 1although only faculty were
allowed to use it3! "he attic, a charming garret room, was transformed into an art center,
comlete with a rinting ress and a lithograh machine, and the downstairs drawing rooms
housed a fully eAuied theater, gym, and cafeteria! +etal lockers now lined the fleur-de-lis
wallaered hallways, and the uer bedrooms housed the humanities classrooms!
)enerations of students swore that the ghost of +rs! ,uchesne haunted the third landing!
Photograhs of each graduating class lined the hallway to the library! /ince "he ,uchesne
/chool was formerly an all-girls institution, the first class of =G>H showed a grou of si5
dour-faced maidens in white ball gowns, their names gracefully etched in calligrahy! $s the
years rogressed, the daguerreotyes of nineteenth-century debutantes gave way to the
black-and-white hotograhs of bouffant-haired swans of the =HF@s, to the cheerful addition
of long-haired gentlemen in the mid- >@s, when ,uchesne finally went coed, leading to
bright color hotograhs of winsome young women and handsome young men from the
current cro!
Because, really, not much changed! "he girls still graduated in white tea dresses from /aks
and white gloves from Bergdorf's, and were resented with garlands of twined ivy on their
heads as well as the reAuisite bouAuet of red roses along with their dilomas, while the
boys wore roer morning suits, comlete with earl-tied ins on their gray ascots!
"he gray tartan uniforms were long gone, but at ,uchesne, bad news still arrived in the
form of a canceled first-eriod class, followed by an announcement made over rustling
static on the antiAuated sound system- ;Emergency chael meeting! $ll students asked to
reort to the chael at once!;
/chuyler met 7liver in the hallway outside +usic Hum! "hey hadn't seen each other since
(riday night! 0either of them had broached the sub4ect of encountering 'ack (orce outside
"he Bank, which was highly unusual, since the two of them dissected every social situation
they e5erienced down to the minute detail! "here was a studied coolness in 7liver's tone
when he saw /chuyler that morning! But /chuyler was oblivious to his aloofness - she ran
u to him immediately and linked her arm in his!
;9hat's going on<; she asked, tucking her head against his shoulder!
;Hell if * know!; He shrugged!
;8ou always know,; /chuyler ressed!
;$ll right - but don't say anything!; 7liver melted, en4oying the feel of her hair against his
neck! /chuyler was looking articularly retty that day! /he was wearing her long hair down
for once, and she looked like a i5ie in her oversized 0avy eacoat, faded 4eans, and
broken-in black cowboy boots! He looked around nervously! ;* think it has something to do
with the crowd that was at Block =?? this weekend!;
/chuyler raised her eyebrows! ;+imi and her eole< 9hy< $re they getting e5elled<;
;+aybe,; 7liver said, savoring the thought!
&ast year almost the entire crew team had been banished for illicit behavior on school
grounds! "o celebrate a win at the Head of the #harles, they had come back to school that
evening and trashed the second-floor classrooms, leaving graffiti'd e5letives on the walls
and roof of their night - broken beer bottles, iles of cigarette stubs and several cocaine-
laced dollar bills - to be found by the 4anitors the ne5t morning! Parents etitioned the
administration to change their decision 1some thought e5ulsion too harsh, while others
wanted nothing less than criminal charges filed3! "hat the ringleader, a toothy Harvard-
bound senior, was the Headmistress's nehew only added to the fire! 1Harvard romtly
recalled his admission, and the e5elled co5swain was currently yelling himself hoarse at
,uke!3
/omehow /chuyler didn't think that a simle case of bad behavior over the weekend was
the reason the entire uer school was being called into the chael that morning!
$s there were only forty students in each class, the entire student body fit comfortably
inside the room, taking their resective seats organized by grade- seniors and freshman in
the front section searated by the aisle, 4uniors and sohomores resectively behind them!
"he ,ean of /tudents stood atiently by the odium in front of the altar! /chuyler and 7liver
found ,ylan in the back, at their usual erch! He had dark circles under his eyes, like he
hadn't slet, and there was an ugly red stain on his button-down shirt and a hole in his black
4eans! He was wearing his signature white silk 'imi Hendri5 - style scarf around his neck!
"he other kids in the ew gave him a wide berth! He beckoned /chuyler and 7liver to his
side!
;9hat's going on<; /chuyler asked, sliding into the ew!
,ylan shrugged, utting a finger to his lis!
,ean #ecile +olloy taed the microhone! 9hile she wasn't a ,uchesne alum, like the
headmistress, the head librarian, and almost the entire female faculty - and it was rumored
that she'd been the reciient of a ublic school education - she had Auickly acAuired the
velvet headband, knee-length corduroy skirts, and rounded vowels that marked the true
,uchesne girl! ,ean +olloy was a very adeAuate facsimile, and hence was very oular
with the board of directors!
;$ttention, lease! /ettle down, boys and girls! * have something very sad to share with you
this morning!; "he dean inhaled sharly! ;* am very sorry to inform you that one of our
students, $ggie #arondolet, assed away this weekend!;
"here was a shocked silence, followed by a confused buzzing!
"he dean cleared her throat! ;$ggie had been a student at ,uchesne since re-
kindergarten! "here will be no classes tomorrow! *nstead, there will be a funeral service in
the chael tomorrow morning! Everyone is invited to attend! $fterward, there will be a burial
at (orest Hills in Iueens, and a shuttle bus will be rovided to take students who would like
to attend, to the cemetery! 9e ask that you think of her family at this difficult time!;
$nother throat clearing!
;9e have grief counselors on hand to assist those who need it! /chool will conclude at
noon, your arents have already been informed of the early dismissal! $fter this meeting,
lease return to your second-eriod classes!;
$fter a short invocation 1,uchesne was nondenominational3, and a devotion from the Book
of #ommon Prayer, as well as a verse from the %oran and a assage from %halil )ibran
were read by the Head Boy and Head )irl, students streamed out with Auiet treidation, a
low feeling of e5citement mi5ed with nausea and real symathy for the #arondolets!
0othing like this had ever haened at ,uchesne before! /ure, they'd heard of other
schools' roblems - drunk driving accidents, child-molesting soccer coaches, senior boys
date-raing freshmen girls, trenchcoat - wearing freaks wielding machine guns and gunning
down half the student body, but those haened at other schools - on television, in the
suburbs, or in ublic schools, with their metal detectors and clear vinyl backacks! 0othing
terrible was ever allowed to haen at ,uchesne! *t was ractically a rule!
"he worst thing that could ever haen to a student at ,uchesne would be a broken leg
skiing in $sen or a ainful sunburn from /t! Barth's over sring break! /o the fact that
$ggie #arondolet had died - in the city no less 4ust shy of her si5teenth birthday, was almost
unfathomable!
$ggie #arondolet< /chuyler felt a twinge of sadness, but she didn't know $ggie, who had
been one of the tall, inched-looking blond girls who surrounded +imi (orce, like courtiers
around their Aueen!
;8ou okay<; 7liver asked, sAueezing /chuyler's shoulder! /chuyler nodded!
;9ow, that's heavy, man! * 4ust saw her (riday night,; ,ylan said, shaking his head!
;8ou saw $ggie<; /chuyler asked! ;9here<;
;(riday! $t "he Bank!;
;$ggie #arondolet was at "he Bank<; /chuyler asked sketically! "hat made as much
sense as +imi (orce being sotted shoing at '!#! Penney! ;$re you sure<;
;9ell, * mean, she wasn't technically at "he Bank, but outside, you know, where everyone
smokes downstairs, in the alley ne5t to Block =??,; ,ylan e5lained!
;9hat haened to you<; /chuyler said! ;9e never saw you again after midnight!;
;*, uh, met somebody,; ,ylan admitted, with a sheeish grin! ;*t's no big deal!;
/chuyler nodded and didn't ry!
"hey walked out of the chael, ast +imi (orce, who was standing in the middle of a
symathetic circle of friends! ;/he'd 4ust gone out for a smoke !!!; they overheard +imi say,
dabbing at her eyes! ;"hen she disaeared!!! 9e still don't know how it haened!;
;9hat are you looking at<; +imi sat, noticing /chuyler staring at her!
;0othing - *!!!;
+imi flicked her hair over her shoulder and snorted in annoyance! "hen she deliberately
turned her back on the three of them and went back to reliving (riday night!
;Hey,; ,ylan said, assing the tall "e5an girl in their class, who was art of the huddle!
;/orry about your friend!; He ut a light hand on her arm!
But Bliss didn't even acknowledge that she'd heard him! /chuyler thought that was odd!
How did ,ylan know Bliss &lewellyn< "he "e5an girl was ractically +imi's best friend! $nd
+imi desised ,ylan 9ard! /chuyler had heard her calling him a <vagrant< and a <
wastoid< to his face when he refused to give u his seat in the cafeteria! /he and 7liver
had warned him when he'd sat down, but he wouldn't listen! ;But this is our table,; +imi had
hissed, holding a tray that contained a aer late of dry lettuce leaves surrounding an
undercooked hamburger! /chuyler and 7liver had immediately grabbed their trays, but
,ylan had refused to budge, which had instantly endeared him to them!
;*t was a drug overdose,; ,ylan whisered, walking between /chuyler and 7liver!
;How do you know<; 7liver asked!
;*t's the only thing that makes sense! /he assed out at Block =??! 9hat else could it be<;
/chuyler thought- aneurysm, heart attack, diabetic seizure! "here were so many things that
could cause a erson's untimely demise! /he'd read about them! /he knew! /he'd lost her
father in her infancy, and her mother was stuck in a coma! &ife was more fragile than
anyone ever realized!
7ne minute, you could be getting a smoke in the alley on the &ower East /ide with your
friends, having drinks and dancing on tables in a oular night club! $nd the ne5t minute,
you could be dead!
#H$P"ER F
7ne of the best things about being +imi (orce was that nobody took you for granted! $fter the
news of $ggie's death made the rounds, +imi's oularity swelled to eic roortions because
now she wasn't 4ust beautiful, she was vulnerable as well - she was human! *t was like when
"om #ruise left 0icole %idman, and suddenly 0icole %idman stoed seeming like this icy,
ruthless, career-minded $mazon and became 4ust another dumed divorcBLe whom everyone
could relate to! /he'd even cried on 7rah! $ggie had been +imi's best friend! 9ell, no, not
e5actly! +imi had many best friends! *t was the backbone of her oularity! +any eole felt
close to her, even though +imi felt close to no one! But still, $ggie had been secial to her!
/he'd grown u with her! *ce-skating at 9ollman Rink, etiAuette lessons at the Plaza, summers
in /outhamton! "he #arondolets were an old 0ew 8ork family. her arents were friends with
+imi's arents! "heir moms went to the same hairdresser at Henri Bendel! /he was a true blue
blood, like herself!
+imi loved the attention, loved the fawning! /he said all the right things, voicing her shock and
grief with a halting voice! /he dabbed her eyes without smudging her eyeliner! /he recalled
fondly how $ggie had lent her her favorite Rock and Reublic 4eans once! $nd never even
asked for them back2 0ow that was a true friend!
$fter #hael, +imi and 'ack were ulled aside by one of the runners, a scholarshi kid who
served as an errand boy for the Headmistress's office! ;"he Head wants to see you guys,; they
were told!
*nside the lush-careted office, the Head of /chools told them they could take the whole day
off - no need to wait till noon! "he #ommittee understood how close they were to $ugusta! +imi
was elated! Even more secial treatment2 But 'ack shook his head and e5lained that if it was
all right with everyone, he was going to attend his second-eriod class!
7utside the administration corridor, the vast careted hallways were emty! Everyone else was
in class! "hey were ractically alone! +imi reached out and smoothed her brother's collar,
tracing her fingers on his sunburned neck! He flinched at her touch!
;9hat's gotten into you lately<; she asked imatiently!
;,on't, okay< 0ot here!;
/he didn't understand why he was so skittish! $t some oint, things would change! /he would
change! He knew that, but it was as if he couldn't accet it, or he wouldn't let himself accet it!
+aybe it was all art of the rocess! Her father had made the history of the family very clear to
them, and their art in it was set in stone! 'ack didn't have a choice, whether he wanted it or
not, and +imi felt somewhat insulted at the way he was acting!
/he looked at her brother - her twin, her other half! He was art of her soul! 9hen they were
little, it was like they were the same erson! 9hen she stubbed a toe, he cried! 9hen he fell off
the horse in #onnecticut, her back ached in 0ew 8ork! /he always knew what he was thinking,
what he was feeling, and she loved him in a way that scared her! *t consumed every inch of her
being! But he'd been ulling away from her lately! He was distracted, distant! His mind was
closed to hers! 9hen she reached out to feel his resence, there was nothing! $ blank slate! 0o,
more like a muffling! $ blanket over a stereo! He was tuning her out! +asking his thoughts!
$sserting his indeendence from her! *t was troubling, to say the least!
;*t's like you don't even like me anymore,; she outed, lifting u her thick blond hair and letting it
fall on her shoulders! /he was wearing a black cotton sweater, rendered see-through
underneath the fluorescent light of the hallway! /he knew he could see the ivory lace of her &e
+ystBBre bra through the thin weave!
'ack smiled a wry smile! ;"hat's not ossible! "hat would be like hating myself! $nd *'m not a
masochist!;
/he shrugged her shoulders in slow motion, turning away and biting her li!
He ulled her in for a hug, ressing his body against hers! "hey were the same height - their
eyes at the same level! *t was like looking into a mirror! ;Be good,; he said!
;9ho are you and what have you done with my brother<; she cracked! But it was nice to be
hugged, and she sAueezed him back tightly! 0ow, that was more like it!
;*'m scared, 'ack,; she whisered! "hey'd been there, that night, with $ggie! $ggie shouldn't be
dead! $ggie couldn't be dead! *t 4ust couldn't be true! *t was imossible! *n every sense of the
word! But they'd seen $ggie's body at the morgue, that cold gray morning! /he and 'ack had
been the ones to identify the body! +imi's cell number was the first entry in $ggie's hone!
"hey'd held her lifeless hands! "hey'd seen her face, the frozen scream! +uch worse, they'd
seen the marks on her neck! Dnthinkable2 Ridiculous, even! *t simly didn't add u! *t was as if
the world had been turned uside down! *t was against everything they'd been told! /he couldn't
even begin to make it comrehensible!
;*t's a 4oke, right<;
;0o 4oke!; 'ack shook his head!
;/he's not 4ust cycling early<; +imi asked, hoing against hoe that they'd found some
reasonable e5lanation for all this! "here had to be one! "hings like this simly didn't haen!
0ot to them!
;0o! "hey've done the tests! 9orse! "he blood - it's gone!;
+imi felt a chill u her sine! *t was as if something had skittered across her grave! ;9hat do
you mean it's gone<; she gased!
;/he was drained!;
;8ou mean !!!;
;(ull consumtion!; 'ack nodded!
+imi recoiled from his embrace! ;8ou're 4oking! 8ou have to be! *t's 4ust not ossible!; "hat word
again! "hat word that oed u all weekend, /aturday morning, when the call came- reeated
by their arents, the Elders, the 9ardens, everybody! 9hat haened to $ggie 4ust wasn't
ossible! "hat much they all agreed on! +imi walked toward an oen window, steed into the
sunlight, and gloried in the way it tickled her skin! 0othing could hurt them!
;"hey've called a conclave! "he letters went out today!;
;$lready< But they haven't even begun to change yet,; +imi rotested! ;*sn't that against the
rules<;
;Emergency situation! Everyone has to be warned! Even the remature!;
+imi sighed! ;* suose!; /he'd rather liked being one of the youngest! /he didn't like knowing
her novel status would soon be sulanted by a new batch!
;*'m going to class! 9here are you going<; he asked, tucking his shirt into his ants, a futile
move since when he reached for his leather satchel, the motion ulled his shirttails out again!
;"o Barneys,; she relied, utting on her sunglasses! ;* have nothing to wear to the funeral!;
#H$P"ER >
/chuyler's second-eriod class was ethics, a multi-year class oen to sohomores and 4uniors
comleting their diversity studies reAuirements! "heir teacher, +r! 7rion, a curly-haired Brown
graduate with a drooy mustache, small, wire-rimmed glasses, a long #yrano nose, and a
enchant for wearing oversized baggy sweaters that hung off his scarecrow-like frame, sat in
the middle of the room, leading the discussion!
/he found a seat near the window, ulling u her chair to the circle around +r! 7rion! "here
were only ten eole, the standard class size! /chuyler couldn't hel but notice that 'ack (orce
wasn't in his usual seat! /he'd never said a word to him all semester, and she wondered if he
would even remember saying hello to her on (riday night!
;,id anyone here know $ggie well<; +r! 7rion asked, even though it was an irrelevant Auestion!
,uchesne was the kind of lace that, years after graduation, if you bumed into an alum at an
airort, or walking around #entre Pomidou, or downtown at +a5 (ish, you would immediately
buy them a drink and ask about their family, because even if you had never e5changed a word
while at the school, you knew almost everything about them, down to the intimate details!
;$nyone<; +r! 7rion asked again!
Bliss &lewellyn cautiously raised her hand! ;* did,; she said timidly!
;,o you want to share some memories of her<;
Bliss ut her hand down, her face red! +emories of $ggie< 9hat did she really know about her<
/he knew that she liked clothes, and shoing, and her tiny little ladog, /now 9hite! *t was a
#hihuahua, like Bliss's, and $ggie had liked to dress her u in silly little outfits! "he dog even
had a mink sweater that matched $ggie's! "hat was as much as Bliss could recall! 9ho ever
really knows anybody< $nd anyway, $ggie was really +imi's friend!
Bliss thought back on that fateful night! /he'd ended u talking to ,ylan for what seemed like
ages in that back alley! 9hen they'd smoked every last cigarette they had between the two of
them, he'd finally gone back to "he Bank, and she'd reluctantly returned to Block =?? and +imi's
demands! $ggie wasn't at the table when she got back, and Bliss hadn't seen her for the rest of
the evening!
(rom the (orce twins, Bliss knew the basics - they'd found $ggie in ;the &and of 0od; - the back
room where the club hid druggies who'd assed out - a dirty little secret that Block =?? had
successfully ket out of the tabloids, with hefty bribes to cos and gossi columnists alike! +ost
of the time atrons who assed out woke u hours later 4ust a little worse for wear, with a great
anecdote to tell their friends - ;$nd * woke u in this closet, man2 9hat a long strange tri,
right<; and were sent home 1mostly3 intact!
But something had gone wrong on (riday night! "hey hadn't been able to revive $ggie! $nd
when ;the ambulance; 1the owner's /D63 had deosited her at the /t! 6incent's ER - $ggie was
already dead! ,rug overdose, everyone assumed! /he'd been found in the closet, after all!
9hat did you e5ect< E5cet Bliss knew that $ggie didn't touch drugs! &ike +imi's, her vices of
choice were tanning salons and cigarettes! ,rugs were looked down uon in +imi's circle! ;*
don't need anything to get high! *'m high on life,; +imi liked to crow!
;/he was !!! sweet,; Bliss offered! ;/he really loved her little dog!;
;* had a arrot once!; $ red-eyed sohomore nodded! /he'd been the one who'd handed +imi
tissues in the hallway! ;9hen she died, it was like losing a art of myself!;
$nd 4ust like that, $ugusta <$ggie< #arondolet's death went from a tragedy to a mere
sringboard for an earnest discussion about how ets were eole too, where to find et
cemeteries in the city, and whether cloning your et was the right ethical choice!
/chuyler could barely disguise her contemt! /he liked +r! 7rion, liked his shaggy-dog laid-
back aroach to life, but she was disgusted by the way he let her eers turn something real -
the death of someone they knew, someone hardly si5teen years old - a girl they'd all seen
sunbathing in the cortile, owering sAuash returns in the lower court gyms, or hoovering
brownies at the bake sale 1like all oular ,uchesne girls, $ggie had a love affair with food that
was out of roortion to her suer-skinny aearance3 - into a trivial matter, a steing-stone to
talk about everyone else's neuroses!
"he door oened, and everyone looked u to see a red-faced 'ack (orce enter the room! He
assed his late form to +r! 7rion, who waved it away! ;/it down, 'ack!;
'ack walked urosefully across the room to the only remaining emty seat in the classroom -
ne5t to /chuyler! He looked tired, and a little rumled in his creased olo with the shirttails
hanging out and baggy wool ants! $ slight electric charge went through /chuyler's body, a
rickly and not unleasant sensation! 9hat had changed< /he'd sat ne5t to him before, and he
was always invisible to her, until now! He didn't meet her eye, and she was too frightened and
self-conscious to look at him! *t was odd to think they were both there that evening! /o close to
where $ggie had died!
But now another +imi discile was rattling about her hamster, who'd starved to death when
they went on vacation! ;* 4ust loved Bobo so much,; she sobbed into a handkerchief as the rest
of the class voiced their symathy! "ales of the demise of a similarly beloved lizard, canary, and
rabbit were ne5t on deck!
/chuyler rolled her eyes and doodled in the margins of her notebook! *t was her way of zoning
out from the world! 9hen she couldn't take it anymore - her soiled classmates' navel-gazing
rants, endless math lectures, the yawn-inducing roerties of single-cell division - she retreated
into en and aer! /he'd always loved to draw! $nime girls and saucer-eyed boys! ,ragons!
)hosts! /hoes! /he was absentmindedly sketching 'ack's rofile when a hand reached out and
scrawled a note on to of her age!
/he looked u, startled, instinctively covering her drawing!
'ack (orce nodded somberly at her, taing on her notebook with a encil, directing her gaze to
the words he'd written!
$ggie didn't die of an overdose! $ggie was murdered!
#H$P"ER E
$ gleaming Rolls-Royce /ilver /hadow was waiting in front of the ,uchesne gates when
Bliss emerged! /he felt slightly embarrassed, like she always did when she saw the car!
/he saw her half sister, 'ordan, who was eleven and in the si5th grade, waiting for her!
"hey had let the lower form out early too, even though they hardly knew $ggie!
"he door to the Rolls oened, and a air of long legs steed out of the car! Bliss's
stemother, the former Bobi$nne /heherd, wearing a tight ink velour tracksuit with the
zier ulled down to reveal her amle bosom, and high-heeled )ucci clogs, began looking
frantically around the clustered students!
Bliss wished, not for the first time, that her stemother would let her take a cab or walk
home like every other kid at ,uchesne! "he Rolls, the 'uicy, the eleven-carat diamond, it
was all so "e5as! Bliss had learned, from her two months in +anhattan, that it was all about
stealth wealth! "he richest kids in class wore 7ld 0avy and were on strict allowances! *f
they needed a car, their arents made sure it was a sleek and unobtrusive black "own #ar!
Even +imi took cabs! (lashy dislays of status and affluence were looked down uon! 7f
course, these were also the same kids who wore re-stained 4eans and unraveling sweaters
from recious /oHo boutiAues that charged in the five figures! *t was all right to look oor,
but actually being oor was comletely ine5cusable!
$t first, everyone at school thought Bliss was a scholarshi kid, with her fake-looking
#hanel bag and her too-shiny shoes! But the aearance of the /ilver /hadow Rolls every
afternoon soon ut an end to that rumor! "he &lewellyns were loaded, all right, but in a
vulgar, cartoonish, laughable fashion, which was almost as bad as having no money, but not
Auite!
;,arlings2; Bobi$nne trilled, her voice carrying down the block! ;* was so worried2; /he
gathered her daughter and her stedaughter in her skinny arms, ressing her owdered
cheek against theirs! /he smelled like calcified erfume - sweet and chalky! Bliss's real
mother had died when she was born, and her father never talked about her! Bliss had no
memory of her mother! 9hen she was three, her father had married Bobi$nne, and they'd
had 'ordan soon after!
;/to it, Bobi$nne,; Bliss comlained! ;9e're fine! 9e're not the ones who were killed!;
%illed! 0ow, why had she said that< $ggie's death was an accident! $ drug overdose! But
the word had come out naturally, without her even thinking about it! 9hy<
;* do wish you'd call me +ama, darlin'! * know, * know! * heard! "he oor #arondolet girl! Her
mother is in shock, the oor thing! )et in, get in!;
Bliss followed her sister inside the car! 'ordan was stoic as usual, taking her mother's
histrionic ministrations with a studied indifference! Her sister couldn't have been more
dissimilar to her! 9hereas Bliss was tall and willowy, 'ordan was short and stocky! Bliss was
strikingly beautiful, but 'ordan was so lain she was almost homely, a fact that Bobi$nne
never failed to oint out! ;$s different as a swan from a water buffalo2; she lamented!
Bobi$nne was always trying to ut 'ordan on some kind of diet and admonishing her for her
lack of interest in fashion or a ;beauty regimen; while raising Bliss's looks to the heavens,
which aggravated Bliss even more!
;8ou girls are not to go out anymore without a chaerone! 8ou esecially, Bliss, no more
sneaking out with +imi (orce to god knows where! 8ou're to be home every night by nine!;
Bobi$nne said, nervously gnawing on her thumbnail! Bliss rolled her eyes! /o now 4ust
because some girl died at a nightclub she had some kind of curfew< 9hen did her
stemother even care about stuff like this< Bliss had been going to arties since seventh
grade! /he'd had her first taste of alcohol then, and had gotten stuid-drunk at the
fairgrounds that year. her friend's older sister had had to come and ick her u after she'd
vomited and assed out in the haystack behind the (erris 9heel!
;8our father insists,; Bobi$nne said an5iously! ;0ow, don't y'all give me any more trouble
about it, y'hear<;
"he Rolls ulled away from the ,uchesne gates, drove down the length of the block, and
made a D-turn to sto in front of the &lewellyn's aartment building right across the street!
"hey e5ited the car and walked into a alatial aartment building! "he $nthetum was one of
the oldest and most restigious addresses in the city! "he &lewellyn abode was a trile5
enthouse on the to floor! Bobi$nne had commissioned several interior designers to
decorate the lace, and had even given the aartment a grand name, Penthouse des
RBNves 1Penthouse of ,reams3 even though all the (rench she knew could fit in a dress tag
1,ry #lean /eulement3! Each room in the aartment was decorated in flamboyant, eacock
fashion, and no e5ense had been sared, from the floor-standing eighteen-carat gold
candelabras in the dining room to the diamond-encrusted soa dishes in the owder room!
"here was the <6ersace< sitting room, filled with the dead designer's antiAues that
Bobi$nne had scooed u at the auction, filled to the brim with sunburst mirrors, gold gilt
china cabinets, and bombastic *talian nude sculture! $nother room was the <Bali< room,
with wall-to-wall mahogany armoires, rough wooden benches, and bamboo bird cages!
Every item in the room was an authentic, e5tremely rare and e5ensive /outh $sian artifact,
but because there were so many of them, the overall effect was that of a fire sale at Pier =
*morts! "here was even a <#inderella< room, modeled after the e5hibit at ,isney 9orld -
comlete with a tiara-wearing manneAuin in a dress held u by two fiberglass birds attached
to the ceiling!
Bliss thought Penthouse de #ra would be more fitting!
Her stemother was articularly agitated that afternoon! Bliss had never seen her so
nervous! Bobi$nne didn't even flinch when Bliss trailed dirty footstes on the immaculate
caret!
;Before * forget, this came for you today!; Her stemother handed Bliss an oversize white
linen enveloe! *t had an imressive heft and weight to it, like a wedding announcement!
Bliss oened it, finding a thick embossed card inside! *t was an invitation to 4oin the 0ew
8ork Blood Bank #ommittee! 7ne of the oldest charities in 0ew 8ork, it was also the most
restigious. only the children of the most socially rominent families were invited to 4oin as
4unior members! $t ,uchesne, it was simly called ;"he #ommittee!; Everyone who was
anyone in school was in "he #ommittee. being a member elevated you to a level of the
social stratoshere that was so lofty, mere mortals could only asire to, but never reach its
heights!
#atains of all the school teams were on "he #ommittee, as were the editors of the
newsaer and yearbook, but it wasn't an honor society, since rich kids like +imi (orce,
who weren't active in any school activities but whose arents were influential 0ew 8orkers,
made u the bulk of the membershi! *t was snobby, cliAuey, and e5clusive to the e5treme.
membershi comrised of only kids from the to rivate schools! "he #ommittee had never
even released a full list of its members - if you were on the outside, you could only guess if
someone was in it, and only a clue, like a #ommittee ring, a gold serent around a cross,
worn by a member, would give it away!
Bliss had been under the imression they weren't inducting new members until the sring,
but the acket informed her the first meeting was for the following +onday, at the 'efferson
Room at ,uchesne!
;9hy would * want to 4oin a charity committee<; she asked, thinking it was all so silly! $ll that
hoola over fundraising and arty-lanning! /he was sure ,ylan would find it ridiculous! 0ot
that she cared what ,ylan thought! /he still didn't know how she felt about him - she felt
awful about not even saying hello when he'd taed her on the shoulder earlier! But +imi's
watchful eyes were uon her, and Bliss 4ust hadn't felt brave enough to give any indication
that they were friends! 9ere they friends< "hey were certainly friendly (riday night!
;8ou don't 4oin! 8ou've been chosen,; Bobi$nne said!
Bliss nodded! ;,o * have to<;
Bobi$nne was adamant! ;*t would make your father and * very hay!;
&ater in the evening, 'ordan knocked on Bliss's bedroom door! ;9here were you on (riday
night<; she asked, her chubby fingers resting on the doorknob, leaving sticky fingerrints on
its gold late! 'ordan's dark eyes eered at her in an unnerving fashion!
Bliss shook her head! Her little sister was so strange! /he was so alien to Bliss! 9hen they
were younger, 'ordan had followed her everywhere like a lost uy, and continually
wondered why she didn't have curly hair like her sister, fair skin like her sister, and blue
eyes like her sister! "hey used to be friends! But things had changed in the ast year!
'ordan had become secretive and shy around Bliss! *t had been ages since 'ordan had
asked Bliss to braid her hair!
;$t Block =??, you know, that rivate club all the celebs go to! *t was in D/ 9eekly last
week,; Bliss relied! ;9hy, who wants to know<; /he was sitting on her rincess bed,
#ommittee aers sread out on the duvet! (or a charity committee, there were an endless
number of forms to be filled out, including a statement of accetance, that included a
commitment of two hours every +onday night!
;"hat's where she died, isn't it<; 'ordan said darkly!
;8eah!; Bliss nodded, without looking u!
;8ou know who did it, don't you<; 'ordan said! ;8ou were there!;
;9hat do you mean<; Bliss asked, finally utting down the aers!
'ordan shook her head! ;8ou know!;
;$ctually, * have no idea what you're talking about! ,idn't you get the C==< *t was an
overdose! 0ow, get lost, uke-face,; Bliss said, throwing a illow at the door!
9hat was 'ordan talking about< 9hat did she know< 9hy had her stemother been so
affected by $ggie's death< $nd what was the big deal about 4oining some charity
committee<
/he called +imi! /he knew +imi was on "he #ommittee, and Bliss wanted to make sure
she was going to be at the meeting!
#atherine #arver's ,iary
?Fth of 0ovember, =>?@
Plymouth, +assachusetts
"onight we celebrated our safe 4ourney into our new home! 9e have 4oyful news - the
eole of this new land have welcomed us with oen arms and many gifts! "hey brought
wild game, a large bird that could feed an army, a bounty of vegetables, and maize! *t is a
new beginning for us, and we are heartened by the sight of the verdant land, the vast virgin
acres where we will make our settlement! $ll our dreams have been realized! "his is what
we left our home for - so that the children may grow u safe and whole!
- #!#!
#H$P"ER G
9hen school let out, /chuyler caught the crosstown bus at 0inety-si5th /treet, sliding her
white student +etro#ard in the slot and finding an emty seat ne5t to a harassed-looking
mother with a double stroller! /chuyler was one of the few students at ,uchesne who took
ublic transortation!
"he bus slowly lumbered across the avenues, ast a host of secialty boutiAues on
+adison, including the unaologetically-named ;Prince and Princess; that catered to the
elite under-twelve set - (rench-smocked cotton dresses for girls and Barbour coats for boys.
harmacies that stocked five-hundred-dollar boar's-hair brushes. and tiny antiAue shos
that sold arcana such as mamaking eAuiment and fourteenth-century feather Auills! "hen
it was through the #entral Park greenery to the west side of town, toward Broadway, a
change of neighborhood and scenery - #hino-&atino restaurants, less snooty retail shos -
then finally a stee right u Riverside ,rive!
/he had meant to ask 'ack what he'd meant by his note, but she hadn't been able to catch
him after class! 'ack (orce, who had never even aid attention to her before< (irst he
knows her name, now he's writing her notes< 9hy would he tell her $ggie #arondolet was
murdered< *t had to be some kind of 4oke! He was laying with her, scaring her, most likely!
/he shook her head in irritation! *t didn't make sense! $nd even if 'ack (orce had some
overheated &aw and 7rder-tye insight into the case, why was he sharing it with her< "hey
barely knew each other!
$t =@@th street, she dinged the yellow tae and steed lightly out the automatic doors to
the still-sunny afternoon! /he walked u one block toward the stes carved into the
landscaed terraces that searated the traffic and led directly to her front door!
Riverside ,rive was a scenic Parisian-style boulevard on the westernmost side of uer
+anhattan- a grand serentine route dotted with stately *talian Renaissance mansions and
ma4estic $rt ,eco aartment buildings! *t was here that the 6an $lens had decamed in the
turn of the last century from their lower (ifth $venue abode! 7nce the most owerful and
influential family in 0ew 8ork #ity, the 6an $lens had founded many of the city's universities
and cultural institutions, but their wealth and restige had been in decline for decades! 7ne
of their last remaining holdings was the imosing (rench-style alace on the corner of leafy
=@=st and Riverside ,rive that /chuyler called home! +ade of beautiful gray stone, it had a
wrought-iron door and gargoyles standing guard at the balcony level!
But unlike the sarkling refurbished townhouses that surrounded it, the house badly needed
a new roof. tiles, and a coat of aint!
/chuyler rang the doorbell!
;* know, *'m sorry, Hattie, * forgot my keys again,; she aologized to their housekeeer, who
had been with the family ever since /chuyler could remember!
"he white-haired Polish woman in an old-fashioned maid's uniform only grunted!
/chuyler followed her through the creaking double door and titoed across the great hall,
which was dark and musty with Persian rugs 1so old and rare, but covered in a layer of
dust3! "here was never any light in the room because, even though the house had several
large bay windows that overlooked the Hudson River, heavy velvet curtains always covered
the views! "races of the family's former largesse were in evidence, from the original
Heelwhite chairs to the massive #hiendale tables, but the house was too hot in the
summer and too drafty in the winter, without the benefit of central air! Dnlike the &lewellyn's
enthouse, where everything was either a ricey reroduction or an antiAue bought at
#hristie's, every iece of furniture in the 6an $len home was original and handed down from
earlier generations!
+ost of the home's seven bedrooms were locked and unused, and draed fabric covered
most of the heirloom ieces! /chuyler always thought it was a little like living in a creaky old
museum! Her bedroom was on the second floor - a small room she'd rebelliously ainted a
bright +ountain ,ew yellow, to contrast the dark taestries and stuffiness of the rest of the
house!
/he whistled for Beauty, and a friendly, gorgeous bloodhound ran to her side! ;)ood girl,
good girl,; she said, kneeling down and hugging the hay creature, letting it lick her face!
0o matter how bad a day she'd had, Beauty always made it better! "he beautiful animal had
followed her home from school one day last year! "he dog was a urebred, with a glossy
dark coat that matched /chuyler's blue-black hair! /chuyler had been sure her owners
would come looking for her, and she had ut u ;(ound Pet; signs in the neighborhood! But
no one came to claim Beauty, and after a while, /chuyler stoed trying to find her rightful
owner!
"he two of them loed u the stairs! /chuyler walked inside her room and shut the door
behind her dog!
;Home so soon<;
/chuyler nearly 4umed out of her coat! Beauty barked, then wagged her tail, galloing
4oyfully toward the intruder! /chuyler turned to find her grandmother sitting on the bed with a
stern e5ression! #ordelia 6an $len was a small, birdlike woman - it was easy to see where
/chuyler got her delicate frame and her dee-set eyes, although #ordelia usually dismissed
remarks about family resemblance! #ordelia's eyes were blue and bright, and they stared
intensely at her granddaughter!
;#ordelia, * didn't see you,; /chuyler e5lained!
/chuyler's grandmother had forbidden her to call her )randmother, or )randma, or as she
heard some children call them, 0ana! *t would be nice to have a 0ana, a warm and chubby
maternal figure, whose very name selled love and homemade chocolate chi cookies! But
instead, all /chuyler had was #ordelia! $ still-beautiful, elegant woman, who looked to be in
her eighties or nineties, /chuyler never knew which! /ome days, #ordelia looked young
enough to be in her fifties 1or forties even, if /chuyler was being honest with herself3!
#ordelia sat ramrod straight, dressed in a black cashmere cardigan and flowing 4ersey
ants, her legs crossed delicately at the ankles! 7n her feet were black #hanel ballet
sliers!
$ll throughout /chuyler's childhood, #ordelia had been a resence! 0ot a arental, or even
an affectionate one, but a resence nonetheless! *t was #ordelia who had changed
/chuyler's birth certificate so that her last name was her mother's and not her father's! *t
was #ordelia who had enrolled her at the ,uchesne /chool! #ordelia who signed her
ermission slis, monitored her reort cards, and rovided her with a altry allowance!
;/chool let out early,; /chuyler said! ;$ggie #arondolet died!;
;* know!; #ordelia's face changed! $ flash of emotion flickered across the stern features -
fear, an5iety, concern, even<
;$re you all right<;
/chuyler nodded! /he barely even knew $ggie! /ure, they'd been going to the same school
for more than a decade, but it didn't mean they were friends!
;*'ve got homework to do!; /chuyler said, as she unbuttoned her coat and shook off her
sweater, eeling each layer of clothing until she stood in front of her grandmother in a thin
white tankto and black leggings!
/chuyler was half afraid of her grandmother, but had grown to love her even though
#ordelia never showed any inclination of recirocating the sentiment! "he most alable
emotion /chuyler could detect was a grudging tolerance! Her grandmother tolerated her!
/he didn't arove of her, but she tolerated her!
;8our marks are getting worse,; #ordelia noted, meaning /chuyler's forearms!
/chuyler nodded! /treaks of ale blue lines blossomed in an intricate attern, visible under
the skin's surface, on the underside of her forearms all the way to her wrist! "he rominent
blue veins had aeared a week shy of her fifteenth birthday! "hey didn't hurt, but they did
itch! *t was as if all of a sudden she was growing out of her skin - or into it - somehow!
;"hey look the same to me,; /chuyler relied!
;,on't forget about your aointment with ,r! Pat!;
/chuyler nodded!
Beauty made herself at home on /chuyler's duvet, looking out the window toward the river
twinkling behind the trees!
#ordelia began to at Beauty's smooth fur! ;* had a dog like this once,; she said! ;9hen *
was about your age! 8our mother did, too!; #ordelia smiled wistfully!
Her grandmother rarely talked about /chuyler's mother, who, technically, wasn't dead she'd
slied into a coma when /chuyler was hardly a year old, and had been traed in that
state ever since! "he doctors all agreed she registered normal brain activity, and that she
could wake u at any moment! But she never had! /chuyler visited her mother every
/unday at the #olumbia Presbyterian Hosital to read to her from the /unday "imes!
/chuyler didn't have many memories of her mother - aart from a sad, beautiful woman who
sang lullabies to her in the crib! +aybe she 4ust remembered that her mother looked sad
because that's how she looked now, when she was aslee - there was a melancholy cast to
her features! $ lovely, sorrowful-looking woman with folded hands, her latinum hair fanned
against the illow!
/he wanted to ask her grandmother more Auestions about her mother and her bloodhound -
but the faraway look had left #ordelia's face, and /chuyler knew she wouldn't get any more
tidbits about her mother that night!
;,inner at si5,; her grandmother said, leaving the room!
;8es, #ordelia,; /chuyler mumbled!
/he closed her eyes and lay on the bed, leaning against Beauty! "he sun began to set
through the blinds! Her grandmother was such an enigma! /chuyler wished, not for the first
time, that she were a normal girl, with a normal family! /he felt very lonely all of a sudden!
/he wondered if she should have told 7liver about 'ack's note! /he'd never ket something
like that from him before! But she was worried he'd 4ust call her silly for falling for some
stuid 4oke!
"hen her hone beeed! 7liver's number flashed on the te5t message, almost as if he knew
how she was feeling right then!
+*// D B$BE!
/chuyler smiled! /he might not have arents! But at least she had one true friend!
#H$P"ER H
$ggie #arondolet's funeral had all the traings of an e5clusive society event! "he
#arondolets were a high-rofile 0ew 8ork family, and $ggie's untimely death had been
fodder for the tabloids! PREP /#H77& )*R& ,E$, *0 ,790"790 #&DB! Her arents
had shuddered, but there was nothing they could do about it! "he city was obsessed with
the beautiful, rich, and tragic! 1"he more beautiful, rich, and tragic, the bigger the headline!3
"hat morning, a halan5 of hotograhers stood guard at the school's gates, waiting to get
a shot of the grieving mother 1a dignified /loane #arondolet, =HGF's deb of the year3 and
the stricken best friend, none other than lissome *t-girl-about-town +imi (orce!
7nce +imi saw the hotograhers, she was glad she'd slurged on the ,ior Homme suit by
Hedi /limane! *t had been a bitch getting it tailored overnight, but what +imi wanted, +imi
always got! "he suit was of black satin, with shar, severe lines! /he wore nothing
underneath but an ony5 choker! /he would look fabulous in tomorrow's aers - the sou<
on of tragedy making her an even more glamorous figure!
/eating inside the ,uchesne chael was arranged according to rank, 4ust like a fashion
show! 7f course, +imi was given a front-row erch! /he was seated between her father and
her brother, the three of them making a good-looking trio! Her mother, stuck in a three-
month lastic surgery safari in /outh $frica 1facelifts disguised as vacations3 couldn't return
in time, so )ina ,uPont, a beautiful art dealer and close friend of her father's, had
accomanied him to the funeral!
+imi knew )ina was actually one of her father's mistresses, but the knowledge didn't bother
her! )rowing u, she'd been shocked by the constancy of her arents' e5tramarital affairs,
but when she was old enough, she'd acceted the relationshis for what they were -
necessary to the #aerimonia 7sculor! 0o one could be all things to one erson! +arriage
was for keeing the family fortune within the family, for making a good match, akin to a
sound business deal! /he'd been made to understand there were some things that could
only be satisfied outside of a marriage, some things that even a loyal souse couldn't
rovide!
/he noticed /enator &lewellyn and his family entering through a side door! Bliss's
stemother strutted in wearing a floor-length black mink over a black dress. the senator was
wearing a double-breasted black suit. Bliss was wearing a black cashmere sweater and slim
black )ucci cigarette ants! "hen +imi noticed something odd! Bliss's little sister was
dressed head to toe in white!
9ho wears white to a funeral< But as +imi looked around, she noticed almost half of the
assembled guests in the chael were wearing white - and all of them were sitting across the
aisle! /itting in the very front ew, leading the white-clad mourners was a small, wizened
woman +imi had never seen before! /he noticed 7liver Hazard-Perry and his arents walk
toward the front and bow to the white-garbed crone before finding seats in the far back!
"he mayor and his entourage arrived, followed by the governor, his wife, and children! "o
the man, they were all in the aroriate black formal dress and sat themselves behind her
father's ew! +imi felt oddly relieved! Everyone on their side of the room was wearing the
roer black or charcoal garments!
+imi was glad for the closed coffin! /he didn't want to see that frozen scream again, not in
this lifetime! $nyway, it was all a big mistake! /he was certain the 9ardens would find some
erfectly reasonable e5lanation for all this, some art of the cycle that e5lained the loss of
all that blood! Because $ggie 4ust couldn't be dead! $s her father said, $ggie robably
wasn't even in that coffin!
"he service began, and the assembled rose from their seats and sang ;0earer, +y )od, to
"hee!; +imi looked u from her hymnal and noticed Bliss leaving her seat! /he raised an
eyebrow! $fter the chalain said the roer words, $ggie's sister made a brief eulogy!
/everal other students soke, including her brother, 'ack, who made a moving seech, and
4ust as Auickly, the service was over! +imi followed her family as they left their ew!
"he diminutive, white-haired matron who was sitting across from them walked over and
taed her father lightly on the arm! /he had the bluest eyes +imi had ever seen and was
wearing an imeccable ivory #hanel suit and roes of earls around her wrinkled neck!
#harles (orce startled visibly! +imi had never seen her father that way! He was a
comosed, regal man, with a mane of silver hair and a rigid military bearing! "he lines on
his face were grooved with the conseAuences of ower! *t was said that #harles (orce was
the real authority that ran 0ew 8ork! "he ower behind the owerful!
;#ordelia,; her father said to the old bat, with a bow of the head! ;*t is good to see you
again!;
;*t has been too long!; /he had the clied, nasal tones of a true 8ankee!
He didn't resond! ;$ terrible loss,; he said finally!
;E5tremely unfortunate,; the old lady agreed! ;$lthough it could have been revented!;
;*'m not sure what you're talking about,; #harles relied, looking genuinely erle5ed!
;8ou know as well as *, that they should have been warned - ;
;Enough! 0ot here,; he said, lowering his voice and ulling her toward him! +imi strained to
hear the rest of the conversation!
;$lways the first to shy from the truth! 8ou are the way you have always been, arrogant and
blind!!!!!; the old woman was saying!
;$nd if we had listened to you and sown the fear< 9here would we be then<; he asked
coldly! ;8ou would have us cowering in caves!;
;* would have had us ensuring our survival! *nstead, we are vulnerable once more,; #ordelia
relied, her rasy voice shaking with anger! ;*nstead, they are allowed to return, to hunt! *f *
had the authority, if the #onclave had listened to me, to "eddy - ;
;But they did not, they chose me to lead, as * have always done,; #harles interruted
smoothly! ;But this is no time to bring u old wounds and grievances!; He frowned! ;Have
you - no, you haven't - +imi, 'ack, come here!;
;$h, the twins!; #ordelia smiled a crytic smile! ;"ogether again!; +imi didn't like the way
the senile old thing was looking at her, sizing her u as if she knew everything about her
already!
;"his is #ordelia 6an $len,; #harles (orce said gruffly! ;#ordelia, the twins! Ben4amin and
+adeleine!;
;Pleased to make your acAuaintance,; 'ack (orce said olitely!
;,itto,; +imi snorted!
#ordelia nodded comlacently! /he turned to #harles (orce once more and whisered
fiercely! ;8ou must raise the alarm2 9e must be vigilant2 "here is still time! 9e may still sto
them, if you would only find it in your heart to forgive,; she said! ;)abrielle !!!;
;,o not seak to me of )abrielle,; #harles said, cutting her off! ;0ever! * would never hear
her name soken to me again! Esecially from you!;
9ho was )abrielle< +imi wondered! 9hy did her father seem so agitated< +imi felt angry
and annoyed to see how her father reacted to the old woman's words!
#ordelia's eyes softened! ;*t has been fifteen years,; she said! ;*s that not long enough<;
;*t is good to see you well, #ordelia! )ood day,; #harles said, a finality to his tone!
"he old hag frowned and walked away without another word! +imi saw /chuyler 6an $len
following her, looking back at them sheeishly, as if embarrassed by her grandmother's
actions! $s well she should be, +imi thought!
;,ad, who was that<; +imi asked, noticing her father looking sooked!
;#ordelia 6an $len,; he relied heavily, then said no more! $s if that e5lained everything!
;9ho wears white to a funeral<; +imi sneered, her li curling!
;Black is the color of night,; #harles muttered! ;9hite is the true color of death!; (or a
moment, he looked down at his black suit in dismay!
;Huh< ,ad< 9hat did you say<;
He shook his head, lost in thought!
+imi noticed 'ack run u to talk to /chuyler, and the two of them began an intense,
whisered conversation! +imi didn't like that one bit! /he had no idea who this /chuyler
erson thought she was, and she didn't give a damn if it turned out she was #ommittee
material after all! /he didn't like the way 'ack was looking at /chuyler! "he only other
erson he ever looked at like that was her!
$nd +imi wanted to kee it that way!
#H$P"ER =@
Bliss hadn't been able to stand it! 9hile the service was still going on, she had decided she
had to get out of there! (unerals freaked her out! "he only one she'd ever been to was the
one for her great-aunt, and no one had even been that sad! Bliss could have sworn she'd
overheard her arents say ;*t's about time; and ;"ook her long enough; at the funeral!
)reat-$unt )ertrude had lived to a rie old age of ==@ years - she'd been featured on the
"oday show - and when Bliss had visited her at the ranch the day before her death, the old
thing was as sry as ever! ;*t's time for me to go, my dear! * know it is, but we shall meet
again,; she'd said to Bliss!
$t least $ggie's wasn't an oen casket, but it still made her feel Aueasy to think of a dead
body in there, 4ust a few feet away from her! /oon after they'd arrived, Bliss managed to
wriggle out of sitting with her stemother, who was too busy saying hello to all the other
,uchesne moms anyway!
Bliss stealthily made her way toward the e5it! /he caught +imi's eye on the way! +imi
raised an eyebrow and Bliss mouthed ;bathroom,; feeling a little silly for having to do so!
9hy did +imi kee such close tabs on her< she wondered, as she continued her way
toward the e5it! +imi was worse than her stemother! *t was getting irritating! /he slunk out
of the back door, only to run into someone else trying to sneak outside!
,ylan was wearing a narrow black suit, with a white shirt and a skinny black tie! He looked
like a member of "he /trokes! He smiled at her! ;)oing somewhere<;
;*t's, uh, hot in there,; she said lamely!
He nodded, ondering her statement! "hey hadn't really soken to each other since (riday
night, in the alley between the nightclubs! /he'd been meaning to seek him out, 4ust to
aologize for ignoring him yesterday! 0ot that she had anything to aologize for, really! $fter
all, they'd 4ust sent the night talking! *t wasn't like they were friends or anything! 0o big
deal!
E5cet that it was! "hat night, he'd told her all about his family, and how he'd hated boarding
school in #onnecticut! /he'd told him about Houston, how she used to drive her
grandfather's #adillac convertible to school, which everyone thought was hilarious! "he
thing was a boat - with roer fins! +ore imortant, she'd confessed how she didn't feel like
she fit in at ,uchesne at all, and how she didn't even like +imi!
*t was liberating to have been so honest with him, although she regretted it as soon as she
got home, traumatized by the fear that somehow he would find a way to tell +imi what she'd
confided in him, even though she knew it was imossible! +imi was in the *n-#liAue! ,ylan
hung out with the misfits and losers! 0ever the twain shall meet! *f he even tried to aroach
+imi, she would cut him dead with a look even before he got his mouth oen!
;9anna cut<; he asked! His black hair was combed straight back, and he wiggled his dark
eyebrows at her invitingly!
#utting a funeral! 0ow that was an interesting idea! "he whole school was suosed to be
at the service! *t was mandatory! "he only class Bliss had ever cut was gym, one afternoon
when she and her friends decided to go see some teen slasher flick! *t had been a fun day -
the movie was even worse than it sounded, and they'd gotten back to school without getting
caught!
$t ,uchesne, you were actually allowed to cut class twice a semester - it was art of the
;fle5ible academic rogram!; "he school understood that sometimes, the stress was 4ust too
much and students occasionally had to cut class! *t was amazing how even rebellion was
written into the school's rules, everything so neatly tied into the whole rigor and logic of the
lace!
But as far as she knew, no one was allowed to cut a funeral! "hat would be seriously
transgressive! Esecially because she was suosed to be one of $ggie's B(('s since they
hung out in the same crowd!
;&et's go,; ,ylan said, reaching out to hold her hand!
Bliss began to follow him, when another figure steed out of the chael doors! ;9here are
you going<; 'ordan &lewellyn asked her sister, her large eyes boring into Bliss's skull!
;9ho are you<; ,ylan asked!
;Beat it, buttface,; Bliss warned!
;8ou shouldn't go! *t's not safe,; 'ordan said, looking directly at ,ylan!
;&et's go, she's a freak,; Bliss said, scowling at her sister, who was dressed all in white and
looked like she was about to receive her first communion!
;*'m telling2; 'ordan threatened!
;)o ahead2 "ell everybody2; Bliss shot back!
,ylan smirked, and without another word, Bliss followed him through the back door, down
the stairs, toward the first level of the mansion!
7ne of the school's housekeeers looked u from inside the coy room, which faced the
back staircase! ;9ha' you kids doing here<; she asked, utting a hand on her amle his!
;$driana, be cool!; ,ylan smiled!
"he housekeeer shook her head, but she smiled back!
Bliss liked that ,ylan was on friendly terms with the staff! Even though he was 4ust being
olite, it was still nice! +imi treated the ground staff and the service workers with withering
condescension!
,ylan led Bliss out the side door ast the ,umsters and out the service entrance! /oon
they were free, and walking down 0inety-first /treet!
;9hat do you want to do<; he asked!
/he shrugged! /he inhaled the fresh autumn air! 0ow, that was something she was really
starting to en4oy about 0ew 8ork! "he cris, clean fall weather - they didn't have weather
like that down in Houston! *t went from muggy to rainy! /he ut her hands in the ockets of
her calf-skimming #hloe trench coat!
;*t's 0ew 8ork, we could do anything,; he teased! ;"he whole city is oen to us! 9e could
see a burlesAue show, or a bad comedy act! Hear some ,errida lecture at 08D! 7r we
could go bowling at the Piers! * know, what about this bar in the East 6illage where the
waiters are real Belgian monks< 7r maybe we could go rowing in the Park<;
;+aybe we can 4ust walk to a museum<; she asked!
;7h, artsy girl!; He smiled! ;$ll right! 9hich one<;
;"he +et,; she decided! /he'd only been there once, and only to the gift sho, where her
stemother had sent hours icking out floral rints for souvenirs!
"hey walked toward (ifth $venue and arrived at the +etroolitan +useum in Auick time!
"he front stes were filled with eole scarfing down their lunches, taking ictures, or
simly basking in the sun! *t was a carnival atmoshere. someone was slaing bongos on
one end, and a boom bo5 blasted reggae music on the other! "hey walked u the stes and
inside!
"he lobby of the museum was bustling with activity and color - schoolchildren on field tris
lined u behind their teachers, art students walked briskly with their sketchbooks tucked
underneath their arms, a Babelian rattle of many different languages bubbled from the
tourists!
,ylan slid a dime underneath the glass ticket counter! ;"wo, lease,; he said, an innocent
smile on his face!
Bliss was a little aalled! /he checked the sign! /D))E/"E, ,70$"*70- J=F! 9ell, he
had a oint, it was suggested, not mandatory! "he cashier handed them their round +et
ins with no comment! $arently, he'd seen it all before!
;Have you ever been to the "emle of ,endur<; ,ylan asked, leading Bliss toward the
northern end of the museum!
;0o,; she said, shaking her head! ;9hat's that<;
;/to,; he said! He ut his hands gently on her face! ;#lose your eyes!;
;9hy<; /he giggled!
;'ust do it,; he said! ;"rust me!;
/he closed her eyes, holding a hand against her face, and she felt him tug at her hand,
leading her forward! /he walked hesitantly, feeling ahead of her - they were inside some
kind of maze, she thought - as he led her briskly through a series of shar turns! "hen they
were outside of it! Even with her eyes closed, she could sense they were in a large, emty
sace!
;7en your eyes,; ,ylan whisered!
/he blinked them oen!
"hey were standing in front of the ruins of an Egytian temle! "he building was ma4estic
and rimitive at the same time - in direct contrast to the clean, modern lines of the museum!
*t was absolutely stunning! "he hall was emty, and there was a long horizontal fountain in
front of the temle! *t was a breathtaking iece of art, and the history behind it - the fact that
the museum had meticulously shied and reconstructed it so that the temle looked
erfectly at home in a +anhattan museum - made Bliss's head roll!
;7h my )od!;
;* know,; ,ylan said, his eyes twinkling!
Bliss blinked back tears! *t was the most romantic thing anyone had ever done to her - ever!
He looked directly into her eyes, nodding his head down toward her lis!
/he fluttered her eyelashes, her heart racing in her chest, swooning! /he leaned toward
him, lifting her face to be kissed! He looked gentle and hoeful, and there was something
aealingly vulnerable about the way he couldn't meet her gaze!
"heir lis met!
$nd that's when it haened!
"he world went gray! /he was in her skin but not in her skin! "he room was constricting!
"he world was shrinking! $ll four walls of the temle were suddenly whole! /he was in the
desert! /he could taste the acrid sand in her mouth, feel the hot sun on her back! $
thousand scarabs - black and shiny, buzzing flew out of the temle door! $nd that was when
she began to scream!
#atherine #arver's ,iary
K@th of 0ovember, =>?@
Plymouth, +assachusetts
"oday +yles /tandish took a team down the coast to Roanoke, to bring medicine, food and
sulies to the settlement there! *t is a fortnight's sail, so they will be gone a good while! *
was heartsick to see 'ohn go off with the men! /o far, we have been safe, but who knows
for how long! 0o one dares say! "he children grow Auickly and are a delight to all! "here
has been an abundance of twin births! "he $llertons recently had trilets! /usannah 9hite,
whose husband, 9illiam, also 4ourneyed to Roanoke, came to visit! 9e agreed it is a fertile
season! 9e have been blessed!
- #!#!
#H$P"ER ==
/chuyler was still thinking about what 'ack had said after $ggie's funeral when she arrived
at ,r! Pat's all-white office in a chrome-and-glass (ifth $venue tower later that afternoon!
He'd asked her why she had ignored his note, and she'd e5lained she had simly
dismissed it as a rank! ;8ou think $ggie's death is funny<; he'd asked, his face stricken!
/he had tried to rotest - but her grandmother was calling her and she had to leave! /he
couldn't erase the look on his face! $s if she had disaointed him deely somehow! /he
blew out her bangs loudly! 9hy did he have such an effect on her< $n emaciated woman in
a fo5-fur 4acket across the room glared at her! /chuyler stared defiantly back!
#ordelia had made a big to-do about /chuyler seeing ,r! Pat! "he doctor was some kind of
dermatologist, a famous one! "he office was more like the inside of a +iami hotel - the
/hore #lub or the ,elano - than a normal waiting room! *t was all white, white flokati rugs,
white tile walls, white lacAuer tables, white leather couches, white fiberglass Eames
loungers! $arently ,r! Pat was the ,r! Pat, the one who all the socialites and fashion
designers and celebrities credited with their fabulous comle5ions! /everal signed and
framed hotograhs from models and actresses hung on the walls!
/chuyler ushed 'ack out of her mind and began fliing through the glossy magazine
articles e5tolling the doctor's virtues, when the door from the inner office oened and +imi
(orce walked out!
;9hat are you doing here<; +imi sat! /he had changed out of her ,ior suit and was
wearing a more <casual< outfit - a air of tight four-thousand-dollar $o 4eans with the
latinum rivets and a diamond button, a chunky +artine /itbon sweater, and slim butter-
colored 'immy #hoo stilettos!
;/itting down<; /chuyler relied, even though it was obvious +imi had asked a rhetorical
Auestion! ;9hat haened to your face<;
+imi glared! Her whole face was covered with little inoints of blood! /he'd 4ust received a
laser dermabrasion eel, and it had left her skin a little raw! *t heled mask the blue veins
that were starting to fade around her eyes! ;0one of your business!;
/chuyler shrugged!
+imi left, slamming the door behind her!
$ few minutes later, the nurse called /chuyler's name, and she was ushered into a
treatment room! "he nurse took her weight and blood ressure, then asked her to change
into a backless hosital gown! /chuyler ut on the gown and waited a few minutes before
the doctor finally entered!
,r! Pat was a stern, gray-haired woman, who looked at /chuyler and said, ;8ou're very
thin,; as a greeting!
/chuyler nodded! *t never mattered what she ate - she could live on chocolate cakes and
(rench fries and she never seemed to gain an ounce! /he'd been that way since she was a
kid! 7liver always used to marvel at her caacity! ;8ou should be as big as a house,; he
liked to say, ;the way you eat!;
,r! Pat insected the marks on her arms, silently tracing the atterns that had formed there!
;,o you get dizzy<;
/chuyler nodded! ;/ometimes!;
;&ike you can't remember where you are or where you've been<;
;Dh-huh!;
;,o you ever feel like you're dreaming but you're not<;
/chuyler frowned! ;*'m not sure what you mean!;
;How old are you<;
;(ifteen!;
;Right on time then,; ,r! Pat muttered! ;But no flashback memories yet! Hmm!;
;E5cuse me<;
/he suddenly remembered that night at "he Bank!
7liver had gone to get drinks, and she'd e5cused herself to go to the ladies' room! But when
she'd turned the corner, she'd bumed into that strange man! /he had only seen him for a
moment - a tall man, with broad shoulders wearing a dark suit - his bright gray eyes had
glared at her from the darkness! "hen he had disaeared, although there was only a blank
wall where he had been standing! "here had been something ancient and remote about
him, and she couldn't lace it, but he seemed familiar! /he didn't know if that was anything
to tell ,r! Pat about, so she didn't mention it!
"he doctor took out a rescrition ad and began scribbling on it! ;*'m going to give you
some cream to cover your veins for now, but really, it's nothing to worry about! *'ll see you in
the sring!;
;9hy< *s something going to haen in the sring<; But the doctor wouldn't say!
/chuyler left the doctor's office with more Auestions than she had answers!
9henever +imi felt uset, she went shoing! *t was her natural reaction to any intense
emotional e5erience! Hay or sad, deressed or triumhant, she could only be found in
one lace! /he stormed out of the doctor's office, took the careted elevator to the ground
floor, and walked across +adison to the haven of Barneys! +imi loved Barneys! Barneys
was to +imi as "iffany's was to Holly )olightly, a lace where nothing terrible could ever be
allowed to haen! /he loved the clean lines of the beauty counters, the ale wood fi5tures,
the glass cases dislaying tiny, e5Auisite and e5orbitantly riced 4ewelry, the small selection
of *talian handbags, everything so clean and modern and erfect!
*t was a great antidote to everything that had haened - because of course, $ggie was still
dead! "hat's what scared her the most! Her death meant there was something "he
#ommittee was keeing from them! "hat there was something they didn't know, or
something "he 9ardens weren't telling them! /he didn't want to Auestion them, but it was
maddening when her father wasn't forthcoming with any answers!
$nd that 6an $len girl - the one with the sooky grandmother - showing u at ,r! Pat's office
like that! "here was something about that girl she didn't like, and not 4ust because 'ack
seemed to be interested in her! $ wave of revulsion had washed over her when she saw the
two of them together, and she wanted to e5orcise the remaining ill feeling that had made her
feel like vomiting! /he wished her brother would Auit hanging around scraggly sohomores
like /chuyler 6an $len! 9hat was wrong with him<
$ woman in a sleek antsuit aroached +imi deferentially! ;9ould you like to see anything
*'ve ut aside for you, +iss (orce<;
+imi nodded! /he followed her ersonal shoer to the rivate dressing room in the back
that was reserved for 6*Ps and celebrities! *t was a circular room, with suede couches, a
small bar, and a hosted buffet table! *n the middle of the room was a rack of clothes that her
shoer had selected esecially for her!
/he took a chocolate-died strawberry from a silver tray and chewed on it slowly while she
erused the racks! /he'd already made her fall urchases that $ugust, but it didn't hurt to
see if she'd missed any trends! /he caressed a gold &anvin ball gown, a shorn Prada
4acket, and a floral ,erek &am cocktail dress!
;*'ll take these,; +imi said! ;$nd what do we have here<; she cooed, finding a wis of
chiffon on a added hanger!
/he brought the dress into the dressing room and emerged a few minutes later in a
devastating leoard rint Roberto #avalli silk gown! /he looked at herself in the mirror! "he
dress was slashed down from neck to navel, revealing her ale, ivory skin, and ended in a
haze of feathers that fluttered down her calves!
;Bellissima!;
+imi looked u! $ handsome *talian man was staring at her, his eyes resting on her
e5osed cleavage!
/he covered herself with her hands and dislayed her curvy back to him! Her black thong
eeked above the waist! ;:i me u<;
He walked over and ut a finger underneath the stra of her thong, toying with the lacy
fabric! Her skin tingled with goose bums at his touch! He stroked the crescent underside of
her back, stoing right above her lower hi! He smiled at her in the mirror and she returned
his smolder! He looked to be in his early twenties, twenty-three tos! $ gold Patek Philie
glinted on his wrist! /he recognized him from the society ages! $ famous +anhattan
layboy, who was rumored to have sent half the society girls in the =@@?= :*P code into
theray!
;"hat dress is wasted on you here,; he said, as he ulled the zier u slowly!
+imi took a ste back, arching her neck and observing how the dress barely covered her
niles! ,efinite side cleavage!
;"hen why don't we go somewhere else<; +imi asked, her eyes sarkling dangerously! /he
could sense the blood beneath his skin, almost taste the rich, luscious, ul in his veins! 0o
wonder she'd been feeling irritable and weak - with all the distress from $ggie's funeral,
she'd hardly had any time for a new boy!
/ome eole would robably advise a young girl not to ste inside a stranger's
&amborghini! But as +imi folded her legs inside the assenger seat, her black Barneys
shoing bags safely stowed in the trunk, she could only smile to herself! /he was still
wearing the Roberto #avalli dress!
He revved u the engine and owered the accelerator, Auickly shifting gears so that the flat,
yellow sorts car screeched u +adison! He gazed at her with a redatory hunger, and
when he laced his right arm over her backrest, he rested a heavy hand on her shoulder!
*nstead of rotesting, +imi drew his hand farther down so that it rested on her cleavage,
feeling e5hilarated as he sAueezed her breast through the thin fabric with the one hand, and
with the other, maneuvered the car deftly down the avenue!
;*s good, yes<; he asked with a heavy *talian accent!
;6ery good!; /he licked her lis slowly!
He had no idea what he was in for!
#H$P"ER =?
;"ell me again what haened!;
Bliss sat on the white leather recliner in ,r! Pat's office! Her arents had made the
aointment after she'd woken them u last night, screaming her lungs out!
;8esterday, you were at the temle,; ,r! Pat rodded!
;Right! "he Egytian wing at the +et,; Bliss agreed! ;He'd 4ust taken his hands away from
my eyes, and * saw the temle!; /he was sitting on a white Eames fiberglass lounge chair in
a treatment room! /he wasn't e5actly sure what kind of doctor ;,r! Pat; was! *t looked like a
dermatologist's office, but she also saw several regnant women getting ultrasounds in the
other rooms!
;8es, you said that!;
;$nd then - ; /he blushed! ;* think he was about to kiss me! * think he did kiss me, but then,
* don't know - * blacked out! "he ne5t thing * knew, * was 4ust walking around with him in the
$merican wing looking at furniture!;
;$nd that's all you remember<;
;* remember screaming!;
;8ou were screaming<;
;0o, someone was screaming! (ar away!; Bliss said! /he looked around at ,r! Pat's office!
*t was the cleanest, whitest office she had ever been in! /he noticed that even the medical
instruments gleamed and were arranged artfully in *talian glass canisters!
;"ell me about it!;
Bliss reddened! /he hadn't decided to reveal what bothered her so much! Her arents
already thought she was crazy - what if ,r! Pat did too<
;9ell, it was really weird, but all of a sudden, * was standing outside the temle, when it was
still whole! *n Egyt, * mean! "he sun was really bright, and the temle - it wasn't a ruin! *t
was comlete! $nd * was there! *t was like, being inside a movie!;
/uddenly ,r! Pat smiled! *t was so une5ected, Bliss found herself grinning back! ;* know
that sounds insane, but * felt like * was transorted back in time!;
0ow ,r! Pat was definitely cheerful! /he folded u her notebook and ut it away! ;9hat
you're e5eriencing is erfectly normal!;
;*t is<; Bliss asked!
;Regenerative +emory /yndrome!;
;9hat is that<;
,r! Pat rovided a long-winded e5lanation about the effects of ;cell restructuring
cognizance henomenon,; a cataclysmic event in the brain that roduced the subseAuent <
time-war< effect! Her e5lanation went comletely over Bliss's head! ;*t's like dBL4BM vu! *t
haens to the best of us!;
;* guess! /o *'m not crazy< 7ther eole have e5erienced this<;
;9ell, not everybody,; ,r! Pat relied doubtfully! ;But some eole! /ecial eole! 8ou
should have told your arents about it sooner! 8ou have a #ommittee meeting on +onday,
yes<;
How did ,r! Pat know about "he #ommittee<
/he nodded!
;Everything will be e5lained in time! (or now, don't give it another thought!;
;/o there's nothing wrong with me<;
;$bsolutely nothing at all!;
&ater that night, Bliss woke u with a blistering headache! 9here am *< she wondered! /he
felt as though she'd been hit by a truck! Her body felt waterlogged and heavy, and her head
was groggy! /he looked at the clock ne5t to her bed!
*t flashed ==-CH P!+!
9ith effort, she ulled herself u to a sitting osition! /he ut a hand to her forehead! /he
was hot, burning! "he ounding in her head was merciless! Her stomach growled! Hungry!
/he swung her feet over her bed and heaved herself u to stand! 0ot a good idea! /he was
dizzy and sick! /he grabbed on to one of the bedosts and staggered over to the light
switch! 9hen she reached over to turn on the light, her bedroom was suddenly illuminated!
Everything was 4ust as she'd left it - the thick #ommittee letter and forms scattered on her
desk, her )erman te5tbook oen to the same age, her fountain ens arranged neatly in
her encil bo5, a funny /tetson magnet from her friends back home in "e5as, a framed
hotograh of her family in front of the #aitol stes when her father was sworn in to the
/enate!
/he wied her eyes and atted down her curls, which, from e5erience, she knew were
sticking out frantically in all directions!
Hungry!
*t was a dark, abiding ache! $ hysical ain! "his was new! ,r! Pat didn't say anything about
this! /he clutched her stomach, feeling nauseous! /he walked outside her bedroom to the
darkened hallway, following the low lights to the kitchen!
"heir stainless-steel kitchen looked severe in the midnight glow of the overhead lams!
Bliss saw her reflection on all the surfaces - a tall, gangly girl with scary hair and a bleak
e5ression!
/he oened the door to the /ub-:ero! $rranged neatly in rows were bottles of 6itamin
9ater, Pellegrino, and 6euve #licAuot! /he tore oen the drawers! (resh fruit, cut and
laced in "uerware containers! #reamline 8ogurt! $ half-eaten graefruit covered in
cellohane! 9hite cardboard containers of leftover #hinese food!
0o good!
Hunnngrrry!
*n the meat drawer, she found it! $ ound of raw hamburger meat! /he took it out and tore
the brown aer wraing! +eat! /he stuffed her face with the bloody chunks of ground
beef, devouring it voraciously, so that the blood dried down her chin!
/he ractically swallowed it whole!
;9hat are you doing<;
Bliss froze!
Her sister, 'ordan, in ink flannel a4amas, was standing in the doorway of the kitchen,
watching her!
;*t's all right, 'ordan!; Bobi$nne suddenly aeared out of the shadows! /he was smoking a
cigarette in the corner! 9hen she e5haled, the smoke curled u around the edges of her
lis! ;)o to bed!;
Bliss ut the acket of meat down on the counter! /he wied her lis with a nakin! ;* don't
know what got into me! * was 4ust hungry!;
;7f course you are, my dear,; Bobi$nne agreed, as if it were the most normal thing in the
world to find your stedaughter eating a hunk of raw hamburger meat straight from the
fridge at three in the morning! ;"here are some filet mignons in the second drawer! *n case
you still have an aetite!;
$nd with those words, Bobi$nne bade her goodnight!
Bliss thought about it for a moment, wondering if the world had gone insane! ,r! Pat telling
her her out-of-body, out-of-time e5erience was 4ust ;one of those things,; her stemother
not blinking an eye at seeing her covered in blood in the kitchen! /he contemlated for a
moment! "hen she found the acket of steaks and ate them, too!
#onsumtion! /ymtoms include a high fever, fainting, dizziness, coughing u of blood, and
the accumulation of fluid in the lungs! ,uring the early years of the $merican colony at
Plymouth, a high degree of consumtion was the cause of many deaths! ;(ull consumtion;
was the term for a erson who had died with all of his or her blood drained from the body!
"heories suggest that a bacterial infection broke down the latelets, thinning out the blood
and absorbing it into the body so that it only looked as though all the blood had
disaeared!
- (rom ,eath and &ife in the Plymouth #olonies, =>?@B#=>C= by Professor &awrence
9inslow 6an $len
#H$P"ER =K
"he ne5t day, the whole uer school was called into the chael again, but for a less somber
reason! *t was a #areer "alk! Even the unfortunate demise of one of their students couldn't
change the rigid schedule of lectures that the school had lanned for the year! Part of the
,uchesne hilosohy was to e5ose their students to a samling of the many career
oortunities and aths available to them! "hey'd had talks from a famous heart surgeon, the
editor of a restigious magazine, the #E7 of a (ortune F@@ comany, a famous film director!
+ost of the adults who came to give the talks were ,uchesne alumni, or ,uchesne arents!
+ost of the students welcomed the hour-and-a-half break in their day, since it meant that they
could snooze in the back ews, which was a lot more comfortable than nodding off in class!
;9e have a secial treat for you today,; the ,ean of /tudents announced! ;"oday we have
&inda (arnsworth, from (arnsworth +odels!; $ rile of aroval and e5citement went through
the assemblage!
(arnsworth +odels was the biggest name in the cutthroat modeling industry! "heir biannual
#areer "alk at ,uchesne was 4ust an e5cuse to find the newest batch of models lurking in the
student body! $n incongruous, but unimeachable fact was that ,uchesne was a breeding
ground for modeling talent in the city! /tudents had gyrated their his in music videos, walked
the runways in Bryant Park, and had aeared in television commercials and rint advertising!
$n inordinate number were featured in the '! #rew and $bercrombie O (itch catalogs! "he
,uchesne tye - tall, willowy, blond, aristocratic, and all-$merican, was more in demand than
ever!
&inda (arnsworth was a short, sAuat woman with crinkly hair and a dowdy aearance! /he
wore half-moon glasses, and her voice Auavered over the microhone as she e5lained the ins
and outs of the modeling industry! /he e5horted its virtues 1)lamorous hoto shoots2 "ravel to
e5otic laces2 (un arties23, and in the same breath emhasized the very hard work that went
into making the erfect hotograhs! "here was a smattering of olite alause when she
finished!
9hen the formal talk ended, &inda set u a casting call on the third-floor landing and invited any
interested students to try out! $lmost all of the girls and even a few of the boys waited in line to
see if they would make the cut!
$fter a bunch of glum freshmen were ushered to the side, +imi steed forward! /he had
dressed esecially well for the occasion, in a slim-fitting tailored #O# #alifornia "-shirt and low,
hi-slung Paige 4eans! /he'd heard that models should dress as lainly as ossible for
auditions, a blank canvas on which advertisers and designers could easier ro4ect their visions!
"he night before, she'd left the *talian e5hausted in his enthouse loft, she herself felt
invigorated and cheerful!
;9alk u toward the end of the staircase and back, lease,; &inda instructed!
&inda clucked in aroval as +imi stomed u and down the hallway and irouetted at the end
of the stairs!
;8ou have the ideal roortions my dear, and a natural ability! $ fabulous walk is what it's all
about, you know! "ell me, are you interested in being a model<;
;7f course2; +imi sAuealed, claing her hands together, delighted she had been chosen! *t
was about time she 4oined the ranks of the rofessionally beautiful2
Bliss was ne5t! /he galloed u and down the hallway, swinging her arms! /he still felt Aueasy
thinking about the ound of hamburger she'd wolfed down the night before, even though eating
it had made her feel better! /he still thought it was strange that Bobi$nne had seemed to take
the whole incident in stride!
;9alk's a little rough, darling, but very teachable! 8es, we must have you at (arnsworth,; &inda
decided!
+imi and Bliss hugged each other in 4oy! Bliss saw ,ylan watching them from the corner of the
great hall! /he smiled tentatively at him! He saluted her in return! /he hoed he hadn't noticed
anything unusual about her when they were in the +et! ,r! Pat had e5lained that during
Regenerative +emory /yndrome, art of her was in the resent, but the art that was conscious
had been in the ast! "he memory blackouts wouldn't last that long - maybe four, five minutes
tos! *t bothered her that the art that would remember whether they'd kissed or not had been
absent for that crucial 4uncture! /he didn't even know how to act around him - were they dating
or what< 'ust friends< *t was maddening not to know where she stood with a boy she liked!
7kay, so there it was! /he liked him! /he liked him so much she was even starting to not care
about what +imi would think of the two of them getting together!
Bliss looked at +imi a tad resentfully! Even if she owed her social life and current status to +imi,
she balked at having to answer to her for everything!
"he bell for the ne5t class rang, and a harried girl rushed ast the modeling station without even
glancing at the gathering! /chuyler had slet through the entire lecture, since she'd hardly
gotten any slee the night before!
&inda (arnsworth stoed her in her tracks breaking her reverie! ;Hello2 $nd who might you
be<;
;/chuyler 6an $len<; /chuyler relied! 9hy did she do that< 9hy couldn't she be more
confident< ;* mean, *'m /chuyler,; she said, frantically brushing her bangs away from her eyes!
;$re you interested in modeling<;
;Her - a model<; +imi sat from the sidelines where she was filling out the (arnsworth client
contract! /he eyed /chuyler balefully!
;/hhh,; Bliss said, embarrassed enough to elbow +imi for once!
/chuyler overheard them! /he looked down at what she was wearing torn black stockings with
ladders in both knees 1already rating her a dress code demerit3, a loose-fitting floral granny-
dress with a dro waist, chunky gray socks because she couldn't find her black ones, her duct-
taed sneakers, and a air of half-moon glasses! Plus, she hadn't washed her hair in weeks! *t's
not like she would even want to be a model, so +imi had nothing to worry about! $ secret art of
her was deserately flattered, although she tried not to be overly vain about her looks!
;0o, * don't think so,; /chuyler relied, smiling aologetically!
;But you have the look of a young %ate +oss2; &inda (arnsworth argued! ;#an * take a
Polaroid<;
&inda took a hoto with her camera before /chuyler could rotest!
/chuyler shielded her eyes! ;7kay !!!;
;9rite your number down here! 8ou don't need to sign, but if we find a designer who wants to
use you, *'ll call you, is that all right<;
;* guess!; /he agreed, scribbling her number down without a second thought! ;&ook, * really
have to go!;
+imi glared at /chuyler and stalked off, her nose in the air! Bliss hung back and caught
/chuyler's eye! ;#ongrats, by the way,; Bliss said Auietly! ;* got icked, too!;
;Dh, yeah, thanks, * guess,; /chuyler said, shocked that anyone who hung around +imi (orce
would even talk to her!
;$re you headed to art<; Bliss asked in a friendly way!
;Er !!!; /chuyler hesitated, not sure what the "e5an girl wanted! "o her relief, she noticed 7liver
by the water fountain and turned away from Bliss without giving her a second thought!
;Hey there,; she said!
;7h, hey, /ky,; he greeted her, looing an arm around her thin shoulders! "hey walked u the
back stairs hidden in the administration corridor to the garret room for art class! ,ylan was
already there and grinning at them from behind his otters' wheel! He had an aron around his
waist and his hands were covered in mud u to his elbows!
;,on't you 4ust love getting dirty<; he asked!
"hey snickered arovingly and took a seat on each side of him! /chuyler set u her easel and
7liver took out his woodcuts! 0either of them noticed Bliss &lewellyn across the room, watching
the three of them intensely!
*n between brushstrokes, /chuyler haened to look u and saw 'ack (orce leaning over %itty
+ullins's table, admiring her sculture of a /iamese cat! /he noticed a telltale hickey on %itty's
neck!
/he wasn't the only one who saw them! 7liver raised his eyebrows but made no comment, and
she was glad! /he guessed 'ack had found a girlfriend! /chuyler wondered if he was assing
her obliAue notes in class! Huh! "hat sure hadn't taken him long! /he felt a wave of irritation
rickling at her consciousness, but she brushed it away!
7liver mimed hacking at 'ack's back with an invisible a5e! /he smothered a laugh and ut 'ack
(orce out of her mind once and for all!
#H$P"ER =C
Bliss looked u from her canvas! "heir art teacher was gesturing effusively over her landscae,
but she wasn't listening! Her gaze ket drifting across the room, to where ,ylan was sitting!
He hadn't even made any indication that he noticed her! /ure, he was erfectly friendly
whenever they bumed into each other! $nd that was the roblem - he was simly friendly!
+aybe they hadn't even kissed at the +et that afternoon after all! +aybe nothing had haened!
+aybe he'd lost interest, which was a blow to her ego as well as her syche!
*t was 4ust so unfair, esecially since she was now totally obsessed with him! /he was starting
to think about him way too much for 4ust a casual friend-who-wasn't-even-in-her-cliAue! "he
actor had called, the model had begged for a date, but all she could think about was the way
,ylan's dark sideburns curled around his ears, and the way he'd looked at her with his big, sad
eyes! /he could tell he was the kind of boy who broke the rules and let anything haen, and
she liked that about him! *t e5cited her!
/he watched him interact with his friends - that goth girl who'd 4ust been chosen as a model,
and that cute, skinny guy with the shaggy hair - and felt a ang of 4ealousy! ,ylan was clowning
around, throwing mud at them, but they didn't seem to mind! "he three of them seemed to be
having a lot of fun!
9hen class was over, there was a bottleneck at the door - since the stairway was so narrow,
everyone had to go single file! Bliss found herself standing right ne5t to ,ylan! /he smiled at
him tentatively! ;Hey!;
;$rBBs vous, +adame,; he said gallantly, offering her the way!
/he nodded her thanks, lingering to see if he would say anything else - maybe even ask her out
again! But he didn't say a word! /he walked down the stairs alone while he waited for his
friends! /he felt defeated!
$fter lunch with +imi and her crew, Bliss walked down to the basement to grab books for her
ne5t class! /he found /chuyler changing into her gym clothes in the hallway, standing right in
front of her locker, while a bunch of other kids did the same, girls and boys alike in various
stages of undress!
"he school was an odd mi5 of lu5ury and enury - on the one hand, there was a state-of-the-art
theater in the basement, comlete with auditorium seating for two hundred, but there were no
locker rooms because they didn't fit in the mansion! /tudents were encouraged to change in the
bathrooms, but since they only had five minutes to do so, most ignored the rules and changed in
the hallway to save time! "he girls had erfected a removing-the-bra-through-the-side-armhole-
and-utting-on-a-sorts-bra-while-hiding-underneath-a-huge-"-shirt maneuver! "he boys didn't
even bat an eyelash!
7ne of the Auirky things about ,uchesne was that since they had all known each other since
kindergarten, a sibling-like camaraderie revailed! "he teenage stritease only bothered the
faculty, esecially the errant history rofessor who haened to chance uon a half-naked 4unior
in the hallway, eliciting malicious giggles - but there was nothing they could do to sto it!
,ressing in ublic was 4ust one of those odd things that was art of the ,uchesne e5erience!
;Hey, can * talk to you for a bit<; Bliss asked, leaning against a locker and watching as /chuyler
disaeared underneath an oversized sweatshirt! Being new, Bliss was one of the few girls who
used the restroom to change! /he couldn't Auite feel as comfortable as everyone else did! +imi,
for instance, liked to arade in her &a Petite #oAuette bras as if she were walking on the beach
in /t! "roez!
;+fff<; /chuyler asked, a bum underneath the fabric, her elbows ointing sideways and
uward in an attemt to shove herself into her gym outfit! /he took off the sweatshirt with a
flourish and emerged in an oversized "-shirt and baggy sweat ants!
;9hat's on your mind<; she asked Bliss, regarding her a little warily!
;8ou're friends with ,ylan 9ard, aren't you<;
/chuyler shrugged! ;8eah! 9hat about him<; /he checked her watch! "he second bell was
going to ring soon, and kids from her class were already hurrying u the stairs to the lower court
gyms!
;* 4ust - do you know him well<;
/chuyler shrugged again! /he wasn't sure what Bliss was asking! 7f course she knew him well!
/he and 7liver were his only friends!
;*'ve heard rumors,; Bliss said, looking around to see if anyone was listening to their
conversation!
;7h yeah, what<; /chuyler raised an eyebrow! /he stuffed her sweatshirt in her locker!
;9ell, that he was involved in some accident with some girl in #onnecticut this summer - ;
;* haven't heard anything about that,; /chuyler said, cutting her off! ;But eole around here talk
about everybody! ,o you really believe that story<;
Bliss looked shocked! ;0ot at all2 * don't believe it one bit!;
;&ook, * should go,; /chuyler said brusAuely, shouldering her tennis racket and walking away!
;Hold on,; Bliss called, walking ne5t to /chuyler and hurrying to kee u as /chuyler loed u
the stairs!
;9hat<;
;* 4ust !!! * mean !!!; Bliss shrugged! ;*'m sorry we got off on the wrong foot! +y bad, okay< #an
we start over< Please<;
/chuyler narrowed her eyes! "he second bell rang! ;*'m late,; she said flatly!
;*t's 4ust, we went to the +et the other day and * thought we had a really nice time, but * don't
know, he hasn't soken to me since,; Bliss e5lained! ;,o you know if he has a girlfriend or
anything<;
/chuyler sighed! *f she was late for class her grandmother would get a note! ,uchesne didn't
have anything like <detention<. the only unishments it meted out were tattletale notes home to
overly involved arents who would commit hara-kiri if their kids didn't get into Harvard! /he
looked at Bliss, taking in her nervous demeanor and hoeful smile!
Reluctantly, /chuyler came to the conclusion that maybe Bliss wasn't one of those +imi clones
after all! /he didn't have in-straight blond hair or sort an obno5ious ;"eam (orce; insignia on
her gym hoodie like the rest of +imi's gang, for one! ;$s far as * know, he isn't dating anybody!
He did mention meeting someone the other night at a club!!!; /chuyler allowed finally, watching
Bliss's reaction!
Bliss blushed!
;* thought so!; /chuyler nodded! $gainst her better 4udgment, she found herself relenting! *f
,ylan had taken her to the +et, Bliss really couldn't be all bad! /chuyler wasn't sure +imi would
even know what the +et was! +imi's life revolved around shoing and getting into 6*P rooms!
/he robably thought ;the +et; was some kind of nightclub!
;*f you want my advice, take it easy on him! * think he really likes you,; she said, giving Bliss a
symathetic smirk!
;He does< * mean, he's talked about me<;
/chuyler rolled her shoulders! ;*t's really none of my business,; she said, hesitating!
;9hat<;
;9ell, * doubt he'd mind if you asked him to the fall dance! He robably would never even think
of going himself, but he might go if you asked!;
Bliss smiled! "he dance was tomorrow night! /he could do that! Her arents would have to let
her go - it was a school event, and there were bound to be tons of chaerones there to aease
their an5iety! ;"hanks!;
;0o roblem,; /chuyler said, running u the stairs without giving Bliss a backward glance!
/truck by the idea, Bliss scribbled a Auick note and tore off the aer from her binder! /he
carefully removed all the broken bits on the side, sritzed it with her erfume, and stuffed it in
,ylan's locker!
/he was shocked at her brazenness! /he had never needed to ursue a boy before! But there's
always a first time for everything!
#H$P"ER =F
"he yearly ,uchesne back-to-school dance was called the (all ;*nformals,; although it was
anything but informal! "he dance was held at the historical headAuarters of the $merican
/ociety, a grand red brick mansion on Park $venue and /i5ty-eighth /treet! "he society was an
organization dedicated to keeing an archive of early $merican history, including documents
from the first colonies and the +ayflower 4ourney! "he second floor housed a wood-aneled
library with a barrel-vaulted ceiling as well as several cozy, clubby rooms ideal for dinner and
dancing! *t was a oular event sace, and many brides-to-be shelled out a fortune for the
rivilege of having their wedding on Park $venue! But for ,uchesne students, it was 4ust the
lace where they had their school dance!
Earlier that evening, 7liver and /chuyler were hanging out in his room, doing nothing as usual -
but when /chuyler casually mentioned she'd heard that ,ylan - of all eole - was going to the
lame dance, 7liver ounced on the idea! ;&et's go!;
;Ds< 9hy<; /chuyler was horrified!
;#'mon, it'll be funny!;
;0o it won't!; /chuyler argued! ;Ds go to some snobby dance< 'ust to see +imi (orce lording it
over everyone<;
;* heard they do a retty good sread,; 7liver wheedled!
;*'m not hungry!;
;#'mon, what else are we going to do<;
$fter the e5citement of the ast weekend, when they'd ventured to "he Bank, it did seem a bit
dull to 4ust sit on 7liver's bed reading magazines together!
;$ll right,; /chuyler agreed! ;But * need to go home and change!;
;7f course!;
9hen 7liver icked her u, /chuyler was wearing a cocktail-length fifties-style black lace rom
dress, dainty white wrist gloves, fishnet stockings, and round-toe high heels, almost as a 4oke!
/he'd found the dress on eBay for thirty dollars! "he straless dress fit erfectly around her tiny
waist, and the skirt blossomed out at the his like a graceful bell held aloft by a layer of tulle
etticoats! /he'd found her grandmother's earl necklace, with the black satin ribbon, in the
bottom of her music bo5, and tied it around her neck! 7liver had chosen a dee blue silk
smoking 4acket over a black shirt and black wool ants! He resented /chuyler with a
breathtaking rose corsage!
;9here did you get it<; /chuyler asked as he slied it around her wrist!
;8ou can have anything delivered in 0ew 8ork!; 7liver grinned! He handed her a boutonniere,
and she inned it on his lael!
;How do we look<;
;Perfect,; he said, offering her his arm!
9hen they arrived at the $merican /ociety mansion, a host of sleek black town cars were
droing off students aired off in dates! "he girls were in chic black cocktail dresses and
earls, the guys in blue blazers and wool trousers! 0o one had corsages! *nstead, the girls were
carrying long-stemmed calla lilies, which they carelessly tossed aside when they entered the
room!
;* guess we didn't get the memo,; /chuyler Auied!
"hey headed ustairs, trying to blend in! /everal girls whisered when they saw /chuyler in her
dress! ;*t's got to be from +arc 'acobs,; someone whisered! ;+ore like a costume sho,; her
friend sniffed! /chuyler turned crimson from embarrassment!
"hey found ,ylan on the second landing by the cornucoia dislay! He was wearing a camel-
hair sortscoat over a shar black dress shirt and well-cut wool trousers! Bliss &lewellyn, the
retty redhead from "e5as, was sitting on his la! /he was wearing a slim #ostume 0ational
black sheath dress, Prada slingbacks, and the ubiAuitous string of earls around her swanlike
neck!
;Hey guys,; ,ylan said, when he saw his friends! He shook hands with 7liver and ecked
/chuyler on the cheek! ;8'all know Bliss, right<;
"hey nodded! /ince when did ,ylan say ;8'all;< He must really be into this girl!
;8ou clean u nice,; /chuyler teased, brushing a iece of lint off ,ylan's 4acket!
;*s that Hugo Boss<; 7liver mocked, retending to insect the material!
;8es, and don't get it dirty,; ,ylan shot back, chagrined but grinning nonetheless!
Bliss smiled haily at them! /he winked at /chuyler! ;#ool dress,; she said, and it sounded like
she actually meant it!
;"hanks!;
;/o - have you checked out the lace< /ome good eats ustairs,; ,ylan said!
;0o - but we will,; 7liver romised! "hey left the coule and wormed their way through the
crowd ustairs to the buffet!
"he rooms had been decorated with white #hristmas lights, and in the back, there was an
elegant dislay of hot and cold roast meats, silver lates laden with e5Auisite hors d'oeuvres
and (rench astries! *n the middle room, a sweaty mi5 of atrician girls and rich boys were
gyrating to the beat of a hard ra song! "he lights were off, and /chuyler could only make out
the shadows of their faces! /he could see that all the boys from ,uchesne were carrying little
silver "iffany hi flasks that stuck out of their side ants ockets! 7ccasionally, they would
surretitiously take a swig or our a bit of alcohol in their date's cus! Even 7liver had brought
his monogrammed one! "here were several teachers milling about, but no one seemed to
notice, or care about the covert tiling!
;9ant a si<;
;/ure,; /chuyler said, taking the flask from his hand! "he liAuor was warm and hit the back of
her throat! Her head buzzed for a minute, and she took a coule more guls!
;Easy there2 "hat's =G= roof,; 7liver warned! ;8ou're going to get wasted,; he said gleefully!
But /chuyler felt 4ust as sober as before, although she smiled and retended to feel its effects!
"hey stood tentatively at the edge of the arty, nursing their silver cus of organic fruit unch,
trying to retend that it didn't bother either of them that no one had called them over or waved
hello or made any indication at all that they were welcome at the event! /chuyler looked around
at the cozy grous forming around cocktail tables, smoking on the balcony, or osing for
ictures in front of the iano, and realized that, even though she'd known most of these eole
for almost all of her life, she didn't belong anywhere! *t was amazing how even ,ylan had
managed to find a lace for himself, with a oular girlfriend no less, while she and 7liver were
4ust left with each other once again!
;9anna dance<; 7liver asked, cocking a thumb to the dark room!
/he shook her head! ;0ah!;
;9anna go instead<; 7liver asked, having come to the same conclusion! ;9e could go back to
"he Bank - * bet they're laying better music!;
/chuyler was torn! 7n the one hand, she and 7liver had every right to be there - they were
,uchesne students, too - but on the other hand, maybe it was best if they 4ust cret away
silently. and maybe with luck no one would even notice they had been there at all!
7liver's mouth twisted in a strained smile! ;"his is my fault!;
;0o - not at all! * wanted to be here,; /chuyler rotested! ;But you're right, we should robably
go!;
"hey walked down the grand red-careted staircase, where 'ack (orce was standing on the last
ste, talking to %itty +uffins! /chuyler held her breath and walked toward the front door without
looking at him! /he clutched 7liver's arm tightly!
;&eaving so soon<; 'ack called!
/he turned around! %itty +ullins was gone, and 'ack was leaning against the banister all by
himself! He was wearing a custom (rench cuffed white shirt, with the front tucked in but the
shirttails characteristically hanging out, with cris khaki ants and a carelessly unbuttoned navy
blazer! His tie was askew and he looked nothing less than dro-dead gorgeous! He fiddled with
the cuff link on his right wrist!
;9e were 4ust about to!; /he shrugged, smiling in site of herself!
;9hy don't you stay<; 'ack asked, smiling back and looking straight into her eyes! ;8ou might
have fun!;
(or a moment, /chuyler forgot 7liver was standing ne5t to her, so when he soke, she was
startled! 7liver looked down at her, his face deliberately blank! ;* think *'m going to get another
drink! 9ant to 4oin me<;
/chuyler didn't answer, and for an interminable moment, the three of them stood in an awkward
triangle! ;*, ah, *'m not thirsty, so *'ll catch you later, 7llie! $ll right<; she leaded!
7liver frowned, but he didn't rotest, and walked Auickly back u the stairs!
/chuyler crossed her arms! 9hat was it about 'ack (orce< $ll week after they'd soken at the
funeral, he'd hardly said a word to her, but now he was seeking her out again< 9hy did she
even bother giving him the time of day<
'ack walked u and ut an arm around her! ;#'mon, let's dance! * think * hear my song!;
/he allowed herself to be led u the stairs, and this time, heads turned when the crowd sotted
the two of them enter the room! /chuyler noted the 4ealous admiration from the girls, and
several guys gave her a resectful glance! /he had been invisible 4ust a minute ago, but being
in 'ack's resence changed all that! He drew her closer, and she swayed to the music! "he
room was thrumming to the se5y, hynotic beat of +use's ;"ime *s Running 7ut!; * think *'m
drowning, ashy5iated!!! /he slithered her body ne5t to his, feeling beads of sweat and
ersiration on his shirt that the heat between the two of them was generating!
#H$P"ER =>
Her arents were on their way out! +imi stood in her bedroom and listened to the sound of her
mother's heels on the marble floor, followed by her father's heavier footstes! ;Hi, baby,; "rinity
called, knocking on her daughter's door! ;,addy and * are leaving!;
;#ome in,; +imi said! /he ut her chandelier earrings on and scrutinized her image in the
mirror!
"rinity oened the door and steed inside the room! /he was wearing a floor-length gown -
6alentino, +imi thought - and carrying a lush sable wra around her shoulders! /he cut an
elegant, glamorous figure, her long blond hair curling around her collarbone! Her mother was
often hotograhed for society columns and fashion magazines!
Her arents were going to some charity ball! "hey were always out! +imi couldn't remember the
last time either of her arents were home for dinner! /ometimes whole weeks would go by
before she would see them! Her mother sent her days in the hair salon, the gym, her
theraist's office, or +adison $venue boutiAues. and her father was always at the office,
working!
;,on't stay out too late,; "rinity admonished, kissing her daughter on the cheek! ;8ou look
lovely, by the way! *s that the dress * bought you<;
+imi nodded!
;$ little much with the earrings, though, don't you think<; her mother suggested!
+imi felt stung! /he hated being criticized! ;* think they look fine, +other!;
"rinity shrugged!
+imi noticed her father standing by the doorway, looking imatient! He was talking heatedly on
his cell hone! &ately, her father seemed more distracted than usual! /omething was bothering
him, he was reoccuied and forgetful! "he other day she'd arrived home hours after curfew, but
her father, who had caught her sneaking in through the kitchen as he was refilling his brandy
snifter, didn't say a word!
;9here's 'ack<; her mother asked, looking around as if 'ack could be hiding under the vanity
table!
;$lready there,; +imi e5lained! ;+y date's running late!;
;9ell, have fun,; "rinity said, atting +imi's cheek! ;,on't get into too much trouble!;
;)ood night,; #harles added, closing the door to her bedroom!
+imi looked at herself in the mirror again! (or some reason, every time her arents bid her
good-bye for the evening, she felt bereft! $bandoned! /he never got used to it! /he removed
the chandelier earrings! Her mother was right, they were too much for the dress!
0ot long after her arents left, the *talian arrived! He was a distinctly changed man since the day
they'd met at Barneys! His cocky demeanor was gone, as was the redatory smile! /he'd
sucked that out of him! *t was +imi who was in control! /he'd almost had her fill of him - he was
so easy! 0o one was a match for her!
;*'ll drive,; she said, taking the keys from his ocket! He didn't rotest!
*t was only a short distance to the $merican /ociety, but +imi ran a few red lights on the way
anyway, causing an ambulance to swerve to the side to avoid an accident!
/he ulled u to the awning, where the doorman was waiting! "hey disembarked from the car,
and +imi threw the keys to the valet! "he *talian followed her like a uy! "hey walked into the
mansion together!
+imi looked devastating in a midnight satin Peter /om dress, with her hair in a high chignon, a
trile strand of heirloom /outh /ea earls as her only accessory! /he tugged on her date's arm
and steered him u the stairs! "here, she confronted the sight of her best friend, Bliss &lewellyn,
in a assionate li lock with that loser wastoid, ,ylan 9ard!
;Hell@@@!; +imi's voice was icy in the e5treme! 9hen did this haen< +imi didn't like being
ket out of the loo!
Bliss disengaged from ,ylan's tongue! /he blushed when she saw +imi! Bliss's listick was
smudged and her hair was askew! ,ylan smirked at +imi!
;Bliss! "he bathroom! 0ow!;
Bliss gave ,ylan an aologetic look, but she followed +imi to the ladies' room without Auestion!
+imi checked the stalls and shooed the maid outside the lavatory! 9hen she was satisfied there
was no one inside, she turned to Bliss!
;9hat the hell is going on with you< 8ou're with that guy<; +imi demanded! ;8ou could be with
any guy you want!;
;* like him,; Bliss said defiantly! ;He's cool!;
;#ool,; +imi drew out the word so it had ten syllables! #ooooooollll!
;9hat's your roblem<; Bliss asked defiantly!
;Problem< * don't have a roblem! 9ho said * had a roblem<; +imi asked, looking around as if
surrised to see no one there!
;*s it the #onnecticut thing<; Bliss asked! ;Because he had nothing to do with it!;
;9hat are you talking about<; +imi asked!
;* don't know, * heard there was some accident with some girl in )reenwich, and he was
involved!; Bliss said! ;But anyway, it's not true!;
+imi shrugged! *t was the first time she'd heard about it, but it didn't surrise her! ;* 4ust don't
know why you're wasting your time with him!;
;9hy do you hate him so much<;
+imi was taken aback! *t was true - she reacted to ,ylan with an outsize revulsion! 9hy did she
hate him< /he wasn't sure, but she recognized the gut feeling, and her gut was never wrong!
"here was something she didn't like about that guy, but she couldn't ut a finger on it!
;9hat's u with your boyfriend, by the way< He's like a zombie,; Bliss said, ointing to the
corner! "he *talian heir had followed them inside the ladies' room and was currently drooling on
the doorway column! $ll of +imi's guys seemed to be like that - brain dead!
;*'ll deal with him later!;
;*'m going to go back to my date,; Bliss said ointedly!
;(ine! But you better be there on +onday for "he #ommittee meeting!;
Bliss had almost forgotten! /he wasn't even sure she wanted to 4oin some snotty social
committee, but she had to aease +imi somehow! ;/ure!;
+imi watched her friend leave! 9hat a waste! *t bothered her that Bliss was e5erting her
indeendence! "here was nothing +imi disliked more than rebellion in a subordinate! /he
walked out of the bathroom, tugging on her date's tie to move him forward! $nd that's when she
saw the second image that scorched her brain!
Her brother 'ack, on the dance floor, with that 6an $len girl in his arms! 0ow +imi really felt like
vomiting!
9hen /chuyler was with 'ack, it was like time and sace stoed! /he didn't even feel like she
was in a room full of crowded, sweaty teenagers! "hey moved with the same rhythm, their
bodies erfectly in tune with each other! 'ack e5ertly ket her body close to his, leaning down
to breathe lightly on her neck! *t was strange how she could see him so clearly in the dark, when
everyone else was a shadowy blur! /he closed her eyes, and for a moment, saw the two of
them - dressed differently! "hey were in the same ballroom at the mansion, e5cet it was a
hundred years earlier - and she was dressed in a long evening dress with a tight corset bodice
and silk etticoats, and he was handsome and debonair in a white tu5edo with tails! "he music
ceased to be the se5y enchantment of the +use song and became a gentle waltz!
*t was like a dream, but it wasn't!
;9hat's haening<; she asked, looking at him as he twirled her around!
$round them, the ballroom was filled with light and soft music! "he tinkling of chamagne
glasses, the gentle fluttering from the ladies' fans!
But 'ack only smiled!
"hey continued to dance, and /chuyler found that she knew the intricate stes! $t the end of the
song, they claed olitely!
/chuyler looked around, and suddenly she was back in the resent again, wearing her fifties
rom dress, 'ack in his blue blazer and red tie! /he blinked! Had she imagined it< 9as it real<
/he was confused and disoriented!
;&et's take a break,; he said, as he took her hand and steered her off the dance floor! "hey
walked out to the balcony! 'ack lit a cigarette! ;9ant one<;
/chuyler shook her head!
;,id it haen to you too<; she asked!
'ack nodded! He took a uff and e5haled!
"hey looked out at Park $venue! 0e5t to Riverside ,rive, /chuyler thought it was one of the
most beautiful streets in the world! Park $venue, with its regal array of rewar aartment
buildings, fleets of yellow cabs streaming u and down along the median! 0ew 8ork was a
magical lace!
;9hat was it<;
But before 'ack could rely, there was a scream from inside the mansion! "hey looked at each
other, thinking the same thing! $ggie's death! 9as there another< "hey ran back into the hall!
;*t's fine,; +imi (orce was saying! ;He 4ust assed out! )od, get a gri, %itty!; +imi's *talian date
was slayed out on the landing, comletely assed out, his face drained of all color! ;'ack, a
hand<; she snaed, seeing her brother in the doorway!
'ack hurried to his sister's side and heled lug the *talian to a sitting osition!
/chuyler could see 'ack saying something angrily to +imi, and she overheard bits of his
harangue, ;steed over the line !!! 8ou could have killed him !!! Remember what the 9ardens
said!!!;
/he stood there, not knowing what to do, when Bliss and ,ylan aeared! ,ylan took one look
at the comromising tableau! ;&et me guess, he was with +imi (orce<;
/chuyler nodded! ;* think it's time we blow this 4oint!;
;* couldn't agree more,; Bliss relied!
/chuyler gave 'ack one last look! He was still arguing with his sister! He didn't even notice that
she was leaving!
#atherine #arver's ,iary
?@th of ,ecember, =>?@
Plymouth, +assachusetts
"he men have been gone for days now, and still there is no word! 9e are frightened! "hey
should have arrived there and returned by now, with news of the colony! But all is silent! "he
children kee me comany and we make time ass by reading aloud from the books * was able
to bring over! *f only we could leave this shi - it is always wet and terribly crowded, but the
structures are not yet ready! "he men are allowed to cam ashore, but we must remain here in
this dark lace!
* am afraid, but * comfort myself with the knowledge that * will know if 'ohn and the rest of the
comany are lost! /o far, * have not felt nor seen anything in my visions! "here is doubt among
the colony as to whether we have truly escaed! Rumors are sreading that on of them is here,
hidden among us - there is much whisering and susicion! "he Billington boy has been
missing, they said! ,isaeared! "aken! But someone remembers that he could have gone with
the Roanoke arty, so no one is worried for now! 9e watch, and wait, holding our breath!
#H$P"ER =E
Eversince /chuyler could remember, she had sent every /unday at the hosital! 9hen she
was younger, she and her grandmother would take a cab all the way to the uermost reaches
of +anhattan! /chuyler was such a familiar face, the guards never even gave her a visitor's
badge anymore but simly waved her through! 0ow that she was older, #ordelia rarely 4oined
her on the weekly visits, and /chuyler made the tri solo!
/he walked ast the emergency room, through the glassed-in lobby, and ast the giftsho
selling balloons and flowers! /he bought a newsaer from the stand and walked to the back
elevator! Her mother was on the to floor, in a rivate room that was outfitted like a suite in one
of the city's best hotels!
Dnlike most eole, /chuyler did not find hositals deressing! /he had sent too much of her
childhood there, zooming u and down the hallways in a borrowed wheelchair, laying games of
hide and seek with the nurses and orderlies! /he ate every /unday brunch in the basement
cafeteria, where the servers would ile her late high with bacon, eggs, and waffles!
/he assed her mother's regular nurse in the hallway!
;*t's a good day,; the nurse informed her, smiling!
;7h! )reat!; /chuyler smiled back! Her mother had been in a coma for most of /chuyler's life! $
few months after giving birth to her, $llegra had suffered an aneurysm and gone into shock!
+ost days, she lay lacidly on the bed, not moving, barely breathing!
But on <good< days, something haened - a flutter underneath the closed eyelids, the
movement of her big toe, a twitch in her cheek! 7nce in a while, her mother sighed for no
reason! "hey were small, infinitesimal signs of a vibrant woman traed in the cocoon of a living
death!
/chuyler remembered the doctor's final rognosis, made almost ten years ago! ;$ll of her
organs are functioning! /he is erfectly healthy, e5cet for one thing! /omehow, her mind is
closed to her body! /he has normal slee and wake atterns, and she is not brain dead by any
means! "he neurons are firing! But she remains unconscious! *t is a mystery!; /urrisingly, the
doctors were still convinced there was a chance she could wake u given the right
circumstances! ;/ometimes, it's a song! 7r a voice from the ast! /omething triggers them, and
they wake u! Really, she could wake u at any time!;
#ertainly, #ordelia believed it was true and encouraged /chuyler to read to $llegra so that her
mother would know her voice and erhas resond to it!
/chuyler said thank you to the nurse and eeked through the small glass window cut in the door
so that the nurses could check in on their atients without having to disturb them!
"here was a man inside the room!
/he ket her hand on the knob, without turning it! /he looked through the glass again!
"he man was gone!
/chuyler blinked! /he swore she had seen a man! $ gray-haired man, in a dark suit, kneeling by
her mother's bedside, holding her hand, his back turned to the door! His shoulders had been
shaking and it looked like he was crying!
But when she looked through the glass again, there was nothing!
"his was the second time now! /chuyler wasn't as much troubled as curious! "he first time
she'd glimsed him was several months ago, when she'd left the room for a moment to fetch a
glass of water! 9hen she'd returned to the room, she was startled to see someone there! 7ut of
the corner of her eye, she'd seen a man standing by the curtains, looking out the window at the
Hudson River below! But the moment she had entered, he had disaeared! /he hadn't seen
his face - 4ust his back and his neat gray hair!
$t first, she had been frightened of him, wondering if he was a ghost, or a trick of the light and
her imagination! But she had a feeling she knew who the nameless, faceless visitor could be!
/he ushed oen the door slowly and walked inside the room! /he ut the thick layers of the
/unday newsaer by the rolling table ne5t to the television!
Her mother was lying on the bed, her hands folded at her stomach! Her fair, blond hair, long and
lustrous, was fanned out on the illow! /he was the most beautiful woman /chuyler had ever
seen! /he had a face like a Renaissance +adonna - serene and eaceful!
/chuyler walked to the chair ne5t to the foot of the bed! /he looked around the room again! /he
eered into the bathroom her mother never used! /he ulled back the curtains in front of the
window, half e5ecting to find someone hiding there! 0othing!
,isaointed, /chuyler resumed her sot by the bed!
/he oened the /unday aer! 9hat would she read today< 9ar< 7il crisis< /hootings in the
Bron5< $n article in the magazine about new, e5erimental /anish cuisine< /chuyler decided
on the </tyles< section - the ;9eddings and #elebrations!; Her mother seemed to en4oy those!
/ometimes, when /chuyler read her a articularly interesting <6ows< column, her toes
wriggled!
/chuyler began to read! ;#ourtney 9allach married Hamilton (isher /tevens at the Pierre this
afternoon! "he bride, thirty-one, a graduate of Harvard and Harvard Business /chool !!!; /he
looked hoefully at her mother! "here was no movement from the bed!
/chuyler tried another! ;+ar4orie (ieldcrest )oldman married 0athan +cBride in a ceremony at
the "ribeca Roofto yesterday evening! "he bride, twenty-eight, an associate editor at !!!;
/till nothing!
/chuyler searched the announcements! /he could never redict what her mother would like! $t
first, she thought it was news from eole they knew, the marriages of heirs and heiresses to
old 0ew 8ork families! But 4ust as often, her mother sighed uon hearing a moving story of two
comuter rogrammers who had met at a bar in Iueens!
Her thoughts drifted back to the mysterious visitor! /he looked around the room again, and
noticed something! "here were flowers by the table! $ bouAuet of white lilies in a crystal vase!
0ot the chea carnations they sold downstairs! "his was an e5Auisite arrangement of tall,
glorious blossoms! "heir into5icating smell filled the room! *t was funny how she hadn't seen
them as soon as she walked in! 9ho would bring flowers to a comatose woman who wouldn't
be able to see them< 9ho had been there< $nd where had he gone< +ore imortant, where
had he come from<
/chuyler wondered if she should mention it to her grandmother! /he had ket the stranger's
visits a secret, worried that #ordelia would do something to kee the stranger away somehow!
/he didn't think #ordelia would arove of a strange man visiting her daughter!
/he turned the age! ;%athryn Elizabeth ,e+enil to 0icholas 'ames Hoe the "hird!; /he
glanced at her mother's lacid face! 0othing! 0ot even a wrinkle on her cheek! $ ghost of a
smile!
/chuyler took her mother's cold hand in hers and stroked it! /uddenly, tears rolled silently down
her cheeks! *t had been a long time since the sight of her mother moved her to tears! But now
/chuyler wet oenly! "he man she'd seen through the glass had been crying as well! "he Auiet
room was filled with a dee iercing grief, and /chuyler wet without abandon for all that she
had lost!
#H$P"ER =G
+onday at school, 7liver gave /chuyler the cold shoulder! He sat ne5t to ,ylan in the cafeteria
and didn't save /chuyler a seat! /he waved to the two of them, but only ,ylan waved back!
/chuyler ate her sandwich in the library - but the bread tasted stale in her mouth, dry and mealy,
and she Auickly lost her aetite! *t didn't hel that even after dancing together on /aturday
night, 'ack (orce was back to acting like nothing ever haened! He sat with his friends, hung
out with his sister, and basically acted like his old self! "he one who didn't know her, and it hurt!
9hen school let out, she saw 7liver by the lockers laughing at something ,ylan was saying!
,ylan gave her a symathetic glance! ;#atch you later, man,; ,ylan said, atting 7liver on the
back! ;&ater, /ky!;
;Bye, ,ylan,; she said! "he three of them - she, Bliss, and ,ylan, had gone to get slices at /ofia
(abulous Pizza after the dance! "hey had looked for 7liver, but he had already left! He would
robably never forgive them for doing something without him! +ore secifically, he would never
forgive her! /he knew him well enough to understand she had committed a grave betrayal! /he
was suosed to have followed 7liver u the stairs, but had danced with 'ack (orce instead!
0ow he would unish her by taking away his friendshi! $ friendshi she deended on like the
sun!
;Hey, 7llie,; she said!
7liver didn't rely! He continued to ut his books in his messenger bag without looking at her!
;7llie, c'mon,; she leaded!
;9hat<; He shrugged as if he 4ust realized she was standing there!
;9hat do you mean 'what'< 8ou know what,; she said, eyes flashing! Part of her was infuriated
with his oor-me act all the time! &ike she wasn't even allowed to have any other friends< 9hat
kind of friend was that< ;8ou didn't call me all weekend! * thought we were going to go see that
movie!;
7liver frowned! ;9ere we< * don't remember making lans! But then, you know, some eole
seem to change their lans without telling you about them!;
;9hat do you mean<; she asked!
;0othing!; He shrugged!
;$re you mad at me because of 'ack (orce<; she demanded! ;Because that is really, really, trBBs
lame!;
;,o you like, like him or something<; 7liver asked, a stricken look on his face! ;"hat 4ock loser<;
;He's not a loser2; /chuyler argued! *t amazed her how assionately she suddenly felt about
'ack (orce!
7liver scowled! He ushed back his cowlick imatiently! ;(ine! *f that's how you feel, Pod
Person!; *nvasion of the Body /natchers was one of their favorite films! *n the movie, conformist
aliens relaced all the interesting eole! Pod Peole was what they called their automaton-like
eers, who fell into lock ste with everything around them- +arc 'acobs handbags2 'aanese-
straightened hair2 'ack (orce2
/chuyler felt guilty of something she couldn't even understand! 9as it so terrible of her to think
'ack (orce was a nice erson< 7kay, so he was a B+7#, the biggest - she had to admit - and
yes, okay, so she used to curl her li at all the 'ack (orce grouies at school who thought he
walked on water! *t was 4ust so redictable to like 'ack (orce! He was smart, handsome, and
athletic. he did everything effortlessly! But 4ust because she'd decided to sto disliking him didn't
make her some kind of brainless robot did it< ,id it< *t bothered her that she couldn't decide!
;8ou're 4ust 4ealous,; she accused!
;7f what<; 7liver's eyes widened, and his face aled!
;* don't know, but you are!; /he flailed, shrugging her shoulders in frustration! *t was always a
green-eyed monster issue, wasn't it< /he assumed that at some level, 7liver wished he were
more like 'ack! $dored! &ike 'ack!
;Right,; he said sarcastically! ;*'m 4ealous of his ability to chase a ball with a stick,; he sneered!
;7llie, don't be like that! Please< * really want to talk to you about this, but * have a meeting right
now - for "he #ommittee and * !!!;
;8ou got into "he #ommittee<; 7liver asked incredulously! ;8ou<; He looked as if he'd never
heard anything so ridiculous in his life!
9as it so far-fetched< /chuyler reddened! /o maybe she was nobody, but her family used to be
somebodies, and wasn't that what the stuid thing was all about<
But even though she hated to admit it - he had a oint! /he herself had been mystified as to
why she would be chosen for such an honor, although there was that satisfied look on her
grandmother's face again - when she'd received the thick white enveloe the other afternoon!
#ordelia had given her the same araising glance as when the marks on her arms first
aeared! $s if she were seeing her granddaughter for the first time! $s if she were roud of
her!
/he hadn't even mentioned it to 7liver, since it was obvious he hadn't gotten one, because he
would never kee something like that from her! *t struck her as odd that he wasn't chosen to be
in "he #ommittee, since his family owned half of the Der East /ide and all of ,utchess
#ounty!
;8eah, funny ha-ha, right<; she said!
His face tightened! "he scowl came back! He shook his head! ;$nd you didn't tell me<; he said!
;* don't even know who you are anymore!;
/he watched him walk down the hall, away from her! Each ste he took seemed to illustrate the
huge gulf that now searated the two of them! He was her best friend! "he erson she trusted
more than anyone in the world! How could he hold 4oining some dumb social grou against her<
But she knew why he was angry! D until now, they had done everything together! But she was
invited to "he #ommittee and he was not! "heir aths had suddenly diverged! /chuyler thought
it was all so silly! /he would go to one meeting, 4ust because her grandmother wanted her to,
and then dro out! "here was certainly nothing about "he #ommittee that was of any interest to
her at all!
#H$P"ER =H
*t was so funny to see how scared the fresh blood looked! +imi remembered sitting in that same
room last year, thinking they would all start lanning the yearly (our Hundred Ball 1"heme<
,BLcor< *nvites<3 and that would be the end of it! 7f course, 'ack had known something was u,
nothing really got ast her brother - and aarently, some of them had more of an idea about
what was haening to them than others!
+imi had had the flashbacks too - the memories that would cree u on her without warning!
&ike the time she'd been in +artha's 6ineyard, and instead of being outside the Black ,og, she
was outside a farmhouse, wearing some hideous gingham dress - believe it or not! 7r the time
she was taking her (rench test and she hadn't studied at all but she aced it, finding that she was
suddenly fluent in the language!
/he smiled to herself at the memory, and watched as several members of the /enior
#ommittee, her mother among them, entered the room, their Blahnik heels clicking softly on the
rose marble floor! "here was a hush! "he well-coifed women nodded to one another and waved
gaily to their children!
"he 'efferson Room was the front entry room to the (lood mansion, in the style of +onticello, a
tribute to the third resident! "here was a high, domed cathedral ceiling, several )ainsborough
ortraits, and in the middle a large round table, where the new members were sitting, looking
alternately bored or scared! +imi didn't recognize all of them, as some were from other schools!
)od, those 0ightingale uniforms were ugly, she thought! "he rest of the members of the 'unior
#ommittee were sitting on the study desks, or leaning on the windows, or standing with their
arms folded, watching silently! /he noticed that for once, her brother 'ack had deigned to grace
them with his resence!
/o the 9ardens had thought to include the 6an $len girl after all! "hat was odd! +imi had no
memory of her from her ast, not even from Plymouth! /he had to have been there somewhere.
+imi 4ust had to dig deeer into her subconscious! 9hen +imi looked around the room, she
could see glimmerings of who everyone else used to be! %atie /heridan, for instance, had
always been a friend - they had ;come out; during the =GF@ deb season together, and &issy
Harris had been an attendant at her wedding in 0ewort later that year! But that wasn't the case
with /chuyler!
$s for 'ack, well, they had been together for longer than eternity! His was the only face she ever
saw constantly, waiting for her in every incarnation of her ast! *f +imi racticed her meditations,
erhas she would be able to access the deeest recesses of her history, back to their creation,
in Egyt before the floods!
+rs! Priscilla ,uPont, a regular resence in the city's society ages, and the financial and social
force behind many of 0ew 8ork's most august cultural institutions, steed forward! &ike the
other women behind her, she was reternaturally slim, with a soft, buttery bob that framed her
line-less face! /he cut a severe figure in her shar black #arolina Herrera suit! $s committee
chair and #hief 9arden, she called the meeting to order!
;9elcome to the first meeting of the 0ew 8ork Blood Bank #ommittee of the season,; she said,
smiling graciously! ;9e are very roud to have all of you here!;
+imi zoned out for a bit, barely listening to the standard lecture concerning civil duty and
noblesse oblige, enumerating the many services the committee rovided their community! "he
yearly ball, for instance, raised a tremendous amount of money for blood research rograms,
which was dedicated to the eradication of blood-borne diseases like $*,/ and hemohilia! "he
#ommittee had founded hositals and research institutions, and had been instrumental in
funding stem-cell research and other advances in medicine!
"hen, after the standard siel, +rs! ,uPont looked intently at the ten young eole seated at
the table!
;But heling others is not all that "he #ommittee does!; "here was an e5ectant silence!
+rs! ,uPont looked at each student intently before seaking! ;8ou have been gathered here
today because you are very secial!; Her voice had a melodious, cultured Auality, soothing and
atrician at the same time!
+imi saw Bliss &lewellyn look uncomfortable! /he had given Bliss grief about ,ylan, but it was
her funeral! Bliss had even threatened to ski the meeting, but somehow +imi had heled to
change her mind!
;/ome of you might have noticed certain changes in your bodies! How many have started to
see the blue marks on your arms<; she asked!
"here was a smattering of hands, a few arms glowing with the sahire light shining through
their skin!
/he nodded! ;)ood! "hat is the blood beginning to manifest!;
+imi remembered how freaked out she'd been when her marks first aeared! "hey'd formed
an intricate, almost aisley-like attern u and down from her shoulder to her wrist! 'ack had
shown her his, and it was another of those things that looked like a coincidence but weren't
really - if they held u their arms ne5t to each other's, the atterns matched erfectly!
"he blood marks were a ma of their ersonal histories - it was the blood asserting itself. the
/angre $zul, which marked them as their kind, +rs! ,uPont informed them!
;/ome of you find that you are suddenly able to do things very well! Have you noticed that you
are e5celling in tests you have not studied for< "hat your memory has become like a
hotograhic snashot<;
"here was more nodding, and some mumbling!
;Has anyone noticed that occasionally, time either slis away or becomes very slow<;
+imi nodded! "hat was art of it - the memories that ulled you from the resent to the ast!
8ou would be walking down a street, minding your own business, and then suddenly you were
walking down the same street, but in a totally different time! *t was like watching some really
cool movie, +imi thought, e5cet you were starring in it!
;,o you find that you can eat everything and still not gain an ounce<;
"here was giggling from some of the girls! $ good metabolism, that's what the Red Bloods
thought! +imi had to giggle herself! $s if anyone could eat as many cucakes with whied
cream frosting as they wanted and still be as thin as she was! *t was her favorite art of being a
Blue Blood! 7ne of the lucky ones! "he chosen ones!
;"he taste of cooked meat has become unbearable! 8ou have begun to crave things that are
raw, bloody!;
"here were some uncomfortable looks around the table! Bliss looked esecially ale! +imi
wondered if anyone had ever e5erienced what she had - the day she'd devoured several raw,
ribeye steaks all by herself. stuffing her face until the blood dried down her chin and she
looked like a mental atient! (rom the looks around the table, +imi would bet that had
haened to more than a few!
;7ne last Auestion- how many of you have gotten ets in the last year< ,ogs, more
secifically<;
Everyone raised their hand! +imi thought of how she'd found her chow, Pookie, on the beach in
the Hamtons one day, and how her brother had gotten Patch on the same evening! "heir
father had been so roud!
;How many of them are bloodhounds<;
7nly /chuyler raised her hand! +imi grimaced! Her brother 'ack had merited a bloodhound too
- to level! "hat was annoying!
;9e are here to tell you, you are not to worry! $ll the things you are e5eriencing are normal!
"his is because, like me, like your friends and classmates sitting behind you, like your arents,
grandarents, siblings, and relatives, you are art of a long and noble tradition of the (our
Hundred!;
+rs! ,uPont snaed her fingers and all the lights in the classroom went out! But she, as well
as the other committee members, were still glowing! "hey had an inner light that accentuated
their features! *t was as if they were made of white translucent marble!
;"his is called illuminata, it is one of our gifts that aids us in the night and makes us visible to
one another!;
/ome of the students screamed!
;"here is nothing to worry about! 8ou are safe here, for we are all the same!;
Her voice took on a melodic, hynotic Auality!
;*t is all art of the #ycle of E5ression! 8ou are the newest Blue Bloods! "oday is your induction
into your secret history! 9elcome to your new life!;
"he students' faces were lined in shock! +imi remembered how terrified she'd been, but not
because she'd been scared of "he #ommittee - it was a different kind of terror - a more
comlicated kind of fear! *t was the terror of finally knowing the truth! /he saw the same fear on
the newest members' faces!
"hey were embarking on a 4ourney into the darkness inside themselves!
#H$P"ER ?@
6amires<
9ere they out of their minds<
"he #ommittee was 4ust a front for a bunch of blood-sucking B-list movie monsters< /o they
weren't 4ust socialites! "hey weren't 4ust rich kids! "hey weren't skinny because they threw u
everything they ate! $nd they weren't fast on the field or incredibly athletic or e5traordinarily
smart because they were talented. it was because and this was truly laughable - they were
undead<
/chuyler had watched the whole thing, half aalled and half fascinated by the cultlike
ceremony! 9hatever she thought she'd signed u for, it certainly wasn't this! /he had to get out
of there! /he ushed back her chair and was about to leave the room!
But she wavered - and sat back down again! *t seemed too rude and against her better
4udgment! "here were so many things they were talking about that made sense! "he blue marks
on her arms, for instance! $arently their blood was shining through the skin because it was
starting to assert itself, starting to reconnect with all the old knowledge and wisdom and
memories of their ast lives! Because it was their blood that was alive - that was what made
them undead - their blood was thousands of years old, from the beginning of time, a living
database of their own immortal consciousness! *t had a will of its own, and growing u as a Blue
Blood meant that you learned how to access and control the vast intelligence that was available
inside of you!
8our hysical shell e5ired after a hundred years and then you rested, evolving until they called
you u for the ne5t hase in the cycle! 7r you could choose not to rest, and instead kee the
same hysical shell and become Enmortal - like some of the Elders, but you had to be awarded
a secial disensation for that! +ost Blue Bloods went through the cycle! 9hat did they call it<
"he three stages of vamire life- E5ression, Evolution, E5ulsion!
$nd the bit about the bloodhound - she couldn't argue with that! Beauty had followed her home
one day, and it felt like the creature was art of her! +rs! ,uPont e5lained that their canine
familiars were actually a art of their soul that had transferred to the hysical world to rotect
them! "he years from fifteen to twenty-one were called the /unset 8ears for the Blue Bloods -
their most vulnerable time in the cycle of E5ression when they shed their human selves for
vamire ones! "he Blood +anifest, which brought about the memory shock, the dizziness, the
sickness, made them weak, and their dogs were their guardians, ministering angels who made
sure the Blue Bloods made it to the ne5t hase intact!
/till, it was all 4ust so unbelievable! /he'd been convinced that "he #ommittee had been laying
a Halloween trick when they lit u like that! Even 'ack! /o that's why he was all lit u that night
at the dance! 9hy she could see him in the dark!
9ait until she told 7liver2
But, oh! /he wasn't suosed to! "he Red Bloods - the humans - they couldn't know! $lthough
human familiars - those eole whom you erformed some &atin thing with - their fancy name
for blood-sucking - they could know, but then the ceremony made them forget it or something!
"here was some kind of hynotic essence in the rocess that made them amnesiac, and loyal
to the Blue Bloods! /chuyler couldn't imagine wanting to suck anyone's blood! *t 4ust seemed
gross! But anyway, she had forgotten that she couldn't tell 7liver because he wasn't seaking to
her!
"hen there were all these rules that governed bloodsucking - like you could only have several
human familiars at one time, and you were only allowed to use them once every forty-eight
hours! $arently, life as a vamire wasn't at all like she'd read in books or television, which
were 4ust red herrings created by "he #onsiracy, a subset of "he #ommittee dedicated to
keeing the Red Bloods from knowing their true e5istence! $ Hungarian Blue Blood with a
macabre sense of humor had been resonsible for the myth of ;#ount ,racula!; "he #onsiracy
disseminated false information! $ll those things that were suosed to kill vamires - a crucifi5,
garlic, the sun - were all 4ust made u! "heir idea of a 4oke!
Because, according to "he #ommittee, nothing could kill vamires! 0othing! ,eath was merely
an illusion!
/chuyler found out the reason Blue Bloods didn't like the crucifi5 was because it reminded them
of their downfall, their banishment from the kingdom of Heaven! 1"hese eole were truly
deluded, /chuyler thought to herself! "hey actually thought they were former angels or
something! 'ust what the world needed! +ore self-aggrandizing rich eole!3 *t turned out garlic
was a no-no simly because of the smell! +rs! ,uPont wa5ed on and on about how Blue Bloods
were a very aesthetic-minded race, who favored beauty and harmony above all 1and that ruled
out *talian food<3! $nd as for sunlight - well, again, it 4ust reminded them of the aradise they'd
been e5elled from, but most vamires loved the sun - hence the ma4or killer tans on most of
"he #ommittee members!
"hey lived forever, but not as the same erson, and not always at the same time! "here were
only (our Hundred of them at every #ycle! "hey could ingest food, but most did it out of habit,
or simly to be social! 7nce they reached a certain age, only human blood was needed to kee
them recharged! /chuyler found out that taking a human to (ull #onsumtion - draining him or
her comletely of all blood, effectively killing the human, was the biggest taboo of all! *t was the
first commandment in the #ode of the 6amires - that no harm must come to their human
familiars!
/ince humans could only take so much blood-letting, most Blue Bloods had several human
familiars whom they rotated in their feeding schedule, in the guise of various love affairs! /o that
was why +imi had all those boyfriends! *t was all art of the Blue Blood lifestyle! $nd %itty
+ullins - was she one of 'ack's human familiars< /he had to be, since %itty wasn't in the
assembled grou! /chuyler suddenly wasn't very 4ealous of %itty +uffins! /he felt sorry for her!
"he 9arden told them that the foremost mission of their kind was to cycle through E5ression to
evolve into a oint where )od could forgive them and take them back into heaven again!
Right!
/chuyler didn't believe a word of it! "his was someone's sick and not-funny idea of a really
stuid rank! /he almost e5ected a reality "6 camera crew to o out of one of the cabinets!
But everyone else was muttering, and some of the eole ne5t to her were crying with relief!
;* was so worried * was going crazy!; /he heard Bliss &lewellyn say!
"he aers they'd signed to 4oin were also their commitment to the Blue Blood #ode! "he #ode
was like the "en #ommandments of the Blue Bloods - the laws of creation - and they were
bound to its rules!
Every +onday they would learn more about their history, as well as how to control their owers!
6amire owers manifested in different ways, the most common were hyer-intelligence and
suernatural strength! +ost vamires could read human minds, but only the most owerful ones
could erform mind-control, the suggestive forcing of their will on a weaker being! $ few were
shae-shifters who were able to change their hysical form at will! "he most rare ower of all
was the ability to sto time, but only one Blue Blood in recorded history had ever been able to
demonstrate this ower, and had only done so once in all the centuries they had been on earth!
"he meetings were also intended to hel the younger vamires choose a urose for that cycle!
/chuyler learned that the Blue Bloods were behind the foundation of almost all of the city's most
imortant cultural resources, including the +etroolitan +useum of $rt, the +useum of +odern
$rt, the (rick #ollection, the )uggenheim, the 0ew 8ork #ity Ballet, and the +etroolitan 7era!
Blue Bloods sat on the boards, hired curators, and organized fundraisers! *t was Blue Blood
money that ket all of those wonderful institutions alive!
+rs! ,uPont e5lained that as they grew older, they would have a chance to serve on all the
different committees! $lready, the younger generation of Blue Bloods were making an imact,
organizing the /ave 6enice ball, the 8oung #ollectors evenings at the 9hitney, and benefits for
the High &ine, among other worthy causes!
7h, and of course, they also lanned the yearly (our Hundred ball! "he biggest social dance of
the year, which was held at the /t! Regis Hotel Ballroom in ,ecember was art of a tradition
started during the )ilded $ge by a bunch of Blue Bloods! *t was called the Patrician Ball then!
But /chuyler didn't believe a word of it! $fter they were dismissed, several of the newest
members huddled, talking to the 4uniors and seniors to ask more Auestions! /chuyler walked out
Auickly by herself! /he didn't notice that someone had followed her!
He aeared in front of her without warning!
;Hey!; 'ack (orce smiled! His hair was adorably disheveled as usual! His eyes were green
emeralds in his sculted, handsome face!
;)od, how'd you do that<; she demanded!
'ack shrugged! ;"hey'll teach you! *t's one of the things we can do!;
;9ell, 'we' are not going to stick around to find out,; she said, elbowing him out of her way!
;/chuyler, wait!;
;9hy<;
;*t's not suosed to haen like this! "his meeting was called too early! Dsually, this haens in
the sring! $nd by then, almost everyone has figured it out, from the memories! 8ou start to
know who you are before anyone has to tell you! "he meeting is 4ust a formality! Dsually when
you're taken into "he #ommittee, you already know!;
;Huh<;
;* know it's a lot! *t's a lot to handle! But remember what haened /aturday night< 9hen we
were waltzing< 9e saw it because it's haened before! Everything she said in there is true!;
/chuyler shook her head! 0o! /he wasn't going to fall for this! "hey might all be drinking laced
%ool-$id in there, but she had a good head on her shoulders! "hings like vamires and ast
lives and immortality 4ust didn't e5ist in the real world! $nd /chuyler was a card-carrying
member of the real world! /he didn't want to check into #razy"own any time soon!
;,o this,; 'ack said, taing his face, motioning to the side of his 4aw!
;9hy<;
;8ou should start feeling them! Right here,; he said, ressing a thumb and inde5 finger against
each side of his mouth!
;"here<;
;8eah, * know, the Red Bloods think we have them in our front canines, but that's 4ust one more
of "he #onsiracy's doings! 7ur wisdom teeth are the ones a bit to the side!;
;9isdom teeth< &ike the ones that get taken out at your dentist<; /chuyler asked, trying not to
roll her eyes!
;7h, * forgot, that's what the Red Bloods call them too! 0o, not that far back! "hey stole that
term from us, but it doesn't mean the same thing! #'mon, try it! "hey start aearing right
around now!;
/he rolled her eyes! But she stuck her finger inside her mouth, trying to see if she noticed
anything! ;0othing, there's no - 7h!; Dnderneath a small tooth she'd never noticed before, on
each side, she felt a shar oint!
;*f you concentrate, you can bring them out!;
/he rolled a finger over them, and ictured the teeth lengthening, coming out of her gums!
$mazingly, small shar enamel fangs began to rotrude downward!
;8ou can learn to e5tend and retract them!;
/chuyler did, her finger tracing the shar, needlelike end of the tooth! /he felt sick to her
stomach with an e5citement she couldn't control!
Because it was only then that she realized what she had been denying all along!
/he was a vamire! *mmortal! ,angerous! Her fangs were shar enough to draw blood - to
ierce the skin of a human being! /he retracted them slowly, feeling an ache at their
disaearance!
/he really was one of them!
#H$P"ER ?=
7nce the meeting was ad4ourned, Bliss was still reeling from everything she'd learned! /he was
a vamire, or as she corrected herself. a ;vam-yre,; which meant fire angel in the 7ld "ongue,
a Blue Blood! 7ne of the undead! /o that e5lained the memories, the nightmares! "he voices
in her head! *t was strange to think of her blood as alive, but that's what they said - that they had
all lived before, a long time ago, and were called into service when they were needed! 7ne day
they would be in command of all their memories and would learn how to use them!
"he knowledge brought a rofound feeling of relief! /o she wasn't insane! /he wasn't losing her
mind! 9hat haened at the +et the other afternoon, when she'd blacked out before kissing
,ylan, was robably 4ust art of the whole rocess! "hat's what ,r! Pat had meant! /o she was
normal! /he was suosed to feel dizzy and sick! $fter all, her body was changing, her blood
was changing! +aybe now that she understood why she was having them, her nightmares
wouldn't scare her as much in the future!
+imi was grinning from ear to ear when the meeting was over! /he walked over to Bliss!
;$re you okay<; she asked gently! /he knew it would take some getting used to! But finding out
about being a Blue Blood was like a kind of graduation or something! 9hen she and 'ack had
been inducted, their arents had thrown them a surrise arty at the ?= #lub!
Bliss nodded!
;#'mon,; +imi said! ;&et's go get some steak tartare!;
"hey walked a few blocks toward &a )oulue, then took a table on the sidewalk! *t was late
afternoon, but it was still sunny and warm enough to sit outside! "hey ordered Auickly!
;/o, let me get this straight! 9e can't get killed<; Bliss asked, ulling her seat closer so that no
one would overhear their conversation!
;0o, we live forever,; +imi said airily!
;&ike, forever<; Bliss didn't think she could handle that! How could she live forever e5actly! &ike,
wouldn't she get all wrinkly and stuff<
;&ike, forever,; +imi echoed!
;9hat about the silver stake through the heart<;
;7nly if it's from "iffany's2; +imi cackled! /he took a si of her Pellegrino! ;0o, seriously, you've
watched too much Bulb! "here's nothing that can hurt us! But you know Hollywood! "hey had to
think of ways to kill us off somehow! * don't know how we got such a bad ra!; /he smiled
sweetly, a beautiful monster! ;*t's all created by "he #onsiracy, you know! "hey like to mislead
the Red Bloods!;
Bliss's head swam! /he still felt confused! ;But we die after a hundred years<;
;7nly the hysical shell! *f you choose! 8our memories last forever, so you're never really dead,;
+imi said, clutching the tiny green bottle of sarkling water and taking another gul!
;9hat about sucking blood and all that<;
;*t's fun,; +imi said, her eyes glazing over dreamily, thinking about her *talian hunk! ;Better than
se5!;
Bliss blushed!
;,on't be such a rude! *'ve had tons of humans!;
;8ou're like a vamire slut,; Bliss 4oked!
+imi's face darkened, but then she saw the humor in it! ;8eah, a real vam, that's me!;
"heir food arrived - rare ink slices of tuna caraccio for +imi and a mound of steak tartare
soaked in a raw egg for Bliss!
Bliss thanked whoever made eating uncooked beef not only accetable but fashionable and dug
into her entrBLe! /he wondered how ,ylan would feel if she wanted to make him her human
familiar! ,id she 4ust, you know, start necking and then chom on him<
"he tables on the sidewalk were Auickly filling u with diners from the surrounding
neighborhood, mostly women in chic leather and suede coats and ristine denim trousers,
holding bulging shoing bags from +adison $venue stores, stoing by for a Auick rerieve
from an e5hausting day of trying on clothes! Bliss looked around! $lmost every table was icking
at similarly uncooked foods! /he wondered how many of them were Blue Bloods! +aybe all of
them<
;9hat about the sun< ,oesn't it like, kill us<; she asked, between bites! "he steak melted on
her tongue, cold and tart!
;$re you shriveling u and dying right now<; +imi snickered! ;$ll of us go to Palm Beach every
#hristmas! Hello2;
Bliss had to admit she wasn't! ,ying, that is, from sun e5osure! But she did get itchy, and told
+imi about that!
;8ou 4ust have to see ,r! Pat! "here's a ill you take if you're allergic! /ome of us are. it's
genetic! But you're lucky, the ill you get, it clears acne too! *sn't that great<;
+imi ut down her fork, wied her lis with a nakin, then took out a "weezerman file and
began sharening her back teeth with it!
;*t's good for the fangs,; she matter-of-factly informed Bliss!
Bliss was disconcerted! (or a moment, she had looked ast the +imi sitting there and into the
face of a erson whom she felt she used to know!
;*t haened, huh<;
;9hat<;
;8ou saw me! 7r, you know, some version of me, in some ast life of yours!;
;*s that what it was<;
;9ho was *<; +imi asked, curious!
;,on't you know<;
+imi sighed! ;0ot really! 8ou can go into meditation and learn about your whole history, but it's
kind of a ain! 8ou don't really need to!;
;8ou were getting married,; Bliss said! ;8ou were wearing a crown!;
;+mmm!; +imi smiled! ;* wonder when that was! * don't remember that one! *'ve been married
in Boston, 0ewort, and /outhamton - the one in England, not &ong *sland! "hat's where we're
from, you know! $t least, until we came here! * remember when we settled Plymouth, do you<
"hat's how far back * can go! (or now!;
But Bliss didn't tell +imi that in her memory, she'd seen +imi kissing her groom assionately!
$nd that groom looked an awful lot like her brother, 'ack! *t was 4ust too creey! +aybe there
was some kind of Blue Blood e5lanation for it, but for now, Bliss would kee the disturbing
image to herself!
#H$P"ER ??
#ordelia had asked /chuyler to meet her for tea in the /t! Regis lobby after school! /he was
waiting for her at their usual table when /chuyler arrived! Her grandmother was sitting in the
middle of a bright, beautiful room, /chuyler's bloodhound resting at her feet! "he /t! Regis didn't
usually allow ets in the dining room, but they made an e5cetion for #ordelia! $fter all, the
$stor #ourt was named after #ordelia's great-grandmother!
/chuyler walked u to her, feeling a mi5ture of anger and arehension!
Her grandmother sat serenely, her arms folded on her la! /he looked vibrant and energetic!
Her skin glowed, and her hair was a ale, latinum blond, with 4ust a hint of the lightest silver!
(or the first time, /chuyler noticed that her grandmother always looked like this after her weekly
treatment at 'orge's! But now she wondered - was the flamboyant /outh $merican merely her
hairdresser< 7r one of #ordelia's human familiars< /chuyler decided she didn't want to know!
;+ay * be the first to offer congratulations,; #ordelia said!
;* don't know what *'m suosed to be so hay about,; /chuyler relied!
#ordelia motioned to the chair across from her! ;/it down, granddaughter! 9e have much to talk
about!; $ tu5edoed waiter aroached, and #ordelia ordered the three-course tea service!
;#hinese (lowers for me, lease,; #ordelia decided, closing the menu!
/chuyler sat down, and Beauty nestled her head on /chuyler's la! /chuyler atted her dog
absently, wondering if Beauty were really her guardian angel, or 4ust a stray dog that she'd
found on the street! /he took a cursory glance at the leather-bound menu and aged through it!
;Earl )rey is fine for me, thanks!;
;9hy didn't you tell me before<; /chuyler demanded, when the waiter had left!
;*t is not our way,; #ordelia said simly! ;"he burden of knowing oneself shouldn't be cast until
you are ready! $nd we have found Priscilla does an e5cellent 4ob with the induction ceremony!;
Priscilla ,uPont! "he #hief 9arden! #ommittee #hair! /ocialite! 9hatever she really was!
;#ordelia, how old are you e5actly<; /chuyler asked!
#ordelia smiled! $ rueful, knowing smile! ;8ou have guessed correctly! * have gone beyond the
usual cycle! * am tiring of this E5ression! But * have my reasons for staying!;
;Because of my mother !!!; /chuyler said! *t dawned on her that #ordelia had been allowed to
live longer so that she could take care of her, since her mother was !!! what was her mother
doing e5actly< *f she was an all-owerful vamire, then why was she in a coma<
Her grandmother looked ained! ;8es! 8our mother has made some terrible choices!;
;9hy< 9hy is she in a coma< *f she's invulnerable, why won't she wake u<;
;"hat is not for me to discuss,; #ordelia said sharly! ;9hatever she has done, you should
count yourself rivileged to have her heritage!;
/chuyler wanted to ask her grandmother what she meant by that, but the waiter had arrived
bearing a silver three-story tray laden with scones, sandwiches, and etit fours! /hiny silver
teaots filled with brewing tea were laced ne5t to their orcelain cus!
/chuyler hastened to our and was admonished by her grandmother! ;"he strainer!;
/he nodded and laced the silver tea-leaf catcher on to of her cu! "he waiter took the teaot
and oured the hot tea into the cu! "he leasant aroma of steeed bergamot filled her senses!
/he smiled! Ever since she was a little girl, she'd en4oyed the afternoon ritual! *n the
background, the harist was laying a gentle melody!
(or a few moments, nothing was said as she and her grandmother heled themselves to the
treats! /chuyler ut a lavish soonful of ,evonshire cream on a scone and toed it off with a
dollo of lemon curd! /he took a bite, murmuring her delight!
#ordelia dabbed her nakin on her mouth! /he chose a small finger sandwich filled with crab
salad, took a tiny bite, then ut it back on her late!
/chuyler discovered she was starving! /he took a sandwich - a thin, sAuare cucumber one, and
another scone!
"he waiter silently refilled the to two levels of their tray, gliding in unobtrusively!
;9hat did you mean by lucky<; she asked her grandmother! /he was confused! *t sounded like
she'd had some sort of choice for being who she was, but from all she learned at the meeting,
being a Blue Blood was her destiny!
#ordelia shrugged! /he lifted the lid of her teaot and frowned at the waiter who was standing
Auietly against the wall! ;*'d like some more hot water lease,; she said!
;$re you really my grandmother<; /chuyler asked, between bites of the smoked salmon on rye!
#ordelia smiled again! *t was disconcerting, as if a curtain had been raised and /chuyler was
finally allowed a real eek at the old woman!
;"echnically, no! 8ou are wise to discern that! "here have been (our Hundred of us since the
beginning of time! 9e do not have rogeny in the traditional sense! $s you have learned,
through the cycles, many are called but some choose to rest! +ore and more of us are resting,
slumbering, choosing not to evolve and staying in the rimal state! 9hen our bodies e5ire, all
that is left is a single dro of blood with our ,0$ attern, and when it is time to release a new
sirit, those of us who choose to carry are imlanted with the new life! /o in a way, we are all
related, but we are not related at all! But you are my charge and my resonsibility!;
/chuyler was bewildered by her grandmother's words! 9hat e5actly did she mean by that< ;$nd
my father<; she asked tentatively, thinking of the tall man in the dark suit who visited her mother!
;8our father is of no concern to you,; #ordelia relied coldly! ;"hink no more of him! He was not
worthy of your mother!;
;But who !!!<; /chuyler had never known her father! /he knew his name- /tehen #hase, and
that he was an artist who had met her mother at his gallery oening! But that was all! /he knew
nothing of her father's family!
;Enough! He is gone, that is all you need to know! * told you, he died soon after you were born,;
#ordelia said! /he reached over and smoothed her granddaughter's hair! *t was the first time
#ordelia had shown /chuyler hysical affection in a very long time!
/chuyler reached for a strawberry tart! /he felt deflated and uneasy, as if #ordelia wasn't telling
her everything!
;*t is a hard time for us, you see,; #ordelia e5lained as she surveyed the late of etit fours
and chose a hazelnut cookie! ;"here are less and less of us who are choosing to go through the
roer cycles, and our values, our way of life, is Auickly disaearing! 0ot many of us are
adhering to "he #ode anymore! "here is corrution and dissent in the ranks! +any fear that we
will never reach the e5alted state! *nstead, there are those who choose to fade away into the
darkness that threatens to take us! *mmortality is a curse and a blessing! * have lived too long
already! * remember too much!; #ordelia took a long si from her teacu, her inky finger
ointed down daintily!
$s #ordelia ut down her cu, her face changed! *t sagged and withered in front of /chuyler's
eyes! /chuyler felt a wave of symathy for the old woman, vamire or not!
;9hat do you mean<;
;*t is a coarse time we live in! (ull of vulgarity and desair! 9e have tried our best to influence,
to show the way! 9e are creatures of beauty and light, but the Red Bloods no longer listen to
us! 9e have become irrelevant! "here are too many of them now, and too few of us! *t is their
will that will change this world, not ours!;
;9hat do you mean< #harles (orce is the richest and most owerful man in the city, and Bliss's
father is a senator! "hey're both Blue Bloods, aren't they<; /chuyler asked!
;#harles (orce,; #ordelia said grimly as she stirred honey into her tea! /he released her
teasoon with such anger, the other atrons looked u at the sound! Her face was set! ;He has
his own agenda! $s for /enator &lewellyn, holding olitical office is a direct violation of our
#ode! 9e do not interfere directly with human olitical affairs! But times have changed! &ook at
his wife,; #ordelia said, with a hint of distaste! ;"here is nothing Blue Blood about her taste and
clothing - 'downwardly asirational, * believe it's called!; /he sighed as /chuyler rested her
hands on hers! ;8ou are a good girl! * have told you too much already! But erhas it will hel
when you realize the truth one day! But not now!;
*t was all #ordelia would say on the matter!
"hey finished their tea in silence! /chuyler ate a bite out of a chocolate BLclair, but ut it down on
her late without finishing it! $fter everything #ordelia had told her, she was no longer hungry!
#H$P"ER ?K
*t was maddening how your best friend could twist the knobs inside of you so much that it
hurt! 7liver had known 4ust where to stab his little barbs! Pod Person indeed2 9hat about
him, with his 6esa and his one-hundred-dollar haircuts< $nd his yearly birthday arties on
board his family's two-hundred-foot yacht< 9asn't that 4ust another stab at the oularity
that eluded him<
Ever since "he #ommittee meeting and the tea with #ordelia, /chuyler felt urooted,
unmoored, on unsteady ground! "here was so much her grandmother had confirmed about
their ast - and so much she had still left out! 9hy was her mother in a coma< 9hat had
haened to her father< /chuyler felt more lost than ever, esecially since 7liver had
stoed seaking to her! "hey had never argued about anything before - they used to 4oke
that they were 4ust two halves of the same erson! "hey liked all of the same things 1F Pnt,
sci-fi movies, astrami sandwiches slathered with mustard3 and disliked all of the same
things 1Eminem, retentious $cademy $ward fodder, self-righteous vegetarians3! But now
that /chuyler had moved 'ack from the <0ot< to the <Hot< column, without camaigning for
7liver's aroval, he had cut her off!
"he rest of the week assed by without incident, #ordelia left for her annual fall so4ourn on
"he 6ineyard, 7liver continued to refuse to even acknowledge her e5istence, and she
hadn't had a chance to talk to 'ack again! But for once, she was too busy with real-world
concerns - assing biology, getting her homework done, turning in her English essays - to
deal with either of them!
Her 4aw hurt whenever she e5tended and retracted her fangs, and she was relieved to find
she didn't feel that dee-set hunger yet! /he learned from her grandmother that the
#aerimonia 7sculor, the /acred %iss, was a very secial ceremony, and most Blue Bloods
waited until the age of consent 1eighteen3 to erform it. although incidents of re-term
sucking were rising with every generation - some vamires were even as young as fourteen
or fifteen when they took their first human familiar! "aking a Red Blood without his or her
consent was also against "he #ode!
7n a whim, she decided to visit her mother at the hosital that (riday afternoon after school,
since 7liver hadn't invited her to come over and hang out at his lace as usual! Besides,
she had a lan, and she didn't want to wait until /unday to try it out! *nstead of reading from
the newsaer like she did every week, she was going to ask her mother some Auestions
instead! Even if her mother couldn't answer her, /chuyler would feel better 4ust getting them
off her chest!
"he hosital was Auieter on a weekday afternoon! "here weren't as many visitors in the
lobby, and there was a desolate, abandoned feeling to the building! &ife was lived
elsewhere. even the nurses looked an5ious to take off for the weekend!
/chuyler looked through the glass again before steing inside her mother's room! 'ust as
before, there, by the foot of the bed, was the same gray-haired man! He was saying
something to her mother! /chuyler ressed her ear against the door!
;(orgive me !!! forgive me !!! wake u, lease, let me hel you!!!;
/chuyler watched and listened! /he knew who it was! *t had to be him! /chuyler felt her
heart beat in e5citement!
"he man ket talking! ;8ou have unished me long enough, you have unished yourself
long enough! Return to me! * beg!;
Her mother's nurse aeared at her elbow! ;Hi, /chuyler, what are you doing< 9hy don't
you go inside<; she asked!
;,on't you see him<; /chuyler whisered, indicating the glass!
;/ee who<; "he nurse asked, uzzled! ;* don't see anybody!;
/chuyler ressed her lis together! /o only she could see the stranger! *t was as she
thought, and she felt a flutter of anticiation! ;8ou don't<;
"he nurse shook her head and looked at /chuyler as if there were something slightly wrong
with her!
;8eah, it's 4ust a trick of the light,; /chuyler said! ;* thought * saw something!!!;
"he nurse nodded and walked away!
/chuyler entered the room! "he mysterious visitor had disaeared, but /chuyler noticed
that the chair was still warm! /he looked around the room and began to call out softly, the
first time she had done so since she had sotted the crying stranger!
;,ad<; /chuyler whisered, walking into the ne5t room, a fully furnished living room suite
for guests, and looked around! ;,ad< *s that you< $re you there<;
"here was no answer, and the man did not reaear! /chuyler sat down on the chair he had
vacated!
;* want to know about my father,; /chuyler said to the silent woman in the bed! ;/tehen
#hase! 9ho was he< 9hat did he do to you< 9hat haened< *s he still alive< ,oes he
come visit you< 9as he here, 4ust now<; /he raised her voice, so that if the visitor was still
within earshot, he would hear her! /o that her father would know that she knew it was him!
/he wished he would stay and talk to her!
#ordelia had always given her the imression that her father had done some grievous harm
to her mother! "hat he had never loved her - a fact that she could not reconcile with the
image of the sobbing man by her mother's bed!
;+om, * need your hel,; /chuyler leaded! ;#ordelia says you can get u anytime you
want, but you won't! ;9ake u, +om! 9ake u for me!
;Please!;
But the woman on the bed didn't move! "here was no rely!
;/tehen #hase! 8our husband! He died when * was born! 7r so #ordelia tells me! *s that
true< *s my father dead< +other< Please! * need to know!;
0ot even a toe wiggle! 0ot even a sigh!
/chuyler gave u her Auestions and icked u the newsaer again! /he continued to read
the wedding announcements, feeling oddly comforted by the litany of marital unions and
their homogeneity! 9hen she had read every single one, she stood u and kissed her
mother on the cheek!
$llegra's skin was cold and wa5y to the touch!
&ike touching death!
/chuyler left, more disheartened than ever!
#H$P"ER ?C
"hat evening, when /chuyler returned home, she received an interesting hone call from
&inda (arnsworth!
/titched for #ivilization was the hottest 4eans comany in the city 1and de facto the world3 at
the moment! "heir slashy billboards were all over "imes /Auare, and their three-hundred-
dollar signature ;/ocial &ies; cut - suer-low-rise, butt-lifting, thigh-shaing, whiskered,
stained, bleached, torn, and e5tra-long - were the cult ob4ect of obsession among the
4eanerati! $nd aarently, the designer had flied for /chuyler's moody Polaroid!
;8ou are the new face of #ivilization2; &inda (arnsworth gushed on /chuyler's cell hone!
;"hey must have you2 ,on't make me beg2;
;7kay, * guess!; /chuyler said, still feeling a bit dazed by &inda's e5uberance!
/ince /chuyler couldn't come u with a legitimate reason to deny the fashion gods 1who
was she to say no to #ivilization<3, the ne5t morning she 4ourneyed downtown for the
scheduled hoto shoot! "he hoto studio in far west #helsea was housed in a mammoth
block-long building that had formerly been a rinting factory! "he service elevator was
manned by a bleary-eyed gentleman in a utility suit, who had to manually oerate the lift to
take /chuyler to the roer floor!
/he walked down a maze of hallways, noting the many designer names and 9eb site
addresses that looked familiar on the namelates of the closed doors!
"he hoto studio was in the northeast corner! "he door was roed oen and loud,
electronic music was blasting from the inside!
/he walked inside, not Auite sure what to e5ect! "he studio was a large, oen sace, an
all-white bo5 with shiny white olyurethaned floors and floor-to-ceiling windows! $ white <
seamless< background was carved into one wall, and a triod was set u across from it!
8awning interns were wheeling in clothing racks so that a dreadlocked stylist could e5amine
the garments!
;/chuyler2; $ scrawny man with a five o'clock shadow, wearing a shrunken "-shirt and
baggy 4eans, aroached her holding a hand out enthusiastically! He was smoking and
wearing Ray Ban aviator sunglasses!
;Hey,; /chuyler said!
;'onas 'ones, remember me<; he asked, lifting his sunglasses and grinning!
;7h !!! of course2; /chuyler said, a little intimidated! 'onas 'ones was one of ,uchesne's
most notorious alums! He had graduated a few years ago! He had made a big slash in the
art world with his shredded aintings! He had also done a movie, &umber4ack Iuadrille, that
had laced at /undance, and his latest career turn was as a fashion hotograher!
;"hanks so much for doing this,; he said! ;*'m sorry it's so last minute! But that's the biz!; He
introduced #ivilization's designer, a former fit model with rock-hard abs and rotruding
elvic bones!
;*'m $nka,; she said cheerfully! ;/orry to get you u so early on a /aturday! But it's going to
be a long day! *t'll be okay, though! 9e have tons of doughnuts!; /he motioned to the buffet
table laden with green-and-white %risy %reme bo5es!
/chuyler liked her already!
;$ll right! &et's get you in hair and makeu,; 'onas declared, ointing /chuyler toward a
corner where a dressing-room mirror framed with two rows of incandescent bulbs was set
u in front of two canvas-backed high chairs!
Bliss &lewellyn was sitting in one of the chairs! &inda had failed to mention that there were
two faces of #ivilization that year! "he tall girl was already made u! Her hair had been
teased into a large bouffant, and her lis were ainted cherry red! /he was wearing a fluffy
white robe and chatting on her cell hone! Bliss gaily waved a manicured hand in /chuyler's
direction!
/chuyler waved back! /he hauled herself into the chair, and a British makeu artist who
introduced herself as Perfection /mith began to assess the condition of her skin! $t the
same time, a dour hairstylist grabbed chunks of her hair to e5amine it, clucking his tongue in
disaroval!
;&ate night<; Perfection inAuired, holding u /chuyler's chin to the light! ;8ou're very dry,
luv,; she said in a nasal cockney accent!
;* guess,; /chuyler said! /he hadn't been sleeing much since "he #ommittee meeting! *t
sooked her to think that while she slet, her own blood was waking u, seeing into her
consciousness, and all the memories and voices of her ast lives were clamoring for control
of her brain! Even though 'ack had e5lained it didn't work that way - the memories were
your memories, so they were art of you, and there was nothing to be scared about -
/chuyler wasn't so sure!
/he closed her eyes as her face was rubbed, inched, rodded, buffed, owdered, and
slathered. and her hair was ulled, brushed, and blow-dried, almost singeing her roots!
;7w2; she yeled, as the hair dryer came dangerously close to burning her scal! But the
grumy hair stylist didn't even aologize!
/he was also having trouble following all the directions Perfection was barking at her!
/chuyler had never realized getting her makeu done would be this hard! /he had to do so
many things, sometimes at the same time, so that the makeu artist could do her 4ob
correctly! Perfection was like a drill sergeant! ;7en! 9ider! &ook to the side! &ook to the
other side! &ook at my knee! &ook at the ceiling! #lose your mouth! Rub your lis together!
&ook at me! &ook at my knee!;
/chuyler was e5hausted by the time her transformation was finished!
;$re you ready<; Perfection asked! /he wheeled the chair around so /chuyler could finally
see herself in the mirror!
/chuyler couldn't believe what she saw! *t was the face of her mother staring back at her!
"he face that smiled serenely from the wedding hotos /chuyler ket underneath her bed!
/he was as gorgeous as a goddess!
;7h,; /chuyler said, her eyes wide! Dntil now, she had never known she looked like her
mother!
)od, she was really retty, Bliss thought! Pretty wasn't even the word - that would be like
calling $udrey Heburn good-looking! /chuyler was transcendent! 9hy hadn't she ever
noticed that before< Bliss wondered! /he was talking to ,ylan on her cell - telling him about
the house arty she was hosting later that night - her mom was going to ,!#! to visit her
dad, and 'ordan was going to sleeover at a friend's! /he was telling him what time to
arrive when she noticed /chuyler's transformation!
/chuyler looked every inch a model! Her lis were full and glossy! "hey had blown out her
black-blue hair so that it hung, straight and erfect as an ebony curtain, down her smooth
back! "he stylist had ut her in a air of tight /titched for #ivilization 4eans. and underneath
all those hobo layers, Bliss noticed that /chuyler had a great little figure, slim and waifish!
Bliss suddenly felt like a horse ne5t to her!
;"alk to you later, they're calling us on set,; she told ,ylan, folding u her hone!
;)od, you look so great,; Bliss whisered, when they were lined u ne5t to each other
against the white backdro!
;"hanks,; /chuyler said! ;* feel so silly!; /he had never worn so little clothing in ublic
before, and was trying not to feel too self-conscious about it! "hey were both wearing the
4eans, and the 4eans only - their backs were to the camera, and they were both covering
their chests with folded arms, even though the stylist had asted nude-colored Band-$ids
on their breasts to cover their niles! /he had agreed to model mostly out of curiosity, a
social e5eriment she could analyze later, but she had to admit, it was also retty fun!
*t was cold in the studio, and 'onas was yelling instructions to everyone over the Black
Eyed Peas blasting from the overhead seakers! "here was a frenzied atmoshere of 4ittery
assistants and lighting technicians 4uming at the hotograher's every word! Bliss and
/chuyler were attacked with hair sray canisters whenever there was a break! $ deadan
seriousness revailed as 'onas and $nka heatedly discussed issues such as whether their
hair should be blowing in the wind or not 1se5y or clichBLd<3, or if the 4eans looked better
from the front or the side!
"he girls osed and outed, trying not to blink at the flash of the camera! /uddenly feeling
insired, Bliss ulled /chuyler closer for a tight embrace!
;"wisted,; 'onas smirked from behind the lens!
,uring their lunch break, they ut their robes back on and huddled with the crew around the
buffet table, iling their lates with vegetables and seared tuna! 1Rare, thank )od, Bliss
thought!3
;/moke<; 'onas asked, taking a crumled ack of cigarettes from his back ocket! ;#'mon
girls, 4oin me!;
"hey ut down their lates and followed him and $nka out to the balcony!
;/o, you both go to ,uchesne<; $nka asked, taking out a long menthol cigarette and
breathing in as 'onas lit it with his :io!
;Dh-huh,; Bliss nodded, acceting a somewhat sAuashed #amel from 'onas!
/chuyler shook her head! #igarettes made her ill! /he was 4ust out there for the comany
and the view! "he balcony overlooked the abandoned railway flats ne5t to the river! $ barge
was slowly making its way across the water! /chuyler looked out haily! /he would never
get tired of looking at the city!
;* went to %ent,; $nka volunteered! ;* met 'onas at R*/,!;
'onas nodded! ;9e've been collaborating ever since!; He blew out a smoke ring! ;9e're so
glad we found you girls! 9e really wanted our kind to be the face of the camaign!;
;7ur kind<; /chuyler asked!
$nka laughed, and flashed her fangs at them!
;8ou're Blue Bloods2; Bliss gased!
;7f course!; 'onas nodded, amused! ;+ost eole in fashion are! Haven't you noticed<;
;How can you tell<;
;8ou 4ust know - in the shae of the eyes and a certain overall bone structure,; 'onas
e5lained! ;Plus, we're also really, really icky! 'ust look at Brannon (rost, the editor-in-chief
of #hic! Hello!;
;/he's a vamire<; Bliss goggled! But then, it made so much sense - the frail figure, the
dark oversized sunglasses, the ale skin, the rigorous dedication to erfection!
;9ho else<; /chuyler asked!
'onas rattled off several more names- a oular <bad-boy< designer who had recently
revitalized the goth-grunge look, a model who was the current face of a lingerie comany,
an acclaimed makeu artist who oularized blue nail olish! ;"here are tons,; he said,
tossing his cigarette off the balcony!
"hey changed the sub4ect when several eole from the crew came out to 4oin them, and
'onas started to tell a series of raunchy 4okes that only Perfection could match in grossness!
/chuyler laughed with all the rest, feeling like she and Bliss were art of an ad hoc, slightly
deranged family!
;9hy isn't +imi here<; /chuyler asked suddenly! *t didn't make sense that she would have
this e5erience while +imi, who thrived on this kind of attention, had been left out!
Bliss suddenly laughed! /he'd comletely forgotten about +imi! +imi would die when she
heard that Bliss and /chuyler had been chosen for the /titched for #ivilization camaign
and not her2
;8eah, where is +imi<; Bliss asked!
'onas scratched his head! /chuyler noticed the faded blue marks on his arms! ;+imi
(orce< 9e considered her for like, a second! Remember, $nk< 9hat haened with her<;
;&inda told me her day rate,; $nka said! ;$arently when she signed u, she told &inda
she wouldn't get out of bed for less than ten thousand dollars a day! /orry, girls, but without
any e5erience, that's 4ust not realistic! * didn't even make an offer! Besides, we wanted you
two!;
;* guess slee is 4ust too imortant to her!; Bliss smirked! ;/he doesn't know what she's
missing!; Bliss gave /chuyler one of her rare, genuine smiles!
;Right!; /chuyler nodded!
/chuyler smiled back! /he was starting to like Bliss &lewellyn even more!
"hey went back to the shoot, draing themselves over each other, and when 'onas
shouted, ;(ire2 (ire2 )ive me fire2; they ractically burned the lens!
#H$P"ER ?F
"hey let her kee the 4eans2 /chuyler was thrilled!
"he shoot ended late, way ast the si5 o'clock end time, and by the time they were done it was
dark outside! /he said her good-byes in a flurry of air kisses, waving madly to everyone at the
corner! "he merry gang disersed - $nka and the stylists disaearing in a "own #ar, the hair
and makeu crew into ta5icabs, 'onas and his assistants to the nearest bar!
;,o you want a ride utown<; Bliss asked! ;+y driver should be here shortly!;
/chuyler shook her head! ;"hanks, but no! * think *'m going to walk a bit!; *t was a nice night,
cloudless and brisk!
Bliss shrugged! /he was already sucking on a cigarette, and in her tight "-shirt, new 4eans, and
urle monkey-fur 4acket, she looked every inch an off-duty model! ;/uit yourself! ,on't forget,
mi casa, tonight at ten!;
/chuyler nodded! /he hugged the lastic bag with her new 4eans tightly! /he was back to
wearing her many layers - a black "-shirt over a black turtleneck over a black 4ersey skirt over a
air of gray 4eans and white-and-black stried stockings, with her beat-u black combat boots!
/he meant to walk east toward /eventh $venue, and continue to stroll u through "imes
/Auare, &incoln #enter, and the Der 9est /ide on the way home!
$s she walked east toward "enth $venue, she felt a little wary! "he streets were comletely
deserted. the warehouse buildings that housed new art galleries were dark and forbidding! "he
streetlights flickered and there were uddles on the ground from a recent rainstorm! /chuyler
suddenly wished she had taken Bliss u on the offer of a ride! (eeling an5ious, she began
walking faster toward the well-lit avenues! *f she could only get to 0inth, with its coffeeshos
and boutiAues, she knew she would be safe!
/he tried to shake the fear off, thinking it was merely aranoia from the dark - and who was she
to be afraid of the dark anyway< /he was a vamire2 /he laughed ghoulishly, but she felt a
rickle of fear 4ust the same!
/he couldn't deny it anymore!
/omeone was following her!
7r some thing!!!
/he broke out into a Auick run, her heart beating wildly in her chest, and her breath coming in
Auick gass! /he turned around!!!
$ shadow against a wall!
Her shadow! /he blinked! 0othing! "here was nothing and no one! 8ou're 4ust aranoid, you're
4ust aranoid, she told herself! /he forced herself to walk slower, to show herself she wasn't
afraid!
7nly a few more stes to the haven of 0inth $venue!!! so close!!! she turned around one more
time!!! and felt something reach around and grab her by the neck! /he struggled to breathe, to
oen her eyes, to kick away, but she couldn't scream. it was as if something had locked her
throat and was sAueezing it tightly! $ dark, giant creature!!! tall and strong as a man, a dense
and no5ious resence with!!! crimson eyes, crimson eyes with silver uils shining in the dark,
staring at her!!! boring into her brain!!! and then she felt it!!!
0o2 0o2 0o2
/he refused to believe it, but yes, there were fangs ricking her skin - but how could it be< /he
was one of them2 9hat was this<
9ith all the strength she had, she ushed back at her attacker - but she flailed, scratching at
nothing it was like the wind had her in its gri - it was no use, the fangs came down stabbing her
neck - her blood, her bright blue blood, seeing the life out of her!!! /he was dizzy and
confused!!! she was going to ass out - when a blue-black blur suddenly materialized, barking
madly!
Beauty2
"he bloodhound snarled and leaed at the dark creature! "he monster released her, and
/chuyler staggered onto the dirty sidewalk, clutching the side of her neck! Her bloodhound ran
in circles, snarling and barking loudly! "he dark creature disaeared!
Beauty was still barking when /chuyler finally oened her eyes! /omeone was holding her u!
;$re you okay<; Bliss &lewellyn asked!
;* don't know,; /chuyler said, still in shock! /he tried to regain her balance, leaning heavily on
Bliss's shoulder, her legs still shaking!
;Easy,; Bliss soothed!
Beauty was still barking, with loud, angry howls, and growling at Bliss!
;Heel, Beauty, heel, that's Bliss, she's my friend,; /chuyler said, utting an arm out to soothe
the trembling dog! But the dog wouldn't sto! Beauty ran around Bliss, niing her ankles!
;7uch2;
;Beauty, that's enough2; /chuyler said, taking Beauty's collar roughly! 9here had she come
from< How had she known< /chuyler looked into the dog's intelligent black eyes! 8ou saved
me, she thought!
;9hat haened<; Bliss asked again!
;* don't know! * was 4ust walking when something attacked me from behind!!!;
;* heard you,; Bliss said, her voice shaking! ;* was waiting over there, outside the studio, for my
car, when * heard you screaming down the block, so * ran over to hel!;
/chuyler nodded, still dazed from the e5erience! Her bag and its contents were scattered
around her - her books oen and soaking in the uddles, her rized new 4eans crumled in a
hea!
;9hat do you think it was<; Bliss asked, heling /chuyler gather her things and utting them
back in her leather bag!
;* don't know!!! it seemed!!! unreal,; /chuyler stammered! /he zied u her bag and
shouldered it roughly! /he was still a bit unsteady on her feet, but holding Beauty's leash made
her feel better somehow! /he felt stronger around the bloodhound, more substantial!
$lready, the memory of the attack was staring to fade - a dark mass, with shining red eyes and
silver uils - and teeth, teeth shar enough to uncture skin - fangs - 4ust like hers - but when
her fingers touched the side of her neck, there was nothing there anymore! 0ot a wound! 0ot
even a scratch!
#atherine #arver's ,iary
?Krd of ,ecember, =>?@
Plymouth, +assachusetts
$las2 $las2 Everyone from Roanoke is disaeared! +yles and the men found nothing of the
colony! "he shelters had been dismantled, the animals nowhere in sight! "here was nothing but
a bare atch of field! 0othing remained of the settlement e5cet for a lone sign nailed to a tree!
'ohn showed it to me!
#R7$"$0
*t chilled my blood to see it! $las2 $las2 *t is true! 9e are cursed2 "hey are here! $ll is lost2 9e
wee for our kindred! But we must rotect the children! 9e are not safe2
#H$P"ER ?>
Ridiculous! *t was one of +imi's favorite words!
Her ython Birkin< Ridiculous2 Her father's new )-F 4et< Ridiculous2 Bliss &lwellyn's house
arty< 7"", baby! Ridiculous to the ma5! "here was nothing like a arty to get her blood flowing!
+imi surveyed the crowded room! $lmost everyone from "he #ommittee was there, and a great
selection of delicious-looking Red Bloods! /he was glad she'd convinced Bliss to throw the
arty!
"hings had been way too serious around school - what with midterms 4ust around the corner,
the seniors stressing about alications, the lingering sadness from $ggie's funeral - and they
all needed to rela5! Bliss had been hesitant at first - badgering +imi with a thousand etty
concerns like, 9ill anyone show< 9hat about food< 9ho's going to buy the beer< 9hat about
the furniture< 9hat if something haens to it< /ome of it is really e5ensive2 /he had almost
driven +imi mad with all her angsting! ;&eave it all in my caable hands,; +imi finally told her
friend!
/o, in Auick succession, +imi commandeered an army of ublicists and event lanners to
transform the &lewellyns' trile5 enthouse aartment into a bacchanalian haven - comlete
with a sonsored oen bar 1as if alcohol had any effect on them anyway3, a crew of models
holding serving trays bearing bite-size edibles 1otatoes stuffed with caviar, lobster timbale, and
shrim cocktail3, and slew of brightly colored goodie bags stuffed with a full line of lu5urious bath
roducts! +imi had even hired a crew of refle5ologists, aromatheraists, and /wedish masseurs
to give foot, hand, and back massages to the guests! "he white-clad ;amer olice; were busy
at work kneading, choing, and relieving the stressed-out muscles of the rivate school elite!
Bliss arrived home to find all the furniture on the downstairs floor relaced with zebra-int
couches, shag rugs, and $ero lams! $ ,' was setting u in front of the firelace!
;,on't freak, okay<; +imi said, holding u a hand in front of Bliss's face!
;9hat the f - <; Bliss asked, looking around at the total transformation of her arents' home into
a groovy >@s-style nightclub!
+imi e5lained she'd had all of Bliss's arents' things secured and transferred to a storage
location, and that everything would be ut back tomorrow morning before they got home! /he'd
gotten the idea from one of the design magazines, suggesting an emty house was the erfect
lace for a arty!
;$m * a genius or what< "his way, you don't have to worry about anything being stolen or
broken,; +imi assured! ;9here have you been, anyway< 8ou're late2;
Bliss shook her head, aghast! /he wondered what her stemother would say if she knew
everything in her recious Penthouse des RBNves was in 'ersey somewhere! /he gaed at +imi
for a second, threw her hands u in resignation, and headed to her room to change!
;8ou're welcome2; +imi called!
"he latest smashcut remi5 1,estiny's #hild vs! 0irvana3 was blasting from the &lewellyns'
surround-sound stereo system! +imi smiled to herself in the dark! /he wet her lis, which shone
brightly with blood! Her *talian boyfriend was somewhere, assed out as usual!
;&ychee martini<; a waitress asked, offering her a cocktail!
"he erfect chaser! +imi smiled and emtied its contents! "hen she took another and another,
while the confused server 4ust stared at her!
;"hirsty<; a voice behind her asked!
+imi turned around!
,ylan 9ard was watching her, his dark hair masking his eyes! "he same feeling of dread came
over her! ;9hat's it to you<; she sneered!
,ylan shrugged!
+imi walked over to him! /he was wearing a croed red leather ,sAuared 4acket and a vented
chiffon Balenciaga skirt that hugged her curves! *t annoyed her that ,ylan didn't even notice
how good her legs looked in that skirt! "here was something imudent about that! $s if he didn't
even care what she looked like! Blashemy2 /he checked his neck! /o far, no sign that Bliss
had tried to seal their bond! +imi smiled to herself! $n idea formed in her head! 0ow, this could
be fun!
*f she erformed the #aerimonia 7sculor on ,ylan before Bliss did, he would be bound to her
forever! He would forget all about Bliss! "hat would serve Bliss right for continuing to see him
after +imi had forbade her to do so! 0ot that she was even interested in ,ylan or anything, she
was 4ust bored!
/he lowered her lashes flirtatiously! ;Hel me with something<; she asked, leading him away
from the arty!
*n the shadows, she looked like a helless beautiful girl, and without even thinking about it,
,ylan found himself automatically following her farther and farther, deeer into the dark!
;But she invited me2 * know the owner of this aartment2; /chuyler argued! /he'd never even
heard of a guest list for a house arty! But then again, she'd never been invited to one! "he
elevator had oened to the lowest floor of the aartment, and /chuyler found her way barred by
a cadre of stony-faced PR girls!
;,id you R/6P<; one of them demanded, snaing her gum and looking balefully at /chuyler's
mismatched outfit! /he was wearing a flowing tunic with layers of lastic beads, denim shorts
over black leggings, and scuffed cowboy boots!
;* only heard about it today,; /chuyler groaned!
;*'m sorry, you're not on the list,; the cliboard girl relied, savoring the re4ection!
/chuyler was about to ste back into the elevator and go home, when Bliss aeared from
behind a hidden doorway!
;Bliss2; /chuyler cried! ;"hey won't let me in!;
Bliss marched over! /he had showered and changed into a slim-fitting +issoni dress with
zigzagging stries and high-heeled gladiator sandals! /he took /chuyler by the arm and ulled
her through the PR barricade, over the rotests of the cliboard hellions! /he led /chuyler into
the main room, which was crowded with ,uchesne kids angling for drinks at the bar, srawling
on couches, or dirty-dancing by the windows!
;"hanks,; /chuyler said!
;/orry about that! *t's +imi! * told her my arents were away and * was thinking of hosting a little
get-together, and she uts together like, the +"6 +ovie $wards $fter Party!;
/chuyler laughed! /he looked around - there were go-go boys and go-go girls writhing in cages
hung from the ceiling, and she recognized several famous faces in the mi5! ;*sn't that - <;
/chuyler asked, noticing a ey teen actress funneling beers in front of a cheering crowd!
;8eah,; Bliss sighed! ;#'mon, let me show you the rest of the lace! *t doesn't usually look like
this!;
;*'d love to - but * have to do something first!;
Bliss raised her eyebrow! ;7h<;
;* have to find 'ack (orce!;
/he had to find 'ack! /he had to tell him what had haened to her! "hey had barely soken to
each other since the night of the *nformals, but she erceived he was the only one who would
understand! /he was fighting to hold on to the memory - already it was sliing - already she
couldn't remember the e5act details of where, why, or how it had haened - e5cet for the
eyes, eyes glimmering red in the dark, with silver uils! Red eyes and shar teeth!
But the &lewellyns' enthouse was like a house that magically e5anded - everywhere you
turned, there were rooms and rooms off innumerable hallways, with hidden treasures! /chuyler
found an indoor la ool, a fully eAuied gym, and what looked to be a staffed day sa on the
remises, comlete with massage tables and essential oils, as well as a game room filled with
old-fashioned carnival arcade toys, with mechanical fortune tellers and enny games, all of
them in erfect working condition! /he ushed a enny into a slot and removed her fortune!
87D $RE $ "R$6E&ER $" HE$R"!
+$08 '7DR0E8/ $9$*" 87D!
/he wished 7liver were there to see it!
;Have you seen 'ack< 'ack (orce<; she asked everyone she bumed into!
/he was told that he had 4ust left, or was on another floor, or had 4ust arrived! He seemed to be
everywhere and nowhere!
$t last, she found him in an emty guest bedroom on the uermost floor! He was strumming a
guitar and singing softly to himself! ,ownstairs was the house arty of the century, but 'ack
referred the silence ustairs!
;/chuyler<; he said, without looking u!
;/omething haened,; she said, closing the door behind her softly! 0ow that she'd finally found
him, all the feelings she'd bottled u came out! /he was trembling, so scared that she hadn't
even noticed that he'd divined her resence from sense alone! Her eyes were wide and
frightened! 9ithout thinking twice, she ran to his side and sat ne5t to him on the bed!
He ut an arm around her rotectively! ;9hat's wrong<;
;* was at a hoto shoot today, and afterward, * was walking alone!!! and * was!!! * can't
remember!!!; /he struggled for the words! (or the images! $t the time, they were burned into
her brain, yet it felt like she was grasing - reaching for them! /he held on to the tendrils of the
memory - something terrible had almost haened to her - but what< 9hat words could convey
what had haened, and why was her memory betraying her< ;* was attacked,; she forced
herself to say!
;9hat<; He cursed! He shook her shoulders, then held her close! ;By whom< "ell me!;
;* don't remember! *t's gone, but it was!!! owerful, * couldn't sto it! Red!!! red eyes!!! teeth!!!
going to suck!!! here,; she said, ointing to her neck! ;* felt it, dee into my veins!!! but look, *
don't have any uncture wounds< * don't understand!;
'ack frowned! He ket his arms around her! ;*'m going to tell you something! /omething
imortant!;
/chuyler nodded!
;/omething is hunting us! "here is something out there hunting Blue Bloods,; he said softly! ;*
wasn't sure before, but * am now!;
;9hat do you mean, hunting us< ,on't you have it backward< 9e're the ones everyone else
needs to be afraid of2;
'ack shook his head! ;* know it doesn't make sense!;
;Because "he #ommittee said we can't be kil - ;
;E5actly,; 'ack interruted! ;"hey've always told us we live forever, that we're immortal and
invulnerable, that nothing can kill us, right<; he asked!
/chuyler nodded! ;"hat's what * was telling you!;
;$nd they're right! *'ve tried!;
;"ried what<;
;*'ve 4umed in front of trains! *'ve cut myself! * was the one who fell out the library window last
year!;
/chuyler remembered that rumor - how some kid had 4umed off the third-floor balcony and
landed in the cortile! But she hadn't believed it! 0o one could survive a fifty-foot 4um and live,
much less land on their feet!
;9hy<;
;"o see if what they were telling us was true!;
;But you could have died2;
;0o! * couldn't! "he #ommittee was right about that, at least!;
;"hat night - that night in front of Block =?? - you were hit by the ta5i!;
He nodded! ;But it didn't hurt me!;
;0o!; /chuyler nodded! /o she had seen him fall underneath the ta5icab's wheels! He should
have died! But he had aeared on the sidewalk, whole! /he'd thought she was 4ust tired from
the night, that her eyes were strained! But it had actually haened! /he'd seen it!
;/chuyler, listen to me! 0othing can harm us!!! e5cet - ;
;E5cet!!!<;
;* don't know2; He folded his hands into fists in frustration! ;But there is something out there! "he
#ommittee isn't telling us everything!;
'ack e5lained that before the first meeting, the senior members of "he #ommittee decided that
they wouldn't tell the remature about the danger! "hat instead of warning everyone, it was best
to leave them in the dark for now! *t was enough that they would find out about their true
heritage first. no reason to raise alarm bells where there might be none! E5cet that he hadn't
believed them! He knew they were keeing something from them!
;"hey're holding something back! * think it's something that might have haened before, in our
history! /omething to do with Plymouth, when we first came here! *'ve tried to dig it u, but it's
as if it's blocked from my sight! 9hen * try to think about it, all * remember is a word! $ message
nailed to a tree in an emty field! *t contained one word- #roatan!;
;9hat's that<; #roatan! /chuyler shuddered, reulsed by the mere sound of it!
;* have no idea!; 'ack shook his head! ;* don't even know what it is! *t could be anything! *t might
be a lace, *'m not sure! But * think it has to do with what they haven't told us about! /omething
with the ower to kill Blue Bloods!;
;But how do you know< How can you be so sure<; she asked him, alarmed!
;Because, like * told you, $ggie #arondolet was murdered,; he said, looking intently into her
dee blue eyes! /chuyler was silent! ;$nd<;
;$ggie was a vamire!;
/chuyler gased! 7f course2 "hat's why she'd felt so emathic at the funeral! /he'd known,
somehow, that $ggie was one of them!
;/he's never coming back! /he's gone! Her blood - all of it - was drained from her body! Her
memories, her lives, her soul - gone! /ucked out, 4ust like we suck the Red Bloods,; he said
sadly! ;E5tinguished! "aken!;
/chuyler looked at him in horror! *t couldn't be true!
;$nd she wasn't the first! "his has haened before!;
#atherine #arver's ,iary
?Fth of ,ecember, =>?@
Plymouth, +assachusetts
Panic everywhere! Half of us are determined to flee, to find safer ground! Perhas head south,
farther away! "he #onclave is meeting today to discuss the alternatives! 'ohn is convinced that
one of them is hidden among us, that one of us has succumbed to their ower! He is determined
to convince the Elders! 9illiam 9hite will stand with him, he said! But +yles /tandish is
adamant about staying! He has argued that there is no roof, even if the Roanoke colony is
gone, that they were overtaken by #roatan! $ hysterical lie, he says, erhas even a willful
misleading! He will not believe messages left on trees! "he #onclave is ever in accordance, it
has never haened that they have failed to reach an agreement! *t is not our way to doubt!
+yles /tandish has led us well for as long as * can remember! But 'ohn is certain there is
danger! /tay or flee< But where would we go<
#H$P"ER ?E
9hat was u with the dry ice< *t was like a bad magic show in there! Bliss shooed away
some freshmen heling themselves to more than one goodie bag on the e5it table, and
circled the room! /he felt a rising anic! /he couldn't find ,ylan anywhere! "he one guy she
wanted to see, and he was missing!
/he floed down on the leather couch and looked at the hallway leading to the massage
rooms! "wo eole were making out behind the ice sculture! "he taller figure looked
familiar - that worn, beaten leather sleeve, the fringes of that white silk scarf - it had to be!!!
;,ylan<; Bliss asked!
+imi turned around! /hit! /he should have taken him into the bathroom or somewhere
more rivate! /he retracted her fangs Auickly and ut on her most dazzling smile!
;Bliss, sweetie! "here you are,; she said!
,ylan turned around, his eyes glassy and unfocused! ;9hat are you doing<; Bliss asked
+imi!
;0othing!; +imi shrugged! ;9e were 4ust talking!;
Bliss ulled ,ylan out of the shadowy corner! /he checked his neck for marks, but there
were none! )ood! /he glared at +imi and led him away!
;9hat were you doing with her<; Bliss demanded!
,ylan shrugged! He hadn't even realized he was with +imi (orce! He'd been lost in a daze,
as if he were under a sell! He blinked his eyes and looked at Bliss! ;9here have you
been<; he asked, his voice suddenly normal!
;&ooking for you,; she said!
He smiled!
;#'mon, * want to show you my room,; Bliss said!
,ylan looked strange in the confines of her bedroom! *t was as if he were too male, too
dirty!!! too real! He smirked at her white rincess bed with the fluffy floral comforter, at the
ale green rug, the ink wallaer, the white wicker armoire, the four-story dollhouse, the
theater lights on her vanity table!
;7kay, * know! *t's a little girlie,; she conceded!
;$ little<; he teased!
;*t's not me! *t's my stemother! /he thinks *'m still like, twelve or something!;
,ylan grinned! He shut the door softly and dimmed the lights!
Bliss suddenly felt nervous! ;E5cuse me for a sec,; she said, sliing into the bathroom to
catch her breath!
*t was going to be her first time, and she was a little scared about it! /he was going to do it -
*" - the #aerimonia 7sculor - that would bind him to her in blood she was going to give him
the /acred %iss - but he didn't know it yet!
$arently, you 4ust started doing it - and they - the humans - they would begin to writhe in
ecstasy and it would all be hot and sweaty and - and afterward she would feel better than
she'd ever felt before!
9hen she walked out, ,ylan was already lying on the bed, his back against the fluffy down
illows! He looked skinny and se5y in his ried Ben (olds "-shirt! He kicked off his 0ike
,unks and atted the emty sace ne5t to him!
Bliss found his scarf and leather 4acket hanging on the bedost, and it gave her an idea!
/he slied a dulicate of her keys in the ocket!
;9hat are you doing<; ,ylan asked!
;0othing - 4ust giving you something that will maybe make it easier for us to get together
ne5t time,; Bliss said coyly!
;9ell, get over here now!;
;*'m cold,; she said, sliing under the covers!
$fter a second, ,ylan ulled aside the covers and slid in beside her!
"hey lay there for a while, listening to the sound of gangsta ra thuming from the second
floor!
;8ou are really cold,; he marveled!
;But your skin's warm,; she said!
He wraed his arms around her! "hey started kissing and Bliss was thankful she didn't
black out this time, as she felt his hand e5lore underneath her dress, reaching for her bra!
/he smiled, thinking boys were all alike! He would get what he wanted, but not before she
got what she wanted!
/he closed her eyes, feeling his warm hands unclas the hook of her bra! He ulled her
dress off, over her head! /he raised herself a little off the bed to hel him, and then she was
lying there, in only her #osabella thong, before him!
/he oened her eyes to see him hovering over her! /he ulled him closer!
He made a cross of his arms and ulled his "-shirt over his chest! He was so skinny she
could feel the ribs underneath his skin! "hey were both breathing Auickly, and in a moment,
he was lying on to of her, ushing his body against hers!
/he caressed his neck and felt the hard bum underneath his 4eans ressing against her
thigh! /he rolled over him, so that she was on to of his chest! He held her close, his hands
caressing her back, sliing off her underwear! /he began kissing his mouth, the line of his
4aw, licking her way down!
/he felt her back teeth e5tend. she was going to do it - 0ow2 /he could almost smell his
thick, rich blood - she raised her 4aw, and suddenly, the room was ablaze with light!
;9hat the hell<; ,ylan oked his head out of the comforter!
"wo giggly sohomores were standing in the hallway, watching them!
;7os2;
Bliss looked u at them, her fangs still sticking out! "he two girls at the door screamed!
Bliss Auickly disarmed! /hit! "he #ommittee had warned them about this - they couldn't
allow the Red Bloods to see them as they were, to know their real nature! "hey were 4ust
some kids! +aybe they'll think they were 4ust imagining things!
"here was a loud thum from behind her! ,ylan had fallen off the bed and was rolling
heavily to the floor!
/till underneath the comforter, Bliss turned and saw what had made him 4um! Her father
was standing in the hallway! 9here had he come from< How had they gotten home so
early< Bliss scrambled to ut her dress back on!
;9hat's going on in here<; the senator asked! ;Bliss, are you all right< $nd who are you<;
he asked!
,ylan was hoing around, ziing u his 4eans and ulling down his "-shirt! He grabbed
his leather 4acket and stuffed his feet back into his sneakers! ;Dh, nice meeting you, too!;
;9hat is the meaning of this<; (orsyth &lewellyn demanded! ;Bliss, who was that boy<;
9ith a sinking heart, she heard ,ylan's Auick footstes stom down the stairs!
He'd never be hers now!
;8oung lady, are you going to e5lain< 9hat e5actly is going on in here< $nd what
haened to all of our furniture<;
#H$P"ER ?G
/chuyler didn't doubt that what 'ack had told her was true! He told her about the way they'd
found $ggie at the club, with all her blood drained, 4ust like a Red Blood after full
consumtion, e5cet it had haened to one of their own! 'ust as they reyed on the
humans, something was reying on them! 'ack e5lained that while the Blue Bloods ket to
"he #ode there hadn't been a human death due to blood-sucking in centuries, those that
hunted the Blue Bloods were not as chivalrous!
"hen he told her about some girl who'd died in #onnecticut over the summer! $nother Blue
Blood! /he had been a Hotchkiss sohomore, and they'd found her in the same condition
as $ggie! "here was also a si5teen-year-old #hoate boy who'd died 4ust before school had
started! He'd been in "he #ommittee as well! $gain, the blood was drained comletely from
his body! $ggie's death was 4ust the latest one they knew about!
'ack was certain the Elders were hiding something from them, and he was determined to
find out what it was! ;9hy do * feel like *'ve seen this before, like *'ve lived this before< But
there's something blocking my memory! $lmost as if someone's tamered with it somehow!
But we need to know! 9e need to know what's haening to us! $nd why everyone who's
dying is our age! $re you with me<; he asked!
/chuyler nodded!
;9e need to find out how to sto it! (or all our sakes! 9e can't live in the dark, like we are
now! "he Elders think it will 4ust go away, but what if it doesn't< * want to be reared for it -
whatever it is!;
He looked so assionate and angry, /chuyler couldn't hel but ut a hand on his cheek! He
looked at her intently! ;*t's going to be dangerous! * don't want to drag you into something
you might regret!;
;* don't care,; /chuyler said! ;* agree with you! 9e have to find out what this thing is! $nd
why it's reying on us!;
He ulled her closer to him, and she felt his heart beating in his chest! *t was amazing how
calm and centered she felt - like this was the only lace in the world where she belonged!
He leaned over, his nose gently brushing hers, and she tilted her chin u to be kissed!
9hen their lis met, and their tongues touched, it was like they were kissing in a hundred
different laces, and her senses were flooded with new sensations and old memories!
He kissed her, and their souls melted into each other in a melody older than time!
;9hat a retty icture!;
/chuyler and 'ack ulled away!
+imi (orce was standing in front of them, claing her hands slowly!
;+imi, there's no need for that,; 'ack said coldly!
/chuyler blushed! 9hy on earth was 'ack's sister staring at her like that - like, like, like she
was 4ealous of them2 How creey and weird was that< 9as she missing something here<
+imi was his twin sister!
;"he &lewellyns are here! "hey're retty issed! * came to warn you! 9e gotta scram!;
'ack and /chuyler followed +imi to the back staircase, where dozens of kids from the arty
were already streaming out, carrying their goodie bags and chattering e5citedly!
;,amn2 * forgot to take one2; +imi cursed! ;$nd *'m out of body lotion, too,; she lamented as
they walked out to the lobby! "he building's concierge looked a tad horrified to encounter a
rash of teenagers bursting through, some still carrying beer bottles and cocktail glasses! He
gazed oenmouthed at the sight of them!
"he grou disersed, and +imi ran out to the street, where their car was waiting! ;'ack, are
you coming<; she asked, turning around imatiently!
;8ou're leaving<; /chuyler asked!
;(or now! *'ll e5lain later, okay<; he said, taking her hand and giving it a sAueeze! "hen he
let go!
/chuyler shook her head! 0o! 9hy did he have to go< /he wanted him to stay by her side,
not run off again somewhere without her! Her lis still ached with the force of his kiss, her
cheeks red from his stubble!
;,on't be like that! Remember what * said! Be careful! ,on't go anywhere without Beauty!;
/he nodded mutely, and was about to turn away! "hen, as if she thought better of it, she
reached out and grabbed his arm! ;'ack!;
;8es<;
;*!!!; she faltered! /he knew what she wanted to tell him, but she couldn't bring herself to
say the words!
*t turned out she didn't have to! 'ack ut a hand on his heart and nodded! ;* feel the same
way about you!;
"hen he turned around and disaeared inside the black "own #ar that was carrying his
twin!
#H$P"ER ?H
/chuyler watched the car ull away, conflicting feelings and thoughts warring in her brain!
$ggie was a vamire - and she was dead - which meant she, /chuyler, could die too! /he'd
almost died that day - if not for Beauty! /he watched the car disaear around the corner!
He was leaving her! /omething about the way he had walked away made her feel as if he
were walking away from her forever, and she would always be alone!
;+iss, can * hel you<; the disgruntled concierge asked, ursing his thin lis!
/chuyler looked around! /he was the only erson standing in the &lewellyns' marble lobby!
;$ctually, yes,; she relied smoothly! ;* need a ta5i, lease!;
"he doorman at the front soon sent her on her way!
;Houston and Esse5, lease,; she instructed the driver! /he was going to the only lace
where she knew she would find a safe haven!
"he line at "he Bank was long as usual, but this time /chuyler walked straight u to the
front of the roe! ;E5cuse me,; she told the drag Aueen, ;but * really need to get inside right
now!;
"he #her wannabe ursed her lis! ;$nd * really need a tummy tuck! But nobody gets what
they want! )et in the back like everyone else!;
;8ou don't understand! * said, &E" +E *0 R*)H" 079!; "he words were a roar in her mind,
even stronger than the last time she had tried it!
"he drag Aueen staggered back, holding her head as if she'd received a blow! /he nodded
to the door goons, who lifted the roe!
/chuyler strode in, mentally waving away the ticket taker and the *, check who were thrown
backward toward the wall as if they were 4ust dominos!
*nside the club was itch-black, and /chuyler could barely make out the shadowy forms of
revelers swaying, humming and dancing to the into5icating music! "he music was so loud,
she could hear it in every ore of her body! /he felt rather than saw her way through the
crowd, slowly but steadily ushing her way forward through the mass of dancers! (inally,
she found the stairs that led u to the lounge on the to floor!
;)rass, crank, blow,; came the hiss of a retilian drug dealer erched on the third ste!
;/omething for the little lady< "ake her to the stars<;
/chuyler shook her head and hurried ast him!
/he found 7liver on the second level, ne5t to the windows, sitting cross-legged and
admiring the view of $venue $! He looked at once aloof and erfectly miserable! /he felt
e5actly the same way! /he didn't realize how much she'd missed him until she saw his
familiar face, his hazel eyes hidden underneath his long bangs!
;9ell, well! "o what do * owe this honor<; he asked, when he noticed her standing in front of
him! He ushed his hair out of his eyes and stared at her in a hostile fashion!
;* have to tell you something,; she said!
7liver crossed his arms! ;9hat is it< #an't you see *'m busy<; he snaed, motioning to the
large emty sace surrounding him! ;9ell, * was busy,; he muttered! ;"here were tons of
eole here 4ust a minute ago! * don't know how you missed them!;
;'ust because!!!; she rotested! 'ust because * left you at the dance alone and went to be
with another guy, she had begun to say, but she stoed herself right in time! /he had left
7liver alone, and for all intents and uroses, she had been his date at the *nformals! He
was her best friend, and she saw him all the time, but at the dance, they were suosed to
have been a coule! 0ot in a romantic way, but in a, we're-here-at-this-cray-dance-
together-so-let's-make-the-best-of-it kind of way! 9hat she'd done was incredibly rude! How
would she feel if 7liver had done the same to her< *f he'd left her alone, with no one to talk
to, while he went off and danced with +imi (orce< /he would robably give him as cold a
shoulder as he was giving her now! #older, most likely!
;7llie, *'m sorry about last /aturday night,; she said finally!
;9hat's that<;
;*'m sorry! * said *'m sorry! 7kay< * wasn't thinking!;
He looked u at the ceiling, as if talking to an unseen observer! ;/chuyler 6an +en,
admitting she was wrong! * don't believe it!; But his hazel eyes were crinkling, and she knew
they were friends again!
"hat was all she'd had to say! /orry!
0o matter how overused and abused it was, sorry was still a owerful word! Powerful
enough to make her best friend talk to her again!
;/o we're okay<;
7liver had to laugh! ;8eah! * guess!;
/chuyler smiled! /he sat down on the ledge ne5t to him! He was her best friend, her
confidante, her soul mate, and in the ast week, she had ignored and neglected him, ulling
away because she was too frightened to tell him the truth about herself! ;* have to tell you
something about me!; /he reached out and took his hands in hers! ;7liver, *'m a!!! *'m a
vam!!!;
7liver's face softened! ;* already know!;
;E5cuse me<; she demanded!
;/chuyler! &et me show you something!;
/till holding her hand, he led her down ast the basement it and the coed bathrooms
toward the corner where she had encountered that strange blank wall the last time they
were at the club! He muttered a few words, and an outline of a door glowed brightly! 7liver
ushed softly on it, and the wall swung oen, revealing stee, curving stairs that led to the
lowest bowels of the building!
;9hat is this<; /chuyler asked as they steed through the entryway! "he wall shut behind
them, leaving them alone in the dark!
7liver removed a thin flashlight from his shirt ocket! ;(ollow me,; he said! "hey began to
walk down the stairs, which siraled down for what seemed like miles! /chuyler was out of
breath by the time they arrived at the bottommost stair!
"here was another door, a more magnificent one this time, made of gold, ebony, and
latinum! *0)RE,*7R PER#*P*7 $0*+D/ read the inscrition around the erimeter!
7liver removed a gold key from his wallet and twisted it in the lock!
;9here are we< 9hat is this all about<; /chuyler asked, steing tentatively inside the
room!
*t was a library - a large, airy sace that smelled like chalk dust and archment! "here were
bookshelves that reached seventy-five feet to the ceiling, and a maze of ladders and
bridges that connected the towering stacks! *t was bright and well-lit, and decorated with
cozy $ubusson rugs and bankers lams! /everal scholars at rollto desks looked u
curiously when they entered! 7liver bowed to them and led /chuyler to a rivate cubicle!
;"his is the Reository of History! 9e kee it rotected!;
;9ho's we<;
7liver ut a hand to his lis! He led her to a small, shabby desk in the back of the room! *t
held a gleaming iBook, several framed hotograhs, and a dozen Post-it notes! He
searched the shelf on to of the desk and made a satisfied sound as he took down a book,
musty and dirty from years of use! He blew softly on the cover! He flied to the first age
and dislayed it to her! He ointed to the crumbling age where a family tree was illustrated,
the name 6an $len inscribed in the center, with Hazard-Perry in small letters underneath!
;9hat is this<;
;*t's how we're related,; 7liver e5lained! ;How we're associated, * mean! 9e're not family,
so don't worry!;
;9hat do you mean<; she asked, still trying to fathom the fact that there was a secret library
underneath the nightclub!
;+y family has served yours for centuries!;
;#ome again<;
;*'m a #onduit! &ike everyone in my family! 9e've been caretakers for the Blue Bloods
forever! 9e work as doctors, lawyers, accountants, financiers! 9e've served the 6an $lens
in that caacity since the =E@@s! 8ou know ,r! Pat< /he's my aunt!;
;9hat do you mean, serve us< 8our family is so much richer than mine,; /chuyler ointed
out!
;$n accident of fate! 9e offered to ameliorate the situation, but your grandmother wouldn't
hear of it! '"imes have changed, she said!;
;But what does that mean - a #onduit<;
;*t means, we serve a different urose! 0ot all humans are familiars!;
;8ou know about that<; she asked! /he looked down at the age again, recognizing the
names of her ancestors on her mother's side!
;* know enough!;
;But why didn't you ever say anything<;
;*'m not allowed!;
;But how come you can know what you are, but * didn't know what * was<;
;/earch me! "hat's how it's been since the beginning Being a #onduit is something that's
assed down, that's taught, and it's easier to teach at a young age! 9e serve to kee the
Blue Bloods a secret, to rotect them and hel them manage in the real world! "he ractice
is an old one, and only a few vamire families kee #onduits nowadays! +ost got rid of
theirs, like the (orces! *t's an ancient tradition, and some Blue Bloods don't kee to the old
ways anymore! &ike your grandmother said, things are different now *'m one of the last of
our kind!;
;9hy<;
;9ho knows<; 7liver shrugged! ;+ost Blue Bloods can take care of themselves anyway!
"hey don't need us anymore! "hey don't trust the Red Bloods to hel. they want to control
them instead!;
"here was a commotion at another desk, and they turned to see a cowering, hunchbacked
librarian being berated by an angry older woman with a distinctly recognizable blond bob!
;9hat's haening<;
;$nders is getting it again! +rs! ,uPont is not hay with the way his research is going!;
/chuyler recognized the graceful figure of "he #ommittee chair! ;$nd $nders is<;
;$ librarian! $ll the library staff is Red Blood! #onduits who don't work for any single family
anymore!;
/chuyler noticed that the Blue Bloods at the library ordered the librarians around with a
grand, authoritative fashion, and for a moment she was embarrassed to be a vamire! 9hat
haened to common courtesy<
;9hy do they talk to you guys like that<;
;8our family never did,; 7liver said, blushing! ;But like * told you, most Blue Bloods resent
us! "hey don't even think we should be here, or know about them! But no one from your
side wants to take over the Reository! 0o one's interested in caretaking some old books!;
;9hat's she doing here anyway<; /chuyler wondered, watching +rs! ,uPont look through
some aerwork her #onduit had brought!
;"his is the headAuarters of the #onclave of Elders! "he 9ardens - you know! "hey meet
over there, in the boardroom behind the stacks!;
;How long have you known< $bout me, * mean!; /chuyler asked! /he looked back at his
desk, at the hotograh of the two of them that had been taken the ast summer in
0antucket! 7liver, his face red from the sun, was sAuinting at the camera! He had a dark,
dee caramel tan and his hair had lightened to a rich golden brown, while /chuyler looked
ale and uncomfortable, underneath a huge floy beach hat, a white smudge of sunscreen
on her nose! "hey had looked so young then, even if it was only a few months ago! &ast
summer they had been 4ust kids,4ust a bunch of kids who were dreading going back to high
school! "hey had sent the two weeks sailing and making bonfires on the beach! "o
/chuyler it felt like a lifetime ago!
;*'ve known since * was born! * was assigned to you,; he said simly!
;8ou were assigned to me<;
;$s * understand it, every member of a vamire family is assigned a human conduit at birth!
*'m two months younger than you! 8ou could even say you're the reason why * was born! *
sought you out! Remember<;
/chuyler looked back on all her memories! /he remembered now how he ket making
friendly overtures, and how she'd resisted at first! He was always sitting ne5t to her in class,
or asking her Auestions, and finally, in the second grade, when they'd shared that dismal
lettuce sandwich, they'd become friends!
;$nd what e5actly do you do<;
;* hel you! * nudge you in a certain direction, suggest how to use your owers so you can
discover them on your own! Remember that night at "he Bank, when * ket telling you 'think
ositive and we'll get in'<;
/he nodded! *t was as she susected, and she told him how she had used it this evening to
get ast the drag Aueen at the door!
He guffawed! ;Priceless! 9ish *'d seen that one!;
/he smiled wryly! ;9ell, they did tell us at #ommittee meetings that mind-control was
ossible!;
;But only very few vamires can do it,; he ointed out!
;* don't get it, though! *f this Reository is down here - why were you so worried about us
not getting into "he Bank< /urely there's another entrance to this lace!;
7liver nodded! ;"here is! "hrough Block =??! "hat's why they have a 'members-only' olicy!
$s in, Blue Bloods and their guests only! * could have gone in through there, *'m one of the
few with a key - even though *'m only a lowly Red Blood - but * hate that lace!;
/he nodded for him to continue!
;"he Bank is a fluke! (or the longest time it was emty! But then a coule of neighbors and
homeless eole reorted seeing eole go in and never coming out, and to alleviate
susicion, they figured they'd rent out the to floors to anyone interested! "his club
romoter came along first, and they liked the idea of a nightclub so much they decided to
oen another club ne5t door - but a rivate one of course!;
/chuyler rocessed all the information! "he rivate nightclub, "he #ommittee, it certainly fit
in with everything she knew about the Blue Bloods so far! "hey liked to kee to themselves!
/he was still bothered by 7liver's admission, however, and his e5lanation for their
friendshi! /he couldn't hel but remember how 7liver was always loaning her money, and
she never had enough to reay him, but he never seemed to worry about it, or ask for it
back! 9as that art of it< 9here did the #onduit end and her friend begin<
;/o anyway, you're not really my best friend< 8ou're like, my babysitter<;
7liver laughed and raked a hand through his thick hair! ;8ou can call me whatever you
want! 8ou're 4ust not going to get rid of me that easily!;
;"hen why did you get so mad at me when * told you about "he #ommittee<;
He sighed in frustration! ;* don't know - * guess a art of me didn't want it to be true, even
though * knew it was! * mean, * knew it would haen, but * 4ust wanted us to be the same,
you know< $nd we're not! *'m a Red Blood! 8ou're immortal! * guess it 4ust bummed me out!
/o sue me, *'m human!; He smiled at his un!
;8ou're wrong! $arently *'m not so immortal, actually,; /chuyler said!
;9hat do you mean<;
;'ack told me that something is killing vamires!;
;"hat's imossible!; 7liver shook his head! ;* told you, there's something wrong with that
dude!; He cracked a smile!
;0o, there's not! *'m serious! *t's a secret! $ggie was a vamire! $nd she's not recycling!
/he's gone! /he's dead! &ike, really dead this time! Her blood is gone!;
;7h, )od,; 7liver said, his face draining of color! ;* didn't know! "hat's why * told you *
wasn't in mourning at her funeral! * thought, what's the big deal< /he'll 4ust come back!;
;/he's never coming back! $nd she's not the only one! "here have been more - other kids
are getting killed! Blue Bloods! 9e're not suosed to die, but we are!;
;/o what does 'ack want to do about it< 9hat does he know<; 7liver asked!
;He wants to find out what's hunting us!; /he told him about 'ack's memory about
Plymouth! "he message nailed to a tree in a lonely field! #roatan!
;How is he going to do that<; 7liver asked!
;* don't know, but * think we can hel him!;
;How<;
/chuyler looked around the old room!
;"his library holds the entire history of the Blue Bloods, right< +aybe there's something in
here we can find!;
#H$P"ER K@
"hey had invaded the sanctuary! Ever since +imi could remember, her father retreated into
his book-lined den after work and hardly ever came out for dinner! *t was a locked door, a
secial lace, where children weren't allowed! +imi recalled scratching at the door when
she was a child, deserate for his attention and love, only to have her nanny cart her away,
with admonishments and threats! ;&eave your father alone, he's a busy, busy man with no
time for you!;
Her mother had been the same way - a distant satellite - always on vacation somewhere
children were not allowed or welcomed! *t had been a lonely, Auiet childhood, but she and
'ack had made the most of it! "hey were each other's sole comany. they deended on
each other to the oint where +imi didn't know where she ended and her brother began!
9hich made what she was about to do even more necessary! He had to know the truth!
/he strode into the great marble hallway and walked right u to the locked door to their
father's study! 9ith a wave of her hand, the lock disintegrated and the door blew oen with
a bang!
#harles (orce was sitting at his desk, nursing a crystal goblet of dark red liAuid!
;*mressive,; he congratulated his daughter! ;*t took me years to learn that one!;
;"hank you!; +imi smiled!
'ack followed behind, slouching forward, his hands in his ockets! He looked at his sister
with a newfound resect!
;(ather2 "ell him2; +imi demanded, walking u to the desk!
;"ell me what<; 'ack asked!
#harles (orce took a si from his glass and watched his children with hooded eyes! His so-
called children! +adeleine (orce and Ben4amin (orce! "wo of the most owerful Blue
Bloods of all time! "hey had been there in Rome, during the crisis! "hey had founded
Plymouth, they had settled the 0ew 9orld! He had been the one to call them u again and
again, whenever they were needed!
;$bout the 6an $len mongrel,; +imi said! ;"ell him!;
;9hat about /chuyler< 9hat do you know<; 'ack asked! ;+ore than you, my brother!; +imi
said! /he took a seat in one of the leather club chairs across from her father's desk! /he
turned to her brother, flashing her green eyes at his identical ones! ;Dnlike you, *'ve
accessed my memories! /he's not in them! *'ve checked! $gain and again! /he's not there!
/he's not anywhere! /he isn't suosed to e5ist2; +imi's voice took on a high screech! Her
fangs were bared!
'ack took a ste backward! ;"hat can't be! * have her in mine! 8ou couldn't be more wrong!
(ather, what the hell is she talking about<;
#harles took another si from his glass and cleared his throat! (inally, he said, ;8our sister's
right!;
;But * don't understand!!!; 'ack said, sluming down into the other club chair!
;"echnically, /chuyler 6an $len is not a Blue Blood!; #harles sighed!
;"hat's imossible,; 'ack declared!
;/he is and she's not,; #harles e5lained! ;/he is a roduct of #aerimonia 7sculor, of a
union between a vamire and a human familiar!;
;But we can't reroduce - we don't have the caacity!!!; 'ack argued!
;9e cannot reroduce among ourselves, that is true! 9e cannot create new life. we merely
carry the sirits of those who have assed in a new embryonic form through in vitro
fertilization! * believe it is even common among the Red Bloods these days! 7ur women are
imlanted with the seed of an immortal consciousness so that it can take on a new hysical
shell in the #ycle of E5ression!
;But since the Red Bloods have the ability to create new life, new sirits, miscegenation
between the two is aarently not imossible! *mrobable, but not imossible! However, in
all our years, it has never haened before! "o conceive a baby of mi5ed blood is against
the strictest laws of our kind! Her mother was a troubled and foolish woman!;
+imi oured some of the liAuid in the decanter into a new Baccarat glass! /he took a si!
Rothschild #abernet! ;/he should have been destroyed,; she hissed!
;0o2; 'ack cried!
;,o not be so alarmed! 0othing is going to haen to her,; #harles said soothingly! ;"he
#ommittee has not come to a definitive conclusion concerning her fate! /he aears to
have inherited some of her mother's traits, so we have ket close watch on her!;
;8ou're going to kill her aren't you<; 'ack said, his head in his hands! ;* won't let you!;
;"hat is not for you to decide! &ook dee into your memories, Ben4amin! "ell me what you
see! &ook for the truth inside yourself!;
'ack closed his eyes! 9hen they had danced at the *nformals, he had felt /chuyler's
resence in his own memories as if he had known her from out of time! He went back to
that night, to the room where they were dancing at the $merican /ociety mansion, and to
the memory of the night of the Patrician Ball - the night they had waltzed to #hoin! 7ne of
his most vivid and treasured memories - it was!!! her!!! it couldn't be anyone else2 "here2 He
felt triumhant2 He looked closely at the face behind the fan! "here was the fair, orcelain
skin, the delicate features, that uturned nose, and he recoiled - those weren't /chuyler's
eyes - those eyes were green, not blue - those eyes were!!!
;Her mother's,; 'ack said, oening his own eyes and looking at his father and sister!
#harles nodded! His voice was uncharacteristically harsh! ;8es! 8ou saw $llegra 6an $len!
*t's a owerful resemblance! $llegra was one of our best!;
'ack lowered his head! He had ro4ected that image onto /chuyler when they were
dancing, had used his vamire owers to fill her own senses, so that she thought she had
sensed the ast as well! But /chuyler was a new soul! Her mother, it was her mother whom
'ack had ursued across the centuries! "hat's why he'd been drawn to /chuyler, ever since
that night in front of Block =?? - because her face was so like the one that haunted his
dreams!
"hen he looked u at +imi! His sister! His artner, his better half, his best friend and worst
enemy! *t was she who had been with him since the beginning! *t was her hand that he
reached for now in the darkness! /he was strong, she was a survivor! *t was from her that
he drew his strength! /he had always been there for him! $griina to his 6alerius!
Elisabeth de &orraine-&illebonne when he was &ouis d'7rleans! /usannah (uller to his
9illiam 9hite!
+imi reached over and took his hand in hers! "hey were so alike. they had come from the
same dark fall, from the same e5ulsion that had cursed them to live their immortal lives on
earth, and yet, here they were, thriving after a millennia! /he atted his hand, the tears in
her eyes mirroring his own!
;/o what do we do now<; 'ack asked! ;9hat's going to haen to her<;
;(or now, nothing! 9e watch and wait! *t's robably best if you stay clear of her! $nd your
sister has informed me about your concerns about $ugusta's death! *'m leased to say we
are very close to finding the eretrator! * am sorry to have ket you both in the dark for so
long! &et me e5lain!!!;
'ack nodded and gried his sister's hand even more tightly!
#H$P"ER K=
"he ne5t week went by swiftly! Every day after school, /chuyler and 7liver hit the stacks at the
Reository, trying to find any record or mention of ;#roatan!; "hey combed through the
comuter database, trying every conceivable selling of the word! But since the library files
were only automated in the late =HG@s, they also had to reference the ancient card catalog!
;#an * hel you<; a grave voice asked as they huddled together at 7liver's desk one afternoon,
oring over dozens of old books and several cards from the ;#r - #u; drawer!
;7h, +aster Renfield! +ay * introduce /chuyler 6an $len<; 7liver asked, standing u and
making a small, formal bow!
/chuyler shook the old man's hand! He had a haughty, aristocratic visage and was dressed in
an anachronistic Edwardian greatcoat and velvet trousers! 7liver had told her about Renfield - a
human #onduit who took his 4ob way too seriously! ;He's been serving the Blue Bloods for so
long he thinks he is a vamire! #lassic /tockholm /yndrome,; 7liver had said!
;* think we've got it covered!; 7liver smiled nervously! "hey had tacitly decided not to ask any of
the librarians for any hel with their search, intuitively understanding that it was an illicit sub4ect!
*f "he #ommittee was hiding something, and that something had to do with ;#roatan,; then it
was robably best if they didn't tell anyone about it!
Renfield icked u a iece of aer from 7liver's desk, where /chuyler had scribbled down a
series of words! ;#roatan< %roatan< #hroatan< #hroatin< %ruatan<; He Auickly ut the aer
down, as if it burned his fingers!
;#roatan! * see,; he said!
7liver attemted a casual tone! ;*t's 4ust something we heard about! *t's nothing! 'ust a school
ro4ect!;
;$ school ro4ect,; Renfield nodded somberly! ;7f course! Dnfortunately, * have never heard of
the word! 9ould you care to enlighten me<;
;* think it's a iece of cheese! /omething to do with an old English recie!; 7liver relied with a
straight face! ;(rom Blue Blood banAuets in the si5teenth century!;
;#heese! * see!;
;&ike RoAuefort or #amembert! But *'m thinking it's more like a shee's milk, maybe,; 7liver
said! ;7r a goat! *t could be a goat! 7r maybe like a mozzarella! 9hat do you think, /ky<;
/chuyler's lis were twitching and she couldn't trust herself to answer!
;6ery well! #arry on,; Renfield said, leaving them to their task!
9hen he was safely at a far distance, /chuyler and 7liver burst out laughing - as softly as they
could!
;#heese2; /chuyler whisered! ;* thought he was going to faint2;
*t was the one bright sot in an otherwise dreary week! "he colder weather brought a rash of
ailments! "he flu bug hit the school, and several students had been out for the ast coule of
days, 'ack (orce among them! $arently, even vamires weren't immune to the flu eidemic!
/chuyler also heard Bliss had been grounded since the arty, and the tall "e5an girl ket to
herself! Even ,ylan comlained about it - Bliss was moody and remote, and never left +imi's
side!
"he ne5t day was bitter cold and gray! "he first sign that winter was aroaching! *t was a 0ew
8ork gray - from the buildings to the smog to the skies - as if a dark, dam cloud had descended
on the city like a wet blanket! 9hen /chuyler arrived at the ,uchesne gates, a dark mist hung
over a bustling commotion in front of the school! /he assed several white news vans with
satellite antennas, and a crew of reorters riming, checking their teeth in handheld mirrors,
and grooming before the cameras rolled! "here were camera crews with triods everywhere, as
well as newsaer and magazine reorters and hotograhers - an even bigger mob than on
the day of $ggie's funeral!
/everal ,uchesne students were huddled at the front doors, watching the scene! /he found
7liver in the crowd and 4oined him!
;9hat's haened<; she asked!
7liver looked grim! ;/omething awful! * feel it!;
;* feel it too,; she agreed! ;*t's not another death is it<;
;*'m not sure!;
"hey waited at the gates! (rom the front door of the ,uchesne mansion, two burly olicemen
were escorting a young man between them! $ scruffy, disheveled young man wearing a beat-u
leather 4acket!
;,ylan2 9hy< 9hat's he done<; /chuyler asked, horrified!
"he crowd of reorters and cameramen ressed forward, covering the scene with flashes and a
barrage of Auestions! ;$ny comment<;
;9hy did you do it<;
;#are to share your feelings with our readers<;
/chuyler felt anicked and distressed! 9hy were they taking ,ylan away< $nd in such a ublic
fashion< /he couldn't believe the school would let them do something like this2 /he found a
wild-eyed Bliss in the crowd!
;/chuyler2; (or the moment, Bliss had forgotten she and /chuyler weren't really friends!
/chuyler took Bliss's hands in hers! ;9hy< 9hat haened< 9hy are they taking him away<;
she asked!
;"hey think ,ylan killed $ggie2; she said! Bliss was fighting to hold on to her comosure, but
seeing 7liver's and /chuyler's stricken faces made her break down! /he held on to them for
suort! ;* overheard them talking to the headmistress! $ggie didn't die of a drug overdose, she
was murdered!!! strangled, and she had ,ylan's ,0$ on her fingertis!!!;
;0o!;
;*t's got to be a mistake,; Bliss said tearfully!
;Bliss, listen to me,; /chuyler said, a hard edge to her voice! ;He's being set u! ,ylan couldn't
have killed $ggie! Remember<;
Bliss's eyes focused! /he nodded! /he knew what /chuyler was saying! ;Because!!!;
;Because he's human and a Red Blood can't kill a Blue Blood!!! $ggie would have overowered
him in a second! *t's a lie! $ggie was a vamire! "here was no way ,ylan could have killed her!;
;$ setu!;
;Right,; /chuyler said! "he rain was coming down in torrents, and all three of them were getting
soaked, but none of them seemed to notice!
Bliss looked fearfully at 7liver! ;But /chuyler, there's no such thing as a vamire!!!; she said
lamely!
;7h! ,on't worry about 7liver! He knows! He's okay! He's a #onduit! *'ll e5lain later!;
7liver tried to look trustworthy and reassuring! He remembered his umbrella in his ack and
oened it, shielding them from the rain!
;'ack told me last week that there's something out there killing Blue Bloods! +y guess is ,ylan's
being framed,; /chuyler e5lained!
;/o that means he's innocent!!!; Bliss said hoefully! ;7f course he is! 9e need to find out who
is behind this, and we need to get ,ylan out of there!; /chuyler declared! Bliss nodded!
;9e need to find out what's going on! 9hy ,ylan is being charged all of a sudden, when the
official reort was a drug overdose! 9here did they get this 'evidence'< $nd why ,ylan<;
;8our dad's a senator! He's got to have some connections with the olice deartment! #an't he
hel<; 7liver suggested!
;*'ll ask him,; Bliss romised! "he three of them walked through the school gates! "hey were
already late for their homeroom classes!
&ater, at lunch, Bliss met u with 7liver and /chuyler at the cafeteria! "hey were seated at the
back table as usual, hidden behind the marble firelace!
;8ou soke to your dad<; /chuyler asked!
;9hat did he say<; 7liver rodded!
Bliss ulled out a chair ne5t to them and lanted her elbows on the table! /he rubbed her eyes
and looked at the two of them! ;He said, don't worry about your friend! "he #ommittee is taking
care of this!;
/chuyler and 7liver digested the information! ;"hat's strange isn't it<; /chuyler asked! ;Because
#ommittee meetings have been canceled until further notice!;
#H$P"ER K?
"he whole school was still buzzing with the news that afternoon - and in /chuyler's ethics class,
+r! 7rion was trying to calm down his students!
;/ettle down, settle down, lease,; he said! ;* know this is a tough time, but we need to
remember that in the Dnited /tates, we are innocent until roven guilty!;
/chuyler walked into the room and noticed that 'ack was back in his usual seat ne5t to the
window ;Hey,; she said, giving him a shy smile and taking the desk ne5t to his! /he would never
forget the way he'd kissed her, almost as if he'd kissed her before!
'ack looked more handsome than she'd ever seen him! His hair gleamed white-gold underneath
the light, and his clothes were crisly ressed, his shirt neatly tucked for once! He was wearing
a black sweater and a gold watch she'd never seen on his wrist before! He didn't look u at her!
;'ack!!!;
;8es<; he asked coldly!
/chuyler recoiled at the arctic tone in his voice! ;*s something wrong<; she whisered!
He didn't rely!
;'ack, we have to do something2 "hey've arrested ,ylan2 $nd you know it's wrong! He couldn't
have killed her2; /he whisered fiercely! ;He's human! He's being set u! 9e need to find out
why!;
'ack took out his fountain en and scratched the nib on his notebook! He didn't look at her! ;*t's
none of our business!;
/chuyler whisered fiercely, ;But what do you mean< 8ou know it is! 9e need to find out about
what's killing us off! ,on't you - didn't you want to - <;
;#are to share with the rest of the class, +iss 6an $len<; +r! 7rion asked, interruting the
conversation!
/chuyler slouched down in her seat! ;0o, sorry!;
(or the rest of the eriod, 'ack sat silent and stony-faced! He refused to look at /chuyler, or
even to read the notes she assed to him!
9hen the bell rang signaling the end of class, /chuyler ran after him!
;9hat's gotten into you< *s it your sister< 9hat's wrong<; 'ack snaed! ;,on't bring +imi into
this!;
;But * don't understand! 9hat you said on /aturday night - ;
;* soke recklessly! *t's not the way * feel! *'m sorry to have misled you!;
;9hy are you shutting me out< 9hat's haened to you<; /chuyler asked, a catch in her voice!
'ack looked /chuyler u and down! ;*'m really sorry, /chuyler! But * made a mistake! * shouldn't
have said the things * said that night! * was wrong! +y father set me straight! "he #ommittee
isn't hiding anything! "hey've investigated the circumstances of $ggie's death, and we 4ust need
to trust them to know what's best! "hey'll let us know once it's been resolved! * think we should
4ust forget about the whole thing!;
;8our father - your father has something to do with this, doesn't he<; she accused him!
He ut a heavy hand on her shoulder. gried it tightly, then released it, ushing himself away!
;&eave it alone, /chuyler! (or your sake and mine!;
;'ack2; she called!
He didn't turn around! /he saw him walk urosefully down to the second landing, where +imi
(orce was coming out of a classroom! /he saw the two of them together, noticing as if for the
first time that they had the same lithe form, the same anther limbs, they were the same height,
the same coloring! /he saw +imi smile when she saw 'ack! $s 'ack slung an arm around his
sister's shoulders in an intimate and affectionate way, something in her heart broke!
;9hat did 'ack say<; Bliss asked, meeting /chuyler and 7liver for coffee at the /tarbucks
across the street during their free eriod!
;He's no hel,; /chuyler said, the words dead in her mouth!
;9hy not<;
;He's changed his mind! He says that what he told me was a mistake! He told me to forget
about it!; /he tore a aer nakin into tiny ieces, meticulously riing it aart until her tray was
filled with confetti! ;He said "he #ommittee will e5lain everything in time, we 4ust need to be
atient,; she said bitterly!
;But what about ,ylan<; Bliss asked! ;9e can't 4ust let them charge him for something he didn't
do2;
;9e're not! *t's u to us,; 7liver said! ;9e're the only, ones who can hel him now!;
#H$P"ER KK
"he olice wouldn't let them see ,ylan! "hey tried to visit him after school, but they encountered
a wall of law enforcement - and no one at the station would even admit to holding him there! *t
was a dead end! "hey had taken away his cell hone and his /idekick, and they had no way to
get in touch with him! /chuyler felt a dee sense of foreboding! "he crisis brought the three of
them - Bliss, /chuyler, and 7liver - closer than ever! "he ne5t day, Bliss stoed sitting with
+imi in the cafeteria! *nstead, they sent every free eriod lotting on how to hel their friend!
;His family's rich! *'m sure they have some awesome defense lawyer set u for him, right<; Bliss
asked! ;9e need to talk to them! * need to tell them something!;
;9hat<; /chuyler asked!
;* did a little investigating on my own last night! 7kay, so * overheard my mom talking to some
eole about the case!
* heard her say the olice said time of death was between ten and eleven P!+! "hey're retty
sure about that! "he way $ggie's body was found, it couldn't have haened anytime earlier or
later!;
;/o<; (rom a sketical 7liver!
;/o, ,ylan was with me from ten to eleven! 9e were outside in the alley the whole time,
smoking cigarettes! He never left my side!;
;0ot once< 0ot even to go to the bathroom<; /chuyler asked!
Bliss shook her head! ;0o! *'m ositive! * looked at my watch a coule of times! Because * was,
uh, worried, that +imi would wonder where * was!;
;8ou know what that means, don't you<; 7liver asked! He was smiling!
"he two girls shook their heads!
;*t means he has a rock-solid alibi! Bliss &lewellyn, you are a doll! 8ou're his get-out-of-4ail-free
card! #'mon, we've got to find ,ylan's family and tell them!;
,ylan lived in "ribeca, so they took Bliss's Rolls Royce down to his neighborhood that
afternoon! 7liver and /chuyler were imressed by the lush interior! ;*'ve got to get my dad to
get us one of these,; 7liver marveled! ;9e only have a boring old "own #ar!;
"ribeca was a former industrial neighborhood - the old butter and egg district, with cobblestone
streets and old factory buildings turned into multimillion-dollar lofts!
;*s this the address<; 7liver asked, walking toward a loft building on the corner! "hey consulted
the ,uchesne address book! *t was!
;8ou've never been here<; Bliss asked, surrised! 7liver and /chuyler shook their heads!
;But * thought you were his friends!;
;9e are,; /chuyler said! ;But see!!!;
;*t never occurred to us!!!; 7liver e5lained!
/chuyler sighed! ;9e always hung out at 7liver's! He has "i6o and an Qbo5! ,ylan never
seemed to mind!;
;9hat about you< 8ou're like, his girlfriend! 8ou've never been here<; 7liver asked!
Bliss shook her head! /he wasn't really his girlfriend! "hey'd never really defined their
relationshi! "hey'd hooked u a coule of times, and she was going to make him her human
familiar and everything, but after they'd been caught the night of the arty, her arents had
forbidden her to see him! /omehow, her arents had got it in their heads that the arty had
been his idea! Bobi$nne still couldn't forgive the fact that the #inderella manneAuin had come
back from 0ew 'ersey stried of its ballgown! $ll was not well at Penthouse des RBNves!
;Hi, we're looking for aartment =F?@<; /chuyler asked the doorman as they entered the
building! Dnlike the grand alatial ma4esty of the tyical Park $venue co-o, the "ribeca building
was modern and sleek, with a :en garden and a waterfall in the lobby!
;=F?@<; was the doubtful rely!
;"he 9ard family<; Bliss added helfully!
"he doorman frowned! ;Right! "hey were in =F?@! But the lace is u for sale! "he family
moved out yesterday! Rush 4ob!;
;$re you sure<;
;Positive, miss!;
"he doorman even let them look inside the emty aartment! *t was a huge, si5 thousand
sAuare-foot loft, and there was nothing in it but an abandoned television set! "he walls were
scratched from the furniture, and there was a ghostly outline of an &-shaed couch on the floor!
;*t's selling for about five million, if anyone's interested,; the doorman added! ;*'ve got the
broker's info downstairs!;
;"his 4ust doesn't make sense!; /chuyler said! ;9hy would his family move out so Auickly<
,on't they have enough to worry about with ,ylan in 4ail<;
"hey walked around the emty aartment, as if trying to con4ure u a reason for the 9ards'
sudden disaearance!
;,o you know where they went<; /chuyler asked the helful doorman!
;/omething about going back to #onnecticut, * heard! 0ot sure!;
"he doorman led them out of the aartment and locked it behind them! "hey took the elevator
back down to the lobby! Bliss took out the ,uchesne directory from her #hloBL Paddington bag!
But the hone numbers for ,ylan's arents listed in the book were out of service! "here were no
new listings!
;,id you guys ever meet his arents<; Bliss asked, utting her cell hone away!
$gain, /chuyler and 7liver shook their heads!
;* think he had a brother in college,; /chuyler volunteered, feeling more and more guilty for not
knowing much about their friend! "hey hung out at school every day, and every weekend! $nd
yet, when ressed, neither /chuyler nor 7liver could remember anything about ,ylan's
background!
;He didn't talk about himself much,; 7liver said! ;He was kind of Auiet!;
;He robably couldn't get a word in,; Bliss 4oked! ;Between the two of you, * mean - when you're
together you guys tend to take over!;
/chuyler acceted the observation without feeling insulted! "hey did tend to take over! /he and
7liver had been friends for so long, and they were so used to each other, it was a miracle that
,ylan had found a way to ingratiate himself into their artnershi, making the duo a trio! "hey
had let him, mostly because they were flattered that he liked them so much, but also because
he didn't get in the way! He seemed to en4oy their stories, their inside 4okes, and never seemed
to want more than what they could give him!
;*f we could only talk to him,; /chuyler said!
;*f we could only e5lain to the olice,; 7liver added! ;E5lain what<; Bliss asked huffily! ;"hat
he couldn't have killed her because she was a vamire and nothing can kill vamires, e5cet for,
oh, some weird thing we don't know about yet, but by the way, ,ylan's human so!!! well, when
you look at it that way, who's ever going to believe us<; Bliss asked!
;0obody,; /chuyler concluded!
"hey stood in front of ,ylan's former aartment building, stymied and frustrated!
#H$P"ER KC
/ince there was nothing they could do for ,ylan right then, 7liver suggested visiting the
Reository in the basement of "he Bank again! 7n the way, he and /chuyler filled Bliss in on
what they knew! "hey had to kee trying! /o far, none of their leads had led to anything,
esecially since they didn't even know how to sell #roatan!
;9hat about looking u Plymouth instead<; 7liver suddenly asked! ;/ky, you said 'ack (orce
mentioned it was art of his memory that was blocked out! /omething about the Plymouth
#olony!;
"he Reository was emtier than usual, and the three of them diligently set about their tasks!
/chuyler found several history books documenting the colonization of Plymouth and the
+ayflower assage, Bliss found an interesting record of every assenger on the +ayflower, and
7liver came u with a large, leather-bound book that contained civil documents! But nothing
included any mention of #roatan! ;&ooking for cheese again<; Renfield asked, gliding ast their
table!
;#heese<; Bliss asked, confused, while 7liver and /chuyler chuckled!
;9e'll tell you later,; /chuyler romised!
$ little while later, Bliss and /chuyler remembered they had an aointment with the /titched for
#ivilization crew to go over their hotograhs, so they left 7liver for the rest of the afternoon!
"he new advertisement was going to be rolled out on a billboard in "imes /Auare the ne5t
week, and 'onas wanted to show them the final image they'd chosen!
,uring the meeting, /chuyler's cell hone rang! ;*t's 7liver,; she told Bliss! ;* should get it!; /he
e5cused herself from the table! ;9hat's u<; she asked!
;#ome back, * think *'ve found something,; he said, the e5citement alable in his voice!
9hen they returned to the Reository, 7liver showed them what he'd found! *t was a slim,
leather-bound book! ;*t was hidden so far back in the stacks * almost missed it! *t's a diary, by a
woman who was one of the original settlers in Plymouth! /ee what she says!!!;
"hey read the ages, documenting the 4ourney across the sea, the foundation of the colony, her
husband's tri to Roanoke, and the final, frantic entry! "he writing was almost incomrehensible,
as if the writer had been almost too frightened to write the words on the age!
But there it was!
#R7$"$0!
;$ single word, written in a message on a tree!; 7liver intoned! ;"hey are here! 9e are not
safe!;
;*t's haened before,; /chuyler said! ;"hat's what 'ack told me! *t must have haened then as
well! "hat must be what she is talking about! 9hat they were frightened of!;
;8ou're right! #roatan must mean something - they're scared of it! *t has to be the key!; 7liver
said!
;#roatan,; Bliss said, the word rang distant alarm bells in her memory! ;* think *'ve heard of it
somewhere!; Her brow furrowed! ;$nd she talks about Roanoke! 8ou remember Roanoke,
right<;
;*'m not real good at history, actually,; /chuyler aologized! ;But it had something to do with a
missing colony, right<;
;"he &ost #olony,; 7liver agreed! ;* don't know why it didn't occur to me before! *t was the
original colony, settled several years before Plymouth! But they all disaeared! "here was
nothing left of the colony!;
;Right! "hey all died, remember< 0obody ever found out what haened to them! *t's an
unsolved mystery of $merican history,; Bliss added! ;&ike the '(% assassination!;
;"hey must have been Blue Bloods,; 7liver said!
;$nd they were all killed! $t least, #atherine #arver seemed to think so!; /chuyler nodded!
;*s that all there is<; /chuyler asked!
;"here's 4ust one more age,; 7liver said, showing them the last age of the diary! ;$bout some
kind of election or something! Here she writes, '(lee or stay< 9ell, we know what haened!
"hey stayed! "he Blue Bloods stayed! 9e wouldn't be here if they hadn't! +yles /tandish -
whoever he is, he must have won!;
;"here's nothing more about #roatan, or Roanoke, or anything<; Bliss asked, taking the diary
and fliing the ages!
;0o! "hat's it! "he diary 4ust ends! &ike the ages have been torn out and someone doesn't want
us to know about it, or something! But * did find something! &ook here, there's a list of the last
eole who've borrowed it!;
"hey looked to where he was ointing! "here was a yellow fla listing the names of the Blue
Bloods who had borrowed the diary!
;+ost of them are so old, they're gone by now! But look at the final one!;
/chuyler eered at the borrower list! "he final signature contained three letters written delicately
in fine scrit- #6$! =?R?CR==!
;9hoever borrowed this did so in =H==, and that means, they're - ;
;7ver a hundred years old by now,; Bliss interruted! ;How do we know they're still in this
cycle<;
;*t's ossible! $nyway, it's the only chance we've got,; 7liver said!
;#6$<; Bliss asked! ;9ho's #6$<;
;#6$,; /chuyler reeated! "he letters were familiar, as was the sidery writing! ;"hose are my
grandmother's initials! #6$! #ordelia 6an $len! $nd it looks like her handwriting! *'m sure of it!;
;8ou think she borrowed this book< +aybe she knows something about it<; Bliss asked!
/chuyler shrugged! ;* don't know, but * could ask her!;
;9hen is she getting back from 0antucket<; 7liver asked!
;"omorrow! *'m suosed to meet her at the #onservatory lunch! * almost forgot,; /chuyler said!
;/o, 7liver, this #roatan thing, that's what's behind $ggie's death<; Bliss asked!
;* think so,; 7liver said! ;$lthough * still don't know what it is!;
;But even if we did find out, it still doesn't do anything for ,ylan! Even if #roatan is what killed
$ggie, how are we going to rove ,ylan didn't do it< How are we going to rove he's been set
u<; Bliss asked!
;9e don't,; 7liver said! ;* mean, you guys don't! * don't know how much hel * can be!;
;9hat do you mean< 8ou've already done so much,; /chuyler rotested! /he gave him an
admiring glance that made him blush!
;Research, yes! * can do research! "hat's what we're good for, but * can't do anything to hel
with the lan!;
;9hat lan<; Bliss asked, amused!
7liver looked so serious and uroseful for a second! He had droed his glib 4okes for once!
;9e've been acting as if the system works for us! *t doesn't! 8ou need to think like Blue Bloods!
9e're never going to convince anyone to let ,ylan out based on what we know! /o we do
something else,; 7liver said!
;9hat<;
;Bust him out!;
#H$P"ER KF
"he #entral Park #onservatory luncheon was one of the most imortant events on
#ordelia's social calendar! *t was held in a ballroom at the Plaza, and was already well
under way when /chuyler arrived! /he checked in at the registration table and found her
grandmother seated in the center with well-reserved luminaries on either side!
;+y granddaughter, /chuyler,; #ordelia said, looking leased!
/chuyler ecked her grandmother's cheek! /he took a seat at the table, removing a
rogram from her chair!
"he yearly luncheon raised a significant sum for the ukee and maintenance of the ark! *t
was one of the Blue Bloods most cherished causes! *t had been their idea to bring nature to
0ew 8ork, to bring an oasis to the heart of the city, a simulacrum of the )arden they had
been banished from so long ago! /chuyler recognized many of the grande dames and
socialites from "he #ommittee meetings flitting about from table to table, greeting guests!
;#ordelia - what's #roatan<; /chuyler demanded, breaking in to the gossiy chitchat!
"he table went silent, and several ladies raised their eyebrows at /chuyler and her
grandmother!
#ordelia startled at the word! /he broke the roll she was holding in two! ;"his is neither the
time nor the lace, young lady,; she said Auietly!
;* know you know! 9e saw it in one of the Reository books! *t had your initials in them!
#ordelia, * have to know,; /chuyler whisered fiercely!
$t the odium, the mayor was thanking the ladies of the conversancy for their generous
donations and efforts to kee #entral Park a vibrant and beautiful lace! "here was a rile
of alause, under which #ordelia admonished her granddaughter!
;0ot now! * will tell you afterward, but you will not embarrass me at this function!;
(or the ne5t hour, /chuyler sat glumly, icking at the herb chicken on her late and listening
to a host of seakers describe the new activities and develoments lanned for the ark!
"here was a slide show on the new art e5hibit, and a resentation on the restoration of
Bethesda (ountain!
(inally, after they were given their gift bags, and she and #ordelia were safely ensconced in
#ordelia's ancient limousine, with 'ulius driving, did /chuyler get her answers!
;/o you've found #atherine's diary! 8es, * left my initials there! (or someone to find! * didn't
know it would be you,; #ordelia said, amused!
;*t wasn't me! *t was 7liver Hazard-Perry actually!;
;$h! 7liver, yes! $ very helful boy! (rom an e5cellent family! (or Red Bloods, that is!;
;,on't change the sub4ect! 9hat's #roatan<;
#ordelia raised the artition searating them from 'ulius! 9hen it was fully closed, she
turned to /chuyler with a frown! ;9hat * am going to tell you is verboten! 9e cannot seak
of it! "he #ommittee has legislated it out of e5istence! "hey have even tried to suress it
from our memories!;
;9hy<; /chuyler asked, looking out the window at the city! *t was another gray day, and
+anhattan seemed to be lost in a fine mist, ghostly and ma4estic!
;$s * told you, times have changed! "he old ways are no more! "he eole in ower do not
believe! Even the woman who wrote that diary would disown her words! *t would be too
dangerous for her to admit her fears!;
;How do you know she would feel that way<; /chuyler asked!
;/imle, because * wrote it! *t's my diary!;
;8ou're #atherine #arver<; /chuyler asked!
;8es! * remember the Plymouth settlement clearly, almost as if it were yesterday! *t was a
terrible 4ourney!; /he shuddered! ;$nd an even more terrible winter followed it!;
;9hy< 9hat haened<
;#roatan!; #ordelia sighed! ;$n ancient word! *t means /ilver Blood!;
;/ilver Blood<;
;8ou were told the story of our E5ulsion!;
;8es!; "he car slowly made its way across (ifth $venue! Because of the bad weather, there
were only a few eole milling outside the deartment stores, a handful of tourists taking
ictures of the window dressing, shoers trying to get out of the rain!
;9hen )od cast out &ucifer and his angels from heaven, as unishment for their sins, we
were cursed to live our immortal lives on Earth, where we became vamires, deendent on
human blood to survive,; #ordelia said!
;"hey told us all this at "he #ommittee meetings!;
;But they don't tell you this art! *t's been stricken from our official records!;
;9hy<;
#ordelia didn't answer! *nstead, her voice took on a monotone Auality, as if she were
reading from a book committed to memory! ;Early in our history, &ucifer and a small host of
his loyal followers broke off from the grou! "hey re4ected )od, and were contemtuous of
their banishment! "hey did not want to regain the &ord's )race! "hey did not believe in the
#ode of the 6amires!;
;9hy not<; /chuyler asked, as the car idled at the light! "hey were on /i5th $venue now,
among the skyscraers and cororate office buildings with the names of their comanies
engraved on the fa<ade! +c)raw-Hill! /imon and /chuster! "ime 9arner! $ bank of
televisions in the +organ /tanley building blasted the latest news from the stock market!
;Because they did not want to live within any kind of law! "hey were willful and arrogant, on
earth as they were in heaven! &ucifer and his vamires discovered that erforming
#aerimonia 7sculor on other vamires instead of humans made them more owerful! $s
you know, #aerimonia 7sculor is the sucking of blood that vamires commit on humans in
order to gain strength! *n the #ode of the 6amires, it is forbidden to erform the
#aerimonia 7sculor on fellow Blue Bloods! But this is e5actly what &ucifer and his vamires
did! "hey began to consume Blue Bloods to comlete ,issiation!;
;8ou mean - ;
;Dntil they had sucked out the very life force from a being, yes! Dntil they had consumed a
Blue Blood and all his memories!;
;But why< $nd what haened then<;
;By consuming the Blue Blood's life force, &ucifer and his vamires' blood turned /ilver!
"hey become the /ilver Bloods! #roatan! *t means $bomination! "hey are insane, with the
lives of many vamires in their heads! "hey have the strength of a thousand Blue Bloods!
"heir memories are legion! "hey are the devil in disguise, the devil that walks among us.
they are everywhere and nowhere!;
$s #ordelia soke, they drove ast /i5th $venue to /eventh, and the neighborhood
changed again! /chuyler saw #arnegie Hall on the corner and several eole lined u
outside buying tickets, huddled under their umbrellas!
;(or thousands of years, the /ilver Bloods hunted and killed and consumed Blue Bloods!
"hey broke the #ode of the 6amires by directly interfering in human affairs and acAuiring
ower in the world of men! "hey were unstoable! But the Blue Bloods never stoed
fighting them! *t was the only way to survive!;
;"he &ast )reat 9ar between the Blue Bloods and the Red Bloods ended during the final
years of the Roman Emire, when the Blue Bloods were able to unseat #aligula, a owerful
and wily /ilver Blood vamire! $fter #aligula was defeated, for many centuries Blue Bloods
lived in eace in Euroe!;
;/o why did we come to $merica<; /chuyler asked, as the car shot u Eighth $venue!
;Because we were distressed by the religious ersecution we found rising in the
seventeenth century! /o in =>?@, we came to the 0ew 9orld on the +ayflower with the
Puritans, in order to find eace in the 0ew 9orld!;
;But there was no eace, was there<; /chuyler said, thinking of #atherine's diary!
;0o! "here was not,; #ordelia said, closing her eyes! ;9e discovered that Roanoke had
been savaged! Everyone was lost! "he /ilver Bloods were in the 0ew 9orld as well! But
that was not the worst!;
;9hy<;
;Because the killings began again! *n Plymouth! +any of our young Blue Bloods can only be
taken during the /unset 8ears, when we turn from human to our real vamire selves! *t is
our most vulnerable time! 9hile we are not in command of our memories, we do not know
our strength! 9e are weak and can be maniulated and controlled, and in the end,
consumed by the /ilver Bloods!;
"hey drove u the 9est /ide Highway, ast the shiny new develoments by the river and
ne5t to Riverside Park!
;/ome refused to believe that the /ilver Bloods were resonsible! "hey refused to see what
was right in front of them, insisting that those who had been consumed would be able to
return somehow! "hey were blind to the threat! $nd after a few years, the killings stoed!
"he years assed and nothing haened! "hen centuries - still nothing! /ilver Bloods
became a myth, a legend, assing into a Auaint fairy tale! Blue Bloods gained wealth,
rominence, and status in $merica, and as time went on, most of us forgot about the /ilver
Bloods comletely!;
;But how< How could we forget something so imortant<;
#ordelia sighed! ;9e have become comlacent and stubborn! ,enial is a strong temtation
as well- 0ow everything about the /ilver Bloods has even been removed from our history
books! Blue Bloods today refuse to believe that there is anything stronger than them in the
world! "heir vanity does not allow them to conceive of it!;
/chuyler shook her head, aalled!
;"hose of us who warned and camaigned for eternal vigilance were banished from "he
#onclave, and have no ower in "he #ommittee today! 0o one listens to us anymore! 0o
one has listened to us since Plymouth! * tried then, but * was not owerful enough to take
control!;
;'ohn wanted to raise the alarm,; /chuyler said, remembering what the diary had said!
;8our husband!;
;8es! But we were unsuccessful! +yles /tandish you know him today as #harles (orce -
became the head of the #onclave of Elders! He has led us ever since! He does not believe
in the danger of #roatan!;
;0ot even when it kills children<;
;$ccording to #harles, it has not been roven!;
;But 'ack said all of $ggie's blood was drained, as were two others they'd found earlier!
"hey had to have been consumed by a /ilver Blood2;
#ordelia looked grim! ;8es, that is my guess as well! But no one listens to an old woman
who has lost her fortune! * never believed the /ilver Bloods had gone away entirely! *
always thought they were only resting, watching, and waiting, for their time to return!;
;"hat has to be it! "hat's the only e5lanation2; /chuyler argued! ;But the olice arrested my
friend ,ylan! He couldn't have done it2 ,ylan's human! "hey took him away yesterday!;
#ordelia looked troubled! ;* thought the official e5lanation was a drug overdose! * heard
that is what "he #ommittee had decided!;
;"hat's what we heard - but now they're saying she was strangled!;
;*t's true in a sense,; #ordelia mused!
;8ou need to hel us! How do we find out who the /ilver Bloods are2 9hy they are here<
9here are they< How can we find them<;
;/omething has awakened them! /omething is harboring them! "hey could be anyone we
know! /ilver Bloods disguised as Blue Bloods in our midst! *t takes a long time to turn a
Blue Blood into a /ilver Blood! +y guess is that a owerful /ilver Blood has returned, and is
beginning to recruit new disciles!;
;/o what do we do now<; /chuyler asked, as the car ulled u to their street!
;8ou have the knowledge of the /ilver Bloods! 8ou at least know what is out there! 8ou can
reare yourself!;
;How<;
;"here is one thing! 7ne thing your mother discovered! /ilver Bloods are still bound to the
laws of heaven and the /acred &anguage!; /he whisered the rest in /chuyler's ear!
#ordelia oened the car door and steed out! ;* can say no more on this matter! * have
already broken "he #ode to tell you this story! $s for the roblem you have resented, * do
aologize, but you are going to have to seak to #harles (orce! He is the only one who can
hel your friend now!;
#H$P"ER K>
"he #ommittee meetings were reinstated on +onday! "hey had been canceled for several
weeks, without any e5lanation given to the 4unior members! ,uring the meeting, lanning
for the (our Hundred Ball began in earnest! "here was still no mention of $ggie's death or
,ylan's arrest! *nstead, there was e5cited chatter for the #hristmas formal! "he (our
Hundred Ball was the most anticiated arty of the year, the most glamorous, the most
fantastic, and the most e5clusive, as only Blue Bloods were invited!
/chuyler went to the meeting 4ust to see if she could still talk some sense into 'ack, who
was standing with his back to her! "he 4unior members were divided into subcommittees,
and /chuyler 4oined the *nvitation grou only because it sounded like the least work! 'ust as
she'd thought, the only task they had was to ut together the guest list, which would be
vetted by the /enior #ommittee, and then they would stam and mail the invitations, which
were already chosen, designed, and rinted!
;*'m worried about ,ylan,; Bliss said, when the meeting was over! ;9here is he< "he olice
still won't say! $nd my dad kees telling me to kee out of it!;
;* know, * am too!; /chuyler nodded, as her gaze drifted over to where 'ack was chatting
with +rs! ,uPont and +imi!
;*t's a lost cause, /chuyler! * know the (orce twins! "hey stick together!;
;* 4ust have to try,; /chuyler said wistfully! /he still couldn't believe that the boy who'd kissed
her so assionately not so long ago was now ignoring her and acting as if nothing had ever
haened between them! /he couldn't reconcile the 'ack who'd told her about his dreams
and his blocked memories with the one who was cheerfully debating swing orchestras or
4azz bands for the ucoming ball!
;/uit yourself,; Bliss sighed! ;But don't say * didn't warn you!;
/chuyler nodded! Bliss walked away and /chuyler moved toward 'ack (orce! "hankfully,
+imi had already left the room!
;'ack, you have to listen to me,; she said, ulling him aside! ;Please!;
;9hy<;
;* know what "he #ommittee's hiding! * know what #roatan is!;
He stoed, gaing at her! ;How<; He had avoided meeting her gaze, but he looked at her
now - /chuyler's cheeks were blazing red from anger, and she looked even more beautiful
than he remembered!
;+y grandmother told me!; /he relayed everything her grandmother had told her about the
/ilver Bloods, and the killings in Roanoke and Plymouth!
His forehead furrowed! ;/he isn't allowed to do that! *t's rivileged information!;
;8ou know about this<;
;* did some research of my own, and my father told me the rest! But it's a dead end!;
;9hat do you mean< *t's the first clue!;
He shook his head! ;/chuyler, *'m sorry to have misled you! But $ggie's death is being
taken care of! 8ou have to trust "he #ommittee to do the right thing! 8our grandmother told
you an old myth! "here is no such thing as the /ilver Bloods! 0o one has ever even roved
they really e5isted!;
;* don't believe you! 9e need to convince "he #ommittee to warn everyone! *f you don't 4oin
me, *'ll do it myself!;
;"here's nothing * can do to sto you<; 'ack asked!
/chuyler 4utted her chin out in determination! ;0o!; /he looked askance at him! 'ust a few
weeks ago, she'd been falling in love with him, with his courage and his bravery! 9here was
the boy who refused to swallow the lies "he #ommittee told them< 9here had he gone<
9hen they had danced together at the *nformals, she thought she had never been haier
in her life! But 'ack wasn't the boy she thought he was! +aybe he never had been!
#H$P"ER KE
$fter the meeting, /chuyler told Bliss and 7liver everything her grandmother had told her
about the /ilver Bloods, and how #harles (orce was the only erson who could hel them
with ,ylan's situation! "hey decided that the ne5t day /chuyler and Bliss would sneak out of
their third eriod class to confront him! 7liver would make some e5cuse to their art teacher
as to why the girls were absent!
"hey ambushed +r! (orce in front of the (our /easons restaurant, where he was known to
lunch daily! "he (our /easons was located in the /eagram Building on Park $venue, and
from noon to two P!+!, it was the center of the +anhattan universe! +edia magnates,
financial tycoons, ublishers, celebrated authors, and ersonalities made it their ersonal
commissary!
;"here he is,; Bliss said, sotting his sleek silver head emerging from a black "own #ar!
/he recognized him because her father had hosted the (orces at their aartment the first
week they arrived in +anhattan! /he had been a bit afraid of #harles (orce! "he man had
looked right through her, as if he knew everything about her, every secret wish, every
hidden desire. his handshake had been firm and had left a mark on her! He frightened her,
but she wasn't about to let that sto her from heling ,ylan!
/chuyler studied him! /he could swear she'd seen him before! But where< "here was
something familiar about him! "he way he bent his head forward! /he knew this man, she
was sure of it!
;+r! (orce2 +r! (orce2; Bliss called! #harles (orce looked curiously at the two girls standing
in front of him!
;E5cuse me,; he told his lunch artner!
;+r! (orce, we're sorry to disturb you,; Bliss said! ;But we were told to come to you, that you
alone can hel us!;
;8ou're (orsyth's kid, right<; #harles said abrutly! ;9hat are you doing here in the middle
of the day< ,oesn't ,uchesne have off-camus rules< 7r did that go out with the
uniforms<; He turned to /chuyler! ;$nd you!; He didn't say her name, but he raised his
eyebrows! ;*f *'m not mistaken you're a ,uchesne student as well! 9ell, you have my
attention! How can * hel you<;
/chuyler held his gaze and didn't flinch! /he stared at him with her bright blue eyes, and it
was he who turned away first! ;7ur friend ,ylan is being accused of a murder he didn't
commit! 8ou are the only one who can hel us! 8ou are the Regis! +y grandmother said - ;
;#ordelia 6an $len is a menace! /he has never forgiven me for taking command of the
#onclave,; he muttered! He motioned to his lunch artner, who was still atiently holding the
door oen to the restaurant! ;)o ahead, *'ll 4oin you in a minute!;
;9e're not leaving until you hel us,; Bliss said - her voice Auavering even though there was
nothing she wanted more than to run and hide from the man! "he voices in her head were
screaming, demanding that she stay away from him! %iller!!! a voice in her head whisered!
+urderer!!! /he felt a dee and intense revulsion! /he wanted to throw u! /he wanted to
throw herself in front of a cab! /he wanted to fly, to flee, anything to escae from his
enetrating gaze! /he thought she was going to go mad with fright! "here was something
terrible about this man, a wild and dangerous ower she should run from!
;,ylan 9ard has been taken care of! "here's no need to worry about him anymore,; he
said, with a dismissive wave of his hand! ;He is erfectly safe! 0othing will haen to him!
"he olice made a regrettable mistake! He's free! 8our father could have told you that,; he
sniffed! ;He heled with the aerwork for the release!;
Bliss was momentarily shocked into silence! /he hadn't realized it would be so easy! ;9hat
do you mean<;
;E5actly what * said, the matter has been resolved,; he said shortly! ;"here's no need to
worry, * assure you! 0ow, lease, * am late for my lunch!;
Bliss and /chuyler e5changed uneasy looks!
;But what about the /ilver Bloods< 9hat about what they're doing to us< 9e know about
#roatan2; /chuyler accused!
;Please, don't bother me with #ordelia 6an $len's itiful fairy tales! * refuse to even discuss
it! *'ve said it before and *'ll say it again! "here is no such thing as #roatan,; he said, a
finality to his tone! ;0ow, * suggest you girls go back to school, where you belong!;
#H$P"ER KG
"he #arlyle Hotel was an understated, elegant hotel on +adison $venue in the style of a
grand English manor! *t was one of those hotels that whisered lu5ury with an intimidating
7ld +oney sang-froid! Even the air-conditioning was always a frosty si5ty-si5 degrees!
9hen /chuyler was little, her grandmother would to take her to the Bemelmans Bar for
/hirley "emles! #ordelia would sit at the bar and smoke, drinking one /azerac after
another, and /chuyler would sit Auietly, looking at the frolicking animals on the mural and
counting the many ladies who came in wearing hats and corsages! "hen, afterward, they
would reair to the main dining room to tuck into a five-course (rench meal! 7n the days
when #ordelia declared she'd had ;4ust enough; of the Riverside ,rive house, they would
reair to a two-bedroom aartment suite at the #arlyle for the weekend! /chuyler would
order strawberries and cream from room service, fill u the whirlool bath, and eat her
nutritiously deficient dinner amid the bubbles!
9hen /chuyler walked into the white marble lobby that evening, she felt at home in the
hushed surroundings! /he ut ainful thoughts of 'ack (orce and the humiliating encounter
with his father out of her mind! Bliss had asked her and 7liver to meet her there that
evening without e5laining why! 7liver was already waiting in a secluded corner of the bar!
;+anhattan<; he asked, motioning to his drink! ;/ure!; /he nodded!
$ discreet waiter arrived bearing a silver tray and her cocktail! He laced a silver bowl of
warm /anish almonds on their table!
/chuyler icked one and munched on it thoughtfully! ;)od, do they have the best nuts here
or what<;
;"here's nothing like an Der East /ide hotel!; 7liver nodded sagely, taking a handful! ;9e
should do a 0ew 8ork hotel bar-nut tour! #omare the Regency's nuts to the #arlyle's to the
/t! Regis!;
;+mmmm!!! the Regency has a great selection! "hey do this little aetizer thing, with three
different kinds of treats - wasabi eas, warm nuts, and some kind of eery cracker,;
/chuyler said! "he Regency was another of #ordelia's favorite haunts!
"hey emtied their glasses and ordered another! $fter a few minutes, Bliss ran into the bar,
her hair still wet from a shower! /he took a seat ne5t to /chuyler and across from 7liver!
;Hey, guys! "hanks for meeting me!;
;+anhattan<;
;/ure!;
"he three of them clinked drinks!
;+mm!!! these nuts are good,; Bliss said, oing a few into her mouth!
7liver and /chuyler laughed!
;9hat's so funny<;
;0othing! *'ll tell you later, it's not imortant,; /chuyler said!
Bliss raised an eyebrow! "he two of them were like that all the time! *nside 4okes, memories
of their friendshi she didn't share! *t was amazing that ,ylan had ut u with it!
;#'mon, what's haened< 9hy did you want to meet here<; /chuyler asked!
;He's here!;
;9ho<; 7liver asked!
;9ho else< ,ylan!; Bliss relied! /he told them what she found out from her father - that
,ylan had been released - but he wasn't e5actly as free as #harles (orce had told them!
*nstead, he had been ut into rotective custody in a suite at the #arlyle Hotel! "he 4udge
had allowed #harles (orce to bail him out, on the condition that ,ylan be released only to
his care! Her father said it was all a misunderstanding, and the charges would be droed
soon enough! But they still couldn't figure out why ,ylan was being held anyway, esecially
by #harles (orce!
;$nd * overheard my dad and #harles talking, about how 'they take care of their own' and
'not to let the situation get out of hand! ;
;9onder what he meant by that<; /chuyler asked, taking another almond from the bowl!
Bliss took a long swig from her cocktail! ;$nyway, the way * see it, we 4ust do what 7liver
said! Bust him out! 9e can't fail! Dse mind control to overwhelm the guards - /chuyler told
me she had done it before - then seed him out of there, and 7llie's the lookout! "hey're
holding him in Room =@@=!;
;'ust like that<; 7liver asked!
;8eah, why not< 8ou're the one who told us to think like Blue Bloods!;
;But how do we get ustairs in the first lace< ,on't you need to be a guest<; 7liver asked!
;$ctually,; /chuyler ied u, ;that's the easiest art! #ordelia and * used to stay here all
the time! * know the elevator guys!;
;9ell then, let's get the show on the road,; 7liver said, raising his hand for the check!
"hey walked out to the main lobby toward the guarded elevator! ;Hey, +arty,; /chuyler said,
smiling at the elevator man in his shiny red coat with brass buttons!
;Hi, +iss /chuyler, you haven't been here in a while,; he said, tiing his hat!
;* know, it's been too long,; /chuyler said smoothly, ushering in her friends into the mirrored
elevator!
;"welfth floor<; +arty asked genially!
;0o, they uh, ut us on ten this time! 8ou guys must be booked!;
;*t's 7ctober,; he e5lained! ;&ots of tourists! /ome show at the +et or something!; He
ressed the "E0 and took a ste back, smiling at /chuyler and her friends!
;"hanks, +arty, see you around2; /chuyler said, when the doors oened!
"hey walked toward the end of the hallway to the room, but when they arrived at Room
=@@=, there were no guards stationed at the front of the room!
;"hat's weird,; Bliss said! ;* heard my dad saying they've got like, all these cos around him
all the time!;
/chuyler was about to ulverize the lock, when she noticed something! "he door was a4ar!
/he ushed it oen! /he glanced over her shoulder to find Bliss and 7liver giving her
uzzled looks! "hey had come reared for battle, and yet there was no obstacle to their
rogress!
/chuyler entered the room, Bliss immediately behind her!
;,ylan<; Bliss called!
"hey entered the lush, careted room, where the television was still blaring! "here was a
room service tray with remnants of a steak dinner on its late, the silver covers hahazardly
stacked to the side! $n unmade bed and towels on the floor!
;$re you sure they said =@@=<; /chuyler asked! ;#omletely!; Bliss nodded!
;9hat do you think haened<; 7liver asked, looking around and taking the remote control!
He switched off the television!
;,ylan's gone,; Bliss said flatly! /he remembered what #harles (orce had told her! He was
being taken care of - whatever that meant! /he felt a chill! Had they arrived too late to save
him<
;He's escaed!; 7liver nodded!
;7r someone, or something, let him go!; /chuyler said! Bliss was silent, her face inscrutable
as she looked at the half-eaten meal!
/chuyler laced a symathetic hand on her shoulder! ;*'m sure wherever he is, he's all right!
,ylan's tough,; she told her friend! ;0ow, come on, let's get out of here before someone
thinks we let him out!;
#H$P"ER KH
*t came uon her without warning! /chuyler cursed her ride! *t was all her fault! 7liver had
offered to ut her in a cab, but since she already owed him so much money, she had declined!
#onduit or not, she didn't want to kee taking advantage of his generosity! He and Bliss lived a
few blocks away from the #arlyle and she told them she was fine with taking the crosstown bus!
"he +E? droed her off at E?nd and Broadway, and she decided to walk the rest of the way
home! *t was more than twenty blocks, but she looked forward to the e5ercise!
$t the corner of 0inety-fifth /treet, she turned from the well-lit avenue to a dark street, hoing to
walk u Riverside, and that's when she felt it!
9ithin seconds, it had her in her gras! /he felt the shar fangs uncture her skin and begin to
slowly draw her life's blood from her! /he swooned, gasing! /he was going to die!
/he was fifteen years old and had hardly even lived, and already she was going to die! /he
struggled against its iron gri! 9orse, knowing what her grandmother had told her, she would
live! /he would live in this foul beast's memory, a traed risoner to its insane consciousness
forever!
Beauty! 9here was Beauty< "he bloodhound would be too late to save her now!
"he ain was dee. she was feeling dizzy from the blood loss! But 4ust before she succumbed,
there was a shout!
$ struggle!
/omeone was fighting the beast! "he /ilver Blood was releasing her! /he turned, holding her
neck to sto the blood flow, to see who had saved her!
'ack (orce was traed in a ower struggle with the fell creature, locked in a tremendous fight!
*t was hulking and large, with shining silver hair and a man's form! But 'ack was fighting it!
He matched the /ilver Blood blow for blow, but at last, the /ilver Blood threw him off, slamming
'ack's body against the concrete!
;'ack2; /chuyler screamed! /he looked u, and as the monster lunged for her throat, /chuyler
remembered her grandmother's words! "he laws of heaven meant that any creature was a slave
to the /acred &anguage!
/he held it back with a owerful command- ;$erio 7ris2; Reveal yourself2
"he /ilver Blood cackled in laughter, and hissed in a terrible voice that rased with the agony of
a thousand screaming souls, ;8ou cannot command me, earthsawn2;
"he creature continued its menacing march toward her!
;$erio 7ris2; /chuyler shouted again, more forcefully this time!
'ack staggered backward, for in the moment that /chuyler had summoned the incantation, the
sacred words that she had learned, the monster had shown them his real face!
*t was a face that 'ack would never forget!
"he beast howled in dismay, screeching a wretched, terrible scream, then disaeared into the
night!
;$re you all right<; /chuyler asked, rushing to his side! ;8ou're bleeding!;
;*t's 4ust a cut,; he said, wiing the blood, which had run red, but was blue in the light! ;*'m okay!
$re you<;
/he felt the side of her neck! "he bleeding had stoed! ;How did you know<; she asked!
;"hat it would attack you< Because it had once before, so * knew it would do it again! %illers
tend to go back and finish what they started!;
;But why - ;
;* didn't want to see you get hurt because of me,; 'ack e5lained brusAuely!
*s that all< /chuyler wondered!
;"hank you,; she said softly!
;,id you see it<; 'ack asked! ;,id you<;
;8es!; /he nodded! ;* did!;
;*t can't be right,; 'ack said! ;*t's a trick!; He shook his head! ;* don't believe it!;
;*t's not! *t has to follow the laws!; /chuyler said gently!
;* know about the /acred &anguage,; 'ack snaed! ;But it has to be a mistake!;
;0o mistake! "hose are the rules of creation!;
'ack glowered! ;0o!;
"he monster had shown itself for one brief moment, when it had no choice but to obey
/chuyler's words! "he monster had shown its true form! $nd it was the face of the authority
behind 0ew 8ork, the face of the man who single-handedly changed the city to bend to his will!
"he face of #harles (orce!
His own father!
#H$P"ER C@
/chuyler told 'ack everything she'd ut together, hoing that it wasn't true! ;*t's him! He was
there on the night $ggie died! * saw him at the basement of "he Bank! He was coming out of the
Reository! * remember now! *t uts him in the scene of the crime! *t was him, 'ack!;
'ack shook his head!
;8ou can't deny what you saw! *t was your father's face!;
;8ou're wrong! *t's a trick of the light, something else!; He ket shaking his head and staring
down at the blood on the sidewalk!
;&isten to me! 'ack, we have to find him! +y grandmother said /ilver Bloods don't even know
what they are! 8our father might not even realize he's been ossessed!;
'ack didn't argue this time!
/he ut a hand on his arm! ;9here is he<;
;9here he always is! "he hosital!;
;9hat do you mean< 9hat hosital<;
;#olumbia Pres, but * don't know what room! * don't know what he does u there! 7nly that he
visits someone there a lot!; 'ack said! ;9hy<;
;* think * might know where we can find him,; /chuyler said!
/chuyler felt dire treidation as they shared a ta5icab u to hosital, but she tried to suress it!
9hen they arrived at the comle5, the guards 4oked about her <boyfriend< as they gave 'ack a
visitor's tag!
;9ho's here< 9here are we going<; he asked, as he followed her swiftly down the hallway!
;+y mother,; /chuyler said! ;8ou'll see!;
;8our mother< * thought your mother was dead!;
;/he might as well be,; /chuyler said grimly!
/he led him down the emty hallways to the corner room! /he looked through the glass window
and motioned for 'ack to do the same!
"here was a man there, kneeling at the foot of the bed! "he same mysterious visitor who came
every /unday, whom /chuyler had seen more than once in her mother's room! /o that was why
#harles (orce had looked so familiar to her at $ggie's funeral! 0ow she recognized the set of
the shoulders! He was the man in the basement of "he Bank, and the beast who had 4ust
attacked her! "he dark stranger wasn't her father after all, but a /ilver Blood! $ monster! /he felt
a furious rage - what if #harles (orce had had something to do with her mother's condition<
9hat had he done to her<
;(ather,; 'ack said as he entered the room! He stoed and stared when he saw the face of the
woman in the bed! "he woman in his dreams! $llegra 6an $len!
#harles looked u and saw /chuyler and 'ack standing in front of him! ;* thought we had ut an
end to this,; he said, frowning at the two of them together!
;9here were you half an hour ago<; /chuyler demanded! ;Here!;
;&iar,; /chuyler accused! ;#R7$"$02;
#harles raised his eyebrows! ;/hould * be insulted< Please lower your voice! /how some
resect for your surroundings! 9e're in a hosital, not at a wrestling match!;
;*t's you, (ather! 9e saw you!; 'ack said! He still couldn't believe $llegra was still alive! But what
was she doing in a hosital<
;9hat e5actly are you both accusing me of<;
;9here did you get those scratches<; 'ack demanded, noticing the cuts on his father's face!
;8our mother's confounded Persian,; #harles growled!
;* don't think so,; /chuyler scoffed!
;9hat is this all about<; #harles demanded! ;9hy are the two of you here<;
;8ou attacked /chuyler! * held you off! *t was you, * saw you!!! /chuyler said the words, and my
foe revealed its face! $nd it was yours!;
;*s this what you believe<;
;8es!;
;8our grandmother is right, /chuyler,; #harles said in a bemused tone! ;"imes have certainly
changed if my own son thinks * am $bomination! "hat is what you're calling me, isn't it, 'ack<;
he asked, as he ulled down his shirt cuff and showed them a mark on the underhand of his
right wrist! *t was of a sword, a golden sword iercing a cloud!
;9hat is it< 9hy are you showing us this<; /chuyler asked!
;"he mark of the $rchangel,; 'ack e5lained, his voice reverent! He forgot about his confusion
concerning $llegra 6an $len for a moment, and droed to his knees, rostrating himself in front
of his father's feet!
;Precisely,; #harles said with a thin smile!
;9hat does it mean<; /chuyler asked!
;*t means, my father is no more a /ilver Blood than you or *,; 'ack e5lained, his voice rising!
;"he mark of the $rchangel! *t can't be dulicated and it can't be falsified! +y father is +ichael,
Pure of Heart, who voluntarily accomanied the banished onto the earth to guide us in our
immortal 4ourney!; He bowed to his father! ;(orgive me! * have been lost, but now * am found!;
;Rise, my son! "here is nothing to forgive!;
/chuyler looked from father to son with Auestioning eyes! ;But * used the /acred &anguage!
"he incantation to reveal its true nature!;
;/ilver Bloods are agile shae-shifters,; #harles e5lained! ;*t would follow your command - but
only after showing you something it knew would throw you off, to shock you! 7nly afterward
would it show its true identity! But only for the briefest moment!;
;/o if your father isn't the /ilver Blood, then who is<; /chuyler asked susiciously! ;$nd where's
,ylan<;
;He's safe! (or now! Hidden! He won't harm anyone else anymore,; #harles said! ;"omorrow he
will be far away!;
;9hat do you mean, harm anyone<; /chuyler asked!
;He had the bites on his neck! He was being used! "urned!;
;*nto what< 9hat are you talking about<;
;,ylan's a Blue Blood,; #harles said shortly! ;$t least, he was! * thought you knew that!;
/chuyler shook her head! ,ylan was a vamire< But then that meant - that meant he could
have killed $ggie - that meant that everything they thought, everything they assumed could no
longer be true! ,ylan wasn't human! 9hich meant there was a chance he wasn't innocent!
;But he was never at any meetings,; /chuyler said weakly!
#harles smiled! ;"hey are not mandatory! 8ou can learn about your history or choose to ignore
it! ,ylan chose to ignore it! "o his detriment! "he /ilver Bloods only attack the weak-minded!
"hey are drawn to those that are broken, damaged somehow! "hey sensed ,ylan's weakness
and reyed on it! ,ylan, in turn, reyed on others!;
;/o then it was him! He killed $ggie<;
;*t is unfortunate what haened with $ggie, yes! 9e have discovered that ,ylan had been
drained of almost all his blood in the original attack, but the /ilver Blood decided not to consume
him totally and turned him into one of them instead! "o survive, he had to take a victim of his
own,; #harles e5lained! ;* am sorry!;
/chuyler was seechless for a moment! $ll along, all along they had thought he was their friend!
,ylan, a vamire!!! worse, a /ilver Blood's awn! *t was horrifying! ;/o, /ilver Bloods do e5ist!
8ou admit that they have returned!;
;* admit nothing,; #harles declared haughtily! ;"here could be other e5lanations for his actions!
,ylan could still be acting on his own! *t does haen once in a while! ,ementia! "he /unset
8ears are volatile ones for our kind! He could have faked the marks on his neck! 9e must
investigate through the roer channels! *f he has been corruted, there is still a chance to save
his soul! (or now we have laced him and his arents in a safe location!;
;But you can't do this! #over it u! 8ou must warn everybody! 8ou must!;
;'ust like your grandmother, you are,; #harles said! ;$ ity! 8our mother was not a hysterical
woman!; He looked tenderly down at $llegra and lowered his voice! ;"he #onclave will take
care of it! 9e will act in time!;
;8et in Plymouth, you did nothing,; /chuyler accused! ;Roanoke - they were all taken, yet you
did nothing!;
;$nd the deaths stoed,; #harles said coldly! ;*f we had frightened everyone, if we had
continued to run, as your grandarents advised, we would never be where we are now! 9e
would be hiding forever, afraid of a shadow that may not e5ist!;
;But $ggie - and the girl from #onnecticut and the #hoate boy,; /chuyler argued! ;9hat about
them<;
#harles sighed! ;Dnfortunate losses, all of them, yes!;
/chuyler couldn't believe what she was hearing! "alking about eole as if their lives were
e5endable!
;9e will clear this all u in time, * assure you,; #harles said! ;9e won the battle in Rome! "he
/ilver Bloods are all but destroyed!;
;+y grandmother said that one of them lived, that one of them was able to hide among us!!! that
the most owerful /ilver Blood may still be alive,; /chuyler said, walking around her mother's
bed to face #harles head-on!
;#ordelia has always said that! /he ersists in saying that! /he is mistaken! * was there! * was
there at the battle at the temle! &isten to me closely, both of you, because * do not want to
reeat this again - * sent &ucifer himself to the fires of hell,; #harles declared!
/chuyler was subdued and silent!
;0ow, let us leave your mother in eace,; #harles ordered! He knelt down again and kissed
$llegra's cold hand!
;But there is one thing,; /chuyler suddenly remembered! ;,ylan!;
;8es<; #harles asked!
;9here is he<;
;$t the #arlyle Hotel! * told you, he is safe!;
;0o, he's not! He's not at the #arlyle anymore! * was 4ust there! He's gone!; /chuyler told them
what they had found - the television blaring, the half-eaten dinner! ;* think he was the one who
attacked me!;
(or a long moment, nothing was said! #harles looked at /chuyler wrathfully! ;*f what you are
saying is true, we must find him! *mmediately!;
#H$P"ER C=
/he was screaming, screaming so loudly, as if no one would ever hear her! *t was the nightmare
again - someone taking hold of her sAueezing the breath out of her - and nothing she could do
to sto it - she was gagging she was drowning and then - fighting against the force that was
holding her down, she struggled, trying to wake u, forcing herself to ush herself out of bed -
she had to oen her eyes - she had to see - she saw!
/he saw the two of them looking at her! Her arents! Her father was wearing his flannel robe
over his a4amas, and her stemother had a eignoir over a nightgown!
;Bliss, darling, are you all right<; her father asked! He was home from ,!#! for the week!
;* had a nightmare,; Bliss said, sitting uright and tossing the covers to the side! /he ut a hand
u to her forehead, feeling the heat emanate from her skin! /he was burning and feverish!
;$nother one<; her stemother asked!
;$ bad one!;
;*t's all art of it, Bliss! 0othing to worry about,; her father said cheerfully! ;* remember when *
was your age, * used to have awful ones! #omes with the territory! Blackouts too - when * was
fifteen, a lot of times *'d wake u somewhere and have no idea how * got there, and no idea
what haened!; He shrugged! ;Part of the transformation!;
Bliss nodded, acceting the cold glass of water her stemother roffered! /he guled greedily!
Her father had mentioned that before, when she'd first told him about the time slis, her
blackouts!
;*'m okay,; she told them, although she felt so tired, like every muscle in her body was sore, as if
she'd been ummeled and beaten u all over! /he groaned!
"hey hovered over her an5iously!
;*'m all right! Really!; Bliss managed a smile and took another huge gul of water! ;8ou guys go
back to bed! *'m fine!;
Her father kissed her on her forehead, and her mother atted her arm, and the two of them left
the room!
/he ut the glass down on her bedside table! "hen she remembered - ,ylan!
$fter saying good-bye to 7liver and /chuyler at the #arlyle, she had met her family for a Auick
dinner at ,B Bistro! Don returning home, she had oened the door to her room, and ,ylan was
sitting on her bed, as if it was the most normal thing in the world! He'd used the key she'd lent
him to get inside!
;,ylan2;
He was feverish and ale! He'd taken off his 4acket and she saw that his "-shirt and 4eans were
torn! His dark hair was matted against his forehead! He looked sooked! "errified! His eyes
were haunted! He told her what haened - being Auestioned, and held, but not formally
charged, how #harles (orce had taken him to the hotel suite, and the whole time he was 4ust
thinking about how he missed her!
;But the thing is, * think * did do something,; he said! His hands were shaking! ;* think they were
right! * think * killed $ggie! *'m not sure, but * think there's something wrong with me!;
;,ylan no! 0o way! 8ou couldn't have,; Bliss said!
;8ou don't understand,; ,ylan cried! ;*'m a vamire! &ike you, a Blue Blood!;
Bliss 4ust stared at him! *t suddenly made sense! 7f course he was one of them, she'd known it
somehow, that was why she'd been drawn to him all along! Because he was 4ust like her!
;But something's haening to me!!! *'m not sure, but * think * 4ust tried to kill /chuyler!!! * saw
her leave the hotel, and * followed her! * don't know why, it 4ust came over me! * saw her on the
street and *!!! * don't think it's the first time either!;
;0o,; Bliss said, refusing to hear what he had to say! ;/to! 8ou're not making sense!; 9hy
would he attack /chuyler< Dnless he was!!! unless he'd become!!! unless he'd turned into a!!!
/he remembered that night after the hoto shoot! /chuyler, staggering on the sidewalk,
clutching the side of her neck!!!
;&isten,; he said, standing u from the bed and utting his 4acket back on! ;8ou need to get out
of here! "hey got me, and they're going to get you too! "hey want all of us! * only came back to
warn you, but * can't stay! * don't think it's safe for you to be around me! But * wanted to tell you
to be careful! * don't want them to get you! 8ou have to rotect yourself! 8ou've got to believe
me! "hey're coming!!!;
"hen everything went blank! "hat was all she remembered!
/he had blacked out! /he was in her skin and not in her skin! /he slied through time and
went somewhere else! 9hen she woke u, she was screaming, and her arents were standing
above her bed!
,ylan had come to warn her - and now he was gone!
/he felt a dull emtiness, an ache, dee in her bones, as if she had survived a beating! /he
walked to the bathroom and turned on the light! /he gased when she looked at herself in the
mirror! "here was a mark underneath the collar of her "-shirt! Had her arents not noticed< /he
ulled on the fabric to see it better! *t was an ugly bruise! $ dark urle swelling, as if someone
had tried to strangle her! "he skin was tender to her touch! 9hat had haened< 9here was
,ylan<
/he turned on the faucet to wash her face, when she noticed shards of ulverized glass on the
bathroom floor! "he room was cold! /he turned toward the window "he curtains billowed from a
draft! "he to of the windowane was shattered - and it was bulletroof glass - her father had
had it installed when they moved in, even if they were on the highest floor of the building thirty
stories high!
Bliss icked her way carefully through the broken glass, when she noticed something strange!
0e5t to the heater, a dark crumled thing! /he reached for it and ulled out ,ylan's motorcycle
4acket! ,ylan never went anywhere without his 4acket! *t was like his second skin! *t smelled like
him - a little sour, like cigarettes and aftershave!
"here was something different about it, though! /he turned the 4acket toward the light, and that's
when she saw it! "he lining was soaked with blood! "hick and wet! Heavy! "here was so much
blood! 7h )od!!!
/he was still holding the 4acket when she noticed 'ordan standing in front of the bathroom door!
$ small, silent form in cotton a4amas!
;8ou scared me! Ever think of knocking< 8ou know you're not allowed in my room2; Bliss said!
Her younger sister looked at her as if she'd seen a ghost! ;8ou're okay!;
;7f course * am,; Bliss snaed!
;* heard something - * heard - a dee voice!!!;
;,ylan! +y boyfriend! He was here with me earlier!;
;0o, not the boy - another,; 'ordan said! /he was shaking violently, and Bliss was surrised to
find her sister near tears! /he'd never seen 'ordan act that way before!
Bliss, still holding the 4acket, walked to her side and held her close! ;9hat did you hear<; she
asked, trying to soothe her trembling sister!
;"here was a thum - like - something heavy droing - then footstes, out of your room -
dragging something away - then you were screaming - *, * didn't know what to do - so * called
+om and ,ad!!!;
*t all made sense now!
"he broken window!
/omeone had been there!
/omeone else!
7r more likely, something!
$nd it had!!! oh )od, ,ylan!!! all the blood - there was so much blood on the 4acket - how could
anyone survive after losing so much blood< /he felt a dee sense of grief! He was as good as
dead! "he creature had taken him!
*t had returned, to finish the 4ob - to get her - the swelling in her neck - she'd tried to fight it off - if
'ordan hadn't heard, if her arents hadn't come!!! /he felt chills! "he fine hair on her arms stood
on end!
*t was no nightmare - she'd been fighting it, it had been there, it was real! *t had tried to kill her!
9hat ,ylan had tried to warn her about, what she and 7liver and /chuyler had discovered in
the Reository! #roatan! $ creature that reyed on vamires!
$ /ilver Blood!
#H$P"ER C?
"he (orces droed her off in front of her door!
/chuyler was ainfully embarrassed to think that she had accused 'ack's father of being a
/ilver Blood! Even though she was still troubled by his cavalier attitude toward their return -
almost as if it didn't bother him - almost as if he had e5ected it! But that couldn't be true! He
was the Regis, their leader, a vamire by choice instead of sin! /he had to trust him to know the
right thing to do!
;"ake it easy,; 'ack said, bidding her good-bye!
/he nodded her thanks and e5ited from the car! "hen she realized she had comletely forgotten
to ask why #harles was visiting her mother in the first lace! +aybe her grandmother would
know!
9hen /chuyler entered the house, she felt a strangeness in the air! "he sitting room was as
dark and shrouded as ever, but there was a feeling of menace! "he umbrella stand had been
knocked over, as if someone had run down the stairs in a hurry! "he silence seemed ominous!
Hattie was away on her week off, and her grandmother would be alone in the house! /chuyler
Auickened her ace u the stairs! /he noticed one of the aintings hanging in the stairway was
askew! /omeone had definitely been in the house! /omeone who did not belong there!
,ylan2 9hat if ,ylan had been here< &ooking for her< "o finish what he'd started< /he felt a
wild anic! Her grandmother's room was on the far end of the second landing! /he threw the
doors oen and walked briskly inside, calling her name!
;#ordelia2 #ordelia2;
"here was a moan from the other side of the bed!
/chuyler ran toward the sound, frightened of what she would find! But she didn't scream when
she saw #ordelia lying on the floor in a ool of her own blood - thick blue liAuid surrounding her
- it was almost as if she had known it would haen!
;(ought it off!!! but so owerful!!!; #ordelia whisered, oening her eyes to see /chuyler leaning
over her!
;9ho< 9ho did this to you<; /chuyler asked, heling #ordelia to a sitting osition! ;9e need to
get you to a hosital!;
;0o, no time!; #ordelia argued, her voice barely louder than a croak! ;#ame for me! #roatan!;
/he sit u blood! ;9ho< 9as it ,ylan< ,id you see<;
#ordelia shook her head! ;* saw nothing! * was blinded momentarily! But it was young, owerful!
* did not see its face! * held it off! *t tried, but it wasn't able to take me or my memories! But this
is the end of my cycle! 8ou need to take me to ,r! Pat's! /o they can take my blood! (or the
ne5t E5ression! 6ery imortant!;
/chuyler nodded, tears in her eyes! ;But what about you<;
;"his cycle is ended for me! "his is the last chance we will have to seak for a long time!;
/chuyler told her Auickly about what haened at the #arlyle, and what she'd learned from
#harles (orce about ,ylan, how he'd been bitten, and turned, by a /ilver Blood! How he had
killed $ggie! ;But he's missing! He escaed from the hotel room! 0obody knows where he is!;
;He is most likely dead by now! "hey will kill him before he can reveal their secrets! Before the
Blue Bloods can hold him again! *t is as * always feared,; #ordelia whisered! ;"he /ilver
Bloods are back!!! 7nly you can defeat them!!! 8our mother was the strongest of us and you are
her daughter!!!;
;+y mother<;
;8our mother was )abrielle! )abriel! 7ne of the seven $rchangels! 7nly two of them went
voluntarily with the cursed, down to earth! "o save us! /he was the strongest! /he was
+ichael's - that is - #harles (orce's twin! His only love! *t was her original sacrifice! He only
followed out of his love for her! He gave u Paradise to be with her!;
/o that was why #harles visited her mother! $llegra was his sister! 9hich meant, he was her!!!
uncle< "he tangled Blue Blood family history was too comlicated for /chuyler to make sense
of it at the moment! #ordelia continued seaking! ;"hey ruled together for thousands of years!
*n Egyt, haraohs routinely married their sisters, as the emerors did in Rome! But in the
modern world, the ractice became increasingly roscribed, and so it became a hidden secret!
"wins were still born in the same families, blood-bound to each other like * was to your
grandfather. but through a change, one twin would assume the role of souse, and the Red
Bloods never noticed the transition! "his way, fortunes were reserved in the same family for
generations!;
/chuyler thought of +imi and 'ack, of the strange and intimate bond between them!
;#harles and $llegra were blood-bound to each other for eternity! Dntil she met your father, that
is! 8our mother fell in love with /tehen! *t was her doom! /he renounced #harles! *n his anger,
#harles left the family! He took a new name and forsook the 6an $len legacy! 9hen your father
died, $llegra swore never to take another human familiar, to reserve their love! *t is why she
does not wake u! /he e5ists between life and death! /he refuses to take the Red Blood to
kee her alive! #harles could hel her, but chooses not to!;
;+y father was human<;
;8es! 8ou are the only one! 8ou are a Half Blood! ,imidium #ognatus! 8ou must take care! *
have rotected you as long as * could! "here are those who will seek to destroy you!;
;9ho< 9hy<;
;*t is said that the daughter of )abrielle will bring us to the salvation we seek!;
;+e< How<;
#ordelia coughed! /he gried /chuyler's arm tightly! ;8ou must find your grandfather!!! my
husband!!! "eddy!!! an Enmortal, a vamire who has ket the same hysical shell for centuries!!!
He and * searated a long time ago! $fter we were banished from the #onclave, we agreed it
was safer to searate!!! 9e did not trust the 9ardens!!! 9e believed one of them harbored the
#roatan!!! "eddy has been missing for centuries!!! 8ou must search the Reository for his last
known whereabouts!!! He can hel you! "ry 6enice, * think! He was fond of *taly! He might have
gone there! 7nly he knows how to defeat the /ilver Bloods! 8ou must find him and tell him
what's haened!;
;How will * know him<;
#ordelia smiled wanly! ;He's written a lot of books! +ost of the ones in the library are from his
collection, or were written by him!;
;9ho was he< 9hat was his name<;
;He has many names! 8ou need them, you know, if you're going to live for so long! But when we
were together last he was going by &awrence 9inslow 6an $len! #omb the Piazza /an +arco!
$nd the $cademy! 9ait - #iriani's is most likely! He did love his Bellinis! "ell him, tell him
#ordelia sent you!;
/chuyler nodded! /he wet oenly now! "here were so many things yet to fathom -
#harlesR+ichael, $llegraR )abriel, her human father, her immortal grandfather! /he certainly had
a strange and varied family tree! Her status as a Half Blood! 9ho else knew< ,id 7liver< 'ack<
$nd what did it mean< 9hat did it mean that )abrielle's daughter would bring the Blue Bloods
to salvation< *t was too much! *t was too big a burden to shoulder! /he wanted nothing more
than for #ordelia to sto bleeding! How would she go on without her<
Even though she knew her grandmother would never really die - she was still leaving this world
for the time being! ;)randmother,; she leaded! ;/tay!;
;"ake care of yourself, granddaughter,; she said, reaching for /chuyler's hand! ;(acio 6aliturus
(ortis!; Be strong and brave! 9ith that final blessing, #ordelia 6an $len's sirit reverted to a
assive state!
#H$P"ER CK
"he funeral was /R7 - /tanding Room 7nly! *t was amazing how many eole knew #ordelia
6an $len! /t! Bartholemew's was acked, and on the seventh night of viewing, there were still
hundreds of eole who showed u to ay their resects! "he governor, the mayor, the two
senators from 0ew 8ork, and many other eole came to ay homage! *t was almost as
crowded as 'ackie 7's funeral, +imi thought!
Dnlike at $ggie #arondolet's funeral, almost every erson attending had worn white to #ordelia
6an $len's! Even her father had insisted that the family dress in ivory raiment for the occasion!
+imi had chosen a cloud-colored Behnaz /arafour dress! /he noticed /chuyler 6an $len at
the front of the receiving line, greeting everyone in a slim white dress, her hair held back by two
white gardenias!
;"hank you for coming,; she told the (orces, shaking their hands!
;9e share your sorrow! /he shall return,; #harles (orce said solemnly! He was wearing a suit
the color of cream! /chuyler had ket the circumstances of her grandmother's death to herself!
*f there was really a /ilver Blood in the #onclave, she felt it best not to reveal what had truly
haened! *nstead, she had told everyone that #ordelia had tired of the E5ression and was
looking forward to resting before the ne5t cycle!
;9e await for glad tidings,; /chuyler said the traditional rely back! /he had learned a lot in the
ast two months!
;6os 6adum Reverto,; 'ack whisered, bowing to the coffin! 8ou /hall Return!
+imi gave /chuyler a Auick nod! /he found Bliss arriving through the side door with her family!
Bliss was wearing a /arafour shift dress identical to +imi's! "he girl from "e5as was learning,
too!
;Hey, Bliss, maybe after the funeral we can go to a sa! *'m so sore from ower yoga,; +imi said
to her friend!
;/ure,; Bliss said! ;*'ll wait for you after the service!; /he walked u to /chuyler, who was
standing by herself by the magnificent latinum coffin!
;/orry about your grandmother,; Bliss said!
;"hank you,; /chuyler said, her eyes downcast!
;9hat are you going to do now<;
/chuyler shrugged! *n her will, #ordelia had declared /chuyler an emanciated minor, with
Hattie and 'ulius as her guardians for now!
;*'ll be okay!;
;)ood luck!;
/chuyler watched Bliss walk away, huddled closely to +imi! "he day before, Bliss had told her
about the other night, what had haened when she'd returned from the #arlyle! How she'd
found ,ylan in her room, how he'd confessed! How she'd blacked out, and when she awoke,
had discovered the broken glass, the bloodstained 4acket!
;He was a vamire and now he's dead, /chuyler,; Bliss said, tears in her eyes!
0o - not dead! 9orse than dead, /chuyler thought! #ordelia had told her that when the /ilver
Bloods drained the Blue Bloods, they took their souls, their memories, made them risoner to
their immortal consciousness forever!
;"hey took him, but they wanted me too,; Bliss sobbed! ;He only came back to warn me! "hey'd
turned him into one of them, but he was fighting it! 0ow he's gone, and *'ll never see him again!;
/chuyler had hugged her close! ;$t least you're safe!;
/he felt heartsick for Bliss! /he wanted her to know that she would always be there for her! But
the ne5t day, it seemed the "e5an girl had comletely reverted to her old self! /he refused to
talk to /chuyler or 7liver about everything that haened, and gravitated back to her old circle -
that is, ne5t to +imi (orce!
/chuyler hoed that they would get a chance to become friends again! *n her heart, she
understood that Bliss was weak, but someday she would hel her become strong! 6aliturus!
(ortis!
7liver came over and laced a sray of white calla lilies on the coffin! He was wearing a
dazzling three-iece white suit! His dark chestnut hair curled above the collar!
;9e will miss her,; he said, blessing himself!
;"hank you,; she said, acceting a kiss on the cheek!
"he service began, and the choir sang #ordelia's favorite hymn, ;7n Eagle's 9ings!; /chuyler
sat in the front ew, her arms folded in her la! #ordelia was gone! "he only family she had ever
truly known! /he was alone in the world! Her mother, traed in a sleeing death, and her
grandfather lost, hiding somewhere!
7liver, seated ne5t to her, sAueezed her hand in symathy!
$fter the funeral, 'ack (orce walked over to /chuyler! He, too, was wearing a white suit, and it
gleamed in the sun! "hey walked out of the church to busy Park $venue, where it was 4ust
another /unday in 0ew 8ork! +others and nannies ushing eight-hundred-dollar strollers
toward the ark, well-dressed residents out for a brisk fall stroll or an afternoon at a museum!
;/chuyler, could * have a sec<;
;/ure!; /he shrugged!
9ith his light hair and green eyes, 'ack (orce looked rincely in his shining garb! He had the
face of an angel! $ face not unlike his father's!
;/eak,; she told him!
;*'m sorry things went so weird between us!!!; he said! ;*!!! my life is not my own!!! * have
resonsibilities to my family that!!! that reclude the kind of relationshi that - ;
;'ack, you don't need to e5lain,; /chuyler said, cutting him off! /he could guess about him and
+imi! Blood-bound to each other since the day of their creation!
;0o<;
;8ou need to do what you need to do, and * need to do what * need to do!;
He looked troubled! ;9hat do you need to do<;
/he thought about ,ylan, about the sad-faced boy with the wicked sense of humor and the
tarnished reutation! Her friend! He had been transformed into a monster! Dsed and then killed!
/he thought about what her grandmother had said about the /ilver Bloods - they were wily,
cunning, and dulicitous, and how #ordelia believed the most owerful of them all was hiding
among them, disguised as a Blue Blood! But no one wanted to believe in their e5istence, that
there was a chance they had returned! Even if $ggie's death was real enough! $nd now ,ylan's
as well! #harles (orce was determined to watch, wait, and do nothing! But /chuyler would not
wait! "here was nothing she could have done for $ggie, but she had to find out who had taken
,ylan! /he would hunt down the /ilver Bloods! $venge her friend!
;,on't make things any harder for yourself, /chuyler,; 'ack warned!
/chuyler only smiled! ;)ood-bye, 'ack!;
7liver materialized suddenly! *t was amazing how he always showed u right when /chuyler
needed him the most! ;/chuyler< "he car's waiting,; he said!
/he linked her arm in his and let him walk her to the car! /he had 7liver! /he would never be
alone!
#H$P"ER CC
"he /titched for #ivilization billboard went u in "imes /Auare, the biggest billboard the city had
ever seen! "he hotograh was an unusual one- there was a tangle of two female bodies
wearing only the 4eans, but only one face was visible and looked toward the camera! /chuyler!
Bliss's face was obscured by all her red hair!
/chuyler looked u at herself and laughed!
7liver took a hoto with his cell hone of /chuyler ointing to her billboard and giggling!
;8ou look good eighty feet high,; he said!
/chuyler looked at the face on the billboard! Her mother's face! 0o, the face was her own! /he
looked like her mother but she had her father's eyes! /he was a vamire, but art of her was
human as well! /he was roud of the hotograh! "hen she saw the billboard across from it!
*t was an advertisement for (orce 0ews 0etwork, (00, and the hotograh was of +imi (orce
wearing the channel's logo on a tight white "-shirt! (7R#E 0E9/! ($*R, 'D/", $0, ($/"!
;&ook,; she said, ointing!
/o +imi had heard about the /titched for #ivilization camaign after all! $nd had tried to eclise
it by making herself a billboard too! 0o one was going to rule "imes /Auare but her!
"hey walked ast a newsstand and 7liver aid for the Post!
PREPP*E (7D0, ,E$, $" $ P$R"8! "he headline blared!
/chuyler scrutinized the article! /he knew the kid from "he #ommittee! &andon /chlessinger
was a Blue Blood! /he was running out of time! "he /ilver Bloods had returned! "hey were
back! "hey were here, in 0ew 8ork, hiding under false Blue Blood identities, infringing on their
community, reying on the young, during the time when the Blue Bloods were the weakest! $nd
the Blue Bloods would 4ust let it haen!
But not anymore! /he folded the newsaer and tucked it under her arm!
;7llie, how do you feel about a weekend in 6enice<; she asked!