Gathering Clues

Hi everyone, this is Clare. After our discovery that our old nemesis group may be responsible for poisoning Summer, we spent quite a bit of time debating what we ought to do. In the end, we decided that for the moment, it was probably best to do nothing.

All we really had were suspicions and one piece of circumstantial evidence. There were clues pointing away from the suspects too, though. For instance, as Inna pointed out, there was no obvious motive; in fact, the Elders would seem to be acting against their own best interests if they had done it. Then there's the fact that Summer was poisoned at school - i.e. during the day. It was cloudy and snowy that day, so it may have been safe for vampires to go outside without burning to a crisp, but we aren't certain it would have been. 

Also, the Elders themselves aren't exactly... um... the most normal-looking group of people. They tend to go for the more Dracula-style vampire dress, and they're so old and out of touch that they couldn't really fake modern fashion even if they don't physically look their age. When they were active, they would generally send more conventional-looking lackeys to do their dirty work when humans might see, and used a network of spies to keep an eye on the outside world. Now that they've lost their power, though, the Elders have also lost most of their workforce. Caped and fanged figures lurking around like giant bats would probably attract attention at the local middle school... but no one noticed anything suspicious.

So all this to say, even we weren't sure. Accusing fellow members of the vampire council of a crime like this would really destabilize things. It could be the end of the council if people started taking sides. It could even lead to an all-out vampire war. 

That doesn't mean that we're going to let someone get away with hurting Summer, of course... but it does mean that when we make a case, it has to be so solid that no reasonable council member would be able to accuse us of treachery or using the council for our own gain.

There was a council meeting scheduled for Saturday. Summer is recovering at home (she was released from the hospital on Friday) but we decided that under the circumstances, it would be best if the vampire members of the family went to the meeting anyway. Maybe there would be clues. Maybe the Elders would be acting suspicious, or would somehow let slip another clue if they'd done it. We also didn't want to tip our own hand that we might have figured something out by staying away.

The Elders were not acting suspicious. Or at least, they weren't acting differently from their baseline weird behaviour. There are three of them left, and as usual one was friendly and pleasant to us, one was sullen and petulant, and the other was looking silently murderous. In other words, exactly how they've been for the past almost-year. If they knew something was up, they weren't giving any sign at all. These are... not vampires known for their subtlety, to put it mildly. They were big bullies back in their day, but they've never been great actors. I started to seriously share Inna's doubts.

My doubts only increased when I noticed that a handful of other members of the council were acting... the only way I can describe it is to say they were acting expectant. Whenever there was a break in council business, someone would glance over at us to see if we had something to say next. That's actually pretty typical, because we organized the council so we're kind of treated as leaders sometimes... except that they were trying to hide it for some reason. They were trying not to let us notice they were waiting for us to do something.

I scribbled a note on a scrap of paper, and slipped it to Marie-Grace. She nodded slightly, and passed it to Cécile, who then passed it to Tabitha. I didn't want to let too much slip, in case someone else got hold of it, so the note just said "framed?"

In other words, I was starting to suspect that someone else did the poisoning, and wanted us to think the Elders were responsible. I wasn't sure which of the councilors just knew about it, and which had actually been responsible, but I was starting to think none of the remaining three Elders had anything to do with it at all.

Suddenly, the motive made a lot more sense. The culprit was trying to destabilize the council by getting us to accuse our known enemies, so it would look like the result of a grudge. Proof of the Elders' non-involvement would be "discovered" and offered, and then the council members would be forced to take sides.

We weren't falling for it. We just sat silently, watching. Finally, one of the ones who had been waiting for us to talk asked directly if we had any business to put before the council. He definitely looked surprised for a split second - then he managed to hide it - when Marie-Grace smiled cheerfully and said no.

Between now and the next council meeting, we need to figure out who did this, and make sure we can prove it. Whoever did this seems willing to be patient and let things play out, but he or she probably won't wait forever if nothing comes of it. We don't want to give the person the opportunity to try again.

Love,

Clare

P.S. No news about Marigold, unfortunately. 

There Conclusions Were

Giles: Yes, let's not jump to any conclusions.

Buffy: I didn't jump. I took a tiny step, and there conclusions were.

-Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "Phases"

So, when last we spoke, we'd just found out that Summer had been poisoned, and then Marigold had left for reasons unknown.

Summer is doing a lot better now. Doctor M says she can probably go home Thursday or Friday unless she takes an unexpected turn for the worse.

Marigold is still gone. It's late now, and was snowing. We're worried about her. And frankly, we don't know what to think. We don't think she had anything to do with the poisoning - she loves Summer and wouldn't hurt her - but we're afraid she'll think we blame her for it. Maybe that's why she ran. It's dangerous out there, though, and we miss her.

When Doctor M had relayed the news about Summer and then left to continue her rounds, we all took a moment to absorb it. Then Gia quietly spoke up. "I don't mean to leap to conclusions," she said.

We all looked over at her. Although we weren't planning to leap, we were interested to see what conclusions she might think could potentially be leaped to.

"The doctor said it was Nerium poisoning," Gia went on hesitantly. "What people usually refer to as oleander."

"I don't think that grows in Upstate New York," Felicity said.

Gia nodded that Felicity was right. "It requires a warmer climate. I learned about it as a child; in my home country we used the flowers at funerals, and in the past it was sometimes used to poison rats. But my childhood memories aren't what I meant about leaping to conclusions. What I meant was... it was the favourite poison used by The Elders, when they needed to get rid of someone in a way that didn't scream that they were vampires."

We exchanged another look, this time of the concerned and uncomfortable variety.

The Elders were our enemies for months, and they seriously made us worry for our lives. Eventually we had to confront them, and we won with the help of an army of fairy folk. Only three Elders are left, and they agreed to make peace with us under terms we set. They weren't too happy about it, and we assume still aren't. (Gia's on our side now, but she knows stuff about them because she used to work for them.)

"There's one thing I don't understand," Inna finally said. "I wouldn't put it past them from a moral standpoint. If it was really them, though, what do they hope to gain by it? I don't see a logical motive."

"To kill Summer," Molly replied immediately.

"Alright," Inna said doubtfully. "But how does killing Summer actually benefit them? She's only one person in an exceptionally strong family. There are only three Elders left. Killing Summer wouldn't even the odds significantly, and attacking any of us would break their truce with us. They'd trigger another battle that they're in no position to win. Why would they do that?"

Why indeed? The Elders have an understandable grudge against all of us, but as far as I know they had nothing against Summer in particular. Why would they risk reigniting a conflict that they agreed to end because they knew they would inevitably lose? The remaining Elders joined our vampire council, so we know pretty well what they're doing and how strong they are - their current position isn't noticeably better than when we defeated them. So how does this make sense?

It's too early for accusations. We need to think this through more, and try to get more information. In the meantime, we're taking turns staying with Summer and going out to look for Marigold.

Marigold, if you're reading this, we don't think you did it. Please come home! It is your home now, if you want it to be, no matter what secrets you're hiding.

Love,

Bree

Ulterior Motives

Hi everybody. This is Clare, and my post is... I guess it's news, but it's old news. We didn't tell you at the time all the reasons we had for going to Europe. It's not that we wanted to hold out on you. It's just that - well, the blog is a public space. By now, people who want to mess with us have probably figured out that we have it. Announcing our intentions would be like beckoning someone to sabotage them.

So here's the scoop. We didn't just go to Hungary, Croatia, and Italy to play tourist. (Although we did play tourist, and it was awesome.) We also went there to meet with some vampires, to talk to them about joining the council we're trying to form. Getting into vampires politics wasn't really our plan, but after we fought The Elders, we didn't have much choice, because the power vacuum we created had to be filled. Our idea was that, instead of trying to have one leader or group of leaders, we form a vampire parliament instead. Thus, the council, which will be made up of representatives from all the vampire groups who choose to participate.

We got some takers on our Europe trip. (Our biggest surprise? The three remaining Elders were in. I didn't see that coming.) Obviously, not every vampire in the world is going to agree. So far, we have only a handful. But the people we did find seem pretty committed, which is even better than huge numbers.

The vampires who wanted to join the council signed an agreement. They had to promise:

1.) Not to attack humans to feed on their blood.

2.) Not to kill people... including other vampires... except in self-defence.

3.) Not to harass werewolves or other supernatural creatures.

4.) To respect other vampires' territorial boundaries, except when they violate the first three rules.

5.) To resolve differences by the vote of the council, rather than by force, to the extent it is in your own power to do so.

Some of the vampires we talked to found this pretty difficult to accept, although it seemed pretty basic to us. Eventually, they all agreed, though, and I think they understood the reasons for it - even if they only said yes in the end out of self-interest.

We currently have nineteen signatures, including the vampires in our family, meaning Cécile, Marie-Grace, Tabitha, and me. We're going to need a lot more if we're going to change anything about how the vampire world operates. It's a start, though.

Eventually, we're going to have to figure out an enforcement mechanism besides the honour system. At the moment, I think we all have sufficient agreement, but that may not hold forever. Again, this is a start.

So that was the "ulterior motive" of our trip. We just thought you should know. :-)

Love,
Clare

P.S. If you are a vampire and want to join the council, just let us know!

Florida Trip Part Two, and a Mysterious Gifts Update

"They say America is beautiful,

And I sure hope they're right.

If I could see you across the water

I'd say 'America is beautiful tonight'..."

-Great Big Sea, "Yankee Sailor"

Hello, blog friends! This is Summer! Well, all good things must come to an end... including our trip to Florida. Now we're back in Newfoundland, and back in our winter coats - today we even had a snowstorm. Very different from our time in the sun. Maybe we can make ourselves feel warmer by reliving it.

So, when we left off, it was Tuesday. On Wednesday, we went to a little town called Tarpon Springs. The family went there last year, too. It's a little community by the water, originally mostly Greek. It was founded on the sponge diving industry, and when the town first started, people would regularly go out in their diving suits with their forks and collect sponges. Nowadays the main industry is tourism, but boats still go out - even sponge diving tours. We ate seafood overlooking the water, then walked around looking at the shops. Blakeney bought an evil eye (good luck charm) suncatcher for the house.

On Thursday, we went to the beach again. We spent some time walking the trails at the park, then cooked chicken on the grill for lunch. After lunch, we went swimming in the ocean.

Friday, we went to a museum for a change of pace, to avoid spending a lot of time in the sun every day. They had buildings from different times in Florida's history, including a school house, a home, a church, a citrus packing plant, a general store, a train depot and locomotive engine, and a barn full of old farm vehicles and carriages. It was really neat! Our only regret was that a lot of the stuff wasn't labeled, so sometimes it was hard to tell what was what. Some things were just obvious, though... and some things Cécile and Marie-Grace explained to us, because it was from their time. It was interesting to see those girls in a setting where they just fit in, rather than as fish out of water in modern times the way we're used to seeing them.

Saturday we rented kayaks and took them out into the channels and mangrove areas near the condo where we stayed. It was really fun. We got to see a lot of birds, a lot of cool mangrove trees, and a variety of houses and boats along the channels. One heron let us get really close, then flew right over our heads screeching. After four and a half hours paddling around, we were pretty tired, and Blakeney had a terrible sunburn, especially on her knees and hands. (We've never seen a sunburn that was purple before.) We had a really good time, though, and were glad we went!

On Sunday, some of us went to the local Anglican church. We didn't have time to go to the beach that day, so we went swimming in the pool. Then in the evening, we went to a Greek restaurant, where we had flaming cheese (They really set it on fire! "Opa!") and smelts (little fish) for our appetizers, then bowls of lemon chicken soup for our meal. The entertainment was a belly dancer, which was really fun. Most of the audience were kind of wet blankets, but we got up and danced with her! It was a cool show and a fun evening.

Monday was our last full day in Florida, because on Tuesday we would leave in the early afternoon. We went to the beach again... and that was where we got some unexpected insight into our mysterious gift giver who has been sending our resident vampires stuff to protect them against the sun.

While we were in the water, a girl we didn't know was swimming nearby. She looked somewhere between my age and Josefina's, so like in the 12-14 range. We never found out for sure... and we didn't even learn her name, even though we spent a couple of hours with her! Every time someone was about to ask her about herself, she would change the subject or be too far away to hear the question. All of us figured that someone else had managed to ask, but when we talked about it later, no one had.

She seemed nice, though, and we had fun talking and swimming with her. We figured we'd just made a nice vacation acquaintance, and didn't think any more of it than that... until Tabitha's necklace got caught in her hair and unclasped. Although we're trying to save the vampire sun protection liquid to make it last as long as possible, all four of the vampires took some when we went swimming, for exactly that reason; a necklace could get lost in the water, and that could lead to vampire-on-fire consequences. So none of us panicked when it fell off, because it landed in the shallow water where we could still see it, and we knew Tabs would still be protected.

This new girl did not know that... but she knew Tabitha needed to be protected from the sun, because she ducked toward her trying to save her. When Tabitha didn't catch on fire, the girl looked embarrassed, and said as if to herself, "Oh good, you planned ahead." Before we could ask how she knew about that, she was swimming off in a different direction again.

We were going to invite her to go to the restaurant for supper with us, but at some point she just slipped off when no one was paying attention. It was very mysterious and odd. We wondered if she was the person who sent the presents - and now we're sure she was. After she'd gone, when we went back to our beach chairs, we found another bottle of 'vampire sunscreen' in our bag, with another note that said, "I thought you could use a refill, with the weather we've been having."

So now we know who sent us the gifts. We just don't know who she is, or how she knows about us, or why she cares what happens to us.

On Tuesday, we reluctantly said our goodbyes to Florida. We went out for breakfast at Cracker Barrel, then headed to the Tampa airport. Our trip home didn't go as expected, though. Before our final flight, the airline rep announced that the weather conditions in Newfoundland were such that they couldn't take a full flight. (I think it was too windy.) Some passengers would have to get off - and in exchange, we'd get a free hotel room, free food, and a $500 travel voucher per person for future trips. That was too good for our family to pass up! So we gave up our seats - and lightened the load considerably - and spent an unexpected night in Newark. We got home a day late, but it was worth it, because now it'll be easier to afford another vacation.

So that's how our trip went! With the snow falling outside, it was nice to relive sunny memories from our trip! :-)

Love,
Summer

Vampire Politics

Hi folks, this is Bree, with an update on our vampire situation. (Not our resident vampires, but vampires in general as relate to us. I realize that with all the bloodsuckers around us - and I mean that "bloodsuckers" in the nicest possible way - it gets confusing.) 

As our regular readers probably recall, back in February we defeated a powerful group of ancient vampire bullies who called themselves the extremely pretentious title of The Elders. Defeated as in gone, gotten rid of, never to return again to mount a counterattack. We were, as far as we could tell, safe from them.

What we weren't quite sure was whether they were all killed by the fae army, or whether some of them slipped away in the mass exodus of vampire hangers-on who showed up hoping to participate in a bloodbath just for the sake of the bloodiness. (Vampires are not, as a general rule, particularly kind people. Clare, Tabitha, Cécile, and Marie-Grace are pleasant exceptions to the mean rule.) Real battles aren't like books or movies - they're confusing and chaotic, and you can't really keep track of what every single person is doing the whole time. It's easy to miss things, even big things like enemies running.

If some of them slipped away, we weren't sure what to do about it. Go after them? That seems kind of heartless, hunting them while they're down. On the other hand, if we just ignored them, they might grow strong enough to come back... not to mention the people they'd eat in the meantime. It was a conundrum - but one that was unexpectedly solved.

The remains of the Elder group sent us a messenger. How do these people always know where to find us? We aren't even home! But anyway, they sent a messenger. Three of the Elder group survived the battle, one of their leaders - although not the head honcho - and two underlings. To our even greater surprise, the remaining members of the Elder army sent not threats, but terms of peace.

They offered: To give up their pretensions of vampire leadership. Never to attack us again. To lift the orders of execution they gave their people regarding any of our family members. And... most surprising of all, they promised to stop eating humans. More of a win than we could have hoped for.

All we had to do in exchange was not kill the remaining three of them. Which seemed like a fair deal, since we didn't really like the idea of more killing anyway, and this would mean they wouldn't be dangerous anymore. It seemed like the best possible ending. There's no reason not to accept; it's what we wanted anyway, and if they don't keep up their end of the bargain we don't have to hold up ours either, so it's all gain at no cost.

However, we sent back one more term of peace: They have to let Gia stay with us, even though she worked for them.

They accepted that requirement too. They didn't seem to have a problem with what we were asking; they didn't actually seem to remember who Gia was when we mentioned her name. We had to remind them that she was their employee. They seemed indifferent to what happened to her and said we could "keep her" - which sort of makes her sound like a pet or a cheap souvenir, but at least they aren't coming for her. Clearly she means a lot more to us than she did to them. Gia seemed really relieved that her connection to them is officially terminated.

So ends our conflict with The Elders, I guess. No uncertainty, and no loose ends.

We still have vampire-related problems, though. There's a major power vacuum (explained in more detail in the linked post) now that the pretentious vampires aren't around to keep the crazy vampires from blowing their whole secrecy gig. 

We've been trying to get away from it all while we're on vacation, but we keep tossing around ideas for what to do. There's no leadership every vampire will accept - even The Elders, for all their violence, were ignored by most vampires most of the time. There's no one else we know of who could get a majority to listen. Certainly not us. Most of us aren't even vampires, for one thing, and they will want to be ruled by their own. Also, we're still kids, and running around trying to impose martial law on insane vampires isn't exactly a task we're eager to take up.

So... what to do?

We went round and round - finally Summer had what actually seemed to be a workable idea. What about some kind of vampire council, or parliament? There's no potential leader everyone would accept... but if every potential leader had some support, they could work together to make things happen. We'd be willing to take part, and we'll get the ball rolling - and we plan to lay some ground rules, like no killing humans. Not sure how well that's going to go over, but we have to try.

Finally, some stability is on the horizon - we hope - in the vampire corner of our world.

Love,

Bree

Departure, Arrival, and Lots of Animals

 

Hi, this is Summer... writing to you from sunny Florida! :-)

Saturday morning was leaving-home-time. On Friday, the temperature in our part of Newfoundland was hovering right at the freezing point. Ice was forming and then melting a little and falling and shattering. It sounded like little explosions were going off all over the place. We worried this might be a problem for our plane taking off. By Saturday morning, though, things were better. It was dismal, with a little bit of rain right on the borderline of freezing, but we got to the airport and in the air without a problem.

Oh, wait, I should backtrack a minute, because there are two things I bet you're wondering:

1.) How were the vampires going to handle Florida?

Well, we got some last minute good news about that. Marie-Grace and Tabitha have their necklaces now that protect them from being harmed by the rays of the sun, but Clare and Cécile were just planning to hole up in the condo during the day, shut out the light, and make do.

Friday's mail brought a surprise, though - another package from our mysterious sender in New Orleans. Unlike the other two parcels, which had been addressed to a specific sister, this one was addressed to the whole family care of Blakeney. Clare and Cécile kind of eyed each other, wondering who would get the necklace... and trying to be charitable by wishing each other good luck.

As it turned out, there wasn't a necklace in the package, and they were both lucky! :-)

We all crowded around to see what was in the box. It was an old-fashioned looking brown bottle, with a thick liquid sloshing around in it. We were confused about what it was, but fortunately there were directions, written in black ink and the same handwriting as before.

It said, "Vampire 'Sunscreen.' Drinking three drops protects for six hours. Mind your time and don't cut it close."

Obviously, this was a huge leap of faith - but our mysterious friend had come through for us in the past, so we decided to try it and hope for the best. It worked, and we're all enjoying the Florida sunshine. Our vampires are safe... at least as long as the bottle lasts. If there's still any left when we get home, Cécile and Clare will continue to use it sparingly to try to preserve it.

So that answers that question.

2.) What about Gia?

Honestly, we were all kind of wondering that. Before everything that happened, we were planning for Gia to come along on our trip, but after it all went down, we weren't sure what the deal was anymore. We were nervous to even ask Maia, because we didn't want to bring up a bad subject. We figured we'd just wait and see. 

Apparently, Gia took the wait and see route, too. On Saturday morning, she showed up at the house with a little suitcase clutched in her hands. Her knuckles were white where she was gripping the handle so hard. She looked nervous to the point of terrified, like a prisoner waiting for a verdict. I felt so bad for her in that moment that I just wanted to hug her. 

Maia didn't actually say anything. She just took Gia's suitcase and put it in the car. Obviously meaning: she still wanted Gia to go. Gia breathed a huge sigh of relief... and frankly, so did the rest of us.

From that moment, things have been easier. Pretty much back to normal, even. Gia seemed relaxed again, for the first time since she spilled her secret. I think she feels even better than she did before, because she can be honest now.

Since we've all been here in the condo together, I've realized that Gia has nightmares. Really bad ones. I think they're called night terrors. I can't really blame her for what she did anymore - now that I've realized The Elders hurt her worse than they ever hurt us, how could I?

I'm glad the family is back to being whole again. Because, yeah, even though it's nothing official, Gia feels like family to me. The way things are again - all of us together, happy - seems like how things should be.

So anyway, back to what I was saying before:

Travel was uneventful, and by Saturday evening we had landed in Florida. We were hungry and tired, but excited and glad to be there. It was amazing to be able to shed our winter coats and long-sleeve layers.

Sunday was a pretty slow day, since we'd just had a long day of travel. Some of us went to church with Blakeney's grandparents, then we went out for lunch and then went to a local symphony group's performance of (allegedly) Irish and Scottish music. The orchestra did a nice job and we liked the show. Then in the evening, we swam in the pool.

Monday we went to the beach! It was so fun. We playing in the sand and swam in the ocean. The water had fish in it, and they came right up to swim around our feet. Then in the evening after supper we went for a walk. It was neat to see palm trees and watch the squirrels, very different from home.

Today we drove to Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park. It was so totally awesome! (Inky, if you're reading this, the park made us think of you. I think you would have loved it!) It's a park where they have all kinds of wild animals from the local area. These animals weren't captured to be exhibits, but were there because for some reason they would not be able to survive in the wild. Most were injured in some way, and although they've gotten better, they wouldn't be able to move fast enough to hunt or avoid predators. A few others imprinted on humans when they were babies and wouldn't be able to fend for themselves.

One pair of birds we saw was really sweet because the original bird was brought there after it got too badly hurt to be released into the wild, and a wild bird became its mate while it was living in the park; that other bird stays at the park now by choice to be with the one who can't fly away.

The only animal they have that isn't native to Florida is one random hippo. He was there before the current park. There used to be a park of exotic animals on that land, and he was part of that. When the new park started, he got to stay. He was really interesting to see, too. We got to watch him eat his supper, which was hay and several melons.

The other animals we saw were wolves, foxes, otters, manatees, alligators, bears, a bobcat, a cougar, some snakes and turtles, and a bunch of birds and fish. They have this neat building where you can look at the fish from underwater through glass.

Kaya and Charissa told us lots of cool facts about the animals. Kaya is part of a special environmental science school program, so she knows all about these things, and Charissa just loves animals and has read a lot about them.

Bree discovered she isn't as afraid of bears as she thought she was, now that she's seen them sleepy and sluggish. The bear fear started when, shortly after she moved in with the Greens, Bree read on a website that if you go out in the woods in Newfoundland, basically bears are just going to come and murder you. Which is totally not true. Although we have been hiking and camping dozens of times since then and have not seen one single bear, Bree keeps looking over her shoulder for bear attacks. I think she may have gotten over it somewhat today, when she saw a bear sleeping and said it was "kind of cute and not murderous at all," which for Bree is major progress.

We all joked about taking Gia to see the wolves and foxes because they are her "cousins," and she actually laughed. It's such a relief to be able to laugh with Gia. We can joke again because we've forgiven her and she knows it, and because she's getting more accustomed to the werewolf thing. The truth is, though, she clearly did feel some kinship to the wolves - and seeing how beautiful they were seems like maybe it helped her adapt to what she is now. I can understand how she felt. Maia, Kiwi, and I felt the same kinship with the big cats, since we're feline shapeshifters.

After visiting the park, we had supper and then swam in the pool again. And that brings us up to the present moment! So there's our Florida update so far.

I wonder what will happen next? :-)

Love,
Summer

P.S. We haven't forgotten about the Versatile Blogger thing. (Three people tagged us - wow, thanks!) We'll do our best to get it posted soon. We just wanted to update you guys on our vacation first as we planned, before we lost track of what we wanted to tell you about all the cool stuff we've done. We won't forget we need to do that, though, don't worry. ;-) ~S

Deeper Understanding

Hello, friends, this is Kaya. This isn't really a news post. It's more of a conversational, thinky post. I talked to Gia today, and I think I understand a little better why she made the choices she made. That understanding means I have a lot more sympathy for her.

Today I was home doing my online classes (I have co-op classes with other students two days a week,) and when I took a break to get a glass of water, Gia was in the kitchen, supposedly marking assignments but more like just staring out the window. She looked pretty lost in thought, so I asked if she was okay.

I have to admit I felt a little weird about it. I care about Gia - we all do - but we also just found out that she'd been working for the evil vampires, and that she got to know us under false pretenses to spy on us for them. I wasn't sure if it was better if we talked about stuff, or if we avoided talking about stuff.

"Hello, Kaya," Gia said with a smile. "I'm doing alright. Would you like to join me?"

Technically, I needed to get back to my schoolwork, but I figured sitting with Gia for a few minutes wouldn't hurt. It seemed like she needed somebody to talk to.

"Sure," I said, and I took the seat beside her. For awhile, we both just looked out the window. Gia was toying with her sleeves, and for the first time I noticed that she had scars from cuts on her forearms. I wondered if it was a suicide attempt, or self-harm. Some of the kids I knew when I was in foster care did that, although I never have. I realized I'd always seen Gia in long sleeves, which wasn't strange because the weather is still really cold, and has been cold since I met her. I'd never seen her arms before.

"Did you ever get counseling about that?" I asked, pointing to her arm.

Gia looked surprised, and said, "What?" Then she realized what I meant, and she said, "Oh, no, I didn't do that to myself. I lived with vampires. They needed blood."

"So you gave it to them?"

She shrugged. "I didn't have much choice. It was my blood or my life. I was more willing to lose the blood."

"I thought vampires bite people?" I asked, wondering if this was totally rude, but Gia didn't seem to mind the questions.

"They do - if they want the person to die or to become a vampire also. The Elders didn't want either for me. I was useful to them, but my primary use was as a human. For example, I can go out during the day, which is immensely helpful to people who can't."

"How long did you work for them?"

"Three years," Gia replied, and I was surprised by that answer. I figured she would say a couple of months. She and Maia started dating in December. I guess what she said before was truer than we realized - she was in deep long before she ever heard of us.

"Were they good to work for? Besides the blood?"

Gia's eyes grew distant, and the muscles in her jaw tensed. For a moment, I could feel her fear without even trying to sense her emotions, then she calmed herself down.

"No," she said simply.

I reached over and put my hand on her arm, and she smiled at me. "It's going to be okay now," I said.

"I hope so," Gia replied. "I'm safe from them now, but..."

I nodded. I knew what she meant: But really being okay depends on how things work out with Maia.

Gia smiled sadly. "I know you must think I'm weak. In fact, I agree with you. I am, especially in comparison to your family. You're all so brave. I just... it's hard to convey in words how bad those years were. At first, I thought I was working for the heroes, but things quickly went badly. They were... very rough with me. I got used to bruises. I got used to being afraid for my life."

I was shocked. "They hit you?"

"Yes, among other things. They were very cruel. I was punished harshly for the slightest mistake, and they constantly reminded me that any misstep might be my last. I regret now that I ever agreed to help them work against your family. At the time, though, it seemed... almost harmless. I didn't see how anything I told them would actually do any damage. They already knew where you lived, and had a good idea of your routines. They knew you were sheltering Clare, Tabitha, Cécile, and Marie-Grace. I'm still not sure how much of what I told them was information they didn't already know."

"You seem to feel pretty terrible, for not telling them anything that bad," I said. I already knew the reason, but I thought it might help her to talk about it.

"What I regret most is all the lying," Gia said sadly. "It was awful, not telling the truth. At first it didn't matter, but then I started having feelings for Maia - big feelings - and then it got really difficult. She's so smart and funny and kind. The more I got to know her, the more I wished I was what I pretended to be."

"But you are," I told her. "You're a good person. You care about Maia. You were just terrified of evil vampires, too."

"Can you ever forgive me, Kaya?" Gia asked. "Will your sisters ever forgive me? Will Maia?"

"I already do," I said. "I understand now. I understand what happened to you, and I feel bad for you. Your family died suddenly and violently - you must have been grieving horribly, and you were all alone. Then these superpowered beings come along and say they'll fix it, and everything is great for awhile, and then they start hurting and terrorizing you. Could I really blame you for making some bad decisions at that point?"

Gia smiled sadly, and said, "Thank you. Your understanding means more than I can say."

"My sisters will understand, too," I assured her. "They'll forgive you. And Maia... she's hurt, but she loves you. Just give her time. It'll be alright. But... can I give you some advice?"

"Of course," Gia replied. "You're wise beyond your years, Kaya. I'd like to hear what you suggest."

I totally blushed at the compliment, but I said, "I think you should tell Maia what you told me. How they hurt you, and how scared you were of them."

"Do you really think so?" Gia asked. "I didn't want to seem like I was making excuses, or acting like what I did was right."

I shook my head. "No, what it does is make it clear this happened for a reason. You didn't just wake up one day and decide to mess with Maia's head - or her heart. You need to tell her, so she'll realize why you did what you did. I think once she knows, she'll understand better. She'll know how much she matters to you."

"Thank you, Kaya," Gia said. "You've given me a lot to think about, and... you're right. I should take your advice.

"You're welcome," I replied. "I should get back to my schoolwork."

When Maia got home, she and Gia talked upstairs for a long time. I think Gia must have taken my advice like she said she would, because when they came down for supper, they seemed a lot more relaxed. Maia was smiling again - a real smile, not a faked one - and she took Gia's hand at one point. It was kind of touching how relieved Gia looked. The atmosphere was less tense than it had been since Gia admitted the truth, and the conversation flowed more naturally, like there wasn't an elephant in the room anymore.

Yep, I think everything will be okay. :-)

Love,
Kaya

Covert Maneuvers

"It's alright to make mistakes, you're only human

Inside everybody's hiding something

Take time to catch your breath and choose your moment

Don't slide..." -Dido, "Slide"

Hey folks, this is Bree. As we mentioned in our last entry, we've been wondering why Gia (apparently) tried to mislead us by pretending she didn't know anything about vampires. Ordinarily, we would have pursued that immediately, but Gia has been having a bad couple of days. She got bitten by a werewolf, and now she's a werewolf too - which is hard on the body, but she seems to be taking it even harder still emotionally. We decided it was best to give her space for a few days.

A few days have come and gone, though... and it's not just idle curiosity. If Gia had contact with vampires in the past, there's a good chance that would eventually become our problem if she becomes part of our family. If bad vampires were going to come try to murder her, that would be a good thing for us to know, so we could do our best to prevent it.

I decided to go for the direct approach this morning while we were all getting our breakfasts. I was pouring my cornflakes. (Gosh, I love cornflakes! I normally don't get excited about food, because I struggle with disordered eating patterns, but cornflakes make me happy. But anyway...) Without looking up from my bowl, I asked, "So Gia, how do you know about vampires, and how come you acted like you didn't?"

Gia looked pale, wrapped up in her fluffy blue bathrobe, and started to reply automatically without thinking, "Because..."

Our eyes met over the cereal bowls. The secret was blown. She hadn't answered me directly, but she also hadn't stated more convincingly than before that I was wrong and she really hadn't known. It was clear that she did. We all knew that. Apparently Gia decided it was time to come clean.

"I... haven't been entirely honest with you..." Gia admitted haltingly.

"I knew it!" Molly yelled. "She is a vampire!"

There was a lot of eye-rolling, and Felicity hastily shushed her. For various reasons, we knew that Gia couldn't be a vampire. We've seen her go out in the day with no ill-effects. As an elementary school teacher, she has a job where you can't arrange to avoid attending work on sunny days, even in Northern Canada, because night shifts and irregular scheduling aren't an option. We've also seen her eat regular food; the night she came over and she and Maia made us pasta alla carbonara, Gia ate it too, and she even had second helpings. Our resident vampires have also confirmed Gia isn't a vampire, which alone is proof because they can recognize each other, and combined with all the other evidence just makes it impossible.

We're fairly sure Gia was a human before the werewolf bit her last week. She was just a human who apparently knew about vampires.

Gia shook her head. "No, I am... I was... just a regular mortal."

She looked down, like this was going to be a horrible thing to admit, and I wondered what could be that bad. When she spoke again, I realized just what could be.

"I was working for The Elders," Gia said. "They sent me here to keep an eye on you and report back."

"How did you end up working for evil vampires?" I asked. My brain preferred to focus on that than to try to sort out the other part. The part where we trusted her, and she turned out to be a spy.

Kaya frowned, like something didn't make sense, but for the moment she didn't say anything.

Gia replied, "My family - my parents and my brother - were killed by rogue vampires."

With what was probably unnecessary sarcasm, Kirsten said, "I'm sorry for your loss, but... yeah, going to work for killer vampires yourself makes total sense as a response!"

No one shushed her, because we were all feeling pretty stung at that point.

Gia shook her head. "I didn't know they were killer vampires at the time. I thought they were the good guys. They avenged my family for me. I thought they would protect us humans from other vampires. By the time I figured out what they were really about... I was scared, and I didn't know how to get out. When they gave me this 'assignment,' I admit I jumped at it, because I could put some distance between me and them without them watching me all the time, and I could try to sort out my thoughts and decide what to do next."

Maia looked like she'd been stabbed. This probably hurt worse than a knife, I thought.

"So you just pretended all this?" Maia asked shakily. "You pretended... that you loved me?"

Gia shook her head, desperately, looking like she was about to cry. "No! The Elders only told me to make friends with you. The rest of it... those feelings were true. That part was really me. I didn't expect that to happen, and it made me feel horrible to deceive you about why I met you - but what has happened since wasn't fake. I promise!"

There was silence for an awkward span of time. Then I said quietly, "Well... she is still here."

"Hm?" Maia asked absently.

"We fought The Elders weeks ago," I clarified. "Gia's 'assignment' pretty much definitively ended then. But she's still been hanging out with us, even though she didn't have to anymore."

Maia looked a little hopeful, and Kaya nodded, like all this finally made sense. "Gia is telling the truth now," Kaya said.

I'm not sure if our readers remember what Kaya's power is - it's empathy. She can feel echoes of other people's emotions when she concentrates on them. That's why she was confused when Gia admitted why she became part of our lives; that didn't fit with what Kaya perceived of Gia's feelings since.

Gia looked fearfully at Maia, tensing like she expected rejection, but she said softly, "Is this something we can work through?"

Maia thought for a moment, and then said, "Yeah, I think it might be."

I can't report on their conversation beyond that point, because that was when the rest of us decided to make a strategic retreat. We took our cereal downstairs to eat so the two of them could talk in private. I don't know what will happen with Maia and Gia's relationship.

In spite of all this, though, I can honestly say I hope it works out. I believe that Gia is a good person who lost her way for awhile. If she stays with us, I think she'll find it again. She wouldn't be the only one who has found a new path with this family.

Love,
Bree

Unintended Consequences

Hi, this is Clare. :-)

Well, it's been a couple of weeks since we defeated the mean vampires called The Elders. For our family, this means a chance to breathe more easily. They've had it in for us for awhile - even longer than we realized, because they've been after Inna - and now that they're out of the way, we don't have to worry about getting attacked by them anymore. It's a pretty big relief.

Unfortunately, though, it has also had some unintended consequences that aren't quite so great.

One thing I've been learning in my history lessons is that there's always a balance of power. Humans, vampires, even animals in the wild... doesn't matter. Whenever you have a system or an ecosystem, there's a balance, and if something upsets the balance things are going to change.

The Elders were bullies. They weren't popular; most other vampires didn't like them, because they were so clearly all about their own gain. They were, however, quite powerful, because they were ancient and well-established (thus their chosen name,) and they had a lot of groups who would otherwise be chaotic instead intimidated into obedience with their goals.

There's a reason that in most vampire stories, there's a "masquerade" - vampires having to hide their true natures from humans. If humanity as a whole knew about vampires, we would be in danger... and humans would be in danger when they sought us out. It's better for everyone if things like vampires are kept a secret from most of the mortal population.

The Elders may have been jerks, but they took that to heart. They didn't have any particular sympathy for humans - as far as I know, they used humans as a food source - but they recognized that it was in their own best interests if humans didn't know about us. It would keep the Elders safer, and it would keep their potential prey unawares.

They worked hard to maintain that secrecy - which often meant forcing other vampires to tone down their behaviour, particularly those who acted more animalistic. Sometimes they bullied other vampires for territory, or just to increase their own reputation by defeating an enemy. Sometimes, though, they bullied other vampires for actually being a threat.

In the vampire ecosystem, the Elders were sometimes useful. They were very bad vampires, but they helped keep the other very bad vampires in check.

Now they're gone, and we've been hearing rumours of more trouble. So far nothing catastrophic has happened, but we've gotten word that some vampires who were kept reasonably under control by the Elders are now starting to decide the new order of things means no order at all.

Obviously, this is at least in part our problem. We can't just break things - even if ultimately the breaking made the world better - and not worry about the consequences.

That isn't to say we feel guilty about winning the fight. The Elders pretty much forced a confrontation, and we were defending ourselves. They were blatant murderers of humans and other vampires, and would have continued to be. We did what we needed to, to save our own lives and a lot of other ones.

Things have to change... but I believe it can be a lot better.

I thought when we fought the Elders, one way or the other it would be over. As it turns out, the real work is just beginning.

***

One other piece of news, also possibly unintended consequences:

The morning after Gia was bitten by a big dog, we tried to phone and make sure she was okay, but there was no answer. We went to her apartment complex and knocked on her door before school, and got no reply. We started to get worried - but of course, Gia is a teacher, so we thought maybe she'd already left for school herself.

At lunch time, Inna got a phone call from Maia, and when we all got home, they broke the news.

Gia had left a message on the school principal's voicemail during the night that she was going back to Italy because of an "emergency" and didn't know when she would return. She didn't tell anyone else or say goodbye.

We're honestly pretty worried. This seems very sudden. I don't think it was our fault that she got bitten by the dog, so I don't see why she would be mad at us - but even if she was, it seems like it would be a pretty big overreaction to stop going to work and leave town.

I wonder why she left so abruptly. Did something else happen? Was the timing just a coincidence? Or did it have to do with the bite she got? I wonder if she's coming back. Poor Gia! I hope she's okay...

Love,
Clare

Another Mysterious Present

Hi, this is Tabitha. This is my first time ever writing for the blog, although I've been written about by the other girls. I didn't mind them talking about me, but the truth is, I was a little embarrassed to write about myself. When I got here, I was a newly-turned vampire, and I was so out-of-control I couldn't really even express myself. Things got better, but I kind of stopped worrying about it, and then... I hurt Kiwi. I didn't mean to, and she forgave me right away. Everyone forgave me. I couldn't forgive myself. I never want to feel that way again - like I wasn't even myself, I was just this force out of my own control. It still happens in my bad dreams, but I've been working really hard not to let it happen again for real.

That was another reason I haven't blogged. I was afraid of what the readers would think of me. Crazy Tabitha, who caused all the problems with The Elders because they found out about what happened with Kiwi and set their sights on us. Tabitha the animal who almost killed her sister. I didn't see why anyone would want to hear what I had to say.

Since then, my sisters have been doing their best to convince me. They've been encouraging me - and occasionally bugging me - about how I should actually write an entry. I always gave the excuse that I had nothing to say. Today, I have actual news of my very own, so that excuse isn't going to work anymore. I guess I'll give this blogging thing a try. Hopefully no one minds hearing from Crazy Tabitha.

So here goes:

Today, I got a package of my own in the mail. I would have been panicked about this, because ideally most humans (especially vampire hunters) shouldn't know where I am. I was a little bit prepared, though, because Marie-Grace had gotten a package in the mail recently too, and this was very similar to hers. No return address, wrapped in plain brown paper, New Orleans postmark. I figured this had to be from the same mysterious sender who had sent Marie-Grace the necklace that protects her from the sun.

So when I opened my package, I wasn't scared, I was excited. Would there be something that would let me feel the sun on my face again without burning up, too? I miss it so much, and I've never really gotten used to having to hide from the daylight. I could barely bring myself to open it, because I was afraid I would be disappointed if it wasn't what I was wishing for. With trembling fingers, I broke through the tape, unwrapped the paper, and opened the plain brown box.

Inside was a strand of red coral beads. It wasn't just any necklace, though - it had belonged to my grandmother, and her own mother gave it to her originally. Sometimes she let me wear it for very special occasions when I was a little girl. I lifted it out, and put it around my neck.

As I fastened the familiar clasp, I realized something very important about these gifts. They aren't just random necklaces. They already have a tie to each of us. Marie-Grace's necklace is one she lost a long time ago in New Orleans, and mine is one that has been in my family. That means they must have been specifically sent for the recipient. I'm glad we realized this before someone tried to go outside in daylight wearing a necklace that was sent to a different sister! I hope our "friend" sends ones for Clare and Cécile someday, too.

For the first time in months, I stepped outside during the daylight. I stood on the deck, not caring that it was cold and I wasn't wearing a coat, and let the winter sun shine on my face. I closed my eyes, and I could still feel the rays on my skin and see a halo of light through my eyelids. For fourteen years, I took this for granted. I doubt I'll ever take it for granted again.

Love,
Tabitha

Unexpected Properties of the Surprise Gift

Hello, this is Marie-Grace again. As our returning readers may recall, I recently received a surprise gift in the mail. (Getting mail at all is actually rather a surprise for me, given my circumstances.) Although I still don't know who sent it, I do have a little more information now about why it was sent to me.

First of all, a helpful piece of advice: If you find yourself turned into a vampire, Northern Canada is a good choice of place to live. Although we have our sunny days from time to time, for most of the year they are few and far between. Snow, rain, fog, heavy wind, and general greyness are more common than bright days. Here, a vampire can lead a comparatively normal life, sometimes even venturing out in the morning or afternoon.

Today, however, was not one of those days. It was a bright, sunny, nearly cloudless day, with blue sky and only a light breeze blowing. Perfect for the humans, who were eager to run outside and enjoy the weather, and reluctant to spend such an unusually pleasant day stuck in a school classroom. Not so perfect, though, for vampires.

Those of us who were at home today - Cécile, Tabitha, Clare, Kaya, and I - had to be even more careful than usual to keep everything shut tight. Once the heavy drapes were over the window, though, we could spend time in the living room. Clare and Tabitha were working on their home school lessons, Kaya was posting on the forum for one of her online classes, and Cécile and I were doing our long-distance university coursework.

After a hundred and fifty years, the two of us are well past the high school level in our studies... but we can't exactly go get a job because we look so young. (We were turned into vampires when we were twelve, and since modern children are usually larger than children were during our time because of better nutrition, most people these days perceive Cécile and me as only about ten or so.) For a long time, this meant long and boring days, since we don't need to sleep much - but since we've met the Greens and Roses, we've started using the internet, and it has opened up a whole new world for us. For online courses, our age is less of a concern - and more difficult to verify - so we've found a lot of new avenues for learning.

Currently Cécile is doing coursework in botany, and I'm studying African literature. There's so much out there to learn, it'll be quite a long time before we run out of subjects to study!

Today was shaping up to be a fairly ordinary day of study. The five of us like to work in the same room, although we don't really talk because we don't want to distract each other, just for the sake of the company. (Kaya is only with us about half the time; the other days she goes to her co-op classes. Today, though, she was home doing her online coursework.) We were well into our work, and didn't really notice when the dog, April, came into the living room.

We did notice when she started playing with the edge of the drapes, but before anyone could stop her, she had pulled down the whole curtain rod.

Instinctively, the vampires ducked for cover. Kaya - the only one present who wouldn't be burned by the sunlight - tackled me to the floor to shield me, because unlike the others, I was directly in front of the picture window.

I drew in my breath, squeezed my eyes shut, and waited to be burnt to a crisp... but nothing happened.

Kaya helped me to my feet, and looked at me questioningly. I was right in front of the picture window, with sun shining brightly inside, but I wasn't on fire. In fact, I felt completely ordinary. I stood there in shock, albeit relieved shock, as Kaya put the drapes up again and scolded April.

I suggested, "Maybe the sun isn't bright enough to be a problem today," although this seemed pretty unlikely given how it was beaming on us.

Tabitha shook her head, and held up a section of her hair, the ends of which had gotten caught in the light and had been badly singed. Apparently some of the vampires were affected by the sunlight. Just not me.

Why not me?

It hasn't always been this way. About twenty years ago, Cécile and I took a trip to a southern beachfront village, where I got caught out in the sunlight one morning and burned my leg rather badly before I managed to scramble into shelter. It's not that I'm somehow a special vampire who is magically immune to daylight. Today was a change.

I was so startled that I barely noticed something else. Something significant. As the shock wore off, I realized that the necklace around my neck was starting to feel heavier, and although vampire skin isn't warm to the touch anyway, the chain felt downright cold even in comparison to me. I reflexively put my hand to the metal, and it was quite chilly against my fingers. At that point, I finally managed to put two and two together.

The necklace had protected me from the sun.

This still raises a lot of questions, of course. I don't know what property of it protected me, and whether the necklace was that way from the start, or whether something was done to it while it was lost. I still don't know who sent it.

I do know three things, now, that I didn't know before. 1.) We have a way for a vampire to go out in the sun without burning. 2.) Whoever sent it was almost certainly a friend, not an enemy. 3.) And if we can find a few more of them, it would change things a lot for Cécile, Clare, Tabitha, and me.

Love,
Marie-Grace

A Glimpse into the Past

Hello, this is Cécile. Marie-Grace has written for the blog a couple of times, but I never have, so this will be my first entry. We promised to tell you a little bit about our past, how Marie-Grace and I came to be vampires, and what our lives have been like. We probably won't get through the whole story in one entry - more than a hundred and fifty years is a lot of ground to cover. This is just going to be the beginning of the story, the part where we were still just humans.

First, some pictures of Marie-Grace and me, so you'll know what we look like:

Now what you've seen our faces, I'll start telling you our story.

The first thing you should know is that, although we share our first names with two American Girl historical characters (different surnames, though,) we are different people. I don't know if that is just a coincidence, or if those characters were somehow based loosely on us, but either way those stories were not ours. 

My name is Cécile Thibodeaux. I was born in New Orleans in 1841. My parents were both gens de couleur libres - free people of colour, during a time when enslavement of black people was still legal in the United States. My paternal grandfather came from Haiti in the wake of the 1804 revolution, which established that nation in what had formerly been the French colony of Saint-Domingue. 

As far as I know my mother's family had been in New Orleans for several generations, but I know very little about her. She died of an illness when I was very young, and my father refused to talk about her, giving me only the smallest tidbits of information when I'd worn him down by continual pestering, only for him to fall silent again soon after.

Although sometimes a tragedy in the family brings people closer, for my father and I, it was the opposite. He spent most of his time shut away in his study, even taking his meals alone, while I was raised primarily by the parade of servants who would sign on to our employ for the good wages but would soon leave because of my father's arrogant ways and harsh words. There was very little continuity in my early life; in my memories of early childhood, my father is a shadowed, blurry figure in the background.

Things took a turn for the better for me when I made a new best friend. In those days, there were not the same regulations on child labour as there are now, and the year I turned twelve, my father hired a servant who was my same age, a Cajun girl named Marie-Grace Allain. She was an orphan without a family, and she took the job as a domestic to support herself as best she could.

Although we were from different social classes, Marie-Grace and I quickly bonded as friends. Perhaps it was partly the shared experience of losing a parent. Most of it was simply a pleasant meshing of personalities, though. We aren't exactly the same; Marie-Grace is shy, while I'm bolder, and she considers her actions more wisely while I tend to be impulsive. We complimented each other in character, though, with the strengths of one making up for the weaknesses of the other. We both enjoyed music, dance, and laughing together. I taught her from my lessons, both academics and the arts, and she taught me household tasks like cooking and sewing that had always been done for me before. Quickly, we were inseparable, friends forever.

I assumed my father wouldn't approve of our friendship, because of our class difference and racial difference. For several months, though, he didn't seem to notice. He was increasingly seldom home, and when he was around he was locked in his study. I probably could have run off to Paris without him realizing for days that I was gone. Without very attentive parenting, I could be friends with anyone I wished.

One evening, he emerged from his study, and I could see how different he was. His skin was ashen, and he stood unnaturally still, although there was a strange restlessness when he would finally make some movement. I wondered if he was ill. I noticed him looking speculatively at me, and at Marie-Grace... and I thought he intended to end the friendship or fire her and send her away.

Little did I know he had something else in mind - namely, that soon Marie-Grace and I would both be vampires. At the time, we were ordinary humans, and we had no idea that vampires were more than the stuff of stories. We could not have guessed from that brief glance of my father's that soon we would become vampires ourselves.

And that is the beginning of our story, with more to follow!

Love,

Cécile 

A Surprise Gift

Hello, this is Marie-Grace. I had a surprise yesterday - something came for me in the mail! This was startling to me, because I don't know who would be sending me something. Most of the people I know live here. I did receive a package, though, wrapped in plain brown paper and with no return address, but with a New Orleans postmark.

Who do I know in New Orleans? Cécile and I are old enough that the people from "our time" have died, and many of those we've met along the way have also aged and died, or have moved on. I actually can't think of anyone back in our former home who might send me a gift.

I opened it, and I was even more puzzled. On the top was a hat. It's white felt, with a pink ribbon - I like it and it'll look nice with my pink dress - but why would someone mail me a hat?

I dug further into the box, and found two more things. One of them was a pretty white and pink floral fan that will match my dress and hat. Again, I like the fan (although I don't know how often I'll have a need to fan myself here in Northern Canada,) but I didn't understand why I'd received it. I started to think maybe it was just random. A lot of people have pink dresses, so maybe it was just a coincidence that it matched. Maybe I was selected by chance to receive a gift.

Then I found the final item in the box, and I realized it wasn't random at all. The last thing was a necklace... my necklace! I lost it back in New Orleans more than a hundred and fifty years ago, and I thought I'd never see it again. I'm happy to have it back.

I must admit, though, I'm a little taken aback, too. Who would send this to me? How do they know where I live now? Why did they send it? And... do they know why I'm still alive after all this time? It's nice to get a gift, but I admit I'm a little concerned where it will lead.

Love,
Marie-Grace

The Showdown

"Walk a little further off the beaten path

And we'll drive on even if we get there last

Our backs against the wall

We will lunge and bite

And we'll rage, rage, rage

against the dying of the light..."

-Great Big Sea, "Here and Now"

Hi, this is Bree. Well... the day came. We had our big confrontation with The Elders. All our planning and worrying came to an end today, because the big bad vampires came for us... and I'm happy to report that we're still standing.

Today was dark, dismal, and pouring freezing rain. We didn't see the sun from morning to night. So of course, it was the perfect day for vampires to strike. Inna had told us that the Elders were back in town, and we had gotten a message with their "terms" for negotiation, which were completely insane. They were at least trying to make it seem like they were being reasonable, although we assumed we were going to end up having to battle it out. Sure enough, yesterday they left another message that they wanted to meet in person for "talks"... and we knew this was it.

The fair folk had promised to help us (although not for free,) so we wanted to make sure they were able to join us. That meant picking a place to meet up for these "talks" outside the city, because the traditional full-blooded fairies rarely venture into town. We chose a park about an hour away; no one uses it this time of year, so that would make sure no one else was caught in the crossfire. At first we considered leaving the younger kids at home so they would be safe... but in the end we decided against it. Home would mean unprotected, and it wouldn't be hard for some of the Elder group to slip back and attack them. We decided we'd have to do this together, or nothing.

Our family got there before they did. I think that was on purpose, so they could make an entrance. We didn't bother with an entrance because we're really not all that impressive-looking. We just waited in a picnic shelter to keep the freezing rain off, and tried not to shiver too visibly in our jackets. We didn't really have much in the way of weapons - just a few stakes we might not get the chance to use. Because of our powers, we are the weapons... and we hoped that our fairy allies would be even better ones.

We'd been waiting about two hours after the proposed arrival time when the Elders finally showed up. (Which Inna described as "typical.") What we hadn't expected was how many of them there would be. They aren't a huge group; our numbers should have been about even. They seemed to have picked up a bunch of hangers-on, though, other vampires who wanted territory or just wanted a good fight.

"That's a lot of vampires," Kirsten said calmly, but her eyes were kind of wide.

She wasn't wrong. Instead of being evenly matched, we were outnumbered three to one. We were all the more desperate for the help of our fairy friends... who were nowhere to be seen. Had they double-crossed us and left us in the lurch? Inna said fairy oaths always hold, but was what they told us really an oath? Was just a statement an actual promise? It was starting to look like no, because we were very, very alone.

The guy who was obviously their main leader was tall and old-looking, with white hair and unnaturally light skin, and of course black clothing, with a cape even. The stereotypical vampire. I mentally nicknamed him 'Dracula.' 

Dracula stepped forward, addressing Inna. "I assume you have considered our terms?"

Inna nodded. "Considered and rejected," she replied, not impolitely but without a hint of deference or fear. 

Drac didn't seem surprised. I guess he assumed that if we'd been that cooperative, we would have buckled with fear long before this. "And your counter-offer?"

"We let you leave," Inna said bravely.

The Dracula-looking guy laughed, like this must be a joke. "And? Your concessions will be...?" He gestured toward me. "This one, perhaps?" I did not like the sound of that, but I managed to stare back at him without averting my eyes. "Or these two?" This time he pointed at Cécile and Marie-Grace. "You scarcely know them, what loss are they to you?" Then a gesture at Clare and Tabitha. "Or these ones, violent offenders who are no better than animals?"

"No concessions," Inna replied firmly. "Our terms are: you can leave."

He paused for a moment, and said, "Or... maybe you, Inna? Would you sacrifice yourself to protect them?"

There was a moment of hesitation, and I realized that Inna was actually possibly going to say yes. She wouldn't give them one of us... but she might give up herself. Which would be totally, totally not okay. Utterly aside from the fact that they would probably kill us all anyway - we're a family. We don't split up. Not even to save ourselves.

I did something I never would have expected. Something even harder than using my powers to rescue Kiwi. I spoke up to one of the Elders. Me, Bree... the timid girl who has trouble even putting her hand up in class. I talked to him - and I told him no.

"We're not giving you Inna!" I told him. "It's like she said. You can go!"

Without taking my eyes off his face, I braced for impact.

An impact happened, but not with me. One of the vampires lunged at me on some imperceptible signal from him - and then suddenly Maia was in between us, taking him on. It was like I was watching in slow motion, unable to move.

After only a second the slow mo ended, and everything started happening really fast. The vampires poured toward us in a sea of dark-coloured clothing (these people do like their stereotypes) and powers started flying from our side. I could see fire and ice appearing... and the more incongruous sight of Felicity having a heartfelt conversation with the now-entranced female vampire who had been about to jump on her. A rock shattered, and the broken chunks clocked a couple of vampires; that was Kirsten's work. Our shapeshifters were in feline form, clawing and biting. Clare cried out as a trail of blood appeared on her shirt, and Evelyn quickly healed her.

At first, I didn't have much to do. I mean, I have super speed, but since I wasn't planning on running away, that wasn't really all that helpful. Then I saw a beefy vampire guy was about to behead Tabitha, and without really thinking it through, I ran across the open space, jumped on his back, and wrapped my arms around his neck. I don't think I hurt him any - I think I mostly just startled him - but he loosened his grip and Tabitha slithered out of his hands, giving me a grateful look.

For the moment, we were holding our own. We weren't winning, though. And it was just a matter of time.

That was when our allies finally showed up. We heard what sounded like a hunting horn, only low and unsettling and mournful. It sent a weird shiver down my spine, and several people actually shuddered. It was like the fight was frozen, abruptly motionless. Then a wave of the fair folk poured down the hill and out of the woods, joining the fight and taking our side.

It was over in just a few minutes, once they arrived. A few of the bad vampires slunk away - ones who had come along for the "fun" of it and had nothing resting on the outcome of the fight. No one followed them. Others ended up staked or beheaded. And I'm not sure how this happened, but a bunch more vampires just sort of... disappeared. I'm pretty sure the fair folk were responsible for it. They were way more effective fighters than we were, so we just backed off so we wouldn't be in the way. Before long, everything was quiet, and only our family and the fair folk remained.

"Do not forget that you owe us," the fairy woman we talked to before reminded me. Then they were gone, too.

Us girls were all kind of shell-shocked. It's not like we've never fought vampires before... but this was a real battle. We were relieved that we won, but we were more sad than gleeful. Hopefully we'll never have to do that again. We wouldn't have done it this time, if we'd had any choice.

Everyone was pretty quiet tonight. All of us were bruised and sore, and a few family members are nursing minor injuries. I think we're all going to have nightmares tonight.

At least we don't have to be afraid of the Elders anymore. We don't have to worry about them coming for us. We don't have to worry about them taking our sisters away. They didn't manage to separate us. We didn't give in, and we stood together. That's something to feel good about, even while hoping we never have to fight another battle like that again.

Love,

Bree