Chapter 28

"I don't see why I have to go, when they can stay," Fred complains, glaring at Aaron and Reuben who have stopped in the middle of the room. "I don't trust them. Neither should you, Carrie. They drank our blood. You can bet that they want to do it again."

"Yeah, yeah," Caroline replies with a tired sigh.

"Doesn't it bother you at all?"

"I'll be fine, Freddie. I can't send them out into the daylight, you know."

Fred looks at the closed curtains that keep almost all of the morning light out.

"Ah, the daylight," he says and a grin appears on his face. "That's right, they don't like that."

With a swift move, he opens the curtains completely. Immediately, the room is flooded by light. Reuben and Aaron blink repeatedly. They hurry to turn their backs to the window. Fred is full of gloat.

"You guys are not that cocky now, are you?"

"Come on now, Freddie," Caroline intervenes, patting his shoulder. "My parents will be up any minute."

Fred opens the window and steps up on the windowsill.

"They would agree with me," he mutters as he climbs out.

As soon as he is out, Caroline closes the window and then the curtains. Reuben and Aaron turn to face her.

"I can leave the curtains like this," she tells them. "But you have to hide now. I think I already hear my parents getting up."

Reuben nods.

"Yes, their alarm clock is ringing."

"You have good ears," Aaron comments. "I don't hear it."

"Well, I've heard it before. I know the sound," Reuben explains.

"Your cue for going into hiding, I guess. And how about you, Caroline — can you hear it, too?"

"Maybe. I'm not sure. Their bedroom is on the other side of the house. Be grateful for that, or they would surely have heard us by now. We haven't been as silent as we should. Not nearly."

"Sorry," Reuben says, now whispering.

He and Aaron sneak under the bed, while Caroline starts to get dressed. When they have stretched out on the floor in the dark under the bed, Aaron taps Reuben on the shoulder.

"Now it's your turn, Reuben," he says, lowering his voice when Reuben hurries to hush him. "What's with you, really? Your strength, your powers?"

"What powers?"

"You kept Caroline asleep for months, while feeding on her. Nobody can do it that long. And you push both Fred and me around at a whim."

"Caroline woke up in spite of my breathing on her."

"After nine months, yes. That must be a world record. Don't tell me she's just a heavy sleeper."

Reuben shrugs his shoulders. Aaron gazes at him, but he looks right up.

"And how about the kids in the bar?" Aaron continues. "Those freaks, they feared you! Don't deny it. Everybody else was scared stiff, and rightly so. Not you. You made them leave us alone. How?"

"They weren't after us."

"Well, they weren't that picky either."

Before Aaron can continue, Caroline sticks her head under the bed.

"Boys, boys," she says with a scolding tone. "Not that these speculations aren't interesting, but my parents are up and about. You have to shut up. You can continue your conversation when they're downstairs for breakfast. Better yet, when they've left the house."

"Sorry," Reuben says.

Aaron frowns, but stops when Caroline stares at him.

"Okay, okay," he mutters and crosses his arms over his chest.

"I'll be leaving for school," Caroline continues. "But I'm sure you'll be fine without me. Don't make me sorry I let you stay."

"Don't worry, Carr," Aaron assures her with a smile. "We'll be little angels. Won't we, Reuben?"

He doesn't reply.