No. I must have misheard. She couldn’t have just told me I’m barred from the hospital. The idea is preposterous. It is . . . exactly the kind of thing Momwoulddo if she thought I was a threat.
“But I’m her daughter,” I say.
The healer shrugs. “Sorry.”
The security officer casts a long shadow over us. His uniform is too tight. “Is there a problem here?”
I meet his menacing gaze. “No.”
The healer’s eyes dart between the officer and me. “This is Desiree Dunn. She was just leaving.”
The officer’s hand clamps down on my arm. “I’m escorting you out, Miss Dunn.”
I dig my heels into the shiny floor. All I need is five minutes of my mom’s time. “No, I—Hey! Release me!” My screech ricochets through the corridor.
“You don’t need to make this more difficult. Doctor Dunn insists you maintain distance for your safety and that of others,” the officer says. I wrench free from his grasp.
“Why?” I demand, shuddering. The memory of Mom’s face at the party flashes before my eyes. She looked at me like I was a stranger. Someone dangerous.
“To protect Doctor Juliette Bird,” the healer says.
Red flares at the edges of my vision. Juliette has finally succeeded in ruining me. She turned my mom against me. Ineedto see my mom.
With a burst of supernatural speed, I dash to the elevator, slipping inside just as the doors begin to close. My finger slams against the button, and I watch the floors tick by while my stomach sits heavy in my throat. I need to make Mom see the truth about Juliette. I’m not the villain here.
On Mom’s floor, I hurry down the long corridor, my gaze on the ground. The black-haired healer and security guard have likely announced my arrival. Time is slipping away.
Mom’s lab is easy to locate. Her name is prominently displayed on the door. As I step inside, the automatic lights flicker to life. The room is empty, but Mom’s work surrounds me—books, research papers, and a square box draped with a thick cloth.
I decide to check the sign-in boards to find her when a fluttering noise catches my attention. My brow furrows. It’s coming from beneath the fabric.
Hesitantly, I approach the box. The rustling gets louder. With a wavering hand, I pull the cloth away, revealing three small bats inside. But these are no ordinary bats; their eyes glow red—vampire bats.
I stagger back, horrified. These must be the bats Mom has been experimenting on, while I keep the truth hidden.
Iam the key to ending vampirism. But I don’t want to be.
The loudspeaker at Hebe Hospital crackles to life, and my name echoing through the halls. “Attention all staff and patients! Be on the lookout for a dangerous, dark-haired vampire named Desiree. She is on the loose within the hospital and considered a threat. If you see her, alert security immediately.”
Each repetition of my name feels like a physical blow. Soon, every person in the hospital will be searching for me. Before I face my end for the second time tonight, I need to find an exit. But I am not ready to leave just yet.
The vampire bats rustle in their cage. I step closer.
“It’s wrong to keep you locked up against your will,” I tell them.
Vampire bats don’t harm anyone; they aren’t dangerous. It’s a stereotype fueled by their differences.
I wince at the devastating parallel between their lives and mine.
With a scream that shatters the stillness of the lab, I sweep my arm across the countertop, sending Mom’s research flying. She abandoned me when I needed her most. Beakers and burners crash to the floor. She cares more about this hospital than she ever did about me. I confront the board of her formulas, pick up the eraser, and wipe it clean. If not for Wilder, my childhood would have been a game of solitaire.
The bats squeak excitedly, their leathery wings fluttering in anticipation.
I work through the rest of the lab, leaving chaos in my wake as I prop open the refrigerator doors filled with temperature-sensitive samples.
I need my mom to feel my pain. I’m not being subtle. She will know it is me, but I don’t care. It’s not as if I will ever come back here.
Finally, I unlatch the metal cage and stand at the head of the room, watching the vampire bats pour out of the now-open window, their silhouettes vanishing into the night sky. At least, they get a second chance.
