“I swear, I swear!” he promises.
I push the end of my bat into his chest, leaning over him. “I’ll hold you to that,” I warn him before pushing off of him and returning to my bike.
I turn my attention to his parents one last time. “Control your son, or I’ll do it for you.”
With that, I return home. I guess my parents were right about one thing. Sin isn’t the only person I can feed from. That’s good to know.
Present Day
Phineas
He must be watching for me from his windows. That’s the only explanation for how he keeps ambushing me every time I come back to the house. Fortunately, this time there’s more people here than just me.
I wave Marla and her three kids into the house and turn to find Frank and his five kids walking up the driveway with my grandfather just ahead of them.
“What are you doing?” he demands, as I wave to the open front door so Frank and the kids will go through. If Grandfather gets rough with me again, the kids don’t need to see it.
“I’m hosting my first class for the kids,” I explain and wave to Sandra and her fourteen little hooligans. They’re almost all of them adopted. I think she gave birth to two of them and took in the rest after the last time there was violence in the clan.
“Good morning, Arden,” Sandra greets him with a little bow, and her troop of kids all bow as they pass, too.
Sandra was the person who taught the kids before he gave me the task, and she volunteered to rally the families together for me. I think she wants to help me teach, but she can’t say that because she would never disobey Grandfather’s orders. Fear keeps most of us obedient.
“Teach them our history truthfully,” he warns me, narrowing his eyes as he scans the kids passing through into the house.
“I will,” I promise.
He scoffs at that. “I think I better stay to make sure,” he decides, and tromps his muddy shoes into my house without wiping them on the mat.
I wait for a few more minutes until everyone I’m expecting arrives, and then I head into the den where I’ve set up for this lesson. I’m grateful that the archivist likes me enough that she agreed to refresh my memory of each lesson before I have to present it. Hopefully I don’t mess up enough to earn my grandfather’s wrath again.
“When our people emerged from the caves of our ancestors, Lala, the moon goddess saw us and loved our fur…”
“La-laaah,” my grandfather interrupts. “Speak her name correctly or not at all. Your goddess deserves your devotion and respect.”
“Yes, sir,” I agree, swallowing my fear so that the kids don’t see it.
Crap.
Chapter 15
Present Day
Sin
I had no idea. I’ve never been to Gael’s apartment. I knew he didn’t like it, so I didn’t mind that he never invited me over. We’ve hung out at my place for so long that it never occurred to me to even think about his living circumstances.
My first thought when I pull up at the address my GPS leads me to is that I’ve gotten the address wrong and I’m in the wrong neighborhood. The apartment building is situated at the center of one of the poorer neighborhoods directly across from a city park that I wouldn't want to be caught in after dark. There are people everywhere, hanging out in small groups with a few loners watching the comings and goings.
Gael stands outside with a couple of men, chatting amicably with them, and when he sees me in my car, he waves and points to the front of the building, directing me to park in a cross marked area. I roll down my window when he approaches.
“I’m not supposed to park here,” I point out warily.
Gael’s smile assures me that I’m where he wants me even if I’m not comfortable in the space. “We’ll only be a few minutes, and my friends are going to watch your car to make sure no one tickets you.”
I’m not worried about tickets in a private parking lot so much as getting towed, but I trust Gael knows what he’s doing. “Alright,” I agree, stepping out of my car and locking it.
Gael leads me past elevators with out of order signs on them that are so old it’s apparent the building managers never intend to fix them. We bypass them to take the stairs up four flights. His apartment is two doors down from the stairway, and he opens it without having to unlock it. I don’t think I would trust my neighbors not to invite themselves to my things, but Gael doesn’t bat an eye about it.
