“Thanks for the warning, but we’re notleaving.”
“You can’t stay if I don’t finance it foryou,” he said.
Melanie’s heart galloped like a thoroughbredrunning the Kentucky Derby as he issued this threat. She hadn’tseen that coming. He lived and breathed higher education. He maynot have taken charge of her education in the facility, but he madesure she was well educated. She had no problem getting intocollege.
He also made sure her tutors taught her aboutthe outside world and how to navigate it. She and Lucy had watcheda lot of TV and the news, so they saw the way things worked, andthough they didn’t often leave the facility, when they did go out,they learned about money, finances, maps, and how to act in public.Plus, there were a lot of people in the facility, so even if theydidn’t grow up around other kids their age, they did have somesocialization.
If she hadn’t embraced the idea of college asa way to flee the facility, he would have imposed it on her. Andnow he was promising to take it all away.
She didn’t think it was because of vampireseither. This was about control. Melanie and Lucy were close tograduating; they were almost completely free, and her father andDelilah didnotlike that.
Melanie kept her face impassive as her mindspun over the idea of returning to the facility. It didn’t matterwhat she had to do; she wasnotgoing back to that hellhole.She didn’t have to look at Lucy to know her friend felt the sameway.
She didn’t know how either of them would doit, but somehow, they would survive without their parents’money.
“Yes, we can,” she said.
“Melanie, be reasonable,” he said.
“Father, why don’tyoube reasonable?You’re the one who showed up here and dropped this on us. We’re notgiving up our lives here because youthinktheremightbe increased vampire activity. You don’t have anyproof.”
“I have the proof of the newspapers.”
“That’s not enough.”
“Melanie’s right,” Lucy interjected. “We’renot leaving. This is our home now, and we’re not going back.”
Her father glanced between them, and thoughthat kicked puppy expression remained on his face, there was acalculating gleam in his eyes as he tried to figure out how tohandle this. He hadn’t expected them to refuse to leave. He’dassumed the fear of vampires would make them flee, but Melaniewould rather face a horde of vampires than step foot in thatfacility again.
“Okay,” he relented. “We’ll have dinnertogether to discuss this. I think you’ll change your mind once yousee some of our evidence.”
“Fine,” Melanie said.
She didnotlike the idea of sittingdown to dinner with the two of them, but if agreeing got him out oftheir apartment, she would do it. She required time to think andtalk to Lucy about what they were going to do.
“We’ll pick you up at six tonight. Be ready,”he said.
Melanie didn’t reply, and he didn’t bother tohug her before walking out the door. As soon as it shut behind him,she rushed over to lock it. She turned to face Lucy and leanedagainst the door.
“Is he right about a possible increase invampire activity?” she asked.
Lucy walked over and sat on the couch. Hershoulders hunched up, and she clasped her hands before her as shebowed her head. “I haven’t been following the papers.”
“I haven’t either, but we’d better startdoing some research. We need to prepare for tonight.”
“I donotwant to see my mother.”
“Neither do I,” Melanie admitted.
CHAPTER 16
They sat through anincredibly awkward and tense dinner at an Italian restaurant downthe street from their apartment. It was a quiet place, and herfather had requested a booth in the back so they would have moreprivacy.
Before they served the bread, her fatherbroke out numerous newspaper articles and leaned across the tableto point out his evidence. He covered them with his briefcasewhenever the waiter came near.
He and Delilah had spent the past hourproving there were vampires in the area. After doing a lot ofgoogling, Melanie had come to the same conclusion and prepared forthis onslaught of evidence.
However, it didn’t change her mind. Shewouldn’t let fear drive her back into the facility, backunderground, and back to a life devoid of hope. She’d rather diefirst.
