“Kyle is a vampire,” she whispered back.
“What?” Lucy blurted. “How? What happened?When did it happen? He was with you this afternoon. How is thatpossible?Whenwas he changed?”
“I don’t know, but he’s been one for awhile.”
“Melanie, that’s impossible. We’ve both seenhim outside and in the daytime.”
“I know, and believe me, I wish I’d seensomething that wasn’t really there, but he’s a vampire. Two othervampires attacked us, and he fought them off. He wasstrongenough to fight off two vampires without any weapons.”
“Why would he be fighting off other vampires?Why wasn’t hehelpingthem?”
“I don’t know. I don’t understand anythingthat’s happening, but his eyes were red, Lucy. They werered.I saw them.”
She wiped away a tear as Lucy draped her armaround Melanie’s shoulders and pulled her close.
“It’s okay; we’ll figure this out,” Lucywhispered.
“He’s a monster.”
“But is he? You said he tried to save youfrom two othervampires; how does that make him amonster?”
“How is it possible he isn’t? All vampiresare monsters; we know that better than anyone. My mom and your dadare dead because of them, and our living parents are… are…”
“Freaks.”
“Yes, and they’re freaks because of vampires.They’re freaks because those monsters entered their lives anddestroyed the people they loved.”
“True,” Lucy admitted. “But if I’ve learnedanything over the years, it’s that nothing is ever what itseems.”
Melanie didn’t have a response. She was tootired, confused, and heartbroken to think straight right now. Butshe had better start thinking because they were all about to belocked in a placenoone had ever escaped.
CHAPTER 19
When the van finallystopped, Melanie lifted her head from her knees. Beside her, Lucyshifted.
“Do we try to fight?” Lucy asked.
“Do you have any weapons?”
“No.”
“Do you think we have a chance at beatingthem?”
“No.”
“Do you think we’re already at thefacility?”
“Yes.”
Melanie gulped as Lucy confirmed her worstfear. “Then we should wait until we have a better chance toescape.”
“Do you think that’s going to happen?”
“I hope so.” It had to, or they would rot inthis place until they died.
The back doors opened, and Melanie turned herhead to shield her eyes as she blinked against the influx of lightpouring inside. Once her eyes adjusted enough, she saw her fatherstanding at the end. The bright white floodlights hanging on theside of the building behind him cast his face into shadows.
And she recognized the concrete buildingbehind him as the place where she spent most of her childhood. Thiswas no home-sweet-home moment. This was the home she never wantedto have, and it haunted her nightmares.
