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“Oh. ”
“After Mom went back to the water, he was left with a very paranormal son. He knew how bad things were with the government agencies, so he decided to do something about it. He runs sort of an underground railroad for paranormals, shielding them from IPCA, giving them jobs, helping them control the nastier sides of themselves. ”
“What about the vamps? Does he let them suck someone dry every now and then?”
“There are lots of other sources of blood. They all know that if they break the rules, he won't help them anymore. Most of them are young vamps, too. They still remember what it was like to be human and don't really relish the thought of killing. Plus they're helpful with the whole mind control thing. ”
I felt kind of bad. I had never even considered giving vamps the benefit of the doubt. “Do you have any hags?”
Lend laughed. “We're accepting, not suicidal. ”
I sighed in relief. “Okay then. That's pretty cool, I guess. ” Truth was, the whole thing made me more than a little nervous. The sentiment was great, but expecting all these creatures to control their natural instincts? Sounded dangerous. How many lives were worth risking to give a handful of vampires more freedom?
A waitress came to take our orders, interrupting my thoughts. She knew Lend and was drop-?dead gorgeous, with blond hair, blue eyes, and these absolutely luscious lips. Her non-?glamour face was just as beautiful, although it was mottled brown and gray. We both ordered and she turned around. My jaw dropped. Underneath her glamour her back was hollow like an old tree, and she had a tail. “What is she?” I whispered.
“Nona? Oh, she's a huldra. Tree spirit. ”
Watching her and the other paranormals in there, things shifted for me. They were vibrant, happy, not hurting anyone. This was a good place.
I used to think that IPCA was some noble organization, protecting humans. But I thought it helped paranormals, too. The werewolves and vamps had jobs, and all paranormals had protected status. However, this recent information gave me a new perspective. IPCA acted on absolutes, and I was increasingly realizing that nothing was absolute in this world.
Lend's dad wasn't totally right, but he was probably more right than my former employers.
I thought of something else. “With all the stuff you know about IPCA, how were you so calm while we--they--were holding you? I would have been freaking out. ”
He laughed. “Oh, trust me, I was terrified. Beyond terrified. I kept waiting for them to cut me open or something. Lucky for me they were distracted with the dead paranormals, otherwise I don't even want to think about it. ”
“Man, I thought you were like some supercool operative and knew exactly what you were doing. Now I find out you weren't even supposed to be there in the first place. ”
“I've got a lot of practice acting. I do it every waking hour, after all. ” He had a point--he acted with his whole appearance.
“Well, I guess I still think you're pretty cool. ”
“Thank goodness. ” He shook his head in mock relief. “Of course, I can't really act in front of you. ” He gave me a small, shy smile. It must have been so weird for him that I could see him like no one else. I kinda liked it.
“You don't need to act for me,” I answered, then blushed. Wow, was that dorky or what? Pretty soon I would tell him how dreamy I thought his real eyes were, and how much I'd like him to hold my hand in a non-?the-?world-?is-?ending-?and-?I'm-?being-?nice sort of way. He smiled bigger and we both went back to our food. Good thing too, because I was probably one step away from blurting out hey, wanna be my boyfriend?
When we left, half the restaurant waved cheerily to Lend, most of them giving me curious looks. I figured it was a good thing they didn't know who I was. I tried not to stare at anyone, pretending like I couldn't see what they really were. Besides the tree spirit waitress, there was a woman who had fins underneath her glamour legs, several werewolves, a couple of vamps, and I was pretty sure I had seen two gnomes working in the back. This place was even weirder than the Center.
Remembering my old home made me feel more pangs of guilt. I didn't even know if Raquel was okay, and I was sure she'd be really worried about me. But there was so much she never told me, so much she hid, it was easier to push down the guilt in favor of anger. And Lish I tried not to think about at all. If I were still in the Center, her absence would be like a hole in my heart. Here I was so removed from my previous life that it made it a little easier. I could pretend she was still there in her tank, waving her hands around and making the computer say bleep.
When we got back to his house, Lend sighed. “I'd better call some friends and find out how far behind I am in my classes. ” He pulled out his phone.
“Lend?” David called.
“Yup,” Lend answered. “We're back, we already ate. ”
“I know, Nona called and told me you were there. ”
The person Lend was calling picked up and he started talking. I didn't know what I was supposed to do. My impulse was to go to Lend's room. I always thought the Center made me claustrophobic, but now I suspected I had the opposite problem. All that time today in open spaces and outdoors made me kind of twitchy, nervous to get back inside. How lame was that?
And I still couldn't get over what Lend had said, especially about the sterilizations. “David?” I asked, walking into the kitchen.
“Yes?” He looked up from the table.
“I--I didn't know. About IPCA, I mean. The things they do. ” I looked guiltily at the floor, remembering all the werewolves I had brought in. And now I had abandoned them for this safe, happy home. “I want to help, if I can. ”
“I told you and Lend, I don't want you involved in this anymore. ”
