“How did it go?”

I flopped down onto the lounge sofa. “They showed up. It was awkward. I really have very little to talk about that isn’t killing monsters.”

Kanesha laughed. “Or modeling.”

“At least they weren’t bothered by me doing that. Not that I expected him to be, but… My mother. I recognized her right away. Didn’t remember. Just recognized.” I let out a breath. “And she’s very serious. Nice, but serious.”

“Fidelity.”

I nodded, glancing around. “Where’s everyone else?”

“They’re in Clara’s room watching a movie I don’t like.”

Now I listened, I heard laughter. Some kind of comedy, then. “Well…”

“I missed having you there, but I’m glad they showed up for you. Did he have any ideas on the bombing?”

“Told me to think like him. That was all he was giving me. But he implied it was a trick, a prank, rather than a real attempt to hurt people. Just like I thought.”

Kanesha rolled her eyes. “He does know you’re a suspect, right?”

“He’ll probably step in before I actually get arrested or anything like that. But in the meantime, I don’t want to think about it tonight.”

“That means you had a good time.” She grinned. “But so did I and I need to get some rest.”

I watched her vanish upstairs, but I didn’t feel like going to bed just yet. Not that I really needed to.

Belief. Awareness. And I felt wired. I honestly felt more like going out and hunting something than going to bed, but I was still afraid to be seen out after curfew.

Let alone with a weapon. I’d gotten careless with the vampire hunting. Careless, but Seb had been so desperate. He’d needed me and because of that I had helped him. And got away with it.

The bombing wasn’t aimed at me. If it had meant to be a setup they’d have planted something in my locker. I’d finally been allowed to get my jacket.

No. It was some crazy…oh, this was no good. Curfew or no curfew, I needed to get out of here. I slipped out, closing the door as quietly as possible. Pulled a hood over my face, concealing race and identity.

And, hopefully, age. If people thought I was older than I was, they wouldn’t stop me. The streets were cold and clear, but there was nothing to hunt. Maybe even the monsters were home with their families tonight.

Maybe.