When Nurse Dalio guided us to the Common Room after breakfast, Mallory stayed and sat with me. Before sitting down, she went to the bookcase filled with board games and came back with the box for checkers. I’d seen checkers played in old movies, but never played it myself, so Mallory took the time to teach me.

We weren’t exactly talkative, but the game kept us occupied. After a few games of which I didn’t win any, Mallory turned her chair to face the television. We remained at the table together but focused our attentions on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

“I found out my father has another family,” I said during a commercial break.

Mallory swiveled in her chair. “Wow; that’s probably not what you were expecting.”

“It was a bit of a surprise,” I said, thinking back to my strange interaction with him, as well as the time Matthew had let me into my father’s old office. “He has a wife and another daughter.”

“Are you going to look them up?”

“I already did,” I said, ashamed to admit it. “I visited their house the first chance I got. I had to know what they were like.”

“And?” Mallory pressed.

“And the wife’s kind of a bitch.”

Mallory burst out laughing, which caused me to do the same. When we realized we were being rather loud, I glanced around the perimeter, at the vampires supervising the room, to see if our laughter had caught anyone’s attention. A few of them were looking in our direction, so I whispered to Mallory to keep it down.

“I’d probably get along with her,” Mallory said, still smiling from my previous comment.

“I’m not going to confirm or deny that statement,” I said, grabbing one of the checkers chips and spinning it on the table top.

“Oh, come on; you can say it.”

“I just hope I can get to know the daughter one day. It would be nice having a sister again,” I said.

“A sister again? What are you talking about?” Mallory’s smile faded.

“I had a twin sister,” I said. “She was killed when we were kids. I survived, but was left with these scars you’ve previously been so eager to point out.” I touched my right cheek, then adjusted my hair to better cover it.

“Whoa,” she said. “I should have guessed it was from something traumatic, but I never would have guessed it was so morbid. Are you willing to tell me what happened?”

“I don’t really remember the incident itself. We were six. My mother found the front door open and we were outside by the parking lot. A pit bull was loose and attacked Becca. I screamed for help. Mom came running just as the vicious dog attacked me. She saved me, but Becca was already dead by the time the ambulance arrived.”

“I’ve read terrible stories like that online, but never knew someone personally affected by such an event.”

“My mother told me animal control found the dog sometime later,” I said.

“I’d think it was put to sleep. Did your mother sue the owner? Seems like you could have gotten some good money from something like that.”

“Enough to pay the funeral costs.” I sighed. “I don’t know why we weren’t able to get more. We don’t talk about it much. I guess it was better just to move on.”

“I’d want to see those dog owners thrown in jail,” Mallory said. “Maybe after all this and once you’re initiated, you can find them and exact some revenge.”

I shook my head. “Don’t think so. We’ve plenty more things to worry about.”

“Maybe, I’ll help you.”

“That’s okay.”

Mallory shrugged and turned back toward the television. “Think about it.”

We went back to occupying the table in silence while we watched more of the Tonight Show. Nurse Dalio came to collect us before the show was over, walking us back to our room. When we got back, there was already a large, muscular man waiting. He smiled wide at the sight of us, his fangs already extended, making the smile much more fiendish than friendly.

“This is Mr. White and he’ll be your first guest for the evening,” Nurse Dalio said. “You all behave yourselves.”

Mallory and I both hovered in the doorway, but the nurse was quick to shove us into the room, so she could close the door. Mallory regained her balance, but I spilled onto the floor—right at the man’s feet. I raised my gaze to meet his emerald eyes. His face was free of wrinkles, but he had long, radiant gray hair, streaked with black. His neck was nearly as thick as his head and his muscles were nearly ripping the seams of his black tee-shirt.

Mr. White turned his gaze away from me, searching out Mallory, who had backed up against the far wall, opposite the beds. Without saying a word, he stalked toward her and swiped at her uniform top, catching the fabric and pulling her toward him.

Mallory elbowed him in the neck, which would probably have dropped a human man, even one of his size. But her attack didn’t even faze this beast of a man. He grabbed a fistful of her hair, jerking her head to the side and quickly sinking his fangs into her neck. She continued to fight—clawing at him and kneeing him in the groin. Her onslaught had little effect, other than angering him.

Mr. White came up for air but still held tightly to her hair, fixing her in place. “You are a feisty one,” he said in a deep voice. “And if I had more time, I know I’d enjoy our time together.”

“You sicken me!” Mallory snapped and spat in his face.

Instead of responding, he tossed her to the side. Mallory violently crashed over the toilet and slammed her head into the metal sink on the far side before crumpling to the floor. Immediately, blood began pooling around her head.

I gasped and wanted to run to her, but Mr. White was already staring in my direction.

“All they had to do was pay up,” he said, inching closer. “Your accident was just a warning. Did she really think she was going to get away with killing a member of the Order?”

“I—I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, scooting backward on the floor. I was abruptly stopped by hitting Mallory’s bed.

“Your mother,” he growled. “We have it on good authority she was responsible for killing the Order representative tasked with carrying out the warning.”

“What warning? What are you talking about?”

“Your car accident.”

“Our accident was due to a coyote running across the road,” I said, so confused. I glanced back at Mallory, who still wasn’t moving, the blood from her head wound still spreading.

“You’re in here, seeing what is all around you, yet you still don’t see,” he said ominously. “No matter. Your mother takes one of ours; we take one from her. Goodnight, little princess.”

Then he was pulling me to my feet by my hair and forcing me down onto the bed. He gave out a bloodcurdling roar before leaning in to feast on my blood. But unlike all the others, I was certain he had no intention of stopping.