I stayed awake for most of the night. I was sitting in my chair staring outside. I had the backyard as my view outside my window, therefore the only thing I was staring at was the pool house. The light was still opened and I watched him pace around the room with his mouth moving. But no one was there with him, at least from what I could see. And then they appeared, out of thin air; the two people from the behind the coffee shops. It looked like they were angry.

I went forward trying to read their lips. The guy, Chris, was waving his hands around almost theatrically, and the girl – was it Isabelle? – seemed frustrated, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest. And then there was Gerald who looked like he didn’t want to be part of this. He continued to pace the room, just like he’s done before and his lips were moving rather calmly like they were over-exaggerating whatever the argument was about.

I stood up and went downstairs, filing three cups of coffee and also three water bottles. I was holding on a tray and then I made my way to the pool house. The blinds on the door were closed and I could hear the yelling on the other side of the door. I was about to knock, but Gerald beat me to it.

He had a surprised look on his face, but smiled. “What’s this?”

I looked down and then realized how stupid this was, “I’m sorry, I just…”

“Ge, whose there?” Isabelle came to the door and opened it wider. It was then in which I noticed how way out of my league I was. Isabelle was beautiful – wait, more than beautiful. She seriously looked like an angel. She had high cheekbones and eyes that bore into you, not to mention they were green. She had full lips that any guy would die for and a nose everyone would consider cute. And I’m not even going to begin talking about her amazing body, let’s just say it was the perfect combination between model and voluptuous – beyond words.

I caught myself before my mouth dropped in total amazement. I saw Gerald turn around and stifle a laugh and I turned around to flush. “Oh, I dying of thirst!” She said grabbing the coffee. “Thanks…” She squinted her eyes like she was trying to remember my name or something.

“It’s Kim.” I laughed.

“Thanks you, Kim.” She smiled and walked over to his bed.

“I’m sorry, I saw your light on and then they appeared so I thought you guys wanted something.” I said, turning all embarrassed. “But obviously I can just leave…”

The guy came to me, who looked just like Gerald, just a little angry – okay, maybe a lot angrier. “No, you can stay, since Ge thought it was to let you in on a dangerous secret. And thank you for the drinks, Ge never offers.” He scowled at Gerald. “And Isabelle, I think dying is the wrong word. R and R.”

I stared at Gerald, “R and R?”

“It’s something he learned in Anger Management, Redirect and Rephrase.” He whispered.

I nodded, “Anger Management? Are you sure it’s working?” I joked.

Gerald laughed quietly. “Couldn’t sleep? I don’t want to bore you with all this arguing.”

“No Ge, let her stay. I hate being the only girl And we won’t have to R&R because she knows everything.” She took my hand and guided me over to the bed. In complete honesty, I never thought I’d be on Gerald’s bed with another girl. She was still holding my hand on her lap. “Kim, this is my idiot brother, Chris. He’s not very good at hiding his feelings, so you may flinch.”

I nodded, and stared at Gerald who looked scared.

“So you’re like a crew, or something?” I asked them.

Isabelle laughed at me, “I wouldn’t use ‘crew.’ Um, I’d use a family. Chris was the first one who got changed. He was in a car accident with my parents. Our parents passed, and the next day, after getting a broken hip and a prediction of not making through the night, he was discharged.”

“Great, tell all our secrets, Isabelle.” Chris turned around and took a seat at the other end of the pool house, away from everyone else.

Isabelle ignored the comment. “I was changed after a year. I was kidnapped and Kuya Chris found me in the nick of time. I was the only family he had left, so I asked him to change me. He taught everything I know, everything I needed to know. And then three months later, Gerald found us and said we needed to look for this guy who may have anecdote to reverse it.”

“Oh baby sister, that’s where you’re wrong, Ge believes it, not me. Ge taught you that, definitely not me.” Chris said shutting his eyes.

“So you don’t think you can be reversed?” My question targeted Chris personally.

He opened his eyes after a second after nobody answered and laughed at my comment. “Can you reverse being human?”

I looked down. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“Look lady--”

“Chris, she has a name.” Gerald said angry.

“Look Kim, honestly, I’ve lived with this for over two years now and it’s become a way of living, a lifestyle. I don’t believe this can be reversed, because if it could, why bother hiding it? Why would we be hunted if it can be reversed? We’re lucky to just be alive right now; honestly, I’m just counting down the days until it happens.”

I already knew the answer, but I wanted to hear it, to confirm. “Until what happens?”

Isabelle squeezed my hand, “He’s counting down the days until we’re hunted. It happened a couple of times in the past two years.”

Chris laughed at that, “Couple of times? Almost every week, Isabelle.”

“Kuya, stop scaring her.” Isabelle commanded. “Okay, so we fight off a couple people now and then, but we’re still standing, Kuya. Doesn’t that count for something? We’re just not understood. They think we’re monsters, but I know different. I have a heart, and I have a soul. They weren’t all hunters, Kuya has a knack for starting things. I enrolled him in Anger Management, and it does work. He stopped starting fights, so now he’s using all that anger in snotty comments.”

“R&R,” I muttered nodding.

“Isabelle, come on, it’s late and I don’t think Gerald loves us enough to let us sleep in his bed with him.” He held out his hand for his sister. Before taking his hand she hugged, which I gasped in surprise and then hugged Gerald and kissed him on the cheek.

“Bye guys!” She took her brothers hand and also the bottled water that was on the table.

The pool house immediately looked bigger and Gerald was still standing. “He’s a little pessimist,” I commented to lighten the mood.

“To think I’m like him,” he shook his head.

I walked over to him with the last mug of coffee. “You’re not like him. I mean, I can understand why he’s so angry. He fights with people to survive when no one even wants to try to know who he is. He lost his parents and now has to take of his little sister, it’s a lot to take on at what? 20?”

“We don’t really celebrate birthdays nowadays.” He said sitting down next to me.

My jaw dropped, “Do not tell me you don’t age.”

He was silent. I began smacking him on the arm. “What, you didn’t want me to say anything!” He laughed.

“How old are you?”

“19! I was changed last year. Last year, not a hundred years ago. I just pray I stay alive until then.” He mumbled the last part.

I sighed and it was quiet again. I realized I was cross-legged on his bed and in my pyjamas, which were short shorts, and a long-sleeved shirt. I didn’t know whether to leave or to stay or what to say next. But thank goodness I didn’t have to.

“I found a couple things out today. Chris is actually helping me out with this and so is Isabelle.” He got up and went into his bag, retracting a book. “Chris found this book in the Cuenca library today.”

“He broke in?!” I was open-mouthed again.

“That’s the least of your problems.” He handed me the book. “‘Wraiths’. What about them?”

He looked at me, “Turn to the page that’s dog-eared.”

I followed his instructions. “‘How to kill Wraiths’.” I sighed. “Please tell me it’s like a comic book or something.”

“It was in his dad’s office/library.” He told me. “This is the only book there so we assume he’s an amateur.”

“Is there such thing as an amateur hunter?” He didn’t answer. “What does this have to with my Dad, my family?”

Gerald was quiet for a moment and then started. “I think it was just a diversion. Get us out of the house, come in here, and know the truth about what I am. I don’t think your family is in any danger, at least not anymore. Chris put something in the house just for protection and a camera in all the entrances and exits of the house.”

“So he’s back? And the car?” I asked him.

“It has a dent on the bumper, so I’m not sure what he thinks he can hide with that. But get this, there’s no police report. Nothing saying that his car was hit. So it’s like a huge black out between the day your Dad got hit and this afternoon.” He explained. “But there’s one last problem. Jake wasn’t at home that night.”

I looked down, “So he lied to me.”

“Is that really a big surprise?” He smiled.

“Not really.” I had every intention of going to him and interrogating him myself since the police couldn’t get involved. Again, a moment of silence. “Can I ask you something?”

“It’s not like that’ll stop you.”

“Chris is waiting to be hunted, not believing it can be reversed. What do you think?” It all turned serious.

He took a deep breath, “I just want my life back.”

It was the most simple answer, but one that satisfied both him and me, not wanting him to expand. “Okay, so I should go.” I said standing up. I exited the pool house, but felt his gaze on me. I hated it when he stared. I heard the midnight noises, the crickets and the planes overhead, and the wind blowing the trees. I suddenly felt the same eerie feeling I got in the woods. I stopped in my tracks and when I looked to the front of the house I saw a black SUV parked right outside the gate. But the gate was closed so there was nothing to worry about. So why wasn’t I walking to the house? I stayed where I was and the next thing I knew Gerald was walking towards the gate, but the car was already moving.

“Are you okay?” He asked me, rubbing my arms.

I nodded, “Who was that?”

He sighed and held me close to his body, “I’m not sure, but I promise you, I won’t let anything happen.”