Molina left the room, and Arianna was alone. Quietly, she sat on the bed. In the farther room, she could hear Mori clicking away on a computer, periodically stopping to talk to an unknown person. Molina and Devin sat silently waiting in the main room. Arianna stared at the dress lying beside her. I’ll finally meet him, she thought, and she began to get nervous. Until two days ago, she didn’t even know she had any family. Now she had an uncle, whom she had met twice, and a cousin, along with a grandfather who had disowned her mother. Arianna contemplated not meeting her grandfather, but he held the answers to too many questions, just as Gabriel did.
Once dressed, Arianna soundlessly opened the door to the main room. Molina ushered her to a seat and began to comb her hair. Arianna waited patiently, pondering what they needed to talk about. Devin did not look up from his papers once as she got ready. After Molina finished her hair, she began to put makeup on Arianna. Arianna wanted to ask about their talk, but knew she needed to stay still while the makeup was being applied. When she was finally finished, and Molina approved, Arianna turned to Devin. Devin smiled as he placed his papers down, but just as quickly became serious again.
“We don’t have much time to explain this to you, so please don’t interrupt,” he asked. Arianna nodded. “You come from a very elite family that can trace their ancestors back hundreds of years before they came to this country. Both you and your grandfather are direct lines to the Randolph family, and therefore very important to this community.” Devin paused, thinking of how best to explain everything to her.
“Did Gabriel tell you anything about the baku?” he asked, and Arianna replied by shaking her head no. Devin paused again, staring at Arianna’s questioning, bright blue eyes. She wasn’t making it easy for him.
“Do you see many horror movies?” Molina asked, interrupting Devin, who obviously didn’t know where to take the conversation.
“Sometimes, but not much because Tish gets too scared,” Arianna answered.
“Did you know many things in horror movies are based on partial fact?” Molina asked. Dumbfounded, Arianna stared at her. She couldn’t understand to what Molina was referring.
“Really? Like what?” Arianna wanted to know exactly what Molina wanted her to ask.
“Like vampires,” Molina replied, and Arianna laughed.
“Sure, and the tooth fairy too,” Arianna said flippantly, after she stopped laughing. Devin and Molina both stared at Arianna, neither of them laughing.
“Remember, I said we needed to talk to you about what you are,” Molina added. “Rather, what your family is? Well, that would be the answer.” Arianna turned from Devin to Molina, and then looked around the room.
“Is there a hidden camera somewhere?” she asked, lifting up the pillows on the couch near her. “Where is the person that’s going to jump out and say surprise?” Arianna continued looking around the room. “Did Mary Ellen and Tish put you guys up to this?”
“We’re not joking,” Devin answered. “Molina is telling you the truth.”
Arianna’s laughter began to turn to fear. She was sitting, locked in a room, with these two people she knew very little about somewhere in her grandfather’s home. How many turns did they take to come down to this room? Could she find her way back through the halls to the outside? Could she make it out of the room before Molina and Devin caught her? She had seen them fight. They were both strong. Devin cautiously moved from the couch across from her to sit beside her.
“You are looking for a way to escape,” he said quietly. “You may leave at any time you like; we won’t stop you. Just know this, we may sound a little crazy to you right now, but we are the safest people for you to be with at the moment. We don’t want you dead like those men that took you.” Arianna stared at Devin. His kind voice and actions made her feel safe, yet she still was hesitating. “I promise you, we’re not crazy,” he tried to assure her. “Your grandfather was going to explain everything to you this afternoon when you met him. Your grandfather, like both you and your mother, is a dearg-dul. To be exact, you are a purebred dearg-dul.” Arianna was still confused. “Or what you’d call a vampire,” Devin added. Arianna continued to stare at him in disbelief. How could he talk so calmly about such a crazy idea?
“She still doesn’t believe us,” Molina replied. “Which part is hard to understand?” she asked Arianna. “The part about vampires existing, or that you are one?”
“Both,” Arianna replied.