“This is it?” Arianna asked as the car began to move. “I get to join yet another secret society?” she joked to hide her nervousness.
“There’s no rush,” Gabriel replied. “We don’t have to do that tonight.”
Arianna sighed. It made no difference now. She was already different. The people that walked down the streets were now different from her. Humans were different. Arianna watched each passing face: a girl smiling at a boy, a child holding their parents’ hands, an old man crossing the street. They had one thing in common: humanity. The stares in the gym told her that. As much as she wanted to return to her normal life, she couldn’t. She was no longer human.
TWENTY-FOUR
Arianna walked into the dimly-lit yard behind her uncle. The backyard of her uncle’s house had a large tent and tables put up. She wasn’t surprised to find more than a couple of hundred people milling around the backyard. Curious eyes looked up to her briefly, but most people continued chatting away with the person they were talking to. Towards the middle of the crowd, Andrew sat with the greasy-haired man from the gym. He was dressed in a formal tux, like the rest of the guests, but unlike all the curious glances, he continued to stare. Arianna shrank behind her uncle, and tried to hide behind his large frame. Molina walked around the perimeter, obviously irritated to be around so many of her enemies. Devin and Turner stood in the shadows, each watching the situation calmly.
Gabriel ushered Arianna to the front of the tent, past all the guests. Now standing in front of another large crowd, Arianna wanted to hide, but Gabriel wouldn’t let her.
“You don’t have to do this today,” Gabriel explained again, noticing her hesitation.
“It’s the crowd,” Arianna replied. She could feel the hateful glares from the people that now realized she was a dearg-dul. Gabriel also noticed the stares.
“After tonight it should get better,” Gabriel explained, and Arianna nodded. Arianna focused on the one person not staring hatefully, Andrew. His face was stoic, like the rest of the people around him, but he didn’t have any hate towards her. Instead, he radiated the complete enjoyment of being near her, as he had in the choir room. Arianna looked across the crowd to him, and he smiled slightly.
“Then let’s do it,” Arianna replied, hiding her shaking hands. “What do we have to do?”
“We need to do a blood test on you while you are awake and sleeping, in front of witnesses. Then, you will drink baku blood to cause the transformation,” Gabriel explained, his back still turned to the hostile crowd. Arianna nodded and wrapped her hands in her skirt to keep them from shaking.
“Does it hurt?” Arianna asked, remembering the pain of transforming into a dearg-dul the first time.
Gabriel shrugged. “We use the blood of the high baku to transform people. Our ancestors say that if you use the strongest blood it won’t hurt. With your level though, no matter what we do, it might hurt some for you.” Arianna nodded at her uncle’s honest reply. “Are you ready?”
“Let’s get this over with,” Arianna replied.
Gabriel turned and faced the guests. “Greetings everyone, and welcome to my home tonight. I hope you are all enjoying yourselves.” Gabriel’s gaze challenged anyone to object to his choice of guests. Molina took the brunt of the glares as she passed behind Arianna on her walk around the perimeter. Keeping her cool, Molina didn’t glare back. “I’ve asked you all here today to witness my niece as she joins us.” The room broke into whispers. Arianna listened from one group to the next.
“Baku are male.”
“Is she really his niece?”
“But she’s a dearg-dul.”
“Has the old man finally gone mad?” Arianna turned toward the sour voice beside Andrew. The greasy-haired man finally spoke. Andrew stared up at her.
“No. She’s baku, uncle. I saw her asleep today,” Andrew replied. “And a very powerful one. More powerful than anyone before.”
“But only one baku had that power. Travis’s daughter,” the man replied. “I thought she was dead.”
Gabriel turned his head to the man who made the comment. He contained the anger that was beginning to flow out of him. The crowd quieted, assuming the anger was for their noise. Only Gabriel was listening to the greasy man.
“Sixteen years ago, my nephew had a child. His wife was murdered the next day, and he went into hiding to protect his child. Travis was the strongest baku to come along in a century, but even more, his child was stronger than anything anyone had ever seen or heard of. Later, he was murdered also, so her grandfather and I decided to hide her,” Gabriel explained, and the murmur began again. Arianna turned to Andrew and his uncle, but the man didn’t say a word. “A week ago, she turned sixteen. We could no longer hide her, because she changed into her mother’s linage, dearg-dul. Today we will complete the change for her father’s linage, baku.”