Crimson Death (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #25)(3)

Basically, the house was chaos, and adding a Skype call into it all didn’t help.

“It’s a little loud on your end,” Ryan said, making a face into the camera. On the bed beside him, Hayley burst into giggles.

“Right, sorry. Just try to ignore it,” I said. I had to speak on an angle in order to peel the cucumbers.

Ryan said something in response, but he was drowned out by Crista’s whining.

“Aunt Catherine? Aunt Catherine? Aunt Catherine?” She followed Mom around the kitchen, holding onto her bowl of apple slices and cheddar cheese, while Mom pretended she couldn’t hear.

“Sorry, what?” I asked the screen.

Ryan and Hayley gave me matching amused looks. “I said, have you unpacked yet?” Ryan yelled.

I opened my mouth to reply, but ended up with an apple slice shoved unceremoniously in my face. “Don’t like the skin,” Dylan said in a firm voice, waving the apple around.

“It’s a little late for that, buddy,” I said. “Just eat around it.”

“The skin.”

“I’m busy right now, I’m peeling something else. It’d get cucumber juice all over your apple. Go get Aunt Catherine to help you.”

“Aunt Catherine” gave me a warning look, and I ducked behind my laptop.

Hayley’s face had taken over the screen, so close I could almost count her pale blond eyelashes. “So, we wanted to tell you in person, but we’ve been asked to play at Nathaniel’s!”

My mouth dropped open. “Wait, really?” Nathaniel’s was the dream when it came to underage gigs. Sure, it wasn’t exactly our audience, but the people who went there tended to be pretty open-minded when it came to music. If anything, we’d be likely to end up with a bunch of new fans who’d never heard of us.

Well, not “we,” I guessed. They. They would end up with new fans.

“Ollie, Ollie, Dylan wants you to cut the skin off his apple,” Crista said, appearing at my side out of thin air.

“I heard him. I’m just trying to talk to my friends right now.”

“Your hands are free, aren’t they?” Mom asked from across the kitchen. “Can’t you grab a fresh knife?”

“Be right back,” I said to Ryan and Hayley, but Hayley held up a hand.

“No, look, we can barely hear you. Go hold the fort. We have to practice, anyway. We’ll tell you more when we can talk properly.”

But I hadn’t even had a chance to tell them about Will. Or Collinswood. Or how Aunt Linda was. “Oh. Oh, okay. Sure. We’ll Skype soon, then, I guess?”

“Yeah, when we’re all free. Soon.”

I wrapped up the call, then dutifully removed the offending apple peel, to Dylan’s delight.

Over by the stove, Mom hovered behind Dad, helpfully critiquing his cooking choices. “There’s some more room in the skillet,” she pointed out, leaning against the counter. “Why don’t you put it all in? It’ll speed things up.”

“Gordon says if I put too much meat in the pan it’ll cook unevenly.”

“Well, God forbid you disobey Gordon.”

“Woe betide the fool that tries, Catherine.”

Outside, a car engine rumbled up the driveway. Crista and Dylan perked up as one, and, abandoning their snacks, sprinted to the front door, with me following after them. “Mama’s here, Mama’s here, Mama’s here.”

Aunt Linda had barely walked through the door when she was barreled over by two pint-sized missiles. “Ooff! Oh my gosh, I was only gone for a few hours.” She laughed, pulling them in for a hug.

Tonight, she looked weaker than usual. She’d lost her thick black hair a while ago, and while I was used to seeing her bald, tonight she still wore the paisley scarf she wrapped around her head when she went out. Weirdly, the scarf reminded me how much things had changed more than the hair loss did. Maybe it was because Linda had been so anti-headwear for longer than I’d been alive. I couldn’t even picture her in a sun hat, or beanie, or anything.

“They’re attention-starved,” I said. “We’ve been neglecting them.”

“I know, that’s why I leave them here. It makes me look better by comparison, and they’re so much more grateful to have me,” she said, poking the kids playfully in their stomachs as she spoke. They shrieked with laughter.

“How was it?” Mom asked as we entered the kitchen.

“Oh, you know. It’s a hospital. Glad it exists, but always gladder to be leaving it.” Aunt Linda lifted her handbag and nodded toward the living room. “Just let me put my things down, I’ll be two seconds.”

“I hope you’re hungry,” Mom said to her retreating back.

Aunt Linda’s voice was bright and cheerful as she replied. “To be honest, Cathy, I don’t remember what hunger feels like.”

Mom rolled her eyes, then caught sight of me slumping back down at the dining room table. “How’s the salad coming along?”

“Oh, fine.” I reached for the peeler again.

“Sorry we interrupted your call.”

I nodded, not trusting myself to reply without getting all emotional again. I’d just really wanted to talk to Ryan and Hayley. So much had been uprooted. I just wanted something that felt normal.