Born at Midnight (Shadow Falls #1)(52)

Oh, great. She could be a hybrid. Just like her sociology teacher's car.

"So ... normal y, you real y don't have half of one species and half of another? I thought Miranda said they've been mixing forever."

Holiday smiled. "Yes. But general y, the species with the closer lineage to the gods is the one passed on in the DNA. Here again, the gifts of the child may vary, but the basic characteristics seem to remain true for each species, such as the transformation into a wolf, or the need for blood to survive-if the virus is active."

Kylie's mind was trying to wrap around al this information. "Isn't there some blood test that could tel if I'm anything at al ?"

"Regrettably, no. Oh, they are stil trying, believe me. However, it's legend that the gods made our blood the same as humans, and unidentifiable as a matter of survival. If normals, or even one form of a supernatural, could test for certain species, they might be able to eradicate certain types."

Kylie conceded that point. If she'd found out two weeks ago that vampires and such existed, she'd have been al for trying to eradicate them. But now, after knowing Del a, Miranda, Derek, Holiday, Helen, and even Perry-the little twerp-Kylie would never agree to it. Then she remembered she wasn't the only one who didn't know why she was here. "Is there any kind of supernatural that isn't hereditary?"

"Wel , as I mentioned earlier, in rare incidences it has been known to skip generations. Especial y in the instances of vampirism. Then there are humans who are simply turned by either vampires or werewolves, but it's suspected that even in those cases, the victims who survive being turned have been touched in some way by the gods. Or demons."

Demons? Okay, Kylie wasn't ready to deal with them just yet. "But you don't think I'm a vampire or a werewolf, right?"

"I think it's unlikely."

Which basical y meant, if Kylie wanted to get to the bottom of this, she'd have to go to her parents. And just how in the heck was she going to do that, assuming her parents were as clueless about this as she was? Knowing her mom, if Kylie started asking questions, she'd get herself pul ed out of camp and stuck in a loony bin.

* * *

During the art hour later that afternoon, Kylie was paired up with Helen and Jonathon. The teen had removed al his piercings except his left earring. Kylie also noticed the way he carried himself, as if somehow becoming a vampire had given him a double shot of confidence. Even Helen seemed quicker to smile and total y comfortable with her new role as fairy/healer.

Kylie remembered Holiday saying how the camp would make most of them feel relieved because they always sensed they were different. Kylie saw that relief in Helen and Jonathon-it was as if they'd final y discovered who they real y were. It was just one of a dozen or more things that made her different from everyone else here at camp. She couldn't help but wonder if this failure to identify with her supernatural self wasn't another sign of her not being anything but human.

Their art assignment was to take a walk as a group of three, find a spot, and then sit and sketch the same thing. Kylie, her mind stil stuck on seeing the fal s, suggested that they take a walk to the waterfal s. She felt pretty sure she could find her way back to where Derek had taken her and then fol ow the sounds from there. Face it, she was curious, but both Helen and Jonathon refused to go, saying only that they preferred to stay away from that place. Instead, they walked down one of the trails and found an old tree that had been split in two from what she assumed had been lightning.

While Helen and Jonathon got into the whole sketch-a-tree thing, Kylie spent most her time trying to figure out how to approach her parents. Her mother already thought she was nuts because of Soldier Dude. What would she say when Kylie asked, point-blank, if her mom had any fairy ancestors, saw ghosts, or could transform herself into a unicorn.

Later, when Kylie met up with her hiking crowd, she almost bailed when she found out Lucas was leading the group. Then, afraid ditching would get her into trouble with Holiday, Kylie plastered a cordial look on her face that she didn't real y feel, and swore to ignore him. Fifteen minutes into the hike, she realized she didn't have to ignore Lucas because he did a championship-winning job of ignoring her. Half an hour into the hike, and not once had he addressed her personal y or even glanced her way. Not that she cared.

It was a downright shame Fredericka wasn't around to see how unimpressed the two of them were with each other. Okay, the truth was, Kylie counted her blessings that she and Fredericka hadn't crossed paths again. Somehow Kylie had to muster up some courage, or at least learn to fake some. Because sooner or later they were bound to come face-to-face again. Kylie's hands began to sweat just from considering it. And to think Holiday thought she had courage. Ha.

In the beginning of the hike through the woods, Kylie mostly hung with Miranda, when her roommate wasn't chatting it up with the five or six male hikers. Honestly, when it came to the opposite sex, Miranda reminded Kylie a bit of Sara. A little too out there. Then again, it might be Kylie was a tad jealous at how easily both of them could flirt.

Even though Kylie didn't consider herself unattractive, playing that whole giggly role didn't come easy for her. She was fortunate that Trey hadn't been turned off by her more subdued style.

Thinking about Trey reminded Kylie that he'd cal ed again during art class. He'd left a message, too, but she hadn't listened to it yet. Hey, he'd have to get in line. She had her own issues to deal with. But even as she tried to push thoughts of him away, she remembered him saying in their first conversation, I just want to see you. I miss you.