The room had a heavy silence over it. Even Jupiter seemed speechless for once. They all watched Chris as he grabbed a pot from one of the cabinets, filling it with water that sat in a jug on the counter. He ignored the stares, putting the pot on the stove and turning it on.

"Chris..." Kaia said, finally managing to find her voice. It shook with a mixture of shock and rage. "Chris what the fuck!?"

Chris turned around, leaning against the counter. "I'm not gonna act like what I did wasn't fucked, but damn did she deserve It."

Kaia's face contorted. "We'd just shown her the corruption in our compound."

"And? Was she suddenly going to have a change of heart? Was she suddenly going to apologize for killing all those cats and potentially ratting us out?"

"Yes!" Kaia exclaimed.

Chris shook his head, sighing. "It feels like it's been a decade since I've said this, but I reassure you Kaia, you're very much still an idiot. Just because your brainwashing got reversed doesn't mean her's will. not that easy as sitting someone down and forcing them to agree with you. She was probably faking, anyway. I trust her about as far as I could throw her... which, granted, would be a fair distance since i'm a fucking vampire, but still. You get what I'm saying."

"... Chris is right," Molly said.

Everyone turned to her, though it seemed it was expected for Molly to side with him.

"She's dangerous," Molly continued. "We were better off killing her than trying to bring her to our side."

"I agree," Sappho piped up. "She and her unit almost completely destroyed the brothel!"

"They did?" Chris asked.

"Yes..." Sappho said. "And I can see why you shot her anyway. There are a lot of memories in there..."

"Kid, I love you, but if you keep talking I'm gonna have to shoot you next."

"Nobody is shooting anybody!" Kaia exclaimed. "No more bullet wasting!"

"That wasn't a waste of a bullet," Chris argued.

"...Anyway," Jupiter said. "I need to talk to ya, Chris. Maybe we could find a couch to sit on?"

Chris stared at him for a moment, seeming to have only now realized he was even there. "... The fuck is this douchelord doing here?"

"Helping the witches!" Jupiter said. "Isn't that something you're into?"

Chris looked around apprehensively before pushing himself away from the counter. "Alright. But this had better be good."

The two men walked off. Kaia looked over at Molly, who was cutting the ropes away from Julia's body. Charlie grabbed onto Kaia's shoulder, and Kaia looked up at her.

"C'mon, let's go upstairs," Charlie mumbled.

Kaia followed, realizing Sappho was also trailing along. She looked over her shoulder to see Chris, perched on one of the couches and watching Jupiter with slightly less contempt than he had before. She tore her eyes away, anger bubbling up inside of her. What had happened to being someone who would only kill if it was absolutely necessary?

Charlie walked into an area that had a large sink, beauty products scattered across the marble. She picked up a hair tie, taking her tight curls of hair and pulling them back into a bun. Kaia watched, making eye contact with her through the mirror. The vampire licked the corner of her lip, sighing.

"We get it, you're pissed."

"And you're not?!" Kaia exclaimed.

"What makes you think I give two shits or a flying cooch about that girl?" Charlie asked. "Jesus, Kaia, even you hated her!"

"That doesn't mean she deserved to die!" Kaia exclaimed.

"You see yourself in her," Sappho injected.

They both turned to look at the girl, who was sitting cross legged on the floor. Her small fingers toyed with the pendant around her neck, a striking dragon's breath opal set in gold.

"Wh... no!" Kaia exclaimed. "She was a bitch! I Just, I don't think she deserved to die because of the way we were raised... I guess we are kind of similar in that respect, but I definitely don't see myself in her. That's not why I'm angry."

Sappho shook her head. "You were the same as her once. Your conscience just came through when you actually came face to face with the creatures you were supposed to hate."

Kaia nearly twitched, her face stony. Charlie stared at them both for a moment before taking a long step away.

She walked away as promised. Sappho and Kaia still were stuck in their confrontation, daring one another to say something.

"If you weren't the one who ran off with Chris," Sappho said, breaking the tense silence, "then you'd be the Julia in the equation. Face it, two weeks ago you would have been down to do exactly as you were told, no matter how heinous. As long as you were protecting humanity. You know it, I know it... don't pretend like you're better than her just because you were rivals. It's just luck that out of all your peers, you're the one who saw the light."

Kaia swallowed the lump in her throat, clenching and unclenching her fists. "You don't like me, do you?"

"That's all you have to say after that?" Sappho asked, almost genuinely surprised. "Talk about insecurities... listen, I don't doubt you'd die protecting Chris. But would you die protecting me? Die for my coven? Kaia, are you really willing to lay down your life for creatures you hated for all your life? Because if you aren't, then just stay here."

"Oh... you don't trust me," Kaia said.

"Do you blame me?" Sappho asked.

"... No," Kaia said softly.

She walked away, clenching her eyes shut to avoid the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. She felt a hand grab her arm, and looked up to see Jupiter. He was even hairier up close; his thick mustache sitting above the stubble of a beard, both of which attached to his long, dark hair.

"You gonna help us or what, little lady?" He asked.

Kaia shrugged. "Maybe... what do you need?"

"Supplies," Jupiter said. "Weapons. Chris can't remember where he stashed half of em, which isn't a shock. Look into any nooks and crannies you find, see what you can scrounge up. We're gonna need all the artillery we can get."

Kaia frowned. "I thought we were sneaking in?"

"We are," Jupiter replied. "But things could easily go to shit, especially since y'all have zero experience with the place. So we can't be too careful."

"Why'd you choose us if we're such a liability?" Kaia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Darling, do you know how many vampires are left down here can bother to pick their asses up off the floor for three seconds? Christian and I don't get along, I'll be the first to admit that, but he's the most competent vampire in this place. He could lead these people to battle and probably win. That's the one thing I respect about him."

"Why don't you too like each other?" Asked Kaia. "... What'd you do to Molly?"

Jupiter laughed aloud. "You think that if I did anything to hurt that woman that Chris and Ziggy would be left me alive? Nah, this has nothing to do with her. Has everything to do with my buddy Ray. This place belonged to him, once upon a time."

Kaia furrowed her eyebrows. "Chris killed your friend?"

"Yep," Jupiter replied. "We got off to a rocky start, to say the least."

Chris's head popped out form behind a wall, his expression not giving away he'd just killed someone in cold blood a few minutes ago.

"Less talky, more looky!"

"We wouldn't have to look if you didn't have scrambled eggs for brains," Jupiter huffed.

"You're gonna be the one with scrambled eggs for brains in a minute," Chris replied.

Ziggy came up, saving the confrontation from escalating. He shoved a box of silver bullets at Jupiter before handing Chris a bowl of what appeared to be ravioli.

"Pasta for my friend, ammo for my enemy..." He paused for a moment. "...God, that's wrong."

"Don't worry Ziggy," Chris said. "Whatever ammo we have left we'll just pump into him."

Ziggy laughed, Chris shoving a whole ravioli into his mouth before disappearing back into the showroom he'd just been searching. Jupiter rolled his eyes, walking to the other end of the room. He crouched down in front of a breakfront that seemed out of place compared to the show furniture, looking underneath. Kaia bit her lip, her anger at Sappho slowly being replaced with anger at Chris. She stormed into the room, only to find him sitting in a chair, eating.

"What happened to searching for weapons?" She asked coldly.

"This isn't a 9-5 job," Chris said. "I can sit down and eat whenever want. But you can look, if you'd like."

Kaia narrowed her eyes at him for a moment but obliged, opening up a drawer that turned out to be full of pencils and old magazines. She shut it, hard enough for the lamp on top to wobble.

"What do you have against cheap night tables?" Chris asked.

Kaia whipped around, finally cracking. "Why?!"

"Why what?" He studied her expression for a moment before dropping the act, dropping the fork back into the bowl with a clank. "Do you know what X does, Kaia?"

"Makes you see God, basically," Kaia replied. She busied herself looking behind the pillows of one of the two beds in the room.

"No," Chris replied. "Or, at least in a way. It makes you see your past. As if you're actually there. At least, that's what it did for me. Can't vouch for anyone else."

Kaia stood up straight, looking him in the eye. Her anger was still there, but she could sense the pain starting to enter Chris's eyes. "...What did you see?"

"My mother's face," he admitted. "Like she was standing in front of me. Funny thing is, it's been so long her image was starting to grow fuzzy in my head. I was replacing it with the face in pictures I have of her. But, most of those are old. Don't have any from the year she..."

Kaia stared at him, solemn. "I'm afraid of that."

"Afraid of what?" Chris asked.

"Forgetting what my dad looks like. Forgetting... anything about him."

"Because that would hammer in that he's not here anymore," Chris replied. He put the bowl of food down, standing up. "Look, I'm sorry I killed her. But when I woke up, I was furious. I saw and felt things that I'd repressed for a reason. The only good thing about it was seeing my parent's faces again... hearing their voices. Hearing all their voices... God, they're fucking ghosts, Kaia. I haven't seen all those people in actual decades."

He walked towards the bed, lifting it up so Kaia wouldn't have to crouch to see the underneath.

"...Your family?" Kaia asked. "What were they like?"

"My dad's side of the family was... small," he said. "Most of them died before I was even born. But my mom's side was huge. There were people in it that I've never even met. And... I do wonder if some of them are still alive, in a compound somewhere. The young ones, anyway. Most of them have definitely kicked the bucket by now."

Kaia was surprised by his sudden nonchalant attitude. "You weren't close to them?"

"I was," Chris said. "Till they found out I was bisexual. Funny thing, the exact same thing happened to my mother. And when I told her about it, you know what she said?"

"What?"

"That they can 'kiss off."

"But she didn't say kiss?" Kaia inquired.

"Oh no, she did. Not that the woman didn't drip a fuck here and there. She was just quoting a song... I'm glad I remembered that, actually. Gives life a little bit more meaning. Not caring about what others think of you. Doing whatever the hell you want with your life."

"Forgetting didn't seem to stop you before."

Chris blew a raspberry at her. They moved onto a larger dresser, also older than the other pieces in the room. The drawer hinges squeaked in protest as they were fling open. Inside, small trinkets were scattered, old photos and other random memorabilia.

"Whose stuff is this?" Kaia questioned.

"I think the guy who found this place was fully moved in. Had a lot of antique furniture."

"You mean Ray," Kaia said.

Chris sighed. "Jupiter spilled the beans, huh?"

"Obviously, you have no problem with a bit of murder. You said you've never killed a human, and you weren't lying... until today."

"Well I didn't say it today, so I still wasn't lying... but I understand why you're angry."

Kaia walked over to the bed, sitting down. Chris, welcoming the break after doing the bare minimum of work, plopped down next to her. He laid back, letting his feet slide across the floor while his upper half laid comfortably on the bed. Kaia mimicked his actions, struggling to keep her hair out of the way.

"I am angry," Kaia said. "And sad. And scared. About a lot of things."

"Of course," Chris said. "You've been that way since I met you. Passionate, that is."

She tilted her head to look at him, noticing he had already been looking at her.

"... Do you think I would have don't the same thing as Julia? If I was still at the compound?"

Chris's expression faltered for a moment. He looked upset thinking about it. "...I don't want to think you would have. Because I think that despite everything, all the propaganda you were fed... I think you're a good person, Kaia. You're kind, and courageous, and funny. Empathetic enough to care about an asshole like me. So, even if you hadn't met me, I think them asking you to go around the city dismembering innocent animals would have given you pretty significant pause."

Kaia smiled. "Thanks, Chris."

"Who gave you that idea? That you would, I mean?"

"Sappho."

"Sappho's 16. She doesn't know anything. She can-"

"Kiss off?"

"Precisely! Into the air. That's the whole lyric, anyway... I'll have to show you that song later, it's pretty good. If teenage rebellion is your thing."

He sat up, and Kaia went with him, reluctantly leaving the warmth and comfort of the bed. She was exhausted, she now realized, having barely gotten any sleep.

"We should keep looking before Jupiter starts riding our asses," Chris sighed, though he seemed just as reluctant to get up.

"What about your food?"

Chris looked over at the bowl still sitting on the floor, and shrugged. "...Meh, I'm not hungry anymore."

Jupiter did get on their cases about how slow things were moving. It took them a little over five hours to get everything ready to bring to the van, the location of which remained a secret. Either way, they were going to have to haul the stuff over there on foot.

The tank top and shorts didn't help Kaia battle the heat. Every pore in her body seemed to be dripping with sweat as she carried the load of boxes in her arms.

"Some impressive biceps on that girl," Jupiter complimented. "Love a woman with muscles."

"Training will give you some," Kaia replied with a grimace.

"You were not meant to hear that," Jupiter replied. "Some impressive hearing too."

"What's in these boxes, anyway?" Kaia complained. "They're heavy as hell."

"Grenades, mainly," Chris said.

"Where'd you get the grenades from?"

"The military base. Eli said we may need them."

"...Eli asked you to get those?" Charlie asked. "So, they're old as shit then."

"Grenades don't expire!" Chris exclaimed. He immediately turned to Kaia. "Do grenades expire?"

"I don't know about the old ones, but the new ones do."

"Great."

"Just drop the damn boxes then," Jupiter said. "Take some of mine. At least guns don't expire."

Kaia gingerly put down the boxes - just in case - and took one off of Jupiter's stack. It wasn't much lighter, but at least took some of the strain off her back and shoulders.

"How much longer until we get there?" Sappho complained.

She was pulling the wagon, which was now full of bullets for various types of gun.

"You witches have good intuition," Jupiter said. "We're here."

Kaia sighed in relief and put the box down for a moment, stretching out her tired muscles. Jupiter stepped through the wrought iron gate of an old house and disappeared for a moment. It didn't take long for an engine to rev up. Everyone stepped into the property, Chris almost keeling over when he saw the vehicle.

"What. The fuck. Is that pile of trash."

Kaia was almost expecting it to be painted in a bizarre design. Instead, it turned out to be just that - a hunk of junk. The paint that was left on it was an ugly olive green, but most of it had been stripped away to reveal the metal underneath. Most of the windows were broken, the ones for the back doors being nonexistent. The only things that seemed miraculously intact were the tires, which had recently been replaced.

"This is Big Bertha," Jupiter said, patting the side.

Chris looked over his shoulder at the others before turning back to the other vampire. "...You're yanking my dick. There's no way that thing can drive and keep itself together. I mean shit, there's no way we'll be able to get into Vermont with that disaster waiting to happen. The people in there are rich as fuck, they'll clock us for Outlanders in two seconds."

"Oh No, she may not be the prettiest, but she drives like she's brand new. And we can make easy work of the paint job. Check it."

He pulled the keys out of the ignition, pressing a charm on the ring the was shaped like the van to his lips. He mumbled something in what sounds like Turkish. Suddenly, the van entirely transformed. The exterior was shiny and red, the ugly fabric seats up front turning into a rich, tan leather. Jupiter hopped out of the driver's seat and opened up the back, revealing a cushy interior, sporting lights, a TV, and a red velvet carpet. Bean bags served as "seats".

"The TV don't work, but she's real nice now, isn't she?"

"Well fuck my ads and call me Jerry.," said Chris, "magic really can perform miracles. I didn't know you dabbled, Jupiter."

"Spend as much time with witches as I do, you pick up a few things."

Kaia's lips were in a tight line. The van almost seemed sleazier than before, fitting Jupiter's personality perfectly. She climbed into the back, dropping the box down in front of her. Curious, she took a peek. Inside were several rifles that weren't unfamiliar to her. She picked one up, turning in her hands.

"You aren't thinking about shooting me, are you?" Chris asked as he threw some ammo into the back.

Kaia felt a smile tug at her lips. "Only a little bit."

Chris laughed, which made the tug turn into a full grin.

"Sorry to question your perfect plan," Molly said, a sarcastic edge in her voice, "but how exactly do we know the guards up front aren't going to check the van? This place is on complete lockdown."

"They aren't," Jupiter said. "So while I talk to Melissa, y'all are gonna sit in the back and stay quiet. Then, once we get to the mall, Sappho will disguise you so nobody knows what you really look like. We'll get out, concealing at least one weapon on us. Kaia and Chris will scope the scene, pop in and out of a few shops, get an idea of how busy it's gonna get. Molly and Ziggy will stick by me, the three of us are gonna watch the pet shop. But from the food court, so we don't seem suspicious. Charlie's gonna stay here with the ammo as backup; in case everything goes to shit we have someone on the outside who can save us. Sappho's gonna stay out here no matter what, because if she stays out here she doesn't die and y'alls magic doesn't wear off. At noon we're gonna meet in the food court and exchange information, from there i'll tell you what to do next. Ya got it?"

"Solid plan," Chris replied, "can't wait for it to blow up in our faces."

"Just get in the fucking van," Jupiter said.

Chris rolled his eyes and climbed in, sitting down across from Kaia. Once everyone else was in and settled, Jupiter shut the doors and went up front. The engine rumbled to life once again, this time sounding much less anguished than before. She looked up at the back window, watching the sky as the van peeled off the abandoned property and onto the road. She felt her eyelids getting heavy, and soon enough, she had dozed off.

"Hey!"

Kaia jumped up, another jab to the ribs making her groan.

"What?!"

Chris was leering over her, his arms now crossed. "Guess whose house we're in front of?"

"Uh-"

"Don't guess, I'll tell you. It's William's. I made Jupiter stop because you need to apologize to him."

"Apologize to him for trying to save the girl he's been holding captive?"

"I don't think even modern medicine could have saved her at that point. Just come on, he'll forgive you right away as long as you're polite and shit. Remember, he thinks it's 1888."

Kaia sighed and stood up, wiping the sleep from her eyes. She walked over to the back doors, jumping out. Chris followed, not being able to land gracefully even from such a small drop. He walked ahead of her. Everyone else were already in the yard, though Jupiter stayed in the van, looking annoyed.

"Y'all had better hurry up!" He shouted.

"This'll only take a few minutes, unclench your ass cheeks!" Chris shouted back.

He got up on the porch and used the door knocker. No answer. He tried again, more fervently this time.

"William, it's me! My friend and I owe you an apology!" He shouted.

"Does he usually take this long to answer the door?" Kaia asked.

"No, he doesn't."

Chris kicked the door in, revealing the mess that was inside of the house. Paintings had been knocked onto the floor, furniture had been overturned, and there was even a hole in one of the walls. Kaia took a pause, hanging back as Chris stormed inside.

"Son of a bitch," he said.

"Jesus, did a tornado go through here?" Charlie asked.

Kaia grimaced as she crunched glass under her tennis shoe. "...I think I know who did this."

"Only you would say 'I think' to something so obvious, Kaia," Chris grumbled.

She glared, but followed him through the dining room regardless, both stomping down the stairs in their eagerness to enter the servant's quarters. William's computer room was in shambles, all the equipment stolen. He laid there in the middle of the floor, a bullet in his head. Kaia stared at the corpse for a moment before turning on her heel and going back up the stairs. She raced up to the top floor, skidding to a stop only when she reached the room she'd found the girl in. She was still there. Kaia's heart fluttered in her chest until she realized the girl wasn't breathing.

She knelt down next to her, pressing her head to her chest and feeling for a pulse on her neck. Nothing.

"No, no, no, no..." She mumbled.

"Jesus..."

She whipped her head around to see Ziggy, a concerned look lining his face.

"Is that his feeder...?"

"She... they..."

"You think he killed her? That's a waste."

"No, they did! The troops that flooded the place! They didn't try to save her, they just... they murdered her!"

She was fully upset now, tears starting to pour down her face. Ziggy frowned, squatting down in front of her.

"Kaia, calm down-"

"No!" Kaia cried. "They could have saved her life, but they chose to kill her! Look at the bruises on her neck! The fuckers strangled her! How could they do that to someone who was completely unable to defend herself?! How could they do that to another human being?!"

"...Because, Kaia, that's the way things are where you live," Ziggy said. "For... for all we know killing feeders is sop for them. It's not like they can fix their brains, so what use are they?"

Kaia's head spun. He was right. She knew he was right. She knew before she even saw the strangulation marks that they'd killed her. Why wouldn't they? That's the way they were.

That's the way she was, by default.

She bolted to her feet, running to the corner and throwing up. Ziggy made a disgusted noise. She could hear him leaving the room, going back downstairs. She stared at the vomit on the floor for a moment before pushing herself away from the wall, hugging her arms around her chest like a security blanket.

When she got back downstairs, she could hear raucous laughter coming from the servant's quarters. Did Ziggy tell them what happened? We're they mocking her? She ran down the stairs only to find the others standing around Chris. He was holding up William's body, flapping him around and doing a bad British accent in a morbid ventriloquist show.

"I'm William Johnson, and I think that what Charlie Rose did wasn't that a big deal!"

The others roared with laughter, except Ziggy and Sappho, who didn't seem to get it.

"I'm William Johnson," Chris continued, "and I think the Jews did 9/11!"

"Make him say 'Bill Cosby is still Americans dad in my heart!" Charlie exclaimed, not being able to get through the statement without laughing.

"Bill Cosby is still Americans dad in my heart!"

"Ahem!"

They all turned to see Jupiter standing at the top of the narrow staircase. "Are y'all just gonna stay down here for the rest of the day and make Williams corpse say offensive shit?"

"That was the plan," Chris replied.

Molly snorted loudly, quickly covering up her nose and mouth, embarrassed by the noise.

"Yeah, we all hated William," Jupiter growled. "Now get your asses back in the van before I knock you out and drag you back myself!"

"Yes, sir," Chris said mockingly.

He dropped the body to the floor. Everyone headed up before him, hris taking a moment to look back down at the corpse.

"Ah, William," he said. "You were only trying to jerk off to anime in peace, weren't you? ...Rest easy, I'm sure you didn't actually support sexual predators."

He turned to see Kaia, quickly observing that she was upset. "...Look, yeah, I mock the dead in a callous and vampire-y way. Can we discuss this shit later?"

"They killed her," she said softly.

"What?" Chris replied, confused.

"The girl in the attic," she explained, her voice strained. "They just... they found her, and they just killed her. Like she was nothing. Like she wasn't human."

Chris's expression softened. He changed into a different man than he was acting like only moments ago. He walked up to Kaia, opening his mouth to speak, but Kaia put her hand up.

"I don't need you to give me a speech about how humans are terrible and the world's Fucked up," Kaia said. "I just want you to tell me why. Why... we think this is even okay to do in the first place. Why anyone thinks it's okay to hurt innocent people. Give me any answer other then 'that's just the way the world is' or whatever other fucked up excuse your dad gave you when you saw something bad happen on the news and asked why someone would do such a thing."

"...I don't know," Chris said. His voice was soft, almost hollow. "I don't know why, Kaia."

Kaia bowed her head. "That's what I thought."

The tears were coming out full force. Every horrible thing she'd felt within the past week came bubbling over like an overflowing pot. She felt a tug on her, and before she knew it, he face was pressed against Chris's chest. She didn't react. She just cried. He didn't say anything. She didn't want him to. It's not like either of them had any words of comfort for that situation, anyway.

"CHRIS-" Jupiter called. His shouting was cut off by the scene in front of him, but continued briskly. "Tell your little human friend she can cry in the van."

"Oh, go suck a bug's dick, Craig. That's right. I know your name is Craig."

"You want me to come down there and drag y'all both back by your hair?!" Jupiter yelled.

"Kiss off, Craig." Kaia yelled back through her choked sobs.

"Yeah, you motherfucker!" Chris said. "You heard my little human friend! Kiss off!"