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THE TIME had come to fill Debbie in on the truth, but Steve and Harkat weren’t keen on the idea "What if she inforerous," Harkat warned "Humans are unpredictable at the best of times You can’t kno she’ll act or what she’ll do"
"I don’t care," I said stubbornly "The vaer They knoe know about them They went to kill Debbie When they couldn’t find her, they slaughtered the people living next door The stakes have risen We’re in deep now Debbie has to be told how serious this is"
"And if she betrays us to the police?" Steve asked quietly
"It’s a risk we have to take," I sniffed
"A risk you have to take," Steve said pointedly
"I thought ere in this together," I sighed "If I rong, leave I won’t stop you"
Steve fidgeted in his chair and traced the cross on his bare left palht hand He did that often, like Mr Crepsley stroking his scar when he was thinking "There’s no need to snap," Steve said sullenly "I’ a decision that affects all of us That isn’t right We should vote on this"
I shook my head "No votes I can’t sacrifice Debbie, any more than you could let Hooky killDebbie before our mission, but I can’t help that"
"You feel that strongly about her?" Steve asked
"Yes"
"Then I won’t argue any more Tell her the truth"
"Thanks" I looked to Harkat for his approval
The Little Person dropped his gaze "This is wrong I can’t stop you, so I won’t try, but I don’t approve The group should always co his mask - the one he needed to filter out the air, which was poisonous to him - up around his mouth, he turned his back on us and brooded in sullen silence
Debbie turned up shortly before seven She’d showered and changed clothes - the police had fetched some of her personal items from her apartment - but still looked terrible "There’s a police officer in the lobby," she said as she entered "They asked if I wanted a personal guard and I said I did He thinks I caave hih!"
"Nice to see you too," I snored ht sight of Steve and Harkat (as facing away from her)
"You didn’t say we’d have company," she said stiffly
"They have to be here," I replied "They’re part of what I have to tell you"
"Who are they?" she asked
"This is Steve Leopard" Steve took a quick bow "And that’s Harkat Mulds"
For ato face her Then he slowly turned around "Oh, rey, scarred, unnatural features
"Guess you don’t get many like me in school," Harkat smiled nervously
"Is" Debbie licked her lips "Is he from that institute you told me about? Where you and Evra Von lived?"
"There is no institute That was a lie"
She eyed , uiltily "But the lies stop here Tonight I’ll tell you the truth By the end you’ll either think I’m crazy or wish I’d never told you, but you have to hearstory?" she asked
"One of the longest you’ll ever hear," Steve answered with a laugh
"Then I’d better take a pew," she said She chose a chair, shrugged off her coat, laid it across her lap, and nodded curtly to let in
I started with the Cirque Du Freak and Madam Octa, and took it from there I quickly covered my years as Mr Crepsley’s assistant and my time in Vampire Mountain I told her about Harkat and the Lord of the Vampaneze Then I explained e’d come here, how fake forms had been submitted to Mahler’s, how I’d run into Steve and what role he played in this I finished with the events of the weekend
There was a long pause at the end
"It’s insane," Debbie finally said "You can’t be serious"
"He is," Steve chuckled
"Vahosts vampaneze It’s ludicrous"
"It’s true," I said softly "I can prove it" I raised ertips
"Scars don’t prove anything," she sneered
I walked to the"Go to the door and face me," I said Debbie didn’t respond I could see the doubt in her eyes "Go on," I said "I won’t hurt you" Holding her coat in front of her, she went to the door and stood opposite me "Keep your eyes open," I said "Don’t even blink if you can help it"
"What are you going to do?" she asked
"You’ll see - or, rather, you won’t"
When she atching carefully, I tensed theup just in front of her I moved as quickly as I could, quicker than a human eye could follow To Debbie it must have seemed that I simply disappeared and reappeared before her Her eyes shot wide and she leant against the door Turning, I darted back, again faster than she could follow, stopping by the
"Ta-da!" Steve said, clapping dryly
"How did you do that?" Debbie asked, voice tre "You just you were there then you were here then" "I can , too - I could put a fist through any of these walls and not tear the skin on her and further than any hued "I’m a half-vampire"
"But it isn’t possible! Vampires don’t" Debbie took a few steps towardsto disbelievethe truth
"I can spend all night proving it to you," I said "And you can spend all night pretending there’s soical explanation The truth’s the truth, Debbie Accept it or don’t - it’s your call"
"I don’t I can’t" She studiedmoment Then she nodded and sank back into her chair "I believe you," she moaned "Yesterday I wouldn’t have, but I saw photos of the Andrews and Mr Hugon after they’d been killed I don’t think anyone human could have done that"
"You see nohy I had to tell you?" I asked "We don’t knohy the va with us, but their plan is surely to kill us The attack on your neighbours was only the start of the bloodshed They won’t stop with that You’ll be next if they find you"
"But why?" she asked weakly "If it’s you and this Mr Crepsley they want, why come after me?"
"I don’t know It doesn’t "
"What are you doing to stop the them by day Hopefully we’ll find theht With luck, we’ll win"
"You’ve got to tell the police," she insisted "And the army They can-"
"No," I said firmly "The vampaneze are our concern We’ll deal with them"
"How can you say that when it’s hury now "The police have struggled to find the killers because they don’t know anything about the for they o
"It doesn’t work that way," I said "It can’t"
"It can!" she snapped "And it will! I’ to tell the officer in the lobby about this We’ll see what-"
"Hoill you convince him?" Steve interrupted
"I’ll" She drew up short
"He wouldn’t believe you," Steve pressed "He’d think you were mad He’d call a doctor and they’d take you away to-" he grinned " - cure you"
"I could take Darren with ly He-"