It was finally the day of my graduation. The commencement was held at the stadium we shared with the rival all-demons school. The open space of the field and sizable bleachers helped accommodate the various monster races and their families. While I was not particularly familiar with anyone else that crossed the stage, I felt a kind of camaraderie with them. No matter our situation or social circles, we all went through the same curriculum, all products of the education and experiences given to us by Mary Rose. The various walks of life that found themselves in our halls were now free to enter the world as adults—or at least we thought of ourselves as such. And while many of their parents came from various untold worlds, my classmates proved to be children of the Earth. I had a sense of hope for the future when I crossed the stage myself, looking out at the bleachers to find Rosa, Sam, and Vivi all cheering for me. There was also Beth standing outside of the fence at the edge of the football field—skipping her own graduation—but still watching with a smile.

My heart raced as I hurried down the steps, knowing that I would pass Beth on the way back to my seat. “About time,” she said as I came around. “Imagine waiting an hour just to get your name called.”

I was being pushed forward by the crowd. “Not like I would have taken much longer for yours, Miss Moore.”

Beth kept pace with me as best she could before I had to turn away back to the chairs in the field. “I’ll be by the side entrance. Meet me there.”

I gave her a nod and continued on with the flow of traffic back to my seat. The next thirty minutes felt longer than the hour before it until it was all finally over. The culmination of all our experiences were thrown into the air in the form of graduation caps. It was the end to whatever anxieties and uncertainties we had in our high school lives, now masked as ambition for what comes next.

I hurried my way to the meeting place when I managed to break away from the crowd. Beth was there, as expected, all smiles in anticipation. I hugged her. She patted my back and held my side. I looked into her welcoming silver eyes and said, “There’s so much I want to do, and I don’t know where to begin.”

She laughed. “That can all wait for tomorrow. I’m sure you don’t want to keep everyone else waiting.”

We walked together to meet up with the others at the main entrance, talking about the random things on our minds at the time. There was some sadness in Beth’s voice, however, when she said, “We can go our separate ways after this. If you’re still wanting to go up north, then...”

I shook my head. “And leave you all alone? Can’t get rid of me that easily.”

She smiled and leaned on my shoulder. “I could say the same to you.”

When Rosa saw us, she winked and gave us a thumbs up before leaving by herself. Sam came running to greet us while Vivi stayed behind looking less than pleased.

Sam said, “Congraduations, Eli,” her voice wavering as she tried to force the pun.

I placed my hand on her shoulder. “Thanks, Sam. I hope—”

“I guess this is it, huh? There’s so much I wanted to do…” Tears started welling up in her eyes.

Vivi came by to check on Sam, rubbing her back. “Sorry, Eli. She’s just upset we won’t be in school together anymore.”

Sam wiped the tears from her eyes, the misconception working in her favor. “Yeah. It’s gonna be really lonely without you…”

Beth joined in. “Don’t feel so bad, Sam. You can make new friends and continue the cycle.”

Sam nodded, but her face showed that she was in no way reassured by Beth.

Vivi had us all pose together for pictures when Sam calmed down—even brought a cap and gown for Beth. Beth tried to play it off as nobig deal, but her elated expression proved otherwise as we stood together for a photo. Then Sam joined in for a couple, and lastly Vivi joined in for a group photo—all with varying levels of silliness as expected with youth.

I took Beth aside while Vivi and Sam looked through the pictures and said, “We’re heading to The Missing Pizza. Do you know where it is?”

“The pizzeria by the mall, right? I’ll meet you there later. Gotta move everything in before I get too tired. Decided that it’s time to leave the woods.”

“Where are you staying? I could stop by later if you’re not up for it.”

“Rosa didn’t tell you? She’s letting me stay at your place. In the spare bedroom—so don’t get your hopes up.” She winked and walked towards the parking lot to meet with Rosa and Arbiter Sid; Sid nodding at me with a smirk.

❦ ❦ ❦

Evie greeted me, Sam, and Vivi and took us to a reserved table at The Missing Pizza. Blinds was already sitting there waiting for us to join him. “About time y’all made it,” he said. “Did you get lost?”

Evie playfully rubbed his head. “He’s just cranky ‘cause I made him wait for y’all to eat.”

He slammed his fists on the table. “It’s been five hours! I even saw you snacking on olives in the back.”

Vivi said, “Don’t twist your tail in a knot, devil boy. We’re here now.”

I said, “Sorry, Blinds, it did seem to take longer than it should have. We got another one comin’, though.”

Blinds groaned and pushed back his chair with his feet. “Another? With Sam here I doubt there’ll be enough for everyone.”

Sam walked over to Blinds and shoved his chair back in place. “Want me to shove it all down your throat?”

The two got into a quarrel that everyone let play out. Blinds had no issue taking what he puts out and Sam was happy to give it to him. They kept calling each other “Gremlin,” claiming the other was now the shortest of the group. They were both the same height, of course, but Blinds argued that his horns made him taller. And shortly after they started joking around again, Beth arrived.

Beth took her seat beside me, all of us sitting like how we did at lunch last year: Beth taking Lyca’s seat to my right, Evie sitting to my left, Sam in front of me, with Vivi and Blinds to her left and right, respectively. We ordered a large pizza covered in six toppings, each picked individually by us. When our meal came, we all grabbed our glasses and cheered, “To friendship!” and started to dig in.

As expected, a pizza with chicken, tomatoes, black olives, mayo, peppers, and mushrooms—my choice—was not very good to all of our paletes. We all ate it, though—cursing Blinds for adding the peppers and Sam for the mayo. If there was ever meant to be a happy ending for us, it was there in that moment. Life doesn’t guarantee happiness, however; and for me it was a prolonged suffering—the sorrow only adding to the sweetness of life.

Evie spoke to Vivi. “Real shame Lyca couldn’t make it.”

Vivi sighed. “Yeah. I miss her. I told her I’d get my parents to pay for a ticket here, but she declined.”

Blinds said, “I don’t blame her. Rumor is she has a kid now.”

“A kid!?” yelled Evie. She looked at me and said, “Then is Eli…?”

Vivi shook her head. “No. Turns out she was reeeal popular at her new school—the only therian. She doesn’t know who the father is... I thought she knew better.”

It had to be a lie. The timing was all wrong.

Sam chimed in. “Eli’s a virgin anyways. Same as Blinds.”

Blinds said, “Hey! Don’t treat it like a bad thing. You’re a virgin, too.”

Sam winked. “As you think… But I guess I technically am again.”

“Come on,” said Beth in disgust, “I’m trying to eat here.”

When the pizza was finished, and we all spoke a bunch about nothing, the party had to come to an end as it was nearing closing time. Beth was the first to leave as she wanted to shower, and Evie said she would take Blinds with her after closing, so that left me to take Sam and Vivi home.

I took Vivi home first since she lived in Harpy Springs, a private community about halfway between where I lived and the mall. The houses were all two-stories, the yards on the smaller side, but the entire community was very well-to-do. When we got to her driveway, she rummaged through her purse and handed me an envelope.

“What’s this for?” I asked her.

“For graduating, dummy.”

“Oh. Thanks, Vivi… you really didn’t need to.” I started to open it.

Vivi grabbed my arm. “It would be bad to open it now. Wouldn’t want to get glitter all over your car, would you?” She looked as though she was making a threat.

Sam spoke up, “See. That’s exactly why I hate glitter. It gets everywhere!”

I kept the envelope close to me. “Yeah. Wouldn’t want to make a mess.”

Vivi got out of the car without another word to me or Sam. The ride out of Vivi’s neighborhood was quiet with the echoes of our party still playing in my mind. Sam, however, was getting restless as we passed by my home and got closer to hers.

Sam started looking around the side of her seat and said, “I feel like we never get to talk like we used to. So rare to get you alone these days.”

“I’ve been having to deal with my grandparents. They act happy that I decided to go to tech school, but it means another couple years of me not helping out at the winery. Rosa’s also been bugging me to work at the bar to pay the ‘tab’ I accrued living at the house.”

Sam pulled a pair of sunglasses from between her chair and center console. “I figured it was in there…”

“Oh? Must’ve fell down there when we last went to get pizza.”

Sam nodded. “It did. I ran outside when I realized I lost them and hoped you were still in the driveway. You had just left, though… I saw you turning right. What were you doing over there in the woods?”

“I, uh… I went to see Beth. She wanted to look at the moon out there. Together.”

“Okay… You know, I went out there looking for you.” She paused for a moment and looked out the window. “I guess there’s no easy way to ask, but... is Beth a vampire?”

I cleared my throat. “Yeah… it’s supposed to be a secret. I trust you’ll not tell anyone, right?”

“Of course, Eli... I always had my suspicions, but… if even you were pretending to be human, then I figured it was best to treat her the same way—just in case. I thought you’d open up to me eventually… but I guess there’s no reason to when you have someone else to share your secret with.”

I was silent. I could barely believe what Sam saying. Did she know all along? I wondered. Is that why she sat with me so long ago?

Sam frowned. “It made no difference to me that you’re a chimera. I don’t fear the unknown. After all, I do plan on being an arbiter one day… And the shades… The area was swarming with them! They’d’ve gone and killed me if it weren’t for that deer—”

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. “Stop. I don’t care what you saw, or what you think you know about me or Beth; it’s better that you forget about it. It doesn’t concern you. Never did.”

There was sadness in Sam’s voice as she said, “I’m worried about you, Eli. You are genuinely my best friend and I’m scared that you’re becoming a stranger.”

I shook my head. “I’m scared too. I have no idea what I’m doing or what I’m going to do about it. I had hoped to retain some normalcy, though it seems that a lot of things are working against me on all fronts. Even more, there’s always been a certain inevitability looming over my head. I don’t know what’ll happen, but I do know that things are going to change.”

Tears filled Sam’s eyes as she said, “You can always talk to me about it. I may not be much help now, but in the future… I’ll be able to make a difference. I promise.”

I stopped in the driveway. “I appreciate it, Sam. I really do. But the truth is that I’m going to lose my mind if nothing changes. It may not be this year, maybe not for a couple more years, but it will happen soon enough. As much as I’d like to stay human, to live a normal life, well, there’s nothing that you can do to help… I’m sorry.”

Sam nodded and brushed her palms against her eyes to wipe away the tears. “Can’t say I didn’t try.” She gathered her belongings and got out of the car, holding the door open. “Goodbye, Eli. Thanks for being my friend.”

❦ ❦ ❦

Beth and Rosa were in the living room in the middle of a discussion. I sat down with them to listen and make my presence known, though I had nothing to contribute.

Rosa said, “If it’s any consolation, the Arbiters are pretty good on their word. No need to worry about protection whether I’m here or not. Sorrow is a special place where no one is meant to stay long, though. And I am a little surprised you decided to stay… You can always hate me, this town, and your situation as long and as much as you like. But don’t ever say I wasn’t accommodating.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Beth mocked, though was truly appreciative.

With a satisfied sigh, Rosa got up and left by using the closet door-portal. “And if things don’t work out, well, there’s always a place for you in the Nexus.”

I was starting to get settled on the couch when Beth placed a hand on my cheek. I opened my mouth to ask her what she was doing, though she quickly pulled back.

“How’re you holding up?” she asked. “I’m still starving.”

“I’m not really hungry myself.”

She smirked. “How about I get a taste if you aren’t gonna do anything for a bit?”

It wasn't the first time she asked me in our private moments. There was no harm in it, though I always refused. “I’d prefer to keep my blood on the inside.”

She playfully frowned. “Aw, you’d rather have me starve.”

“I do wonder, though, what would happen if you did.”

Beth tilted her head in thought. “I’m not sure, actually. Maybe you’d end up becoming a vampire like in those old myths.”

“I doubt it works like that. You’re meta-humans, not some kind of mythical undead. You were created to be the way you are—not caused by a disease or infection.”

She pouted, though was still being playful. “Just imagine it, Eli! I drink your blood and turn you into a vampire. We become Queen Beth and King Elliot of Clan Lynch. An entire lineage of purebred vampires; and a legion of kindred under our command… It’s not too late to convert Sam. She could be your rook.”

I tilted my head. “Rook?”

“You know, like chess.”

“Wouldn’t it make more sense for her to be the bishop? They stand next to the king and queen.”

Beth shook her head. “Nah. Rooks are worth more than bishops. You can trust a rook to exert your will out in the field. A bishop has to stay at home and attend to clerical duties. Knights are the warriors that aren’t good at much else. And pawns are… well, pawns.”

I scratched my head but was amused by the idea. “You’ve certainly given a lot of thought to it.”

“I have to give it thought, Eli. I’m basically the founder of vampire culture!”

I laughed, though I knew there was some truth to it. The idea of forming a culture never crossed my mind. Beth was prepared to separate herself from humanity as much as possible, to stand out, and create a unifying identity for her kind. I wondered to myself, then, if it would really be so bad to oblige her desires.

I asked, “What if my blood overpowers yours?”

“What do you mean?”

“The fungus, like, it can be used to infect people at a certain stage. It eventually takes over the mind, or rather, brings it into the gestalt consciousness while leaving the body behind to be consumed by a mycanid and repurposed into a chimera like me. I carry a strain of the fungus inside of me, and in the next stage of the chimeric lifecycle I’ll be able to spread spores and repeat the cycle—possibly even create a new consciousness that I solely control.”

Beth seemed a little disturbed at what I said. “Well, my own body can fight off infections pretty well. I doubt that it’ll harm me. If anything, I might gain some chimeric abilities of my own if the infection persists.”

“Then you’d be a gene-stealing vampire—otherwise known as a woman.”

“What?” She laughed. “Where did you hear that?”

“It’s something I overheard from some guys in class. You know how it is.”

She shook her head with a smile. “Whatever. I seriously am hungry, though.” She got up and went into the kitchen, speaking to me from the fridge. “Are you gonna be up late?”

“Don’t know. Figured I’d shower first and see how I feel.”

I went to my room to prepare some pajamas for myself to wear after the shower. I then remembered the envelope I had with me, stuck in my clothes. I decided instead to sit at my desk and open it, finding a folded-up letter inside.

I lifted up the top fold to see the head of the letter which said: “I don’t know what happened between you and Lyca. She’s my friend, and I am inclined to believe her, but I’m not an idiot like you and know that her story doesn’t add up. I want it to be clear that I never liked you. From the moment I met you I knew you were going to be trouble for everyone around you. You have no idea the kind of problems you caused for Lyca. Even Sam’s heart breaks over the fact that you never really noticed her. I am not completely heartless, however. While I don’t want to see you or your stupid face again, there is a face I think you deserve to see—no matter how cruel.”

I lifted the bottom fold and a picture fell onto my desk. It was a photo of a baby girl with brown hair, a wolf therian too young to open her eyes. For all the feelings I had in that moment, all I had to give in return was pain and sorrow. In tears, I turned the photo as if to hide my shame from you, only to see Lyca’s handwriting on the back.

“Ruka.”