"I thought you wanted a motel?" Jane asked pensively.

She had carried this strange individual into Bastrop. Kyle had been...eccentric at best. The gorgeous young man, with those dreamy, almost clear grey, stormy eyes, cut through her as he asked questions about things that seemed simple, common sense really to her, but as she thought of the answers to try to answer them, she found that they were complicated,

Even the traditions and actions where the answer seemed simple, the reason behind the convention was difficult to explain. Music, driving, signage, health, and much more. He was an adept student, seemingly an innocent Socrates sitting in the passenger seat staring out the window as southern Arkansas's scenery and eventually northern Louisiana came into view. He asked what seemed to be an idle question about each sign as they passed, and an epiphany finally dawned on her. He was illiterate.

"Oh, well, I have been sleeping in my car. My family threw me out, and I have run through my reserves. Outdoors is alright." Kyle said with a small shrug. His face remained emotionless with only a hint of reaction when he mentioned the word family. Both fear and respect flashed across his face once more when the word left his perfect lips. She shook her head to bring herself back to reality.

Kyle reached for the door handle on her little hatchback Civic. She grabbed his arm, and he flinched, drawing his arm back quickly.

"Sorry," She apologized as she ducked her head, cheeks glowing red slightly, "I might be able to help with your monetary problems. My dad runs a construction business, framing up houses. It is hard work, but I might get him to take on some extra work under the table. You will need to clean up. Right now, you are a mess, and he is a stickler for appearances."

Kyle looked down at his ragged clothing and smiled, giving a small shake of his head.

"Ok, I don't know how long I will be in the area, but at least it will give me some money to work with."

The words slid off his lips awkwardly. There was something off about him. The way he formed his words gave him an accent she had never heard before. Jane looked at him, suspiciously. She would get it out of him but now would not be the time. He had deflected every question about where he was from, but her curiosity was getting the better of her.

"Then how about I take you to somewhere that is closer to where I live, then I will know where to find you after I talk to my dad." She suggested hopefully.

He nodded his acceptance. She smiled happily, and inwardly she was forming her master plan for Operation Reveal. She would have a better picture of this new stranger in town.

Karen got out and kicked the refrigerated Box truck she had been driving. It housed the body of her Master's son. The Dhampir should have gone straight back to Maramures the night her ex-student had slaughtered Joshua, but she could not let the trail go cold, but now she was at a dead end.

The last vehicle, a little red escort, she found out of gas on US 425. That was two weeks ago, and since then, it had been quiet—no more reports of assault, murder, vandalism, or theft. Heath had managed to disappear from the face of the earth. Which meant he had either found a way to learn the human conventions and blend into their society, or he was dead. She believed it was the former.

She pounded the side of the truck a few more times for good measure, leaving impressions of her fist in the smooth white metal of the box truck. It was time to report it to the Master. Joshua was not a favorite anywhere, least of all, with his father. Still, since Shtriga only had one true blood heir at any time and only the true bloods could inherit, non of the impures could. Gerald's bloodline was now in danger of becoming unclaimed, along with all those who belonged to him.

Karen climbed up in her stolen truck, bringing its diesel engine to life. It was a long way back north. If Heath had managed to make it into Louisiana, he would be beyond the jurisdiction of Maramures. The Grand Maestru of Bucharest would need to become involved in the capture of Heath. If she were to cross into Lousiana without permission, it could ignite a war between the two Shtriga cities.

"Kyle! look alive!"

Heath looked up from where he was cleaning up debris at the worksite at a new housing development where he had been working for the past two weeks. A flatbed truck was being unloaded near him, and the load had become unstable as the forklift tried to slide under a load of lumber. Heath dived out of the way, but the stack of 2 x 6's caught one of his legs. An explosion of pain ripped through his body as he was thrown to the ground.

"La Naiba!" Heath automatically cried out as he reached for his crushed leg.

Workers rushed around the truck to start to uncover the injured youth. Richard, his boss and Jane's father, was already dialing his phone. One of the workers shifted the pile, causing the rest of the weight to collapse onto Heath's leg, and the pain became too much. The edges of the world darkened, and despite him fighting for every second of consciousness, the darkness soon won out.