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“Are you really immortal?” I asked as we navigated the empty walkways of Nocturna. Its feline residents had ambled off to bed by now, it seemed.

“There are still ways I can die. But not many. Most vampires stick around a very long time.” He pushed both hands in his pockets and let out a deep, stuttering breath.

“How do you feel about it? Being a vampire, I mean?”

He shrugged.“At first it was a shock, but I’m used to it now.”

“Already? I mean, you only found out yesterday.”

“Yeah, but I guess I’ve been one for a couple years now. Remember how I told you about that time I saw the white ghost in the rainstorm?”

I nodded, engrossed in his story.

“I think it happened that night. Fluffikins and his team are trying to help me retrieve that memory. They think it’s the key to finding out why I’m different.” He frowned for a moment, then rearranged his features into his signature mask of apathy.

“You’ve always been different, Drake,” I pointed out with a laugh.

He chuckled, too, but I could tell his heart wasn’t in it. “Yeah, but they mean something else. I can do things vampires aren’t supposed to do.”

“Like walk through fire?” I suggested.

“That, and other things.” He shrugged again. “I dunno. There’s a lot for me to figure out.”

I wanted to help my friend, but I didn’t know how. All I could do was listen while he was in Nocturna and hope for the best after he left it. It would take some getting used to—the idea that all my friends and family would have to carry on their lives without me. They wouldn’t even know what had happened…

My phone buzzed in my pocket with an incoming call.

“Really? I have cell service in another dimension?” I fished it out of my pocket and saw that Kelley was the one calling.

“I’ve gotta take this,” I said to Drake before pushing the button to accept her call. “Hello?”

26

“Gracie!” Kelley shouted into my ear via the cell phone. “You’ll never guess what!”

I put her on speaker so Drake could hear, too, but lifted a finger to my mouth so he would keep quiet. The last thing Kelley needed was to find out that Drake and I were together in the wee hours of the morning. It was all innocent enough, but there was zero percent of the truth I could readily share with her, and I was far too exhausted to create a compelling lie.

“What?” I asked, adding as much cheer to my voice as I could muster.

“Well, I had a hard time sleeping last night because I was worried about me and Drake,” she began.

When she paused to take a breath, I rushed to Drake’s defense. “Kelley, I already told you. You two are—”

“No, listen. That’s not important. I mean, it is, but that’s not why I’m calling.” She took a hurried breath and jumped right back in. “I couldn’t get to sleep, so I went outside for a little fresh air. And I think I found your cat.”

I glanced down at Merlin, still cradled in the crook of one arm as I held onto the cell phone with my other.“Really, because he’s right here with me.”

“Yeah, but you have two cats, right? The big fluffy brown one and the smaller white one.”

I gasped.“Did you find Luna?”

“I’m pretty sure I did. Hang on, I’ll text you a picture.”

My phone chimed, and I swiped up to open the text message. Sure enough, Luna’s bright blue eyes beamed back at me.

“It’s not a good one, but it’s the best I can do,” she said as I studied the image.

“Is Luna okay?” I pleaded. “Is she with you now?”

Kelley yawned as if to prove her story about missing out on sleep last night. Well, she wasn’t the only one.

“I’ve been trying to call all night,” she said, fatigue still evident in her voice, “but I only just now could get through. Where have you been?”

On top of a mountain fighting a dragon, among other things.

“Um, that’s not important,” I said. “Is Luna okay?”

“Yeah, I mean, I think so. She’s stuck at the bottom of my well, so I’m not one-hundred percent sure, but she’s been meowing up a storm. That’s how I found her in the first place.”

I could just picture Kelley standing over the well and glancing down at Luna as we spoke. Thank goodness, she had found her. Merlin would be so relieved when he woke up.

“Oh my gosh, Kelley, you have to get her out of there,” I shouted, drawing a strange look from a wiry calico as she trotted by.

“I already called the fire station,” my friend assured me. “They help cats out of trees, so why not wells? They said they’ll stop by when they have a free moment to help. So I’m just hanging around waiting. Luckily, I planned to take the day off anyway. Hey, so when are you coming over?”

I lowered the phone and gulped back a fresh wave of nausea. What could I say? I couldn’t come to her house now or ever again. I was stuck in Nocturna forever but had no way of explaining that to her.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” I managed to choke out before ending the call.

“Luuuunaaaa,” Merlin moaned and turned over in my arms.

“She’s safe. Kelley found her,” I told him with a huge smile. I was so happy that the little cat family would be okay, even if I wouldn’t be part of it anymore.