Only then did I realize that the conversation at our table had died down a while ago. Our children, our grandchildren, our great-grandchildren, my brother, my sister, and each of their respective spouses had been watching and listening to us the whole time. Awkward silence reigned supreme for about a minute, until Rose broke it.
“You know what, Mom, Dad? You do what you want, when you both feel ready. We’re all behind you on this. You know that, right? Whatever you decide, there will be no support lacking from us.”
“And baby clothes. Chantal is already growing out of hers,” Vita replied.
“Who says they want a baby girl?” Lucas asked. “What if they get a strapping little boy?”
“Jericho’s growing out of his,” Caia said, smiling.
“Right. So there are options for baby clothes. Glad to see our evening devolve to this point,” Vivienne replied, slightly amused. “From exploring the neighboring galaxies to onesies. My, oh my, how we’ve fallen!”
The whole table exploded in a wave of laughter, drawing everyone’s attention. Riding the wave, Lucas cheered and raised his spiced rose water glass in the air, diverting the entire party back to its original purpose. “Cheers to the engaged couple, Eva and Varga!” he shouted. “Long may you two live!”
Naturally, it got everybody else applauding and cheering, as the young couple smiled and nodded and mouthed thank yous all around. I was so lost in the moment that I failed to see Amane and Amal get up from their table and walk toward ours, until Sofia drew my attention.
“The genius twins, our twelve o’clock.”
I smiled at them, though the looks on their faces were pretty enigmatic and rather difficult to read. Or maybe I’d relaxed too much from the spiced rose water. It did tend to disarm me, sometimes completely.
“Derek, Sofia, can we speak with you in private?” Amal asked.
Glancing around at the table, curious looks abounded. I gave Amal a brief smile. “Sure.” I got up, joined by Sofia, and we followed them outside and out of the party area. Moments later, we were surrounded by giant redwoods, the music barely a murmur somewhere behind us.
Amal and Amane had continued their research work on my blood, and I hoped they’d come up with something soon. Naturally, my heart was already in my throat, as both Sofia and I waited for them to tell us if they’d made any progress. I figured they must have, since we were out here.
“What’s up?” I asked, after watching the twins exchange encouraging glances, yet neither of them had spoken.
“We wanted to tell you this, first, and let you decide whether you’ll go public with it or not, given the delicate nature of the subject,” Amane said.
I blinked rapidly, trying to process. “Are you talking about the day-walker thing? You’re talking about the day-walker thing, right?” I’d asked the same question twice. Oh, how nervous I was, already, my mind practically glitching.
“Yes. And our recent discovery warrants your counsel,” Amal replied.
“Okay. Shoot,” I breathed, unaware that I was gripping Sofia’s hand a little too tightly until she squeezed back to warn me.
“We managed to isolate the day-walking protein,” Amane explained. “In a controlled environment, as an entity of its own. It doesn’t come from any known sources in the In-Between or the Supernatural Dimension. We did two trial tracking sessions, and they both came up empty.”
“Tracking sessions?” Sofia asked, her brow furrowed.
“We inserted proteins into a clear fluid, which we then placed inside a protected glass bubble,” Amal said. “We mixed a tracking spell into an interplanetary travel bubble, powered it up with serium crystal, and let it go, hoping it might lead us to the source of the protein. We knew it was alien, in a way, which is why we used the spell combination as such.”
“The interplanetary travel spell was to cover large distances, and the tracking spell served as a guide,” Amane added. “Point is, the first two trials yielded nothing. The origin of your day-walking ability does not stem from the In-Between or the Supernatural Dimension. Ta’Zan somehow got his hands on specimens from the Earthly Dimension, at one point in his life.”
“Probably before he made us,” Amal said.
I took a deep breath, trying to understand where this might lead. The twins were clearly nervous about something, so I decided to help them out before my blood pressure might burst like a steam engine. “And did you do a third tracking session?”
They nodded simultaneously. “We found it,” Amane replied.
“You found what?” I asked.
“The origin planet of your day-walking protein,” Amane said. “We know where it is, but we’re not yet sure as to whether it’s still inhabited or not.”
A few moments passed quietly, as I finally made some connections. “Wait… You’re telling me some day-walking-protein-holding creatures resided or still reside somewhere in the Earthly Dimension, and that either Ta’Zan got to them or they got to him, and thus he wound up with the very thing that gave me the ability to walk in the sunlight?”
“In a nutshell, yes,” Amal confirmed.
I looked at Sofia, and she seemed as surprised as I was. For good reason, too. We’d been waiting for this kind of news for a while, now. We had not been entirely prepared for the full meaning to sink in, though I wanted to give my gift to all the vampires, if I could. It had become my mission before the Hermessi had come in with their ritual.
“If you tracked the protein to wherever it is you found it, then that means there must be some creatures there, still alive for the spell to find them, right?” I ventured.
“Yes and no. The spell might’ve found remains, too. We only sent a small drone with the protein, to record air and soil data, in an exploratory fashion,” Amane said.
“We have a lead now, Derek, and we wanted to get your opinion. Shall we proceed and send a video drone, next, and see what’s on that planet?” Amal asked.
Sofia nodded first. “Do it.”
“Yes,” I said. “As astonished as I might seem right now, I am still determined to get to the bottom of this.”
Getting the day-walking cure for all vampires would mark an incredible milestone for our entire species. After our trials and tribulations, many of them senseless and marred by bloodthirsty violence, my kind deserved a breakthrough. I wanted us to evolve, to become better versions of ourselves in all possible senses.
Maybe I was driven by this need to prove that we all deserved to live, no matter what the Hermessi and the Spirit Bender had thought. Maybe, even though our enemies were dead and gone, I still felt like I had something to do to show them how wrong they’d been. How wrong they would always be.
Yes, I thought to myself. Yes, to any endeavor that would bring us closer to helping all the vampires set foot in the sunlight without being burned. Yes, to a small step forward into a better future for ourselves, as a species, and for our allies—after all, if we were less vulnerable, we strengthened our allies, too.
Looking deep into Sofia’s eyes, I said it again. “Yes.”
Yes to vampires finally taking a step outside of the shade.
