Blood Relatives

14. Act Naturally

Carmine went home later that night. She'd been a little nervous spending her first night at home – would her parents notice anything was different about her? Her common sense told her probably not, but the idea was still in the back of her mind. And what about sleeping? She'd been fine at Anna's, but she'd had company there. What if she fell asleep out of boredom? Would she still have those dreams? Would he be there? But Carmine shouldn't have worried.

Anna and Mia had assured Carmine that she really wouldn't need to sleep, but part of her thought they were exaggerating just a little. She thought for sure she'd need some sleep – a couple hours, maybe. By she didn't. She felt so alive, she could hardly believe it. She felt so energetic – and no more tired than she would have been at noon. They told her that feeling would wear off in a week or so, but Carmine didn't care. If it meant a whole week without worrying, she was more than ok with that.

She stayed up the whole night, just taking note of the changes she felt. The room was dark, and her parents had been asleep for hours. Carmine lay on her bed, staring around her room. She saw the dresser along the far wall, with all the junk she'd collected since she was a kid sitting on top of it. She really needed to clean that dresser – maybe she would do it one of these sleepless nights. But for now, she was content to stare at the clutter – a snow globe from a vacation she took to New York, a weird little ballerina figurine, her last year's biology book.

Carmine stared at the snow globe. It was amazing – she could make out every detail as clearly as if she were holding it in her hand in the middle of the day. She could see the reflection of the moon off the glass, the shapes of the buildings under the dome. She could even see where the flakes of snow had settled in uneven lumps across the bottom. She must have stared at that stupid thing for over an hour, not quite able to believe how clearly she saw every detail. Had her friends really been able to see this well since she'd known them?

It was true Mia told her that her senses would improve after the transformation, but she never thought it'd be this dramatic. She hated to admit it, but she could see why Anna and Mia had been so worried about her every time they had to face some sort of demon. She felt so powerful now, so revitalized, that she couldn't help but think how weak and feeble she had been. How could they have actually let her come along with them?

And improved sight wasn't Carmine's only new ability. Her hearing had improved dramatically, and her endurance was much higher. She listened carefully, trying to see if her parents or sister were awake. She didn't hear anything coming from her parent's room, but she did hear a faint snoring coming from Claire's room at the other end of the hall. Now that everyone was asleep, Carmine seriously considered going outside for a run. She hadn't been in almost two weeks now, and she really missed it. She felt so lazy when she thought back to how much she'd skipped. Coach Danby was going to be mad when Carmine finally showed up! May as well get some practice in before that. Maybe if she was halfway decent, she could avoid the lecture.

She felt kind of weird sneaking out, but she knew she'd have to start doing it sooner or later – might as well start now, while she had a halfway decent excuse for what she was doing. She looked out the window, trying to decide if that was the best way to go out. But there was a screen on her window that she'd have to hide somewhere, and she would have to go straight past her parents' room to get out the back gate. She wasn't sure she wanted to risk them seeing her outside. Today, she might be able to say she just needed air, or that she couldn't sleep. But she wouldn't be able to use those excuses every time she went out. The only other option was to go out the front door.

Carmine cautiously opened her bedroom door, half expecting someone to be in the hall waiting to catch her. But all the lights were off, and everyone was still soundly asleep. She snuck down the hall, not making a sound. Carmine had known for years how to walk around the house without waking anyone up. She knew where all the creaky floorboards were, and where to step so as not to be heard. But even still, she always ended up making some kind of sound as she went. But not this time.