Amadeo made himself eat everything, drinking a lot of water with it, cool spring water that went smoothly down his throat.  He slept well during the afternoon.  His mother came in, believing he had a passing virus.  He told her he was feeling better than he had before.

His father woke him from napping, early in the evening. "I just wanted to tell you that I think perhaps our Vampyres are all here.  I have tracked down three by the IDs they are using.  And you said Joy was with Julien.  And I suspect the one named Blade, the fashion model, I suspect she has been in the city for some time...and she is working with humans in some scheme against her own kind."

"How?  How do you know all that."

"Ah,  I found a suspicious name, a fictional Vampyre name in the interpol bulletins and I know their sense of the humor in such things.  I assumed some law enforcement agency would have reason to keep track of them and went back from there.  Why would a man from Karachi leave his husband to take a trip to England, stay just one day, and then leave England with a man he has no connection with whatsoever, a man with no reason to come to America? And then take a road trip across The States in a car he paid for in cash? To suddenly disappear? I'll tell you because we are talking about Julien.  He flew to England looking for their father Vampyre, the old one, and when he found him, they stole a man's ID and flew straight to DC.  Can you guess what sort of car he bought?"

"No," said Amadeo.

"A red Ford Vampyre.    He was clocked speeding at 200mph several times crossing the automated radar checks.  Seems he somehow passed by all actual officers.  And the man's husband also left Karachi, but did not follow him to England, he flew into New York today."

"But how do you know it is them? How do you really know from just that?  From seeing a suspicious name?  I could think of another explanation right now.  A man quarrels with his husband, and with his husband's money fly's to England. meets a guy in a club, sweeps him off his feet, and whisks him away to America, where they buy a car, and travel together, sleeping together in any hotel they please.  The jealous husband is smart enough to check with his own credit card, and doesn't have to go to England, because he knows money was spent in America."

"Well, I know what Julien looks like.  As soon as I saw the suspicious name I looked up his ID picture.  And I knew that it was England their father went to. He used a stolen ID, the picture of the man looks very much like him but isn't him. They must have known at some point that the government was tracking their car and found a way around it.  Do you know how much a Ford Vampyre costs?  He paid over a hundred thousand dollars cash for one.  Who has that kind of money but Vampyres, rock stars, and us?"

"You didn't mention Joy coming into the country, but I saw her, I touched her.   Do you think they were looking for Joy on their trip?"

"She may have come to New York with them.  I can find no ID or paper trail on her, or anyone matching her description, and no calls turn up a witness who has seen her among those who have seen Julien and the father.   I suppose she was in hiding.  They are most likely under the city right now.  It's getting dark.  They will be up soon.  And Louis will join them.  I do know he's here."

"But the creatures I saw, in my vision, there were so many.  Any you keep talking about this small group of Vampyres.  And Blade, you mentioned her just once.  How do you know she is here."

"Those creatures came to New York against their will.  And I've suspected for a long time that Blade has been here.  There are certain pieces of evidence certain things my grandfather left behind that only I see because his business was passed to me.  He passed certain information down with that, just as I'll pass certain information on to the next one chosen to take over.  You've always known it was a little more than just controlling ownership of a tech company at stake.  Still I can't tell you any more than I know for certain.  I do know more than most, but still not everything."

"You're a Jewel," Amadeo sighed.

"Yes.  Now, how are you?"

"I should probably eat something again."

"I'll have something brought up.  Your sister is going to be flying in soon. She should be home in and hour or two.  I'll send her up to see you when she does."

Amadeo could see blood again.  There was a tall building with creatures on the roof and walls.  Inside the large open rooms and on the stairs people were dying.  Amadeo woke with a start.  His sister was in the room.  "Were you having a dream?" she asked.

Amadeo put his hand to his head.  "I don't know if it was a fever-dream or a vision."

 "What did you see?"

"A tall building with people being murdered inside."

They lived in a tall building.

"Not here," Amadeo said.  "It was a different building."

Their father came into the room.  "Murders in a tall building?" he asked, "Aunt Vanessa saw the same thing. Strong fields tonight, she says.  A lot of psychic energy, so much you can both feel it."

Amber had stayed in his room for a while telling him about Atlanta.  Amadeo remembered his father saying Julien and the old Vampyre had been in Atlanta just a week ago.  Amber had been there too.  She asked about school.  Amadeo would have to go to the dean and explain his sickness and ask to take his last exam.  It might not be too difficult.  His professor had seen him collapse and had been shocked by how fevered he was.

Amber said she had a boyfriend.  She had sex with him a couple of times. Amadeo and Amber usually were honest and rather forthcoming about such things, even if it disturbed her to hear of his many exploits when she had only just found her first partner.  She asked after Matt then.  "He still doesn't know what he'll do.  He spends a lot of time with Kim in her studio I think.  She paints him."

"Models get paid.  He could be a model if he wanted to.  He has the build for it, the face."

"Yeah."

"Are you doing well?" she asked.

"I guess I'm happy.  I know how it all disturbs you.  I wish you understood..."

"I just don't understand how you know if it's how you were born, or a choice."

"Does it matter how we were born? Shouldn't we have the right to live however we want."

"Maybe it does. To some people it does. You covered it in History or Psych, too, probably, right? In the past, they might have said to Matt or Kim that they were having unnatural feelings and must be crazy."

"Yeah, yeah, but-"

"It's not unnatural, and enough people fought that by saying, 'I was born this way, and I'm natural, too, so you must respect what I am.' You know, gradually we- society did. But right now, the way the laws are worded, there's so much focus on discovering and acknowledging how people were born, it suggests those who make a choice or change are unnatural and must be crazy."

"People can be naturally fluid or...none of the above."

"But are you, Amad? Or...?"

"Questioning? Undecided? Experimenting? Why shouldn't I be allowed?"

"I'm not someone who can answer that. It's just I sense from you something like surrender to temptation. Like curiosity, but...I don't know how to word it."

"I surrender to my nature, Amber.  I don't just mean in who I choose to have sex with."

"I know. I think, I knew that. But, we are damned if we don't try to better ourselves, Amadeo.  If you have a temptation to do something that really is wrong and unnatural, then you are responsible for resisting it.  It would really be chaos if everyone gave in to temptation."

"Then I will be responsible. Accountable."

"I love you," Amber said and kissed Amadeo's face.  They shared a smile.  Amber had heard enough.  She left him in bed.

Amadeo was well enough to go downstairs and walk around the next day.  He called Matt and talked to him for a while.  It was that evening that Steven came home early.  "The Vampyres are coming for dinner," he said uneasily.

"Vampyres Dad?" asked Amber. 

Amanda looked a little worried.

"The Vampyres are in New York.  Athen called me.  He wants to buy his paintings back.  Though he used a fake name, he doesn't know that I know who he is."

"My paintings?" Amadeo asked.

"Those are just two of a collection we have.  He will be here soon."

"Do you know that it is Athen?" Amanda asked.

"I'm sure, I did some checking."

"He can't hurt our family if he is the protector of the Jewels," Amber said.

"I don't think he will, but even my grandfather was wary of him.  I am no expert on Vampyre etiquette but I think Athen is the only Vampyre who has right to harm us.  Any other Vampyre who harms a Jewel has to answer to him.  But he will know our thoughts I'm sure."

"I want to go back to bed," Amadeo said.  He went back up to his room.

"Steven, what's wrong with Amadeo?" he heard his mother ask.