"What?" I gasped.

"We'll see what Tom learns. If the biter is turning people, we don't have a choice. We can't let innocent people get dragged into this."

"He could turn the entire ship," Charlie added.

We were quiet for a long moment. I shuddered just thinking about it. Bad enough he'd already gotten one person. Charlie's neck caught my eye, and I looked at it. It looked like it had started to scar over.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

Charlie put a hand over the healing wound and nodded. "Yeah. It wasn't very serious." He smiled grimly. "He let go the moment he realized he was catching on fire." His eyes darkened and started to smolder. "I thought you were going to kill him."

Dani shrugged. "Almost did. Honestly, I thought I was going to typhoon for a moment there. He's damn lucky. That was a close one."

"If it was you he'd bitten, I would have erupted and fried him," Charlie said softly. "He's very lucky."

The four of us sat in silence for what felt like hours, but was only a few minutes. The door opened, and Thomas and TS walked in. Mark stopped in the doorway. He looked less enthusiastic than he had before.

"I guess, uh..." he said, "I'm not invited, anymore?"

"No," Dani said. "You're not."

Mark looked at the doorway in surprise and stepped away. He held a hand out to the threshold. "Whoa," he breathed. "That's neat." He started to close the door and shrugged. "So, uh, I'll let you have your secret agent talk, then."

After the door shut, Thomas and TS went out on the balcony, and we followed. Dani slid the door shut behind us. After a moment, Thomas started talking softly.

"Well, he ran into a vampire, by the name of Nathaniel, in Chile and got turned. Then, he was told to get back on the ship and pretend to be normal. He fed a bit in Chile, and last night, he fed from some girl he's been, er... seeing. It's a miracle she's okay. If... Well, when Char came back, Mark thought it would be a perfect chance to feed. This Nathaniel told him that he's being tested to see if he can make it as a 'real vampire.' If he gets to Peru safely and well fed, then Nathaniel will turn him into one." Thomas sighed.

"We explained about dhampirs," TS added softly. "He didn't seem to like it, but..."

"I think this is all a big adventure for him. He seems to think all of this magic stuff is exciting and fun." Thomas smiled sadly at me. "I'm sorry it hasn't been that way for you. Nearly getting killed by a crazed vampire and having to hide like this isn't how I would have liked you to learn about our world. I wish you were able to just enjoy it the way Mark is."

"I am! I had a great time in the Galapagos and in Chile. And I've loved what you're teaching me!"

Thomas looked a bit embarrassed by the last part. "I'm still sorry."

"Besides, he doesn't get it," I said. "He thinks it's all a big adventure, but it's not. He got turned into a dhampir by the biter! He was just an innocent bystander who got dragged permanently into this. I..." I couldn't help but smile as I spoke and realized it was true. "I belong in this world. And I already know the dangers and how serious our situation is. Mark's going to get a rude awakening."

Thomas smiled. "Very true." Then, he sighed. "Back to, as you said, our serious situation... Mark isn't sure if Nathaniel got back on the ship or not, but I think it's best we assume he did. We have to go see if we can find him. Tonight."

"Why tonight?" Mariana asked. "We'll be safely in Peru, tomorrow."

"And Nathaniel can jump back off and elude the authorities and us, once again," TS said. "For all we know, he could be in someone's room turning them right now! Mark might not be his only victim. We have to stop him."

"What if it's a trap?" I asked. It was true that there was no way Mark being turned was a coincidence. But that meant the biter knew he was Charlie's roommate. He wanted us to find Mark. "We hurt him, killed his other dhampir, and ever since, we've been the ones eluding him. He knows that if he starts turning people, we'll show ourselves to stop him."

Dani smiled broadly and gave my hair a firm ruffle. "Damn, Jen. You deserve every cent you're getting as a MES intern. You've got a hell of a head on your shoulders."

I blushed at the praise.

Thomas smiled, too. "You might have a future at MES, if you want one. That's exactly what we thought." He sighed, and my pride deflated at the reminder of how serious this was. "It could be a trap. But we have to risk it. He's turning people." He practically spat the last bit. "I can't let that go. If he was just feeding, it would be different. Turning someone..."

"Turning someone takes him from jail time to... stake on sight," TS said. "Even if he was planning on getting off in Peru and not coming back... we don't have a choice."

"Even if it's a trap?" I said.

They all nodded.

"It'll be different this time," TS said. "I'm not stuck in human form tonight, Tom's been eating better, and we're all armed. And we're ready."

"When do we go?" Mariana asked.

"We are going now. The two of you are staying here," Thomas said.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"What?" I cried.

"If something goes wrong, you'll be safe here. You can get off in Peru tomorrow and find help. We're not going to risk your safety."

"But-" I began.

"No," Thomas said firmly. "You're staying here."

"What about Mark?" Mariana asked nervously.

"He's not invited into the main bedroom," Dani said. "He's trapped in the living room. He won't be going anywhere, and you'll both be safe from him." He lowered his voice and added, "Jen, he doesn't know much about our world. If he starts making trouble, just throw a few sparks from your wand and bluff. He doesn't know you're a new witch."

I nodded. "Okay."

"Right, let's go," TS said.

"You'll be careful?" Mariana asked.

Dani hugged her. "Of course, calf. Stay in the room. Don't leave."

"How will we know if you run into trouble?" I asked.

"We'll try to be back in an hour," Thomas said. "If we aren't..."

"Why don't you text me?" I suggested. "If you're gone an hour and want to keep searching, send me a text so I know you're alright."

All three of them chuckled. "Good idea. We'll do that."

Dani and Charlie both gave me a hug as they left. TS licked my cheek, and I had to remind myself he was technically a dog. But to my surprise Thomas hugged me, too. Tightly.

"Be careful," he whispered.

"I will."

Then, they were gone.

"I can't believe they left us!" I groaned. "I'm going to be terrified until they get back!"

"I'm glad they did," Mariana said. She looked like she didn't want to admit it.

"What?"

She sat down heavily on our bed. "I'm useless out of the water. At least you can use magic. If I were with them, I'd only get in the way. I'd hate myself if Dani, or anybody, got hurt because they were trying to protect me. They're all worried enough as it is. If they know we're here in the room, safe and sound, then they can concentrate on finding the biter and keeping themselves safe."

I hadn't thought about it that way. I had been so focused on worrying that I wouldn't know if they were all right unless I was with them I hadn't thought about what would happen if I was there. For a moment, I felt ashamed. Dani had already nearly been killed trying to protect me. If I hadn't been out on deck that night, Thomas wouldn't have been hurt, and Charlie wouldn't have been thrown overboard, either. I hated that I was powerless, but Mariana was right. We'd do more harm than good if we were out there, too. There was nothing we could do but wait and hope they made it back alive and unhurt.

The minutes ticked by like hours. Mariana had turned on the TV, but I couldn't concentrate on it. I tried to study, but as soon as I turned the page, I forgot what I had just read. I thought about uploading my pictures to my laptop, but as soon as I spotted a picture of Charlie, my gut knotted up with worry.

"Are you watching?" Mariana asked suddenly.

It took me a moment to realize she meant the TV. "No."

"Me neither."

She turned the TV off, and I hardly noticed the absence of sound. I was terribly worried about the others. And it was so weird knowing that Mark was sitting on the other side of the door. I felt safe knowing he wasn't invited in, but I was still uneasy. Mariana wandered out onto the balcony and looked out at the water. I joined her, and for a few tense minutes, we stared silently at the ocean.

"I'm glad you told them to text us," she said. She laughed weakly. "They drive me crazy. All these older magics are so weird about keeping up with technology."

It was a weak topic, but I was thankful for the distraction. I managed to laugh, too. "Charlie said he's pretty technologically advanced."

"Well, he is! That's what drives me crazy!" Mariana exclaimed. "He and Dani have this amazing computer. It's got like the best graphics card and a massive hard drive. And Dani spends hours playing video games on the internet with his brother and his friends. Plus, they have this huge flat-screen." She rolled her eyes. "But unless I text Dani first, he never sends me any! I remember being a kid, maybe eight or something, and having to remind him to check his answering machine every time I went over."

"I guess just because they can use it doesn't mean they're used to it."

She laughed. "And oh my God, the office! I get to use a great, modern computer, but it has an ancient mouse! It's got some adapter for the USB port, doesn't have a scroll wheel, and doesn't even have a laser! It's got one of those little rubber balls that gets stuck all the time. And nobody seems to mind. It's like they had to get a new computer, so they got a nice state-of-the-art one, but didn't bother to upgrade the mouse. I had to read a paper copy of the computer use policy, and it included a definition of double-click!"

We both laughed. It was a relief to have something to genuinely laugh about. But it wasn't long before we fell back into an awkward silence.

"How long have they been gone?"

Mariana glanced at her phone. "Half an hour," she groaned, tucking it back into her pocket.

She was wearing a cute cargo skirt, and I realized I had never seen her in pants or shorts. Even her swimsuit was a skirt.

"Do you ever wear pants?" I asked.

"Nope. I don't like when my legs can't touch. I guess it's a mermaid thing. But if I ever jumped in the water wearing pants and shifted without taking them off..." She shuddered. "They'd rip when my legs fused. Eventually. I did it once by accident when I was little, and it really, really hurt."

For the first time, I realized that TS turned into a wolf without taking his clothes off and was always dressed when he changed back. "TS’s clothes don't rip."

"They're treated."

"Treated?"

"Oh. With a potion, I mean. When shifters like werewolves buy clothes, they can buy a potion to soak them in. It allows the clothes to shift with them. Otherwise, they'd shred clothes all the time. I could treat my clothes, too, but the potion I'd have to use is more complicated, because the fabric has to turn into scales, not fur. And I think there's some extra thing to make it waterproof too. It's a lot more expensive. Plus, I only shift from the waist down, so if I'm wearing a skirt nothing happens to it."

"That's so neat," I said.

She smiled. "You're so much fun, Jen. I mean, it's really nice to have another girl around. But I get a kick out of how much you're enjoying this. I think Thomas was wrong. You're still having a great time learning about our world."

"I am."

"I hope you'll keep in touch when we get home. I'd really like to be friends."

I grinned. "I'd like that too!"

She suddenly smirked. "So, I couldn't help but notice you eyeing Thomas..."

"No!"

"No?"

I sighed in defeat. "Yeah," I admitted. "He's really cute and... Yeah, I guess I like him."

"Aww, that's so splashy! You two would be great together!"

"Don't tell him," I pleaded.

Mariana giggled. "Relax! I'd never tell him! This is girl-talk!"

I had to giggle, too. "I'm glad you're close to my age."

"Trust me. Age doesn't matter."

"So, I've heard."

She smiled. "It can be nice to have someone closer to your age around, though."

Then, I heard a sound. We both looked through the open, sliding glass door and into the room.

"Was that a knock?" Mariana whispered.

It came again, louder this time. Someone was knocking at the door. We edged nervously into the room. My hope that it was Mark died when a third knock came. It clearly came from the door that led into the hall.

"He's not invited in," I said. "If it's him, we're safe, right?"

"Right."

The person on the other side knocked again.

"What's going on?" Mark called. He opened his door and looked into the room. "Is someone knocking?"

We both nodded.

"Can you smell him? Is it a vampire?" Mariana asked.

Mark sniffed and shook his head. "I can't smell very well. What's-his-name, Thomas, said it’d get stronger."

The person at the door knocked again, louder. Mariana and I exchanged a nervous look and went over to the door.

"Okay, he can't cross the threshold," Mariana said. "Ready?" She opened the door, and we both cried out in horror.

The biter was standing there with Laurie in his arms.