I never wanted to come here, to see her again. She deserves peace from me. A piece I can no longer grant. There is no one else who can do what she does, and there is no way we can succeed without her.

The school she teaches at looks wonderful. Peaceful.

She always wanted peace. As long as she remained my best friend, I could never give her that. I've missed her, but I value her peace more than my happiness.

I walk to the front desk. "Is Louisa Georgiou here?" I both ask and sign, "I am her brother, and we have a family emergency."

The young man at the front desk signs "I will go get her and send a sub to her class. Please wait over there." He points to a small waiting area that probably sees more use from students awaiting discipline than from outsiders like me. I sit and close my eyes. There must be a way around being here. Some trick I have failed to imagine. No matter how many scenarios I run, they all fail without her gifts.

I hear her footsteps come down the hall. Hurried. Worried.

Only someone close to her would use the excuses I used to see her, and only in an emergency.

She stops short when she sees me, I don't need to open my eyes to know she is both shocked and angry at my appearance. I can smell it on her, and feel her wrath from twenty paces.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

I open my eyes and sign "Hey Lou."

Her eyes soften and she melts. I don't know if she senses my exhaustion, or she has realized the steaks it would take to bring me here. "Lo" she signes, "Let's go for a walk."

We walk in silence for a while. She has always understood my need for privacy, especially when plots are in motion. She leads me down a path to a secluded pond. There is no one sentient around us for at least a mile. She turns to me then, "What's up?" she signs.

"I need your help," I reply. "The humans will discover us soon—"

"I know, the supernatural sub is all my students talk about anymore. Do you have a plan?"

"Yes. The plan is to turn it from a discovery to a first contact mission." I explain about the extraterrestrial vampires, and that we are on our way to Grece to set the signal. "And that's where your particular gift will become necessary. We need to ensure the humans take the bait."

"No," she replies.

"Lou, we need you." I let her see everything. Every emotion I usually hide, every insecurity. She is one of only three who ever get to see me venerable. I know it is a dirty tactic, that I am manipulating her. It does not matter—we will fail without her.

"Lo, I swore never to use my gifts in that way again. I have spent the last two hundred years teaching sign language, our language, to people all over the world so they can function without hearing. I still haven't fully atoned for last time. I can't."

"If you don't, we will all die."

There is nothing more that needs to be said. We look out on the water and I give her the time she needs to come to a decision. I have given her all the facts and manipulated her emotions, if I say even one more word, she will turn on me. Whatever decision she makes now, I will accept. There are lines even I won't cross.

We live or die by her word.