[still, the third person]

"Someone recognised him, after our second name-change", Stella's explanation was much more condensed than Marion had hoped. But Stella's patience was wearing thin and that was the best anyone was going to get out of her for now.

Autry could remember well, what had happened, and didn't need any reminding. His little brother had managed to make good friends with a certain boy called Eugene, who then moved away, when his family had to move, because of his father's job.

But Kiev's family moved away two short months later, for an entirely different reason; to run from the investigators. Again.

It was mere coincidence and perhaps poor foresight that allowed the two friends to meet again. When Kiev's family changed their names for the second time, Kiev also had to change schools. This time, Autry and Stella picked out a large school, with many students and faces that Kiev could easily hide among. What the two didn't know, was that Eugene had also moved to that very same school. What else they didn't know, was that Eugene was also in the very same class that Kiev was assigned to. The first day Kiev attended Rock River Primary, was also the last day he would ever set foot in a school again. Autry was absorbed in his thoughts when his head suddenly whipped up at something that Marion had said.

"Now all I need to do is give him some anaesthetic – Kiev should already be asleep by now".

"Wha-", Stella couldn't understand

"You drugged his coffee!", Autry recalled why Marion had unnecessarily touched Kiev's mug earlier that evening.

"Eugene!"

Everyone stopped when they heard a scream coming from Kiev's room.

"And see? Just because you were all talking and objecting too much, we're already run out of time – the poor boy's already awake", Marion began to glare at Autry. But Autry didn't see, because he was already making his way towards Kiev's room.

Kiev had definitely been asleep as three people observed from the doorway. They looked like squirrels hiding behind a tree. Autry pushed his way between his mother and Marion and bent down by Kiev's bed.

"Kiev, are you alright?", Autry could see the wild look in his brother's eyes as if the younger boy had just walked through a storm. His hair was a damp mess of liquorice-black with the sheen of fresh sweat.

It took a few moments for Kiev to respond, as he looked around the room, taking a few deep breaths.

" . . . he's not here . . .", Kiev muttered, pale fingers raking through his hair.

"Did you have a nightmare?", Autry asked.

"I-I'm not sure . . .", Kiev lay his hands in his lap now.

"You screamed out Eugene's name".

"Did I?", Kiev's eyes widened. He'd thought it was part of a dream. And now he could remember that it actually was a nightmare. He was trying to get used to the sound of his voice, in contrast with that of the screaming boy in the dream.

"I think he was going to kill me-" Kiev stopped when he saw Marion and his mother enter the room. "I did do some of the work, I just got kind of tired halfway and-"

"-Don't worry, that was Marion's fault", Autry squeezed his brother's hand. Kiev let go and sat cross-legged on the bed, hands in lap.

"Was it the coffee?", Kiev was quick to remember.

Marion nodded.

"Why?"

"Hm?"

"Why did you drug me? Was it so that I wouldn't hear what you were saying?"

"No-"

"It's because she's crazy. Mum – why can't we just kick her out of the house?", Autry's tone was impatient.

"Why? What's going on? Why won't anyone tell me. I don't even know what a RC is or a ka . . .-whatever-it-is looks like!"

"RC cells are what make up a ghoul's kagune-"

"Stop it Marion, that's enough", it had been a long day, and Stella was more than sick of it by now.

"But-"

"I'll think about it, okay? I'll call you tomorrow", Stella silenced any further inquiry, as she escorted the three strange people out the door.

Kiev and Autry just stared.

How, and why, the hell does mum have that whacky lady's number?

Hey,

So I was rethinking this whole soliloquy thing. I mean isn't it just really annoying, to have the author just jabbering away and ruining your reading-experience? In fact I have a policy of not judging a book by its author- for all I know, my favourite reads may have been crafted by a serial killer or some peadophilic rapist and I'd still read their writing (definitely wouldn't go for a book-signing though!).

Well, forgetting that for a moment, no, I probably won't be using the third person all that often. I just needed readers to know a couple of things before Kiev did. And brace yourselves; the next couple chapters aren't actually all that exciting. But I'm considering double-releases, to get the plot moving faster, so that readers don't need to wait a whole week for no action. And sorry, but I can't really say now, when the fight scenes will come in. Here's a warning; might be a while yet for the horror.