It's been months and yet something felt off.
Everything had returned back to normal, well almost everything. Work, school, and dance all lined up alongside the newly added part of their routine.
Yet, a gnawing feeling lingered. Something was off.
Being just fourteen, curiosity was second nature to Noah. He couldn't ignore what he saw, and though his mom's world had always been complex—full of late-night phone calls, urgent cases, and whispered adult conversations—this was different.
His research into these strange feelings had started innocently enough. It was all just worry about his mom he told himself. That was until he hit a dead end and needed the help of an adult to go to the library for more.
He was doing his usual routine one day, the same one ever since his mother's accident, Uncle Sonny picking him up from school the girls in the backseat already picked up from elementary school.
When he got near their house, the question came out. "Uncle Sonny can you take me to the library?" he asked from the passenger seat.
"Library?' Carisi looks at him for a moment before returning his eyes to the road. "Got something you need to look up?"
"Yeah, it's uh," the boy pauses for a moment trying to think of something to say rather than say he's looking up why his mom has been acting strange ever since she had the accident months ago. Why would he say that and ruin any hope of going to the library? He needed this because any books at his school were limited to fiction and were catered to the mind of a child who hasn't seen the things he's seen, lived the life that he's lived. They were catered to the adoptive son of a police captain who was found in a drawer as a baby and later kidnapped by his biological grandmother when he was 8 years old.
He lets out a little huff frustrated with himself for rambling on in his head. He turns to look a his mom's friends whom he's glad to consider an uncle. "It's for research, a school project but the books in the library at school aren't all really that great and Mom told me to be cautious of the internet so…." he lets a small smile grace his face as the stop at a red light and his uncle looks at him "Can you take me to the public library to get some books?"
Carisi looks at him for a moment, more like a second before he smiles back not able to deny the kid of what he's told is further research for his knowledge.
"Yeah kid, just tell me when and we'll go."
That was 2 weeks ago and ever since then, the public library has become his sanctuary. He had been going in the hour he had before dance practice doing in-depth research on what could possibly be wrong with his mom.
The deeper Noah delved, the more questions burned in his mind. And tonight, as his mom drove them to the house, where she spent most of her evenings with her new friends, Noah was determined to find answers.
She was picking him up from dance and as usual since her surgery, their going to the house outside the city. The one where her new friends hung out after they all got off work. The women were fun to be around and he liked the company and the smile on his mom's face that she was around friends. It was something he didn't usually see, he always seen her with work friends and well maybe two of them here were work friends but that still didn't matter the brightness he saw in her was still brighter than when they were out hanging around Uncle Sonny and Aunt Amanda with the girls or Uncle Fin. Strangely enough, it was still a smile he didn't see as wide as the time they met her friend, Elliot. His mom's old partner, one she swore that was just a friend but even as a new teen he knew his mom liked him and he could see Elliot liked her. It's that look he has seen on all those romcoms his mom watched and even in the Broadway plays he has seen on YouTube.
Yeah, his mom was in love and if everything he researched was true then his next step was getting her to go ahead with it.
He's 14 for crying out loud and he's never really seen his mom even date, her life consumed with work and well-being as a mother to him. While he is appreciative of that, I mean how couldn't he be, he just wants her to finally take some time for herself.
He doesn't realize he's drifted off while he's sitting in the passenger seat of his mom's SUV. The car filled with a comfortable silence other than the radio softly playing the latest hits. It was September now and although the weather was still somewhat warm, the rain was masking the beauty with dreary gloom. It drummed softly against the windows of her SUV, masking the tension that hung thick in the air.
Noah stared out the window, watching the gray clouds blur past. In the past three months of watching the same scenery go by through the windows as they travel to the countryside of New York, it's been kind of calming. The road they take somehow drives them away from the stress that lies in the bustle of the city.
He notices the radio get quieter and he turns in his seat to face his mom.
"Something on your mind?" comes her question a small smile on her face as she looks at him lovingly
"UH no," he begins to lie for a moment but sees the look in her eyes.
Olivia glanced at him, her knowing smile tugging at her lips. "Noah…" she said, drawing his name out in that mom tone that always meant she could see straight through him. She always said a mother knows but lately like everything else she's gotten sharper with things and it seemed like right then she had even gotten so good that she practically read his mind. The smile is still on her face and he knows she's not reprimanding him but rather just asking and waiting for him to explain himself.
He let out a defeated laugh and rubbed the back of his neck as he looked forward for a moment. "Alright, fine. Can we… can we talk about it at the lounge house?"
"The lounge house?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Is that what you're calling it now?"
He shrugged, smirking. "Well, yeah. It's not really our house, and you're always lounging there with your friends. It just fits."
Olivia laughed, a sound so rare these days that Noah almost smiled in surprise. "Alright, you win. But you've got me curious now. We'll talk when we get there."
Olivia pulled into the long driveway of the covenstead, her mind a whirlwind of emotions. The house loomed ahead, its sprawling structure looking almost like a mansion in the dim light of the overcast sky. Noah always felt a strange energy here, as if the house itself were alive.
Inside the house, Noah retreated to his room while Olivia sought out the other people in the house. The room itself was tucked down a long hallway on the second floor and he had begun to think of it as his own, it being his away space for when his mom did whatever she did.
At first, he had only visited the lounge house during the day, staying with the Carisi's at night. But after the first month, Olivia's friends had begun adding little touches to the extra room—small gestures that made Noah feel more comfortable in the massive house. In his mind it was nearly a mansion, he tried roaming around one time but admittedly got lost always ending back up near the same hall he didn't know how.
It was almost like the house itself had decided where he belonged. Over time, however, he'd stopped venturing out and instead focused on making the room his own oasis.
Now the room was cozy but surprisingly well-equipped. A sleek PlayStation sat on a stand beneath the wall-mounted TV, flanked by a bookcase crammed with games, novels, and comic books.
Noah had been delighted to find that many of the comics were ones he'd casually mentioned liking in conversations with Sarah, Roxie, and Åse—some of his mom's newer friends. Sarah, with her bubbly personality that fit her southern accent, was someone who seemed caring and attentive like an aunt caring for their nephew helped him decorate. Roxie and Åse, who looked surprisingly young for people hanging out with Olivia's crowd, gave ideas and suggested making sure the sky was the limit with his ideas for the space.
All three had taken a clear interest in making the room feel personal.
Noah had initially believed Roxie and Åse were nieces of some of the older women in the group. But after a few conversations and a lot of subtle observation, he was sure that wasn't true. According to his research, coven members often lied about their identities to outsiders, and he was beginning to suspect Roxie and Åse were much more than they appeared.
The centerpiece of the room was a convertible couch, a plush piece of furniture that doubled as a bed on the nights he stayed over. To Noah's surprise, he found himself loving this room almost more than his actual bedroom at home. It felt like a sanctuary—a place where he could relax without the weight of his mom's mysterious world pressing down on him.
That evening, Noah settled at the small desk in the corner, pulling out his homework and turning on the TV for background noise. Time seemed to fly by as he worked through math problems and history notes. By the time he finished, he had sunk into the couch and laid back watching rerun episodes of SMASH.
A soft knock on the door brought him back to reality. He looked up to see his mom peering in, a small smile on her face as she stepped inside.
"Hey," she said, sinking into the couch beside him.
"Hi," he replied, setting the controller down.
She folded her hands in her lap and turned to him. "So… you want to tell me what had you so quiet in the car earlier?"
Noah took a deep breath, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt but still stayed quiet.
"Alright," she said, taking her hands out of her lap and grabbing onto his. "What's on your mind?"
The boy's voice broke the silence. "Mom, do you ever get a weird feeling about things around here?"
She brushed him off, she knew the topic would be one to come eventually her son was bright and she'd taught him how to always get down to the bottom of things. An action that was now biting her in the ass.
"No, Noah sweetheart. Why do you say that?"
Noah hesitated, fiddling with a faint string on the seam of his pants leg. "Just... I don't know. It feels like you're different. And not in a bad way, just... different."
Her heart sank, but she kept her tone light. "Different how?"
He sighed, clearly frustrated. "I've been noticing things. The way you move, the way you... I don't know, hear things before I do. You're faster, stronger, and—I mean, you've always been smart, Mom, but now it's like you know what I'm thinking before I even say it."
Olivia's chest tightened, but she forced a smile. "I'm your mom, Noah. I know you better than anyone."
Noah wasn't buying it. "But Mom listen I've been looking up some things well doing some research."
"Noah what did I tell you about being on the internet" she said, her voice steady despite the turmoil inside.
He hesitated, clearly nervous about the situation but pushing on. "I know and I listened."
Liv just looked at him confused, she couldn't pick up anything except for his excited antsy teenage energy "So how did you?" For the life of her, she couldn't form a straight sentence her mind jumbled with the possibility of her son learning of her new life, so soon.
"I've been asking Uncle Sonny to take me to the library after school. I wanted to learn more about... well, about everything going on."
"Really?" she asked, feigning ignorance.
"Yeah, really, and while I was there I started researching things," Noah said, his tone more confident now.
Olivia stole a glance at him, her jaw tensing slightly at the course of the conversation. "Research you say."
"Yep just like you taught me" he adds with a smirk knowing she couldn't argue with him technically following her rules.
"Ok, so what did you find what this "research"?" The word being put in quotations trying to play off the manner as nonchalant even though her head was spinning.
"I started with what I could describe and the only thing that was labeled under was folklore or fantasy"
"Ok," she says getting more settled into the cushions, giving him this time to talk on as she came up with what to say. "Go on."
He spilled everything. How he researched the new things he noticed in her and he was able to dive deeper into old historical books from the Salem Witch Trials. From the readings about folklore, mythology, everything he could find to fragment history he had pieced together.
He explains how at first it sounded crazy, but then he found this book about someone named Circe. She was supposed to be the first vampire, who was cursed for killing hundreds of men. And then there was Teodora, who was cursed into it for trying to seduce a pharaoh. After her curse, the two met and started the Obaven—the first coven.
However, it's said that Teodora and Circe were found and then later killed leaving their coven without a leader. Without a leader, they grew weak and that's why it's only so few of them around.
By the time he finished, his mom's face had gone pale, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. She didn't interrupt once, letting him pour out every detail. When he was done, he leaned back, watching her carefully. "Mom, the things I've been reading... they make too much sense. You've changed since the accident. And the people at the house—they're different too."
"So, Mom," he said, his voice trembling slightly, "is it true? Are you… a vampire?"
For a moment, silence hung between them, heavy and suffocating. Olivia's face was unreadable, but Noah could see the faintest flicker of something—worry? Frustration? Sadness? He couldn't tell. She was stunned the story somehow caused a tingle in her senses. The room stood still as she looked at him, the sound of his heart rate beating fast pounding in her ears.
Olivia scrubbed a hand down her face, letting out a long sigh. "Noah, sweetheart…" Her mind raced, scrambling for a response. She just couldn't lie to her son, not anymore. Before she could speak, Noah pressed on.
"If not vampire, are you a witch? Either way, it seems pretty cool but if so are there powers involved and could you teach me? Will I be able to be one?" His questions came rolling in and she took a deep breath when she heard the final one her focus came back only then. She hasn't even confirmed that his research was true but I guess her lack of response was a response enough.
Noah stared at her, processing her words. "So, the people here... they're all vampires too?"
"Yes," Olivia finally admitted. The word came out as some kind of relief bringing a weight off her shoulders. "This house is a covenstead—a sanctuary for vampires. They've been helping me adjust, teaching me how to control my abilities."
Noah leaned back, his mind racing. "And Circe? Teodora? Are they real?"
Olivia hesitated, " I wouldn't know about that, I highly doubt…" Before she could finish, another voice cut through the tension. "He's not wrong."
Noah's head snapped up to see Jacqueline, the doctor who has become almost like family since saving his mom, standing in the doorway. She stepped into the room, her movements unnervingly graceful, and sat down across from them.
Noah's eyes widened. "You're saying you knew her?"
Jacqueline smiled. "I'm saying I am her. My real name is Teodora."