Debbie turned up shortly before seven. She'd showered and changed clothes — the police had fetched some of her personal items from her apartment — but still looked terrible. "There's a police officer in the lobby," she said as she entered. "They asked if I wanted a personal guard and I said I did. He thinks I came up here to tutor you. I gave him your name. If you object to that — tough!"

"Nice to see you too," I smiled, holding out my hands to take her coat. She ignored me and walked into the apartment, stopping short when she caught sight of Steve and Harkat (who was facing away from her).

"You didn't say we'd have company," she said stiffly.

"They have to be here," I replied. "They're part of what I have to tell you."

"Who are they?" she asked.

"This is Steve Leopard." Steve took a quick bow. "And that's Harkat Mulds."

For a moment I didn't think Harkat was going to face her. Then he slowly turned around. "Oh, my lord!" Debbie gasped, shocked by his grey, scarred, unnatural features.

"Guess you don't get many like… me in school," Harkat smiled nervously.

"Is…" Debbie licked her lips. "Is he from that institute you told me about? Where you and Evra Von lived?"

"There is no institute. That was a lie."

She eyed me coldly. "What else have you lied about?"

"Everything, more or less," I grinned guiltily. "But the lies stop here. Tonight I'll tell you the truth. By the end you'll either think I'm crazy or wish I'd never told you, but you have to hear me out — your life depends on it."

"Is it a long story?" she asked.

"One of the longest you'll ever hear," Steve answered with a laugh.

"Then I'd better take a pew," she said. She chose a chair, shrugged off her coat, laid it across her lap, and nodded curtly to let me know I could begin.

I started with the Cirque Du Freak and Madam Octa, and took it from there. I quickly covered my years as Mr. Crepsley's assistant and my time in Vampire Mountain. I told her about Harkat and the Lord of the Vampaneze. Then I explained why we'd come here, how fake forms had been submitted to Mahler's, how I'd run into Steve and what role he played in this. I finished with the events of the weekend.

There was a long pause at the end.

"It's insane," Debbie finally said. "You can't be serious."

"He is," Steve chuckled.

"Vampires… ghosts… vampaneze… It's ludicrous."

"It's true," I said softly. "I can prove it." I raised my fingers to show her the scars on my fingertips.

"Scars don't prove anything," she sneered.

I walked to the window. "Go to the door and face me," I said. Debbie didn't respond. I could see the doubt in her eyes. "Go on," I said. "I won't hurt you." Holding her coat in front of her, she went to the door and stood opposite me. "Keep your eyes open," I said. "Don't even blink if you can help it."

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

"You'll see — or, rather, you won't."

When she was watching carefully, I tensed the muscles in my legs, then dashed forward, drawing up just in front of her. I moved as quickly as I could, quicker than a human eye could follow. To Debbie it must have seemed that I simply disappeared and reappeared before her. Her eyes shot wide and she leant against the door. Turning, I darted back, again faster than she could follow, stopping by the window.

"Ta-da!" Steve said, clapping dryly.

"How did you do that?" Debbie asked, voice trembling. "You just… you were there… then you were here… then…" "I can move at tremendously fast speeds. I'm strong, too — I could put a fist through any of these walls and not tear the skin on my knuckles. I can leap higher and further than any human. Hold my breath for longer. Live for centuries." I shrugged. "I'm a half-vampire."

"But it isn't possible! Vampires don't…" Debbie took a few steps towards me, then stopped. She was torn between wanting to disbelieve me and knowing in her heart that I was telling the truth.

"I can spend all night proving it to you," I said. "And you can spend all night pretending there's some other logical explanation. The truth's the truth, Debbie. Accept it or don't — it's your call."

"I don't… I can't…" She studied my eyes for a long, searching moment. Then she nodded and sank back into her chair. "I believe you," she moaned. "Yesterday I wouldn't have, but I saw photos of the Andrews and Mr. Hugon after they'd been killed. I don't think anyone human could have done that."

"You see now why I had to tell you?" I asked. "We don't know why the vampaneze lured us here or why they're playing with us, but their plan is surely to kill us. The attack on your neighbours was only the start of the bloodshed. They won't stop with that. You'll be next if they find you."

"But why?" she asked weakly. "If it's you and this Mr. Crepsley they want, why come after me?"

"I don't know. It doesn't make sense. That's what's so frightening."

"What are you doing to stop them?" she asked.

"Tracking them by day. Hopefully we'll find them. If we do, we'll fight. With luck, we'll win."

"You've got to tell the police," she insisted. "And the army. They can—"

"No," I said firmly. "The vampaneze are our concern. We'll deal with them."

"How can you say that when it's humans they're killing?" She was angry now. "The police have struggled to find the killers because they don't know anything about them. If you'd told them what they should be looking for they might have put an end to these creatures months ago.

"It doesn't work that way," I said. "It can't."

"It can!" she snapped. "And it will! I'm going to tell the officer in the lobby about this. We'll see what—"

"How will you convince him?" Steve interrupted.

"I'll…" She drew up short.

"He wouldn't believe you," Steve pressed. "He'd think you were mad. He'd call a doctor and they'd take you away to—" he grinned " — cure you."

"I could take Darren with me," she said unconvincingly. He—"

"— would smile sweetly and ask the kind policeman why his teacher was acting so strangely," Steve chortled.

"You're wrong," Debbie said shakily. "I could convince people."

"Then go ahead," Steve smirked. "You know where the door is. Best of luck. Send us a postcard to let us know how you got on."

"I don't like you," Debbie snarled. "You're cocky and arrogant."

"You don't have to like me," Steve retorted. "This isn't a popularity contest. It's a matter of life and death. I've studied the vampaneze and killed six of them. Darren and Harkat have fought and killed them too. We know what we have to do to put a stop to them. Do you honestly think you have the right to stand there and tell us our business? You hadn't even heard of the vampaneze until a few hours ago!"

Debbie opened her mouth to argue, then closed it. "You're right," she admitted sullenly. "You've risked your lives for the sake of others, and you know more about this than me. I shouldn't be lecturing you. I guess it's the teacher in me." She managed a very feeble smile.

"Then you trust us to deal with it?" I asked. "You'll find a new apartment, maybe move out of the city for a few weeks, until it's over?"

"I trust you," she said, "but if you think I'm running away, you're deluding yourself. I'm staying to fight."

"What are you talking about?" I frowned.

"I'll help you find and kill the vampaneze."

I stared at her, astonished by the simple way she'd put it, as though we were in search of a lost puppy. "Debbie!" I gasped. "Haven't you been listening? These are creatures that can move at super-fast speeds and flick you into the middle of next week with a snap of a finger. What can you — an ordinary human — hope to accomplish?"

"I can explore the tunnels with you," she said, "provide an extra pair of legs, eyes, ears. With me we can split into pairs and cover twice the ground."