Melinda looked a little embarrassed. "Sorry I had to wake you up in the middle of the night and drag you into this mess."
As they spoke, Dick pushed the shop door open for his sister, and Melinda went in first.
"But... well, these are the people we have to meet. We don't really have a choice."
Dick surveyed the shop, which looked so normal it was abnormal, and joked, "Then you'll have to buy me a waffle for a midnight snack on our way out."
Melinda smiled and agreed. "That's perfectly reasonable."
The shop was brightly lit, strung with decorative colored lights and little flags. Boxes of waffles sat on the surrounding shelves, and an employee in an apron was working at the counter.
Nothing seemed wrong at all-or perhaps that was the biggest problem.
A short-haired girl wearing nothing but a crop top and denim shorts came up to them. Her skin was pale, the ends of her hair stuck out wildly in every direction, and a few adhesive bandages dotted her face and body. They looked less like treatment for injuries than some kind of decoration.
"You must be Melinda Grayson-Lin. I work for Mary."
The girl looked bold, enthusiastic, and full of energy. As she spoke, Dick noticed the two pointed canines showing in her mouth.
Clearly, she was a vampire too.
"I'm Melinda Grayson-Lin, and this is my..."
Melinda was about to introduce Dick when the vampire shop girl waved her off.
"Ha, don't be nervous. No need to explain. Bringing a bodyguard is fine. If that makes you feel safer around us, we'll go along with it."
The shop girl turned and motioned for them to follow. "What I mean is, it doesn't actually make any difference, but it's your choice."
Her tone was