We all sit around the mythic Thanksgiving table, loaded up wit the Turkey, and the sides, and every fixing imaginable. As we cut into our meat, Emma and Abigail fight hard to keep a conversation going.

"So, some weather, we're having, huh?"

"Yeah, I think the leaves changing are prettier here than they were in New York."

"Wow, Abigail! The turkey is really good this year, is this a new recipe?" All of this continues, until a knock comes at the door.

Matthias' face contorts in confusion. "Any of you expecting someone?"

"No." We all chorus. Matthias cautiously steps up from his chair, then into the hallway, and to the front door.

"Who is it?" Matthias asks.

"A representative of Vlad's Point." A male's voice comes out.

"What's the weather like there?" Matthias asks, saying the code to confirm that he, in fact, is someone we can trust.

"Has been, will always be, each season colder than the last." He said it right. Suddenly, we're all up from our chairs, and standing in the hallway as Matthias greets a guy around the age that David, Emma, and I present.

"How can we help you?" Matthias is more warm now that he knows that we can trust this boy.

"These are from the Vampiric Council." The boy says. "I'm a page, they call me Mikah."

"Pleasure to meet you, Mikah." Abigail steps forward. "We are the Wayward's. Abigail, and this is my husband Matthias. Our children are David, Emma, And Canada." We all give a slight wave to the boy in our doorway.

"A pleasure. Here is your mail. Please call the council when you have made your decision. They will send a page out to collect your mail." Mikah says.

"Can we fix you a plate for your journey, Mikah?" Abigail offers.

Mikah warms up to Abigail's kindness. "If you wouldn't mind, Madam."

"It would be our pleasure." She offers a little bow.

"I'd prefer it be on a disposable plate, if you are able to. Unfortunately, other houses need their mail." Mikah says.

"But of course." Abigail struts into the kitchen. A few moments later, she comes out with a plate, and a disposable travel cup. "Some things for the road. O negative is in the cup."

"Thank you, madam."

"It is our honor to serve a member of the Vampiric Council."

"I shall be off to my next house, enjoy your evening, everyone." Mikah offers a small wave, and turns on his heel to walk away.

"You as well." Matthias nods, closing the door. "Let's go discuss this at the table."

We all assemble back at the table, the food and the conversations at the table long forgotten.

"Has a new leader been elected?" Abigail asks as Matthias slides an opener over the envelope.

"No, we've still got another ten years of Na'im is still alive." Matthias' forehead creases, as he pulls out the letter. "It reads, 'Matthias Wayward, it is our highest honor to invite you, as well as the rest of your guild, to this decade's Feast of Restoration.'"

All of us gasp at this. None of us were expecting go so soon.

"But wait! It gets better, 'You all have been granted level A acceptance.'" Abigail peaks over Matthias's shoulder.

"That's the highest level." Emma says.

"I thought they only gave those out when someone in your guild is speaking." David says. All of us share wide eyed look before going ripping into ours.

"Aren't you going to look?" Matthias asks.

Abigail smiles at her husband. "No, I spoke twelve years ago."

"Maybe they liked it so much they'll want you back, again." Matthias kisses Abigail's knuckle.

"Nah."

"Not in mine." David puts his on the table.

"Not in-"

I don't hear the rest of what Emma's says. I'm just focused, staring at the paper in my hands.

"Canada?" Abigail puts her hand on my arm.

" 'Dear Canada Wayward, you, as well as the rest of your guild, are invited to this decade's Feast of Restoration. It has also been requested that you speak at this years festivities-'"

Emma lets at 'whoop' and David slugs me in the shoulder.

"Congrats, kiddo." Matthias nods his head in my direction.

"Thanks, but it uh... it doesn't tell me what I'm supposed to talk about."

"You come up with it. Explain to them something that you have special insight on." Abigail explains.

"I don't really have special insight on anything."

"Pardon my french, but I call bull." David furrows his eyebrows.

"You could do one on how music impacts morale." Emma suggests.

"Yeah. I'll go with that one."

Matthias disagrees, but decides not to say it like he wants to. "You don't have to come up with one overnight. You've still got a month to write it."

"That's not enough time."

"Hey, you're going to do great, no matter what you chose your topic as." Abigail smiles in my direction.

"Thank you."

"I've got a good suggestion for you." David says.

"What is it?" I ask.

"Why Twilight is completely inaccurate." David says.

Everyone at the table laughs a little bit. Even me, just a little bit.

Finally, it was Abigail and I's day to go and get that promised expensive coffee. Said expensive coffee was a Starbucks, thirty minutes outside of Clare. A playlist of Abigail's favorite songs through the ages plays in the background. We don't really say much. I think we're just saving it up for when we do get coffee. Finally, we pull into the parking lot, and get out of the car.

"So exciting, I can't remember the last time I got Starbucks." Abigail pushes open the door.

"Me neither." I say.

"I hope it isn't too complicated." She holds the door open for me, letting me pass through. "Oh, who am I kidding, it totally is."

"What do you think you'll get?" I ask.

"Oh, probably a mocha, you?"

"Maybe just some tea." I walk up to the counter with Abigail right behind.

"Count on Canada to always be the one who gets the simplest drink at the most elaborate coffee franchise in the whole world." Abigail smirks.

"Guess you could just say it's my style." I say, shrugging a little bit.

"Ladies, are you ready to take your order?" The Barista asks.

"Yes. I would like one large mocha, please."

"Okay, and you, ma'am?"

"One tea, please."

"What type?"

"Jade citrus mint." I decide, after looking up at the green menu.

"What size?"

"Medium, please."

"Make it a large." Abigail interjects.

"Are you sure?"

"Hey, it's my treat." Abigail says, shrugging her shoulders.

"Thanks, Abigail."

"My pleasure." Abigail responds while swiping her card.

"I'll have your orders out in just a few minutes." The barista says, walking behind the counter and working her magic. Soon enough, she brought out the two beverages. We both express our gratitude, and sit at the booth in the back.

"So, how's school been?" Madelyn asks.

"It's been good. How about work?"

"Oh, you know, there's never really a dull moment." Abigail reminisces "One minute its calm as night, then there's a boy in room three who swallowed Tide Pods, and a girl in room eight who needs twenty stitches."

"Sounds rough."

"I just try not to use the 'Q' word while at work."

"The Q word?"

"Quiet." She whispers as if it were still taboo, nodding and smiling. "What have you been working on at school?"

"Oh, just a little bit of everything. Earth science is pretty fun."

"And the guy who sits next to you is pretty fun, too, huh?"

"I guess." I pull the stirrer out of the mug. "He doesn't like me, though."

"And what makes you think that?" She asks.

"Because he's said so."

"You know, boys say a lot of stupid things."

"Even Matthias?" I ask.

"Even Matthias, sometimes." Abigail sighs. "I wonder if the opposing sex thinks the same about us."

"I'm sure they do."

"Well, if we can say it, so can they." Abigail mixes her drink with her straw. "Still got any ideas about what you're going to talk about at the convention?"

"Emma's idea doesn't sound so bad." I say. "But then again, neither does David's."

"I'm sure that you would be agreed with, no matter what you say."

"I don't fear opposition, I fear looking like an idiot, or doing what everyone else does. -Wait, didn't you do one a few years ago?"

"Yes, I did." Abigail nods, a small smile finding its way onto her face.

"What was your topic?"

"Our..." She glances up at the counter, and to the barista who's moved to staring at her phone. "Bodies, and anatomy and the... changes that occur." She uses a much quieter tone when she talks about this.

"Sorry..."

"Nothing to be sorry about, you were curious, that's all." Abigail's voice returns to a normal level. "Maybe you should watch, for inspiration, or something."

"Yeah, I think I will."

"I'll have to send that to you later."

"...Announcing, Abigail Wayward" The announcer calls out on Abigail's recording she sent me. Abigail walks out onto the stage, and the camera goes to a couple of shots of the audience.

"Thank you, yes, like the announcer says, my name is Abigail. Over my hundreds of years of being a vampire, I have acquired several degrees, however, most of them have to do with biology, and medicine. Recently, my husband and I have welcomed two new editions into our guild. Now, they were both very ill, and very young. I wanted to know everything I could about these children. So, I went and looked on the library, however, what little information I could find, was spread through out, and would sometimes even contradict itself."

She's so confident, and calm. Her hands flow perfectly with her words. The remote she has clutched in her hands that will probably show off various slides. She speaks with a sort of passion I've never heard her speak with. How am I supposed to be able to be like this?

"So, I ask all of you to join me on this trip through our anatomy, shall we?" It skips to an image that says 'First Phase' "The first phase is the actual bite itself. If, you can call it a bite. Really, it's when venom goes into the body. From there, all of the blood rushes into the stomach, which will later be disposed through waste, or just by sweat. This is why we are as light as a feather.

"A certain chemical compound, Adenosine Triphosphate, or ATP, begins running through our veins. This will replace our blood, and it acts just the same as blood, regenerating as needed, and keeping our heart pumping. Due to the lack of blood, the body begins craving it, it believes it needs to do this to survive, but it doesn't anymore.

"So, that's where blood thirst and strength comes from, now let's talk about where abilities and sense come from. This is also the start of stage two. Usually, due to this dramatic change in the physical body, the person usually passes out, however there have been some vampires, who have been fully awake during there mental transition. These people, just about all of them who have spoken to reporters in our community, have relayed how painful it is, when you're awake.

"I also believe that it should be mentioned that, fifty percent of those who transition through this period, may not make it out alive. Not in the sense that we all consider ourselves to be dead because we're vampire's, but dead by the human's sense of the words. Dead, as in they will never see another day. Some of the factors are the pain of the venom, the speed at which the body creates, produces, and distributes ATP, also, you're chance of surviving the mental state, while awake, if only 25%."

Holy heck. I know Matthias was awake for his. What was it like for him? Was it as painful as she said, or more? Did he know that he could be dying, right then and there.

"Assuming the person lives through the mental state, and assuming that they were asleep while this was happening, they will remain in that coma until the body is ready. It can be anywhere from two days to two weeks. One of my children took three days, while the other took fourteen. But, when Emma woke up, her brother, David, said that she always new how to make a dramatic entrance."

She pauses while the crowd laughs, and I feel the corners of my mouth lift up a little bit.

"Now, let's talk about everyone's favorite topic: abilities. I personally don't have one, and neither does my husband. However, our daughter does. She has the ability to manipulate people into doing as she pleases. She can make anyone tell the truth, or, she can create an army, should she so desire to. But she won't.

"Now, this isn't like Twilight, the movie that's not as bad at portraying vampires as say, Dracula, but still really bad, where your mortal abilities get magnified as a vampire. No human mortal, to my knowledge, can read minds, see the future, or control and feel others emotions. Rather, this has something to do with the brain. You see, if the body is bitten when it is deceased, as part of the booting up process, it realizes the parts of the brain that we don't use. The part of our brain that gives us enhanced abilities, and enhanced senses.

"Now, how fresh a body can be for it to live as a vampire, is still unknown. There is still plenty of knowledge that needs to be gathered about this field of study. There is a lot we don't know. I look forward to seeing the research that the council puts out. Thank you everyone."

And then she just walks off stage. Just like the total boss she is. She walks off with confidence. She walks off knowing full darn well that she just won the whole night. How many questions was she asked that night? How often did people point to her, and say, 'Hey, it's that genius who put together all of the information on the transformation of vampires'?

As she walks off stage, I feel my nerves walk onto me. I slowly begin to realize, just how much trouble I'm in.

"So, I heard you watched Abigail's speech today." Matthias is the first to speak, breaking the silence at dinner.

"Yeah, you did a really great job. I'll doubt I'll be able to top that."

"Of course you will." Abigail reassures.

"And it's not about topping others, it's about sharing information and knowledge." Matthias explains.

"I know, it's just..." I don't bother with speaking any others words in that sentence, I know they won't make sense.

"I get it, kiddo." Matthias says. "This is all new to you, but I'm sure you'll be great."

"Thanks, Matthias."

"Any decision on a topic yet?" Emma asks.

"I think I'll do one on music... and assistance with mental health."

Emma smiles with pride. "Ooh, good one."

"Or the one on Twilight."

"I already talked about Twilight in my speech." Abigail says.

"But hear me out, a whole speech dedicated to them."

"It's always an option. But wouldn't you rather do it when you get to say your speech?" I ask.

"Actually, don't do one on Twilight, that's the one I want to do." David says.

"What'd you do one on, Emma?" Matthias turns to face Emma.

"I'll cross that bridge when I get to it." Emma says.

"Always keep one in mind, you never know." Matthias advises, actually real caution in his voice.