Amplified by Alexia Purdy Page A

than the other, but it had clearly been stocked in advance. Several vials were obviously blood specimens, some the rich red color you’d expect them to be while others were the dark black-red of feral blood. Blood was the new gold in this day and age. There was nothing more precious or more fragile than the red, viscous life sloshing about in our bodies.
    The urge to grab one and tilt it into my hand to watch the blood flow back and forth in small, tiny waves was overwhelming. My fingers itched to touch the glass containers, so I stuffed them into my pockets and remained seated on my stool. Besides, it was easier to not reach over and snap Rick’s neck if my hands weren’t available.
    I wondered which vials held my blood as I craned my neck to read some of the labels. When I’d mentioned to Mercer about being a drained, little human, I wasn’t kidding. The effects of the anemia made me overwhelmingly exhausted, thirsty and lightheaded if I stood up too fast. After taking a shower and wiping the steam off the mirror of the bathroom, I’d found an unfamiliar pallor of yellowish gray to my skin, replacing the previously healthy pink glow. It had made me wince as I took in my reflection, my lips a dusty pink, pale and delicate. It had flared up a bit of resentment toward Mercer and Rick, but I shook it off momentarily, promising myself they’d get their just desserts in due time. These freaks had to slip up sooner or later, and I had to recover from the draining before I could even think about fighting with anyone.
    I hated feeling helpless. Already so used to being a hybrid human, which had given me so much strength and agility, I felt a sense of utter loss at being drained. At least I was sure to recover fast. Still, if only I had some vampire blood, it would speed up the process.
    I cleared my throat. Rick d idn’t even look up. “Rick.”
    “I ’m quite busy.”
    “I don ’t care.”
    He put down a vial and smiled as he finished dropping a couple tablets into it, causing it to fizz up. “I knew you were stubborn, but you really need to let me work.”
    “Worst of the worst.”
    He peeked over his glasses, shiny blue eyes framed with tiny crow’s feet wrinkling around them as he continued to grin. “Helen would chat with me sometimes, when I was able to see her, and she spoke highly of you and your wild ways. She had so much respect for her wayward daughter. She was very proud to be your mother.” Was that a hint of sadness in his voice?
    It only caused the anger to resurface inside me , and my mood darkened at the mention of my mother. I flicked my eyes down to the black counter, willing the bubbling resentment away.
    “Sorry, I didn ’t mean to upset you.”
    I shrugged. “Doesn ’t matter.” But it did. “Did you find anything in my blood that makes a difference?”
    Moving his eyes down in shame, he swirled the vial in his fingers until the fizzy liquid turned a pale violet and then morphed into a deep maroon red.
    “Well, I ’ve found several differences between your blood and your mother’s.” He lifted the vial and poured it into several test tubes he had propped up in a rack. “I’ve isolated several red blood cells that defy the definition of a blood cell. It’s like they’re super red blood cells, filled with energy and resistant to injury. Your T-cells are abnormally large, too. In fact, the entire makeup of your blood is mutated compared to a normal human’s blood. It’s not very obvious, but I see the differences.” He peeked up at me again, a serious but excited twinkle lingering in his eyes. It only made me shift in my seat even more. “It’s like you’ve adapted to this virus, assimilating it, and it has enhanced your entire body.”
    “The Hulk. That ’s me. I’m relieved I don’t have to turn green, though.”
    He laughed , and so did I. As much as I despised Rick, I was glad the somber mood was gone.
    “Well, not quite, but not too far off. You could very well be the