above Lago di Molveno in the Alps. They say it’s been there for centuries, the oldest parts overbuilt with newer stone. Sometimes someone stupid enough to be trying to prove his bravery would go up there. Some never returned, some came back and never spoke of what they saw, and a few told tales of shadows coming to life, terrible things never quite seen in the darkness, strange cultists. Scare story stuff. One man said he was shown a room under the castle where the darkness itself was alive. It spoke to him, but he never revealed what it said.’
‘Creepy Italian folk tales, Mom? How did my great-grandmother know about this anyway? I didn’t think your side of the family came from the Alps.’
‘Not after Frederico Neroni came back from the castle, no. They moved to Rome, and then America. He always said he wanted his family as far away from Schatten Schloss as possible, but they would never be able to go far enough.’
‘Your maiden name is Neroni,’ Andrea said, suddenly feeling cold.
‘Frederico would have been your great-great-great-grandfather. You’re shivering. Let’s go down.’
Andrea nodded and turned away from the darkness.
31 st March.
‘Don’t forget to call when you get back,’ Audrey reminded her daughter as they walked toward the gate. ‘And you could send a few more emails, maybe call a little more often?’
‘I’ll try, Mom,’ Andrea replied, grinning. In truth, she knew she had been avoiding too much communication since it reduced the lies, and now she could tell the truth. ‘I really will.’
‘Glad to hear it,’ Marcus said. ‘I’ll watch out for you on ACPN.’
‘They want to do an interview with me and Cygnus. I’m not sure–’
‘Do it. It’s about time you got more of the credit.’ He held up a hand. ‘I know you say you prefer to leave the press to Cygnus, but I bet she wants you to be seen more.’
‘Uh… yeah. The interviewers asked for her and she wants me on it too.’
Marcus nodded. ‘You do it, and you don’t be modest. I hate to say this, girl, but you’re going to be going public now and you’re going to need good press.’
‘Okay, you’re right, I’ll do it. They’re boarding, I’d better go.’ She gave each of them a quick kiss on the cheek and then turned, rushing to join the end of the queue.
‘She will be okay, won’t she?’ Audrey said, watching her leave.
‘She’ll be fine,’ Marcus replied. ‘She takes after her mother.’
‘It’s my side of the family I’m worried about.’
New Millennium City, MD, 1 st April.
The woman in the long, red coat stepped out of the back of a black limousine and the doorman of the Queen’s Hotel in Uptown rushed forward to help her. It was mostly down to the long legs, which showed as she stretched them out of the car, but the smile she gave him helped a lot.
Then the two men appeared from the other side, one very large with a solid jaw and a crew cut, the other smaller and slimmer, but somehow carrying more of an air of menace. The doorman backed off as the woman’s companions flanked her on the way into the hotel.
‘Miss Diamante has a reservation,’ the larger of the two men stated to the receptionist.
The young woman smiled and tapped at some keys. ‘Oh, yes, the Royal Suite. Length of stay?’
‘I’m not sure,’ the woman in red replied, smiling. ‘It could be extended. I believe I’m going to like New Millennium City.’
~~~
Andrea looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. It was the first time she had worn her catsuit since the ‘accident’ and now that she was dressed and ready to go out, she was not sure she could do it. Her stomach was knotting at the thought of facing a fight, and she was even unsure about teleporting.
‘You aren’t dressed,’ Twilight said.
‘I am, I… Oh…’ Turning, she went to the bed and picked up her cowl. Then she closed her eyes, pulled it on over her head, tucked it into the neck of her suit, and…
‘It’s good to be
‘Creepy Italian folk tales, Mom? How did my great-grandmother know about this anyway? I didn’t think your side of the family came from the Alps.’
‘Not after Frederico Neroni came back from the castle, no. They moved to Rome, and then America. He always said he wanted his family as far away from Schatten Schloss as possible, but they would never be able to go far enough.’
‘Your maiden name is Neroni,’ Andrea said, suddenly feeling cold.
‘Frederico would have been your great-great-great-grandfather. You’re shivering. Let’s go down.’
Andrea nodded and turned away from the darkness.
31 st March.
‘Don’t forget to call when you get back,’ Audrey reminded her daughter as they walked toward the gate. ‘And you could send a few more emails, maybe call a little more often?’
‘I’ll try, Mom,’ Andrea replied, grinning. In truth, she knew she had been avoiding too much communication since it reduced the lies, and now she could tell the truth. ‘I really will.’
‘Glad to hear it,’ Marcus said. ‘I’ll watch out for you on ACPN.’
‘They want to do an interview with me and Cygnus. I’m not sure–’
‘Do it. It’s about time you got more of the credit.’ He held up a hand. ‘I know you say you prefer to leave the press to Cygnus, but I bet she wants you to be seen more.’
‘Uh… yeah. The interviewers asked for her and she wants me on it too.’
Marcus nodded. ‘You do it, and you don’t be modest. I hate to say this, girl, but you’re going to be going public now and you’re going to need good press.’
‘Okay, you’re right, I’ll do it. They’re boarding, I’d better go.’ She gave each of them a quick kiss on the cheek and then turned, rushing to join the end of the queue.
‘She will be okay, won’t she?’ Audrey said, watching her leave.
‘She’ll be fine,’ Marcus replied. ‘She takes after her mother.’
‘It’s my side of the family I’m worried about.’
New Millennium City, MD, 1 st April.
The woman in the long, red coat stepped out of the back of a black limousine and the doorman of the Queen’s Hotel in Uptown rushed forward to help her. It was mostly down to the long legs, which showed as she stretched them out of the car, but the smile she gave him helped a lot.
Then the two men appeared from the other side, one very large with a solid jaw and a crew cut, the other smaller and slimmer, but somehow carrying more of an air of menace. The doorman backed off as the woman’s companions flanked her on the way into the hotel.
‘Miss Diamante has a reservation,’ the larger of the two men stated to the receptionist.
The young woman smiled and tapped at some keys. ‘Oh, yes, the Royal Suite. Length of stay?’
‘I’m not sure,’ the woman in red replied, smiling. ‘It could be extended. I believe I’m going to like New Millennium City.’
~~~
Andrea looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. It was the first time she had worn her catsuit since the ‘accident’ and now that she was dressed and ready to go out, she was not sure she could do it. Her stomach was knotting at the thought of facing a fight, and she was even unsure about teleporting.
‘You aren’t dressed,’ Twilight said.
‘I am, I… Oh…’ Turning, she went to the bed and picked up her cowl. Then she closed her eyes, pulled it on over her head, tucked it into the neck of her suit, and…
‘It’s good to be
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