Yes, it was white … he kept it that way, held back in a tight braid. It was his mark, the mark every one of his kind knew him by. Nisus had killed m...re of his own kind than most any other vampire and he had killed many more slayers than the next one down the line. ‘You have no idea who you’re dealing with, my dear.’ His voice was silken and sweet, laced with a well-coated Russian accent. It was a voice that drew many prey to him with very little effort. Captivate them and draw them into the web. At 6:30 sharp, there was a knock on the door. Pat picked up her coat and handed me mine saying our ride is here. Susan greeted us as we stepped out the door and said good evening by giving us both a quick kiss. On the way to the restaurant I explained to them about my phone call to the attorney's office leaving out names. Susan caught on first and suggested that maybe my head injury was not the result of the explosion but the explosion may have been the result of firing a gun. Pat asked me. "It's not because of the students," she once told me. "It's the paperwork and the lack of support from the administration. I"m sixty and just can't see myself hanging on there even another week."And why should she? She and her husband had worked hard and invested well. Finances were not a worry for her.So five days a week, young boys and girls filed in and out of her front door with sheet music stuck under their arms. Music, it seemed, became the backdrop of our neighborhood. At any given time,. "I blinked, "What? You can't keep me from having band practice! Bandpractice is different. It's more serious. We are a legit band. You can'tdo this."Am?lie said, "Just so you know I'm serious, because you skipped class anddidn't do your cleaning. You are grounded for a week, starting tomorrow."Rage blinded me as I regarded Am?lie, not as my ex-wife, or as a woman Ihad any respect for, but as an obstacle to everything I wanted to do."And what the hell am I supposed to tell Andrew and Steven?.