She has regained her capacity for joy. This is what she was meant to be, before her thug of a father did his best to ruin her. ‘Since this seems to...be a day for announcing good news,’ he said, getting his wife’s nod of permission, ‘I can tell you that…’ ‘What? You too?’ She rushed to Ariana, then suddenly checked herself. She gave a full curtsy, heedless of the mud on her boots and splashed around the hem of her gown and cloak. She stood and looked Ariana full in the face. ‘My lady, please. “No wonder his growth is such exponential”.“Forget the youngsters; even old ones like us could have had a spike in battle power if we consumed a legendry perfect dark attribute’s essence”.“Some of us had a slow start on the cultivation path that cost us our youthful looks. Although we can live now for thousands and thousands of years, having to live by looking like an old men and women ... with treasures like this kid was fortunate to use, retrieving our youthfulness might not have been. And yet, you were in two places at the same time. This doesn’t happen with our regular residents, so I can only assume it’s because you’re a mortal. Whatever it is, it’s dangerous. What if you’d killed him?”The thought of Mr. Simmons as a vampire made Caroline shudder.“I just wanted to...” Caroline wasn’t sure what her intent had been.“Punish him?” suggested Chad.“Yes!” yipped Caroline. “He’s an awful man, who wants to hurt innocent girls.”Chad sighed.“I shouldn’t have put you with Bob. He has. (The Henderson family members don't really call their house 'Henderson Manor." That's just me, talking. I guess I'd seen too many Batman movies at an impressionable age.) The homecoming reception we were receiving -- myself included -- was far warmer than the first time I had visited this house. Tess' father (and, to a lesser extent, her brother, Roy, Jr.) had been suspicious of me on that occasion. He had been a little put out about the fact that I was the one to whom Tess was -- well --.