A Drop Of Haunted Blood

Chapter One: Swords, Stones, and Potted Plants

Felix glared at the racoon perched on top of the trash can. "Listen, buddy," he said. "I respect you, but if you don't let me throw this bag in there, we're going to have a problem." He took a slow step forward. The raccoon didn't budge.

"Seriously, my sister has a sword. Don't make me get her." Felix doubted Helena would be eager to use her weapon on the local wildlife, but that was the only comforting thought he could come up with. Thick gray clouds blocked the first rays of morning sun, and the lights from his house weren't doing much to illuminate the driveway, leaving him uneasy.

The raccoon's head tipped to the side. Did it understand that it was being threatened? What were the chances it had rabies? The last thing Felix needed was a trip to the hospital. But he was already running late, and if he missed the bus again this week, Mom would definitely stop letting him stay out late with the tennis team.

"All right. You asked for it." Felix lifted the trash bag and swung. The raccoon hissed and flashed its upsettingly large fangs before leaping off the trash can and into the bushes. Felix stumbled forward. He crashed into the trash can and the whole thing tipped over, spilling bags onto the driveway.

There was a decent chance Mom was watching him from the kitchen window, so he bit back a string of curses as he righted the trash can and shoved the bags back inside as quickly as possible. He added this morning's trash on top, slammed the lid shut, and turned around. The raccoon sat on its hind legs ten feet away, eyes on him.

"The hell is your problem?" Felix had never had particularly strong feelings about raccoons, but this same unnaturally large one had been out here every morning for the past week.

The raccoon blinked. Felix shuddered.

When he walked back into the kitchen, Helena looked up from the textbook she was reading and crammed another bite of cereal into her mouth. As usual, she'd gotten up early enough to be ready long before everyone else was even awake. Her dirty blonde hair was pulled up in a ponytail, and she wore a bright blue shirt with her university's logo on it. Her longsword lay across the counter in front of her. Felix could already hear Mom's lecture about leaving weapons there.

Helena swallowed. "You okay?" She asked, a frown crossing her face.

"I'm fine," Felix told her. He rested his arms on the counter and leaned forward so that he could see his face reflected in the sword's shiny blade. "That raccoon was out there again."

May walked into the room at the same moment the words left his mouth. "Aw, are you still scared of that raccoon?" she teased.

Felix groaned. "I'm not scared of it. I just don't want rabies!" His reflection's green eyes narrowed. "And it was your turn to take out the trash, anyway."

"Then why'd you do it?" May asked.

"You were taking one of your long ass showers, and the bus is going to be here in five minutes!"

"I'm not going to school today," May said. She tucked a piece of her chin-length brown hair behind her ear. "Neither is Ezra."

Felix looked up. "What? Why not?"

"We have a doctor's appointment."

"Why don't I have one?"

"It's a twin thing."

Helena rolled her eyes. "It's not a twin thing. They need booster shots before they go to college this fall." She closed the textbook she'd been reading, and Felix's brain hurt just seeing the words 'Advanced Physics' on the cover. "May, we should go look for that raccoon later today and make sure it's not—" She cleared her throat. "Make sure it doesn't have rabies."