Chloe lay in the mess, holding her red cheek. She stared up at Vivian in shock. Vivian had never once raised a hand against her before.
Behind them, Logan gasped loudly. "Damn! What a hit!"
Chloe stared at her in disbelief. "You hit me? You actually hit me?"
Vivian didn’t say a word.
Chloe stared at Helen who looked just as shocked as everyone else.
"How dare..."
Before she could finish, Vivian turned and grabbed the plastic bag full of chimney ash. She had kept it near the back door to surprise chloe with it.
Vivian smiled. "Oh, don’t worry." She ripped the bag open. "You’ll love this."
A cloud of black ash poured directly over Chloe’s head, her blonde hair, face, even her expensive clothes.
"Ack! What are you doing?!" Chloe screamed, choking on the black dust as she tried to wipe her face, only to smear the black grease deeper into her skin.
Vivian knelt down in front of her. She grabbed Chloe’s hair, pulling her head back so their eyes met. Vivian leaned in close, whispering into Chloe’s ear.
"Listen to me carefully, filth," Vivian whispered. "If the zombies come... don’t run. Just stay right there and be a midnight snack for them."
Vivian let go, letting Chloe’s head drop back. Chloe stared at her in shock. She didn’t understand what just happened or what Vivian whispered into her ears.
Vivian stood up, smiling softly, as she gently patted the girl’s dirty hair. "Love you, sis."
Helen let out a loud scream as she rushed to hold her crying daughter. "You monster! You crazy monster! Look what you did to my baby!"
Vivian ignored them. She turned back around, dusting the black soot off her palms.
The black-haired man stepped forward first, with a grin on his handsome face. He grabbed Vivian’s hand and shook it happily.
"I’m Logan!" he said, with excitement. "Man, you are awesome. I like you already. This is Wyatt, my friend."
Vivian gave him a genuine smile. "Nice to meet you, Logan."
Then, her eyes shifted to the man standing right behind him.
He was huge, towering beside her. Were all sentinels this big? He had short silver hair and silver eyes that felt like they were looking through her. He didn’t offer a handshake, and didn’t smile. He just stood there, staring at Vivian with a very intense look in his eyes almost like he was assessing her.
I know what you two really are. Vivian thought, smiling at them. A coward who runs when the world burns. Just wait.
Logan was still biting his lip, trying hard not to laugh out at Chloe, who was crying and rubbing black ash all over her face. Wyatt, however, did not look at Chloe once. His eyes remained on Vivian.
Vivian pulled the hood of her black jacket up.
"Can we go now?" she asked.
Logan smiled, glancing at Wyatt before nodding at her. "Yes."
Vivian didn’t wait for them. She turned her back on her stepmother and stepsister, walking right past the two large Sentinels toward the front door. She didn’t have a suitcase. Everything in this house belonged to her past life, and the Vivian in that life, was gone.
Logan watched her walk out into the sunlight, shaking his head with a grin. "She’s a strange one."
"Yes," Wyatt murmured softly. "She is."