Free The Fangs of Bloodhaven by Cheree Alsop

Ad?”
    She skipped around Everett touching his hair, his clothes, and his hands before he shoved them in his pockets.
    “The street,” Adrielle replied.
    Chirit’s eyes widened and she stepped back. “You mean, you’ve been out there ?” she breathed.
    “I always go out there,” Adrielle said with a hint of exasperation as though she explained the same thing often. “It’s not that bad.”
    “Bad humans,” Chowder huffed.
    “Yeah,” Chirit echoed. “They’re not nice. Who wants to be shot full of bullet holes?”
    “I told you they don’t have guns anymore,” Adrielle replied. “They were taken away after the Ending War. You know that.”
    “They have knives,” Chirit said. “I don’t know why you risk yourself.”
    “She no look like monster,” Chowder said before burying his head in the snow.
    Chirit gave this a thought and nodded. She looked Everett up and down one more time. “If there’re more of these out there, maybe I should join you.”
    “By these , you mean Everett,” Adrielle replied. “Everett, meet Chirit, and I hope there aren’t more of him out there.”
    Everett glanced at her as he shook the girl’s hand, wondering what she meant. Her expression was unreadable when she met his gaze.
    “Well, the pleasure is mine,” Chirit said. “Are you just passing through or are you planning to stay a while?”
    “Passing through, I think,” Everett replied, looking to Adrielle for confirmation. “This place is amazing.”
    Chirit nodded. “It’s not bad, as far as a multi-level Monster Asylum with alternating climates, landscapes, and weather systems can be, I suppose.”
    Adrielle laughed. “Come on, Rett. We’ve got a few more places to visit.”
    She led Everett through the snow to the stairs.
    “Oh, Rett. I like that,” Chirit called. “I could get used to it. Rett and Chirit. It kind-of rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?”
    “What would Kai think?” Adrielle asked down the stairs.
    “Kai, who?” Chirit replied.
    “Oh, he would be so heartbroken if he heard her say that,” Adrielle told Everett.
    She pushed the door open to reveal the next level. To Everett’s surprise, the floor was entirely ordinary. Instead of sand, snow, or misty tree-filled environments, it had a white tile floor, a few tables with computers, a video player and a screen, two couches, and a small kitchen area.
    “Hurry,” Adrielle said, pulling Everett toward the next flight of stairs at almost a run. “Let’s get going. There’s lots to show you and—”
    “I was getting worried.”
    Adrielle stopped dead in her tracks. Everett barely managed to keep from tripping over her. He caught one of his own feet with the other and had to do a two-step jump skip maneuver to keep from falling on his face.
    “Nice,” the voice said.
    Everett straightened to find himself looking at the most normal individual he had seen since entering the Asylum.
    The man gave him a small smile. “I’m Dr. Transton,” he said, holding out a hand.
    Everett reminded himself not to smile. Adrielle’s words of warning about the man swirled around his mind. He barely lifted his lips enough to say, “Everett Masterson. It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”
    Dr. Transton looked at Adrielle. “You usually bring visitors to me before giving them the tour.” He didn’t sound upset, merely confused.
    Adrielle studied the floor. “Um, I guess I just got caught up in showing him around and forgot to head here first.”
    “Don’t you have to go through each floor to get here?” Everett asked, confused.
    “There’s an elevator,” Adrielle and Dr. Transton said at the same time.
    Unsure what to say in reply, Everett went with, “This place is incredible. I never knew there were so many, uh...”
    “Monsters,” Dr. Transton finished. “You can say it. All of the individuals here understand that they are in fact monsters attempting to survive in a normal human society. The word carries no weight; it is merely