"Umm, excuse me," Rachel interrupted, her confused gaze on Marguerite. "Did you say your children?"
"Yes." Marguerite smiled.
"But you're far too young to--"
"Thank you, dear," Marguerite interrupted with a laugh. "But I am much older than I look."
Rachel's eyes narrowed. "How much older?"
"I'm seven hundred and thirty-six."
Rachel blinked, then cleared her throat. "Seven hundred and thirty-six?" she echoed.
"Yes, dear." Marguerite nodded.
Rachel nodded.
They all nodded.
Then Rachel shook her head, closed her eyes, and Etienne distinctly caught the words, "I'm still dreaming. But it's turned into a nightmare again."
Much to Etienne's surprise, his mother burst out laughing again and patted her hand. "It's not a dream. Or a nightmare. Or even a wet dream," she explained. "This is all really happening. We are--though we don't much care for the term--vampires, and I really am seven hundred and thirty-six years old."
"I see." Rachel nodded again, then closed her eyes and shook her head.
Her eyes blinked open and she cried out in surprised pain as Marguerite reached over and pinched her. "You aren't dreaming," the woman said. "That pinch would have woken you up. This is all really happening. We are vampires. And you are now, too."
"You say that like it's a good thing," Rachel muttered. Then she added, "This whole family is loony."
"Perhaps if Bastien were to explain the scientific basis of it," Greg said suddenly. He wore a sympathetic look that reminded Etienne he had only recently dealt with all of this himself.
"Yes." Bastien stood and moved to join Rachel on the sofa. Etienne watched Marguerite get up and move to the bar to poke around in the fridge. He suspected his mother was having a little drink from his private stock of blood. He doubted if any of them had stopped to feed before coming over. They were all concerned about this matter. Pudge's knowledge and obsession was a threat to them all.
"You see," Bastien began, taking Rachel's hand and smiling at her in a way Etienne didn't care for." 'Vampire' is a term that we didn't choose. It was applied to us, and we accept its expediency when dealing with mortals--er... non-vampire types, I mean. But it isn't quite correct."
"It isn't?" Rachel sounded wary.
"No. At least not in the way that vampires have come to be known. We aren't this way due to any curse," Bastien explained, "or because God shunned us. Hence the reason religious symbols have no effect on us."
"I see," Rachel said slowly.
"We are not possessed by demons who contort our facial features and who feed on or delight in torturing people."
"Uh-huh."
"There is a scientific explanation and basis for our state."
That caught her attention. She was listening, Etienne noted with relief.
"You see, our ancestors are very old," Bastien explained. "They're from before Roman times, before the birth of Christ. Before recorded history, actually."
"Oh?" Rachel was looking uncertain again.
"Yes. Our original home was a place some people refer to as Atlantis."
"Ah." Etienne knew from Rachel's tone of voice that Bastien was losing her again. She had that skeptical look on her face once more.
"Our scientists there were quite advanced. They developed... well, the easiest explanation is a sort of nano."