The house was a mess. Haddie was on the couch, arguing with a stray cat she’d apparently made friends with, Carson was stomping around the room yelling “ALLIGATOR!” at the top of his lungs, and Harrison kept teleporting random things into his lap. I didn’t think it could get worse—until Patrick Mahomes walked in.
He didn’t knock. He just appeared in the doorway, calm as ever, but something about him was off. His eyes glowed faintly red, and when he smiled, there were fangs. Actual fangs.
“Hey,” Patrick said casually, leaning against the doorframe. “Y’all got any ketchup?”
I blinked at him. “Ketchup?”
“Yeah,” he said, stepping inside. “I’m... kinda thirsty.”
Haddie stopped mid-conversation with the cat to stare at him. “Are you a vampire now?”
“Yup,” he said, like it was no big deal. “But it’s fine. I’m not allergic to sunlight or garlic or anything. I just have fangs and this weird thing with bats.”
“And you drink blood?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.
“Mostly ketchup,” he replied, holding up an empty bottle he’d apparently brought with him.
Carson bolted over to him, still yelling, “ALLIGATOR!”
Patrick just gave him a confused look. “Uh… okay?”
“Don’t mind him,” I muttered, shaking my head. “He’s still not doing speech therapy."
Patrick shrugged and flopped onto the couch like he’d been invited. “So, what powers did you guys get?”
Harrison grinned and disappeared, only to reappear on the other side of the room. “Teleportation,” he said proudly.
Haddie crossed her arms. “I can talk to animals. And ghosts. Bob’s still mad about breakfast, by the way.”
Patrick raised an eyebrow. “Who’s Bob?”
“Our house ghost,” she said with a shrug.
Patrick nodded like that made perfect sense. “Cool.”
I sighed and rubbed my temples, trying to ignore the buzzing in my head. Ever since the explosion, it was like I could feel things before they happened. Images would flash in my mind—Haddie crying in a field, Harrison teleporting into danger, Carson… well, Carson being Carson.
It was exhausting.
“Hey, Pops,” Haddie said, snapping me out of my thoughts. “You okay?”
“I’m fine,” I lied, shooting her a tired smile. “Just thinking.”
Before she could ask anything else, Harrison grabbed my arm. “We need to talk,” he said quietly, his eyes glinting with something mischievous.
I glanced at Haddie, who was busy scolding the cat, and then focused on the strange hum in the air. It wrapped around me like a second skin, and with a little concentration, both Harrison and I disappeared.
Harrison laughed softly as I led him into the kitchen. “I love this power of yours,” he whispered.
“Don’t get any ideas,” I muttered, though I couldn’t help the smile tugging at my lips.
“She can’t see us,” he said, leaning closer. “And Bob’s not a snitch, right?”
“Bob better not be watching,” I muttered, earning a laugh from him.
For a few moments, it was just us—hidden from the chaos. No Carson screaming, no Haddie chatting with animals, no vampire Mahomes chugging ketchup. Just me and Harrison, stealing a moment of peace in the middle of the madness.
But of course, it didn’t last.
“Alligator!” Carson’s voice echoed through the house, louder than ever.
Patrick’s voice followed. “Hey, who finished the ketchup?!”
Haddie yelled back, “Bob says stop being so loud, or he’s gonna haunt your room!”
Harrison and I reappeared in the kitchen, both of us laughing. I glanced at him, and for the first time since the explosion, I felt like we might actually survive this crazy new world.
Even if it meant living with a vampire quarterback and a house full of chaos.
