Dead in the Family (Sookie Stackhouse #10)(28)
Author: Charlaine Harris

Maybe tomorrow we’ll go up together. I’ll show you the rooms you can go into and the rooms that Claude is using.

I glanced up to see that Remy was looking from Hunter to me, and he didn’t know whether to be relieved or worried that I could talk to his son in a way he could not.

"Remy, it’s okay," I said. "I grew up, and it got easier. I know this is going to be tough, but at least Hunter is a bright boy with a sound body. His little problem is just … less straightforward than most other kids’."

"That’s a good way to look at it." But Remy’s worry didn’t diminish.

"You want a drink?" I said, not sure what to do with Remy now. Hunter had asked me silently if he could unpack his bag, and I’d told him – the same way – that unpacking was fine with me. He’d already unloaded a little backpack full of toys onto the bedroom floor.

"No, thank you. I got to get going."

It was unpleasant to realize that I spooked Remy in the same way his son spooked other people. Remy might need my help, and I could tell he thought I was a pretty woman, but I could also see that I gave him the creeps. "Is the visitation in Red Ditch?" I asked. That was the town where Remy and Hunter lived. It was about an hour and a quarter’s drive southeast from Bon Temps.

"No, in Homer. So this is kind of on the way. If you run into any problems, just call my cell and I can come pick him up on the way home. Otherwise, I’ll stay the night in Homer, go to the funeral at ten tomorrow, stay for the lunch at my cousin’s home afterward, and pick Hunter up later in the afternoon, if that suits you."

"We’ll be fine," I said, which was sheer bravado on my part. I hadn’t taken care of kids since I’d sat with my friend Arlene’s young ‘uns, way back when. I didn’t want to think about that; friendships that end bitterly are always sad. Those kids probably hated me now. "I’ve got videos we can watch, and a puzzle or two, and even some coloring books."

"Where?" Hunter asked, looking around like he expected to see a Toys "R" Us.

"You say good-bye to your daddy, and we’ll go looking for them," I told him.

"Bye, Dad," Hunter said, waving a casual hand at Remy.

Remy looked nonplussed. "Want to give me a hug, champ?"

Hunter held up his arms, and Remy picked him up and swung him around.

Hunter giggled. Remy smiled over the child’s shoulder. "That’s my boy," he said. "Be good for your aunt Sookie. Don’t forget your manners. I’ll see you tomorrow." He put Hunter down.

"Okay," Hunter said, quite matter-of-factly.

Remy had been expecting a big fuss, since he’d never been away from the boy for so long. He glanced at me, then shook his head with a smile. He was laughing at himself, which I thought was a good reaction.

I wondered how long Hunter’s calm acceptance would last. Hunter looked up at me. "I’ll be okay," he said, and I realized he was reading my mind and interpreting my thought in his own way. Though I’d had this experience before, it had been filtered through an adult’s sensibility, and we’d had the fun of experimenting with combining our telepathy to see what happened. Hunter wasn’t filtering and rearranging my thoughts as someone older would.

After hugging his son again, Remy left reluctantly. Hunter and I found the coloring books. It turned out that Hunter liked to color more than anything else in the world. I settled him at the table in the kitchen and turned my attention to supper preparation. I could have cooked a meal from scratch, but I figured something that required little attention would be best the first time he stayed with me. You like Hamburger Helper? I asked silently. He looked up, and I showed him the box.

I like that, Hunter said, recognizing the picture. He seemed to turn all his attention back to the turtle and butterfly scene he was coloring. The turtle was green and brown, approved turtle colors, but Hunter had gone to town on the butterfly. It was magenta, yellow, blue, and emerald green … and he hadn’t finished it yet. I noted that staying in the lines was not Hunter’s main goal. Which was okay.

Kristen used to make Hamburger Helper, he told me. Kristen had been Remy’s girlfriend. Remy had told me he and Kristen had broken up over her inability to accept Hunter’s special gift. Not so surprisingly, Kristen had come to believe Hunter was creepy. Adults had thought I was a weird kid, too. Though I understood that now, at the time it had been painful. She was scared of me, Hunter said, and he looked up for a second. I could understand that look.

She just didn’t understand, I said. There aren’t many people like us.

Am I the only other one?

No. I know one other, a guy. He’s a grown-up. He lives in Texas.

Is he okay?

I wasn’t sure what Hunter meant by "okay" until I looked at his thoughts a little longer. The little boy was thinking of his dad and some other men he admired – men who had jobs and wives or girl-friends, men who worked. Regular men.

Yes, I answered. He found a way to make a living with it. He works for vampires. You can’t hear vampires.

I never met one. Really?

The doorbell rang. "I’ll be back in a minute," I told Hunter, and I walked swiftly to the front door. I used the peephole. My caller was a young vampire female – presumably Heidi, the tracker. My cell phone rang. I fished it out of my pocket.

"Heidi should be there," Pam said. "Has she come to the door?"

"Brown ponytail, blue eyes, tall?"

"Yes. You can let her in."

This was all very timely.

I had the door open in a second. "Hi. Come in," I said. "I’m Sookie Stackhouse." I stood aside. I didn’t offer to shake hands; vampires don’t do that.

Heidi nodded to me and stepped into the house, darting quick looks around her, as if openly examining her surroundings were rude. Hunter came running into the living room, skidding to a stop as he saw Heidi. She was tall and bony, and possibly a mute. However, now Hunter could test my words.

"Heidi, this is my friend Hunter," I said, and waited for Hunter’s reaction.

He was fascinated. He was trying to read her thoughts, as hard as he could. He was delighted with the result, with her silence.

Heidi squatted. "Hunter, you’re a fine boy," she said, to my relief. Her voice had an accent I associated with Minnesota. "Are you going to be staying with Sookie for long?" Her smile revealed teeth that were a little longer and sharper than the general run of humans’, and I thought Hunter might be scared. But he eyed her with genuine fascination.

Did you come to eat supper with us? he asked Heidi.

Out loud, please, Hunter, I said. She’s different from humans, but she’s not like us, either. Remember?