revealing long, pink, floppy rabbit ears. “I got rid of the pink eyes and whiskers,” she giggled, grabbing hold of her ears and pulling them out to the side, “but I’ve had these ever since Aesop ran away. Mum makes me wear that hat all the time now.”
Felix would have laughed if he could have. Before he came to Paris, the sight of his sister in this state would have unnerved him, but now it didn’t matter and actually seemed funny.
Melinda looked around the room, noticing it for the first time. The massive four-poster bed faced tall windows that overlooked the garden. To the left was the door that led out to the hallway; the room was dominated by a beautiful marble fireplace. The wall it faced had a huge dark brown antique armoire in the centre with modern paintings on either side; Melinda wondered if one of them was a real Picasso. On one end of that wall was a doorway leading into a walk-through closet, then into a private green marble bathroom. “Wow, Felix, this place is awesome. Your room is bigger than our whole upstairs in Seattle.” She turned back to face him, still holding his eyelids open. “I wish you could tell me what happened to you. Then maybe we could figure out how to make you better.”
Felix was so relaxed, he wondered if he even cared.
Harmony Melpot waited at Terminal 1 at Charles De Gaulle Airport. She was early, having arrived a full hour before the flight was due to land. Time moved incredibly slowly. She felt that she had been waiting for days. She smiled, thinking that in a way she had been; it had been three days since she’d received the phone call that had changed her life.
C HAPTER T WELVE
Harmony’s eyes seemed to smile as she searched the passengers’ faces, wondering if he would still look like the image in the faded photograph that she clutched tightly in her hand. Her heart leapt when any tall, dark-haired man walked into the arrivals hall, but he wasn’t among them. Fewer passengers were coming into the terminal now; it was down to a trickle of mostly elderly or disabled people. She wondered if she had only imagined the whole thing, if he wasn’t coming. She looked down at her feet, blinking wildly as she tried to stop the tears that were beginning to cloud her vision.
“Harmony,” a man’s voice said flatly. “New haircut?”
Harmony looked up into his handsome face. “New as of five years ago.” She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. “What took you so long?” She pushed away and looked at him eagerly. “You don’t look like a rabbit,” she smirked.
He smiled happily. “If you want, you can still call me Aesop―I’m used to it after all these years. Although, I must admit that I prefer Joe.”
Harmony drove out of the airport car park, listening to her uncle’s explanation of what had happened to him more than six years ago. “I knew it!” Harmony shrieked proudly.
Joe looked at his niece with a raised eyebrow. “You knew about the virus?”
She glanced at him briefly, then returned her attention to the road. “No, of course not, but I was convinced that Horace was behind your death.” She paused, then laughed, “I mean disappearance. Mulligan hates me for thinking that way.”
Joe shrugged. “I thought Horace and I were good friends —if the circumstance was reversed and it was Mulligan who had disappeared, I wouldn’t have blamed Horace either. Of course, James Mulligan is human, so I don’t know what effect the virus has on them.” He thought about that for a few seconds, than continued, “After Horace injected me with the virus, I began to transform into all sorts of animals until my body settled into the form of a rabbit. Afterward, Horace explained how the virus works. An Athenite has the natural ability to fight the effects by spontaneously transforming into a creature that has immunity. It can be anything, and for some reason, for me, it turned out to be a rabbit. The effects are meant to be permanent
Felix would have laughed if he could have. Before he came to Paris, the sight of his sister in this state would have unnerved him, but now it didn’t matter and actually seemed funny.
Melinda looked around the room, noticing it for the first time. The massive four-poster bed faced tall windows that overlooked the garden. To the left was the door that led out to the hallway; the room was dominated by a beautiful marble fireplace. The wall it faced had a huge dark brown antique armoire in the centre with modern paintings on either side; Melinda wondered if one of them was a real Picasso. On one end of that wall was a doorway leading into a walk-through closet, then into a private green marble bathroom. “Wow, Felix, this place is awesome. Your room is bigger than our whole upstairs in Seattle.” She turned back to face him, still holding his eyelids open. “I wish you could tell me what happened to you. Then maybe we could figure out how to make you better.”
Felix was so relaxed, he wondered if he even cared.
Harmony Melpot waited at Terminal 1 at Charles De Gaulle Airport. She was early, having arrived a full hour before the flight was due to land. Time moved incredibly slowly. She felt that she had been waiting for days. She smiled, thinking that in a way she had been; it had been three days since she’d received the phone call that had changed her life.
C HAPTER T WELVE
Harmony’s eyes seemed to smile as she searched the passengers’ faces, wondering if he would still look like the image in the faded photograph that she clutched tightly in her hand. Her heart leapt when any tall, dark-haired man walked into the arrivals hall, but he wasn’t among them. Fewer passengers were coming into the terminal now; it was down to a trickle of mostly elderly or disabled people. She wondered if she had only imagined the whole thing, if he wasn’t coming. She looked down at her feet, blinking wildly as she tried to stop the tears that were beginning to cloud her vision.
“Harmony,” a man’s voice said flatly. “New haircut?”
Harmony looked up into his handsome face. “New as of five years ago.” She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. “What took you so long?” She pushed away and looked at him eagerly. “You don’t look like a rabbit,” she smirked.
He smiled happily. “If you want, you can still call me Aesop―I’m used to it after all these years. Although, I must admit that I prefer Joe.”
Harmony drove out of the airport car park, listening to her uncle’s explanation of what had happened to him more than six years ago. “I knew it!” Harmony shrieked proudly.
Joe looked at his niece with a raised eyebrow. “You knew about the virus?”
She glanced at him briefly, then returned her attention to the road. “No, of course not, but I was convinced that Horace was behind your death.” She paused, then laughed, “I mean disappearance. Mulligan hates me for thinking that way.”
Joe shrugged. “I thought Horace and I were good friends —if the circumstance was reversed and it was Mulligan who had disappeared, I wouldn’t have blamed Horace either. Of course, James Mulligan is human, so I don’t know what effect the virus has on them.” He thought about that for a few seconds, than continued, “After Horace injected me with the virus, I began to transform into all sorts of animals until my body settled into the form of a rabbit. Afterward, Horace explained how the virus works. An Athenite has the natural ability to fight the effects by spontaneously transforming into a creature that has immunity. It can be anything, and for some reason, for me, it turned out to be a rabbit. The effects are meant to be permanent
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