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will you?” Garnier’s happy voice sounded forced, even in my head.
    But I did join them in the living room.
    Their appearances surprised me. They’d taken advantage of the shower and Vincent’s purchases. They all looked …
modern. Similar to any of the other guys you would see walking around down the street, albeit the well-dressed ones.
    Antoine pointed to the fridge. “Help yourself to dinner.”
    I gawked at him before following his suggestion. His appearance was the most changed. Without the Vaseline pushing his hair down the way we had all worn it, his hair was curly, a tamed version of one of the hairstyles I noticed during the Seventies. He wore jeans—they all did—and a dress shirt he kept untucked.
    I went to get something to eat. A variety of prepackaged food waited for me in the modern steel refrigerator. I gazed at it with narrowed eyes and rubbed at the rough stubble on my chin.
    “What is all of this?’
    “I don’t know, but isn’t the packaging enticing? Much of the food is now available prepared in advance, it’s fascinating.” Antoine must have done the grocery shopping.
    “So what do I eat?” Couldn’t we keep it uncomplicated for now? Why could he not at least try to leave things the way they used to be?
    “Why don’t you grab a sandwich?” I could almost hear Vincent’s sigh.
    I had to admit a sandwich was a good idea. After preparing it, I stood at the kitchen counter and devoured it. And then made a second one.
    My hunger satiated at last, I walked back to the living room where the boys were reading from a pile of newspapers and magazines.
    “So now what?” Vincent directed the question at me.
    “I don’t know … ”
    “You are the one who decided to shapeshift when our essence returned. You are the one who is following the girl around. You must have a plan … a purpose.”
    A purpose. We were lost without one. With Marguerite gone, we had no one to protect. With her, her entire lineage had ended … along with this said purpose.
    Garnier’s words brought me to the present. “I have a purpose. I’ll finally live a normal life. The life that was taken away from us all these centuries ago.”
    “A normal life?” I asked.
    “And what do you propose to do?” Vincent asked.
    “I need to find out about the girl. How she woke us. What she is to us.”
    “And what is that going to prove? It was a fluke,” Garnier said.
    “A fluke? How could it be a fluke? She knew a Kanien’kéha incantation that would wake us. She somehow summoned the drums that … well, I need to learn more.”
    Antoine shrugged. “You are free to do what you wish. We are all free now … But Guillaume, I hope you understand that no matter what you find out, it will not bring her back.”
    I pretended not to understand. “Bring her back? I’m only trying to figure her out.” I said referring to the girl knowing full well he referred to Marguerite.
    “You know what I mean.” Antoine’s voice was patient, maybe even kind.
    “I know … but this is not about Marguerite. Not everything is about her.” Not anymore … it hadn’t been for a long time.
    “You need to move on, Guillaume. We all have, even Garnier. Now it’s your turn.” Vincent said.
    I walked out and back to my bedroom. I pushed back the dusty covers and crawled into bed, immediately falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.
    I woke up amidst a tangle of sheets. I looked at the clock on my nightstand and noted that though dawn was still far away, I’d slept for over twelve hours. Dust stuck uncomfortably to my sweat, but it was nothing a shower wouldn’t resolve. Overall, I felt much better than the previous day. Sleep had done me some good.
    I debated how to spend my day and finally decided to find the girl. I had planned to wait until Monday to avoid as much watching as possible, but my every instinct screamed that this was too urgent. Every day without an answer would bring us closer to watching again. I couldn’t go