She didn't see Damian until afternoon, when he strolled into the library from sparring, ear to a cell phone. He was naked from the waist up and sweaty, a combination that made her sit up and pay attention.
"I don't know what she's talking about," he said with a grimace and handed the phone to her before striding out.
"Hello?" she took the phone and asked curiously.
"Hi Sofia, this is Linda! How are you?"
"Good, thanks. Everything all right?"
"Oh yeah. I was telling D that Rainy went off the deep end when we told him about the girls!" She giggled. "Traci told him not to think about asking her to marry him just because she's pregnant, and he said she had no choice and he'd drag the priest to her. He almost beat down her door. They're in this horrible tiff right now."
"Wow, I didn't mean to start this," Sofia said.
"The doc would have noticed she was pregnant, just not the twin part and the girls part."
"Right. Totally not my fault then."
Linda laughed. "Listen, I wanted to see if you wanted to go Christmas shopping with us this weekend. It's one of the last weekends before Christmas. I'm way behind, and Traci-"
Since when did the concept of Christmas shopping seem so bizarre?
Since I became some sort of recently resurrected fortune-telling vampire. It was something normal people did during this time of year, something she'd done every year for twenty-three years.
"-count you in?" Linda asked.
Sofia covered the speaker. "Pierre, am I allowed to go Christmas shopping?"
"I hate this fucking library," he responded.
"Is that a yes?"
"Oui."
"Linda, I'll go."
"Great! We'll pick you up. Are you at D's?" Linda asked.
"Yeah."
"Traci's been there. She'll drive. We'll see you Saturday at nine."
"Great, thanks." Sofia hung up the phone, feeling as if she were emerging from a stupor for the first time in months. While she couldn't shake the sense of doom that followed her from the visions, she felt more normal, less afraid, at the thought that she'd be rejoining the rest of humanity for a shopping trip with the girls, even if only for a morning.
She left the library to return Damian's phone. It rang loudly in the hall, a rap song spitting F-bombs that made her eyebrows rise. She hesitated then answered.
"Hello?"
"Hello? Do I have D's number?" a warm, male voice on the other end said.
"Yes."
"And who are you?"
"Sofia. Who are you?"
There was a pause before the man on the other end answered. "Jule, a friend of his. I'm in town right now on an errand."