1859. The exact same year Lena had mentioned. The date of the last Sonneneruption. So it was true! That was the last time vampires all over the world were cured. And the vampire population had been building back up ever since. Ready to pop unless another Sonneneruption came along soon. I got up from the table and walked around in a slow circle, thinking. “Why are you so interested all of a sudden?” Sagan said. “What?” I was still inside my head, trying to process it all. “CMEs. Why did you want to know about them? “It’s a secret,” I said. “Oh. Another one.” I didn’t like being frowned at. “What’s wrong with secrets?” “I mean, when are you going to start trusting me, Emma? I thought after yesterday …” He stood and tried to take my face in his hands. “Stop.” I pushed his hands away. “What’s wrong? It’s almost like you’ve … been away somewhere or something.” “Nothing,” I said. “Nothing’s wrong. I just don’t like you doing that when I’m trying to think.”
