Oh, crap, Kylie thought as she went to collect her coffee. It was either time to come clean or to get busy burying herself in lies. She could probably come up with a story that Holiday would believe-a story that didn't include her sneaking out of Shadow Falls to meet her grandfather. But lying to Holiday of all people felt wrong.

* * *

"You did what?" Holiday asked, setting her coffee on her desk when Kylie started her explanation a few minutes later. "How many times do I have to explain to you that as a protector, you have no powers-zero-to protect yourself? You didn't even know the e-mail was from him."

"I knew," Kylie said.

"How?" Holiday leaned forward.

Kylie bit into her lip. "He was the fog."

"He was what?"

"My grandfather and my great-aunt, they were the fog. They somehow transformed themselves into fog."

"How..." She let go of a deep breath and let the confusion settle around her, and then said, "You still can't just disobey rules."

"I was following the main rule. The one you've told me dozens of times." She paused. "To follow my heart."

Holiday stared at Kylie as if debating the issue. "You could have asked someone to go with you."

"They wouldn't have met me."

"You don't know that," Holiday said.

"Yes, I do. They left when Lucas showed up."

"Wait, Lucas went with you? He knew about this?" There was a reprimand to her voice.

"No. He and Perry followed me, but I ... detained them and took off. When Lucas caught up with me, my grandfather and aunt disappeared. They don't trust anyone here because of the FRU involvement with the camp. Considering everything that's happened, you can't blame them for that."

"I can blame them if they encourage you to put your life in danger." Holiday fell back into her chair with frustration.

"They don't even know about Mario. And look at me. Nothing happened. I had to go. I had to know the truth."

Holiday closed her eyes and kept them closed. When her lids finally fluttered open, Kylie saw most of her frustration had faded.

Her shoulders relaxed. "And what's the truth, Kylie? What did they tell you?"

"My dad was right. I'm a chameleon."

"And what, exactly, is that?" Holiday asked.

"I have a blend of all the supernaturals and I maintain the DNA from all."

Holiday shook her head. "But that's not possible. The dominant parent's is the only DNA that passes to the child."

"That's what makes us different."

Holiday leaned back in her chair, her expression one of bafflement. "That's ... huge." She tweaked her brows at Kylie's forehead. "So what constitutes the pattern you show?"

"I don't know ... exactly. He said it usually took years before a chameleon learned to control it. That it takes a while to learn to do it. But then he said something that led me to believe that I can change it according to the powers I need."

"So he changed you into a vampire?"

"No, I ... he said I must have done it instinctively. When I was trying to get away from Lucas and Perry, I just kept telling myself to move faster. So maybe that's how it happened."

"Have you tried to change it again?" Holiday arched a brow in curiosity.

"No." Kylie shook her head. "The last time you had me try to do something that I wasn't sure how to do, Burnett nearly wound up sterile."

Holiday chuckled. Seeing Holiday smile was so good that Kylie smiled back.

"What else did your grandfather say?" Holiday asked.

Kylie's heart gripped. If Holiday was vampire, she'd hear the lie forming on her lips. Telling Holiday that Kylie's grandfather wanted her to leave Shadow Falls seemed like giving Holiday a reason to dislike him-a reason to insist Kylie stay away from him. And she couldn't stay away.

Taking a breath, she fought the guilt swelling inside her, because Holiday might not hear the lie in her heartbeat, but she could read her emotions. Squaring her shoulders, she met Holiday's eyes. "Not much else. Lucas showed up and ... they left."

"Who left?" Burnett asked.

Kylie inwardly flinched. She'd been so busy trying not to feel guilty, she hadn't heard him approach.

"Did you find him?" Holiday sat up, tension pulling at her shoulders.

Kylie had suspected Burnett had been looking for Blake, but it surprised her that he'd told Holiday. "Find who?" Kylie asked, to be sure she'd been right.

"Blake," Burnett answered. "And no." He looked at Holiday. "I've left messages at both his work and cell that we need to talk."

"Should I call him?" Holiday asked.

"No," Burnett clipped. Shifting his shoulders as if to push off the stress, he looked back at Kylie. "Who were you speaking of when I walked in? Who left?"

Holiday glanced at Kylie and she could see the message in the camp leader's eyes. She left it up to Kylie whether to tell him ... or not.

She appreciated that, and when she imagined Burnett's reaction to her disregard for the rules, Kylie almost went with the "not." But realizing the position she was putting Holiday in by lying to Burnett, Kylie reconsidered. She didn't want to be the one to cause even a ripple of discontent between them. Not when her goal was to get them together.

"You're going to be upset," Kylie said.