Inside the World of Die for Me Read online

  Sunday, October 24

  Jean-Baptiste visits Kate’s house, posing as a client of Mamie’s, having sought her out to restore a painting. He asks Kate where she saw Charles and asks her to consider coming back to Vincent.

  That night Kate discovers Vincent standing under her balcony in the rain. They return to La Maison, where he recounts the story of his original death and promises to refrain from dying for as long as he can. She agrees to give him a chance. Mamie lets Kate spend the night at his “family’s” house.

  Monday, October 25

  Kate skips school. She watches Vincent, Ambrose, and Gaspard training with weapons in the armory.

  Kate notices a picture of Hélène, Vincent’s first love. Kate and Vincent have a hot make-out session, in which Kate is surprised by her own passion. Vincent warns Kate not to tempt him so near his bed and confesses that, though it will be hard to resist going further, he knows she will be worth the wait.

  [Time warp alert! Events skip one month ahead. Author confesses she is incapable of reading a calendar correctly.]

  Tuesday, November 23

  Vincent has dinner at Kate’s house. When Georgia mentions Lucien, Vincent warns her to stay away, drawing Georgia’s ire and her grandparents’ concern. Kate admits that she saw Charles with Lucien. Vincent leaves to alert his kindred. On the way, he discloses to Kate that Lucien is the head of Paris’s numa.

  Wednesday, November 24

  A massive hunt begins for Charles, but there is no trace of him and the numa seem to have disappeared. Knowing Vincent will be dormant the next day, he and Kate spend the night at La Maison, ordering pizza and watching Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

  Friday, November 26

  Kate discovers she can hear Vincent speak in her mind when he is volant. While studying in his room, Kate answers his phone and hears Lucien murder Charles. Lucien tells her that if the kindred want Charles’s body, they have to come to the Catacombs.

  Ambrose, Charlotte, and Jules prepare for battle. They leave for the Catacombs with Jean-Baptiste and Vincent’s volant spirit, while Gaspard and Kate stay with Vincent’s body.

  Saturday, November 27

  Just after midnight, Lucien arrives at La Maison with Georgia as his captive. He kills Gaspard and then tries to destroy Vincent’s body. Vincent’s spirit arrives, possesses Kate’s body, and kills Lucien. The others arrive, having rushed back from the Catacombs, and throw Lucien’s body into the flames.

  Jean-Baptiste decides to send Charles and Charlotte away. Kate is formally given access to La Maison, but Georgia is banned from coming back.

  Thursday, December 9

  Kate’s grandparents give her a seventeenth birthday dinner. Afterward, Vincent takes her out on the Seine in a rowboat. As he gives her birthday presents, they drift around a bend in the river to see the Eiffel Tower sparkling in the night.

  UNTIL I DIE BEGINS

  Friday, December 31

  Kate has begun weapons training. She practices wielding a quarterstaff with Vincent. Jeanne cries to Kate about Charles and Charlotte having to leave. At that evening’s New Year’s Eve party, Jean-Baptiste introduces the twins’ replacements: Violette and Arthur.

  2011

  Saturday, January 1

  As Vincent and Ambrose walk Kate home, they sense an oncoming numa attack, which is thwarted by Georgia arriving noisily home with a carful of partygoers.

  Later that day, Charles and Charlotte leave for the south of France, and the revenants discover that Geneviève’s elderly human husband, Philippe, has died.

  Tuesday, January 4

  Philippe is buried in Père Lachaise cemetery. Kate leaves the funeral and spots Nicolas wandering among the graves. Vincent finds her before anything can happen.

  Wednesday, January 5

  Vincent and Kate have a picnic breakfast in the park outside her house. He tells her about the revenant prophecy and confesses that Jean-Baptiste believes he’s the Champion. Vincent rescues pedestrians from an out-of-control delivery truck, which leads to Kate wondering if she is being selfish by making him promise not to die. Vincent claims to be working on a solution.

  Thursday, January 6

  Kate finds a bestiary in Papy’s library that defines bardia as guardians of life and numa as takers of life and warns humans to stay away from revenants.

  Friday, January 7

  Arthur forces Kate out of a strategic meeting at La Maison. When Vincent comes to her house to apologize, she shows him the bestiary.

  Saturday, January 8

  Violette sends Kate a bouquet and a book called The Language of Flowers. Kate trains with Gaspard. After lunch at an outdoor market, Kate takes Violette to her first movie.

  Sunday, January 9

  Vincent takes Kate to the Opéra Garnier. He admits he’s working with Gaspard on a way to ease the pain that goes along with avoiding death, but refuses to tell her what that entails until he knows it will work. Vincent confronts Kate about cutting ties with her old friends. She emails them when she gets home, asking them not to give up on her.

  Saturday, January 8—Wednesday, January 19

  Since Vincent is working on his mysterious project, Kate spends more time with Violette. Violette demurs when Kate asks what Vincent is up to, although she seems comfortable delving into the specifics of Vincent and Kate’s relationship.

  Thursday, January 20

  Kate offers to gallery-sit for Papy. She finds an ancient book entitled Immortal Love, which tells of the relationship between a human and a bardia. Kate brings it home and searches it for clues, only to find that a key word has been made illegible.

  Friday, January 21

  Kate goes to La Maison after school and spends the evening with Vincent the way they always do before his dormancy: with pizza and a movie.

  Saturday, January 22

  Charles runs away from Jean-Baptiste’s house in the south of France. Kate finds another copy of Immortal Love in Jean-Baptiste’s library. It has a different word crossed out. She slips the book into her purse when Violette arrives.

  Comparing the two books, Kate finds out that the crossed-out words point to the village of Saint-Ouen, in the north of Paris. She tells Georgia about her search during lunch. Afterward the sisters run into Arthur, who is meeting with Nicolas at La Palette.

  Kate tells Violette about finding Immortal Love in Papy’s gallery. The revenant warns her that the story of the guérisseur is probably just an old legend.

  Sunday, January 23

  Kate follows the clues from the books to a relics shop called Le Corbeau in the Saint-Ouen flea market, only to discover that it is closed.

  Tuesday, January 25

  Kate returns to Le Corbeau to find it’s still not open, but a neighbor says that the owners will be back in two weeks.

  Saturday, January 29

  Violette tells Kate that a copy of Immortal Love is missing from Jean-Baptiste’s library and asks if she has it. Kate lies and says no.

  The whole group attends a concert given by Georgia’s boyfriend, Sebastien. Afterward, Georgia, Arthur, Violette, Vincent, and Kate are attacked in an alleyway by a group of numa, who they fight off, with Kate successfully using her new martial arts skills.

  Sunday, January 30

  Georgia crushes on Arthur. Vincent and Kate go to the Louvre, where he explains the energy transfer for bardia who save humans without dying.

  Monday, January 31

  Kate meets Violette after school. After complimenting Kate on her fighting skills, Violette suggests Vincent didn’t fight as well as he usually does.

  Saturday, February 5

  Vincent takes Kate to the revenant wedding and gives her the signum bardia as a sign that she is trusted by the bardia.

  Tuesday, February 8

  Jules picks up Kate at school, since Vincent and Jean-Baptiste are investigating a break-in at Geneviève’s house. He takes Kate to his studio, only to discover that a numa has broken in and ransacked the place. Jules chases him of
f with a sword.

  Charles contacts Charlotte to tell her he is living with a group of revenants in Berlin. They received a tip that something big is being planned by the Paris numa. In an emergency meeting at La Maison, the kindred try to figure out what the numa who ransacked Geneviève’s and Jules’s places could have been looking for.

  Wednesday, February 9

  Vincent leaves for Berlin to check up on Charles and try to learn more about the numa’s plan. Kate skips school and has Jules drive her to the relic shop. She meets with the shop’s owner, a guérisseur named Gwenhaël, who promises to help her. As she leaves, she finds Bran, Gwenhaël’s son, facing off with Jules. Jules is furious with Kate for putting him in a situation that could compromise his friendship with Vincent.

  Thursday, February 10

  Kate sneaks into Jean-Baptiste’s library to return Immortal Love, only to have a showdown with Arthur.

  Friday, February 11

  Vincent and Kate fly to Nice to visit Charlotte and Geneviève at Jean-Baptiste’s house in Villefranche-sur-Mer. Charlotte tells Kate that Ambrose is in love with Geneviève.

  Saturday, February 12

  Kate confesses to Vincent that she met with the guérisseur. Vincent tells Kate about the Dark Way and reveals that he is absorbing numa power in order to alleviate the desire to die. They are upset with each other but agree to visit Gwenhaël together.

  Sunday, February 13

  Day trip to Italy. Vincent and Kate fly home.

  Monday, February 14

  Papy’s gallery is robbed. Kate discovers that Immortal Love has been stolen. Bran tells her that the numa are searching for his mother, who is now in hiding. He admits that once his mother passes him her powers, he could become the VictorSeer—the person who will identify the revenants’ Champion.

  Wednesday, February 16

  While Kate watches Papy’s gallery, two numa arrive and threaten her. Vincent fights them off and admits to Papy that he is a revenant. Papy banishes him from the gallery and bans him from seeing Kate. Kate tells Georgia that Papy knows about the revenants, and confides that she believes Arthur to be the one who tipped off the numa that she was Lucien’s killer.

  Thursday, February 17

  Kate and Georgia skip school, follow Arthur to Montmartre, and stumble into a meeting between Violette and the numa. There is an epic fight, during which Vincent arrives and is killed by Violette. Violette and her numa disappear with Vincent’s body. Kate alerts the kindred, who begin searching for him. Later that night, Nicolas follows Kate to the Pont des Arts and tells her that Violette has taken Vincent’s body to her castle in the Loire and will dispose of it when she sees fit.

  Friday, February 18

  Just after midnight, Kate sits on the Pont des Arts contemplating a future without Vincent, when she hears a voice in her head saying, Mon ange.

  IF I SHOULD DIE BEGINS

  Friday, February 18 (continued)

  Vincent’s spirit stays with Kate on the bridge and speaks to her until he is destroyed by Violette. Kate returns to La Maison to tell the revenants that Vincent is gone.

  Mamie and Georgia are waiting for Kate at home. She tells them everything.

  Later that day Kate and Georgia discover Bran bound and injured. He tells them the numa killed his mother. They release him and escape Violette and her numa via the Paris sewers. When they arrive at La Maison, Bran touches Jean-Baptiste’s hand and becomes the VictorSeer. Mamie storms into La Maison. Jean-Baptiste explains that the sisters need to be under revenant protection. Jeanne gives Kate a locket with Vincent’s hair.

  Saturday, February 19

  Georgia gets sword training from Arthur. It is day two of Vincent’s disembodiment. Violette allows him to return for a few days, hoping he will bring her information. Vincent possesses Jules’s body. There is a hot possessed make-out scene with Jules and Kate, leaving all three of them freaked out.

  Kate visits the guérisseurs’ archives below the Cluny Museum to find Bran’s family’s books.

  Sunday, February 20

  Bran finds “The Tale of the Thymiaterion,” and they decide they need to locate that object in order to re-embody Vincent. The revenants search their library for a clue as to where they can find a thymiaterion. Kate decides to widen the search, enlisting Papy and Georgia to join her in searching Papy’s old auction catalogues. They find a record that leads them to the thymiaterion mentioned in Bran’s story and take it to La Maison. Jean-Baptiste makes the connection between the buyer and an old revenant acquaintance in New York, Theodore Gold. He arranges a meeting.

  Kate, Papy, Bran, and Jules fly to New York, meet Theodore Gold, and visit the revenant archive hidden beneath the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A first attempt at re-embodying Vincent fails.

  Monday, February 21

  Vincent is re-embodied and taken back to Gold’s house. Gaspard calls and informs Vincent that the bardia-numa war in Paris has begun. Kate takes Jules on a tour of New York City while Vincent recovers.

  Tuesday, February 22

  Vincent and Kate explore the city. They visit Kate’s old Brooklyn friends. Gold tells them about Jean-Baptiste’s “peace treaty” betrayal with the numa. That night Kate and Vincent make love.

  Wednesday, February 23

  Vincent and Kate wake up together. The group packs and leaves for Paris. There is a confrontation at the airport between Jules and Vincent. Jules admits to Kate that he is in love with her. Because of this, he has decided to stay in New York.

  The group arrives back in Paris. Vincent confronts Jean-Baptiste about his betrayal.

  Thursday, February 24

  Jean-Baptiste steps down as head of the bardia, names Vincent his successor, and leaves Paris with Gaspard.

  Violette lures Mamie to the Crillon Hotel and holds her hostage. When Kate offers her life to save Vincent’s, Violette stabs and kills her and takes her body to the houseboat.

  Friday, February 25

  When Bran hears that Kate was killed, he reveals that he had identified her as the latent Champion.

  Sunday, February 27

  Kate animates as a bardia and is cared for by Louis.

  Monday, February 28

  Kate escapes the houseboat and fights off two numa before being rescued by Vincent and Charlotte. They take her to La Maison where Papy, Mamie, and Georgia await. That night there is a meeting of Paris bardia at La Maison. Kate detects red columns of light outside, and they find two numa lurking nearby. Having discovered the Champion’s numa-locating power, they come up with their battle plan.

  Tuesday, March 1

  Kate and the bardia fight the numa in the Passage du Grand Cerf. Louis changes sides and fights with the bardia. Nicolas kills Geneviève, and then is killed by Ambrose. Charles arrives with the Berlin contingent and tip the scales in the bardia’s favor. A few numa escape, taking Geneviève’s body with them.

  The bardia return to La Maison and get a call from Violette, arranging a meeting at the Arènes de Lutèce. They fight the final battle, in which Violette is destroyed. Jules arrives with kindred from New York, and bardia from all over France arrive to help. The bardia win a decisive victory. Sadly, Jean-Baptiste is destroyed during the battle. Geneviève’s body has also been burned, but Bran reveals to the kindred that that’s what she had wanted. Jules returns to New York that same day.

  DIE ONCE MORE BEGINS

  March 2

  Faust gives Jules the tour of the Brooklyn Warehouse. Gold introduces Jules to the council, who vote to let him stay. Jules, Ava, and Faust rescue some humans from a numa drug deal gone bad.

  Next two months

  Jules goes into rescue overdrive, patrolling incessantly and attending drawing classes with other revenant artists to distract himself from his grief over Kate.

  Monday, May 16

  Gold brings Jules an invitation to Ambrose and Charlotte’s wedding and insists that he attend.

  Tuesday, May 17

  Gold takes Jules to Ava’s house a
nd explains that they must go to Paris to gather information for the New York bardia’s upcoming battle with the numa. The wedding is just the excuse they need to avoid drawing their enemy’s attention.

  Jules, Ava, and Faust leave for Paris. They arrive to discover wedding preparations at La Maison in full swing. Jules and Vincent reconcile. Kate meets with Jules and apologizes for not having done more to prevent what happened.

  Gaspard informs Ava that she must go to Brittany the upcoming weekend to see Bran. Jules offers to drive her there.

  Saturday, May 21

  On the drive to Brittany, Ava tells Jules about her past and apologizes for her coldness toward him. They arrive at Bran’s house and are met by Louis, who has been staying with Bran until his transition to bardia is complete.

  Bran meets Ava and recognizes her as a Champion. Ava is upset by the news. Jules comforts her and feels he can begin to heal his broken heart by supporting Ava in her new role.

  Sunday, May 22

  Jules and Ava return to Paris.

  Monday, May 23

  Kate talks with Ava about being a Champion. Vincent and Gaspard discuss their strategy to rid France of the numa, while Jules helps Ava formulate how to adapt the French approach to fighting for use in the New World.

  Saturday, May 28

  Ambrose and Charlotte’s wedding is held in La Sainte-Chapelle, with the reception following at La Maison.

  Uta has taken a fancy to Faust, and he decides to stay in Europe with her.

  At the reception, Jules dances with Kate and then Ava. Jules takes Ava to the roof terrace, where he reveals his feelings for her. They kiss.

  November (six months later)

  Ambrose and Charlotte arrive in New York along with a dozen of Paris’s bardia to assist their American kindred with a decisive battle against the numa. Jules says his home is with Ava. He has found his happiness.

  CHAPTER 3

  REVENANT MYTHOLOGY

  THE ORIGIN OF