"If you're asking to become a zombie with me, I can't do that," Kieren says, not sure why it is that he can't do what everyone would expect. "I could bite you and scratch you until the sun goes down, and nothing would happen except you'd have a few marks."

"It's sort of like we were chosen for this," he murmurs. "It's the second chance I never expected. My parents, they were thrilled," he says softly.