newfound intimacy between us is
amazing. We've both opened up and shared secrets.
But...
She still has a major one, because she
hasn’t explained about those guys who attacked her, who killed her
father.
And I still have a major one,
too.
I'm more in love with Emily Santos than
ever.
13 - Emily
U coming to watch if I make
the finals?
My text to Erick goes into cyberspace,
and I flop back onto my bed, eyes overlaying the afterimage from
the lit screen onto the darkness of my bedroom.
I can't keep the goofy smile off my
face.
Me and Brett.
Brett and me.
A couple.
“ A couple of what?” my dad
would joke, if he were still alive.
We haven't even made anything official,
other than he wants to take me out again. Nothing has been resolved
with my mom and the fact that I’m going to Chase, or with Erick's
situation with the cops.
But I know Brett and I are
solid.
I can't believe he's been dealing with
this condition for three years, and no one has noticed. He's
popular, has a ton of friends. But no one knows about his
arthritis.
I feel like such a jerk that I've
treated him so badly, but he doesn't hold a grudge.
Still grounded, comes Erick's return text.
Will u be @
party?
I don't think I can face my mom's
torture session without my best friend.
Probably. Dad doesn't want
to face Aunt Bea's wrath.
I snicker, because he's joking about my
mom, but it's true.
What's going to
happen? I text back.
?
What does that mean? He doesn't
understand my question, or doesn't know the answer?
But his next text comes
quickly. If Lou can't make the case
disappear, I might have to go away.
What? Erick can't be sent away.
We’ve only seen each other twice since
the attack on Sunday. He’s been under house-arrest. During one of
those times, he told me that Uncle Felix thought the vamps must
have seen us at the mall and taken the opportunity to attack. Uncle
F doesn’t think it was pre-meditated.
When Chasers hunt, we’re super-careful
not to get caught. Human investigations just get in the way, and
normal people don’t know about vampires—don’t want to
know.
The vamps attacked first, and we had no
choice but to dispatch them. And no chance for Erick to get
away.
If my cousin is charged, he could end
up in prison. I don’t think my uncle will let that happen. He’d
send Erick off to another Chaser family instead. We need every
sword we can get in this war.
But I can’t imagine life without my
best friend.
On the other hand, bringing the family
under scrutiny is a big no-no. If the vamp population figures out
where we live, the danger to someone like my mom, who has no
training and would be an easy target, is extreme.
There's a knock on my bedroom door, and
I shove the phone under my pillow. The last thing I need is my mom
discovering how close I came to biting it in that vamp
fight.
"Honey? You asleep?"
"Not yet. Come in."
Light from the hall spills in with her.
She sits on the end of my bed. "I saw you come in with that boy.
Did you have fun on your date?"
“ Yeah.”
She probably thinks if I get caught up
in a relationship, I'll forget about fighting. But she doesn't get
that Brett knows me better than she does.
"Are you ready for your party
tomorrow?"
"I guess." Ready for it to be
over.
"I picked up your dress," she says, and
I cringe, waiting for a criticism.
"It wasn't floor-length, like I
asked."
My hand clenches beneath the
covers.
"But the color is perfect for your
complexion. And I think it will suit just fine."
Really? "Oh. Good."
She brushes my hair back from my
temple. Starts to say something. Holds back. There's an awkward
silence.
I wish again that my dad were here. He
made things easier between us. Helped us understand each
other.
"I know you don't want to do this, but
having a cotillion for the daughter's eighteenth birthday is one of
our important family traditions."
"What about our other family
traditions?" I ask.
Her expression darkens. Why did I open
my stupid
amazing. We've both opened up and shared secrets.
But...
She still has a major one, because she
hasn’t explained about those guys who attacked her, who killed her
father.
And I still have a major one,
too.
I'm more in love with Emily Santos than
ever.
13 - Emily
U coming to watch if I make
the finals?
My text to Erick goes into cyberspace,
and I flop back onto my bed, eyes overlaying the afterimage from
the lit screen onto the darkness of my bedroom.
I can't keep the goofy smile off my
face.
Me and Brett.
Brett and me.
A couple.
“ A couple of what?” my dad
would joke, if he were still alive.
We haven't even made anything official,
other than he wants to take me out again. Nothing has been resolved
with my mom and the fact that I’m going to Chase, or with Erick's
situation with the cops.
But I know Brett and I are
solid.
I can't believe he's been dealing with
this condition for three years, and no one has noticed. He's
popular, has a ton of friends. But no one knows about his
arthritis.
I feel like such a jerk that I've
treated him so badly, but he doesn't hold a grudge.
Still grounded, comes Erick's return text.
Will u be @
party?
I don't think I can face my mom's
torture session without my best friend.
Probably. Dad doesn't want
to face Aunt Bea's wrath.
I snicker, because he's joking about my
mom, but it's true.
What's going to
happen? I text back.
?
What does that mean? He doesn't
understand my question, or doesn't know the answer?
But his next text comes
quickly. If Lou can't make the case
disappear, I might have to go away.
What? Erick can't be sent away.
We’ve only seen each other twice since
the attack on Sunday. He’s been under house-arrest. During one of
those times, he told me that Uncle Felix thought the vamps must
have seen us at the mall and taken the opportunity to attack. Uncle
F doesn’t think it was pre-meditated.
When Chasers hunt, we’re super-careful
not to get caught. Human investigations just get in the way, and
normal people don’t know about vampires—don’t want to
know.
The vamps attacked first, and we had no
choice but to dispatch them. And no chance for Erick to get
away.
If my cousin is charged, he could end
up in prison. I don’t think my uncle will let that happen. He’d
send Erick off to another Chaser family instead. We need every
sword we can get in this war.
But I can’t imagine life without my
best friend.
On the other hand, bringing the family
under scrutiny is a big no-no. If the vamp population figures out
where we live, the danger to someone like my mom, who has no
training and would be an easy target, is extreme.
There's a knock on my bedroom door, and
I shove the phone under my pillow. The last thing I need is my mom
discovering how close I came to biting it in that vamp
fight.
"Honey? You asleep?"
"Not yet. Come in."
Light from the hall spills in with her.
She sits on the end of my bed. "I saw you come in with that boy.
Did you have fun on your date?"
“ Yeah.”
She probably thinks if I get caught up
in a relationship, I'll forget about fighting. But she doesn't get
that Brett knows me better than she does.
"Are you ready for your party
tomorrow?"
"I guess." Ready for it to be
over.
"I picked up your dress," she says, and
I cringe, waiting for a criticism.
"It wasn't floor-length, like I
asked."
My hand clenches beneath the
covers.
"But the color is perfect for your
complexion. And I think it will suit just fine."
Really? "Oh. Good."
She brushes my hair back from my
temple. Starts to say something. Holds back. There's an awkward
silence.
I wish again that my dad were here. He
made things easier between us. Helped us understand each
other.
"I know you don't want to do this, but
having a cotillion for the daughter's eighteenth birthday is one of
our important family traditions."
"What about our other family
traditions?" I ask.
Her expression darkens. Why did I open
my stupid
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