Foretold, page 12
That sounds good to me. But what if there ’ s an emergency?
Obviously, an emergency will cancel out our usual hours , I said, cringing at the idea of trying to contact Peter while he was doing something even more awkward than showering. What if he was with a girl? Or worse, what if he was pleasuring himself? Or sitting on the toilet? Ugh! Why did there have to be so many embarrassing private moments that took place during a typical day?
And, um, if I happen to contact you while you ’ re doing something weird or embarrassing, just don ’ t tell me, okay? I don ’ t need to know.
What could possibly be so weird or embarrassing that you wouldn ’ t want to know about it? Peter questioned.
Many things , I responded. For a start, you could be with a girlfriend.
I could be … he trailed off, and a long moment of silence elapsed before he continued, You don ’ t need to worry about that.
A male or gender-fluid friend? I queried, entirely too curious.
No.
Oh. Okay, good. Great . What are you saying? I mean, not that it ’ s any of my business either way. I just thought that with us having such easy access to each other ’ s heads, it would be beneficial to, you know, keep our personal lives private.
What about you, though? Peter said as I stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel.
What do you mean?
Are there any close personal friends of yours that I should avoid —
No, there aren ’ t any, I interrupted . So, you don ’ t need to, um, worry about that either.
He didn ’ t respond for a long moment as I dried myself off and put on my PJs. I thought maybe he ’ d gone, cut off communication as such, then he finally spoke, So, two p.m. to eight p.m. unless there ’ s an emergency? Agreed?
Yes, agreed.
Good. I better go. I have a shift at Indigo.
Wait, I said. Was there something you wanted to tell me?
Tell you?
I just thought that since you were the one to make contact that maybe you needed to tell me something.
Oh. Right. Yes, he answered, and I heard a slight awkwardness in his tone. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Today at the market can ’ t have been the most pleasant experience for you.
Just like that, my stomach erupted into tingles. I liked that he ’ d been worried about me, taken the time to check in. That ’ s very thoughtful of you, but I ’ m fine. With everything that ’ s been going on lately, I ’ m getting used to the craziness.
It has been a very eventful few days, he agreed, his voice soft. Well, have a good evening.
You, too, Peter.
My mind went quiet, and I knew he ’ d cut off the connection.
When I emerged from the bathroom, Grace was sprawled out on my bed, flicking through TV shows on my large flat screen. “ Hey, what do you think about watching this one? ” she asked, motioning to a popular period drama. “ There are rumours that the lead actor is a dhampir. ”
“ Really? ” I said, my interest piqued. We dhampirs were a rare breed, so it was always exciting to discover a famous person might be one of us.
“ No one knows for sure, but he certainly has the look. ”
I arched an eyebrow at her. “ What ’ s the look? ”
Grace shrugged, hitting play on the show without waiting for my approval. “ Don ’ t act like you don ’ t know what I ’ m talking about. You dhampirs have the perfect balance of supernatural beauty and strength mixed with human fragility and softness. It makes you alluring in a way that ’ s hard to resist. ”
“ Are you talking about Rebecca or me? ”
Grace made a face. “ Shut up. ”
My voice softened. “ Is it painful to love someone you can ’ t have? ”
Her eyebrows rose. “ You tell me. ”
“ I don ’ t love Peter. I just have a silly crush. ”
“ Well, that ’ s a relief. And to answer your question, who says I can ’ t have her? ” A steely look came into Grace ’ s eyes. It was very … vampiric. When a vampire wanted someone, they could become singularly focused.
I plumped up a pillow before putting it behind me and sitting back on the bed. “ I just always thought Rebecca might not be interested in romantic relationships. She ’ s twenty-nine and, as far as I know, has never been with anyone. ”
“ That ’ s because she ’ s closeted as fuck, ” Grace replied, matter of fact.
I blinked at her. “ What makes you so sure? ”
She tapped the side of her head. “ I ’ ve got a sense for these things. A radar, if you will. ”
I shot her a cynical look. “ Hmm. ”
Grace sighed. “ Fine. So, remember when your dad ’ s vampire friend came to visit? What was her name? Drusilla? ”
“ I think she goes by Dru. ”
“ Right, well, I ’ ve seen men try to flirt with Rebecca from time to time, and she literally glazes over. But this Dru lady paid her a compliment about the dress she was wearing, and I swear I ’ ve never seen your sister blush so hard. It would ’ ve been cute if it didn ’ t make me so furiously jealous. ”
“ That Dru was a good-looking woman, ” I agreed, wondering if Grace was right. Were we all so blind that we couldn ’ t see Rebecca was hiding a vital part of herself?
“ What ’ s wrong? ” Grace asked. “ You have your upset face on. ”
“ I just feel bad that Rebecca isn ’ t comfortable enough to tell us. If it ’ s true, I mean. ”
“ Don ’ t feel bad. You have to let people come out in their own time. Not everyone had the situation I did. I mean, being the lesbian daughter of two gay dads was pretty much an ideal environment to come out early. ” She put the remote down and turned to look me in the eye. “ Promise me you won ’ t start talking to Rebecca and trying to lure her out of the closet. It isn ’ t something you can rush. ”
“ Of course. I would never do that, ” I said, feeling glum. I just wanted my sister to be happy. She was such a kind, gentle-hearted person. And after everything she went through as a child, she deserved happiness more than anyone else I knew.
We fell into silence after that, both of us absorbed in the period drama Grace had put on. It turned out there were five seasons, and we ’ d almost finished the first by the time we decided to call it a night. I loaned Grace something to sleep in then turned off the lights. I wasn ’ t sure what possessed me, but without fully thinking through the instinct, I reached out to Peter.
Goodnight.
My thoughts kept wandering to him while watching the show. I spent a good amount of time wondering what he ’ d look like in period clothing, with Mr. Darcy-style sideburns. Silence followed, and I turned over, pulling the blanket over me and closing my eyes.
Then, just as I lost hope that he ’ d reply, a low voice entered my mind, Goodnight, Darya.
***
“ Let ’ s go out tonight, ” Grace said the following evening. It was the weekend, and we ’ d been cooped up indoors all day. I sensed my cousin was already starting to get cabin fever.
“ I can ’ t. Dad said I have to stay in, ” I replied. “ You do realise you aren ’ t obligated to stay with me. I can keep myself company. ”
“ Correction, your dad said not to leave the house unescorted. Also, stop trying to get rid of me so you can sit around mind flirting with Peter Girard, ” Grace shot back.
“ What? That ’ s not —”
“ Oh, don ’ t bother. I ’ ve caught you grinning to yourself several times today. I know you ’ ve been communicating with him. ” I couldn ’ t argue because she was right. Peter and I had checked in with one another a few times today. I wouldn ’ t admit it to Grace, but speaking to another person with only the power of your mind was a bit addictive.
“ Fine. So maybe I spoke to him once or twice, but I wasn ’ t mind-flirting. ”
“ Whatever you want to tell yourself, ” Grace annoyingly chirped as she rifled through my wardrobe. “ How do you have so many nice dresses that you never wear? ” she asked, shaking her head.
“ Aunt Delilah buys them for me, ” I said. “ Every birthday and Christmas, I get fancy designer clothing. ”
“ Well, Aunt Delilah has fantastic taste, ” Grace replied, pulling out a short, bright pink dress with sheer sleeves. “ Look at this one. It ’ s gorgeous. I mean, personally, I wouldn ’ t be caught dead in it, but with your colouring, it would look amazing. ”
I shook my head. “ I can ’ t wear that. ”
“ Why not? ”
I shrugged. “ It ’ s far too ‘ look at me ’ . ”
“ And you don ’ t want people to look at you? ”
I arched an eyebrow. “ Do you even know me? ”
Grace chuckled. “ Okay, true, but whether you want people to look at you or not, you don ’ t really have a choice because they already do, even when you ’ re wearing jeans and a hoodie. ”
Self-consciousness nipped at me. “ That ’ s not true. ”
“ Darya, you ’ re the biological daughter of two of the most obnoxiously attractive people I ’ ve ever seen. I ’ m sorry to break it to you, but you ’ re going to draw attention out in the world. ”
I flopped down onto the bed. “ You ’ re exaggerating. ”
“ You know I ’ m right, but I suppose it ’ s better that you prefer not to acknowledge your good looks. If I wanted to spend time with a vain bitch I ’ d go ahead and befriend Belinda Williams. ”
I barked a laugh. “ Ha! She is pretty, though. ”
“ Her personality negates any apparent attractiveness, ” Grace countered.
I scratched my chin. “ I don ’ t know why you ’ re still looking at outfits. My parents would murder me if I went out tonight. ”
“ What if we get Rebecca to come along? ” Grace suggested like butter wouldn ’ t melt. “ She can be our chaperone. ”
“ You heard my dad yesterday. Even as capable as Rebecca and I are, he doesn ’ t want us out on our own. ”
“ Well, your dad isn ’ t here now, is he? And he likely won ’ t be back for hours. We can go out for a short while and be home before he even knows we were gone. ”
I sighed, mainly because I, too, was going a little stir crazy cooped up in this house. But I was also frustrated that I couldn ’ t be out there with my parents searching for the demon. It went against my nature to sit back and do nothing. And I didn ’ t entirely agree with my dad ’ s assessment that Rebecca and I weren ’ t capable enough of defending ourselves against a possible attack. We both had our skills. Dad just saw us as his precious little daughters when, in reality, we were dhampirs. Fighting was in our blood. And if this demon really was after me, perhaps I could lure them out of the shadows by leaving the house.
I wasn ’ t entirely sure if we could trap them, but if I could just get a look at their face, then I ’ d be able to identify them when they showed up in the future. There was nothing more frustrating than being marked by a supernatural creature and not having a single clue who they were or what they looked like.
I glanced at Grace. “ Okay, but we aren ’ t going any farther than Flynn ’ s pub. ”
“ But that ’ s just down the street. ”
“ Exactly. If anything happens, we can get home fast. And practically all the employees at Flynn ’ s are vampires, so we ’ ll have backup. ”
“ Fine. I ’ ll go ask Becks if she ’ s in, ” Grace relented. “ You put this on. ” She threw the pink dress at me.
I stared down at the thin scrap of material that would barely cover my backside, muttering to myself, “ Definitely not. ” I returned it to my wardrobe and instead grabbed my favourite pair of black faux leather pants and a purple off-the-shoulder T-shirt, throwing them on the bed before going to see how Grace was handling Rebecca.
“ There is absolutely no way, ” I heard my sister say as I approached her bedroom.
“ Please, Becks, I ’ ll owe you one. I ’ ll even scare all your students into behaving in your classes. Just think about it, no more teasing the new teacher. They ’ ll be quiet as mice. It ’ ll be like you ’ ve been there for years. ”
I stood in the doorway. Rebecca had clearly been sitting in bed reading a book. A book that was now tossed onto the floor while Grace lay across Rebecca ’ s lap, her big brown eyes pleading as she stared up at my sister. Obviously, Grace had no problem begging in such a flirtatious manner.
I studied Rebecca, but I couldn ’ t detect any signs that having Grace in her lap made her embarrassed or uncomfortable. Nor did I sense any attraction on her end, though she was one of the most reserved people I knew. Rebecca kept her feelings stored away, locked up tight in a vault rarely to be opened. The only person she ever really opened up to was our mother, and even then, it wasn ’ t very often.
Rebecca eyed her. Grace ’ s last offer must ’ ve piqued her interest. “ How exactly would you convince every single one of them to behave? That ’ s a lot of students. ”
“ You leave that to me. I have my ways. ”
“ I don ’ t want you threatening people. ”
“ No threats will be made. You have my word. Strongly worded suggestions are my forte. ”
“ Strongly worded suggestion is just a fancy way of saying threat, ” Rebecca countered.
“ Hey, if you don ’ t want to take me up on my offer, that ’ s fine, ” Grace said as she rose from Rebecca ’ s lap. Rebecca grabbed her by the wrist, and Grace looked completely enthralled by the action.
“ I didn ’ t say that. ”
“ Well, do we have a deal, then? ”
Rebecca blew out a breath, looking conflicted. “ Maybe. ”
I folded my arms, my protective instincts kicking in. “ Just how much of a hard time have your students been giving you? ”
Her attention came to me as she dropped Grace ’ s wrist. “ It ’ s not that bad. I just haven ’ t gained their respect yet. ”
“ I have an idea! ” Grace interjected. “ How about the next time I ’ m in your class, I act out, and you can give me some severe punishment in front of everyone. That ’ ll scare them enough not to mess with you anymore. ”
“ That ’ s not a bad idea, ” I said, knowing that the teachers who earned the most respect at St. Bastian ’ s were the ones who doled out the worst punishments.
Rebecca looked back at Grace. “ Are you sure about this? Because you ’ ll actually have to endure the punishment to make it believable. ”
“ I ’ m sure. So long as you come out with us tonight, ” Grace replied sweetly.
My sister glanced out her bedroom window. “ Where exactly did you want to go? ”
“ To Flynn ’ s. It ’ s just down the street. ”
Rebecca blew out a breath. “ Okay. We can go for one hour and then home. ”
“ Yes! I knew you wouldn ’ t let us down, ” Grace said, jumping up and laying a kiss on Rebecca ’ s cheek before running off to my room to get ready.
Rebecca ’ s hand went to her cheek for a short moment before she looked at me, shaking her head. “ How does she always manage to get her way? ”
“ It ’ s a talent, ” I said, stepping closer and lowering my voice. “ You don ’ t have to do this if you don ’ t want to. Even if you don ’ t take us out, I ’ m sure Grace will still help you with your students. I ’ d do it myself; only everyone knows we ’ re sisters. It wouldn ’ t have the same impact. ”
“ It ’ s fine. I ’ ve been cooped up indoors all day. It ’ ll be good to get out. ” She climbed from the bed and went to her dresser, pulling several clips from a container to pin up her hair. “ How are you feeling? About the demon mark and everything? ”
Being reminded of my current circumstances gave me a pang of unease. “ Well, it ’ s definitely not fun, but I ’ ll survive. ”
Rebecca eyed me through her mirror, a fond smile shaping her lips. “ I know you will. You ’ ve always been so resilient. Even when you were a kid, you ’ d fall off a tree and hurt yourself, and you ’ d be back climbing the same tree two minutes later. ” I chuckled at that because it sounded about right. “ And I won ’ t allow anything to happen to you, ” Rebecca continued. “ I ’ m stronger than our parents give me credit for. ”
“ I know you ’ re strong. We both are. ”
She met my gaze, and we shared a moment of understanding. “ Go on. Get ready. We ’ ll leave in ten, ” Rebecca said, and I nodded before going to join Grace in my bedroom. She stood by the mirror wearing one of the dresses Aunt Delilah had gifted me. This one was black and equally as tiny as the one she wanted me to wear. Her long dark hair hung in a silky river down her back. She was obviously trying to make an impression because Grace never wore dresses.
“ I see you put the pink dress away, ” she said like I ’ d let her down.
“ I wouldn ’ t be comfortable wearing it. And besides, it ’ s way too over the top for a pub. ”
“ Hmm, ” she mumbled, absentmindedly checking out her reflection. “ What did Rebecca say to you? ”
“ Nothing. Just that you have a talent for always getting your way. ”
Grace gave a delighted chuckle. “ That ’ s true. ” She went silent, her voice lowering to a whisper. “ What about when I kissed her cheek? Did she say anything about that? ” I shook my head, and Grace looked disappointed. “ She ’ s so hard to read. ”
“ Hey, at least she agreed to take us out. Now you get to spend the night flirting with her. ”
“ Not that it ’ ll make an impact. I was basically strewn across her lap, begging to be noticed, and she barely batted an eyelid. ”
“ Maybe she just doesn ’ t see you in that way, ” I said without thinking.
Grace clutched her chest. “ Ouch, Darya. Break my fucking heart, why don ’ t you. ”
“ I wasn ’ t trying to be mean. Rebecca ’ s known you since you were a baby. More than likely, she looks at you like a younger sister. ”
“ That ’ s so depressing that I don ’ t even know where to start. ” She let out a heavy sigh. “ But you ’ re probably right. ”
I stepped forward and squeezed her shoulder. “ Let ’ s just try and enjoy ourselves tonight, okay? ”
“ Good idea, ” Grace said, and I went to put on the outfit I ’ d left on the bed. I normally wore my hair up, mainly because it was more practical, but that night, I decided to wear it down. I painted on some make-up and made my best attempt at smoky eyes. A few minutes later, Rebecca tapped on my door.
