"What do you want?" I asked.
"We left off on a terrible note last night. I wanted to talk to you."
"Let's go outside," I said, fearing that the entire house was listening in on our conversation. I was pretty sure at least my mother was.
We sat on my old swing set. I mostly looked at my feet. I didn't want to look at him. I was still too upset.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I…I don't know what came over me. I just…I got so angry. I lost control."
"Why didn't you stop him? Caleb was being very rude to the both of us, and you didn't even try to stop him."
Duncan looked away. "It's complicated."
"He said something about being higher ranked than you. What did he mean by that?"
Duncan shrugged. "It's the world I belong to. It's different, Robyn."
"He also said that you weren't young. What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.
Duncan sighed. "I…it's a long story."
"I have all day. If you want me to forgive you and if you want to be with me, then you need to help me understand who you are, Duncan. I can't live like this, not knowing anything about you."
He nodded. "Fair enough. What do you want to know?"
I cleared my throat. "How old are you?"
Duncan bent his head rubbed his neck. His silky soft blond hair fell forward into his face.
"Come on, Duncan," I said. "Is it really that hard to answer? It's a very simple question. It's like one of the first things you ask someone when you meet for the first time. If you can't even answer that, then where does that leave us?"
He turned his head and looked at me with a shy smile. "All right," he said, "I see your point. I guess I can reveal it to you since you are, after all, going to be…one of us." He paused and wrinkled his forehead. "I was born in 1746."
I literally dropped my jaw and stared at him. "You're kidding me, right?"
He shook his head. "Nope."
"So, you're what…two hundred and seventy years old?"
He nodded. "Two hundred and seventy-two."
"But…but that makes you…" I paused while trying to calm myself down. "Are you older than my mother?"
He chuckled and nodded. "She's a baby compared to me. She’s only in her late eighties or something like that."
"But…but they all act like you're a child?"
He scoffed. "Well, they've been wanting me to settle down for a long time. I just haven't seemed to be able to…I haven't found the right one to settle down with."
"But…you're at Harvard?"
Duncan sighed. "My dad has been wanting me to join his business for at least a century, but I haven't quite been in a place where I was…ready for it. A few years ago, I decided it was about time. I’ve been living the bachelor life for long enough now. It's time to grow up."
I stared at him, my mouth still wide open. I wanted to say something clever like Ya' think? But I decided against it. Instead, I tried hard to process all this new information. It was a bit much, I had to admit.
"I…I don't…" I paused, not exactly knowing what I was trying to say. Words seemed so weak right now. At least those I could think of.
Duncan reached over and grabbed my hand in his. He lifted his gaze and stared into my eyes.
"I was waiting for you to come along. I’ve waited a long time for you." He smiled and looked at me in anticipation. I wasn't sure what he expected me to say to this, how he wanted me to react.
I pulled my hand out of his and turned away.
He exhaled with a deep groan. "I’ve overwhelmed you, haven't I? I knew it would happen. That's why I tried to keep these things from you. I don't want to scare you away."
I swallowed. It was difficult to hide just how much this overwhelmed me. "I…I might want to…I have to…"
I got up, but he grabbed my hand and stopped me.
"Please, Robyn."
I turned around, and he stood up too. He still held my hand in his. He came closer and looked into my eyes like he would never let go of my gaze again.
"Please. Don't hate me for what I am," he said. "Love me for what you know I can be. When I’m with you, I’m different. I feel almost human again. You do that to me. You have no idea how much I’ve longed to feel that again. I didn't think I was capable of love anymore. But I am when I’m with you. You pulled me out of this deep darkness I’ve been living in for centuries. Don't take that away from me. I’m lost without you."
I could hardly breathe. His sparkling eyes were reeling me in. I felt defenseless against such words. He was right. I had seen more in him. I knew there was more. I hated the vampire in him but was very attracted to the little bit of human that was still there.
"I…I don't know what to say, Duncan," I said in all honesty.
He placed a finger on my lips. "Shh. Don't speak."
He leaned down toward me and kissed me. I closed my eyes and kissed him back, feeling a delightful shiver of cold run down my spine. The kiss was deep and wonderful and completely carried me away. Gone was the fear, gone was the hate and the anger. Gone were even Veronika's first words to me, telling me that in a few months Duncan was going to kill me.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
"You sure you don't want it?"
Aunt Tina was looking at Jazmine, her head tilted. In her hand, she held a plate with a sandwich with something greenish inside of it that looked like the stuff you pull out of your socks when you’ve worn them too long. Jazmine wasn't hungry, luckily, so it was no problem to say no. Instead, she wondered how the heck you could ruin a sandwich.
But Aunt Tina meant well. She had been trying her hardest ever since she came to take care of her. She was in her mid-fifties, and it amazed Jazmine that she didn't seem to know anything about cooking or housekeeping in general. She had no kids and no husband herself, which explained a big part of it.
Aunt Tina sighed and put the plate down on the counter. "So, how was it?"
"How was what?"
"You haven't spoken a word since we got back from the visit with your mother."
Jazmine looked down. She had a cup of coffee on the counter in front of her but had barely touched it. She shrugged.
"It was…okay, I guess."
"Come on," her aunt said, her eyes growing wild. "How stupid do you think I am? Of course, it wasn't okay. Because it ain't okay. Nothing about this is okay. She's my sister, ya' know? You don't think it hurts me too?"
Jazmine looked up, and her eyes met her aunt's. Aunt Tina was like the opposite of Jazmine's mother. She was short and chubby, always wore these fluttering dresses and her hair was curly and wild. She would get this manic expression on her face every now and then and could laugh so loud the windows would shake. Same thing when she sneezed. Jazmine had never been to her house, but she knew from her mother it was always a mess and Aunt Tina was a hoarder. She kept everything, her mother said. Never threw anything out. Jazmine pictured it like those antique shops where you could barely move without pulling some trinket or porcelain figure off a shelf. One of those with a sign by the register stating:
YOU BREAK IT. YOU BUY IT.
"Well, it does," Aunt Tina said. "I grew up with your mother. She's my baby sister. I used to change that girl's diaper. Ain't never kept any secrets from me, nuh-uh. And now this? They say she's a murderer? I ain't buying it. I ain't. Not my baby sis. Nuh-uh."
"But…"
Aunt Tina lifted her finger. "A-ah! Don't you start believing them and all their nonsense. I tell ya', one of these days they'll find out they have the wrong woman and I tell ya'…I just wish I could do something to help her out."
"So, you really don't believe she could have done it?" Jazmine asked, lifting her eyebrows.
Aunt Tina looked like she had just told her she was joining the army. "Are you flippin' kidding me?" She burst into laughter. "Briana? How can you even ask that question? She's your mama. You know her better than anyone."
Jazmine looked down into her coffee cup, wondering about what her aunt had
said. Yes, she had thought she knew her mother. She had believed in her innocence when the first thoughts had shown up, the initial fear of what she was up to. She had ignored the signs even when she saw the earring. She had believed there had to be an explanation. But then she had seen it. She had seen her do…it. The unthinkable.
Jazmine shook her head and looked up. "I don't think I know her at all." Jazmine lifted her cup and drank her coffee until there was only a little bit of grounds left on the bottom. She put the cup down.
"So, you think you have it all figured out, do ya'?" her aunt said.
Jazmine stared into her empty coffee cup where a little foam from the milk was sliding down the side. She nodded.
"I know because I saw her. I saw her do it, Aunt Tina. With my own eyes. I know what I saw. I was there."
Aunt Tina grabbed Jazmine's cup. "And you always believe what your eyes see, do ya'?
She rubbed a hand over the edges of her cup, then put it back down with a wry smile. Jazmine looked inside the cup. It was filled once again with coffee. There was a thick layer of foam on top in the shape of a heart.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
I was packing our stuff when my mom entered my room.
"What's going on here?" she asked.
I glanced at the bags on the bed, then back at my mother. Veronika was sitting at my computer, playing Stardew Valley, her new favorite game. I hadn't told her what I had overheard since I didn't want her to worry. She had enough to think about as it was.
I strained a smile. "The sleepover. We're going to Jazmine's house, remember?"
"Oh, I didn't know that was still on…you know with everything that has been going on and Jazmine's mom being…well…"
"I think that Jazmine needs us more than ever," I said, as I grabbed my PJs and put them in the bag.
Veronika didn't really have much stuff to pack. Our parents had brought her here with only a small suitcase filled with a few clothes and some toys of hers. I hoped my mom wouldn't notice that I had packed all her things. I wasn't planning on bringing her back here after the sleepover. It was too dangerous for her. I wanted to find somewhere for her to hide and was hoping my friends could help me out.
"Oh, well…That's great…I guess," my mom said and stared at Veronika, a look in her eyes that made the hairs on my neck rise. I didn't know what exactly they had planned to do with her, but I knew it couldn't be good.
"And you're taking…her with you?" she asked, nodding toward Veronika. "You sure that’s a good idea?"
"Yes!"
My mom gave me a look, her eyes examining me closely.
"I mean, of course. It's no problem. I like having her around. I’m sure the other girls will love her too."
"Hm. Just make sure she stays with you at all times and don't let her run outside, you hear me?"
I nodded. "It's a sleepover, Mom. We're going to be inside, eating raw cookie dough, doing make-overs, dancing to music in our PJs, you know that sort of thing."
My mom looked appalled. "I really don't think you should eat that stuff." She grabbed my stomach and pulled at it. "All those trips to the diner this summer are beginning to show. You really should consider starting to run again."
"I will," I said, annoyed. "When school starts again."
"Hm. Okay, then."
My mom turned on her heel and was about to leave when she stopped like she remembered something, then turned to face me again.
"And no boys, right?"
I shook my head. "No boys."
She stood for a few seconds, staring into my eyes like she was waiting for me to break down and admit that, yes, of course, there were going to be boys there, but I didn't. Because it was the truth. It was just going to be us girls and, to be frank, I was really looking forward to that.
"All right," my mom said. "You two have a great time, then."
Chapter Forty
Jazmine sat in her room while birds were pecking at the windows. Usually, she would walk up and let them inside, but recently she hadn't felt much like being around animals. She hadn't felt like doing any witchcraft or even reading the book in the attic either. She wanted nothing to do with anything that reminded her of her mother. She wanted to forget she had even existed.
The door opened, and Aunt Tina stepped inside with a cup of green tea in her hand. Aunt Tina drank a lot of herbal tea, Jazmine had learned.
"You okay?" she asked.
Jazmine nodded.
"And you're sure you want to go through with this sleepover?" Aunt Tina asked, sipping her tea.
Jazmine nodded again. She had thought about canceling, but right now she really needed her friends. They had been the only stable thing for her through all of this. They knew her, and she could be herself around them. Plus, she was actually looking forward to doing some girly stuff and maybe talking about something else. Hopefully, they could get her mind off her mother and how miserable her life felt right now.
"I think it'll be fun. I kind of need fun right now."
Tina smiled compassionately. "I can't blame ya'. I’ve made soulcakes. Added a little extra cinnamon to them; that's the way I like 'em."
"Soulcakes? Couldn't you have made brownies or chocolate chip cookies like everyone else?" Jazmine snapped, a little harsher than she wanted to.
Aunt Tina looked disappointed. "People usually love my soulcakes. They're really good."
Jazmine sighed and rolled her eyes. "Whatever."
Aunt Tina left, and Jazmine heard the door shut. She threw herself on the bed and hid her face in the pillow, wondering if she was ever going to have a normal life again. How had all this happened so fast? When she moved to Shadow Hills just a few months ago, she had believed she was just an ordinary girl with a normal family. Well, maybe she knew deep down inside that something was different about her family, but she could never have imagined that things would go downhill this fast.
"We should never have come here," she mumbled, when BamBam jumped onto her bed and sat next to her. Jazmine pulled him closer and started to pet him. He was such an odd cat, she thought. It sounded almost like he moaned when he purred. She looked into his yellow eyes. She never felt like she was looking at an animal when she did that.
"You're no ordinary cat, are you?" she asked.
I sure hope not.
Jazmine looked at the cat. "What was that? Did you just talk to me? In my mind? Yes, you did. I’ve heard it before, haven't I?"
The cat sat down, then rubbed himself against Jazmine's shoulder. Jazmine chuckled. The voice she could hear sounded just like her father's. The first time she had heard it, she had been certain that it had been her imagination, but this time she heard it loud and clear.
"D-dad?"
The cat looked like it smiled.
"H-how?"
You think there’s only one way into your world, huh? That spider-man might have taken my soul, my body might have been deflated when losing it to him, but he can't take my spirit.
Jazmine gaped. Her jaw dropped, and she stared at the cat. She wasn't quite sure if she was actually experiencing this or just going plain mad.
"S-so you're here?"
The cat nodded.
Thought I'd come back and keep an eye on you and your mother. I've been trying to get you to hear me for what feels like forever. I knew you had the ability, but you just never really used it. You wouldn't listen. Powers are worth nothing if you don't use them, Jazmine.
"But…but I don't want to," she said.
Jazmine was about to say a whole bunch and ask him so many questions when the doorbell rang downstairs. Suddenly, she regretted having invited the girls over, but it was too late.
Chapter Forty-One
The door swung open, and an unusually pale Jazmine appeared in the doorway.
"You look like you've seen a ghost," I said. "Are you all right?"
"Yes, yes, come on in," she said and let Veronika and me inside. We carried our stuff to Jazmine's room, where she closed the door behind us.
/>
"I brought Veronika," I said and put her suitcase down. Veronika sat next to it, holding her favorite doll in her arms. She looked a little uncertain, her eyes scanning the room.
There was a knock on the door, and a second later Amy peeked inside. "Hello, peeps," she said and walked in. She held a plate of brownies in her hands.
"I brought food."
She placed the plate on the desk. I hurried to it and grabbed one. I hadn't had anything good to eat in what felt like forever, and one of Amy's famous brownies would hit the spot.
"They're soo good," I exclaimed.
"I also made pizza bread, PB&J fries, caramel pop cones, grilled cheese roll-ups, Tater Tot waffles…and that’s pretty much it, except for the gummy worms in chocolate pudding, of course. I left it all downstairs in the kitchen with your aunt."
"That's a lot of food," I said, my mouth still full of brownie. "Are you okay, Amy?"
She exhaled and grabbed a brownie herself. "I had a lot on my mind today. Hence, the excessive cooking."
"What's going on?" Jazmine asked.
The three of us sat on Jazmine's bed. Veronika was playing with her doll and seemed uninterested in our conversation. I enjoyed seeing her act like the child she still was.
"Is it Kipp?" I asked, remembering our conversation outside the diner.
Amy shrugged. "Maybe."
"What happened?" Jazmine asked.
"They kissed," I said.
"You did?" Jazmine said excitedly. "That's wonderful…right?"
Amy grimaced. "It was…but…"
"You like him, and he kissed you, so what's the problem?" Jazmine asked.
"That's what I said," I said and grabbed a second brownie. I had to remember to leave room for all the other goodies downstairs too, but they were just so darn good.
Amy sighed, annoyed. "Do we have to talk about Kipp now? I’ve spent all day trying to forget about him and I’ve been looking forward to hanging out with you two and not worrying about him or what I said and he heard or didn't hear."
I lifted my eyebrows. "Say what again? Oh, dear God, please tell me you didn't…?"