Mei waves her arms as she starts to pace in front of me. “No, I do, but he’s…him, and I’m…me.If we start to date, I’ll get more attached, so attached that maybe I’ll even fall in love with the big dufus, but he’ll haveurgesthat are perfectly normal to have toward a girlfriend, exceptI’mnot a normal girlfriend, and I’m basically asking him to just sacrifice that side of him to be with me.” She stops in her tracks, tears welling in her dark eyes. “Then one day it’ll be too much. He’ll resent me, and it will… It will break my heart.”
Rushing to her side, I pull her into an embrace, holding her as tightly as I can. “That’s fear talking. Every relationship, regardless of gender or sexuality, is a gamble. Heck, when I first moved here, I was scared to make friends, let alone be anything more, but then I met the guys, and I realized that it was worth it. We risk our hearts because the possibility of pain is outweighed by all the joy they bring into our lives.”
“I don’t want him to hate me,” she whispers against my neck, her voice catching under the weight of her tears.
I rub soothing lines up and down her back. “Then keep talking to him. Keep telling him how you feel and do your best to listen without judgment. Lies and secrets are what will eventually kill any love you share.”
“I didn’t say I loved him,” she grumbles, reaching between us to wipe her eyes. “He’s such a dork, but also really sweet… and cute… and he makes me laugh without trying.” She drops her head onto my shoulder. “Crap, I think I might love him, but, like, only a little bit. Don’t tell him. He’ll get such a big head about it.”
“I’ll leave that for you to tell him when you’re ready.” I give her a final squeeze before releasing her. “It’s your choice, and whatever path you choose, I’ve got your back. Also, if hedoes break your heart, I’ve gotten really good at burning shit to the ground.”
Mei releases a watery laugh. “Thanks, bestie.”
“Ride or die. Always.” I grin, looping my arm through hers. “Now, let’s get back to the cars. I’m sure your parents and my grandmothers are wondering what happened to us.”
It’s a quick trip, just long enough for Mei to return to her more chipper self, although her eyes are still a little red. She quickly waves off her moms’ concerns with exaggerated complaints of getting dirt in her eyes, and how next time she’s doing earth magic, she’s going to have goggles on hand. It’s not long before they have all climbed into their old, purple van emblazoned with “Mei’s Garden” on the side. With goodbye waves through the windows, they drive away, a trailer filled with empty plastic buckets from the saplings following behind.
When I approach my grandmothers, each standing next to their own car, I notice that Mr. Mischief is already curled up on the back seat of my nan’s black Mercedes. I answer their questioning looks with a shrug. “Mei needed some girl talk.”
Mildred smiles softly at me, always pleased with the fact that I have at least one friend outside of the guys, while Carlotta muses out loud, “She’s a bit of a strange girl, but I like her. Strong witch. She’s a good companion for you.”
“Uh, thanks?” I reply with a raised brow. “Glad you approve.”
Her lips droop in a sad frown, and her eyes grow glassy. She walks over to me and takes my hands in hers. “I’m proud of you. You’ve grown into a powerful witch with a good head on your shoulders. I wish I could say I had a hand in that.”
“You’re here now,” I offer, feeling moved by her sincerity.
She squeezes my hands. “I wish I could stay, but if Mildred and I are both gone, then the council will begin to wonder why. I was meant to bring you home, but you already are.” Pulling me into a hug, she rocks me side to side, her spicy perfume a stark contrast from Mildred’s classic rose oil. “I will do my best to protect your time here, but I hope you will consider joining witch society once you’ve graduated high school. We have a wonderful university that can teach you so much about our history and your magic.” As if she can feel my reluctance, she quickly adds, “You deserve time to be your authentic self. No more hiding who you are.”
I know that’s not fully true based on what my nan has said. If the council realizes what I am, she’s sure that something bad will happen to me, just like my mother, but it doesn’t extinguish the hope that what Carlotta says could be true. Maybe I could even learn more about spirit witches beyond what little information the journals offer. I could learn to control my magic and be normal.
“I’ll think about it,” I promise.
Chapter 2
Nolan
Closing my eyes, I lift my face toward the sky, absorbing the last remnants of the summer sun. Tomorrow, I return to school, and hopefully, I’ll get some normalcy back in my life. Despite feeling better than I have in literal years, my parents insisted that I spend the weeks since the ritual “resting” at home. I’ve tried to be patient with them, understanding that it’s hard to grasp that I went from practically dying to sudden perfect health. Grandmother Dalia isn’t helping, agreeing with my parents despite all signs pointing to the fact that I’m fully healed. She’s even decided to stay longer to monitor me for any signs of relapse. I’m a miracle to a woman who clearly doesn’t believe in them, and it’s left her suspicious.
“Don’t you know all this direct sunlight is bad for your skin?” my cousin, Ellessa, chastises as she sits next to me on the plush outdoor couch. Her porcelain-like complexion attests to her opinions regarding sun exposure, and it’s almost amusing how much she fits the human mythos about what a vampire looks like.
I roll my head from its resting position on the back of the couch to look at her. “Don’t start. This is as far as they’ll let me gountil school begins.” Under my breath, I mutter, “I can’t believe I’m looking forward to going to school.”
“Aunt Lillian and Uncle Robert have been a little overprotective,” Kaven, Ellessa’s twin brother, observes while taking a seat on the matching chase diagonal to me.
“You think?” I scoff, sitting up from my slouched position.
Ellessa fans herself with her hand while eyeing the blazing fire in the pit only a few feet away. “Why do you have a fire going?”
“It wasn’t my choice,” I answer with a belabored sigh. “They didn’t want to risk the possibility of me catching a chill.”
“So they decided heat stroke was the better option?” she comments, her voice laced with heavy sarcasm. “How can you stand it?”
I shake the large tumbler in my right hand, causing the ice inside to clack loudly. “Ice-cold blood. Lunch of champions.”
She pinches her lips and scrunches her nose up, her disgust barely bordering on politeness. “That doesn’t sound very appetizing. I much prefer it hot. Richer flavor.”
I rattle the ice again. “I’m actually hoping to diminish any type of flavor.” I take a sip and grimace. “So far it’s not working.”
