Chapter 377: New Attitude
I settled into life at school pretty well after that. No more trouble. With no sign of Ameline or Rupe, things stayed that way. Even the Dumont brothers seemed more reserved, subdued, after Mom cleared them of wrongdoing when they claimed they knew nothing of Ameline's involvement in the Star Club.
Yeah, right. Still. Seeing them walk around campus with their heads down, expressions nervous did it for me.
As for the club itself, Mom saw to it the doors closed forever. When the older members involved were revived, drained of so much power they had to be fed from the Council magic, they didn't put up much of a fight, clearly shaken by their near death experiences. Still, I couldn't help but wonder if they would just trot off and start a new one all over again once the dust had settled.
Traditions and all that.
Sebastian contacted me the night after the attack to tell me he was in negotiations with Yvette, the queen of the Blood Clan Wilhelm, Sunny's old family. The following night he confessed he allowed Piotr and the others to go home, with the sworn blood oath they would never do anything like this again under threat of war.
Well... I trusted Sebastian. And it was his call.
I spent the next several weeks trying to help Simon adjust to school life again, but the vampire feedings and thrall had done so much damage even the healing witches who removed his memories were unable to restore him back to the person he was. Grades slipping, brilliant mind damaged, he disappeared from school without a word.
If for no other reason than the waste of my friend's potential, Ameline was going to die.
Painfully.
I'd had no word or touch from Alison, hardly surprising, though there were no reports of a demented blonde ghost drinking people's blood so there was hope she'd been unable to repeat the act.
The next time I saw Mia she was a shell of herself, all fake smiles and absent looks. It was clear she was weaker than ever, no sign at all she was taking action against the troublemakers in her coven or even paying much attention to her duties at all. When she vanished from school too, after my repeated requests to Mom to talk to her, I was hardly surprised.
But I was very, very worried.
It was weird seeing Quaid around campus, hanging out with his Enforcer friends, with the honey-blonde hanging from his arm openly now. I even caught them kissing one day, though they didn't see me, thankfully. Or the quick, horrible cry-fest I had behind one of the dorms before I could go back to class. So much for the pair of old codgers on the front porch swing. And for fate. Whatever destiny had been in store for me, it was now clearly altered by Quaid's needs.
Were all eighteen-year-old guys the same? I couldn't even begin to think Liam would have treated me the way Quaid did. So not fair to compare them, but really, really hard not to. One thing I did know for sure, as much I loved Quaid, I'd be thinking twice before trusting another guy with so much again, at least for a while.
Just wasn't worth the heartache without being absolutely sure. Next time? My terms.
Which made me think of Liam again.
Sigh.
Liam hadn't pressed the issue of his feelings and I was very grateful for that. I knew I'd have to do something eventually, but I just couldn't get past how I felt about Quaid and blamed it on the stupid magic I'd felt the night we'd spent together, though I told myself at least ten times a day I didn't love him anymore.
Liar.
And my sweet friend deserved better.
Worst though were Sunday dinners with Mom, all awkward and full of long silences Meira tried her best to fill. I finally stopped going all together, though I did make a point of spending as much time with my little sister as I could. When Mom wasn't around.
Which was all the time.
At least I had the distraction of working out the combination of my demon, Sidhe and vampire magic combined with the family power I controlled. The essence seemed eager to try new things, though she struggled with giving up herself to the others and I wondered if she'd ever fully integrate. She didn't fight me for control, at least, and since I proved myself worthy in her eyes, she seemed quite content to remain as part of the whole.
It was getting a little crowded in my head.
I didn't get to escape the poking and prodding, though thankfully the witches in charge of my examination kept things to a minimum. Probably because I'd managed to save their asses. At least someone appreciated what I'd done.
Mom accepted their final confused but satisfied report I wasn't a threat to anyone.
Could have saved them the effort.
Class was better, my teachers settling down now that the novelty of who I was had worn off. It took a few days after the Ameline mess before everyone started ignoring me again, but after that things were blissfully quiet.
Thanks in part to Sashenka and her friends, now mine. And Liam.
Always Liam.
Charlotte was giving me more space these days, but I found I didn't really want it and forced her to sit with us when I met with the girls. I even caught her laughing once.
Miracles do happen.
One major downside to my whole transformation was my acquired photosensitivity. All of a sudden I couldn't stand direct sunlight, my skin super touchy, dark sunglasses an absolute had to have. Thanks to the vampire inside me, I was slowly turning into a night owl.
Like I wasn't pale enough already. So much for my summer tanning sessions.
At least I had a firmer grip on my self-esteem by then. I'd spent years doubting myself, hating what I was. Then worrying I was doing it wrong. But my days of wondering if I was good enough were gone. The only reason I felt like an outsider was because I chose to care what others thought. Funny, when I stopped, everything was different.
I kind of liked me, broken heart-mending-flaws and all. I'd survived so much, more than survived. I'd won. Any time my ego tried to drag me back down, I remembered the look on Ameline's face when she began to crumble with age as we drained her of her power.
Yeah. I was good enough, damn it.
Time for a new attitude.
End of Book Nine
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