NEW YEAR’S
It took more than two hours of talking before Patti accepted my claims that I’d be okay, and decided to continue on her trip to New York. She knew the Neph and I would be expected to work on New Year’s, but I’d left out the detail about demon whisperers spying on me. Spirits were a touchy subject.
The New Year’s party would take place at a fancy hotel in downtown Atlanta. We talked about finding a different party where people we knew wouldn’t be there, but this was supposed to be the biggest party in the area. The more people, the more distractions for the spirits. According to the Neph, demon whisperers were easily distracted. I hoped they were right, because I suffered extreme discomfort about unleashing spirits on a party where my two best friends were going to be.
Jay had recently landed a job as an assistant to the disc jockey who was doing the music for the party. That was how we got tickets to the biggest bash in town. A local radio station would be there, too. Since Jay was working part of the night, he had to get there early. I drove Veronica. The five Neph would meet us there.
It wasn’t until we’d pulled into Atlanta that Veronica noticed my nerves. I hunched over the steering wheel with a stomachache. The crowded city streets hurled emotions both rainbow-colored and dark, all of which I heaved away.
“Hey, are you okay?” Veronica asked, holding her lip gloss wand in midair.
“Just nervous about the party, I guess.”
The inside of the hotel was exquisite, not a detail missed. There was a waterfall fountain in the atrium, gorgeous flower arrangements on every table, and plush carpets of vivid designs stretching in all directions. Most people were in the lobby checking into their rooms. Veronica’s curfew was one thirty, so we weren’t staying the night. If something came up and I needed to stay, Jay could take her home. It was likely that the spies expected me to party all night.
The hotel was buzzing with excitement. Veronica clutched my arm, sporting a bright orange aura of exhilaration, as she looked around. I peered around, too. I was not excited about meeting any dark spirits again. Not at all.
I hadn’t learned anything new about the demon whisperers during my one night of crash-course training from my father. I guess he didn’t think they’d be a problem for me at the time, and it was still a sensitive subject for me after being haunted. Fortunately, my Neph friends taught me the basics.
Spirits were limited in their communications because of their lack of physical mass. While their sight was keen, their hearing was dim. They could hear only up close, where the voice vibrations were strongest and they could dip into the person’s mind. Parties with loud music were chaos on their hearing, which was good for us, because they wouldn’t be able to listen to our conversations from a distance. They would be able to hear us only if they swooped down close, and that was also the only way we could hear them. In close proximity, we could open up our minds and speak telepathically with them, like mutual whispering.
My father assured me no Dukes would be staked out listening. Kaidan was certain his father would spend New Year’s in New York City, which disturbed me, since Patti was there, but I knew she’d go right back to her hotel after the ball dropped. Still, I hated the thought of their breathing the same city air.
Veronica gripped my arm a little harder as we made our way to the hall with the ballroom.
“You sure you’re okay?” she asked.
“To be honest, I don’t feel so good.”
She stopped walking and made me look at her. “Do you need to go home or get some medicine?”
“No. I’ll be fine.” I tugged us forward again until we were in the line with the other well-dressed kids, mostly college age. Those twenty-one and over were given neon orange wristbands. Those under twenty-one got huge Xs on their hands with permanent markers. Veronica frowned down at the ugly marks on her pretty hands as we walked in.
The Xs were going to put a damper on the whole drinking thing. I was sure there’d be ways around it, though I didn’t know what they were. The party wasn’t crowded yet, only at half capacity.
“Oh, look, there’s Jay!” Veronica dashed straight to the deejay booth and bounced on the balls of her feet. “Excuse me, sir, can I request a song?”
Jay stood and looked down over the tall barrier. He pulled off his headphones.
“Wussup? You girls ready to party or what?”
I put on a closemouthed smile while Veronica let out a little, “Whoot!”
“I got you guys,” said Jay, putting one side of the headphones against his ear. “This one’s for you, Roni.”
She hollered when her song came on, and dragged me out to the dance floor, which was too bright and empty for my comfort.