Feeling frustrated, I went to my bedroom to sulk and decided to remove the bandage from my wrist. It was still a little sore but the pressure from the bandage was bugging me and my skin was getting itchy. Once it was off, it felt so much better that I decided to call Rosie the following day to find out when I could come back. The idea of sitting at home grounded was too depressing anyway.
Grabbing some lotion with aloe to soothe my itchy arm, I went back downstairs to watch television and to find out if there were any more missing teens in town. Fortunately, the biggest story was about a sixty-year-old woman who’d just given birth to triplets. I thought about my mother giving birth to Caleb’s child and shuddered, wondering if vampires could even impregnate people. I hoped to never find out the answer.
It was starting to get late and I sent my mom a text, wondering when she’d be coming home. Sure enough, she called me back right away and explained that she was going to stay at Caleb’s again.
“Don’t you have to work tomorrow?” I whined.
She cleared her throat. “Yeah, but I’m taking the morning off to do some shopping for the trip. I’m going out of town, remember?”
“How can I forget? God, mom, you’re never home anymore,” I complained. “And this weekend, you’ll be in Vegas? We never see you anymore.”
“Stop being so dramatic, Nikki. Jesus, why can’t you just be happy for me?” she asked. “I’ve met a man who makes me happy and you two will be leaving for college soon. You know how I hate being alone,” she murmured.
Yeah, well… so do we, I thought.
“What about your eyes?” I asked. “Won’t all the bright lights in Vegas bother your irises or whatever’s bothering you?”
She chuckled. “We’ll be sleeping during the day and enjoying the city at night, like everyone else does. Anyway, I doubt we’ll even be outdoors much. With all the shows and things that Caleb has planned for us.”
I rolled my eyes. “Of course.”
“Listen,” she said, “tomorrow I’ll take you and Nathan out to dinner to make it up to you. Somewhere nice, I promise.”
“Whatever,” I mumbled.
She groaned. “Nikki, just give me a break. It’s only one weekend. Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve been on vacation?”
It wasn’t just one weekend that I was worried about. I somehow sensed that Caleb would be turning her into a vampire during their trip to Vegas, which would last a lifetime. He was going to take my mother away from me and it was tearing me apart. Just thinking about it, I began to panic.
“Mom,” I begged. “Please don’t go away this weekend. I’m… I’m…scared that something’s going to happen to you.”
She sighed. “Oh, you’re being ridiculous. Look, I’ve got to go. We’ll talk more about this tomorrow night.”
“But…”
“Like I said, we’ll talk about it tomorrow night. I love you, Nikki.”
Before I could answer, she hung up the phone.
I sighed and tossed my phone off of the bed. It was after nine and I’d also had no luck talking Nathan out of going to Club Nightshade. I felt so powerless and frustrated. Part of me wanted to go to the club with him, but another part of me wanted to see if Ethan would pay me a visit. I was curious to see if he’d found out what the hell was going on.
“I’m leaving,” declared Nathan, sticking his head into my doorway. “Last chance to tag along, Twerp.”
I shook my head. “No way.”
He sighed and then stepped into my bedroom. “Look,” he said, sitting on the edge of my bed. “I know we’ve been arguing a lot lately, but I want you to know, I’m on your side.”
I stared at my big-hearted brother with his deep dimples and bright blue eyes and was terrified that Celeste would harm him. I wanted to beg him to stay home, to tell him he was being manipulated, but I knew it would go in one ear and out the other. “Thanks,” I answered. “Just be careful tonight.”
He grinned. “If anyone should be careful, it’s Celeste. When she gets a whiff of my new cologne, she’s not going to be able to control herself.”
“You’re so pathetic,” I said, unable to hide my smile.
He stood up and went over to my balcony door. “Keep this thing locked,” he said, turning the knob. “If you really believe in boogiemen, then maybe you shouldn’t be making it so easy for them to get into your bedroom.”
I closed my eyes. “Goodbye, Nathan. Call me if you need me.”
“You too,” he said.
When he left, I opened my eyes and pulled out the butcher knife I’d hidden under my bed. If something bad was going to happen, at least I’d have a weapon.
***
I was sound asleep when something brushed against my arm, jerking me out of a deep sleep. I bolted upright and looked around the room, my heart beating wildly in my chest. When I was able to convince myself that I was really alone, I released a shaky breath and allowed myself to relax.
Wondering about the time, I looked at my alarm clock and breathed a sigh of relief. It was just past one and I still had five more hours of sleep before I had to worry about getting ready for school. I closed my eyes to try and fall back to sleep, when I noticed the chill in the air. My body began to shiver and I looked towards my balcony in horror; the door was wide open.
“Ethan?” I whispered, reaching for my knife.