Dead Is Not an Option (11 page)

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Saturday morning
, I awoke to the sound of singing. It seemed to be coming from somewhere outside. Bleary-eyed, I stumbled over and looked out. My boyfriend was below my bedroom window, singing "Happy Birthday" off-key and at the top of his lungs.

I loved him even more when I saw that he had a cup of coffee in each hand. I opened the sash and yelled, "Give me a minute and I'll be right down."

I changed into something a little more attractive, brushed my teeth, and put my hair in a ponytail, then tiptoed down the stairs. I wasn't sure why I was tiptoeing. The rest of my family seemed to still be asleep, and if Ryan's serenade hadn't woken them up, nothing would.

Once I was outside, Ryan handed me one of the coffees and gave me a kiss. "Happy birthday."

"I didn't think I'd see you until later today," I said.

"There was no way I was going to miss another one of your birthdays," he said. When he first found out he was a Were, he'd missed my birthday, but he'd made up for it by giving me a very special locket.

"Besides, I missed you," he added.

"You just saw me yesterday," I told him.

"I still missed you," he replied. I kissed him.

A long time later, we came up for air. I took a sip of my coffee, which had gone cold. "C'mon, let's go inside. My coffee needs to be warmed up."

When we got inside, my whole family was up. "Happy birthday," they shouted.

There were balloons at the breakfast table, and it looked like my father was in the process of whipping up enough food for twenty.

"Ryan, would you like to join us for breakfast?" Dad asked.

I smiled at him. It was nice to see Ryan and my dad getting along so well.

"I'd love to," Ryan said. "In fact, I was hoping to spend the whole day with Daisy, if that's okay?"

I waited for my dad to explode, but he smiled mildly. "Sounds like a plan."

After a leisurely breakfast, Ryan and I decided to catch an early movie.

"What time is everyone coming over?" I asked Mom.

"Four," she said. "So make sure you're back by then."

It was going to be a small celebration, just family and significant others.

When Ryan and I returned from the matinee, Poppy was setting the table in the dining room.

"It's so beautiful out," I said. "I thought we would eat outside."

"Liam's coming," she said. "So I thought we'd eat inside. If that's all right?"

I gave her a hug. "That's great. Inside is fine."

Grandma Giordano was helping in the kitchen, so I went to give her a hug.

"Where's that gorgeous boyfriend of yours?" she said in a loud, carrying voice.

"Hello, Mrs. Giordano," Ryan said. "You're looking lovely."

She was. Grandma wore a blue and white floral cardigan, a dark blue shirt, and matching trousers. She looked immaculate, even though she'd been helping my dad cook.

"How do you do that?" I asked.

"What?" she replied.

"Stay so clean when you're cooking. I always end up with sauce all over me."

She laughed. "Years of practice."

Liam and Nicholas arrived shortly after, and we all hung out in the family room until dinner was ready.

After a delicious dinner, Dad and Mom brought out this huge birthday cake. And then there were presents. Ryan gave me a pair of earrings that would look great with the locket he'd given me the year before.

"We'll clean up," Mom and Dad said.

"You two just want to canoodle in the kitchen," Grandma said.

Mom laughed. "We'll never tell."

We headed back to the family room, where everyone sprawled around in a food-induced coma.

"I'm so stuffed I can't move," Nicholas said. "And that's hard to do to a werewolf."

We all laughed, even Liam.

"There's nothing I like better than catching up with my granddaughters," Grandma said. "Now, Rose, when are you and Nicholas going to get engaged?"

Rose sputtered and blushed, but Grandma's comment made me think of Lily and Balthazar. They had just gotten engaged when their lives were changed forever by Circe. She had said something about a symbol of true love.

"That's it!" I said. "I know what Circe used to trap Lily in the jukebox."

Everyone jumped about a mile, but Rose sent me a message.

Thanks for changing the subject. There's nothing worse than being
grilled by Grandma about getting married, even though she means well.

I nodded absently, my mind elsewhere. I finally stopped when Grandma gave me a strange look.

Poppy caught on. "Stop it, you two," she told us, then turned to Grandma. "They're using their powers to talk because they know we can't hear them."

"Sorry," I said. "Grandma, I need a favor. I need to get into Merriweather House. Can you help me?"

"Sounds intriguing," she said. "I'll go with you."

"Me too," Ryan said.

"I'm too tired for any detecting tonight," Poppy said.

"Sorry, Daisy," Rose said. "I'm going to pass."

I was on a roll in the detecting department.

Grandma made a quick call to one of her historical society buddies, and ten minutes later we were on our way to Merriweather House and, I hoped, a solution to Lily and Balthazar's enchantment.

"You can drive. Let me get my bag out of my trunk," she said. "Beatrice said she'd leave a key under the mat. She lives only a few blocks from the mansion."

We pulled up to the mansion and got out. Grandma carried an expensive weekender bag that was almost as big as she was, but it matched her shoes, which I knew was what really mattered. At least to Grandma.

The Merriweather House was the site of last Halloween's Nightshade Through the Ages ball, which is when I finally found out that my beloved jukebox contained the spirit of Lily Varcol, Mrs. Wilder's sister.

Beatrice had come through. The key was right where she had said it would be.

Once inside, Grandma ran her index finger along the banister. "The caretaker is slacking off," she said. She raised her finger to show me all the dust, then reached into her bag and brought out a feather duster and cleaning supplies.

"I told Beatrice I thought the place could use a quick cleaning," she said. "And from the look of things, I'm glad I did. Now, you two, get to sleuthing while I whip this place into shape. Mrs. Wilder has been thinking about turning this old house over to the historical society, and I want it to be clean if she does."

I hugged her, and as I left her on the first floor, she was still muttering about the disgraceful state of things.

"I'll take the third floor, you take the second," I told Ryan.

"Can't we search together?" he asked. "I don't even know what we're looking for."

"You know as well as I do that we wouldn't get anything done that way," I told him. "Look for a ring. An engagement ring."

"This is so sudden," he joked.

I laughed. "Not for me," I said. "Lily's engagement ring. That's what we're looking for."

I climbed the stairs to the third floor. I assumed that was where Bam's bedroom would be.

As I walked through his room, I noticed there were several photos of Lily on his nightstand, but it was a full-length photo of the two of them that had me mesmerized. It hung opposite a huge teak four-poster bed.

In the photo, Lily wore along white dress and some sort of flower in her hair. Bam looked debonair in a black tux and crisp white shirt. He was holding Lily's hand above his own, so that the engagement ring was proudly displayed.

A ring with a stunning ruby and a filigreed band shone on Lily's finger, but it was the happiness on their faces that glittered the brightest.

What had happened to that ring? Had it disappeared with Lily? Or was it still in the house somewhere?

I searched every square inch of the bedroom but didn't find it.

Ryan wandered in a few minutes later.

"Any luck?" he asked.

"No," I said sadly. I gestured to the photo. "But at least I know what it looks like now."

"You know, I know a thing or two about police procedure," Ryan said, "and there's a chance it was seized as evidence."

It suddenly dawned on me what Circe meant when she said that the item had been confiscated.

I needed to get ahold of whatever evidence there was in the Nightshade police files. "Can we ask your dad to let us see the evidence from the case?"

Ryan shook his head. "I don't think so, Daisy. Only family and authorized personnel are allowed to see that kind of stuff."

That meant another late-night visit to the police station.

"Hey, Ryan," I said. "Do you still have those keys?"

He looked confused for a minute. "Keys?"

I waggled my eyebrows at him. "You know, the keys you had when we first kissed."

"Oh," he said. "I'm afraid not, but if you give me some time, I can get them."

"Fabulous," I said. "Let's go see if Grandma needs any help cleaning."

Grandma had managed to get rid of the dust and leave the rooms smelling of Lemon Pledge while we were gone. All and all, a great birthday.

But the celebrating didn't end with the weekend. Monday morning, Sam and the rest of the cheerleaders had a surprise for me. Next to the vending machines was a table piled high with cupcakes. I looked closer and noticed that every single one of them was decorated with a daisy made out of frosting.

"Happy birthday, Daisy!" Sam said. "Cupcakes for everyone."

I said to Rachel, who was in the chair next to Sam, "I can't believe you're encouraging her."

She handed me a cupcake and then shrugged. "You know Sam," she said. "She's unstoppable."

"You should have asked me to help you bake," I said. I bit into the cupcake. "Hey, these are good."

Sam gave me a little nudge. "Don't sound so surprised. I've learned a few things hanging around you."

"Yeah, how to call up Slim and get him to bake enough cupcakes for the entire high school," Jordan snorted.

"That must have been expensive," I said.

"Don't worry," Sam said airily. "Dad gave me the money."

At my frown, she added, "And your boss gave them to us for half price when he found out what they were for."

"Slim is a great boss," I said. Despite myself, I grinned.

I took a bite of my cupcake and then headed for my first class. Turning eighteen was turning out to be sweeter than I expected.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Two weeks later,
most kids were going to their prom. Instead, Nightshade teens got all dressed up and went to the alternative prom.

When Ryan and I walked in to the diner, the first thing I noticed was a huge banner that read
NOT THE PROM
in bold letters.

Slim's was stuffed with high school students decked out in 1950s chic.

Flo was working the fryer, but I caught a glimpse of her when she brought out a huge chafing dish full of the delicious potatoes. Her only nod to the theme was that she had her jeans rolled up and wore bobby socks and saddle shoes. She had on one of her many T-shirts. This one read
FRIES BEFORE GUYS,
which made me laugh. We waved to each other before she headed back to the kitchen.

Poppy and Liam were working the soda fountain. Liam wore a white button-down with the sleeves rolled up, a bow tie, and bore a slight resemblance to Tobey Maguire's character in
Pleasantville.
Poppy wore Grandma's red poodle skirt and shirt and had braided her hair into perky pigtails and threaded red and white ribbon through the braids.

I spotted Natalie, who was wearing a bright pink uniform and white roller skates decorated with pink pompoms. Her engagement ring gleamed as she skated by with a tray of food.

"I didn't know you could roller-skate," I told her when she stopped to say hi.

She examined the vintage four-wheelers ruefully. "I can in-line fine," she said. "But I just can't get the hang of four-wheelers. Slim told me to just use my inlines, but I wanted to look like an authentic fifties carhop. So I did a little spell, and now the skates do all the work."

The menu was simple. Cheeseburgers and fries, shakes or vanilla colas. Slim had made allowances for the unique tastes of Nightshade residents and included extra-extra-rare burgers and some unusual choices for shake flavors.

Ryan wore a gray flannel suit, white shirt, and thin red tie, while Sean channeled his inner early Elvis with a shiny gold wide-lapeled suit, black shirt, and pants. Some of the guys opted for the beatnik look and wore black jeans with turtleneck sweaters, while others went the simple route with rolled-up jeans, white T-shirts, and black leather jackets.

The girls, on the other hand, went all out. Jordan wore a lavender number with an iridescent poufy skirt and a little peplumed lace jacket. Rachel wore a dark green long dress that fit her like a glove. Her date couldn't stop staring at her.

But it was Samantha's butterscotch floor-length sarong that was stunning. Her upswept hairdo showed off a pair of huge diamond earrings.

"You look like Grace Kelly," I said.

"Who is that?" she asked.

"Was in a lot of Hitchcock films, married a prince," I summarized.

"So, you're saying I look like a princess? Thank you," she said. "Daddy's been treating me like one lately." She touched the earrings self-consciously. "He gave them to me today. You look fabulous too. Very prom queen," she said.

I'd finally decided to go with the daring red and black dress but had asked Rose to sew a black lace panel into the plunging neckline, since I wasn't crazy about revealing half my cleavage.

"I can't be the prom queen, because this is not the prom," I said. I pointed to the banner smugly.

She smiled serenely. "Of course you can't be queen of the prom," she replied. Her apparent acquiescence didn't reassure me.

"Everything turned out so well," I said. "I can't believe how fast you got everything organized, Sam."

She shrugged off the compliment. "It's easy to boss people around." She leaned in and said, "I heard Wolfgang is going to be here tonight."

"He's only a freshman," I said. "And he's part of the reason prom got canceled. I thought he would be on lockdown after Circe's shooting."

"I heard he's coming too," Ryan said. "I think he's going with Christy Hannigan."

"I didn't even know they were dating," I said. "What about Claudia?"

Ryan changed the subject. "Are you hungry?"

"Starving," I admitted. We got our food and sat down at a table with Samantha and Sean and a bunch of cheerleaders and their dates.

Mom and Dad had thankfully opted to stay home for the evening, but I spotted Rose and Nicholas holding hands by the jukebox. Some chaperones they were. They were staring into each other's eyes, oblivious to everything going on around them. I recognized the dress she wore as another one of Grandma's. This one was a day dress, a black and white toile, which she paired with simple black flats. She'd tied up her hair with a thick red ribbon.

Lil was cooperating this evening and cranked out a steady playlist of songs from the 1950s. "Sea of Love" was playing when I walked up, but she changed it to "You're So Fine" by the Falcons.

"Thanks," I said. "I haven't forgotten about you, Lily."

On the way back to the table I bumped into Lilah Porter, who wore a cream and black fitted sheath and mile-high heels. When I looked closer, I saw the cream material was printed with tiny mermaids. She had a rope of pearls draped around her neck that I swore looked real.

"I like your dress," I told her with a grin. "And your necklace."

She grinned back. "The pearls are a family heirloom," she said. "One of my ancestors, er, found them one night during a swim."

Coming from a mermaid family did have its perks.

Penny and Tyler came in late. Penny looked as pretty as I'd ever seen her in a coral chiffon dress with a sheer material draped over the bodice and bows at the shoulders. There were also bows scattered throughout the skirt.

After we ate, we migrated out back to the parking lot in the rear of the restaurant. There wasn't enough room in the restaurant for a dance floor, so one had been set up in one of those huge white tents people rented for weddings.

Flo's boyfriend, Vinnie, had pulled some strings, so not only were Side Effects May Vary playing, but a trio called Howling Monkeys was also performing. Howling Monkeys consisted of two brothers who looked nothing alike, as well as their little sister Casey, who was around twelve but sang like she'd experienced years of heartbreak.

"I love this song!" I said, grabbing Ryan and heading for the dance floor. Several songs later, the music abruptly ended and I looked up to see Sam standing in front of the microphone.

"May I have your attention, please?" she said. She waited for it to get quiet and then said, "Although our real prom was canceled, which was a bummer, I want to thank Slim and Natalie for hosting this event and all the people who volunteered for the Not the Prom."

We all broke into loud applause, and there were several wolf whistles from the crowd.

She waited for the applause to stop and then said, "And now it's time to crown the king and queen of the Not the Prom," she said. "But first I'd like to present the members of the royal Not the Prom court. Please join me if you hear your name called. Penny Edwards and Tyler Diaz."

Penny squealed with excitement, and everyone laughed. She ran to the bandstand, and Tyler, even with his long legs, had a hard time keeping up with her.

"Rachel King and Brian Miller," she continued. "Jordan Kelley and Reese Calhoun. Samantha Devereaux and Sean Walsh," she said.

"That's me," she added, in case anyone at Nightshade High didn't already know.

She paused while the crowd applauded. She waited until everyone had joined her at the bandstand, then reached behind the drum set and handed something to Sean. When she and Sean went back to the line, they were carrying daisy chains in their arms.

"I have a bad feeling about this," I said to Ryan, who just grinned at me.

"The king and queen of Not the Prom are"—she paused dramatically—"Ryan Mendez and Daisy Giordano."

Ryan grabbed my hand and we walked up to Sam. "I thought we agreed that since there wasn't a prom, there shouldn't be a queen," I told her quietly, but I smiled when I said it. It was a nice thing for Sam to do, and if I was truthful, part of me was thrilled to be a queen, even if it was for a pseudo prom.

She gave me a dazzling smile and put the daisy chain around Ryan's neck. She nodded at Sean, who put the daisy chain he had around my neck.

Then Sam said, "I present your king and queen, Ryan Mendez and Daisy Giordano."

Ryan and I joined hands and took a bow.

Ryan and I were slow dancing when Wolfgang walked in with his date. Obviously, he didn't get the memo about the theme, because he wore khakis, a striped shirt, and a loud tie. Christy followed behind him with Claudia and her date, a Nightshade junior named Henry.

Christy wore a hot pink dress, but the other girl's pale skin and blood red gown were what drew everyone's eyes.

Surprisingly—or maybe unsurprisingly, since it was Wolfgang—he all but ignored Christy and pulled Claudia onto the dance floor, where they proceeded to make out. Christy looked unconcerned and stood chatting at one end of the tent with Claudia's date.

Right after Wolfgang arrived, Chief Mendez, Officer Denton, and Mr. Bone slipped in and tried to look like they were mingling, but I noticed how often their eyes darted around, scanning the crowd for ... what?

"What's going on?" I asked Ryan.

"W-what do you mean?"

"I mean, why is your dad here? And don't tell me to chaperone either. Out with it."

He looked guilty. "I can't tell you right now," he said over the music.

Something was definitely up. I sighed. "I like a mystery more than the next person, but why can't we just have a normal prom just once?"

The song ended and the band announced a fifteen-minute break. I dragged Ryan into a quiet corner and grilled him for information.

"Now tell me the truth," I said.

"Wolfgang and Claudia," he started to say, but I interrupted him.

"Why are they here now with other people?" I asked. Then I answered my own question. "It's a trap, isn't it?"

He nodded again. "You can't say anything," he said. "Not even to Sam."

"I won't," I told him.

Sam and Sean joined us. "What are you two talking about so secretively?" she said. "Spill."

I looked at Ryan. "Just after-prom plans," I said.

"Ooh, anything interesting?" Sam asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

I knew what she was really asking.

"We refuse to be a prom-night cliché," I said, trying not to blush. "Besides, we all promised to be on our best behavior. No sneaking off. So it's movies at my house. Science-fiction marathon. Want to join us?"

Our conversation was cut short by the sound of shrieking coming from somewhere outside the tent.

Poppy and Liam walked in, and they each had a tight grip on the arm of a still-shrieking woman.

Her hair had been dyed a frightful shade of burgundy, but I recognized her. It was the woman who'd masqueraded as my postal carrier, the woman who'd knocked on the Devereaux door when I spent the night—the woman who had shot Circe.

"We caught her trying to put poison in the shake machine," Liam said. And that's when I realized the woman hadn't dyed her hair. A sticky dark red shake was dripping down her head, but I could still see her birthmark.

Poppy grinned. "I gave her some of my special telekinesis whammy," she said, "and a Bloodbath shake ended up all over her."

I tried not to think about the ingredients in that particular dessert, but I suddenly understood why Liam had volunteered for shake duty.

"It was all I could do not to bite her," Liam said. "Especially when she tried to go after Poppy." He wrapped his arms around my sister. The blissful look on both their faces convinced me they were in love.

The chief read the woman her rights as he snapped a pair of handcuffs on her and hauled her off to jail.

"This isn't over," the woman shouted. "Not by a long shot."

The chief ignored her but did stop to shake hands with Mr. Bone, who seemed absolutely delighted with the turn of events.

I stalked up to him. "I hope it was worth it," I said.

"Daisy, you seem perturbed," he replied. "Aren't you pleased? We believe that woman we just arrested was the leader of the Scourge."

"Are you sure?" I said.

"We have just captured the person who was responsible for your father's abduction," he said. "And your father is headed to the station now to identify her."

"I hope it was worth Circe getting shot," I explained. "I don't particularly like Circe Silvertongue, but I didn't want her to get hurt."

"She was aware of the dangers," he said mildly.

"How is she doing, anyway?" I asked.

"Recuperating," he said. "She has a remarkable ability to heal."

Probably a spell. I wondered why she hadn't made herself invincible, but then I remembered Natalie's comment that all magic had a price. Maybe Circe hadn't wanted to pay the price.

"So, you're just letting Circe off the hook about Balthazar and Lily?"

"She's not off the hook," he said. "We're working on it."

"Do you honestly think she's going to stick around after her usefulness has ended?"

"Circe isn't going anywhere," Mr. Bone said. He changed the subject. "I didn't get the chance to tell you how grateful the council is to you for your quick actions the night she was shot."

"Ryan's the one who called 911," I pointed out.

"Yes, Ryan too, of course," he replied. He gestured to where Ryan was standing. "Now, why don't you join your young man and enjoy the rest of the dance?"

I decided to take his advice. There was nothing more I could do tonight, and my father's kidnapper had been captured. I could finally relax.