Thicker Than Water (14 page)

She fiddled with the keys on the cash register, thinking about how Julie and her friends had been so friendly. This job was dead center in the serious goth scene—not just the little school clique. And Kia was in the heart of it. Julie and the others must have a whole new impression of her.

And Virgil. Maybe Hecate and Aaron were right and he did like her. After all, Kia had thought that maybe the pizza thing was a sort-of date. But what did that really change, at this point? Virgil was nice enough, but next to Damon, a high school boy was, well, a high school boy. And Damon was so much more....

She shivered, a strange thought flitting through her brain, one that teased the edges of her mind. Damon was more, maybe, than she'd even realized.

K
ia did a quick once-over of Night Times before she started shutting everything down for the night. The whole lockup routine had become a natural habit so easily, it was hard to remember how nervous she'd been during her first shift three weeks ago.

“Ready?” Hecate asked, waiting at the door.

Kia was about to say yes when her cell rang. She glanced at it and saw Carol's number appear in the display. Kia paused, biting her lip. She didn't really have time to talk, and she didn't want to have to explain to Carol where she was headed. Things had only gotten weirder the past couple of weeks with Carol. She just couldn't seem to deal with Kia's job or with all her club nights with Hecate. Kia hadn't even been eating lunch with Carol and Aaron the past week because she was sick of the awkwardness whenever it came up. She'd been sitting with Virgil and his goth friends instead.

“Are you getting that?” Hecate asked.

“Nope,” Kia said, clicking off her phone. “If it's important, she'll call back.” She stashed the phone in her purse, then did a quick mirror check before meeting Hecate at the door.

Hecate flicked the lights and locked up. They headed to the Lower East side.

“No vamps tonight, right?” Kia asked as they let several taxis barrel past them down First Avenue.

“Well, none out,” Hecate confirmed. “This club is basic goth.”

“You're sure Damon will be there?” Kia asked as they crossed the street. If she was going to risk snoozing through her morning classes, she wanted to be sure she had a good reason.

Hecate laughed. “You have that boy on your brain.”

“More like in my blood,” Kia admitted.

Hecate gave Kia a quick glance, and Kia looked away. She didn't mean for that to come out quite so intensely. Every time she'd seen Damon—at the store or the vampire events Kia and Hecate frequented after work—there was an undeniable charge between them. She noticed he found ways to touch her—passing her on the dance floor, saving hello at the bar. He'd brush up against her or slide a hand along her waist and down to her hip. But it never progressed beyond that.

Kia was dying to talk to him more, to explore the connection and see where it could go, but so far she hadn't had the chance. Tonight, maybe? She honestly didn't feel as if she could go much longer without having him close to her—the need was so strong, almost familiar in a strange way.

They stopped for a red light and Hecate lit a cigarette. “Damon spins at regular goth nights too,” she said. “I guess there aren't enough vampires around to keep him in bloodbaths and rent, so he branches out.”

Inside the club, Kia did her automatic scan for Damon. She finally saw him leaning against the wall near the bar, scoping out the scene. His stillness was riveting. Several guys Kia recognized from NightTimes waved to her and Hecate.

“Go ahead,” Kia told Hecate. “I'll catch up with you.”

As Hecate headed for the table, Kia homed in on Damon. He hadn't seen her yet.

“Kia!”

Julie rushed over to Kia. Wren and Mandy followed her. “Love the dress,” Julie said.

“Thanks,” Kia replied. She peered over Julie's shoulder. Damon was gone.

“Will you hold some earrings for me?” Wren asked. “I saw them yesterday at your store, but I didn't have any cash on me.”

“Come by when I'm on and I'll put them aside for you,” Kia said, nodding.

Kia tried not to be obvious, but while Julie, Wren, and Mandy chatted about clothes and school, she kept her eyes out for the only person whose presence she really craved.

“Hello,” a deep voice said behind her.

A slow smile crawled across Kia's face.

Damon.

Kia turned and smiled at him. “Hi,” she said. She was aware of Julie, Mandy, and Wren all standing there waiting for her to introduce them, but she didn't say a word.

“Hello, ladies,” he said, looking past Kia.

“Hi,” Julie said.

“Yeah, hi,” added Mandy. Wren just stared with her mouth open.

Kia wanted him all to herself. “See you around,” she told the girls.

They took the hint and wandered away.

“You look good,” Damon said. Kia felt her whole body flush. “I'll play some songs for you. Things you'll recognize from Vampyre Central.”

“That's cool,” Kia said. “This place is a little... tame.”

Damon raised a pale eyebrow and cocked his head. “You think so?”

He gripped her waist, pushed aside her hair, and hovered, his lips inches from her neck. Kia froze, waiting for what might happen. He stayed absolutely still until her neck practically screamed for him to bite her. Then he took in a deep breath and stepped away. “No,” he murmured. “I shouldn't.”

He released her and headed for the DJ booth, never looking back. Kia stared after him, trying to quiet her pounding heart. Eventually she gave up and surrendered to the beat.

“Kia, I'm very concerned.”

Kia sat in the fake leather chair in the school guidance counselor's office a few days later. One leg crossed over the other, her booted foot jiggled with impatience. Halloween was coming and the cutout jack-o'-lanterns and black cats decorating Ms. Rodriguez's office made her feel as if she were trapped in middle school. Not even. Elementary.

“Throughout October, I've noticed a rise in absences,” Ms. Rodriguez continued. “And I spoke with several of your teachers. They are also concerned. Your performance has slipped during this same period.” She folded her hands on top of a file folder and looked at Kia. “Has something happened?” she asked.

Kia picked at her nail polish.

“Kia?” Ms. Rodriguez prodded.

“Not really,” Kia said.

How could she explain how much everything had changed? That she'd found a new group of friends who understood her, who appreciated her. A place where she could go and be with creatures like herself who craved the dark, who embraced their power, who sought pleasure with each other.

How could she explain that everything had changed because of how Damon looked at her?

“I understand that there have been some changes in your living situation,” the counselor said. “Your father is now your custodial parent?”

Kia sat up straighter, her attention yanked from her Damon reverie back to the cramped office. Was Ms. Rodriguez saying that she was going to call her dad?

Luckily the case in D.C. had kept Kia's father out of town most of the time over the last month, and she always made sure to call him to check in. What did he know? Care? As long as she wasn't causing him trouble, he was fine.

A phone call from school would be considered trouble.

“You know why, don't you?” Kia asked, making her voice soft and pathetic. She leaned forward in her chair, clasping her hands, rattling her bracelets. The tracks had faded, so she was able to wear short sleeves and bracelets again. It had been over a month since she cut—or even had the urge.

“Why you've started living with your father?” Ms. Rodriguez asked.

“It's my mom.” Kia made her voice quaver, as if she were about to cry. “She—she's dying.”

The counselor's brow furrowed. “I'm sorry. No, I wasn't aware of the circumstances.” Her voice had softened too.

Kia licked her lips; they had suddenly gone dry. So she was using her mother's cancer to get out of trouble. Hell, it was true—even if her mother wasn't actually
dying.

Kia took a deep breath. “Sometimes I—I go to the hospital. Just to ... you know... see her.”

Kia's stomach went funny. Maybe that was too much, going too far. She had barely been to the hospital lately. She made phone calls, sure. But between NightTimes and her nightlife, Kia had very little time to spare. She was amazed she made it to school at all.

Mom's okay with it,
she told herself. She tugged at the collar of her shirt. For some reason, her chest felt tight. Her mom had always been saying Kia spent too much time at the hospital, and she got tired so easily on Kia's visits anyway. Kia slowed down her breathing so that she could hear what Rodriguez was saying.

“Kia, I understand your need to see your mother. But she'd be the first to tell you that school is important too. Please try to limit your visits to after school and weekends.”

Kia nodded. “I know I should,” she said, sounding very young.

“Good. I'll make a note in your file that this is a ...
challenging
time for you right now, but it won't help your mother if your schoolwork suffers.”

“You're right,” Kia said, nearly making herself sick with how pathetic she could sound.

“And Kia,” Ms. Rodriguez added, “I realize this is an incredibly difficult time, but we do have to think about your future here. If things continue this way, I'll have to contact your parents so we can discuss some possible ways to help you out. The end of the semester isn't so far away, and the further behind you get, the harder it will be to catch up.”

“I'll do my best,” Kia said. “I promise.”

“Thank you. And—I'm sorry about your mother. If you ever need to talk about it ... remember, I'm here.”

Kia left the office, forcing herself not to smirk. That was so much easier than she thought it would be. The tight feeling rose up in her stomach again. Maybe she could stop by the hospital before work.

“Kia!” Aaron practically mowed her down as he came around the corner.

They grabbed arms and she regained her balance. “What's the rush?”

“Rehearsal.” He nodded toward a room down the hall. “I'm late. You in with Rodriguez?”

“Yeah. But I worked her and everything's okay.”

“
Is
everything okay?” Aaron asked. “I feel like you've vanished.”

Kia shrugged. “The whole job thing ...”

“And you're hanging more with Virgil and his gang,” Aaron pointed out. He grinned mischievously. “So was I right? I always thought the two of you would hook up. If I was into dark, brooding, and straight, I'd go for him myself.”

Kia laughed. “Just friends. Speaking of hookups ...” For a moment she wanted to ask if Carol had taken the plunge with anyone yet but decided it would be too weird to hear that from Aaron. Besides, Carol would have told her.

Well, maybe. Kia suddenly realized that their phone conversation about virginity busting had been their last serious talk. That was over a month ago. Since then it was mostly small talk around school, a few e-mails. Carol hadn't left a message when she'd called Kia's cell the other night, and Kia had never called her back.

Aaron cocked his head. “Yes ... ? Exactly what are you asking, Miss Nosy?”

Kia scrambled and came up with a new question. “Elf Boy. What's going on there? Are you going to elope and live in the fairy kingdom together?”

Aaron fake-smacked her arm. “Hey—I'm the only fairy who can call me a fairy.”

“I was making a magic allusion,” Kia said, laughing. “But anyway, are things going okay there?”

“Actually, yes.” Aaron bounced on the balls of his feet as if he were having trouble staying earth bound. “We've been hanging out a lot.”

“Excellent. So is he a boyfriend?”

“As in going steady, dinner and a movie—”

Kia cut him off. “No. As in hot and sweaty and then all sweet and romantic.”

Aaron sighed. “Not quite. But I have hope.”

It was amazing to think that this whole thing between Aaron and Elf Boy began with a Wiccan ceremony. Maybe there really was something to magic after all. From Kia's recent experiences among the vampires, she was willing, hoping in fact, to believe anything was possible.

“Maybe you need to do another spell,” Kia suggested.

“I've done them. How do you think I got this far? It's not like this is a face that would launch a thousand ships. Well, maybe it would, but they'd all be fleeing in the opposite direction.”

“Stop it.” Kia hated hearing Aaron cut himself down.

Aaron leaned against the wall and hooked his thumb under the strap of his backpack. He ran his fingers up and down the strap. “We have done some messing around, but just a little,” Aaron confessed.

“That's a start.”

“Yeah. He's fun. So are his friends.”

It occurred to her that if Aaron was spending time with Elf Boy and his pals and she was hanging in Vampville, then Carol might be feeling a little left out. “Is Carol cool with you and Elf Boy?”

“Sure, why shouldn't she be?”

Kia shrugged. “No reason.”

“I guess we haven't been spending as much time together,” he said, his strawberry blond eyebrows coming together. “But she seems okay with it. She's really busy preparing for the end-of-semester concert.”