Rifling through my closet, none of the tops my fingers brushed over jumped out at me. Everything was either a slight bit too baggy or lacked any sense of the current styles. All options were simple.
What's the point of dressing to impress the leeches?
I chewed on my lower lip, narrowing my eyes. This hadn't been an issue until...
Until Anne's comment.
Great. I was emotionally laboring, not only over what a leech thought, but over one that wasn't even my boyfriend.
Fake-boyfriend, I corrected.
With a huff, I shoved my arm into the closet, counted three sweaters in and snatched that from its hanger without further examination. Once I'd thrown it atop the jeans I'd laid out on the bed, I went about washing up. Every so often, I rechecked my cell to see if Allie was on her way.
Today would be tricky. First and foremost was the issue of my intrusion the night previous; had they noticed? I'd sent Mason a good-morning message which he'd responded to without hesitation, but I couldn't determine his suspicion by attempting to read between the lines. It needed to be done in person.
Mason connected the dots fairly quickly, I had to admit. Whether that was because I was abysmal at espionage or he was just that good at 'reading people' I couldn't know. Either option would be frustrating to admit.
I yanked on the jeans harder than necessary and shrugged into the sweater - a muted olive, fuzzy affair - that I had paired with a lace camisole. Perhaps it was too mature for a teenager of this era? I shook off the thought. There weren't many options at the safehouse. I couldn't be picky.
"Anything else?" I wondered, bringing my pointer-finger pad to my lips and tapping thoughtfully. I examined the little bag I'd prepared the night before. It contained a wallet with both cash and credit card, an index card with a short list of things I'd like to pick up from the outlets, and a silver-and-gold bladed pocket-knife. "Maybe I should buy some lip gloss to put in here. Teenagers have that, right?"
I liked makeup well-enough, but it wasn't a necessity. It wasn't something I was particularly practiced. Mother had usually been the one to do mine for moonlight communions; her skill had been an art. Her mastery of painting color to accentuate a face, not only to be seen by daylight but also in moonlight, had resulted in ethereal masterpieces that took on whole new meaning with the setting of the sun.
"It's worth buying a few things, I guess," I sniffled.
Sweeping up my things, I flicked off the light and headed downstairs. At the front door, I leaned my shoulder to stare out the adjacent, skinny window and laid out my mental plan.
In addition to finding out whether I'd been had, I was curious to see if I could tease Kira's ability out of her like I had Mason. Apparently she'd already tried to use it on me and failed... When had that occurred? If only my protection could tell me when attempts to breach were occurring; I rubbed my fingers over the family-crest at my hip ruefully.
Alissa's headlights beamed through the misty rain as she pulled around the last bend. Her tires slowly crunched to a halt. I skittered out and had locked the door behind me before she could beep the horn. My boots slapped wetly on the porch then began to grind against the stones as I trotted quickly to the passenger door. Before I sat, I shook off my raincoat as best as I could onto the water-proofed floor at my feet.
When I'd collected myself, I stared over at Alissa. She watched me with raised eyebrows and expectant eyes.
"Oh, come on, it would be weird if we drove up to Trevor's and I was already sitting in the back seat," I scoffed as her expression softened in thought, "We'll get Catalina, then Will, and then we'll get Trevor. I'll say that he's too tall to sit in the back and volunteer to move. Sound good?"
"You're right," she sighed, surrendering and putting her car in reverse, "Why Will, by the way?"
"Oh..." I pursed my lips, thoughtful.
Admittedly, inviting Will hadn't been my idea. Our friend-group as a whole consisted of a few guys and a few girls; Catalina, Alissa, and Trevor were the core of the clique. For the boys there was also chess-club Tim, editorial-board Will, and soccer-star Anthony. Among the other girls, drama-club Chelsea and, occasionally, jack-of-all-trades Jenny who was too ambitious for just one or two extracurriculars. They were an eclectic bunch, brought together by the small-town atmosphere, but none disparaged the other's talents... aside from Chelsea, perhaps.
Alissa began tapping on the steering wheel, having reached the main road by the time I finally decided. Of all those options, Mason had mentioned Will. I decided to trust the mind-reader's judgment.
"I think she likes him."
"No way," Alissa rebutted automatically, tilting her chin down in disbelief. "I would've noticed."
"Think about it," I goaded her. She wrinkled her nose. I pushed her, "Remember when she listened to him go on and on about that anime she'd never seen."
"And she doesn't watch anime," Allie frowned, "That I know of. But she'd listen to anyone talk about anything for too long. She's too nice for her own good."
"I don't know..." I trailed off cloyingly.
She chewed thoughtfully on the inside of her cheek, but the wrinkle in her brow slowly began to smooth out without further prompting on my part.
"You know... I think you're right-!"
Allie launched into analysis. Every little comment Catalina had or hadn't made in the presence of Will was subject to scrutiny. Part of me began to feel guilty that I hadn't noticed Cat's feelings, but gently reminded myself that I hadn't known her for nearly as long.
Halfway-through analysis, we're pulling into Catalina's neighborhood with little, flat houses interspersed with scraggly grasses and stately spruce trees. These were mostly timber or aluminum-siding affairs with yards that swelled with the low hills along the coast. Alissa pulled up to a navy split-level home with craftsman style awning over the front door. She beeped her horn, then looked excitedly over at me.
"We'll keep a close eye on her and Will- "
"What about Trevor?" I reminded her with a laugh.
"Then you'll have to watch."
"Alright," I chuckled, though I wanted to kick myself.
Yet another thing I'd have to pay close attention to during my delicate information-gathering game. But Catalina was easy enough to read and if I got to talking with Mason, I could potentially lift her thoughts about Will from him. I ran my tongue along my teeth distastefully. Did I really want the vampires to be abusing their powers like that?
Catalina ran through the rain in her parka, plopping into Allie's backseat the moment she flung the car door open.
"What weather!"
She buckled her seatbelt.
"You excited?" Allie asked, smirking as she looked into the rear view mirror.
"Yeah, but did we actually decide what we wanted to do?"
"I was thinking I wanted to see the marine life center," I mused, leaning my forearm along the line of the passenger window. "And I could use a few things from the boutiques."
Alissa was pulling out, heading for Will's house now.
"I could do with a couple new tops," Alissa agreed.
"It's been ages since I visited the marine life center," Catalina seconded, "The guys will be fine doing anything, I think. Oh! And there's a metaphysical shop in town that I wanted to visit."
"Isn't your grandma, like, a staunch Catholic?" Allie asked, raising an eyebrow, "She'd kill you for bringing home anything weird."
"Well, yes," Cat hesitated and I looked back to see her chewing on her lip, "I've just been feeling uncomfortable at home recently."
"What; is your house suddenly haunted?"
Uh, oh. I groaned inwardly.
"I've been having a lot of nightmares this past week, and, well, Lita - er, my abuelita - has already given me holy water to put on my nightstand."
"What kind of nightmare?" I asked, heart sinking as Allie shook her head in disbelief.
"The same one each time, actually; it starts out that I'm hiking in the national park on a cloudy day," she began hesitantly, but gained momentum, "Then suddenly it gets dimmer and all the normal forest sounds stop. And I start to get this horrible feeling in my stomach like something's watching me. I start to run and realize that something's chasing me. Sometimes there's these weird noises, like an animal, but not really."
"Chasing you?" I wondered, thinking back to the creature I'd heard crashing in the woods just a few weeks ago. "Did you see what was chasing you?"
"No, I just heard it. After running and running my vision would go black, like I'd fallen into a big chasm, or something, and then I'd startle awake. It's the same dream over and over. Now Sofia's having it too."
"A metaphysical shop should have something for you and your sister," I said comfortingly as we turned into Will's driveway, "I used to dabble with that sort of thing in middle school. You're looking to burn some sage, most likely. There are also some crystals you can put under your pillows to help."
"You seriously do believe in that," Allie said skeptically, throwing the car into park. "I thought you were bluffing a bit at the sleepover..."
"It'll help if she believes it'll help."
In reality, no amount of believing would make this spirit go away. I'd have to help it along. It had been stupid, wishful thinking that a mere promise would help a spirit like Margret pass on. I'd assumed she would follow me instead since I'd reacted most favorably toward her. But if Catalina and her sister were experiencing Margret's death echoes in their dreams, there was no doubt that the ghost had taken up residence.
"Would you like us to stay over at your place again?" I asked Catalina.
"As long as there's no Ouija boards involved this time."
"Cross my heart," Alissa said emphatically, "Scouts honor, on my mother's life - I'm not doing that again. Ever."
"You know, I didn't start having these dreams 'till after the Ouija board incident... do you think that -?"
"It's possible," I admitted lightly, "But not irreversible. We'll get things back to normal in no time."
Will finally realized we were in his driveway and ran out, head ducked against the rain, to meet us.
"Hey, why didn't you text me?" he wondered, slamming the door shut behind him.
"Girls-only conversation," I smirked as he slid into the backseat opposite Catalina. "Top secret."
"Oh."
His mouth popped on the letter. He looked furtively at Catalina as he buckled his seatbelt. She smiled kindly back at him, a small, shy expression. Will's face lit up. Alissa's snort broke the silence as she looked into the rearview and peeled backward out of the driveway.
When we got to Trevor's I announced that he was much too tall for the back seat and that I, instead, should take one for the team. As predicted, Catalina insisted that, out of the three of us back there, she was the smallest, and so she ended up solidly squished between Will and me. This argument amused me but I held my tongue; Cat and I were about the same height and Will was about an inch or two shorter.
"And we're meeting Mason and Kira there," Allie said with a ring of finality, pulling out of the community.
"Why didn't you just ride with Mason?" Will wondered.
"Not really comfortable with that just yet."
"But Kira is with him," Catalina pointed out.
"I guess..." I pretended to muse, though the idea set me on edge: "Maybe I'll ride home with them."
"You don't have to if you don't want to," Trevor piped up.
I noticed the roll of Alissa's eyes in the rearview.
At this rate, Alissa's going to throw me into Mason's car herself.
~
The winding drive flew by with a few sing-alongs during which I texted Mason our plans.
"So the marine life center in Kenai doesn't open until noon," I announced as we entered town, "We're going to meet Mason and Kira at one of the boutiques."
"Ugh," Trevor groaned, throwing himself back against the seat. "Shopping."
He turned his head sideways and smirked at me through the prongs of the extensible headrest.
"Which boutique?" Allie asked as the trees began to give way to neighborhoods.
"Which do you suggest?"
"Let's try Chevron's Boutique first."
"Got it, I'll let them know."
Houses began to grow into buildings as we made our way further into the coastal city, but none stood taller than two to three stories in height - if that. It was a bustling place with a similar feel to Homer. A certain small-town vibe in the narrow and cracked asphalt roads, the flat-topped buildings, and the handmade nature of the various sculptures and murals we passed. It was a weathered place, but clean.
"Here we are," Allie announced.
We tumbled out, avoiding the scant traffic in the gravel lot and pacing quickly for the shop through the drizzle of rain. I quickly noted the watery vampire-scent in the air.
"Phew!" Catalina breathed as we entered, "Feels good to stretch."
"Got that right," I seconded, wandering toward the dresses and skirts on the far wall where a short, pixie-ish figure stood, "Kira?"
She spun on the spot. Her little blouse-and-vest combo looked like she'd just plucked it from these very racks. Perhaps she had a while back. Either way, the shopkeep eyed her eagerly.
"Ah, Sara - everyone, how are you?" she bubbled excitedly.
Mason appeared from around another rack, a gentle smile on his lips. He moved forward slowly, but with a sureness in his step, and extended a hand with one crooked index finger. I cocked my head, but proffered my own finger by linking it in his. With a gentle tug, he pulled me in close enough to lay his cool lips on my knuckle.
"Hello," he purred, gazing up at me, and I recognized the alluring dilation of his pupils.
Like the last time I'd felt his compulsion, he neglected to offer a command and I wondered mildly whether he was conscious of the fact he was asserting his ability. Despite my vampiric resistance, a warm blush rose up my neck.
"Hi," I said flatly.
He didn't seem suspicious of me.
In fact, I vaguely recognized the melted emotion in his jade-green eyes; it was a different kind of dangerous. The kind of dangerous that ushered the blush from my neck and into my cheeks.
"I was just looking at this one," Kira interjected.
She gestured to a loose and flowing number, thankfully giving me an out. The dress Kira pointed at would drape in a casual and flattering way on her form, but I knew I might look rather boxy in it.
"Won't know for sure until you try it on."
"It's really pretty," Allie appraised and I thought I heard a spark of envy in her voice. "Go for it!"
Kira beamed, flipping the hook from the rack onto her fingertips.
"And for you..."
She examined the fanciful tops but I turned from those. Instead, I took interest in some of the high-waisted skater-skirt styles, reaching out to finger the fabric of a flared black one.
"You like those?"
"Love them," I sighed, letting my hand drop.
"Really?" Catalina wondered mildly, "You've always seemed like more of a sporty or casual person to me."
"As long as you put the right undergarments on, you can be perfectly sporty in a skirt," I informed her, lifting the item from its rack.
"I think you'd look nice in a skirt," Trevor piped up.
Mason's scathing glare made Trevor shrivel.
"It was on my list of things to get," I said, matter-of-fact, "I'll get a couple more, but they need to be neutral so I can mix and match."
"What sports can you wear a skirt for?" Will asked, his brow genuinely wrinkled.
"Tennis," Trevor supplied, "Golf."
"What sports do you even play?" Allie asked.
"I hike. I'll be getting a few sporty skirts for that. There's another boutique that I want to visit that specializes in athletic wear."
"I'll try the skirt too," Allie decided, apparently too intimidated by Kira to attempt the same dress she'd chosen.
"Cat?" I asked, throwing a glance her way.
She jumped, having become entranced by an open-front knit cardigan.
I smiled, "Go on then."
She tentatively lifted the sweater to crook the hanger on her arm.
"If you need opinions, I'll be on the bench over there," Will said, pointing, "I'm kind of out of my depth here. Mason, Trevor, I brought some cards if you guys want to play."
"Sure," Mason grinned, "I can play a mean hand of Go Fish."
"I was thinking along the lines of Bullshit, but sure," Trevor shrugged.
I nearly snorted, but managed to turn it into an awkward throat-clearing last minute. As if Trevor could go head to head with a mind-reader in Go Fish much less Bullshit.
"Skirts, huh," Kira said, returning to her analysis of the clothes at-hand, "Here, this will look good too."
She pressed a short circle-skirt with a gray-black-and-white plaid pattern into my hands.
"What about dresses?" Kira asked.
"'What about dresses?'" Allie echoed, aghast, "Of course dresses."
"When would we wear them?" Catalina wondered.
"Daily!" Allie exclaimed.
"Into the fall and winter?"
"Wear tights," Allie solved the problem with a wide, sarcastic gesture.
"I don't know... I might just stick to jeans."
"Suit yourself."
As we moved through the shop, Kira treated me like a clothing rack; hooking item after item over my arm for me to try on. Other than the skirts, I hadn't really budgeted for anything else. The little pixie of a vampire flitted from one rack to the other, occasionally adorning either Alissa or Catalina with an item, but burdened me heavier than the other two.
"We should probably stop to try these on at some point," I prompted, feeling that I'd become dwarfed in fabric.
"There are two changing rooms," Kira chimed as if she'd scoped the place out, "Alissa and Catalina in one and you and I in the other!"
Great.
My stomach began to knot. The white-tattooed family crest on my hip wouldn't be able to go unnoticed. All of the other little pale writings across my arms, usually invisible to human eyes and hidden beneath long sleeves, also may not be able to escape Kira's notice either. Perhaps if I only disrobed in halves - upper body, cover up, lower body, then... no, that would only trick a human.
"Actually, can I go with you, Kira?" Catalina piped up, glasses gleaming as she appraised me, "Some of the things you picked out for me are really strappy and I'm afraid I'll get stuck."
"Oh, sure!"
Kira's voice was bright, but tempered with a slight slowness. Immediately, my gut relaxed and I stifled the urge to sigh-out the tension. Allie led the way into the curtain-shielded dressing room, quickly stripping down to don her first choice. I left my lacy tank on, taking care to tuck it into the skirt before donning a burgundy blouse I'd taken interest in.
"You're going to need better shoes to go with that," Allie observed decidedly, glaring at my steel-toed boots. "Those are... something."
"They pass as Timberlands. If I dress them up with knit socks -"
"They do not."
With an emphatic sigh, I examined my outline in the mirror as I tied the lower hem of the shirt right at the high waistline of the skirt. It was a gentle fall-time fancy that outlined my figure. A little, frivolous pride stirred in me.
Not bad!
"Oi! Fashion show!"
Kira's insistent patting on the curtain made the tan fabric jiggle and sway.
"Coming!" I called, waiting until Allie finish tugging the off-the-shoulder sleeves of her dress down.
A low whistle sounded as we exited, followed by a sharp 'ouch' and I looked over to see Mason's hand retreating from Trevor. Trevor rubbed petulantly at the back of his head, resetting his carefully gelled 'messy-look'. They'd gravitated from the front of the store toward the changing rooms, apparently having noticed our disappearance. Their fishing pile sat evenly on Mason's knee as the three of them adorned the plush waiting benches opposite us. I supposed that Bullshit didn't work out for Trevor after all.
Will sniggered, "Serves you right."
"Well?" Kira demanded.
She circled her pointer finger in the air at me.
"I'm not a dog," I snapped, then nipped the tip of my tongue with a wrinkle of my nose. Quickly, I extended my hand petulantly toward Mason. "Spin me."
He chuckled, but unfolded the ankle from where he'd propped it up on his knee, quickly catching the deck as it slid and handed it to Will. His emerald eyes didn't waver from my face as he extended his fingertips, palm-up, toward me, allowing me to close the remaining distance with my already proffered hand.
I rested my fingers on his, letting them slide past his finger pads toward his palm. The coolness of his skin sent a shiver up my arm, but I didn't recoil from the sensation. He shifted, cupping my fingers and lifting so my arm was above my head. Slowly, he twisted my hand in his and I revolved beneath him, utterly and completely entranced. His face softened, gently smiling, and eyes relaxed as he watched me move under his firm direction. He looked-
Human.
"Ew, are you guys, like, dating or something?" Allie giggled.
That broke what must've become a rather awkward silence for the others. Mason ignored her, but relinquished my hand.
"It suits you," Mason approved simply, but his eyes sparkled as he finally dropped his gaze to appraise the outfit. "I can see why you like wearing skirts."
"I-I like the mobility best," I said quickly, trying to avoid blushing. I balled my hands into loose fists and wiggled my hips to watch the hem swish. "I used to tear my pants as a kid so Mom got me skirts."
"Tear your pants?" Will echoed, "How?"
"Well when you climb trees and run amok in the woods..."
"You wouldn't want to climb a tree in a skirt, though," Trevor pointed out.
"Spandex, hello?" Alissa scoffed.
"Little Sara sounds like a troublemaker," Catalina laughed.
Kira circled slowly, completely absorbed in analysis with a crooked finger at her chin and a critical look in her eye. She completed a second circle around me before speaking.
"You have quite a prominent pear shape," she noted, the lightness of her tone muted with thought, "I've never noticed before."
"That I can't change, but if you have recommendations on the outfit..."
"You dress yourself smartly. I think that skirt would look exceptional with the crop-tops I chose for you as well."
"I'm not much a fan of things that can ride up on me."
I didn't want to reveal too much to the vampires.
"Crop-tops are amazing, what are you talking about?" Allie objected.
"I think a curvy skirt would look good on you too," Catalina tried, "What are they called?"
"Tulip skirts," Kira supplied.
" You're probably right, but they're not for me! Not enough leg-room. Anyway, who's next?"
"Me," Allie stepped forward, bumping her hip against mine.
I waved a hand and stepped back.
The cycle continued until we'd exhausted our try-on racks and came away with only a fraction of what we'd taken. Kira, however, seemed content to purchase all that she'd tried on.
"Kira picked well for you, huh," I murmured to Catalina as we stood in line, waiting for the Warde sister to complete her payment at the register, "I was under the impression you weren't in the market for new clothes."
"I couldn't resist," she said with a blush, "Kira seemed to know something I didn't."
I cocked my head slightly and turned my eyes to Alissa's haul as she toted it to the now-available cashier. Quite a few of them I recognized as ones Kira had lifted and hooked onto her arm.
A supernatural fashion affinity? I wondered, then nearly snorted.
No, it had to have been something she'd already attempted to use on me; something outside the context of fabric. Besides, based on the lightness of Kira's scent - a firm peppermint - she was approximately eighty years old. She'd had plenty of time to cultivate a variety of skills, including an aptitude for fashion. Still, I'd watch closely at the next boutique.
"Do you need an extra ten?" Kira piped up, breaking my musings from where she stood, bags in hand, just beyond the register. She stared politely at Allie who'd set her purse on the counter to fish for her wallet.
"Oh, er," she hesitated, counting through the bills in the thin pocket of her wallet, "Yeah, actually. Do you mind?"
"Not at all!"
"You'll be okay with that?" I checked quickly with Catalina, nodding to the sweater she held, "I know you mentioned saving money, earlier."
"Yeah, this will be okay. I've got some cash from tutoring, but I'm definitely not buying anything in the next store."
"Roger that," I chuckled then sobered up a bit, "You will try-on with us though, right?"
Catalina's smile warmed from humor to consolation, "Of course."