Drinking the potion would solve all of my problems.
Do it. Do it now.
There was a knock at my door then and I pulled the bottle away from my mouth and jammed the stopper back into it.
'Nikki?' my mom said. 'Is everything okay in there?' 'Fine,' I managed. 'Can I come in?'
I tucked the bottle of potion under my tank top and pushed the tears off my cheeks. 'Sure.'
The door eased open and she looked in at me with concern.
I heard a male voice behind her. 'What's going on?' It was Robert.
She glanced over her shoulder. 'Nothing. Give us a minute, please.'
He shuffled past the door and glared in at me. 'Strong little thing, aren't you?' he said unpleasantly. His arm was in a cast now-the arm I broke like it was a pencil when he hit my mother.
'You have no idea.' My eyes narrowed and I felt my headache return.
No, I thought. I have to stay calm. I couldn't risk my Darkling coining out again.
Robert didn't give any indication that he thought our altercation was anything more for me than a. . well, a lucky break. I guess he hadn't noticed that my eyes had turned red. That was a relief.
When he'd left and I heard the door at the other end of the hallway click shut, I looked at my mom. 'I thought he was staying with a friend?'
'He came back.'
'I swear, Mom, if he hurts you again-' She raised her hand. 'I know, Nikki. Don't worry. It's not going to happen again. I won't let it.' She leaned against the wall. 'I was worried that you were sick coming home early today. But you actually look wonderful.'
'I do?'
She nodded.
I sure didn't feel wonderful. I frowned at the thought. Then again, I didn't feel that bad anymore. The pain was starting to fade away to nearly nothing at all.
'I brought you something.' She entered my bedroom fully so I could see she held a paperback novel in her hand. 'It's the new one. I just got my copies today. I think you'll like it.'
I took it from her and checked out the darkly good-looking cover model staring at me. I ran my finger along the embossing on her name. 'What's it about?'
'It's about a handsome vampire and a beautiful woman who was his wife hundreds of years ago. She's been reincarnated so she doesn't quite remember him, but in her soul she knows that she's always loved him.'
I thought about my father and how he'd loved my mother before being parted from her. How he was trapped inside the castle and now was going to die all alone.
'Does it have a happy ending?' I asked.
'Of course.' She smiled. 'I wouldn't have it any other way.'
I put the book on my bedside table. 'I really want you to have a happy ending, too, Mom.'
She sat next to me on the bed and put her arm around me. 'Happy endings only happen for characters in books. The rest of us have to deal with reality.'
I'd begun to slowly relax now that my brush with death had officially passed. I'd been so scared that I'd almost drunk the potion. If my mom hadn't stopped me… I'd already be forgetting everything.
Then I wondered if that would have been so bad. Mom was right. Happy endings weren't that realistic-not in my case, anyway.
'Maybe you just haven't found your handsome vampire yet,' I said.
She scrunched her nose. 'Not sure I'd go for a vampire. I hate the sight of blood.'
'But since you write about them, you must think that… monsters. . are kind of sexy, right?'
It was a baited question, I'll admit it. If my father could have had his chance to tell her his secrets, what would she have done? Would she have run screaming from the room at his demon form? Or would she have loved him anyway?
I didn't know. I guessed I'd never know.
She shook her head. 'It's just a book, honey. It's not like monsters actually exist.'
'Right.' I cleared my throat. 'Forget about it.'
After another minute she left my room to get her dress for me to borrow. I wanted to tell her that I wasn't going to the dance. Winter Formal was the last thing I wanted to think about, but again I didn't say anything.
I was tired. So tired.
I put my head down on my pillow and even though my brain was going a million miles a minute, I fell asleep right away.
When I woke up it was because my mom was yelling up the stairs for me. 'Nikki! Melinda's on the phone for you!'
I sat up and rubbed my eyes and then looked at the clock. It was nearly six thirty. I'd just slept for four hours.
Not good.
I grabbed for the receiver and held it to my ear. 'Melinda?' My voice came out all croaky.
'Please tell me you're almost ready,' she said simply. I swallowed hard. 'Not exactly.'
'You're bailing on the dance, aren't you?' She sounded mad.
'I… I don't really think I'm feeling so great-I'm coming down with something. It's probably better if I just stay home.'
There was a long pause. 'Is it because you're not into Chris anymore?'
I sighed. 'That has a little to do with it, but it's not the only reason.'
Another long pause. 'I don't understand what's going on with you.'
'Look, Melinda, you'll have a good time tonight. Every-body will be there. You won't even notice that I'm missing.'
She didn't say anything for a moment, but I could hear a muffled sound.
'Why are you crying?'
'I'm not crying. That's ridiculous.' She sniffed. 'What's wrong?'
'It's okay, Nikki,' she said. 'I get it. You don't want to be my friend. It's fine. It would help if you just came right out and said it.'
'Melinda, that isn't what I'm saying.'
'It's just… I don't know. This town. . everybody is so fake.'
'That's not true.'
'It is. Larissa is super friendly, but I know she's just using me, too, like today with getting her hair and makeup done. She wants to be friends with the popularity, not with me. She even passed my screening process, but she's just like the rest of them.'
I couldn't exactly argue that one. 'She's not that bad.'
'You have to come to the dance. I'm stressed out about Winter Queen. I have to win and you have to be there with me.'
I racked my brain for another excuse, but I couldn't exactly tell her the truth, could I? Definitely not.
'Please, Nikki.' There was an odd tone of desperation and loneliness to her words. Who would ever believe that the most popular girl in Erin Heights had issues with insecurity? 'You don't have to stay all night. Just an hour or two.'
'You do know how needy you sound, right?'
She laughed a little at that. 'It's pathetic, I know. Don't make me beg. It won't be pretty.'
I let out a long sigh and looked at the dress hanging from my closet door-the one that my mom must have delivered during my four-hour power nap.
'Okay. Fine. I'll go.'
'Then get dressed! And hurry up, we've got to be there in an hour.'
