I pulled her from the bathroom to a waiting chair and began working on her makeup.
“Jade, where did this dress come from?” she asked.
I had known it would only be a matter of time before she wanted to know.
“I bought it in New York the last time I was there. It’s part of your birthday present.”
“Part?” she asked, sounding disturbed.
“Now don’t start with me,” I said to her. “You only turn eighteen once. When I bought this dress I had no intention of making you wear it tonight, but Aaron deserves to see what a beautiful girl he’s got. So you are going to wear it without complaint and you will graciously accept all of your other gifts without worrying that you are somehow undeserving of the love we have for you.”
Shaylee sat silently for several minutes and allowed me to work.
“Thank you,” she eventually said. “The dress is beautiful.”
“You’re welcome,” I replied, hoping the night didn’t end in disaster.
***
As I drove down the highway, I did my best to keep up with traffic. I had an overwhelming urge to turn the car around and go straight back to school, but I fought it. I knew it would make no difference where Shaylee was. When eight o’clock came she would begin the Transition.
I bit my lip to keep myself from talking. Shaylee had been quiet ever since I’d carefully curled her long hair and put her in thin-strapped heels. I knew if I started talking, I would ramble on nervously to fill the silence between us. Instead of talking, I tapped the steering wheel and silently wished that both of us had the strength to get though whatever was about to happen.
After what seemed like hours, instead of the forty minutes the trip actually took, I pulled into Andrew’s driveway. I felt oddly relieved by the lights in the windows and the two other cars in the driveway.
I glanced at the clock on my dashboard and saw that we were right on time. We got out of the car and walked up to the two-story house, which had obviously been built in the earlier days of Salem.
“Shay,” I said, pausing at the door. “I want you to know that you are my best friend and I love you. No matter what happens tonight, I will always love and protect you.”
I turned away from the confusion on Shaylee’s face and opened the door. Aaron and Andrew were standing in the foyer waiting for us.
“Happy Birthday!” they said in unison as we entered the house.
Andrew was dressed much nicer than usual in khaki pants and a pale blue shirt. I saw the carefully hidden stress in his eyes and hoped that Shaylee didn’t notice it as well. As for Aaron, he looked handsome in black slacks and a black shirt.
He stepped forward and kissed Shaylee. It was the first time I’d ever seen him outright kiss her and judging by the look on Shaylee’s face it was the first time she’d been outright kissed by him. She nervously looked at Andrew as she stepped away from Aaron. Andrew gave her a smile, obviously encouraging the relationship.
Aaron took her hand and led her into the living room.
“Presents first,” he said.
He sat down on the sofa, pulling her down with him. I followed and sat my bag down next to my chair. I wanted to keep it close, just in case. I watched as Shaylee eyed the presents waiting on the coffee table.
“This is from me,” Andrew said as he handed Shaylee the largest gift on the table.
He sat down on the sofa opposite of where Shaylee and Aaron sat as Shaylee struggled to hold the heavy gift.
Surprise crossed Shaylee’s face as she unwrapped the book. She placed the torn wrapping paper on the table and carefully set the book on her lap. The book’s binding looked ancient, but I knew it wouldn’t come apart.
“It belonged to your parents,” Andrew explained. “Where they came from it’s customary to pass it on when the first-born turns eighteen.”
“My parents? You always told me no one knew who my parents were.”
I glanced at Andrew. He looked calm at first glance, but I could see how uncomfortable he was.
He took a deep breath and said, “There were some things you weren’t ready to hear. I was just trying to protect you.”
The floor creaked in the kitchen, drawing my attention. I allowed my senses to take over and felt no danger. I relaxed. It was an old house and probably made strange noises. Then anger I felt emanating from Shaylee brought my attention back to the conversation.
“There are things I wasn’t ready to hear?” Shaylee asked.
Her voice was too calm. It didn’t match the anger I was feeling from her. I glanced at Aaron and the look he gave me said he was well aware of Shaylee’s anger.
“You didn’t think I needed to know who my parents were? You didn’t think I was ready to hear that you have their things? What else am I ready to hear today that I wasn’t ready to hear yesterday?”
By the time Shaylee had finished speaking, her voice was sharp with anger. I could see the effort she was using trying to keep her emotions under control.
“Shaylee, I was sworn to secrecy,” Andrew said. “I’m so sorry that you’re upset I kept things from you, but you must understand that I only did what I thought was best. I had to protect you.”
Shaylee made no reply. She looked down at the book again and I could see her hands shaking on its cover. Aaron took another present off the table and handed it to her. Her hands steadied as she took it.
“This is from me,” he said. “You’ll know how to use it when the time comes.”
Shaylee unwrapped the second book. This one was much smaller than
