“So Kenzie,” mom said as the program ended, “How is The Necropolis?”
“Fine.” I decided to leave out my escapades the previous night, which didn’t leave many interesting stories. “I got a perfect score on my last chemistry test. It wasn’t that hard, but the teacher said I was the first person in ten years to do it.”
“Well, congratulations dear. That’s impressive.”
I nodded. “Oh, and I met Matt Cavanagh.”
“Oh, the poet? He’s cute.”
“Yeah, I guess. We mostly talked about how he wants to go to college. And his parents really like grandpa’s book.” Grandpa was asleep by this point, so he didn’t get to hear that part.
“He sounds like a winner,” mom said. “You should ask him out.”
“Mom…no. My friend Jacey is practically in love with him.”
“Well, are they dating?”
“No…not anymore.”
“Well, they’re young. They’ll get over it.”
“Mom,” I said, laughing, “I’m not dating Matt. He reminds me too much of my friends from high school.”
“Oh, so he’s big into math and cute boys?” she teased.
I laughed again, then stopped. “Seriously mom, he’s pretty much the only other person I’ve met who actually care about the same things I do. Everyone else just cares about partying.”
“Well, wasn’t that what it was like when you went to school here? Most people seem to care more about hanging out with their friends than studying. You were always the exception.”
“Most people, yeah. But not everyone. It’s like a completely different world over there.”
She ran a hand through my hair. “Sweetheart, you’ve only been there for a couple of months. Give it some time. You’ll adjust.”
“You really think I should stay?”
She sighed. “Kenzie, you have no idea how proud of you I am. Not just for becoming Immortal, but for a lot of things. You’re a good kid. You know that, right? And you can do whatever you put your mind to. If you want to stay in The Necropolis and become Immortal, then I’ll fully support you. But if you don’t, no matter what sort of crazy things you’ve gotten yourself into, you can always come home. Always.”
I thought the whole ‘you can do anything you put your mind to’ speech was a bunch of bullshit parents spewed at their kids so they wouldn’t get lazy. But she was right about one thing — I did have a choice. I could stay Immortal and enjoy an eternal life of fame and luxury. Or I could come home, finish school, have a career, and never have half of what I had before. It seemed like an easy decision, but it wouldn’t seem like that for long.
chapter three
Luke and I spent the rest of the weekend at home, even going to church with mom and grandpa the next morning — something I hadn’t done since moving to The Necropolis. Church attendance there was practically nonexistent. If you were never going to die, why worry about what happens to you in the afterlife?
We drove back to The Necropolis Sunday night. Monday meant back to school and homework. I got to bio early Monday morning; Jacey came in five minutes after me and took her usual seat next to mine.
“Did you have fun Friday night?” she asked.
“Yeah, I did.” Because even though the ride over had been uncomfortable and I certainly didn’t enjoy feeling like I could puke up my entire digestive system, the dancing part had been somewhat enjoyable.
“You sure? Elizabeth sometimes acts kind of weird when she drinks. She didn’t freak you out or anything?”
“No, not really.”
“All right then. But you know, if it makes you uncomfortable we can go by ourselves sometime. She’s going to get drunk no matter who she’s with, so it’s not a big deal.”
“No, it’s okay. She can come with us.” Elizabeth wasn’t exactly my friend, but the idea of her or anyone else drinking alone was depressing. Besides, if the alternative was her driving drunk, I’d let her pass out beside me every weekend.
I got tired of bio homework pretty fast that night and decided to tackle English. I had read two chapters from The Scarlet Letter when there was a knock at the front door. I ignored it, figuring it was one of Luke’s friends. But a moment later, he knocked on my bedroom door.
“You have a visitor,” he said, and I spotted a mass of dark curls behind him.
“Matt!” It came out much more enthusiastic than I had expected. To my even further surprise, I got up and hugged him. He hugged me back rather comfortably. I cleared my throat and nodded at Luke, who nodded back and left.
Matt glanced at the e-book reader teetering on the edge of my bed. “What are you reading?”
“The Scarlet Letter.” I sat on the bed and picked up the e-reader so it wouldn’t fall off. I motioned for Matt to sit by me. He did.
“Never heard of it,” he said.
“It was a classic a few years ago, before there were Immortals.”
“Back when people other than nerds like me read for fun?” he said. “Can’t believe I’ve never heard of it. I’m in this advanced English class right now that I really like, so maybe I’ll study it this year."
Matt’s phone rang. He looked at the display and frowned. “It’s Jacey,” he said. “Sorry, I’ve got to take this.” He stepped out of the room, but I could faintly hear his voice outside the doorway.
A minute later, he came back in. “Sorry about that. She just wanted to know something about some stupid poem I read to her years ago.”
I nodded, unsure of what to say.
“It’s not that I don’t want to talk to her, you know? I mean, I still care about her. But, I don’t know. It’s weird.”
“It’s always weird when someone has feelings for you that you don’t return,” I said.
“I guess so. But she’ll move
