William and I met at the gate after school. I followed him to where his car was parked, and he held the door for me as I climbed into the passenger seat.I waited until William got into the driver's seat before I told him Victor wasn’t coming. “I’m sorry, but Victor texted me this afternoon and said he can’t make it.”“That’s too bad,” William said. “I was looking forward to seeing him.”Before William started the car, my stomach let out a loud growl that made me cringe.I was embarrassed until William chuckled. “I’m hungry, too. Lunch in the cafeteria today was lousy. We have time. Why don’t we go out for a bite?”“Sure,” I replied. “That sounds great.”“How about we stop in at Gilded,” William said.Gilded was the first five-star restaurant that Victor took me to on the day the reporters broke my glasses, and then William joined us. It felt like that evening was a long time ago, but it had been only a few weeks.“Sure. Gilded sounds fine.” I had been there several times since then,
Alex waved and smiled as we got out of the Mustang.I hurried to his side, put my arms around his neck, and kissed him on his cheek. Was it my imagination, or did he look more frail today than before?But his voice was still strong. “I came outside to get some air. William, it’s good to see you. Cook will have dinner ready in about an hour. Why don’t you stay and eat?”“I’d love that, sir,” William said. It had been a few hours since we had the steak tartare, and I was sure William would be able to eat again.“Good. Let’s go into the house and get comfortable,” Alex said and started inside. “We’ll get Benson to serve us a cold drink in the living room.”I took Alex’s arm, and the three of us made our way to the living room. We got comfortable on the plush furniture, andBenson brought us glasses of cold sparkling grape juice.“So, how was the movie, you two?” Alex asked.I knew Alex enjoyed history. There were many books in the library near my room from different periods of the past.
It was only a rehearsal, so Jennifer said it was okay to wear my jeans and a T-shirt beneath my mother’s ceremonial robe.Jennifer adjusted the robe to make it fall evenly in the front and back. “You can wear your clothes this time, but for the actual ceremony, you must be naked beneath the robe.”My stomach squirmed with anxiety once again. “Why do I have to be naked?”Jennifer looked at me as if I were kidding. “Of course, you’ve never shifted, but I thought somebody would have explained things.”I shrugged. “My foster parents didn’t care enough to explain anything to me, and their real daughter won’t be old enough to shift for several more years.”She froze for a moment as she searched for the words. “You do understand that when you shift, your body changes, but your clothing won’t.”I nodded.Jennifer looked concerned. “Have you ever seen a werewolf shift?”“No, never. Amy is also five months younger than me…” I replied.She checked her watch. “Someone should explain it in more de
Victor and Adam’s POVExplaining to Daisy what it was like to shift caused an intense craving to be in my wolf form. It brought back the pleasant memories of running freely through the darkness with the other night creatures.I left the living room and Daisy before I couldn’t control the shift any longer. After running out of the living room, I left the house at the side entrance, shedding my clothing along the way.I ran into no one, and as soon as I cleared the house, my body morphed into its wolf form. I could feel Adam’s delight to be unrestrained once again.“Do you smell them?” Adam asked me. “There is a large nest of rabbits nearby.”I breathed deeply and detected the family of rabbits, but my sensitive nose caught the scent of larger prey in the nearby woods.“Let’s go,” Adam urged me. “It’s been a long time since we’ve feasted upon a fresh kill.”I gave in to my instincts and ran. It was a joy to run like the wind over the high grasses. Adam and I raced across the fields and
As I read my book, Victor’s image kept flashing through my mind. It made me smile until I remembered how he had practically run from the living room.What had been wrong?I put down my book and wandered out onto my balcony. The night air was cool and clean, and the moon shining above me made me feel energized and happy to be alive.Victor’s face flashed through my mind once again. His image was even clearer, and I thought I could smell his scent a moment before Jennifer called me back into my room to discuss any new cosmetics I might need for the ball.After she left my room, I was walking to my balcony to close the glass door when there was the sound of movement outside. Then I heard something land on the ground outside my bedroom.I ran to the balcony railing and looked down at the ground.Was someone hiding here on my balcony? Why?I couldn’t see anyone in the dim moonlight, but a large shadow near a lilac bush seemed to move.Was it my imagination, or had someone been on my balcon
“This was the last day of school before your ball,” Victor said as he held the Lamborghini's door for me. “Are you excited?”“Excited and nervous,” I replied. “My hands start shaking whenever I think about it.” I held them up to show him I was serious.My mind kept imagining the worst-case scenarios that could happen at my ball. I knew I was letting my anxiety get the best of me, but it was hard to turn it off.“Relax, you’re going to be fine,” Victor assured me. “You know all the dances, and you do them very well. Best of all, you have a gorgeous gown to wear while doing the tango with William.”“There’s nothing to be nervous about,” Victor added reassuringly. “Your father and I will be there to watch over you. And you will have your best friend, Amy, there too.”“I can’t wait to wear my gown.” I smiled just thinking about it. “And Amy is spending the whole day with me tomorrow to start getting ready. We’re having our own spa day and having ‘the works’ done to us.”“That sounds like
There are only two days left before my ball.So I decided to have a Spa Day to get ready and relax. Amy came over to my house early in the morning and we got started.“I’ve got something for you, Amy,” I said as I reached into my closet and pulled out a garment bag.Amy grinned and clapped her hands. “Oh, goody! Is that what I think it is?”“Yep. It’s your ball gown.” I held the garment bag up and slid the zipper downward.Amy clapped her hands again and got up from the bed to help pull the dress from the bag.“It’s gorgeous,” Amy said. She was right.The sage, green satin material shimmered as we laid it across the bed. We admired the material for a moment, and then I held the dress in front of Amy.The dress had a halter top, a fitted waist, and a full skirt. It was well-made and beautiful.“It should fit you perfectly,” I told her. “Jennifer had it tailored to your measurements.”Amy held the dress up and looked at her image in the full-length mirror on the back of my door. “This f
Amy went home after breakfast. I missed her as soon as she went out the door. After watching her drive away, I wandered around the mansion, looking for something to do.Due to a staff development day, there was no school, and there were no more dance lessons with Victor to fill my afternoon.The music room didn’t hold much interest for me since I played no instruments, and the gaming room wasn’t much fun alone. I was bored within an hour.Next, I went to the ballroom and listened to my footsteps echo through the ginormous empty room.I stopped near the fireplace and studied my parents' portrait for several moments before I blew my mother a kiss. My father said she chose every detail of the room, and this was the place I felt the most connected to her.Alex told me that she loved to dance and often came to this room alone to practice. So I tried it.Envisioning myself dancing with Victor, I waltzed around the dance floor, my arms raised as if I were holding onto an invisible partner.I