Know Thyself
Chapter Twelve
There is nothing quite like waking up after a perfect, dreamless sleep.
No alarm clock sounded in my ears to hasten my return to consciousness. My eyes opened of their own accord and I lay in my bed, snuggled under the warm blankets, for a good long while. I was all alone and normally that wouldn't bother me, but today I felt quite lonely. My Eric had left me, as I knew he would, some time before dawn. I didn't remember him leaving, though I had no doubt he payed me a kiss before he left. At least I hope he had. As a matter of fact, he darn well better had kissed me goodbye!
I rolled onto my side and reached over to grab hold of the pillow on which Eric had laid his head. I pulled it in close, inhaled deeply and smiled. Some of his unique scent and his cologne still lingered. It helped ease the ache in my heart, if just a little. I squeezed the pillow to my chest, closed my eyes and sighed.
"Do you two need a moment alone?" said a cheerfully amused voice.
My eyes flew open and I sat bolt upright, getting a little lightheaded in the process as adrenaline jump-started my heart.
"Claudine!" I wailed, relief and irritation warring for the top spot in my emotions. With embarrassment I remembered I was very naked and I quickly pulled the covers up and tucked them under my arms
"Good morning, cousin!"
My shoulders relaxed, and I managed a small smile. It was hard to get annoyed with someone so perpetually enthusiastic, even if they were camped out in my bedroom uninvited.
I changed positions in the bed so I was sitting cross-legged and took a moment to just absorb my guardian, who was propped on the end of my bed, smiling hugely. Claudine was looking fabulous as always, this time sporting a dark purple, form fitting sweater with a lot of fuzzy stuff around the neck and sleeves. The pants that covered her long legs were tight, leaving little to the imagination. She was a six foot tall fairy diva and my personal guardian (almost-but-not-quite) angel.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, feeling uneasy. Claudine generally only popped in when trouble or danger was afoot.
Oh, okay. Right.
My still-waking brain was a little slow to remember that there was, in fact, trouble and danger lurking. Those final few hours with Eric were so sublime, so perfect, I nearly forgot I had a ruthless vampire running willy-nilly with my deep, dark secret and a plan to make me his personal property. And that was so not a good thing.
Claudine bounced up from the bed - no kidding, she actually bounced on the balls of her feet as she stood - then she disappeared into the bathroom and emerged with my bathrobe. She tossed it to me and turned around to give me some privacy. She raised a hand and examined her perfect nails as I thanked her, disentangled myself from the covers and wrapped the robe around me. As I did so, I realized I was sore in all the right places and I couldn't help but smile. I checked the clock and was a little surprised to see it was nearly two in the afternoon. Eric knew how to wear a girl out, yes indeed! It was a good thing I didn't have to be at work until four thirty.
Claudine turned back and came to stand right in front of me. She was wearing very high heels and I felt like a dwarf.
"I'm going to make you coffee," she said with a smile. "Go on, get cleaned up now. I know you need a good shower!" She winked at me, tossed her long hair and disappeared down the hall.
Well, alright then.
She was correct, of course, the warm water was much needed and felt wonderful. Claudine was such a whirlwind I was halfway through washing my hair before I realized she never did answer my question as to why she was here. I wondered how much she knew about what happened last night, besides the obvious. I assumed she knew I had entertained company, what with my waking up pajama-less and the quip about needing a shower. Not to mention my bedroom probably had the lingering scent of lust hanging in the air.
I let my mind drift to pleasant thoughts as I finished getting cleaned up and it wasn't too long before I was washed, dried and dressed in my Merlotte's winter work uniform. I pulled my hair back in a dark band and dabbed on some make-up before emerging. I could feel a silly smile plastered on my face and I didn't even care. Heck, as much as Claudine was always grinning we might actually look like kin for a change.
I walked down the hall and into the living room where my fairy cousin was patiently waiting. Her back was toward me and she was looking at the floor with her hip cocked out and her arms crossed. I winced a little when I realized what was holding her attention.
"Would you believe me if I told you I just hated the ending?" I asked, sounding abashed.
Claudine used one toe to nudge a piece of the broken Gone with the Wind video tape then laughed. She turned to me and favored me with one of her patented smiles
"I made you lunch!"
She was really, really excited about that.
"Thanks," I told her, then I remembered my manners. "If you're chilly I can light the fire."
I walked passed her to the kitchen and did a double take when I saw the spread laid out on the counter. Fruit, meat and cheese and bread, a crisp veggie platter complete with dip. The works! And coffee, as promised. Did I even have all this in my fridge? No, I know I didn't, but I wasn't going to waste time thinking about it. I was suddenly ravenous and I loaded down a plate, grabbed a cup of caffeine and placed it on the table. I headed back in to ask Claudine to join me and was just in time to see her snap her fingers and do some kind of magical fairy move. In an instant there were roaring flames in the fireplace. Hmph. Neat trick. Then a memory from the previous night slapped me upside the head and my eyes went wide.
"Were you here last night?" I demanded and though I wouldn't have thought it possible her smile actually got bigger and brighter. She clapped her hands in front of her.
"Yes!" She was giddy with excitement. "I'm so glad you asked! I'm not supposed to tell you when I do an intervention, because that would be bragging. But it would be worse to lie if you ask!"
I wasn't sure I followed all that, but I got the general idea.
"You lit my fire last night?"
She nodded. "Yes. I knew you would need the warmth when tall-and-blond got you home." Then she turned slightly more serious. Very slightly. "The whole running around in your pajamas was pretty stupid, by the way."
She walked past me as I stood there with my mouth hanging open. I regrouped and followed her to the kitchen. She plopped down in a chair and started picking at the fruit on my plate.
"If you don't eat this, I might," she told me.
I sat down, my head slowly putting the events of the previous evening together.
"What else did you do?" I asked slowly, then answered my own question. "You started the movie playing again after it was paused?"
Her smile said that was a definite yes. I kept going.
"My calendar in the bathroom. The date was wrong...."
Claudine giggled. "There were so many good quotes to choose from. I almost went with March 19th."
"Uh huh." I made a mental note to check out the runner-up quote. "So you were doing all this...why?"
Claudine made a little sandwich of cheese and ham and handed it to me. I took it. "I'm your guardian, Sook!" She said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Oh! And you forgot one. I moved your coat, too." She winked at me.
I took a bite of my sandwich. I really was hungry and it tasted wonderful. I mulled things over in my head as I ate, not sure if I should be upset or not. It was really creepy thinking Claudine had been poofing around my house last night. It was even creepier to think she had possibly orchestrated my whole epiphany regarding Eric. I should be angry, right? But it was just so darn hard to get irritable with someone that stopped you from falling asleep at the wheel and had pulled you out of a burning house. It's even harder when that person is sitting across from you looking proud as a peacock. But there was part of me that was absolutely scared to death. What happened between Eric and I was so perfect, so pure, I didn't want to even think it had been a manufactured situation. But I knew Niall was not above such things. I started to feel a little sick.
"So you intervened, you said?" I asked slowly, making a concerted effort to keep my voice calm and level. "What does that mean, exactly?"
Claudine popped another little piece of fruit in her mouth then crossed her arms on the table and leaned forward.
"I know what you're thinking, cousin, and you need to knock it off right now." Claudine was still smiling, but there was something no-nonsense in her tone that made me take her quite seriously. "I was sent her to help you. I can sometimes prevent disasters, as you know, and I can sometimes even save you from some. And sometimes I can even help save you from yourself." I could have sworn her eyes actually sparkled as she spoke.
"I don't get it, " I told her and she cocked her head to the side. "If you hadn't helped me last night, would I still have...well, I mean would Eric and I have, um..." I know what I wanted to ask: Would I still have had the most incredible night of my life with Eric? But I couldn't finish. I felt like an idiot.
Claudine just smiled. Big shocker there. "I can't manipulate your thoughts or emotions or actions. That isn't what I do! All I did was help you see what you already knew and what you decided to do after that was all on you!"
There was no deceit in her voice or in her eyes and I felt instantly better. A big balloon of tension seemed to evaporate in a big whoosh. It was real. What happened between Eric and I was real, not contrived through fairy magic. As I thought about it I got a little angry at myself. Why did I have some insecure need to have my own feelings validated by Claudine, anyway? I could have kicked my own ass just then.
"So why did you decide to pop in last night?" I asked, honestly curious. "Just feeling helpful?"
Claudine looked around, embarrassed. "You're my first assignment," she began, her voice as weak as I'd ever heard it. "I'm still learning how to be a guardian and you are most difficult to keep up with."
"Claudine," I told her softly and reached across the table to touch her hand. "You are doing a great job. I couldn't ask for a better fairy Godmother!" I grinned like a fool and she did the same.
"I'm glad you think so. I am doing my best. But still, I could use some help. And Eric Northman is a formidable vampire. He has protected your life several times when I was unable to get to you. He would not have done that if he didn't sincerely care for you. Believe me, I have known my share of vampires!" she shuddered and I wondered how many she had been forced to fend off. "I hope I didn't do wrong."
I considered that as I grabbed a celery stick and coated it with some veggie dip. "I don't think you did wrong, Claudine. And I guess I should say thanks."
"You are very welcome!" I had a feeling I had just made her day.
I nibbled at some more of my lunch in silence for a few minutes. I had a million questions for Claudine, but wasn't sure if I should ask them. I had no idea how much Claudine knew about what happened last night, in regards to Victor. I decided to start slow and see how it went. I checked the clock and was pleased to see I still had a while before I had to be leaving for the bar.
"I have to ask - were you here in the house the whole night?"
Claudine looked shocked. "Of course not! I would never spy on you. I only got here when I knew you were in distress. I realized it was because you had argued with your vampire, and that's when I decided to intervene. As soon as he brought you back home and I knew you were safe I left."
Ah. So she didn't know about the events with Victor. "Did Niall know you were here last night?" I asked as casually as I could. Claudine shook her head.
"No. He's not here right now."
I nodded. Apparently Great-Grandfather was off in one of those 'Faeries Only' zones I had heard about. I couldn't even begin to imagine what such a place would look like. I was getting visions of woods and bubbling brooks and rainbows and unicorns, oh my!
"Was there a reason you asked?" Claudine interrupted my thoughts. "Would you like to see him? I'm sure he would love to hear from you."
"Claudine," I said, ignoring her question. "Do you and I have any kind of, well, like a guardian - guardianee confidentiality clause in our relationship?" I watched her carefully and noticed she was doing the same to me.
"Is there something you want to tell me, Sookie?"
"I'm not sure. I have more of a hypothetical question for you, but it's not something I want repeated."
"Claudine leaned back in her chair and was silent for a moment. "If you tell me something and ask me to keep it private I can't betray your confidence. I mean, I could, but I would have to take a step or two backward."
"And you don't want to do that?" I pressed. She shook her head, and her eyes went wide.
"Oh, no. Every step is a long process, to lose any would be just terrible."
I took a deep breath. I needed to talk to someone about what happened last night with Victor and Claudine, exuberant and cheerful and bouncy as she was, might just be my best bet. I looked at my gorgeous faerie cousin and hoped I wasn't wrong about her.
"I'm curious," I began, never taking my eyes off the faerie. "And this is just a hypothetical question, remember?" Claudine nodded, but in such a way that I knew I wasn't fooling her. "If I knew someone was planning to hurt me what would you do?"
Claudine's perfect lips parted a big and her dark eyes went round. "I can't kill anyone for you."
"I know, I know. Too many steps backwards." I remembered her telling me that was why she couldn't kill Bill for me after I learned of his betrayal. Not that I'd asked, of course! "But what about Niall?"
Claudine looked at me closely. "If someone is out to harm you, Sookie, you must tell Niall."
"That's why I'm asking you: what would he do?"
"It would depend on who the person was that was trying to harm you," she said simply.
"Let's say it's a vampire."
"Niall would kill him, of course." She said this as though I were a little slow for even asking.
"And then what?" I pushed. "That would be the end of it?" I knew it wouldn't be. Something had prevented me from calling my great-grandfather last night. Some instinct kicked in that made me physically unable to even touch the button on the phone. I didn't understand it, but somehow, I trusted it.
Claudine, I noticed, was suddenly looking mighty uncomfortable. She even fidgeted in the chair a bit. I raised my eyebrows, waiting.
"Depending on who the vampire was, there would be varying consequences. Niall is very powerful, but even he can't kill without penalty. If it was a vampire with little or no power, he could be simply fined- and for Niall that would be no hardship. On the other extreme, killing a vampire with position or power, especially one in the hierarchy, could easily incite a war."
"War?" I repeated, frowning.
Claudine nodded vigorously. "Oh, yes. That's how one of the last wars started. A vampire killed a middle ranking member of the Fae royalty, and the Fae responded with a vengeance kill on a vampire Queen. This infuriated the vampires. They believed the killing of a Queen to satisfy a blood debt owed on a lower ranking Fae was unfair, so they struck again. In the end there were many deaths on both sides."
"That sounds crazy!" It reminded me of one of Jason's mob movies.
Claudine shrugged. "Balance must be kept."
"And Niall would risk something like that happening again? Over me?"
"Oh, yes."
"Why?" I breathed. I knew Niall was fond of me, but we had barely met. And I was, after all, just his mortal great-granddaughter.
"I'm not allowed to tell you that," she said sadly, but with conviction.
Fair enough. I changed direction quickly. Claudine was giving me a lot more information than she realized and I wanted to keep the conversation going as long as I could.
"So what would happen, if the Fae and the vamps decided to battle it out? How does that work? Would everyone get involved, or do you have like an army?"
Claudine smiled, and I think she was relieved I hadn't pressed her when she said she couldn't tell me why I was so important to Niall.
"We have no army. The ranks of the Fae have been reduced over the centuries, though we still have great power. If we were to go to war, either with vampires or another group, we would all be duty bound to fight, myself included. It's the same with vampires and shifters and weres and the other supernatural groups. We all tolerate one another to varying degrees, and we can even work together at times, but if it comes to a war, we will all stand with our own kind, even unto death."
Whoa.
I slumped where I sat, and my eyes closed and I said a silent prayer. To think Niall would kill for me, even knowing it could start a war was bad enough. But to think that Claudine and Claude could be brought into the mess, that they could be forced to risk their lives, was numbing. And I thought about Eric and Pam and what Claudine said about standing with their own kind. Eric told me once if it ever came to war again with the Fae the first one he would take out was Niall. The thought of Eric and Pam and Bill fighting to the death with my Fae family gave me a sick feeling.
"Sookie," Claudine pulled me back from my contemplation. "I made you a promise that I would keep your confidence, but if you suspect you are in danger, you really need to talk to Niall. I do as much as I can, but I'm far from perfect. We can't risk losing you."
She stood suddenly, and smoothed her tight pants and shook out her hair. She beamed at me.
"You're leaving?" I asked, and I stood up myself.
"Yes, I have to meet Claude at the club to discuss some mundane business difficulties and," she cocked her head to the side and listened, "it sounds like you have company, so I'll have to see you later!" She gave me a big hug then stepped back. "You remember what I said, Sook!" Then with a little pop she was gone. I shook my head. I felt like the only person in the world that didn't have the ability to make a dramatic exit.
As it turned out, my company was actually my roommate. Within seconds of Claudine's departure, I heard a key turn in the back door and Amelia bounded in, a small duffle bag hanging off one shoulder that caused her to lean a bit to one side. I looked behind her, expecting to see Octavia, but Amelia turned, shut the door and dropped the bag on the floor. She walked over and sat heavily down on the couch, and sighed loudly.
"It feels so good to be home," she said, leaning her head back and closing her eyes.
I grinned. "Welcome back, witch."
"Thanks telepath," she replied, smiling but not bothering to open her eyes. "Did you have a good night off?"
"It was...real interesting," I told her. "Where's Octavia?"
Amelia was broadcasting like crazy, so I knew the older witch had dropped Amelia off and taken the car into town to pick up a prescription at the drugstore before I heard the words.
Amelia opened her eyes and leaned forward. She gave a little gasp and jumped up and crossed the room. I sighed.
"What did you do?" she asked, sounding horrified as she stared at the broken VCR tape on the floor. I really needed to get that cleaned up, it was becoming quite the conversation piece. I went to grab a broom and dustpan and Amelia dogged my steps.
"Okay, spill. What happened last night? You sounded strange on the phone."
I sighed and I started cleaning up the mess. "Nothing. It was just a really crazy night. I guess I got a little emotional."
"Uh huh." The witch did not sound convinced. She followed me when I went into the kitchen to dump the remains in the trash. When I turned around she was holding two empty True Blood bottles, one in each hand. Oh hell.
"Crazy night, I bet!" I let myself hear her thoughts, and was surprised to find that she thought Bill had been my guest.
I took the bottles from her and sat them back down on the counter. "Eric came by last night. He brought me a check. The money I was owed from Rhodes."
Amelia's eyes lit up. "Eric, huh?"
"Yes," I said tartly and sat down at the kitchen table. Amelia let it go, but I had to smile when I picked up on the visuals she was getting in her head. Some of them weren't too far off. She eyed the food on the counter.
"Where did all this come from?" she asked, grabbing a plate and filling it up.
"Claudine," I said and Amelia rolled her eyes.
She sat down across from me and started eating like she hadn't had a bite in days.
"So how was your trip?" I asked conversationally. Amelia nodded and held up one finger while she finished chewing.
"It was unbelievable!" She enunciated each syllable. "We were just going there to socialize, you know. Talk shop with some of Octavia's friends, have dinner and all. But then right as we were about to sit down to eat this witch shows up - she was invited, but the person she brought with her wasn't." Amelia could not look more excited. She held her hands up in front of her. "Baako Edusai."
She was clearly expecting a reaction. I stared at her blankly. Her face crumbled.
"I guess you don't know him," she stated blandly. I shook my head.
"I guess he's a big shot in the witch community?"
Amelia let out a long breath. "He's more than that. He's a legend. I've heard about him, and read about him and studied him, but I never thought I'd get to meet him! He's from somewhere in Africa, but he travels around a lot. He was in New Orleans to do some work and he invited our group to tag along. I swear, just watching him probably accelerated my studies by years!"
"What does he do?" I asked. I was only mildly curious, but this was clearly something that meant a great deal to Amelia so I wanted to be supportive.
"He's a spellbinder," she said. "And one of the best. He does all kinds of enchants and charms. He gets paid big money for it, too. You wouldn't believe what vamps are paying for his services now."
"Such as?"
"Okay, he was telling us about this vampire King - he didn't say which one - that is so paranoid about getting that virus, the one that makes them weak, that he won't feed off humans anymore."
My eyes went wide. He must be very paranoid indeed. Vampires loved their drinks on tap. Amelia smirked.
"I guess he got it a few years ago and now he's really careful. So anyway, he bought this goblet and he had Baako put a spell on it. If any contaminated blood touches it, the goblet turns blue. So now this King will drain human blood into the goblet and drink only from there. Pretty crazy, huh?"
"Yeah, it is," I agreed. "But there can't be too many paranoid vamps out there, is there?"
Amelia shook her head. "Not really, but he can make some fat cash off the ones that are, since everyone knows he's the best at things like that. Mostly Baako does enchants for supe ceremonies, the big deal events like births and marriages and burial rituals. But here is the best thing," she leaned forward and her voice lowered, and I felt a swell of pride in her mind "Baako is a scavenger." She giggled like mad. "Of course, no one would dare call him that to his face!"
My brow crinkled. "You lost me. What's a scavenger?"
Amelia stood up and started gathering the empty plates and napkins from the table. I sensed a cleaning frenzy coming on.
"A scavenger - it's a derogatory term for a witch that is born without natural magical power. Someone that has to study and train to acquire the ability." Her head raised a fraction. "Someone like me."
"Ah." It was the only thing I could think of to say and I didn't need to ask anything more. Amelia was pretty passionate about this, and she was broadcasting like crazy. I could see that she was very proud of what she had accomplished, and it angered her that she was looked down on by others in her world, those that had innate magic. I got a vision directly from her head. She was thinking that if she ever became as powerful as Baako she would have the word SCAVENGER tattooed on her butt and would moon everyone that had ever been snotty to her. I chuckled.
"You go girl," I whispered. She looked at me from across the room. She was already running water in the sink to take care of the dishes.
"Well, it's just not fair, you know?" She was scrubbing a plate much harder than was necessary. "It's like those people in school that never have to study but still get straight A's. Sure, they might be naturally smart, but they never learn how to study and organize their time. So the people that actually have to work to get those grades are really better off in the long run, right?"
"Sure," I agreed with her. I could read in her head she wasn't quite as confident in her superiority as she was trying to make out. There was a part of her that wished desperately she had some natural born magic of her own. She was jealous, but she would never admit it and I would never call her on it. I raised my shields again at full strength, feeling guilty about traipsing around in my friend's head. (even if her mind was like an open door, practically inviting me in!)
Amelia kept going. She was really on a roll now. "I was lucky that Octavia agreed to take me on. She's a great mentor, but she was born with the magical ability and a lot of them won't deal with people like me, the ones without the essential spark." She said the final words with more than a touch of sarcasm and distaste. I nodded, then froze. I had heard those words before.
"What did you just say?" I asked.
Amelia frowned. "That I was lucky to have Octavia?"
"No, about the spark."
"Oh. Nothing. That's just a term we use - well, I don't use it - to categorize people born with magical abilities. Just because a person is born with magic doesn't mean they can ever learn to use it. The magic just kind of sits there, dormant. But if someone has the essential spark, as they call it, it means that person has managed to activate their magical abilities, turn it on. And after that happens they can move forward if they want to."
"Move forward?" I asked, curiosity piquing.
Amelia shrugged. "Yeah. Move forward with training. It's all really ridiculous, in my opinion, the way they want to put people into categories and give them labels. People like Baako prove that you don't need to be a natural-born to be powerful and...."
Amelia had crossed the line into rant, and I let her go on, tuned her out. I was thinking about something else, about the first meeting I had with Niall and how he had told me the essential spark had passed Jason by. I thought it was just a nice way of saying Jason was selfish and unappreciative, but now I wondered if Niall had meant something else entirely.
A loud rap on the door made me jump. My house was a popular place today, it seemed.
"I'll get it," I said, since Amelia was still up to her elbows in bubbles.
I was only slightly surprised to find a young man in a private courier uniform standing on my porch. I smiled as I signed for the three packages, knowing even before I saw the Fangtasia return address who was the sender. A lot of Eric's trips to my house seemed to culminate in deliveries the following day, but I couldn't begin to imagine what the Viking had decided to send this time. All three boxes were wrapped in basic brown paper and were of varying sizes.
I thanked the delivery guy and brought the boxes into the kitchen where Amelia had already finished up the dishes and was now putting plastic wrap over the remaining food.
"What did you get?" she asked, coming closer.
"I have no idea," I told her honestly. I slid the largest package across the table toward the witch. She immediately began tearing paper off one box as I worked on another one. We were both smiling. It was like Christmas again!
I felt my cheeks go red when I saw what was in the first box. New pajamas and definitely not of the same style, fabric and coverage as the ones I had worn last night. It wasn't lingerie, thank God, but it was sure on the sexy side. He sent me a two piece set, with (very) short shorts and a low-cut top with spaghetti straps. It was silky and clingy and (of course) bright red. I noticed Amelia looking at me. She didn't say anything, just raised her eyebrows and smirked.
I put the pj's back in the box and kept my head down as I opened the next box. About halfway through I heard Amelia hiss.
"Wow."
"What?" I asked. She was staring into the box looking a little mesmerized. She pushed the open package over to me.
Wow was right. Eric had sent me jewelry. A lot of jewelry. A couple necklaces, one delicate and the other thick, several earrings, and some bangle bracelets. I picked up each piece slowly and carefully, admiring them. They were gorgeous, no doubt, and I'm sure it cost a pretty penny, but that wasn't the most remarkable thing about them. They were all silver.
"So why would a vampire send you silver jewelry?" Amelia wondered out loud. She reached over and picked up the bracelets and tried them on. "He's not into S&M is he?"
I choked out a little laugh and held my hand out. Amelia pulled off the bracelets and dropped them into my palm. I put everything into the box with the red silk pajamas.
"I have no idea," I told her. I was lying, of course. I knew exactly why Eric had sent me silver. He might as well have included a note that said 'In case of emergency'.
Amelia had already moved on. "What's in the last box?"
I was glad I opened this one last. I shook my head and laughed as I held up a brand new copy of Gone with the Wind. There was a folded note included.
Try not to break this one, lover. I would like to finish watching this with you another time, and I would like you to wear my present when we do.
Not the silver!
-E
I folded the note back and held it up to my chest briefly. I could not keep the grin off my face. Amelia was practically ready to explode.
"Please, just answer this one question," she begged.
"Sure, why not," I answered. I was in a great mood all of a sudden.
"Is he as good as he looks?" She was nearly salivating with curiosity.
"Better," I told her. "Much, much better."
I turned on my heel, box of goodies in hand, and marched down the hall to my bedroom, leaving Amelia grinning in the kitchen. She was happy for me and I was happy for me and I had presents from Eric! Life was pretty good until I noticed the clock. Sam would not be happy for me if I was late for my shift. I had to boogie.
I dropped the package on my bed and jogged down the hall and grabbed my purse and coat. I said good-bye to Amelia, opened the door and then stopped. I went back to my room and retrieved a few silver bracelets and slid them on. After a brief hesitation I popped in some silver stud earrings and slipped on the thinner of the silver necklaces.
Girl can't be too careful these days, right?
-
To be continued
I know, I know, took me forever to update! The next several installments are going to be up MUCH faster. This was a transition chapter and it was annoying for me, the next one is more to my liking and I'm working on it now! As always, thanks for all the kind words and support!