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Chapter 10 - Sparkling Necklaces and Dull Champagne
~X~
The days leading up to the Founder's day party had been a literal hell for Harper. Every day more and more people shifted through the house to decorate it enough to make it look like a museum. Nothing could be touched, and even her own room had been extra, extra cleaned for this special party.
Carol had been on her every day about dress shopping, and on top of that was the consistent nagging about the Bellrose artifacts, which were all locked away in a security deposit box. So Carol decided the day of the party that enough was enough and sent Tyler and Harper to get all the artifacts from the founding families as well as a dress for Harper.
They walked into the local dress shop, which was completely empty, only racks on racks of dresses in different colors. Grace Smith, the owner, was a kind lady in the mid thirties, who had been fast to point Harper to the more casual dresses in her shop. Tyler sat down on a ridiculously fluffy chair by the changing rooms and after about 3 dresses Harper walked out in a simple white dress with pink and periwinkle blue flowers. It had a sweetheart neckline and a modest skirt.
"You look nice" Tyler said, the last ones he had barely glanced up at her, but this one made her actually kind of cute. Her hair had grown to reach her shoulders now, which made her even more lovely.
"T-thanks" Harper blushed and turned around to the mirror. She actually smiled at the girl that she saw, it wasn't Henry. It was her, Harper Bellrose in a pretty dress. Her willowy body held no shape at all, she sighed as she thought that she looked more like a child than a young woman.
"We will take that one," Tyler said to Grace, who smiled and moved to the register. They hadn't really talked much after Tanner's death. Both knew that Harper was odd, or had some odd ability. But neither felt comfortable enough to talk about it. Especially Tyler, who used to have a sort of fatherly bond to the coach. He couldn't really process that what Harper had told him had come true. The good thing was that she hadn't gotten any more headaches since then.
Later that day, after all the stops to the Fell's, the bank for the Bellrose's, and even a quick stop at the Gilbert's with Harper still in the car. The attack with the glass bottle still was a sore subject to her and the Gilbert siblings.
The teenagers were finally heading back home. The Lockwood manor was in full swing of final touches, everyone seemed stressed to do exactly what Carol ordered them to do.
"Mom! We are back!" Tyler shouted out over the patio, Carol stood by the lake talking to the people who had brought the swans.
"Great! Hang on, I'm coming" She shouted back as gracefully as she could before heading up to them.
"So? Did everything go well?" Carol asked and locked her gaze onto Harper's only shoppingbag.
"Oh! Yes, here-" Harper said and showed Carol as much as she could without wrinkling the dress in the bag.
"How lovely, go get changed" Carol said and hurried the girl inside the house.
"O-okay" Harper stuttered as she walked away and up the stairs.
~X~
It was late-afternoon as the guests streamed into the manor. The whole town was dressed up all fancy and mingling around with each other. Harper, now in her new dress, sparkling pearl accessories and white heels, was sipping on some non-alcoholic champagne and standing at the entrance greeting people as they arrived.
She held onto Tyler like a lifeline, she had never worn heels like this before.
"Caroline! You look smashing" Carol said as she greeted the Forbes girl and her date. Who just happened to be the guy from the football game. Damon, if Harper remembered correctly.
"Thank you Mrs. Lockwood, this is my boyfriend Damon" Harper smiled as she was correct, she had no idea that he was Caroline's boyfriend though, in her opinion he looked a little too old to be together with a highschooler.
"Oh well, come on in" It was obvious that Carol didn't care about age, as her own eyes seemed to sparkle at the handsome man. Harper sighed and looked around. It didn't take long before she moved away from her post, the whole event seemed to drain her energy. It didn't help either that every guest kept staring at her, the poor Bellrose girl, a real pity that no one really loved her and that the kind, amazing mayor that just happened to have a re-election soon took her under his generous wings.
She rolled her eyes and stumbled further into the house, she now knew the large home like the back of her hand. All except Richard's study, which she was never allowed into. Nor was Tyler, but it was still weird to keep a room locked.
The sun had gone down as she entered the room with the artifacts, and kept moving closer to the ones from her own family's collection. Mostly jewelry, but also a real sword from the civil war era. It was purely decorative, with engravings and motifs all over it. But still a sense of pride came over her when she realized that long ago her family wasn't just nobodies.
She had by now given up on her mother ever coming home, as had the police and even her grandmother. Who had been devastated about losing her. Harper felt nothing but an emptiness, an emptiness that had excited for a long while, but only now manifested into something she could understand. She never had a mother, she wasn't raised by her mother as much as she was raised by the childrens programs on the tv. And she had come to accept that fact as reality now, she had a new life now and she gotta start living it.
She moved on and bumped into Tyler once again. He had been talking to Vicki by the lake, not really knowing how to properly apologize to the girl.
"So? How did it go?" Harper asked as they moved closer to a table by the dancefloor outside. She sat down as gracefully as she could, but hid her feet under the long white tablecloth to pry the torturedevices off her.
"Bad, she hates me," Tyler sighed and sat down across from her.
"Why? Did you say something dumb again, you have a tendency to do that" Harper giggled as Tyler rolled his eyes.
"No, I didn't say anything and that seemed to be the problem" Tyler stated and closed his eyes, he felt a weird feeling in his stomach. Like he was confused and angry, while also calm and almost bored. He didn't know what to do about Vicki. She had expectations about him that he couldn't really meet, and it wasn't about his parents or school life or the like. In his heart he was conflicted by her actions, she had slept with Jeremy Gilbert. She kept relapsing when she had said she would quit. Tyler had realized that the relationship the two of them had was very toxic, and neither of them deserves to suffer just to be together.
"You need to just say what you feel to her, tell her you like her and that what Carol and Richard says doesn't matter" Harper said and she looked around the venue, but neither of them seemed to be around the teenagers. Tyler held his tongue, it was hard for him to open up about his feelings. His fathers teachings had hit him hard both figuratively and literally. A man wasn't supposed to be emotional.. right?
"Whatever, let's dance and never talk about this ever again" Tyler said as he stood up and took Harper's hand to lead her to the slow music. Her feet bare. His hands were on her waist, as her hands landed on his broad shoulders, they stayed like that until the music ended and the party was over.
~X~
As all the guests left, only a few stayed behind inside of Richard's office, Harper thought this was very odd, and moved closer to the open door. It had been the sheriff, as well as many other founding families in one room. Talking low, uncertain of the content of their meeting. Harper could feel the tension from the hallway in which she stood, and got more and more curious.
"Did you get the Gilbert watch?" Sheriff Forbes's voice was rushed and almost panicked.
"She claims it's packed away in her parents' things" Carol sighed.
"I can get it" An unknown male voice stated, Harper's eyebrows furrowed. She swore she had heard that voice before, but she couldn't pinpoint it at all.
"Good, we will need it. Together with the Bellrose artifact it will be complete" The sheriff's voice was hard and devoid of emotion. Harper felt even more confused, what artifact of her ancestor did they talk about?
"Are you sure?" Richard asked, almost afraid to speak up. That surprised Harper, since Richard is usually a very hard and ruthless man, at least to the children in this household.
"5 bodies all drained of blood" The sheriff stated. "I'm certain" A chill went down Harper's spine and a headache started to form.
"They've come back"
With that sentence the headache intensified, she ran, as fast as she could away from the office hallway and up the stairs. Harper dashed into Tyler's room, and he was quick to catch her as her body collapsed.
"Harper? What happened?!" Tyler frantically asked as he helped support her body in his arms. Her nose had started to bleed once more, and he gasped as he looked into her eyes. Completely white.
"Vampires…. the Gilbert watch… the tomb.. will open" Harper rasped, almost like she had been smoking forty cigarettes. Tyler didn't know what to do, what was happening to his foster sister. The only thing he knew for certain, was that she spoke the truth.