I don't own the Night World series. Everything in bold is reading. Enjoy!

Thierry began. "It was on the first day of summer vacation that Poppy found out she was going to die."

"Poppy," Gillian exclaimed. "This story is about you!"

Poppy got a pit in her stomach and curled closer to James. She didn't exactly know how she felt with everyone listening to her story. Sure, they all knew that James made her into a vampire in order to save her life, but there were secrets that she liked to keep. Secrets that were hers and not for everybody else.

"It happened on Monday, the first real day of vacation (the weekend didn't count)," Thierry continued. "Poppy woke up feeling gloriously weightless and thought, No school. Sunlight was streaming in the window, turning the sheer hangings around her bed filmy gold. Poppy pushed them aside and jumped out of bed - and winced."

Here we go, Poppy thought to herself.

Hey, it's okay, James thought to her. She looked down at him and he gave her a lopsided smile that made her heart race. It was okay, she thought. Because he's here.

"Ouch. That pain in her stomach again. Sort of a gnawing, as if something were eating its way toward her back. It helped a little if she bent over.

"No, Poppy thought. I refuse to be sick during summer vacation. I refuse. A little power of positive thinking is what's needed here."

"Poppy-tive thinking!" exclaimed Galen, quoting Poppy's catchphrase. The group laughed and Poppy blushed ever-so-slightly.

"Grimly, doubled over - think positive, idiot! - she made her way down the hall to the turquoise-and-gold-tiled bathroom. At first she thought she was going to throw up, but then the pain eased as suddenly as it had come-" James had released a vice-like grip on Poppy's hand that neither had realized was there "- Poppy straightened and regarded her tousled reflection triumphantly."

""Stick with me, kid, and you'll be fine," she whispered to it, and gave a conspiratorial wink." The room burst out in laughter. Poppy blushed a deep red and sputtered. Even James chuckled.

"Oh Poppy," Rashel said, "That's so...cute."

"Then she leaned forward, seeing her own green eyes narrow in suspicion. There on her nose were four freckles. Four and a half, if she were completely honest, which Poppy North usually was. How childish, how - cute!"

James leaned over and kissed Poppy's nose. "It is cute," he explained.

"Poppy stuck her tongue out at herself and then turned away with great dignity, without bothering to comb the wild coppery curls that clustered over her head.

"She maintained the dignity until she got to the kitchen where Phillip, her twin brother, was eating Special K."

Poppy sighed. she missed Phillip and his straight-laced-ness. She missed his over-reactions and his absolute adoration for her.

"Then she narrowed her eyes again, this time at him. It was bad enough to be small, slight, and curly-haired - to look, in fact, as much like an elf as anything she'd ever seen sitting on a buttercup in a children's picture book - but to have a twin who was tall, Viking-blond, and classically handsome... well, that just showed a certain deliberate malice in the makeup of the universe, didn't it?"

"I always thought you looked more like a leprechaun," Jez chimed in. "Also, I'd like to meet this brother of yours." As she said it, she purred, causing Morgead to kick her shin, hard. Jez threw herself on top of him, pulling his too-long hair. They dissolved, as they always did, into laughter and over-the-top making out.

""Hello, Phillip," she said in a voice heavy in menace.

"Phillip, who was used to his sister's moods, was unimpressed. He lifted his gaze from the comic section of the LA Times for a moment. Poppy had to admit that he had nice eyes: questing green eyes with very dark lashes. They were the only thing the twins had in common."

"No," James said. "You're both too stubborn for your own good."

Poppy huffed angrily, but silently agreed with him.

""Hi," Phillip said flatly, and went back to the comics. Not many kids Poppy knew read the newspaper, but that was Phil all over. Like Poppy, he'd been a junior at El Camino High last year, and unlike Poppy, he'd made straight A's while starring on the football team, the hockey team, and the baseball team. Also serving as class president."

"Sounds like someone Blaise would like," Thea muttered. Those Daybreakers that knew of Blaise - and her frequent, unauthorized visits, muttered agreements.

"One of Poppy's greatest joys in life was teasing him. She thought he was too straight-laced.

"Just now she giggled and shrugged, giving up the menacing look. "Where's Cliff and Mom?" Cliff Hilgard was their stepfather of three years and even straighter-laced than Phil.

""Cliff's at work. Mom's getting dressed. You'd better eat something of she'll get on your case."

""Yeah, yeah..." Poppy went on to tiptoe to rummage through a cupboard. Finding a box of Frosted Flakes, she thrust a hand in and delicately pulled out one flake. She ate it dry."

"Yum," Keller said sarcastically. "Nourishment."

Galen stared back at her like she was crazy. "I find Frosted Flakes without milk to be very good."

Keller gagged but let Thierry continue after he shot her a look.

"It wasn't all bad being short and elfin. She did a few dance steps to the refrigerator, shaking the cereal box in rhythm.

""I'm a...sex pixie!" she sang, giving it a foot stomping rhythm."

The gang burst out laughing again.

"Is that what you let James call you in bed?" Ash asked through hysterical laughter. James yanked on his leg, pulling him out of the loveseat. Grumbling, Ash returned to his spot, being careful to step on James's hand on his way back up.

"No, you're not," Phillip said with devastating calm. "And why don't you put some clothes on?"

"Holding the refrigerator door open, Poppy looked down at herself. She was wearing the oversize T-shirt she'd slept in. It covered her like a mini-dress. "This is clothes," she said serenely, taking a Diet Coke from the fridge.

"There was a knock at the kitchen door. Poppy saw who it was through the screen.

"Hi, James! C'mon in."

The gang chorused in "ooh"s.

"Soulmate, that's your cue," Quinn said, a wide smiling playing across his face.

"James Rasmussen came in, taking off his wrap-around Ray Bans. Looking at him, Poppy felt a pang - as always. It didn't matter that she had seen him every day, practically, for the past ten years. She still felt a quick sharp throb in her chest, somewhere between sweetness and pain, when first confronted with him every morning."

"Oh, now, isn't that sweet?" Hannah asked Thierry. "It may have been different for us, but that's what it's like when you're not partnered with an Old Soul."

Thierry grinned at Hannah and kissed her on the cheek. "You're such a softy," he said.

"Go on," Hannah implored. "Finish the chapter."

"It wasn't just his outlaw good looks-" "Ooooohhhh!" "- which always reminded her vaguely of James Dean. He had silky light brown hair, a subtle, intelligent face, and grey eyes that were alternately intense and cool. He was the handsomest boy at El Camino High, but that wasn't it, that wasn't what Poppy responded to. It was something inside him, something mysterious and compelling and alway just out of reach. It made her heart beat fast and her skin tingle."

"See, that could be because of the soulmate thing, or because you're a vampire. Humans always seem to get a distinct instinct when they've found a vampire and that could be what she was feeling," Rashel explained.

"That's what I first felt when I met Ash's sisters," Mary-Lynette chimed in. "I was so sure that there was something off about them. Of course, I knew that Ash was bonkers and an idiot, so I didn't have to worry about him." Ash playfully smiled and nuzzled Mary-Lynette's cheek with his nose. She giggled and pulled away from him.

"Phillip felt differently. As soon as James came in, he stiffened and his face went cold. Electric dislike flashed between the two boys.

"Then James smiled faintly, as if Phillip's reaction amused him. "Hi."

"Hi," Phil said, not thawing in the least. Poppy had the strong sense that he'd like to bundle her up and rush her out of the room. Phillip always overdid the protective-brother bit when James was around. "So how's Jacklyn and Michaela?" he added nastily.

"James considered. "Well, I don't really know."

""You don't know? Oh, yeah, you always drop your girlfriends just before summer vacation. Leaves you free to maneuver, right?"

""Of course," James said blandly. He smiled."

"James, you dog," Ash said. He slapped James on the back. James blushed, not very proud of himself.

Jez added, "Don't be ashamed of it, James. It's what a normal vampire has to do in order to keep their cover."

"Phillip glared at him with unabashed hatred.

"Poppy, for her part, was seized by joy. Goddbye Jacklyn; goodbye, Michaela. Goodbye to Jacklyn's elegant long legs and Michaela's amazing pneumatic chest. This was going to be a wonderful summer.

"Many people thought Poppy and James's relationship platonic-" there was a scoff "-This wasn't true. Poppy had known for years that she was going to marry him." Some people began to laugh while Poppy blushed. "It was one of her two great ambitions, the other being to see the world. She just hadn't gotten around to informing James yet. Right now he still thought he liked long-legged girls with salon fingernails and Italian pumps."

"Oh Poppy," Maggie said. "That's so funny...and precognitive of you."

"My cousin was a real vampire," Ash said, playfully. "I can't believe that you've never told me about this James-y! Oh Goddess, thank Hellewise!"

"Oh, cue the theatrics," Quinn said, rolling his eyes.

""Is that a new CD?" she said, to distract him from his stare-out ith his future brother-in-law.

"James hefted it. "It's the new Ethnotencho release."

"Poppy cheered. "More Tuva throat sngers - I can't wait. Let's go listen to it."

"God, is that the stuff that you two blast?" Jez said. "You call that music? It sounds like witch-chanting." Everyone gave an involuntary shudder. Witch-chanting may be powerful but it was horrendous to listen to.

"But just then her mother walked in. Poppy's mom was cool, blond, and perfect, like an Alfred Hitchcock heroine. She normally wore an expression of effortless efficiency. Poppy, heading out of the kitchen, nearly ran into her.

""Sorry- morning!"

""Hold on a minute," Poppy's mother said, getting hold of Poppy by the back of her T-shirt. "Good morning, Phil; good morning, James," she added. Phil said good morning and James nodded, ironically polite.

""Has everybody had breakfast?" Poppy's mother asked, and when the boys said they had, she looked at her daughter. "And what about you?" she asked, gazing into Poppy's face.

"Poppy rattled the Frosted Flakes box and her mother winced. "Why don't you at least put milk in them?"

""Better this way," Poppy said firmly, but when her mother gave her a little push toward the refrigerator, she went and got a quart carton of lowfat milk."

"Always watching her weight," Gillian joked.

""What are you planning to do with your first day of freedom?" her mother said, glancing from James to Poppy.

""Oh, I don't know." Poppy looked at James. "Listen to some music; maybe go up to the hills? Or drive to the beach?"

""Whatever you want," James said. "We've got all summer."

"The summer stretched out in front of Poppy, hot and golden and resplendent. It smelled like pool chlorine and sea salt; it felt like warm grass under her back. Three whole months, she thought. That's forever. Three months is forever."

"Not really," Thierry said. "I can attest to that."

"Me too," Quinn said.

"It was strange that she was actually thinking this when it happened.

""We could check out the new shops at the Village-" she was beginning, when suddenly the pain struck and her breath caught in her throat.

"It was bad - a deep, twisting burst of agony that made her double over. The milk carton flew from her fingers and everything went gray."

"Well, that's the end of the chapter," Thierry said.

"But it can't be!" Galen exclaimed. "That is such a cliffhanger!"

Keller pulled him into her arms. "Well then I guess we'll have to keep reading, then."

Thierry hand the book over to Keller. "You read the next chapter," he said. "We'll go around in a circle."

Keller gave him the stink eye. "No offense, sir, but I don't really want to."

Galen rubbed her back. "C'mon, it'll be fair this way."

Seeing everyone else start getting anxious and fidgety, Keller sighed heavily and grabbed the book from Thierry's outstretched arm. "I'm not good at reading out loud," she said. "Just have to tell you guys up front."

No one seemed to have any complaints, so Keller flipped the page and began.