IV. A Vampire in Vampire's Clothing

Having made an appearance at a high school dance had somehow made me seem more approachable to my classmates. Though, I could attribute it mostly to Nadia's friendship, seeing as I was the only one of my siblings that Lauren Mallory confidently approached over two weeks later, handing me an invitation to a Halloween bash she was hosting this upcoming Friday. But then, she had promptly marched off to intercept her next victim, not affording me the chance to politely decline.

And of course, by the time seventh period rolled around, the news of it had already reached Nadia's ears.

"You're attending Lauren's Halloween bash?" she asked me as soon as I slid into the seat at her side, forearms folded against her desk as she leaned over, gazing up at me with expectant, glimmering eyes.

"She invited me," I said cautiously, incapable of immediately dashing her hopes.

"Oh, then I'll definitely go!" she exclaimed, making the decision for us both in that single instant. "Which is perfect, since I just learned Cora was already working on a costume for me. Isn't she so sweet?"

"She is," I agreed. "Would you…like to attend together?"

I did not want to be presumptuous and assume that we would do so. But truthfully, there was no one else I was interested in being acquainted with at that party.

Nadia's eyes brightened with unrestrained delight. "I would love to."

I could only offer a grin in response as Mrs. Goff began the class. For the sake of appearances, I pulled out a notebook and pencil and proceeded to jot down the occasional set of notes, but my mind easily wandered, knowing I would once again be forced to contend with Rosalie. With the party being a mere few days out, Alice would hardly restrain herself in her efforts to put together some outrageous costume for me. But perhaps that would ease Rosalie's ire―the sight of me garbed in something especially laughable.

Sooner than I hoped, the class ended with a simple reminder from Mrs. Goff of our textbook homework, just before the school bell shrieked above us.

"Do you plan to dress up at all?" Nadia asked as she stood, slinging the strap of her bag across her shoulder.

"I hadn't realized it was optional," I admitted, standing to my feet and joining the queue of students bottlenecked at the door, backpack in hand.

"From what I can gather, I wasn't invited to Lauren's party last year," she said, her offhanded mention of missing memories serving to put me on edge. "I assume it was because I wasn't in high school yet. But I heard from Katie that some of the guys didn't bother with a costume at all."

"And Katie was present at this party?"

She laughed. "No, of course not. She heard it from one of the girls in your year. Jessica, I think her name is."

I shot her a pointed look. "I suggest you be a little less casual about mentioning what you do and do not know," I murmured. "You've been acquainted with Jessica since she moved here when you were in elementary school."

"Yes, that would help make things less complicated," Nadia agreed with a sheepish smile. "But it's easier to forget my cover when I'm talking to you."

A feeling of fondness swept through my chest at her words. "Nonetheless," I insisted, a tad more gently this time, "anyone can and will overhear, if given the opportunity."

Fortunately, at the moment, everyone was so eager to escape the confines of school grounds that our classmates only surged forward, none bothering to linger towards the back. And my siblings rarely bothered to keep track of one another unless it was an emergency.

"You're right, Edward," she said quietly as we finally reached the door, the hallway half-emptied now that a handful of minutes had passed since the ring of the dismissal bell. "I'm sorry."

I paused beneath the archway of the door and turned towards her with a half-smile, shrugging my backpack strap onto my shoulder. "There's no need to apologize. I merely wish for you to be more cautious."

"I will," Nadia promised and lifted up her hand, folding her pinky and thumb against her palm and holding straight her three remaining fingers. "Scout's honor!"

I arched an eyebrow, wondering, "Were you even a girl scout?"

She giggled, but before she could answer my question, the voice of Lauren Mallory called, "You two! Wait up!"

We turned as one to find Lauren, along with Samantha Wells, making a beeline for us, shoving aside anyone too unfortunate to move over in time. Against her chest, Samantha cradled a Jack-O-Lantern trick-or-treat basket, and with dawning dread, I realized what she held in her hands.

"Good, I'm glad I caught up to you," Lauren said with her typical domineering attitude. "I'm not having what happened last year, happen again. So, pick one already."

Samantha shoved forward the bright orange basket and Nadia peered into the pile of folded pieces of notebook paper. "What are they?"

"Costume assignments," Lauren said with a huff. "Everyone is dressing up this Friday."

"Oh, that's okay, my mom is already―"

"We don't care," Samantha cut in with a grimace. "If you want to attend, you have to wear the costume you're assigned. And there's no trading allowed."

In their thoughts, I witnessed the memory of collective outrage when Lauren, Samantha, and a third blonde had shown up in the same costume last year, all purchased from the same boutique in Port Angeles.

I tampered down a smile and turned to see what Nadia would decide. Lauren and Samantha had only just put together this scheme during seventh period, so none had yet considered this aspect of attending Lauren's costume party.

"Fine," Nadia agreed easily enough and moved to pluck up one of the top paper slips.

We all watched closely as she unfolded the paper to reveal an innocent:

Fairy

"Oh, that'll be so cute!" Samantha gushed.

"Yeah, yeah," Lauren waved her off and turned to me with an appreciative gleam in her eye. "Your turn."

Wanting to hurry things along, I snatched the paper that had sat beside Nadia's and swiftly unfolded it for their purview. But to my horror, written in pink sparkly gel, it said:

Vampire


"This is a rotten idea," Rosalie insisted for the umpteenth time this week. Thankfully, by now, most of her aggression had been spent, and the sight of her sitting on the armchair with her arms firmly crossed over her chest was hardly intimidating.

Her objection was further undermined by Carlisle and Esme casually lounging on the loveseat next to her, watching Alice and I with an air of amusement. "I think you look handsome," Esme tittered.

Don't move! Alice mentally admonished me as she continued to arrange my hair to her liking.

I rolled my eyes in her direction but returned to my position as a motionless statue while she meticulously applied another dab of gel, forced to push herself up to the tips of her toes despite the fact that she was already standing atop a stool.

"He'll be knocking 'em dead for sure," Emmett agreed with Esme, and then proceeded to snicker at his own pun.

"Yes," Jasper concurred with a wry grin from where he sat beside Emmett on the staircase, "it'll be a real bloodbath."

Without missing a beat, Emmett and Jasper lifted a hand and high-fived one another.

"You laugh now," Rosalie scoffed, turning her nose up at them.

"Aw babe," Emmett complained, "no need to bite our heads off."

"If you're going to be throwing puns around, at least come up with something original," I suggested flatly.

"Don't doubt me, brother," Emmett said, unbothered by our collective criticism, "I'll give you something you can really sink your teeth into."

We all groaned in exasperation and Carlisle chucked a throw pillow towards Emmett's head. "That was truly terrible, son."

Emmett beamed, gently batting aside the pillow. "Fang you very much, Pops."

"Emmett, please," Esme said with an expression of long-suffering.

"Man, tough crowd." Emmett heaved a sharp and entirely unnecessary sigh. "I guess I'll just put a stake in it."

"Please do," I said, pointedly ignoring the pun.

"I thought they were great, Em," Jasper said, patting Emmett's shoulder in consolation.

"And that's why you're my favorite brother, Jazz."

I rolled my eyes heavenward. "And tomorrow, when Jasper is trouncing you in 4D chess, I will have suddenly become your new favorite," I said with a huff. "You're as fickle as a leaf blowing in the wind when it comes to playing favorites, Emmett."

"It's because you're all so great," Emmett countered with a sweep of his arm. "So really, you should all be proud of yourselves."

"Emmett does have a point," Esme said with a fond smile. "But I am glad you're branching out, Edward. When will I get to meet your new friend?"

I carefully arranged my features into a pleasant expression. "I'm not sure yet."

For all that Esme had attempted her best to hide her reasons for wanting to meet Nadia, she had not been entirely successful. The idea that I would fall for a human was truly deranged. Nadia was alive and breathing; she already had everything I could not give her.

But ever since the homecoming dance, Esme kept envisioning an impossible future between myself and Nadia. The fact that Nadia was human hardly seemed to deter her, focused as she was on my own well-being. But for as much as I cherished Esme's maternal affections for me, this was the one area I refused to be moved in.

Seeing from her thoughts that Alice was finally satisfied with her work, I side-stepped any further motion of her grubby hands and turned to head towards the front door. "Nadia will be expecting me," I said by way of excuse.

"Have a good time," Esme called, her thoughts more than enthusiastic.

"More like a fangtastic time!" Emmett laughed uproariously.

Don't forget to watch out for the trap door, Alice reminded me, Nadia hates spiders!

I hope you choke on some garlic, Rosalie seethed.

I couldn't make it out soon enough.


Though I had only intended to pick Nadia up, I found that she had been joined by Katie when I pulled up to the Swan residence. The two stood on the porch across from Cora, who appeared to be taking pictures of them in their Halloween costumes.

"Mom, Edward's here," I heard Nadia say as I exited the car.

"Stay right where you are," Cora admonished, "I want to take a picture of all three of you. I'm sure Esme would love a copy."

I grimaced as I moved across their driveway. Already, Esme had received copies of pictures of Nadia and I from the homecoming dance, which had only served to encourage the illusion that I could have a happy future. And while I did not wish to give her false assurance, I similarly did not aspire to crush her hopes for me.

"Edward! Your costume is stunning!" Cora exclaimed as soon as I reached the light of the porch. "Where did you get it from?"

"My sister, Alice, put it together," I confessed wryly as I climbed the porch steps.

Truly, Alice had been the only one not in the least bit concerned by my assigned costume and had pulled all the stops, taking inspiration from both Dracula and the ancient painting that hung in Carlisle's office, depicting both himself and the Volturi. As a result, she had tailored for me a rich black suit cut in a Victorian style, pairing it with a high white shirt, a glossy vest overlaid by swirling, vintage patterns in a dark maroon, and a black cravat knotted at my neck. The boots were polished black leather, and the cape was black velvet, voluminous in size, hanging heavily from my shoulders and extending down my back, the length of the hem coiling at my feet.

Apart from the costume, Alice had also spent a ludicrous amount of time styling my hair. The majority of it had been loosely gelled back in a manner that kept it from entirely losing its volume, and she had pulled a few strands forward to frame my face. And of course, the most important touch―a pair of plastic fangs temporarily glued to my canine teeth.

"I'll have to get some tips from her," Cora decided, and I could see from her memories that she had worked hard to put together both the costumes for Nadia and Katie.

"Edward, hi! You look amazing," Nadia greeted me from where she stood next to Katie, their arms interlocked, in position for their next picture.

"Thank you," I said, my voice inadvertently softening at the sight of her. "You, even more so."

Cora had done an admirable job designing Nadia's fairy costume. The dress was a combination of a satin bodice, embroidered with delicate needlework, long, flowing shoulderless sleeves, and a puffy skirt fashioned with layers of tulle and sheer organza, all in sparkling shades of dark gold, backed by a pair of wings made of matching golden wire and folds of iridescent purple gossamer. Nadia's hair had been pulled up into a twisting updo, gold clasps decorating it, with two braids looped loosely to frame each side of her face, and an array of glistening purple and gold flowers crowning her head. Streaks of shimmering gold dusted across her eyelids, cheeks, collarbones, and shoulders, lustrous against the brown of her skin.

She was radiant.

"Edward, can you stand on Nadia's other side? I want to take a few more pictures," Cora said, lifting her digital camera.

"Yes, of course," I agreed and moved, making an effort to not stare at Nadia for longer than was polite. Instead, as I positioned myself beside her, I greeted her friend. "Hello, Katie."

"Hi," Katie responded shortly, shooting me a quick look from the corner of her eyes. Her thoughts trembled slightly at my proximity, my appearance unexpectedly frightening to her.

Perhaps, Rosalie had been right.

"Sorry, I know it's last minute, but would it be okay if Katie rode to the party with us?" Nadia asked, smile abashed.

"Certainly," I said, keeping my tone low and friendly so as to not further agitate Katie.

"Thank you," Katie said, smiling slightly in my direction, her nerves calming. Why was I getting so worked up?

"Alright, kids, look this way and smile!" Cora called, camera ready.

We did as asked, although I only smiled wide enough to allow the tips of my fangs to peek through. Beside me, Nadia didn't stand quite as tall as she had when we had posed for our homecoming pictures. The tall sparkling shoes she had worn then had been traded out for a pair of much lower heels, with gold satin ribbons that wrapped around her ankles and calves. Standing so closely at my side, she seemed smaller than I had believed her to be; vulnerable in a way that made me feel perplexingly anxious.

After enduring a handful of pictures, Nadia perked up beside me.

"Mom, you have more trick-or-treaters incoming," she said, gesturing towards a group of small children being lead by their parents through the neighborhood.

Cora peeked over her shoulder, and sighed once she realized Nadia was right. "Fine, you kids can go. Your dad's out patrolling, Nadi, so stay out of trouble," Cora warned her. "That goes for you two as well."

"Yes, ma'am," I said.

"We'll be fine, Cora!" Katie assured her with an impish grin.

"Alright, go on," Cora said, turning her back to us as she went to retrieve a bowl of candy sitting atop a stool by the front door.

The three of us moved to descend the stairway, and as we crossed the short distance to the Volvo, Nadia asked Katie, "Are you going to need help getting into the car?"

"I think I'll be fine," Katie said, despite the fact that her stride was significantly hindered by her skirt. She had been assigned to dress as a mermaid for the party, and as part of her costume, Cora had fashioned her a long, form-fitting skirt adorned with sparkling green sequins that flared out in layers of green tulle just above her ankles, so that it would resemble the tail of a mermaid. The heels she wore underneath the tulle did her balance no favors.

"Allow me," I said, going ahead and opening the backseat door on her behalf.

"Thanks," Katie mumbled, astounded by my sudden show of kindness. Nadia hovered beside her, but Katie was able to slide into the seat without either one of us needing to assist her.

Once I shut the door, I turned to do the same for Nadia.

"Thank you," Nadia said, beaming at me, before carefully climbing into the front seat, being cautious to not dent the wings on either side of her.

Once I gently shut her door, I rounded the hood and slipped into the driver's side, igniting the car and cautiously merging into the neighborhood road, keeping an eye out for the children trick-or-treating at this hour. But the brief silence had managed to agitate Katie once more, and so I switched on the CD player, allowing the mellow piano chords of Liszt's Liebestraume to flood the car.

"Oh, this is beautiful," Nadia hummed, a serene smile lighting up her face.

"It's one of my favorites," I confessed to her, pleased that she appeared to be enjoying it so, and relieved that I had thought to change out the CD in the player before I had left.

Fortunately, Katie had relaxed once again, her thoughts fluttering with speculation. This is the kind of music a guy like Edward listens to? I guess it kind of makes sense. He's not quite like the other guys at school; too polite and a little weird.

Her thoughts continued like so, and though my family and I were accustomed to others studying our every oddity, we rarely had to worry that they might stumble across the right conclusion. But despite the very telling costume I wore, it never once occurred to Katie that I was anything but a human boy.

Soon, her thoughts shifted from me to Eric, and I relaxed for the time being.

As the song reached its soft conclusion, Katie spoke up from the seat behind Nadia. "Thank you for the ride, Edward," she said to me, her prior unease momentarily forgotten. "Eric called at the last minute and said he'd prefer to meet me there."

"He didn't tell you why?" Nadia asked, concern now marring her features.

"No, but he sounded weird," Katie admitted, replaying their phone conversation in her head. "I'm worried."

"I'm sure he's alright," I attempted to reassure her.

Katie sat up, leaning forward to peek at me from the backrest of Nadia's seat. "Edward, do you know something?"

Feeling their twin gazes upon me, I said dishonestly, "Not for certain."

The truth was, Eric had been ill-fated to pick out a less than fortunate costume. Per Lauren's rules, one could not make an appearance at her party without being dressed in their assigned costume, and as a result, Eric had dreaded attending the Halloween bash with Katie all week.

"Is something the matter with Eric?" Nadia asked.

"It was just something I overhead," I said, purposefully keeping the details vague. "But I believe he might've had some sort of malfunction with his costume."

"Oh. Speaking of, did Eric ever tell you what he was dressing up as?" Nadia wondered, turning to Katie this time.

Katie shook her head, voluminously styled curls of red hair swaying in tandem. "Now that you mention it, he never got around to telling me."

"Well, whatever it was, we'll find out momentarily," I said, as I pulled into Lauren's neighborhood.

Though we were not egregiously late, I could already hear her party in full swing, an abysmal combination of outdoor music and indoor karaoke pounding in tandem. There was a reason most of Forks High aspired to attend Lauren's Halloween bash, including the upperclassmen, and that was because, similarly to Alice, Lauren was willing to go to every extravagant measure to host an unforgettable party. Her family owned a much bigger property than most Forks residents, and so, we reached her house at the far end of the neighborhood road, joining the long queue of vehicles parked haphazardly across a good portion of her front yard.

This time, Katie did require Nadia's assistance to safely exit the car, and together, they carefully navigated their way around the line of cars and over the uneven terrain, their arms interlocked. I took the rear, keeping a close eye on their footsteps, ready to catch either one in case they incidentally stumbled over a rock or plunged into a sunken patch of moss.

We soon reached the front path, lined on either side by glowing jack-o-lanterns of alternating sizes, ominous grins and narrowed eyes flickering harshly with candlelight. The yard was covered in tombstones and piles of skulls alike, ghouls dangling from the eaves, and sweeping curtains of spiderwebs draped across the porch railings and over tall columns, laced with strings of light in mixtures of oranges and purples. A pair of life-size skeletons robed in hooded black cloaks were propped to loom on either side of the front door, scythes in hand and teeth barred.

Interweaved amongst the standard assortment of Halloween decor, a few stragglers were mingling out front and along the deck, though most were gathered either inside or out back. And although my appearance was alarming enough to cause a few double takes, none questioned it. I hoped that would continue to remain true. For all that I had feigned indifference to Rosalie's every grievance, I understood perfectly well just how careful we ought to be and I intended to keep my ears peeled for the slightest trace of suspicion.

Together, Nadia and Katie climbed the porch steps ahead of me, but before they could reach the front door, I hastened around them, and said, "Wait here."

I strode ahead to stand between the twin set of Grim Reapers and swung open the door, but did not step foot inside. Rather, with Nadia and Katie edging around to observe alongside me, we watched as a horde of plastic spiders rained down, mere inches before us. Already, I could see numerous piles of black spiders that had been swept to the side of the grand front hall, continuously making room for the next unfortunate victim.

Various people had peeked into the dimly lit hall in anticipation, but groaned in disappointment when they realized we hadn't fallen for Lauren's trick.

"Whoa," Nadia said, eyeing the pile of spiders at our feet with spooked eyes.

"Oh my God! How'd you know that would happen?!" Katie demanded.

I smiled wryly and moved aside, gesturing for them to enter in ahead of me.

Nadia and Katie moved with wide, cautious steps, unwilling to brush even a toe against the pseudo-arachnids, and I followed, plastic legs snapping pointedly against the ridged soles of my boots. The inside was dim, light sourced from arrays of candelabras and webs of red fairy lights suspended from the ceiling down, walls hidden by tattered curtains of slate fabric from which hung trails of black tarantulas, each the size of a small child. A hidden fog machine produced continuous waves of smoke, rolling gently across the hardwood floor and over our feet.

"I'm going to go see if I can find Eric," Katie decided, raising her voice to be heard above the loud chatter of guests and the off-key singing echoing from the next room over. "I'll come find you guys after."

"Yes, don't leave without letting us know," Nadia insisted.

Katie agreed, before venturing off down a dark, candlelit hall that would soon lead out back, her strides short, but steady, as she grew more confident in her rigid costume.

"Edward! Nadia!"

Still in the front hall, we paused just underneath the rail of the massive stairway as Lauren hailed us down, Samantha following at her feet. They were both outfitted as fifties actresses―Lauren as Marilyn Manroe, blonde hair tightly curled and makeup bright, and Samantha as Audrey Hepburn, hair pulled back and neck draped in large, gaudy rhinestone jewelry.

As they approached, Lauren hesitated for only a second, momentarily unnerved by the way the red light reflected eerily off of the uniformity of my white-bone skin. But she was swift to shove aside her own discomfort, and instead, eyed our costumes with a pleased expression. "At least some of you know how to follow instructions," she said, her mind swimming with derision at the thought of her boyfriend.

Beside her, Samantha giggled and revealed to Nadia, "Lauren's mad because Tyler dressed up as one of those anime characters."

"Really? Which one?" Nadia asked.

"Uhh, I dunno. Kakishi? Katashi?" Samantha guessed and shrugged it off with a careless wave.

"Oh, you mean Kakashi?" Nadia said.

"Yeah, that's the one!"

"Well, I guess that makes sense," Nadia decided, to our collective astonishment. When we all turned to her expectantly, she explained, "Well, Kakashi means 'scarecrow.' And Tyler was supposed to dress up as a scarecrow, right?"

"See?!" Tyler exclaimed, popping in from behind us, where he'd managed to catch the tail end of our conversation. The thick pile of dreadlocks he currently sported had been spray painted gray and pushed aside by a wide piece of cloth with a slab of metal attached to it, slanted sideways to conceal one of his eyes. "What did I tell you, babe?! I am a scarecrow!"

Lauren jabbed an accusatory finger in Tyler's direction. "No, you're not!"

"Yes, I am! Your little paper slip said 'scarecrow.' It never said what kind of scarecrow!"

"That's because it's self-explanatory!" Lauren snapped.

"Lauren," someone else shouted from the adjoining room, "the karaoke machine is spazzing out!"

"I'm coming!" Lauren called back while still glowering at Tyler. "I'll deal with you later," she decided, before spinning on her heel and marching off.

"Babe!" Tyler complained, dogging her steps.

Samantha giggled, thoroughly entertained by Lauren's dose of drama. "I'm sure Lauren is so happy you guys made it!" she said, briefly taking over the role of hostess. "Karaoke will be in the entertainment room, potion-making is in the kitchen, the dance floor and games are all set up in the backyard, and we'll be announcing the winner for best costume later tonight, so be sure to stick around!"

"We will," Nadia said, beaming.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Samantha," I said in a low tone, keeping my expression open and friendly, careful to not expose too many teeth.

"Come find me if you need anything," Samantha tittered, before flouncing off in the same direction Lauren had disappeared to.

Nadia turned to me with bright eyes. "Where to?"

"Ah," I said, startled by her consideration of me. "Would you like to try the potion-making first?" From what I could see through the eyes of our classmates, it was the least-crowded station, and the activity did not seem terribly difficult.

"Let's do it," Nadia agreed, and fearless went to grasp my hand.

I allowed her to tug me in the direction Samantha had indicated the kitchen to be in, grateful that Alice had thought to include a pair of gloves as part of my costume, preventing Nadia from feeling discomforted by the ice-cold temperature of my skin.

The kitchen was similarly dim, a combination of candles and lanterns positioned around the counters, with strings of orange lights and bat-shaped garlands draping from the high cabinets. Over the space of the expansive kitchen island, arrays of glass syrup containers, capped pitchers of juice, bowls of ice, clear bottles of soda, and jars of sliced fruit were neatly labeled and arranged, with stacks of miniature plastic cauldrons and jars of small ladles situated at each corner.

"Allow me," I said, gently disentangling my hand from Nadia's grasp and retrieving a cauldron and ladle set for her.

"Thank you," she said with a smile, taking them in hand.

Once I took a set for myself, Nadia lead us over to an empty spot on the counter, furthest away from a few of our classmates chatting on the opposite side of the island. But I hesitated once she began confidently picking through the available syrups and juice, unsure of what flavors were meant to pair well together and unwilling to imitate the same choices as Nadia. Fortunately, a swift glance at the babbling thoughts taking place across from us gave me a better idea, and I soon followed suit, picking out flavors in the same vein as the girl dressed in a witch's costume.

"What are you making?" Nadia asked conversationally as she slowly poured out a measure of peach juice into her cauldron.

"I'm not entirely sure yet," I confessed, mimicking her, but with a carafe of lemonade. "You appear to know what you're doing."

"I'm just picking out the flavors I like," she assured me, while trading out the thin pitcher of juice for one of clear, sparkling soda. "Most of these flavors are sweet anyhow, so you probably can't go wrong with whatever you pick."

"So it seems," I agreed with a touch of relief. It's not as though anyone would be taste-testing whatever foul concoction I came up with. And if my exceedingly conspicuous costume had yet to arouse suspicion, then nothing short of me stepping into the sunlight would.

"So, tell me," she said, sneaking a look at me from the corner of her eye, "what is Eric really dressed up as?"

I smiled. "Why do you assume I would know?"

"Because you're a very inquisitive person," she said self-assuredly. "I didn't buy your earlier 'uncertainty' one bit."

"Being inquisitive does not mean I know everything, Nadia," I gently admonished her. You being the prime example.

"No, but in this case, I have a feeling you do know," Nadia retorted with a laugh. "But fine, keep your secrets."

I frowned marginally. "You believe I have secrets to keep?"

Nadia glanced up at me with wide, innocent eyes. "Edward, I was kidding."

I mentally kicked myself for the accusatory tone I had unintentionally rebutted her with. Of course she had said that in mere jest. Despite giving Nadia plenty of reason to be suspicious, she had never once made a passing remark. And while I had no access to her private thoughts, it was clear she was not intending to unravel the thread of my family's secret, let alone attempting to implicate us.

I carefully eased my features into a warmer expression. "How about this," I said instead, "I'll tell you about Eric, if you tell me one thing in return."

She giggled as she turned back to mix her drink with the ladle. "A secret for a secret?"

I smiled wryly. "Something like that."

"Okay. What do you want to know?"

Everything. But that was not a feasible option, so I started with a simple, "Where are you from?"

"Oh. That's an easy one," she said readily. "I'm from California."

For a moment, I was startled by the remarkable ordinariness of her response. Though I hadn't been sure what kind of answer to expect, I had believed it would be as inconceivable as everything else I had learned about her thus far.

"That's certainly a far cry from a place like Forks," I noted instead.

"It really is," she agreed. "But I've always wanted to live up north. I like it here."

"That's not a very common sentiment amongst our peers," I pointed out. "You sincerely enjoy the small town life?"

Nadia shrugged, eyes focused on the mixture in her cauldron. "So far, it hasn't been bad. Cora and Charlie are really nice, and Katie is too once you get to know her better. I might venture out for college once the time comes, but for now, I feel safe in Forks."

Forks was the kind of place one could certainly call 'safe' when compared to crime-ridden cities like Seattle or L.A. And while the addition of a coven of vampires diminished that by a sizable degree, Nadia wasn't entirely wrong to feel at peace here. But she would be gone exactly four years from now. Likely, she would prefer to stay north, but she could end up anywhere from Washington to Maine, assuming she did not decide to go international.

A strange ache weighed down my chest at the thought of how little time we had together, and I realized with stunning clarity that, when the time came, I would miss her.

Truly, human life was so fleeting.

I carefully tucked away the overwhelmingly bleak thoughts, keeping my tone light as I said, "Do you already know where you want to attend college?"

"I have no idea, actually," Nadia admitted with a bashful smile.

"You used to be older, though," I recalled with a perplexed frown. "Surely, you must have had a plan then."

Nadia slowly poured a small portion of flavored syrup into her cauldron as she explained, "I didn't have the funds to even apply for university, so I was planning on joining the military."

My frown deepened with unease. "But that is no longer the case?" I checked.

"It's not," Nadia said, oblivious to the distress she had briefly caused me. "Hold on, I'm going to grab us some bottles."

I took the brief moment to swiftly finish up mixing the overly sweet brew, adding in a splash of raspberry syrup and another of grenadine, until it was the exact shade of red that I had seen through the witch girl's eyes.

"Here you go," Nadia said when she returned, a glass potion jar in each hand.

I smiled sardonically as I took one from her and read the words inked over the glass:

Vampire's Blood

"How fitting," I said dryly. "What does yours say?"

Nadia lifted her's in my direction long enough for me to catch a lengthier phrase:

Elixir of Eternal Life

"There wasn't a fairy-themed one," she said by way of explanation. "This was the closest fit."

"How do you figure that?" I asked while mimicking her, scooping a handful of ice into the jar, before ladling the final blend over it. Mine was exactly the right shade of red to match the labeling, while Nadia's mixture of bubbling peach, passion fruit, and edible glitter shimmered like liquid gold.

"Fairies are surely immortal," she said with mock-wisdom.

"And you believe they also offer free immortality in a bottle?" I teased, while snagging a pair of straws and poking them into our drinks.

"Well," she said thoughtfully, lifting up the straw to her red-painted lips, "I would never say immortality, in any form, is free."

"Wise words," I said, secretly agreeing, and mirroring her by pressing my own lips to my straw, pretending to draw a sip.

Nadia savored her drink with a thoughtful expression, before deciding, "This is good."

"This is," I said, glancing down at the red mixture with apprehension, before guessing, "tart."

"Oh, can I try?" Nadia asked, gazing up at me with such hopeful eyes, it was impossible to deny her anything.

"You might not like it," I warned her, but offered the drink to her nonetheless.

Nadia did not bother taking it from my hand, simply leaning forward to capture the straw into her mouth and taking a long sip. The brief moment was unexpectedly intimate, and yet, I did not feel the slightest bit alarmed by her proximity. Rather, I was pleasantly surprised to find that once again, Nadia was not repelled by my ghastly nature. And surely, it was concerning that she did not appear to possess the basic human instinct to sense the danger I posed, but for the moment, I was comforted by her easy acceptance of me.

"I think I like this one better," Nadia decided once she leaned back. "Can we trade?"

I chuckled. "By all means."

"Thanks!" Nadia beamed as we swapped potion jars.

"Hey, everyone!"

We all collectively turned as Samantha called for our attention.

"Please head out back! Lauren's orders!" she announced, before flitting off to continue corralling everyone outside.

As we fell in line behind the clusters of people traversing the hall that would lead to the back doors, I allowed my free hand to fall against the small of Nadia's back, lest we be separated.

"This way," I said once we were outside, guiding her to stand along the rail of the porch, rather than following the flock of guests down the staircase. From this height, we had an excellent vantage point from which we could easily observe the spectacle Lauren currently had planned. Already, the music had been shut down, and Lauren stood atop the DJ's platform, one of the karaoke microphones in hand. The abrupt lack of noise had everyone murmuring in speculation, some pausing mid-game and others wandering away from the tables of plattered desserts to hear what she had to say.

Nadia leaned forward against the railing, and I belatedly withdrew my hand, the sudden lack of warmth an unwelcome sensation.

"Listen up!" Lauren finally began, voice echoing garishly from the cheaply made microphone, effectively silencing the masses. "It has come to my attention that some of you are unhappy with your assigned costume."

A ripple of giggles broke through the gathered crowd as everyone turned to eye each other's absurd getup.

"So," Lauren continued, "I will be giving exactly one of you the opportunity to swap costumes with anyone you'd like."

"Oh, I don't like the sound of this," Nadia murmured, in agreement with the rest of the crowds.

"If you would like to take advantage of this opportunity, either stay, or make your way onto the dance floor."

A surge of movement broke out as nearly everyone hurried off of the wide platform situated at the center of the backyard, and an unfortunate few battled their way forward, until four of our classmates stood across the dance floor.

First in the lineup was Mike Newton, hidden underneath the atrocious fixings of the Forks High Spartan mascot gear. Next was Nicole Casey, who, upon not having enough time to put together her own werewolf costume, had been forced to wear one of her brother's from previous years, the werewolf head looking especially frayed. Third was Jessica Stanley, who appeared particularly fired up to win this, plump as she was in the tomato costume she sported. And lastly…

"See that one at the end?" I said to Nadia, gesturing towards the one in the top hat and covered in sweeping hair from head to toe.

"The one dressed like Cousin Itt?"

"Yes. That's Eric."

"No!" Nadia said with a gasp of laughter. "Can he even drive in that?"

"I don't believe so," I said. Between the voluminous hair and the black shades he wore, he was struggling to make anything out. "If he was forced to get a ride from his friends, I can see why he had to cancel on Katie at the last minute."

"At least Katie was able to find him," Nadia said, pointing towards her redheaded friend who currently stood at the edge of the dance floor, closest to Eric.

"An impressive feat, to say the least."

"Do we have any last minute takers…?" Lauren paused, but when no one else stepped forward, she continued, "Then listen up. This will be an abridged dance battle. You'll have two minutes to show us what you've got. Winner takes all. Questions…? Didn't think so. Hit it!"

With a flip of a switch, the DJ launched to life a booming pop song with a fast-paced beat. The resulting sight amidst the dance floor was nothing less than comical, for Jessica Stanley was, in the most literal sense, bowling over the competition.

Within the first ten seconds, she had hopped to where Nicole was dancing, and neatly thrust the weight of her rotund costume into her side. Lacking in peripheral vision as she was, Nicole was unable to anticipate Jessica's unsportsmanlike conduct, and fell directly into the crowd with shriek.

And while Eric was an entire foot taller than Jessica, her constant badgering soon got his own feet tangled up in his rather unfortunate attire, and he soon collapsed in a tangle of faux hair, limbs going askew.

Thus far, Mike was the only one doing an admirable job of putting forth a few decent dance moves. Unfortunately, similar to the other two, the head of his mascot costume had severely impaired his vision, and rather than bump into him as she had with her first two victims, Jessica discretely stuck her foot out, and he instantly went down.

For the last minute, Jessica shimmied across the dance floor in what only vaguely resembled dancing, while Mike and Eric struggled to stand back up on their feet, soaking up the boisterous cheering of her spectators.

By the time the song came to an end, it was still only Jessica who stood, alone and victorious.

"Jessica, I said best dancer, not best sumo wrestler!" Lauren snapped into the microphone. "But whatever, you're the only one left standing, so I guess you win by default."

With a triumphant squee, Jessica waddled over the DJ booth and joined Lauren's side.

"Congratulations, Jess," Lauren announced grudgingly. "Who will be the unlucky loser you will be switching costumes with?"

Jessica's eyes scoured the crowds gleefully, in search of the prettiest costume. Unfortunately, I had chosen the perfect spot for Nadia's sparkling fairy wings and dress to stand out from all the rest, the string of purple lights hanging from the eaves above us reflecting exquisitely against the draping golds and purples of her costume.

Nadia shifted nervously, likely sensing Jessica's hungry gaze, and I gently shouldered her slightly behind me, effectively catching Jessica's attention.

I narrowed my eyes and Jessica's face abruptly paled, mind awash with unforeseen dread. From her perspective, I could see that the same lights that had embellished Nadia's lovely appearance, flashed strangely against my corpse-pale features, enhancing the uncanny symmetry and casting eerie shadows across my face. Near instantly, she wrenched away her gaze and with hardly a second thought, said into the microphone, "I'll take Samanthat's costume!"

Efficiently ignoring Samantha's cries of outrage, Lauren spoke back into the microphone, "There you have it, folks. Now, less complaining, and more partying!"

The masses cheered and the music thundered back to life, everyone else sufficiently relieved that they had not been victim to Jessica's choosing.

"Wow, that was a close one," Nadia gasped, turning and leaning back against the balusters, her drink clutched in hand.

I turned towards her, propping my forearm along the railing. "I'm certain you would have made an adorable tomato."

Like I had hoped, Nadia burst into laughter and the color quickly returned to her cheeks. "Impossible," she managed to say between giggles. "But, thank you for your help."

I arched an eyebrow. "My help?"

"Don't think I didn't notice you staring Jessica down," Nadia said with a grin. "It was very effective. So, thank you."

While I was in habitual dismay of the way my vampiric nature so easily elicited fear in humans, I could confidently say that this was one of the rare occasions in which I did not entirely mind as much.

"I'm honored to be of service," I teased, reaching over to tweak her flower crown back into perfect position.

Nadia tilted her head up to smile at me and my empty chest rattled with inexplicable emotion. And while I did not fully comprehend what it was I felt, I was deliberate to capture this flawless moment in my mind's eye; an eternal memory.


A/N: Writing this chapter was like pulling teeth, but at last, here is an update. Hope you enjoyed! Please let me know your thoughts!