Awake at Dawn Page 33

"Don't know," Della muttered, and turned her glass in her hand.

Kylie tried not to stare at the blood in the glass for fear she'd recall how good it tasted. Instead, she picked up her ham sandwich and took a big bite. "You okay?" Kylie shifted the lump of bread in her mouth so she could speak.

"Yeah. Just mulling things over," Della said.

"About going home in three weeks?"

"Actually, I wasn't worrying about that, but now that you reminded me, I can add that to my worry agenda. Thanks." Sarcasm laced Della's voice.

"Sorry." Kylie stared at the sandwich with disinterest. "So what are you worrying about?"

"Just stuff," Della snapped.

"Ooookay," Kylie said, letting Della know her mood wasn't appreciated.

Hey, Kylie got the whole vampire bad attitude, but at times- "Sorry," Della said. "It's just that talk of death angels this morning got me worrying about ... things."

"You mean about the time when you turned and can't remember the details."

"Yeah." Della sounded relieved that Kylie remembered, and she looked at Kylie as if seeking help. "What if I did something really terrible?"

How terrible? Kylie almost asked. Was Della actually worried that she might have hurt someone? Then she remembered who she was talking about. "First, I don't think you would do something really terrible. I mean, even the fact that you are worried you did something terrible means you're not a terrible person."

Della didn't look convinced. "But when you turn, it's so crazy."

"But you're not crazy," Kylie said. "And you're a good person."

Della nodded and looked as if she wanted to say something else, but then she looked away. Kylie had a sneaking suspicion that there was more to Della's concerns than met the eye. Did she remember more than she was saying? Whatever it was, Kylie wished she knew how to help.

"I wonder what's up with Miranda?" Della said in an obvious attempt to change the subject. "God, I hope she hasn't gone back into mourning over little boy wonder."

"She seemed okay earlier." Kylie looked to the table where most of the witches ate lunch to see if Miranda was there. She wasn't.

While the camp was supposed to encourage intermingling between the species, and it did, there seemed to be something about mealtime that encouraged the "birds of a feather flock together" mentality, the exception being a few interspecies couples and a few cabin friends. Helen and Jonathon took turns sitting with the vampires and the fairies. Until recently, it hadn't been unusual for Perry to join Miranda at their table. And a couple times a week, Derek would sit with Kylie during meals.

At least once a week, and never on the same days, even Della and Miranda would opt out of sitting with her and sit with their kind. Kylie told them they didn't have to sit with her. She understood if they wanted to sit with their same-feathered friends. They didn't listen.

Whether it was out of loyalty or because they felt bad for her, Kylie didn't know. But deep down, she appreciated it to no end. Who wanted to eat lunch alone? That would remind her too much of her old high school when Sara was sick or skipping school.

Thinking of Sara, Kylie pulled out her phone and checked to see if she had any messages from her best friend. It had been almost a week since Kylie had sent her several texts asking how things were going and telling her she would be home in three weeks for the weekend. It kind of hurt that Sara hadn't even gotten back in touch. Did that mean Sara didn't want to see her?

Sure, Kylie would be the first to admit that they no longer seemed to have a lot in common-Kylie not being human being at the top of the list-but what they had was a ten-year friendship, years of being each other's best friend. Didn't that merit her taking a few hours out of her weekend to at least pretend she still cared?

Kylie's phone rang. Thinking it would be eerie cool, almost psychic, if it was Sara, Kylie waited for the number to come across the screen. Not Sara. She cut off her phone and set it on the table.

"Don't tell me, either Trey or your stepdad," Della said.

"Two points for being right." Kylie grabbed her sandwich again.

"Which one?" Della asked.

"Dad. Stepdad." Even after meeting and learning to love Daniel, she sometimes forgot that Tom Galen wasn't her real father. Kylie sank her teeth into the soft bread, but didn't taste anything.

"Is he still banging his intern?"

Kylie swallowed. "Don't know. Don't care."

"Liar," Della said.

"Okay, how about ... don't know, wish like hell I didn't care?"

"Now you're telling the truth." She studied Kylie and passed her glass of blood under Kylie's nose. "Do you want a sip?"

Kylie frowned and pushed the glass away. "No."

"You're lying again." Della arched a brow.

"Fine!" Kylie snapped, and even to her own ears, she sounded like Della had earlier. "I want it, but I don't want it. And don't go thinking it's because I think something's wrong with being vampire. I think it's fine.

It's just that I ... I'm a bit overwhelmed with trying to figure out what I am."

"Believe it or not, I understand." Della continued to study her. "You know, your heart is still beating faster than normal."

"I know." Kylie pulled her hair over her shoulder. "And look. My hair grew, too." She sighed when she remembered how she'd only found one bra that allowed her to squeeze her size-bigger boobs into it.

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