Nightside

by Holly Hook

  But at least that's holding the cravings back. The itch retreats for two or three days at a time. Maybe this is livable.

  At school, Riley hangs out with the coven kids, ignoring me. I know it's an act, but the sight brings a bit of pain to my chest every time I see him with his back turned. The days drag by, long and dull, but at least the coven kids aren't whispering about me. Well, within earshot. They still hang out in the Forbidden Hallway.

  We have to lay low, I decide. I was dumb to think Riley and I could hang out more often. He came out to show me how not to get caught and die, and then he left.

  By Friday, it's pouring down rain when the final bell rings. Since Lily doesn't share this class with me, I head to my locker, determined to walk home as fast as I can. But as soon as I unload my books and slam my locker door, the back of my neck prickles and alerts me to danger.

  I whirl in the crowded hallway to face whoever's standing behind me.

  Shit. It's the blond girl with the purple-streaked hair. She's in a short leather jacket today and wearing black lace-up boots and a deep purple dress underneath. Total Goth look, and that's the point. Her red-painted fingernails are sharp and deadly-looking while her eyes carry that copper ring Riley has. But hers is merciless.

  Addie Beaumont. Lily told me her name at lunch the other day.

  And she also told me she was the scariest of the bunch.

  “Hey,” I say, trying to keep my voice level. “What's up?”

  She lowers her voice to a growl that sends shivers down my spine. “Stay away from my cousin.”

  “Your cousin?” I play stupid. I wonder if she can sense my racing heart. I've never been this close to any Beaumont besides Riley before, and from what he's told me, I don't want to be. Addie stands two feet from me. Close enough to lash out with those fingernails.

  “Riley. Are you dumb or something?” A wicked gleam fills Addie's eyes. “Your kind and our kind do not mix. Do you understand?”

  “What is your problem?” I raise my voice. Back in Chicago, Dad always said it was best to draw attention to yourself if someone was attacking you. No one wants to attack someone with witnesses and this hallway is full. Heads turn and people slow, causing a human traffic jam behind Addie.

  “Back away from Riley,” she says, lowering her voice, “or you're going to get hurt. I'm serious.” Addie finishes the threat by curling and uncurling her fingers. Her glare could melt metal.

  My pulse roars in my ears. “I didn't know you set all the social rules around here. Well, sorry. Is it illegal for anyone besides you to dress in little slut skirts, too?”

  Now people stop and gasp. I'm beyond caring. Addie can have all my pent-up anger over the past week.

  Her mouth falls open. Her teeth are very white and perfect. “You watch yourself, Olivia,” she says before stalking off to the tune of oohs and ahhs.

  I stand against the locker as people stare at me and then after Addie. Mutters float through the hall as the human river flows again. I take a breath. Now I've just stood up to a girl who would kill me if she got the chance and Riley wouldn't be happy about that. Wherever he is.

  He's going to hear about it soon enough.

  Maybe, at least, I'll get to talk to him again. A selfish thought, but--

  “Olivia. There you are.”

  “Lily.” I whirl to find her behind her glasses, clutching her Conspiracy Theory notebook to her chest. “I was just heading out.”

  “You didn't hear about the party tonight? Morton's friend is hosting it out on his family's property. It's out near the tree farms and the guy's parents are ditching the place for the weekend. And it's supposed to stop raining in about an hour.”

  My thoughts are still on Addie's threats, so I just nod. “Party?”

  “Surprise thing. I hear someone's bringing a keg.”

  Lily seems like the last girl who would talk about drinking, but then again, Lily has a lot to hide. “How are you going to get away with going with your parents being the way they are?”

  “I told them I have an after-school tutoring session. Now that I've got a friend, I don't have to stand against the wall at a party now, do I?”

  “Good point. Who's going to be there?” I'll have company. Loads.

  “Loads of people.”

  Despite everything going on, this sounds a lot better than sitting at home, stewing about the lack of Riley. Laying low is already getting old. Besides, the itch isn't bothering me today so I won't have to leave early to deal with it. “Sure. I'll go. But you have to lead the way.”

  * * * * *

  Lily drives. We hang out at the seaside cafe for a bit, not daring to go to Lily's place, before heading out to Morton's friend's house. The guy's name is Norman, it turns out, and he's from one of the old logging families. His house is a big old two-story near the edge of a giant tree farm complete with rows of planted saplings. Lily takes a dirt road to get there and by the time we reach it, tons of cars are already parked in the yard. People stand outside, some with red solo cups, and others hang out in a barn that's in the back.

  People stare at Lily as we get out like they're shocked she's showed up to a party. I wave as we approach the keg and Morton leans on the back of the truck, waving Lily over. At least she has a shield against gossip. But I don't. Girls with ponytails look at me before they go back to their groups. Word about my confrontation with Addie must be spreading already. I wonder what theories will emerge by the end of the night.

  Morton pours me some beer from the keg, which I sip. I've only had booze a couple of times back home, and never cared much for it, but hey, it's a party. I let it warm me as I lean against the truck with Lily and Morton, listening to them make small talk, when a girl I recognize from Lit class walks up to me. She has hair dyed with a dark blue sheen and wears way too much makeup.

  “Hey,” she says. “I'm Rachel. Junior.”

  She seems nice enough. “Olivia. Senior.”

  “Is it true you're hanging out with Riley Beaumont?” she asks as two other girls squeeze in behind her. Their eyes hunger for information.

  Uh, oh.

  “Riley Beaumont?” This isn't good.

  Lily, though in the arms of Morton and with her own solo cup, snaps her gaze to me. Her eyes widen with worry.

  “You know. The hottie,” Rachel says. “We heard you've been hanging around with him a lot.”

  “Who said this?” I ask as a shudder races down my spine.

  “We've just heard. Come on. What's he like? Tell us.” Rachel advances on me, beer sloshing in her cup.

  Suddenly I can use more beer, but my cup is empty and the situation chases away any warmth it offered. The evening takes on a chill that wraps around my skin. The girls wait. I need to disappoint them and I have to do it quick, before any more rumors spread.

  “Addie Beaumont thinks I've been hanging around her cousin when I haven't even talked to him,” I said. “I said hi to him once when I didn't realize I was supposed to avoid the Forbidden Hallway where they hang out.”

  “Oops,” Lily adds, peeling herself from Morton. “Yeah. You don't go down that hallway.”

  “They Beaumonts seem to be real creeps,” I say.

  Rachel's face falls. “Aww. No one's ever been able to hang out with the them before.” She turns her back and stalks away.

  Mission accomplished. Maybe this is why Addie confronted me. Rumors. Awesome.

  “Come on,” Lily says. “There's music and dancing in the barn. We should head over there, though I think I'll need about forty more drinks before I actually dance.”

  “I'm not picking you up,” I say. “Or holding your hair back as you puke.”

  “But don't real friends do that?” Lily asks. Hand in hand with Morton, she guides us to the barn, where loud music blasts.

  Someone's run an extension cord inside and disco lights dance on the wooden walls. People dance on a straw floor. A guy does the worm and makes an idiot out of himself. Solo cups lie on hay bales and on the fl
oor while more people talk on the sidelines. Yeah. It'll take forty drinks for sure.

  Uh, oh.

  Five black-clad people, all in leather, stand behind the makeshift DJ station. Lights dance on the growling guy, on Addie, and then Riley, illuminating them in evil red and then heavenly blue. The tall, skinny dude and a short, dark-haired girl stand with them. They huddle, keeping everyone away from them, and they also don't notice us.

  “What are the Beaumonts doing here?” I shout over the music.

  Lily stops beside me, forcing Morton to do the same. The two glance at each other and frown. Confusion passes between us. Why come to a party if they're not going to socialize with anyone?

  Then Riley turns his head, surveying the room, and his gaze falls on me. I watch his mouth fall open. Addie pulls on his sleeve, getting his attention, but it's clear she hasn't seen me yet. So I back out of the barn, leaving Lily and Morton behind.

  Is Addie here because she wants to see how Riley reacts? Is she testing him? The thought fills me with anger and I toss the solo cup to the ground to join the others. A few people stand against the outside of the barn, smoking, as I pace along it. It's not as if I can approach Riley now.

  “Olivia. What are you doing here?”

  I whirl.

  Riley stands a foot behind me. I hadn't even detected him. His presence makes me suck in a breath. Though we haven't talked in almost a week, or maybe because of that, the sight of him is more breathtaking than ever. He's combed his hair back in an extra swoon-worthy fashion.

  “I need to have a social life?”

  “It's dangerous. Addie wanted to come out tonight to keep an eye on things. I'm glad you left the barn, though. That was smart.” Riley checks behind him but no one's come out. We're alone at the back of the building. Even the music is dulled here.

  “All you've done is ignore me all week. I wanted to have some fun,” I say. “And I wanted to be somewhere with a lot of people. That's safe, right?”

  “I'm...I'm sorry. I'm responsible for this,” Riley says. Then he leans close. “Did something happen?”

  “It's that obvious?” Keeping my voice low, I tell him about Addie's confrontation earlier. As I speak, Riley's jaw falls in horror.

  He brushes his hand through his hair. I wonder what it would feel like. “I'm so sorry. My cousin shouldn't be doing that. There's no excuse. She's not the nicest person in the world.”

  “Something gave me that idea. Riley, what's your plan with all this? One day, we're hanging out, and the next, it's like we don't exist to each other.” My heart races. I need some straight answers and I need them now, or I'm going to go crazy. “Just tell me.”

  He swallows. “I like you, Olivia, and I'm sorry I did this to you, and I want to be with you.”

  I can't breathe.

  Riley. Likes me.

  I knew it. The way he put his hands on my shoulders...

  “Are you saying that because you feel responsible, or you just like me to begin with?” I know the answer, but I have to hear it from his lips.

  “I like you, Olivia. You're not like the other girls.” He grips my upper arms and rubs his thumbs down my sleeves. “And I want to protect you against all this crap. But we can't be together.” Riley sighs and eyes the ground. He's shaking.

  “What? Because you're a Trueblood and I'm a Nightside?”

  He doesn't answer at first. But at last: “It's complicated.”

  “To say the least? Look, you don't need to feel guilty about turning me. It's not so bad and I'm adjusting. And we both know we like each other. We should try to be together. Screw everyone else.”

  Riley lifts his gaze to me. The faint copper still lives in his eyes, but it's softer now, more alive. He works his jaw like he's debating, and his grip on my arms tightens like he's afraid to let go. Like it'll be the last time he does.

  “Olivia,” he says. “Would you...would you like to go on a date? This weekend?”

  It. Is. Happening.

  “Yes,” I say without hesitation. “I would.”

  Chapter Ten

  I can't get anything right. Not my tight jeans and not my top. I turn in the bathroom, eyeing myself on the full-length mirror on the door. Maybe it's just nerves and I'm imagining my belly hanging over the front of my pants. Yeah, nerves. Or I've just accidentally put on the pants I wore in junior high.

  Duh, Olivia.

  Sweat snakes in between my fingers as I change, feeling stupid. The party from last night swirls through my head. People are noticing and now I'm about to make things with Riley real. Bad idea, but how can I say no to this? A date with Riley is like winning the lottery.

  You've got to live, Dad always said.

  But he's not here.

  Mom knocks on my bedroom door as I finish zipping up the pants. “Nervous, Olivia?”

  “How do you know?”

  “I used to be a teenager, too,” she says. “I know how it works.”

  If only. “If you want to come in, go ahead.”

  But then the doorbell rings (yes, the Derp House amazingly, against all odds, has a working doorbell) and I jump. Mom opens my door for me and goes back downstairs to get it. I follow to find her and Riley talking. Riley's dressed in a short leather jacket tonight, but it makes him look like a sophisticated bad boy. Hot. I don't miss his tight jeans, either. He's put on a pair that have a rip in the knee, one of those rips that the manufacturer put there on purpose.

  “So you're Riley,” Mom says, moving aside to let him in.

  This is the first time Riley's been in the Derp House. But he smiles at the old chandeliers as his gaze searches. We look right at each other and I stop halfway down the stairs. Riley's smile is perfect as he checks me out. My body heats. I half-expect Mom to stop him, but she stands aside and winks at me. I brought home a prize.

  “Yes. I'm Riley,” he says. “Olivia and I are going on a top secret date tonight. You can keep that a secret, can't you?” He's flawless, talking to Mom in that smooth, swoon-worthy voice. But it's meant for me.

  Mom nods. “Of course. You seem like a great young man. You know, this reminds me of when your father and I met.” She turns her gaze up at me. “Well, come on down.”

  “Yes. Come on down,” Riley says in a fake horror movie accent.

  I hold back a laugh. “What are you getting at?”

  Mom giggles. She's getting along with my date, as awkward as that is. Well, the night's going right so far.

  “I was thinking we could ride up to Manning. It's about thirty miles from here,” Riley says. He leans on the door frame and flicks his gaze to the driveway. I do the same, not seeing in the dark at first, but then I realize.

  He has a motorcycle. A brand-new, shiny Harley that matches his leather jacket. And best of all, we're going somewhere where we probably won't be discovered. Now I know why people equate motorcycles with freedom.

  Tingles sweep over me. “Well, when do we go?”

  “Right now?” Riley turns his mouth up into a grin.

  Mom tells us to have fun and shuts the door behind us as we leave. Riley gets on the bike first, and I climb onto the back and wrap my arms around his torso. “Hold on tight,” he says.

  I do.

  We take off, and Riley is an amazing rider. We whip around the curvy road so fast that it sucks the breath from my lungs, but with my arms around Riley, I feel safe. Like nothing can catch us, not even the entire Beaumont coven itself. Trees fly past. We're riding well out of town, away from the silent war that rages behind us. Once we pass the sign for Moon's Peak, Riley guns it down the road, which straightens out and offers a view of the sparkling ocean below.

  I don't want the ride to end, but at last, we slow as we reach the next town, Manning, which has a totem pole out front. It's almost as big as Moon's Peak, and has seaside stores and even a boardwalk. Riley parks at a fish restaurant with a bear statue out front. Inside, people eat under string lights and lanterns, but Riley asks the waiter for an outside table. We take on
e, away from everyone else, and listen to the ocean lapping against the sand. In the distance, a band plays some jazz and people dance on a small pier.

  “I've already ordered our food online,” Riley says, settling down beside me. We watch the sparkling water. On the beach, a few people sit around a fire.

  “You ordered food? For yourself?” I ask in shock.

  He places his arm around me. “I can still enjoy eating. It doesn't sustain me anymore, but I like to feel normal sometimes.”

  I lean into his touch. Riley's leather coat rubs against me as he drums his fingers on my bare upper arm. His touch still electrifies, and I hyper-focus on that. “Do you miss being human? Is that what you're saying?”

  “Yes.” He stares out at the endless ocean.

  “Why did you join the coven, then?” I wish I could take the words back as soon as I say them, but Riley, instead of getting angry, just frowns.

  “It wasn't my choice. I was chosen."

  “They like, chose you? What do they do? Draw straws from the people in town when they turn thirteen, and then forcibly turn them?”

  “Sort of. The Beaumonts use the foster system. They foster children and turn them once they hit their thirteenth birthdays. I spent my childhood being passed from home to home around the state, unwanted.”

  “You were fostered?” I ask. Who could give up such an amazing person?

  Riley looks right at me. He lets his shoulders fall in relief. “Yes. My parents were killed in a car accident when I was two, and I didn't have any living relatives left to take me. So into the system I went, until my now-father adopted me.”

  “I'm sorry.” I thought I had it bad with Dad's leaving, but Riley has it worse, even if his parents didn't abandon him by choice. “Did you know it was coming? That the Beaumonts wanted to turn you?”

  “Not until it was too late for me to escape.”