Chapter 11
I change back to my school outfit in the car, all the while cursing under my breath, thinking I'm never going to dress like that again. Then I head home to finish an English paper that's past due. Homework has been a bother lately.
Right as I open the front door my mom approaches me. I doubt she's been waiting because she missed me; it seems more as though she's been hovering like a vulture.
"I need to talk to you, young lady," she says.
I was right—vulture. When my mom calls me 'young lady,' it's never a good thing. "Okay, just let me put my stuff in my room." I throw my backpack onto my bed, meander into the kitchen, and sit on a barstool by the counter.
My mom leans against the island, disappointed. "So, what's going on with you?" There's no way she could know about Anthony—is there? I try to act casual, though all the muscles in my body tense up.
"One of your teachers called me today," she says, glaring.
"Oh?" My eyebrows rise.
"She says you haven't been yourself this last week, so much so that she felt the need to call me today."
"Really?" I clear my throat and paste on a smile.
"Want to tell me what's going on?" she presses.
"Nothing's going on. I guess I just haven't been able to manage my time like I wanted to," I say.
"What else?" She puts her hands on her hips. "I'm giving you a chance to confess before I share with you what Ms. Greenfield told me."
Maybe she knows about Anthony. I groan inwardly. I don't want to give away any more information than I need to, but my mom will be more lenient if I'm truthful. "Mom, I really like this guy named Anthony," I admit, hoping that's enough.
"And?" My mom paces around the kitchen island with her hands on her hips.
"And he wants to take me to go see the ballet tomorrow."
"Well that's nice, but do you really think that Ms. Greenfield would call me based on the information you just gave me?" She glares at me again.
"No." I lower my eyes. Why would Ms. Greenfield call? Did she see me dressed in my revealing outfit today? "Well, I did go visit Anthony, and I brought an extra change of...clothes to go see him," I say, hoping—no—dying for that to be enough.
"What kind of clothes?" She starts pacing again.
"Kind of...skimpy," I squeak.
"You know your school has a dress code, right?"
"Yes—I guess I just got carried away because I really like this guy. And it was after school so I didn't think it would matter. There's something different about him, and I wanted to impress him." Which is true.
"And you know the rules against kissing someone and using your flair on someone, right?" Her voice is unforgiving.
"Absolutely, and I will not break that rule, I promise. But there's no harm in dating him, is there?"
"Just hold off on dating for a few more months. I promise you'll soon understand why it's so important."
I want to defy her, want to rebel at such a ridiculous rule, but instead I clamp my lips closed and scowl.
She stops pacing and crosses her arms in front of her chest. "Listen, you're nearing your eighteenth birthday. Gosh, it's next week already, so I understand that your flair is almost controlling you. Trust me, I get that."
"Do you, Mom? I mean, it's been like what, twenty years since you went through it?" I say.
"Try six thousand years," she corrects.
"Yeah, right."
She stares at me, her face hard like a stone.
"Six thousand years?" I say in a mocking tone, but then I suddenly realize that she might actually mean it. "Six thousand years?" My mouth drops open.
"I know. I'm rather old, aren't I?" She sighs.
"You've lived for—?"
"Six thousand years," she finishes my question and her eyebrows rise.
"But—how can someone live that long?" I'm in shock. "You don't look like you're that...old! Sorry."
She chuckles. "Yes, it has been a long time, but Sonia, I remember my maturing years like they were yesterday." She gazes out into the thin air. "These years shape you as a Huldra—as a woman." She looks directly at me. "Tell me, honestly, did you kiss him?"
I don't want to tell her that I kissed him on the cheek because she might not let me go to the prom. But against all reasonableness, I decide to be honest anyway, hoping I'll earn my mom's trust. "Yes, but it's not what you think! It was just on the cheek." I still feel his breath on my face, his hungry hands on my body.
"Sonia, how could you?" My mom maneuvers around the counter and sits down onto the stool next to me.
"He didn't even respond to me the way you said he would. It's like I never even kissed him at all." I look at my hands in my lap.
"What are you saying?" She studies my face then it seems to click for her. "Oh, so the other day when you were asking me if you could lose your Huldra flair—"
"I was asking about him. Do you think he could be a Huldu?" It feels good that I'm not hiding the truth from her anymore. I have someone who truly understands, a confidante.
"No, there's just no way. We know of all the Huldras and Huldus that have been born, and there haven't been any males born in the last few thousand years."
"But you did say that there were three that vanished and that you don't even know where they came from. Do you think he could be one of those?" I say.
She pauses. "No." She shakes her head and pauses again as if to reconsider. "No, we would know about him by now. He's your age?"
I nod. "I think, but he hasn't admitted anything to me yet, though I really think he's one of us."
"Do you have any other proof? I mean solid proof?"
"Well, he says he doesn't really date," I say.
"No good, solid proof, Sonia," she says.
I think for a moment. "He..." I can't think of anything. "What kind of proof are you looking for?"
"Have you seen his back? Does he have the markings that you and I carry?" she asks.
I hadn't thought to do that—not even at the beach, but I would still need to be really close to him to see them. "He has a tattoo on his back that looks like a beast."
"Lots of people have tattoos," she says.
"Maybe I can change our date tomorrow to be a beach date instead, and I can look then?" I say.
"Oh, no. No, no, no. You're not allowed to go on a date with him, young lady. No way—not after what you just told me. He could be any manner of being. There are codes in the Dynasty that we have to keep, and we're forbidden to do certain things."
Any manner of being? "Like what? That's ridiculous. I'm not breaking any rules because I haven't agreed to any yet. I just want to go on a date with him. I'm going on a date with him, Mom."
"No, you're not—end of discussion, and as a matter of fact, I don't want you to even speak to him anymore. Nothing good will come of this."
"What? Why are you going psycho on me?" I ask.
"You'll understand after you've been to the Academy." She stands up.
I stand up too. "Can't you just tell me now and spare me the suspense?"
"No, I can't. I need you to trust me, Sonia, okay?"
What's her problem? Why doesn't she want me to see Anthony at all? "Well, who am I supposed to date then, a man I'm not attracted to?"
"Sonia, just put things off for another month, then you'll fully understand. Besides, what's the rush? You have an eternity to date and find the right mate."
The problem is, I don't feel like this can wait. It has to be now. And it has to be Anthony.