Page 14 of The Curse of Eternity
The door opened, pulling me from my internal concerns into external reality. Equally worrying considering the bright smile plastered across Everly’s freckled face.
“Hi,” she said, stepping aside so I could escape the slow sunburn to my neck.
“Hey,” I replied, a bit stiff while I glanced around.
The place was cozy, with a brown suede couch and boxy television that I’d help Everly carry in two weeks ago. Although her roommate had been living here for a few months, the tall goth woman was exceptionally minimalist. At least, she hadn’t deigned to decorate anything outside of her bedroom.
By the sly expression on Everly’s heart-shaped face, the direction of her thoughts was obvious. With Olivia at work putting together bouquets made of flowers or fruits, and Andrew inside the church this afternoon—lurking around for someone to annoy, probably—my phone call with Everly had to be brief before I left, giving her the same vague story I’d told Ethan.
Which meant that my best friend thought she was helping me get ready for a date. Oh, how this would really put a rock in her cauldron, or whatever modern witches used.
“Listen—” I started, but promptly stopped when the music cut off, and the door at the end of the hall opened.
Dressed all in black, sporting aType-O NegativeT-shirt, Addison Dawkins emerged from her room. Short black hair shifted along her defined jawline, framing her extremely pale face where silver piercings reflected light off her lips and nose. Hazel eyes lazily glanced my way before she disappeared behind the partition which hosted the kitchenette.
Everly opened her mouth, probably about to loop in Addison, and anybody that would listen, about my epic conquest for love.
“Come with me,” I said, grasping Everly’s hand and pulling her up the short hallway.
Across from the full bathroom was Everly’s room, small compared to mine, but she still managed to cram a million books on witchcraft into the space. Once inside, with Everly gamely following along, I closed the door behind us and exhaled. My gaze found Everly’s bright green eyes, and her smile vanished.
“What’s wrong?”
“I couldn’t tell you about it over the phone, but I’m not ‘going out’ going out tonight,” I said, and dropped my voice to a whisper. “I’m meeting with the vampire.”
“What?” Everly took a step back, her eyes widening as she plopped down onto her turquoise bedspread. “The one that gave you his phone number? You finally called him!” A hint of righteous glee returned to her voice, and I groaned.
“Alright, yeah, all of my research tanked so I went with Plan B,” I bemoaned, shuffling over to drop into Everly’s white desk chair. Swiveling back and forth, I rubbed my temples. “It’s probably a huge mistake, but I agreed to meet him at some bar tonight.”
“A bar? Sounds cozy,” Everly chimed in. When I glared, she giggled. “Come on, you’re the one who agreed to meet with him, so why the long face?”
“Because I still haven’t told my family what really happened,” I said, grumpy, and Everly’s vindicated teasing eased into sympathy.
“Then why are you here, talking to me? It’s not like I can be your backup, or whatever it is your family could contribute to a hunt.”
“That’s the thing, strictly speaking, I’m not goinghuntingtonight.” Face hot, I straightened up in the desk chair. “Stupidly, I sort of agreed to hear him out.”
“Wow, that’s a bit of a change in tune,” Everly said, her short legs absently kicking the air, several inches above the patterned rug she’d laid over the tiled floor. “What do you think you’ll do, if he’s telling the truth, after all?”
“I don’t know…”Truthfully, I couldn’t even conceive that outcome. The only thing I had any mental effort to focus on was— “But I-I’ve never dressed up to go to a bar. Or a ‘pub,’ as he called it. What’s even the difference?”
“Pubs usually serve food, too.” Everly nodded wisely, but I wasn’t surprised by her sage knowledge. She’d met more foreigners in her lifetime, moving around as often as her family had. Suddenly, she clapped, startling me. A suspiciously satisfied smile pulled at the corners of her full lips. “Never fear, Maria. There’s no way I’d let a friend go anywhere without dressing their best.”
I nearly choked. “I have my doubts about slipping into any of your clothes, Eve.” Her flat chest and narrow hips meant she still fit into outfits from our high school days. I, on the other hand, got my curves from Mom and height from Johann—Dad, whatever. The mental distinction made me frown, but Everly must have thought I was still mulling over my clothing conundrum.
“Oh, don’t worry. I’ve got an idea.” Everly hopped off the bed, her strides jaunty on her way to open the door. She peeked out into the hall, and called out toward the front door, “Hey, Addison? Do you have any dresses that Maria could borrow for the night?”
The blood drained from my face as Addison’s quiet footsteps preceded her appearance at Everly’s doorway.
“Uh, sure, I guess. What’s the occasion?”
− 6 −
Chin Held High
Eyes closed, I struggled not to fidget while seated atop the toilet’s lid. My nose itched, but I didn’t dare scratch it while Everly swiped eyeliner above my lashes. When I sensed her take a step back, I scrunched my nose and blinked hard.
“Don’t do that! It’ll smudge,” Everly admonished, clicking her tongue in disapproval while she held my chin around the dimple to keep my head straight.
