“Two months ago, I asked for today and tomorrow off, and you said okay.” I tried to stop the frustration from filling my voice, but I couldn’t help it. Normally, I enjoyed working at Martin’s Candy Shop. I really did. I worked after school on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday morning. I had made friends with most of my co-workers, but the store manager was a nightmare. “It’s on the schedule.”
“George! Don’t put that barrel of fairy snowflakes next to the gremlin jumping hot peppers!” Kendrick screamed at his nephew. “You idiot, do you want to melt the entire barrel of snowflakes?”
I jerked the receiver away from my ear, glaring at the helpless phone.
"This is all your fault, Kendrick!" Shirley, my boss's know-it-all girlfriend screeched in the background. "You didn't listen to me and insisted on hiring your bungling nephew!"
I ignored their shouting match. I didn’t doubt my boss had pre-planned the whole thing. Next, he’d be insisting I wear a witch’s costume to The Palace.
My stomach twisted and a flash of foresight flickered behind my eyeballs. Dancing and laughter, twirling people on a dance floor, hundreds of people dressed-up for the Christmas masquerade ball. An uneasy feeling wormed its way around the vision, making me shiver.
I groaned, knowing what was in store for me, hours of handing out samples and playing Martin's mascot. Being the center of attention wasn't a pleasant thought, but I was the only fairy on Kendrick's payroll. The honor of that position made me a marketable oddity.
“You’re working the five o’clock shift at The Palace,” Kendrick said nastily, referring to my flash of foresight. The Palace was one of Clan Valley’s largest attractions; the castle and surrounding area changed with every season. Christmas meant singing carols, a living nativity scene, Santa, and a weekend masquerade ball. Three hundred acres in the middle of nowhere filled with dozens of rides including a hay ride and boat ride, a carnival, a village with a dance hall, a real castle, and of course Martin’s Candy Store; the largest chain of candy stores in all of the Sídhí valleys. “Be there and dress in the costume I provided or don’t come to work next Thursday.”
He hung up, before I had time to argue.
Fuming, I clicked the phone off.
It rang.
I answered without thinking, still too keyed-up. "Yes!"
"Megan?" Brandon hesitantly asked.
Oh, crap!
"Um, yeah, sorry, I didn't mean to snap." Words rattled out of my mouth before I could stop them. "Can I start over?"
"Sure." He laughed and the sound stirred something deep inside me. "Did I call at a bad time?"
"No, of course not," I said quickly. I sighed, trying to pull my head out of the mud. "I just got off the phone with my boss, who's a prime jerk."
"Yeah, everyone in the MuskLeke family has a twisted sense of honor." He snorted without humor. "What did he do to you?"
"I was supposed to be off work, but he called and insisted I go to work anyway." Curiosity ate at me. "What are you up to?"
"I heard you started a book club. I was wondering if I could join."
"Sure!" I answered excitedly. Finally, I might get a chance to get to know him. Then I groaned. "You might not like our currently choice."
"I'm sure it'll be fine. What are you reading?"
"Twilight by Stephanie Meyers, but it was Hannah's suggestion." I tried to explain, even though the series was one of my all-time favorites.
"Twilight it is then. When are you meeting next?" he asked eagerly.
I blinked, pretty shocked that a macho vampire would agree to a romance. "Tuesday after school we're going to meet at my house." I held my breath, waiting for his answer.
"I'll be there," he said, adding a brief goodbye, he hung-up.
I hurried to my room, snatching up my cell phone and sent Hannah and Brittany a quick text. "Guess who joined the book club? Brandon!"
"Ha! I was right. I said he liked you." Brittany sent back.
"What about Ryan?" Hannah questioned.
I chuckled. The girl was crazy for Ryan, writing his name on every available surface. "Not yet. Got to run, working at the Palace tonight."
"Dang vampire made you work? I'll see you about midnight." I received Hannah's text and smiled. At least the night wouldn't be a total loss.
An hour later, I was in Martin's huge storage room at The Palace dutifully dressing in an awful witch's costume.
Black ruffles layered the calf-length skirt. I twirled in place, surprised that I actually liked the frilly thing. The red blouse was something else. The skimpy piece of cloth was more like a brilliant red corset pushing my boobs up. The lacy cage felt like a skintight medieval torture device, exposing more skin than it covered. I grinned, wishing Brandon could see me in it.
The top part of the velvet sleeves puffed up. Black lace covered my forearms from elbow to wrist, a beautiful black lace that matched the skirt.
The one thing I absolutely hated was the tall, pointed witch hat with contrasting red velvet ribbon along the base. A matching ribbon held a clunky piece of costume jewelry around my slender neck.
At least, I wouldn't stick-out like a sore thumb in such a silly costume. On my way to work, I'd seen hundreds of people dressed in every kind of outfit imaginable, everything from zombies to belly dancers.
I swore that after tonight I’d turn in my resignation and find another job. If I didn’t need a reference, I would quit on the spot, but vampires were rather funny when it came to certain things. If I just up and quit, no one in the vampire community would hire me.
I had a mega-huge trust fund so I didn’t need the money, but grandma promised me a new car for graduation. To get the car, I had to meet one condition: I had to work my entire senior year. She said work built character.
Yeah, whatever.
Every year, she offered my cousins the same challenge. For me, it wasn't about winning the car (I could afford to buy a hundred cars). It was about not losing.
All my cousins worked through their senior year. I wasn't about to be the only cousin who didn't receive a car for graduation.
I'd even been car shopping on the web. I wanted a Smart Car or a Honda Civic. If I got the Smart Car, I wanted a wrap that looked like fighting dragon. Would it not be so cool to drive around a vampire town in a car painted like a roaring dragon?
On the other hand, Grandma (who was a Royal, on the High Fairy Council, and richer than Bill Gates) insisted on a Ferrari. We were still discussing the details.
"Hurry up!" George pounded on the locked door. "Uncle Kendrick wanted you on the dance floor twenty minutes ago."
That's how I found myself in the castle's massive ballroom. The masquerade ball was in full swing. A live band played Jingle Bell Rock enhancing the Christmas theme with the foot-tapping jingle.
I circled the outer edge of the dance floor, passing out flavored snowflakes, the hottest new Christmas candy on the market. In the same way I could change someone's hair color, the sweet tooth fairies changed the molecular structure of a snowflake. Snowflakes kept their shape and stayed ice cold until eaten.
"You, Witch Girl, stop right there." Narlene stomped up, towering over me. "Ugh, if I had bright red hair, I'd dye it blue!" Not stopping to take a breath, she demanded, "What flavors do you have?"
I gritted my teeth and slapped on a happy smile. "I have mint, cherry, chocolate, and orange flavors. Each flavor is reflected by the color of sparkles on the flake."
"I want a raspberry." She sniffed arrogantly, reminding me of her uncle. "Go get me one."
Fuming inside, I parroted Martin's golden rule. "At Martin's the customer is always the boss."
She flounced away. Her pink princess gown four inches too short for her massive height. She had to have amazon blood in her veins.
I smiled at her retreating form. I didn't actually tell her when I'd go find her a raspberry snowflake. Chuckling, I headed toward a side room. The small, brass sign on the swinging door simply said Costumes.
Eve
ry kind of costume imaginable filled the room. Aisles of tall clothing racks ran the length of the room. Starting at the door, the aisles went from kids all the way to adult sized outfits complete with makeup and shoes. The towering racks of clothing turned the area into a maze.
The middle of the room boasted a dozen dressing rooms. People who hadn't dressed for the ball packed the area around the dressing rooms, impatiently waiting their turn.
A faint whiff of spice touched me. The delicious aroma reminded me of Brandon. A smile hovered on my lips. I couldn't get the gorgeous vampire out of my mind. I was hopeless. Right then and there, I made myself a promise. Saturday morning I'd march to his house and return his jacket. I wasn't some flighty little twit; I was an enchanter.
I sighed to myself, hoping my resolve held through the night.
I made my way through the thickest part of the crowd, handing out samples.
After ten minutes, I finally made it through the jam of people. I looked up and realized the far end of the Ancient Egypt aisle was empty.
Without partygoers, I didn't need to go down the aisle filled with mummy and pharaoh costumes, but there was no way I'd fight my way back through that throng. I was nearly to the end when I heard Brandon on the next aisle over.
"I can't believe I let you drag me down here." Brandon's soft growl stressed his words.
"And where else would you be?" Ryan asked with laughter in his voice. "At home, dreaming you and Megan were cuddled up on a couch watching a movie?"
All motion froze. I couldn't have moved if my life depended on it.
"Darn straight! You know that's exactly where I want to be. You also know why I'm not." He sounded frustrated, or maybe he was exasperated over Ryan's crazy comment.
I inched closer, not daring to pull the costumes apart. My hand twitched, impatient to hear more. I wanted to see his face. Did he really want to see me or was it all a big joke?
My heart raced and I inched ever closer, hoping they wouldn't stop talking.
"You need to just ask her out," Ryan said, sounding closer than he had a few seconds earlier.
Brandon snorted. "Right. I want her to say yes, not turn our yard into a jungle."
I cringed as he mentioned my on-going problem with Harvey Knix. The vampire would not leave Hannah or me alone. He showed up at our lunch table like clockwork every day. He was a scrawny pre-pub less than five feet tall. I wouldn't mind him as a friend, but the thought of kissing him was gross.
One day, nearly a month before, he pushed me too far. He snuck up behind me and kissed my cheek. Eew! I nearly freaked, but I certainly couldn't slap a pre-pub. He was eighteen, but his small jaw would've shattered under my hit.
I did the next best thing. I put a whammy on his yard. I should've waited until I calmed down, but I was ticked-off, because I'd told him no a dozen times. Too much adrenaline rushing through my veins pushed my enchanter abilities up a notch or three. The small manipulation I did to the grass should've made it grow five inches overnight and stop. It didn't. I mean it didn't stop growing. Even after receiving an early snow, the grass, weeds, and even the flowers in his yard grew five inches every night. The small oak tree had grown a full twelve feet.
My dad thought my burst of temper was hilarious. He took pictures and posted them on his blog page. My mom? She was not pleased and that was putting it mildly. I had kitchen cleanup for the remainder of my life.
I carefully pushed a mummy costume to the side and a dangling bandage tickled my nose.
A hand appeared in front of my face. Before I had time to react, long fingers clamped around my wrist and yanked me through the costumes. Ryan propelled me forward, releasing my wrist.
I squealed in shock.
My hat went tumbling off as I flew forward, right into Brandon's arms.
My heart was pounding so loud I couldn't hear anything for a few seconds. When I did regain my hearing, Brandon's growl overwhelmed every other sound. With my ear smashed against his chest, I'm sure the rumble seemed louder than what it really was.
"Blast it Ryan, don't ever do something like that again!" Brandon yelled at his grinning twin. His arms curled gently around me. "You could've hurt her."
"I'm fine."
Blazing green eyes dropped to mine, softening as he looked at me. "You're sure? I could always thump some sense into my look-alike."
"Then he might not look like you." I grinned impishly. I was giddy and couldn't help it. I was in Brandon's arms. My brain shut down and my mouth kept moving. "Did you mean it? Do you really want to go out with me?"
His eyes grew big and he swallowed before slowly nodding his head, saying, "I've wanted to ask you out for months, but well, I'm vampire and..."
My euphoria burst and I shoved my way out of his arms. I turned my head, rapidly blinking to keep from tearing up. "And I'm just a no good fairy, not good enough for a vampire, much less one of the elite Andrews." I finished for him, before he had a chance to really make me mad and hurt him.
His eyes flared with emotion and he stretched his hand toward me in appeal. "No! Megan, I..."
An air horn, the kind people use at ballgames, blasted through the room, shattering the Christmas atmosphere with its piercing scream and effectively silencing Brandon's lies. "No one move!" a rough male voice shouted. "This is the guardians!"
I ignored the theatrics going on at the front of the room.
Stiffening my spine, I glared at Brandon. I was a fool for having a crush on a vampire playboy, but not for long. I opened my mouth, about to give him a tongue lashing when the person with the air horn interrupted, sending cold chills down my back.
"Everyone stay where you are." The yelling man paused. "Megan Thompson we know you're in here. You are under arrest for the terrorist attack against Clan Valley High School. You will surrender immediately or we will use force."
I hissed through my teeth. For a split second, fear choked me, but fearing the guardians was stupid. I didn't cause the explosion. I knew mom and dad would straighten everything out.
Brandon hooked his arm through mine, pulling me toward him.
Any other time, I'd be thrilled he linked his arm with mine, not now. I knew what he was up to, his selfish actions hurt so badly; it felt as if I had a metal band squeezing my chest.
From the firm grip he had on my arm, I knew he planned to play the hero and deliver me to the guardians. Honestly, I couldn't explain how much his betrayal hurt. I had always known my crush on him was useless, but I didn't think it would end that way.
He pulled me closer. "Why can't I port her out of here?" he softly snarled at his brother.
"Port?" I asked, twisting my head to see his scowling face, wondering for just an instant if I'd been wrong.
"I'm getting you out of here." His face softened a bit, but his tone remained firm. My heart did a flip-flop then crashed. "I'll take you to Uncle Warren's house. We've got a dozen family members who are guardians."
Great, like always, the Andrews stuck together. He wanted a family member to get the praise for catching me.
For the second time that night, I shoved my way out of his arms. My chest ached so bad, I thought it might explode. "Thanks, but no thanks. Anyway, I thought everyone knew about Palace security." I waved my hand toward the wall, trying to cover the pain in my voice. "The owners of The Palace didn't want unpaid visitors enjoying the entertainment so the entire area has silver enhanced non-port charms." Some fairies could enhance metal to do many things. The charms I spoke of kept vampires, dragons, and certain fairies from teleporting anywhere near them.
Clothes went flying and three vampires charged through the costumes, heading straight toward us.
Brandon grabbed for me, but I slipped out of his reach and stepped away from him.
Not wanting a few broken bones, I didn't hesitate. I put my arms in the air in the age-old way of surrender.
Brandon shot forward, running between the guardians and me. He simply couldn't accept failure.
Ryan tackled
him. Wrapping his arms around his twin, they hit the floor. He urgently whispered to his brother as the guardians pushed me against the wall, slapping a pair of silver cuffs around my wrist.
"You're under arrest."
The guardians steered me around the guys, completely ignoring the struggling teens.
Brandon and Ryan stopped fighting. Brandon's eyes met mine; anger simmered in their depths.
I turned my head away from him, refusing to let him see how much his actions hurt me.
The guardian, who had his hand clamped around my arm, broke the silence. "Well, that was easy enough," he said in a gravelly voice.
"Chandar, shut up." A female vampire with hard blue eyes snapped at the tall vampire that pulled me along.
They avoided the main corridor that was decorated in a thousand lights and mistletoe, taking me straight into Martin's Candy Shop. The guardians stalked past rows of bright colored packages, heading straight toward the storage room.
The woman stood back, arms crossed. She scowled at me with ill-concealed disgust. "Try escaping and I'll turn that pretty little face into target practice."
I gasped, blinking at the threat. Guardians did their job to the letter of the law.
Chandar led me to the far wall, nodding for me to sit on the floor. He gave me a warning glare, but remained silent.
The guardians left the room single file, leaving me alone in the box-filled room.
I thumped backward, and my shoulders hit the flimsy wall with a little bounce. I grimaced, but at least the portable wall, covered in textured gray material, was better than cold stone.
I took a calming breath, struggling to understand what was going on. How could the guardians think I was responsible for the school bomb? It didn't make any sense.
Simply being a fairy in a vampire valley made me a suspect, but I was also a model student. Well, I was good most of the time. It was not my fault if the kids who teased Hannah and Brittany accidently needed braces when their teeth grew a bit crooked.
I glanced around the brightly lit room.
Blaming me for the bomb was bizarre, but the guardian's actions were even weirder. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out why the police force of Clan Valley stuck me in the candy shop. Why didn't they take me straight to guardian headquarters? Guardians had a strict code of honor, even more than the average vampire did.
Christmas in Vampire Valley Page 2
