by Kailin Gow
Fallon smiled wanly. “It is, isn’t it?”
“And you’ve been looking for him?” Briony asked. “That’s why you are really in town? Not something about making up classes?”
Fallon shrugged. “With so many dangerous creatures around, I needed an excuse that wouldn’t attract attention. And I do need the extra credit. This way, I get to stick around, no one bothers me, and I can keep searching. Though I’m beginning to think-”
Briony put a finger to his lips to silence him. “Don’t say it. There is always hope.”
Fallon shook his head. “If there is one thing I have learned since coming here, Briony, it is that there is almost never hope. Not for me, anyway.”
Briony sighed. What a pair they made, joined together in gloominess. And no wonder Fallon didn’t want much to do with the popular crowd. That kind of bright, pointless chatter was exactly the kind of thing that would grate on Briony in her current state, and she couldn’t imagine that things could be much better for Fallon. Losing a brother like that. Knowing that he was probably dead.
“There is one upside,” Fallon said.
“What’s that?”
“At least I know how you feel, Briony. You aren’t alone. Though somehow I suspect that you could never truly be alone.”
“What does that mean?” Briony found herself becoming defensive. Did Fallon mean that she was one of those shallow, attention-seeking types like Pepper?
“I just mean that you have already attracted friends to you, Briony. Those girls who come over from Pepper’s little group to talk to you. Maisy, Steve… me. I know you’re used to more than that, to adulation and respect, but is that such a good thing? Me, I’d rather have real friends any day.”
That was probably true, Briony thought. Of course, she also suspected that Fallon could have his pick of any friends he wanted. She had already seen how most of the other girls in the school looked at him. Even most of the guys got along with him. Besides, as great as Briony’s new friends were, that still left one or two problems.
“What is it?” Fallon asked, and Briony guessed that something must have shown on her face.
“I’m just thinking that friends are great, but Maisy is hardly going to lend me Steve for the homecoming dance, and Claire, Tracey, Ross and Bill will probably be going together. Pepper was right about that. I can either go on my own or end up spoiling the party for someone else.”
Fallon stood, drawing Briony to her feet as he did it. “That one is easily solved.” He smiled warmly, his blue eyes staring into hers. “Would you like to go to the dance with me, Briony?”
“Oh no… Fallon, I couldn’t ask you to-”
“You’re not. I’m asking you. That’s how these things work, isn’t it?”
Briony knew that she couldn’t just stand there and let him do that. “Fallon, this is incredibly kind of you, but I know there must be plenty of people who want to go with you. I’m not going to have you asking me just because it is what you think you should do. I’m not going to be some kind of pity date because of everything that has happened to me recently.”
“Briony?”
“Yes?”
“Would you mind coming to your senses for a moment, please?”
“What? I don’t understand.”
Fallon looked at her oddly, his head to one side. “You really don’t, do you? What I mean is that I’m not asking you to the dance because of your family, or because you don’t have anyone to go with, or even because it might be fun to see the look on Pepper Freeman’s face when we show up together.”
“You aren’t?” It probably said a lot about the state Briony was in at the moment that she was even asking. Once, she might have taken it for granted that the gorgeous guy would want to go out with her. Not at the moment.
“No. I’m asking you to the dance because I want to, because you are the most beautiful girl in this school, because you’re one of the only ones I can talk to, that I can relate to…considering our families, and because I find you irresistible. So how about it? Will you go to the dance with me?”
Briony didn’t have to think about it for long. Fallon was so kind, and perfect, and thoughtful. It also helped that he was the most handsome boy in school, probably all of Wicked. The only guy who had come close to rivaling Fallon’s looks, but in a darkly different way, had been Kevin, the college guy from the diner. When Briony thought of Kevin with his dark masculine good looks, she actually blushed. What was the chance that he would ask her out, let alone be back in town? He wasn’t standing in front of Briony, asking her out now, while Fallon, with his gorgeous blonde Viking king looks, polite manners, and sweet smile was standing inches away from her, looking intently into her eyes, waiting for her answer.
“I would love to.”
Fallon’s face moved closer then and his lips was soft against hers. Briony wrapped her arms around his neck, while his arms found its way around her waist pulling her close. They stood like that kissing for how long, she didn’t know, but she felt safe within his arms as safe and secure as she hadn’t felt in a long time. When they finally pulled back, both of them were breathless. Fallon reached out a finger to trace her face, and look into her eyes. “You don’t know how much I wanted to kiss you,” he said. “Ever since I’ve seen you months ago…”
Chapter 12
The days to homecoming passed, for Briony, in a haze of excitement and activity. She briefly saw Fallon every day at school and each time they met, they have had stolen kisses here and there. Fallon was one of the best kissers Briony have had, not that she had many, but he always left her feeling breathless and wanting more after they kissed. Briony was definitely falling for Fallon, whose presence near her was always comforting and secure, yet there was something there, too. Since the day of their first kiss, Briony had wondered what he meant by wanting to kiss her months ago? Until that day, she had only known Fallon for a few weeks, not months. But Briony never got around to ask him what he meant, as her days got busier and busier, and she quickly forgot about it. There was her schoolwork, her work at the diner, and the continued presence of her lessons with her aunt, but new things vied for her attention too.
There was the task of finding the right dress, for one thing. Briony certainly didn’t have anything to wear in her closet. Aunt Sophie was unexpectedly generous on that score, saying that she would pay for one and sending Briony off into town to find something that would work. When Briony suggested that Aunt Sophie might like to help her look, the older woman lit up, and they spent most of a day trailing around looking for something perfect.
What they actually found was Maisy, trying on dresses that didn’t really suit her in one of the local stores, and frowning while she did it.
“Why does nothing look right?” she demanded, as Briony passed. “It’s me, isn’t it? I’m too short and nerdy to ever look good.”
Briony put an arm around her. “You look fine. It’s just a question of finding something that suits you. Come on. I’ll help.”
They had a great time then, trying on different things, and to Briony’s surprise, Aunt Sophie seemed fine with Maisy around. If anything, she seemed happy that Briony was getting along with someone, and she actually chipped in with some fashion advice for Maisy too, though she spent most of her time skimming through the racks of clothes looking for something for Briony.
The results were impressive. Maisy twirled in a pretty green dress that made her look almost delicate, smiling broadly. It was the happiest Briony had seen her. As for the dress Briony’s great aunt passed her…
It was dark, and sleek, and fell almost to floor length in a swirl of pleats and folds. Above them, it gathered tightly with silver embroidery across the bodice and shoulders, leaving Briony’s arms bare. When she tried it on, her hair spilled across it, its lightness a highlight against the black of the fabric.
“How do I look?” Briony asked. Maisy actually gasped. Even Aunt Sophie nodded.
“Beautiful, dear. Come and see in the
mirror. You too, Maisy.”
Standing beside one another it was like a study in contrasts. Maisy looked like a delightful fairy in the brightness of her dress. Beside her, Briony looked like a blonde princess as elegant and poised as she had ever dreamed of looking. She tried to imagine herself dancing with Fallon in this dress. Yes, she thought, they would certainly draw a few stares.
That thought made her hesitate.
“Um… you don’t think that it’s a bit too much, do you?”
“I’d rather have that than there being too little of it,” Aunt Sophie said primly, but then smiled. “You’re thinking of how some of the other girls will react?”
Briony bit her lip. “One other girl, mostly.”
Maisy grabbed her arm. “Oh, you have to wear it! It’s perfect for you. And Pepper will be far too busy being homecoming queen to bother.”
“She’s homecoming queen?” Briony asked.
“She’s always homecoming queen. You know this is the right dress, Briony.”
“Your friend is right, dear,” Aunt Sophie added. “Besides, I have just the shoes to go with it. They should fit you perfectly.”
That seemed to be that. Briony would go to the ball. She wondered for a moment if Cinderella’s godmother had been quite so brisk and determined. She also found herself wondering what kind of shoes Aunt Sophie could possibly own that would go with this dress.
They turned out to be black. Very, very black. And also tall. That had a lot to do with the heels, which were some of the highest Briony had seen, and which tapered to sharp looking points.
“Wooden heels, of course,” Aunt Sophie said. “Just in case there’s a repeat of what happened at the football game. One kick with these, and there’s no more vampire.”
“One night dancing in them, and there’s probably no more ankles.”
“You’ll be fine,” Aunt Sophie promised. “Now, shouldn’t you be getting off to the diner?”
That was the thing about the build up to homecoming. Real life didn’t stop. It just acquired new reasons to be busy. Because Claire and Tracey wouldn’t stop pestering her until she agreed, Briony found herself signing up to help out with homecoming when it came to getting things ready. Because Pepper was involved in the organizing committee, that mostly meant the boring jobs, like blowing up several hundred balloons. Even so, Briony noticed that the other girl was starting to keep her distance.
The wait for homecoming seemed to last forever. There were so many jobs to be done, so many other things that demanded Briony’s attention. There was a test in Math, which Briony did well…thanks to all the time spent hanging around with Maisy, who had the best grades in class. There was stocktaking down at the diner, which involved a couple of hours spent with a clipboard and a flashlight in one of the storerooms, trying to remember not to hit Percy when he decided to try and startle Briony by jumping out on her.
When the night finally came, Briony felt like she had been waiting for it for years. And here it was, rushing up on her almost too fast. Fallon would be at the house in less than an hour, and she still needed to get ready. That took time. Briony wanted to look perfect, because this was bound to be a special night. Eventually though, she was nearly there, needing only to strap on Aunt Sophie’s shoes when the sounds of an argument downstairs floated up to her.
Were they under attack? Was something else wrong? Briony thought she could hear Fallon’s voice. Picking up the shoes, she ran down, heading for the hallway.
Aunt Sophie was there, holding her silver cross at arms length. Fallon was there too, wearing a tuxedo that would probably have fitted him perfectly had he not been crouched in a corner, one hand over his eyes.
“Vile creature! Coming near my niece! It’s time for you to die!”
Even as Briony watched, her great aunt pressed the catch on her cross that made its sharpened point extend. Briony rushed forward without thinking, raising her shoes in a parry that caught the descending blade.
“Aunt Sophie? What are you doing?”
“Out of the way before he kills us both, you foolish girl.”
“Kill us? Why would Fallon kill us?”
“Because your date is a vampire, of course!”
Briony wanted to tell her great aunt that she was being stupid, and that of course Fallon wasn’t a vampire. Two things stopped her. One was the thought that Aunt Sophie probably wouldn’t react that well to being called stupid the next time they sparred together. The other, more important consideration was that Fallon was still cowering back from the cross. It might have been because no one, vampire or otherwise, reacts well to the thought of being stabbed through the heart, but somehow, Briony found herself doubting it.
“You’re a vampire?”
“Briony, I-”
“I want the truth, Fallon, and I want it now.” Briony could hear the coldness of her own voice.
Fallon stood still, suddenly looking sad. After a pause, he looked up, meeting Briony’s clear direct eyes. “Yes. I’m a vampire.” Fallon stood straight, handsome as ever in his black tuxedo with a wry smile that had rather more in the way of fangs than Briony remembered. “I’m sorry.”
“You will be!” Aunt Sophie promised, hefting the silver blade again. Despite the leaden feeling in her stomach, Briony shoved her great aunt back.
“Stop this! Just stop this!”
“Briony-”
“And you shut up too, Fallon! I need to think!”
How long she stood there, her hands balled into fists, Briony didn’t know. Thoughts swirled around in her. How could Fallon not have told her? But how could he, once he knew who she was? He had saved her, hadn’t he? Or was that all part of some bigger plot? Was Aunt Sophie right? Should they kill him?
“This explains why you were hanging around with me rather than the popular girls, at least,” Briony said, and there was more bitterness there than she intended.
Fallon looked hurt, or was that just another act? “Briony, it’s not like that.”
“Then what is it like?”
“You aren’t seriously going to listen to him, are you?” Aunt Sophie demanded.
“Yes. I… can’t you see that I want to believe him?”
“I wanted to believe a vampire once. It didn’t end well.” Aunt Sophie paused, and then sighed. “Oh, very well. Why have you been hanging around my niece, vampire?”
Fallon looked from Aunt Sophie to Briony and back. Briony could almost see him trying to work out what might work.
“Don’t lie,” Briony said. “Please, whatever else you do, don’t lie now.”
Fallon nodded. “Then the answer to that, at least at first, is because her father asked me to.”
Aunt Sophie looked affronted. “Joseph asked you to stalk his daughter? She wasn’t even here with the rest of her family. Or are you saying that he’s still…” she didn’t finish it.
“I don’t know, Mrs. Edge. The last I saw of them was in the woods, the night they… the night my brother…”
“It’s all right, Fallon,” Briony said.
He shook his head. “It’s not. It’s really not. That was the night this happened to me too. Before that, Joseph…Briony’s father and I were separated from the others. He told me that if he… didn’t make it, I needed to make sure his family were all right.”
“He meant his wife and son,” Aunt Sophie said. “And I see you failed there.”
Fallon looked down. “Yes, I did. I couldn’t even save myself. That night was all confusion and chaos. I lost track of Joseph, Mary, Jake, and Pete. I lost track of my own brother. They…the vampires turned me before I knew what was happening. I’m sorry to break the news to you, but I still don’t know what happened to everyone. The only thing I knew was that I made a promise to Joseph. And then, I heard that his daughter, Briony, had come to live with you, and I… I knew what I had to do.”
“And where did you hear that?” Aunt Sophie asked.
“You know where, Mrs. Edge. Aren’t some things best left alon
e?”
Briony saw her great aunt glance to her. “Maybe you’re right.”
“And that’s all it was?” Briony asked. “You wanted to look after me? Fallon, I told you that I didn’t want a pity date. I certainly don’t want a bodyguard.”
Fallon shook his head. “It stopped being that the moment I saw you, Briony…looking so sad and lost, but still proud and beautiful… But I know you have no reason to believe me. Actually, I know you have good reason to just stake me with those… shoes…”
“That was the plan,” Briony said, and she couldn’t help a small smile. It came along with an answer. “No. That is the plan. Come on, Fallon. You’re taking me to the homecoming dance.”
“Briony!” Aunt Sophie looked incandescent. “I cannot allow you to go to the dance with a vampire! He might do anything.”
“He might have done anything at any point in the last few days too,” Briony pointed out. “But he hasn’t. I’m not asking you to trust Fallon, Aunt Sophie. I’m asking you to trust me. Trust that I can make this decision.”
Aunt Sophie looked between them. “I could just stake him now.”
“You’d have to go through me to do it,” Briony said. Her great aunt’s eyes narrowed.
“No, Briony,” Fallon said. His grip on her shoulders was gentle, but inexorable as it moved her to one side. “I won’t let you get hurt in this.”
Briony wanted to tell him that he didn’t let her do anything, but she had the sense to pause. Aunt Sophie was looking thoughtful, a sudden change in her whole stance and expression.
“Interesting. Fallon… Fallon… are you the boy who stayed here with his brother?”
“I am, ma'am.”
Aunt Sophie nodded. “As I recall, you were a polite enough boy. And you have been kind to my niece this last little while. Very well. You may go to the dance with her. Have Briony back before midnight though, or I will kill you.”
Chapter 13
The drive to the dance was a quiet one. Briony had been so quick to tell her aunt that she would be going, but now, she couldn’t help feeling at least a little nervous. She felt guilty for that. Fallon was Fallon. He had spent most of the past couple of weeks around her, and it wasn’t like he’d ripped her throat out even once.
