A bit of movement in the distance at the edge of the woods drew my attention. In the moonlight, it looked like a person entering the woods. The figure was too far away for me to make out details before the trees and the darkness swallowed it up. A neighbor come to watch the local drama? Probably.
My gaze dropped to the heap of metal between the tree line and where I was standing. I stumbled back to the totaled vehicle, stopping by the driver's side opening. Remembering the sight of Tristan slumped there unconscious and bleeding. As if they had a mind of their own, my fingers reached out to trail over the ripped leather headrest, and I shuddered.
I had nearly lost him tonight.
Anne found me there some time later. She touched my arm and gasped. "Sav, you're like ice! Are you okay? What's going on?"
"Tristan totaled his truck. Emily said he'll be okay."
"Come on, let's get you warmed up."
I followed her to the road where she'd left her truck running. We climbed inside, and she cranked up the heater as she headed back into town.
"Do you have my phone?" I asked, feeling numb from head to toe. I couldn't even feel the heat that my ears said was blasting out of the dashboard vents. "Emily promised to call with updates."
"Sure." She started to toss it to me, hesitated then just set it on the seat between us. I grabbed it between both hands and held it to my chest, vowing to sleep with the once hated device if necessary till I knew Tristan was okay again.
"I told the girls we'd meet them at the Sonic as planned," Anne said as she turned onto the main strip.
I glanced at the clock on the radio and was shocked to see that it was nearly time for the dance to be over. How long had Emily and I worked in that field to save Tristan?
I could feel Anne's curiosity like a steady hum as she drove. But she managed to hold her questions at bay until we found a parking space at the Sonic and she placed an order large enough to sink a ship.
"Want anything?" she asked.
"A Coke float would be good." It was all I figured I'd be able to keep down, as bad as my stomach was twisting. Mom always claimed the combination of acid and dairy products in a Coke float could balance out any upset stomach. I was about to put her theory to the test.
Anne kept the heater blasting until after the food arrived. Then she turned it off. "Sorry, but I'm dying here. Are you still cold?"
I honestly couldn't tell. I was always cold lately. "I'm fine, thanks. And thanks for coming to get me and everything."
"No problem. But could you at least tell me what the heck is going on? You took off with Emily like a pair of bats out of Hades. Next thing I know, she's calling me and asking me to come pick you up from some field in the middle of nowhere by Tristan's wrecked truck. I didn't know you two were even friends."
"We're not. Not really. I just..." Oh lord. I was a crappy liar on the best of days. How in the world would I ever even begin to tell a lie well enough to cover up tonight's events?
I rested my head on the seat's headrest and closed my eyes, my earlier exhaustion returning with a vengeance. I was so done with all of this. The secret keeping, the loneliness, the guilt. I just couldn't handle it anymore. Maybe Carrie and Michelle didn't need to know. Carrie would never believe me anyways, and Michelle would end up accidentally blurting it out to someone someday. But Anne was like the Fort Knox of secrets. She'd never once betrayed someone's secret, no matter how mad she might be at them.
So I told her the truth. "I'm half vampire, half witch."
CHAPTER 9
In the process of tearing open a packet of salt, Anne ripped too hard and the salt went flying. I opened one eye in time to see tiny white crystals cover the steering wheel and the seat between us. Maybe it was safer to keep my eyes shut. Then she could have whatever facial reaction she needed to and my feelings wouldn't be hurt.
"You want to run that by me one more time?" Anne said.
I started at the beginning, explaining about the vamps and the Clann, my dad and mom's illegal relationship and how it resulted in Dad's removal from the council and Nanna and Mom's removal from the Clann. The truth behind Nanna's death and my growing abilities and my breakup with Tristan. I told her everything, risking opening my eyes toward the end, leaving nothing out. It was the first time I ever saw Anne ignore a cheeseburger. But she was handling it so much better than I'd ever expected her to. At least, so far.
When I was done, I felt...lighter. This was the first time I'd ever willingly shared the truth about myself to someone normal, someone who was outside of all the Clann and vamp weirdness.
I watched her face now. Would she freak out? Would she worry that I would bite her someday or use a spell on her or something?
She was silent for a long time. Finally, she took a long slurp of soda, blinked twice and said, "Wow. And I thought I had family problems."
A short laugh escaped me. "You have no idea."
"My mother would crap kittens if she knew all this."
Uh-oh. Maybe she wasn't such a Fort Knox for secrets after all? "You can't tell her, Anne. Or Carrie or Michelle or anyone else. Consider this the biggest secret you've ever had to keep."
She snorted. "Oh please, you know me. Have I ever once spilled a secret?"
"Not that I know of. Which is why you're the only normal human I've told this to."
She grinned at that. "You consider me normal? Oh man, you do have some weirdos in the family closet then."
"Ha, ha," I said. "But seriously, Anne, this is a big deal. And there's something else." I winced as I added, "Not only can you never tell anyone about this, but you also can't sit around thinking about it, either. Both the Clann and the vamps can read human minds."
That wiped the smile off her face.
"Exactly," I said. "Now you see why I waited so long to tell you?"
"Yeah. Though if you had told me sooner, at least I could have been a better friend for you. You know, been more supportive for you when you were going through all this stuff." Her tone was soft, almost apologetic. And Anne was never soft.
I almost didn't know how to react. "Sorry. I was just trying to protect you. And I didn't realize you'd handle the news this well." I stared at her. "Actually...why are you taking it so well?" Most people would either laugh at me, think I was nuts, or freak out completely.