Part 19 (1/2)
”We're Neophytes now,” said Lia She held up one finger ”One day gone One year to go Then I'll be just like you You are Adept?”
”I am not supposed to influence the decision of the Council”
”What Council? I thought we got to decide which House anted to be in for ourselves,” said Lia
”No”
”No, we don't, or no, you don't know?”
I watched as Lia bullied Gisela out of the rooet to ask me that,” said Gisela
Lia slammed the door in her face She turned to me with a triumphant smile, a little wistful for the unfortunate attitude of sootta say,” she said, ”if it's a choice between her and being a olf argh argh arwoo I think I'll keep the fleas Don't tell Vittoria I said that though So, you've been quiet Got a hot date?”
I blushed She smiled at me mischievously ”It's okay You don't have to say But you do have to get in this chair Co it out for me ”Crawl your skinny ass out of bed We'll have to work straight through breakfast, lunch, and dinner I tell you” I crawled out of bed, and set the flickering candle on the countertop Lia and I proceeded to dump out all of our coslad e can just focus on the witchcraft,” she said
She looked at oods,” as she called them She ran the sink ”I need to wash your hair,” she said Her fingers were ht Good” I had had si turkeys beforeexcept I was the turkey Lia frequently grabbed for her power tools like ere in the motorcycle shop She tweezed, plucked, and pinned
I talked I got her to open up toolves ”The old stories,” she frequently said ”According to the old stories”
I was more interested in now ”What's it like?” I asked
Lia thought a bit My hair was in her hands She yanked it roughly about When she talked she had to do it out of the side of her mouth, because the other side was full of pins
”Like wrapping your legs around a wild ania What's it like when you put on that heline?”
”Wonderful,” I said
”But instead of being separate fro And there are all kinds of upsides”
”Such as?” I said I had already heard Ballard's list of olf powers, but I wanted Lia's take
”For starters, speed Werewolves are fast There's also olf constitutions Eat what you want Do what you want I like haers and French fries, myself”
As she talked, I saw a flicker in her eyes, the corners of her mouth relaxed, and her eyelids half-closedI could tell she was thinking about it It made me think about what it was like for her and Gaven I ot to be olves together They got to run in a pack Soone
”The thing is,” she said, ”that a long ti a olf Ito thethen after a period of so many years, they would retire and return to their former selves, presumably as humans, to live out the reht was a kind of promised land But that was then Now it isn't so much a curse as a way of life And I have to say, once you've tasted it, it's hard to i back I certainly can't, and I think about it a lot Gaven says he's ready, but I don't know I'ic takes I've been thinking about it, and you're right It's like when they threw me, temporarily, off the Wolves' Council Which, by the way, did you hear about the Magic Council? Gisela certainly didn'ton here Anywho I' about, when Veruschka Ravenseal said et narrowed I hat I want And I'ain Of course, we have other secrets, olves But sos you need paws to comprehend I can tell you this that when a olf dies, so does the shape changer It's called reper-soet stupid Which is why Gaven is practically a stranger He's on the lookout for anyone acting in a way they shouldn't be Which means he's prettyout with hiht”
How could I not love this wolad I know you,” I said She yanked lected, so be it Who knew hair could be so cathartic
It was tiic that usually shone froht Lia and I stood in our gowns in front of the full-lengthone another, as the clock ticked to zero hour It see the start of the evening's festivities We could hear doors opening and the sounds of the Wolveseach other for their dates Lia winked at ht Lia exhibited s; she had used real craft-ant twist and her eyes, Midnight and dusky, obviously had big, Gaven-sized plans for the night
We hite evening gowns in deference to the black robes we had worn as Initiates White for Neophyte
It was ti -out for of-age Craftersyou look great, by the way As such”
”Halsey!”
Ballard ca up to me
”See, told you so,” said Lia
But he had come with someone else A woman older than he was
”May I presentLiesel Frohters of Romulus,” said Ballard
Liesel said, ”I really like your outfit, Halsey”
”Incidentally,” said Ballard, carrying on before I had had a chance to respond, and whispering to me so that only I could hear ”They don't usually make them like that Just don't tell Lia”
Clearly he couldn't believe his good luck
”I don't know, Ballard,” I said It was clear he didn't knohat he was talking about, because next second Gaven arrived He beamed as Lia left me and took his arm
I said hi to Liesel who co ”It looks very old,” she said
”Seventeen years old!” I said
But then I forgot where I was and the sound got shut out Lux aiting for me at the entrance to the Werewolves' dormitories
I nodded at Liesel and walked past Ballard, whoout Lux stepped back, letting thee, ”Until you have a flower of your own,” he said
I had to stare at him before my mind would work He obviously meant my Wiccan Mark I didn't knohat it would be when it appeared
”Shall we?” he said
He held out his hand to me, the one with the scar on it, whereupon I noticed that he was not wearing his rings
”They're called Tridents,” he said, when I commented upon this The skin there was blackened, reddish raw
”Do they hurt?” I asked, seeing the three fingers which er especially looked like it had been burned It was different-colored than the rest of him Despite what he said it looked like scar tissue
Before he could reply, however, ere being swept out into the Gathering Where ere headed I had no idea Apparently the warlocks who had helped build this place had been busy the length of ti hair