Chapter 3

My friends’ gaping mouths told me I’d just unleashed a whole new line of questioning with my revelation that Elliott wasn’t a Vampire Hunter. “A what?” Emma asked.

“Are you serious?” Lucy was shaking her head. “Just when we think we have everything figured out.”

“I know. Listen, I will actually be at her headquarters tomorrow, which would be great if it was for any other reason in the world than a funeral, but it will give me a little bit of a chance to see what I can figure out. Hopefully, I’ll get a chance to talk to Cadence, too. Maybe by the next time I talk to you guys I’ll have more information.”

“Okay,” Lucy nodded, “but we’ll understand if you don’t.” She had tears in her eyes again, and I assumed she’d probably be mourning the loss of Dr. Sanderson as soon as we disconnected, too. In fact, if the student body of Shenandoah High School found out about his death, there would be hundreds of kids crying and no one to cheer them up since that had been his role.

“Have a safe trip,” Emma said, smiling sympathetically at me. “And if you get to ride on one of those little planes, take some pics if you get a chance. I’ve never been on a little one before.”

I had to smile, thinking about how life was like one big science experiment to her. “Okay.”

“Love you, Cass,” Lucy said. “Thank you for telling us.”

“Love you both, too,” I replied, doubting Emma would be willing to say that she loved us. It just wasn’t her thing.

But before I could push the button to disconnect the call she said, “I love you guys, too. Even if I’m not always quick to say so.”

“Thanks, Em,” I smiled, glad to hear it.

I closed my laptop and set it aside, looking around my room and wondering what to do with myself. If we were leaving tomorrow, I should probably pack a few things, though I had no idea what I would even wear to another funeral. I’d gone to Jack Cook’s funeral back before Christmas, but it had been cold then, and something told me that Elliott wouldn’t want me to wear black. I thought, if I closed my eyes and concentrated, I could still remember his scent, leather and that unique aftershave, and remember how safe I felt when his burly arms were around me. I didn’t think I could ever feel that way again.

A knock on my bedroom door made me realize I actually had closed my eyes. “Yeah?” I called, blinking back to reality.

“Hey,” Cadence said, sticking her head in. “You’re not sleeping again?”

“No, not yet,” I replied as she came inside and sat down next to me on the bed. “I was just thinking I have no idea what to wear tomorrow.”

“Oh, yeah. Me neither. Hannah said that she doesn’t think Elliott would want any of us to be sad, though I don’t know how it would be possible to get through his memorial service without feeling that way. Maybe you should just wear one of your favorite dresses.”

I nodded. I’d been thinking the same thing. “What are you going to wear?”

“I’ll figure it out when I get back to my apartment,” she said with a sigh. I imagined she had more pressing things on her mind and felt kind of silly again for even asking her. “I just wanted to come and check on you. You didn’t even eat any dinner.”

“I’m okay,” I assured her. “Or, I will be anyway.”

Cadence wrapped her arm around me. “You will be. We all will be. It just takes some time.”

“Are you… still upset about Jack?”

It seemed like a stupid question, but my sister had no idea I was aware that she had been the one to destroy Jack after he had become a Vampire. So, my question wasn’t quite what it might seem on the surface.

“I’ll always miss Jack,” she said, letting out a deep breath and taking her arm off of me so she could scoot back against the wall. I did the same. “Things with Jack were very complicated toward the end. That’s making it a little bit harder to just let everything go.”

“Cadence,” I said quietly, “I know you probably don’t want to do an entire recap of everything that’s happened since you met all of these people and took your new job, but at some point, could you please let me know what happened to Drew? And Jack?” As much information as Elliott had allowed me to hang on to, anything I hadn’t figure out on my own was never discussed, and I still had no idea what had happened to Cadence’s first friend at the Eidolon Festival in November.

“Yeah, I’ll tell you someday,” Cadence promised. “There’s just… so much. I don’t want to overwhelm you. You need to talk to Grandma.”

Apparently, Grandma was the keeper of all of the family history when it came to LIGHTS, the organization my sister worked for. “Okay,” I said quietly, knowing I wouldn’t get anywhere further tonight and too exhausted to think about it.

“Aaron and I are staying at a hotel tonight. We’ll be back in the morning to take you guys to the airport. You might pack a few days’ worth of clothes since I’m not sure when you’ll be back.”

“Okay,” I said again. I had a million questions but chose not to bombard her with any of them just then.

Cadence hugged me and kissed the top of my head before she slid to the edge of the bed. “I hate that you’re missing him so much, Cass, but I am glad that you got to know him. He was an amazing man.”

I knew if I opened my mouth, the tears would start again, so I only nodded.

“See you in the morning.”

She left, and I took some deep breaths, hoping I could at least get my bag packed before I started to cry, but tears were already rolling down my face, blurring my vision, so I gave in and buried my head in my pillow, trying my best just to get air into my lungs.