Born at Midnight Page 21


"One of the fairies last year could read people's thoughts," Miranda continued, obviously not picking up on Derek's mood. "Can you read my mind now?" She bit down on her lip and sent him a sultry look.

Kylie's gaze shot back to Derek. Could he read minds? No, she didn't think he could, because he'd asked earlier what she was. Or was he just making conversation?

She recal ed thinking some private thoughts about his body, comparing it to Trey. Oh, great. How embarrassing would that be if he knew she'd imagined him without his shirt? Then she realized she was doing it again. Kylie felt her face flush and Derek, stil staring, didn't miss a thing.

"Another fairy could move objects with his mind," Miranda said louder as if trying to get Derek's attention on her. "Of course, witches can do that, too."

"Real y?" Del a sounded honestly amazed. "Do it now. Move my plate." She leaned back as if to give Miranda room. Miranda's gaze shot to Del a and she frowned. "I can't. It's against the rules."

"Rules? Screw the rules," Del a said. "Do it. No one is going to know but us."

"I can't." Miranda's cheeks turned pink, almost as pink as the streaks in her hair. It was good to know Kylie wasn't the only one who suffered from blushing.

"Why not?" Del a argued. "Just because of some stupid rule?"

Miranda glared at Del a. "Why don't you just go drown yourself in blood?" Miranda glanced at Derek, who she'd obviously wanted to impress, and turned pinker.

"Oh, stake me!" Del a snapped.

"Be careful, or I might," Miranda shot back, her expression passing embarrassment and going straight to anger. Kylie's gaze shifted from Miranda to Del a as they took turns slamming each other with insults. Great. Now her two roommates were going to be trying to kil each other.

"You two should chil ," Derek said, as if he'd read her mind.

"I'm already as chil ed as I can get," Del a said, and focused on Miranda. "Somebody's got a chip on her shoulder. And you'd best be careful, because I'd be more than happy to knock it off for you." She jumped up and before Kylie could focus on her, she was gone.

"Cool," a new voice in the crowd said.

Perry, aka Weird-Eyed Boy who'd turned himself into the unicorn, stood beside Derek. Kylie stared at his black eyes, and her heart raced to the tune of panic.

"Hey," Perry said to Miranda. "I'd love to watch you two go at it and rip each other's clothes off."

"In your dreams," Miranda said.

"Yeah." Perry chuckled. "Especial y the clothes off part."

"Grow up." Miranda grabbed both hers and Kylie's trays and shot off to drop them off.

"Thanks," Kylie said to her, but looked from Derek to Perry, not sure which one made her more nervous-Derek who made her feel things she didn't want to feel, or Perry who just plain freaked her out. Her phone buzzed. She pul ed her cel from her purse, hoping it was Sara with notpregnant news and not her dad. A sigh escaped her lips when she saw Sara's number.

"Later," Kylie said to the guys. Then, eager to escape, she took off outside where she could have a private conversation. Though who the heck knew how far she'd have to go so the super-hearing supernaturals couldn't listen in?

Chapter Twelve

"Just don't panic," Kylie told Sara thirty minutes into their conversation. "It'l probably be fine." Kylie couldn't say that with a huge amount of enthusiasm, but she gave it a shot. That's what friends did. Yet deep down, Kylie knew if Sara was pregnant, and there seemed to be a good chance she was, it wouldn't be fine.

"Thanks, Kylie," Sara said. "What am I going to do without you al summer?"

"Survive," Kylie said. "That's al I'm planning to do, too."

Kylie had spent the entire conversation hiding behind the office, sitting on the ground, leaning against a tree and trying to calm Sara down. Sara's mom had canceled her lunch and insisted her daughter spend the day with her, going to the art museum and then shopping. The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston was great and Sara actual y liked art. As for the shopping, who wouldn't love that? But not with your mom while you're afraid you were pregnant.

"I total y can't believe this is happening," Sara continued. She hadn't even picked up a pregnancy test yet. She was too freaked. Not that Kylie wasn't up to her eyebrows in her own issues, but talking to Sara about her problems helped Kylie not to focus on her own. Plus, focusing on Sara was pretty much the norm for them. Face it, when Sara was upset, and sometimes even when she wasn't, Sara tended to be a tad self-absorbed. Kylie never minded. She'd always preferred listening to other people's problems than blabbering about her own. Good thing, Kylie supposed, since right now she couldn't talk about what was going on. Wel , not to any normal person, anyway.

"Wel , I should go," Sara said.

One of the last sprays of the day's sun shot a golden glow around the green scenery. With dusk closing in, the heat index no longer felt so suffocating.

"Cal me when you get the test," Kylie said.

"I wil . And thanks."

Kylie closed the phone and her eyes. Leaning her head against the tree, she recal ed her newfound hope that maybe Holiday was wrong about Kylie being a supernatural. She also remembered the two black-suited guys saying the camp could be closed down if "it" didn't stop-not that Kylie had any idea what "it" was. But if both of those hopes came true, Kylie could almost see her life being tolerable. Or at least somewhat tolerable. The issues of her parents, Nana, and Trey almost felt manageable now. Amazing how one's perspective altered after learning you might not be human.

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