Thanks as always to EoF for giving us such a great Universe to play in and to EoF, Maggie F, and Donjo for their input. Also thanks to my readers for reading my work and patiently waiting for new chapters.

Once we were finished our meditation Moriko and her mother began teaching us some basic kicks, punches and blocks. For the first hour that was all we did, continuous repetition of those basic moves. After that we were paired off so that one of us could be the attacker with the punches and kicks we had learned, while the other countered with the blocks. It might have been repetitive but I thought it was a good idea for those of us with no experience.

I was paired off against Jackie. That girl can pack a punch but it was nothing I couldn’t handle. Selkies might be freaky strong and fast but Vampires are no slouches in those departments either. It was nice to be practicing against someone who I didn’t have to worry about hurting too bad. When my dad was teaching me things I was always worried that I might break him in half or something. Jackie seemed like a pretty good match for me and we both enjoyed letting loose a bit.

Sarah was paired against Becky and they were both trying their best to make the most of this lesson as they doggedly went at one another. Between bouts though they chatted like old friends and I got the feeling that they had been good friends before and missed spending time together. We had finished our last bout and were taking a break to give Jackie a breather until Sarah was finished when she asked me, “What’s up with you? You’re strong and fast but we’ve been going at it hard and you’re not even breathing heavy.”

I shrugged and let out a sigh. “I’m not breathing at all actually since technically I’m not alive. I don’t breathe, I don’t have a pulse, I don’t eat much but blood, and I don’t age.”

“But you just sighed, doesn’t that require breathing?” she countered.

“It’s a human habit I never really lost but I’m still new to this. It does help me appear human though. I can eat really small amounts too but it doesn’t do anything for me and I can’t taste anything. The only thing that has a taste for me is blood.” I gestured toward my water bottle.

“Ewww....” she said with a shudder before asking, “What does it taste like? All salty and coppery?”

I shook my head with a smile, “You’ll think it’s silly.”

“I won’t,” she promised, “Come on, tell me.”

“When I was alive my favourite food was blueberry pancakes with maple syrup,” I told her. “That’s what it tastes like to me. I figure it’s probably some kind of mental thing. If you’re going to be forced on a diet of blood for centuries it’s a lot easier to accept if it tastes like something you like.”

“I guess that makes a weird sort of sense. You really don’t age at all and you’ll live forever? A lot of people would pay good money for that kind of longevity.” She said as she seemed to think about it.

“They can fucking have it.” I spat out before quickly apologizing. “Sorry. I’m still new to this but I’ve had every waking moment to think about the fact that I’m going to look like this fifteen or sixteen year old girl forever. Eternal youth ain’t all it’s cracked up to be. All my friends and loved ones will age and die and I’ll still look exactly like this. I’ll live centuries but not once will I ever be seen as an adult.”

“You regret not being able to become an adult before you were turned then?” she asked.

I groaned at that, “Jackie, take a guess at how old I was when I was turned.”

“I dunno,” she said as she thought it over, “Fifteen, maybe sixteen at the most.”

“I was twenty five,” I said looking down at myself. “Now if I try to get into a bar they won’t just card me they’ll fucking laugh in my face.”

The native girl looked at me sadly, “I’m sorry.”

I looked away. “Don’t be, it’s not your fault. It’s just another of those delightful little ironies that make my death complete.”

“But you do have strength, speed and beauty. That’s got to make things a bit easier than if you were just a normal person who needed to drink blood, and didn’t you say something about being able to hypnotize guys?” she asked.

I shrugged, “Yeah all of that helps keep me fed and makes the guys forget I fed on them. It’s also fun with jerks like that Eric guy at school. Don’t get me wrong, being a Vampire isn’t all bad, it’s mostly just the age regression that bothers me. There is some cool stuff about it too.”

Becky and Sarah had come over at that point after finishing their final sparring match of the night. Sarah grinned and said, “Show us the eye trick Kay, that’s pretty cool.”

“Eye trick?” Becky asked.

I nodded and managed a smile. “Apparently all Vampires, in addition to our other traits, have a unique special ability. Mine is really lame compared to what I’ve seen others do though. Just watch my eyes.” I concentrated on making my eyes a pale blue and left them that way for a few seconds before turning them purple and then red.

Becky just stared while Jackie looked startled at first. “That is so weird and yet cool,” Jackie said.

“At least that and the pale skin and such help me to rock the whole Goth look. And thanks to my Vampire memory I was able to test out of History today. So I guess there are up sides to this,” I admitted.

Becky chuckled when I mentioned History. “My mom was pretty amazed that you got a perfect score for the equivalency test. I’m pretty smart but even I wouldn’t be able to manage that.”

I shrugged it off, “History is all in the text books and I’ve been through high school History once already plus I read the book cover to cover. And I remember everything that I read. It’s actually a good thing they came up with this whole genius thing for me because I’m beginning to think I’d have to make a conscious effort not to get perfect grades. So your mom is the principal?” I asked realizing they had the same last name.

Becky nodded, “Yeah she is. That memory sounds like a pretty good deal though. I heard you tested out so you could work more at the Clinic. Is it true you’re a Healer? Word has been going around through Witch circles that the Coven thought you might be a Witch but it didn’t turn out that way. Now that you’re working there it’s been hard to keep the rumors among the Unseen from getting out of hand.”

“I guess word travels fast,” I replied. “Well, so long as the Norms don’t find out it’s not a big deal to me. Yeah I’m a Healer, I guess it runs in my family, and we think it may have something to do with why I regressed in age when I was turned.”

Becky seemed to realize just how uncomfortable I was with my age and quickly changed the topic, “Are you all going to Kara Graves’ new dance club tomorrow night?”

Sarah nodded, “Yeah I’m going to go with Nat. I suggested to her we could dress up and make a night of it but with her who knows. I don’t know if she’ll be able to find anything dressy to wear. There’s not too much girls formal wear here on the island that includes slacks. I think she and her Mom might be trying to find something tonight. She was being evasive but she said that they were going to be busy all evening tonight.”

Jackie’s mouth twitched at that and she chuckled, “I just tried to picture Nat clothes shopping and I think my brain broke. I might end up going with Erin, Jenny, and Moriko. We’re not sure yet.”

I thought about going clubbing and wondered what the club was going to be like. “Jason asked me out on a date tomorrow but I don’t know what he has planned yet. I might ask him to come over early and tinker with the Mustang. I want to tune up the engine a bit and I think I should change the oil.”

“That sounds so romantic,” Becky deadpanned. Then she smiled, “But Jason might like that, he started up a thread on classic cars on our ‘Unseen Teen’ private message board, and he was really going on about your car.”

“He does love the ‘stang,” I agreed. “I might let him drive it tomorrow too. You have a message board just for the town’s Unseen teens?”

She nodded. “Yep, I started it after the whole business on Halloween to give us all a way to keep in contact privately and just talk about Unseen matters and everyday stuff without the norms catching on we’re all closer than we appear in school. We also have a group contact list there for emergencies. I’ll give you my IM address when we leave and I can set you up with an account for it. I personally approve all accounts for safety reasons.”

I blinked in shock, “You’re pretty organized about the Unseen stuff.”

She shrugged and nodded grimly. “Nat told us after the Halloween party that the Queen of the Sacred here seems to think something big is coming soon, and I figured we all need to be prepared as a group in case the shit hits the fan. I was also the one who thought of the misdirection through the truth ploy and it usually works out well now that I’ve built up a reputation. When Moriko suggested a defense class for us all, where we can learn to not only defend ourselves but to work as a team I thought it was a great idea.”

Sarah nodded, “Becky has always been our sort of unofficial leader taking the jobs nobody else wants to do and planning things.”

The other Witch waved that off, “I help us organize but I’m no leader, at least not for the type of situations we’re worried about. That’s more Nat’s kind of thing. I’ll keep us organized but I think she’s our combat leader. Though Moriko would be a good backup for her.”

“I think it’s pretty great that you all keep in contact and stick together like that,” I said with a nod of approval. “You can count on me to do my part too. Maybe having a Vampire Healer around will be useful for you all.” I reached up to wipe aside a stray lock of hair and Becky looked at my hand in interest seeming to focus on the ring.

“That’s a nice ring you have. I’m surprised you didn’t take it off for practice,” she said.

I sighed at that wondering how much I should tell them. Lisianne had only asked me to keep Meara’s connection to the Sacred a secret and Sarah knew most of it already. Finally I said, “I can’t take it off. I was told if I put it on that it stays there until I die.”

Even Sarah’s eyes widened at that declaration. Then she muttered, “What is it with the Sacred giving people jewelry they can’t take off?”

“You got that from the Sacred?” Becky asked.

I nodded. “Did Sarah, Nat, or Jason tell you what happened at the cabin last weekend?” the pair of girls shook their heads and I continued. “I Healed the infant daughter of one of the Aos Sidhe from poisoning.”

“That’s sick!” Jackie blurted out. “Who would poison a baby?!”

I shook my head, “I don’t know, but if I find out it will be them that dies. Anyway this ring is a gift, and kind of a responsibility as well, from the baby’s mother.”

“Responsibility?” Sarah asked.

“Yeah,” I replied, “It’s one of a matched set and she wears the other. The gift part is that it marks me as her sister under their laws so I get all the rights that she has. The responsibility is that as her sister if anything happens to her and her husband then all her property and responsibilities go to me, including raising her daughter.”

Becky seemed to consider my explanation for a moment before grinning. “You have an even better in with the Sacred than Nat and that could be useful at some point.”

“Excuse me?” I asked a bit confused.

“As I understand it, the Glove is just a promise of mutual cooperation between Nat’s family and Queen Titania’s. She is their ally,” she summed up. “That ring though marks you as an Aos Sidhe in a legal sense. I don’t know their laws or anything but it could be useful to have someone with a legal standing with them in case we get more trouble. You may want to find out what exactly your rights are with them. It might be a good idea to find out their laws too so you don’t accidentally break any of them. If this Sacred woman gave you the ring then she shouldn’t be surprised if you ask her for more information about their laws and your rights under them. In fact it’s probably one of your rights to ask.”

I mulled that over in my mind before nodding. “You’re right. I had thought of learning about my rights, but the laws will be good to know as well. I’ll have to ask her about that or send her a message. My Pixie guardian may be able to give me some of that information too.”

At that point Moriko’s Mom gathered us all together to thank us for coming and said that they would be holding this class every Friday and that included in the course fees would be access to the dojo at any time it was open and there wasn’t a class in session. She reminded us though that there may be Norms around at those times too so we’d have to be careful not to do anything to attract attention to ourselves. The rate was far more reasonable than I expected and we all decided that we would stick with it. Then we all headed back to the change rooms to shower and get ready to go home.

Once we were showered and changed Becky gave me her IM contact info so we could get in touch about the message board and I promised that once my account was set up I would add all my contact information to the contact list. Jackie gave me her IM info as well and then Sarah and I left the dojo and headed home. As we drove Sarah and I chatted about the class and talked about our dates the next day. Sarah seemed both excited and nervous and I really hoped that things would go well for the two of them.

I dropped off Sarah and was home a few minutes later. I walked in through the front door and found Genevieve waiting in the living room. “How did the class go?” she asked.

“It was fun, and a bit therapeutic to let loose on someone I couldn’t hurt accidentally. I needed that,” I admitted.

“Has something been bothering you Kayla?” she asked in reply to my last comment.

I mentally cursed the fact that I couldn’t lie to her. “Yeah there’s this girl at school who thinks I’m a Vampire.”

She frowned as she asked, “Are you worried she has proof? Or is it something else?”

I shook my head. “No it’s not that. It’s mostly wishful thinking on her part. She wants me to be a Vampire. She’s looking for hope of some kind. It’s really sad. And the thing is she’s not trying to out me or anything, in fact she’s trying hard to prove it while nobody else is around. She’s actually a nice kid.”

“She wants you to be a Vampire but she doesn’t want to prove it to anyone but herself?” Her frown deepened. “Does she want to be turned or something do you think? Some kind of twilight fan-girl or something?”

“I think she wants to be turned but not for some stupid thing like thinking being a Vampire is all romance and sparkles,” I said with a sigh. “I saw her at the clinic today. She has a severe medical condition and I figure she’s hoping that if I turn her she’ll be able to live a somewhat normal life.”

“Can you Heal her?” she asked.

I shook my head, “I scanned her but it’s genetic. Her body doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with it and I don’t have the knowledge to do anything that complex to a brain that doesn’t think it has a problem. She’s going to gradually lose all conscious control of her body until it kills her. She won’t live past her twenties, if that long, and a good portion of that time will likely be in a wheelchair and dependent on machines. But I don’t think I could bear to turn her.”

She nodded in agreement but asked, “Why is that?”

“Look at me,” I half growled as I gestured at my body. “I’m going to be stuck looking like a fifteen year old girl for eternity and nobody will ever treat me as an adult again. She’s fourteen, maybe fifteen and she hasn’t even had the chance to be a grown up yet. At least I had that. I can’t condemn her to my own fate even if we were allowed, it would be too painful and wrong of me. But it’s probably just as painful and wrong to watch her slowly lose what life she does have knowing I could give her what she’s hoping for.”

“I figured you would say that,” she replied. “If she keeps prying she likely will find you out. We are going to have to tell the Council if this keeps up. Perhaps once she’s an adult we can turn her if it’s still what she wants. But we cannot risk her finding out about the Unseen until then.”

“I know,” I admitted. “I’ll let you know if it gets any worse with her. I think I’m going to call Jason before I head to bed, we have a date tomorrow.”

She smiled at me. “I’m glad things are going well between you two. Please don’t make any plans for Sunday afternoon though, I want you at home. There’s someone that I think it’s about time you meet.”

She had me really curious with that comment but I just shrugged it off and nodded. “I’ll make sure to keep my afternoon clear then.”

I woke up early to get ready since I had asked Jason to come over at ten o’clock. I had decided to wear a black baby doll shirt that showed off both my trim tummy and a good amount of cleavage and said in dark red lettering ‘Go to Hell: Getting there is half the fun.’ I also wore a black Gothic Lolita miniskirt, fishnet stockings, some black arm warmers with lace trim and red ribbon lacing, and a new pair of combat boots with steel toes. For accessories I was wearing my choker, my moon pendant of course, a nice pair of ankh earrings, and a pair of skull barrettes to hold my hair in two side ponytails. I added some black eyeliner, dark eye shadow, black lipstick and black nail polish. I don’t really need to wear make-up but I was going for a full on Goth look. I decided that I would try a nice intense amber color for my eyes.

Jason arrived right on time and I grabbed my purse and headed down to meet him at the door with Silphia right behind me. He had dressed casually like I had asked the night before, just in a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and sneakers. “Hey there handsome,” I said and gave him a quick kiss. “So before we go do whatever you planned I had an idea for something we could do first.”

He smiled and kissed me back, “Sure, what do you have in mind?”

“It’s a surprise,” I said as I unlocked the car door and hopped in.

He was very surprised when we pulled up in front of Kairns Auto. I honked the horn and a moment later my dad came out and waved for me to pull in as the garage door to the fourth repair bay opened. Once I had pulled in we got out of the car and Jason gave me a confused look, “Okay I give up, what gives?”

“This is my dad’s shop,” I explained. “He said we could use it today and we’ve got something here you might be interested in.” I turned to my approaching father and smiled, “Hi Dad, thanks for this. This is my… ummm… boyfriend Jason. At least I think he’s my boyfriend if he wants the position, I’m still kinda new at this. Jason this is my dad Carl Kairns.”

The two smiled a bit nervously and shook hands. I think this was a bit new and awkward for my dad and Jason was thrown off a bit by my introduction. My dad was trying though. “Hi Jason it’s good to meet you. Kayla tells me you like to work on cars”

Jason nodded eagerly, “Yes sir. I was thinking about going into mechanics when I get out of school.”

My dad looked thoughtful as he grabbed us each a set of coveralls and tossed them to us. “Kayla told me this was a date but I hope you don’t mind me being around. When you’re done in here come see me in bay one.”

I was already putting on my coveralls and adjusting my skirt underneath. Once I was zipped up I got two pairs of work gloves and handed one to Jason after he had gotten into his coveralls. “I know this is probably weird for a date but I was thinking of tuning up the engine in the Mustang and changing the oil.” Silphia watched us in interest and after a good look at what we were wearing a pair of tiny coveralls appeared on her as well. Awww that is sooo cute, I thought.

His eyes lit up as he answered, “That is weird for a girl. I think I’m in love.” He grinned at me and I popped the hood so we could get started. Sadly the engine was in really good condition and didn’t need much tuning and the oil change didn’t take long but Jason seemed to be in heaven. I was enjoying myself too; it had been a while since I had gotten under the hood. Silphia watched everything we did and seemed to enjoy it as well. Once we were finished we headed over to see my dad in bay one.

There was a large car there covered in a tarp and I smiled as I asked my dad, “Is this it?”

Dad looked up from his desk where he was looking over the appointment book. “Yup, that’s it. Pull off the tarp.” Jason and I started doing just that and revealed a 69 Dodge Charger with worn paint. It looked to be in pretty rough shape. “I got the body for practically nothing but it’s in bad shape. I had to use the tow truck to get it here. I did however manage to get my hands on a 425 horsepower V8 engine for it from the wrecking yard. All we need to do is put it in and tune it up. Almost everything under the hood needs replacing though. The only thing in good condition is the seats.”

“Won’t parts for it be an issue?” I asked.

“Not as much as you’d think,” he replied. “I was talking to a contact of mine that owns a wrecking yard in Vancouver. They were working on a movie there and the built eight Chargers for it and all but two took a lot of damage in the filming. I could get all the parts I need from him to get this one running smooth again. Then all we would need is to bang out the dents in the body and give it a good paint job.”

Jason’s eyes widened at that, “How much would the parts cost?”

“They’re just sitting there right now but they’d have to be sent over on the ferry. He said I can get two of the cars which together should have everything we need for three grand,” he explained. “Since I got the body for almost nothing and the engine from the junkyard I would be willing to sell it all to an interested party for three thousand five hundred, especially if they’re willing to put in the work on it. Kayla and I mostly do this as a hobby and half the fun for me is finding parts. Getting them all in one place takes out half the fun for me,” he laughed.

“Damn.” Jason muttered looking disappointed, “I have almost three thousand in my new car fund. Not enough though.”

My dad shrugged, “I’m looking for extra help around here on weekends if you’re really interested in becoming a mechanic. Keith… err Kayla used to do it before heading off to University but she’s busy at the Clinic and helping at her cousin’s bookstore so I was about to start looking for someone else. I could deduct the remainder of the money for the car parts from your pay and it will give you a start on learning the ropes. If you work out well and are interested we could start an apprenticeship once you graduate high school. I get help and you get a car its win/win.”

“Are you serious?!” Jason asked excitedly.

“I am,” he replied. “Kayla tells me you and your friends are good kids and I really could use an extra pair of hands around here on the weekends, and maybe after school once in a while. Besides you’re Tanner’s son right?”

He nodded, “Yessir I am.”

My dad laughed, “Tell him I say hi. I used to date your aunt Denise before Lena and I got together and she got together with John and had Derrick and Daphne.” That was just weird to hear. Things like this made me remember just how small a town Sena Island is.

After Jason and my father worked out the terms of his employment and the details on getting the parts for the car, my dad went to call his contact in Vancouver while Jason and I looked over the Charger and discussed what all needed to be done. Dad had a few appointments for oil changes and tune ups so Jason and I were mostly left alone to tinker with what we could and to inspect the engine. Silphia seemed fascinated by it all so while we inspected I pointed out parts to her, named them and told her what they did. Finally though it was lunchtime and even though I wasn’t hungry I figured Jason would be. “I’ll help you and my dad with the car when I can,” I said, “But I’m pretty busy with everything else right now so it would only be on weekends.”

“It’ll be fun working on it with you. I’ve never seen a girl who knows her way around a car so well and enjoys working on them,” he said with a grin.

I took off my gloves and coveralls and quickly adjusted my skirt. “I grew up working on the Mustang with my dad and helping around here.” I glanced at Silphia and smiled, “It’s too bad Silphia isn’t human sized or I’m sure we’d have another pair of hands to help out. Although, maybe she can help with those hard to reach spaces.”

Jason chuckled and Silphia beamed. “I’m sure we can find some way for her to help,” he said. “Who’d have thought a Pixie would be so interested in car repair.”

“I know, I’m getting to like having her around more every day,” I said.

Silphia smiled and blushed. “Thank you Kayla, I am enjoying getting to know you better too. I was nervous at first, but I am happy I was assigned as your Guardian.”

I grinned, “I’d hug you but I’m afraid I would crush you. Let’s go get some lunch and we can do whatever Jason has planned.” I tossed my keys to Jason, “You get to drive.”

Jason seemed to be on cloud nine driving my car and he was really excited about my dad offering him a job and getting the parts we would need to restore the Charger. It was really nice seeing him so excited. We went to Sally’s for lunch and I had a soda while Jason ate his lunch and shared a bit of his salad with Silphia. Afterwards we went for a long walk on the beach and Silphia tried to keep watch from a distance to give us some privacy. We talked for hours about cars, Unseen stuff, and about how things were going at the Clinic. I didn’t mention Megan though since it really wasn’t my place to tell anyone. I had only told Genevieve what I had because I couldn’t lie to her.

Time flew by and dinner time came around a lot faster than I had expected. While Jason ate on the beach I slipped off quickly to grab a bite of my own. I had seen the guy around school and when he saw me alone walking toward the dock he came and asked me if I’d mind going on a date with him. I guess he was too nervous to ask at school. I led him under the dock and drank my fill before Mesmering him to make him believe he had just been making out with a really peppy blonde girl that he just couldn’t remember clearly and sent him home happy.

“How was your dinner?” Jason asked with a smirk as I returned.

“Cute, but not as cute as you,” I replied. It had gotten dark by this point and I asked, “So what’s the plan now?”

“I was planning to go to the new dance club at eight o’clock but it’s still too early. What would you like to do now?” He asked.

“We could go to my place and watch a movie until the club opens,” I offered.

Genevieve wasn’t at home when we got to my place but I seemed to recall that she was doing something with Gwen and Rick tonight. We went to my room to look through the few movies I had bought but we didn’t end up watching anything. Jason was just there sitting on my bed so I leaned over and kissed him. The kiss quickly became more intense as he started kissing back and I could feel my hunger and my desire building. Soon both our clothes were strewn about the room and I was straddling him and staring down into his eyes. “We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” I said.

“I was about to say the same thing to you,” he replied, his hand caressing my cheek. “We can take it slow.”

“No… I want this. It’s just, this is my first time as a Vampire and as a girl and I’m worried,” I admitted.

“We can wait until you’re more comfortable with it or until we can get some protection,” he offered to give me an out if I wanted it.

I shook my head and actually laughed. “I’m a Vampire silly I don’t need to worry about STDs or pregnancy. I like you and I want to do this, oh damn do I want to do this right now, but I’m worried that I might feed on you in the heat of the moment.”

“You just ate so even if you did you probably wouldn’t drink too much of my blood and I’m a big guy. I told you before that you have my permission, so if it happens it happens. Just try to be gentle.” He tried giving me a reassuring grin and I answered by kissing him again as we both gave in to our desires.

I did end up drinking a little of his blood when my first female orgasm hit me like a freight train. I didn’t drink much though and I was quick to lick the wound to close it after. We laid there for a while and I felt much more satisfied and fulfilled than I ever had when I had had sex as Keith. He held me in his arms and we kissed and cuddled until I looked at my alarm and realized it was twenty minutes to eight. “I guess we should get going,” I stated. He nodded but we were both slow to get up. I don’t think either of us really wanted to leave but Sarah and Natalie were expecting to see us there.

We got dressed and I quickly fixed my makeup before we headed back downstairs and outside to my car. I let him drive again and soon we were pulling up in front of “Rave-olution”. I thought that next time we came here I might have to wear one of my cyberpunk outfits. We locked my car up and headed toward the line-up that was forming outside the door. That’s when I heard Eric’s voice say “I told you she’s a dyke.”

I frowned at that and pulled Jason toward the sound of the voice. I had a bad feeling I knew just who that was directed to. And I was right as I heard Natalie’s voice respond, “You really need to come up with new material Eric. A girl doesn’t need to be a lesbian to find you repulsive. Besides, even if I weren’t here with my date, you’re not in my league anyway.” I had to stifle a giggle at that, way to go Nat.

The guy who was with Eric rather pathetically replied, “You’re the one who’s not in our league. We were being nice offering you a chance to go out with one of us. I don’t see any guys with you, are you with your girlfriend?” He and Eric and some other guys started laughing.

Then everyone stopped in shock when Sarah said quite clearly, “Yes she is.” And then she planted a huge kiss on a girl I hardly recognized as Natalie, looking hot in a red dress. I grinned and almost cheered right there on the spot.

Natalie had this silly grin on her face as she said, “Yeah, what she said. So now that you know there’s two more girls you stand no chance with, though I think that’s probably every girl on the island anyway, take a hike.”

Jason had heard enough and he pulled me along with him as he approached Eric and his crony from behind. Not that I needed much convincing. “I’d take her advice if I were you,” he said.

Or what?” Eric said glaring at us. He seemed pretty confident with his buddy to back him up. “You and the dark queen of the nerds are gonna start something.” Oh it was on. I was tempted to Mesmer him then and there but I decided to see how it played out.

Jason just nodded silently and I looked to him before an idea popped into my head and I smiled. He thought I was the dark queen of the nerds; well I would give him just that. “Well I hate to use my medical knowledge for harm, but did you know that if you kick a guy in the balls hard enough you can render him impotent for life?” I let that sink in for a moment while I turned and grinned at Natalie. “You’re looking great Nat, you like my new combat boots? They’re steel-toed.” I moved my leg ever so slightly toward Eric and he looked from Jason to me and then to the idiot beside him and then they took off.

Some girl I didn’t know started laughing hysterically and said, “Oh I like her!” Once she had calmed down she asked, “Is that true?”

I shrugged and grinned at her “The hell if I know, I was just making that shit up, but it would hurt like hell. Did you see the way it made them run?”

The laughing girl was named Bailey and she was with Daphne from my martial arts class and another girl named Karen. I got the feeling that they were all Unseen. Soon we were in the club with our hands stamped. It irked me a bit that I was marked as a minor but I let it slide and just tried to enjoy myself. I caught myself looking at Natalie a few times. I just could not believe the change in her. It wasn’t just the clothes, it was like something had changed inside too and she was more comfortable with herself. She politely turned down almost as many dance offers as I did and she and Sarah seemed even closer than usual. It was nice to see.

It was also nice to be able to just let myself go wild on the dance floor. Jason did his best to keep up but he had to rest a few times so I just danced with Nat, Sarah, and the other girls while he did. It was good to have a night where I could relax and not have to worry about working or studying. Overall the whole last couple of days had been good for me. I was still torn about Megan’s predicament but today had helped to keep my mind off it. The night did have to eventually come to an end though and we all said our goodbyes. I dropped Jason off at his house and kissed him goodnight for a long time before heading home.