Ch16

Soundtrack: “It’s About Time” by Lillix; “If You Don’t, Don’t” by Jimmy

Eat World; “Time” by Timbaland Feat. She Wants Revenge; “Let

Me Know” by Eden’s Crush; “Lovebug” by the Jonas Brothers

Paige flopped down on her bed. It felt like a lifetime had passed, but in reality, it

had only been a few short months since she went to Uni. Since her brother died.

The constant flow of people and classes had been keeping her busy. With so

many people, the huge dorm always had something going on.

And some of those goings-on had to do with her very own sister who loved to meet

new people, make new friends, and generally be noisy, in Paige’s opinion.

Although, Paige had to admit that she could cause a ruckus all by herself.

In short, she had come to relish the quiet breakfast time she had each morning.

Not too many people were awake at that hour; Maxwell House was known as the

party dorm, after all. Most people tended to skip breakfast and dash to class

although a few were known to stop in the cafeteria for a quick bite, no matter what

their state of dress.

“Why is it,” Paige asked as she sat down next to her sister, “That people insist on

eating breakfast in their underwear?”

Sydney paused mid bite and just looked at her. “Paige, you’ve seen me in my

undies a million times. You’ve seen me in my nightie at breakfast a million—”

“Yes, at home! When we were in the privacy of our own place, not in a cafeteria, in

a dorm full of strangers.”

Sydney just rolled her eyes. “They wouldn’t be strangers if you actually talked to

some of them.”

Paige huffed. “Is that really an excuse for your state of dress? What would your

father say?”

Sydney just laughed at that one. “Oh, lighten up, Paige. So I came down to eat

before I showered—the world’s not going to end.”

“It’s indecent,” Paige insisted. “If you start going to breakfast in your undies, the

next thing you know, people think it is okay to walk around without a shirt.”

“Yeah, okay. You coming to the party later tonight?” Syd asked, deciding to just

ignore the whole pajama/underwear topic. She’d heard it all before anyway. Not to

mention she’d seen Paige eat in her pajamas, right here in the dorms. She didn’t

have a clue what had gotten into her little sister, but she was sure it would take

more time than she had that morning to find out. So she changed topics. “Well?”

“What are you talking about?” Paige asked between bites. “What party?”

Sydney sighed. “The one I told you I was throwing tonight in the rec room?”

“You told me no such thing—”

“I did too. And I left notes on all the room doors, including yours.”

“Hmm. I do not recall any of that.”

“Paige, I musta mentioned it like—”

“But thank you for reminding me. Now I know to avoid downstairs tonight and stay

at the library.”

Sydney just rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Alright, whatever little sis.”

*****

Houston sighed to himself. Here he was at another of Sydney’s parties and once

again he was standing around trying to pretend he didn’t care if other guys flirted

with Sydney.

But he did. He narrowed his eyes at the latest guy. He and Sydney had been in a

corner chatting it up for what seemed like the whole party. If Sydney smiled at him

one more time, Houston thought he might lose it.

But what happened next was worse than a smile. They started dancing.

A bit too closely, in his opinion. It was time he went over there and gave this jerk a

piece of his mind.

“Hey!” Houston practically shouted as he barged in between the two of them. “Just

what do you think you’re doing?”

“Wha—” The guy sputtered, confused.

“Houston,” Sydney spoke up, a scowl on her face. “Chill out. Wha-”

But Houston didn’t let her finish. “I don’t know what kind of girl you think Sydney is,”

he poked Spikey-Haired Guy in the chest, “But she is not some floozy you can put

your hands all over.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” The spikey-haired guy rubbed the spot on

his chest where Houston had poked him. “Look, I don’t even know you and I—”

“Yeah, well I know you!”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. You’re just another jerk who thinks they can take advantage of a nice girl.”

“What?”

“You heard me.” Houston gave him a shove, putting more space between the guy

and Sydney. “She may not see how sleazy you are, but I can, and you need to

take your greasy hair and back off.”

“Excuse me? You need to stop touching me. Right now,” the guy said with a growl.

“Oh, yeah, what are you going to do about it?”

“Houston!” Sydney gasped.

“Look, dude, I’m not going to tell you again—”

“And I’m not going to tell you again,” Houston interrupted. “You need to leave her

alone!”

“Well, I’m telling you to shut up!” Sydney practically shouted, startling others

around them. She winced, then took a breath before using a much quieter, albeit

still angry, tone. “Houston, you need to go.”

“Me?!”

“Yes, you.”

“But I’m trying to protect you!”

“I don’t need your protection!”

“But he was all over you—”

“No he wasn’t,” Sydney hissed. “And even if he was, so what? You’re not my

boyfriend anymore, Houston! We’re just friends and right now you’re embarrassing

me!”

The two stared at each other, the music from the stereo unable to drown out all the

tension in the room. Slowly, Houston began to feel the weight of everyone’s stares.

“Sydney, I—”

“You should go,” she said quietly.

“I—” Houston trailed off. He tried to meet her eyes but she wouldn’t look at him.

And in that moment, he’d never felt more lost.

Houston nodded slowly. “Ok. I’ll… I’ll go.”

*****

“In you go, little one,” Melanie cooed softly to her nephew as she laid him down to

sleep. The baby was every first parent’s dream—quiet and patient. Maybe a bit too

quiet, though, Melanie thought. The little guy made such little noise, sometimes

she forgot he was there. Stretching, she took in the guest room. For years she had

tried to persuade Asher to turn it into a bedroom for Sydney or Rose so the girls

wouldn’t have to share. But Asher wouldn’t. ‘You never know,’ he’d said. ‘We might

need it.’ It was the same reason he wouldn’t throw out any of the kids’ baby stuff,

like the crib. And as it turned out, they had needed both.

Still, Melanie thought absently as she tickled the baby’s tummy, it couldn’t hurt to

remodel. Even if Zeph came around sooner rather than later, it was time to face

the facts. Her babies had left the nest. And all the empty bedrooms were driving

her crazy. So she filed away thoughts of remodeling under her mental list of things

to talk about with her husband and went downstairs to dinner. One of the girls was

visiting.

*****

“How is he?” Asher asked as Melanie sat down to eat. A part of him was bit upset

he didn’t have time to cook a proper meal for his baby’s homecoming, but with

such short notice, leftovers would simply have to do.

“He’s good, same as always. And quiet. But we can talk about him later; I wanna

hear all about school, honey.” Melanie smiled at her daughter. Paige’s visit was a

nice surprise she intended to make the most of. Her parting with the girls had been

tough and she welcomed a chance to get close again.

“School is…” Paige seemed to search for a word. “It’s alright.”

“Just alright?” Asher raised a brow.

“It…” Paige sighed. A part of her didn’t want to talk. Didn’t even know how to bring

up what she was feeling. But another part recognized that she’d come home for a

reason. And if she couldn’t talk to her family, well, who could she talk to?

“It is not what I expected,” Paige finally admitted. She turned her attention to her

plate, grabbing seconds while her parents shared a look. Her dad’s food was

better than dorm food any day.

“Well, what did you expect?” Melanie finally asked.

Paige sighed. “It’s the Académie, you know?.” She shrugged. “I guess… I

expected it to be serious. And quiet. And—And refined. Filled with the brightest

young minds from all over the valley. And--” she frowned. “Are you two laughing?”

“Of course not, honey,” Melanie quickly assured her. “But everyone on campus

isn’t like your dormmates.” Paige snorted. “Really. It’s the party dorm, after all.

There are much more studious and quiet places on campus.”

“Just try to see the bright side,” Asher added. “Make the best of it for now. You can

always transfer later.” At Paige’s skeptical look, he continued. “Living in a big dorm

means lots of new people to meet. Surely, you’ve made a friend or two? Found a

study buddy?”

“Not really, father. I’ve been focusing on my studies.”

“Paige, you promised me you’d make an effort to connect with people.”

“I made no such promises,” Paige protested. All the same, she shifted in her seat.

“4.0s don’t just happen by themselves, Father. It takes time and work.”

“Your sister is making straight As and still manages to find time for friends.”

“I believe Sydney is studying Literature. It doesn’t take much effort to pass

English.”

“Paige!” Melanie scolded.

“It is the truth, mother. Mathematics is much more demanding.”

“All the same,” Asher continued, not one to be sidetracked, “there’s no reason why

you can’t make friends. That’s how you’ll really learn and grow, Paige. Through the

meeting of minds and sharing of ideas.” He smiled at Paige’s scowl. “You know I’m

right. Come on, sweetie. There’s absolutely no one that you’ve gotten to know?”

“I—well, there is this one… person,” Paige said, unsure of what to say. Both her

parents raised their brows at that one. “But he—” Melanie began to smile. “Is

completely unsuitable.” Now her father was grinning. Realizing what she had said

and what it sounded like, she tried to clarify. “To be my friend. A completely

unsavory character, not at all the caliber—” This time she was sure her parents

were laughing. Scowling, Paige crossed her arms. “I hardly see what is amusing.

One would think my parents would be concerned to hear that a vagrant is

pestering their daughter.”

“Oh, so now you’re being pestered? And by a vagrant no less? My, my.” Asher

teased.

Melanie elbowed her husband. “Just what is it that makes him so… unsavory?”

Paige stuttered. “Why he… He just… It’s just the way he is!” She insisted over her

parents giggles. “You don’t understand—”

“Of course not,” Asher agreed. “But maybe you should give him a chance. Maybe—”

Paige shook her head. “You don’t get it. We’re so different. He’s too forward.

Noisy, even.” Asher nodded. “And he’s not as smart as me.”

“Not many are dear,” Melanie reminded her.

“And—And he walks around without a shirt!” Paige blurted, her face red. “What

kind of a person does that?” Her parents traded smiles before bursting into

laughter. To them, the story was oh-so-familiar.

“Paige,” Melanie smiled, “He doesn’t really sound that bad.” Paige’s face said she

disagreed. “Maybe you need to lower your standards for friendship—just a tad.”

“You never know,” Asher added. “He could be a really nice guy. Maybe even

boyfriend material.” His eyes sparkled.

“Oh, just forget it,” Paige grumbled as Melanie giggled. “How’s Rose?” she asked,

hoping a topic change would help her parents come to their senses. But the

question only made them laugh harder.

*****

As it was, Rose was doing just fine. Her business could be better, but she liked to

look on the bright side of things. She knew that with just a little hard work, things

would pay off. So she worked long shifts at her club, The Edge, manning the bar

and taking turns at the turntable until she could find fulltime help. And that’s what

the rest of her time was spent doing, interviewing, trying to find the right

employees.

“Who knew good help was so hard to find?” Rose exclaimed as she flopped down

on the couch.

“I did, if you recall,” Heath teased. They were done interviewing for the day but

they still weren’t any closer to finding anyone.

“Yeah, but we’re not looking for rocket scientists, you know? Just a DJ and a

bartender. Preferably two of each so we can get some sleep.” Heath nodded. “And

the potentials just keep getting worse. I mean, these last two could barely find the

play button on a boombox, let alone be a DJ.” At that Heath chuckled.

“Maybe we should just hire that old guy who applied last week. At least he knew

how to use the turntable.”

Heath laughed. “Well, I guess it depends on the kind of club you want. If you want

an oldies dive bar like your dad’s, that might work.”

Rose made a face. “I doubt it,” she sighed.

“I never realized how dead this part of town is. We really are living in suburbia,

huh?”

“Kinda,” Heath smiled. “Most people our age are either on a campus or hanging

out in the city.”

“Well, that has to change!” Rose declared. “We just need them to realize that

there’s a perfectly good club right here.”

Heath ran a hand through his hair. He wished they’d talked about these sorts of

things before Rose went ahead and bought the club, but… He shrugged. “So lets

come up with a good marketing strategy.”

Rose made another face. “I don’t know if we need, like a twelve step action plan or

whatever. We’ll just get people to come in. Build buzz.”

“Yeah, but how? Don’t you think we should make a plan? Write down some ideas?”

“You know I’m not much of a planner, Heath. We’ll just—”

“Do it. I know,” Heath smiled weakly. “Maybe it’s the fortune sim in me that makes

me so uneasy, but… I just like to have a clear plan when it comes to… to

businesses. Money. You know?” He looked at her. “Can we at least talk about

everything?”

“Of course,” Rose’s brows furrowed. “I didn’t realize—”

“It’s just,” Heath continued, “there’s a lot of money on the line. I know you bought

this place, but we have to pay that back to Little N’ Local—to your parents. It just

wouldn’t be right. And then there’s the bills,” Heath exclaimed. “This place is

expensive to keep up, Rose. Just the electric bill alone is bad. But that’s not

including supplies for the club. Everyday we get further into the red. This place

isn’t making anything at all. We’re not even breaking even.”

“Wow,” Rose said slowly. “I didn’t really realize things were so bad.”

“I know. That’s why I’m telling you. It’s what I’m here to do, right? Keep track of the

books. So right now we have a lot of debt, but we can fix it. We could sell some

things we aren’t using yet; maybe start a little smaller. A lot of the art can go, plus

some of the furniture in the loft,” Heath added, looking around the room. He

glanced back at Rose’s face and could tell she didn’t like that idea. “Or we could

get a new business model. We could sell some thing or—or turn the bar into a

restaurant. A lot of places start by—”

“Just hold on a sec,” Rose interrupted. “Let me think.”

“Just who do we owe exactly? Just my parents? Not like, Crystal Springs Electric

or anything like that?”

“Well, just your parents. But we’re gonna owe Crystal Springs Electric pretty soon

if we—”

“Oh, my Plumbbob, Heath!” Rose gave her boyfriend a playful shove. “You really

had me going there for a second. Geez, you made it sound like we’re in a hole.”

“Rose, we are in a hole. We won’t be able to cover the bills this month.”

“Relax, Heath. We’ll borrow more from Little N’ Local.”

“Rose,” Heath exclaimed. How could he make her see? “We can’t just keep

borrowing from your parents. We still have to pay them back too.”

“Of course. I’m not saying we won’t. But we’re just starting out. I mean, really,

Heath, The Edge hasn’t even been open for six months yet.”

“My parents understand about running a business and how hard it can be before

clubs take off. They don’t expect us to pay them back right away. What we need to

focus on right now is publicity. How to get word out about the club.”

Heath frowned. “We could still change our model. It wouldn’t hurt to add a store or

a kitchen and—”

“But I don’t wanna do any of those things. I wanna run a club.”

Heath sighed.

“Come on, Heath, you’re worrying too much. We’ll figure out a way to bring in

more people, you’ll see. Everything will work out.” She scooted closer to him.

“I know. I know that. I believe you. I just… I’m just not sure that your way is the

best way.” He looked at her, his eyes full of worry.

Rose smiled. “That’s because staring at the checkbook all day makes things seem

worse than what they are. Don’t worry, I know just how to take your mind off

things.” She leaned in and kissed him.

Heath couldn’t help but kiss her back. He rested his forehead against hers.

“Alright, you win for now. You know you drive me crazy, right?”

Rose just laughed and kissed him again.

They ended up making out for quite a while.

Things got pretty intense, actually.

Until Rose suddenly pulled away.

“Wha?” Heath blinked. One second his girlfriend was in his arms, the next,

nothing. “Wha’s wrong?” He cleared his throat, trying to get his voice to sound

normal. “You okay?”

“Of course I’m okay,” Rose practically squeaked. Heath frowned.

“Uh, you sure?”

“Yeah!”

“Then why—”

“It’s just the time!” Rose winced a bit. She was way too loud. “I—I didn’t realize

what time it was. I promised my parents I’d be back by now.”

Heath just looked at her. “You told your parents you’d be back by 7:30?”

“They do know you’re trying to run a nightclub, right?”

“Hahahaha. Funny.” Rose gave Heath a shove. Heath just looked at her.

“Uh, Rose—”

“I promised I’d babysit. To give my dad a break, you know?” She smiled and stood

up, ready to leave. She wasn’t convincing anyone and she knew it. “You

understand.”

“Actually, I’m not sure that I do.” Heath scratched his arm.

But Rose ignored him. “I’ll see you later, okay?” she said over her shoulder as she

took off for the steps. “I’ll call you about setting up some more interviews.”

And with that, she was gone.

*****

“Hey!” Sydney startled her sister as she barged into the dorm room.

I swore I locked that, Paige thought and sighed. “I see that even miles from home,

you do not know how to knock.”

“Haha. What’s up?”

The question was rhetorical. Paige was sure that in a second her sister would

open her mouth and blurt out her reason for intruding.

“So listen,” Sydney began and Paige couldn’t help but smile.

“I met this girl the other day, Chris, and it turns out she’s president of Specter

House—”

“What’s—”

“Dad’s frat.”

“Dad has a frat?” Paige blurted in surprise. She cleared her throat. “What I meant

to say was, since when does Father have a fraternity?”

Syd shrugged. “Apparently he founded one his sophomore year here.”

“Hmm. He never said anything.”

“I know, right? But anyways, she wanted us to join. She invited us to come over

and see the place.” Paige raised her brows, a silent question. “The frat house; he

bought a house and deeded it to the frat. It’s for all members.”

“Well,” Paige said slowly. “As interesting as all that is, I fail to see what this all has

to do with me. I doubt this Chris person actually mentioned me in her invitation.”

Sydney’s silence confirmed Paige’s suspicions.

“Okay so maybe she didn’t exactly mention you specifically, but it is called Specter

House and you’re a Specter. I don’t see why you wouldn’t join.”

“How about the fact that I have no interest in fraternities whatsoever?”

“Paige, don’t be so closed-minded. Frats aren’t just about parties—”

“Oh, really?”

“Really. Although fraternities can and do provide social, political, and economic,

connections that can extend well beyond college, they have more immediate

benefits as well. Not only will you be in contact with other bright minds and student

leaders but we’d have our own private residence.”

Paige snorted. “Did you rehearse all that?”

“Yes. Yes, I did. Paige—”

“Forget it, Sydney.”

“I really think,” Sydney continued, unwilling to give up, “that this is something to

consider and besides, if we both join we can stay together.”

Paige bristled. “Why would you care about that?”

Sydney was silent a moment. “It’s just us, Paige. Spencer’s gone and Rose isn’t

here.” She shrugged, as if that finished the rest of her statement. “I just thought

we’d stick together.”

Paige narrowed her eyes. “Did mom and dad put you up to checking up on me?”

“No. But you can’t deny that you could be doing better in the friend department. I

figured it couldn’t hurt if we did some things together.”

Paige looked at her sister.

“So come on, what do you say? Come with me to look at the house.” Paige slowly

shook her head. “Aw, come on.”

“I have to write my term paper,” she insisted. “But,” Paige paused and looked at

her sister. For some reason she didn’t want to let her down. “I’ll consider joining.

No promises though.”

“Deal,” Sydney smiled.

And so Sydney made her way over to Specter House alone early that afternoon.

She had to admit it wasn’t what she was expecting.

It was a quiet little farmhouse on the edge of campus. Hard to believe her father

had thrown raging parties here, but, she mused as she knocked on the door,

anything was possible.

“Sydney, I’m glad you could make it,” Chris greeted her.

“I’m glad I did,” Sydney admitted. “This place isn’t anything like what I thought a

greek house would be. I’ve seen some of the houses on the other side of campus

and—”

“Specter House puts them to shame,” Chris grinned. “It looks quaint, but it’s

actually pretty modern. Just wait to you see the inside.”

Sydney followed Chris in.

“The one downside is that it’s not as big as the older houses,” Chris said over her

shoulder, “but I think that’s because your dad never expected anyone but him and

his siblings to stay here. The plus side is that the place is actually pretty sweet;

your dad renovated it just before he moved in here his sophomore year. It’s a

league above the older houses like Tri Var and Oresha. Their stuff is so old, they’re

always trying to raise money to fix it.”

Syd took a quick tour of the house and had to admit that Chris was right. The

place was way nicer than the dorms—and that was saying a lot since Sydney was

staying in one of the newer, nicer ones. Still. It was two bedrooms with a study and

a small dining room. She’d be living on her own, doing what she wanted, making

her own choices. She glanced at the pictures hanging in the dining room. Her dad

as college student and a pink-haired girl that must have been her aunt. He really

had stayed here. Went to school here. Fallen in love here. Maybe this was what

she needed. To feel part of something.

“So what did you think?” Chris asked as they sat down.

“I think this place is great,” Sydney smiled. “You’d really just quit being president,

though?”

Chris grinned. “Absolutely. I’m not really interested in running a greek house. Not

full time anyway. I’ve always thought of myself as a—well, a placeholder.” She put

a special emphasis on the word that just didn’t make sense to Sydney.

“Don’t get me wrong; I love being a part of Specter House, but… Well it’s for you.

This place… It’s a place for you and your family. It’s your name that’s on the house

and the deed.” She shrugged. “It only seems right that you take over now that

you’re on campus.”

Syd looked at Chris. “Huh. I never really thought about it that way.”

“Well, you should.”

“I have to admit that I could see myself living here. And being here…” This time

Sydney shrugged. “It’s a cool feeling, knowing I would be staying where my dad

stayed. Almost like I’m part of a legacy or something.”

Chris smiled. “Exactly. You and your sister should definitely consider joining and

taking over.”

Syd raised a brow. “You know about my sister?”

“Of course.”

“I am friends with your dad. Look, to me, moving in should be a no brainer. It’s a

chance to be a part of something great. And you’ll have fun putting your own

stamp on this place. Why wouldn’t you two want to be a part of that?”

“Well, my sister, she’s definitely not your typical sorority girl, for one. And me…

Well, I just—I’ve never really been in charge before—”

Chris laughed. “Is that what you’re worried about? You’ll be fine.”

“Maybe. Or maybe I’ll take my dad’s legacy and run it straight to the ground. Maybe

people will start to hate Specter House all because of me.”

Chris smiled. “Or maybe you’re overthinking things. Specter House is about having

fun and making good memories, not wining a popularity war.”

Sydney snorted. “So you think.”

Chris laughed again. “Either way, you’ll be fine. You and your sister will love it here.”

“Maybe. Again, I’m not so sure about my sister. Like I said, she’s not really the

sorority type. Plus we’re not exactly close.” Syd thought of the conversation she’d

had just earlier that day. “She might not want to join. It might just be me here.”

“Oh, but she has to join,” Chris exclaimed.

Sydney just looked at her, confused. Chris looked as if she was about to say

something, then stopped. And smiled.

“Look. Specter House is a fraternity. It’s not just about parties and popularity. It’s

about family. About building bonds and relationships that bring you closer and last

a lifetime.” Chris smiled again. “Maybe you and your sister aren’t all that close

now, but maybe you will be after you spent some time together rebuilding Specter

House. You’re both older now. Who knows, maybe this could bring you together.”

“I—I never thought of it that way.”

“I can’t tell you what to do, but I can say that living alone in a frat sucks. It’s lonely

and boring as hell. You’ll definitely want some more members living here at the

house, and well, why not be with family? It’s just—just something you should think

about, that’s all.”

*****

Paige tapped her pencil against her notebook, trying to clear her mind. Her

thoughts kept wandering back to the other night’s dinner with her parents. And

their giggles. And then there was that chat with Sydney earlier. It was so

unexpected. She and Sydney barely had anything in common and rarely did

anything together besides bicker. Still, maybe she was right. It was just her and

Sydney now. Maybe…

Paige shook her head and stood. Clearly her homework would have to wait

another night until she could concentrate better.

She made her way over to the dorm’s study and nearly groaned. It was him. The

guy from before. Gallagher, her mind recalled. As she walked over he looked up.

His eyes met hers and sparkled with recognition.

Paige remembered her talk with her parents, remembered her earlier behavior and

her embarrassment at her foolishness. And so she gave him a tight smile as she

passed and headed straight to the bookcase. She did not have to be rude but nor

did she have to engage in meaningless conversation. She would ignore him.

After a quick browse, she selected a suitable tome for light reading and settled into

one of the couches. Moments later she heard a noise and looked up to find the

boy heading over towards her.

Crap, she thought. I knew I should have taken this to my room. Never mind, I shall

simply continue reading and he’ll get the message that I don’t want company.

“Hey,” he greeted her as he came closer. Paige made a noncommittal sound and

nodded.

He sat. “Fancy running into you here,” he gave her a quick grin.

“Yes,” Paige finally spoke. “I guess we both came here to study.” She returned to

reading. She wasn’t actually studying, just doing some reading, but he didn’t need

to know that.

“It’s funny, I was actually hoping to run into you again, I wanted to talk to you.”

Paige sighed inwardly. Apparently he didn’t get the message. And wasn’t going to.

“Yes, well, as you can see I’m busy studying.” She tried a more blunt approach,

gesturing at the book in her hand.

But Gallagher simply grinned. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, actually.

What did you get on that math test?”

Paige looked at him, unable to decide if engaging in conversation would make him

leave quicker or slower. She sighed. “A ninety-eight,” she finally admitted. She was

still pretty upset about it, actually. She couldn’t believe she missed a question.

“Why do you ask?”

“Wow. Well, I didn’t do so great. I pretty much bombed, like I suspected.”

“Mmm. My condolences.” Paige returned her attention to her book.

“I was wondering if you could help me out. Tutor me.”

That made Paige pause.

“Now why would you ask me that?” She raised a brow.

“Well—”

“I mean, clearly I’m such a nice and caring person. No doubt I’ll be willing to help

you—we get along so well after all and there’s just so much benefit to me.” She

paused and looked at him. “I actually am curious. Just how did you think this

conversation would go?”

Gallagher smiled. “I didn’t think of all that,” he admitted.

“Mmm,” Paige nodded and returned to reading. “I suspected as much.”

“I just figured that I needed help and well, if I’m going to be tutored, it ought to be

by the best. And you are the top student in the class.” Paige shifted in her seat.

“Ergo,” he continued, “the best.”

After a long silence, Paige sighed. “Well, I can’t fault your logic.”

“So, you’ll do it?”

“No.” Paige closed her book, giving up the prospect of getting any reading done

there.

“Aw, come on, please?”

“I don’t have time to tutor anyone.”

“Why, because you’re so busy?” This time Gallagher raised a brow. “You’ve a full

social calendar, do you?”

Paige couldn’t help it. She smiled, acknowledging the point.

Gallagher grinned. “I know you don’t really have anything better to—it’s no secret

that you’re always here in the dorms studying.”

Paige nodded. “True.” Gallagher’s grin got wider.

“But I still won’t tutor you.”

Gallagher’s face fell. “But why? Please, I really need this.”

“I’m sure you do,” Paige said, standing. “And I have no good reason to refuse…”

“Other than the fact that I simply do not wish to tutor you.” She shrugged. “Find

someone else.

Gallagher bit his lip. He wasn’t sure if he should admit—oh, hell, what’s the worse

that could happen? “I did try. But the professor, well, you’ve met him. He’s so

arrogant. He thinks helping me is a waste of time. That I don’t belong here. And as

for other students, well, they all want me to pay them a bunch of money I don’t

have. And frankly, I’m not sure if it’d be worth it since they’re not as good as you.”

Paige smiled at the flattery. Still, she wasn’t convinced. “I just don’t—”

“Please,” Gallagher pleaded. “Just think about it. I really need this class. Don’t say

no just yet—sleep on it. Please?”

Paige sighed. “I’m not promising you anything… But I suppose I can think on it.”

*****

Sydney lay on her bed, thinking.

This night has gone on forever. She huffed out a breath and checked her clock.

After what seemed like a long, endless night, it was finally almost time to get up.

She spent the whole night tossing and turning and thinking and just generally

being unsure about life. Quite a few things were on her mind, one of them being

the Greek house.

She wasn’t lying when she told Chris she was unsure about taking over as

president. She’d never been in charge before, not really. Mostly, though, she was

excited. The more she thought about it, the more it sounded like a good idea.

She’d be a part of something she’d wanted to do since she was a kid. The problem

was more about who she’d get to join with her. She was surprised by just how

much she wanted Paige to join, too. Chris was right, this could be a chance to get

to know her sister better.

But the real thing on her mind, or person, she had to admit as she got up to get

dressed, was Houston. Should she ask him to join? Would he move in too? What

would that mean for them? They’d be living together. Could she really expect them

to date other people under the same roof? Did she even really want to date other

people? She sighed. She just didn’t know. Until then, she needed to stay away

from Houston and figure out her thoughts.

A knock on her door sounded as she made up her bed and Paige entered.

“Hey,” she greeted her sister, surprised. “What’s up?”

Paige shrugged. “Nothing, really. I just noticed you were up and wondered if you

were going to get breakfast.”

Sydney straightened, looking at her little sister. Paige stared back at her. Sydney

raised a brow. Paige didn’t just drop by for morning chats. More importantly,

though, Paige didn’t stall, so Sydney wasn’t buying this for a second. She folded

her arms and stared at Paige.

“What?” Paige fidgeted. “If you don’t want to eat with me, I’ll just go by myself.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Well, you’re not saying much of anything right now and I’m not a mind reader

so…” She trailed off.

Sydney realized that something was on Paige’s mind. And, just as suddenly, she

realized that she was the big sister. Rose wasn’t here.

Sydney sat, flopping on her bed. Holy Plumbbob, she thought.

“Oh forget it,” Paige interrupted her thoughts. “This is stupid, I’ll eat alone.”

“No wait.” Sydney took a breath and frantically tried to come up with a way to get

Paige to talk. Finally she just decided to be blunt. Paige appreciated directness,

right? “Something’s bothering you. Let’s talk.”

Paige made a face. “Nothing’s bothering me. Why would you…” but she trailed off

at the look on Sydney’s face.

“Paige, we both know that you don’t just drop by at 7am. And you certainly don’t

like to eat breakfast with me. You always say I eat like a slob.”

“Because you do.” Paige sighed. “I suppose you’re right. Something is… I have

been thinking about… You see, there… This guy asked me to tutor him,” she

finally blurted out.

Sydney tried to relax and keep a straight face, but inside, her mind was going a

hundred miles per hour. Oh my Plumbbob, she kept thinking. Paige is coming to

me with a problem. Paige is coming to me with a BOY problem. Paige HAS A BOY

PROBLEM. PAIGE. O.M.P. - Does she have a crush on someone???!!!

“Syd, are you listening?”

Sydney snapped back to attention. “Of course I’m listening. You said this guy you

barely know asked you to tutor him.”

“Right, exactly.”

Paige looked at Sydney expectantly. Sydney looked back at Paige.

“I fail to see what the problem is.”

“Because!” Paige explained. Or, well, tried to. She wasn’t exactly using words,

more like a series of complicated hand gestures.

“Yeah, he’s in my class, but I don’t even know him. I don’t even like him. He

doesn’t even dress appropriately half the time and then there’s that hair thing

and—whatever, I just don’t want to tutor him!”

Sydney stared at her sister. OMP, she thought. She totally does have a crush on

him! Does she even—

“Syd?!”

“Right. So, um… Don’t… tutor him?”

“That’s what I said! But he wouldn’t take no for an answer—”

Hmm, I like him already.

“And he was practically begging me to; it sounded like I was his last option or

something. And then I started thinking about Dad—”

“Dad?”

“Yeah he and mom were telling me how I need to get out more and get to know

others and put myself out there and what if this was the sort of thing they were

talking about?”

“Okay, so tutor him.”

“But I don’t want to! And did you miss the part when I said I didn’t like him? I can’t

tutor someone I don’t even like!”

“Paige, I’m a little confused about what you want me to say here.”

“I want you to tell me that I’m clearly right and that I shouldn’t tutor him.”

“Hmm.” Sydney paused. “Look, Paige, I have to be honest. I think you should tutor

him.” She shrugged. “Take a chance. Get to know him a bit. Maybe he’ll turn out to

be a complete jerk and you’ll be right—”

“Or,” Syd shrugged again, “maybe he’ll turn out to be a nice kid and you’ll be

friends. Besides, it’s not like you really have anything better to do.”

Paige scowled. “He said the same thing.”

Sydney smirked. “Really? How would he know that? I thought you said you barely

knew each other.”

“Well,” Paige stuttered.

“I mean, we’ve met before… We’re in the same class obviously… And, you know,

he lives here…”

“At Maxwell House?” Syd raised a brow.

Paige nodded. “So we’ve… exchanged words… before. Technically. If you want to

be… technical…”

Sydney just shook her head and tried to keep from laughing.

“All the more reason for you to help him then. You can finally get to know your

neighbors.”

“I guess.”

“Though you probably shouldn’t tutor him in that.”

“What, why not?” Paige looked down at her shirt. “What’s wrong with it?”

“Technically, nothing. But it is the same outfit you grew up in.”

“So?”

“So, it’s hideous. Don’t you want to wear something, I don’t know, less drab?”

Paige stared at her sister. “Sydney, I don’t want to date him. I don’t care what I

wear. I’m not trying to impress him.”

“I know that. Look, forget about this guy for second. This is about you.”

"Sydney, I see nothing wrong with this outfit. It serves its purpose; I do not need to

be fashionable."

"True but probably should look professional."

Paige frowned trying to discern the trap. "What do you mean?"

"Look, no matter what field you're in, appearances matter. You don't need to be

wearing the height of fashion or fancy dresses, but... People do need to take you

seriously."

"Are you saying people won't take me seriously dressed like this?"

Sydney shrugged. "I'm saying you're dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt."

Paige frowned again. After a moment she spoke. "What are you suggesting?" She

asked slowly.

Sydney grinned as she rose. "It just so happens that the last time I went shopping

I picked up something for you. Don't worry," she added at Paige's scowl, "it's

nothing too fancy. Just a nice shirt and jeans."

Paige sighed. "Oh, alright. I suppose some new clothes couldn't hurt."

A few minutes later and Sydney had Paige in a new outfit. "See? It's not so bad.

Already you look loads better. Now, if you want, I have some makeup here--"

"Uh, no thank you."

"Aw come on; it's just some lip gloss."

"Nope. I'm done for the day."

"But-"

"No. Now are you coming to breakfast or not?"

"Fine," Sydney sighed. She knew when to give in. One step at a time, she told

herself.

*****

Sydney smiled to herself as she walked back from class. The morning went better

than expected. Her little sister just might have a crush on someone—and Paige

came to her to talk about it! She even got Paige in a new outfit.

Definitely a good morning, Sydney thought as she grinned again. She was almost

to her dorm when she saw something that wiped the grin right off her face.

Oh, crap, she thought. Houston. She wasn’t ready to talk to him. He was

supposed to be giving her space!

Maybe if I just back away slowly… Sydney tried to back up without being obvious.

Suddenly, Houston looked up. “Syd?”

Crap.

“Oh, uh, hey Houston.” Sydney tried to look nonchalant and not at all like she was

trying to run away. “What are you doing here?”

Houston gave her a small smile. “Well, you’ve been avoiding me, so—”

“What, no I haven’t. You’re imagining things.”

Houston just gave her a look. “Right. Well, in any case, I think we should talk. You

haven’t spoken to me since that party.”

“Well, things kinda did get out of hand.”

Houston sighed. “Look, I’m sorry for how things turned out, but I’m not sorry for

speaking up.”

“Houston—”

“No, listen. Syd, I—you know how I feel about you. When I see you with another

guy, I just…” Houston sighed again. “I freak out, okay? I don’t want to see you with

anyone else. You’re supposed to be with me.”

“Houston—”

“Look, I know you said you needed to think about things, but come on. We belong

together, Syd. If—if Rose had decided to go to the Académie, then you wouldn’t

have freaked out and we’d still be together.” Houston looked into Syd’s eyes. “You

know I’m right.”

Sydney gulped. “Maybe…”

Sydney took a deep breath. “Maybe you are and maybe you aren’t.” At Houston’s

confused look, she continued. “Look, lots of things haven’t turned out the way I

thought they would. Spencer isn’t here. I’m trying to get Paige to rush with me

instead of Rose…” Sydney shrugged. “Obviously things aren’t set in stone.”

“Yeah, but—”

“I’m just trying to get some perspective, okay?”

Houston raised a brow. “Syd, I love you but that doesn’t mean I understand you.

Just tell me what you need.”

Sydney looked up at him. “I need to consider all my options. I need to figure out

what’s here and what’s not and see what else I could be missing out on by just

sticking to the plan. I need to meet new people and try new things and—and…”

Sydney paused. “Maybe then I’ll figure out where I’m supposed to be.”

“Or maybe you’ll figure out that we’re meant to be together and you’ve wasted a

bunch of time telling yourself differently.”

Sydney sighed.

Houston took her hands. “Syd, you have to know how much I care about you. You

have to know how much you care about me. We’re meant to be together. Love like

this doesn’t happen everyday.”

“How would I know that?” Sydney asked, letting go of Houston’s hands. “We’ve

been together our entire lives. I just…” Sydney bit her lip. “I won’t know what I’m

missing out on until I try new things. I need you to understand that, Houston.”

Sydney looked over his shoulder at the setting sun. “I’m just trying to figure out

who I am. Find out if I want the same things. Come up with new dreams. I need

you to understand that and give me some space.”

Houston was silent for a long time. “I don’t really have much choice, do I?”

He sighed. “Okay, Syd. You want more time, then fine. I’ll give you more time. I

won’t like it, but I’ll do it. Because I have to.”

“You-”

“I do. Because you’re my dream, Syd. And I can’t just give up on you. I need you

to understand that. I’m going to wait for you. And I’ll keep asking you and pushing

you about us because I have to. Because I can’t just give up. Okay?”

Sydney didn’t really know what to say to that, so with a quick nod she dashed off

inside, her mind and heart in turmoil.

*****

Paige bounced down the steps on the way to dinner and nearly groaned aloud

when she spotted Gallagher.

“Hey,” he said, grinning at the sight of her face.

“I do not know whether to hope this meeting is a coincidence or deliberate,” she

sighed.

“Why am I seeing you again?” Paige asked as she came down the steps.

“We do live in the same dorm.” Paige raised a brow. “But I was kinda hoping for an

answer,” Gallagher admitted sheepishly.

“If I recall correctly, I already gave you one,” Paige reminded him.

“Right, you told me you’d think about it,” Gallagher nodded in agreement.

Paige scowled. “That is not what I am talking about.”

“But you did say you think about it,” Gallagher pressed on as Paige sighed. “Can I

take that as a yes? Did I wear you down?”

“Hardly.”

“But?” Gallagher prompted.

“But… I do find you intriguing.”

“Really now?” Gallagher smirked.

“By you I am referring to your story. Unless all that stuff about what the professor

said was merely a clever lie to pull on heartstrings?”

“Oh. That.” Gallagher rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, that’s all true.”

“I grew up—well all over. Basically I’m some punk from the Crystal City public

school system trying to make it in the big fancy Académie. I need your help.” Paige

opened her mouth. “Desperately,” Gallagher added quickly. “I did mention I failed

my last test, right?”

Paige gave him a half smile. “Yes. You did.”

“I suppose…”

Gallagher leaned forward slightly, his brows raised expectantly. After a beat

nothing more was said. “That’s it?”

Paige nodded once. “That’s about as much of an agreement you are going to get

from me. I suppose. As in ‘I suppose I shall help you because I suppose I have

nothing better to do.”

Gallagher just grinned. “I’ll take it.”

“As well you should. But I have a condition if I am going to be spending my

precious time helping you for no pay.” Paige paused. “I am correct in assuming

that you wanted me to tutor you for free, yes? Because punks from the intercity

school system have so little to spare?” She raised a brow.

Gallagher cocked his head in acknowledgement. “And because suburban know-it-

alls love to help others out of the goodness of their hearts,” he couldn’t resist

adding.

“Right. Well, if I’m going to spend my time on you,” Paige said simply, “you shall

not waste it. I expect you to take this seriously—”

“Of course.”

“Don’t interrupt.” Paige looked him in the eye. “You will work hard, do as I tell you,

and follow up with study on your own. This is all, of course, assuming you actually

have the skills to succeed in this class.”

“If I find that you are lacking,” Paige continued, “and that you cannot actually keep

up with the curriculum, I will cease our study sessions. I refuse to waste my time

on lost causes.”

“Fair enough,” Gallagher agreed. He opened his mouth, about to say something

else, then paused and closed it, changing his mind. “Thank you,” he said at last.

“And this won’t be a waste.”

“I don’t get many chances,” he admitted. “But those I do, I don’t spoil. You won’t

regret this. I’ll make sure of that.”

*****

Time was going by too fast, Asher thought to himself as he stared up at the new

picture. The girls had been gone for months now; their first semester in college was

almost done. And home had changed as well. They’d had to. As much as he and

Melanie wanted to keep things the same and hold on to Spencer’s things, they’d

had to let go. Seth had needed a proper nursery and Rose a new room. She had

surprisingly decided to stick close to home and although she never said anything,

he and Melanie realized the truth: she was a young woman now. She needed more

space. And after sharing a tiny space for so long a time without complaint, she

deserved it. And so they’d remodeled. Hung new pictures on the wall.

The house was the same and yet completely different. The living room shrunk a

bit.

His master bedroom was now downstairs with its own private bath. He and

Melanie were still young, but inevitably the day would come when stairs would be

too much.

For now upstairs was mostly lounge space with two large rooms for Seth and

Rose. He’d no idea if Sydney or Paige would want to move back home after

college, but if they did, they could always remodel again.

For now, Rose had her own room and bathroom.

And Seth had a space to sleep and play and grow in. The thought only made

Asher sigh, however. As much as he loved having Seth around, his nephew really

ought to be with his father. It was time to give Zeph a little push.

And that’s how Asher found himself outside his father’s house bright and early the

next morning. Asher rang the doorbell a few times, hoping to bug Zeph out of bed.

“Okay, Okay, I’m coming,” he heard Zeph grumble. But then Zeph froze after he

blinked the sleep out of his eyes. “Asher,” he said slowly, trying not to growl, “What

are you doing?”

“Visiting. Like I said I would.”

“Yes, but—”

“But what?” Asher interrupted as Zeph ran a hand through his hair.

Asher put Seth down, letting him get acquainted with all the dogs sniffing around,

who were lining up patiently to greet the toddler.

“Ash,” Zeph tried again. “What are you doing?”

“If you won’t visit your son, then I’m going to bring him to visit you.”

“Are you crazy? It’s not exactly kid safe here, Ash and—”

“He’ll be fine,” Asher insisted.

“But—”

“No buts; he’s growing up fast, Zeph. He’s already a toddler. Learning to walk and

talk.”

“Really?” Zeph bristled, “But—”

“Pretty soon he’ll be all grown up, with no idea who his father is or what he’s like.”

“So I brought him over. You two can bond for a few hours while I go through some

more of dad’s things.” Zeph raised a brow. “Don’t ask,” Ash simply stated.

“Alright,” Zeph tried a new approach. “Maybe you’re right. I could spend some

more time with Seth. But we don’t have to start now, do we? Today’s really a bad

time. I’m dead tired from—”

“Great! Then your already half way there to being a real dad. You don’t get much

sleep with a toddler around.”

“Oh, really? You’re not looking too bad there, bro.” In fact, his elder brother

seemed to have way too much energy for Zeph’s liking.

“There are three adults in my house—we take shifts.” Ash shrugged. “Plus it’s not

as if I haven’t done this before.”

“Exactly! You are the expert here, not me. I know nothing about kids!”

“You really wanna leave me alone with an impressionable child?”

“Yes. Yes I do.”

“Ash!”

“Relax, Zeph. Have some faith in yourself. It’ll only be a few hours.”

“So you’ll make a few mistakes—that’s just a part of parenting. You’ll figure it out

Zeph, all you have to do is try. And if you don’t,” Asher raised his voice, cutting off

his brother’s next protest, “you’ll regret it. For the rest of your life. Time with your

son, watching him grow up, is something you can’t ever get back, Zeph.”

Damn, Zeph swallowed. No one knew how to guilt better than Asher.

“I-I don’t even know what—”

“Please, that’s the easy part. Play with him. Read him a book or something. Before

you know it, he’ll be ready for a nap.” Ash patted him on the shoulder and walked

into the house.

“Easier said than done,” Zeph muttered.

“Just keep an eye on him,” Ash tossed over his shoulder. “And don’t let him stick

any weird things in his mouth.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Zeph nodded at his brother then rubbed the back of his neck. “Okay,

kiddo, I guess it’s just you and me…”

Zeph looked down, expecting to see his son gazing back at him. But the porch

was empty.

He blinked, his eyes coming up with the same results.

“Seth?” Zeph called, his voice sounding weird and strained to his ears. Tell me I

did not lose my own kid in less than five minutes, he thought to himself.

“Seth!” he called out one more time. Suddenly, a high pitched squeal filled the air.

Heart racing, Zeph sprinted around the corner.

Just in time to see Seth get a face full of doggy kisses.

Zeph sighed as he skidded to a stop, willing his heartbeat to slow down. He

shooed Apollo away then bent down to examine his son.

“Alright you, come here.” As Zeph bent down, Seth reached up, ready to put his

arms around his father’s neck. Zeph’s heart fluttered a bit at the gesture.

Zeph cleared his throat. “Having fun with the doggies, are we little guy?”

Seth giggled, spouting toddler nonsense at his dad ending with the words ‘fun’ and

something that sounded a lot like ‘doggy.’

Holy crap. Startled, Zeph nearly dropped Seth, but his son just giggled, thinking it

was a game. Asher was right, though; Seth was starting to talk.

“Yup, I’m sure it’s fun scaring the wits out of your daddy, right?” Zeph gave his son

a little shake, eliciting more giggles. Zeph smiled softly. “Alright,” he said, more to

himself than his son, “How about we start things slow? Let’s play a game, just you

and me.” Seth clapped his hands again at the word game and Zeph couldn’t help

but feel proud. His son was truly growing up, getting bigger and smarter everyday.

*****

After a long week digging up a big pile of nothing at his father’s, it was nice to

come home and relax. And it was even better to come home to a full house.

Melanie had convinced the girls to come home for a family dinner and for the first

time in months he had the whole family around the dinner table.

“So why doesn’t everyone tell me what they’ve been up to?” Ash asked as he sat

down.

The three girls all started talking at once, making Asher laugh.

“Girls,” Melanie smiled, “One at a time.” She nodded at Paige. “Go ahead honey.”

Paige just shrugged. “Everything is as you expect. Classes are going well. It’s

much more challenging but I am still receiving top marks. I can’t wait to start my

second semester. We’re moving on to—”

“Boring!” Syd exclaimed in a sing-songy voice. “I swear, Paige, you pick the most

dreary parts of your life to share. She has a boyfriend, you guys.”

“What?” Three voices exclaimed at the same time another shouted, “I do not!”

“Do not listen to her. I do not have—”

“She’s lying!” Syd cut in, eager to dish the gossip.

“She goes out with this guy like every other day—”

“To study! We’re studying,” Paige tried to explain. “We’re not—”

“They spend all their time together—”

“We’re in the same class and we happen to live in the same dorm! I see him a lot;

that doesn’t mean anything,” Paige blurted.

“I think it’s more than that. I’ve been trying to get her to introduce me but she

insists—”

“It’s nothing. It’s—He’s not important. I’m just tutoring him!” Paige practically

shouted. She huffed and took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves. “I’m not

dating anyone! He is hardly boyfriend material. I am simply making friends like

three fourths of you told me to do and helping an acquaintance study. It’s

practically community service!”

“It’s okay, honey,” Melanie finally spoke up, though she was unable to keep the

smile off her face. “We believe you—”

“I wouldn’t.” Sydney couldn’t resist quipping.

“Oh, you’re one to talk. At least I’m not starting fights in the common room.”

“That was one time—”

“Twice!” Paige turned toward her family. “She and this other girl—some popular

sorority girl, apparently—had a screaming match in the hallway.”

“That was not my fault; she started it! She had a hissy fit when she found out I was

a Specter,” Sydney tried to explain, fork waving in the air. “She’s got some grudge

against Dad’s old frat—”

“Dad was in a frat?” Rose asked.

“I know, right?” Sydney mused. “It’s so weird. Who would’ve thought?”

“Hey! What’s that’s supposed to mean?” Asher piped up.

“Anyway,” Paige continued, “that was just the first fight. Houston practically started

a brawl with some other guy all because he was flirting with Sydney.”

“That is so not true! That story always gets so exaggerated. There was no

fighting.”

“And no flirting. We were just dancing. And Houston and I aren’t even a couple

anymore.”

“How is Houston, anyway?” Asher asked. He and Melanie were surprisingly calm

and good-natured about all the drama going on. But then, they knew what life at

Uni was like. “I haven’t heard from him in a long time.”

“And why are you hearing from him at all?” Sydney demanded.

“What are you doing talking to my boyfriend—ex-boyfriend. What, are you two

suddenly best buds now?” Asher chuckled. “You know, he told me how you and

Mom helped him with his scholarship.”

“We did,” Melanie admitted. “It wasn’t supposed to be a secret, really. You both left

for the Académie so fast, we really didn’t get to talk,” she shrugged.

“We thought it was something you wanted. That you wanted to stay together.” For

Asher, it was as simple as that. Trying to keep one of his girls happy.

“Mmm.” Sydney made a noncommittal sound. “Well, he’s doing okay, though we’re

not exactly back together.”

“Okay?” Paige snorted. “He’s picking fights with any guy that looks at you. That’s

hardly okay behavior.”

“She’s got a point,” Rose smirked. “Why exactly did you two—”

“Okay, new topic!” Sydney clapped her hands together. “Rose, whadda you up to?”

Rose gave a sheepish smile. “Well, nothing as exciting as what you two have

going on, apparently.”

“How can that be, you own a club?” Sydney demanded.

“You never say how the business is going, honey,” Melanie turned to Rose.

“Everything all right?”

Rose made a face. “Not really. The place is dead.”

Asher tried to be optimistic. “Surely it’s not that—”

“Oh, it is. Basically a graveyard right now,” Rose sighed. “We’re trying to build

buzz, but…” Rose rubbed her head. “Well, it’s a work in progress,” she finally said,

unwilling to admit any faults. “In the meantime it’s been tough finding some good

hires. We still need a full time DJ and a bartender. Things have been going pretty

slow for us lately.”

“Well,” Asher tried to be supportive, “These things take time. It’ll take a while

before a club can really get off the ground. Have you thought about opening up a

restaurant in the meantime? It could really help attract—What?” he trailed off at

the sight of Rose’s face.

“That’s pretty much what Heath said. I just don’t know. I don’t really want a

restaurant, you know?”

“Well, you’ll have to think of something.” Melanie looked at her. “Without the right

connections and contacts, it’ll be hard to draw people out. This is a pretty quiet

neighborhood.”

“Yeah, no kidding. I just wish I realized that before I bought the place.”

“Didn’t you consider that when you researched locations?” Melanie asked.

Rose made a face. She didn’t do much research, a fact she knew her mother

knew.

“Is this your way of saying I told you so?”

Melanie smiled. “I would never.”

Rose snorted.

“So what are you going to do?” Paige asked after a bite.

Rose sighed. “I don’t know. Hand out flyers or something?”

“Yeah, but where?” Syndey chimed in. “Crystal Springs is old people central.”

“Hey!” Asher spoke up. “Your mother and I still live here you know. We’re not old.”

“Yes you are,” Three voices said in unision.

Melanie just laughed. “I guess the jury has spoken.”

“Maybe,” Ash admitted. “They are right about one thing. If you want Edge to be a

young people’s club—”

“You see?” Rose interrupted. “Only old people say ‘young people’s club’.”

Asher ignored her. “Then you have to hand out flyers to other young—people your

age.” He nodded toward Sydney and Paige. “You should go visit them on campus.

Spend a weekend up there. Network.”

Rose raised a brow. “Dad you know that I’m not going to just start going there.”

“I do. But seriously. Go. Have Syd throw a party and chat with people about your

club. They’ll probably be impressed that you own your own business. It couldn’t

hurt anything and at the very least it’ll get the word out that there’s a place to hang

out when they go back home. And if a few, for lack of a better term, young people

start showing up there, the rest will follow. You’re all basically sheep.”

Rose laughed. “Hmm. You just might be on to something, Dad.”

The rest of dinner was spent catching up, talking, and laughing. It wasn’t quite the

same without Spencer, but it felt good all the same. Finally, it seemed, things were

quieting down and everyone was settling into a new routine.

*****

“Thanks for meeting me,” Aerith finally looked up from her coffee cup. It was weird

being here, like this, after all this time. But, at the same time, it felt good, too.

Familiar. After the craziness of the past few years, it was time to get her life back

on track. This was the first step, she knew.

“I—I know it’s been quite some time but… I just really needed someone to talk to

and… Well, you’re my best friend,” she smiled sheepishly.

“Always,” Taz smiled back. “And it’s good to hear from you. Surprising, but good.”

He nodded at her. “So what’s on your mind?” Aerith sighed. “That doesn’t sound

good.”

She smiled. “I’ve a lot of stuff on my mind. I don’t even know where to start.” She

paused. “A while back I finally met some other vampires. I had the hardest time

finding them after we graduated and I moved back here, but in the end they sort of

found me.”

Aerith sat back in her chair, taking everything in. It had been so long since she’d

talked with Taz. And it was so good to see him. Just having him sit next to her,

having something familiar to focus on, was comforting. Her mind and body were

still uneasy after the events of the last weekend. She needed comfort and

familiarity just then. Last weekend, she had finally drank blood from a sim.

She took a sip of coffee to bolster her voice, then she slowly filled Taz in on

everything that had been happening to her.

She talked about her search for the Contessa, about meeting Wes, about the

Tricous, and the clan—everything. She told him about Wes’s advice, about staying

away from her family, about the tension between her and the Tricous, and about

Wes’ urging to become more at peace with her vampire self. So she had listened

and went out with Wes the other night. With his guidance, she’d cornered her

prey—no, a sim. She’d flirted and gotten him alone. Then slowly and clumsily put

him in the requisite trance. And then she fed. And almost drained him. Her body

had been so starved for blood that she’d lost control. If Wes hadn’t been there…

Her hands shook on her coffee cup, remembering.

“Wes said that it was normal. That the ones who try to abstain from blood, that

they go crazy. They don’t realize it, but the body craves it. They start to lose

control as if they were addicts. Just the scent of blood can set them off and if they

ever do get a taste of it, they almost always kill their victims, lost in a haze of

bloodlust.” Aerith took a breath. “And the ones that do manage to abstain… They

desiccate. Though that takes a hell of a long time and sims usually go insane first.

So there you have it. Damned if I do, damned if I don’t.”

“You’re not damned.” Aerith gave him a look. “You’re not. You just need…” He

paused. What was the right word? “An anchor. You need an anchor. Something to

focus on, to pull you back into reality. Something that can clear your head and

snap you back to your old self when you’re feeling lost.”

“Easier said than done.”

“I never said it would be easy. And it’ll probably take a while to think of something.

But eventually you’ll figure it out.”

“You’re not… not seriously suggesting that I should keep drinking blood. Are you?”

“You’re not seriously suggesting that I should think you should desiccate. Are

you?” Taz raised a brow. Two could play that game.

“Taz. This is life and death stuff here.”

“And you haven’t killed anyone yet. Remember that.”

“Look, Aer, it’ll take time. And, unfortunately, practice. It seems like its willpower.

Try mediating. Maybe that will help you focus and stay in control. In the meantime,

though… Well, you’ll just have to trust this Wes guy. I mean, he’s been around

hundreds of years, right? He should know what he’s talking about.”

Aerith cocked her head and just looked at him for a good long while.

“What?” Taz asked.

Aerith scrunched her nose. “I just didn’t expect you to agree with anything Wes said.

I mean I know you two have never met and all, but… Still. I kinda thought you’d tell

me to take everything he says with a grain of salt.” She looked at him some more.

Maybe she didn’t know him that well anymore. It had been a long time.

Taz shrugged. “Well, like I said. Clearly he’s been at this for a long time. He ought to

know what it takes to survive. He’d know about vampire stuff. About how to feed.”

“True,” Aerith admitted.

“And I’m not exactly agreeing with everything, either. I mean, I can’t say teaming

up with those Tricous was the best idea. I have no idea what the purpose of that

was really supposed to be. It just seems so—” He stopped himself and took a sip

of coffee. “It’s done already, though,” he shrugged. “No sense rehashing that or

picking fights about it.”

“How mature of you.”

Taz smiled. “I can, however, put in my two cents about this cutting off old ties

nonsense.”

“Alright,” Aerith chuckled. “Let’s hear it.”

“It’s simple, really. You need a face.” At Aerith’s puzzled look, he elaborated. “Your

operation. Or clan, or whatever. It needs a face. This Wes guy, you said he and his

brother constantly travel and roam around helping other vampires, right?”

At Aerith’s nod, he continued. “Well, you and the Tricous don’t plan on that. You all

are staying here, right?” He took another sip. “Well, if you do, you can’t just poke

around town, mingling with humans for hundreds and hundreds of years.

Somebody’d notice eventually. And I get the impression this vampire business is

supposed to be secret. At least from the mainstream public anyway.”

“Well, we don’t have to mingle,” Aerith mused. “We could just keep to ourselves.”

“But all the time? Forever?” Taz sounded skeptical. “And do you really see those

Tricous being so discreet? From what you’ve told me—”

“No,” Aerith agreed. “Tina could definitely not be a recluse. She’d go mad.”

“Exactly. So you need a cover. A face to explain the day to day things. A name to

put on the property deeds and bank accounts. To pay the bills. I mean, what bank

isn’t going to notice an account that’s been active for hundreds of years, under the

same exact name?”

“Hmm.”

“There’s only so many doppelganger stories people can believe. You need a face

to mingle with the public and present to government and the like. Because for sure

you’ll need property and a stead source of income. You won’t be able to live

forever in one place, not anymore. You’d have to move every now and then. And

you’d need to support yourself. How are you going to explain property and deeds

that never changes hands and money that comes from nowhere? Those are the

types of things people make it their jobs to notice and investigate.”

“But I take it you’ve got a plan?”

“I do, and I can’t believe you haven’t thought of it already. You have family, Aer.

They are your cover: Asher and his kids. You put their names on the deeds. You

use their faces to front the businesses. Or what ever the hell it is you plan to do. I

don’t really know what you do for money.”

Aerith made a face. “I haven’t really thought of that. I’ve been living on Wes and

Dom’s charity for so long… We all have.”

“Then it’s time you thought about it, Aer. How long is that going to last? Are you

guys going to be dependent on them forever?”

“Again, I just didn’t think—”

“I get that. But, Aer, don’t you see? You’re losing sight of you. Of your future. Your

goals and hopes and so on. You need to start think about what you want. About

how to get it. You have to set yourself up for later.”

“You said that you were the first regent, right? Well, what does anyone who’s first

do? They build the foundation. That’s your job and that’s what you should be

doing. And in the meantime, you need to remember just what the hell you came to

Wes for. You were looking for answers, weren’t you?” Taz looked at her. “Did you

ever find the Contessa. Find out why this happened to you?”

Aerith looked away. It was the reason she left, originally. Why she had put their

relationship on hold. She needed answers. “No,” she admitted softly.

“Then isn’t it past time you got some?”

The pair looked at each other for a few moments.

Finally Taz broke the silence. “He’s right about one more thing, Aer.” He paused.

“You have to stop acting like you can go back. You can’t. Too much time has

passed. It’s past time to accept things and start your life.”

*****

“Can I sit here?”

Back on campus, Sydney was having a quiet breakfast, reflecting as she ate her

pancakes. She looked up at the stranger’s voice and mumbled a ‘Yeah.’

She looked him over. No shirt, shaggy black hair. When he flicked some hair out of

his eyes, she saw that they were brown.

“Do I know you?” Sydney blurted. For some reason this all seemed familiar.

“Uh, no.” Gallagher took a bite of pancake. “Do I know you?”

Sydney cocked her head. “No,” she said slowly. “I do not believe we’ve met.”

“Hmm.”

Sydney stared at him, tapping her fork against her plate. Eventually, though, she

went back to eating and the two ate in silence for a while.

Curious, Gallagher tried to get a good look at her. “You know, you do look kinda

familiar.”

“Oh, yeah?” Sydney managed to get out between bites.

“Yeah. This whole thing kinda reminds me of this girl I know, Paige.” At that

Sydney looked up. “In fact, you kinda look like her—”

“I do not!” Sydney exclaimed vehemently.

Gallagher was taken aback. “Whoa, okay. I guess you don’t look like her.”

Sydney watched him for a moment, then smiled.

“No, I don’t. Because she looks like me.” Gallagher looked at her in time to see her

eyes were sparkling, teasing. “I’m her older sister, Sydney.”

Gallagher laughed. “So much is making sense right now.”

Sydney tapped her fork against her chin. “No shirt and shaggy hair—it’s making

sense to me now too. You must be Gallagher.”

“That’s me.”

The two munched on pancakes for a while.

“You know, I probably shouldn’t tell you this,” Sydney began.

“So don’t.”

That only made Sydney smile. “I think my sister likes you.”

“Good. I think I like your sister.”

Sydney laughed. “Gallagher,” she leaned in, “How do you feel about Greek

houses?

*****

The End.