"Wake-up sleepy head." My mother's too cheerful voice croons. I grunt in response. "You have to get up for school sweetheart. Mara is already up." She says pulling the covers off of me.
I grab a pillow and cover my face with it. "Please tell me you are joking." I beg my voice muffled by the pillow.
"I am perfectly serious Andromeda. You need to be expose to more boys if you are to ever find your special someone." She tells me in her no-nonsense voice.
My exasperated scream is muffled by the pillow. I hear her heading to my closet. "Plus being exposed to this amount of emotions is good for you too; you will actually be able to feed off of them. Which is one more thing you couldn't do at the base, not with all those super natural beings hanging around you all the time; you had no time for good wholesome human emotional contact. My goodness, Andromeda could you have any more manly clothing. Well I guess you will have to wear the outfit I was saving for your first date." She says switching topics.
I quickly sit up, the pillow falling off my face, when what my mother said finally penetrated my sleep addled brain. "Mom! I don't…" I started to say, but she was already out the door.
"Uhh!" I say flopping back onto my bed.
"Here it is!" my mother squeals taking the dress out off the hanger. "Oh, come on baby. We don't have much time.
After my mother dragged me out of bed and shoved me into a cold, cold shower, I was finally awake. I wished with all my being that I was back in the warm bed blissfully unconscious, as my mother began a torturous battle on my hair. Then, she smeared a bunch of gunk on my face, which I can only hope was make-up. Finally, she dressed me out to the nines. After the morning torture session was done I was finally able to look at myself in the mirror.
As I looked at the girl in the mirror, who stared back at me, I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She was beautiful, but she looked suffocated and fake with her perfectly styled hair and perfectly painted face. She looked as if she belonged in a Barbie doll box, not standing here in this old house.
My gaze slowly slid down to the outfit my mother had dressed me in. It was a dark sapphire blue that matched my eyes. It was a halter top and the hem fell mid-thigh. The material of the dress clung to my body like a second skin. And if James, the smooth talking werewolf of my old team, were here he would say, 'A dress like that leaves little to a man's imagination.' I felt as if I was standing stark naked in front of the mirror. I wanted to throw multiply layers on to cover up my body. Oh how I ached to go back to the time of petticoats and chemises that were still used in the vampire world, today. I couldn't thank Maximus enough when he had shown me his unchanging world.
Maximus. How my whole being aches for him. He was one of my best friends, my right hand. Yet, here I was marching off to battle with neither my right nor left hand.
'You know the one thing that scares other people? Confidence. When you have confidence, others are scared and in awe of you because you have the one thing you can't teach. The belief in one's self. Just remember that Andy, and you will be great.' I hear Maximus say in my head. I can feel tears welling up in my eyes, but I quickly brush them away. I square my shoulders and I tell the fake girl in the mirror, "I can do this. I have faced down dozens of demons; surely I can face down a bunch of,"
"Andromeda!" my cousin's screech interrupts my pep talk. "Hurry up; I don't want to be late for the first day."
I quickly run down the stairs and out to my Mustang. Mara is dangling the keys from her fingers. I snatch them from her and turn the car on.
"Oh crap." I say slamming the hand against the wheel, "I have to get the bag of stuff I need for school."
"Just drive I grabbed it on the way out." She says putting on her seat belt.
I felt touched. Maybe Mara wasn't the bitch out of hell I had always thought she was. I look to say something nice in return.
"Thanks for grabbing my bag and by the way you look really nice today." I say giving her a smile.
She gives me a sneer, "Well, you look like I model for slut-r-us. And don't think I was doing you a favor by grabbing your bag; I just didn't want to get half to school and have to turn around and go get it. This would make me even more late than I already am." She turns the radio up signaling the end of conversation.
Okay, it seems that hell is missing its Head Bitch today. I turn down the radio and ask "Mara what have I ever done to you that makes you hate me so much?"
"I'm sorry I don't grovel at your feet like every other god damn person in this world." She says angrily, shifting through her backpack. She pulls out her iPod and sticks the headphones in her ears, turning up the music so loud that I can clearly hear the words of the song.
"Okay, I guess sharing time is over." I say turning back to my own thoughts.
It seems like a lifetime before we pull into the school's parking lot reserved for students.
The HB gets out of the car and starts walking off towards the main building. "Yeah, you're welcome for ride." I yell at her back.
She whips around and says snottily "I will thank you not to talk to me or my friends until you leave this town. Don't act like you know me or tell anyone we are related."
"Ha like I would want to be linked to you, people might be afraid that bitchiness runs in the family." I shoot back.
She gives me a look that could wilt flowers and then turns back around nose high up in the air and resumes walking toward the building.
I reach in the back for my bag when the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I can feel someone's eyes staring at my butt. I try to quickly get out of the car while trying to straighten up, but I only manage to slam my head against the inside roof of the car.
"Ouch!" I say massaging my head as I pull my bag from the vehicle.
"Hey! That's a sweet ride. Did your boyfriend or your dad let you borrow it?" some guy asks me running his eyes up and down my body. He has two of his buddies with him and their eyes are glued to my chest. And the award for the most uncivilized men in the history of the world goes to America, great job America, I think to myself.
I plan on not answering these guys, but then I think; might as well have a little fun while I'm here. "Well," I say giving the guy a seductive smile, "considering my boyfriend is dead and my dad is in jail. I guess this baby belongs to me." Giving my car an affectionate pat on the hood.
By the time, what I have said finally sinks in I am already bored with this guy. Oh how I miss my sparing battles of wit with Bridget. I brush past the empty-headed guys and start heading towards the school.
As I walk into the foyer of the main building I see everyone formed into little tiny groups. I feel so isolated, so alone. Everyone is staring at me, but no one tries to come up and talk to me. I can see that this is what I should expect to deal with until, my soul mate shows up. I guess I will just have to endure this like I do everything else.
Suddenly I feel two arms snake around my waist. I feel a warm breath in my ear and the stubble of his jaw on my shoulder. I'm about to scream when his deep masculine voice whispers into my ear "My, my, my you clean up real good. I could simply ravish you right here and not care who sees. What do you say to that my dear?"
Author's Note: Sorry about the wait! Hope you like it and please please leave reviews good or bad i'd like to hear them.