The Keeper's Vow (31 page)

She put it back in the gift bag on her desk
and brushed her hair. She put it in a braid, then decided it looked
better loose. She put on her best tank-top that showed off her
arms. She wished she’d actually had packed the matching pajama
bottoms. Instead she’d packed the sweats that hung low. At least
they’d show off her flat stomach.

She picked up the jade turtle Brian had
given her. It was still sticky with egg nog, and it smelled sour.
She put it back on the dresser.

What about her face? Lip gloss. She needed
lip gloss.

She rummaged through the bottom desk drawer,
shifting through candy wrappers, old essay papers, pencil shavings,
and loose index cards she’d left here from a few months ago.
Finally, there it was, a perfect stick of pink. Sweet cherry rolled
across her lips. She used her towel to wipe most of it off, so they
didn’t look so shiny.

She grabbed the gift bag and eased down the
hallway. She went down the stairs two at a time, skipping the last
one that creaked. She started to knock, but held back a smile as
she turned the knob instead. He’d know she was there.

It was locked.

“Tristan?” she whispered, feeling
embarrassed. The door clicked and opened.

“Katalina?” he looked her over and
half-smiled. She looked away trying not to blush.

“I got you something,” she held out the gift
bag.

“Let me guess, Othello?” he said, taking it
from her. “I heard you thinking about it a few minutes ago.”

She felt deflated, silly, and stupid all at
once.

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay. Just killed the surprise.”

“The surprise isn’t what makes it the best
gift I’ve ever gotten.”

She couldn’t look at him, not with the
stupid huge grin on her face. “So you like it?”

“Of course. It’s from my best-friend.”

Best-friend
.

He walked to his desk and pulled out a
package from the top drawer.

“You got me something?” The butterflies made
it hard for her to breathe. She didn’t expect a gift.

“Yeah, a while ago.” His thumb rubbed across
the package as he studied it. Did he think she wouldn’t like it?
His eyes met hers.

“It’s not the gift that makes it the best
gift I’ve ever gotten.” Her stomach leaped at the small smile he
gave her. She took it. It was heavy. She opened it, carefully to
preserve the thoughtfully wrapped paper. She took the lid off a
thin brown box and opened and closed her mouth until she said,
“wow.”

In the box was a twin set of knives with
ivory grips and printed pink roses climbing the grips in spirals
vines. Next to the knives was a silver plated pistol with a grip
that matched the knives. They shined with expensive beauty. “How
much did these cost you?” She was afraid to touch them.

“Doesn’t matter. That pistol will never
misfire on you, and those knives are handmade to perfection.”

She picked them up, one by one feeling the
grace they exuded. They were light to the touch, an extension of
her arm; perfection. “Tristan, this
really
is the best gift
I’ve ever gotten.”

“I’m glad you like them.”

“I love them.” She looked up ready to throw
her arms around him, but he looked away.

“I’ve been thinking we should really push
harder in training. Your hand to hand is pretty good, but you’ve
got to work on being comfortable with a knife.” He sat down on the
other side of the bed. Pluto was closer to her than him. He wasn’t
looking at her, or being relaxed. He was calculated. “We have a
good week before school starts back up. I bet we could get a lot
done if we ask Lucinda to train three times a day.”

Why was he acting like he couldn’t hear her.
If he knew she got him Othello, if he had been listening to her
thoughts, he would have known she was coming down to give it to
him. Why did he lock the door? If he had been listening, he would
have known why she put on the cherry lip gloss and the stupid
too-tight tank top.

“Is there something you’re trying to tell
me?” she said, feeling dumb and disgusted.

He stared at the floor. “What do you
mean?”

“You’re being—weird.”

“Since when is me talking about training
weird?”

“You know what I mean.”

He raised his eyebrows and shrugged. That
display of indifference and mock confusion. Pluto was also much
warmer. But it was something more than that; something she had
hadn’t felt for a while, until now. His wall.

“If you have something to say to me, just
say it,” she said, pushing back the hole she felt growing from the
pit of her stomach out. It was eating everything in its path,
leaving behind panic.

“Don’t be a girl, Katalina. You’re making
this more than what it is.”

“If I’m being a girl now, what was I
before?”

“I don’t know, normal.”

“So I’m only any good if we’re wrestling out
in the backyard and making jokes?”

“We don’t wrestle.”

“Because
that’s
the point I’m
making.”

“Well, yes—I mean no.”

“Did you honestly just say yes?”

“I didn’t mean that. I meant when we’re
training and joking around, that’s normal. This, I don’t
know—you’re being weird.”

You might as well have called me ugly.

“That’s not what I said. You don’t look
ugly. You’re not ugly”

“So now you can hear me? If me being a girl
weirds you out so much why’d you open the door?” She balled up her
fist, in between punching him in the face and crying.

“You don’t see how I might think what you’re
feeling now is weird?”

She stood up and grabbed her box. “Thanks
for the present, Asshole.”

“Katalina,” he called as she swung his door
open. She didn’t care about being quiet as she ran up the stairs
and to her room. She put the box on her desk and sat on the bed.
She was shaking she was so mad. She hated, absolutely hated, him.
How much of a jerk did someone have to be to go from nearly kissing
her to complete indifference? She felt like a complete idiot. She
opened up to him, treasured the fact that he let her in. Now she
was paying for it, but she had learned her lesson.

Christmas was as pathetic as her
relationship with Tristan. Will packed up Brian and flew him out to
Seattle to live with his Uncle. Lucinda cried in her room. Tristan
didn’t come out of his room, and at home Katie just sat in front of
the TV with her dad watching
The Christmas Story
. It was a
pathetic day. She couldn’t think about anything except how she now
hated Tristan with her every fiber. But she didn’t, did she? Not
really. If she did she wouldn’t have gone to bed early and
cried.

Everyday for the rest of break all she did
was train, from sun up until she passed out. Lucinda worked them
harder each day. And they accomplished a lot now that they didn’t
talk. Katie almost skipped every lesson, but Lucinda was not in the
mood to be crossed and Katie couldn’t stay away anyway. She hated
herself for it. It was always better to hate him while he was
standing in front of her than if she didn’t see him all day.
Though, when she did see him, she let him hear just how much she
hated every little thing he did.

She ignored everything he had to say if it
wasn’t how to punch straight or get more range when throwing a
knife. When they were in the same room, he treated her the same way
he used to—like she was going to laugh at one of his jokes at any
moment. But he was finally starting to get the hint.

“He’s a jerk,” Allison said, sitting across
from her at Jimmy Bean’s Coffee shop. They were sipping on hot
chocolate with marshmallows at a table next to a window. “But
that’s expected of him.”

“Why?” Katie said. She had been patiently
waiting to see if Allison was bigoted like Brian and everyone else
at the party. She wanted to know if her best-friend would look at
her the way all those eyes were looking at Tristan.

“Because that’s just how Tristan is. Mean
and jerky.” She took a sip of her hot chocolate. “Too bad you
didn’t get to make out first. I’m really sorry I interrupted.”

“Allison, are you serious?” This was her
chance. “He’s a halfbreed.”

Allison cut Katie a look that could have
drawn blood. “Shut up, Kay. You don’t even know what that word
means. And if you do, you’re not the person I thought you were.”
Allison’s face was just as red as her hair.

“Allison…”

“No. No one should ever be called that. Like
they’re some sort of animal. How would you feel? I’ll never forgive
Brian for what he said,” she spat. “Just because his parents are
elite…it doesn’t make him royalty. Him and his stupid friends strut
around like they’re better than every one—and
you
. Using
that word.”

“I didn’t mean to…I didn’t know it would
bother you that much. That was stupid.”

“Yeah, it was.”

“I’m sorry.” Katie couldn’t help but smile
to herself. She should have known better. Then again, she thought
she knew Brian, and she thought she understood Tristan. They had
fooled her, she didn’t know who they were at all.

She finished her hot chocolate and pushed
the cup to the middle of the table.

“I love her boots.” Allison stared at the
feet of someone behind Katie. She turned and saw a black girl
wearing a thick, but form-fitting, black sweater and pretty black
boots over dark denim skinny jeans—that she knew Allison would have
also killed for because they looked designer. She had tiny braids
that went down to her butt and—was staring directly at Katie. The
girl looked familiar. Did she go to their school? Whether she knew
her or not she was about to, because the girl walked straight to
their table. Allison’s eyes were still glued to her shoes.

“You don’t remember me do you?” the girl
said. Her skin was smooth like a slowly melting milk chocolate. She
had a heart shaped face with full lips and perfect eyebrows. “It’s
okay, I hardly recognized you. You look much better now than you
did before.” She pulled up a chair and sat down.

“Where did you get those boots? Those are
the hottest things I’ve ever seen in my life.” Allison said,
looking at the girl for the first time.

“I don’t remember. I think a small boutique
in Manhattan,” she said, looking Allison up and down. “You have
good taste. In everything.”

Allison blushed.

The girl looked back at Katie and a jolt
shot through her. It was the eyes. They were beautiful; hazel, with
long lashes and just like the werewolf from the alley. The girl
laughed and it sounded like music. She pulled her shirt and sweater
to the side to show a tiny scar on her shoulder.

“It’s almost all gone now. I’m going to be
really pissed if there is so much of a spec of scar left.”

“You’re a
werewolf
? The one from the
alley?”

The girl nodded and side glanced at Allison.
Allison scrunched her brows.

“She’s a guardian,” Katie said, thinking the
girl might have thought talking in front of Allison wasn’t
safe.

“I know she is,” she said. “And it was me.
Tristan and I weren’t too far from here when he flipped out.”

“Mercedes,” one of the guys behind the
counter said. The girl stood up and excused herself. The barista
handed her a cup with a hand warmer and she came back to the
table.

She knew Tristan. She was
with
Tristan. Katie felt a rush of jealousy. This girl was beautiful.
She was graceful
and
she was beautiful.

“What exactly are you guys talking about?”
Allison knew Katie was keeping something else from her. Allison was
told that Brian had an accident during a training exercise with
Will that put him in the hospital. She didn’t know anything of the
alley.

Katie shrugged it off. “I was meeting Lucy
and Tristan here the other day to—uh—see a werewolf. She was the
werewolf.”

Allison didn’t believe one word. It was
written all over her face.

Mercedes sat down and looked between them.
“Anyway, I’ve been looking for Tristan for the last few weeks. He
stopped dropping by the pub,” Mercedes said, crossing her legs.

Tristan went to pubs? And met up with girls
like this? Her heart sank. She knew nothing about him.

“How do you know I’m a guardian?” Allison
said abruptly.

“Because you smell like one. Pleasure with a
hint of caution.” Did Katie imagine the way she looked at Allison’s
shirt like a piece of rich chocolate? “That perfume is to die for,
and that shirt—it’s a ZaneFlo fall collection isn’t it?” Allison’s
eye’s lit up like stars.

“You’re good,” Allison said, jaw dropped.
They raved about designers Katie never heard of and fabrics she
didn’t know existed.

“Why have you been looking for Tristan?”
Katie said.

Mercedes paused and looked at her. “To be
honest in that shirt you’re an eye sore. How could you let her out
in public like that?”

Katie frowned and wrapped her arms over her
baggy faded blue and green stripped sweater.

“You should have seen the yellow one she had
on before I made her change,” Allison sighed.

“Yellow? With that complexion?”

“That’s what I said!”

“Guys!” Katie nearly yelled. The last thing
she needed was two Allison’s picking on her. Mercedes’ face shifted
from confusion to contemplation. She was considering her words
carefully.

“Just wanted to catch up with him.”

Katie was as still as stone. She tried not
to give away her desperation.

“Anyway, if you see him can you let him know
Mercedes has an answer for him?” Katie stared at her blinking. An
answer to what? What had they been talking about that required an
answer? Katie didn’t need to ask. She knew. You don’t go to bars to
talk about the weather.

Mercedes winked at her before, getting up to
leave.

“Wait,” Katie said. Mercedes saved her life
that night. Even if she was some secret Tristan was hiding from
her, Katie owed her.