Thicker Than Water (13 page)

“Thanks,” Kia said, flashing a quick smile. She stood up. “Well, I should do some work in the studio since I start my shift later. Don't want to fall behind in my drawing portfolio,” she added with a slight edge for Carol's benefit.

“Right,” Carol said. “That's good thinking.”

God,
Kia thought,
when did she turn into a parent?

Kia tossed her garbage and slammed her lunch tray onto the rack. She left the cafeteria, knowing she'd be the topic of conversation between Aaron and Carol for the rest of lunch.

 

At five minutes to four, Kia walked into NightTimes. Stevo glanced up from the cash register. “Yes?” he asked.

“I'm here for my shift,” Kia said, raising her eyebrows.

“Oh, right. Hecate, your friend is here to work,” he bellowed. He looked at Kia. “She'll tell you what to do. I like employees to not bug me for every little thing. Figure it out yourself. Your job is to make mine easier.”

Hecate came out from the back. “Hey, Kia.”

“Hey,” Kia replied.

“I'm going,” the manager said. “Hecate leaves at eight. I'll be back at ten to lock up.”

Now Kia felt really nervous. She hadn't realized she'd be in the store by herself on her first day.

“Don't worry,” Hecate whispered. “By the time I go, you'll know everything there is to know. He just likes to think working here is complicated.” In a louder voice she added, “I'm going to start by showing her the stockroom, okay?”

Stevo nodded.

“Don't mind him,” Hecate said as they went into a back area filled with boxes. “He's really not so bad.”

Hecate gave Kia a rundown of where things were, then brought her back out front to show her how to use the register. Kia spotted lots of flyers for club nights on a counter and notices posted on a bulletin board by the front door. She remembered the “invitation only” flyer that both Damon and Kali had given her. The party was being held tonight.

She felt a pang of regret. She was way too chicken to go to the event on her own.

“Things get busy around now,” Hecate said, interrupting Kia's thoughts. “That's why there are always two of us here from four till eight. Then it quiets down. At least weekdays. Weekends it's just busy whenever.”

Kia nodded, hoping she would keep things straight. Luckily the calculator did all the math, a lot of the stock was already tagged, and the book prices were on the books.

“Some kids do steal,” Hecate warned. “So keep your eyes open. Just make sure they know you're watching.”

Kia had no idea what she would do if someone tried to take something. Maybe the job was a mistake—too much responsibility.

“We get first dibs on the cool stuff,” Hecate said. “Like this.” She held up a black vinyl catsuit with red lightning bolts down the sides. “I'm putting this away for me!”

The door chimes jangled.

“Your first customers!” Hecate grinned. “Luckily, since we're a goth place, Stevo doesn't mind if we give attitude. So ignore them if you want—just keep your eyes open.”

Kia laughed. “That's good. I don't think I could be one of those super-friendly Gap types.”

“Me either. That's why I like you. We're both brilliantly hostile.”

Two girls and a boy who looked to be around Kia's age wandered through the racks. Hecate started tagging some boots and Kia stood at the ready at the cash register. Eyes open, just like Hecate had said.

The boy was cute, in a rumpled way—black skintight pants, a pierced eyebrow, and a studded dog collar, worn with a crumpled white ruffled shirt. Kind of a mixed metaphor—poetic goth or something. Both girls with him wore long dresses with clunky boots. The boy looked up from the rack of jackets and caught Kia looking at him.

She immediately looked down at the cash register and pretended to be busy. One problem with keeping an eye on the customers—they thought you were checking them out.

She glanced at him from under her eyelashes, not moving her head. He had gone back to browsing, but now he was smiling.

He came up to the counter with a jacket. “I'll take this,” he said.

Kia nodded. She had to remember Hecate's instructions about how to use the register.

“Do you go to Sinful?” he asked.

“Never heard of it,” Kia said.

“You should check it out,” he replied, handing over a wad of bills. “I play there on Mondays.”

“Yeah?” Kia said.

“My band.” He jerked his head toward the two girls, who were now cooing over ankhs and pentagrams in the jewelry case. “They're in it too.”

“Oh.” Kia folded the jacket and shoved it into a plastic bag along with the receipt. She handed the bag to the boy.

“I can get you in free,” he added.

“Cool.”

The guy left, trailed by the girls.

“Your first sale,” Hecate said.

“And I didn't even screw up.” Kia fluffed her bangs. “And my first attempted pickup in the workplace.”

“Ooh, baby, believe me, it has only just begun,” Hecate said. “This is one wicked sitch to meet delectables in. And get free passes.”

“I think I'm going to like it here,” Kia said.

The next few hours were pretty slow—high school students wandering in and not buying anything. Then, as it grew later, the after-work crowd started showing up.

As the sun set, the store slowed down again, so Kia decided to try on the midnight blue dress with the laces up the front and the back that had caught her eye the moment she entered the store. She came out of the dressing room to show Hecate and stopped.

Damon and Kali stood at the front door.

Damon leaned against the wall as Kali walked to the shoe section in the back. He was adjusting the zippers on the cuffs on his jacket. Backlit by the streetlamp outside and contrasting with the dark night sky, his fair hair and pale skin seemed almost otherwordly—an angel in black leather, complete with halo. He turned and broke the illusion, the streetlight casting dramatic shadows on his chiseled face. Kia took in a sudden breath: he was that beautiful.

He must have heard her because he looked up and smiled. “Hello. Again. And so soon.”

“H-hi.” Kia cleared her throat. She didn't trust her voice, so she didn't say anything else but made herself smile, pleased that she'd chosen this moment to put on the blue dress.

His black eyes were on her, all over her; she could feel them. She wondered if he looked at everyone that way. Or did he see something special in her—something he wanted to keep looking at?

“That looks great on you,” Hecate said from the cash register.

“Yeah?” Kia asked.

“Yeah,” Damon answered instead, a sly grin on his face. “Very great.”

Don't blush don't blush don't blush.
“Then I guess I'll have to buy it,” Kia said.

“Wear it next time you're at Vampyre Central,” Damon suggested. “And I'll spin some discs just for you.”

“Will you cool me off again?” Kia said, amazed at her ability to talk to this demon-angel.
It must be the outfit,
she decided.

“If that's what you want,” Damon said, a teasing tone in his voice. “Unless you prefer heating up.”

Kia played with the end of one of the laces, not sure how to respond.

“Do you want to keep it on till the end of the shift?” Hecate asked.

Damon cocked his head at Kia. “You work here? Why haven't I seen you before?”

“It's your vampire hours,” Hecate joked. “You only come in after the sun goes down.”

Damon laughed. “That must be it. There's a lot you miss when you can't risk daylight.”

“Actually,” Kia said, “this is my first day. Night,” she added, glancing at the dark street outside.

Kali came up front to join them. “I like those thigh-high silver numbers,” she said. “But not at that price. Are they going on sale anytime soon?”

Hecate shook her head. “Too new.”

In the bright light of the store Kia could see how heavy Kali's makeup was. She was still quite beautiful, with her fine features and amazing body, but her undead complexion was definitely applied with a sponge and a powder brush. The thick eyelashes—obviously fakes—were missing, as well as the fangs. Damon, on the other hand, was naturally pale. Even here, away from the club, his skin seemed nearly translucent.

“Oh, hello,” Kali said, as if noticing Kia for the first time.

“Hi,” Kia said quietly.

Kali nodded at Kia. “I tried that on,” she said.

“Oh?” Kia wasn't sure how to interpret that comment.

“It suits her more than it did you,” Damon said. “Don't you think?”

Kali just kept nodding. “Yes. She looks positively scrumptious.”

“Exactly my thought,” Damon said, looking at Kia, his dark eyes much more intense now, no tease or smile in them.

Goose bumps prickled her skin as if a cold wind rippled past her. It would be impossible for her to look away. Even if she wanted to.

The door opened and a group of kids piled in, setting the chimes jangling.

“See you again,” Damon said. He swept Kali out of the store.

Someone poked her in the back. Kia jumped.

Hecate grinned up at her. “Hello? Come back to earth, little missy.”

Kia flushed and gazed down to the floor. “That obvious, huh?”

“Oh, big time,” Hecate said. “Still, it didn't seem all on your side.”

Kia's heart thumped a little. “So, I'm not crazy? He seems interested?”

“He looks at you as if you were candy. Or a pint of blood, 1 should say.”

“As long as I look tasty,” Kia said, grinning. “Good enough to bite.”

“Yeah, and then Kali will come after you with her own sharpened incisors,” Hecate replied.

Kia winced, feeling herself deflate. “So is she his girlfriend?” she asked.

“I told you, I'm not really sure what the deal is with them. Other than that they're both pretty deep in the vampire scene.”

“What does that mean?” Kia asked.

“Do you have these in a size ten?” Kia's head jerked up at the familiar voice. Virgil appeared from the back of the store, holding a pair of boots. He must have come in while she was changing into the dress. He stopped when he saw Kia and fiddled with the boots.

This is awkward,
Kia thought. She'd gotten away with ignoring Virgil at school for the past two days. And now here he was, clearly waiting for Kia to set the tone.

Kia caught a glimpse of herself in one of the many long mirrors dotting the store. She remembered Damon's attention, his eyes on her. She felt strong, powerful, desired. She figured she could afford to be generous.

“Hey, Virgil,” she said.

“Kia.” He sounded wary.

“Listen, sorry I went ballistic on Friday,” she said, choosing to take the high road.

He relaxed his shoulders. “Well, I probably did something wrong, only I didn't know it.”

“Kind of,” Kia said. “But you couldn't know, really.”

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“Working,” Kia replied.

“Since when?” Virgil looked surprised.

“Today,” she said.

Three girls from Kia's school came in through the door. They were the popular girls of the goth clique that Virgil was always sitting with at lunch. She wondered if they had planned to meet up with him in the store.

One of them—the petite Asian girl with a furious haircut and angrier makeup—did a double take when she saw Kia.

“Hi, Julie,” Virgil greeted the girl. He nodded at the other two with her. “Mandy. Wren.”

Julie studied Kia. “So you work here?” she said.

“Yup.”

“Interesting,” Julie said, nodding.

“I wish I had such a cool job,” said the tall girl, Wren. “I work at the copy shop near school.” She rolled her eyes. “So boring.”

“Yeah,” Mandy added. “You're lucky, Kia.”

Kia shrugged. “I guess.”

“Have you figured out your term project yet?” Julie asked.

The three girls talked with Kia about school and about bands, and she pointed out the new flyers on the counter. Virgil stood nearby, hands in his pockets, jingling his change.

“Hey, we should split,” Julie said. “The music store is going to close soon.”

“See you at school tomorrow,” Wren said. “I can give you the history notes for the class you missed.”

“Thanks,” Kia said.

Virgil lingered after Julie, Wren, and Mandy left. “I burned a new CD I think you'll like,” he said.

Okay,
now
he's acting normal.
“Cool,” she said.

“Yeah, so ...” He rocked on the balls of his feet. “So, later.”

“Yeah, later.”

Virgil gave her a quick, furtive smile, then left the store.

“Ooh, he likes you,” Hecate said.

“What? Virgil?” Kia shook her head. “We're just friends.”

“If you say so.” Hecate began packing up her stuff to go.

Kia felt a flutter of anxiety. “You're leaving?”

Hecate smiled. “Don't worry, you'll do fine on your own.”

Hecate left and Kia sat behind the cash register, thinking over her first shift.

Even if there was something romantic between Damon and Kali, it couldn't be serious, Kia decided. Maybe they hooked up sometimes, but it couldn't be a steady, exclusive thing. Not with Damon pointing out to Kali how hot Kia looked. No boyfriend would do that to a girlfriend. Especially since Kali agreed with him.