Bittersweet Sixteen (A Dodie Jenks Novel) (18 page)

A house. What was I going to do with a house?

Callie and Lisa rushed over to me and gave me hugs.

“Wow. Did you have any idea you were getting a house?” Callie asked.

“I can’t believe your dad would tease us all by making us think for a second that you were getting a car,” Lisa said. “Girl, what have they done to you? You don’t look like the Dodie who left us a few weeks ago.”

I laughed. “Actually they did nothing. Grandma just gave me a closet full of clothes that I was determined to wear before leaving here. There was a set of hot curlers in the bathroom and I just gave it all a try.”

Callie wrapped a golden curl around her finger and stepped closer. “So what’s the deal with Mr. Hotstuff? Are you two like an item or is he just a paid escort for tonight?”

A paid escort? She did not just say that!

I swallowed the retort that was on the tip of my tongue and tried to act like I didn’t notice her remark. “You mean Leopold?”

They both nodded, glancing longingly in his direction.

“Yes. He’s my friend and we like one another. So try to behave yourself when I introduce him.”

“Sure.”

“Absolutely.”

I motioned for him to come join us. He did, adjusting the knot of his tie as he walked toward us.

Dweeb and Jackass picked that moment to crash our circle.

“Hey, Dodie, baby, where have you been lately?” Jackass asked, trying to wrap his arm around me.

I quickly sidestepped him, but then Dweeb was on my other side, trying to do the same and I bumped into him and he wrapped both arms around me.

“Yeah. That’s more like it, Dodie girl. Stake your claim on the Dweebster.”

“Get off me.” I pushed him away.

Callie and Lisa both began to slap him on the arm so he’d back away.

“You’re such a nerd,” Lisa said.

“No wonder they call you Dweeb,” Callie added.

Leopold cleared his throat. “Is there a problem?”

“Not since you arrived,” Lisa said with a wink.

He actually turned a shade of pink and reached for my hand. Usually he did that when he thought I needed support, but I could tell he was the one needing it. So I gladly rescued him.

“Leopold, please meet Lisa who I didn’t know could be such a flirt.”

“Hello.” He gave a slight nod in her direction.

“Don’t forget about me!” Callie said, sticking out her hand for him to shake.

“And Miss Impatient here is Callie. The three of us have been friends since junior high.”

“Nice to meet you both.”

“What about us?” Dweeb asked. “Are we chopped liver?”

“No, that’d be an insult to liver.” I slapped my hand over my mouth as soon as the words left it.

Lisa and Callie broke out into hysterics.

I felt horrible and unsure what had come over me, but Jackass thought it was funny too and tried to get me to share a hi-five with him.

“Sorry.”

Dweeb shrugged. “Hey, that was cool. I didn’t think you had it in you, Dodie girl. Catch ya laters. Hey Brody, did you hear the cut your sister just gave me?”

“I think I need more punch. If you’ll excuse me,” I said, going in search of the punch bowl in the dining room. I filled a fresh glass and slowly drank it, then refilled it. When I turned around I almost bumped into Ambrielle.

“Excuse me, honey. I didn’t mean to startle you,” she said, eyeing my chest. “That’s a very unusual charm around your neck.”

“It was a gift. I’m glad you could come. I didn’t know that Grandma had invited you.”

“Yes. Well. She called me up out of the blue this morning and said I needed to be here if at all possible. Explained what she was doing and how she felt I had been a part of this from the start even though I had warned you not to try to break the…you know.”

“Yes, I know.”

“You went against my advice, but—and I don’t say this often—I think you were right. I sense a peace in this house where you are concerned.” She looked around to see that no one was near and then she stepped closer, lowering her voice. “But I must warn you, there is a darkness lurking here tonight. I’ve gotten close to it, but whoever it is has the skill of shielding. Whoever it is does not want to be discovered by me or your warlock. So do be careful.”

“I will.”

“Good.” She patted my forearm and smiled. “Your warlock is very cunning.”

I sipped my punch as she walked away. And refilled my glass a second time finding it difficult to quench my thirst. Leopold came over and joined me at the table.

“Who was that lady?” he asked.

“Ambrielle. Did you know that Grandma invited her?”

“Cherie and I spoke of it.” He picked up a plate and filled it with a few of the offerings. “Aren’t you going to eat?”

“I thought you didn’t want her coming?” I ignored his question.

“I changed my mind.” He set down the plate and took hold of my hand. “Have you seen your cake yet?”

“No.”

“Do you want to?”

“Sure.”

“Come with me.” He pulled me along to the kitchen where the caterer and her assistant were busy preparing more food. The cake sat on the island counter and it was a very large one, two tiered with columns surrounding a lighted sixteen that sat in the middle. The icing was white with blue roses and rosebuds for accent.

“It’s lovely, too pretty to eat.”

“I agree.” He pulled me along across the kitchen toward the door to the wine cellar.

“Where are you taking me?”

“Someplace where we can talk alone.”

“What about?” I asked, having a sinking feeling something wasn’t right. I remembered the doppelgänger that had appeared before, the day I’d gotten my dress. I let go of his hand. “No. I need to get back to the party.”

“I don’t think so, not this time.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me hard toward the wine cellar door.

“I will not!” I screamed, stiffening my legs and trying to keep my feet from moving as he pulled. I yanked my arm back, but his grip on my hand was too tight. This wasn’t Leopold. This was the descendant. I couldn’t go into that wine cellar with him.

We struggled, but it seemed that the caterer and her assistant were blind to what was going on. Even though I called for help. My wrist corsage was battered in the process of the struggle and the petals from the rose fell off, leaving only the stem.

“Leave me alone. Why do you want to harm me?” I cried, trying once again to free my hand from his hold, but his fingers had a death grip on me.

“You don’t deserve to live. No Doherty kin deserves it.” He yanked open the cellar door with his free arm and took a step inside, pulling me along with him, despite my efforts to stay put.

Behind us I heard the scraping of the kitchen door on the floor as it opened. “Dodie!” Leopold called.

I glanced in his direction and I saw Grandma rush in behind him. “Oh my lord!”

Oscar appeared a moment later and he threw what looked like a glowing ball of fire toward the door which sent the doppelgänger into the wine cellar and closed the door, the force sending me into the wall.

Leopold ran to me and helped me up. “Are you okay?” He crushed me to him and I couldn’t stop trembling. His lips found mine and we kissed feverishly for a moment, before he pulled away. Releasing me.

He jammed his fingers into his hair and raked them backwards before he began to shake his head. “I can’t do this.”

“Yes you can.” Oscar took hold of his shoulders and made him look at him. “You can. You have the power to see this through. It isn’t always easy being what we are, but we have to do what we must.”

“But I have feelings. Stronger ones than I thought.”

Grandma hugged him. “We all do—that’s what makes us human. But we can get through this together.” Then she looked at me. “Come with me. We need to get you cleaned up. It’s almost time to cut the cake.”

I nodded feeling a little numb. I looked down at the shredded corsage fragments and removed the wrist band, tossing it into the trash.

Chapter Twenty-
Six

Grandma helped me fix my smudged mascara in the tiny bathroom off the foyer and then we returned to the party. Leopold and Oscar were waiting for us. Oscar led Grandma to the dance floor while Leopold and I stayed.

“Are you okay?” Leopold asked.

I nodded. “I’m a little shaken up, but I’ll be okay.”

“I’m sorry about earlier. I should have stayed with you, not letting you out of my sight. I knew something like this could have happened. The descendant has only so long to make its move. It’ll be midnight soon.”

“I know.”

He reached for my hand and led me down the hallway away from the dancing and the loud music. We went into Grandma’s studio. “I need you to know something, Dodie. I didn’t realize it until a few moments ago and I wish I hadn’t wasted so much time—”

“What?” I asked, touching his cute dimple that was present as he spoke because he was smiling.

“I love you.”

I blinked, having not expected that, but finding it pleased me very much. I hugged him. “I love you too.”

He kissed my forehead, the tip of my nose, and then my lips. “Happy Birthday, Dodie.”

When we returned to the party the Goo Goo Dolls was playing and we slow danced to the song. I closed my eyes, leaning my cheek against his, wishing the song would go on forever, but the grandfather clock had long ago struck the half-hour and the hand was inching toward twelve faster and faster with every beat of the song. The cake had been moved to the dining room already. And that meant as soon as the song ended I’d be expected to blow out the candles.

But maybe I didn’t want to blow out those candles. Maybe I didn’t want the clock to strike midnight.

Something strange was going on inside me. I could feel it, but I didn’t understand what it was. I was becoming so hot and flushed. I was having trouble breathing. My throat was dry. I needed more punch.

The music stopped and I opened my eyes. Leopold took a step back and everyone that had been dancing clapped.

“It’s two minutes until midnight. Can everyone please come into the dining room. Dodie will blow out her candles at the clock strikes the hour.

Here we are. Two minutes. Well, one minute fifty-two seconds and counting. I walked into the dining room and around to the far side of the table. Cameras flashed and Grandma wanted Leopold to stand with me for a photo as the caterer lit the candles.

All sixteen candles were stuck in the top tier of the cake around the floral mass of icing. I took a deep breath and let it out preparing myself to get them all blown out in one try. Everyone began to sing happy birthday and as soon as they finished the clock began to strike the hour. I blew with all my might. The flames on each candle flickered out and smoke rose from it.

I felt light headed and I staggered. I closed my eyes and swallowed, trying to open them again, but instead I felt myself falling. My knees buckles and my head lobbed from side to side. I hit the ground with a thud, but then almost immediately I was seeing a flashback of what happened. I saw everyone around me as clear as if I was a bystander in the room. Leopold was knelt over me. My mom and dad were trying to break through the crowd of people to get to me. Brody was climbing over the table despite the platters of uneaten food. Sasha was crying. Father Branum and Mary Margaret were trying to get the guests to back away to give more room for the family.

I searched the crowd, looking at every face taking in their shocked expressions. There were so many different reactions it was a little bewildering. Ambrielle was looking right at me as if she could see me and she nodded.

I looked through the crowd again, realizing there was one I hadn’t seen. Anson wasn’t there. I hadn’t seen him since he wanted to talk to me earlier, or had I? Had he been the doppelgänger trying to take me to the wine cellar? And then I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and there he was.

“It’s time, Dodie. Time to pay for Walter Doherty’s betrayal.”

I shook my head. “No. No it’s not. I knew it was you. I knew you were the evil that was lurking around here.”

“Yeah? Well a lot of good your boyfriend did. He couldn’t save you. None of them could have saved you.” He sneered and grabbed hold of my face forcing me to look at the group huddled around my lifeless body. “You’re dead and that means your mine for all eternity.”

“No. No it doesn’t.” I broke free of his hold and ran, out of the house and as far away from him as I could. I came to the woods and I was running, just like in my vision and a horrible, sinking feeling formed in the pit of my stomach.

If what Anson said was true and I was dead, then Leopold lied to me. He’d told me I wouldn’t die. He’d said he’d made sure that wouldn’t happen. And yet I was lying there on the dining room floor. Dead. So what did that make me? A ghost? Or was I trapped between this life and the next?

In a flash of an instant I recalled when I was in the trance earlier, when I saw myself in the woods running. I had been trying to get away from something and now I knew what, but in the end, I had ran straight toward the evil. I’d also floated above the trees and then fallen back to the ground before I did that. Would it happen as well or was that just something that happened in a dreamlike state?

I slowed and listened, but I did not hear anyone following. Could I hear? Could I make a sound?

I ran back in the direction I came, back toward the house and as I came out of the clearing I saw Ambrielle standing in the moonlight. She had her eyes closed and her arms in the air, but bent at the elbow. It looked like she was chanting something, swaying as her lips moved. When I got closer her eyes opened and they glowed. She spoke directly toward me.

“Remember what you were told child. Remember what you were told. What you perceive isn’t always real. It is up to you to determine your own destiny.”

In the distance I heard sirens and I saw flashing lights as an ambulance turned into the driveway but had to get into the grass to drive because of all the cars.

Two paramedics got out and rushed toward the house. The front door opened and I saw Father Branum usher them inside. I followed.

Callie and Lisa were hugging one another, standing with Callie’s parents. “Had she been ill and no one told us?”

Sasha was huddled beside Brody and my parents who had moved away from my body so the paramedics could get to me. Only Leopold remained by my side, holding my hand. He kissed my forehead when the men asked him to move away.

That’s the moment I stopped seeing. That’s the moment everything went black. That’s the moment I remembered Leopold’s words.

Focus on the darkness, relax, know that you are safe, even in the dark. Nothing can touch you unless you want it to. You are in control, Dodie. Be at peace with your power.

I didn’t know what I was at the moment, but I knew I wasn’t dead. I was in control and I had the power. What I had first perceived as death wasn’t real. Now it was up to me to determine my own destiny.