Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
RILEY
Things had been quiet, way too quiet. It was the type of quiet that made me more nervous and jumpier. I was aware of every sound around me, which was an unwelcome intrusion.
Finn wanted us to return to normal while the tritons searched for Dylan. He made no mention of my mom or the fact that we were hiding two fugitives in the cave. He knew about them, but any discussion of it was kept to a minimum.
"Earth to Riley." Ivy interrupted my daydreaming as we stood in the costume aisle at the store.
"Sorry. I've turned into a space cadet." I looked at the costume she was holding up and laughed. "You know if you pick that, every time we open the door to trick-or-treaters, they're going to sing that fox song. I like it though; it fits your personality."
"I doubt that generation even knows that song. I think a wolf costume would suit me better, but they don't have one." Ivy examined the bushy fox tail she was holding. "It kind of looks like a giant penis with the placement of the white tip. I'm getting it for that reason alone."
"I think I'm going to get this." I pulled a shark onesie off the rack and held it up. "It will keep me warm and is really the only costume that makes sense."
"Don't remind me of that." Ivy shuddered. "You could always go as a mermaid."
I knew she was kidding, so I threw it in the basket that already had enough bags of candy for the entire child population of Salinity Cove.
We hadn’t gotten to the decoration aisles yet.
Every year we decorated the front porch of the townhouse and handed out candy.
There was always a trunk-or-treat put on by the police department in the beach parking lot not far away and the sheer volume of kids who came through was nuts.
On Tuesday, when we'd returned to school, Aiden and Ivy had wasted no time reminding me that Halloween was on Friday. Since we all had busy schedules of extracurriculars, the only time we could squeeze in shopping was on Halloween, right after school.
"Are you doing okay?" I walked next to Ivy as we continued to see if anything else caught our eye. There wasn't much to choose from since we were last-minute shoppers.
"I'm fine. I just feel really stupid that I didn't even realize he was controlling me." I grabbed her arm and stopped her. "Don't tell me it's not my fault, Riley, it totally is."
"He's not human, Ivy. He can control people. Hell, he even controlled me for a short time." I hugged her. "I should have realized sooner that something was off."
She wiped at a tear that had escaped. "I wasn't very nice to you."
"Honestly, even if Dylan hadn't been a factor, I wouldn't blame you for being a bitch. I've been a bad friend." She swatted at me and I laughed. "I know I have a lot of shit on my plate, but I feel like I've neglected my real life, and I'm sorry."
Ivy put a hand on my shoulder. "What you've been dealing with is your real life now. I'm still waiting for the hidden cameras and for it to be a prank. It's crazy. Doesn't it make you wonder what else is out there?"
"It's been a pretty elaborate prank." I considered her question about other nonhuman creatures as we started down the next aisle. "There probably are."
She shuddered. "There's a whole world that no one even knows about."
I leaned on the handle of the cart as we walked, not really paying attention to the decorations. "I find myself pinching myself to make sure I'm not dreaming. A few times I've wondered if I'm still seven and in a coma from almost drowning."
She snorted. "Wouldn't that be something? Imagine being seven and seeing all that you've seen and done inside your head. That's one fucked up seven-year-old."
"Where's the fucked up seven-year-old?" Aiden rounded the corner and dropped face paint and vampire fangs in the basket.
"Going for the tried and true vampire look again this year?" I grabbed a bag of fake spiderwebs and spiders off the display. I was tired of shopping and ready to get the townhouse set up.
"You know it. I want to suck some blood." He bared his teeth and made a hissing sound.
"Probably the only thing you'll be sucking." Ivy grinned.
I missed my friends and how normal it was being around them.
After paying for our stuff, we went back to my townhouse, which I hadn't been to in a few weeks. When I opened the door, the beeping of the alarm countdown started, and I entered my passcode on the panel. My mom hadn't been lying when she said Finn had taken care of the bills.
"Woah, where'd all this come from?" Aiden dropped the bags he was carrying on the new sectional. "Did I imagine that we sold all the furniture?"
The entire downstairs was newly furnished with similar furniture to what we had before. All that work selling everything had been for nothing. Well, not nothing. I did have all the money still.
"My mom has a sugar daddy now." I started digging through the bags, ignoring Aiden's questioning gaze, and found the orange pumpkin lights. "Let's get the decorations up so we have enough time to get ready."
The front porch looked like we had spent hours on it when we were done.
We'd hung orange and purple pumpkin lights, strung up the spiderwebs, and made a giant monster face on the door with large googly eyes.
We lined the walkway with monster yard stakes, with a few that made noise when someone was close.
The sun was just starting to set as we headed up to my room to get ready.
The boxes had been removed and my makeshift nightstands had been replaced with real ones.
There was a pang in my chest realizing I was going to have to move back home.
Or did I? I was eighteen; I didn't have to do anything I didn't want to.
"What if I moved in more permanently with the guys?" I hadn't talked with them about it, but it seemed like something they would want. "Would that be too weird with us still being in high school?"
"They do have a really nice house." Aiden changed into a black t-shirt and set up his make-up on the dresser that had a giant mirror attached to it. "But if momma's sugar daddy is buying this kind of furniture, maybe you should stay here. Moving in with your boyfriends is kind of a big deal."
I plopped on the bed and watched as Aiden began applying his vampire makeup. "It would make dating three of them easier. Not that we've even really been on any dates."
Aiden lined his eyes in thick black eyeliner. "Dates are overrated. It sets unrealistic expectations for how things are actually going to be when they get serious."
"People in relationships go on dates." I cut the tag off my shark costume. "I do think it's weird if you live with someone to be like hey, let's go on a date tonight."
"Really, a date just shows you what's going to happen when it's an anniversary." Aiden turned toward me, looking like he'd rolled out of a coffin. "Your mom will be upset if you move out."
Ivy came out of the bathroom with her fox ears and tail. She'd painted her face to look like a fox and her red hair fanned across her shoulders. "Her mom left her, Aiden. Even if she is back, where is she now?"
"I'm right here." My mom stood in the doorway of my room.
We all stared at her with wide eyes. Ivy and Aiden knew she was back but hadn't seen her in months. They didn't know I had just seen her the past weekend and she'd shown her true colors.
"Mom, what are you doing here?" I stood and put myself between her and my friends. I didn't trust her not to hurt them. Acknowledging she was dangerous made tears burn my eyes.
"I live here." It was meant to be funny, but no one laughed. "Can we talk?"
I nodded and followed her to her bedroom without looking back. I didn't want Ivy and Aiden to see the heartbreak and worry written across my face.
She shut the door behind me and went to the window to peer out before turning to look at me. I was glad she had brought me to her room; I wouldn't have to worry about her kidnapping me unless she planned on using the window.
The thought made my heart ache for what we once had. We were no Rory and Lorelai, but we had been close. Now we seemed to be in two different orbits.
"What do you want to talk about?" I crossed my arms as she sat down on her new bed and patted it for me to sit down. "I'm fine right here."
"I know I've hurt you."
I let my arms fall to my sides, the strength to cross them gone. "You've devastated me, Mom."
My mom sucked in a breath and let it out slowly, a tear falling. My immediate reaction was to rush to her side and comfort her, just like we always had done for each other. Instead, I twisted my hands in front of me.
"You've kept me in the dark my entire life, hoping that I would never know." I wanted to scream and throw things, but also was aware that Ivy and Aiden were right down the hall. "I never realized I was missing part of myself until I shifted. You kept that from me."
My mom found a loose string on the bedspread to pick and avoided looking at me.
"Imagine my position as a mother, knowing her daughter is going to be hunted because of who she is.
Knowing that every day you'd have to worry about your anger spiraling out of control.
Knowing that our lives would have to be entwined to share the knife. "
I brought my hand up to my necklace and spun the pearls. "We don't even need the knife."
"I didn't know!" She finally met my eyes and all I saw was pain and regret staring back at me. "My whole life has revolved around staying hidden and keeping myself under control. I don't want that for you."
"You never bothered to ask me what I wanted. Even if you'd waited until I hit high school to tell me, I had enough wits about me then to make a logical and rational life decision." I leaned against the wall next to the door. "Why are you here? The tritons are looking for you."
"I'm here about Dylan." My stomach knotted, and I went to walk out. All the men she was connected with had hurt me. "Hear me out, Riley, please."