Damned

Chapter Twenty-Two

The whole car ride I focussed on my breathing. I needed to keep it steady. They would be able to hear my heart beating like crazy, which would be so embarrassing. I dropped my shoulders down a notch, relaxing them helped. Then, I tried to think of math equations to keep my brain occupied. Every time I started to think about blood, I started doing the PhantogramTheory in my head. 

When Daniel opened his front door, me by his side, I started to solve Quadratic equations. 

"Mom?" He called into the seemingly vacant house. I knew it was too good to be true that everyone was gone. 

"In here, Danny." A voice I recognized as Nancy called. I followed Daniel into the house, around the corner, into the kitchen. 

"Corn's here, how long until dinner?" He asked, casually leaning against the counters. His mom didn't look up when I came into the kitchen. She was peeling potatoes and then dropping them into a boiling pan. She didn't even flinch as the hot water splashed her skin. 

It must have been a Cursed One perk.

"A little less than an hour," She told him in a robotic tone. Honestly, this was the warmest Nancy had been towards me. Usually, she gave me a disapproving glance or stare. I didn't mind being ignored, it was better somehow.

"Okay, do you need any help?" Daniel asked Nancy. Please don't say yes, I beg internally. 

"No, dear I'm okay." She told him sweetly. I noticed she never took her eyes off the potatoes. She was oddly maternal to him, but that appeared to be the only person she was nice to. One time, I had been over here and I heard her yelling at Mikhail. Apparently, she didn't like anyone who was human.

"Okay, we'll be upstairs." He gave her an innocent smile, then took my hand. I exhaled, not realizing I had been holding my breath the whole time we were in the kitchen. "I'll take you to Lara and Lisa, they're in Giu's room." He looked excited to introduce me, but I was forced to try and solve 7 cos (9x) -1=1

It wasn't a challenging problem, but the challenge was focussing on math instead of the giant pit in my stomach. I nodded and he took my past his room down the hallway. I heard giggling on the other side of the door. When Daniel knocked the giggle only intensified. Were they laughing at me? 

In my mind, I tried to sketch a graph of y=cot (4x- pin/4) over one period. It was one of the extra credit problems from math class. I hadn't figured it out in class, but Erik had. When I asked him how he did it, he shrugged. He had this affinity for math that made me jealous. I like math and Iw as pretty damn good at it, but not as good as Erik.

Giu opened the door, reminding me that I was underdressed. My eyes widened at her rose gold colored sequin dress that clung to her small frame and danced to the floor.

"Daniel! Corn!" She exclaims in her petite French accent. I'm still gawking at her dress.

"Giu, your dress is amazing. I had no clue there was a dress code." I give Daniel a look sideways. He doesn't see it.

"Oh, there isn't. I got this for the school dance." She waves my worries away. 

"The school dance?" Had I missed something? It was Spring Break and four days until Ivelyn's birthday. What dance was she talking about?

"Well, for Prom. I know it isn't until May, but I had to get Lara and Lisa's help and since they rarely make an appearance," she looks behind her and giggles manifest on another side. Giu blushed, then holds the door open further. "Oh my God, I'm so rude. Cornelia, this is Lara and Lisa, my- our cousins," she corrects herself. 

Sitting cross-legged on Giu bed, was a set of twins. They both had deep olive skin, long black hair that was in soft glam curls and legs for days. When they stood I saw they were model height and they were wearing heels, making them a couple of inches taller than Daniel. They smiled a blinding white smile. As they came closer I saw their eyes were green-blue, like the ocean.