Awake at Dawn (Shadow Falls #2)(38)

Kylie stormed into Holiday's office. She dropped down in the seat across from the desk and looked her friend and camp leader right in the eyes. "I hate boys. I'm seriously considering going lesbian."

Holiday's expression was part grin, part groan. "If it was that easy, ninety percent of the women in the world would be gay." She made a funny little face and then asked, "So ... boy problems?" She reached for a can of soda and took a sip.

"More like boys, skunk, and ghosts."

Holiday choked on the diet drink. "Skunk?"

Kylie sank into the chair, feeling defeated and frazzled from her argument with Derek.

"Miranda turned Socks into a skunk. And she can't figure out how to turn him back." No sooner had the words left her lips than Kylie realized it sounded as if she was tattling. "Not that I want you to say anything."

Holiday tried not to smile, but the edges of her mouth twisted up. "She was probably practicing for the show that her mom entered her into when she's back home."

"She explained why she did it. And I don't want her to get in any trouble ... but what if she can't figure out how to change him back? I'm going to be stuck with a skunk for a pet."

Another smile threatened to appear on Holiday's lips. "I'm sure she'll figure it out."

Kylie shook her head and then dropped her hands into her lap. "You have no idea how much I wish my life could just go back to normal. Like human normal? Nobody trying to read my thoughts, change my feelings, or making it my job to save someone's life."

Holiday leaned back in her chair and stretched her arms up as if she'd sat too long in the same position. Hands still up in the air, she gave the papers scattered on her desk a frown. "Don't know about human, but normal does sound good sometimes, doesn't it?"

Something about Holiday's mood had Kylie's own concerns shifting. "Is everything okay?"

"Me? Oh, I'm fine." She dropped her hands and sat up a little straighter as if to put up a front. "It's you I'm worried about, Kylie. You seemed very upset this morning."

Kylie recalled how she'd stormed out of here. "I'm sorry. It sometimes ... it just feels as if it's too much."

"I know it feels like that. But it will work out," Holiday said. Kylie frowned. "You sound like my mom. She always says, 'God won't give you more than you can handle.'"

Holiday chuckled. "And we just wish He didn't trust us so much, right?"

"Yeah." Kylie saw the concern flare up in Holiday's eyes again. "What about your problems?" She motioned to the desk, sensing Holiday was upset.

"It'll be fine ... just have a lot of financial crap to figure out with us going full-time here at the camp. There are teachers to be hired.

Heating units to put into the cabins. And I don't have a clue how we're going to manage it." "I thought the government, I mean the FRU, funded the camp."

"They do to some degree, but when they agreed to let me open the boarding school, they put us on a tight budget. These days even government programs are cutting back." She looked at the desk again. "It's probably not as bad as I think it is. It's just ... Sky used to do all the financial work, and now I'm stuck with it."

"Burnett's not good with doing that kind of stuff?" Kylie asked, hoping to ease into a conversation about him.

"I don't know. But since he shouldn't be helping out here for more than another month, I don't see any reason for him to get involved with this side of the business."

Take the sugarcoating off what Holiday said and it basically meant she didn't trust Burnett. Was that because he was vampire, or could it be because she'd trusted Sky, her last co-camp leader, and Sky had let her down? Holiday never talked about Sky much, but Kylie sensed her friend's betrayal had hurt her more than she wanted to admit. "Have they hired a new camp leader?" Kylie asked.

Now Holiday's expression turned into a full groan. "No. But they've promised by the end of summer I should have someone. And that can't come soon enough."

"Is he really that unpleasant to work with?" Kylie sensed Holiday's frustration came from Burnett, which only made Kylie worry about how Holiday would take Kylie's confession.

"We're just too different." Holiday's gaze lowered to Kylie's chest and stayed there for a fraction of a second too long. Which meant Holiday had noticed the growth spurt.

Kylie's thoughts shot away from her confession and turned on her own issues. "Can you explain this?"

"Explain what?" Holiday asked innocently enough, but it didn't convince Kylie.

Kylie held out her hands in front of her boobs.

Holiday's brows wrinkled. "I was hoping you'd just gotten a new Wonderbra."

"Afraid not. There's my hair, too." Kylie pulled it over her shoulder. "Plus, my shoes are almost too tight and I'm pretty sure I'm a whole inch taller."

"Mmm." Holiday almost appeared as if she worked at keeping her expression unreadable.

"Mmm, what?" Kylie leaned forward, pressing her hands on the desk. "Mmm, it's odd." Holiday said, but something about the way the camp leader glanced back to her papers hinted that she wasn't being one hundred percent up front with Kylie.