Whispers at Moonrise (Shadow Falls #4)(43)

"My mom? Really?" An unexpected smile spread across her lips. "So they're talking again? That's the best news I've heard all day. Maybe she'll dump the creep who wants to take her to England and give my stepdad another chance."

"Perhaps," Holiday said, as if wary of giving Kylie too much hope.

Kylie remembered that Holiday had dealt with the whole parental divorce thing, too. "How long does it take?"

"How long does what take?" Holiday asked.

"How long before you stop wishing they hadn't split? How long before you stop wanting to tell them to cut out the fighting and go back to the way things used to be?"

"I wouldn't know." Holiday sighed and offered a sympathetic smile. "I'm still waiting. I think when you grow up with them together, you just always assume they will stay together. But I do know I've reached a place where I know my parents are probably better off not being together. Nevertheless, I still have times that I remember how it used to be when we were a family, and ... I wish things were different now. The sad truth is that we change. Parents. Siblings. And when that happens, people grow apart and-"

"But who we love shouldn't change." Or could it? Kylie's mind went from her parents' divorce to Derek, and then to the ghost issue. Then, suddenly, Kylie realized that this line of conversation might be the opening she needed to ask about Holiday's sister. "Did you go through it alone?"

"Alone?" Holiday looked confused.

"What I mean is, do you have any brothers or sisters?" Kylie asked.

Holiday was looking away so Kylie couldn't see her expression, but if the sudden flinch in the woman's shoulders was any indication, Kylie had hit a nerve. Why? What was Holiday not willing to talk about? Had Hannah and Holiday grown apart?

As another second ticked by, Kylie hesitated, not knowing what to do. Should she push for an answer, or just let the moment pass? After all, this wasn't just about her wanting Holiday to trust her, this was about helping Hannah cross over. Once she solved the whole ghost issue, maybe then she could focus more on solving her other issues.

"Unfortunately," Holiday said, ending the uncomfortable silence, "siblings are not always a help in this matter." She reached for her phone. "I just remembered I need to make another call. Can you head over to the dining hall? I asked Miranda and Della to help me, too. Della's taking over shadowing duty. I have a couple of banners to put up and there's some balloons to blow up. They're in the back of the dining hall, and I just wanted to get some tables set up to hold the appetizers. I should be over there in a few minutes. And hopefully Burnett will be back and we can take a quick run to the falls before the ceremony."

"Sure," Kylie said, disappointed. She sensed Holiday was running away so she could avoid answering any more of Kylie's questions.

Holiday arched another brow, obviously picking up on Kylie's discontent, and shook her head. "I still wish you'd talk to me."

And I wish you'd talk to me. "I'm fine." Kylie watched Holiday head to the office and when she turned around, Della was standing there.

"At your service, Miss Witch." Della grinned and stared at Kylie's forehead. "However, I won't deny that I'm disappointed. I mean ... you liked the taste of blood, so I figured you'd at least be half-vampire."

Kylie rolled her eyes and pointed to her forehead. "I keep telling you guys, I don't think this is final."

"It looks final to me."

Kylie looked back at the woods and wished she felt that her grandfather was still there. Wished she could meet him face-to-face and finally get the answers she needed. But she didn't feel it. Didn't sense that something out there called to her to join it.

She looked back at Della. "And what was I last week? A human, right? And for how long? A few weeks?"

Della made a face. "Okay, I see your point. But this is the first real supernatural pattern you've shown."

"Yeah, and I'm betting it won't be my last. Let's just say, I think I've got ADD brain patterns. They never sit still. One comes, one goes."

"Damn," Della said. "Miranda's right. You really don't want to be a witch, do you?"

Kylie let out a gulp of frustrated air. "That's not it at all. It's just I was told-"

"That you're a lizard." Della made her sympathy face. Not one she used a whole lot, either. "Look, no hard feelings, but I think I'd believe you're a witch before I'd believe that you're a lizard. And if I may add one little thing, if you keep this not-a-witch front up, you're really going to hurt Miranda's feelings. She's already upset. And you know what she's like when she gets upset."

Kylie closed her eyes and inhaled. "I didn't mean to hurt her feelings. If I hadn't gotten the message from Dad saying I was a chameleon, I'd be ecstatic at the idea of being a witch." If frustration wasn't in the driver's seat of Kylie's emotions, surprise would have been behind the wheel. When had Kylie and Della traded places? Normally, it was Kylie calling Della on this offense. "Look," Kylie said, trying to explain herself. "Witch and fae were my top choices of species, but-"

"You didn't want to be a vampire?" Della sounded insulted.

Oh, crap, now Kylie had offended Della. Nothing was going right today. "Please," Kylie said, her frustration not just sitting in the driver's seat anymore, but revving up the engine. "I didn't say that, I just-"